Latest news with #Helm
Business Insider
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Bringing American-made containment solutions back with Safe & Green
Mobile containment systems have been necessary in certain industries for a long time. This is especially true for heavily regulated industries that include energy production, medical facilities, and waste management. Safe & Green Holdings, which builds modular containerized systems, understands that sustainability and cost efficiency are important in the American manufacturing market, especially during times when they are needed most. Invaluable During Crisis Scenarios If the COVID-19 pandemic taught the world anything, it's that solutions during crises are required as quickly as possible. With their modular systems, Safe & Green was able to rapidly deploy mobile medical labs and walk-in clinics to help during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their testing centers across the United States were invaluable to relief efforts throughout this tumultuous time in world history, when medical facilities were overwhelmed with patients. A Leader at the Helm CEO Michael McLaren leads Safe & Green with what has been described as a 'pragmatic and scientifically rigorous approach.' By drawing from his background in high-energy and plasma physics, McLaren advocates for balanced strategies that combine innovation with environmental responsibility. However, McLaren isn't just about innovation. Under his leadership, Safe & Green is committed to providing American-made, Texas-based solutions that help businesses not only meet their regulatory standards but also cut costs and reduce environmental impact in the process. Innovation in Energy and the Environment One of Safe & Green's core offerings is the company's multi-functional service rigs, which have been dubbed the 'Swiss Army knife of the oil patch.' These rigs are capable of consolidating numerous functions to help reduce the number of diesel engines that are needed on drilling sites. This not only helps lower emissions but also reduces operational costs. Safe & Green's containment technology also helps clients avoid the high costs and environmental risks of transporting hazardous or contaminated materials and enables safer on-site processing for those working at their locations. Safe & Green's Philosophy Safe & Green has aligned itself with the growing national sentiment that favors energy independence and onshoring of production. McLaren, its CEO, believes that America has enough resources to meet its own energy demands, particularly through the responsible revitalization of oil and natural gas reserves. He also emphasizes that cleaner production methods can mitigate the heavy environmental footprint of traditional energy sources, which often leave large carbon footprints that can be damaging to the environment. The company's overall mission is to enable sustainable solutions within industries that both align with regulatory demands and environmental goals, all while boosting American jobs and reducing reliance upon foreign imports. Combining Rigor With Responsibility Safe & Green Holdings works to combine scientific vigor and environmental responsibility, alongside economic efficiency, to deliver cutting-edge solutions for major industries. Their keen eye on the future of American energy, as well as a commitment to sustainable growth, gives the company a forward-thinking stance, not just a push for domestic innovation, but for energy independence. When things get tough, Safe & Green Holdings can be depended upon to help industries build containment systems that not only make work more productive, but also safer.
Scoop
4 days ago
- Health
- Scoop
New Drug Report Shows Record Need For Harm Reduction And Support Services
A new report that pulls together the most recent data on drug consumption, prevalence of use, price and availability shows illicit drug use continues to steadily increase across the board, with the NZ Drug Foundation warning that investment in harm reduction, early intervention and support hasn't kept pace. The Foundation's latest annual Drug use in Aotearoa report for 2023/24 shows sharp increases in methamphetamine and cocaine consumption, and an uptick in frequency of use. Drug Foundation Executive Director Sarah Helm says the report underlines the need for greater investment in harm reduction and support services. 'This report shows there is more need than ever for accessible harm reduction information and early intervention so that we can help people prevent issues before they arise,' she says. 'The sharp increase in cocaine and methamphetamine use has happened against the backdrop of long-term under-investment in addiction services and the sector is now under intense strain. We urgently need to turn that around.' While New Zealand has historically seen low levels of cocaine use, consumption increased 229% in 2024 compared with the previous three years' average. Methamphetamine use increased 74% over the same period. Helm says the report also shows that people are using cocaine and methamphetamine more often. 'Information from the NZ Drug Trends Survey shows that of people who used cocaine, 29% reported using it monthly or more often in 2024, compared with 22% in 2017/18,' she says. 'Worryingly, 29% of people who used methamphetamine in the past six months reported using it daily or near daily in 2024, up from only 19% in 2022/23.' 'This increase in the proportion of people using methamphetamine daily or near daily is concerning, and suggests we will see a significant uptick in people with substance use disorder,' says Helm. 'Unfortunately, the support systems we have were already strained before these latest increases in problematic use.' Cannabis, MDMA and psychedelics were the most commonly used illicit drugs in New Zealand, which Helm says all rank down the lower end of potential for harm. 'Many of our most popular illicit substances have well-documented medicinal uses and are being actively studied for their potential to treat a range of health conditions, so it's likely at least some of the use in this report is self-medication,' she says. "We think it's time to enable more medical access to the likes of psychedelics and MDMA and stop prosecuting people who use them.' Helm says the big increases in cocaine and methamphetamine use demonstrate the folly of New Zealand's 50-year-old drug laws. 'Our current system feels like we have control, but the data shows it's quite the opposite. This report shows methamphetamine and cocaine use has surged despite record-breaking drug busts and seizures, and anecdotally we are hearing about increased harm as a result.' 'Under our current laws we have relinquished almost all control to the global black market, which in recent years has sold record-breaking amounts of cocaine and methamphetamine into the country.' Key findings: Methamphetamine Nationwide, consumption doubled in the second half of 2024 (compared to the first half of the year) 29% of people who use methamphetamine reported using it daily or near daily in 2024, up from 19% in 2022/23 Cocaine Consumption more than tripled in 2024 compared to the previous three years' average (although this was off a low base) 2.4% of adults reported using cocaine at least once in the past year in 2023/24, compared with 1.3% in 2022/23 Cocaine use is much more common among men (3.6%) than among women (1.3%) MDMA 4.8% of adults reported using MDMA at least once in the past year in 2023/24, compared with 3.6% in 2022/23 Young people are more likely to use MDMA than older New Zealanders. 10.5% of people aged 15-24 reported using MDMA at least once in the past year in 2023/24, compared with 8.2% in 2022/23 Psychedelics 3.1% of adults reported using psychedelics at least once in the past year in 2023/24, compared with 1.3% in 2017/18 62% of psychedelic consumers reported that LSD is 'easy' or 'very easy' to obtain in 2024, compared with 44% in 2017/18.
Calgary Herald
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Horror proof: Tiffany Helm went from Friday the 13th scream queen to Canmore photographer
Article content When Tiffany Helm was a teenager living in Los Angeles in the early 1980s, she and her friends would go dancing at an all-ages venue called the Odyssey in West Hollywood. Article content The club was somewhat infamous in L.A. due to the young age of the clientele and rumoured activities within. It met an untimely end in 1985 after being set ablaze by an arsonist. But before that, it was the spot where Helm would practise dance moves that she would later immortalize in a gruesome death scene in the 1985 horror flick Friday the 13th: A New Beginning. Article content 'It had its new wave night and its goth night,' says Helm, in an interview from her home in Canmore. 'There were a few of us who did this weird … whatever that was … a synth-pop-mime-robot, whatever. I just integrated it. I think I may have done it off to the side and tried it as a rehearsal when they were checking the camera. They loved it. So I was like, 'OK, this is what I will do because this is what I'm comfortable doing.'' Article content Comfortable may seem a strange word to describe the scene, but it has become a cherished part of slasher-film lore. So has Helm's character, the doomed 'New Wave kid' Violet Moraine. Article content Article content Article content Helm is now a photographer and mother of two who has been living and working in Canmore since 2011. After a lengthy hiatus from acting, she got an agent and started booking roles again a few years back. But, for now, her role in A New Beginning remains her most beloved among horror fans and gets her invites to conventions across North America. On Friday, June 13 – when else? – Helm will attend a screening alongside co-stars Melanie Kinnaman, Dick Wieand, Ron Sloan and Tom Morga to celebrate the 40th anniversary of director Danny Steinmann's Friday the 13th: New Beginnings at the Globe Cinema. It's being presented by the Calgary Underground Film Festival in partnership with Calgary Horrorcon, which runs Saturday and Sunday at the Genesis Centre Calgary. This year's stacked lineup includes an E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial reunion with Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace and Robert MacNaughton, Gremlins director Joe Dante, ex-Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo and Twin Peaks star Ray Wise, among others. Article content This will be Helm's third Calgary Horrorcon appearance, but she has been to similar events in Chicago, Ohio, California and Texas – 'wherever they want me, I'll go,' she says – as fascination for the Friday the 13th franchise endures. Helm admits she is not a huge fan of the slasher film, preferring the more psychological side of the genre, but says she never gets tired of talking about the movie. Article content Article content 'It's pretty interesting, the whole subculture and the phenomenon of it,' she says. 'You never know what you are going to be remembered for. ' Article content For aficionados of the genre, and the never-ending Friday the 13th franchise specifically, The Final Chapter is a key entry. It is actually the fifth of 12 instalments of the franchise, which began in 1980 and centres on the hockey-masked supernatural serial killer Jason Voorhees. A New Beginning followed the deceptively titled 1984 entry The Last Chapter and stands out for a number of reasons. Unlike the other films, it is more of a whodunit. Corey Feldman has a cameo in it, and the horror mostly takes place at a creepy centre for troubled youngsters called the Pinehurst Halfway House.
The Citizen
07-06-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
‘Declare Limpopo a GBV disaster zone'
Thohoyandou police station registered the most number of rapes and sexual offences in the country. Limpopo must be declared a gender-based violence disaster zone, says the ANC Women's League. This is after a large number of contact crimes such as rape, murder and sexual harassment were registered in different police stations across the province in the fourth quarter of 2024/25. The province's Thohoyandou police station has been branded the rape capital of South Africa after it registered the most number of rapes and sexual offences in the country. Despite the fourth quarter crime statistics revealing a decrease in contact crimes, Limpopo recorded 105 cases including murder, assault GBH, rape, robbery and theft. The second biggest political party in the Limpopo provincial legislature, the DA, said Thohoyandou was in the top 30 stations for all contact crimes, where it ranked 15th. The station also appeared in the top 30 stations for various crimes 13 times. 'Thohoyandou is most often against the downward trend of a specific crime category in Limpopo, with increases in assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm [GBH], common assault and common robbery. 'Urgent high-level intervention is required as the SA Police Service (Saps) is losing the battle against crime in Thohoyandou,' DA provincial spokesperson for transport and community safety Marie Helm said. GBV crisis Helm, who doubles up as a member of the Limpopo legislature in Lebowakgomo, said Thohoyandou ranked first nationally for reported sexual offences and rape, Seshego police station 13th and Mankweng 18th in the top 30 stations for sexual offences. She said the per capita chances of being raped in Limpopo was above the national average and was indicative of persistent misguided efforts to instil a lack of zero tolerance for gender-based violence and femicide (GBV+F) in the society, as well as a lack of resources and experienced investigating officers. Provincial deputy speaker for the Limpopo legislature and secretary of the ANC Women's League in the province, Tebogo Mamorobela, pleaded with Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba to declare Limpopo a gender-based violence disaster zone. She said defenceless women and children were abused on a daily basis. Mamorobela added that the level of crime in Limpopo has reached a boiling point and the government and communities must join forces to win the war against it. No place for criminals Transport and community safety MEC Violet Mathye said there was no place for criminals, especially those who prey on defenceless women and children in her government. The MEC was speaking during a visit to the family of slain Ndzalamo Mlondobozi, who died after her live-in lover allegedly ran over her with a car. No arrests have been made and police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said investigations were still underway. ALSO READ: Alleged GBV victim laid to rest but still no arrest 'We have launched a war against crime, especially against the terrorists who lash out at our innocent women and children,' Mathye said. 'That is why our government, under the stewardship of our premier, Dr Phophi Ramathuba is here today. We are here to provide support and pay our condolences to the family. 'We promise that no one is above the law and we will do everything and anything in our power to ensure that justice is served and that the perpetrator in this case is made to face the law, come high or low water.' On the rape and murder heightened statistics, Matye said Thohoyandou police station was the entry and exit of all African people from the Southern African Development Community countries into South Africa through the Beit Bridge border post. Without revealing the budget, Mathye said funds had been allocated and set aside to build more police stations and satellite police stations in the Vhembe region this financial year. 'We believe the more police stations we have in that region, the lower the statistics will be,' Mathye said. NOW READ: Senior NPA official denied bail in Limpopo case involving repeated child rape
GMA Network
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- GMA Network
Why Chef Josh Boutwood advocates for silent kitchens
In an industry often romanticized by the chaos of clattering pans, barking orders, and high-stakes pressure – best demonstrated in the Emmy award-winning series 'The Bear' – Chef Josh Boutwood offers a compelling counterpoint: silence. In the latest episode of 'Power Talks with Pia Arcangel,' the chef behind Helm, The Test Kitchen, Ember, and Juniper said he transitioned to silent kitchens about a decade ago. For Boutwood, communications in the kitchen do not have to be loud to be heard and effective. 'It doesn't benefit the food, screaming or shouting. It doesn't add flavor. It doesn't help the staff's morale,' he told Pia. Boutwood likened the system of a silent kitchen to an orchestra, where one person sets the tempo and everyone plays their part. 'What if we could take out all of the talking and make sure everybody knows exactly what to do at exactly the right time, with just one person controlling the tempo, much like an orchestra?' he said. '[A silent kitchen] has been a lifesaver for me because I no longer get stressed at work, my team members no longer feel pressured, and we are still putting out the best food we possibly can,' he added. Boutwood also believes that the emotions of a chef can transfer to a dish. "You cook with love, it will taste delicious. You cook with anger, it will taste different. You know, you can give the same recipe to two different people in two emotional states and no matter if they follow it line for line, because of their emotional state, that dish will taste different," he shared. You may watch the full episode of Boutwood's 'Power Talks with Pia Arcangel' below. —Hermes Joy Tunac/CDC, GMA Integrated News
