The 20 Best States to Have a Baby in 2023
If you want to start a family, consider settling down in one of the best states for new parents.
2023-08-16 00:24
Meta criticized for making reproductive health an R-rated issue
Female reproductive health experts are calling on Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, to rethink its restrictions on reproductive health content.
2023-08-15 23:59
Shipping's Greener Fuel Quest Runs Into Climate Complications
What does going “green” actually mean? For the global shipping industry, it’s a potentially fraught question.Three-and-a-half years ago,
2023-08-15 23:19
Red flags you might be missing about your child’s online safety
During the wait for improved online safety laws, tens of thousands of grooming crimes have been recorded. The Online Safety Bill, which is meant to become law this autumn, has encountered numerous delays and changes since it become a proposed legislation. As a result, the children’s charity NSPCC has called on MPs and tech giants to support the Bill, especially since 34,000 online grooming crimes had been recorded by UK police forces over the last six years, since first calling for more robust safety regulations in 2017. Based on data from 42 UK police forces, the NSPCC said that last year, 6,350 offences related to the sexual communication with a child were recorded. Some 5,500 took place against primary school-aged children, and 73% of the crimes were related to Meta-linked platforms or Snapchat. NSPCC chief executive Sir Peter Wanless said: “The number of offences must serve as a reminder of why the Online Safety Bill is so important and why the ground-breaking protections it will give children are desperately needed. “We’re pleased the government has listened and strengthened the legislation so companies must tackle how their sites contribute to child sexual abuse in a tough but proportionate way, including in private messaging.” Here are some of the red flags parents should be on the look out for. Being secretive about how they are spending their time On their website, Childline define grooming as someone building a child’s trust to make a connection in order to do something sexual or illegal. “Studies show parental supervision typically declines as children get older, however online abuse does not,” said Mark Bentley, safeguarding and cyber security lead at charity The National Grid for Learning (LGfL). From being secretive to omitting relevant information, changes in behaviour can vary from child to child. But it’s something for all parents to be mindful of when their child starts using social media more. “Unfortunately, as in many areas of child protection, indicators of abuse can often mirror natural markers of growing up,” said Bentley. “As children and adolescents develop, they seek independence from parents, engage in risk taking and have changes in mood and friendship group. “Nonetheless, these markers remain vital to watch out for, even if it is just to support your growing child. Those who are being groomed online are much more likely to be defensive and secretive about phone usage and loathed to be separated from their device.” Having unexplained gifts, big or small Buying gifts for children, whether big or small, can be another grooming technique used to flatter children and their families. “Some groomers have been known to provide alternative phones just to contact them, and this is always a red flag if you suspect your child may have a secondary device,” said Bentley. They are spending too much time onlineSocial media may promote negative experiences if no boundaries have been established.“Of course, some of these [red] flags can also be a sign of the child going through adolescence but it’s important to discuss any unusual behaviour with them as soon as possible,” said Simon Newman, member of International Cyber Expo’s advisory council and of the Cyber Resilience Centre for London.“The way groomers target children varies, but is often done through social media sites, text messages and apps, emails or online forums – particularly gaming sites.”They develop friendships with a much older person Children and young people can be groomed by a stranger or by someone they know – such as a family member, friend or professional, according to NSPCC. But the age gap between a child and their groomer can also be relatively small. The groomer may also work towards building a relationship with the family to gain trust, so they can be left alone with the child. “There are various models of the stages of grooming, but at heart it revolves around building up trust and making a child feel understood and listened to in a way they do not feel elsewhere, and then breaking down the links of trust to family, school, friends and other adults,” said Bentley. “Any parent thinking that this might be happening should definitely reach out for help.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Rumer Willis says she is ‘grateful’ to her body following birth of daughter Sugary cereals and yoghurts must remove child-friendly packaging – health group Clever kitchen storage solutions to clear the clutter
2023-08-15 22:49
ChatGPT-Wary Universities Scramble to Prepare for New School Year
ChatGPT set the academic world ablaze after it was introduced in November, when the AI chatbot suddenly gave
2023-08-15 20:18
Drake has two features on DJ Khaled's upcoming album
Drake and DJ Khaled have another two collaborations on the way.
2023-08-15 20:17
YouTube to prohibit false claims about cancer treatments under its medical misinformation policy
YouTube announced Tuesday that it will start removing false claims about cancer treatments as part of an ongoing effort to build out its medical misinformation policy.
2023-08-15 18:15
Can Sweden’s Visionary Wood City Outrun Its Real Estate Crisis?
This article is part of the Bloomberg Green series Timber Town, which looks at the global rise of
2023-08-15 17:19
Rumer Willis says she is ‘grateful’ to her body following birth of daughter
Rumer Willis says she is “grateful” to her body “for all that it did and continues to do” following the birth of her daughter. The US actress, daughter of Hollywood stars Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, said her body was “softer and rounder and jiggly” but acknowledged she was still readjusting following the birth. Willis announced her daughter’s birth on Instagram in April, writing that Louetta Isley Thomas Willis was “pure magic”. In a new post on Instagram, she shared a nude photo of herself, captioning it: “This body of mine made a human from scratch. She is the love of my life. “This body of mine that I spent so many years trying to shape and mould into what I thought was desirable or made me feel good in clothes, is a little softer and rounder and jiggly and different and that’s ok, more than ok it’s kind of amazing because I grew a person inside of it. “This little being that I love with a fierceness and wonder that reaches new levels everyday.” She added: “I know my body is still readjusting, but whatever shape it ends up in I am just grateful for all that it did and continues to do. “In the ongoing process of transformation, I am grateful for every twist and turn. “The most profound beauty I’ve ever felt in myself emerges from remembering daily, to not reject these parts of me, but just embrace and give them such deep gratitude.” Willis announced the birth of her daughter with partner Derek Richard Thomas just over two months after it was revealed her father had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. The actor – who starred in hit films including the Die Hard series, Pulp Fiction, Armageddon, and Looper – has said that he will be “stepping away” from his successful career after being diagnosed with aphasia, a condition affecting his cognitive abilities.
2023-08-15 17:15
Sugary cereals and yoghurts must remove child-friendly packaging – health group
Breakfast cereals and yoghurts containing high amounts of sugar should remove any packaging that appeals to children, a health group has said. Action on Sugar called for the removal of such packaging on products graded as high or medium for sugars, salt or saturated fat, based on the Department for Health’s nutrition guidelines. Research by the group, based at Queen Mary University of London, compared cereals and yoghurts offered by different companies in the UK. It found 47% of cereals and 65% of yogurts contained a third of the maximum sugar recommendation for a four to six-year-old per 100g. Of these, products by supermarket chains Lidl and Aldi and international brand Nestle had the highest average sugar levels with packaging targeted at children. The packaging includes cartoon characters, animations, vibrant colours and familiar characters intentionally designed to attract the attention of a child. By contrast, healthier products tend to be sold in more plain packaging targeted towards adults. Only nine cereals and six yogurts in the research were found low in sugars. Lidl announced in 2020 that it would remove cartoon characters from all its own-brand cereal packaging in Britain. Breakfast cereals and yoghurts saw significant reductions in sugar levels between 2015 and 2020, at 14.9% and 13.5% respectively. But the Sugar Reduction Programme announced in the Government’s obesity plan in 2016 set a target of 20% in that timeframe. Dr Kawther Hashem, campaign lead at Action on Sugar, said: “It’s ludicrous that whilst breakfast cereals and yogurts celebrate the largest reductions in sugars during the Sugar Reduction Programme, those same products with child-appealing packaging still have excessive amounts of sugars, unsuitable for regular intake by children. “Given the soaring numbers of under-18s suffering weight-related health problems and tooth decay being the leading cause of child hospitalisation, now is the time for companies to be forced to remove child-appealing packaging from products that are misleading parents and making our children unhealthy and sick.” A spokesperson for Nestle said: “We are committed to developing food and drink products that are tasty, nutritious and more sustainable. We offer a broad portfolio of cereals and yoghurts to meet consumer demand and ensure there is an option to suit everybody. “Since 2003, Nestle Cereals embarked on a significant and consistent work of reformulation meaning 84% of the portfolio is now classed as not high in fat, salt and sugar (non-HFSS) according to the UK Government’s nutrient profiling model. “That is 18 products within our cereal portfolio in the UK that are non-HFSS and contain no red traffic lights. Our yoghurt portfolio has also made significant steps in reformulation and has seen a reduction of 20 per cent of sugar across our products.” Aldi said it was “committed to reducing sugar in key areas that lead to children’s sugar intake as part of its work to tackle obesity among children”. The company added that defining packaging with vibrant colours as appealing to children was “misleading” and had led to “skewed results”. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Clever kitchen storage solutions to clear the clutter 5 ornamental grasses to add movement to your garden How quitting smoking can boost your health and finances – as Government considers adding messages to cigarette packs
2023-08-15 16:54
Planet of the Bass: How to listen to the full song
Planet of the Bass, the parody track that went viral from a TikTok clip to become the song of the summer, has now been released in full and here’s how to listen to it. Comedian Kyle Gordon caught the attention of TikTokers with his Eurodance parody track 'Planet of the Bass' as the character DJ Crazy Times. The catchy song has all the classic hallmarks of Eurodance music that was prominent in the 90s from the likes of bands such as Aqua, Vengaboys and La Bouche. It features an upbeat tempo, a lot of synths and grammatically incorrect lyrics such as, “Life, it never die. Women are my favourite guy”. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Gordon, aka DJ Crazy Times, voices the hilariously accurate male vocalist with a raspy monotone voice that throws in random ad-libs. Meanwhile, Ms. Biljana Electronica, the name of the female vocalist, sings the rest of the track. On TikTok, the original clip has now been viewed 8.4 million times. @kylegordonisgreat Planet of the Bass (feat. DJ Crazy Times & Ms. Biljana Electronica) #djcrazytimes #eurodance #90s #dancemusic #edm #funny #funnyvideos #funnytiktok How to listen to the full Planet of the Bass song Now, the full-length 3 minute 20 second track by Kyle Gordon is available on streaming services, including Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal and YouTube Music, via this link. The full song begins with DJ Crazy Times announcing, “Alert! Alert! DJ Crazy Times. If you want parties to be making, have some noise,” before proclaiming, “Oh, I’ve got an idea… world peace”. Planet of the Bass (feat. DJ Crazy Times & Ms. Biljana Electronica) www.youtube.com Fans were certainly excited for the release of the full track. One person wrote on X: “I am inordinately psyched for this.” “I am extremely ready,” another said. Gordon revealed he has also shot a brand new music video that is yet to drop. Fans are excited to see who will be playing Ms. Biljana Electronica, as the female vocalist has noticeably changed in every new clip that has been released in a funny nod to the fickle 90s genre. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-08-15 15:26
Ukraine therapist: I've got no weapon but knowledge
Meet the volunteer therapists battling trauma and bringing hope to Ukrainians.
2023-08-15 08:29