MasterClass Announces Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson to Teach Scientific Thinking and Communication [Trailer Included]

Neil deGrasse Tyson (image courtesy of MasterClass)

MasterClass, the platform that makes it possible for anyone to learn from the best, today announced that one of America's best-known scientist and astrophysicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson, will teach scientific thinking and communication. In his MasterClass, Tyson will teach members how to think like a scientist, providing methods and tools that empower them to identify and look past their own biases and find their way to what is objectively true. 

"Neil is an outstanding scientific communicator," said David Rogier, co-founder and CEO of MasterClass. "As Neil mentions in his class, he's never allowed a look under-the-hood to the processes behind his methods of thinking and communicating. He provides so much insight for our members to use in their everyday lives."

Tyson is an astrophysicist with the American Museum of Natural History, host of the hit radio and Emmy-nominated TV show "StarTalk" and the New York Times best-selling author of "Astrophysics for People in a Hurry" and "Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military." Tyson's professional research interests are broad, and include star formation, exploding stars, dwarf galaxies, and the Milky Way structure. Tyson obtains his data from the Hubble Space Telescope, as well as from telescopes in California, New Mexico, Arizona, and in the Andes Mountains of Chile. Tyson is also the first occupant of the Frederick P. Rose Directorship of the Hayden Planetarium.

"I can guarantee you that the most important moments of your life are decided not by what you know, but by how you think," said Tyson. "The goal here is to train your mind to question the world around you and to question what others say. If you are hungry to learn and care about what is actually true in the world, my MasterClass is for you."

Designed for anyone who wants to think critically and communicate more clearly and convincingly, Tyson's MasterClass will focus on strategies for thinking about and conveying scientific truths. Using a range of captivating examples, the class will give students a look inside Tyson's brilliant mind, offering tools that can be implemented when learning any number of scientific subjects. Tyson will touch on strategies for scientific thinking, including making predictions, identifying truths and biases, and approaching new information with healthy skepticism. In later lessons, he will focus on strategies for communication of objective truths, offering insights on giving presentations and sharing personal truths. From mastering a soundbite to framing their overall message, these strategies for communication will leave students feeling empowered to present their thoughts in day-to-day life.

Neil deGrasse Tyson (image courtesy of MasterClass)

• Tyson's MasterClass joins the 75+ classes taught by world-renowned instructors on culinary arts, photography, writing, performance, and much more. Each MasterClass has digestible video lessons sized to fit into any part of your day and cinematic visuals with close-up, hands-on demonstrations that make you feel one-on-one with the instructor. 

The Trailer:

• Now available exclusively at MasterClass.com, students can subscribe for unlimited access to all new and existing classes of 75+ instructors through the All-Access Pass. MasterClass categories include business, culinary arts, film & television, music & entertainment, photography, sports and more.

MasterClass's current roster of courses includes:

• Business: Howard Schultz (business leadership), Anna Wintour (creativity and leadership), Sara Blakely (self-made entrepreneurship), Bob Iger (strategy and leadership), Chris Voss (art of negotiation)
• Culinary Arts: Gordon Ramsay (cooking), Alice Waters (home cooking), Thomas Keller (cooking techniques), Wolfgang Puck (cooking), Dominique Ansel (French pastry), James Suckling (wine appreciation), Aaron Franklin (Texas BBQ), Massimo Bottura (Italian cooking)
• Film and Television: Werner Herzog (filmmaking), Martin Scorsese (filmmaking), Ron Howard (directing), Spike Lee (filmmaking), Mira Nair (independent filmmaking), Jodie Foster (filmmaking), Ken Burns (documentary filmmaking), Helen Mirren (acting), Samuel L. Jackson (acting), Judd Apatow (comedy), Aaron Sorkin (screenwriting), Shonda Rhimes (writing for television), Natalie Portman (acting), David Lynch (creativity and filmmaking)
• Lifestyle: Bobbi Brown (makeup and beauty)
• Music and Entertainment: Steve Martin (comedy), Christina Aguilera (singing), Usher (performance), Reba McEntire (country music), Herbie Hancock (jazz), Deadmau5 (music production), Armin van Buuren (dance music), Hans Zimmer (film scoring), Tom Morello (electric guitar), Carlos Santana (art and soul of guitar), Timbaland (producing and beatmaking), Penn & Teller (magic), Itzhak Perlman (violin), Danny Elfman (music for film)
• Writing: James Patterson (writing), David Mamet (dramatic writing), Judy Blume (writing), Malcolm Gladwell (writing), R.L. Stine (writing for young audiences), Margaret Atwood (creative writing), Dan Brown (writing thrillers), Neil Gaiman (storytelling), Billy Collins (poetry), David Baldacci (writing thrillers), Joyce Carol Oates (short story writing), David Sedaris (humor and personal essays)
• Photography: Annie Leibovitz (photography), Jimmy Chin (adventure photography)
• Design and Fashion: Frank Gehry (architecture), Diane von Furstenberg (how to build a fashion brand), Marc Jacobs (fashion design)
• Sports and Games: Serena Williams (tennis), Stephen Curry (shooting, ball-handling, and scoring), Garry Kasparov (chess), Daniel Negreanu (poker), Phil Ivey (poker strategy), Simone Biles (gymnastics), Misty Copeland (ballet)
• Politics and Society: Jane Goodall (conservation), Bob Woodward (investigative journalism), Karl Rove and David Axelrod (political campaign strategy), Paul Krugman (economics and society), Doris Kearns Goodwin (U.S. presidential history and leadership)
• Science and Technology: Chris Hadfield (space exploration), Will Wright (game design), Neil deGrasse Tyson (scientific thinking and communication)

SOURCE: MasterClass

Reuters Partners With Facebook Journalism Project To Help Newsrooms Around The World Spot Deepfakes And Manipulated Media

Reuters Partners With Facebook Journalism Project To Help Newsrooms Around The World Spot Deepfakes And Manipulated Media (image via LoupDargent.info)

Reuters, the world's largest multimedia news provider, announced today the launch of an e-learning course to help newsrooms around the world spot deepfakes and manipulated media, produced in partnership with the Facebook Journalism Project. 

'Identifying and Tackling Manipulated Media' aims to help newsrooms fully equip themselves to identify and reject manipulated video, pictures and audio to help fight the spread of misinformation.

The 'Identifying and Tackling Manipulated Media' course encompasses real world examples, hypothetical cases and insights into the evolving technology used to create and detect manipulated media. The course aims to combat these risks by teaching journalists about the various types of altered media including the growing threat of the 'deepfake' and the ways in which newsrooms can be better equipped to handle this type of misinformation in order to move forward with confidence to verify and publish genuine content from third-party sources. 

The spread of inaccurate and misleading information is a significant and growing global problem. It is a major challenge for journalists and a source of alarm for governments, institutions and individuals all over the world, as it has had an increasing impact on elections. Some of the most powerful and effective forms of misinformation are video and images, as they are highly shared on social media and can be understood by all. Staged events, recycled video, deceptive editing, tampering and the recent rise of AI-driven 'deepfakes' videos all pose a fundamental threat to an informed democracy.

This type of misinformation has become a major challenge for journalists who strive to determine facts surrounding complex and often emotionally-charged topics. Reuters has been at the forefront of addressing this growing threat, with a specialist team of editors dedicated to authentication of user generated content. The team frequently encounters media that has been taken out of context, mislabeled, edited, staged or manipulated with CGI, and has been leading the charge in raising awareness and educating journalists around the world.

Audiences, too, are aware of the growing risk: a recent Reuters Institute study found more than half (55%) of people around the world are concerned about their ability to separate what is real and fake on the internet. News organizations can play an important role in allaying their audiences' concerns by being able to identify manipulated or misleading media themselves.

"Organizations around the world are increasingly alarmed by the spread and impact of misinformation on society. It's become a major challenge for media organizations as they're bombarded with user-generated and other third-party content," said Jess April, Director Strategic Partnerships & Program Management, Reuters. "It's a threat we at Reuters encounter every day, and this new course puts that expertise into practice to educate journalists and newsroom about identifying manipulated media to help stop the spread of misinformation. Providing trusted news and intelligence to the world is at the heart of what we do and sharing our knowledge of this growing threat is critical to that mission."

"We need to work across industries to better identify and address manipulated media. Partnering with Reuters to launch this free e-learning course is an important step to help journalists spot this type of content so we can stop the spread of misinformation online," said Julia Bain, Facebook Integrity Partnerships.

• The 'Identifying and Tackling Manipulated Media' course is now available in English, French, Spanish and Arabic, with more languages to launch in 2020. Click here to access it.

SOURCE: Reuters

Educating Girls Is The Right Thing To Do - For Them And For The Planet

Educating Girls Is The Right Thing To Do - For Them And For The Planet (image via Plan International Canada)

With dire warnings from UN Secretary General Guterres that time is running out to turn around the catastrophic impacts of climate change, a powerful strategy to both mitigate climate change risks and help communities adapt is being ignored – engaging adolescent girls in climate change planning and investing in girls' education. 

Plan International Canada, a leading charity on children's and girls' rights, is advocating for governments around the world to include gender equality, human rights and the empowerment of women and girls in their climate change policies and ensure girls' education becomes a key component of climate change strategies.

A recent report published by Plan International called Girls Rights in Climate Change Strategies shows that engaging women and girls in climate change planning and investing in girls' education are powerful yet often ignored strategies to combat climate change. An analysis of 162 Nationally Determined Contributions, which are national plans for meeting agreed global targets on emissions and adaptation, showed limited attention to women and girls overall, as well as the lack of girls' education as a strategic component. This includes a quality, gender transformative education that fosters the inherent agency of girls to take a leadership role in climate action.

Girls' rights and education are powerful solutions to climate change

• Girls education is impactful for both climate change action and gender equality outcomes, with each complementing the other, in multiple ways including:
• Empowering and quality education increases girls' overall opportunities for leadership, which is increases their ability to influence change in power structures that have traditionally bred inequality and unsustainable natural resource management.
• Quality education grows knowledge of climate change, further helping girls take the lead in helping their families and communities adapt to its impact.
• Quality education and training enhances a girl's "green skills", preparing her to participate equally in and lead in traditionally male-dominated green sector jobs that support sustainable social, economic and environmental outcomes.
• Educated girls are less likely to marry or become pregnant before they are 18 and they earn more over their lifetime than uneducated girls.

Climate change is exacerbating the risks that adolescent girls in marginalized settings around the world already experience. Girls and young women forced to leave their homes by the effects of climate change face grave challenges with lasting impact on their futures including a loss of access to education, a much higher risk of violence and abuse, risk of being forced into early marriage and loss of community support and livelihoods. Yet as they face these increased risks, they are also leading climate change activism and solution-finding in their communities and around the world.

Additional findings from national climate change plans outlined in Girls' Rights in Climate Change Strategies include:

• While 43% of countries referenced women or gender, it was largely in the context of women as a vulnerable group rather than contributors to climate change mitigation or adaptation.
• Only three countries' Nationally Determined Contributions make explicit reference to girls; both in the context of their needs rather than competencies and there is only one clear reference to girls' education.
• 68% of Nationally Determined Contributions include education but normally in vague terms, including awareness raising, not targeted at young people or part of a national curriculum to combat the climate crisis.
• No Nationally Determined Contribution formally recognizes the contributions that investment in girls' education could make toward their climate strategy.
• Climate strategies overall concentrate on technological fixes, ignoring social concerns and the contributions that people, particularly girls and young women empowered by education and information, might make.

Quotes

"We're in a full-blown climate crisis and every tool at our disposal must be used to mitigate the risks we are all facing," says Tanjina Mirza, Chief Programs Officer, Plan International Canada. "Girls education is one of the most powerful opportunities for growing a girl's future potential and her ability to lead in climate justice impact, yet it's absent from almost all national climate commitments and strategies. This needs to change."

"Girls are on the frontlines of climate disasters, facing the devastating risks of early and forced marriage, being pulled out of school to help earn an income or because their family has been forced to migrate, and eating least and last when food shortages arise due to extreme weather events," says Stu Solomon, Plan International Canada's Senior Advisor on Economic Empowerment and Resilience. "But girls are also at the forefront of solutions. Through their inherent individual and collective agency, they can lead climate change action for themselves, their families and their communities and must be fully engaged in every step of climate change strategy and policy-making."

"We, the next generation, are part of the solution. We want to be a partner to policy makers in finding sustainable solutions. The future depends on us. Let's get to work - for us, for Dhaka, for the planet," says 19-year-old girl Sohagi, who lives in a slum in the Bangladesh capital of Dhaka. The entire area where she lives is flooded with dirty water as the monsoon season sets in. Sohagi has long been involved in several development projects organized by Plan International. She is part of a youth group that works to call on the authorities asking that they give priority to improving conditions in the slum.

Girls must be included in climate action - Video

About the research

The research this report is based on was undertaken by Plan International in partnership with the Brookings Institution and UNICEF. The research team included Christina Kwauk from Brookings Institution, Jessica Cooke, Elisa Hara, Sharon Goulds and Marisa Muna from Plan International, and Joni Pegram and Cristina Colon from UNICEF. The report includes an analysis of 162 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in English, Spanish, and French to garner how much attention countries are giving to girls and education. 

SOURCE: Plan International Canada

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The National Gallery of Canada Presents: Beautiful Monsters in Early European Prints and Drawings (1450-1700)

Hendrick Goltzius The Dragon Devouring the Companions of Cadmus, 1588 Engraving on cream laid paper 25.5 × 32 cm National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa Purchased 2019 -  Photo: NGC (CNW Group/National Gallery of Canada)

Monsters and supernatural creatures –, sometimes horrifying, always fascinating – created between 300 and 500 years ago are the subject of a new exhibition of works on paper on view at the National Gallery of Canada from November 29, 2019, to March 29, 2020.

Beautiful Monsters in Early European Prints and Drawings (1450–1700) presents nearly 70 rarely exhibited prints and drawings by 45 artists selected from the National Gallery of Canada collection, including a number of recent acquisitions and promised gifts. Springing from the imagination of artists such as German painter and printmaker Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) and fed by the collective fears of the Renaissance and Baroque periods, these images were produced using a variety of techniques including etching, engraving, woodcut and drawing.

"By looking at these works from the Gallery's collection closely, one can see all the talent and ingenuity Renaissance and Baroque artists devoted to creating creatures that are both monstrous and refined," said Sonia Del Re, PhD (Art History), exhibition curator and Senior Curator of Prints and Drawings at the National Gallery of Canada. "Visitors of all ages will be fascinated by these beasts from a bygone era that continue to fuel the imaginations of dreamers and creators today."

Beautiful Monsters in Early European Prints and Drawings (1450–1700) is divided into four themes:

• Demons presents illustrations of biblical stories and accounts of the lives of saints. The works include a remarkable miniature drawing on vellum by Flemish artist Johan Wierix (1549–1620) titled Frontispiece to "The Creation and Early History of Man," c. 1606, which was donated to the Gallery in 2019 by Frank and Marianne Seger.
• Mythological Creatures brings together images that illustrate Greco-Roman myths, often involving hybrid creatures that are half-human, half-animal. This section features The Dragon Devouring the Companions of Cadmus, a work by the famous Dutch engraver Hendrick Goltzius (1558–1617), which the Gallery acquired earlier this year. This masterpiece, a collaboration between the engraver and the painter Cornelis van Haarlem (1562–1638), was produced in 1588 based on a painting by van Haarlem, now in the collection of The National Gallery, London.
• Sea Monsters features dangerous beasts emerging from the depths of the ocean and includes one of the most celebrated images in the history of printmaking: Battle of the Sea Gods (1485) by Italian artist Andrea Mantegna (1431–1506).
• Ornamental Beasts comprises, among other works, small-scale models for decorating utilitarian objects such as silverware, armour and ceramics with fanciful figures.

The exhibition ends with the print Hell (1935) by M.C. Escher (1898–1972). It is the printmaker's interpretation of a detail from the famous Renaissance painting The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1450–1516), which he saw in Madrid in 1922.

The exhibition Beautiful Monsters in Early European Prints and Drawings (1450–1700) is complemented by programming for all ages.

Monstrous Activities

Two fun activities have been incorporated into this exhibition: a monster scavenger hunt, an activity sheet available in the space that invites visitors to find 8 monsters in the artworks on display, which they can then take home and colour; and "Monster Mash" activity, which encourages visitors to create their own hybrid monsters on two magnetic walls.

Meet the Expert: Sonia Del Re

Thursday, December 12 at 6:00 p.m., exhibition curator Sonia Del Re will explain why fantastic creatures appear in so many Renaissance drawings and prints. In Gallery C218. In English with a bilingual question period. Free admission.

Concert

Saturday, January 25, 2020, at 2:00 p.m., Ottawa storyteller and comedian David Brennan will bring to life the myths and legends of the fantastic creatures in the exhibition. His performance will be accompanied by the music of the Ottawa Baroque Consort. In the Auditorium.

Study of a Dragon - Circle of Giulio Romano (image via National Gallery of Canada)

SOURCE: National Gallery of Canada

Wonder Media Begins Production on Animated Series to Prevent Teen Suicide, Public Invited to Contribute to Indiegogo to Help Fund New Episodes

Wonder Media, the animation studio that produced the "Protect Yourself Rules," sex abuse prevention series for The Barbara Sinatra Children's Center, is beginning production on a new animation series, "Prevent Teen Suicide: My Life is Worth Living." The company seeks help to fund the first series of episodes for this important issue. The public can contribute on Indiegogo. 

Today, Wonder Media, the education technology (EdTech) animation studio that produced the "Protect Yourself Rules," a sexual abuse prevention animation series for The Barbara Sinatra Children's Center Foundation, announced that it is beginning production on "Prevent Teen Suicide: My Life is Worth Living." The public is invited to participate in this powerful initiative to help lower the 56% increase in teen suicides, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The studio that specializes in producing animated stories to connect with children at risk, the teen suicide project comes on the heels of what they accomplished for the The Barbara Sinatra Children's Center Foundation to prevent child abuse. The "Protect Yourself Rules" series and the "Stop the Secrets that Hurt" series have been viewed by more than 200 million people worldwide. The printable extension lessons have been downloaded in 15,000 cities. 

The series has been adopted by Education for Justice, an initiative of the United Nations and The Boy Scouts of America has made them required viewing for every Cub Scout in the world.

Wonder Media, the animation studio that produced the "Protect Yourself Rules," sex abuse prevention series for The Barbara Sinatra Children's Center, is beginning production on a new animation series, "Prevent Teen Suicide: My Life is Worth Living." The company seeks help to fund the first series of episodes for this important issue. The public can contribute on Indiegogo.

The Prevent Teen Suicide pilots were developed by Wonder Media for the Gabe Alvarado Foundation with national suicide experts Dr. James Mazza and Dr. Jennifer Stuber. Wonder Media, was co-founded by Terry Thoren and Ryan Cannon. Thoren is the former CEO of Klasky Csupo, the company that incubated The Simpsons and produced Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys.

"We are passionate about protecting children," said Thoren, "Animation knows no race, religion, culture or creed. Research shows that children and teens, will pay attention to behavior exhibited by animated characters before they trust the advice of a teacher or parent. Crowdfunding allows those who have been affected by the tragedy of suicide to contribute to something powerful and help us bring down the rise in teen suicides."

• The studio seeks $375,000.00 to fund the first series of episodes for this important issue; the public can contribute on Indiegogo.

The Prevent Teen Suicide pilots were developed by Wonder Media for the Gabe Alvarado Foundation with national suicide experts Dr. James Mazza and Dr. Jennifer Stuber.

SOURCE: Wonder Media

Related Story:

• Wonder Media's Sexual Abuse Prevention Animated Series Produced for the Barbara Sinatra Children's Center Foundation, Adopted by the Boy Scouts of America and the Crimes Against Children Research Center

Seventeenth Century French Artifact Arrives In Seattle For An Immersive Exhibition

By donning a HoloLens, guests are taken into a 15- to 20-minute experience where the Mont-Saint-Michel model comes to life.

Seattle's Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) and Microsoft Corp. on Thursday announced the opening of a new exhibit, "Mont-Saint-Michel: Digital Perspectives on the Model," which features a unique blend of 17th and 21st century technology.

Powered by Microsoft AI and mixed-reality technology as well as the recently released HoloLens 2 device, the interactive exhibition transports visitors into a holographic tour of the picturesque Mont-Saint-Michel, a medieval monastery perched atop a remote tidal island off the coast of Normandy, France.

The virtual experience is complemented by a physical relief map of the Mont-Saint-Michel, an intricate, three-dimensional model of the landmark. Entirely crafted by hand in the 1600s by the resident Benedictine monks, the 1/144-scale model precisely depicts the monument in such intricate detail that maps like this were considered valuable strategic tools to leaders like Napoleon and King Louis XIV, who considered the maps military secrets and hid them from public view.

"The Museum of History & Industry is honored to share this icon of world history, enhanced by leading-edge technology, to create a unique experience born of innovations both past and present," said Leonard Garfield, MOHAI's executive director. "More than 300 years separate the remarkable relief map and today, but the persistent human drive toward invention and creativity bridges those years, reflecting the unbroken quest for greater understanding and appreciation of the world around us."

The opening of the exhibit is timed with the 40th anniversary of the Mont-Saint-Michel being designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is the first time the relief map, as well as the mixed-reality experience, has been in North America.

"The relief maps were technological marvels of Louis XIV and Napoleon's time. It's exciting to see how we can blend old and new technology to unlock the hidden treasures of history, especially for younger generations," said Brad Smith, president of Microsoft. "This exhibit provides a unique model for preserving cultural heritage around the world, something Microsoft is committed to through our AI for Good program."

The Mont-Saint-Michel experience is an example of Microsoft's AI for Cultural Heritage program, which aims to leverage the power of AI to empower people and organizations dedicated to the preservation and enrichment of cultural heritage. 

Microsoft is working with nonprofits, universities and governments around the world to use AI to help preserve the languages we speak, the places we live and the artifacts we treasure. For example, earlier today Microsoft announced it is working with experts in New Zealand to include te reo Māori in its Microsoft Translator application, which will enable instant translations of text from more than 60 languages into te reo Māori and vice versa. This will be one of the first indigenous languages to use the latest machine learning translation technology to help make the language accessible to as many people as possible. 

• The AI for Cultural Heritage program is the fourth pillar of Microsoft's AI for Good portfolio, a five-year commitment to use AI to tackle some of society's biggest challenges.

The relief map is on loan to MOHAI from the Musée des Plans-Reliefs in Paris, which houses more than 100 historically significant and well-preserved relief maps. The relief map of Mont-Saint-Michel is considered the museum's crown jewel.

"One of the challenges in the history of art is the relationship with the public. To gain the attention, to capture the view or the interest of the public, is not always evident," said Emmanuel Starcky, director, Musée des Plans-Reliefs. "With the HoloLens technology, you have now the possibility to realize immersive experiences in art, where you still see the reality but have more information about it. It will be a unique experience for the American public to discover the relief map, its condition in the 17th century and its evolution through three centuries, as well as reflect on the purpose of those relief maps."

Drawing from hundreds of thousands of detailed images, Iconem, a leader in the digital preservation of cultural heritage sites, used Microsoft AI to create a photorealistic 3D digital model of the historic structure. Then, French mixed-reality specialists at HoloForge Interactive developed a unique Microsoft HoloLens experience to draw people into the artifact like never before.

• The "Mont-Saint-Michel: Digital Perspectives on the Model" exhibit, including both the original relief map and mixed-reality experience, will be on display at MOHAI Nov. 23, 2019 through Jan. 26, 2020.

SOURCE: Microsoft Corp.

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Losing Lena: Removing One Image To Make Millions Of Women Feel Welcome In Tech [Trailer Included]

Losing Lena: Removing One Image To Make Millions Of Women Feel Welcome In Tech (PRNewsfoto/FINCH)

There's a secret hidden in almost every website and every digital image you've ever seen. That secret is Lena, a Playboy centerfold. She is "a face more studied than the Mona Lisa's" and has been called Tech's Original Sin.

But how did a centerfold from the 70's become the most used test image in the world? And what impact has it had on women studying or entering tech industries?

Introducing Losing Lena, a new film created by FINCH and Clemenger BBDO Sydney for tech organizations, Creatable & Code Like a Girl, that asks us to help remove one image to make millions of women feel welcome in tech.

Lena's story began in 1972, when the Swedish model posed as the Miss November centerfold. The next year, her centerfold was chosen by some men at the University of Southern California (USC) as an ideal test image for the algorithms they were working on to turn physical photos into digital bits. This research laid the groundwork for what would later become the jpeg, an image standard that revolutionized our digital world.

Incredibly, 46 years on, Lena is still the most infamous test image in the world. She is symbolic of how women were left out, and pushed out, of the industry.

Losing Lena is a compelling documentary that questions the very tenets of the tech industry and leaves us pondering: Why wasn't Lena retired years ago? It explores a thread that binds together so many similar challenges and biases women in tech have experienced around the world.

With appearance in tens of thousands of journals, educational resources and books, Lena has been taught to young women and men in schools and universities for decades. We need to question, what place does Lena's photograph have in the modern world of tech industry and education where women are still fighting for an equal place alongside men?

Losing Lena ends with a call on individuals, tech companies, universities and image processing facilities around the world to stop using Lena, and to help drive equal representation of, engagement with, and respect for women and girls across all areas of tech.

Code Like a Girl founder and CEO, Ally Watson, said, "The role of Lena's image in tech's history is representative of so many of our industry's shortcomings. Tech is used by everyone – no matter your age, gender, ethnicity, or sexual identity. But when our tech is developed by a small subset of homogenous individuals, it's impossible for the end product to be without bias.

This documentary illustrates just how much effort is still needed to increase diversity in the teams building tech. It's a call to the leaders of our industry to commit to Losing Lena. Because with the removal of one image, we're better positioned to welcome millions of women to the table."

FINCH's Kyra Bartley, the film's director, added, "I was struck by how succinctly Lena's story demonstrates the impact of small, seemingly inconsequential actions on the generations who come after - and of course the spotlight that throws on our current attitudes to recognizing and addressing problematic practices within STEM industries.

Far from being a finger-pointing exercise though, the film encourages people to engage with these ideas as part of a broader conversation on diversity, and to consider the ways in which their own actions could contribute to moving us all forward."

Lena added, "I retired from modeling a long time ago. It's time I retired from tech, too. We can make a simple change today that creates a lasting change for tomorrow. Let's commit to losing me."

As we rush into artificial intelligence and machine learning, some of the biggest technological changes of our time, Losing Lena questions whether we're able to learn from the unconscious biases of the past? Or are we doomed to repeat them?

• Members of the tech industry, businesses, universities and organizations can commit to Losing Lena at www.losinglena.com, as well as find substitute images that can be used for image processing testing.

'Losing Lena' - The Trailer:

The film will be available to view at a series of events hosted by Code Like a Girl, or exclusively on Facebook Watch from November 26. The full list of screenings and ticket purchase details can be found at codelikeagirl.com/events.

SOURCE: FINCH

Wonder Media's Sexual Abuse Prevention Animated Series Produced for the Barbara Sinatra Children's Center Foundation, Adopted by the Boy Scouts of America and the Crimes Against Children Research Center

The "Protect Yourself Rules," and "Stop the Secrets that Hurt" animated series produced by the edtech animation studio, Wonder Media, for the Barbara Sinatra Children's Center Foundation, has attracted 100 million views worldwide and has been adopted by The Boy Scouts of America to become mandatory viewing for every Cub Scout globally.

The "Protect Yourself Rules," and "Stop the Secrets that Hurt" animated series produced by the edtech animation studio, Wonder Media, for the Barbara Sinatra Children's Center Foundation, not only has attracted 100 million views worldwide, but has been adopted by The Boy Scouts of America to become mandatory viewing for every Cub Scout globally.

Additionally, "Education for Justice," an initiative of the United Nations, has placed all of "The Protect Yourself Rules" animations in their video library. Educators in 15,000 cities have downloaded the printable extension lessons to share with their students.

The huge success of this animated series is based on research that shows children will mimic behaviors of an animated character before they absorb advice from an adult. Wonder Media was co-founded by Terry Thoren, the former CEO of Klasky Csupo, Inc, the studio that incubated The Simpsons and produced Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys.

The Protect Yourself Rules was developed and scripted by child advocates, therapists, and national scholars under the guidance of Dr. Jon Conte, PhD.

The "Protect Yourself Rules," and "Stop the Secrets that Hurt" animated series produced by the edtech animation studio, Wonder Media, for the Barbara Sinatra Children's Center Foundation, has attracted 100 million views worldwide and has been adopted by The Boy Scouts of America to become mandatory viewing for every Cub Scout globally.

"ChildHelp reports that a child abuse claim is made every 10 seconds," said Terry Thoren, CEO and Co-Founder of Wonder Media, "This cannot go on. The medium of animation is a powerful tool that is obviously making a difference. We are dedicated to the well being of children and changing these statistics radically in our lifetime. We are not alone: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services created the Administration for Children & Families, and many private alliances such as the National Children's Alliance and organizations are deeply enrolled in creating awareness to bring these statistics down."

"When Terry Thoren approached the Foundation in 2015 he convinced us as to the powerful nature of animation," said John Thoresen, CEO of the Barbara Sinatra Children's Center Foundation. "We could not be more pleased with the success of our efforts that could not have occurred without the professional direction and animation of Wonder Media."

• Please click here to watch more "Protect Yourself Rules," and "Stop the Secrets that Hurt" videos

SOURCE: Wonder Media

Preventing Depression in Pregnant Mothers May Have Lasting Impact for Generations

Preventing Depression in Pregnant Mothers Could Have Impact for Generations

Preventing depression in pregnant women or in women who have recently given birth (perinatal depression) may have long-lasting impact. In the Oct. 30 issue of Nature, noted depression prevention and treatment expert and Palo Alto University professor Ricardo Muñoz argues that offering women basic skills in mood management could have an impact across generations, because better maternal mental health is linked to healthier development in babies.

"I have been convinced of the importance of prevention in addressing mental-health problems since the early 1970s," Muñoz says. "But only now is there sufficient evidence from clinical trials of the effectiveness of preventive interventions, using approaches derived from interpersonal and cognitive behavioral therapy, to justify deploying them."

Two recent reports underline this conclusion. In February, the US Preventive Services Task Force, an independent panel of experts in evidence-based medicine, urged clinicians to "provide or refer pregnant and postpartum persons who are at increased risk of perinatal depression to counseling interventions."

And last month, the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) released a report calling on various stakeholders, from educators to policymakers, to prevent mental-health disorders and to promote healthy mental, emotional and behavioral development in women under 25. Muñoz was a member of the committees that prepared this document and two previous NASEM reports on preventive interventions.

Pregnant mothers are both an ideal population to work with, as well as one with far-reaching consequences, Muñoz says. The window of risk is discrete (during pregnancy and up to one year after childbirth); interventions can easily be included in prenatal classes or doctors' visits; and outcomes would impact future generations since maternal depression is associated with low birthweight, preterm deliveries, and impaired cognitive development in the child.

In addition to calling for greater focus on the prevention of depression in mothers, Muñoz advocates for deploying technology to reach the greatest number women worldwide. Evidence-based preventive interventions could be made available to millions through 'massive open online interventions' or MOOIs — similar to 'massive open online courses' (MOOCs), which are delivered on the Internet for free. Such websites, apps and text-based interventions could also be useful for other high-risk groups such as adolescents. In his commentary piece, Muñoz lays out how MOOIs could work, based on his extensive work developing a course called Mothers and Babies/Mamás y Bebés while working at UCSF and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.

Globally available online tools to prevent depression and a focus on pregnant women could cut global depression in half, Muñoz maintains. "We have the knowledge and the tools to create a world in which fewer people ever experience clinical depression and other mental disorders. Let's start creating it."

Pregnant women in Lima, Peru, painted each other in 2013 to help a local hospital to raise awareness of good maternity health care (image via Nature)

• To read the Nature article, please click here 

About Ricardo F. Muñoz

Ricardo F. Muñoz is distinguished professor of clinical psychology and founding director of the Institute for International Internet Interventions for Health (i4Health) at Palo Alto University, California; and professor of psychology emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, California, USA.

About Palo Alto University

Palo Alto University is dedicated to improving the human condition through excellence in teaching, research and scholarship in the fields of psychology and counseling. With an unwavering commitment to diversity and to the communities it serves, PAU offers doctorate, master's and bachelor's programs, as well as hands-on clinical training. A private, non-profit university, PAU was founded in 1975 as the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology (PGSP) and reincorporated in 2009 as Palo Alto University. PAU is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

SOURCE: Palo Alto University

The Polar Regions - The End of the Eternal Ice

The Polar Regions - The End of the Eternal Ice (image via Pixabay)

The polar regions play an exceptional role in the Earth's climate system. The almost endless snow and ice surfaces of the Arctic and Antarctic act like a gigantic mirror and radiate up to 90 percent of incident sunlight back into space. Because of this, they not only slow down the warming of the Earth, but also create large temperature differences between the cold polar regions and the warm tropics. This disparity, in turn, drives the global wind and ocean currents and contributes significantly to the fact that the heat stored in the sea and in the atmosphere is distributed over large areas of the globe and that people, animals and plants find reliable living conditions everywhere in the world. What happens in the remote polar regions is therefore of concern to each and every one of us. Numerous demonstrations not only by climate activists and worldwide Fridays for Future protests in recent months have impressively pointed out that such reliable living conditions are not self-evident but can only be understood as the result of a forward-looking, intergenerational and environmentally conscious policy.

The sixth volume of the publication 'World Ocean Review' (WOR), published with the support of the International Ocean Institute (IOI), is therefore entitled 'The Arctic and Antarctic – extreme, climatically crucial and in crisis'. It is edited by climate and polar researchers from the German Marine Research Consortium (KDM), the Future Ocean research network in Kiel and the magazine mare, who are responsible for the overall concept and preparing the scientific contents in a way that is comprehensible to the public. As a bundling of the expertise of German marine research, the new issue is dedicated to these two extreme and highly contrasting regions of the Earth. The issue provides profound information on their origin and significance for life on Earth, as well as on the observed climatic changes and their dramatic consequences, some of which extend far beyond the borders of the polar regions.

"Until a few years ago, the Arctic and Antarctic realms were destinations of historical expeditions such as those of Scott or Amundsen and home to polar bears or penguins," says Nikolaus Gelpke, editor of 'WOR', founder of the magazine mare and board member of the International Ocean Institute (IOI). "Since the new IPCC special report 'Ocean and Cryosphere in Climate Change', however, we have known about the outstanding importance of the polar regions for our climate future. The observed changes are symbols for the consequences of our industrial development, the melting of the formerly eternal ice stands for the loss of control of our actions. Our 'WOR', as an excellent complement to the IPCC special report, can hopefully help to deepen our understanding of cause-and-effect relationships."

The Arctic is warming more than twice as fast as the rest of the world and is now showing a whole new face. Last summer alone, the world witnessed the widespread burning of dried out tundra areas in Alaska and Siberia, the melting of the Greenlandic ice sheet on its surface during a heat wave, and the shrinking of the Arctic Ocean's sea ice cover to the second smallest residual area since satellite measurements began. In the Antarctic, heat comes mainly from the sea. Warm currents increasingly penetrate under the floating ice tongues of West and East Antarctica and melt these so-called ice shelves from below. As a result, not only do more icebergs calve, the glaciers now also transport more ice from the interior of Antarctica to the sea, so that their contribution to global sea-level rise increases and the ice sheets of West and East Antarctica thin out overall.

Walruses (via LoupDargent.info)

But what consequences do these and other climatic changes have for the highly adapted flora and fauna of the Arctic and Antarctic? What are the chances of survival for polar bears, walruses, polar cod, krill and all other sea dwellers who depend on sea ice for their foraging and breeding? How does the vegetation change on land? 'WOR 6' explains the unique adaptation strategies of polar flora and fauna and the extent to which polar species are likely to be able to adapt to rising air and water temperatures, dwindling food sources and migratory competitors.

But where glaciers and sea ice are disappearing, people also gain access to previously hidden resources and raw material deposits. The Arctic states in particular therefore see climate change as an opportunity to develop their northern territories economically. One focus is on the expansion of tourist infrastructures such as airports and berths for cruise ships, because the worldwide demand for trips to the polar regions is increasing – grotesquely, above all, because many nature lovers and adventure tourists have come to the conclusion that now is the last chance to see the ice landscapes of the Arctic and Antarctic with their own eyes. At the same time, mining and oil companies are currently investing large sums in the exploration and extraction of raw material deposits in the Arctic, above all in Russia. 'WOR 6' shows which expectations are attached to this industrialization, which risks and dangers go along with it and which protection precautions are taken.

"The developments in the polar regions illustrate one of the challenges for ocean research to develop solutions across disciplines. The coming decade of marine sciences for sustainable development, which aims to combine, increase and make available knowledge in order to enable clever development paths in human-ocean relations, gives us hope," says Prof. Dr. Nele Matz-Lück, spokesperson for the Future Ocean Network in Kiel and maritime law expert at the Walther Schücking Institute for International Law at Kiel University.

Germany is one of the leading polar research nations in the world and operates research stations, observatories and long-term measurement series in both the Arctic and Antarctic. At the time of WOR publication, the ground-breaking international Arctic expedition MOSAiC on the German polar research vessel Polarstern is also in full swing. The icebreaker will be frozen in the sea ice and drift through the central Arctic for about a year. In the meantime, researchers from 17 nations are collecting urgently needed data on the interactions between atmosphere, ice, ocean and polar ecosystem.

"Polar research is climate research at the pulse of time, and once again German polar, marine and coastal research is proving to be a signpost in the international context," says Prof. Dr. Ulrich Bathmann, Director of the Leibnitz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW) and Chairman of the German Marine Research Consortium.

An Iceberg (image via Pixabay)

• The 'World Ocean Review 6' was presented on 7th November 2019 at the Schleswig-Holstein representation in Berlin during an evening event with guests from politics, business, science, media and education.

A Polar Bear (via LoupDargent.info)

Background

maribus gGmbH was founded in 2008 by mare publisher Nikolaus Gelpke. It serves as a non-profit organisation for the purpose of sensitising the public to marine science and contributing to more effective marine conservation. To date, about 170,000 printed copies of the 'WOR' in German and English have been ordered and distributed worldwide, in addition to countless online downloads.

'WOR 6' is being published with a total circulation of 20,000 copies. The publication is not sold, but given away for free. There is no profit-making intent. It is available at www.worldoceanreview.com. At the same time as the printed edition, the entire publication will also be published online. In addition to the German version, an English edition will also be available shortly.

SOURCE: maribus gGmbH