Category Archives: Human Longevity

Finding a way to stem ageing is a growing focus for European tech investors and startups.

At least three investment funds investing specifically in companies in this area have launched in Europe in the last quarter.

Global investments in longevity-focused early-stage companies have so far reached more than $40bn in 2021, according to the Aging Analytics Agency. And a 2019 report by the Bank of America predicted that the market is likely to grow to roughly $600bn by 2025 thats larger than the worlds water industry is today.

The longevity trend is strongest in the US, but there are European startups in the mix.

But which are likely to be the big winners? Sifted asked seven longevity and healthtech investors and experts to share the companies theyre keeping an eye on. The only catch: none of the companies could be in their portfolios already.

Apollo Health raised a $180m fund in November and has invested in companies like Samsara Therapeutics and Cleara Biotech.

Founded in 2020, Cellvie is working on therapeutic mitochondria transplantation. Mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell, and mitochondrial dysfunction may be one of the essential drivers of age-related degeneration. Cellvies technology aims to reintroduce functional mitochondria into organs with failing mitochondria, which may increase the survival of tissues upon acute injury but may also help reinvigorate ageing tissues in general.

Founded in 2017, Curexsys is a pre-clinical stage drug development company that develops exosomes. Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles that are secreted by various cell types and package several signalling molecules. As such, stem cell-derived exosomes have high intrinsic anti-inflammatory and regenerative activities and may deliver on the promise of regenerative stem cell therapies. Curexsys is supported by strong strategic partners, such as Evotec, a major commercial research organisation, and Sartorius, a prominent research and manufacturing company in the pharmaceutical industry.

Founded in 2020 as a biotech spinout company from the University of Exeter, the company is dedicated to the development of new approaches to prevent cellular senescence, a major hallmark of ageing, by targeting a process called alternative splicing. Their approach may help restore the ability of cells to fine tune the expression of their genes to rejuvenate aged cells, which may be leveraged to target age-related diseases and aesthetic signs of ageing.

This longevity startup was founded in 2018 and has developed a screening platform that identifies new molecules that extend healthy lifespan across species. Its main focus is on autophagy, cells method for recycling damaged components, which declines with age. According to the startup, there is compelling evidence that boosting autophagy leads to increased healthspan and lifespan, while impaired autophagy drives many serious diseases. Funded by Apollo Health Ventures and Korify Capital.

Korify Capital, based in Switzerland, launched a $100m fund in December and has invested in US-based Cambrian Biopharma.

Senescent cells that accumulate in our bodies are a major cause of health problems and enable cancer development as we age. Researchers at Cleara discovered the mechanism behind how senescent cells escape the natural elimination process. Based on this discovery, they have successfully developed and optimised therapeutics to treat patients with a range of diseases caused by this failure to clear senescent cells. Backed by Apollo Health Ventures.

Founded in 2018, this stem cell company develops C-stem, a platform to accelerate the making of self-replicating cells which can form to grow any part of the human body. It raised a Series B of 64m from XAnge, Bpifrance, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Leonard Green & Partners.

This biotechnology company was founded in 2019 and develops fully automated phenotyping and identification systems for model organisms with the use of deep learning. The systems help evaluate the efficacy of ageing interventions.

Maximon is a Swiss longevity company builder with a separate 96m fund for co-investments. The first company to launch is Avea, a supplement longevity startup.

VitaDAO is a decentralised autonomous organisation collective for community-governed and decentralised drug development. Its mission is the acceleration of research and development in the longevity space and the extension of human life and healthspan. It collectively funds and digitises research in the form of IP-NFTs.

Rejuveron is a Swiss biotech platform company, that together with entrepreneurial scientists, develops and improves therapies and technologies in this space by creating subsidiary companies. Backed by London-based Apeiron Investment Group, the family office of Christian Angermayer.

First Longevity is an investment brokerage business that works with VCs and startups in the field of longevity.

Personalised medicine is the future, but measuring ageing biomarkers is a complex undertaking. Taking a different approach to measuring biological age, GlycanAge is a British-Croatian startup focused on analysing glycosylation patterns to deliver what it claims is the most accurate measure of biological age. A direct-to-consumer glycan test kit measures both biological age and chronic low grade systemic inflammation, and clinicians provide advice on lifestyle changes to improve results.

Humanity is an app designed to help slow or even reverse your rate of ageing. It calculates your rate of ageing and biological age by drawing on data from your smartphone and wearable devices to track biomarkers such as heart rate, step rate, sleep and activity.

Humanity was founded in 2019 and launched in August this year, raising $5m across two seed rounds in 2020 and 2021. The app has already amassed more than 30,000 users, and recently added a new nutrition tracking component, as it seeks to deliver more predictive and more personalised results for its users.

Rejuvenate Biomed is a biomedical company developing novel combination drugs for age-related diseases. The company has developed a proprietary AI screening platform to evaluate if safe, existing treatments can be used in new combinations to maintain our natural cellular resilience and postpone the onset of certain age-related diseases.

The company recently secured 15.7m in Series B funding, led by Rejuveron and Vesalius Biocapital. The funds will be used to accelerate the clinical development of its lead drug candidate in sarcopenia, an age-related disease defined by the loss of muscle strength, quality, and mass.

British biotech startup Genflow Biosciences is on a mission to develop gene therapies designed to halt or slow the ageing process and is leveraging the power of centenarians. Backed by investors including Longevitytech.fund, the company is developing therapies that deliver a variant of the Sirtuin 6 gene found in people aged over 100 years old. When expressed, this gene can extend lifespan in mice by an average of 30%, and Genflow aims to use this genetic variant to prevent the accelerated ageing process and already has a pipeline of compounds for human indications including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and Werners syndrome.

Mimi Billing is Sifteds Nordic correspondent. She also covers healthtech, and tweets from@MimiBilling.Kai Nicol-Schwarz is a reporter at Sifted. He covers healthtech and community journalism, and tweets from @NicolSchwarzK

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13 longevity startups to watch, according to top investors - Sifted

ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment (NYSE:SEAS) and the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute (HSWRI), a non-profit scientific research organization committed to marine life conservation, are proud to share that in 2021 the partnership continued its five decades of advancing marine conservation with, among other things, the publication of breakthrough scientific research, continued reintroductions of a depleted species to the wild, and responding to more than 50 marine animals in distress on the West and East coasts of the U.S., including dolphins and whales.

SEAS (PRNewsFoto/SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc.)

Before there were SeaWorld parks, there was HSWRI. Established in 1963 in recognition of the importance of developing a non-profit research institute focused on ocean health, HSWRI and its team of scientists continue their work today to advance ocean science and further marine animal education. Today SeaWorld partners closely with the institute, providing financial support, collaborating on conservation research, and serving as a rescue and rehabilitation source for sick, injured, and orphaned marine animals.

"The SeaWorld and HSWRI partnership enables both organizations to provide effective solutions to conflicts that arise between human activity and marine wildlife," said Don Kent, President and CEO of HSWRI. "Through ground-breaking research and dedication to animal and ocean science, we can combat the challenges threatening the health of our marine ecosystems and the animal populations that depend on them. Our individual efforts would not be as effective without this unique partnership."

Situated near the SeaWorld parks in San Diego and Orlando, HSWRI works closely with the zoological teams there to research and study the diverse marine animal populations under human care. What they learn is applied to identifying and solving many of the challenges facing species in the wild. For example, in 2021 HSWRI advanced these important projects:

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First Scientific Guidelines for Protecting Marine Mammals from the Effects of Human-Made Noise: Hubbs scientists have been collecting hearing data on marine mammals at SeaWorld parks since the 1970s, helping set the first science-based guidelines for protecting marine mammals from the negative effects of noise. This year, Dr. Ann Bowles, a Senior Research Scientist at HSWRI, included findings from the partnership's research in a report on the severity of marine mammal behavioral responses to human-made noise. The report provides important guidance allowing scientists to document short-term behavioral changes in response to human-made noise with a goal of reducing negative impacts on animals.

Restoring Wild Populations of White Seabass: In 1986, scientists at HSWRI began releasing cultured white seabass into coastal waters in southern California as part of the Ocean Resources Enhancement and Hatchery Program. The program, first conceptualized by former SeaWorld founder and Chairman Milton Shedd, aims to restore wild populations of white seabass after the species was believed to face depletion to less than 10% of its historic level in the 1980s due to overfishing. This year the project successfully released nearly 60,000 white seabass into the wild. Water Quality Specialists at SeaWorld provided necessary expertise and assistance in maintaining fish life support systems at the hatchery to birth and raise the white seabass released.

New Species of Bacteria Found on Dolphins Helps Preserve Population Health: Wendy Durden, Research Scientist II at HSWRI, co-authored research and published a paper documenting a new species of bacteria found on dolphins in the Indian River Lagoon. That new bacteria could pose a toxic or pathogenic threat to dolphins and its discovery could lead to improving the health and longevity of dolphins both in the wild and in human care.

"We are so proud that HSWRI will celebrate 60 years next year and are honored to partner so closely with them in the conservation of marine life," said Dr. Chris Dold, HSWRI Board member and Chief Zoological Officer for SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment. "The value of the research conducted by the institute cannot be overstated as it gives us actionable proof that problems marine animal populations are facing stem from changes in the viability of their natural habitats caused by global warming, nutrient overloading and habitat loss. Human impacts affect not only the animals, oceans, and waterways around us, but those around the world. Our goal is to minimize or mitigate those impacts."

For example, the Indian River Lagoon, a main habitat for manatees, has been severely impacted by a depletion of sea grass that is the primary diet of this threatened species. HSWRI is collaborating on a program to increase seagrass in the Indian River Lagoon for habitat restoration. Scientists are collecting long-term data to evaluate how well the habitat restoration efforts are working and if aquatic mammals are responding by foraging more often in these newly replanted areas.

In 2021, HSWRI received calls for more than 50 wild marine animals in distress, including whales and dolphins. Rescued animals unable to be immediately returned to their natural environment are transported to SeaWorld facilities for care. Healthy animals are then released back to their natural environments while those deemed non-releasable due to chronic health conditions are provided long term care in accredited zoos and aquariums. In addition to coming to the aid of live animals, extensive workups are performed by HSWRI on deceased animals that strand along the shoreline. By understanding the causes of illness and mortality, such as entanglement in marine debris or harmful algal blooms, scientists can propose means to improve ecosystem health and prevent future injuries and deaths.

About Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute

Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, founded in 1963 to conduct research in the tradition of world-renowned scientists Dr. Carl L. and Laura C. Hubbs, is a public, non-profit charity dedicated to providing effective solutions to conflicts that arise between human activity and the natural world. Hubbs-SeaWorld scientists apply sophisticated technologies to seek the solutions that protect and conserve marine animals while benefiting humans and their reliance on marine resources. The Institute also recognizes the critical importance of scientific literacy as a foundation for competing in the highly technical and competitive global economy and strives to provide innovative education programs to promote scientific literacy among our children and young scientists.

About SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment

SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: SEAS) is a leading theme park and entertainment company providing experiences that matter, and inspiring guests to protect animals and the wild wonders of our world. The Company is one of the world's foremost zoological organizations and a global leader in animal welfare, training, husbandry, and veterinary care. The Company collectively cares for what it believes is one of the largest zoological collections in the world and has helped lead advances in the care of animals. The Company also rescues and rehabilitates marine and terrestrial animals that are ill, injured, orphaned, or abandoned, with the goal of returning them to the wild. The SeaWorld rescue team has helped more than 39,000 animals in need over the Company's history. SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. owns or licenses a portfolio of recognized brands including SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Aquatica, Sesame Place and Sea Rescue. Over its more than 60-year history, the Company has built a diversified portfolio of 12 destination and regional theme parks that are grouped in key markets across the United States, many of which showcase its one-of-a-kind zoological collection. The Company's theme parks feature a diverse array of rides, shows and other attractions with broad demographic appeal which deliver memorable experiences and a strong value proposition for its guests.

Media Contact: Mediarelations@seaworld.com

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SeaWorld and Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute Continue Five Decades of Advancing Marine Conservation with Critical New Research, Continued...

Life expectancy has come to be the gold standard in assessing the health of a population, especially during Covid-19, where the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and others advised the elderly to "shield" for months in isolation. Health services across the industrialised world have kept their citizens alive for longer, often adding more than a decade of life over the last two generations.

But as lifespan the total number of years someone will be alive has increased exponentially, healthspan the part of a persons life when they are in good health has largely stayed the same. This creates a huge crisis a demographic, economic and, above all, a humanitarian one. And it doesnt have to be this way.

A Chinese winter swimming enthusiast swims in a cold Houhai lake in Beijing, China, December 3. Winter swimming is popular among middle-aged and elderly citizens as they believe it can keep them in excellent health. EPA

Unhealthy ageing is a human tragedy. If governments and health authorities can focus on healthspans, not just lifespans, longevity technology can remedy it. Looking and feeling younger for longer is not the preserve of beauty brands or Silicon Valley billionaires. The science is real. It just needs investment, a favourable regulatory environment and health policies that are as focused on allowing people to live as much, rather than just keeping them alive.

The quality of life is just as, if not more important, than the length of life

The adverse health effects of ageing, just like high cholesterol or high blood pressure, is a risk factor for a variety of diseases. This means ageing should be treated the same way as any other risk factor that is, something to be treated and reduced. Health policy, however, has not always caught up with the science. Ageing is not an inevitable part of life that must be accepted. It is a technical problem that can and should be overcome.

It is no mystery that some individuals age better (healthier) than others. Now we know why: In 2006, the stem cell researcher Shinya Yamanaka identified four key proteins that seemed to turn the clock back on the ageing of cells, otherwise known as the "Yamanaka factors". This discovery was so profound that it led him to win the Nobel Prize. It has been hailed by some as the most important advancement since Francis Cricks discovery of the Double Helix.

But those discoveries havent always found their way into health policy. "Bio-conservatives" have resisted the notion of dramatically tampering with the ageing process, with some describing it as nothing more than billionaires' bid to buy their way out lifes only certainty: death.

Palestinian grandmother Jihad Butto, 85, celebrates obtaining a bachelor's degree in religious studies with her family at her home in Nazareth, Israel, on October 9. Reuters

Azra draws henna on her grandmothers hands in Dubai. Azra Khamissa is a Dubai based Canadian/South-African chiropractor, fashion designer, and henna artist, on August 1, 2019. Reem Mohammed / The National

This misses the point. Every new medical discovery is seen by some as "playing God", until the meaning of playing God becomes simply "being an effective Doctor". No one is saying that we should aim to live forever. And we can all agree that human life is sacred and should be preserved. But the quality of life is just as, if not more important, than the length of life.

This is something medics, investors, policymakers and the public should support because poorly managed ageing is a huge drain on global healthcare systems and economies. According to the World Health Organisation, the number of people aged 65 or older is projected to grow from more than 524 million in 2010 to nearly 1.5 billion in 2050.

If those people are economically inactive and hugely dependent on a constant stream of expensive medical procedures, economies will collapse. That strain is already huge. According to a report in the US by the Congressional Budget Office, the US Federal government spent 40 per cent of its budget, a total of $1.5 trillion, on elderly care in 2018. The same report predicts that by 2029, over half of Federal healthcare spend, approximately $3bn, will be spent on elderly care.

When populations grow older and the age of a society becomes an inverted pyramid, older people become increasingly dependent on a shrinking working-age population. That means higher spending and taxes for the young, which disincentivises them from working. The downward spiral caused by the symptoms of ageing is something that must be avoided at all costs.

Elderly people pose in clothes they have made themselves in front of a town hall in Hongseong, South Korea, November 24. EPA

Beyond the demographic and economic statistics lies human tragedy. Ageing and its associated diseases force children to watch their parents and grandparents slowly lose their independence. People who have worked their entire lives are robbed of the opportunity to enjoy their hard-earned retirement or to keep working. A couple can be robbed of their relationship if one of them is lucky enough to have the "good ageing gene" and the other isnt.

Regulators, healthcare providers and investors must work today to close the gap between healthspan and lifespan. While the average human lifespan has increased from 47 to 73 in seven decades, the gap between healthspan and lifespan is growing. It is predicted that the average global healthspan-lifespan gap is approximately nine years. Living for more than 10 per cent of our lives in relative suffering should be consigned to the past.

Health, as the WHO defines it, is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. This definition should serve as a north star. Regulatory bodies like the FDA should create an accommodating environment for anti-ageing patents, including gene therapies, to be developed and licensed.

Similarly, healthcare providers should also look to partner with private longevity providers to get the leading products onto market if we are to have a fighting chance at closing the healthspan-lifespan disparity.

This thinking is already there: The UKs National Institute for Clinical Excellence decides which medicines to fund based on how many "quality life years" they will create.

It is time to set the bar for quality of life much higher, based on the best science available.

Published: December 23rd 2021, 4:00 AM

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Scientists should be allowed to cure ageing - The National

Long-time Rockies first baseman Todd Helton is on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot for the fourth time here in the 2022 cycle. He's already seen a significant leap forward with the following percentages, needing 75 percent to become a Hall of Famer.

Here's a look at his recent uptick:

That's some serious momentum that should only continue as the voting body continues to evolve. In perusing comments on social media in Hall of Fame arguments, it seems worth reiterating here a point I make every year in the aftermath of the vote. It is regarding people questioning how vote totals can change so much.

First, the ballot is different every single year and your vote is capped at 10 players. If there was no max, I might side with the people who believe vote totals shouldn't move much. But with the max, it's entirely plausible to see a good number of voters who believe more than 10 players are worthy of their vote. And then once a chunk of those worthy players come off the ballot, some of the players previously deemed worthy-but-missing-the-cut now get a vote.

Remember, the voting body changes, too. There are voters who lose their voting eligibility and other scribes gain voting eligibility.

In taking these two factors into account, it really isn't difficult to see how the voting percentage of a player like Helton could change drastically over the course of several years. Especially moving forward with Curt Schilling, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa in their 10th and final year on the current ballot, there will certainly be more open spots for Helton next year.

There's also simple mind changing. It happens. The voters are human. I re-evaluate every single player every single vote cycle in anticipation of getting my first ballot in 2024. I'm not unique. Many current voters do this every offseason.

With Helton in particular, I believe we're seeing a case unfold that pretty well illustrates the continued evolution of the voting body.

Obviously throughout the years and decades, criteria on what constitutes a Hall of Famer has been evolving a bit. Sure, some of the most important stats remain, but we've moved through phases. There was the era where the triple crown stats mattered the most for first basemen like Helton. With the 369 career homers and 1,406 RBI, that might be a bit behind for some voters, especially with Helton's longevity.

Then we moved into knowing how important the triple-slash was. For Helton, that looks stellar at .316/.414/.539.

Of course, there was the Coors Field factor. It's so much easier to hit at Coors Field! So we have to discount Helton's line, right? Just look at his 2000 season.

Helton in 2000 led the NL in hits, doubles, RBI, average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, total bases and WAR. It wasn't just that he didn't win MVP. He finished fifth. Hardly anyone blinked at the time. If you search for articles about Helton being snubbed for MVP that season, you'll mostly find a bunch of articles from these past few years. At the time, it was pretty well accepted he had a really good season that was artificially enhanced by Coors Field.

And, really, we should adjust for ballpark. It's one of the reasons we use stats like wRC+ or OPS+. Of course, Helton's OPS+ in 2000 was third in the NL. It's not like Coors was taking some glorified slapper into Barry Bonds territory.

So, yes, give us the context, but let's make sure to attempt to keep things in proper context without going overboard. On that front, we now know what a disadvantage playing 81 games in Coors is when a player heads out to the road.

In raw triple slash (AVG/OBP/SLG) and runs scored, it's pretty easy to predict every single season that the Rockies, regardless of personnel, will be one of the best offensive teams in baseball at home and one of the worst on the road. It's something in the combination of the thin air -- with what it does to both the movement of pitched balls and how the batted balls fly -- and the gigantic outfield dimensions. Players make adjustments to hitting in Coors Field and then when they hit the road, it doesn't work out. The pitchers are better, the ball doesn't fly as much and the outfielders are closer.

It seems that with Larry Walker getting into the Hall in 2020 and now Helton making a big push, the voters have started to come around to the context of the situation that, yeah, we need to factor in what Coors does for offense at home, but also what it does to hurt it on the road.

Helton's career 133 OPS+ doesn't show a mediocre offensive player in the least. In his full case workup last year, I noted gigantic home/road splits in other Hall of Famers like Jim Rice, Roy Campanella, Kirby Puckett and Hank Greenberg.

I also think there's something to be said for Helton's defense at first base. It is the least important defensive position, but it's still important.

Total Zone Runs attempts to figure the number of runs above or below average the player was worth at his position based upon the number of plays made, which means there's a range component (think about a player not being able to get to a grounder versus one making a diving stop). Helton is second in MLB history among first baseman after Keith Hernandez, a legendary defender.

In addition to the range, Helton had a great arm. He ranks second in MLB history in assists as a first baseman after Eddie Murray.

JAWS isn't perfect (nothing is), but it measures Helton's overall career as the 15th best in baseball history among first basemen. The JAWS figure of 54.2 is also exactly the average of the 22 current Hall of Fame first baseman.

If we generally accept this measure has some accuracy, a player who is equal to the average Hall of Famer is a Hall of Famer. This player happens to be one with a pretty damn good case in several other areas as well. And while it's a new franchise, Helton is the best and most iconic Rockies player ever, too.

Helton is now moving toward Hall of Fame enshrinement and it seems the correct call.

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Baseball Hall of Fame ballot: How Todd Helton is deservedly making his way toward Cooperstown - CBS Sports

Year-end planning is always as clear as mud, andthis year is no exception. 2021 introduced many trends we're excited to explore in the new year (includingthepopularityof the hybrid workforce). However,it also brought forth severalchallenges, most notable beingtrying to plan for a constantly changing landscape.

But the ugly truth is, before and after working through a global pandemic, we are always living amid uncertainty and are more than able to live with the illusion of control. So for 2022, focus on the HOW of planning for success rather than WHAT you should be planning for.

One of the biggest lessons I've learned over the past several years as a business owner is how essential it is to recognize the importance of your employees' mental health, especially when it comes to future planning for longevity.Employees that make time to rest,recharge, and take things in strides are less likely to experience burnout.

According to Indeed's Employee Burnout Report, over half (52 per cent) of survey respondents experienced burnout in 2021. The two most burnt out generations being Millennials (59 per cent) and Gen Z (58 per cent).

So as you plan ahead for 2022, here's how to encourage your employees to take time off for relaxation to keep them motivated and productive.

1. Lead By Example

As the saying goes: Practice what you preach. In other words, if you want to make sure your employees are taking the necessary steps to guard and protect their mental heath, your leadership team has to be the first to step up to bat.

This New Year, be sure to schedule some personal time off and announce it to the rest of your team to set a precedent of encouraging self-care.

2. Make Your RTOPolicies Clear

How many times have you gotten to December only to notice you still have 15 days off to use by year's end? As the days and weekscan often drag on, it's important for your employees to have a written reminder to take time off throughout the year.

Provide crystal clear information about taking time off during onboarding as well asin the employee handbook, and be sure to send an occasional email to remind staffof busy weeks ahead to encourage taking personal days. When time off policies are expressed in black and white, people will feel more confident about booking days off.

3. Be In Tunewith Their Needs

Consider conducting one-on-one or weekly team meetings to determine where your employees are at mentally and emotionally and come up with solutions for how each can take amental health break. If someone on your teamopens up about feeling burnt out, offer them some time off and remind them of their remaining vacation and personal days.

4. Make Regular Announcements

To work is to be human, and being human means being aware that there is a life outside of your job. Keep tabs on upcoming holidays, seasonal events and important dates for your employees.

When there's a holiday, make an announcement ahead of timeorbring it up in casual conversation to encourage your teamto talk about what they are getting up to. Your employees should feel comfortable sharing their plans and taking time off for them.

5. Offer Time Off As A Sign Of Appreciation

Read the signs! If you're sensing that an employee is stressed out and might betoo afraid to tell you, offer a gesture of kindness and share how much you appreciate their hard work and offer them a day off or two. While this may cost you a few hours of work, the time off will undoubtedlypay you back in the long run.

6. Be Genuinely Excited When Someone Takes Time Off

Be the boss that breaks the stigma of taking time off. Ask questions and be excited!

Taking an interest and encouraging team members to take family vacations and add leisure time to work trips can help break the stigma of taking time off and ultimately promote success.

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

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How to Rest and Recharge Your Team for Success in 2022 - Inc.

Public health departments in Michigan are on life support.

Health officials across the state worry their departments are on the edge of becoming another casualty of the pandemic. A prolonged battle with the coronavirus, misinformation and efforts to undermine emergency orders has left public health weaker. The consequences could last years.

Nearly two years since the initial outbreak, multiple waves of infections and vaccine-resistant variants signal that COVID-19 isnt just going away. The coronavirus will likely become another permanent community health problem to grapple with. More than 26,375 Michigan residents have died from the virus.

Marcia Mansaray, deputy health officer for Ottawa County, said the pandemic added tremendous strain to a system that was already struggling to make do with limited resources. Now many departments are dealing with widespread burnout, unprecedented staff shortages and the publics fury.

There were lots of things were weak in, but we had strong staff, Mansaray said. Lots of expertise and leadership within the health system. That is what has been compromised now.

Congress appropriated $275 billion in emergency dollars to help Michigan health departments secure equipment and hire short-term staff. As the pandemic drags on, and the one-time funds dry up in 2022, those resources arent expected to make a long-term impact.

I think its fair to say we were not structurally prepared going into this, said Kevin Hughes, health officer of the District Health Department No. 10 in Northwest Michigan. We didnt have the appropriate staffing levels to be able to address something of this magnitude for this length of time ... When those funds run out, were still in this same place. Were gonna be right back where we were before.

Perhaps most harmful is the strain created by misinformation and politics. An erosion of the publics trust doesnt just undermine efforts to keep communities safe, it could bring controversy to mundane duties that were quietly carried out for decades.

Public health is being just seen through this narrow lens of this little slice of our role in enforcement and authority, when the majority of work we do is not that, said Lisa Peacock, director of the Health Department of Northwest Michigan. Public health has increased the longevity of our population in so many ways.

Norm Hess, executive director for the Michigan Association for Local Public Health, said people dont become acquainted with their health department until something goes wrong. The pandemic pushed health officials into the spotlight, for better and for worse.

People are more aware of how important public health is, but at the same time they have very strong emotional opinions on how public health has performed during this, Hess said. I think rebuilding public trust in local health departments and local health officials is going to be a primary task, and it will take years.

Protecting public health isnt just a job, its required by law. Health departments have a mandate to inspect restaurants, keep a handle on preventable diseases, monitor toxic exposure and respond to other threats.

Weve seen PFAS, weve seen Legionella, weve seen lead in water, those are all public health issues, said Ingham County Health Director Linda Vail. I dealt with a million gallons of oil spilled into the Kalamazoo River. You either need us to handle those things or you dont, and I think you do.

Genesee County Health Director Pamela Hackett said people in her field want to protect their neighbors. Public health policy is driven by scientific evidence, but the pandemic -- seemingly like everything else these days -- quickly became political.

Attitudes and behavior became divided along party lines. A growing body of research found Republicans are generally less likely to wear masks, get vaccinated and support policy interventions like closing businesses.

New activist groups sprung up across Michigan during the pandemic. Some worked hand-in-hand with lawmakers and party officials.

These very loud and active groups in the community are still the same ones were going to want to reach out to when we have a preventable outbreak such as measles or chickenpox, Hackett said. This deliberate politicization of COVID has made it, potentially, so we have a society thats more vulnerable to other types of outbreaks that weve already had control over.

Expressions of intense anger over health rules pit school boards and county commissions against health officials who saw the outrage derail efforts to protect their communities. Health officials were also targets of harassment, death threats and accusations of treason and child abuse.

Hackett was one of many who faced pressure to resign after requiring protective face masks in public schools. She also received a death threat from a woman who allegedly told Hackett to leave our children alone or I am going to kill you.

The threat still makes Hackett uneasy in her own home. She doesnt take walks alone anymore. Hackett shared other precautions that became part of her routine, which MLive will not publish due to safety concerns.

I will jump at a branch falling from a tree now, Hackett said.

The Genesee health director said she didnt expect politics to affect the response so disastrously. She had been working as a clinician at Henry Ford Hospital before coming to the county in 2019 and said she may not have taken the health director job had she known what was coming.

Internet trolls published addresses and cell phone numbers of health officials on social media. Mansaray said pictures of Ottawa County health department staff were posted online encouraging people to go get them. Police departments are monitoring social media for threats and keeping a watch on her home.

Vail installed a security system after someone mailed a threatening message to her house. Sometimes she wears a hat and sunglasses to avoid being recognized in public. Vail said the shadow of harassment hung over a visit to the county fair with her granddaughters.

Its this environment thats been created, where even if youre not being attacked youre preparing yourself, she said. Most of my colleagues are wondering at which point is something really bad going to happen to one of us?

Each health officer that spoke with MLive has considered how much they can endure. Its tempting to cut losses and leave, but they worry their community would be worse off.

I am concerned about what the future will hold for public health, Mansaray said.

Im a person of faith, and so I put part of it there. I feel called to do what Im doing. I have a community that I want to take care of and is depending on me.

Power struggles

Two color-coded folders sit on Peacocks desk. A red folder houses printouts of all the voicemails, texts and emails from people who disagree with her decision to require masks in public schools. Next to it sits a green folder containing messages of support.

Peacock estimates positive messages outnumber the negative pile five to one. But while the red folder is physically smaller, its contents extracted a heavy toll from Peacock.

Peacock filed a complaint with the Michigan Attorney General alleging local officials on the board of health encouraged people to bully her. In the complaint, Peacock describes a four-hour planned ambush at a September board of health meeting. The meeting was centered on a motion to rescind her order, something the board cant legally do.

Attendees called for Peacock to be arrested. The meetings Zoom broadcast was disrupted by racial slurs and a pornographic video. Hecklers intimidated health department staff. Peacocks said the crowd seemed on the verge of rioting.

Peacock was escorted out of the building through an alternate exit to avoid a group of people who were waiting in the parking lot. Health department staff continued to face harassment days after the meeting. One facility was put on lockdown for two days after police found threatening messages on social media.

The health director said shes seen flyers calling to pluck the Peacock with an image of an injured bird.

The Health Department of Northwest Michigan relies on a 90-year-old partnership between four counties. The board of health is filled by elected commissioners from around Northern Michigan.

Peacock said those relationships have deteriorated. She and Medical Director Joshua Meyerson narrowly survived an attempt to fire them in November when a board ended in a tie.

Otsego County residents asked their commissioners to sever ties with the health department, block its funding or sue Peacock. Commissioners asked county administrators to look into what it would take to abandon the health department.

A district health department is a great option in rural areas where you have counties with smaller populations, Peacock said. When were facing all these different threats, it could take away something really good.

Supporters have rallied behind Peacock. More than 300 people signed a letter thanking the health department for protecting the community. The board of health received 497 comments in support of the health department and 66 in opposition before voting on whether to fire Peacock.

Peacock says she stands behind the orders she issued. They were based on overwhelming medical evidence. Some residents accused Peacock of being on a power trip, but she says epidemic orders are reserved as a last resort for when other measures arent working.

Issuing orders is a tiny fraction of what we do for the public, Peacock said. Its one tool that we dont even like to use.

Michigans Public Health Code empowers health directors to set emergency procedures during an epidemic. But lawmakers and local politicians have worked to peel back this authority and give control to other groups.

Republicans added language in the 2022 budget threatening to withhold funding from health departments with mask orders. The governor said the budget language is unconstitutional and departments received their usual allocation of state funds, but several smaller counties pulled back school mask orders to avoid a potential lawsuit.

An activist group is also gathering signatures to shift power from nonpartisan health departments to elected officials. A ballot initiative seeks to end epidemic orders after 28 days unless extended by legislators or county commissions.

Hess said state law puts authority in the hands of unelected officials for a reason: Health departments have to make tough, sometimes unpopular, decisions that shouldnt be influenced by politics.

There are very few public health emergencies in the area of epidemics that come and go in 28 days, Hess said. I believe that it could make it even more difficult to make hard decisions if people are worried about whether or not they will be reelected.

Hess said taking power from experts would have a long-standing impact on the ability to deal with health emergencies.

People are basing their opinions on what is happening with COVID, but that could really limit the ability of health departments to respond to public health emergencies that we havent even thought of yet, Hess said.

Loss of knowledge and funding

Linda Vail has worked to exhaustion nearly every day since March 2020.

This is like being full-on, adrenaline push every day, all day, the Ingham County health director said. Youve got to be ready to respond. Having that level of readiness constantly is not really good for your body.

Sometimes the stress builds to a point where it cant be held in any longer. Vail said it can feel like the world is crashing around her. She probably would have retired already if she didnt feel supported by local officials.

I refer to them as my meltdown moments, Vail said. " Ive had my meltdowns where Im crying and Im beside myself. Im depressed and Im anxious.

Health officials say burnout and the stress of public scrutiny are driving people out of the field. They reported early retirements, unprecedented turnover and low rates of retention among new staff. Its resulted in a large loss of institutional knowledge and leadership.

People who face the public are getting yelled at every day. People are just treating them with such disregard for their expertise, Peacock said. Its getting harder and harder to conduct trace investigations and contact tracing, which are important tools to keep this from getting worse, because people dont want to talk to us.

Hughes said hes had staff leave because theyre fed up with getting abused when trying to trace contacts of people infected with COVID-19. Quitting has crossed Hughes mind too, but the 27-year veteran of public health said hes committed to staying.

I think many of them feel an ethical responsibility to hang in there for now, but when this crisis is over we could see people exiting the workforce to find meaningful work in other areas, Hess said.

Berrien County lost its health director over what she called the politicization of public health during the pandemic. Interim Health Officer Courtney Davis resigned, saying she can no longer effectively do her job in this climate. The health departments communications manager also resigned.

Its hard to find replacements at a time when people in the public eye and (are worried) the job would maybe endanger their children or their spouse and expose them to a lot of intimidation and threats, Mansaray said.

Whats next?

Fully staffing health departments would only solve one problem. Hess said a bigger issue is chronic underfunding since the 1990s. Long-term investments are needed to get health departments back on track.

A 2019 report from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services noted that failing to adequately support local health departments puts residents at risk. The report found that state appropriations actually decreased by $658,000 from 2003 to 2018.

The state is supposed to evenly split the cost of administering health services with local governments, but this isnt happening. In 2019, the state was only reimbursing 25% to 30% of the cost. Hess estimated that the state is likely still about $30 million short of meeting its obligation.

The Michigan Association for Local Public Health requested a $5 million to $8 million increase in the state health departments budget to meet the need. That request did not make it into the final 2022 budget.

Weve had an influx of COVID funding and some staff resources which has helped greatly, but the problems were created by years of neglect are going to remain, Hess said. When these COVID emergency funds dry up, I think we are going to be in a more difficult position than we were to start with.

Thats what makes threats to revoke funding so concerning. Health departments are already struggling to get by with what they have.

One thing does seem sure: COVID-19 is here to stay.

While some viruses can be considered extinct -- like SARS-CoV, a coronavirus responsible for the SARS pandemic in 2003 -- virologists believe COVID-19 will become an endemic disease. Thats because its highly transmissible and could continue to find new hosts to infect.

The next wave of infections is already here. The Omicron variant quickly became the dominant strain in the U.S.

Michigan cases and deaths began to rise again in the winter, filling hospital beds and ICU wings. The federal government sent medical teams to support four overburdened hospitals across the state.

Peacock said health departments need more resources to survive the current emergency and be prepared for whatever challenges lie ahead. Health departments have had to shift resources to COVID, resulting in scaled-back nutrition assistance for low-income mothers, testing for sexually transmitted diseases and other health monitoring programs.

Reflecting on the last year, several health officials said there was a lot of appreciation and trust for public health until the situation became politicized. Trust is difficult to repair once broken.

I wish that our culture hasnt lost the civility that I thought we had, Mansaray said.

Health officials arent sure if the highly-charged environment is the new normal; they havent had much chance to take a breath and think about it.

There is a segment of the population that distrusts public health, because its seen as the government, and theres a lack of trust in the government, Hughes said. Theres still a fair segment of the population that appreciates what it is that we do, but theres also now that that segment that that doesnt. The longer this goes on, I think the potential is there for that segment to get a little larger.

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Feds sending emergency medical team to Mercy Health Muskegon during COVID-19 surge

The rest is here:
Pandemic strife put Michigan health departments on life support. Can it heal while COVID surges? - MLive.com

The tiny faces. The high-pitched yaps. The outfits. The drama! Welcome to the world of toy dog breeds. Here youll find miniature versions of large dogs, impressively small paws and enough personality to sink a ship. Now, just because a dog is small doesnt mean it belongs in the toy dog breed group! Small pups like Boston Terriers and French Bulldogs are actually members of the non-sporting group, according to The American Kennel Club. The toy group is made up of breeds designed specifically to be companion animals. While some toy dog breeds are descendants of other breeds given specific tasks, many have lived in laps of luxury and existed as status symbols for wealthy families for centuries. Anyone eager to have a loyal friend for life who can travel anywhere should definitely consider a toy breed.

Due to their extensive backgrounds as companion animals, toy dog breeds are going to be incredibly loyalto their one favorite person. Purina says since most toy breeds werent designed to work, they tend to embrace relaxing activities and indulge in food (which means some are very picky eaters). They enjoy sitting in laps and snuggling up next to a warm body. Leaving them home alone for long stretches will probably make them mador, at the very least, sad. Separation anxiety is common in toy dog breeds.

Now, just because a toy breed wants to be near you all day doesn't mean they want to be near anyone else. The pups on our list may not trust strangers easily or enjoy attention from folks they dont know. This isnt always the case, but it can be. To prevent your toy dog breed from turning into a monster when new people or animals enter the scene, socialize them early and often!

Youll notice our toy dog breeds list has a lot of crossover with our longest-living dog breeds list. This is because smaller breeds tend to live longer than large ones. Genetics and inherent physical features certainly play a role in longevity, but you still have to put in effort to ensure a healthy pup, no matter their size.

People uninterested in jogging with their dogs or going to the dog park for long stretches of time to play fetch will love toy dog breeds. Yes, these animals need their exercise! No, they shouldnt become total couch potatoes! But, they dont require as much vigorous exercise as many large breeds do. In case you hadnt noticed, toy dog breeds have tiny legs and small bodies. Sometimes, too much walking can exhaust them or put strain on their cute little paws.

Since separation anxiety is common among toy dog breeds, spending as much time as possible with them is key to a happy, stress-free pup. People with one of these breeds consistently find ways to incorporate them into errands, events and work. (Dog-friendly workplaces or working from home options are ideal!) Investing in a durable, comfy dog carrier is a must if youve got a toy breed.

Unlike large breeds, toy breeds dont need nearly as much living space. They make excellent apartment pets and are less threatening to renters who dont own their homes. Sure, a big yard is fun for any dog, but smaller pups dont need it the way a Doberman or an Alaskan Malamute does.

Finally, many sources say toy dog breeds and kids dont mix. While this is certainly the case for some small pups, it is possible to raise a family-friendly toy breed with proper training and socialization. Introducing any breed, of any size, to kids early on is essential to a good child-canine relationship. Include your kids in training and encourage them to learn how to safely interact with your dog and any pup they may meet.

RELATED: The 10 Naughtiest Dog Breeds

AGENCY ANIMAL PICTURE/GETTY IMAGES

Height: 9-12 inchesWeight: 7-10 poundsPersonality: Goofy, ProudActivity Level: ModerateShedding Factor: HypoallergenicLife Expectancy: 12 to 15 years

This tiny German dog breed is one of the few on our list bred with a purpose. Affenpinschers have been killing and hunting rats for centuries, and today are goofy companion pets. The Affenpinscher Club of America warns these dogs are Rottweiler wannabes and may try too hard to fit in with the big dogs. Keep them entertained with a friend (like kittens, owning two Affenpinschers improves socialization).

Height: 7-10 inchesWeight: 8-10 poundsPersonality: Sensitive, LoyalActivity Level: ModerateShedding Factor: ModerateLife Expectancy: 12-15 years

Brussels Griffons come in smooth- and wire-coated varieties. Though they may look similar to the Affenpinscher, they are slightly smaller and more sensitive. Brussels tend to make better friends with adults than kids. Until the 1870s, these dogs would sniff out rats for Belgian coachmen. As soon as Henrietta Maria, the Queen of the Belgians, fell in love with these smart pups, the rest of the upper class in Brussels followed suit.

Vincent Scherer/Getty Images

Height: 7-11 inchesWeight: 4-8 poundsPersonality: Smart, LovingActivity Level: ModerateShedding Factor: LowLife Expectancy: 16 years

The Biewer Terrier is a relatively new breed that made its Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show and National Dog Show debuts this year. First bred in Germany in the 1980s, Biewers made their way to the U.S. in 2003. Incredibly affectionate and friendly, these dogs are eager to be a part of the action. Include your Biewer in everything! They will be vocal and let you know if they feel left out (or if they dont recognize someone and want to let strangers know whos boss).

Tara Gregg/EyeEm/Getty Images

Height: 12-13 inchesWeight: 13-18 poundsPersonality: Affectionate, FriendlyActivity Level: Low to ModerateShedding Factor: Low to ModerateLife Expectancy: 12-15 years

As a well-loved breed among senior citizens, young renters and Courteney Cox, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a versatile and adaptable pet. Their silky soft coats and sweet dispositions make them sweet companions. This is an example of a toy breed descended from English hunting dogs. Cavs excel at high-energy activities but are content lounging with you if you prefer to Netflix and chill.

JOSH BRASTED/CONTRIBUTOR/GETTY IMAGES

Height: 5-8 inchesWeight: 6 poundsPersonality: Charming, independentActivity Level: ModerateShedding Factor: LowLife Expectancy: 14-16 years

Ah, the prestigious Chihuahua. Easily one of the most recognizable dog breeds on this or any list, Chihuahuas hail from Mexico where the breed has been perfected over centuries. Both long-haired and short-haired varieties exude charm through their tiny stature and enormous, expressive eyes. Chihuahuas have been made even more famous by celebrities like Paris Hilton and films like Legally Blonde. Be sure to toss a sweater on them in cold weather!

Robert Recker/Getty Images

Height: 11-13 inchesWeight: 8-12 poundsTemperament: Lively, lovingShedding Factor: Non-shedding / HypoallergenicActivity Level: Moderate to HighLife Expectancy: 13-18 years

The American Chinese Crested Club says these graceful, amusing dogs love to entertain their favorite human. They can be hairless, with tufts of fur on their heads and feet, or whats called powderpuff, with long, soft fur covering their whole bodies. Hairless Chinese Crested dogs can get sunburned, so protect them with doggy sunscreen or shade! Perhaps surprisingly, these toy dogs are excellent athletes who enjoy agility training.

Sergey Ryumin/Getty Images

Height: 10 inchesWeight: 5 poundsPersonality: Sweet, EnergeticActivity Level: HighShedding Factor: ModerateLife Expectancy: 13-15 years

Say hello to a feisty dog bred years ago to chase and kill rats. Today, Toy Fox Terriers are meant to be small, active pets. But dont be surprised if that terrier energy takes over when youre out on walks. They are energetic bundles of fun who tend to be very in tune with their familys emotions. However, The American Toy Fox Terrier Club says they arent great with small children, nor are they fans of cold, wet weather.

@Hans Surfer/Getty Images

Height: 8.5-11.5 inchesWeight: 7-13 poundsPersonality: Smart, SocialActivity Level: ModerateShedding Factor: HypoallergenicLife Expectancy: 14-16 years

Allergy sufferers rejoice! This toy breed is hypoallergenic. Take your Havanese with you on vacation, shopping trips and more without worrying youll have a sneezing fit. These dogs are incredibly outgoing, enjoy making new friends and have low prey drives. Havanese come from Cuba where they were adoring companions to the wealthier classes. If you want their silky coats to grow long, youll have to groom them daily. Otherwise, a short cut is just as sweet.

Height: 13-15 inchesWeight: 7-14 poundsPersonality: Sensitive, alertActivity Level: ModerateShedding Factor: ModerateLife Expectancy: 14-15 years

Be prepared to cover Italian Greyhounds in sweaters and booties come cold weather! These teeny, tiny pups are incredibly sensitive and live for warmth and companionship. The Italian Greyhound Club of America says these are definitely indoor dogs - in fact, they are known for their cat-like tendencies. Watch out for an Italian Greyhound who loves to jump or climb as they could fall easily and injure themselves. They also dont do well in chaotic, multi-pet households.

Height: 8-11 inchesWeight: 7-11 poundsTemperament: Mellow, regalShedding Factor: ModerateActivity Level: Low to ModerateLife Expectancy: 10-12 years

Dont let their name fool youJapanese Chins were initially bred in China. While sweet and mellow, they definitely have stubborn streaks. This is because their history involves literally no work. They were bred only to love and be loved by a dedicated human. When training, its critical to use positive reinforcement and consistency. The noble Japanese Chin will not tolerate a temper!

IOANNIS TSOTRA/GETTY IMAGES

Height: 7-9 inchesWeight: 6-7 poundsPersonality: Sweet, elegantActivity Level: ModerateShedding Factor: LowLife Expectancy: 12-15 years

If youve always wanted a puppy with a topknot in a bow, go for it with a Maltese. These dogs have some of the most elegant coats around. Makes sense, considering the AKC says these toy pups have been sitting in the lap of luxury since the Bible was a work in progress. Generally playful and adaptable, dont be afraid to play games outside with your Maltese! Theyre into it and will let you know when theyve had enough.

Height: 10-12 inchesWeight: 10-12 poundsPersonality: Lively, intelligentActivity Level: Moderate to HighShedding Factor: LowLife Expectancy: 15-17 years

Though Toy Manchester Terriers arent part of the terrier group like Standard Manchester Terriers, they definitely have some of the same qualities. Like standards, toys can have high prey drives and are excellent athletes. Super smart and eager to fulfill duties, these dogs are easily trained and enjoy being active. In the Victorian Era, Toy Manchesters were extremely popular among wealthier women in England. Today, they are happiest during playtime with their families.

Vieriu Adrian/Getty Images

Height: 10-12.5 inchesWeight: 8-10 poundsPersonality: Energetic, proudActivity Level: HighShedding Factor: Moderate to HighLife Expectancy: 12-16 years

This is a fearless, high-energy watchdog with an even higher IQ. Sure, a Miniature Pinscher will learn commands easily, but it may also see what it can get away with when youre not looking. These proud dogs are most likely the products of breeding Dachshunds and Italian Greyhounds; they are not tiny versions of German Pinschers or Dobermans. The AKC calls them the King of Toys, a title that may have gone to their heads. We dont caretheyre cute enough to get away with being a little bossy!

Motofish Images/Getty Images

Height: 8-11 inchesWeight: 5-10 poundsPersonality: Happy, OutgoingActivity Level: HighShedding Factor: ModerateLife Expectancy: 14 to 16 years

Talk about an adaptable dog! Papillons are known for being friendly with people of all ages and pets of all kinds. Dont let a Papillon get too friendly with big dogs; Paps dont know the strength of a big dog and could get hurt. Versions of these small pups with their giant ears can be found in 15th century paintings of upper class ladies and their children. Papillons are easy to groom and love nothing more than hanging out with you.

Height: 6-9 inchesWeight: 14 poundsPersonality: Confident, LoyalActivity Level: LowShedding Factor: ModerateLife Expectancy: 12-14 years

Its hard to ignore the Pekingese when it walks into a room. These ancient Chinese dogs have incredible confidence and know how to command attention. Loyal to their favorite person, Pekingese will happily follow you to the ends of the earth. Unless of course youre trying to train them to do a trick they dont want to do. Their independent streaks are real and they much prefer a fun game or nap to following orders.

ShutterRunner.com (Matty Wolin)/Getty Images

Height: 6-7 inchesWeight: 3-7 poundsPersonality: Lively, AdaptableActivity Level: Moderate to HighShedding Factor: ModerateLife Expectancy: 12 to 16 years

We dare you to look at a Pomeranian and not smile. Look at their grinning faces! Those puffy coats! This German dog breed is curious and the American Pomeranian Club advises against letting them roam at will. Poms are fast and tend to ignore warning signs like car horns. Though Pomeranians can be territorial, barking at strangers or intruders, once they get to know someone, they make a friend for life.

Bagata Photography/Getty Images

Height: 10 inchesWeight: 5 poundsPersonality: Intelligent, ConfidentActivity Level: Moderate to HighShedding Factor: HypoallergenicLife Expectancy: 10-18 years

Anyone who sees Poodles of any size as prissy, fussy dogs has never met one. Toy Poodles are athletic and confident dogs who excel at agility and course training. Theyre super smart, so teaching commands is a cinch. Toy Poodles do need to be brushed regularly or taken to a groomers for a neat trim every four to six weeks.

Square Dog Photography/Getty Images

Height: 10-13 inchesWeight: 14-18 poundsTemperament: Adaptable, charmingShedding Factor: HighActivity Level: Low to moderateLife Expectancy: 13-15 years

Pugs are some of the most adaptable and friendly breeds around. The biggest challenge with Pugs is making sure they dont overeat, which can lead to obesity and a whole host of health issues. Other than that, get ready for a delightful companion who makes friends wherever they go. Because of their social nature, leaving them home for long stretches is out of the question. Good thing they get along well with others!

Height: 9-11 inchesWeight: 9-16 poundsTemperament: Cheerful, lovingShedding Factor: LowActivity Level: Moderate to HighLife Expectancy: 10-18 years

A noble Chinese breed, the Shih Tzu can live almost two decades if cared for properly. This toy breed is actually praised for its ability to get along with kiddos and keep people of all ages entertained. Dubbed the Lion Dog for its wild mane of silky hair, Shih Tzus can be trimmed short or develop a lengthy coat. One drawback is the Shih Tzus stubbornness during training. They think they know it all already.

YEVGEN ROMANENKO/GETTY IMAGES

Height: 7-8 inchesWeight: 7 poundsPersonality: Affectionate, LivelyActivity Level: ModerateShedding Factor: HypoallergenicLife Expectancy: 11-15 years

One of the most popular and recognizable toy dog breeds is the Yorkie. These tiny terriers were developed to keep mines and factories free of rodents; they still retain this determination and gumption despite having become lap dogs in the 1880s. Early socialization ensures adult Yorkies are nice to new people and can adapt to unfamiliar environments.

RELATED: 14 American Dog Breeds

Read more:
20 Toy Dog Breeds That Prove Big Things Come in Small Packages - PureWow

All human actions are based on anticipated futures. We cannot know the future because it does not exist yet, but we can use our current knowledge to imagine the future and make them happen. The better we understand the present and the history that has created it, the better we can understand the possibilities of the future. To appreciate the opportunities and challenges that artificial intelligence (AI) creates, we need both a good understanding of what AI is today and what the future may bring when AI is widely used in society. AI can enable new ways of learning, teaching, and education, and it may also change society in ways that pose new challenges for educational institutions. It may amplify skill differences and polarise jobs, or it may equalise opportunities for learning.

The use of AI in education may generate insights into how learning happens, and it can change the way learning is assessed. It may re-organise classrooms or make them obsolete, it can increase the efficiency of teaching, or it may force students to adapt to the requirements of technology, depriving humans of the powers of agency and possibilities for responsible action. All this is possible. Now is a good time to start thinking about what AI could mean for learning, teaching, and education. There is a lot of hype, and the topic is not an easy one. It is, however, both important, interesting, and worth the effort.

Progressively, AI has played and continues to play a huge role in the transformation of society. It has been applied to various sectors and fields such as finance, public security, health, computational creativity, information processing, urban transportation, industrial manufacturing, mobile phone and internet entertainment, and retail. Moreover, AI is changing shopping, advertising, entertainment, education and healthcare, longevity, food and business insurance, and finance. Thus, AI has significant advances for all spheres of human endeavor. Society simply needs to keep abreast of the advances and evolve processes for maximising benefits or minimising weaknesses.

In sum, AI is recognised as a novel and dynamic approach that paves the way for enhanced and sophisticated knowledge discovery, learning, problem-solving, and efficiencies in decision-making in the world today.

Asiya Kassim Bataiya,

Skyline University Nigeria

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Claim: A national newspaper and multiple online platforms claim Brazil has adopted Yoruba as its official language and that the language would be included in primary and secondary schools curriculum.

Verdict: The claim is false. The content of the article published by these online platforms is not new; it has been recirculated several times and has been debunked.

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Claim: A viral WhatsApp voice note, purportedly made by the director and CEO of WhatsApp, claims users will have to start paying for WhatsApp services.

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Marburg Virus: What You Need To Know About Disease Recently Detected In West Africa

On Monday, August 9, 2021, the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed the first case of Marburg virus in West Africa in Guinea. This development has sent shivers down the spines of West Africans who are still grappling with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. But before this dreaded disease is greeted by rumours and misinformation, here is what you have to know about the virus.

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CLAIM: Several social media posts claim the United States of America (USA) gave Nigerias Federal Government 48 hours to detain suspended Deputy Police Commissioner, Abba Kyari, or face severe sanctions.

VERDICT: The claim is false and misleading. The US did not give Nigerian Federal Government 48 hours ultimatum to detain Abba Kyari.

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Artist and designer Nina Cho often uses a Korean adage to help frame her work. The adage, as its translated into English, says, It is modest but not humble, and impressive but not extravagant.

While Cho may use the saying to contextualize her own approach to furniture design, it could just as easily be applied to describe her (relatively) newfound home in Detroit. Born in San Francisco, Cho was raised in Seoul, South Korea, where she studied woodworking and furniture design at Hong-Ik University. Cho moved to Michigan on the strength of the states own legacy in furniture design, namely the mid-century furniture masterworks of Charles and Ray Eames. Its what drew her to the world-renowned Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, where she earned an MFA in 3D Design in 2015.

And though the Eames-Cranbrook connection is what initially attracted Cho to Michigan, its the city of Detroit that convinced her to stay.

Its a city of opportunity, to me. That's how I characterize Detroit, says Cho. The community is very welcoming and really interested in what you're doing. I think it's very open to possibilities; that's how I see Detroit.

Detroit-based artist and designer Nina Cho with her Cantilever Table.Its in this city of possibility where Cho works and lives, from her studio in Mexicantown and her apartment in Lafayette Park, the latter of which, its likely of no coincidence, is a neighborhood designed by yet another mid-century master designer: architect Mies van der Rohe.Chos own approach to furniture designis one thats informed by a forward-leaning reductive aesthetic impressive but not extravagant, as the Korean adage goes. She designs both high-end pieces as well as more affordable, accessible furniture lines for the everyday home.

Her work has taken her all over the world, from exhibitions in London and Milan to a residency in Tuscany, Italy. Still, she calls Detroit home. Theres any number of reasons for that; the bonds of community that shes formed here, the inspiration she draws from the park outside her apartment building. And then there are the practical ones, aspects like access to resources, geographic location, and affordability things important to just about any line of work.

Detroits manufacturing infrastructure provides Cho access to metal fabricators in the city and nearby communities like Hazel Park, a service upon which her work relies. Its geographic location allows Cho to zip over to New York City, a trip shell often take by car, a days drive. And the relative affordability of Detroit, especially when compared to places like New York and Los Angeles, affords Cho the ability to live and work freely.

It's just one of the rare cities that, as an artist or designer, you can actually buy your own studio building still. In New York, as an artist, you could never even imagine buying the studio building, right? Not that I even own the studio building here, but in places like New York, you couldn't even imagine doing that, Cho says.

Here, a lot of artists can own a studio or even a house. I think that's pretty amazing.

Finding a supportive ecosystem

Like Cho, Andre Sandifer is a furniture designer who moved to Detroit from elsewhere although his path is all his own. Born and raised in Grand Rapids, Sandifer earned a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Michigan in 2001, where hed meet his future wife Abir Ali. The couple became interested in designing and making their own line of handcrafted furniture, eventually opening the Ali Sandifer design studio and workshop. The couple moved to Chicago before settling in Detroit in 2011.

Although no longer married to Ali, the Ali Sandifer studio put Sandifer on the design and furniture-making map. Following the dissolution of their company, Sandifer went back to school before becoming senior product designer at Detroit furniture-makerFloyd. His first product there was a modular table that can be added to the companys sectional sofa.Andre Sandifer, senior product designer, at work in the Floyd R&D lab.Floyds design principles aligned with my previous work. What I was doing was about sustainability, a sense of longevity handmade pieces that hopefully will last for generations, Sandifer says. Although Sandifers previous work was handmade andFloyd operates on a much bigger, mass-produced scale, much of the thought that guides the two companies dovetail together.

Floyd definitely aligns with my design principles and definitely longevity, but also in being mindful of the materials that I use, mindful of how customers receive the products, and how much of a role the customer plays in the design process. I like to say that my design process is about human-centric qualities, like how people interact with the piece, how they use it and how does that piece help or improve their living environment.

When Sandifer first moved to Detroit, he found himself immersed in the citys supportive ecosystem of artists, designers, creatives, makers, and otherwise. Ali Sandifer set up shop in the Russell Industrial Center, a sprawling complex of seven industrial buildings teeming with makers of all stripes, from furniture-makers to glassblowers, a haven for artists, musicians, and more.The Floyd Modular Table in walnut.Its an attitude

A father of three boys, Sandifers oldest enrolled in the Henry Ford Academy: School for Creative Studies when they first moved to Detroit. A public charter school with a heavy focus on the arts, the Henry Ford Academy is located in the A. Alfred Taubman Center for Design Education, an extension of the College for Creative Studies (CCS) campus. Its a building teeming with creativity, not only housing the academy and CCS, but also Shinola, Kresge Arts in Detroit, and Design Core Detroit.

Its there where Sandifer says he began to understand Detroit as a design community.

For us, it was important to find a place where our son had that sort of artistic outlet. But then being surrounded by businesses and people that were advocates for the creative process, is where that (understanding) started, says Sandifer. And then also when I had my own studio in the Russell Industrial. I mean, they have creative people ranging from glassblowers to people doing handmade furniture. A lot of different creative worlds met there.

Being part of Detroits creative eco-system has only further inspired Sandifer, he says. Its that oft-referenced spirit of innovation people talk about when they talk about Detroit, a phrase often used by local tourism boards but one that talented transplants like Nina Cho and Andre Sandifer have found to be real, and very much so.

Its an attitude as much as it is anything else, Sandifer says.

Being raised in a very conservative town like Grand Rapids, you know, and then being a Black male coming to a place where it's predominantly Black, that itself was exciting. I see more of me and I see more of me in the creative world. Im seeing people making similar things going through similar struggles, and especially here in Detroit but Im also seeing them persevere, Sandifer says.

I think Detroit has this reputation that people here are strong; you persevere and you get through stuff. I think that attitude is definitely heavily rooted here.

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A new wave of furniture design stars on finding their home in Detroit - Concentrate

SAN PEDRO RIVER On a cloudy December Saturday, a group of wildlife enthusiasts met on a dirtpull-off in southern Arizona to embark on a mission. Wide-eyed and unified, thecadre of researchers, advocates, professorsand studentshad volunteered to spend the day collecting data for conservation.

At thehelm was Lisa Shipek, the executive director and founder of Watershed Management Group, a Tucson-basednon-profit that organizesecology-based community events.She had convened the group nearthe San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Areawitha single goal: finding Castor canadensis, the North American beaver, or at the very least spotting signs they're in the area.

Beavers once thrived in this part of southeastern Arizona. Centuries of trapping led to a local extinction by the late 19th century. In their absence, the ecosystem services they provided vanished, too. Their penchant for building dams slowed stream flows, enhanced riparian habitatand even restored aquifers when flood plains overflowed.

(T)hey were a keystone species in our creeks and rivers," Shipek told The Republic."And then they were wiped out by trappers. And that really caused an unraveling of a lot of these creek and river systems and almost to the extent where the creeks and rivers and wetlands were unrecognizable from what they would have been with beavers.

So we, in a lot of ways, don't actually know what our creeks, rivers and wetlands should look like," she said, "because we've only really seen them without beavers.

Twenty-two years ago, the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Bureau of Land Management, which manages46-miles of the San Pedro andBabocomari rivers,took on an ambitious project to restore beavers to this portion of their historical range.

Sixteen beavers were captured in other areas of Arizona, often where they were creating problems near airports or stock ponds, and released on stretches of the river.Protected, remoteand perennial, the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area was an ideal spot for the releases.

With the return of beavers, groups like WMG are hoping some of those essential services would be restored. That could offer a glimpse into a world that beavers once helped create.

Yet modern challenges have in recent years stunted the recovery conservationists initially hoped for. To understand why, Shipek and her team of volunteers are counting beavers one survey at a time to find out where theyre going and maybe even whats causing their disappearance. Collectively, the volunteers are a part of a growing assemblage of citizen scientists who are reshaping the way people collect data and learn about the natural world.

After introductions, Shipek and her husband,Catlow Shipek, who serves as the group's policy and technical director, split the search party of 20 into five separate groups along distinct, two-mile sections of the conservation area.

Some of thevolunteers are trained scientists. Others are just curious about nature and want to help. A passion for beavers inspired most of them to join the survey, but an affinity forwatersheds and ecology was palpable. Conversations buzzed with hydrology terms and tales of pastoutings.

Before setting off, group leaders guided everyone through what to look for. Beaver chews, chunks of bark eaten out of treetrunks, are a telltale sign that beavers are near. On smaller tree trunks, the chews look like spears pointing to the sky. On larger trees, they look like gaping wounds, wide and crater-like. Other signs include the tracks, slides, which are trails left by the beaver's dragging tail, along with scat, food caches, scent mounds and the motherlode: a beaver lodge, denor dam.

Using an app called Survey123, the volunteers were able tolog the location, type of observationand key information related to the sighting. The data will be used later to take inventory of how many beavers live in the area.

"We saw a great opportunity to do community-based conservation here in Tucson and southern Arizona, really making these types of practices accessible to people at their homes, at schools, and neighborhoods. This concept of watershed health doesn't have to be limited to agencies working on it. We can all play a part in this,"Shipek said. "Beavers are a keystone species. And so that means that they play a critical role in the health of our rivers."

For the past 16 years, Shipek has built partnerships to engage the community in watershed restoration efforts. The plan to conduct surveys came about last year after Shipek and her team discovered that the original population of beavers wasn't doing so well. After years of growth from 16 to well over a hundred in 2010, the population had crashed by 2019. That year, observers reported limited beaver activity, with just two or three believed to be in the area. No dens or lodges were seen in the SPRNCA that year. An interesting bright spotappeared in Mexico, where the beavers naturally dispersed.

Shipek was shocked. "We hadn't heard that,"she admitted on hearing about the population drop at a panel discussion. "This was a surprise and really a wake-up call that we need to be paying more attention to beavers on the San Pedro."

In an effort to understand why and how populations were changing, Shipek organizedthe first-ever community-wide survey along a 15-mile section of the San Pedro in Arizona and worked with partners in Mexico tosurvey the other side of the border. Watershed Management Group's built-in network of dedicated river enthusiasts positioned her to hit the ground running when it came to marshaling support for the survey.

What they found wasencouraging. The population had rebounded, if only slightly. They estimated there were between 12 and 15 beavers in Arizona following the 2020 survey, though that was still woefully under the carrying capacity of the river ecosystem, which is around120 beavers, according to Watershed Management Group.

A key part of the effort to count beavers included local river expert Mike Foster, who works with the Friends of the Huachuca Mountains and the Friends of the San Pedro River, a non-profit dedicated to protecting natural resources near Bisbee and Sierra Vista.

Foster, who moved to Arizona 38 years ago from Michigan, has been conducting informal surveys for nearly 20 years, since 2002. He and a fellow river hobbyist, Steven Anderson, had been collecting data andreporting their findings back to Marcia Radke, a biologist with the BLM who worked on the San Pedro.

To this day, Foster is involved with the surveys and was a team lead at the Saturday event. For him, it's been a joy to watch his efforts grow and expand to include the larger community.

"From a guy who used to be one of two that would do the whole thing by ourselves, it's so great to see how there's been this groundswell of people who are interested and paying attention to beavers," Foster confessed. "I'm really, really happy with what both Cochise College and Watershed Management Group are doing."

Steve Merkley, a biology professor at Cochise College, was also involved with organizing that first survey. As a professor, he was able to spur interest among students who proved to be eager helpers. In February2020, they were enlisted to join Fosters survey, covering areashe and his partner hadn't.

LikeShipek, they were on a mission to find out what happened to the original population of beavers. While Merkley is still working on collecting information to finalizehis research on why the beaver population has plummeted, some other folks have theories. Mountain lion predation, droughtand human trapping have been presented as potential causes for the decline, though there couldalso be a less sinisterreason, Merkley said.

"There is also evidence in other beaver literature that beavers go through natural boom and bust cycles. The populations will get really dense and then they will decline and then they'll build back up,"Merkley said. "So it could be a natural population cycle. Or it could be that they are moving to a more favorable location for them habitat-wise."

Beavers are native to the Southwest. They once roamed the many watersheds, cienegasand waterways that circulated through Arizonas valleys. The San Pedro River was once referred to as Beaver River because of its abundant beaver populations. Easily captured and with some densest fur in the animal kingdom, beavers were extirpated by excessive trapping and hunting by the late 1800s. To this day, there are still few regulations that manage beaver trapping in Arizona, though it isillegal to hunt them.

The declining need to kill them as furbearers has allowed some populations to recover. But the pumping and diverting of major waterways presents another problem. Beavers need clean water,and they need lots of it. As a result, some of the beavers may have migrated to the headwaters of the San Pedro, in Mexico.

Merkley offers this as an alternative explanation for the population flip, whereby populations are growing in Mexico while declining in Arizona. The water flows on the Mexican side of the river tend to be slower, widerand calmer,habitat beavers favor over the narrower and deeper banks of the upper San Pedro, which are prone to flash floods and torrents during the monsoon.

No matter where they are, as a keystone species, beavers have a profound impact on their environments. Their reputation as ecosystem engineers is well known and backed up by the way they alter a place.They tear into trees, slowing water and creating habitat, often times improving what's there for wildlife.

"When they dam up water in a stream, it slows the flow, which provides habitat for lots of organisms that depend on a slower flowing river,"Merkley said. "And also for the hydrology, it allows more of the water to return to the aquifer. And so it's really good, not only for plant life, but also for the longevity of the river."

By early morning of the survey, each group was dispatched to their respective stretchesof the river. Each team focused on two main areas, the actual river or the river's banks. One could either get soaked or fight through tangles of 12-foot-highphragmites, a reed species that thrives in wetlands.

"There are two big ones," exclaimed Shipek from across the river while pointing to two massive beaver chews on the opposite side of the bank. Mark Briggs, a stream restoration ecologist, who was in Shipek'sgroup and wading through waist-high water at the time, took the first recording, logging thesize, recencyand approximation to any other would-be beaver activity.

The chews were huge and their bright yellow coloring indicated they were recent. Each team member was alert and keen. Several other chews were discovered soon after as participants trudged through deep water and fought through willows andthickets of cottonwoods on the bank.

Briggs and his partner, Brooke Bushman, had tag-teamed the river portion of the tracking expedition whileShipek traipsed up on the bank. Midway through the hike, Bushman, a green stormwater infrastructure maintenance program manager with the city of Tucson,had switched from that water to the bank.

An accidental fall led to the next major breakthrough of the day. Bushman had slipped through one of the vent holes of a beaver den.

"My foot fell in and I felt this neat wafting up of cold, really like, refreshing air, that was imbued with the strong aroma of fresh cut willow and smelled like a good, clean whiskey,"Bushman said.

Their discovery was one of the highlights of the day. "We found it," Shipek hollered from across the river, referring to an actual den. Both she and Bushman examined the lodge, took photosand logged their finding into the tracking app.

Unlike a dam, which stretches across water, this den was tucked intothe muddy bank. It was thick withoverhanging roots, carpetedwith wood chips, dark and narrow. Shipek stopped to make a video.

"We have stumbled upon a bank lodge after about a quarter-mile of seeing a lot of evidence of fresh beaver chews," Shipek explained, talking to the camera. "And it looks like the bank eroded here. We're right next to the river. There's definitely a cache of food. These bank lodges can go pretty far back."

Pointing the camera into the den, she continued, "so you can see back into maybe one of the ends where there's a cache of wood. We did step into the vent hole above it. And now we're going to go check out because we think there's a dam and maybe another lodge just down the creek. Pretty cool!"

As the daycame to a close, most of the groups were meeting back on the dirt pull-off, soaked and dirty, but excited about all the information they hadcollected. Their efforts will produce valuableinformation that can be used not only to assess the health of the river, but to find out how many beavers are in the area, where they're goingand how fast they're disbursing.

While there were no live beaver sightings on the outing, their presence was clear. Shipeks group alone found over 20 signs that suggest beavers live in the SPRNCA, including chews, slidesand a den.

It will take months to compile all the data.In addition to the December survey, there was also a November survey in other parts of the SPRNCA as well as along the San Pedro and tributaries in Mexico. In total, volunteers covered 40 miles of river in Arizona and 25 miles in Mexico. Pronatura and Naturalia, two NGO partners, helped with the latter survey. The results of all three are expected sometime in the spring.

This information will be vital when looking at future releases, something Shipek hopes will occur in otherareas of southeastern Arizona. Tributaries of the Santa Cruz River, like Cienega Creek, are ripe for reintroduction and one of her goals is to mirror the efforts on the San Pedro there.

"We see beavers as one of the best restoration solutions for our watersheds, including the Santa Cruz and San Pedro watersheds. So we're investing a lot of our resources into better understanding what's going on,"Shipek said. "This survey is kind of a fundamental piece, so we're planning to do this survey annually and making it a bi-national affair because these are bi-national watersheds. We have so many hopes and dreams. We're really just at the beginning in a lot of ways."

Lindsey Botts is an environmental reporter for The Arizona Republic/azcentral. Follow his reporting on Twitter at @lkbottsand Lkbotts on Instagram.Tell him about stories at lindsey.botts@azcentral.com

Environmental coverage on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. Follow The Republic environmental reporting team atenvironment.azcentral.comand@azcenvironment onFacebook,TwitterandInstagram.

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Where are all the beavers on Arizona's San Pedro River? Volunteers go looking for them - The Arizona Republic