Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInWESLEY Maine (WABI) - A Wesley man is accused of sexually assaulting a minor is scheduled to make his first court appearance Friday The Washington County Sheriff’s Office arrested 67-year-old Duane Geel on a felony warrant at his home following an extended investigation Geel is charged with six counts of gross sexual assault He formerly worked as a school bus driver for AOS 96 but the superintendent says he resigned his position in 2023 even though the school website still lists him as driver and custodian He also isn’t allowed to have any contact with the alleged victim or children under the age of 18 By: 7:00 am on February 6 The affordable housing lottery has launched for Geel Webster Avenue, an 11-story mixed-use building at 3095 Webster Avenue in Norwood Designed by OCV Architects and developed by Geel Community Services Available on NYC Housing Connect are 45 units for residents at 40 to 60 percent of the area median income (AMI) ranging in eligible income from $26,229 to $100,620 Geel Webster Avenue at 3095 Webster Avenue in Norwood Units come with energy-efficient appliances there are nine studios with a monthly rent of $654 for incomes ranging from $26,229 to $49,720; two one-bedrooms with a monthly rent of $827 for incomes ranging from $32,709 to $55,920; and one two-bedroom with a monthly rent of $980 for incomes ranging from $39,429 to $67,080 there are nine studios with a monthly rent of $855 for incomes ranging from $33,120 to $62,150; two one-bedrooms with a monthly rent of $1,078 for incomes ranging from $41,315 to $69,900; and one two-bedroom with a monthly rent of $1,281 for incomes ranging from $49,749 to $83,850 there is one studio with a monthly rent of $1,055 for incomes ranging from $39,978 to $74,580; 14 one-bedrooms with a monthly rent of $1,328 for incomes ranging from $49,886 to $83,880; and six two-bedrooms with a monthly rent of $1,581 for incomes ranging from $60,035 to $100,620 Prospective renters must meet income and household size requirements to apply for these apartments Applications must be postmarked or submitted online no later than April 7 Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates Like YIMBY on Facebook Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews ga('send', 'event', 'beautyofblock', 'Impression', 'https://newyorkyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Standard_336x280-100-2.jpg', { nonInteraction: true }); ADVERTISEMENT ga('send', 'event', 'PCRichards Builders Division', 'Impression', 'https://newyorkyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/PCR_Beko_Compact_YIMB_336x280.jpg', { nonInteraction: true }); ga('send', 'event', 'yimby+', 'Impression', 'https://newyorkyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/image.png', { nonInteraction: true }); Follow on Instagram var sb_instagram_js_options = {"font_method":"svg","placeholder":"https:\/\/newyorkyimby.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/instagram-feed\/img\/placeholder.png","resized_url":"https:\/\/newyorkyimby.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sb-instagram-feed-images\/","ajax_url":"https:\/\/newyorkyimby.com\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php"}; © COPYRIGHT New York YIMBY® LLC YIMBY IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF NIKOLAI FEDAK / NEW YORK YIMBY LLC Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInMACHIAS Maine (WABI) - A man from the Washington County town of Wesley accused of sexually assaulting a minor made his first court appearance Friday Duane Geel, 67, is charged with six counts of gross sexual assault. Deputies from the sheriff’s office arrested Geel Thursday on a felony warrant following what they call an extended investigation Geel previously worked as a school bus driver for AOS 96 The superintendent tells WABI Geel resigned his position in 2023 he said Geel’s actions made a “profound impact” and asked the judge to keep bail at $100,000 “Despite the fact that the defendant has no prior record the crimes are so heinous and the consequence is so severe that the bail as set by you yesterday ought to be maintained until its next review,” said Toff Toffolon and we assume that he is innocent of these charges “It would be a travesty to hold someone with no history on a very large bail.” that there’s probable cause to believe that he committed the charged crimes and the court has significant concerns with the protection of the public in particular the alleged minor victim,” said Judge David Mitchell Geel remains at the Washington County Jail on $100,000 The judge ordered he have no contact with the alleged victim or any child under the age of 18 Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More — Real estate agent Bettina Geel is showcasing a Brandon home with four bedrooms and two bathrooms Welcome to your new home,” she says while greeting guests Geel discusses the current state of the housing market “Right now there are a lot of houses on the market,” she said According to real estate brokerage Redfin, Florida’s housing market has reached a new peak “You’re not seeing a lot of movement from Florida,” she said “Insurance and taxes have gone up and the salaries and the money that Floridians are making have not gone up in comparison with what’s been going on in the economy.” Geel states that homeownership is becoming less attainable “Kids out of college or even out of trade school or right out of high school .. you’re seeing them stay home more and stay home longer to be able to save that money to be able to even put down for first class and security on an apartment,” said Geel Geel says homes will stay on the market longer and possibly be bought by an investor or an out-of-state buyer ultimately prices out those who have been living Florida “One of the great features of homes in Florida is the fact that you have these screened-in areas that So you can use this space for sitting and enjoying nature,” she said Geel mentions that severe weather is another factor impacting the housing market She says that homeowners who endured hurricanes and faced insurance challenges are now selling condo owners are dealing with heightened costs due to new safety regulations in Florida Geel states that we are in an unprecedented time for home sales “COVID put this market into a league that it hadn’t been in a while,” said Geel So what (sellers) end up doing is they’re looking at the market value Who in this market is going to be able to afford that right now Geel indicates that realtors are also getting ready for a sluggish housing market which shows no clear sign of an end in sight to talk through their seasonless range and newest collection Born from the vision of crafting intentional seasonless garments that seamlessly blend exceptional quality with remarkable versatility Irene Geel’s eponymous brand is a continuous journey into creating effortlessly adaptable pieces that integrate flawlessly into everyday life Geel has consistently collaborated with ethical producing her exquisite collections in limited batches to minimise waste and prevent overproduction As the brand celebrates the highly anticipated release of its latest Fall 24 collection we sit down with Irene to explore the origins of the brand and its rising prominence in both New York and Los Angeles You know when you’re going through your clothes and you wonder “why the hell did I buy this?” During the pandemic I was making endless piles of all the clothes I’ve acquired throughout the years and noticed I was getting rid of all my uncomfortable “wear once” type of crazy pieces and keeping my understated and classic basics It was the height of loungewear and athleisure but I found it difficult to find something that matched my personal style I bought my first roll of deadstock modal and launched a small capsule collection of soft tops and bodysuits you can wear to the ground We started out strictly with cut and sew knits with the same modal fabric that soon became our “core” collection we had more budget and production capabilities to introduce new materials and more intricate designs Geel’s designs have evolved into wovens while still staying true to comfort and adaptability Could you share some of the key values for the brand I really stand by getting the most wears out of each piece; the quality has to be exceptional and the fabric needs to withhold throughout time What we put out into the world is what we feel is natural and makes sense Nothing is ever forced for the sake of pushing new items and content I always make sure to ask the team if they would wear a new design I love creating a piece that can be worn multiple ways and leaving the creativity up to our customer We also wear-test everything during production I’ll literally show up to play tennis wearing a sample to see if things stay put and feel right Geel is described as creating garments that push the boundaries of seasonal collections Can you elaborate on why this was essential for the brand but also living in NY for a while helped shape the theme of seasonless collections I like being able to take a garment to be worn alone or easily layered with other pieces in my closet which I think is why Geel is just as popular in NY I also think that each piece should be highlighted on its own rather than a full look It’s inspiring to see how our customers style their own Geel looks I’m sure things might change as things progress How do you balance the need for adaptability in design whilst maintaining a consistent brand identity I believe that there’s a huge opportunity for adaptability in comfortable wearable clothes and our customers really resonate with this Geel is about clothes that are meant to wear out without feeling the desire to take it off right when you get home–like a bra or pair of jeans Our team is constantly asking ourselves “Would I wear it?” “Do I feel good in it?” “Can I see myself wearing this in a year from now?” I think this foundation is visible in our brand identity because it comes from a true Another really fun way to venture out is collaborating with other creatives and brands that have a distinct style that can bring out a lot of creativity in our designs Could you walk us through the design process for this collection This collection was a lot more playful and elevated I added some more hardware details and different types of closures for the pieces I also incorporated more playful colours and different natural fibres for our new knits and really delved into more of our sweater knits Can you share your hopes for the future of Geel I’d feel so lucky to expand our collection into accessories (I used to be a handbag designer so this would be so fun to design) home goods and objects as we grow our community and resources globally A 67-year-old Wesley man and former school bus driver for the Machias Bay Area School System (AOS 96) has been arrested on six counts of gross sexual assault against a minor The Washington County Sheriff’s Office announced on Thursday that they arrested Duane E Geel of Wesley on a felony arrest warrant issued by the Machias Unified Court following an investigation Geel is facing six counts of gross sexual assault allegedly involving a minor victim Deputies arrested Geel at his home in Wesley on Wednesday without incident with conditions of no contact with the minor victim or witnesses and no contact with children under the age of 18 The Sheriff’s Office said on Thursday that Geel remains in the Washington County Jail and will make his first court appearance on Friday at 1 p.m Geel formerly worked as a school bus driver for AOS 96. Although Wesley Elementary School website still lists Geel as a custodian and bus driver at the school, he resigned in 2023, according to AOS 96 Superintendent Scott Porter Edward Tomic is a reporter for The Maine Wire based in Southern Maine Massachusetts and is a graduate of Boston University He can be reached at tomic@themainewire.com Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" the amount of this happening around all the schools is sick imagine what doesnt get reported or covered up maybe we need to have a poly gragh done like becoming a cop because finger printing and back ground checks clearly isnt’t working maybe there might be better bills to pass than reduced crack charges Maybe he’s been reading some of those books they use in classroom and libraries now that talk about “exploring your gender,” and “having fun with someone else.” Imagine the kids lives he’s totally destroyed molesting them !! Everyone assumes he’s guilty — I don’t and that’s sane children and without the DHHS Nazis coaching the child I didn’t know there were any male school bus drivers left the risk of false accusations made it not worth it ɢᴏᴏɢʟᴇ ᴘᴀʏꜱ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ $300 ᴀɴᴅ $500 ᴘᴇʀ ʜᴏᴜʀ ꜰᴏʀ ʀᴇᴍᴏᴛᴇ ᴇᴍᴘʟᴏʏᴍᴇɴᴛ ɪ ʀᴇᴄᴇɪᴠᴇᴅ $20537 ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜɪꜱ ꜱᴛʀᴀɪɢʜᴛꜰᴏʀᴡᴀʀᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴜɴᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ᴍᴏꜱᴛ ʀᴇᴄᴇɴᴛ ᴘᴀʏᴄʜᴇᴄᴋ.ɪᴛ ɪꜱ ꜰᴀɴᴛᴀꜱᴛɪᴄ I was BROKE and desperate… now I make $3,000+ weekly from my couch Then I found this secret method—and everything changed Anyone can do this in their free time They clearly don’t teach The House of Seven Gables in Maine high schools anymore… The plot is simple — the judge wants the poor man’s land because he has a nice well and this was in Salem (MA) where there was a lot of brackish (salty) water in wells that were below sea level So he falsely accused the owner of witchcraft presided over the trial and (was the law at the time) confiscated his property upon conviction Hence judge has the land with the nice well where he proceeds to build his mansion and Hawthorne’s principle is that the evil deed (false accusation) follows the generations Was there witchcraft in Danvers (not Salem) — yes But I am damn sure that most of those accused of it were innocent Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application It is with heavy hearts and great sadness that the Van Geel family announces the sudden passing of Anna Van Geel in Langley Anna was predeceased by her loving husband William and daughter Connie She will be deeply missed by her children Jon (Susan) Weston and many friends and family members Netherlands and was the youngest of 11 siblings She immigrated to Canada with her husband Bill in March 1957 and took up residence in B.C Anna will be remembered for the unconditional love of her faith cherished time spent with her many grandchildren and her quiet times knitting crocheting and her most favourite pastimes of gardening and puzzling.  Mass of Christian burial will be held on January 17 Anna will be laid to rest at the Gardens of Gethsemani at 2:30 p.m  In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the heart and stroke foundation in Anna’s memory This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed Based on a real murder in Chile in the 1950s Maite Alberdi’s fictional story of obsession has glamour and style In Her Place is on Netflix from 11 October. Volume 3 - 2022 | https://doi.org/10.3389/frsen.2022.934681 This article is part of the Research TopicAcoustic Remote Sensing of Cetacean and Pinniped PopulationsView all 13 articles The characterisation of marine soundscapes allows observation of spatiotemporal distribution of vocalising species and human activities which can inform an assessment of their interactions Such data are important for monitoring the ecological status of marine habitats The Scottish Atlantic Frontier is an important habitat for a variety of cetacean species Historic whaling has heavily impacted several species inhabiting these waters and current comprehensive information about seasonal occurrence and distribution is lacking for all species This study presents year-round passive acoustic monitoring data from ten sites in this understudied region The three most offshore sites were examined for baleen whale vocalisations Fin whale detections peaked from October to January and were at their lowest during May and June Humpback whale song was detected as early as January but showed a strong seasonal peak in March and April minke whales were detected regularly throughout the year but with a peak in detections from October to November All monitoring sites showed frequent occurrence of odontocete echolocation clicks and whistles Comprised mainly of delphinid vocalisations whistles and clicks were detected on an almost-daily basis among the offshore sites with a slight reduction in detections from May to July particularly among the more inshore sites Ambient sound levels (root-mean-square sounds pressure level; SPL) varied by site and season in relation to species presence Monthly median SPL across the array varied up to 18 dB within 1/3-octave bands variability in median SPL was lowest in the higher frequency bands (>10 kHz) while highest variability was found between January to July in specific lower frequency bands (<1 kHz) Results from this study demonstrate the value of passive acoustic data in providing novel baseline information about cetacean occurrence and distribution in Scottish offshore habitats where data are limited and outdated The results will feed into statutory reporting on underwater noise support the identification and designation of future marine protected areas for cetaceans and help guide management of future human-marine mammal interactions in Scottish offshore waters Many cetacean species recorded in this region were hunted from seven shore-based whaling stations located in Shetland, the Hebrides and Ireland during the first part of the 20th century (Thompson, 1928), which led to the severe depletion of several baleen whale species and the likely extinction of the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) in this region (Clapham et al., 1999) no further large-scale data collection efforts have been carried out in this region since the delivery of these surveys The primary aim of this present study was the collection and analysis of year-round data on cetacean seasonal occurrence patterns and variability in ambient sound levels in the shelf waters west of the Outer Hebrides Results from this study will feed into statutory reporting on underwater noise and will provide a valuable evidence base for future designation for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) for cetaceans and provide context for status assessment of neighbouring currently existing protected areas the results will contribute to assessments of future human impacts in the region for example from shipping and offshore renewable energy developments Deployment and effort information for all acoustic moorings deployed during this study Substrate data source: Seabed substrate 1:250,000 - Europe © EMODnet Geology Acoustic recordings were analysed using a semi-automated detection approach. To aid and speed up the mostly manual analysis process, we used automated detection algorithms customised in XBAT Version R5 (Figueroa and Robbins, 2008) and PAMGuard Version 2.01.05 (Gillespie et al., 2008) for first pass detection of species for which either species-specific (e.g minke and fin whales) or species group-specific detectors (e.g All detection results were then manually validated by experienced analysts (NvG and species occurrence summarised as daily (delphinids) or hourly presence (baleen whales) All hours/days without detections were manually reviewed to identify missed presence of the target species For species for which no automated detectors were readily available (e.g all sound files were scanned manually by experienced analysts (NvG Presence of baleen whales was investigated for the most westerly moorings of the array (N1, EL1, S1; Figure 1) using a combination of automated call detectors and manual validation To focus the analysis on the lower frequency bands of baleen whale sound production data for this analysis were downsampled to 2 kHz using the SoX library Example spectrograms of (A) fin whale song which were all detected in the current study Note the different time (x-axis) and frequency scales (y-axis) Spectrogram parameters: fast Fourier transform (FFT) size = 1,024 (B,C) and 2048 (A,D) points frequency resolution = 1.95 Hz (B,C) and 0.98 Hz (A,D) and time resolution = 25.6 ms (B,C) and 51.2 ms (A,D) An automated pulse train detector, originally developed for the western North Atlantic (Popescu et al., 2013; Risch et al., 2013), was used to detect minke whale song (Figure 2C) Minke whale detection results were also manually validated and hours without detections were manually scanned to clarify that no positive detections were missed Hourly presence of humpback whale song (Figure 2B), and sei whale downsweeps (Figure 2D) were determined by manually scanning all recording hours for the three targeted recording sites Daily presence of odontocete whistles and clicks were determined for the whole array and the entire recording period The PAMGuard whistle-and-moan and generic click detectors were customised (Supplementary Table S2, Supplementary Material) to detect odontocetes, including mostly delphinids (Figure 3) but also potentially beaked whales (see Discussion) Since reliable species-specific classifiers for Northeast Atlantic dolphin species are not available neither whistles nor echolocation clicks were classified to species level All whistle-and-moan and click detector outputs were manually validated and days without whistle or click detections were manually checked to confirm odontocete absence Example spectrogram of dolphin whistles and echolocation clicks detected during this study Spectrogram parameters: fast Fourier transform (FFT) size = 1,024 points frequency resolution = 62.5 Hz and time resolution = 0.8 ms SPLs were summarized across the entire deployment and per month across the full frequency range Variability between sites was further investigated by comparing monthly median (i.e 50th percentile) SPL for each 1/3-octave band across the whole array and plotting the maximum difference between sites Baleen whales, including fin, humpback, minke and sei whales, were regularly recorded on the three western-most moorings of the array (N1, EL1, S1), which were analysed for these species specifically. Fin whales were the most frequently detected baleen whale species, while sei whales were detected on the fewest number of days (Figure 4, Supplementary Figures S1–S2) While efforts were made to search for North Atlantic blue whale song none was detected in the data analysed from these three moorings The 20 Hz song was consistently recorded both in the vicinity of the recorders as identified by loud (>15 dB signal-to-noise ratio) received levels and from more distant locations as indicated by lower received levels Multiple singers were detected simultaneously on a regular basis No clear diel pattern in vocal activity was detected at any of the monitoring sites Humpback whale song was recorded on all three western-most moorings. While first detected in January (EL1, S1) and February (N1), most humpback whale detections occurred during the spring months, from March to May 2021 (Figure 4B; Supplementary Figures S1B–S2B) when humpback whale song became a dominant part of the soundscape below 2 kHz Humpback whale song detections became very scarce or absent after May humpback whale song decreased from the end of March 2021 for a 2-week period and increased again thereafter Several singers were recorded simultaneously on numerous occasions FIGURE 5. Proportion of days per week with whistle and click detections, plotted by site (arranged north to south, and offshore to coastal; see Figure 1) Detections were not classified to species and while mainly comprised of delphinid detections Grey dots indicate weeks with missing data FIGURE 6. Median root-mean-square sound pressure levels (Lp,rms; dB re 1 μPa) mapped across the whole recording period (i.e. 8-12 months; see Table 1) for four 1/3-octave bands centred at 25 Hz 2 kHz and 10 kHz mapped by recording location Colours (dark to light) and circle size (small to big) indicate increase in sound pressure levels FIGURE 7. Root-mean-square sound pressure level (Lp,rms; dB re 1 μPa) distributions for the 1/3-octave band centred at 125 Hz across the whole recording period (i.e. 8–12 months; see Table 1), plotted by site (see Figure 1) Lower and upper bounds of boxes represent lower and upper quartiles Solid middle box lines represent the median and the larger black dot the mean Small black dots indicate the 5th and 95th percentiles The probability distribution of the data is shown as kernel density Maximum difference in median root-mean-square sound pressure levels (Lp,rms; dB re 1 μPa) comparing all sites of the entire array for each month (x-axis) and 1/3-octave band (y-axis) While the origin of humpback whales using the Scottish shelf region is currently unknown it is possible that animals from both the Caribbean and the Cape Verde populations might use this region and that individual animals from either population might take different routes or migrate at slightly different times of year resulting in the seasonal patterns observed here This potential mix of animals from recovering and non-recovering populations is important to consider when planning new human activity and conservation interventions there remains a lot to learn about this species’ vocalisations and their behavioural context Such knowledge will improve our ability to use passive acoustic recordings to infer the distribution and behaviour of this species in the eastern North Atlantic Several beaked whale species might occur in the study area (Kowarski et al., 2018). While Sowerby’s beaked whale clicks are likely too high frequency to be detected using a sample rate of 64 kS/s (Cholewiak et al., 2013), northern bottlenose whales and Cuvier’s beaked whales could be detectable (Stanistreet et al., 2017; Kowarski et al., 2018; Clarke et al., 2019) No attempt was made here to classify detected echolocation clicks to investigate the presence of beaked whales It is therefore possible that northern bottlenose whales as well as Cuvier’s beaked whales might form part of the detections reported in this study particularly at the deep-water sites near the shelf edge A marked reduction in whistle and echolocation click detections was observed at sites L1, N1-3, EL1 from mid-May to early June 2021 (Figure 5) This period directly follows the spring military exercise Joint Warrior (1–20 May 2021) during which military sonar and firing was recorded on several sites across the array Given the possible implications of these regular naval activities and otherwise frequent dolphin presence the potential for a link between the timing of the exercise and the reduction of detections of delphinid vocalisations warrants further investigation It should also be acknowledged that the SPLs presented here were not corrected for acoustic self-noise (i.e tide/current related mooring noise particularly affecting the lower frequencies (<400 Hz) at some locations) and sound measurements were affected by the noise floor of the acoustic recorders (affecting the highest frequencies (≥20 kHz)) resulted in higher reported levels than were present in the environment Variability in SPLs between 1/3-octave bands centred at 200 Hz to 1 kHz increased from late winter throughout spring and summer Some of this increased variability is likely due to increased biological activity including the extended vocal presence of humpback whales Other vocal species which were not analysed but were observed during data analysis and whose sounds thus contribute to the overall soundscape include sperm whales Another factor which might have affected increased variability in ambient sound levels in spring and summer are contributions from inshore vessel traffic including fishing and recreational vessels the Habitats Directive has originally been transposed into UK law by the Conservation (Natural Habitats meaning they are given protection in Scotland as European Protected Species the harbour porpoise and bottlenose dolphin requiring that Favourable Conservation Status of the species be maintained or restored through the designation of Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 grants the Scottish Government powers to designate Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) coupled with the requirements under the Habitats Directive have led to the Scottish Government designating a SAC for harbour porpoises (Inner Hebrides and the Minches SAC) and two MPAs; one for Risso’s dolphins (North-east Lewis MPA) and one for minke whales (Sea of the Hebrides MPA) on the west coast of Scotland All of these neighbour the current study area The selection process for these protected areas was based on best available data (e.g. Paxton et al., 2016) a lack of information on cetacean distribution and density in offshore areas means that current and proposed protected areas are largely located in inshore waters the West of Scotland MPA (the closest boundary of which sits approximately 50 km to the west of N1) was designated by the Scottish Government in 2020 While the habitat and species protection at this site is supposed to support a healthy ecosystem including the prey consumed by cetacean species that are known to occur in this area no cetacean species have yet been put forward as protected features of this reserve The primary reason is a lack of data to determine whether the reserve might provide important habitat for these species may provide the evidence required to support future inclusion of cetaceans as protected features and the formulation of effective conservation objectives and management options Similar distributional changes might be ongoing in the eastern North Atlantic but might go unnoticed unless effective year-round and long-term monitoring strategies for marine mammals are implemented in offshore waters of Britain and Ireland and the wider Northeast Atlantic The results of the current study highlight the value of long-term observational data and emphasize the value of better understanding species’ current distribution and abundance patterns to accurately identify and predict future changes so that effective long-term conservation measures can be implemented Enquiries about the data should be made to Marine Scotland Science. Requests to access the datasets should be directed to Kate Brookes: S2F0ZS5Ccm9va2VzQHNjb3QuZ292 and BW conceptualised and designed the study All authors reviewed the manuscript and contributed to the writing This study was funded by the European Marine Fisheries Fund (EMFF) We thank John Beaton for his help with the mooring design and the Seatrek Marine crew for their help deploying and retrieving the equipment but was employed by Marine Scotland Science for the duration of the project All authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsen.2022.934681/full#supplementary-material 1COMPASS, Collaborative Oceanography and Monitoring for Protected Areas and Species; https://compass-oceanscience.eu/ 2https://www.offshorewindscotland.org.uk/news-events/2022/january/scotwind-1-results/ New haplotypes found in stranded long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) in the eastern North Atlantic and adjacent waters CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Differences in acoustic signals from delphinids in the western North Atlantic and northern Gulf of Mexico CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Soundscapes in the German Baltic Sea before and during the COVID-19 pandemic CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Low frequency vocalizations attributed to sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis) PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Broad-Scale responses of harbor porpoises to pile-driving and vessel activities during offshore windfarm construction CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Resightings of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) from Ireland to a known breeding ground: Cabo Verde CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Google Scholar Bivand, R., and Lewin-Koh, N. (2013). maptools: Tools for reading and handling spatial objects. Available at: http://cran.r-project.org/package=maptools Google Scholar physalus) whale vocalisations measured from northern latitudes of the Atlantic Ocean Google Scholar Acoustic detections of singing humpback whales in deep waters off the British Isles CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Acoustic monitoring of large whales off north and west Britain and Ireland: A two-year study Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) Report No Google Scholar Acoustic monitoring of large whales in deep waters north and west of the British Isles: 1996-2005 Preliminary Technical Report 08-07 by Cornell Lab of Ornothology – Bioacoustic Research Program for the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change’s offshore energy Strategic Environmental Assessment programme Google Scholar Description of sounds associated with Sowerby’s beaked whales (Mesoplodon bidens) in the western North Atlantic Ocean PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Baleen whales: Conservation issues and the status of the most endangered populations CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Acoustic monitoring on a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) feeding ground shows continual singing into late spring PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Click characteristics of northern bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus) and Sowerby’s beaked whales (Mesoplodon bidens) off eastern Canada PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Identification of western North Atlantic odontocete echolocation click types using machine learning and spatiotemporal correlates PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Long-term passive acoustic recordings track the changing distribution of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) from 2004 to 2014 PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar China and the United States: Three different approaches to the development of offshore wind energy CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) and minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) observed during land-based surveys in the Minch CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Google Scholar EC (European Commission) (2017). Commission Decision (EU) 2017/848 of 17 May 2017 laying down criteria and methodological standards on good environmental status of marine waters and specifications and standardised methods for monitoring and assessment, and repealing Decision 2010/477/EU. Available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32017D0848 Google Scholar EC (European Council) (1992). Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora. Available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:31992L0043 Google Scholar Dynamic species distribution models in the marine realm: Predicting year-round habitat suitability of baleen whales in the Southern Ocean CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar The hydrography of the Rockall Channel – An overview CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Renewable energy from the high seas: Geo-spatial modelling of resource potential and legal implications for developing offshore wind projects beyond the national jurisdiction of coastal States CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar The natural history of whales and dolphins Google Scholar Evans, P., and Waggitt, J. (2020). “Impacts of climate change on Marine Mammals, relevant to the coastal and marine environment around the UK,” in Marine climate change impacts partnership science review 2020, 421–455. Available at: http://www.mccip.org.uk/media/2022/19_marine_mammals_2020.pdf (Accessed April 23 Google Scholar Validated shipping noise maps of the Northeast Atlantic PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar “Xbat: An open-source extensible platform for bioacoustic research and monitoring,” in Computational bioacoustics for assessing biodiversity Clausen (Bonn: Bundesamt für Naturschutz) Google Scholar Seasonal habitat-based density models for a marine top predator CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar open source software for real-time acoustic detection and localisation of cetaceans CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar A review of climate change effects on marine mammals in United States waters: Past predictions current research and conservation imperatives CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Recent pace of change in human impact on the world’s ocean PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Google Scholar Cetacean abundance and distribution in European Atlantic shelf waters to inform conservation and management CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Hammond, P. S., Macleod, K., Gillespie, D., Swift, R. J., Winship, A., Burt, M. L., et al. (2009). Cetacean offshore distribution and abundance in European Atlantic waters (CODA) - Final Report. Available at: http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Module=More&Location=None&ProjectID=13943 (Accessed April 23 Google Scholar The implications of developments on the Atlantic Frontier for marine mammals CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Characterizing the relative contribution of large vessels to total ocean noise fields: A case study using the Gerry E Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Comparing the underwater soundscapes of four US national parks and marine sanctuaries CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Monitoring long-term soundscape trends in US waters: The NOAA/NPS Ocean Noise Reference Station Network CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Anthropogenic and natural sources of ambient noise in the ocean CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar ISO (International Organization for Standardization) (2017). ISO 18405:2017 Underwater Acoustics - Terminology. Available at: https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:18405:ed-1:v1:en Google Scholar Source levels and the estimated active space of bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) whistles in the Moray Firth PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Decadal variability on the northwest European continental shelf CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Signals from the deep: Spatial and temporal acoustic occurrence of beaked whales off western Ireland PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar From echolocation clicks to animal density – Acoustic sampling of harbor porpoises with static dataloggers PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Directionality in the whistles of Hawaiian spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris): A signal feature to cue direction of movement CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Temperature-based summer habitat partitioning between white-beaked and common dolphins around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Seasonal distribution of minke whales Balaenoptera acutorostrata in relation to physiography and prey off the Isle of Mull CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Tracking the global reduction of marine traffic during the COVID-19 pandemic PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Estimating animal population density using passive acoustics PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Google Scholar Characteristics of minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) pulse trains recorded near Puerto Rico CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar An open access dataset for developing automated detectors of Antarctic baleen whale sounds and performance evaluation of two commonly used detectors PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Seasonal and geographical patterns of fin whale song in the western North Atlantic Ocean PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Spatial and temporal variability of ambient underwater sound in the Baltic Sea PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Small cetacean in a human high-use area: Trends in harbor porpoise abundance in the North Sea over two decades CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Sounds from airguns and fin whales recorded in the mid-Atlantic Ocean PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Distribution and relative abundance of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena L.) white-beaked dolphins (Lagenorhynchus albirostris Gray) and minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata Lacepède) around the British Isles CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Climate change impacts on seabirds and marine mammals: The importance of study duration PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Google Scholar Paxton, C. G. M., Scott-Hayward, L. A. S., McKenzie, M., Rexstad, E. A., and Thomas, L. (2016). Revised phase III data analysis of Joint Cetacean Protocol data resources. Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). Report No. 517. Available at: https://hub.jncc.gov.uk/assets/01adfabd-e75f-48ba-9643-2d594983201e (Accessed April 23 Google Scholar PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Marine taxa track local climate velocities PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Scale-dependent foraging ecology of a marine top predator modelled using passive acoustic data CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Pollock, C. M., Mavor, R., Weir, C. R., Reid, A., White, R. W., Tasker, M. L., et al. (2000). The distribution of seabirds and marine mammals in the Atlantic Frontier, north and west of Scotland. Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), Aberdeen, Scotland. Available at: https://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/ocrd/125355.pdf Google Scholar “Bioacoustical periodic pulse train signal detection and classification using spectrogram intensity binarization and energy projection,” in ICML 2013 workshop on machine learning for bioacoustics (Atlanta Google Scholar R Core Team (2021). R: A language and environment for statistical computing. Available at: https://www.r-project.org/ Google Scholar Rapid climate-driven circulation changes threaten conservation of endangered North Atlantic right whales CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Reid, J. B., Evans, P. G. H., and Northridge, S. (2003). Atlas of cetacean distribution in north-west European waters. Peterborough: Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). Available at: https://data.jncc.gov.uk/data/a5a51895-50a1-4cd8-8f9d-8e2512345adf/atlas-cetacean-distribution-web.pdf (Accessed April 23 Google Scholar Seasonal migrations of North Atlantic minke whales: Novel insights from large-scale passive acoustic monitoring networks PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Minke whale acoustic behavior and multi-year seasonal and diel vocalization patterns in Massachusetts Bay CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Individual calling behaviour and movements of North Atlantic minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Seasonal and diel acoustic presence of North Atlantic minke whales in the North Sea PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Robinson, S. P., Lepper, P. A., and Hazelwood, R. A. (2014). Good practice guide for underwater noise measurement. NPL good practice guide No. 133. National Measurement Office, Marine Scotland, The Crown Estate. Available at: https://www.npl.co.uk/special-pages/guides/gpg133underwater (Accessed June 12 Google Scholar Baleen whale acoustic presence and behaviour at a Mid-Atlantic migratory habitat PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Food talk: 40-Hz fin whale calls are associated with prey biomass PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Habitat compression and ecosystem shifts as potential links between marine heatwave and record whale entanglements PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Hindcasting soundscapes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in selected areas of the North Sea and the Adriatic Sea CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Passive acoustic monitoring of bottlenose dolphin and harbour porpoise with implications for habitat use and partitioning CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Using passive acoustic monitoring to document the distribution of beaked whale species in the western North Atlantic Ocean CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Migratory destinations and timing of humpback whales in the southeastern Caribbean differ from those off the Dominican Republic Google Scholar On whales landed at the Scottish whaling stations during the years 1908-1914 and 1920-1927 Google Scholar Balancing risks of injury and disturbance to marine mammals when pile driving at offshore windfarms CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar 50 to 30-Hz triplet and singlet down sweep vocalizations produced by sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis) in the western North Atlantic Ocean PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Exclusion of tidal influence on ambient sound measurements PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar NOAA and BOEM minimum recommendations for use of passive acoustic listening systems in offshore wind energy development monitoring and mitigation programs CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Management and research applications of real-time and archival passive acoustic sensors over varying temporal and spatial scales CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Ecological regime shift in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean revealed from the unprecedented reduction in marine growth of Atlantic salmon PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Marine soundscape variation reveals insights into baleen whales and their environment: A case study in central New Zealand PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar The 20-Hz signals of finback whales (Balaenoptera physalus) PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the Cape Verde Islands: Migratory patterns CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Cetaceans as sentinels for informing climate change policy in UK waters CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Measurements of underwater noise radiated by commercial ships at a cabled ocean observatory PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Google Scholar Stevens C and Wilson B (2022) Monitoring cetacean occurrence and variability in ambient sound in Scottish offshore waters Received: 02 May 2022; Accepted: 04 July 2022;Published: 31 August 2022 Copyright © 2022 van Geel, Risch, Benjamins, Brook, Culloch, Edwards, Stevens and Wilson. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited in accordance with accepted academic practice distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms *Correspondence: Nienke C. F. van Geel, TmllbmtlLnZhbkdlZWxAc2Ftcy5hYy51aw== Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish A joint project between the European Commission’s JRC and the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD) is allowing the next generation of scientists to develop technologies that could reduce nuclear waste improve the efficiency of nuclear energy production At the EUFRAT laboratories at the JRC’s Geel site in Belgium the Open Access programme allows the study of nuclear reaction radioactivity and radiation in science and applications The GELINA particle accelerator at Geel is one of the best pulsed white spectrum neutron sources available in the world With a beam of neutrons from a pulsed white neutron source you can conduct a variety of experiments that explore the structure A team of scientists from France and Romania has used GELINA to study ‘inelastic scattering reactions’ which measure the dynamics of atoms and molecules within a material and play an important role in fast nuclear reactor systems.  The results from these experiments are essential for the successful development of the next generation of reactors These advanced nuclear systems have the potential to drastically increase the efficiency of nuclear energy production and significantly reduce the level of nuclear waste produced.  Researchers from the Belgian nuclear research centre testify that results from work at GELINA are helping them to develop new technologies for future reactors the reduction of nuclear waste and the production of radioactive isotopes for medical applications These isotopes are used to diagnose cancer or cardiac conditions and are increasingly used for cancer treatments.  The EUFRAT laboratories offer unique measurement and training opportunities to both young and experienced nuclear scientists and engineers The Open Access programme contributes to the dissemination of knowledge and fosters collaboration at European level more than 100 researchers from EU Member States have participated in experiments via the programme 25% of whom were young students and the researchers of tomorrow Offering access to its research infrastructure is part of JRC's strategy to maximise the use of its facilities making unique scientific equipment available to external researchers These researchers in turn benefit from the use of these facilities to attract talent to their organisations and bridge the gap between research and industry.  The Open Access programme has not only provided benefits to external researchers The initiative has also fostered collaboration and knowledge exchange between its co-organisers To examine progress up to now, the JRC and DG RTD are organising a workshop in Brussels on 19-20  June, 2024 This event will showcase the achievements of the project highlighting its successes but also lessons learned that can be used to improve the initiative further Open Access to JRC Research Infrastructures Safe nuclear technology And while that’s still definitely an aesthetic it's perfected Here's what caught my eye for spring… Black-and-white trim swimwear always wins me over A good linen set I'm constantly in tube tops in the spring and summer A square neckline and asymmetrical hemline The little button detailing is a nice touch Mogadishu — Somali National Army (SNA) forces have successfully driven Al-Shabaab militants from the Geel-gub area in the Middle Shabelle region saw troops launch a multi-pronged assault on the town to seize control from the militants but the SNA regained control of the strategic area Reports suggest that Al-Shabaab suffered heavy casualties during the operation which is still ongoing on the outskirts of Geel-gub This marks the second area to be retaken from Al-Shabaab since Monday Somali forces captured the town of Aboorey in the Hiiraan region following intense fighting the commander of the 163rd Battalion of the elite Danab Commando Brigade was killed along with several other Somali government soldiers Read the original article on Shabelle AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 110 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals representing a diversity of positions on every topic We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you There was a problem processing your submission By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Created by Irene Geel back in 2021, Geel is a Los Angeles-based slow fashion label which aims to create pieces that you can’t live without Offering a range of stylish basics and timeless designs the brand hopes to provide pieces adaptable enough for any season or occasion Crafted in Los Angeles, Geel partners with ethical manufacturers who produce its collections in small batches, hoping to eliminate waste and overproduction. Recently, Geel teamed up with it-girl Cierra O’Day to create a capsule collection embodying her distinctive style and taking inspiration from her wardrobe staples The collection features four classic pieces Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here Lucy Notarantonio is Newsweek's Senior Lifestyle and Trends Reporter Her focus is trending stories and human interest features ranging from health Lucy joined Newsweek in August 2022 and previously worked at Mercury Press and Media and other UK national newspapers the Australian Women Magazines and The New York Post My focus is human-interest stories ranging from relationships to health I am always on the lookout for relationships that go against the "norm" such as age-gap ones along with incredible weight loss stories aimed to inspire and motivate others Languages: English She is a Derby University graduate You can get in touch with l.notarantonio@newsweek.com either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content A woman has shared a sight that you most definitely don't see every day on the road: a school bus filled with dogs At first, only a golden retriever can be seen, but then Laura Van Geel (@lvg23) zooms in and there are at least over 10 canines in the vehicle "Life is sweet when you're driving behind your local doggy day care school bus at drop-off hour," has racked up over 903,000 views since it was shared on October 8 The heartwarming footage has also gathered more than 211,000 likes and over 830 comments—many from people who envy Van Geel More From Newsweek Vault: The Top Rewards Credit Cards for Pet Owners Life is sweet when you’re driving behind your local doggy daycare school bus at drop off hour. 🫶🏻 #dog #doggydaycare "Seriously this is the most wholesome video I've seen all week," posted one user and another wrote: "I would follow this bus all day." A third comment with 13,400 likes read: "I would protect that bus with my life." More From Newsweek Vault: Learn More About the Walmart+ Perk Aimed at Pet Owners A fourth described it as: "The most precious cargo." It is no wonder the video has sent the internet into a frenzy as research has revealed that dogs remain the most popular pets in the U.S. More From Newsweek Vault: Pet Insurance 101: How Much Does It Cost and Is It Worth the Price? about 65 million households owned at least one dog marking a 10 percent increase since the survey began in 1988 However, in an era where working from home is the norm, some owners may be reluctant to send their dog to a day care center. the American Kennel Club (AKC) says that there are many benefits for attendees once they have received their key vaccines the "right behaviors," along with simple commands such as sit Day cares may also give owners peace of mind knowing their dog is having fun in a safe and supervised environment Along with helping them thrive with a consistent routine owners will know that pups are creatures of habit The AKC adds that routines help dogs "understand what is expected of them which can in turn help reinforce good behavior Newsweek previously spoke to a man who runs a doggy day care and drives an identical bus. He said that the journey to the park is completely different to the return trip. Dog walker Denzel told Newsweek: "After running around like crazy at the park The ride back is much calmer—most of them are napping Newsweek reached out to @lvg23 for comment We could not verify the details of the case Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsletters in your inbox See all ​CategoriesCategoriesEnglishGENERALIneos Aromatics plant in Geel loses operating licence22 August 2024 The Council for Permit Disputes has annulled the licence for the chemical company Ineos Aromatics to operate in Geel and Laakdal Thursday's annulment means Ineos Aromatics must cease operations until a new licence can be obtained The licence was granted by the Flemish government last year after the previous one expired saying the government had not sufficiently investigated whether the company's cobalt discharges were too harmful to the water quality of the Grote Nete river saying the environmental impact report prepared as part of the permit process shows that the river would deteriorate based on the discharge standards "As the cobalt pollution in the Grote Nete is already in the lowest quality class any deterioration of this parameter is in principle prohibited," it said Ineos Aromatics says it is "shocked" by the decision and is reviewing it with legal advisers to consider the next steps disagrees that operations should cease immediately "We are happy to point out that in the event of the revocation of a new licence without replacement the applicant has the right to continue operations under the previous operating licence until the Environment minister makes a new decision," the company said "So there is no question of closing down operations." The decision could be a "turning point" for other lawsuits and Flemish permit policy say the nature associations BBL and Natuurpunt They call it "a victory for more healthy watercourses and therefore healthy citizens" in Flanders Flemish business federation Voka compares the case to Flanders' nitrogen policy, where the lack of a clear framework compatible with European rules led to a crisis "The quality of our watercourses hangs like a sword of Damocles over the Flemish economy," Voka said in response to the council's decision The Flemish government will have to make a new decision within three months #FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK Copy linkGet updates in your mailboxYour email addressSubscribeBy clicking "Subscribe" I confirm I have read and agree to the Privacy Policy rapid and high-quality information 24 hours a day from Belgium and abroad to all Belgian media not to mention entertainment and lifestyle our journalists and press photographers produce hundreds of photos and news stories Since the end of March 2022 English has been added as a language businesses and various organisations that need reliable information Belga News Agency also offers a comprehensive range of corporate services to meet all their communication needs www.belganewsagency.eu Photojournalist Ilvy Njiokiktjien was granted rare access to document the lives of boarders and their foster families in Geel centuries-old tradition of altruistic psychiatric care The city of Geel in Belgium has a foster care system for people dealing with mental health issues These foster families sometimes host their boarders for decades making them an integral part of the nuclear family The families see the care they provide as normal The psychiatric centre rarely allows media to cover this story – I had the chance to document the lives of these boarders and their foster familiesIlvy NjiokiktjienBy fostering in this way the families want to normalise the lives of those with mental illness treating them not as patients with a diagnosis but as individuals deserving of dignity and inclusion This way of altruistic psychiatric care has been part of Geel since the 13th century It started when a church was built for Saint Dymphna About 2,000 boarders were living with local farmers at that time This was the beginning of the foster care system and it is still there Psychologist Wilfried Bogaerts (left) and case manager Michelle Lambrechts at the visitors’ centre of the OPZ hospital in Geel Behind them are pictures of former patients of the foster care system The system has become more organised and advanced over the centuries there have been professional support services offered by the city’s state psychiatric hospital (OPZ) The centre also has a daycare facility and they offer psychiatric treatment and counselling for the boarders where I saw daily life unfold almost as usual did chores and watched television together For many of the boarders it is important to have structure and routines something the Geelians believe the boarders are receiving in a more natural way than when institutionalised Boarder Heidi while Heidi was waiting for the bus to be taken to the daycare at the OPZ The bus was a bit late and Heidi started getting nervous – I could see her pace up and down in the living room It is these small daily practices that give the boarders a feeling of safety and belonging Schoolteacher Krista Mijnendonckx (left) gives a tour to her class in the Gasthuismuseum (Guesthouse museum) in Geel The class is there to learn about the legend of Saint Dymphna and the start of Geel’s care system Gasthuismuseum curator Janna Lefevre (left) and its director Maggy grew up in a family where boarders were part of daily life Her mother and father were also taking care of several boarders Maggy decided to take care of their boarder who was struggling with severe health issues Maggy was sad as she would have loved to have taken care of Jeff much longer but simply could not as the care was too specialised She told the OPZ she would like to host someone again with her fosterers Maggy Vleugels and Jozef Huysmans There are about 120 boarders living with foster families but there has been a decline in participation over the years This is mainly due to households where both the man and woman have a job something that was not the case in earlier centuries The families receive a daily allowance of about €28 (£24) for each individual they care for who has been hosting boarders with mental illnesses in her home for seven years Boarder Iosif feeds a donkey in the back yard of the home where he lives with his host Peetermans says: ‘Everybody who lives here is like a son or daughter to me’ Ann Peetermans cries in her kitchen when she thinks of a former boarder she hosted in her home Peetermans has been hosting boarders with mental illnesses in her home for seven years Efforts to expand the programme are ongoing and marketing initiatives are in place to attract more families Geel’s care system has been added to Unesco’s list of intangible cultural heritage together in the home where they host a male boarder They will soon also start hosting a female boarder and are currently standing in her new bedroom chair of the psychiatric foster care council and a retired police social worker In an era marked by increasing awareness of mental health issues and the need for innovative solutions Geel shows a centuries-old model built on empathy and solidarity Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA) Market Analysis: Industry Market Size Copyright © ChemAnalyst - 2020 | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy YG Marley Joins Reggae Geel 2024 Line-Up for Exclusive Performance!  Reggae Geel is ecstatic to announce an extraordinary addition to its 2024 line-up: YG Marley the sensational new star of the reggae world will be performing at this year’s festival. YG Marley will perform nowhere else in the Benelux or immediate region the son of Lauryn Hill and Rohan Marley and grandson of the legendary Bob Marley has taken the music world by storm with his unique fusion of reggae This will be YG Marley’s only performance in the region making it an unrepeatable event for reggae fans and music lovers We are using cookies on this website to give you the best, most relevant experience. By continuing to use the website, you agree to the use of cookies. Further information on cookies can be found in our privacy policy GSFC to start calcium nitrate manufacturing India to become a global hub for Artificial Intelligence says Modi Syngenta acquires Italy-based biologicals company Chandra Asri launches circular food packaging solutions for Indonesian market BASF completes sale of its construction chemicals business to PE firm Covestro buys DSM's RFM business for €1.61 billion Aramco, Sabic supplies blue ammonia for zero carbon project in Japan The minister said that the country is moving towards the gas-based economy which is not only clean and efficient fuel but will also help in reducing the country’s dependence on imported crude oil Kesar Petroproducts begins commercial production of new fertiliser plant Privi Speciality Chemicals posts Q4 FY25 consolidated PAT at Rs. 66.52 Cr Enviro Infra Engineers secures new order worth Rs. 76.96 Cr Gujarat Chem & Petchem Conference 2025 to discuss “Efficient and Sustainable Water Treatment for Chemical Plants” Gujarat Chem & Petchem Conference 2025 to highlight latest development in Lab Innovations, Applications, and Sustainability on May 9 Archean Chemical Industries posts consolidated Q4 FY25 PAT at Rs. 53.53 Cr Ami Organics Q4 FY25 PAT up at Rs. 62.48 Cr Yasho Industries posts Q4 FY25 consolidated PAT at Rs. 5.03 Cr Aether Industries reports Q4 FY25 consolidated PAT at Rs. 50.29 Cr Sadhana Nitrochem posts Q4 FY25 consolidated profit at Rs. 4.10 Cr Associate Vice President - Project and Process The Sprint to the Summit: Unlocking Lab Efficiency through Digital Transformation Forbes Marshall - Need For Ongoing Improvement Delivering on the Promise of Prescriptive Maintenance Moving from Manual to Engineered Palletization The guiding role of fluidized and spouted bed technologies in particle building processes Addition of new capacity is projected to result in YoY growth of approx The new E-GRADE unit will bolster Huntsman's portfolio by providing high-purity New window film range combines advanced R&D and focus on sustainability address global demand for eco-friendly heat management solutions for residential The growth in India’s plastics exports during FY 2024–25 was driven by strong performances across several key product categories The quarterly performance is driven by improved refining and marketing margins Wanhua Chemical signs a Joint Venture agreement with Petrochemical Industries Company With a production capacity of more than 780 tonnes per annum the plant is poised to achieve an annual carbon emissions reduction of approximately 9,000 tonnes First pilot plant deployment of Amogy’s low ruthenium content catalyst marks milestone in scaling ammonia cracking for clean hydrogen production The newly commissioned facility will liquify hydrogen produced by Olin for trailer shipments across the U.S Marsa LNG will be one of the lowest carbon intensity LNG plants in the world Linde is the main supplier of industrial gases to Samsung's complex at Pyeongtaek Ballymore has a total daily gross production capacity of 75,000 barrels of oil per day and 50 million cubic feet of gas per day Empowering industries for complete digital transformation and flexible integration This acquisition will enable Yokogawa to strengthen its DX-related business for the delivery of cloud services A strong performer in its industry at the core of secular and future automation trends With a strong focus on fostering innovation and collaboration Startup Mahakumbh will lay the foundation for the next wave of entrepreneurial success Startups operating in focus areas which mainly include natural gas Twenty shortlisted startups will undergo a 12-week accelerator programme Carbon tax is ‘killing manufacturing’ in UK AdvanSix files patent infringement lawsuit against Arxada group companies EU advances toy safety regulations to protect kids from toxic chemicals Impact of reciprocal tariffs on India’s chemical sector is expected to be minimal: CareEdge SOCMA statement on reciprocal tariffs and US manufacturing strategy Subscribe To Our Newsletter & Stay Updated Performance of chemicals (group-wise) for 2011-12 to 2018-19 Projection of production, capacity & export of chemicals for 2019-2025 Indian Chemical News is an important online resource for news technology updates and interviews with prominent leaders in the chemical and petrochemical space.Indian Chemical News is a media company with interests in online publishing and industry events related to the chemical and allied sectors Get Indian Chemical News top stories every morning in your email inbox the trustee of the insolvent Dutch coffee and donut chain Dunkin' sees “good chances” for a successful restart He expects this “complex process” to take several weeks the branches will remain open and donuts will continue to be made the judge declared Dunkin' bankrupt in the Netherlands Although the trustee indicates that their dismissal due to bankruptcy is inevitable plans are being worked on hard to retain as many jobs as possible Van Geel has announced in a statement that he has now started a takeover process for the company the curator will also investigate the causes of the bankruptcy often covered in chocolate or brightly colored icing has been a household name in the United States since the 1950s The chain was relatively new in the Netherlands an attempt to grow the chain in the Netherlands stalled at five locations a store of what was then still called Dunkin' Donuts opened in Amsterdam the Dutch and Belgian branches came into the hands of one of the branches of the hotel group Van der Valk with the hospitality company acquiring the right to use the Dunkin' brand from the American Inspire Brands Van der Valk International wanted to grow the chain and hoped to attract young people to its hotels the chain also saw room for more than 150 branches in this country But little seems to have come of those growth plans The number of branches seems to have only decreased recently Dunkin' now has a lot of competition from other chains such as Starbucks That's caused some friction in Smit's marriage a charming Belgian town less than an hour's drive from of Antwerp a saint believed to have the power to cure mental disorders and it has inspired an unusual centuries-old practice: For over 700 years residents of Geel have been accepting people with mental disorders It isn't meant to be a treatment or therapy They go to Geel and join households to share a life with people who can watch over them One of them is a Flemish man named Luc Ennekans NPR's Lulu Miller went to Geel and met him and his host family there and reported this story for Invisibilia Ennekans first went to a public psychiatric hospital in Geel that manages the boarder program Ennekans saw medical professionals and received treatment and an evaluation say that living with Ennekans was rough at the start he would be hugging and kissing me all day," Smit says that it began to interfere with Smit and Shouten's marriage "You couldn't even give each other a hug or Luc is standing behind us," Shouten says One boarder used to lock Smit and Shouten out of the bathroom to furiously wash his hands and another used to struggle to sleep because he saw lions coming out of the walls But that doesn't affect the way they see their boarders they accept that this is simply who their boarders are It's not abnormal or something they need to change That acceptance of mental differences has become something of a tradition in Geel and some observers think it's also responsible for the system's success many different experiments have been attempted over the centuries to provide humane care for people with mental illness and mental disabilities Residents of Geel have not only accepted the eccentric or disruptive behaviors of the boarders but have come up with creative ways to help boarders and residents manage them the founder of Broadway Housing Communities when Ennekans became too jealous or attached to Smit Shouten and Smit encouraged him to find a girlfriend or other companionship When their former boarder hallucinated lions coming through the walls Smit would pretend to chase the lions away "And that would work every time," Smit says Shouten and Smit receive a stipend from the Belgian government for taking care of Ennekans, as well as training and support from psychiatric professionals. Hospitalization is available if needed. Several studies have found that the incidence of violence by boarders is low; people who have previously exhibited violent behavior are usually not admitted to the program "The remarkable aspect of the Gheel experience for the uninitiated[,] is the attitude of the citizenry." Early psychiatrists who observed Geel noticed that the treatment prescribed for mental patients was their distractions," Jacques-Joseph Moreau wrote in 1845 He and others advocated for that communion have not completely lost their dignity as reasonable human beings." In the next half-century many would uphold Geel's model as the best standard of practice for mental disorders has for centuries drawn people seeking help for relatives with mental disorders How Geel came to be this way begins with the town's devotion to St Dymphna was a 7th-century Irish princess who fled to Geel from a maddened father and devoted her life to serving the mentally disabled But she became a martyr when her father discovered her location and traveled to Geel to behead her Dymphna's church in the 14th century to honor the saint and enshrine her supposed remains It became a popular pilgrimage site for people across Europe who would bring loved ones to the shrine in the hopes of finding relief from their mental distress Dymphna is said to have fled to Geel from Ireland where she helped care for people with mental illness By 1480, the town had built a small hospice on the side of the church to accommodate pilgrims, but the shrine became so popular that the pilgrims overwhelmed the annex's capacity. "Sometimes the families would return home and leave their uncured relatives in the hospice," says Mike Jay a historian of psychiatry and curator for the Wellcome Collection in London "So local people began taking them in as guests or boarders The early practice was often mutually beneficial for both the hosts and the boarders the boarders got stable housing and a family life But the integration was not always a happy one "One of the laws was that if a boarder committed a crime then some of the families would resort to keeping them chained or restrained." As medical treatment for the mentally ill evolved a central medical establishment was set up that provided standard medical and psychiatric care to boarders and other residents But this was at the same time that large insane asylums were considered the most advanced Geel became the source of a great debate in psychiatry "Some people regarded Geel as a sad remnant of old medieval culture where people were left to toil in the field and never given therapy and no chance of recovery." Other early observers noted the same things that Baxter and other more recent visitors have: By and large, people in Geel were happy. "One of the agreeable features is the general contentment manifested by the insane," wrote John Sibbald, a Scottish psychiatrist, in 1861 the International Congress of Psychiatry had declared Geel an example of best practice to be copied elsewhere The program continued to be a source of local pride about 4,000 boarders resided in Geel — a quarter of the town's population boarders had become such a part of life and society that distinctions between them and nonboarders blurred "a lot of the problems we associate [with mental illness] kind of fade away," Jay says "Like trying to navigate a world full of kind of normal people who don't understand what's going on and aren't tolerant towards it." There are a few important criteria for acceptance into the Geel program The program typically selects patients with severe mental illness or cognitive disabilities who have difficulty living independently almost half of the town's 516 boarders had a cognitive disability and over 20 percent carry a diagnosis of schizophrenia or other psychotic disorder a professor emeritus of psychology at Samford University Some boarders have traditionally had other conditions such as learning disabilities or autism While scholarship of Geel is rich with observation, there remain few long-term, empirical studies on how these patients do in the system. "The successes and shortcomings of Geel's system of foster family care had never been thoroughly or systematically examined," Goldstein noted in a speech presented at the American Psychological Association Annual Convention in 1998 researchers embarked on a 10-year project studying Geel that Goldstein took part in Goldstein continued studying Geel throughout her life, and some of her work shows that boarder life is stable Boarders tend to stay in family care for years when boarders' caretakers grow too old or die they continue to live with their caretakers' children nearly a third of boarders lived in a foster home for more than 50 years There are possible reasons for the program's decline besides the time and professional pressures of modern life There may be fewer patients who need supported living thanks to improved psychiatric medication which might contribute to fewer referrals to the program Roosens and Van De Walle also note the program lacks enough funding to cover the cost of a boarder The Belgian government pays 40 euros (less than $45) per boarder per day to support the practice less than half of which goes to the foster family to cover living expenses in large part because Geelians are proud of it American psychiatrist Matthew Dumont found that their main reason for accepting boarders was custom Roosens and Van De Walle describe the program as part of Geel's heritage that may not be enough to sustain the program Invisibilia co-host Lulu Miller contributed to this report. For more on experiments in community-based housing and support, see our story on Mr a man who lived on the streets of New York City for decades before finding a home health and art at Broadway Housing Communities Become an NPR sponsor Forgot your password? BusinessLIVE© are registered trademarks of Arena Holdings (Pty) Ltd Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions and privacy policy You have reached ESPN's Australian edition. Stay on current site or go to US version Round 9 of the AFL season gets underway Thursday night with a blockbuster clash between Fremantle and Collingwood at Optus Stadium before the Saints host the Blues on Friday night Join ESPN's footy team for some of the best AFL and AFLW analysis and insight on the ESPN Footy Podcast Veterans Max Gawn and Patrick Dangerfield showed they can still star but finals hopefuls Carlton and Fremantle got a massive reality check Here's whose stocks are up and down after Round 8 The Western Bulldogs have navigated injuries and drama in the early part of the season but now sitting 5-3 with stars back on the park Jesse Hogan ended Charlie Curnow's Coleman Medal reign in 2024 by booting 69 majors to claim the award The Brownlow Medal is the highest individual honour in the AFL ESPN is giving you an advantage with our one-of-a-kind predictor France-based pharmaceutical company Sanofi is expanding its biologics plant in Geel to add to its manufacturing and commercial production capabilities The $340m expansion will install manufacturing production and laboratory space at the existing plant It will support the need for increased production of Sanofi’s pipeline products and increase the capacity for future production Construction on the expansion is expected to start in 2016 and the plant is due to be fully operational by mid-2017 The proposed expansion is supported by the Government of Flanders It will generate job opportunities for highly skilled biotechnology professionals According to Sanofi, the plant will introduce biologics cutting-edge manufacturing and operation capabilities as well as high-quality products to enhance patient outcomes Sanofi and Sanofi Genzyme have invested around $870m in the Geel site since 2001 The latest investment will help Sanofi in its efforts to become a global leader in biologics while also improving its focus on patients’ needs The expansion involves building a state-of-the-art facility that will add 8,000m² (86,111ft²) of manufacturing space for increasing Sanofi’s capacity for producing monoclonal antibodies It also involves upgrading existing facilities such as quality control and manufacturing sciences laboratories to ensure qualitative and quantitative production The fully equipped existing plant, covering a 4,000m² (43,055ft²) floor space, will produce a monoclonal antibody and protein therapy product for the treatment of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and Pompe disease respectively. Therapeutic proteins will be produced at the facility using large bioreactors, preparation tanks and purification trains The facility is involved in suspension and continuous mammalian cell culture production The suspension cell culture unit contains two 10,000l stirred tank bioreactors buffer/medium preparation tanks and a purification train The perfusion cell culture unit contains three 4,000l bioreactors The proposed expansion will allow Sanofi to expand the global production of its biologics molecules and monoclonal antibodies as well as helping to advance developments in critical disease areas such as cardiovascular rheumatoid arthritis and atopic dermatitis Sanofi is a global healthcare company providing prevention and treatment solutions in various fields such as human vaccines, rare diseases, multiple sclerosis, oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, diabetes cardiovascular solutions and consumer healthcare the company has a presence in more than 100 countries and operates industrial sites in more than 40 countries employing around 110,000 personnel in total Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network Enlarged Geel distribution centre located at the heart of one of Europe’s strongest pharma clusters Standardised GxP solutions for the pharma & healthcare industry Part of Kuehne + Nagel’s KN PharmaChain network encompassing more than 220 operations worldwide Kuehne + Nagel has inaugurated its enlarged pharma distribution centre in Geel making it one of the largest within the global KN PharmaChain network reliable and compliant end-to-end logistics solutions the new facility plays an important role for Kuehne + Nagel’s customers in search of pharma & healthcare supply chain solutions to support their own strategic growth plans temperature-controlled forwarding and warehousing services and is fully GxP compliant and certified KN PharmaChain encompasses a global network of more than 220 operations 600,000 m² of industry dedicated warehousing space and a team of specially-trained operators Managing Director of Kuehne + Nagel BeLux comments at the occasion of the opening ceremony: “The enlarged pharma hub in Geel is an inherent part of our strategy to offer integrated logistics solutions to our customers at the very centre of one of Europe’s strongest pharma clusters doctors and patients are supplied in full and on time.” The Geel hub is centrally located in close proximity to the Brussels and Liège airports and with fast connections to the other 15 main EuropeanKN PharmaChain locations The facility covers a total area of 22,000 m² (plus another 10,000 m² of extension space) and has two cold chambers to handle varying temperature requirements Kuehne + Nagel is currently investing in a 15,000 m² airside pharma facility at the Brussels cargo airport (BruCargo) SVP Kuehne + Nagel Pharma & Healthcare Director Contract Logistics Kuehne + Nagel BeLux Suite C1-310 Danforth AveToronto ON M4K 1N6Canada The city pioneered revolutionary health care — and it all started with a teenaged saint Dymphna medallion in New Orleans on a muggy August afternoon in 2016 the kind of day when high summer begins to tip over into the peak of hurricane season not sweat but water pulled from the oversaturated air The cathedral gift shop had bins and bins of medallions a saint for every need — Jude for lost causes making the metal shift and clink in a satisfying way paying for it and sliding it onto a thin silver chain As I fixed the clasp at the back of my neck I offered up a silent prayer to the patron saint of mental illness: “Please the atmosphere crackled with coming storms and peculiar magic That magic came back to me again three years later on a train rattling across the Belgian countryside Travelling can sometimes feel like falling in love — there’s the same sense of giddiness the same wild curiosity — and everything around me made me feel like I was waking up from a long stupor The view from my window looked like a landscape painted by a Flemish master and the spring air was strangely sweet in a way I’d never smelled before But the magic was more than just the thrill of being somewhere new; it was knowing that with every mile of track that passed, I was getting closer to Geel 50 kilometres southeast of Antwerp and small enough that it didn’t even warrant a dot on the map in my guidebook It is also home to a remarkable social psychiatry program that sprung up in the wake of her death.  I dreamed of a place like Geel long before I knew it was real Through all the time I’d spent in Canada’s psychiatric system — years of white-knuckling it through months-long wait-lists just to get an intake appointment late nights in the ER with panic attacks that wouldn’t stop wards with doors that lock behind you with a gut-wrenching click — I’d tried to imagine how it might be different I fantasized about a system where care is ongoing and mental health isn’t treated as a binary of “fine” and “crisis;” where patients are considered complex individuals rather than a list of dysfunctions; where clinicians understand the difference between staying alive and actually living.  The stigma against mental illness permeates well past the medical system into all aspects of society from the hushed tones we use when we talk about it to the looks we exchange when a dishevelled man is being too chatty on the subway to the way we casually pepper our conversations with words like crazy Managing the distress caused by mental illness is hard enough and that difficulty increases exponentially when you have to exist in a world that fears and hates your illness According to her legend, Dymphna was born in the small Irish kingdom of Oriel sometime in the seventh century and like so many mothers in these types of stories she’s rarely accorded the dignity of a name All we get are a few nebulous adjectives: beautiful The interfaith nature of Dymphna’s parents’ marriage was reflective of the changing religious landscape in Ireland at the time It had been 200 years since a Romano-British bishop named Patricius allegedly drove out all the snakes the faith was spreading rapidly across the island many continued to worship the old gods of the Celts she took a vow of chastity and dedicated her life to Christ The timing of these particular solemn promises might have been influenced by a decline in her mother’s health — a bargain for her recovery — since shortly afterwards but only on the condition that his new wife would be as beautiful and accomplished as his last His men travelled all over the country to find a woman good enough for Damon and he developed a frightening new fixation: marrying Dymphna Damon’s breakdown might be called brief reactive psychosis an extreme break from reality triggered by a stressful life event; in the 600s it was termed “madness.” But a mad king is still a king she begged him to give her 40 days to decide which she used to secretly prepare to leave first on a ship to the port city of Antwerp Travelling over wat­er was dangerous in those days and a trip through the Irish Sea and across the English Channel would have been perilous Dymphna also probably experienced the same mix of feelings many women do when they make it out of an abusive situation: relief All of this must have been compounded by guilt since disobeying her father went directly against one of the core values of Christianity: honour thy father and thy mother.  Maybe it was those complicated feelings that led Dymphna to what she did next: use her considerable resources to build a hospice for the poor and sick this hospice particularly served those with mental or neurological illnesses Dymphna would have been centuries ahead of the rest of Europe Most medieval hospices turned away people with mental illness believing them to be contagious or possessed or both But Dymphna seemed determined to help others who suffered the way her father did.  It wasn’t long before Damon’s scouts heard stories about a young woman spending Irish gold in the Flemish countryside where the owner of a local inn pointed him in his daughter’s direction Damon had her priest executed in front of her But even that didn’t convince Dymphna to marry him so Damon beheaded her with his own sword.  It’s hard to imagine a lonelier or more frightening death — in a foreign land who probably teased and played with Dymphna when she was a little girl Or maybe it was all so awful that there was no one single part that could be called the worst Some traditions hold that mentally ill patients from her hospice also witnessed Dymphna’s death Geel became a place of pilgrimage for the “mad” — anyone with mental illness neurological disorders and cognitive differences she began to be venerated as a local saint.  More than a dozen centuries after Dymphna’s death Geel is filled with statues and paintings made in her likeness The camera roll on my phone is filled with various depictions of her each of them unique but with common elements: a crown to show her royal status; green robes to show her Irish heritage; a Bible to show religious devotion; a sword to show how she died; and a demon representing madness crushed beneath one foot Many of her statues are adorned with candles and pots of fresh flowers Always her face holds the same impassive look one that seems to say: you don’t understand Her skull was lost at some point — bricked up in a church pillar according to some stories — and then there was the all-too-generous 17th-century prior who apparently gave away pieces of her without consulting his colleagues Those who travelled to Geel and weren’t immediately cured might stay for years When the dormitory became inadequate to house everyone the people of Geel took pilgrims into their homes This was partly religiously motivated (charity is a virtue families expected help around the house or in the fields.  pilgrims became known as “guests” or “boarders” and a regular part of village life and culture The result was that many of the behaviours associated with ser­ious mental illness were normalized in Geel which meant that the boarders were able to navigate the world without worrying about being harmed or stigmatized attitudes toward mental illness were also radically shifting across the rest of Europe Madness had long been viewed as a domestic problem to be solved by families or parish priests but by the late medieval period it started to be seen as more of a public health issue Mary of Bethlehem (colloquially known as Bedlam) were transformed into “madhouses” that specialized in caring for the mad — if filthy conditions and brutal restraints can be called “care.”   the Enlightenment touched off a wave of reforms in mental health treatment Instead of viewing madness as an affliction best handled by locking its sufferers away a new school of doctors asserted that things like rest fresh air and a generally humane approach could vastly improve the prognoses of the mentally ill and progressive doctors began to promote the idea of “asylums,” huge sun-filled buildings where patients could escape the pressures of society and access various therapies These radical reformers began to take an interest in Geel although their opinions of its so-called “Colony of the Mad” were divided Some thought that the boarder practice was backward an archaic church system that left the mentally ill to languish without any kind of medical care “Treatment and freedom cannot go hand in hand and the alienated have nothing but freedom which is harmful to them,” argued Dr quoted by Jules Duval in his 1867 text Gheel ou une colonie d’aliénés (Geel or a colony of the alienated).  Many were deeply skeptical that illiterate farmers could know better than medical professionals But others saw Geel as an outstanding success sometimes referred to as the father of modern psychiatry remarked that “the farmers of Geel are arguably the most competent doctors; they are an example of what may turn out to be the only reasonable treatment of insanity and what doctors from the outset should regard as ideal.” His student and successor visited Geel in 1821 and marvelled over how calm and content the boarders seemed especially in contrast to their institutionalized counterparts The debate became known as “The Geel Question”: was the boarder system more humane than that of the asylum and was it something that could be replicated elsewhere Some of the criticisms of the Geel system were valid and families who were abusive didn’t face consequences Residents who might be struggling with challenging behaviours from boarders lacked resources; some even resorted to using physical restraints.  The family-care program isn’t miraculous; it is as profoundly human as Dymphna’s life story It’s proof of how well we can love each other when we practise radical acceptance When the Belgian state psychiatric system took over the management of the family-care program in 1850 it did its best to address all of these issues while keeping the elements that made it unique and successful The government outlawed the use of restraints on boarders and introduced strong consequences for families who abused their charges They also built a hospital at the edge of town along with large bathhouses for the boarders’ use.  elegant red-brick building that looked more like a country retreat than a medical centre Boarders were assessed there before being placed with a family The beds were for those experiencing a crisis and in need of a higher level of care than the families could provide But this was viewed as a short-term coping mechanism rather than a long-term solution.  The bathhouses were deliberately separate from the hospital so they felt safe and non-threatening especially to anyone who had experienced institutionalization before coming to Geel Boarders visited each week not only for hygiene and health reasons but also so that doctors could check in about their home life without the family overhearing helped ensure boarders were safe and thriving in their placements.  families who took in boarders received a small stipend but the real incentive to participate in the program was a sense of pride in the work they did As the Brussels corres­pondent for London’s Pall Mall Gazette wrote in the 1870s “It is the personal interest of the inhabitants to do their duty well by the patients as they are [e]ntrusted only to people whose moral fitness and means of existence are approved a family at [Geel] is not considered respectable if lunatics are not [e]ntrusted to it and the withdrawal of them from care constitutes a heavy punishment.”  The family-care system continued to gain international attention (Vincent van Gogh’s father even considered sending his son there) The program saw incredible growth in the early 20th century nearly 4,000 boarders lived in a town of 16,000 and services had expanded to include a school for children with mental illnesses and cognitive differences Although family care continued throughout the war 232 boarders live in Geel with 187 families The size of the program isn’t all that’s changed in the last 80 years The shift from agricultural to urban living means many families don’t have someone who can be home with a boarder during the day and the rise of psychiatric drugs means far fewer people require supported living Many of the boarders in the 1930s had diagnoses like depression anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorder that can be more easily managed now with medication boarders are more likely to live with either serious cognitive disabilities or mental illnesses those diagnoses are not disclosed to the foster families they approach their boarders as individuals with their own behaviours and personality quirks rather than a list of symptoms the aim is to highlight their abilities and strengths but on care,” says hospital spokesperson Johan Claeys “The focus is on a normal daily life in an average family the program works to reshape society to be fully inclusive instead of forcing people with mental illnesses to try to accommodate an intolerant society The end goal is for boarders to be able to live in a world that accepts them for who they are It describes a social role within the commun­ity unlike “patient,” which can indicate a dysfunctional state that requires fixing.  has a lot of fond memories of growing up next door to a family with three boarders “They were so different from the other adults,” says Goovaerts Many elements of the boarder program have remained unchanged over the cen­turies; and yet some still feel like a modern departure from the West’s approach to mental illness It’s certainly a far cry from my own experiences I’ve found mental health care in Canada difficult to navigate it’s a system that has tried to “fix” me through coercion and threats Society considers my diagnoses non-threatening so I can pass for “normal” for long stretches of time The old hospital building is still there, on the large, leafy campus of Geel’s Openbaar Psychiatrisch Zorgcentrum There is a café in one of the newer buildings staffed by volunteers with a hist­ory of mental illness a group of boarders and staff was assembling before leaving for a vacation in Spain and over the sounds of suitcase wheels and spoons clinking against coffee cups were shouts wishing the travellers a good trip Dymphna’s original church was destroyed in a 15th-­century fire, but a new one was consecrated in 1532 and remains standing in spite of a tumultuous history it was ransacked and used as a stable by French troops one of the bloodiest during the liberation of Belgium in the Second World War What’s left of Dymphna’s remains are held in an ornate silver reliquary and radiocarbon dating showed that they belong to a young woman who died between AD 700 and 800 It’s tempting to view Dymphna through the lens of her saintly attributes — her piety But if the person described in her legend ever existed she was a young woman who experienced horrors that young women are still confronting today Her abuser was protected by an imbalance of power and people who were afraid to challenge the status quo She died at the point in the abuse cycle when the risk of violence is highest: the moment she gathered the courage to leave Dymphna channelled her trauma into helping others Her brief life was an act of determination Dymphna was someone who understood what it meant to recognize the humanity of those who weren’t accorded that basic right by the world around them It’s proof of how well we can love each other when we practise radical acceptance.  I wore it in the months after I was hospitalized for depression in 2017 because it reminded me of how happy I’d been in New Orleans It helped me believe in a future where I might feel that way again I find comfort in rubbing it between my fingers or running it along its chain; each movement a tiny a way of grounding myself when everything around me was so surreal I didn’t know what to feel — sadness over the years of shame and stigmatization I’d felt over my mental health frustration at the fact that the Geel model seems to be largely ignored by much of the world I decided to go to the church one more time the doors were open and the pews were full a confirmation ceremony for the congregation’s youth I stood at the back and watched as a joyous priest doled out blessings and children chased each other up and down the aisles.  I went out to the small graveyard and sat in the grass I could still hear the children’s laughter from inside the church as a family of rabbits started to come out I knew then that even if Dymphna’s death was brutal and lonely her legacy is certainly full of hope and joy This feature was paid for through the David Wilson Broadview Fellowship a reader-supported fund that honours this magazine’s former editor David Wilson and supports high-calibre journalism Hillhurst United now draws hundreds every week which celebrates the church's 100th anniversary and a beautiful story of acceptance and inclusiviness but her story certainly sounds familiar so many centuries after her death if you feel the need to go see a psychiatrist neurologist or therapist—you call the office make an appointment and pay for it Seems much simpler than waiting for the government to approve Except what she's talking about has nothing to do with who pays for it She's talking about how long it takes––in America where I have lived; anywhere--to receive care If you had ever faced this problem yourself you'd know that Instead you take what could be an opportunity to learn something and turn it into your moment to make some narrow-minded political statement-that isn't even relevant I wonder...don't you have a bridge to go hide under and collect tolls from people hopefully they are accepting new patients or you don't have to make an appointment with a gp first before you can get a referral and then wait upwards of a month or more for your first appointment you can just call the office and make an appointment in any country of the world There isn't a law against paying for your own therapy in Canada or Europe or wherever It's when you can't afford to pay that you need either the government or your insurer—whoever is paying—to approve it It's embarrassing that you're expressing such ignorant opinions about this subject in public Please don't speak about important subjects if you don't know anything about them or if you can find one that takes medicare It reminds me of Jean Vanier's L'Arche homes and for people with developmental disabilities rather than mental illnesses but the concept of "radical acceptance" is common to both models It is a rare that we hear of places that practice radical acceptance of those with mental illnesses whether they are considered minor or major The issue is not one of payment but of the way people find their way back to normalcy through a different model that is not pathologized It is a shame that most readers missed that point It is one of Hope at a time when it is in short supply What a needless comment about the Canadian healthcare system One only needs to look at California's homeless crisis to know that good mental healthcare belongs only to those privileged with money or insurance I don't understand how you can possibly defend the Canadian system of mental health To compare it to what is happening in the U.S Our system is far from just and very inaccessible to many in need I used to work with a young woman from Geel I was curious where it was located and an internet search I was fascinated by not over the history of the city of Geel and civic pride of the citizens taking into their homes- those with mental disorders This is an excellent example of journalism at its best Should I ever am allowed to travel to Europe she gives senior cats a home so that their final days are happy I am retired and funds are normally very tight Otherwise I would gladly support this publication A young man took up nighttime residence in my old car with a missing back window He would get his daily medication in bubble wrap from the nearby Dispensary When I went to a judge to get a restraining order the judge proudly said that she had gotten him on the daily bubble wrap I was so chagrined that I could not speak I would find bubble wraps with some pills untaken The ingestion of the pills should have been witnessed by the dispensary The police said the man just moved from one property to another I wrote the prescribing psychiatric person on the bubble wrap packaging and said what was going on They found him a place to live because when I saw him on the sidewalk So pleased to learn about Geel from a brief mention in an article in the current London Review of Books What a wonderful tradition left by St Dymphna Western society sees older people as burdens but countries that care about seniors' wellbeing see generations flourish Shelves were empty and tensions high during my visit to the supermarket Saving lives starts with courageous conversations His journalism career took him to many publications but his connection to The Observer and Broadview remained strong This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Reigning Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMA) Artiste of the Year, Stonebwoy delivered a memorable performance at the 2024 Reggae Geel Festival in Belgium which is one of Europe’s biggest reggae festival stages drew more than 50,000 patrons and was headlined by some of the world’s top music heavyweights Stonebwoy took his turn on stage with an energetic performance that spanned for over an hour The Afro-dancehall artiste performed some of his top tunes including ‘Run Go,” “Ekelebe,” “Shuga,” “Everlasting,” “Into the Future,” and “Your Body,” among others legendary Jamaican reggae and dancehall icon Luciano lauded Stonebwoy for his consistency in pushing the dancehall culture and expressed his interest in collaborating with him I love your work; I want us to work on a collaboration,” he said Stonebwoy’s musical prowess continues to garner global acclaim as evidenced by his recent dominance at the 2024 TGMA where he scooped up seven prestigious awards The multiple-award-winning artiste has also performed on some of the world’s biggest music stages including the Summerjam Festival in Germany Stonebwoy is set to release his third official single of the year titled “Pray For Me,” a heartfelt plea song featuring legendary musician Wyclef Jean alongside an inspirational video shot in London More Stories Here The fattest pumpkin at this year's European Championships literally weighs tons But it won't be cut up after the competition Belgian pumpkin grower Mario van Geel came out on top at the European pumpkin weighing championships in Ludwigsburg near Stuttgart with a massive specimen weighing several tons he relegated the German champion Matthias Würsching from Einhausen in Hesse (997.5 kilograms) to second place Third-placed David Frommelt also comes from Germany (949.5 kilograms) The Belgian van Geel had already won the European title in 2019 Luca Stöckl from Bavaria was successful last year Europe's largest pumpkins are weighed every year at the show weighing at the pumpkin exhibition at the Blühenden Barock Ludwigsburg the giant pumpkins are carved together with numerous other specimens at the slaughter festival at the end of the exhibition while others are styled into oversized works of art at the carving festival on October 20 this does not apply to the new European champion pumpkin from Belgium: it will be on display up to and including Thursday but will then be taken back to Belgium to take part in another competition has received a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant to fund preliminary research for a new book project McCrary will spend two months this summer conducting research on inclusion of people with disabilities within communities and the notion of a just society for her project titled and Care,” thanks to a Summer Stipend grant from the NEH “When I got the call that I had been awarded the grant I was just so thrilled,” McCrary said “Wabash has been really supportive of this project and I’m grateful that support of my research will continue to inform my teaching in courses like ‘Disability and Politics.’” The NEH’s Summer Stipend program aims to stimulate new research in the humanities and its publication by providing small awards to individuals pursuing advanced research that is of value to humanities scholars and general audiences The program funds projects that are at any stage of development but especially early-stage research and late-stage writing in which small awards are most effective “Particularly given the highly competitive nature of this program the awarding of an NEH Summer Stipend is a testament to the excellent work being produced by Professor McCrary and her insightful use of political theory in the analysis of questions of disability and agency,” said Dean of the College Todd McDorman and with this being the second consecutive year a Wabash faculty member has been recognized by the NEH I see the award as another symbol of the strength of the Wabash faculty “This opportunity will help further propel Professor McCrary's research program forward and her fieldwork in Belgium will undoubtedly produce both rich scholarship and allow her to bring valuable classroom insights to Wabash students.” is a political theorist whose research brings together disability studies and the feminist ethic of care She also writes about Arendtian natality, as well as the relationship between the family and politics.  The NEH grant will help McCrary expand on research she has already started for her book project which examines the contributions of associations by and for people with disabilities to an inclusive McCrary traveled to France and interviewed people who are part of L’Arche a community where people with and without intellectual disabilities live together in an intentional community she conducted interviews that focused on how a community of care may cultivate agency in people with disabilities McCrary will focus on the role of multiple associations in cultivating agency meeting with and interviewing adult boarders with mental illnesses or intellectual disabilities together with the foster families with whom they live as well as members of other associations through which boarders participate in town life and I’m interested in where else politics happens,” she said “I want to learn more about these really small communities where people are making decisions about their shared lives together.” McCrary’s project is one of 245 humanities projects across the country to receive NEH funding this year the program received an average of 812 applications and made an average of 90 awards annually McCrary said she hopes her research on intellectual disability and mental illness will encourage political theorists to encounter the experiences of those who appear to possess less of the reason and independence that political theory so routinely assumes She hopes it will also contribute to the intersection of political theory and the ethic of care and extends theories of community and association “I want to shift our attention from centralized processes of care all the time to decentralized care and show that they don’t all have to be universalized,” McCrary said “Good care can happen in different communities and in different ways.” Sabrina Thomas, associate professor and David A. Moore Chair in American History, was awarded NEH’s Summer Stipend grant last year “The Soul of Blood and Borders,” a book on African American responses to biracial children born in the wake of World War II and the Vietnam War