Ko Awa Ika o Wairewa is an innovative take on a conventional fish pass; an apparatus designed principally by Wayne Alexander to connect the lake to the Pacific Ocean 24/7. Effectively a long box anchored to the seabed, this highly engineered equipment represents several years of meticulous planning.
With designs now completed, the next major steps will be consenting and securing funding for construction. The apparatus can be turned off and on and could be replicated in other areas with similar problems.
“We’ve already lost 80-90 per cent of the tuna population in the northern hemisphere,” Robin said.
A tuna/eel from Te Roto o Wairewa/Lake Forsyth
“In Aotearoa, we could be facing the same situation. Losing these taonga species is not something we’re willing to accept.
“We’re extremely grateful for the commitment of Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury) and Christchurch City Council for their support and for considering unique and innovative solutions to crucial issues.”
History of success in iwi-led innovation
Civil engineering innovation is no stranger to Wairewa, with the Rūnanga already investing significantly in the development of an outlet canal, bridge and groyne as a more effective method of lake-level management and to prevent widescale flooding.
Compared to the traditional method of a direct cut opening the lake to the ocean, the infrastructure enables control over the lake levels and prevents saltwater from entering the lake when it is open, mitigating issues like algal blooms.
Since it was put in place 15 years ago, water quality continues to track in a positive direction. Cyno-toxic algal blooms have decreased by 99.6 per cent and macrophyte beds (aquatic plants) are flourishing, providing habitat, oxygen and food sources for fish, invertebrates and wildlife.
“We’re always trying to be on the front of the waka in terms of our lake knowledge,” Robin said. “We believe Te Roto o Wairewa is the only low-land lake in the country that has been able to reverse this level of decline.”
Funding support available for fish passage initiatives
The Fish Habitat Fund is an initiative to address site-specific issues that threaten native fish populations and provide financial support towards remediating these issues. Up to $100,000 per year is available for projects that support general fish passage, any threatened/at risk freshwater fish species, increasing resilience of native fish strongholds in the face of climate change.
Source: United States Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand
Following a disturbing report showing that service members are sustaining crippling traumatic brain injuries as a result of firing their own weapons, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand held a roundtable with veterans at VFW Post No. 9587 in Staten Island to discuss the her Blast Overpressure Safety Act, legislation to address traumatic brain injuries among service members and veterans. Service members who regularly fire heavy weapons are at increased risk of brain injury as a result of repeated exposure to explosions or blasts from their own weapons and explosives – otherwise known as blast overpressure. These brain injuries can cause depression, anxiety, cognitive problems, hallucinations, panic attacks, violent outbursts, suicidal tendencies, psychiatric disorders, dementia, and a variety of other serious health problems. At least a dozen Navy SEALs who have died by suicide over the past decade were later found to have suffered blast injuries, and many more service members have complained of health issues after blast exposure. Despite this, the Pentagon has struggled to properly investigate the impact of blast overpressure, effectively track the prevalence of blast overpressure-related injuries, or offer appropriate care to service members and veterans. Gillibrand is calling for more research and better treatment for those affected.
Gillibrand was joined by New York State Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton and local veterans.
“After repeatedly being exposed to blasts from their own weapons during both training and combat, our service members are sustaining severe and crippling brain trauma,” said Senator Gillibrand. “This bill will require the DoD to investigate the prevalence and causes of these brain injuries; to track each service member’s exposure to blasts; and to help service members access care. This is a critical bill and I look forward to getting it passed in the NDAA.”
“I want to thank Senator Gillibrand for joining us here on Staten Island for this veteran’s roundtable,” said State Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton. “It’s always an honor to meet with our veterans and discuss these important issues affecting them and their families. I look forward to continuing to work alongside my federal, state, and local colleagues to advance policies that support our veterans.”
Specifically, the Blast Overpressure Safety Act would:
Mandate regular neurocognitive assessments over a service member’s career, including a baseline neurocognitive assessment before training.
Create blast overpressure exposure and TBI logs for all service members.
Increase transparency regarding blast overpressure safety in the weapons acquisition process. DoD must consider the minimization of blast overpressure during the acquisition process, require contracting entities to provide blast overpressure safety data, and publish blast overpressure safety data for weapons systems and its plans to better protect service members from in-use weapons systems.
Improve data on concussive and subconcussive brain injuries service members sustain. This includes information on discharges related to and medical providers trained in these injuries, as well as efforts with allies and partners to better address these injuries.
Enhance efforts to mitigate exposure and help service members access care. This includes retaliation protections for those who seek care; modifying existing weapons system to reduce blast exposure; updating and making publicly available blast overpressure thresholds and creating a waiver system for exceeding these thresholds; training high-risk service members to help them recognize exposure symptoms and creating strategies to mitigate their risk; and expanding the types of technologies in the Warfighter Brain Health Initiative pilot blast monitoring program.
Support service member treatment by establishing a Special Operations Comprehensive Brain Health and Trauma program, making the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) a program of record and requiring DoD to provide childcare services to those seeking treatment there, and mandating training for medical and training personnel on blast overpressure and exposure and TBI.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Morgan Luttrell (R-TX)
WASHIINGTON – Congressman Morgan Luttrell (R-TX), Congressman Greg Landsman (D-OH), Congressman Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), and Congressman Chris Deluzio (D-PA) introduced the What Works for Preventing Veteran Suicide Act, a crucial step toward improving the effectiveness of suicide prevention programs within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). With veteran suicide rates tragically high, this bill aims to strengthen data collection and transparency to ensure that life-saving resources are allocated to the most effective initiatives.
“Veteran suicide is a crisis we cannot afford to overlook, especially as the numbers continue to climb. As someone who served alongside many of these brave men and women, I am committed to ensuring we bring this number down and eventually to zero,” said Congressman Luttrell. “This bill will help us understand which programs are truly working, so we can maximize on those efforts and save lives.”
The What Works for Preventing Veteran Suicide Act will:
Establish clear, measurable objectives for VA suicide prevention pilot programs and grants before they begin;
Develop comprehensive methodologies to guide the timing, frequency, and criteria for collecting and analyzing data;
Require the VA to share program results and best practices with stakeholders, advocacy groups, and policymakers to ensure transparency and collaboration.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01)
MECHANICSVILLE, Va. – Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01) today hosted a community seminar at American Legion Post 175 in Mechanicsville to convene veterans, their families, support organizations, and community members to provide resources and discuss the challenges faced by the veterans community in Virginia’s First District.
Watch the livestream here.
“American history – and world history – would be much different without the service and sacrifice of our veterans,” said Rep. Wittman. “Whether it’s accessing healthcare, employment, or education opportunities, our veterans deserve our unequivocal commitment to ensuring their successful transition to civilian life. I thank today’s panelists for sharing such valuable information and engaging with Virginia’s First District residents, and I look forward to our continued efforts to support our veterans community here in the Commonwealth.”
The congressman was joined by Bruce Voigt, executive director of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Roanoke Regional Office, and Harry Schein, veterans service representative at the Virginia Department of Veterans Services.
Throughout his time in Congress, Rep. Wittman has supported the following legislation to support veterans:
Voted for the PACT Act
Expands VA health care to veterans exposed to toxic burn pits during their military service.
Extends the period of time post-9/11 combat veterans have to enroll in VA health care from five to 10 years post-discharge.
Requires veterans enrolled in VA health care to be screened regularly for toxic exposure related concerns.
Invests in VA health care facilities by authorizing 31 major medical health clinics and research facilities in 19 states.
Requires VA to conduct outreach to any veteran who had previously filed a claim for benefits related to toxic exposure and was denied ensuring they are aware of the opportunity to refile.
Cosponsored the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act
Improves the delivery of healthcare, benefits, and services at the VA for veterans, their families, and their survivors.
Expands economic opportunity, modernizes the disability claims process, improves elder care, and expands mental health support.
Directs the VA to study which programs work best to stop suicide and expand upon them.
Enhances accuracy of data, timely reporting of veteran suicides, and improves prevention efforts through better service delivery and the proposal of new administrative structures.
Source: The White House
The Biden-Harris Administration continues to mobilize a whole-of-government effort to prepare for the impacts of Hurricane Milton, including pre-positioning resources and personnel and expediting debris removal efforts in Florida. These actions supplement the ongoing response and recovery efforts to the impacts of Hurricane Helene across the Southeast and Appalachia.
Today, President Biden was briefed by members of his Administration who are driving preparations for Hurricane Milton and recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene. The President directed his team to do everything possible to save lives and help communities before, during, and after these extreme weather events.
The President urges everyone to be aware of the evacuation orders that are in effect in multiple Florida counties. Shelters are open, and evacuation assistance is available. If you are told to evacuate, do so immediately for your safety and that of your loved ones. If you need a safe place to go nearby, text SHELTER & your zip code to 43362 to get a list of open shelters near you.
Yesterday, President Biden had calls with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor to get firsthand reports on recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene and to discuss preparations for Hurricane Milton. The President also spoke with National Weather Service Director Ken Graham, who briefed the President in detail on the forecast and expected impacts of Hurricane Milton for the State of Florida.
At the direction of President Biden, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell was on the ground in Tampa, Florida, yesterday, where she met with local leaders to coordinate preparations ahead of Milton’s landfall.
Yesterday, President Biden quickly approved the Governor of Florida’s request for a pre-landfall emergency declaration. Under an emergency declaration, FEMA provides direct Federal support to states for life-saving activities and other emergency protective measures, such as evacuation, sheltering, and search and rescue. Earlier today, the President also approved an emergency declaration request from the Chairman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
The Administration has been in touch with officials from the State of Florida, as well as more than 60 local officials in cities and counties along the likely path of impact, to ensure needs are met in advance of the storm. The Administration has also been in touch with officials from the Seminole and Miccosukee Tribes. The Administration has also reached out to state officials in South Carolina and Georgia and will continue outreach efforts based on Hurricane Milton’s latest trajectory.
FEMA has sufficient funding to both support the response to Hurricane Milton and continue to support the ongoing response to and recovery from Hurricane Helene– including funding to support first responders and provide immediate assistance to disaster survivors.
Additional updates include:
Pre-Staging Personnel and Resources
FEMA is pre-staging a full slate of response capabilities in Florida and the region, including seven FEMA Incident Management Assistance Teams, eight FEMA Urban Search & Rescue and swift water rescue teams, three U.S. Coast Guard Swift Water Rescue teams, four Health Care System Assessment Teams, five Disaster Medical Assistance Teams and an Incident Management Team from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Additional pre-staged capabilities include U.S Army Corps of Engineers temporary power teams, debris experts and a roofing team, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency debris removal and wastewater experts, and 300 ambulances. In addition, the U.S. Department of Defense is posturing and staging forces to support FEMA and state partners including helicopters for search-and-rescue operations and to enable movement of personnel, equipment and commodities; and High Water Vehicles.
FEMA has five incident staging bases with commodities including food and water. Right now, FEMA currently has 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water in the pipeline to deploy as needed to address ongoing Helene and Milton response efforts and can expand as needed.
Protecting Public Health and Health Care Systems
Today, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra declared a Public Health Emergency for Florida to address the health impacts of Hurricane Milton, the second public health emergency declaration for the state to aid in a hurricane response within the past two weeks.
The Department’s Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) pre-positioned approximately 100 responders in Atlanta along with medical equipment and supplies to support the delivery of health care services in Florida following the landfall of Hurricane Milton. The deployed personnel include ASPR Health Care Situational Assessment Teams who stand ready to work with state officials to assess the storm’s impacts on hospitals, nursing homes, dialysis centers, and other health care facilities and a Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) from ASPR’s National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) for rapid response following health care assessments. A second DMAT is being pre-positioned in Atlanta to support additional response to either Hurricane Helene or Hurricane Milton, as needed.
In addition to the assessment teams and disaster medical system personnel, ASPR deployed personnel from an Incident Management Team and Regional Emergency Coordinators who integrate with FEMA, state health authorities, and emergency response officials to anticipate and assist Florida in meeting public health and medical needs in the wake of the storm. Logisticians and security personnel are also pre-positioned to provide support. ASPR is prepared to facilitate Public Health Emergencies for Hurricane Milton upon request. ASPR has also supported the HHS emPOWER program, which is available to identify the number of Medicare beneficiaries in affected zips codes who rely on electricity-dependent durable medical equipment and certain healthcare services, such as dialysis, oxygen tank, or home health, to help anticipate, plan for, and respond to the needs of at-risk citizens in potentially impacted areas.
Preparing for Impacts to Infrastructure
The Department of Transportation is deploying a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Air Traffic Field Incident Response (FIR) team to Florida and pre-staging operations in Jacksonville to prepare support for any impacted towers and airports. The team will work with the state and local authorities and the Department of Defense within the established Emergency Operations Center. The Department of Transportation is also deploying the FAA Communication Support Team (CST), which plays a critical role in supporting communication restoration at impacted airports. Specifically, the CST will set up Starlink and Mobile Phone Bonding kits, which increase signal stability and data throughout the region. The FAA is placing aircraft on standby to transport personnel from various agencies, mobilize resources, and support damage assessments to infrastructure.
In addition, similar to the approach on Hurricane Helene, the FAA will continue to closely coordinate with the Department of Defense, the Armed Services, including Active Duty and National Guard units, and State Emergency Operations Centers to support their use of drones to support response and recovery. Drones can play a critical role in supporting search and rescue operations and damage assessments by providing real time video, imagery, and sensor capabilities in hard-to-reach places. The Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration is coordinating with the Florida Department of Transportation and monitoring the situation to be prepared to support.
The Environmental Protection Agency is working closely with Federal, state, local, and Tribal partners to support water systems, prepare for debris management, and ensure facilities, including Superfund sites, maintain critical public health and environmental protections while they recover from Hurricane Helene and prepare for Hurricane Milton. The agency has personnel on the ground in regional and national operations centers who are continuing to respond to Hurricane Helene and are preparing to offer support, guidance, and assistance to the State of Florida and everyone in the new storm’s path.
Additional Pre-Landfall Preparations
The Department of the Interior’s U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is deploying wave sensors at eight locations in Florida between Naples and Crystal River to measure the coastal waves caused by the storm. USGS Field crews are also installing one rapid-deployment gauge on the Sunshine Skyway bridge in St. Petersburg, Florida. This specialized piece of equipment is a fully-functional streamgage designed to be deployed quickly and temporarily to measure and transmit real-time water level data in emergency situations. This data can be used by decision makers and emergency managers to monitor water levels as they work to save lives and property.
The Department of Energy’s Energy Response Organization remains activated to respond to storm impacts. Via the Electricity Sub-Sector Coordinating Council and Oil and Natural Gas Sub-Sector Coordinating Council, the Department of Energy has been coordinating continuously with energy sector partners on both the ongoing Hurricane Helene response and potential impacts from Hurricane Milton.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has notified local public housing authorities and owners of its assisted multifamily and heath care properties within the State of Florida to immediately implement all appropriate safety protocols for residents and workers. HUD is committed to ensuring that residents of its assisted homes and properties receive critical information that can save lives during extreme weather events. HUD is also conducting outreach and communications on the programmatic flexibilities and waivers that can be utilized to assist communities and survivors.
The Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) announced it is extending measures to assist customers, U.S. exporters, and financial institutions impacted by Hurricane Helene and forecasted to be impacted by Hurricane Milton. EXIM is offering assistance to allow businesses and financial institutions that participate in EXIM’s programs to return to their business concerns when appropriate and without penalty due to missed deadlines or other timeliness issues.
The aims of sustainable development are to build a system that meets the needs of society without compromising the ability of future generations to fulfil their own. The UN adopted 17 sustainable development goals in 2015 and real progress has been made in advancing some of them. But can true sustainable development be achieved, and how might it work in practice?
I am an engineer with experience in mining and geotechnics. To help answer these questions, I have been researching the interplay between sustainability challenges in the natural resource sector, the evolving concept of the circular economy and the implications of economic models founded upon sustained growth.
Striking a balance between resource extraction and environmental sustainability is essential for the continued existence of human societies and the risks of biodiversity loss must be accounted for in all resource extraction activities. At the same time, the need to protect the rights of all people — including Indigenous rights — remains paramount.
To help better understand the nuances of sustainable development, in my forthcoming research I propose a model of the impact(s) of human activities on the Earth’s planetary boundaries, which I refer to as the (un)sustainable machine.
Sustainable mining requires looking at the practices required to ensure long-term economic development remains in equilibrium with environmental and social considerations. The (un)sustainable machine model describes the delicate balancing acts at play, highlighting the intricate relationship between what drives minerals demand and consumption and how these forces impact Earth’s planetary boundary.
(Un)sustainable development
While progress may be being made in some areas of sustainable development — particularly around areas of poverty and malnutrition — as a planetary system, the report is much less positive. Take, for example, the issue of recycling.
Models developed by the World Bank indicate that by 2050, secondary supply (recycling) for aluminum, copper and nickel could meet about 60 per cent of the demand. Despite the enthusiasm among researchers and economists, however, these long-term projections indicate the difficulty of transitioning to a circular economy. Indeed, these predictions show that a 40 per cent unmatched demand must continue being supplied by primary sources like mining.
In my model, recycling is represented as a set of springs resisting the extraction of additional mineral resources. To achieve 100 per cent recycling of the entire spectrum of the mineral resources, our economy needs to solve problems that are not achievable with today’s technology. Furthermore, when developed on an industrial scale, recycling plants raise some of the same environmental challenges of large mineral processing and smelting plants.
The (un)sustainable cone model highlights the discrepancy between an economic concept based on the idea of a closed-loop system (circular economy) and the current financial framework based on the idea that infinite growth is possible. The larger the unbalanced cross-sectional area of the (un)sustainable cone of demand and consumption, the larger the stresses imposed upon Earth’s planetary boundaries.
A different path?
To remain within Earth’s planetary boundaries requires solutions beyond simple technical means. Actions by a few individuals are not sufficient. As engineers, we often believe it is possible to develop solutions to mitigate the anthropogenic impacts on Earth’s planetary boundaries. However, by doing so, we fail to realize that finite barriers to growth remain and that our engineering solutions may in time become part of the problem.
It is essential for individuals who are not economists or environmental scientists to think about the meaning of sustainability in the context of extracting mineral resources. At the same time, economists and social-environmental scientists need to recognize that when it comes to mineral resources, policies and permitting regulations should not be addressed separately from the technical and economic aspects of mining engineering problems.
Therein is the tragedy. Each financial market is locked into a system that compels it to increase its value without limit – in a world with finite resources. Earth’s ruin is the destination toward which all companies rush, each pursuing its own best interest in a market that (only) believes in the benefits of the shareholders.
Simply put, while both policy and technology are necessary to achieve true sustainability, unless our efforts are unified across discipline and economies, there is little hope for staying within the finite bounds of what our planet can provide.
Davide Elmo receives funding from NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) and MITACS
In Alberta, the rate of hysterectomy is more than 20 per cent higher than the national rate (328 versus 269 per 100,000 adult women), and Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) data shows the province has had a comparatively higher rate since 2010.
In a recent study, we investigated whether women with lower levels of education were more likely to have a hysterectomy, and at what ages.
We analyzed data from Alberta’s Tomorrow Project, a large, long-term study tracking health and chronic illness in Albertans. We studied almost 35,000 women over a 15-year period. The findings were stark: 29.7 per cent of women with a high school diploma or less had a hysterectomy, compared to 14.7 per cent with a university degree.
After we accounted for several social and medical factors, it appeared that women with a high school education were roughly 1.7 times as likely to have a hysterectomy than those with a university education. Even women with a college degree were approximately 1.6 times as likely to have a hysterectomy than those who were university educated.
Our findings raise important questions about social disparities in Canadian medical care. We know that women with lower levels of education often face economic challenges that can limit access to alternative treatments.
For example, if employment does not provide extended health benefits to cover the costs of medical management, women may view surgery — which is covered by Canada’s universal health-care system — as their only viable option. Moreover, they may have less access to health-care providers who are familiar with newer, non-surgical treatments, or who are willing to offer them.
Women with precarious employment or multiple roles at work and home may not be able to cope with unpredictable symptoms, such as unpredictable uterine bleeding, leading them to choose a more definitive treatment earlier.
Our research also questions whether health-care providers may be more likely to recommend surgery to women with less education, possibly due to biases or assumptions about women’s ability to afford or manage non-surgical treatments.
It is also possible that women with less education may have lower health literacy, affecting their ability to make informed decisions, or to participate in shared decision-making. Being less likely to question a doctor’s recommendations or seek second opinions could lead to a higher likelihood of surgery.
It is evident that despite medical advances reducing the need for hysterectomy, there are significant variations in its use across different groups of women. This suggests some surgeries are not driven by medical necessity and may be avoidable. Our study adds to growing evidence calling for greater attention to the social determinants of female reproductive health. We expect it will require multiple approaches to address these disparities.
To begin with, it is essential to improve information about, and access to, non-surgical treatments for all women, including tailoring this as needed for those with less education. One potential area of improvement is Canada’s recent commitment to federal coverage for birth control, since this can provide excellent treatment for conditions such as heavy uterine bleeding.
Investment in pelvic floor physiotherapy is also necessary to ensure non-surgical treatment for pelvic organ prolapse is available to everyone.
Secondly, there is an urgent need for increasing awareness among health-care providers about the importance of shared decision-making and addressing unconscious bias.
Lastly, interventions to improve health literacy among women with lower education levels are critical to enable patients to be more active participants in their health-care decisions. It could also reduce the likelihood of experiencing a potentially avoidable hysterectomy and subsequent long-term health issues.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
CALGARY, Alberta, Oct. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Canoe EIT Income Fund (“Canoe” or the “Fund”)(TSX – EIT.UN) today announced the 2024 voluntary cash redemption.
Voluntary Annual Cash Redemption
The redemption date for the Fund’s annual voluntary cash redemption will be December 6, 2024. Unitholders are entitled to redeem units of the Fund at a price equal to 95% of the Average Net Asset Value (NAV) of the three trading days preceding the December 6, 2024 redemption date, less direct costs. Direct costs are expected to be less than 1%. If all redemption requests exceed 10% of the aggregate outstanding units of the Fund on November 15, 2024, the final day to submit units for redemption, the Fund will process redemptions to this maximum on a pro-rata basis based on the total number of units tendered. Payment for units that have been tendered and accepted for redemption will be made on or before December 31, 2024.
Unitholders wishing to redeem their units must provide notice of their intent to do so with their investment advisor or brokerage office no later than November 15, 2024. Please note that investment firms may impose an earlier deadline in order to facilitate the processing of redemption requests. Unitholders are strongly urged to consult their investment advisor or brokerage office directly to confirm their internal deadlines. Registered unitholders (those who hold a physical share certificate in their name) should contact the Fund’s transfer agent, Alliance Trust Company, at 1-877-537-6111 to redeem their units. Units that have been submitted for redemption will remain eligible for the October 2024 and November 2024 distributions, which are paid in November 2024 and December 2024, respectively.
Please note that any redemption requests made by non-resident unitholders may be subject to withholding tax.
Key Dates
October 8 – November 15, 2024
Unitholders may tender units for redemption
December 3,4,5 2024
Redemption price determined based on Average NAV of these trading days
December 6, 2024
Redemption date
December 31, 2024
Payment of redemption proceeds on or before this date
About Canoe EIT Income Fund
Canoe EIT Income Fund is one of Canada’s largest closed-end investment funds, designed to maximize monthly distributions and capital appreciation by investing in a broadly diversified portfolio of high quality securities. The Fund is listed on the TSX under the symbol EIT.UN, and is actively managed by Robert Taylor, Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, Canoe Financial.
About Canoe Financial
Canoe Financial is one of Canada’s fastest growing independent mutual fund companies managing approximately $18.0 billion in assets across a diversified range of award-winning investment solutions. Founded in 2008, Canoe Financial is an employee-owned investment management firm focused on building financial wealth for Canadians. Canoe Financial has a significant presence across Canada, including offices in Calgary, Toronto and Montreal.
Not for Distribution to U.S. Newswire Services or for Dissemination in the United States of America.
The Fund makes monthly distributions of an amount comprised in whole or in part of Return of Capital (ROC) of the net asset value per unit. A ROC reduces the amount of your original investment and may result in the return to you of the entire amount of your original investment. ROC that is not reinvested will reduce the net asset value of the fund, which could reduce the fund’s ability to generate future income. You should not draw any conclusions about the Fund’s investment performance from the amount of this distribution. Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investment funds. Please read the information filed about the Fund on http://www.sedar.com before investing. Investment funds are not guaranteed and past performance may not be repeated. This communication is not to be construed as a public offering to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy securities. Such an offer can only be made by way of a prospectus or other applicable offering document and should be read carefully before making any investment. This release is for information purposes only. Investors should consult their Investment Advisor for details and risk factors regarding specific strategies and various investment products.
End-of-Mission press releases include statements of IMF staff teams that convey preliminary findings after a visit to a country. The views expressed in this statement are those of the IMF staff and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF’s Executive Board. Based on the preliminary findings of this mission, staff will prepare a report that, subject to management approval, will be presented to the IMF’s Executive Board for discussion and decision.
Timor-Leste’s growth is expected to rise in 2024, supported by an increase in public spending and strong credit growth. From a high level in 2023, inflation has fallen sharply and is projected to continue easing with the moderation of global food prices.
A key policy priority is ensuring that Timor-Leste’s substantial savings are best utilized to support development while achieving fiscal sustainability. Improving the composition and quality of public spending would boost growth, while containing overall spending is needed to preserve fiscal sustainability.
Promoting private sector development requires well-sequenced structural reforms, and the authorities are rightly prioritizing an ambitious agenda of legal reforms of the financial sector.
Washington, DC: An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team led by Mr. Yan Carrière-Swallow visited Dili during September 25-October 8 to conduct discussions for the 2024 Article IV consultation with Timor-Leste. At the conclusion of the discussions, Mr. Carrière-Swallow issued the following statement:
“Timor-Leste has made impressive progress since its independence. Yet, the economy remains under-diversified and highly dependent on the public sector. The IMF stands ready to continue providing capacity development to assist the government’s development and reform efforts.
“Growth is expected to rise in 2024, supported by an increase in public spending and strong credit growth, and will maintain its momentum in 2025. From a high level in 2023, inflation has fallen sharply and is projected to continue easing with the moderation of global food prices. Risks to the outlook are balanced.
“The draft 2025 budget contains an appropriate increase in spending on capital projects, health, and education, but also an excessive increase in recurrent spending. Large fiscal deficits are expected to persist as spending remains high, requiring excess withdrawals from the Petroleum Fund that will lead to its full depletion by the end of the 2030s. We recommend a 10-year reform scenario that supports economic diversification through structural reforms and gradually reduces fiscal deficits to stabilize the Petroleum Fund.
“We welcome the government’s ambitious financial sector reform agenda to address structural impediments to lending, which is essential for private sector development. We recommend accelerating the issuance of land titles, which would offer a crucial source of collateral to households and businesses seeking credit from banks.
“The team had fruitful discussions with Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, Minister of Finance Santina Cardoso, Central Bank Governor Hélder Lopes, other senior officials, development partners, the private sector, and civil society. On behalf of the IMF team, I would like to thank the Timorese authorities for their hospitality and excellent cooperation.”
Source: US National Republican Congressional Committee
The following text contains opinion that is not, or not necessarily, that of MIL-OSI –
October 8, 2024
After claiming he fluently speaks Vietnamese, then admitting he’s not, yesterday Derek Tran reversed himself again to claim once again he’s fluent in Vietnamese.
HOST: “You’ve touted yourself as the ‘only candidate who speaks fluent Vietnamese’ in a district than includes Orange County’s Little Saigon, but after you struggled to answer some basic questions in Vietnamese and questions were raised in the press, you admitted that you speak ‘broken Vietnamese.’ Why did you claim to be fluent when you’re not?”
TRAN: “Look, Frank, at the end of the day, I believe that I am fluent in Vietnamese.”
“This guy lies about EVERYTHING. One day he’s fluent, the next he’s not, and now he’s fluent again — it’s clear Derek Tran will say anything to get elected, even if it means lying to voters’ faces.” – NRCC Spokesperson Ben Petersen
On Saturday, October 5 the interprofessional health students of the Urban Service Track/AHEC Scholars training program at UConn Health contributed once again to the longstanding Ollie M. Williams (OMW) Health and Wellness Fair at Thirman Miller Middle School in Hartford.
This is the 14th consecutive-year UConn Health students have supported the annual community event attended by hundreds of community members.
The UConn Health students helped administer free health care and screenings such as administering the pneumococcal vaccine, provided oral, blood pressure, and blood glucose checks, and health education about asthma triggers, oral hygiene, and the benefits of good nutrition and an active life style.
Preceptors overseeing the student care from UConn Health included: Dr. Victoria Massey, Dr. Nancy Wong, Dr. Kiran Lorick, Dr. Gary Rhule, and Dr. Bruce Gould.
“This event is an example of the value our strong academic-community partnership has in promoting better health for all of Connecticut’s citizens,” said Petra Clark-Dufner, director of CT AHEC. “No partnership better amplifies the power and strength of the unique academic-community partnership than the one with the Ollie M. Williams Community Organization.”
CT AHEC-based at UConn Health annually works with hundreds of partners statewide to address health disparities and promote better health outcomes for the state’s citizens.
“The amount of services and resources provided at Thirman Miller Middle School was amazing,” said Clark-Dufner. “The focus of partners working in collaboration to provide early detection and prevention screenings was a beautiful thing to see.”
End-of-Mission press releases include statements of IMF staff teams that convey preliminary findings after a visit to a country or a virtual staff visit. The views expressed in this statement are those of the IMF staff and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF’s Executive Board. Based on the preliminary findings of this mission, staff will prepare a report that, subject to management approval, will be presented to the IMF’s Executive Board for discussion and decision.
The Papua New Guinea authorities and the IMF team reached staff-level agreement on the request for access under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) for about US$265 million to enhance resilience to climate change. The IMF Executive Board will consider the request in the coming weeks.
The authorities and the IMF team also reached staff-level agreement on the third reviews of the authorities’ reform program supported by the IMF’s Extended Credit Facility and the Extended Fund Facility.
Papua New Guinea’s outlook remains positive, with economic growth increasing to 4.5 percent in 2024, and the authorities continue to make progress in implementing their homegrown economic reform program.
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea: An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team led by Mr. Tahsin Saadi Sedik, visited Port Moresby from September 26 to October 9, 2024, to review progress under the authorities’ homegrown economic reforms supported by the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) and Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangements of SDR684.3 million (about US$918 million), and to discuss the authorities’ request for access to the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF).
At the conclusion of the mission, Mr. Saadi Sedik issued the following statement:
“I am pleased to announce that IMF staff and the Papua New Guinea (PNG) authorities have reached a staff-level agreement on (i) the policies needed to complete the third reviews of the ECF and EFF arrangements; and (ii) a new 24-month RSF arrangement with access of SDR197.4 million (about US$265 million), which will run in parallel to the ECF-EFF arrangements, to support the authorities’ policy agenda aimed at enhancing resilience to climate change.
“To enhance PNG’s capacity to address challenges posed by climate change and reinforce its resilience, the proposed RSF arrangement, subject to approval by the IMF Executive Board, would help build policy buffers and contribute to enhancing the effective implementation of PNG’s climate commitments. PNG would become the first Pacific Island country to benefit from RSF support. Building on these commitments, reforms under the proposed RSF arrangement will focus on strengthening disaster risk management capacity, supporting the inclusion of climate considerations in public investment decisions, encouraging the development of green finance, and enhancing mitigation policies. These reforms, which will be supported by capacity development activities from PNG’s international partners, are expected to catalyze financing for climate and sustainable development.
“The completion of the third reviews of the ECF-EFF, upon approval by the Executive Board of the IMF, would allow for the immediate disbursement of SDR94.75 million (approximately US$127 million) in financing, bringing the total IMF financial support disbursed thus far under the ECF-EFF arrangements to SDR321.12 million (about US$430 million). Adding the new RSF support, the total IMF commitment under all these arrangements would be SDR881.72 million (about US$1.19 billion).
“Papua New Guinea’s economic outlook remains positive. Growth is expected to increase to 4.5 percent in 2024 from 2.9 percent in 2023, supported by the resumption of activities at the Porgera gold mine and improvements in access to foreign exchange. Average headline inflation is projected to remain historically low at 1.3 percent in 2024, while core inflation, which excludes volatile items such as betel nut, is projected to moderately increase to 3.9 percent in 2024, while staying below the historical average, mainly driven by food and transportation costs. Gross international reserves stood at US$3.2 billion at end-June 2024, providing space to continue implementing central banking reforms.
“Performance since the start of the ECF-EFF arrangements has been strong. The government of PNG has continued to make progress in implementing its structural reform agenda, focused on advancing budget repair, modernizing central banking, and improving governance. These reforms are bearing fruit, with notable positive outcomes including: (i) the easing of foreign exchange shortages, which contributes to improving the business environment; (ii) the reduction of excess liquidity in the banking sector, which enhances monetary policy transmission; (iii) a lower fiscal deficit, which strengthens public debt sustainability; and (iv) progress in the operationalization of the anti-corruption framework.
“The government remains committed to an ambitious fiscal consolidation strategy set out in its 13-year budget repair plan. After reducing the fiscal deficit by 0.9 percentage points of GDP in 2023, while creating space for more social spending, the authorities are on track to deliver an additional 0.4 percentage points of GDP reduction in 2024. The authorities remain committed to implementing their prudent borrowing strategy aimed at preserving debt sustainability.
“The Bank of Papua New Guinea (BPNG) has continued to actively implement its roadmap of reforms to help alleviate foreign exchange shortages, gradually return to kina convertibility, and modernize its monetary policy operations. The increased flexibility of the exchange rate under the de facto crawl-like arrangement, combined with the BPNG’s foreign exchange intervention strategy, has supported improved access to foreign exchange, particularly for essential import orders. The reduction of the structural misalignment of the kina will help enhance the competitiveness of PNG’s exports, including in the agricultural sector, and thus increase rural incomes and improve living standards. The BPNG continues monitoring developments in domestic financial markets and stands ready to calibrate its policy stance accordingly. The BPNG is also modernizing its monetary policy operations, enabling commercial banks to improve their liquidity management. Amendments to the Central Banking Act, adopted in September by Parliament, have significantly improved the mandate, governance, and autonomy of the BPNG.
“The governance and anti-corruption frameworks are being strengthened. The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), benefiting from a significant increase in funding, has successfully defined its operational procedures and set up more secure information systems.
“The IMF will continue to work closely with the Papua New Guinea authorities and stands ready to help them, not only through financing and policy advice, but also through technical assistance.
“The IMF staff team is grateful to the authorities for their warm hospitality, productive collaboration, and candid policy dialogue. The IMF team held meetings with Minister for Treasury Ian Ling-Stuckey, Governor of BPNG Elizabeth Genia, Secretary of Treasury Andrew Oaeke, and other senior government officials. The team also had constructive meetings with representatives from the private sector and development partners.”
The latest report from the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) and Stats NZ,Our air 2024, reveals that overall air quality in New Zealand is improving, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds and Statistics Minister Andrew Bayly say.
“Air pollution levels have decreased in many parts of the country. New Zealand is making measurable progress towards achieving the Government’s air quality targets,” Ms Simmonds says.
“While there is still work to be done, the overall trend is positive. We are committed to continuing this progress to enhance the wellbeing of our communities.”
The independent report, released as part of a regular three-yearly review, brings together recently updated Stats NZ indicator data, as well as insights from research literature.
The six refreshed air quality indicators, released by Stats NZ in September, reveal that pollutant concentrations decreased at most monitoring sites between 2016 and 2023. In some areas where air quality has improved, the data shows that pollutant levels still occasionally exceed the World Health Organization’s recommended guidelines.
“The report shows that human activities, as well as environmental factors, such as temperature and winds, can impact air quality in some areas at certain times,” Ms Simmonds says.
Key pollutants include fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which have significant health effects. Burning wood for home heating is a major source of PM2.5, while the main source of NO2 is motor vehicles. Breathing these pollutants can cause a range of health issues.
“Continued action to improve air quality is needed. Thesefindings will help shape future decisions on air quality management, ensuring cleaner air for all New Zealanders” Ms Simmonds says.
Mr Bayly emphasised the importance of the robust data gathering processes.
“Our air 2024is supported by independent experts, based on environmental data that have been quality assured and analysed. Access to high-quality data like this is crucial for informing targeted policy decisions that will enable us to meet our environmental targets,” Mr Bayly says.
“The report provides important evidence which helps broaden our environmental data reporting system.”
New Zealanders are encouraged to read and engage with the findings ofOur air 2024to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between human activities, natural pressures, air quality andhealth.
Further information:
Review Stats NZ’s updated air quality indicators here
The International Space Station offers a unique microgravity environment where cells outside the human body behave similarly to how they do inside the human body. Tissue chips are small devices containing living cells that mimic complex functions of specific human tissues and organs. Researchers can run experiments using tissue chips aboard space station to understand disease progression and provide faster and safer alternatives for preparing medicine for clinical trials. Researchers placed engineered heart tissues on tissue chips sent to study how microgravity impacts cardiac functions in space. Data collected by the chips showed these heart tissues experienced impaired contractions, subcellular structural changes, and increased stress, which can lead to tissue damage and disease. Previous studies conducted on human subjects have displayed similar outcomes. In the future, engineered heart tissues could accurately model the effects of spaceflight on cardiac function. Another investigation used muscle-on-a-chip technology to evaluate whether engineered muscle tissues can mimic the characteristics of reduced muscle regeneration in microgravity. Researchers found that engineered muscle-on-a-chip platforms are viable for studying muscle-related bioprocesses in space. In addition, samples treated with drugs known to stimulate muscle regeneration showed partial prevention of the effects of microgravity. These results demonstrate that muscle-on-chip can also be used to study and identify drugs that may prevent muscle decline in space and age-related muscle decline on Earth.
Please attribute to Detective Inspector Scott Anderson:
Police continue to investigate the murder of an elderly woman who was found deceased in her Mt Pleasant home on Monday evening.
A scene examination is continuing at the property and several other enquiries are underway.
The investigation is in its early stages however Police can confirm that person charged was known to the victim.
A man has been charged with her murder and appeared in court yesterday where he was remanded in custody until his next appearance later this month.
Police are still keen to hear from anyone who heard or saw anything suspicious between 10am on Friday 4 October to 4pm on Sunday 6 October in the Mt Pleasant Road or Bellview Terrace area.
We want to reassure our community that this was an isolated incident and we are not seeking anyone else in relation to this matter.
Police are working closely with Victim Support to support the victim’s family at this very distressing and difficult time.
We would ask anyone with information that may assist the investigation team to please update us online now or call 105.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Neal Dunn (2nd District of Florida)
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Yesterday, Speaker Mike Johnson (LA-04) joined Congressman Neal Dunn (FL-02) and Congresswoman Kat Cammack (FL-03) to survey North Florida communities severely affected by Hurricane Helene. The members visited Steinhatchee to assess damage on the ground and conducted aerial surveys of agricultural losses in Lafayette County. The visit concluded with an agriculture roundtable at the University Air Center.
Throughout the day, Speaker Johnson, along with Reps. Dunn and Cammack, engaged with local leaders, federal officials, and community members to evaluate the damage and discuss ongoing recovery efforts.
After the tour in Steinhatchee, Speaker Johnson addressed the local media, while Reps. Dunn and Cammack issued the following statements:
“North Florida is tough, and the resilience of our communities in the wake of Hurricane Helene continues to inspire. Local leaders, residents, and federal officials have come together with strength and determination, showing the grit and dedication needed to rebuild,” Congressman Neal Dunn said. “I am honored to host Speaker Johnson as we work together, and I am committed to advocating for aid and providing the support our communities need through every step of the recovery process.”
“I think this has been an extraordinary effort by Florida, the state and local officials. It’s just really inspiring to see how well it’s been covered and how much the community is rolling up its sleeves and working together. Here in this community, it would inspire the entire country to see how they’re really banded together. They’re undeterred. This is a very resilient community of people. That’s the best of America,” Speaker Johnson said. “We have this disaster now that’s around the country. We have people in North Carolina still stranded in their homes in the mountains, and people in Georgia and a number of other states that have been terribly affected by this storm. So, Congress is on the ground, the representatives who represent all those districts are there with their constituents, with their people trying to help, and we will do what’s necessary to make sure that Americans are taken care of.”
“I’m grateful to Speaker Johnson for visiting some of Florida’s hardest-hit communities today. Seeing the damage and destruction from Hurricane Helene firsthand and hearing directly from the folks who continue to struggle with relief from the federal government was critical, especially because these same communities also endured Hurricane Idalia and Debby in the last 13 months. Some of those very same folks have yet to receive the disaster assistance they applied for,” said Rep. Cammack. “We’re going to continue our efforts to get our region back up and running and I’m grateful for the Speaker’s commitment to this work.”
The visit highlighted the ongoing recovery efforts and the commitment of federal and local officials to ensuring that North Florida communities receive the aid they need in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Neal Dunn (2nd District of Florida)
Washington, DC – Congressman Neal Dunn (FL-02) and 14 colleagues have formally requested urgent action from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to aid farmers and rural communities devastated by Hurricane Helene. In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, the bipartisan group of lawmakers outlined specific steps to ensure a swift and effective recovery for agricultural producers across the Southeast.
“Hurricane Helene has caused significant damage to our agricultural communities, and it’s vital that we act quickly to support the recovery process,” said Congressman Dunn. “I’m calling on USDA to deploy Farm Service Agency (FSA) strike teams, utilize local rainfall data for accurate damage assessments, and provide disaster aid through state block grants to give our states the flexibility to address their unique needs.”
The letter emphasized three key actions:
Deploy FSA Strike Teams: These teams would be sent to the hardest-hit areas to help farmers navigate the complex disaster relief programs and ensure they receive the assistance they need as quickly as possible.
Utilize Local Rainfall Data: The delegation urged the Risk Management Agency (RMA) to collaborate with local stakeholders to improve the accuracy of rainfall data used for crop insurance claims, addressing concerns that current data may not accurately reflect conditions on the ground.
Provide Block Grant Disaster Aid: By using state block grants, USDA would expedite aid delivery and provide states with the flexibility to tailor relief to the specific needs of their agricultural communities.
The letter was led by Congresswoman Kat Cammack and co-signed by Florida Representatives Neal Dunn, Aaron Bean, Gus Bilirakis, Byron Donalds, Scott Franklin, Laurel Lee, Cory Mills, Mike Waltz, and Daniel Webster, along with Rep. Kat Cammack. Additional signatories included Reps. Rick Allen, Austin Scott, and Buddy Carter of Georgia, Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, and Morgan Griffith of Virginia.
Source: United States Senator for Mississippi Roger Wicker
WASHINGTON – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, joined “The Hugh Hewitt Show” program and discussed several national defense topics, including the October 7th Anniversary, China’s shocking growth in naval shipbuilding, and the Biden-Harris administration’s weak record on China.
The interview follows Senator Wicker’s October 7th Anniversary statement which was released on Monday.
Read selected excerpts from the interview below, or watch the full segment here.
On a Harris presidency & China policy: “If it’s any indication of how her party has done with their leader in the U.S. Senate, yes, it’s very much a concern [how Harris would do with China]. Every time we’ve wanted to spend a few extra dollars – a few percentage points of our huge economy – to defend ourselves, the Democrats say: “well, we won’t do that unless we can increase domestic spending, too.” So, it’s been like pulling teeth getting a few extra ships built.”
On shipbuilding: “China has 200 times the Navy shipbuilding capacity we do. When you talk about [how] we need to increase the number of fighter jets, or submarines, or ships, some people say: “well, we don’t even have the industrial capacity. We don’t have enough manufacturing plants.” And of course, the answer to that is: let’s get some.We’re going to have to increase our national defense to keep us out of a war. The idea is to keep the peace by being so strong that nobody will take a chance on us.
On a future DOD budget: “What we need to do – and what I’ve advocated – and what military experts past and present are saying is that we need to go back to Ronald Reagan’s ‘peace through strength.’ And that does involve about five percent of our economy used to get us ready to defend ourselves in a war…if we spend five percent of our gross domestic product on defending America, we can save hundreds of billions and trillions of dollars by staying out of a war…the last time our Senate Republicans met with President Trump, he was very clear that he shared our determination to increase our Navy and get it back up to the point where we’re able to protect America and deter somebody from attacking us. So that was very much an encouraging statement from President Trump.”
On Israel: “Remember this: the attack one year ago today was an attack on a civilian concert with Americans present and killed at the concert. 1,200 innocent civilians were killed in the most brutal way…there’s no way that after all the Israelis have encountered over 70 years and all the things the Jewish people have encountered over the centuries, there’s no way that Israel is going to give up its right to that tiny little piece of real estate in the Middle East. As a matter of fact, I think that Netanyahu is doing the world a favor by saying, ‘I’m going to totally eliminate these Iranian-backed terrorists – Hamas, the Houthis that are firing weapons on American ships, and Hezbollah, the largest terrorist group in Lebanon’…and I’ll tell you this: Lebanon will be far, far better off when and if Hezbollah is completely removed from their country.”
Canadian Finals Rodeo. Photo by Andy Devlin/Rogers Place.
Alberta has long been known as the home of rodeo, with the Canadian Finals Rodeo being one of the province’s flagship events. It showcases the grit, talent and dedication of athletes who embody the spirit of the West. The 50th Canadian Finals Rodeo wrapped up this past weekend in Edmonton, leaving a lasting impact on the city and province.
The annual event celebrated the talent of Canada’s rodeo stars and highlighted Alberta as the heart of rodeo culture in the country. Alberta’s government is proud to be investing $4.5 million over three years, bringing the event to Edmonton this year, in 2025 and 2026, ensuring this world-class rodeo stays in the province, now and into the future.
“I’m so impressed with the talent showcased at the 50th Canadian Finals Rodeo last week. We’re thrilled to have supported Edmonton in hosting such an iconic event, and even more proud of the significant economic boost it brings to our local businesses and tourism sector. Alberta is, and will always be, rodeo country!”
Minister of Tourism and Sport Joseph Schow presents an award at the Canadian Finals Rodeo. Photo by Andy Devlin/Rogers Place.
The economic impact of the event in Edmonton was calculated at more than $30 million and supported more than 5,500 jobs. The four-day event drew more than 42,000 spectators that filled over 12,000 hotel rooms.
“It was great to see the Canadian Finals Rodeo back in Edmonton this year. Our livestock community contributes so much to the sport of rodeo, and we wouldn’t have this level of competition without the production of great bucking horses and bulls. I am proud to witness the animal athletes from our bucking horse and bull producers in Alberta. The caliber of stock that they bring to each rodeo throughout the years is remarkable.”
Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation RJ Sigurdson presents an award at the Canadian Finals Rodeo. Photo by Andy Devlin/Rogers Place.
“CFR50 was a huge success. Edmontonians and Edmonton businesses embraced the return of professional rodeo to our city, which saw the streets of downtown teeming with cowboys, cowgirls and rodeo lovers from across the prairies and around the world. From the volunteers to the competitors to all the sponsors, partners and friends of CFR, thank you to everyone who helped bring the thrill of exciting western action to more than 42,000 spectators, and a more than $30 million economic impact to our city.”
Alberta’s government remains committed to ensuring Alberta continues to host world-class events that enrich the province’s cultural and economic fabric. By continuing to invest in large-scale sporting and cultural events like the Canadian Finals Rodeo, Alberta is ensuring that it remains a premier destination for competitors, fans and guests from across the world.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE-AL)
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Reps. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), and Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), co-chairs of the Get the Lead Out Caucus in the House, alongside Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), co-founders of the Senate Lead Task Force, lauded the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to finalize the Biden Administration’s proposed Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI). The LCRI would lower the lead action level to better protect human health and require water systems to replace old and deteriorating lead pipes within a decade. In addition to the LCRI, the EPA also announced $2.6 billion in newly available drinking water infrastructure funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to support lead-related activities, including lead pipe replacement projects. The finalized rule comes ahead of the October 16th finalization deadline to not only help ensure these important improvements are implemented as quickly as possible, but also prevent water systems from being forced to temporarily comply with the prior rule proposed by the Trump Administration—also known as the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR)—which would put public health at risk.
“Today’s announcement from the Biden-Harris Administration is a win-win for our communities because it delivers on our shared commitment to replace all lead pipes across the country within 10 years and protect public health,” said Rep. Blunt Rochester, co-lead of the congressional Get the Lead Out Caucus. “I am proud to have helped push for the swift finalization of the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements with my colleagues in Congress. Thanks to our advocacy, and with the leadership of President Biden and Vice President Harris, we are closer than ever to actualizing a 100% lead-free future.”
“As the founder of the Get the Lead Out Caucus, I know that clean drinking water is a human right,” said Rep. Tlaib. “We must move urgently to replace all lead pipes in our country within the next 10 years, and I’m glad to see the EPA announce the final Lead and Copper Rule Improvements to continue the critical work toward this objective. Congress must continue to work to appropriate the funding necessary to help all of our communities identify, remove, and replace every lead pipe over this next decade.”
“Clean and safe drinking water is a basic human right, and the science is clear – no amount of lead is safe. There are millions of people across the country who don’t even know if they are drinking lead, and I’ve had parents come up to me with tears in their eyes, worried for the wellbeing of their children because of lead in the water at school,” said Rep. Dingell. “I thank the Biden-Harris Administration for their continued commitment to replacing every lead service line in our country to guarantee access to safe water for every community and finally give peace of mind to families.”
“Today, EPA estimates that nearly 9 million homes are served through lead pipes across the country – and disproportionally, many of these homes are located in low-income communities and communities of color,” said Rep. Lee. “Clean and safe drinking water is a human right, and we must treat it that way. I am proud of the work of my colleagues and I in Congress to achieve our goal of removing every lead pipe in the United States over the next ten years and thank the Biden-Harris Administration for their work in fighting to ensure that communities across our country have access to lead-free water.”
“Every American, no matter their zip-code, deserves access to safe drinking water,” said Senator Duckworth. “We’ve been working hard in Congress to achieve our goal of removing every lead pipe in America over the next decade, and this historic rule from the Biden Administration and billions in new funding will help us make it a reality while preventing Trump-era policies that would harm human health from going into effect. This is a win-win for all Americans.”
“The EPA’s bold leadership in finalizing this critical rule will help us eliminate lead pipes within a decade and put a stop to lead exposure that continues to threaten the health of far too many families and children in our nation today,” said Senator Booker. “Every American deserves access to clean and safe drinking water, and by modernizing our aging water infrastructure we are investing in a future where every family can turn on the tap and know their water is clean. I am proud to have helped lead the call in Congress for a strong final rule, and I thank the Biden-Harris administration for their commitment to environmental justice and public health.”
The finalized rule also improves communication within communities so that families are better informed about the risk of lead in drinking water, the location of lead pipes and plans for replacing them. Exposure to lead is harmful to health, especially for young children. In children, low levels of exposure have been linked to damage to the nervous system, learning disabilities, shorter stature, impaired hearing and impaired formation and function of blood cells.
Last month, Blunt Rochester called on the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to expedite its review of LCRI. In May, Blunt Rochester, alongside Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) announced over $28 million from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to identify and replace lead pipes and help prevent lead poisoning among Delaware’s children and families. The funding came from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, legislation Blunt Rochester, Carper, and Coons championed in Congress.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In case you missed it, last week, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) sent a letter to the Hormel Institute regarding its partnership with the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) and financial resources secured for the Hormel Institute by Governor Tim Walz. The WIV has been credibly implicated as the point of origin of COVID-19 and conducts its activities under the auspices of the Chinese Communist Party.
In the letter, Sen. Cruz wrote, “For over a decade, Governor Tim Walz has acted as one of the Institute’s most ardent supporters, securing millions of taxpayer dollars to fund its operations, including over $2 million in federal funding for technology acquisitions and a $5 million earmark to expand your Institute’s reach. The Governor’s support for the Hormel Institute has remained steadfast, continuing even after the FBI concluded on February 28, 2023 that COVID-19 pandemic likely originated from the WIV.
“Governor Walz’s personal connections to China—his honeymoon there, over 30 trips, and public comments downplaying the strategic threat posed by the CCP13—only raise further questions about his motivations for promoting your institution.
“Your institute’s ongoing partnership with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and by extension the People’s Liberation Army, reflects a troubling disregard for national security concerns…The American people deserve assurance that their resources and institutions are not inadvertently supporting the goals of our chief geopolitical adversary.”
Read the full letter here or below:
Dear Director Clarke:
I write to you today with growing concern regarding the Hormel Institute’s longstanding partnership with China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).
The WIV, as you are certainly aware, has been credibly implicated as the likely point of origin of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even more troubling are its direct ties to China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and its involvement in classified military research including laboratory animal experiments under the auspices of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) at least as recently as 2017. Despite these alarming connections which raise obvious national security concerns, the institute you lead has not only maintained its collaboration with WIV but it has done so with the backing of Minnesota’s top elected official.
For over a decade, Governor Tim Walz has acted as one of the Institute’s most ardent supporters, securing millions of taxpayer dollars to fund its operations, including over $2 million in federal funding for technology acquisitions and a $5 million earmark to expand your Institute’s reach. The Governor’s support for the Hormel Institute has remained steadfast, continuing even after the FBI concluded on February 28, 2023 that COVID-19 pandemic likely originated from the WIV.
In recent years, researchers at the Hormel Institute have collaborated with the Wuhan Institute of Virology on a variety of projects, including a 2020 COVID-19 study and, as more recently as of 2024, on structural biology research.
The COVID-19 study, titled “A dynamic regulatory interface on SARS-CoV-2 RNA polymerase,” was authored by four WIV researchers, three Hormel Institute researchers, and a Yale School of Medicine professor. Similarly, in January 2024, Hormel Institute researchers published a study on genes with the WIV’s Lina He, Wei Zhou, and Yangbo Hu. In 2023, WIV’s Yangbo Hu also worked with the Hormel Institute’s Dmytro Kompaniiets, Dong Wang, and Bin Liu on research titled “Structure and molecular mechanism of bacterial transcription activation,” among other collaborations.
Furthermore, the resignation of your predecessor, Dr. Zigang Dong, who served as Executive Director for nearly 18 years and resigned following an FBI investigation into his “possible failure to disclose foreign backing when applying for grants,” should have prompted a thorough reassessment of your institute’s engagements with foreign entities. Yet, despite this disconcerting event, Governor Walz continues to promote and direct public resources to your institute. Even after the U.S. government ceased funding to organizations working with the WIV, Governor Walz toured your facility and publicly praised its work.
Governor Walz’s personal connections to China—his honeymoon there, over 30 trips, and public comments downplaying the strategic threat posed by the CCP—only raise further questions about his motivations for promoting your institution.
Additionally, in 2020, the Hormel Institute’s disclosure in a 2020 EMBO Journal Study that it received “help from the Core Facility and Technical Support” of the WIV for “radioactive and fluorescent tests” adds to the concern. Further raising suspicions is that Bin Liu, a professor at the Hormel Institute who worked on that 2020 EMBO Journal study, attended Wuhan University. Federal records indicate that the researchers for this particular study included those affiliated with the WIV, in addition to the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and China’s Zhengzhou University.
In light of these recently-disclosed facts, it is critical to understand the full extent of your institute’s involvement in a partnership that risks benefitting our nation’s chief geopolitical adversary. Accordingly, for the purposes of oversight, I request that you respond to the following questions and requests by October 31, 2024:
1. How much public and private funding has the Hormel Institute received specifically for projects involving collaboration with the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV)? Please provide an itemized accounting of all such funding.
2. When did the Hormel Institute first initiate collaboration with the WIV, and what were the specific reasons for choosing to partner with a facility known to have ties to China’s People’s Liberation Army?
3. What actions has the Hormel Institute taken to ensure that its collaborative work with the WIV does not benefit China’s military or pose a risk to U.S. national security?
a. If no such actions were taken, what was the rationale behind this decision?
4. Given the WIV’s ties to China’s military, why has the Hormel Institute not publicly disclosed the full extent of its collaborations with the WIV?
a. If this information has been withheld, please explain why.
5. Please provide all internal documentation or communications related to the Hormel Institute’s partnerships with Chinese research facilities, including but not limited to the WIV.
6. What was the Institute’s reasoning behind continuing its collaboration with the WIV, even after serious concerns about the origins of COVID-19 and the lab’s military affiliations became widely known?
7. How can the American public trust that the Hormel Institute’s partnerships with the WIV are not inadvertently advancing China’s geopolitical goals, particularly in biotechnology and biomedical research?
8. Given the U.S. government’s cessation of funding to other nonprofits with ties to the WIV, what justifications does the Hormel Institute offer for continuing its relationship with the WIV?
9. Why did the Hormel Institute continue collaborating with the WIV after your predecessor, Dr. Zigang Dong, resigned amid an FBI investigation into his failure to disclose foreign funding when applying for grants?
10. The Hormel Institute’s work with the WIV includes research on gene structures and SARS-CoV-2 RNA polymerase. What measures have been taken to ensure that no sensitive intellectual property or technology has been transferred to China’s military-backed labs during these studies? If no measures were taken, why not?
11. Please provide any documentation or communications between the Hormel Institute and the Office of the Minnesota Governor regarding the Institute’s partnerships with Chinese research facilities, particularly the WIV.
Your institute’s ongoing partnership with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and by extension the People’s Liberation Army, reflects a troubling disregard for national security concerns. The devastating impact of COVID-19 has highlighted the seriousness of these issues, as the pandemic has severely affected lives and economies worldwide. The American people deserve assurance that their resources and institutions are not inadvertently supporting the goals of our chief geopolitical adversary. As Executive Director, it is crucial that you address these concerns transparently. Failure to do so will only deepen public mistrust and undermine confidence in your institute’s integrity and intentions.
The American people look forward to your timely and comprehensive response.
Sincerely,
/X/
Source: United States Senator for Ohio Sherrod Brown
DAYTON, OH – Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) hosted the Propel Ohio 2024 Student Leadership Summit in Dayton. The one-day nonpartisan summit connects Ohio students at community colleges and technical schools, colleges, and universities and promotes student leadership. More than 250 students and 42 administrators from more than 51 Ohio community colleges, colleges, and universities are expected to attend this year’s summit.
“I started the Propel Leadership Summit nearly a decade ago to bring together student leaders from around Ohio and help them make connections with each other and with leaders in public service, business, and nonprofits in our State,” said Brown. “Our democracy, our businesses, and our communities are always stronger when more young people participate and take on leadership roles.”
The conferenced featured panel discussions on professional development in Ohio, as well as breakout sessions for students to engage with regional experts and other students on public service and civic engagement in Ohio. Students also packaged school supplies for classrooms, teachers, and students in need of resources.
Brown hosted the summit in partnership with the University of Dayton, AFL-CIO, AFSCME, American Airlines, CareSource, Community Campus Coalition, Crayons to Classrooms, Dayton Development Coalition, Joby Aviation, Premier Health, and United Steelworkers.
Source: United States Senator for Ohio Sherrod Brown
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) called on the Biden Administration to grant Ohio’s request to make Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) available to Youngstown businesses impacted by the downtown Realty Tower explosion on May 28, 2024.
In a letter to U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman and Associate Administrator Francisco Sánchez Jr., Brown detailed the impact of the explosion on local businesses and urged SBA to provide assistance. The letter follows an official request from the state that was submitted on Monday.
“While downtown businesses have re-opened, many were significantly impacted and have requested help. Following the May explosion, I heard directly from businesses, workers, and residents who were negatively affected by the explosion. Business owners shared the economic challenges this emergency brought, and I urge you to answer their call for support,” Brown wrote.
In July, Brown called on the Secretary of the Treasury and the IRS Commissioner to declare that relief payments Youngstown residents received from the Red Cross, the United Way, and Enbridge Gas in connection to the explosion be deemed tax exempt. Brown is pushing the IRS to declare the tragic explosion “of a catastrophic nature,” and qualify the payments as nontaxable. Earlier that week, Brown hosted a roundtable with government officials, businesses, workers and residents of downtown Youngstown who have been negatively affected by the May 28 Realty Tower Explosion. Brown and residents discussed the ongoing recovery efforts.
Full text of the letter can be found HERE or below.
Dear Administrator Casillas Guzman and Administrator Sanchez:
I write to urge you to act swiftly on the request by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine for the Small Business Administration (SBA) to make Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) available to Youngstown businesses impacted by the downtown explosion on May 28, 2024.
The explosion resulted in one fatality, nine serious injuries, and massive property damage. In addition, the event displaced hundreds of residents from their homes, forced several businesses to close temporarily, and required the demolition of a historic building.
While downtown businesses have re-opened, many were significantly impacted and have requested help. Following the May explosion, I heard directly from businesses, workers, and residents who were negatively affected by the explosion. Business owners shared the economic challenges this emergency brought, and I urge you to answer their call for support. In his request for SBA EIDL assistance, Governor DeWine has found that the sustained losses to businesses meet the threshold for SBA disaster assistance and that businesses are in need of financial assistance not otherwise available on reasonable terms.
I fully support Governor DeWine’s request and urge your prompt consideration. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.
Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Co-founders of the U.S. Senate Lead Task Force Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and co-chairs of the U.S. House Get the Lead Out Caucus Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE-AL), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-12) and Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06), along with U.S. Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA-12), today lauded the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to finalize the Biden Administration’s proposed Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI), which would lower the lead action level to better protect human health and require water systems to replace old and deteriorating lead pipes within a decade. In addition to the LCRI, the EPA also announced $2.6 billion in newly available drinking water infrastructure funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to support lead-related activities, including lead pipe replacement projects. The finalized rule comes ahead of the October 16th finalization deadline to not only help ensure these important improvements are implemented as quickly as possible, but also prevent water systems from being forced to temporarily comply with the prior rule proposed by the Trump Administration—also known as the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR)—which would put public health at risk.
“The EPA’s bold leadership in finalizing this critical rule will help us eliminate lead pipes within a decade and put a stop to lead exposure that continues to threaten the health of far too many families and children in our nation today,” said Senator Booker. “Every American deserves access to clean and safe drinking water, and by modernizing our aging water infrastructure we are investing in a future where every family can turn on the tap and know their water is clean. I am proud to have helped lead the call in Congress for a strong final rule, and I thank the Biden-Harris administration for their commitment to environmental justice and public health.”
“Every American, no matter their zip-code, deserves access to safe drinking water,” said Senator Duckworth. “We’ve been working hard in Congress to achieve our goal of removing every lead pipe in America over the next decade, and this historic rule from the Biden Administration and billions in new funding will help us make it a reality while preventing Trump-era policies that would harm human health from going into effect. This is a win-win for all Americans.”
“Today’s announcement from the Biden-Harris Administration is a win-win for our communities because it delivers on our shared commitment to replace all lead pipes across the country within 10 years and protect public health,” said Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, co-lead of the congressional Get the Lead Out Caucus. “I am proud to have helped push for the swift finalization of the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements with my colleagues in Congress. Thanks to our advocacy, and with the leadership of President Biden and Vice President Harris, we are closer than ever to actualizing a 100% lead-free future.”
“As the founder of the Get the Lead Out Caucus, I know that clean drinking water is a human right,” said Congresswoman Tlaib. “We must move urgently to replace all lead pipes in our country within the next 10 years, and I’m glad to see the EPA announce the final Lead and Copper Rule Improvements to continue the critical work toward this objective. Congress must continue to work to appropriate the funding necessary to help all of our communities identify, remove, and replace every lead pipe over this next decade.”
“Clean and safe drinking water is a basic human right, and the science is clear – no amount of lead is safe. There are millions of people across the country who don’t even know if they are drinking lead, and I’ve had parents come up to me with tears in their eyes, worried for the wellbeing of their children because of lead in the water at school,” Congresswoman Dingell said. “I thank the Biden-Harris Administration for their continued commitment to replacing every lead service line in our country to guarantee access to safe water for every community and finally give peace of mind to families.”
“Today, EPA estimates that nearly 9 million homes are served through lead pipes across the country – and disproportionally, many of these homes are located in low-income communities and communities of color,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. “Clean and safe drinking water is a human right, and we must treat it that way. I am proud of the work of my colleagues and I in Congress to achieve our goal of removing every lead pipe in the United States over the next ten years and thank the Biden-Harris Administration for their work in fighting to ensure that communities across our country have access to lead-free water.”
The finalized rule also improves communication within communities so that families are better informed about the risk of lead in drinking water, the location of lead pipes and plans for replacing them. Exposure to lead is harmful to health, especially for young children. In children, low levels of exposure have been linked to damage to the nervous system, learning disabilities, shorter stature, impaired hearing and impaired formation and function of blood cells.
Last month, Booker called on the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to expedite its review of LCRI.
Source: United States Senator for Ohio Sherrod Brown
COLUMBUS, OH – Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) was joined by local leaders and community members in Columbus to call for passage of his Stop Predatory Investing Act, which would take away tax breaks for big investors that buy up large numbers of homes, driving up local housing prices. Brown, who serves as Chair of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, also toured a home being constructed for purchase by a Columbus homebuyer, not an investor. The Stop Predatory Investing Act would prohibit an investor who acquires 50 or more single-family rental homes from deducting interest or depreciation on those properties. Right now, two big Wall Street-backed investors own nearly 12,000 Ohio single-family homes in just three markets – including nearly 3,800 homes in Columbus. And the true extent of the problem is likely much larger, because other large investors, like private equity firms, that own homes throughout Ohio aren’t required to report how many homes they own.
“In too many communities in Ohio, big investors funded by Wall Street are buying up homes and driving up prices. So many families who have worked for years saving to buy a house end up getting out-bid over and over by outside investors, and they can’t afford to compete,” said Brown. “We introduced the Stop Predatory Investing Act to fight back by striking right at the core of what makes this a profitable business venture for deep-pocketed investors: by taking away tax breaks they don’t need, we cut deep into their profit.”
Brown was joined by Carlie Boos, Executive Director of the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio, Janene Parham, a realtor with Red 1 Realty and Co-Founder of Renew Homes Ohio, and Curtiss L. Williams, Sr., President and CEO of the Central Ohio Community Improvement Corporation.
“It’s not a fair fight when these LLCs are offering to close on a home two hours after it shows up on a listing service, when they’re willing to pay cash, when they’re willing to buy as-is, no inspection, sight-unseen. Our homebuyers cannot go toe-to-toe with high-tech algorithms backed by an unlimited supply of cash. Thankfully, this is a problem that can be fixed. Most immediately, we can take away the incentives and tax breaks that make it more alluring to invest in a home than live in one. I want to thank Senator Brown, Curtiss Williams, and Janene Parham for their continued leadership in this effort,” said Carlie Boos.
“As a realtor with over 25+ years and advocate for affordable housing. I have seen a lot of shifts of the market. This may be one of hardest, especially for buyers purchasing within the 180k –325k price range,” said Janene Parham. “Predatory Investment Corporation is having a negative effect on our housing market for buyers and renters in most vulnerable communities. Regulation has to happen now in order to stabilize and make home ownership affordable.”
“We want to thank Senator Brown and his team for their support of affordable housing initiatives across Ohio and nationally. We appreciate his work to introduce legislation that would help keep homes accessible to working individuals and families in Franklin County,” said Curtiss L. Williams, Sr. “When we take corporations and investors out of the equation, our community is able to focus on creating sustainable pathways to homeownership and affordable rentals.”
Private equity and other Wall Street-backed outside investors are a growing problem in Ohio housing markets, driving up local housing prices and pushing homeownership further out of reach for too many working families. In the second quarter of 2024, investors bought more than 14% of homes in Columbus according to Redfin. Large, out-of-state investors use technology and all-cash offers to outcompete individual buyers. And because investors often target the same types of affordable starter homes as first-time homebuyers, they deny families the opportunity to build wealth through homeownership.
Brown has long fought to protect Ohio’s homeowners and renters from bad actors in the housing market and has fought to improve access to affordable homeownership. In July, Brown introduced the Housing Acquisitions Review and Transparency (HART) Act to increase competition in the housing market by requiring corporations and private equity firms that buy up large numbers of houses and apartments to report those transactions to antitrust enforcers. Brown has held hearings with Cleveland’s Director of Building and HousingSally Martin and the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority President and CEO Laura Brunner about the harm that investors have caused Ohio communities, renters, and aspiring homeowners. Brown also held alistening session where tenants from across the country described the harm they’d experienced renting from institutional investor landlords.
Legislative text of the Stop Predatory Investing Act can be found here, and a summary of the bill can be found here.
If your jaw dropped as you watched the latest AI-generated video, your bank balance was saved from criminals by a fraud detection system, or your day was made a little easier because you were able to dictate a text message on the run, you have many scientists, mathematicians and engineers to thank.
But two names stand out for foundational contributions to the deep learning technology that makes those experiences possible: Princeton University physicist John Hopfield and University of Toronto computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton.
The two researchers were awarded the Nobel Prize in physics on Oct. 8, 2024, for their pioneering work in the field of artificial neural networks. Though artificial neural networks are modeled on biological neural networks, both researchers’ work drew on statistical physics, hence the prize in physics.
Artificial neural networks owe their origins to studies of biological neurons in living brains. In 1943, neurophysiologist Warren McCulloch and logician Walter Pitts proposed a simple model of how a neuron works. In the McCulloch-Pitts model, a neuron is connected to its neighboring neurons and can receive signals from them. It can then combine those signals to send signals to other neurons.
But there is a twist: It can weigh signals coming from different neighbors differently. Imagine that you are trying to decide whether to buy a new bestselling phone. You talk to your friends and ask them for their recommendations. A simple strategy is to collect all friend recommendations and decide to go along with whatever the majority says. For example, you ask three friends, Alice, Bob and Charlie, and they say yay, yay and nay, respectively. This leads you to a decision to buy the phone because you have two yays and one nay.
However, you might trust some friends more because they have in-depth knowledge of technical gadgets. So you might decide to give more weight to their recommendations. For example, if Charlie is very knowledgeable, you might count his nay three times and now your decision is to not buy the phone – two yays and three nays. If you’re unfortunate to have a friend whom you completely distrust in technical gadget matters, you might even assign them a negative weight. So their yay counts as a nay and their nay counts as a yay.
Once you’ve made your own decision about whether the new phone is a good choice, other friends can ask you for your recommendation. Similarly, in artificial and biological neural networks, neurons can aggregate signals from their neighbors and send a signal to other neurons. This capability leads to a key distinction: Is there a cycle in the network? For example, if I ask Alice, Bob and Charlie today, and tomorrow Alice asks me for my recommendation, then there is a cycle: from Alice to me, and from me back to Alice.
In recurrent neural networks, neurons communicate back and forth rather than in just one direction. Zawersh/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA
If the connections between neurons do not have a cycle, then computer scientists call it a feedforward neural network. The neurons in a feedforward network can be arranged in layers. The first layer consists of the inputs. The second layer receives its signals from the first layer and so on. The last layer represents the outputs of the network.
However, if there is a cycle in the network, computer scientists call it a recurrent neural network, and the arrangements of neurons can be more complicated than in feedforward neural networks.
Hopfield network
The initial inspiration for artificial neural networks came from biology, but soon other fields started to shape their development. These included logic, mathematics and physics. The physicist John Hopfield used ideas from physics to study a particular type of recurrent neural network, now called the Hopfield network. In particular, he studied their dynamics: What happens to the network over time?
Such dynamics are also important when information spreads through social networks. Everyone’s aware of memes going viral and echo chambers forming in online social networks. These are all collective phenomena that ultimately arise from simple information exchanges between people in the network.
During the 1980s, Geoffrey Hinton, computational neurobiologist Terrence Sejnowski and others extended Hopfield’s ideas to create a new class of models called Boltzmann machines, named for the 19th-century physicist Ludwig Boltzmann. As the name implies, the design of these models is rooted in the statistical physics pioneered by Boltzmann. Unlike Hopfield networks that could store patterns and correct errors in patterns – like a spellchecker does – Boltzmann machines could generate new patterns, thereby planting the seeds of the modern generative AI revolution.
Hinton was also part of another breakthrough that happened in the 1980s: backpropagation. If you want artificial neural networks to do interesting tasks, you have to somehow choose the right weights for the connections between artificial neurons. Backpropagation is a key algorithm that makes it possible to select weights based on the performance of the network on a training dataset. However, it remained challenging to train artificial neural networks with many layers.
In the 2000s, Hinton and his co-workers cleverly used Boltzmann machines to train multilayer networks by first pretraining the network layer by layer and then using another fine-tuning algorithm on top of the pretrained network to further adjust the weights. Multilayered networks were rechristened deep networks, and the deep learning revolution had begun.
A computer scientist explains machine learning to a child, to a high school student, to a college student, to a grad student and then to a fellow expert.
AI pays it back to physics
The Nobel Prize in physics shows how ideas from physics contributed to the rise of deep learning. Now deep learning has begun to pay its due back to physics by enabling accurate and fast simulations of systems ranging from molecules and materials all the way to the entire Earth’s climate.
By awarding the Nobel Prize in physics to Hopfield and Hinton, the prize committee has signaled its hope in humanity’s potential to use these advances to promote human well-being and to build a sustainable world.
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
$42.7 million project increases the Port’s economic competitiveness
Left: Sen. Markey, Sen. Warren, Rep. Keating, Mayor Mitchell and other officials cutting the ribbon at the North Terminal expansion project
Right: Senator Markey speaking at the ribbon-cutting
Boston (October 8, 2024) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, today joined Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Representative Bill Keating (MA-09), New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, and local administrators and elected officials at a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the successful completion of the North Terminal expansion project, a maritime facility that will strengthen the Port’s competitiveness in fishing, offshore wind, and other industries. The expansion, which has created 630 linear feet of new bulkhead and 5.05 additional acres of terminal area, will support growing infrastructure needs of port users and ensure long-term economic growth for New Bedford and the South Coast region. With upgraded bulkheads, new berthing facilities, enhanced dredging, and expanded laydown space, North Terminal is designed to streamline logistics for businesses and facilitate future Port expansions.
The expansion of North Terminal is the latest piece of the modernization of the Port of New Bedford. Over the past ten years, the Port has seen the largest set of infrastructure upgrades in generations, which will top $1 billion upon completion.
“The Port of New Bedford is a triple threat: the number one fishing port by value in the nation, an innovator on offshore wind development, and a regional leader in maritime technology industries,” said Senator Markey. “This expanded infrastructure will be a game changer for New Bedford and beyond. I look forward to working with the City as they continue to put historic investments into their port infrastructure.”
Funding for the $42.7 million project came from a mix of local, state and federal sources, including:
FY18 Department of Transportation BUILD Grant
$ 15.6M
FY19 MassWorks Dredging Grant
$ 11.4M
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
$ 1.0M
$ 11.8M
City of New Bedford (through the American Rescue Plan Act)
$ 2.3M
New Bedford Port Authority
$ 0.6M
Total Infrastructure Investments
$ 42.7M
“The Port of New Bedford is the primary driver of economic activity in Southeastern Massachusetts. The North Terminal expansion project was a critical step to advancing the Port’s ability to meet the emerging demands of New Bedford’s offshore wind and maritime technology industries. I thank Senators Markey and Warren, Rep. Keating and the rest of the federal delegation, Gov. Healey and our state delegation, and everyone at the New Bedford Port Authority and on the local level for helping us overcome various legal, financial and engineering challenges to get this project to the finish line,” said Jon Mitchell, Mayor of New Bedford.
“This project came to fruition because of the continuing commitment our federal, state, and local leaders make to position the Port of New Bedford for the future. The North Terminal project exemplifies our obligation to provide first-rate infrastructure that supports the thriving maritime industries of New Bedford. This development will allow us to meet the needs of our fishing fleet, welcome new offshore wind ventures, and foster regional economic growth,” said Gordon Carr, Executive Director of the New Bedford Port Authority.
Senator Markey has secured funding for various projects for the Port of New Bedford. In 2018, Senator Markey led a letter of support for the Port of New Bedford and helped secured $15 million from the “Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development” (BUILD) grant to improve the infrastructure and environment.
In 2023, Senator Markey, Senator Warren, and Congressman Keating helped secure $24.4 million in Maritime Administration Port Infrastructure Development Program funding for the Leonard’s Wharf Extension project. Senators Markey and Warren also secured $4 million in FY24 Congressionally Directed Spending for New Bedford and Fairhaven Harbor for the US Army Corps of Engineers to dredge and repair damaged areas of the steel sector gates.
Source: Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF)
Jerusalem, 9 October 2024: Israeli evacuation orders for parts of northern Gaza, issued on 7 October, are pushing tens of thousands of people to immediately flee south as the area is targeted by airstrikes and a ground offensive. In this latest forced mass displacement, residents of Beit Hanoun, Jabalia and Beit Lahia have been urged to move to the overcrowded, so-called humanitarian zone between Al-Mawasi and Deir Al-Balah, where one million people are already living in inhumane conditions. The zone also remains unsafe for civilians and aid workers, as Israeli forces continue to repeatedly strike the area.
These forced mass evacuations of homes and bombing of neighbourhoods by the Israeli forces are turning the north of Gaza into an unliveable wasteland, effectively emptying out the whole north of the Strip of Palestinian life. To make matters worse, no humanitarian supplies have been allowed to enter the area since 1 October.
MSF calls on the Israeli forces to halt evacuation orders, which are causing the forced displacement of people, and to ensure the protection of civilians. They must also allow desperately needed humanitarian supplies to enter the north as a matter of extreme urgency.
“All of a sudden, I was told that we had to move from the north,” says Mahmoud, a Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) watchman, who left Jabalia at night to find refuge at the MSF guest house in Gaza City. “We left our home in despair, under bombs, missiles and artillery. It was very, very difficult. I would prefer to die than to be displaced to the south; my home is here, and I do not want to leave.”
Israeli forces also called for the evacuation of the three main hospitals in northern Gaza, namely Indonesian, Kamal Adwan and Al-Awda hospitals. These are operating at minimal capacity and have a total of 317 patients still hospitalised, with around 80 people in intensive care and unable to move, according to the Ministry of Health. These three medical facilities, as well as those that remain partially functional across the Strip, must be protected at all costs.
The MSF clinic in Gaza City received 255 patients on Sunday and Monday alone, as options for people to access medical care shrink by the day. For some people, accessing the few existing health facilities is impossible; our teams have received reports of wounded people who have died as they were unable to seek medical care.
Among those facing evacuation orders in the north are seven MSF staff who managed to find shelter in Gaza City. Five others remain blocked in Jabalia, where the Israeli forces are on the ground carrying out attacks.
“The latest move to forcefully and violently push thousands of people from northern Gaza to the south is turning the north into a lifeless desert, while aggravating the situation in the south, where more than one million people have already been squeezed into a small portion of the Gaza Strip and live in deplorable conditions,” says Sarah Vuylsteke, MSF project coordinator in Gaza.
“Access to water, healthcare, and safety is already almost non-existent, and the thought of more people fitting into this space is impossible to imagine,” says Vuylsteke. “People have been subjected to endless displacement and relentless bombing for the past 12 months. Enough is enough, this must stop now.”
While the Israeli authorities have recently declared a minimal expansion of the so-called humanitarian zone, the area remains subject to evacuation orders and is unsafe due to regular Israeli bombardment. Many people living in the zone are suffering from skin diseases and respiratory infections because of the dire conditions. The situation is even more worrying with the approach of winter and the cold temperatures that people will be exposed to.
Israeli forces must urgently halt evacuation orders in the north of Gaza. The relentless killing of people in Gaza must stop now, and an immediate and sustained ceasefire must be implemented.
MSF Australia was established in 1995 and is one of 24 international MSF sections committed to delivering medical humanitarian assistance to people in crisis. In 2022, more than 120 project staff from Australia and New Zealand worked with MSF on assignment overseas. MSF delivers medical care based on need alone and operates independently of government, religion or economic influence and irrespective of race, religion or gender. For more information visit msf.org.au
After a relatively slow start to 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission vastly increased the number of cryptocurrency-related complaints in the third quarter (Q3) of 2024.
To be precise, Finbold Research found that the number of crypto-related litigations registered by the SEC quadrupled between Q2 and Q3 from 3 complaints to 12.
Furthermore, September saw a particular uptick in activity as the month witnessed more cases than the entirety of Q1.
Since January, the Commission also announced the conclusion of several high-profile cases. In March, it revealed it had obtained default judgment against Sameer Ramani – an insider-trading accomplice of Coinbase’s (COIN) former product manager.
In mid-September, the SEC also revealed it had settled with FTX auditor Prager Metis, accused of severe negligence between February 2021 and April 2022.
The regulator singled out the failure to detect the risks emerging from the links between the exchange and Alameda Research as particularly damning.
Cryptocurrency-related cases involve a wide variety of crimes
The cryptocurrency-related cases of 2024 feature a wide variety of alleged crimes, with unregistered securities offerings and sales remaining particularly common.
Additionally, scammers have continued leveraging digital assets’ popularity to solicit investments, frequently misrepresenting their business and, sometimes, even taking money for completely fictitious investments.
Still, as Andreja Stojanovic, a co-author of the research, pointed out:
“Many of them are not truly lawsuits targeting the industry, as many involved other types of fraud that simply utilized cryptocurrencies’ popularity and reputation as lucrative – if risky – investment vehicles.”
Indeed, despite the non-trivial number of digital asset cases announced by the SEC, they constitute only 9.21% of the 228 complaints reported by the Commission.
