Britain's Prince William has described the past year as "brutal" following cancer diagnoses for his wife and father. "Honestly, it's been dreadful," he said.

On the 17 Jan in Geneva, the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) received unanimous endorsement to unleash the power of open data for a second decade. There was agreement to continue building on the organization’s first 10 years of pioneering environmental advances, which are designed to improve the quality of life of people everywhere. Fueled by open data, GEO’s efforts are now evident in most regions of the world. GEO is comprised of 90 member nations, the European Commission and 77 Participating Organizations.

"GEO is successfully meeting its mandate, which is to make data and other information open, accessible and easy to discover for decision makers around the world," said Mr. Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner for the Environment. "GEO’s vision is now operational, a proven force for putting sound science to work across nine essential areas: agriculture, biodiversity, climate, disasters, ecosystems, energy, health, water and weather."

GEO’s mandate is to drive the interoperability of the many thousands of space-based, airborne and in situ Earth observations around the globe. Without concerted efforts to coordinate across diverse observations, these separate systems often yield just snapshot assessments, leading to gaps in scientific understanding and hampering data fusion in support of better decision making for society. GEO aims to fill such gaps by providing a comprehensive, more integrated picture of our changing Earth. GEO is accomplishing this by establishing a Global Earth Observation System of Systems, known as GEOSS, and a Portal through which data and other information can be easily accessed at little or no cost.

"Rather than snapshot assessments, GEO gives us moving pictures of a changing planet," said Mr. Cao Jianlin, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China. "Our world does not work just in the sea, on land, in the atmosphere or in space, and our policies cannot reflect individual domains either."  China, for example, is partnering with 46 other GEO-member nations and several of GEO’s Participating Organizations to ensure that unprecedented data will be available to measure the effects of human activities and natural processes on the carbon cycle, the first such coordinated effort at the global level.

In South Africa, 22 nations and 5 GEO Participating Organizations recently launched AfriGEOSS with the goal of strengthening that continent’s capabilities to produce, manage and use earth observations. "This new initiative gives us the necessary framework to support informed decisions about a range of priorities, including food security, access to clean water and sanitation, natural resources, and coastal and disaster management," said Derek Hannekom, Minister of Science and Technology, South Africa.

By increasing the utility of open data about the Earth, GEO is helping to mitigate disasters, develop water-management strategies, support citizen observatories, and strengthen food security. GEO is driving the development of new tools, such as a cholera early warning system, as well as painting fuller pictures of complex environmental processes, including through global observations of ocean acidification at the global scale and observations of atmospheric greenhouse gases from space. GEO participants are also studying the footprint of mining practices, with the aim of minimizing future impacts on nearby communities and natural habitat, and focusing on links between air quality and health. There is also focus on the far-reaching consequences of melting glaciers and other serious cold-region concerns.

"The Obama Administration continues to work to catalyze the emergence of new businesses, products and services powered by the U.S. Government's open data. Increasing access to data and data sharing, both nationally and internationally, is crucial for unleashing innovation across our data-driven economy," said Dr. Patrick Gallagher, performing the duties of the Deputy Secretary of Commerce." GEO's collaborative work to integrate open data about the Earth continues to drive the development of new tools, services and scientific insights that are used around the world to support sound decision making."

The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) marked its 10^th year with the theme, "ACB and ASEAN Member States: A Decade of Cooperation on Biodiversity Conservation."  The celebration covered a number of activities on 2 October 2015 at the College of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of the Philippines, Los Banos, Philippines. These included the groundbreaking ceremony of the new ACB headquarters; Tree Growing Activity at the "Tree World"; awarding of the Zooming in on Biodiversity Photo Contest Winners; and "Nawa'y Muli Tayong Makauwi," a musical theatre show on biodiversity conservation. 

The event provided ACB with an opportunity to promote the milestones of the Centre, and a venue for the ASEAN Member States, ACB and its partner organizations and countries to get together and further strengthen collaborations and reaffirm commitments to conserve the rich biodiversity of the ASEAN region.

Find more updates in the latest ASEAN Biodiversity Bulletin.

Ecology and Economy for a Sustainable Society
This year’s Trondheim Conference on Biodiversity has been organized to be held from May 27 until May 31, 2013 in Trondheim, Norway.  The conference will go under the "Ecology and Economy for a Sustainable Society" slogan and will be aimed at exploring how to cut development pathways towards a sustainable society by aligning policy, business, economy and ecology across borders, scales and systems.
Since the first Trondheim Conference held in 1993, the world population has grown by 25 %, the total GDP by 75 % and world trade has tripled. Despite positive achievements, loss of biodiversity along with global warming is undermining human wellbeing, especially that of the poor and vulnerable. Those issues and finding suitable solution will be on the main agenda of the 2013 Trondheim Conference.

Participation and registration
Participation in the conference is by invitation only. Each country has been invited to send two experts, one from each field of biodiversity and economy/planning. Invitees may register for the conference on the Participation and registration page.

The substantial increase mostly came from out-of-state telehealth appointments, where providers prescribe abortion medication.

The post Abortions shot up in Mass. last year in wake of Dobbs, WBUR report shows appeared first on Boston.com.

"Theeeee Yankees lose!"

The post David Ortiz still loves watching the Red Sox’ historic comeback vs. the Yankees 20 years later, especially alongside Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter appeared first on Boston.com.

By the time they return, Needham native Suni Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore will have logged more than eight months in space.

The post SpaceX launches rescue mission for 2 NASA astronauts who are stuck in space until next year appeared first on Boston.com.

A cooling job market is impacting millions of workers nationwide.

The post Were you laid off this year? Tell us your story. appeared first on Boston.com.

It’s been 40 years since the Islamic revolution in Iran. In 1979, many Iranians felt a strong sense of hope as change was sweeping through their country. Ayatollah Khomeini’s return to Iran from exile was one of the most significant moments of the revolution. Now, 40 years later, we’re hearing more of what was going on behind the scenes.

Also, we hear from two Iranians born after the revolution, who are so frustrated with conditions inside Iran, that they want to leave; we’ll look at how US sanctions on Iran are impacting American businesses; plus, the story of an Iranian-American navy veteran who grew up in revolutionary Iran; and Iranian women’s rights advocate, Masih Alinejad, explains how political hair can be in Iran.

(Revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini leaving the Air France Boeing 747 jumbo that flew him back from exile in France to Tehran. Credit: Gabriel Duval/Getty Images)

This month marks 20 years since Vladimir Putin first became prime minister of Russia. Now serving his fourth term as Russia’s president, Putin has increased and consolidated his power over the past two decades. We look back at the events that have shaped his leadership and the course of his nation. Also, we reflect on the past 20 years of diplomacy between the US and Russia; and when Vladimir Putin finishes his fourth term as Russia’s President, what will he do next?

(U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during a joint press conference after their 2018 summit in Helsinki, Finland. Credit: Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

This year marks four hundred years since slave traders arrived at the Virginia colony with the first captive Africans to be enslaved in what would become the US. It was the start of something that would come to define and divide America. Ghana has declared 2019 the “Year of Return” for African descendants around the globe. Our reporter, Rupa Shenoy, traveled to Ghana to look at how slavery is entangled in both the past and present lives of people there and in the African diaspora.

(A view inside of Christiansborg Castle, Ghana. Credit: Selase Kove-Seyram/The World)

In a Facebook post, the WPL thanked the Cambridge Public Library for their help in returning the book to its 'rightful collection.'

The post Book returned to Worcester Public Library after 51 years appeared first on Boston.com.

Jack Teixeira pleaded guilty earlier this year to six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information under the Espionage Act.

The post Mass. National Guardsman Jack Teixeira sentenced to 15 years for leaking classified information appeared first on Boston.com.

Malcolm du Plessis has quite an incredible resumé when it comes to worship.  He talks about his background in this episode of The Worship Podcast.  However, he also talks about something - we believe - that is critical for every worship pastor, leader and song writer to understand.

And that is the evolution of worship over the past few decades.  Malcolm has experience and studied knowledge in this area, like few others do.  Listen in today with a close ear, and you may just find some answers to the question, "Why do we do things that way?", you've been asking.

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The Worship Podcast is powered by All About Worship (Dustin Smith & James Galbraith) and WeAreWorship (Wisdom Moon & Morgan Shirey).

Subscribe to the podcast and find the show notes:
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Welcome to 2019!!

Today we're talking about the top New Year's Resolutions!  And guess what?  They're very similar to 2018 :)  Which begs the question, are we doing ourselves any favors with making new resolutions?  But it is still good to set goals ... hmmm ...

Listen in and see where it all ends up!

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The Worship Podcast is powered by All About Worship in partnership with WeAreWorship.

Subscribe to the podcast:
theworshippodcast.com
linktr.ee/theworshippodcast 

You can also connect with The Worship Podcast on social media:
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UNCASVILLE — Manny Ramirez turned to the man next to him, his former captain, and shared a little secret. “When I came to Boston, I watched you and I looked up to you,”: Ramirez told Jason Varitek. “When you went 4-for-4 or 0-for-4, you worked hard. It made me a better player.” It was a poignant moment during an evening of funny stories, fond reminiscences. “Man, I’ve never heard that before,” ...

The Baseball Writers' Association of America on Nov. 11 announced the finalists for its Rookie of the Year Awards. Many Boston Red Sox fans take issue with its American League selections. Red Sox rookie Wilyer Abreu was not selected among the three AL ROY finalists. Colton Cowser, Austin Wells and Luis Gil — all AL East rivals — are the three youngsters nominated for this season's title.

If liberals thought 2016 was bad, wait until they get a load of President Trump in 2017. Interviews this week with a spokesman from the Presidential Inaugural Committee and a one-on-one with Lila Rose, a national pro-life leader who is expecting ...

Roy's mother abandoned him when he was 3 years old. He lived on the street before he was rescued and sent to live at an unusual place. Can you imagine the delight when Roy became the top student in his class when he got older? Learn more about ...

Gaylord, MI Sofia Kunst had already developed a knitting hobby by the age of 12 after learning how to knit blankets from her grandmother. One day she ran into a “snag." She was running out of yarn. Reflecting on that moment, Sofia says, “I didn’t have enough money to buy more yarn, because the yarn I like to make blankets with is more expensive.” Sofia’s mom, Courtney, suggested she use the remaining yarn and weave a wall tapestry and sell it. They found a design online, and for three days...

Visit CBNLEGACY.org, call 1-800-333-2373 or email PlannedGiving@CBN.org     Year-End Ideas - Optimizing Charitable Giving  There are three focus areas when deciding on optimizing charitable giving while maximizing tax deductions: Appreciated Investments  Cash  Retirement Plans  Appreciated Investments Gifts of Stock Select a highly appreciated stock held for 1-year+ in a brokerage account. Donate stock shares by DTC wire transfer. Benefits Receive an itemized charitable tax deduction at...

The Texas Lathing & Plastering Contractors Association’s Annual Convention and Trade Show will be held on June 11-13. Its 72nd Annual Convention will be at the Hotel Galvez in Galveston, Texas.

Westlake Royal Building Products has been named 2022 Vendor of the Year by Carter Lumber, one of the nation’s top building materials retailers. Despite industry shifts and challenges, the partnership has remained strong, allowing both companies to continue meeting the needs of customers.

This year’s Northwest Wall and Ceiling Bureau’s Annual Convention and Trade Show named the 2012 Outstanding Projects of the Year. The event, held May 10-12 in Scottsdale, Ariz., named several of its members from Canada and the U.S. The following are the winners:

The Northwest Wall and Ceiling Bureau announced the winners of its annual Outstanding Project of the Year Awards.

On Sept. 6, Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc., the parent company of Simpson Strong-Tie, rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange in celebration of the company’s 30th anniversary as a publicly listed company.

The charity leaders body Acevo warns that charities could be forced to cut staff

The owners of Evolution Drywall Inc. in Palm Coast, Florida, were charged with insurance fraud and organized fraud in 2018 but were cleared a year later, reported Ray Boone of Palm Coast Observer. A judge ruled that no restitution needed to be made.

The gap reached 14 per cent last year, research from the charity leaders body Acevo shows

Richmond Parish Lands Charity has become the Richmond Foundation

Funding models must also include provisions for inflation-based adjustments, the report says

This prestigious award goes to the charity or voluntary sector organisation that has had a truly exceptional year and whose recent achievements have attracted the admiration of the sector

Awarded to a partnership between two or more charities that has enabled the partners to more effectively deliver services to beneficiaries, reach new groups or reduce costs

Awarded to the communications team that has worked effectively together to raise awareness of a particular campaign or the charity's overall work

Awarded to an agency that has helped to create a highly successful communications campaign for its client, or provided an exceptional level of support and advice

Awarded to a charity for a highly successful, innovative or inspiring communications campaign

Awarded to a fundraising team that has worked effectively together to achieve or exceed its fundraising targets

This weekend’s event is offering more than a million volunteering opportunities through its app

An estimated 6.5 million took part in the second event, down about 10 per cent on last year

Lucinda Rouse speaks to the outgoing chief of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution about cycles, Covid-19 and the ‘one crew’ pledge

The charity had supported almost 100,000 people living with dementia and had a record fundraising year

Steve Bradley joined the charity as a cadet aged 11 and continued to serve for the next five decades, meeting the woman who would become his wife along the way

Brian Cole says he was so grateful to the RNLI for helping him that he began fundraising and giving talks about it

Awarded to a charity with the best marketing campaign. Examples might include the successful marketing of an organisation's products, services or membership programmes

Awarded to the finance team that has displayed exceptional financial leadership by, for example, improving the charity's financial performance or by helping it to overcome significant challenges

Washington — At least 155 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty during the first half of the year – a 9.9% increase from the same period in 2020, according to a recently released report from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

Hopkinton, MA – “Overexertion involving outside sources” was the leading cause of disabling injuries in the United States in 2014 for the third consecutive year, according to the Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index, an annual ranking of serious, nonfatal workplace injuries based on direct workers’ compensation costs.