Hello, good morning,

I hope you find yourselves in good spirits and in good health.

September has already passed its halfway mark, much like the phases of the moon in decreasing order to give way to month X. Thus the wind carries us along.

This week, I write to you off topic, as I will leave elections to the experts.

I tried to understand the state of the world in the 21st century, and what that really means for us as a Society.

The state of the world in the 21st century is marked by geopolitical transitions, accelerated technological advances, and global systemic crises. Analyses of this period, such as those discussed by specialists in reflections on the same subject, highlight profound transformations in sovereignty, the economy, and society. Namely:

Geopolitics and Global Power

• Rise of new powers: China has consolidated itself as a central player and the world’s second largest economy, redefining the rules of multilateralism and challenging the traditional hegemony of the United States.
• Russia and conflicts: Russia has emerged as an active military power, while the international system faces growing tensions and geopolitical instability.
• Democratic erosion: Several democracies around the world face pressure from populist movements and authoritarian tendencies.

Technology and Infrastructure

• Digital revolution and AI: Dominance in digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence has become the new pillar of national sovereignty.
• Innovation: This century has witnessed the democratization of smartphones, advances in private space exploration, and scientific milestones like the detection of the Higgs boson.

Global Crises and Challenges

• Public health: The COVID 19 pandemic severely marked global health in the first half of the 2020s.
• Socioeconomic tensions: Financial crises (such as 2008) and disputes over strategic resources, like rare earth minerals, shape global economic competition, not to add the measures and tariffs imposed by the “Madman” U.S. President, D “C” T. , (I leave the C to your discretion and mental capacity to describe), measures as I was saying that will erect high barriers not only for us (Canada), but for everyone as a global society.

It is what it is and will always be worth what it’s worth.

Be well and have an excellent weekend,

See you soon,

Cristina DaCosta/MS

  Moon Base inhabitants take note of a newly discovered crater formed on the lunar surface, the largest, ever found in the solar system. As noted by NASA, the crater has officially been named McGetchin after pioneering lunar scientist Tom McGetchin. This crater formed on the Moon’s eastern edge sometime between April 11 and May […]

There are hundreds of thousands of Luso Canadians in Ontario, but when looking for those who, within this community, decide to take the step of running for local governance, the list is manifestly short. Even so, when we look at the lists of contenders in these 2026 municipal elections, we find several names of candidates, from Toronto to Cambridge, from Mississauga to Kitchener, from London to Brampton, from Oshawa etc., who carry surnames that we recognize as ours and who are already on the ground asking for the vote of their neighbors. Some are already familiar faces in these endeavors; others have accepted this challenge for the first time.

On these pages we gather the names of some of them. We tell you where they are running and what they propose to those who could elect them. It is a small sample, we know it, there are many others who, with courage, are in the fight of municipal politics, but we had to make a choice for obvious reasons. However, this group of people that we bring to you here shows that our presence in local politics, even if timid, exists and has been growing. In a way, getting to know these candidates is also recognizing the space that we, Portuguese descendants, still have to occupy in Canadian society.

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Tony Chaves — Cambridge, Mayoral candidate

Milénio Stadium: As a Portuguese-Canadian running for the top job in Cambridge, what does your community background bring to how you’d lead the city? 

Tony Chaves: My Portuguese-Canadian background has given me a strong appreciation for community, family, hard work, and helping one another. But after 11 years as President of the Portuguese Club, I’ve learned that community is much bigger than one culture.

Over those 11 years, I’ve had the privilege of meeting thousands of people from different cultures, backgrounds, and walks of life. I’ve listened to their concerns, celebrated their traditions, and seen firsthand how much stronger Cambridge is when we come together.

That’s the kind of leadership I would bring to the Mayor’s office. I wouldn’t lead for one culture or one group of people. I would lead for all of Cambridge.

I want every resident to feel heard, respected, and included. My background has taught me that when you open your doors, listen to people, and bring communities together, you build a stronger city for everyone.

MS: How do you plan to engage Cambridge’s Portuguese community specifically if elected?

TC: After 11 years as President of the Portuguese Club, I already have strong connections within Cambridge’s Portuguese community. If elected, I would continue listening, attending community events, meeting with residents and organizations, and making sure their concerns are heard at City Hall.

But I want to be clear: I’m not just a mayor for the Portuguese community. I’m a mayor for all of Cambridge. My experience has taught me the importance of bringing different cultures and backgrounds together and making sure everyone has a voice.

MS: Cambridge is dealing with rapid growth and a housing affordability crunch. What’s the one concrete action you’d take in your first year to address it? 

TC: My first concrete action would be to introduce a first-time homebuyer property-tax relief program, providing eligible first-time buyers with a 50% reduction in municipal property taxes for their first two years.

We need to make homeownership more attainable for Cambridge residents who are trying to put down roots in our city. At the same time, I would work with Council and staff to identify practical ways to increase affordable and attainable housing while making sure growth is properly planned and supported by the infrastructure our city needs.

MS: What sets you apart from the other candidates in this race, and why should voters trust you, rather than an incumbent or a more established name, to lead Cambridge?

TC: What sets me apart is simple: I’m not a career politician. I’m a regular person who has spent 60 years living in Cambridge, building a business, raising a family, and serving my community.

For 11 years, I’ve had the privilege of being President of the Portuguese Club, where I’ve worked with people from every culture and background. I’ve listened to thousands of people, heard their concerns, and learned that leadership isn’t about having all the answers — it’s about listening and doing something about what you hear.

I’m not running because I need a political title. I’m running because I believe Cambridge needs a leader who will put residents first, be transparent, hold people accountable, and make every dollar count.

I don’t answer to politicians. I answer to the people of Cambridge. They’re the bosses.

That’s what sets me apart — and if I earn your trust, I’ll work every day to prove you made the right choice.

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Miguel Araujo — Oshawa, Ward 3

Milénio Stadium: What led you to run for Ward 3 in Oshawa/Durham?

Miguel Araujo: I decided to run for councillor of Ward 3 in Oshawa/Durham because I am always following development news and what is happening in and around Oshawa and I feel that I would represent the residents Ward and fight for there best interests.

MS: What do you consider to be the most pressing issue in Ward 3 right now, and what would you propose to do in your first year in office to address it?

MA: I believe that the pressing issue in Ward 3 is that there are still many parks that are under utilized and to fix this issue I would propose in the upcoming budget for 2027 to redevelope these parks by adding splash pads, soccer fields, baseball diamonds and replacing playground equipment to more modern equipment, etc.

MS: There are seven people running for the same position, how do you intend to convince voters that your candidacy is the best to represent them and what sets you apart from the other candidates?

MA: I am running in a ward against 7 other candidates but I feel that what sets me apart from the others is that since I have lived in the ward for over 30+ years and I have seen and am aware of what issues that haven’t been fixed in the past so with that knowledge I would know what needs to be addressed as a priority and would be close with the residents of Ward 3 by being a phone call or email away.

MS: If elected, how do you plan to balance housing growth/urban development in Oshawa with current residents’ concerns about infrastructure and services?

MA: If elected I plan to balance housing growth/ urban development with current residents concerns of infrastructure and services by doing various studies of fire services, paramedic services, policing services, etc. to see which areas need new facilities to be added or expanded etc. and if the roads can handle more traffic in the areas before permits are approved for construction of new growth.

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Marco Martins — Toronto, Ward 9 (Davenport)

First-time candidate

Safety

• Pushes for more visible and community-based policing, and for measurable response times

Spending

• Wants to review City spending to eliminate unnecessary costs and reduce “red tape” for small businesses

Investment equity

• Claims that Davenport receives half the capital investment per capita compared to other wards, and promises to fight for the ward’s “fair share” in services, parks, and funding

Transit

• More safe and connected bike lanes, more service on overcrowded bus lines, practical solutions for congestion

Housing

• Supports housing growth, but demands that infrastructure and transit keep pace with development

First 100 days plan

• Publish response standards; open a “public action tracker” and Ward 9 construction calendar; meet with all BIAs, residents’ groups, police, and TTC service planning; hold three listening sessions (north, central, south); launch audits of parks, traffic trouble spots, and construction communication; publish a 100-day progress report

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Lurdes Jordão — Kitchener, Ward 3

First-time candidate; resident of the ward for over 27 years.

Thoughtful growth and strong neighborhoods

• Advocates for development that considers traffic, infrastructure, green spaces, affordability, and the character of existing neighborhoods

Safer streets and communities

• Practical solutions for speeding, congestion, and pedestrian safety, in collaboration with the city and the Waterloo Regional Police

Responsible spending and affordable cost of living

• Brings project management experience (over 30 years) to prioritize investments that do not overburden residents in the future

Representation with respect, transparency, and accessibility

• Commitment to creating real opportunities for engagement between residents and city hall

Community track record

• Over 20 years on the board of the Settler’s Grove Community Association, currently on her condominium board; supports Breakthrough T1D Canada and the Canadian Cancer Society
  

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George Tavares — Mississauga, Ward 7

Ran for Mayor in 2022 and 2024.

Taxes

• Scrutinize every line of the budget before approving increases; vote against increases without a clear benefit to residents
• Demand transparent reporting on tax spending

Transit and roads

• Road repairs and maintenance within deadlines
• Traffic calming measures in residential areas
• Hold City Hall accountable for meeting infrastructure deadlines

Housing and development

• Demand that developers honor community benefit commitments
• Ensure new population density is accompanied by corresponding infrastructure
• Support genuinely affordable housing (not just in name)

Peel Police Funding

• Formally contest, at Regional Council, the current 62%-38% funding split
• Demand an independent review of the funding formula (population, service calls, real demand)

Independent Auditor General

• Relaunch the proposal for an independent Auditor General for Mississauga
• “Value for money” audits of major programs and projects, with public results and follow up on recommendations

Hazel McCallion LRT and transit

• Demand a clear public timeline for construction completion and the start of passenger service
• Practical traffic management during construction; protect pedestrian and business access in Cooksville
• Improve LRT connections to GO Transit and MiWay

Public safety and enforcement

• Visible policing near Cooksville Four Corners, GO station, parks, and transit stops
• Strengthening safety rules for e-scooters
• Evaluate programs by results, not by the amount spent

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Martin Medeiros — Brampton, Wards 3 & 4

Incumbent

Safe, clean, and well-maintained neighborhoods

• Increased police presence in Wards 3 and 4
• Proven traffic calming measures: speed cushions and all-way stop intersections 
• More municipal bylaw officers, proactive enforcement, and heavier fines for infractions

Affordability and responsible spending

• Keep property taxes affordable
• Eliminate unnecessary spending at Brampton City Hall and the Region of Peel
• Ensure residents know their money is spent sensibly, responsibly, and efficiently

Neighborhood investment

• Greater investment in parks, trails, and recreational facilities in Wards 3 and 4

Economic growth and employment

• Attract new businesses and investment to Wards 3 and 4
• Support local commerce and revitalize commercial areas

Transparency and accountability

• Make Brampton City Hall more open, responsive, and accountable
• Clear public information, greater oversight, and real opportunities for residents to be heard

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David Ferreira — London, Ward 13

Incumbent

Downtown evolution

• Shape the next chapter of downtown as a neighborhood, civic gathering spot, cultural center, and economic engine that serves the entire city of London and strengthens the shared identity of the community

More housing options, stronger protections

• Create and protect affordable housing through responsible development, better use of existing buildings, and practical decisions that respect both family budgets and public money

Safe streets, human dignity

• Safer streets, stronger public spaces, and better support for people in crisis — so that everyone feels safe, respected, and treated with dignity

Neighborhood voice and community strength

• Strengthen the voice of Ward 13 citizens in decisions that shape the streets, parks, buildings, services, and character of their neighborhoods

Real accountability and respectful government

• Genuine transparency: clear public reports, effective accountability, trusted partnerships, and higher standards for how City Hall serves the public, works with communities, and honours the trust it was given

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Paul Vicente — Brampton, Wards 1 & 5

Incumbent

Health first

• Current focus: ensure the construction of the second hospital without delays, plan a third, and move forward with the cancer center and more long term care

Urban mobility

• Work toward the construction of the LRT
• Deliver a downtown transit hub
• Partnership with Metrolinx for the Queen Street BRT
• Bring two way GO train service every 15 minutes to downtown

Bylaws that protect neighbourhoods

• Expand licensing
• Introduce automated license plate parking enforcement
• Increase fines for repeat property standard, parking, and noise infractions

Libraries for everyone

• Help advance three new branches: at the Howden Recreation Centre, at the Embleton Community Centre, and at the downtown Centre for Innovation

Smarter roads, less congestion

• As Chair of the Public Works and Engineering committee, I helped launch the new Advanced Traffic Management System, which connects the city’s traffic lights to respond to real traffic in real time
• Next step: expand with smart traffic lights and intersections

Madalena Balça/MS

SpaceX has posted an overview of the 14th flight of Starship. The mission is now being prepared for launch as soon as Monday, September 28, pending regulatory approval. The 75-minute launch window will open at 7:15 a.m. Central “Texas” Time. As noted by SpaceX, the upcoming flight is planned to be the first to send […]

Dormir parece una actividad pasiva, pero mientras permanecemos con los ojos cerrados el cerebro continúa trabajando. Durante la noche se producen procesos relacionados con la memoria, el aprendizaje y la regulación de numerosos sistemas del organismo. Por eso, cuando el descanso se reduce de forma habitual, las consecuencias no se limitan necesariamente al cansancio de la mañana siguiente.

Un trabajo publicado en Current Biology aporta ahora una nueva pieza al complejo rompecabezas de cómo afecta la falta de sueño al cerebro. Los investigadores no se limitaron a observar si los animales perdían conexiones entre neuronas: analizaron qué tipos de conexiones tenían y cómo cambiaba su diversidad después de permanecer despiertos más tiempo de lo habitual.

El cerebro no pierde simplemente conexiones: cambia su diversidad

El estudio, dirigido por investigadores vinculados a la Universidad de Edimburgo, examinó el denominado sinaptoma, es decir, el conjunto y la distribución de las sinapsis del cerebro. Las sinapsis son los puntos de comunicación entre las neuronas y presentan una diversidad molecular mucho mayor de la que puede sugerir la simple idea de «conexión neuronal».

Para estudiarlas, los científicos cartografiaron sinapsis excitadoras en 125 regiones cerebrales de ratones. El resultado más llamativo apareció después de la privación de sueño: la densidad total de las sinapsis analizadas no descendió de manera significativa, pero sí se produjo una modificación selectiva de su composición. La diversidad de determinados tipos y subtipos disminuyó especialmente en la corteza cerebral y en la región CA1 del hipocampo.

Es una diferencia importante. El hallazgo no equivale a decir que el cerebro se quede repentinamente «sin conexiones». Lo que observaron los investigadores fue una reorganización de su arquitectura microscópica, como si se conservara buena parte de la red pero se redujera la variedad de elementos que la componen.

Seis horas de privación bastaron para detectar cambios

El experimento se centró en la privación aguda de sueño. Los ratones fueron mantenidos despiertos durante un periodo adicional y posteriormente se compararon sus cerebros con los de animales que habían seguido su ciclo normal de sueño y vigilia.

La investigación descubrió que las alteraciones afectaban a determinados grupos de sinapsis y que aquellas cuyos componentes proteicos tenían una vida más prolongada mostraban mayor resistencia. Además, los cambios en la arquitectura sináptica modificaban la respuesta de las redes neuronales ante determinados patrones de actividad. Para los autores, esto apunta a una posible función del sueño: mantener la diversidad y organización de las conexiones que permiten al cerebro procesar información.

La importancia de las zonas afectadas tampoco es casual. El hipocampo, y en particular CA1, desempeña un papel esencial en determinados procesos de aprendizaje y memoria. La investigación en humanos ya había mostrado que la falta de sueño puede perjudicar la capacidad de formar nuevos recuerdos y alterar la actividad del hipocampo.

¿Cómo afecta a los humanos dormir seis horas? Aquí es donde conviene poner freno a cualquier conclusión demasiado contundente. El estudio no demuestra que una persona que duerma seis horas vaya a experimentar exactamente esos cambios cerebrales. Se trata de un experimento realizado en ratones y sobre privación aguda de sueño, no de un seguimiento de personas que duermen seis horas cada noche durante años.

Eso no significa que seis horas sean necesariamente suficientes. La Academia Americana de Medicina del Sueño recomienda que los adultos duerman siete horas o más de forma habitual para favorecer la salud y el estado de alerta. Además, la evidencia acumulada en humanos relaciona la falta de sueño con problemas de atención, memoria y aprendizaje. Una revisión de estudios encontró que la privación de sueño puede perjudicar la memoria tanto cuando se produce antes de aprender como después, aunque los autores también señalan limitaciones metodológicas en parte de la literatura disponible.

Por tanto, el interés de este experimento no está en establecer una frontera exacta entre «seis» y «siete» horas, sino en mostrar qué podría estar ocurriendo a escala microscópica cuando el cerebro no dispone del descanso que necesita. Las conexiones neuronales no son estructuras estáticas: cambian, se reorganizan y responden a las condiciones en las que funciona el cerebro.

Y esa puede ser la verdadera importancia del hallazgo. Dormir no consiste simplemente en apagar el organismo durante unas horas. Mientras descansamos, el cerebro parece estar preservando y reorganizando parte de la compleja arquitectura que permite aprender, recordar y adaptarnos al día siguiente.

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Last July, there were several events commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Viking missions to Mars. Back in 1976, twin spacecraft missions — each consisting of a lander and an orbiter – made their way to the Red Planet and into the history books. The Viking 1 lander planted its legs on the terrain of […]

El Gobierno desatasca el nuevo escudo ‘antiapagones’ tras meses de retraso. La vicepresidenta y ministra para la Transición Ecológica, Sara Aagesen, ha confirmado la publicación en el BOE este jueves de la orden ministerial que regulará el nuevo mecanismo con el que reforzar la seguridad de suministro eléctrico y reducir el riesgo de otro gran apagón.

This is a new documentary film that had its world premiere at the 2026 Telluride Film Festival, held September 4-7. The director of this film, Nanette Burstein, is well known for her other biopics, including one featuring Hillary Clinton. This Carl Sagan film is roughly half about Sagan’s professional career and half about his personal […]

  The U.S. Department of War has issued a “legal waiver” for those wishing to disclose information regarding Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, better known as UAP, a hybrid term also linked to Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs). Military service members, civilian personnel, and contractors are now green-lighted to disclose protected information. Targeted legal relief “This targeted legal […]

  In classic wait-a-minute style, the European Space Agency (ESA)has released its Space Environment Report 2026 In brief, this chilling report points out that, indeed, Earth’s orbital environment is a finite resource. Meanwhile, some of its orbits are getting crowded and increasingly churning with deadly, fast-moving pieces of defunct satellites and rockets that threaten our […]

El Gobierno prepara un real decreto para establecer nuevas y más estrictas exigencias verdes y de seguridad digital a los futuros centros de datos. Un borrador que ha puesto en pie de guerra a tecnológicas, eléctricas, constructoras, inmobiliarias y algunas administraciones públicas, que intentan revertir los nuevos requisitos que el Ejecutivo quiere exigir a las instalaciones digitales y que, según advierten, supondrá un frenazo en la expansión de los ‘data centers’ y una huida masiva de inversiones en el país.

Viewed as a major breakthrough in radio astronomy, China’s Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) has detected 156,411 neutral hydrogen sources across nearly half the sky. The findings, published as a cover story in the journal Science China Physics, Mechanics & Astronomy, position FAST as the new global reference in hydrogen survey research. Identity cards […]

Reid Wiseman, commander of NASA’s Artemis II mission in April, led humanity’s first crewed voyage beyond low Earth orbit in 53 years — a nearly 10-day journey that looped around the moon and back. He told a standing room only audience at the National Book Festival on August 22 about what it looked and like […]

China’s Tiangong space station has upgraded its in-orbit kitchen. During a space lecture to science class students, the Shenzhou-23 crew —Zhu Yangzhu, Zhang Zhiyuan, and Lai Ka-ying — covered the crew’s daily orbital meals and upgraded food-heating tools aboard the space station. Lai, Hong Kong’s first payload specialist, explained the heating facilities, which enable astronauts […]

On August 20, 2026, U.S. President Trump signed The National Space Transportation Policy presidential memorandum, which sets a target of enabling over 1,000 space launches and reentries annually by 2030 through expanded launch infrastructure and industrial base capacity. What’s up with China’s plans for launch, and more recently, recoverable rocketry? What are the challenges and […]

NASA is pressing forward on the plan to establish a Moon Base in the lunar South Pole region. Announced on Tuesday, Sept. 8, NASA posted a NextSTEP-3 Broad Agency Announcement Appendix A. The Lunar Enabling Infrastructure Accelerator solicitation aims to mature and demonstrate capabilities in five areas: Vertical solar array technology that can provide consistent […]

China is making progress on its Tianwen-3 Mars Sample Return mission. It appears on track getting the trek underway next year, dedicated to bring back to Earth roughly 500 grams of Red Planet collectibles in 2031. According to the China National Space Administration, the Tianwen-3 probe will have a lander, an ascender, a service capsule, […]

Inspired Enterprise: How NASA, the Smithsonian, and the Aerospace Community Helped Launch Star Trek by Glen E. Swanson and Foreword by Margaret A. Weitekamp of the Air and Space Museum; 2025; 288  pages (Hardcover); $35.00 Put aside the issue of cranky sliding doors on the USS Enterprise. Level out those pointy Spock ears and discount […]

The Oscar- and Emmy-nominated documentarist Nanette Burstein working with co-screenwriter and editor Tal Ben-David, brings to life the story of Carl Sagan. The new National Geographic documentary film, Carl Sagan: We Are Made Of Star Stuff, made its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival. The 53rd Telluride Film Festival was held September 4 through […]

We are a “planet-based” species – all of us on a spin-filled Earth now housing 8.3 billion people. That’s the gravity of the situation. But we’re also a world of floods, typhoons, earthquakes, heat and cold calamities, volcanic eruptions, even encounters with Sun-caused aurora and bruises from incoming space rocks. It’s quite a world worth […]