GRANDE PRAIRIE, A.B. – The Grande Prairie RCMP are asking for the public’s help in locating a woman who hasn’t been seen in nearly two months. 45-year-old Leona Lee Hommy was last seen in Grande Prairie on March 11th. Hommy is described as Caucasian, standing 5’5” tall, weighing 140 lbs., with red hair, and green eyes. She was last seen wearing a hat, coat, and pants, though police do not know the colour of her clothing.There is a concern for Hommy’s well-being, and the RCMP would like to locate and speak with her as soon as possible. Anyone with information about Hommy or her whereabouts asked to call the Grande Prairie RCMP at 780-830-5700. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 1.800.222.8477 (TIPS) or by Internet at www.tipsubmit.com. 
Photo by RCMP
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Death toll rises to 2275 in Philippines
MANILA – An estimated 3,665 are wounded and hundreds missing in the typhoon which inflicted severe damage on 7,488 villages.The Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council confirmed the death toll from Typhoon Haiyan as 2,275 with the number of wounded persons at 3,665 in additional to hundreds of missing individuals.Official sources recorded that around 59,733 families or 286,433 people have been evacuated to the 993 evacuation centers established across the country.It was also reported that the typhoon made severe damage on 7,488 villages in seven regions of the country.The Philippine government declared a state of emergency for the region affected by the disaster.
King Inaugurates in Marrakech Mohammed VI Administrative Cultural Complex
Marrakech – King Mohammed VI inaugurated, on Friday in Marrakech, the “Mohammed VI” administrative and cultural complex of the ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs. The new complex, which the sovereign named after himself, was constructed pursuant to the royal instructions related to building integrated complexes in all the Moroccan prefectures and provinces in order to spread the religious and cultural heritage and help Ulema (religious leaders) to fulfill their mission of guidance and the promotion of religious and national immutable values.The new complex, the largest in Morocco, is in line with King Mohammed VI’s efforts to enable the endowments to recover their pivotal role they used to play in serving scientific libraries, spreading the Islamic culture and safeguarding the Muslim heritage. The facility, whose architecture and urban design reflect the city’s civilizational wealth, historical greatness and strong spiritual dimension, includes an administrative pavilion housing the head offices of the regional delegation for Islamic affairs, the Ulema local council and the endowments Nedharat (people tasked with sighting the lunar crescent).It also includes a cultural department comprising a reference and cultural activities library (a multidisciplinary library, a computer room, an information room for visually-impaired and hard of hearing people, an audiovisual room, and a children’s area).Additionally, it includes a conference hall comprising an 826-place lecture theater and two seminar rooms sitting 283 people each, as well as an art gallery hosting currently an exhibition of some 80 paintings by Moroccan calligraphers on the theme of Islam teachings and the environment.Built over a surface area of 48,000 square meters for an amount of 238 million dirhams, this administrative and cultural complex is the ideal place to organize religious and cultural events and will help with the community-based management of religious affairs.The facility is part of the multi-dimensional, global and integrated strategy led by the ministry of endowments and Islamic affairs and touching on carrying out similar complexes in the different Moroccan cities.
North American stock markets rally as Trump holds off on raising tariffs
TORONTO — A broad-based rally helped Canada’s main stock index head higher in late-morning trading as U.S. markets also rallied as U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to hold off on raising tariffs on Chinese goods.The S&P/TSX composite index was up 65.52 points at 16,078.53.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 180.28 points at 26,212.09. The S&P 500 index was up 17.98 points at 2,810.65, while the Nasdaq composite was up 70.78 points at 7,598.33.The Canadian dollar traded for 75.89 cents US compared with an average of 75.91 cents US on Friday.The April crude contract was down US$1.46 at US$55.80 per barrel and the April natural gas contract was up 3.4 cents at US$2.773 per mmBTU.The April gold contract was down US$1.10 at US$1,331.70 an ounce and the March copper contract was down 0.10 of a cent at US$2.9505 a pound. Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD=X) The Canadian Press
GuineaBissau Annan calls for peaceful resolution of remaining tensions
“The lingering political instability not only hampers further democratic progress, but also drives donors to withhold the assistance the country urgently needs to meet its massive reconstruction and development challenges,” he says in his latest report to the Security Council on developments in the West African country, including the work of the UN Peacebuilding Support Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNOGBIS).In particular, Mr. Annan calls for all stakeholders to respect the ruling of the Supreme Court, once it is rendered, on the case filed over the constitutionality of the recent governmental changes made by President João Bernardo “Nino” Vieira.President Vieira issued one decree dismissing the Government and another appointing a new Prime Minister on 2 November saying that tensions within the Government had hampered the functioning of State institutions and weakened their capacity to pay salaries or survive in Parliament.In his report, Mr. Annan also reiterates the importance of more assistance from the international community for Guinea-Bissau. “Continued support, especially economic and financial assistance, is particularly important if the ongoing stabilization effort to consolidate peace and prevent violence is to succeed,” he says.The focus of UNOGBIS’s activities since September has been support to national initiatives for security sector reform, according to the report. To that end, an advisory team from the United Kingdom visited the country between 10 and 13 October. In addition, efforts for small arms control and demining are continuing.The report adds that police operations continue to be hampered by inadequate resources, however, with rising concern over the country’s use as a transit point for drug traffic between South America and Europe. In response, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime plans to conduct an assessment mission in the country.
Mortgage giant Freddie Mac posts 475M loss in 3Q no dividend payment
FILE – This July 13, 2008, file photo shows the Freddie Mac corporate office in McLean, Va. Freddie Mac reports quarterly financial results on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File) WASHINGTON – Mortgage giant Freddie Mac reported a $475 million net loss for the third quarter due to losses it sustained on the investments it uses to hedge against swings in interest rates.The government-controlled company said Tuesday the July-through-September loss mainly reflected accounting measures, while its business was strong and continued to improve. The loss compared with net income of $2.1 billion in the same period of 2014. It broke a streak of 15 straight profitable quarters.The company, based in McLean, Virginia, won’t pay a dividend to the U.S. Treasury next month. Freddie previously has paid $96.5 billion in dividends, exceeding its government bailout of $71 billion.The government rescued Freddie and larger sibling Fannie Mae at the height of the financial crisis in September 2008, after they suffered huge losses from risky mortgages in the housing market bust.Together the two companies received taxpayer aid totalling about $187 billion. The housing market’s gradual recovery has made Freddie and Fannie profitable again.At the same time, the companies have been whittling down their mortgage holdings and transferring risky loans to the private market, away from taxpayers — a trend that is likely to reduce their revenue.The head of the federal agency that oversees Fannie and Freddie raised the possibility that future quarterly losses could mean they would have to receive further government aid.Volatile interest rates and reduced capital cushions for the two companies, under their agreements with the government, “will likely make both enterprises increasingly susceptible to the possibility of quarterly losses that could result in draws” from the Treasury, Mel Watt, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, said in a statement Tuesday.Watt noted that Freddie’s third-quarter loss wasn’t due to a deteriorating risk profile of mortgages or an increase in losses related to repayment risk, but rather to volatility in interest rates as reflected in accounting. “Freddie Mac continues to fulfil its obligations to support the housing finance market, and provide liquidity and access to mortgage credit,” Watt said.Freddie and Fannie own or guarantee about half of all U.S. mortgages, worth about $5 trillion. Along with other federal agencies, they back roughly 90 per cent of new home loans.The two companies don’t directly make loans to borrowers. They buy mortgages from lenders, package them as bonds, guarantee them against default and sell them to investors. That helps make loans available.Freddie’s third-quarter loss was attributed largely to accounting losses from derivatives, financial transactions that the company uses to hedge against swings in interest rates. Freddie reported derivatives losses of $4.2 billion in the July-September quarter, widened from about $600 million a year earlier.A plan to phase out Fannie and Freddie and instead use mainly private insurers to backstop home loans advanced in the Senate last year and was endorsed by the White House. The plan would create a new government insurance fund. Investors would pay fees in exchange for insurance on mortgage securities they buy, and the government would become a last-resort loan guarantor. No work on the proposal has been done this year in the current Congress.The prospect of possible losses for Fannie and Freddie “is another reminder that comprehensive housing-finance reform is necessary,” Treasury Department spokesman Rob Runyan said in a statement. “Taxpayers remain on the hook for losses incurred” by the companies.__This story has been corrected to show that the amount of Freddie Mac’s third-quarter derivatives losses was $4.2 billion, not $1.5 billion. by Marcy Gordon, The Associated Press Posted Nov 3, 2015 6:45 am MDT Last Updated Nov 3, 2015 at 4:47 pm MDT AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to TwitterTwitterShare to FacebookFacebookShare to RedditRedditShare to 電子郵件Email Mortgage giant Freddie Mac posts $475M loss in 3Q; no dividend payment to government
Ban welcomes parliamentary approval of recent agreements between Sudan and South Sudan
“The Secretary-General urges both countries to now embark on the implementation of all the agreements they have signed and proceed immediately with the operationalization of their Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism,” the spokesperson added in a note to the news media today. South Sudan became independent from Sudan in July last year, six years after the signing of the peace agreement that ended decades of warfare between the north and the south. However, the peace between the two countries had come under threat over recent months by armed clashes along their common border and outstanding post-independence issues that have yet to be resolved.The cooperation agreements between the two countries were reached in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on 27 September, at talks held under the auspices of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel. The talks were designed to enable the two nations to fulfil their obligations under a so-called roadmap aimed at easing tensions, facilitating the resumption of negotiations on post-secession relations and normalizing the relations between the two countries.In the days following the agreements, the Security Council and the Secretary-General both welcomed the moves, with Mr. Ban commending Presidents Al-Bashir and Kiir “for demonstrating the statesmanship that made a comprehensive agreement possible, and for having once again chosen peace over war.”In his statement, Mr. Ban’s spokesperson noted that the UN chief calls on both parties to continue their constructive engagement with the Panel, notably to agree on a process to settle the issue of remaining disputed and claimed areas and the determination of the final status of Abyei, a disputed region straddling the border area between Sudan and South Sudan. “The UN stands ready to continue assisting the parties, in collaboration with partners,” the spokesperson added.
UNbrokered IntraSyrian talks officially start in Geneva with opposition meeting
“As far as we are concerned, their arrival at the Palais des Nations and initiating the discussions with us is the official beginning of the Geneva talks,” said UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, who already met the HNC yesterday, but at their hotel, not at the UN’s Geneva headquarters. Mr. de Mistura, who is mediating the indirect talks between Government and opposition factions in close proximity diplomacy, which will see him shuttling between the parties in different rooms, will meet Government representative tomorrow morning and plans a second meeting with the HNC in the afternoon to go more deeply into the issues raised today.These concern the opposition’s desire to see, for the talks’ duration, a reduction in violence, release of detainees and lifting the sieges that have driven several towns to the brink of starvation, with dozens reported dead. “Of course we do respect very much and we heard very clearly their very clear position,” Mr. de Mistura told a news briefing. “We feel they have a very strong point because this is the voice of the Syrian people asking for that. When I meet Syrian people they tell me, please don’t just have a conference, have something also that we can see and touch while you are meeting in Geneva,” he said.He noted that in Vienna, where the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) – comprising the Arab League, the European Union, the United Nations, and 17 countries including the United States and Russia – laid the groundwork for the Geneva talks, there was a message that “in parallel there should be a serious discussion about a ceasefire.”Mr. de Mistura has made clear that he is under no illusions about the difficulties in ending a war that has killed over 250,000 people, sent over 4 million fleeing the country, displaced 6.5 million internally, and put 13.5 million people inside the country in urgent need of humanitarian aid.“There will be a lot of posturing, we know that, a lot of walk-outs and walk-ins because a bomb has fallen or because someone has done an attack, and you will see that happening,” he said last week.Asked today what his immediate short-term objectives are, he replied: “The first immediate objective is to make sure that the talks continue and that everyone is on board. It’s crucial that no one should be feeling excluded and that everyone should be concretely, constructively but also effectively be part of it.” In reply to another question, he said he has not yet received a list of detainees which he has asked for and wants “because I think that a list of the names, particularly of women and children detained, should be the first among the signals that in fact there is something different happening.”
International Bulletin – December 2009 Issue
Automechanika 2010. Diary Dates for 2010. International Environmental Vehicle Conference:23 & 24 November. Open Forum: 25 February 2010. Report on Euromold 2009DOWNLOADClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
Get used to ugly apples shoppers are told after cold snap
Consumers will have to get used to ugly apples for the next year as British fruit has been damaged by frost. Alison Capper, chairman of the National Farmers’ Union horticulture board, said that harvests would be affected by a cold April, reducing the size and affecting the appearance of the crop. “The risk of frost from now on is low, but the damage has been done,” she said. “The frost that we had two or three weeks ago has caused the damage that’s starting to emerge now.” Cold weather damages fruit and reduces the quantity that a plant produces. Ms Capper runs a hops and fruit farm on the border of Herefordshire and Worcestershire border.The unseasonably dry weather is also affecting British farmers, with many irrigating their crops much earlier than they normally would. Vineyards also suffered from frost, with this farm in Hampshire using candles to keept the cold awayCredit:Andrew Matthews /PA Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily Front Page newsletter and new audio briefings. 
The UK suffered a cold snap in AprilCredit:Alamy Harvested apples are stored in fridges and sold in supermarkets until the following spring, so the effects will be seen for at least a year from now. Britain was hit by flurries of snow in late April this year. Areas as far south as Norfolk experienced the unseasonable weather as Arctic winds pushed cold air south from Scotland. 
Ms Capper said her own harvest, which includes Gala, Braeburn and Red Windsor apples, could drop by 70 to 80 per cent as a result of the cold weather.It can also produce a “russeting” effect which makes the fruit look less attractive. The weather will also affect British pears, plums and cherries.The apples being sold in supermarkets now are from last year’s harvest, so buyers will not yet be seeing the effects of the cold weather.The apples are harvested from August through to October, so consumers might see fewer English apples being sold in the shops from late summer onwards. 
No further prosecution in Fr Niall Molloy case
MINISTER FOR JUSTICE Alan Shatter has said that today that no further prosecution will be taken arising out of the death of Fr Niall Molloy in 1985.The priest died in violent circumstances in Offaly and media reports, mostly by former Irish Independent journalist Gemma O’Doherty, alleged a possible cover-up by gardaí and some members of the political establishment at the time.In a statement today, Shatter said that following a review by the Garda Series Crime Review Team, the DPP has determined that no further prosecutions should be made. He said the review involved an extensive examination of the original investigation into the man’s death as well as detailed enquiries into issues subsequently raised.“Many claims have been made regarding the death of Fr Molloy, and I am anxious to put as much information into the public domain as is possible and appropriate in order to address these claims,” he said.Independent examinationHowever the minister said it is not open to him to publish the garda report and instead will facilitate an independent examination of the report, the results of which can be put into the public domain. Shatter today informed the Cabinet that he is consulting with the Attorney General with a view to the appointment of a Senior Counsel to conduct the examination of the report.I am conscious that to leave the matter at that would allow baseless assertions to be made that the government has some interest in suppressing information about this case when, in fact, what is at issue is having due regard to the rule of law; the independence of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions; and protecting the rights of all.TransparencyHe said the new examination of the report will aim to identify whether there are matters of significant public concern and whether any form of further inquiry, aside from the criminal investigation, would have a reasonable prospect of establishing the truth of such matters and would be warranted in the public interest.“I am taking this step solely in the interests of transparency and of bringing the advice of an independent person into consideration of this matte,” Shatter added. “I should emphasise that it does not imply in any way that I am dissatisfied with the work undertaken by the Garda Serious Crime Review Team.”Related: Call for judicial inquiry into death of Fr Niall Molloy>Read: Garda Commissioner asked about Fr Molloy murder, Love/Hate drama>
Cases of obesity in developing countries more than triples over 28 years
ALMOST 1.5 BILLION adults are now obese, with the number rising significantly in developing countries, according to a new report from the Overseas Development Institute.‘Future Diets’, published by the UK research organisation, says that due to a “creeping homogenisation in diets” around the world, the number of people obese in the developing world has more than tripled since 1980, rising to 904 million in 2008.This is compared to this figure rising in developed countries 1.7 times over the same period.As income increases, so does the consumption of fruit, vegetables, but also oils, fats, and sugar, the report notes. People move away from a traditional subsistence diet of ‘grains and starchy staples’.However, it dismisses the notion that diets are converging on a worldwide norm, noting that substantial differences persist between countries, cultures, and individuals, and that this leaves room for public policy to create a strong influence on people’s diets.This is not currently the case, the ODI suggests, saying that “politicians are fearful of meddling with diets, and alienating farming and food-industry interests”.The work of the South Korean government is praised, which began promoting and educating the public on the country’s low-fat high-vegetable traditional diet, leading to increased consumption of this diet despite rising incomes.The study also found that while ‘future diets’ drive up the price of meat due to increased consumption, it had little effect on the price of grain.Read: Concerns that Ireland is ‘not far behind the US’ for obesity >Minister: The number of obese three-year-olds in Ireland is frightening >
One day in iOS is the biggest platform for Google Now
With the flip of a switch, Google has made one of their most interesting apps available to millions of users. They didn’t do this by making it available to more of their own OS, but instead by making it available to Apple customers.If you’re a frequent user of Google’s free services, Now is an incredible tool to take advantage of. Even if you’re not a fan of talking at your phone (unless there’s a human being on the other end), Google Now’s contextual awareness is significant. The service spans your entire Google account, pulling traffic information from location searches as easily as it does movie showtimes. The more ways you use Google, the more you get out of Now.When the service was released alongside the latest version of Android, a significant chunk of the Google ecosystem was left to wonder what it would be like to experience Now. Their latest update reaches out to a whole new audience, and in doing so increased their total possible user base exponentially.Google Now for iOS has been a long time coming, complete with a brief public finger pointing from Eric Schmidt himself to help bring it to market. Now that it’s finally available on iOS, the addition to Google Search is available to every iPhone from the 3GS to the iPhone 5, every iPod Touch, and every iPad. Nearly every iOS device since 2009 has the ability to access Google Now. Compared to Android where only 25% of the total ecosystem, almost every phone or tablet released in the last year has access to Now. The other 75% of Android users will only see Google Now when their phones update to the latest version of Android or they move on to a new phone to tablet.This isn’t a new problem for Android users. In fact, it’s been the same story from Google for a little while now. The core of Android’s ecosystem will tell you that if you want the latest and greatest from Google you should get a Nexus device. Unfortunately, the Nexus 4 pales in comparison to Android titans like the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4, so that’s not really an answer. It turns out, if you really want the latest and greatest from Google and you don’t want to shell out for a new phone every year you should just get an iPhone. Any iPhone but the very first one will do.
Photos Temperatures plunge as low as 20 as Europe gets battered by
27.02.18 So how will The Beast compare to the Big Snow of ’82? http://jrnl.ie/3873951 Source: EGU/Twitter Feb 27th 2018, 6:58 AM 22 Comments Yet hundreds of miles further south, temperate Rome woke to its first snowfall in six years on Monday thanks to the Polar Vortex.The mercury dipped as low as -4 early this morning according to the Italian Meteorological Service.A string of major football matches, including Italian Cup bouts on Wednesday between Juventus/Atalanta and AC Milan/Lazio, could be postponed if the cold weather continues, officials have warned.One of the lowest temperatures in Europe was recorded at Dolina Campoluzzo, North Italy, which shivered at -40 although the weather station is located at an altitude of 1,768 metres. Rome’s skyline Source: Alessandra Tarantino/AP PhotoSnow in the MediterraneanIn Poland, where at least four people have died of exposure since Saturday, temperatures dropped overnight to -12 while parts of Lithuania, which has had three deaths, saw the mercury fall below -20.Temperatures in France are forecast to drop to -10 and feel as low as -18 over the coming days. A woman with a snow shovel in eastern Germany Source: Jens Buettner/AP PhotoThree cold-related deaths have been documented so far.On Sunday, a 35-year-old homeless man was found dead in the southeastern city of Valence, and two days earlier, a 62-year-old man died in his cabin in the woods outside Paris.A third man, aged 53, was found dead in a frozen field in Gresy-sur-Aix yesterday afternoon.Some local authorities in Europe have ordered officials to find shelters for the homeless. Efforts are already well under way in Ireland’s major cities to follow suit, to ensure no rough sleepers are on the streets during this weather event. Related Reads The #Arctic is having an off-the-charts #heatwave this week, from @EARTH3R https://t.co/fjziOtAEZF pic.twitter.com/CXgaDHuRNT— EGU (@EuroGeosciences) February 26, 2018 Photos: Temperatures plunge as low as -20 as Europe gets battered by ‘the Beast from the East’ The Arctic, meanwhile, is undergoing an unseasonable heatwave. 26.02.18 Planning to drive this week? Here’s the advice for car-owners ahead of the severe wintry weather Short URL
In Belgium, a local mayor in a municipality of Brussels ordered homeless people to be forcibly detained if they refused to go to shelters.Etterbeek mayor Vincent De Wolf said the cold was a “major risk”, stressing that it was his responsibility to avoid potential deaths with temperatures set to drop to -15 on Wednesday night.In Berlin, local authorities said homeless shelters were already at 95 percent capacity with temperatures dropping to -20 in some parts of Germany.Icy temperatures have caused travel disruption in the Netherlands and Britain. Crossing the Millenium Bridge in London. Source: Victoria Jones/PA ImagesEven the Mediterranean has seen flurries, with snow falling in Nice and drifts forcing authorities to close numerous motorways along Croatia’s Adriatic coast.“This week looks like being the coldest period we have had in the UK for a number of years,” Britain’s weather service, the Met Office, said on Sunday, warning of travel delays.“Parts of England and Wales are likely to see their coldest spell of weather since at least 2013 – perhaps 1991,” said the Met Office’s chief forecaster Frank Saunders.- © AFP 2018Read: So how will The Beast compare to the Big Snow of ’82?Read: ‘Beast from the east is coming our way’: Leo says weather advice will be clear about whether to stay home from work By AFP Share166 Tweet Email1 Tuesday 27 Feb 2018, 6:58 AM 26.02.18 What exactly is the ‘Beast from the East’? And why is it going to be absolutely freezing this week? A man stands in front of the Colosseum in Rome. Source: Alessandra Tarantino/AP PhotoA BLAST OF Siberian weather dubbed “The Beast from the East” sent temperatures plunging across much of Europe early today as commuters braced themselves for another day of travel chaos.Freezing temperatures have claimed at least 10 lives across the continent in the last three days with particularly acute fears for rough sleepers and the elderly during the bitterly cold snap.The Arctic front has swept in from Russia, causing widespread travel disruption and school closures, with Ireland yet to feel the full effects as of yet. A Status Orange weather warning kicks in here today. A snow plough in Luebeck, Germany. Source: Jens Buettner/AP PhotoThe frozen temperatures in Europe are in stark contrast to the Arctic itself which is experiencing an unusually warm period despite it being the depths of winter when the sun never even rises above the horizon.Meteorologists have documented temperatures above freezing in some parts of the Arctic, causing astonishment among many scientists.“The Arctic is having an off-the-charts heatwave this week,” the European Geosciences Union wrote in a tweet. 40,464 Views Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article
Prosecutor charges 29 including navy defence staff in sub probe
Greece’s chief financial prosecutor Grigoris Peponis has brought a string of criminal charges against 29 people including navy officers and former Defence Ministry officials in connection to an order by the Greek Government for German submarines a decade ago. The suspects, who were not identified, face charges of bribery, embezzlement, breach of duty and money laundering regarding the order from German shipbuilding consortium HDW-Ferrostaal. Former Defence Minister Akis Tsochatzopoulos has also been implicated in the affair. Source: Kathimerini Facebook Twitter: @NeosKosmos Instagram
Cr Mary Lalios Noone is banning gendered toys or books from our
It all started with a story in The Herald Sun earlier this week claiming that “Victorian councils are auditing libraries, schools and kindergartens and urging a ban on the terms ‘boy’ and ‘girl’ in a bid to teach kids as young as three to have ‘gender equitable relationships’.”Within hours, Sunrise was also on the alleged story kicking off a segment by announcing that “Councils in Victoria are banning the terms boys and girls as they remove gender stereotyping from libraries and kindergartens.”Less than a day later Sky News and news.com.au has raised debates spreading worry across Victoria on whether the new plan proposed by the Melbourne City council based on research from the Australian National University “could see the ditching of Barbie and Thomas the Tank Engine.”Several commentators jumped on the social media bandwagon pushing the “issue” into the most trending subjects on Twitter and Facebook.It did not take long for parents groups to start bombarding the council with questions amidst fears of their children’s gender identities being entirely erased and every notion referring to or implying of gender being removed from books.Councillor Mary Lalios, the president of the Municipal Association of Victoria, took to the media to dissolve the rumours concerning Manningham and Melbourne City Councils.“There will be no book or toy bans. Kids will continue to read childhood classics like Thomas the Tank Engine at their local library, kinder and childcare centre. We want to expand — not ban — the types of stories accessed by our kids to show experiences beyond gender stereotypes such as girls being the hero who saves the day and boys staying inside on a rainy day to bake,” she said.According to Lalios the request was part of a 2016 initiative called “Building Resilience Through Respectful And Gender Equitable Relationships Pilot Project” aimed to improve gender equality and reduce domestic violence by intervening at a young age.“Our libraries aim to promote diversity, not censor books,” a Melbourne City council spokesperson said. “None of the books mentioned in media reports have been banned. The books mentioned are in stock at City Library.”Mary Lalios, the president of the Municipal Association of Victoria.Dr Tania King, one of the 40-page paper’s authors also sought to clarify what the research intended.“Despite reports on the contrary, Victorian councils are not planning to remove any children’s books from library shelves under new gender guidelines informed by our research over the last few years,” she wrote on a University of Melbourne website.“Research done in 2007 among three to five-year-olds found that at an early age, these kids were able to identify ‘girl toys’ and ‘boy toys’ — and predict whether their parents would approve or disapprove of their choice.” Among the observations highlighted, was that the more TV children watched the “more likely to believe that ‘boys are better’” they were suggesting kids’ exposure to TV should be moderated.“We can never remove terms and categories that are a normal part of life such as ‘boys’ and ‘girls’, nor should we,” she added. “However, research does suggest that by minimising these distinctions on the basis of gender and making individual attributes and skills a priority, we can help reduce stereotypes, discrimination and bias, and instead, build inclusive behaviours in our children.” Facebook Twitter: @NeosKosmos Instagram
Diamonds found In Meteorite Tell Story of Destroyed Planet
Let us know what you like about Geek by taking our survey. According to Gizmodo, in 2008 a large meteor detonated above Sudan, covering the area with shards of material. Because it’s what scientists do, they’ve been collecting and analyzing these samples to see what can be gleaned from them.And now, new research in the journal Nature Communications, yields some truly astonishing results — there was likely a Mercury or Mars-sized planet that has been shredded and scattered throughout the system. The meteorite is known as Almahata Sitta, and it clocked in at a hefty 80-tons when it enters earth’s atmosphere just over the Nubian desert. It is also the first significant evidence that another proto-world existed in the early years of our solar system.So far as we can tell, this micro world collided with another proto-planet, though we aren’t sure which one, and caused a huge debris field to get scattered across the system and helped seed many of the planetary bodies we see today, like Earth. The paper reviews the evidence for this hypothesis, and most of it comes from a special type of rare meteorite called ureilite. They are a small fraction of the total space rocks that fall to earth, but they filled with microscopic diamonds. Because diamonds are only formed certain specific conditions, we can use our understanding of how them and work that into our other models of planetary formation. The team used a series of advanced microscopes to look at the structure and composition of the diamonds. They found that the diamonds found in the Almahata Sitta meteorite must have formed under pressures of 20 gigapascals or more, suggesting a smaller, rocky planet like Mars.Scientists were generally aware that it was likely the Solar System had an extra proto-planet. In fact, we suspect one may have struck the Earth, creating the Moon. Until now, though, evidence had been skimpy for the idea. “This study provides convincing evidence that the ureilite parent body was one such large ‘lost’ planet before it was destroyed by collisions,” the paper reads.This just further demonstrates the chaotic and violent nature of the early solar system. It’s hard to imagine colossal bodies just… hitting one another all the time. These collisions would have been enough to liquefy whole planets. Apocalyptic doesn’t even begin to cover it. And this is how our own Earth got its start.
Dr MaryDell Chilton Hangs Up Lab Coat
Syngenta’s Dr. Mary-Dell Chilton, a founder of biotechnology, is retiring after a celebrated career—but her efforts will continue to influence progress in agriculture and for humanity for generations to come.As a founder of modern plant biotechnology, Chilton is directly linked to the world’s incredible improvements in crop productivity over the past two decades. Her ground-breaking work in academia and the private sector led to the development and commercialization of biotech crops, which help farmers effectively manage damaging insects, disease complexes, weed pressure, and abiotic stress — resulting in greater yields, profitability and efficiency.“The American Soybean Association (ASA) congratulates Mary-Dell Chilton on her retirement after a tremendous career in biotechnology,” said ASA President John Heisdorffer, a soybean farmer from Keota, Iowa. “As a farmer who has been raising soybeans and corn for over 30 years, I’ve witnessed first-hand how her scientific discoveries in plant genetics and biotechnology have led to significant yield improvements in our crops. The varieties and hybrids we plant today have much greater resistance to a variety of pests and diseases, and are also much more tolerant to extreme weather conditions. On behalf of soybean farmers across the United States, we truly appreciate Mary-Dell Chilton’s tireless research efforts which led to many of these advancements.”Chilton’s enduring contributions to agriculture are recognized in countless accolades, including the prestigious World Food Prize, which is the definitive international award recognizing individuals who have “increased the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world.”
Park and ride to close for maintenance
A park and ride lot just off state Highway 14 will close for maintenance between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.The lot on Columbia House Boulevard, just off East Grove Street, will close while crews clean the lot and repaint striping on parking spaces. The lot is just west of Exit 1 on westbound Highway 14.The lot has room for 35 cars. It’s not served directly by C-Tran but is mainly used by carpoolers, WSDOT said.
Amendment would allow state bonds to back college loans
Alaskans are voting whether to allow the state to issue debt to lower the interest students pay for college loans.Listen Now Sen. Anna MacKinnon, R-Eagle River, on the floor of the Senate in March. She sponsored the ballot question to amend the state constitution to allow the state to issue bonds to lower college borrowing costs. (Photo by Skip Gray, 360 North)If voters amend the Alaska Constitution through Ballot Question No. 2, more students may be able to borrow to pay for college.The Alaska Student Loan Corporation lends money to Alaskans to go to college. But the number of students who receive these loans has dropped steeply. That’s in part because fewer students can afford the interest on those loans, as well as the fact that fewer students qualified for loans after the state raised its credit standards.While the corporation was started by the state, it has to pay more to bond holders than the state government does. That’s because the loan corporation’s bond rating isn’t as high as the state’s.Eagle River Republican Sen. Anna MacKinnon sponsored the ballot question that could eliminate the difference.“My primary purpose is: How can we do something at no cost to the state of Alaska that would help students that are carrying an incredible amount of debt,” MacKinnon said.In April, corporation leaders projected the student loans could have an interest rate roughly one percent lower if the state issued bonds to back loans, instead of the corporation. That would save a student with the average amount of loans ($20,000) almost $1,200 over 10 years. The actually savings may be smaller, because the state’s credit rating has fallen since the estimates were made.The state constitution limits state general obligation bonds to capital projects, veterans’ housing, and emergencies. If enacted, the amendment would allow the legislature to seek voter approval for bonds to back current and future student loans.Former corporation executive Diane Barrans told legislators earlier this year the measure could also allow more students to borrow, because their credit scores wouldn’t have to be as high as they are now.“We have about 40 percent of the applicants who do not qualify and are unable to get a cosigner,” Barrens said.Not everyone supports the amendment. Former state Revenue Commissioner Sterling Gallagher said college loans are too risky for the state to use its own bonds, since many students don’t pay off their loans.“If we want to lower the credit ratings on student loans, let’s do it based on known cash flows, not on some grab of the state’s general credit,” Gallagher said.MacKinnon countered that the state already faces the risk of paying off student loans in default, but students don’t benefit from the state’s higher bond rating.“The risk that is there today is pretty much the same risk that would be there tomorrow if voters voted yes,” MacKinnon said.Only two lawmakers – Sitka Republican Senator Bert Stedman and Wasilla Republican Representative Lynn Gattis – voted against the legislation putting the question on the ballot.