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Category: Education

  • MIL-OSI USA: $5 Million Investment to Expand Access to Behavioral Health Care in Primary Care Offices

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: $5 Million Investment to Expand Access to Behavioral Health Care in Primary Care Offices

    $5 Million Investment to Expand Access to Behavioral Health Care in Primary Care Offices
    hejones1

    The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announces $5 million to help providers build capacity and implement the Collaborative Care Model in primary care offices across the state. Through the Collaborative Care Model, primary care providers work with an integrated behavioral health case manager and a psychiatric consultant to monitor and treat patients for mild to moderate behavioral health conditions. The need for integrated medical and behavioral health care is greater than ever as rates of anxiety and depression have substantially increased following the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “Too many individuals with mental health and substance use disorders delay the care they need because they struggle finding a provider,” said NC Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley. “Collaborative Care can serve more people earlier by supporting primary care providers in reaching people at the onset of behavioral health symptoms.”

    Collaborative Care is covered by NC Medicaid, Medicare and most commercial insurance plans in North Carolina, helping to break down barriers that separate how physical and behavioral health services are delivered and paid for. Patients are able to receive services through a provider, and in a setting, they already know and trust, which gives them easier access to the care they need. Collaborative Care improves patient outcomes, reduces health care costs and reduces stigma related to mental health and substance use disorders.

    NCDHHS’ investment is designed to help with the startup costs of implementing Collaborative Care, particularly for primary care providers in rural or high-need areas that have limited access to behavioral health services. The department is partnering with Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC) to select eligible provider applications and distribute funding to approximately 100 providers across the state.

    As of Oct. 10, providers can apply for up to $50,000 per site to help with hiring and start up costs. Primary care practices are encouraged to apply and can find more information through CCNC’s dedicated Collaborative Care website. Efforts will be made to ensure primary care practices in western North Carolina impacted by Hurricane Helene will have an opportunity to apply for inclusion in the program, even if they are unable to apply for funds at this time.

    “The need is greater than ever before,” said Dr. Carrie Brown, Chief Psychiatrist for NCDHHS. “From 2019 to 2021, the percentage of Americans reporting symptoms of anxiety and depression nearly quadrupled, from 11% to 41%. The Collaborative Care partnership between primary care and psychiatrists is one example of the department’s efforts to increase access to behavioral health care for those who need it as we focus on whole-person health.”

    Nationally, the Collaborative Care Model is a strategic response to the shortage of mental health care professionals across the country. Recent data show more than 123 million people in the U.S. live in a Federally Designated Mental Health Professional shortage area, including one in four North Carolina counties. In North Carolina, a recent study finds there are 28 counties without a practicing psychiatrist, and it can take weeks or even months to get an appointment with a mental health provider. 

    With the Collaborative Care Model, a behavioral health care manager is embedded within a primary care office and, through consultation with a psychiatrist, helps the primary care physician implement evidence-based interventions for patients who screen positive for targeted behavioral health conditions. In this model, one psychiatrist can reach far more North Carolinians with mild to moderate behavioral health needs than they could directly provide care for through traditional behavioral health services.

    “Through this partnership with primary care professionals, we are working to create a more accessible mental healthcare system,” said Kelly Crosbie, MSW, LCSW, Director of the NCDHHS Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Services. “This ensures our community receives the mental health care they need and deserve, in a setting where they are most comfortable.”

    The $5 million investment in capacity building is made possible by the NC General Assembly through the signing bonus North Carolina received from the federal government when it approved Medicaid Expansion. The investment builds on the department’s strategic work to enhance access to the Collaborative Care Model, which has already resulted in a nearly 100% increase in utilization among NC Medicaid primary care providers between April 2023 and May 2024.

    NC Medicaid, in coordination with key stakeholders, has led a statewide effort over the past two years to align requirements and reimbursement for Collaborative Care across payors, increase NC Medicaid reimbursement for behavioral health services to 120% of Medicare rates and remove copays for Medicaid beneficiaries. Additionally, NC Medicaid has provided training and technical assistance to support model implementation through Area Health Education Centers, connected interested primary care practices with psychiatric consultants, and created a customized Collaborative Care registry for providers through CCNC. These efforts are outlined in detail in a white paper published by NC Medicaid in December 2023.   

    NCDHHS’ investment in the Collaborative Care Model is part of a broader commitment to build an integrated behavioral health system in North Carolina. The NC General Assembly last year allocated a historic $835 million to strengthen the behavioral health system, and millions of North Carolinians are already benefiting from the sweeping, systemic improvements these funds are making for their health, well-being and day-to-day lives. More information is available in the NCDHHS Transforming North Carolina’s Behavioral Health System white paper.

    El Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte anuncia $ 5 millones para ayudar a los proveedores a desarrollar capacidades e implementar el Modelo de Atención Colaborativa en las oficinas de atención médica primaria de todo el estado. A través del Modelo de Atención Colaborativa, los proveedores de atención médica primaria trabajan con un administrador de casos de salud conductual integrado y un consultor psiquiátrico para monitorear y tratar a los pacientes con condiciones de salud conductual de leves a moderadas. La necesidad de atención médica y de salud conductual integrada es mayor que nunca, ya que las tasas de ansiedad y depresión han aumentado sustancialmente después de la pandemia de COVID-19.

    “Demasiadas personas con trastornos de salud mental y uso de sustancias retrasan la atención que necesitan porque tienen dificultades para encontrar un proveedor”, dijo el secretario de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte, Kody H. Kinsley. “La Atención Colaborativa puede servir a más personas antes, al ayudar a los proveedores de atención médica primaria a llegar a las personas al inicio de los síntomas de salud conductual”.

    La Atención Colaborativa está cubierta por NC Medicaid, Medicare y la mayoría de los planes de seguros comerciales en Carolina del Norte, lo que ayuda a derribar las barreras que separan la forma en que se prestan y pagan los servicios de salud física y conductual. Los pacientes pueden recibir servicios a través de un proveedor y en un entorno que ya conocen y en el que confían, lo que les brinda un acceso más fácil a la atención que necesitan. La Atención Colaborativa mejora los resultados de los pacientes, reduce los costos de atención médica y reduce el estigma relacionado con la salud mental y los trastornos por uso de sustancias.

    La inversión del Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte (NCDHHS, por sus siglas en inglés) está diseñada para ayudar con los costos iniciales de la implementación de la Atención Colaborativa, particularmente para los proveedores de atención médica primaria en áreas rurales o de alta necesidad que tienen acceso limitado a los servicios de salud conductual. El departamento se está asociando con Atención Comunitaria de Carolina del Norte (Community Care of North Carolina, CCNC, por sus siglas en inglés) para seleccionar solicitudes de proveedores elegibles y distribuir fondos a aproximadamente 100 proveedores en todo el estado.

    A partir del 10 de octubre, los proveedores pueden solicitar hasta $50,000 por sitio para ayudar con los costos de contratación e iniciación. Se alienta a las prácticas de atención médica primaria a aplicar y encontrar más información a través del sitio web dedicado a la Atención Colaborativa de CCNC. Se harán esfuerzos para garantizar que las prácticas de atención médica primaria en el oeste de Carolina del Norte afectadas por el huracán Helene tengan la oportunidad de solicitar su inclusión en el programa, incluso si no pueden solicitar fondos en este momento.

    “La necesidad es mayor que nunca”, dijo la doctora Carrie Brown, directora psiquiatra del NCDHHS. “De 2019 a 2021, el porcentaje de estadounidenses que reportaron síntomas de ansiedad y depresión casi se cuadruplicó, del 11% al 41%. La asociación de Atención Colaborativa entre la atención médica primaria y los psiquiatras es un ejemplo de los esfuerzos del departamento para aumentar el acceso a la atención de salud conductual para quienes la necesitan, ya que nos centramos en la salud integral de la persona”.

    A nivel nacional, el Modelo de Atención Colaborativa es una respuesta estratégica a la escasez de profesionales de la salud mental en todo el país. Datos recientes muestran que más de 123 millones de personas en Estados Unidos viven en un área de escasez de profesionales de la salud mental designados por el gobierno federal, incluido uno de cada cuatro condados de Carolina del Norte. En Carolina del Norte, un estudio reciente encuentra que hay 28 condados sin un psiquiatra que ejerza, y puede tomar semanas o incluso meses obtener una cita con un proveedor de salud mental. 

    Con el Modelo de Atención Colaborativa, un administrador de atención de salud conductual está integrado en una oficina de atención médica primaria y, a través de la consulta con un psiquiatra, ayuda al médico de atención médica primaria a implementar intervenciones basadas en evidencia para pacientes que dan positivo para condiciones de salud conductual específicas. En este modelo, un psiquiatra puede llegar a muchos más habitantes de Carolina del Norte con necesidades de salud conductual de leves a moderadas de las que podrían atender directamente a través de los servicios tradicionales de salud conductual.

    “A través de esta asociación con profesionales de atención médica primaria, estamos trabajando para crear un sistema de salud mental más accesible”, dijo Kelly Crosbie, MSW, LCSW, directora de la División de Salud Mental, Discapacidades del Desarrollo y Servicios de Uso de Sustancias del NCDHHS. “Esto garantiza que nuestra comunidad reciba la atención de salud mental que necesita y merece, en un entorno más cómodo”.

    La inversión de $ 5 millones en el desarrollo de capacidades es posible gracias a la Asamblea General de Carolina del Norte a través del bono por contratación que Carolina del Norte recibió del gobierno federal cuando aprobó la Expansión de Medicaid. La inversión se basa en el trabajo estratégico del departamento para mejorar el acceso al Modelo de Atención Colaborativa, que ya ha resultado en un aumento de casi el 100% en la utilización entre los proveedores de atención médica primaria de Medicaid de Carolina del Norte entre abril de 2023 y mayo de 2024.

    NC Medicaid, en coordinación con las principales partes interesadas, ha liderado un esfuerzo estatal en los últimos dos años para alinear los requisitos y el reembolso de la Atención Colaborativa entre los contribuyentes, aumentar el reembolso de NC Medicaid por servicios de salud conductual al 120% de las tasas de Medicare y eliminar los copagos para los beneficiarios de Medicaid. Además, NC Medicaid ha brindado capacitación y asistencia técnica para apoyar la implementación del modelo a través de los Centros de Educación para la Salud del Área (Area Health Education Centers, AHEC, por sus siglas en inglés), ha conectado las prácticas de atención médica primaria interesadas con los consultores psiquiátricos y ha creado un registro personalizado de Atención Colaborativa para los proveedores a través de CCNC. Estos esfuerzos se describen en detalle en un libro blanco publicado por NC Medicaid en diciembre de 2023.   

    La inversión del NCDHHS en el Modelo de Atención Colaborativa es parte de un compromiso más amplio para construir un sistema integrado de salud conductual en Carolina del Norte. El año pasado, la Asamblea General de Carolina del Norte asignó $ 835 millones históricos para fortalecer el sistema de salud conductual, y millones de habitantes de Carolina del Norte ya se están beneficiando de las mejoras radicales y sistémicas que estos fondos están haciendo para su salud, bienestar y vida cotidiana. Para obtener más información, visite [$835 reporte]. 

    Oct 30, 2024

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Lingokids Launches ‘Lessons’: New Guided Courses that Prove 90% Effective in Improving Children’s Skill Learning Abilities

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    LOS ANGELES, Oct. 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lingokids, the #1 early learning app for kids, launched “Lessons”, a new section within its app designed to provide a guided learning experience across different subjects. “Lessons” offers the most structured and educational journey within the Lingokids ecosystem to date while maintaining the company’s signature Playlearning™ methodology, helping kids learn while having fun.

    A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.

    Key Features of Lessons

    “Lessons” currently cover three main subjects: Literacy, Math and English as a Secondary Language. These subjects are organized by levels, including Preschool Readiness, Kindergarten Readiness, and 1st Grade Readiness and each lesson covers several subtopics such as shapes, phonics, counting, numbers, animals, or daily routines, among many others. Each Lesson guides children through a complete learning cycle, starting with an initial diagnostic, followed by 8-10 engaging units of videos and games, and concluding with a revision unit and summative assessment to measure progress.

    “Lessons” are designed for self-paced learning, allowing children to work through each lesson over 1-2 weeks, depending on their individual schedules and learning speeds. The environment is 100% ad-free and safe, encouraging independent exploration and learning. Created by leading educational experts, Lessons align with both US Curriculum standards and the CEFR framework.

    Lingokids’ internal research shows that:

    • 90% of children who have completed a lesson show skill improvement when comparing their initial and final assessments.
    • Active and continued engagement with “Lessons” has been robust, demonstrating their effectiveness in capturing and maintaining children’s interest.

    “With “Lessons”, we’ve combined structured learning with the engaging Playlearning™ methodology, creating a powerful educational tool. The 90% skill improvement rate highlights the success of this method. “Lessons” go beyond traditional teaching—they inspire a genuine love for learning that will benefit children throughout their lives,” said Rhona Anne Dick, Education & Child Development Lead at Lingokids.

    Lingokids Lessons Content Breakdown

    Preschool Readiness: Focuses on building foundational skills, with math lessons covering topics like 2D shapes and counting from 1 to 10, art lessons on colors, and literacy lessons introducing the lowercase alphabet.

    Kindergarten Readiness: Expands on preschool foundations, covering social skills like emotional understanding and science topics such as space and weather. Literacy lessons broaden to adjectives, verbs, phonics, and the uppercase alphabet.

    1st Grade Readiness: Explores more advanced topics like animal science and introduces basic engineering concepts. Math moves forward to cover addition and subtraction.

    English Vocabulary: Features a range of vocabulary lessons on themes like transport, family, safari animals, and school-related topics, all designed to align with children’s everyday experiences.

    About Lingokids

    Lingokids is an educational tech and media company dedicated to transforming the way children learn traditional and modern life skills. Through its unique Playlearning™ approach, Lingokids provides engaging, interactive learning experiences, empowering children to lead their own educational journeys. Launched in 2015, Lingokids has become a trusted platform for over 95 million families worldwide, offering the award-winning Lingokids app, podcasts, videos, and more.

    For more information, please visit www.lingokids.com and follow @Lingokids.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Lamont Announces Connecticut Awarded $9 Million to Close the Digital Divide

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    (HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that the Commission for Educational Technology, an office within the Connecticut Department of Administrative Services (DAS), is being awarded more than $9 million in federal funding to launch key initiatives outlined in the state’s digital equity plan, “Connecticut: Everyone Connected.” The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) through its Digital Equity Program, which is part of the White House’s Internet for All initiative authorized through the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

    Connecticut’s digital equity plan was produced following more than a year of outreach and research to identify the barriers preventing residents from getting online, equipped with a device, and supported with the training and technical assistance they need to thrive in today’s digital world. The plan aims to close the digital divide, particularly among the most disenfranchised groups in the state, including residents at or below 150% of the poverty line, racial and ethnic minorities, the aging, those incarcerated in or in transition out of state correctional facilities, individuals with disabilities or language barriers, those living in rural areas, and veterans.

    The first wave of initiatives funded through the federal Digital Equity Program will support critical projects, including through:

    • “Digital navigation” pilots: Local partners will receive support to work directly with residents to address skill gaps and lack of access to Internet connections and computers.
    • Digital equity collaboratives: Covering the entire state, six new collaboratives will provide the resources and professional network for educators, policymakers, and community organizations to learn and share best practices that scale and improve efforts to connect and train residents.
    • Digital equity curriculum: Through the collaboratives, the state will release a set of common assessments and teaching resources freely available to adult education and other local training programs to help meet residents where they are to close the digital skills gap in Connecticut.
    • Asset map: Residents will be able to conduct online searches and call a telephone hotline to find and use the community-based programs and resources to help them get online and develop the technical skills necessary to thrive in the digital world.

    “This award comes at a perfect time to further the important steps Connecticut has already taken to close the digital divide,” Governor Lamont said. “We are grateful for this investment to help ensure that all residents have the connections, computers, skills, and support to thrive in today’s digital world.”

    “We are leading efforts to ensure a ‘digital-first’ approach to delivering state services,” DAS Commissioner Michelle Gilman said. “This initial round of funding will help our neighbors take advantage of programs and benefits across dozens of state agencies.”

    “For the first time, every state in the nation has a digital equity plan in place to promote widespread adoption of high-speed Internet services,” Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson said. “Connecticut now can request access to the funds to put its digital equity plan into action. The Biden-Harris administration’s Internet for All initiative will ensure everyone can thrive online through access to devices and digital skills.”

    “We are thrilled with this announcement, welcoming this ‘down payment’ on longer-term investments to fast-track the training and support programs that our residents need,” Connecticut Chief Information Officers and DAS Deputy Commissioner Mark Raymond said.

    “These funds will help implement the state’s digital equity plan,” Doug Casey, executive director of the Commission for Educational Technology, said. “We look forward to working with our agency and community partners to scale up training and establish regional centers of excellence in digital inclusion.”

    “We are so excited to make our plan a reality, a real investment in our residents,” Lauren Thompson, digital equity program manager for the Commission for Educational Technology, said. “The tools and programs we have planned will soon make it possible for residents everywhere to find the support they need. Our work will open opportunities for everyone in Connecticut.”

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Six poems that tell stories about monsters and monstrosity

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jon Stone, Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing, Anglia Ruskin University

    Master1305/Shutterstock

    Poetry isn’t a medium typically associated with towering beasts. Lyric poems tend to be short, tender and concerned with minor everyday incidents. That, or abstract concepts like love and death. Poems also tend to be thought of, wrongly or not, as true accounts – the inverse of creature feature films with preposterous special effects.

    But poets, like everyone else, live in a world of disastrous events bigger than themselves. And the monster – particularly the giant monster – is an archetype that goes right back to ancient myth.

    Talos, the bronze guardian of Crete, and Humbaba, the ogre of the Epic of Gilgamesh, are just two dangerous titans of literary history. It’s tempting to think that today we know enough about our surroundings to no longer be awed by the possibility of giants. But the truth is that there is still much that makes us feel small and vulnerable. Writing about huge monsters is one way of confronting that.

    Two different anthologies of monster poetry are published this month in the UK. Ten Poets Defend Their Cities from Giant, Strange Beasts is edited by myself and Kirsten Irving and published by Sidekick Books. In it, poets envisage the outcomes of giant monster attacks on London, Cambridge, Glasgow and Liverpool, among other cities. These confrontations are frequently surreal, or representations of other kinds of epic battle.

    Alex Adams and Aaron Kent’s Devastation Songs, meanwhile, is a compilation of writing about kaiju, the Japanese term for gargantuan fantasy creatures. In the foreword, Adams writes about how the monster movie is often used as a vehicle for “powerfully resonant social and political ideas”, pointing to recent Oscar winner Godzilla Minus One (2024) as an example.

    Here are six more poems that deal in different ways with giant monsters:

    1. Beowulf

    Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon epic poem about the defeat of Grendel – a creature whose exact form is still debated. Depending on which translation you read, Grendel is either a “grim demon”, a berserker, a “miscreated thing in man’s form”, or a “horrible stranger”.

    Two things are certain, though: he is very large, and he is a violent murderer who must be destroyed.



    Read more:
    Publishing Tolkien’s Beowulf translation does him a disservice

    2. La Géante (The Giantess) by Charles Baudelaire

    This poem is from Baudelaire’s collection Les Fleurs du Mal (The Flowers of Evil, 1840-1867), which was dubbed “an insult to public decency” on publication.

    The Giantess reflects some of the book’s controversial themes, revelling in erotic fascination. Far from opposing the giantess, the poem’s narrator wants to see her “grow without restraint”, imagining an expedition across her vast body. Here, Baudelaire proposes monstrosity as a realm of wonder and temptation.

    The Jabberwock, as illustrated by John Tenniel, (1871).
    Wiki Commons

    3. Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll

    One of Carroll’s (1832-1989) most famous poems, Jabberwocky is teeming with nonsense words (manxome, whiffling, burbled). This strange language keeps the titular Jabberwock obscured even as its fiery approach and defeat is recounted.

    It makes for a faithful representation of monstrosity as a quality: we can perceive it, dream up words for it, even kill it, but we can never fully understand it.

    4. The Man-Moth by Elizabeth Bishop

    The epigraph to The Man-Moth explains that it was inspired by a misspelling of the word “mammoth”. Bishop’s man-moth isn’t necessarily a giant, but several lines allude to his having a giant’s perspective (“The whole shadow of Man is only as big as his hat”, “He thinks the moon is a small hole at the top of the sky”).

    He is a sad, lonely creature who sheds a tear at the end of the poem. Bishop often wrote about the darkness in the human psyche, and her take on the subway-dwelling city beast is an allegory for urban alienation.

    5. The Loch Ness Monster’s Song by Edwin Morgan

    Scottish poet Edwin Morgan (1920-2010) specialised in linguistic play. The Loch Ness Monster’s Song is almost unintelligible – a brief burst of transcribed watery noises. But it could easily be a poem written in another language.

    It challenges us to recognise that what we call “monstrous” might just be unfamiliar – not a threat, but an opportunity for connection.

    6. Dragons by Matthew Francis

    Every line of this poem, from Francis’ 2001 collection of the same title, ends in the word “dragons”. But the narrative is one of failing to find a single dragon.

    This contrast is used to illustrate how monsters and creatures of myth loom large in our minds primarily as the result of our imaginations. In other words, we invent them to fill the gaps in reality. We need them, because without them there are too many clues pointing nowhere.

    The poem isn’t available to read online, but you can read my own pastiche of it (framed as a “DVD extra”).


    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    Jon Stone is an editor at Sidekick Books.

    – ref. Six poems that tell stories about monsters and monstrosity – https://theconversation.com/six-poems-that-tell-stories-about-monsters-and-monstrosity-239335

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Ali Smith’s new novel Gliff is a dystopian nightmare with flashes of fairytale enchantment

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sarah Annes Brown, Professor of English Literature, Anglia Ruskin University

    Ali Smith’s Gliff is set “once upon a time, not very far from now”. It is a kind of fairytale of the future in which two children, Briar and Rose, navigate a world which seems increasingly baffling and hostile.

    Gliff is the first of a planned pair of novels – the second to be called Glyph. Although the two words sound identical, their meanings are quite different. The Scottish word “gliff” means a shock, fright or sudden glimpse. A “glyph”, meanwhile, is a written character or symbol. There’s similarly insistent wordplay in Gliff. It reflects its preoccupation with how meaning is created – and destroyed.

    Smith’s latest novel shares many of the same concerns as her recent Seasonal Quartet (2016-2020): the effects of climate change, the plight of refugees, the growth of intolerance and authoritarianism. But Gliff is set in a dystopian Britain where all these problems have intensified in frightening ways. Smith therefore follows in the footsteps of a growing number of literary novelists who have turned to science fiction in recent years, as boundaries between genres become less rigid.

    Some of the predictions – extreme surveillance, blistering summers, widespread penal servitude – are familiar science fiction themes. But other elements of Gliff are more surreal and fantastical. A particularly strange plot element is the use of a device called the “supera bounder”, a clunky machine which “looked like an invention made by an amateur for a joke”. This is used to spray red paint around houses, people, vehicles and animals which are targeted for removal or destruction.

    When Briar and Rose find a red paint circle around first their house, then their campervan, they are forced into hiding. They lurk on the margins of society, hoping they can escape being packed off to a “reeducation centre”.

    Exploring marginalisation

    The sinister red paint circles are an effective symbol for the more subtle ways in which societies exclude or marginalise “undesirables” of various types. The device fits in with a long tradition of science fiction writers offering the reader a distorted reflection of the ways in which inequality and prejudice operate in society. The invisible barriers which separate rich from poor, for example, are often reimagined as literal walls or fences.

    Smith gives a horrifying vision of a future world of work in which unprotected or unwanted children are forced to scavenge metal from waste in dangerous conditions and adult workers are ruthlessly surveilled, punished, fined and controlled.

    One reason this is so shocking is because the novel is set solely in Britain. Under globalisation, we are already dependent on goods produced under similar conditions – but in countries which are safely remote from us. Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games trilogy can be read as a similar parable of globalisation.

    Gliff can be compared with other recent works of speculative fiction which combine dystopian themes with more surreal or fantastical elements. Rumaan Alam’s acclaimed Leave the World Behind (2020), for example, uses a mysterious, undefined national emergency as the springboard for reflections on racism, over-reliance on technology, and climate change. But it also draws on fairytale motifs.

    Separated from their parents, Briar and Rose resemble a science fictional Hansel and Gretel. Towards the end of the novel – through both its themes and landscapes – there are also echoes of Alan Garner’s powerful children’s fantasies. And Gliff the horse is invested with an almost mythical charge, harking back to Smith’s earlier use of magical tales from Ovid’s Metamorphoses in her novel Girl Meets Boy (2007).

    Gliff demonstrates Ali Smith’s characteristic strengths as a novelist. The narrative is accessible and engaging, yet at the same time complex and subtle. Many puzzles are set for the reader – only some are resolved.


    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    Sarah Annes Brown does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Ali Smith’s new novel Gliff is a dystopian nightmare with flashes of fairytale enchantment – https://theconversation.com/ali-smiths-new-novel-gliff-is-a-dystopian-nightmare-with-flashes-of-fairytale-enchantment-237693

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Political sectarianism is fracturing America

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Simon Mabon, Professor of International Relations, Lancaster University

    Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Gardens in New York City on Sunday, October 27 was called a “carnival of grievances, misogyny and racism” by the New York Times. The event, which came just over a week before the election, was a hostile and partisan affair. Trump doubled down on his assertion that one of America’s gravest threats is from “the enemy within”.

    Trump’s rhetoric is a manifestation of the increasingly polarised nature of US politics, whereby hostility from one group towards their perceived enemies is amplified across social media platforms. Yet Trump’s comment about an insidious “threat” hints at a darker undercurrent of division, with the threat of violence.

    A June 2024 poll by the University of Chicago suggested that there was more support for violence against Trump than in his favour – 10% of respondents agreed that “the use of force is justified to prevent Trump becoming president”, compared to 6.9% who believed violence was justified “to restore Trump to the presidency”. Two months earlier, a Marist poll revealed that 47% of Americans believed that another civil war was likely in their lifetime.

    As a report from Chatham House recently observed, the US is more divided “along ideological and political lines than at any time since the 1850s”. And according to another report from UK-based think tank, the Foreign Policy Centre, Americans have “increasingly grown to hate supporters of the other party, viewing their capture of political power as not merely unfortunate but illegitimate”.

    Americans have regularly articulated a preference for living among people who share their political outlook. And they have expressed a stronger aversion to dating, living, working or socialising with supporters of another party. These views point to a state suffering the ills of sectarianism.

    Those who have observed sectarianism around the world know all too well the chaos that such divisions can wreak. In the Middle East, for example, politically charged religious difference has had a devastating impact on political, economic and social life. Hundreds of thousands have been killed and millions displaced from their homes across Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Libya because of violence along sect-based lines.

    The US may be a long way from these scenarios, but there are some early warning signs. Competing forms of what American social theorist Irving Howe calls “epistemological authoritarianism” – or a sense of certainty that is zero-sum and rejects those of the other – can be easily seen across America’s political landscape.

    Protests and counter-protests have played out both on the streets and online over abortion, gun laws and LGBTQ+ rights, as well as on university campuses over the war in Gaza. Elite entrepreneurs with political capital have also positioned themselves on opposite sides of sensitive issues to cultivate support.

    Take, for example, Donald Trump’s false allegations that Democratic states executed babies after birth, or that migrants in Springfield, Ohio, have been eating pets. Such comments quickly spread across social media, regardless of their veracity. For Trump’s followers, truth matters less than the ability to justify their position on a particular issue. The stance taken by political communities is increasingly polemic and predictable.

    Such dynamics are, of course, also shaped by local contexts. But the growing politicisation of social identities in recent years, and the increasing political importance of social issues, has created a landscape where difference is broadly antagonistic.

    In this situation, grievance becomes a means of reinforcing in-group cohesion and disdain for the other. In such a landscape, society becomes divided into mutually distrustful camps set apart by a form of emotional polarisation that takes on political meaning.

    It is the emotional dimension that is key here, as this is the foundation upon which political and social enmity is built. Supreme Court decisions, for example, relating to emotionally charged issues such as abortion, have strong mobilising potential on both left and right.

    Entrenched differences

    Elections often exacerbate uncertainty and division, as the 2020 US presidential election and its fallout demonstrate. According to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (Acled), a research group that analyses occurrences of political violence around the world, demonstrations and far-right activity peaked around the 2020 election. This reached a crescendo with the events of January 6 2021 when Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol building.

    Far-right activity has dropped during Biden’s administration. But a number of far-right groups have recently become active in the run-up to the election. Meanwhile, divisions over abortion, LGBTQ+ mobilisation, and the war in Gaza have contributed to a precarious environment.

    Indeed, a vast majority do not think that next week’s election will solve the issues that America faces. In a recent poll, 70% of respondents believe that things in the US are going “in the wrong direction” – a view shared more by Republican respondents (94%) than Democrat respondents (41%). And 19% of Republicans think that if Trump loses the election, he should declare the results invalid and do whatever it takes to assume office.

    Pro-Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building in Washington DC on January 6 2021.
    lev radin / Shutterstock

    The schisms across the US are real and the pieces are not easily put back together. Narratives of division will continue to spread as election fever increases, further deepening the rifts in American society. And sectarianism will become the broad frame through which political and social life is viewed.

    This need not necessarily become violent. But it can easily become entrenched. The increasingly hostile exclusion of “the other” in all its forms, along with a growing willingness to breach established norms and rules, requires a step back from the brink before it is too late.

    Simon Mabon receives funding from Carnegie Corporation of New York. He is a Senior Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Centre in London.

    – ref. Political sectarianism is fracturing America – https://theconversation.com/political-sectarianism-is-fracturing-america-242327

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Perimenopause linked with increased risk of bipolar and major depression

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Lisa Shitomi-Jones, Research Assistant & PhD Candidate at the Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University

    The potential effect of perimenopause on mental health has been under-researched. My Ocean Production/Shutterstock

    Women going through perimenopause – the transition period surrounding the menopause – are more than twice as likely to develop bipolar disorder for the first time according to our research. Our study is the first to investigate the link between perimenopause and the onset of severe psychiatric conditions.

    Many people think of menopause as a single event that happens around a woman’s early 50s, the average age for her last period. But it’s a gradual process that typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 55.

    Perimenopause is the phase leading up to and following menopause, during which hormonal changes affect the menstrual cycle. This stage differs from person to person and can last several years. Symptoms may include hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings and irregular periods.

    While physical symptoms are common, the potential effect of perimenopause on mental health – including mood changes and severe psychiatric disorders – is less understood and has been under-researched.

    We were inspired to conduct our research by the patients at Professor Di Florio’s mental health clinic. It offers a free clinical service providing second opinions for people experiencing severe psychiatric disorders associated with reproductive events.

    Many of the women in the clinic had never experienced severe mental health problems before menopause. But something seemed to shift during perimenopause. Suddenly many found themselves grappling with these conditions. However, upon reviewing the research, it appeared that the experiences of these women were not documented or explored in scientific literature.

    To address this research gap and find answers, we conducted research using a large database called UK Biobank. This is a resource which gives approved researchers secure access to anonymous medical and genetic data from half a million volunteers. It aims to improve our understanding of how to prevent, diagnose and treat many serious conditions.

    What we found

    Perimenopause is the phase surrounding the menopause.
    Arda_ALTAY/Shutterstock

    Using the data, we investigated how many participants had new onsets of psychiatric conditions during the perimenopause. We then compared this to the number of new onsets during the late reproductive stage, which are the years before the perimenopause.

    The data we examined came from 128,294 women in the UK. We wanted to explore how the years around the final menstrual period may trigger serious mental health issues, including bipolar and major depressive disorders. We discovered a 112% increase in new cases of bipolar disorder. We also found a 30% rise in major depressive conditions during this time, compared to earlier stages of the late reproductive period.

    Our study was the first of its kind to investigate first onsets of bipolar disorder during the perimenopause. It validates the experiences of women who were previously essentially invisible in the world of research.

    Although some hypotheses exist as to why perimenopause and hormones may play a role in psychiatric disorders, much more research is required to better understand why this affects some people but not others. Researchers also need to uncover the best treatment options for these women.

    We hope that our research paves the way for more research on women’s mental health at perimenopause, as well as further investigations into the underlying biological mechanisms.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Perimenopause linked with increased risk of bipolar and major depression – https://theconversation.com/perimenopause-linked-with-increased-risk-of-bipolar-and-major-depression-238797

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Three judges announced for The Conversation Prize for writers

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jo Adetunji, Executive Editor – Partnerships

    L-R: Miriam Frankel, Priya Atwal, Alice Hunt. CC BY

    The Conversation UK, Curtis Brown and Faber are pleased to announce our three judges for The Conversation Prize for writers: Miriam Frankel, senior science editor at The Conversation UK, Priya Atwal, historian, broadcaster and community history fellow at the University of Oxford, and Alice Hunt, professor of early modern literature and history at the University of Southampton.

    Our competition is looking for the best longform article and nonfiction book idea aimed at a general audience from our community of academics. For your chance to win £1,000, publication on The Conversation Insights and mentorship from a literary agent and book publisher then enter your 2,000-word story and book idea.

    About our judges

    Miriam Frankel.

    Miriam Frankel is senior science editor at The Conversation UK. She is co-author of Are You Thinking Clearly? 29 Reasons You Aren’t and What To Do About It, a book investigating the many factors that influence and manipulate the way we think, from genetics, biology, bias and personality to time perception, culture, language, advertising and technology. Miriam also writes on a freelance basis for a number of publications including New Scientist, The Observer, BBC Future and BBC Science Focus magazine.

    Priya Atwal is a historian of monarchy, empire and cultural politics in Britain and South Asia. Her first book, Royals and Rebels: The Rise and Fall of the Sikh Empire, was published in 2020 and was one of BBC History Magazine’s Best Books of the Year. Priya is an active champion for public history and community empowerment in historical research. She is currently building a new Community History Hub at the University of Oxford, and regularly consults on a wide range of creative historical projects, from working on Netflix’s Bridgerton, to supporting the development of inclusive history curricula for UK state schools.

    Alice Hunt.

    Alice Hunt is professor of early modern literature and history at the University of Southampton. She was awarded a Leverhulme Trust fellowship to research her first trade book, Republic: Britain’s Revolutionary Decade, 1649-1660, which was published by Faber in 2024. Alice is also the author of The Drama of Coronation and has previously written about the Tudors and James I.

    How to Enter

    Submissions are open to academics employed or affiliated to a university or approved research institution (IRO) in the UK, Europe or Commonwealth, including PhD candidates under supervision by an academic. Submissions should be in the following areas: History, Arts + Culture, Business + Economy, Education, Environment, Health, Politics + Society, Science + Technology or World.

    To enter, please email your 2,000-word article, plus the following information, to uk-prize@theconversation.com:

    Name

    Institution

    Country

    Email

    Telephone no.

    Your book idea [max 350 words]
    Please provide a brief summary of a trade nonfiction book idea based on your article. Tell us why this topic deserves a deeper dive and why it would appeal to an audience of non-academic readers.

    About you [max 100 words]
    Tell us a little about you – your current academic role or affiliation, your area of expertise and any relevant research to your book idea. Why would you be the right author for this book?

    Please disclose any conflicts of interest that should be mentioned in relation to your article or book idea.

    Terms & Conditions [Pdf] – please read carefully.

    You can read more about what we’re looking for here [Pdf].

    – ref. Three judges announced for The Conversation Prize for writers – https://theconversation.com/three-judges-announced-for-the-conversation-prize-for-writers-242505

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Deep sea rocks suggest oxygen can be made without photosynthesis, deepening the mystery of life

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Lewis Alcott, Lecturer in Geochemistry, University of Bristol

    chaylek/Shutterstock

    Oxygen, the molecule that supports intelligent life as we know it, is largely made by plants. Whether underwater or on land, they do this by photosynthesising carbon dioxide. However, a recent study demonstrates that oxygen may be produced without the need for life at depths where light cannot reach.

    The authors of a recent publication in Nature Geoscience were collecting samples from deep ocean sediments to determine the rate of oxygen consumption at the seafloor through things like organisms or sediments that can react with oxygen. But in several of their experiments, they actually found oxygen was increasing as opposed to decreasing as they would have expected. This left them questioning how this oxygen was being produced.

    They found that this “dark” oxygen production at the seafloor seems to only happen in the presence of mineral concentrates called polymetallic nodules and deposits of metals called metalliferous sediments. The authors think the nodules have the right mixture of metals and are densely packed enough for an electrical current to pass through for electrolysis, creating enough energy to separate the hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) from water (H₂O).

    The authors also suggested that the amount of oxygen created may fluctuate depending on the number and mixture of nodules on the ocean floor.

    This research team was trying to understand the implications of mining metals from the deep-sea floor such as lithium, cobalt or copper, funded by an extractions company in an effort to ensure deep sea mining leads to a net benefit to humanity and the Earth system. Lithium and cobalt are used, for example, to make rechargeable batteries for mobile phones, laptops and electric vehicles. Copper is vital for electrical wiring in devices like TVs and radios and for roofing and plumbing.

    The investigation was focused on the Clarion-Clipperton zone of the Pacific Ocean, a vast plain between Hawaii and Mexico where millions of tons of these metals have been found. However, scientists believe mining on this scale is potentially unpredictable and can destroy habitats vital to ocean ecosystems. Deep-sea mining can also introduce harmful sediment plumes to fragile ecosystems leading to a growing number of countries calling for a moratorium.

    Dark oxygen for life

    The implications for this finding may also play a role in life elsewhere.

    Oxygen is essential to complex life as we know it. Complex life has evolved and expanded alongside photosynthesisers, which actually produce oxygen as a waste product. Yet this oxygen allows organisms’ metabolisms to be much more efficient than without it.

    Without photosynthetic bacteria, the reliance that Earth’s life has on oxygen may well have never happened, in addition to the evolutionary pathway to biodiversity as we know it. But this study shows that rich-nodules on the seafloor may have provided an additional source of oxygen to the biosphere – the zone of life on Earth encompassing all living organisms.

    We can’t understand how these nodules may have affected evolution until we understand more about how they formed deeper in time. At the moment, all we really know it that we these nodules would have needed oxygen themselves to form.

    Studies like this show how much the origin of life on Earth is still a mystery.

    Lewis Alcott does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Deep sea rocks suggest oxygen can be made without photosynthesis, deepening the mystery of life – https://theconversation.com/deep-sea-rocks-suggest-oxygen-can-be-made-without-photosynthesis-deepening-the-mystery-of-life-238937

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: A Spooky Soliday: Haunting Whispers from the Martian Landscape

    Source: NASA

    2 min read

    The Perseverance rover lurks in the quiet, cold, desolate landscape of Jezero crater on Mars, a place masked in shadows and haunted by past mysteries. Built to endure the planet’s harsh conditions, Perseverance braves the thin atmosphere and extreme temperature swings. Its microphone captures the eerie whispers of martian winds, sending shivers down your spine, and records ghostly dust devils swirling across the barren terrain. Has the microphone caught the sound of a skeleton rattling its bones? We’ll leave that up to your imagination.

    Recently, Perseverance navigated the sinister slopes of the Jezero crater rim, seeking out a series of ramshackle ridges to uncover the rim’s hidden geological secrets. The rover emerged from the shadows to descend into a field of light-toned rocks, illuminating the landscape reminiscent of bones and tombstones. Along the way, the rover encountered dark bedrock at Mist Park. Perseverance will then face another daunting climb back up the crater rim, venturing deeper into the great unknown.

    Unlike vampires or other creatures of the night, Perseverance needs rest after long days of exploring the mystifying martian landscape. As night falls, the rover sleeps after watching the Sun sink below the horizon, casting ominous shadows across the landscape. The chilling winds howl through the night like a haunting lullaby for the fearless explorer. However, Perseverance sometimes wakes up from things that go bump in the night. While instruments mostly conduct their scientific measurements during the day, they are not afraid of the dark, often tasked with observing what lurks in the shadows and gazing at the martian night sky. Perseverance occasionally looks up to image the auroras and to get a glimpse of Phobos and Deimos, Mars’ two Moons.

    Mars is like a hotel you can check in and out of, but you can never leave. It has become a graveyard of long-dead landers and rovers, but Perseverance is nowhere near ready to leave the land of the living. In fact, the ghosts of past rovers and landers guide Perseverance on its journey. As we continue to uncover the secrets of Mars, we are reminded of its past and the mysteries that still linger. Join us in pondering the mysteries of Mars as we explore its haunted history.   

    Written by Stephanie Connell, Ph.D. Student Collaborator at Purdue University

    Mars Perseverance Sol 1306: Left Mastcam-Z Camera

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Australia’s new digital ID scheme falls short of global privacy standards. Here’s how it can be fixed

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ashish Nanda, Research Fellow, Deakin Cyber Research and Innovation Centre, Deakin University

    mayam_studio/Shutterstock

    Australia’s new digital ID system promises to transform the way we live. All of our key documents, such as driver’s licences and Medicare cards, will be in a single digital wallet, making it easier for us to access a range of services.

    The federal government is still developing the system, with a pilot expected to run next year. Known as the “Trust Exchange”, it is part of the Trusted Digital Identity Framework, which is designed to securely verify people’s identities using digital tokens.

    Earlier this year, in a speech to the National Press Club in Canberra, Federal Minister for Government Services Bill Shorten, called the new digital ID system “world leading”. However, it has several privacy issues, especially when compared to international standards like those in the European Union.

    So how can it be fixed?

    What is Trust Exchange?

    Trust Exchange – or TEx – is designed to simplify how we prove who we are online. It will work alongside the myID (formerly myGovID) platform, where Australians can store and manage their digital ID documents.

    The platform is intended to be both secure and convenient. Users would be able to access services ranging from banking to applying for government services without juggling paperwork.

    Think of the system as a way to prove your identity and share personal information such as your age, visa status or licence number — without handing over any physical documents or revealing too much personal information.

    For example, instead of showing your full driver’s licence to enter a licensed premises, you can use a digital token that confirms, “Yes, this person is over 18”.

    But what will happen to all that sensitive data behind the scenes?

    Falling short of global standards

    The World Wide Web Consortium sets global standards around digital identity management. These standards ensure people only share the minimum required information and retain control over their digital identities without relying on centralised bodies.

    The European Union’s digital identity system regulation builds on these standards. It creates a secure, privacy-centric digital identity framework across its member states. It is decentralised, giving users full control over their credentials.

    In its proposed form, however, Australia’s digital ID system falls short of these global standards in several key ways.

    First, it is a centralised system. Everything will be monitored, managed and stored by a single government agency. This will make it more vulnerable to breaches and diminishes users’ control over their digital identities.

    Second, the system does not align with the World Wide Web Consortium’s verifiable credentials standards. These standards are meant to give users full control to selectively disclose personal attributes, such as proof of age, revealing only the minimum personal information needed to access a service.

    As a result, the system increases the likelihood of over-disclosure of personal information.

    Third, global standards emphasise preventing what’s known as “linkability”. This means users’ interactions with different services remain distinct, and their data isn’t aggregated across multiple platforms.

    But the token-based system behind Australia’s digital ID system creates the risk that different service providers could track users across services and potentially profile their behaviours. By comparison, the EU’s system has explicit safeguards to prevent this kind of tracking – unless explicitly authorised by the user.

    Finally, Australia’s framework lacks the stringent rules found in the EU which require explicit consent for collecting and processing biometric data, including facial recognition and fingerprint data.

    Filling the gaps

    It is crucial the federal government addresses these issues to ensure its digital ID system is successful. Our award-winning research offers a path forward.

    The digital ID system should simplify the verification process by automating the selection of an optimal, varied set of credentials for each verification.

    This will reduce the risk of user profiling, by preventing a single credential from being overly associated with a particular service. It will also reduce the risk of a person being “singled out” if they are using an obscure credential, such as an overseas drivers licence.

    Importantly, it will make the system easier to use.

    The system should also be decentralised, similar to the EU’s, giving users control over their digital identities. This reduces the risk of centralised data breaches. It also ensures users are not reliant on a single government agency to manage their credentials.

    Australia’s digital ID system is a step in the right direction, offering greater convenience and security for everyday transactions. However, the government must address the gaps in its current framework to ensure this system also balances Australians’ privacy and security.

    The work has been supported by the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre Limited, whose activities are partially funded by the Australian government’s Cooperative Research Centres Programme.

    The work has been supported by the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre Limited whose activities are partially funded by the Australian government’s Cooperative Research Centres Programme.

    The work has been supported by the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre Limited, whose activities are partially funded by the Australian government’s Cooperative Research Centres Programme.

    – ref. Australia’s new digital ID scheme falls short of global privacy standards. Here’s how it can be fixed – https://theconversation.com/australias-new-digital-id-scheme-falls-short-of-global-privacy-standards-heres-how-it-can-be-fixed-241797

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: The first all-Russian competition “Capital of Financial Culture” starts on October 29

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Central Bank of Russia –

    Target competition— support the best regional initiatives aimed at improving financial literacy and forming people’s financial culture. Organizers: the Bank of Russia and the Ministry of Finance of Russia.

    Applications from regions for participation are accepted until November 18. The best will reach the final.

    In the final, the regions’ projects will be reviewed by a jury headed by the Chairman of the Bank of Russia Elvira Nabiullina and the Minister of Finance of Russia Anton Siluanov.

    It will also include representatives of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs, the State Duma and the Federation Council, professional associations of market participants, public and scientific organizations.

    The winning region will receive information, expert and methodological support for its future projects. In addition, which is no less important, it will become a platform for various forums and conferences on the exchange of experience and the popularization of financial culture in the country.

    In the future, the competition will be held annually until 2030. The status of “Capital of Financial Culture” is assigned to the administrative center of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation for one year.

    Preview photo: Adriaticfoto / Shutterstock / Fotodom

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    http://vvv.kbr.ru/press/event/?id=21116

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Casten, Nadler, Schakowsky Introduce Legislation to Help Ensure Safe Access to Reproductive Health Clinics

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Sean Casten (IL-06)

    October 29, 2024

    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Representatives Sean Casten (IL-06), Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), and Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) introduced the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Study (FACES) Act of 2024, legislation to study barriers to enforcement of existing protections for access to reproductive health clinics.

    “Individuals seeking reproductive health care, and the workers responsible for delivering this care, should not face violence or intimidation when entering health clinics,” said Congressman Sean Casten. “While there are theoretically protections in place to ensure this does not happen, enforcement is infrequent and inconsistent. The FACES Act helps us to get to the bottom of why this happens and what Congress can do to ensure safe access to reproductive health centers.”

    “Under the FACE Act, patients are protected under the law from intimidation and violence when they are seeking reproductive healthcare,” said Congressman Jerrold Nadler. “Despite these protections, enforcement of the law is inconsistent, contributing to an alarming rise in violence outside of abortion clinics. I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing the FACES Act to better understand and overcome the barriers to enforcement so Americans across the country can freely access the care they need.”

    “Since Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court, we have seen an alarming increase in violence and threats directed toward patients and abortion providers. Federal law prohibits this type of intimidation, yet the problem persists. We need answers,” said Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. “Access to comprehensive reproductive health care, including safe, legal, and accessible abortion, is a human right. That is why I’m joining Reps. Casten and Nadler in introducing the FACES Act to determine what further steps must be taken to best protect individuals seeking reproductive care, and the workers who provide the care. For me, the fight to protect reproductive freedom is more than just policy and politics; it’s about human dignity and justice.”

    In the early 1990s, Congress enacted the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act to protect the rights of patients to safely access reproductive health services in response to violence at abortion clinics and against abortion providers. The FACE Act prohibits violence, threatening, damaging, and obstructive conduct intended to injure, intimidate, or interfere with an individual’s ability to seek, obtain, or provide reproductive health services. However, the law is sporadically and inconsistently enforced.

    The FACES Act, introduced by Reps. Casten, Nadler, and Schakowsky would study the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) criteria for enforcing the FACE Act, barriers to enforcement, data about variations in enforcement across the country, plans to overcome variations and barriers to enforcement, steps the DOJ can take to communicate best practices to state and local police, and legislative options available to Congress to ensure more fulsome enforcement of the FACE Act.

    The National Abortion Federation reported a significant increase in violence and disruptions against abortion providers in 2022 compared to 2021. The findings showed a 229% increase in stalking, a 231% increase in burglary, and a 25% increase in invasions targeting abortion clinic staff, patients, and providers. In the past decade, abortion clinics experienced a 100% rise in anthrax and bioterrorism threats. Furthermore, the number of clinic blockades more than doubled in recent years, and incidents of picketing at facilities have been growing exponentially for years.

    In July, Reps. Casten, Nadler, and Schakowsky led 51 colleagues in a letter urging the Department of Justice to fully enforce the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act and protect safe access to reproductive health care facilities. 

    Text of the FACES Act can be found here.

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Highlights – 2023 Commission Discharge: Hearing with Commissioners Vestager and Ivanova – Committee on Budgetary Control

    Source: European Parliament

    European Commission © Image used under the license from Adobe Stock

    Hearing on 4 November 2024 on MFF Heading 1 and Heading 5 with Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President of the Commission, responsible for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age and Iliana Ivanova, Commissioner responsible for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, in the presence of ECA Reporting Members Mihails Kozlovs (MFF Heading 1) and Marek Opioła (MFF Heading 5).

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Highlights – Workshop on the post-2027 EU long term budget – 07.11.2024 – Committee on Budgets

    Source: European Parliament

    In a context shaped by unprecedented challenges and uncertainties, this workshop will delve into topics of strategic relevance for the BUDG Committee and its preparatory work for the own-initiative report that will set out the Parliament’s priorities and expectations for the post-2027 EU long-term budget, before the Commission’s proposal, due by July 2025.

    The workshop will gather external experts from the London School of Economics, CEPS, University of Cologne, College of Europe, Bruegel and Jacques Delors Institute, that will share their insights and policy-oriented inputs regarding the following topics:

    • Performance-based instruments and mainstreaming in the EU budget
    • EU added value
    • MFF flexibility
    • Management of EU liabilities
    • EU enlargement

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Voting opens in the Scots Trad Music Awards 2024 as nominated talent unveiled

    Source: Scotland – Highland Council

    An inspiring 116-strong group of shortlisted talent performing and working across Scotland’s vibrant traditional music scene have today been unveiled as nominees for the 22nd MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards.

    Musicians, bands, organisations, teachers, venues, events and individuals involved in the creation and development of Scottish’s homegrown music are shortlisted across 22 categories.

    The public has until Sunday 10th November to vote for their favourites at www.scotstradmusicawards.com. The winners will be announced at a star-studded award ceremony at Inverness Leisure on Saturday 30th November when the event returns to the Highland capital for the first time in 10 years.

    The single most important awards ceremony for folk and trad musicians, bands and artists, the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards are organised by Hands Up For Trad – an organisation which stands at the forefront of Scotland’s cultural landscape, promoting traditional music and culture through their talent development, education and advocacy work.

    The gold standard for industry achievement, the awards night will fittingly be held on St. Andrew’s Day and seeks to celebrate stand-out talent from all corners of the country working across a range of genres and styles to create and promote Scotland’s trad music scene over the last 12 months.

    The nominees are:

    Album of the Year, sponsored by Birnam CD

    • Headstrong by HEISK
    • Just a Second by Ryan Young
    • The Waiting Room by Eamonn Nugent
    • A Breaking Sky by Charlie Grey & Joseph Peach
    • The Outset by Project Smok
    • Vent by Laura Jane Wilkie
    • Halocline by Malin Lewis
    • The Magic Roundabout by Session A9
    • ReLoved by Capercaillie
    • The Homeroad by Ross Couper Band

    Citty Finlayson Scots Singer of the Year, sponsored by Traditional Music and Song Association of Scotland

    • Beth Malcolm
    • Siobhan Miller
    • Josie Duncan
    • Seàn Gray

    Club of the Year

    • Glee Club at Celtic Connections
    • Ayr Phoenix Folk Club
    • Ardersier International Folk Club
    • The World’s Room

    Community Project of the Year, sponsored by Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland

    • Scottish Polish Song Society – Aberdeen University
    • People’s Parish
    • Fèis air an Oir
    • Falkirk Fiddle Workshop

    Composer of the Year, sponsored by PRS for Music

    • James Ross
    • Gillian Fleetwood
    • Alec Dalgeish
    • Mairead Green and Mike Vass (A.D.A.M)
    • Jack Badcock
    • Ali Hutton & Laura Beth (From the Ground)

    Event of the Year, sponsored by VisitScotland

    • Carrying Stream Festival
    • Skipinnish at Edinburgh Castle
    • Cuirm Nam Bonn òir le Ruairidh Gray
    • Jura Music Festival
    • Ceòl Cholasa
    • Fèis na Mara

    Gaelic Singer of the Year, sponsored by Highland Society of London

    • Ainslie Hamill
    • Ceitlin Lilidh
    • Emma MacLeod
    • Kathleen MacInnes
    • Katie Macfarlane

    Live Act of the Year

    • Kinnaris Quarter
    • An Dannsa Dub
    • Mec Lir
    • Niteworks
    • Ross Ainslie and Tim Edey
    • RuMac

    Music Tutor of the Year, sponsored by Creative Scotland Youth Music Initiative

    • Margaret Houlihan
    • Douglas Montgomery
    • Carly Blain
    • Daniel Thorpe

    Musician of the Year, sponsored by University of the Highlands and Islands

    • Ciorstaidh Beaton
    • Anna Massie
    • Tom Callister
    • Adam Holmes
    • Alasdair Iain Paterson
    • Patsy Reid

    Original Work of the Year, sponsored Musicians’ Union

    • Ar Cànan ‘s ar Ceòl by Trail West
    • Centennial March (Glen Burnie Lodge) by Louise Bichan
    • Alice Allen’s New Voices ‘Bass Culture’
    • The Dedication Jigs by Ross Miller
    • Tom Campbell Trio EP

    Scottish Dance Band of the Year, sponsored by National Association of Accordion and Fiddle Clubs

    • Graeme MacKay
    • Jackie Raeburn
    • Calum Nicolson
    • Michael Philip

    Scottish Folk Band of the Year, sponsored by Threads of Sound

    • Cala
    • Fras
    • Haltadans
    • The Paul McKenna Band
    • RANT
    • DLÙ

    Scottish Pipe Band of the Year, sponsored by National Piping Centre

    • Skye Youth Pipe Band
    • Dunoon Grammar Pipe Band
    • George Watson’s Pipe Band
    • Dornoch Pipe Band

    Trad Music in the Media, sponsored by Glasgow Caledonian University

    • Friday Night Trad – Radio Skye with Robert MacInnes
    • Karine Polwart’s Monthly Newsletter
    • Piping Sounds with Michael Steele and Ewen Henderson
    • Kim Carnie Out Loud
    • Jared Rowan (Social Media)

    Up and Coming Artist of the Year, sponsored by Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

    • Tarran
    • Amy Laurenson
    • Falasgair
    • Teud
    • Gillie O’Flaherty
    • Lauren Collier Band

    Venue of the Year

    • Catstrand Arts
    • Eden Court
    • Kings Place, London
    • The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
    • Croy Live

    A number of special prizes will also be awarded on the night, selected by a panel of esteemed industry judges, for services to traditional music and culture.

    Legendary Skye band Niteworks will receive the Services to Gaelic Award, sponsored by Bòrd na Gàidhlig; beloved musician Christine Martin will be presented with The Hamish Henderson Services to Traditional Music Award, while celebrated poet Rab Wilson will receive The Janet Paisley Services to Scots Language Award, supported by The National Lottery through Creative Scotland.

    This year’s event also welcomes the introduction of a new award, The Gaisgeach na Gàidhealtachd, which means Hero of the Highlands. This award will recognise a notable local organisation or figure who has made an invaluable contribution to Highland cultural life and the winner will be named on the night.

    A number of stalwarts of the scene who have dedicated their lives to the development of music in Scotland are each year added to the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame, sponsored by Fèisean nan Gàidheal and will be honoured in a special reception on the night.

    A raft of industry awards will also recognise individuals and organisations which support the creative pipeline of the sector. Those finalists are:

    Industry Person of the Year

    • Michael Pellegrotti
    • Roddy MacKay
    • Gary Innes
    • Laura Harrington
    • Rosie Munro

    Production Company of the Year

    • Pro Sound
    • FE Audio
    • Adlib
    • SM Lighting

    Recording Studio of the Year

    • B&B Studios
    • Castlesound
    • Assumption Studios
    • Black Bay Studios

    Sound Engineer of the Year

    • Alain ‘Dinner’ MacKinnon
    • Carla Feuerstein
    • Ross Cathcart

    Stage Technician of the Year

    • John McFarlane
    • Chris Adam
    • Ronnie Phipps
    • Gary Ebdy

    As well as all category sponsors and the event’s headline sponsor, this year’s MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards, the ceremony’s return to the Highlands is made possible with funding and support from Creative Scotland, Inverness Common Good Fund, Highland Council via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Scottish Government.

    Scots Trad Music Awards organiser Simon Thoumire said: “Scotland’s traditional music scene is bursting at the seams with exceptional talent and it’s incredibly important we take time to recognise the achievements and progress over the last year. From some of the most exciting young new bands, to legends of the industry we will be tipping our hats to the best of the best in Inverness this November. Voting is now open and it’s over to the public to decide who they would like to see honoured on the night. We’re proud that this event has become synonymous with excellence in Scottish music and incredibly grateful to all those who make its staging possible.”

    Siobhan Anderson, Music Officer at Creative Scotland said: ““Congratulations to all the nominees. Now public voting is open, it’s a fantastic chance for people to celebrate and honour all their favourite artists, recordings, organisations, projects and contributors to this vibrant sector. The list of nominees reflects the vast array of talent across the genre and all the people who contribute towards sustaining traditions and creating innovative work.”

    Margaret Cameron, Director of Content at MG ALBA, said: “Now in its 22nd year, it’s incredible to see how the event continues to flourish, showcasing the very best of Scots Trad music. This year’s nominations of the MG ALBA Scots Trad Awards once again highlight the remarkable talent within the scene, reflecting the vibrancy and depth of Scotland’s musical heritage. We’re thrilled to bring the awards to the fantastic Inverness Leisure Centre on St. Andrew’s Day, and MG ALBA is proud to support the event and broadcast the celebration live on BBC ALBA, ensuring audiences across the country can join the party.”

    An outstanding lineup of talent is set to take to the stage over the course of the evening, including the Hebridean-born and Highland-based singer and musician Julie Fowlis, whose award-winning talent is recognised the world over; Skipinnish who round off their 25th anniversary year in a fitting fashion’ BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2024 Calum McIlroy; party-starters An Dannsa Dub; the inimitable duo of Laura Wilkie and Ian Carr; Aberdeenshire folk star Ellie Beaton; and young local talent in the form of Highland Young Musicians and Arc Fiddlers.

    The MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards will take place at Inverness Leisure Centre on St. Andrew’s Day, Saturday 30th November 2024. The awards will be broadcast on BBC ALBA from 9pm.

    Voting opens today and closes on Sunday 10th November. Votes can be cast at www.scotstradmusicawards.com. Tickets for the event are on sale now at https://tickets.highlifehighland.com/events/highlifehighland/1374627.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launches & inaugurates multiple projects of Ministry of Ayush on the occasion of Dhanvantari Jayanti & the 9th Ayurveda Day here today

    Source: Government of India

     Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launches & inaugurates multiple projects of Ministry of Ayush on the occasion of Dhanvantari Jayanti & the 9th Ayurveda Day here today

    PM Modi Inaugurates Phase II of India’s First All India Institute of Ayurved in Delhi; total cost of ₹Project cost is 274.58 Crore

    Prime Minister launches Nationwide Campaign “Desh Ka Prakriti ParikshanAbhiyan” to promote Health Awareness among Citizens

    Prime Minister inaugurates 4 Centers of Excellence in Ayush

    PM lays Foundation Stone for 2 Yoga & Naturopathy Institutes in Odisha & Chhattisgarh

    Country had witnessed the beginning of a new chapter in the health sector with the amalgamation of knowledge of Ayurveda with modern medicine: Shri Narendra Modi

    Efforts of PM Shri Narendra Modi have significantly contributed to the global prominence of Ayurveda in health: Shri Parataprao Jadhav, Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ayush

    Posted On: 29 OCT 2024 8:31PM by PIB Delhi

    On the occasion of Dhanvantari Jayanti and the 9th Ayurveda Day, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched, inaugurated, and laid the foundation stone of multiple health sector projects worth around ₹12,850 crore at the All-India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), New Delhi. Shri J.P. Nadda, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare & Chemicals & Fertilizers; Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of Labour and Employment & Youth Affairs and Sports, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha,Secretary Ayush, Dr. Manoj Nesari (Advisor, Ayush), and others dignitaries were present on the occasion.

    Among the projects launched under the ministry of Ayush, the Prime Minister inaugurated Phase II of India’s First All-India Institute of Ayurveda. This phase, a significant project with a total cost of ₹258.73 crore, includes key features such as a 150-bed Panchakarma hospital, an Ayurvedic pharmacy for drug manufacturing, a sports medicine unit, a central library, an IT and start-ups center, a 500-seat auditorium, and guest houses for both general and international visitors.

    Moreover, to capitalize on the growing interest of the international community in Indian health and wellness solutions, especially yoga, and to boost R&D in the domain, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stones of two Central Research Institutes in Yoga and Naturopathy (CRIYNs) at Khorda (Odisha) and Raipur (Chhattisgarh), along with other significant projects. Additionally, the Prime Minister launched four Ayush Centres of Excellence (CoEs), each targeting specific areas in health research and innovation.  ​Centre of Excellence for Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, focused on prediabetes and diabetes research and Ayurvedic formulation validation; ​Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Ayush at IIT Delhi, dedicated to developing advanced technological solutions, supporting start-ups, and creating net-zero sustainable solutions for Rasaushadhis; ​Centre of Excellence for Fundamental and Translational Research in Ayurveda at CDRI Lucknow, focused on advanced research in Ayurvedic botanicals like Ashwagandha; Centre of Excellence on Ayurveda and Systems Medicine at JNU, New Delhi, aimed at researching the molecular mechanisms of Ayurvedic treatments for rheumatoid arthritis using systems medicine.

     

    The Prime Minister also launched “Desh Ka PrakritiParikshan Abhiyan,” a nationwide campaign promoting health awareness and highlighting the importance of holistic well-being as part of daily life. Led by Shri Prataprao Jadhav, Union Minister of State (I/C), Ministry of Ayush, with 4,70,000 dedicated volunteers, this campaign aims to revolutionize health awareness efforts among citizens and will also attempt multiple Guinness World Records.

     

    Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister underscored that in the past decade, the country had witnessed the beginning of a new chapter in the health sector with the amalgamation of knowledge of Ayurveda with modern medicine. He added that the All India Institute of Ayurveda has been a focal point of this new chapter. Shri Narendra Modi remarked that seven years ago, on Ayurveda Day, he had the privilege to dedicate the first phase of the institute to the country, and today, with the blessings of Lord Dhanvantari, he was inaugurating the second phase.

    The Prime Minister stated that 7.5 lakh registered Ayush practitioners are already contributing to the nation’s healthcare. He stressed the need to increase this number further and highlighted the growing demand for medical and wellness tourism in India. He emphasized the need for youth and Ayush practitioners to prepare for expanding fields such as preventive cardiology, Ayurvedic orthopedics, and Ayurvedic rehabilitation centers, both in India and abroad. “Immense opportunities are being created for Ayushpractitioners,” he added.

    Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi underscored the importance of validating traditional herbs like Ashwagandha, turmeric, and black pepper through high-impact scientific studies. “Lab validation of our traditional healthcare systems will not only increase the value of these herbs but also create a significant market,” he remarked, noting the rising demand for Ashwagandha, which is projected to reach USD 2.5 billion by the end of this decade.

    Underlining that the success of Ayush is transforming not only the health sector but also the economy, the Prime Minister stated that the Ayush manufacturing sector has grown from USD 3 billion in 2014 to nearly USD 24 billion today, an 8-fold increase in just 10 years.

    Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ayush and Minister of State, Health & Family Welfare Shri Prataprao Jadhav said, “The essence of Ayurveda is rooted in the principle, ‘Sarve BhavantuSukhinah, Sarve Santu Niramayah.’ A recent survey on Ayush revealed that nearly 95% of the rural and 96% of the urban populations are aware of Ayush. These results are highly encouraging, and I am confident that this awareness will continue to grow. Prime Minister, you will be pleased to know that Ayurveda Day is celebrated today in over 150 countries”. The Ayush minister said that the efforts of the Prime Minister have significantly contributed to the global prominence of Ayurveda in health and since 2014 Ayurveda has reached new heights under his exemplary leadership.

    The Union Minister of State for Ayush added that “With the support of Ayurveda students, teachers, and professionals, we are launching a nationwide campaign called ‘Desh Ka Prakriti Parikshan’. Through this campaign, based on the principles of Ayurveda, we can design an ideal lifestyle for every individual and conduct risk analysis to prevent diseases before they strike. In this direction, a positive approach can redefine our health sector.”

    Thanking the Prime Minister for inaugurating the second phase of AIIA, Prof. (Dr.) Tanuja Nesari, Director, AIIA, said, “On this auspicious day of Dhanvantari Jayanti, the day of worshiping Lord Dhanvantari, the deity of health, we seek blessings for health as the greatest wealth. This is why we celebrate Dhanvantari Day as Ayurveda Day—acknowledging Ayurveda as a divine blessing from Lord Dhanvantari that brings both health and happiness. Today, it is a matter of great pride for the All India Institute of Ayurveda that our esteemed Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the second phase of our institute, equipped with modern facilities and spread across 4.5 acres. This phase involves an investment of ₹275 crore.”

    The All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) became the nodal agency for the 9th Ayurveda Day celebrations. Under the Ministry of Ayush, AIIA organized several initiatives to celebrate the event, including a marathon, selfie points, webinars, and health

     

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    MV/AKS

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Army Hospital (R&R) hosts Commissioning Ceremony for VII Batch of Military Nursing Cadets

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 29 OCT 2024 8:22PM by PIB Delhi

    The College of Nursing, Army Hospital (R&R) proudly hosted the commissioning ceremony of its VII batch of 26 Military Nursing Cadets, marking the culmination of four years of rigorous education and training. The degree course is conducted under the aegis of the  University of Delhi.

    The commissioning ceremony was reviewed  by Lt Gen Shankar Narayan, Director and Commandant, Army Hospital (R&R). The occasion was also attended by esteemed guests, dignitaries, and proud parents. Lt Muskan Sharma was awarded the Silver Medal for First in Merit, Best All-Rounder Award.

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    VK/SR/Anand

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: NHRC, India’s open house discussion on ‘Sports and Human Rights: Safeguarding the Rights and Well-being of Sportspersons’ in India

    Source: Government of India (2)

    NHRC, India’s open house discussion on ‘Sports and Human Rights: Safeguarding the Rights and Well-being of Sportspersons’ in India

    Chairing the discussion, Acting Chairperson Smt Vijaya Bharathi Sayani says respecting human rights of the sportspersons and ensuring protection thereof through an institutionalized mechanism is necessary for better performance of the country’s talent in sports

    Intersectionality between athlete rights and the role of institutions in safeguarding them highlighted

    Among various suggestions, strengthening institutional mechanism within various sport bodies to develop social equitability among the sportspersons emphasized

    Ensuring action on complaints of sexual harassment through functional institutional mechanisms in all sports bodies underscored

    Posted On: 29 OCT 2024 7:51PM by PIB Delhi

    The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India, organized an open house discussion in hybrid mode on ‘Sports and Human Rights: Safeguarding the Rights and Well-being of Sportspersons’ at its premises in New Delhi today. Chairing the discussion, Acting Chairperson, Smt. Vijaya Bharathi Sayani said that maintaining human values is the hallmark of a sportsperson’s spirit. Therefore, respecting the human rights of the sportspersons and ensuring protection thereof through an institutionalized mechanism is necessary for better performance of the country’s talent in sports.

    She highlighted the importance of understanding the intersectionality between athlete rights and the role of institutions in safeguarding them. The concept of intersectionality can help policy makers and sport programmers understand how different types of discrimination – like racism, homophobia, and ableism – combine to prevent athletes particularly women from participating in sport.

    The Acting Chairperson also stressed strengthening the judicial mechanisms in addressing any violations of athlete rights besides the rehabilitation of sportspersons in case of abuse and addressing their mental health concerns.

    NHRC, India Director General (Investigation), Shri Ajay Bhatnagar emphasized zero tolerance for sexual abuse of sportspersons. He highlighted how institutions, especially those in authority, are more accountable for safeguarding athletes.

    Earlier, the NHRC, India Joint Secretary, Shri Devendra Kumar Nim gave an overview of the three technical sessions of the open house which included ‘Rehabilitation of Sportspersons after Incidents of Abuse,’ ‘Mental Health of Sportspersons in India’ and ‘Institutional Frameworks Required to Safeguard Interests of Sportspersons.’

    Some of the suggestions that emerged from the discussion were as follows:

    • It is necessary to have coaches having training in clinical psychology to prepare the athletes better;

    • Streamline insurance benefits to athletes suffering sports injuries;

    • Bring awareness among athletes to report sexual abuse;

    • Ensure action on complaints of sexual harassment through functional institutional mechanisms in all sports bodies;

    • Strengthen institutional mechanisms to support para-athletes;

    • Strengthen institutional mechanisms within various sports bodies to develop social equitability among sportspersons from diverse backgrounds and marginalized communities;

    The meeting was attended by the representatives of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Netaji Subhas Sports Authority of India at Patiala, National Centre for Sports Science and Research, National Sports University, Imphal, Wrestling Federation of India, National Rifle Association of India, All India Kabaddi Federation, Sports and Rights Alliance, Switzerland, WAKO India Kickboxing Federation, Humans for Sports, UK, GoSports Foundation based in Bangalore, India and Sports Injury Centre at the Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi.

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    NSK

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: How the B20 is turning policy into action for a sustainable future

    Source: International Chamber of Commerce

    Headline: How the B20 is turning policy into action for a sustainable future

    As a B20 Network Partner, ICC supported the Brazilian National Confederation of Industry (CNI) in the fulfilment of the theme – contributing to the development of impactful policy recommendations, leveraging the participation of 11 ICC Executive Board members across a range of Task Forces, and ICC and World Chambers Federation leadership in the B20 International Business Advisory Caucus.

    The B20 is a global platform for the international business community to support the work of the G20 process. Here’s how ICC is working to help the B20 turn policy into action.

    Improving representation of women in B20 Task Forces

    As a partner institution of a new B20 initiative to help increase the representation of women in B20 membership and leadership, ICC pledged to support B20 presidencies by proposing women candidates eligible to chair B20 task forces and encouraging women to become B20 members through the mobilisation of the global ICC network in over 170 countries. The SheLeads B20 initiative aims to achieve 50% female representation by 2030. ICC Secretary General John W.H. Denton AO, who co-chaired a B20 Task Force on Finance and Infrastructure, signed the pledge on behalf of ICC, together with representatives from the OECD, Business at OECD, and International Organisation of Employers (IOE). Prominent women leaders, ICC Honorary Chair Maria Fernanda Garza, ICC Board Member Lama Al-Sulaiman and ICC World Chambers Federation First Vice-Chair Marie Christine Oghly co-chaired B20 Brazil Task Forces on Integrity and Compliance, Employment and Education, and Women, Diversity and Inclusion in Business respectively. Five additional female ICC Board Members (Candace Johnson, Rebecca Enonchong, Marienne Coutinho, Marjorie Yang, and Patricia Nzolantima) were also Members of B20 Task Forces this year.

    Women in trade

    ICC is also a proud supporter of B20 Brazil’s Women in Trade legacy initiative. Working in collaboration with the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the initiative saw the G20 and B20 partner to share knowledge and best practices for inclusive trade policy designed to increase women’s participation in international trade.

    Combatting food loss and waste

    The Summit also saw the launch of an ICC-B20 Global Challenge against Food Loss and Waste to address food insecurity. The Initiative aims to identify, through a global challenge, private sector projects that can contribute to tackle the most critical issues related to food loss and waste.

    Following a consultation phase, businesses worldwide will be invited to submit proposals aimed at addressing the five biggest challenges related to food loss and waste. The highest-ranking projects will be presented at the FAO World Food Forum in October 2025, providing an opportunity for further visibility and engagement with key stakeholders. A founding member of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, one of the Brazilian G20 Presidency’s key initiatives, ICC is committed to leveraging the unique expertise and network of the private sector to support and scale integrated solutions to sustainably and equitably feed the world.

    Addressing B20 participants on a panel looking at how B20 Brazil legacy initiatives are turning policy into action, ICC Secretary General John W.H. Denton AO said:

    “Through the ICC-B20 Global Challenge against Food Loss and Waste, we aim to act as a bridge between the B20 and G20, ensuring public-private collaboration to achieve lasting solutions to poverty and hunger worldwide.”

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SCHUMER ANNOUNCES FIVE NEW YORK TEAMS ADVANCE TO NEXT ROUND OF NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION “INNOVATION ENGINES” PROGRAM – CREATED BY SCHUMER’S CHIPS & SCIENCE LAW – TO COMPETE FOR UP TO $160 MILLION…

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Charles E Schumer

    Last Year, Schumer-Supported And Binghamton University-Led Battery Research Hub Won Inaugural NSF Engines Competition, And This Year Even More From NY Are Competing For Funding As The Contest Launches For Second Year

    Schumer Says 5 NY-Based Projects Were Selected – The Most Of Any State – Ranging From University At Buffalo AI Research To Rochester’s Laser Lab To Cornell’s New Technology For Upstate Dairy Farmers And More; All To Spur New Innovations And Good-Paying Jobs

    Schumer: NY Is Leading The Charge To Boost American Innovation And Economic Leadership!

    U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer today announced that five New York teams have advanced to the next round of consideration for federal investment through the National Science Foundation’s Regional “Innovation Engines” Competition (NSF Engines), which was created by his CHIPS & Science Law.

    The five teams include projects ranging from the University of Rochester’s effort to develop cutting-edge laser technology, to the University at Buffalo-led AI for Health Equity, to Cornell University leading sustainable dairy innovation, to FuzeHub strengthening Upstate NY’s microelectronics manufacturing, to CUNY bolstering the tristate region’s biotechnology sector.  Schumer said these five projects in NY, along with a total of 71 teams across the country, will now submit full proposals to compete for up to $160 million in federal investment from the CHIPS & Science Law. You can read more about this year’s competition here. 

    “I created the NSF Regional Innovation Engines program in my CHIPS & Science Law with New York’s world-renowned universities and innovation ecosystem in mind. I’m thrilled to see five NY-based teams reach the next round in the competition for major federal investment to boost American innovation, new jobs, and economic leadership,” said Senator Schumer. “From Buffalo pioneering the next generation of AI to Cornell discovering new technology to help our Upstate dairy farmers to Rochester powering the future of laser development, these projects show how NY can lead our nation in developing the technology and jobs of the future. The NSF is saying what I have long known: keeping America at the cutting edge of innovation across industries begins in New York. This major federal funding can help translate more research and development at New York’s universities into new businesses and new, good-paying jobs across the state, boosting New York to further lead the charge in powering America’s economic preeminence.”

       

    More details on the five New York-based proposals can be found below:

    • The University of Rochester’s proposal, officially named “STELLAR: Advancing Laser Technologies in the Rochester NY/Finger Lakes Region,” is focused on establishing a diverse coalition of partners in the Rochester-Finger Lakes region to accelerate laser discovery, technological advancement, education, and company creation, drive manufacturing and boost workforce development in order to help recapture U.S. national competitiveness and strengthen our security. The STELLAR Engine will foster laser-oriented workforce development, particularly in underserved communities in Rochester and rural communities in the Finger Lakes, accelerate use-inspired R&D, entrepreneurship, and regional business development that will create jobs, build a laser science and technology talent pipeline, bolster the supply chain, and grow and sustain the region’s economy.
    • The University at Buffalo’s proposal, officially named “AI for Health Equity,” will work to utilize artificial intelligence to develop cutting-edge health care solutions, further highlighting Western New York’s leadership in building an AI innovation ecosystem, something Schumer has actively pushed for. The project aims to boost new start-up companies and help partners commercialize AI technology centered on health and wellness. This new technology will aid health care providers and serve as personal assistance to community members. Eventually, the project will expand so that its technology can serve communities beyond Western NY and across the country.
    • Cornell University’s proposal, officially named “Sustainable Utilization of Scalable Technologies & Advanced Innovation for NetZero NY (SUSTAIN Dairy),” aims to reduce waste, create new dairy products, and develop new rural and workforce development opportunities. It is one of five projects in this round that is focused on agriculture and the only project focused on dairy. This proposal aims to develop a holistic, science-based framework for achieving net zero by 2050 from farm to fork through an advanced dairy innovation ecosystem. With dairy manufacturing and family farms scattered throughout rural New York, achieving place-based innovation that builds community wealth is vital for the future success of Upstate New York.
    • CUNY-ARC’s proposal, officially named “Tech-Enabled, Bioinspired & Biomanufacturing Ecosystem (Tri-State Tech-Biome),” aims to address critical regional challenges by creating an ecosystem that accelerates the innovation and commercialization of bio-inspired technologies and materials derived from renewable feedstocks. This work is being done in coordination with industry players and leading research universities in the region.
    • FuzeHub’s proposal, officially named “A Materials Innovation Engine for Manufacturing Sustainability,” will work to mitigate the negative impacts on the environment from manufacturing industries by replacing toxic or scarce components with advanced materials. FuzeHub competed last year for this award as well and was asked to resubmit.

    “I proudly supported the CHIPS and Science Act to pave the way for critical investments like the National Science Foundation’s Regional Innovative Engines program,” said Congressman Joe Morelle. “With the University of Rochester’s STELLAR engine advancing to the next phase, we celebrate Rochester’s legacy in optics and photonics and our designation as a Regional Tech Hub. This milestone honors our community’s pioneering spirit, and I look forward to working with the NSF to elevate Rochester’s role in shaping the future of technology.”

    “I am very pleased that our Science, Technology, and Engineering for Laser and Laser Applications Research (STELLAR) proposal will be advancing to the next stage and can continue to compete for transformative funding focused on creating and growing a diverse, workforce-focused laser ecosystem in Rochester and Upstate New York,” said Thomas Brown, the Director of the University’s Institute of Optics. “Our proposal is the only one to address declining U.S. leadership in laser manufacturing, since lasers are a fundamental enabling technology underpinning the entire internet, chip manufacturing, and a host of other technologies. I particularly thank Senator Schumer for his vision in establishing the regional innovation engines program at the National Science Foundation through his landmark CHIPS and Science Act, our many academic, industry and community partners, and the NSF for their consideration of support.”

    “The NSF Regional Innovation Engines program, created through the CHIPS and Science Act, is strengthening our nation’s manufacturing sector and boosting our global competitiveness,” said Congressman Kennedy. “At the forefront of this progress are five New York based teams that have made it to the next round of the process to receive game-changing federal funding to build on the progress Western New York has made to become a national-leader in the tech space. These teams are making our state and region a leader in innovative manufacturing while creating good-paying union jobs.”

    “As the home of Empire AI, UB is dedicated to leveraging our game-changing artificial intelligence research to alleviate health disparities in underserved populations throughout our region,” said UB President Satish K. Tripathi. “With an NSF Engines award, UB will be able to harness our AI- informed health innovations to improve the health and well-being of individuals and families across Western New York, ultimately growing participation in our region’s economy. On behalf of all of us at the University at Buffalo, I would like to thank Majority Leader Schumer for his steadfast support of UB. In championing federal research funding for institutions of higher education, Senator Schumer is helping UB fuel impactful innovations, contribute measurably to economic development and enhance health outcomes across the lifespan.”

    Last year, Schumer helped the Binghamton University-led Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine win the esteemed competition in its inaugural year, bringing $15 million in federal funding immediately, with up to $160 million total over the life of the program from the NSF to supercharge growth and cutting-edge research in battery development and manufacturing in Upstate NY. The projects selected this year will build upon the inaugural cohort’s work developing new state-of-the-art technology.

    Schumer created the NSF’s Regional Innovation Engines Program in his CHIPS & Science Law as a program that falls under the newly created NSF Directorate of Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships.  Schumer proposed the creation of this Directorate originally in his bipartisan Endless Frontier Act, with a focus on delivering investment in research, workforce training, and entrepreneurship in key technology areas like AI, semiconductors, quantum computing, biotechnology, climate-smart research, advanced materials, and more. The NSF Regional Innovation Engines program catalyzes and fosters innovation ecosystems across the United States to promote and stimulate economic growth, job creation, and spur regional innovation.

    Each NSF Engine can receive up to $160 million over 10 years; actual amounts will be subject to a given NSF Engine’s status and overall progress, as assessed annually. The teams selected in this recent announcement will submit full proposals to NSF by February 2025, with final awards made next year, pending appropriations.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: ERO report shows Government’s truancy emphasis is vital

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says that the Education Review Office’s (ERO) timely report on chronic school absence released today is further evidence of a truancy crisis.  

    “Chronic absence has doubled since 2015. This report reinforces that action is needed to ensure this generation reaches its full potential,” says Associate Minister of Education David Seymour. 

    “Following the announcement of the Stepped Attendance Response (STAR) system I have been travelling across New Zealand holding hui with frontline people engaged in school attendance, such as school leaders and attendance officers.

    “The insights have been valuable, and I’m convinced that we’re on the right track to make school attendance a priority and to turn around the current state of affairs.  

    “It will be mandatory for all schools to have an attendance management plan based on STAR from the beginning of the 2026 school year. The Ministry will work with schools, the Attendance Service, non-government agencies and other government agencies to streamline this. The Ministry will also provide best practice templates for attendance plans and toolkits for dealing with absent students, depending on the reasons for absence. 

    “The ERO report states that there is a lack of understanding of the implications of truancy, interventions are occurring too late and only once non-attendance is firmly embedded, and that there is inadequate information sharing between agencies which puts strain on attendance services. 

    “The Government is addressing these issues. We’ve started a nationwide conversation on truancy. We’re setting frameworks for timely interventions from schools, and I’ve directed the Ministry of Education, with the active co-operation of the Ministry for Social Development, Oranga Tamariki, Police, Kainga Ora, and Te Puni Kōkiri to develop robust information sharing agreements so that staff can share appropriate information once a student has been identified as needing support. 

    “The report also states that schools have had difficulties with the prosecution process. I have directed the Ministry to take a more active role in the prosecution. I reserve the right to look at an infringement scheme in the future if this approach doesn’t work. 

    “The Ministry of Education has also been internally reviewing the effectiveness of its support for the Attendance Service. 

    “Almost every aspect of someone’s adult life will be defined by the education they receive as a child. If we want better social outcomes, we can’t keep ignoring the truancy crisis. This Government has set itself bold targets to address attendance, and it’s a bold approach that is needed for the future.” 

    Note to editors: ERO’s report will be published on https://ero.govt.nz/ from 5.00am Wednesday 30th October.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Prime Minister lays foundation stone of four Centres of Excellence at National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Guwahati and Mohali

    Source: Government of India

    Prime Minister lays foundation stone of four Centres of Excellence at National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Guwahati and Mohali

    Major boost to Make in India initiative in the healthcare sector: Prime Minister inaugurates five projects under Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for medical devices and bulk drugs at Gujarat, Telangana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh

    Inauguration of these manufacturing plants would play a key role in manufacturing of advanced medicine and high quality stents and implants and further India’s growth: PM Shri Narendra Modi

    India’s biggest Jan Aushadhi Kendra at AIIMS, New Delhi inaugurated by PM today

    Posted On: 29 OCT 2024 6:21PM by PIB Delhi

    Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple projects related to the health sector, including the Pharma sector, on the occasion of Dhanvantari Jayanti and 9th Ayurveda Day, today at All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), New Delhi. Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare & Chemicals & Fertilizers, Shri J P Nadda, and Ms. Anupriya Patel, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare & Chemicals & Fertilizers were present on the occasion among others.

    The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of four Centres of Excellence at National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) Ahmedabad in Gujarat for medical devices, NIPER Hyderabad in Telangana for bulk drugs, NIPER Guwahati in Assam for phytopharmaceuticals, and NIPER Mohali in Punjab for anti-bacterial anti-viral drug discovery and development.

    Also, in a major boost to Make in India initiative in the healthcare sector, Prime Minister inaugurated five projects under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for medical devices and bulk drugs at Vapi in Gujarat, Hyderabad in Telangana, Bengaluru in Karnataka, Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh and Nalagarh in Himachal Pradesh. These units will manufacture high-end medical devices, such as body implants and critical care equipment, along with important bulk drugs.

    Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister noted that the progress of a nation is directly proportional to the health of its citizens, the Prime Minister highlighted the government’s priority to the health of its citizens and outlined the five pillars of health policy. He listed the five pillars as preventive healthcare, early detection of ailments, free and low-cost treatment and medicines, availability of doctors in small towns and lastly expansion of technology in health services.

    The Prime Minister mentioned that inauguration of these manufacturing plants would play a key role in manufacturing of advanced medicine and high quality stents and implants and further India’s growth.

    Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi also inaugurated the biggest Jan Aushadhi Kendra of the country at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi today The main objective of this kendra is providing affordable and quality medicines to the patients visiting AIIMS for treatment of various ailments.

    The Jan Aushadhi Kendra has been set up by the Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI) which is the implementing agency of PMBJP. This Kendra, spanning an area of 1,724 square feet, aims to provide over 2,047 quality generic medicines and 300 surgical devices at prices significantly lower than their branded counterparts. Price of Jan Aushadhi Medicines is cheaper by at least 50% and in some cases by 80% to 90% of the market price of branded medicines.

    Reiterating the government’s priority to reduce the cost of treatment, be it the poor or middle class, the Prime Minister mentioned the launch of more than 14,000 PM Jan Aushadhi Kendras across the country where medicines are available at 80 percent discount. He informed that the poor and middle class have managed to save Rs 30,000 crore due to availability of affordable medicines through the Janaushadhi Kendras.

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: India’s Cyber Swachhta Abhiyaan, a step to build safer Digital India by educating and empowering the youth

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 29 OCT 2024 5:52PM by PIB Delhi

     The National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) and the United Service Institution of India (USI) organized the Quad Cyber Challenge as part of the “Cyber Swachhta Abhiyaan” – India’s Cyber Hygiene Campaign. The Quad Cyber Challenge event was announced by the Quad Leaders’ to strengthen responsible cyber ecosystems, promote public resources, and raise cyber security awareness. The theme of this year’s Challenge is promoting cyber security education and building a strong workforce. In this event, eminent cyber security experts undertook awareness workshops for students and faculty members, not only to motivate them to adopt cyber hygiene habits, but also to opt for cyber security as a career option.

    This event has been supported by Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and had participation of Principals, Faculties and Students from ten Kendriya Vidyalaya Schools.

    The speakers highlighted that Cyber Security is a priority area for our country and that the role of Education in Cyber Security is paramount and plays a pivotal role in combating cyber threats. Hence, Schools must include cyber security awareness modules in their curriculum not only for promoting cyber security education but also to encourage the students to take up Cyber Security as a career option.

    The National Cyber Security Coordinator of India encouraged students to develop cyber hygiene and highlighted that the Cyber Swachhta Abhiyaan is a significant step towards building a cyber-secure India. By educating and empowering our youth, we can create a generation that is well-equipped to navigate the digital world safely and responsibly. The Quad Cyber Challenge is an international collaborative step to thematically take up the awareness campaigns in building cyber security and resilience in respective countries.

    The eminent speakers in the event conducted awareness workshops for students and faculty members, not only to motivate them to adopt better practices in cyber domain, but also encourage them to choose cyber security domains in their future career paths, especially for women. The Experts talked about Cyber Law, Cybercrime & investigation aspects, Digital Forensics, Cyber Security career options and online safety initiatives for children.  

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Inaugurates, Lays Foundation Stone of several projects and Launches various Health Programmes across 4 Ministries on Dhanvantari Jayanti, significantly enhancing health infrastructure across the country

    Source: Government of India

    Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Inaugurates, Lays Foundation Stone of several projects and Launches various Health Programmes across 4 Ministries on Dhanvantari Jayanti, significantly enhancing health infrastructure across the country

    Various initiatives amounting to more than Rs. 12,855 Cr, include projects worth more than Rs. 5502 Cr under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare; Rs. 5187 Cr under Dept. of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers; Rs. 1641 under ESIC, Ministry of Labour and Employment and Rs. 525.14 Cr under the Ministry of AYUSH

    Prime Minister Unveils Comprehensive Five-Pillar Health Policy Focused on Preventive Care and Accessibility

    Prime Minister Launches Expansion of Health Coverage under AB-PMJAY for citizens of and above 70 years, at a cost of Rs. 3437 Crore

    Every senior citizen in the country aged 70 and above will receive free hospital treatment through the Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card: Prime Minister

    “Health is regarded as the greatest wealth, a concept that is gaining global recognition through Yoga”

    Prime Minister Reiterates Commitment to add 75,000 New MBBS and MD Seats to Meet Rising Demand

    Prime Minister Inaugurates Phase-II of India’s First All India Institute of Ayurveda in New Delhi, Central Drugs Testing Laboratory in Bhubaneswar, Odisha; 3 Government Medical Colleges in Madhya Pradesh; 5 projects under PLI Scheme for medical devices and drugs; 4 Centers of Excellence of AYUSH; and many projects at various AIIMS; Inaugurates ESIC hospital at Indore

    Prime Minister lays Foundation Stone for 5 Nursing Colleges in Madhya Pradesh; 21 Critical Care Blocks under PM-ABHIM in 5 States; 2 Yoga & Naturopathy Institutes in Odisha & Chhattisgarh; upgradation projects at AIIMS New Delhi and Bilaspur; 06 ESI hospitals in 5 States and 4 Centres of Excellence at NIPERs in 4 States

    Prime Minister Launches U-WIN portal for digitalization of Immunization services for pregnant women and children, enhancing access to health services and providing citizens with secure digital identities

    Prime Minister Launches Nationwide Campaign “Desh Ka Prakriti Parikshan Abhiyan” to promote Health Awareness among Citizens

    Posted On: 29 OCT 2024 5:30PM by PIB Delhi

    In a landmark development aimed at strengthening India’s healthcare infrastructure and providing quality healthcare services across the country, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of several health infrastructure projects, and launched various health programmes across the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Ministry of Ayush, Dept. of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, and Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) under Ministry of Labour & Employment at an event at All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), here today. The total outlay of these projects amounts to more than 12,855 cr.

    Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda; Union Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya; Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH and Union MoS for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Prataprao Jadhav; Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Smt. Anupriya Patel; Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Smt. Shobha Karandlaje and Shri Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, South Delhi MP (Lok Sabha) were also present on the occasion.

    Today marks 9th ‘Ayurveda Day’, which is celebrated in India and many other countries on the occasion of Dhanvantari Jayanti. It is a day to celebrate the birth of Lord Dhanvantari, God of Ayurveda. Quoting sages and saints, Prime Minister emphasized that “health is regarded as the greatest wealth, a concept that is gaining global recognition through Yoga”. He expressed joy that Ayurveda Diwas is now celebrated in over 150 countries, highlighting the increasing global interest in Ayurveda and India’s ancient contributions to the world.

    Prime Minister said that in the past decade, the country had witnessed beginning of a new chapter in the health sector with amalgamation of knowledge of Ayurveda with Modern medicine, adding that the All India Institute of Ayurveda had been a focal point of this chapter. He noted that it would be possible to see ancient techniques like Panchakarma infused with modern technology in this institute along with advanced research studies in the fields of Ayurveda and medical science.

    Prime Minister underscored that “a nation’s progress is closely linked to the health of its citizens”, outlining the government’s commitment to healthcare through five key pillars: preventive healthcare, early disease detection, affordable treatment and medications, increased doctor availability in smaller towns, and technological advancements in health services. He stated that India’s approach to health is holistic and highlighted recent projects worth over ₹13,000 crores, including four Centers of Excellence under the Ayush Health scheme, drone service expansions, new infrastructure at various AIIMS, and the establishment of medical colleges. He expressed satisfaction with hospitals being built for laborers, which will serve as dedicated treatment centres. The inauguration of pharmaceutical units aimed at manufacturing advanced medicines and quality stents and implants was also mentioned.

    Reflecting on the struggles many families face due to illness, especially in poorer households, Shri Modi noted that people previously had to sell their possessions for medical care. He said that “to alleviate this burden, the government introduced the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, which covers up to ₹5 lakh in hospitalization costs for the poor”. He highlighted that around 4 crore individuals have benefited from this scheme, ensuring that they receive treatment without financial strain. He expressed pride in expanding the Ayushman Yojana to include free treatment for all citizens over 70 years old, through the Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card, which is universally accessible regardless of income.

    Reiterating the focus on reducing healthcare costs for both the poor and middle class, Prime Minister noted launch of over 14,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras, providing medicines at an 80% discount and saving citizens ₹30,000 crores. He highlighted reductions in the prices of medical devices like stents and knee implants, preventing a loss of over ₹80,000 crores for the public. He also mentioned the free dialysis scheme and the Mission Indradhanush yojana, aimed at preventing severe diseases and protecting mothers and newborns.

    Prime Minister emphasized the importance of timely diagnosis to mitigate health risks and mentioned the establishment of nearly two lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, facilitating early detection of diseases like cancer and diabetes. He noted that these centres help millions access timely treatment, ultimately reducing costs. Additionally, the government is leveraging technology through the e-Sanjeevani scheme, which has enabled over 30 crore online consultations, significantly lowering healthcare expenses. He announced the launch of the U-win platform, enhancing access to health services in India by providing citizens with secure digital identities. The Made-in-India digital platform will benefit 2.9 crore pregnant women and 2.6 crore infants annually by fully digitalising the complete vaccination process. It will ensure the timely administration of life-saving vaccines to women and children (from birth to 16 years) against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s flagship Universal Immunization Programme (UIP).

     

    Prime Minister concluded his address by reflecting on the substantial progress in India’s healthcare over the last decade compared to the previous decades, noting the record establishment of new AIIMS and medical colleges. He cited recent inaugurations in states like Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh, as well as new medical colleges being developed. He assured that the increasing number of hospitals correlates with a rise in medical education opportunities, promising that no child’s dream of becoming a doctor would be hindered by lack of options in India, with nearly 1 lakh new MBBS and MD seats added in the past decade and a commitment to announce an additional 75,000 seats in the next five years.

    Speaking on the occasion, Shri JP Nadda said, “the health policy presented today by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has two special features. The first characteristic is that it is holistic; In this, all aspects of preventive, promotional, curative, rehabilitative and palliative have been taken care of. The second feature is that the effort made in bringing all the genres together under one roof is very significant and will always be remembered.”

    He also reiterated that the Union Government will provide a health cover of ₹ 5 lakh to any elderly person above 70 years of age, any woman, any caste, any community, and any area, and will make arrangements for their treatment free of cost, adding that this facility will be available throughout their life.

    Shri Prataprao Jadhav noted that since 2014, Ayurveda’s involvement in global health has gained a new dimension and credited the Prime Minister for his exemplary contribution towards this. He informed that ‘Support Ayurveda’ initiative has been launched with the aim of spreading global awareness of Ayurveda.

    Details of Projects:

    Various projects and facilities falling under the Union Health Ministry amounting to more than Rs. 1133 Cr were inaugurated by the Prime Minister today. These include three Medical Colleges at Mandsaur, Neemuch and Seoni in Madhya Pradesh; facility and service extensions at AIIMS in Bilaspur (Himachal Pradesh); Kalyani (West Bengal), Patna (Bihar), Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Guwahati (Assam), and New Delhi where a Jan Aushadhi Kendra was inaugurated; a Super Speciality Block in Government Medical Colleges at Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh); a Central Drugs Testing Laboratory (CDTL) in Gothapatna, Bhubaneswar, Odisha and a Critical Care Block in Bargarh, Odisha.

    In addition, Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for various health infrastructure projects amounting to more than Rs. 925 cr. These include five Nursing Colleges in Madhya Pradesh (Shivpuri, Ratlam, Khandwa, Rajgarh, and Mandsaur); 21 Critical Care Blocks in states of Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Manipur & Tamil Nadu, and Rajasthan under PM-ABHIM; and several facilities and service extensions at AIIMS, New Delhi and AIIMS Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh.

    With the aim of enhancing access to health services in India by providing citizens with fully digitalized immunization services for pregnant women and children and secure digital identities, Prime Minister launched the U-WIN portal today. This Made-in-India digital platform will benefit 2.9 crore pregnant women and 2.6 crore infants annually by fully digitalizing the complete vaccination process. It will ensure the timely administration of life-saving vaccines to pregnant women and children (from birth to 16 years) against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases. As a major addition to the flagship scheme AB PM-JAY, Prime Minister launched expansion of health coverage to all senior citizens aged 70 yrs and above, regardless of their income, at a cost of Rs. 3437 crores.  

    To extend the reach of healthcare services to hard-to-reach areas, Prime Minister launched drone services at 11 Tertiary Care Institutions. These are AIIMS Rishikesh (Uttarakhand), AIIMS Bibinagar (Telangana), AIIMS Guwahati (Assam), AIIMS Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), AIIMS Jodhpur (Rajasthan), AIIMS Patna (Bihar), AIIMS Bilaspur (Himachal Pradesh), AIIMS Raebareli (Uttar Pradesh, AIIMS Raipur (Chhattisgarh), RIMS Imphal (Manipur) and AIIMS Mangalagiri (Andhra Pradesh). A Helicopter Emergency Medical Services from AIIMS Rishikesh was also launched which will help to deliver speedy medical care by stabilizing and treating trauma victims during flight and onsite. It will cover Uttarakhand and nearby areas within 100 nautical miles. In addition, Prime Minister launched a portal for Allied Healthcare professionals and institutes. This is a centralized database of existing Allied and Healthcare Professionals and institutes. Moreover, State specific Action Plan on Climate Change and Human Health (SAPCCHH) for each State and UT was also launched, which lays out adaptation strategies towards developing climate resilient healthcare services in these States/UTs.

    Under the Dept. of Pharmaceuticals, five projects under Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for Medical Devices and bulk drugs was inaugurated at Vapi (Gujarat); Sultanpur, (Hyderabad); Bengaluru, (Karnataka); Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh) and Nalagarh (Himachal Pradesh). These units will manufacture high-end medical devices, such as body implants and critical care equipment, along with important bulk drugs like Penicillin-G and Clavulanic Acid. These initiatives support India’s goal of reducing import dependence and enhancing local manufacturing capabilities in medical devices and bulk drugs. Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of four Centres of Excellence at NIPER –Ahmedabad (Gujarat) for Medical Devices; NIPER Hyderabad (Telangana) for Bulk Drugs; NIPER, Guwahati (Assam) for Phytopharmaceuticals; and NIPER – Mohali (Punjab) for Anti-Bacterial Anti-Viral Drug Discovery and Development. The total outlay for the Dept. of Pharmaceutical projects is about Rs. 5187 crores.

    In addition, under Ministry of Labour and Employment, Prime Minister inaugurated a 300 bedded ESIC Hospital which is upgradable to 500 beds at Indore (Madhya Pradesh), and laid the foundation stone for various ESI Hospitals across Faridabad (Haryana), Bommasandra (Karnataka) & Narasapur, Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Meerut (Uttar Pradesh), and Atchutapuram (Andhra Pradesh) at a cumulative cost of Rs 1641 crores. These projects will bring healthcare benefits to 55 lakh ESI beneficiaries.

    Under the Ministry of AYUSH, Prime Minister inaugurated Phase II of the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), originally dedicated in 2017, which includes a 150-bedded Panchakarma hospital, an Ayurvedic pharmacy, a sports medicine unit, and extensive accommodation facilities, all at a cost of over ₹289 crores. To enhance India’s health and wellness solutions, he also laid the foundation for two Central Research Institutes in Yoga and Naturopathy in Odisha and Chhattisgarh, and launched four Centers of Excellence focused on diabetes research, sustainable Ayurvedic solutions, Ayurvedic botanical research, and systems medicine for rheumatoid arthritis. Additionally, a nationwide health awareness campaign, “Desh Ka Prakriti Parikshan Abhiyan,” was launched with 470,000 volunteers, aiming to revolutionize public health awareness and attempt multiple Guinness World Records.

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  • MIL-OSI Canada: Remarks by the Deputy Prime Minister announcing actions to protect and create good-paying jobs for Canadian workers

    Source: Government of Canada News

    We’re launching a $200 million regional AI initiative. The regional development agencies will help support AI start-ups to bring new technology to market. And they will help drive AI adoption by Canadian businesses across the economy. I do want to say to Canadian businesses who are excited about the benefits of AI in their businesses, please think about using a Canadian AI company when you are using AI in your business. This is a great strength we have; take advantage of the great AI companies we have here at home.

    October 22, 2024 – Ottawa, Ontario

    Check against delivery

    Thanks everyone for being here. I want to start by recognizing the work that all the people at Parliamentary Protective Services do to make it possible for all of us to do our jobs. On this anniversary of the death of Corporal Nathan Cirillo, who was shot to death while he was guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, it’s worth reflecting on how essential they are. They take risks every day. Thank you very much to them.

    I will begin by talking about the Canadian economy, and then I’ll talk about actions we are taking to protect and support Canadian workers, and tariffs, and then new measures on artificial intelligence.

    After that, my colleague, the Honourable Randy Boissonnault (Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages), will talk about reforms to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. After that, my colleague, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos (Minister of Public Services and Procurement), will talk more about what we are doing regarding artificial intelligence and promoting its adoption in the whole Canadian economy.  

    Let me start by making a couple of comments about the Canadian economy.

    We have been getting some good news in recent weeks. Last week, we got the September inflation number, which was 1.6 per cent. For nine months now, inflation in Canada has been within the Bank of Canada’s target range. And the September number was a three and a half year low.

    With inflation coming down, we have now seen three interest rate cuts. The Bank of Canada was the first central bank in a G7 country to cut interest rates for the first time. It was the first central bank in a G7 country to cut interest rates for the second time. And it was the first central bank in a G7 country to cut interest rates for the third time.

    Wages have now outpaced inflation for 20 months in a row and in September, we had a good jobs number, with 47,000 jobs created. And the unemployment number actually went down a little bit.

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) published its World Economic Outlook today. And in that Outlook, the IMF forecasted that Canada will have the strongest economic growth in the G7 in 2025. There is a lot more we need to do, but on the macroeconomic front, we’re seeing some solid progress.

    Now, I want to talk about the tariff measures. The government has imposed a 100 per cent tariff on all electric vehicles manufactured in China and it became effective on October 1st. 

    We also announced that we would put in place a 25 per cent tariff on imports of steel and aluminum products from China. Today is a significant day. Today is the day that our tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum of 25 per cent enter into force. This is a really important measure. It is to protect these essential Canadian industries, and the Canadians who work there, from unfair Chinese trade practices, and from an intentional policy of Chinese overcapacity in an environment where neither labour nor environmental standards are honoured.

    It’s also really important because it is absolutely essential for the Canadian economy that we can say to our partners in North America that Canada will not be a backdoor for diverted Chinese goods, whether it’s electric vehicles or steel and aluminum.

    We are also announcing today a remissions framework. We know that there are some businesses that are anxious about adjusting to this shift in supply chains. It’s really important for us that these essential measures do not harm Canadian businesses or Canadian workers. So, we are prepared to offer tariff relief in exceptional circumstances and we’re publishing today an email address that Canadian businesses can use to apply for tariff relief and a framework that will guide decisions on remissions.

    A second announcement for today is that we are moving forward on the support for AI and AI adoption, which we announced in the budget in the spring.

    Canada is a global AI superpower. There is no better evidence of this than the fact that Canada’s own, and the University of Toronto’s own, Geoffrey Hinton, was recently awarded a Nobel Prize for his groundbreaking research. That research, that Canadian strength in AI, and the underlying thinking behind it, is a huge advantage for Canada in the economy today.

    Our government knows that helping Canadian businesses adopt AI is a really important part of leveraging the Canadian AI advantage.

    Today we are announcing that we’re going to be investing $300 million of the $2.4 billion for AI that we put forward in the budget in the spring.

    We’re launching a $200 million regional AI initiative. The regional development agencies will help support AI start-ups to bring new technology to market. And they will help drive AI adoption by Canadian businesses across the economy. I do want to say to Canadian businesses who are excited about the benefits of AI in their businesses, please think about using a Canadian AI company when you are using AI in your business. This is a great strength we have; take advantage of the great AI companies we have here at home.

    We have an economic plan, a plan for affordability, to build more housing faster and for economic growth. Our priority is to give a fair chance to every generation. Thank you.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Meng Award Federal Funding to St. Francis Preparatory School in Fresh Meadows

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Grace Meng (6th District of New York)

    QUEENS, NY – U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens), New York’s senior member of the House Appropriations Committee – which funds the federal government’s programs and activities – announced today that she awarded $150,000 to St. Francis Preparatory School in Fresh Meadows.

    The funds will allow the school to make additional security improvements to help ensure the safety of students, faculty and staff. The money is allocated through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program which is designed to pay for safety measures that help guard against threats and attacks.

    “Safety must always be a top priority in our communities, especially at our local schools, and this grant will go a long way towards keeping everybody at St. Francis Preparatory School more secure,” said Congresswoman Meng. “The Nonprofit Security Grant Program is a key initiative to enhance safety, and in Congress, I’m proud to have helped increase funding for it over the years so that this crucial money can make its way to schools and nonprofits in our borough. I look forward to these funds benefiting St. Francis Prep for years to come.”   

    “This grant will have a profound impact on our school’s ability to maintain a safe learning environment, providing our students, staff, teachers and families with peace of mind,” said St. Francis Preparatory Principal Patrick McLaughlin. “With these resources, we are better equipped to implement new safety protocols and security measures that prioritize the protection and comfort of our school community. I thank Congresswoman Meng for her commitment to our school and for recognizing the importance of secure educational spaces. We look forward to continuing our partnership with her to foster a positive and safe environment for all of our SFP students.”

    St. Francis Preparatory School is an independent Catholic college preparatory school. It includes 2,450 students in grades 9-12. Opened in 1858, the school has been in its present location at 61-00 Francis Lewis Boulevard since 1974.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: USAID Announces More Than $57 Million to Drive Agricultural Innovation

    Source: USAID

    The United States, through USAID, committed $57.4 million, working with Congress, to accelerate food security initiatives and advance novel climate-smart agricultural solutions to reduce global hunger, poverty, and undernutrition. Announced at the 2024 World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue in Iowa, more than $38 million will support Feed the Future – the U.S. government’s global hunger initiative – Innovation Labs.

    The Feed the Future Innovation Lab network, including two newly funded labs, will advance technology development and draw on the expertise of top U.S. universities and host country research institutions to tackle some of the world’s greatest challenges in agriculture and food security. The Climate Resilient Sustainable Intensification lab, led by Kansas State University, will conduct research to develop and adapt technologies that increase agricultural productivity on less land with fewer environmental tradeoffs. At Washington State University, the Veterinary Vaccine Delivery lab will accelerate the development and deployment of cold-chain-independent vaccines for livestock.

    New investments in existing labs include World Coffee Research joining Cornell University to develop improved coffee varieties and the University of Florida partnering with the University of California, Davis to address poultry disease through advances in chicken breeding. Cornell, Purdue, and Michigan State Universities have been awarded extensions to continue work on climate resilient crops, food safety policies and regulations, and local food security policy, respectively.

    The remainder of the funding includes an award to accelerate the development and deployment of disease-resistant wheat varieties through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and CIMMYT; a contribution to the Global Crop Diversity Trust to increase the availability of adapted crops and seeds to meet the challenges of new pests and diseases, higher temperatures, less water, and soil degradation; and funding to non-profit Akademiya2063 to support African leadership on agriculture policy reform.

    Feed the Future has continued to deliver strong results, as demonstrated in this year’s newly launched Feed the Future Interagency Report. In the initiative’s first decade both hunger and poverty fell by 20 to 25 percent in areas of focus. In 2023 alone, Feed the Future worked with 6.2 million producers to apply improved agricultural practices on 4.5 million hectares of cropland and cultivated pasture. In addition, small and medium businesses and farmers accessed $1.4 billion in agriculture-related financing and leveraged $677 million in private-sector investment – double the level in fiscal year 2020 – resulting in record sales of more than $4.6 billion. 

    Building on this success, Feed the Future will continue to work with partner countries, donors, and both the public and private sector in the United States and abroad to accelerate transformational change.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ken Iliff: Engineering 40 Years of Success

    Source: NASA

    Editor’s note: This article was published May 23, 2003, in NASA Armstrong’s X-Press newsletter. NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, was redesignated Armstrong Flight Research Center on March 1, 2014. Ken Iliff was inducted into the National Hall of Fame for Persons with Disabilities in 1987. He died Jan. 4, 2016.

    As an Iowa State University engineering student in the early 1960s, Ken Iliff was hard at work on a glider flight simulation.
    Upon examining the final results – which, in those early days of the computer revolution, were viewed on a long paper printout – he noticed one glaring imperfection: the way he had programmed it, his doomed glider would determinedly accelerate as it headed for the ground.
    The culprit was a single keystroke. At the time, programming was based on data that had been painstakingly entered into the computer by hand, on punch cards and piece by piece. Somewhere, Iliff had entered a plus sign instead of a minus sign.
    The seemingly minor incident was to foreshadow great things to come in Iliff’s career.
    Not long after graduation, the West Union, Iowa, native found himself at what was then called simply the NASA Flight Research Center located on Edwards Air Force Base.
    “I just knew I didn’t want to be sitting somewhere in a big room full of engineers who were all doing the same thing,” Iliff said of choosing Dryden over other jobs and other NASA centers. “It was a small center doing important things, and it was in California. I knew I wanted to be there.”
    Once at Dryden, the issue of data tidbits was central to the new hire’s workday. Iliff’s post called for him and many of his colleagues to spend much of their time “reading up” data – a laborious process of measuring data from film using a single reference line and a ruler. Measurements were made every tenth of a second; for a ten-second maneuver, a total of one hundred “traces” were taken for every quantity being recorded.
    “I watched talented people spending entire days analyzing data,” he recalled. “And then, maybe two people would arrive at two entirely different conclusions” from the same data sets.
    As has happened so often at the birth of revolutionary ideas, then, one day Iliff had a single, simple thought about the time-intensive and maddeningly inexact data analysis process:
    “There just has to be a better way to do this.”
    The remedy he devised was to result in a sea change at Dryden, and would reverberate throughout the world of computer-based scientific research.
    Iliff’s work spanned the decades that encompassed some of Dryden’s greatest achievements, from the X-15 through the XB-70 and the tentative beginnings of the shuttle program. The solution he created to the problem of inaccuracy in data analysis focused on aerodynamic performance – how to formulate questions about an aircraft’s performance once answers about it are already known, how to determine the “why?” when the “what happens?” has already happened.
    The work is known as “parameter estimation,” and is used in aerospace applications to extract precise definitions of aerodynamic, structural and performance parameters from flight data.
    His methodology – cemented in computer coding Iliff developed using Fortran’s lumbering binary forerunner, machine code – allowed researchers to determine precisely the type of information previously derived only as best-estimate guesses through analysis of data collected in wind tunnels and other flight-condition simulators. In addition to aerospace science, parameter estimation is also used today in a wide array of research applications, including those involving submarines, economic models, and biomedicine.
    With characteristic deference, Iliff now brushes off any suggestion of his discovery’s significance. Instead, he credits other factors for his successes, such as a Midwestern work ethic and Iowa State University’s early commitment to giving its engineering students good access to the new and emerging computer technology.
    To hear him tell it, “all good engineers are a little bit lazy. We know how to innovate – how to find an easier way.
    “I’d been trained well, and given the right tools – I was just in the right place at the right time.”
    But however modestly he might choose to see it characterized, it’s fair to number Iliff’s among the longest and most distinguished careers to take root in the ranks of Dryden research engineers. Though his groundbreaking work will live forever in research science, when Iliff retired in December he brought to a close his official role in some of the most important chapters in Dryden history.

    His pioneering work with parameter estimation carried through years of aerodynamic assessment and data analysis involving lifting-body and wing-body aircraft, from the X-15 through the M2-F1, M2-F2 and M2-F3 projects, the HL-10, the X-24B and NASA’s entire fleet of space shuttles. His contributions aided in flight research on the forward-swept-wing X-29 and the F/A-18 High Angle of Attack program, on F-15 spin research vehicles, on thrust vectoring and supermaneuverability.
    Iliff began work on the space shuttle program when it was little more than a speculative “what’s next?” chapter in manned spaceflight, long before it reached officially sanctioned program status. Together with a group spearheaded by the late NASA research pilot and long-time Dryden Chief Engineer Milt Thompson – who Iliff describes unflinchingly as “my hero” – Iliff helped explore the vast range of possibilities for a new orbiting craft that would push NASA to its next frontier after landing on the moon.
    In an environment much more informal than today’s, when there were few designations of “program manager” or “task monitor” or “deputy director” among NASA engineers like Iliff and Thompson, a handful of creative, disciplined minds were at work dreaming up a reusable aircraft that would launch, orbit the Earth and return. Iliff’s role was to offer up the rigor of comparison in size, speed and performance among potential aircraft designs; Thompson and Iliff’s group was responsible, for example, for the decision to abandon the notion of jet engines on the orbiter, decreeing them too heavy, too risky and too inefficient.
    Month in and month out, Iliff and his colleagues painstakingly researched and developed the myriad design details that eventually materialized into the shuttle fleet. There was, in Iliff’s words, “a love affair between the shuttle and the engineers.”
    And in a display typifying the charged environment of creative collaboration that governed the effort – an effort many observe wryly that it would be difficult to replicate at NASA, today or anytime – the body of research was compiled into the now-legendary aero-data book, a living document that records in minute detail every scrap of design and performance data recorded about the shuttles’ flight activity.
    Usually with more than a touch of irony, the compiling of the aero-data book has been described with phrases like “a remarkably democratic process,” involving as it did the need for a hundred independent minds and strong personalities to agree on indisputable facts about heat, air flow, turbulence, drag, stability and a dozen other aerodynamic principles. But Iliff says the success of the mammoth project, last updated in 1996, was ultimately enabled by a shared commitment to a culture that was unique to Dryden, one that made the Center great.
    “Well, big, complicated things don’t always come out like you think they will,” Iliff said.
    “But we understood completely the idea of ‘informed risk.’ We had a thorough understanding of risks before taking them – nobody ever did anything on the shuttle that they thought was dangerous, or likely to fail.
    “The truly great thing (about that era at Dryden) was that they mentored us, and let us take those risks, and helped us get good right away. That was how we were able to do what we did.”
    It was an era that Iliff says he was thrilled to be a part of, and which he admits was difficult to leave. It was also, he adds with a note of uncharacteristic nostalgia, a time that would be hard to reinvent today after the intrusion of so many bureaucratic tentacles into the hot zone that spawned Dryden’s greatest achievements.
    A man not much given to dwelling on the past, however, Iliff has moved on to a retirement he is making the most of. Together with his wife, Mary Shafer, also retired from her career as a Dryden engineer, he plans to dedicate time to cataloging the couple’s extensive travel experiences with new video and graphics software, and adding to the travel library with footage from new trips. Iraq ranks high on the short list.
    During his 40-year tenure, Iliff held the post of senior staff scientist of Dryden’s research division from 1988 to 1994, when he became the Center’s chief scientist. Among numerous awards he received were the prestigious Kelly Johnson Award from the Society of Flight Test Engineers (1989), an award permanently housed in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, and NASA’s highest scientific honor, the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Award (1976).
    He was inducted into the National Hall of Fame for Persons with Disabilities in 1987, and served on many national aeronautic and aerospace committees throughout his career. He is a Fellow in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and is the author of more than 100 technical papers and reports. He has given eleven invited lectures for NATO and AGARD (Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Development), and served on four international panels as an expert in aircraft and spacecraft dynamics. Recently, he retired from his position as an adjunct professor of electrical engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles.
    Iliff holds dual bachelor of science degrees in mathematics and aerospace engineering from Iowa State University; a master of science in mechanical engineering from the University of Southern California; a master of engineering degree in engineering management and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering, both from UCLA.
    Iliff’s is the kind of legacy shared by a select group of American engineers, and to read the papers these days, there’s the suggestion that his is a vanishing breed. NASA and other science-based organizations are often depicted as scrambling for new engineering talent – particularly of the sort personified by Iliff and his pioneering achievements.
    But, typical of the visionary approach he applies to life in general as well as to science, Iliff takes a wider view.
    “I remember, after the X-1 – people figured all the good things had been done,” he said, with a smile in his voice. “And of course, they had not.
    “If I was starting out now, I’d be starting in work with DNA, or biomedicine – improving lives with drug research. There are so many exciting things to be discovered there. They might not be as showy as lighting off a rocket, but they’re there.
    “I’ve seen cycles. We’re at a low spot right now – but military, or space, will eventually be at the center again.”
    And when that day comes, Iliff says he hopes officials in the flight research world will heed the example of Dryden’s early years, and give its engineers every opportunity to succeed unfettered – as he had been.
    “Beware the ‘Chicken Littles’ out there,” he said. “I hope the government will be strong enough to resist them.”

    Sarah MerlinFormer X-Press newsletter assistant editor
    Former Dryden historian Curtis Peebles contributed to this article.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Office of the Governor – News Release –Gov. Green Makes Appointments to Several Boards and Commissions

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    JOSH GREEN, M.D.

    GOVERNOR
    KE KIAʻĀINA

    GOVERNOR GREEN MAKES APPOINTMENTS TO SEVERAL BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS 

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    October 29, 2024

    HONOLULU – Governor Josh Green, M.D., is pleased to announce the appointment of V.R. Hinano Rodrigues to the Commission on Water Resource Management. Per the process outlined in state statute, Rodrigues will serve as interim until he is confirmed by the Hawai’i State Senate.

    Rodrigues has more than two decades of dedicated service in cultural preservation and community engagement, and a wealth of knowledge relating to Hawai‘i’s unique environment and cultural heritage. A native of Olowalu on Maui, Rodrigues is well-respected for leading multidisciplinary teams and championing initiatives for the benefit of the state’s natural resources.

    His extensive years as a History and Culture Branch chief at the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) have equipped him with the insights and skills necessary to navigate the complex challenges facing our water resources today.

    “All three candidates nominated for this role were incredible individuals, each with unique qualifications and deep commitments to serving our communities,” said Governor Green. “Hinano stood out as best suited for the commission due to his extensive experience and understanding of Hawai‘i’s cultural and environmental landscape. This role is essential for ensuring the sustainable management of our most precious resource — water — and requires a leader who can honor the balance between housing needs and cultural preservation. I am confident that Hinano’s knowledge, dedication and passion for safeguarding Hawai‘i’s heritage will serve the people of our islands well in this vital role.”

    In his new role on the commission, Rodrigues will work collaboratively with stakeholders to ensure sustainable management of Hawai‘i’s precious water resources while honoring cultural values. His exceptional communication and conflict resolution skills will be invaluable in fostering partnerships between government agencies, local communities and environmental organizations. This term is expected to end on June 30, 2028.

    Green recently appointed Ciara Kahahane as first deputy of the Commission on Water Resource Management. Kahahane, a Lahaina native and former deputy with the Attorney General’s office, joins Department of Land and Natural Resources First Deputy Director Ryan Kanakaʻole and Chair Dawn Chang in leading DLNR as an all-Native Hawaiian executive team.

    A photo of Hinano Rodrigues can be found here.

    Office of Hawaiian Affairs Salary Commission:
    Governor Green also announced today the appointment of distinguished members to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Salary Commission. Hawai‘i Revised Statutes (HRS) Section 10-9.5 requires the Governor to appoint an OHA Salary Commission every four years. The commission studies and makes recommendations for the salaries of the members of the board of trustees for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

    Appointees: 
    Ian Custino
    Tyler Gomes
    Kawehi Inaba
    Reyn Kaupiko
    Anita Naone
    Dennis Rose
    Venus Rosete-Medeiros

    Hawai‘i Commission on Salaries:
    Governor Josh Green also announced today the appointment of distinguished members to the state Commission on Salaries. As established by law, the commission will review and recommend salaries for justices, judges, legislators, department heads, executive officers and deputies within the executive branch, excluding the University of Hawaiʻi and Department of Education. It will also make recommendations for the salaries of the administrative director of the state or equivalent position, the governor and the lieutenant governor. Salaries set under this provision cannot be reduced during a term unless by general law affecting all state salaried officers of the state.

    Appointees: 
    Beth Amaro
    Susan Arnett
    Pankaj Banjot
    Cathy Betts
    Margery Bronster
    Colleen Hanabusa
    Wesley Machida

    # # #

     
    Media Contacts:   

    Erika Engle
    Press Secretary
    Office of the Governor, State of Hawai‘i
    Phone: 808-586-0120
    Email: [email protected]

    Makana McClellan
    Director of Communications
    Office of the Governor, State of Hawaiʻi
    Cell: 808-265-0083
    Email: [email protected]

    MIL OSI USA News –