text:
The Energy Bulletin Weekly 10 January 2022
By Tom Whipple, Steve Andrews, originally published by The Energy Bulletin
Tom Whipple and Steve Andrews, Editors.
Quotes of the Week
"Taking account of scientific advice and current technological progress, as well as varying transition challenges across Member States, the [European] Commission considers there is a role for natural gas and nuclear as a means to facilitate the transition towards a predominantly renewable-based future."
Statement from the European Commission on January 1, 2022
"It's clear for Austria: neither nuclear power nor fossil gas have been excluded from the [EU's] proposed taxonomy. If these plans are implemented as is, we will sue…Greenwashing atomic energy and fossil gas is completely unacceptable."
Leonore Gewessler, Austria's Climate Protection Minister
"I am not for pissing off the French … however, the unvaccinated, I really want to piss them off. I'm not going to throw [the unvaccinated] in prison. I'm not going to get them vaccinated by force. … We put pressure on the unvaccinated by limiting their access to social activities as much as possible."
Graphic of the Week
1. Energy prices and production
Oil: Prices climbed to a seven-week high as supply constraints from OPEC+ to North America offset concerns about the impact of a Covid-19 outbreak in China. Futures in New York rose 2.1% to the highest closing price since Nov. 16th and traded above $80 a barrel during Friday's session. A deep freeze in Canada and the northern U.S. is disrupting oil flows, boosting prices just as American stockpiles decline. Output from OPEC+ member Kazakhstan's giant Tengiz oil field has been temporarily adjusted amid unrest in the Central Asian country. A growing premium for prompt barrels suggests that supply troubles across the OPEC+ coalition — which was able to provide only part of last month's planned production increase — are delaying the onset of an anticipated oversupply in global markets.
Real-time transportation data globally suggests that worldwide there has not been any significant impact on oil demand so far from Omicron. That's what Rystad Energy's head of oil markets said in a report, adding that, for now, the Omicron risk remains exactly that, a risk. "Market balances will remain somewhat tight for January and February and keep oil prices supported, especially with supply side concerns and a disciplined OPEC+."
U.S. crude oil stockpiles fell last week while gasoline inventories surged by more than 10 million barrels, the biggest weekly build since April 2020, as supplies backed up at refineries due to reduced fuel demand at the end of the year. Analysts attributed the surprising gasoline build to steady refining production, combined with a fall-off in demand due to the coronavirus Omicron variant.
Currently, the price of a gallon of gasoline in California is $4.65, according to AAA, compared to the national average of $3.285 per gallon. Despite the recent surge in demand, GasBuddy showed that US gasoline demand was "incredibly weak" last week, with the week over week change -13.7% as of Wednesday.
According to a new study published by GasBuddy last week, gasoline prices could reach $6 per gallon in San Francisco, with Los Angeles and Sacramento reaching $5.50 per gallon. For some cities in California, this would be the highest nominal average ever paid.
International Energy Agency: The IEA is suggesting that it could make all its data and analyses free and available to all, Quantum Commodity Intelligence reported on Thursday. Last year, the IEA received criticism from academics that hiding data behind steep paywalls could impede the free exchange of climate-related data. The IEA is currently funded by member countries, including the United States, Japan, and some European countries, but sales of information support a quarter of its $8.1 million budget.
OPEC: The OPEC+ alliance this week stuck with a scheduled output boost of 400,000 b/d for February, but the group is unlikely to meet that threshold as some members struggle to achieve their targets. The Organization added just 90,000 b/d in December. A boost by Saudi Arabia was offset by losses in Libya and Nigeria, according to a Bloomberg survey. Output in Libya has declined amid militia unrest, while Russia also failed to boost output last month.
OPEC+ expects the surplus on the oil market in the first quarter of 2022 to be 1.4 million b/d, or some 25% lower than it forecast in early December, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing internal OPEC+ research. Lower expected oil supply from non-OPEC+ producing nations was the key reason for a downgrade in the surplus estimate.
Shale Oil: On December 27th, a 4.5-magnitude earthquake struck Texas, with the epicenter in the Permian. The tremor followed a series of weaker ones, spurring the Texas Railroad Commission into swift action. The Commission suspended the injection of wastewater from well-drilling and fracking into deep underground reservoirs. Oil producers in some of the most prolific parts of the Permian could lose up to half of their disposal wells. According to a Rystad report, companies including ConocoPhillips, Diamondback Energy, Chevron, Coterra Energy, and Rattler Midstream could lose up to half of their wastewater storage.
Major shale-oil drillers are dreading the prospect of $100-a-barrel crude on fears it will tempt rivals to expand output and create a new supply glut. With an expectation that global crude demand may outpace production as soon as this year, Pioneer Natural Resources CEO is bracing for oil to range from $75 to $100.
U.S. crude has been above $75 for the past week and a half and briefly rose to almost $85 in late October. "I hope it stays there," Sheffield said during a Goldman Sachs Group Inc. energy-conference. Prices approaching $110 or $120 "is not going to help our industry." Oil executives expressing anxiety over triple-digit oil prices may seem counterintuitive but it's emblematic of a new mantra that favors stable cash flows and greater shareholder returns.
Natural Gas: European benchmark natural gas prices rose on Wednesday for the third day in a row, as gas deliveries from Russia via Ukraine and Poland continue to be low while another cold snap is headed for Europe. Natural gas prices at the Dutch TTF hub, the benchmark for European gas, rose by 6% by mid-day, following a 30% jump on Tuesday. European gas prices reflect growing concerns that Russian natural gas flows to Europe via Ukraine and Poland have been abnormally low in recent days. Russian gas supply to Europe via Ukraine dropped earlier this week to the lowest daily volume since January 2020. Daily gas transit flows from Russia westward to Europe via Ukraine on Monday were half the amount Russia had booked for that day.
The salt caverns, aquifers, and fuel depots that hold Europe's stockpiles of natural gas have never been so empty at this point in winter. Just four months after Amos Hochstein, the U.S. envoy for energy security, said Europe wasn't doing enough to prepare for the dark and cold season ahead, the continent is grappling with a supply crunch that's caused benchmark gas prices to more than quadruple from last year's levels.
Residents in the Groningen area in the Netherlands have voiced their anger at a plan by the Dutch government to potentially double this year natural gas production from the Groningen gas field, which has been hit by earthquakes in the past. The Dutch government said on Thursday that it might need more gas to be pumped at Groningen, once Europe's biggest gas field, which the Netherlands has pledged to phase out this decade after frequent earthquakes in the past damaged homes in the area.
The final US weekly gas draw of 2021 looks to measure less than half the five-year average, mimicking most of the heating season thus far, as inventories continue to gain on historical norms. Recent growth in Permian Basin gas production appears to be keeping downward pressure on the East Texas market. In recent trading, cash basis at locations like Houston Ship Channel, Katy Hub and Transco Zone 1 have fallen to a more-than-40-cent discount to the Henry Hub, down from year-ago levels at just 4 to 5 cents behind the benchmark, S&P Global Platts data shows.
A cold snap in Western Canada has driven record demand and sharp production freeze-offs over the past 10 days. Exports to the US Midwest fell dramatically, to as low as 2.2 billion cf/d from 3.8 billion prior to the cold snap. The Chicago prompt-month basis contract quadrupled as this happened, as traders feared a cold snap in the Midwest could send Chicago prices shooting skyward.
Electricity: Rising fuel costs, especially those of natural gas, drove up wholesale electricity prices in all US regions during 2021. This year, power prices were already above $200/MWh in New York, Independent System Operator, ISO New England and eastern PJM Interconnection territory on Jan. 7 as a storm dropped several inches of snow and cooler weather expected over the next week could lead to an extended period of elevated prices.
New York Governor Hochul is throwing her support behind building electrification as part of her administration's climate agenda. On Jan. 5, Hochul announced a plan to accelerate the decarbonization and electrification of the Empire State's sprawling building stock, which encompasses 7.3 million households and another 370,000 commercial and institutional buildings.
Prognosis: Oil prices could reach $95 if Iran doesn't return to the market this year, while commodities overall are set for a supercycle that could potentially last a decade, according to Goldman Sachs, which is "extremely bullish" on the whole commodity complex. Currently, we are seeing record dislocations in energy markets, metals markets, and agriculture markets, Jeff Currie, global head of commodities research at Goldman Sachs, told Bloomberg. There is still a lot of money in the system, while investment positions in commodities are very low, which is setting the stage for further upsides in oil prices and the prices of other commodities, Currie said.
2. Geopolitical instability
(These are the situations that reduce the world's energy supplies or have the potential to do so.)
Ukraine: A divided EU has demanded a role in next week's negotiations with Russia over the Ukraine crisis and broader issues of European defense after Vladimir Putin succeeded in sidelining the bloc in favor of talks with the US and NATO. EU officials are expressing frustration at the way negotiations in Geneva and Brussels were arranged — with Russian officials to discuss the security of Ukraine and the whole European continent with counterparts from both Washington and the US-led military alliance. The EU's top diplomat has warned Russia and the US against creating "spheres of influence" in Europe ahead of talks between the two countries next week.
NATO's secretary-general has ruled out creating "second-class" members of the military alliance to appease Moscow ahead of a week of high-stakes diplomacy between the Kremlin and Western powers that aims to avoid a feared Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Russia, which has stoked fears of a potential military attack on Ukraine, has demanded the US and NATO agree to security pledges that would ban former Soviet states from joining the western military alliance and restrict US troops stationed in eastern Europe.
Russia has resumed its natural gas supply to Romania through the Ukrainian gas transit system. Gazprom suspended gas transit to Romania via Ukraine in April last year and supplied the gas to Romania via the Turkish pipeline. The volume of Russian gas transported via Ukraine to Europe fell 25% in 2021, reducing a significant revenue stream for Ukraine's struggling economy at a time of heightened tensions with Russia.
Iran: Given ongoing high and steady crude oil sales to China and other Asian countries, Iran announced plans last week to boost oil production from its supergiant South Azadegan oil field to at least 320,000 b/d by the middle of 2023, from the current 140,000 b/d.
Iraq: Baghdad is attempting to take over ExxonMobil's operating stake in the West Qurna 1 oil field rather than approve a sale to international investors. In a Jan. 5th statement, the Oil Ministry said the Iraqi Cabinet had "approved the Iraqi National Oil Company's acquisition of ExxonMobil's share in West Qurna 1." The field is currently producing over 460,000 barrels per day, more than one-tenth of the country's overall output. ExxonMobil had filed an arbitration case against Iraq's state-owned Basra Oil Company over the US oil major's stalled attempt to sell its stake in the giant oil field.
Total oil exports rose to 3.677 million b/d in December, from 3.660 million b/d. Federal exports rose to 3.277 million b/d in December, up from 3.273 million b/d in November, while Kurdish exports increased to 400,000 b/d, a 3.3% uptick from November. In December, Iraq's OPEC+ quota rose to 4.237 million b/d from 4.193 million b/d in November.
Libya: Elections for Dec. 24th were canceled. Political stability hangs in the balance, with no clarity on when elections may occur. The North African producer is pumping around 700,000 b/d at the moment, a fall of approximately 500,000 b/d from mid-December.
Venezuela: Oil exports from Venezuela doubled in December from a year earlier as the country raises production of revenue-generating hydrocarbons in defiance of US sanctions. Shipments averaged 619,000 b/d in December. Iran's support boosted the supply of a critical ingredient that aids production. Output touched 1 million barrels on a single day in December. However, production averaged 625,000 barrels a day during the entire month of November.
Kazakhstan: Bloody clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces appeared to have largely subsided overnight Friday, though the streets of Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city, remain littered with debris and burned cars that serve as a reminder of the deadly unrest that has embroiled Central Asia's largest economy for the past week. Almaty airport, Kazakhstan's busiest and now under the control of Russian and Kazakh forces, was closed to civilian aircraft. At the same time, checkpoints set up during the nationwide state of emergency hindered domestic travel via rail and road. There were long lines at gas stations and worries of food shortages in Kazakhstan's economic hub
On Wednesday, President Tokayev called on the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization to intervene in Kazakhstan, marking the first time that the group of six former Soviet states has dispatched military forces in response to domestic unrest. Tokayev and CSTO allies, such as Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, have sought to portray protesters as foreign-funded "terrorists," though there is no substantive evidence to back the claim.
The crisis coincided with a power struggle within the government, fueling talk that the people fighting in the streets were proxies for feuding factions of the political elite. There is also feverish speculation about Kremlin meddling and a host of other murky possible causes. The only clear thing is that the country's convulsions involve more than a straightforward clash between protesters expressing discontent and the heavy-handed security apparatus of an authoritarian regime.
Kazakhstan is a major oil producer, hitting 1.6 million barrels b/d in recent months, and has rarely seen production disrupted by unrest or natural disaster. Chevron, the largest foreign oil producer in Kazakhstan with a 50% stake in the Tengizchevroil (TCO) joint venture, said that production operations continue. "However, there has been a temporary adjustment to output due to logistics."
Protestors at the oilfield have disrupted the trains used to export oil, sources told Reuters. TCO produces around 700,000 b/d. It was not clear how much output had been reduced. Other top fields in Kazakhstan are onshore Karachaganak and offshore Kashagan. In a statement, Tengizchevroil said it "has been notified that some contractor employees have gathered at the Tengiz field in support of meetings taking place in Mangistau oblast. TCO and Business Partner Industrial Relations teams are working together to resolve this situation as soon as possible. This incident has not impacted TCO production operations."
3. Climate change
The European Union proposal to classify investment in some natural-gas and nuclear projects as sustainable exposed deep divisions among member states, underscoring the bloc's challenges as it reaches for an ambitious climate-neutrality goal. Green politicians in Austria, Spain, and Luxembourg criticized the draft measure, saying it could damage the credibility of the new rulebook and threaten to divert investment away from renewables. Germany opposed the nuclear component of the draft while supporting the natural gas component. A majority in the European Parliament threw its weight behind the plan, saying it would help accelerate emissions reductions.
Opponents are pressuring the European Commission to modify its plan, knowing they face a difficult task in trying to block it at a later stage. The commission uses a particular scrutiny procedure that would require at least 20 member states — representing at least 65% of the EU's population — to collectively reject the rule in the coming months, which is very unlikely.
For the first time since the unveiling of the Paris climate agreement in 2015, banks earned more fees arranging green-related bond sales and loans than they did helping fossil-fuel companies raise money in the debt markets. To be sure, the final tally for 2021 was incredibly close. Overall, banks pocketed an estimated $3.4 billion from green-labeled debt deals, compared with $3.3 billion from their work with oil, gas, and coal companies, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
According to a new Washington Post analysis of federal disaster declarations, more than 4 in 10 Americans live in a county that was struck by climate-related extreme weather last year, and more than 80% experienced a heatwave. In the country that has generated more greenhouse gases than any other nation in history, global warming is expanding its reach and exacting an escalating toll.
At least 656 people died amid the onslaught of disasters. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the cost of the destruction tops $104 billion, even before officials calculate the final toll of wildfires, drought, and heatwaves in the West.
4. The global economy and the coronavirus
United States: The US set a global record of almost 1 million new coronavirus infections reported last Monday, nearly double the country's peak of 505,109 hits just the week before, as the highly contagious Omicron variant shows no sign of slowing. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients has risen nearly 50% in the last week and now exceeds 100,000, the first time that threshold has been reached since the winter surge a year ago.
The US unemployment rate dropped significantly in December, prompting investors to increase their bets on the Federal Reserve moving quickly to raise interest rates and withdraw the stimulus it put in place to support the economy at the start of the pandemic. Economists and investors expect the central bank to press ahead with tightening monetary policy despite unexpectedly slow jobs growth in December, when employers added 199,000 jobs, down from a gain of 249,000 in November. The headline figure was well short of the 444,000 expected by economists.
Since the pandemic began, efforts to relocate manufacturing back to the US from abroad have accelerated, said Claudio Knizek, global leader for advanced manufacturing and mobility at EY-Parthenon, a strategy consulting firm. "It may have reached a tipping point," he added. Decades of dependence on Asian factories, especially in China, have been upended by delays and surging freight rates — when shipping capacity can be found at all. In addition, backups at overwhelmed ports and the challenges of obtaining components and finished products in a timely way have convinced companies to think about locating production capacity closer to buyers.
The US trucking industry is set to be transformed by a handful of states adopting zero-emission vehicle requirements. Oregon, Washington, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts followed California in approving the Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) rule late last year, requiring a growing percentage of all medium- and heavy-duty trucks sold to be zero-emission starting in 2025.
Manufacturers must increase their zero-emission truck sales in those states to between 30 and 50% by 2030 and 40 to 75% by 2035. The new sales mandate will fill the country's coastal highways and corridors with an expanding number of electric-powered large pickups, buses, garbage trucks, and tractor-trailers in the years to come. Oregon also approved the Heavy-Duty Omnibus rule, which toughens tailpipe standards on sales of new trucks that still use fossil fuels and makes them 90% cleaner once fully implemented.
Europe: France's parliament approved President Emmanuel Macron's plans for a vaccine pass to help curb the spread of the Omicron variant after a tumultuous debate whipped up by Macron's comments that he wanted to "piss off" the unvaccinated. Macron told Le Parisien newspaper that he wanted to make the lives of those refusing the COVID-19 vaccine so complicated by squeezing them out of public places that they would end up getting vaccinated.
Power prices in Europe fell last week after weather forecasts signaled that warmer than usual and windier weather conditions would prevail in northwest Europe in the coming weeks. As a result, the power price for February in Germany, which serves as a benchmark for Europe, has dropped by nearly 10% this week, according to estimates from Bloomberg. However, year-ahead power prices in Germany have jumped by the same percentage this week, suggesting that electricity prices in Europe will continue to be high even a year from now.
Industrial output in the euro area's two largest economies unexpectedly contracted in November as supply constraints lingered, even before the coronavirus's omicron variant hit the continent. France saw substantial declines in transport materials and equipment, while energy output and construction weighed Germany's production. However, German factory orders rose in November, giving the economy cause for optimism after another quarter characterized by record numbers of Covid-19 infections.
The UK government believes it has until April to find a solution to ease the burden of surging natural gas and energy prices on utilities and households, although no immediate fixes have been adopted. As a result of the energy crunch, homes in the UK will face much higher electricity prices beginning in April, as the government prepares to raise the cap on utility bills. The UK's energy regulator Ofgem is expected to announce the new price cap on energy prices in early February.
France is considering allowing electricity producers to burn more coal after the nation's grid operator warned of possible power shortages. The government may raise the annual cap on running coal-fired power stations, plugging a potential gap in supply as an unusually high number of nuclear reactors halt for maintenance just as the coldest months get underway. According to a draft decree on the Ecology Ministry's website, the country's three remaining coal units may be permitted to operate for about 1,000 hours over the first two months of 2022. That's 300 hours more than the annual cap set in 2019 to help curb carbon emissions.
China: Beijing's ability to control the virus has come a long way since the pandemic started. It has inoculated nearly 1.2 billion people and set up a nationwide electronic health database for contact tracing. Yet it has continued to rely on the same authoritarian virus-fighting methods from early 2020, including strict quarantines, border closings, and lockdowns. These have led to food and medical shortages and growing questions about how much longer its zero-Covid strategy, the last in the world, can continue. "The district security guards are like prison guards, and we are like prisoners," said Tom Zhao, a Xi'an resident.
The Xi'an epidemic is the most serious after Wuhan was shut down," said Zeng Guang, a Chinese epidemiologist who visited Wuhan in the early days of the pandemic. Xi'an has reported 1,800 cases in its latest outbreak, stunningly low compared with the daily case count in the United States. And as the world struggles to contain the spread of Omicron, in China officials have reported only a few local cases of the variant and none in Xi'an.
Tens of thousands of people have been relocated to centralized quarantine facilities to stop the spread. Several top city officials have been fired, and the head of Xian's big data bureau was suspended. Despite the frustration, the authorities in Xi'an declared the city's battle with the virus a victory.
Even big multinational companies in the city have been affected. Two of the world's largest memory chip makers, Samsung, and Micron, said they have had to adjust operations at their manufacturing bases in Xi'an because of the restrictions, potentially roiling the already fragile global supply chain.
The Beijing Winter Olympics and the Lunar New Year holiday are a few weeks away and China's vaccines appear less effective than their Western competitors, particularly against variants. In addition, the country has yet to approve mRNA technology for its vaccines. While booster shots are now widely available, their take-up in the country has been slower than the initial vaccinations.
The manufacturing sector continues to recover in H1 2022, but concerns remain on overseas demand in H2 2022. The Chinese manufacturing purchasing managers index continued to rise in December at 50.3 points, with several steel market sources expecting China's manufacturing activity to continue improving in the first half of 2022.
Chinese banks rushed to meet their annual state-imposed lending quotas last month by buying up low-risk financial instruments rather than issuing loans, a surge that bankers and analysts said reflected financial institutions' wariness about the country's slowing economy
China reduced the allowances for fuel exports in the first export quota batch for 2022, signaling its intention to limit fuel sales abroad and curb excessive refinery output. In the first quota distributions for this year, the overall volume of the permitted gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel exports was more than halved—slashed by 56% compared to the first batch of export quotas granted in 2021.
Russia: The average daily crude and condensate output rose by 2.4% on year to 10.52 million b/d in 2021, as OPEC+ increased quotas in line with recovering demand as pandemic lockdown measures eased globally. December oil and condensate output together totaled 10.90 million b/d. OPEC+ crude quotas were the key driver of Russian production volumes in 2021. Analysts see quotas as the most influential factor affecting output in 2022.
Russia may be nearing its oil production capacity limit. Bloomberg reported that the country's December oil and condensate was flat from November to December, suggesting it used all its available production capacity. The report notes it assumes a flat production of condensates, which are included in Russia's total oil output, which would mean that crude oil output alone was 37,000 b/d below Russia's OPEC+ quota for the month. At the same time, Reuters reported that analysts expected Russia to fall short of its target of returning to pre-pandemic levels of oil production by May this year. Yet the analysts added the country could boost its spare capacity and production alike later in the year.
India: New Delhi has tightened its Covid-19 restrictions as a surge of infections threatens the country's robust economic rebound from last year's devastating outbreak of the Delta variant. The country's daily new infections have more than doubled in three days to 117,100 as of Friday morning, while the number of active cases has soared nearly 73% to 371,363.
The surge followed a busy period of social occasions in India, including important religious festivals and holidays and the country's wedding season. As a result, new Delhi and several states have imposed night and weekend curfews and restricted capacity at hotels, restaurants, malls, and cinemas. But authorities have backed off from introducing measures as onerous as during previous lockdowns, believing the Omicron variant is less life-threatening.
Despite the surge of infections, India's political leaders, including Modi, have defied some of these guidelines and traversed cities in a massive campaign trail ahead of crucial state polls, addressing packed rallies of tens of thousands of people without masks.
India's demand for diesel, the most used fuel, rose in December 2021 from a month earlier but was still 2% lower than the pre-pandemic demand in December 2019. Demand for jet fuel also rose in December from November and from the low levels of December 2020 but was still lagging the consumption trend from December 2019, just before COVID-19. As a result, jet fuel demand was down by 27% compared to December 2019. Meanwhile, India's gasoline demand stood at 692,000 b/d in December 2021 (compared to about 9 million in the US), up by 13% from December 2019. After lockdowns in India started to ease last year, gasoline demand rose and exceeded pre-COVID levels as more people prefer driving in their vehicles to public transit.
5. Renewables and new technologies
New York state will spend $500 million building up ports and manufacturing infrastructure for offshore wind farms in a bid to become home base for the nascent industry. The investments will focus on building the supply chain for offshore turbines.
Governor Kathy Hochul said in the statement that New York also plans to initiate its next bidding process this year for companies interested in building offshore wind farms. The process is expected to authorize enough turbines to power 1.5 million homes.
6. The Briefs (date of the article in the Daily Energy Bulletin is in parentheses)
The recent talks between Oman and Iran may mark a new phase in the already deep and broad relationship between Oman and Iran, and in the Sultanate's drift into the Iran-China axis. China already accounts for around 90 percent of Oman's oil exports and the vast majority of its petrochemicals exports. (1/6)
Offshore Guyana, ExxonMobil has made two more discoveries in the Stabroek block, which add to the previously announced 10 billion oil-equivalent barrels recoverable resource estimate for the block. Since 2015, when it first struck oil offshore Guyana, Exxon has made more than 20 discoveries in the waters of the South American nation. (1/6)
The US oil rig count inched up by 1 to 481, with gas rig counts also up by 1 to 107, according to Baker Hughes. Primary Vision's Frac Spread Count, which tracks the number of completion crews finishing off previously drilled wells, shows that completion crews fell by 10 this week to 234 for the week ending December 31, for the fifth dip in a row. The frac spread is now down 40 over the last five weeks. (1/8)
The U.S. dethroned Qatar as the top LNG exporter in the world after a substantial jump in LNG production from Cheniere Energy's Sabine Pass plant, which in turn followed the launch of a new liquefaction unit. A veritable fleet of U.S. LNG cargo carriers sailed for Europe last month as the price differentials between the continent and Asia became more favorable to Europe. (1/6)
The Biden administration on Wednesday said more than half of U.S. states intend to apply for a portion of the $4.7 billion carved out in the new infrastructure law for cleaning up abandoned oil and gas wells. (1/6)
Power demand in New York State is expected to increase by 65% to 80% by 2050 while fossil fuel-fired power generation is simultaneously shut down through a strategy that relies on accelerating renewable energy growth, enhancing power markets, and exploring technology solutions. (1/5)
Indonesia, the world's biggest thermal coal exporter, sent shockwaves through global energy markets this week by suspending exports of the fuel in January due to critically low coal supplies at domestic power plants. (1/7)
Silicon Ranch Corp, the U.S. solar project developer backed by Royal Dutch Shell, on Thursday said it raised $775 million in equity capital from new and existing investors. The announcement comes as renewable energy, and in particular solar, is experiencing a dramatic expansion in the US. (1/7)
Indiana's big solar: Among vast fields of corn and soybeans in rural northwest Indiana, construction workers broke ground in October on what will be the largest solar farm in the United States. The project, known as Mammoth Solar, will cover 13,000 acres, spread across two counties, with 60 landowners involved in an area with deep ties to the fossil fuel industry. (1/6)
Battery boom: The next decade will be defined by a massive increase in utility-scale storage. GM, Ford, Tesla, SK Innovations and LG Energy Solutions are among the builders of new gigafactories. 13 new battery cell gigafactories are expected to come online in the U.S. by 2025. Utility-scale battery storage power capacity could exceed 2,500 MW by 2023, or a 180% increase, assuming currently planned additions are completed (1/7)
Annual Sales of Passenger EVs (Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs))
Ford Motor Co. plans to raise production of the F-150 Lightning pickup at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn to 150,000 trucks per year to meet high demand. Within 24 months, Ford will have the global capacity to produce 600,000 battery electric vehicles annually. (1/5)
The stock price for electric truck company Rivian fell below the price of its initial public offering after Amazon said it would also buy electric delivery vans from Chrysler owner Stellantis. (1/7)
Sony Group Corp. said it would create a car unit and explore entering the electric-vehicle market, in another sign of how the electronics and car businesses are overlapping. (1/5)
Switzerland-based shipping firm MSC has overtaken Denmark's A.P. Moller-Maersk on Jan. 5 to become the world's largest container shipping line. (1/6)
Arctic hot spot: The Siberian town of Verkhoyansk can officially claim to be the hottest spot in the Arctic. The northeast Russian community known for its extremely cold winters reached a record-setting Arctic temperature high of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit (38 C) on June 20, 2020. (1/5)
False solutions to cutting planet-warming carbon emissions aren't new. But the number of people hawking those answers, and the money being spent on them, has grown substantially in the last few years.
Tags: geopolitics, oil prices
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Tom Whipple
Tom Whipple is one of the most highly respected analysts of peak oil issues in the United States. A retired 30-year CIA analyst who has been following the peak oil story since 1999, Tom is the editor of the daily Peak Oil News and the weekly Peak Oil Review, both published by the Association for...


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Fast assembly of fock matrices utilising symmetry properties of the basis set
Brailsford, David F. and Hylton, Jane (1973) Fast assembly of fock matrices utilising symmetry properties of the basis set. Chemical Physics Letters, 18 (4). pp. 595-597.
A method of assembling the elements of the Fock matrix is described which is a modification of that due to Dacre. Lists of symmetry equivalent one-electron integrals are used as pointers to abbreviate the process of collecting two-electron integrals into the Fock matrix.
https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1025797
This PDF is a totally re-built and re-typeset "final draft" version of the original paper.
Fock matrices, Self Consistent Field, two-electron integrals
University of Nottingham, UK > Faculty of Science > School of Mathematical Sciences
University of Nottingham, UK > Faculty of Science > School of Chemistry
Brailsford, Prof David
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/168

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Baseball|Manny Machado Fits Right In, Wherever the Dodgers Need Him
Manny Machado Fits Right In, Wherever the Dodgers Need Him
With so many players who can play multiple positions, Los Angeles is making it work, as usual, as it seeks a sixth N.L. West title in a row.
Manny Machado has played shortstop and third base for the Dodgers, who traded for him on July 18.CreditCreditMatt Slocum/Associated Press
By Tyler Kepner
PHILADELPHIA — For 96 games this season, Manny Machado played only shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles. A two-time Gold Glove winner at third base, Machado had insisted on playing short for the Orioles in his final year before free agency.
Yet four games into his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who acquired him during the All-Star break for five prospects, Machado was back at third, quickly grasping how much his new team values versatility.
"That's been in my back pocket the whole time," Machado said Monday at Citizens Bank Park after a victory here over the Phillies. "At this point it's go out there and try to do everything possible to win, whatever's going to be best for the team. I came here for a couple of months, and it was to try to help this team win in whatever way I could — whether it's third base, outfield, second, wherever it is."
Machado was probably joking; he has never played second base or the outfield since the Orioles drafted him third over all from a Miami high school in 2010. He did play right field once, he said, at age 17 in a Connie Mack League.
"That was a long time ago," he said. "I don't think I can do it in the big leagues, though, but whatever."
For the Dodgers, "whatever" can mean almost anything. At each position, they've had more than one player make at least 23 starts.
"The organization always talks about depth, depth, depth," said Enrique Hernandez, who has started at seven defensive spots this season and even pitched here on Tuesday, taking the loss in a 16-inning marathon.
"It tells you how much unselfishness there is in the clubhouse with all these guys willing to move around for the good of the team," Hernandez added. "For Manny to come here and say, 'I just want to win, I don't care where I play, and if I have to move around, I'll move around,' that says a lot about him. He could easily just say: 'Hey, I'm in a big market now. I want to be the shortstop for the Dodgers. I don't want to move around. I want to build up my case for free agency.' But I think playing short and third is only going to help him. The game is evolving, and versatility has a lot of value nowadays."
The Dodgers put their regular third baseman, Justin Turner, on the disabled list Monday with a strained right groin. With Machado at third, Hernandez and Chris Taylor have been playing shortstop. Right fielder Yasiel Puig is also on the disabled list with a right oblique strain, and shortstop Corey Seager is out for the year after Tommy John surgery.
But the Dodgers are making it work, as usual, and reclaimed first place in the National League West just before the All-Star break. Adding Machado sent a powerful signal that they intend to stay there and win their sixth division title in a row.
"We're spoiled, there's no way of getting around that," said Clayton Kershaw, the ace left-hander, who is healthy again after trips to the disabled list for biceps tendinitis and a lower back strain.
"Being in the city that we're in, with the demand for winning there is, we're spoiled in that we just expect that stuff to happen now, which is a great feeling to have. The expectations that we have to win, they are there and there's pressure that comes from that. But at the same time, you see Manny and where he came from in Baltimore, the situation that team's in, and you see how excited he is when he gets here. You can tell that he's really excited to be a part of something that has a chance to win."
Kershaw, who can opt out of his contract this winter, added that he wished more teams operated the way the Dodgers do.
"You see it throughout the league, even more so now with all these teams tanking, it's just not good for the game," he said. "So for me personally to be on a team that has won five consecutive division titles — I think I've been to the playoffs seven times out of 10 years — you can't take that stuff for granted, and I know I don't. I mean, I know we're supposed to win and we need to win, but I'd rather be in this situation than what it could be."
Kershaw nearly won his first championship last fall, dazzling in the first and last games of the World Series but struggling in Game 5 in Houston. By the time Kershaw entered Game 7 in relief, the Astros had flattened starter Yu Darvish, the Dodgers' major trade acquisition last July, on their way to an easy victory.
Machado, 26, was the prize of this nonwaiver deadline. This has been his best season, with career highs in batting average (.311), on-base percentage (.385) and slugging percentage (.561) heading into this weekend's four-game series in Atlanta. He is also striking out less and walking more.
"There's no panic in his game," Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts said. "He just has an innate ability to stay in the strike zone, and by and large he walks a ton and doesn't punch out. When you have the ability to put the bat on the ball, hit it from line to line and swing at strikes, it's lethal."
Machado started his Dodgers career with three road series, and should make his home debut on Monday against Milwaukee. So far, he likes his new surroundings.
"Everybody I've met here has been awesome," Machado said. "It's a great group of guys. I'm just excited to be a part of this."
Alan Trammell of the Tigers hitting a home run in Game 4 of the 1984 World Series. CreditRusty Kennedy/Associated Press
1984 Tigers Get Their Hall of Fame Moment
Jack Morris and Alan Trammell will go into the Hall of Fame as teammates on Sunday, part of a deep class that also includes Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Vladimir Guerrero and Trevor Hoffman. Morris and Trammell will represent the Detroit Tigers, whose dominant 1984 championship team will finally have a player representative in Cooperstown.
The Tigers were 104-58 that season and kept rolling through a five-game World Series victory over San Diego, with Trammell hitting .450 to win the Most Valuable Player Award. At the Hall of Fame, Trammell will be reunited with his World Series ring, which he stopped wearing a few years ago.
"I'm kind of hyper and I kept banging it on things, and I didn't want to chip it," Trammell said on a conference call in the past week. "So I put it in a safe deposit box, but now I have actually donated it to the Hall of Fame — and it's in my case, so it'll be shown there."
Morris said the Tigers were especially driven to win that ring. They had matched up well the previous year with the Baltimore Orioles, who went on to win the World Series, and believed they belonged in that class.
"We thought to ourselves, if these guys can win the Series, we have to prove to the rest of the baseball world that we could beat them and we can beat anybody," he said. "Going into spring training in '84, that was a special kind of motivation for us. We wanted it."
The Tigers showed that with a mind-bending 35-5 start that included a no-hitter by Morris on NBC's first Saturday "Game of the Week" in April. Six months later, Morris finished with two complete-game victories in the World Series — but he actually wanted more.
"It's funny, because I was at a round table discussion once with Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker and that subject came up," Morris said. "And I actually said, 'My hero in my early Detroit days was Mickey Lolich because he won three World Series games in 1968. I wanted to win three, and that would have meant pitching in Game 7.' And Whitaker looked at me and said: 'What are you, nuts? We didn't want to go back to San Diego!' I never had that chance, but I was looking forward to it."
Only two pitchers since Morris have won two complete games in the same World Series, and both were named M.V.P.: Bret Saberhagen for the Royals in 1985 and Orel Hershiser for the Dodgers in 1988. Morris got his World Series M.V.P. Award for Minnesota in 1991, when he won Games 1 and 7, the last a 10-inning shutout.
With Morris and Trammell in Cooperstown, the 1981 Dodgers are now the only championship team before 1997 that did not have a player who became a Hall of Famer. That Dodgers team included many players with long and successful careers — Steve Garvey, Fernando Valenzuela, Jerry Reuss, Dusty Baker and so on — but only Manager Tommy Lasorda has reached the Hall of Fame.
Blake Treinen's sinker averages more than 97 miles per hour. CreditEzra Shaw/Getty Images
A Pitch With No Answer
When the Oakland Athletics added Jeurys Familia to their bullpen in a trade with the Mets this month, they doubled down on right-handed relievers with overwhelming sinkers. The other is their closer, Blake Treinen, who throws his sinker so hard that he was a $2,000 question on "Jeopardy!" in February 2016:
"The Nationals' Blake Treinen has hit 100 MPH with this type of pitch, that gets its name from its downward motion."
Treinen, who was traded to the A's last summer, said he learned his pitches as a boy by using a training baseball endorsed by Roger Clemens with markings for Clemens's grips. The two-seamer — or sinker — was a good fit.
"They had those fingerprints on 'em: Here's his slider, here's his curveball, here's his changeup, here's his two-seamer, here's his four-seamer," Treinen said recently. "I was just like, 'Oh, the two-seamer.' I remember in like third grade I was throwing 'em with my dad, and it just felt more comfortable than a four-seamer in my hand."
He said he did not know why his sinker does what it does — "It just does."
"I don't like to think about it," he added. "I don't know the science behind it. I just throw it and I know what works for me, so I just try to stick with it."
Treinen said he had never mastered pinpoint sinker command, the way the Hall of Famer Greg Maddux and Corey Kluber, Cleveland's two-time Cy Young Award winner, have. But the pitch, which averages more than 97 miles per hour, had helped Treinen convert 26 of 30 save chances through Wednesday with a 1.04 earned run average — the best in the majors among pitchers with at least 50 innings.
Chien-Ming Wang pitching for the Yankees in 2006. CreditSuzy Allman for The New York Times
A Spotlight for Chien-Ming Wang
Frank Chen first saw Chien-Ming Wang pitch in 2005, when Wang was a rookie for the Yankees. Wang won eight games that season, and 19 in each of the next two years, becoming a figure of great national pride in Taiwan.
By 2013, Wang's career had been ravaged by injuries. Chen met him that year, through a mutual friend, and they had dinner after a minor league game in Moosic, Pa. After the meal, Chen noticed Wang awkwardly contorting his 6-foot-4 frame to fit into a small rental car.
"That image struck me," said Chen, a Taiwanese-Canadian filmmaker. "For me, he was still a national icon, but he had to endure all of these lonely minor league stints just to try to get back to where he thought he belonged. That became the impetus for the movie."
Chen's 99-minute documentary film, "Late Life: The Chien-Ming Wang Story," will be featured at the Asian-American International Film Festival on Sunday at the Village East Cinema in New York. Wang will be there, and is also scheduled to throw out the first pitch at the Staten Island Yankees game on Monday. Chen followed Wang through 21 cities in making the film, which will have a small theatrical release in New York in mid-October.
"It's a story that kind of captivated an entire nation," Chen said. "Just his rise and the fall that followed — he bounced around to six or seven teams, and that's the part a lot of people didn't get to see."
Wang, now 38, appeared in the majors for four teams but pitched for four other organizations between appearances for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2013 and the Kansas City Royals in 2016. He consulted this spring with Yankees minor leaguers, teaching his signature sinker, but has still not officially retired.
Bob Costas in 2015. He will receive the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence at the Baseball Hall of Fame this weekend. CreditScott Halleran/Getty Images
One Baseball Fan to Another
Last Aug. 1 in Boston, in a cab to my hotel after an electrifying game between the Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians, I got a call on my cellphone. It was Bob Costas, who had broadcast the game for MLB Network. The final home run had touched down some 90 minutes earlier, but Costas still could not shake his excitement. He needed to celebrate a regular-season thriller by talking more about it with a like-minded fan of the game.
That, to me, defines Costas, 66, who receives the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence at the Hall of Fame this weekend. He has covered nearly every sport, hosted a late-night interview show and appeared on "Saturday Night Live." But Costas's true passion is baseball, and on a personal note, I owe him a great deal.
I started writing about baseball as a teenager, publishing a monthly magazine for a small subscriber base and a few media folks whose work I admired. I sent copies to Costas at a general NBC address, uncertain if he would ever see them.
Yet over the next few years, every few months, Costas would send me a postcard — always with an old-time broadcaster on the front — encouraging me to keep going, insisting I had what it took to make a living covering baseball. That kind of support, from someone so prominent and talented, helped me confidently navigate a grown-up world and kept me focused on this career path.
Most people know Costas for his precision with words, good humor and erudite insights. I am lucky to know him for his genuine kindness and his boyish affection for the game we both love. Congratulations, my friend.
Tyler Kepner has been national baseball writer since 2010. He joined The Times in 2000 and covered the Mets for two seasons, then covered the Yankees from 2002 to 2009. @TylerKepner
A version of this article appears in print on , Section SP, Page 2 of the New York edition with the headline: Like the Other Dodgers, Machado Fits In. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe


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Page Series invites public to free interactive workshop
Mar 13, 2019 | Campus Notes, Events, Page Theatre, Press releases, Stories
WINONA, Minn. — The Page Series at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota will present "Identify Yourself: Exploring Personal Narrative Through Art," a workshop led by Winona-based artist Sharon Mansur, on Saturday, March 23, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Infinity Yoga Studio.
A continuation of the 2018-19 season's The Cedar Tree Project and drawing from Mansur's autobiographical performance work "Dreaming Under a Cedar Tree," this interactive workshop invites participants to explore childhood memories and imagery, ancestral countries of origin, and personal identity through creative writing, visual art, and movement.
The workshop is offered free of charge, and no experience is necessary to participate, but registration is required as space is limited. To learn more and register for the workshop, visit pagetheatre.org.
Performances of Mansur's "Dreaming Under a Cedar Tree 2.0" will take place Wednesday and Thursday, April 24-25. Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased at pagethreatre.org or by calling the Saint Mary's Performance Center box office at 507-457-1715 (noon-6 p.m., weekdays).
Sharon Mansur is a Lebanese American experimental dance and visual artist, educator, curator, mover, and shaker based in Winona, Minn. She is committed to dance as a transformational and healing catalyst for individuals and communities. Her performance/installation projects and dance films have been presented throughout the U.S. and abroad, and she is the curator of The Cedar Tree Project. Mansur was a guest artist at the 2018 International Dance Day Festival Lebanon (IDDFL) at the Lebanese American University in Byblos. She is grateful for the generous support she has recently received for her artistic projects and community engagement activities from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council (2017), a Springboard for the Arts Hinge Arts Fellowship (2017), and a Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative grant (2018). She is also a 2018 Winona Fine Arts Commission Awardee and a 2018 McKnight Dance Fellow. Find more info at mansurdance.com.
About The Cedar Tree Project
Throughout the 2018-2019 Page Series season, The Cedar Tree Project explores cultural heritage, perceptions, and identity through the lens of Arab and Arab-American artists and invites people to develop deeper understanding and empathy through artistic exchange. Curated by Winona dance/visual artist Sharon Mansur, events include dance performances, visual art installations/exhibitions, panel discussions, workshops, and community gatherings with Mansur and visiting artists.
About the Page Series
Now in its 32nd annual season, the Page Series connects professional performing artists from around the globe with thousands of Winonans each year. With events at the Joseph Page Theatre on the campus of Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, as well as at locations across the Winona community, the Page Series offers dance, music, and theatre performances, workshops, classes, and more that inspire, uplift, educate, and invite community members to discover the relevance of the arts in their daily lives. Find more information at pagetheatre.org.
The Cedar Tree Project is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Page Series community programs are made possible, in part, through grants from the Xcel Energy Foundation and the Elizabeth Callender King Foundation.


Besides the use of larger quantities of water than other methods of extraction, the production and environmental management methods required to provide suitable environmental protection with regard to this activity are well established (i.e. are techniques already used to stimulate production in conventional gas development).
The SEA of DECC's draft plans for the 14th onshore licensing round assessed the potential impacts of onshore licences on: geology and soils; landscape; water environment; air quality; climatic factors (long term weather patterns); and health. We were told that DECC had sufficient expertise to perform a thorough SEA for the 14th Onshore Round. DECC's Director of Oil and Gas Licensing, Exploration and Development did not consider that "there is any particular technical or environmental impact of shale gas that we are not capable of understanding". The Minister added that DECC is "one organisation among a number that are involved in the environmental and safety monitoring of these issues [...] the environment agencies involve the HSE and the local planning authority, whereas with the coal-bed methane it is the Coal Authority".
] we will, of course, keep that under review". WWF on the other hand told us that "A spokesperson from the Environment Agency told WWF that 'the Environment Agency is currently developing policy at the national level on shale gas permitting' and that 'fracking' will probably not be able to go ahead without a permit".
] we apply a proportionate risk-based approach to preventing pollution and protecting the environment". Local EA staff have assessed the potential impact of Cuadrilla's operations (in the north west of England) on the water environment and have "decided that, at present, it does not require permitting under the EPR [Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010]". A permit under the EPR was required "where fluids containing pollutants [...] are injected into rock formations that contain groundwater" and a permit may also be needed if the activity posed a risk of "mobilising natural substances that could then cause pollution". The permit would specify limits on the activity and any requirements for monitoring. If it was decided that "the activity cannot affect groundwater" a permit would not be necessary. It would be the EA's decision as to whether groundwater was present or not.
] site-by-site assessments". Tony Grayling added that in such a scenario, the Environment Agency would have to have a discussion with DEFRA and DECC on "having a proper assessment of what our resource needs will be going forward".
101. We recommend that the Government consider the future funding for the Environment Agency should the shale gas industry expand in the UK. As the situation stands, shale gas operators are unlikely to explore in areas where the Environment Agency will determine there is a risk to groundwater, so an Environmental Permit will not be necessary. However, the Environment Agency will still be expected to monitor for contamination and pollution, without being able to recover costs through the issuance of a permit.
102. The successful injection of hydraulic fracturing fluid to release shale gas should result in natural gas production without the contamination of underground sources of drinking water, but this relies upon the integrity of the well and the correct fluid design. However, as Professor Richard Selley of Imperial College London told us, "there are different types of shale gas formations that respond differently to different type of fracturing". The fluid design is determined by the often-unique geology of the particular shale gas formation.
103. There are many naturally occurring substances in the shale formation, and the process of hydraulic fracturing can affect their "mobility", which means their ability to move around and potentially enter a water source. These substances can include: naturally occurring "formation" fluid (such as brine) found in the shale rock; gases, such as the target natural gas (mostly methane), carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, nitrogen and helium; trace elements of substances such as mercury, arsenic and lead; naturally occurring radioactive material (radium, thorium, uranium); and "volatile organic compounds" (VOCs) that easily vaporise into the air, such as benzene.
] They will do their best to keep it going as long as they can".
105. We heard during our visit to the US, that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) believed that—from evidence it had gathered so far—that "if hydraulic fractures combine with pre-existing faults of fractures that lead to [drinking water] aquifers or directly extend into aquifers, injection could lead to the contamination of drinking water supplies by fracturing fluid, natural gas, and/or natural occurring substances".
106. During the fracturing process, some of the hydraulic fracturing fluid may flow through the artificially created fractures to other areas within the shale gas formation, in a phenomenon known as "fluid leakoff". Fluid leakoff during hydraulic fracturing "can exceed 70 percent of the injected volume if not controlled properly", which could result in fluid migrating into drinking water aquifers. In comparison, coal-bed methane formations are mostly shallow, so where hydraulic fracturing is used there is a risk that it could be happening in—or very near to—shallow drinking water supplies.
107. The US EPA has stated that proper well construction is "essential for isolating the production zone from USDWs [underground sources of drinking water], and includes drilling a hole, installing a steel pipe [casing] and cementing the pipe in place". There is therefore a risk of groundwater pollution from improperly constructed wells.
108. DECC thas stated that while there might have been cases of well integrity failure on some US shale wells, they "do not believe that such a situation would occur in the UK". They added that the operator was obliged to ensure that the well design is "safe and fit for purpose", and that this obligation was "checked very carefully by the Health and Safety Executive".
110. The moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in New York State was a result of concerns surrounding environmental risks, in particular the potential contamination of water supplies. DECC believed that cases of contamination in the US have been the result of "some incompetent operators [who] have allowed gas to contaminate shallow [water] aquifers, which should not be possible with proper well casing design". The Geological Society has stated that there "is no recorded evidence of this [contamination], and [they have] good reason to think it untrue, since the process takes place at depths of many hundreds of metres below the [water] aquifer". With regard to the issues of fugitive methane emissions during shale gas exploration and production, the Geological Society believed that this "is very unlikely to be due to hydraulic fracturing, since this occurs at depths of several thousand metres beneath the surface".
111. During our visit to the US, we heard little concern from environmental groups, state or federal regulators, or academics on the environmental impacts of the hydraulic fracturing process itself. Any instances of methane contamination of groundwater were either blamed on poor well construction (an issue that applies to conventional as well as unconventional hydrocarbons) or were thought to pre-date any hydrofracing activity.
113. We conclude that hydraulic fracturing itself does not pose a direct risk to water aquifers, provided that the well-casing is intact before this commences. Rather, any risks that do arise are related to the integrity of the well, and are no different to issues encountered when exploring for hydrocarbons in conventional geological formations. We recommend that the Health and Safety Executive test the integrity of wells before allowing the licensing of drilling activity.
114. We recommend that the Environment Agency should insist that all companies involved in hydraulic fracturing should declare the type, concentration and volume of all chemicals they are using.
115. We recommend that before the Environment Agency permits any chemicals to be used in hydraulic fracturing fluid, they must ensure that they have the capabilities to monitor for, and potentially detect, these chemicals in local water supplies.
116. The Tyndall Centre estimated that "a six well [shale gas exploration] pad takes between 54-174 million litres of water" which is "equivalent to 22-69 Olympic size swimming pools", or between 9-29 million litres per well. In comparison, according to the American Petroleum Institute (API) the water usage in shale gas plays ranges in the US from 7.5-15 million litres of water. Figure 6 gives flow chart of water use during hydraulic fracturing, and at each stage identifies the potential risks to drinking water as seen by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
117. During peak shale gas production in the Barnett Shale, Texas, the total amount of water required represented 1.7% of the estimated total freshwater demanded by all users (domestic and commercial) within the Barnett Shale area. Whether the withdrawal of this much water from local surface (reservoirs or rivers) or ground water sources (aquifers) has a significant impact will vary depending on the location and the time of year. It is possible to offset the large water requirements for hydraulic fracturing by recycling the fluid that flows back up from the well (known as "flowback" fluid). It is estimated that between 10-40% of the original fluid injected is recoverable. By adding additional chemicals and more freshwater this can be reused. However, high levels of total dissolved solids (TDS) and other dissolved constituents can present challenges to recycling.
118. The removal of such large volumes of water could put stress on drinking water supplies, especially as it is not possible to recycle the majority of it.239 The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) believed that "fostering a water intensive industry [in the UK] which is likely to increase demand for a scarce resource is highly questionable". Professor Anderson of the Tyndall Centre explained that "even in wet parts of the world, which is where some of these shales are, there are often issues of water supply throughout the year, and this [hydraulic fracturing] will be another pressure on that water supply system".
119. In their 2006 report "Underground, Under Threat - The State of Ground Water in England and Wales" the Environment Agency stated that in the north west of England—where Cuadrilla are exploring for shale gas—11% of water is supplied by groundwater (which represents 5% of all the groundwater abstracted in the UK). Data for the rest of the UK is shown in Figure 7.
] [but] [there could be complexities in recycling in terms of the [increasing] concentration of pollutants".
121. However, the potential abstraction of such large volumes of water needed for fracking, and the subsequent lowering of the water table, could also affect water quality by: exposing naturally occurring minerals in the aquifer to an oxygen-rich environment—the resulting chemical changes could alter their solubility, causing chemical contamination of the water; stimulating bacterial growth, which could cause taste and odour problems; causing an upwelling of lower quality water from deeper within an aquifer.239 The US EPA believed that "large volume water withdrawals from ground water can also lead to subsidence and/or destabilization of the geology". Additionally, large water abstractions may lead to an increase in the concentration of contaminants in surface water resources.
] we are just an industrial customer like anybody else".
] it is basically 100,000 barrels of water per well".
124. Tony Grayling of the Environment Agency told us that "in terms of large scale usage of water from the environment, an abstraction licence is required from the Environment Agency and we wouldn't license unsustainable abstraction". The Environment Agency told us that the water required for hydraulic fracturing is considered in the same way as any other industrial process. Mr Grayling added, "I don't think you can single out this activity among all the other water-use activities for special treatment".
125. We conclude that there is only a small risk that the large volumes of water required for hydraulic fracturing will place undue stress on the water supply, though this could be more significant at times of drought in low rainfall areas. We recommend that the Environment Agency should have the power to prescribe the minimum amount of water recycling that takes place during unconventional gas exploration, on a site-by-site basis that takes into account the water stresses particular to the region.
126. After the high-pressure injection of the hydraulic fracturing fluid has induced fractures in the shale formation, the pressure is decreased and the direction of fluid flow is reversed, "allowing fracturing fluid and naturally occurring substances to flow out of the wellbore to the surface [over a period of several weeks for shale formations, and potentially longer for coal-bed methane]; this mixture is called 'flowback'".
127. The toxicity of these substances varies considerably, with the naturally occurring metals exerting various forms of toxicity at low concentrations (even though they are essential nutrients). Flowback and produced water from hydraulic fracturing operations are held in storage tanks and waste impoundment pits prior to or during treatment, recycling and disposal.
reuse for a future fracturing procedure either with or without treatment.
] they have to make sure they can meet their own [obligations under their] permits before they can discharge [it]".
] [it wouldn't] exceed the capacity that was set up to service the North Sea. Dennis Carlton of Cuadrilla added that that shale gas exploration companies could always "drill a disposal well" if expansion of the industry became inhibited by the capacity of waste treatment facilities.
131. Regarding the disposal of flowback and produced water from hydraulic fracturing operations, the Environment Agency's Head of Groundwater, Tony Marsland, told us: "We certainly don't need any more regulation. The Environmental Permitting Regulations would cope with this". As to the environmental impacts of shale gas production, particularly in terms of the management and disposal of the large quantities of water involved, the Minister of State for Energy, Charles Hendry MP, told us that, "the Environment Agency should lead on these matters, as they have an absolute responsibility for environmental protection".
132. We recommend that DECC and DEFRA ensure that the Environment Agency monitors randomly the flowback and produced water from unconventional gas operations for potentially hazardous material that has been released from the shale formation. In order to maintain public confidence in the regulators—and in the shale gas industry—we recommend that both water and air be checked for contamination both before and during shale gas operations.
133. We encourage the Government to insist that as the shale gas industry develops, companies are required to work together in order to optimize the use of waste water treatment plants, to minimise both the number of plants and the distance waste water has to be transported.
] EIA [Environmental Impact Assessment] to support planning and other consents would be expected to give due consideration to the potential implications of the planned activity on attainment of local and regional air quality plans.
] were being emitted from the wells".
136. A study prepared for the US Environmental Defense Fund, stated that "[shale] gas production [...] can impact local air quality and release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere". The Fund identified various methods to capture methane and other gases that were released during well completions (when the well is made ready for production)—the use of these methods was known as a "green completion". Such completions not only reduced emissions of methane (if the methane was to be vented to the atmosphere), carbon dioxide (if the methane was to be flared) and other compounds (such as benzene, that can cause localised pollution and health problems), but they also captured products that could be sold by the operator. These green completions included methods to capture methane and VOC compounds during well completions, and the control of VOC from gas "condensate" tanks through the use of vapour recovery units. The Environment Agency is not yet familiar with "green completion" technology, but should there be any commercial development of shale gas in the UK they would "require operators to use Best Available Techniques for the management of shale gas emissions".
137. The US EPA told us that about half of shale gas wells in the US generated liquid hydrocarbons (not oil) known as "wet gas". This contained molecules that were heavier than methane, collectively known as "condensates". The Environment Agency told us that they were not concerned by condensates as they expected "most shale wells [in the UK] to produce a high quality gas that will not need refining so there will be no gas condensates".
] but we would respect the Health and Safety Executive's judgment about what is safe".
139. The Environment Agency told us that they would only monitor the emissions from shale gas operations if the activities involved "the refining or large scale combustion of gas [flaring]". The Agency only expected flaring to be done on a small scale, so an environmental permit would not be necessary. If the shale gas operator were to flare gas on a large scale, they would be required to monitor for oxides of nitrogen, volatile organic compounds, sulphur dioxide and methane.
140. We recommend that the Environment Agency should have the powers to insist that—in collaboration with the Health and Safety Executive—planned onshore venting and flaring of natural gas for extended periods are not permitted.
] [is] likely to be visually and ecologically intrusive" and would face "significant opposition on the grounds of landscape and wildlife conservation and rural character and amenity".
] mean that horizontal wells can replace many vertical wells", reducing the landscape footprint of shale gas exploration.
] the state will reap the financial rewards of the resource and provide no financial incentive for the local community". The Oxford Institute for Energy Studies agreed that "land access will remain challenging as long as there are no financial incentives for landowners". The Dutch Energy Council has officially advised the Dutch government that "landowners and tenants [must] benefit financially from unconventional gas development on their land" if there was to be public support for shale gas exploration.
144. Comparing the development of shale gas in the UK and the US, the Minister told us the "issue of land ownership is a very critical one". He added that in the UK, individual landowners have to give their consent to those who have been granted exploration licences, which is not always the case in the US. DECC explained that a recent case before the Supreme Court had ruled that where a landowner "unreasonably refuses to agree access, where he demands unreasonable terms, or where the fragmentation of land ownership means a licensee cannot agree terms with everyone" then the Mines (Working Facilities and Support) Act 1996, as modified by the Petroleum Act 1998, provided a method by which a licensee could seek "ancillary rights [of access] through the courts". DECC pointed out that this was a far from common procedure.
] such developments might be regarded more positively".
146. The Minister thought it "quite challenging to see how" shale gas operations might encroach upon densely populated urban areas, as we witnessed in Fort Worth, Texas.
147. We conclude that the development of the UK shale gas industry will be different from the US—greater population density and stricter environmental legislation in Europe will give a greater incentive to drill fewer, better wells that take advantage of multiwell pad technology and horizontal drilling to minimise the impact on the landscape.
148. We recommend that the Environment Agency and the Department of Energy and Climate Change take lessons from unconventional gas exploration in the US, especially at the state-level where much of the expertise lies. The US has a great deal of regulatory experience of dealing with the issues of water contamination, the volume of water required, waste water treatment and disposal, air pollution, and infrastructure challenges. The UK Government must use this experience to ensure the lowest achievable environmental impacts from unconventional gas exploitation here.


Winter Wonderland II Christmas Envelopes, No.10, 40/PK. Winter Wonderland II Christmas Envelopes, No.
DIY, save time and money! Use No 10 Christmas envelopes with Christmas letterhead and seals for a perfect holiday letter, invitation or announcement!


The papers in this volume were selected and revised from among those presented at the conference: Gender and Social Transformation: Global, Transnational, and Local Realities and Perspectives, Beijing, China in 2009. Through case studies and interview data from across the globe we see how intersectionality and inequality are contextualized shaping women s agencies, gender relations, identity, the politics of belonging, power structures, institutional arrangements, and empowerment (self and/or collective) in local communities and cultures influenced by transnational and global networks and processes. Those who experience inequality, the politics of exclusion and social injustice by virtue of gender, ethnicity and/or class and other differences are the most vulnerable in the face of new adversities, including those that occur in response to globalization. Broader theoretical and methodological contexts for these nation- and region-specific studies are provided in essays by leading gender theorists. Divisions of labor, migration, war and peace-building are among the specific topics addressed in papers from China, India, Israel, Korea, Germany, Australia, Turkey, and the United States.


My desire for a second baby was the push I needed to finally seek counseling. I found a therapist through my insurance (who, of course, barely covered the fees…) and reluctantly showed up for my first appointment. I showed up, which is the hardest and most important step, but I was not at all sure about what I'd just signed up for. I was nervous, anxious, judgmental, un-trusting and had set my walls up as high as possible. I wanted help, but this was kind of scary. I am 100% supportive of every and anyone seeing a therapist, but it's very different when it comes to myself, and I think a huge majority of people feel this way.


text:
Wildfire prevention and forest management bill passes state House
CONTACT: Brendon Wold, Deputy Communications Director | 360-786-7698
'In the end, homes, land, and lives will be saved because of this legislation," says Kretz
Legislation passed the Washington State House of Representatives this week that would help prevent and fight devastating wildfires.
House Bill 1168 passed the House unanimously and now heads to the Senate for further consideration.
Rep. Joel Kretz, R-Wauconda and cosponsor of the bill, called it a milestone in his years' long effort to protect his constituents from the continuing devastation of massive wildfires.
"We average about $153 million per year in firefighting costs that will continue to go up if we do nothing," said Kretz, whose legislative district in northeast Washington has seen some of the state's worst wildfires over the past six years. "However, there will be a much larger cost to our rural communities if we do nothing. While some regions have suffered through the majority of our major fires, most every city and town in our state has experienced the harmful effects of bad air quality as a result of catastrophic wildfire smoke. This bill is a solution that will help all Washingtonians."
Kretz worked across the aisle and with Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz to see the bill through the legislative process on the House side. He's hopeful that because the bill passed unanimously in the House, the Senate will look favorably on a bill "whose time has come," said Kretz.
House Bill 1168 is a multi-pronged approach to preventing and responding to wildfires. It creates a dedicated account of about $125 million every biennium. The money would be spent on management and restoration efforts to make forests more fire resilient, like reducing fuel loads and creating firebreaks to stop swift moving fires.
Money would also be spent on upgrading existing equipment, hire and train more firefighters, and improve leadership and fire detection systems.
Wildfires burned over a million acres in 2015. In 2020, the Department of Natural Resources responded to more than 1,850 wildfires, more than any year this decade.
Kretz said he knows families in his district living in trailers who have not fully recovered from the 2015 wildfires. As part of his efforts to educate his legislative colleagues on the long-lasting effects of the fires, he invited a bipartisan group of lawmakers in 2019 to visit northeast Washington and see the devastation firsthand.
One of those legislators in attendance was Rep. Larry Springer, D-Kirkland, who ended up cosponsoring the bill with Kretz. The two legislators were able to work with Franz to bring everyone to the table at the beginning of the process to work out major issues.
"We live in a very politicized world right now," said Kretz. "But I think this legislation is an example of what can be done when we leave politics and egos at the door, and take into account what the people on the ground need, first and foremost.
"This may be the most important, impactful piece of legislation I've worked on in my entire legislative career," said Kretz. "The fact is, it couldn't have been done without assistance from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. This has been a collaborative process from the beginning. In the end, homes, land, and lives will be saved as a result of this legislation."
The 105-day 2021 remote legislative session is scheduled to end April 25.
Photo Caption: "Rep. Joel Kretz meets with Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz to discuss wildfire prevention and response efforts."


Having a mate is great, they're a shoulder to cry on, someone to have a laugh with, exercise, socialise and collaborate with! You can't put a price on having a mate… but we can.
People Source is always looking for the best of the best. If a role catches your eye and you think it would be perfect for Craig, Sharon, Dennis or any of your other mates then get in touch. It could be the easiest money you've ever made.
All you need to do is email businessservices@peoplesource.co.uk with their contact details, CV (if you have it) and reference the role you are putting them forward for.
Don't forget to get their permission of course! Have a read of the referral page to find out more here.


Check out what is happening at this year's event - it caters for the whole family so there is always something for everyone!
- Juli Cirjak, President Croatian Sports Centre SA Inc.
Performing for the first time at Festa! Singing Croatian a cappella.
Admission Only $5 per adult!


Anyone is prone to Glaucoma, regardless of your age. So even if you're old or young, you're just as susceptible to the condition as anybody else, and can strike at any time of your life. Right now it's deemed as one of the most common cause for people to go blind.
Fortunately, you can do something about it. In fact, the earlier you act on it, dealing with it is much easier. Through some medication and perhaps a surgical procedure you can prevent this condition from hitting you with its worst – blindness.
Glaucoma surgery isn't exactly a piece of cake, but the best way for you to go through with it is to know what it is about, and what you should look out for. Knowledge and personal preparedness is perhaps one of the most important factors in the success of any medical procedure.
For one thing, you need to prepare yourself for some pressure, specifically on the lower parts of your eye. That's going to be the first few parts of the procedure. Your doctor will tell you to take some eye drops (which he has to prescribe) to alleviate the pressure. Make sure you follow your doctor's prescribed use down to the dot. This is important because that's how they prepare your body for the procedure.
Don't hesitate to ask more about the surgery, especially after the procedure. Aside from the fact that you're going to be able to achieve mental, physical, and emotional preparedness, it's actually your right to be informed of these things. Ask your doctor about risks, realities, options, and everything related to the procedure and your condition.
What happens after the surgery depends on the kind of surgery you will undergo. This will affect what post-surgical medication you might have to go through, how long your recovery from the procedure will take, and what the total costs are after the whole ordeal. The procedure taken might also vary in terms of the discomfort or pain you'll have to bear with post-surgery.
In line with post-surgical concerns, you have to keep in mind that you need to adjust your lifestyle to your doctor's advice. All the routines that he or she will tell you (i.e. medication) will be a bit difficult to follow at first because you will most likely attempt to go back to your original routine as soon as the surgery ends. Your doctor will tell you to avoid strenuous activities like lifting heavy objects, etc. Follow that to the dot as well.
Lastly, follow everything up with checkups. Even after surgery, your doctor will still have to watch over you to make sure everything is going well. Keep note of anything that might be wrong and tell your doctor everything.


Dr. Sabreen Al-Reemawi is a distinguished Dental Surgeon who joined Thumbay Dental Hospital, Ajman with many years of experience and training.
She received her DDS degree from Ajman University of Science & Technology (AUST).
She also got the Italian fellowship in LASER DENTISTRY, the diploma from UNIVERSITY OF GENOA for laser dentistry.
(Al Ehsan Medical Charity Center/Ajman)(2009 -2013), and worked as a clinical supervisor and lecturer assistance for dental surgery and prosthodontics in Ajman University.
Currently, she is working as a Dental Surgeon, at Thumbay Hospital/ Ajman, and also assist clinically the fourth year Doctorate of Dental Medicine (DMD) students of Gulf Medical University, Ajman.


text:
Q: Updating a label using a timer in PyQt I am trying to update a QLabel every 0.2 seconds using a list of words. Here is my current code:
wordLabel = QLabel(window)
wordLabel.setFont(font)
wordLabel.setGeometry(120, 130, 200, 200)
wordLabel.hide()

def onTimeout():
    old = wordLabel.text()
    man = ["uncle", "hammer", "suit", "cigar", "beer", "boy",   "grandpa", "his", "motor", "guy", "razor", "mister","father", "blue", "football", "he", "brother", "tie", "tough", "man"]
    counter=0
    for item in man:
        counter=+1
        wordLabel.setText(str(man[counter]))
timer = QTimer()
timer.timeout.connect(onTimeout)
timer.start(2)

This shows the label and only one word and does not update. I'm a beginner so any tips would be fantastic. Thank you

A: Try it:
import sys
from PyQt5.QtCore import *
from PyQt5.QtWidgets import *
from PyQt5.QtGui import *

class MyWin(QWidget):
    def __init__(self, man):
        super().__init__()

        self.man     = man
        self.counter = 0
        self.len_man = len(self.man)

        self.wordLabel = QLabel(self)
        self.wordLabel.setStyleSheet('font-size: 18pt; color: blue;')
        self.wordLabel.setGeometry(20, 20, 100, 50)

        timer = QTimer(self)
        timer.timeout.connect(self.onTimeout)
        timer.start(2000)

    def onTimeout(self):
        if self.counter >= self.len_man:
            self.counter = 0

        self.wordLabel.setText(str(self.man[self.counter]))
        self.counter += 1

man =  ["Hello", "Evans"] #["uncle", "hammer", "suit", "cigar", "beer", "boy",   "grandpa", "his", "motor", "guy", "razor", "mister","father", "blue", "football", "he", "brother", "tie", "tough", "man"]

if __name__ =="__main__":
    app = QApplication(sys.argv)
    app.setFont(QFontDatabase().font("Monospace", "Regular", 14))
    w = MyWin(man)
    w.show()
    sys.exit(app.exec())

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Alexas is an adventurous little pup and will make a great family dog! She is a very playful little girl, but she also likes to relax and be held. She is sure to steal your heart with her great personality and good looks. She comes home to you up to date on her vaccinations and pre-spoiled. Alexas is going to make a great little companion and she can't wait to meet you! Don't miss out! Puppy kisses are waiting!


text:
Kerry Washington wins first Emmy Award as co-executive producer of 'Live in Front of a Studio Audience'
rambo | September 16, 2020 |
ABC Entertainment News
ABC/Todd Wawrychuk(LOS ANGELES) — Kerry Washington is officially an Emmy Award winner.
During the second night of the 2020 Creative Arts Emmy Awards, which are being announced virtually this year, Live in Front of a Studio Audience: "All in the Family" And "Good Times" was awarded Outstanding Variety Special (Live).
The special aired on ABC in 2019 and featured a cast including Viola Davis, Tiffany Haddish and Woody Harrelson performing live re-enactments of scenes from the famed TV shows.
Washington served as one of the members of the all-star executive producers team, alongside All in the Family creator Norman Lear, co-host Jimmy Kimmel, actors Will Ferrell, Justin Thereaux and more.
"OMG. So proud of @simpsonstreet and this incredible cast and crew," Washington wrote on her Instagram Stories in response to the win, according to E!
The show beat out other contenders including The Oscars, 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards, Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show Starring Jennifer Lopez and Shakira and the 73rd Annual Tony Awards.
Washington has been nominated for a total of eight Emmy Awards, including two for Outstanding Lead Actress for her role as Olivia Pope on Scandal.
She's currently nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for her role in Little Fires Everywhere.
Other winners from night two of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards are Saturday Night Live, RuPaul's Drag Race and Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, among others.
By Cillea Houghton


text:
Que Explains What's Changed About His Life Recently in "From The Jump"
ByKyle Kramer
Atlanta rapper Que has the biggest viral success and club banger of the moment with his song "O.G. Bobby Johnson." He recently signed a deal with Atlantic Records. He's making songs with people like Juicy J. One might imagine quite a bit has changed in his life recently.
But a few things have been the same since the beginning, and that's what Que explores on his new song, "From the Jump," off of DJ Iceberg's Monopoly Music 16. The only thing that has changed, really? The girls.
Check out "From the Jump" below and pick up Monopoly Music 16, which is hosted by Que and also features music from Travis Porter, Future, Kwony Cash, Young Thug and Waka Flocka Flame, here.
[via Noisey]
RELATED: Que and Juicy J Show Off Their Artillery On "Clip So Long"
RELATED: LeBron James' New Game Day Theme Song is Que's "O.G. Bobby Johnson"
RELATED: Video: Que "O.G. Bobby Johnson"


The A7 Folded Card (5 1/8" x 7") in 100lb.. Citrus is a bright, eye catching yellow color. Perfect for personal stationery and business correspondence, invitation suite inserts, casual correspondence, including letter-writing and photo-sharing and much more, these attractive folded cards are the perfect year-round card for everyday communication and much more. These notecards fit perfectly into A7 Envelopes (5 1/4" x 7 1/4") and Lee Bar envelopes. Available custom printed or plain.


For many years, the only dad that I've celebrated on Father's Day was my own. In 2014, my husband became a dad and I've been able to celebrate him on his special day once a year. This year will be his third Father's Day and I plan on making sure he has a special day complete with picnic lunch! Make sure you honor the dad's in your life with everything they love to do.
Papyrus is the headquarters for beautiful gifts, gift wrap and bags, as well as greeting cards. Delight your Dad with a beautiful handmade card with a sweet message inside that he'll treasure forever. If you're looking for gifts, you can select from personalized calendars, picture frames, music boxes, journals and notebooks, and so much more.
There's truly something for everyone no matter what their style or interest is. Papyrus's gift wrap and gift bags are truly works of art and any individual will just love them. Keep Papyrus in mind for Father's Day as well as any other future gift needs.
One gift that I'm giving my husband this year is the Greatness of Dads book. Jay loves books on topics that are meaningful to him, and I know he'll appreciate something that is near and dear to his heart like fatherhood.
This is a heartwarming book filled with quotes, poems, literacy excerpts, pop-culture references and photographs that highlight the bond between fathers and their children.
Any dad will appreciate this beautiful book and it may even bring a tear to their eye! The bond between a father and daughter is unbreakable. It makes me happy that Scarlett loves her dad and is so close to him. I hope that she will always be close to him as she grows up.
This book would be a great gift option to give Pops this Father's Day along with a gift card and his favorite meal. It would be a Father's Day he won't soon forget!
*DISCLOSURE* Thank you to Papyrus for providing a product sample in order to facilitate this post. All thoughts are strictly my own.


As one of Mayor Mike Huether's last acts in office, at the May 2nd City Council Meeting, he proclaimed May 2018 as Bike Month in Sioux Falls. About 20 smiling bicyclists filled the council chamber to receive the proclamation on behalf of bicyclists across the city.
Our own Michael Christensen and Jodi Erickson we're called forward to participate the the proclamation.
Before the council meeting, Falls Area Bicyclists gathered at Half Baked for cupcakes and to discuss Bike Month activities. We then did a small spin around downtown before we rode on City Hall.
Riders pose in front of Carnegie Town Hall.


text:
'use strict';

angular.module('products').config(['$stateProvider',function($stateProvider) {
	$stateProvider.
	state('listProducts',{
		url:'/products',
		templateUrl:'/modules/products/views/list-products.client.view.html'
	});
}]);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Healthcare Industry News: proton
Devices Oncology
Elekta / Mitsubishi Electric Collaboration Helps Japan's Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center Launch Advanced Carbon Ion Therapy for Treating Cancer
Patient with prostate carcinoma is center's first to benefit from high-energy treatment
GUNMA, Japan and ATLANTA, May 17 -- (Healthcare Sales & Marketing Network) -- Three years of teamwork between Elekta and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation came to fruition in March when Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center used carbon ion radiotherapy to treat a patient with prostate cancer. Elekta and Mitsubishi Electric worked to facilitate the use of Elekta's treatment planning software, XiO®, for delivery with Mitsubishi Electric's particle beam treatment system.
Compared to proton therapy, carbon ions are heavier and produce a much higher linear energy transfer. Because carbon ions can create a higher energy dose, this type of therapy is designed to be effective in treating select radio-resistant tumors.
Elekta teams in Japan and the United States (St. Louis) worked with Mitsubishi Electric to implement the NIRS (National Institute of Radiological Sciences) new dose calculation engine into Mitsubishi Electric's particle dose calculation server. This server was then interfaced with XiO by both teams.
"The addition of carbon ions to our treatment planning portfolio is a milestone for Elekta," says Roberto Pellegrini, Ph.D., director of treatment planning at Elekta. "It demonstrates our commitment to provide clinicians with the flexibility to integrate state-of-the-art planning capabilities across a wide range of radiation therapy delivery techniques."
About Elekta
Elekta is a human care company pioneering significant innovations and clinical solutions for treating cancer and brain disorders. The company develops sophisticated, state-of-the-art tools and treatment planning systems for radiation therapy and radiosurgery, as well as workflow enhancing software systems across the spectrum of cancer care.
Stretching the boundaries of science and technology, providing intelligent and resource-efficient solutions that offer confidence to both healthcare providers and patients, Elekta aims to improve, prolong and even save patient lives, making the future possible today.
Today, Elekta solutions in oncology and neurosurgery are used in over 5,000 hospitals globally, and every day more than 100,000 patients receive diagnosis, treatment or follow-up with the help of a solution from the Elekta Group.
Elekta employs around 2,500 employees globally. The corporate headquarter is located in Stockholm, Sweden, and the company is listed on the Nordic Exchange under the ticker EKTAb. For more information about Elekta, please visit www.elekta.com.
Source: Elekta
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