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Alabaster Library events focus on math, science – Shelby County Reporter

Alabaster Library events focus on math, science - Shelby County Reporter

Alabaster Library events focus on math, science

Published 8:52 pm Monday, September 5, 2022

By SCOTT MIMS / Special to the Reporter 

ALABASTER—The Albert L. Scott Library in Alabaster has many science and math-focused events throughout the month of September, starting with a class on laser cutting basics Sept. 13 beginning at 4 p.m.

The laser cutting course includes an introduction to CorelDRAW software as well as operation of the laser cutter in the library’s Makerspace.

Library Director Kim Roberts said the events are a continuation of a themed series made possible by a state library grant called Re-imagining School Readiness.

“We are trying to focus heavily on math and science and incorporate that into our children’s programming,” Roberts said. “Hopefully over the next season during fall we’re really going to try to ramp up our STEM programming.”

The 4-H Science Club for Kids will meet Sept. 15 at 4 p.m. in the Nan Abbott Room where Julie Yocum will lead the group, which includes ages 9-18.

A Snapseed photo editing course will take place Sept. 18 at 2 p.m. with guest instructor Ted Vodde. Vodde discovered Snapseed several years ago and has since edited more than 20,000 photos using the program and has won photography awards using photos taken with an iPhone and edited on Snapseed.

Participants in the photo editing course are asked to have Snapseed already downloaded onto their phone or tablet prior to the course. Snapseed is a free app available in the app store.

A class on Microsoft Excel 2019 will follow on Sept. 20 at 4 p.m. in the Nan Abbott Room. This class is designed for those who are new to Excel. The class covers basic spreadsheet navigation, formatting and basic formulas.

Roberts said space is limited for computer courses, so attendees are not guaranteed a laptop. For this reason, personal devices are welcome.

Adults will learn stress-free tips to prepare their children for school in an adults-only seminar on Sept. 24 at 10:30 a.m. This event is for those with children ages 8 and under and will incorporate library resources that can help in this area.

Finally, teens and tweens will have the opportunity to create circuit art on Sept. 29 at 4 p.m. in the Nan Abbott Room. Participants ages 11-18 will discover how to combine electronics and art to create their own masterpiece. Jan Mattingly “The Science Lady” will teach this course.

Roberts also teased an upcoming event on Oct. 8, the Tiny Woods Festival held by the Friends of the Albert L. Scott Library. Vendors will set up in the wooded area outside the library, and there will be carnival games, food trucks and much more beginning at 9 a.m.

To view more library events or register for upcoming events, visit the Albert L. Scott Library page on Eventbrite.com.

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Val Demings, Charlie Crist hold campaign events in Broward with focus on defeating Republican opponents

Val Demings, Charlie Crist hold campaign events in Broward with focus on defeating Republican opponents

TAMARAC, Fla. – Florida’s top Democratic candidates were in South Florida to help kick off the party’s push to beat out the Republicans they running to replace, Governor Ron DeSantis and Senator Marco Rubio.

Fresh off a big primary win, Val Demings returned to Broward County on Thursday night.

She shifted her campaign speech to cater to a crowd of military veterans.

“We need to make sure that our VA hospitals all over this nation are able to protect you, take care of you, and you shouldn’t have to wait six months, eight months, a year to be able to see a specialist,” she said.

The Democratic congresswoman is on the November ballot trying to unseat Rubio, and recent polls show a tightening race.

In fact, Demings is out-raising Rubio.

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The most recent dunning cycle shows Rubio took in $36 million dollars compared while Demings raised $48 million.

It’s something Rubio has acknowledged in recent speeches and television interviews.

“I need people to help, but she’s raising all this money from ultra-liberals who want to ruin Florida by the way,” Rubio said during a recent interview.

The other big ticket to watch in Florida is the governor’s race, where Charlie Crist is campaigning to win his old job back.

Time will tell if his efforts will be enough to head off the support from Republicans for Ron DeSantis.

Crist also spent his Thursday night campaigning in Tamarac at a Unity for Democrats event.

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Alongside his one-time Democratic challenger Nikki Fried, she has since thrown her support toward Crist.

“We have our task ahead of us,” he said. “We know what the mission is. The mission is victory. Nothing short of victory. Failure is not an option.”

Copyright 2022 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.

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U.S. power grid needs to focus on resilience as extreme weather events rise- NERC

U.S. power grid needs to focus on resilience as extreme weather events rise- NERC

July 20 (Reuters) – The North American Electric Reliability Corp (NERC) on Wednesday said key entities of the U.S. power grid network were working to improve resilience of the power grid network as climate change drives more extreme weather.

The NERC’s “2022 State of Reliability” report said efforts were being made to improve the linkage between outages and weather by the Enterprise Electric Reliability Organization (ERO).

The ERO is made up of the NERC and six regional power entities.

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The U.S. power grid network is also implementing corrective action to avoid a repeat of widespread outages due to a cold snap last year.

“The February cold weather event demonstrated that a significant portion of the generation fleet in the impacted areas was unable to supply electrical energy during extreme cold weather,” the NERC’s report said.

These actions, based on recommendations by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and NERC among others, would also help to develop standards for longer term grid planning, the NERC said.

The report also highlighted the growing risks from the inter-dependency of electricity and the natural gas industries, which has threatened the reliability of the Bulk Electric System in the past few years. The Bulk Electric System refers to the facilities needed to operate the electric energy transmission network, excluding local distribution.

Natural gas generators are now needed for the reliable integration of renewable power until new storage technology is fully developed and implemented at scale, the NERC said.

“At the same time, reliable electric power supply is often required to ensure uninterrupted delivery of natural gas to these balancing resources, particularly in areas where penetration levels of renewable generation resources are highest.”

The NERC report also flagged risks from geopolitical events, while “increasingly bold cyber criminals and hacktivists presented serious challenges to the reliability” of the bulk electric system.

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Reporting by Rahul Paswan in Bengaluru. Editing by Jane Merriman

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Daley’s focus is on making 2023 Memorial Cup ‘memorable event’

Daley’s focus is on making 2023 Memorial Cup ‘memorable event’

Daley replaces the late Don Moores, who passed away from a heart attack last June 30. Daley just wants to carry on the legacy Moores left behind.

“I think Don did a fantastic job making the Blazers important in the community and I want to continue that,” he told reporters on Monday. “I want to make sure people are aware of us throughout the season, making sure we’re filling this building, getting good sponsorship, being good community supporters for our community here in Kamloops. The fact I’ve got experience with events, making sure the Memorial Cup is a memorable event for our community as well.”

Gaglardi feels Daley will help make that happen. He says Kamloops, as the Tournament Capital of Canada, is used to hosting these big events, but Daley’s presence will enhance the Memorial Cup even more.

“These muscles are here, the people are here, and so I think we can fit right into that mold that’s been created over decades,” said Gaglardi. “Then Norm’s knowledge of these events and connections will just be super important to make sure this event can be the best it can be.”

Planning for the Memorial Cup, the event itself, is his No. 1 focus as he jumps into the new role. Daley doesn’t make it a secret the championship tournament was a big motivator in taking the job.

“My motivation level is I wanted this event and I wanted this for our community, and I want to ensure we make this, if not the best, one of the best that’s ever been held,” he said. “That’s my motivation, to give back to the community and really be part of it.”

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Denmark’s “focus” on securing sporting events key to bidding joy, Lundov claims

Sport Event Denmark chief executive Lars Lundov is in the process of securing a series of events in sports including cycling, handball and badminton ©Getty Images

Keep Olympic News Free

Support insidethegames.biz for as little as £10

For nearly 15 years now, insidethegames.biz has been at the forefront of reporting fearlessly on what happens in the Olympic Movement. As the first website not to be placed behind a paywall, we have made news about the International Olympic Committee, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Commonwealth Games and other major events more accessible than ever to everybody. 

insidethegames.biz has established a global reputation for the excellence of its reporting and breadth of its coverage. For many of our readers from more than 200 countries and territories around the world the website is a vital part of their daily lives. The ping of our free daily email alert, sent every morning at 6.30am UK time 365 days a year, landing in their inbox, is as a familiar part of their day as their first cup of coffee.

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As the world begins to emerge from the COVID crisis, insidethegames.biz would like to invite you to help us on our journey by funding our independent journalism. Your vital support would mean we can continue to report so comprehensively on the Olympic Movement and the events that shape it. It would mean we can keep our website open for everyone. Last year, nearly 25 million people read insidethegames.biz, making us by far the biggest source of independent news on what is happening in world sport. 

Every contribution, however big or small, will help maintain and improve our worldwide coverage in the year ahead. Our small and dedicated team were extremely busy last year covering the re-arranged Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, an unprecedented logistical challenge that stretched our tight resources to the limit. 

The remainder of 2022 is not going to be any less busy, or less challenging. We had the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing, where we sent a team of four reporters, and coming up are the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the Summer World University and Asian Games in China, the World Games in Alabama and multiple World Championships. Plus, of course, there is the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Unlike many others, insidethegames.biz is available for everyone to read, regardless of what they can afford to pay. We do this because we believe that sport belongs to everybody, and everybody should be able to read information regardless of their financial situation. While others try to benefit financially from information, we are committed to sharing it with as many people as possible. The greater the number of people that can keep up to date with global events, and understand their impact, the more sport will be forced to be transparent.

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North Shore public dialogue sessions focus on housing challenge

North Shore public dialogue sessions focus on housing challenge

Three community events later this month will include speeches by housing experts.

Housing is a hot topic on the North Shore, prompting some occasionally heated discussions ­– whether that’s voicing the gulf across the experience of different generations, or debates centred on more affordable housing and those opposed to greater density.

To tackle those subjects, North Shore Community Resources is hosting three community conversations on housing, to be held at the end of this month in each of the North Shore’s three municipalities.

The goal is “to encourage meaningful and productive conversations among North Shore neighbours and community members as we collectively face the challenging housing crisis,” according to Murray Mollard, executive director of the community resources group.

“We don’t expect everyone to agree on housing issues or solutions, but it is important to continue to hold space for people to come together and share perspectives civilly and respectfully.”

Funded by the Real Estate Council of B.C., each event will feature a keynote speaker, followed by small group dialogues.

“We are hoping for a diverse and inter-generational audience representative of our North Shore community,” Mollard said.

The first session takes place June 22 at 5:30 p.m. at Capilano University’s Lonsdale campus in the City of North Vancouver, and will feature speaker Penny Gurstein, a former professor and director of the School of Community and Regional Planning and the Centre for Human Settlements at UBC and researcher of affordable housing.

The second session, in the District of North Vancouver, happens June 28 at 5:30 p.m. at the Lynn Valley Community Recreation Centre and will feature speaker Andy Yan, the director of SFU’s City Program and a frequent commentator on housing issues in Metro Vancouver.

The final session will take place June 30 at 5:30 p.m. at the West Vancouver Community Centre’s music room in West Vancouver, where Jake Fry, founder of SmallWorks, which builds and advocates for laneway housing, will be a guest speaker.

Participation in the events is free. Register online at housingforallnorthshore.eventbrite.ca or by calling 604-982-7138.

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Indigenous-hosted skateboarding event debuts in Langley, B.C. with a focus on inclusion – BC | Globalnews.ca

Indigenous-hosted skateboarding event debuts in Langley, B.C. with a focus on inclusion - BC | Globalnews.ca

From the powwow dancers to the basket repatriation ceremony, the inaugural 7 Generations Cup is not a typical skateboarding tournament.

The Indigenous-hosted event in Langley, B.C. is a first of its kind — an international, professional contest that provides an immersive cultural experience for athletes and spectators.

In between the all-terrain, mini-ramp, freestyle, expression session, and best trick battles, there will be singing, drumming, dancing, and prayer. Participants can buy from Indigenous vendors and take advantage of youth mentorship opportunities.

Read more:

‘A perfect marriage’: 2 First Nations to gain park ranger authority on B.C.’s northwest coast

“This event is really important, getting all the youth involved,” said Kwantlen First Nation cultural adviser Dennis Leon, as the three-day event kicked off on Friday.

“We’re always growing up in different worlds and at this kind of event, we’re bringing it all together.”

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At the centre of the skate park in the Langley Events Centre is a coastal canoe, incorporating the nation’s culture into the infrastructure of the event. Other obstacles are also B.C.-themed, including a hockey net and cedar hat.


Click to play video: 'This Is BC: Indigenous artist uses modern format to share his stories'







This Is BC: Indigenous artist uses modern format to share his stories


This Is BC: Indigenous artist uses modern format to share his stories

The name ‘7 Generations Cup’ is inspired by the seven teachings of Wattlekanium, which guided Kwantlen ancestors: health, happiness, generations, generosity, humbleness, forgiveness and understanding.

“We’re mixing Indigenous with our skateboard culture,” said event host, co-organizer and skateboarder Renee Renee.

“There’s so many similarities between Indigenous (culture) and skateboarding — even the powwow dancers, it’s an artform. Everyone’s doing the same dance, but’s how you do it.”

Read more:

‘How proud we are’: B.C. First Nation launches new farm-to-gate cannabis shop

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A primary theme of the tournament is inclusivity — something critically important to competitor Dakota Cootes, a queer Indigenous trans woman. Cootes has been skateboarding for about a decade, but at times, didn’t feel safe showing up to the skate park.

“If nothing else I just want people to see it’s possible,” Cootes offered as advice to younger skateboarders. “Keep going to the skate park, keep taking up space because the more we space we take up, the more is created for us.”

Cootes called skateboarding “the most freeing experience you can have in life,” moving on concrete as though it were water. Cootes and other athletes at the event on Friday said they look forward to skateboarding alongside the pros, including Canadian legend Kevin Harris.

© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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Looking for an Effective Corporate Board? Focus on Diversity

Looking for an Effective Corporate Board? Focus on Diversity

Effective decision-making, improved risk management, focus on social values and overall successful governance – these are attributes that every corporate board strives to attain. Board diversity within the mining industry, including a focus on gender, visible minorities, cultural background, Indigenous heritage, are important factors in achieving these goals. This session will provide a range of perspectives on the importance and meaningful impact of diversity on corporate boards from corporate directors and industry leaders who have seen the evolution, progress and struggles in addressing board diversity.

Speakers

Moderator

  • Virginia Schweitzer, Partner | Co-Managing Partner, Ottawa, Fasken

Agenda

  • 11:30 – 13:00 ET Webinar and Q&A

Cost

This webinar is complimentary

Type

This event is only available via webinar



1.5Hours



Available Via Webinar

This program is eligible for up to 1.5 Substantive Hours with the Law Society of Ontario.

This program contains 1.5 hours of accredited content for the purposes of the Law Society of British Columbia’s annual Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements. The session has been loaded with the LSBC and is titled “Fasken’s Looking for an Effective Corporate Board? Focus on Diversity – June 2022”. It is available for claiming through your LSBC Member Portal.

A confirmation of participation will be sent to you for your continuing education hours with the Barreau du Québec.

For CPD/CLE in other jurisdictions, please contact your local Law Society.

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Kelowna residents want music to be focus of city’s next signature event – Kelowna News

Kelowna residents want music to be focus of city's next signature event - Kelowna News

Making Kelowna ‘eventful’

After nearly five years of work, the City of Kelowna is pulling back the curtains on its grand plan to fill the calendar and support the local event industry.

On Monday, city council will take a look at the final draft of the city’s event strategy, a broad 10-year plan that aims to return Kelowna to an “eventful city.”

The city has for many years toyed with the idea of bringing a “signature event” to Kelowna. While Penticton has Peachfest and Vernon has its Winter Carnival, Kelowna has to look back decades to the Regatta since it was home to a truly iconic event.

Public consultation conducted as a part of the creation of the event strategy shows 71 per cent of residents want the city’s next signature event to be focused on music. Opportunities for retailers, history, water sports and competitions were also popular focuses.

“A city-led organizing committee comprised of community residents is currently in the process of planning a one-day family-oriented event for Saturday, August 27,” said a report to council accompanying the event strategy.

Details of the August event were not revealed.

The strategy notes that the majority of events hosted in Kelowna are either smaller events of less than 500 attendees or weddings. Most events are held in the downtown core or surrounding area.

Survey respondents reported that they felt there currently is not enough of a variety of events throughout the year, and when asked what barriers contributed to not attending events, the bulk of respondents cited lack of awareness and cost as the main reasons.

Event organizers were generally satisfied with Kelowna as a host community, although just 52 per cent of events were able to recruit enough volunteers. Rising costs, lack of marketing and aging infrastructure were also highlighted as challenges for event organizers.

Check out the video below for the story behind the Kelowna Regatta, which defined the Okanagan summer from 1906 until 1987.

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Out & About: May events focus on mental health

Out & About: May events focus on mental health

When it comes to mental health, addressing the topic head-on can be difficult. Even admitting that help is needed can present its own set of challenges.

“When you finally decide you need help, it’s the point of no return,” Jeff Harms said. “Then you have to start the process and be patient at the same time. It’s not always easy.”

Harms is president of the New England Ram Club. The truck club is organizing “A Beacon of Hope Auto Show” at the White River Junction VA Medical Center from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. A blessing of the bikes will take place at the start of the event, which will feature trucks, cars and motorcycles of any make or model. Participants are encouraged to register in advance at tinyurl.com/yc63cbuk, or they can show up the day of the event. There is no charge to participate and it is open to both civilians and veterans. In addition to the vehicles, various mental health-based organizations will have booths set up with information about their services and ways to get help.

“If we get the information out there in a fun way for people who wouldn’t normally get it, it’s one step closer to someone getting the help they need,” said Harms, of Cambridge, Vt.

The auto show is one of numerous events in the Upper Valley this month.

While mental health may be a focus, it’s not the only focus. In some ways, the events represent of a shift in the way health care providers address mental health.

“Mental health in general is moving to a wellness model, a whole-health model,” said Dr. Michelle Nerish, suicide prevention coordinator at the VA.

Instead of focusing solely on talk therapy and medication, there are more programs for recreational and art therapy, among other forms of alternative therapy.

The auto show is a way of doing that and so far the response is nothing like VA public affairs officer Katherine Tang has seen before: As of Friday morning, 65 vehicles had been registered.

“The response that we have seen is mind-blowing to me,” she said. “We have resources from across Vermont coming — not just veterans but civilians as well, which is huge.”

While Nerish will give a brief suicide prevention presentation at noon, much of the information will be available for people to access on their own. It can be difficult for veterans to ask for help, because in many ways it goes against what they learned when they served, she said.

“Your entire military training is pretty much the opposite of what we do in mental health,” Nerish said. “Now in mental health we’re asking you to please share everything that’s going on inside and don’t worry about what it looks like on the outside.”

One of the reasons Harms wanted to host an auto show at the VA was to reframe the perception of asking for help — particularly among men.

“My goal is to break that stigma … that it’s OK not to be OK,” he said.

To reach the Veterans Crisis Line, call 1-800-273-8255 and press 1, text 838255, or chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat.

Art show and poetry reading

For the second year in a row, West Central Behavioral Health and AVA Gallery and Art Center in Lebanon are joining together for an art exhibit focused on mental health. Called “The Thing With Feathers,” the exhibit is on display through May 21. There will be a reception for the 19 participating artists and a community poetry reading from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday.

The poetry reading is new this year and the 10 participants have been asked to read poems centered on “hope.” Among the area poets reading are Betsy Vickers and former New Hampshire poet laureate Alice Fogel.

“When we look at a piece of art or read a poem, we’re already responding emotionally, and that’s a really fruitful place to start to think about who we are and how we’ve been wounded and how we can be healed,” Fogel said. “It’s also a shared language so that it may make us feel less alone.”

Vickers, who teaches at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Dartmouth, decided to participate in the event to help raise awareness of the mental health needs in the community.

“Poetry can be an outlet, a place to put thoughts and ideas, to externalize rather than keep it inside,” she said. “Any kind of creative endeavor, making things, you make poems and you make art and so forth is a way of expressing deep feeling.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 1-833-710-6477 for 24/7 behavioral health crisis support.

We R H.O.P.E. gala

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health coaches with We R H.O.P.E., which provides assistance to students in schools, have started to see kids on their radar that haven’t been before.

“The everyday kid that was A-OK is not OK,” said Sean Perry, founder and president of the Chester,Vt.-based nonprofit organization, that serves schools in the Twin States and beyond. “What does that say about the power of being shut off from the power of human connection?”

More youths were dealing with anxiety and depression with suicidal thoughts, which Perry and others tied to a lack of human connection. Remote learning made students feel disconnected from their peers. Those who relied on school to get away from a difficult home life no longer had that outlet.

“A lot of kids … all of a sudden started feeling hopeless and they couldn’t explain why,” Perry said.

Then when students returned to school they had to transition again. Suddenly, they were on stricter schedules than they were with online learning.

“I think that has caused a lot of anxiety for kids,” Perry said. “You’re seeing a lot more outbursts and frustration, anger and behaviors which are related to the anxiety that they’re feeling for being back in the building.”

As a way to highlight the increase in the work they’re doing with children, We R H.O.P.E. is hosting a youth mental health gala titled “Changing the Mental Health Culture” at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 21, at the Quechee Inn at Marshland Farm. The event features five speakers who will discuss mental health topics, musical performances and an auction. Tickets cost $75. Those who cannot attend in person can purchase a $5 ticket to stream via Zoom. For more information, visit werhope.org.

Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.