#s Technical Advisory Committee

[weirdpersonifiedpills]

I need zoloft lore. Where did the silly come from.

Also, adderall being a squirrel is funny to me bc that means it's highly likely meth is also a squirrel. Ah yes strung-out squirrel spending 3 hours sorting good acorns

He gives me trust fund nepotism vibes, but not in the “I’m an entitled brat” way, more in the “I know I kinda got special treatment but I’m still gonna do my best with the opportunities I was lucky enough to receive” way, but that’s more of a personal headcanon than anything. He gets lighthearted flack from the other meds for getting in on recommendation.

(Doodle of Zoloft with the Zoloft Blob from those old commercials‼️)

Zoloft was approved in the US on December 30th of 1991 on recommendation from the FDA Psychopharmacological Drugs Advisory Committee, which, funny enough, had convened regarding Prozac on September 20th of that same year, their vote exonerating Prozac and letting his parent company Eli Lilly off the hook for the controversies that had been going on.

Similar to how Prozac is related to the antihistamines, Zoloft is related to the antipsychotics (distantly) and the norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (parent compound). His parent drug was tametraline, but side effects caused its development to be stopped in 1979, which allowed sertraline to be developed from it. Zoloft and Celexa actually have a very similar creation, both being developed from an NRI drug that either showed or was likely to show concerning side effects that halted its development and meant it never hit the market, allowing it to be turned into an SSRI. (Technically tametraline is norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor but given a lot of NRIs weakly act on other neurotransmitters, it’s close enough).

They’ve got super thick fur, I designed him with that because when I was on Zoloft all I did was sweat constantly and feel overheated lol, but depending on what I end up personifying the NRIs as (which I need to decide because there’s a bunch I wanna draw) it’ll probably make sense family wise as well.

The way Pfizer chose to market Zoloft lead to an upset between companies. Zoloft hit the US market in 1992, (the same year as Paxil) and had been on the European market as early as 1990 (Paxil had been on the UK market as Seroxat since 1991). Once again, similar to how Celexa was developed and released later than some of the other SSRIs, Zoloft was as well, and Pfizer knew this. To counteract this fact, Pfizer took to advertising Zoloft as “cleaner” than the other SSRIs (mainly Prozac and Paxil, the two biggest SSRIs). Despite not having much, if any, clinically relevant research on their side, the constant pushing of the idea that Zoloft was somehow safer and cleaner helped make it a worthy contender in the market space. Technically Zoloft was the first “enantiomerically pure SSRI drug to hit the market” so that’s probably where that came from. The parent companies of these meds responded to each other as they all fought for dominance on the market. Zoloft was Prozac’s other closest competitor aside from Zoloft. It was only when Lilly realized Prozac had an advantageously long half life that wouldn’t cause nearly as severe discontinuation syndrome that they were able to shake the other two meds off of Prozac’s tail.

(This should say 1992 not 1993 oopsie)

Prozac would’ve met Zoloft first, as they both had launched in other countries before Paxil did, however, Zoloft is closer to Celexa and Lexapro than they are to Prozac and Paxil, who bonded over shared struggles that Zoloft didn’t have. Celexa and Lexapro had a lot more in common with him, both age, experience, and personality wise, and him and Celexa were seen as the “backing chorus” to Prozac and Paxil, the two biggest SSRIs. Zoloft was considerably younger than Prozac and a bit younger than Paxil when he hit the US market.

Zoloft kept his nose squeaky clean compared to Prozac and Paxil, with Prozac’s prime being entangled with controversies about him as a medication (80’s-early 2000’s) and Paxil’s parent company GSK getting into plenty of hot water by withholding and suppressing unfavorable data on Paxil, among other things regarding the medication (early 2000’s to mid 2010’s).

Honestly, Zoloft has a very standard history compared to Prozac, and even to Paxil. They were wrapped up in the same black box warning issues of the early 2000’s, but so was every other antidepressant at the time. Zoloft experienced the blowback from Prozac’s controversies like the other SSRIs did, but still looked up to him as a leader and role model all the same. I remember being surprised to learn that Paxil was the other big SSRI back in the day because it seems like literally everyone I meet is on Zoloft. I’ve got friends on it, my sister is on it, a bunch of her friends are on it, and if I’m talking to someone about antidepressants, there tends to be a good chance they’re on Zoloft as well, even I’ve taken Zoloft. He’s a good guy, he’s the “and Brian” of the group honestly, just an all around decent dude who leaves the drama to the other crazies of his class. They do their job and do it well, he’s soft spoken compared to the high-energy personalities of Celexa, Lexapro, and Paxil, and it’s one of his strengths. He’s empathetic and emotionally intelligent, able to provide comfort as well as confidence that he’s able to protect whoever needs it. They were also the second SSRI and third overall med that I officially designed, he has a special place in my heart 🩵🤍

(Art by @/craftzombie on Instagram who I’ve commissioned to draw all of my medication designs)

Edit- yes meth is a squirrel as well, one day I will sit down and design a meth squirrel 🐿️

[f1]

F1 to introduce new tyres from British Grand Prix for safety reasons | 2023 Spanish Grand Prix

The FIA has given Formula 1’s official tyre supplier Pirelli permission to introduce a new tyre specification on safety grounds. The new tyre specification will be made available for all teams to test at the Spanish Grand Prix next month. Pirelli intends to introduce the revised tyres at the British Grand Prix in July. Under F1’s rules, the range of compounds to be used during a season must be determined by December 15th of the preceding year. However it can be changed with the FIA’s approval, which was given following discussions of the Technical Advisory Committee and Sporting Advisory Committee. Pirelli’s head of motorsport Mario Isola said the change was necessary due to the increased performance of this year’s cars, which is putting the rubber under greater strain. “We’ve seen how much more performance the 2023 cars have compared to last year throughout the opening races of this season, and that is thanks to the extraordinary pace of development shown by all 10 of the teams,” said Isola. “In Miami, for example, the pole time was nearly two seconds faster than last year, but the same sort of progress has been seen during races as well. “Pirelli’s simulation work has always been aimed at not only supplying a product that hits the performance targets specified by stakeholders, but also anticipating any potential problems and reacting to them quickly.” Isola said Pirelli is bringing forwards the introduction of some developments it had made for the tyres it plans to race next year. “The new specification contains materials that we have already developed for 2024, which will make the tyres more resistant without affecting any of the other technical parameters or their behaviour on track,” he explained. “To allow all the teams to test the new construction on a level playing field, Pirelli will supply two extra tyre sets per car to be used during FP1 and FP2 at the Spanish Grand Prix.” Lap time change at the first five races of 2023 On average, lap times are 1.01 seconds quicker than last year. Changes to some circuits will have influenced this: The Miami International Autodrome was resurfaced and its chicane was eased, while an extra DRS zone was added at Albert Park in Melbourne. However DRS zones were shortened at three tracks: Bahrain, Melbourne and Miami. Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free 2023 F1 season Browse all 2023 F1 season articles via RaceFans - Independent Motorsport Coverage https://www.racefans.net/

[lexcounselsblog]

Exploring Competition Law Challenges in India’s Oil & Gas Sector: Part 2Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board

Absence of an Independent Regulator in the Upstream Segment

While the downstream and midstream segments are regulated by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (“PNGRB”), the upstream segment is directly regulated by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (“MOPNG”) with the technical support of the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (“DGH”), under the administrative control of the MOPNG. Neither the MOPNG nor the DGH is an independent regulator.

To avoid conflict of interest situations and promote healthy competition with private sector companies in the oil and gas sectors, it has been argued that regulatory functions should not be discharged by the Government when it exercises substantial ownership control over PSUs and NOCs that dominate the upstream landscape (discussed in Part I of this report). In addition, the Expert Committee on Integrated Energy Policy had in their 2006 report recommended that the regulatory functions of the State should be separated from the Ministries that control the PSUs dominating the upstream segment.

The role of the DGH as an independent regulator is also questionable in view of the “revolving door” practice that allowed upstream PSU/NOC executives to work at the DGH on deputation/tenure basis and go back to the NOCs once their assignments are completed[1]. This practice has been frowned upon by the Chawla committee[2] who stated that “such a revolving door policy is not congruent with neutral regulation”, and called for a more explicit separation between the roles of the policymaker (the MOPNG) and the regulator (DGH). The Expert Committee on Integrated Energy Policy (2006) had also noted that the present upstream regulation provided by the DGH was “neither independent nor comprehensive in a technical sense”. It is, in fact, argued that the DGH is not even a regulator but predominantly an advisory agent of the MOPNG in view of its functions and responsibilities (as outlined in the resolution creating it).

The issue whether or not the DGH is independent is contentious and calls made by several committees over the years for an independent regulator for the upstream segment have gone unheeded by the Government. In a 2011 report, the Government had firmly rejected the suggestion to transfer the DGH’s regulatory powers to an independent body. Recently, there have been reports that a committee of secretaries has, in principle, agreed to reconstitute the DGH as an independent technical office of the MOPNG. The talking points largely remain the same as the recommendations of the Chawla committee.

There is a glaring need for an independent regulator in the upstream segment which is characterized by dominant PSUs and NOCs, with natural monopolistic tendencies. Independent regulation is essential for a transparent and competitive market that offers a level playing field to all entrants, as India looks at more private sector participation in the oil and gas industry. The liberalization and deregulation process is not complete when Government owned companies still dominate the landscape. As stated in the Integrated Energy Policy report, “the regulatory responsibility/functions of the State must be separated Disclaimer : LexCounsel provides this e-newsletter on a complimentary basis solely for informational purposes. It is not intended to constitute, and should not be taken as, legal advice, or a communication intended to solicit or establish any attorney-client relationship between LexCounsel and the reader(s). LexCounsel shall not have any obligations or liabilities towards any acts or omission of any reader(s) consequent to any information contained in this e-newsletter. The readers are advised to consult competent professionals in their own judgment before acting on the basis of any information provided hereby from the Ministries that control the PSUs that dominate the energy sector, and are the principal owners of over 75% of India’s energy assets and related infrastructure”.

Lack of Level Playing Field

It is also argued that the Government’s policies in the oil and gas sectors continue to favour NOCs and other oil PSUs, thereby leading to an effective denial of market access.

For example, despite the dismantling of the administered price mechanism (“APM”) for determining and controlling prices in the hydrocarbon sector, the Government still controls prices of domestic LPG, public distribution system (“PDS”) kerosene, and high speed diesel (“HSD”). This is done with the objective of protecting consumers from international price volatility and providing energy access for citizens, particularly the economically weaker section of society. With increasing international crude oil prices and the Government controlling domestic prices of these economically sensitive petroleum products, oil marketing PSUs have had to sell their products well below cost price[3]. The consequent losses are termed “under-recoveries”, which are calculated as the difference between the cost price and the regulated price at which petroleum products are finally sold to the retailers (after accounting for subsidy, if any, paid by the Government). Under-recoveries are offset by way of additional cash assistance allocated from the fiscal budget from the Government (over and above fiscal subsidy, if any), and financial assistance by way of discounts from upstream NOCs[4]. There is on-going significant debate on how under-recoveries are calculated and how trade parity prices are actually notional in nature ��� this is outside the scope of the present discussions and will be addressed in the future.

Oil marketing PSUs are currently (effective February 16, 2013) incurring daily under-recovery of Rs. 4.54 billion (approximately US$ 84 million) on the sale of diesel, PDS kerosene and domestic LPG[5]. The bailout package by the Government every year – going out of taxes paid by the public – have actually been saving oil companies from posting losses in all these years. Private oil marketing companies, however, do not have the luxury of being compensated for under-recoveries. Consequently, this has affected the entry/ growth plans of private oil marketing companies as competing with oil marketing PSUs is not viable under the circumstances[6]. Clearly, this has a direct impact on the incidence of investment by private oil marketing companies, and throughout the entire oil value chain, and ultimately on greater market competition. The Competition Commission of India (“CCI”) has stated that is it is taking the route of advocacy with the Government with respect to the practice of under recoveries by oil marketing PSUs[7].

For more information contact us.

[spacenutspod]

3 Min Read NASA Glenn Established in Cleveland in 1941 A model of the new campus shows that it contained nine primary buildings—Administration, Flight Research, Engine Research, Technical Services, Fuels and Lubrication, Engine Propeller Research, Research Equipment, and the Altitude Wind and Icing Research tunnels. Credits: NASA On January 23, 1941, local authorities, military representatives, and agency officials assembled in Cleveland to initiate construction of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) new research laboratory. NACA Director of Research George Lewis stated, “I feel confident today in saying that this new aircraft engine research laboratory will be the mecca for all the world’s aircraft engine engineers and research workers.” Today, the laboratory, now known as NASA’s John H. Glenn Research Center, is one of 10 centers and a leading economic contributor to the Cleveland area. Exactly one year before the groundbreaking, the NACA formally proposed the creation of a new research lab dedicated to aero propulsion.  During the interim, the committee evaluated locations for the facility across the Midwest before selecting Cleveland, Ohio in November 1940. The Cleveland Chamber of Commerce scheduled a full day of activities for that cold January Thursday in 1941. In the morning, the cadre of officials toured the Alcoa and the Cleveland Pneumatic Tool Company plants. The former was a key supplier of aluminum aircraft parts and the latter produced landing gears for the Douglas XB–19—then, the nation’s largest bomber. Afterwards the group joined 240 local businessmen in the Hotel Cleveland’s Red Room for a luncheon hosted by Cleveland’s newly elected mayor Edward Blythin and Chamber of Commerce President Frederick Crawford. The George Worthington Hardware Company presented the NACA with a chrome-plated pick and shovel to be used for the groundbreaking. NACA officials described the site selection activities, while Crawford reminded area businesses to maintain their pledges of support to the NACA.  Lewis told the attendees, “The future of aviation as regards to speed, efficiency, and safety, will, in a very large measure, depend on the results which come from this laboratory.” With the war in Europe on the front pages, Edward Warner of Civil Aviation Authority added ominously, “What we are doing here today may mean the difference between America’s survival and subjugation. The difference between winning a war and losing it may be the difference between a 1,000- and 2,000-horsepower motor, or the difference between the ability to fly at 20,000 feet or 30,000 feet.” In the afternoon the group traveled out to the construction site adjacent to Cleveland Municipal Airport. Shortly after 3 p.m., Lewis struck the ground with the chrome pick to loosen the soil, which Major General George Brett, acting chief of the Army Air Corps, then scooped up. The moment was immortalized by a local newspaper photographer. That evening, Crawford held a dinner for the dignitaries at the Union Club. Construction of the NACA laboratory began in the ensuing days. Research commenced in May 1942. NACA and city officials broke ground at the future site of the NASA Glenn Research Center. From left to right: William Hopkins (former city manager), John Berry (airport manager), Ray Sharp (AERL), Frederick Crawford (Chamber of Commerce), George Brett (Air Corps), [behind] S. Paul Johnston (NACA), Edward Warner (Civil Aeronautics Board), Sydney Kraus (Bureau of Aeronautics), Edward Blythin (Cleveland mayor) and George Lewis (director of NACA research).NASA Robert S. ArrighiNASA’s Glenn Research Center

[certification01]

How to Get GMP certification in Netherlands?

Introduction to GMP certification in the Netherlands

GMP certification in Netherlands, is a European u. S . Positioned within the northwestern place of the continent. The Netherlands is understood for its tulips, windmills, and canals. The Netherlands is a founding member of the European Union and is domestic to the headquarters of many multinational organizations. The Netherlands has a sturdy financial system and is a main exporter of goods. The Netherlands is likewise a famous vacationer vacation spot.

The Netherlands is a signatory to the Pharmaceutical Inspection Convention and the Cooperation Scheme (PIC/S). The Netherlands is a member of the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The Netherlands has a nicely developed regulatory device for prescription drugs. The Netherlands is likewise a member of the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH).

The Netherlands has a national competent authority accountable for the law of prescribed drugs, clinical gadgets, and cosmetics. The Netherlands Medicines Evaluation Board (MEB) is the countrywide capable authority answerable for the assessment and supervision of drugs inside the Netherlands. The MEB is a systematic advisory board to the Dutch Minister of Health, Welfare, and Sport.

The MEB evaluates drugs for safety, efficacy, and great. The MEB also assesses the gain-danger balance of drug treatments. The MEB is accountable for the registration of drug treatments within the Netherlands. The MEB has problems with advertising authorization for medicines that are safe and effective.

The MEB video display units the protection of medicines after they’re legal for advertising. The MEB also gives facts to healthcare experts and patients on the secure and powerful use of medicines.

The Netherlands has a properly advanced device for the scientific testing of drugs. The Netherlands is a member of the European Medical Trials Directive. The Netherlands has a country wide able authority answerable for the authorization of medical trials. The Central Committee on Research regarding Human Subjects (CCMO) is the national competent authority chargeable for the authorization of clinical trials within the Netherlands.

The Netherlands has a national machine for the registration of scientific trials. The Netherlands has a countrywide registry of scientific trials. The Netherlands Clinical Trials Registry (NLCTR) is a national database of clinical trials which might be performed in the Netherlands. The NLCTR is maintained by using the MEB.

What are the advantages of GMP certification in the Netherlands?

The Netherlands is a small United States of America with a massive reputation for first-rate. That’s why increasingly more groups are searching for GMP certification so that you can do commercial enterprise there.

GMP certification is an important exceptional credential for pharmaceutical and clinical tool manufacturers. It demonstrates to clients and regulators that a company is following proper production practices and is capable of generating secure and powerful merchandise.

The Netherlands has a long history of quality production. In the early days of the Dutch pharmaceutical industry, corporations were already exporting their merchandise everywhere in the global. Today, the Netherlands is domestic to many multinational pharmaceutical and clinical tool businesses.

The Dutch government could be very supportive of the pharmaceutical and scientific device industries. There are several tax incentives and other monetary blessings available to companies doing business in the Netherlands.

The Dutch healthcare device is one of the first-class in the global. The U.S. Has a highly skilled staff and a properly-advanced infrastructure.

There are many motives why agencies searching for GMP certification must remember the Netherlands. The u . S . Has a verified tune record of great manufacturing, a supportive government, and a global-magnificence healthcare gadget.

How to get GMP certification in the Netherlands?

If you are trying to get your merchandise licensed with the aid of the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) in the Netherlands, there are a few things you want to realize:

The Netherlands is a member of the European Union (EU), and as such, products that are certified by means of the GMP inside the Netherlands may be bought for the duration of the EU.

The Netherlands has its personal certification manner for merchandise that meets the GMP standards, which is known as the CE Marking.

The Netherlands also has a separate method for merchandise that is not certified through the GMP, however, which still meets the requirements of the CE Marking.

The CE Marking is an obligatory requirement for all products which can be sold in the EU. It is a symbol that indicates that a product meets the minimal safety, fitness, and environmental requirements of the EU. Products which are licensed through the GMP within the Netherlands can be bought at some point in the EU without having to go through the CE Marking manner.

The Netherlands additionally has its very own method for products that the GMP does not license, however, which still meets the necessities of the CE Marking. These merchandise are called Non-GMP Certified Products (NGCPs). NGCPs can be sold in the Netherlands, but they can’t be offered in different EU nations.

If you’re seeking to get your products certified via the GMP within the Netherlands, step one is to contact a certification body. The Dutch authorities authorize this. There are some permitted certification bodies in the Netherlands, and you can find a list of them on the website of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Once you have located a certification body which you would really like to use, you’ll need to put up an application for certification. The software process will vary depending on the certification frame, but in general, you’ll want to offer records about your company, your merchandise, and your manufacturing technique.

After your software has been reviewed, the certification body will conduct an on-site audit of your centres. The purpose of the audit is to make certain that your manufacturing process meets the GMP requirements. If the certification body is satisfied that your method meets the requirements, they’ll problem you.

Why is GMP certification in the Netherlands critical?

GMP certification in the Netherlands is vital for several reasons:

It guarantees that synthetic products in the Netherlands meet worldwide pleasant standards. It is vital for Iteach Netherland-based companies that export their products and for foreign companies that import products from the Netherlands.

GMP certification in the Netherlands ensures that products are manufactured in a smooth and secure environment. It is critical for both the people who are employed within the manufacturing procedure and for the customers who purchase the goods.

GMP certification in the Netherlands guarantees that products are synthetic for the usage of the modern-day generation and system. It is essential for both the efficiency of the producing technique and for the fine of the goods.

GMP certification in the Netherlands guarantees that merchandise is synthetic in accordance with the very best ethical and environmental requirements.

It is essential for each of the workers who are hired within the manufacturing method and for the customers who buy the goods.

What are the requirements for GMP certification in the Netherlands?

GMP certification in the Netherlands is required for any organization that desires to manufacture, procedure, per cent or save medicinal merchandise. The necessities are laid down within the European Union (EU) Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) hints. These pointers are harmonized across all EU member states, so a business enterprise that is GMP certified in a single u. S . A . Might be robotically certified in some other.

GMP certification isn’t mandatory in the Netherlands. However, it is particularly endorsed. Companies that aren’t GMP certified will discover it very tough to do commercial enterprise with different EU nations, as they may no longer be capable of exporting their merchandise. In addition, many pharmaceutical agencies will not do commercial enterprise with groups that are not GMP licensed, so it is important for businesses that need to fabricate medicinal products to have this certification.

The necessities for GMP certification in the Netherlands are very similar to those in other EU nations. Companies should have an exceptional control system in the area, and they need to be capable of exhibiting that they may be consistently producing exceptional products. They also need to have adequate centres and personnel, and they ought to follow strict manufacturing methods.

If you’re taking into consideration putting in place a medicinal production organization in the Netherlands, or if you are already running such an employer, it’s very important to make sure that you are GMP certified. It will give you a satisfactory danger of success in the fairly competitive EU market.

How to get GMP Certification in Netherlands?

You don’t need to worry about your management system or how you will meet the certification requirements if you are wondering how to obtain GMP certification in Netherlands because we are the ideal option. Send us an email at contact@factocert.com or visit our official website at www.factocert.com to communicate with our help desk staff, who can assist in addressing your certification-related questions. You can register your phone number with our help desk staff, who are accessible around the clock, so they can set up a call back from a certified expert who can assist you in getting the best possible certification solution on the market.

For more information visit GMP certification in Nethrelands

Related link:

• ISO 9001 certification in Netherlands

• ISO 14001certification in Netherlands

• ISO 45001 certification in Netherlands

• ISO 27001 certification in Netherlands

• ISO 22000 certification in Netherlands

[atlanticcanada]

Many Canadians can hold off on getting another COVID booster for now: NACI

We've been sharing the planet with SARS-CoV-2 for more than three years now, but the science and recommendations for how to best protect against the virus and its variants are still constantly evolving.

In the latest major update to those recommendations, the World Health Organization (WHO)'s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) said last week it no longer "routinely recommends" follow-up COVID-19 boosters for people with a medium or low risk of developing severe illness from the virus. Canadian health officials are, for the most part, echoing that message.

COVID-19 Brief newsletter: Sign up for an informed guide on the pandemic

“Updated to reflect that much of the population is either vaccinated or previously infected with COVID-19, or both, the revised roadmap re-emphasizes the importance of vaccinating those still at risk of severe disease,” SAGE chair Dr. Hanna Nohynek said in a media release issued March 28.

“Countries should consider their specific context in deciding whether to continue vaccinating low-risk groups, like healthy children and adolescents, while not compromising the routine vaccines that are so crucial for the health and well-being of this age group.”

SAGE defines three priority-use groups for COVID-19 vaccination – high, medium, and low – based on a balance of cost-effectiveness and risk of severe disease or death.

The high-priority group includes seniors, younger adults with significant comorbidities such as diabetes and heart disease, adults and children older than six months with immunocompromising conditions, pregnant people and front-line health-care workers.

According to Canadian immunologist Matthew Tunis, the new SAGE guidance is similar to spring booster recommendations the Public Health Agency of Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) made several weeks earlier.

"Our assessment is that there's a high degree of concordance or overlap between what the WHO is recommending that every country considers and what NACI has been recommending for COVID-19 boosters," Tunis, who serves as NACI's executive secretary, told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview on Tuesday.

NACI recommends that high-risk Canadians receive booster shots this spring, even if they were boosted in the fall.

That group includes all adults 80 years of age and older; adults 65 to 79 years old, especially if they have never been infected with COVID-19; adults living in long-term care homes and other congregate living settings for seniors or those with complex medical care needs; and people over 18 who are moderately to severely immunocompromised due to an underlying condition or ongoing treatment.

Healthy, fully vaccinated individuals who have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine booster can skip the spring vaccination campaign. Those who have received a primary course of a COVID-19 vaccine but haven't received their first booster dose should get boosted as soon as possible.

As for when low-risk Canadians should get their next boost, Tunis said they can technically do so six months after their last dose, according to the Canadian Immunization Guide, but that it's better if they wait for further guidance from NACI or consult their provincial booster recommendations first.

For now, he said, the committee is still trying to determine whether COVID-19 boosters for the general population should be rolled out as a seasonal, annual or as-needed program in the future.

"What we are seeing…is that hybrid immunity, which is achieved by vaccination in those who have a history of infection as well, is proving to be very stable to prevent severe disease," Tunis said. "But everyone is watching closely to see how long all of this immunity lasts, and if there's continued waning, there may be a need for continual boosters."

Even as highly contagious Omicron sub-variants have continued to spread within Canada, hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths have stabilized for now. During a federal COVID-19 update on March 10, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam said the virus has reached a relatively steady state in Canada.

"While uncertainty remains about the seasonal patterns for COVID-19, the current trend suggests we may not see any major waves in the coming months as we prepare for a potential fall and winter surge," Tam said. "Together with international partners, we will also continue to monitor the situation closely." 

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/kdJCqpl

[wordexpress]

Former BSE Chairman, Sethurathnam Ravi: India Continues To Build Back Better In Key Sectoral Industries with Constant Signs of Economic Recovery

Mr. Sethurathnam Ravi is the former Chairman of Bombay Stock Exchange Limited (BSE) (November 2017 to February 2019) and Founder and Managing Partner of Chartered Accountants’ firm Ravi Rajan & Co., an advisory and accountancy firm, headquartered in New Delhi, India. Mr. S Ravi is a Post Graduate in Commerce and holds a diploma in Information System Audit (DISA). He is an Associate Member of Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (CFE), USA and is also registered as an Insolvency Resolution Professional.

S Ravi BSE former chairman was appointed by Government of India and RBI as Chairman of the Technical Experts Committee for Punjab & Sind Bank’s Strategic Turnaround. He was also appointed by Government of India as a member of the Strategic Revival Group for UCO Bank, where he played an instrumental role in formulation of the revival plan and its subsequent implementation. He has also served as Chairman of PNB Mutual Fund.

According to Sethurathnam Ravi BSE Former chairman, India continues to build back better in key sectoral industries with constant signs of economic recovery. Today India is the sixth largest economy in the world. Significantly, the attribution also lies in the agricultural sector, which is 29.7% of total GDP. But India is witnessing a new wave of agrarian crisis. The farmers are expressing their despair and alienation with the policy framework, from MSP to loan waiver. Hence, the agricultural belts have become synonymous to suicide belts where a number of farmers are forced to take their own lives, indicating the gravity of the crisis. This is a critical issue that could put a massive strain on the economy, if it further continues.

Despite a booming economy and an increasing labour force, the process of job creation is sluggish and has become one of the principle problems that India faces. There has been a sharp increase in the employment of informal workers, but the same has to apply to the formal sector (with skills), which holds important aspect of a progressive economy.

According to Mr. Sethurathnam Ravi, “Diagnosing unemployment is a golden key to unleash our economic power”. The latest CMIE data shows that the unemployment rate in India was 8.2% in February 2019. Besides the unemployment crisis, we should also shed light on balancing the male-female employment ratio. By balancing the ratio, 235 million women will be in the workforce which can make the country richer by 27%, the former BSE Chairman highlights.

In S Ravi’s point of view, there must be a shift, where development is more focused towards labour intensive sectors to create more jobs to ease the employment crisis. At the same time, there must be attention paid to social development investments like, health, education, nutrition, water sanitation (directly related to health), to improve our productivity, human capital, per capita income; and most importantly there must be a greater focus on progressive taxation where additional revenue generated can be invested in social security and other essential services that can significantly boost our economic strengths and capabilities. In a nutshell, this is where we are and what we can actually work on, Sethurathnam Ravi concludes.

[go-21newstv]

Karnataka govt to reopen schools and colleges for from Jan 1 - Times of India

Karnataka govt to reopen schools and colleges for from Jan 1 – Times of India

BENGALURU: The Karnataka government on Saturday decided to reopen schools and Pre-University Colleges that were shut due to the prevailing Covid-19 situation, for class 10 and second year PUC (class 12) students from January 1. It also decided to start the Vidyagama programme, which enables continued schooling for students from classes six to nine. The decisions were taken at a high-level meeting…

[nasa]

Who Was Mary W. Jackson?

On June 24, 2020, NASA announced the agency’s headquarters building in Washington, D.C., was to be named after Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA.

Jackson’s story — along with those of her colleagues Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Christine Darden — was popularized with the release of the “Hidden Figures” movie, based on Margot Lee Shetterly’s book by the same name.

Today, as the accomplishments of these women are brought to light, we celebrate them as Modern Figures — hidden no longer. Despite their recent recognition, we cannot forget the challenges that women and BIPOC faced and continue to face in the STEM fields.

Background

Jackson showed talent for math and science at an early age. She was born in 1921 in Hampton, Virginia, and attended the all-Black George P. Phenix Training School where she graduated with honors. She graduated from Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in 1942 with a bachelor of science degree in both mathematics and physical sciences.

Jackson worked several jobs before arriving at the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA), the precursor organization to NASA. She was a teacher, a receptionist, and a bookkeeper — in addition to becoming a mother — before accepting a position with the NACA Langley Aeronautical Laboratory’s segregated West Area Computers in 1951, where her supervisor was Dorothy Vaughan.

Accomplishments 

After two years in West Computing, Jackson was offered a computing position to work in the 4-foot by 4-foot Supersonic Pressure Tunnel. She was also encouraged to enter a training program that would put her on track to become an engineer — however, she needed special permission from the City of Hampton to take classes in math and physics at then-segregated Hampton High School.

She completed the courses, earned the promotion, and in 1958 became NASA’s first African-American female engineer. That same year, she co-authored her first report, “Effects of Nose Angle and Mach Number on Transition on Cones at Supersonic Speeds.” By 1975, she had authored or co-authored 12 NACA and NASA technical publications — most focused on the behavior of the boundary layer of air around an airplane.

Legacy

Jackson eventually became frustrated with the lack of management opportunities for women in her field. In 1979, she left engineering to become NASA Langley’s Federal Women’s Program Manager to increase the hiring and promotion of NASA’s female mathematicians, engineers, and scientists.

Not only was she devoted to her career, Jackson was also committed to the advancement of her community. In the 1970s, she helped the students in the Hampton King Street Community Center build their own wind tunnel and run experiments. She and her husband Levi took in young professionals in need of guidance. She was also a Girl Scout troop leader for more than three decades.  

Jackson retired from Langley in 1985. Never accepting the status quo, she dedicated her life to breaking barriers for minorities in her field. Her legacy reminds us that inclusion and diversity are needed to live up to NASA’s core values of teamwork and excellence.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.

[imagines-for-the-fangirls-soul]

Return to Me - Chapter Three

Chapter Three: Advice for the Lost

A/N: Please let me know if I missed anyone in the tags. Also, let me know what you think of this chapter! I know there’s no Poe perspective in this chapter, but I hope you’ll all be happy with this chapter nonetheless. Next chapter, Poe and the reader will finally interact.

Pairing: Poe Dameron x Reader Word Count: 4,107 Synopsis: Still struggling to understand her place, the reader is finally given information on Poe’s secret mission. Leia invites the reader along to Takodana, where she gets some much needed advice from both Leia and Maz Kanata.

Tag List: @xeniarocks​, @too-many-baes​, @araceli91103​​, @holybatflapexpert​, @themihala​, @idocarealot, @treblebeth​, @treestarrrrrrrr​, @thescarletknight2014​, @charlottie2998​, @ibikus​, @mellow-f1​, @mrsdaamneron​, @trustme3-13​ @missjess71, @ella-solei​​, @minelskede​, @gleigh42​​, @usuallyweepingnacho, @givemethatgold​​, @and-claudia​​, @constantdisgrace​​, @wordsinwinters​​, @readingvogueonprivetdrive​​

Previous Chapter - Next Chapter

You stormed out of the conference room and made your way back to the quarters you had stayed in on your first visit. Anger raced through your veins as you paced the room, thinking about Leia’s audacity to send you away right after you had risked so much to help the Resistance. 

You assumed she’d be back before night fell over the base, with some explanation of why you couldn’t hear what happened on Poe’s mission, but she never came. 

As you grew more tired, waiting for her long after you accepted she would never come, you began to understand. You weren’t part of the Resistance. You hadn’t been for years. Try as you might to bring them help, you would still always be Queen Bhavisama to them. You were an outsider, and that couldn’t be changed with a few credits and supplies here and there.

When you fell asleep that night, it was a fitful, dreamless sleep, as always. And when you woke up, it was as early as ever. It had been a long time since you were without your handmaidens and it felt strange to be alone, especially here on D’Qar. You tried to treasure the silence, but it was only pulling your thoughts back to the Resistance, Leia’s harsh words, and Poe.

The last time you were on D’Qar, the time before your return, you had stayed in a room half this size. You were alone then, too, but never for long. If Poe was off on a mission, you could still find comfort in your friends on the base until he returned. Back then, you knew that no matter how long you were apart from each other, you would find your way back. But now, you weren’t so positive in your beliefs.

A knock came from your door, thankfully taking you from your thoughts. As you walked over to answer it, you refastened the tie of your nightgown. You opened the door and found Leia in the hallway, looking up at you tiredly.

“Good morning. I hope I’m not interrupting,” she said.

“Nothing to interrupt if I’m excluded from everything,” you said, beckoning her into the room. Leia gave you a small smile as she stepped in.

“It’s just a safety precaution.”

“Yes, I am quite the threat.”

“To some,” she said, raising her eyebrow at you. You sighed, releasing some of the anger from your body. She was doing the best she could to keep you included, while also keeping the Resistance’s secrets safe.

“What brings you by?” you asked.

“Since half the galaxy knows already, Poe’s mission was to find a map to Luke,” she explained. “He was able to retrieve the map, but before he could bring it back, he was captured by The First Order.”

“He was captured?” you asked, your heart beginning to race.

“He’s fine,” Leia said gently, “But he hid the map inside of BB-8, who was lost somewhere on Jakku.”

“Well, where is BB-8 now?”

“We got a message a few moments ago that BB-8 had been spotted on Takodana.”

“Maz’s old place?” you asked.

“Yes. She’s still running that castle of hers, and hopefully, she’ll help us find BB-8 before the First Order does.”

“Have they been alerted that BB-8 was seen on Takodana, too?”

“We’re not sure, but we have to assume that they have. Black Squadron is currently suiting up for the rescue mission.”

“What can I do?” you asked. Leia took in a deep breath and reached out for your hand.

“When the First Order captured Poe, Kylo Ren made it his personal mission to get the needed information out of him.” You stiffened noticeably, trying to hide your gut reaction to that insufferable creature torturing Poe. “He resisted as long as he could—”

“Of course he did,” you said quickly. Leia smiled at you.

“You know, better than anyone, how nearly impossible it is to resist Ren’s mind tricks. He searched Poe’s mind to find out that he hid the map inside BB-8 and . . .”

“And what?” you asked.

“He searched for information about you, too.”

“What would the First Order want to do with me?” you asked. Leia gave you a you-know-better look and continued.

“When Poe came back yesterday, he wasn’t himself.” You felt sick but tried to hide it by plastering your Bhavisama persona to every hurting part of yourself.

“Why are you telling me this?” you asked quietly.

“Because despite what you try to convey, I know you still care about Poe.”

“Leia,” you began softly.

“It’s true. And I know he still cares for you.”

“Even if that’s true, it doesn’t change where we’re at now,” you said with a frown. “We’re not together anymore.”

“Not right now,” she said, looking at you with kind eyes, “But you still have a connection to Poe. And Kylo Ren knows that. He didn’t just invade Poe’s mind for BB-8′s location. This was a message for the two of you.”

“What kind of message?” you asked, shaking your head.

“It’s been over two years, and you have not left Kylo Ren’s mind. When you became queen, we hoped you could protect Naboo, but what we weren’t primarily concerned about was your safety.”

“I am safe, Leia.”

“For now. The First Order is still trying to get us off their backs, but they have many plans around the galaxy. They want to control the galaxy, which means they are going to look to some of the strongest worlds to join in their cause. If you are to get close to the Resistance again, I fear it would put you in even more danger than you already are.”

“Do you want me to leave?” you asked quickly.

“No, of course not. I’ve just barely got you back,” she said with a smile. “But I need you to be cautious. The First Order is very powerful. Ren still knows the people to harm to get to you. We cannot be too careful.”

“I know,” you said, nodding your head. “You taught me well.”

“Good,” she said with a nod. “Now, we’ve got a droid to rescue. Are you coming along?”

“For the attack?” you asked a little too enthusiastically.

“Although I’d love to have you out there, I don’t think it’d be wise to put you in harm’s way like that. Once this mission succeeds and we get BB-8 back, I’d like you to come down with me to visit Maz. Unless you have to return to Naboo right away,” she said with a knowing smile.

“No,” you said instantly, “I want to come along.”

“I’ll let you know when we get the go-ahead from Black Squadron, then. The attack should be commencing soon.” She left the room, leaving you to deal with the excitement that was bubbling in your stomach on your own. 

As you searched through your luggage for something to wear, you had your droid, O9-I2, get to work contacting Naboo. Nové answered immediately, smiling at you holographically.

“Hi,” you said as you pulled an outfit from your trunk. The last piece of the ensemble got stuck underneath the heavy headdress that Loré insisted you pack, even though you weren’t going as Bhavisama, and you stumbled as you pulled it out, falling into the chair resting against your bed.

“Hi. Sure you don’t want me to come down there? Looks like you might need some help,” Nové said as you laughed at your own clumsiness.

“No, I’m fine. I just wanted to check-in. How are things in Naboo?”

“Good. Sondé met with the children’s shelter yesterday, and today she’s meeting with the Advisory Committee to assign a head to your new program.”

“Wait, they’re holding that meeting without me? It’s my program!”

“Technically, you will be there,” she said gingerly.

“I know, I just didn’t think Broden would push the vote so soon, knowing that I’m away,” you said, chewing your lip.

“I’m sure they’ll make an excellent choice.”

“Yeah,” you mused, “Make sure it’s someone who has got the interest of the people in mind, not someone with outsider interest groups lining their pockets. And it should be someone trustworthy, in case they discover where our first donation went. Naturally, they should be smart, fast—”

“Y/N, Sondé will make a wonderful selection. When are you coming home?”

“I’m not sure, now. Things have become more complicated than I thought.”

“In what ways?”

“It’s too much to explain right now, especially since we aren’t in person.”

“So you do want me to come?” she asked, raising her eyebrow.

“Yes, no, I don’t know,” you said, making her laugh. “I’m going down to Takodana with Leia today. I’ll be sure to find out what’s needed of me afterward.” Nové nodded.

“The moment you need anything, you’ll call?” You smiled at her, nodding your head.

“I will. You know, if you want to see Jessika, you can always take some leave.” Her jaw dropped open as a blush covered her pale cheeks.

“It’s not Jess I’m worried about,” she said.

 “I can take care of myself, Nové.”

“I know. I just want you to be safe.”

“I will be. I’ll talk to you soon.” She nodded her head as you went to sign off. You stopped just as she spoke again.

“Y/N?”

“Hmm?”

“Have you seen him yet?”

“No,” you said. She looked at you seriously.

“Be careful. I don’t know what it’ll be like, but you cannot forget about your commitments to Naboo and its people.”

“I won’t, Nové,” you said.

“I know, I know, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” you said, giving her a gentle smile. “I appreciate it.”

“Be safe,” she said.

She signed off, and for a few seconds, all you could do was stare at the space she had taken up before. Her reminder was necessary. Before you let yourself get too excited about this mission, you needed to remember what was waiting for you back home. This was a quick visit, and be as exciting as it may, you still had responsibilities and duties on Naboo that you needed to consider. Things hadn’t changed.

Once you were dressed, it wasn’t much longer that Leia sent O9-I2 a message, asking you to meet her back in the conference room. The mission on Takodana had been a success and soon the two of you would leave with other relief crew members to see just what awaited you on Takodana.

As you entered the room, you found Leia studying an image projected on the Holo table, too absorbed in her own thoughts to hear you enter until you cleared your throat.

“Oh, Y/N, I didn’t hear you come in,” she said simply.

“Everything alright?” you asked, standing at her side. She looked up at you and smiled.

“Yes. The rescue mission was a success, for the most part. Maz’s castle was destroyed, unfortunately, but we got the map to Luke back.”

“That’s great.” She nodded soberly. There was something she wasn’t telling you. “What is it? Is Po—”

“No, no, everyone is fine,” she said, touching your arm. “It turns out that BB-8 was hiding out on the Millennium Falcon with Han and Chewbacca.”

“Han? Are you sure?” you asked in shock.

“Yes. He’s on Takodana with the rest of our ground troops.”

“Wow,” you said, stunned into speechlessness for a moment. “How long has it been?”

“Too long,” she said, closing the plans in front of her. “Are you ready?” You looked at her curiously. She had closed off any emotion she felt about seeing her husband again, so it was impossible to get a read of what she was truly feeling.

“Yes. Let’s get the map and get to Luke,” you said.

You followed her to the hangar and stepped onto the transport that would take you to Takodana. You clutched the armrest as the small transport lifted off the ground and out into the atmosphere. Once you were in space, you looked at Leia.

“Are you scared?” you asked.

“Scared?”

“About seeing Han again.”

“I don’t know, how eager are you to see Poe?” she asked with a smirk. You blushed. You knew exactly the mix of emotions she must be feeling; anxiety, nervousness, excitement, all because you were going to see someone you love, or at least loved.

“I didn’t mean to press, Leia.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she said, batting her hand, “I’ll be fine just as soon as we get the map to Luke. I sent a message to Maz that you were coming down as well, and she is eager to speak to you. She says she knows some people who could benefit from your outreach program.”

“That’s wonderful.”

“I’m sure she’s also hoping to find out what exactly happened between you and Poe.” You looked at her with weary eyes, making her laugh. “I’m just preparing you for the inevitable questions.”

“I guess I shouldn’t expect any less. If I’m going to be around the Resistance again, even for just a little bit, I’m sure I’ll have to explain why we aren’t attached at the hip anymore.” She looked at you, seeing the same look on your face as was on hers.

“Don’t worry. It gets easier.” You nodded your head and centered your mind for the duration of the flight. You weren’t going down as Queen Bhavisama, but there was still a level of decorum that needed to be had when visiting a battleground.

In a few minutes, the transport landed roughly on Takodana. You put a hand to your stomach as you walked towards the exit, hoping to calm your churning stomach and your rioting nerves. The doors to the transport opened, sending your hair and cape whipping around you. In the small opening, you could see Han and Chewbacca waiting a few feet away from the transport.

As the bridge came down, you watched Leia walk over to her estranged husband, embracing his furry friend. Knowing this was a private moment, you walked onto the lush, green planet, finding it to now be a mess of debris. You surveyed the damage, finding hardly any trace left of Maz’s old castle.

“Y/N.” You looked back towards Leia and saw that Han was now looking at you. He had a nervous expression on his face, making you smile. You made your way over to him and he wrapped you in a tight hug.

“It’s good to see you again. You look different.”

“You haven’t changed at all,” you replied with a smile. Chewbacca came up behind you and clapped your shoulder. “Hello, Chewie.” It was hard to describe what it felt like to be around your old friends again, and before you could capitalize on your feelings, a shout came from across the battlefield that turned all of your attentions. A young man was rushing towards your group, yelling.

“They took her! They took Rey!” he cried. Han put a hand on the man’s shoulder in an effort to calm him.

“Rey?” Leia asked.

“She’s a friend of ours,” Han clarified. “She helped keep BB-8 out of the hands of the First Order.”

“Well then, we will do whatever we can to get her back . . .” she trailed off, not knowing the name of the mysterious man.

“Finn,” he responded.

“Finn,” she said with a nod. “I know someone who will be very excited to see you when we get back to base.” He looked confused, but Leia didn’t fill him in on any more details. “Before we head back, Y/N and I need to speak with Maz.”

“I think she’s back by the castle, trying to salvage whatever she can,” Han said. Leia nodded and lead the way across the rocky terrain. You were trying to spot the castle you had visited a few years ago, but the only thing that remained were bits of rubble.

“Leia, wonderful of you to stop by. I’m sorry I don’t have any tea on, but just give me a moment and I’ll find my kettle in all this mess.” You both smiled and turned around to see Maz carrying pieces of her home in her arms as she approached. “Ah, and I see you’ve brought back Mrs. Dameron.” You took some of the items out of her arms with a smile.

“Just Y/N now, Maz,” you said. She looked into your face, reading it carefully.

“Ah, yes, of course. I remember now. I gathered a list of people I know around the galaxy who might benefit from your secret Poe-helping-program.” You blushed as you stumbled over your words.

“What? It’s not— No, it’s not a— a Poe-helping-program. I fully support the Resistance and want to give it the aid it deserves, and it’s also not a bad idea to reach out to other planets and expand our galactic relations.”

“Of course,” Maz said, giving you another scanning look. She turned her attention to Leia a few moments later. “I don’t have what you’re looking for, either.”

“Is it somewhere in the rubble?” Leia asked, looking at the destroyed building laying at her feet.

“I’m afraid not.”

“Don’t tell me you sold my father’s lightsaber.” Your eyes widened as you looked between the two formidable women.

“I have collected many things in my day, but your father's lightsaber was one of my favorites. I would never have sold it, but I don’t have it anymore.”

“Then where is it?” Leia asked.

“It called to another.”

“Who?”

“Rey,” you answered. Leia looked at you in bewilderment. “Ben was always obsessed with his grandfather, that lightsaber in particular. If he knew that it called to Rey, it would explain why he took her.”

“I’ve always liked you, Y/N. Quick as a whip,” Maz said, continuing her walk through the destruction. “She’s right, the lightsaber did call to Rey. She didn’t want it, though,” she added with a tut.

“That’s not exactly how the Force works,” Leia said.

“I know. That’s why I gave it to that Stormtrooper, Finn. They have a close bond. Not unlike two other young rebels I knew.” Her eyes found yours again, but you fought off the blush this time and just smiled at her.

“Alright well, thank you, Maz. I’m sorry about the castle.”

“Don’t mention it, happens all the time. I was thinking about doing some remodeling anyway. I do wish I could invite you in for something to drink, ideally a little stronger than tea.”

“Me too, but we need to get going.”

“So soon?”

“We’ve got another rescue mission to go on,” Leia said, turning her back to Maz and starting to move back towards the transport.

“Leia,” Maz called, “Don’t tell me what I sensed before was what it was.” Leia sighed and glanced over at you, seeing the confusion and worry filling your eyes.

“The First Order test-fired its new weapon this morning,” she explained.

“What kind of weapon?” you asked.

“A weapon built to rival the Death Star.”

“Who was the target?”

“We’re still waiting for intel,” Leia said, dismissing the conversation until later. Your heart started to race again, worrying for Naboo. “We must head back. I have a few more things to check on before takeoff.”

“Of course,” you said, beginning to follow her.

“So, tell me, Y/N,” Maz said, continuing to walk through the rubble, picking up items she could rescue, “How’s your pilot?”

“He’s not my pilot, Maz,” you said, turning back and taking a few more items from her arms. She had collected a pile near the woods, an area that had been left mostly untouched by the firefight. She sat down on a turned over column and motioned for you to do the same. She took your hand in hers and looked up at you, examining you with her giant eyes. “What?” you asked.

“You’re scared.”

“What? I’m not scared.”

“Yes you are, I can see it all over your face.”

“Maz—”

“It’s alright. You have every right to be scared. I take it by your reaction to my comments you haven’t spoken to your ex-husband yet?”

“No.”

“And you’re worried about The First Order, specifically what planet they could have attacked when you were away from home. You’re scared that even if your planet wasn’t destroyed, they’ll somehow find out what you’ve been doing, and you’ll let them down.”

“How do you do that?”

“Years of practice,” she said with a wave of her hand. “Once you look in enough people’s eyes, you start to see the same things. I’ll admit though, yours are a little bit trickier.

“You’re a good person, Y/N. A true person. You have changed since you became queen, but you’re still the same on the inside. That’s the person I’m seeing now. Try as you might to hide her, you’re still the fearless, rule-breaking, passionate woman from a few years ago. You’re still Y/N Dameron.”

“Except that I’m not. Poe and I are done. I ruined that years ago.”

“Really? Did you ask Poe if things were ruined?”

“Well, no, but it doesn’t matter.”

“Because you’re engaged to that count from Serenno,” she said plainly.

“No, we’re not engaged. Yet. Wait, how do you know that?”

“I have eyes everywhere.”

“Of course,” you said, sighing. “So much has changed, I don’t think we can ever go back to the way it was. I don’t think I am who you think I am. I don’t get to make my decisions anymore. I truly feel like that version of me is gone,” you said sadly.

“You know, there will eventually be a day when the fighting is over,” Maz said, smiling at you. “The two of you can be together again. You can’t give everything to a fight. Not your heart.” A Wookie roar made you jump and remember where you needed to be.

“I’m sorry, Maz, I have to go.”

“Of course,” she said, standing. “Y/N, before you go: I’ve seen true love a few times in my life. It’s never an easy battle. You can lose yourself to it, but I don’t think that’s you.”

“Thank you,” you said softly.

“Tell your parents I said hello!” she called as you made your way back to the transport.

“I will.” You raced back to the transport, finding nearly everyone else around you boarded already. You saw Leia, still talking to Han and Chewie and apologized. She waved you onto the transport, and as you took a seat, she sat down next to you.

“Did you tell her to say all that?” you asked her.

“I have no idea what she said to you, Y/N,” she said plainly. “I didn’t tell her to say anything to you either. But, clearly, we both care about you and see the same things in you.” You gave her a polite smile, not sure about what either of them had told you. “It’s time to heal, Y/N.”

“I’m fine.”

“Sure, but two years ago you were much better than fine. I’d like that woman back.”

“I’m still here, I think. Things have just changed.”

“I know. That’s why I’m hoping to get you back piece by piece. I didn’t call you just for your credits, I hope you know. I needed you back, too.”

“And I’m glad to be back.”

“Me too.” She patted your hand. “And don’t worry, Maz almost always makes me cry, too.”

“Thank you, Leia.”

The landing pad back on D’Qar was a frenzy. Ships were landing every few minutes, and everyone was running to their friends to congratulate each other on a successful mission. The moment you stepped off the transport, a group of people rushed to Leia, pulling her away to answer a million questions.

You knew you should follow her and find out what kind of damage the First Order had inflicted and check in on Naboo, but as you began to follow, something hit your leg. You stumbled forward but caught yourself. You looked down for the culprit, finding a bright orange and white droid at your feet.

“BB-8!” you said, bending down to see the angrily beeping droid. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Well, of course, I missed you. BB-8, you know me better than that. I never meant to hurt you. I know, I know, I did.” He continued beeping and buzzing, telling you off for not even saying goodbye to him, and for leaving Poe the way you did. “Believe me, I didn’t like it any more than you did. Can you ever forgive me?” He hummed reluctantly and after a moment rolled up against your leg affectionately. “I missed you, too, buddy.”

[blackkudos]

Jesse Russell

Jesse Eugene Russell (born April 26, 1948) is an African American inventor. Trained as an electrical engineer at Tennessee State University and Stanford University, and working in the field of wireless communication for over 20 years, Russell has helped to shape the wireless communications industry direction through his leadership and perspectives for standards, technologies as well as new wireless service concepts.

He holds patents and continues to invent and innovate in the emerging area of next generation broadband wireless networks, technologies and services, which is frequently referred to as 4G. Russell was inducted into the United States' National Academy of Engineering during the Clinton Administration for his innovative contribution to the field of Wireless Communication. He pioneered the field of digital cellular communication in the 1980s through the use of high power linear amplification and low bit rate voice encoding technologies and received a patent in 1992 (US patent #5,084,869) for his work in the area of digital cellular base station design.

Russell is currently Chairman and CEO of incNETWORKS, Inc. a New Jersey-based Broadband Wireless Communications Company focused on 4th Generation (4G) Broadband Wireless Communications Technologies, Networks and Services.

Early life and education

Jesse Eugene Russell was born April 26, 1948, in Nashville, Tennessee in the United States of America into a large African-American family with eight brothers and two sisters. He is the son of Charles Albert Russell and Mary Louise Russell. His early childhood was spent in economically and socially deprived neighborhoods within the inner-city of Nashville. During his early years, he focused on athletics and not academics. A key turning point in Russell's life was the opportunity to attend a summer educational program at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. Russell participated in this educational opportunity and began his academic and intellectual pursuits. Russell continued his education at Tennessee State University where he focused on electrical engineering. A Bachelor of Science Degree (BSEE) in Electrical Engineering was conferred in 1972 from Tennessee State University. As a top honor student in the School of Engineering, Russell became the first African American to be hired directly from a Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) by AT&T Bell Laboratories and subsequently became the first African-American in the United States to be selected as the Eta Kappa Nu Outstanding Young Electrical Engineer of the Year in 1980. Russell continued his academic pursuits and obtained his Master of Electrical Engineering (MSEE) degree from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, in 1973.

Innovations and patents

Russell's innovations in wireless communication systems, architectures and technology related to radio access networks, end user devices and in-building wireless communication systems have fundamentally changed the wireless communication industry. Known for his patented invention of the digital cellular base station, that enabled new digital services for cellular mobile users, Russell continues to innovate in the emerging next generation broadband wireless communication technologies, products, networks, and services as well as "Mobile Cloud Computing" which are shaping the forefront of the 4G Communication Industry.

Over 100 patents granted or in process, thirty years of experience in Research and Development at prominent institutions and pioneering technologies such as the invention of the first digital cellular base station and fiber optic microcell utilizing high power linear amplifier technology and digital modulation techniques, which allowed the beginning of the digital cellular evolution, digital cellular standards, personal communications networks as well as the emergence of "Mobile Cloud Computing" within 4G broadband wireless networks are only some of the accomplishments that have forged new directions for the wireless communication industry. Listed below are significant patents.

Professional accomplishments

Russell joined Bell Labs as a Member of the Technical Staff. He was one of the first designers to embrace the use of microprocessor in the design of equipment for use in the telecommunication network for monitoring and tracking calling patterns within the Bell System Network. The system was referred to as the traffic data collection systems, which using a microprocessor-based portable data terminals for interfacing to electro-mechanical switching systems.

Russell served in the following positions; Director of the AT&T Cellular Telecommunication Laboratory (Bell Labs), Vice President of Advanced Wireless Technology Laboratory (Bell Labs), Chief Technical Officer for the Network Wireless Systems Business Unit (Bell Labs), Chief Wireless Architect of AT&T, and Vice President of Advanced Communications Technologies for AT&T Laboratories (formerly a part of Bell Labs).

As the Director of the AT&T Cellular Telecommunication Laboratory (Bell Labs), this Bell Labs Group formally managed by Russell is credited with the invention of cellular radio technology and received the United States' Medal of Technology for the invention.

Russell continued to develop his expertise as he established and led an Innovation Center focused on Applied Research in Advanced Communication Technologies that enabling AT&T to extend its existing portfolio of services and expand into new businesses and markets. As a key decision maker in the selection and development of emerging communications technologies, Russell's efforts lead to the rapid realization of new access network platforms that enable AT&T to expand its broadband communication network options (i.e., Specialization: Cable Access Networks, DSL Access Networks, Power-line Carrier Access Networks, Fixed Wireless Access Networks, Satellite Access Networks and Broadband Wireless Communications Networks). The applications of these access technologies were one of the keys in expanding AT&T's interest in re-building it local access services business.

Acknowledgements

Elected as IEC Fellow for contributions in the development of Broadband Communications Access Technologies into the International Engineering Consortium (IEC), 1999.

Inductee into the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) for the development of and contributions to digital cellular communications, 1995.

Elected to IEEE Fellow grade for technical leadership in the development of digital wireless communication concepts, technology, systems and standards, 1994.

US Black Engineer of the Year for best Technical Contributions in Digital Cellular and Microcellular Technology, 1992, US Black Engineer Magazine.

America's New Leadership Class Award 1985, Esquire Magazine.

Outstanding Service Award 1983, Eta Kappa Nu.

Outstanding Scientist Award 1982, National Society of Black Engineers.

Eta Kappa Nu Outstanding Young Electrical Engineer of the Year, 1980.

Scientist of the Year Award 1980, National Technical Associations Inc.

Professional memberships and affiliations

Board of Directors Advisor, Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA)

Board of Governors, IEEE Vehicular Technology Society

Chairman of the Board, Electromagnetic Energy Association (EEA, Third term)

Chairman, Mobile & Personal Communications Division of TIA

Chairman, Telecommunication Industry Association (TIA) -Wireless Communication Standards Organization

Fellow member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc (IEEE)

Fellow member of the International Engineering Consortium (IEC)

Inducted Member of the National Academy of Engineering

Member of the Technological Advisory Council (TAC), U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

Member of Eta Kappa Nu Honor Society

Member of International Regulatory and Standards Committee on Third Generation Wireless Communications Systems

Member of the Congressional Subcommittee on Technology Member, National Academy of Engineering (NAE), Electronic Engineering Section and Computer Science & Engineering Section

Member of the Information & Technology Council of the American Management Association

Member of the National Academy of Engineering

Member Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society

Member Tau Beta Pi Honor Society

Past Chairman, Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) Cellular Radio and Common Carrier Section (1987–1992)

Technical Program Chairman, 38th IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference, Philadelphia

Technical Program Chairman, 43rd IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference, Secaucus

Testified before Judge Green on Bell System Divesture

Publications

"Universal Personal Communications: Emergence of a Paradigm Shift in the Communications Industry", International Journal of Wireless information Networks, Vol. 1, No. 3, 1994.This paper examines a major paradigm shift in the communications industry across four dimensions, analyzes the factors influencing the shift, articulates a vision of universal personal communications under the new paradigm and presents several service environment and transmission hierarchy models supporting the vision.

"The US Evolution towards Personal Communications in the '90s" (with A. T. Kripalani), Proc. Pan European Digital Cellular Radio Conference, Rome, Italy, 1990.This paper proposes and describes a set of strategic technology platforms to assist the migration of the existing US cellular network to an all digital personal communications network.

"AT&T Next Generation Digital Cellular Base Station Technology" (with R. W. Henn and R. S. Kerby), Proc. International Switching Symposium, Stockholm, Sweden, 1990.This paper describes the first all digital cellular base station system utilizing linear radio technology to support multiple radio air interface methods such as FDMA, TDMA and CDMA in a single system.

"Design of Mobile Satellite System Architecture as an Integral Part of the Cellular Access Digital Network" (with E. S. K. Chien and J. A. Marinho), Proc. the Mobile Satellite Conference, Pasadena, 1988.This paper provides an overview of the interoperability aspects between digital cellular access networks and mobile satellite systems.

"Emerging Cellular Access Digital Network" (with E. S. K. Chien and D. J. Goodman), Proc. World Telecommunication Forum, Americas Telecom, '88, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1988.This paper describes the characteristics of an all digital cellular access network that supports integrated voice and data services (cellular ISDN). It is an expansion of the concepts put forth in publication 11 below.

"Evolution Toward Digital Cellular Network in the U.S." (with E. S. K. Chien), Proc. 1988 Pan European Cellular Radio Conference, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1988.This paper provides a vision for the migration of the existing US cellular network towards an all digital wireless access network.

"A Systems Approach to Indoor Wireless Communication" (with E. S. K. Chien and D. J. Goodman), Proc. GLOBECOM '87, Tokyo, Japan, 1987.This paper describes an approach to in-building wireless communication and examines the interoperability with cellular mobile communication.

"Cellular Access Digital Network (CADN) Wireless Access to Networks of the Future" (with E. S. K. Chien and D. J. Goodman), IEEE Communications Magazine, June 1987.This paper describes a scenario for the evolution of a digital cellular access network towards providing personalized wireless voice and data communication services.

"Network Foundation for Providing Personal Communications", Proc. Digital Mobile Workshop on Personal Communications, Melbourne, Australia, 1987.This paper puts forth some original concepts, such as personal telephone numbers, logical network addressing and universal wireless access service protocols related to personal communications.

"Cellular ISDN: New Interface for Wireless Access" (with E. S. K. Chien), Proc. International Conference on Communication Technology, Nanjing, China, 1987.This paper describes the benefits of mobile communications as an effective means to modernize the telecommunications infrastructure for China.

"Cellular Access Digital Network" (with E. S. K. Chien), Proc. International Telecommunications Symposium, Taipei, Taiwan, 1987.This paper describes cellular integrated voice and data services access network (cellular ISDN) as a complement to the wire line ISDN.

"Extension of ISDN Capability to Cellular Wireless Access" (with E. S. K. Chien and D. J. Goodman), Proc. Second Nordic Seminar on Digital Land Mobile Radio Communications, Stockholm, Sweden, 1986.This paper describes the original concept of an integrated voice and data services cellular access network (cellular ISDN) and establishes the important role of intelligent network in the cellular context.

Major addresses

Keynote Speaker, Excellence Through Education and Achievement 2008, Missouri Legislative Black Conference Foundation, St. Louis, Missouri

"Migration to Broadband IP Based Wireless and Wired Networks-May 2006" Wireless and Optical Communications Conference (WOCC) Mr. Jesse E. Russell, VP, Advanced Communications Technologies, AT&T Labs

SuperComm99-Chairman., SuperComm99 Plenary Session, Atlanta, GA – 1999. Where is the Network Headed? Panelist on the Convergence of Global Voice and Data Networks, Wired & Wireless Networks, and Global Wireless IP Networking.

Keynote Address, Rural Telecommunications Association, Arizona/Mexico Telecommunications Conference – 1995. This address introduced the vision of wireless communications as a key to the revitalization of local access within the US and its use to provide connectivity from rural communities to the national information Infrastructure.

Keynote Address, National Communications Forum – 1995. Expanded on the evolutionary trends in wireless communications and presented a visionary projection of them in reshaping the local access aspects of future telecommunications in the US.

Keynote Address, European Commission, Spain – 1995. Discussing the emergence of breakthrough communications technologies such as digital radio processing, power-line communications, satellite communications and free space optics and projecting their impact in revitalizing the global telecommunications industry through the expansion of markets and services.

[redshirtgal]

When Star Trek fans read about the letter writing campaigns that saved Star Trek, most of the attention is given to the ones done during the second season that were led by fan club members and others supportive of the show, such as Bjo and John Trimble. However this was not the first time a letter writing campaign had been organized for fear of the show’s cancellation. As far as viewership and ratings go, Star Trek’s first season probably would have been its last in earlier years. The Nielsen ratings would vary for the show each week, but by and large they were low. TV was a competitive industry and sponsors paid close attention to Nielsen ratings to make sure they were getting the most bang for their buck. However, NBC also looked at demographics as well as the Nielsens and realized the show did have a loyal following. And there was another factor. In December, an NBC executive called the Star Trek studio to tell them that their show was the number one rated color series. At first Herb Solow didn’t think this was particular exciting news. But later he realized why NBC was excited. Its parent company was RCA, whose color television sets were becoming more affordable and were being purchased by more and more households as TV shows in color were becoming more abundant. But for some reason, by midseason Gene Roddenberry believed the show was already in danger of being cancelled and spoke of his fears to Harlan Ellison. Even though Harlan was still sore at Gene over “The City on the Edge of Forever,” he formed an advisory group of well known science fiction writers known as “The Committee.” On December 1st in 1966, Ellison wrote a plea to the Science Fiction Writers of America asking for letters of support for the show. At that time, Star Trek was the only television series that bought scripts from actual science fiction writers so this group was more than willing to pitch in. They in turn appealed to their science fiction audience and that audience - not just Trek fans - began to flood NBC as well as many magazines and professional science fiction publications with letters demanding that Star Trek be kept on the air. Isaac Asimov, whose relationship with Roddenberry began on a rocky note but eventually became quite close, wrote letters to many publications on his own and the readers of those publications also responded. By the way, Desilu was unaware that Harlan had used their resources to organize this campaign. He had already been given his own office in the studio to use while doing rewrites of “The City on the Edge of Forever.”  After writing  the basic form letter above, he then cranked out his letters on Desilu’s mimeograph machines Pulling from his Rolodex of addresses from science fiction conventions and fan clubs, Harlan Ellison then personalized each letter with a name, placed stamps on each one and mailed them out himself. Only later did he realize to his chagrin that Gene may have been less than honest about his fears. The campaign went well into the following year. In the March 1967 issue of Galaxy magazine, editor Frederick Pohl claimed that Star Trek would be off the air shortly, having heard this “ just yesterday.” He bemoaned what he saw as the network’s lack of appreciation for the intelligence of Star Trek’s viewers. Pohl also asked that readers bombard NBC and the sponsors with letters asking that the show be given a reprieve.

NBC was a bit bewildered  and somewhat annoyed by all of this. They had already decided to renew Star Trek before the full onslaught of the letter writing campaign in December. Gene was suspected of being behind it all, but he steadfastly denied any connection. Technically, he wasn’t lying. In any case, this cost NBC time and money because they had a policy that every letter received would have a reply sent back to the writer. If Gene hadn’t already been tagged as an ungrateful producer, this certainly did not help matters.

On March 9th, an NBC announcer came on during the closing credits of “The Devil in the Dark” to say that Star Trek would be back for the second season. And he specifically asked for viewers not to send any more letters. After this announcement, Gene personally sent the above telegram to the members of The Committee. Whether his stated fear of Star Trek’s cancellation came from someone in the know or was completely manufactured by Gene as a massive publicity stunt, we’ll never know. So, did this letter writing campaign save Star Trek from being cancelled before it had a second season? It depends on whom you ask. Certainly, Roddenberry and his cadre of supportive science fiction writers believed it did. NBC claimed the letters had nothing to do with it. However, the volume got their attention as well as the high regard in which the leaders were held, so they made sure to make it known to the show’s fans that the studio was behind it 100 percent. Unfortunately, Star Trek found itself in trouble again when time came for discussing whether it should be renewed for a third season. And that will be the topic of the next article.

[spacenutspod]

4 min readPreparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) When constructed in the early 1940s, NASA Glenn Research Center’s Altitude Wind Tunnel was the nation’s only wind tunnel capable of studying full-scale aircraft engines under realistic flight conditions.NASA/William Bowles Global tensions were high in the fall of 1941 as U-boats harassed ships in the Atlantic and German forces pushed deep into the Soviet Union. There was a critical need for the United States to get the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA)’s new engine laboratory (today, NASA’s Glenn Research Center) in operation as soon as possible. It was especially important to complete its Altitude Wind Tunnel (AWT), which could be used to improve the engine performance of high-altitude combat aircraft. NACA engineers were experts in wind tunnel design, but simulating 30,000-foot altitudes to test full-sized engines in the new facility posed several unique challenges. Perhaps the most daunting was chilling the millions of cubic feet of airflow in the tunnel to -47 degrees Fahrenheit. The NACA’s attempts to design adequate cooling coils for the unprecedented system proved ineffectual. To expedite the design process, the NACA convinced Willis Carrier, the nation’s premier refrigeration authority, to design the cooling system for the massive tunnel. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A video clip from the documentary, “A Tunnel Through Time – The History of NASA's Altitude Wind Tunnel.” Watch the full version In October 1941, Vannevar Bush, a special liaison between President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the scientific community, set up a meeting between NACA leaders and Carrier, who had invented the world’s first electrical air conditioning unit in 1902. Although Carrier felt that his company was too busy with other military-related projects to bid on the tunnel project, he agreed to meet with those directly involved with the effort on Nov. 6, 1941. The NACA team only discussed the system in broad terms but stressed the importance of the tunnel to national interests. In the end, Carrier agreed to perform some initial experiments and bid on the project. The NACA was so impressed by Carrier’s confidence and technical acumen that in early 1942 it planned to build a second tunnel, the Icing Research Tunnel, using the AWT’s proposed refrigeration system. An aerial view of NASA Glenn Research Center’s Altitude Wind Tunnel (AWT) complex and Refrigeration Building in 1945. The Icing Research Tunnel is visible to the right.Credit: NASA/Handy The Carrier Corporation officially began the project in March 1942 as the first tunnel’s foundations were laid in Cleveland. Carrier formed several teams to work on different aspects of the system and built a model of the AWT to test the concepts. They regularly worked 16-hour days to meet the design deadline. As one engineer stated, “Every assignment had to be done yesterday.” Several new tactics were employed to meet the unique demands of the effort. Engineers designed many of the compressor valves and pumps specifically for the project and decided to use Freon-12, which had never been used on such a large scale, as the refrigerant. The most significant challenge was fitting the required 8,000 square feet of cooling coils into the 2,000-square-foot tunnel section. The solution was to arrange the coils in an accordion-like fashion and add turning vanes across the back to maintain the airflow’s velocity and pressure. These compressors inside NASA Glenn Research Center’s Refrigeration Building were used to generate cold temperatures in the Altitude Wind Tunnel and Icing Research Tunnel.Credit: NASA The AWT’s cooling system was installed over the summer of 1943. Carrier and his team were present during the trial runs, and the tunnel began formal operation in February 1944. Its unique ability to test full-scale engines in simulated altitude conditions helped resolve engine cooling issues for the B-29 bomber during World War II and significantly advanced the development of the jet engine in the 1940s and 1950s. NASA converted the tunnel into a vacuum facility in 1963 and eventually shut it down in the 1970s. Technicians set up test hardware inside the test section of the Icing Research Tunnel in 1969.Credit: NASA The IRT, which came online in late summer 1944, creates freezing clouds to study ice buildup on aircraft components and test de-icing systems. Today, the IRT is the longest running – and among the largest –icing tunnel in the world. In 1987, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers named the IRT an International Historic Engineering Landmark and noted, “there was never a more difficult, more exacting, or more vital refrigerating system than the one designed and built by the Carrier Corporation for the wind tunnels in Cleveland.” Explore More 1 min read Prepare to Fly with a NASA Pilot Article 6 days ago 1 min read November Retirements Article 1 week ago 2 min read NASA, Moog Humming Along on Air Taxi Noise Tests Article 1 week ago

[bountyofbeads]

Science Under Attack: How Trump Is Sidelining Researchers and Their Work https://nyti.ms/2MyL8Yw

Science Under Attack: How Trump Is Sidelining Researchers and Their Work

By Brad Plumer and Coral Davenport | Published Dec. 28, 2019, 2:58 p.m. ET | New York Times | Posted Dec 28, 2019 |

WASHINGTON — In just three years, the Trump administration has diminished the role of science in federal policymaking while halting or disrupting research projects nationwide, marking a transformation of the federal government whose effects, experts say, could reverberate for years.

Political appointees have shut down government studies, reduced the influence of scientists over regulatory decisions and in some cases pressured researchers not to speak publicly. The administration has particularly challenged scientific findings related to the environment and public health opposed by industries such as oil drilling and coal mining. It has also impeded research around human-caused climate change, which President Trump has dismissed despite a global scientific consensus.

But the erosion of science reaches well beyond the environment and climate: In San Francisco, a study of the effects of chemicals on pregnant women has stalled after federal funding abruptly ended. In Washington, D.C., a scientific committee that provided expertise in defending against invasive insects has been disbanded. In Kansas City, Mo., the hasty relocation of two agricultural agencies that fund crop science and study the economics of farming has led to an exodus of employees and delayed hundreds of millions of dollars in research.

“The disregard for expertise in the federal government is worse than it’s ever been,” said Michael Gerrard, director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University, which has tracked more than 200 reports of Trump administration efforts to restrict or misuse science since 2017. “It’s pervasive.”

Hundreds of scientists, many of whom say they are dismayed at seeing their work undone, are departing.

Among them is Matthew Davis, a biologist whose research on the health risks of mercury to children underpinned the first rules cutting mercury emissions from coal power plants. But last year, with a new baby of his own, he was asked to help support a rollback of those same rules. “I am now part of defending this darker, dirtier future,” he said.

This year, after a decade at the Environmental Protection Agency, Mr. Davis left.

“Regulations come and go, but the thinning out of scientific capacity in the government will take a long time to get back,” said Joel Clement, a former top climate-policy expert at the Interior Department who quit in 2017 after being reassigned to a job collecting oil and gas royalties. He is now at the Union of Concerned Scientists, an advocacy group.

Mr. Trump has consistently said that government regulations have stifled businesses and thwarted some of the administration’s core goals, such as increasing fossil-fuel production. Many of the starkest confrontations with federal scientists have involved issues like environmental oversight and energy extraction — areas where industry groups have argued that regulators have gone too far in the past.

“Businesses are finally being freed of Washington’s overreach, and the American economy is flourishing as a result,” a White House statement said last year. Asked about the role of science in policymaking, officials from the White House declined to comment on the record.

The administration’s efforts to cut certain research projects also reflect a longstanding conservative position that some scientific work can be performed cost-effectively by the private sector, and taxpayers shouldn’t be asked to foot the bill. “Eliminating wasteful spending, some of which has nothing to do with studying the science at all, is smart management, not an attack on science,” two analysts at the conservative Heritage Foundation wrote in 2017 of the administration’s proposals to eliminate various climate change and clean energy programs.

Industry groups have expressed support for some of the moves, including a contentious E.P.A. proposal  to put new constraints on the use of scientific studies in the name of transparency. The American Chemistry Council, a chemical trade group, praised the proposal by saying, “The goal of providing more transparency in government and using the best available science in the regulatory process should be ideals we all embrace.”

In some cases, the administration’s efforts to roll back government science have been thwarted. Each year, Mr. Trump has proposed sweeping budget cuts at a variety of federal agencies like the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation. But Congress has the final say over budget levels and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have rejected the cuts.

For instance, in supporting funding for the Department of Energy’s national laboratories, Senator Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee, recently said, “it allows us to take advantage of the United States’ secret weapon, our extraordinary capacity for basic research.”

As a result, many science programs continue to thrive, including space exploration at NASA and medical research at the National Institutes of Health, where the budget has increased more than 12 percent since Mr. Trump took office and where researchers  continue to make advances in areas like molecular biology and genetics.

Nevertheless, in other areas, the administration has managed to chip away at federal science.

At the E.P.A., for instance, staffing has fallen to its lowest levels in at least a decade. More than two-thirds of respondents to a survey of federal scientists across 16 agencies said that hiring freezes and departures made it harder to conduct scientific work. And in June, the White House ordered agencies to cut by one-third the number of federal advisory boards that provide technical advice.

The White House said it aimed to eliminate committees that were no longer necessary. Panels cut so far had focused on issues including invasive species and electric grid innovation.

At a time when the United States is pulling back from world leadership in other areas like human rights or diplomatic accords, experts warn that the retreat from science is no less significant. Many of the achievements of the past century that helped make the United States an envied global power, including gains in life expectancy, lowered air pollution and increased farm productivity are the result of the kinds of government research now under pressure.

“When we decapitate the government’s ability to use science in a professional way, that increases the risk that we start making bad decisions, that we start missing new public health risks,” said Wendy E. Wagner, a professor of law at the University of Texas at Austin who studies the use of science by policymakers.

Skirmishes over the use of science in making policy occur in all administrations: Industries routinely push back against health studies that could justify stricter pollution rules, for example. And scientists often gripe about inadequate budgets for their work. But many experts say that current efforts to challenge research findings go well beyond what has been done previously.

In an article published in the journal Science last year, Ms. Wagner wrote that some of the Trump administration’s moves, like a policy to restrict certain academics from the E.P.A.’s Science Advisory Board or the proposal to limit the types of research that can be considered by environmental regulators, “mark a sharp departure with the past.” Rather than isolated battles between political officials and career experts, she said, these moves are an attempt to legally constrain how federal agencies use science in the first place.

Some clashes with scientists have sparked public backlash, as when Trump officials pressured the nation’s weather forecasting agency to support the president’s erroneous assertion this year that Hurricane Dorian threatened Alabama.

But others have garnered little notice despite their significance.

This year, for instance, the National Park Service’s principle climate change scientist, Patrick Gonzalez, received a “cease and desist” letter from supervisors after testifying to Congress about the risks that global warming posed to national parks.

“I saw it as attempted intimidation,” said Dr. Gonzalez, who added that he was speaking in his capacity as an associate adjunct professor at the University California, Berkeley, a position he also holds. “It’s interference with science and hinders our work.”

CURTAILING SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMS

Even though Congress hasn’t gone along with Mr. Trump’s proposals for budget cuts at scientific agencies, the administration has still found ways to advance its goals.

One strategy: eliminate individual research projects not explicitly protected by Congress.

For example, just months after Mr. Trump’s election, the Commerce Department disbanded a 15-person scientific committee that had explored how to make National Climate Assessments, the congressionally mandated studies of the risks of climate change, more useful to local officials. It also closed its Office of the Chief Economist, which for decades had conducted wide-ranging research on topics like the economic effects of natural disasters. Similarly, the Interior Department has withdrawn funding for its Landscape Conservation Cooperatives, 22 regional research centers that tackled issues like habitat loss and wildfire management. While California and Alaska used state money to keep their centers open, 16 of 22 remain in limbo.

A Commerce Department official said the climate committee it discontinued had not produced a report, and highlighted other efforts to promote science, such as a major upgrade of the nation’s weather models.

An Interior Department official said the agency’s decisions “are solely based on the facts and grounded in the law,” and that the agency would continue to pursue other partnerships to advance conservation science.

Research that potentially posed an obstacle to Mr. Trump’s promise to expand fossil-fuel production was halted, too. In 2017, Interior officials  canceled a $1 million study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on the health risks of “mountaintop removal” coal mining in places like West Virginia.

Mountaintop removal is as dramatic as it sounds — a hillside is blasted with explosives and the remains are excavated — but the health consequences still aren’t fully understood. The process can kick up coal dust and send heavy metals into waterways, and a number of studies have suggested links to health problems like kidney disease and birth defects.

“The industry was pushing back on these studies,” said Joseph Pizarchik, an Obama-era mining regulator who commissioned the now-defunct study. “We didn’t know what the answer would be,” he said, “but we needed to know: Was the government permitting coal mining that was poisoning people, or not?”

While coal mining has declined in recent years, satellite data shows that at least 60 square miles in Appalachia have been newly mined since 2016. “The study is still as important today as it was five years ago,” Mr. Pizarchik said.

THE COST OF LOST RESEARCH

The cuts can add up to significant research setbacks.

For years, the E.P.A. and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences had jointly funded 13 children’s health centers nationwide  that studied, among other things, the effects of pollution on children’s development. This year, the E.P.A. ended its funding.

At the University of California, San Francisco, one such center has been studying how industrial chemicals such as flame retardants in furniture could affect placenta and fetal development. Key aspects of the research have now stopped.

“The longer we go without funding, the harder it is to start that research back up,” said Tracey Woodruff, who directs the center.

In a statement, the E.P.A. said it anticipated future opportunities to fund children’s health research.

At the Department of Agriculture, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced in June he would relocate two key research agencies to Kansas City from Washington: The National Institute of Food and Agriculture, a scientific agency that funds university research on topics like how to breed cattle and corn that can better tolerate drought conditions, and the Economic Research Service, whose economists produce studies for policymakers on farming trends, trade and rural America.

Nearly 600 employees had less than four months to decide whether to uproot and move. Most couldn’t or wouldn’t, and two-thirds of those facing transfer left their jobs.

In August, Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, appeared to celebrate the departures.

“It’s nearly impossible to fire a federal worker,” he said in videotaped remarks  at a Republican Party gala in South Carolina. “But by simply saying to people, ‘You know what, we’re going to take you outside the bubble, outside the Beltway, outside this liberal haven of Washington, D.C., and move you out in the real part of the country,’ and they quit. What a wonderful way to sort of streamline government and do what we haven’t been able to do for a long time.”

The White House declined to comment on Mr. Mulvaney’s speech.

The exodus has led to upheaval.

At the Economic Research Service, dozens of planned studies into topics like dairy industry consolidation and pesticide use have been delayed or disrupted. “You can name any topic in agriculture and we’ve lost an expert,” said Laura Dodson, an economist and acting vice president of the union representing agency employees.

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture manages $1.7 billion in grants that fund research on issues like food safety or techniques that help farmers improve their productivity. The staff loss, employees say, has held up hundreds of millions of dollars in funding, such as planned research into pests and diseases afflicting grapes, sweet potatoes and fruit trees.

Former employees say they remain skeptical that the agencies could be repaired quickly. “It will take 5 to 10 years to rebuild,” said Sonny Ramaswamy, who until 2018 directed the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Mr. Perdue said the moves would save money and put the offices closer to farmers. “We did not undertake these relocations lightly,” he said in a statement. A Department of Agriculture official added that both agencies were pushing to continue their work, but acknowledged that some grants could be delayed by months.

QUESTIONING THE SCIENCE ITSELF

In addition to shutting down some programs, there have been notable instances where the administration has challenged established scientific research. Early on, as it started rolling back regulations on industry, administration officials began questioning research findings underpinning those regulations.

In 2017, aides to Scott Pruitt, the E.P.A. administrator at the time, told the agency’s economists to redo an analysis of wetlands protections that had been used to help defend an Obama-era clean-water rule. Instead of concluding that the protections would provide more than $500 million in economic benefits, they were told to list the benefits as unquantifiable, according to Elizabeth Southerland, who retired in 2017 from a 30-year career at the E.P.A., finishing as a senior official in its water office.

“It’s not unusual for a new administration to come in and change policy direction,” Dr. Southerland said. “But typically you would look for new studies and carefully redo the analysis. Instead they were sending a message that all the economists, scientists, career staff in the agency were irrelevant.”

Internal documents show that political officials at the E.P.A. have overruled the agency’s career experts on several occasions, including in a move to regulate asbestos more lightly, in a decision not to ban the pesticide chlorpyrifos and in a determination that parts of Wisconsin were in compliance with smog standards. The Interior Department sidelined its own legal and environmental analyses in advancing a proposal to raise the Shasta Dam in California.

Michael Abboud, an E.P.A. spokesman, disputed Dr. Southerland’s account in an emailed response, saying “It is not true.”

The E.P.A. is now finalizing a narrower version of the Obama-era water rule, which in its earlier form had prompted outrage from thousands of farmers and ranchers across the country who saw it as overly restrictive.

“E.P.A. under President Trump has worked to put forward the strongest regulations to protect human health and the environment,” Mr. Abboud said, noting that several Obama administration rules had been held up in court and needed revision. “As required by law E.P.A. has always and will continue to use the best available science when developing rules, regardless of the claims of a few federal employees.”

Past administrations have, to varying degrees, disregarded scientific findings that conflicted with their priorities. In 2011, President Obama’s top health official overruled experts at the Food and Drug Administration who had concluded that over-the-counter emergency contraceptives were safe for minors.

But in the Trump administration, the scope is wider. Many top government positions, including at the E.P.A. and the Interior Department, are now occupied by former lobbyists  connected to the industries that those agencies oversee.

Scientists and health experts have singled out two moves they find particularly concerning. Since 2017, the E.P.A. has moved to restrict certain academics from sitting on its Science Advisory Board, which provides scrutiny of agency science, and has instead increased the number of appointees connected with industry.

And, in a potentially far-reaching move, the E.P.A. has proposed a rule to limit regulators from using scientific research unless the underlying raw data can be made public. Industry groups like the Chamber of Commerce have argued that some agency rules are based on science that can’t be fully scrutinized by outsiders. But dozens of scientific organizations have warned that the proposal in its current form could prevent the E.P.A. from considering a vast array of research on issues like the dangers of air pollution if, for instance, they are based on confidential health data.

“The problem is that rather than allowing agency scientists to use their judgment and weigh the best available evidence, this could put political constraints on how science enters the decision-making process in the first place,” said Ms. Wagner, the University of Texas law professor.

The E.P.A. says its proposed rule is intended to make the science that underpins potentially costly regulations more transparent. “By requiring transparency,” said Mr. Abboud, the agency spokesman, “scientists will be required to publish hypothesis and experimental data for other scientists to review and discuss, requiring the science to withstand skepticism and peer review.”

AN EXODUS OF EXPERTISE

“In the past, when we had an administration that was not very pro-environment, we could still just lay low and do our work,” said Betsy Smith, a climate scientist with more than 20 years of experience at the E.P.A. who in 2017 saw her long-running study of the effects of climate change on major ports get canceled.

“Now we feel like the E.P.A. is being run by the fossil fuel industry,” she said. “It feels like a wholesale attack.”

After her project was killed, Dr. Smith resigned.

The loss of experienced scientists can erase years or decades of “institutional memory,” said Robert J. Kavlock, a toxicologist who retired in October 2017 after working at the E.P.A. for 40 years, most recently as acting assistant administrator for the agency’s Office of Research and Development.

His former office, which researches topics like air pollution and chemical testing, has lost 250 scientists and technical staff members since Mr. Trump came to office, while hiring 124. Those who have remained in the office of roughly 1,500 people continue to do their work, Dr. Kavlock said, but are not going out of their way to promote findings on lightning-rod topics like climate change.

“You can see that they’re trying not to ruffle any feathers,” Dr. Kavlock said.

The same can’t be said of Patrick Gonzalez, the National Park Service’s principle climate change scientist, whose work involves helping national parks protect against damages from rising temperatures.

In February, Dr. Gonzalez testified before Congress about the risks of global warming, saying he was speaking in his capacity as an associate adjunct professor at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also using his Berkeley affiliation to participate as a co-author on a coming report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a United Nations body that synthesizes climate science for world leaders.

But in March, shortly after testifying, Dr. Gonzalez’s supervisor at the National Park Service sent the cease-and-desist letter warning him that his Berkeley affiliation was not separate from his government work and that his actions were violating agency policy. Dr. Gonzalez said he viewed the letter as an attempt to deter him from speaking out.

The Interior Department, asked to comment, said the letter did not indicate an intent to sanction Dr. Gonzalez and that he was free to speak as a private citizen.

Dr. Gonzalez, with the support of Berkeley, continues to warn about the dangers of climate change and work with the United Nations climate change panel using his vacation time, and he spoke again to Congress in June. “I’d like to provide a positive example for other scientists,” he said.

Still, he noted that not everyone may be in a position to be similarly outspoken. “How many others are not speaking up?” Dr. Gonzalez said.

[azspot]

Critics say the order is another administration attack on experts who provide scientific advice.

“For the past two years they have been shrinking and restricting the role of federal science advisory committees,” Gretchen Goldman, the research director with the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union for Concerned Scientists, said in a statement. “Now they’re removing the possibility of even making decisions based on robust science advice. It's no longer death by a thousand cuts. It's taking a knife to the jugular.”

There are an average of 1,000 advisory committees with more than 60,000 members, according to data from the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), that cover a range of topics including disposal of high-level nuclear waste, the depletion of atmospheric ozone, addressing AIDS and improving schools.

They are often filled by people considered to be at the top of their fields who can provide important technical advice, and GSA said the boards and committees “have played an important role in shaping programs and policies of the federal government from the earliest days of the Republic.”

[political-fluffle]

In 2016, Russian operatives associated with the St. Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency (IRA) used social media to conduct an information warfare campaign designed to spread disinformation and societal division in the United States. Masquerading as Americans, these operatives used targeted advertisements, intentionally falsified news articles, self-generated content, and social media platform tools to interact with and attempt to deceive tens of millions of social media users in the United States. This campaign sought to polarize Americans on the basis of societal, ideological, and racial differences, provoked real world events, and was part of a foreign government’s covert support of Russia’s favored candidate in the U.S. presidential election The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence undertook a study of these events, consistent with its congressional mandate to oversee and conduct oversight of the intelligence activities and programs of the United States Government, to include the effectiveness of the Intelligence Community’s counterintelligence function. In addition to the work of the professional staff of the Committee, the Committee’s findings drew from the input of cybersecurity professionals, social media companies, U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies, and researchers and experts in social network analysis, political content, disinformation, hate speech, algorithms, and automation, working under the auspices of the Committee’s Technical Advisory Group (TAG). (…)