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Australian Cancer News
Anti-Cancer Strategies
Hear about the latest on prostate cancer as we give you a collection of medical news, information and resources on prostate cancer from early detection, diagnosis, prevention, treatment and therapies …
World's Most Comprehensive Prostate Cancer Testing Guidelines Released for Public Consultation at 2014 World Cancer Congress
2014 World Cancer Congress: Melbourne Australia. Leading cancer authorities in Australia released the worlds robust set of clinical practice guidelines for maximizing the benefits and reducing the harms associated with the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test for prostate cancer; the second most common male cancer worldwide. These new draft guidelines are expected to inform international opinion and clinical practice regarding PSA Testing.
Professor Mary Gospodarowicz, President of the Union of International Cancer Control (UICC) welcomes the draft guidelines, saying: "The current PSA test is not accurate enough for population screening, yet it remains in widespread use. We need to focus on helping both patients and healthcare professionals understand the risks and benefits of this test to empower them to make more informed choices around screening. We applaud the Australian cancer authorities for taking the lead in developing the strongest set of clinical guidelines seen to date in prostate cancer; developed through a truly multisectoral approach. We expect the final recommendations of this review to clear the current confusions that exist around PSA testing."
The new draft guidelines address risk/benefit concern; it was developed under the auspices of Cancer Council Australia's guidelines unit with funding from Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA). The guide was released for public consultation via a globally-accessible wiki platform, the draft guidelines have been developed by a broad-based Australian Expert Advisory Panel, which included general practitioners, public health experts, urologists, pathologists, patient support groups and allied health professionals. This is the first time anywhere in the world that an expert advisory panel with all key stakeholders and varying perspectives has come together for such a systematic evidence-based review in this area of men's health.
News sourced from:
http://www.heraldonline.com/2014/12/03/6588957/worlds-most-comprehensive-prostate.html
Prostate Cancer Risk Reduced by Having Sex with more than 20 Women
New research published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology shows that men who have sex with more than 20 women during the course of their lifetime have a 28% lower risk; and are 19% less likely to develop the most aggressive form of prostate cancer compared to those who had only one female sexual partner.
Researchers said that it is possible that having many female sexual partners results in a higher frequency of ejaculations, whose protective effect against prostate cancer has been previously observed in cohort studies. Large numbers of ejaculations may reduce the concentration of cancer-causing substances in prostatic fluid or lowering the production of intraluminal crystalloids.
But for homosexuals, they found that having more than 20 male partners doubled the risk of prostate cancer and made an aggressive cancer five times compared to those who have had only one male partner. This increased risk for homosexual men is that there is a heightened risk of picking up a sexually transmitted disease and anal intercourse produces physical trauma to the prostate.
The research found that men, who had never had sexual intercourse, were twice as likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer. The study found that men with prostate cancer were twice as likely to have a relative with cancer, but there is a possible link with their number of sexual partners. But the lead researcher said that, despite the results, she did not see a need for public health authorities to encourage men to have sex with as many women as possible.
News sourced from: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/diet-and-fitness/sex-with-more-than-20-women-helps-reduce-prostate-cancer-study-20141029-11ddnd.html#ixzz3HWJLDJ5p
Steve Hocking gets behind Big Aussie Barbecue to support Prostate Cancer Fund Raising
Champion Geelong Footballer and Cats Commercial Operation Manager, Steve Hocking gets behind "Big Aussie Barbie" to raise funds and awareness for Prostate Cancer. Steve is encouraging everyone to get trackside at Beckley Park for a night of fun, fundraising against the fight of prostate cancer and racing action.
"I'm really happy to be involved with the Big Aussie Barbie, bloke's need to know how serious Prostate Cancer is and how easy it can be prevented by getting checked. It's not a lot of fun but definitely worth it," Steve explains.
Prostate Cancer is the number one diagnosed cancer in Australian men. The chance of developing it increases with age. If detected early, prostate cancer has one of the highest survival rates after diagnosis.
The Big Aussie Barbie helps to raise awareness for prostate cancer.
News sourced from: http://geelong.grv.org.au/2014/09/26/steve-hocking-big-aussie-barbecue-prostate-cancer/
Tomato-rich Diet Reduces Prostate Cancer Risk
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men worldwide. A recent study has revealed that eating a tomato-rich diet could reduce prostate cancer risk by almost one fifth. Researchers from the Universities of Bristol, Cambridge and Oxford examined the diets and lifestyles of men, aged between 50 and 69 with and without the disease. They developed a prostate cancer 'dietary index', comprising of dietary components that have been linked to prostate cancer.
They found that men who consumed more than 10 portions of tomatoes each week – such as tomato juice and baked beans – saw an 18% reduction in risk. Men with optimal intake of the three components – selenium, calcium and foods rich in lycopene – were found to have a lower risk of developing prostate cancer.
Their findings suggest that tomatoes may be important in prostate cancer prevention. Men who ate more than 10 servings of tomato based products per week, compared to those who ate less, saw their chances of having prostate cancer development reduced by 18%. The risk reduction figure for men who ate five or more portions of fruit or vegetables, compared to those who ate less than two and a half portions, was 24%.
Even though they found tomatoes and tomato products did reduces risk, they still advise men to have a variety of fruits and vegetables in their diet to stay healthy and active and maintain an ideal weight.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/08/28/tomato-rich-diet-prostate-cancer-reduce-risk_n_5727780.html
Restoring Intimacy after Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the most dreaded disease by men but most men diagnosed with the disease survived it. Most men treated for prostate cancer suffer a disruption in their libido or sexual function or both that may be temporary or may be long lasting. It is then imperative for couple to communicate openly to be prepared for possible side effects of the treatment. This will enable them to adjust to the physical and emotional impact on their relationship.
The most common treatments for early-stage prostate cancer are: Surgery to remove the prostate gland, radiation from an external beam, or radioactive seed implants. Surgery is most likely to cause long-lasting erectile dysfunction because nerves responsible for an erection are very close to the prostate gland. Surgery cuts the nerve and radiation damages it. Erectile dysfunction and sexual intimacy issues can be challenging to couples.
Tips for Patients and their Partners
Dr. Watter and Morris Psychological Group offer advice to couples embarking on the journey.
Address the challenges as a couple: Loss of intimacy is both the patient and the partner's problem. Partner must accept that things may not be the same as before, both must be willing to explore new intimacy options.
Be persistent – don't expect too much too soon, not every option will work for the couple. Erectile dysfunction solution like medication may not work when nerves have been cut.
Sexual satisfaction is possible without an erection. Orgasm is possible even without erection. Emotional and physical intimacy can be maintained even without orgasm.
Keep the lines of communication open especially during difficult time. Most men can lead long fulfilling lives after prostate cancer. As long as couples are honest about their needs, they still can have satisfying intimate relationships.
News sourced from: http://www.valleynewslive.com/story/26158515/restoring-intimacy-after-prostate-cancer-dr-daniel-watter-with-morris-psychological-group-offers-tips-for-patients-and-their-partners
Prostate cancer risk linked with vasectomies
A new observational study suggests men who undergo a vasectomy may have an increased risk of advanced or lethal prostate cancer. For over 24 years researchers tracked nearly 50,000 men and found those who had vasectomy were about 20 percent more likely to be diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer than those do not had the procedure.
No solid associations were established on the past studies linking vasectomies with prostate cancer because of confounding factors in the research. In the new study they found that 16 men in every 1,000 developed prostate cancer. About one in four reported having had a vasectomy. The result showed the risk of advance prostate cancer increased by 20 percent on men who underwent vasectomy compared to those who hadn't. The researchers also said that the risk of dying from prostate cancer increased by 19 percent.
According to the researchers more work must be done before any strong links can be drawn between prostate cancer risk and vasectomies. Men should talk to their doctors about regular prostate specific antigen screening as they age.
News sourced from: http://www.literock959.com/2014/07/vasectomies-linked-with-prostate-cancer-risk-3/
In Metastatic Prostate Cancer, Drug Combination extends Survival by More than a Year
Published: 4 June 2014
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Eastern Co-operative Oncology Group reported that men with newly diagnosed metastatic, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer lived more than a year longer when they received a chemotherapy drug as initial treatment instead of waiting for the disease to become resistant to hormone-blockers.
Christopher J. Sweeney, M.B.B.S, of Dana-Farber's Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology. Presented the results of the trial at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago. The new trial tested Dr. Sweeney's hypothesis that immediately hitting the cancer with chemotherapy in addition to hormone treatment would impair the tumor cells' ability to repair damage, delaying the development of resistance. The prolongation in survival seen in the prostate cancer patients participating in Dr. Sweeney's study is very impressive, dramatically longer than the typical 2-6 month prolongation typically observed in successful studies of other metastatic adult solid tumors.
The men receiving docetaxel had an average of 32.7 months before the cancer progressed by worsening scan results or symptoms, compared to 19.8 months for hormone therapy alone. The addition of docetaxel not only lengthened survival but delayed disease progression as measured by an increase in prostate-specific antigen (PSA), the appearance of new metastases, or worsening symptoms. Dr. Sweeney said that this study shows that early chemotherapy increases the chances that certain patients with metastatic prostate cancer have a longer time without symptoms from cancer, and also live longer.
News sourced from: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/277666.php
The Creator of the PSA Test Publicly Claims It's Overdone
The standard PSA (prostate specific antigen) test was approved by the FDA in 1994. Millions of men are screened via blood test for the PSA antigen which is created by the prostate gland. The creator of PSA, Richard J. Ablin publicly claims that PSA test was overdone, usually leads to overdiagnosis and may harm more than it helps.
"As I've been trying to make clear for many years now, PSA testing can't detect prostate cancer and, more important, it can't distinguish between the two types of prostate cancer — the one that will kill you and the one that won't." said Ablin
Ablin explains that PSA test merely measures the amount of PSA. Elevated levels of PSA do not necessarily indicate prostate cancer. Because common over the counter medication like Ibuprofen, benign prostate enlargement and infections can also elevate PSA levels.
Gina Kolata of the New York Times cited two studies published in the March 2009 edition of the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine that concluded PSA screening increased mortality.
News sourced from: http://naturalsociety.com/psa-test-prostate-cancer-problematic-says-psa-creator/
Dogs Detect Prostate Cancer VOCs in Urine
ORLANDO, FL – Specially trained dogs, German shepherds accurately detected specific prostate cancer volatile organic compounds in urine samples from patients with varying stages of disease and risk levels in a controlled study. The combined performance of the dogs trained by a dedicated research team using hundreds of urine samples over several months – resulted in 98.1% accuracy, 99.2% sensitivity, and 97.1% specificity.
Interest in tapping dog's potential in medicine has been on the rise. Dogs have a highly sensitive olfactory system, with roughly 200 million olfactory cells in their noses, compared with about 5 million for humans. Research has shown that dogs are capable of detecting epileptic seizure onset, and breast and lung malignancies through the detection of VOCs. In 2010, a small study of 33 patients suggested that dogs could detect prostate cancer VOCs in urine; the current study, in a much larger cohort, confirms those findings.
A promising approach to cancer detection through the analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in urine is increasing and based on the findings of the current study it appears that a rigorously trained canine olfactory system can recognize prostate cancer VOCs, and thus represents a "real clinical opportunity" to reduce unnecessary biopsies and identify patients at high risk for prostate cancer.
News sourced from: http://www.internalmedicinenews.com/home/article/dogs-detect-prostate-cancer-vocs-in-urine/787b3c09675b6001cf0bec7c844b6d31.html
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Q: Linear Transformations
I have no idea how to work this question. Can someone offer some insight?

A: Where is the vector $\vec{x_{1}} = (1,0)$ being sent under $T$?  Where is $\vec{x_{2}} = (0,1)$ being sent?
Do you know why the answers to the above questions basically gives you the answer to the problem?

Update
Recall that every linear transformation $T: \Bbb R^{n} \to \Bbb R^{m}$ has an associated matrix $A_{m \times n}$ such that for any $\vec{x}$, $T(\vec{x}) = A\vec{x}$.  So, we can characterize any linear transformation $T$ by a matrix $M$ such that, to figure out what happens to $\vec{x}$ under $T$, we could just multiply out $A \vec{x}$.
Now, also recall that if $A$ is a $2 \times 2$ matrix, which it is in your example, then multiplying $A$ with the vector $(1,0)$ gives you the first column of $A$.  Multiplying $A$ by $(0,1)$ gives you the second column of $A$.  So, to figure out the two columns of $A$, since $T(1,0)$ is the same thing as $A$ times $(1,0)$, then computing $T(1,0)$ should give you the first column of $A$.  Similarly, $T(0,1)$ should give you the second column of $A$.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Q: Curl Php Returns NULL in browser on I am trying to authenticate to third party ticketing system, connect and retrieve agent info. I then want to parse retrieved file so as to only show specific info such as 'id' and' 'active_since', but I get an NULL error in browser. Any help?
FILE RETURNED BY THIRDPARTY
[agent] => Array
        (
            [active_since] => 2015-11-30T08:09:26-01:00
            [available] => 1
            [created_at] => 2015-05-14T19:15:18+00:00
            [id] => XXXXX
            [occasional] =>
            [points] => 5520
            [scoreboard_level_id] => 5000402007
            [signature] =>
            [signature_html] =>

Below is the PHP CURL code.
 <?php
    $username = "xxxxxxx";
    $password = "xxxxxxx";
    $url = 'http://support.xxxx.com/agents/xxx132067';

    $cURL = curl_init();
    curl_setopt($cURL, CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYPEER, false);
    curl_setopt($cURL, CURLOPT_URL, $url);
    curl_setopt($cURL, CURLOPT_HTTPGET, true);
    curl_setopt($cURL, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, array(
        'Content-Type: application/json',
        'Accept: application/json',
        'header' => "Authorization: Basic " . base64_encode("$username:$password")

    )
    );

    $result = file_get_contents($url);
    // Will dump a beauty json :3
    var_dump(json_decode($result, true));

    $array["active_since"];

    ?>

A: Remove the 'header' => from the Authorization header. And it should be as below:
"Authorization: Basic " . base64_encode("$username:$password")

And I didn't see you are calling curl at all. Replace your file_get_contents with proper curl call.
$result = curl_exec($cURL);
curl_close($cURL);


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28. Mindset Work & Network Marketing with Micah Folsom
Today, I sit down with Micah Folsom, network marketing pro and business coach, to discuss the mindset work that she has been doing and how it has helped in her business and personal life. We discuss everything from the power of making a decision, and the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people.
"Mindset is the most powerful tool that we have in our tool belt" [2:47]
How Micah got into network marketing [3:32]
Most people are unaware that they are even using the mindset principles [9:15]
"The universe has your back" [14:41]
How mindset has impacted Micah's life at home [14:50]
The power of making a decision [22:30]
"There's a difference between hoping or wishing and drawing a line in the sand and deciding" [22:46]
Why community is so important in times of crisis [26:52]
"If I hadn't surrounded myself with people who were where I wanted to go, I wouldn't have known what was possible" [30:23]
The one thing Micah wants you to know about mindset [32:24]
"We have the choice to step into the next level version of ourselves" [33:02]
Follow Micah on Instagram
Visit Micah's website here!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Buy Wilthener Goldkrone Miniature Brandy Liqueur 2cl - 24 Pack Today at Just Miniatures!
Wilthener Goldkrone is one of the most popular and best-selling spirits in Germany.
Carefully distilled according to an old recipe and tradition, and ennobled with a proportion of high-quality wine distillates.
It is pleasurable and harmonious – with a well-rounded bouquet.


Familiar to television audiences for his role as the loveable partriarch Mr Cunningham in Happy Days (1974-84), Bosley achieved a high level of recognition after building experience in theatre and the occasional film. He subsequently starred in other high profile series Murder, She Wrote (1984-88) and Father Dowling Investigates (1987-91).
- Read Tom Bosley's Guardian Obituary.


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Surbourg es una localidad y comuna francesa, situada en el departamento de Bajo Rin en la región de Alsacia.

Demografía

Patrimonio
 abadía de Saint-Arbogast del siglo XI.

Personajes célebres
 Karl-Philipp Roos (1878 - 1940), político regionalista.

Enlaces externos
 présentation de Surbourg sur le site de la communauté de communes du Soultzerland

 Surbourg en el Insee
 Plano de Surbourg en Mapquest

Localidades de Bajo Rin

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


You are here: Home / Activities / Acts of Kindness — Halloween Edition!
This post is sponsored by our friends at Socialstars and Minute Maid as part of the #doingood #minutemaid campaign. All opinions are my own.
A few years ago, during the week of Halloween, I missed attending one of my kid's costume parades at school. It felt like a huge parenting fail. I had planned to go that afternoon, but as the day went on, I became sidetracked and completely forgot about it. When my daughter came off the bus that day, she was understandably disappointed that I was not in the audience. I tried not to dwell on it, but the truth is I felt terrible. It is rare that I would forget to attend an event like that, and if I do, it is because I have been trying to do too many things at once. Like many busy parents, I was putting too much pressure on myself to get Halloween "right" — putting together a creative costume, sending in the perfect Halloween-themed treats for the class party, decorating the house, planning trips to the pumpkin patch, all while juggling my work and business.
There is no way to be a perfect parent, but a million ways to be a good one.
Have you heard this quote before? It rang true for me. Halloween does not need to be elaborate and fancy to be fun. There are so many simple and easy ways to enjoy this time of year with the kids, to bring happiness to your community, and to spend quality time with friends. What's truly important is to find simple ways to connect with others. If you care and worry, then you're #doingood.
If you have paints and brushes on-hand, hosting an impromptu pumpkin painting can be festive and fun for kids of all ages. If it is held outdoors, the clean up process is much easier. Invite a couple of friends to bring their own pumpkin, and maybe a treat to share, but keep it simple.
No time to bake? No problem! These treats are a fun way to dress up s'mores for Halloween, and they are super quick and easy to put together. My kids and I love to package up the ingredients — ghost marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate — as s'mores kits to give to friends and neighbors as a festive surprise!
For kids who enjoy doing art, try taking a few painting or drawing supplies along with you the next time you visit your favorite park. Take advantage of the changing season to be inspired by nature while spending some quality time together outdoors. Painting outdoors has been one of my kids favorite and most memorable activities!
Treat the kids to a fall treasure hunt by going on a nature walk to search for items like: a leaf with smooth edges, a bit of moss, an interesting weed, something that is alive, and more. You can find a free printable fall treasure hunt list here. Print it out, attach it to a clipboard, then visit your favorite park or try to find as many items as you can in your own backyard! Sometimes I pack some apple cider or small cartons of orange juice and popcorn for a simple snack to enjoy afterwards.
5. Halloween Story Time by Flashlight!
The kids and I love to read books together, and story time can be a lot more fun with the help of a flashlight. One night, while the kids were getting ready for bed, I placed a few battery powered candles around their room, gave them some glow sticks, and read not-so-spooky Halloween stories. It was one of their favorite story times ever, and it was so easy to do!
Rake up leaves in your yard into a huge pile and invite the kids to jump in! Another fun variation — create a maze in the yard with leaf trails for the kids to work their way thru.
I'm not much of a baker, so I buy some store bought plain cookies for the kids to decorate as gifts for family and friends. They absolutely love this, and look forward to it every year! Pumpkins, monsters, or ghosts are great for beginners. Taste tasting is not required, although it is highly recommended. After all, it IS Halloween….
What we all have to realize as parents is that Halloween isn't about perfect costumes or well coordinated parties. It's the simple acts of spending time with family and friends while making memories that really matters. Like I said before, If you care and worry, then you're #doingood.
Take a minute during this busy weekend to tell another parent they're #doingood We're parents and we get stressed. Hearing kind words from a friend, a colleague or a neighbor might just be exactly what they need to feel like this holiday was a success no matter what.


text:
GIS Reports
Senior experts
Comment September 2, 2022
The perils of technocratic European integration
Comment by Prince Michael of Liechtenstein
European defense and additional integration are fine goals, but they should not come at the cost of greater centralization.
President Macron and Chancellor Scholz want a more centralized Europe – but that would undermine the Old Continent's most important strengths. © GIS
In 2017 at the Sorbonne, French President Emmanuel Macron gave a much commented-on speech in which he laid out his vision of Europe. In a nutshell, he presented the European Union as a consolidated, national state. It was a blueprint for a large French Republic, with a dominating administration and centralized finances, especially debt. To achieve this goal, he arrogantly proposed a two-track EU that consisted of a core and periphery.
In a similar manner, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz held forth at the end of August at the famous Charles University in Prague, the oldest institution of higher learning in the former Holy Roman Empire.
The EU is the result of a marvelous European integration process. It was primarily designed as a "fatherland of the fatherlands," as former French President Charles de Gaulle called it: a decentralized unit to allow nation-states to integrate in various areas, especially the internal market, which has been so successful. It was also designed to have a lean and therefore efficient European administration.
The integration requirements even forced nation-states to limit their size and involvement in the economy. Austria is a case in point. The country's economy was burdened by oversized administrative principles and large, nationalized businesses. The rules of the European Community compelled Vienna to liberalize. This unleashed the market; many innovative businesses sprung up, helping the alpine country become one of the EU's most prosperous members.
It is only logical that Europeans work together closely to remain competitive globally – and not only in terms of the economy. Europe is a subcontinent with a wide variety of peoples and cultures, but they have one thing in common: a tradition of Christian heritage. The strength of this wonderful area of the world is this combination of diverse cultures and languages that are bound – independent of being religious or not – by their common Christian foundations.
Chancellor Scholz called the Russian invasion in Ukraine a "Zeitenwende," a historic turning point. Although we respect strategic thinking and acknowledge the necessity of European integration, we also know one thing: when politicians start talking about "turning points," it usually serves to push a specific agenda. Though the chancellor did propose some good ideas, his speech mostly seemed to be arguing in favor of a strongly technocratic, centralist agenda, one that is so dear to many socialists.
Mr. Scholz emphasized a stronger common European defense to protect Europe's freedom. This is certainly necessary, but the chancellor was vague about how it would be organized and governed. The only point he was precise about was air defense.
The question we must ask is whether Mr. Scholz is really making the case for stronger European defense for its own sake, or instead sees it as a convenient pretense to push the centralization agenda – at the same time taking the responsibility for defense out of his government's hands. Both his party, the Social Democratic Party of Germany, and the Greens, the main government coalition partner, have traditionally opposed prioritizing defense. Indeed, since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Berlin has done little on this front besides promise money and offer words of support.
Forced centralization will weaken Europe, not strengthen it.
European regulations to guarantee fiscal responsibility – especially the Maastricht Treaty – do not allow for common debt and bailouts. This detail has already been widely ignored, but Chancellor Scholz again underlined that common "finance" (a euphemism for debt) is necessary. In this area, national governments, the European Parliament and the Commission are colluding illegally. For political reasons, the European Court of Justice has essentially waived its independence and agreed to this state of affairs.
Here we come to what is probably the most dangerous proposal. According to Mr. Scholz, the central institutions should have the authority to discriminate financially against countries – specifically Poland and Hungary – when their judicial systems are deemed insufficient. The rule of law is crucial, and judicial systems should work properly. However, the chancellor's proposal has two problems.
First, if a rule-of-law system is binding, it must be binding for all governments, including Mr. Scholz's. Yet when it comes to the abovementioned issue of debt (just to mention one area of transgression) his government is clearly acting against European rules. This fact was acknowledged by Germany's Federal Court of Justice, but Berlin ignored the ruling.
Second, it is exceedingly dangerous to allow central institutions to impose financial penalties on "moral" grounds. This opens up possibilities for arbitrary and ideological decisions.
There are plenty of good elements in the chancellor's vision, and I would also like to see the Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia gain closer relations or integration with the rest of Europe, whatever the necessary institutional framework might be. However, it appears that the main agenda here was to promote stronger centralization as a precondition for this enlargement. Forced centralization will weaken Europe, not strengthen it.
Europe needs integration, but it should be based on the strength of its variety. An "incomplete" Europe that respects decentralization and subsidiarity will be stronger than a centralized technocracy. Europe needs a new, freedom-oriented rebuild. A European defense organization will be necessary but, at least at the beginning, it might be better if it were established outside of the institutions in Brussels.
Even if we are unsure about his agenda, Mr. Scholz's speech could offer plenty of food for thought.
Prince Michael of Liechtenstein
is the founder of GIS.
European defense
Comment January 23, 2023
Geoeconomics in constant change
The new geopolitical play
Comment January 4, 2023
Do not fear defending freedom
Comment December 21, 2022
The case for neutrality
The risks of ignoring Turkey
Comment December 1, 2022
The wage-price spiral begins
Comment November 24, 2022
Free speech, Twitter and Elon Musk
The dangers of narratives and moralizing
Show all reports
© 2023 Copyright by Geopolitical Intelligence Services AG
View this report on the web:
https://www.gisreportsonline.com/r/technocratic-europe/
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Q: How install and use library android I would like to use librares in android studio I import module and I don't know what to do later.
There's librares https://github.com/feicien/android-auto-update
https://github.com/mitmel/AppUpdateChecker
How make this working ? Instructions there are a bit weak.

A: This is a very popular question, you could easily find an answer to this everywhere, for instance:
How do I add a library project to Android Studio?
Adding external library in Android studio
Long story short:
Try this:
File > Project Structure > Dependencies Tab > Add module dependency (scope = compile)
Where the module dependency is the project library android folder


text:
Published on Harvard Magazine (https://www.harvardmagazine.com)
Home > Albert Bickmore
Albert Bickmore
by Victoria Cain [1]
September-October 2008 [2]
Albert Bickmore, S.B. 1864, started out cataloging specimens in the basement of Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ). He had come to study under Louis Agassiz, the strict, Swiss-born zoologist whose infamous program tested stamina as much as intellect. One of its more famous rites of passage was a series of "trials by fish," in which students were locked for days in rooms with dead marine specimens and told to comprehend their decomposing mysteries through close observation. "In six weeks," Agassiz told Bickmore, "you will either become utterly weary of the task, or…be so completely fascinated…as to wish to devote your whole life to the pursuit of our science."
Bickmore was fascinated, by the fish and by Agassiz, and left Cambridge with considerably more than a degree in zoology. He had watched carefully as his professor wheedled Boston's elite and the Massachusetts legislature into donating more than $250,000 in two years to the MCZ, and he was soon determined to build a great museum of his own. Like other zoologists of his time, he was committed to the idea of creating a great urban center to explore the mysterious laws of the natural world. Entertainment and public education were admirable, but secondary, goals.
"[W]hen I journeyed for three years in Eastern Asia and over Siberia," he wrote later, "I carried with me everywhere two things, a Bible and a sketch plan for a museum in New York." That city's scientific elite was continually siphoned off by Boston, London, and Berlin—all cities with better research institutions—and Bickmore knew this pricked the competitive instincts of New York's upper crust. Armed with a letter of introduction from the head of the British Museum, he persuaded local politicians and business leaders like J.P. Morgan to fund his venture. The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) was chartered in 1869.
The sole member of the scientific staff, Bickmore oversaw the museum's first wobbly decade. He spent wildly, trying to build up collections that would help researchers comprehend the relationships between species. Eager patrons and visitors donated whatever they could: emeralds, spiders, corals, a stuffed long-nosed monkey from Borneo, carcasses of pets and animals from the Central Park zoo. But public attention quickly flagged, and so did political and financial support. To raise attendance, trustees suggested purchasing more spectacular specimens, rather than study collections. "We must sprinkle our wholesome bread with a little sugar," the board explained to the shocked curator. Desperate to keep the museum from becoming "a stuffed circus, with the chief task of the curators keeping it dusted," Bickmore persuaded the board to let him try something new to win back popular interest and public funding. In 1880, he offered free lectures to 30 public-school teachers to help improve science education, still rare in city schools. The next year, largely as a result of his enthusiastic, arm-waving lecture style, his audience doubled. In a move that must have both delighted and dismayed Bickmore, the museum turned two rooms reserved for research space into a lecture hall.
To make his lectures more effective, Bickmore began to innovate, using visual aids such as stereopticon slides, persuading guest speakers to discuss their specialities, and encouraging teachers to take their charges on field trips—including visits to the museum. His audience tripled, then quadrupled; some talks were opened to the public. Topics ranged from the exotic ("Through the Heart of Asia," "Pictures from Hindoo Life") to the mundane ("The House We Live In," "Colds: Their Prevention and Treatment"). Subjects from art, geography, industry, and the uncategorizable rounded out the schedule. In 1894, some 18,000 teachers attended his Tuesday-night lectures; hundreds more were turned away. Listeners sat on the floor to hear the graying scientist.
His methods won national acclaim. Museum leaders in other big cities, as well as curators of tiny natural-history collections in small-town libraries and high schools, copied his techniques, working with local public schools to develop natural science and geography curricula using visual aids provided by the AMNH. By 1910, Bickmore's brainchild had become the most influential source of popular science education in the United States.
Bickmore, initially so committed to making museums into spaces for scientific research, ultimately succeeded in turning them into palaces of popular education. By the mid 1890s, the AMNH department of public instruction received twice as much money as any other department. Trustees and politicians, delighted by the public response, increasingly diverted resources to educational outreach and crowd-pleasing exhibits. Researchers committed to more esoteric projects fled to labs and universities in search of funding and space. Bickmore, who would have been discomfited by such a turn of events, didn't live long enough to see this schism between professional science and primary science education. He was a jack-of-all-subjects in an era that still celebrated the passionate amateur. His efforts to raise public interest in natural history, combined with his unexpected gifts as a teacher, were largely responsible for transforming the purposes and practices of natural-history museums and bringing Americans a little closer to a rapidly receding natural world.
Victoria Cain '97, a Mellon Fellow in visual history at the University of Southern California, is completing a manuscript on the history of visual pedagogy and coauthoring a book on the history of natural-history museums.
Source URL: https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2008/09/albert-bickmore?page=all
[1] https://www.harvardmagazine.com/profile/Victoria-Cain
[2] https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2008/09
[3] https://www.harvardmagazine.com/print/3623?page=all
[4] http://harvardmag.com/pdf/2008/09-pdfs/0908-38.pdf
[5] https://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=300


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In the past, Spotify used to absolutely rule the music streaming industry, and while it still does, there's a new(-er) game in town. Google Play Music has been around for years now, but a recent change has made it competitive with Spotify.
offer a large music database, basic music controls (play/pause/shuffle), and playlists. Additionally, both are $9.99 per month for a single person. Spotify's Family Plan is $9.99 for the first person, then 50% off each additional person, where Google Play Music is a flat $14.99 fee for up to 6 family members. Spotify offers 50% off for college students – something Google Play Music doesn't offer.
Both services feature iOS, Android, and web apps, but where Spotify excels is with it's Windows desktop program. Both services feature their own unique and clean UI; Spotify having developed their own look, where Google has used their signature Material Design style interface.
Spotify does have some major benefits over Google Play Music. In fact, up until recently, Spotify was hands down the best route. Featuring Spotify Connect, 3rd party app integration, and the ability to follow artists and get email notifications when new content is released, this is where Spotify takes the lead.
It was all "fun and games" up to here. If we ended this comparison now, Spotify would be the winner by a long shot. But Recently, Google Play Music got a new trick: YouTube Red. Included in the $9.99 per month, Google Play Music subscribers also get full access to YouTube's new premium platform, called Red. With YouTube Red, you get ad free video, the ability to download content for offline viewing (which is golden for road trips and flights), and Red exclusive content. With YouTube being such a popular site, for me personally, this made it worth the switch. I was a long time Spotify Premium subscriber, but YouTube Red had so much to offer for the same price!
If you're in it just for the music, Spotify still offers more features. However, if you want the best bang for your buck and enjoy not only music, but also YouTube, then Google Play Music is the best option. What do you feel is better overall, answer down in the comments below.
Apple Watch 2: What to Expect?


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UK comics: Sales figures for 2013
The latest Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) figures have been released for magazines and comics covering June to December 2013 and once again they make for interesting reading.
John Freeman goes into it in more depth on his excellent Down The Tubes website (http://downthetubes.net/?p=14099) but there's a few things I'd like to mention here.
Egmont's boys mag Toxic shows an increase from 47,000 to 53,000 since the same period in 2012. Its new rival Mega, has sales around 30,768. Doctor Who Adventures has dipped to an average of 28,443, and Ultimate Spider-Man is fairly stable at around 28,709 sales an issue.
Girl's mag Barbie had an average fall from 50,000 to 42,907 in twelve months, with Disney Princess falling from 62,506 to 51,649. Egmont's Hello Kitty has risen from 31,000 to 37,020, and Monster High is up from 32,000 in 2012 to 35,579 in 2013.
For the nursery market, Redan's Fun To Learn - Peppa Pig had an impressive average of 86,878 in 2012 and rose to an even more impressive 98,922 in 2013, making it currently the best selling children's title on the stands.
In the diminished children's traditional comic market, the new Dennis the Menace Megazine has average sales of 20,502, whilst The Beano has a slight drop from 36,000 in 2012 to 32,000 in 2013.
All things considered, I still think The Beano is holding its own. I know a few critics were predicting "Dandy style" drops in circulation due to The Beano's revamp bringing in several of The Dandy's artists, but that clearly hasn't happened. So much for the theory that it was mainly the contributors who caused The Dandy's fall. Yes, there is a sales decline, but it's comparable to that of other titles and is not as drastic as some had feared. Even more importantly, sales of comics have been falling since the 1950s, mostly due to each generation having an increasing number of leisure distractions.
Here's something else to consider: The Beano is the only weekly comic listed in the circulation figures. (2000AD and The Phoenix do not submit their data.) Considering that Ultimate Spider-Man sells 28,709 a month, and Toxic sells 53,000 every three weeks, I think the fact that The Beano only has seven days to shift each issue and still manages to sell 32,000 every week is an impressive accomplishment.
Another factor to remember is packaging. All of the other children's titles listed come either bagged with several gifts, or have cover mounts every issue. Throughout most of 2013 The Beano carried no gifts. It relied solely on its content and being a comic. It's interesting that The Beano's highest selling issue for 2013 was the Christmas issue, (45,896) which was bagged with gifts, and was on display for a whole month. Which kind of backs up what I'm saying. (The Beano's other handful of issues that had noticeable sales increases were the ones that carried cover mounts last summer.)
Finally, the other factor, in my opinion, is how comics are displayed. Throughout 2013 my local WH Smith (and branches in some other towns/cities) had a curiously OCD method of shelving all the comics alphabetically in a narrow, high, shelving unit. This meant that The Beano, Dennis the Menace Megazine, and Doctor Who Adventures were on top of a 6ft high shelf, out of visibility of their target audience, whilst Toxic, Monster High, Peppa Pig and others were right at a child's eyeline. Admittedly, many retailers do have all their comics within a child's reach, so this may not be a major factor but it's worth considering.
Interestingly, the issue of The Beano that had a noticeable dip in sales was the one featuring 'guest editor' Richard Hammond, (down to 28,729) despite being plugged in newspapers and on the TV news. My guess is that young kids simply don't watch Top Gear. (Heck, I'm 54 and I don't watch it either.)
In case anyone thinks I'm bigging up The Beano because I freelance for it, well, I also freelance for Toxic. I'm not pretending that everything is rosy. It's an ongoing concern for readers and contributors that comic sales are gradually falling every year, and I'm well aware that we'll never again see the sales figures of millions that some had in the 1950s or the hundred thousands of the 1960s. I'm just saying that things aren't apocalyptic just yet.
Posted by Lew Stringer at 16:30
Labels: ABC, comic sales, The Beano, Toxic
I'm going to pick up a couple tomorrow, every little helps. Mj.
Saturday, 15 February 2014 at 17:40:00 GMT
Lew Stringer said...
Good work MJ.
James Spiring said...
I've always believed lack of marketing killed The Dandy, not it's content. The Beano has adopted some of it's writers and artists and sure enough, while it's dropped readers, which isn't good news, it's certainly no calamity. I'm actually more concerned about the Dennis Megazine.
TwoHeadedBoy said...
Those fake comics at the top gave me a chuckle - wouldn't mind winning school dinners for life!
This kind of thing would work better if it was total sales over a set period rather than per month - that'd easily put the Beano on top.
Phil Boyce said...
And to think some comics were cancelled for "only" selling 100,000 a fortnight back in the early 90s. I'm thinking specifically about Transformers here. Yes it was down from the initial 250,000 per WEEK 6 years previous but it was holding strong. Same with Oink!, though it fluctuated a lot. I know things are a lot cheaper to produce nowadays and don't need as many sales to make a profit, but still, makes we wish for those older days.
James, agreed. Even The Sunday Post didn't promote The Dandy's relaunch.
THB, the figures are averages over a six month period, but that still means it's comparing sales of 6 issues for all the monthlies to The Beano's 26.
Phil, yes, comics were axed for far higher sales years ago. I'm not sure why the unit costs are apparently lower now, but it's a good job they are or none of today's titles would exist.
I don't remember any critics predicting Dandy style drops in circulation, only fearing it might not help sales if Beano was turned into Dandy clone. It hasn't gone that far, but one thing must be conceded: bringing Dandy artists onboard certainly hasn't helped sales.
Sunday, 16 February 2014 at 13:56:00 GMT
The Christmas Beano sold 45,896 in a month, which works out at only 11,474 for the equivalent of 4 weekly issues. That's hardly good. If it had been on sale for only a week, sales might have been disastrous.
As for arrangement of comics in shops, most regular buyers know where to find them. Being higher up might only prevent casual buyers from seeing them. The alternative is to have them low enough for little thieves to steal the free gifts, and then the comic gets left on the shelf because nobody wants a comic with the gift missing.
Don't be shy. Put your name to your comments if you believe in them. ;)
I remember the cynical predictions of doom if you don't. Yes, sales have continued to fall, just as sales have fallen for the past half century or more on all publications. Any solutions for reversing that long-running trend?
Don't be shy. Name those predictors of doom and provide a link to them.;) Whether falling sales are down to content or would have happened anyway is open to interpretation. Maybe it's a bit of both. One thing I do know is that sales usually drop when people stop buying something because they don't like it so much anymore.
And I'm sure the same could have been said in the 1950s when sales declined after Baxendale, Law, and Reid joined the comic, but we're all better off that they did aren't we?
Anon said:
"The Christmas Beano sold 45,896 in a month, which works out at only 11,474 for the equivalent of 4 weekly issues. That's hardly good. If it had been on sale for only a week, sales might have been disastrous."
No, because we already know that the average weekly sales on The Beano were 32,000, not 11,000 for a weekly frequency.
But, ok, if we apply your logic, in fairness - to put all titles on a level playing field - you have to apply that calculation to ALL the monthly comics on the list. So a quarter of their figures (if they were also weekly) would be far less than 11,000 a week. A win for The Beano then.
"As for arrangement of comics in shops, most regular buyers know where to find them. Being higher up might only prevent casual buyers from seeing them."
Agreed, but comics have never maintained the same bunch of loyal readers week in, week out, for years. Readers come and go. That's always been the case since comics began. The idea is to keep a title visible enough for regular AND potentially new readers to find it. Casual buyers are just as important as regular readers.
"The alternative is to have them low enough for little thieves to steal the free gifts, and then the comic gets left on the shelf because nobody wants a comic with the gift missing."
As I said, The Beano has hardly carried any free gifts over the last 15 months or more. Besides, it's up to the shops to prevent shoplifting, and putting stock on a higher shelf so the target audience can't see it is surely counter-productive?
Nipper said...
I'm afraid your logic is skewed. The Beano usually sells 32,000 per week on average, so that amounts to 128,000 per month. The Christmas Beano only sold 45,896 in the same period, so that's only 11,474 copies per week, which is far less than its normal average. Your comparison to other monthly comics doesn't really apply because they've never been sold weekly. I'm comparing the Beano with itself, not other magazines, and the Christmas issue sold far less well than at first would seem to be the case.
As for some comics being placed out of reach or sight of children, I'm talking about bagged comics, not the Beano, which as you rightly pointed out, hasn't been bagged for a while, the Christmas edition being the exception. Even then, in no shop I've ever been in has the Beano been placed on a high shelf. They're always in the childrens section, within sight and easy reach.
As for the 1950s, yes we are better off for Baxendale, Law and Reid, but sales of British comics then were some of the highest they'd ever been. The advent of television and other distractions probably affected comic sales, which started to decline, but the same isn't quite true today because other things that children spend their pocket money on have been around for a few years now, so the situation isn't new. It's comparable to when a new television show starts; the viewing figures are higher to begin with, then trail off within a few weeks if viewers decide it's not up to much. The exact same thing happens with comics. The Dandy's sales increased after its relaunch then declined as readers decided they weren't impressed. Then shops reduced their orders because it wasn't selling. That's the way it happened, not the other way round, despite the gloss that some people try to put on it.
'Nipper' said:
"I'm afraid your logic is skewed. The Beano usually sells 32,000 per week on average, so that amounts to 128,000 per month. The Christmas Beano only sold 45,896 in the same period, so that's only 11,474 copies per week, which is far less than its normal average."
The readers aren't going to buy the same issue four times are they, nor are there 128,000 different readers every month. I'm afraid it's your logic that's "skewed" as you put it
"The advent of television and other distractions probably affected comic sales, which started to decline, but the same isn't quite true today because other things that children spend their pocket money on have been around for a few years now, so the situation isn't new."
Sales have been declining for at least 60 years. It's a gradual decline. Always has been. No one would expect each generation to lose interest in comics overnight. There are always new leisure things coming along to distract kids.
Don't just focus on The Beano. Look at the sales figures of all the other comics too. as the ABC figures prove, nearly every title shows a sales decline, and even those that have shown an increase are not doing so well as comics of ten years ago or more.
I'm afraid children's interests have been shifting away from the old traditional loyalty to comics for a long, long time. It's not just The Beano.
Of course the readers aren't going to buy the same issue four times, that's a fair point. However, that only applies to regular readers, and as you've already pointed out, "comics have never maintained the same bunch of loyal readers week in, week out" so your assumption that 32,000 of the 45,000 who bought the Christmas edition are regular readers seems slightly at odds with your earlier point. And there are a number of other factors to consider which are beyond our ability to check, such as: 4 weekly issues at £2 each would have brought in £256,000, whereas the Christmas edition, based on a £4.99 price, would have brought in around £229,000, but would have cost less to produce as far as the comic is concerned. But what about the cost of the joke pack that came with it? Unless that was dirt cheap, it surely cuts into the profit margin of money saved in producing a monthly issue instead of 4 weekly ones? For a comic which sells 32,000 issues a week to pull in only another 13,000 readers with 3 more weeks shelf life is hardly the cause for celebration that you suggest. Sure, 13,000 extra readers is not to be sneezed at, but how many of them were only buying it for the giveaway rather than the comic, and how many picked up the next issue?
What you say about the gradual decline of all comics is very true, but it hardly applies to the Dandy. After an initial surge in sales, it dropped steeply, strongly suggesting reader dissatisfaction with it, which resulted in shops ordering fewer copies. And while there is always going to be a decline in most cases, I think you're stretching credibility in suggesting that none of the recently lost Beano readers is down to them disliking recent changes. Changing trends in what sells and customer dissatisfaction aren't mutually exclusive. However, the fact that sales on some titles have increased gives cause for hope. Let's hope it catches on.
One other thing if I may? If the Christmas Beano had only been on sale for a week, at that higher price it's uncertain whether it would have sold more or less than usual. I know that bagged issues of other comics sometimes sell more, but they're usually priced consistently issue after issue, they don't suddenly jump an extra £3. However, making comparisons is just a bit more complex than it at first seems, don't you think?
As you've said before, comics will always be around in some form or another - I doubt they'll ever really disappear. There are still masses of magazines around despite the rise of the internet - newspaper sales have declined a lot too but unfortunately the Sun and Daily Mail are still going.
I answered your point but it couldn't have reached you. I wasn't saying that the Christmas issue should have sold 128,000, omly that 45,000 by comparison can't really be considered an indication of a runaway success for a comic like the Beano.
I never even suggested 45,000 sales were "an indication of a runaway success". You're arguing on points I never made, but thanks for your input.
Digi Marabese said...
Interesting stats.
A nephew (aged 8) reads the Beano (every week) - though when there is a free gift(s) he ignores the content and plays with that instead (such as the jokes at Xmas). Without gifts he enjoys the comic strips instead. I think his age is representative of the optimum age group, which I'd say is 7-11.
An older nephew (now 10) used to occasionally read the Dandy, though only missed it when it was gone - a monthly issue would have been better rather than weekly, if it ever regenerates.
They enjoyed Horrible Histories fortnightly, but were indifferent to Dr Who Adventures - though were intrigued for about 3 minutes by a 3-D effect. They were keen to try the wrestling WWE, but did not enjoy it, despite being popular with some of their friends at Primary School. They also sometimes like the Football weeklies 'Match'/Match of the Day and similar - which often have a 1 page comic strip and occasionally an additional 3 panel strip.
A third nephew did like Ben 10 for about 5 months, but is now into collecting Skylanders figures (for a while?).
When they see a new Marvel film, there is a short-lived enthusiasm for all things related to that hero, recently Thor and previously Avengers and Spider-Man. This wanes after about a month - in October one said they wanted to collect ALL the Marvel figures, then at Xmas, a present of Thor is discarded after opening the packaging! Oh how fickle art thou.
Sadly my friends, who are married with 1 or 2 children in similar age groups would not buy their children a regular comic, though would an occasional special one every 3 or 4 months.
Will have to try them with Toxic, as there must be something in it for the sales to go up - interesting to see DW Adentures go down relatively.
Monday, 17 February 2014 at 14:52:00 GMT
Thanks Digi. That's very interesting. It's always more worthwhile to hear the reaction of the target audience rather than adult critics who just want the comics to be frozen in time. Your findings are similar to my own experiences. I suppose the way that every new movie and toy is marketed now it creates a shorter attention span for children. When I was a kid I remember Daleks being the in thing one year, Thunderbirds the next, and Batman the following year. There wasn't the hectic fad-for-a-month thing like there is today.
Good point about a monthly Dandy. It was probably considered at one point, but I'm glad it remained a weekly for the last few years.
Good to know your nephew does read The Beano. Eight is the average age I think, so he's the ideal reader.
Toxic has 'gross humour' - jokes about bodily functions of the sort that boys always sniggered about, so I hope they like it. Only 4 pages of strips, with the rest being features and fun photos etc.
Thanks Lew.
True about the latest films & Tv shows. I remember in the '70's, playing themed games from the then 3 TV channels, as Dr Who's assistant Sarah Jane and Charlie's Angels - which were very popular back then. My friend Vanessa played the dark haired one, I was the brown haired one and I think a boy played Farrah Fawcett!
Some of my classmates had Batman's (repeated at the time) cape made-up from old bits of curtain and home-made utility belts.
That's a good thought about Beano's selling well for a weekly. Your right Lew, you can't argue with the numbers. Beano boy forever. Liam
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Home > Not again! Another winter storm hits New England
Published:Sunday | February 15, 2015 | 12:01 AM
BOSTON (AP):
Mother Nature isn't showing New England any love.
Yet another winter storm arrived in the region for Valentine's Day, with snow and heavy winds, even as some areas were already staggering under six feet or more of snow.
A blizzard warning was in effect for coastal areas from Connecticut to Maine starting yesterday afternoon, for the fourth major storm the region has seen in less than a month. The storm arrived yesterday afternoon and was expected to intensify overnight into today, bringing bone-chilling cold behind it.
Wind gusts could howl at 70 miles per hour, and north-facing coastal areas could suffer moderate flooding and beach erosion from the "monster storm", said Bill Simpson, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Taunton, Massachusetts.
Officials warned that hurricane-force wind gusts could lead to power outages.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority announced late last Friday it would suspend all rail, bus and ferry service in the Boston area today, the latest in a series of disruptions for the nation's oldest public-transit network.
Governor Charlie Baker urged motorists to stay off roads during the storm, but stopped short of an outright travel ban.
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RES granted consent to install 99.9-MW battery in England
September 8 (Renewables Now) - North East England's County Durham has awarded planning permission to RES Group's 99.9-MW Spennymoor battery energy storage project, the developer said on Wednesday.
The scheme was given the green light in line with the case officer's recommendation.
To be installed at a site near an existing substation, the battery facility will provide grid balancing services and increase access to low-cost green power, once in operation. The system will store electricity when power generation exceeds demand and release it in periods of high demand.
"Energy storage systems like the Spennymoor project are essential for a stable and secure electricity system; the resilience of which is crucial for the UK's future energy security," said Alan McMahon, Head of Energy Storage at RES.
The Spennymoor energy storage facility will be one of RES' largest developments to date. It is part of the company's over 700-MW portfolio of energy storage projects in development and construction in the UK and Ireland.


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Wal-Mart Awards More Than $19,000 to Modesto-Area Schools in Honor of Students' Efforts to Recycle
Company's plastic bag recycling program encourages local elementary students to help remove over 18 tons of plastic from the local waste stream
MERCED, Calif., May 15, 2007 – Through its Kids Recycling Challenge program, Wal-Mart today announced it is awarding $19,150 to 48 Modesto-area schools for students' efforts to become responsible stewards of their environment. The company's Kids Recycling Challenge effort is the largest plastic bag recycling program of its kind ever undertaken.
From last September through March, elementary school students in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming were encouraged to bring plastic retail and grocery bags to their schools for recycling. For each 60-gallon collection bag filled with plastic bags and brought to a local Wal-Mart store, the school was awarded $5.00 from Wal-Mart.
Schools were grouped into geographic regions, and competed against other elementary schools in their region. The ten schools in each region that brought in the most collection bags received additional cash grants from Wal-Mart: $3,000 for first place, $2,000 for second place, $1,000 for third place, and $250 each for fourth through tenth places.
Additionally, the top school in each region will be rewarded with an entertaining and educational school-wide assembly performance, courtesy of Wal-Mart.
The Modesto area was designated as one region, with schools in Mariposa, Merced, Mono, Tuolumne, and Stanislaus Counties competing against each other.
"As an active leader in the local communities that our stores serve, Wal-Mart is committed to improving the environment, increasing awareness about recycling, and helping our schools get much-needed funding," said Kimberlee Tucker, Manager of Wal-Mart Store #2039 in Merced. "It was a thrill to see the principals, teachers, and parent volunteers come into the store with their cartloads of bags, and we were all surprised to see just how quickly they added up. Many schools have asked us if they can continue bringing in bags even though the current program is over. They have become so accustomed to recycling that earning money for the bags has almost become secondary."
Modesto region results
Collectively, 48 elementary schools in the Modesto region participated in the program, filling a total of 2,280 collection bags – weighing 36,480 pounds – and earning $19,150 in the process.
Fremont Charter School in Merced topped all participating Modesto-area schools by filling 564 60-gallon collection bags (totaling 9,024 pounds). In addition to earning $5.00 per bag, and the $3,000 grand prize, the students of Fremont Charter School will also be rewarded with entertaining assemblies focusing on the environment, courtesy of Wal-Mart. The assemblies will take place today at 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. Prior to each assembly, a representative from Wal-Mart will present a check for $5,820 to the hard-working students.
Rounding out the top ten schools, the big winners in the Modesto region include:
All told, nearly 2,800 schools in 12 states filled more than 131,000 60-gallon collection bags from September 2006 through March 2007, and earned more than $830,000 from Wal-Mart.
A history of success
The Kids Recycling Challenge debuted in February 2005 in Sacramento, Palm Springs, and Salt Lake City, and has since expanded to Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
Since its inception, nearly 2,800 schools have enrolled in the program, representing more than one million students. Participating schools have recycled 1,400 tons of plastic bags and have collected nearly $1.2 million from Wal-Mart.
The next Kids Recycling Challenge will run from Fall 2007 through Spring 2008 in the same states. Interested schools are invited to visit www.kidsrecyclingchallenge.com to learn more and to enroll.
About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT)
Every week, millions of customers visit Wal-Mart Stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets, and Sam's Club locations across America or log on to its online store at www.walmart.com. The company and its Foundation are committed to a philosophy of giving back locally. Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) is proud to support the causes that are important to customers and associates right in their own neighborhoods, and last year gave more than $270 million to local communities in the United States. To learn more, visit www.walmartfacts.com, www.walmartstores.com, or www.walmartfoundation.org.
• Assembly photos can be found at www.walmartfacts.com.
• Complete final results of the Kids Recycling Challenge and additional program information can be found at www.kidsrecyclingchallenge.com/media.html.
• Wal-Mart information online: www.walmartfacts.com; merchandise sales: www.walmart.com.
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Q: Camel Spring DSL Route: set http query parameter I'm new to camel and in my opinion the documentation is large but could be structured better. So it's hard to find what you are looking for.
My problem: I've defined a camel route in spring DSL for redirection from the camel servlet to another http endpoint. On redirecting, some http query parameter like PARAM1 should be set:
<route id="bridge">
    <from uri="servlet:bridge" />
    <setHeader headerName="HTTP_QUERY">
        <constant>PARAM1=value1</constant>
    </setHeader>
    <to uri="http://127.0.0.1:8081/actions.do?bridgeEndpoint=true" />
</route>

The redirection works, but the "TO" endpoint doesn't gets the parameter PARAM1.
Where is my mistake?
regards jundl

A: To send query parameters to an http end point you can use HTTP_QUERY header as below
   <route>
    <from uri="servlet:bridge" />
    <setHeader headerName="HTTP_QUERY">
     <constant>param1=value1&param2=value2</constant>
    </setHeader>
    <to uri="http://127.0.0.1:8081/actions.do?bridgeEndpoint=true" />
   </route>

and if you want some dynamic values like a header value as value1 you must use camel simple tag as below
  <route>
    <from uri="servlet:bridge" />
    <setHeader headerName="HTTP_QUERY">
     <simple>param1=${headerNameOfValue1}&param2=value2</simple>
    </setHeader>
    <to uri="http://127.0.0.1:8081/actions.do?bridgeEndpoint=true" />
   </route>

Hope it helps!

A: try this http://camel.apache.org/constant.html
<route>
   <from uri="servlet:bridge" />
  <setHeader headerName="PARAM1">
    <constant>value1</constant>
  </setHeader>
  <to uri="http://127.0.0.1:8081/actions.do?bridgeEndpoint=true" />
</route>

A: You are using a wrong headerName. If you want to use in a DSL route the Exchange.HTTP_QUERY constant, you need to write its value. That is, instead of write "HTTP_QUERY", you have to write "CamelHttpQuery". Take a look to https://camel.apache.org/maven/current/camel-core/apidocs/constant-values.html.
If you change your code in this way, it will work:
<route id="bridge">
    <from uri="servlet:bridge" />
    <setHeader headerName="CamelHttpQuery">
        <constant>PARAM1=value1</constant>
    </setHeader>
    <to uri="http://127.0.0.1:8081/actions.do?bridgeEndpoint=true" />
</route>


Good luck to Amy Cothran, Amy Crawford, Heather Mason and Teresa Fellinger, Child Focus Business Office staff, who will be taking on the Mud Run at Perfect North on June 3. If you are interested in running with this group, contact Amy Cothran. Click here for more information on the event.


Amplicon can now offer a variety of temperature sensors to suit many different applications. This allows you to place a single order for all your panel instrument, data acquisition and sensor requirements.
The picture shows our range of MI thermocouples. In addition we can supply Platinum Resistance thermometers, ambient air temperature sensors and precious metal thermocouples.
Below are a few examples of sensors we can supply. Please contact sales to discuss your requirements in detail.


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E-40 Drops 'Gift of Gab' Album
Featuring Vince Staples, G Perico, and more.
Ghostface Killah Announces 'The Lost Tapes' Project, Drops "Saigon Velour" with Snoop Dogg & E-40
Produced by Big Ghost Ltd.
E-40 – "Straight Out The Dirt" f. NBA YoungBoy, Yo Gotti, & JPZ (Video)
40 Water's still going strong.
TeeCee4800 Taps E-40 & Wiz Khalifa for "Got 2 Go"
Off Realness Over Millions 2, out now.
XXL Magazine Turns 20 Years Old, Celebrates With 50 Cent, Migos, Run The Jewels, Future & More
Twenty years. Twenty covers.
Listen to E-40's "Straight Out the Dirt" f. YoungBoy Never Broke Again & Yo Gotti
As premiered on Beats 1's The Pharmacy.
E-40 & B-Legit – "Fo Sho" (Video)
Family ties.
Trae Tha Truth Taps Royce 5'9″, Chamillionaire, Tee Grizzley, Dave East & More For "I'm On 3.0"
Trae makes a musical version of the family cookout.
E-40 Hops On Blaq Tuxedo's Club-Ready "Lit" Remix
Off the duo's new album.
G-Eazy – "Shake It Up" f. E-40, MadeinTYO & 24hrs
Eazy SZN is officially upon us.
Joey Bada$$, D.R.A.M., T-Pain & More To Take Part In Spotify's 'Traffic Jams' Web Series
Spotify just announced a new web series its producing in partnership with…
E-40 – "Uh Huh" f. YV (Video)
The D-Boy Diaries continue to get pushed.


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Reaction: Steve Davis's verdict on win over Coventry
AFTER watching Crewe's 1-0 home win over Coventry City on Saturday, boss Steve Davis said: "It was a fantastic result and we worked very hard for it.
"We created some good opportunities and played well as a team. We were very solid and picked up the second ball, all the things we talked about beforehand and that was the difference.
"We didn't do that against Brentford, but every one of them played their part in an exceptional performance.
"Some of the play, particularly wide, was great. We worked on that a lot. It worked and we got up the pitch very quickly and got the ball in the box.
"We didn't get the other goal which would have made it safe but I never felt we'd lose, which is a good feeling to have as a manager.
"This is not the old Crewe. This is the new Crewe. The Crewe that expect to win they game when they get a goal in front."
Crewe FC


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Home/American Shipper/Obama signs 3-week highway patch, PTC deadline extension
Obama signs 3-week highway patch, PTC deadline extension
Ben MeyerFriday, October 30, 2015Last Updated: Saturday, March 2, 2019
The stop-gap funding measure also included an extension of the deadline for railways to implement Positive Train Control until 2018 at the earliest, a provision some Senate Democrats say shouldn't have been included in a short-term transportation patch.
President Obama signed into a law a bill that extends federal funding for transportation and infrastructure for an additional three weeks on Thursday, preventing a shutdown in spending just hours before the current short-term authorization was set to expire.
Obama signed the legislation (H.R. 3819) despite previously urging Congress to come up with a long-term plan for funding needed transportation projects. Lawmakers in the House and Senate now have until Nov. 20 to complete and reconcile their respective multi-year highway bills, but Congress has not passed transportation funding legislation lasting longer than two years since 2005.
The House is still working on its $325 billion Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform (STRR) Act of 2015, while Senate passed its own $258 billion measure in July. Both would reauthorize federal transportation programs, including highway and bridge construction aid for six years, but the Senate's DRIVE Act would only guarantee funding for three years because senators could not agree on how to fund the remaining years beyond baseline levels.
The Department of Transportation estimates a $16 billion-per-year shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund, which receives the majority of its funds from gas and diesel taxes that haven't been increased since 1993.
The stop-gap measure also included an extension of the Dec. 31 deadline for railways to implement Positive Train Control until 2018 at the earliest, a provision some Senate Democrats say shouldn't have been included in a short-term transportation funding patch.
"This measure is a lose-lose, an avoidable and abysmal delay in life-saving technology for our railroads and an inadequate extension of highway and road funding," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said in a statement following bill's approval.
"I will fight for aggressive implementation of the new deadlines for PTC to help save the costs in dollars and lives that may result from continuing collisions, derailments, and other preventable catastrophes," he added. "One expert noted that 'PTC is the most important rail safety advancement of our time' — and the U.S. Senate today chose to delay it by five years."
Transportation industry advocates say extending the PTC deadline was the only way to avert a partial shutdown of major railroads, who previously threatened to shut down rather than be subject to steep fines and increased liability as of Jan. 1.
PTC is a wireless communication system that can override a conductor to slow or stop a train to prevent an accident, and supporters say it will drastically improve both passenger and cargo railroad safety. But the system is complicated, and railways claim the prior deadline didn't give them enough time to implement and certify it.
Association of American Railroads (AAR) President and CEO Edward R. Hamberger and other rail industry advocates applauded the passing of the short-term funding bill as well as the deadline extension for PTC.
"This provides the certainty American industries and businesses need to serve the millions of Americans who rely on rail every day," Hamberger said of the bill. "The extension means freight and passenger railroads can continue moving forward with the ongoing development, installation, real-world testing and validation of this complex technology.
"The rail industry remains fully committed to being accountable and transparent in completing PTC and we look forward to working with Congress to get a broader long-term surface transportation bill to the desk of the President expeditiously."
"Americans who depend on freight and commuter railroads for their livelihoods and critical deliveries can breathe a sigh of relief," U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., said in a statement after Obama signed the bill into law. "This legislation prevents rail service disruptions that would have occurred had Congress not acted, while still ensuring that this critical safety technology is implemented as quickly as possible. This legislation also grants a needed highway extension to facilitate a bipartisan agreement on a comprehensive, multi-year transportation bill."
AAR estimates freight railroads have spent close to $6 billion on PTC development, testing and installation and could spend up to $4 billion more by the time the system is fully operational.
Ben Meyer


This is the third collaboration by graphic novel pioneers Bryan and Mary Talbot. It tells the amazing life of Louise Michel, the revolutionary feminist dubbed 'The Red Virgin of Montmartre'.
Utopian, anarchist, teacher, orator and poet - she was decades ahead of her time. She fought on the barricades during the Paris Commune of 1871. After its defeat, when she was deported to a penal colony, she supported the indigenous population against French colonial oppression. Bryan and Mary will talk about Michel and about their other work.


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Available in ENPT-BRFRES
By Claire M Fallender on May 22, 2017
Claire M Fallender
Felipe Vergara: redefining access to education through a multi-million dollar financing innovation
For many young people around the world, paying for college tuition locks them into decades of debt. It forces them to forego purpose-oriented jobs like teaching because those salaries will not cover their loan payments. For those who can't find employment or lose their jobs, their fixed loan payments can drag them into even greater debt that is hard to recover from. Colombian social entrepreneur, Felipe Vergara, created Lumni to give students new options for funding their college tuition. Their loan repayments are set as a fixed percentage of future income for a limited amount of time.
Investors in Lumni's funds receive a financial return as well as a significant social return. Promising students, the majority from low income backgrounds and typically first generation college students are receiving an affordable higher education. Over 8,000 students across five countries (Chile, Peru, Mexico, Colombia and the U.S.) have received $35 million in financing to date.
Felipe's story of entrepreneurship began in a Bogotá. As a boy Felipe was bothered by the polluted air and disappearing forest area along the surrounding mountains. He was an early environmentalist even before the environment was a relevant issue for young people in Colombia.
When Felipe was 16-years old, he started a recycling program in his neighborhood. Men and often women would come pick through the trash at night to find scrap metal and other things they could sell. Felipe thought that if he could get neighbors to separate out the "recyclable" items, there would be less waste overall and the garbage collectors could make money easier and faster. "I remember drawing out the plan on a piece of paper and going around talking to everyone. I got these large green bags for people to use and started handing them out. And they used them!"
It was a simple idea and seeing it work gave him confidence. "I wasn't thinking of changing the whole city, just the way my neighbors dealt with garbage." But later, in college he would take his idea even further. Empowered with new found knowledge from his industrial engineering studies, he launched an even larger recycling program, this time for companies.
When Felipe launched Lumni in 2004 together with Miguel Palacios, he had a vision to remove the obstacles keeping young people from higher education. But he also had the experience of launching new projects and he used that know-how to turn an idea into a multi-million dollar education financing innovation.
When Felipe launched his recycling program at 16, the reaction from his family had been mixed. "My father thought I was crazy and wanted me to spend my time more wisely. But my mother loved it," Felipe recalls. Now with two children of his own, Felipe wants to give them the space to try things for themselves. "You can't force young people to take action. The ideas have to be theirs but you can help create an environment where it is ok to fail and try again where they feel empowered and inspired to create change around them."
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McIlroy hoping to keep emotions in check to end major drought
Without a major since 2014, Rory McIlroy feels he needs to do a better job with his emotions on the final day of tournaments.
Nicholas McGee
24 October, 2018 16:54 IST
Rory McIlroy practices ahead of the WGC-HSBC Champions - Getty Images
Rory McIlroy believes he needs to handle his emotions better on the final day of tournaments to improve on a major-less 2018 he described as "good but not great".
McIlroy has 10 top-10 finishes to his name in 2018 but just one victory, claimed back in March at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
A scintillating display at Bay Hill - including five birdies over the final six holes - seemingly stood him in good stead going into The Masters, and he was just three shots off the lead going into the final day at Augusta.
However, McIlroy eventually finished six shots behind winner Patrick Reed and was similarly frustrated at this year's Open, the world number five left to settle for a share of second behind Francesco Molinari at Carnoustie.
He was well off the pace at the U.S. Open and US PGA Championship and, speaking ahead of the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, McIlroy identified the areas that can help him win his first major since 2014.
Asked by Omnisport to grade his 2018, McIlroy said: "I'd probably give myself a 'B', I've had a lot of chances to win tournaments and I haven't quite converted as many as I would have liked, but at least I got back on the board and won one earlier in March.
"I had a couple of good finishes in the majors, I've played a lot of final groups and had chances so it's been a year where the golf has been very consistent, I think I've had 10 top 10s, but I would have liked to have won maybe a couple of times more.
"It's been a good season but not a great season."
Pressed on what he needed to do to convert those opportunities in the future, he added: "Probably just play better on Sundays, I've got myself into some really good positions, maybe just handle my emotions and my thoughts a little bit better on last days.
"Maybe I sometimes get a little bit ahead of myself, I think if I can do that and just control my thoughts a little bit more that can hopefully help and I can win a few more times."
Dating back to the 2015 US PGA, 10 of the last 13 majors have seen first-time winners, and quizzed if there has ever been greater depth in the game, McIlroy replied: "I don't think so. Golf is in a great place.
"I think it's a product of what's happened in golf in the last 20 years, it has become more popular all over the world and the result is everyone's getting better.
"The fields are stronger, it's harder to separate yourself from the others, it's definitely the most competitive it's ever been."


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Current: SCI Scholar, Amy Flinn, presents her end of year report
SCI Scholar, Amy Flinn, presents her end of year report
For over thirty years, SCI has supported and recognised the excellence of early career people, by aiding their studies in the form of an SCI Scholarship.
Since 1985 over 70 scholarships have been awarded which have not only given the recipients financial assistance, but have enabled them to broaden their network, and strengthen their skills and knowledge. SCI Scholars receive access to publishing and mentoring opportunities and are given a platform to present their work amongst esteemed scientists and industrialists, thus raising their profile within the scientific community. In the past nine years alone, SCI has generously bequeathed over £115,000 of its charitable funds to SCI Scholars and the scientists of the future.
Amy Flinn was awarded an SCI Scholarship in 2017. At the end of their first year, SCI Scholars present an end of year report to SCI. Read on to find out more about what Amy has done in her first year as an SCI Scholar.
'My research is based on the application of continuous photochemistry for fine chemical manufacture, focusing on greener methods for industry as part of my funding from GlaxoSmithKline. Since receiving the SCI Messel scholarship in 2017, I have been able to expand my professional network and interact with many industrial chemists, whose guidance and interest in my research project has been invaluable. Their own insights into industrial R&D were also beneficial, as scale-up from an academic laboratory to a working industrial level is often fraught with issues which we aim to address in my research group.
'Last November, I was invited to the College of Scholars' day by the Early Careers Committee. I had the opportunity to meet other young researchers from around the UK and meet the other 2017-2019 scholars more informally. We took part in useful workshops and were particularly pleased to win the future scientific idea competition, inspired by Thomas Britten's Bright SCIdea. In addition to this, I attended a showcase of brilliant organic chemistry organised by the Fine Chemicals group, titled New Synthetic Methods – Design and Application. The talks were all very interesting and the event exposed me to new areas of Chemistry.
'Over the past year, I am pleased to have had a greater role in outreach work at my university. Nottingham's Pint of Science, a global festival of scientific talks, is organised every year by a local network of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) postgraduates - I had the privilege to return to this event for a second year, this time organising three nights of talks to highlight frontier-leading Nottingham-based research at a local microbrewery. The event allowed me to meet many enthusiastic people from a variety of scientific and non-scientific backgrounds and overall was a massive success for Nottingham, with over 1200 attendees. I continue to be involved with hands-on workshops for local 16-18-year olds held within the Chemistry department's teaching labs and also act as a lab demonstrator for current undergraduates studying practical inorganic chemistry.
'The SCI Messel scholarship has allowed me to attend several research meetings, including those hosted at the SCI headquarters, which I am very grateful for. I am hoping to pull myself away from the lab in the coming year to attend more SCI events and a few conferences, using these opportunities to present and interact further with industry. Next year I also intend to temporarily move from Nottingham for a short industrial placement with GSK as part of my CASE award.'
Amy Flinn
SCI Scholars
SCI Awards
SCI Fine Chemicals Group
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(Yicai Global) Feb. 22 -- State-run contractor China Gezhouba (Group) Corp. has completed construction of Indonesia's Takalar Power Plant ahead of plan.The plant is a key project in the state's 10-million-kilowatt power development plan.
Gezhouba Group received confirmation from Indonesian Perusahaan Listrik Negara (State Electricity Co.) yesterday that the second generator of the Takalar Plant went into formal service Feb. 14, fourteen days before schedule, Chinanews.com reported. The first generator has already operated since Dec. 28.
Takalar Plant in South Sulawesi consists of two 100-million-watt generators. The facility broke ground in May 2015 in the presence of Joko Widodo, Indonesia's president. The station also went into service ahead of time after 33 months' construction, and trial operations proceeded without incident.
The generating units have already output a total electricity of 247 million kilowatt hours in trial and formal operations, and the complex is a keystone in the regional grid, keeping it safe and stable, a technician said. Gezhouba Group has expanded its business to all Belt and Road countries, said the head of its local unit, and its new contracts and business volume abroad ranked sixth and eighth among all Chinese firms last year.