Marta Bivand; Maryam Aslany; Andreas Forø Tollefsen; Mathilde Bålsrud Mjelva; Jørgen Carling; Tone Sommerfelt; Halvard Buhaug; Jonas Vestby & Cathrine Talleraas (2024) Migration drivers across time and space: selected examples in From Uncertainty to Policy: A Guide to Migration Scenarios This chapter considers drivers of international migration from a range of perspectives migration aspirations and capabilities at the individual level we review evidence on the role of economic and non-economic factors we look at transit and onward migration within Europe identifying different groups of migrants and directions of migration flows Jackline Wahba and Jakub Bijak with contributions from: Maryam Aslany The Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) conducts research on the conditions for peaceful relations between states Severe flooding is a major cause of human displacement. According to the latest annual report by the International Displacement Monitoring Centre around 61 million people were forced to move within their country of residence during 2022 due to conflict or disasters More than one quarter of these—19.2 million people—were displaced by floods But flood displacement also varies greatly across both events and countries Being able to predict the levels of flood displacement may help create more effective responses—especially in key areas such as lowering the risks of exposure to such events and acquiring the mobility to evade or escape them In a new article just published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (PNAS) we sought to identify what drives variation in flood displacement we were not able to predict the magnitude of such events with confidence our analysis revealed a number of insights of relevance to future research as well as to policy and practice in disaster risk management there is large geographical variation in the frequency of flood exposure South and Southeast Asia have the highest rates of flood disasters whereas thinly populated areas in dry or Arctic regions are mostly devoid of flood risk The global pattern in flooding also varies over time. There was a steep increase in flood disasters from 1985 until the early 2000s, after which time the trend has reversed. The volume of flood displacements also has dropped in recent decades, despite population growth and climate change contributing to rising frequency and severity of extreme weather events in many parts of the world Declining rates of flood displacement are an indication of important progress in reducing social vulnerability to flood hazards. However, progress is not even Flood statistics reveal large variation in displacement levels across events even for floods that appear similar in terms of the number of persons directly exposed what determines why some floods become major displacement events whereas in other cases exposed populations appear to cope without fleeing Our article in PNAS was an attempt to offer a way to predict the fallout First, we compiled a dataset with detailed satellite-based data on the spatial extent of major flood events worldwide since year 2000 combined with high-resolution human settlement data and available statistics on the local socioeconomic A statistical analysis of ‘in-sample’ associations (i.e. where the model uses the same data for estimation and prediction) gave results mostly in line with expectation although average effects for the predictors were weak We then tried to go a step further and use the results from the in-sample analysis to predict displacement levels on new data, analogous to early warning models predicting future events the contextual variables generally failed to improve the accuracy of the prediction After looking more closely into the data and documentation as well as available information on selected flood events we believe there are both conceptual and analytical reasons for our inability to predict the magnitude of new flood displacements with reasonable accuracy scientific progress is hindered by a lack of a legal and operational definition of what constitutes (flood-induced) displacement Internally displaced persons (IDPs) are commonly defined as “persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence in particular as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict violations of human rights or natural or human-made disasters and who have not crossed an internationally recognized State border.” it does not refer to a minimum duration of relocation (To wit: Is one hour enough to be classified as an IDP?) It also offers no minimum threshold for distance traversed (Is moving across the street sufficient?) At the same time this definition is limited to movements within countries thus excluding cross-border disaster mobility It is also vague on whether voluntary precautionary evacuation should count as displacement The fact that available flood displacement data typically originate from media reports and official government statements also creates issues or even willfully misleading information on the gravity of the situation More recent estimates by UN OCHA, published five weeks later on October 5th, adjusted these numbers down—and quite significantly. The organization concluded that around 7.9 million persons had been displaced since June Concern about the accuracy of published displacement statistics is accompanied by a number of analytical challenges to accurately predicting flood displacements some floods are products of tropical storms that affect much larger areas and potentially destroy densely populated settlements far beyond the inundated areas Whether people fleeing the destructive forces of windstorms are included in the reporting on flood impacts probably varies especially since news sources may be unable to separate between drivers of displacement The consequence of this muddied information flow is that the conventional measure of human flood exposure – the number of people residing on flooded land – may severely underestimate the potential total number of people who may be forced to flee when overlapping disasters strike. Unfortunately, existing flood databases do not enable separating between isolated flood events and floods that were part of compound events Likewise, catastrophic flooding sometimes results in cascading impacts which again may amplify the number of people forced to flee to avoid or minimize harm Flood-induced breakdowns of electric power supply and health services are among the many hazards faced in such circumstances The extent to which floods generate such secondary impacts is largely determined by the vulnerability of exposed societies The figure below plots the ratio between direct flood exposure and reported displacements for all flood events with complete data Many of the floods that caused especially high levels of displacement—in some cases exceeding the estimated number of people residing in the flooded areas—occurred in Africa Higher prevalence of compound events and cascading impacts can explain this pattern less precise exposure and displacement estimates are also probably at play European floods tend to have low displacement-to-exposure ratios indicating lower average levels of vulnerability Not being able to predict flood displacement intensity well does not mean that we do not take away valuable insights from looking deeper into these events Read the new article here (open access): Vestby, J., Schutte, S., Tollefsen. A.F., Buhaug, H. 2023. Societal determinants of flood-induced displacement. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2206188120 Authors: Halvard Buhaug is Research Professor at Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) Professor of Political Science at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU); and Associate Editor of Journal of Peace Research He served as chapter Lead Author in the recent IPCC Sixth Assessment Report is Senior Researcher at Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) Sources: Carbon Brief; Dartmouth Flood Observatory; Environment and Urbanization; Environmental Research; Global Environmental Change; Global Flood Database; Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre; IPCC; Nature; New Humanitarian; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA; Relief Web; Sustainability; UNHCR; United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction World Meteorological Association Photo credit: Floods washed away a huge portion of Nagaon to Kampur road at Kathiatoli Village, Assam, India, courtesy of Simanta Talukdar/Shutterstock.com Developed by Vico Rock Media Racking my brain to think of what exposure I’ve had to the concept of asexuality I can come up with two examples: the personal life section of Janeane Garofalo’s Wikipedia page and an interview with a man on a Canadian late-night television show (I think it was SexTV?) explaining it as if an alien I was hoping Marija Kavtaradze’s Sundance-feted Slow would shine some light on the subject rendering it into a dramatically compelling topic that I didn’t regard as somewhat of a joke Yet this ho-hum relationship drama––the Sundance premiere makes a lot of sense; this is essentially the European iteration of the forgettable movies that fill up that fest––which has little in the way of surprise There’s not an entirely bad setup: we have at its center the simmering relationship between Elena (Greta Grinevičiūtė) and Dovydas (Kęstutis Cicėnas) the former a dance instructor and the latter a sign-language interpreter who meet over a movement class for deaf students but a complication emerges during what seems like an intimate encounter: Dovydas reveals that he’s asexual They still want to continue some kind of relationship but every attempt at sex (this film has more scenes set in a bed than most porn) ends in frustration and thus them gravitating from each other and then back again.  All the makings of a great romantic drama seem present Elena and Dovydas are believable as a couple (or half-couple) helped by the strong performers and the grainy 16mm photography implies some kind of formal ambition A steady diet of naturalism over 108 minutes is generally not my idea of a good time especially when the stakes and eventual outcome remain so rooted in “nicecore” tonality that nothing other than the moderate charm and rooting interest of the leads can hook you; it feels too many of their confrontations are depicted as whispering rather than fits of passion Even the academic angle of communication through dance and sign language is not rendered in a particularly interesting fashion with the camera bobbing closely to their faces one too many times.  Concerning communication: the narrative is told deliberately free of technology as though to make this a more classical love story but maybe that points to a bit of a problem In shying away from more specific anxieties of modern love one can’t help but think of all the things it’s avoiding in general by pushing the onscreen relationship to more interesting places this film should feel like a call to filmmakers to make their work less boring Those two examples from the first paragraph are probably more illuminating and entertaining––even a Wikipedia section––than this feature-length film.  Russia — They strapped on their helmets and goggles like pioneer aviator Amelia Earhart 80 years ago the female ski jumpers of the 2014 Winter Olympics took flight and made history last night at the RusSki Gorki Jumping Center More than 150 years after the first documented ski jump by a woman — Ingrid Olavsdottir Vestby of Norway soared 20 feet in 1862 — 30 women from 12 countries competed in the inaugural Olympic women’s ski jump after a long battle for inclusion defying suggestions the sport is too dangerous After fighting an uphill battle for the past decade the easy part for these women was zooming downhill and flying through the air at 60 mph Carina Vogt of Germany won the gold medal with 247.4 points — scoring is based on a formula combining distance Daniela Iraschko-Stolz of Austria won the silver with 246.2 points and Coline Mattel of France (245.2) took bronze Pre-Olympic favorite Sara Takanashi finished fourth who led the charge to get the sport recognized and I couldn’t do that yesterday,” said Van who admitted she bawled at the opening ceremony “This is something I’ve been doing for 20 years hoping that one day I can go to the Olympics and jump and I think all the girls from all the countries are just smiling There is a special camaraderie all the girls have and I really felt it (last night) We were up there high-fiving with the Norwegians and the Finns and the Canadians Everybody was just really glad to be sharing this with someone who really gets what we’ve been trying to do.” The very first competitor to jump was 19-year-old American and reigning world champion Sarah Hendrickson “I didn’t realize the significance when I was given bib No obviously because I don’t have any World Cup points and I was like That kind of sucks because I’m used to being among the last ones and then someone says you’re the first girl ever to jump in an Olympics We put on an awesome show and the world saw what we’ve been working for.” IM Aksel Bu Kvaloy is Norway's new national champion, copying the feat of GMs Simen Agdestein and Magnus Carlsen by winning the title at age 15 The Norwegian Championship took place from June 28 to July 5 in the mountain resort of Gol In the spotlight was the 15-year-old seventh seed Kvaloy, who maintained his lead from the start, finishing on an undefeated 6.5/9. He drew his final four games, eventually edging out GM Frode Urkedal on tiebreak points. IM Tor Fredrik Kaasen took third place with 5.5 points 2024 Norwegian Championship Final Standings Agdestein became the youngest-ever Norwegian Champion at 15 years and seven months Carlsen was two months older when he took his first and only title in 2006 and hasn't played since has now joined the greats to become the third player in history to achieve the title at 15 "It hasn't quite sunk in yet. To be in the same category as them is really nice," he told Aftenposten When asked about his motivation for the future he said: "I just want to have fun and perform in something I enjoy."  I just want to have fun and perform in something I enjoy was unable to defend his title as he has been competing in 'Mesternes Mester,' an immensely popular Norwegian reality show for former sports stars His win in round two was particularly crushing as he gradually built up a strong attack on the kingside until White was defenseless against the threats Kvaloy needed only a draw with White against GM Lars Oskar Hauge in the final round to secure his second GM norm and at least shared first place but he played aggressively from the opening and achieved an excellent position before offering a draw anyway Årets norgesmester i sjakk, Aksel Bu Kvaløy (15) fra Stavanger. En ny stjerne! pic.twitter.com/dcZIO7C2sa He made headlines as a seven-year-old when he became the youngest-ever Under 11 champion in 2016 The following year he became the youngest Norwegian to defeat a titled player He completed his IM title before his 15th birthday last year and, with two GM norms and just 15 points shy of the 2500 rating requirement, is a hot candidate to become Norway's 19th grandmaster. Norway's other hot prospect is 19-year-old GM Elham Amar In an interview with local newspaper Stavanger Aftenblad Kvaloy said he plans to focus on his chess career for the next few years: "I want to put some effort in to see how strong I can become A decision on a profession and future career is currently a plan B." I want to put some effort in to see how strong I can become A decision on a profession and future career Kvaloy will get a chance to secure his final norm at the Paleochora Open in Greece All News FIDE News Chess News Top Top Federations Main Page / Search Tournaments Titles Transfers Calculators Download FIDE Circuit Women's Events '24-'25 Open Cycle 2025-2026 Women’s Cycle 2025-2026 Women’s Cycle 2023-2025 All Tournaments Main Events About FIDE Handbook Documents Financial Reports Officials Commissions & Committees Federations Affiliated Organizations Affiliated Members Honourable Dignitaries Chart Simen Agdestein delivered a dominant performance in the Norwegian Championship 2022 and took his eighth national title with a round to spare 40 years after lifting his first trophy in this event back in 1982 Simen became the oldest Norwegian champion of all time took place from July 8-16 in Kongsvinger and brought together the best local players The event was held in 16 groups inlcuding Elite Agdestein grabbed the lead in Round 4  of a 9-round Swiss tournament and never looked back The champion scored an impressive 8/9 and finished 1½ ahead of the rating favourite Jon Ludvig Hammer Tor Fredrik Kaasen and Lars Oskar Hauge netted 6 points each and tied for third place with the former taking bronze thanks to slightly better tiebreaks The champion beat both his main competitors at the start of the event You can find the complete results here Official website: https://www.sjakk.no/nm © 2025 FIDE International Chess Federation stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way or by any means (including photocopying recording or storing it in any medium by electronic means) without the written permission of FIDE International Chess Federation showing a seemingly harmonious aquatic eco-system that’s glimpsed just long enough to create the sense of something that This fleeting image though shows the promise of the film Evolution could’ve been With a plot threadbare enough that it’ll get the defensive label of a “dark fairy tale” or something along those lines a young boy living on a secluded island who has his first encounter with death witnessing the corpse of a dead boy his age while swimming in the ocean Doted over by his mother (or is she?) in this small community also containing many other young boys it perhaps takes a little bit of time to realize how strange Nicolas’ home actually is Danger comes more into the equation though once it comes clear that his mother (and the various other adult women on the island) have greater plans for the boys; could there be a link to the fact that all the boys have strange suction cups on their backs and that all the adult women are pale Nicolas is only a few hungry mutant babies and a few trips to a dank operation dungeon away from finding out Lucile Hadžihalilovic‘s Innocence follow-up seems to confuse “ideas” with “prolonged silences,” certainly pertaining to both our young protagonist clearly directed to look as pensive as possible for an 11-year old in his many close-ups as well as the many creepy “nurses” on the island the film is epitomized in one scene where the nurses are show birthing videos of mutant children in close-up making a small spectacle of their blank expressions In this we see both trying to read something into empty gestures as well reacting with no emotion to something supposedly horrifying Despite all the needles going into skin throughout as if every attempt at some kind of sensory overload is muted One wants it to let loose the way a less pretentious genre exercise likely would say how John Carpenter’s metaphysics-heavy Prince of Darkness wasn’t afraid to throw in a bunch of acid-vomiting demons for the cheap seats something that at the very least gave it more fury and verve than the “tastefulness” of Evolution while it would take a lazy critic to throw out the Marilyn Manson music video comparison (which And it makes sure to strain to remind you throughout Evolution is screened at TIFF and opens on November 25 Halvard & Jonas Vestby (2024) Before the flood: Lessons from attempts to predict displacement Articulating why it’s easy to agree with writer-director Adam McKay’s politics while disliking his films isn’t so hard Though a smart man who can hold his own riffing with Felix Biederman on a Chapo Trap House guest appearance—and also responsible for some of the funniest movies of the past 20 years (Anchorman Step Brothers)—there still seems some limitation to The Big Short and Vice as both satire and political tracts If it bears the fault of preaching to the choir’s anger more than offering real structural critique one has to begrudgingly admire some qualities of his newest film even as being annoyed for a good portion of the runtime is still expected The first of his new era neither based on nor inspired by a true story Don’t Look Up takes place in an unspecified year within the current socio-political hellscape where one night within Michigan State’s astronomy department Ph.D student Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) discovers something while conducting a fairly benign look through the ol’ giant high-tech telescope does calculations and confirms that what she caught is in fact a planet-destroying asteroid headed towards earth They try to gain the attention of President Orlean (Meryl Streep) a female Trump analogue who can’t make much time to think about the asteroid due to the forthcoming mid-terms and a sex scandal involving her Supreme Court pick Thus having to take a media tour to convince the public at large of the looming threat Kate quickly blows her reputation with lack of television-friendly tact during a morning talk show appearance Yet Mindy’s midwestern folksiness and “handsome face hidden under a beard and glasses” thing (Leo isn’t totally ready to play his first schlub yet) transforms him overnight into a Dr Fauci-type celebrity who draws attention to “science” but doesn’t inspire much in the way of actual change leaving the asteroid a problem they have to get the entire world behind Cleverly rendering the two astronomers as stand-ins for his own earnest alarmism and “make the medicine go down easy with some gags” personalities—let’s say Hollywood’s new Oliver Stone—you get a sense of McKay making a self-satisfied if noble attempt to rummage through the lingering trauma of the first year of the (sadly ongoing) pandemic and make sure we don’t make the same mistake twice with our looming climate-change catastrophe If an improvement on his two previous films Maybe it’s unfair to criticize timing when films take so long to make and our problems accelerate so rapidly but there’s something odd about a movie shot in the first months of the Biden era that takes more shots at the science-denying Donald Trump’s former Presidency than political action being rendered purely into “vote!” slogans by the spineless corporately controlled Democratic Party who currently control Congress and the White House Even as some satire doesn’t totally land there’s the big plus of it being genuinely much funnier than McKay’s other prestige films if chiefly due to excellent comedic performances—Mark Rylance channeling the voice of Herbert from Family Guy for his Elon Musk/Steve Jobs analogue or a giggly Jonah Hill as a further failing-upwards version of Jared Kushner And while an early scene frantically cutting around President Orlean’s office seems a worrying sign that McKay’s typically hectic editing patterns and docudrama hand-held have gotten even more grating the film eventually situates itself firmly in a media onslaught of Twitter creating a more coherent visual language than usual and apocalyptic doom begins to recall Richard Kelly’s recently reclaimed Bush-era cult classic Southland Tales yet the difference between the two feels instructive Kelly’s film made fewer criticisms of where our priorities lie and was instead prescient about how overstuffed modern life was slowly transforming into something resembling channel-surfing to which the Great Reset of an apocalypse was maybe the only answer McKay’s media satire extends mostly to soothing celebrity culture taking precedence over the important issues something that would’ve felt stale about five years ago One of course can’t forget Vice having a post-credits sequence where Dick Cheney’s ascension was partly blamed on millennials who liked the Fast & Furious movies despite McKay’s pretty left-wing views (for a Gen X Hollywood comedy guy) he still seems to lean a bit too much into the centrist smugness of “it’s the smart people vs the stupid people,” which in and of itself breeds reactionary thought in the population Perhaps it’s too much to ask of a feature film to interrogate the emotional complexity of denialism beyond being the fault of demagoguery and corporate media but it still seems to shortchange the film’s critique The reductive dramaturgy feels perfectly represented in DiCaprio’s character monologuing about how “the President is lying” on television which ultimately is closer to the treacly liberalism of Rob Reiner’s Shock and Awe than the edge of the aforementioned Southland Tales or even the holy grail of Dr It’s not for nothing that its bummer climax lands—maybe turn off the movie before the two goofy post credits sequences—if in part because of the defeatism which is rare for a year-end prestige product Once a sense of fruitlessness to the astronomers’ mission kicks in Don’t Look Up starts to earn a lot of goodwill if simply because it begins to be laser-focused and genuinely melancholy You begin to think perhaps it was up to something more complicated than just a “rallying cry” the whole time Don’t Look Up opens on December 10 in theaters and arrives on Netflix on December 24 stares into the glass window of a high-rise building as a man who claims to love her is in the adjacent room Our second is in a Bangkok brothel: women wait behind a sheet of glass for men to greet but also patience for a change that may never come being in a world where change still feels dictated by men waving around money Bangkok Nites isn’t a brothel melodrama in the vein of Street of Shame or Flowers of Shanghai but the remarkable case of a three-hour epic that intends to intermingle the state of capital and national identity under a character-driven narrative split between two-shots of drunken men and landscapes both rural and urban In better words: Jia Zhangke in the streets Our two points of entry are Luck and Ozawa (director Katsuya Tomita) His past military experience is the only thing to his name — he’s still fighting the future works as a prostitute to support her family which she implies is a long-standing tradition Yet with their customer relationship close enough she takes away from the neon Bangkok to visit this family who are situated in a village on the border of Thailand and Laos That makes up a surprisingly large portion of the film and Tomita seems to use it to most explicitly make his point about colonialism Luck’s family home is still in the shadow of various conflicts with France and the United States (Bangkok Nites somehow managing to employ the sound of helicopters and explosions in a way that feels mysterious not cheesy.) In blatantly cutting back to history we realize that the film doesn’t necessarily have a concrete point of view The machinations of each country are given a talking point as seen in the time made for side characters — be it an Isan military man living in the jungle that very may well be an apparition or another remnant of the past in the French tourist seen almost constantly in a drunken state Every character considers the concept of “paradise”: Ozawa and his various associates try to build business alliances with the goal of turning Japan and Thailand into one and Luck longs for a more natural world that may have all but disappeared Bangkok Nites moves between classical and experimental and the end credits’ special thanks to Abel Ferrara should tip you off to this picture’s freeness Employing often inexplicable uses of slow-motion and small digital cameras (a drone shot gradually begins to look so grand that you wonder if it’s computer-generated) the film acquires a liquid-like feel — which considering how much Tomita tries to cover may be the perfect match of form and content Bangkok Nites screened at the 2016 Locarno Film Festival Sometimes it can be a little sad to watch a director blatantly make a bid for mainstream American acceptance (or rather future Marvel gig) and in the case of Mondocane (Italian for Dogworld) this couldn’t be more apparent a potential throwback to trashy Italian post-apocalyptic films (or just a bleak arthouse sci-fi) Alessandro Celli’s feature debut rather feels like minor adjustments to an ’80s Amblin fantasy film above all––a few more blatant references to child molestation notwithstanding Though perhaps having children as the protagonists should’ve been the tip-off to what flavor of sci-fi adventure we’d be getting one still replete with sleek nighttime motorcycle chases and gunfire to feel just “modern” or “adult” enough A brief title crawl informs us the Italian town of Taranto is now a wasteland devastated by climate change a power plant blotting the skyline and barbed wire guarding the borders the optimist Pietro (Dennis Protopapa) and pessimist Christian (Giulano Soprano) still find themselves looking for a father figure amidst the wreckage of this devastated society It all leads to them falling into a gang of child criminals led by the mohawked Fagin figure Hothead (Alessandro Borghini) The boys soon find themselves living in the fast lane partaking in robberies and raves scored to LCD Soundsystem and James Blake But in usual rise-and-fall crime film fashion The rift between the boys grows to deadly ends as the juvenile delinquent army comes under more heat from local police We even get the parallel narrative of a motherly cop figure (Barbara Ronchi) tending to a young female escapee (Ludovica Nasti) of the gang and cementing the film as having the kind of moralist bent of a ’30s Hollywood gangster picture like Dead End thus telegraphing the inevitable conclusion even more This kind of familiar territory doesn’t necessarily mean an instant failure of the film if it at least had enough exciting style to spare Yet there it goes a similarly uninspired route—the action just competent staging of another gunfight where the camera hovers behind someone’s shoulder while they fire a machine gun in a container park look at how a true grindhouse craftsman such as Sergio Martino could use a minuscule budget in something like 2019: After the Fall of New York to still cram as much detail and “stuff” as possible Celli’s film seems content with simply a prestige television look that appears to be working around a preexisting location as much as possible instead of developing a new world For what’s supposed to be a post-apocalyptic landscape what you get seems more like an unremarkable city that a tourist’s European train-ride barrels through something so wholly dependent on parts from the past to depict the future is the most dystopian prospect Mondoncane opens in limited theaters on May 20 The true pits of ’90s nostalgia are maybe here as we’re in the year 2024 arriving at an attempt to hype an English Patient reunion that’ll be music to the ears of people who loved a Miramax heyday including that notoriously lugubrious Best Picture winner Certainly there’s nothing wrong with seeing Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche acting together again but when the content of their reunion draws specific memories of a certain kind of dull prestige-filmmaking period serves as an adaptation of the last third of Homer’s Odyssey where Odysseus (Fiennes) is long past the high-seas adventure part of his journey and rather stuck in a kind of limbo in his homeland of Ithaca; returned but not reclaimed His queen Penelope (Binoche) is being pressured by followers to pick a new king while their twink son Telemachus (Charlie Plummer) bides time in the background with daddy issues and insecurity over his long-away path to the throne especially for a 60-year-old man) appearance makes residents of Ithaca mistake him for a beggar instead of the king One of the only truly interesting things about the film being director Uberto Pasolini drawing some memories of his namesake’s ancient literary adaptations (also some Derek Jarman in the queer art film realm) with the focus on writhing male bodies Fiennes even has a full-frontal nude scene that I was admittedly surprised to see early on in the film. (I’m guessing such a moment doesn’t occur in his fall Oscar bid Conclave.) Not giving off the sense of a visual filmmaker Pasolini isn’t quite able to tell his story through these bodies though––a talky affair where dull power dynamics to take the crown hold precedence over everything else And what these dynamics build to being a film with an unblinkered worship of monarchy (I guess we shouldn’t expect it not to be old-fashioned in that way) where the old conquers the new that’s what the elder audience this is built for will want: a reassurance of existing power structures even if through the realm of a Homer adaptation a too-classical message can be overlooked if there’s strong classical filmmaking to match Yet The Return looks rather cheap: there’s a real lack of pictorial beauty here even if you can tell it was shot in a nice location That wouldn’t be an issue if the prestige-television grit applied to this oft-told tale had a little more passion One gets the sense this film was only made for reasons not dissimilar to most modern IP exploitation: an algorithm determining there was some market for the source material Maybe the filmmakers and producers who likely scrounged together the cash for this uninspiring movie would be offended by that statement The Return premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival and will open on December 6 Note: The following review contains spoilers for Halloween Ends while doing press for his rather dreadful Halloween Kills director David Gordon Green promised the final installment of this rebooted trilogy would tackle both “the pandemic and peculiar politics.” Well: a year later this writer can say that we don’t in fact have a single acknowledgment of COVID or some dramatization of the town of Haddonfield Perhaps representative (should you take Green’s initial statement at face value) of how this supposed franchise-capper reeks of an insecure creative team tussling over ideas and themes it can be said Green’s misfire might at least keep you guessing what the hell it’s actually trying to do for a good portion of the runtime Beginning on Halloween night a year after the events of the previous two films we’re introduced to Corey (Rohan Campbell) a 21-year-old student babysitting for an affluent couple Despite the couple’s sensitive child being rattled by all the news of Michael Myers’ killing spree things initially seem to be going well during Corey’s gig—until a game of hide and seek leads to an accident that results in the child’s death many citizens taking the stance that what happened was an act of murder instead of accident thus making him the new “boogeyman” in place of the disappeared masked villain Yet after being harassed by the members of a high school marching band (who all strangely sound like they’re from some neighborhood of Boston) and having to go to the emergency room he finds himself in the orbit of (now-medic) Allyson (Andi Matichak) and her grandmother Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) A romance begins blossoming between the two young people and some happiness seems possible despite their trauma-stricken states This film’s town-portraiture first half finds Green back in the territory of early indie dramas such as All the Real Girls or Snow Angels; but notwithstanding a few quirky types picked for bit roles most of it falls flat from poor dialogue and thinly sketched characters Yet things kick into high gear when Corey comes across Michael Myers in a sewer after a rough encounter wherein the marching-band teens flat-out leave him for dead He (confusingly) seems to absorb the evil within the villain just from being briefly strangled He goes on his own killing spree that sees him both turn into a leather jacket-wearing motorcycle-riding bad boy who has his own moody synth-pop theme and the new Myers Suddenly getting into the nerd-turned-supernatural villain territory of ’80s VHS trash like 876-Evil or Trick or Treat one has to applaud the series for making a borderline inexplicable heel turn—likely Green were aware of just how much the previous installment was treading water as yet another Myers kill-fest Corey’s path points to Ends‘ text being vaguely about cancel culture or rather the finger-pointing and scapegoating that’s sadly become part of our aggrieved society which at least on its press tours has seen its star Curtis cement the films as emblematic of whatever Hollywood liberals are thinking about at the moment––evoking the #MeToo movement for the first Trump-supporter rage for the second––certainly takes an interesting turn here If anything their legacy will mark how even the dumbest hyper-slashers felt the pressure to clumsily address their moments and maybe this film represents a looking-inwards from factions of the elite center-left about their own practices.  Unfortunately Halloween Ends can’t stick the landing of its bizarre twist inevitably making its climax the final showdown between Laurie and the original Michael which feels like it was one of the few things remaining from an initial draft before they returned to the drawing board And it’s here that the political and aesthetic failings are revealed Green positioned his initial reboot as a back-to-basics counter to Rob Zombie’s own reinvention full of backstory and bold character development Yet why should a confrontation with evil be as reassuring and sentimental as it is in this finale Is grinding up Myers’ body really all the town needs to get over their trauma It wasn’t necessarily a profound intuition on the part of John Carpenter to understand the terror of the banality of evil when making his original but certainly he had enough integrity as an artist to not so condescendingly pat audiences on the back Halloween Ends arrives in theaters and on Peacock on October 14 There’s a good time to be had by all at the Swan River Senior Citizens’ Centre (SRSCC) which has seen an influx of members join in the last year.The SRSCC has been operating their facility nearly continuously since 1978 when they were incorporated save for a couple of years when the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak.In recent years the SRSCC had been struggling for members and participation but it is now headed in a positive direction always with room for more the join.“In the past a lot of the time the membership has been 80+ years of age,” said SRSCC President Marvin Vestby who himself is 86 years old and took on the role of president soon after joining the membership for the first time in late summer of last year we’ve had quite an influx of younger seniors in the 65-75 age range which bodes well for activity.”Vestby noted that when he joined last year there were maybe four people playing pool once a week a weekday afternoon might have all pool tables and shuffleboard courts going with some card games in the main area.“On Mondays and Fridays “People are also learning how to play bridge We also have a full slate of bingo here on Tuesday afternoons and a potluck dinner once a month.“Also we have a Friday afternoon birthday party for all the birthdays that happened that month I feel it’s really bringing the community together.”Vestby added that the increased activity has even brought down a few people from Bowsman which I would say has been a real success.”While folks in their 60s might be considered on the younger end of the participating spectrum membership is open to people as young as 50 If a member has a spouse that is younger than that they are welcome too.The membership fee is at a very affordable $15 a year with a $1 daily charge for coffee and a $1 charge for whatever game you want to play that day The revenue helps them keep up with operations and keep the lights on but they have also gotten grants from places in the past like from Louisiana Pacific or the Fenske Foundation to assist with upgrades Vestby admits that the fees have been that way for a long time and may have to be raised slightly to keep up with increasing expenses.“There are some people who have retired that have said they don’t know what they would do (without the SRSCC),” said Vestby “They are excellent supporters.“So many of these people didn’t really know one another either They might know one another to see each other but now they are here talking to each other Anybody can join in fellowship.”The doors of the SRSCC are open Monday and Friday morning from 9:30 a.m as well as Monday to Friday afternoons from 1-5 p.m. just walk in while it’s open and ask for Treasurer Connie McKay Home » Nio will connect Norway's battery swap network to the planned network in Europe (Image credit: Norway) Nio's second battery swap station in Norway was put into operation on August 15 following the opening of the first station there in January according to information shared by the Norwegian version of the Nio App on Monday The new station is located in Vestby and will connect Norway's battery swap network to the planned network in Europe Pictures shared by local Nio employees on the Nio App show a ceremony for the opening of the second battery swap station Nio officially launched the ES8 in Norway on September 30 located at Karl Joans Gate 33 in downtown Oslo The company's first battery swap station in Norway was built at the end of October last year and was officially opened at the end of January this year The Nio Norway team held a ceremony to celebrate the launch of the first battery swap station, and although it may not have seemed like much locally, it unexpectedly went viral on the Chinese Internet Hours after the original celebration video started circulating on January 19 multiple recreated versions based on it were circulating on Chinese social media and they were added with brand new soundtracks creating a completely different feel to the action in the video In Norway, Nio is also planning to open its second showroom in the country at Strandgata 15 in Bergen according to the Norwegian version of the Nio app posted at the end of May The new Nio showroom is expected to open in the third quarter one year after the opening of Nio's first facility in Norway Nio will also build two new battery swap stations in Bergen according to information previously published in the Norwegian version of the Nio app To accelerate its battery swap network in Europe Nio is building an Nio Power Europe plant in Pest covering an area of about 10,000 square meters service and R&D center for Nio's power products in Europe Nio's Norway swap station launch event goes viral in China, unexpectedly, and hilariously Here are more pictures of the second battery swap station in Norway as shared by Nio on its official WeChat account Nio's second battery swap station in Norway will soon go live as the Chinese electric vehicle maker works to expand its presence in Europe Nio will open a second battery swap station in Norway according to event information shared by the Norwegian version of the Nio App on Monday The station's address is Svarthagsveien 1,1540 Vestby "The station will be the link between Oslo and Gothenburg which means that the station in Vestby will connect the Norwegian Power Swap Network with the planned network in Europe We would like to invite you to celebrate the opening with us," an automatic translation of the app's text shows Nio officially launches the ES8 in Norway on September 30 The company's first battery swap station in Norway was built at the end of October last year and was officially opened at the end of January this year Nio plans to open its second Nio House in the country at Strandgata 15 in Bergen according to a post on the Norwegian version of the Nio App in late May The new Nio House is expected to open in the third quarter one year after the opening of Nio's first such facility in Norway Nio will also build two new battery swap stations in Bergen and a battery swap station in Vestby Nio announced plans last year that it would build battery swap stations in five Norwegian cities with the goal of having 20 such facilities in Norway by the end of 2022 To accelerate its battery swap network in Europe, Nio is building an Nio Power Europe plant in Pest, Hungary, which will be operational in September As of August 8, Nio has 1,057 battery swap stations in China, as well as 1,795 charging stations providing 10,402 charging piles, according to data monitored by CnEVPost Nio's plant in Hungary for swap stations to start operation in September The Chinese electric car manufacturer Nio has opened its second battery-swapping station outside China the battery-swapping station is located in Vestby But the first stations are soon to be built in Bergen Vestby is located on the important E6 motorway that leads south from the Norwegian capital The new station will act as a link between Oslo and Gothenburg As Vestby is located about 40 kilometres from Oslo city centre many people from the region also commute to work in the capital Nio opened its first battery exchange station outside China in Oslo in January While initially announcing four battery swapping stations in the greater Oslo area (which still includes Vestby) Nio is now announcing expansion beyond the capital region Nio also plans to build two new battery-swapping stations in Bergen on Norway’s west coast Bergen is also planned to be the second European Nio House after Oslo Just last month, Nio revealed plans to open a factory in Hungary in September and a 500 kW charger. Nio aims to enter markets in Germany and Denmark with its vehicles and services this year cnevpost.com, autonews.gasgoo.com I agree with the Privacy policy electrive has been following the development of electric mobility with journalistic passion and expertise since 2013 we offer comprehensive coverage of the highest quality — as a central platform for the rapid development of this technology Clint Eastwood is on stunning form as he depicts the ‘miracle on the Hudson’ with the help of Tom Hanks Clint Eastwood’s Sully exemplifies the director’s attraction to stories that reconfigure American icons Be it the unreliable narrators of J Edgar or Jersey Boys that turned history inwards or the heroes for sale in Flags of Our Fathers and American Sniper whose actions opened fresh wounds in the nation’s war-torn psyche The subject in question is Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger (Tom Hanks) a name forever associated with an event coined as the ‘Miracle on the Hudson’ that took place on 15 January when a geese strike caused the pilot’s plane engines to fail forcing an immediate emergency landing on the Hudson River in New York City Rather than a United 93-esque docudrama about the landing with Sully and co-pilot Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart) holed into the New York City Mariott hotel and wheeled out for a number of talk show appearances Sullenberger is caught in self doubt over his public image even if his temperament is that of the measured controlled man who performed the heroic act serve as reminders that there are still unpaid bills that no hero label can cover The film goes about depicting what is forgotten about his lionisation: that there were doubts cast over his actions The ensuing bureaucratic process and trial that took place wasn’t in public Considering Eastwood’s outspoken political views it’s easy to imagine a less subtle version of this film drawing parallels between Obama worship (the film takes place around the time of his inauguration) and Sully’s media blitz Considering the two terms of his presidency sit neatly between the week of the ‘Miracle’ and the film’s release it’s hard not to see the film in its compact form as a corrective to the bloated tentpole Hollywood product that’s sadly defined Obama-era American cinema or narratives about the real world are forcing the comic book genre to take up the mantle in depicting national tragedy in mainstream cinema ideologically incoherent appropriation of 9/11 imagery Sullenberger’s various worst-case scenario nightmares of the plane crashing in New York City inevitably evoke that day though not as a way to laud him for the sake of post-9/11 revisionism The comparison extends to Eastwood and regular director of photography Tom Stern’s decision to shoot the film almost entirely with an IMAX camera yet setting themselves apart by not designating between money shot and exposition It’s appropriate considering the spectacular landing is just a means rather than end of the narrative It builds to the reveal that the miracle itself was a team effort The human factor that Sullenberger uses in defence of his split-second decision making is a statement of basic decency against bureaucratic breakdown Though there is a temptation to read the pragmatic resolution as its own form of stealth hero worship Yet this middle ground feels like a necessity today – a level-headed statement when both Hollywood and politics seek to create confused binaries LWLies 107: The Sinners issue – Out now! Ryan Coogler: ‘I’m more confident in my film language than I am in my English’ I’m Not Even Supposed To Be Here Today: The Video Shop at the End of the World The 2025 Cannes Film Festival line-up is here! The empty showboat of cinematic one-shots Inside the academic conference taking Terrifier back to school By Little White Lies A comprehensive rundown of veteran screen icon’s formidable work behind the lens By Brogan Morris This controversial 1973 western ranks among the director’s finest works Little White Lies was established in 2005 as a bi-monthly print magazine committed to championing great movies and the talented people who make them we’ve been described as being “at the vanguard of the independent publishing movement.” Our reviews feature a unique tripartite ranking system that captures the different aspects of the movie-going experience Country music is often portrayed through masculine stereotypes female musicians have helped define the genre’s development in Norway country music has become increasingly popular among Norwegians From local country festivals to hip club scenes in the cities the genre has gained a foothold in broad social strata little research has been done on country music in Norway That is about to change. Stian Vestby is leading a research project that is taking a closer look at women's role in country music,. To date, he has written a historical overview of country music in Norway “The two of us are rather unique in a Norwegian context as we have both written doctoral theses on country music,” says Vestby.  “The collaboration with Kristin was therefore a good fit for this project generating a text that serves as a basis for further work It provides a historical overview and analyses some of the key trends and new directions in the field The gender perspective is an important part of this The research project “Challenging country music’s masculine domination: Feminine identities and creative signification in contemporary Nordicana” at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences addresses how the genre has developed and women’s role and significance in Norwegian music and in country in particular The project is led by Associate Professor Stian Vestby at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, who has also written the article: “From cowboy to nordicana” a historical overview of country music in Norway Country’s arrival in Norway started with the cowboy Artists dressed up as cowboys and wrote lyrics that romanticised life on the prairie with Arne Bendiksen as one of the central figures Vestby points out that the cowboy is a stereotype rooted in reality has been a central symbol for the genre,” says Solli “It has clearly been a masculine ideal but there have always been strong women in country music too.” Another dimension of the romanticisation of cowboy life is the dynamic between town and country Country lyrics have traditionally been about rural everyday life and in the countryside Solli believes that this theme also overlaps with gender perspectives: “This resonates with the research from other disciplines get an education  and broaden their horizons but we also see these tendencies in the Norwegian country music field.” Vestby and Solli use the term “glocalisation” taking on a local dimension in contact with other cultures music that is situated in the countryside is influenced by the Norwegian rural culture many country artists began singing in dialect and using instruments such as the accordion and Hardanger fiddle as distinctive Norwegian musical references “Norwegian country music is not just a copy of American music it has a distinct local and national character,” says Vestby “And sometimes this can make it pretty coarse like in the Vassendgutane song ‘Granada’ which is about the Norwegian cruising culture they sing about the car being equipped with “whore lights in the ceiling” that it’s about luring women into the car “That’s one of the more rural expressions where male chauvinism also comes to the fore This is in contrast to the country music that is embraced more by the educated and middle classes The women have had an ambivalent position in the genre It’s about authenticity; whether or not they’re playing “real” country “Certain artists have been seen as not ‘being country enough’ or that the feminine dilutes the music,” says Solli but wasn’t embraced by many fans of the genre which applies both to the women who push the boundaries of the aesthetic and artists where their femininity means they are not embraced by certain listeners.” This is a phenomenon that other researchers have pointed to including in popular music research in general Artists who are more pop and feminine are perceived by many as being less serious and credible.  “They challenge the criterion that the music should be authentic,” says Vestby then you’ve moved into something inauthentic That may have been the challenge of some of the female artists who have been a little too pop in the world of country.”  That doesn't mean that no women have made the grade in country music Claudia Scott was early on the scene and became very popular The researchers point out that she was active at the same time as rock music began to influence the genre “She came from a family that already had credibility in the country scene and together with Ottar ‘Big Hand’ Johansen and Casino Steel Scott made country acceptable to the rockers,” Solli said Claudia Scott appealed to both country fans and those more interested in rock Part of the reason for this was that she was part of the music scene in Bergen in the 1970s “She gained a lot of experience and opportunities to play that she almost grew up among all these musicians who were open-minded and became an innovator herself,” says Solli.  Vestby believes female country musicians can easily be subjected to stigmatising attitudes It could just as easily be from the people around the artists such as concert promoters and sound engineers “These are things that female artists in the country music scene are still talking about today,” says Vestby “That they’re not taken as seriously They come across attitudes that as a woman you have to prove a lot more both with respect to your instrument and your songwriting The bar for recognition is set higher.” Solli herself has been active as a country musician and believes that there are other aesthetic requirements for women It’s not the same for men” she says which is probably a result of slightly different expectations when there were a number of great female artists around It meant that there were more opportunities There was probably a bit of prejudice from those who didn’t know much about the genre and had stereotypes about how we were.” Professor Kai Arne Hansen at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences has researched gender perspectives in popular music encompasses a diversity of gender expressions There are still many artists who embrace traditional gender roles “Artists who challenge both gender norms and genre boundaries are becoming increasingly visible,” says Hansen Lil Nas X and Orville Peck are examples of artists who have both experimented musically within the country genre and who have taken an exploratory and playful approach to the aestheticization of gender in music videos and through the staging of their own gender identity.” One example Hansen has studied in detail is artist Lil Nas X and his song “Old Town Road” The song mixes elements of country and hip-hop but Hansen found conflicting tendencies in how it was received by the country music community “A lot of people were positive about the categorisation of Lil Nas X as a country artist,” he says “His success was understood both as a validation of black musicians’ contribution to the genre and as a sign of increased acceptance of LGBTQ+ identities in popular culture.” “A boycott of Wrangler jeans was organised after they partnered with Lil Nas X and it was only after he collaborated with well-known country artist Billy Ray Cyrus that he got his big commercial breakthrough We often see that artists who play with gender generate both positive and negative reactions – regardless of genre.” Popular music deals with gender norms in different ways in different genres Visibility and reactions change in line with broader cultural and societal changes and it is difficult to point to general or overarching trends there is cultural interest in gender expressions that challenge traditional norms while heteronormative gender ideals still persist in popular culture “The fact that music can create interest in and understanding of a diversity of human experiences is one of the reasons why music means so much from a cultural and societal perspective,” says Hansen "Diversity among songwriters and musicians is a necessity in that respect We now see actors in different parts of the music industry focusing more and more on facilitating such diversity This creates a more inclusive music culture in the long run.” a Scandinavian variant of Americana where country music is central has become popular among a wide range of listeners Several of the most famous artists are women Malin Pettersen and Stine Andreassen from The Northern Belle Stian Vestby has interviewed several of these artists who point to community and professionalisation as important success factors “When one of them experiences success and they learn from and back one other,” he says Jansen Records and West Coast Records have invested in more artists in this milieu The fact that a community has developed and the way record companies work with these artists has been professionalised has been important.”  There are also differences when it comes to the artists’ experiences of writing applications for support “Semi-professional country bands from rural Norway probably fall short compared with nordicana artists when it comes to this type of skill set Several of the nordicana artists have also gained acceptance in the more traditional country music scene Die With Your Boots On and some of their artists have been booked for Seljord Countryfestival Norsk Countrytreff has also developed its programme over time to reflect the diversity of the genre Ida Jenshus stated a few years back that she no longer gets to play at these festivals,” says Vestby.“So experience may differ and there may be differences from festival to festival Jenshus was a fixture at the big country festivals in the beginning The music was perhaps too genre-defying.”  The researchers also use the term “musical gentrification” to explain these new trends in the country genre the original “inhabitants” are typically pushed out it could be envisaged that new artists and listeners push the more traditional style aside.  there is still room for diversity in the genre “It is not the case that all country music that is simple rural and male chauvinistic is pushed aside when Nordicana makes the genre hip,” he says “But it does put some pressure on masculine country music It may be a little harder for some  talented masculine-oriented country bands to win a Spellemannpris award now than it was before which could be a consequence of gentrification.” the trends the researchers observe are more diverse The genre “cowboy” no longer exists but several of the traditional ideas live on “The cowboy symbolism is still there,” says Solli.  and there is less polarisation between the different groups than there was around the turn of the millennium for example There is no longer the same need to clarify what country is and is not I find there is more acceptance that there are different types of country.” Vestby and Solli believe that the development of women's role in country music can be seen in the context of increasing gender equality and diversity in society in general Vestby is now set to take a closer look at the structural assumptions possible gender differences in relation to the public support schemes and what the feminist movement may have meant for the development of the country field.  “The Norwegian women in country music are part of an interesting historical phenomenon,” he concludes "One thing I see in many of today’s female artists is a more activist approach The lyrics can address what it’s like to be a woman in society and in the music industry today and artists collaborate more and network with eco-companies “There are new norms in the field that have not yet been explored to any great extent I hope more people will work on these issues Our news magazine is an independent online newspaper and a member of the Norwegian Specialised Press Association Fagpressen post@kilden.forskningsradet.no Kilden’s newsmagazine is a member of Fagpressen The Norwegian Specialized Press Association 2025 © Kilden kjønnsforskning.no You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience Norwegian researchers have used a year-on-year approach considering the combined effect of temperature to assess the degradation rate of polycrystalline modules with a temperature coefficient of -0.43% mounted with an approximately 10-degree tilt They found that these modules degrade in the range in the range of 0.1-0.19% per year which is 0.4% less than panels operating in other climates Modules installed on one of the larger rooftop PV systems in Norway Crystalline silicon PV modules operating in Nordic climates degrade less than panels used in other latitudes and climates according to a recent study conducted by the Institute for Energy Technology in Norway The scientists analyzed the performance of a 370 kW commercial PV system based on polycrystalline modules with a temperature coefficient of –0.43% Generation and environmental data were measured at five-minute intervals over a five-year period between January 2015 and December 2019 The PV system had begun commercial operation in September 2014 The researchers adopted a year-on-year approach and calculated the modules' degradation rate by comparing their performance with that of the same period a year earlier were missing for a five-month period during 2018 which made data from both 2017 and 2019 less useful “Because one compares the system performance at the same time of year the method is robust against seasonality caused by the angle-of-incidence (AOI) and spectrum losses as well as losses from soiling,” they explained “The metric for system performance is based on the power performance index (PI) defined as the measured power divided by the expected power.” The model includes the combined effect of temperature the academics found that the solar modules degraded in the range of 0.1–0.19% per year which compares to a worldwide degradation rate of 0.5–0.6% per year “Being able to establish that the degradation rates in the Nordics are lower than typically assumed will influence the LCOE [levelized cost of energy] and how fast deployment of PV will accelerate in the Nordics and similar climates,” the scientists concluded More articles from Emiliano Bellini Please be mindful of our community standards and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" This website uses cookies to anonymously count visitor numbers. View our privacy policy. × The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this Close 17 Apr 2025 12:00:00 GMT?.css-1txiau5-AnswerContainer{color:var(--GlobalColorScheme-Text-secondaryText2);}Kjelsås won 2–1 over Ull/Kisa on Thu Predicted lineups are available for the match a few days in advance while the actual lineup will be available about an hour ahead of the match The current head to head record for the teams are Ull/Kisa 1 win(s) Have scored 8 goals in their last 5 matches Who won between Ull/Kisa and Kjelsås on Thu 17 Apr 2025 12:00:00 GMT?Kjelsås won 2–1 over Ull/Kisa on Thu 17 Apr 2025 12:00:00 GMT.InsightsHave scored 9 goals in their last 5 matches Ull/Kisa is playing home against Kjelsås on Thu GM Prraneeth Vuppala scored an unbeaten 6/7 to win Fagernes Slow Blitz 2024 Group A (>1800) He finished a half point ahead of the rest FM Gunnar Lund (NOR) and IM Aksel Bu Kvaløy (NOR) scored 5.5/7 each They secured second and third place respectively 13-year-old Oda Skramstad (NOR) scored 6/7 to win Group B (<1800) she won her next six games in-a-row to finish clear first Kazim Yilmaz (NOR) and Amund Pihl Strand (NOR) scored 5/6 each They secured second to fourth place respectively The R Gang represented by GM Prraneeth Vuppala IM Dushyant Sharma and IM Moksh Amit Doshi secured second place in Team talking chess GM Rinat Jumabayev (KAZ) is currently the sole leader 6/7 in GM group He is closely followed by GM Frode Olav Olsen Urkedal (NOR) 5.5/7 A dozen players including five Indians - GM Surya Sekhar Ganguly GM Raja Rithvik R and GM Pranav Anand are at 5/7 each A little over a fortnight ago, GM Prraneeth Vuppala finished third at Harpa Blitz 2024 part of Reykjavik Open in Reykjavik 13-year-old Oda Skramstad (NOR) must be applauded for winning the Group B (<1800) Blitz event convincingly by finishing a full point ahead of others She also started the event with a loss and then won scored a double hat-trick of wins It is not every day a female chess player wins an open/rating restricted blitz event For those who are wondering what is team talking chess, the official site mentions - Teamtalkingchess is a highly entertaining and social Norwegian speciality in which rapid chess matches are played over six boards with no more than four players in each team players can communicate and swap games whenever they want IM Dushyant Sharma and IM Moksh Amit Doshi A total of 33 players including 2 GMs and 6 IMs took part from various countries across the world in Group A (>1800) of the Fagernes Slow Blitz event The tournament was organized by IO IA Hans Olav Lahlum in cooperation with Sotra Sjakklubb on 29th March 2024 at Scandic Valdres hotel in Fagernes The seven-round Swiss league tournament had a time control of 5 minutes + 3 seconds increment from move no Details A total of 20 players took part from various countries across the world in Group B (<1800) of the Fagernes Slow Blitz event The seven-round Swiss league tournament had a time control of 5 minutes + 3 seconds increment from move no Details 1) Stavanger                         8   16.5 2) The R Gang                        6   17.5 3) 46.95 Sjokoladeplater             6   17.0 Official site Tournament regulations We have launched the ChessBase India App. Check out this amazing resource! Android for now - Download the app now Follow Tweets by @ChessbaseIndia ChessBase India is proud to be the official partner of chessbase.com reporting on events in India Like our Facebook page for more Indian chess updates The all new ChessBase Premium Account which gives you access to ten amazing online ChessBase services like PlayChess Become a part of the ever-growing ChessBase India Youtube Channel. Subscribe now and stay update with our awesome video content.  The Norwegian food logistics company ASKO tripled the capacity of the PV of its cold storage warehouse in Vestby The system is installed in east-west orientation to increase self-consumption and uses an aerodynamic mounting system Solenergi FUSen AS, the Norwegian Premium Partner of IBC SOLAR AG has expanded one of its prestige projects in Vestby in southeast Norway the company installed Norway’s biggest PV installation to-date on the rooftop of a dry storage facility belonging to the country’s leading food logistics company ASKO Recently Solenergi FUSen AS officially commissioned another 673 kilowatts (kW) to the PV system subsequently increasing its size by three times The 2588 modules will produce approximately 550 kWh of solar energy per year which ASKO will use completely for self-consumption The self-consumption of the solar energy produced in addition helps ASKO and its holding company Norgesgruppen to reach their target of becoming carbon neutral “Our ambition is to produce as much renewable energy as we consume We want to achieve this with a combination of energy savings solar energy production on-site as well as wind energy production off-site” The system provided by Solenergie FUSen and IBC SOLAR represents an important step for ASKO and its 14 logistic centers towards achieving this goal The company is planning to triple the solar capacity of the system again next year The installation of another 800 kW is expected to start in August The energy demand of the warehouse matches photovoltaic systems perfectly: When there is lots of sunshine the storage facility needs the most energy in order to keep the temperature at a constant level To meet the special requirements of the rooftop Solenergi FUSen has opted to use the aerodynamic mounting system IBC AeroFix from IBC SOLAR which is specially developed for flat roofs the system enables a light-weight installation in east-west orientation with no need for a screw connection to the sensitive roof Thanks to the east-west orientation of the modules the PV plant generates energy throughout the day enabling ASKO to significantly increase its self-consumption rate a leading Norwegian company for solar energy installations has been developing the project together with its distribution and project partner IBC SOLAR. (HCN) Also read about another big commercial self-consumption PV installation: http://www.pveurope.eu/IBC-SOLAR-delivers-very-large-self-consumption-photovoltaic-rooftop-system-for-a-customer-in-The-Netherlands Looking to stay on top of all relevant industry and business news? Click here to subscribe to our free twice-weekly pv Europe newsletter. A podcast for investors on the opportunities and risks of the solar market The pv Europe editorial team offers their own analysis and discusses current topics with experts Norske og internasjonale forskningsnyheter people who display such enthusiasm are called ildsjeler – fiery souls They might be the retired lady down the street who initiates the fixing up of a community centre or an idealistic young school teacher who organises a music festival for kids at the local reception centre for asylum seekers The Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research (NIBR) has recently looked into ways that local authorities use such enthusiasts and how they could exploit them better enthusiasts who create value for local society are not being utilised to their full potential She and NIBR colleagues carried out a web-based survey involving 553 informants and 14 qualitative in-depth interviews of enthusiasts and key movers and shakers in Norwegian municipalities So who are these activists and enthusiasts or do they have certain characteristics differentiating them from us mortals The researchers behind the report describe them as affirmative people They are gregarious and enjoy cooperation with others They also have traits commonly associated with leadership; they have determination and are action oriented With such mettle comes a good portion of wilfulness and according to the researchers many can also be rather obstinate or stubborn “Some think such activists have a special energy,” says Vestby One characteristic they all share is a sense of responsibility Nor do people designated as fiery souls have one-track minds; they often initiate or engage in an array of schemes “Most of those interviewed in the report were actually engaged in several different activities and enterprises,” says the researcher These civic-minded citizens tend to be middle-aged and among those interviewed 60 percent were men and 40 percent were women Although the enthusiasts are described – and describe themselves – as patient There are things that can break them.  The counteraction usually comes from two quarters: On the one side they can come to loggerheads with the municipality which often can obstruct work on projects through a treacle of bureaucracy a lack of professional and financial supportinitiatives and a non-collaborative attitude On the other hand there can be locals who vehemently express their disapproval for the project in public discourse and social media “Several of the activist/enthusiasts in the study felt that people are quick to criticise and they have often encountered scepticism and suspicion,” says Vestby “What enables them to tolerate the backwash is fraternisation with other positive persons.” Twitter or in the comment fields of local newspaper web pages “Social media are not just an outstanding arena for mobilising and engaging people in the developments of local society They can also be used in nit-picking and smears,” says Vestby She thinks that when this occurs on social media it has a disruptive effect and she wonders why people are so quick to condemn “It’s as if when someone demonstrates sufficient energy to involve themselves outside the sphere of their own sofa others immediately meet them with some degree of scepticism,” says Vestby “People hear that they are ‘being conspicuous’ and that doesn’t sound particularly good.” Read the Norwegian version of this article at forskning.no Ildsjeler og lokalt utviklingsarbeid. NIBR-rapport 2014:2. ISBN: 978-82-8309-015-4 (Norwegian only) Guri Mette Vestby's pofile Sciencenorway.no brings you science news from Norway.This is the English version of forskning.no online newspaper on science.Sciencenorway.no har artikler fra forskning.no på engelsk Privacy policy Sciencenorway.no follows the Norwegian Editor’s Code and the Code of Ethics of the Norwegian Press Editor-in-chief / publisher: Aksel Kjær Vidnes+47 922 47 741 / aksel@forskning.noAssistant editor: Alette Bjordal Gjellesvikalette@forskning.no Researcher's Zone: Frithjof Eide Fjeldstad frithjof@forskning.no Ads and market: Preben Forberg+47 413 10 879 / preben@forskning.noAddress: Sandakerveien 24 C / D3 American director Carson Lund will be in attendance for a one-off screening of Eephus at Toronto’s Paradise Theatre on March 23.Supplied Early in the 1990s-set indie comedy Eephus a pair of baseball players make pregame small talk about the problems of going to see films “I just don’t have the energy for that,” one says “Looking up all the movies and driving to all the theatres?” It is a throwaway line for everyone except the filmmakers who spent five years making a thoughtful movie that isn’t easy to find in theatres It’s tough for a small film such as Eephus to make money on big screens If people were too lazy to attend cinemas in the nineties there are more reasons than ever to avoid them today despite rave reviews from media outlets such as The New Yorker The Washington Past and GQ – “best sports movie of the decade” – Eephus doesn’t have a theatrical run in Canada the team behind the baseball-as-a-metaphor-for-life film are making their pitch to audiences by bringing it here themselves joining a growing trend of indie filmmakers who are hauling their films to select cities American director Carson Lund will be in attendance for a one-off screening at Toronto’s Paradise Theatre on March 23 The film was previously selected by festivals in Vancouver No other Canadian screenings are scheduled at this time named after a looping baseball thrown toward the batter at a mesmerizingly slow speed is being presented here by Alan Jones and Ethan Vestby co-founders of the Toronto-based screening collective Bleeding Edge When it appeared the film wouldn’t be shown in the city “It’s almost like an orphan film in Canada,” says Vestby “It’s a really acclaimed film that didn’t play at the Toronto International Film Festival and it doesn’t have any Canadian distribution.” The low-budget Euphus represents some of the problems of film distribution in Canada It is simply not financially viable for the country’s small distributors to take on such movies Vestby and Jones aim to fill the need in Toronto for movies that aren’t selected for TIFF or picked up by a distributor Vestby and filmmaker Jones created Bleeding Edge in 2022 initially showing a collection of shorts in a Yorkville bar that was “packed” according to Vestby: “We did it on a whim with films that hadn’t made it into the festivals.” they moved on to feature films and into bigger venues Among the films they’ve screened before are Braden Sitter Sr.’s comedy The Pee Pee Poo Poo Man Zach Clark’s satirical sci-fi feature The Becomers and the Nate Wilson thriller The All Golden “We have a preference for films that have a DIY aesthetic or an underdog appeal,” explains Jones “They’re movies that might wear festival rejection as a stamp of honour instead of something that is disappointing.” Their Eephus presentation represents a step up in league Making its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and its North American debut at the New York Film Festival the autumnal film captures a beer-league baseball game played by fading semi-athletes at a New England ball field destined to be torn down “looks like it stops in mid-air.” In the same way Eephus is at its best when it stands perfectly still Though it’s more a sunsetting film than a sports flick there are winks at the great baseball movies of the past when former major league pitcher (and eephus thrower) Bill Lee mysteriously appears from the woods After pitching an inning and calling strikeouts “fascist,” he disappears Tom Waits’s existential Ol ‘55 plays over the closing credits: “Well I went lickety-splitly.” Bob Dylan’s Not Dark Yet would have worked just as well not that the filmmakers could have afforded the licensing fee It will be hard enough for them to make a profit “Everybody wants the big names,” says veteran Toronto film presenter Gary Topp “The days of art-house films and specialty films getting distribution are long gone One outlet for niche films in Toronto is production company and distribution entity MDFF (Medium Density Fibreboard Films) which works with TIFF Lightbox to present monthly cinematic offerings that otherwise might go without theatrical exposure in one of the largest markets in North America The MDFF programmers have only so much screen space which is why Bleeding Edge adopted the orphan Eephus “It’s a film that is a little hard to classify,” Vestby says and it’s exactly the kind of thing we like to showcase.” Eephus screens at the Paradise Theatre Report an editorial error Report a technical issue Editorial code of conduct Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following Brad Wheeler is an arts reporter with The Globe and Mail Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s comment community. This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff. Non-subscribers can read and sort comments but will not be able to engage with them in any way. Click here to subscribe If you would like to write a letter to the editor, please forward it to letters@globeandmail.com. Readers can also interact with The Globe on Facebook and Twitter Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s comment community This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff We aim to create a safe and valuable space for discussion and debate If you do not see your comment posted immediately it is being reviewed by the moderation team and may appear shortly We aim to have all comments reviewed in a timely manner Comments that violate our community guidelines will not be posted UPDATED: Read our community guidelines here We have closed comments on this story for legal reasons or for abuse. For more information on our commenting policies and how our community-based moderation works, please read our Community Guidelines and our Terms and Conditions Ensing lead diverse BikeExchange squad for Paris-RoubaixAustralian champion Sarah Roy and Janneke Ensing are among the riders who will represent Team BikeExchange at the first-ever edition of the women’s Paris-Roubaix on Saturday.Janneke Ensing and Sarah Roy of Team BikeExchange Source: Getty Images Eager anticipation for Paris-Roubaix and 'a new era' for women's cycling Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España.Get the latest with our sport podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.Watch on SBS SportSport News GM Abhimanyu Puranik defeated IM Tor Fredrik Kaasen (NOR) to inch closer to clinching Fagernes GM Open 2023 He will Lithuania no.5 GM Eduardas Rozentalis in Round 9 Turkey no.4 GM Vahap Sanal is the sole player trailing by a half point at 6.5/8 He is followed by four players including two Indians - IM Koustav Chatterjee and GM Aditya Mittal at 6/8 each WIM Savitha Shri B has become India's 25th Woman Grandmaster Sanket Chakravarty and WGM Nandhidhaa P V need a draw each in their respective final round games to score an IM-norm We will have separate articles about both Rakshitta and Savitha's journey towards the WGM title soon GM Abhimanyu Puranik must win against GM Eduardas Rozentalis (LTU) in the final round A draw will only suffice for a first place if GM Aditya Mittal wins or draws against GM Vahap Sanal (TUR) A position inaccuracy by IM Tor Fredrik Kaasen (NOR 2462) 17...Ne5 allowed his opponent GM Abhimanyu Puranik (2599) to gain a substantial advantage 18.c5 Since White couldn't take on b6 immediately due to a fork Nxc4 It forces Black to allow White having a passed pawn either on b or c-file 18...Ra6 19.cxb6 Nc4 20.Qd3 White didn't need to hold on to the b-pawn Because his position remains good despite not having the b6-passed pawn 20...Nxb6 21.Bg5 f6 22.Be3 Rd8 23.Bc5 Qc7 24.Qxa6 24...Bxa6 25.Bxb6 Qe7 26.Bxd8 Qxd8 27.Rfd1 Qc7 28.Rdc1 and White won in another six moves with a pretty finish IM Koustav Chatterjee (2520) played the thematic 26.d5 Black cannot take the pawn as 27.Bc1 drops the knight at f5 26...Ne8 27.a5 White attempts to create another weakness b5 28.Nc5 attacks both the bishop at b7 and pawn at e6 28...bxc4 29.Bxf5 Rxd5 30.Nxb7 Rd2 31.Bc1 Rxf2 32.Bxf4 Black is now behind in material without any compensation IM Koustav Chatterjee needs a draw as black against GM Samvel Ter-Sahakyan for a GM-norm WGM Vantika Agrawal has made another IM-norm before the last round WIM Savitha Shri Baskar has made a WGM-norm before the last round She needs a draw as white against IM Erik Hedman (SWE) for an IM-norm FM Tanmay Chopra needs a draw as black against GM Stellan Brynell (SWE) for an IM-norm Sanket Chakravarty needs a draw as white against IM Sambit Panda for an IM-norm WGM Nandhidhaa P V needs a win as black against GM Monika Socko (POL) for an IM-norm 2 WGMs and a WIM are taking part from 25 countries across the world in the GM (>2000) Open section The tournament is organized by IO IA Hans Olav Lahlum in cooperation with Sotra SK and Innlandet Sjakkrets from 2nd to 9th April 2023 at Scandic Valdres hotel in Fagernes The nine-round Swiss league tournament had a time control of 100 minutes/40 moves + 40 minutes/rest with 30 seconds increment from move no Details Details Details Official site Tournament regulations GM Abhimanyu Puranik had a well contested draw against GM Vahap Sanal in the fifth round of Fagernes GM Open 2023 They both are sharing the lead with a 4.5/6 each They are followed by eight players including three Indians - IM Vantika Agrawal IM Koustav Chatterjee and GM Aditya Mittal at 4/6 each Abhimanyu ended WIM Savitha Shri B's winning streak India's newly crowned IM Vantika drew with GM Erik Blomqvist and then beat IM Prraneeth Vuppala IM Kushagra Mohan drew against GM Bartosz Socko in the fourth round FM Tanmay Chopra defeated IM Jonas Hacker in the fifth round GM Abhimanyu Puranik (2599) ended WIM Savitha Shri B's (2411) winning streak to maintain his lead 4/4 2582) won against IM Koustav Chatterjee (2520) to also move his score to 4/4 IM Vantika Agrawal (2407) and IM Kushagra Mohan (2400) drew with GM Erik Blomqvist (SWE The game between Savitha and Koustav reached a complex double rook endgame He could have finished things a bit earlier if he spotted the best continuation after 55.Rb3 The game continued 55...g5 56.Rd3 Rhf1+ and Black won the game in another 26 moves Details Details members of the Kingman Recreation Association were wondering what to do with their neighbourhood skating rink It had been rebuilt a few years earlier but was in dire need of repair “We struggled and struggled with getting decent ice for a number of years,” said Joel Hein Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience an RCMP member who lives in Camrose but serves on the association He figured if they put together a good enough plan for a new rink “If we get ice this year that will be fabulous next year we’ll have premiere ice,” said Kenyon looking with anticipation at the nearly completed NHL-size rink and connected building They applied for two large grants worth $63,000 total from the Daryl K Seaman Canadian Hockey Fund and Makadiff Sports they convinced Canada Post to move the post office into the new rink building providing it with consistent funding from the rent They also got the local 4-H club to get on board — they’ll be using the rink for equestrian events in summer By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc The next issue of Headline News will soon be in your inbox Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Solar panel installers assessed the building and told them they’d be producing enough electricity to sell back to the grid meaning the rink could be financially sustainable once it’s built Add a handful of board ads from companies including Enbridge donations of heavy equipment and the build is now just $40,000 off its target They’re continuing to sell ads and memorabilia online to raise funds “A lot of these facilities are being built where they’ve got to charge huge user fees just to keep them running and out of the red,” said Kenyon low maintenance so it’s not going to be a white elephant down the road these communities live and die based on their few little amenities that they have,” he said so that’s helped this community thrive and not be a dying community like some others This rink will only add to that as far as people coming out to use the facility and maybe think of moving here a local school bus driver who lives in nearby Camrose says it’s exactly what the small hamlet of about 100 people needs “I’ve got nephews that love skating and can’t find facilities,” said Vestby who explained the outdoor rink reminds him of his youth in small-town Saskatchewan and Alberta He was so moved by the effort that he started a letter-writing campaign and has gotten donations of memorabilia from a handful of sources including the Toronto Maple Leafs the Montreal Canadiens and the Edmonton Oilers in the form of an eight-by-10 signed print of Darnell Nurse Vestby continues to sell them on EBay under the handle dsem27 to help out the cause Brooks has been selling sports equipment through United Cycle for the past 50 years and said small towns have never been in more need of rinks like this “I was told 15 years ago that the aging infrastructure of these centennial arenas is going to be a problem,” Brooks said The province saw a massive arena build in small towns in 1967 in celebration of the country’s 100th birthday Many of those have since been either re-purposed or razed to the ground after falling into disrepair regional centre to serve a larger geographical footprint “There’s probably 40 of them kicking around Alberta but that doesn’t replace 500 rinks He heard about Kingman’s plans and decided to get involved connecting Kenyon with Makadiff Sports and others in the sports world He asked Hockey Alberta for funds too but was told they only fund programs “What good is programming if you don’t have a rink?” said Brooks “We’ll be back to using horse turds on the river.” The Makadiff Sports contribution was around $35,000 but now Brooks and Kenyon hope to get a further $50,000 from the organization if they can show the model is one other small towns can duplicate “If a town has a school that’s going to be around for the next five or 10 years or the town has more than about 500 people in it it is a right of passage in Alberta that it must have a rink,” he said The association is hoping to hold Friday night skating parties but leave the rest of the ice time to drop-ins it’s more about offering children a place to skate and stay out of trouble that doesn’t come with large costs or long drives to get there “The whole premise is we want it to be largely unscheduled,” he said people want to come out and want to go skating hop the boards and go skating and be pretty sure that there’s going to be no issues with scheduling Kingman isn’t the only place with a dream rink Josev and Fabien Alexis took backyard rinks to a new level this year Wanting to have a place for their seven-year-old nephew to skate they started construction on their mother’s front yard using recycled materials from building projects They even added a touch by constructing a fake scoreboard is open to any children from the neighbourhood important thing in our community to get kids involved in having fun to play in a rink like they’re playing at Rogers Place It makes them feel like they’re really there and it keeps them out of trouble,” Josev said who has a large window facing the rink — box seats of sorts — from which she can watch her grandson “She sits at the window and watches him skate It’s almost like walking into Rexall at night with lights up there and the clock who said it also brought his family closer “Somehow it gets pulled off when we do it together.” dlazzarino@postmedia.com transmission or republication strictly prohibited This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. 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