World's first genetically modified babies born

• By Nomansohail, thechangewithin.net
• View Original
• February 7th, 2014

The world’s first genetically modified humans have been created, it was revealed last night.

The disclosure that 30 healthy babies were born after a series of experiments in the United States provoked another furious debate about ethics.

So far, two of the babies have been tested and have been found

to contain genes from three ‘parents’.

Fifteen of the children were born in the past three years as a result of one experimental programme at the Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science of St Barnabas in New Jersey.

The babies were born to women who had problems conceiving. Extra genes from a female donor were inserted into their eggs before they were fertilised in an attempt to enable them to conceive.

Genetic fingerprint tests on two one-year- old children confirm that they have inherited DNA from three adults –two women and one man.

The fact that the children have inherited the extra genes and incorporated them into their ‘germline’ means that they will, in turn, be able to pass them on to their own offspring.

Altering the human germline – in effect tinkering with the very make-up of our species – is a technique shunned by the vast majority of the world’s scientists.

Geneticists fear that one day this method could be used to create new races of humans with extra, desired characteristics such as strength or high intelligence.

Writing in the journal Human Reproduction, the researchers, led by fertility pioneer Professor Jacques Cohen, say that this ‘is the first case of human germline genetic modification resulting in normal healthy children’.

Some experts severely criticised the experiments.

Lord Winston, of the Hammersmith Hospital in West London, told the BBC yesterday: ‘Regarding the treat-ment of the infertile, there is no evidence that this technique is worth doing . . . I am very surprised that it was even carried out at this stage. It would certainly not be allowed in Britain.’

John Smeaton, national director of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, said: ‘One has tremendous sympathy for couples who suffer infertility problems. But this seems to be a further illustration of the fact that the whole process of in vitro fertilisation as a means of conceiving babies leads to babies being regarded as objects on a production line.

‘It is a further and very worrying step down the wrong road for humanity.’

Professor Cohen and his colleagues diagnosed that the women were infertile because they had defects in tiny structures in their egg cells, called mitochondria.

They took eggs from donors and, using a fine needle, sucked some of the internal material – containing ‘healthy’ mitochondria – and injected it into eggs from the women wanting to conceive.

Because mitochondria contain genes, the babies resulting from the treatment have inherited DNA from both women. These genes can now be passed down the germline along the maternal line.

A spokesman for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), which regulates ‘assisted reproduction’ technology in Britain, said that it would not license the technique here because it involved altering the germline.

Jacques Cohen is regarded as a brilliant but controversial scientist who has pushed the boundaries of assisted reproduction technologies.

He developed a technique which allows infertile men to have their own children, by injecting sperm DNA straight into the egg in the lab.

Prior to this, only infertile women were able to conceive using IVF.

Last year, Professor Cohen said that his expertise would allow him to clone children –a prospect treated with horror by the mainstream scientific community.

‘It would be an afternoon’s work for one of my students,’ he said, adding that he had been approached by ‘at least three’ individuals wishing to create a cloned child, but had turned down their requests.

How to Use Mind Maps to Unleash Your Brain's Creativity and Potential

• By Melanie Pinola, lifehacker.com
• View Original
• September 19th, 2013

Mind mapping is one of the best ways to capture your thoughts and bring them to life in visual form. Beyond just note-taking, though, mind maps can help you become more creative, remember more, and solve problems more effectively. Whether you're new to mind maps or just want a refresher, here's all you need to know about this technique.

What Are Mind Maps?

A mind map is basically a diagram that connects information around a central subject. I like to think of it like a tree, although it has more of a radial structure. In any case, at the center is your main idea, say, poetry, and the branches are subtopics or related ideas, such as types of poetry, famous poets, and poetry publications. Greater levels of detail branch out from there and branches can be linked together.

Mind maps can be used for pretty much any thinking or learning task, from studying a subject (such as a new language) to planning your careeror even building better habits. The Asian Efficiency blog offers a few unusual ways to use mind maps you might not have considered: create a knowledge bank (since mind mapping software lets you attach files and add links), solve problems (such as which credit card to use), create book summaries, and set goals. They're great for teams to use as well, for group brainstorming and interactive presentations.

Why Mind Maps Are Better Than Text Notes

Mind maps can be more effective than other brainstorming and linear note-taking methods for a number of reasons:

• It's a graphical tool that can incorporate words, images, numbers, and color, so it can be more memorable and enjoyable to create and review. The combination of words and pictures is six times better for remembering information than words alone.
• Mind maps link and group concepts together through natural associations. This helps generate more ideas, find deeper meaning in your subject, and also prompt you to fill in more or find what you're missing.
• A mind map can at once give you an overview of a large subject while also holding large amounts of information.
• It's also a very intuitive way to organize your thoughts, since mind maps mimic the way our brains think—bouncing ideas off of each other, rather than thinking linearly.
• You can generate ideas very quickly with this technique and are encouraged to explore different creative pathways.

In one survey, executives who started using mind mapping software said they were able to work significantly faster than before and juggle more complex projects through mind mapping. And research suggests mind mapping can improve learning and memory by 10 to 15% versus conventional note-taking and studying techniques. It can also save you time, as the Learning Fundamentals blog writes:

A student recently said to me -

“I thought mind mapping would take a lot of time to do but actually it saves me time because I don’t have to read my notes over and over anymore”

Mind mapping helps you to study less because you understand the information at a deep level as a result of creating mind maps. If you just read your notes over and over chances are you’ll only understand the content at a superficial level and you’re going to waste a lot of time.

I use mind maps especially when I'm stuck on a problem or am facing writer's block. (The image above is my starter mind map for this post, created in OneNote. Yeah, it's not pretty, but that's okay. OneNote seems to be ideal for mind mapping because even handwriting is searchable, you can embed other files, and if you have a tablet PC, draw on the screen.) By starting out with the basic questions—who, what, why, etc.—and then following each thread, I'm more confident I'm not missing anything, and the ideas just seem to arise on their own.

Think of it this way. Imagine you were asked to write down as many uses for a brick as possible. Many people would just start listing all their ideas (building a wall, building a walkway, etc.). But what if you started from a broader perspective, such as thinking about the properties of a brick. It's heavy, so you could use it: as a paperweight, to hold down a garbage bag while raking, as an exercise weight, to grill juicer chicken, etc. It's also thick, so you could use it to prop up a planter or as a doorstop. It's red, it's hard, it's rectangular, etc. That's the magic of mind mapping: Once you start, the possibilities seem almost endless.

How to Get Started Mind Mapping

You can create a mind map on paper, in a drawing app on your tablet, or one of many popular mind mapping software tools, such as XMind, Lifehacker readers' favorite mind mapping software.

Pen and paper may be better because you can get your thoughts out more quickly and the act of drawing the branches out can aid recall. On the other hand, using the computer can make your mind maps searchable and include attachments. If you're having trouble deciding from among thetons of digital tools to choose from, the Mind Mapping Software blogsuggests you look for these five features: the ability to add links and attachments, add notes, filter content, export to other programs or formats, and use keyboard shortcuts.

Once you've chosen your tool, follow these seven steps and tips for making a mind map, from British author Tony Buzan, who trademarked and popularized the term "mind map" in the 1960s:

1. 
   
   Start in the CENTRE of a blank page turned sideways. Why? Because starting in the centre gives your Brain freedom to spread out in all directions and to express itself more freely and naturally.
2. 
   
   Use an IMAGE or PICTURE for your central idea. Why? Because an image is worth a thousand words and helps you use your Imagination. A central image is more interesting, keeps you focussed, helps you concentrate, and gives your Brain more of a buzz!
3. 
   
   Use COLOURS throughout. Why? Because colours are as exciting to your Brain as are images. Colour adds extra vibrancy and life to your Mind Map, adds tremendous energy to your Creative Thinking, and is fun!
4. 
   
   CONNECT your MAIN BRANCHES to the central image and connect your second- and third-level branches to the first and second levels, etc. Why? Because your Brain works by association. It likes to link two (or three, or four) things together. If you connect the branches, you will understand and remember a lot more easily.
5. 
   
   Make your branches CURVED rather than straight-lined. Why? Because having nothing but straight lines is boring to your Brain.
6. 
   
   Use ONE KEY WORD PER LINE. Why Because single key words give your Mind Map more power and flexibility.
7. 
   
   Use IMAGES throughout. Why Because each image, like the central image, is also worth a thousand words. So if you have only 10 images in your Mind Map, it’s already the equal of 10,000 words of notes!

Or, well, here's a mind map about mind mapping:

There's no one standard way you have to create a mind map, however. If you want to use more than key word or add more text to a branch, that's a personal choice. Go with what works effectively for you.

For further information and inspiration, check out these mind map galleries and other resources, which illustrate the many ways you can use mind maps in your life:

Photos by Solarseven (Shutterstock), Voland77, LoggaWiggler, Mind Mapping Site, Roberta Buzzacchino.

Love Pocket? Check out all of Lifehacker's Pocket-related tips, tricks, and downoads here.

7 alternatives to TestFlight

• By Ashli Norton, Joppar, venturebeat.com
• View Original
• March 1st, 2014

Over the years, TestFlight became a tool mobile app developers relied on. But parent company Burstly’s recent acquisition (by Apple) and termination of Android support has developers looking for alternatives.

Getting your beta to testers with ease is important. But some platforms, particularly iOS, make the process a hassle.

There are many predictions about Apple’s future plans for TestFlight. But for now we’ll focus on TestFlight alternatives for iOS, Android, and Windows developers.

HockeyApp | [paid]

HockeyApp not only helps you distribute betas, but is a complete beta testing suite.

With HockeyApp, you don’t need extra tools. It’s an all-in-one suite complete with crash reports, analytics, and feedback built in.

What’s better is that HockeyApp is available for the iOS, Android, and Windows platforms. This means easy beta testing for everyone!

HockeyKit | [free]

One thing developers loved about TestFlight was its price. If you’re looking for a free tool and you like what HockeyApp has to offer, look no further than HockeyKit.

HockeyKit is the self-hosted, open source version of HockeyApp. If you have your own server, why not save some cash and go the DIY route?

Don’t know anything about servers? Then choose HockeyApp. The hard work’s done for you.

As you’d expect, HockeyKit has fewer features and is only available for iOS and Android apps. But if you’re looking for something free and simple, this is your tool.

Apphance | [free]

Apphance describes itself as a tool that closes the feedback loop. It works over-the-air like TestFlight but has great extras like in-app feedback and bug reporting.

If you want one tool for beta users to report problems and access to detailed reports on how to fix them, Apphance will help.

Apphance is cross-platform and even works once your app is live. You can finally distribute your iOS, Android, Windows, and Unity betas with one tool.

AppBlade | [paid]

AppBlade is like the other tools but with an added focus on security. You can secure your app beta, encrypt app data, and even completely wipe a tester’s device afterwards.

AppBlade is available for the iOS, Android, and BlackBerry.

Appaloosa | [paid]

Even though Appaloosa has a funny name, it means business. They make it easy to share betas internally or with a private group. Appaloosa targets enterprise app developers, but there’s no reason a small team couldn’t use it.

Appaloosa is also multi-platform and available for iOS, Android, and Windows devices.

Beta Builder | [freemium]

Beta Builder is bare bones compared to TestFlight. As with TestFlight, you can distribute apps over the air but without a fancy interface. Unlike TestFlight, enterprise ad-hoc distribution is free. You can even limit beta testing in-house to prevent security issues.

The bad news is Beta Builder is available only for iOS apps. It also has a Mac app you can buy for an optional donation of $10.00; otherwise it’s free.

Google Play Native App Beta Testing | [free]

Android developers shouldn’t forget about the tool they already have.

If you’re developing an Android-only app, it may be easier to stick with the Google Play Console. The slew of built-in features and access to a pool of testers via G+ communities make beta testing simple.

With all the alternatives available choose something you’ll love for a while. Maybe Apple will improve TestFlight, bring it back to Android (doubt it), or drop it altogether. Only time will tell.

Since we can’t predict the future, consider making one of the above options your favorite app beta tool.

So what’s your favorite testing tool from the list? What alternatives are you using now?

Ashli Norton is a co-founder of Joppar. Joppar makes tools that help developers make better mobile apps. Ashli also maintains a huge list of 200 (and counting)resources for mobile developers.

Latest Target of the Men's Rights Movement : The Definition of Rape

• By Emily Matchar, www.newrepublic.com
• View Original
• February 26th, 2014

This past December, authorities at Occidental College in Los Angeles noticed a sudden rise in reports filed on their anonymous online sexual assault reporting site. The site was intended to give students a safe, private space to report sexual assaults to college authorities. But this new influx of reports was clearly something else. Rather than accusing fellow classmates, these forms listed as the perpetrators “Occidental College” or “feminism” or, memorably, “Fatty McFatFat.” “It seemed pretty clear these reports were not being made in good faith,” says Jim Tranquada, Director of Communications and Community Relations at Occidental, in a phone interview.

In fact, as Occidental would soon learn, the reports were being filed by members of a Reddit board dedicated to the so-called Men’s Rights Movement.

A loose coalition of activists, the Men’s Rights Movement (MRM), has made its way onto the media’s radar in recent years because of their vocal, mostly online, activism on issues like child custody and domestic violence law, which they see as biased against men. They gather on dedicated Men’s Rights websites like A Voice for Men and on Reddit under subreddits like MensRights and TheRedPill , and share their theories on various YouTube channels. They made headlines last year when Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli was tied to a men’s rights group advocating for divorced fathers; the group’s former leader was a vocal advocate for the theory that women use domestic violence charges to manipulate men. Much of the movement’s notoriety is due to their often-vitriolic style and their habit of targeting those who speak against them with ad hominem online attacks.

Lately, though, the movement has focused much of its attention on the issue of rape. As the nation grapples with rape in increasingly public ways—Obama’s January formation of a new task force to address rape on college campuses, the widespread publicity around the Steubenville and Maryville rape cases—the MRM is crying foul.

They claim that rape statistics are overinflated, that female-on-male sexual assaults are ignored or sneered at, and—above all—that false rape reports are a far larger problem than we acknowledge. And they’re taking action. In Canada this past summer, a men’s rights group plastered the city of Edmonton with posters aimed at young women. “Just because you regret a one-night stand doesn’t mean it wasn’t consensual,” the posters read. This fall, members of a MRM website took online vigilante justice against an Ohio University student they believed was falsely crying rape. (It turned out she was the wrong woman altogether.) The Occidental incident has sparked other, similar actions—this month, MRM websitescalled for a mass spamming of Dartmouth’s anonymous online sexual assault reporting form.

To dismiss the MRM as merely misogynist and extreme would be to ignore the fact that their beliefs are shared by a troublingly large percentage of the American population. And while the MRM’s rhetoric is ugly and often sophistic, they have identified a number of issues—consent, victim-blaming, and legal standards of proof—that have too often been presented in black and white terms, when the reality is much more complicated.

Take the issue of false rape accusations, which gets endless play on MRM websites and YouTube channels. Women falsely accuse men of rape for “lots of reasons,” Karen Straughan, a 43-year old Canadian mother-of-three who has become a major figure in the MRM, told me when we spoke on the phone. Straughan mentions the case of Praise Martin-Oguike, a Temple University football player falsely accused of rape last year by a woman who was apparently angry that he wouldn’t have a relationship with her. There is also the Hofstra University student who falsely accused five men of rape in 2009, allegedly to keep her boyfriend from finding out she’d cheated on him. (The Hofstra case has become a touchstone in the MRM community, viewed as proof that a woman will ruin five men’s lives to cover her tracks if she needs to.)

The most reliable statistics available place the number of false rape reports at between 2 and 8 percent of all rape reports. Yet most people, both in and out of the MRM community, believe these numbers to be much higher. One survey found that both male and female college students believe that about 50 percent of rape allegations are false. So while the substance of the MRM’s claims are false (false reports of rape take place much less frequently than they claim), they have identified a flashpoint issue that progressives disregard at their peril. False reporting of rape can be a life-destroying crime. It may not be especially common, but it is serious.

The way rape is dealt with on college campuses is another bugaboo of the MRM. “We have a problem with feminists hyper-inflating rape statistics, creating a kind of hysteria on campus over a problem that needs due attention from law enforcement,” says Paul Elam, the founder of A Voice for Men, widely considered the flagship website of the MRM. The site, which features essays pontificating on society’s supposed anti-male bias, gets about 10,000 to 12,000 hits per day, says Elam, 57, proudly declaring that this is more than “every significant feminist website I can think of” except for Jezebel. (Elam’s estimates are probably off. While Slate doesn’t release precise breakdowns, their overall traffic for January was 24 million; Double X made up a good portion of that traffic.) The way Elam sees it, college campuses are hotbeds of feminist bias where all male students are shamed as potential rapists in endless anti-rape orientations and workshops. He and other activists devote much time and energy to disproving the popular “one-in-four college women will be sexually assaulted before graduation” statistic that floats around campus sexual assault awareness seminars and rape support webpages. He especially scorns the way many universities use their own on-campus justice systems to deal with accused rapists, sometimes coming to conclusions different than the court system.

The fact is, the way colleges and universities deal with rape is often problematic. And there is a kernel of truth to the objection to the one-in-four statistic: It is a misstatement of a much-misunderstood study; according to the Justice Department, about 18 percent of women will victims of rape in their lifetime, as will 3 percent of men. More broadly, colleges do sometimes mishandle sexual assault accusations in ways that may be biased against the accused.  The MRM frequently points to the case of Caleb Warner, a University of North Dakota student accused of a 2009 rape and subsequently found guilty by a student committee and banned from campus for three years. The police, however, found the report unreliable and eventually issued an arrest warrant for the woman on charges of false reporting. It took 19 months of petitioning to force the university to agree to re-admit Warner.

But the far more pressing issue in terms of the way that colleges address rape accusations has to do with the institutions ignoring or mishandling cases of sexual assault. Occidental, along with a number of other elite colleges, came under federal investigation last year for precisely this. The case was brought by 37 current and former students, including several men. According to the complaint, administrators explicitly discouraged students from coming forward with sexual assault reports. This is not unique to Occidental—similar cases have arisen at the University of North Carolina and Swarthmore, among others. This kind of discouragement, shaming, and victim-blaming is exactly why we need anonymous reporting and more stringent anti-sexual assault policies, say victims’ advocates.

The MRM’s tirades and hijinks certainly don’t meaningfully add to the debate surrounding the way we handle sexual assault. But to totally ignore the issues that they raise does not further a productive conversation. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to talk about these issues in progressive or feminist circles, where discussions of sexual assault prevention can quickly degenerate into angry hyperbole and name-calling. Among progressive media circles, to suggest that sexual assault and sexual assault prevention can be less than clear-cut is to court accusations of being a rape apologist. When Slate’s Emily Yoffe wrote about the importance of teaching college girls about rape and alcohol safety, the blogosphere pounced—the writer Jessica Valenti even accused Yoffe of having “made the world a little bit safer for rapists.” Some feminists dismiss the problem of false rape accusations as trivial in the face of real rape. “A man's chances of being falsely accused of rape are incredibly small,” wrote Slate’s Amanda Marcotte. (To be fair to Slate and the range of perspectives that it offers, Marcotte’s colleague, Emily Bazelon has written that fairly conservative estimates put the number of false rape reports at 20,000 a year.) When Wall Street Journal columnist James Taranto wrote a piece several weeks ago bashing the idea of equating drunken sex and rape, organizations like NOW demanded his ouster. Though Taranto does have a record of being a dinosaur when it comes to gender issues, to see his point here as rape apology seemed quite a stretch.

So unless progressives want the MRM to lead the dialogue on these issues, perhaps they should start addressing them more comprehensively and less reactively. There will almost surely be more MRM rape campaigns in the coming year, says Dean Esmay, the managing editor of A Voice for Men: “We will continue to look for ways to stir things up.” Ignoring the matters these campaigns raise risks ceding the conversation.

Emily Matchar is the author of Homeward Bound: Why Women Are Embracing the New Domesticity.

Image via Shutterstock.

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7 Quotes About Gratitude

• www.thedailymind.com
• View Original

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and ore. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” – Melody Beattie

“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” – Denis Waitley

“Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.” – Aesop

“No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude.” – Alfred North Whitehead

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Some people grumble that roses have thorns; I am grateful that thorns have roses.” – Alphonse Karr

“Just an observation: it is impossible to be both grateful and depressed. Those with a grateful mindset tend to see the message in the mess. And even though life may knock them down, the grateful find reasons, if even small ones, to get up.” – Steve Maraboli

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10 Interesting Investments to Make in Your 20s

• By Anna James, m.entrepreneur.com
• View Original
• February 26th, 2014

Image credit: Shutterstock

Photo by: Image Shutterstock

Your 20s is a time to set yourself up for debt-free 30s. The money you save now will pave the way for real estate and college funds. In the throes of student debt and low pay, here are 10 ways for a 20-something to start investing in their futures, a few dollars at a time.

1. Gym membership. The U.S. leads the world on medical spending, with $2 trillion spent annually on healthcare expenses. It’s common knowledge that this number could be drastically reduced if people took better care of their health. Getting fit in your 20s prevents expensive health issues later in life, and for around $10 a week, a YMCA gym membership won’t break the bank either.

2. Three bottles of good wine. Wine is a stable investment that can be traded on the Wine Stock Exchange. It takes a minimum of five years for wine to mature for sale, and most wine auction sites sell in sets of three. Stored properly, your investment could make you thousands. Bordeaux and Burgundy are popular drops and in the worst-case scenario, if you can’t offload it, you can drink it.

3. Kiva. Kiva is a non-for-profit microfinance organization that allows you to loan money to third-world business enterprises. For example, assisting a Kenyon purchase a bike to do deliveries. Kiva is a personalized approach to charity that helps people help themselves. The minimum investment is $25, and you’re given the option to withdraw or re-invest in the same or another business as soon as you start receiving repayments.

Related: How to Build Great Credit for Your Fledgling Startup

4. Social media strategy. According to a recent study, 18 to 34-year-old Americans spend on average 3.8 hours a day on social networking sites. How much of this time spent on making business connections and profiting from these platforms is unknown. Developing a simple social media strategy by identifying your brand, your offering and who you need to connect with will make good use of this time. An online presence takes years to build up, so it’s best to start right now.

5. An extra set of keys. This may seem like a ridiculous ‘investment,’ but who can argue that they’ve never locked themselves out, creating panic and wasting time. Taking simple preventative measures for when life goes wrong, such as always having a spare tire will save you thousands in the long run. A callout to a locksmith can cost upwards of $200. A spare key will set you back $2. You do the math.

6. Self-insurance. Chances are that in your 20s you won’t have mountains of insurable items or be at the stage to consider mortgage cover, but you must protect what is most valuable. Consider insuring the three technological items (laptop/tablet/phone) that are imperative to your business and find a policy that covers their loss at any location, not just at your home. Consider wage insurance to cover your bills during periods of unpaid sick leave and unemployment.

7. Retirement plan co-contributions. When you’re in your 20s, scurrying money away for your 60s seems impossible, however, there are several incentives to take advantage of a company-sponsored 401(k) scheme where your co-contributions will be rewarded. Some companies will match your deposits; most will give you at least half. If your company doesn't offer matches, or you're self-employed, you must set up your own fund. You won’t have to work forever if you start saving today.

Related: Obama Proposes Retirement Account Program That May Require Employer Action

8. An online filing system. Again, this is another common screw-up of a 20-something's life: losing data. Many panicked trips to the Mac store would have been saved if we learn to file our documents online. A decent-sized external hard drive is expensive and runs the risk of getting damaged. Not to mention how onerous backing up one’s computer is. Google Docs provides a filing solution that is safe and reliable with an easy-to-use format. Most importantly, it’s free!

9. Preferred stocks. The idea behind investing in stocks in your 20s is not necessarily to make big money -- unless you’ve got the capital to spend big -- but familiarize yourself with the process for when you do have the dollars to invest. It’s argued that preferred stocks are a good way to whet your trading appetite as their dividends are more stable than common stocks. Look for stable large companies such as Coca-Cola and Disney that will allow you to buy and sell your stock without a broker.

10. Crowdfunding. Although the popularity of crowdfunding has hit an all-time high in the last few years, it’s not a new concept. In 1987, investors who put in $1,000 in the Australian film Crocodile Dundeeearned a reported 730 percent return. Politicians to artists are using the crowdfunding platform to get their projects off the ground. It can be lucrative, as well as help grow your business network.

Davos 2014 : How can we make the world better for women? Forum : Blog : The World Economic Forum

• By Phumzile Mlambo-ngcuka, forumblog.org
• View Original
• January 25th, 2014

Last week we asked our readers on Facebook what they wanted to know about gender equality from Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women.

1. Paul Amofa from Facebook asks: Many women in developing countries do not have a job and instead depend on their husbands. What measures are you taking with governments to reduce this kind of dependency and make women less vulnerable?

Answer: We are promoting gender equality, women’s rights and women’s empowerment, especially for the poorest women. This includes education and training, and policies and laws to ensure fair and equal treatment and to end discrimination and violence against women and girls. Overall, we find that education and equal opportunity are essential but not enough to end women’s dependency and vulnerability, especially for the rural poor. We also need to promote social and cultural norms that perpetuate the view that women and men are equal in worth, dignity and rights and should enjoy mutual trust and respect and shared responsibilities. We also look at the flip side of the coin, on men’s dependency on women for all the work women do in the household – work that is unpaid but needs to be done and shared more equitably, especially if women are working outside the house.

At the global level, we are leading discussions on these issues on ourKnowledge Gateway and I welcome you to join us. You can find out more here.

2. Aslam Levy from Facebook asks: My question on gender relates to teenage pregnancies and female education. What can we do for young girls who get pregnant and are forced to leave school, particularly when the young boys involved are able to continue their schooling? How can we either prevent these situations from happening or at least help young women in such positions catch up with the young men who enter the job market earlier and gain valuable experience?

Answer: Thanks for this question. First of all, we need to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Every girl and boy has a right to the information and services they need for sexual and reproductive health to make informed decisions and protect their health and their futures. Secondly, we need to find ways to prevent girls from leaving school. This can be as simple as providing basic facilities such as separate toilets for girls in rural schools. If girls do get pregnant, they should be allowed to stay in school and finish their education. We need to end the double standards so that boys and girls enjoy equal access to education, equal rights and equal opportunities.

3. Cathleen Tin from Facebook asks: Violence against women is a serious issue. Much work is being done to educate women about their rights, enhance their economic power in the household, etc. However, very little work is being done to educate men and change their mindsets. Is UN Women looking to enhance its work in this area?

Answer: Yes! One of my priorities at UN Women is ramping up efforts to end violence against women and girls. And you are absolutely right, we need to engage men and boys and reach out to all parts of society to end this massive human rights violation. We have several programmes to end violence against women with men and boys, including the UNiTE Campaign and the work of our UN Trust Fund grantees. It is totally unacceptable that one in three women today will be subjected to violence. Whether it is domestic violence, rape, acid throwing or femicide, we need a response that is proportionate to the crimes being committed. We must mount a stronger response to prevent and end this violence by promoting gender equality, by ending impunity and prosecuting perpetrators, and by providing essential services to survivors. UN Women is totally committed and we are guided by the agreement reached last year in the UN Commission on the Status of Women that provides good roadmap for the way forward. Our website contains lots of examples of the work we are doing to end violence against women.

4. Gila Benmayor from Facebook asks: Early and forced marriages are a big problem in developing countries. What kind of measures could reduce the number of child brides in the world?

Answer: Girls need education, health, social and livelihood skills to become fully empowered citizens. Child marriage is a violation of human rights because it denies girls the right to decide when and with whom to marry. According to the UN Population Fund, if nothing changes, developing countries will witness an increase in child marriage: 142 million child marriages in 2011-2020 and 151 million in the subsequent decade. A recent UN Women report on the plight of Syrian women refugees found alarming rates of early marriage and other human rights violations.

Policies are needed across sectors to delay marriage, including raising the legal minimum age at marriage to 18, ensuring that girls go to school and attend beyond primary level, addressing underlying factors perpetuating the practice, identifying alternatives and creating opportunities for girls, and reaching out to communities to support these moves.

5. Guy Dresser from Facebook asks: When will we see the UN instigate more concerted global action to stamp out the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM)?

Answer: The United Nations is taking global action against FGM and is committed to eliminating the practice. Over the last several decades, efforts to address FGM have intensified and an increasing number of communities are abandoning the practice. However, as many as 30 million girls are at risk of being cut over the next decade if current trends persist. The United Nations is engaging with governments and civil society, together with other partners, to eliminate FGM worldwide. If, in the next decade, we work together to apply the wealth of evidence at our disposal, we will see major progress. That means a better life and more hopeful prospects for millions of girls and women, their families and communities. UN Women supports programmes designed to reduce the risk of FGM for girls, as well as to change social attitudes towards FGM.

6. Thomas Dunmore Rodriguez from Facebook asks: It seems that the issue of inequality has gained traction in discussions at the Forum, but does UN Women think it is important to focus on inequality in all its forms, rather than just focusing on economic inequality? Related to this, there is a growing consensus that income inequality hinders economic growth – how can we make people understand that gender inequality also hinders economic growth?

Answer: Of course, we need to be talking about all forms of inequality, including inequality between men and women. Today women earn less than men for the same work. And more than 100 countries still have laws in place that prevent women from doing certain jobs, accessing finance, owning businesses or conducting legal affairs. This must change. We need equitable and inclusive laws and policies that promote equal opportunity and equal pay. By removing barriers and promoting gender equality, economies will be more inclusive and only grow stronger. UN Women has a range of programmes around the world to support women’s full and equal participation in the economy.

7. Md Rafsan Ahmed from Facebook asks: In developing countries women have to carry out household chores; as a result, they get little time to focus on other wage-earning activities. Do you think doing something to alleviate their efforts – by teaching them efficient ways to perform those activities, or through other initiatives – will help empower women?

Answer: Thanks for this question, as it is really important. Yes, we definitely need to reduce women’s and girls’ unpaid care work and this is a priority for UN Women. As you rightly say, women carry out household chores and this leaves them with little time to earn an income. This so-called time poverty leads to income poverty. So efforts are needed to provide women with electricity, clean water, roads and other infrastructure and services to reduce the time they spend on household chores. UN Women promotes shared responsibility so that household chores do not fall only on the shoulders of women and girls. We are also working with governments and other partners on policies and programmes, such as childcare and parental leave, to address this issue and to promote equality. It is no coincidence that Scandinavian countries with good work-life policies and childcare have higher levels of women in the workforce.

We recently held an e-discussion on rural women’s unpaid care work on our Knowledge Gateway and discussed numerous solutions to this issue. I invite you to read the summary and input from our members here.

8. Venkatesh Ramanujamfrom Facebook asks: There are laws in place to protect women, but many of these laws are not being implemented. What can we do to rectify this?

Answer: The gap between laws and implementation, between words and action, is one of the biggest challenges in our quest to empower women and achieve gender equality. It is a top priority for UN Women. Together we need to hold governments accountable, to keep pushing for implementation. The United Nations and civil society have a strong role to play. UN Women is working with governments to implement laws and to put the budgets in place so that there is adequate funding. One example is our COMMIT initiative, which urges governments to take steps to implement their commitments. We are currently holding an e-discussion on this issue on our Knowledge Gateway and I welcome you tojoin us.

9. Venkatesh Ramanujamfrom Facebook asks:  Changes must start from an early age. Let’s take a fairy tale as an example. In the story of Cinderella, she falls in love with and marries a prince. We should change this so that instead, Cinderella works hard, finishes her education, gets a job, etc. This would not only help young girls be more confident, but it would also change other people’s attitudes. The same concept could be applied to computer games and cartoons.

Answer: You are so right! We need to work with the media so that the stories people hear and the images they see show intelligent and confident women who are in charge of their lives and their futures. Equally important are modern men and boys who treat women and girls as equals and have no tolerance for gender-based violence and discrimination. Changing social and cultural norms and attitudes (like those seen in the “Women Should” adverts, based on real-life Google searches) is vital for progress and success for gender equality. The key is universal education that promotes equality between girls and boys and men and women, and human rights and dignity for all.

Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka is Executive Director of UN Women. She is participating in the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters.