Latest news with #DSM
Time of India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Uma Thurman gets nervous eating in front of the camera
Hollywood star revealed that the idea of consuming food on set is something she still gets nervous about. Thurman told the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon: "First of all, you have to do lots of takes. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Second of all, you don't pick what's on the menu, and you have to speak sometimes and swallow, and then you start to worry about choking because you don't want to be chewing when you say that line. " The 55-year-old star discovered her anxiety after filling out a DSM, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which brought up the issue. She said: "Do you know that eating in front of strangers is one of the questions on the DSM? Do you know what the DSM is? It's like one of these check things that psychiatrists do to find out what your neuroses are." Thurman was determined to be "just fine" after filling out the test, but noted she does get nervous about eating during a scene. However, she thinks a "good eating scene" is one of the main things she still wants to nail on screen, reports The actress added: "A good eating scene should be on my bucket list of stuff I haven't nailed. It's like skinny-dipping or something, like one of those things you know that you haven't done." Despite a filmography boasting of numerous filmmakers over several decades in Hollywood, Thurman previously revealed she was "very nervous" about her role in 2024 drama Oh, Canada! Speaking during a Q+A session at the New York Film Festival in 2024, she said: "I mean, Paul Schrader! I'm a really big fan of Paul Schrader. So to get to contribute, to lend myself to his piece, and get to see him working was a real, real privilege. I was very nervous to meet him, you know, this macho filmmaker [who] made these legendary films." --IANS dc/
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Uma Thurman reveals biggest fear on film sets
Uma Thurman has a fear of eating on camera. The Kill Bill star is a veteran of Hollywood, but she admitted the idea of consuming food on set is something she still gets nervous about. She told the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon: "First of all, you have to do lots of takes. 'Second of all, you don't pick what's on the menu, and you have to speak sometimes and swallow, and then you start to worry about choking because you don't want to be chewing when you say that line.' The 55-year-old star discovered her anxiety after filling out a DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), which brought up the issue. She said: 'Do you know that eating in front of strangers is one of the questions on the DSM? Do you know what the DSM is? "It's like one of these check things that psychiatrists do to find out what your neuroses are.' Uma was determined to be "just fine" after filling out the test, but noted she does get nervous about eating during a scene. However, she thinks a "good eating scene" is one of the main things she still wants to nail on screen. She added: 'A good eating scene should be on my bucket list of stuff I haven't nailed. 'It's like skinny-dipping or something, like one of those things you know that you haven't done.' Despite a storied career working with numerous filmmakers over several decades in Hollywood, Uma previously revealed she was "very nervous" about her role in 2024 drama Oh, Canada! Speaking during a Q+A session at the New York Film Festival in 2024, she said: 'I mean, Paul Schrader! "I'm a really big fan of Paul Schrader. So to get to contribute, to lend myself to his piece, and get to see him working was a real, real privilege. 'I was very nervous to meet him, you know, this macho filmmaker [who] made these legendary films.'
Irish Times
13-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Ireland needs multi-functional farms with biodiversity benefits. But how can they be supported?
'We lived off the land for centuries and then we lived off oil for a few decades which was an aberration in our history. Now, living off the land will be the new normal again,' says Dr Wouter van Winden, chief fermentation scientist at the multinational firm DSM-Firmenich. He was speaking at the Finding Common Ground festival at the RDS in Dublin recently. At the event, policymakers, academics, farmers and landowners spoke about finding new opportunities for, and more value from, Irish land. It took place against the backdrop of the Land Use Review, phase two of which has been completed. When it is made public, the review will offer suggestions on future land use in Ireland. Phase one, completed in 2023, gave baseline figures on current land use in terms of the types of agriculture, forestry and associated areas. The bigger picture involves a realisation that land can no longer be seen solely in terms of food production, but instead with multiple roles in an interconnected system. READ MORE This system will place value on good water and air quality, as well as reducing carbon emissions. It will be geared towards helping biodiversity thrive while bringing socioeconomic benefits from land use alongside production of food. The future of farming will see an emphasis on reducing waste. Photograph: Ulrich Müller Land has multiple potential uses when you consider the broader bioeconomy in which value can be extracted at various stages of food production. Every part of the process, including farmyard manure, offers the possibility of an income stream. 'This multifunctional land use includes farm land with biodiversity and climate benefits, but we need private and green finance to fund the transition,' said Prof Mark Scott, of University College Dublin's School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy. Prof Scott, who chaired the technical group for the review, says change is needed at scale because current land use will undermine both biodiversity and the economy. Phase two will inform the Government's climate-action plans to achieve emissions reductions in the areas of land use, land-use change and forestry. This is in the context of potential EU fines for overshooting our agricultural emission targets. There is also a need for climate adaptation to protect our rural landscapes from the effects of climate change. Prof Scott added that as so much land is owned by farmers, rural communities must be central to managing change in the long term. 'We need to give farmers certainty about how they use their own land,' he said. 'Deciding about land-use goals should be a social process rather than a top down technological process.' At the festival, Dr David Styles, associate professor in agri-sustainability at the University of Galway, presented a number of future scenarios. They included maximising livestock protein within environmental constraints (i.e. specialising in dairy with significantly less beef farming) and a focus on cattle and nature through extensive rather than intensive grazing. Ireland is way behind on its forestry-planting targets He also emphasised a focus on pigs, poultry and protein crops (all of which have lower emissions than cattle farming), with grass in clover to reduce fertiliser input and a bioeconomy focus with plant protein, willow and energy. 'We have a very productive land bank but if we used less land for animals and animal feed, we could bring down phosphates and ammonia levels,' said Dr Styles. 'We could produce more protein with half the land, so business as usual isn't necessarily the way forward for food security. Business as usual is very negative with a 2050 lens.' Dr Styles suggests a well-designed bioeconomy could deliver well for both the Irish economy and environment. 'In the fourth scenario, farmers could grow protein crops (peas and beans) and grass for biorefineries, which produces high-value animal feed as a replacement for imported soyabean,' he says. 'They could also grow willow on marginal land as a feedstock for bioenergy plants producing energy, which could compensate for residual agricultural emissions.' He talks up the importance of farmers engaging in honest and open conversations about future land-use policy. 'Farmers could be more prosperous. We need to know what fits together for resilience in an uncertain future.' Dr Styles also suggests that 16,000 hectares of forestry be planted annually from 2030 onwards. Currently, about 2,000 hectares is planted annually, which is about one-quarter of the current target. Paul O'Brien is a sheep and tillage farmer in Co Kilkenny as well as South Leinster regional chairman of the Irish Farmers Association. He is concerned about the expectations being placed on farmers. 'We are asked to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase biodiversity, change our land use and participate in wind and solar energy production, but where is the funding going to come from for all this?' he says. Mr O'Brien stresses the need to compensate farmers in the event of new policies failing. In this context, he mentioned ash dieback disease, which damaged the majority of ash trees planted by farmers in recent years. Dr Andrew Kelly from EnvEcon environmental consultancy firm suggests Ireland needs to engage strongly if the European Commission decides to develop an emissions trading system for agriculture. Such a development would, in essence, be the equivalent to a carbon tax on agriculture emissions. 'The emissions trading scheme for energy companies has generated investment in renewables,' he said. 'There are different types of farms and levels of profitability and some farmers won't be viable in the future, just like some businesses fail.' Prof Yvonne Buckley of Trinity College, co-chair of the All-Island Climate and Biodiversity Research Network, said at the event: 'To be agile in the future and to make money from land, we need diverse landscapes. Healthy ecosystems are at the heart of this. We need to protect the ones we have and restore degraded ones.' She accepted the case for farmers getting payments for ecosystem services on their land. Climate activists at a demonstration in Dublin focused on nature restoration. Photograph: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos Dr James Moran, lecturer in ecology and biology at Atlantic Technological University in Galway, believes 30-year planning for land use is essential. 'We need to start working together on future policy and we need to consider the interlinked challenges of biodiversity, water quality, food and health of humans and animals,' he said. Dr Moran acknowledges that in more recent years, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has moved from a food-first approach to one that 'protects nature and water in a liveable climate'. He said: 'All other EU policies on climate, nature, soil, water need to be integrated into CAP now and we have to transform our land system. Business-as-usual is not an option and a national land-use framework will need to be implemented at regional and local level.' Niamh Garvey, senior policy analyst with the National Economic and Social Council, says scaling up would give more farmers a sense of what future land use might look like. He also points to the importance of lengthening many of the European Innovation Partnerships and EU Life Programme projects that have proved inspirational. Patrick Barrett, agricultural inspector at the Department of Agriculture, suggests that the biotechnology and food sectors could eventually come together. He said: 'The Government will need to support investment in cluster-type developments where one company's waste is another's feedstock and the agrifood sector will be part of this, supplying feedstocks and energy to anaerobic digesters and biorefineries. 'For farmers, foresters, fishers to get more value from what they produce, this sidestream of products needs to be unlocked. This is as much a cultural journey as anything else.'
Axios
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Iowa rallies will push back on Trump's parade
Protesters will demonstrate in parks and squares nationwide on Saturday in what organizers expect will be the largest single-day anti-President Trump rally since the start of his second administration. Why it matters: The widespread movement will run counter to Trump's multimillion-dollar military parade in Washington, D.C. "No Kings is a nationwide day of defiance," organizers wrote. "From city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we're taking action to reject authoritarianism." By the numbers: More than 100 pro-democracy advocacy groups are partnering to organize the No Kings events. Millions of people are expected to protest in more than 1,500 cities across all 50 states and commonwealths, organizers said. Zoom in: The DSM protest is scheduled from noon-2pm at the Capitol, according to a social media post by Polk County Democrats. More than two dozen others are planned across the state. State of play: Trump on Tuesday vowed that protests to the parade in D.C. will be met with "very big force." "I haven't even heard about a protest," he said during an Oval Office press conference, "but ... this is people that hate our country." What they're saying: Des Moines police have a team in place to respond Saturday if needed, Sgt. Paul Parizek tells Axios.
Canada Standard
10-06-2025
- Health
- Canada Standard
Q&A: How Deep Energy Retrofits Can Unlock Health Care Savings in Alberta
Across Canada, provinces like British Columbia, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Ontario are investing in energy retrofits to cut emissions, lower energy bills, and improve health. But Alberta stands apart-not for what it's doing, but for what it isn't. There, 42% of 598,000 homes built before 1980 need repairs and upgrades. But Alberta is the only province or territory that doesn't allow utilities to engage in demand-side management (DSM) programs-initiatives that help people use less energy by funding things like insulation, heat pumps, and efficient appliances. Amid increasing wildfire smoke, extreme heat, and rising energy prices, retrofit advocates are working to build institutional support for programs to make homes safer for Albertans. Though retrofits can be costly and complex, a new Pembina Institute report shows their full value emerges when health care savings are factored into the equation. For example, researchers in England found that poor housing conditions cost their country's health care system $3 billion each year. Simply fixing homes that were too cold would save the National Health Service $1.8 billion per year in avoided costs, the study found. In New Zealand, researchers uncovered remarkable health and energy savings from retrofits made during a multi-year insulation and clean heating program, writes Pembina. After tracking hospitalization rates, prescription costs, and mortality across retrofitted and non-retrofitted homes, they found that insulation had the most benefit, while the biggest health savings came from reduced mortality. The program had a net return of $1.03 billion in health and energy savings-for every dollar spent, four dollars were returned. The Energy Mix talked with report author Raidin Blue, an analyst with the Pembina Institute's buildings program, about Alberta's retrofit gap, its health and equity impacts, and what's needed to drive policy change. The Mix : Why is it important to highlight both health and energy savings when making the case for deep retrofits? View our latest digests Retrofits aren't just about energy-they have a broader value proposition that we aren't capturing. We believe deep retrofits can be key to making life more affordable for Canadians, which is a huge priority right now. The business case for deep retrofits needs to be expanded to include non-energy benefits: improved health and safety, enhanced resilience, and better insurance coverage. When all of that is factored in, deep retrofits make strong financial sense. The Mix : Who do you hope will act on this report-and what message do you want them to walk away with? Building owners. I want them to understand that health is tied to housing-we spend 90% of our lives indoors. Poor ventilation? Air quality issues can damage your lungs. Struggling to keep your home warm in winter? Chronic cold is linked to cardiovascular issues. Both owners and tenants can face serious health impacts from their buildings, and retrofits are a powerful solution. The Mix: You highlight vulnerable households-like low-income families and seniors-living in poor-quality housing, yet Alberta has no province-wide retrofit strategy. However, we are seeing targeted programs like the Metis Government's federally funded $9.24-million retrofit initiative. What would it take to build broader political or institutional support for retrofits in Alberta? And should the feds step up with funding? People in Alberta want to retrofit. The demand is there. It is great to see this initiative from the Metis Government. The City of Calgary also expanded its Home Upgrades Program, and 20-some communities are involved in Alberta Municipalities' Clean Energy Improvement Program (CEIP). Unfortunately, CEIP programs are often out of reach for vulnerable populations, since the funding is tied to property taxes-and many low-income families and seniors don't own their homes. In provinces and territories where there are utility-led Demand-Side Management (DSM) programs, retrofit initiatives are common, and many focus specifically on low-income housing. These programs offer stable, year-over-year funding that building owners can rely on. So a key first step would be for Alberta-a DSM outlier in Canada-to enable utilities to administer and invest in them. At the federal level, the Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program has allocated C$800 to $900 million across the country to support retrofits in low- to median-income homes. So far, Alberta is the only province not actively working to access those funds. In most other jurisdictions, they're managed through a combination of designated agencies and utilities. To advance deep retrofits in Alberta and across Canada, all levels of government need to work more closely with important players like Natural Resources Canada, Infrastructure Canada, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, insurance companies, and health authorities. We need to better understand the impacts of retrofits on everything from health to resilience to affordability-and then create stable supports and incentives. That's when building owners will begin to see real returns on deep retrofit investments-beyond just utility bill savings and emissions reductions. The Mix : You've drawn on international examples from Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. Are conditions in Alberta different enough that more local research is still needed? Where should that work start? It is great to see that Australia saved senior households $840 a winter-I think a health-focused retrofit study in Alberta would see significant health savings. We had hesitations with extrapolations because our examples vary from Alberta in both climate and by types of buildings-so we tried not to make direct comparisons. Alberta-specific pilots would showcase the health benefits of retrofits to building owners, local and provincial governments, and the retrofit industry as a whole. Fortunately, these benefits are likely to emerge even without extensive data collection or formal studies. A good starting point could be post-retrofit surveys, where program managers ask tenants about increased comfort or improvements in their overall health and well-being. From there, deeper research could explore reductions in sick days or asthma symptoms. This means working with health care providers to make stronger links between retrofits, health outcomes, and avoided health care costs. The Mix: Are there any promising examples in Canada-provincial or local-where health research is already influencing retrofit policy or program design? Canadians are really starting to make this connection between our built environment and health. For years people have discussed active transportation, walkable cities, and their health benefits. The University of Alberta has a Climate Change + Health Hub and the Housing for Health initiative because these are important issues to Albertans. Look to the 2021 heat dome, when 619 people died in British Columbia, 66 in Alberta. The B.C. government responded with a formal coroner's investigation and the province worked with utility BC Hydro to provide free air conditioners to vulnerable people. Similar programs were also launched in Oregon and Washington State. These are promising, but still just responses to acute events-they don't take a whole-building approach to deep retrofits. I want policy-makers and researchers to understand that-beyond heat waves-there are chronic health impacts associated with our housing. The Mix : What makes you optimistic that this framing will gain traction? Are decision-makers starting to think differently about the value of deep retrofits? Retrofits do make a difference and that gives me optimism. They are the one form of climate policy that does both climate mitigation and adaptation. They can make our homes healthier, safer, and more affordable. Part of our work over the next year will be to bring together all of these pieces for a complete deep retrofit business case. We just need coordinated efforts from all orders of government, utilities, insurance and investment sectors, and building owners, to keep Canadians healthy and safe. Source: The Energy Mix
