Category: Transport

MIL-OSI USA: MetLife Stadium to Become a Mission Ready Venue, Serving as a Vital Location During Disasters and Part of NFL and FEMA’s National Strategy to Make Venues Mission Capable During Disasters
Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

Headline: MetLife Stadium to Become a Mission Ready Venue, Serving as a Vital Location During Disasters and Part of NFL and FEMA’s National Strategy to Make Venues Mission Capable During Disasters

MetLife Stadium to Become a Mission Ready Venue, Serving as a Vital Location During Disasters and Part of NFL and FEMA’s National Strategy to Make Venues Mission Capable During Disasters
New Jersey – Stadiums and venues provide a central and accessible location to help communities respond to extreme weather crises, providing safe storage and shelter in times of need. With these events becoming more frequent, severe, and expensive, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and NFL Chief Security Officer Cathy Lanier today announced that MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, home of the New York Jets and New York Giants, will be among the first NFL venues to be designated as a Mission Ready Venue that can be used during response and recovery missions. Through Mission Ready Venues, a public-private partnership, MetLife Stadium will increase its capabilities to better sustain public safety and be a source of support for the community they serve. The designation identifies the ways MetLife Stadium could be used for response and recovery activities during declared emergencies or disasters.

“We are honored that MetLife Stadium is one of the first NFL venues designated as a Mission Ready Venue,” said MetLife Stadium President and CEO Ron VanDeVeen. “The stadium will serve as a staging area and safe space that will offer critical support and comfort to our community in the event of a crisis.”

“During large-scale emergencies, like the COVID-19 pandemic, hurricanes, or tornados, we’ve seen how large music, sports and entertainment venues can serve as a safe space for communities,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. “This new strategy we’re launching with the NFL is a groundbreaking opportunity to help our partners use these venues for emergency response and recovery needs, while keeping communities safe and making them more resilient. While we are starting with the NFL, all venues across sports organizations and leagues can become assets to their communities, and I encourage them to join in this collaborative effort as we grapple with the impacts of the climate crisis.”

“Public-private partnerships are essential to helping communities during the response and recovery phases of a disaster,” said FEMA Region 2 Administrator David Warrington. “Establishing relationships of this type will not only enhance our nation’s resilience toward the disasters we face today but will be critical in shaping tomorrow due to the ever-changing landscape of emergency management. This collaborative effort with the NFL is a true reflection of whole-community engagement and I welcome the opportunities it will bring.”

“Stadiums are valuable community assets that are often used in times of disasters,” said NFL Chief Security Officer Cathy Lanier. “This designation reflects the role that many stadiums play, not only on Sundays, but especially in times of need. We are proud to work with FEMA and first responders at the local and state level to ensure disaster response agencies have the information and tools they need to help a community recover when disaster strikes.”

According to the NYU School of Professional Studies and the U.S. Conference of Mayors, stadiums and arenas can improve the public health and well-being of their communities —including pandemic response during COVID-19.

“Collaborating with our Federal counterparts and the NFL to designate MetLife Stadium as a mission-ready venue for disasters highlights a critical step in strengthening our state’s emergency preparedness,” said Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police and State Director of Emergency Management. “In times of crisis, every second counts. This partnership ensures we have a strategically located, fully equipped facility capable of supporting large-scale emergency operations, allowing us to respond swiftly and effectively to protect the lives and well-being of New Jersey’s residents.”

Given the size, capabilities, and locations of large sports venues, these existing community assets can serve the public in a variety of ways including emergency shelters, staging areas, commodity distribution sites, evacuation pick up points, disaster recovery centers, mass vaccination and testing, temporary hospitals and more. FEMA and the NFL recognized this unique opportunity for collaboration and are enlisting the support of venue owners, operators, and the tenants of these facilities to work with government officials in the planning and preparation for emergency or disaster response and recovery efforts. To receive an official Mission Ready Venue designation, venues must undergo a comprehensive assessment to determine what capabilities the venue may be able to support in emergency and disaster response and recovery efforts. The designation highlights the following attributes of selected venues:
- Provide Safety and Security: Stadiums are usually centrally located, close to major roadways and transportation hubs, and critical services like hospitals. If used to respond to a disaster, the designation will save valuable time and resources and will further enhance coordination between the public and private sectors during disaster response and recovery.
- Provide Accessibility: Stadiums are also compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act and can support persons with disabilities and others with access or functional needs. Additionally, 73% of NFL venues are accessible by mass transportation. This provides an avenue to promote equitable service to underserved populations to access potentially critical lifesaving/life sustaining services after an event.
- Strengthen Community Resilience: Stadiums and arenas are a focal point of communities and help strengthen social networks by enhancing connections between residents with home team pride. These Mission Ready Venues can boost morale amidst disaster. By providing a more robust and resilient environment, these venues can enhance social networks amongst survivors while providing ample opportunities to establish connections with the venue’s main tenants.
- Ensure Unity of Effort: Coordination of stadium resources and services can support survivors and responders and help stabilize an incident quickly. Since stadiums are fixed locations, resources and services can be deployed quickly. This promotes the community’s physical and economic recovery.
Mission Ready Venue designations are for five-year increments with a yearly check-in to ensure continued readiness of the venue. Redesignation will be necessary every five years and designation does not supersede any agreements with state, local or private sector entities.
kate.macedo
Wed, 09/25/2024 – 13:08

MIL OSI USA News –
September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Translation: Bronchiolitis in infants: how to protect yourself this winter?

MIL OSI Translation. Government of the Republic of France statements from French to English –

Source: Republic of France in FrenchThe French Republic has issued the following statement:

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Childhood diseases

Published on September 25, 2024 – Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Every winter, bronchiolitis affects around 30% of newborns and infants. To prepare well, the Ministry of Labor, Health and Solidarity is strengthening its awareness campaign. What are the right actions to take and the treatments available? Service-Public.fr answers you.

Image 1Credits: Kaspars Grinvalds – stock.adobe.com

Aimed primarily at parents but also at everyone, this campaign reminds us the right gestures to adopt to limit contamination but also to be attentive and act if the first symptoms appear.

Since the end of 2023, a vaccine for pregnant women and preventive treatments for infants have existed:

An injection of the Abrysvo vaccine can be administered during pregnancy, between the 7th and 8th months. The vaccine allows the mother to develop antibodies that are transmitted directly to the child, who will be immunized from birth to the first 6 months; 2 preventive treatments can be given to the infant: Synagis, intended for premature or high-risk newborns with heart or lung malformations; Beyfortus, intended for newborns and infants under 1 year old.

These products are available in pharmacies and maternity wards (except Synagis, available only in maternity wards).

They are 100% covered by health insurance, subject to some specificities.

Namely

80% of parents have received treatment since its introduction and around 5,800 hospitalizations for bronchiolitis have been avoided.

See also

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

MIL Translation OSI

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Translation: Iodine distribution campaign for people living near a nuclear power plant

MIL OSI Translation. Government of the Republic of France statements from French to English –

Source: Republic of France in FrenchThe French Republic has issued the following statement:

Since 1997, preventive and free distributions of stable iodine tablets have been organized for people living near a nuclear facility. A new distribution campaign is being set up from September 2024. It is aimed at people living in a municipality located:

within a radius of 10 kilometers around a nuclear power plant; within a radius of 5 kilometers around other civil or military nuclear installations.

To find out if you are affected by this distribution campaign, you must indicate your address in the “know the risks near me” section of the Géorisques website, then click on “access detailed information”. If you are concerned, a “2024/2025 iodine campaign” banner will be present on the page. You are therefore invited to withdraw a number of boxes of tablets adapted to the size of your household, free of charge from a pharmacy partnering with this distribution campaign. You do not need to provide any supporting documents.

Please note

If your workplace is located in an area affected by this stable iodine distribution campaign, your company manager is responsible for supplying the tablets.

Establishments open to the public receive withdrawal vouchers allowing them to obtain a supply of stable iodine tablets for the people they welcome.

When to take stable iodine tablets?

In the event of a major accident, some nuclear facilities may release radioactive elements into the atmosphere, particularly radioactive iodine, which increases the risk of developing thyroid cancer. Taking stable iodine protects your thyroid gland against the effects of radioactive iodine.

You should only take stable iodine when instructed to do so by the prefect. Information is disseminated via public service media and loudspeaker vehicles. Having stable iodine tablets at home is a precautionary measure; it allows you to save time when iodine intake is ordered.

Taking stable iodine tablets concerns everyone, but in priority people whose thyroid is most sensitive to the effects of radioactive iodine:

newborns; persons under 18 years of age; pregnant and breastfeeding women.

The number of tablets to take varies depending on the person’s age; the dosage appropriate for each situation is indicated in the leaflet.

Please note

Tablets distributed from 2024 are valid for 10 years. During this period, they must be stored in their cardboard packaging, protected from humidity and at room temperature.

If you have iodine tablets from previous campaigns that have expired, you can return these boxes of expired tablets to the pharmacy.

Attention

Stable iodine tablets do not protect against releases of other radioactive elements for which sheltering or evacuation is the only protection.

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

MIL Translation OSI

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Security: FBI Encourages High School Juniors to Apply to Attend Fall 2024 Sacramento FBI Teen Academy

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

Free, Single-Day Class Offers “Insider View” of the FBI

SACRAMENTO—The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Sacramento Field Office encourages all high school juniors within the office’s 34-county area of responsibility to apply to attend the Fall 2024 FBI Teen Academy held at the field office’s headquarters in Roseville. All high school juniors— to include those enrolled in public, private, charter, or home school—who are curious about the FBI are eligible to apply to be considered for the program.

Students selected to attend the academy spend an informative, interactive day learning about the FBI’s investigative priorities; participating in unique, interactive experiences; connecting with FBI personnel representing diverse professional backgrounds; and gaining knowledge that can be shared with their peers and community. Students who attend the program gain greater awareness of the threats their communities face, the challenges presented by the online environment, and the personal choices that can affect their future careers. This knowledge better prepares students to mentor their peers. Ideal candidates are engaged with their respective communities and each student must obtain signatures from their school administration endorsing their participation.

The class is offered at no charge. Families do not incur any fees for the class, meals, and refreshments offered during FBI Teen Academy instruction. Transportation to and from the class is not provided. If travel is necessary to attend the class, families must arrange for transportation and cover any expenses incurred to facilitate attendance.

Students interested in attending the free class must download the Fall 2024 FBI Teen Academy application from the FBI Sacramento Field Office’s Community Outreach web page, complete and obtain signatures on all forms, and complete an essay as directed in the application instructions without the assistance of artificial intelligence. Completed application packages must arrive at FBI Sacramento Field Office Headquarters by 4 p.m. on Friday, October 11, 2024. Late applications may be rejected.

The FBI Sacramento Field Office serves the following 34 California counties: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Lassen, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Tulare, Tuolumne, Trinity, Yolo, and Yuba.

Links:

MIL Security OSI –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Security: Gun Supplier Convicted of Murdering 13-Year-Old Boy Gets 108½ Years in Prison

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

WASHINGTON – Stephon Nelson, 33, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today in Superior Court to 108 ½ years in prison for first degree murder and other charges stemming from the killing of 13-year old Malachi Lukes in March of 2020. A jury found Nelson and two co-defendants–Tyiion Freeman and Koran Jackson—guilty of first-degree murder while armed, several counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, conspiracy to commit various firearms offenses and other firearms-related charges. Last week Freeman received 108 years while Jackson was sentenced to 164 years in prison.

The sentences were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge James VanVliet of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

Between February 1, 2020, and May 31, 2020, the defendants, along with two other defendants (whose cases were severed pre-trial), participated in a conspiracy to illegally possess, carry, and transfer firearms for the purpose of using those firearms in the commission of dangerous and violent crimes. Jackson and Freeman, along with the severed defendants, are members and associates of neighborhood crews. Between 2019-2020, the defendants’ neighborhood crews were feuding with other crews and the feud escalated when Tahlil Byrd, also known as Slatt Goon, was killed in September 2019.

Stephon Nelson, who is a felon and approximately 10 years older than his coconspirators, supplied the firearms that were illegally possessed, carried, and transferred in the conspiracy. Over the span of nine days, February 22-March 1, 2020, the defendants engaged in a shooting spree in the Petworth, Shaw, and Stronghold neighborhoods using the firearms they illegally acquired and shared as a part of the firearms conspiracy. The first charged shooting occurred on February 22, 2020, in the Petworth neighborhood when two victims were fired upon after a mere verbal exchange with two defendants. Two days later, on February 24, 2020, the conspirators drove through rival crew territory Ninth Street where they shot three rival crew members. An innocent bystander who was sitting in her vehicle was caught in the barrage of gunfire. She fortunately escaped with little physical injury because her front windshield suffered the bulk of the damage. The spree culminated on March 1, 2020, when the defendants participated in two shootings in two separate neighborhoods over the span of ten minutes. At 2:08 p.m., the defendants, who were traveling in a stolen Kia Soul, followed 13-year-old Malachi Lukes, along with his three friends, into the Ninth Street area of the 600 block of S Street, N.W., where two defendants exited the Kia Soul and opened fire on them. Malachi Lukes was shot in the back as he fled. The bullet traveled through his heart and lung causing him to collapse to his death. The defendants then traveled to another neighborhood where members of the rival crew were known to gather and at 2:18 p.m., opened fire on individuals in that block. No injuries were reported in that shooting spree.

In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those investigating the case from the MPD, the FBI Washington Field Office’s Violent Crimes Task Force and ATF along with the Arlington County Police Department. They also thanked the Arlington County Sheriff Department; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Capitol Police; D.C. Department of Forensic Sciences; DOJ Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section; Montgomery County Police Department; D.C. Department of Corrections; and the Internal Revenue Service—Atlanta Branch.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Jackson, Tamara Rubb, and Nebiyu Feleke, with assistance from Lead Paralegal Sharon Newman, Supervisory Paralegal Tasha Harris, Paralegals April Urbanowski and Alyssa Schroeder, Superior Court Operations Manager Linda McDonald, and Victim Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen.

MIL Security OSI –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI China: China home to 4 million 5G base stations

Source: China State Council Information Office 2

The number of 5G base stations in China exceeded 4.04 million at the end of August, data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology showed Wednesday.
The figure accounted for 32.1 percent of the total number of mobile base stations nationwide.
The number of 5G mobile subscribers hit 966 million in China.
The country has seen its 5G network and commercialization develop rapidly in recent years. Its 5G network now covers every city and town, as well as more than 90 percent of villages.
China’s 5G standard essential patent declarations account for 42 percent of the global total.
The ministry said China would continue to advance 5G development and expand 5G network coverage in places such as cultural and tourism sites, healthcare facilities, universities, transportation hubs and subway systems.

MIL OSI China News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI United Nations: Secretary-General’s remarks to meeting of G20 Foreign Ministers [as delivered]

Source: United Nations secretary general

Agradeço ao Presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva e ao governo do Brasil por co-organizar esta reunião entre os ministros das Relações Exteriores do G20, todos os Estados Membros das Nações Unidas, e as organizações financeiras internacionais.

[I thank President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the government of Brazil for co-convening this meeting between G20 foreign ministers, all UN Member States, and the international financial organizations.]

This is a historic first.

The G20, the United Nations system and the Bretton Woods institutions and other international financial institutions deal with some of the most important challenges of our time: inequality, financing for development, the climate crisis, the impact of new technologies.

In all these areas, progress is slipping out of reach as our world becomes more unsustainable, unequal and unpredictable.

Conflicts are raging, the climate crisis is accelerating, inequalities are growing, and new technologies have unprecedented potential for good – and bad.

Global institutions must work together – not on parallel or conflicting tracks.

They must cooperate and collaborate for the good of humanity and the Summit of the Future was an essential first step.

It has created opportunities and possibilities for reform across the board.

But without implementation, it will be meaningless.

The work starts today.

Excellencies,

The Pact for the Future is about action in the here and now.

And G20 countries can act in three specific areas.

First, finance.

We need ambitious reforms of the international financial architecture to make it fully representative of today’s global economy, so it can provide strong support to implement the Sustainable Development Goals.

I commend the leadership of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund for making important progress.

But the resources available are still dwarfed by the size of the needs.

Many developing countries are being hit by a double whammy of climate chaos and debt.

To support low- and middle-income developing countries effectively, multilateral development banks must be bigger, bolder and better.

We need a far more robust financial safety net to shield countries in a world of frequent shocks.

Voting rights and decision-making rules should reflect the changing global landscape.

And access to concessional finance should be based on needs and vulnerabilities, not just on income.

All parts of the global financial system must work together to reduce the cost of finance and the inequalities that blight our world.

This demands action on debt – starting with an effective mechanism to deal with debt relief and restructuring.

As a first step, I welcome the commitment by the International Monetary Fund to review the debt architecture – as set out in the Pact for the Future.
I look to all G20 countries to push for deep reforms so that global financial institutions reflect today’s world and respond to today’s challenges.

One of those challenges is global hunger. It is shameful that in our world of plenty, around one person in ten regularly goes without food for an entire day or more – known as severe food insecurity.

I welcome President Lula and Brazil’s focus on global hunger during the G20 presidency and call on all G20 countries – and all UN Member States – to strengthen efforts to end this affront to our common humanity.

Excellencies,

The second area for action is climate.

We are at a critical moment: a battle to prevent temperatures from rising above the agreed limit of 1.5 degrees.

Today’s decisions and actions will determine the course of our world for decades to come.

The climate crisis transcends borders and politics. Climate action cannot be a victim of geopolitical competition.

Under G20 leadership we will be able to have drastic reductions in fossil fuel production and consumption as an essential element for climate action.

By 2030, global production and consumption of all fossil fuels must decline by at least thirty per cent – and global renewables capacity must triple.

This requires OECD countries to phase out coal by 2030 and to fully decarbonize power generation systems by 2035.

And it means non-OECD countries must phase out coal by 2040.

I have been strongly advocating for no new coal or upstream oil and gas projects for all G20 nations.

New national climate plans due next year are an opportunity for countries to align energy strategies and development priorities with climate ambition, taking into account the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.

They must also show how each country intends to transition away from fossil fuels, in line with the outcome at COP 28.

Excellencies,

There has never been a greater global challenge than the climate crisis.

There has never been more agreement on the solution: a just transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

And renewable technologies have never been better – or cheaper.

The obstacle to the renewables revolution is not economics, or a lack of solutions.

It is mindsets, and lack of vision.

Those that lead the renewables revolution are already reaping the rewards.

But many developing countries are being left behind.

Clean energy investments in emerging and developing economies outside China and India have barely increased since 2015.

The energy transition must be based on justice and equity, so that all countries benefit.

Excellencies,

Third, we need strong, inclusive, legitimate global institutions and tools to tackle the challenges of today and tomorrow.

Fair and representative governance is a first step to unlock broader reforms.

The Pact for the Future includes commitments to make multilateral institutions more representative, effective, transparent and accountable.

I urge the strong engagement of G20 countries, including in reforms of our United Nations bodies:

Making the Security Council truly representative by addressing the under-representation of Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean;

Strengthening the role of the General Assembly and the Peacebuilding Commission;

And enhancing the Economic and Social Council.

The same principle applies to the international financial architecture: it should correspond to today’s global economy, with much stronger representation of developing countries.

For our part, the United Nations is totally committed to strengthening our convening role as an inclusive platform for dialogue and action.

As part of that role, from next year, we intend to host biennial summits to formalize a dialogue between the UN system, the G20, and international financial institutions.

Excellencies,

Only together will we achieve the reforms in the Pact for the Future and deliver the SDGs and the Paris Agreement, to meet the expectations of the people we serve.

I urge the G20 to seize every opportunity to raise ambition for global leadership and transformative action for a safer, more peaceful and sustainable world for all.

Thank you.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Canada: Government of Canada invests close to $4M in quantum sector with support for Calcul Québec and Anyon Systems
Source: Government of Canada News

The two organizations receive a total of $3,997,500 in financial assistance from CED.
The two organizations receive a total of $3,997,500 in financial assistance from CED.

Montréal, Quebec, September 25, 2024 – Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED)

Supporting the development, adoption and commercialization of quantum technologies not only helps Quebec organizations to position themselves in this emerging field, but also strengthens Canada’s global leadership. That is why the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, on behalf of the Honourable Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for CED, today announced a non-repayable contribution of $3,500,000 for Calcul Québec and a repayable contribution of $497,500 for Anyon Systems.

Calcul Québec is a non-profit organization with a mission to provide cutting-edge infrastructure for computational calculations for academic and scientific research and for businesses. Its computational servers, also called supercomputers, are shared by thousands of researchers, mainly in Quebec, but also across Canada. MonarQ, its quantum computer designed by Anyon Systems, is located at the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) in a room dedicated to advanced computation, a site that already houses one of the country’s most powerful supercomputers. Calcul Québec’s project aims to increase MonarQ’s computational power from 12 to 24 qubits and thereby better meet businesses’ technology transfer needs.

Anyon Systems is a Montréal business that develops turn-key quantum computing products such as integrated quantum computers, as well as electronic controllers and cryogenic systems. CED’s support will enable it to pursue its growth and continue to commercialize technologies resulting from R&D, including by manufacturing a demonstrator and participating in trade fairs.

To support Canada’s quantum sector and solidify the country’s position among the leaders in this fast‑growing field, the Government of Canada has implemented a National Quantum Strategy. The goal of the Strategy is to help Canadian businesses adopt quantum technologies so that they can position themselves in this emerging field and generate economic benefits for the entire community.

Quotes

“Quantum research and computing are more than just the frontiers of technology but a keystone for innovation. By unlocking new realms of problem-solving and processing power, they promise to drive unprecedented economic growth, reshape industries, and address the most pressing challenges of our society, from climate change to healthcare. The quantum technology of today builds a more resilient, prosperous, and equitable tomorrow.”

The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Member of Parliament for Saint-Maurice–Champlain and Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

“Quebec and Canada are taking their place in the economy of the future, and our government is here to support them. MonarQ’s arrival will give the academic and scientific communities and businesses access to the quantum technologies needed for research in fields as diverse as energy, transportation, pharmaceuticals and materials. By boosting innovation in this way, we are ensuring Quebec’s SMEs and organizations are well positioned and ensuring our global leadership in this area. Congratulations to Calcul Québec, Anyon Systems and the ÉTS on this outcome!”

The Honourable Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Member of Parliament for Hochelaga, Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for CED

“Integrating the computational power of a quantum computer into Calcul Québec’s service offering will provide the research and innovation community with a unique opportunity to develop and test new quantum and hybrid algorithms. This will be done while also guaranteeing that all intellectual property generated will remain within Quebec and Canadian institutions. MonarQ will also enable Calcul Québec, in collaboration with research teams, to develop techniques essential to ensuring fluid interoperability between classic and quantum computers. This new infrastructure, which will have an impact both nationally and internationally, will foster the development of free software, thereby strengthening accessibility and innovation in the field.”

Suzanne Talon, CEO, Calcul Québec

“Installing the MonarQ superconductor quantum computer in Calcul Québec’s room dedicated to advanced computer calculations enables Anyon Systems to take a major step forward in developing quantum computing solutions. We are proud to be able to offer researchers and industrial users a quantum solution designed and developed entirely in Canada.”

Alireza Najafi-Yazdi, CEO, Anyon Systems

Quick facts
- Funding has been provided under CED’s Support for Regional Quantum Innovation initiative, which stems from the Government of Canada’s National Quantum Strategy.
- This initiative has a budget of $23.3 million to be used to make strategic investments up to 2028 to help SMEs and NPOs adopt, develop and commercialize quantum technologies and products based on these technologies.
- CED is the key federal partner in Quebec’s regional economic development. Through its 12 regional business offices, CED accompanies businesses, supporting organizations and all regions across Quebec into tomorrow’s economy.
Associated links

Information

Media Relations
Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
media@dec-ced.gc.ca

Marie-Justine Torres Ames
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for
Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
Cell: 613-327-5918
Marie-Justine.TorresAmes@ised-isde.gc.ca

Stay connected

Follow CED on social media
Consult CED’s news
MIL OSI Canada News –
September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Africa: South African women face exclusion from society due to gender-based violence – how they’re fighting back
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Amanda Gouws, Professor of Political Science and Chair of the South African Research Initiative in Gender Politics, Stellenbosch University

When South Africa became a democracy in 1994, a primary goal was to grant citizenship rights to all its people, in particular, to give the majority black South Africans rights they had been denied during colonialism and apartheid. This included the right to vote.

Apartheid segregated the population into ethnic groups. All but people classified as white were stripped of their rights. The 1996 constitution conferred upon citizens civil liberties such as the right to vote, movement, association and free speech as well as substantive rights such as access to land, health, education and employment.

But, as I argue in the Palgrave Handbook of Gender and Citizenship, full citizenship is about more than a legal status that grants rights. Full citizenship also means being able to fully participate in a society.

Based on my research into South African politics and gender politics over the past three decades I argue in a recent chapter that women in South Africa don’t enjoy full citizenship because they face endemic gender-based violence.

Sexual violence against women has become normalised in South Africa. Everyday spaces are filled with violence, as indicated by the South African Police Service’s quarterly crime statistics.

I conclude in the book chapter that people who feel excluded turn to protest to claim their rights as citizens. In doing so they become activist citizens.

Acts of citizenship can occur in many different places – on streets, in courts, at borders, or even through media. They can happen on different scales, from local community action to international movements. These acts may involve protests, organising campaigns, or using digital media to spread awareness. People engaging in these acts might demand a wide range of rights, including political, social, sexual, ecological, or cultural rights.

Read more: Gender apartheid: oppression of women should be made a crime against humanity – feminist academic explains why

While legal frameworks to enhance citizenship have changed over the past 30 years in South Africa, deep-seated inequalities and exclusions persist. Law reform cannot address high levels of unemployment (that need to be rectified through economic growth), neither can it address poverty that is endemic because of the legacies of apartheid, such as the exclusion from decent education and health care.

Acts of citizenship – whether through protest (such as service delivery protest), art, or everyday actions – continue to play a crucial role in expanding the boundaries of who is considered a citizen and what rights citizens can claim.

By understanding citizenship as something that is actively performed and claimed, rather than simply granted, society can better appreciate the ongoing struggles for equality and recognition.

Acts of citizenship

Emotions play a significant role in these citizenship actions, a concept known as “affective citizenship”. Expressions of fear, happiness, loneliness, anger, or grief can all be part of how people assert their rights and demand recognition. These emotional displays can be disruptive or more conventional, but they all focus on exclusions from citizenship.

Some acts of citizenship involve a “politics of refusal” – rejecting unfair conditions or norms. This refusal can expose hidden issues within citizenship, such as specific forms of gendered violence or discrimination. By disrupting “business as usual”, these acts force society to confront uncomfortable truths.

It’s important to note that acts of citizenship aren’t always large-scale or dramatic. They can also involve everyday actions that challenge norms or assert rights in smaller ways. What matters is that these acts transform the actors from passive subjects into active citizens claiming their rights.

Examples include the #EndRapeCulture campaign of 2016, when women protested against pervasive sexual violence on university campuses. At the same time, transgender students also protested against marginalisation.

Both groups of students used naked protests to show their refusal to be treated as though they were not citizens. Through their campaign, the students rejected behaviour and attitudes that normalise sexual violence on campuses.

Women students disrupted public spaces by protesting topless or in their underwear, sometimes brandishing sjamboks (plastic whips). These actions expressed anger at university authorities’ failure to address sexual violence. The activists were refusing to be treated as though they were not citizens.

By using their bodies in these acts of citizenship the protesters made visible the rage many South African women feel about sexual violence committed with seeming impunity. They highlighted how women’s bodies are vulnerable to violence due to neglect by authorities in implementing their own laws, such as the Sexual Offences Act and the Domestic Violence Act.

Read more: Victory for women’s rights in Ghana as affirmative action law is passed – what must happen next

For its part the Trans Collective, a group of transgender students at the University of Cape Town, used a provocative art intervention to highlight the erasure or the making invisible of transgender experiences within the broader student movement during the same 2016 period.

They smeared red paint on photographs at an exhibit about student activism and used their naked, paint-covered bodies to block the entrance of the art gallery at the university to force visitors to confront the physical reality of how transgender rights are often “trampled” or ignored, even within progressive movements.

Impact

Acts of citizenship – whether through naked protests, art interventions, or other forms of activism – serve multiple purposes:
- They make visible groups and issues that are overlooked or deliberately ignored.
- They challenge conventional understandings of how citizens should behave or what citizenship looks like.
- They create new spaces for political action and discourse.
- They force society and authorities to confront uncomfortable truths about exclusion and violence.
- They assert the agency of marginalised groups in defining and claiming their rights.
– South African women face exclusion from society due to gender-based violence – how they’re fighting back
– https://theconversation.com/south-african-women-face-exclusion-from-society-due-to-gender-based-violence-how-theyre-fighting-back-237493

MIL OSI Africa –
September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Africa: Saipem Pre-Qualifies for Structures A&E Project as Libya Advances Gas Monetization Drive

Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

ROME, Italy, September 25, 2024/APO Group/ —

Italian multinational oilfield services company Saipem announced it has pre-qualified to carry out EPCC works for Production Platform E – part of the $8-billion Structures A&E Development Project – during the Libya-Italy Roundtable and VIP Networking Event in Rome on Monday.

Led by Mellitah Oil & Gas – a joint venture between Italian multinational Eni and Libya’s National Oil Company – the Structures A&E project aims to increase gas production to supply the Libyan domestic market and exports to Europe, targeting 750 million cubic feet of gas per day (mmcf/d) by 2026. Mellitah Oil & Gas launched the invitation for pre-qualification for the Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Hook-up, Commissioning and Start-up of Production Platform E earlier this year.

“We are committed to Libyan projects,” said Giorfio Elia, Managing Director – North East Africa & Cyprus for Saipem. “We have pre-qualified for Platform E, which will give Libya one of the biggest production platforms in the Mediterranean. It will be challenging – it’s a more than 60,000-ton platform, with one of the largest jackets in the industry.”

The announcement was made during an oil and gas-focused roundtable at the Libya-Italy Roundtable and VIP Networking Event, which outlined the country’s current exploration and development prospects. In addition to the Structures A&E Development Project, Eni highlighted several major gas projects under development, including the Bouri Gas Utilization Project – which will recover hydrocarbons from associated gas from two platforms installed on the Bouri field, accompanied by a carbon capture facility – and another 100-mmscf/d gas production project set to come online in 2025.

“We are committed to providing enough gas to Libya to meet domestic needs and continue exporting, while at the same time reducing our carbon footprint,” said Martina Opizzi, Head of North Africa & the Levant Region for Eni, adding that the operator has “already signed some contracts” for all three projects.

In addition to gas monetization, Libya is prioritizing enhanced oil recovery to maximize output from mature oil fields and brownfield assets. As a result, the country is looking to international private sector partners to implement advanced technologies and carry out upgrades and maintenance works to boost recovery rates and stabilize production.

“Short turn-around-time assets are a major opportunity for companies like ourselves,” said Ibraheim Mejerissi, Managing Director of Wazen Oil Services. “There is a huge potential [in maintenance works] in Libya, whether you’re a trader wanting to provide products, or a service or engineering company.”

Looking ahead, challenges in fiscal, political and contractual stability remain for Libya, which continues to face long project lead times that impede foreign investment and the timely completion of ongoing projects. Italian engineering and general contracting firm RENCO, for instance, was awarded a contract for the 36 MW Sarir Power Plant in 2013, yet only commissioned the plant in June this year owing to geopolitical uncertainty and delays in payments.

“We need to start projects with bonds, credit letters and tools from the financial point of view that provide support and create certainty from the banking system,” said Alessandro Galli, Industrial Plants Division Director for RENCO.

“We need to find a way with our operators to ensure projects are secured and can enter into operation,” added Nicola Ghirelli, Energy Maintenance & Production Services Director at Bonatti, which is currently nearing completion of EPC works for Nafusah Oil Operation at a project in western Libya.

The Libya-Italy Roundtable and VIP Networking Event served to launch the third edition of the Energy Capital & Power-sponsored Libya Energy & Economic Summit taking place in Tripoli next year, as well as to celebrate the Libyan-Italian connection in the upstream space and forge new pathways to cooperation and partnership in the energy sector.

MIL OSI Africa –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Culture chief joins panda ceremony

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Culture, Sports & Tourism Kevin Yeung today attended a ceremony to see off the two giant pandas, An An and Ke Ke, in Dujiangyan, Sichuan.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Yeung once again thanked the State Council’s Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office, the National Forestry & Grassland Administration, the China Conservation & Research Centre for the Giant Panda, the Sichuan Provincial Government and the Dujiangyan Municipal Government for making arrangements over the past three months to facilitate the departure of An An and Ke Ke.

He said: “In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the central government has once again gifted a pair of giant pandas to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, which means a whole lot to Hong Kong.

“It not only demonstrates the central government’s care and support for the Hong Kong SAR but also recognises Hong Kong’s efforts in conserving, caring for and rearing giant pandas.”

That same morning, Mr Yeung visited Tianfu Art Park, which features an art museum, a contemporary art museum and a library.

The culture chief arrived in Chengdu, Sichuan, yesterday and visited the Jinsha Site Museum. Built on the original Jinsha ruins, the museum aims to conserve, study and display the ancient Shu civilisation and Jinsha culture.

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Europe: Winners of EU Organic Awards 2024 announced
Source: European Union 2

This year’s winners follow the high standards set by their predecessors and showcase sustainable and inspiring projects across the European organic value chain. The winning projects – and the people behind them- demonstrate how organic agriculture and production can create innovative value chains and generate new job opportunities in rural areas.

The winners of the edition 2024 of the EU Organic Awards are:
- Best organic farmer (female) to Ms Reinhilde Frech-Emmelmann in Austria. Ms Frech-Emmelmann founded ReinSaat GmbH in 1998 at a biodynamic Demeter farm in St. Leonhard am Hornerwald, Lower Austria. The farm specialises in organic, GMO-free seeds, with over 800 seed-resistant varieties, promoting biodiversity and sustainable farming across Europe.
- Best organic farmer (male) to Mr Benny Schöpf in Germany. Mr Schöpf is the chief vegetable grower at Kartoffelkombinat, the largest community-supported cooperative farm in Germany. Supplying 2,300 households with organic vegetables weekly, the farm prioritises fair working conditions and sustainable practices, promoting an alternative agricultural economic system.
- Best organic region to South Savo in Finland. South Savo has built a strong organic farming culture through 40 years of collaboration between farmers, researchers, and local authorities. With 200 organic farms, the region promotes sustainable practices, preserving water quality and biodiversity, and is home to the Finnish Organic Research Institute.
- Best organic city to BioStadt Bremen in Germany. With over 30% of farms certified organic, the city promotes sustainable food systems through community projects and innovative farming initiatives, empowering citizens to drive local change. BioStadt Bremen is working towards converting all municipal catering in schools, crèches, and hospitals to 100% organic by 2025.
- Best organic bio-district to Sörmland Bio-district in Sweden. Located south of Stockholm, Sörmland has been a pioneer in organic farming since the 1940s, bringing together farms, food processors, restaurants, and more. With 20% of its farmland organic, the district promotes local organic products, sustainable tourism, and awareness of organic food’s health benefits.
- Best organic food processing SME to Gino Girolomoni Cooperativa Agricola in Italy. Located in the Marche region, this cooperative specialises in organic pasta production, continuing the mission of its founder, Gino Girolomoni. With 80 hectares of organic farmland and renewable energy-powered facilities, it produces 9 million tons of pasta annually, supporting over 300 farmers and 60 local workers.
- Best organic food retailer to SAiFRESC in Spain. Founded by three farmers in 2011, SAiFRESC transitioned to organic farming, revitalising agriculture in the Huerta de Valencia. With 30 hectares of organic land, they produce 70 organic products, selling 90% of their harvest locally and reducing packaging. The initiative promotes a circular economy and provides educational workshops on organic farming.
- Best organic restaurant/food service to a Kalf & Hansen in Sweden. Founded in 2014 by Rune and Fabian Kalf-Hansen, this restaurant chain offers 100% organic, seasonal Nordic cuisine. With two restaurants, catering services, and organic meals on Swedish trains, Kalf & Hansen prioritise local sourcing, sustainability, and affordable organic meals, building strong relationships with local producers.
Nearly 100 applications were received from across the EU for this year’s edition, with 24 candidates shortlisted from 11 countries. The EU Organic Awards feature 7 categories and 8 individual awards, recognising innovative, sustainable, and inspiring projects that add significant value to organic production and consumption. The awards are organised by the European Commission, the European Economic and Social Committee, the European Committee of the Regions, COPA-COGECA, and IFOAM Organics Europe, with support from the European Parliament and the Council.

Background

EU Organic Day was launched by the European Parliament, Council, and European Commission in 2021 as a new initiative to celebrate and promote organic farming.

By producing high quality food with low environmental impact, organic farming plays an essential role in developing a sustainable food system for the EU. Following the EU Action Plan for the Development of Organic Production in the EU, adopted in 2021, the Commission works to further promote the benefits of organic production. The launch and celebration of an EU Organic Day and EU Organic Awards are two concrete actions to bring organic farming into the spotlight. The CAP Strategic Plans in the current Common Agricultural Policy also provides more financial support – €14.7 billion from 2023 to 2027 – for EU farmers converting to and remaining in organic farming. Nearly all Member States now have comprehensive organic production strategies in place, for the first time ever.

Between 2012 and 2022, the share of total organic area in the EU’s total utilised agricultural area rose from 5.9 % to an estimated 10.5 %. This represents an estimated increase of 7.4 million hectares. In the last few years, the market for organic products has held up remarkably despite certain challenges, notably the high food inflation and rise of energy costs. Total EU organic retail sales increased from €38.6 billion in 2019 to €45.0 billion in 2022, with a peak at €46.3 billion in 2021.The EU is the second largest market for organic products, after the US.

More examples of the actions taken under the EU action plan to develop organic production are available in this factsheet (PDF).

Quotes

Commissioner for agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski:

Today, we celebrate organic farming and the EU organic sector as a whole. This sector is very close to my heart, as it represents everything that I think is important in our food system: progressing towards more sustainable methods and practices; increasing resilience against climate change and supply chain disruptions; providing opportunities for small farmers, young farmers, female farmers; and connecting local communities through short supply chains and bio-districts. I wholeheartedly congratulate today’s winners – they provide living proof of a strong and sustainable organic sector in the EU.

Mr. Oliver Röpke, President of the European Economic and Social Committee of the European Economic and Social Committee:

The Organic Awards serve to reward excellent and innovative organic businesses in the EU, and getting inspired by their work and achievements. The organic sector deserves recognition and promotion throughout the food chain. Accessibility and affordability of organic food is very important for the sector to grow, and in turn, also helps the EU to reach the 25% target by 2030. I am proud that the EESC is a partner in managing three of these awards, connecting with the whole EU organic community.

Ms. Kirstine Bille, Representative of the European Committee of the Regions in the organic awards jury:

As the CAP is the main tool to support the development of organic farming, its budget for greening should be supplemented by additional resources to support adequately the farmers in the transition to sustainable farming. Moreover, we call for a stronger role for the regions in managing the future CAP so as to bring policy options in line with specific territorial and sectoral characteristics.

Mr. Mladen Jakopovic, COPA Vice President:

The EU Organic Awards spotlight the diversity, resilience and excellence of organic farming in Europe. They present inspiring stories of vision and perseverance, demonstrating what is possible when sustainability and innovation go hand in hand. As Copa and Cogeca, we are proud to be partners for this third edition. I would like to thank all participants and commend all the winners for their dedication and contribution to European organic farming.

Mr. Jan Plagge, IFOAM Organics Europe’s President:

The EU Organic Awards showcase the organic supply chain’s role in the transition towards sustainable farming systems that stay within planetary boundaries and reconcile environmental sustainability with a fair income for farmers – a common European goal identified through the Strategic Dialogue. On behalf of IFOAM Organics Europe, I congratulate this year’s winners for showcasing organic’s transformative potential through their outstanding initiatives. Their achievements spotlight organic’s growing significance as the only regulated sustainable production system that already delivers environmental and climate protection, all while fostering environmental, economic and social sustainability. Congratulations also to all those who put themselves in the game! May their endeavours inspire many more to become part of this food and farming revolution towards a more resilient, sustainable and competitive future.
MIL OSI Europe News –
September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Europe: Between 8% to 16% of EU population is ‘energy poor’

Source: European Union 2

Amidst the EU’s push for a fair green transition, and further reinforced by the uncertainties of the energy market, the issue of energy poverty has come to the forefront and become a critical policy priority. Energy poverty can be measured in different ways, but its measurement is a challenge for policy formulation and action to address it.

A JRC study investigated four primary energy poverty indicators to understand the EU-wide distribution and socio-economic profiles of “energy poor”. The findings underlined the usefulness to rely on a battery of various indicators to provide a picture of energy poverty.

The Social Climate Fund regulation and the revised Energy Efficiency Directive define energy poverty as a household’s lack of access to essential energy services, such as heating, hot water, cooling, lighting and energy to power appliances. According to the Commission’ Recommendation on Energy Poverty, it is a multidimensional phenomenon driven by three underlying causes, namely, high-energy expenditures in proportion to household budget, general low levels of income and low energy performance of buildings.

What’s the challenge when measuring energy poverty?

There are numerous papers discussing advantages and disadvantages of different energy poverty indicators used in Europe, but little is known about their overlap and their inter-relationship. The JRC study addresses this gap, for the first time, by assessing the coverage, overlap, and socio-economic profiles of four primary energy poverty indicators employed in the EU for cross-country comparisons, using harmonised microdata for all 27 EU countries.

This study was developed within the Assessing and Monitoring Employment and Distributional Impacts (AMEDI) projects carried out with the Commission’ s Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion.

The study employs two types of indicators: “expenditure-based” indicators and “consensual approach” indicators. The expenditure-based indicators are calculated using monetary values: the 2M indicator is calculated as the proportion of households whose share of energy expenditure in income is more than twice the national median (2M indicator), i.e. energy costs represent a high share of expenditures. While the M/2 indicator (low absolute energy expenditure) is calculated as the proportion of households whose energy expenditure is below the national median energy consumption.

The “consensual approach” indicators are instead based on self-reported assessments of housing conditions: the share of people keeping their house adequately warm (AW indicator), and those who have arrears on utility bills (UB).

The calculations are based on EU statistics and income living conditions (SILC) data from 2015 matched to Household Budget Survey (HBS) data from the same year and uses EUROMOD for refining estimates of household disposable income and improve comparability across countries. For example, they show that 8.5% of Europeans were unable to keep their house warm in 2015 (indicator AW).

The analysis finds that there is very little overlap between the four energy poverty indicators examined. This explains why at least 40% of the EU population (around 180 million citizens) would be classified as ‘energy poor’ if one would follow a ‘union approach’, in which someone is energy poor by at least one indicator.

On the other side, an ‘intersection approach’ – where poor is who satisfies the poverty condition simultaneously for the four indicators – would lead to a very low energy poverty rate of 0.3% of the EU population, i.e. about 330 thousand.

The results

The aggregate analysis carried out shows that between about 8% (using consensual indicators) and about 16% (using expenditure-based indicators) of the EU population can be classified as energy poor.

Education and employment have a significant impact on energy poverty, as a higher rate of adults with jobs or higher education levels can slightly decrease the risk of experiencing energy poverty. Remarkably, about 30% of energy-poor households are also income-poor, falling below the poverty threshold. The study also reveals that middle-income households face a relatively high incidence of energy poverty, so it does not only affect to income-poor individuals.

Energy poverty among EU Member States

Energy poverty displays also significant disparities across EU countries, as it is influenced by the very heterogeneous national realities, including geography, natural resources, climate, infrastructure, national public policies, etc. Furthermore, cultural aspects can explain differences in self-reporting energy deprivation conditions.

For instance, in Greece and Bulgaria, nearly 30% of the population is energy poor by at least two indicators, while in Western and Northern EU countries, this figure drops below 5%. Moreover, the differences in energy poverty rates across EU countries is much larger when using subjective indicators. For example, AW-poverty rates, which measure the inability to adequately heat one’s home, range between almost zero in Sweden and Luxembourg to about 40% in Bulgaria.

A similar trend is observed when analysing arrears on utility bills (UB), while income shares of residential energy expenditure that are above twice the national median (2M) appear to be more similar across countries, indicating that energy poverty rates range between approximately 10% (Netherlands, Hungary) to slightly above 20% (Sweden, Malta, and Latvia).

This underscores the importance of tailored policy responses that consider national contexts and differences across countries regarding income levels, energy prices or investments in energy capital (i.e. efficient appliances, insulation, etc.). Moreover, this result points at the need to consider carefully what is the most suited indicator for cross-country comparisons.

How to tackle energy poverty across the EU?

Energy poverty has far-reaching consequences, from exacerbating health issues to limiting social and economic participation. Monitoring energy poverty is crucial for understanding the diversity of the socio-economic profiles of the energy poor and for improving the design of inclusive policies.

Relying on a single indicator may overlook significant portions of the population experiencing energy-related deprivations.

To address energy poverty, we need a policy mix

Income-support policies are essential to tackle energy poverty situations, especially for households under the poverty line. However, considering that also middle-income households experience a relative high incidence of energy poverty, other type of policies may be warranted to support them.

This is the case of price caps, which reduce the burden of expenditures on energy goods, or structural interventions that step-up energy efficiency by reducing the need of energy consumption. Further, monetary policies such as subsidies to improve energy efficiencies could also reduce the burden of energy expenditures on households.

Finally, behavioural levers, such as assisting consumers in setting goals for reducing energy consumption through apps and educational campaigns to empower individuals to make investments choices that improve energy efficiency, may also be effective in reducing the energy poverty phenomenon.

Related links

Who is “energy poor” in the EU?

Assessing and Monitoring Employment and Distributional Impacts (AMEDI) projects

Commission recommendation on energy poverty

MIL OSI Europe News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Security: Fishing Lake First Nation — Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team notified after male’s death

Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

On September 24, 2024, Saskatchewan RCMP received a report that a wanted male was in the Fishing Lake First Nation area.

Multiple Saskatchewan RCMP units began searching for the male. Around 1 p.m., officers observed a van travelling at a high rate of speed. They activated their emergency lights and attempted a traffic stop. The vehicle did not stop.

Soon after, Saskatchewan RCMP received a report the wanted male stole a van from a school on Fishing Lake First Nation. Investigation determined it was the van that fled from the officers. The male was reported to be armed.

Officers pursued the van through roads in rural areas. Saskatchewan RCMP carefully monitored the pursuit for public safety risk, including preparing to send a dangerous person alert.

At around 1:45 p.m., the van entered a field. Firearms were discharged and the van continued travelling.

The van came to a stop and additional shots were discharged. The sole occupant was located inside, injured. He was declared deceased by EMS at the scene.

The male has been identified as 34-year-old Joseph “Joey” Desjarlais. We are identifying him as Saskatchewan RCMP had asked the public for information about him in a number of media releases issued during the past two weeks.

His family has been notified.

As required by The Police Act, 1990, Saskatchewan RCMP notified the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT). SIRT will investigate the Saskatchewan RCMP’s interaction with the deceased and the circumstances of his death.

The Saskatchewan RCMP is disclosing this as part of our ongoing commitment to transparency.

Any inquiries regarding this matter can be directed to SIRT.

MIL Security OSI –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Installed: the Sellafield space saver set to save billions
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

The first fuel has been placed into a space-saving storage rack at Sellafield set to save billions of pounds.
Known as the 63-can rack, the container allows the Thorp pond to store 50% more spent nuclear fuel.

That means Sellafield can safely store all the fuel expected from the UK’s currently operational nuclear power stations.

Without the rack, a new storage pond would have to be built, potentially costing billions of pounds.

The rethink was required because Thorp needs to store more fuel than previously thought.

That’s because the UK no longer reprocesses spent fuel, but instead stores it underwater prior to disposal.

The 63 can rack

Roddy Miller, Sellafield Ltd’s nuclear operations director, said:

From the birth of the nuclear industry in the 1940s, Sellafield has always proudly served the nation.

These days, our job is to create a clean and safe environment for future generations by safely managing our nuclear legacy.

This includes receiving and storing the UK’s spent nuclear fuel, helping EDF Energy to continue generating low carbon electricity for homes and businesses.

Since the change of approach to managing spent fuel, it was clear we would need to innovate to be able to safely store everything we need to in the Thorp pond.

These racks will increase fuel capacity from 4,000 tonnes to 6,000 tonnes, meaning we can accommodate all current and future arising, negating the need for a new storage facility.

It’s a great example of collaboration between ourselves, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority Group, EDF Energy, and our supply chain. Everyone involved should be proud of their contribution.

The rack has been 16 years in the making and represents a success story for UK manufacturing.

Weighing 7 tonnes and standing 5.5 metres high, the stainless steel containers are being built by a consortium of Cumbrian manufacturers and Stoke-based Goodwin International.

Between them, they will manufacture 160 racks. Another 340 racks will be needed in the future.

It’s a key contract for Carlisle-based Bendalls Engineering and Workington’s West Cumbria Engineering, who head up the Cumbria Manufacturing Alliance making half the racks.

Transfers of fuel from the old containers into the new racks started during the summer.

Operators who previously fed fuel into the reprocessing system are now placing fuel into the new racks.

Because fuel will be stored for longer than was originally intended, the pond has required other alterations including raising the pH level to avoid corrosion and installing new cooling capacity.

More information

Case study -Thorp

Made in Cumbria: the nuclear storage solution set to ‘rack-up’ the savings – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

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Published 25 September 2024
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI: MELD Bringing Fiat Payments On-chain With a New zk Privacy Network

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

SINGAPORE, Sept. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MELD, a new Neobank coming to the market with a new type of banking services platform that merges crypto services and fiat services into a single platform for both users and businesses alike, giving them the ability to have a traditional deposit account and a crypto wallet. MELD account holders can exchange between crypto/fiat and transfer funds between MELD accounts for free while earning interest on stablecoins. Bringing the best of both worlds together in one account.

This new network is the latest component of MELD neobanking solution, built directly on the blockchain and employs the benefits of being transparent and verifiable. Blockchains like Bitcoin and Ethereum have been doing this for more than ten years. MELD’s innovation is bringing these qualities to the traditional financial space and applying it to banking transactions.

In its zkBanking network, MELD has built a high performance banking system in line with traditional solutions used by banks today. With each transaction the details of the transaction are confirmed and then processed into a blockchain transaction with a confirmation code. This confirmation is then turned into a proof and published on the MELD public blockchain.

When a MELD Neobank user wants to prove to a third party they have paid for something or do not have the funds in their bank account, they can share the proof which has been verified. This applies to both private and business accounts in the MELD Neobank.

This new type of verification becomes particularly useful when businesses are doing cross border trade and need to prove they have the funds to pay for a trade deal. Also businesses can build technology on top of zkProofs to verify a transaction without receiving sensitive private data from a user.

The network will go live on January 1, 2025. zkBanking nodes will be initially run by five parties with plans to expand that to more than ten in the coming months. MELD’s ambition is to make the traditional neobank network as decentralized as the MELD blockchain while meeting the regulatory requirements of running a global neobank.

MELD neobank offering will be launching in October, giving retail and businesses in 160 countries crypto-friendly banking. MELD is different because they are crypto native, coming from the world of decentralized finance (DeFi) and integrating classic banking products with a twist.

MELD is doing a presale of their zkBanking nodes to boost the decentralized nature of the network and give users access to the networks block rewards while they secure the network at the same time. For more details about the node sale go to: https://docs.meld.com/meld-blockchain/zkbanking-network

About MELD
MELD is a crypto-native global neobank powered by the blockchain. Bringing fiat currencies like (30+ including USD and EUR) and crypto currencies (1000+ BTC and ETH) together in one seamless wallet supporting more than 150 countries. MELD makes it easy to navigate between these two worlds and get the best out of both. From generating a yield on your crypto to debit cards and business accounts, MELD brings fundamental banking services to everyone.

The MELD blockchain powers more than just the MELD Neobank, with a non-custodial lending and borrowing protocol and more than 30 businesses building on MELD. Users interact with all of this through the MELD web and Mobile app helping people and businesses take full advantage of both their crypto and fiat assets.

You can follow the project and stay up to date with its development at these links: Website | X (Twitter) | Telegram |

Contact:
Ken Olling
press@meld.com

Disclaimer: This content is provided by MELD. The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the content provider. The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, nor is it intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is strongly recommended you practice due diligence, including consultation with a professional financial advisor, before investing in or trading cryptocurrency and securities. Please conduct your own research and invest at your own risk.

The MIL Network –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI: New Report Highlights Critical Turning Point for Middle Class Families
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

CHICAGO, Sept. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A “middle class” income no longer guarantees financial security, threatening both the nation’s economy and its social fabric, according to a new report released today by the Financial Health Network, the leading voice on financial health. The report, Households Under Financial Pressure, describes how daily economic challenges have heightened pessimism and political polarization; previous research found that only about one-third of Americans are considered “financially healthy.”

Financial health is broadly defined as the ability to spend, save, borrow, and plan in ways that allow people to be financially secure and withstand financial shocks. The report stresses the need for urgent collaboration across key sectors like housing, childcare, and transportation to restore the financial security and well-being of America’s middle class.

“The middle class might be a hot campaign topic, but let’s be clear: financial health isn’t a red or blue issue — families are struggling financially and it’s happening across race, geography, and politics,” said Jennifer Tescher, president and CEO of the Financial Health Network. “Rising costs for essentials mean more middle-class households struggle with the day-to-day and can’t save for the future, regardless of how much they work or plan ahead. No matter the outcome of this election, we all have an opportunity — and a responsibility — to build a bold new coalition that transcends political divides and is fully committed to securing financial health for all.”

What is “Middle Class”?
A May 2024 Gallup poll found that 54% of Americans identify as middle class … but are they?
- Pew Research Center defines middle class as earning two-thirds to twice the national median income, or $67,819 to $203,458 in 2022 for a family of four. However, only about 50% of adults fall into this category, a figure that has declined steadily over the past five decades.
- An Obama Administration Task Force on the Middle Class defined the middle class as “one’s ability to achieve common goals, like home and car ownership, college education for children, health and retirement security, and occasional family vacations.”
- A February 2024 Washington Post study used “basic lifestyle elements” to define middle class achievement: a secure job, ability to save money for the future, ability to afford an emergency $1,000 expense without going into debt, ability to pay all bills on time without worry, having health insurance, and the ability to retire comfortably. With this criteria, just 35% of the population classify as “middle class.”
Recommendations for Shaping the Future of Financial Health
The report is part of a new initiative aimed at identifying the needs, challenges, and opportunities for financial health. Financial Health Frontiers, a new Financial Health Network initiative supported by the Citi Foundation, will explore the headwinds and tailwinds that will shape financial health in the years to come. The effort is being guided by an Advisory Council of industry experts, business leaders, policymakers, advocates, and researchers.

The report makes several broad recommendations, including:
- Expanding measurement, evaluation, and research efforts to assess how housing, labor, and environment policies and investments in education can support the middle class.
- Looking more holistically at the interconnected expenses families face – things like childcare, housing, and transportation – with a particular focus on how different communities experience the barriers to a middle class lifestyle to design new solutions.
- More intentionally fostering collaboration among business leaders, community-based organizations, and government agencies, along with policymakers and advocates working in housing, education, transportation, finance, and health care to build the middle class.
This report will be followed by deep dives into how other financial headwinds and tailwinds – shifting demographics, the changing nature of work, climate change, and tech/artificial intelligence – will impact financial health in the future.

About the Financial Health Network
The Financial Health Network is the leading authority on financial health. We are a trusted resource for business leaders, policymakers, and innovators united in a mission to improve the financial health of their customers, employees, and communities. Through research, advisory services, measurement tools, and opportunities for cross-sector collaboration, we advance awareness, understanding, and proven best practices in support of improved financial health for all. For more on the Financial Health Network, go to www.finhealthnetwork.org and follow us on Twitter at @FinHealthNet.

Media Contacts
Michael Salmassian
Financial Health Network
msalmassian@finhealthnetwork.org

The MIL Network –
September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Canada: Government of Canada advances 2SLGBTQI+ inclusion in Ontario with funding for Rainbow Community Places
Source: Government of Canada News (2)

News release

Today, the Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, announced $147,000 for Rainbow Community Places, a 2SLGBTQI+ organization based in Scarborough, Ontario.

September 25, 2024 – Scarborough, Ontario — Women and Gender Equality Canada

Equality depends on all people having the opportunity to participate fully in Canada’s economic, social, and political life. Removing systemic barriers with respect to sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression through the inclusion of 2SLGBTQI+ communities will ensure a better future for all Canadians.

Today, the Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, announced $147,000 for Rainbow Community Places, a 2SLGBTQI+ organization based in Scarborough, Ontario.

This funding will enable Rainbow Community Places to improve their organizational governance, develop a donation system, and craft a sustainability plan to increase financial stability. The organization will also develop strategies to attract volunteers, build partnerships through outreach, and develop an advocacy strategy.

Through the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan, the Government of Canada continues to advance rights and equality for 2SLGBTQI+ communities. This work will continue to be guided by collaboration directly with community partners, whose work and lived experiences help address inequities experienced by 2SLGBTQI+ people.

Quotes

“Amidst a rise in hate, the federal government stands shoulder to shoulder with Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ communities. In order to assist these communities, we are investing in the vital community organizations that serve them, like Rainbow Community Places in Scarborough. At the end of the day, it is organizations like this that are on the front lines of ensuring that 2SLGBTQI+ communities can thrive and grow, building a more vibrant and inclusive country for everyone.”

The Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth

“Working with grassroots organizations, led by 2SLGBTQI+ communities, is how we will create and sustain safe and vibrant communities here in Scarborough. Supporting the commendable work of these organizations brings us one step closer to the diverse, inclusive vision of the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan.”

The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence and Member of Parliament for Scarborough Southwest

“The support of the community capacity funding from Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) has been key to enabling Rainbow Community Places to move forward with building the organizational infrastructure needed to put it on the path to effective governance and financial sustainability. In these troubled times, we are seeing a rapid rise in violence and hate crimes based on sexual orientation, leaving 2SLGBTQI+ communities feeling isolated and under attack. In response, Rainbow Community Places is seeking to offer a welcoming place of belonging and support to 2SLGBTQI+ community members through the Toby’s Place youth and Dorothy’s Place seniors’ drop-in programs. The WAGE funding over a 28-month period is providing a solid financial base for our organization’s growth and development, and we greatly appreciate this federal government support.”

Julian Monro, Executive Director, Rainbow Community Places

Quick facts
- The Government of Canada has invested over $250 million to advance rights and improve equality for 2SLGBTQI+ communities over the past eight years. As part of this total, $100 million over five years (2022–27) has been committed directly to the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan.
- Among the Canadian population aged 15 years and older, 1.3 million people reported being part of the 2SLGBTQI+ population. Of this group, 10.5% were between the ages of 15 and 24. Of that 10.5%, 1% identified as transgender or non-binary.
- Among those aged 15 years and older, 3 in 10 (29.7%) 2SLGBTQ+ people reported their mental health to be fair or poor, compared with fewer than 1 in 10 non-2SLGBTQ+ individuals (9.1%).
Associated links

Contacts

Carolyn Svonkin
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth
Carolyn.Svonkin@fegc-wage.gc.ca

Media Relations
Women and Gender Equality Canada
819-420-6530
FEGC.Media.WAGE@fegc-wage.gc.ca

Follow Women and Gender Equality Canada:

MIL OSI Canada News –
September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Global: South African women face exclusion from society due to gender-based violence – how they’re fighting back
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Amanda Gouws, Professor of Political Science and Chair of the South African Research Initiative in Gender Politics, Stellenbosch University

When South Africa became a democracy in 1994, a primary goal was to grant citizenship rights to all its people, in particular, to give the majority black South Africans rights they had been denied during colonialism and apartheid. This included the right to vote.

Apartheid segregated the population into ethnic groups. All but people classified as white were stripped of their rights. The 1996 constitution conferred upon citizens civil liberties such as the right to vote, movement, association and free speech as well as substantive rights such as access to land, health, education and employment.

But, as I argue in the Palgrave Handbook of Gender and Citizenship, full citizenship is about more than a legal status that grants rights. Full citizenship also means being able to fully participate in a society.

Based on my research into South African politics and gender politics over the past three decades I argue in a recent chapter that women in South Africa don’t enjoy full citizenship because they face endemic gender-based violence.

Sexual violence against women has become normalised in South Africa. Everyday spaces are filled with violence, as indicated by the South African Police Service’s quarterly crime statistics.

I conclude in the book chapter that people who feel excluded turn to protest to claim their rights as citizens. In doing so they become activist citizens.

Acts of citizenship can occur in many different places – on streets, in courts, at borders, or even through media. They can happen on different scales, from local community action to international movements. These acts may involve protests, organising campaigns, or using digital media to spread awareness. People engaging in these acts might demand a wide range of rights, including political, social, sexual, ecological, or cultural rights.

Read more:
Gender apartheid: oppression of women should be made a crime against humanity – feminist academic explains why

While legal frameworks to enhance citizenship have changed over the past 30 years in South Africa, deep-seated inequalities and exclusions persist. Law reform cannot address high levels of unemployment (that need to be rectified through economic growth), neither can it address poverty that is endemic because of the legacies of apartheid, such as the exclusion from decent education and health care.

Acts of citizenship – whether through protest (such as service delivery protest), art, or everyday actions – continue to play a crucial role in expanding the boundaries of who is considered a citizen and what rights citizens can claim.

By understanding citizenship as something that is actively performed and claimed, rather than simply granted, society can better appreciate the ongoing struggles for equality and recognition.

Acts of citizenship

Emotions play a significant role in these citizenship actions, a concept known as “affective citizenship”. Expressions of fear, happiness, loneliness, anger, or grief can all be part of how people assert their rights and demand recognition. These emotional displays can be disruptive or more conventional, but they all focus on exclusions from citizenship.

Some acts of citizenship involve a “politics of refusal” – rejecting unfair conditions or norms. This refusal can expose hidden issues within citizenship, such as specific forms of gendered violence or discrimination. By disrupting “business as usual”, these acts force society to confront uncomfortable truths.

It’s important to note that acts of citizenship aren’t always large-scale or dramatic. They can also involve everyday actions that challenge norms or assert rights in smaller ways. What matters is that these acts transform the actors from passive subjects into active citizens claiming their rights.

Examples include the #EndRapeCulture campaign of 2016, when women protested against pervasive sexual violence on university campuses. At the same time, transgender students also protested against marginalisation.

Both groups of students used naked protests to show their refusal to be treated as though they were not citizens. Through their campaign, the students rejected behaviour and attitudes that normalise sexual violence on campuses.

Women students disrupted public spaces by protesting topless or in their underwear, sometimes brandishing sjamboks (plastic whips). These actions expressed anger at university authorities’ failure to address sexual violence. The activists were refusing to be treated as though they were not citizens.

By using their bodies in these acts of citizenship the protesters made visible the rage many South African women feel about sexual violence committed with seeming impunity. They highlighted how women’s bodies are vulnerable to violence due to neglect by authorities in implementing their own laws, such as the Sexual Offences Act and the Domestic Violence Act.

Read more:
Victory for women’s rights in Ghana as affirmative action law is passed – what must happen next

For its part the Trans Collective, a group of transgender students at the University of Cape Town, used a provocative art intervention to highlight the erasure or the making invisible of transgender experiences within the broader student movement during the same 2016 period.

They smeared red paint on photographs at an exhibit about student activism and used their naked, paint-covered bodies to block the entrance of the art gallery at the university to force visitors to confront the physical reality of how transgender rights are often “trampled” or ignored, even within progressive movements.

Impact

Acts of citizenship – whether through naked protests, art interventions, or other forms of activism – serve multiple purposes:
- They make visible groups and issues that are overlooked or deliberately ignored.
- They challenge conventional understandings of how citizens should behave or what citizenship looks like.
- They create new spaces for political action and discourse.
- They force society and authorities to confront uncomfortable truths about exclusion and violence.
- They assert the agency of marginalised groups in defining and claiming their rights.
Amanda Gouws receives funding from the NRF through her SARChI Chair in Gender Politics.

– ref. South African women face exclusion from society due to gender-based violence – how they’re fighting back – https://theconversation.com/south-african-women-face-exclusion-from-society-due-to-gender-based-violence-how-theyre-fighting-back-237493
MIL OSI – Global Reports –
September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Translation: Seizure of prohibited and unauthorized objects at the Archambault Establishment

MIL OSI Translation. Canadian French to English –

Source: Government of Canada – in French

On September 11, 2024, thanks to the vigilance of staff, prohibited and unauthorized items were seized at Archambault Institution, a federal institution with multiple security levels.

September 13, 2024 – Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines Quebec – Correctional Service Canada

On September 11, 2024, thanks to the vigilance of staff, prohibited and unauthorized items were seized at Archambault Institution, a federal institution with multiple security levels.

Among the seized prohibited and unauthorized items were hashish, marijuana and tobacco. In total, the institutional value of the seized items is estimated at $80,400.

The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) has a number of tools to prevent the introduction of drugs into its institutions. These tools include ion scanners and drug-detector dogs to search buildings, personal property, inmates and visitors.

CSC is strengthening measures to prevent contraband from entering its institutions to ensure a safe and secure environment for all. CSC is also working in partnership with police forces to take action against individuals who attempt to bring contraband into correctional institutions.

CSC has established a telephone information line for all federal institutions to provide additional information on activities related to the security of CSC institutions. This may include activities related to drug use or trafficking that may threaten the safety of visitors, inmates or people working in CSC institutions.

Using the toll-free line, 1-866-780-3784, helps ensure that the information transmitted is protected and that anonymity remains maintained.

-30-

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

MIL Translation OSI

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Translation: The Government of Canada invests nearly $4 million in the quantum sector by supporting Calcul Québec and Anyon Systèmes

MIL OSI Translation. Canadian French to English –

Source: Government of Canada – in French

The two organizations receive financial assistance totaling $3,997,500 from DEC.

The two organizations receive financial assistance totaling $3,997,500 from DEC.

Montreal (Quebec), September 25, 2024 – Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (DEC)

Supporting the development, adoption and commercialization of quantum technologies helps position Quebec organizations in this emerging field, while strengthening Canada’s global leadership. This is why the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced today, on behalf of the Honourable Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for CED, a non-repayable contribution of $3,500,000 to Calcul Québec and a repayable contribution of $497,500 to Anyon Systèmes.

Calcul Québec is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide cutting-edge computational computing infrastructure for academic and scientific research and businesses. Its computing servers, also called supercomputers, are shared by thousands of researchers, mainly in Quebec, but also in Canada. MonarQ, its quantum computer designed by Anyon Systèmes, is located at the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) in a room dedicated to advanced computing, a site that already hosts one of the most powerful supercomputers in the country. Calcul Québec’s project aims to increase MonarQ’s computing power from 12 to 24 qubits and thus better meet the technology transfer needs of businesses.

Anyon Systèmes is a Montreal-based company that develops turnkey quantum computing products such as integrated quantum computers, electronic controllers and cryogenic systems. CED’s support will enable it to continue its growth and commercialize the technologies resulting from its research and development, including the manufacture of a demonstrator and participation in trade shows.

To support Canada’s quantum sector and solidify the country’s position as a leader in this growing field, the Government of Canada has implemented the National Quantum Strategy. It aims to help Canadian companies adopt quantum technologies so that they can position themselves in this emerging field and generate economic benefits for the entire community.

Quotes

“Quantum research and computing push the boundaries of technology and are the cornerstone of innovation. These powerful, high-performance computing tools will solve problems, drive unprecedented economic growth, transform industries, and address our society’s most significant challenges, from climate change to healthcare. Today’s quantum technology is enabling a more resilient, prosperous, and equitable future.”

The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Member of Parliament for Saint-Maurice–Champlain, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry of Canada

“Quebec and Canada are taking their place in the economy of the future, and our government is there to support them. The arrival of MonarQ will allow the academic and scientific community and businesses to have access to the quantum technologies needed for research in fields as diverse as energy, transportation, pharmaceuticals and materials. By supporting innovation in this way, we are ensuring that Quebec SMEs and organizations are well positioned and strengthening our global leadership in this field. Congratulations to Calcul Québec, Anyon Systèmes and ÉTS for this achievement!”

The Honourable Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Member of Parliament for Hochelaga, Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for DEC

“Integrating the computing power of a quantum computer into Calcul Québec’s service offering will provide the research and innovation community with a unique opportunity to develop and test new quantum and hybrid algorithms. This will be done while ensuring that all intellectual property generated remains the property of Quebec and Canadian institutions. MonarQ will also enable Calcul Québec, in collaboration with research teams, to develop essential techniques to ensure seamless interoperability between classical and quantum computers. This new infrastructure, with its national and international impact, will promote the development of free software, thereby strengthening accessibility and innovation in the field.”

Suzanne Talon, General Manager, Calcul Québec

“The installation of the MonarQ superconducting quantum computer in Calcul Québec’s advanced computing room allows Anyon Systèmes to take an important step in its development of quantum computing solutions. We are proud to be able to offer researchers and industrial users a quantum solution entirely designed and developed in Canada.”

Alireza Najafi-Yazdi, Managing Director, Anyon Systems

Quick Facts

The funding was provided under CED’s Support for Regional Quantum Innovation, which stems from the Government of Canada’s National Quantum Strategy. This support has a budget of $23.3 million that will allow for strategic investments until 2028 to help SMEs and NPOs adopt, develop and commercialize quantum technologies and products based on these technologies. CED is the key federal partner in regional economic development in Quebec. Through its 12 regional business offices, CED supports businesses, support organizations and all regions of Quebec towards the economy of tomorrow.

Related links

Information

Media RelationsCanada Economic Development for Quebec Regionsmedia@dec-ced.gc.ca

Marie-Justine TorresPress SecretaryOffice of the Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec RegionsCell.: 613-327-5918marie-justine.torresames@ised-isde.gc.ca

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

MIL Translation OSI

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Translation: Government of Canada advances 2SLGBTQI inclusion in Ontario by funding Rainbow Community Places

MIL OSI Translation. Canadian French to English –

Source: Government of Canada – in French 1

Press release

Today, the Honourable Marci Ien, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Youth, announced $147,000 in funding to Rainbow Community Places, a 2SLGBTQI organization located in Scarborough, Ontario.

September 25, 2024 – Scarborough, Ontario – Women and Gender Equality Canada

Equality is about everyone being able to participate fully in the economic, social and political life of Canada. Removing systemic barriers related to sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression through the inclusion of 2SLGBTQI communities will ensure a better future for all Canadians.

Today, the Honourable Marci Ien, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Youth, announced $147,000 in funding to Rainbow Community Places, a 2SLGBTQI organization located in Scarborough, Ontario.

This funding will enable Rainbow Community Places to improve its organizational governance, develop a donation system and develop a sustainability plan to increase its financial stability. The organization will also develop strategies to attract volunteers, build partnerships through outreach activities and develop an advocacy strategy.

Thanks to the Federal 2SLGBTQI Action Plan , the Government of Canada continues to advance the rights and equality of 2SLGBTQI communities. This work will continue to be guided by direct collaboration with community partners, whose work and lived experiences contribute to addressing the inequalities experienced by 2SLGBTQI people.

Quotes

“Amid rising hate, the federal government stands in solidarity with 2SLGBTQI communities across Canada. To help these communities, we are investing in vital community organizations that serve them, like Rainbow Community Places in Scarborough. Ultimately, it is organizations like this one that are on the front lines of ensuring that 2SLGBTQI communities can thrive and flourish, building a more vibrant and inclusive country for everyone.”

The Honourable Marci Ien, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Youth

“It is by working with local 2SLGBTQI community-led organizations that we will create and maintain safe and vibrant communities here in Scarborough. By supporting the worthwhile work of these organizations, we are moving closer to the diverse and inclusive vision of the Federal 2SLGBTQI Action Plan.”

The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence and Member of Parliament for Scarborough Southwest

“Women and Gender Equality Canada’s (WAGE) funding support for community capacity development has been critical in enabling Rainbow Community Places to move forward in developing the organizational infrastructure needed to position the organization for effective governance and financial sustainability. During these challenging times, we are witnessing a rapid increase in violence and hate crimes based on sexual orientation, leaving 2SLGBTQI communities feeling isolated and under attack. In response, Rainbow Community Places seeks to provide a place of belonging and support for 2SLGBTQI community members through Toby’s Place for youth and Dorothy’s Place for seniors. WAGE’s funding over a 28-month period provides a solid financial foundation for the growth and development of our organization, and we are very grateful for this support from the federal government.”

Julian Monro, Executive Director of Rainbow Community Places

Quick Facts

The Government of Canada has invested more than $250 million to advance the rights and improve equality of 2SLGBTQI communities over the past eight years. Of this total, $100 million over five years (2022–27) has been committed directly to the Federal 2SLGBTQI Action Plan .

Among the Canadian population aged 15 and over, 1.3 million people identified as 2SLGBTQI. Of this group, 10.5% were individuals aged 15 to 24. Of this 10.5%, 1% of these individuals identified as transgender or non-binary.

Among those aged 15 and older, 3 in 10 (29.7%) 2SLGBTQ people reported their mental health as fair or poor, compared to less than 1 in 10 (9.1%) non-2SLGBTQ people.

Related links

Contact persons

Carolyn Svonkin Director of Communications Office of the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and YouthCarolyn.Svonkin@fegc-wage.gc.ca

Media Relations Women and Gender Equality Canada 819-420-6530FEGC.Media.WAGE@fegc-wage.gc.ca

Follow Women and Gender Equality Canada:

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

MIL Translation OSI

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: NASA Ames Welcomes Latvian President, Talks Aeronautics Research

Source: NASA

President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs observes simulated visuals of an airport and its air traffic, consisting of commercial aircraft and electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, at NASA’s FutureFlight Central on Sept. 18, 2024, during a visit to NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley.
FutureFlight Central provides high-fidelity simulation of air traffic management scenarios and is dedicated to solving the present and emerging challenges of the nation’s air traffic management system. President Rinkēvičs and representatives of Latvian business visited Ames to learn about the center’s technical capabilities and areas of research in aeronautics.

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: IAM Local 774 Members at Textron Aviation Remain On Strike; Ready to Bargain Fair Contract
Source: US GOIAM Union

WICHITA, Kan., Sept. 24, 2024 — Nearly 5,000 International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Local 774 (District 70) members at Textron Aviation in Wichita remain on strike after the expiration of the current agreement on Monday, Sept. 23. IAM 774 members overwhelmingly rejected the company’s latest contract offer and voted to strike.

IAM Local 774 members have been in negotiations with Textron Aviation for months. While both sides remain in contact, mediators have been contacted, and talks could potentially resume next week.

Key sticking points in the negotiations include:
1. Wages: IAM Local 774 members seek raises to keep pace with inflation and reflect their vital role in Textron’s success.
2. Healthcare: IAM Local 774 members want affordable and comprehensive healthcare coverage for themselves and their families.
3. Job Security: IAM Local 774 members are pushing for stronger protections against layoffs and outsourcing.
4. Retirement Security: IAM Local 774 members demand an improved and reliable retirement plan after decades of service.
“IAM Union members build the aircraft that make Textron Aviation a leader in the industry,” said IAM International President Brian Bryant. “Our skilled and dedicated membership deserves a contract recognizing their essential contributions and ensuring they are provided the best wages and benefits.”

The strike has the potential to significantly impact Wichita’s economy. The nearly 5,000 workers are vital to the community, and local businesses and services could feel their absence.

“Our members at Textron Aviation deserve a contract that reflects their hard work and dedication and secures a future where they can continue to build better lives for themselves and their families,” said IAM Southern Territory General Vice President Craig Martin. “We’re committed to fighting to help our members in Wichita improve and grow stronger with each negotiation.”

“IAM Local 774 remains committed to securing a fair deal for our members and is prepared to stay on strike until an agreement is reached,” said IAM Aerospace Coordinator Shannon Stucker. “Our negotiating team is willing and able to sit down with Textron Aviation leadership to work on an agreement that is best for both parties.”

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is one of North America’s largest and most diverse industrial trade unions, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries.

goIAM.org [goiam.org] | @MachinistsUnion [twitter.com]

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MIL OSI USA News –
September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: Chairman Aguilar: There is no greater example of Republican extremism than Trump’s Project 2025

Source: US House of Representatives – Democratic Caucus

The following text contains opinion that is not, or not necessarily, that of MIL-OSI – September 24, 2024

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar and Vice Chair Ted Lieu were joined by Representatives Sara Jacobs and Nikema Williams in a press conference on how Trump’s Project 2025 gives Extreme MAGA Republicans total control to criminalize abortion, gut Social Security and raise taxes for working families.

CHAIRMAN AGUILAR: Good morning. The Vice Chair and I are grateful to be joined by incredible leaders within our Caucus, Nikema Williams and Sara Jacobs.

House Democrats have said from the beginning of this Congress that we will be ready to work in a bipartisan way to get things done for the American people whenever and wherever possible. But we are also going to call out extremism when it exists. And there is no greater example of Republican extremism than Trump’s Project 2025.

Should extreme MAGA Republicans be successful in winning the House, the Senate and the presidency, they have created the blueprint in a 920-page roadmap that lays out exactly how they plan to govern. Under their plan, Project 2025 criminalizes abortion, hurts middle class families to help the wealthy and well connected and ends Social Security as we know it. It gives Donald Trump unchecked presidential power and unparalleled control over the American people. It is both deeply troubling and deeply unpopular because of the work of House Democrats, Leader Jeffries, Whip Clark, Jared Huffman, our own Vice Chair Ted Lieu and the leaders behind me today to put a spotlight on this dangerous plan. We know that House Republicans are in trouble because they are running scared anytime we mention Project 2025.
Later today, the Steering and Policy Committee will convene a hearing of hard-working Americans who will testify about what Project 2025 would mean to them in their daily lives. Don’t just take our word for it. Listen to the abortion care providers and seniors who have to ration insulin, who will courageously share their stories. House Democrats are fighting for them, as House Republicans are fighting to give Donald Trump more control of our daily lives.
I’ll turn it over to Vice Chair Ted Lieu.

VICE CHAIR LIEU: Thank you, Chairman Aguilar.

Trump’s Project 2025 isn’t just a radical document. It’s a document that Republicans this term have tried to implement through a series of appropriations bills. And as Chairman Aguilar said, we’re having a hearing today that the Steering and Policy Committee is hosting at 2:15 at HVC-215. Hope you all can make it. And I want to thank Jared Huffman earlier this year for starting the Project 2025 Task Force.

This is 920 pages of crazy–that’s what Project 2025 is–with deadly consequences. I’m going to go through just three of the insane things in that document. Project 2025 wants to eliminate the Department of Education, and that is on page 319 of the document. Project 2025 also wants to eliminate the National Weather Service. Think about that. We’ve got a hurricane coming into Georgia or Florida, and this is what Project 2025 authors want to do. They want to eliminate the National Weather Service–that’s on page 675 of the document. And get this: Project 2025 wants to allow children to work in hazardous conditions. Like, who comes up with this crazy stuff? That’s on page 595 of the document.

So again, I hope you all come to this hearing. And let me now introduce our amazing member from Georgia, the great Nikema Williams, who will talk about reproductive freedom and Project 2025.

REP. WILLIAMS: Thank you, Vice Chair Lieu and Chairman Aguilar. Good morning, everyone.

I’m Congresswoman Nikema Williams, and I proudly represent Georgia’s fighting Fifth Congressional District. I’m a member of the Pro-Choice Caucus and Vice Chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus. But y’all, before I came to Congress, I served as the VP of Public Policy at Planned Parenthood Southeast for ten years. I will always carry with me the stories that I heard from people we served on the frontlines just about how hard they had to fight to get the essential abortion care that they needed and deserve. This was long before the overturning of Roe v. Wade that was orchestrated by Donald Trump and his Republican Party.

We’re seeing the deadly result of abortion bans in Georgia, and around the country. Just last week, ProPublica reported on the deaths of two Georgia women, Candi Miller and Amber Thurman, who died because they couldn’t receive the care that they desperately needed. Let me say that again: Candi Miller and Amber Thurman died because of Georgia’s inhumane abortion ban that was ushered in by Donald Trump and his MAGA Republicans. These were preventable deaths. As a mama, I’m heartbroken, and as a Georgian, as an elected official, I’m pissed, y’all. Because it doesn’t have to be this way. These were policy decisions. But let me be clear: it could get even worse. Trump’s Project 2025 would lead to more heartbreak and more preventable deaths. Project 2025 would ban abortion nationwide, criminalizing patients and doctors, making it impossible for people to get the care that they need.

Abortion is essential health care. One in four women will access abortion care at some point in their lives. And that’s not one in four Democratic women, not one in four Republican or Independent women. That’s someone you know, someone you love, someone you go to church with, someone you grew up with, someone in your family. One in four women, y’all.

I will continue to fight alongside House Democrats to protect reproductive freedom in the face of extreme Republican abortion bans and the looming threat of Trump’s Project 2025, which will ban abortion nationwide. We will restore the reproductive freedom that Trump and House Republicans brag about taking away, and we will ensure that every person can get the care that they need.

Thank you so much, and I’ll now turn it over to another co-conspirator for justice in our Caucus, Congresswoman Sara Jacobs.

REP. JACOBS: Well, thank you, Chairman Aguilar, Vice Chair Lieu, Nikema, for really highlighting the stakes here.

So, I’ve spent the past few months traveling the country talking to young people, college students and women. I’m a 35-year-old woman, so basically, this is a topic I talk about all the time with my friends and peers. And here’s the deal: all of these young people are terrified about Project 2025, and so am I. So, not only would Project 2025 make it difficult or impossible to access abortion, birth control, emergency contraception and other reproductive services, as my colleague Nikema highlighted, it would also authorize a pregnancy surveillance system. So, even if you live in a state like California, like I do, where we have strong state-level abortion and privacy laws, you would not be protected. Every abortion, every miscarriage, every stillbirth, every pregnancy loss, every pregnancy, even abortions and pregnancy losses that result from medical treatment, would be logged and reported to the federal government and used to monitor pregnancies.

Project 2025 would supersede HIPAA. It would nullify doctor-patient confidentiality, and it would reject a right to privacy. And pretty soon, it would be used to weaponize health data against patients and providers in court. We’ve already seen this happen.

In 2017, Mississippi police charged Latice Fisher after digging into her Google search history and finding that she searched how to buy misoprostol abortion pills online. In 2022, Nebraska police used Facebook messages between a mother and a daughter, private Facebook messages, to prosecute an abortion that was illegal under state law. Now, imagine how much more this would happen if there was a centralized treasure trove of this information, of this data.

Now, House Democrats, we want to protect the sensitive data, and we have a bill to do it, My Body My Data Act. House Democrats, we want to strengthen HIPAA for the post Roe era, not gut it. And we have a bill to do that, The Safer Health Act. But you know who stands in the way? MAGA Republicans.

House Democrats will continue to fight to protect patient privacy, protect their right to make their own health decisions and protect them from abortion and pregnancy surveillance. So, thank you so much, now I will turn it over to Chairman Aguilar for questions.

Video of the full press conference and Q&A can be viewed here.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: NREL Researcher Silvana Ovaitt Honored With Award From Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers

Source: US National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Ovaitt’s Mentors Taught Her That Education and Outreach Make a Difference. Now She Is Showing the Next Generation of Scientists How To Pay It Forward.

Researcher Silvana Ovaitt plants crops in a garden row at the bifacial agrivoltaics array on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s campus in 2023. Photo by Joe DelNero, NREL

Silvana Ovaitt is already known as a rising star around the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for her research advancing bifacial photovoltaic (PV) performance, not to mention her already-extensive record of leadership in community and educational outreach. Now, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) has made it official by honoring Ovaitt with a STAR of Tomorrow Award for 2024.

“I’m very honored to receive this award because SHPE is such a fundamental organization shaping Latinx career paths, and it’s great to be recognized and be able to give a wider platform to the amazing activities I am part of, like the Hands-On PV Experience (HOPE), bifacial research, international collaborations, and more,” Ovaitt said.

The SHPE Technical Achievement and Recognition Awards, or STAR Awards, honor those working across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. SHPE gives two STAR Awards—one in government and one in corporate. The STAR of Tomorrow Award – Government recognizes an individual who has demonstrated excellence in their technical work and a commitment to leadership, mentoring, and community service.

“Dr. Ovaitt’s exceptional technical skills, commitment to research, and selfless support to the STEM community make her truly deserving of the STAR of Tomorrow Award,” said STAR Awards Chair Diana Gomez.

Ovaitt first arrived at NREL as a participant in a workshop she now leads. She attended the HOPE workshop as a student in 2016, then joined the program’s staff after becoming an NREL researcher. She became part of program leadership in 2021. A core program at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office, HOPE brings Ph.D. students to NREL to learn more about PV fabrication, metrology, and characterization to encourage university PV research. Ovaitt experienced how the program can serve as a spark for a student’s future career in PV research, and now every summer she helps ignite that spark for a new group of students by welcoming them to NREL.

Silvana Ovaitt. Photo by Gregory Cooper, NREL

Leading the workshop is just one of many projects that seamlessly combine Ovaitt’s commitment to outreach and mentorship with her current research interests. Her work in the Photovoltaic Reliability and System Performance group focuses on the optical and electrical performance of bifacial PV systems, modeling bifacial PV systems, and circularity pathways for PV sustainability. Alongside her publications and conference presentations, she has lent her talents to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, serving on NREL’s Hispanic and Latinx Alliance and Women’s Network employee resource groups and nationally leading the Women in PV Committee and DEI initiatives at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ Photovoltaic Specialists Conference. She also creates tools to help researchers consider energy justice in their work.

“Outreach is awesome for bringing science to students who would otherwise not have access to it,” Ovaitt said. “It helps me go back to the basics of how and why we do the research that we do, and I also learn how to better share and teach it in an accessible way—which benefits me for writing proposals and talking to legislators and wider audiences. The mentors who have shaped my path were all very good at this, and I love paying it forward.”

NREL researcher Chris Deline said he has been impressed with her work from the start.

“I have known Silvana since we conducted research together during her Ph.D. program at the University of Arizona, and I was blown away by her energy, research knowledge, and strategic vision,” said Deline, manager of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Regional Test Center program for field assessment of novel PV technologies at NREL. “She puts 100% effort into her technical research and publications and also somehow puts another 100% into external collaborations and stakeholder outreach. I place Silvana as one of the most impactful early career researchers that we have at NREL in her accomplishments and in her technical merit.”

SHPE is not the only organization that has recognized Ovaitt’s work this year. She was also invited to the National Academy of Engineering’s U.S. Frontiers of Engineering symposium, and she received the PowerMark Early Career Prize in PV Reliability during NREL’s PV Reliability Workshop in March.

Ovaitt and the other award recipients will be honored at SHPE’s STAR Awards ceremony during the organization’s national convention Oct. 30–Nov. 3, 2024, in Anaheim, California. SHPE is the largest U.S. organization representing Hispanics in STEM fields, and it will celebrate its 50^th anniversary at the 2024 convention.

Learn more about NREL’s PV reliability and system performance research and the Hands-On Photovoltaics Experience (HOPE) for graduate students, and find out more about the STAR Awards.

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: Julie Rivera Pérez Bridges Business, STEM to ‘Make the Magic Happen’

Source: NASA

Senior Resource Analyst Julie Rivera Pérez ensures finances and assets are in place to enable missions’ engineering and science “magic” can happen. As a former intern, she also reaches out to current students to ensure a diverse and inclusive future workforce.
Name: Julie Rivera PérezFormal Job Classification: Senior Resources AnalystOrganization: Systems Review Office/Resource Management Office, Office of the Chief Financial Officer (Code 159.2)

What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard?
I work in Goddard’s Systems Review Office (SRO), which plays a critical role in NASA’s mission gate reviews, also known as system review boards (SRBs). As the lead senior resources analyst, I provide financial expertise relating to budget planning and funds execution in support of all life-cycle reviews for Goddard missions. These reviews occur during key milestones in the progression of a mission through the various stages until launch. A mission cannot proceed with its work unless it passes the gate reviews, like the preliminary design review (PDR), critical design review (PDR), system integration review (SIR), operational readiness review (ORR), among others. It is great to support these reviews and make sure that key panel members like engineering, science, cost/schedule, and programmatic subject matter experts are planned for and funded to hold these SRB reviews. It is exciting to be able to contribute to Goddard missions!
What is your educational background?
In 2010, I graduated from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. My major was in human resources, and my minor was in marketing.
Why did you come to Goddard?
I first came to Goddard in 2008, as a summer intern. I will never forget the team of recruiters that visited my university and shared Goddard’s opportunities for business majors. I dreamed to contribute to the NASA mission! I took a chance and signed up to be interviewed. Three months later, I was offered an internship, and here I am, nearly 15 years later and thriving!
Where have you worked at Goddard? What was a pivotal moment for you?
In 2009, I had the opportunity to intern with the Office of Human Capital Management, the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity, and the Office of Education.
After graduating in 2010, I joined Goddard as a procurement analyst in the Small Business Office. In 2013, I became the Contracting Officer for the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) system.
In 2015, I was selected as a participant in the NASA FIRST Program, a very prestigious NASA leadership program, which was pivotal for me. I learned about different roles at NASA including the important roles of business professionals. This inspired me to transition into the world of resources and finance!
In 2017, I became a senior resources analyst for the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). My procurement background helped me understand the underlying contractual mechanics in the world of resources. I was very excited to continue to grow in my NASA career! In 2018, I served as a contract resources analyst of the Ground Systems and Missions Operations 2 contract for the Space Science Mission Operations Division. Presently, I serve as the lead senior resources analyst for the Systems Review Office within the Safety and Mission Assurance Business Branch of the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO).
It has been an amazing journey! I have had the opportunity to work in multiple flagship missions, mission operations, interagency collaborations, procurement, finance, and resources. I am excited for what the future will bring in my NASA career!
What are your responsibilities in your current role?
My key responsibility is serving as the financial liaison between the Systems Review Office (SRO) and program or project offices. I collaborate with program managers, deputy program managers for resources, and financial managers from other NASA centers to ensure the proper coordination of system review boards’ funding requirements. This includes preparing program, planning, budget, and execution (PPBE) inputs, labor projections, continuing resolution funding requirements, and phasing plans for all SRB missions.
As the SRO lead senior resources analyst, I also oversee the daily functions and activities of the SRO staff members, providing them with appropriate guidance, direction, knowledge sharing, and mentorship.
What are you most thankful about in your career?
I have had many opportunities from the moment I started working at Goddard as an intern. I have always been encouraged to continue growing as a professional through several significant work opportunities. One of them being the NASA FIRST leadership program for the 2015 cohort. It was a joy when I was accepted into this life-changing and unique opportunity! Throughout my career at Goddard, I have learned about many different aspects and the importance of being a business professional to help achieve the NASA mission.
Who is your mentor and what is their advice?
I have had several amazing mentors throughout my career at Goddard. Dan Krieger was key in my recruitment and has always supported me through my journey. Veronica Hill has continuously provided her guidance and wisdom. Janine Dolinka welcomed me to Goddard as my first mentor and further inspired me grow at NASA. Jennifer Perez took me under her wing and taught me the importance and roles of the Small Business Office. Currently, I am under the mentorship of Rich Ryan (deputy program director for business, Mars Sample Return) and Kevin Miller (chief of Resources Management Office). All in all, my mentors have always reminded me to always be my authentic self. It sounds so simple, yet it is such powerful advice. I want to thank each and every one of them for fueling the desire to make a difference for the NASA mission and to continue bringing my talents to the workforce!
What is important to you about your role on the Hispanic Advisory Committee for Employees (HACE)?
A very fulfilling part of the work I do at NASA Goddard is my voluntary service as the co-chair for the Hispanic Advisory Committee for Employees (HACE) resource group. I am in a unique position to provide advice, guidance, and recommendations to center management, the Office of STEM Engagement, and the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity on initiatives regarding recruitment, outreach, retention, cultural awareness, and professional development of minorities and Hispanics at Goddard. I also serve as the recruitment and outreach co-lead for the committee. As co-chair, I am a voice representing the interests of the GSFC Hispanic community.
I also develop key initiatives in student recruitment and outreach to build a pipeline of Hispanic interns for NASA. Every summer, I coordinate intern presentations to center management, as well as provide training to the Hispanic interns on how to write a federal résumé and apply for a federal job within NASA.
It is my wish to pay it forward. I once was an intern. I want to encourage others to join the NASA community and make a positive impact with diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Así Se HACE!
In 2021, you were a panel speaker at the Women of Color conference. What did you talk about?
It was such an honor to be invited as a panel speaker with a financial professional background for a STEM event. I served as a bridge between STEM and the business world and how both come together to make the magic happen. I have a deep understanding of how the business world and the engineering and science come together to bring missions to life. While I may not have a STEM degree, I am a STEM advocate. This event was an opportunity to tell my story as a Hispanic woman in resources and finance working at NASA. As a business professional, it is important that the money and the assets are in place so all the engineering and science can happen. It was equally important to highlight the value of embracing yourself and what you bring you the table because that is where your strength lies and how you can make a difference.
What do you do for fun?
I have a passion for singing! Since my early teens, I studied music and singing at the Music Conservatory of Puerto Rico. In college, I was accepted into the very competitive University of Puerto Rico classical choir. I continued to pursue my love for music through the Goddard Music and Drama Club (MAD). I even starred in
two musicals produced by MAD!
I love spending time with my husband and two children, as well as watching movies with family and friends, spending time at the beach, reading, walking, listening to true crime podcasts, and watching the occasional Spanish telenovela.
What is your favorite life quote?
This Gandhi quote speaks to the power of perseverance and means a lot to me: “Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”
What is your “six-word memoir”? A six-word memoir describes something in just six words.
PassionateCreativeDedicatedAuthenticLeaderDetermined

Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage.

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: DoD Breaks Ground on Project Pele: A Mobile Nuclear Reactor for Energy Resiliency

Source: United States Department of Defense

The Department of Defense (DoD) has broken ground at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) on the Project Pele transportable nuclear reactor. The reactor, under a Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) initiative, is being manufactured by BWXT Advanced Technologies, LLC, Lynchburg, Virginia. Assembly of the final reactor is set to begin in February 2025. The current schedule includes transport of the fully-assembled reactor to INL in 2026, where it would become the first ever Generation IV nuclear reactor to generate electricity in the United States.

“We are thrilled to move beyond the era of PowerPoint advanced reactors,” said Dr. Jeff Waksman, Project Pele program manager. “Our tight partnership with INL and the Department of Energy Idaho Operations Office is leading the way forward not just for manufacturing advanced reactors, but also for regulating them in an efficient and safe manner.”

The prototype reactor facility is designed to be transported within four 20-foot shipping containers, and tested at INL. The Project Pele team will construct a concrete shield structure at the test site next year in order to be ready for reactor placement in 2026.

Upon arriving at INL, the reactor will be transported by truck to the test site and positioned within the concrete shield structure. Piping and electrical wiring will tie the reactor to INL’s specialized electric microgrid. Once the reactor’s final safety review is completed, the Pele project team will then proceed with the initial Test and Evaluation plan. If successful, transportable nuclear power could meet the increasing demand for a resilient, carbon-free energy source capable of delivering reliable 24/7 power to mission-critical DoD operations in remote and austere environments.

“The DoD has a long record of driving American innovation on strategic and critical technology,” said Mr. Jay Dryer, SCO director. “Project Pele is a key initiative for improving DoD energy resilience and will also play a crucial role in advancing nuclear power technology for civilian applications.”

Project Pele is a whole-of-government effort, with significant contributions from the Department of Energy, the National Nuclear Security Administration, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The contractor team, led by BWXT Advanced Technologies, also includes critical roles played by Northrop Grumman, Rolls Royce Liberty Works, and Torch Technologies.

“For 75 years INL has been the home of nuclear innovation, and we are pleased to partner with the Department of Defense on this trailblazing demonstration,” said Dr. John Wagner, INL director. “We anticipate Pele will be among the first of a new generation of advanced experimental reactors hosted here before the end of the decade.”

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: United States Mint Holiday Ornaments on Sale October 1

Source: United States Mint

WASHINGTON – The United States Mint (Mint) will begin accepting orders for the 2024 editions of the Mighty Minters™ Ornament and the United States Mint Holiday Ornament on October 1 at noon ET. There are no household order limits for either ornament.

The Mint has offered the Holiday Ornaments for six consecutive years. This year, both ornaments feature an uncirculated 2024 Kennedy Half Dollar. An engraved version of the official United States Mint seal is on the back of the ornaments, along with “Made in the USA” and “©2024 U.S. Mint.” The ornaments are hand-crafted and produced in solid brass, and finished with imitation rhodium, giving some of its elements a silver sheen.

Mighty Minters Ornament
The 2024 ornament—themed “Giving Gifts of Gratitude”—depicts Mighty Minters Lina, Eli, and Timothy delivering gifts. Timothy is pulling a sleigh bearing a large gift that displays the reverse of the Kennedy Half Dollar. A cheerful red ribbon adorns the top of the ornament with the words “2024” and “UNITED STATES MINT” on either side of the bow. Snowflakes are on each side of the ribbon.

The festive cardboard packaging replicates the ornament’s front design, while the back of the packaging contains descriptive information about the coin and the Mighty Minters on the ornament and the signature of the Mint Director.

2024 United States Mint Ornament
This year, the ornament has a festive wreath-like design with the reverse (tails) of the half dollar displayed on the front. The words “UNITED STATES MINT” and “2024” encircle the coin with a tiny band of hollies and berries. Bright red poinsettias and green foliage form a wreath around the outer band.

The holiday ornament is housed in a blue box with a navy platform. The official United States Mint seal and the words “2024 United States Mint Ornament” are hot stamped in silver foil on the top of the lid. A separate certificate of authenticity is included that provides information about the coin and the ornament.

Both ornaments are priced at $35.00. To set up REMIND ME alerts, please visit:

The Holiday Ornaments are included in the Mint’s Subscription Program. Structured like a magazine subscription, this program affords customers the convenience of signing up to receive automatic shipments of products in a series. The shipments continue until the subscription is cancelled. For details, visit Subscriptions – US Mint Catalog Online.

The Holiday Ornaments will be available at the Mint’s sales centers at the Philadelphia Mint, 151 N. Independence Mall East, Philadelphia, PA 19106 (on 5th Street between Arch Street and Race Street); the Denver Mint, 320 West Colfax Avenue, Denver, CO 80204 (on Cherokee Street, between West Colfax Avenue and West 14th Avenue); and the Mint Headquarters Coin Store in Washington, D.C., 801 9th St. NW, Washington, DC 20220.

Please use the Mint’s catalog site at https://catalog.usmint.gov/ as your primary source of the most current information on product and service status or call 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). Hearing and speech impaired customers with TTY equipment may order by calling 1-888-321-MINT (6468)

To view additional Holiday Ornaments, please visit https://catalog.usmint.gov/gift-ideas/collectible-ornaments/.

About the United States Mint
Congress created the United States Mint in 1792, and the Mint became part of the Department of the Treasury in 1873. As the Nation’s sole manufacturer of legal tender coinage, the Mint is responsible for producing circulating coinage for the Nation to conduct its trade and commerce. The Mint also produces numismatic products, including proof, uncirculated, and commemorative coins; Congressional Gold Medals; silver and bronze medals; and silver and gold bullion coins. Its numismatic programs are self-sustaining and operate at no cost to taxpayers.

Note: To ensure that all members of the public have fair and equal access to United States Mint products, the United States Mint will not accept and will not honor orders placed prior to the official on-sale date of October 1, 2024, at noon EDT.

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: SEC Charges Former CEO of Tech Startup SKAEL with $30 Million Fraud

Source: Securities and Exchange Commission

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced fraud charges against Baba Nadimpalli, the co-founder and former CEO of SKAEL Inc., a San Francisco-based private technology company that developed business automation software.

According to the SEC’s complaint, from January 2021 through February 2022, Nadimpalli raised more than $30 million from investors by falsely claiming that SKAEL had millions of dollars in annually recurring revenue, which was more than 10 times the true amount. The complaint also alleges that Nadimpalli falsely suggested to investors that SKAEL’s customers included a number of well-known companies, and, further, that Nadimpalli forged bank statements to show nonexistent payments from customers. Nadimpalli also allegedly spent hundreds of thousands of dollars of SKAEL’s money on his own personal expenses, including payments on his house and car.

“Startup founders cannot fake it until they make it by falsifying revenue metrics shared with investors,” said Monique C. Winkler, Director of the SEC’s San Francisco Regional Office. “While the SEC will continue to aggressively pursue private company executives who use falsehoods to raise money from investors, we also urge those who invest in private companies to remain vigilant.”

The SEC’s complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, charges Nadimpalli with violating the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws. The complaint seeks permanent injunctions, including a conduct-based injunction, disgorgement plus prejudgment interest, civil penalties, and an officer-and-director bar.

In a parallel action, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California (USAO) today announced criminal charges against Nadimpalli.

The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Matthew Meyerhofer and Ellen Chen and supervised by Jason H. Lee and Ruth L. Hawley, all of the San Francisco Regional Office. The litigation will be conducted by John Han and Mr. Meyerhofer. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the USAO and the FBI.

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024