Books being collected at Oxford leisure centres for underprivileged children

Arts & Culture, Books

More Leisure Community Trust, which manages the centres, has partnered with national charity the Children’s Book Project to run the initiative at Barton Leisure Centre, Leys Pools and Leisure Centre, Ferry Leisure Centre, Hinksey Outdoor Pool, and Oxford Ice Rink.

From October 7 to 31, the trust’s centres are accepting donations of good-quality children’s books.

These will then be distributed to children across the UK who cannot afford their own books.

Brian Taylor, chair of More Leisure Community Trust, said: “We’re delighted to be working with the Children’s Book Project.

“This is an important cause, so we would encourage everyone to bring their spare children’s books to our centres and play your part in giving a child the gift of reading.”

The Children’s Book Project aims to tackle ‘book poverty’ by providing every child with the opportunity to own a book.

The charity believes book ownership can significantly enhance a child’s reading fluency, impacting their successful progression through education.

Councillor Chewe Munkonge, the city council’s cabinet member for a healthy Oxford, said: “We are proud to support this important initiative in our leisure centres which brings the community together to help tackle book poverty.

“Access to books is a vital part of a child’s development, and this drive offers an opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of young people.”

Scientists discover fastest degrading bioplastic material in seawater

Science and Health

Scientists at the Wood Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have dedicated years of research to uncovering the lifespans of different types of plastics in the ocean and identifying the major contributors to plastic pollution, such as straws and food wrappers. With the development of biodegradable materials like cellulose diacetate (CDA) derived from wood pulp, researchers are working to ensure they can replace traditional plastics without harming ocean environments.
After extensive testing, a new version of CDA has emerged as the fastest degrading bioplastic material tested in seawater. This breakthrough offers promising potential as a replacement for foam plastic materials like Styrofoam, which can persist in the environment for many years.
In a recently published paper in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, WHOI scientists Bryan James, Collin Ward, Chris Reddy, Yanchen Sun, and Kali Pate discovered that adding small pores, known as foaming, to CDA material accelerated its degradation rate to 15 times faster than solid CDA, even faster than paper.
“What excites me most about this study is its translational nature. This study is the culmination of years of research focusing on understanding the fundamental controls on CDA biodegradation in the ocean,” said Ward, senior author of the study.
“We translated the foundational knowledge into the design of a new material that simultaneously meets consumer needs and degrades in the ocean faster than any other plastic material we know of, even faster than paper. It’s a great success story in a field that often focuses on the negative aspects of plastic pollution rather than working towards solutions to the problem,” Ward added.
In the study, researchers monitored the degradation of both foamed and solid CDA in a continuously flowing seawater tank at a state-of-the-art lab at WHOI. The lab’s controlled environment allowed the team to mimic natural marine conditions by regulating temperature, light exposure, and other variables.
“Using continuous flowing seawater tanks enables us to bring the dynamics of the microbially active ocean into the lab. The ocean is continually changing, and it was important that we replicated this environment by replenishing microbes and nutrients, making for a much more environmentally realistic experiment,” lead author James explained.
After 36 weeks, the study revealed that CDA foams lost an astonishing 65-70% of their original mass.

A side-by-side microscopic image of cellulose diacetate foam before and after 36 weeks in seawater. The team found that cellulose diacetate foams lost 65-70% of their original mass. Credit: Bryan James, @Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
In a previous experiment using a dynamic seawater tank, the scientists tested various types of straws, including standard plastic, paper, solid CDA, and foamed CDA. The results were eye-opening: solid CDA and paper straws degraded the fastest.
Further comparisons between two CDA straws, one solid, and one foam, uncovered an astounding 190% faster degradation rate for the foam straw compared to its solid counterpart. This finding suggests a significantly shorter projected environmental lifetime for foam CDA straws compared to paper straws.
“As a materials scientist and engineer, it’s been exciting to demonstrate that foams can be materially efficient, meaning they achieve functionality using the least amount of material possible, reducing cost and many environmental impacts,” said James. “In addition, when they are made from biodegradable plastics, they can be one of the least persistent forms of a material.”
The urgent need to replace environmentally harmful materials like Styrofoam and single-use plastics cannot be overstated. Take-away containers and plastic trays are contributing to ocean pollution and are not biodegradable.
The recent study has highlighted the potential of foamed CDA products to address these challenges. Eastman has already introduced a compostable, lightweight tray made of foamed CDA, offering a promising alternative to traditional plastic trays. This breakthrough is a significant step towards reducing single-use plastic packaging and tackling environmental issues.
“Partnerships between industry and academia are essential for accelerating solutions to the most urgent global challenges, where academia can provide unique insights, and industry partners can use those insights to develop solutions at scale,” said Jeff Carbeck, Vice President of Corporate Innovation of Eastman. “That is how our collaboration with WHOI works; they significantly broadened our understanding of how our commercial and developmental materials degrade.”
“The properties of foams make them ideally suited for many packaging and insulation applications, and this research shows that foams made of biodegradable materials will rapidly degrade in the marine environment, should they accidentally end up there. Embracing biodegradable materials for consumer goods is a critical step towards preserving our environment, reducing plastic pollution, and fostering sustainability for future generations,” he said.
Journal reference:

Bryan D. James, Yanchen Sun, Kali Pate, Rahul Shankar, Mounir Izallalen, Sharmistha Mazumder, Steven T. Perri, Katelyn R. Houston, Brian Edwards, Jos de Wit, Christopher M. Reddy, Collin P. Ward. Foaming Enables Material-Efficient Bioplastic Products with Minimal Persistence. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 2024; DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c05822

New Scientist recommends Brian Cox’s new series, Solar System

Science and Health

Nick Gaven/BBC Studios
I have to confess, I struggle to watch science documentaries these days – I prefer a bit of escapism from work. But one series I will definitely be tuning in to is the BBC’s Solar System, presented by Brian Cox (pictured above).
I didn’t watch Cox’s first series on this topic, made 15 years ago, but this latest is well timed. There are currently around 40 probes out there exploring our planetary neighbours, sending back incredible new insights.
I got to watch one episode, Volcano Worlds, at a screening at London’s Science Museum. Cox kept his feet on the…

Business Notes: Devonshire Vape & Cigars opens in Beverly Corners

Business News

A new shop that has something for everyone who likes to smoke has opened in Beverly Corners.

Devonshire Vape & Cigars opened its doors in the last week of August, and tobacconist and owner Anoop Dhami said business has been good and getting better, which is what he expected at the new location.

Devonshire Vape & Cigars is Dhami’s third smoke shop, with the others in Langford and Victoria.

He said the shop specializes in cigars, with hand-rolled ones from Cuba, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and other cigar-making places around the globe, stored in a huge custom-made floor to ceiling humidifier.

Devonshire also has a large inventory of pipe tobacco, mass-marketed cigars and cigarettes, vaping supplies, smoking accessories like lighters, cigar cutters, pipe cleaners, as well as paraphernalia used for cannabis consumption.

Dhami said no other smoke shop in the Cowichan Valley has such a large inventory and he saw a niche here that he could fill.

“We have a lot of our customers in our Langford location coming from Lake Cowichan, Mill Bay, Shawnigan Lake and other communities around here, so we saw an opportunity to open a store closer to them,” he said.

“There are a lot of older folks around here who have been in the mining and logging industries who come to us a lot, as well as many from the younger generations. There is a lot of demand here and business has been amazing so far.”

 ••••

The Downtown Duncan BIA is putting out an early call for its Christmas Kick-Off 2024.

The business organization is asking for volunteers to sign up early to help out with the festive kick-off event, which will be held from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Nov. 22.

The DDBIA is looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help with various tasks, from setting up decorations to assisting with various activities, setting up and taking down decorations and other things, greeting attendees, guiding vendors, and more.

“Be part of an exciting community event while helping to spread holiday cheer and gaining volunteer hours,” the DDBIA said. “This is a great opportunity to get involved in your community and be part of one of Duncan’s most festive events.”

If you’re interested in volunteering, contact the DDBIA at 250-715-1700, or email [email protected].

••••

Bring your lunch and ask questions to the experts at the Duncan Cowichan Chamber of Commerce’s next “Ask the Expert” event on Oct. 16 at noon at the Cowichan Regional Visitor Centre.

Spencer Schmidt, from Stonebridge Law, is back to continue his deep dive into estate and business law, making sense of the important ways you can protect both your personal and business assets.

“You’ll find tons of practical advice on things like shareholder agreements, life insurance, trusts, wills, and more,” the chamber said. “It’s a great opportunity to ask those burning questions and get expert tips, especially if you’re a business owner looking to cover all your bases. Come by, learn a lot, and make sure you’re set up for success.”

The event is free for chamber members and their guests.

Register online, call 250-748-1111 or email [email protected].

••••

The chamber of commerce’s Construction Trades Pizza & Beer Mixer is back on Oct. 22, and it’s the perfect way to unwind after a long day on the job.

This mixer is for all the builders, plumbers, electricians, HVAC experts, painters, landscapers, and every hardworking tradesperson out there.

It’s not just about networking, it’s about hanging out with people who really understand the ins and outs of the construction world.

“Come grab a slice, crack open a cold one, and connect with the region’s finest tradespeople,” the chamber said. “Talk shop, share stories, or just have a good laugh. We’ve got amazing prizes too, including accommodations at Days Inn Victoria and a keg party pack from Red Arrow.”

You don’t have to be a chamber member to attend, but you do need to be in the trades.

The free event will be held at 5 p.m. at Red Arrow Brewing, 5255 Caster Rd.

The pizza and participants’ first drink is on the chamber. ••••

A total of 23 businesses and organizations in Duncan and Ladysmith are the recipients of Diversity & Inclusion Awards from the local WorkBC Centre in 2024.

WorkBC, a provincial organization, connects job seekers and employers and helps people find jobs, explore career options and improve their skills, and helps employers find the right talent and grow their businesses.

The Diversity & Inclusion Awards recognize community leadership from local businesses and organizations for their inclusive hiring practices.

They include Just Desserts, Island Auto Spa, Island GM, Winners, Cowichan Green Community, Walmart, Thermoproof, Dancia Motors, By the Bay Lavender, Cowichan Hospital Foundation, Prolux Windows and Doors, Gideon Plumbing, Mettra Pharmacy, Lucky Dog Daycare, Ravenstone Construction, Real Canadian Superstore, Cobble Hill’s Country Grocer, Mid-Island Co-op Liquor, Ironwork Cafe & Creperie, B.C. Infrastructure Benefits, Neufeld Furniture, Footprints Security, and Just For Kids After School Care.

Recent Art Vandalism Makes Visiting Museums Tougher for Travelers

Travel

London’s iconic National Gallery, which receives some 3 million visits a year, has announced new security measures that will require more advance planning from travelers—and other museums are tightening their policies, too.On October 17, the Gallery said that visitors will no longer be permitted to carry liquids with them during visits. “Since July 2022, the National Gallery alone has been the victim of five separate attacks on iconic paintings such as Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers, John Constable’s The Hay Wain and Velázquez’s Rokeby Venus,” the Gallery’s curators said in a statement. “Two of these attacks have happened in the last two weeks, and that is why we have taken the difficult and unfortunate decision to change the way we operate for the foreseeable future.”The Gallery is warning guests “to bring minimal items with them including no large bags. All doors into the gallery have walk-through metal detectors where we will inspect bags and rucksacks.”The revised security policy places additional planning burdens on tourists, who must now spend more time in security inspection lines, find lockers to store their items, or leave behind the water bottles and other supplies they usually carry to get them get through a long day of touring.The only liquids that now permitted inside the National Gallery are baby formula, expressed breast milk, and prescription medicines.The international museum world has seen the rise of a frustrating trend of young political and environmental protestors taking out their concerns on our shared heritage instead of on the politicians and corporate magnates who are actually responsible. At the National Gallery alone, works have been doused in soup, plastered with posters, and had protective glass smashed with hammers. The National Gallery in Washington, DC, and the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa have suffered damage to their collections and facilities by flung paint (in Canada, it was washable) and graffiti. In Stockholm, environmentalists smeared red paint on the protective glass of a Monet; in Oslo, Munch’s famous “Scream” painting was unsuccessfully assailed with glue; and in Paris, protesters hurled pumpkin soup at the glass-enclosed Mona Lisa to (I’m not making this up) protest the inaccessibility of food. That masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci got off easy—in 1987, a drawing by him was shot at the National Gallery. 
A history of art vandalizationThe tradition of damaging antiquities as a form of protest seems like a strange one—after all, what does a deceased nineteenth-century impressionist have to do with climate change? But there’s a long tradition of it, especially in Europe, where a century ago, British Suffragettes became notorious—and became the stuff of protest legend—for even more destructive attacks on prized artworks. In 1913 and 1914, the United Kingdom suffered a veritable crime wave at its galleries, which at the time were viewed as social spaces where unaccompanied women could generally enter freely without suspicion. London’s Royal Academy of Arts suffered three attacks, including when Mary Wood hacked at John Singer Sargent’s portrait of novelist Henry James with a meat cleaver. The same year, there were more attacks in Manchester, Birmingham, Cambridge, Edinburgh, and at London’s National Gallery, Mary Richardson slashed Velázquez’s Rokeby Venus to protest the imprisonment of women’s rights leader Emmeline Pankhurst. Perhaps signaling that they view themselves as inheritors of the protest legacy of the Suffragettes, climate agitators chose to target the same Velázquez’s painting in 2023.A century ago, only the onset of World War finally quelled the drama, but that tumultuous period did yield one positive outcome: London’s beloved V&A museum abolished admission charges in 1914 in the hopes that increased crowds would provide more witnesses and therefore a deterrent to further destruction. That museum, and many more in London including the National Gallery, are free to this day.The rash of destruction in 1914 continued despite increased security, and it’s likely that modern vandals will still find ways to be disruptive despite the new restrictions.
When you go to a museum, bring fewer things with youThe tighter security policies of 2024 will inevitably become a burden to tourists. If your future travel plans involve visiting one of the world’s major art museums, take note: While the National Gallery’s stature in the United Kingdom compelled it to issue an announcement about the changes to its security policy, smaller museums are also watching the recent vandalism with concern, and many have revised their restrictions without public statements. The new museum security crackdowns will affect the day bag you select and what you put in it—and the rules will be different from institution to institution. At Paris’ Louvre, for example, small lockers are available for free. But bags measuring more than 55 x 35 x 20 cm (that’s just 21.6 x 13.7 x 7.8 inches) are no longer permitted inside, and must be placed in lockers that may require payment. Umbrellas may not enter the museum at all, and you’d better hope no one steals yours from the self-service receptacle provided.On your next visit to a major art museum, bring a small bag with minimal items, just in case, and make sure you’re hydrated before arriving so that you won’t need a water bottle.Britain’s National Museum Directors’ Council said that while personally, many of its members are sympathetic to the causes behind the actions, the repeated attacks on galleries are taking a toll on “the people who visit and those who work there.” London’s museum security workers are already on the cusp of striking over wage demands.Until things simmer down again and protesters get more clever with their peaceful demonstrations, some museums won’t even let you carry your own drink of water.

Dundee scientists to lead Parkinson’s research as part of Michael J. Fox initiative

Science and Health

Mutations of the LRRK2 gene were first linked to Parkinson’s 20 years ago, and it is now understood to be the most common cause of inherited Parkinson’s.

The programme, called the LRRK2 Investigative Therapeutics Exchange (LITE), will provide tens of millions of dollars of grant support and focuses on bridging basic science advances to industry-led drug development.

LITE will be led by Professor Dario Alessi, who is a global leader in the study of kinases which is a class of cellular proteins that includes LRRK2.

He runs a lab focused on researching it at the University of Dundee, and directs the Division of Signal Transduction Therapy – a collaboration between leading researchers and global pharmaceutical companies.

READ MORE:

Professor Alessi said: “LRRK2 presents key opportunities to the field, both for better understanding Parkinson’s and for treating it. 

“The LITE initiative gives us a chance to clarify key points of understanding and use that knowledge to inform drug development.”

Dr Esther Sammler, a neurologist at the University of Dundee, is the co-principal investigator and will focus on identifying biomarkers and testing therapies in clinal trials, while Dr Paul Davies and Dr Francesca Tonelli – also from the same university, will join them as part of the leadership group of the study.

Shalini Padmanabhan PHD is MJFF’s head of translational research and said: “We’re building a translational research engine that diversifies ways to target LRRK2, improving confidence and clarity in the most promising approaches to targeting the pathway. 

“This program will make therapeutic development faster and more informed while ‘de-risking’ industry investment.”

Several Parkinson’s drugs targeting LRRK2 are currently in clinical trials, and several other strategies to target LRRK2 have been identified and await further evaluation.

The LITE program will focus both on supporting therapeutic approaches as well as identifying LRRK2-specific biomarkers, which could measure the effect of potential LRRK2-based treatments.

“By building a cohesive, collaborative approach to discovery and development, LITE expedites efforts to leverage the enormous potential of LRRK2-targeted therapies,” said Todd Sherer, PhD, chief mission officer at MJFF.

“Through the initiative, we see the potential for transformative advances in understanding Parkinson’s, intervening in the disease process and, we hope, stopping Parkinson’s disease in its tracks.”

Back to the Future actor Mr Fox was first diagnosed with the disease in 1991, and set up the foundation in 2000 to fund research.

Silicon Valley Takes Artificial General Intelligence Seriously—Washington Must Too

Technology

Artificial General Intelligence—machines that can learn and perform any cognitive task that a human can—has long been relegated to the realm of science fiction. But recent developments show that AGI is no longer a distant speculation; it’s an impending reality that demands our immediate attention.On Sept. 17, during a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing titled “Oversight of AI: Insiders’ Perspectives,” whistleblowers from leading AI companies sounded the alarm on the rapid advancement toward AGI and the glaring lack of oversight. Helen Toner, a former board member of OpenAI and director of strategy at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, testified that, “The biggest disconnect that I see between AI insider perspectives and public perceptions of AI companies is when it comes to the idea of artificial general intelligence.” She continued that leading AI companies such as OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic are “treating building AGI as an entirely serious goal.”Toner’s co-witness William Saunders—a former researcher at OpenAI who recently resigned after losing faith in OpenAI acting responsibly—echoed similar sentiments to Toner, testifying that, “Companies like OpenAI are working towards building artificial general intelligence” and that “they are raising billions of dollars towards this goal.”Read More: When Might AI Outsmart Us? It Depends Who You AskAll three leading AI labs—OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind—are more or less explicit about their AGI goals. OpenAI’s mission states: “To ensure that artificial general intelligence—by which we mean highly autonomous systems that outperform humans at most economically valuable work—benefits all of humanity.” Anthropic focuses on “building reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems,” aiming for “safe AGI.” Google DeepMind aspires “to solve intelligence” and then to use the resultant AI systems “to solve everything else,” with co-founder Shane Legg stating unequivocally that he expects “human-level AI will be passed in the mid-2020s.” New entrants into the AI race, such as Elon Musk’s xAI and Ilya Sutskever’s Safe Superintelligence Inc., are similarly focused on AGI.Policymakers in Washington have mostly dismissed AGI as either marketing hype or a vague metaphorical device not meant to be taken literally. But last month’s hearing might have broken through in a way that previous discourse of AGI has not. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), Ranking Member of the subcommittee, commented that the witnesses are “folks who have been inside [AI] companies, who have worked on these technologies, who have seen them firsthand, and I might just observe don’t have quite the vested interest in painting that rosy picture and cheerleading in the same way that [AI company] executives have.”Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), the subcommittee Chair, was even more direct. “The idea that AGI might in 10 or 20 years be smarter or at least as smart as human beings is no longer that far out in the future. It’s very far from science fiction. It’s here and now—one to three years has been the latest prediction,” he said. He didn’t mince words about where responsibility lies: “What we should learn from social media, that experience is, don’t trust Big Tech.”The apparent shift in Washington reflects public opinion that has been more willing to entertain the possibility of AGI’s imminence. In a July 2023 survey conducted by the AI Policy Institute, the majority of Americans said they thought AGI would be developed “within the next 5 years.” Some 82% of respondents also said we should “go slowly and deliberately” in AI development.That’s because the stakes are astronomical. Saunders detailed that AGI could lead to cyberattacks or the creation of “novel biological weapons,” and Toner warned that many leading AI figures believe that in a worst-case scenario AGI “could lead to literal human extinction.”Despite these stakes, the U.S. has instituted almost no regulatory oversight over the companies racing toward AGI. So where does this leave us?First, Washington needs to start taking AGI seriously. The potential risks are too great to ignore. Even in a good scenario, AGI could upend economies and displace millions of jobs, requiring society to adapt. In a bad scenario, AGI could become uncontrollable.Second, we must establish regulatory guardrails for powerful AI systems. Regulation should involve government transparency into what’s going on with the most powerful AI systems that are being created by tech companies. Government transparency will reduce the chances that society is caught flat-footed by a tech company developing AGI before anyone else is expecting. And mandated security measures are needed to prevent U.S. adversaries and other bad actors from stealing AGI systems from U.S. companies. These light-touch measures would be sensible even if AGI weren’t a possibility, but the prospect of AGI heightens their importance.Read More: What an American Approach to AI Regulation Should Look LikeIn a particularly concerning part of Saunders’ testimony, he said that during his time at OpenAI there were long stretches where he or hundreds of other employees would be able to “bypass access controls and steal the company’s most advanced AI systems, including GPT-4.” This lax attitude toward security is bad enough for U.S. competitiveness today, but it is an absolutely unacceptable way to treat systems on the path to AGI. The comments were another powerful reminder that tech companies cannot be trusted to self-regulate.Finally, public engagement is essential. AGI isn’t just a technical issue; it’s a societal one. The public must be informed and involved in discussions about how AGI could impact all of our lives.No one knows how long we have until AGI—what Senator Blumenthal referred to as “the 64 billion dollar question”—but the window for action may be rapidly closing. Some AI figures including Saunders think it may be in as little as three years. Ignoring the potentially imminent challenges of AGI won’t make them disappear. It’s time for policymakers to begin to get their heads out of the cloud.

Critics challenged 8 books in St. Charles County libraries. 7 will stay.

Arts & Culture, Books

ST. CHARLES COUNTY — The library system here is keeping on its shelves almost all of the books challenged by residents after a statewide rule aimed at protecting minors from explicit content went into effect a year ago.St. Charles City-County Library review committees are still reviewing one, officials said Thursday, but have only ruled against one, “Bang Like a Porn Star: Sex Tips from the Pros.”“Some libraries across the state did see more requests,” Jason Kuhl, the library system CEO, said on Thursday. “But we haven’t seen as many as we thought we might.”A year ago, some parents and library patrons pledged to go through the entirety of the library’s collection of nearly one million books and file dozens of challenges along the way. But in the end, the district said only eight requests for removal have been filed since August 2023 — a slight increase for a district that previously saw between three and seven book challenges per year since 2020.

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Books with LGBTQ-related themes and characters available in the library’s collection have been the target of public criticism from library patrons and county residents who consider them pornographic or obscene.On Thursday, the system released the names of the seven books reviewed and retained: “It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, Gender and Sexual Health,” “Where Do Babies Come From?” “Krampus Baby!” “What’s Happening to My Body? A Book for Boys,” “Everybody Counts: A Counting Book from 0 to 7.5 Billion,” and “The Little Coven.”The book “Humble and Kind,” by Lori McKenna, is under review, officials said.“We take every one of these very seriously, and we go through the due diligence of reviewing the items,” Kuhl said.In addition, the district in December removed 10 books that contained “explicit photographs of sexual intercourse or sexual acts.” Those books, which were not identified by title, are still available to patrons but must be picked up from the circulation desk at branches.Kuhl said the state rules had minimal impact on how the St. Charles library district handles book challenges.“We have always had a reconsideration request form, that’s nothing new. There were some things that we had to do a little big differently, like putting the results online, but it didn’t really change much in terms of what we do each time we get a request,” Kuhl said.The three-page challenge form asks the complainant about 10 questions and then it is submitted to the library administration. The library forms a committee of staff members from different branches and departments to read the book and provide a written response to the person who filed the challenge.The committee makeup is changed each time a challenge is filed to allow for a variety of opinions to be heard, according to library officials.The complaints against the books ranged from vocabulary to illustrations and concerns about a book’s subject matter.“What’s Happening to My Body? A Book for Boys” was challenged by a patron who said they could only read 75% of the 233-page book and stopped because they were “disgusted” by the content and illustrations, according to documents obtained through an open records request. The district did not disclose the name of the patrons who filed the book challenges.The book, which is intended for children 10 and older, was originally published in 2007 and address how a person’s body changes size and shape as they age, the importance of diet and exercise, the growth of body hair, romantic and sexual feelings and puberty in the opposite sex.The book for boys also provides information on steroid abuse, acne treatment and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV-AIDS. Both books provide detailed illustrations and real-life stories throughout the book, according to HarperCollins, the books’ publisher.The library district has six copies of the book and also carries the book in its e-book catalog. The book has been checked out 379 times since 2007, according to online records.Another challenged book, “Everybody Counts: A Counting Book from 0 to 7.5 Billion,” is by Kristin Roskifte and was published in 2020. The library district has three copies of the book, which offers readers a “multi-cultural mash-up of seek-and-find puzzles and counting exercises” that features crowd scenes in locations including a public library, airport terminal, supermarket and a marathon. It’s intended for kids 4 to 6.The book was challenged on the grounds that it was not appropriate and was “a strange guessing game.” The library’s copies have been checked out 136 times since 2020.“The Little Coven” was challenged because it “makes witchcraft, which can be very dangerous, look light, fluffy and super friendly.” They also criticized the book for its depiction of astrology and fortune telling, both things the patron said can be “very addicting.”The 32-page book details the childhood adventures of three female friends as they grow older and embrace the magic of their own personalities and gifts. “The Little Coven” is available at three branches and is intended for readers between 3 and 5 years old.Another challenged book, “Krampus Baby,” is a 10-page children’s picture book takes readers to an Alpine village filled with European winter folklore, including Santa Claus. Krampus is a popular figure in central and eastern European yuletide traditions and festivals.Editor’s note: The headline of this story has been updated to reflect the number of books removed by the library system.

Former library employee Lauramarie Olesnicki was among those people protesting ahead of Tuesday night’s St. Charles City-County Library Board meeting. She carried with her a sign that advocated for firing St. Charles City-County Library CEO Jason Kuhl. Video by Ethan Colbert, St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Ethan Colbert

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Spontaneous travellers can now get 50% discounts on the Eurostar — here’s how

Travel

Ready to unlock major Eurostar discounts? Here’s how (Picture: Getty Images)From the novelty of having zero liquid restrictions to being treated to stunning train views, there are so many reasons why taking the Eurostar to Europe might prove more convenient than flying.
With direct routes through to the likes of Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Rotterdam, it doesn’t just serve as transport through to these popular cities – it unlocks other European destinations along the way.
Fancy popping over to Bruges? It’s only 58 minutes away from Brussels, just as the train from Lyon to Paris takes just under 2 hours on the fastest connections.
Want to book a European getaway with Eurostar but feeling relatively flexible as to when you travel? Now, customers can access discounts of up to 50% through its brand-new ‘Snap’ ticket scheme.
Wondering how it all works? Simply choose a date and a destination, and Eurostar will sort out the time of your booking.
The only necessity on your end is that you’ll need to be open and easy as to what time you travel – and if you’re in search of a good deal, you might be willing to catch the red-eye train to shave a few pennies off the cost.

The Eurostar unlocks various European cities – not just Paris (Picture: Getty Images)You can invite up to three friends too, so you can delight in your savings together – and spend the remainder on croissants or an Aperol Spritz or two.
However, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to sit together (just in case you were planning a game of Uno, or simply a good old natter).
Eurostar will send you the details of your train at least 48 hours before you travel, and you can book using the Snap system as many times as you like, travelling both ways between Paris and Brussels, Paris and Amsterdam, Paris and Cologne, London and Brussels, and London and Paris. What’s not to love?
You won’t only need to be flexible and spontaneous in terms of train time: you’ll also need to be willing to book relatively close to your departure date, hence it’s called the Snap booking system.

You can book up to two weeks before your journey using the Snap system (Picture: Getty Images)As Eurostar notes, the ‘early bird might catch the worm, but it doesn’t get to revel in the excitement of an ad-hoc adventure.’

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Along these lines, you can book Snap seats a maximum of 14 days before – or even the day before, if you’re feeling particularly flighty (and have a relaxed workplace policy on annual leave).
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Read More StoriesThe only caveat is that once you’ve booked the tickets, you won’t be able to exchange, cancel or transfer it.
You also won’t be able to book a same-day return using the Snap system if you were thinking of treating yourself to a Parisian lunch and nothing more.

Ready to go? Grab your suitcases and passports – and we’ll see you at St Pancras International!

The best European cities to visit by train, according to Which?

Bruges, Belgium (average hotel rate: £138, city score: 85%)
Bordeaux, France (£91, 84%)
Amsterdam, Netherlands (£141, 82%)
Avignon, France (£104, 82%)
Rotterdam, Netherlands (not enough responses to give a rating, 81%)
Ghent, Belgium (£128, 80%)
Paris, France (£149, 79%)
Strasbourg, France (£149, 79%)
Cologne, Germany (£126, 71%)
Lyon, France (£108, 71%)
Brussels, Belgium (£111, 70%)
Lille, France (£135, 70%)
Basel, Switzerland (£178, 68%)
Frankfurt, Germany (£82, 64%)
Marseille, France (£142, 63%)
Geneva, Switzerland (£146, 60%).

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