“Cassowaries are large, flightless birds related to emus and (more distantly) to ostriches, rheas, and kiwis”, writes Olivia Judson in the September issue of National Geographic magazine. How large? People-size: Adult males stand well over five foot five and top 110 pounds. Females are even taller, and can weigh more than 160 pounds. Dangerous when roused, they’re shy and peaceable when left alone. But even birds this big and tough are prey to habitat loss. The dense New Guinea and Australia rain forests where they live have dwindled. Today cassowaries might number 1,500 to 2,000. And because they help shape those same forests – by moving seeds from one place to another – “if they vanish”, Judson writes, “the structure of the forest would gradually change” too. (Photo by Christian Ziegler/National Geographic)

In a simpler time all a child or an adult needed to enjoy the outdoors was a ball and a stick. Or maybe an old tire tied to a high branch to fashion a swing. And the only instruction given to children was to “be home before dark”. Now there are iPads and computers and television screens and shrinking safe public spaces. But despite the distractions and limitations of space, these images show the charm of kicking a ball or skipping rope endures. Sometimes with modifications as a nod to changing times. Here: in this Saturday, June 20, 2015 photo, a boy runs while playing with a motorcycle wheel in Samugari, Ayacucho, Peru. (Photo by Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo)

“Brooke Christa Shields (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress, author and model. Some of her better-known movies include Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon, as well as TV shows such as Suddenly Susan, That '70s Show and Lipstick Jungle”.

Actress Tanga Chisholm (L) and actor Stephen Kramer Glickman attend the Ok! Magazine Toasts Hollywood's Sexiest Singles event at the Lexington Social House on April 14, 2011 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

Film actress Audrey Hepburn (1929–1993) on a film set with her pet poodle, circa 1960. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Actress Angelina Jolie (L) and actor Jack Black attend the “Kung Fu Panda 2” photocall during the 64th Annual Cannes Film Festival at the Carlton Hotel on May 12, 2011 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)

Actresses Vonnie Lui (R) and Yukiku Suou (L) attend the “3D s*x And Zen: Extreme Ecstacy” photocall at the Majestic Beach Pier during the 64th Cannes Film Festival on May 14, 2011 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images)

Actress and model Anya Taylor Joy poses on the carpet at the 2021 CFDA Awards in New York, U.S., November 10, 2021. (Photo by Caitlin Ochs/Reuters)