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Category: #PlaceCO2lutions
UN HABITAT3 – SDG 11. 7 PUBLIC SPACE GOALS AND CHALLENGES
Key Messages from the Future of Places:
1. People-centered approach to planning
As an arena for public use and social interaction, public spaces are most often developed, managed and maintained by municipal government. If the municipal government adopts a people-centered approach to urban planning, they will more effectively achieve sustainable development. Emphasis needs to be placed on a shared responsibility between community and private entities with regard to the localized planning and maintenance of public space.
2. Inclusive public space for all, particularly vulnerable groups
Attention needs to be given to vulnerable members of the population, including the elderly, the disabled, youth, and low income groups, to ensure their social and political inclusion in the allocation and design of public spaces. Public space has a responsibility to be flexible and open enough to serve a variety of users and uses, ranging from informal to formal settlements. Well-designed public spaces not only contribute to improve the visual and spatial character of a city, but also stimulate and enhance intergenerational, social and economic activities.
3. Public space that respects human scale and behavior
All public space needs to be of a human scale and respond to a variety of functions and patterns of use based on an understanding of human behavior, health, needs, sensibilities and aspirations. Spaces are defined by their shape and the quality of their edges. Simple temporary and tactical interventions can test and promote more permanent changes.
4. A citywide network of connected streets and public spaces
A holistic, evidence-based approach to the city is necessary with attention focused not only on the space itself, but its form, function and connectivity. Streets should serve as multimodal networks of social and economic exchange, forming the urban framework of interconnected public space. Walkability, social interaction, multimodal mobility and accessibility should be supported by a fine-grained block and street network lined with buildings providing amenities and services with a mix of uses and sizes.
5. Economic productivity of public space
Investing in public space can have powerful social, economic, cultural and health benefits. If people are committed to their future in a specific place, they invest more time and capital in that place, which has a positive impact on the local economy and creates a virtuous cycle of economic growth. Public space stimulates the small scale, local and informal economy, as well as generates tax revenue.
6. Access to public space – public and private spheres
In many places there has been a reduction of urban public space, a lack of clear boundaries between the public and private spheres and diminished freedom of expression and movement. The market alone cannot always provide a variety of public and private open spaces. A more nuanced range that provides a variety of open places, including semi-public and semi-private space is needed.
7. Sustainable public spaces that are healthy, safe, resilient, energy-conserving and resource efficient
Public space and the buildings that surround and define it need to be socially, economically and environmentally sustainable. Social sustainability requires security, equity and justice; economic sustainability benefits from affordable capital and operating budgets; environmental sustainability addresses ecological and health issues. These include clean air, water and soil, green micro-climates and the mitigation and adaptation to the Urban Heat Island Effect and Climate Change. Effective use should be made of green technologies and systems. Architecture and urban design that is adaptable and appreciated is cared for and sustained for a longer time.
8. Culture and context of public space
Public space is made unique through cultural and contextual elements that complement and enrich its identity. Spaces should be flexible and respond to the geography, climate, culture and heritage specific to its locality. Public arts can be an effective method for celebrating community identity and belonging in open spaces.
Action and Implementation:
There is a need for action and implementation mechanisms that support and protect public space and its users.
Advocacy and Mobilization
Raise awareness and create movements to mobilize stakeholders in the pursuit to build community. Promotion of discussions, forums, workshops, pop-up projects and public space prizes will further mobilize and increase awareness of and sense of belonging.
Measurement and Monitoring
Establish policy and frameworks at the national level for cities to allocate an appropriate percentage of the land to public space. An inventory of public space assets in a city will reveal the availability of public space typologies, allowing city-builders to address shortfalls and encourage a balance of public spaces throughout a city.
Public Space Financing Solutions
Examination of creative financing solutions such as public land acquisition, conversion of private space to public space or land value capture will be effective in producing greater amounts of economically sustainable public space.
Policies and Legislation for Public Space
Establish policies, legislation, and regulatory mechanisms for the provision, design, management and use of public spaces. Long-term structures, management mechanisms and partnerships at the national, regional and local level can align governments and other stakeholder's interests. Open feedback and accountability mechanisms can ensure two-way discussions among stakeholders.
Empowerment of Marginalized Groups
Set in place processes for the inclusion of all ages, the vulnerable, and the disadvantaged. Establish a legal framework to ensure the inclusion of disadvantaged groups in public space discussion and processes. Special emphasis should be placed on job creation, livelihoods and quality of life for low-income groups.
Tools and Knowledge Management
Establish open-source knowledge management platforms with training workshops, capacity building, tools, best practices, model legislation, statistics, and methodologies for creating and managing public space. Empirical evidence-based research on the practice and theory of public space needs to be made widely available.
Future of Places, Stockholm
Author CarlPosted on 17/07/2015 17/07/2015 Categories #Changemaker, #ClimateAction, #PlaceCO2lutions, #TimeToAct2015, @UNHabitat3, Air Quality, Car-Free Day, Climate Change Centre Reading, Climate change mitigation policy, Congestion, Future, Heat Island, Place.CO2lutions, Placemaking, Post-Carbon Economy, Reading University, SDG, TravelTags #TVB_ClimateChallenge, Climate Change Centre Reading, Congestion, Future, Place.CO2lutions, Placemaking, Reading University, TVB Climate ChallengeLeave a comment on UN HABITAT3 – SDG 11. 7 PUBLIC SPACE GOALS AND CHALLENGES
Rdg 2018 #TheCityWeNeed
Climate Change Centre Reading – CCCRdg strongly advise Reading Council to enroll the green process to become a sustainable place, get on-board the European Green Capital Award! More than 1000 grassroots organisations in Rdg would back the council in forming first non-dividend post-carbon economy net-borough. Every missed opportunity adding up to #climatechange. It is #TimetoAct.
Where's Reading Heading #wrh Rdg CAN!
– Have a well-established record of achieving high environmental objectives.
– Commit to ambitious goals for future environmental improvement and sustainable development.
– Inspire other cities through new ideas, best practices and experiences.
The Commission has launched the search for the 2018 European Green Capital. The award is given to a European city that has demonstrated a well-established record of achieving high environmental standards and is committed to ongoing and ambitious goals for future sustainable development. Cities across Europe with more than 100,000 inhabitants are eligible to apply for the title. ?#?EUGreenWeek? Find out more here:http://ec.europa.eu/…/eur…/launch-of-the-2018-egc/index.html
Author CarlPosted on 12/06/2015 Categories #ClimateAction, #PlaceCO2lutions, #TimeToAct2015, Air Quality, Car-Free Day, Carbon Offsetting, Carbon tax, Climate Change Centre Reading, Climate change mitigation policy, CO2, Congestion, Consultation, EGCA, Future, Green certificates, Greenhouse gas emissions, Media, Place.CO2lutions, Placemaking, Post-Carbon Economy, Press release, Reading, Reading Borough Council, Reading University, Renewable energy, SDG, Sustainable foods, Thames Valley Berkshire, Travel, TVB_ClimateChallenge, Warning/WhyLeave a comment on Rdg 2018 #TheCityWeNeed
Where's Reading Heading?
In August 2014, Reading Museum secured a second round of funding from the Happy Museum Project.
Our new project, 'Where's Reading Heading?' looks at the past, present and future development of Reading. It seeks to provoke debate about how Reading will sustain a growing population and build a successful low carbon economy whilst 'Narrowing the Gaps' between different sectors in our communities.
Current work being led by the University of Reading, Reading UK CIC and Barton Wilmore, through the Reading 2050 initiative, envisages a smart and sustainable future for Reading. This will involve communities coming together to influence how the town will evolve in the decades ahead.
To promote debate the Museum asked Russell Alsop of local production company Ginger & Pickles to make a short documentary film, drawing together the views and knowledge of a widespread group of Reading people. This has included school pupils, academics, local politicians, business people, ecologists, architects, and residents from our local neighbourhoods.
As part of the project, radio style interviews were conducted. Within them are many views and learnings from experts and active citizens which enabled the film-maker to shape the documentary. You can listen to these on the museum's SoundCloud (follow the link at the bottom of the page).
We hope our 'Where's Reading Heading' film may encourage you to get involved.
The organisations that took part in the film-making process include:
Reading International Solidarity Centre (RISC)
Berkshire Local Nature Partnership (LNP)
Greater Reading Environmental Network (GREN)
Nature Nurture
Reading Climate Change Centre
Reading Sustainability Centre
Reading Voluntary Action (RVA)
The Walker Institute, Reading University
Each of these local organisations provides opportunities for Reading residents to become active in initiatives influencing Reading's future environment. Click on the links below to go to their websites and find out more – the LNP and GREN sites also include directories of other local groups.
Source: Reading Museum • Where's Reading Heading?
Author CarlPosted on 04/06/2015 04/06/2015 Categories #Changemaker, #ClimateAction, #PlaceCO2lutions, #TimeToAct2015, Air Quality, Car-Free Day, Climate Change Centre Reading, Congestion, Future, Greenhouse gas emissions, History, Media, Place.CO2lutions, Placemaking, Post-Carbon Economy, Reading, Reading Borough Council, Reading University, Renewable energy, Thames Valley Berkshire, Travel, TVB_ClimateChallengeTags #TVB_ClimateChallenge, Climate Change Centre Reading, Congestion, Future, Greenhouse gas emissions, History, Media, Place.CO2lutions, Placemaking, Reading, Reading Borough Council, Reading University, Renewable energy, Thames Valley Berkshire, Travel, TVB Climate Challenge1 Comment on Where's Reading Heading?
Car-Free Days UK participation in the National Climate March, London 7th March
Why CCCRdg has launched a campaign for a national
"Monthly Car-Free Work-Day in the UK".
Reflecting on BBC4´s "Climate Change and Numbers", Climate Change Centre Reading (CCCRdg) has launched in Reading a campaign for a national "Monthly Car-Free Work-Day in the UK";
Following the Deep Decarbonisation route set out for a successful climate agreement in Paris at COP21, CCCRdg hope the National Climate March, London on Saturday 7th will stake out actions necessary to divest from dirty energy that not only adds to already high greenhouse levels but also pollutes the air, our common realm, which directly and utterly affects our health. The right thing to do in order to comply with changing to zero carbon fuels is to slow down our "business as usual" (BAS) behaviour.
With a regular Car-Free Work-Day, can UK take a lead on behaviour change divesting away from fossil fuels? That is the question.
The People's Climate March last September was huge. With around 40,000 people marching in London, 400,000 in New York and many thousands more taking part across the world, together we made history.
2015 needs to be even bigger. The climate talks in Paris this December are crucial if we're going to protect all that we love. Our movement is growing, and we're more diverse and determined than ever before.
Across the UK people are already building change – from divestment of funds which prop up the fossil fuel industry, to front-line communities fighting unsustainable energy extraction and fracking, through to those paving the way for a transition towards a 100% renewable energy future which would bring about an estimated one million new climate jobs in the UK alone.
Meet the CAR-FREE WORK-DAY BLOC on the 7th March to make the link between climate change and switching to zero carbon fuels. Put the climate on the agenda ahead of the 2015 General Elections and the December 2015 Paris United Nations COP21 climate talks.
ATTEND THE CAR-FREE WORK-DAY BLOC RALLY OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT ON 7TH MARCH https://www.facebook.com/events/632679746859395/
How to fins us: The Car Free Days UK Bloc will be under the Protecting Our World theme (No.6) http://www.timetoact2015.org/#!blocs/c7hs Look out for the Orange flag to find the general area -then we'll be there with the CAR FREE DAYS UK BANNER
12.30pm, Saturday 7th March
Lincoln's Inn Fields [map]
Nearest tube: Holborn
Join the facebook group here
Let´s work together to help achieve this, it will be an important step in solving and laying a just and fair developing pathway, switching to zero carbon fuels.
[A regular car-free work-day in Reading and UK could fuel an International monthly Car-Free Work-Day which could be an astonishing example of traffic development and public realm. Reading has great potential to embrace the sustainable pathway and become a British role-model in climate change (the air is our all urban common) to honour a successful climate change agreement taking place in Paris December 2015.]
And together let's continue to power up and celebrate our movement – locally, nationally and internationally – throughout 2015, and beyond
Author CarlPosted on 05/03/2015 05/03/2015 Categories #Changemaker, #ClimateAction, #PlaceCO2lutions, #TimeToAct2015, Blogs, Businesses, Car-Free Day, Carbon Offsetting, Carbon tax, Climate Change Centre Reading, Climate change mitigation policy, CO2, Congestion, Consultation, COP 18, Courses, CSR, Enterprises, Fracking, Future, Green certificates, Greenhouse gas emissions, History, Media, Packaging, Place.CO2lutions, Placemaking, Press release, Reading, Reading Borough Council, Reading University, Renewable energy, Reports, school.CO2lutions, Sustainable foods, Thames Valley Berkshire, Travel, TVB_ClimateChallenge, Warning/Why1 Comment on Car-Free Days UK participation in the National Climate March, London 7th March
Call for Stewards #TimetoAct2015
Ki Price
Call for Stewards
You might have heard of this big climate march we've been working on called Time To Act on 7 March.
It's shaping up to be an exciting day, and as numbers are rising we're all the more grateful for many more helping hands. This march is going to be owned by the people and made by the people, and to that end we we need a team of people that know how to look really, really good in fluorescent yellow. Naturally, you came to mind.
Please come and join me at a Steward Briefing on Wednesday 4 March at the Basil Jelicoe Community Centre (nearest tube Euston) from 6:30 – 8:30 pm.
The address is Drummond Crescent, Greater London NW11
It will be an opportunity for us to break into teams with our Lead Stewards and to get an overview of how we're going to work together on the day, and to answer any questions.
If you haven't done so already please complete the Steward form so we know you're up for it. You don't need to have had masses of stewarding experience before, but you do need to know how to look good in fluorescent yellow. Please ask all your friends.
See you on the 4th, and thanks again!
The Time To Act volunteers team
Author CarlPosted on 02/03/2015 Categories #Changemaker, #ClimateAction, #PlaceCO2lutions, #TimeToAct2015Tags Climate Change Centre Reading, Congestion, Media, Reading UniversityLeave a comment on Call for Stewards #TimetoAct2015
7 MARCH – Join the Car-Free Work-Day Bloc @ Time To Act National Climate March!
In our efforts to motivate as many people as possible to leave the car for a day and join in our Car-Free Days, Climate Change Centre Reading (CCCRdg) has taken a huge lap forward by campaigning for Car-Free Days until the end of the year.
Yes, we are proud of announcing CCCRdg supporting the Join the Car-Free Work-Day Bloc @ Time To Act National Climate March!
BREAKING: Please see our press release below, we hope you will find the piece interesting,
Climate Change – It' s time for decisions now! not waste billions on campaigning.
Join us at the Car-Free Work-Day Bloc on the Time to Act Climate demonstration on 7th March!
Learn about the fossil fuels problems, that causing climate change in our local community and further afield, and what we in the local community are doing, and can do to help tackle such matters.
2015 CHANGE will honour the 2-degree Celsius limit as a limit to safeguard the world environment in Togethernessship 😉
@CCCRdg PRESS RELEASE
BREAKING: CCCRdg has launched a campaign for a national "Monthly Car-Free Work-Day in the UK" http://media1.tvb-climatechallenge.org.uk/2015/02/CCCRdg-Press-Release_Climate-Change-Centre-Reading55.pdf #MyCarFreeDaysRdg #UK
A regular car-free work-day in Reading and UK could fuel an International monthly Car-Free Work-Day which could be an astonishing example of traffic development and public realm. Reading has great potential to embrace the sustainable pathway and become a British role-model in climate change (the air is our all urban common) to honour a successful climate change agreement taking place in Paris December 2015.
Author CarlPosted on 16/02/2015 05/03/2015 Categories #Changemaker, #ClimateAction, #PlaceCO2lutions, #TimeToAct2015, Blogs, Businesses, Carbon Offsetting, Carbon tax, Climate Change Centre Reading, Climate change mitigation policy, CO2, Congestion, Consultation, COP 18, Courses, CSR, Enterprises, Fracking, Future, Green certificates, Greenhouse gas emissions, History, Media, Packaging, Place.CO2lutions, Placemaking, Press release, Reading, Reading Borough Council, Reading University, Renewable energy, Reports, school.CO2lutions, Sustainable foods, Thames Valley Berkshire, Travel, TVB_ClimateChallenge, Uncategorized, Warning/WhyTags #TVB_ClimateChallenge, Blogs, Businesses, Carbon tax, Climate Change Centre Reading, Climate change mitigation policy, CO2, Congestion, Consultation, COP 18, Courses, CSR, Enterprises, Fracking, Future, Green certificates, Greenhouse gas emissions, History, Media, Packaging, Place.CO2lutions, Placemaking, Press release, Reading, Reading Borough Council, Reading University, Renewable energy, report, sweden, Thames Valley Berkshire, Travel, TVB Climate Challenge, Warning/Why1 Comment on 7 MARCH – Join the Car-Free Work-Day Bloc @ Time To Act National Climate March!
Time To Act!
National climate march, London
The peoples Climate March last September was huge. Around the world hundred of thousands took to the streets and together made history.
2015 needs to be even bigger. The UN climate talks in Paris this December are crucial if we're going to protect all that we love. So far the pledges on the table are nowhere near enough.
Across the UK people are already building change – from divestment of funds which prop up the fossil fuel industry, to frontline communities fighting unsustainable energy extraction and fracking, through to those paving the way for a transition towards a 100% renewable energy future which would bring about an estimated one million new climate jobs in the UK alone. We know what needs to be done, the solutions are here now. Climate has got to be at the top of every politician's agenda.
The movement is growing, and we're more diverse and more determent than ever before. Join us two months before the election for a mass demonstration and wake-up call.
Sign up in our Car-Free Work-Day Bloc march on the 7th March to make the link between climat change and switching to zero carbon fuels. Put the climate on the agenda ahead of the 2015 General Elections and the December 2015 Paris United Nations COP21 climate talks – https://www.facebook.com/events/632679746859395/
Now is the time to act.
Author CarlPosted on 05/02/2015 05/02/2015 Categories #Changemaker, #ClimateAction, #PlaceCO2lutions, #TimeToAct2015Leave a comment on #TIMETOACT2015
Reading and UK Petition – Monthly Car-Free Work-Day #TimeToAct2015 #MyCarFreeDaysRdg
Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport Committee
Local Transport Plan (LTP3)
Civic Offices
RG1 7AE
Subject: Reading climate change air-pollution strategy and monthly Car-Free Work-Day
Reading should get on board a monthly car-free work-day!
As part of a car free day every motorised vehicle should be forbidden in the whole of the Regional area; with the exception of public transport, emergency services, buses and minibuses, taxis and public vehicles of authority (office, transfer of funds, collection of garbage). Certain people can for exceptional reasons benefit from passes delivered by the municipality.
A car free day is the opportunity to make motorists more aware of the environmental impact of pollution and allow better use of public space.
Air quality is important for our health, quality of life and the environment. Air pollution is harmful to human health, plants and animals, and also corrodes materials and buildings.
Air Quality Monitoring Data
Air Quality: Frequently Asked Questions
Controlling Sources of Pollution
How Air Pollution Can Affect Your Health
Local Air Quality Management
Smoke Nuisance
We Can All Help to Reduce Air Pollution
An effective transport system is fundamental to building sustainable and thriving local communities. The challenge is to minimise transport's contribution to green-house gas emissions, through reducing the need to travel, encouraging the use of more sustainable modes of transport and alternative energy sources, and reducing congestion
Develop a transport infrastructure which supports more low carbon travel options for people in Reading
By developing a friendly pedestrian/cycling infrastructure such as bridges, premier cycle routes. By supporting electrical charging stations for electric vehicles and introducing more cycle hire
Encourage non-car travel for all sectors of the population, through targeted advice, incentives and enforcement
By promoting and helping to develop personalised travel planning, introducing incentive schemes like a monthly car-free work-day and increasing enforcement on parking and bus lanes
Reduce energy use and 'embodied energy' in transport infrastructure
By better control of lighting and use of low energy lighting. Reducing unnecessary lighting of street furniture
Manage transport infrastructure and services to prepare for climate change
By developing infrastructure appropriately given the changing climate, reallocating space for public transport and cycling and introducing smarter ways to manage congestion and speed, e.g. with social media and best practice road layouts and divest from fossil fuels
Reduce the air pollution from vehicles
By supporting relevant technology and car-pooling schemes, expanding park and ride system and supporting charging sites for electric vehicles in our sharing economy
Overall we fully agree with the "Outline Development Framework- Reading Air Quality", however we believe a Reading monthly car-free work-day is a perfect opportunity to build upon London's success with their clean air initiative, and create Reading's own sustainable pathway route for its citizens. We would like to put forward this idea to Reading Borough Council of using the site Reading's Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) during the period of 2015-2020 as a functional space to let local community groups use street space as a sustainability hub to promote Reading to becoming a greener place to live and work in. The "monthly car-free work-day" will promote various green project solutions and can also be a testing facility for monitoring and analysing local community for the council.
We hope a car-free work-day will lead to a change in behaviour, enabling the community to work towards becoming a zero-emissions society.
A regular car-free work-day in Reading could fuel an International monthly Car-Free Day which could be an astonishing example of traffic development and public realm. Reading has great potential to embrace the sustainable pathway and become a British role-model in climate change (the air is our all urban common) to honour a successful climate change agreement taking place in Paris December 2015.
On behalf of the Climate Change Centre Reading (CCCRdg), as Reading's leader in the green movement against climate change, we would like to ask you for your consideration of our proposed project to help drive Reading's bid for a monthly "Car-Free Work-Day".
This is an event that has been held in cities around the world, with areas being closed off to cars thus encouraging people to use more sustainable forms of transport, such as walking, cycling or public transport. The event challenges people to:
Spend one day without the use of a car
Observe the difference this makes to their locality
Reflect on how car use can be reduced permanently
This will help us to achieve our aims of reducing air pollution, developing sustainability and increasing Reading's green credentials through:
Encouraging people to find alternatives to car use
Reducing emissions / pollution
A Car-Free Work-Day has the potential to improve the quality of life in Reading through a reduction in traffic, and therefore noise and pollution, and also make people more aware of how their own actions impact on the environment. It will also increase Reading's chances of enrolling for the European Green Capital Award in the future.
We want to strive for community usage of the streets in order to preserve its heritage qualities but also as a sustainable landmark for the future.
Balanced and mixed use of our public space between integrated interest groups; people, bikes, public transport and cars is a kind of damage control, keeping the new agenda safe and sustainable. Especially regarding the cars' use of the public realm, which is still 80% of street space (if you design mixed use streets you design a healthy city). This high percentage for car use needs to drop dramatically to cope with future challenges. For instance if urban neighborhoods could interact and agree (Empowered interconnection) to regular car free days on, life in our citizen communities would improve considerably.
Our main aim is to bring together businesses, the local community, the Government and those who want to learn about Climate Change, in order to create collaborative momentum to reduce CO2, find new solutions to commuting, increase remote working and develop sustainability in the Thames Valley Berkshire, and beyond.
We hope after the first year trial the Reading Borough Council, who have already evaluated future usage of streets as a historic move and i.e. permanent decision for the Thames Valley Berkshire area, will take action and actually do something that will lead us and a small part of the UK in to new pathway for a shift away from fossil fuels promoting the Reading area as one front leaders in traffic development of turning into city status for 2020 and forth coming…
This brilliant illustration shows how much public space we've surrendered to cars
There are very good reasons to hold community street events in a traffic-free street:
Making use of the space that a car-free day provide~ Boris Johnson
Streets are open and 'owned' by everyone and so very accessible
Communities normally suffering from traffic can be opened up
Neighbourhood shopping centres can be revitalized by a traffic-free event
They provide new sites for local street markets which are very popular
Once the traffic is cleared the space opens new possibilities for community activities, particularly in areas needing regeneration – their image can be improved. Communities of different ethnic origins sometimes use streets in different ways, drawing on their own culture.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your consideration and invite you to consider future meetings with us or events to discuss from a business perspective the challenges set out in new agenda of curbing CO2 emissions and contribute to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC´s proposed reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2050, necessary if the world is to achieve and to stay below the 2degree target.
Climate Change Centre Reading (CCCRdg)
17 Newbury Close
Charvil
www.CCCRdg.org.uk
Contact No: 07447 934700
Note: Clean Air in London builds public understanding of poor air quality but does not provide advice
CAL 186 About_environmental SCIENTIST April 2013_Air Quality
CAL 186 EA letter to Sutton re SWLI 091112_redacted and reduced file size
CAL 186 10 steps_Smog hospitalisations
CAL 208 Presentation to Public Health Presents 271112_Benefits slide only
http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/jan/31/air-activists-social-media-pollution-city
– See more at: http://cleanair.london/solutions/10-steps-for-clean-air-in-london/#sthash.wS9LAHB5.dpuf
Author CarlPosted on 05/12/2014 24/09/2015 Categories #PlaceCO2lutions, #TimeToAct2015, Climate Change Centre Reading, Climate change mitigation policy, Congestion, Future, Place.CO2lutions, Placemaking, Thames Valley Berkshire, Travel, TVB_ClimateChallengeTags #TVB_ClimateChallenge, Climate Change Centre Reading, Congestion, Future, Place.CO2lutions, Placemaking, Reading Borough Council, Reading University, Thames Valley Berkshire, Travel, TVB Climate Challenge2 Comments on Reading and UK Petition – Monthly Car-Free Work-Day #TimeToAct2015 #MyCarFreeDaysRdg


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Seven Tawau teens accused of rape allowed bail to sit for SPM
KOTA KINABALU: The police will not extend the remand of seven students who were detained in connection with a rape case in Tawau, which will allow them to sit for the Sjil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations.
The seven boys, all aged 17, were arrested up on Friday (Nov 15) after a report was received about the rape of a Form Two student.
"The victim has been sent to the district hospital to undergo a medical check-up.
"Since the case have been solved and all suspects apprehended, the police will not extend their three-day remand.
"They will be allowed police bail to enable them to sit for the SPM examinations which ends on Nov 28," said Tawau district police chief Assistant Commissioner Peter Umbuas on Sunday (Nov 17).
He said the police are collecting evidence before proceeding with charges in court.
The victim, a 14-year-old girl from the same school, was found crying at around 11am on Friday (Nov 15) by a teacher.
She claimed two boys had raped her while another four forced her to perform oral sex on them.
Another suspect was watching while the incident happened at a switch room in the school.
The teacher alerted the victim's mother, who then filed a police report at 3.30pm on the same day.
The case is being investigated under Section 375B and 377A of the Penal Code for gang rape and carnal intercourse against the order of nature.
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Financial Guide
May 18, 2018 What Can You Get for Supporting the Performing Arts?
April 25, 2018 What You Need to Know about Most Performing Arts Center in Singapore
March 30, 2018 How Can Kids Enjoy Their Trip to a Performing Arts Theatre?
Home Entertainment What You Must Know about Performing Arts and Its Branches
What You Must Know about Performing Arts and Its Branches
By Sue Chapman
Comments Off on What You Must Know about Performing Arts and Its Branches
Music, drama, and dance are normally performed in a large crowd of people. This is dubbed as the performing arts. This kind of art is way different from the so-called plastic arts simply because it does not involve several artworks alone which are crafted from materials including paint, clay, metal, and wood. Most of these artworks are created by artists and are displayed in exhibits. Compared to performing arts though in which calls for the presence of artists and yes, this is a requirement.
Needless to say, this type of art is not so foreign to the society. As a matter of fact, it has been around for quite a long time now. It even began centuries ago. This kind of art is typical of most schools all over the world. Thus, it involves a good number of people who have a passion for pleasing the crowd. They do this by showcasing their talents. The artists would normally wear wigs, costumes, footwear, and masks. Furthermore, they can also have other accessories so that they can transform into a different person most especially if they are in front of the crowd in which they perform for.
More about Performers
As said, there are three branches that divide the performing arts – dance, drama, and music. What should be remembered about all of these then? What are their unique differences and characteristics?
Dance – this refers to the movements of the body which is guided by a certain rhythm. To perform a dance is not only intended for the crowd to be indulged and please, this is also a form of expression most especially of the sentiments of the performers. This is also a way to show the different types of culture in which the individual has. This even tells about the history of a particular place. It may be in various forms: dance, ballet, among others.
Drama – this art is usually about acting, which is done in front of people. In here, the performers would act out in a particular story so that the audience may be entertained. For the best performance, this is typically combined with music, dance, acting, sound speeches, and many other elements that may engage the crowd even more.
Music – music encompasses the notion that it is only about musical instruments or sounds. It also involves the people who play the instruments, alongside with the voices of those who are singing. Music began many years ago and the rest was history. What makes music complete? There are four-pitch, dynamic, rhythm and timbre. These are crucial for this kind of art to flourish.
Needless to say, each and every branch of performing arts has a role to play in the world of entertainment. This would always get the interest of many people, that they are so invested in it so much. This is a chance to showcase most talents an skills. It is also a good way to let the world know that there are various things that the performers may do and offer.
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3.96kWp Solar PV System: Hopton Wafers, Shropshire
This 3.96kWp Sharp solar PV system was installed onto this stable building in Hopton Wafers. The array fits perfectly on the roof in a symmetrical array of 22 panels. The system is expected to generate 3,300kWh's of electricity free of charge every year, and will save a total of £1,800…
22nd December 2010 eco2solar Projects, Uncategorised Domestic, Solar Panels, Solar PV
Solar PV: Alvechurch, Redditch
Eco2Solar installed two systems to this attractive barn conversion in Alvechurch. The positioning of the arrays on the roof fit perfectly with the dimensions. The Sanyo modules also blend in well with the slate tiles on the roof, keeping their appearance as unobtrusive as possible. When the Renewable Heat Incentive…
15th December 2010 eco2solar Projects, Uncategorised Domestic, Solar Panels, Solar PV, Solar Thermal
Wolverhampton University goes "Green" in the Snow!
Eco2Solar recently completed a large solar thermal system at Wolverhampton University during December 2010. Even with all the heavy snow, our installers were still able to press on with the installation so that the University can benefit from free heat as soon as possible. The system comprises of eight Strebel…
10th December 2010 eco2solar News, Uncategorised


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A Conversation with Elif Shafak
1st May 2019 · Articles & Interviews by: Vikas Shah MBE
The written word is a superpower, it allows to time-travel, to seek knowledge and perspective, to enter the mind of another, to experience the greatest and worst of humanity – and to tell the story of who we are.
"We write for the same reason that we walk, talk, climb mountains or swim the oceans- because we can…" said Maya Angelou, adding that, "…we have some impulse within us that makes us want to explain ourselves to other human beings. That's why we paint, that's why we dare to love someone- because we have the impulse to explain who we are…." (Interviewed in Thought Economics, 2013) This act often manifests as storytelling, something which Yann Martel notes as being, "…the glue that binds us together," adding that, "With no stories—personal, familial, local, national, global—we are nothing; that is, we're solitary animals, dumbly crossing a plain, not knowing where we are going or why. Stories define us, telling us who we are, giving us direction…" (Interviewed in Thought Economics, 2016)
Elif Shafak is an award-winning British-Turkish novelist, and the most widely read female author in Turkey. She has published seventeen books, eleven of which are novels, and has had her work translated into fifty languages. She is a storyteller, and social commentator – holding a PhD in political science, and frequently being called-upon to give her views on the world's most pressing issues.
I caught up with Elif to learn more about her art, her writing, and how literature can change the world.
Elif Shafak is an award-winning British-Turkish novelist and the most widely read female author in Turkey. She writes in both Turkish and English, and has published seventeen books, eleven of which are novels. Her work has been translated into fifty languages. Shafak holds a PhD in political science and she has taught at various universities in Turkey, the US and the UK, including St Anne's College, Oxford University, where she is an honorary fellow. She is a member of Weforum Global Agenda Council on Creative Economy and a founding member of ECFR (European Council on Foreign Relations). An advocate for women's rights, LGBT rights and freedom of speech, Shafak is an inspiring public speaker and twice a TED Global speaker, each time receiving a standing ovation. Shafak contributes to major publications around the world and she has been awarded the title of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres. In 2017 she was chosen by Politico as one of the twelve people who would make the world better. She has judged numerous literary prizes and is chairing the Wellcome Prize 2019.
Q: How did literature come into your life?
[Elif Shafak] I started writing fiction at an early age. I was about 8 years old when I began writing my first short stories. But it wasn't because I was dreaming of becoming a novelist someday. I didn't even know such a thing was possible! There were no published authors around me, no such role models. So, it was a bit like walking in the dark, trying to find your own path, following an instinct without quite knowing why. To me literature was, and still is, an existential need.
Back then, as a child in a conservative, religious neighbourhood in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, I thought life was quite boring. I had no siblings, not many relatives, and after an incident of sexual abuse in the neighbourhood, like many other girls, I wasn't allowed to go out and play on the street. I remember vividly those long afternoons of boredom. I wanted to find a gate to an "elsewhere", to another land, a Storyland. Books and stories have been that gateway for me.
That's why I think it's fair to say that I started writing fiction because I was lonely. I was an only child, a solitary child, raised by a single working mother, which was very unusual at the time in Turkey. Until the age 10, I was with my grandmother, who was an extraordinary, incredibly colourful and compassionate person. Grandma was a healer and her house was full of magic, superstitions, herbs, dangling evil eye beads and coffee cups waiting to be "read". I would watch all of these with a sense of wonder. She showed that words had power.
When I look back at my own literary journey, I realise two things. Firstly, I was always an avid reader and I read both from the East and West. Secondly, I have way too often felt like "the other." Even in my motherland, I did not quite fit in. I never did.
This is partly because I was born in France, Strasbourg. After my parents separated, my father stayed in France and remarried. Meanwhile, my mother brought me to Turkey. So I grew up with two women and no father. That, too, was a bit unusual.
For my mother, Turkey was, no doubt, the motherland, where we belonged. For me, it was a totally new country that I had to discover from scratch. Thus we arrived at the house of Grandma in Ankara—a very conservative, patriarchal, inward-looking environment. Here I felt like an outsider, clinging to the edge of the society, trying to understand its ways, observing, observing.
Then around the time I was 10 years old, my mother became a diplomat, and she and I travelled quite a bit afterwards: Spain, Jordan, Germany. I went to international schools and learned other languages.
In my early twenties I moved to Istanbul on my own, passionately believing the city was calling me and as a writer this was where I should write and publish my books. But Istanbul—which I think is a She-City—was a difficult lover. After many years of writing and publishing, I moved to Boston, Michigan, and then Arizona, Tucson. Then I returned to Istanbul with a longing, and then left it for good and moved to London. This state of continuous exile is one that I find difficult to explain to other people but it's who I am. Life was always peripatetic. I am a nomad—intellectually, physically, spiritually. A commuter, in the words of James Baldwin. Literature gave me a sense of continuity, coherence; it kept my pieces together. It helped me to connect even when I felt like I didn't quite belong. That's why, when I say books can save us; books can be our dear friends, our amazing teachers, our loyal companions of the road, I really mean it, because it happened to me.
Q: How can fiction and storytelling broaden our lives?
[Elif Shafak] Well, I want to give an example, if I may. I was a high school student in Turkey, (having returned from Spain) when I read for the first time The Bridge over the Drina by Ivo Andric—the Yugoslav novelist, and back then, there was a Yugoslavia of course.
Until then, at school in Turkey, I had swallowed the nationalistic version of history in the textbooks. I had learned that the Ottoman Empire was a mighty, glorious empire, and we had brought justice and civilization and kindness wherever we went. The people of the lands we conquered should be grateful to us because we were a superior civilization and stronger military force and helped them to develop themselves. Classic narrative! But this official version of history was the only narrative I had heard as a student. But then as I was reading this novel by Andric, because I loved novels, and I found a scene in which two peasants in the Balkans were talking about the Janissaries—the Ottoman army. One of them says thanks to the Ottoman system, poor boys across the Balkans could get educated, and provided they were bright and successful they could even become viziers! They could go all the way up the social ladder, earn riches, power and prestige.
But the other peasant says because of the Janissary system people suffered enormously. These boys were taken from their families by force, converted to Islam without their consent. They never saw their mothers again. They were forced to erase their identities, forget their language, forget their memories…. How could this be a just system?
So here I was reading this dialogue and suddenly a window opened in my mind. I understood what the novelist was trying to do. There is no such thing as History with a capital H. There are histories, multiple stories waiting to be told, researched, understood and appreciated.
"The story" changes depending on who tells it. The Janissary system that I had learned to be proud of at school as a Turkish citizen had brought pain and misery and injustice to so many people throughout the centuries. But it also had its positive aspects, so the truth was complicated, multi-layered and it was only via fiction that we could grasp this complexity in a nuanced, human way. What politics couldn't say and left silent, fiction could tell.
This is why literature is so important. It takes us out of our comfort zones and pushes us to see the issues from various angles. Fiction is an intellectual exercise. We all exercise—or at least want to— to take good care of our bodies. But how do you take care of the mind? Stories help us to develop cognitive flexibility, strengthen our epistemic muscles. It is an intellectual growth but also a spiritual one. It changes us deep inside. Stories rehumanize those who have been dehumanized. They help us to understand that there is no "us" versus "them", and that "The Other" is, in fact, my brother, my sister; the other is me.
Q: Can fiction and storytelling counter ingrained narratives around gender, sexuality, race, etc?
[Elif Shafak] The writer is alone when s/he is writing, the reader is alone when s/he is reading. When we read a novel we retreat into an inner space, we journey within. At least for a few hours, we are not part of a collective identity. We are just a human being reading about another human being. This bond is precious.
Societies like Turkey are divided into tribes. Collectivistic, tribal entitites fail to coexist. Collectivistic identities erase individuality. It is not a coincidence that authoritarian ideologies depend on "crowds"—masses, collectivities chanting in unison with synchronized energy. This is how we lose individuality.
What novels do is to turn the tide and restore our individuality in such a way that we can reconnect with our fellow human beings.
Q: What is the role of cultural diversity in building a strong nation?
[Elif Shafak] Populist demagogues like to claim that "sameness" will bring "safety". That is an illusion, if not a downright lie. Whether we like it or not, all of us, everywhere in the world, we are far too interconnected to assume that simply by raising walls we can avoid the problems of other people. It doesn't work like that—not anymore. Therefore, it is a better and wiser approach to encourage internationalism. To work together as an international community. To collaborate. We have major challenges as humanity—terrorism, environmental crisis, food shortages, refugee displacements…. These are massive issues we can only and only solve if we work together across nations. But the political tide at the moment is the opposite: tribalism, insularity, isolationism…
Turkey lost its diversity and by losing this, we have lost a lot. Not only economically or politically, but also, I believe, something in our conscience was gone. The damage is huge once a society fails to appreciate its own diversity.
We live in an age of entrenched dualities. That is the first thing we need to challenge: binary oppositions. Why should I accept having only two options? Why can't we look for a third way, a fifth way, a tenth way? They are telling us, "you have two options: on the one side is completely open borders, no checks, so anyone can come in, chaos. On the other side are strong walls. Now choose your side. You are either here or there." Well, sorry, I don't have to accept your dualistic thinking. This binary opposition is completely artificial, imposed from above. Rather, we can defend a sensible immigration policy with reasonable security checks and be pro-immigration, pro-diversity, pro-multiculturalism at the same time. Don't believe artificial dualities. Historical epochs that lose their capacity for nuanced way of thinking and arguing will be darker than others. Adorno knew this. He wrote incredibly poignant passages about the importance of nuances. Authoritarianism is the erosion and erasure of multiplicity, ambiguity, pluralism.
Overall, I believe that as human beings we learn from people who are different than us. This is why cities have historically been centres of culture, art, democracy, philosophy. The city, as Richard Sennett said, is the place where you are most likely to meet someone who is different than you, it is "the human settlement where strangers are likely to meet." Societies benefit from movements and migrations just like humanity benefits from inclusiveness and diversity. While we defend these core values whole-heartedly we must also understand the need for national and international security, peace and coexistence. And we can at the same time.
So don't believe the far-right machinery that says "progressives don't even care about these issues; they want to have fully open borders because they don't care about security or social cohesion." That's sheer propaganda.
Q: What can we learn from the populists, isolationists and tribalists?
[Elif Shafak] We can learn a lot. And we must. I like to take Khalil Gibran's words and turn it into a motto for our age. Gibran used to talk about how he learned silence from the talkative, kindness from the unkind… Likewise, we can learn the value of diversity from nationalists, the importance of pluralistic, liberal democracy from populists, the beauty of global solidarity from tribalists.
Today's biggest conflicts are taking place in the field of culture. The biggest clashes are not about economy per se… not about party politics either. The main "battlefield" is culture. This really breaks my heart. Culture, which is the strongest bridge humanity has built to connect with each other across all borders, is now a battlefield. Without understanding this we cannot understand today's antagonisms.
Populists love to divide the society into two camps: the people versus the elite. They like to think of the people as a monolithic camp. That's an illusion. Likewise they identify "elite" with "liberals" and that's a distortion of reality. For populists "elite" has nothing to do with money or power or privilege. It's all about values. So according to them Nigel Farage, a businessman and a politician, the very epitome of 'the establishment" is not elite, but a university student who cannot afford to pay his tuition fee and has liberal values is the elite. Really? Are we going to believe that? I am saying, no. Look at Marine Le Pen, is she not the elite? Lok at Geert Wilders, Steve Bannon, are they not the elite? Of course they are.
The elite can be from various political views: conservative, liberal—and yes, populist. Pareto wrote about this a century ago. He talked about the shift of the elites, calling them lions and foxes. We need to understand that populists, despite all their grandiose claims, have no problem with elitism at all, so long as they are the new elite.
Q: What is the role of philosophy in understanding life?
[Elif Shafak] I find it very important to think carefully about the way we think, the way we "know". The Sufi mystics used to talk about the importance of unlearning—letting go of your truths, your certainties, to accept and understand being a bit confused, a bit lost, a bit perplexed. That's fine. It's better than the totalitarianism of certainty.
So for me, confusion is not necessarily a bad thing. We have forgotten to say "I don't know". We don't say that anymore. If there is anything we don't know, we can google it! That is the ignorance of our age.
I make a triple distinction between "information" and "knowledge" and "wisdom". These are completely different things. The age we are living in is full of information —and misinformation. We tend to think that the more information we have about an issue the better we know it. Actually, it's the opposite. The more information, the less our knowledge. Then wisdom is something else altogether. Wisdom requires emotional intelligence. It requires empathy, knowledge, stories…. I am worried about how we are now divided into epistemic tribes and the gap is widening. If we cannot even agree about what's happening how can we find common solutions. Philosophy both in an ontological and epistemological sense must be a big part of our conversation. But again, I am talking about the kind of philosophy that engages, that practices, that goes beyond the walls of academia.
Q: How important is freedom of speech, and how should we best use it?
[Elif Shafak] I remember an American scholar once told me it was quite understandable for me to be a feminist because I lived in Turkey after all. I said to her I didn't understand why she wasn't a feminist because after all, she lived in the US. She took it as a joke. It wasn't.
I have never understood that geographical duality. It was as if some parts of the world were regarded as "liquid lands", and it was in these places that one needed to fight for human rights and freedom of speech. Meanwhile some other parts of the world—namely the West—were regarded as solid lands, and they were thought to be far beyond such concerns.
In the year 2016 and after, this dualistic view of the world has been shattered to pieces. Now we know that there is no such thing as solid lands versus liquid lands and we are all living in liquid times—as the late Zygmunt Bauman told us. Therefore, we have entered an age in which we all need to be advocates and activists for women's rights and freedom of speech and LGBT rights and liberal pluralistic democracy.
I have taught at different universities and it worries me to see how difficult it has become to defend freedom of speech, on both sides of the Atlantic, especially on university campuses. No platforming, too much emphasis on 'safe spaces', vetoing all speakers with different views… these are not the right way forward.
We can and we should engage with speakers of different world-views. Especially in academia we need a multiplicity of voices and views. This is how we grow. We all need to learn not to be offended easily. This might sound harsh, but when I hear students say they are offended because of what someone said, I tell them "try not to be offended". Practise it. Try challenging the argument intellectually—with facts, words, emotions, intelligence and passion. That's better. As Rumi said, "if you are irritated by every rub, how will your mirror be polished?" We need to be challenged intellectually in order to grow intellectually.
That said, it is also true that we have unprecedented and urgent new challenges in front of us. It's very painful to see how words have become toxic, in some cases lethal. The radio in Rwanda, Facebook in Myanmar…. The alt-right websites that the terrorist in New Zealand followed religiously…. Or the Islamist websites that the terrorist in Sri Lanka have followed…..Digital tech is being increasingly to spread hatred and violence. So for me, the red line is violence.
Words that incite direct violence must be treated as a different category altogether. On this issue we need to act in unison and urgently. We cannot be passive or naive. Tech companies have a huge responsibility and they must stop pretending that they don't.
Q: What are your biggest concerns about society today, and what gives you hope?
[Elif Shafak] You will remember there was so much optimism in late 1990s and early 2000s. Back then the biggest optimists were tech people. Fast forward to this day, we have entered the age of pessimism. This is the age of anxiety, fear, anger, resentment… Whereas I think we need to follow Gramsci's synthesis. He used to talk about the pessimism of the intellect, of the mind and the optimism of the will, of the heart. We need a healthy dose of pessimism to understand what is at stake. Democracies can and do die. From environment to liberal democracy, from LGBT rights to human rights, lots of things of fundamental importance are being endangered today. To understand the dangers will make us more alert and awake citizens. Yet we also need a healthy dose of optimism. And that will come, not from politics or politicians, but it will come from the people, our fellow human beings.
We have entered an age in which we all need to become activists for human rights.
I think faith is way too important to leave it to the religious. Patriotism is way too important to leave it to the nationalists. Politics is way too important to leave it to self-serving career politicians. Environment is way too important to leave it to the whims of the elite. And technology is way too important to leave it to profit-driven tech monopolies. In all these fields and many more, we must become more engaged as citizens of this lonely planet.
Up Next: Storytelling


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Q: How to get sum of array with "for" loop I'm a total newbie in JavaScript. I'm trying to learn it using programming experience in Python...
Let's say there is an array of integers [2,3,4,5]. I want to get sum of all items in it with for loop. In Python this gonna looks like
list_sum = 0
for i in [2,3,4,5]:
    list_sum += i

Result is 14
But if I try same in JavaScript:
var listSum = 0;
for (i in [2,3,4,5])
{
    listSum += i;
}

This will return 00123. Seems that item indexes concatenated in a string with initial listSum value. How to make code works as intended and to get sum of all array items as integer?

A: You are doing wrong for loop syntax. check this : https://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Statements/for

var listSum = 0;
var arr =  [2,3,4,5];
for (i=0;i<arr.length ; i++)
{
    listSum += arr[i];
}
document.write(listSum);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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TRAINING DAY PROCEDURES
If the Ground Closed sign is displayed you must not train on the fields. Sutherland Council has a wet weather line so you can check on the Ground's status: 9710 0105.
NOTE: This wet weather line applies to weekdays ONLY. It does NOT apply to weekends. The Association makes the ruling for weekend games.
GAME DAY PROCEDURES
If the weather is poor then we will endeavour to update the website and our Facebook page with status as early as possible.
TEAM MANAGER'S should call the following people on game day AFTER 7:45am to see if games are on:
* Head Manager (Sat games only)
* Senior's Liaison Offficer (Sun games - AL & 35's)
* Women's Liaison Officer (Sun games - Women)
Please check the website for contact phone numbers. If you have an 8:00 am game you will have to assume the game is still on. Please do not call the clubhouse or the Secretary.
Wet Weather - Use of Kareela Synthetic fields and Beyond
Please click here to read Kareela 2 & 3 criteria for use
As we are all aware, the long established wet weather procedure followed by the SSFA is that if we cannot play all competition games on the fields available we abandon the day - known as a 'Total Washout'.
Last season saw the two Kareela 'All Weather' fields come online, thereby providing the opportunity to play additional games when a Total Washout would have previously been declared. After the success of this initiative the SSFA invited Clubs to include their fields in the 'Plan B' scenario, which was also a success in getting more games played.
This year, we look to expand the 'Plan B' availability of fields and maximise game play for all.
All competition divisions will be 'placed in a hat' and drawn at random to determine which age/ grade will be drawn to play at the Kareela Synthetic fields and other available fields (One list for Saturday, one for Sunday). Once 'drawn from the hat' an age/ grade will no longer be eligible to be 'put back in the hat' for subsequent washed out rounds.
Clubs will be advised of the order that ages/ grades are drawn. For example - First drawn is 21C, second drawn is W16B, third drawn 14B, and so on.
As Round 18 is the first round to be 'abandoned', the ages/grades drawn at random will play Round 18 on the day that a 'total washout' is declared. No other age/ grade will play Round 18 (unless they are also 'drawn from the hat' and another round is a 'total washout') and therefore the Saturday and Sunday publishing of Rounds each subsequent week will remain in synch (and therefore minimise confusion for future rounds).
The two Age/Grades that are at the top of the list will play on Kareela 2 and 3, subsequent age/grades will play on other fields if available.
For example, using the above example of the age/ grades that are randomly determined, if a 'total washout' is called the SSFA will implement the pre-advised draw:
- all 21C Round 18 games will be played on Kareela 2,
- all W16B Round 18 games will be played on Kareela 3,
- all 14B Round 18 games will be played on the first available other field.
- and so on.
- the match times will have been published in advance to Clubs so that for example the 21Cs who were originally kicking off at 2:50PM somewhere else will know that they are now playing at 08:30AM etc.
COST and OBLIGATIONS
As these games will be 'all foreign games' costs associated with use of Synthetic pitches will be shared by all Clubs involved (Council have advised that the charge rate to the SSFA is $30 per hour per field). Also it will be expected that Clubs participating in the first game of the day will setup the field, and last game of the day will pack up the field. All Clubs/ teams using the synthetic fields will be required to comply with the 'Criteria for Use' that has previously been distributed (and is attached).
Should the above occur prior to the 4th round regrading, the Round 18 results will be ignored when comparing to higher/lower grades that may be considered for regrading.
WET WEATHER AND IT'S IMPACT (via the SSFA Executive Committee)
The SSFA Executive Committee (EC) and Clubs share the frustration of players that are impacted by the weather and disappointment that is inevitable when games are washed out.
Sharing some of the challenges that are faced may lead to a better understanding of the process.
Volume of Impact
SSFA have over 17,500 players in the Association, participating in more than 700 matches each weekend, and are the largest football Association of any code within Australia. The logistics of running such a competition is extremely complicated. On a Saturday alone we have games involving nearly 11,000 players, across more than 1,000 teams, in the Shire.
The Council allocates the grounds to Football (Soccer) for only 22 weeks a year and is unable and unwilling to provide any more. After this date for two weeks they remove posts / set up cricket pitches and then Cricket and other sports get the grounds for 22 weeks. Then they do not allocate two weeks before or after Christmas and use another 2 weeks to install posts and fill cricket pitches before we get the winter allocation back. 52 weeks in the year and this is the full 52 split for which we get 22.
Then we use 18 rounds for normal competition and 3 rounds finals and 1 spare week in the finals for a wash out. That's our 22 and as such no spare week let alone weeks to pick up any washed out rounds. The rule book declares that the spare weekend must be kept only for a wash out of a finals game.
The only day we have to play more Football is the Monday of the June long weekend and, if ratified by the General Meeting of Club delegates, we do play that day when the weather permits – but not without acrimony from some participants.
"The Association calls the fields out". This practice ceased many years ago. Each club is now required to contact the designated Association wet weather person by 6:30am on doubtful weekend days – the Club is responsible to make the 'call'. If insufficient fields are deemed playable by the Clubs – that is there is not enough spare capacity to move games on that day after fields are called out – the days play will be 'called off'.
A decision is made day-by day on the weekend and is wholly and solely based upon safety of players – not the need to protect fields, not with a preference to any age group or competition, or any other scurrilous reason.
The SSFA fully supports the club calls on each such a day.
Alternates often suggested
Play Saturday catch up on Sunday….At best the Sunday allocation allows for 30 games to be replayed from Saturday as the rest of the weekend allocation is full with almost another 7,000 players involved in Sunday competitions. If we had 150 games (less than one third of our Saturday games) to catch up one from (1) Saturday it would take five (5) weeks.
Play during the week under lights … we have ten (10) fields with game accredited lights and they can only play two (2) matches per night. So if we stopped those clubs training for a week and run night games on every weeknight it would take just under eight (8) weeks to catch up. Night games require not only significant investment in lighting but also council DA approval with consent of neighbours and that is why they are currently restricted to Lakewood, The Ridge, Gymea, Miranda and Solander where impact on neighbours is limited. Not to mention the challenge of volunteers at night for canteen / ground control and ground marking etc.
Extend the season……see previous comment re limit of 22 weeks of allocation maximum from Council
SSFA Rule 18.D Entire Rounds not Played states that
If a complete round of Saturday and Sunday matches for Round 1 to Round 15 of the competitions is not played for any reason, including weather or ground conditions, the Rounds affected will be redrawn to be played as soon as possible to ensure all teams in competitions with eight (8) teams or less play every other team in the division, including the Bye Round, at least once during the season. This will also ensure teams in competitions with eight (8) teams or less do not play some teams up to three times and others only once or possibly not at all.
If it is necessary to abandon completely any unplayed competition rounds prior to the finals, the E.C. will abandon Round 18 and, if necessary, additional rounds regressively from Round 17 to provide a finals series as covered by Rule 9. A. (c)
The EC and the club officials who make the call to the SSFA deeming the fields playable or otherwise are only in the game to see more football not less. We are constrained and do our best within that for the greater vision of building sporting communities. All this is done by volunteers who love the game. If we had an opportunity to play more football and the potential to catch up lost games – we would!


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Top 10 QMJHL for the 2010 draft
By Kevin Forbes
At the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, four QMJHL players heard their name called in the first round. This equalled the league's second best showing in the opening round in the past 10 years. Looking ahead at the class of 2010, the QMJHL could enjoy another strong year at the draft with a number of talented players ready to pursue their NHL dream.
As is often the case with the QMJHL, the list of top prospects is studded with goaltenders and Import players. Three of the 10 players detailed below man the pipes, while another four players are rookies to the league after being selected in the 2009 CHL Import Draft.
A team of particular interest is the Moncton Wildcats, who have two of the top 2010-eligible skaters in Kirill Kabanov and Brandon Gormley as well as goaltender Louis Domingue.
In alphabetical order, here's a look at some of the top 2010-eligible players in the QMJHL.
Guillaume Asselin, RW
Montreal Junior
A talented forward in his second season in the QMJHL, Asselin has been given big responsibilities as a 17-year-old on the Montreal Junior. With the team starting to reload quickly by trading away veteran players and building for the future, Asselin is an important part of Montreal's plans both now as well as in the future.
Asked to fill the offensive void, Asselin's team-leading 13 goals and 28 points in 35 games are already well on their way to blowing past his rookie totals of 18 goals and 37 points in 63 games. A deft stickhandler with a nose for the net, Asselin needs to continue to round out his game, but his talents are hard to deny.
Maxime Clermont, G
Gatineau Olympiques
It is hard to knock a 17-year-old who is well into his second full season as a starting goaltender for a perpetually strong team in Gatineau. Benefiting slightly from a late 1991 birth date (actually born on the last day of the year), Clermont is already in his third season in the QMJHL and has over 100 starts under his belt.
There is good reason for Gatineau handing the reins to the young goaltender. Quick between the pipes, Clermont has improved steadily since his rookie season and already has three shutouts this year, tied for the league lead. One of the top goaltenders in the QMJHL as a 17-year-old, many are anxious to see just how much better he can get.
Mathieu Corbeil, G
Halifax Mooseheads
At 6'6, Corbeil takes up a large chunk of the net simply by skating in front of it. Another goaltender with a late birthday in 1991, Corbeil struggled as a rookie last season in limited duty for Halifax. After spending time over the off-season on improving his control over his long limbs, he was handed the starting role for the Mooseheads this year.
Though his statistics are hardly eye-popping for a rebuilding Halifax squad, it is his physical tools and where he projects to be as he develops that has many scouts talking. Corbeil has improved significantly since he first stepped onto the ice in the QMJHL and the sky is the limit on where he could go from here. A pair of Defensive Player of the Week honors in November drew much attention and just goes to show how good he can be when he is on his game.
Jakub Culek, C
Rimouski Oceanic
One of the top rookie scorers in the QMJHL as a 17-year-old import selection, Culek is being tasked with helping lead the Rimouski Oceanic, both now and into the future. After hosting the Memorial Cup last season, Rimouski is looking to quickly reload its line-up with Culek and fellow import Petr Straka as two of the key building blocks. Scoring at a point-per-game pace with 9 goals and 37 points in his first 37 games is definitely a good start.
A talented playmaker, Culek has adapted quickly to the North American style of play, helped in part by his impressive size at 6'4. Though his vision and offensive abilities are what gets him noticed, his coach Clem Jodoin prefers to rave about his willingness to learn and how quickly the young Czech has picked up the two-way style that Jodoin preaches.
Louis Domingue, G
Moncton Wildcats
It has to be difficult stepping in to replace the reigning QMJHL Player of the Year, but that was precisely what Domingue was tasked with entering the 2009-10 season with the Moncton Wildcats. With standout goaltender Nicola Riopel (PHI) headed to the pro ranks, Domingue was the heir apparent behind a Moncton squad that is looking to be a contender.
But things haven't gone exactly as planned. Inconsistent play has plagued the positional goalie and as a result, he has played in just one game since the end of November. To make matters worse for Domingue, the Wildcats announced that Riopel will be returning from the pro leagues after Christmas. Saddled with too many goaltenders, Moncton is expected to make a trade. Even if Domingue is chosen to stick around, he will be hard-pressed to get more starts in the second half of the season playing behind Riopel.
Stanislav Galiev, LW
Saint John Sea Dogs
Galiev, who played last season in the USHL, has the good fortune of playing for the top team in the QMJHL, and he plays on a line with Nicholas Petersen and Mike Hoffman, two 20-year-old veterans who under most other circumstances would likely be playing in the AHL at this point. Who wouldn't find success in that environment?
That isn't to say that the young Russian isn't talented. He currently leads all QMJHL rookies with 10 goals and 38 points in 37 games. The top selection in the 2009 CHL Import Draft, Galiev has come as advertised: a wizard with the puck with the ability to thread a pass or score a goal through holes that no one else can see. Playing for the league's best team only improves his profile.
Brandon Gormley, D
The Moncton Wildcats are thought to have the best defense in the QMJHL. Incredibly, their best overall defender could be 17-year-old Gormley. Forcing his way into big minutes as a 16-year-old rookie, Gormley plays a solid game on all three zones of the ice. Mature beyond his years, he is rarely rattled and his poise with or without the puck rivals that of the top defenders in the league.
After scoring seven goals and totalling 27 points in 62 games as a rookie, Gormley's six goals and 23 points in 33 games this year puts him on pace to blow past his first-year totals as he continues to inch up the defensive scoring ranks. Thought to be one of the top defensive prospects in not just the QMJHL but also the entire 2010 draft class, Gormley was invited to Team Canada's World Junior selection camp this year.
Brandon Hynes, RW
Victoriaville Tigres
It would be easy to look at Hynes and discredit him due to his slight 5'9 frame. Judging from his offensive totals, maybe that's what opposing defenders are doing when they see the Newfoundland native come down the ice with the puck. But Hynes has continually proved the doubters wrong and it is hard to deny his offensive totals.
One of the youngest players eligible for the 2010 draft, Hynes potted 18 goals and had 29 points in 60 games as a rookie last season, including an impressive 10 markers on the power play. Already this season, he has blown past those totals with 20 goals and 39 points in just 37 games, catapulting him up the QMJHL scoring ranks. While he still has plenty to work on, Hynes is a perfect example of good things coming in small packages.
Kirill Kabanov, LW
It's been a season of frustration for the highly-touted Russian sniper. First, a disagreement between the Russian Hockey Federation and the CHL, which led to an IIHF ruling over where Kabanov would play the 2009-10 season, caused him to miss the beginning of the season in Moncton. After playing just 11 games with the Wildcats, Kabanov then suffered a wrist injury that has kept him out of the line-up since.
Scheduled to be back in February, Kabanov showed a glimpse of his talent in the few games he did play. He potted five goals and 14 points, including a four-point game. Thought to be one of the top talents eligible for the 2010 draft, it remains to be seen how these setbacks will affect his draft standing. His skill may be undeniable, but he needs to be able to showcase it.
Petr Straka, LW
Paired with fellow Czech Culek, Straka's game dovetails nicely with his fellow 2010 eligible. Where Culek's game is all about vision and playmaking, Straka, the better skater of the two, has been able to consistently send Culek's pretty passes to the back of the net.
With 18 goals and 33 points in 34 games for Rimouski, Straka leads not only the Oceanic but also all QMJHL rookies in goals. A sniper, Straka is also learning to round out his game from Clem Jodoin and has adapted quickly to the North American style of play.
Other Notables
Michael Bournival, C
Shawinigan Cataractes
Samuel Carrier, D
Lewiston Maineiacs
Jerome Gauthier-Leduc, D
Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
Adam Janosik, D
Adam Polasek, D
PEI Rocket


Businesses are invited to the Workforce Training Fund Program Information Session that we are hosting at the MassHire Metro North Workforce Board in Cambridge on Tuesday, Feb. 26th from 8:30am-10:30am.
Note: All Massachusetts for-profit businesses, and those non-profit businesses who pay Unemployment Insurance on a quarterly basis contribute to the Workforce Training Fund and are eligible for this training. If you are aware of any businesses who want to attend, please be sure they understand the eligibility criteria and advise that they check with their payroll department if they are unsure. For further eligibility questions, contact wtfp@commcorp.org.


However this does not seem to be possible. Furthermore, it's not feasible for us to create one view per layer type, as there may be may dozens of these defined in the data bucket. The query, however, will likely only test against a small handful. Therefore, the only solution I have found so far is to encode the layer name numerically, include a 3rd dimension to the start_range and end_range, and make multiple queries.
Is there a better approach? Is there a way to partition data buckets to make such queries simpler? Alternatively, is there an efficient N1QL approach?


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IDEAS / Bill Meacham : Fellow Primates / 2
Posted on August 28, 2012 by Thorne Dreyer
Bonobos, like chimps, show empathy, theory of mind, and targeted helping. Photo by Dan Caspersz / Bush Warriors.
Fellow primates / 2
Being related genetically to both chimps, who settle sexual issues through conflict, and bonobos, who settle conflict issues through sex, we have the capacity for both.
By Bill Meacham | The Rag Blog | August 28, 2012
Last time we talked about chimps, who can be pretty nasty. But we are genetically related to bonobos just as much as to chimps.
Among bonobos females dominate, not males; there is no deadly warfare; and they enjoy enormous amounts of sex. This may well have to do with their richer supply of food; there is far less need for competition for it. Bonobos have lots of sexual contact with each other, in all combinations of genders.
There is more of it in captivity, but frequent sexual activity has been observed in the wild as well. Females are sexually receptive for long periods of time, much longer than female chimpanzees. When different bands meet there is initial tension, but no vicious fighting; instead, individuals have sex with each other.(1)
Sex seems to be a way to defuse tension in advance of potential conflict, particularly over food. But anything, not just food, that arouses the interest of more than one bonobo at a time tends to result in sexual contact. After a flurry of sex, the apes settle down to eat or investigate whatever has piqued their interest. Bonobos are not "sex-crazed apes" as the popular press would have it. For bonobos, sex is just a natural and common part of life.
Bonobo bands are hierarchical, but the hierarchies are dominated by females, who enforce their status non-aggressively by cultivating alliances. High rank provides food for the females and their families, males included. Males derive status from their mothers. There is no competition among males for sex, as it is plentifully available.
Bonobos, like chimps, show empathy, theory of mind, and targeted helping. Once, when the two-meter moat in front of the bonobo enclosure in the San Diego zoo had been drained for cleaning, several youngsters climbed down into it. When the keepers went to turn on the valve to refill the moat with water, an old male, Kakowet, came to their window screaming and frantically waving his arms.
He knew the routine, and knew that the children were in danger (bonobos cannot swim). The keepers went to see what was wrong and rescued the youngsters.(2) Clearly, Kakowet had envisioned what was about to happen and cared enough to try to stop it. Fortunately, he succeeded.
Apart from the obvious superiority of human intellect, including language and culture, humans differ from both chimps and bonobos in reproductive strategy. Only the dominant chimp males get to reproduce, and the male sometimes enforces his own lineage through infanticide. Among bonobos all males reproduce, but there is no way to tell who is the father of any given child. Infanticide is unknown, probably for that very reason. Children are enjoyed and cared for by the whole tribe.
Humans have quite a different strategy for reproduction. We bond in pairs, creating a nuclear family that ensures resources for children, and the father is very much involved in child care: humans have high male parental investment. Sexual exclusivity ensures that every man has the potential to reproduce and that he knows which children are his.
This arrangement allows males to cooperate in groups away from the females without fear of being cuckolded. There is some plausible speculation that this arrangement is fairly recent, arising only when humans adopted the technology of agriculture.(3) Quite possibly our pre-agriculture hunter-gatherer ancestors were more like bonobos, having multiple sexual partners.
Bonobos were recognized as a separate species less than 100 years ago and began to be fully documented less than 50 years ago. Before that time, many ethologists and anthropologists believed that humans were innately violent and aggressive. Morality, it was thought, was a veneer of cooperative sociality on an underlying bestial nature.
Now that we know about bonobos, the range of human behavioral potential seems to have expanded. We recognize that we too have the capacity to live in peace and to defuse conflict proactively with pleasure. In addition, male dominance seemed a natural part of things until the discovery of bonobos; now we see that dominance by females may be equally natural.
Two things stand out from this comparison of species. First, our difference from chimps and bonobos is a matter of degree, not kind. There are few, if any, uniquely human traits that chimps or bonobos do not have to a lesser degree. We are embedded in nature and are not a species unique and special.
The one trait that seems most unique is the cultural, not biological, innovation of nuclear family pair bonding. If we think of concern for others as a fundamental building block of morality (another is a sense of fairness in reciprocity), it is clear that even morality is not a unique feature of our species but an outgrowth of capabilities that have far older evolutionary roots.
So when we observe our fellow humans jockeying and posing to gain status, or consoling each other when they are in trouble, or forgiving each other after a dispute, or throwing a party, or sharing food to build bonds and defuse tension, or being suspicious of those who are different, or vilifying an enemy, or generously giving aid to the unfortunate, or hundreds of other hominin behaviors, we should realize that these are not uniquely human practices but are instead embedded in a great chain of life that stretches back many millions of years.
Second, humans have the capacity to amplify the characteristics found in our sibling species. Humans have greater brain size and intelligence, so we can do more effectively all the things our siblings can.
Our use of tools and technologies enables us to produce food in more variety and abundance. In fact, there is some plausible speculation that learning to cook was a turning point in our evolution, as cooked food provides more calories than raw, calories that could support the growth of larger brains.(4)
Our use of language enables us to communicate more effectively and to perpetuate what we learn through culture and art. Chimps and bonobos seem to be able to conceptualize that something not happening in the present will happen later, but humans have a greatly enhanced ability to visualize and anticipate the future.
Disputes among humans often take the form of wars and feuds, but we are capable of sophisticated negotiation and diplomacy as well. And we can avoid conflict through pro-active peacemaking and compassionate communication. We are better able to cooperate with others outside our own group than chimps or bonobos.
Says Frans de Waal, "[H]umans share intergroup behavior with both chimps and bonobos. When relations between human societies are bad, they are worse than between chimps, but when they are good, they are better than between bonobos."(5)
We humans can be more aggressive but also more peaceful, more competitive but also more cooperative. We are more flexible and have more options than our fellow creatures. We have a great variety of possible behaviors, possible ways of being. And, through our ability to anticipate the future, we have a choice as to which of these we will actualize.
Being related genetically to both chimps, who settle sexual issues through conflict, and bonobos, who settle conflict issues through sex, we have the capacity for both. Being humans, with bigger brains, much richer culture and much wider repertoire of behavior, we get to choose our strategies.
[Bill Meacham is an independent scholar in philosophy. A former staffer at Austin's '60s underground paper, The Rag, Bill received his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin. Meacham spent many years working as a computer programmer, systems analyst, and project manager. He posts at Philosophy for Real Life, where this article also appears. Read more articles by Bill Meacham on The Rag Blog.]
(1) de Waal, Our Inner Ape, pp. 139-141.
(2) de Waal, Primates and Philosophers, p. 71.
(3) Ryan and Jetha, Sex At Dawn, pp. 1-15.
(4) Wrangham, Catching Fire, pp. 14, 112-114.
(5) de Waal, Our Inner Ape, p. 141.
de Waal, Frans. Our Inner Ape. New York: Riverhead Books, 2005.
de Waal, Frans. Primates and Philosophers: How Morality Evolved. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2006.
de Waal, Frans, and Lanting, Frans. Bonobo: The Forgotten Ape. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1997.
Ryan, Christopher, and Jetha, Cacilda. Sex At Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality. New York: Harper, 2010.
Wrangham, Richard. Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human. New York: Basic Books, 2009.
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