Friday, May 31, 2024

June Caribbean Heritage Month. Events in Boston, MA

 





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San Francisco Black Film Festival "Healing The World One Film At A Time. June 13-16, 2024

 ,  The 26th Annual San Francisco Black Film Festival is fabulous.  Here's just a glimpse of what's coming your way... lot's to view and enjoy. Look out, cause more news is coming!  Tune in to www.sfbff.org for updates...JW

San Francisco Black Film Festival "Healing The World One Film At A Time

Celebrating 26 Years of Black Film ..Over 75 films line up the 2024 San Francisco Black Film Festival, June 13-16th, during Black Music Month and over Father's Day Weekend and in celebration of Juneteenth.

By: Wright Enterprises www.wrightnow.biz
 
SAN FRANCISCO - May 30, 2024 - PRLog -- Posted Courtesy of Wright Enterprises Community Spotlight, San Francisco ~ Dallas ~~~
San Francisco Black Film Festival Celebrating 26 Years of Black Film, "Healing The World One Film At A Time"
San Francisco- As half the world's population, eight of the ten most populous countries go to the polls The San Francisco Black Film Festival, June 13-16th invites San Francisco and the world to vote to have fun and to be educated at the festival's, anniversary "Celebrating 26 Years of Black Film, Healing The World One Film At A Time."  Going into its second quarter of a century, The San Francisco Black Film Festival filled with fun, thought provoking-panels, parties, and diverse films that speak to the best in humanity encouraging people to 'be the change they want to see', has something for everyone's film tastes.
"We are so appreciative of our friends and sponsors that help to keep the festival alive and well as we continue to "heal the world one film at a time," since our beginnings in the Fillmore in 1998, said Cree Ray, granddaughter of the late Arts Impresario, Ave Montague.  "I realize what a unique position we have as a festival as a third generation institution in San Francisco that has lost so many of its Black citizens.  We invite people of all backgrounds to come to the table of discussion and see Black Films that speak to all humanity.
The San Francisco Black Film Festival over the years has screened nearly two thousand films
affecting the lives of over 5,000 directors, writers and producers.  This year seventy films will be added; uplifting over 200 independent filmmakers and more than 400 actors who are emerging as top talent.  They join celebrities that have graced San Francisco Black Film Festival screens such as Danny Glover, Taraji P. Henson, Mario Van Peebles, the late Melvin Van Peebles; the late Ray Liotta; Delroy Lindo; Morgan Simpson;  Spike Lee; Barry Shabaka Henley; Terri J. Vaughn, Taryn Manning; Kielle Sanchez; Tom Skerritt; Carl Lumbly; Jimmy-Jean Louis; Mike Colter; and more.
The San Francisco Black Film Festival 2024 selection includes thought provoking shorts and features where a complete list can be found at https://www.sfbff.org/films.  The 2024 selection includes but is not limited to the following: Timeless: A Virgin Island Love Story by Edward La Borde, Jr. and multi-platinum recording artist and music producer D'Wayne Wiggins of Tony Toni Tone unveils a tale of two enthralling love stories, set in different eras yet fascinatingly entwined; To End All Spells by Kwabena & Zak Cedarholm showcases an unforgiving desert warrior who is determined to protect a sacred psychedelic fruit, Palve;The Moon is Aquarius by  Jesse Kuba is a love story based in 
San Francisco as a young couple fall in love with the City and each other; Claude Aline-Miller's 376 Days that highlights internationally celebrated artist Nick Cave; Rochee Jeffrey takes a satirical look at toxic beauty culture in his film "The Flacalta Effect;" Bay Area filmmaker Eve A. Ma takes a look at the rhythms and the drums of the Yoruba in Nigeria with her Kasaki's Drums; Rick Page chronicles the end of a couple's life-long journey of 70 years with Minutes to Go!;  Remember the beautiful Jayne Kennedy and her breakthrough as an American sportscaster? Sofiya Songhai does in her Inception highlighting Kennedy's vaulting over hurdles as the first Black female sportscaster.
Let these short highlights of the over 75 films at the San Francisco Black Film Festival encourage you to see and hear the voices of talented filmmakers who are emerging and established.  Can you recognize some of the San Francisco Black Film Festival alumni?  More news to come about our new, old, emerging and established filmmakers.  Stay tuned to www.sfbff.org for upcoming news and events.
Sponsors for this year's San Francisco Black Film Festival include: African American Art & Culture Complex; San Francisco Arts Commission; California Arts Commission; The Dream Keeper Initiative of San Francisco; The Academy of Art University; Durban International Film Festival; NOSACONN; Hotel Nikko; Hylife O'City Productions; and others.  For a complete list of sponsors visit www.sfbff.org.
Sponsorships are still available as they are yearlong through the upcoming 26th Anniversary San Francisco Black Film Festival, June 13-16, 2024.  Email creeray@sfbff.org for the San Francisco Black Film Festival Sponsorship Package.
A donation of just $25 adds you to the "25 to Thrive Campaign" launching the next quarter of a century of the San Francisco Black Film Festival.  Donate here:
https://tinyurl.com/SFBFF25toThrive
The mission of the San Francisco Black Film Festival is to celebrate African American cinema and the African Cultural Diaspora and to showcase a diverse collection of films – from emerging and established filmmakers. This is accomplished by presenting Black films, which reinforce positive images and dispel negative stereotypes, and providing film artists from the Bay Area in particular and around the world in general, a forum for their work to be viewed and discussed. Impacting tourism and cultural exchange, The San Francisco Black Film Festival believes film can lead to a better understanding of and communication between peoples of diverse cultures, races and lifestyles, while simultaneously serving as a vehicle to initiate dialogue on the important issues of our times.
 
Jackie Wright
www.wrightnow.biz
Wright Enterprises
San Francisco ~ Dallas






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Artificial Intelligence: Impact in the Real World. May 29, 2024


 

 

 

 
MeriTalk

MAY 29, 2024

 

 

 

 

 
Welcome to The Wrap for Wednesday, May 29!

 

 

 

 

 
From the newsroom at MeriTalk, it’s the quickest read in Federal tech news. Here’s what you need to know today:

 

 

 

 

 
AI Impact in the ‘Real World’

The Biden administration’s AI executive order has the Federal government exploring many dozens of avenues on how to use AI technology safely and responsibly, but today’s effort kicked off by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) may be the one that ends up hitting the nail most squarely on the head. The project is called Assessing Risks and Impacts of AI (ARIA 0.1), and its goal is to assess the societal risks and impacts of large language model generative AI systems in the real world. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo put it this way: “In order to fully understand the impacts AI is having and will have on our society, we need to test how AI functions in realistic scenarios – and that’s exactly what we’re doing with this program.” ARIA 0.1 aims to address gaps in societal impact assessments by expanding the scope of study to include people, and how they adapt to AI technology in “quasi-real world conditions,” NIST wrote in the ARIA pilot plan. “Current approaches do not adequately cover AI’s systemic impacts or consider how people interact with AI technology and act upon AI generated information. This isolation from real world contexts makes it difficult to anticipate and estimate real world failures.” Please do click through to the whole story for more about the first three scenarios under study: TV Spoilers, Meal Planner, and Pathfinder.

VA’s Ambient Scribe

Further on the does-AI-help-the-humans front, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) officials explained today that they are piloting AI tools to help reduce administrative burden and burnout among the agency’s employees and physicians, but also talked about how to gauge the impact of the technology on not only VA employees, but crucially on veterans who also have to trust the process. Dr. Kaeli Yuen, VA’s AI product lead within the VA Office of Information and Technology’s (OIT) Office of the Chief Technology Officer, talked about the “ambient scribe” pilot that is using AI to cut down on the time that physicians and staff have to spend documenting patient interactions that then become part of electronic health records. While the pilot is winning kudos from physicians and staff, Dr. Yuen also noted that many veterans are still “very skeptical” of this pilot and having their doctor’s visit recorded. Based on that feedback, she said the VA is working to “find the balance between maintaining a level of privacy and security that veterans expect, and providing them with the ease of experience.”

Cyber Workforce Diversity

Growing the diversity of the U.S. cybersecurity workforce is at the center of the target of legislation introduced by two Democratic House members who want to fund a $20 million per year program within the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to draw the future workforce from many places where it is now underrepresented. The Diverse Cybersecurity Workforce Act introduced by Reps. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., and Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, on May 21 would point CISA toward promoting the cybersecurity field among disadvantaged communities, older individuals, people with disabilities, and those from nontraditional educational paths. The lawmakers stressed the critical shortage of cybersecurity professionals – evidenced by more than 400,000 unfilled positions in the U.S. - and they underscored the lack of diversity in the field, quoting figures that say 24 percent of the U.S. cyber workforce is made up of women, with Black people coming in at nine percent, Hispanic people at four percent, and Native Americans at one percent. The bill has drawn 30 cosponsors and a trip to the House Homeland Security Committee for consideration.

AI and Quantum Education

Elsewhere among sectors where good tech help is hard to find, a new bipartisan bill introduced in the Senate seeks to boost education on artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum science across the nation by authorizing the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award scholarships for higher education students. The NSF AI Education Act of 2024  also tasks the agency with AI education more broadly, requiring NSF to create an AI education and training framework for more underrepresented populations such as women and rural residents. The bill – introduced by Sens. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., on May 23 – calls on NSF to leverage financial support from the private sector to support scholarships and fellowships. “The emerging tech jobs of tomorrow are here today,” Sen. Cantwell said in a statement. “Demand for AI expertise is already high and will continue to grow,” she said. “This bill will open doors to AI for students at all levels, and upskill our workforce to drive American tech innovation, entrepreneurship and progress in solving the toughest global challenges,” the senator said.

 

 
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Training Opportunities: FEMA Basic Academy Train-the-Trainer

 

FEMA EMI News
Website Update

 

L0110 National Emergency Management
Basic Academy Train-the-Trainer

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

Emergency Management Institute Mission

To support the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA’s goals by improving the competencies of the U.S. officials in Emergency Management at all levels of government to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the potential effects of all types of disasters and emergencies on the American people. Read more...

U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency

Emergency Management Institute
16825 S. Seton Ave., Emmitsburg, MD 21727

Switchboard: (301) 447-1000

Office of Admissions:
(301) 447-1035      Fax: (301) 447-1658
netc-admissions@fema.dhs.gov

FEMA Independent Study Program Office:
(301) 447-1200     Fax: (301)447-1201

Emmitsburg, MD — You are subscribed to EMI News for FEMA. The following information has recently been updated, and is now available on https://training.fema.gov/emi.aspx

1863-Training Opportunity-L0110 BA TTT Ohio EMA

L0110 National Emergency Management Basic Academy Train-the-Trainer

Course Description:
The L0110 Basic Academy Train-the-Trainer course consists of a 5-day learning experience intended to provide instructors with a standardized curriculum for all training programs, and to establish a career development training program for the Emergency Management profession.

Read more in Training Opportunity 1863

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Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse BEOC Partner Email Brief - 24May2024

REMINDER: The Maryland Business Emergency Operation Center (MBEOC) is activated for this incident.  The information in the following brief is intended for members of the PSIP & NPEP programs.  You can find more information about our team on our webpage.  

This brief will be sent once a week.  Please provide feedback on our services.

NEW UPDATES:

  • Marine Safety Information Bulletin  049-24  was released May 21st.  
    • Fort McHenry Limited Access Channel: Following the successful refloat and removal of the M/V DALI, the Captain of the Port (COTP) opened the Fort McHenry Limited Access Channel to commercial vessel traffic for 24-hour availability. This channel now has a depth of 50 feet, 400-foot horizontal clearance, and vertical clearance of 214 feet due to the adjacent BG&E powerlines. 
    • Fransis Scott Key Bridge Safety Zone: The safety zone identified in 33 CFR §165.89 established for all navigable waters of the Chesapeake Bay within a 2,000-yard radius of the Francis Scott Key Bridge remains in effect and is intended to protect personnel, vessels, and the marine environment. Except for vessels transiting in one of the four marked channels, no vessel or person will be permitted to enter the safety zone without first obtaining permission from the Captain of the Port (COTP).
  • (I-895) Baltimore Harbor Tunnel Overnight Lane Closures for May 29 - 30, 2024 - The Southbound Tunnel is scheduled to be closed at 9 p.m. on the evenings of Wednesday, May 29, and Thursday, May 30, for maintenance operations. Two-way operations will be in the northbound tunnel. Re-opening is scheduled to take place at 3 a.m. the following morning.

**Fort McHenry Limited Access Channel and Temporary Alternate Channels**

Fort McHenry Limited Access Channel and Temporary Alternate Channels 052124

RECOVERY INFORMATION

To access additional recovery information click here.

 

IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS

SBA_2024_05_20_MD_20258_Office_Locations.pdf

MSIB 049-24 Key Bridge Safety Zone and Channel Access.pdf

Partner Email Brief_24May2024.docx.pdf

###

From Your Whole Community Integration Team,

Tessa Lovro, Whole Community Branch Manager
Cory Edwards, Business Engagement Program Manager
Christiana Ferguson, Nonprofit Engagement Program Manager

 Maryland Business Emergency Operation Center (MBEOC)
psector@maryland.gov
(443) 381-9271 (O)
24/7 line: 877-636-2872

We are Maryland Tough, Baltimore Strong!
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Thursday, May 30, 2024

Climate Change: Webinar Thursday, June 13 1PM ET. Insurance Plans for Homeowners and Renters access and affordability.

 

Increasingly, insurance companies cannot keep up with the impact of multiple climate crises, leaving many homeowners facing substantial increases or turning to state-run insurance plans. What are the solutions?

We are hosting a webinar on Thursday, June 13, at 1 p.m. ET to explore a suite of ideas to assist homeowners and renters with insurance access and affordability and the role of funders in helping to implement them.

Panelists will include: 

  • Carolyn Kousky, Associate Vice President for Economics and Policy at the Environmental Defense Fund.
  • Amy Bach, Co-founder and Executive Director at United Policyholders.
Additional panelists will be added as confirmed.
Register Now

My best,

Tanya

PS: Automatic closed captioning will be available via Zoom during the webinar. The fully captioned webinar recording will be emailed to everyone who registered. CDP is striving to increase the accessibility of its webinars. Please email Katie Huang and let us know what accommodations you need by June 3; we will do our best to meet your needs as feasible.

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Needed. Grant Reviewers: Community Grant Program. Washington, D.C.

 

 

Each year we are in need of volunteers to review grantee applications for each of our outreach offices.

Interested in being a Grant Reviewer?

Please complete the Grant Reviewer Form to sign up to become a grant reviewer for fiscal year 2025.

 

 

 



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