Proposal would allow the coal-fueled plant to run on cleaner, more-efficient natural gas
OLEAN – Senator Catharine Young (R,C,I- Olean), Chair of the PowerUpWNY Coalition, was joined by other members of the coalition in launching a petition drive today to gather support for NRG Energy, Inc.’s proposed Dunkirk Repowering Project. The group is seeking approval from the state to replace the existing coal-fueled power plant with a brand new, state-of-the-art natural gas power plant. If approved by the state, the new plant would produce cleaner energy, create up to 500 jobs and provide energy and resources to attract more businesses to the area.
“We are urging all of our residents, those who work in or near the City of Dunkirk, the Dunkirk City School District, businesses, organizations and friends of Dunkirk, Chautauqua and Erie Counties and our whole region to support this project by signing on to our petition to Governor Cuomo,” said Senator Young. “The more people we have contacting the Governor and the Members of his New York Energy Highway Task Force to express support for this project, the stronger our message will be to them about how critical this new plant is to our economic future. They need to know this project is hugely supported and wanted by our whole community.”
The current facility is a huge contributor to the local economy, providing over $40 million a year in direct benefits to upstate New York. It pays annual property taxes of approximately $10 million, making it the largest taxpayer in both the city of Dunkirk and Chautauqua County. In addition, the Dunkirk facility spends $20 million in annual labor payments and $10 million in operational expenses, including locally-procured goods and services, which are then multiplied across the area.
On top of securing local jobs and boosting the economy, repowering the plant would provide employment for up to 500 workers during the 36-month construction period. In addition, local businesses, from shops and diners to suppliers and vendors, would see a much-needed boost. Just as importantly, when compared to the existing, coal-burning plant, a new natural gas plant would significantly reduce emissions including: mercury by 100%; sulfur dioxide by 99%; nitrogen oxides by 98%; particulates by 80%; and greenhouse gases by 69%.
“The NRG electric plant in Dunkirk is incredibly important for Chautauqua County residents,” said Assemblyman Andy Goodell (R,C,I- Chautauqua County), member of the PowerUpWNY Coalition. “That is why Senator Young and I have joined together to help add the facility to the ReChargeNY program. However, our voices are strongest when it comes with the support of local residents across Chautauqua County. I’m excited to join with my colleagues in the PowerUpWNY Coalition to build support for our efforts to keep the hard-working employees at NRG on the job.”
“Without a doubt, this is most important petition that people in Dunkirk and all of Chautauqua County can sign this year,” said Chautauqua County Executive Greg Edwards, member of the PowerUpWNY Coalition. “This will have the biggest impact of any potential project in the area and would be the largest construction project ever in the history of the county. I urge anyone who cares about the local economy to sign this petition and share it with their family, friends and co-workers.”
“I am very excited about this project and what it would mean for the City of Dunkirk and Chautauqua County and that’s why we are 100% supportive,” said Anthony J. Dolce, Mayor of Dunkirk and member of the PowerUpWNY Coalition. “This petition drive will show the wide-spread community support for the project, and it is my goal that the Governor and the New York Energy Highway Task Force recognize the tremendous economic benefits for the area.”
“It is vitally important to Dunkirk, as well as the entire region, that this natural gas power plant be built,” added Senator Young. “Not only will the plant support dozens of high-paying jobs, but it will be a huge contributor to the local tax base. Without it, government budgets would be strained beyond belief and funding for the Dunkirk City School District would be dramatically reduced. It would be difficult to attract, and even maintain, existing businesses. It is imperative that the community help us show their support for this plant. I am confident that if Governor Cuomo realizes how much this project means to Chautauqua County, he will help push to get the project approved and allow it to move forward.”
“The NRG power plant in Dunkirk is vitally important to the area and needs to remain here,” said Doug Stock, president of the Dunkirk Area Central Labor Council, a member of the PowerUpWNY Coalition. “It is imperative that we keep jobs here for the future.”
“At a time when the upstate New York economy is struggling, we need to do everything we can to keep important businesses here and allow them to expand and alter their processes so they stay competitive,” stated Senator Young. “This new plant would be state-of-the-art and become a fixture of the community for decades to come. We can all help Governor Cuomo and the Energy Highway Task Force to see that if we show a united front. That’s why we need the whole community to come on board with our coalition and sign this petition so we can send a message to him as soon as possible.”
The online petition can be accessed here. To learn more about the coalition, please visit their website at PowerUpWNY.org.
PowerUpWNY is a coalition of Western New Yorkers coming together to advocate for a sensible, practical energy agenda for the State and one in which Western NY and its people will play a role. For a list of members, their websites, and news about the coalition and the Dunkirk combined-cycle project, visit www.PowerUpWNY.com.


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Brian's Children - Cut Her Hair 7" (Ugly Dog Records, 1979)
"During a break in his regular role as percussionist in jazz trio
Broomer, Mars & Smith, John Mars created a rock outlet for his vocal
attributes in 1979 called Brian's Children - a snide little aside in
reference to the dearly departed Rolling Stones member Brian Jones." - Canoe Jam!

domain: artistic


Movie music International has always been a blog/site that brings you a varied collection of articles and reviews all of which are related to movie scores or soundtracks. I personally feel that the emergence of the SONG score slightly damaged film music during the late 1970, s and through to the 1990, Of course there have been a few exceptions where the songs were written specifically for a scene or sequence within a movie, but movies that just more or less tacked various songs onto its soundtrack without a lot of thought I cringed at. However, this month with the release of the movie BABY DRIVER I heard good things about the soundtrack and the involvement of the director of the film Edgar Wright into the musical side of things, ok this is not an original score and is basically just a collection of songs, some familiar, others obscure. But the way in which the director built his story around the songs he had selected is somewhat clever and even ingenious, apparently, he took the songs from his Spotify/iTunes account and put them into timing order to see what song would fit a sequence he was planning to commit to celluloid, so the songs fit the scene like a glove and give much support to each sequence. Like I said the songs range from standards and favourites such as, THE HARLEM SHUFFLE by Bob and Earl, Egyptian Reggae by Johnathan Livingstone, Un-square Dance by Dave Brubeck, Debora by T.Rex, Radar Love by Golden Earring and Never Gonna Give You Up by the ever-popular velvety voiced Barry White. Then we get the slightly more obscure (well to me anyway) such as EARLY IN THE MORNING by Alexis Korner’s blues incorporated and THE EDGE by David McCullum (yes that David McCullum) which incidentally could easily be mistaken for a neo jazz track from a Piero Piccioni Italian western/erotic score. Incidentally, please check out his albums on Spotify, you will be glad you did. But also in there we are treated to TEQUILA, NOWHERE TO RUN, BRIGHTON ROCK, BONGOLIA and the title cue BABY DRIVER courtesy of Simon and Garfunkel and includes tracks by BLUR, BRENDA HOLLOWAY, FOCUS, THE JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION and BECK etc. So, what I am saying is the soundtrack to BABY DRIVER although not film music in the true sense or as we see it as collectors of original scores, is in fact an entertaining listen, its easy on the ear and evokes many memories of a lost youth (maybe at times misbegotten) and opens the doors to tracks that maybe one has not experienced before. A nice collection of songs, that just happens to be on the soundtrack to a movie.


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An estimated five million tonnes of debris was swept out to sea during Japan’s 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami—five million tonnes of houses, cars, boats, fishing gear, shipping containers, and other materials. It was a catastrophic loss of property to add to the 18,500 dead. But where did all of this debris go? Beachcombers along the west coast of Canada and the United States reported finding fishing equipment, crates, and even whole boats in the years after the tragedy, but no one knew exactly how much had washed ashore. Now, a new study has found that the tsunami increased marine debris along North American coastlines by ten times.
“We’d had anecdotal reports from people living along shorelines saying, ‘This is outside what we’ve ever experienced.’ Just huge amounts [of debris] that have not been seen before,” says Cathryn Murray, a marine ecologist and lead author of the study. “It was good to put a number to that.”
Researchers used data from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s existing marine debris monitoring program, which compiles results from more than 1,100 surveys at 120 sites along the west coast of North America and Hawai‘i. Those surveys showed that approximately 100,000 items washed up on the monitored beaches from 2012 to the end of 2015, and that the rate of this influx spiked 16 months after the disaster. Hawai‘i received the most debris, while British Columbia—particularly the northern islands of Haida Gwaii—got the second most.
The team also drew on long-term data collected by volunteers in the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, in northern Washington, to compare debris arrivals before and after the tsunami, finding that the rate increased tenfold after 2013.
Ultimately, the distribution of debris matched patterns predicted by oceanographic models, says Murray, who worked for the North Pacific Marine Science Organization during the study.
More than just putting a tally on the devastation, the data could help governments respond to and plan for future disasters, says Kirsten Moy, a marine biologist with the Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative who served as the marine debris coordinator for the state from 2015 to 2016.
Like other communities, Hawai‘i was largely unprepared for the tsunami debris, which included more than 60 Japanese fishing vessels. The state had to remove and dispose of the items, but also be on the lookout for potential invasive species. Moy recalls investigating a jet ski picked up on a Hawai‘ian beach that was full of mussels, clams, and even a crab. “It was like a little Noah’s ark traveling across the Pacific,” she says.
Murray says invasive species ecologists around the world took notice when the first large tsunami items began arriving with kelp, crustaceans, sea stars, and other stowaways. They were surprised those nearshore species survived a two-year journey across the open ocean.
“We don’t know a lot about what that will mean for the future—will species be able to use plastic to move around the ocean?” Murray says. “This major event gave us a snapshot.”

domain: geography


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The Australian Banking Royal Commission’s interim report focused on a range of negative issues which seemingly stemmed from the vertical integration models within the banking and financial services sector. It is likely that this will result in the unwinding of vertically integrated financial services groups leading to an entirely different landscape of Australian financial service providers from an ownership and commercial perspective. Numerous wrong doings have been aired in the Commission which will result in material enforcement actions by ASIC (for which funding has already been provided).
A presentation on The Australian Banking Royal Commission and its likely fall out was delivered to the Australian Corporate Counsel Association by Baker McKenzie’s head of financial services in Australia, Bill Fuggle along with partner Antony Rumboll, special counsel Alan Darwin, senior associate Sibel Kaan and Shemira Jeevaratnam.
The presentation explored the considerations of ASIC and the Federal government moving forward in relation to charging fees, the products and services provided to retail clients, the drivers of behaviour of various levels of employees within the sector and methods to moderate or remove negative behaviour.
Please reach out to our Team if you would like to discuss the likely changes to occur in the regulatory environment as a result of the Commission’s findings, for example aggressive regulatory enforcement and further legislative and regulatory reform.

domain: finance


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60 day Returns
Your Bag is EmptyX
Hand-assembled from a blend of bubble, patterned and textured resins, this peachy Beatrix Potter Pigling Bland brooch features hand-finished details. Part of our Peter Rabbit x Erstwilder collaboration, each piece comes packaged in our special edition gift-box with an adorable Peter Rabbit swing tag.
With 3 brothers, 4 sisters and a very fine appetite. Off to market he went with his hopelessly volatile brother Alexander. “This little pig went to market…”
Each piece is hand assembled, hand painted and released in limited quantities. All designs are made from layered resin. All metal components including brooch clasps, necklace chains and jump rings are made from silver plated steel.Designs come packaged in Erstwilder gift boxes.
Please be aware that resin is akin to ceramic and glass and therefore may be damaged if dropped or knocked. Due to the use of high quality silver-plating in our brooch clasps, tarnishing and oxidisation can occur, producing black and gold discolouration. As with all silver products, you can simply restore it using a silver cloth. Keep your Erstwilder companion neatly tucked away in this box when not being worn, avoid contact with perfumes, lotions, water and excessive sunlight and you’ll have a trusted friend for years to come..
He is just like Beatrix Potter"s lovely original drawings. A perfect match, I'm sure she'd be delighted.
Well done to Jess Racklyeft and the team for such a great rendition and such lovely resins. Pigland Bland is a weird story which hasn't aged well but the brooch will be a timeless classic.
Absolutely love it - bought it for my daughter who is a vegan.
This brooch is so like the original Beatrix Potter drawing! The way the colours, layers and textures have been chosen is phenomenal. I am beyond thrilled with this piece!
My order arrived really quickly. Excellent order confirmation and tracking info. The brooch box was packed safely with an outer box and wrapped in tissue. I also received a hand written note, which was a lovely touch. Thankyou Erstwilder xxxx
Since I collect all things orangutan, there was no way I was missing out on Louie! The necklace is a beautifully made, quirky statement piece!
As always the parcel came perfectly presented (my girls claimed the pretty box and tissue paper), packaged with care, and was delivered lightening fast.
Love my new brooch, which I use as a badge on my Italian flat cap. It sits along
my pink blue whale & my squid (from Elk Design). As I am a keen Snorkeller/Videoer of humpbacks, mantas & octopus/cuttlefish/squid - I like to remind myself of fond, fun adventures with the above via my cap. Keep the marine designs coming. Thank you.
Gorgeous shades of blue, and such a cute design. Very very happy with this brooch!
Wore it to work, I love it. Makes me feel I can do anything!
This is just so cute, don’t worry Bee happy.

domain: hobby


"Favorite Things" fruit from a Different DecemberRich Stigall
Last month, we wrote about the joy of providing for basic needs; joy only possible, because of your generosity through things like “Different December” where you give to meet the greatest and most pressing needs of children. We’ve talked about how a line on a spreadsheet represents real life blessings to real people.
Meet Suzie. Suzie is a beautiful Haitian girl who was born with two clubbed feet and all the challenges that go with that. One small section of last month’s wire said, “Surgery.” What does that mean? Our hope is it means Suzie’s life will change for the better; that walking will bring joy, rather than stigma to dread.
That day isn’t here yet, but we’re happy to see Suzie getting a little post-op TLC. She has a long road to recovery ahead, but she is a brave young lady, and being a small part of her life is indeed one of our favorite things!


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City Guide to San Francisco
Why San Francisco?
San Francisco is not only one of the coolest looking cities in the US, with funky old houses clinging to its hills, but it’s also home to all things radical and forward thinking. Its history has been shaped by the movements that have grown here - the Beat Generation in the fifties; hippies, student activists and Black Power groups in the sixties; gay rights movement in the seventies.
Fact about San Francisco
- The Golden Gate Bridge was completed in 1937 after four years and a mere $35 million.
- The 1.2 mile structure is the second longest single-suspension bridge in the world and contains two cables with enough steel wire (80,000 miles) to go around the equator three times.
- Alcatraz is Spanish for 'pelican'.
Plan Your Gap Year to San Francisco
Click on one of the links below for more information and useful advice when travelling to San Francisco.
We have more useful advice and information about gap work and applying for visas in the USA in our gap jobs in the USA section.


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Supa Gro Kit 100% (Zamnesia’s Choice) 1200ml
Supa Gro Kit 100% (Zamnesia’s Choice) 1200ml is well-known for its high-quality grow kits, and we are pleased to be able to provide these to our consumers! What’s the catch, you ask? We’ll send you a randomly selected strain… but hey, it’s a blind date with a psychedelic companion guaranteed to transport you to the depths of your soul!
SCOPE OF DELIVERY
- 1200ml cultivation box
- Grow bag

domain: agronomy


Well, Zero has the 2018s on their website and I'm looking hard at one of these bikes for the reasons stated above. And, I'm a big fan of electric technology. I've got a Stromer ST1 electric bike but am a motorcycle guy and this thing gets me excited just looking at it. We're into winter here in Colorado (snow in the forecast) but I'm not sure I could wait until spring. Besides, the colder weather kinda forces you into shorter rides. Fine with me. Not sure when the 2018s will arrive at my local dealer and I have not test ridden one yet, mostly because I KNOW that a test ride will seal the deal. They have a 2017 Zero DS13.0 which, I assume, is a bit larger battery.


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Twitter has reportedly threatened to sue Meta over its newly launched rival social media app, Threads.
Recall that Meta had launched its competitor to Twitter in 100 countries.
Reports claim that less than 24 hours after its release, the new app got 30 million sign-ups.
A lawyer for Twitter, Alex Spiro, responded to this in a letter sent to Mark Zuckerberg stated:
“Twitter has serious concerns that Meta Platforms (Meta) has engaged in systematic, willful, and unlawful misappropriation of Twitter’s trade secrets and other intellectual property.”
“Twitter intends to strictly enforce its intellectual property rights, and demands that Meta take immediate steps to stop using any Twitter trade secrets or other highly confidential information.”
As of the time of this report, Representatives for Twitter and Meta are yet to publicly comment on the lawsuit.

domain: law


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Prior to September 2016, a lot edible food waste from Banff would make its journey to the compost site or landfill, despite its need in the community.
According to Banff Food Rescue, grocery stores and retailers tend to dispose of food that is within three days of its “best before” date which indicates its optimal freshness not whether or not it’s safe to eat.
Seeing the ongoing problem, Alanna Pettigrew launched Banff Food Rescue, an organization that “keeps good food from becoming food waste” by receiving food from grocery stores and restaurant retailers.
“There’s a need not to throw out food, and there’s a want for food, and we can all use food,” said Pettigrew in a 2016 interview.
Banff residents remain impacted by hunger and food shortages, especially with the on-going housing crisis in the area. And although recovered food is available, unfortunately, so is the stigma associated with eating it.
But according to the Banff Food Rescue, all members of the community are invited to partake in the food that’s recovered — not just people facing food shortages.
“There’s not stigma involved in accepting that food that has been recovered. It’s a community project and anyone’s welcome to partake,” said Shannon Ripley, Banff environmental coordinator, relaying a message Banff Food Rescue had for council during a town meeting June 25. In fact, Ripley explained, it’s appreciated that they’re helping to eat that food rather than just see it end up in a compost facility.
Pettigrew runs Banff Food Rescue directly out of her home. She said she only hopes that people will just take what they need.
“People are really good […] I kind of thought maybe it could be a bit of a free-for-all and it’s not at all. People are super respectful,” she said.
Fortunately, for Banff Food Rescue, Banff town council has recently agreed to a goal of a 70 per cent diversion rate of waste from landfills by 2028, along with a long term goal of 100 per cent. Food (and food soiled paper) waste is the biggest contributor accounts for 35 per cent of all waste produced in the town limits.
According to the Food Recovery Hierarchy research, put forth by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the best and most preferred way to reduce food waste is source reduction. That is followed closely by “feeding hungry people” by donating to food banks, soup kitchens and shelters, with the last resort being the landfill or incinerator. So any amount of support for organizations such as the Food Rescue would help the town reach its goals.
The volunteer-run and community supported initiative is currently leading efforts to divert as much edible food as possible for human consumption. According to a report submitted by town administration, the diversion of one tonne of food waste from the landfill saves one tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent —the standard measurement for greenhouse gases — from ending up in the atmosphere.
Banff Food Rescue has had so much success with its campaign that the organization actually don’t have the means to take in any more edible food “waste.” Consequently, administration suggested to council that an investment be made in the organization, not just so that Banff Food Rescue can reach their goals, but so the town can reach its own as well.
At the last Town Council Meeting in June, Councillors directed administration to bring back specific budgets for supporting Banff Food Rescue to aid in its decision.
If anyone would like to volunteer for Banff Food Rescue or would like to know when and where food is available, they can visit the Banff Food Rescue Facebook page. And, don’t forget to bring a reusable bag.

domain: sociology


Dell Rolls Out New Developer Edition Mobile Linux Workstations
Ron Perillo / 4 years ago
Ubuntu-Powered Precision Laptops from DELL
Dell is rolling out new additions to their Precision series of mobile workstation notebooks. These are “Developer Edition” models, which means they do not come with Windows 10 pre-installed. Instead, it comes with Ubuntu 16.04 LTS pre-loaded. Four new models are new, however only the Precision 3530 is the only one available now. However, they are preparing the Precision 5530, 7530 and 7730 models for release soon as well.
What Can Users Expect from the Precision 3530 Workstation?
The Dell Precision 3530 is highly configurable and comes with a base Intel Core i5-8400H quad-core CPU. It goes up to the Xeon E-2176M six-core CPU, with four other options in between. Even the GPU uses integrated Intel graphics or can be upgraded all the way to an NVIDIA Quadro P600 with 4GB memory. There is also a i5-8300H CPU option, but it is only available with the discrete Quadro GPU. The DDR4 memory is also configurable from 4GB to 16GB in either 2,400MHz or 2666MHz speeds.
In terms of display, the Precision 3530’s 15.6-inch base model defaults to 1366 x 768, but it is also available in a 1920 x 1080 with touch input. As for storage, the default comes with a 500GB 7200 RPM HDD. Users can also opt to upgrade to a 2TB HDD or use the secondary storage slot for a 256GB M.2 SSD OS drive.
As a workstation device, it comes with a headphone jack, three USB 3.1 Type-A ports and a VGA port as well as an HDMI 2.0 port. It also features an optional Thunderbolt 3 support via USB-C. There is even an SD card reader and an Ethernet port available.
How Much is the Dell Precision 3530?
The Precision 3530 starts at just $942 USD and is available now.
What Features Will the Upcoming Precision Models Have?
The upcoming Precision 5530 will also sport a 15.6-inch display, however it has a smaller 14-inch body. It is also configurable with Intel’s 8th Gen Core or Xeon processors, as well as an NVIDIA Quadro P2000 GPU. DDR4 memory goes all the way up to 32GB and users can take advantage of up to 4TB of storage.
As for the Precision 7530, it comes with a 17-inch screen with similar Intel 8th Gen or Xeon CPUs available. However, it can pack significantly more memory up to 128GB of 3200MHz DDR4. It also opens up the discrete GPU options to include AMD Radeon WX as well as NVIDIA Quadro options. Storage options include up to 6TB of blazing fast PCIe SSDs.
Lastly, the Precision 7730 is a thinner and lighter version of the 7530. It has the same CPU and memory options, but upgrades storage capacity up to 8TB.