Keeping Kids Safe Online

Here are some tips to help keep your children safe when using the Internet.

• It's not a legal requirement (2014) for broadband providers to offer parental controls, but the big four do. If your provider does not do this, switch to one that does.
• When you buy a mobile phone or tablet witha SIM, adult content is automatically blocked. Over 18s can ask for the filter to be removed. So, if handling down a device to a child, it's crucial to check with the network provider that the filter is on.

What about hidden identities? Pretending to be someone else online is not illegal, and there's nothing that covers bullying. The stranger/danger message applies as much on the Internet as in real life. Talk to your children about never sharing personal information with people they don't know in the real world.

Logos on Foodstuffs

There are a number of logos you might find on foodstuffs these days - so what are they?

Fairtrade: The product meets the Fairtrade Foundation's minimum fairtrade price. This will be higher than market price and acts as a safety net for farmers to ensure their trade is sustainable. (A third of all bananas and 40% of sugar old in the UK are now Fairtrade.) Note: other retailers may promote similar practices without using the logo (e.g. Traidcraft's handicrafts cannot be certified because of the small scale of the community projects, and Hotel Chocolat products do not carry it becasue the company owns its own plantations and runs its own programme guaranteeing farmers a fixed, fair price for their cocoa).

Rainforest Alliance: Found on chocolate, tea, coffe, bananas, pineapples plus some plants and household items. Has an environmental slant, promoting wildlife preservation and efforts to curb climate change and deforestation.

Soil Association: Certified products (from fruit and veg to dairy and beauty) are organic and  produced with animal welfare in mind.

Good Housekeeping, February 2014

Never Eat Shredded Wheat

Never eat shredded wheat: the geography we've lost and how to find it by Christopher Somerville
Published by Hodder & Stoughton, 2011

Are there towns and cities you know the names of but can't place them on a map? What kind of countryside would you find in the different regions of the UK? This book presents the basics of what belongs where, which counties border one another, where the watery bits, lumpy bits and flat bits are, and facst about the smaller islands surrounding Britain.

Greek Cress

Sow: March through to May, then October for a late crop. Broadcast seed and cover very lightly with soil or compost. Germination in 2 to 7 days. Quick to bolt (flower) so frequent successional sowings needed. [Usual seed life: 5 years.]

Aspect: Full sun in moist, well-drained soil.

Care: Provide shade when weather warms.

Water: Keep well watered.

Co-planting: Intercrop with carrots or radishes, or mix with other salad greens.

Harvest: A small patch provides plenty of cress. Typically harvested 1 to 2 weeks after sowing when they are 2" to 5" tall.

Willpower

It's not always easy to stick to our good intentions - going to yoga class, resisting a cake or making the effort to catch up with friends. It turns out we all have a finite amount of mental energy, which is drained as the day wears on. Your mental reserves are topped up during sleep, so you are more likely to get your most difficult tasks done in the morning. But working with the ebb and flow of your mental energy and using your natural ability to make new habits will help you reduce stress, make better decisions and make habits you aspire to (such as exercising after work) become second nature.

6 Step Plan

• Have a clear, specific goal in mind.
• Think about when, where and how you will perform your habit. To make something automatic, create an association between the situation and the habit by doing it in exactly the same context each time.
• Start small - ambitious failure is not a good strategy. 
• Be specific about what your ritual will be and write it down. If you plan to go to the gym, write down exactly which exercises you'll do, how long for, and in what order. That way you won't arrive, walk around wondering what to do and only stay for as long as it takes to avoid embarrassment before leaving.
• Monitor your progress by keeping a chart or diary and marking each day you preform a habit. People who give themselves a tick each day they were successful lost more weight, and were more likely to resume their weight loss programme after slipping.
• Repitition is key but don't worry if you miss a day. People who are inconsistent generally don't manage to form habits, but missing just one day has no real impact.

How to keep going

• Argue with yourself in advance. Think of any excuses you might come up with and write down a counter argument.
• Be wary of using a time as a cue for a habit. Use something you do at a regular time, such as a meal, so you won't need to clock watch.
• To break a bad habit turn it into a good one. Banish the unhealthy 11am snack and replace it with a healthy one.
• The best time to start new habits and break old ones is when your circumstances change. For example, just after you've moved home or changed jobs, all your old habits will be in flux, so it's a great time to change your lifestyle for the better.

Good Housekeeping magazine, September 2013

Shallots

Quicker maturing than onions so better for small plots.

Sow: Plant sets 15cm (6") apart from March to April. Push into soil till tips just covered. Watch for birds pulling them out. If growing from seed, sow by mid-spring otherwise bulbs will remain very small.

Aspect: Reasonably well-drained and fertile soil; need sun to ripen.

Care: Cannot compete with vigorous weeds, so weed regularly.

Water: Only needed in very dry weather.

Harvest: As tops start to dry off in July, lift clumps of bulbs out of soil to expose them to the sun to ripen. Dry indoors in wet weather.

Don't grow by: Beans, peas and parsley.

Count Your Blessings

A Gratitude Jar is a positive way to shift a negative mood and focus on all the things in our lives we should be grateful for. Simply jot down truly great, feel-good experiences - help from a stranger, a stunning sunset, writing a letter to a loved one - andpop in your jar. Open the jar if a gloomy mood hits and remind yourself of all the bright and beautiful things that have happened so far this year.

Good Housekeeping, June 2013

Internet Clipboard

If you want to copy some content quickly between computers, or perhaps a small file, try Internet Clipboard (cl1p.net/); it's simple, it works and it's effective. Just enter a URL that starts with 'cl1.net/anythingyoulikehere' and the resource will create a page for you from scratch. Type in your content, upload a file or image, point another computer to the same URL and share the content. The page will self-destruct after a few days, or you can register to keep it indefinitely.

Phil Bradley in CILIP Update

Breastfeeding and Alcohol

Alcohol has an exceptional ability to spread through the body very quickly - into the blood, internal organs and brain. Because of this ability, it will be found in breast milk in less than 30 minutes.

We all know what happens when if affects the brain: we relax, lose our social inhibitions, start doing silly things, and can end up staggering around and getting quite unwell. A mother having a drink could be giving her little one a couple of tots. For adults, alcohol is safe in moderation but this is not true for babies. Their tiny liver and brain can't deal with alcohol in the same way ours can, meaning they are more susceptable to the adverse affects.

Current research indicates that an occasional one or two units (a small glass of wine is 1.5 units) is not harmful to mother or baby as long as enough time elapses before breast feeding. The body treats alcohol as a poison and works hard to get it out of the system quickly; it takes about two hours to remove one unit of alcohol from the blood of a breast feeding mum. (Alcohol isn't stored in breast milk.) If going to a party and wishing to have one small glass of wine, some mothers express milk beforehand to take with them.

Dr Stuart Farrimond, Wiltshire Times 2 May 2014

Garlic

Sow: Plant cloves 4" to 6" apart from late October to early November, or from February to March. Push cloves at least 3cm into soil, so no tip is visible or birds will pull them up.

Aspect: Weed-free sunny spot with well drained soil.

Co-planting: beneficial to lettuces (deters aphids) and cabbages (deters many common pests) and improves the flavour of beets and cabbages.

Don't plant by: Legumes (beans and pulses), peas or potatoes.

Care: Keep weed-free.

Water: Only in very dry spells.

Harvest: Mid-summer, when leaves start to yellow. Dry bulbs and store in seed trays or plait leaves and hang up. Autumn plantings will keep 4 months from harvest. Spring plantings will keep 6 months after harvest. Do not freeze garlic or foods containing garlic (unless container seals are superb) as other foods will be contaminated.

Cosmetic Use-By Dates

Cosmetics will age over time, though with some it is more obvious than others - some will dry out (mascara, nail polish and liquid eye-liner) while others stay seemingly the same (face powder and powder eye shadow). And of course the brushes and sponges you use to apply products also contain these deteriorating products. There is no evidence on any health risks (principally providing a source for spreading germs), but it is sensible to keep your make-up, brushes and sponges clean and tidy and get rid of very old products.

There is no law requiring a use-by date to be on the packaging, but some brands now include it. On the product container they either (a) print actual expiry dates or (b) print the symbol of a jar with an open lid plus a number and a letter (M or Y). (12M means product will last up to 12 months after opening.)

If you don't see either of these guides, then it is suggested that you use the following guidelines.

• 3-4 months: Liquid eye-liner.
• 3-6 months: Mascara.
• 1 year: Eye/Lip pencils; Lipstick and Lip gloss; Nail polish.
• 1-3 years: Powders, including Eye shadow.

Spring Onions & Salad Onions

Sow: March to July, every few weeks.

Aspect: Will cope in partial shade.

Water: Weekly in dry weather to keep plants growing rapidly.

Harvest: When stems are 1cm thick. Most varieties need 17 to 19 weeks to mature.

Co-planting: Can plant alongside carrots to deter carrot fly.


Don't grow by: Beans, peas and parsley.

Insect Bites

• Wasp, bee and hornet stings cause immediate pain. Wasps and hornets don't leave a sting behind but bees do. Scrape rather than pluck the stinger out as soon as possible with the edge of a credit card or knife.
• Bites from midges, gnats, mosquitos or flies may not be noticed at the time but your body can react to their saliva up to 24 hours later with irritation, itchy lumps or fluid-filled weals that leave a lump behind.
• Use antihistamine or steroid cream as soon as you notice a sting or bite.
• For multiple bites, a pharmacist can advise on a sedative antihistamine which may help you to sleep.
• Applying a cold compress will help reduce pain and swelling.

And if you have ever had an anaphylactic reaction (a very severe allergic reaction that causes an immediate blotchy rash, bbreathing problems, dizziness, light-headedness and possibly collapse) after a bee or wasp sting, any future sting by the same insect is a medical emergency. Always carry an adrenaline injector and dial 999 as soon as you are stung.

February 2016: Avon brand Skin So Soft cream is reported to work well as a midge repellant.

Specialist Search Engines

Stands4 is a leading provider of free online reference resources, financed via advertising and it's been online since 2001. The company specialises in niche databases. You will really only want to use each one for a very specific purpose, but when you need its services, it shouldn't let you down.

The search sites than you can visit include databases on Abbreviations, Conversions, Definitions, Lyrics, Phrases, Quotes, References, Rhymes, Symbols, Synonyms and Zip Codes. Each site has its own URL, so rather than try and list them all, I'll simply point you to their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/STANDS4). The reason that I like these search engines is that they are very simple to use and very fast and effective.

If you need to know what a red ribbon might symbolise, the Symbols search engine will tell you. Need to find words that rhyme with 'library'? The Rhymes engine will not only tell you, but it breaks the results down into 1-5 syllables and links across to the Definitions search engine.If you're in need of quotes, try the Quotes website - one that I liked from that site about libraries was from Groucho Marx: 'I find television very educational. The minute someone turns it on, I go to the library and read a good book'. (As an aside, if you find a great quote, use the Quozio site (http://quozio.com/) to make it really attractive, then you can pop it into Pinterest to share with everyone else and you'll find my example over at http://bit.ly/11hX8fa.

The collection of engines link together when appropriate, and you can move from one to another really quickly from the menu bar at the top.

Phil Bradley in CILIP Update, July 2013

Christmas Trees

Potted trees with roots will keep their needles better, but are never as full or tall as pre-cut trees. To keep pre-cut trees looking their best, here are some tips.

• Buy a tree that is as fresh as possible: look for one with soft, flexible branches, few broken needles and a trunk that's tacky to touch.
• Saw a few centimetres off the truck (the retailer may do this for you) then soak in water before bringing indoors.
• Once inside, position the tree away from direct heat and light. Radiators and heavy lights are a no-no; low energy and LED lights are fine as they emit less heat.
• Don't use too small a stand, which will force you to whittle down the trunk and lose moisture in the process. Use a waterproof container or stand that allows you to top up the base with more water.

Good Housekeeping, December 2013

Leeks

Sow: Will germinate at 7 degrees C. No point in sowing after mid-spring as they will not grow to any size. can be multi-seeded, no need to separate the seedlings.

Aspect: Like sun and do badly in shade. The flowers are attractive to bees.

Care: When transplanting, water the row before easing out of the soil. Transplant when around 7" to 8" tall and pencil thick, and before end of July. Make a hole, trim roots and drop in plant, water well. Plant 6" apart; the deeper the hole, the longer the white stem.

Water: Only in very dry spells.

Harvest: When large enough to use.

Don't grow by: Peas or beans.

Fun Websites

The Birthday Calculator (www.paulsadowski.com/birthday.asp). Type in the birthday and it will tell you things such as how many hours, weeks or seconds you (or someone else) is, plus birth stones, birth trees and other such oddities.

Create a Mosaic Picture made up of hundreds of little ones. Download a trial version of the EasyMosaic program at www.ezmosaic.com/. Simply provide it with a picture you want as the mosiac and then give it a list of other pictures and it does all the work for you.

Create a font using your own handwriting.Go to www.yourfonts.com and download a template, complete, scan and upload the sample of your handwriting and it does the rest. All you have to do is download and install the finished font and use it. It's also free.

Flightradar24 (www.flightradar24.com/) shows live traffic from around the world and gets the details on each flight from an automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast. It can real time track about 70% of European air traffic and 30% in the US. Simply pick the plane that interests you and you can find what type it is, the airline, flight departure and arrival airports and so on. For added geeky fun, click on the 3D (= cockpit view) and you'll see out of the cockpit window what the pilot sees, including course corrections, via Google maps (you'll need to have the Google earth plugin) .

Phil Bradley in CILIP Update (various dates)

Lettuce & Salad Leaves

As well as packet mixes of lettuce and salad leaves, try young leaves of radish, beetroot and spinach beet.

Sow: From March - will germinate at low temperatures. Doesn't germinate well in hot conditions (over 20 degrees C) so avoid sowing in July and early August. Sow in September for autumn/winter crops. Sow a variety of types either in pots to transplant or direct in the soil.

Aspect: Early sowings do best in sunny, sheltered spots. In summer will tolerate light shade; full sun may cause bolting (premature flowering).

Water: Water soil regularly but avoid getting leaves wet to rpevent rot.

Harvest: Early morning when leaves are turgid (full of moisture). Cut and come again types need regular light picking.

Don't grow by: Celery, brassicas and parsley.

Spotting Fake Websites

Spotting the difference between a legitimate music, film and TV download site and a counterfeit one isn's as easy as it sounds. Here are some golden rules to follow:

• Don't assume that because the website asks for payment, a download is legal. This is an easy way of fooling consumers.
• It's obvious, but if the film or album you are searching for isn't yet on general release, the chances are that you can't download it legally.
• Check individual websites at thecontentmap.com to see which are the real deal.
• Download Childnet International's online guide to spotting pirate websites and encourage the whole family to read it.

Good Housekeeping, October 2013

Clothing Care

Taking care of your clothes will keep them looking good for longer.

• Hang up items while still warm from your body to help creases drop out. 
• Close zips and fasten buttons when hanging to maintain clothing's shape.
• Use wooden or wide plastic hangers for jackets rather than wire - they span the shoulders better.
• Never hang clothes from the neckband loop - it will pull the shoulders out of shape.
• Cover hanging garments that you only wear occasionally with a bin liner or dry-cleaning bag to protect them from dust and creasing.
• Always rinse swimwear in tap water straight after use. Then wash by hand and do not wring or tumble dry. Don't dry in sunshine as this can weaken the fibres.
• Avoid wearing the same garment two days in row, as fabrics need a bit of time to to air and recover their shape.
• Hang trousers and shirts to dry by the hem to avoid peg marks.
• Turn coloured items inside out before you dry on the line to avoid fading.
• Flat dry knitted and jersey fabrics to avoid stretching. Pull into shape while still damp.
• Remove unsightly anti-perspirant stains from a top by rubbing gently with a baby wipe. (Dispose of the wipe in the bin, do not flush down the loo - whatever it says on the packet; wipes do not dissolve easily in water and can clog up sewers.)
• To avoid bobbles on woollens, turn inside out and wash on delicate cycle and a reduced spin speed.

Equipment Manuals

Lost the manual for your sewing machine or perhaps you've bought a device second-hand without a manual? You can try the following:

• Find the website for the company that produced your item. Increasingly companies are making these available free of charge online.
• Try a search for the model of your device and run a search with the parameter filetype:pdf to see if anyone has uploaded one anywhere else on the web.
• Visit a manuals search engine (though these don't always seem to last long), such as The ManualsLib at www.manualslib.com/
• You could also try eBay as manuals do come up for auction quite often.

Phil Bradley in CILIP Update, July 2014

Spinach Beet, Chard and Spinach

Sow:

• Spianch beet from March to April, in pots or direct in soil.
• Chard in April in pots and then transplant.
• Spinach needs to be sown early as it does not germinate well in hot weather.

Aspect: Spinach beet and chard will cope in partial shade. Spinach likes partial shade.

Care: Plant 30cm (12") apart.

Water: In very dry spells.

Harvest: Pick lightly at first, using the lower, outer leaves. Alternatively, cut whole head 2cm above soil level; the plant should re-sprout. Spinach beet and chard are biennial, so can harvest through autumn, winter and following spring. Spinach is an annual. Stems are thick and need to be cut with a knife.

Don't grow by: Beans.

Choosing Children's Shoes

Shoes alter how children walk and run - a research study revealed that children walk faster in shoes, taking langer steps with greater ankle and knee motion, while reducing motion within the actual foot.

Shoe wearers have narrower, less flexible feet and poorer distribution of pressure, compared to barefoot people. While we are not going to stop wearing shoes, children should be encouraged to be barefoot as much as possible, and opt for footwear that resembles wearting no shoes as much as possible. The bones of the feet are very malleable (i.e. can be altered) until the early teenage years, and will grow to fit the space in which they are confined.

Avoid: Shoes with stiff soles which do not allow natural movement, preventing the big toe from flexing, and limiting the range of movement in the ankle, lower leg and rear foot. Rigid-soled shoes will likely produce narrow, weak and inflexible feet.

Choose: Light, flat, thin-soled, flexible footwear with space for toes to wiggle about. Soles should be as thin and tough as possible - enough to be puncture resistant but still allow your child to feel the variety of terrain underfoot, which will help develop strength and coordination. You should be able to bend the shoe in half: if you can't, it's too rigid and will limit movement. Shoes should be really flat from heel to toe, as any heel height affects natural, correct posture.

Look at your child's feet. When standing, a strong, healthy foot will have a separation between the big toe and the rest of the toes. The big toe will also readily 'root' into the ground for stability.

Encourage barefoot activity where possible - dancing, gymnastics, martial arts - as well as diverse movement and sports. Standing on tiptoe is great for building strength, coordination and letting the foot find its own internal support for balancing. Children should also be able to lift their big toes up independantly of the other toes, which helps develop coordination.

Wiltshire Times feature, 5 September 2014

Broad Beans

Sow: Autumn for early crops but germination and over-wintering can be unpredictable. Early spring gives more consistent results.

Sow February in pots indoors or March direct in soil. April is the latest time to sow - later sowings have poor yield and are liable to disease.

Soak beans in water for half an hour before sowing in compost.

Aspect: Open, sunny site, sheltered from strong winds.

Care: Tall varieties need support.

Water: In prolonged dry spells.

Pest control: Black fly - sow early and pick out stem tip plus two pairs of leaves once young pods appear at base. Grow nasturtiums near broad beans to keep aphids away.

Harvest: While small and tender, Leave roots in soils when clearing this crop, to gain nitrogen.

Don't grow by: Tomatoes, peppers, onions, brassicas and beetroot.

Acronym Finder

Modern life, especially the Internet, is full of acronyms. Acronymfinder is a useful site to find out what they can mean, as opposed to what you think they mean.

Better Pastry

• Don't overwork pastry or the end result will be tough.
• Chilling pastry after you make it it vital to relax gluten (which toughens pastry).
• If the pastry shrinks on baking, you hve proabbaly added too much liquid, overworked the dough or not allowed it to chill sufficiently before baking.

55 Ways to Have Fun with Google

55 Ways to have fun with Google by Philipp Lenssen. The book goes into detail about some of the games that you can play using the search engine, and some of them would be useful as training aids, for children and adults alike. You can find out more details on the book (including where to buy it and how to get it free) at www.55fun.com.

Phil Bradley in CILIP Update