Waste Heat Generated from Electronics to Warm Finnish City in Winter Thanks to Groundbreaking Thermal Energy Project

An illustration of Varanto’s seasonal energy storage facility – credit, Varanto Energy, released

Heat stored underground in caverns can be set aside in Finland’s summer months to be re-used during frigid winters thanks to a state-of-the-art ‘seasonal energy’ storage facility.

Slated for construction this summer near Helsinki, it will be the largest in the world by all standards and contain enough thermal energy to heat a medium-sized city all winter.

Thermal exchange heating systems, like those built underground, or domestic heat pumps, are seen as the most effective way available of reducing the climate-impact of home heating and cooling.

Their function relies on natural forces or energy recycling to cool down or heat up water and then using it to radiate hot or cold energy into a dwelling.

In Vantaa, Finland’s fourth largest city neighboring the capital of Helsinki, the ambitious Varanto seasonal energy storage project plans to store cheap and environmental friendly waste heat from datacenters, cooling processes, and waste-to-energy assets in underground caverns where it can be used to heat buildings via the district heating network whenever it is needed.

In Finland and other Nordic countries, the heat consumption varies significantly between seasons. Heat consumption in the summertime is only about one-tenth of the peak load consumption during the cold winter months.

Varanto will utilize underground caverns equal in space to two Maddison Square Gardens—over a million cubic meters—filled with water heated by this waste heat and pressure that will allow the water to reach temperatures of up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit without the water boiling or evaporating.

“The world is undergoing a huge energy transition. Wind and solar power have become vital technologies in the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy,” says Vantaa Energy CEO Jukka Toivonen.

“The biggest challenge of the energy transition so far has been the inability to store these intermittent forms of energy for later use. Unfortunately, small-scale storage solutions, such as batteries or accumulators, are not sufficient; large, industrial-scale storage solutions are needed. Varanto is an excellent example of this, and we are happy to set an example for the rest of the world.”

The total thermal capacity of the fully charged seasonal thermal energy storage is 90 gigawatt-hours. This capacity could heat a medium-sized Finnish city for as long as a year. Broken down into smaller energy units, this amount of energy is equivalent to 1.3 million electric car batteries.

 

“Two 60-MW electric boilers will be built in conjunction with Varanto,” adds Toivonen. “These boilers will be used to produce heat from renewable electricity when electricity is abundant and cheap. Our heat-producing system will work like a hybrid car: alternating between electricity and other forms of production, depending on what is most advantageous and efficient at the time.”

The project cost is estimated to be around $217 million (€200 million,) and it has already been awarded a €19-million investment grant from Finland’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. Construction of the storage facility’s entrance is expected to start in summer 2024, while it could be operational as early as 2028.

District heating is by far the most popular form of heating for buildings and homes in Finland.

In district heating networks, the thermal energy produced in production plants is transmitted to customers as hot water in a closed, two-pipe system. In these pipelines, the hot water flows to the buildings, and the water that has released its heat flows back to the production plant for reheating. The heat is always transferred to the building via heat exchangers, so the district heating water itself does not circulate in the heating networks of the buildings.

There are more than 600 kilometers of underground district heating networks in Vantaa, and around 90% of Vantaa residents live in a home heated by district heating.In 2023, a total of 37.3 terawatt-hours of district heat was produced in Finland. Of this, 53% was produced from renewable heat sources and 14% from waste heat.Waste Heat Generated from Electronics to Warm Finnish City in Winter Thanks to Groundbreaking Thermal Energy Project

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Polish government approves first nuclear power plant : New Nuclear

Poland's Ministry of Climate and Environment has given a decision-in-principle for Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) to construct a nuclear power plant in Pomerania. It is a formal confirmation that the company's investment project is in line with the public interest and the policies pursued by the state, including energy policy.

PEJ - a special purpose vehicle 100% owned by the State Treasury - applied to the ministry on 13 April this year for a decision-in-principle. The application included a description of project characteristics, indicating the maximum total installed capacity, the planned operating period and details of the Westinghouse AP1000 technology to be used in the construction of the plant.

The ministry has now issued a decision-in-principle, enabling the investor, PEJ, to apply for a number of further administrative decisions, including a siting decision and subsequently the construction licence.

In the justification for issuing the decision-in-principle, the Minister of Climate and Environment emphasised the importance of this investment project for securing Poland's electricity needs, as well as its compliance with the Energy Policy of Poland until 2040 and the climate policy of the European Union.

"The fact that the Ministry of Climate and Environment issued the decision-in-principle for the first nuclear power plant means that the government project reached another important milestone," said Minister Anna Łukaszewska-Trzeciakowska, Secretary of State in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, Government Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure. "Today's decision brings us closer to the moment, when the first Polish nuclear power plant will start operating and producing electricity, ensuring appropriate volume of power working in the base of the electricity system in the 2030.”

"The decision-in-principle is the first key administrative decision obtained for the nuclear project of Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe," noted Łukasz Młynarkiewicz, acting President of PEJ's Management Board. "This shows that the company is step-by-step achieving objectives set for this year, which bring us closer to the commencement of the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Poland."

Poland currently has large-scale plans to develop nuclear energy capacity. In September 2021, it was announced that six large pressurised water reactors with a combined installed capacity of 6-9 GWe could be built by 2040 as part of the country's plan to reduce its reliance on coal. According to the adopted schedule, the construction of the first nuclear power plant will start in 2026, with the first reactor - with a capacity of 1.0-1.6 GWe - being commissioned in 2033. Subsequent units will be implemented every 2-3 years. The coastal towns of Lubiatowo and Kopalino in Poland's Choczewo municipality in the province of Pomerania were named as the preferred location for the country's first large nuclear power plant.

In November 2022, the Polish government announced the first plant, with a capacity of 3750 MWe, will be built in Pomerania using AP1000 technology from the US company Westinghouse. An agreement setting a plan for the delivery of the plant was signed in May by Westinghouse, Bechtel and PEJ.

ZE PAK, Polska Grupa Energetyczna and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power have signed a letter of intent to cooperate on a nuclear power plant project in Patnow, in central Poland, assessing the viability of building South Korean APR1400 reactors on the site.

Applications have also been submitted for small modular reactors (SMRs) in Poland. In April, copper and silver producer KGHM Polska Miedź SA submitted an application for a decision-in-principle on the construction of a NuScale VOYGR SMR power plant in Poland. Later that month, Orlen Synthos Green Energy applied for a decision-in-principle on the construction of power plants based on GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy's BWRX-300 at six locations.Researched and written by World Nuclear News Source: World Nuclear News

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Parties turn to Indian flavour in UK poll campaign

Poll pitch: Prime Minister David Cameron delivers a speech during an election visit in Nuneaton. Reuters

London, May 3Besides the closest election battle, the May 7 general election in Britain is also set to go down in history as the one with the most Indian flavour. From the release of a Bollywood-style campaign song singing the praises of Prime Minister David Cameron in Hindi to visits to gurdwaras and temples across Britain, all major parties are doing their best to woo the nearly 1.5 million Indian diaspora based in the country. Even Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan was roped in by one of Britain’s longest serving Indian origin MPs, Keith Vaz, who attracted large crowds in his constituency of Leicester recently. As NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul points out, these are all attempts to sway every last vote. “Indians look at which party does the best for the whole community. So far, the record of the Labour Party has been better. But ultimately every little helps when you are desperate, and Mr Cameron needs all the help at the moment,” he said, predicting a tough battle ahead for the ruling Conservative party. “We are most definitely headed for a hung parliament, all that remains to be seen is which way it will all hang,” the chairman of the Caparo Group said. Indians form the largest migrant group in the UK and there are an estimated 615,000 migrant Indian voters by virtue of their Commonwealth citizenship. This number does not include the British-born children of Indian migrants, who largely tend to vote independently of the political allegiances first-generation migrants. Therefore, while traditionally Indians have tended to favour the Labour Party, the battlefield is wide open as far as the second generation is concerned who often tend to align with the ruling Tories. Another London-based Indian business tycoon, G P Hinduja, points out that Indians don’t vote as a bloc. “They, like other voters, will vote for the party that promises the best deal,” he feels. But the slight edge for Cameron in the latest opinion polls today might mean that efforts like launching a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in London’s Parliament Square and fielding the largest number of Indian-origin candidates (12) could ultimately pay off. Today’s YouGov poll for for ‘The Sunday Times’ puts the Conservatives on 34 per cent, one point ahead of Labour — a reversal of recent surveys. A second poll by Opinium also put the Tories one point in front, suggesting that the momentum is with Cameron. Senior Tories say Cameron is planning to declare victory if he gets the most seats and votes in Thursday’s election. He is expected to give a statement in Downing Street on Friday if the Tories are “clearly the largest party” — forcing Ed Miliband to strike a deal with the Scottish National party (SNP) to bring him down. — PTI. Source: Article

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People more concerned about ‘looking good’ than ‘intelligent’

Most people care about looking good on social networks like Facebook than seeming intelligent, according to a new survey. A survey by an American multinational company looked at social media habits and found that looking as good as possible on Facebook profile pages is the main priority of 56 per cent people. More than half Britons admitted they want to be more like their 'social media personas' than their real selves. Women carefully hand-pick flattering pictures of themselves to post, while men craft their personalities around intelligence and courageous behaviour. Social media users from the Middle East and the rest of Europe were far more concerned about appearing intelligent when posting online. Sixty-one per cent of people from these regions said they wanted to seem intellectual when sharing content and views across social media, the survey said. The most common reason for indulging in such 'social lies' was finding love or friendship, given by 51 per cent of women and 40 per cent of men. Impressing other people and covering up insecurities also rated highly as reasons, but nearly half (48 per cent) believe posts that are 'just too good to be true' generally are, the survey by Intel found. Ninety-one per cent agreed that there are some topics which have no place on social websites. Eighty-five per cent also felt that people share information that's better left unsaid, while over 70 per cent have felt uncomfortable about friends' posts about them. Swearing topped the annoying habit chart 57 per cent of respondents said they would unsubscribe from repeat offenders closely followed by boring posts and explicit and inappropriate pictures. Source: Indian Express, Image: flickr.com

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David Cameron: UK paid 'heavy price' in Afghanistan

David Cameron has said Britain has paid "a heavy price" to stabilise Afghanistan during an unannounced visit to Kabul. The prime minister promised new Afghan president Ashraf Ghani that Britain will always be a "strong partner and good friend". At a joint press conference he said: "Together we have made Afghanistan safer, we have made Britain safer." Ghani said British troops had stood "shoulder to shoulder" with Afghanistan, and thanked those injured while serving in the country. Earlier this week he signed vital security agreements allowing foreign troops to remain in the country beyond the end of this year. Cameron is the first world leader to meet Afghanistan's new government. The BBC says Cameron is keen to "get in early" with the new Kabul leadership. It is Cameron's eighth visit to Afghanistan as prime minister and his last with British troops in a combat role, as all British forces are expected to leave Afghanistan by the end of the year. The prime minister arrived in Afghanistan overnight after making a surprise stop in Cyprus to thank British troops who have carried out airstrikes on Isis extremists in Iraq. He announced the deployment of two more British Tornado planes to join the fight against Isis while he was in Cyprus. They will join the six already based in the territory. The planes have carried out air strikes on four of their missions so far, hitting eight targets at five locations. ·  For further concise, balanced comment and analysis on the week's news, try The Week magazine. Source: The Week UK

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Swiss, Indian governments collaborating on energy efficient building

The Indian and Swiss governments have entered into a five-year Memorandum of Understanding to promote sustainable architecture in the Delhi and Chennai regions of India. Speaking in New Delhi at a seminar on sustainable architecture organised by the Swiss embassy and the Indian Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Swiss Ambassador Linus Von Castelmur said the plan is to " facilitate the adoption of Swiss expertise to the Indian context." As outlined by the MoU, the Indo-Swiss project on Building Energy Efficiency Project (BEEP) will bring together builders, developers and state agencies, who will then work together to promote energy efficient designs for new buildings. BEEP is a bilateral cooperation project between the Ministry of Power, Government of India, and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) of the Swiss Federation. "The urban residential sector is growing rapidly. The energy needs of such buildings are also growing and represent a huge opportunity for energy conservation," Castelmur said. He said the BEEP will come up with guidelines that can be used by the builders and contractors to make homes more energy-efficient. The carrot the initiative offers building owners is the promise of reduction in energy consumption -- and therefore energy costs -- of nearly 50 percent. "It's a win-win situation," Castelmur said. Discussions are also reportedly underway with the government of Karnataka, India on how to develop standard design features that could be incorporated as part of standard building practice. For additional Information: Indo-Swiss project on Building Energy Efficiency Project (BEEP) Source: Renewable Energy Magazine

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The Mind-Boggling Numbers Behind India's Election

By The Associated Press: With more than 800 million eligible voters and close to a million polling stations across the country, everything about India's general elections promises to be huge. For six weeks beginning Monday, Indians will head to the polls in nine phases for parliamentary elections in the world's biggest democracy.

Some of the mind-boggling numbers:

• 1.2 billion: India's population.
• 814.5 million: Eligible voters.
• 543: Constituencies where elections are being held.
• 11 million: Election officials, paramilitary officers and police who will preside over the voting process.
• 1.4 million: Electronic voting machines set up for the election.
• $600 million: What the government will spend to conduct the election.
• $72,800 to $113,250: What each political candidate is allowed to spend on his or her election campaign.
• 935,000: Polling stations.
• 28,000: Transgender voters who registered. For the first time, India offered a third gender choice — "other" on voter registration forms.

Courtesy: http://abcnews.go.com/, Source: flickr.com

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Edward Snowden becomes Guardian's person of the yea

The world-famous whistleblower became a person of the year by the Guardian for exposing the scale of internet surveillance. It’s the second consecutive year a whistleblower receives such a title. Last year Chelsea Manning became a person of the year. As the Guardian reports, Edward Snowden leaked an estimated 200,000 files that exposed the extensive and intrusive nature of telephone and internet surveillance and intelligence gathering by the US and its western allies. He was the overwhelming choice of more than 3,500 people who cast a vote receiving more than 40% of the total votes. Meanwhile, Pope Francis gained 153 votes, narrowly ahead of blogger and anti-poverty campaigner Jack Monroe, who received 144. "He gave his future for the sake of democratic values, transparency, and freedom," said Miriam Bergholz. Colin Walker wrote: "We need people like him to have the courage to forget about their own life in the cause of other people's freedom. Let's face it, his life is over as even if he goes back to the US he will face decades in prison and the personal sacrifice he has made is immense." A commenter identifying themselves as "irememberamerica" said he voted for Snowden "for his extraordinary and exemplary courage, and the historic value of his daring act. At every step, he has displayed an astonishing integrity and presence of mind. He is a great American and international patriot." Edward Snowden shared the information about the NSA’s surveillance activities in May with the Guardian’s journalists. As the news outlet reports, some of the agency’s techniques were truly stranger than fiction: a dragnet program to scoop up digital activities direct from the servers of the biggest US tech companies; a tap on fibreoptic cables to gather huge amounts of data flowing in and out of the UK; a program to hoover up phone records of millions of Americans; a code breaking effort to crack the encryption system that underpins the safety and security of the internet. Voice of Russia, the Guardian. Source: Article

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Physicians of Ghent University conduct first face transplant.

Physicians of Belgium’s Ghent University have successfully carried out the nation's first face transplant. It took place several weeks ago. The patient and the donor's family have requested anonymity.This was the 19th operation of its kind in the world. Belgium has thus become the third in Europe country after France and Spain to carry out face transplant surgery. It was prepared by a team of experts in the course of three years. The operation lasted about 20 hours.
Not only the skin was transplanted, but also the largest number of bones in comparison with previous similar surgical procedures. (IF) Tags: surgery, organ transplantation, Health, Belgium, World, News, Читать далее, Source: Voice of Russia. 

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U Design: The New Alfa Romeo 4C Spider

If anything else, the community here at CarScoop seems hyped about Alfa's return to its roots with the upcoming 4C series. After one of our readers who attended an Alfa Romeo dealer meeting in Europe shared detailed information about the 4C, including preliminary pricing, production numbers and even the company's plans to expand the range with Racing, Spider and Stradale versions, another reader, Anton Gjorsev, sent us this rendering of the convertible model. Gjorsev's Alfa Romeo 4C Spider proposal keeps the same lines as the coupe dropping the center section of the roof and the rear windshield, under which, you will find a 1.75-liter turbocharged four rated for 240PS (equal to 237hp), that's connected to a dual-clutch automatic transmission feeding the rear wheels. We will remind you that the coupe iteration of the 4C is rumored to debut in production-ready form at next month's Geneva Motor Show. Kudos to Anton Gjorsev for the design! Source: Carscoop

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M-Square: Vying to be complete men’s casual brand

Having established itself as T-shirt brand, M-Square is now vying to be an exclusive men’s casual wear brand. It’s looking forward to adding shirts, denims and trousers to its product portfolio over next two years to cash in on the booming men’s casual wear category. In fact, the brand has already introduced a new line of jackets and coats as a part of their winter 2012 range. The brand’s USP is: More Value for Less. “Stylish, trendy and affordable fashion is the key motto of M-Square since it was launched in 1999. Innovative in design with a sophisticated cool attitude, M-Square is a fashion forward brand that is inspired by international fashion trends. The brand’s endeavour is to provide practical everyday clothing with a keen eye on fashion, thus providing quality with value,” explains Jayesh Shah, Director, M Square Clothing. Commenting on the brand’s product range, Shah said, “Detailing, colour, texture and different washes are played upon in a range of trendy chic men’s wear. Priced between Rs 695 to Rs 1,599, M-Square’s products are of the finest quality with a price that is in tune with the market. The brand is clearly identified as a trendsetter in its segment and has created an identity for itself by being premium, distinct and fashionable.” The brand is retailed through over 400 MBOs and Large Formats like Shoppers Stop and Central across India. They also have five EBOs. These are in Mumbai, Pune, Siliguri and Bhubaneshwar. The brand is also exported to over 100 stores in the UAE. Shah adds, “E-retailing is something we strongly recommend. It is already a big thing in India, people are slowly getting accustomed to buying online. The customer has also gained confidence in the system of buying online. However, we will take time to reach the other developed markets like that of US or Europe for buying online, but we will still get there and in my opinion it’s going to be the next big thing.”Source: Fashion United

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Bizarre pictures this week!

"Oldies" poses for a photograph to display his tattoos by artist Josh Lin during the 8th International London Tattoo convention at Tobacco Dock east London. AFP PHOTO, 

World's shortest man, Nepalese Chandra Bahadur Dangi (2nd L), 72, poses while shaking hands with Indian Jyoti Amge (2nd R), 19, the world's shortest woman in Kathmandu on September 27, 2012. PIC/AFP, 

Base jumper Chris McDougall from Australia leaps from the top of the 421-metre Kuala Lumpur Tower during the International Tower Jump in Kuala Lumpur.PIC/AFP 

Indian Guiness world record holder Sailendra Nath Roy ,49, pulls a 'toytrain' with his pony tail in Siliguri. AFP PHOTO

Competitors wait backstage prior to go on stage during the first edition of the European Beard and Moustache championships in Wittersdorf, eastern France. AFP PHOTO. Source: News Bullet

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Diaspora to establish investment fund in Macedonia

Mike Zafirovski - Chairman of the Macedonia 2025 Board of Directors.

Macedonia 2025 and SEAF will establish a new investment capital fund, focused on growth of the Macedonian enterprises. The establishment of SEAF Macedonia I Fund was announced Friday by the organisation of the Global Investment Forum, taking place in Ohrid. In addition to investing, the members of Macedonia 2025 - a group of successful entrepreneurs and CEOs of international companies with Macedonian origin and living in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia - will offer to Macedonian businessmen mentorship and access to markets. "The fund is first of its kind where the diaspora is a catalyst and leading investor putting an emphasis on the fatherland and the region. It's our great pleasure to collaborate with SEAF in an attempt to create a successful fund and to pave the way for new funds. Our board of directors is thrilled with the idea of helping SEAF in the development of business leaders and successful businesses in Macedonia and allowing access to our global network of business connections," stated Mike Zafirovski - Chairman of the Macedonia 2025 Board of Directors. "Our goal is to spread as a network and to help our homeland. We expect nothing in return, only pride. We hope Macedonia will become a more prosperous country," Zafirovski said. According to Deputy PM and Finance Minister Zoran Stavreski, thus far the diaspora was not present with investments. "However, it provided logistics to the Government's efforts in organising investment forums, establishing contacts with other companies willing to invest, for instance the plant of Kemet Electronics, which was inaugurated yesterday by Mike Zafirovski." "There has been similar support, but the announced fund will enable finances to be invested in new companies starting their business," Stavreski noted. He added that the Ohrid summit was an exceptional chance to compare positions and viewpoints on investing in Macedonia and businessmen to be informed about the investment potentials. At summit's opening, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski outlining the Government's activities in search of foreign investments and those that had been already launched, said that Macedonia was already considered as an attractive investment destination, seen by international companies as "an important gate toward Europe." "We will continue our efforts to attract foreign investors and your help, support and idea will be more than welcome," Gruevski said adding the Government would resume maintaining sound economic policies and implementing further reforms. SEAF establishes the fund as a result of its first successful fund - SEAF Macedonia, which was the first Macedonian venture fund that supported companies such as Tinex, On.Net, Krug (Dnevnik) and Login. SEAF chairman and co-founder Hubertus van der Vaart has stated: "SEAF believes that the Macedonian entrepreneurs are one of the best in the world. We are delighted at the idea of supporting a new group of entrepreneurs together with Macedonia 2025 and promoting economic growth and development in one of the most beautiful countries in the world." Conclusions will be drawn at the forum containing recommendations and expectations from top business leaders in Macedonia and the diaspora, focusing on supporting, encouraging and improving investment efforts in Macedonia. The summit, which brings together 350 participants, is held under the motto "Discovering Opportunities: Leveraging Business Diaspora to promote trade, investments and economic growth".Source: Macedonia Tourism

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Astronomers spot sugar molecule in space

A handout graphic released by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), on 29 August 2012 shows an illustration of the glycolaldehyde molecules in the gas surrounding a young binary star. EPA photo

Astronomers say that, for the first time, they have discovered one of the ingredients of life - sugar - in a gas cloud surrounding a young star. The team of European and American astronomers says it spotted a simple sugar molecule called glycolaldehyde near a 10,000-year-old star similar to the sun. Glycolaldehyde is needed to form ribonucleic acid, or RNA, which is similar in function to DNA. Jes Jorgensen of the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark, said Wednesday that the glycolaldehyde was likely formed by radiation from the star hitting even simpler molecules floating through space. The star, called IRAS 16293-2422, is about 400 light years from Earth. Details of the discovery at the European Southern Observatory in Chile will be published in the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters. Source: Sam Daily Times

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This is the End: Michael Schumacher Announces Retirement from Formula 1

Even the best of plans sometimes don’t pan out. Having a seven-time Formula 1 world champion with 91 wins, 155 podium finishes, 68 pole positions and 77 fastest laps drive one of your cars is probably a wise move. Mercedes GP certainly thought so; that’s why when Michael Schumacher, the most successful F1 driver of all times, decided that three years away from the tracks were more than he could handle and wanted to make a comeback in 2009, he was signed by the Silver Arrows despite being at the ripe age of 40. After a three-year stint, in which he was often outperformed by his much younger team mate Nico Rosberg, Mercedes revealed that it signed Lewis Hamilton for the next three years and Schumacher today announced his retirement at the end of the season during a press conference at the Suzuka circuit. “I have decided to retire from Formula One at the end of the season, although I am still able to compete with the best drivers of the world. This is something that makes me proud, and this is part of why I never regretted my comeback”, said Schumacher. “But then, at some point it is time to say goodbye”, he added. “During the past weeks and months I was not sure if I would still have the motivation and energy which is necessary to go on; and it is not my style to do anything which I am not 100% convinced about.” The German thanked Daimler and the Mercedes GP team for their trust, as well as his family who stood by his decisions. Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn, who has cooperated with Schumacher for quite a long time, having worked with him previously in Benetton and Ferrari, commented that he is the greatest Formula 1 driver. “I feel very proud, honored and privileged to have had the opportunity to work with Michael so closely”, said Brawn. “We have not achieved the results that we would have wished”, he admitted but stressed, “Michael’s contribution to our development and the future of our team has been significant.” At the Belgian Grand Prix, Schumi completed his 300th race, being the second F1 driver to do so after his former Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello. His best result was a third place at this year’s European GP, which at the age of 43 (and 173 days), made him the oldest driver ever to climb to an F1 podium since Jack Brabham finished second at the 1970 British GP.Source: Carscoop

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Caption Contest: Forget Me Not

Hmmm...where to begin? This isn't a trade card per se. It's not a calling card or even a visiting card. It's simply a pretty little chromolithograph printed on card stock. Now, I do believe that this could have been used as a trade card. It looks like the sort which were available for over-printing or reverse printing through catalogs. But, this just wasn't a run-of-the-mill stock card. This one is beautifully embossed. This would have made printing on the reverse rather awkward, but that never stopped them. This was the preferred Victorian image-- Cupid or some random putto (or perhaps just a winged baby, who can tell?) surrounded by a variety of symbolic flowers (none of which, oddly enough, is a forget-me-not), sitting on a quasi-funereal plinth, wistfully carving some sweet message into a tabula rassa with one of his arrows. On the plinth below him is inscribed "Forget me Not." Regardless if this unused card was made as a blank trade card or as a never-used affectionate greeting, it is gorgeously printed. These bright, rich colors are, to me, the epitome of Victorian printing. Furthermore, the embossing is exceptional. A chromolithograph in relief of this quality doesn't seem to be the work of late Nineteenth-Century American printers. I'd say this was European. So, let's have a caption contest. We've not done one yet this week. I'm ashamed, why don't you tell me what the little tyke is scrawling on the tablet... Answers in the comments section, please. Source: Stalking the Belle Époque

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LG TV gets the KnowHow

LG Electronics has confirmed that its 2012 Smart TVs are the first to launch Dixons Retail’s KnowHow Movies service, bolstering its already strong on demand movie service. KnowHow Movies allows consumers to enjoy their favourite content on-demand, subscription-free and at the touch of a button. It launched March 2012, initially on PCs and Macs. KnowHow Movies is now available across LG’s 2012 Smart TV range. It will appear alongside LG’s other leading film-on-demand services including LOVEFiLM, Netflix, blinkbox and Acetrax, providing consumers with a wide choice of on-demand movies and TV shows. Niall O’Keeffe, Business Development Director, KnowHow, said LG’s Smart TV platform was a natural partner for the evolution of its pay-per-view service. “Already popular on PCs and tablets, we look forward to consumers enjoying the KnowHow Movies service on the big screen,” he added. Darren Petersen, LG Senior Contents and Services Manager, suggested that KnowHow Movies was the perfect example of how LG continued to build its Smart TV platform to respond to consumers’ needs. “We are delighted to be partnering with one of Europe’s leading electrical retailers from a content perspective and look forward to enhancing the unique benefits it can bring to the Smart TV experience in store and through the customer journey,” he said. Source: Advanced Television

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UK tops in energy efficiency, while US lags, study finds

The United Kingdom is the most energy efficient of the world's major economies, according to the first-ever ever International Energy Efficiency Scorecard published by the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). But things aren't quite so good on the Council's home turf of the United States, where there's been "limited or little progress toward greater efficiency at the national level" in the last decade, resulting in its being ranked ninth out of the 12 nations listed. "The UK and the leading economies of Europe are now well ahead of the United States when it comes to energy efficiency, said ACEEE Executive Director Steven Nadel. "This is significant because countries that use energy more efficiently require fewer resources to achieve the same goals, thus reducing costs, preserving valuable natural resources, and creating jobs. "Unfortunately, our results show that nowhere is the vast potential for improvements in energy efficiency being completely realized," Nadel continued. "While many countries achieved notable success, none received a perfect score in any category - proving that there is much that all countries can still learn from each other. For example, the United States scored relatively high in buildings, but was at the bottom of the list in transportation." The rankings are modeled on ACEEE's time-tested approach to energy efficiency ranking of US states, and include 12 of the world's largest economies: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union. These 12 economies represent over 78 percent of global gross domestic product; 63 percent of global energy consumption; and 62 percent of the global carbon-dioxide equivalent emissions. On a scale of 100 possible points in 27 categories, the nations were ranked by ACEEE as follows: (1) the United Kingdom; (2) Germany; (3) Italy; (4) Japan; (5) France; (6) the European Union, Australia, and China (3-way tie); (9) the U.S.; (10) Brazil; (11) Canada; and (12) Russia. ACEEE divided the 27 metrics across four groupings: those that track cross-cutting aspects of energy use at the national level, as well as the three sectors primarily responsible for energy consumption in an economically developed country--buildings, industry, and transportation. The top-scoring countries in each grouping are: Germany (national efforts); China (buildings); the United Kingdom (industry); and a tie among Italy, China, Germany, and the United Kingdom (transportation). Responding to the UK's showing, Edward Davey, British Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, said: "Energy efficiency sits at the heart of our policies to encourage low-carbon growth, and I am particularly pleased that the UK is ranked first of the 12 economies considered by the study. "Making our buildings and industries more energy efficient is a significant challenge, one that will take years to meet; doing so cost effectively will mean drawing on the experiences of others," Davey said. "This study is a fascinating collection of best practice, setting out the innovations which can accelerate economic growth, enhance energy security - and save our households and businesses money." Report author and ACEEE Senior Researcher Sara Hayes said while energy efficiency has played a major role in the economies of developed nations for decades, cost-effective energy efficiency remains a massively underutilized energy resource. "Fortunately, there is a lot countries can do to strengthen their economic competitiveness through improvements in energy efficiency," Hayes said. The ACEEE ranking system looks at both "policy metrics" and "performance metrics" to measure a country's overall energy efficiency. Examples of policy metrics include the presence of a national energy savings target, fuel economy standards for vehicles, and energy efficiency standards for appliances. The "performance metrics" measure energy use and provide quantifiable results. Examples of performance metrics include the amount of energy consumed by a country relative to its gross domestic product, average miles per gallon of on-road passenger vehicles, and energy consumed per square foot of floor space in residential buildings. Source; Renewable Energy Magazine

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Conjoined twins who fall ill together and have to scratch each other's itches chart their amazing lives in new reality show

Extraordinary bond: Conjoined twins Abigail and Brittany Hensel have been given their own reality TV show charting their graduation and travels through Europe

They were never expected to survive beyond a few days. But conjoined twins Abigail and Brittany Hensel have not only proved doctors wrong, they have astonished them with their development into darling children, typical teenagers and, lately, beautiful young adults. Now the 22-year-olds, who share one body fused at the torso, will be starring in their own reality TV show chronicling their graduation from Bethel University in Minnesota, their post-grad job search and their travels through Europe with friends. 

Astonishing development: The 22-year-olds, who share one body, graduated from BethelUniversity in Minnesota, a story that will form part of the show

The girls first captivated the world in 1996 when they appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and the cover of Life Magazine. Since then they have lived a quiet, normal life with their family in Minnesota, keeping away from the media spotlight until they agreed to appear on a documentary for TLC

Feat of teamwork: The girls passed their driving test on their 16th birthday, with each twin using one arm to control the steering wheel

when they turned 16. The broadcaster has now given them their own show called 'Abby and Brittany' which will premiere on August 28. When the Hensel twins were born on March 7, 1990, in Minnesota in the United States, doctors warned their parents Patty, a registered nurse, and Mike, a carpenter and landscaper, that they were unlikely to survive the night. But that

Remarkable: The girls have two spines, two hearts, two oesophagi, two stomachs, three kidneys, two gall bladders, four lungs, one liver, one ribcage, a shared circulatory system and partially shared nervous systems

prediction was to prove wildy wrong.When growing up, they, like many twins, had very different personalities and tastes. Abigail, the feisty, 

stubborn one, liked orange juice for breakfast, while Brittany, the joker of the family, would only touch milk. They also stunned doctors with their astonishing co-ordination while playing the piano, with Abigail taking the right-hand parts and Brittany the left. They enjoyed sports such as bowling,

Much-loved: The girls attended a private church school and are popular with their friends, who treat them no differently from anyone else

volleyball, cycling, softball and swimming. And on their 16th birthday they passed their driving test, a mind-boggling feat of teamwork with each twin using one arm to control the steering wheel. Speaking at the time, their mother Patty, a registered nurse, conceded that could have been a problem.'I don't know what would happen if they got pulled over for speeding. Would they each get aticket or just Abby because it's her foot on 

The Daily Mail first introduced the Hensel twins 16 years ago, when they were six years old, and now their latest escapades show the dramatic progress they have made into early adulthood.

the accelerator?' The Hensels are believed to be one of only a few sets of dicephalus twins in history to survive infancy, and when they turned 16, they allowed the cameras into their fiercely guarded privateworld to share this milestone in their lives. Speaking back then, Brittany said: 'Believe me, we

Give and take: What is perhaps most touching about Abigail and Brittany has been their ability to get on, despite their different personalities

are totally different people.' That has meant buying two seats It has not been unknown, however, for the twins to go out in a specially made top with two different necklines - to reflect their unique tastes - and leggings with each leg a contrasting colour and a different shoe on each foot. Just one set of twins in every 40,000 is born connected in some way to each other and only 1 per cent of those survive beyond the first year. Source: Travelfwd+

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Climate Change Study Ties Recent Heat Waves To Global Warming

WASHINGTON — The relentless, weather-gone-horriable type of heat that has blistered the United States and other parts of the world in recent years is so rare that it can't be anything but man-made global warming, says a new statistical analysis from a top government scientist. The research by a man often called the "godfather of global warming" says that the likelihood of such temperatures occurring from the 1950s through the 1980s was rarer than 1 in 300. Now, the odds are closer to 1 in 10, according to the study by NASA scientist James Hansen. He says that statistically what's happening is not random or normal, but pure and simple climate change. "This is not some scientific theory. We are now experiencing scientific fact," Hansen told The Associated Press in an interview. Hansen is a scientist at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York and a professor at Columbia University. But he is also a strident activist who has called for government action to curb greenhouse gases for years. While his study was published online Saturday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, it is unlikely to sway opinion among the remaining climate change skeptics. However, several climate scientists praised the new work. In a blunt departure from most climate research, Hansen's study – based on statistics, not the more typical climate modeling – blames these three heat waves purely on global warming: _Last year's devastating Texas-Oklahoma drought. _The 2010 heat waves in Russia and the Middle East, which led to thousands of deaths. _The 2003 European heat wave blamed for tens of thousands of deaths, especially among the elderly in France. The analysis was written before the current drought and record-breaking temperatures that have seared much of the United States this year. But Hansen believes this too is another prime example of global warming at its worst.Source: Sam Daily Times

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