#leak detection in Bristol

[oscarwetnwilde]

James Wilby in You Me, And It and the birth of his daughter during the filming of it.

James’ real-life baby Florence, was born during filming for the series- a happy but rather ironic coincidence.

“In fact, there’s a scene where I have to visit Barbara in hospital, after she has had an exploratory operation- and that was when I’d just hot-footed from seeing Shana in hospital with our brand-new baby girl!” “I’d missed Barnaby’s birth because I was in Manchester filming A Tale Of Two Cities, so I was determined to be there this time. Shana went into labor at 2 a.m., Florence was born at 5 a.m. and I ended up having to tear down the M3 for the fictional hospital scene, having been up all night; I was singing, quite euphoric. You might just detect a daft, permanent smile on my face in that scene; I’d just become a father! It really brought home to me the frustration of our characters."

-Western Daily Press, March 27, 1993

“I’m a happy father of two. But our second child was a wee while coming, and then my wife had a miscarriage. The whole thing was very traumatic and certainly gave me an idea of what it must be like not to be able to have children.” In one of the hospital scenes, James confesses to feeling very sleepy because he’d just left another hospital where his real-life wife had given birth. “I was in a daze,” he remembers. “I was so happy, I was there at the birth, had been up all night, then had to jump in the car and go to work.”

-Kensington Post, March 24, 1993

“She arrived at 5 a.m. and I was back on the set of You, Me, And It three hours later. I was totally knackered.” He was delighted to see Florence’s birth as he missed Barnaby’s delivery, as the baby arrived 7 weeks early: “I was filming A Tale Of Two Cities in Manchester at the time, and I had to drive through the night to get to the hospital where Barnaby was born."

-Bristol Evening Post, March 26, 1993

James and Shana’s joy was shattered when she suffered a miscarriage, but she became pregnant again and Florence was born, ironically, while James was filming You Me And It.

“It was while we were filming You Me And It and Shana had gone into hospital because her waters had started to leak. But the doctors said it could still be a couple of days. I happily went home, relaxed and went to bed after a couple of glasses of wine. Then I got a call at about 2 a.m. and had to drive to the hospital-probably over the limit. The baby was born at 5 in the morning and then I had to go on to another hospital where we were filming one of the scenes. I just hope the viewers don’t notice the permanent smile on my face- I did have rather a lot of champagne that lunchtime!”

-Mercury, April 2, 1993

“I was there for Florrie’s birth,” said James. “My wife, Shana, had already gone into hospital-they intimated it might be 3 or 4 days but it wasn’t- it was that night. So I rolled up at about 3 in the morning and the baby was born at about 5. I spent about an hour and a half with her and Shana, and I was on set at 8. Funnily enough, we were doing a scene in hospital about Barbara having a laparoscopy. It was very strange.”

-Liverpool Daily Post, March 23, 1993

[khorazir]

@ileenhaddockhawkins I’ve been to several setlocks in London, Bristol and Wales (and have stumbled across many filmsets in London), so I know a few tricks, I guess.

Sometimes, crew or cast do drop hints on social media, but often, those require a bit of detective work (e.g. recognising landmarks in the background to find out where exactly a photo was taken). In London, the best way to find out where and when filming takes place is to look for parking restrictions/parking suspensions. Some boroughs (e.g. Camden) have searchable maps on which parking suspensions are marked. You can search by area, street etc. The date and reason of the suspension must be stated, so if it is for filming, it will say filming both on the note online and on the sign/signs in the street.

There are a couple of places in London that are very frequently used for filming because either the locations themselves look right, or they offer good infrastructure for the production teams. One of those places is immediately north of the British Museum. There is a broad street (Malet Street) without much through traffic and wide parking booths on either side. Normally, it’s used by tourist coaches, but I’ve often walked up or down this street (e.g. to get to Speedy’s from the BM or the other way round) and found that a film team had set up base there. Many productions that use locations in and around Bloomsbury have their base there, and one of the buildings in that street, the Art Deco style Senate House, has been a filming location in itself many times.

That’s another thing to look out for: road signs. Production teams use brightly coloured signage (often in neon colours to differentiate them from normal signage) to show drivers where they have to go. Those signs bear terms like BASE (for the base where trailers for make-up, catering, actors etc are parked), TECH (for the tech crews who often have large lorries with lighting equipment, screens etc) and LOC (for location, that’s where the actual filming happens). Often, these signs also have some abbreviation of a title for the production – which often doesn’t have anything to do with the real title. Especially the more secretive production teams use fake names for their shows to prevent too much content from leaking beforehand.

The second photo was taken in Wales during the filming of The Final Problem. Note that the letters above the LOC 1 had absolutely nothing to do with the title of the episode, or even with Sherlock (unless they stood for ‘brother’ or something like it)

Well, and the rest, I’m afraid, is luck. If you do come across a film set, be quiet and respectful and do what the security staff tells you. Often, it’s nice to chat with them, even if they’re not allowed to tell you much (or anything – depends very much on the production and its level of secrecy). But in my experience, they’re often kindly dispositioned towards people who simply stand somewhere out of the way to watch (or watch and draw, in my case), and if they’re really bored (often, they stand around for hours and hours ...), they may drop a hint or two about what’s filming. Don’t be pushy if they tell you to move on or get out of the way, or if they forbid the use of mobile phones for photos or videos. They’re just doing their job.

Hi Steph! My question is not about fanfiction but it's been living in my head since I joined the fandom and as I couldn't find any answer on internet I thought maybe you would be able to enlighten me 😄

Anyway it's about setlock (but it applies to any other movie set really). How do fans manage to know the dates and places where to gather and attend the filming of a series/film? I can't really see any production team announcing shooting days on social media.

I hope my ask won't be too much of a bother to reply to😅

I wish you a lovely day☀️❤

Hey Lovely!

Ah, as far as I know, as someone who works by a place that regularly features in Hallmark Christmas Movies, USUALLY we receive a "notice of filming" email from my work since they're legally obligated to send us "notice of permit" emails because of where we are, so that's how I find out about them, but I know that's not the case with everyone, hahah. For some, they live near places that regularly has filming locations so I imagine that there are boards and blogs for those, and I believe that once people find out a show is filming, "set hunters" are very active in searching for casting calls, street closures, and filming locations, which are all public record and have to have permits filed with the local government before the day.

BUT AGAIN. I have NO idea 100%, so I do want to actually know how they find them with regularity! If anyone has been to them, and you're alright just telling us the point forms of how you find film sets, I think it would be super interesting to know! <3

[myemergencyservicescities]

What is leak detection? Sometimes, your pipes may be leaking and this may undermine the integrity of your structure.

[newstfionline]

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

Biden Effort to Combat Hunger Marks ‘a Profound Change’ (NYT) With more than one in 10 households reporting that they lack enough to eat, the Biden administration is accelerating a vast campaign of hunger relief that will temporarily increase assistance by tens of billions of dollars and set the stage for what officials envision as lasting expansions of aid. The effort to rush more food assistance to more people is notable both for the scale of its ambition and the variety of its legislative and administrative actions. The campaign has increased food stamps by more than $1 billion a month, provided needy children a dollar a day for snacks, expanded a produce allowance for pregnant women and children, and authorized the largest children’s summer feeding program in history. “We haven’t seen an expansion of food assistance of this magnitude since the founding of the modern food stamp program in 1977,” said James P. Ziliak, an economist at the University of Kentucky who studies nutrition programs. “It’s a profound change.”

Police, communities across U.S. fight back against anti-Asian hate crimes (Reuters) More than a dozen San Jose, California, police officers walked through the white arches of the Grand Century Mall in “Little Saigon” to reassure a Vietnamese-American community fearful over the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes in the United States. Across the United States, law enforcement agencies are scrambling to better protect Asian communities amid a wave of violence targeting them since lockdowns to cope with the coronavirus pandemic began about a year ago. A recent report by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, showed that while hate crimes overall in the United States had fallen slightly in 2020, crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) had jumped by 145%. A vicious assault last week in which a man kicked a 65-year-old immigrant from the Philippines in New York City multiple times was captured on video and went viral, further stoking fears about anti-Asian hate crimes. New York City has deployed a team of undercover Asian police officers. Other major cities, from San Jose to Chicago, have boosted patrols in Asian neighborhoods and sought to forge closer ties with communities, some of which have sought to fill gaps the police can’t fill.

Florida works to avoid ‘catastrophic’ pond collapse (AP) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Sunday that crews are working to prevent the collapse of a large wastewater pond in the Tampa Bay area while evacuating the area to avoid a “catastrophic flood.” Manatee County officials say the latest models show that a breach at the old phosphate plant reservoir has the potential to gush out 340 million gallons of water in a matter of minutes, risking a 20-foot-high (about 6.1-meter-high) wall of water. Authorities have closed off portions of the U.S. Highway 41 and ordered evacuations of 316 homes. Some families were placed in local hotels. Crews have been discharging water since the pond began leaking in March. On Friday, a significant leak that was detected escalated the response and prompted the first evacuations and a declaration of a state of emergency on Saturday. A portion of the containment wall in the reservoir shifted, leading officials to think a collapse could occur at any time.

Demonstrators protest a policing bill in England and Wales (Vox) Thousands of demonstrators marched across Britain on Saturday in protest of a massive new policing bill that would create new restrictions on protest in England and Wales and impose hefty fines for not following police instructions. The bill, officially known as the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, was introduced in early March and has been met with widespread pushback in England and Wales since then. It also includes sentencing and court reforms, among other changes, but protesters are specifically incensed by proposed new police powers concerning protests. According to the BBC’s Dominic Casciani, the bill would criminalize violating restrictions that protesters “‘ought’ to have known about, even if they have not received a direct order from an officer,” and “intentionally or recklessly causing public nuisance.” This weekend’s “kill the bill” marches aren’t the first. According to the Guardian, Bristol, in southwest England, has been the site of at least five protests over the last two weeks, including one that turned violent and saw at least two police vehicles set on fire earlier in March.

Marine Le Pen’s growing support (Financial Times) It would be a political earthquake as disruptive as the UK referendum vote for Brexit in 2016 and the election of Donald Trump as US president later that year. Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s extreme right Rassemblement National party, is doing so well in the polls that she threatens to foil Emmanuel Macron’s re-election bid and could win next year’s presidential vote to become the country’s first far-right leader since the second world war. Only last week, she likened herself to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the UK’s Brexiters—and by implication former US president Trump—as a politician who could triumph with the support of all kinds of voters. “There’s no more split between left and right, there’s a split between the globalists and the nationalists,” she said.

Polish hospitals struggle with surge of virus patients (AP) Polish hospitals struggled over the Easter weekend with a massive number of people infected with COVID-19 following a huge surge in infections across Central and Eastern Europe in recent weeks. Tougher new pandemic restrictions were ordered in Poland for a two-week period surrounding Easter in order to slow down the infection rate. The country hit new records of over 35,000 daily infections on two recent days, and deaths have been in the hundreds each day. The aim of the new restrictions was to prevent large gatherings over the long weekend culminating with Easter Monday. Meanwhile, the government is also trying to speed up the country’s vaccine rollout, but the pressure on the country’s hospitals is still relentless.

Maoist Insurgents Kill 23 Indian Forces in Ambush, Officials Say (NYT) At least 23 Indian security forces were killed in an ambush by Maoist militants in the central state of Chattisgarh, officials said on Sunday, reviving concerns around a decades-old insurgency that appeared to have been largely contained in recent years. A large force of Indian security personnel had been carrying out a clearance operation in a densely forested area on the edges of the Bijapur district when they were ambushed by the insurgents on Saturday in a firefight that lasted four hours. Avinash Mishra, the deputy superintendent of police in Bijapur, said an additional 31 security personnel were wounded in the attack. The insurgents, who trace their roots to communist politics in the 1960s, use violence against the state in the name of championing the cause of India’s poor and marginalized. Their reach was once so widespread, and their attacks so frequent, that in 2006, India’s prime minister declared them the country’s “single biggest internal-security challenge.”

China is betting that the West is in irreversible decline (The Economist) Its gaze fixed on the prize of becoming rich and strong, China has spent the past 40 years as a risk-averse bully. Quick to inflict pain on smaller powers, it has been more cautious around any country capable of punching back. Recently, however, China’s risk calculations have seemed to change. First Yang Jiechi, the Communist Party’s foreign-policy chief, lectured American diplomats at a bilateral meeting in Alaska, pointing out the failings of American democracy. That earned him hero status back home. Then China imposed sanctions on British, Canadian and European Union politicians, diplomats, academics, lawyers and democracy campaigners. Those sweeping curbs were in retaliation for narrower Western sanctions targeting officials accused of repressing Muslims in the north-western region of Xinjiang.      China’s foreign ministry declares that horrors such as the Atlantic slave trade, colonialism and the Holocaust, as well as the deaths of so many Americans and Europeans from covid-19, should make Western governments ashamed to question China’s record on human rights. Most recently Chinese diplomats and propagandists have denounced as “lies and disinformation” reports that coerced labour is used to pick or process cotton in Xinjiang. They have praised fellow citizens for boycotting foreign brands that decline to use cotton from that region. Still others have sought to prove their zeal by hurling Maoist-era abuse. A Chinese consul-general tweeted that Canada’s prime minister was “a running dog of the us”.      Such performance-nationalism is watched by Western diplomats in Beijing with dismay. Envoys have been summoned for late-night scoldings by Chinese officials, to be informed that this is not the China of 120 years ago when foreign armies and gunboats forced the country’s last, tottering imperial dynasty to open the country wider to outsiders. Some diplomats talk of living through a turning-point in Chinese foreign policy. History buffs debate whether the moment more closely resembles the rise of an angry, revisionist Japan in the 1930s, or that of Germany when steely ambition led it to war in 1914. A veteran diplomat bleakly suggests that China’s rulers view the West as ill-disciplined, weak and venal, and are seeking to bring it to heel, like a dog.

Minorities in Myanmar borderlands face fresh fear since coup (AP) Before each rainy season Lu Lu Aung and other farmers living in a camp for internally displaced people in Myanmar’s far northern Kachin state would return to the village they fled and plant crops that would help keep them fed for the coming year. But this year in the wake of February’s military coup, with the rains not far off, the farmers rarely step out of their makeshift homes and don’t dare leave their camp. They say it is simply too dangerous to risk running into soldiers from Myanmar’s army or their aligned militias. “We can’t go anywhere and can’t do anything since the coup,” Lu Lu Aung said. “Every night, we hear the sounds of jet fighters flying so close above our camp.” The military’s lethal crackdown on protesters in large central cities such as Yangon and Mandalay has received much of the attention since the coup that toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government. But far away in Myanmar’s borderlands, Lu Lu Aung and millions of others who hail from Myanmar’s minority ethnic groups are facing increasing uncertainty and waning security as longstanding conflicts between the military and minority guerrilla armies flare anew.

Tropical cyclone kills at least 97 in Indonesia, East Timor (Reuters) Floods and landslides triggered by tropical cyclone Seroja in a cluster of islands in southeast Indonesia and East Timor have killed 97 people, with many still unaccounted for and thousands displaced, officials said on Monday. At least 70 deaths were reported in several islands in Indonesia’s West and East Nusa Tenggara provinces, while 70 others were missing, after the cyclone brought flash floods, landslides and strong winds amid heavy rain over the weekend, disaster agency BNPB said.

Lawyer says mediation resolves feud among Jordan royals (AP) Mediation between Jordan’s King Abdullah II and his outspoken half brother, Prince Hamzah, successfully de-escalated one of the most serious political crises in the kingdom in decades, the palace and a confidant of the prince said Monday. The apparent resolution of the unprecedented public feud capped a weekend of palace drama during which the king had placed Hamzah under house arrest for allegedly plotting with foreign supporters to destabilize Jordan, a key Western ally. The announcement of the successful mediation came after Abdullah’s paternal uncle, Hassan, met with Hamzah on Monday. Hamzah was joined by his brother Hashem and three of their cousins. “In light of the developments of the past two days, I put myself at the disposal of His Majesty the King,” said the statement signed by Hamzah. He said he would remain loyal to the king and to Jordan’s constitution. Malik R. Dahlan, a professional mediator and a friend of the family, then issued a separate statement, saying the mediation has “been successful and I expect a resolution shortly.” He said that “this regrettable incident was the result of the clumsy actions of a senior security official and misrepresentation by a government official,” adding that “it should have remained a family matter.”

Netanyahu’s favours were ‘currency’, prosecutor says as corruption trial starts (Reuters) Israeli prosecutors accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of treating favours as “currency” on Monday at the opening of a corruption trial which, along with an inconclusive election, has clouded his prospects of remaining in office. Netanyahu, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of bribery, breach of trust and fraud, came to Jerusalem District Court in a dark suit and black protective mask, conferring quietly with lawyers as his supporters and critics held raucous demonstrations outside. Meanwhile, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin began consulting with party heads on who might form the next coalition government—a toss-up after the March 23 election, the fourth in two years, gave neither Netanyahu nor his rivals a clear mandate.

Pandemic Spreads Isolation (WSJ) A year ago when Japan was under a pandemic state of emergency, Seiji Saejima called his ex-wife for the first time since they divorced a few years earlier. He said she told him she was about to remarry and asked him not to call again. It was an unwelcome reminder of the isolation he was feeling. “I did not have many friends to contact even before,” said the 34-year-old, who works at a city government office near Tokyo. Then the pandemic forced reductions in activities that kept him connected, like going to singles’ mixers. “The coronavirus has made me realize I’m lonely,” he said. Recent data suggest many more people are having the same experience, and that is changing the thinking of some governments. Japan recently named a loneliness and isolation minister, following the U.K.’s example from three years ago. The U.K. named a minister after recognizing the impact of isolation on people’s health and its economy. One study linked deficiencies in social relationships to a 29% increase in heart disease. Another estimated that a chronically lonely person could cost the government, on average, the equivalent of an extra $16,600 over 15 years, owing to higher medical and other costs. “The magnitude of effect of social connection on mortality risk is comparable, and in many cases, exceeds that of other well-accepted risk factors, including smoking up to 15 cigarettes per day, obesity and air pollution,” said Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a Brigham Young University professor of psychology and neuroscience, in 2017 U.S. Senate testimony.

[lostinfic]

I couldn't decide on the kiss prompt so I will share both I was thinking of and you can pick if one strikes your fancy between Hardy/Hannah 34. to pretend orrrrrrrr Ten/Rose 26. as an apology.

A kiss to pretend

Hardy x Hannah. 1920s/Gangsters AU. Hardy is working undercover and infiltrated a criminal gang. Hannah is the mistress of the dangerous gang leader. 

2700 words. 

A/N: For UK folks, by “suspenders” I mean braces, the kind that hold up trousers, not the lingerie type.

➙ Kiss prompts

London, 1922

They both pretend to be other people. He pretends to be Emmett Carver, henchman for Enzo “The Ruby” Crawford, an infamous gangster. She goes by Belle and pretends to love Enzo.

In reality, he’s Alec Hardy, an undercover detective investigating the East End gang’s activities.

In reality, she’s… well, Hardy doesn’t know her real name and doesn’t want to learn it. That way, he can’t betray her. But he knows she’s friendly and smarter than she pretends to be. He knows she fears Enzo.

Hardy went undercover a year ago. The Metropolitan police needed a copper from outside London to investigate the corruption amongst their own officers. Enzo’s gang has contacts in every police station, every branch of the government, every bank. Blackmail and bribery are the bricks and mortar of his criminal empire. He deals in illegal betting, protection rackets, black market weapons and opium. He built his reputation on cruelty: as far as Enzo’s concerned, everyone is fair game, even women and children. His nickname “The Ruby” is a reference to the colour of blood. The story goes that he loves to keep the stains on his clothes after a murder.

In the name of public protection and justice, Hardy replaced his suit and tie with rolled up shirtsleeves and steel-capped boots. Traded his police badge for the dark red suspenders symbolic of Enzo’s gang.

They told him he’d have to work his way up the ranks of the criminal organization. It could take months, years even, before Enzo trusted him with sensitive information. So for now, he’s relegated to menial tasks: surveillance, deliveries, dodgy transactions. Hardy’s not built for intimidation, but his accent alone forestalls backtalk.

Most policemen fear retaliation against their loved ones if their cover is blown. It’s not a problem for Hardy anymore. He came back from the Great War to find out that, while he was fighting for his life in the trenches of France, Tess had fallen in love with another man. They tried to put it all behind them and rebuild a life, they had a baby, but it only delayed the inevitable: Tess left and took their daughter with her. After that, for Hardy, becoming another person didn’t seem like such a bad idea.

One task he didn’t expect was driving the boss’s floozie to and from his home.

Chauffeur to the flapper.

These days, so many young women wear short dresses and makeup, at first he can’t tell whether Belle is a prostitute or fashionable. On the drive back, she counts bills, but it doesn’t mean anything either. Enzo sees other girls, of course, but Belle is his favourite, the only one he sends a car for.

Hardy watches her in the rear-view mirror. A cloche hat sits low over her blond bob and obscures her kohl-rimmed eyes. She gnaws at her bottom lip, wrings her hands in her lap. He escorts her to the fourth floor of the hotel, in the lift, she takes deep breaths. When the doors open with a ping, a smile springs on her lips.

“Honeybear!” she says, running into Enzo’s arms.

She arrives with bright red lipstick and returns home without it, as if Enzo himself drained the colour out of her.

Hardy wonders if she once cared about Enzo. Is he blackmailing her? What does she need the money for? Does she have other clients? And he wonders why he wonders about her so much.

They’re long car rides; she lives on the other side of town. But he comes to appreciate these moments more than any others. She sits in the back and therefore cannot see his face. He can relax. Somewhat.

She’s friendly to everyone from members of the gang to the hotel staff. Hardy’s grumpy attitude doesn’t deter her. It starts with small things, a kind smile, a funny comment on the latest Chaplin movie, a snack shared. “Did you bake those scones yourself?” he asks. She laughs and it fills the whole car. The tunes she hums that haunt him all day (“Are you lonesome tonight? Do you miss me tonight?”). The shine of her sequined dress against the drab backseat of the model T’s interior.

One day, he finds out she’s lying about where she lives. She forgets a novel in the car, but when he tries to return it to her, he finds she’s not a tenant in the building where he drops her off. He doesn’t try to find out her real address. The less he knows and all that… She doesn’t want anyone in the gang to know where she lives. Smart lass.

He gives her the book back later, and she immediately notices he’s read it. “What did you think of Poirot?”

For a second there, he panics, thinks she’s asking because she knows he’s a detective. “Too intelligent,” he answers carefully.

“I hope this Agatha Christie will write other books. Have you read Evelyn Waugh?”

They begin exchanging novellas and paperbacks, a book club of their own with little notes in the margins like coded messages. He tells himself it’s innocent, yet he hides the books carefully.

He eats some of her taffies. She drinks from his flask.

When she’s in a hurry, she changes outfits while he drives. She adjusts her garter straps when she knows he’s watching in the rear-view mirror.

He pays her a compliment. Her hand brushes against his in the elevator.

“Laters,” she says with a wink when they part ways. And he watches her hips sway, heart in his throat, as she walks down the hotel corridor to meet Enzo.

Theirs is a friendship built on things unsaid, on averted gazes, on lingering nothings. It’s fog. Unsubstantial, yet it can swallow the whole city.

Maybe it’s a test. A trap. Set up by Enzo himself. It’s plausible. More than. But he’s pretending to be another man, so he might as well pretend he’s the kind of man Belle could be attracted to.

Every day, he awaits the request to fetch her with a knot in his stomach: dread or eagerness, he can’t tell.

He drives slower. Stops fully at every sign. Offers to wait if she has errands along the way.

Now, when he stops in front of her fake house, he kills the engine. They share a cigarette and companionable silence.

He never invites her to sit at the front. He needs the physical barrier between them. To keep rumours at bay. To control his own yearnings.

It’s one of those days, when it seems winter will never end, that she tests the boundary. She leans forward, elbows atop the back of the front seat, chin rested on her hands. Very close. He keeps his eyes on the road and his hands firmly on the wheel, but he’s acutely aware of her proximity. Her perfume isn’t light or floral or sweet, it’s tangy, raw cocoa and smoke, linens tangled in heated bodies. It’s raspy like a tongue along his scruffy jaw. He swallows thickly, squirms on his seat. She brushes something off his shoulder. Her fingers linger on the worn out cotton. The first human touch in months that’s not a shove or a jab. His blood fizzles.

“Sit back, it’s not safe,” he says.

“If you really cared about my safety, you wouldn’t take me to him.”

Her anger isn’t directed at him. It’s unwarranted, but it cuts him deep. He halts the car on the side of the road.

“You only have ask,” he says, eyes trained on the windshield.

He’d lie for her. He knows it with blinding clarity.

“But if I didn’t go, then I wouldn’t see you,” she says.

He arm dangles over, on his side of the car. An offer. An overture.

His heart pounds in a way it hasn’t since the trenches. A flush creeps up his neck. He brushes the back of his fingers down her skin, from elbow wrist. He grazes her palm. Their little fingers wrap around each other.

If he drove away, who would find them?

“Emmett,” she says softly.

She doesn’t even know his real name. None of this is real, he tells himself. Then why is it so hard to let go of her hand?

“Maybe another time,” she says. “Keep driving or we’ll be in trouble.”

He hates himself for pressing on the gas pedal.

She leans over every time now. Always near, forgiving.

Hardy’s superiours at the Metropolitan police think she’s valuable. She might know something, sensitive information overheard or confessed by Enzo in a moment of post-orgasmic weakness. “Befriend her,” they say. He doesn’t want to use her, doesn’t want her mixed up in this. If the police act on knowledge revealed by Belle, and the leak is traced back to her, she would pay the price dearly. “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of her,” they say. But he has no faith in their words.

Inevitably, she does reveal something to him.

The car is parked in front of the house that’s not her house. She smokes the last of their shared cigarette and flicks it out the window. Normally, she’d leave now, but she stays. She runs a finger under his collar, as if smoothing it. He slopes down, rests his cheek on top of the seat, mirroring her position. She’s so close, his vision blurs, but he’s too tired to make his eyes focus.

“I won’t see you next week,” she says.

“Why not? What’s wrong?”

“I mean, ‘cause Enzo will be in Bristol.”

“Right.”

“It’s like a vacation for me.”

“What will you do?”

She shrugs. He wonders if she’ll propose they meet. There’s a moment of silence, a pregnant pause, a crossroad of possibilities.

“Anyway.” She chuckles nervously. “Maybe I’ll learn to cook.”

“Lord have mercy.”

It’s only the next day, when the effect of her touch and smile has somewhat faded, that he realizes the significance of her words. If Enzo is in Bristol, he may be trying to create an alliance with the gang up there. He should warn the police right away. Yet he waits. Waits for someone else to mention the trip, but no one at his level seems aware the boss is out of town.

The next day, he’s asked to fetch Belle, and he thinks it’s too late to alert his colleagues now. But when she comes out of the hotel, her hair and lipstick are intact. She got paid to sit by herself in an empty hotel room. Obviously, they’re doing everything to keep the illusion the big boss is still in London. If word gets out, they’ll narrow down the list of suspects real fast.

Unaware of Hardy’s inner turmoil, Belle is in a great mood. As soon as they round the corner, out of sight, she wraps her arms around his neck from behind. Her breath brushes his ear when she says, “take the scenic route”.

Driving by Hyde Park is the closest thing to a scenic route London has to offer. They stay in the car, they can’t risk meeting someone they know. He drives around three times, and, through the window, they watch springtime London blooming to life: sheep graze on the lawn, children run, pushing old tires with sticks, young female factory workers stroll arm-in-arm.

Belle’s hand slips inside his shirt. His heart drums under her touch. He nearly crashes into another car.

He drives until the sun descends on the horizon.

It’s the happiest he’s been in a long time, but the dilemma eats at him. An alliance between London and Bristol means a wider network of criminal activities— wider than ever before— and more innocent bystanders caught in that web. But they’re faceless, anonymous bystanders whereas Belle is so very real. She’s flesh and bones and loveliness. Her life would be on the line. His too, he realizes belatedly.

In the end, his conscience wins. He’s a cop, not a crook. He sends the superintendent a coded message and waits with fear in his heart.

The next week, he’s sent to fetch Belle again. As usual, he escorts her to the fourth floor, but he keep his hand poised near the butt of his revolver. This time, Enzo shows up to welcome her.

“Hello, Babydoll.”

She jumps in his arms. “Honeybear! I missed you.”

Hardy grits his teeth and ignores the pang in his heart. He’d have preferred a bullet.

Rather than go back to the pub that doubles as the gang’s HQ as he usually would, he stays nearby. He sits in the service stairwell, attentive to any sound out of the ordinary.

A few hours later, she comes out, and one glance from her tells him she’s unwell. A tense silence fills the elevator, it’s not the place to talk.

In the car, she rests her forehead against the window and follows the path of raindrops with her finger.

Did they question her? Threaten her?

“You alright?”

“Yeah… I liked my little vacation.”

“What happened?”

“Enzo was pissed. Something happened, and he thought I’d said something I shouldn’t.”

Hardy gripped the wheel so tight his knuckles turned white.

“I didn’t even know what he was talking about. What could I have said?”

He hates the hint of doubt that creeps up his spine. The paranoid voice that asks: does she really not remember what she revealed about Bristol or is it a test?

“After a while, he believed me. I think. But then he wasn’t… as nice as usual.” Her voice is thin, vulnerable.

Anger flares in Hardy’s chest, and he punches the car horn. “Did he hurt you?”

“Not exactly. But I’m just, really—” She rubs up and down her own arms. “Can I come to the front?”

He parks the car in the shadow of a tall oak tree. She’s out and back in in a flash.

His whole body is still taut with anger. She slides closer on the seat, and it’s restraint now tensing his muscles.

“It’s okay, Emmett, don’t be shy.”

It’s not shyness, it’s survival. Full of hesitation, he stares at her. She’s so beautiful, and she needs him. A lump rises in his throat.

“Can I get a cuddle? Please.”

He thinks of the hand-grenades he used during the war.

He breathes out slowly, and opens his arms. He’s pulled the pin, there’s no going back now.

Seven seconds before the explosion.

She snuggles up to him, head on his chest, arm around his torso. His blood sparks to life.

Six.

He tightens his embrace around her. Holds on to her. Protects her.

Five.

His thawed heart swells against his ribs. Warmth spreads out from his chest.

Four.

Belle tilts her head back, gaze searching his face. She gently wipes the hair off his eyes and cups his cheek.

Three.

He rests his forehead on hers. Ragged breaths mingle between them.

Two.

Her lips brush against his.

One.

He captures her mouth.

Zero.

And they kiss. Desperately. And they pretend this can end well.

[adsthumbsblog]

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When your boiler is operating fine and the house is warm many people wonder why they should bother with the added expense of hiring a plumber to service the boiler, after all it is working fine. For many homeowners servicing their boilers probably won't be at the top of their to-do list, but when it stops working properly or breakdown, they'll surely notice. Although safety is the first priority, a well maintained boiler burns up to 10% less fuel than a poorly maintained boiler. Hence, with high energy prices that could cover the cost of the service.

A badly maintained boiler could result in carbon monoxide production and inefficient use of gas thereby, increasing your heating bills. There could be increased risk of burning fuel inefficiently, which means it could be giving out dangerous CO fumes. Since all of the fuel use to heat your water contains carbon, when it's burnt properly, it produces carbon dioxide. An inefficiently working boiler can leak colourless and order less carbon monoxide that is almost impossible to detect. This dangerous gas can pose serious health risk to you and your family. Safety reasons are one of the most important reasons to service your boiler.

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Gas boiler service [http://www.dublinplumberservice.ie] is a comprehensive check that can be done by a qualified, registered and reputable plumbing company. Preventive maintenance is a sure way to keep yourself and your family safe and warm. Regular boiler servicing can prevent breakdowns and costly repairs.

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[pressurewashersconnect]

Drain Cleaning RI 401-433-9097 Sureflow Rooter Service-Plumber Providence RI

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http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrj8usUQiPh78Py7YHgq9nQ

[fayeburnsus]

Dentons reveals latest tech start-ups to join ‘Space Camp’ innovation hub

Astronomical ideas include low-cost satellite launch service and a drone-mountable leak detector

Global giant Dentons has unveiled the second batch of start-ups joining its ‘Space Camp’ innovation hub.

Dentons teamed up with up with venture capital fund Seraphim Capital earlier this summer to provide office space and legal advice to six “data and satellite-led businesses” as part of a nine-week programme in the global outfit’s London office. The outfit has now confirmed it will welcome a further 10 new start-ups through its doors this month.

First up, Quantum Light Metrology. The Bristol-based start-up is in the process of developing drone-mountable quantum optical sensors that can be used by oil and gas businesses to detect leaks. Next up, Entopy. The Edinburgh start-up is described as a “launch vehicle designer” that is currently developing a low-cost, personalised service to meet increasing demand for small satellite launches.

The 2019 Firms Most List

Another soon-to-be Space Camp resident, AnsuR, provides software for mission-critical satellite communication. The 15-strong start-up hails from Oslo, Norway, Barcelona and Spain.

Other successful applicants include CyStellar, a geospatial intelligence company; LunaSonde, a US company which uses small satellites to scan the globe and build an atlas of valuable underground resources; and predictive energy asset management company Vidrona.

Justin Hill, a partner at Dentons and the Space Camp’s expert-in-residence, said:

“As with the previous cohort the real stars of Space Camp are the tech companies selected to participate. These are operating at the forefront of their respective technologies. By hosting Space Camp in an environment facilitating unfettered access to corporate partners, and delivering a programme packed with inspiration, Seraphim Capital will doubtless accelerate these teams to further commercial success. The whole team here at Dentons is thrilled to be part of it.”

Dentons isn’t alone in welcoming tech-focused start-ups through its doors. Mishcon de Reya teamed up with London-based investor L Marks last year to launch ‘MDR LAB’, an innovation incubator open to early stage and growth technology start-ups. Meanwhile, Allen & Overy launched a similar venture, ‘Fuse’, which saw the magic circler provide office space and support to eight tech-focused businesses.

The post Dentons reveals latest tech start-ups to join ‘Space Camp’ innovation hub appeared first on Legal Cheek.

from Legal News And Updates https://www.legalcheek.com/2018/10/dentons-reveals-latest-tech-start-ups-to-join-space-camp-innovation-hub/

[alanafsmith]

Dentons reveals latest tech start-ups to join ‘Space Camp’ innovation hub

Astronomical ideas include low-cost satellite launch service and a drone-mountable leak detector

Global giant Dentons has unveiled the second batch of start-ups joining its ‘Space Camp’ innovation hub.

Dentons teamed up with up with venture capital fund Seraphim Capital earlier this summer to provide office space and legal advice to six “data and satellite-led businesses” as part of a nine-week programme in the global outfit’s London office. The outfit has now confirmed it will welcome a further 10 new start-ups through its doors this month.

First up, Quantum Light Metrology. The Bristol-based start-up is in the process of developing drone-mountable quantum optical sensors that can be used by oil and gas businesses to detect leaks. Next up, Entopy. The Edinburgh start-up is described as a “launch vehicle designer” that is currently developing a low-cost, personalised service to meet increasing demand for small satellite launches.

The 2019 Firms Most List

Another soon-to-be Space Camp resident, AnsuR, provides software for mission-critical satellite communication. The 15-strong start-up hails from Oslo, Norway, Barcelona and Spain.

Other successful applicants include CyStellar, a geospatial intelligence company; LunaSonde, a US company which uses small satellites to scan the globe and build an atlas of valuable underground resources; and predictive energy asset management company Vidrona.

Justin Hill, a partner at Dentons and the Space Camp’s expert-in-residence, said:

“As with the previous cohort the real stars of Space Camp are the tech companies selected to participate. These are operating at the forefront of their respective technologies. By hosting Space Camp in an environment facilitating unfettered access to corporate partners, and delivering a programme packed with inspiration, Seraphim Capital will doubtless accelerate these teams to further commercial success. The whole team here at Dentons is thrilled to be part of it.”

Dentons isn’t alone in welcoming tech-focused start-ups through its doors. Mishcon de Reya teamed up with London-based investor L Marks last year to launch ‘MDR LAB’, an innovation incubator open to early stage and growth technology start-ups. Meanwhile, Allen & Overy launched a similar venture, ‘Fuse’, which saw the magic circler provide office space and support to eight tech-focused businesses.

The post Dentons reveals latest tech start-ups to join ‘Space Camp’ innovation hub appeared first on Legal Cheek.

from All About Law https://www.legalcheek.com/2018/10/dentons-reveals-latest-tech-start-ups-to-join-space-camp-innovation-hub/

[healthpolicymaven]

Republicans-Creators of the EPA Have Become the Party of Environmental Degradation

Republicans Who Created the EPA-Have Become the Party of Environmental Degradation

 The Trump Administration is run by industry insiders with deep conflicts of interest, the very lobbyists whom were vilified when he promised to “drain the swamp” are running government agencies. Scott Pruitt, head of the EPA is an attorney who built his career by suing the federal agency. Pruitt is dismantling environmental protections at a breathtaking rate, which will impact your health and cost you money.

 Fact #1 Global Warming Increases the Acidification of the Oceans

Increased carbon in the atmosphere contributes to global warming, increases acidification of the oceans, which kills coral, which supports marine life eaten by fish, and ultimately by us. Increased temperatures in the oceans have caused rapid melting of stabilizing ice in the Artic and Antarctica, as people have observed in real time due to cameras and satellite transmissions.[1] The Trump Administration has deliberately sought to suppress scientific evidence of irreparable environmental damages from carbon emissions, to such a degree, scientists made a safety cache of their research when the Trump team took over, fearing the rogue-anti-science cabinet would destroy data. Here is a link to the real report by government scientists on the state of the planet and global warming.[2]

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/08/07/climate/document-Draft-of-the-Climate-Science-Special-Report.html

 Fact #2 Global Warming Increases Ocean Temperatures and Raises Sea Levels

Global warming of the oceans has contributed to the increased frenzy of hurricanes, rising sea levels, and submerging of coastal cities. Destruction of barrier islands and other habitat by dredging for maritime traffic and development contributes to a reduction in storm protection for coastal cities. Construction in floodplains should meet standards for flood tides.

 Fact #3 Global Warming Melts Glaciers Which Feed Rivers and Causes Drought and Famine

Increased carbon is also melting the glaciers on all the mountains in the world, including the tallest, Mount Everest or Denali. Ice samples have been laboriously gathered by scientist and climber, John All in South America, Asia, and North America. All is the author of Icefall: Adventures at The Wild Edge of Our Dangerous Changing Planet[3], a white-knuckle traveler’s tale of peaks and proof of the unrelenting damage humans are inflicting on the planet. Mount Everest or Denali is essentially twice as tall as Mount Rainer or Tahoma, the tallest glaciated peak in the lower forty-eight states. He details evidence of shrinking glaciers even on the top of the tallest mountain the world, one where you need supplemental oxygen just to survive. In some of the rain forests All has visited, there is no longer rain, and entire animal populations have fled. If there is no rain, there is no water, if there is no fresh water, there is no life. Do read John All’s memoire and shearing tale of environmental science on the frontline.

https://www.amazon.com/Icefall-Adventures-Dangerous-Changing-

To inform your decision making, do review this chart for a brief analysis of what Scott Pruitt, U.S. Secretary of the Environmental Protection Agency has done to further erode the environment which we all share:

 EPA Rule

Action

How It Impacts You

Inclusion of greenhouse gas emissions in environmental  reviews

Overturned the requirement that industry consider  environmental damages in developmental plans[4]

Greenhouse gases are the largest contributor to global  warming and cause; rising sea levels, acidification of the oceans, increasing  global temperatures (records for the last 3 consecutive years)

Methane gas reporting requirement for leak detection and  repair was to begin June 2, 2017 as part of the Clean Air Act

Halted this requirement on June 2nd, but federal court in  D.C. prevented him from doing so in August.[5]

Methane is a greenhouse gas and one of the greatest  contributors to global warming, caused by oil and gas industry

Calculation of the social cost of carbon, which uses a  scale to apply dollar values to environmental costs[6] [7] [8]

Struck this requirement for coal, oil, and gas industry;  why consider others when you only must think of yourself and how much money  you make

The social cost, means impact on citizens, such as health  (asthma, poisoning), flood risk, and harm to the environment, such as air  quality.

Anti-dumping rule for coal companies; which reviewed  surface water impacts in building permits

Blocked the Obama Administration’s Stream Protection Rule-Removed  the requirement that coal companies cease from dumping tailings known as  excess spoil into streams

This will exacerbate the poisoning of fresh water  supplies, just ask Butte, Montana residents what that means. Plus, the repeal  of the dumping rule will impact fisheries.

Removed mining and drilling restrictions in the Alaskan  National Wildlife Refuge; also opened oil drilling on almost all of AK,  including Bristol Bay and off shore drilling in the Artic.

Pristine wilderness area, set to be pillaged by oil  industry. Just google Exon oil spill if you want to understand what is at  stake[9]

The world is awash in oil, prices are down, and the U.S.  is producing so much excess oil Congress approved the selling of our strategic  oil reserves. We don’t need more oil, we need clean air and water and a  live-able planet.

Copper filter cake used in electroplating, was listed as a  hazardous waste and impacts the semiconductor industry

Delisted this as a hazardous waste effective October 2,  2017, after a petition by Texas based, Samsung[10]

The chemicals in this device include; cadmium, hexavalent  chromium, and cyanide, all hazardous to your health.[11]

Limits on toxic discharge from steam electric coal fired power  plants, effective January 4, 2016, as part of the Clean Water Act

Compliance with the new rules to reduce water pollution by  mercury and other chemicals generated from power plants has been postponed.[12]

Steam electric plant discharges include arsenic, lead,  mercury, selenium, chromium, and cadmium. Many of these toxic pollutants,  once in the environment, remain there for years.

Pesticide chlorpyrifos, also known as Lorsban, used on  orchards, broccoli, cauliflower, and strawberries. Tw was to be banned  effective 2016 for farm use and was banned for household use a decade ago.[13]

The EPA had gathered evidence this pesticide was harmful  to humans, especially to farm workers; decision not to ban Lorsban on March  27,2017 goes against EPA’s own research. It has been shown to reduce IQ in  children.

Pesticide is harmful to humans, and organic food alternatives  are available. When you see the product warning label at the market, pay  attention, and wash the product!

Federal building standards for improved infrastructure in  flood areas were reversed by executive order days before Hurricane Harvey hit.[14]

In other words, requiring FEMA funded rebuilding to take  flood risk into replacement design was wiped away by the Trump Administration.

Why not prepare for flooding with better infrastructure,  the answer is, if Obama thought of it, Trump wants to dump it. Now we are all  going to pay more for this foolish decision when the next Hurricane comes  along and the buildings which were rebuilt and didn’t meet flood standards must  be rebuilt   at tax payer expense.

Mr. Pruitt, an Oklahoman, doesn’t live near an ocean, so rising sea waters may not be of concern, but poisoning the well water and aquifers, in his region of the country will affect his neighbors, which has resulted from fracking, a chemical and hydro-laden process of leaching oil reserves buried deep in the earth.[15] None of us can afford to wait for a more prudent and responsible EPA Administrator to right the calamitous actions of Mr. Pruitt, please contact your state and federal representative and urge action against his callous mandates.

 And this is the healthpolicymaven signing off, encouraging you to act on fully informed consent for legislation that impacts your air, water, and food sources. Lung cancer and asthma are just some of human caused harms we must curb. Winter is the author of https://www.amazon.com/Unraveling-U-S-Health-Care-Personal/dp/1442222972

[1] https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/05/18/climate/antarctica-ice-melt-climate-change.html

[2] U.S Global Change Research Program Climate Science Special Report, June 28, 2017 https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/08/07/climate/document-Draft-of-the-Climate-Science-Special-Report.html

[3] John All and John Balzar, Icefall: Adventures At The Wild Edges Of Our Dangerous Changing Planet, Public Affairs, an imprint of Perseus Books, a division of PBG Publishing, a subsidiary of Hatchet Book Group Inc, March 14, 2017 https://www.amazon.com/Icefall-Adventures-Dangerous-Changing-Planet/dp/1610396936/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1507747688&sr=1-1&keywords=icefall+john+all;

[4]By NADJA POPOVICH and LIVIA ALBECK-RIPKA  52 Things Environmental Rules On The Way Out Under Trump ,The  New York Times, October 6, 2017    https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/10/05/climate/trump-environment-rules-reversed.html

[5] https://thinkprogress.org/appeals-court-rules-against-epa-on-methane-rule-delay-8329e79d9d8e/

[6] https://www.brookings.edu/testimonies/the-social-costs-of-carbon/

[7] https://www.carbonbrief.org/qa-social-cost-carbon

[8] https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/climatechange/social-cost-carbon_.html

[9] https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2014/03/the-exxon-valdez-oil-spill-25-years-ago-today/100703/

[10] https://www.environmentalleader.com/2017/10/174462/

[11] https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/10/02/2017-21112/hazardous-waste-management-system-identification-and-listing-of-hazardous-waste

[12] https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/09/18/2017-19821/postponement-of-certain-compliance-dates-for-the-effluent-limitations-guidelines-and-standards-for

[13] http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/03/29/521898976/will-the-epa-reject-a-pesticide-or-its-own-scientific-evidence

[14] http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-reversed-obama-flooding-regulations-before-hurricane-harvey-2017-8

[15] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-fracking-wastewater-wells-poisoning-ground-beneath-our-feeth/

[djgblogger-blog]

Energy, enthusiasm and spirit of cooperation: Award winners of ERL Emergency Robots 2017 announced

http://bit.ly/2wYGyNj

The European Robotics League (ERL) announced the winners of ERL Emergency Robots 2017 major tournament, during the awards ceremony held on Saturday, 23rd September at Giardini Pro Patria, in Piombino, Italy.

The ERL Emergency Robots 2017 competition consisted of four scenarios, inspired by the nuclear accident of Fukushima (Japan, 2011) and designed specifically for multi-domain human-robot teams. The first scenario is The Grand Challenge made up of three domains – sea, air, land, and the other three scenarios are made of only two domains.

The Awards, given for each scenario to the best performing teams, were introduced by Alan Winfield from Bristol Robotics Laboratory and ERL Emergency Coordinator. “The energy, enthusiasm and spirit of cooperation among the teams competing in ERL Emergency was amazing. We witnessed not only great performances from the teams and their robots, but also the drama and excitement of last minute field repairs and workarounds to the robots”, said Alan Winfield.

The Grand Challenge (Scenario 1: land, sea, and air)

After a nuclear power plant has been struck by a potent earthquake and a tsunami, it’s time for the emergency response team to act. Due to high radiation levels, the cooperation of land, sea and air robots is essential. The robots have to find as soon as possible three missing workers and deploy an emergency kit next to them. Secondly, the robots check for any structural damage of the building and to the pipes connecting the reactor to the sea for cooling purposes. In case of damaged or leaking pipes, the corresponding valves are to be closed both in the machine room and underwater to avoid radioactive contamination. Closing the wrong valves may cause a reduction in the amount of seawater available for cooling down the reactor.

1st Prize: Telerob, Germany (land) + Universitat de Girona, Spain (sea) + INESTEC/ISEP Aerial Robotics, Portugal (air)

“Our underwater robot Sparus II AUV was used to create maps of the underwater environment and to autonomously detect some targets. The algorithms developed by master and PhD students and the robustness of the platform allowed us to obtain good results even in the challenging conditions of the competition. The multi-domain competition required the coordination with the other robots (land and air), which offered us a unique opportunity for testing our communication capabilities.”, said Marc Carreras from the University of Girona.

“Autonomy was showing its advantages as well as a good situational awareness. The advanced mission documentation, which was requested in the competition, enables the first responders to get a fast and reliable situational understanding to finally reach the necessary situational ownership. The ERL Emergency competition should further focus on improving the robot-human-teaming”, said Andreas Ciossek from Telerob.

Read more about their experience here.

2nd Prize: IIS Piombino CVP, Italy (air) + Robdos-IMM, Spain & Poland (land and sea)

3rd Prize: Raptors, Poland (air & land) + Oubot, Hungary (sea)

Survey the building and search for missing workers (Scenario 2: land and sea)

The ground and aerial robots perform a reconnaissance mission of the area and create a map of the surrounding area in order to increase the awareness of the emergency response team. Additionally, the robots find two missing workers outdoors and deploy first-aid kits near them.

1st Prize: IMM, Spain & Poland + IIS Piombino CVP, Italy

2nd Prize: Raptors Team, Poland

3rd Prize: Telerob, Germany + INESTEC/ISEP Aerial Robotics, Portugal

Pipe inspection and search for missing workers (Scenario 3: sea and air)

After the earthquake and tsunami, the pipes connecting the reactor to the sea might be leaking radioactive substances, therefore the emergency team has to find the damaged ones on land or underwater. Robots must find two missing workers: one outside the building, to whom an emergency kit should be deployed, and another one dragged by the tsunami to the sea, expected to be a casualty.

1st Prize: Universitat de Girona, Spain + INESTEC/ISEP Aerial Robotics, Portugal

2nd Prize: Tuscany Robotics Team, Italy

3rd Prize: AUV Tomkyle, Germany + HSR Search and Rescue Team, Switzerland

“Aerial robots have shown great improvements with respect to euRathlon 2015, most of them being fully operational from the first day of the competition. They have been able to quickly provide information about inaccessible areas, structural damages or other possible threats. As it happened with robots from the other two domains, aerial teams also struggled with communication issues to properly command and control their platforms. This further confirms the need for autonomous capabilities onboard the aerial robots, to become even more powerful tools for emergency response teams.” said Francisco Javier Pérez Grau from the Advanced Center for Aerospace Technologies.

Stem the leak (Scenario 4: land and sea)

The land robots have to inspect the pipes in the building’s machine room and marine robots the underwater pipes in order to close the correct valves and prevent leakage. Land and marine robots must cooperate to identify the valves and synchronize the process of closing them, by communicating directly or via their operators.

1st Prize: Telerob, Germany + Universitat de Girona, Spain

2nd Prize: Raptors, Poland + Oubot, Hungary

3rd Prize: bebot, Switzerland + AUV Tomkyle Team, Germany

Winning teams were given a diploma, prize money and in-kind, sponsored by the Platinum Sponsor IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society, silver sponsors SBG systems and Texas Instruments.

In addition, Marta Palau Franco, Bristol Robotics Laboratory, ERL Emergency project manager introduced the referees’ special awards. Find out who the winners are here!

“This great event has been possible thanks to the work and effort of an amazing local organising team. Special thanks to Fausto Ferreira, the ERL Emergency 2017 Deputy Director, for his continuous support. I want to thank all the sponsors, especially our platinum sponsor IEEE OES, the project partners, referees, local associations and schools for their support. Huge thanks go to the participating teams, which were the heart of this great event. Their competitiveness pushed the robots to accomplish great results, nevertheless the competition has always been accompanied by fair play. I believe this is the perfect formula for team members to improve their professional and human skills”, said Gabriele Ferri, ERL Emergency 2017 Director.

  More info

The European Robotics League is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement n° 688441.

The ERL Emergency Robots 2017 competition was organised locally by the NATO STO-Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) of La Spezia, Italy.

The European Robotics League is part of the SPARC public-private partnership set up by the European Commission and euRobotics to extend Europe’s leadership in civilian robotics. SPARC’s €700 million of funding from the Commission in 2014̶20 is being combined with €1.4 billion of funding from European industry. www.eu-robotics.net/sparc

euRobotics is a European Commission-funded non-profit organisation which promotes robotics research and innovation for the benefit of Europe’s economy and society. It is based in Brussels and has more than 250-member organisations. www.eu-robotics.net.

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Plumber BS8

Are you looking for a local Plumber BS8?

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Plumbing Care Services have been operating a business over the past 2 decades and have been supplying excellent services for electrical heating, gas heating system, central heating boiler repairs and plumbing services in BS8.

For more information on our appointed plumbing services, heating system maintenance, combi boiler repairs, central heating system services or our 24-hour emergency plumbing professional services in BS8 call 0117 325 5007.

BS8 Plumber, available 24/7 365 days a year.

Plumbing Care Services provide you with the following expert services:

Combi Boiler design and installation and repairs in BS8

Without a properly working central heating boiler in your own home, life can be extremely unpleasant during the freezing cold months. You should start by having a trustworthy combi boiler and also have it taken care of or repaired by a skilled Plumbing engineer. Our team can help you select the best combi boiler for the home if you need a new one installed or if you have an existing central heating boiler that needs a repair, we can easily do this for you at an economical cost. No matter whether your central heating boiler executes heavy duty commercial services or light family home duties, our team have the technical know how to handle either of them. They apply the same professionalism and reliability across the board, so you get competent plumbing services regardless of whether you have got a smaller combi-boiler or perhaps a massive industrial heating system.

Central heating installing in BS8

The need for an inexpensive and powerful central heating systems can not be underrated. Winter seems to arrive earlier every year and continues for a longer time and your home needs to be warm not merely for your health and that of your members of the family but to protect your water pipes, which could crack on account of freezing in winter. To ensure that you, along with your house are warm during the chilly months, our engineers are at hand to put in the newest energy efficient Worcester Bosch boilers and other quality brands. Installing a new cost effective boiler will reduce your heating costs through the year and give you peace of mind that it won't break down in the cold winter months.

Property Manager and commercial gas safety certificates and diagnostic tests

Undetected gas leaks could cause your home to go up in flames, leading to massive loss of property and life. If you are a Landlord the safety of the tenants is your responsibility. We conduct intensive assessments just to make certain there aren't any problems with your home heating system. If you're a Landlord, you can relax as we will test the safety of your gas equipment and provide you with safety certificates if your systems post a clear bill of health. Additionally, we carry out business oriented boiler diagnostic tests and investigations.

Plumbing Related repair, Maintenance, and Installations in BS8

Keeping your water system up-to-date and functioning could be quite a challenge for you, but not for the fully committed team of Plumbing Engineers at Plumbing Care Services. Each Plumbing Technician on our team is fully trained to carry out any type of plumbing maintenance.

In addition, we provide the assistance of an emergency plumber for out of hours domestic plumbing emergencies. Our emergency plumbers in BS8 and the surrounding areas give speedy, friendly and efficient solutions, to get your domestic plumbing difficulty resolved swiftly as well as at a low-price.

Regardless of whether you'll need a scheduled appointment for maintenance or perhaps an emergency or out of hours plumbing professional, Plumbing Care Services qualified team are here to help.

Power flushing in BS8

You may not know that your heating systems draw in gunge and rust along with other contaminants in the course of their operations. If these undesirable elements aren't removed early on, they can inflict significant deterioration to your heating devices. We have a specific power flushing device that uses a water jet to clean your heating system. This will raise the proficiency of your heating units and lower your energy bills. It's a really low price service that will usually pay for itself quickly, as your heating system will be working much more efficiently.

Gas central heating boiler expert services in BS8

To ensure that your gas boiler is performing at its very best at all times, we carry out routine inspections to be able to detect any issues before they cause a breakdown to your home heating. Whether you are a house owner or perhaps a landlord, you can take advantage of an array of combi boiler repair and maintenance products and services including checks for any failures of electronic timers and controls, upgrading corroded or cracked pipes, making certain that your equipment abide by the most up-to-date gas regulations, as well as seeing that no gunge or other contaminant is stopping your heating devices working effectively. Our gas boiler, combi-boiler and heating services ensure that your system is working at 100 Percent performance. If we establish that your combi boiler is getting close to the end of its working life, we will try and repair it and if that isn't possible we can give you a new boiler quote free of charge.

Why go for Plumbing Care Services in BS8?

There are several Plumbing companies in BS8 offering boiler system maintenance and plumbing services but we believe our solutions are amongst the best available. Here are a few good reasons you should call us:

High-quality staff

A very important factor we take pride in as a service company is our well-trained and dedicated workforce. With considerable backgrounds in combi boiler instalment, services and repairs, electrical and gas heating system and boilers, they are the best positioned to identify and fix your heating or plumbing problems. Our strategy of regular in-house training makes sure our team remain up-to-date with the newest boilers, heating system equipment and contemporary domestic plumbing remedies. Our customer testimonials and feedback has pushed us to the # 1 place in service delivery.

Our experience

We are exactly where we are due to our extensive history in leading service delivery. For over 2 decades, we've been installing, fixing and maintaining boilers both for domestic and commercial users. Furthermore, each and every plumbing professional within our team can deal with a variety of domestic plumbing household emergencies or maintenance tasks, typically during the very first visit. Every day we increase the rising number of satisfied clients we have worked for and that is a testimony to the great heights we've gone being a service delivery business.

Our affordability

We provide you with totally free consultations as well as absolutely free estimates if you are looking to buy a brand new central heating boiler or combination- boiler. We give comprehensive guarantees on the services we provide to give you peace of mind if you have any issues further down the line.

Our 24/7 emergency plumbing engineers in BS8 are local, so there is no need to pay for travelling time. You can expect reasonable prices with no concealed charges.

 Our rapid response times

We know that any home heating equipment making use of gas is a potential danger to the safety of your residence or place of work. Because of this, if you contact us you will not have long to wait as it is our goal to reach you inside of the hour regardless of the time of day. Our team is made up of local plumbers throughout Bristol, Thornbury, Yate, Weston- Super-Mare and BS8, and we are able to get to you swiftly and repair your heating system or repair your plumbing quickly.

Get in touch today

If you have any questions or need any information, call us on 0117 325 5007. We will be pleased to provide you with the very best in boiler repair, instalment and routine maintenance professional services in BS8 and the surrounding areas in Bristol and Weston-Super-Mare. For a Plumber in BS8 call us today.

The post Plumber BS8 appeared first on Plumbing Care Services.

[myemergencyservicescities]

If you have a leak detection, call us. Once you call us, we will contact the nearest leak detector plumber to come to your property and inspect the leak.

[myemergencyservicescities]

It is a known fact that mild issues with water leakage can also harm your property by converting a minor crease into serious problems. Hence, when dealing with a water leak we all need a professional service to offer us superior and precise leak detection services.

[myemergencyservicescities]

It is a known fact that mild issues with water leakage can also harm your property by converting a minor crease into serious problems. Hence, when dealing with a water leak we all need a professional service to offer us superior and precise leak detection services.

[myemergencyservicescities]

Once you call us, we will contact the nearest leak detector plumber to come to your property and inspect the leak. Surely they are specialized in non-destructive leak detection so it will not damage the walls or floor.