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Aquanty

Staff Research Highlight - Application of Different Weighting Schemes and Stochastic Simulations to Parameterization Processes Considering Observation Error

Lee, E., Lee, H., Park, D., Hwang, H.-T., & Park, C. (2023). Application of Different Weighting Schemes and Stochastic Simulations to Parameterization Processes Considering Observation Error: Implications for Climate Change Impact Analysis of Integrated Watershed Models. In Water (Vol. 15, Issue 10, p. 1880). MDPI AG. doi.org/10.3390/w15101880

“The inclusion of different observation types and a detailed characterization of the study site through a highly parameterized problem approach or regularized inversion could be useful to improve the calibration performance and better characterize the spatially varying dynamics of integrated water systems.”
— Lee, E., et al., 2023

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE.

We’re pleased to highlight this publication (co-authored by Aquanty’s senior scientist Hyoun-Tae Hwang) which focuses on improving the calibration of integrated watershed models by addressing uncertainties arising from observation errors. The research explores how different weighting schemes and stochastic simulations can enhance the accuracy of parameter estimation processes, ultimately reducing uncertainty in climate change impact assessments.

“Based on the geological logging database, the subsurface domain was vertically discretized into four divisions (surface soil, alluvial deposits, weathered rock zone, and basement rock), the depths of which were determined using inverse distance weighting interpolation. These vertical geological units were then divided into 10 sublayers to increase the vertical resolution of the model. The total numbers of 3D nodes and elements are 89,530 and 156,420, respectively.”
— Lee, E., et al., 2023

In this research highlight, the authors developed a three-dimensional integrated model of the Sabgyo watershed in South Korea using HydroGeoSphere (HGS), a powerful tool capable of simulating coupled surface water–groundwater interactions. The study applied the Parameter ESTimation tool (PEST) to calibrate the model, investigating three different weighting schemes that account for variances in observation error, alongside a stochastic simulation approach that treated observation error as a random variable. This innovative calibration framework was used to assess how groundwater and surface water interact under current and future climate conditions.

Figure 1. (a) Location of the study site; (b) monitoring stations and stream network within the watershed; and (c) 3D subsurface model and dominant hydrostratigraphy/soil types of the study site.

The research showed that incorporating observation-error-based weighting into the PEST calibration process improved model performance, particularly in parameter sensitivity and estimation accuracy. Although the differences in surface flow and groundwater level simulations across the three weighting schemes were relatively minor, the estimated parameters—such as hydraulic conductivity and evapotranspiration limits—varied significantly. Notably, the log-transformed weighting approach (Case 3) produced parameter values most consistent with stochastic simulations, indicating a more realistic calibration outcome.

HydroGeoSphere played a central role in the study, enabling the simulation of groundwater and surface water processes at high spatial and temporal resolutions. Its integration with PEST allowed for an efficient calibration process, while also accounting for uncertainties stemming from field data collection and observational limitations. HGS’s ability to model seasonal hydrological cycles and groundwater–surface water exchange fluxes under both current and future climate scenarios was key to understanding how these interactions might evolve.

“The models predicted that groundwater infiltration and seepage would play a significant role in reducing stream discharge during the rainy season and maintaining it during the dry season.”
— Lee, E., et al., 2023

Using the calibrated model, the authors then explored the predicted hydrological responses and groundwater–surface water interactions under different climate change scenarios. Predictions under RCP2.6 and RCP8.5 climate/emission scenarios suggested notable changes in watershed behavior, with increased evapotranspiration and variable surface discharges across decades. Importantly, groundwater was shown to buffer seasonal hydrological variability, contributing significantly to streamflow during dry periods. These results emphasize the critical role of groundwater in sustaining water systems under changing climatic conditions.

By leveraging HGS’s advanced capabilities and incorporating statistical approaches to deal with observation uncertainty, the study delivers valuable insights for improving hydrological modelling practices. It underscores the need to account for observation error in large-scale watershed models to better inform climate resilience strategies, water resource planning, and environmental decision-making.

Abstract:

We investigated the potential impact of observation error on the calibration performance of an integrated watershed model. A three-dimensional integrated model was constructed using HydroGeoSphere and applied to the Sabgyo watershed in South Korea to assess the groundwater–surface water interaction process. During the model calibration, three different weighting schemes that consider observation error variances were applied to the parameter estimation tool (PEST). The applied weighting schemes were compared with the results from stochastic models, in which observation errors from surface discharges were considered a random variable. Based on the calibrated model, the interactions between groundwater and surface water were predicted under different climate change scenarios (RCP). Comparisons of calibration performance between the different models showed that the observation-error-based weighting schemes contributed to an improvement in the model parameterization. Analysis of the exchange flux between groundwater and surface water highlighted the significance of groundwater in delaying the hydrological response of integrated water systems. Predictions based on different RCP scenarios suggested the increasing role of groundwater in watershed dynamics. We concluded that the comparison of different weighting schemes for the determination of error covariance could contribute to an improved characterization of watershed processes and reduce the model uncertainty arising from observation errors.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE.


James Davis Nicoll

Moves On Black and White / The Squares of the City By John Brunner

John Brunner’s 1965 The Squares of the City is a stand-alone Ruritanian thriller.

Under Vados’ benign dictatorship, the once-backwater South American nation of Aguazul thrives. Ciudad de Vados is an exemplar of Vados’ vision, a useless wasteland transformed into a peerless modern city.

Ciudad de Vados has one unsolved challenge. Traffic analyst Boyd Hakluyt is hired to help resolve it.


KW Music Productions

Announcing Our 2026 Spring Show!

♦ Get ready to party like it’s 1985!

Our 2026 spring production is the hilarious, high-energy musical The Wedding Singer—a throwback romp full of big hair, bigger dreams, and a whole lot of heart. Whether you’re a fan of the movie or brand new to the story, you won’t want to miss this feel-good celebration of love, laughs, and ‘80s nostalgia.

Save the date as we’ll be bringing this hilarious show to The Conrad Centre for the Performing Arts from May 28 – June 7, 2026.

Creative call and audition information will be coming soon. Keep an eye on our socials and check back on our website to stay informed.

We can’t wait to party with you next spring!

The Wedding Singer

Book by Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy
Music by Matthew Sklar
Lyrics by Chad Beguelin
Based on the New Line Cinema film written by Tim Herlihy

 

 

The post Announcing Our 2026 Spring Show! appeared first on K-W Musical Productions.

KW Music Productions

Join KWMPs Dance Club This Summer

Join the KWMP Dance Club, a vibrant, bi-weekly dance series designed to foster community, fitness, and fun through beginner-to-advanced level dance instruction.

Available Classes

Thursday, July 17 – Jazz taught by Sarah Bowman
Thursday, July 31 – Heels/Musical Theatre taught by Ciara Moules
Thursday, August 14 – Lyrical taught by Sarah Jones
Thursday, Aug 28 – Tap taught by Laura Hole

Times:
Beginner/Intermediate – 6:30pm to 8:00pm
Intermediate/Advanced – 8:00pm to 9:30pm

Location:
KWMP Arts Centre (14 Shaftsbury Drive, Kitchener)

Beginner/Intermediate Classes

Tailored to people who are new to dance or have basic training, this class is perfect for those who want to explore dance and/or hone their skills in a casual and low-pressure environment. Build confidence in movement with slower-paced instruction, a break down of technique and the introduction of basic choreography – and have fun while you’re doing it!

Class Structure: 0.5hr Warm Up, 0.5hr Technique, 0.5hr Choreography

Intermediate/Advanced Classes

For more experienced dancers who want to challenge themselves, continue to push their skills and are comfortable picking up choreography. This class will be less focused on the basics and more about exploring musicality, style and more complex moves and combinations. It will include faster-paced choreography, transitions and a focus on performance quality. Great for audition training and taking your dance skills to the next level!

Class Structure: 0.5hr Warm Up, 1hr Choreography

Cost

$15 per class ($10 for KWMP Members). Sign up for a KWMP membership.

Register Now

NO REFUNDS WILL BE PROVIDED DUE TO CANCELLATIONS.

 

 

The post Join KWMPs Dance Club This Summer appeared first on K-W Musical Productions.


The Backing Bookworm

Oddbird



This is a cute story told with bright and vivid collage-like illustrations featuring a flock of colourful birds in a variety of shapes and sizes to catch the eye of young readers.
Oddbird is the odd man out. He doesn't have colourful feathers like the other birds but instead of standing around the pool on a hot day like the other birds, he jumps right in and shows young readers that it's more important to love who we are and not waste time worrying about what others think.  

My Rating: 4 starsAuthor: Derek DesiertoGenre: Picture Book, ChildrenType and Source: Hardcover from public libraryPublisher: Fiewel and Friends (Macmillan)First Published: May 25, 2021Read: June 25, 2025

Book Description from GoodReads: A picture book from Derek Desierto about a bird who doesn't fit in...at first!
It's SO hot outside. All the fancy birds are gathered around the water, wishing they could cool off. But they don't want to get wet and ruin their fine feathers.

Oddbird isn't worried about his feathers; he wants to go for a refreshing dip. But he doesn't fit in. He's not fancy, or colorful. He's just...different. The other birds don't want him around. How can he join them?

Oddbird's story is one all readers will relate to, and ultimately celebrate.


James Bow

Most Fantasy Novels have a Fantasy Map. Here's Mine.

I am an unapologetic transit fan, and as The Night Girl is an unapologetic Toronto novel, the two are linked. Indeed, the inspirational incident that launched The Night Girl back in 2003 was my wife Erin suggesting that I write a story about Toronto subway builders "digging to greedily and too deep", to quote Tolkien. The story took a very different shape, over time, but the link to Toronto's underground and its underground city remains.

I'm also an unapologetic fan of maps. Paper maps are as much a work of art as anything. The way that they show you the way, without the help of GPS, is a miracle, and this is not to disparage online maps which let me explore the world from my desktop, finding roads less travelled that I might travel someday.

And fantasy maps are a big part of any transit fan or advocate's life. When we advocate for better transit, we draw maps, because we want to see where we might be able to go in the future, if only our governments would get off their tufts and get building.

And given that many fantasy novels have maps of their own, it only seems right that The Night Girl place itself in this intersection. So, early on in the development of The Night Girl, I had fun putting together a fantasy map of what the Toronto subway was turning into over the course of the story, thanks to the work of the goblins and trolls.

In styling this map, I had to tread carefully. I wanted to ape the style that the Toronto Transit Commission took with its subway maps in the 1980s (and still takes, with modifications, today). For Torontonians, the look of Toronto's subway map is iconic. Back in 2006, writer Cory Doctorow said the following:

I grew up riding the TTC, and the map is burned into my subconscious. It's part of every Torontonian's experience of the city, a part of the cultural fabric.

Cory said this after the TTC's legal department prodded a transit fan who had remixed the Toronto subway map, changing each station's name into funny anagrams. Cory questioned the merit of this move to protect trademark, noting "Culture gets remixed -- that's what happens with it. Trademark is supposed to protect rightsholders from competitors who use their marks to confuse the public in the course of commerce. No one who saw RobotJohnny's genius map would have confused it for a second with a real TTC map and sent him a subway token." He'd use similar phrases to defend me when the owners of the C.N. Tower sent me a cease-and-desist letter on The Night Girl for its legal use of a photograph on its cover depicting that building.

Since then, the TTC has been a lot more relaxed with the presence of fantasy maps, though many are still careful to ape, but not directly copy the colour-on-black background look the TTC used. It's one reason my fantasy map is purple.

Either way, I had fun putting this map together, and thought (not seriously) about paying to have it placed as an advertisement on the Toronto subway -- or installing a version, guerilla-style. Instead, I share it with you here. Enjoy!

And while we're here, below please find an image of Toronto's Underground City -- it's PATH Network -- as dug by. goblins and trolls as well...


Code Like a Girl

The Hidden Cost of Negotiation for Women and Outsiders

Explore why women, foreigners, and outsiders often hesitate to negotiate, and how identity, culture, influence the cost of asking.

Continue reading on Code Like A Girl »


Code Like a Girl

If You Knew You’d Be Laid Off, Would You Still Work as Hard?

I worked nonstop — and still got laid off

Continue reading on Code Like A Girl »


Elmira Advocate

WHY WOULD I BELIEVE ANY CRAP ABOUT STOPPING OFF-SITE PUMPING FROM HADLEY?

 

The only credibility she's got is that she hasn't been lying about the former Uniroyal site for as many years/decades as some of her colleagues. I believe the five minute  has lied since she's been attending and speaking (too much) at TRAC meetings although it is possible that some of it at least may be misinformation given to her verbally by her colleagues. 

Now based upon deception, lies and slick psuedo science she and her fellow travellors have sold to naive and or willing intelligent folks on TRAC all kinds of crap regarding "asymptotic" behaviour on graphs, DNAPL nonsense and even flip flops on chlorobenzene being a single source versus multiple sources here in Elmira. 

Hadley now has sold the wonderfully self-serving idea of fully stopping multiple off-site pumping wells. Every day they are stopped Lanxess does not pay hydro to pump the wells or hydro to run their treatment systems or activated carbon, ultraviolet tubes replacement etc. etc. Allegedly according to a lying company with three  predecessors corporations who may or may not have been worse than them, the purpose of this exercise is for Lanxess/GHD to be able to measure contaminant concentrations when the aquifer is at rest. In other words when the concentrations are not being influenced by pumping wells.

Is Hadley's request reasonable? Maybe but precious little to zero documentation, research or technical backup has been given to the public (much less TRAC?) . Based upon the history of the site and the last four owners I wouldn't donate so much as a nickel betting in favour of anything they say.  

Clean House of these parasitic, self-serving swine. Let them feed off some other community for a while 


Code Like a Girl

The Hidden Reason AI Is Making Us Mentally Weaker

The real problem is ‘us’ not AI.

Continue reading on Code Like A Girl »


Code Like a Girl

When ChatGPT Spat 42 Wrong “Facts”

Guardrails 101: How to Unit-Test Your Language Model for Hallucinations

Continue reading on Code Like A Girl »


Brickhouse Guitars

Boucher LE SG 241 BM 20th 1014 OMH Demo by Roger Schmidt

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Kitchener Panthers

Leafs' late comeback spoils quality MacNeil start

KITCHENER - A rough seventh inning for the Kitchener Panthers bullpen, hit batters, missed opportunities. It all led to a tough 9-5 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs Sunday at Jack Couch Park.

Owen MacNeil was in line for the win after the Panthers took a 3-2 lead into the seventh.

But the bullpen got rocked for four runs, including a three-run bomb from Dennis Dei Banning. 

They would add two more runs in each of the eighth and ninth innings.

MacNeil gave up two runs on three hits in six innings and struck out a season-high 11 batters. But he did have his fair share of miscues, walking five batters and issuing two more free passes via the hit by pitch.

The Panthers hit five batters altogether.

Kade Kozak took the loss, facing just three batters to start the seventh. He walked the first two and gave up the home run.

Drew Howard took the win, giving up three runs on four hits in three innings. He walked five and fanned five.

Kitchener hosts Hamilton on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. to begin a busy stretch, where they play eight games in 10 days leading into the all-star showdown in Hamilton.

BOXSCORE

PART 1 of the BROADCAST

PART 2 of the BROADCAST

Andrew Shackleton

June 2025 Market Review

Is boring good? I’d like to think so because this is definitely the trend for real estate here in Waterloo Region, and the June market has been no different. What really stands out is how flat prices have been for the past year. There’s been absolutely no spring market bump in prices in 2025.

Looking back at June 2023, we saw detached over 100k higher than January and February, which is somewhat typical for the busiest time of the year. By the next month, July 2023, prices immediately retreated to the low nines/mid eights where they’ve remained ever since.  

The other segments have seen similar activity over the past couple of years with the only big moves happening in apt style condos. Even then, prices in that sector are down roughly 10% over 24 months in the face of very high inventories. Towns and semis have traded in a fairly narrow band in comparison.

More recently, compared to May 2025, our June prices have remained almost entirely flat, down at most, one percent. Relative to June 2024, detached and semis were unchanged, with townhouses and apt condos down 6% on the year.

While prices have remained stable for months on end, what has changed significantly is sales volumes and inventory levels. Volumes are at multi-year lows and they have been for at least a half year now. While apt condos were flat, semi sales were 57% of the 10 year average. Detached and towns were also slow, coming in at 82% and 73%.

At the same time we’ve seen a sharp uptick in listings over and above the slump in sales. The only segment remaining in seller status is detached and it is barely so at 2.8 months. Semis and townhomes are both neutral, with apt condos well into buyer territory.

With the typically quiet summer market underway, it’s fairly safe to say we’ll see continued slowness. I expect we’ll see prices moving sideways with some deals as well for savvy buyers. Sellers need to temper their expectations especially if their property is suboptimal. Conversely homes that are in great shape are still seeing bidding wars if they are aggressively priced.

The post June 2025 Market Review appeared first on Andrew Shackleton.


artsfols

2022 Intro to Best Folk and Acoustic Session Videos

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KW Peace

Palestine Day: The Land Remains, Carl Zehr Square (Kitchener City Hall), 1pm Sunday 13 July 2025

  • What: 4th Annual KW Palestine Festival
  • When: 1:00pm to 9:00pm on Sunday 13 July 2025
  • Where: Carl Zehr Square, at Kitchener City Hall
  • Location: 200 King Street West, Kitchener, Ontario Map
  • Website: Palestine Day: The Land Remains (@kwpalestinefestival on Instagram)

Supported by:

  • PYM: Palestinian Youth Movement
  • NFPWR: Neighbours for Palestine: Waterloo Region
  • Palestinian Solidarity KW (@palestinesolidaritykw) | Instagram
  • KW Palestine (@kwpalestine) | Instagram
  • PYM Toronto (@pymtoronto) | Instagram

James Davis Nicoll

Off To A Foreign Land / The Steel, the Mist, and the Blazing Sun By Christopher Anvil

Christopher Anvil’s 1980 The Steel, the Mist, and the Blazing Sun is (almost) a stand-alone post-apocalyptic proto-military SF novel.

The atomic unpleasantness left half of North America as slag lands1, and left Europe untouched but a Russ dependency. The Russ even established colonies on the North American east coast. It seemed unlikely that the invaders would ever be forced to leave. After all, the Russ have (dwindling) stores of Old Stuff, whereas the descendants of American and Canadian survivors make do with far more primitive equipment.

Recent events proved that the Russ were curiously vulnerable. Under Arakal, King of the Wesdem O’Cracys2, the North American savages somehow overcame their technological and ideological impediments, outmaneuvered their enemy, and drove the Russ high command from North America.

What next?

Kitchener Panthers

Panthers stay strong on Saturdays with win in Toronto

TORONTO - Kitchener's pitching came to play on Saturday, as Evan Elliott, Andrew MacNeil and Dakota Parsons gave up just three hits combined in an 11-3 win over the Maple Leafs.

Elliott struck out seven in six innings of work, giving up just two hits and one unearned run in the win.

After trailing 1-0, the Panthers struck for five runs in the third, and three more in each of the fourth and fifth innings.

Runta Osawa and Trent Lawson both went yard, while Yordan Manduley, Yunior Ibarra, Osawa and Yosuke Fujie collected two hits each.

They also took advantage of five errors commited by the Leafs.

Adam Jafine took the loss, striking out eight through 4.2 innings. He gave up 10 hits and 11 runs, though just four of those runs were earned.

The two teams will do it again at Jack Couch Park to wrap up the home-and-home weekend set. First pitch is at 5 p.m.

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW and #PackTheJack!

BOXSCORE




Elmira Advocate

A STEELWORKS IN CORBY SCOTLAND PLAY THE SAME FILTHY GAME AS UNIROYAL/LANXESS

 

The movie/ Documentary is on Netflix and it's title is "Toxic Town" One of the bottom lines for me was that Scottish working class men and women put our local workforce to shame. The other standout was how barefaced and unashamedly managers and owners of the steel works lied and denied almost everything. Finally yes there were torn loyalties to the company and to some of their own families.

Eveyone agreed that steelmaking is a dirty but necessary business.  After that however the company would not concede even the most obvious facts.  They smugly chose at every opportunity to ignore the mounting health damages and to arrogantly believe that they had the right of life and death over their fellow citizens and employees if that was required to benefit the company. Children were born disabled, deformed and some never made it through infancy.  

Some of the chemicals and heavy metals involved are similar to Uniroyal Chemical such as dioxins and PAHs but there were also cadmium and chromium. The dust was spread all over the town despite senior management knowingly full well how toxic it was. 

This  Lanxess is why you and your filthy ilk can not earn back the trust of knowledgeable citizens around the world.


The Backing Bookworm

Dream Girl Drama


You know you're going to get spicy romance with Tessa Bailey but after her last book, I said I was going to take a break from her. I lied. When I saw this book available at the library, I grabbed it because clearly, I have no shelf control.
I've read the first two books in the Big Shots series, and this book was exactly what I expected - Bailey's spicy romance trifecta, if you will. Insta-Lust that gave me whiplash, a domineering, obsessive male character and cringy sex talk. Don't get me started about the uncomfortable (for me) sex scenes. I should have known Bailey would go there again - IYKYK. 
This is a story about forbidden romance between two adults who meet as strangers only to find out that their parents are engaged to each other. But to say the romance was taboo and 'forbidden'? That was pushing it - it's not a Flowers in the Attic situation - these two met as strangers (just) before their parents got engaged so it all felt so contrived.
Bailey gives her readers some soap opera angst, spicy scenes, sprinkles of humour (the newbie hockey players were a hoot and the playful 'bad blood' between the professional baseball and hockey players was entertaining) and a beautiful Boston setting. The weakness in this book is Sig and Chloe - she was spoiled and frustratingly naive for a grown woman while manly man Sig was too aggressive in his obsession love for her. I'd love to see Bailey write a male main character who wasn't physical perfection and didn't have the need to dominate.
This is signature Tessa Bailey - humour and high-octane lust wrapped up in a light read. I knew what I was getting into and jumped in anyway. My bad.

My Rating: 2.5 starsAuthor: Tessa BaileySeries: Big Shots #3Type and Source: trade paperback from public libraryPublisher: AvonFirst Published: Feb 4, 2025Read: June 22-27, 2025

Book Description from GoodReads: A steamy chance encounter between a professional hockey player and the manic pixie dream girl he just can’t seem to forget takes a turn when the pair realize that their parents are engaged—in an all-new rom-com by #1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey.
When professional hockey player Sig Gauthier’s car breaks down and his phone dies, he treks into a posh private country club to call a tow truck, where he encounters the alluring Chloe Clifford, the manic pixie dream girl who captivates him immediately with her sense of adventure and penchant for stealing champagne.

Sparks fly during a moonlight kiss and the enamored pair can’t wait to see each other again, but when Sig finally arrives to meet his dad’s new girlfriend over dinner, Chloe is confusingly also there. Turns out the girlfriend is Chloe’s mother. Oh, and they’re engaged.

Sig’s dream girl is his future stepsister.

Though the pair is now wary of being involved romantically, Chloe, a sheltered harp prodigy, yearns to escape her controlling mother. Sig promises to teach her the ins and outs of independence in Boston—but not inside his bedroom. They both know there can never be more than friendship between a famous hockey player and his high-society, soon-to-be stepsister. But keeping their relationship platonic grows harder amid the developing family drama, especially knowing they were meant for so much more…


Brickhouse Guitars

Furch Pioneer CMa #127831 Demo by Kyle Wilson

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Grand River Rocks Climbing Gym

Punch Card SALE

♦ Sale price is available for one week only!
Punches valid at both locations!
No purchase limit! Stock up!

The post Punch Card SALE appeared first on Grand River Rocks Climbing Gym.


Elmira Advocate

WILL THE LANXESS FOLK RUN FOR THE HILLS WHEN THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL FACADE COMES TUMBLING DOWN?

 

Fair enough they've got deep pockets and egos so it's unlikely they'll run for their corporate mamas at the first hints of trouble.  However as their foundations begin to quake I wonder how serious their exit strategies are. I'm referring to Hadley and Luis although there are lots of others less directly involved in the environmental scam. Allan Deal isn't there for GHD all the time but his lack of understanding of DNAPLS is actually painful. The GHD folk have come and gone but they are just as slippery as their predecessors. Same with the Ministry of Environment, Conservation & Parks. I still view the MECP as the Ministry of Expanded Corporate Pollution. It is maximum talk and speech per single molecule of  contaminant removed from the natural environment. You know in an honest organization there would be bonus and promotions not for the smoothest, sleaziest talkers but for those who actually stop pollution. Now we've got Lubna Hussain and Jason Rice. Dear God.

I am currently involved in searching for an environmental partner. A partner with motives considerably different than the Lanxess folk, the GHD folk and the MECP folk. One problem of course is total loss of respect and credibility of the MECP. Yes back in 1990 there were howls for a Public Inquiry into the Ontario Ministry of Environment. Under Jim Bradley (Liberal) they were actually laying charges and getting convictions. It needs to happen again.

Science can do a lot if it is properly funded. Laws however are constantly being written with no intent to ever enforce them. This too is why the Justice system has fallen into disrepute. Here in Elmira the polluters produce their own science at will. 


Grand River Rocks Climbing Gym

Punch Card SALE

♦Sale price is available for one week only!
Punches valid at both locations!
No purchase limit! Stock up!

The post Punch Card SALE appeared first on Grand River Rocks Climbing Gym.


Brickhouse Guitars

McNally S Custom #264 Demo by Roger Schmidt

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House of Friendship

Meeting a Community Need – HART HUB

HART Hub Waterloo Region will provide support to unhoused community members who are ready to make a change with their substance use.

House of Friendship is excited to partner with Community Healthcaring Kitchener-Waterloo to provide HART Hub services in Waterloo Region.

Through HART (Homeless and Addiction Recovery Treatment) Hubs, the Province of Ontario is investing almost $550 million to support people who are experiencing homelessness and living with addiction.

Through the program, community members will connect with staff from House of Friendship and working alongside Community Healthcaring’s outreach teams that are already in place. These teams will meet regularly with unhoused community members who are struggling with mental health and addiction challenges, whether they are at encampments or community programs like Ray of Hope.

“Most supports in the community are only offered during the daytime, and with these expanded services, the HART team will meet people where they are at, into the evenings and weekends,” said Jennifer Scott, Housing Director at House of Friendship.

In Waterloo Region, the HART Hub is not one single location. Rather, it is a network of services that have been expanded to meet the needs of the community. House of Friendship is just one of many important partners in the HART Hub.

The program will include a drop-in component at locations throughout the community including Community Healthcaring’s clinic and the Ray of Hope Community Centre, but House of Friendship will also provide transitional housing for up to 12 community members – giving them a safe home while participating in an abstinence-based program that includes life skills and recreational programming, along with counselling.

The goal is to support individuals who are chronically homeless (unhoused for more than six months) and who are ready to make a change, actively seeking a pathway out of addiction and homelessness.

“We want to support people so they can secure permanent housing,” said Jennifer. “As soon as they enter the program, we will be talking about how they can get ready to live on their own.”

The post Meeting a Community Need – HART HUB appeared first on House Of Friendship.


James Davis Nicoll

The Things You Do / The Bewitching By Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s 2025 The Bewitching is a period-piece horror novel1.

International student Minerva Contreras keeps busy with her studies at Stoneridge College, her work in the language lab, and her duties as a resident director. Despite this, Minerva is consumed with inexplicable ennui.

An encounter with wealthy failson Noah Yates provides Minerva with all the diversion she could want. Somewhat more, in fact.


Kitchener Panthers

Panthers on wrong end of home run derby against Barnstormers

KITCHENER - Nine home runs left Jack Couch Park Thursday night, but it was the reigning IBL MVP making his season debut for the visitors who set the tone early and made the difference for the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers.

Seth Strong hit a grand slam home run in the first inning, and added a three-run bomb as the Kitchener Panthers lost 17-6.

Kitchener got it to 7-4 after the sixth but the Barnstormers scored five in the seventh, sending 10 batters to the plate in the process.

Kitchener got home runs from Yordan Manduley, Yunior Ibarra, Runta Osawa and a pinch hitting Trent Lawson.

Chatham countered with Mitsuki Fukuda's second of the year, and a pair of homers from Spencer Morin.

Andy Vargas took the loss, giving up seven runs off eight hits in six innings of work. He struck out six and walked two.

Aden Ryan got the win, giving up four runs on five hits in 5.2 innings. He struck out five and walked two.

The loss snaps Kitchener's two-game winning streak, as they fall to 8-14 on the year. Chatham-Kent improves to 14-8.

Kitchener has a home-and-home with Toronto this weekend, starting at Christie Pits Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.

Sunday, the Panthers play host at 5 p.m.

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW and #PackTheJack!

BOXSCORE


KW Predatory Volley Ball

Alumni Watch. Congratulations Delaney Watson. Next Gen Team Canada

Read full story for latest details.

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Catherine Fife MPP

FIFE: Ontario’s system failed Joan and Jim – but their story shows why we need to change the law

WATERLOO – After six long years of forced separation, Jim McLeod and his wife, Joan, have finally been reunited under one roof at Fairview Seniors Community in Cambridge. Their story shows just how desperately Ontario needs laws to protect senior couples from being split up. 

MPP Catherine Fife with Jim McLeod

Ontario NDP MPP Catherine Fife has introduced legislation again and again to stop this from happening. Her latest bill, the Till Death Do Us Part Act (Bill 21), has been sitting in committee for 443 days since passing Second Reading. 

“Jim and Joan’s story shows exactly why this needs to change,” said Fife. “No couple should be forced apart like this. The harm it causes is real. The government could act today to end this, but they keep choosing not to.” 

Jim and Joan’s long-overdue reunion shows their determination to stay together no matter what barriers have been out in front of them. Although their story ended with them finally back together, no couple should have to endure years of needless suffering to get there. Jim has committed to keep advocating for change so that no other seniors have to go through the same struggle.  

It took Joan being hospitalized and deemed palliative for her to finally be moved to Fairview, an outcome her doctor and nurse described as a health crisis caused, in part, by heartbreak. 

Background: 

  • Jim and Joan were married for 65 years when she was placed in long-term care at Hilltop Manor in 2017, even though Fairview, right next to Jim’s independent living suite, was her first choice. For more than six years, Jim made nearly 2,000 trips to visit her, paying out of pocket while Joan’s health declined. 

  • Earlier this year, Jim sent Minister of Long-Term Care Stan Cho an invoice for all those trips, using the same mileage rate MPPs receive, to show the cost and strain this caused. “Minister Cho, please refer to the attached invoice covering approximately 2,000 trips I have made to Hilltop to visit my wife during the past 6+ years,” Jim wrote. “In future, I will send a quarterly invoice until Joan is moved to Fairview.” 

  • In Ontario, there is no legislation guaranteeing senior couples can stay together when one partner requires long-term care. 


Grand River Sports Medicine Centre

Injury Prevention for Runners: 11 Simple Exercises

Injury prevention for runners starts with strengthening and flexibility exercises that target your glutes, core, hamstrings, and calves!

The post Injury Prevention for Runners: 11 Simple Exercises appeared first on Grand River Sports Medicine Centre serving Cambridge and Kitchener-Waterloo.


Cordial Catholic, K Albert Little

An Evangelical Worship Leader Discovers the Catholic Church (w/ Dr. Carly York)

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Becca Grieb

How to Avoid AI Fatigue with Your Content Writing: Actionable Strategies

AI has transformed content writing, letting creators publish faster and reach wider audiences than ever before. Yet, the rapid growth of AI-generated material has flooded readers with bland, repetitive posts, making it harder to stand out and easier for audiences to tune out. The most effective way to avoid AI fatigue in content writing is to prioritize originality, authenticity, and usefulness while leveraging AI strictly as a supporting tool, not a replacement for real perspective.

Writers should focus on quality over quantity, using AI for tasks like outlining, editing, or summarizing, but always injecting personal insight and unique angles that can’t be auto-generated. This approach ensures content remains fresh and genuinely valuable, helping readers cut through the noise and connect with content that matters. For creators looking to rise above the glut of generic posts, understanding how to use AI to enhance—not overrun—their voice is crucial for keeping both themselves and their audiences engaged.

Fundamental Tactics to Prevent AI Fatigue in Content Creation

Using artificial intelligence for content writing offers speed and efficiency, but it can also result in repetitive, impersonal material. Adopting mindful approaches helps writers maintain quality, stand out, and keep audiences engaged.

Recognizing the Causes of AI Fatigue in Writing

AI fatigue often stems from the sheer volume and sameness of ai-generated content circulating online. Many ai tools, including popular platforms like ChatGPT, are trained on overlapping datasets, leading to content that may appear polished but tends to lack originality and depth.

Writers relying heavily on ai content creation risk producing material that feels generic. This can make it challenging for authentic voices and new insights to surface, increasing the likelihood of audience disengagement. Content creators should be aware that too much dependence on artificial intelligence can lead to information overload, making readers less responsive and more likely to tune out.

Being selective with ai writing tools—and reserving their use for tasks like outlining, summarizing, or editing—can reduce the risk of contributing to this fatigue. Filtering out non-essential information and focusing on relevance helps maintain a balance, as highlighted in guides on combating content fatigue.

Balancing AI Tools with Human Creativity

Meaningful content stands out when human expertise merges with the capabilities of ai. Successful writers blend ai-generated suggestions with unique insights, personal stories, and fresh perspectives to deliver genuine value.

Use ai tools to spark ideas, generate outlines, or clean up grammar, but let core arguments and critical thinking come from a human creator. A useful approach involves creating a two-column table: one side lists what AI can help with (summarizing, grammar checks), and the other lists what requires human input (original thought, expertise, tone).

AI Tools Human Creativity Drafting outlines Developing unique concepts Summarizing content Providing in-depth analysis Grammar and style checks Injecting tone and personality

Adopting a "quality over quantity" mindset encourages writers to produce less repetitive, more engaging pieces. A slow content approach focuses on thoughtful, well-developed writing instead of high-frequency posting, making content more resilient to fatigue.

Building a Sustainable AI-Enhanced Workflow

A sustainable workflow integrates artificial intelligence without overwhelming creators or audiences. Setting clear guidelines for when and how to use AI is critical. Writers might use ai tools for ideation, content research, or routine editing, but retain human oversight on structure, message, and key insights.

Structuring the content creation process can involve:

  • Setting limits on the proportion of ai-generated material in each piece

  • Regularly reviewing outputs for repetition and relevance

  • Scheduling breaks to revisit and revise content with a fresh perspective

Tools like Grammarly or Hemingway can streamline editing, while news aggregators and personalized feeds (such as Feedly) help ensure relevance for readers by tailoring information delivery. For example, segmenting audiences with analytics platforms allows content creators to deliver focused, targeted messages, reducing the chances of overwhelming readers with irrelevant content, as discussed in tips to combat fatigue.

By combining strategic tool use and continuous human involvement, writers can boost productivity while minimizing the negative effects of content saturation and AI fatigue.

Best Practices to Create Engaging and Distinctive Content

Building content that avoids AI fatigue depends on balancing a consistent brand voice, unique audience experience, cultural awareness, and legitimate SEO success. Careful attention to each area can ensure content stays engaging, relevant, and credible.

Maintaining Brand Voice and Conversational Tone

A clear brand voice gives personality and coherence to content even when different creators or AI writing tools are used. Teams should document their preferred tone, vocabulary, and sentence structure to guide both AI and human writers. This can include a small style guide with examples of language to use and to avoid.

Using a conversational tone helps balance informativeness with approachability. Readers often connect better with content that mimics natural speech and avoids overly technical or robotic phrasing. AI content should be edited to include rhetorical questions, contractions, and direct statements that mirror natural dialogue.

Frequent manual review of AI-generated drafts helps ensure the output not only reflects approved brand guidelines but also remains distinct from generic, formulaic text. Regular editing supports authenticity and helps align the final piece to high-quality content standards set by editorial teams.

Incorporating Cultural Nuances and Visual Elements

Recognizing cultural nuances allows content to resonate with specific audiences and avoid misunderstandings. Writers and content strategists should adapt idioms, references, and examples to local contexts, ensuring that word choice aligns with target demographics. When using AI content tools, they can add brief instructions to include or avoid certain cultural references.

Visual elements—like infographics, charts, and relevant images—can clarify complex topics and make information more engaging. Tables or lists can simplify comparisons and improve content readability. Embedding region-appropriate visuals further increases relevance, helping readers see themselves in the material and grasp abstract ideas with less effort.

Strategically, creators should source visuals that match the subject matter, support inclusivity, and follow copyright rules. Custom illustrations or carefully chosen royalty-free graphics stand out more than generic stock images and underscore a commitment to originality in AI-generated content.

Leveraging SEO Optimization Without Sacrificing Authenticity

Effective SEO optimization is essential for discoverability but shouldn’t overpower content integrity. Start by integrating researched keywords in a way that feels natural, prioritizing sentence flow and clarity. Overusing keywords or forcing unnatural language can disrupt reader engagement and signal to search engines that the writing is not authentic.

Writers can rely on AI writing tools for suggestions on SEO-friendly headlines, meta descriptions, and semantic keyword placement. However, manual review is crucial to maintain the original message and ensure all advice complies with brand voice.

Useful techniques include updating outdated information, adding unique insights, and referencing credible data. Monitoring performance metrics and adjusting based on real reader behavior will improve both ranking and audience satisfaction, as highlighted in professional guides to AI SEO content practices.


Brickhouse Guitars

Treehouse guitars OMZ #62 Demo by Roger Schmidt

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Elmira Advocate

ARE "HOT SPOTS" TRULY HOT SPOTS IN THE CREEK OR ARE THEY SIMPLY VERY ACCESSIBLE LOCATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN SAMPLED MORE FREQUENTLY?

 

They are more accessible locations to get into the Creek as roads and bridges cross the Creek at these spots. The roads involved are the New Jerusalem Rd., Northfield Dr. and Jigs Hollow Dr. just outside West Montrose. Clearly the consultants working for Lanxess  require vehicles to transport their sampling equipment and more literally to and into the Creek. Now I have long known that CRA and GHD on behalf of Lanxess have no qualms about leaving their thumbs on the scale when they are allegedly taking professional samples of Floodplain Soils, Creekbank Soils and Sediments in the bottom of the Creek. This is why samples should only be taken by truly independent professionals . The opportunities to fudge samples  are simply to easy to get away with.

Now I think that statistically the more samples one takes the greater the spread of results will be. If you only take three samples then it isn't likely that you will hit a home run with an extremely high result. But if you take 50 to 100 samples all from one area then the odds of getting a higher result are greatly increased. 

Other areas of the Creek where only one or two samples are taken are less likely to have a really high number. For example Sediment samples with a criteria for dioxins of .85 pg/g in some of the busiest sample areas mentioned have had results of 300 and 400 pg/g as well as over 1000 pg/g. Funny that Luis and Hadley don't mention those numbers isn't it?

Other sampling scams include using shovels instead of core samplers to get much lower sediment readings for DDT and dioxins. Also phony and inflated Method Detection Limits are an old trick they have used.If the M.D.L. is higher than the criteria then you will obtain phony Non Detects from samples. I'm sure there are other scams possible as well.

The answer to the question in the headline is probably YES and YES !


Capacity Canada

Welcoming Mike Morrice as Executive in Residence at Capacity Canada

♦At Capacity Canada, we empower nonprofit organizations and communities with experienced advice and modern frameworks for future-ready board governance, leadership, and collaboration.

We’re thrilled to welcome Mike Morrice as our newest Executive in Residence. Many of you know Mike from his dedicated work as the previous Member of Parliament for Kitchener Centre, or perhaps even earlier as the founder of Sustainable Waterloo Region and Green Economy Canada. What you might not know is that Mike is bringing his deep passion for community-building and social change to Capacity Canada part time with us.

 

Mike has always been committed to strengthening communities and advocating for the nonprofit sector. As he steps into this new role, he brings years of hands-on experience in both nonprofit leadership and effective government relations. He understands the challenges smaller nonprofits face, especially when it comes to being heard by policymakers and navigating systems that can often feel out of reach.

Mike has made it clear that his top priority is continuing to serve the people of Waterloo Region and this role at Capacity Canada is a powerful way to do just that.

Cathy Brothers, CEO of Capacity Canada shares “Mike Morrice has been an enthusiastic supporter of the work of Capacity Canada from our very beginning. His commitment and courage in building a community where everyone belongs and has their needs met is a perfect fit with our values and services. Charities and nonprofits can expect magical progress from Capacity Canada as Mike joins our team”.

The post Welcoming Mike Morrice as Executive in Residence at Capacity Canada appeared first on Capacity Canada.


James Davis Nicoll

Land of Hope / Blight (Sleep of Reason, volume 2) By Rachel A. Rosen

2025’s Blight is the second volume in Rachel A. Rosen’s The Sleep of Reason apocalyptic fantasy series.

In the wake of the cataclysmic Blight, Director of the Dominion1 Quinn Atherton is determined to provide the Dominion with peace, order, good government… oh, and a lot of mass graves filled with the ethnically unfashionable, dissidents, and the unwisely frank. While progress in the matters of peace, order, and good government is mixed at best, the Dominion has excelled in the field of filling mass graves.

Of course, every ambitious government faces nattering nabobs of negativity. Take Lucy Fletcher, for example.



Darcy Casselman

K-Pop Demon Hunters

This was a lovely surprise.

The little guy managed to re-activeate my Netflix subscription. At the end of the month, I’ll have to remember to uninstall the Chromecast app, because it’s apparently too easy for him to just click buttons until Blippi shows up.

K-Pop Demon Hunters is pretty great. I needed something to put on in the background while I was doing housework, and this was that. But I ended up being really drawn into it.

It reminded me a lot of Seeing Red, but also that K/DA Pop Stars video I’m still kind of obsessed with.

I guess I’m not the only one…

Anyway, recommended. The songs are still stuck in my head. I could criticise the autotune and the script maybe needed a polish, but honestly, it’s silly fun. It seems to be finding its audience, which is great, cuz I’d love to see more stuff like this.

Cover image by @monicomic

Brickhouse Guitars

Happy Canada Day from Brickhouse Guitars with a Torrified Maple Boucher!

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Carrie Snyder: Obscure Canlit Mama

Trust the process: X Page Workshop, season 6

Last Friday, I sat down and tried to write about the season’s X Page workshop. Our 6th season.

It is hard to pin down the value of this project, this PROCESS. You almost have to live it. It’s the truth of collaboration. It is not a solo journey. We are stronger together. Cliches!!! And yet — have I ever been hugged so fiercely? Have I ever shared such wordless pride? Leaning into Maha as we watched this season’s performers join hands and bow at the end, some faces beaming, others streaming with tears. I was weeping, almost sobbing, like a witness to a holy act.

I know. It sounds like an extreme response. But let me not back away from the ecstasy. Let me not minimize it when it reveals itself.

In that discrete moment, I could see — or glimpse — at last, what I’d hoped to make, something much deeper than I could ever have imagined. It didn’t feel like I’d burdened anyone with a madwoman’s vision (which at times I’ve wondered about!); instead I understood the project’s POTENTIAL for profound meaningfulness in the lives of those who take the leap of faith and join the adventure.

The X Page Storytelling Workshop is a true ART project, truly multidisciplinary, truly ambitious, truly visionary, truly risky, demanding and hard. And. It has a pull, a light. It magnetizes its participants. And we are all participants — that’s the truth of it, and the magic.

What we experience, as participants, is COLLABORATION—messy, risky, inefficient, complicated by conflict, conflicting ideas, competing visions, different ideas about what this all means or what it’s meant to represent and be. And yet somehow collaboration, through the vehicle of this project, also proves itself to have coherence, to be cohesive, durable, bound together by a shared goal and deadline—the performance!

Don’t get me wrong. The PERFORMANCE is not the whole of the project, but it is necessary. It gives purpose to our trials; energizes our efforts; lifts what we’ve tried to achieve into the light. Art wants this. It craves an outlet. It longs to be seen.

As a vision, the X Page workshop has a wholeness to it, a logic that is forceful. Yet its component parts are flexible.

It’s like seeing my self, my freed artist self, embodied in a process or EXPERIENCE that is translatable, intended for others to enter into. It’s not remote, or special, or precious; it’s invitational. Witnessing its phases and stages, its preparatory and planning periods, its hesitance, its fundraising efforts, its nervous energy, its excitement, its delight at welcoming each new cohort, its surprises, its endurance, its changes, its learning … it feels as though it’s given my life coherence. Or that its collective nature expresses a coherence that I can only glimpse with my solo work.

We have to go to extremes to do this thing together—that is the truth of making art. Art-making has its disciplined middle ground where much of the work gets accomplished, but that balanced “healthy” working state is fed by highs and lows (in moderation; too much of either poisons the ground). The middle wouldn’t be tolerable without a dose of both extremities to modulate the flow, and help us to change course as needed, to keep us present to the present moment, the context of the larger environment in which this is all happening. To wake us from being lulled, attune us to the needs of those around us: our collaborators, our witnesses, our fellow artists, our co-creators, our questioners, our allies.

The middle ground is where the work gets done, and the extremes are where we change and grow. Cliches!!! Again, I know!

Upon reflection, I don’t want to live a completely balanced life. I want the challenge of SURPRISE, I want to be off-balance on occasion, so I can strengthen those muscles that keep me grounded; and I want also to feel so much joy and gratitude that I overflow in tears; to feel is a great gift.

Summer holidays are here. I’m sick (again). I’m worn out. In need of replenishment. This summer, I want to dabble with a schedule that invites all the sensations and states, including rest. Focused reflection. Creation. I want the whole of my self, all my parts, integrated, as witnessed through the X Page. I want my life to make sense way down deep, the way that the X Page made sense on Wednesday night—Playfulness. DELIGHT. The power of mingling together grief and joy, friendship and frailty, generosity and autonomy, need and giving.

There are layers of deep structural muscle built and maintained over time that create a framework of strength, patient knowledge, and experience from which to build relationships of abiding trust.

That word! TRUST! Trust the process, we repeated, and in the end, we believed it because it was true.

How can I trust the ground under my feet if on some deep level I do not trust myself?

In abiding trust is love. Judgement falls away. AMBITION becomes collective—ambition for mutual thriving, ambition for forums in which one’s strengths can be used, one’s gifts may shine. Ambition that is not for the self but for the healing of communal wounds, ambition that trusts in the power of story to repair. And story needs its tellers, story needs its voice; and it needs its listeners, its audience; story needs attention and care.

A STORY exists in words. But also in the body, way down deep, and that’s where we’re going when we step into the X Page—underneath, to pause and sense the hum that is crying for attention, and quite possibly inflecting our interactions / lives / relationships with hurt and grief and pain. To repair is to relieve ourselves of suffering by aligning story with its container. Stories can be used for profit, to manipulate and harm, I know, I know; but so can every sacred thing be exploited and abused. So this workshop is a risky undertaking. I know, I know. It can’t be exactly all that I’ve claimed here, not all the time, nor to all.

Like all spiritual undertakings it eludes description. It could go sideways in so many different directions; when I lose trust, others step in because this is not a lonely undertaking.

Trust the process.

I believe. Story heals like nothing else on planet earth. Handled with attention and care, story is holy. I believe that.

xo, Carrie


Grand River Rocks Climbing Gym

Boulder Night

The post Boulder Night appeared first on Grand River Rocks Climbing Gym.


Aquanty

NEW version of HGS PREMIUM July 2025 (REVISION 2853)

The HydroGeoSphere Revision 2853 (July 2025) software update is now available for download.

This month’s update focuses on runtime performance, with a major overhaul of the data layout of all binary output files for vector/tensor fields (e.g., prefixo.v_pm.XXXX, prefixo.ElemK_pm.XXXX, etc.) to use a structure of arrays format. This update will result in significant increases to model runtimes by improving the read/write operation to these files. As well, users can expect a significant reduction in total file size for these binary output files (40% reduction in size for files with 4-byte real vector field with three components, 25% reduction in size for files with 8-byte real vector field with three components).

If you have any custom scripts or tools that require you to keep the legacy file format in place don’t worry, we have introduced a simple command (use legacy file format) that causes grok and HGS to generate binary output files using the original (legacy) data layout

You can find details about these new features in the HydroGeoSphere Reference Manual. And as always, we are committed to the continued improvement to the user experience. Do you have suggestions for new commands or improvements to the user experience? Send your ideas to support@aquanty.com!

The latest installers are available on the HGS download page and a full list of changes/updates can be found in the release notes.

Download the July 2025 release of HydroGeoSphere here: www.aquanty.com/hgs-download

Review the release notes here: www.aquanty.com/updates


Elmira Advocate

FOR THE MECP & LANXESS IT'S ALL ABOUT A SMOOTH TRANSITION COURTESY OF CHERRY PICKING RESULTS

 

They desperately need to convince the skeptical public that their government is in control. What with Global Warming and ever increasing rates of cancer, citizens are losing confidence and faith in their governments. Promised cleanups simply are not happening in any reasonable length of time. Species are disappearing as are arable land and clean drinking water. 

Jason Rice of the MECP wants to incorporate the old Control Order into a new ECA (Environmental Compliance Agreement. Of course as we have all seen both Control Orders and ECAs are paper tigers. They will be written in such a way that even the most pathetic compliance will take decades to sort out. More decades of more excuses and failures which will be blamed on absolutely everything except government and industry corruption.

Bless Hadley for telling the truth on one matter. She admitted that if the new ECA relies on pump & treat technology only that it will take more decades to clean Elmira's groundwater.  You can curse her if you wish for her comments on the downstream Canagagigue Creek. Five minute wonder Hadley is offended by the term "hot spots" She feels that the term unfairly characterizes some higher concentration areas. I do not. It merely points out where more sampling has indicated more exceedances of health criteria. Perhaps Hadley and Lanxess would prefer the term "increased environmental damage due to Uniroyal Chemical contempt for both human beings and the environment".

So at TRAC meetings Hadley, Luis and other crap simply are counting on TRAC members not remembering  all the dioxin results in the Creek SEDIMENTS. Generally they seem to prefer quoting Soil results and especially soil results not much higher than the 7 pg/g which is according to Jason Rice (MECP) is the Background screening result for dioxins. 

Both the 2017 and 2020 Canagagigue Creek sediment results far exceed  the SEDIMENT criteria for dioxins of .85 pg/g. all over the place and often by huge factors for dioxins. Of course the dishonest don't point that out.  

They are counting on the TRAC members not rereading the technical results so that they can cherry pick the ones they like.


Code Like a Girl

Working Beside My Partner Helped Me Rediscover Love, Learning, and the Power of Partnership

A return to work that turned into a return to something deeper.

When I came back from maternity leave, I expected the usual: pick up where I left off, rejoin the meetings, slide back into productivity mode.

But that’s not what happened.

Instead, I found myself rediscovering a different rhythm that wasn’t about balance or catching up but about growing forward, not just as a professional but as a partner.

Remote, but Disconnected

Before, our home setup was efficient. My partner and I had separate corners, separate calendars, separate chaos. It worked. Sort of.

But something felt transactional. We were two productive machines under the same roof, operating independently, quiet, focused, and a little lonely.

One day, almost on a whim, we moved our desks next to each other.

Suddenly, the energy changed from Isolated Workspaces to a Shared Desk

♦Image generated by ChatGPTDevOps Meets AI: A Front-Row Seat to Each Other’s Hustle

He’s building AI-driven products at Canvas. I’m deep in the trenches of DevOps engineering: automation, infrastructure, CI/CD pipelines.

Very different fields. But when we started working side by side, curiosity kicked in.

I’d glance at his screen and ask questions about workflow, models, LLMs, and productivity hacks. He’d lean in to understand how deployments scale in production( not really :D).

It wasn’t about becoming experts in each other’s fields. It was about engaging, listening and learning something new every single day.

Real Partnership Is More Than Shared Goals

There’s a kind of admiration that only grows when you see the work someone puts in. Not just hear about it in passing, but witness the tough calls, the creative breakthroughs, the quiet persistence.

That’s what working together did. It gave us access to each other’s professional selves, the version most people rarely see, even in long-term relationships.

We started lifting each other up in ways we hadn’t before, cheering through chaos. Troubleshooting blockers. Offering perspective when things didn’t click.

Even a silent coffee break between back-to-back meetings began to feel like a pause that mattered.

We Didn’t Just Share a Desk — We Shared Growth

That table became more than just furniture. It became a mindset.

A space for shared momentum. For building alongside someone, even in entirely different domains. For learning without ego and collaborating without structure.

We didn’t plan for this. But in that small shift, sitting beside each other, we unlocked something big.

The Real Takeaway

Partnership isn’t just about managing life together. It’s about being curious about each other’s world. It’s about making space: physically and mentally to grow together, not just coexist.

And sometimes, the most powerful kind of love shows up quietly. In shared screens. In sync schedules. In the way you lean over and say, “Hey, that’s actually kind of cool, tell me more.”

If you’re in a partnership and working remotely…

Try sitting beside each other. Not metaphorically. Literally.

You might just find that learning, connection, and love can all exist in one space, if you let them.

Working Beside My Partner Helped Me Rediscover Love, Learning, and the Power of Partnership was originally published in Code Like A Girl on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.


Code Like a Girl

9 Questions Great Bosses Ask Themselves

You need a system in place to measure yourself and actively monitor how you’re doing.

Continue reading on Code Like A Girl »


KW Habilitation

July 2, 2025: What’s Happening in Your Neighbourhood?

♦The Kitchener Blues Festival Needs Volunteers! The festival is coming up August 7 to 10. This 4-day festival envelopes Downtown Kitchener from City Hall to Victoria Park and everywhere in between. There is music, food, shopping, workshops and more! It is a lot of work to put on a big festival like this so they will need lots of volunteers with all sorts of different skills. From Setup Crew to Merchandise Sales to Donations Collectors and Bar Servers. There are lots of jobs to be filled.

Information Associates are needed to hand out festival schedules and maps, answer patrons’ questions and take initiative to help out wherever needed. Before the festival even starts, they need volunteers to fold the volunteer t-shirts and assemble the volunteer packages. The Setup and Teardown Crew is needed before the festival for setting up tables and chairs and cleaning up garbage as well as tearing down items at the end of the festival. You can learn more about all of the different volunteer roles here.

No matter whether you have experience in retail or are CPR certified or you have no experience at all, you just need to have lots of enthusiasm! This is a great way to make new friends, get new experiences and give back to your community. Sign up to volunteer at Kitchener Blues Festival today!

Click here for more info

♦Momma’s Cookout & Music Festival
Saturday, July 12
1:00 PM – 10:30 PM
FREE
Gaukel Block – 44 Gaukel St. Kitchener

Rooted in the rich traditions of African, Caribbean, and Western Black cultures, Momma’s Cookout honors heritage through rhythm, flavor, and unity. While the festival proudly centers Black culture, it is a joyful, inclusive space where everyone is welcome to connect, celebrate, and be inspired.

Click here for more info

 

 

♦Cruising on King
Friday, July 11
5:30 PM – 9:30 PM
FREE
Carl Zehr Square – 200 King St. W, Kitchener

Classic cars will line King Street between Water and Frederick Streets joined by live entertainment, food and a licensed bar area. Downtown Kitchener will ring with favourites from The Beach Boys, Johnny Cash, Elvis and Roy Orbison with a hit-packed tribute show. Wander up and down King Street enjoying all the classics at the year’s first street party!

Click here for more info

 

♦Hawaiian Beach Party
Sunday, July 13
12:00 PM
FREE
The Gaslight District – 64 Grand Ave. S, Cambridge

We’re bringing the Polynesian tropics and the spirit of Aloha to The Gaslight District with our next Sunday Funday in The Gaslight District. This event will include a screening of Moana at 12:10pm, a hula show on the main stage and Elvis Presley Tribute: “Aloha from Hawaii” at 2:30pm. The concession team will be giving out free leis from 2pm onward.

Click here for more info

 

♦♦♦

Skills for Self-Advocacy♦
Tuesday, July 8
2:00 PM
FREE
Health Caring KW – 44 Francis St. S, Kitchener

Join us for discussion on how to be a strong self-advocate so that you can reach your personal and health-related goals. Topics will include medical self-advocacy, boundary setting, and effective communication skills. Snacks and refreshments will be provided.

Click here for more info

 

Zumba in the Park
Tuesdays July 6 to Aug 26
6:30 PM – 7:25 PM
FREE
Hewitt Park – 269 Seabrook Dr.

Zumba combines Latin and international music with dance moves, creating a high-energy, fun workout. Come to Hewitt Park to enjoy a great Zumba dance workout provided by the Williamsburg Community Association. Bring your neighbours! No need to register just come and join the fun!

Click here for more info

 

Bike Repairs with Red Raccoon Bike Rescue
Wednesday, July 9
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
FREE
WPL McCormick Branch – 500 Parkside Dr. Waterloo

Red Raccoon Bike Rescue is back at the McCormick Branch to help you with your bike repairs this summer! Volunteers will be available to help repair your bike, but be prepared to get your hands dirty and learn some new skills. This is a drop-in program so no registration is required.

Click here for more info

 

Movie Night: There’s No Crying In Baseball
Wednesdays, June 25 to Aug 20
6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
FREE
Central Library – 85 Queen St. N, Kitchener

Don’t get caught napping – join us every Wednesday night starting June 25 for our Movie Night series. We’re swinging for the fences with this line-up of great baseball movies. July 2 will feature the movie 42 followed by Moneyball on July 9 and The Bad News Bears on July 16.

Click here for more info

 

Independent Living Waterloo Region Picnic
Thursday, July 10
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
FREE – Registration Required
Victoria Park Pavilion – 90 Schneider Ave. Kitchener

Join us for an afternoon filled with food and fun. In addition to BBQ hotdogs, sausages and hamburgers, we will be recognizing our valuable staff celebrating a milestone anniversary at ILWR. Make sure you register at the link below so we have enough food for everyone.

Click here for more info

The post July 2, 2025: What’s Happening in Your Neighbourhood? appeared first on KW Habilitation.


James Davis Nicoll

Where I’m A‑Gonna Go / Touring After the Apocalypse, volume 5 By Sakae Saito

2023’s Touring After the Apocalypse, Volume Five is the fifth tankōbon in Sakae Saito’s post-apocalyptic iyashikei manga. Touring has been serialized in in ASCII Media Works’ seinen manga magazine Dengeki Maoh since September 2020. Amanda Haley’s English translation was published in late 2024.

Mount Asama is part of a spectacular volcano complex. Post-apocalyptic tourists1 Youko and Airi could hardly pass up the opportunity to see it in person. As Asama is an active volcano, and as the route the pair chose passes through a pocket of toxic volcanic gas, Mount Asama might be their final destination.



Kitchener Panthers

Martinez masterful as Panthers win in Guelph

Yadian Martinez delivers a pitch at Hastings Stadium on Canada Day Tuesday. Photo by Michael Rankin.

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GUELPH - Yadian Martinez was a wizard for the Kitchener Panthers, and the offense did the rest on a Canada Day down the road in Guelph.

Martinez struck out seven in seven innings of work to lead the Panthers to a 7-4 win over the Royals.

Martinez gave up five hits and three runs (one earned). Two of those five hits came in the first inning, and at one point retired 16 of 18 batters in a row.

The Panthers took advantage of a plethora of errors by the Royals defense.

Jamie Cabral and AJ Karosas both recorded triples. Cabral actually circled the bases, as his line drive deep to right field in the eighth got him to third, and a throwing error got him home on the same play.

Danny Garcia collected his second save in as many games with a perfect ninth.

Edgar Garcia gave up five runs (two earned) in 4.1 innings of work in the loss.

Kitchener has now won two straight and host Chatham-Kent on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m.

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW and #PackTheJack!

BOXSCORE


Code Like a Girl

Precision vs Recall: Trade-offs, Importance, and the Role of the F1 Score — A Must-Know Interview…

Precision vs Recall: Understanding the Trade-Off and Why the F1 Score MattersA Must-Know Interview Question for ML and Data Science♦Photo by Mia Baker on Unsplash

While solving an interview question, I came across this part of Machine Learning that was asked in a BCG Gamma Machine Learning interview. So, I’m sharing it in this post. Hope this would be fruitful for all the readers.

Question Link

Describe precision and recall, and give their formulas. What is their importance, and what is the nature of the tradeoff between the two?

What are Precision and Recall?

Both are evaluation metrics used to measure the performance of classification models, especially when classes are imbalanced (like spam detection, fraud, disease prediction, etc.). They become especially important when dealing with imbalanced datasets.

Precision tells you:
Of all the predicted positives, how many were actually correct? It is a is a metric that measures the accuracy of positive predictions made by a model.

Precision refers to the number of true positives divided by the total number of positive predictions (i.e., the number of true positives plus the number of false positives).

Recall tells you: Of all the actual positives, how many did the model catch?

It is a metric that measures the ability of a model to correctly identify all relevant instances (true positives) from a dataset. It measures how well the model finds all positive instances in the dataset.

Recall is crucial when minimizing false negatives is critical. For instance, in medical diagnoses, a false negative (missing a disease) can be more dangerous than a false positive (incorrectly identifying a disease).

♦Relationship Between Recall and Precision.

Recall is about finding all the actual positive cases, while precision is about how correct the positive predictions are. If recall is high but precision is low, the model is catching most of the real positives, but it’s also including many incorrect ones. On the other hand, if precision is high but recall is low, the model is making very accurate positive predictions, but it’s failing to identify many of the true positive instances.

A good model is one that achieves a balance between precision and recall, depending on the goal of the problem.

When to use precision and recall:

While studying about it, I got a good response from Chat GPT, so I have pasted it here to know in which scenarios we can use the mentioned ones.

They ignore the true negatives, and focus on: How well the model finds positives (recall) and how correct those predictions are (precision)

Yes, even when the dataset is balanced (like 50% spam and 50% not spam), precision and recall are still useful if making the wrong prediction has different consequences. For example, in a spam filter, marking a good email as spam (false positive) can annoy users, while missing a spam email (false negative) lets junk into the inbox. So, even if the model gets a good accuracy, it doesn’t tell the whole story. Precision and recall help you understand how well your model handles the important cases.

Example:

Imagine a disease test:

  • 100 people have the disease.
  • Model identifies 90 people as positive.
  • 80 actually have the disease → True Positives (TP) = 80
  • 10 don’t have it → False Positives (FP) = 10
  • 20 people with disease were missed → False Negatives (FN) = 20

Then:

  • Precision = 80 / (80 + 10) = 0.89 (89%)
  • Recall = 80 / (80 + 20) = 0.80 (80%)
Definition of terms using this exampleTrue Positive (TP)

The model predicted that the person has the disease, and in reality, the person does have it.
Example: The model says the person has the disease, and the person is actually sick. This is called a true positive. It means the model correctly identified a positive case.

False Positive (FP)

The model predicted that the person has the disease, but in reality, the person does not have it.
Example: The model says the person has the disease, but the person is actually healthy. This is called a false positive. It means the model raised a false alarm.

False Negative (FN)

The model predicted that the person does not have the disease, but in reality, the person does have it.
Example: The model says the person is healthy, but the person actually has the disease. This is called a false negative. It means the model missed a real positive case.

True Negative (TN)

The model predicted that the person does not have the disease, and in reality, the person is healthy.
Example: The model says the person is healthy, and the person is actually healthy. This is called a true negative. It means the model correctly identified a negative case.

What is a trade-off?

A trade-off means that when you improve one thing, another gets worse. In machine learning, there’s often a trade-off between precision and recall when one goes up, the other goes down.

Most models (like logistic regression or neural networks) give you a score between 0 and 1 for each prediction, not just “yes” or “no”. You have to choose a threshold, like 0.5, to decide what counts as a positive prediction.

Tradeoff Between Precision and Recall:

The nature of the trade-off between precision and recall is that as one increases, the other usually decreases, because of how models decide what counts as a positive prediction.

  • High precision, low recall → Model is very careful, but may miss positives (e.g., only predicts spam when very sure, but misses many spam emails)
  • High recall, low precision → Model catches almost everything, but with many false alarms (e.g., flags too many emails as spam, even good ones)

You can’t usually maximize both precision and recall at the same time.
Improving one often means sacrificing the other.

The goal is therefore to find a balance that fits your use case:

  • Medical tests? → Maximize recall (don’t miss sick people)
  • Spam filter? → Maximize precision (don’t flag good emails)
What happens when you lower the threshold (e.g., from 0.5 to 0.3)?
  • The model becomes less strict
  • It says more things are positive
  • So you catch more actual positives → Recall increases
  • But you also get more wrong positives → Precision decreases
What happens when you raise the threshold (e.g., from 0.5 to 0.7)?
  • The model becomes more strict
  • It says fewer things are positive
  • So you get fewer false alarms → Precision increases
  • But you might miss real positives → Recall decreases
F1 Score

To balance both, we use the F1 score: F1 is high only when both precision and recall are high. The F1 score is the harmonic mean of precision and recall:

This formula only gives a high value when both precision and recall are high. If either one is low, the F1 score drops significantly.

The ideal case is when the model is correctly identifying almost all positives (high recall), and Most of its positive predictions are actually correct (high precision)

But sometimes the models may seem too good to be true — like scoring 95% precision and 95% recall — especially on small or imbalanced datasets.

That could mean:

  • The test data leaked into training
  • The model memorized the data
  • The problem was too easy or not realistic

In a nutshell High F1 score is what we aim for, but if it’s unusually high, we should always double-check for model problems (like overfitting or data leakage).
Otherwise, it’s a sign model is doing great!

I have taken the content from the websites of Google and ChatGPT

If you found this helpful, follow me on Medium and give the post a like!

Your feedback means a lot and motivates me to share more 🚀. Thanks for reading!

Precision vs Recall: Trade-offs, Importance, and the Role of the F1 Score — A Must-Know Interview… was originally published in Code Like A Girl on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.


Github: Brent Litner

brentlintner starred NVIDIAGameWorks/NVIDIAImageScaling

♦ brentlintner starred NVIDIAGameWorks/NVIDIAImageScaling · July 1, 2025 18:51 NVIDIAGameWorks/NVIDIAImageScaling

NVIDIA Image Scaling SDK

C 555 Updated Aug 22, 2022