Category: Education

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Creative Life Industry Asia-Pacific Forum Collaborates with Industries to Co-create a Sustainable Value Chain

    Source: Republic Of China Taiwan 2

    The Industrial Development Administration, Ministry of Economic Affairs, hosted the “2024 Creative Life Industry Asia-Pacific Forum” on 12th at National Chung Hsing University. Experts from Thailand and Singapore, along with representatives from Taiwan’s Creative Life Industry, gathered under the theme “Co-Creating a Sustainable Value Chain” to share international creative trends, brainstorm strategies for sustainable development in the creative life sector, and foster cross-sector collaboration opportunities. The forum attracted over 200 participants and encouraged more quality enterprises to join the Creative Life Industry.

    Keynote speakers at the forum included Duangrit Bunnag from a renowned Thai architectural firm, and Ben Liu, CEO of Taiwan’s The One Nanyuan Humanity Inn, who shared how architectural and cultural aesthetics inspire unique cultural values and lifestyles. Somsak Boonkam, founder of Thailand’s Local Alike, and James Cho, general manager of Taiwan’s Joye Cottage, discussed business models that promote local economic development by combining sustainable environments, natural landscapes, rich cultural crafts, and warm human interaction. Singaporean designer Jackson Tan and Taiwan’s Yoshantea Executive Vice President Andy Chen shared their journeys in aesthetic and sustainable brand design. Furthermore, EBC News weather anchor Rita Wang offered insights from a media perspective, sharing her observations on how businesses can preserve culture and promote sustainable development amid global changes.

    In response to changing lifestyles and consumption patterns, the Industrial Development Administration, Ministry of Economic Affairs, has been promoting the Creative Life Industry since 2003. Through expert evaluations, it has identified high-quality lifestyle enterprises that embody core knowledge, deep experiences, and aesthetic excellence. To date, there are 166 such businesses in Taiwan, offering diverse lifestyle experiences ranging from food culture, fashion, craftsmanship, education, and ecology to cultural heritage.

    The Industrial Development Administration is committed to leading Taiwan’s industries toward upgrading, transformation, and enhanced competitiveness. It also supports the Creative Life Industry in developing sustainable business practices by integrating culture and aesthetics with industrial innovation. Through international exchanges and collaborations, the aim is to create a future that combines economic value with sustainability.

    For more information, please visit the Creative Life website: https://www.creativelife.org.tw/.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman at the U.S. – Africa: emPowering West African Energy Solutions

    Source: USAID

    DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR ISOBEL COLEMAN: Good afternoon, everyone. And, thank you all for joining this discussion about the transformative role of energy in driving economic growth – in West Africa and around the world.

    A recent study from Our World in Data, a reputable nonprofit research consortium, reinforces the direct positive correlation between electricity and income. Most notably, the data shows that high-income, low-energy countries simply do not exist. Economic growth requires available, affordable, and reliable electricity. Access to energy goes hand in hand with economic development. And, when we invest in expanding access to energy, we create the conditions for transformative economic growth.

    African-led approaches are indispensable to achieve this transformation. 

    Just this week, Power Africa signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the African Union Development Agency in support of their Continental Power System Master Plan, which lays out a framework for the creation of an African Single Electricity Market, and ultimately, achieving universal electrification across the African continent. This plan is the culmination of years of analysis, and reflects African ingenuity, creativity, and leadership. And, the plan prioritizes the creation of strong, reliable, and interconnected transmission networks, and of promoting the effective governance of regional power pools.

    The West Africa Power Pool is a shining example of efficient energy trading that lowers overall costs. West Africa is uniquely positioned to meet its energy demands. The region boasts vast natural resources and has made significant investments in the infrastructure necessary to facilitate cross-border energy trade. 

    In 2023, twelve West African countries achieved a monumental milestone by uniting their national power grids. This historic achievement is expected to generate up to $32 billion in trade benefits for ECOWAS countries over the next decade.

    The U.S. government has been a strong supporter of the West Africa Power Pool since its inception over two decades ago. In particular, Power Africa has been deeply involved, providing critical support to advance cross-border transmission lines, facilitate regional power purchase agreements, and enhance bilateral power trade. Over the past five years, our shared efforts have helped boost regional electricity trade by roughly ten percent a year, totaling four terawatt-hours of additional regional power trade.

    The synchronized electricity networks of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, and Togo have laid the foundation for a regional energy market. This synchronization allows cleaner, more cost-effective energy to be traded across borders, reducing dependency on expensive, polluting sources like diesel generators, while expanding access to reliable electricity.

    We are enthusiastic about the positive impact the West Africa Power Pool is poised to create as it bolsters the region’s energy security, reliability, and affordability. 

    Power pools like this help lower electricity costs, reduce losses by evacuating excess energy to areas of need, and strengthen regional collaboration. Studies show that when compared to domestic-generation, instituting regional power markets is associated with a 20 percent drop in the average cost of electricity – freeing up significant resources to address other pressing global needs. Regional cooperation, cross-border energy trade, and public-private partnerships in infrastructure will be precursors to meeting West Africa’s energy needs and driving the broad economic growth the continent deserves. 

    USAID looks forward to continuing to collaborate with all of you in pursuit of that goal.

    We have an exciting discussion ahead, so without further ado, I’m honored to introduce the CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, Alice Albright. 

    Thank you. 

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Newsom announces appointments 9.24.24

    Source: US State of California 2

    Sep 24, 2024

    SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments:

    Steve Juarez, of Truckee, has been appointed to the California State Teachers’ Retirement Board. Juarez served as a Deputy State Treasurer at the California State Treasurer’s Office from 2016 to 2018. He was Associate Vice President of State Government Relations for the University of California from 2008 to 2016. Juarez was a Senior Investment Banker at J.P. Morgan from 2006 to 2008. He was Director of Financial Management for the J. Paul Getty Trust from 1998 to 2006. Juarez was Associate Vice Chancellor of Government and Community Relations for the University of California, Los Angeles from 1996 to 1998. He was Chief Legislative Representative for the County of Los Angeles in 1995. Juarez was Executive Director of the California Debt Advisory Commission from 1991 to 1995 and Principal Committee Consultant in the California State Assembly from 1987 to 1991. Juarez was Manager of Government Relations for the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission from 1984 to 1987. He was a Program Analyst in the Legislative Analyst’s Office from 1981 to 1984. Juarez is Chair of the National Association of Counties EDGE Board of Directors and a member of the California Museum and Keep Tahoe Blue Board of Directors. He earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Juarez is a Democrat. 

    Derek Urwin, of San Clemente, has been appointed to the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board. Urwin has been an Assistant Adjunct Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles since 2022. He has been Chief Science Advisor at the International Association of Fire Fighters since 2021. Urwin has been a Firefighter and Engineer at the Los Angeles County Fire Department since 2010. He was a Firefighter at Miami-Dade Fire Rescue from 2007 to 2010. Urwin is a member of the Los Angeles County Firefighters IAFF Local 1014. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree and a Master of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics from the University of California, Los Angeles. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Urwin is registered without party preference.

    Sandra Sims, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the Baldwin Hills Conservancy Governing Board. Sims has been a Human Resources Business Partner and Personnel Manager for the University of California, Los Angeles since 2023. She was a Human Resources Manager for Long Beach City College from 2021 to 2023. Sims was a Freelance Reporter and Writer with various news publications from 2016 to 2021. She was a Principal Analyst and Policy Human Resources Analyst for the Los Angeles County Department of Human Resources from 2007 to 2016. Sims was a Civil Service Advocate for the Department of Children and Family Services at the Los Angeles County Department of Human Resources from 2006 to 2007. She is a member of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. Sims earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angles. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Sims is a Democrat. 

    Recent news

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    News What you need to know: Governor Newsom signed two bills to boost access to affordable housing for California’s farmworkers: AB 2240 and AB 3035. Governor Newsom also signed SB 1105 to help protect the health and safety of farmworkers in states of emergency….

    News What you need to know: Governor Newsom visited the community of East Orosi to help address its failing sewer system, giving the state more tools to step in, as well as signing clean drinking water bills. Since 2019, nearly 900,000 Californians have gotten…

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Office of the Governor – News Release – Gov. Green Lauds Top State Manager, Employee and Team of the Year

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    JOSH GREEN, M.D.

    GOVERNOR
    KE KIAʻĀINA

    GOVERNOR GREEN LAUDS TOP STATE MANAGER, EMPLOYEE AND TEAM OF THE YEAR

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    September 24, 2024

    HONOLULU — Governor Josh Green, M.D., today recognized winners of the Governor’s Awards, designed to honor state Executive Branch employees, managers and work teams who exemplify the highest caliber of public service and dedication in serving the people of Hawai‘i. The statewide program is administered by the Department of Human Resources Development.

    “Public employees have made important contributions to our continuing efforts to improve the efficiency and quality of government services,” said Governor Green. “We are honored to work with such dedicated individuals and appreciate all they do each and every day.”

    Governor Green presented the awards for:

    STATE MANAGER OF THE YEAR: Joanna Seto, Administrator, Department of Health

    Faced with extraordinary responsibilities, including the Red Hill Fuel crisis, Joanna’s skills and successes have never been more apparent than after the Maui wildfires. She actively led her team through the response and recovery phases and continues to help hone their skills to assist the community in rehabilitating the environment. Leading by example, her team is committed to its mission – to protect human health and the environment.

    STATE EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR: Heidi Taogoshi, Registered Nurse, Department of Health

    In the aftermath of the Maui Wildfires, Heidi quickly assessed the needs of the Lahaina community resulting in the deployment of mobile medical teams and the conversion of an abandoned state building into a health care clinic to provide essential services to those affected by the wildfires. With her guidance, management of the clinic was transferred to community providers, ensuring continued services to the people of Lahaina.

    STATE TEAM OF THE YEAR: UH Maui College Culinary Arts Team, University of Hawai‘i

    When the UH Maui College Pa‘ina Building was transformed into a fire relief food hub after the wildfires, the Culinary Arts team worked with organizations to prepare meals for residents displaced by the fire. The team also created a Disaster Relief Food Preparation Experience course, designed for students to work with industry chefs and instructors to learn about disaster relief food preparation and distribution.

    The three winners were selected from 56 exceptional groups and individual nominees.  A volunteer Selection Committee of four prominent members of the community carefully reviewed the 56 nomination packets and rated them according to defined categories.  The committee presented its recommendations for the three awards to Governor Green.

    The four members of this year’s Selection Committee are: Hawai‘i Public Radio host and news team member Catherine Cruz; City and County of Honolulu Homeless Coordinator Sam Moku; Hawai‘i Convention Center/ASM Global General Manager Teri Orton, and Office of the Governor Chief of Staff Brooke Wilson.

    At this year’s ceremony, Governor Green also recognized the recipients of the 2020 Governor’s Awards for Employee, Manager and Team of the Year for their outstanding achievements due to the cancellation of the May 2020 ceremony during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The 2020 Selection Committee, comprising John Gotanda, president, Hawai‘i Pacific University; Catherine Cruz, host and news team member, Hawai‘i Public Radio; Marc Alexander, then-executive director, Mayor’s Office of Housing; Terri Funakoshi, director of operations, YWCA O‘ahu; and Jason Hagiwara, president and general Manager, KITV4 Island Television, selected the award recipients from 53 exceptional groups and individual nominees. They are:

    2020 STATE MANAGER OF THE YEAR: BONNIE KAHAKUI, state procurement assistant administrator, Department of Accounting and General Services

    Bonnie sets the pace in her office, always looking ahead and focusing on improving practices and procedures. She launched a new Learning Management System, recording more than 14,000 attendees at procurement training workshops and worked to broaden the purchasing process and take advantage of Amazon’s wide selection. Bonnie also led a statewide initiative to procure electric vehicles and infrastructure to help reduce Hawai‘i’s carbon footprint.

    2020 STATE EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR: JANIS MATSUNAGA, entomologist, Department of Agriculture

    She is a leading expert in the field, editor of the Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society and is one of the longest serving officers in the 100-plus year history of the Hawaiian Entomological Society. Through emails or social media, Ms. Matsunaga will often bring peace of mind to the residents of Hawai‘i by defining problems with beetles infesting cabinetry or address insect problems that exist in their homes.

    2020 STATE TEAM OF THE YEAR: CORRECTIONS PROGRAMS SERVICES (CPS) – EDUCATION BRANCH, Department of Public Safety

    Education gives us knowledge and provides the necessary skills to navigate the world around us. When inmates become students of the Education Branch, they are more likely to find employment, make a positive contribution to society and strengthen family relations. The public benefits from reduced government costs, decreased crime rates, safer communities and a reduced tendency of convicted criminals to reoffend. In 2019, the Team produced 28 GED graduates, with 3 students passing the HiSET. (The Department of Public Safety was redesignated as the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation effective January 1, 2024.)

    “These individuals have selflessly given of themselves to enrich the lives of those they serve,” said Governor Green. “Their accomplishments perpetuate the aloha spirit and make our state a special place to live and work.”

    Photos from today’s awards ceremony will be uploaded here.

    # # #

    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]

    Erin Conner
    Executive Specialist
    Department of Human Resources Development
    Phone: 808-587-1120
    Email: [email protected]

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Newsom signs bipartisan legislation to strengthen California’s gun laws

    Source: US State of California 2

    Sep 24, 2024

    What you need to know: Governor Newsom today signed a bipartisan legislative package to further reinforce California’s nation-leading gun laws and prevent traumatic incidents of mass violence. The laws build on California’s successful strategies to address gun violence, including new measures to reduce domestic violence. 

    SACRAMENTO — Building on California’s nation-leading gun laws, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed a number of bills into law to bolster California’s nation-leading gun laws, adding stronger protections against gun violence. 

    “California won’t wait until the next school shooting or mass shooting to act. In the absence of congressional action, our state is once again leading the way by strengthening our nation-leading gun laws. Data shows that California’s gun safety laws are effective in preventing gun-related deaths — which makes the ongoing inaction and obstruction by politicians in the pocket of the gun lobby even more reprehensible.”

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    What these new laws do

    PROTECT KIDS FROM GUNS by strengthening safe storage requirements and creating stricter penalties for gun owners whose guns are accessed by a child, resulting in death or injury to themselves or others. Strengthens safety measures to protect students during active threats.

    PREVENT GUN-RELATED HATE CRIMES by building on California’s red flag laws and creating more training for law enforcement officers and courts to assess and identify extremism and potential for hate-based crimes, allowing more effective use of restraining orders. 

    SAFEGUARD VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC ABUSE by creating more training and tools for child custody caseworkers and law enforcement officers to determine whether abusers may have access to guns. 

    ✅ PROVIDE MORE TOOLS TO KEEP GUNS OUT OF DANGEROUS HANDS by restricting animal abusers and persons found incompetent to stand trial from possessing firearms, as well as by strengthening California’s red flag laws.

    ✅ INCREASE INFORMATION-SHARING TO CLOSE ENFORCEMENT GAPS by making it easier for California courts to ensure that people who are deemed a threat to themselves or others no longer have access to firearms. 

    California’s history of gun violence prevention

    California has long led the way in enacting commonsense and effective protections against gun violence. California’s gun safety laws save lives. The Golden State is ranked #1 for gun safety and last year experienced a gun death rate 43% lower than the national average. In comparison, Texas and Florida, who ranked 31st and 24th respectively in gun law strength, had firearm mortality rates more than 1.5 times that of California. Since the early 1990s, California has cut its gun death rate in half. By 2022, California had the 7th lowest gun death rate in the country. If other states’ gun death mortality rates matched California’s, an estimated 140,000 Americans would still be alive today. 

    Nationwide, firearms kill more children and adolescents than any other cause. Compared to the rest of the nation, California has made substantial long-term progress in reducing per capita rates of youth firearm homicide. 

    Preliminary CDC data showed that in 2022, California’s age-adjusted per capita firearm homicide rate for youth under 25 was 45% below the rate recorded for the rest of the U.S. By contrast, the rest of the U.S. experienced a 37% increase in youth gun homicide rates over the same period. The next two most populous states after California – Florida and Texas – experienced substantial increases over this same period, with youth homicide rates rising by 24% in Florida and 49% in Texas. 

    The following measures have been signed into law:

    • AB 960 by Assemblymember Devon Mathis (R-Porterville) – School safety: web-based or app-based school safety programs
    • AB 1252 by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) – Office of Gun Violence Prevention
    • AB 1858 by Assemblymember Christopher Ward (D-San Diego) – Comprehensive school safety plans: active shooters: armed assailants: drills
    • AB 1974 by Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine) – Family conciliation courts: evaluator training (signed earlier this year)
    • AB 2565 by Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) – School facilities: interior locks
    • AB 2621 by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) – Law enforcement training
    • AB 2629 by Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) – Firearms: prohibited persons
    • AB 2642 by Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park) – Elections: intimidation
    • AB 2739 by Assemblymember Brian Maienschein (D-San Diego) – Firearms
    • AB 2759 by Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine)
    • AB 2822 by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) – Domestic violence
    • AB 2842 by Assemblymember Diane Papan (D-San Mateo) – Firearms
    • AB 2907 by Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Los Angeles) – Firearms: restrained persons
    • AB 2917 by Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Los Angeles) – Firearms: restraining orders
    • AB 3064 by Assemblymember Brian Maienschein (D-San Diego) –  Firearms
    • AB 3072 by Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine) — Child custody: ex parte orders (signed earlier this year)
    • AB 3083 by Assemblymember Tom Lackey —  Domestic violence: protective orders: background checks
    • SB 53 by Senator Anthony Portantino (D-Burbank) – Firearms: storage
    • SB 758 by Senator Thomas Umberg (D-Santa Ana) – Firearms
    • SB 899 by Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) – Protective orders: firearms
    • SB 902 by Senator Richard D. Roth (D-Riverside) – Firearms: public safety
    • SB 965 by Senator Dave Min (D-Irvine) – Firearms
    • SB 1002 by Senator Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas) –Firearms: prohibited persons
    • SB 1019 by Senator Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas) – Firearms: destruction

    Recent news

    News What you need to know: Governor Newsom signed two bills to boost access to affordable housing for California’s farmworkers: AB 2240 and AB 3035. Governor Newsom also signed SB 1105 to help protect the health and safety of farmworkers in states of emergency….

    News What you need to know: Governor Newsom visited the community of East Orosi to help address its failing sewer system, giving the state more tools to step in, as well as signing clean drinking water bills. Since 2019, nearly 900,000 Californians have gotten…

    News What you need to know: New laws will strengthen consumer protections and help save Californians money. SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of bills that will strengthen protections for consumers, addressing issues that have put financial strain on…

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: NEW PUBLIC PRESCHOOLS OPEN FOR WINDWARD OʻAHU KEIKI

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    HONOLULU — In a milestone for early education in Windward Oʻahu, Benjamin Parker Elementary School has opened two new public preschool classrooms—the first of their kind in Kāneʻohe. As part of the Ready Keiki initiative to ensure universal access to preschool, the new public pre-K classrooms represent an important step in increasing access to early education for the Kāneʻohe community.

    Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke visited one of the two classrooms on Monday, joined by Executive Office on Early Learning (EOEL) Director Yuuko Arikawa-Cross and area legislators: Representative Lisa Kitagawa, Representative Scot Z. Matayoshi, and Senator Jarrett Keohokalole.

    The two classrooms, when filled, will serve up to 40 keiki, with each classroom accommodating 20 students. Priority enrollment was given to keiki experiencing specific learning, language, and family situations. Open enrollment for the remaining seats begins on October 1, and families living or working in Windward Oʻahu are encouraged to apply for their keiki.

    “The opening of these two preschool classrooms at Benjamin Parker is not only a huge step for our Windward Oʻahu community but a testament to the importance of expanding early education across the state,” said Lt. Gov. Luke. “Whether here in Kāneʻohe, Hilo, or Wailuku, keiki across Hawaiʻi, no matter where they live, should have access to high-quality early education.”

    The community has provided input on the need for increased child care and preschool options for the Windward side, supported by population data on where 3- and 4-year-olds are located.

    “We’ve listened to the community and know that early learning is key to success in school and life. These new classrooms are a direct response to that need, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to see them open in Kāneʻohe,” said Yuuko Arikawa-Cross, EOEL Director. “We are grateful to our partners for making this a reality for our keiki.”

    Principal Patricia Macadangdang of Benjamin Parker Elementary highlighted the positive impact these preschool classrooms will have on both students and families. “Pre-K has already made a big difference here at Ben Parker. Our keiki will be coming to kindergarten better prepared, and their families are excited to have this opportunity so close to their homes or work,” she said.

    Beginning October 1, families and caregivers can apply for open enrollment to EOEL’s Public Prekindergarten Program using the online portal at earlylearning.ehawaii.gov.

    All families, regardless of priority group, are encouraged to apply. For more information, please contact EOEL at (808) 784-5350.

    To view all child care centers and public and private preschools in Windward Oʻahu, visit readykeiki.org/map.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: DLNR News Release – HAWAI‘I WILDFIRE LEADER RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY, Sept. 24, 2024

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    DLNR News Release – HAWAI‘I WILDFIRE LEADER RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY, Sept. 24, 2024

    Posted on Sep 24, 2024 in Latest Department News, Newsroom

     

     

    DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES 

     

    JOSH GREEN, M.D. 
    GOVERNOR 

     

    DAWN CHANG 
    CHAIRPERSON 

     

    NEWS RELEASE 

     

     

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

    Sept. 24, 2024

     

    CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HAWAI‘I WILDFIRE MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION

     

    (HILO, HAWAI‘I) – Elizabeth Pickett, the long-time co-executive director of the Hawai‘i Wildfire Management Organization (HWMO) was honored today at a ceremony in New York City, as one of the 2024 Grist 50. Grist bills itself as the only newsroom focused on finding solutions at the intersection of climate and justice.

    The ninth annual Grist 50 list honors leaders who are tackling the most pressing climate problems of today in innovative and exciting ways. The organization says this year’s list includes people who “found a unique way to apply their strengths, creativity, and time to tackle the biggest problem our planet faces. We call them Fixers: dynamic doers who aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo and dive headlong into building and championing better alternatives. The Grist 50 is both a look at what it takes to make change happen and a testament to the strength, diversity, and creativity of people doing just that.”

    In its description of Pickett’s award, Grist noted, “After the town of Lahaina went up in flames, killing 102 people in August last year, survivors and onlookers were left with enormous grief – and endless questions. How could such a horrific event have happened? What could be done to prevent another?”

    Hawai‘i Governor Josh Green M.D. commented, “The Hawai‘i Wildfire Management Organization plays a vital role in sharing wildfire information, coordinating efforts among agencies, and helping communities become better prepared and resilient. In the wake of last year’s devastating Maui wildfires, HWMO stepped up in incredible ways, and this recognition of Elizabeth Pickett reflects the hard work and dedication of the entire organization.”

    HWMO Board Chair Dan Dennison added, “On behalf of the entire board, we can’t think of anyone more deserving of this honor than Elizabeth. The Maui fires put enormous focus on our nonprofit as the clearinghouse for Hawaiʻi wildfire information and programs and has shown HWMO to be instrumental in responding to questions about wildfire science, resiliency, and action.”

    For answers, many turned to the HWMO, where Elizabeth Pickett had spent 16 years trying in vain to convince people to take wildfire risks seriously. She first became interested in wildfires after learning about their effects on coral reef sedimentation and went on to pursue a master’s degree in forestry research.”

    Since the Maui fires, Pickett and HWMO Co-executive Director Nani Barretto have fielded hundreds of citizen and media inquiries from local, national, and international news organizations. Pickett said, “We laid that groundwork strategically place-by-place, layer-by-layer over 20 years. We were able to meet the moment.” She says she hopes HWMO’s work will ensure the islands will be prepared for future wildfires, even as climate change increases their threat.

    Dave Smith, the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) Administrator said, “We are tremendously fortunate to have HWMO as the coordinating organization for so much of what is available in Hawaiʻi to address wildfire.”

    The number of HWMO positions has grown a lot over the past year, with additional staff now on all the major Hawaiian Islands. While the constant demand for wildfire information from many corners has continued unabated, the HWMO co-executive directors have managed to keep focused on the organization’s core strategy of being a trusted partner and a go-to place for wildfire-related information, expert advice and community action.

    Pickett said, “The Grist award is for our entire organization. By the time of the Lahaina fires, I’d become somewhat disillusioned with the state’s approach to and lack of investment in wildfire preparedness and risk reduction. Then the fire happened and suddenly the questions came pouring in.

    Hawai‘i teachers needed curricula to teach their students about wildfires. Land managers wanted to know what fire breaks to install. The Dept. of Health, Dept. of Hawaiian Homelands, the DLNR Division of State Parks, Dept. of Transportation and county planning offices; along with communities across the state all reached out for technical support and partnership toward the role they could play in getting more prepared for wildfire. There was interest and commitment I never imagined possible.”

    HWMO, in partnership with DLNR, leads the Firewise Communities program for neighborhood wildfire preparedness. Together with other firefighting organizations, they are currently in the ninth year of the Wildfire & Drought LOOKOUT! news media and public awareness campaign which shares fire prevention, water conservation and resiliency messages across social media and through the general news media.

    # # #

    RESOURCES 

    (All images/video courtesy: DLNR) 

     

    HD video – Wildfire & Drought LOOKOUT! news conference, Maui (June 4, 2024):

    [embedded content]

    Photographs – Elizabeth Pickett speaking at news conference (June 4, 2024):

    https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/5anop2w0io0kfgqr9ngam/AArwLpU2vBYgXWoSvgwn5cs?rlkey=upceq0blfi1zzxnrook37j38z&st=b04552je&dl=0

     

     

    Media Contact: 

    Ryan Aguilar

    Communications Specialist

    Hawai‘i Dept. of Land and Natural Resources

    808-587-0396 

    [email protected] 

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Oil Street Art Space new exhibition showcases creative ceramic artworks (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Oil Street Art Space new exhibition showcases creative ceramic artworks (with photos)
    Oil Street Art Space new exhibition showcases creative ceramic artworks (with photos)
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         ​The Oil Street Art Space (Oi!) launched the Archaic Curator Series in 2022 and has invited Chinese art historians and curators to collaborate on exhibitions that engage with traditional Chinese art through innovative forms of expression, bridging the old and the new. The third exhibition of the series, “Archaic Curator Series: The Charm of Colour – Travel with Ceramics through Time and Space”, will be held from tomorrow (September 26) until January 31 next year at Oi! Glassie to showcase creative ceramic artworks.     The guest curator and Associate Curator (Antiquities) of the Art Museum of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Dr Wang Guanyu, invited three artists from Jingdezhen and Hong Kong – Gu Yue, Fiona Wong and Caroline Cheng – to participate in the exhibition. Inspired by the CUHK Art Museum’s collection, the three artists infuse their own technical artistry and aesthetics into their works to showcase their personal understanding and interpretation of contemporary ceramic art.     Jingdezhen, also known as the millennium porcelain capital, is renowned for its rich ceramic heritage. Gu Yue, a graduate of Jingdezhen Ceramic University, draws inspiration from flowers and nature to express the vibrant spirit of the new generation of ceramic artists. His works skilfully blend traditional moulding and decorative techniques with contemporary aesthetics. Fiona Wong, who focuses on exploring soil and studying Hong Kong’s culture, draws inspiration from the stories surrounding Nam Koo Terrace, a century-old mansion in Wan Chai. Her artwork comprises a set of 3D-printed containers modelled on the patterned tiles of Nam Koo Terrace and an assembly of ceramic tiles recomposing a historical map of Wan Chai, to guide visitors to uncover the narratives behind contemporary urban development. Artist Caroline Cheng and her team have developed a method to upcycle ceramic waste into malleable clay, challenging the conventional perceptions of ceramics. Visitors to the exhibition can admire her latest works, crafted from this sustainable material.     There are different public engagement programmes in this exhibition. In the “A Tour to Travel with Ceramics through Time and Space” guided tour, docents will lead visitors to explore the two exhibitions at Oi! and the CUHK Art Museum. An education gallery will be set up at G/F Oi! Glassie. During the exhibition period, staff members will act as lab technicians and guide visitors to discover the secrets of ceramic production in a lively and interesting way. In addition, visitors can select a special ceramic colour in the Ceramic Colour Exploration Zone to create a personalised postcard to take home as a cherished souvenir.     During the exhibition period, the CUHK Art Museum will also showcase “Amazing Clay: Masterpieces from the Ceramic Collection of CUHK Art Museum” to enrich visitors’ appreciation of the beauty of traditional Chinese ceramics.     “Archaic Curator Series: The Charm of Colour – Travel with Ceramics through Time and Space” is presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and the CUHK, and organised by Oi! and the Art Museum of CUHK. For more details about the exhibition and registration of programmes, please visit Oi! website at www.apo.hk/en/web/apo/oi_the_charm_of_colour.html, Facebook and Instagram or call 2512 3000. The exhibition is one of the activities under the Chinese Culture Promotion Series. The LCSD has long been promoting Chinese history and culture through organising an array of programmes and activities to enable the public to learn more about the broad and profound Chinese culture. For more information, please visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/ccpo/index.html.

     
    Ends/Wednesday, September 25, 2024Issued at HKT 18:40

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: eHealth applicable at 3 GBA hospitals

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Health Bureau announced today that from September 30, the new functions of the “Cross-boundary Health Record” and “Personal Folder” in the eHealth mobile app will be applicable at three more hospitals under the Elderly Health Care Voucher Greater Bay Area Pilot Scheme.

    Such hospitals include the Nansha Division of The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, the Dongguan Tungwah Hospital, and the Shenzhen New Frontier United Family Hospital.

    The goal of the move is to enhance the continuity of medical care for Hong Kong citizens through facilitating their secure use of electronic health records (eHRs) across the boundary, the bureau explained.

    Starting next Monday, eligible senior citizens who use Elderly Health Care Vouchers at the three hospitals can apply for their eHRs deposited in eHealth over the past three years through the “Cross-boundary Health Record” function in advance.

    Upon verification, a “File QR Code” and a “Password QR Code” will be sent to the user via the eHealth app. Healthcare professionals can then access and browse the eHRs by scanning the two QR codes presented by the user at the time of consultation to assist in diagnoses and treatment.

    Following system enhancements, the time required for preparing eHRs has been reduced to no more than 24 hours, meaning that patients should submit their applications one day prior to consultation, the bureau advised.

    It added that patients can deposit medical-related records obtained during consultations received outside Hong Kong into their eHealth personal accounts.

    This is done through eHealth’s “Personal Folder” function, which can facilitate the storage and use of personal medical-related records obtained in and outside Hong Kong. Authorised healthcare providers in Hong Kong can access such records through eHealth during follow-up consultations.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: GPs join University to train the next generation of doctors GPs from across the north-east are helping to support the next generation of doctors at the University of Aberdeen.

    Source: University of Aberdeen

    The GP tutorsGPs from across the north-east are helping to support the next generation of doctors at the University of Aberdeen.
    They have returned to the classroom as part-time tutors to provide interactive, immersive clinical training to students – roles taken on in addition to their commitments at their practices.
    To help deliver the increased GP teaching at the University, ten new GP tutors have joined the 12 already supporting students on the medicine degree course as student numbers have swelled. In the third-year cohort which undertakes training in General Practice, student numbers have risen from 217 two years ago to 279 for the current academic year.
    The tutors will support the delivery of a more experiential learning style as part of a new curriculum introduced in 2022 designed to support students in readiness for their clinical placements in Year 4.
    The teaching sessions involve active participation from students, including role play, case-based discussions, practicing writing referral letters or interpreting blood results, and video consulting with real patients.
    Feedback from medical students has been positive. One previous third-year student said: “It has been one of my favourite aspects of Y3 and given me a great insight to GP world, so much so that now it is a real consideration in my future career.” Another added: “GP teaching this year was amazing and it provided interactive, diverse teaching opportunities that catered to a variety of learners and I can only commend the team for their work. Truly amazing!”
    GP tutors have also indicated the benefits of taking on the role with a tutor who has taught since 2022 saying: “In order to facilitate training of GPs of the future – ones who actually want to be GPs – we need to expose students to teaching from those who have genuine, day-to-day experience of the clinical work.  It allows the sessions to be engaging and realistic, gives the students an idea of how things actually work in practice and gives us an opportunity to inspire future GPs.”
    Dr Naomi Dow, GP and Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen said: “Despite the pressure on GPs locally and nationally, we have filled all positions, and now have a team of enthusiastic GPs ready to teach our large year group of 279 students.
    “Aberdeen medical students now have far more exposure to General Practice than they did even five years ago and we hope this will encourage more students into the field and provide them with a wider range of options when it comes to choosing their clinical specialisms.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Polytechnic University Higher School of Engineering and Economics Wins BRICS Megagrant Competition

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    A team of researchers from the Higher School of Engineering and Economics (VIES) of the Institute of Industrial Management, Economics and Trade, together with colleagues from India and China, have won an international mega-grant from the BRICS framework program. Over the course of three years, the research team will analyze and evaluate the sustainable development of industrial and regional structures in the countries participating in the project.

    The project of the Higher School of Engineering and Economics, developed jointly with scientists from India and China, received funding under the BRICS STI Framework Programme Call 2023: Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation.

    The BRICS Framework Programme for Scientific and Technological Integration (BRICS STI FP) is aimed at supporting advanced technical, economic, environmental and social solutions in priority areas for ensuring the progressive development of the Commonwealth countries and bringing a synergistic effect. The programme envisages an annual competition for mega-grants for the implementation of international research projects involving participants from BRICS member states jointly carrying out fundamental, applied and innovative research.

    A total of 104 applications were submitted for the competition in 2024. The project of the team of researchers from the Higher School of Engineering and Economics led by the director of VIES Dmitry Rodionov on the topic “Managing the sustainable development of industrial structures within the framework of the Water-Energy-Food concept” became one of 19 winning projects that were selected for financial support.

    The research project of the SPbPU team of scientists is based on the latest concept of “Water-Energy-Food”. The work will involve a comprehensive systemic study in three areas: analysis and assessment of the potential for sustainable development in the fuel and energy complex, mechanical engineering and the agro-industrial complex in Russia, India and China. The central link in the study is the economic and mathematical block “Systemic Modeling of Industrial and Regional Structure Development Management Processes” under the supervision of Doctor of Economics Andrey Zaitsev. The best mathematical models and tool developments will be implemented in decision-making systems in managing the sustainable development of industrial structures in Russia, China and India.

    The success of the project in the grant competition was largely determined by the scientific competencies and creative potential of the VIESH team, including both experienced scientists – doctors of science (D. G. Rodionov, N. G. Viktorova, I. A. Rudskaya, A. A. Zaitsev), and young researchers trained by the school, including those who received PhD degrees in the dissertation councils of the Polytechnic University (N. D. Dmitriev, A. S. Furtatova, D. D. Tutueva, D. A. Kryzhko). The team included researchers involved in the economics of energy, water resources, the agro-industrial complex, and the development of mathematical and statistical methods in economics.

    The project will be implemented with the support of industrial partner Neo Engineering LLC.

    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.

    https://vvv.spbstu.ru/media/nevs/achivments/higher-engineering-economics-school-polytechnic-winner-of-the-competition-for-a-mega-grant-bri/

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Translation: ASIA/LEBANON – Middle East Council of Churches: “global aggression” against Lebanon. Father Zgheib: village hit a few kilometers from the Maronite Patriarchate

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Italy –

    Source: The Holy See in Italian

    UNHCR

    Beirut (Agenzia Fides) – The ongoing military escalation in Lebanon has turned “into a global aggression against various Lebanese regions, with the consequent sacrifice of thousands of citizens and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people” from the southern part of the country and the Bekaa Valley. These are “crimes” that “indicate the contempt of the forces of aggression for the principles of international law, the rules of the Geneva Conventions and all the conventions that regulate armed conflicts”. This was denounced by the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), the ecumenical body based in Beirut, which in a statement released yesterday also asked “the international community to intervene as soon as possible and to express a clear position condemning war crimes against civilians with the launching of raids, the systematic destruction of property and the interruption of food and health supplies”. Faced with the tragic events underway in Lebanon, the MECC held an emergency meeting of the General Secretariat, chaired by the Secretary General, the Lebanese Orthodox Christian professor Michel Abs. The participants of the meeting prayed together for peace and discussed “urgent humanitarian issues and ways to support families”. In the statement, without naming the Israeli army, the MECC “strongly condemns the killing of innocent people, children, women, elderly people and other civilians, and deplores the attacks conducted by the aggression forces on densely populated areas that led to the death of about 500 people in a single day and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of citizens from their settlement areas”. The text also calls for “providing international protection to civilians so that organizations and associations can provide them with the materials necessary for a dignified life”. During the meeting, the participants also set up a working group responsible for coordinating initiatives on the ground aimed at supporting families displaced from their areas. “We all live in a condition in which anguish, pain, anger and fear are mixed” Maronite priest Rouphael Zgheib, Director of the Lebanese Pontifical Mission Societies, tells Agenzia Fides and professor at the Jesuit Saint Joseph University. “The uncertainty about what awaits us also weighs on everything. We cannot understand who can stop all this, and if the attacks are just the beginning”. The bombings of the Israeli army are aimed at targets identified as possible bases of the Shiite Hezbollah Party. A strategy that has also been hitting small enclaves and Shiite villages in areas predominantly inhabited by Christians for days. “This morning” Father Rouphael Zgheib told Fides “the small Shiite village of Maaysra, in the Keserwan area, a historic settlement area of Catholic communities, was bombed. It is a village that is a few kilometers from the seat of the Maronite Patriarchate, in Bkerké”. The bombings in central Lebanon have the effect of spreading fear throughout the population. Mistrust and suspicion are also growing, after having transformed even personal pagers and walkie talkies into deadly devices has made it potentially dangerous to even speak or be near people belonging to the Shiite community, directly or indirectly connected to Hezbollah. “This situation of uncertainty,” adds Father Zgheib, “also affects relief efforts for the displaced and the injured. Hospitals are collapsing, they were not prepared to treat the number of people injured in the face and eyes by pagers that have become devices. Churches and schools are opening to welcome the displaced, there are many individual initiatives of solidarity with Christians and Muslims fleeing from the south and other affected areas. But this spontaneous solidarity coexists with feelings of mistrust. The propaganda and political polarizations of recent years have insinuated suspicion and unleashed mutual attacks between the different Parties who accuse each other of ‘betraying Lebanon’ and of being a disaster for the country. The economic crisis has also limited the willingness to help those in need. And this leads many to help only the members of their own family network and their own confessional group”. (GV) (Agenzia Fides 25/9/2024) Share:

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI Russia: “Celebration of Creative Industries”: Telling Stories 2024 Festival Held at HSE

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

    © Higher School of Economics

    It was dedicated to the 10th anniversary Faculty of Creative Industries HSE University. September 20 at the venues Center of Cultures Lectures, master classes, discussions, screenings of works and other activities were held at the HSE. Students, teachers and other faculty members, artists and media business leaders, as well as future applicants took part in them.

    The first Telling Stories festival took place in 2018 and since then it has usually been held for 1-3 days at the end of May. This time the dates have been changed, as it became part of the FCI anniversary program.

    Telling Stories “This is a celebration of the creative industries of the Higher School of Economics,” says the deputy dean of the FCI, director Institute for the Development of Creative Industries HSE Tatyana Rivchun. – It is a large program consisting of lectures, seminars, round tables, master classes, demonstrations of students’ work and much more. The best and completed works are selected, which are worth showing to a wide audience, including our future applicants.”

    All departments of the faculty demonstrate their achievements: Institute of Media, School of Design, School of Communications, Institute of Cinema and the Institute for the Development of Creative Industries. So the festival becomes a platform for interaction between students and teachers of various educational programs.

    “Here we have the opportunity to discuss issues that go beyond the interests of a particular school or institute,” explains Arseniy Meshcheryakov, head of the School of Design. “Creative industries are an interdisciplinary concept, so designers should communicate with advertisers, media people with filmmakers, and so on. The festival helps establish horizontal connections and the emergence of joint projects.”

    “I was delighted”

    Every year, the festival welcomes stars of the creative industries.

    This time, writer and screenwriter Alexander Tsypkin was among them. He held a screening and discussion of two of his short films, one of which, “Farewell, Beloved!”, was awarded the Russian Guild of Film Scholars and Film Critics prize at Kinotavr “For an original solution to the traditional theme of separation in the spirit of modern times.”

    “I really enjoyed interacting with the students. Not only did they ask great questions, but they also offered me creative ideas,” he said. “One young man reimagined the ending of the film ‘Farewell, Love!’ and I think his version is cooler than mine. I was amazed.”

    The discussion “From Cannes Lions Winners to Russian Masterpieces,” dedicated to storytelling techniques in advertising videos, was moderated by Vladimir Evstafiev, a professor at the HSE School of Communications and a legend in the Russian advertising industry.

    “I like the HSE auditorium, and as a teacher I consider it one of the most interesting for communication,” said Vladimir Evstafyev. “Advanced and interested students study here, who want to know, think and understand meanings. All the questions were to the point, and not a single person left the room.”

    Together with the master, Guzella Nikolaishvili, president of the LIME social advertising and communications festival, also held at the FKI, took part in the conversation with the students. “We showed a brilliant work – a social video that won one of the seasons. The viewers were able to see that social advertising is a special art,” added Vladimir Evstafiev, head of the LIME jury.

    “A Surge of Creativity”

    The lecture by Igor Kirikchi, a well-known media manager and CEO of the advertising and communications group BBDO Moscow, was devoted to creativity in advertising. He gave a definition according to which creativity is, among other things, a person’s ability to deviate from standard rules, ideas and templates, and put forward the thesis that creativity determines the effectiveness of advertising campaigns.

    “The modern history of Russian advertising began in 1989 and in the 1990s it was marked by a surge of creativity,” said Igor Kirikchi. “It may seem strange to you, but even a fan factory was among the advertisers. Financial pyramids were advertised – “MMM”, “Khoper-Invest”, as well as the bank “Imperial”, vodka “White Eagle”, Herschi Cola and much more. This advertising was remembered by people who lived in those times, because it was original, sometimes a little primitive, sometimes naive, but quite interesting.”

    The lobby of the Center of Culture hosted the All-Russian creative competition “Advertising Designer,” which is held annually by the School of Communications at the National Research University Higher School of Economics.

    “In the tenth grade, I took part in the first ever “Advertising Designer” competition, not suspecting that it would help me at the start and when choosing a profession,” shared Arina Torubarova, a student at the Faculty of Culture and Information Technologies. “I was very interested in the topic of museums, and I made a video about the favorite museums of my peers. In it, I showed that culture and museum work are not boring, that this is a real cultural field where there is room for creativity and a modern approach. I took a camera from my father, edited the video and won. Now I am studying at the Higher School of Economics.”

    Film about the temple

    One of the key events of the festival was the screening of the documentary film “Remember What You Want to Forget”, dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the tragedy in Beslan. The authors focused on the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, located next to School No. 1. The heroes of the film were school teachers, former hostages, parents who lost their children, and icon painters.

    Before the screening, the authors of the film, 4th-year students of the educational program “Journalism» HSE Institute of Media Arina Korosteleva and Maxim Selivanov — told about the history of its creation and promotion. They especially noted the role of the senior lecturer of the Institute of Media Alexander Dyukov, who took over the leadership of this project. On September 1, 2024, the premiere of the film took place on the Spas TV channel.

    The students emphasized that the work on the film was completed with the support of the FKI – with a grant from the HSE this summer they went on a second trip to Beslan, which made it possible to make the film long and multifaceted. “If you want to realize your idea and you need advice on how to fill out an application for a grant, contact us, we will be happy to explain everything,” Arina Korosteleva told the meeting participants.

    After the premiere, it was possible to speed up the collection of funds to complete the construction and painting of the temple. You can find out more about how the students worked on the film Here.

    Chekhov and Shakespeare

    The festival program also included screenings of feature films shot by students of the HSE Film Institute. There was also a screening of the play “The Seagull”, prepared last year by second-year students. The director was the academic director of the educational program “Actor» Igor Sharoiko.

    The play’s protagonist is a young director, Kostya Treplev. In order to understand his fate, he decides to stage a play through the prism of his memories and finds similarities between his life and Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet”. In particular, he finds out that his family’s quiet life has ceased to be so because of his father.

    The genre of the play is a combination of physical theatre, when the actors’ movements dominate the text, and modern drama. True connoisseurs recognized not only Chekhov and Shakespeare, but also contemporary figures of theatrical art in the lines heard from the stage.

    Actor Sergey Bolgar, a student at the Institute of Cinema, told how the work on the play went. “Each student brought a sketch, paired or single. Based on them, we put together a physical theater play. Each movement has its own subtext,” he explained.

    “For us, performing at the festival with the play “The Seagull” is a happy opportunity to show what we do,” says Igor Sharoiko. “In addition, this is a popularization of physical theater, which exists in Russia, but is rarely talked about. Young artists enter the territory of an expressive language, which requires words to a lesser extent, and to a greater extent – their psychophysical expression, as well as plastic skills.”

    “Camera, action!”

    The festival program also featured student works in the short film and animation genres.

    The School of Design showed the audience a selection of animated films that combined minimalist motion design and animation created using traditional, hand-made materials. Nikolai Kovalenko, a graduate of Ivan Tverdovsky’s workshop at the School of Design, presented the film “Lelera” to the guests. This work was awarded the Grand Prix of the 31st Open Festival of Student and Debut Films “Saint Anne”. Alexandra Persheeva, academic director of the educational program “Contemporary art“.

    Students of the Institute for the Development of Creative Industries Danil Popov and Alena Semirikova recorded a special episode of the program “Perspective” with the guests of the festival. “This is a podcast from students for students, in which we, together with experts, discuss what creative industries are,” they explained.

    AI and designers

    The authors of the Telling Stories 2024 program could not leave aside the topic of artificial intelligence. It was the subject of a discussion organized by the School of Design. The participants — famous artists and designers — were asked to answer the question of how the paradigm of their work is changing in the era of AI.

    According to digital artist Andrey Maksimov, there are very few players left in the design industry who do not use neural networks. “Everyone chooses what a neural network will be for them – an assistant in some work or a powerful tool for implementing visual ideas. This, of course, makes work easier and helps in self-expression,” he explained.

    Arseniy Meshcheryakov stated that the use of AI will lead to increased competition in the field of art and design.

    “Previously, you could say: “I learned to draw a plaster head in art school, look what a master I am,” but today it is nonsense. You need to create a comprehensive project that for some reason will be in demand by your audience, consumer, customer. And this clashes with what is happening in education in the era of ChatGPT, when there is no point in exams based on tickets, and students need to develop their horizons, system of views, and the ability to implement projects,” says the head of the School of Design.

    What’s next?

    As Tatyana Rivchun noted, other events dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the FCI are also being held under the Telling Stories festival brand this year. In particular, the School of Design and the School of Communications are planning to organize them in the coming months.

    “Our faculty is a whole universe of creativity, full of stars. Each of them is constantly growing and shining brighter. Every year new stars appear. Due to this, our FCI universe is expanding. We hope that it will give birth to other galaxies and dimensions in the field of creative industries, and our festival will involve new participants from all over the world in its orbit,” added Tatyana Rivchun.

    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.hse.ru/nevs/life/966313170.html

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Bringing Emphasis on Lab Quality to the World

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    As an assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, Anu Maharjan is driven to share her knowledge with UConn medical students. As a volunteer with the Association for Diagnostics and Laboratory Medicine, she is driven to share her knowledge clinical labs around the world.

    Maharjan, who also is the director of UConn Health’s Core Laboratory, spent part of her summer in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where she led three topics at the ADLM’s quality control workshop.

    “These workshops help us understand how laboratory medicine is set up in different parts of the world, and the host country also gets information about how U.S. laboratories function in terms of regulation, quality, and education,” Maharjan says. “The idea of these workshops is to ensure that laboratories improve their quality programs so that their patient test results are reliable.”

    UConn Health Core Laboratory Director Anu Maharjan presents at the Association for Diagnostics and Laboratory Medicine’ quality control workshop in Mongolia, July 2024. (Photo provided by Anu Maharjan)

    Maharjan’s presentations were titled “Troubleshooting and Corrective Actions for Quality Control Failures,” “Risk-based Approach for Quality Control,” and “Quality Control Case Studies.” She shared her first-hand experience with a quality control tool known as “moving average,” a method of recalculating data in real time as additional data becomes available, and notes that both the labs there and our labs can learn from each other.

    “I was happy to share our flowchart in one of the presentations on how to troubleshoot when we receive alerts for moving average,” Maharjan says. “I was able to show some of the pictures from Mongolia and show the enthusiasm that us laboratorians have throughout the world to make laboratory tests more effective and accurate. I was able to share with our supervisors here that the Mongolian laboratorians have similar pain points like we do.”

    Another takeaway from the workshop how regulations governing lab medicine vary around the world. For example, lab medicine in the U.S. is subject to rules and regulations of the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which requires frequent proficiency testing to earn and maintain accreditation. Maharjan says in Mongolia, only the largest labs participate in proficiency testing. She suggests a greater commitment to quality initiatives globally would help the laboratory medicine community get closer to the goal of standardization.

    “Clinical laboratorians are usually the unnoticeable health care staff that are working to provide reliable test results,” Maharjan says. “Communities in laboratory medicine throughout the world want to advance health care and that starts with providing better quality in terms of laboratory testing.”

    The ADLM is an international association of more than 70,000 clinical lab professionals, physicians, researchers and business leaders focused on achieving better health through laboratory medicine.

    A member of the ADLM since 2017, Maharjan serves as chair of the group’s New York Metro Local Section and is a member of the Asia Pacific ADLM Global Laboratory Quality Initiative, which is what led to the workshop in Mongolia.

    “We emphasize the value of laboratory medicine and foster scientific enhancement in underserved regions of the world,” Maharjan says. “The focus of our workshop in Mongolia was to provide practical approaches to understanding the subject of laboratory quality.

    “Presenting what I know about practical approaches to laboratory quality control to another part of the world was humbling and satisfying at the same time. In addition, I am originally from Nepal, and the idea of being able to provide an outreach in Asia-Pacific region really drew me into this group.”

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI USA: Medical Startup Soleia Biosciences Aims to Eliminate Severe Pain–Without the Opioids

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Surgeons perform almost 800,000 total-knee replacements, and more than a half-million hip replacements, in the United States each year.

    And while those procedures are typically life- and mobility-enhancing, the initial post-surgical pain can be very unpleasant for some patients. Opioids remain among the most popular prescription medication to combat orthopedic post-surgical pain, but two UConn Health faculty members think they’ve found a better solution.

    Researchers Lakshmi Nair, Ph.D. and Yusuf Khan, Ph.D., both associate professors in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, believe they are on the cusp of a breakthrough pain-reduction treatment that is both highly effective and safe. Nair has been working to significantly extend the duration of local anesthetics, enabling patients to be pain-free, mobile, and benefit from medications that have been safely used for decades. The pain medication would be delivered by injection.

    Their pharmaceutical company, Soleia Biosciences, has been identified as one of five extremely promising UConn-affiliated startups. They will be pitching in the Wolff New Venture Competition on Oct. 1 in Downtown Hartford.

    Opioids Are the ‘Most Feared’ Treatment

    “Opioids are among the most popular prescriptions, and most feared,’’ Khan says. “We’ve spoken with doctors, patients, and pharmacists during our customer discovery research, and they universally agree there needs to be a better strategy. No one has said, ‘Ah, we’ve got it all figured out!’’’

    Nair, who has been working on this pain-relief challenge for a decade, says the human responses to pain are complicated and complex.

    “That may be why there is no great opioid alternative developed so far,’’ she says. “We’re entering the market with a niche solution. To provide alternative therapies for surgeons to recommend and offer that extended pain relief to patients is truly exciting.’’

    Khan says although opioids work well, they present considerable concern about addiction. Patients often speak with their family or their medical team and refuse to take opioids. They also present side effects in some patients, including stomach upset, sleeplessness and brain fog.

    Soleia Bioscience Contending in Wolff Competition

    Nair and Khan are excited to be competing in the Wolff New Venture Competition, which is the School of Business’ pinnacle entrepreneurship challenge. The event, which is open to the public, will award more than $70,000 in prize money to participants, with the first-place finisher receiving a $30,000 check.

    If they win the Wolff prize, Nair and Khan will hire FDA consultants to begin their formal application process, and will work to refine their scientific dosage studies followed by clinical trials.

    New this year, a startup showcase is being added alongside the pitch competition. Thirty UConn startups will be exhibiting their technologies, products, and services. Among them are: Lambda Vision, a company developing the first protein-based artificial retina to restore vision for patients who are blind or have lost sight due to macular degeneration and other diseases, and Kona Brand, a clothing company that makes fun winter flannels with summer designs. Attendees will be able to purchase items from the startups that sell consumer products. The startup showcase companies will vie for $45,000 in in-kind prizes will be awarded.

    Pre-Clinical Studies Are Already Underway

    Nair has been working on developing pain management approaches for about a decade and she has completed many successful pre-clinical studies on animals. Earlier this year Hair and Khan participated in a National Science Foundation I-Corps program through UConn.

    “Many scientists form the company first, and then complete the pre-clinical studies, so I think we’re farther along in the process than we initially thought,’’ Khan says. Although they are initially focused on orthopedic post-surgical care, they believe their formula will have multiple applications in the future.

    The Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation extended an invitation to the Soleia Bioscience team to participate in its eight-week Summer Fellowship Accelerator, where the founders took business classes for entrepreneurs and met mentors who are eager to help them take the next-steps to grow their company. The experience was incredible, Khan says.

    “We had to learn how to build from the ground up,’’ Khan says. “We’re researchers. We write articles and conduct experiments. CCEI gave us the map and showed us where to begin to establish ourselves as a business. The Center is rich with business advisers, mentors, and contacts.

    “The best part is that just because the program is over, they’re still there for us. We can pick up the phone at any time and they’re willing to help,’’ he says. “We got exactly what we hoped for from the program—and more.’’

    “After two months everything about our business trajectory went from fuzzy to clear,’’ Nair says. “We know what we need to know, who to contact, and where to get help!’’

     

    The Wolff New Venture Competition will be held on Oct. 1 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the YG Club at Dunkin Park in Hartford. The event is free to attend, and all are welcome. Please pre-register at Wolff New Venture Competition.

    The Competition is supported thanks to the generosity of the Wolff Family Fund for Strategic Entrepreneurship, as well as Revyrie, wiggin(x), Digital Surgeons, Santander, Sardilli Produce and Dairy, Prime Materials Recovery Inc., Webster Bank, Fiondella, Milone and LaSaracina CPAs, Baystate Financial, Mark and Jamie Summers, and Event Resources.

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI Global: Historic racism still negatively affects the way paintings of black people are perceived – as our study shows

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Tobiasz Trawinski, Lecturer in psychology, Liverpool Hope University

    There is little doubt that historic racism has influenced the content and composition of several famous figurative paintings. In March 2024, this could be seen in the debate around the exhibition of the Rex Whistler mural, The Expedition in Pursuit of Rare Meats (1927), at the Tate Britain. Critics asked whether such artworks should remain on public display.

    There are several shocking elements of Rex Whistler’s mural, originally commissioned by the Tate as “decoration for the new refreshment room”, including the image of a black child chained to a horse and cart as it moves at speed. The debate raises the question – does the ongoing presence of artworks like this in public spaces serve to confront or maintain historic racist views?

    In some instances, the racist attitudes behind such paintings have been explicitly expressed by artists or painting owners, making them well-documented. Take, for example, John Trumbull (1715–1787), a painter who had several enslaved people living in his household. Another example is Gilbert Winter Moss (1828–1899), a banker who owned Richard Ansdell’s painting The Hunted Slaves (1861). According to the UCL Legacies of Slavery database, Moss’s family was deeply involved in the slave trade. In other cases, things aren’t so clear-cut.

    But even if not explicitly expressed, racist attitudes may have been implicitly held, to an extent that they were able to influence the creative process. Implicitly held racial attitudes are mental associations that, when triggered by race, can guide people’s judgment and actions. As a researcher in psychology, I wanted to explore if implicitly held racial attitudes affect the viewing of paintings when the images themselves make no suggestion of racial inequality.

    Alongside my colleagues, I have explored this question in a series of recent studies of portraits of black and white people. In one study, we used gaze-mapping technology to measure the eye movements made by visitors to the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.

    The measurement of when and where our eyes move, and how long they focus on specific objects, provides a time-sensitive index on what is important to viewers. We measured the eye movements of the visitors to the gallery who agreed to take part in our study as they looked at a set of five portraits of black sitters (including Two Jamaican Girls by Augustus John, 1937) and five portraits of white sitters (including Interior at Paddington by Lucian Freud, 1951).

    Their task was to say how much pleasure they experienced when looking at each painting. We also assessed the visitors to the gallery on their implicit racial attitudes and actual contact with different racial communities.

    Our results

    Our study showed that visitors to the gallery who reported little contact with black people and who held negative implicit racial attitudes reported experiencing little pleasure when viewing paintings showing black sitters.

    Perhaps more surprisingly, though they reported little pleasure, these visitors focused their attention more on the faces of the black sitters than others did. The results suggest that little contact with black people, combined with holding negative implicit racial attitudes, can be associated with an undue focus on black faces when viewing these paintings.

    We believe our findings suggest that negative implicit racial attitudes have not only influenced the historic content and composition of some paintings, but continue to exert an influence on the viewing of paintings in the present day. Moreover, the influence of negative implicit racial attitudes on the viewing of paintings exerts its effect even when the images themselves are quite neutral.

    Whether or not racist paintings are removed from public spaces, our results show that implicit racial attitudes will, for some viewers, continue to exert an influence on their perception of paintings representing black people and culture.



    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.


    Tobiasz Trawinski 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. Historic racism still negatively affects the way paintings of black people are perceived – as our study shows – https://theconversation.com/historic-racism-still-negatively-affects-the-way-paintings-of-black-people-are-perceived-as-our-study-shows-227007

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI Global: OpenAI’s Strawberry program is reportedly capable of reasoning. It might be able to deceive humans

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Shweta Singh, Assistant Professor, Information Systems and Management, Warwick Business School, University of Warwick

    OpenAI, the company that made ChatGPT, has launched a new artificial intelligence (AI) system called Strawberry. It is designed not just to provide quick responses to questions, like ChatGPT, but to think or “reason”.

    This raises several major concerns. If Strawberry really is capable of some form of reasoning, could this AI system cheat and deceive humans?

    OpenAI can program the AI in ways that mitigate its ability to manipulate humans. But the company’s own evaluations rate it as a “medium risk” for its ability to assist experts in the “operational planning of reproducing a known biological threat” – in other words, a biological weapon. It was also rated as a medium risk for its ability to persuade humans to change their thinking.

    It remains to be seen how such a system might be used by those with bad intentions, such as con artists or hackers. Nevertheless, OpenAI’s evaluation states that medium-risk systems can be released for wider use – a position I believe is misguided.

    Strawberry is not one AI “model”, or program, but several – known collectively as o1. These models are intended to answer complex questions and solve intricate maths problems. They are also capable of writing computer code – to help you make your own website or app, for example.

    An apparent ability to reason might come as a surprise to some, since this is generally considered a precursor to judgment and decision making – something that has often seemed a distant goal for AI. So, on the surface at least, it would seem to move artificial intelligence a step closer to human-like intelligence.

    When things look too good to be true, there’s often a catch. Well, this set of new AI models is designed to maximise their goals. What does this mean in practice? To achieve its desired objective, the path or the strategy chosen by AI may not always necessarily be fair, or align with human values.

    True intentions

    For example, if you were to play chess against Strawberry, in theory, could its reasoning allow it to hack the scoring system rather than figure out the best strategies for winning the game?

    The AI might also be able to lie to humans about its true intentions and capabilities, which would pose a serious safety concern if it were to be deployed widely. For example, if the AI knew it was infected with malware, could it “choose” to conceal this fact in the knowledge that a human operator might opt to disable the whole system if they knew?

    Strawberry goes a step beyond the capabilities of AI chatbots.
    Robert Way / Shutterstock

    These would be classic examples of unethical AI behaviour, where cheating or deceiving is acceptable if it leads to a desired goal. It would also be quicker for the AI, as it wouldn’t have to waste any time figuring out the next best move. It may not necessarily be morally correct, however.

    This leads to a rather interesting yet worrying discussion. What level of reasoning is Strawberry capable of and what could its unintended consequences be? A powerful AI system that’s capable of cheating humans could pose serious ethical, legal and financial risks to us.

    Such risks become grave in critical situations, such as designing weapons of mass destruction. OpenAI rates its own Strawberry models as “medium risk” for their potential to assist scientists in developing chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons.

    OpenAI says: “Our evaluations found that o1-preview and o1-mini can help experts with the operational planning of reproducing a known biological threat.” But it goes on to say that experts already have significant expertise in these areas, so the risk would be limited in practice. It adds: “The models do not enable non-experts to create biological threats, because creating such a threat requires hands-on laboratory skills that the models cannot replace.”

    Powers of persuasion

    OpenAI’s evaluation of Strawberry also investigated the risk that it could persuade humans to change their beliefs. The new o1 models were found to be more persuasive and more manipulative than ChatGPT.

    OpenAI also tested a mitigation system that was able to reduce the manipulative capabilities of the AI system. Overall, Strawberry was labelled a medium risk for “persuasion” in Open AI’s tests.

    Strawberry was rated low risk for its ability to operate autonomously and on cybersecurity.

    Open AI’s policy states that “medium risk” models can be released for wide use. In my view, this underestimates the threat. The deployment of such models could be catastrophic, especially if bad actors manipulate the technology for their own pursuits.

    This calls for strong checks and balances that will only be possible through AI regulation and legal frameworks, such as penalising incorrect risk assessments and the misuse of AI.

    The UK government stressed the need for “safety, security and robustness” in their 2023 AI white paper, but that’s not nearly enough. There is an urgent need to prioritise human safety and devise rigid scrutiny protocols for AI models such as Strawberry.

    Shweta Singh 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. OpenAI’s Strawberry program is reportedly capable of reasoning. It might be able to deceive humans – https://theconversation.com/openais-strawberry-program-is-reportedly-capable-of-reasoning-it-might-be-able-to-deceive-humans-239748

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI Global: Did COVID come from an animal market? Here’s what the new evidence really tells us

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Mark Woolhouse, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, The University of Edinburgh

    The argument about the origins of COVID has always been heated, and nowadays it feels more like a brawl than a scientific debate.

    Some say that ground zero for the pandemic was a live animal market in Wuhan, China. Others argue that SARS-CoV-2 (the coronavirus that causes COVID) leaked from a nearby laboratory that was studying similar viruses. Both are plausible scenarios.

    Proponents of the market hypothesis have been aggressively vocal in recent weeks. In August, an anonymous editorial in a leading medical journal talked about the “hubris needed to underpin alternative hypotheses” and “fanciful ideas … more in keeping with popular movies”.

    A commentary in another journal lamented that scientists were being harassed for rejecting the lab leak hypothesis. With breathtaking hypocrisy, the same commentary then attacked a junior researcher who favours that hypothesis, dismissing her work as “conjecture, correlation and anecdote”.

    We can at least agree that the virus was present in the Wuhan market. Samples collected from market stalls and drains in early January 2020 contain SARS-CoV-2 genetic material. A recent analysis of this material, published in the journal Cell, claimed to show that the common ancestor of the viruses at the market was the common ancestor of the whole pandemic.

    That sounds compelling, until you realise that all of these samples were collected weeks after the pandemic began and none came from a live animal. Unaccountably, no samples were collected before the market was closed and the animals destroyed. Primarily for this reason, most commentators – including me – consider these latest results suggestive but not definitive.

    The lack of samples from animals is a problem. No one believes that this virus originated in Wuhan. The natural reservoirs of SARS-like coronaviruses are horseshoe bats, and no infected colonies have been found within 1,500km of the city.

    So it must have been brought into the market from somewhere. Yet no SARS-CoV-2 has been found along the supply chains for the animals sold there.

    Could a person rather than an animal have brought SARS-CoV-2 into the market in late 2019? That’s entirely possible. Many of the viruses near the base of the SARS-CoV-2 ancestral tree came from people with no links to the market. Several, including a cluster from Guangdong Province, were not even from Wuhan.

    Despite the many uncertainties and unanswered questions, it would be much easier to accept the market hypothesis if the pandemic had begun in one of the hundreds (or possibly thousands – no one seems to know for sure) of other Chinese cities that had similar markets in 2020.

    After all, the 2002 outbreak of the original SARS coronavirus (a very close relative of SARS-CoV-2) began in a market selling civet cats and other animals in, as it happens, Guangdong.

    Yet the epicentre of the COVID pandemic was less than 20 kilometres from China’s pre-eminent coronavirus research lab, the Wuhan Institute of Virology. That is an extraordinary coincidence, and you’d need compelling evidence that the market was the source (or that the lab wasn’t) to dismiss it. The evidence we have simply isn’t that strong.

    That said, there is no evidence – at least, not that the Chinese authorities have shared – that SARS-CoV-2 was present in the Wuhan Institute of Virology, though some closely related viruses were. I cannot know if it was or wasn’t, but it didn’t have to be.

    Scientists from the institute went on coronavirus-hunting expeditions to places such as Guangdong. Scientists from the Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention – just a five-minute walk from the market – were making their own expeditions, too. There’s an obvious and plausible alternative route to the first human case.

    Dismissed as a conspiracy theory

    Yet as far back as March 2020, on a bare minimum of evidence, the idea that a lab was involved in any way was already being dismissed as a conspiracy theory.

    Two years ago, one of the most strident proponents of the market hypothesis claimed that his latest research “lays to rest the idea that the virus escaped from a laboratory”. An author of the new analysis in Cell says alternative explanations are “fanciful” and “absurd”.

    Who is all this bombast supposed to win over? Not scientists who can read the research papers, take note of the caveats and make their own judgments. Not politicians who have taken an ideological stance on the issue, particularly in the US. And not the intelligence agencies who many believe are our best hope for getting at the truth.

    I have studied the origins of human viruses for 25 years but, having examined the evidence, I still don’t know how the COVID pandemic began. I do know that the question is important and that debating it should be encouraged, not stifled.

    Mark Woolhouse receives funding from the European Union and the Wellcome Trust. He is a member of the Scottish Government’s Standing Committee on Pandemic Preparedness and has advised the Scottish and UK governments, and the WHO, on pandemic preparedness and response.

    ref. Did COVID come from an animal market? Here’s what the new evidence really tells us – https://theconversation.com/did-covid-come-from-an-animal-market-heres-what-the-new-evidence-really-tells-us-239533

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why building new towns isn’t the answer to the UK’s housing crisis

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Amrita Kulka, Assistant Professor, Political Economy and Public Economics, University of Warwick

    The UK is aiming to build 1.5 million homes over five years. Nick Beer/Shutterstock

    The UK’s new government is intent on building 1.5 million homes over the next five years. It’s all part of the plan to address the housing supply and affordability crisis.

    Many of these homes are to be built in the form of large communities or new towns of more than 10,000 housing units each. Some English new towns built after the second world war, such as Milton Keynes, Harlow and Basildon, have been successful economically. But the building of new towns has ground to a halt since the 1990s.

    The importance of large developments for housing supply in the UK has increased dramatically in the last 25 years. We have put together new evidence that reveals a significant shift in the source of housing supply. These days, an increasing share of new homes are coming from large developments.

    At the turn of the century, very large developments of at least 500 units made up only single digits of the total percentage of potential housing supply. Today, such developments represent 38% of permitted housing units. These very large projects only made up 0.2% of applications over the 25 years, but make up a disproportionately large chunk of new housing supply.

    This graphic shows the share of permitted new homes from 2000 to 2023 for applications of different development sizes across the UK.

    Proportion of new homes by development size

    Our research, undertaken with the support of our research assistant Alex Gallagher, explores the barriers that developments face in terms of paperwork and waiting time for a decision. We show that the amount of paperwork increases dramatically with the size of the project, going from one application for projects involving one unit, to more than eight applications for projects involving 500 or more units.

    The additional paperwork is generated by things like environmental surveys, infrastructure needs and public utilities.

    Northstowe in Cambridgeshire, which was planned to be the largest new town since Milton Keynes was built in the 1960s, also required funding for local infrastructure. Developers were obliged to contribute more than £120 million, most of which went to the construction of local schools. The development was left in limbo for around four years due to a delay to the expansion of the A14 trunk road, upon which the new town was entirely dependent. It is still not complete, with residents frustrated at the lack of infrastructure.

    In the case of Buckshaw Village, a new Lancashire development built on a former munitions factory, developers had to decontaminate the site. This required a £10.5 million contract to decontaminate more than 850 buildings.

    Of course many of these requirements are necessary, and beneficial for long-term planning. But it demonstrates that building a new town goes far beyond constructing houses.

    Decade-long delays

    In our research we also find that the time taken to reach a planning decision rises dramatically from projects involving one unit to projects involving two to nine units, and keeps rising for larger projects. The average time from the first application to the last decision is just over four years and four months for projects with more than 500 units. But even projects involving just one unit can expect to wait nearly a year.

    For bigger projects, waiting times for a decision are over 11 years in some cases (the most delayed 10%). One example is Ebbsfleet Valley – another newly planned town near London with large potential – which has seen only 4,000 of 43,000 planned homes built since planning began in 1996.

    The time taken for a planning decision plays a role in this delay. The borough councils resolved to grant outline planning permission (which lets a developer know if its plans are acceptable in principle) in 1998, two years after the application was submitted. But outline planning permission was not actually granted until November 2002. And then the need to supply more plans caused further delays, which meant building did not start until 2006 – 10 years after the original outline was filed.

    The long wait times for decisions, added to the fact that bigger developments must file additional applications, mean that housing supply from large projects is slow to be realised.

    These barriers have important implications for developers, which have to weigh the cost savings of large developments against the increased chance of obstacles that these larger developments are likely to throw up. So are new towns the most effective way to build a large amount of housing units in a short space of time?

    New towns are most comparable to the large-scale developments that represent an increasing share of residential units in the UK since the early 2000s.

    While these development schemes can deliver large amounts of housing alongside local infrastructure (at the developer’s expense rather than local government), they are unlikely to do so in the short term as they also face the toughest barriers under planning regulations.

    Therefore, so-called infill developments (that is, new buildings on unused or under-used land) as well as smaller and medium-sized developments, should not be neglected.

    Urban extensions and new neighbourhoods in the sites we’re already living in may provide ways to keep costs and uncertainties of new infrastructure to a minimum – even while planning larger developments or the new towns of the future.

    Amrita Kulka receives funding from Research England.

    Nikhil Datta receives funding from the British Academy, Leverhulme Trust, Economic and Social Research Council, and Research England.

    ref. Why building new towns isn’t the answer to the UK’s housing crisis – https://theconversation.com/why-building-new-towns-isnt-the-answer-to-the-uks-housing-crisis-238635

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/LEBANON – Middle East Council of Churches: “comprehensive aggression” against Lebanon. Father Zgheib: attack in a village a few kilometers from the Maronite Patriarchate

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    UNHCR

    Beirut (Agenzia Fides) – The ongoing military escalation in Lebanon has developed into a “comprehensive aggression against various Lebanese regions, resulting in the martyrdom of thousands of citizens and the displacement of hundreds of thousands from southern Lebanon and the BekaaValley. These are “crimes” that “show the disregard for the principles of international law, the rules of the Geneva Conventions and all conventions governing on armed conflicts”. This is emphasized by the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), based in Beirut, which in a statement released yesterday called on the international community to “intervene as soon as possible and issue a clear position condemning the war crimes against civilians by launching raids, and the systematic destruction of property and the interruption of food and health supplies.”In light of the tragic events in Lebanon, the Council held an emergency meeting of the General Secretariat chaired by the Secretary General, Lebanese Orthodox Christian Professor Michel Abs. Participants in the meeting prayed together for peace and discussed “urgent humanitarian issues and ways to support families.” Without mentioning the Israeli army by name, the MECC in its communiqué “strongly condemns the killing of innocent people, children, women, the elderly, and other civilians, and deplores the attacks carried out by aggressor forces on densely populated areas that have led to the death of some 500 people in one day and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of citizens from their areas”. The text also urges “the provision of international protection for civilians so that organizations and associations can supply them with the necessary materials for a decent life”.During the meeting, the participants also set up a working group to coordinate local initiatives to support families displaced from their areas.”We all live in a situation where fear, pain, anger and anxiety are mixed,” said Maronite priest Rouphael Zgheib, National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Lebanon and professor at the Jesuit University “Saint Joseph”, to Fides. “The uncertainty about what awaits us weighs on everything. It is not clear who can stop all this and whether the attacks are just the beginning.” The Israeli army’s bombings are directed against targets identified as possible bases of the Shiite Hezbollah Party. A strategy that has also been hitting small Shiite enclaves and villages in predominantly Christian areas for days. “This morning,” Father Rouphael Zgheib told Fides, “the small Shiite village of Maaysra in the Keserwan area, a historical settlement area of Catholic communities, was bombed. It is a village just a few kilometers from the headquarters of the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkerké.”The bombings in central Lebanon are causing fear among the population. Mistrust and suspicion are also increasing after the deadly danger also came from pagers and walkie-talkies, making it dangerous to speak to or approach people belonging to the Shiite community and directly or indirectly linked to Hezbollah. “This uncertain situation,” adds Father Zgheib, “is also affecting the relief efforts for the displaced and injured. Hospitals are collapsing, they were not prepared to treat the many people wounded in the face and eyes by pagers that became bombs.” “Churches and schools are opening to welcome the displaced, and there are many individual initiatives of solidarity with Christians and Muslims fleeing the south and other affected areas,” he affirms. “However, this spontaneous solidarity is accompanied by mistrust. The propaganda and political polarization of recent years have fueled distrust and triggered mutual attacks between the various parties, who accuse each other of betraying Lebanon and being a disaster for the country. The economic crisis has also limited the willingness to help those in need. This leads many to help only members of their own family network and confessional group,” the priest concludes. (GV) (Agenzia Fides, 25/9/2024)
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    MIL OSI Europe News

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: FS proceeds to UK from Spain (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, continued his visit to Madrid, Spain, today (September 25, Madrid time).

         In the morning, he led a delegation of technology start-ups to attend an exchange session organised by the IESE Business School, in which the delegation’s start-ups met and connected with over 10 Spanish start-up entrepreneurs, representatives of venture capital funds, investors, and enterprises for business matching. The IESE is one of the top business schools in Europe and the world, and has close collaborations with several universities in Hong Kong, as well as with the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation and Cyberport.

         Mr Chan introduced the new advantages and new opportunities in Hong Kong and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the policies and measures of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in promoting innovation and technology, along with the recent flourishing development of Hong Kong’s innovation and technology ecosystem. Representatives of start-ups and investors from both economies also introduced their businesses and development strategies, with a view to enhancing mutual knowledge and understanding, and opening up more opportunities for collaboration.

         Thereafter, Mr Chan met with the Dean of the IESE Business School, Professor Franz Heukamp, to exchange views on the business environments of Hong Kong and Spain, as well as promoting academic exchanges and co-operation between the two places. Mr Chan welcomed the IESE to further leverage Hong Kong’s international academic environment, as well as convenient connections with Mainland China and Asia, to deepen exchanges with various academic institutions and businesses in Hong Kong, promoting more bilateral co-operation in education, company executive training, and other business areas. 

         Mr Chan will leave Madrid this afternoon local time, and proceed to visit London, the United Kingdom.         

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News

  • MIL-OSI Security: Navy Chaplains Graduate from Pastoral Care Residency Program, Ready to Serve on the Frontlines of Soul Care

    Source: United States Navy (Medical)

    Portsmouth, Va. — In a significant milestone for Navy Medicine and the Chaplain Corps, four Navy chaplains graduated from the prestigious Pastoral Care Residency (PCR) program at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP), Sept. 20.
    This program, a joint initiative between the U.S. Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs (VA), has been training Navy and VA chaplains since 1984, equipping them with advanced pastoral care and counseling skills critical to the holistic well-being of patients and military service members.
    The PCR program is a one-year residency accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE). During this intensive training, chaplains complete over 1,600 hours of clinical experience, learning under certified CPE educators from VA Medical Centers. Navy chaplains who complete the residency earn a subspecialty code, which signifies their expertise in pastoral counseling and their capability to work within multidisciplinary medical teams.

    “The residency provides chaplains with the necessary tools to minister to both patients and care providers,” said Capt. William Hlavin, Chaplain for Naval Medical Forces Atlantic and co-executive director of the East Coast PCR program. “This provides them the ability to address not just the body and mind, but also the soul, which contributes to spiritually ready personnel.”

    Graduation marks the culmination of rigorous training that includes both military treatment facility (MTF) and VA medical center rotations. Chaplains are required to complete detailed clinical work, reading reflections, and preparation for board certification. The residency is a prerequisite for board certification as a clinical chaplain, a credential that signifies an even higher level of professionalism and commitment to continuous learning.

    One of the recent graduates, Lt. Cmdr. Reginald Jones stated, “The Pastoral Care Residency is essential for providing holistic care. Doctors can heal the body, psychologists the mind, but chaplains work with the soul. We sit with patients and families in some of their most challenging moments and help them process deep emotional and spiritual pain.”

    This year’s cohort marks another successful chapter in the Navy’s commitment to pastoral care, with new PCR residents already preparing to begin their journey this October. As military and VA hospitals face increasing mental health challenges, the role of clinically trained chaplains is becoming more crucial.

    “This field of study is more needed now than ever,” said Jones. “With mental health issues on the rise, having chaplains trained to do ‘soul work’ can be a game-changer, even aboard ships like destroyers. Sailors face a unique set of challenges, and the ability to address issues of the soul may keep them in the fight.”

    As the PCR program continues to grow, the Navy Chaplain Corps is positioned to meet the spiritual needs of service members, their families, and medical professionals with unparalleled care and professionalism.

    NMFL, headquartered in Portsmouth, Virginia, delivers operationally focused medical expertise and capabilities to meet Fleet, Marine and Joint Force requirements by providing equipment, sustainment and maintenance of medical forces during combat operations and public health crises. NMFL provides oversight for 21 NMRTCs, logistics, and public health and dental services throughout the U.S. East Coast, U.S. Gulf Coast, Cuba, Europe, and the Middle East.

    Navy Medicine – represented by more than 44,000 highly-trained military and civilian health care professionals – provides enduring expeditionary medical support to the warfighter on, below, and above the sea, and ashore.

    MIL Security OSI

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Minister praises support for families and children In Wolverhampton

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    Minister for Children and Families, Janet Daby, visited Graiseley Family Hub last Wednesday 18 September to see at first hand an area which has successful embedded Family Hubs and the Families First for Children Pathfinder (FFCP), meeting staff along with children and families.

    A Family Hub is a place where children, young people and their families can go when they need support of which eight have been set up in Wolverhampton. 

    The FFCP programme aims to test new ways to reform the children’s social care system, ensuring early support, family help and intervention is available for families facing challenges, helping them to overcome adversity and stay together where possible. 

    Ms Daby said: “I’ve loved my visit here today. It’s been great to meet all the people that help to support families, children and young people: visiting the Family Hub, being able to have a tour and meet a young person today – it’s been delightful.

    “I was impressed with the way in which I was able to meet representatives from the Health Visiting and School Nursing Services, the Police and Midwifery. It was great to hear about the support given to mothers in areas such as breastfeeding. I also liked hearing about what’s being done with the LGBTQ+ community and how diverse needs are being met. 

    The Minister added: “I get a sense that people have job satisfaction, and I observed that people have a genuine need to want to improve families and children’s lives: there was a lot I was impressed with.”

    Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, Cabinet member for Adults and Wellbeing for City of Wolverhampton Council said: “This visit has been a fantastic opportunity to showcase the collaboration between ourselves and the Wolverhampton 0-19 Service, as well as demonstrating how well we’ve managed to achieve frontline support for families.”

    Alison Hinds, Director of Children’s Services, added:” We are always more than willing to host any visits  to be able to share what we believe is the great work we’re doing in this space; I felt very proud of listening to a parent, a carer and a young person who we have been working with speaking with Minister Daby about how they have welcomed the support from the Hub.”

    Rachel King, Deputy Director for the Families First for Children Pathfinder for the council, said: “Minister Daby was really approachable, genuinely interested and supportive of the work we do. Hopefully, what we were able to demonstrate in the short time we had will influence ongoing discussions centrally.”

    Denise Williams, Service Manager, Family Hubs for the council added: “We enjoy sharing the work we do across the city and staff from across the partnership, as well as families, found Minister Daby to be really approachable and supportive of the work that we are doing collectively in the Family Hubs.”

    Catherine Draycott, School Nurse Team Leader, said: “It was lovely today to welcome Minister Daby to Wolverhampton. We were honoured that she took the time to sit with our 0-19 service and ask questions about our service – she could tell how passionate we are about developing these services in Wolverhampton.”

    Marion Astbury, Matron for Health Visiting, added: “It was a real pleasure to speak to the Minister and her colleagues to showcase the fantastic work being done by our staff. There was genuine interest in how we are supporting our families and the challenges we face in delivering our service.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Call for unity in the empowerment of women

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Mmapaseka Steve Letsike has called on nations to unite all efforts and resources for the empowerment of women and girls.

    The Deputy Minister was addressing a side event of the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA79) held in New York on Wednesday.

    She acknowledged that the challenge of women empowerment “is great” with women and girls facing many obstacles.

    “We reiterate the severity of this challenge before us as the state of women’s empowerment leaves little to be desired, and the overall picture is consistent globally, with pockets of excellence in certain areas of development.

    “Women still own a smaller share of global wealth compared to men, with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) reporting that women owned $72 trillion of global wealth in 2020 which translates to about 17% of the total value of the global wealth held by individuals in that year. 

    “This disparity is linked to factors such as gender pay gaps, unequal access to financial services, and fewer opportunities for leadership roles,” Letsike said.

    She added that although the challenges facing women empowerment are “evolving at an unprecedented pace”, a brighter future for all can be forged by “uniting our efforts and resources”.

    “The Education Plus Initiative stands as a beacon of hope, illuminating the pathway toward empowerment for girls and young women in the fight against the spread of HIV and an increase of AIDS related deaths. 

    “It emphasises the vital importance of equipping women with education and skills, access to finance, security of land tenure, entrepreneurial opportunities and appointment of women to positions of leadership in both the private and public sectors.

    “By doing so, we not only enhance women’s participation in the labour market but also unlock women’s immense potential to drive sustainable economic growth as meaningful participants in the various sectors of the economy.”

    The Deputy Minister added that nations need to adopt an “intersectional lens as we advance policy for the empowerment of women and adolescent girls”.

    “This will ensure that the unique and overlapping experiences of individuals or groups are recognised, thereby allowing us to craft our agenda to be more equitable and inclusive. 

    “As leaders and stakeholders in this transformative journey, we bear a profound responsibility to ensure our institutions and policies are adept at addressing the challenges of both today and tomorrow, particularly for marginalised persons,” Letsike said.

    She called on world leaders to build a better future for women and girls today.
    “As we move forward, let us be inspired by the potential within our youth, especially our girls. They are not just the leaders of tomorrow; they are the catalysts of change today. 

    “Together, we can build a world where their dreams are not limited by their circumstances, but rather fuelled by the opportunities we create for them,” Letsike said.

    President Cyril Ramaphosa is leading South Africa’s delegation to the High-Level General Debate of the 79th Session of the General Assembly (UNGA79) in the United States of America. The debate of the UNGA79 is taking place at the United Nations headquarters in New York, from 24 to 30 September 2024. 
    SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa

  • MIL-OSI Africa: TNPA invites service providers for Liquefied Natural Gas at Ngqura

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    The Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), in collaboration with Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), has approached the market for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

    This is to encourage interested parties to submit proposals for the envisaged Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal at the Port of Ngqura.

    READ | Port investments to contribute towards SA economy

    The Request For Proposals (RFP) process will see the appointment of a service provider contracted to assess the environmental compliance and sustainability of the proposed LNG terminal. 

    This involves conducting a detailed analysis of ecological and local regulations to determine critical environmental authorisations. These include a seismic survey, marine ecology, climate change impact assessment and socio-economic assessment to support the project.

    The EIA process is carried out in tandem with negotiations of the Terminal Operator Agreement (TOA) between TNPA and the Strategic Fuel Fund (SFF) to build and operate an onshore LNG regasification facility at the Port of Ngqura for 30 years. 

    The appointment of SFF is the outcome of a Section 79 process and directive issued by the former Minister of Transport, in accordance with the National Ports Act of 2005.

    “This milestone is a critical step towards the development of the LNG terminal at the Port of Ngqura. Through its commercial seaports, TNPA is at the forefront of enabling the gas-to-power project pipeline whilst ensuring the security of supply and unlocking global opportunities for sustainable impact,” said Acting TNPA Chief Executive, Phyllis Difeto.

    The Port of Ngqura LNG Terminal is one of 12 priority infrastructure projects announced in March 2024 that hold a Strategic Integrated Project (SIP) status. 

    The triad strategic partnership is fast-tracking the conclusion of the EAI, with the RFP closing on 30 October 2024. This partnership will also see the issuing of the RFP for Prefeasibility Studies by end September 2024.

    “ISA is established to provide strategic, technical and financial advisory support to project sponsors for the planning, preparation, development and implementation of national pipeline projects and strategic integrated projects,” said Mameetse Masemola, the Acting Head of Infrastructure South Africa. 

    “This project is one of the flagship projects which we are proud to support and excited that progress is moving at a good pace,” he said.

    Tender documents can be accessed on: https://www.idc.co.za/tenders/ and https://www.etenders.gov.za/SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Minister Gwarube commits to stabilising the education system

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube and her deputy, Dr Reginah Mhaule, have committed to take all necessary steps to stabilise the education system given the budgetary constraints affecting provinces.

    The Minister said this while addressing the media on developments regarding budget cuts in the education sector, in Pretoria, on Wednesday. 

    “The Deputy Minister and I have been in constant engagement with provinces to support them during this challenging fiscal environment. We have committed ourselves to doing everything we can to stabilise the system and have appealed to provinces to retain the basket of posts, in order to not compromise education outcomes,” the Minister said. 

    She also moved to appreciate the work that the provinces have been doing around the clock to help the sector get to grips with these challenges. 

    “I have witnessed MECs work tirelessly with their provincial departments to protect teaching and learning in our schools.”

    Challenges

    The briefing comes weeks after several provincial Departments of Education have been vocal about the budgetary pressures they face. 

    These, said the Minister, have been years in the making due to the aggressive budget cuts, economic stagnation and fiscal mismanagement which is now set to impact schools.

    “These budget pressures are not just numbers on a spreadsheet – they translate into fewer teachers, reduced textbooks, and fewer admin support staff, which means teachers spend more time on admin work, thereby reducing learning and teaching time. In essence, the very fabric of our children’s future is under threat.”

    She explained that provinces like the Western Cape have seen the painful decision to reduce the basket of teaching posts for 2025, a move that may result in fewer educators in classrooms. 

    “This may mean larger class sizes, reduced individual attention for learners, and ultimately, a risk to the achievement of quality education outcomes.”

    She added that unfortunately, other provinces throughout the country are in a similar position with many desperately working to find ways of avoiding having to top slice budgets for key services like textbooks, admin support and scholar transport programmes. 

    “We are faced with a pending national crisis, one that affects not just our learners but our teachers, principals, and broader communities.

    “It is crucial to understand that this crisis is not confined to one province or one aspect of the education sector. Every province is grappling with these painful choices.”

    Provincial education departments will in the next two to three years, find it increasingly difficult to fund their existing basket of posts and existing programmes within the available budget, unless measures are taken proactively to mitigate this risk.

    For instance, she said in the 2025/26 financial year, four provincial departments will battle to cover their budgets; in the 2026/27 financial year, five provinces will battle to cover their budgets. In the 2027/28 financial year, seven provinces will not be able to afford their budgets. 

    “Several provinces have preserved the same post basket for the past three academic years, despite learner numbers increasing, while other provinces have decreased their posts in the past three years. It is important to note that these have been cuts in posts but not warm bodies. 

    “Meaning that no person gets retrenched but rather vacancies are not filled,” she said. 

    Increase in learner numbers

    Nationally, the Minister highlighted that the number of learners within the education system has increased by approximately 292,820 over the last five years.

    Learner/Educator Ratios have also steadily increased across most provinces. 
    She explained that an increase in learners’ numbers without increasing the post basket, may affect the quality of teaching which may soon be reflected in the performance of the system.

    Largely, she added that the financial constraints have had the largest impact on educator provisioning, leading to a steady increase in Learner/Educator Ratios in most provincial education departments.

    “Most provincial Education Departments require between R350 million and R3.8 billion [over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework to fully fund their respective basket of posts].

    “The numbers are staggering. If we continue down this path, projections indicate that most provincial education departments will not be able to maintain their respective basket of posts,” she said. 

    Interventions

    In response to this potential crisis, Minister Gwarube said she convened two special meetings of the Council of Education Ministers (CEM). These meetings brought together education MECs from across the country and they conducted a thorough analysis of the budget challenges in each province. 

    MECs from each province have compiled provisional provincial reports with sobering results.

    “For the first time in a decade, we now have a clearer picture of where the most significant budget pressures lie and how we need to engage treasury in a bid to address the challenges we see.

    “As a result, I have requested an urgent meeting with the Minister of Finance to discuss the matter further. I am grateful to Minister [Enoch] Godongwana for his cooperation and support on this important matter.

    “We are also appreciative of Treasury’s willingness to engage with the Education sector. Ultimately a solution must be found in order for us to protect front line services,” the Minister said. 

    Gwarube has also requested a convening of a political 10X10 meeting between the Minister of Finance and the provincial MECs for Finance, as well as herself and the nine MECs of Education. 

    “We must work together with all 10 treasuries to unlock additional funds to alleviate the pressures facing the education sector, even if it is for the short term, and to prevent further cuts to teaching posts and critical support services like school nutrition and transport.

    “We also need to look at cross-departmental reprioritisation of budgets from departments that have under-performing programmes – ensuring that funding across government is directed to appropriate national priorities,” she said. 

    The Minister concluded that while the sector faces significant challenges, “these are not insurmountable. But they require decisive action and an unwavering commitment to putting education first.”

    Earlier this month, the Department of Basic Education said that the Minister had held meetings with various international partners to reinforce South Africa’s commitment to enhancing the education sector through global collaboration. 

    READ | Minister Gwarube in talks to enhance education sector

    SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Derry gets set to host the Carnival of the Dead this Halloween

    Source: Northern Ireland – City of Derry

    Derry gets set to host the Carnival of the Dead this Halloween

    25 September 2024

    As the nights draw in it’s a busy time in the home of Halloween as the final preparations are put in place for the Carnival parade that is the centrepiece of Derry’s world-famous festivities.

    Around 650 performers are expected to take part in the Carnival of the Dead, which will weave its magic through the streets of Derry’s city centre from 7pm on Halloween night, October 31st.

    The participants are drawn from all corners of the community – schools, sports clubs, arts groups and local organisations – brought together by the North West Carnival Initiative (NWCI) who are tasked with delivering this mammoth showcase by Derry City and Strabane District Council.

    The NWCI team are currently out and about helping groups create the spooky costumes and props that really bring the creepy characters of Samhain folklore to life.

    Today, Council’s Festival and Events Manager, Jacqueline Whoriskey, joined NWCI Project Manager Jim Collins, to officially launch the parade in the terrifying tunnels of the Tower Museum. It’s just one of the major highlights in a packed four day programme at Europe’s biggest Halloween celebration, as Jacqueline explained. “Derry Halloween attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world to the city, but it has always been a community-oriented event, and an opportunity to showcase local talent on an international stage,” she said.

    “It’s a fantastic chance for groups from all parts of the community – regardless of age, culture or ethnicity – to display their creativity and talents, alongside some of the fabulous show stopping international acts who feature throughout the festival. It’s an inclusive cross-community celebration, with something for everyone to enjoy and I love seeing so many groups bring some extra magic to Derry Halloween.”

    Workshops are already underway and a number of new groups are getting into the spirit of the event, as Jim explained. “It’s all go at the NWCI workshop and our facilitators will be working closely with the groups across the City and District to develop their own bespoke element of the parade,” he explained

    “It’s a big undertaking but I think that community involvement is so important in the success of the event, and it’s fantastic to see that continuing to grow and develop. It sets it apart from other festivals and gives people here ownership of the event. We always have great fun and it’s a chance to learn new skills and bring new ideas to the carnival parade.”

    Derry Halloween is delivered by Derry City and Strabane District Council and funded by Tourism Northern Ireland and The Executive Office, with support from Ulster University.

    This year the core festival programme will run Monday October 28th – Thursday October 31st with the Awakening the Walled City Trail transforming the town centre from Monday – Wednesday, from 6pm – 9pm, and plenty of festivities taking place throughout Halloween day, October 31st, culminating in the dazzling Halloween Carnival of the Dead Parade at 7pm and fireworks over the Foyle at 8.15pm.

    The parade will weave its way through the City Centre beginning at the Queen’s Quay carpark beside the Council offices, heading up Strand Rd, past the City Hotel then along Queens Quay before returning to the starting point.

    If you would like to take part or volunteer with North West Carnival Initiative, email Jim at [email protected]

    Find out more about the full Derry Halloween programme at derryhalloween.com

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Bookings open for a free extravaganza of science

    Source: Anglia Ruskin University

    Published: 25 September 2024 at 12:00

    Chelmsford Science Festival to bring fun and educational events to city in October

    Bookings are now open for a host of free, fun and educational events at the 2024 Chelmsford Science Festival, organised by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in partnership with Chelmsford City Council and Chelmsford For You.

    This year’s festival is again sponsored by Teledyne and will take place between Tuesday, 22 October and Tuesday, 29 October.
     
    The festival will take on the theme of Our World – Planetary Health, and feature a range of events, activities, and engaging talks from experts.
     
    Two Family Science Days will take place on Saturday, 26 and Sunday, 27 October featuring hands-on, interactive activities for all ages, including a chance to build your own skull, be an architect for a day, and enjoy a Living History of Science Show.
     
    The festival will culminate in a free talk by acclaimed wildlife photographer Hamza Yassin – a former winner of Strictly Come Dancing – who will talk about his life and career on Tuesday, 29 October.
     
    Professor Roderick Watkins, Vice Chancellor of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said:

    “Science is all around us from the weather and the buildings we live in, to computer games and the human body, and the Chelmsford Science Festival is an opportunity for ARU to share our world-leading knowledge and facilities with the people of Chelmsford.
     
    “Last year’s event was a fantastic success and once again there promises to be something for everyone taking place across the city. We are grateful to headline sponsors Teledyne and our partners Chelmsford For You and Chelmsford City Council for their support in organising a fantastic festival.”

     
    The full programme of events can be found here https://www.aru.ac.uk/events/chelmsford-science-festival including booking links. While events are free, places must be booked as numbers may be limited.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI USA: FACT SHEET: During Climate Week, Biden-⁠ Harris Administration Announces Continued Progress on the American Climate  Corps

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    American Climate Corps Has Already Put 15,000 Young Americans to Work as Part of Its Inaugural Cohort
    Environmental Protection Agency and AmeriCorps Announce a New Environmental Justice Climate Corps; the Department of Housing and Urban Development Joins the Interagency American Climate Corps Initiative
    Since taking office, President Biden has delivered on the most ambitious climate, clean energy, conservation, and environmental justice agenda in history – signing into law the largest investment in climate action ever, protecting more than 42 million acres of public lands and waters, creating good-paying clean energy jobs, and establishing the Justice40 Initiative, which sets the goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits from certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
    As part of his historic commitment to tackle the climate crisis, President Biden launched the American Climate Corps (ACC) to mobilize the next generation of clean energy, conservation, and climate resilience workers, with a goal to put 20,000 young people to work in the clean energy and climate resilience economy in the initiative’s first year. Today, in celebration of Climate Week, the White House is announcing that more than 15,000 young Americans have been put to work in high-quality, good-paying clean energy and climate resilience workforce training and service opportunities through the American Climate Corps – putting the program on track to reach President Biden’s goal of 20,000 members in the program’s first year ahead of schedule.
    Across the country, American Climate Corps members are working on projects to tackle the climate crisis, including restoring coastal ecosystems, strengthening urban and rural agriculture, investing in clean energy and energy efficiency, improving disaster and wildfire preparedness, and more. The American Climate Corps is giving a diverse new generation of young people the tools to fight the impacts of climate change today and the skills to join the clean energy and climate-resilience workforce of tomorrow.
    Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is making several additional announcements:
    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and AmeriCorps are Announcing a New Environmental Justice Climate Corps, which will put more than 250 American Climate Corps members to work over the next three years providing technical assistance to community-based organizations in environmental justice communities – helping them access resources to carry out locally driven projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, improve public health and safety, and build community capacity to address environmental and climate justice challenges. Environmental Justice Climate Corps members will be paid a living allowance and reimbursed for selected living expenses. In total, this allowance is equivalent to receiving more than $25 per hour throughout their year of service. They will also obtain the benefits of AmeriCorps VISTA service—including the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award, which is valued at $7,395 in FY24, and streamlined pathways into certain federal jobs—and gain mentorship and professional development opportunities. Applications for the Environmental Justice Climate Corps will open in early 2025, with a goal for its first cohort to start later that year.The partnership with EPA is AmeriCorps’ largest environmental partnership in the agency’s history and will build on the success of three other partnerships announced under the American Climate Corps: AmeriCorps NCCC Forest Corps, Working Lands Climate Corps and Energy Communities AmeriCorps, which together will support more than 500 new ACC positions over the coming years.
    The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is Joining the ACC Interagency Initiative. Joining the seven initial signatories of the December 2023 ACC Memorandum of Understanding, today HUD will become the eighth federal agency member of the ACC Interagency Initiative. This step brings the ACC to the communities HUD serves, building upon the Department’s commitment to using low- and zero-carbon energy and supporting communities to increase their resilience, advance environmental justice, and create good jobs for residents.
    The American Climate Corps is Fostering Federal-State Partnerships by establishing a partnership with state service commissions, which support national service in states across the country, to grow the number of state climate corps and strengthen existing state climate corps programs. Together, the American Climate Corps, state-level climate corps programs, and state national service leadership are committed to strengthening state climate corps, supporting impactful program implementation, and leveraging state and local partnerships to scale climate corps efforts across the country. To date, 14 states have launched their own state-based climate corps programs, including New Jersey who just today announced the creation of the New Jersey Climate Corps. 
    American Climate Corps Will Host a Virtual Job Fair. The American Climate Corps is working to ensure that its members have a pathway to good-paying jobs following their terms of service, which is why later this year, ACC will host a virtual job fair for current and past members to learn about high-quality career opportunities in the clean energy and climate resilience economy. The virtual job fair will bring together the private sector, labor unions, and the public sector, including Federal agencies, to showcase career pathways available to ACC members.
    Today’s announcements build on a year of successful program implementation, including:
    Launch of the American Climate Corps Tour. This fall, to showcase ACC members’ important work across the nation, the American Climate Corps and senior Biden-Harris Administration officials is embarking on a national tour and visiting ten locations to highlight ACC members’ impact in communities across the country.The tour is making stops at a range of ACC project sites and featuring remarks by representatives of the Biden-Harris Administration and other Federal, state, and local elected officials. Visits include ACC member swearing-in ceremonies, service projects, and roundtables with ACC members.
    Creation of the American Climate Corps Storytellers Project. Inspired by the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project, the ACC launched the Storytellers Project, engaging artists and storytellers to capture the impact of President Biden’s American Climate Corps.The ACC Storytellers Project solicited applications from artists across the country. Ten accomplished storytellers were selected to document the impact of the American Climate Corps in communities across the country through photographs, videos, and other visual art mediums. 

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Higher School of Economics student wins grand prize at Golden Bee Biennale

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

    The Golden Bee Global Biennale of Graphic Design is the main national poster competition and one of the largest events in the world dedicated to this art. This year, the Grand Prix of the Biennale was won by Sonya Kim, a fourth-year student of the profile “Communication design”She became the youngest winner in the competition’s history.

    In the 32 years of the Golden Bee’s existence, Russian designers have won the Grand Prix only twice – Anton Logvin in 1992, and then Igor Gurovich in 2012. Now Sonya Kim has done it for the third time! We would like to note with particular pride that all the winners today are associated with the HSE School of Design.

    Sonya Kim’s posters are dedicated to the play “Adler’s Room”, staged by Lera Surkova at the Yermolova Theatre. The action revolves around a hero suffering from dissociative identity disorder. Each sheet of Sonya Kim’s work is focused on this split – a person looks at us from everywhere, as if assembled from many of those others who coexist in him.

    The curator of the winning project was Igor Gurovich, winner of the Golden Bee Grand Prix in 2012. “Sonya is a smart and very independent designer,” he says. “It was very interesting to discuss the project with her, its idea and implementation strategies. Her victory is well-deserved. I am very happy!”

    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://desizhn.hse.ru/nevs/4228

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL OSI Russia News