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UTILITY Week 9th September 2016

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UTILITY WEEK | 9TH - 15TH SEPTEMBER 2016 | 31 Community Endorsed by experts It's been a slow news week by recent standards. We still have the same prime minister. No-one famous has died (at time of going to press). And we haven't gone to war with anyone (new). So it's back to the same old, same old: Assad dropping barrel bombs on puppies, Donald Trump kicking Mexican ass, and the Labour party eating itself. Apple was hit with an £11 billion tax bill, which you would have thought had to hurt, but the company's share price barely flickered on the news. They've obviously got that sort of dough lying around in loose change. As it happens, it's been a bad few days for uber-rich techheads. Elon Musk's space rocket burst into flames on the Launchpad, taking Facebook's $200 million satellite with it. Disconnector wonders how Mark Zuckerberg's friends broached the subject with him over dinner. Tactfully, one supposes. For people like Musk, Zuckerberg and Apple CEO Tim Cook, it's probably not about the money any more. It's about the ego. Disconnector was therefore unsurprised to read an article in The Washington Post that a study has found men are oen their own favourite experts on any given subject. When an academic writes a research paper, it is common practice to give citations for facts and assertions. If your work is cited by others, it is considered a mark of authority and influence: the more your work gets cited by others, the more authoritative it's assumed to be. The trouble is, authors can also cite their own work. This is not as hooky as it sounds: an academic in a specialist field may indeed be an authority on the subject and have to cite his or her own previous work as the source of a fact. Researchers at Stanford University examined a massive database of 1.5 million research papers published between 1779 and 2011. And found that self- citation represents around 10 per cent of all citations. This is a significant number, but more telling still was the fact that men were 56 per cent more likely to cite themselves as a source than women, and over the past two decades that has risen to 70 per cent more likely. Disconnector suspects that many women could have told you this anyway. For most sub- jects in life, men don't usually need any more evidence than what they "reckon". Neighbourhood watch It's good to see churches rising to the challenge of showing moral leadership on environ- mental and social issues, but maybe the Unitarian Universal- ist church in Massachusetts is going too far by suing the town of Bedford for turning down its request to install solar panels on its property. The church wanted to put the solar panels on the roof of its meeting house but its request was rejected by the town's Historic District Commission. In response, the church claimed the denial violated its free exercise of religion, specifically the First Amendment. The complaint contends that the seventh (of seven) princi- ples of Unitarian Universalism implores followers to "respect for the interdependent web of existence of which we are a part", which the parish interprets to mean an abiding respect for the environment. The town council argues that solar panels spoil the view. Disconnector applauds the church's desire to do its part when it comes to renewables, but pitting itself against the town's fuddy duddy traditional- ists seems a tad cavalier, aer all, tradition is the very founda- tion of most churches. Disconnector Editor, Utility Week, and content director, Utilities: Ellen Bennett, t: 01342 332084, e: ellenbennett@fav-house.com; Acting editor: Jane Gray, t: 01342 332087, e: janegray@ fav-house.com; Insights editor: Mathew Beech, t: 01342 332082, e: mathewbeech@fav-house. com; News editor: Lois Vallely, t: 01342 332080, e: loisvallely@fav-house.com; Networks correspondent: Lucinda Dann, t: 01342 332083, e: lucindadann@fav-house.com; Reporters: Saffron Johnson, t: 01342 332050, e: saffronjohnson@fav-house.com and Tom Grimwood, t: 01342 332061, e: tomgrimwood@fav-house.com; Business development manager: Richard Powell, t: 01342 332062, e: richardpowell@fav-house.com; Business development executive: Richard Powell, t: 01342 332062, e: sarahwood@fav-house.com; Publisher: Amanda Barnes, e: amandabarnes@ fav-house.com. General enquiries: 01342 332000; Membership enquiries: Peter Bissell, t: 01342 332507, e: peterbissell@fav-house.com. ISSN: 1356-5532. Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. Printed by: Buxton Press, Palace Road, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 6AE. Published by: Faversham House Ltd, Windsor Court, Wood Street, East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 1UZ 3,580 Average circulation Jan–Dec 2015 Membership subscriptions: UK £637 per year. Overseas £749 per year. Contact Peter Bissell on: 01342 332507 Richard Lloyd @RichardJLloyd First energy, now banking. Weak inquiries by the CMA that leave it to consumers to change uncompetitive markets. Time to change the CMA. Paul Massara @paulmassara If Hinkley gets the go-ahead, the UK govt will have 10 years of negative headlines followed by 35 years of regret. National Grid Media @Grid_Media It's back! We're predicting a 450MW pick-up after tonight's @BritishBakeOff, enough to bake 750,000 Victoria Sponges. David Allen Green @DavidAllenGreen So: today's Brexit news. No special trade deal with US on table. Japanese detailed concerns. No extra NHS cash. No migration pledge. Well. William Marchant @richonlyinname I often give Ofgem a hard time, so fair dues: they are producing and publishing a lot of useful data these days. Thumbs up. Northern Powergrid @Northpowergrid Celebrating the launch of the new 105 power cut number... by eating cake! Climate Reality @ClimateReality Clean coal is oxymoronic – emphasis on "moronic". Retweet if you're ready for real clean energy! Life on Earth @planetepics For 113 days straight, Costa Rica has generated 100 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources. Cheats @TheDIYHacks Taking a shower during a lightning storm is not recommended – a strike can be con- ducted for many miles through a water pipe. Top Tweets Utility Week is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (which regulates the UK's magazine and newspaper industry). We abide by the Editors' Code of Practice and are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism. If you think that we have not met those standards and want to make a complaint please contact the editor, Ellen Bennett, at Ellenbennett@fav-house.com. If we are unable to resolve your complaint, or if you would like more information about IPSO or the Editors' Code, contact IPSO on 0300 123 2220 or visit www.ipso.co.uk

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