The workshop brought together key stakeholders, enhancing local and regional collaboration, communication and strengthening Solomon Islands’ environmental response capabilities for marine pollution emergency incidents.
The workshop strengthened preparedness from any future threats from marine pollution, including oil spills and potentially polluting shipwrecks.
Participants identified the gaps in existing contingency planning to respond to marine incidents and increased their ability to engage, assess and monitor potentially polluting wrecks in the region.
With participants from across Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and the Regional Agencies, the workshop provided a platform for better communication, collaboration and learning about responding to Maritime Pollution in the Pacific.
According to UK Cefas facilitator, Freya Goodsir, the workshop was a fantastic success build capacity, communication and collaboration to respond to any future events. She added:
We found it extremely valuable to understand how passionate colleagues were about protecting our oceans. Together we have improved Solomon Islands ability to respond to any future threats to our marine environment.
Delegates from Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, Kiribati, Australia, Samoa and the United States took part in the four-day workshop in Honiara.
Source: Republic of France in English The Republic of France has issued the following statement:
The first EU candidate to the FAO
The French candidate was designated on October 15 as the European Union candidate for FAO general director. This is the first time that EU member states are selecting a common candidate for election to the head of this agency. It is also the first time that a woman is a candidate for the position.
A candidacy to put the fight against hunger and malnutrition back at the top of political agendas
Since it was founded, the FAO has helped reduce food insecurity and malnutrition. However it must be noted that hunger is once again increasing in the world.
Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle is determined to give a new impetus to the FAO and its efforts to eradicate hunger by 2030, in line with the UN’s sustainable development goals. Reducing poverty, stepping up rural development and deeply transforming our food systems are all priorities for the French and European candidate. It is vital to bring all member countries and partners around to a shared, renewed vision in order to strengthen the FAO’s efforts to bring about a world free from hunger and malnutrition.
To that end, the candidate pledges to expand cooperation and synergies with other UN organizations, especially the IFAD, WFP and the WHO. She wishes to contribute fully to the implementation of UN reform, strengthening cooperation with scientific and technical bodies and all relevant actors.
Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle also wants the FAO to play a major role as the leading global organization in the areas of food security and nutrition, based on solid and recognized technical and scientific knowledge.
Strengthening food security, eradicating poverty, combating climate change: a type of agriculture that produces more, in a better way
Food security and contributions to the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors are vital not only to feed humankind but also to provide decent jobs in rural areas, strengthen the role of women and young people, eradicate poverty, and save the planet.
To achieve these goals, the candidate intends to strengthen investment in research and knowledge, education and training, innovation and infrastructure.
In a context marked by climate change and the existence of numerous conflicts, the candidate is committed to ensuring that the FAO plays a central role in solutions so that everyone, regardless of where he or she lives, has access to healthy, safe and sustainably produced food. This is the prerequisite for a peaceful, more stable and fairer world.
In-depth expertise in the areas of food and agriculture and recognized leadership
Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle, an agricultural engineer and former director general of the Ministry of Agriculture, is a recognized leader with a proven capacity to manage complex organizations operating in a multicultural environment. She also has a high level of professional experience in the areas of food systems, rural development and food security, in France as well as in Europe.
She has held the most senior positions in the French Ministry of Agriculture, serving successively as deputy director of the Department of International Trade (food aid and international assistance), director general, General Directorate for Food, and director general, General Directorate for Economic and Environmental Performance of Businesses.
At the European level, after having worked at the European Commission as an expert on consumer food safety issues, she served as executive director of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for more than seven years.
Throughout her career, Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle has dedicated her strong scientific and technical expertise in agriculture, fisheries, forestry, rural development, food systems and nutrition to the design and implementation of public agricultural and food policies at the national, European and international levels.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for issues relating to agriculture (including livestock farming, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture) and food. It is a universal intergovernmental organization with 197 members, including the EU. The FAO is active in more than 130 countries around the world. The next director general of the FAO will be elected by member states in June 2019 for a four-year term. Nominations for the office of director-general are being accepted from December 1, 2018, to February 28, 2019.
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
HAMBURG, Germany, October 14, 2024/APO Group/ —
African youth entrepreneurs supported the by African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) took center stage at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference on Monday.
During a session, titled “Empowering Young Entrepreneurs in Africa,” executives of the African Development Bank and its partner the African Guarantee Fund (http://apo-opa.co/3Y78rMT), as well as young African business leaders showcased innovative approaches to bridging the financing gap for youth entrepreneurs.
The two-day Hamburg Sustainability Conference, which drew global leaders, development institutions and young business founders across the continent, featured high-level discussions on reshaping international financial systems and creating investment environments that promote achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The session explored the impact of the Bank’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (http://apo-opa.co/3Y3wpZI) initiative. Through AFAWA, the Bank has approved approximately $1.8 billion in lending for Africa’s women entrepreneurs; some $1 billion has already been disbursed to more than 18,000 women-led small and medium enterprises.
Melanie Keita, CEO and co-founder of Melanin Kapital (http://apo-opa.co/48alJNA), a Nairobi-based fintech company that provides digital loans, and a beneficiary of AFAWA, spoke about the need for more accessible financing options for Africa’s youth-led startups. She questioned whether there were plans to digitise the loan process: “Can people access loans from their living room instead of having to travel a lot of time and then go with a lot of paperwork and being denied loans sometimes?”
South Africa’s Minister in the Presidency Responsible for Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation, Maropene Ramokgopa, told attendees that young African entrepreneurs are “drivers of change.” She urged governments to prioritise entrepreneurship policies and reduce bureaucratic barriers.
“From financial technology, agriculture, renewable energy and creative sector to digital health solutions, young African entrepreneurs are transforming their communities,” Ramokgopa added. “They are also creating jobs and reshaping the economies as well.”
Africa is facing a significant demographic shift: the continent is expected to be home to 1.4 billion people aged under 25 by the year 2063.
Ahmed Attout, Director for Financial Sector Development at the African Development Bank, introduced its Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Banks (YEIB) initiative, designed to de-risk investing in youth entrepreneurs while fostering talent and entrepreneurship across Africa.
“[The Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Banks initiative] is a one-stop shop that can give youth access to finance, employment guarantees, employment technical assistance,” Attout said, adding that the initiative is in the advanced implementation phase in Liberia and Ethiopia.
Jules Ngankam, CEO of the African Guarantee Fund, an implementing partner of AFAWA, announced significant progress in delivering solutions for entrepreneurs. He said the Fund has issued $3 billion in guarantees, enabling commercial banks to lend $5 billion to small and medium-sized enterprises.
The session was followed by a roundtable to stimulate networking between development institutions and African innovators. Joining Keita at the roundtable were two other beneficiaries of the Bank’s support: Chiemela Anosike, founder and CEO of Solaris GreenTech (http://apo-opa.co/48alKkC), and Ebun Feludu, CEO of Kokari Coconuts & Company (http://apo-opa.co/3A6ibiv), both Nigeria-based.
Chiemela Anosike said the struggle for start-up success is real. “Entrepreneurship is hard. Entrepreneurship in Africa is harder…so, it’s difficult. So, we have programs like this…but then you give us another full-time job because you’re into fundraising and then it’s taking six months. You’re developing just one proposal [for financing] and it’s taking one month plus,” Anosike told roundtable participants.
Bank Director for Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development Martha Phiri told the entrepreneurs that the Bank is integrating entrepreneurship skills into its vocational training programs, in recognition that not all graduates will find employment in existing job markets.
Tapera Muzira, the Bank’s Lead Expert for Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development said the Bank’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab (http://apo-opa.co/3YqnotZ), an online platform that connects African entrepreneurs with resources, financing, and business development services, is closing the information gap that limits youth potential to contribute to economies and communities.
Earlier, Norway’s Minister of International Development, Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, noted that her country is committed to supporting African youth entrepreneurship. She referenced the USAID and Norway-led Financing for Agricultural Small-and-Medium Enterprises in Africa program, a multi-donor fund designed to spur investment in Africa’s agricultural growth.
“African youth constitute 60% of the population, which is why youth engagement and involvement is central in Norwegian foreign and development policies. Financing entrepreneurs is not enough. We need to build an entrepreneurial culture that supports solid institutional and regulatory frameworks,” Tvinnereim said.
The Hamburg Sustainability Conference is organized annually by the United Nations Development Program, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Michael Otto Foundation for Sustainability (http://apo-opa.co/48alMJg) and the City of Hamburg.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Collaboration announced at International Investment Summit, meeting the PM’s ambitions to catalyse investment in the UK, proving the UK is open for business.
The UK’s world leading life sciences sector will receive a £279 million boost to tackle significant health challenges, with an intent expressed by Lilly, the world’s largest pharmaceutical company, to invest in the UK, as part of a collaborative partnership with UK Government, announced at the International Investment Summit today (Monday 14 October).
Plans to form a new collaboration through a memorandum of understanding will see the pharmaceutical giant backing the UK’s brightest and best life sciences talent with the planned launch of the first ‘Lilly Gateway Labs’ innovation accelerator in Europe. This facility will support early-stage life sciences businesses to develop transformative medicines by providing lab space, mentorship, and potential financial backing to rocket future growth in the sector.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:
For all the challenges facing the health of our nation, we have two huge advantages: some of the world’s leading scientific minds, and a National Health Service with enormous potential. If we can combine the two, patients in this country can reap the rewards of the revolution in medical science unfolding before our eyes.
This announcement helps the UK take its place as a world leader in life sciences and brings life-changing treatments closer to being a reality for NHS patients. Partnerships like this are key to building a healthier society, healthier economy, and making the NHS fit for the future.
Lilly’s Gateway Lab plans build on the 300,000 jobs the life sciences sector already supports nationwide. The facility will be the first announced anywhere in Europe, cementing the UK as a world leader in healthcare.
Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said:
The UK’s life sciences sector is at the forefront of pioneering and life-saving research.
This ground-breaking collaboration is proof that this sector is held in high esteem internationally and is driving investment into the UK.
Investments like this drive forward work that will boost our health and ultimately save lives.
But they also fire up our economy, creating the jobs, opportunity and growth we need to invest further in health and to push up living standards.
David A. Ricks, Chair and CEO of Eli Lilly & Company said:
We welcome this opportunity to partner with the UK Government on tackling and preventing disease, and accelerating innovation to advance care delivery models. Today’s announcement is an important milestone, and we are pleased to reinforce Lilly’s commitment to improving health for people living with obesity and its serious consequences.
Obesity is the second biggest preventable cause of cancer and a major contributor to ill-health that prevents people from participating fully in work. This collaboration will bring together treatments and technologies developed by the life sciences sector and the health system seeking to demonstrate improved long-term health outcomes for those living with obesity.
The collaboration with Lilly aims to set the stage for Government to work with industry to trial innovative approaches to treating obesity as part of a rounded package of care.
With obesity costing the UK health service more than £11 billion each year, action to tackle the condition is urgently needed. Backing the UK life sciences sector to understand obesity further, alongside introducing measures to prevent obesity in the first place such as restrictions on junk food advertising, will help ease pressure on the NHS.
NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said:
Obesity is one of the biggest public health issues we face, and we know weight loss drugs will be a game-changer, alongside earlier prevention strategies, in supporting many more people to lose weight and reduce their risk of killer conditions like diabetes, heart attack and stroke.
Today’s momentous agreement shows the NHS is uniquely well-placed globally, not just to bring effective new treatments to those who would benefit most, but also to support science, research, jobs and economic growth across the country. We now have an important chance to gain a better understanding of the benefits of weight management interventions for patients, and how best to deliver them over the next few years.
Today’s collaboration is a demonstration of the £108 billion life sciences sector’s value to the UK economy, in both improving public health and keeping the UK at the forefront of scientific progress.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said:
Greater Manchester is world-renowned as a hub for innovation in health and life sciences. The results of the trial announced today could have a far-reaching impact on how we treat obesity globally, and our city-region is ready to make a significant contribution through our outstanding health data assets, R&D expertise, and the strong partnerships between industry, universities and public sector organisations.
The International Investment Summit will provide an opportunity to showcase our local strengths in health innovation to an audience of global business leaders and investors. This partnership could be the first of many and give Greater Manchester residents access to other innovative treatments.
Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Neil Gray, said:
I welcome this long term strategic partnership with the world’s largest pharmaceutical company.
Scotland has a vibrant life science sector, world class universities and an NHS with a long track record of working with both.
This initiative supports our use of innovation to transform health and social care by building new partnerships between government, our NHS, academic institutions, and industry.
Mike Nesbitt, Health Minister for Northern Ireland, said:
It is only by focusing more on prevention and population health, tackling health inequalities and harnessing the power of innovation through the UK’s world-leading life sciences sector that we will be able to deliver better outcomes for patients.
Driving economic growth to improve the lives of hardworking British people is this Government’s number one mission. The life sciences sector – which drove £800 million in foreign direct investment into the UK in 2023 – sits at the heart of these plans.
ENDS
Notes for editors
About the Obesity Healthcare Goals Programme:
The Obesity Healthcare Goals Programme, formerly known as the Obesity Mission, was announced in November 2022, and is being delivered by the Office for Life Sciences (OLS) alongside the Dementia, Mental Health, Cancer and Addiction Healthcare Goals.
Leeds’s public health boss has issued a plea for all those eligible to take up the offer of a free flu vaccine this winter after worrying uptake levels last year.
Leeds City Council’s director of public health has urged people to take the chance to protect themselves against both the flu and Covid 19, with both viruses spreading more easily in winter as people spend increasing amounts of time indoors together.
The winter vaccine programme focuses on those at greatest risk of getting seriously ill – including people with long-term health conditions, people aged over 65 and pregnant women – yet last year Leeds saw lower uptakes of the free annual jabs among some of these cohorts.
While uptake in older people remained high (79.5 per cent of over 65s), less than four in 10 (39 per cent) of people deemed ‘at risk’ received the flu vaccine, with similarly low levels seen among pregnant women (38 per cent) and two- to three-year-olds (37 per cent).
It comes as national figures from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show that over the past two winters at least 18,000 deaths across the UK were associated with flu, despite last winter being a relatively mild flu season.
For the first time this year, pregnant women and older people aged 75 to 79 are also eligible for the RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) vaccination, with the maternal vaccine providing strong protection for newborns in their first few months, when they are most at risk of severe illness from RSV. Pregnant women should speak to their GP or maternity team for more information.
Leeds City Council’s director of public health Victoria Eaton said: “After clean water, immunisation is the most effective public health intervention in the world for saving lives and promoting good health.
“Over the winter period, even if you have had a vaccine or been ill with flu, Covid 19 or RSV before, it’s vital that you top up your protection as immunity fades over time and these viruses can change each year.
“It is therefore extremely important that anyone eligible to receive their winter vaccinations takes up the potentially life-saving opportunity. The national mortality figures are a stark reminder of how deadly these viruses can be to those at risk.
“Receiving the vaccinations means that if you do catch any of these viruses, you are likely to have milder symptoms and recover faster, cutting your risk of being hospitalised.
“I’m urging all those eligible to join the millions of others across the UK in taking up their free vaccine offer to ensure they stay winter strong.”
Councillor Fiona Venner, Leeds City Council’s executive member for equality, health and wellbeing, said: “We want to protect our city’s most vulnerable from these respiratory viruses which spread more easily in winter and usually reach their peak over the festive and new year period.
“Nobody wants to miss out on festive celebrations with their families and friends and these vaccines provide the best possible protection.
“Our city’s GPs and community pharmacies stand ready to provide these free jabs to all those eligible – please book your appointment today and arm yourself against the risk of severe illness.”
Over 65s, those under 65 in clinical risk groups and pregnant women should contact their GP surgery or community pharmacy (for those aged 18 or over) to book their vaccinations.
Parents of children who are aged two or three (on or before August 31, 2024) should contact their GP surgery to book their child’s flu vaccination.
School-aged children (from reception to year 11) will mainly be offered their flu vaccines at school and for most this is a nasal spray, not an injection. A flu vaccine injection is available that does not contain gelatine. Parents who do not want their child to have the nasal spray vaccine should speak to the person vaccinating the child or ask for the injection on the school consent form.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
A new online system for forms submitted to the OISC has been launched.
We have today (Monday 14 October) launched a new online system for forms submitted to the OISC.
The new system will make it easier to apply for registration. It will also assist registered organisations in applying for continued registration, adding new advisers, changing levels and paying registration fees.
Our new forms are interactive, user-friendly, and structured in the same style as other government forms.
Immigration Services Commissioner, John Tuckett, said:
“The introduction of our new online forms system will make the registration process more straightforward and user-friendly.
“It will save our registered advisers valuable time, allowing them to focus on their essential work of supporting advice seekers, providing them with high-quality, reliable advice.”
The introduction of the new system allows:
card payments to be made
applicants to register on a mobile phone
applicants to save and return to their application at a later date or time
advisers to edit their details, giving them more control over the information that is displayed
Anyone using the forms will need to register for a One Login account, as with other government platforms.
The new online forms can be accessed via the OISC portal.
Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE
Headline: Greater support for Roma women’s organisations needed to address multiple inequalities, ODIHR says
Carmen Gheorghe, representing E-Romnja attending an event dedicated to support Roma women organization, held by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) during the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference last week. (OSCE) Photo details
More tailored support is needed for Roma women’s civil society organizations and activists, participants said at an event organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) during the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference last week.
“Defending the human rights of Roma women is a collective responsibility, and it should not fall on the shoulders of Roma women’s activists only,” said Tea Jaliashvili, ODIHR Director’s Alternate/First Deputy Director. “Striving towards prosperous societies means embracing diversity and equality in all its forms and supporting those in need.”
Roma women’s civil society plays a crucial role in ensuring respect for the rights of Roma women, which are often violated by intersectional forms of discrimination. Limited funding and a long-standing lack of assistance hinder Roma women from achieving their full potential, leading to their ongoing exclusion.
“The deteriorating socio-economic climate and political challenges are making the work of civil society ever more difficult. And Roma feminist advocates struggle with additional barriers, from cultural bias to sexism, racism and classism,” said Carmen Gheorghe, representing E-Romnja, a Roma feminist non-profit organization.
The event brought together Roma women advocates and representatives, as well as delegations of OSCE states, to discuss the key challenges facing Roma and Sinti women in the OSCE region and the organizations advocating for their needs.
“Introducing intersectionality in the legal work of our organization led to better support for Roma women,” said Ðorđe Jovanović on behalf of the European Roma Rights Centre. “We need both mainstream human rights groups and women’s organizations as allies to be able to tackle the full range of disparities experienced by Roma women.”
During the event, participants called upon governments across the OSCE region to provide systemic support as well as putting legal and policy measures in place to support Roma women. Increased funding is essential, along with opportunities for collaboration, training, and empowerment. Particular focus should be paid to Roma women at higher risk of marginalisation and exploitation, such as women with disabilities, displaced people, youth, and the elderly.
ODIHR’s mandate to improve the situation of Roma and Sinti also includes tailored support for Roma and Sinti women. ODIHR will continue this by strengthening partnerships with OSCE states and civil society to ensure better protection of the rights of Roma women.
In December 2023, ODIHR published its five-yearly report on progress made by OSCE states towards Roma inclusion and the challenges that remain. The report describes the lack of adequate support in fulfilling the socio-economic and political rights of Roma and Sinti women, and recommends more targeted measures to tackle intersectional inequalities.
Source: United Kingdom UK House of Lords (video statements)
The national £2 bus fare cap was in the spotlight this week as members raised concerns ahead of its scheduled end on 31 December 2024. Topics raised included the need for better co-ordination between buses and railways, and reliable transport for young people to access jobs and education.
Cast of Road Safe Road Show along with Alderman Mark Baxter, Chairperson of PCSP along with PCSP and PSNI staff
Over 700 pupils from a number of schools across the Craigavon area recently attended the award winning PSNI Roadsafe Roadshow, which was held at Craigavon Civic and Conference Centre.
Organised by the PSNI and supported by Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Policing and Community Safety Partnership (PCSP), students heard the hard-hitting message that making one mistake whilst driving on the roads can ultimately end in a fatality.
The event centred around ‘Craig’ – a typical young driver who has just passed his driving test, has bought a new car and is excited to pick up his girlfriend. He is 17 years old, a show-off, cheeky and over-confident.
The roadshow then followed the story of Craig’s car crash and all that happened next, including the lives of those affected by the collision.
Young people heard the real-life stories from a police officer, a paramedic, a fire fighter, a hospital consultant and two others who have had their lives changed forever, due to a car accident.
“This award-winning road show was a very sobering event that I have no doubt has left a permanent impact on the young people who attended, and will hopefully influence their future driving behaviour,” commented the Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Councillor Sarah Duffy.
“To hear from real people who have lived through horrendous experiences was a hard listen – but so important, as they conveyed the reality of life for those who have been affected by a car accident.”
Alderman Mark Baxter, Chair of the PCSP, agreed. “This event was hugely impactful and very hard hitting and really gave young people an idea of how not concentrating while behind the wheel can have catastrophic repercussions.”
“It really brought home the reality of road deaths to the young audience and I know it has certainly given them a lot to think about when it is their turn to take to the road.”
Exercise is great for improving heart health. But the thought of hitting the gym or going for a jog might put some people off from doing it. And, if you have a heart condition already, such dynamic exercises may not be safe to do.
The good news is, you don’t necessarily need to do a vigorous workout to see heart benefits. You can even improve your heart health by holding still and trying really hard not to move.
Normally, to build strength and force, our muscles need to change length throughout a movement. Squats and bicep curls are good examples of exercises that cause the muscle to change length throughout the movement.
But isometric training involves simply contracting your muscles, which generates force without needing to move your joints. The harder a muscle is contracted, the more forceful it becomes (and the more forceful a muscle is, the more powerfully we can perform a movement).
If you add weight to an isometric exercise, it causes the muscle to contract even harder. A wall sit and a plank are examples of isometric contractions.
Isometric exercises are associated with a high degree of “neural recruitment”, because of the need to maintain the contraction. This means these exercises are good at engaging specialised neurons in our brain and spinal cord, which play an important role in all the movements we do – both voluntary and involuntary. The greater this level of neural activation, the more muscle fibres are recruited – and the more force generated. As a result, this can lead to strength gains.
Isometric exercises have long been of interest to strength and power athletes as a means of preparing their muscles to generate high forces by activating them. But research also shows isometric exercises are beneficial for other areas of our health – including reducing hypertension and promoting better blood flow.
There are a couple reasons why isometric exercises are so good for the heart.
When a muscle is contracted, it expands its size. This causes it to compress the blood vessels supplying this muscle, reducing blood flow and raising the blood pressure in our arteries – a mechanism known as the “pressor reflex”.
Then, once the contraction is relaxed, a sudden surge of blood flows into the blood vessels and muscle. This influx of blood brings more oxygen and (crucially) nitric oxide into the blood vessels – causing them to widen. This in turn reduces blood pressure. Over time, this action will reduce stiffness of the arteries, which may lower blood pressure.
When blood flow is reduced during an isometric movement, it also reduces the amount of available oxygen that cells need to function. This triggers the release of metabolites, such as hydrogen ions and lactate, which stimulate the sympathetic nervous system – which controls our “fight of flight” response. In the short term, this leads to an increase in blood pressure.
But when an isometric exercise is done repeatedly over many weeks, there’s a reduction in sympathetic nervous system activity. This means blood pressure is lowered and there’s less strain on the cardiovascular system – which makes these exercises good for the heart.
Isometric exercises may be even more beneficial for heart health than other types of cardiovascular exercise. A study which compared the benefits of isometric exercise versus high-intensity interval training found isometrics led to significantly greater reductions in resting blood pressure over the study period of between two and 12 weeks.
How to use isometric exercise
If you want to use isometric training to reduce blood pressure, it’s recommended that you should do any isometric contraction for two minutes at around 30-50% of your maximum effort. This is enough to trigger physiological improvements.
You can start by doing this four times a day, three-to-five times per week – focusing on the same exercise. As you progress, you can start to vary the exercises you do, add weights to the exercise, or add in more than one isometric exercise.
Some good isometric exercises to begin with include a static squat, a wall sit or a plank. Even during these small bouts of exercise, your heart rate, breathing and arterial pressure will all increase – the same responses that occur during more conventional whole-body exercises, such as cycling and running.
The beneficial improvements in blood pressure start to manifest around 4-10 weeks after starting isometric training – though this depends on a person’s health and fitness levels when starting out.
Isometric training appears to be a simple, low-intensity mode of exercise that offers big benefits for cardiovascular health – all while requiring little time commitment compared with other workouts.
Dan Gordon, Professor of Exercise Physiology, Anglia Ruskin University; Chloe French, PhD Candidate in Sport and Exercise Science, Anglia Ruskin University, and Ruby Cain, PhD Candidate, Anglia Ruskin University
The Frame is available for purchase at MoMA Design Store at store.moma.org, Samsung.com and other select retailers.
The Introduction of Highlights from MoMA’s Collection follows the Samsung Art Store’s relationships with world-class museums including The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Musée d’Orsay, and the release of several collections this year featuring René Magritte, Jean-Michel Basquiat and over 40 Marimekko artworks. Samsung remains committed to being the premier destination for experiencing a wide breadth of high-quality digital art.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences decided on Monday to award the 2024 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel to Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James A. Robinson.
This trio, consisting of Acemoglu and Johnson from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Robinson from the University of Chicago, has been honored “for studies of how institutions are formed and affect prosperity.”
Jakob Svensson, chair of the Committee for the Prize in Economic Sciences, stated that the laureates have demonstrated the importance of societal institutions in achieving the goal of reducing income differences between countries.
The laureates’ research contributes to the understanding that “societies with a poor rule of law and institutions that exploit the population do not generate growth or change for the better,” the committee stated in a press release.
Daron Acemoglu was born in 1967 in Istanbul, Türkiye. He earned his PhD in 1992 from the London School of Economics and Political Science and is currently a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, the United States. Simon Johnson, born in 1963 in Sheffield, the United Kingdom, received his PhD in 1989 from MIT and is also a professor there. James A. Robinson, born in 1960, obtained his PhD in 1993 from Yale University and is a professor at the University of Chicago, IL, USA.
The prize includes 11 million Swedish Krona (approximately 1 million U.S. dollars). Established in 1968 by Sweden’s central bank Sveriges Riksbank, the prize has been awarded since 1969 by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which selects the laureates in economic sciences.
MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –
The Institute of Marketing of the State University of Management took part in raising funds to help the SVO, which were donated to the Charitable Foundation “Revival of the Native Land”, created by the industrial partner of the State University of Management, the Production Association “FORENERGO”.
The Revival of the Native Land Foundation is an initiative aimed at supporting and restoring our territories, preserving cultural heritage and developing local communities. With the start of the special operation in Ukraine, one of the priority areas of the foundation’s work has become supporting military personnel and their families.
The choice of this particular fund is not accidental. The founder of the fund is the industrial partner of the Institute of Marketing – PO FORENERGO. The fund has been operating for over 10 years and has proven in practice that its true mission is to help people and develop regions.
All funds raised will be used to support military personnel and residents of the new territories.
Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 10/14/2024
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.
More than 50 representatives from local technology businesses and organisations attended the launch of the Lancaster district’s new Local Full Fibre Network to find out more about its benefits and how it will help to turbocharge the local economy.
Councillor Tim Hamilton-Cox presenting at the launch of the Local Full Fibre Network
Led by Lancaster City Council and Cooperative Network Infrastructure (CNI), the project is seeing the installation of a new optical fibre network that will provide a fibre spine of gigabit broadband capability to connect Lancaster, Morecambe and Heysham.
The spine will significantly cut the costs of establishing a connection to fibre telecommunication for the district’s thriving digital businesses, opening up opportunities and promoting the development of the local digital ecosystem to attract investment.
There are also long-term benefits for the council, including significant financial savings and the ability to transform its services though innovation, along with ‘future-proofing’ connectivity to its sites and assets.
The council and CNI have worked with local companies such as Caton Road-based TNP and rural broadband pioneer B4RN to develop and install the network, many of whom attended a special launch event on Thursday (October 10).
Councillor Tim Hamilton-Cox, cabinet member with responsibility for finance and resources, said: “For any business to be able to compete in this day and age, access to fast fibre broadband is a must and I am delighted that the council has been able to work with CNI and local suppliers to develop this new infrastructure.
“Other public bodies will also be able to benefit and satisfy the ever-increasing demand for bandwidth in the provision of public services, including the NHS, police and schools. The launch heard from the NHS in Greater Manchester on how a fibre network had saved money and improved data security and accessibility.
“I also want to express my gratitude to Blackpool Borough Council for sharing the very considerable experience and expertise of Tony Doyle, their ICT manager. He has already achieved a similar roll-out of fibre infrastructure across Blackpool and Tony has been integral to design and delivery of the fibre spine across Lancaster district.”
Tony Doyle, who is also chair of CNI, added: “It’s been a privilege to work with Lancaster’s forward-thinking team, committed to being at the forefront of the digital revolution and addressing sustainability challenges.
“Together, the new fibre network and soon-to-come sustainable data centre provide a strong foundation for future growth, helping to transform public services and businesses. I’m excited to see how these assets will drive innovation in the local and regional economy.”
The next steps in the project are to provide a state-of-the-art hyper-green data centre facility centre at Salt Ayre Leisure Centre, which will further enhance the network and provide the infrastructure needed to realise the benefits of new technologies for the council, businesses and the wider public sector.
The number of research studies published globally has risen exponentially in the past decades. AP Photo/Frank Augstein, file
Millions of scientific papers are published globally every year. These papers in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine present discoveries that range from the mundane to the profound.
He warned that the world would soon deplete its resources and talent pool for research. He imagined this would lead to a decline in new discoveries and potential crises in medicine, technology and the economy. At the time, scholars widely accepted his prediction of an impending slowdown in scientific progress.
Faulty predictions
In fact, science has spectacularly defied Price’s dire forecast. Instead of stagnation, the world now experiences “global mega-science” – a vast, ever-growing network of scientific discovery. This explosion of scientific production made Price’s prediction of collapse perhaps the most stunningly incorrect forecast in the study of science.
Unfortunately, Price died in 1983, too early to realize his mistake.
So, what explains the world’s sustained and dramatically increasing capacity for scientific research?
Factors such as economic growth, warfare, space races and geopolitical competition have undoubtedly spurred research capacity. But these factors alone cannot account for the immense scale of today’s scientific enterprise.
The education revolution: Science’s secret engine
In many ways, the world’s scientific capacity has been built upon the educational aspirations of young adults pursuing higher education.
Funding from higher education supports a large part of the modern scientific enterprise. AP Photo/Paul Sancya
Over the past 125 years, increasing demand for and access to higher education has sparked a global education revolution. Now, more than two-fifths of the world’s young people ages 19-23, although with huge regional differences, are enrolled in higher education. This revolution is the engine driving scientific research capacity.
External research funding is still essential for specialized equipment, supplies and additional support for research time. But the day-to-day research capacity of universities, especially academics working in teams, forms the foundation of global scientific progress.
Even the most generous national science and commercial research and development budgets cannot fully sustain the basic infrastructure and staffing needed for ongoing scientific discovery.
The past few decades have also seen a surge in global scientific collaborations. These arrangements leverage diverse talent from around the world to enhance the quality of research.
International collaborations have led to millions of co-authored papers. International research partnerships were relatively rare before 1980, accounting for just over 7,000 papers, or about 2% of the global output that year. But by 2010 that number had surged to 440,000 papers, meaning 22% of the world’s scientific publications resulted from international collaborations.
This growth, building on the “collaboration dividend,” continues today and has been shown to produce the highest-impact research.
Universities tend to share academic goals with other universities and have wide networks and a culture of openness, which makes these collaborations relatively easy.
Today, universities also play a key role in international supercollaborations involving teams of hundreds or even thousands of scientists. In these huge collaborations, researchers can tackle major questions they wouldn’t be able to in smaller groups with fewer resources.
Supercollaborations have facilitated breakthroughs in understanding the intricate physics of the universe and the synthesis of evolution and genetics that scientists in a single country could never achieve alone.
The IceCube collaboration, a prime example of a global megacollaboration, has made big strides in understanding neutrinos, which are ghostly particles from space that pass through Earth. Martin Wolf, IceCube/NSF
The role of global hubs
Hubs made up of universities from around the world have made scientific research thoroughly global. The first of these global hubs, consisting of dozens of North American research universities, began in the 1970s. They expanded to Europe in the 1980s and most recently to Southeast Asia.
Scientists at these universities have often transcended geopolitical boundaries, with Iranian researchers publishing papers with Americans, Germans collaborating with Russians and Ukrainians, and Chinese scientists working with their Japanese and Korean counterparts.
The COVID-19 pandemic clearly demonstrated the immense scale of international collaboration in global megascience. Within just six months of the start of the pandemic, the world’s scientists had already published 23,000 scientific studies on the virus. These studies contributed to the rapid development of effective vaccines.
With universities’ expanding global networks, the collaborations can spread through key research hubs to every part of the world.
Is global megascience sustainable?
But despite the impressive growth of scientific output, this brand of highly collaborative and transnational megascience does face challenges.
On the one hand, birthrates in many countries that produce a lot of science are declining. On the other, many youth around the world, particularly those in low-income countries, have less access to higher education, although there is some recent progress in the Global South.
Sustaining these global collaborations and this high rate of scientific output will mean expanding access to higher education. That’s because the funds from higher education subsidize research costs, and higher education trains the next generation of scientists.
De Solla Price couldn’t have predicted how integral universities would be in driving global science. For better or worse, the future of scientific production is linked to the future of these institutions.
David Baker receives funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation, U.S. National Institutes of Health, Fulbright, FNR
Luxembourg, and the Qatar Nation Research Fund.
Justin J.W. Powell has received funding for research on higher education and science from Germany’s BMBF, DFG, and VolkswagenStiftung; Luxembourg’s FNR; and Qatar’s QNRF.
The United States is the only democracy in the world where a presidential candidate can get the most popular votes and still lose the election. Thanks to the Electoral College, that has happened five times in the country’s history. The most recent examples are from 2000, when Al Gore won the popular vote but George W. Bush won the Electoral College after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, and 2016, when Hillary Clinton got more votes nationwide than Donald Trump but lost in the Electoral College.
As a scholar of presidential democracies around the world, I have studied how countries have used electoral colleges. None have been satisfied with the results. And except for the U.S., all have found other ways to choose their leaders.
The Holy Roman Empire had seven electors: Three were members of the Catholic Church and four were significant members of the nobility. This image depicts, from left, the archbishop of Cologne, the archbishop of Mainz, the archbishop of Trier, the count palatine of the Rhine, the duke of Saxony, the margrave of Brandenburg and the king of Bohemia. Codex Balduini Trevirorum, c. 1340, Landeshauptarchiv Koblenz via Wikimedia Commons
The origins of the US Electoral College
The Holy Roman Empire was a loose confederation of territories that existed in central Europe from 962 to 1806. The emperor was not chosen by heredity, like most other monarchies. Instead, emperors were chosen by electors, who represented both secular and religious interests.
As of 1356, there were seven electors: Four were hereditary nobles and three were chosen by the Catholic Church. By 1803, the total number of electors had increased to 10. Three years later, the empire fell.
When the Founding Fathers were drafting the U.S. Constitution in 1787, the initial draft proposal called for the “National Executive,” which we now call the president, to be elected by the “National Legislature,” which we now call Congress. However, Virginia delegate George Mason viewed “making the Executive the mere creature of the Legislature as a violation of the fundamental principle of good Government,” and so the idea was rejected.
For 21 days, the founders debated how to elect the president, and they held more than 30 separate votes on the topic – more than for any other issue they discussed. Eventually, the complicated solution that they agreed to was an early version of the electoral college system that exists today, a method where neither Congress nor the people directly elect the president. Instead, each state gets a number of electoral votes corresponding to the number of members of the U.S. House and Senate it is apportioned. When the states’ electoral votes are tallied, the candidate with the majority wins.
After just two elections, in 1796 and 1800, problems with this system had become obvious. Chief among them was that electoral votes were cast only for president. The person who got the most electoral votes became president, and the person who came in second place – usually their leading opponent – became vice president. The current process of electing the president and vice president on a single ticket but with separate electoral votes was adopted in 1804 with the passage of the 12th Amendment.
Some other questions about how the Electoral College system should work were clarified by federal laws through the years, including in 1887 and 1948.
After the the U.S. Constitution went into effect, the idea of using an electoral college to indirectly elect a president spread to other republics.
For example, in the Americas, Colombia adopted an electoral college in 1821. Chile adopted one in 1828. Argentina adopted one in 1853.
In Europe, Finland adopted an electoral college to elect its president in 1925, and France adopted an electoral college in 1958.
Over time, however, these countries changed their minds. All of them abandoned their electoral colleges and switched to directly electing their presidents by votes of the people. Colombia did so in 1910, Chile in 1925, France in 1965, Finland in 1994, and Argentina in 1995.
There is an effort underway in the U.S. to replace the Electoral College. It may not even require amending the Constitution.
The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, currently agreed to by 17 U.S. states, including small states such as Delaware and big ones such as California, as well as the District of Columbia, is an agreement to award all of their electoral votes to whichever presidential candidate gets the most votes nationwide. It would take effect once enough states sign on that they would represent the 270-vote majority of electoral votes. The current list reaches 209 electoral votes.
A key problem with the interstate compact is that in races with more than two candidates, it could lead to situations where the winner of the election did not get a majority of the popular vote, but rather more than half of all voters chose someone else.
When Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Finland and France got rid of their electoral colleges, they did not replace them with a direct popular vote in which the person with the most votes wins. Instead, they all adopted a version of runoff voting. In those systems, winners are declared only when they receive support from more than half of those who cast ballots.
Notably, neither the U.S. Electoral College nor the interstate compact that seeks to replace it are systems that ensure that presidents are supported by a majority of voters.
Joshua Holzer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Many of those appraisals are based on examples of people who tried to establish communism. Communists have launched revolutions in many places including Russia and China. In five countries – China, North Korea, Laos, Cuba and Vietnam – communist parties control the current governments. The economic and political systems in those countries are not fully communist, but some might be working to transition from capitalism to communism.
In part because the U.S. has difficult relationships with these countries, many Americans have negative views of communists and communism. To evaluate those countries and to decide your own opinions about communism in general, it is important to first be clear about what the principles of communism are.
Communists believe that people should share wealth so that no one is too poor, no one is too rich, and everyone has enough to survive and have a good life.
A communist might be a member of a Communist party, which is a political party, or a member of a group of people who want to play a role in government.
The opening of the 2014 convention of the Communist Party of the United States of America.
In communism, people work together to produce and distribute the things they need to live, such as food, clothing and entertainment. That does not mean that everything is shared at all times.
In a communist society, individuals might still live in their own homes and have their own food, clothing and personal items such as televisions and cellphones. However, the places where these items were produced, such as factories and farms, would be owned by everyone.
Similarly, a person might still create artistic products such as works of literature or craftsmanship on their own. The goal would not be to make money, though, but instead to share for everyone to enjoy.
Communists support some form of collective ownership. Ownership by everyone would ensure that all members of society have equal rights to the products from the factories and farms because they would all be part owners of the enterprises.
In such a society, everyone would also have equal political rights and would participate in governance together. Theoretically, communism should entail some form of democracy.
Throughout history, there have been many different views on what communism is, how it should be organized and how it might be achieved. The most famous theories about communism are probably the ones that were developed by a German philosopher named Karl Marx. His ideas are often called Marxism.
Marx studied history and observed that the way people produced goods and services was closely related to who held power. For example, in farming societies, those who owned the land had more power than those who did not.
Marx also noticed that people with less power had often risen up, usually violently, to overthrow the powerful people. He called this concept class struggle. He believed this process was how societies developed from one system of government and economy to another. He claimed that class struggle led societies through a progression toward greater efficiency in the production of goods and services, higher levels of technology and wider distribution of social and political power.
When Marx was alive in the 1800s, an economic and political system called capitalism had developed in many countries. In capitalist societies, the economy centered on factories. Factory owners had significant political and economic influence.
Marx observed that in countries such as Germany, England and the United States, factory owners hired laborers who worked long hours producing goods such as shirts or tables. While the factory owners sold these products at high prices, they paid the workers very little. As a result, the factory owners became richer, while many workers struggled to afford the goods they produced or even to provide food for their families.
Marx believed that this inequality would eventually lead to a worker uprising. During their revolution, Marx predicted, the workers would seize control of the factories, begin running them more fairly, and this would lead to a new political system, known as socialism.
Where does socialism fit in?
A campaign poster from 1976, spotlighting the candidates from the Communist Party of the United States of America. Library of Congress
Of course, if the workers staged a revolution, the factory owners would fight back. Marx thought that, immediately after the revolution, the workers would first need to create a strong government to prevent the owners from reestablishing capitalism. During that phase, which Marx called socialism, the workers would run the government while they continued moving away from capitalism and trying to create a more equal society.
Marx thought people would eventually see that socialism was much better than capitalism because socialism would end exploitation while still allowing a society to continue moving toward better economic and political practices, but without inequality. Once that happened, a government would no longer be necessary.
The society would become communist. There would still be governance, but not a government that was separated from the people. Rather, in a communist society, the people would govern together, and everyone would do some of the work and receive what they needed.
There are Communist parties in many places, and many are currently working to move their countries toward communism. At this time, no country has yet made the transition to full communism, but many people still hope that transition will happen somewhere, sometime. Those people are communists. Communists are optimistic that humans can one day create a more fair and equal society.
Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.
And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.
Aminda Smith does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Joseph Patrick Kelly, Professor of Literature and Director of Irish and Irish American Studies, College of Charleston
Supporters gather at a campaign rally for Donald Trump in Butler, Pa., on Oct. 5, 2024.Jeff Swensen/Getty Images
Lying about Black people is nothing new in political campaigning.
Despite the thorough debunking of false rumors that Haitian immigrants were eating cats and dogs in Springfield, Ohio, former President Donald Trump and his GOP allies insist on repeating the lies.
While many political observers believe that these lies have, as The New York Times columnist Lydia Polgreen described, finally “crossed a truly unacceptable line,” in fact, white politicians have told brazen, fearmongering, racist lies about Black people for over the past 100 years.
One of the more notorious lies occurred in 1908 in another Springfield, this one in Illinois. As a historian who studies the impact of racism on democracy, it’s my belief that what happened there and in other cities helps to clarify what Trump and Vance are trying to do in Springfield, Ohio, today.
Lying when everyone knows you’re lying seems to be the point.
New target, old message
Springfield, Illinois, Abraham Lincoln’s home town, was, in 1908, a working-class city of just under 50,000 people – about the same size as its modern counterpart in Ohio.
Because of the city’s manufacturing industries, Springfield was also an attractive place to live and work for Black men and women escaping the social oppression of the Deep South.
The Black population of Springfield had been growing by about 4% annually, and by 1908, roughly 2,500 Black people were living there to work in the city’s manufacturing plants. As the wealth of some Black families rose, so too did racist fears among whites that Black migrants were taking their jobs.
Rumors spread through false newspaper reports among white residents that a Black man had raped a white woman.
As the story went, a Black man broke through the screen door of a modest house in a white neighborhood. He supposedly dragged a 21-year-old white woman by her throat into the backyard, where he raped her. Or so the woman said.
A couple of weeks after the incident, the woman admitted she lied. There was no Black man. There was no rape. But by then, telling the truth was too late. The rumor had triggered a wave of anti-Black violence.
William English Walling, a white, liberal journalist from Kentucky, reported that Springfield’s white folks launched “deadly assaults on every negro they could lay their hands on, to sack and plunder their houses and stores, and to burn and murder.”
For two days, the violence raged, while white “prosperous businessmen looked on” in complicit approval, Walling wrote. Several blocks in Black neighborhoods were burned, and at least eight Black men were killed.
One of the men killed was William K. Donnegan. The 84-year-old died after his white attackers slit his throat and then hanged him with a clothesline from a tree near his home.
As a dozen different rioters told Walling: “Why, the n—–s came to think they were as good as we are!”
Telling the truth about racist tropes
At the turn of the 19th century, racial tensions were most often expressed in sexual terms – Black men having sex with white women.
That sexual anxiety was part of what cultural historians call a “master narrative,” a symbolic story that dramatizes white nationalism and the belief that citizenship and its benefits were preserved for one racial group at the expense of all others.
One of the first to debunk this rape fantasy was Ida B. Wells, the Black editor and owner of the weekly “Memphis Free Press.”
In 1892, a white mob lynched one of her good friends, Thomas Moss, and two others associated with his cooperative Peoples’ Grocery store. The Appeal Avalanche, a white Memphis newspaper, wrote that the lynching “was done decently and in order.”
In her May 21, 1892, editorial about Moss’ death, Wells told a different story about “the same old racket – the new alarm about raping a white woman.”
Wells explained that she worried that people who lived outside of the Deep South might believe the lies about Black people.
“Nobody in this section of the country,” she wrote, not even the demagogues spreading rumors, “believe the old thread bare lie that Negro men rape white women.”
Political fearmongering
What happened in Wilmington, North Carolina, in 1898 was based on a deliberate, cynical election strategy of lies.
At the turn of the 20th century, North Carolina’s disaffected, poor working-class white Populists joined forces with Black Republicans to form what were known as the Fusionists.
In Wilmington, then the largest city in North Carolina, the Fusionists were able to vote out the white-nationalist Democratic Party in the early 1890s and became a symbol of hope for a democratic South and racial equality.
They also became a target for Democrats seeking to regain power and restore white nationalism.
The spark came in the summer of 1898 when Rebecca Felton, the wife of a Georgia congressman and a leading women’s rights advocate, gave an address to Georgia’s Agricultural Society on Aug. 11 that sought to protect the virtue of white women.
“If it needs lynching,” she said, “to protect a woman’s dearest possession from the ravening of beasts – then I say lynch; a thousand times a week if necessary.”
In response, Alexander Manly, the Black editor of The Daily Record, in Wilmington, followed the lead of Ida B. Wells and attacked the myths of Black men. Manly pointed out in his August 1898 editorial that poor white women “are not any more particular in the matter of clandestine meetings with colored men than are the white men with colored women.”
Democrats bent on stoking racial fears circulated Manly’s editorial throughout North Carolina before the November 1898 elections, decrying the “Outrageous Attack on White Women!” by “the scurrilous negro editor.”
If that wasn’t enough to stir up North Carolina Democrats, party officials sent the Red Shirts, their white nationalist militia, to Wilmington to overthrow the city’s biracial government, install all white officials and restore white rule.
To that end, a white mob destroyed Manly’s newspaper office, chased him and other Black leaders into exile, rampaged through Black neighborhoods and killed an untold number of Black men.
It was a white nationalist coup d’etat.
The great white protector
In his modern-day attempt to divide working-class white people from working-class Black people, Vance has urged his supporters to ignore “the crybabies” in the mainstream media.
“Keep the cat memes flowing!” he posted on X.
An estimated 67 million people watched the U.S. presidential debate on ABC and heard Trump angrily proclaim: “They’re eating the dogs. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating … the pets of the people that live there.”
Once again, the old narrative is resurrected.
Joseph Kelly is not affiliated with any political party. In the past, he has been a volunteer with the Charleston County (SC) Democratic Party.
In 1991, Douglas Coupland’s novel Generation X supposedly made him the “voice of” that generation. Looking further back, J.D. Salinger’s first and only novel, Catcher in the Rye (1951), seemed to capture the voice of a generation at the time, and has resonated with successive generations of awkward and disaffected teenagers ever since.
What’s behind this phenomenon is generational thinking. It seems to be everywhere at the moment, providing the media with easy taglines, spreading cliches and unnecessarily sowing division. But its history goes back far beyond even the baby-boomers.
In the 19th century, after the radical upheavals of the Enlightenment , the “age of revolutions” and the Industrial Revolution, some people wondered if perhaps they could reject tradition completely. Groups of young artists began to rebel against a model of discipleship that required them to learn from their elders.
Instead of following the art world’s top-down, paternalistic apprenticeship model, these fraternities and brotherhoods (yes, they were mainly men) declared that were innovating a new dawn in art.
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, for example, now viewed as quaint, were definitely Victorian radicals, as were the impressionists 25 years later. These tight-knit groups of artists had a strong sense of generational identity, rebelling against their predecessors.
In one important way, however, they were different from the modern “voice of a generation” figures because these groups also saw themselves as rebelling against their own peers. We now might see them as iconic of their generation, but at the time, they were rejects, though elite ones – bohemian in the original sense. Crucially, they were honest about their oddity. They knew they were unusual, so they didn’t claim to be speaking for everyone.
This paradox highlights one of the challenges of history: that we’re understandably most captivated by people who were “ahead of their time”, but these people are therefore probably not representative of their time.
The idea of generations as self-conscious group identities came into being with the trauma and upheaval of the first world war. Over the next couple of decades, writers who had come of age during the war narrated how it had decimated and traumatised their generation.
These stories all express an angry sense of having been “lions led by donkeys”. They envisage an unbridgeable divide between their own front-line generation, sacrificing its youth, and an older generation of complacent army commanders.
They also trace a second divide between themselves and the slighter younger generation who came of age after the war’s end and didn’t want to think about it. Brittain poignantly describes how this new fresh-faced generation experienced her grief as passé.
These first world war writers did consciously speak as the voice of a specific “lost generation”. But like any such label, this also obscures a more complex reality.
Not all first world war soldiers were in the first flush of youth like Wilfred Owen, Robert Graves, Remarque and Sherriff. In fact, men were recruited up to the age of 41 in Britain, 43 in Russia, 48 in France and 50 in Austria-Hungary.
This complexity highlights one of the tricky things about the generations concept. It refers both to relationships within families (parents and children) and to commonalities beyond the family, among contemporaries across society. Sometimes these two dimensions align neatly, as in the “lost generation”, but sometimes they don’t, like for those older soldiers who don’t fit inside that label.
Why generational labels matter
My research has shown that generational ideas are real and do matter – but need to be handled with care.
Generation talk all too often slips into generalisation, which can then be used to sow division. The word “generationalism” has been coined by researchers to highlight this issue.
To counteract this, a network of researchers and third sector colleagues, led by myself and sociologist Jennie Bristow, have worked together to produce a guide entitled Talking About Generations: 5 Questions to Ask Yourself, which encourages people working with the concept of generation to pause and check their motivations and meaning before using the term.
Labels like “the voice of a generation” always depend on speculating about what other people are thinking and feeling. This risks flattening and homogenising generational experience – not all millennials are Sally Rooneys, after all.
Rooney herself has said in an interview: “I certainly never intended to speak for anyone other than myself.” Any “voice of a generation” needs, in practice, to be plural “voices”.
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Helen Kingstone has received funding from Wellcome: it funded the research behind the guide for ‘Talking about Generations’.
‘Strabane – Blessing a Town into Poetry’ features in Island Voices lecture
14 October 2024
The town of Strabane will be lauded by poet Maureen Boyle during a literary lunchtime lecture in the Tower Museum as part of Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Island Voices programme.
This year the Island Voices lectures are exploring the theme of ‘home’ in the work of local writers from the English, Irish and Ulster-Scots traditions.
Island Voices features talks by Belfast-born Réaltán Ní Leannáin, Maureen Boyle from Sion Mills, and Alan Millar from the Laggan Valley in East Donegal, the series explores identity and belonging within the context of our shared languages of English, Irish and Ulster-Scots.
Irish Language writer Réaltán Ní Leannáin opened the series with a lecture entitled ‘From Burgu to Belfast’.
The next lecture on Thursday, 24 October will feature Sion writer Maureen Boyle speaking about ‘Writing ‘Strabane’ – Blessing a Town Into Poetry’.
In 2018 Maureen was commissioned by Radio 4 to write a poem on her family’s hometown for a series called ‘Conversations on a Bench’.
Growing up in the village of Sion Mills, it was the nearby town of Strabane which captured Maureen’s imagination. It was where her father had grown up, and her family later moved into the town. Every aspect of Maureen’s childhood memories are recalled in the poem – from the congested lungs of the mill workers to the smoky smell of her father’s bomb damage sale jackets in the family wardrobe.
In this talk, Maureen will explore the process of the poem’s creation, the motivation to write it, the research involved and the process of translating research into poetry.
An acclaimed poet Maureen won a UNESCO medal for a book of poems in 1979 at the age of 18. She has also won various awards including the Ireland Chair of Poetry Prize, the Strokestown International Poetry Prize, the Fish Short Memoir Prize, the Inaugural Ireland Chair of Poetry Travel Bursary and Awards from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. Commissions include one to write a poem on the Crown Bar in Belfast for the BBC in 2008 and for a poem on a painting in the O’Brien Collection in Washington. Some of her work has been translated into German, Flemish and French.
Those who attend Maureen’s lecture on Thursday, 24th October will get a unique insight into the enduring impact the poet’s hometown of Strabane has had on her life.
The final lecture in the series features Alan Millar with his talk ‘Hame an awa – Scots wurds in Irish toonlands’. It will take place on Thursday, 28 November.
All talks in the series are free but booking is essential. Each one will begin at 1pm and there are light refreshments available from 12.30pm. To book your place please contact the Tower Museum, T: (028) 7137 2411 or email [email protected]
Further information: Pól Ó Frighil, Languages Team, Derry City and Strabane District Council, [email protected]
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
The UK announces sanctions against Iranian individuals and organisations following Iran’s continued dangerous and destabilising activity across the Middle East
the UK announces sanctions against Iranian individuals and organisations following Iran’s continued dangerous and destabilising activity across the Middle East.
sanctions target senior figures in the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, Iran’s Air Force and organisations linked to Iran’s ballistic and cruise missile development.
announcement follows Iran’s attack against Israel on 1 October which threatened to escalate the conflict in the Middle East.
The UK has today (14th October) announced a new round of sanctions targeting senior Iranian military figures and organisations for their role in attempting to destabilise the Middle East.
In response to Iran’s attack against Israel on 1 October, today’s package targets senior figures who facilitate this behaviour, in the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, Iran’s Air Force and the IRGC Intelligence Organisation.
The package will also designate Farzanegan Propulsion Systems Design Bureau (FPSDB), which designs and manufactures parts that can be used in cruise missiles, as well as the Iranian Space Agency, which develops technologies that have applications in ballistic missile development.
Foreign Secretary, David Lammy said:
Despite repeated warnings, the dangerous actions of Iran and its proxies are driving further escalation in the Middle East.
Following its ballistic missile attack on Israel, we are holding Iran to account and exposing those who facilitated these acts.
Alongside allies and partners, we will continue to take necessary measures to challenge Iran’s unacceptable threats and press for de-escalation across the region.
Today’s announcement follows repeated warnings from the UK and international partners calling on Iran to cease its dangerous and escalatory activity across the Middle East.
It also follows the G7 joint statement condemning Iran’s missile attack on Israel and outlined the necessary steps being taken in response.
The Foreign Secretary also discussed Iran’s actions with European partners at the EU Foreign Affairs Council today, where he continued to push for de-escalation across the region.
Individuals sanctioned today and are subject to a travel ban and asset freeze, include:
Abdolrahim Mousavi: Commander-in Chief of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army and a member of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
Mohammad-Hossein Dadras: Deputy Commander-in Chief of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army.
Hamid Vahedi: Commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force.
Mohammad Kazemi: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Intelligence Chief.
Habibollah Sayyari: Head of the Joint Staff of the Iranian Army and Deputy Chief for Coordination of the Iranian Army.
Ali-Mohammad Naini: IRGC Spokesperson.
Houssein Pourfarzaneh: Chief Engineer of Farzanegan Propulsion Systems Design Bureau (FPSDB).
The following organisations are also subject to an asset freeze:
Farzanegan Propulsion Systems Design Bureau (FPSDB): FPSDB designs and manufactures engine technology which can be used in cruise missiles.
The Iranian Space Agency: The Iranian Space Agency develops space launch vehicle technologies, which have applications in ballistic missile development.
The UK already has over 400 sanctions imposed on Iran, including designations against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in its entirety and many of those responsible for the recent attack on Israel.
The UK will continue to work with international partners to hold Iran to account for its escalatory behaviour in the Middle East and its attempts to undermine global security.
The UK is clear that a wider regional conflict must be avoided at all costs and is committed to working with partners to secure a ceasefire on all sides.
A large-scale exhibition celebrating the work of local artist, Maurice Wade, has opened to the public for the first time.
Visitors will get a rare glimpse of his North Staffordshire-inspired landscapes featuring many well-known locations including Etruria Hall, Burslem, Longport and the local canal network – now on show at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery.
Born in Burslem in 1917, Maurice Wade trained during the 1930s at the Burslem School of Art and went on to teach at a local boys school in the 1960s.
The critically acclaimed artist exhibited at the Royal Academy, Paris Salon and The Royal Society of British Artists. His works feature in a number of public collections, including the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery and the Government Art Collection. Today, Wade is extremely collectable and his paintings are highly regarded by art lovers.
Councillor Jane Ashworth, leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “It is great that we are being able to highlight the work of this important artist, who was born right here in Stoke-on-Trent, in their home city.
“We should all be really proud that our city’s unique landscape features in these paintings and was the inspiration behind most of Maurice Wade’s work, especially as we are gearing up to celebrate our Centenary next year.
“The exhibition is on until January 2025, so there’s plenty of time to go along and enjoy this fantastic display.”
Maurice Wade felt a growing compulsion to paint when he returned to the Potteries in 1951, after serving in the army during the Second World War.
Following Wade’s death in 1991, his work was seemingly forgotten however over the last few years, there has been a renewed interest in the artist and a growing recognition of his important contribution to contemporary British art in the 20th century.
This special display will bring together over 90 paintings from Wade’s private collections, for the very first time.
The exhibition will highlight Wade’s fascination with North Staffordshire and will be accompanied by a fully illustrated book edited by Petr Hajek, with contributions by David Powell.
Dr Samantha Howard, Curator of Arts at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, said: “Maurice Wade – A Painter from No. 57 is a truly not-to-be missed opportunity to see so many wonderful paintings brought together from private collections that showcase the breadth and depth of the artist’s practice over 30 years”.
Maurice Wade – A Painter from No. 57 will until Sunday 26 January. Tickets are £6, £4 (concessions) and under 16s go free.
Developing clear policies and principles that are communicated with audiences should be an essential part of any newsroom’s AI practice.(Shutterstock)
When it comes to artificial intelligence (AI) and news production, Canadian news consumers want to know when, how and why AI is part of journalistic work. And if they don’t get that transparency, they could lose trust in news organizations.
News consumers are so concerned about how the use of AI could impact the accuracy of stories and the spread of misinformation, a majority favour government regulation of how AI is used in journalism.
These are some of our preliminary findings after surveying a representative sample of 1,042 Canadian news consumers, most of whom accessed news daily.
This research is part of the Global Journalism Innovation Lab which researches new approaches to journalism. Those of us on the team at Toronto Metropolitan University are particularly interested in looking at news from an audience perspective in order to develop strategies for best practice.
The industry has high hopes that the use of AI could lead to better journalism, but there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of figuring out how to use it ethically.
Not everyone, for example, is sure the promise of time saved on tasks that AI can do faster will actually translate into more time for better reporting.
We hope our research will help newsrooms understand audience priorities as they develop standards of practice surrounding AI, and prevent further erosion of trust in journalism.
AI and transparency
We found that a lack of transparency could have serious consequences for news outlets that use AI. Almost 60 per cent of those surveyed said they would lose trust in a news organization if they found out a story was generated by AI that they thought was written by a human, something also reflected in international studies.
The overwhelming majority of respondents in our study, more than 85 per cent, want newsrooms to be transparent about how AI is being used. Three quarters want that to include labelling of content created by AI. And more than 70 per cent want the government to regulate the use of AI by news outlets.
Organizations like Trusting News, which helps journalists build trust with audiences, now offer advice on what AI transparency should look like and say it’s more than just labelling a story — people want to know why news organizations are using AI.
Audience trust
Our survey also showed a significant contrast in confidence in news depending on the level of AI used. For example, more than half of respondents said they had high to very high trust in news produced just by humans. However, that level of trust dropped incrementally the more AI was involved in the process, to just over 10 per cent for news content that was generated by AI only.
In questions where news consumers had to choose a preference between humans and AI to make journalistic decisions, humans were far preferred. For example, more than 70 per cent of respondents felt humans were better at determining what was newsworthy, compared to less than six per cent who felt AI would have better news judgement. Eighty-six per cent of respondents felt humans should always be part of the journalistic process.
As newsrooms struggle to retain fractured audiences with fewer resources, the use of AI also has to be considered in terms of the value of the products they’re creating. More than half of our survey respondents perceived news produced mostly by AI with some human oversight as less worth paying for, which isn’t encouraging considering the existing reluctance to pay for news in Canada.
This result echoes a recent Reuters study, where an average of 41 per cent of people across six countries saw less value in AI-generated news.
Concerns about accuracy
In terms of negative impacts of AI in a newsroom, about 70 per cent of respondents were concerned about accuracy in news stories and job losses for journalists. Two-thirds of respondents felt the use of AI might lead to reduced exposure to a variety of information. An increased spread of mis- and disinformation, something recognized widely as a serious threat to democracy, was of concern for 78 per cent of news consumers.
Using AI to replace journalists was what made respondents most uncomfortable, and there was also less comfort with using it for editorial functions such as writing articles and deciding what stories to develop in the first place.
There was far more comfort with using it for non-editorial tasks such as transcription and copy editing, echoing findings in previous research in Canada and other markets.
We also gathered a lot of data unrelated to AI to get a sense of how Canadians are tapping into news and the news they’re tapping into. Politics and local news were the two most popular types of news, chosen by 67 per cent of respondents, even though there is less local news to consume due to extensive cuts, mergers and closures.
A lot of people in our sample of Canadians, around 30 per cent, don’t actively look for news. They let it find them, something called passive consumption. And although this is proportionally higher in news consumers under 35, this isn’t just a phenomenon seen in the younger demographic. More than half of those who reported letting news find them were over 35 years old.
Although smartphones are increasingly becoming the likely access points of news for many consumers, including almost 70 per cent for those 34 and under and about 60 per cent of those between 35 and 44, television is where most news consumers in our study reported getting their journalism.
Respondents in our survey were asked to select all of their points of news access. More than 80 per cent of participants chose some form of TV, with some respondents picking two TV formats, for example, cable TV and smart TV. Surprisingly to us, half of 18-24 year olds reported TV as an access point for news. For those 44 and under, it was more often through a smart TV, though. As shown in other Canadian studies, TV news still plays an important role in the media landscape.
This is just a broad look at the data we have collected. Our analysis is just beginning. We’re going to dig deeper into how different demographics feel about the use of AI in journalism and how the use of AI might impact audience trust.
We will also soon be launching our survey with research partners in the United Kingdom and Australia to find out if there are differences in perceptions of AI in the three countries.
Even these initial results provide a lot of evidence that, as newsrooms work to survive in a destabilized market, using AI could have detrimental effects on the perceived value of their journalism. Developing clear policies and principles that are communicated with audiences should be an essential part of any newsroom’s AI practice in Canada.
Nicole Blanchett receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Charles H. Davis receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and has received funding from Toronto Metropolitan University.
Mariia Sozoniuk works with the Explanatory Journalism Project which is supported by funding from The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
Sibo Chen receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University.
MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –
On October 8, 2024, the network of resource educational and methodological centers for the training of people with disabilities and individuals with limited health capabilities (RUMC VO) held a webinar on the topic: “Organizational and methodological aspects of psychological and pedagogical support for first-year students with disabilities and disabilities during their adaptation to the university environment.” The event was attended by more than 380 specialists and representatives of universities from all over the country, including from the State University of Management.
The participants were addressed with a welcoming speech by Deputy Director of the Department of State Youth Policy and Educational Activities of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Anna Braines and Deputy Director of the Department of Personnel Policy of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation Sergey Antonov.
“It is very important to share already developed practices and scale up positive experiences that will help effectively adapt students with disabilities to the educational environment,” said Anna Brynes.
“Universities are creating all the necessary conditions for the successful education of students with disabilities. But it is important not only to create a barrier-free environment, but also to provide full support at all stages of adaptation,” noted Sergey Antonov.
The key topics of the webinar were:
Psychological, pedagogical and social aspects of adaptation of first-year students with disabilities; Barriers and psychological mechanisms of adaptation; Comprehensive diagnostics of students at the stage of primary adaptation; Mentoring and inclusive volunteering; Social integration of students with disabilities.
Webinar speakers: experts from leading Russian universities, including representatives of the State University of Management, Minin University, Cherepovets State University, Southern Federal University, North Caucasus Federal University and others, shared their experience and methods of supporting students with disabilities.
The webinar ended with an active question and answer session, during which support was given to the proposal to publish a collection of best practices for the adaptation of students with disabilities next year.
Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 10/14/2024
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.
The Foster Portsmouth team and ‘Steve’ the seagull completed a first last week with an exciting tuk tuk tour of Southsea seafront.
The tour, on Thursday 10 October, took in a number of local businesses along Southsea seafront who offered support in raising vital awareness of the need for additional foster carers in the Portsmouth area.
The eye-catching, all-electric and environmentally friendly rickshaw tuk tuk, which was funded by the Arts Council England as part of its Libraries Improvement Fund, usually tours the city with a small collection of books available to browse and borrow.
Foster Portsmouth was thrilled to be able to utilise the tuk tuk on one of its days off to showcase our mission to find more loving foster homes for the city’s vulnerable children and young people.
Cllr Suzy Horton, Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education at Portsmouth City Council, said:
“This tour is another great way of utilising our libraries’ tuk tuk. It is vital that we continue to draw attention to the need for additional foster carers in the Portsmouth area, and what better way than ‘Steve’ the seagull taking a tour with the Foster Portsmouth team along our city’s seafront.”
“I’d like to thank the five local businesses who have jumped on board our tuk tuk tour and allowed us to raise the profile of children from our city who find themselves in need of a loving home.”
The tour provided an opportunity for those in and around Southsea to discover more about the rewards fostering can bring, and to get answers to any questions they may have from our experienced team.
Our foster carers come from Portsmouth itself or the immediate surrounding areas, from Emsworth and Rowlands Castle to Gosport and Fareham, and Waterlooville and Petersfield to Havant and Hayling Island.
The Management Board of the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) has adopted the Agency’s first Fundamental Rights Strategy. The Strategy, proposed by the Agency’s Fundamental Rights Officer, is a feature of the EUAA’s new mandate, and the result of a broad consultation with members of the EUAA Consultative Forum, around 120 civil society organisations, and the UNHCR.
The Fundamental Rights Strategy defines several goals, including promoting and ensuring compliance with fundamental rights in all the Agency’s activities and builds on various measures and procedures, which the EUAA has put in place for its growing operations over the past years.
It aims to redouble guarantees for the dignified and fair treatment of applicants for international protection, in the context of EUAA operations supporting national asylum and reception authorities. The Agency currently has approximately 1500 personnel deployed in 11 Member States.
The publication of this Strategy demonstrates the importance that EUAA places on ensuring that all the rights of applicants for international protection are fully respected throughout our activities. It is the result of months of dedicated work spearheaded by our Fundamental Rights Officer in cooperation with several colleagues from across the Agency and with input from civil society organisations.
Ms Nina GREGORIExecutive Director of the EUAA
The adoption of the first Fundamental Rights Strategy marks another significant milestone in the Agency’s unwavering commitment to fundamental rights. I am particularly pleased that this achievement is the result of a large participatory process, thus underscoring the Agency’s commitment to fostering fundamental rights through a shared and inclusive vision
Mr François DELEUFundamental Rights Officer
The Agency’s approach to developing this first Fundamental Rights Strategy was underpinned by four pillars:
A participatory process – Benefitting from a wide consultation, including with the European Commission, Member States, the UNHCR and Civil Society; it is the result of a broad, collaborative effort, that will be responsive to concrete needs.
A focus on operational support – Aiming to equip EUAA Asylum Support Teams, which include national experts, Agency staff and external experts, with a comprehensive set of tools to promote and respect fundamental rights in our operations. It also provides for regular visits to country operations by the Fundamental Rights Officer and his team.
Mainstreaming of Fundamental Rights – A central focus is promoting and embedding fundamental rights across all areas of the Agency’s work, with particular attention given to the future Monitoring Mechanism for the application of the EU’s asylum rules.
Strengthening access to accountability – As an important first step in implementation, the Agency has launched dedicated webpages for its Complaints Mechanism. Applicants for international protection are provided with essential information on how to seek recourse if they feel that a member of an EUAA Asylum Support Team has violated their rights.
Background
In line with provisions of Articles 50, 51 and 57 of the EUAA Regulation, the Agency is required to fully adhere to the protection of fundamental rights, as these are developed through Union and relevant international law, such as the Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, in all its activities. Furthermore, the Agency has a duty to adopt and implement a Strategy to that effect, the text of which shall be consulted with representatives of Civil Society Organisations as members of the EUAA Consultative Forum and the UNHCR.
MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –
Representatives of the State University of Management took part in the final of the All-Russian network competition of student projects “Professional Tomorrow” with the participation of students with disabilities, which was held at the Novosibirsk State Technical University NETI.
In 2024, the competition had two stages: correspondence and in-person. In total, students from 178 Russian universities from 71 regions took part, 115 students made it to the in-person stage.
The State University of Management was among the universities that submitted the largest number of applications.
33 students, including those with disabilities and health limitations, took part in the correspondence stage of the Competition from the RUC GUU and its partner universities in the assigned territories. Three projects became Laureates of the Competition and passed to the face-to-face stage.
As part of the three-day program, the Institute of Social Technologies of NSTU NETI held defenses of competition works in six nominations: “Professionally Oriented Project”, “Scientific Article”, “Useful Invention”, “Professional Startup”, “Social Advertising and Inclusive Blogging”, and “Social Project”.
The contestants were also offered a cultural, leisure and educational program, including field trips around Novosibirsk, master classes and motivational lectures.
Tatyana Beregovskaya, coordinator of the RUC GUU, took part in the business program dedicated to the development of higher inclusive education.
According to the results of the final, 4th year student of the Institute of Personnel Management, Social and Business Communications of the State University of Management Almira Valitova took 3rd place in the nomination “Professional Startup”, presenting a project aimed at creating a career guidance chatbot for schoolchildren with disabilities.
Let us recall that the inclusive student competition has been held since 2018 by a network of resource educational and methodological centers for training people with disabilities and individuals with limited health capabilities together with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.
Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 10/14/2024
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.
Khartoum (Agenzia Fides) – Fighting continues in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, where the Sudanese armed forces are trying to expel the militiamen of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) from their positions. Civilians are particularly affected, affected by bombings such as the one carried out on Sunday 13 October in a market south of Khartoum, which killed at least 23 people and injured 40. The massacre is attributed to a bombing by army aircraft, which, together with the air force, is trying to prevail over the RSF forces entrenched in some well-defended strongholds in the capital. The fact that the army has serious intentions to attack these positions is shown by the photos published by the “Sudan Tribune” of the army’s armored trucks, which are built like veritable mobile mini-fortresses to fight snipers hiding on roofs. The armored vehicles are equipped with 360-degree cameras and are intended to protect the advancing regular soldiers from one of the greatest dangers in urban combat: snipers with a sniper rifle or an anti-tank rocket launcher. The other major danger is mines and homemade booby traps. The forgotten war in Sudan is not a religious war, because most of the fighters share the Muslim faith, but there are incidents in which Christian minorities are involved. This happened in early October, when a group of believers belonging to the “Sudan Christian Curch Al Iziba” were captured by members of the army’s military intelligence service in northern Khartoum. According to Osama Saeed Musa Koudi, chairman of the Sudanese Christian Youth Union, quoted by the online daily Altaghyeer, those arrested were arrested in groups between October 2 and 7, including 16 men, 25 women and 54 children. They all come from the Nuba Mountains and are accused of being supporters of the Rapid Support Forces simply because they stayed in the RSF-occupied areas of Khartoum because they had no way to go elsewhere. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 14/10/2024)
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Tolentino (Agenzia Fides) – “In the footsteps of Tommaso da Tolentino and Father Matteo Ricci” is the title of the opening session of the international conference “Travel Notes: Marco Polo and the Franciscans in the East in the 13th and 14th centuries”, which will take place next Friday and Saturday in the Italian city of Tolentino. The initiative, which is part of the official program of the celebrations for the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo’s death, is being scientifically supported by the Pontifical “Antonianum” University in Rome, the University “Ca’ Foscari” in Venice and the University of Macerata. With the contributions of renowned speakers from Italian and foreign universities, the conference aims to highlight travel as a form of exchange and encounter between different cultures and religions in dialogue with each other.Many cities in the Marche region of Italy have maintained relations with Venice for centuries, especially across the Adriatic: merchants and mendicants, such as the Franciscan Tommaso da Tolentino, set out in 1290 to reach first Armenia, then Persia, India and perhaps China, almost always travelling on Venetian merchant ships. On Friday afternoon, Gianni Valente, Director of Fides, will give a conference on the “Primum Concilium Sinense” that took place in Shanghai 100 years ago, between May and June 1924, to kick off the work in the church of San Catervo, which will be introduced by greetings from the Bishop of Macerata, Nazzareno Marconi, and Father Simone Giampieri, Provincial of the Franciscans. The documents of this Council – says the Director of Fides – express “the urgency of freeing the Catholic presence and works in China from everything that could make the Church appear as a para-colonial entity enslaved by foreign potentates”.On Saturday 19 October, the Nicola Vaccaj Theatre will host a three-day conference, which will begin with the greetings of the civil and religious authorities, followed by a long day of work on the theme that gives the entire conference its title. The chairman of the “Committee for the celebrations in memory of Blessed Tommaso da Tolentino”, the architect Franco Casadidio, stresses: “The aim of the conference is to enhance the centenary by highlighting the historical figure of Marco Polo from the perspective of the journeys he undertook, which link him to the routes of some important Franciscan figures who crossed Sino-Mongolian Asia and India for reasons related to evangelization and for purely diplomatic reasons. These itineraries represent an inexhaustible source of information at a religious, anthropological, geopolitical and cultural-historical level, and the choice of the title is intended to highlight the study of the typology of diary-chronicle sources, of which “Il Milione” (by Marco Polo) is an excellent example. Another section is dedicated to the travels of other non-Franciscan figures, such as monks and travelers, or to local chronicles of journeys and itineraries in this particular historical period”. (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 14/10/2024)
