Michelle Obama, Meghan Markle & More Team Up for the Girl Up 2020 Leadership Summit

by Jennifer SwartvagherJuly 9, 2020

Girl Up, the gender equality initiative of the United Nations Foundation, is hosting its 2020 virtual leadership summit online on Jul. 13-15, 2020. Former First Lady Michelle Obama will kick off its annual leadership conference with a special message for young female leaders and gender equality activists around the world. Special guests and speakers include Meghan Markle, Nadia Murad and Chloe x Halle.

Mrs. Obama, a champion of girls’ education, will share a special message on behalf of the Obama Foundation’s Girls Opportunity Alliance, a program that seeks to empower adolescent girls around the world through education, enabling them to achieve their full potential and transform their families, communities, and countries. Girl Up and the Girls Opportunity Alliance have worked together in the past to promote grassroots and girl-led actions, and to mobilize their networks in support of girls’ education. Access to education is a human right, and girls’ access to quality education is essential to achieve gender equality and create an equitable world.

“We’re honored to have Mrs. Obama with us at our Summit this year. The impact she has made in this country, and around the world, is deeply inspiring and motivating to our girl leaders –she’s a role model for using your voice,” said Melissa Kilby, Executive Director of Girl Up.

This year’s Summit, presented by P&G, is themed “We Need To Talk,” pushing conversations about issues intersecting with gender equality, like representation in STEM and sports, access to education, and how to create solutions for gender-based violence.

Also joining Mrs. Obama as part of the Girl Up Leadership Summit speaker line-up:

Nadia Murad, 2018 Nobel Peace Laureate, UN Goodwill Ambassador, and Founder and President of Nadia’s Initiative

Sheryl Sandberg, COO Facebook and Founder of LeanIn.Org and OptionB.Org

Storm Reid, Actress and Activist

Dr. Tererai Trent, Global Humanitarian, Author, Scholar and Educator

Monique Coleman, Emmy Nominated Host, Actress, Champion for Young People

Liz Plank, Author, Activist and Journalist

Wade Davis, Thought Leader, Writer, Educator on Gender, Race, and Orientation Equality

More speakers will be announced in coming weeks. The in-person version of Girl Up’s flagship Leadership Summit in the nation’s capital has brought together more than 3,000 young activists to learn the issues and advocate Congress in recent years. Girl Up expects thousands more to join this year’s Summit in an online setting. Registration is free and is open until July 13, 2020.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

Featured photo: @thiszun from Pexels

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Study Shows Babies from Bilingual Homes Switch Attention Faster

by Jennifer SwartvagherMarch 10, 2020

According to new research, babies born into bilingual families are better at switching their attention from one task to another compared with infants from homes where only one language is spoken. The study, led by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), used eye-tracking technology to record the gaze of 102 infants carrying out a variety of tasks. Scientists found that those from bilingual homes are able to change their focus “more quickly and more frequently” than those from monolingual homes.

The researchers studied babies between the ages of seven and nine months, half from bilingual homes and half from monolingual homes, to rule out any benefits gained from being able to speak a second language, often referred to as the “bilingual advantage.” Instead, the study focused on the effects of growing up simply hearing two or more languages.

Dr Dean D’Souza, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at ARU said, “Bilingual environments may be more variable and unpredictable than monolingual environments — and therefore more challenging to learn in. We know that babies can easily acquire multiple languages, so we wanted to investigate how they manage it. Our research suggests that babies in bilingual homes adapt to their more complex environment by seeking out additional information.”

When shown two pictures side by side, infants from bilingual homes shifted attention from one picture to another more frequently than infants from monolingual homes, suggesting these babies were exploring more of their environment.The study also found that when a new picture appeared on the screen, babies from bilingual homes were 33% faster at redirecting their attention towards the new picture.

D’Souza added, “Scanning their surroundings faster and more frequently might help the infants in a number of ways. For example, redirecting attention from a toy to a speaker’s mouth could help infants to match ambiguous speech sounds with mouth movements.”

The researchers are currently investigating whether this faster and more frequent switching in infancy can have a longer lasting developmental impact.

The findings were published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

Featured photo: Picsea on Unsplash

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This Teen’s Guide to Social Media Is a Must-Have for Parents

by Jennifer SwartvagherFebruary 23, 2020

Do you find yourself googling what a VSCO girl is or do your teenagers cringe when you don’t use “Yeet” correctly in a sentence? Then we have the resource for you. This past Christmas, 16-year-old, L.E. Acuff, daughter of author and speaker Jon Acuff, gifted her dad a handmade guide to all things social media.

“It is the most amazing thing ever,” Jon Acuff wrote in an Instagram post about the gift. “She spent weeks making this and each page is funnier than the last.”

View this post on Instagram

My 16-year-old daughter made me a guide for memes last Christmas. ⠀ It is the most amazing thing ever. The table of contents includes phrases I should know, memes I should know and even a special note about TikTok.⠀ ⠀ She spent weeks making this and each page is funnier than the last. Swipe through the photos in case you need a refresher on the world record egg, the calm down lady and Sponge Bob. ⠀ ⠀ What’s your favorite meme or gif of all time? ⠀

A post shared by Jon Acuff | Author + Speaker (@jonacuff) on Feb 18, 2020 at 10:34am PST

While Jon Acuff received the guide a few months ago, he only recently shared his epic gift on Instagram. He wrote, “The table of contents includes phrases I should know, memes I should know and even a special note about TikTok.” She thought of everything, even including an “About the Author” page.

L.E. Acuff created the guide to help her dad out with today’s popular slang and memes. She said that she wanted to make him a gift that was both useful as well as funny. She said, “Also, I felt like he needed to be educated on the current memes.”

One of the memes L.E. Acuff highlighted is the “Woman Yelling at a Cat” which features a screen capture of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast members Taylor Armstrong and Kyle Richards followed by a picture of a confused-looking cat sitting behind a dinner plate. This meme took off last June and still remains popular.

If you need a refresher on the World Record Egg, JoJo Siwa or Peppa Pig, L.E. Acuff has you covered. Next to each topic, there is a detailed explanation.

L.E. Acuff tried to encompass memes that she felt were important and popular but also funny, such as the Area 51 memes. She liked that she could find so many high quality variations.

As for Jon Acuff, one of his favorite memes is the video of the “Calm Down” lady simply because she has crazy eyes!

—Jennifer Swartvagher

All photos courtesy of Jon Acuff

This 13-Year-Old Raised Money to Buy Daddy Dolls for Kids of Deployed Soldiers

by Jennifer SwartvagherFebruary 13, 2020

Military kids learn to be resilient at an early age. Children who have a deployed parent may experience extra stress and anxiety. Thirteen-year-old Jayden Kirkpatrick, the son of a Marine Corps veteran, knew how it felt when his father was deployed so he wanted to help other military kids.

When Jayden heard about the Daddy Doll Challenge he knew that he wanted to raise money to give back and help other children. Jayden’s first Daddy Doll was gifted to him on his first Christmas while his father was deployed to Iraq. While surrounded by family in Inidana on Christmas morning, there was a knock on the door. A box was delivered to Jayden containing his doll with a speaker. The message that played was Jayden’s dad saing, “I love you, Jayden.” Since then Jayden and his brother have had three Daddy Dolls.

People from the community and local businesses have donated to Jayden, as well as many others from out of state. So far he has raised enough money to pay for 105 dolls and Daddy Dolls is matching his donation.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

Photos courtesy of Tiffany Kirkpatrick

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These College Students Just Received the Best Graduation Gift Ever

by Shahrzad WarkentinMay 21, 2019

It’s officially graduation season and along with the cap and gown comes plenty of congratulations and gifts from family and friends. For the 2019 graduating class of Morehouse College they received an unforgettable gift from their commencement speaker.

Over the weekend, billionaire tech investor and philanthropist Robert F. Smith addressed the graduation class of Morehouse College with an inspiring commencement address. Smith, who received an honorary doctorate, had already announced a $1.5 billion gift to the school. During his speech, however, he revealed to a surprised audience that he would pay off the student loans of the nearly 400 students in the graduating class.

Robert F. Smith’s gift of paying off the student loans of Morehouse College’s 2019 graduating class stunned the students and faculty. The gift is estimated at $20 million to $40 million. https://t.co/CSRStc2wTj

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) May 21, 2019

Leaving college with a full education and zero debt is an absolute dream come true for these students and a Smith believes his gift will go on to help others. “This is my class,” Smith said, “and I know my class will pay this forward.”

—Shahrzad Warkentin

Featured photo: Shopify Partners

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This Tampon-Shaped Speaker Does What for Your Baby?!

by Shahrzad WarkentinApril 19, 2019

Talking to your baby and even singing are some of the ways expectant parents communicate with their babies while they are still in the womb. The new tampon-shaped speaker Babypod kicks that early introduction to music up a notch.

The Babypod is a tiny speaker that is inserted the same way you use a tampon. The speaker has an audio cord which can be connected into a smartphone or other music enabled device. Then all you have to do is queue up that playlist and let the party begin.

Don't miss this #3D animation explaining #Babypod.#MusicIsLife https://t.co/0WHhmOPVWT pic.twitter.com/XLk5I9pa5R

— Babypod (@_Babypod) April 6, 2019

The makers of Babypod cited their own research into the benefits of music exposure in the womb. The device is intended for use up to 20 minutes per day after the 16th week of pregnancy. The company explained that the device was found safe to use in clinical trials of over 1,000 patients. “The intensity of the sound that Babypod emits is similar to a conversation in low tone and has a control system so that it does not exceed this level, which can not damage the fetal ear,” the company said in an email to INSIDER.

While Babypod is FDA approved it’s always important to check with your health care provider before using any type of new device that can come in close contact with the womb and your baby.

“We don’t know if there is a sound or decibel level too high for a fetus. Maybe there’s a reason our bodies don’t come equipped with vaginal speakers,” Dr. Donnica Moore, a gynecologist, told INSIDER. “Anything that you may want to insert in your vagina during pregnancy should be cleared by your doctor first.”

—Shahrzad Warkentin

Featured photo: Suhyeon Choi via Unsplash

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Worried About Privacy From Amazon’s Alexa? These Easy Settings Will Ease Your Mind

by Shahrzad WarkentinApril 15, 2019

Digital assistant devices, like Amazon’s Echo, can be a useful household tool when all you have to do is command it with your voice, but is Alexa listening to everything you say?

A recent Bloomberg report revealed that Amazon employees listen to voice recordings captured by the Echo speaker in order to calibrate and improve Alexa’s programming. The news of course raised privacy concerns for customers who would prefer not to have their conversations recorded.

photo: Courtesy of Amazon

The truth is, however, as an Amazon spokesperson explained to TODAY, that the Echo only records world spoken when Alexa is issued a verbal command. In other words, unless you use your wake word, like “Alexa” or “Echo” the Echo will not record or send any audio or data to the cloud. Only a small amount of recorded data is actually reviewed by employees and there is never any information linking the recording the identity of the customers, an Amazon spokesperson explained to Bloomberg.

“Privacy and security are first and foremost super important to us,” Amazon vice president of Alexa experience Toni Reid told NBC News in November. “We take it very seriously. We design it into our products from the beginning.”

If the idea of being recorded regardless makes you uncomfortable, there is an easy fix to disable the function. Simply follow these steps:

Open the Alexa app on your phone.
Tap the menu button on the top left of the screen.
Select “Alexa Account.”
Choose “Alexa Privacy.”
Select “Manage how your data improves Alexa.”
Turn off the button next to “Help Develop New Features.”
Turn off the button next to your name under “Use Messages to Improve Transcriptions.”

—Shahrzad Warkentin

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Here’s Why This School Keeps Its Bus Stocked with Buckets—of Books

by Erica LoopFebruary 1, 2019

Getting kids to read isn’t always easy. But when one special education teacher decided to stock the school bus with a bucket of books something pretty magical happened.

A recent Facebook post from the Arkansas Department of Education showed how a little creativity and some serious ingenuity can change the face of learning. Drew Central School District teacher Julie Callison devised a plan to get students reading—without having to assign homework or force the kiddos into it.’ Instead, Callison stocked the school bus with a bucket of books.

So here’s how the bucket of books works. Each child can choose up to three books to read on their bus ride. When they’re done reading their books, the students can share their picks with nearby classmates or bus-mates. But it gets even cooler.

According to Callison, on the Department of Education’s Facebook page, “On Friday afternoons we have a ‘Special Guest Reader’ usually from the back of the bus (high school or middle school student). They pick out a book, sit on the front seat and read it over the speaker to the whole bus. They love this!”

It’s clear that the students are enjoying their bus ride literacy adventures. And they’re not the only ones who think Callison’s idea is pure genius. One Facebook commenter wrote, “Ok this may be the coolest thing I have heard of! So much better than kids bullying on the bus or playing on their phones!”

—Erica Loop

Featured photo: macdeedle via Pixabay

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This New Book about a Trailblazing Woman Rocks for So Many Reasons

by Amber GuetebierAugust 17, 2017

In 1966, women didn’t run. At least, they didn’t run on record and they definitely didn’t compete in marathons. But Bobbi Gibb changed all that. Because she ran anyway! She broke the rules and made history, and now you can share her story with your own little marathoners with a recently-released, beautifully illustrated picture book. Read on to learn more about Bobbi and how to get your copy of The Girl Who Ran.

Girls Don’t Run?!?

When Bobbi Gibb saw the Boston Marathon, she knew it was a race she wanted to run. So she trained hard. But when the time came, and she applied for entry, she was denied. “Girls don’t run, girls can’t run,” they told her. So she proved them wrong. How? Well, she hid in the bushes a few yards from the starting line, pulled a black hoodie over her head so no one would recognize her, and after several hundred runners began the race she jumped in! And not only did Bobbi run the race, she finished it in 3 hours and 20 minutes, unofficially. That’s just one hour behind the winner and ahead of half the male runners. So it turns, out, she could run after all.

Yes, You Can!!!

That day changed history. Bobbi—who today is a runner, attorney, athlete, author, speaker, mother and scientist—defied the rules that said she couldn’t and paved the way for women athletes, and women everywhere, to change their own path. For kids from all ages and stage, this book tells the story in a relatable way, and will inspire kids to never, ever believe that you can’t. Always believe that you can!

The Girl Who Ran

Published recently by Compendium, this hardcover book—written by Frances Poletti and Kristina Yee, and illustrated by Susanna Chapman—tells the story from Bobbi’s perspective. Kids will learn that not only is it okay to defy the norm to do what is right, that when you do, others support you: Bobbi’s fellow runners cheered her on all the way. This book makes an excellent gift for children of ANY gender. They will find comfort, inspiration and a serious fire lit after reading it. The ultimate message: Oh, yes, you can! Check out the publisher’s interview with Bobbi Gibb below.

Get your copy here.
Hardcover, $16.95
Ages: 5-10 and up (we think it’s really all ages!)

Was there a time when you broke the rules to do the right thing? Tell us in a comment below!

—Amber Guetebier

No Pink Bunnies Allowed: 10 Strange Laws

by Amber GuetebierFebruary 24, 2016

There may be a perfectly logical explanation for why you can’t whistle underwater in Vermont, but the reason may be lost to time. Read on for some more silly or seriously surprising laws that, while widely ignored, are actually still on the books.

photo: Ryan McFarland via flickr

1. During Napoleon’s reign it was against the law to say the name of his favorite flower out loud in public (the violet, or violette).

2. Whaling is illegal in (landlocked) Oklahoma. Same for Nebraska.

3. In Natchez, Mississippi elephants may not drink booze.

4. In the U.S., women gained the right to vote officially in 1920 but in Wyoming (territory) women could vote as early as 1869.

5. Throwing eggs at a public speaker in Kentucky will get you a year in jail.

6. You may not buy peanuts after sunset in Alabama.

7. Also in Kentucky, there is a mandate that persons must bathe at least once a year.

8. In Lake Charles, Louisiana it’s against the law to leave a puddle in your yard for more than 12 hours.

9. Whistling underwater in Vermont is illegal.

10. Kentucky again: dying chicks and bunnies is against the law.

Know any silly laws that are still on the books in your hometown? Share them with us in the comments.

—Amber Guetebier

Special thanks to author Varla Ventura for help with these silly laws. Read more in The Book of the Bizarre, Weiser Books, 2008.

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