CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (CSIR-NIScPR) celebrated the 83rd Foundation Day of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) today at National Agricultural Science Complex, Pusa, New Delhi.
Prof. Ranjana Aggarwal, Director, CSIR-NIScPR while delivering welcome address during the 83rd CSIR Foundation Day Program organised by CSIR-NIScPR
The event commenced with a welcome address by Prof. Ranjana Aggarwal, Director, CSIR-NIScPR. She said, “CSIR labs are actively engaged in all the areas of science and technology. At NIScPR, our focus is on bridging the gap between science and society. We publish 15 research journals and three popular science magazines, and we are striving to make our content accessible in all Indian languages. Notably, we’ve recently participated in the UN Assembly Science Summit.”
Prof. (Dr.) Sushma Yadav, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Central University of Haryana delivered her insightful talk
Distinguished guest Prof. (Dr.) Sushma Yadav, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Central University of Haryana, in her address said, “CSIR strives to bridge the gap between science and industry. Historically, there has been a misconception that India lacks scientific temper, and CSIR has been working to dispel this notion. By promoting a scientific tradition that coexists with spiritual temper, we aim to create a harmonious blend of rational inquiry and cultural values.”
Prof. Jagat Bhushan Nadda, Director, Consortium for Education Communication
While Prof. Jagat Bhushan Nadda, Director, Consortium for Education Communication, remarked, “CSIR has admirably carried forward India’s scientific legacy, serving as a cornerstone in our nation’s journey. By being at the forefront of addressing national challenges, CSIR has consistently benefited society at large. The need of the hour is to make science accessible, especially in rural areas. To maximize impact, scientific research and discoveries must be translated into actionable policies. CSIR is successfully creating synergy between higher education, research, and innovation, positioning India to become a global leader in science and innovation.”
On the occasion a special issue of ‘Science Reporter’, a monthly publication of CSIR-NIScPR was also released during the event.Title of the issue is “Science Reporter: A Six Decade Journey in Science Communication (1964-2024)”. Awards were distributed by the distinguished guests to retirees, employees completing 25 years of service, and meritorious 10th and 12th-class students.
The evening of the CSIR Foundation Day Celebrations featured a vibrant cultural program, followed by prize distribution for the Foundation Day competitions. During the cultural program, children of NIScPR staff members, S&T and administrative staff, students and project staff participated with great enthusiasm and performed their song and dance very well. ShriMukesh Pund, Chief Scientist, CSIR-NIScPR and Chairperson, CSIR Foundation Day Organising Committee of NIScPR, proposed vote of thanks and expressed his gratitude to all the committees engaged for organising the program. The event was attended by CSIR-NIScPR staff with their families, AcSIR students, and project staff. Coordinators of different sub committees coordinated the assigned tasks very well. Dr.Puspanjali Tripathy coordinated the Painting & Drawing Competition; Quiz & Essay Competition was coordinated by Dr. Meher Wan; Budget & Venue was coordinated by Dr. Naresh Kumar; Cultural Function & Stage Control was coordinated by Dr. Manish Mohan Gore. Dr. Vipan Kumar coordinated the sports events, Dr.Arvind Meena coordinated publicity materials and Mrs.Sonali Nagar coordinated the invitation of guests for the CSIR Foundation Day Celebrations organised at CSIR-NIScPR.
Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin, on October 01, 2024, became the first woman officer to take over as the Director General, Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS). The DGAFMS is directly responsible to the Ministry of Defence for overall medical policy matters which relate to the Armed Forces.
Prior to assuming the appointment of 46th DGAFMS, the Flag Officer held the coveted appointments of DG Medical Services (Navy), DG Medical Services (Air) and Director & Commandant of Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune. She is an alumna of AFMC, Pune and was commissioned into the Armed Forces Medical Services in December 1985. She is an MD in Radiodiagnosis from AFMC, Pune and Diplomate National Board in Radiation Oncology from Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, complemented with training in Gamma Knife Surgery from University of Pittsburgh.
In a career spanning 38 years, the Flag Officer has held prestigious academic and administrative appointments including Professor & Head, Radiation Oncology, Army Hospital (R&R) and Command Hospital (Southern Command)/AFMC Pune, Commanding Officer, INHS Asvini, Command Medical Officer in the Indian Navy’s Southern and Western Naval Commands.
The Flag Officer has the rare distinction of serving in all three branches of the Indian Armed Forces, having served as Lieutenant to Captain in the Indian Army, from Surgeon Lieutenant to Surgeon Vice Admiral in the Indian Navy and as an Air Marshal in the Indian Air Force.
In recognition of her dedication to patient care with utmost loyalty and supreme commitment, the Flag Officer has been awarded Ati Vishist Seva Medal in 2024 and Vishist Seva Medal in 2021. She has also been conferred with Chief of Army Staff Commendation (2017), Chief of Naval Staff Commendation (2001) and General Officer Commanding –in-Chief Commendation (2013) for distinguished service.
The Flag Officer has been recently appointed as a member of the National Task Force by the Supreme Court to formulate safe working conditions and protocols for medical professionals. She has been at the forefront of motivating young women to join the Armed Forces and is a shining icon for the Nari Shakti initiative of the Government.
While the macroprudential framework for the banking sector has been in place for several years, its equivalent for non-bank financial institutions is still emerging. This panel discussion on macroprudential policy beyond banking will be particularly relevant in light of the review of the macroprudential framework for non-banks that the European Commission is conducting in 2024.
Chair: Luis de Guindos, Vice-President, European Central Bank
Panellists:
Petra Hielkema, Chair, EIOPA
Steffen Kern, Chief Economist, ESMA
Javier Suarez, Professor, Centre for Monetary and Financial Studies, Member of the ESRB Advisory Scientific Committee
Dimitrios Tsomocos, Professor and Fellow by Special Election, University of Oxford
by Gianni ValenteUlaanbaatar (Agenzia Fides) – «There is a specificity of the first announcement of the Gospel. And when we reflect on the mission of the Church, I would like to speak out in favor of this specificity”, which “should not be evaporated in an overly generic discussion on the mission”. October begins, the month that the Church dedicates, in addition to the Rosary, also to the mission. And Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, Consolata missionary, Apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar, takes advantage of the opportunity to share in a conversation with Agenzia Fides bright ideas full of apostolic passion for missionary work. This year too, as often happens , “Missionary October” is intertwined with the work in Rome of the Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, in which Cardinal Marengo also takes part. And that meeting is also called to deal with the missionary horizon of every authentic ecclesial work, as is clear from the title (“For a synodal Church: communion, participation and mission”). Cardinal Marengo, perhaps this cannot be insisted upon enough on the missionary nature of the Church and on the call of all the baptized to the mission? CARDINAL GIORGIO MARENGO: The rediscovery of the call to all be missionaries, inscribed in baptism, was in many ways providential. But now the specificity of the missionary vocation called “ad gentes” seems to have been somewhat lost sight of. It is as if, in the era of globalization and the apparent reduction of geographical distances, there was no longer any place for this horizon of missionary work. . which involves leaving and inserting oneself into human contexts different from one’s own. Instead, I believe, precisely in our time it is appropriate to recognize that there is a specificity of the first announcement of the Gospel, of the Gospel announced to those who don’t really know what it is. It is important that this specificity is not diluted, not evaporated in an overly generic discussion on the mission. In this time, precisely perceiving and always taking into account this specificity seems vital to me for all the work of the Church in the world, and for its journey in history. Because this specificity of the first announcement for you must not be removed and is crucial in the dynamism missionary of the Church?MARENGO: If belonging to the Church means walking together with Jesus and behind Jesus, the mission can be described and formulated as “making the encounter with Christ possible”. This encounter can always take place in ways unknown to us. But normally the impact with a human reality remains necessary. A human reality that facilitates and makes the encounter with Christ possible. Because this experience is always transmitted through attraction and contact. And this dynamism manifests itself and is clearly perceived especially where the real possibilities of coming into contact in some way with the person of Christ are objectively few. For example, in places where the Church does not exist or is in a nascent state of Church, as in the case of Mongolia. You belong to a missionary institute. And in recent decades there has been a clear numerical decline in the members of these Institutes. MARENGO: Perhaps there will no longer be a need for large numbers as there once was, and we should not be shocked that missionary Institutes are decreasing in number. But even with less impact, the perennial need to announce the Gospel which gave rise to the birth of those Institutes remains alive. The specificity of the “Missio ad gentes” you referred to evokes what were the “mission territories”, areas which now are defined as the “South of the world” or global South”. Is this identification still valid? MARENGO: Rather than slipping into the insidious terrain of socio-political formulas and definitions, those which for example refer to the “north” and “south” of the world, it is better to stick to purely ecclesial criteria. This specificity has to do with real exposure to the announcement of the Gospel. It is a question of seeing whether in different social contexts there is the possibility of real exposure to the Gospel, because in that given context the Gospel is in some way actually announced, or whether this does not happen. Always taking into account all the particular situations and their diversities. What diversities? MARENGO: It’s one thing to live in places where the Church is established with all the charisms and ministries, and it’s another to have a Church with only one native priest, like it happens here in Mongolia. It’s one thing to find yourself in societies that are extremely critical of Christianity, due to the weight of history. And a con is interacting with societies that are not in themselves against and hypercritical towards the Church, because their stories have never intertwined. In different contexts and situations, the mission of the first announcement is the one that in any case makes one experience the novelty of Christian faith. Both when this happens in contexts that have not historically dealt with it, and when it is rediscovered as a novelty in places where it has shaped previous generations, but has now somehow evaporated from the common horizon. What are the elementary and specific traits of mission of the first announcement? MARENGO: God our Father did not send a message, but became flesh by sending his only Son. God lowered himself to embrace the human condition. And by analogy, even the mission, since then, is called to submit to the laws of time and space, having Jesus as its model. If the message of Christ were a mere message, a teaching of life, there would have been no need to ask men and women to go to the ends of the world, as Jesus himself does in the Gospel. Jesus became part of a people and a defined culture. Thirty years of hidden life, three years of explicit activity and three days of passion, which lead to the resurrection. All those who follow him are called to let themselves be shaped by the Holy Spirit to live the same mystery. This is the mission. Submitting to the laws of space and time by following Jesus frees us to abstractions and embraces all the effort and patience of missionary work, which may appear “useless” and “fruitless”….MARENGO: Let’s think about the time spent on learn difficult and distant languages, to immerse yourself deeply and respectfully in the cultures of the people you live with. Everything presupposes understanding, friendly closeness to grow a relationship of trust. Much of the missionary effort is aimed precisely at identifying with the context and creating these conditions of mutual trust, in order to then share our treasure with others, what we hold most dear. This “patience” of the long times of the mission is not out of line with respect to the fast dynamics of the present time? MARENGO: Perhaps someone today might think that it is more effective to invest in communication to obtain measurable impacts on public opinion. But the Gospel is not communicated as an idea or as one of the options on a menu. This is marketing. Sometimes we have a tendency to make theories about the mission, or to organize strategies with social or humanitarian actions that we present as useful things for what we call “announcement”. Up to the illusion of a Church that is built “by project”. How do you perceive the current urgencies of the missionary work of the Church from your point of view in Ulaanbaatar? MARENGO: I am amazed by the growing interest of writers, journalists and scholars of the Church in the our small Church in Mongolia, in which they see a mission experience similar to that of the Acts of the Apostles. The Apostles bore witness to the Lord Jesus in conditions of absolute minority compared to the social and cultural contexts in which they moved. Their work had connotations of marginality and novelty. The experience of first contact with the Gospel on the part of people and social realities who had never encountered it until then occurs again in Mongolia. Those who are interested in our Church sometimes tell me that from associating with our poor and small experience, advantages and inspiration can also come for the situations experienced in post-Christian societies, where even a vague common reference to Christianity can no longer be given taken for granted, as it was in the past. Also in a recent conference at the Institut Catholique in Paris, you referred to the “register of discretion” which must always characterize missionary work. What are you referring to? MARENGO: What makes the encounter with Christ possible is always his Holy Spirit, and not our methodologies or precautions. But perhaps his work will find fewer obstacles if those who want to serve the Gospel become close to their brothers and sisters for who they are, announcing the resurrection of Christ with discretion. The Lazarist Father Giuseppe Gabet in 1840, after his first trip to Outer Mongolia, wrote to Propaganda Fide: «The first appearance of Europeans among the Mongols and Tibetans is a very delicate undertaking, and the success of preaching among these peoples will depend on long from the degree of discretion demonstrated”. You participated in the Plenary of the Dicastery for Evangelization (Section for the first evangelization and the new particular Churches) dedicated to the Pontifical Urbaniana University. How do you see the present and future of that University?MARENGO: During the mass in the Singapore Stadium, Pope Francis recalled a letter from Saint Francis Xavier to his first Jesuit companions, in which the great missionary spoke of his desire to go to all university of his time to “shout here and there like a madman” and shake up the intellectuals who engaged in endless discussions, to push them to become missionaries to serve the charity of Christ. In this time perhaps we also need a theological study of the mission, we need academic paths that help to recognize and re-propose the perennial urgency of announcing the Gospel, especially in situations of first evangelization. Who knows, perhaps through this very path the Pontifical University, with all its history, might be able to renew and realize the dream of Saint Francis Xavier today. (Agenzia Fides 1/10/2024)Share:
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.
This panel discussion aims to explore how AI is reshaping the landscape of financial stability and systemic risk, from the perspective of industry practitioners and academics. The panel addressED both opportunities and challenges that lie ahead in integrating advanced AI technologies within Europe’s financial system.
Chair: Andréa Maechler, Deputy General Manager, Bank for International Settlements
Panellists:
Zanna Iscenko, Principal Economist, Google
Sudeep Kesh, Chief Innovation Officer, S&P Global Ratings
Robin Lumsdaine, Professor, American University, Member of the ESRB Advisory Scientific Committee
Dirk Zetzsche, Professor, University of Luxembourg
The ESRB’s Advisory Scientific Committee awards the Ieke van den Burg prize to recognise outstanding research conducted by young scholars on a topic related to the ESRB’s mission. Tsvetelina Nenova presented her paper “Global or Regional Safe Assets: Evidence from Bond Substitution Patterns”, which has won the 2024 Edition of the prize.
Chair: Loriana Pelizzon, Professor, SAFE/Goethe University, Vice-Chair of the ESRB Advisory Scientific Committee
Winner: Tsvetelina Nenova, Economist, Bank for International Settlements
Music and noise can evoke many responses in humans. Now Flinders University scientists are using soundwaves in soil to aid ecosystem recovery.
In their latest study, experts led by microbial ecologist Dr Jake Robinson, demonstrate the benefits of acoustic stimulation on the growth rate and sporulation of a plant growth-promoting fungus.
“In our experiments, we show that the acoustic stimulation resulted in increased fungal biomass and enhanced Trichoderma harzianum spore activity compared to controls,” says Dr Robinson in a new article in Biology Letters.
“We strive to find novel ways to speed up and improve levels of beneficial fungi and other microbes in degraded soils. It could have wide-ranging benefits for restoring degraded landscapes and farming land to feed the world.”
The researchers previously found a monotonous ‘white noise’ – set at 80 dB sound pressure level – also increased a similar response in soil bacteria E. Coli. “Think of the monotone sound an old-school radio makes in between channels,” explains Dr Robinson.
The fungus T. harzianum was selected for the latest study because of its known beneficial effects on plants, such as disease protection, plant growth and improved nutrient utilisation. In agriculture, it has been shown to parasitises other fungi which are often plant pathogens.
Dr Robinson says one of the next steps will be to study the benefits of various microbial growth on plant health, and then seek to scale up the experiment outside the lab.
“While still in its early stages, the next steps will involve studying the microbiome response mechanisms, the flow-on effect on plants and how to work out how to scale it up in the field.
“We also need to understand whether this approach could have any potential cascading or unintended consequences,” he adds.
In the absence of large-scale ecosystem restoration and effective monitoring strategies, 95% of the Earth’s land is projected to be degraded by 2050. The United Nations’ global initiative – the Decade of Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030 – forecasts that 75% of the world’s soils described as degradation could increase to more than 90% by 2050.
Urbanisation, deforestation, overgrazing and other harmful practices has led us to this dire situation, which is now affecting human health and undermining food production and natural ecosystems, researchers say.
Coauthor of the new article, Associate Professor Martin Breed from the Restoration Ecology lab at Flinders University’s College of Science and Engineering, says the potential for this kind of approach is vital in a bid to head off biodiversity loss and speed up ecosystem restoration.
Sonic restoration: acoustic stimulation enhances plant growth-promoting fungi activity (2024) by Jake M Robinson, Amy Annells, Christian Cando-Dumancela and Martin F Breed will be published in Biology Letters (Royal Society Publishing) on 2 October 2024.
Funding: M Breed is funded by the Australian Research Council (grants DP210101932, LP190100051 and LP190100484) and the New Zealand Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (grant UOWX2101).
Acknowledgements. We acknowledge that this research was conducted on the land of the Kaurna people in Tarntanya (Adelaide, South Australia).
Welcome address by Luis de Guindos, Vice-President of the ECB, at the 5th joint ECB, Bank of Canada and Federal Reserve Bank of New York Conference on expectations surveys, central banks and the economy
Frankfurt am Main, 1 October 2024
It is my pleasure to welcome you to this fifth joint conference on expectations surveys organised by the European Central Bank, the Bank of Canada and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
In my remarks today, I will delve into the fascinating world of expectations surveys and their relevance to central banks. I will review how useful expectations surveys have proven to be for central banks over the period since 2019, the year we held our first conference in this series. In addition, I will touch on the challenges facing central banks in using surveys. The fact that central banks generally operate under great uncertainty has come to the fore over the past five years. Today, too, we are facing huge uncertainty – not least in view of the many prevailing economic, financial and geopolitical risks. Yet, it is precisely in this unpredictable and highly complex landscape that surveys have come into their own.
The return of survey expectations
Over the past decade, central banks and other policymaking institutions have invested significantly in expectations surveys and have drawn increasingly on survey data for their policy analysis and research. These surveys cover consumers, firms, financial market participants and other experts, including professional forecasters. At the ECB, we can fortunately look to a wide array of such surveys covering diverse topics such as consumer expectations, household finance and consumption, access to finance of enterprises, the payment attitudes of consumers and bank lending. Since 2013, the ECB has also conducted a survey of wholesale market participants on credit terms and conditions, and it recently developed a new survey of monetary analysts to collect expert expectations about key monetary policy parameters and concepts. Finally, the ECB’s Survey of Professional Forecasters was launched back in 1999 at the start of Economic and Monetary Union. Its structured collection of data has supported a rich research programme investigating economic forecasts and expert expectations.[1]
All ECB surveys can provide insights into how different economic agents form and update their expectations. They can reveal the potential biases in these expectations and the extent to which expectations feed into economic decisions. Surveys were indeed quite central to the economic debate in the 1950s and the 1960s but their role became more marginal when rational expectations were incorporated into economic modelling in the 1970s. Over the past ten years, however, economists have seen survey expectations clearly returning to the mainstream.[2] One could describe the recent growth in survey-based research as a “counter-revolution” following the earlier “revolution” centred on rational expectations. Today, while models based on rational expectations still form a useful reference point in our analysis and research, they are no longer thought to provide a solid basis for understanding business cycles, for gauging the risks of financial crises or for designing effective economic policies. The central insight gained from this new line of survey-based research is that many economic agents may systematically form expectations by using partial sets of information or by following subjective narratives about how the economy functions – for example by applying simple rules of thumb.[3] It is important to understand such subjective expectations, because these beliefs often underlie the economic choices and financial decisions that drive the economy.[4]
Surveys have repeatedly proven their usefulness over the past five years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they were especially useful in helping to track financial conditions for firms and households, as well as in estimating the labour market response to the pandemic shock. Online surveys were of great benefit during the pandemic as in-person survey interviews were hampered by lockdown restrictions. For example, the ECB’s Consumer Expectations Survey – an online survey which was fortuitously launched in early 2020 – helped us understand the severity of the pandemic-induced collapse in consumption and gauge the overall effectiveness of the major policy interventions by governments and other authorities at the time.[5]
Insights from surveys during the recent period of high inflation
More recently, the data collected in surveys strongly supported the analysis of the recent inflationary episode in the euro area.[6] During the early phase of the inflation surge in 2022, survey data helped to inform the central discussion on the likely persistence of the shock. For example, the observed increase in consumers’ medium-term expectations may have interacted with an increase in firms’ pricing power to make the original supply shocks more persistent than they would otherwise have been.[7]
Forces that would gradually help bring inflation back down to our target were also visible in more recent survey data. For example, we could see how the rise in inflation and inflation expectations was acting as a major constraint on demand and consumer spending owing to its impact on real incomes. In August 2023 respondents to the ECB’s Consumer Expectations Survey were asked what actions they were planning to take in light of their expectations about future inflation. The results clearly showed that a much higher share of consumers planned to reduce their spending in response to the expectations of higher prices.[8] In addition, consumers indicated that they would start to shop around more and buy cheaper varieties of goods and services than they normally would. In a context where the ECB was taking decisive monetary policy action aimed at restoring price stability, these behavioural responses to higher inflation expectations also contributed to the gradual unwinding of the inflationary pressures across the euro area economy.
Insights for financial stability analysis
In addition to monetary policy, expectations surveys are now increasingly being used for other central bank tasks as well. This includes financial stability analysis. Here, surveys can help identify potential sources of financial risk not only in financial markets and the banking system, but also in the household and non-financial corporate sectors.[9] Even when there is no discernible financial stress at the aggregate level, the disaggregated or individual-level data typically provided by surveys can help us to identify emerging risks across particular sectors or socio-demographic groups.
In financial stability analysis, the topic of financial literacy is receiving increased attention. In the first keynote lecture of the conference, Professor Annamaria Lusardi from Stanford University will talk about why financial literacy is relevant for central banks. One consideration for financial stability analysis is that less financially literate households may be less prepared to cope with adverse economic and financial shocks. Yet, these households tend to be the most exposed to such shocks and more heavily affected when they occur. Policies seeking to boost financial literacy may help borrowers to source loans that are cheaper to service, thus promoting more efficient and more sustainable debt management. These issues may be particularly relevant for real estate markets and housing, which will be the focus of the second keynote lecture of the conference, given by Professor Tarun Ramadorai from Imperial College London. Professor Ramadorai will discuss the importance of non-rational beliefs in the housing market and how household surveys can help inform policies that can address these frictions.
Sustaining the quality and representativeness of surveys
Our experiences with survey data also highlight the challenges that policymakers face when using these data. Survey data can be volatile and there is evidence of overreaction in both household and firm surveys of expectations. For this reason, surveys may provide a noisy signal for policymaking in practice, which complicates how these data should feed into the policy reaction function. In this respect, I hope the research presented at today’s conference can also help policymakers distinguish the signal from the noise that is always embedded in expectations data. These considerations underline the importance of the quality of the survey design, including the sampling and data collection methods. It is crucial that questions are designed to avoid the framing of responses and that the complexity of the questionnaires is managed appropriately to avoid survey fatigue, which may negatively affect data quality. As central banks are making increasing use of survey data, they need to continuously and carefully monitor these data to ensure responses remain representative of the underlying population’s beliefs and behaviour.
Conclusion
Let me conclude. Today, expectations surveys are an important part of the toolkit available to central banks for their policy analysis. These surveys reveal insights about the economy that would otherwise remain hidden from view. As a result, they can contribute to more robust policy decisions and better policy assessments.
I would like to finish by thanking the presenters and participants in advance for their contributions and the conference organisers for putting together such an impressive programme. I wish you all a productive and successful two days of lively debate and discussion. I am confident that the insights that will emerge from sharing our experiences of different surveys across many countries and institutions will ultimately enhance the way in which we use expectations surveys to help guide policy decisions.
Good morning and welcome to the Conference on Markets and Intermediaries, an event jointly organised by the Bundesbank and the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.
In my opening speech, I will take you on a helicopter tour of the programme and share some thoughts on the topics that will be covered over the next two days. The programme certainly does cover a wide range of topics. It addresses current challenges facing financial markets, financial intermediaries, and central banks.
Since the Great Financial Crisis, central banks worldwide have expanded their balance sheets, injected additional liquidity into the financial system, and broadened their collateral frameworks. In addition, financial regulation has been adapted to make the financial system more stable.
While these measures served useful purposes, they also had side effects, not least in money and capital markets. Policymakers and regulators are therefore well-advised to evaluate the effects of their measures.
2 Non-bank financial institutions
The first session is dedicated to non-bank financial institutions, or NBFIs.
This sector includes, amongst others, insurers, investment funds, and money market and hedge funds. It is strongly interconnected, both with other sectors and across countries. Its share of the global financial system, as measured by total financial assets, is almost one-half.
Clearly, it could be a source of systemic risks. But the risks presented by NBFIs often lie out of view. This makes them more difficult to monitor and assess. All the more important, then, to close data gaps and strengthen the resilience of the sector.
One particular source of vulnerability are fire sales of open-ended funds. These are the subject of a paper that Rüdiger Weber is presenting this morning.[1]
Open-ended funds are especially prone to fire sales because, during episodes of market stress, they often face significant pressure from investors who want to liquidate their holdings quickly. Fund managers may then be forced to offload fund assets at short notice. And if those assets are less liquid, they may have to sell them at lower prices. This may amplify price declines and liquidity shortages.
Effective liquidity management and regulation are very important here. A recently published Bundesbank paper shows that price-based liquidity management tools help keep the financial fragility of open-ended mutual funds in check.[2]
In times of stress, investors also try to protect their capital by shifting it into safer assets. However, this flight to safety can intensify the downward pressure on the prices of riskier assets as demand for the latter declines.
The Financial Stability Board is doing important work in this field. But it is currently focused on microprudential regulation. I think the FSB’s work on this front needs to be complemented by the development of macroprudential regulation for the NBFI sector.
In any case, we should not jeopardise what we have achieved in the banking regulation space by allowing stability risks to build up elsewhere in the financial system.
3 Central bank digital currencies
The second session is on central bank digital currencies (CBDC).
CBDC is an issue that is keeping almost all central banks very busy at the moment. The Eurosystem is hard at work preparing for the potential introduction of a digital euro.
As the world turns increasingly digital, the digital euro would provide a secure and efficient digital payment option that complements cash. It aims to strengthen Europe’s strategic autonomy by building on European infrastructures, and to promote innovation in the private sector.
However, introducing a CBDC could also have unintended side effects. If bank customers were allowed to hold it in large amounts, periods of banking distress could trigger large, sudden shifts out of deposits into CBDC. This could lead to financial instability.
And if CBDC were too attractive a substitute for deposits, commercial banks’ access to retail deposits could erode over time. Which could lead to structural disintermediation and call into question our proven two-tier banking system. It is therefore of the essence to design CBDC in a way that prevents these risks from materialising.
The challenge is to optimise the usability of CBDC as a means of payment while at the same time limiting its effects on the market for bank deposits. Two decisive factors in this regard are remuneration and holding limits. Let me say a few words on each of these.
Remuneration means the rate of interest on people’s holdings of CBDC. If that rate of interest were positive, holding CBDC would be more attractive. But at the same time, that would lead to outflows out of bank deposits.
Based on a welfare-maximising model setting, Pascal Paul will argue later this afternoon that central banks should allow for a positive interest rate.[3] This stands in contrast to the intention of the Governing Council not to remunerate digital euro holdings.[4]
Why are we not in favour of remuneration?
Because our aim is to make the digital euro a digital complement to cash, and there is no remuneration for holding cash. We neither want to compete with commercial banks for deposits, nor do we want to employ the digital euro as a monetary policy instrument.
The second, perhaps even more important, factor is holding limits. We intend to limit digital euro holdings to a certain amount, because we want to ensure the digital euro does not lead to large sudden shifts or disintermediation.
The limits currently under discussion range from €500 to €3,000.[5] A recent Bundesbank paper finds that an optimal holding limit would be in a range between €1,500 and €2,500.[6] On the Governing Council, we have not yet taken a decision on the exact amount. What is more, EU legislators might be involved here.
But as regards the practical usability of the digital euro, the exact limit does not play a major role anyway. This is because a reverse waterfall system, as it is called, would allow users to link their digital euro wallet to their bank account. They can then convert their bank deposits into digital euro automatically and instantly if their holdings are insufficient to make a payment.
4 Banking and deposit flows
Allowing users to convert an unlimited amount of deposits into CBDC would expose commercial banks to substantial run risk. In any case, zero or lower interest rates will not discourage them from doing that in times of crisis. However, digital bank runs can happen even without CBDC.
The failure of Silicon Valley Bank and other regional banks in March 2023 showed how quickly customers can withdraw their deposits these days. At Silicon Valley Bank alone, customers pulled out USD 42 billion within the space of a single day, which equated to around one-quarter of total deposits. And another USD 100 billion would have been withdrawn a day later.[7] The depositors on the run were apparently account holders with uninsured deposits.
Banking and deposit flows are the subject of Session 3. Dominic Cucic will present a paper showing that bank customers do indeed redistribute their deposits when deposit insurance limits change.[8] Credible and reliable deposit insurance helps to prevent bank runs and preserve financial stability.
In the euro area, we currently have deposit insurance at the national level. Adding a European layer in the form of a hybrid model would help prevent situations where large shocks overwhelm national deposit insurance systems and lead to cross-border contagion.
As a European layer should be risk-based, large exposures of banks to individual sovereigns are an issue. Currently, many banks hold a disproportionately large number of bonds issued by their domestic governments. If this were to continue, a common deposit insurance arrangement could lead to a redistribution of sovereign solvency risks.
In my view, the new EU legislative session provides a good opportunity to move forward on both issues: with a reduction in banks’ exposures to individual sovereigns, and a common European deposit insurance system.
5 Central bank interventions and market behaviour
Session 4 of this conference focuses on the impact of central bank interventions on market behaviour. Both papers in this session underline that such central bank measures need to be carefully designed.[9]
Central banks have taken a wide range of non-standard monetary policy measures to ensure sufficient monetary stimulus at the effective lower bound. But in the medium to long term, such policies may lead to inefficiencies. These could arise in financial markets themselves or in the allocation of resources affected by the boost to lending.
This makes it all the more important to evaluate the instruments used and the lessons learned. It is therefore very fitting that we are currently carrying out a strategy review in the Eurosystem. Amongst other things, this will provide an opportunity to critically review the quantitative easing policies we have seen in the past.
The extensive bond purchases contributed to price stability in an era of low inflation, but they were also associated with numerous side effects in financial markets. Without prejudging the outcome of the review, I think their use should be limited to exceptional circumstances.
6 Conclusion
Ladies and gentlemen,
The conference concludes with a panel discussion on the ECB’s new operational framework. As I have already expressed my views on this on a different occasion,[10] I will end my speech by expressing my gratitude.
Thanks to the organisers from the Bundesbank and Humboldt University for setting up this conference. Thanks to the presenters, discussants and panellists for sharing their insights. Thanks to all participants for their contributions. And special thanks to Annette Vissing-Jørgensen from the Federal Reserve Board, who will give a keynote on “Balance sheet policy above the effective lower bound”.[11]
Now I wish you all an exciting conference with valuable insights.
Thank you very much.
Footnotes:
Rzeźnik, A. and R. Weber (2022), Money in the Right Hands, mimeo.
Cucic, D. et al. (2024), Distortive Effects of Deposit Insurance: Administrative Evidence from Deposit and Loan Accounts, mimeo.
Eufinger, C. and Z. Ye (2024), Breaking Bagehot’s Rules: Loan Contracting with Advantageous Central Bank Funding, mimeo; Meisenzahl, R. R. and K. M. Pence, De-Limiting Arbitrage: Evidence from the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility, mimeo.
After the impressive success of the pilot concert series earlier this year, Alberta’s government is providing a $19,000 grant to Calgary company Stagehand to bring a second concert season to the South Health Campus. The second season of the full-year concert series will begin on Sept. 26.
A patient watches local musicians play at the South Health Campus music series pilot project in February of 2024.
This grant renews the pilot project from February 2024, when Alberta’s government first enabled Stagehand to bring musicians to perform for South Health Campus patients, staff and visitors.
“Alberta’s government recognizes the incredible impact music has on people’s lives, and how it can give people the strength to beat their illness. That is why we are proud to support this amazing concert series that supports local artists and helps lift spirits at the South Health Campus.”
“Music has the power to heal and uplift, and this concert series brings that joy to patients, families and health care workers. We’re proud to support Alberta’s talented musicians while enhancing the well-being of everyone at the South Health Campus.”
Stagehand offers a digital platform that connects artists with venues to book and promote live events. The Calgary-based company will provide the platform to manage an open call for artists, selection, contracting, scheduling, payment and data collection.
The pilot project in February included 10 performances at various times and locations at the South Health Campus. The program aligns with the government’s goals for Alberta’s continued economic success by supporting the province’s music industry. This project also helps share Alberta’s cultures, perspectives and stories through music while supporting local musicians.
“Stagehand is proud to bring music back into Calgary’s South Health Campus for a second concert series. Music has an incredible ability to heal, and Stagehand is exploring even more ways to get more music to the people who need it. I would like to thank Alberta’s government and Minister Fir for the continued support, and I look forward to collaborating in the future.”
“Music offers more than just entertainment for patients; it provides a powerful source of joy, comfort and healing, especially for those dealing with pain, undergoing medical procedures, rehabilitation therapies, or facing long hospital stays. By reducing anxiety, lowering blood pressure and enhancing mood, music fosters a sense of calm and empowerment, helping patients regain control in the midst of their challenges.”
Quick facts
According to West Anthem’s Resonant Energies: A Music City Strategy for Calgary released in May, music contributed $1.7 billion to Alberta’s GDP and supported 20,577 jobs in 2020.
Feedback on the pilot project in February was overwhelmingly positive, with 97 per cent of audiences reporting being satisfied or very satisfied with the performances, and 82 per cent of musicians reporting a positive impact on their mental health.
Related information
Alberta Health Services Upcoming Events – Stagehand (Concert Schedule)
Related news
Good vibrations for Calgary’s South Health Campus | Bonnes vibrations au South Health Campus de Calgary (Jan. 19, 2024)
Music encore at Calgary’s South Health Campus | La musique en rappel au South Health Campus de Calgary (July 16, 2024)
Une série de concerts qui aide à remonter le moral et à guérir les Albertaines et Albertains au South Health Campus de Calgary est de retour pour une deuxième saison.
Après le succès retentissant de la série de concerts pilotes présentée au début de l’année, le gouvernement de l’Alberta a accordé une subvention de 19 000 dollars à l’entreprise Stagehand de Calgary pour qu’elle puisse organiser une deuxième série de concerts au South Health Campus. La deuxième série de concerts s’étendra sur toute l’année et débutera le 26 septembre.
En février 2024, un patient regarde des musiciens de la région jouer dans le cadre du projet pilote de la série musicale du South Health Campus.
Cette subvention renouvelle le projet pilote de février 2024, lorsque le gouvernement de l’Alberta a permis pour la première fois à Stagehand d’inviter des musiciens à se produire devant les patients, le personnel et les visiteurs du South Health Campus.
« Le gouvernement de l’Alberta reconnaît l’impact incroyable de la musique sur la vie des gens et la façon dont elle peut leur donner la force de vaincre leur maladie. C’est pourquoi nous sommes fiers de soutenir cette formidable série de concerts, qui permet d’encourager les artistes locaux tout en remontant le moral des gens au South Health Campus. »
« La musique a le pouvoir de guérir et de remonter le moral des gens, et cette série de concerts apporte cette joie aux patients, aux familles et aux travailleurs de la santé. Nous sommes fiers de soutenir les musiciens talentueux de l’Alberta tout en améliorant le bien-être de toutes et de tous au South Health Campus. »
L’entreprise Stagehand met en relation les artistes et les établissements en proposant une plateforme numérique qui permet de réserver et de promouvoir des événements en direct. Basée à Calgary, l’entreprise fournira la plateforme où pourront être gérés les appels ouverts aux artistes et leur sélection, les contrats, la programmation, le paiement et la collecte de données.
Le projet pilote de février a permis de donner dix représentations à des heures et à des endroits différents au South Health Campus. Le programme s’inscrit dans les objectifs du gouvernement qui visent à assurer le succès économique continu de l’Alberta grâce au soutien de l’industrie musicale de la province. Ce projet contribue également à partager, par la musique, les cultures, les perspectives et les récits de l’Alberta, tout en soutenant les musiciens locaux.
« Stagehand est fière de ramener la musique au South Health Campus de Calgary pour une deuxième série de concerts. La musique a une incroyable capacité de guérison, et Stagehand explore encore plus de moyens pour apporter plus de musique aux personnes qui en ont besoin. Je tiens à remercier le gouvernement de l’Alberta et la ministre Fir de leur soutien continu, et je me réjouis à l’idée de continuer à collaborer avec eux. »
« La musique est plus qu’un simple divertissement pour les patients; elle est une puissante source de joie, de réconfort et de guérison, en particulier pour celles et ceux qui souffrent, qui subissent des procédures médicales, des thérapies de réadaptation ou qui doivent effectuer de longs séjours à l’hôpital. En réduisant l’anxiété, en abaissant la tension artérielle et en améliorant l’humeur, la musique favorise un sentiment de calme et d’autonomisation, ce qui aide les patients en difficulté à reprendre le contrôle de leur santé. »
En bref
Selon le rapport intitulé « Resonant Energies: A Music City Strategy for Calgary », publié en mai, la musique a contribué à hauteur de 1,7 milliard de dollars au PIB de l’Alberta, en plus de soutenir 20 577 emplois en 2020.
Les réactions au projet pilote de février ont été extrêmement positives : 97 % des spectateurs se sont déclarés satisfaits ou très satisfaits des spectacles, et 82 % des musiciens ont fait état d’un impact positif sur leur santé mentale.
Renseignements connexes (en anglais seulement)
Alberta Health Services Upcoming Events – Stagehand (horaire des concerts)
Nouvelles connexes
Good vibrations for Calgary’s South Health Campus | Bonnes vibrations au South Health Campus de Calgary (19 janvier 2024)
Music encore at Calgary’s South Health Campus | La musique en rappel au South Health Campus de Calgary (16 juillet 2024)
Seven undergraduate students got an authentic perspective on Greece this summer as part of a new study abroad course designed by professor of anthropology Dimitris Xygalatas.
“This is a field school that relates both to my own culture and my background as an anthropologist. [I am Greek and] I did my doctoral fieldwork in Greece,” Xygalatas says.
Xygalatas created the 16-day Greek History and Culture field study course to highlight the connection between ancient Greece and modern Greece using an anthropological lens.
“I wanted the students to get a sense of the impact of our past on our heritage and our contemporary culture, but I also wanted them to get a sense of some of the problems that Greek society is facing,” Xygalatas says.
Participants began in Athens before moving on to Olympia, Sparta, Monemvasia, and Kythira, a small island of 3,000 people.
Students participated in guided tours, discussions, and workshops. They were also able to interact with locals.
The program featured archeological and sociocultural activities, including trips to popular historical sites, and allowed the participants to experience everyday Greek life firsthand.
Xygalatas touched on a wide range of topics, from looking at the archeological sites of major Greek cities to discussing Greece’s financial crisis, sports,violence, and the desertification of small towns.
Seven students participated in the Greek History and Culture study abroad summer program. (Contributed by James Gaston)
Connecting Ancient Greece to modern culture
Xygalatas used his experience to highlight the sociocultural elements of the tours and sites students visited. Avery Hemingway ’27 (CAHNR) says that this made the experience more enriching for her.
“He was a native,” Hemingway, an allied health major and anthropology minor, says. “He would tell us stories [and] explain his family’s various traditions. [He connected] ancient Greek life to his family.”
James Gaston ’25 (CLAS), an anthropology major, says he enjoyed getting a local take on Greece. In Kythira, for example, the students had a Greek cooking lesson in the home of a former mayor. Gaston says it’s unlikely the group would have had an opportunity like that in a large city.
“It [showed us] Greek hospitality, a big part of their culture. [It allowed us] to see more of what their home life is like,” Gaston says.
Since this was the first time Xygalatas offered this course, he was skeptical of how students would feel about the itinerary. However, he says he was eventually really happy to see how much they enjoyed the destinations and experiences.
The program was modeled after Xygalatas’ summer course in Mauritius, where he also does fieldwork. He hopes to refine the Greece course and collaborate with the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki so students can develop a better cultural exchange.
Xygalatas allowed students to focus on their interests throughout the trip and for the final assignment.
“It’s one of the most fun parts of the program for me to see what grabs their attention,” he says.
Hemingway created a vlog of her time in Greece for her final assignment. She says she spotted some striking differences between Greek life and life in the United States, including how connected Greeks appear to be with their culture.
“Everyone was just very welcoming,” she says. “I think the biggest thing I took away would be that they’re very enriched in the history of their land. Everyone knows everything about ancient Greece, which always fascinated me.”
Gaston was fascinated by the culture around food and eating. He liked that the Greeks ate much later at night and that people spent hours in restaurants without servers interrupting them. He chose to write a paper on Greece’s culinary culture.
“I like trying a lot of new foods, and there was a lot of that to try in Greece,” he says.
Greece. (Contributed by James Gaston)
A lasting impression
Xygalatas says this course gets students to interact with people and ideas outside their bubble.
“I always tell my students they should take two things out of their university education. The first is a proper understanding of the scientific process, and the second thing [which this program highlighted] is engaging with other people’s perspectives and putting yourself into other people’s shoes,” he says, adding that learning about other people’s experiences is especially important in a global and polarized society.
Hemingway, who loves to travel, says she’s looking forward to seeing more remote places during future adventures.
“As a regular tourist, you’re just listening and looking around and not fully taking it in,” she says. “But, when you slow down and reflect on what you just experienced, it brings it to a different level.”
Gaston says he never thought he would study abroad or travel on his own.
“Before this, I’d never really traveled by myself,” he says. “I always traveled with my family. But after the trip, I realized it’s not too complicated and opens more opportunities in my eyes.”
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)
ALBUQUERQUE – A Zuni Pueblo man was charged by criminal complaint with federal firearms violations following a drive-by shooting that occurred on the Pueblo of Zuni Indian Reservation.
Devin Wyaco, 33, an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Zuni, appeared before a federal judge today and will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled.
According to the criminal complaint, on September 19, 2024, John Doe and his girlfriend were riding their bikes in Zuni, New Mexico when they noticed a white sedan with tinted windows drive past them, going in the same direction as them. The sedan then did a U-turn and stopped before driving back towards them. As the vehicle passed them, one shot was fired from the passenger side, striking John Doe in his abdomen.
John Doe was transported via ambulance first to Zuni Hospital, then to University of New Mexico Hospital. When he was later interviewed by investigators, John Doe identified the vehicle as belonging to Wyaco’s girlfriend.
Investigators executed a federal search warrant on Wyaco’s girlfriend’s residence. There, they spoke to Wyaco’s girlfriend, who stated she had been in the vehicle with Wyaco at the time of the shooting. Wyaco’s girlfriend told investigators that he had fled and was still in possession of the firearm.
If convicted, Wyaco faces a minimum of 10 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Zuni Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Zachary C. Jones is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Manitoba Government on Track to Hire 1,000 Net New Health-Care Workers
One year into its first term and six months into its first provincial budget, the Manitoba government is over halfway to its goal of hiring 1,000 net new health-care workers, Premier Wab Kinew and Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara announced today at Grace Hospital.
“Manitobans told us clearly they want more nurses, doctors and health-care professionals working in our province,” said Kinew. “We made an ambitious promise to add 1,000 net new people into our system and today we’re proud to say we’re more than halfway to that goal. Setting big goals like this is exactly what government is for. When we work together, we can get things done that aren’t possible on our own.”
The premier noted the staff means Manitoba is making progress on the government’s commitment to hire hundreds of specific professions over the four-year term. From April 1 to Aug. 31, 873 net new health-care workers have been added, of which 116 are physicians, 304 are nurses, 290 are health-care aides and 87 are allied health. Staff has come into the system across the province, with increases in staffing in every region and at CancerCare Manitoba.
“Every new health-care worker in our province takes us one step closer to repairing the damage done by the previous government,” said Asagwara. “With staff at our side, we can make progress on shortening wait times and delivering the best quality care. “We’ve left no stone unturned when it comes to adding more staff into the system and we’re going to keep going so we can start to turn the corner on some of the most important priorities in health care. To every person who decided to pursue a career in health care, or came back to the system, thank you.”
The plan laid out steps taken to recruit new health-care workers, entice staff back into the system from private health care, expand opportunities for new graduates and reset the relationship with health-care staff after years of disrespect under the previous government, noted the premier.
The government has:
taken steps to change the culture in health care including sending letters to every new graduate, holding five listening tour town halls and working to hire every new graduate into the system;
improved safety measures for staff at major hospitals;
increased seats in training programs for medicine, physician assistants, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and nursing;
increased the number of training spots for internationally educated medical graduates;
launched a new Healthcare Retention and Recruitment Office focused on helping internationally educated health-care professionals find jobs or training in Manitoba;
changed the requirements to make it easier for nurses to return to practice; and
increased flexibility for nurses joining the provincial float pool.
“Growing up watching my mom work as a nurse for over 36 years guided me to this profession that I am so fortunate to be a part of,” said Tiana Wyryha, a newly graduated nurse working in Children’s Emergency, Health Sciences Centre. “I’m so glad to work in Manitoba’s health-care system because Manitoba is my home and I strive to give back to those within my community.”
“Manitoba has given a lot to me. I grew up here and attended the University of Manitoba for undergrad, med school and residency,” said Dr. Matthew Buchok, psychiatrist, Health Sciences Centre. “I’m grateful to have the opportunity to stay and practice in Manitoba and have a positive impact on our community.”
The premier noted the numbers are a result of the government’s investments in retaining, recruiting and training more health-care workers including adding new training seats, streamlining licensing for internationally educated health-care workers and emphasizing community recruitment. The premier and minister have also sent a letter to every recent graduate to welcome them to Manitoba’s health-care system.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Three Chileans will travel to the United Kingdom to study master’s degrees in London, Cambridge and Edinburgh thanks to the British Foreign Office Scholarship.
Ambassador Louise de Sousa with recipients of the Chevening Scholarship. The call for those interested in applying for the Chevening Scholarship 2025-26 will remain open until 4 November at 20.00 hrs.
The British Ambassador to Chile, Louise de Sousa, met with the recipients of the Chevening Scholarship to study a Master’s degree in the United Kingdom.
The Chevening Scholarship is awarded to people from diverse backgrounds who can demonstrate the commitment and skills necessary to become future leaders or changemakers in their country of origin.
This year, three Chilean women and one Chilean man will travel to begin their studies at British universities in September. They are Bárbara Ferrer, who will study a Master of Science in Data and Artificial Intelligence Ethics en la University of Edinburgh; Mariana Bernasconi, who will study a Master of Philosophy en Multi-disciplinary Gender Studies at the University of Cambridge; Melissa Jeldes, who will study a Master of Science in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the London School of Economics; and Sebastián Mozó, who will study a Master of Science in Regulation at the same university.
Louise de Sousa, British Ambassador to Chile, says: “There is no such thing as a ‘typical’ Chevening scholar. We value energy, a broad perspective, curiosity, compassion, a clear vision of the future and the ability to achieve your goals. If you identify with these characteristics, then you are very likely to fit into our community of more than 57,000 alumni worldwide.
Agustín Riesco, Chevening 2023 scholar, who returned to Chile after studying a master’s degree in Public Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science, also shared this vision: “The Chevening scholarship allowed me to experience a unique opportunity, not only academically, but also to be able to live with my family for a year in London, one of the most fascinating cities in the world. Chevening is much more than a scholarship, it is a network that supports you and makes you live a unique experience for a year”, he said.
Applicants must present a realistic and achievable idea to bring about positive change in their country, and be able to demonstrate how a Master’s degree in the UK will help them achieve their goal. The Scholarship offers full financial support for scholars to study any eligible Masters degree at over 150 UK universities, plus access to a wide range of exclusive academic, professional and cultural experiences.
Applicants must present a realistic and achievable idea for positive change in their country, and be able to demonstrate how a Master’s degree in the UK will help them achieve their goal. The Scholarship offers full financial support for scholars to study any eligible Master’s degree at over 150 British universities, plus access to a wide range of exclusive academic, professional and cultural experiences.
Since the programme was launched in 1983, more than 57,000 professionals have advanced their careers through Chevening. By the 2025/2026 academic year, there are approximately 1,500 scholarships available worldwide, demonstrating the UK’s commitment to developing tomorrow’s leaders.
Applications open
Chevening is open for applications until 4 November 2024 at 8pm in Chile. For information on eligibility criteria and scholarship details, please visit http://www.chevening.org.
Notes to editors
Chevening Scholarships are the UK government’s global scholarship programme, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and partner organisations. The scholarships fund one-year Masters degrees at British universities for people with potential to become future leaders, decision-makers and opinion-formers.
Chevening began in 1983 and has grown into a prestigious international scholarship programme. Chevening scholars come from more than 160 countries and territories around the world. In the last five years, Chevening has awarded more than 8,000 scholarships. There are more than 57,000 Chevening Alumni worldwide who form an influential and prestigious global network.
Further information
For more information about the activities of the British Embassy in Santiago, follow us on:
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been charged with bribery and fraud following a spiraling federal investigation into his administration.
Among other accusations, federal prosecutors alleged in their September 2024 indictment that Adams received campaign donations from the Turkish government for his 2021 mayoral race and sought to conceal these illegal foreign contributions.
And as we document in our new podcast, “Scandalized,” discovering campaign finance violations is often just the first chapter in a much wilder story.
Why campaign finance law matters
The U.S. has federal rules that govern how political campaigns can raise and spend money in U.S. elections. For example, they limit how much money individuals and groups can contribute to candidates’ campaigns. Federal rules also restrict how campaign funds may be used and require the disclosure of all campaign expenditures, ensuring candidates can’t spend campaign money on whatever they want.
Legally, candidates may use campaign donations on expenses directly related to their race for office. Allowable expenditures include advertising, travel and costs related to fundraising, such as renting an event space or buying food for guests. Candidates may use excess campaign funds after the election is over to pay down outstanding loans, or they can transfer it to other campaigns or party organizations.
Campaign funds may not, however, be spent at any time on purely personal expenses. Candidates cannot pay their mortgage or rent out of their election war chest, or purchase clothing or household supplies.
The disgraced former U.S. Rep. George Santos, a Republican from New York, was a particularly egregious violator of the rules related to personal expenses.
Santos pleaded guilty in August 2024 to nearly two dozen counts of campaign finance violations – a smorgasbord of crimes. According to The New York Times, he rerouted “tens of thousands of dollars of campaign money toward personal expenses, including luxury goods, Atlantic City casinos, rent payments and a website primarily known for explicit sexual content.”
Santos, who served for just under a year until he was expelled from Congress in December 2023, is a prime example of how the complicated U.S. campaign finance system can unearth other, even more scandalous actions by politicians.
Former U.S. Rep. George Santos outside court after pleading guilty to 23 felony counts on Aug. 19, 2024, in West Islip, N.Y. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
A window into bigger scandals
A key element of campaign finance law is disclosure. Candidates must publicly report donations over US$200, for example, and document everything they spend those donations on during and after their campaigns.
For former U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter Jr., a California Republican, failure to comply with disclosure laws during his 2016 election campaign resulted in a federal investigation. The Justice Department found that Hunter used campaign donations to fund family vacations, video game purchases and hotel rooms for multiple extramarital affairs. In 2020, he was sentenced to 11 months in prison.
Former President Donald Trump’s longtime lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, also failed to disclose a contribution to his boss’s 2016 presidential campaign. But the real scandal was what that money actually went for: paying adult film actress Stormy Daniels for her silence about an alleged affair with Trump in 2006. Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to making an unlawful contribution.
Many, if not most, campaign finance violations are minor. Small mistakes such as filing a late donor disclosure report or miscategorizing an expense usually incur little more than a small fine.
When technical campaign finance violations shed light on a big scandal, however, they attract attention. Voters and the media latch onto the fact that not only are donors’ funds not going where they intended, but in many cases the money has been spent to subsidize candidates’ personal misbehavior and corrupt activity.
High-profile political scandals erode the public trust
Just about every recent survey shows Americans’ levels of faith and trust in government at historic lows. In the 1960s, three-quarters of voters said they trusted the government to do the right thing most or all of the time. Today, only one-fifth do.
Unseemly behavior by politicians, including by candidates who misspend their supporters’ donations, may contribute to this declining trust. Americans have real fears about money in politics. For example, 84% of Americans worry that wealthy lobbyists and interest groups have undue influence on elections, and 80% say campaign donations have corrupting effects on politicians.
Even when candidates aren’t technically breaking the law, they often use campaign funds in ways donors may not realize – or appreciate.
Sometimes, investigations into seemingly technical campaign violations uncover a wilder story. Filo via Getty
The bottom line: Donations made to help a candidate win their race are not always going where donors actually intended or believed they would.
Still, the U.S. political climate is so polarized that these scandals may not dramatically affect voters’ decision-making. Political scientists sometimes refer to today’s voters as “calcified” in their partisan identities, meaning they are so loyal to their own party that campaign-finance violations and other scandals cannot change their views much.
Research shows voters are also increasingly motivated not so much by their support or affection for their own party but rather by their fear and loathing of the other party. As a result, partisan voters are willing to accept or forgive scandalous behavior from their own side in the interest of beating the opposition. Hardcore partisans are also adept at finding ways to justify or rationalize these transgressions.
With record amounts of money flowing in and out of political campaigns in 2024, the coming months are bound to bring more campaign finance scandals. But our research indicates they are unlikely to have major effects at the polling station.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
In recent months, Vladimir Putin and his proxies have been foreshadowing a change in Russia’s nuclear doctrine. This is the set of rules that spells out when and how his country might resort to the use of its nuclear arsenal, which is currently the largest in the world. Most recently his deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said the revisions to the rulebook were “connected with the escalation course of our western adversaries”. In other words: it’s not us, it’s you.
You don’t have to read too much between the lines to discern a connection between the growing clamour by some in the west to allow Ukraine to use western long-range missiles against targets deep inside Russia and Russia’s decision to reconsider under what circumstances it would use its nuclear arsenal.
Over the past couple of years – since shortly after he initiated Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine – Putin and his inner circle have regularly invoked Russia’s nuclear deterrent, writes Christoph Bluth, an expert in nuclear proliferation and international security at the University of Bradford. All it seems to take is for the west to agree another large package of funding, or change the terms of its aid to Kyiv for the Kremlin to dust off the doomsday scenario.
So it comes as little surprise that, shortly after Volodymr Zelensky gave his impassioned speech to the United Nations general assembly yesterday restating his country’s urgent need for more support and more latitude in how to use it, Putin announced his country’s new “draft” nuclear doctrine. Henceforth, he said, Russia would consider using nuclear weapons if it was attacked by any state with conventional weapons. The trigger for the launch of nuclear missiles against Ukraine or any of its allies, he said, would be “reliable information about a massive launch of aerospace attack means and their crossing of our state border”.
Bluth recounts how, earlier this month, one of Putin’s proxies, Alexander Mikhailov, the director of the Bureau of Military Political Analysis, recently called for Russia to “bomb plywood mock-ups of London and Washington to simulate a nuclear attack, so that it would ‘burn so beautifully that it will horrify the world’.” Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russia’s lower house, said that any attacks against Russia would prompt it to respond with nuclear weapons. He is reported to have added – with what appears to have been ghastly relish – that the European parliament in Strasbourg was “only a three-minute flight for a Russian nuclear missile”.
It’s tempting to dismiss Russia’s threats as just so much sabre-rattling. And there have been plenty of voices in the west urging leaders to defy Putin’s threats. After Ukraine launched its lightning raid into Russia’s Kursk province in August, Zelensky said it was clear that Russia’s red lines were a bluff. He said: “The naive, illusory concept of so-called red lines regarding Russia, which dominated the assessment of the war by some partners, has crumbled apart these days.”
Colin Alexander, a specialist in political commnunications at Nottingham Trent University, believes that since the end of the cold war the focus of what he calls “fear propaganda” has changed. It has moved away from the prospect of nuclear annihilation to “other threats, such as extremism, pandemics and migration”.
But anyone who grew up during the cold war will remember the omnipresent fear of the “three-minute warning” regularly reinforced by government messaging, TV documentaries and dramas. These all served to remind everyone that a nuclear holocaust was only a series of wrongheaded decisions away. It’s that atmosphere of peril, writes Alexander, which makes a leader’s threats believable.
And the “madman theory” which holds that only an unstable leader would contemplate pushing the button, has helped lull people into the idea that a nuclear conflict is indeed unthinkable, because surely no leader would be mad enough. But Alexander concludes by citing the one leader who actually did drop a nuclear bomb in an enemy:
US president Harry S. Truman pushed the button in 1945. He was then given detailed reports of the death and destruction that his decision caused to Hiroshima. Then he pushed the button again to annihilate Nagasaki.
Zelensky’s speech to the UN general assembly was compelling and moving in equal measure. He warned of intelligence reports that Russia was preparing to target Ukraine’s nuclear power plants as part of its campaign to wreck the country’s energy infrastructure before winter. He mourned for the children of Ukraine, who “are learning to distinguish the sounds of different types of artillery and drones because of Russia’s war”. And he restated his ten-point plan for peace, which involves Russia withdrawing from all the lands it has occupied since 2014.
But, Stefan Wolff notes, a growing number of countries are lining up behind a peace plan proposed earlier in the year by China and Brazil, which would freeze the conflict along the existing frontlines before proceeding to negotiations.
The state of the conflict in Ukraine as at September 25. Institute for the Study of War
Wolff, an expert in international security at the University of Birmingham, believes this plan is deeply flawed. For one thing it would inevitably involve Kyiv being forced to give up territory illegally annexed by Russia. It would also give Russia time to regroup, rearm and train extra troops and would almost certainly not guarantee a lasting peace, but would simply stave off another Russian assault on Ukraine.
But Zelensky faces two key problems which make his diplomatic mission that much harder. His voice is in danger of being drowned out by the conflict in the Middle East, which appears almost inevitably bound for a ground war in Lebanon in days to come. And the prospect of Donald Trump winning a second term in about six weeks’ time, means that the days of Washington as Kyiv’s staunchest partner could well be coming to an end.
As the conflict drags on – 31 months and counting – there is evidence that some Ukrainians would give up territory in return for peace and an end to the killing. Our team of political scientists, Kristin M. Bakke of UCL, Gerard Toal of Virginia Tech and John O’Loughlin of University of Colorado Boulder, have been polling Ukrainians since the invasion and have detected a definite shift in attitudes towards the conflict.
While most Ukrainians still hate the idea of having to give up territory to Russia, support for the proposition that Ukraine should “continue opposing Russian aggression until all Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, is liberated” had fallen from 71% in 2022 to 51% now. And, while in 2022 just 11% of respondents agreed with “trying to reach an immediate ceasefire by both sides with conditions and starting intensive negotiations”, that number had almost tripled in the most recent polling.
Interestingly, the researchers note, while most people they spoke with professed unchanged support for their country’s war effort, a growing number said they were worried that their fellow Ukrainians were beginning to suffer from war-weariness.
Russia is already calling for more territory in eastern Ukraine in the form of a “buffer zone” around Ukraine’s second city, Kharkiv in the north-east of the country. This, the Kremlin claims, is to protect Russian towns from shelling and missile attacks from Ukrainian territory.
Interestingly, writes Iain Farquharson, a security expert and military historian at Brunel University London, Israel has also proposed setting up a buffer zone in southern Lebanon, to protect Israelis living near the the country’s northern border from Hezbollah missile barrages.
Farquharson considers the history of buffer zones in the Middle East and beyond. Firstly, buffer zones rarely live up to their supposed function – as Afghanistan’s misfortune to be between British India and southern Russia in the 19th century and Lebanon’s bad luck to be between Syria and Israel in the 1960s and 1970s amply demonstrate.
But what Russia and Israel are proposing are not so much buffer zones as land grabs, pure and simple. There’s no sense that either country is willing to contribute any of its own territory to these so-called demilitarised areas (or that they’ll actually be demilitarised). They should, he writes, “instead primarily be seen as a way of formalising control over contested territory to protect their home bases, which would give them a military advantage”.
Today the Right Honourable John Healey MP, Secretary of State for Defence, United Kingdom hosted the Honourable Richard Marles MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Australia and the Honorable Lloyd J. Austin III, Secretary of Defense, United States (U.S.) at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London, the United Kingdom (UK) to review progress in and reaffirm their commitment to the AUKUS partnership.
The AUKUS partnership reflects the continued commitment by Australia, the United Kingdom, and United States to support a free and open Indo-Pacific that is peaceful, secure and stable. The discussions between the Secretaries and Deputy Prime Minister today reaffirmed the importance of this innovative, enduring, and trusted partnership in the face of a rapidly evolving and increasingly unstable international security environment. The three nations will continue to work to uphold the global rules-based order where international law is followed, and states can make sovereign choices free from coercion. In this context, they reiterated their shared commitments to the AUKUS partnership for the decades to come and welcomed the progress made since AUKUS Defence Ministers last met in California, the United States, in December 2023.
Pillar I – Conventionally Armed, Nuclear-Powered Submarines (SSNs)
In March of 2023, our Heads of Government met to announce a comprehensive plan to support Australia’s acquisition of a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability as quickly as possible. Since that announcement, our three governments have worked shoulder-to-shoulder to refine the milestones and principles that will form the building blocks for this decades-long partnership.
The Secretaries and Deputy Prime Minister reiterated their shared and enduring commitment to setting the highest nuclear non-proliferation standard, and the importance of this work to the success of the programme. They undertook to continue AUKUS partners’ open, and transparent engagement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and noted the ongoing bilateral negotiations between the IAEA and Australia to develop a robust safeguards and verification approach for Australia’s naval nuclear propulsion programme under Article 14 of Australia’s Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA.
Over the last year, our Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Royal Navy (RN), and U.S. Navy personnel have worked tirelessly across governments, defence industry, and academic institutions to optimise the training of personnel to maintain, sustain, operate, and crew nuclear-powered submarines. The Secretaries and Deputy Prime Minister reiterated that the delivery of the “Optimal Pathway” depends upon the skilled workforces of all three countries and reaffirmed their shared commitment to develop a robust base of skills across their military, civilian and industrial sectors.
More than 60 RAN personnel are currently in various stages of the U.S. nuclear-powered submarine SSN training pipeline to equip a cadre of Australian officers and sailors with experience aboard the U.S. Virginia class SSNs that the RAN will own and operate from the early 2030s. These numbers will increase further in 2025, with more than 100 personnel commencing training. Six officers have completed all training and have been assigned to U.S. Virginia class submarines. RAN enlisted sailors will join U.S. submarine crews before the end of this year.
In the United Kingdom, three RAN officers completed the UK Nuclear Reactor course in July 2024 and are now assigned to UK Astute class submarines. The next group of RAN officers will commence training in the UK in November 2024.
The RN, with the support of the Australian Submarine Agency, has also delivered professional and general naval nuclear propulsion training for more than 250 Australian personnel in Canberra.
Australians have embedded into programme delivery teams in the UK Ministry of Defence and with Rolls-Royce Submarines. Australians are also currently embedded in U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program teams.
In July and September 2024, Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard welcomed the first 40 ASC Pty Ltd personnel into its training pipeline with the expectation of more than 100 additional ASC Pty Ltd employees by mid-2025.
The Australian Government has committed to nearly AUD 250 million to start delivering the skills and workforce needed for its SSN program, including providing 4,001 Commonwealth Supported Places at Australian universities, in addition to 3,000 undergraduate scholarships over six years, to build the necessary Australian Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics workforce.
Additional programs have seen more than 70 Australians supported to undertake postgraduate nuclear studies at universities in the United Kingdom, United States, and Australia.
Australia has also recently announced the “Jobs for Subs” initiative, a government-funded program to evolve ASC Pty Ltd to recruit, train and retain approximately 200 additional graduates, apprentices and trainees to support Submarine Rotational Force-West (SRF-West) in Western Australia.
Recognising that our partners in defence industry are and will remain vital to this endeavour, the Secretaries and Deputy Prime Minister discussed opportunities to maximize our efforts to foster collaboration and build resilience across our industrial bases and supply chains. They welcome the collaboration between BAE Systems (BAES) and ASC Pty Ltd to bring together their combined decades of submarine building to deliver the SSN-AUKUS programme.
The U.S. Government decided to invest USD 17.5 billion into its submarine industrial base to support initiatives related to supplier development, shipbuilder and supplier infrastructure, workforce development, technology advancements, and strategic sourcing.
Australia has also committed to invest over AUD 30 billion in the Australian defence industrial base to develop Australia’s supply chains and facilitate industry participation in U.S. and UK supply chains.
His Majesty’s Government announced an initial allocation of £4 billion from the United Kingdom to continue the detailed design work of SSN-AUKUS and order long-lead items, as well as the United Kingdom’s investment of £3 billion across its Defence Nuclear Enterprise, including the construction of submarine industrial infrastructure that will help to deliver the SSN-AUKUS programme.
The Secretaries and Deputy Prime Minister welcomed the AUKUS partners’ commitment to accelerate opportunities for Australian industry in the Virginia class submarine supply chain, including through the Defence Industry Vendor Qualification Program and other industry collaboration initiatives. They welcomed ongoing efforts to encourage further industrial base partnerships to build resiliency across the trilateral Submarine Industrial Base.
This August, as a direct result of our close collaboration over this year, our three nations commenced the execution of the first-ever planned maintenance activity of a U.S. SSN in Australia. More than 30 RAN personnel worked alongside U.S. Navy and contractor personnel and UK observers to conduct routine maintenance and observe safety and stewardship evolutions. This was an important step in building Australia’s capacity to support a rotational presence of UK and U.S. SSNs at SRF-West beginning as early as 2027, as well as Australia’s future sovereign SSN capability.
The Secretaries and Deputy Prime Minister emphasised the importance of ensuring that our trilateral systems have the tools they need to transfer information and data in a timely fashion to facilitate cooperation. They were pleased to welcome the August 2024 signing of an enabling agreement for trilateral cooperation related to naval nuclear propulsion. Once in force, this historic agreement will enable AUKUS partners to go beyond sharing naval nuclear propulsion information, allowing the United States and the United Kingdom to transfer nuclear-propulsion material and equipment to Australia required for the safe and secure construction, operation, and sustainment of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines.
This agreement reaffirms, and remains consistent with, the AUKUS partners’ respective, existing international non-proliferation obligations. As a non-nuclear-weapon State Party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Australia has re-affirmed unequivocally that it does not have, and will not seek to acquire, nuclear weapons.
Pillar II – Advanced Capabilities
The Secretaries and Deputy Prime Minister hailed progress being made under Pillar II to deliver capability to our defence forces while bolstering industry and innovation sector collaboration. AUKUS nations continue to pool the talents of our defence sectors to catalyse, at an unprecedented pace, the delivery of advanced capabilities.
Through AUKUS Pillar II, our trilateral science and technology, acquisition and sustainment, and operational communities are working across the full spectrum of capability development—generating requirements, co-developing new systems, deepening industrial base collaboration, and bolstering our innovation ecosystems. The Secretaries and Deputy Prime Minister welcomed progress made in building a more capable, combined joint force of the future because of this work.
This year, under the Maritime Big Play initiative, we are undertaking a series of integrated trilateral experiments and exercises to enhance interoperability and accelerate the combined fielding of autonomous uncrewed systems in the maritime domain. Later this year, the three nations will bring together approximately 30 systems across four domains for the first large-scale AUKUS integrated demonstration. The Secretaries and Deputy Prime Minister welcomed the inclusion of technologies from companies in each of the three nations and plans to expand to include additional industry partners in the future.
In 2024, AUKUS partners furthered their undersea warfare capabilities by beginning to scale up the ability to launch and recover uncrewed underwater systems from torpedo tubes on current classes of British and U.S. submarines, which will increase the range and capability of our undersea forces. AUKUS partners are exploring opportunities to collaborate on sensors and payloads to maximize this capability and deliver effects such as strike, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
In parallel, the United Kingdom and the United States are strengthening superiority in the maritime domain by integrating the Sting Ray lightweight torpedo into the P-8A Maritime Patrol Aircraft alongside the Mk 54 torpedo, with trials planned for 2025. This will increase the opportunity for interchangeability and potential work on future torpedo programmes. These efforts will ultimately enhance the survivability of our surface combatant and submarine fleets.
In the area of long-range precision strike, we are increasing our collective ability to develop and deliver offensive and defensive hypersonic technologies through a robust series of trilateral tests and experiments that will accelerate the development of hypersonic concepts and critical enabling technologies. These capabilities will hold time critical and heavily defended targets at risk from increased ranges, enhancing the survivability of our forces and defending our homelands and forces against potential threats.
Advancing our maritime domain autonomy and decision advantage efforts, AUKUS partners demonstrated and deployed common advanced artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms on P8-A Maritime Patrol aircraft to process data from each nations’ sonobuoys. These advances allow for faster data processing and improved target identification in congested acoustic environments, enhancing our combined anti-submarine warfare capabilities. The Secretaries and Deputy Prime Minister welcomed plans to scale these technologies in 2025.
Our joint forces demonstrated several innovative uses of AI technologies to enhance decision making and bolster combined military effects. In March, AUKUS partners demonstrated the ability to rapidly co-develop and deploy trilateral AI algorithms to find and fix targets for strike. The Secretaries and Deputy Prime Minister welcomed trilateral plans to explore the introduction of these capabilities into operational units in the coming years.
The International Joint Requirements Oversight Council (I-JROC) remains a critical collaborative forum to identify and validate joint and combined requirements to ensure capability development considers interoperability and interchangeability from the very start. The Secretaries and Deputy Prime Minister welcomed the establishment of trilaterally determined key operational problems, leveraging existing activities to achieve capability development priorities endorsed by I-JROC. AUKUS partners seek:
An enhanced multi-domain long-range strike capability that incorporates asymmetric capabilities and integrated targeting;
Strengthened multi-domain integrated air and missile defence capability;
Resilient command and control systems that maintain a diverse range of information; and
Enhanced logistical networks that are able to deliver persistent support and sustainment for operations in contested environments.
To this end, the Secretaries and Deputy Prime Minister welcomed work underway across our trilateral Armies, Navies, and Air Forces to explore additional opportunities for collaboration in the land, maritime, air, and other domains under AUKUS Pillar II.
A cornerstone of our AUKUS Pillar II program remains the opportunity to leverage the best of our defence industrial bases and innovation ecosystems. Over the past year we have further integrated our innovation ecosystems and fostered increased collaboration with these stakeholder communities to explore opportunities in all aspects of Pillar II.
AUKUS partners executed the first trilaterally sponsored innovation prize challenge, which focused on electronic warfare. The Secretaries and Deputy Prime Minister are pleased to announce Advanced Design Technology Pty Ltd, Inovor Technologies Pty Ltd and Penten Pty Ltd (AUS), Amiosec Ltd, University of Liverpool, Roke Manor Research Ltd, Autonomous Devices Ltd (UK), and Distributed Spectrum (U.S.) as the winners for this challenge. The selection of these companies demonstrates the important contributions that our trilateral commercial sectors and innovation bases can make in addressing critical operational requirements.
Building on the success of this first challenge, the Secretaries and Deputy Prime Minister were pleased to endorse plans for a robust two-year agenda that will increase collaboration between and among our innovation centres of excellence. Through this collaboration, AUKUS partners will leverage innovative tools to reach our entrepreneurs and actively solicit new and powerful capabilities from our trilateral innovation ecosystem and industrial base.
In coordination with industry associations representing the trilateral defence industrial base, the Advanced Capabilities Industry Forum, continues to provide an opportunity for representatives across government and industry to exchange ideas and deepen industrial collaboration in Pillar II. By the end of this year, AUKUS partners will have convened meetings in each country and facilitated discussions with technology and policy subject matter experts to increase understanding and information sharing.
In response to industry feedback and as current projects mature beyond traditional research and development projects, the National Armaments Directors from each nation are identifying opportunities to harmonise acquisition processes and reducing barriers to facilitate the accelerated delivery of Pillar II advanced capabilities.
In April 2024, the Secretaries and Deputy Prime Minister announced principles for engaging additional partners on opportunities to collaborate on AUKUS Pillar II projects. The Secretaries and Deputy Prime Minister welcomed progress on consultations with Japan on improving interoperability with Japan’s maritime autonomous systems as an initial area of cooperation. The Secretaries and Deputy Prime Minister noted ongoing consultations with Canada, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea to identify possibilities for collaboration on advanced capabilities under AUKUS Pillar II on a project by project basis.
Defence trade and industrial base collaboration
To promote innovation and realise the goals of AUKUS, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States implemented momentous amendments to our respective export control regimes. These historic efforts will maximise secure, licence-free defence trade and stimulate innovation across the full breadth of our defence collaboration, mutually strengthening our three defence industrial bases, while maintaining rigour and security in all three systems. The Secretaries and Deputy Prime Minister reaffirmed support to reduce bureaucratic barriers to collaboration to enable deeper defence industrial base cooperation.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he is cosponsoring legislation that would help ensure college students in Oregon and nationwide can meet their basic needs while pursuing their education.
The Basic Assistance for Students in College (BASIC) Act aims to combat the basic needs crisis by allocating funding to help students access nutritious food, safe and secure housing, mental and physical health care, high-quality and affordable child care, technology, transportation, personal hygiene, and other necessities. The bill also directs the federal government to streamline data sharing across agencies to help qualifying students access aid.
“Way too often, young people are forced to make the impossible choice of affording their basic needs or pursuing their educational dreams,” Wyden said. “No student should ever have to question if they’ll have a roof over their heads, food to eat, and the ability to go to the doctor when they need to. This legislation is a big step towards addressing that struggle by providing grant money and resources so they can stay in school and have what they need to thrive.”
A 2024 Government Accountability Office report found that in 2020, nearly 3.8 million college students faced food insecurity, and almost 60 percent of those likely eligible were not receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
The introduction comes as House Republicans push to cut funding for essential health and education programs. Among the targeted areas is the U.S. Department of Education’s Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students Program, a crucial part of the BASIC Act. This legislation is designed to provide students with the support they need, ensuring their basic needs are met while pursuing higher education. Without this critical funding, many students could face additional barriers to completing their degrees and achieving economic mobility.
U.S. Senators Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., are leading the bill in the Senate. Along with Wyden, the BASIC Act is cosponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawai’i, Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.
Representative Norma J. Torres, D-Calif., led the introduction of the BASIC Act in the House.
The legislation is endorsed by the American Council on Education, California Community Colleges, Communities for Our Colleges, Complete College America, the Community Food Bank of San Benito County, Excelencia in Education, Food for People, Generation Hope, Hunger Free America Inc., Institute of Higher Education Policy, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, Michelson Center for Public Policy, National College Attainment Network, New America, Higher Education Policy Program, Nourish California, Ohio Association of Foodbanks, One Family, SchoolHouse Connection, Swipe Out Hunger, Today’s Students Coalition, the California State University, University of California, University of California Student Association, and Waukegan to College.
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Vinita Srivastava, Senior Editor, Culture + Society / Host + Exec. Producer, Don’t Call Me Resilient
On Sept. 30, Canada will observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Formerly known as Orange Shirt Day, the now federal statutory day honours generations of Indigenous survivors, families and communities impacted by Canada’s residential school system and remembers the children who never returned home. It’s also a good time to honour the “Truth” in Truth and Reconciliation and check in on Canada’s progress on the 94 Calls to Action that came out of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee.
Here at Don’t Call Me Resilient, we’ve curated a playlist of episodes for you that explore the historical and current issues of Indigenous communities. Through the voices of experts, the playlist features discussions related to Indigenous history, justice, rights and resistance. In each episode, Indigenous scholars and experts present their research and ideas to help explain the issues. They dive deep into conversations about the importance of preserving and protecting Indigenous land, life and identity.
As a collection, these episodes invite listeners to engage in a process of learning and unlearning; to acknowledge the tragic legacies of residential schools in Canada and to move beyond a single day of remembrance. Individually, the conversations are thoughtful and informative explorations of Indigenous scholarship, living history and the future of reconciliation in Canada.
In this episode, two Indigenous land defenders from different nations as well as generations: Ellen Gabriel, a human rights activist and artist well known for her role during the 1990 Oka crisis, and Anne Spice, a professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, discuss the importance and urgency of defending land. They explain why they work to protect the land against invasive development and why their work is necessary for everyone’s survival. Also, check out Gabriel’s forthcoming book with Sean Carleton: When the Pine Needles Fall. (first aired: March, 2021)
Stories are a powerful tool to resist oppressive situations. They give writers from marginalized communities a way to imagine alternate realities, and to critique the one we live in. In this episode, Vinita speaks to two storytellers who offer up wonderous “otherworlds” for Indigenous and Black people. Selwyn Seyfu Hinds is an L.A-based screenwriter and the producer of Esi Edugyan’s Washington Black. Daniel Heath Justice is professor in Indigenous literature at the University of British Columbia and author of Why Indigenous Literatures Matter.
Over the last few years, we’ve seen a lot of high-profile figures accused of falsely claiming Indigenous identity, of being “Pretendians.” These cases have become big news stories, but they have big real-life consequences, too. Misidentifying as Indigenous can have financial and social consequences, with the misdirection of funds, jobs or grants meant for Indigenous peoples. Vinita delves into it all with two researchers who look at identity and belonging in Indigenous communities: Veldon Coburn and Celeste Pedri-Spade from McGill University. (first aired: October, 2021)
The state of our environment keeps getting scarier and scarier: and we have yet to find a way forward. Two Indigenous scholars who run labs to address the climate crisis say bringing an Indigenous understanding to environmental justice could help us get unstuck. A big part of that is seeing pollution through a new lens — one that acknowledges it is as much about racism and colonialism as it is toxic chemicals. Vinita talks to Michelle Murphy at the University of Toronto, and Max Liboiron, author of Pollution is Colonialism, and associate professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland. (first aired: November, 2021)
Over 17 per cent of households in Canada are food insecure. For racialized Canadians, that number is higher — two to three times the national average. In this episode, Vinita asks what is happening with our food systems, and what we can do to make them fairer with two women who have been tackling this issue for years. Melana Roberts is Chair of Food Secure Canada and one of the leaders behind Canada’s first Black food sovereignty plan. Also joining the conversation is Tabitha Robin Martens, assistant professor at UBC’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems. Martens researches Indigenous food sovereignty and works with Cree communities to bolster traditional land uses. (first aired: November, 2021)
In this episode, we take a look at what has happened since the unmarked graves of 215 Indigenous children were found in Kamloops, B.C. in May 2021. Vinita speaks to Veldon Coburn, associate professor and faculty chair of the Indigenous Relations Initiative at McGill University about what happened, the widespread grief and outcry and the immediate political response, but also, how none of that lasted despite communities continuing to find bodies. Joining Vinita on the episode is Haley Lewis, then-Don’t Call Me Resilient producer and culture and society editor for The Conversation Canada. Lewis is mixed Kanyen’keha:ká from Tyendinaga and led our coverage of the findings. (first aired: May, 2022)
Since diamond mining started in Canada in 1998, Canada has become the third-largest producer of diamonds in the world. In 2019, the inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls linked resource extraction to spikes in violence against women. In this episode, we hear from two women who talk about how diamond mines in the Northwest Territories have negatively impacted and perpetuated gender violence, particularly among Indigenous women. Vinita chats with Rebecca Hall, assistant professor of global development studies at Queen’s University and the author of Refracted Economies: Diamond Mining and Social Reproduction in the North, and Della Green, former victim services co-ordinator, at the Native Women’s Association of the Northwest Territories. (first aired: June, 2022)
After weeks of the so-called Freedom Convoy in 2022, many of us took a hard look at the symbolism of the Canadian flag and the attempt to associate it with white supremacy. Some felt a new fear or anger at what they feel the flag represents. But other communities say they have always felt this way about the Canadian flag. Both our guests on this episode have studied multiculturalism, citizenship and belonging. Daniel McNeil looks at history and culture and the complexities of global Black communities. He is a professor and Queen’s National Scholar Chair in Black Studies at Queen’s University. Lucy El-Sherif is an assistant professor of global peace and social justice at McMaster University. They help us unpack the meaning and symbolism of the Canadian flag. (first aired: June, 2022)
For decades, Canadian media have covered Indigenous communities with a heavy reliance on stereotypes — casting Indigenous Peoples as victims or warriors. This deep-seated bias in the news can have unsettling consequences for both how a community perceives itself as well as how others perceive them. Award-winning Anishinaabe journalist and former CBC reporter Duncan McCue is trying to change that both in the classroom and in the newsroom. He joins Vinita to talk about what Canadian media could be doing better. (first aired: November, 2022)
When the Queen died, there was a tremendous outpouring of love and grief for her and the monarchy she represented. But not everyone wanted to take a moment of silence — and there are a lot of reasons why. For example, the head of the Assembly of First Nations, RoseAnne Archibald told CTV News that the Royal Family should apologize for the failures of the Crown… “particularly for the destructiveness of colonization on First Nations people.” To explore these ideas further, we reached out to two scholars, Veldon Coburn, associate professor and faculty chair of the Indigenous Relations Initiative at McGill University and Cheryl Thompson, an associate professor of media and culture at Toronto Metropolitan University. Both say that the Queen’s death could be a uniting moment of dissent for people from current and former colonies. (first aired: September, 2022)
In 2023, the Vatican repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery, a 500-year-old decree used to justify settler colonialism. In this episode, political and Indigenous studies scholar Veldon Coburn explains why the Vatican’s repudiation of the Doctrine is a huge symbolic victory. We also examine what this repudiation may mean for members of Indigenous Nations, what prompted this renouncement, and what still needs to happen. (first aired: April, 2023)
In this episode, we explore how the practice of gardening is deeply tied to colonialism that affects what we plant and also, who gets to garden. But there is also a growing understanding that centuries-old Indigenous land-based knowledge and practices can foster a more resilient landscape. We speak to community activist Carolynne Crawley — a woman with Mi’kmaw, Black and Irish ancestry who leads workshops and walks that integrate Indigenous teachings into practice — and Jacqueline L. Scott — a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education whose research focuses on the wilderness and making it a welcoming space for Black people. We discuss a new way forward, discussing practical gardening tips with an eye to Indigenous knowledge. (first aired: May, 2023)
Botanical classification; 227 figures of plant anatomical segments with descriptive text. CC BY
This episode tackles why the revitalization of Indigenous languages is so critical. Guest host Veldon Coburn speaks with Frank Deer, professor of education at the University of Manitoba, to tackle the issue of disappearing Indigenous languages. They delve into how language reflects philosophies that guide political, cultural and ecological relationships — and discuss what more needs to be done to revitalize them. (first aired: June, 2023)
In this episode, we take you inside the ongoing quest to document the children who died in Canada’s Indian Residential Schools system. Vinita speaks to Terri Cardinal, associate vice president of Indigenous initiatives and engagement at MacEwan University, about the search she led to uncover the unmarked graves of those who perished at the Blue Quills Residential School in Alberta. It’s deeply personal and emotional work for Cardinal, whose own father is a survivor of the school. Cardinal talks about what she found, how she felt, and what she hopes will come of it. She says the number of unmarked graves across the country is much higher than many of us could have imagined. And she says it’s important to keep shining a light on the rising numbers, especially with so many Canadians in denial about what really happened at these schools. (first aired: September, 2023)
Students at Blue Quills Residential School. Provincial Archives of Alberta, CC BY
Musician Buffy Sainte-Marie in 1970. CMA/wikicommons, CC BY
Lori Campbell, a ‘60s Scoop survivor and associate vice president of Indigenous engagement at the University of Regina, challenges the CBC’s motives in releasing an investigation that questioned the Indigenous roots of legendary singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie in this episode. Campbell asks: was the story in service of truth and reconciliation or a sensationalist headline? She also highlights the turmoil the story is causing, especially among Indigenous communities in Saskatchewan, home to the Piapot Nation that embraced Sainte-Marie. (first aired: November, 2023)
Plains Cree Chief Mistahimaskwa resisted signing a treaty with the ‘Crown,’ until starvation of his people propelled him to sign Treaty 6. (Library and Archives Canada), CC BY
Vinita speaks to two famine scholars about the use of starvation as a tool in the colonizer’s playbook through two historic examples — the attempted decimation of Indigenous populations in the Plains, North America and the 1943 famine in Bengal, India. Our guests James Daschuk from the University of Regina and Janam Mukherjee at Toronto Metropolitan University discuss how colonial forces inflicted famine upon Indigenous populations to control them, their land, and their resources. (first aired: March, 2024)
Reservation Dogs: Sarah Podemski and D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai. Shane Brown/FX
Indigenous media in North America have rapidly expanded over the last 30 years, with Indigenous media makers gaining greater control of their own narratives, including the ability to subvert colonial representations. Karrmen Crey, who is Stó:lō from Cheam First Nation, is an associate professor in the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, and the author of “Producing Sovereignty: The Rise of Indigenous Media in Canada.” In this special episode, recorded on-site with an audience in Vancouver at Iron Dog books, Crey speaks with Vinita about the ways Indigenous creators are using humour along with a sharp critique of pop culture to show just how different the world looks when decision-making power over how stories get told shifts and Indigenous media makers take control. (first aired: April, 2024)
MIAMI, Sept. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Time is running out to apply to participate in the Mark Cuban Foundation Artificial Intelligence (AI) Bootcamp hosted by Northeastern University in Miami. Applications for the no-cost bootcamp are closing September 30.
The Mark Cuban Foundation, in partnership with Northeastern University is bringing the only artificial intelligence (AI) camp of its kind, free of charge, to high school students in Miami. With a custom and highly relevant curriculum focused on teaching students about the latest developments in the world of AI and Generative AI, the camp will provide the tools to make these technologies work for them and promises to educate, inspire and fuel the next generation of AI professionals.
The program aims to provide students with a foundational understanding of artificial intelligence and its applications to future careers. Students can select from six tracks: healthcare, arts and entertainment, business and entrepreneurship, computer science, sports science, or education and career readiness. Driven by the belief that fostering interest in AI at a young age is crucial for preparing the next generation for their future, the AI Bootcamps are introductory and accessible to students in 9-12 grade with an interest in technology. Students do not need any familiarity with computer science or programming to attend.
This free AI Bootcamp is hosted for underserved high school students with a transparent focus on recruiting girls, students of color, first generation college students, and those from low to moderate income households. The AI Bootcamp Program provides students with lunch and a snack, transportation assistance, and technology equipment during bootcamp.
“As AI continues to become an undeniable force in all of our lives, it’s crucial that we open the door to this knowledge, especially to young people who want to explore it,” said Mark Cuban, founder. “While technology expands and becomes more advanced, it becomes more critical that we ensure our students are prepared when they apply for schools or jobs in the future. Thanks to our work with Northeastern University, the bootcamp will offer an avenue to explore this fascinating field of technology to any student, no matter their means.”
This year’s bootcamp will take place at the Miami campus on November 2nd, 9th, and 16th. Northeastern University is one of 30+ host companies selected to host camps across the US.
“We are excited to partner with the Mark Cuban Foundation and host its AI Bootcamp on our campus later this Fall,” said Maria Alonso, Regional Dean and CEO of Northeastern University Miami Campus. “Ensuring our community’s youth can learn more about artificial intelligence and its applications will establish a strong foundation to ensure they are ready and competitive as they continue their education and, eventually, enter the global workforce of the future.”
The September 30 deadline is quickly approaching. Do not miss your chance—submit your application now, as spaces are limited. Apply for the bootcamp at:markcubanai.org.
Watch Mark Cuban’s message about Mark Cuban Foundation’s AI bootcamps and access the full media kit here.
This bootcamp is facilitated with support from Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamp Program’s media partner, Notified, a globally trusted technology partner for investor relations, public relations and marketing professionals.
About Mark Cuban Foundation’s AI Bootcamp Initiative The Mark Cuban Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private non-profit led by entrepreneur and investor Mark Cuban. The AI Bootcamps Program at MCF seeks to inspire young people with emerging technology so that they can create more equitable futures for themselves and their communities. Over 3 consecutive Saturdays underserved 9th -12th grade students learn what AI is and isn’t, where they already interact with AI in their own lives, the ethical implications of AI systems, and much more. Learn more about the no-cost AI Bootcamp program at markcubanai.org.
About Northeastern University Founded in 1898, Northeastern University is a global research university with an R1 Carnegie classification, and the recognized leader in experiential lifelong learning. Northeastern’s global university system includes 13 campuses across the U.S., U.K., and Canada, and serves as a platform for scaling ideas, talent, and solutions. Students study, conduct research, and work on co-op in 149 countries and on all continents. The university has 300,000-plus alumni and more than 3,500 industry partners worldwide.
Source: United States Senator for Colorado Michael Bennet
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), members of the Senate Committee on Finance, introduced the bipartisan Child Care for American Families Act to strengthen the employer-provided child care credit and expand support for small and rural businesses.
“Child care costs are rising nationwide, and countless families lack access to affordable, high-quality child care. This makes things that much harder for working parents, strains families’ budgets, and adds undue stress for families with young children,” said Bennet. “The Child Care for American Families Act will help increase our country’s child care supply and reduce the number of Americans in child care deserts.”
“Many families across Tennessee and America are struggling to find reliable and affordable child care, and we need to incentivize businesses to invest in child-care services for their employees,” said Blackburn. “Our Child Care for American Families Act would help alleviate the financial burden of child-care costs by expanding and modernizing the Employer-Provided Child Care Tax Credit.”
This legislation expands the employer-provided child care credit and increases the existing credit to:
60 percent for businesses in eligible rural and low-income areas, for a maximum total credit of $1.2 million annually;
50 percent for small businesses, for a maximum total credit of $1 million annually; and
40 percent of the first $2 million in qualified child care expenses for a maximum total credit of $800,000 annually.
The legislation also directs the U.S. Department of the Treasury to issue guidance on multi-employer facilities.
In 2018, the Center for American Progress found that more than half—an estimated 51 percent—of the U.S. population lived in a childcare desert, with disproportionate impacts felt by low-income communities, Hispanic communities, and other communities of color. According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, 31.7 percent of children below the age of six with working parents do not have access to child care, while in rural communities, that number rises to 35.1 percent. According to the Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University and the National Women’s Law Center, increased investment in affordable child care would increase the number of women working full-time by 17 percent; this number jumps to 31 percent for women without a college degree.
Bennet has continuously worked to expand the Child Tax Credit to help families afford the rising cost of raising kids. Last year, Bennet joined House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) to call on the Internal Revenue Service to improve outreach promoting awareness of the Employer-Provided Child Care Credit. In 2021, Bennet also introduced the Military Childcare Expansion Act to expand access to child care for servicemembers and their families.
The legislation is endorsed by Save the Children, Colorado Executives Partnering to Invest in Children (EPIC), Kindercare, and Early Care & Education Consortium (ECEC).
The text of the bill is available HERE.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Today, Governor Ron DeSantis was joined by Major General John D. Haas, Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) Executive Director, and Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Purdue at the State Emergency Operations Center to provide updates ahead of landfall of Hurricane Helene. As of 8:00 am ET, Hurricane Helene’s maximum sustained winds have increased to 100 mph with higher gusts, making it a Category 2 hurricane. Additional strengthening is forecast, and Helene is expected to be a major hurricane when it reaches the Florida Big Bend coast tonight. Sixty-eight shelters are open throughout the state in preparation for severe impacts from Hurricane Helene, including 2 state-operated shelters in Tallahassee and DeFuniak Springs. These shelters have are housing over 2,500 residents from areas that may be severely affected by Hurricane Helene.
Governor DeSantis issued Executive Order 24-209 on September 24, updating EO 24-208 and declaring a state of emergency for 61 counties. This allows state officials to make critical resources available to communities ahead of any potential storm impacts.
Following Governor DeSantis’ request, FEMA approved the state’s pre-landfall disaster declaration request. This provides important federal resources and assistance, including personnel, equipment, and supplies, and makes available funding sources for emergency protective measures. The pre-landfall declaration request is for the 41 Florida counties included in Executive Order 24-208.
Voluntary and mandatory evacuation orders are in effect in multiple counties statewide. Residents need to evacuate if they are under a mandatory evacuation order. Counties under evacuation orders can be found at FloridaDisaster.org/EvacuationOrders.
Residents in the big bed area needing assistance finding or going to a shelter in the Big Bend region for Hurricane Helene can call (800) 729-3413. FDEM team members are conducting callbacks from messages received last night and accepting new calls today to facilitate shelter coordination. For additional resources and assistance, residents can call the State Assistance Information Line (SAIL) at (800) 342-3557. Assistance is available in English, Spanish, and Haitian-Creole.
Watches and warnings in effect include: Hurricane Warning: Western Alachua, coastal Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, coastal Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, western Marion, coastal Pasco, Suwannee, Taylor and Wakulla counties Hurricane Watch: Inland Citrus, inland Hernando, coastal Hillsborough, coastal Manatee, inland Pasco, Pinellas, coastal Sarasota Tropical Storm Warning: Central and eastern Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Calhoun, Charlotte, inland Citrus, Clay, Collier, DeSoto, Duval, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, inland Hernando, Hillsborough, Holmes, Indian River, Jackson, Lake, Lee, Miami-Dade, Monroe (including Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas), Manatee, central and eastern Marion, Martin, Nassau, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, inland Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Union, Volusia, Walton, Washington Storm Surge Warning: Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, Dixie, Franklin, Gulf, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Monroe, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, Taylor and Wakulla counties
To learn more, residents can visit FloridaDisaster.org/Guide. For updates on county resources available visit FloridaDisaster.org/Counties for a list of all 67 county emergency management contacts.
State Preparedness Efforts
The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) activated the State Emergency Operations Center to Level 1 on Tuesday, September 24, and is leading coordination efforts for the State Emergency Response Team.
The State Emergency Response Team is engaged in over 1,150 missions to assist counties in their preparation efforts. These missions accomplish vital tasks like staging response resources, protecting critical infrastructure facilities like hospitals and utility stations, and coordinating personnel statewide.
There are 35,000 shelf-stable meals staged near the anticipated area of storm impact, ready to deploy for response.
Seven Urban search and rescue task forces are ready to deploy.
The Florida National Guard (FLNG) has mobilized nearly 3,500 Soldiers and Airmen in preparation for Hurricane Helene and can surge to 5,500 if needed.
The FLNG is postured to provide logistics support, law enforcement support, route clearance, search and rescue, commodity distribution, flood mitigation, aviation and other support as needed by the state.
The Florida State Guard (FSG) has prepared the following:
250+ Soldiers ready to deploy.
10 shallow water vessel boat teams
7 flat-bottom-flood rescue skiffs
2 amphibious rescue vehicles
12 UTV’s
15 Cut and toss crews
7 search and rescue teams
2 UH-60 Blackhawk for daytime aerial assessment and logistics missions
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) has positioned all assets, including aircraft, and is ready to respond for reconnaissance and damage assessments, including all backup satellite and communications systems. Portable towers have been staged for emergency communications.
FDLE is prestaging Telecommunication Emergency Response Taskforces for response to ensure continuity of service of the 911 system.
FDLE’s Criminal Justice Information Services received permission from the FBI to allow law enforcement agencies to perform criminal history queries on behalf of emergency shelters to determine the suitability of shelter staff who may care for vulnerable populations (children, the elderly, the disabled).
Nearly 2,000 Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) team members work directly on storm response.
FDOT encourages drivers to download the FL511 app or visit FL511.com for road and bridge closures and potential detours that may be activated. Remember to always follow the direction of local law enforcement and emergency personnel.
FDOT issued an Emergency Order on September 23, lifting weight restrictions and allowing emergency response vehicles, including utility vehicles staging for rapid response, to bypass weigh stations.
FDOT Statewide Preparedness Efforts Include:
Road Ranger Service has expanded service to 24 hours in the storm impact areas.
890 team members conducting pre-storm preparations.
613 team members working in the field conducting pre-storm preparations.
245 pieces of heavy equipment are being used for pre-storm preparations.
307 team members staged for cut and toss operations
120 bridge inspectors staged for deployment
43 team members staged for UAV (drone) deployment
40 large pumps staged
688 generators staged to assist with traffic signal power
4 ITS trailers are staged.
Seaports:
Port Key West, Panama City, Port St. Joe, Tampa Bay, SeaPort Manatee, Port St. Pete, Port of Fernandina, JAXPORT, and Port Canaveral are closed waterside.
Airports: Some flight cancellations or delays are being reported. Check with airlines directly on specific flight updates. The following airports have suspended service:
Tallahassee International Airport (TLH)
Tampa International Airport (TPA)
St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE)
Railroads:
Amtrak: Silver Star and Silver Meteor routes (New York to Miami) will terminate in Jacksonville
Amtrak: Silver Star and Silver Meteor routes (Miami to New York) will originate in Jacksonville
SunRail service has been suspended.
Freight Rail: CSX will limit operations in the Tampa area.
Florida Gulf & Atlantic will shut down operations except the Pensacola area.
Apalachicola Northern and BayLine have suspended operations
First Coast Railroad will shut down operations on 9/27 .
The following transit providers have made the following schedule modifications.
Service Suspended: Lakeland Area Mass Transit (Citrus Connection), Manatee County Area Transit, Sarasota County Area (Breeze) Transit, Lee County (LeeTran), Charlotte County, Jacksonville Transit Authority (JTA) Skyway and St. Johns River Ferry, St. Johns County (Sunshine Line), Bay County (Bayway), StarMetro, Big Bend Transit, Wakulla County Transit, Jackson County (JTrans), Calhoun County Transit, Liberty County Transit, Gulf County ARC suspending, LYNX, Marion County Transit, Key West Lower Key Shuttle, Hillsborough County (HART), Pasco County, Hernando County (The Bus)
The Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs (FDVA) The VISN 8 Clinical Contact Center is operational 24/7/365 for virtual care and tele-emergency care and support to Veterans enrolled for VA Health Care in Florida. 1-877-741-3400. Visit https://department.va.gov/integrated-service-networks/visn-08 for more information.
Department of Management Services (DMS) is working to identify potential evacuation shelter sites for special needs and pet-friendly evacuees as far east as Lake City and west as Panama City.
Health and Human Services
The Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) is tracking APD-licensed group homes in impacted areas to ensure client safety from Hurricane Helene. APD will provide necessary guidance for re-entry when it is appropriate to do so.
The Florida Department of Health’s (DOH) is deploying over 135 emergency response vehicles. Staging is currently in Leon, Liberty, Osceola, and Pinellas counties.
DOH has prepared for Special Needs Shelter operations to begin in areas of Helene’s path. A press release has been sent statewide for additional information on special needs shelters. To find a shelter near you, please visit the county emergency management page here.
DOH and the Agency for Health Care Administration have initiated Patient Movement Mission to support medical transport and evacuations of health care facilities.
The State Surgeon General signed Emergency Order 24-002, which:
Waives competitive procurement requirements in order to procure commodities, goods, and services expeditiously in response to the emergency.
Permits emergency medical transportation services to operate across county lines.
Permits Paramedics, Emergency Medical Technicians, and Medical Directors, as defined by Chapter 401, Florida Statutes, licensed in other U.S. states, territories, or districts to practice in Florida in response to the emergency without penalty.
Authorizes a reporting extension for the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program.
Authorizes an extension of the upcoming licensure renewal deadlines for Nursing Home Administrators, Radiological Personnel, and Athletic Trainers until October 31, 2024.
DOH and the Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) sent information regarding early prescription refills permitted under Executive Order 24-209. This information was sent to the public, health insurers, managed care organizations, pharmacy benefit managers, pharmacy chains, and health care providers.
The Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) has activated reporting in the Health Facility Reporting System (HFRS) and has requested that all health care providers report their census, available beds, evacuation status, and generator status information. This information allows AHCA to assist health care providers in transferring patients if needed and ensure that health care providers in impacted areas have the necessary resources and adequate power.
AHCA made 537 provider calls for Hurricane Helene preparation ahead of landfall.
As of this morning, 80 health care facilities are reporting that they are evacuating.
38 assisted living facilities
26 nursing homes
8 hospitals
4 residential treatment facilities
2 residential treatment centers for children and adolescents
1 adult family care home, and 1 intermediate care facility for developmentally disabled
100% of operating long-term care facilities have a generator on-site. The Generator Status Map for long-term care facilities is available here.
The Agency has waived all prior authorization requirements for critical Medicaid services until further notice.
Infrastructure, Roads and State Closures
The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) is assisting the Florida Department of Corrections with the evacuation of correctional facilities as needed.
FHP is assisting with evacuations in Taylor County and in Cedar Key in Levy County.
FHP is removing any abandoned or disabled vehicles left along roadways ahead of storm arrival.
FHP cut teams, along with FDOT road clearing teams, are staged and ready for post-storm deployment to provide aid to areas impacted by the storm.
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) issued Emergency Order 24-05, in support of Executive Order 24-209 which: waives specific requirements for commercial motor vehicles providing emergency relief; and waives the replacement fees for driver’s license and identification credentials, vehicle registrations and titles, vessel registrations and titles and temporary parking permits for impacted individuals.
The Department of Children and Families (DCF) is working with the Community-Based Care Lead Agencies to contact foster families and group home providers to ensure preparedness. Two group homes are evacuating to safer locations.
DCF has contacted all licensed providers in potentially impacted areas to ensure disaster preparation plans are in place and unmet needs have been addressed.
The Department of Elder Affairs (DOEA) contacted all Area Agencies on Aging partners to receive updates on their ongoing preparation efforts and gather the status of any unmet needs.
The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) has been in contact with all school districts and state colleges and is ready to provide assistance immediately following Hurricane Helene. Currently, 68 school districts have announced closures in addition to 25 State Colleges and 11 Universities. For more information on school closures, visit fldoe.org/storminfo.
In preparation for Hurricane Helene. Currently, 65 school districts have announced closures in addition to 22 State Colleges and 9 Universities. For more information on school closures, visit fldoe.org/storminfo.
Following the issuance of the Governor’s Executive Order 24-209, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued an Emergency Final Order allowing for the activation of disaster debris management sites to store and process storm-generated solid waste and debris.
DEP published a storm updates webpage to keep state park visitors updated of closures: FloridaStateParks.org/StormUpdates. Visitors with existing camping and cabin reservations at closed parks have been notified of their reservation status.
Resources for Employees, Businesses and Consumers
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) has partnered with the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association to encourage more than 71,000 Florida-licensed lodging establishments to relax pet policies and waive pet fees for evacuees.
Through this effort, anti-price gouging information and emergency accommodations resources have also been provided.
DBPR has proactively communicated with more than 137,000 restaurant and lodging licensees to provide storm preparation and food safety resources.
The Florida Disaster Contractors Network has been activated to connect homeowners with licensed contractors and suppliers to perform emergency repairs.
DBPR encourages Florida’s licensed contractors who provide post-storm construction-related services to register with its Florida Disaster Contractors Network at DCNOnline.org.
FloridaCommerce has activated the private sector hotline at (850) 815-4925, open daily 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Inquiries may also be emailed to ESF18@em.myflorida.com.
Updates on business closures and business resources are consistently being updated at FloridaDisaster.biz/CurrentDisasterUpdates.
VISIT FLORIDA has activated Emergency Accommodation Modules on Expedia and Priceline to provide real-time hotel availability and lodging resources for impacted Floridians and visitors.
Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort has crafted special offers for Evacuees and First Responders in need of accommodations during an evacuation. Please see the linked pages below for more information.
Rosen Hotels & Resorts activated its Florida Resident Distress Rates* for residents in the 61 counties where Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency. This initiative provides evacuees with a safe and affordable place to stay as they ride out the storm. For more information see https://www.rosenhotels.com/rosen-hotels-resorts-reduces-pricing-ahead-of-helene/
Visit website for CareerSource openings: careersourceflorida.com
Comcast has opened more than 52,000 public Xfinity WiFi hotspots in Florida. The free and public hotspots are open for all, including non-Xfinity customers. For more information click here.
Walmart is working with state partners to provide needed supplies after the storm has passed.
Publix has provided 10 pallets of water for shelters in Leon County.
CVS Health is working with state partners to prepare pop-up pharmacies in impacted areas.
UBER is providing Floridians free rides up to $35 each way to and from a state-approved shelter in counties under a state of emergency for Hurricane Helene. To get a ride users should use promo code HELENERELIEF.
The Florida Department of State, Division of Elections, has contacted the United States Postal Service (USPS) about election information and vote-by-mail ballots. The Division of Elections recommended that Supervisors of Elections t contact their local district USPS to discuss a mitigation plan for ballot mailing, delivery, and return.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) worked with Florida’s ports and fuel industry partners to ensure adequate fuel supplies are available, and with Florida’s agricultural partners so producers have adequate resources.
The Florida Forest Service staged equipment, like high-water vehicles.
The Commissioner of Agriculture, Wilton Simpson, has approved an Emergency Order temporarily suspending the intrastate movement requirements for animal transportation. In addition, the following states have waived their interstate import requirements for Florida pets, horses, and livestock leaving the state: Alabama, Georgia (does not include livestock), Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
The Department of Revenue (FDOR) has issued Emergency Order 24-001: Taxing Authority Millage and Budget Hearings to assist local taxing authorities with altering their plans for annual budget hearings because of Helene. Department of Revenue bulletin PTO 20-07 provides further instructions for local taxing authorities during declared emergencies.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has high-water vehicles staged to deploy.
72 FWC officers and staff are ready to deploy with specialized equipment, such as:
The Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) has evacuated 22 satellite facilities and two major facilities and relocated 4,630 inmates into hardened housing units. Inmate visitation has been suspended statewide until Monday, September 30. The FDC will be posting updates publicly and in real-time at FDC.myflorida.com/weather-updates
The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) have finalized storm preparations to ensure the safety and security of staff and youth in our care. This includes fueling all vehicles, moving vehicles in low-lying and flood-prone areas to higher ground, testing and ensuring adequate fuel supplies for generators in the event of loss of power, and ensuring food, medicine, and emergency supplies are stocked and ready.
For previous updates see below: 9/24/2024 9/25/2024
Follow FDEM on X, Instagram, and Facebook for updates and visit FloridaDisaster.org/Updates for information relating to Hurricane Helene.
The Manitoba government has appointed Dr. Marcia Anderson as the new chair along with three new members to the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) board of directors, Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara announced today.
“Manitobans can put their trust in Dr. Anderson’s leadership,” said Asagwara. “Dr. Anderson has been leading the conversation on health equity and justice in this province. Her compassion, dedication and advocacy will have a tremendous impact on the WRHA and the patients they serve. I want to congratulate Dr. Anderson as the new chairperson of the board and thank all the new, outgoing and continuing directors for their service.”
Dr. Anderson is the vice-dean of Indigenous Health, Social Justice and Anti-Racism at the University of Manitoba’s Rady Faculty of Health Sciences. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she led the provincial public health response for Manitoba’s First Nations. She was recently honoured with the province’s highest honour, the Order of Manitoba. She replaces Dr. Netha Dyck, who begins a new three-year term as a board member.
“I am honoured by this opportunity to lead the WRHA board, draw on the strengths of the other board members and support the executive team in the important work ahead of us,” said Anderson. “We have important and pressing challenges in health care. We need to do better in being an employer of choice and providing safe environments for health workers, and at meeting the people we serve where they are at. I am excited to bring my experiences in and commitment to anti-racism, cultural safety, health equity and community-based partnerships to this role as we work to improve the care that the thousands of people we serve everyday receive. I am confident that when we work collaboratively on the broader system issues that impact people’s health and improve the environments our health workers provide service in, that we can fulfil our commitment to provide the best possible health care to those we serve.”
Three additional board members have been appointed for three-year terms:
Mary Jane Brownscombe (vice-chair);
Tessa Blaikie Whitecloud;
Mala Sachdeva.
Newly appointed members join others with ongoing terms: Adekunle Ajisebutu, Dr. Netha Dyck, Brenda McInnes, Jeff Neufeld, Patricia Ramage, Mark Stewart and Carole Urias. Board members can serve for a maximum of six consecutive years.
The WRHA board is accountable to the health minister and responsible for the mandate, resources and performance of the organization. The board must ensure the organization complies with applicable legislation, regulations and provincial policies.
The Government of Saskatchewan is working with the University of Regina (U of R) to help new and expecting parents who are experiencing mental health difficulties, such as depression or anxiety.
The province is providing $280,000 to the university’s Online Therapy Unit to create the Well-Being for Expecting and New Mothers Course. A Non-Birthing Parents Resource will also be developed for partners of those who have had babies.
“It is important that new mothers feel supported in their mental health and wellbeing,” Mental Health and Addictions Minister Tim McLeod said. “At a busy time with infants, having virtual options can make care easier to access. I am proud that we can work with the U of R to bring internet-delivered therapy to moms across our province.”
The new mothers’ course is expected to launch by the end of March, while the partner resource is expected to be available in 2026.
“We are honoured to be working on this vital project, which will provide a new mental health care option for expecting and new birthing and non-birthing parents across Saskatchewan,” University of Regina’s Online Therapy Unit Psychology Professor and Director Dr. Heather Hadjistavropoulos said. “By offering internet-delivered therapy, we hope to make a real difference for families navigating mental health challenges before and after birth.”
Internet-delivered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (ICBT) was developed at the U of R to help Saskatchewan residents experiencing depression, anxiety, substance use, or difficulties coping with chronic health conditions and is delivered in partnership with the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA). Adults complete educational modules with therapist support. Since 2015, more than 13,000 Saskatchewan residents have sought ICBT services. This fiscal year, the province is providing over $1.6 million to support this important service.
The province is also boosting annual funding to HealthLine 811 by $3 million, some of which will support new nurse and counsellor positions for mental health, addictions and maternal mental health calls. The Ministry of Health will also work with the SHA to establish a maternal mental health coordinator position at 811.
Under the province’s Action Plan for Mental Health and Addictions, the Ministry of Health committed to develop a new provincial approach to maternal mental health. The goal is to better support new and expectant mothers throughout their pregnancy and after delivery for the wellbeing of mothers, their children and their families.
Additional work is underway to develop and coordinate maternal mental health supports. This work has also received valuable insight from the Maternal Mental Health Saskatchewan Advisory Group (MMHSAG) and various community-based organizations.
The actor Gillian Anderson has just released a book of sexual fantasies. Titled Want, it catalogues a diverse range of fantasies submitted anonymously by women from around the world.
It is not the first to do so. In 1973, American author Nancy Friday published My Secret Garden, a volume that provoked fierce debate at the time and is now considered to be an important milestone in the sex-positive movement. Each book gives a fascinating snapshot of women’s relationships with their own sexuality at a different moment in history.
Though attitudes, vocabulary and specific fantasy content have undoubtedly changed in the intervening half-century, there are striking similarities between the books. This is not only true of the subject matter — workplace flings and group sex are apparently timelessly appealing — but also of how people feel about their fantasies. Shame, in particular, continues to loom large in many women’s feelings about their own erotic imaginings.
Past research indicates that most adults (of all genders) experience sexual fantasies, suggesting many of us have grappled with the question of whether to tell a partner about ours. Over the past four years, we have been conducting research that explores this question: how do people decide whether to disclose their sexual fantasies – and what happens when they do?
An act of closeness
The women featured in both My Secret Garden and Want vary considerably in the degree to which they have chosen to share their fantasies with a partner. Some describe passionate relationships enhanced by the disclosure and enactment of erotic fantasies, while others intend to take their favourite fantasy to the grave.
We were interested in understanding the psychology of such radically different approaches. In a study published earlier this year in The Journal of Sex Research, we asked 287 people to reflect on a recent or prominent sexual fantasy. We found that over 69% of participants had previously disclosed their fantasy to a partner. Of those, more than 80% found this to be a positive experience.
Unsurprisingly, participants commonly cited sexual desire as their main reason for opening up. For example, many said they had shared their fantasy with a partner in the hope that they could act it out together. Others reported that they found talking about sexual fantasies arousing, or that discussing secret desires allowed them to learn more about their partner.
Several participants explained that they valued honesty and openness and that the level of trust and commitment in their relationship made them feel safe to share their fantasy with their partner.
Not all reasons for disclosing fantasies were positive, however. Some said they disclosed their fantasy in a last-ditch attempt to spice up an unsatisfying sex life.
The power of shame
Gillian Anderson, author of Want. wikipedia, CC BY-SA
Among the group who had chosen not to share their fantasy, many cited its content as the primary reason. Consistent with accounts in both My Secret Garden and Want, several of our participants were ashamed of their fantasy, or felt it to be too extreme or taboo to share with their partner.
Some — especially those whose partners had not responded well to similar conversations in the past — were worried they would receive a negative response that could cause problems for their relationship. We also heard from several people who explained that, put simply, their fantasies were private joys that they had no desire or intention to discuss with anyone.
In a series of follow-up studies yet to be published, we explored some of these ideas in more depth. One important finding is that relationship traits are a key predictor of whether a person will disclose their fantasy. For example, disclosure was more likely in relationships that already involved large amounts of sexual novelty and exploration.
We also confirmed that the content of a fantasy is critical to a person’s decision about whether to share it. Anything that is likely to be considered unacceptable by a partner or is otherwise potentially threatening to the relationship (such as a move away from monogamy), is unlikely to be disclosed. Indeed, even among participants who had previously shared a fantasy, we found over half also had at least one more that they were unwilling to divulge.
While our findings suggest that people who choose to tell their partner about their erotic daydreams usually get a good response, we also found that the process by which people reach that decision can be complicated. Some people have very good reasons for keeping their fantasy to themselves.
Hopefully, Want will help to reduce some of the shame associated with the very common experience of fantasising about sex. But its similarities to a book published 50 years earlier suggest we may still have a long way to go.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Adam Jerrett, Lecturer, Faculty of Creative & Cultural Industries, University of Portsmouth
In late November 2020, I was one of those people standing in line – or rather,
refreshing my browser – hoping to snag a PlayStation 5 during a restock. The
pandemic was in full swing, and with most of the world locked indoors, there weren’t many better things to do. The original PS5 promised to deliver true 4K gaming at very smooth frame rates – though a claim that it supported 8K gaming was later removed from the console’s packaging.
However, the PS5 got off to a slow start, owing primarily to game delays as a result of the pandemic. Additionally, gamers had to effectively choose between preset modes related to fidelity – high-quality visuals – and game performance within the in-game settings menus.
In November, gamers will no longer be faced with this dilemma, as Sony is set to release its “mid-generation refresh” console, the PlayStation 5 Pro. Its upgraded graphics processing unit (GPU) has more processing power and a faster memory than the basic PS5, allowing for up to 45% faster rendering of the graphics.
Advanced ray tracing – a technique to simulate the way light behaves in the real world – and AI technology called PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution are expected to enable higher-resolution visuals at higher frame rates. This could fulfil the basic PS5’s promise of 4K gaming at 60 frames per second.
However, all that power doesn’t come cheap. The £699 digital-only console scales to £798 with a £99 disc drive, which is required to play physical games. It is already selling out in some markets. There’s also a £25 vertical stand (which came bundled with the original PS5).
PS5 Pro Technical Presentation.
That’s a lot of money for a console that won’t have any exclusive titles. Every game you can play on the PS5 Pro will also run on the base PS5. Some even speculate that it still may not play forthcoming games at the highest possible fidelity.
That kind of price is even more of a shock when compared with the different world of 2020’s PS5 launch. Demand for games and consoles surged during the pandemic, but the economic landscape has drastically shifted in the past four years. Inflation is at an all-time high, and the cost of living has rocketed, leaving less disposable income for non-essential purchases, of which the PS5 Pro is a prime example.
The games industry has also seen waves of layoffs resulting from investment shortfalls, changing work patterns, and post-pandemic consumer behaviour. A further irony is that such layoffs prevent studios from having the time, budget, or labour to create the graphically intense, polished games that the PS5 Pro would take full advantage of.
Consoles have always been loss leaders –- products sold at lower profit margins to get buyers into a product ecosystem. The basic PS5 is barely fulfilling that role (most PlayStation gamers still play on the PS4). So it makes business sense for the PS5 Pro to merely reflect the economic realities of 2024, where the rising cost of materials, supply chain disruptions and a scramble for computing power due to AI’s enhanced workloads means that consoles are significantly more expensive to produce.
This time, instead of Sony absorbing the cost, they’ve passed it along to consumers – most of whom are deeply unhappy about it. YouTube reactions to the PS5 Pro reveal trailer have been overwhelmingly negative, sitting at a 3:1 dislike ratio on YouTube.
A solution without a problem?
Many are also wondering whether the PS5 Pro is solving any real problems. The current generation of consoles has been plagued by delays or underwhelming game releases, and many remakes and remasters. Sony is even porting games that were previously exclusive to consoles over to PCs in a bid to reach new audiences. This has left the PS5’s true “exclusives” library somewhat barren.
The PS5 Pro launch was similarly absent of any blockbuster titles making use of the new hardware. Astrobot, Sony’s most recent smash-hit and likely Christmas bestseller, certainly won’t be using all that horsepower.
Astrobot Launch Trailer.
Regardless, there’s little doubt that the PS5 Pro will sell out at launch. Sony is probably producing fewer units of the Pro model than they did for the basic PS5, creating an artificial scarcity that will drive demand. Those who can afford it and who want the best possible gaming experience will jump at the chance to own the most powerful PlayStation console ever made.
This all makes the PS5 Pro’s launch feel a little strange. The PS5 Pro’s technical improvements are genuinely impressive. It’s clearly aimed at the hardcore gamers who want the best possible experience, regardless of the cost –- Sony knows its audience here.
However, the PS5 Pro is not the console that will drive mass adoption nor convince PS4 players to finally upgrade. Instead, like all things “Pro” in the tech world, it’s simply another niche, high-end option.
And as much as I’m tempted by the promise of true 4K 60FPS console gaming, I can’t
help but feel that this mid-generation upgrade is arriving at a time when the games
industry has myriad more important things to address than a shiny new toy.
Adam Jerrett does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
There is growing awareness of the problems caused by the use of a fast-acting drug called ketamine. Often referred to as K or ket, it was made a class B drug in the UK in 2014 and is illegal to buy or sell. Possessing the drug can lead to a maximum five-year prison sentence and supplying the drug up to 14 years in prison.
Ketamine is an effective anaesthetic and plays an important part in battlefield and emergency medicine. It is used to treat pain in end-of-life care and could treat some forms of depression. However, it is its non-medical use that is causing concern among some doctors and specialist drug-treatment providers.
On the illicit market, ketamine is cheaper than cocaine and MDMA (ecstasy), costing about £20 a gram. Police forces report large seizures of the drug, but global rates of production are high, and the wholesale price of a kilogram of ketamine is believed to have fallen from £8,000 to £5,000. This makes it an attractive drug for young people and those with a limited income.
Ketamine typically takes about 15 minutes to work and induces euphoria, relaxation and a slight sense of detachment. However, with higher doses it can also cause dissociation. This can be confusing and can cause panic attacks and memory loss. It can increase blood pressure and affect breathing and heart function.
Effects can also be fatal. The Friends actor Matthew Perry died in 2023 as a result of using the drug.
Some urologists have also expressed concern about an increase in bladder problems (so-called “ketamine bladder”) as a result of prolonged and heavy use of the drug. Although national data about the number of people with ketamine bladder is not available, there are other sources about the use of ketamine.
Ketamine first became popular as a recreational drug in the early 1990s. Use among people aged 16-24 in England and Wales rose from 0.9% in 2006-07 to 3.8% in 2022-23 – which is about 220,000 people.
There has been an increase in young people attending specialist treatment services with problems related to ketamine use: 512 during 2021-22 rising to 719 in 2022-23.
The increase is concerning as few services and interventions are available that specifically address ketamine use. An increase in people seeking treatment has not been helped by historic cuts to drug-treatment funding, which is only beginning to be addressed, and a lack of meaningful drug education and early intervention responses.
This increase in young people seeking treatment is also seen in adults. Rising from 1,551 in 2021-22 to 2,211 during 2022-23. There has been a fivefold increase in adult treatment since 2014.
Self-medicating
There is a suggestion from experts that part of the increase in the use of ketamine is due to some people who have mental health problems that are unable to access treatment because of long waiting lists.
Rather than wait for specialist treatment some people turn to drugs like ketamine that offer some reprieve from their symptoms. Ketamine can create a sense of detachment in users, this will be a desirable state for those who are seeking to escape invasive mental health symptoms of troubling thoughts and feelings.
In effect, they are finding their own solutions by self-medicating with the drug. Given that ketamine is easily available, relatively cheap and fast-acting it is easy to see why this drug is appealing, particularly as there are no long waiting lists or invasive assessments to undergo.
Ketamine doesn’t induce the same type of hangover that alcohol and other drugs do. This makes it appealing to those who need to be at work the day after using it. Likewise, it is appealing to those on zero-hour contracts who are asked to work at short notice.
However, many people will use other substances alongside ketamine – typically alcohol. Mixing alcohol and ketamine can cause significant harm, ranging from slowed breathing to coma and even fatal overdose.
Paradoxically ketamine is being investigated as a treatment for those who are dependent on alcohol, including those who haven’t responded to more traditional forms of therapy.
As with the promise that other drugs, such as psychedelics, might help treat mental health problems, current evidence suggests that these drugs are only effective when given alongside therapy.
It’s not clear whether the UK has reached peak ketamine use. Most drugs fall in and out of fashion. It is clear that originally banning the drug in 2005, and increasing punishments in 2014 has failed to halt its rising popularity. What could have helped was investment into prevention, education and harm reduction services, but this didn’t happen and we are seeing some of the consequences now.
Preventing the use of ketamine is the only way to be sure that it won’t cause harm. But if we accept that young people and adults will continue to use it then we should be aiming to reduce the potential for harm. There are useful resources already available, but reducing drug-related harm requires a more active response – one that doesn’t rely on people visiting websites or reading a leaflet.
We should put effort and resources into providing public health messaging that reaches those who are at the most risk from harm due to ketamine. At the same time, investing in and providing timely mental health support would reduce the need for those who are self-medicating with the drug.
With a new government in the UK, commanding a sizeable majority in parliament, could this Labour government adopt a policy shift that could reduce suffering and save lives?
Harry Sumnall receives funding from public grant awarding bodies for alcohol and other drugs research, and fees from (international) not-for-profit organisations and government departments for consultation work. He is an unpaid steering group member of the Anti-Stigma Network, an unpaid member of the Scientific Advisory Group of the International Society of Substance Use Professionals (ISSUP), an unpaid member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Mind Foundation, an unpaid advisor to the UK Drug Education Forum, and an unpaid co-opted member of UK Government Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) Working Groups on cocaine, and prevention.
Ian Hamilton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Glenn Fosbraey, Associate Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Winchester
We recently asked subscribers to our arts and culture newsletter, Something Good, to name their favourite cover song. We received a range of replies, from Beyoncé’s reimagining of the Dolly Parton classic, Jolene, to Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged recording of The Man Who Sold the World by David Bowie. Here’s how seven of our academic experts responded when we asked them the same question.
1. Heaven, by DJ Sammy (2001)
The late 1990s and early 2000s saw a glut of Euro-dance songs troubling the higher reaches of the UK charts, as artists like Alice Deejay, Fragma and Sash (all aliases for male DJs fronted by female guest vocalists) married heavy trance beats with catchy melodies. But above all others stood 2001’s Heaven, by DJ Sammy. A shining example of the energetic but straightforward approach to music that characterised the era, it had a generation of club-goers running for the dancefloor.
Heaven saw Spanish producer Sammy turn a mawkish 1983 Bryan Adams track into the ultimate dance track for all seasons, complete with a relentless beat, hypnotic synth riff, and earworm-of-all-earworm choruses delivered by Dutch singer Dominique Rijpma van Hulst (stage name Do). It’s fun, unapologetically simple, yet somehow seems to encompass every emotion going. An era-defining track that needs to be played loud and proud.
Glenn Fosbraey
2. Me and the Devil Blues, by Gil Scott-Heron (2014)
A great cover is more than a different version of a song – it re-articulates the track and injects it with new meaning. Some do this by radically changing the genre, others by making the song so intensely personal that it is difficult to imagine anyone else singing it. But Gil Scott-Heron’s cover of Robert Johnson’s Me and the Devil Blues (1938), on Scott-Heron’s final album, accomplishes an even rarer feat.
It layers the pain and anguish of a modern black life lived in the heavy bootprint of the fight for civil rights, de-industrialisation and the “war on drugs”, over the legend of original singer Robert Johnson’s daring and tragic story in the Jim Crow south.
Scott-Heron’s cover is an opaque homage that ruminates on living in the echoes of an American music legend’s ruins. It’s a reminder of the continuing horrors of racism, and the enduring artistry of resistance and resilience.
Justin Patch
3. Helter Skelter, by Siouxsie and the Banshees (1978)
As a young artist from Liverpool who was newly signed to Deltasonic Records in the early 2000s, I was keen to find inspiration from artists other than our beloved Beatles. Little did I expect that much of this inspiration would circle back to Paul, John, George and Ringo when I discovered Siouxsie and the Banshees’ album The Scream (1978).
Their cover of Helter Skelter from The Beatles’ White Album (1968) blew me away. Personally, I think this is the best cover of a Beatles song ever, performed by a woman who wasn’t afraid to take control of it.
Eva Petersen
4. Wild is the Wind, by David Bowie
David Bowie frequently supplemented his original material with thematically connected cover songs. There are covers on Hunky Dory (1971), The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust (1972) and Aladdin Sane (1973). These moments are often the weakest spots on Bowie’s records – with one major exception.
Bowie’s 1976 album Station To Station closes with his take on Wild Is The Wind, reworking Johnny Mathis’s two-minute original from 1957 into a soaring and theatrical six-minute showstopper. Bowie’s band dutifully rises to the occasion, decorating the track with elegant lead guitar work and one of the most exquisite drum performances ever committed to tape.
Never one to underplay, Bowie gives the vocal performance of a lifetime, culminating in a soaring climax guaranteed to leave goosebumps on any listener with a pulse.
Daniel Ash
5. Against All Odds, by The Postal Service (2004)
A good cover version needs to find ways to reinvent the texture and structure of the original. Beyond The Postal Service’s iconic 2003 album Give Up, the indie-tronica outfit have a tiny repertoire. For my money, their cover of Phil Collins’s Against All Odds (1984) was the only bright spot in the horrendous Josh Hartnett movie, Wicker Park (2004).
The familiar texture and soundscape of Give Up is heard in the distant and crackly vocal, reverse delays and keyboard of the opening verse and chorus. This gives way to a middle section which is cleaner and more purposeful than the first, with a brighter tempo. A final outro section repeats the lyrical hook – “take a look at me now” – with gentle guitar bringing the song to a close.
With this cover, The Postal Service manage to remake an emotional love ballad into a more angsty and complex work with their own musical stamp.
Conor Caldwell
6. Shipbuilding, by Suede
I always tell students to look at their hero’s heroes and find the covers they chose to do. It is often the case that we discover a classic song from a cover.
The 1995 charity album HELP featured 20 songs (many of them cover versions) by 20 artists in support of children displaced by the Bosnian War.
Suede’s cover of Shipbuilding (written by Elvis Costello and Clive Langer in 1982) was the first version of the song I heard. Such is the power of the piece, I suspect it was not difficult to convey the message. Written during the Falklands war, it concerned the resurgence of the shipyards caused by the necessity to replace ships lost in the conflict.
This led me to discover the definitive 1982 version sung by Robert Wyatt and featuring Costello, which has superb brushed drums and double bass. A masterpiece.
Howard Monk
7. Such Great Heights, by Iron and Wine
In this cover, Sam Beam of Iron and Wine strips what could be potentially considered the calling card of The Postal Service’s small but perfectly formed oeuvre to its bare bones. Featuring nothing more than a hushed voice, gently plucked acoustic guitar and subtle flourish of mandolin, the yearning romanticism of the lyrics is endearingly exposed.
Curiously, The Postal Service chose to include this wonderfully considered cover version as a b-side to their own single release of the song in 2003. This may have prompted its use in the divisive indie movie Garden State (2004), elevating Iron and Wine to deservedly greater heights in the process.
Steve Ryan
Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.
Eva Petersen has previously received Arts Council funding for her research in 2019. She currently works for Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.
Conor Caldwell, Daniel Ash, Glenn Fosbraey, Howard Monk, Justin Patch, and Stephen Ryan do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jolanta Burke, Senior Lecturer, Centre for Positive Health Sciences, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences
The World Health Organization (WHO) has just published alarming statistics showing that employee mental health issues result in a US$1 trillion (£747 billion) loss in productivity each year. The WHO has called on employers to take urgent action by introducing comprehensive wellbeing programmes to tackle the escalating mental health crisis in the workplace.
But the problem is that many workplace wellbeing programmes don’t work. A UK study which looked at 46,336 employees from 233 organisations found there was no evidence that a range of common workplace wellbeing initiatives – including mindfulness and stress management classes, one-to-one mental health coaching, wellbeing apps or volunteering work – improved employee wellbeing.
So despite companies investing over US$60 billion annually worldwide in wellbeing programmes, they appear to make little impact.
There are a number of reasons why these programmes don’t work – and understanding them is the only way companies will be able to make these programmes effective.
Motivation
Organisations often opt for easy-to-implement initiatives, such as hosting wellbeing talks or offering mindfulness or yoga classes. They then complain that employees don’t attend or don’t appreciate them.
Many employees say they don’t attend these activities because they find them irrelevant, unhelpful or they don’t value them enough to attend – meaning their workplace has failed in identifying their needs.
Understanding what motivates people to participate in wellbeing programmes is crucial in improving its effectiveness. For example, one survey found employees were more interested in learning about healthy lifestyles than having a discussion about stress management. Although not directly related to mental wellbeing, prioritising these kinds of talks would have a greater effect on improving wellbeing in the end.
Content matters
Wellbeing programmes tend to be more effective for people whose wellbeing is average or below average. So when people with high levels of wellbeing participate in such programmes, they often see little benefit. This can make it appear the programme isn’t effective – when in reality, it still is for those who need it most.
This is why it’s so important to determine what type of help employees need most when designing wellbeing programmes.
For employees who aren’t experiencing poor mental health, a programme that primarily addresses depression or anxiety may be less effective as they’re probably already practising many of the strategies such programmes would discuss. But if the wellbeing programme goes beyond reducing symptoms and focuses on promoting flourishing, meaning and purpose in life, it could provide value to a broader audience.
This is where a programme designed by an expert in positive psychology would be beneficial in workplaces. Positive psychology is the science of wellbeing. It focuses on building on the positive aspects of life that make life worth living – rather than solely addressing symptoms of mental ill health which only affect 10-20% of the population.But positive psychology measures still have a positive impact on those who experience mental health issues at the same time. They include such activities as identifying and using your character strengths at work, re-thinking your past events positively, learning optimism or practising gratitude.
The content of workplace wellbeing programmes is crucial. Avoiding generic self-help approaches will enhance their overall impact.
Even a person’s genetics can significantly affect whether such programmes have any impact. Research shows that people who have a higher genetic predisposition towards change are more likely to benefit disproportionately from these programmes – and their positive effect tends to last longer.
All of these factors should be carefully considered when designing a workplace wellbeing programme. And given how difficult this will make it to design one that’s effective, it’s important employee wellbeing programmes are actually developed by experts in the field – not consultants who lack in-depth knowledge of psychology.
Implementation
The way a wellbeing programme is implemented is just as important as its content – though this aspect is often overlooked by wellbeing consultants.
For instance, overusing gratitude exercises can lead to disengagement from a programme. Similarly, offering too many wellbeing activity options can overwhelm participants and result in them discontinuing the programme.
To maximise the impact a wellbeing programme has in the workplace requires careful attention not only to the content but also how it’s implemented.
There are many nuances involved in designing a workplace wellbeing programme. Employers must ensure the programmes they offer not only promote wellbeing but also avoid causing unintended harm to others in the process. Consulting experts who know the nuances of psychology and of wellbeing programmes is key, as they will ensure programmes will be effective and helpful. Programmes that combine positive psychology and lifestyle medicine (which focus on helping people improve their health and fitness) may be particularly beneficial in workplaces.
Jolanta Burke does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Young people in Britain could be forgiven for despairing at the financial pressures they face – and feeling that previous generations enjoyed a much fairer economic environment. Then just to add to their worries about home ownership and a precarious jobs market, along comes the gloomy announcement that the UK’s public debt is now 100% of GDP.
That debt burden will have to be carried by tax-payers for decades to come. Paying the interest – just the interest – of the country’s debt currently accounts for around 7.3% of public spending. That’s more than what is spent on defence (4.8%) or transport (3.8%).
And while some of what’s left will go to towards essential future public services, it will also go towards fixing problems caused by a historic lack of public investment (less money being spent by previous generations) in water, railways and other crucial infrastructure.
In fact, in the 1980s much of that infrastructure was used by the UK government to help finance itself, with assets including British Gas sold off at a bargain price. Those baby boomers and older generations who could afford to buy shares often made a decent profit.
There are other kinds of costs that today’s younger generations have had to bear too. During COVID lockdowns, universities and schools were closed as the young were forced to stay at home, predominantly to protect the elderly. They have lost the freedom to live and work in the EU after 60% of retired people voted for Brexit, while most young people voted against. Leaving Europe has also made the UK less well-off.
But not everyone is poorer. In the last 20 years, the average income of pensioners has increased on average by more than 50%, while that of working-age adults has risen by less than 10%. The median income of pensioner households is now higher after housing costs than that of households with children.
Most of the country’s wealth is now in the hands of older people. In 2018, one in four people aged over 65 was living in a household with a total wealth of over a £1 million pounds. Poverty rates of pensioners are now lower than for the rest of the population.
Yet pensioners receive all sorts of unconditional discounts and benefits, such as free or discounted public transport. Their income is exempt from national insurance contributions, and there is a triple-lock on state pensions, which is guaranteed to grow faster than work income.
Until recently, the winter fuel allowance meant that anyone born in 1944 or before received £300 (reduced to £200 for younger pensioners).
One reason for this reluctance to prise money from older people may be that while most pensioners are doing better (compared to the working population) this is not true of the poorest ones. Also, some pensioners do not claim the benefits they are entitled to, and the last thing a civilised society wants is to let its older people freeze.
But the apparent economic divide raises a broader question about inter-generational justice. What does one generation owe the generations that follow?
And it’s not just about money. Global warming is another thing older people have not spent most of their lives having to pay for, with the burden for repairing environmental damage again falling mostly on the young.
Perhaps a fair philosophical approach would be that it’s OK to leave certain costs to be paid in the future if the next generation can generally expect to live longer and in better health, with more consumer choice and comfort, and an improved quality of life.
In that sense, many people, however old they are, would probably sympathise with young people today. And they may even argue that it’s time for the government to focus on policies that explicitly benefit the young – like house building, different forms of taxation or subjecting pension income to national insurance.
Such changes would provide a dramatic shift towards an economic system which seeks to redistribute wealth not just among citizens – but between the generations.
Renaud Foucart does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
