superphosphate fertilizer OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has directed a top adviser to deliver a renewed national security strategy setting out a framework for Canada’s security, defence and diplomatic posture. In a newly issued mandate letter, Trudeau said he expects national security and intelligence adviser Nathalie Drouin to consult Canadians and work through the national security council to develop the strategy. He said the new strategy, to be ready next year, should be reviewed every four years to ensure it remains current and responsive. The mandate for Drouin, made public Monday, said discussions on foreign interference reaffirm the need for a stronger, more clearly articulated role for the national security adviser. “It is a dynamic, ever-changing, and evolving role depending on current affairs and priorities. Enhancing your role will help ensure the right information and intelligence gets to the right people at the right time, and that decision makers are given actionable options and advice.” Trudeau said he expects Drouin, who became security adviser last January, to manage the flow of intelligence and analysis necessary for him to effectively fulfil his duties. In addition, he cited a need to improve transparency and discussion with Canadians — especially those directly affected by emerging threats — to help raise awareness and improve Canada’s ability to respond. Trudeau said this includes better communication with parliamentarians, civil society representatives, diaspora communities, provinces and territories, Indigenous groups, allied partners and industry. Among the other tasks for Drouin: — act as secretary to the national security council, a cabinet committee chaired by Trudeau, with comprehensive intelligence and strategic advice; — lead a refreshed annual process to establish Canada’s intelligence priorities, and work with security agencies to communicate these priorities publicly; — enhance awareness among ministers of current and emerging strategic threats, identify options to manage them and ensure a coherent response; — co-ordinate the federal national security community to ensure timely, effective operational response to major incidents affecting national security; — work with the national security community to address recommendations on foreign interference from various bodies — efforts that should include modernization of the intelligence assessment function and ensuring proper flow of intelligence across government; — and support federal efforts to co-ordinate federal emergency preparedness and response capacity to meet challenges including climate change, rapid technological advancement and a shifting geopolitical landscape. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 25, 2024.

Sex in space 'dolphin-style' is the new frontier as scientists call for snuggies, straddling and Velcro READ MORE: Human couples could soon give birth to babies in SPACE By ELLYN LAPOINTE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM Published: 17:58, 28 December 2024 | Updated: 17:58, 28 December 2024 e-mail View comments More than 675 people have traveled to space, but according to NASA , none of them have had sex in the final frontier. Experts believe this will soon change as more civilians pay commercial spaceflight companies, such as Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and Richard Branson 's Virgin Galactic , to venture into space—albeit for a hefty price. With this new era of spaceflight, physician, astronaut, and 'space sexology' expert Dr. Shawna Pandya has revealed specific 'moves' and technologies designed to provide an out-of-this-world experience. She suggested trying 'dolphin-style' to overcome the challenges of low gravity . 'Dolphins are kind of in a neutral buoyancy environment,' Dr. Pandya explained on Scientific American's Science Quickly podcast. 'When two dolphins are trying to mate, a third dolphin comes in, takes one for the team, and holds a partner in place so the two dolphins can successfully mate.' Other experts in the field have also proposed Velcro suits to keep couples from drifting apart or even a specially designed suit that fits two people. Dr Pandya said there is good reason for researchers to get serious about testing some of these strategies and investigating others. ' More people are going to want to go to space for fun , for leisure and for pleasure... We need to think about how we approach sexuality, sexual health, reproduction in space in a way that is very considered, mindful, inclusive and ethical,' she said While NASA insists that 'no humans have had sex in space', that could change very soon with the arrival of space tourism (stock image) While NASA doesn't explicitly ban sex in space, its astronaut code of conduct calls for 'relationships of trust' and 'professional standards' to be maintained at all times. The space agency has also banned any married couples from going into space together – although this is mostly due to group dynamics, rather than worries of them having sex. But the issue to why astronauts are not copulating could be low gravity inside the International Space Station (ISS). 'So we need to think about Newton's third law of physics,' Dr Pandya explained during the podcast . 'Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, including thrust, right? You need to figure out the mechanics of how you're going to stay entwined in order to, to be able to actually, successfully, copulate. 'There's people who thought about that,' she added. One such person is the late Vanna Bonta, an American actress and inventor who designed the '2Suit' in 2006. 'It's like a snuggie for two people, but they get to bind together,' Dr Pandya explained . From Star Trek to Passengers (pictured), sex in space has been depicted in science fiction blockbusters for years The 2suit is a flight suit with a large front flap that can be opened and attached to another 2suit using Velcro strips. It can also fasten to a stable surface. Paul Root Wolpe, a former NASA Bioethicist, previously told DW.com : 'Everything on the walls of the space station is covered in Velcro, so you could take advantage of that by velcroing one partner to the wall.' The roominess of the suit can be adjusted from within, and it is lined with inner harnesses that can be used to adjust the alignment of the wearers' bodies. It is even equipped with a 'quick-disrobe' function that removes the garments. In 2008, the History Channel manufactured and tested the first 2Suit, calling it 'one small step for humankind colonizing the universe.' But these futuristic sex suits have yet to be produced or utilized on a larger scale. Another forward-thinking space sexologist was German astronaut Ulrich Walter. In the 1980s, he suggested that humans should look to the animal kingdom for inspiration on how to achieve sex in space. 'So then his suggestion is: Why doesn't an astronaut take one for the team so they can all do it dolphin-style in the name of the greater good, so we can copulate in space,' Dr Pandya said. Read More Can you have sex in space? How astronauts stuck on board the ISS could join the '220-mile-high club' (although NASA insists that no humans have done it before!) But it's not just low gravity that stands in the way. Dr Adam Watkins, associate professor in reproductive and developmental physiology, at the University of Nottingham previously told DailyMail.com that lack of privacy on space stations poses another challenge, as well as difficulty getting and maintaining an erection due to the blood pressure changes that occur while in space. What's more, having sex in space could come with serious consequences. If a non-civilian astronaut get pregnant in space, it would raise a lot of questions that experts are not currently sure how to answer. 'Can we mandate a termination of mission? Can we mandate a termination of that pregnancy if they're on Mars due to the health risks involved? There are so many ethical threads to pull on here,' Dr Pandya asked. And those health risks could be life threatening to both the astronaut mother and her baby. 'DNA damage from the high levels of cosmic radiation is a real concern. Astronauts who spend six months in space are exposed to roughly the same amount of radiation as 1,000 chest X-rays,' Dr Watkins previously said. 'A pregnant woman, and her developing fetus, would also be exposed to that cosmic radiation while in space. This could be harmful to the embryos and the fetus.' A recent study conducted on the ISS found that mice embryos developed for four days on the ISS showed no signs of damage. But an earlier study published in 2020 conversely found that mouse embryos developed in space 'contain severe DNA damage.' Likewise, since only a few people have gone to space we don't have enough data to really know what the effects would be on an unborn child. 'Until recently, reproduction in space has not been a major priority for the different space agencies,' Dr Watkins said. 'Now that there are plans to colonize the moon and even Mars, how we would populate other worlds has become more of a focus and will need to be addressed if we are to establish, maintain and grow human colonies off Earth.' Jeff Bezos Nasa Virgin Galactic Blue Origin Share or comment on this article: Sex in space 'dolphin-style' is the new frontier as scientists call for snuggies, straddling and Velcro e-mail Add comment

Coral Restoration Project in Bahía Culebra Celebrates Five Years of Commitment and Preservation of 10,000 Coral Fragments in GuanacasteDolphins Should Not Activate Bradley Chubb

Dec 7 (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron shared an intense series of handshakes on Saturday, reminiscent of the white-knuckled grip-off that marked a meeting between the two leaders more than seven years ago. Visiting Paris to attend the reopening of the Notre-Dame cathedral , Trump was greeted by Macron at the steps of the Elysee Palace. It was Trump's first foreign trip since winning the Nov. 5 U.S. election. Exiting his vehicle, Trump pulled Macron's right hand towards his body as the two hugged and gripped each other with clenched fists, shaking firmly back and forth. While friendly, it appeared both men were holding on tight. As they ascended the steps of the palace and turned again towards the cameras, Trump positioned his hand above Macron's and pushed down firmly as they locked hands for a second time. The sequence triggered approval from some Trump supporters online, who saw in the president-elect's actions a concerted attempt to intimidate Macron. "President Trump is back to dominating world leaders with his handshake," an account who goes by the username @BehizyTweets posted on the social media platform X. "Macron is going to need a hand massage after all that twisting and pulling Trump did to him." The two men have a history of intense handshakes. When they met for the first time in May 2017 ahead of a NATO summit in Brussels, each man gripped each other's right hand so firmly that their knuckles turned white and their jaws seemed to clench as they sat for a face-to-face meeting. Macron told a newspaper in 2017 that the white-knuckle handshake was "not innocent" and "a moment of truth" aimed at showing his U.S. counterpart, whose first term ended in January 2021, that he would not be intimidated. Trump and Macron were joined later on Saturday by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The meeting occurred with world leaders in Paris to celebrate Notre-Dame's restoration five years after it was ravaged by fire. Trump and Macron shared another firm and prolonged handshake outside the cathedral, though it fell short of the intensity of the 2017 grip-off, according to social media influencer Collin Rugg. "The handshake battle between Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron continues," Rugg posted on X. "Their handshake at the Notre Dame Cathedral lasted for 17 seconds, coming short of their previous record of 29 seconds." Sign up here. Reporting by Nathan Layne in New York; Editing by Paul Simao Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab

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Looking Into Applied Optoelectronics's Recent Short InterestCraft scores 34, Miami (OH) takes down Bethany (WV) 112-70

When the NCAA's playing rules oversight committee this past spring approved the use of coach-to-player helmet communications in games for the 2024 season, Kolpacki, Michigan State's head football equipment manager, knew the Spartans' QBs and linebackers were going to have a problem. "There had to be some sort of solution," he said. As it turns out, there was. And it was right across the street. Kolpacki reached out to Tamara Reid Bush, a mechanical engineering professor who not only heads the school's Biomechanical Design Research Laboratory but also is a football season ticket-holder. Kolpacki "showed me some photos and said that other teams had just put duct tape inside the (earhole), and he asked me, 'Do you think we can do anything better than duct tape,?" Bush said. "And I said, 'Oh, absolutely.'" Bush and Rylie DuBois, a sophomore biosystems engineering major and undergraduate research assistant at the lab, set out to produce earhole inserts made from polylactic acid, a bio-based plastic, using a 3D printer. Part of the challenge was accounting for the earhole sizes and shapes that vary depending on helmet style. Once the season got underway with a Friday night home game against Florida Atlantic on Aug. 30, the helmets of starting quarterback Aidan Chiles and linebacker Jordan Turner were outfitted with the inserts, which helped mitigate crowd noise. DuBois attended the game, sitting in the student section. "I felt such a strong sense of accomplishment and pride," DuBois said. "And I told all my friends around me about how I designed what they were wearing on the field." All told, Bush and DuBois have produced around 180 sets of the inserts, a number that grew in part due to the variety of helmet designs and colors that are available to be worn by Spartan players any given Saturday. Plus, the engineering folks have been fine-tuning their design throughout the season. Dozens of Bowl Subdivision programs are doing something similar. In many cases, they're getting 3D-printed earhole covers from XO Armor Technologies, which provides on-site, on-demand 3D printing of athletic wearables. The Auburn, Alabama-based company has donated its version of the earhole covers to the equipment managers of programs ranging from Georgia and Clemson to Boise State and Arizona State in the hope the schools would consider doing business with XO Armor in the future, said Jeff Klosterman, vice president of business development. XO Armor first was approached by the Houston Texans at the end of last season about creating something to assist quarterback C.J. Stroud in better hearing play calls delivered to his helmet during road games. XO Armor worked on a solution and had completed one when it received another inquiry: Ohio State, which had heard Michigan State was moving forward with helmet inserts, wondered if XO Armor had anything in the works. "We kind of just did this as a one-off favor to the Texans and honestly didn't forecast it becoming our viral moment in college football," Klosterman said. "We've now got about 60 teams across college football and the NFL wearing our sound-deadening earhole covers every weekend." The rules state that only one player for each team is permitted to be in communication with coaches while on the field. For the Spartans, it's typically Chiles on offense and Turner on defense. Turner prefers to have an insert in both earholes, but Chiles has asked that the insert be used in only one on his helmet. Chiles "likes to be able to feel like he has some sort of outward exposure," Kolpacki said. Exposure is something the sophomore signal-caller from Long Beach, California, had in away games against Michigan and Oregon this season. Michigan Stadium welcomed 110,000-plus fans for the Oct. 26 matchup between the in-state rivals. And while just under 60,000 packed Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, for the Ducks' 31-10 win over Michigan State three weeks earlier, it was plenty loud. "The Big Ten has some pretty impressive venues," Kolpacki said. "It can be just deafening," he said. "That's what those fans are there for is to create havoc and make it difficult for coaches to get a play call off." Something that is a bit easier to handle thanks to Bush and her team. She called the inserts a "win-win-win" for everyone. "It's exciting for me to work with athletics and the football team," she said. "I think it's really exciting for our students as well to take what they've learned and develop and design something and see it being used and executed."The Indian-born head of one of Japan's most famous snack brands has warned that the country must change its mindset and admit more immigrants to get the economy back to the glory of its boom years. Politicians have struggled for years to recover from the so-called lost decades as a range of differing programmes have failed to kickstart growth, including an ultra-loose monetary policy and trillions of dollars in stimulus measures. And as the new government of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba eyes a fresh drive to bring back the heyday of its global tech domination Lekh Juneja, the head of rice cracker giant Kameda Seika, said he worries his adopted country has lost its edge. "Forty years ago I came to Japan because it was close to number one in GDP... it was booming," the biotech scientist told AFP at Kameda's headquarters in Japan's rice heartland of Niigata. But at some point "Japan thought 'we have everything now'. And I think that the hungry spirit to (have) the guts to go global started disappearing a bit". Kameda's expansion mirrored Japan's postwar boom, increasing revenues tenfold between 1965 and 1974 and becoming synonymous with the nationally adored "senbei" crackers in the process. But the country that gave the world the Sony Walkman, the bullet train and Super Mario is no longer setting the pace in technology, overtaken by Silicon Valley, South Korea and China. In the late 1980s, Japanese firms dominated the world's top 10 companies by market capitalization. Today not one makes the list. The population is aging and projected to drop by almost a third in the next 50 years, and firms are already having problems filling vacancies. Although it has relaxed the rules in recent years, Japan has not turned in a big way to immigration as a solution. The country "has no choice" but to allow in more immigrants, said Juneja, 72, who first came to Japan in 1984 and previously worked for a food ingredients maker and a pharmaceuticals firm. "It's not only the numbers. It's also the mindset, the culture. We have to go global," he said. According to a recent study, Japan needs to more than triple its number of foreign workers to 6.88 million by 2040. Currently it's on track to be almost a million short. Since joining the firm Juneja has been trying to make Kameda more international as well as a "rice innovation company". In the testing centre for new products the employees rolling out dough and trying out new recipes and flavors include an American and a Vietnamese. Language "is a big barrier. You bring people to Niigata and they don't speak Japanese and it's very difficult for them", Juneja said. "We need to change that. If we employ people who only speak and write Japanese, we have very limited resources, very limited choices," he warned. Japan has very few foreign-born CEOs, and boardrooms are overwhelmingly male. There are 13 female CEOs in Japan's 1,600 top-listed firms, a Kyodo News survey showed in September. "It's very rare for a foreigner)to become a CEO in a Japanese company," Juneja said. "But look at the U.S." "There is Microsoft, there is Google, all these companies have Indian CEOs," he said. "I think Japan has to change... We are proud (in Japan) of our backgrounds. But I think flexibility and having people from overseas would be very critical for Japan." Not all the non-Japanese CEOs have had a smooth ride. In November the German chief of Olympus resigned after allegedly buying illegal drugs. And in 2018, Carlos Ghosn, the Franco-Lebanese-Brazilian chief of Nissan, was arrested on suspicion of financial misconduct. He then escaped, in part by hiding in an audio equipment box. "He didn't generate a very good image for foreign CEOs here," Juneja said. "But the difference between him and me is that I have got a Japanese passport."'Up yours long COVID': The women refusing to let their baby dreams die

Helping to drown out the noise

Bynum scores 19 as UTEP beats Seattle U 88-72LEDUC COUNTY, ALTA. — Alberta’s government says it will invest up to $50 million to support the creation of a first-in-Canada drilling test site to support technology development in the oil, gas, geothermal and lithium industries. The Alberta Drilling Accelerator is intended to be an open-access, industry-led site where companies can test drilling technologies at deep depths, high temperatures and varying rock types. A location for the hub site has yet to be determined. While no binding contracts have been signed, the province says several companies have expressed strong interest in serving as anchor tenants, including Calgary-based geothermal company Eavor Technologies, Tourmaline Oil Corp. and international oilfield service supermajor Halliburton. The money the province is providing will come from the industry-funded Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) program, which Alberta's heavy emitters are required to pay into as part of the province's industrial carbon pricing system. The provincial government says the Alberta Drilling Accelerator could start drilling in 2026. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 25, 2024. Companies in this story: (TSX:TOU) The Canadian Press

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Should the US fear China?