Latest news with #Groningen
Fast Company
2 days ago
- Health
- Fast Company
A massive new study of 24,000 people says this is what happens to people who stay up too late every night
WORK LIFE Let's just say it was a struggle. BY Listen to this Article More info 0:00 / 4:20 I'm a night owl, so I'm interested when I come across studies about what happens to people who habitually stay up late. Sometimes they can be disturbing, and sometimes they're innocuous. But sometimes — like the latest one I've read — they come with a silver lining. Today's study comes to us from the medical school at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. It involves tracking the sleep habits and health outcomes of nearly 24,000 people over 10 full years. Let's give you the results up front: good, bad, and the reason to look on the bright side. Writing in The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease, the Dutch researchers said they tracked the sleep habits and the degree to which they displayed cognitive decline over the same period. The results were disconcerting on their face for night owls; people who habitually stay up late wound up with faster cognitive decline than those who go to bed early. But, there was an unexpected twist. The less education night owls had, the less likely they were to experience similar levels of cognitive decline over the study period. That finding begs for an explanation, and researcher Ana Wenzler, a Ph.D. candidate in the university's department of epidemiology, offered a few: First, as we saw in another recent study, people who stay up late are less likely than their early-to-bed peers to exercise during the day. Second, people who go to bed early simply sleep through many of the times when other people smoke, drink, and eat unhealthy foods most often. Finally — and this might be the most interesting — the increased correlation between more education and more cognitive decline for night owls might stem from the fact that, statistically, more educated people wind up trapped in a daytime work hours environment, even when their natural rhythms might be better served by a different schedule. As Wenzler explained in an accompanying statement: 'That probably has to do with their sleep rhythm. They are often people who have to go back to work early in the morning and are therefore more likely to sleep too short, giving their brains too little rest. We suspect that lower- or middle-educated people are more likely to have a job that allows them to take their sleep rhythm into account, such as a job in the hospitality industry or one with night shifts. If this is not possible, your brain does not get enough rest and you are more likely to adopt bad habits. It would be nice if more consideration was given to evening people who now have to work early: for example, by giving them the option of starting later.' This is the part I look at as a silver lining. Because, even as workplaces have evolved during the 10 years or so that the study period covered, many highly educated night owls have, in fact, adjusted. More of us work remotely, more of us work for ourselves, and more of us have worked out flexibility. We've actually given ourselves 'the option of starting later' if it fits our schedules better. In my personal situation, that's exactly what's happened. If you go back to the earlier parts of my career, I was chained to an inflexible schedule at work. As an example, I had a job that required me to battle a Los Angeles commute and be sitting at my desk by 7:30 a.m. each day. Let's just say it was a struggle. Today, I'm fortunate in that I answer to nobody but myself, and so I set my own hours. I probably put in a lot more time each week than I once did when I was on someone else's schedule, but the hours I work are better suited to my natural chronotype (or 'biological clock'). Of course, we're hearing about this study just as many big companies are swinging the pendulum back the other way, requiring employees to be in the office more often, and limiting remote work and flexibility. Maybe that's a competitive opportunity if you're running a business. Great employees come in all chronotypes: night owls and early birds alike. Call it another silver lining. — By Bill Murphy Jr. Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy. The early-rate deadline for Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies Awards is Friday, September 5, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Inc. Magazine: Everything you need to start and grow your business. More
Leader Live
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Leader Live
Wrexham to face Dutch top-flight side Groningen in friendly
The match takes place on Saturday August 2 at De Langeleegte in Veendam, and kicks-off 3pm local time, but away supporters are not allowed to attend the game. The club announced on the official website: "The match, at De Langeleegte in Veendam, is not open to away supporters per instructions from local authorities. "We urge supporters not to travel to the match, which will be live streamed on the Wrexham AFC club website instead – with match passes on sale soon. "The trip forms a key part of Wrexham's pre-season preparations, with a double fixture planned – as well as the match in Veendam, there will also be a behind-closed-doors training fixture between an XI from each Club on the same day. "Groningen finished 13th in the Eredivisie last season, after winning promotion back to the Dutch top flight at the first attempt the previous season. "Details on how to watch the match globally will be released in due course. Once again, we urge supporters not to attempt to buy tickets or travel to the game." Wrexham made history last season by securing a third successive promotion and are back in the second tier for the first time in 43 years. The new Championship campaign starts against Southampton at St Marys Stadium on Saturday August 9 (12.30pm kick-off and live on Sky Sports).
Telegraph
15-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
European energy rationing is a dire warning for net zero Britain
It was the first country to develop a stock market. And it was among the first to create joint stock companies, global banking, and trading houses that could span continents. The Netherlands has always been one of the pioneers of business and capitalism, a place where new ideas are perfected. The trouble is, it is now pioneering something entirely different in electricity rationing, a policy that will make it very hard for companies to operate in and impossible to expand. And let's not kid ourselves. Now that rationing has been imposed by the Dutch, it will almost inevitably be imposed in Britain as well, with catastrophic consequences for the economy. If you are running a restaurant in Amsterdam, a factory in Rotterdam or a shop in Eindhoven, it is probably the worst news you could have feared. The power you need to keep your business running is no longer just expensive – it might not be available at all. Why? The Netherlands, like so many European countries, is rushing ahead with ambitious green energy targets, while failing to make sure that adequate supplies of electricity are available as older systems are shut down. The massive Groningen gas field was closed down last year, and while that might make sense once the wind and solar needed to replace it are on stream, it means in the meantime, there is not enough juice to keep all the lights switched on. The result? More than 11,000 businesses are stuck in a queue for access to the network, and it is growing longer all the time. If you need power, forget it. It is even worse for private individuals, with thousands of new homes waiting to be connected to the grid. It is, of course, not just the Dutch. Spain and Portugal suffered a massive blackout earlier this year, with the entire power system shutting down for the day. While the reasons for the failure are still not entirely clear, it looks as if relying on solar power without enough back-up capacity may have been a big part of the problem. Likewise, shortages are emerging in Belgium and France, and Germany may not be far behind. We should not kid ourselves that this is an issue restricted to the Netherlands or to continental Europe. The UK will almost certainly be next in line, and we are already seeing the early warning signs of that. Industrial electricity prices have soared to the highest level in Europe, and that has forced many heavy industries to close. It is a form of rationing, except by price. The electricity companies have already imposed smart meters on households in the hope that a nagging little dial in the corner of the kitchen warning how much power the dishwasher is using might persuade you to use less, as well as experimenting with off-peak rates to encourage us to use less power in the main part of the day. Indeed, given that the Dutch are generally a lot more organised than we are, they might simply be getting on the front foot by putting formal rationing in place early in the process. In the UK, it is more likely that there will be sudden blackouts, with towns and cities potentially plunged into darkness. This could then be followed by rolling blackouts for 'non-essential' industries on a sporadic basis. Whichever form it takes, the main point is the same. But hold on. This is crazy. It is inconvenient for a household, but most of us can have a sandwich for supper and read by candlelight if we have to. We can live without power for a day or two. However, a restaurant, shop, warehouse or factory simply can't operate without electricity. If rationing does become the new normal, there are two big problems. First, it will push many businesses over the edge. We already know that pubs and restaurants are closing at record rates, hammered by the rise in employers' National Insurance. If they have to close down a couple of nights a week because their zone is offline, it may well finish them off. After all, their costs will remain the same, but a couple of days' takings will be lost. Likewise, many retailers are struggling to survive as they struggle with rising business rates, new packaging levies, as well as fines if customers don't buy enough healthy food. A day or two of trading lost every week will be the final straw. As for industry, it is already in full-scale collapse. With rationing to contend with, it is hard to imagine that anything will survive. Next, it will deter investment. What is the point of spending tens of millions on a new factory or warehouse if you can't guarantee power supplies? Or building new homes if they won't be connected to the grid. In reality, this needs to be stopped in its tracks. Most of us agree that climate change is a serious issue and one that needs to be addressed. But we need to plan the transition to green energy in a way that makes sure it is affordable and reliable, as it has been for the last 100 years.
Daily Mail
14-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Netherlands RATIONS electricity as country struggles to cope with turning away from gas as part of green policies - as expert warns Britain is also 'in trouble'
The Netherlands is rationing electricity as its overloaded power grid buckles under the pressure of rapid electrification and ambitious climate goals. More than 11,900 businesses are stuck in a queue for access to the network, alongside public buildings including hospitals, schools and fire stations. Thousands of new homes are also waiting to be connected, with some areas warned they may have to wait until the 2030s. The crisis has emerged as the country scrambles to cut carbon emissions. And now experts are warning that Britain, as well as Belgium and Germany, are all 'in trouble.' The countries should 'definitely' see what is happening in the Netherlands as a warning, says Zsuzsanna Pató, from Brussels-based energy think tank RAP. After shutting down production at the massive Groningen gas field last year, the Dutch government has pushed a fast transition to electric heating, solar power and battery storage. But the national grid has failed to keep pace, creating widespread bottlenecks and driving up costs. Officials estimate €200 billion will be needed by 2040 to expand grid capacity. Electricity prices are already among the highest in Western Europe, and Dutch households face yearly tariff increases of up to 4.7 percent for at least the next decade. To ease demand, operators are offering cheaper contracts for off-peak usage and telling major industries they may need to shut off entirely for several hours a day. A national ad campaign is urging the public to avoid charging e-bikes and electric cars between 4pm and 9pm, when the grid is under the most strain. The Netherlands has been one of Europe's most aggressive adopters of green policies, aiming to cut emissions in half by 2030. The shortage has alarmed local leaders, who say businesses are already pulling out of investment plans. In Brainport, the high-tech southern region that is home to semiconductor giant ASML, mayor Jeroen Dijsselbloem says no new grid capacity will arrive before 2027. He said: 'Everything is going electric and electricity infrastructure needs to grow massively. We need more than 100 medium substations and 4,000 small ones.' Although the Netherlands is one of the worst-hit, Spain has already experienced major power blackouts earlier this year, after its own grid came under pressure during peak demand. Thousands of people and many organisations were brought to a standstill shortly after midday on April 28 when the country was disconnected from the European electricity grid for hours. Britain itself faced electricity rationing in the 1970s during the coal miners' strikes, when lights were turned off and businesses forced to work a three-day week. For more than two months, many homes were forced to burn candles and look for alternative means of electricity. In the Netherlands, some companies are now trying to solve the problem themselves. American medical firm Thermo Fisher, which has a large base near Eindhoven, is investing in battery storage and rooftop solar to avoid delays. Others are working with local authorities to build shared 'energy hubs' that allow businesses to pool grid access. But grid operators say they are also facing a shortage of 28,000 trained technicians, slowing down efforts to install the infrastructure needed. Residents have been urged not to charge electric vehicles and cars between 4pm and 9pm For now, officials are looking at ways to squeeze more out of the grid without risking blackouts. Despite the alarming report, officials close to the situation have tried to downplay its effect with one saying: 'It's nowhere near as bad anywhere else.'
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sell-on bonus: Another nice amount for Groningen through English transfer
Former Groningen man Gabriel Gudmundsson will be playing in the Premier League next season. Leeds United have signed the Swedish left-back from Lille for around 12 million euros, once again giving Groningen a substantial fee. Gudmundsson played in Groningen from 2019 to 2021 and completed his transfer to Lille four years ago. The 26-year-old wing-back became a regular in France, making 137 official appearances in four seasons. Fine performances have earned him a move to newly promoted Premier League Leeds. Advertisement Gudmundsson follows in the footsteps of Jørgen Strand Larsen, who, after his transfer to Celta de Vigo, also secured a move to English football's top flight with a €27 million move to Wolverhampton Wanderers after an initial successful loan. This sent several more millions to the far north. Although that amount is lower for Gudmundsson, VI knows that Groningen also managed a resale percentage from Lille in his case. Assuming this percentage is 10 to 15 per cent, the northern club can bank a maximum of 900,000 euros. The 12 million that Leeds is now paying is double what Lille paid in 2021. Gudmundsson is Leeds' fourth new signing this summer. The club, home to Dutchmen Joël Piroe and Pascal Struijk, paid 18 million euros for Udinese defender Jaka Bijol and signed free agent Lukas Nmechma. They also added Belgian defender Sebastiaan Bornaauw to the ranks from VfL Wolfsburg, where Paul Simonis recently took over as manager. Advertisement GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield
