U.S. coal exports from the Port of Baltimore rebounded at the end of May 2024, according to recently released data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Shipments from the port’s two coal-loading terminals had stopped for almost two months following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26. The main shipping channel into the Port of Baltimore reopened on May 21.
In April, only 63,658 short tons of coal could be loaded for export, compared with 2.3 million short tons in April 2023. This small amount could be exported, even though the main channel into the Port of Baltimore was closed, because one of the loading terminals used barges to transport smaller loads to a vessel anchored in the Chesapeake Bay.
Coal loadings in May recovered to slightly less than one million short tons, with that activity mostly occurring after the reopening. In June, coal loadings for export soared to 2.9 million short tons, the most in the U.S. Census Bureau data series—which starts in 2000—as terminals worked through their backlog of vessels. Loadings in July declined slightly to around 2.0 million tons, although that amount was still more than the five-year (2019–23) average.
Coal exports in July typically are lower, as mining companies, railroads, and port terminals usually conduct maintenance during that month. This year, the coal industry made up for the suspension of shipments in April and May by increasing shipments in July.
In our Short-Term Energy Outlook, we expect exports from the Port of Baltimore for the 2024 calendar year will be consistent with previous years because we expect exports to remain high in the second half of 2024. In 2023, the Port of Baltimore set a five-year high, with coal exports totaling 28 million short tons. We expect total exports in 2024 should be equal to or greater than the 20 million tons loaded in both 2021 and 2022.
Principal contributors: Jonathan Church, Mark Morey
After the announcement of “The Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address”, the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, wrote to civil service colleagues this afternoon (October 16) and met with representatives from the four civil service central consultative councils and the four major service-wide staff unions to brief them on policy initiatives relating to civil service matters in the Policy Address. Mrs Yeung’s letter to civil service colleagues, entitled “Enhance Governance Capabilities and Continue to Strengthen Management”, outlined the policy initiatives including the strengthening of civil service management and promotion of digitalisation. She said, “The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is making all-out, concerted efforts to build a vibrant economy, seek development opportunities and improve people’s livelihood. Civil servants must continue to serve the public proactively and render full support to the Chief Executive in his administration of Hong Kong, and do so with loyalty, dedication and a spirit of embracing challenges, reforms and innovation. This will elevate Hong Kong to new heights and build a better home for people.” Mrs Yeung added, “To move forward, we need a high-quality and efficient government team. For this reason, I had a meeting with civil service unions after the delivery of the Policy Address, so that the unions and civil servants would have a clear understanding and appreciation of the Government’s governing tenets and measures. This would enable them to render better support to the Chief Executive in his administration of Hong Kong and become a solid supporting force for Hong Kong’s advancement.”
Ends/Wednesday, October 16, 2024Issued at HKT 19:50
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Reduction of duty on liquor with alcoholic strength of more than 30 per cent Reduction of duty on liquor with alcoholic strength of more than 30 per cent ****************************************************************************
As announced in “The Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address”, the Government would reduce the duty on liquor with an alcoholic strength of more than 30 per cent (liquor) by introducing a two-tier system with different duty rates for each tier with effect from today (October 16). Under the new two-tier system, the duty rate for liquor with import price over $200 will be reduced from 100 per cent to 10 per cent for the portion above $200, while the duty rate for the portion of $200 and below as well as liquor with import price of $200 or below will remain at 100 per cent. The new duty rates will only be applicable to liquor of up to one litre. If a larger container is used, the duty payable will be calculated on a “value per litre” basis. A Government spokesman said, “Hong Kong has been adopting a simple ad valorem duty system on liquor since 1994. Given the experience in waiving wine duty in 2008, a reduction of liquor duty should similarly promote high-end liquor trade, thereby giving impetus to the development of other high value-added sectors such as logistics and storage, tourism as well as high-end food and beverage consumption, creating more job opportunities and bringing overall benefits to society. With the introduction of a two-tier system with different duty rates based on value, we believe that the proposal has struck a balance between facilitating the liquor business and guarding public health against binge drinking as a result of the reduction in liquor duty.” The above two-tier system is set out in the proposed resolution to be moved by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development pursuant to section 4(2) of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (Cap. 109) (the proposed resolution), which forms part of the Public Revenue Protection (Duty on Liquor) Order 2024 (the Order) made by the Chief Executive today to give full force and effect of law to the proposed resolution so long as the Order remains in force. The Order and the proposed resolution have been published in the Gazette today. The Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department has also put up notices at boundary control points and on its websites for travellers and the trade.
Ends/Wednesday, October 16, 2024Issued at HKT 19:56
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Hong Kong Customs raids two suspected illicit cigarette storage centres and detects one case involving illicit cigarette distribution vehicle (with photos) Hong Kong Customs raids two suspected illicit cigarette storage centres and detects one case involving illicit cigarette distribution vehicle (with photos) ******************************************************************************************
Hong Kong Customs today (October 16) conducted anti-illicit cigarette operations in Hung Hom, Kwun Tong and Wong Tai Sin, shutting down two suspected illicit cigarette storage centres and detecting a case involving an illicit cigarette distribution vehicle. A total of about 183 000 suspected illicit cigarettes, with a total estimated market value of about $820,000 and a duty potential of about $600,000, were seized. Three persons suspected to be connected with the cases were arrested. In the first case, Customs officers raided a residential unit on Wu Kwong Street, Hung Hom, this afternoon and seized about 120 000 suspected illicit cigarettes therein. A 50-year-old woman who claimed to be unemployed was arrested. In the second case, Customs seized about 54 000 suspected illicit cigarettes from a residential unit on Hong Ning Road, Kwun Tong, this afternoon. A 47-year-old woman who claimed to be a construction worker was arrested. In the third case, Customs officers intercepted a private car on the roadside in Choi Wan Estate, Wong Tai Sin, this evening. Upon inspection, about 9 000 suspected illicit cigarettes were seized inside the vehicle and a man, aged 30 and claiming to be a worker, was arrested. Investigations of the three cases are ongoing. Customs will continue its risk assessment and intelligence analysis for interception at source as well as through its multipronged enforcement strategy targeting storage, distribution and peddling to spare no effort in combating illicit cigarette activities. Customs reminds members of the public that it is an offence to buy or sell illicit cigarettes. Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling or buying illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years. Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 1820 80 80 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/).
Ends/Wednesday, October 16, 2024Issued at HKT 19:50
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The following is issued on behalf of the Transport Advisory Committee:
The Chairman of the Transport Advisory Committee (TAC), Professor Stephen Cheung, welcomed the initiatives related to the construction of transport infrastructure and the development of the low-altitude economy announced in “The Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address” delivered today (October 16).
Professor Cheung said, “The Policy Address pointed out that the Government is actively following through the Major Transport Infrastructure Development Blueprint for Hong Kong, under which the two railways projects, namely the Hung Shui Kiu Station and the Northern Link Main Line, are to commence construction this year and next year respectively, and at the same time pressing ahead with the two cross-boundary railway projects, namely the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Rail Link (Hung Shui Kiu-Qianhai) and the Northern Link Spur Line; as well as actively taking forward the three smart and green mass transit systems in East Kowloon, Kai Tak and Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen and compressing the time required for construction. I welcome the Government’s effort to implement the major transport infrastructure projects in an orderly manner to drive economic development and strengthen the connectivity between Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
“I note that the Policy Address announced that the Government will actively promote the development of the low-altitude economy in Hong Kong. I appreciate the Government’s foresight and eagerly anticipate the application of related technologies in various fields, such as the delivery of goods and passenger transportation.
“I am also pleased to note that the Government has set indicators for different measures and set out the ongoing policy measures, including the provision of automated parking spaces in newly completed government car parks and short-term tenancy car parks, the progressive implementation of the pilot schemes related to smart mobility under the Traffic and Transport Strategy Study, and facilitation of autonomous vehicles technology, in order to enhance transparency and ensure their timely implementation.
“The TAC will, as always, continue to earnestly offer views on various traffic and transport policies and measures for the Government to proceed with building and enhancing our transportation system, with a view to elevating and consolidating Hong Kong’s status as a high-quality liveable city and regional logistics hub.”
With a sponsorship deal worth $22 million, JP Morgan’s Chase Bank marked the 43rd anniversary of its partnership the US Open Tennis Championships for the 2024 edition and eight years as presenting sponsor of the Men’s Singles Championships. The partnership is also the largest sponsorship deal in terms of annual value for this year’s tournament. Emirates Airline’s deal was the second largest, with the partnership dating back to 2012. Overall, the 2204 US Open edition generated an estimated $118.23 million in sponsorship revenue, reveals GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
GlobalData’ s latest report, “Post Event Analysis – US Open Tennis Championships 2024,” reveals that there were 30 broadcasters which agreed media rights deals for the 2024 edition of the tournament. In terms of media revenue, the 2024 US Open Championships was reported to generate $75 million annually from the tournaments domestic broadcast deal with ESPN.
Olivia Snooks, Sport Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The US Open Tennis Championships has accumulated long-term and high-value partnerships with some of their sponsors, two of these being JP Morgan’s Chase Bank and Emirates Airline. Particularly, Chase Bank’s long association with the tournament shows a great commitment between the two, while also showing the expected commercial value the US Open can generate for sponsors.”
The winners of the 2024 US Open took home large paychecks, which were distributed from a record purse of $75 million for the final Grand Slam tennis tournament of the season. Aryna Sabalenka beat Jessica Pegula in the US Open women’s final on 7 September, taking home $3.6 million in prize money. The men’s singles winner Jannik Sinner took home the same amount.
Snooks continues: “The total prize money for the 2024 US Open was 15% bigger than it was in 2023. More notably, the US Open Singles winners earned $200,000 more than the Wimbledon Championships this year, who each took home just over $3.4 million.”
During the three weeks of the tournament that started with one week of qualifying, 1,048,669 fans came through the gates of the Billie Jean King Tennis Center. The attendance for the two weeks of the main draw saw a record high attendance of 832,640, according to the United States Tennis Association. The cheapest ticket for the final day of the US Open was around $315 for a ground pass, and stadium passes for the men’s final were starting at around $450.
Snooks concludes: “The 2024 edition of the tournament was the first to feature a seven-day US Open fan week, which was attended by over 219,000 fans. Understandably, ticket prices fluctuated and became more expensive closer to the date. For example, as the semi-finals approached, the prices for the all-American semi-final were soaring, with prices as high as $56,000 for a seat courtside.”
Sweden’s strategy for peace, security and stabilisation is a part of the governance of Sweden’s collective development, foreign and security policy. This strategy will contribute to conflict management and conflict prevention with a view to improving development opportunities and reducing humanitarian needs.
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The strategy will complement and strengthen other components of development assistance in conflict countries and areas with a high risk of conflict. Particular emphasis will be placed on coherence with bilateral and regional strategies related to contexts of conflict. Interventions guided by the strategy will be coordinated with relevant missions abroad and contribute to overall Swedish development cooperation in prioritised countries. In addition, the strategy will make it possible to promote the Government’s priorities in peace promotion, security and stabilisation in countries or situations where engagement is politically motivated but where there is no applicable country strategy.
ANN ARBOR, Mich., Oct. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — DocNetwork announced the expansion of the Mental, Emotional, and Social Health (MESH) features within its CampDoc and SchoolDoc platforms. This strategic enhancement addresses the growing need to support campers and students experiencing behavioral health issues while away from home.
As mental health concerns among youth continue to rise, camps and schools need effective tools to manage and support the well-being of their participants. Traditional camp management software and student information systems do not currently support the behavioral health needs of camps and schools.
Recognizing this critical need, DocNetwork has amplified its commitment to mental health by integrating comprehensive MESH features that enable youth-serving organizations to better monitor, document, and respond to behavioral health challenges.
“With the release of our Behavioral Health module, we are empowering camps and schools to provide holistic care that addresses the mental, emotional, and social needs of their campers and students,” said Dr. Michael Ambrose, Founder and CEO of DocNetwork. “By equipping camps and schools with the tools to document and assess these critical aspects of mental health, we are empowering organizations to provide the care that families expect and kids deserve.”
Key enhancements to the CampDoc and SchoolDoc platforms include:
Expanded Reporting: Organizations can now record mood, affect, and cognitive functioning for campers, students, and staff, providing valuable insights into a participant’s mental, emotional and social health.
Comprehensive Risk Assessments: CampDoc and SchoolDoc now include dedicated tools for conducting critical risk assessments, enabling timely identification of potential risks and allowing for prompt intervention and support.
Suicidal Risk
Homicidal Risk
Self-Injurious Behavior
Abuse/Neglect
Bullying
Enhanced Privacy: With a strong commitment to privacy, DocNetwork employs role-based permissions to ensure that sensitive information is accessible only to authorized personnel who need to know, safeguarding confidentiality while facilitating effective care.
The expansion of behavioral health functionality is a direct response to feedback from camps and schools seeking robust solutions to manage the complexities of the mental health care they provide. Organizations utilizing CampDoc and SchoolDoc will have immediate access to this new feature at no additional cost. Interested camps and schools should visit http://www.campdoc.com or http://www.schooldoc.com for more information.
About DocNetwork CampDoc and SchoolDoc offer the most comprehensive Electronic Health Record (EHR) solution to help ensure the health and safety of children while they are away from home. DocNetwork is trusted by over 1,250 programs across all 50 states and internationally, including traditional day and residential camps, YMCAs, JCCs, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, parks and recreation facilities, colleges and universities, and K-12 public, private, and charter schools. For more information about DocNetwork and web-based health management, please visit http://www.campdoc.com, http://www.schooldoc.com, or call 734-619-8300.
CALGARY, Alberta, Oct. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Under the burden of high living costs, Canadians are making difficult sacrifices and finding ways to share expenses to make ends meet and save money. According to the latest MNP Consumer Debt Index, conducted quarterly by Ipsos, nearly one-third (30%) of Canadians report that they have turned to bill-splitting strategies—such as carpooling, buying in bulk, sharing subscriptions and childcare, and cohabiting with others. More than one in ten (13%) indicate they are saving money by cohabiting with friends, partners, or family members, or by seeking out additional roommates or co-living spaces. Nearly three in 10 (28%) Canadians say they have even resorted to eating less to save money.
“We’re witnessing a bill-splitting boom as Canadians adapt to the high cost of living. Strategies like sharing expenses and co-living arrangements showcase not only resourcefulness but also the financial pressure many are facing,” says Grant Bazian, president of MNP LTD, the country’s largest insolvency firm. “These measures reflect the harsh reality of soaring living costs, compelling Canadians to find new ways to save. It’s particularly concerning that nearly three in ten report they are cutting back on food to make ends meet.”
Canadians are making other sacrifices to manage costs. Half (51%) say they have tried to save money by grocery shopping more strategically, and nearly half say they are avoiding impulse purchases (46%) or have stopped eating in restaurants or getting take-out (44%). The bill-splitting trend is more common among Canadians aged 18 to 34 and those living in British Columbia and Alberta. Similarly, co-habitation is more prevalent among younger Canadians, British Columbians, and those with lower income.
Cost-Cutting Measures and Lower Interest Rates Create Breathing Room in Some Household Budgets
Perhaps in part due to prudent cost-cutting efforts and with the pace of interest rates declining, Canadians are reporting some relief and improvements in their financial situation. The MNP Consumer Debt Index has increased by four points from the previous quarter to 89 points, signalling Canadians are feeling more positively about their personal finances. Canadians are building up the bank this quarter, reporting they have on average $155 more left over at the end of the month, reaching $937, the largest amount of money Canadians have had after all expenses in the last five years. Just over four in 10 (42%) Canadians say they are $200 or less away each month from financial insolvency – the lowest recorded proportion since September 2018 (40%).
“While cost-saving behaviours and lower interest rates have positively impacted Canadians’ perceived financial well-being, a significant minority—close to four in 10—still report being on the brink of insolvency, indicating they are struggling to make ends meet,” says Bazian. “Still, financial pressure is easing, providing individuals with more flexibility to manage their debts and invest in their future.”
Impact of Interest Rates on Debt and Financial Outlook
With Canadians expecting interest rates to continue falling over the next few years, perceptions of their ability to absorb interest rate increases have improved; one quarter (24%, +3pts) say they are much better equipped to manage an interest rate increase of one percentage point than they used to be, increasing three points since last quarter. More Canadians are looking positively to the future, with three in 10 (31%, +2pts) expecting their debt situation to improve when looking ahead one year from now, and fewer believing it will worsen (12%, -4pts).
Following three interest rate cuts this year, still almost half (48%, +1pt) of Canadians say even if interest rates decline, they are concerned about their ability to repay their debt. While slightly fewer this quarter say they will be in financial trouble if interest rates go up, more than half (54%, -3pts) still indicate they would be in trouble. Almost half of Canadians who are co-habiting (46%) or are bill-splitting (44%) are at risk of insolvency.
“Although inflation has eased and interest rates have fallen, many Canadians continue to feel the heavy burden of accumulated debt. Despite some relief, the difficult truth is that for those grappling with significant debt, cost-cutting measures alone may not provide the support they need,” explains Bazian. “Seeking guidance from a Licensed Insolvency Trustee can be a vital step for those looking to regain control of their financial situation, and bankruptcy is not the only recourse.”
Licensed Insolvency Trustees provide unbiased advice on options including debt consolidation, debt management plans, budgeting, and consumer proposals as well as bankruptcies. They are the only federally regulated debt professionals who are authorized to administer government-regulated insolvency solutions such as bankruptcies and consumer proposals.
“While bill-splitting strategies can offer temporary relief, they often don’t address the root of deeper debt issues. For those feeling overwhelmed by bills and debt, seeking advice from a Licensed Insolvency Trustee is a crucial step toward long-term financial stability,” says Bazian.
MNP’s extensive network of Licensed Insolvency Trustees provides free consultations in over 200 offices nationwide, delivering local, personalized support to help Canadians navigate their debt options.
Looking ahead to how Canadians plan to cut costs or save money in the year to come, the survey revealed the following:
Canadians’ Top Money-Saving Strategies For the Next 12 Months
Bill Splitting – 27%
Co-habitation – 14%
Creating a Budget / Recording All Expenses – 14%
Cancelling Subscriptions – 13%
Stopping Eating in Restaurants or Getting Takeout – 13%
Avoiding Impulse Purchases – 13%
Reducing Utility Consumption – 13%
Going Thrift Shopping – 12%
Finding Free or Low-Cost Entertainment – 12%
Grocery Shopping Strategically – 12%
Negotiating Bills – 11%
Cutting Vices – 10%
Moving Somewhere More Affordable – 10%
Splitting Grocery Costs / Buying in Bulk with Roommates, Friends, or Family – 9%
About MNP LTD
MNP LTD, a division of the national accounting firm MNP LLP, is the largest insolvency practice in Canada. For more than 50 years, our experienced team of Licensed Insolvency Trustees and advisors have been working with individuals to help them recover from times of financial distress and regain control of their finances. With more than 240 Canadian offices from coast-to-coast, MNP helps thousands of Canadians each year who are struggling with an overwhelming amount of debt. Visit MNPdebt.ca to contact a Licensed Insolvency Trustee or use our free Do it Yourself (DIY) debt assessment tools. For regular, bite-sized insights about debt and personal finances, subscribe to the MNP 3 Minute Debt Break Podcast.
About the MNP Consumer Debt Index
The MNP Consumer Debt Index measures Canadians’ attitudes toward their consumer debt and gauges their ability to pay their bills, endure unexpected expenses, and absorb interest-rate fluctuations without approaching insolvency. Conducted by Ipsos and updated quarterly, the Index is an industry-leading barometer of financial pressure or relief among Canadians.
Now in its 30th wave, the Index has increased to 89 points, up four points since last quarter. Visit MNPdebt.ca/CDI to learn more.
The data was compiled by Ipsos on behalf of MNP LTD between September 6 – September 11, 2024. For this survey, a sample of 2,000 Canadians aged 18 years and over was interviewed. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample’s composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within ±2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadian adults been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.
Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, October 16, 2024/APO Group/ —
The African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) has appointed Dr Kennedy K. Mbekeani as Director General for the East Africa Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Office, and Country Manager for Kenya, effective from 16 October 2024.
Mbekeani, a citizen of Malawi has over 25 years of senior experience in development finance, project management, policy advisory services, and knowledge generation at national and regional levels.
Prior to this appointment, he served as deputy director general for the Bank’s Southern Africa Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Office. In this role he led the Bank’s business development and delivery for sovereign and non-sovereign investments, and provided advisory services to South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia and Mauritius. His efforts contributed to the Bank’s reputation as a trusted partner for high impact development projects in the region. He also managed relationships with governments and the private sector.
Mbekeani joined the Bank in 2009 as Chief Trade and Regional Integration Officer. Subsequently he has held various roles including lead regional economist, officer in charge and acting regional director respectively of the Bank’s South African Resource Centre. While serving as country manager for Uganda, he successfully expanded the Bank’s portfolio to over $2 billion.
Before joining the Bank, Mbekeani worked for the United Nations Development Programme as a trade, debt and globalisation advisor for East and Southern Africa. He also served as senior research fellow at the Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis, and senior economist at the National Institute for Economic Policy in South Africa.
He holds a Bachelor of Social Science (Economics and Statistics) degree from the University of Malawi, an MPhil in Monetary Economics from the University of Glasgow, and both an MA and PhD in International Economics from the University of California. He has authored numerous publications focusing on trade, regional integration, and infrastructure development in Africa.
Commenting on his appointment, Mbekeani said: “I am grateful and feel honoured by the confidence President Adesina placed in me through this appointment, as Director General for the East Africa Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Office and country manager for Kenya. I look forward to working with the president, the Board of Directors, senior management, our teams and stakeholders to enhance the Bank’s operational efficiency, effectiveness and drive impactful developmental outcomes across the region.”
President of the African Development Bank Group and Chairman of the Board of Directors Dr Akinwumi Adesina said: “I am delighted to appoint Dr. Kennedy Mbekeani as Director General for the East Africa Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Office, and Country manager for Kenya. Kennedy brings extensive experience in managing operations, policy dialogue, coupled with astute diplomacy and well-tested ability to work effectively with countries and development partners. His knowledge of the Eastern Africa region and well-proven experience in delivering robust operations for the public and private sectors will strongly benefit the work and operations of the African Development Bank Group in East Africa and all countries in the region.”
Yaoundé (Agenzia Fides) – The mystery surrounding the health of Cameroonian President Paul Biya, who has not appeared in public since the beginning of September, is growing. The Cameroonian Head of State did not attend the UN General Assembly or the Summit of French-speaking countries in Paris. His last appearance at an international gathering was the Summit of Heads of State as part of the China-Africa Forum in Beijing in early September. To counter the spread of news about the President’s alleged state of health, the Cameroonian government has banned the dissemination of such news since October 9. Officially, it is said that the President is in “very good health” and that he is “working and devoting himself to his duties in Geneva”. “He is doing well and will return to Cameroon in the next few days,” says the government spokesman. Meanwhile, an interreligious prayer for the health of the president and for peace in Cameroon was organized on the initiative of the Collective of Former Students of the Catholic Seminaries of Cameroon (CASEMCA) in collaboration with the Catholic Men’s Association (CHA), the “Union Catholique des Hommes Fils de Saint Joseph” and other Christian and Muslim communities and their religious associations. “The ecumenical ceremony, which is open to the public, will take place on Thursday, October 17, 2024, from 2 p.m. at the ‘Palais Polyvalent des Sports’ in Yaounde. It will be attended by religious dignitaries, high-ranking public and private figures, and citizens of all faiths,” the press release said. Paul Biya himself attended the minor seminary in Akono. The 91-year-old Cameroonian president is considered the dean of African Heads of State. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 16/10/2024)
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Council of Ministers meeting no. 100 was held at Palazzo Chigi on Tuesday 15 October. This morning, the Minister of Economy and Finance, Giancarlo Giorgetti, and the Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance, Maurizio Leo, held a press conference to illustrate the measures approved.
Abuja (Agenzia Fides) – More than 90 people have died in the explosion of a tanker in Nigeria. The tragedy occurred around midnight on October 15 in the town of Majia, in Jigawa state, in north-central Nigeria. In addition to the 94 victims, at least 50 people were injured, according to the police. The driver of the tanker tried to avoid another truck, swerved and lost control of his vehicle. The tanker detached from the tractor and a fuel leak occurred. Several residents rushed to the scene with buckets and canisters, overwhelming the security forces who tried to control the area and prevent an accidental explosion. However, this did not succeed and a fierce fire broke out that lasted at least two hours. The events in Majia show how high fuel prices are driving people to despair, which in turn leads to such tragedies. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 16/10/2024)
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Colombo (Agenzia Fides) – “The fact that the government under the newly elected President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has confirmed its will to conduct a thorough investigation into the Easter 2019 attacks is certainly a good sign. We look to the future with greater hope for justice. And we can say that we are confident,” said Peter Antony Wyman Croos, Bishop of Ratnapura, a city in central Sri Lanka, to Fides on the announcement that the new government in Colombo has confirmed the opening of a new investigation into the suicide attacks carried out on April 21, 2019 on three churches and three hotels, in which 279 people lost their lives and hundreds were injured. Government spokesman and Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath once again publicly assured that the government will ensure justice and that no one involved in the attacks will be exempt from legal responsibility. “The Easter Sunday attacks will be thoroughly investigated. We assure the people of Sri Lanka that we will not pave the way for injustice. We will not hide or protect anyone. All those responsible for these acts will be brought to justice through legal channels,” said Herath. “Once the investigation is completed, we will submit a full report and also announce the action that will be taken,” he added, stressing that all investigation reports currently in the government’s possession will be carefully reviewed to ensure “completeness and accuracy.” Also during a visit to St. Sebastian’s Catholic Church in Negombo, one of the churches attacked in 2019, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake promised justice for the faithful: “There is a widespread belief in society that the Easter Sunday attacks may have been carried out for political reasons,” he said. Meanwhile, in recent days, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has initiated “contempt of court” proceedings against Nilantha Jayawardena, the former director of the State Intelligence Service (SIS), for failing to pay full compensation to the victims of the 2019 attacks. The man had been ordered to pay 75 million rupees (around 25 thousand euros) in compensation to the victims of the Easter attacks, but has so far only paid 10 million rupees. On January 12, 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the appeal of the victims’ families and sentenced four politicians and government officials, including former President Maithripala Sirisena, to pay a heavy fine for failing to prevent the attacks despite advance warnings from the intelligence services. In addition to former President Sirisena, these include: Pujith Jayasundera, Inspector General of Police; Hemasiri Fernando, former Minister of Defense; Sisira Mendis, former head of intelligence services. But while those responsible have been identified in the trials for “failure to take precautionary measures”, five years after the tragic events, nothing is known about the organizers and instigators of the massacres, a point on which the Catholic Church continues to call for “justice and transparency”. Another focus of the new government is the social sphere, an area in which the new government will be called upon to intervene to alleviate the serious economic crisis. Bishop Croos recalled that “people expect the new president to take measures to support the economy, alleviate the hardships of families and improve the employment situation. In addition to the medium and long-term measures, there is also an urgent need to support in the short term, especially the poorest, who are currently struggling to make a living”. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 16/10/2024)
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The free distribution of Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) for COVID-19 will end on October 27, 2024. The current stockpile of RATs, provided through federal government programs, is set to expire by the end of October and no additional tests will be distributed through government channels.
Read more about Government of Yukon announces changes to Rapid Antigen Test availability
On October 15, 2024, the Government of Yukon tabled the Electoral District Boundaries Act in the Yukon Legislative Assembly. The Act contains the recent recommendations from the Electoral District Boundaries Commission, which include:
Read more about Government of Yukon has tabled the Electoral District Boundaries Act
Minister of Health and Social Services Tracy-Anne McPhee has issued the following statement:
“Today we mark an important moment as the Yukon Hospital Corporation begins to transition its leadership. At the end of October, Jason Bilsky will be departing the Yukon Hospital Corporation after 12 years of dedicated service as CEO. Effective October 15, Tiffany Boyd has assumed the role of CEO, working alongside Jason to support this transition.
Read more about Statement from Minister of Health and Social Services Tracy-Anne McPhee on leadership change at the Yukon Hospital Corporation
Cairo (Agenzia Fides) – “I have started learning Arabic and two days a week, early in the morning, we go from our neighborhood to the Comboni school with Patrick and Florindo,” says Anselmo Fabiano, an Italian missionary from Cairo. “I must say that it is quite an adventure.”The young missionary from the Society of African Missions describes the emotions and feelings that accompany daily life. “Just being able to shop at the market, chat with the children or share with the small Christian community that comes to mass is already a great success,” he says. “On the days when I don’t go to school, learning Arabic takes up a lot of my free time, which is actually always very limited. But I do it with pleasure and passion because I know how important it is to be able to communicate, to listen and to understand in order to build relationships with the people I meet.” “Nevertheless, I am always fascinated by the power of a smile, an attentive look, these simple gestures of kindness that go beyond words,” says Father Anselmo. “Like on Wednesdays, when I spend the morning with the disabled children in our school. No big words are needed, just a simple presence, a look and a few signs, and an incredible harmony is established. Or when I offer my service to the poor in the community of the Sisters of Mother Teresa, it is wonderful how we are welcomed, with a smile, a hug and a handshake that overcomes all language barriers and makes us feel part of their lives!” “The first days of school were precious opportunities to make new acquaintances and, thanks to the organized excursions, we also had the pleasure of delving into the discovery of the roots of the Christian faith in Egypt,” the missionary continues. “We went into the desert to learn about the life of the monks, men of prayer, work and fraternal community. Even the desert is now fertile ground where, thanks to the patient care of the monks, trees of all kinds flourish, along with the fruits of the seeds of the Word of God that have sprouted in people’s lives,” he reports. “We also had the opportunity to enter one of the most fundamental places for Islam, the Al-Azhar Mosque: one of the oldest universities in the world and the most prestigious seat of Sunni Islam. Entering this place of worship and walking barefoot on the white floor, I enjoyed a moment of silence surrounded by hundreds of people praying: a small foretaste of fraternity,” concluded Father Anselmo. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 16/10/2024)
AF
The game, released by Chinese company Game Science on Aug. 19, 2024, is based on the legendary 16th century Chinese novel “Journey to the West.” The novel tells the story of a monk, Xuanzang, who journeys to India in search of Buddhist scrolls. The monkey Sun Wukong protects the monk by confronting and battling various demons and spirits.
Black Myth: Wukong has captivated millions with its stunning visuals and storytelling. It quickly became a cultural sensation in China and abroad, attracting widespread attention and praise for its graphic fidelity and technological sophistication.
As global affairsscholars, we see that the game’s success goes beyond the number of downloads or accolades. It’s what this success is driving within China’s technology sector that has far-reaching consequences.
Video games and global power
For years, China has been playing catch-up in the tech race, particularly in the production of semiconductors – the tiny microchips that power everything from smartphones to advanced artificial intelligence systems. The United States has maintained its dominance in this field by limiting China’s access to the most advanced chip-making technology.
As of 2024, China has shifted away from its aggressive “wolf warrior” diplomacy to a more cooperative approach in order to rebuild international ties. The government has also issued mandates for companies like Huawei to develop domestic chips. However, China’s success in boosting semiconductor development and production using these approaches has been limited.
Historically, video games have played a significant role in driving technological innovation in the semiconductor industry. From the early days of the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System to the modern PlayStation 5, gaming has always pushed chipmakers to develop faster, more efficient processors and graphics processing units, or GPUs. The intense graphical requirements of modern games – high resolutions, faster frame rates and real-time rendering – demand the most advanced semiconductor technology. The development of advanced GPUs by companies like NVIDIA was directly influenced by the gaming industry’s needs.
Gamers require advanced processors to enjoy Black Myth: Wukong’s high-end visual and gameplay experience. Built using the state-of-the-art Unreal Engine 5 video game development tool, the game is a visual spectacle featuring lifelike graphics, seamless open-world environments and complex combat systems. The game is available for PlayStation 5 and PCs, and Game Science plans to release an Xbox version.
As Black Myth: Wukong sweeps across gaming platforms, it not only puts pressure on China’s semiconductor makers to build more and better chips, but it also reveals the vast market potential for high-performance hardware, especially for gaming PCs equipped with powerful GPUs. The game’s success showcases just how big the demand is.
China’s gaming industry has surged into a global powerhouse, yet it remains dependent on foreign-made chips. Coupled with the West’s restrictions on chip exports, Wukong has become a key catalyst for China’s semiconductor development, and domestic companies now face growing pressure to innovate.
This pressure aligns with Beijing’s broader technological ambitions. The government’s “Made in China 2025” plan calls for technological self-reliance, particularly in sectors like semiconductors, where China lags behind. And advanced GPUs haven’t been confined to the entertainment industry. They have become integral to advances in AI, including deep learning and autonomous systems.
Flexing China’s cultural muscle
While it might seem strange to link video games with geopolitics, Black Myth: Wukong is more than just entertainment. It’s a tool in China’s soft power arsenal. Soft power is nations influencing each other through cultural exports. For decades, the West, particularly the U.S., dominated global culture through Hollywood, music and video games.
Now, China is flexing its cultural muscle. The success of Black Myth: Wukong abroad, where it has been hailed as a game-changing title, is part of Beijing’s strategy to export its culture and technological prowess. Millions of gamers around the world are now being exposed to Chinese mythology, art and storytelling through a highly sophisticated digital medium.
‘China Stay Winning’ American YouTubers react enthusiastically to Black Myth: Wukong. (Audio NSFW)
But Black Myth: Wukong isn’t just a cultural triumph for China; it’s a warning shot. The country is taking advantage of its booming gaming industry to drive advances in a field that will define the future of technology. This game not only exports Chinese culture but also strengthens its tech base by accelerating the demand for domestic semiconductors.
While Black Myth: Wukong entertains millions, it also shows China’s growing influence in the digital realm. In the future, we might not look back at Black Myth: Wukong as just a successful video game, but as a catalyst that helped China close the technological gap with the West. Beijing is playing a long game, and video games like Black Myth: Wukong are turning out to be effective weapons.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jasmin Lilian Diab, Assistant Professor of Migration Studies; Director of the Institute for Migration Studies, Lebanese American University
The escalation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah since September 2024, and Israel’s bombing of civilian areas across Lebanon, have unleashed a profound humanitarian disaster.
An estimated 400,000 Lebanese and Syrians have reportedly fled into Syria through overcrowded border crossings.
Not to be confused with return, this movement represents a reversal of the refugee flow that followed the descent of Syria into civil war in 2011. It is also emblematic of a broader pattern of cyclical displacement crises in the region.
The complex and intertwined histories of Lebanon and Syria – where each has at various points been a refuge for citizens of the other – challenge the simple binaries often associated with the refugee experience.
The exchange of roles between Lebanon and Syria highlights not only the fragility of regional stability but the fluidity of displacement – and the deeper implications that cross-border movement has on the sociopolitical dynamics of both countries.
A history of reciprocal refuge
The relationship between Lebanon and Syria has long been complex, oscillating between cooperation and tension. Despite Syria’s official withdrawal from Lebanon in 2005 after decades as an occupying force, the two countries remain connected due to shared borders, economic ties and security concerns. Cooperation exists in areas such as trade, but there is significant tension, especially over the presence of over 1 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
Yet, throughout their modern histories, one of the most enduring bonds has been the shared experiences of displacement and refuge, dating back to Lebanon’s civil war. From 1975 to 1990, thousands of Lebanese fled to Syria to escape the sectarian-driven conflict that engulfed their homeland.
The post-war period, however, was marked by a shift in the dynamics between the two countries. The 2005 withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon marked a new chapter in their relations.
Tensions rose as Lebanon sought to rebuild and assert its sovereignty after nearly 30 years of Syrian occupation. Yet, the region’s tendency for upheaval soon saw the roles reversed again decades later, when an estimated 180,000 Lebanese took refuge in Syria during the 2006 July war.
With the onset of the Syrian civil war in 2011, it was Lebanon’s turn to serve as a refuge. By 2015, 1 million Syrians fleeing violence made the journey into Lebanon.
Despite being one of the 44 countries never to have signed the 1951 Refugee Convention, Lebanon is the country hosting the largest number of refugees per capita globally.
Because Lebanon didn’t sign the convention, it doesn’t formally recognize refugee status, which gives the country what it views as more control over its refugee policies. While Lebanon receives humanitarian support from the United Nations’ refugee agency, refugees remain in a precarious legal status, with limited rights.
For many Lebanese, this most recent influx of fleeing Syrian refugees has rekindled memories of their own displacement, while for others, it has fueled anti-refugee sentiments.
Bouncing between 2 war-torn countries
With the latest escalation of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, history is again repeating itself. Lebanese citizens, primarily from Hezbollah strongholds in South Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley, are seeking refuge in Syria, a country still grappling with its own economic collapse, violence and internal strife.
While the conflict on Lebanese territory has gone on for more than a year, movements into Syria only picked up in late September 2024 as people have become more desperate to flee.
As one displaced person forced to flee from Beirut explained to me: “Syria was certainly not a ‘better’ option than Lebanon six months ago, but in the last week, since the attacks on Beirut and political assassinations, Syria is safer – despite everything it is going through. That’s how unsafe we feel in Beirut – we are bouncing between one war-torn country and another.”
Syrian displacement to Lebanon has been portrayed by some Lebanese politicians as one-directional. This appears to be in order to frame Syrian refugees as the sole recipients of aid – as opposed to Lebanese citizens – as well as burdens on Lebanon.
When displacement occurs in both directions, however, this narrative begins to break down.
Syrian refugees who once sought safety in Lebanon now see their home country as a safer haven – albeit a fragile and temporary one. Meanwhile, Lebanese citizens face the same kinds of vulnerability and desperation that their Syrian counterparts experienced over the past decade.
Importantly, testimonies from those who are making the trip from their ‘temporary’ home in Lebanon back to Syria highlight that these movements should not be mistaken for return. Rather, they are in themselves a temporary solution.
As one Syrian who had fled his Lebanese home explained to me: “No, I am not returning. I am rather leaving one foot in Lebanon and one in Syria. Syria is in no way a safe place. As men, we are at risk of arrest and forced conscription. However, Lebanon is momentarily, at this point in history, much less safe. We do this assessment week by week. I sent my wife and my children first. I will follow.”
For their part, internally displaced Lebanese entering into Syria insist that these movements are “absolutely temporary.” One told me: “Syria is not foreign to us. It feels close and familiar. But most importantly, it feels temporary and is the right proximity to Lebanon. As soon as things calm down we will come back to our homes. Many of us have nothing to go back to, but even in this case, we will not remain in Syria.”
The strain of displacement
Both Lebanon and Syria are, in many ways, ill-equipped to handle the new wave of displacement.
By 2023, Lebanon’s economic collapse had driven 80% of its population into poverty, making it nearly impossible to absorb the additional strain of mass internal displacement.
Government paralysis, compounded by political deadlock, leaves internally displaced people with little to no state support, mostly relying on aid and community networks to survive.
Syria, though in the position of “host” in this current migratory flow, is similarly constrained. The country’s infrastructure remains devastated from more than a decade of civil war. Basic services are stretched thin, and the economy has not recovered. Humanitarian organizations coordinating the response are working amid overextended resources and dwindling support.
A region in perpetual chaos
As the armed conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalates, the displacement crisis in Lebanon and Syria will, I fear, likely worsen.
The recent wave of Syrian refugees and Lebanese into Syria reveals the cyclical nature of refuge in the region. Ultimately, the ongoing displacement crisis in Lebanon and Syria serves as a reminder that refuge is often temporary, contingent on the shifting geopolitics of the region.
The histories of these two countries, where both have served as havens for the other’s displaced populations, underscore the complexity of displacement in the Middle East.
The fact that Lebanese citizens are now seeking shelter in Syria, a country from which over 1 million refugees fled just over a decade ago, underscores the volatility of regional displacement patterns. It also raises critical questions about the sustainability of international refugee systems that too often rely on static, one-directional models of migration and don’t account for the fluid and often reversible nature of displacement.
Jasmin Lilian Diab 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 Amanda Klekowski von Koppenfels, Honorary Reader in MIgration and Politics, University of Kent
Election workers prepare to mail absentee ballots to Americans, including those living overseas.Allison Joyce/Getty Images
One group of American voters is being largely ignored in the closely watched polling leading up to the Nov. 5 elections: U.S. citizens living abroad, whether as civilians or as members of the military. We know from governmental data that the number of ballots cast by overseas Americans has been greater than the margin of victory in races in the past – and may be again in 2024.
But that one potentially crucial group of American voters – U.S. citizens living abroad – does not get much attention, from pollsters or campaigns.
We are scholars of politicalscience whose research shows that overseas voters can make a difference in elections – and that there is potential for campaigns to mobilize these voters, despite a more complex process of voting than for domestic voters.
But those are likely undercounts. It’s almost impossible to account fully for dual citizens, naturalized U.S. citizens who have returned to the country of their birth or people who split their time between the U.S. and other countries.
Overseas Americans tend to be highly educated: More than three-quarters have a college degree, double the percentage within the U.S. Most overseas Americans do not move from country to country but rather stay in one country, often for a decade or more. But our surveys have found they remain interested in U.S. politics – not least because they pay U.S. income taxes, whether they work for a U.S. or foreign employer. IRS data shows that the vast majority are not ultra-wealthy.
Overseas voters’ absentee ballot requests and their returned ballots are carefully scrutinized by local officials in the state where they last lived in the U.S., making abuse very unlikely. But it is complex for overseas voters to vote: The paperwork is complicated, and there is comparatively little outreach from political parties and candidates.
Barriers to voting from overseas
In 2020, the Federal Voting Assistance Program, which is supposed to help overseas voters exercise their voting rights, estimated that just shy of 8% of eligible American voters overseas cast ballots in that year’s presidential election. Using program numbers to calculate a percentage another way finds that no more than 20% of overseas Americans cast ballots in the 2020 election.
Federal law requires local election officials in the U.S. to mail absentee ballots45 days before an election to overseas Americans who request them. Poor mail service in the U.S. and elsewhere can mean that voters don’t always get the ballots in time, and the ballots mailed back to election officials face similar delays.
Some states allow voters to receive or return their ballots electronically, which is faster; an overseas voter casting a ballot in Massachusetts can request a ballot, receive a blank ballot and return it all by email, while an overseas voter from Pennsylvania must return it by mail or courier, following exact procedures for enclosing their ballot in multiple envelopes.
In 2023, the Federal Voting Assistance Program estimated that as many as 150,000 U.S. citizens overseas did not cast ballots in the 2022 elections because of administrative hurdles, such as slow or irregular mail service and difficulties in communicating procedural changes to prospective voters abroad.
Interest in US politics
Another possible reason Americans abroad don’t vote is that they have lost interest in U.S. politics. But our own research, and the work of others, finds that not to be true.
Even given the logistical challenges, U.S. citizens living in Canada, as one example, have very similar levels of interest in American politics compared with citizens back home.
During the 2020 and 2022 campaign seasons, two of us surveyed American citizens who had moved north of the border. In 2020, 55% indicated they were very interested in American politics, as did 44% in the midterm year of 2022. This is comparable with levels of attention to politics within the U.S. during those campaigns, as gauged by the Cooperative Election Study.
So although Americans in Canada indicated interest levels as high as those in the U.S. during the past two national election cycles, the vast majority of them did not cast a vote. Administrative barriers play a role, but they’re not enough to explain such low turnout among citizens overseas.
Ignored by campaigns
Another key factor driving low turnout from abroad is a lack of communication from campaigns and parties. Research demonstrates that contacts by campaigns and parties significantly increase a person’s likelihood of voting.
U.S. citizens living abroad are unlikely to hear from campaigns, even in nearby Canada. When asked in 2020 or 2022 whether they had been contacted by American political campaigns, most potential voters in the U.S. had. But our surveys of Americans living in Canada show less than one-third reported contact from parties or candidates.
Because overseas citizens vote in their last state of residence in the U.S. but are not physically resident there, campaigns find it harder to identify them as swing-state residents or members of favorable demographic groups.
Overall, Americans living overseas are as eligible to vote as citizens in the U.S. They are as attentive to politics as Americans living in the U.S. On the other hand, they face major administrative hurdles and are generally not contacted by American parties or campaigns.
James A. McCann has received support for his research on migration from Purdue University, the US Fulbright Program, the Russell Sage Foundation, and the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Amanda Klekowski von Koppenfels and Ronald Rapoport do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The American public is on alert about artificial intelligence and the 2024 election.
A September 2024 poll by the Pew Research Center found that well over half of Americans worry that artificial intelligence – or AI, computer technology mimicking the processes and products of human intelligence – will be used to generate and spread false and misleading information in the campaign.
My academic research on AI may help quell some concerns. While this innovative technology certainly has the potential to manipulate voters or spread lies at scale, most uses of AI in the current election cycle are, so far, not novel at all.
I’ve identified four roles AI is playing or could play in the 2024 campaign – all arguably updated versions of familiar election activities.
1. Voter information
The 2022 launch of ChatGPT brought the promise and peril of generative AI into public consciousness. This technology is called “generative” because it produces text responses to user prompts: It can write poetry, answer history questions – and provide information about the 2024 election.
Rather than search Google for voting information, people may instead ask generative AI a question. “How much has inflation changed since 2020?” for example. Or, “Who’s running for U.S. Senate in Texas?”
Some generative AI platforms such as Google’s AI chatbot Gemini, decline to answer questions about candidates and voting. Some, such as Facebook’s AI tool Llama, respond – and respond accurately.
But generative AI can also produce misinformation. In the most extreme cases, AI can have “hallucinations,” offering up wildly inaccurate results.
A CBS news account from June 2024 reported that ChatGPT had given incorrect or incomplete responses to some prompts asking how to vote in battleground states. And ChatGPT didn’t consistently follow the policy of its owner, OpenAI, and refer users to CanIVote.org, a respected site for voting information.
As with the web, people should verify the results of AI searches. And beware: Google’s Gemini now automatically returns answers to Google search queries at the top of every results page. You might inadvertently stumble into AI tools when you think you’re searching the internet.
2. Deepfakes
Deepfakes are fabricated images, audio and video produced by generative AI and designed to replicate reality. Essentially, these are highly convincing versions of what are now called “cheapfakes” – altered images made using basic tools such as Photoshop and video-editing software.
The potential of deepfakes to deceive voters became clear when an AI-generated robocall impersonating Joe Biden before the January 2024 New Hampshire primary advised Democrats to save their votes for November.
After that, the Federal Communication Commission ruled that AI-generated robocalls are subject to the same regulations as all robocalls. They cannot be auto-dialed or delivered to cellphones or landlines without prior consent.
The agency also slapped a US$6 million fine on the consultant who created the fake Biden call – but not for tricking voters. He was fined for transmitting inaccurate caller-ID information.
While synthetic media can be used to spread disinformation, deepfakes are now part of the creative toolbox of political advertisers.
One early deepfake aimed more at persuasion than overt deception was an AI-generated ad from a 2022 mayoral race contest portraying the then-incumbent mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana, as a failing student summoned to the principal’s office.
Blink and you’ll miss the disclaimer that this campaign ad is a deepfake.
Wired magazine’s AI Elections Project, which is tracking uses of AI in the 2024 cycle, shows that deepfakes haven’t overwhelmed the ads voters see. But they have been used by candidates across the political spectrum, up and down the ballot, for many purposes – including deception.
Former President Donald Trump hints at a Democratic deepfake when he questions the crowd size at Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign events. In lobbing such allegations, Trump is attempting to reap the “liar’s dividend” – the opportunity to plant the idea that truthful content is fake.
Discrediting a political opponent this way is nothing new. Trump has been claiming that the truth is really just “fake news” since at least the “birther” conspiracy of 2008, when he helped to spread rumors that presidential candidate Barack Obama’s birth certificate was fake.
3. Strategic distraction
Some are concerned that AI might be used by election deniers in this cycle to distract election administrators by burying them in frivolous public records requests.
For example, the group True the Vote has lodged hundreds of thousands of voter challenges over the past decade working with just volunteers and a web-based app. Imagine its reach if armed with AI to automate their work.
Such widespread, rapid-fire challenges to the voter rolls could divert election administrators from other critical tasks, disenfranchise legitimate voters and disrupt the election.
As of now, there’s no evidence that this is happening.
Special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the 2016 U.S. election concluded that Russia had worked to get President Donald Trump elected. Jonathan Ernst/Pool via AP
In July, the Department of Justice seized two domain names and searched close to 1,000 accounts that Russian actors had used for what it called a “social media bot farm,” similar to those Russia used to influence the opinions of hundreds of millions of Facebook users in the 2020 campaign. Artificial intelligence could give these efforts a real boost.
There’s also evidence that China is using AI this cycle to spread malicious information about the U.S. One such social media post transcribed a Biden speech inaccurately to suggest he made sexual references.
AI may help election interferers do their dirty work, but new technology is hardly necessary for foreign meddling in U.S. politics.
In 1940, the United Kingdom – an American ally – was so focused on getting the U.S. to enter World War II that British intelligence officers worked to help congressional candidates committed to intervention and to discredit isolationists.
One target was the prominent Republican isolationist U.S. Rep. Hamilton Fish. Circulating a photo of Fish and the leader of an American pro-Nazi group taken out of context, the British sought to falsely paint Fish as a supporter of Nazi elements abroad and in the U.S.
Can AI be controlled?
Acknowledging that it doesn’t take new technology to do harm, bad actors can leverage the efficiencies embedded in AI to create a formidable challenge to election operations and integrity.
Federal efforts to regulate AI’s use in electoral politics face the same uphill battle as most proposals to regulate political campaigns. States have been more active: 19 now ban or restrict deepfakes in political campaigns.
Some platforms engage in light self-moderation. Google’s Gemini responds to prompts asking for basic election information by saying, “I can’t help with responses on elections and political figures right now.”
Campaign professionals may employ a little self-regulation, too. Several speakers at a May 2024 conference on campaign tech expressed concern about pushback from voters if they learn that a campaign is using AI technology. In this sense, the public concern over AI might be productive, creating a guardrail of sorts.
But the flip side of that public concern – what Stanford University’s Nate Persily calls “AI panic” – is that it can further erode trust in elections.
Barbara A. Trish 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.
Unimaginable pain and restlessness. Vomiting so frequent and forceful that it can perforate the esophagus. Blood pressure and heart rate so high that they damage the heart. Sweating that drenches clothing and sheets. Nerve sensitivity that makes even the softest touch agonizing. A prolonged panic attack that is provoked and worsened by even mundane activities and conversations.
So it’s no surprise that people will do whatever they can to forestall them. That includes walking out of the hospital before their care is complete.
I’m an associate professor of emergency medicine who has spent a decade as an emergency physician working in Center City and South Philadelphia. I’ve spent most of that time directing projects to improve care for people who use drugs.
Beginning in 2022, our team – a group of emergency and addiction physicians – began experimenting with new approaches to treating tranq dope withdrawal.
We were able to reduce the likelihood of these patients leaving the hospital before treatment was complete by more than half – from 10% to just under 4%.
We also reduced the severity of their suffering, lowering their withdrawal scores – or how they rate their pain and other symptoms – by more than half.
Traditional treatments don’t work
Before tranq dope, treating opioid withdrawal in the emergency department was relatively straightforward, with well-studied, conventional protocols.
For patients without chronic pain, health care providers started buprenorphine, known by its brand name Suboxone, when patients showed signs of withdrawal.
Buprenorphine works by partially, rather than fully, stimulating opioid receptors in the body. This subtle difference relieves symptoms of withdrawal but reduces the risk of overdose if patients continue to use other opioids. It quite literally saves lives.
Tranq dope, however, created a much larger set of challenges.
Meanwhile, tranq users started to share buprenorphine horror stories. They refused the medication due to a phenomenon called “precipitated withdrawal.” Precipitated withdrawal is a condition in which taking buprenorphine paradoxically makes withdrawal symptoms worse, rather than improving them. Due to the severity of their symptoms, some patients who precipitate severely even require treatment in the intensive care unit.
Furthermore, when patients did accept buprenorphine, their withdrawal symptoms were no longer being effectively controlled, even with very high doses. We were adrift.
Patients demand discharge
When people with severe substance use disorders are hospitalized, even compassionate staff members sometimes lose patience.
Being confined to a stretcher in a loud, chaotic environment, in withdrawal, with prior traumatic health care experiences, can lead patients to act out. They might repeatedly hit call bells, use inappropriate language, make impulsive decisions or sneak drugs into the hospital.
This creates a lot of stress for nurses and staff, and distracts from the care of others.
So when patients demand to leave before treatments are complete, exhausted care teams often quickly acquiesce. Traditionally, this was termed leaving “against medical advice,” but is now called “patient-directed discharge.”
Rates of patient-directed discharge can be 10 to 50 times higher in people with an opioid use disorder compared with the general public.
A cycle of mistrust can also form, where the expectation that a patient may leave again leads to a less engaged care team, which in turn can make patients more likely to leave.
At staff meetings, some compared the challenges of caring for these individuals to those experienced in the hardest parts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
New approach needed
Many physicians have been reticent to consider other options for treating opioid withdrawal. I believe there are two key reasons for this. One is the lack of Food and Drug Administration approval for alternative treatments. The other is that federal regulations consider addiction a behavioral rather than medical condition, effectively separating most doctors from the addiction care of these individuals.
As fentanyl and xylazine became ubiquitous in Philadelphia’s street dope, local hospitals reported astronomical rates of patient-directed discharge among these patients. This was happening despite the best efforts of hospital staffs that are deeply experienced in conventional opioid withdrawal treatment.
In 2021, an editorial in the Annals of Internal Medicine journal advocated for the use of short-acting opioids for some patients’ opioid withdrawal – which is already common practice in Canada. Short-acting opioids are medications doctors traditionally use to treat acute pain.
Philadelphia hospitals started experimenting with using these previously verboten medications. That included our team at Jefferson Health.
By using short-acting opioids such as oxycodone or hydromorphone, combined with a low-dose version of buprenorphine, we prevented precipitated withdrawal and treated opioid withdrawal and pain in our patients.
The low-dose bupenorphine can be increased over time to steady doses. This shows patients that the medication is safe and provides them a bridge to long-term treatment.
The short-acting opioids replace the opioids that their bodies are frantically searching for. They reduce their pain and misery, and are decreased when their symptoms are controlled.
Patients with opioid use disorder will often do whatever they can to stay out of the hospital due to fear of withdrawal. Asking how withdrawal symptoms are managed, therefore, is often their first priority when hospitalized. We see this even when they have conditions that require complicated and time-sensitive treatments.
Owing to the vast amounts of opioids many of our patients use, we also give them additional strong medications, or “adjunctive therapies,” to supplement the effects of the short-acting opioids and low-dose buprenorphine. One is ketamine, an anesthetic that affects nerve impulses and is increasingly being used to treat depression, post-traumatic stress discorder and substance use disorders.
We additionally add muscle relaxants – which work similarly to xylazine – along with nausea medications and IV fluids, to help give patients a chance at healing.
Side effects and future problems
In patients who received our medications, the risks of serious side effects were minimal. The few patients who suffered serious adverse effects had other acute medical problems that could have contributed to the side effects. Almost all the side effects we saw were mild and resolved on their own.
As powerful synthetic opioids and other contaminants become pervasive in more U.S. cities, more emergency departments will need to figure out how to care for patients in withdrawal so that they don’t leave treatment.
It is our hope that this work will inspire others to do a better job of providing relief to patients suffering from this complicated and severe condition.
Kory London received funding from the City of Philadelphia to support the work related to caring for individuals with substance use disorder. He is on the board of the nonprofit Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, dedicated to helping those in need of behavioral health care and support.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Schneur Zalman Newfield, Associate Professor of Sociology and Jewish Studies, Hunter College
Lubavitchers have put up leaflets, posters and even murals of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson around the world, with many proclaiming him the messiah. Nizzan Cohen via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA
If you live anywhere near New York – or anywhere in the world, really – you may have seen a picture of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Yellow posters of the rabbi’s face are stuck to lampposts or streetlights: an elderly man with a long white beard and black hat.
For tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews, Schneerson is simply “the rebbe”: the leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, even though he died in 1994. The name “Chabad” is familiar to many Americans, but the actual beliefs of this Hasidic group rarely are.
As someone who was raised in a Lubavitch community and became a scholar of sociology and Jewish studies, I am often asked what sets it apart from other Orthodox streams of Judaism.
Mystic teachings, joyful prayer
Hasidism began under the leadership of the 18th-century mystic and healer Israel ben Eliezer, known as the Baal Shem Tov. Instead of focusing on the Bible and Jewish law, the movement prioritized attaching oneself to God through joyful prayer and passionate devotion.
The Lubavitch sect of Hasidism was founded in the late 1700s by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the author of the Tanya – a theological text and self-improvement manual still studied daily by Lubavitchers. For over a hundred years, the movement was based in the rural town of Lyubavichi, Russia, from which it derives its name.
Since 1940, however, Lubavitch has been based in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. The headquarters there at 770 Eastern Parkway are simply referred to as “770” by Lubavitchers the world over, who imbue the red brick building with mystical symbolism.
Yet there are key features of Lubavitch that distinguish it – particularly how much it engages with non-Orthodox Jews.
The rebbe
All Hasidic sects have a leader, a “rebbe,” who is believed to possess unique spiritual gifts and connect his followers to the divine. Still, Lubavitch is distinct in terms of the extent to which the rebbe is central to the lives of every single member of the community.
In 1951, Schneerson accepted leadership of the Lubavitchers after the passing of his father-in-law and grew the movement exponentially until his passing in 1994. Rather than naming a successor, however, Lubavitchers have continued to regard Schneerson as “the rebbe.”
With his piercing blue eyes, full white beard, black fedora and silk coat, images of Schneerson are ubiquitous among Lubavitchers. Photos and paintings of him adorn walls, key chains, clocks and charity boxes wherever they live.
A baby clutches a photo of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson during a holiday celebration in front of the Chabad Lubavitch headquarters in Brooklyn. AP Photo/Mark Lennihan
While the rebbe was alive, his followers would ask him for advice and blessings regarding all spiritual matters, as well as questions about health, business and marriage. Since his passing, followers continue to seek his blessings by placing notes at his gravesite and searching his printed works for guidance.
One expression of Lubavitchers’ devotion is their commitment to creating Jewish outreach centers all over the world.
The ethos of sharing Hasidic thought was present from the founding of the Lubavitch movement. This drive became much more developed, however, during and after the Holocaust and continued under Schneerson’s leadership.
Today, Lubavitch has established Jewish outposts, called “Chabad Houses,” from Melbourne to Hong Kong and Buenos Aires to Cape Town. These emissaries endeavor to reach out to secular Jews and inspire them to become more religiously observant.
Members of Chabad participate in a Fourth of July parade in Santa Monica, Calif. AP Photo/Richard Vogel
The language surrounding Lubavitch outreach often has a militaristic flavor – for example, its youth movement is named the “Army of God”: Tzivos Ha-Shem, in Hebrew. However, outreach is rooted in the commandment to love one’s fellow Jew and a desire to help them enjoy the Jewish tradition. It is also motivated by a belief that these efforts will help fulfill the biblical prophecy of a Jewish messiah, who will usher in a time of global peace.
The most distinct aspect of contemporary Lubavitch is its enthusiasm for the coming of the messiah and its assertion that Schneerson is that long-awaited messiah, despite his death.
Messianic hopes and people claiming to be the messiah have appeared at various points throughout Jewish history, often during periods of crisis. In the wake of the devastation of the Holocaust, however, Schneerson made the idea of the messiah’s coming integral to every aspect of Jewish life.
Eventually, most followers came to believe that Schneerson was the righteous redeemer sent by God to usher in the messianic age. While Schneerson did not embrace these proclamations, he insisted that through additional acts of goodness and kindness it was possible to bring about the messianic redemption.
While some outsiders criticized this emphasis, especially claims about the rebbe, the situation became much more fraught after he passed away in 1994. In response to this trauma, a split developed in Lubavitch.
One camp, composed largely of those involved in outreach work and members of long-standing Lubavitch families, argued Lubavitch should stop publicly talking about Schneerson being the messiah since it scared away outsiders. The other camp, largely composed of those who joined the community as adults, claimed that he was still the messiah and was about to return, and that it was vital to tell the world.
To some other Jews, this belief seemed suspiciously close to Christian faith in the second coming of Jesus. Still, many Lubavitchers persist in their messianic beliefs.
The future
This issue still divides some Lubavitchers. Nonetheless, since Schneerson’s passing three decades ago, the movement has increased in size and strength.
The group’s cohesiveness has been aided by creative uses of technology to foster a sense of the rebbe’s continued presence in their lives. For example, the Jewish Educational Media organization regularly produces videos that splice footage of his talks with current visuals to make him feel present in the moment. Lubavitchers have reinterpreted Hasidic texts to fit their current predicament, helping them feel grounded despite his physical absence.
While the precise future of Lubavitch is unknown, the fact that it has managed to weather the storm of the rebbe’s passing and emerged stronger gives his followers hope for the future.
Schneur Zalman Newfield 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 Karen Jacobsen, Henry J. Leir Chair in Global Migration, Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, Tufts University
Haitian students use mobile phones to record an exercise during an English class in Springfield, Ohio, on Sept. 13, 2024. Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images
Former President Donald Trump and his running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance, have criticized the Biden administration’s decision to allow Haitian nationals who are in the U.S. to apply for permission to stay under a legal classification called Temporary Protected Status. Here is what this designation means and how it’s made:
TPS permits foreign nationals who are already in the United States – even if they did not enter the country through an official or legal means – to remain for six, 12 or 18 months at a time if the situation in their home country is deemed too dangerous for them to return. Threats that prompt TPS designations include ongoing armed conflict, natural disasters, epidemics and other extraordinary and temporary conditions.
The Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security designates a foreign country for TPS when conditions there meet requirements spelled out in federal law. Once the secretary determines that the foreign country is safe for its nationals to return, their protected status expires and people who have been granted it are expected to return to their home country.
Congress created TPS as part of the Immigration Act of 1990. Since then, administrations have used it to protect thousands of people from dozens of countries. The first nations to be designated, in March 1991, were Kuwait, Lebanon and Liberia.
As of March 2024, there were 863,880 people from 16 countries under Temporary Protected Status in the U.S. Another 486,418 people had initial or renewal applications pending. An estimated 316,000 people may also be eligible under two new extensions since that date.
TPS beneficiaries may not be detained by federal officials over their immigration status or deported from the United States. They can obtain work permits and apply for authorization to travel outside the U.S. and return to it.
People who receive TPS don’t automatically become legal permanent residents. But they can petition for an adjustment of their immigration status, such as applying for permanent residency, a student visa or asylum. Applying for a change of immigration status does not necessarily mean their application will be approved.
Humanitarian measures
TPS is not the only tool administrations can use to protect people from countries facing disaster or conflict.
For example, a Haitian person currently living in the U.S. is eligible for TPS under a designation that lasts through Feb. 3, 2026. In contrast, a Haitian who travels through Mexico and applies for entry to the U.S. at the border is not likely to be admitted.
However, there is a third possibility for Haitians, known as parole. The federal government can give certain groups permission to enter or remain in the U.S. if it finds “urgent humanitarian or significant public benefit reasons” for doing so.
People who enter through parole programs must have an approved financial supporter in the U.S., undergo a robust security vetting and meet other eligibility criteria. They typically can stay for one to two years, and may apply for authorization to work.
One current parole program is for people from Latin American countries that are TPS designates. The U.S. government can grant advance permission to enter the U.S. to up to 30,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans each month. People fleeing these countries – all of which have been designated for Temporary Protected Status – can seek authorization to travel from their homes to the U.S. for urgent humanitarian reasons, and then stay for a temporary period of parole for up to two years.
Immigrant rights groups rally at the U.S. Capitol following a federal court ruling that threatened the legal standing of thousands with Temporary Protected Status, Sept. 15, 2020. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
I’ve studied global migration and asylum policy for 25 years. I see both TPS and parole as legal and carefully considered ways to support people from countries experiencing wrenching conflict, disorder and disaster who are seeking safety in the U.S. Doing away with these programs, as Trump sought to do during his term in office, would make it extremely difficult for people in great danger to escape.
Karen Jacobsen 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 Philip M. Orton, Research Associate Professor in Ocean Engineering, Stevens Institute of Technology
A consequence of dredging deep channels is that water also enters more easily with tides and storm surge.Google Earth
Centuries ago, estuaries around the world were teeming with birds and turbulent with schools of fish, their marshlands and endless tracts of channels melting into the gray-blue horizon.
The result has been the environmental collapse of estuary habitats and the loss of buffer zones that helped protect cities from storm surge and sea-level rise. But the damage isn’t just what’s visible on land.
Below the surface of many of the remaining waterways, another form of urbanization has been slowly increasing the vulnerability of coastlines to extreme storms and sea-level rise: Vast dredging and engineering projects have more than doubled the depths of shipping channels since the 19th century.
Some of these oceanic highways enable huge container ships, with drafts of 50 feet below the waterline and lengths of nearly a quarter mile, to glide into formerly shallow areas. An example is New Jersey’s Newark Bay, which was as little as 10 feet (3 meters) deep in the 1840s but is 50 feet (15 meters) deep today.
A consequence of dredging deep channels is that water also enters and exits the estuaries more easily with each tide or storm. In these dredged channels, the natural resistance to flow created by a rough and shallow channel bottom is reduced. With less friction, that can lead to larger high tides and storm surge.
The effects of dredging are most visible in the daily tides, which have grown larger over the past century in many estuaries and aggravated nuisance flooding in many cities, as our research shows.
The most common culprit for these larger tides is estuary urbanization.
For example, in Miami, where the tide range has almost doubled, a major contributor is the construction and dredging of a nearly 50-foot-deep (15 meter), 500-foot-wide (150 meter) harbor entrance channel beginning in the early 20th century.
In New York City, some neighborhoods in southern Queens see 15 minor tidal floods per year today. Computer modeling shows that these floods are caused in about equal measure by sea-level rise and landscape alterations, including dredging and wetland reclamation projects that fill in wetlands to build industrial sites, airports and neighborhoods.
These costs have gone largely unnoticed, since changes have occurred gradually over the past 150 years. But as sea-level rise and turbo-charged storms increase flooding frequency and severity, the problem is becoming more visible.
Building solutions to the flooding problem
In response to rising sea levels, a different form of estuary urbanization is attracting new attention as a possible solution.
Gated storm-surge barriers or tide gates are being built across estuaries or their inlets so they can be closed off during storm-surge events. Some examples include barriers for New Orleans; London; Venice, Italy; and the Netherlands. Such barriers are increasingly being proposed alongside levee systems for coastal protection of urbanized estuary shorelines.
Surge barriers are not long-term solutions to flooding driven by sea-level rise, and their negative impacts remain poorly understood.
Venice’s rising flood wall includes 58 gates, each about the size of two tennis courts, that rise to block the inlet from storm surge.
Natural solutions
Wetlands and mangroves have also emerged as a popular nature-based solution.
Communities and government funding have focused on attempts to restore or create new wetlands as buffers in shoreline areas. But this solution is ineffective for flood protection in most harbor cities, such as New York, due to the lack of available space.
A storm surge crossing over a mile of marsh can be reduced by several inches, depending on the site’s characteristics. But typical urban estuary waterfronts have only tens of feet of open space to work with, if that much. In a narrow space, the best that vegetation can do is reduce wave action, which often isn’t the the most pressing problem for cities on estuaries that are typically sheltered from wind-driven storm waves.
As a result, engineered wetlands, while attractive, may be ineffective, especially if trends in ship sizes and estuarine urbanization continues.
Better ways to put nature back to work
Our research reveals an opportunity for scientists, engineers and broader society to think bigger – to consider a more comprehensive reshaping and restoration of the natural features of estuaries that once mitigated or absorbed flooding.
These approaches can sharply reduce flooding and provide years of protection against sea-level rise. Restoration to historical channel and wetland configurations, however, is rarely given serious consideration in coastal storm risk management studies because of the perceived economic cost, but also because the cumulative effect of deeper channel depths is often unrecognized.
Renaturing urbanized estuaries in these ways could be paired with buyout programs to also reclaim the floodplain, reducing risk in more sustainable ways. Or it could be paired with seawalls to protect existing neighborhoods in a more ecologically beneficial way. These approaches should be considered as alternatives to further urbanizing our cities’ few remaining natural areas – their estuaries.
Philip M. Orton receives funding from the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, pertaining to the assessment of coastal flooding from storms, high tides, sea level rise and estuary urbanization.
Stefan Talke receives funding from the National Science Foundation, the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, the California Department of Transportation, Pacific Northwest National Labs, and the California Delta Stewardship Council. The research pertains to the effect of sea-level rise and anthropogenic change on tides and floods in the past, present, and future.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Liza Bondurant, Associate Professor of Secondary Math Education, Mississippi State University
The complex voting system in the U.S. requires a sophisticated understanding of math.bamlou/DigitalVision Vectors
To American voters, the process of electing a president and other officials may be difficult to explain and understand. For America’s math teachers, the system represents a gold mine for real-life lessons on ratios, statistics and data.
And by basing the lessons on elections, teachers can help put students on the path to becoming informed and engaged voters later in life, according to a 2020 survey of 2,232 young adults ages 18-21.
Americans don’t vote directly for the president. Instead, a group of electors vote for the candidate who wins the popular vote in that state. In most states, whoever wins the most votes wins all the state’s electors, or “electoral votes.”
Not all states have the same number of electors. Each state starts with two electoral votes, based on the two U.S. senators in each state. States receive additional electors based on the number of representatives they have in the House of Representatives, which depends on a state’s population. The number of representatives in the House, however, has been set at 435 since 1929, despite a huge and varied increase in the population. This means the number of people represented by each member of the U.S. House – the ratio of people to representative – varies considerably, as shown in a table from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Armed with this background, math teachers can use the census data on population and ratios to teach students the following math – and voting – topics.
Topic 1: Ratio
To calculate a state’s representative ratio, the number of people for every one representative, divide the population by the number of the state’s representatives in the U.S. House. In 2020, for example, Montana had two congressional representatives and a population of 1,085,407. The representative ratio was 542,704:1 – 1,085,407 divided by 2 – or 542,704 residents for each representative.
Topic 2: Minimum and maximum
In any set of numbers, the minimum is the smallest number in the set and the maximum is the largest number. For example, using the representative ratios from the 2020 census data, Montana’s ratio of 542,704:1 is the smallest – the minimum – and Delaware’s ratio of 990,837:1 is the largest, or the maximum.
Topic 3: The shape, center and spread of data
Shape means how data, such as the ratios of residents to representatives, looks on a chart or graph. Teachers can use a histogram, a kind of graph used to illustrate how data is distributed: evenly, skewed to one side, or with some numbers as outliers, at a distance from the other numbers.
The ratios can also be used to explain how to find the “center” of data, its mean or median. The mean is the average, found by adding all the numbers in the set and dividing by how many there are. For example, adding the ratios for all the states and dividing by 50. The median is the middle number when all numbers are placed in order from minimum to maximum. Simple spreadsheet formulas are available online to help students find both.
Students can examine ratios of residents to representatives for all 50 states. iofoto via Getty Images
The “spread” of a set of numbers tells how much the numbers are different from the center. One measure of spread is called the range, which is the difference between the maximum and the minimum. For example, the range in representative ratios among the states is 448,133: the maximum, Delaware’s 990,837, minus the minimum, Montana’s 542,704.
When students understand how ratios – and elections – work, teachers can ask questions such as, “Montana has fewer people per representative than Delaware. Where would your vote count more?” Answer: Montana, because fewer people per representative means each vote counts more.
Topic 4: Gerrymandering
Each state is divided into districts; residents of each district vote for their state and federal representatives. Gerrymandering occurs when the borders of voting districts are drawn to favor one party at the expense of another. The political party in power often draws these district lines to make it easier for that party to win in the future.
Imagine a state has 10 representatives, and Party X gets 60% of the votes. With 60% of the votes, it seems fair that Party X should get 6 of the state’s 10 seats for representatives.
There is no rule that says the percentage of votes cast for a party in a state has to line up with the number of seats the party wins. And Party X wants more. To keep control of as many seats as possible, the politicians in Party X would like to manipulate – or gerrymander – each of 10 districts to make sure it would win 60% of the vote in each. With a majority in each district, Party X would win all 10 seats. Gerrymandering to this extreme is not always possible because districts must consist of adjoining areas, and voters who favor one party might not live in areas that can be easily connected.
Lessons on gerrymandering can vary by grade level. For example, elementary students can get hands-on experience manipulating borders with the Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival “puzzles” tool. The puzzle, which can be tied to lessons about shapes, percents and area, allows children to change boundaries on a graph to increase or decrease the number of yellow or green squares – representing voters – in each “district.” There are fewer green squares than yellow squares in each puzzle. Students win when they successfully gerrymander, changing the borders so the green voters are in the majority in most, or all, of the districts.
High school students, who already understand the basics of gerrymandering, can use a tool called Districtr to draw real voting districts. The site uses actual data about where voters live and which political party won in which area. Using this tool, students cannot only try to gerrymander districts, they can also try to create districts that are more fairly balanced. After trying to draw their own “fair” districts, students might be interested in some states’ use of independent groups to draw fairer district lines.
By using elections as a learning tool, students can gain a better understanding of ratios, means and range, and they might also start thinking about what they can do to improve the process.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Kip Holderness, Associate Professor of Forensic and Fraud Examination and Accounting, West Virginia University
When you’re a manager, delivering feedback can feel like walking a tightrope. Whether you’re praising an employee’s accomplishments or addressing a shortfall, how you communicate can have a big impact on how your words are received and acted upon.
As businessschoolprofessors, we’ve done research into how to make the assessment process as painless as possible. And we’ve found three essential strategies for delivering feedback that’s both effective and constructive.
Using these strategies will help you elevate the feedback process, fostering a more positive and productive work environment:
1. Keep your emotions out of it
Have you ever noticed that saying things like “I’m disappointed” or “I’m proud of you” can change a feedback conversation completely? That’s because the language you use – particularly emotionally charged words – can shift how employees interpret the feedback.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, our research shows that using negative emotional language – like “I’m disappointed” – can reduce employee motivation and effort. This happens because employees shift their focus away from their performance and toward how you, the manager, see them as a person.
At the same time, using positive emotional language such as “I’m pleased” can sometimes backfire. That’s because it can make employees feel complacent.
The key takeaway here is that using emotionally neutral language, especially when giving negative feedback, helps employees stay focused on their tasks without getting sidetracked by what the feedback says about them personally.
Instead of saying, “I’m disappointed with your sales numbers,” try a more neutral approach, like “The sales numbers are below the target we set. Let’s discuss some strategies for improvement.”
By keeping a lid on the emotions in your language, you keep the conversation focused on performance. That helps employees better understand what they need to work on, without the additional emotional burden.
2. Let workers customize their experience
Not all employees want the same type of feedback, and that’s perfectly OK. Giving employees the ability to choose the type and frequency of evaluations can boost performance.
Workers who have a say in how often they are evaluated are more likely to use the process productively and feel less micromanaged, our research has found.
Consider creating a feedback menu where employees can select areas for assessment, such as communication skills, leadership development or project management. An additional strategy is to let workers set the frequency of feedback sessions – whether they be weekly check-ins or more comprehensive quarterly reviews.
When employees have ownership over the evaluation they receive, they are more open to it, perceive it as more valuable and are more likely to act on it.
3. Choose the right messenger
Who delivers the feedback can be just as important as the information itself. Our research has shown that some employees respond better to feedback from their peers, while others respond better when it’s from a manager.
Specifically, we found that people with a greater sense of entitlement do better with feedback from a supervisor, while less entitled people respond better to peer feedback.
That’s why it can be a good idea to use personality profiles to determine the best messenger for feedback. For instance, consider situations where a co-worker’s feedback could be reasonably delivered and from whom, like a peer mentor or team lead.
By aligning the feedback source with the content and context, you ensure that the feedback resonates more deeply and is perceived as constructive rather than critical.
Applying the principles in real life
Managers may find that using these three strategies might require adjusting their current feedback approach, but the benefits are worth it. Here’s a quick example of how to apply these strategies:
Imagine you have an employee, Mark, whose performance has recently dropped. In your feedback conversation, you might start with a neutral statement like “Mark, I’ve noticed that your recent projects have been missing their deadlines. Let’s discuss why this might be happening.” This language will help Mark focus on the issue without taking it as a personal attack.
Next, offer Mark the option to set up regular biweekly check-ins or monthly reviews to see what works best for him. Finally, if Mark has a strong rapport with a team member who excels at time management, consider arranging a peer feedback session where they can share tips and strategies.
The result? Mark feels supported rather than scrutinized, and the feedback is framed as an opportunity for growth rather than a reprimand.
As researchers who’ve studied management communication and feedback strategies for years, we know that these approaches can transform the way people interact with their teams. By being intentional about giving feedback, managers can create environments where employees feel respected, valued and motivated to succeed.
Kip Holderness has received funding in the past from the Institute of Management Accountants and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.
Kari Olsen received funding from the Institute of Management Accountants Research Foundation.
Todd Thornock has received funding from the Institute of Management Accountants Research Foundation.
The following is a guest post by Jai-Len Williams, a foreign law intern in theGlobal Legal Research Directorate of the Law Library of Congress.
In 2021, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) and Taiwan celebrated their 40th anniversary of years of diplomatic relations.
On January 26, 2023, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed for the Women’s Empowerment Project (WEP) International Programme. WEP was sponsored by the Government of Taiwan in collaboration with the Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Nine participating organizations were selected to participate in the WEP. They were the Kingdom Life Tabernacle, Vincyklus Inc., Caribbean Women in Leadership (CIWiL), Bequia Threadworks, RedRoot SVG Inc., SVG Girl Guides Association, National Council of Women, WAM/Vincyklus Inc. and Generation Next.
According to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Mobilization, Catherine De Freitas, the Project is about assisting small businesses, mostly owned by females, that were adversely affected after the 2021 explosive eruptions of the La Soufriere volcano and the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines welcomes the program as it supplements other social protection initiatives by the Government. Ambassador of Taiwan, His Excellency Peter Sha Li-Lan also pledged Taiwan’s continued assistance to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and urged the participating organizations to continue the hard work as WEP “is all about empowerment.”
In continuing the journey of empowering women and the young generation, on March 26, 2024, the Taiwanese Embassy hosted a WEP showcase in Kingstown, St. Vincent, where more than 50 female entrepreneurs participated. The Taiwanese Ambassador to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Her Excellency Fiona Fan, expressed her delight with the progress made with the WEP. She stated that through 16 vocational courses, the WEP empowered 306 female bakers with a diverse set of skills ranging from hotel hospitality to beauty treatments, sewing, and computer maintenance. According to Minister of National Mobilization Dr. Orando Brewster, the display exhibited many success stories, including start-up businesses and the valuable skills gained especially in the hotel and tourism industry.
Coincidentally, in September 2024, two foreign female legal interns situated next to each other met at the Law Library of Congress, Global Legal Research Directorate: Jai-Len Williams from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Yu Chen Tsai of Taiwan. Their friendship has blossomed into a thriving one.
Cheers to International Relations and the Global Research Directorate!
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