Visually impaired people can enjoy James Webb Telescope (audio)

 

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EU will limit gas use

 Reckrodgas storage plant  near Eiterfeld, central Germany (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

European Union governments agreed last Tuesday to ration natural gas this winter to prevent severe shortages in the future. The agreement came after one week of talks.

The EU agreement is based on a proposal from the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm.

The new law will not give the European Commission more power. All decisions on required steps will be in the hands of national governments.

EU officials hope rationing gas in the winter will protect Europe against supply cuts by Russia as it continues its invasion of Ukraine.

The new EU law will lower demand for gas by 15 percent from August through March.

Russian energy company Gazprom will limit supplies to the EU through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to 20 percent of the normal amount.

“The winter is coming and we don’t know how cold it will be,” said Czech Industry Minister Jozef Sikela. In his opinion, Russia will continue to use gas to try to influence Europe.

Problems between Russia and the EU are fueling inflation, which is already at record high levels in Europe.

From VOA News

 

Community solar power (video)

 

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Proposed constitution divides Chileans

In cities around Chile, bookstores and street sellers are busy with people who are buying a book that will change Chilean government and society, if it is approved. The book is the country's proposed new constitution.

Chileans will vote to approve or reject the new constitution on September 4.

Its 388 articles could replace the current constitution, which was passed in 1980 under the military rule of Augusto Pinochet

Two years ago, voters supported the plan to write a new constitution. But today, public opinion studies suggest that the new version will not be accepted.  Many voters think that some of the proposals are too radical

In Santiago, the capital city, street vendors are selling many copies a day. Alfredo Lopez sold 80 copies yesterday and will probably sell the same number of books tomorrow.  He did not read the document and is not planning to.

Observers say the new constitution is the result of public anger over inequality. It is a subject of debate between two sides. On one side, those citizens who want to protect Chile's current economic model aimed at growth and on the other side, those Chileans in favor of a social ideal to include everyone.

Chile’s current economic model helped many years of development. But now, Chile is facing rising inflation, a slow economy, falling exports of copper.  Additionally, the exchange value of Chile’s money is at a record low.

"People are really tense," said Isidora Varela, age 25. "Not everyone will read the constitutional text because the information is too dense. There is a lot of misinformation and fake news on social media”

Mireya Davila, a public policy professor at the University of Chile, said “Both sides still have time to attract voters. I think an informed vote is essential, but I don't know if that will happen. Will the Approve Campaign effectively communicate what the document says?”

Carlos Bastias, another seller, said there are arguments and fights between customers. "I think that in a few days I will have to open up a boxing ring here and be a referee. Yesterday I finished reading the new constitution but I will not give my opinion to buyers”.

 

From VOA (edited)

The Upside Down House (video)

 

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Security stickers on supermarket products

 

Blocks of white cheddar cheese with security tags on

Many supermarkets use security tags on high-value items like alcohol, video games, meat, and batteries. However, it is rare to see them on everyday products, such as milk or cookies.

Britain’s biggest supermarket Tesco and other chains are putting security tags on blocks of cheese and butter that cost less than $5 to dissuade shoplifting amid the cost-of-living crisis and growing inflation.

A Tesco spokesperson said “We are placing tags on many products to prevent shoplifting. Many products have been stolen recently”

"Tags are effective because they're a deterrent," retail consultant Steve Dresser tweeted.

One store manager told UK industry publication The Grocer “Today shoplifters are targeting low-price, everyday items. Last week an elderly customer tried to steal shampoo and toothpaste”.

"Shoplifting is typical in times of austerity or economic downturn," Sinéad Furey, a senior lecturer at Ulster University stated.

The price of food and non-alcoholic beverages in the UK rose by 8.7% in the year to May 2022, according to the Office for National Statistics — and increased by 1.5% between April and May alone.

 

Photo Credits: Grace Dean/Insider and Tam Herrington

From Business Insider (edited)

Video entertainment in 2030 (video)

McKinsey experts predict that video entertainment, in all its forms, will become more immersive,  gamified, and personalized

 

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Eiffel Tower's repairs

The 324-metre-tall, 7,300-ton iron Eiffel tower was built by Gustave Eiffel for   the1889 world’s fair to commemorate the centennial of the French Revolution.

One hundred and thirty-three years on, the tower is still standing.

The tower receives about 6 million visitors in a typical year, making it the fourth most visited cultural site in France after Disneyland, the Louvre and the Palace of Versailles. Its Covid-enforced closure in 2020 led to a loss of €52m in income.

 Confidential reports suggest the monument is in a poor state and in need of a full repair. However, French authorities will only give it a cosmetic makeover for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

 The company that oversees the tower, Societe d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE) which is 99%-owned by the city hall, is not planning to close the tower for a long time because of the tourist revenue that could be lost.

The repaint of only 5% of the tower will cost €60m

Experts predict the final result will be very poor. They say painting over old paint will make the corrosion worse.

A report in 2010 said: “SETE must take another look at the Eiffel Tower and come up with a completely new maintenance policy centered on the testing of the ageing metal structure.”

A second report in 2014 by Expiris, an expert paint company, found the tower had cracks and rusting and only 10% of the newer paint on the tower was adhering to the structure.

A third report in 2016 found 884 faults, including 68 that were a risk to “the durability” of the structure. Each of the faults was photographed, numbered and classified according to the degree of seriousness.

On the tower’s website, Bertrand Lemoine, an architect, engineer and historian, gives a more optimistic view. “If SETE repaints the Eiffel Tower, it will last forever”

From The Guardian (edited)