AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Electrify Expo, North America’s largest electric vehicle (EV) festival, today announced the continuation of the EV Track Experience Powered by Austin Energy at its final stop of the 2024 tour in Austin. Taking place at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) on November 9-10, this one-of-a-kind experience will give attendees the chance to get behind the wheel and experience the thrill factor of EVs on the famed Formula 1 track. The partnership with Austin Energy, will transform COTA into an electrifying showcase offering a once in a lifetime opportunity to feel the power, speed and excitement of EVs on a closed-course track.
Attendees will get a firsthand look at the thrill and performance as they take the wheel of the world’s leading EVs from brands like Tesla, Porsche, Ford, GMC, Rivian, Lucid, Lexus, Volo, and more.
“As we drive broader EV adoption in Austin, we want to make sure that all of those interested in going electric have the chance to experience the excitement and benefits firsthand,” said Cameron Freberg, Manager for Electric Vehicles & Emerging Technologies at Austin Energy. “Our partnership with Electrify Expo is an opportunity to showcase the future of clean transportation in a fun and engaging way, featuring the unique thrill of driving on a Formula 1 track.”
“We’re excited to partner with Austin Energy and showcase the biggest and best brands demonstrating their EV technology on the Formula 1 track,” said BJ Birtwell, CEO and founder of Electrify Expo. “With interactive exhibits and now the Track Experience Powered by Austin Energy, the event is poised to be the ultimate destination for EV shoppers, skeptics and newcomers. Whether you’re a die-hard EV fan or just curious about what the buzz is all about, the track experience at COTA is a unique opportunity to feel the thrill of these EVs.”
For more information and to purchase tickets to Electrify Expo visit http://www.electrifyexpo.com. Media interested in attending may request credentials by emailing ee@skyya.com.
About Electrify Expo Electrify Expo is North America’s largest outdoor electric vehicle (EV) festival showcasing the latest technology and products in electrification including startup and legacy EVs, electric motorcycles, bikes, scooters, skateboards, boats, surfboards and more. The festival addresses one of the most challenging barriers to mass adoption of electric vehicles – understanding how electric transportation works – with meaningful consumer experiences behind the wheel or in the seat on thrilling demo courses. Top brands from around the world exhibit and attend Electrify Expo’s events to meet consumers at all stages on their path to electrification. 2024 events will take place in Long Beach and San Francisco, Calif., Phoenix, Denver, New York, Seattle, Orlando, and Austin, Texas. To stay up to date on the latest news and announcements from Electrify Expo, visit http://www.electrifyexpo.com and follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Intapp (NASDAQ: INTA), a leading global provider of AI-powered solutions for professionals at advisory, capital markets, and legal firms, today announced that global consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal has selected Intapp DealCloud as its deal and pipeline management solution. Alvarez & Marsal’s rapidly expanding Corporate Finance practice group will use DealCloud to manage origination, sales pipeline, and deal workflows.
Supporting teams with technology “We see Intapp DealCloud as a key foundational element that will let us establish best practices as we build our Corporate Finance practice,” said Jonathan Boyers, Managing Director and Head of Alvarez & Marsal’s Corporate Finance practice in EMEA. “With DealCloud, we’ll create a centralized deal management hub that will help us efficiently manage complex deals and speed execution.”
Modernizing deal management Using DealCloud as its centralized deal management platform, Alvarez & Marsal’s Corporate Finance team will be able to efficiently manage origination, pipeline, deals, and execution using a single solution. The firm’s corporate finance professionals will find and reference communications, workflows, and other data relating to deals and client pursuits in the platform. In addition, access to collective firm intelligence will help teams accurately track and forecast deals and pipeline, and accelerate execution. By centralizing engagement data, DealCloud will help Alvarez & Marsal transform average daily activities into actionable trends and industry developments.
Alvarez & Marsal will use DealCloud’s advisory industry blueprint, which is preconfigured specifically for consulting firms. The blueprint includes key features like automated data management, pipeline and forecasting, execution and process management, and reporting capabilities. The industry blueprint and Intapp’s templated data migration process will accelerate Alvarez & Marsal’s implementation, delivering faster time to value.
Multiplying success with Intapp “We’re excited to work with Alvarez & Marsal’s Corporate Finance group to provide a foundational deal management hub that will help them manage their business,” said Erin Guinan, General Manager of DealCloud at Intapp. “We’re thrilled to see consulting firms, especially those as prominent as Alvarez & Marsal, continue to turn to Intapp for software that improves firm performance.”
About Intapp Intapp software helps professionals unlock their teams’ knowledge, relationships, and operational insights to increase value for their firms. Using the power of Applied AI, we make firm and market intelligence easy to find, understand, and use. With Intapp’s portfolio of vertical SaaS solutions, professionals can apply their collective expertise to make smarter decisions, manage risk, and increase competitive advantage. The world’s top firms — across accounting, consulting, investment banking, legal, private capital, and real assets — trust Intapp’s industry-specific platform and solutions to modernize and drive new growth. For more information, visit intapp.com and connect with us on X, formerly Twitter (@intapp) and LinkedIn.
About Alvarez & Marsal Companies, investors and government entities around the world turn to Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) for leadership, action and results. Privately held since its founding in 1983, A&M is a leading global professional services firm that provides advisory, business performance improvement, and turnaround management services. When conventional approaches are not enough to create transformation and drive change, clients seek our deep expertise and ability to deliver practical solutions to their unique problems.
With more than 10,000 people providing services across six continents, we deliver tangible results for corporates, boards, private equity firms, law firms, and government agencies facing complex challenges. Our senior leaders and their teams leverage A&M’s restructuring heritage to help companies act decisively, catapult growth, and accelerate results. We are experienced operators, world-class consultants, former regulators, and industry authorities with a shared commitment to telling clients what’s really needed for turning change into a strategic business asset, managing risk and unlocking value at every stage of growth.
Princeton, N.J., Oct. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, Orbital Materials (Orbital), a company that uses its proprietary AI platform to incubate advanced materials and climate technologies, announced that it has received a significant investment from NVentures, NVIDIA’s venture capital arm.
“This investment is a milestone for Orbital. With NVentures’ backing, we will continue to push the frontier of engineering at the atomic scale by accelerating our investment in compute, team and our pipeline of advanced materials and climate technologies,” said Jonathan Godwin, CEO and Co-Founder of Orbital Materials.
“AI is a key enabler for climate science and sustainability, from improving resource efficiency to climate and weather prediction,” said Mohamed ‘Sid’ Siddeek, corporate vice president at NVIDIA and head of NVentures. “Orbital Materials’ application of AI to the discovery of new advanced materials can help spur design and deployment for new climate technologies faster and across a variety of fundamental technologies.”
Better advanced materials, such as semiconductors, batteries, and catalysts, are the building blocks of the next generation of transformational technologies. However, the development of advanced materials normally takes years of trial and error. Orbital leverages its proprietary AI technologies at its advanced materials R&D facility in Princeton, NJ to design, test, and deploy new advanced materials and climate technologies faster and more accurately than is possible with human input alone.
Orbital recently released ‘Orb’, the world’s fastest and most accurate AI model for simulating advanced materials. Built upon Orbital’s proprietary foundation model (LINUS), Orb outcompetes models from Google and Microsoft on accuracy and speed. Read about ‘Orb’ here.
About Orbital: Launched in 2022, Orbital Materials (Orbital) is leveraging AI to accelerate and redefine the discovery, testing, and deployment of advanced materials and climate technologies. Traditional methods of discovering these technologies have long relied on time-consuming trial and error processes in the lab, often resulting in years of experimentation before success is achieved. By leveraging its proprietary AI technologies at its advanced materials R&D facility in Princeton, Orbital designs, synthesizes and deploys end-to-end climate technologies quicker than possible with human input alone.
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Qpoint today announced it closed $4 million in pre-seed funding led by Mango Capital with participation from Preface Ventures, Scribble Ventures and Bloomberg Beta. Qpoint leverages next generation eBPF technology to give platform teams and operators unmatched visibility and control over their applications’ critical external dependencies and traffic flows, to enhance reliability, maximize productivity, and safeguard sensitive data. The funds will be used to further product development and meet rising demand.
Modern production applications rely on a wide range of external services to deliver the features required to meet business objectives. This paradigm powers innovation and reduces time to market, but introduces unpredictable operational challenges and potential security risks for ops teams. The lack of specialized tooling to manage dependencies and external traffic can result in prolonged outages due to vendor issues, countless hours wasted on troubleshooting and unintended exposure of sensitive data. Home-grown proxy-based solutions create single points of failure, add certificate management overhead and further increase security risk.
Qpoint transforms how companies oversee their external integrations by providing ops teams with a purpose-built solution that delivers real-time, granular visibility and control over the flow of traffic. Powered by cutting-edge eBPF technology that runs in the Linux kernel, Qpoint taps directly into the request flow between the primary applications and their external dependencies, providing unparalleled insights without impacting performance or requiring data to leave the environment. This enables teams to boost reliability, streamline troubleshooting, reduce cloud spend and minimize security risk with minimal operational hassle.
“Modern applications are highly dependent on the stability of external services in order to run smoothly. When you can’t easily see or control those connections, vendor issues become your interruptions and you waste countless hours trying to resolve reliability and security problems in the dark,” said Tyler Flint, co-founder and CEO of Qpoint. “By delivering comprehensive visibility and control over your applications’ interactions with their external dependencies, Qpoint becomes a game changer for platform teams and site reliability engineers.”
With founding members from Shopify, Instacart, DigitalOcean, Hashicorp and NS1 (acquired by IBM), the Qpoint team has a history of success building software and scaling operations for globally influential technology companies.
Qpoint Solves Critical Operational Challenges
Qpoint enables an operations team to tackle a wide range of integration-related use cases, including:
External Service Reliability: Immediately identify issues or anomalous behavior with external services to minimize impacts on mission-critical applications.
Rate Limit Detection: Continuously track external API usage, providing alerts when nearing capacity limits to prevent throttling and maintain availability for production systems.
Root Cause Analysis and Debugging: Enable improved analysis and troubleshooting of integration-related issues for dramatically faster mean time to resolution.
Cloud Bandwidth and Billing Attribution: Get insight into bandwidth utilization to accurately attribute resource usage and cloud costs to specific teams or projects.
Vendor Audit Trails: Track vendor API interactions to provide clear evidence of SLA violations and ensure vendor accountability
Zero Trust Security: Limit access to external endpoints to only those applications that have been explicitly authorized, minimizing the risk of unauthorized access and sensitive data exposure.
“Modern applications increasingly rely on a myriad of external services, which drastically increases management complexity and system reliability,” said Robin Vasan, founder and general partner at Mango Capital. “Qpoint’s novel approach leveraging eBPF and seamlessly integrating with existing solutions is a breakthrough for managing third-party dependencies and traffic flows.”
Qpoint provides comprehensive visibility and control over external service dependencies and traffic flows for modern, highly connected applications. It uses the latest eBPF tech to empower platform teams, SREs, and operators to improve reliability, boost productivity, optimize costs, and ensure data governance without sacrificing developers ability to drive innovation at high velocity. The company is venture-backed by Mango Capital, Preface Ventures, Scribble Ventures and Bloomberg Beta.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Central 1 Credit Union (Central 1) today announced its intention to wind down its digital banking business and transition clients to one or more alternative digital banking providers.
Central 1’s digital banking business provides online and mobile banking applications to credit unions and other financial institutions. The decision follows a comprehensive strategic review of this business, concluding that the investment and innovation required to meet the needs of clients and sustain the company’s digital banking offering into the future would not be sustainable over the long term.
“The Central 1 team reviewed several strategic alternatives with deep consideration for our clients’, stakeholders’ and Central 1’s interests,” explained Sheila Vokey, CEO of Central 1. “Though this is not the outcome we were striving for, our team is committed to supporting our clients through a smooth transition to an alternative digital banking solution.”
“Central 1 remains committed to continue being an aggregator for credit unions and other financial service providers for clearing and settlements, payments and treasury services,” said Shelley McDade, Board Chair of Central 1.
Central 1 is currently completing the necessary planning to support clients to smoothly transition to other provider(s). While no firm date has been set for completing this transition, Central 1 is working with digital banking providers and clients to complete transitions within a three to four year timeline.
About Central 1: Central 1 cooperatively empowers credit unions and other financial institutions who deliver banking choice to Canadians. With assets of $11.2 billion as of June 30, 2024, Central 1 provides critical payments, treasury and clearing and settlement services at scale to enable the credit union system. We do this by collaborating with our clients, developing strategies, products, and services to support the financial well-being of their more than five million diverse customers in communities across Canada. For more information, visit http://www.central1.com.
Caution Regarding Forward Looking Statements This press release and announcement contains historical and forward-looking statements. All statements and other information about anticipated future events may constitute “forward-looking information” under Canadian securities laws. These include, without limitation, statements relating to Central 1’s intention to wind down its digital banking business, and the timeline and processes relating to the same, Central 1’s plans to transition its clients to alternative digital banking providers, as well as statements that contain the words “may,” “will,” “intends” and “anticipates” and other similar words and expressions.
Forward-looking information are or may be based on assumptions, uncertainties, and management’s best estimates of future events. Central 1 has based the forward-looking statements on current plans, information, data, estimates, expectations, and projections about, among other things, results of operations, financial, condition, prospects, strategies and future events, and therefore undue reliance should not be placed on them. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated. Securityholders are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Certain important assumptions by Central 1 in making forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, competitive conditions, economic conditions and regulatory considerations. Important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include economic risks, regulatory risks (including legislative and regulatory developments), risks and uncertainty from the impact of rising or falling interest rates, information technology and cyber risks, environmental and social risk (including climate change), digital disruption and innovation, reputation risk, competitive risk, privacy, data and third-party related risks, risks related to business and operations, risks relating to the transition of clients to alternative digital banking providers, and other risks detailed from time to time in Central 1’s periodic reports filed with securities regulators. Given these risks, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Central 1 undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable laws.
Contact Amanda LeNeve AVP, Communications & Marketing Central 1 E aleneve@central1.com
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Oct. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Starbox Group Holdings Ltd. (Nasdaq: STBX) (“Starbox” or the “Company”), a service provider of cash rebates, advertising, and payment solutions, is excited to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary, Starbox Technologies Sdn. Bhd. (“Starbox Technologies”), is launching “StarboxAI VI-Pro – Live Streaming System,” a platform designed to support Starbox’s over 800 existing merchants in their live streaming social commerce efforts. This artificial intelligence (“AI”)-powered system enhances digital interaction and is expected to boost sales performance with automated content creation and real-time engagement tools.
What distinguishes StarboxAI VI-Pro – Live Streaming System is its integration with the Company’s existing cash rebates ecosystem, which currently serves Starbox’s over 2 million existing users. The integration allows merchants to offer real-time cash rebates during live streaming events, creating a seamless experience for merchants and users alike, incentivizing users to engage and purchase products. Starbox Technologies will keep a percentage of the cash rebates generated from successful sales as revenue.
With StarboxAI VI-Pro – Live Streaming System, merchants can broadcast 24/7 on platforms such as WeChat Channels, allowing continuous audience engagement. The system can read out live streaming content, respond to audience questions in real time, and guide the audience toward purchasing products. These features can help merchants provide immersive shopping experiences and are anticipated to increase sales conversion rates.
Lee Choon Wooi, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Starbox, remarked: “The launch of StarboxAI VI-Pro – Live Streaming System reflects our commitment to empowering merchants with AI technology. We believe this unique link to our existing cash rebates ecosystem with over 2 million users will enhance the live streaming experience while driving sales. With real-time interaction, 24/7 live streaming, and seamless purchase guidance, merchants may be able to engage customers and expand their market reach.”
This launch aligns with Starbox’s vision to strengthen the social commerce landscape, complementing the recent successful launch of AI-Driven Digital Human System for merchants on WeChat Channels. As demand for personalized and interactive content grows, Starbox expects to continue to introduce innovative solutions to improve how businesses communicate, engage, and succeed in the digital era.
About Starbox Group Holdings Ltd.
Headquartered in Malaysia, Starbox is a technology-driven, rapidly growing company with innovation as its focus. Starbox is aiming to be a comprehensive technology solutions provider within Southeast Asia and also engages in building a cash rebate, advertising, and payment solution business ecosystem, targeting micro, small, and medium enterprises that lack the bandwidth to develop an in-house data management system for effective marketing. The Company connects retail merchants with retail shoppers to facilitate transactions through cash rebates offered by retail merchants on its GETBATS website and mobile app. The Company provides digital advertising services to advertisers through its SEEBATS website and mobile app, GETBATS website and mobile app and social media. The Company also provides payment solution services to merchants. For more information, please visit the Company’s website: https://ir.starboxholdings.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company’s current expectations and projections about future events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “approximates,” “assesses,” “believes,” “hopes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “may” or similar expressions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company’s registration statement and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. References and links (including QR codes) to websites have been provided as a convenience, and the information contained on such websites is not incorporated by reference into this press release.
SAN DIEGO, Oct. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Franklin Access, a leading provider of integrated wireless solutions, is excited to introduce the JEXtream FX20 WiFi 6 router, paired with the Quvo parental control app, designed to enhance digital safety for families. The JEXtream FX20 router offers modern network performance, while the Quvo app is specifically designed to give parents control over their children’s online activities. This powerful combination of hardware and software empowers parents to create a safer digital environment, promoting responsible online behavior and healthy habits.
In today’s digital age, children are exposed to a variety of risks, including inappropriate content, cyberbullying, and online predators. The Quvo parental control app, paired with the high-performance JEXtream FX20 router, provides parents with the tools they need to monitor and manage internet usage, helping to mitigate these risks.
Key Features of the Quvo Parental Control App:
Real-time activity monitoring: Provides insights into children’s online activities, including websites visited and apps used.
Customizable usage controls: Set screen time limits and schedules, ensuring balanced digital habits.
Content filtering: Block harmful material while allowing access to age-appropriate content.
Geo-fencing and location tracking: Get notified if a child leaves a designated area with their device.
Cross-platform compatibility: Works with Android and iOS devices, ensuring broad coverage across family devices.
Comprehensive device management: Manage multiple devices simultaneously, from smartphones to gaming consoles, ensuring a cohesive and secure network.
“At Franklin Access, we understand the complexities parents face when navigating their children’s digital interactions,” said OC Kim, CEO of Franklin Access. “With the JEXtream FX20 router and Quvo app, we’re offering families a comprehensive digital safety solution that brings both reliability and ease of use to the forefront.”
The JEXtream FX20 router delivers exceptional WiFi 6 performance, offering faster speeds, better coverage, and support for multiple devices. Whether families are streaming, gaming, or working from home, the FX20 ensures a smooth experience without sacrificing network security. Optional mesh extenders can also be added to broaden the router’s range across larger homes and workplaces.
The Quvo app integrates seamlessly with the JEXtream FX20 router, providing parental controls that can be managed both inside and outside the home. With its easy-to-use interface, the Quvo app allows parents to maintain peace of mind, even when children are on-the-go.
Franklin Access continues to innovate and evolve, with plans to expand Quvo’s offerings into additional markets such as elder care, pet care, and small businesses. The JEXtream FX20 and the Quvo parental control app together represent a powerful and flexible solution for securing today’s connected home.
The JEXtream FX20 router and the Quvo parental control app are available now at http://www.quvostore.com and Amazon.
About Franklin Access Franklin Access (NASDAQ: FKWL) is a leader in integrated wireless solutions, offering state-of-the-art 4G LTE and 5G technologies, including mobile hotspots, routers, and mobile device management (MDM) solutions. Learn more at franklinaccess.com.
Certain statements in this press release constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements, expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
ST. LOUIS, Oct. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF) today announced final federal approval for its Stifel North Atlantic AM-Forward Fund (the “Fund”), designed to provide capital to small and mid-sized American manufacturers in the aerospace and defense industries, with a specific focus on increasing additive and advanced manufacturing capabilities in the domestic supply chain.
As part of the final approval process, the Fund has earned a Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) license from the Small Business Administration, in partnership with the Department of Defense under the SBIC Critical Technology (SBICCT) initiative. With this structure, the Fund is eligible for SBA leverage, which can supplement the amount of private capital raised, and expand investment reach. Earlier this year, the Fund became the first applicant to receive initial “green light” approval to actively raise private capital under this historic SBICCT initiative.
“We are pleased to receive this license from the SBA,” said Victor Nesi, Stifel Co-President. “In collaboration with our strategic partners, we are proud to give America’s emerging small businesses the capital and strategic support they need to advance innovation that supports our supply chain, creates domestic jobs, amplifies manufacturing capacity, and importantly, increases national security.”
The Fund aims to use a range of financing structures targeted to the specific needs of small businesses. The initial funding for the Fund includes significant capital commitments from industry-leading contractors including Lockheed Martin, GE Aerospace, and ASTM International, among others.
“Small and medium sized manufacturers are at the core of ASTM International, and we are excited that our global standards and solutions will serve as an innovative tool in connecting the diverse supply chains of our aerospace and defense industries,” commented Andy Kireta, ASTM International President.
Capital from the Fund will connect manufacturers with lead system integrators to meet the growing industry demand for low-volume high-mix components. Additionally, the Fund’s investments will enable manufacturers to acquire new fixed assets, expand their working capital and traverse rigorous aerospace and defense certification and qualification protocols.
The Fund was originated to support the White House’s AM Forward initiative, which was created in 2022 with the goal of improving the competitiveness of America’s small and medium-sized manufacturers and enhance domestic supply chain activity.
The Applied Science and Technology Research Organization of America (“ASTRO America”), a not-for-profit, non-partisan research institute and think tank and leader in the AM Forward initiative, selected Stifel as the financial partner and North Atlantic Capital Management, a Stifel Company, to manage the Fund based on their extensive middle market investment experience and over 30 years’ history of managing SBIC Funds. The Fund’s Technical Advisory Board, a partnership between the Fund and its strategic investors, will be led by Neal Orringer, President of ASTRO America and former Director of Manufacturing at the Department of Defense.
Stifel Company Information
Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF) is a financial services holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, that conducts its banking, securities, and financial services business through several wholly owned subsidiaries. Stifel’s broker-dealer clients are served in the United States through Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, including its Eaton Partners business division; Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc.; Miller Buckfire & Co., LLC; and Stifel Independent Advisors, LLC. The Company’s broker-dealer affiliates provide securities brokerage, investment banking, trading, investment advisory, and related financial services to individual investors, professional money managers, businesses, and municipalities. Stifel Bank and Stifel Bank & Trust offer a full range of consumer and commercial lending solutions. Stifel Trust Company, N.A. and Stifel Trust Company Delaware, N.A. offer trust and related services. To learn more about Stifel, please visit the Company’s website at http://www.stifel.com. For global disclosures, please visit https://www.stifel.com/investor-relations/press-releases.
We would like to invite our shareholders, investors, analysts and other stakeholders to join Šiaulių Bankas Investors webinar for Q3 2024 financial results and highlights scheduled on 31 October, 2024 at 8:30 pm (EET). The presentation will be held online in English.
The webinar will be hosted by Vytautas Sinius, CEO, Tomas Varenbergas, Head of Investment Management Division and Tautvydas Mėdžius, Strategy Partner, who will introduce the Bank’s financial results for the third quarter of 2024 and recent developments, as well participants questions will be answered.
To join the webinar, please register via following link https://sb.zoomtv.lt. After successful registration You will be provided with the webinar link.
Additional information: Tomas Varenbergas Head of Investment Management Division tomas.varenbergas@sb.lt
SAN DIEGO, Oct. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LPL Financial LLC, announced today that financial advisor William “Bill” Fenwick of Fenwick Financial has joined LPL Financial’s broker-dealer, RIA and custodial platforms. He reported serving approximately $210 million in advisory, brokerage and retirement plan assets,* and joins LPL from First Kentucky Securities.
Based in Louisville, Ky., Fenwick is a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer with 38 years of experience in the financial services industry. He believes his military experience, coupled with his astute study of the markets and economy, shaped his ability to guide clients through market fluctuations and build personal relationships that extend across generations.
“The leadership skills and sense of responsibility gained from serving in the Marine Corps overlap into financial services,” Fenwick said. “Veterans in our industry tend to have a deeper understanding of service and advocacy, which is the foundation for a fiduciary-focused investment practice. I enjoy educating my clients and making a difference in their lives by providing advice and counseling them on important financial decisions.”
Although Fenwick was a founding member and part owner of First Kentucky Securities, a regional brokerage firm, he came to realize his business needs and client expectations were outgrowing the firm. He sought a new partner to take his business to the next level, and his due diligence process led him to LPL.
“The industry has gone through significant change over the past decades. What was once a focus on sales has now shifted to prioritizing the client’s needs,” said Fenwick, who is supported by his wife, Karen, and registered assistant Patricia Hughes. “The fiduciary standard is something I’ve been drawn to from the start. I am committed to serving my clients as an advisor and investment manager with their best interests at heart, offering a foundation of honesty and integrity. The longevity of my practice is a testament to the confidence my clients have in me and my team.”
He added, “The shared mission and dedication to client service at LPL resonate with our own, and we are proud to be associated with a partner of such high caliber. LPL’s commitment to providing advisors with the resources and support they need to be successful was a key factor in my decision to make this move. I look forward to continuing to grow my practice and to helping my clients pursue their financial goals.”
With an eye to the future, Fenwick said the move was not merely a strategic decision for his practice today, but also a foundational one for its future. His son, William “Trey” Fenwick, III, recently returned from his service in the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Beret) and plans to join the practice in the coming months, helping to ensure clients are taken care of for generations to come.
Scott Posner, LPL Executive Vice President, Business Development, said, “We welcome Bill to LPL and thank him for his many years of military service. The acceleration of advisors moving to LPL from regional firms is a testament to the strong support we provide to help financial professionals realize their growth and succession plans. We look forward to supporting Bill’s team and their goals for the future as they build out a generational practice with clients top of mind.”
LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: LPLA) was founded on the principle that LPL should work for advisors and institutions, and not the other way around. Today, LPL is a leader in the markets we serve, serving more than 23,000 financial advisors, including advisors at approximately 1,000 institutions and at approximately 580 registered investment advisor firms nationwide. We are steadfast in our commitment to the advisor-mediated model and the belief that Americans deserve access to personalized guidance from a financial professional. At LPL, independence means that advisors and institution leaders have the freedom they deserve to choose the business model, services and technology resources that allow them to run a thriving business. They have the flexibility to do business their way. And they have the freedom to manage their client relationships, because they know their clients best. Simply put, we take care of our advisors and institutions, so they can take care of their clients.
Securities and Advisory services offered through LPL Financial LLC (“LPL Financial”), a registered investment advisor. Member FINRA/SIPC. LPL Financial and its affiliated companies provide financial services only from the United States. Fenwick Financial and LPL are separate entities.
Throughout this communication, the terms “financial advisors” and “advisors” are used to refer to registered representatives and/or investment advisor representatives affiliated with LPL Financial.
We routinely disclose information that may be important to shareholders in the “Investor Relations” or “Press Releases” section of our website.
*Value approximated based on asset and holding details provided to LPL from end of year, 2023.
Nokia opens regional Innovation Center in Morocco to serve EMEA customers
Nokia launches its first Innovation Center in Africa and the Middle East, equipped with cutting-edge technologies from its entire Network Infrastructure portfolio, including Fixed, IP, and Optical Networks.
The center will benefit and contribute to Digital Morocco 2030 by playing a pivotal role in advancing digital skills and supporting 5G readiness across Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
The event is also an opportunity to showcase some of Nokia’s latest innovations for major football events.
22 October 2024 Salé, Morocco – Nokia today announced the opening of its Innovation Center in Salé, Morocco, officiated by Ghita Mezzour, Minister of Digital Transition and Administration Reform.
Designed as a regional hub to serve EMEA, the Nokia Innovation Center (NIC) is equipped with advanced technologies from Nokia’s entire Network Infrastructure portfolio, spanning Fixed Networks, IP, and Optical Networks. The NIC will not only benefit but also contribute to Digital Morocco 2030 by playing a pivotal role in advancing digital skills, supporting 5G readiness and fostering innovation across EMEA.
As the first of its kind in the MEA region, the NIC features a comprehensive range of technologies, including IP, optical transport and fiber solutions, housed within a state-of-the-art data center. This facility supports diverse use cases from 5G mobile backhaul to data center fabric and security, and will be a focal point for innovation in critical network technologies, enabling testing, verification, deployment and training of advanced solutions across the EMEA region.
Beyond technology, the NIC strengthens Nokia’s role within Morocco’s ICT ecosystem by offering practical training to engineering schools and universities. This collaborative platform not only nurtures local engineering talent through certification programs like Service Routing Architect (SRA) and Network Routing Specialist (NRS II) but also provides Gen-AI integration tools using natural language thus contributing to the upskilling and reskilling of young Moroccan talent, aligning with Morocco’s 2030 digital vision.
The inauguration event was also an opportunity to showcase state-of-the art solutions demonstrating Nokia’s capabilities and determination to support Morocco’s ambitions in hosting major football events.
Mrs. Ghita Mezzour, Minister of Digital Transition and Administration Reform, said: “The opening of Nokia’s Innovation Center in Morocco is a testament to our country’s ability to attract leading global technology companies and foster innovation. This center will not only enhance our position as a regional hub for digital services across EMEA but will also play a crucial role in developing local talent. By aligning with Digital Morocco 2030, the center contributes to our efforts in advancing STEM education, equipping our youth with the skills they need to thrive in the digital economy, and supporting our nation’s 5G readiness and technological future.”
Pierre Chaume, Vice President of North, West and Central Africa for Network Infrastructure at Nokia, said: “We are proud to establish this Innovation Center in Morocco, which will serve our customers and partners in the EMEA region and contribute to the development of local talent and the broader digital ecosystem, in line with Digital Morocco 2030. This center underscores our commitment to innovation, sustainability, and the growth of critical networks that drive digital transformation across industries.”
About Nokia: At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.
As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs.
With truly open architectures that seamlessly integrate into any ecosystem, our high-performance networks create new opportunities for monetization and scale. Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today – and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future.
Media inquiries Nokia Communications, Middle East and Africa Email: cordia.so@nokia.com
RYE, New York, Oct. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Gabelli Utility Trust (NYSE: GUT) (the “Fund”) is pleased to announce the successful completion of its transferable rights offering (the “Offering” or “Offer”). Preliminary results indicate that the Fund will issue 11,624,109 common shares, for gross proceeds to the Fund of $58,120,545 (including over-subscription requests and notices of guaranteed delivery).
Pursuant to the Offering, the Fund issued one transferable right (a “Right”) for each common share of the Fund held by shareholders of record as of September 9, 2024 (“record date shareholders”). Holders of Rights were entitled to purchase common shares by submitting five Rights and $5.00 for each share to be purchased (the subscription price). The Offering expired at 5:00 PM Eastern Time on October 21, 2024 and the Rights no longer trade on the New York Stock Exchange.
Subject to approval of the over-subscription privilege by the Board of Trustees’ pricing committee, the over-subscription shares will be allocated in full among those fully exercising record date shareholders who over-subscribed in the Offering.
The new common shares subscribed for will be issued on or about October 25, 2024.
Any common shares issued as a result of the Offering will be eligible for the Fund’s monthly distribution to be paid on November 21, 2024 to shareholders of record on November 14, 2024 but will not be record date shares for the Fund’s monthly distribution to be paid on October 24, 2024 and will not be entitled to receive such distribution.
We thank all our subscribing shareholders as well as the full service brokers and financial advisers who assisted our shareholders throughout the Offering.
The information herein is not complete and is subject to change. This document is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. This document is not an offering, which can only be made by a final prospectus. Investors should consider the Fund’s investment objective, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. The base prospectus contains this and additional information about the Fund and the prospectus supplement contains this and additional information about the Offering. For further information regarding the Offering, or to obtain a prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, please contact the Fund at 800-GABELLI or 914-921-5070.
About The Gabelli Utility Trust
The Gabelli Utility Trust is a diversified, closed-end management investment company with $362 million in total net assets, after giving effect to the Offering and assuming the over-subscription privilege is exercised, whose primary investment objective is to seek long-term growth of capital and income by investing primarily in utility companies involved in the generation and distribution of electricity, gas, and water. The Fund is managed by Gabelli Funds, LLC, a subsidiary of GAMCO Investors, Inc. (OTCQX: GAMI).
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Dostin Lakika, Research Associate, University of the Witwatersrand
War takes a toll on soldiers’ bodies and minds. To prepare for battle, soldiers are taken through various forms of training. Part of this training aims to strip candidates of their civilian values and inculcate military culture.
While armies have access to an array of contemporary strategies and weaponry during training, one element isn’t often discussed: the rituals incorporated in training and those performed before engaging in warfare.
Rituals include the magico-religious practices performed for various purposes, such as seeking blessing, power or protection or even imbibing military customs. Rituals or ceremonies are believed to bestow specific abilities upon individuals and shape their behaviours.
War rituals aren’t exclusive to Africa. Many armed forces all over the world perform them. A study of rituals in the American military, for instance, found that these ceremonies help soldiers cope with trauma, loss and moral challenges during conflict.
As a scholar focused on the memories of war and violence experienced by former soldiers, I set out to study the role rituals play in shaping soldiers’ identities, preparation for war and coping with war’s realities in battle and after.
My findings suggest that rituals can function as a source of strength for soldiers. They instil a sense of confidence and security, as initiates feel encompassed by supernatural power. Additionally, these rituals enhance team unity, and reinforce discipline and loyalty to commanding officers.
My study highlights the integration of rituals into military tactics, and their influence on soldiers’ lives amid stress and uncertainty on the battlefield. I argue that while the effectiveness of an army relies on the quality of its training and equipment, rituals can significantly influence the mindset of combatants.
The study
I interviewed 21 former Congolese soldiers from the Zairean Armed Forces (now known as the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo, following the country’s renaming in May 1997) to gather data on their military experiences. These respondents served as the primary sources of information regarding the use of rituals.
A retrospective study like this raises concerns about potential memory lapses. Former soldiers reflecting on their army experiences may struggle to recall certain aspects due to the passage of time. However, research suggests that significant events are remembered more persistently, implying that military rituals can be recalled accurately.
I chose soldiers from the Zairean Armed Forces for two reasons. First, many soldiers left the national army and fled the country to South Africa after Laurent-Desiré Kabila overthrew Mobutu Sese Seko in 1997. Secondly, despite being plagued by corruption and mismanagement, Mobutu’s army was widely regarded as disciplined and powerful.
Consequently, participants were more willing to discuss their military experiences as former members of the national defence forces. The respondents are now living in various Johannesburg suburbs.
The findings
I analysed the data I collected to identify patterns and extract common themes. I found that rituals involved the perceived creation of material shields or the acquisition of supernatural powers. They were aimed at offering a sense of protection of the body. Rituals also provided a mystical dimension, notably through the ceremonial treatment of uniforms.
The overarching aim of rituals was to disconnect soldiers from civilian life and cultivate a specific form of masculinity aligned with military objectives. This helped foster camaraderie, establish strong connections among troops and contributed to the maintenance of discipline.
Respondents in my study said initiation rituals focused on training and indoctrination to build a military identity centred on sacrifice and endurance for the nation. Before recruits donned military uniforms, for instance, they underwent rituals to consecrate their bodies to the army. One respondent, Makemba, explained:
A soldier is not afraid of death; a true soldier can’t be afraid of death, I tell you. Because you live with death, you eat with death, and you clothe death … military uniforms are taken to cemetery where they spend two or three days before you wear them to tell you that you are death’s friend; you are brother of those who are dead, and you and those who are dead are the same.
This graveyard ritual symbolised the soldiers’ connection with the deceased and transformed their individual identities into a collective body.
To reinforce discipline, respondents said, they were required to utter specific words before entering someone’s field as a form of confession and permission. This, they said, would shield soldiers from negative impulses, such as using belongings without consent. The DRC army has a notorious reputation for exploiting civilians to supplement meagre salaries. Observing discipline was, therefore, considered essential for personal protection and the success of military operations.
Additionally, before being deployed for war, respondents said soldiers participated in various religious practices, and received blessings along with religious items. These magico-religious rituals served to provide a sense of protection from enemy attacks. These religious ceremonies, respondents said, provided a measure of solace and self-confidence before combat. As Lokole explained it:
You know, before joining the army I was an athlete and already knew something about power and protection because I had to protect myself against my opponents. But I joined the army, I was given leopard’s bones and water in which the bones were kept. When I had to go to the battlefield, I washed my face, hands, and feet with that sacred water. The bones were strung together on a thread, which I was instructed to fasten around my waist. This was the source of power and protection for me, and I can tell you, I survived many deadly dangers because I had these powers.
Respondents believed that these rituals proved effective while on the frontlines. In his account, Amani said:
Many of our colleagues found themselves face to face with the enemy who fired them at point-blank range but the bullets only passed through the clothes they were wearing without touching them. They returned with military uniform pierced by bullets, but they themselves were unharmed. Rituals were very protective. We witnessed many cases like this.
The effectiveness of these rituals, respondents believed, was contingent on strict adherence to them. Failure to do so, they said, could lead to fatalities. Soldiers also combined traditional beliefs with Christian faith to cope with battlefield challenges despite debates over the compatibility of these belief systems.
Why it matters
The data collected from former Congolese soldiers indicates that they believed their protection in battle was dependent on the quality of the weapons, as well as magico-religious resources. This indicates that rituals can play a key psychological role in preparing soldiers for war, fostering strength, cohesion and discipline. Their importance in the armed forces shouldn’t be underestimated.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Oct. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Exclusive Markets, a globally celebrated online multi-asset trading platform, has been awarded the prestigious title of Top Trusted Financial Institution in the Financial Markets, by Top 100 Trusted Financial Institutionsat theMiddle East Financial Markets Awards Ceremony 2024 | 2ndedition, held in Dubai. This recognition marks yet another milestone in the company’s continued journey of excellence and trust-building within the financial industry.
Trust is the cornerstone of Exclusive Markets’ operations. As a financial institution operating in highly dynamic and complex global markets, the company has consistently prioritised transparency, integrity, and reliability in every aspect of its service. From secure trading platforms to customer-first policies, Exclusive Markets has set itself apart by fostering a deep sense of trust among its clients, enabling them to confidently navigate the world of trading.
While receiving the award, Lambros Lambrou, CEO of Exclusive Markets, expressed his gratitude for this recognition, stating, “At Exclusive Markets, trust isn’t just a value, it’s a fundamental part of who we are. Receiving the ‘Top Trusted Financial Institution’ award is an incredible honour and a reflection of our ongoing efforts to ensure our clients and partners feel secure and supported at every step of their trading journey.”
This award highlights the growing importance of trust in the financial markets, especially as traders seek reliable partners in an increasingly complex landscape. As Exclusive Markets continues to evolve and innovate, its commitment to fostering trust will remain at the forefront of its mission, paving the way for continued growth and success in the global financial arena.
About Exclusive Markets
Exclusive Markets is dedicated to providing traders with a robust, secure, and transparent platform for investing in a variety of financial instruments. With a focus on cutting-edge technology and holding ISO/IEC 27001:2013 Certification by MSECB, Exclusive Markets offers traders an exceptional platform that seamlessly integrates advanced features with user-friendly interfaces.
Traders can access a wide array of trading instruments, including CFD stocks, commodities, forex, and spot metals. The company’s expert team is committed to meeting the evolving needs of its clients by continually expanding its range of products and services, allowing traders to invest according to their preferences.
LCS 29 will be the first commissioned ship in naval service bearing the name of Beloit, Wisconsin.
The naming of LCS 29 honors the contributions the people of Beloit have made to the U.S. Navy, such as the Fairbanks Morse plant, which built engines that power many of the Navy’s ships and submarines, including USS Beloit.
As the ship’s sponsor, retired Army Maj. Gen. Marcia M. Anderson will lead the time-honored Navy tradition of giving the order during the ceremony to “Man our ship and bring her to life!” At that moment, the commissioning pennant is hoisted, and the Beloit becomes a proud ship of the fleet.
Following its commissioning, the Beloit will depart Milwaukee for its homeport assignment of Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida.
The future USS Beloit (LCS 29) commissioning ceremony will be livestreamed at http://www.dvidshub.net/webcast/35146. The webcast will begin at 9:45 a.m. CST and the ceremony begins at 10 a.m. CST, Nov. 23.
LCS 29 is a fast, optimally manned, mission-tailored surface combatant that operates in near-shore and open-ocean environments, winning against 21st-century coastal threats. Littoral Combat Ships integrate with joint, combined, manned, and unmanned teams to support forward presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence missions around the globe.
The mission of CNSP is to man, train, and equip the Surface Force to provide fleet commanders with credible naval power to control the sea and project power ashore.
Four men have been convicted for their active role in the murder of Naython Muir in Hounslow.
Mahdi Mumin, 24 (01.12.99) of Slough, Khalfani Sinclair, 23 (04.08.01), of Hayes, Phillip Jones, 48 (18.08.76), of Feltham and Christian Braimah, 24 (12.03.00) of West Drayton appeared at the Old Bailey for a trial on Monday, 2 September. On Tuesday, 22 October they were convicted as follows:
– Mumin was convicted of murder [unanimous verdict] – Sinclair was convicted of murder [unanimous verdict] – Jones was convicted of murder [majority verdict] – Braimah was convicted of manslaughter – he was found not guilty of murder [majority verdict]
All four were remanded in custody to appear for sentencing at the same court on Thursday, 28 November.
An investigation was launched after police were called at approximately 22:45hrs on 13 October 2023 to reports of a stabbing on Parkside Road, TW3.
Officers and London Ambulance Service attended but despite their efforts 43-year-old Naython Muir from Hounslow sadly died at the scene.
A post-mortem examination established the cause of Naython’s death to have been a stab wound.
Detective Chief Inspector Brian Howie, the senior investigating officer who led the investigation, said: “These convictions are the result of a meticulous, dedicated and thoroughly professional police investigation.
“Naython, who was also known as ‘Nayff’, was a caring father, son and brother who had his own struggles in life.
“He was being used as a pawn by a drugs line to exert their control of drug supply within the Hounslow area.
“When Naython crossed paths with the defendants he was ambushed and subjected to a sudden, unprovoked, violent and ultimately fatal assault using a Zombie type knife.
“During the trial, Naython’s family were present every day and listened to deeply traumatising evidence of the events leading up to his murder. I would like to pay tribute to their strong family bond and determination in what was clearly a deeply traumatising time for them. They continue to be supported by my team.”
ATLANTA (October 22, 2024) — On Tuesday, October 29,at 10:00 a.m., the Senate Study Committee on Veterans’ Mental Health and Housing, chaired by Sen. Chuck Payne (R–Dalton), will hold its fourth hearing.
This event is open to the public andwill be live-streamed on the Senate websitehere.
ABOUT THE COMMITTEE:
The Senate Study Committee on Veterans’ Mental Health and Housing was created to evaluate the adequacy of Georgia’s public and private programs and services when providing resources to veterans. The committee will recommend additional measures to ensure that Georgia veterans and their families have the support they need to thrive after their military service ends.
MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES:
We kindly request that members of the media confirm their attendance in advance by contacting Jantz Womack at SenatePressInquiries@senate.ga.gov.
# # # #
Sen. Chuck Payne serves as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans, Military and Homeland Security. He represents the 54th Senate District, which includes Whitfield and Murray County, as well as part of Gordon County. He may be reached at 404.463.5402 or by email atchuck.payne@senate.ga.gov.
The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged four current and former public companies – Unisys Corp., Avaya Holdings Corp., Check Point Software Technologies Ltd, and Mimecast Limited – with making materially misleading disclosures regarding cybersecurity risks and intrusions. The SEC also charged Unisys with disclosure controls and procedures violations. The companies agreed to pay the following civil penalties to settle the SEC’s charges:
Unisys will pay a $4 million civil penalty;
Avaya. will pay a $1 million civil penalty;
Check Point will pay a $995,000 civil penalty; and
Mimecast will pay a $990,000 civil penalty.
The charges against the four companies result from an investigation involving public companies potentially impacted by the compromise of SolarWinds’ Orion software and by other related activity.
“As today’s enforcement actions reflect, while public companies may become targets of cyberattacks, it is incumbent upon them to not further victimize their shareholders or other members of the investing public by providing misleading disclosures about the cybersecurity incidents they have encountered,” said Sanjay Wadhwa, Acting Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. “Here, the SEC’s orders find that these companies provided misleading disclosures about the incidents at issue, leaving investors in the dark about the true scope of the incidents.”
According to the SEC’s orders, Unisys, Avaya, and Check Point learned in 2020, and Mimecast learned in 2021, that the threat actor likely behind the SolarWinds Orion hack had accessed their systems without authorization, but each negligently minimized its cybersecurity incident in its public disclosures. The SEC’s order against Unisys finds that the company described its risks from cybersecurity events as hypothetical despite knowing that it had experienced two SolarWinds-related intrusions involving exfiltration of gigabytes of data. The order also finds that these materially misleading disclosures resulted in part from Unisys’ deficient disclosure controls. The SEC’s order against Avaya finds that it stated that the threat actor had accessed a “limited number of [the] Company’s email messages,” when Avaya knew the threat actor had also accessed at least 145 files in its cloud file sharing environment. The SEC’s order against Check Point finds that it knew of the intrusion but described cyber intrusions and risks from them in generic terms. The order charging Mimecast finds that the company minimized the attack by failing to disclose the nature of the code the threat actor exfiltrated and the quantity of encrypted credentials the threat actor accessed.
“Downplaying the extent of a material cybersecurity breach is a bad strategy,” said Jorge G. Tenreiro, Acting Chief of the Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit. “In two of these cases, the relevant cybersecurity risk factors were framed hypothetically or generically when the companies knew the warned of risks had already materialized. The federal securities laws prohibit half-truths, and there is no exception for statements in risk-factor disclosures.”
The SEC’s orders find that each company violated certain applicable provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and related rules thereunder. Without admitting or denying the SEC’s findings, each company agreed to cease and desist from future violations of the charged provisions and to pay the penalties described above. Each company cooperated during the investigation, including by voluntarily providing analyses or presentations that helped expedite the staff’s investigation and by voluntarily taking steps to enhance its cybersecurity controls.
The SEC’s investigation involving the four companies was conducted by Arsen Ablaev and Michael Baker of the Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit (CACU) and David D’Addio in the Boston Regional Office. It was supervised by Amy Flaherty Hartman and Mr. Tenreiro of the CACU and Kathryn A. Pyszka of the Chicago Regional Office.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) today (October 22) laid charges against six Mainland fisherman deckhands suspected of engaging in fishing using snake cages (a type of cage trap banned in Hong Kong waters) on a local fishing vessel in waters off Hei Ling Chau and a local coxswain on board.
A joint operation was conducted by the AFCD together with the Hong Kong Police Force yesterday (October 21). A local fishing vessel was suspected of engaging in fishing using snake cages and was intercepted at around 11am on the same day for investigation. Some fishing gear (including snake cages and winches) on board was seized by the AFCD.
After the investigation, charges were laid against the seven men who were suspected to have violated the Fisheries Protection Ordinance (Cap. 171). They will appear at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts tomorrow (October 23).
Only a vessel registered under the Ordinance can be used for fishing in Hong Kong waters and only the fishing methods listed on its Certificate of Registration of Local Fishing Vessel can be employed for fishing by the vessel. The conditions of the Certificate of Registration of Local Fishing Vessel regarding cage traps stipulate that any collapsible cage traps should not be connected in any way to another; or should not exceed five metres in any of its extended dimensions. Hence, fishing using snake cages is in breach of the registration conditions. Offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $100,000 and six months’ imprisonment upon conviction.
A spokesman for the AFCD stressed, “The Government is committed to combatting illegal fishing activities in Hong Kong waters. The AFCD will continue to step up patrols and take stringent enforcement action.”
The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement marking 10 years since the attack at the National War Memorial and on Parliament Hill:
“Ten years after the day, we remember the horrific terrorist attack at the National War Memorial and on Parliament Hill.
“Corporal Nathan Cirillo was shot and killed while standing guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent was murdered just two days before in another attack, in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. Today, our hearts are with their families and friends who still grieve the loss of their loved one.
“On October 22, 2014, Canadians saw terrifying pictures and videos of an attack on Parliament Hill. But there is one image from that day I remember clearly: people protecting one another as we took shelter wherever we were. I remember that, in the days that followed, political debate was subsumed by collegial support. And above all, we all remember the service and the sacrifice of those who stood guard, and those who rushed toward danger to save lives.
“That is what we remember today, and what we must never forget.”
Members of the Malian junta wave as civilians gather to celebrate the overthrow of the president on Aug. 21, 2020. AP Photo/File
In September 2024, authorities in Benin detained the country’s former sports minister and a prominent businessman for allegedly plotting a coup against the West African nation’s president, Patrice Talon. Had a putsch materialized, Benin would have joined a growing list of African countries to have experienced a military coup over the past four years.
As I’ve observed over the course of my research on the politics of military coups, civilian support is actually a common, if not critical, part of coup politics, and far from unique to this recent resurgence of military takeovers.
How common are civilian-supported coups?
In the popular imagination of a military coup, power-hungry soldiers command tanks down a capital’s streets to seize authority from the political leadership. In this vision, civilians are often passive actors or otherwise assumed to be the opponents of coups. Yet such a setting is belied by numerous examples, both recent and throughout history.
In West Africa’s Niger, for example, the M62 movement – a coalition of civil society organizations – gathered its members on the streets to support the coup in July 2023, outnumbering prior protests calling for the reinstatement of President Mohamed Bazoum. In neighboring Mali, the M5-RFP protest movement served a similar role in the aftermath of the country’s 2020 coup – although fissures in its relationship with the junta have since surfaced.
Even Benin’s thwarted plot had a civilian dimension. Its alleged masterminds, the sports minister and prominent businessman who were said to have funded the planned coup, were not soldiers but part of the governing bureaucracy or elite civil society.
To see how common such cases are, I collected data on civilian support and involvement in all successful military coups since 1950. Defining coups as “successful” if the soldiers manage to stay in power for at least seven days, that gave me 242 cases over a period of nearly 75 years to analyze, spanning different regions like Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.
Out of the 242 episodes, 189 coups – or nearly 80% – saw some type of civilian support, either in the takeover’s instigation or in the later consolidation of power.
Coups without any sign of civilian support were generally those that saw a military leader ousted by other members of the ruling junta – contexts where soldiers already dominated the political landscape.
Breaking down the numbers over time, civilian-supported coups represented the lion’s share in each decade, even as the overall frequency of coups ebbed by the 1990s with the end of the Cold War.
But in the past two decades, virtually every successful coup has been associated with some level of support outside the military. So while civilian support might not be unique to recent cases, there is evidence that it has become a more common fixture of military coups – at least among the successful ones.
Of course, these stats do not include failed coups or thwarted conspiracies. But the failed attempts to instigate a coup in Benin – or, for that matter, in Brazil in January 2023 – suggest that these numbers might underestimate the frequency of civilian support for, and involvement in, coups.
How civilians support coups
In general, civilian support for coups can manifest in different ways. But in a recent study, I identified two broad patterns: instigation and consolidation.
Instigation, by default, occurs in the pre-coup stage and involves civilians taking action to spark a coup attempt.
Protests and insurrections in pursuit of a military coup are common methods of instigation. For example, early in 2023, supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro seized the National Congress after weeks of publicly calling on the military to stop President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s inauguration. While their efforts ultimately failed to produce a coup, they are illustrative of the civilian dynamic.
In late 2021, disgruntled members of Sudan’s transitional government organized protests in Khartoum, the capital, calling for the military’s intervention. The military answered days later by removing Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok from power.
Instigation can also involve more targeted actions. For instance, the alleged Benin coup plot involved targeting specific members of the security services with bribes in exchange for their participation. In Brazil, recent court documents implicated Bolsonaro himself in coordinating a coup plot and attempting to ensure the participation of top military leaders.
In other cases, political parties developed secret cells in the armed forces to later give the go-ahead for a coup – like in Bolivia in 1952, Iraq in 1963, Afghanistan in 1978 and Sudan in 1989.
Consolidation, on the other hand, involves actions taken during and in the immediate aftermath of a coup.
This could include actions like taking up arms alongside soldiers during a military takeover, organizing pro-coup protests or assuming important governing tasks alongside a new junta. Here, civilians seek to ensure a coup succeeds and its objectives take root – even against domestic and international opposition.
Among the recent West African cases, civilians have especially worked to consolidate coups against international opposition. For example, after the Economic Community of West African States threatened military intervention to reverse Niger’s coup in 2023, M62 and other civilian-led protest groups rallied to support the coupists. Thousands also enlisted in the Volunteers for the Defense of Niger, a pro-junta civilian militia created to combat international intervention against the coupists.
Why civilian coup support matters
Soldiers are unlikely to even attempt a coup without confidence that at least some civilians will back their efforts.
Portraying civilian support for military takeovers as exceptional thus misses a critical component of coup politics. And this misconception benefits coupists, who can use civilian allies to present their actions as legitimate or even revolutionary, which is what happened in Egypt in 2013.
Military coups also do not occur in a vacuum. A proper focus on the civilian element of coup politics allows researchers and international observers to better contextualize military takeovers in broader social struggles for the state.
This could lead to greater engagement with the issue of what kinds of civilian segments are instigating and consolidating coups. Are they close to the targeted leader such as in Benin’s alleged plot? Or are they members of the political opposition, like in Niger and Mali?
These nuances should be front and center to researchers, policymakers and diplomats as they seek to understand – and mitigate – sudden and often destabilizing takeovers of a state.
Salah Ben Hammou has received funding from the United States Institute of Peace and Minerva Research Initiative. He is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Rice University’s Baker Institute of Public Policy.
October has long been associated with ghosts – from ancient Celtic festivals to ward off restless spirits after harvest time to the modern standby of using an old sheet to make a last-minute Halloween costume. In the middle of the 19th century, however, popular portrayals of ghosts became a year-round staple, in part because photographers discovered that they could depict them.
The first ghost photographs were accidents. Early cameras required 30 seconds or more to take a photo. If someone wandered briefly into the shot, the resulting picture would contain their ghostly trace superimposed over substantial furniture, buildings or people who had held still for the full exposure.
When shrewd photographers realized that the inconvenience of long exposure time could become an asset, detailed directions for creating these illusions proliferated. Photographers could cut ghost figures from transparent material and place them onto glass negatives or inside camera bodies. Or they could make real people half-transparent through tricks of double exposure.
As early as 1856, experts gleefully noted that one could create images of ghosts “for the purpose of amusement.” Commercial photographers began producing this spectacular phenomenon for fun and profit and – as I have found while researching early portrait photography – thereby helped feed media fascination with all things ghostly.
Turning accident into amusement
Photographs became collectible amusements partly thanks to the midcentury invention of the stereoscope – a device that created three-dimensional optical illusions.
Stereoscope cards contain two pictures of the same scene, photographed from slightly different angles. A viewer selects a card, inserts it and then presses the instrument to their face. The device isolates their eyes, so each sees only one picture. As the brain, trying to avoid double vision, merges these images into one, the result is a 3D effect.
The Perfecscope from 1895 and a collection of stereoscopic cards. Andrea Kaston Tange, CC BY
In the 1850s, reading aloud was the primary form of at-home entertainment. Daily newspapers ran no images, and the technology to reproduce photographs in books or periodicals was still 40 years away. But this affordable gizmo could bring the whole world into your living room.
My archival research has turned up newspapers full of articles and ads promoting stereoscopic “marvels.” The London Stereoscopic Co. advertised “effects almost miraculous” and marketed the device for family entertainment. By 1856, a mere two years after the company’s founding, its catalog listed over 100,000 cards, including views of dramatic landscapes, exotic tourist destinations, famous portraits and card sets that told stories.
Among these collections of sights unseen were plenty of ghostly images. “The Ghost in the Stereoscope,” a colorized card, shows two men in open-mouthed surprise at the sudden appearance of a ghost at their supper table. The title signals the jump scare that the image maker hoped would likewise amaze the viewer when the 3D ghost loomed before their very eyes.
On another card, “That’s Too Thin,” a ghost points an accusatory arm at one man sitting at a gaming table. The 1876 guide “How to Write Letters” lists “too thin” among its “slang words and phrases” to be avoided for their “low associations and vulgar ideas,” which suggests that the offender is doing something unseemly for a respectable man. This visual joke relied on a pot-kettle formula: A figure so thin as to be see-through is calling out someone else as “too thin.”
Nothing was meant to imply that these were pictures of actual spirits. Some – like “The Haunted Lane,” in which two men who cower in supposed terror from a ghost are obviously photographed in a studio with “lane” props – were so melodramatic as to be funny. Others were more melancholy and featured mourning husbands whose ghost-wives played the piano beside them, or orphaned children whose ghost-mothers watched over them from beyond the grave. All of them were performances.
And all of them helped stoke a midcentury market hungry for ghostly thrills. In 1859, novelist Wilkie Collins published his spectral “The Woman in White” in installments in Charles Dickens’ weekly magazine. It sold over 100,000 copies and launched a decade-long craze for hair-raising sensation fiction.
The “Illustrated Police News,” launched in 1864, contained supposedly true tabloid-style stories that often featured ghosts. And in 1862, John Henry Pepper, a British scientist and popular lecturer, refined a projection technique that could create apparitions onstage during live theater productions. Commonly known as Pepper’s Ghost, the dramatic illusions began appearing immediately on both sides of the Atlantic.
Some stereoscope cards referenced multiple forms of popular entertainment to create ghost images that worked as layered visual jokes. The 1865 card “A Dream After Seeing Pepper’s Ghost” is a great example of how the Victorian penchant for allusions and wordplay found its way into this visual pastime.
The sleeping young woman’s “dream” is a photographic ghost: The looming, gauzy figure filling the dark space of the window beside her bed would have appeared to float in 3D stereoscope. “Seeing Pepper’s Ghost” obviously refers to a play she has attended: Her fine clothes tossed haphazardly on the furniture indicate a late evening out.
But the ghost has the head of a cow and wears a necklace on which is lettered “MUSTARD.” A Victorian viewer accustomed to wordplay riddles would realize that this ghost-of-pepper also implies that the sleeper ate too much of an overly seasoned roast beef dinner, for indigestion was commonly understood to cause bad dreams.
Together, these details may allude to Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” A theater company in 1865 would undoubtedly use the sensational new Pepper’s technique to place the ghost of Jacob Marley onstage to torment his former business partner, the miser Scrooge. And Scrooge quite famously dismisses Marley’s ghost initially as “an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard” – that is, as merely a bad dream brought on by overeating. A clever viewer would delight in puzzling through these playful layers of stereoscopic magic.
But in the Halloween season, it’s fun to contemplate the lighter side of this history, when an appetite for haunting tales inspired photographic ghost effects that seem delightfully ahead of their time.
Andrea Kaston Tange does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Some experts have said that the hurricanes could cause voter numbers to drop – and impacts of Helene have already prompted a few early polling stations in western North Carolina to close. But more North Carolina residents turned out to vote on the first day of early voting than they did in 2020.
Amy Lieberman, a politics and society editor at The Conversation U.S., spoke with Michael T. Morley, who studies natural disasters and election law, to understand how these recent storms could complicate voting in the presidential election.
A home in Manasota Key, Fla., that was damaged by Hurricane Milton is seen on Oct. 13, 2024. Joe Raedle/Getty Images
What are the major issues that hurricanes can create ahead of an election?
A hurricane or natural disaster makes an election tremendously more challenging for both election officials and voters on various practical levels.
Election administrators might have been injured, or their homes could be flooded or destroyed. State officials need to ensure, especially in areas that have been hardest hit, that enough local administrators remain in place to continue distributing absentee ballots and to staff early voting locations.
Still, I have not seen empirical evidence that the results of any federal elections in recent decades have changed as a result of hurricanes.
What could these major hurricanes mean for voters in North Carolina and Florida?
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order on Oct. 3, 2024, in response to Hurricane Helene. Among other things, Florida law says that in a state of emergency the governor can suspend state statutes or regulations governing state business when complying with them can interfere with disaster response.
Florida, like other states, has deadlines for when election officials must designate polling locations. DeSantis waived this deadline to authorize county officials to designate new ones. DeSantis’ order also gives election officials more discretion about where new polling locations may be located. And he made it easier for state employees to step in and serve as poll workers, particularly on Election Day.
DeSantis suspended a state requirement so a person who cannot return to their home can ask by phone to have a vote-by-mail ballot sent to wherever they are staying – not just their registered home address. Making it easier for ballots to be sent to people, wherever they are, is one of the most effective measures that Florida has implemented to help make voting easier.
In North Carolina, meanwhile, state officials have authorized different changes that will apply to the 25 counties in the western part of the state that are under emergency orders because of the hurricane. These changes are mostly focused on voting by mail and polling place workers. They also allow county boards of elections to change Election Day voting locations and permit voters to drop off absentee ballots at any county board of election office by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
Western North Carolina voters now also have until Nov. 4 to request a mail-in ballot, as opposed to the original deadline of Oct. 29.
What sort of legal issues, if any, do these changes open up?
Disputes have already arisen about potential extension of the voter registration deadlines in states affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Courts in Florida and Georgia have already declined emergency motions to extend the voter registration deadline.
Similar disputes are likely to arise over such election rules as photo identification requirements at polling places and the deadlines for requesting and returning absentee ballots.
Occasionally, challenges also arise alleging that certain measures to address an emergency have gone too far.
During the height of the pandemic, for example, the Trump presidential campaign filed lawsuits that unsuccessfully challenged state decisions to automatically mail absentee ballots to people registered to vote.
A U.S. post offic, damaged by flooding from Hurricane Helen, is pictured on Oct. 3, 2024, in Marshall, N.C., showing one of the complications for people who planned to vote by mail. Mario Tama/Getty Images
What are you most concerned about heading into the election?
My biggest concern is that, particularly if the election is close, a losing candidate might attempt to use the hurricane as a way of trying to challenge the election results or call them into question.
Courts will almost certainly reject that. Once the election has happened, a court generally will not set aside the results or order additional voting, even if voters faced substantial burdens and people think there is more that election officials could have done. This is especially true in the context of a presidential election, since the U.S. Constitution and federal law establish several important postelection deadlines involving the Electoral College.
Some people already have unwarranted skepticism about the electoral process. It would be bad for our democracy if the recent hurricanes are exploited as a basis for refusing to accept the election’s results.
Michael T. Morley is Sheila M. McDevitt Professor of Law at FSU College of Law. He serves as Faculty Director of the FSU Center for Election Law established by the Florida State Legislature and Vice Chair of the Florida Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission for Civil Rights. He is a member of the National Task Force on Election Crises and Election Officials Legal Defense Network.
White signs emblazoned with a big blue dot are going up in yards across Omaha, Nebraska, in an unusual political statement of support for Democratic candidates.
Nebraska splits its electoral votes, giving Omaha’s congressional district a single electoral vote out of the state’s total of five. If enough of Omaha’s metropolitan voters back Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris for president, Omaha will appear on the electoral map as a “blue dot” on a field of Republican red.
Most U.S. states award all their electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the state’s election, no matter the margin of victory. Only Nebraska and Maine split their electoral votes.
Nebraska awards one vote to each congressional district, plus two votes to the state’s overall winner. It began this practice in 1992 to draw more presidential campaigns to the state. Nebraska, as a whole, so predictably leans conservative that neither Republicans nor Democrats had bothered to campaign there.
In the eight presidential elections since 1992, Omaha has turned blue only twice – in 2008 and 2020, backing Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Democratic voters hope to buck statewide trends again in 2024.
The blue dot movement began in mid-August 2024 in Omaha’s Dundee neighborhood, when local residents Jason Brown and Ruth Huebner-Brown spray-painted a blue circle on a white sign and put it on their lawn as a conversation starter.
One sign grew to 10, 100, 1,000, snowballing into a movement. Now blue dot signs can be found well beyond Omaha, even in other states. On Facebook and Reddit, people share where to find the signs and how to make your own.
A simple blue dot on a white background has become a powerful political symbol – a reference to a map that does not have to be seen to be visualized. For Omahans in the know, the sign is a reminder of what the city’s place on the map might be come Nov. 5.
For others, the enigmatic sign simply raises questions, creating opportunities for Omahans to discuss the importance of voting in Nebraska.
The sly way the blue dot sign refers to an election map without actually showing that map reminded me of my suffrage movement research.
In the 1910s, women activists campaigning to get American women the vote used a map as part of their campaign. It depicted U.S. states that had passed suffrage in white and the rest in black – dark marks on the nation.
The suffragists plastered their map across the country and sold it through the National Woman Suffrage Publishing Company. In newsletters and magazines, they shared how to make maps for rallies using easily accessible materials. The map became so familiar to the American public by 1912 that it was referred to in speeches and newspaper articles without the visual.
At suffrage parades and pageants they formed “living suffrage maps,” with women dressed in white representing states with the vote and those in black representing states where they could not.
As women’s suffrage momentum grew, spreading from western to eastern U.S. states, the map had ever-fewer black spots. In 1914, Nevada became the last western state to pass suffrage.
“The suffrage map showing Nevada as the last ‘black spot’ in the West was printed in every newspaper and on every leaflet,” suffragists later wrote about their efforts. It was “put up in public places and on large banners hung in the streets.”
With Nebraska’s blue dot signs, Omahans are fighting to keep their spot on the map, not erase it. They are an act of claiming space, making Democrats visible in a state so strongly associated with Republicans.
On Oct. 20, 2024, in yet another echo of the women’s suffrage movement, they even created a “human blue dot” at a rally in a local park.
A Republican red dot in Omaha. Christina Dando, CC BY
Two I’ve seen are a white sign depicting just an entirely red Nebraska, and a white sign with a large red dot with a golden wave on its top that resembles Trump’s hair.
These red dot and red Nebraska signs are catching on, but not in the same way as blue dot signs have.
Kirk described Nebraska as “being one of the most Republican states” and said the state’s electoral votes must “go towards electing the candidate the vast majority of Nebraskans prefer.”
Many people reacted with fury, and the bill did not advance in Nebraska’s one-house state Legislature. That’s another of the state’s political quirks: Nebraska is the only state to have a state legislature without an upper and lower chamber of lawmakers.
The system, called the unicameral, is officially partyless, meaning its 49 representatives are elected without their party on the ballot.
The unicameral dates from 1937 when it was thought this less costly, nonpartisan system would be a more representative form of government. So is splitting the state’s electoral votes: Voters can feel more confident that their vote counts and that every vote counts.
When South Carolina Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham visited Nebraska in September 2024, he pushed Gov. Jim Pillen, a fellow Republican, to implement a winner-take-all system for the 2024 election.
Pillen said he would not call a special session of the unicameral unless he has the 33 votes needed to pass the change to the state’s electoral system. That appears unlikely to happen before November.
Red + blue = purple?
A winner-take-all approach to Electoral College votes has the effect of erasing nuance and difference on the map of America by painting states as entirely red or blue.
No state has ever voted 100% Democrat or Republican. The country should be drawn in shades of purple.
Nebraska has the misleading appearance of overwhelming redness because of its many Republican-leaning rural counties with low population density. Yet Nebraska’s registered voters are approximately two-thirds Republicans and one-third Democrats. Many registered Democrats live in cities such as Omaha and Lincoln.
But they can be found throughout the state – just look for the blue dot.
Christina Elizabeth Dando does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
As the U.S. presidential election approaches, news reports and social media feeds are increasingly filled with data from public opinion polls. How do pollsters know which candidate is ahead in what swing state or with which key demographic group? Or what issues are most important to as many as 264 million eligible voters across a vast country?
In other words: How do pollsters do what they do?
At Emerson College Polling, we lead a dynamic survey operation that, like many others, has continuously evolved to keep pace with shifting trends and technologies in survey research. At the inception of survey research – about 100 years ago – data was primarily collected through mail and in-person interviews. That’s not true nowadays, of course.
In the early days of the survey industry, being asked to participate in a poll was novel, and response rates were high. Today, we’re bombarded with survey requests via email, text, online pop-ups, and phone calls from unknown numbers. With fewer landlines, busy parents juggling work and family, and younger adults who rarely answer calls, preferring text communication, it has become much harder to engage respondents. This shift in behavior reflects the evolving challenges of reaching diverse populations in modern survey research.
In the broadest possible terms, polls and surveys have two elements – choosing whom to contact, and reaching them in a way that’s likely to get a response. These elements are often intertwined.
In the 1970s, after household telephones had become widespread in the U.S., survey operators adopted a random-sampling method called random digit dialing, in which the survey’s designers would choose the area codes they wanted to reach and live operators randomly dialed seven-digit phone numbers within that area code.
By the 1990s, pollsters began moving away from random digit dialing, which was time-consuming and expensive because the random selection often picked phone numbers that were out of service or not useful for opinion surveys, such as businesses or government offices. Instead, pollsters began adopting registration-based sampling, in which public voter registration records were used to compile the lists from which respondents were randomly selected.
The information in these and other associated public records, such as those detailing gender, age and educational attainment, allowed a refinement of random sampling called stratified sampling. That’s where the one big list was split into subgroups based on these different characteristics, such as party affiliation, voting frequency, gender, race or ethnicity, income or educational attainment.
Survey-takers then chose randomly from among those subgroups in proportion to the population as a whole. So if 40% of the overall population have college degrees and 60% do not, a poll of 100 people would randomly select 40 people from the list of those with a college degree and 60 from the list of those without.
Other advances in ways to reach respondents emerged late in the 20th century, such as interactive voice response, which did not require live operators. Instead, automated systems played recordings of the questions and registered the spoken responses. In 2000, internet-based polling also began to emerge, in which participants filled out online forms.
From probability to nonprobability sampling
Over the past two decades, the rise of cellphones, text messaging and online platforms has dramatically changed survey research. The traditional gold standard of using only live operator telephone polls has become nearly obsolete. Now that phones display who is calling, fewer people answer calls from unknown numbers, and fewer of them are willing to talk to a stranger about their personal views.
Even the random sampling that was once standard has given way to a nonprobability sampling approach based on increasingly specific population proportions. So if 6% of a population are Black men with a certain level of education and a certain amount of household income, then a survey will strive to have 6% of its respondents match those characteristics.
In quota sampling, participants may not be selected randomly but rather chosen as participants because they have specific demographic attributes. This method is less statistically rigorous and more prone to bias, though it may yield a representative sample with relative efficiency. By contrast, stratified sampling randomly selects participants within defined groups, reducing sampling error and providing more precise estimates of population characteristics.
To help polling operations find potential respondents, political and marketing consulting firms have compiled voter information, including demographic data and contact details. At Emerson College Polling, we have access to a database of 273 million U.S. adults, with 123 million mobile numbers, 116 million email addresses and nearly 59 million landline numbers.
A newer technique pollsters are using to reach respondents is something called river sampling, an online method in which individuals encounter a survey during their regular internet browsing and social media activity, often through an ad or pop-up. They complete a short screening questionnaire and are then invited to join a survey opt-in panel whose members will be asked to take future surveys.
Our polling operation has used a range of approaches to reach the more than 162,000 people who have completed our polls so far this year in the United States.
Unlike traditional pollsters, Emerson College Polling does not rely on live operator data collection outside of small-scale tests of new survey methods to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of different polling approaches.
Instead, like most modern pollsters, we use a mix of approaches, including text-to-web surveys, interactive voice response on landlines, email outreach, and opt-in panels. This combination allows us to reach a broader, more representative audience, which is essential for accurate polling in today’s fragmented social and media landscape. This diverse population includes younger individuals who communicate through various platforms distinct from those used by older generations.
When we contact the people in our stratified samples, we take into account differences between each communication method. For example, older people tend to answer landlines, while men and middle-aged people are more responsive to mobile text-to-web surveys. To reach underrepresented groups – such as adults ages 18 to 29 and Hispanic respondents – we use online databases that they have voluntarily signed up for, knowing they may be surveyed.
We also use information about whom we sample and how to calculate the margin of error, which measures the precision of poll results. Larger sample sizes tend to be more representative of the overall population and therefore lead to a smaller margin of error.
For instance, a poll of 400 respondents typically has a 4.9% margin of error, while increasing the sample size to 1,000 reduces it to 3%, offering more accurate insights.
The goal, as ever, is to present to the public an accurate reflection of what the people as a whole think about candidates and issues.
Spencer Kimball works for Emerson College Polling.
Camille Mumford works for Emerson College Polling.
You’ve probably seen them: alarming columns or stories with alarming headlines about how somebody is going to exploit an obscure provision in election law to undo the 2024 presidential election and toss it to the House of Representatives. Your vote won’t count, and democracy will go to hell.
Election law scholar Justin Levitt throws cold water on those scenarios, and in an interview with Naomi Schalit, The Conversation’s senior editor for politics and democracy, he says the voters will decide the election, “flat out.”
What’s “electoral process porn?”
It’s a writing genre identifying a tactic or loophole that’s supposedly going to fundamentally change the election process – what I called “The Key to the Whole Thing This Time” in a Slate piece earlier this year – usually, by taking away everyone’s voting rights and magically delivering the election to one candidate. It’s a lurid, titillating take that depends on the fact that election law and process can sometimes seem impenetrable.
What distinguishes this type of think piece from other reporting on the election process is tone and emphasis, rather than information. Just like not every sex scene in the movies needs an NC-17 label, not every piece about how elections work is going to be electoral process porn.
Perhaps the worst part about electoral process porn is that it leaves readers with an unjustified feeling of helplessness, even the thought that voting might be pointless, if it’s all subject to this supposed hidden gimmick. It is dystopian fiction masquerading as analysis, feeding on people’s anxieties that a basic process of self-government might be taken out of their own hands.
A selection of headlines trumpeting the ways the 2024 presidential election could be subverted. Mother Jones, Politico, USA Today
Can you give me a few examples? I want the person who reads this to understand concretely what you’re talking about.
Sure. One example fits the mold of the artful con: the heist movie or spy thriller that depends on knowing the particular procedural lever to deliver results, the MacGuffin nobody else can anticipate, making the person who’s the center of the thriller the smartest person in the room. It’s the story about an Electoral College feature in which an obscure part of the law, say subparagraph (ii)(B) of paragraph (1)(c) about delivering a particular piece of paper, secretly holds the spell to make millions of votes disappear. It depends on a wildly implausible sequence of events and a whiff of magical legalism, with a basic misunderstanding of what legal rules are for.
Another example is the armchair detective mystery, with the promise that if you squint just right, you can find the clues that finally solve the big crime. This type of piece often centers on alleged voter fraud, making a legitimate loss feel more palatable by suggesting it’s theft instead. The thing is, these are usually murder mysteries with no dead bodies. People motivated to play detective will often find suspicious patterns in conduct that’s entirely lawful.
A third version is a horror story, with jump scares at scale: tales of voter suppression predicting that evildoers will steal the election by preventing millions of legitimate voters from casting ballots that count.
But there are practices and rules that can be obstacles to voting.
There sure are. I’m a civil rights lawyer, so it’s worth noting that some election rules do make the process harder than it needs to be. Sometimes intentionally. Rules disenfranchising people with convictions offer a particularly stark version of that very real problem. We’ve got an obligation to keep making the election process better.
But these electoral process porn articles often portray the system as an endless nightmare of procedural hurdles. That’s not reality for most of the electorate.
Yes. And it diminishes people’s confidence in the power of their vote. I think it would be somewhat less harmful if it were paired with a message of empowerment, like, “Here is what people are trying to do to take power. But it’s not going to work. And you can ensure your voice counts by registering and casting your ballot.”
I don’t mean to shake my finger at writers who are trying to present information in a way that draws readers in. But the tone of these columns, and the degree to which they empower or discourage, matters. These process-porn pieces are at their worst when the voters are peripheral, when the articles say, “This is being done to you, and there’s really nothing you can do about it other than get angry and give us money.”
We’re getting pretty close to Election Day, which is the culmination of the vote. Are there legitimate problems that voters should be aware of?
There will be some bumps, sure. Until humans figure out how not to make mistakes, there will be issues that crop up. It’s a good thing that for most Americans, voting is a period of time, rather than a single day. That gives opportunities to catch and address the problems.
The Electoral College means that a few thousand voters in a few swing states are going to decide the winner. It’s going to be up to those voters, flat out – who decides to cast a ballot and who they decide to vote for – not a deus ex machina. The election process is designed to tell us who we chose, not to determine the answer without us.
But 537 votes is an anomaly. The elections of 2016and 2020 were very close in the states that determined the Electoral College results – but still nowhere near Florida-in-2000 close.
And because of all the fail-safes built into the system, even very close is something the election process can handle. I’m very confident that the voters are going to decide this election, not the lawyers or the courts.
Electoral process porn is adult fiction. In the real world, it turns out “The Key To The Whole Thing This Time” isn’t a process quirk. It’s us.
Professor Levitt served as the country’s first White House Senior Policy Advisor for Democracy and Voting Rights, from 2021-2022.
Continued support from the White House for Ukraine could hinge on the presidential election.AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta
The U.S. presidential election isn’t drawing eyes only at home – Moscowand Kyiv are watching closely, too.
Regardless of who wins in November, there will be significant implications for Ukraine as it continues to resist Russia in a war heading toward a fourth year.
During the presidential debate on Sept. 10, 2024, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Republican contender Donald Trump had a chance to clarify their positions on Ukraine. Trump evaded ABC moderator David Muir’s question regarding the importance of Ukraine’s victory over Russia, twice. Instead, he repeated his long-standing line that he would achieve a negotiated peace quickly – even before taking office as president.
At the same debate, Harris dismissed the idea of Trump negotiating with “a dictator who would eat you for lunch.” She instead emphasized the Biden policy to support Ukraine “as long as it takes” in concert with U.S. allies.
But detail has been light on what either candidate would actually do to support Ukraine and end the war. So, what do we know about each candidate’s approach to Ukraine based on their records?
Trump: A ‘very fair and rapid deal’?
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Trump has repeatedly stated that ending the war is in the U.S.’s best interests and that he can end the war quickly. In fact, Trump is certain that had he remained president after the 2020 election, Russian President Vladimir Putin would not have invaded – an unsubstantiated claim he repeated during the Sept. 10 presidential debate.
Trump has often reiterated that both Putin and Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy respect him, and he would be able to use his “good relationship” with both to bring them to the negotiating table and end the war.
Yet, Trump’s record on his relationships with Zelenskyy and Putin is rather complicated.
Trump’s relationship with Zelenskyy is similarly laden with baggage. A 2019 phone call between the two men, during which Trump pressured Ukraine’s president to open a criminal investigation into Joe Biden, led to Trump’s impeachment. In exchange, Ukraine would have received continued U.S. support for the country’s defense against Russia, which had been waging a proxy war in eastern regions of Ukraine since 2014. During the subsequent hearings in Congress, one of Trump’s aids testified that “Trump did not give a sh*t about Ukraine” and was only interested in his own political gains.
Standing next to Zelenskyy during a meeting at the Trump Tower on Sept. 27, 2024 – their first meeting since Sept. 25, 2019 – Trump said he was sure that both Zelenskyy and Putin are interested in peace and that a “very fair” and “rapid” deal is possible.
When asked what that deal might entail, Trump responded that it’s “too early” to discuss details and that both he and Zelenskyy have “their own ideas.”
While the Republican candidate has not been explicit on the details of negotiations or possible conditions, some of his proxies have voiced proposals. Trump’s vice presidential pick, JD Vance, has laid out a plan that includes potential land concessions on the part of Ukraine and the creation of a demilitarized zone along the battle lines of the Russian-occupied territory of eastern Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Trump’s son Donald Jr. co-authored a piece with former presidential candidate turned Trump ally Robert F Kennedy Jr., arguing that a concession to Russian demands for “Ukrainian neutrality and a halt to NATO’s eastward expansion” were reasonable to avoid a nuclear game of chicken. Although these have not been echoed in Trump’s own statements on Ukraine, both men have the ear of the Republican candidate.
Harris has been harshly critical of Trump’s approach to Ukraine. “They are not proposals for peace,” Harris said in response to suggestions that Ukraine cede territory for peace. “Instead they are proposals for surrender,” she added.
Such views are in line with Harris’ record. As part of the Biden administration, Harris has given vocal support to Ukraine’s fight for political sovereignty and territorial integrity.
At the onset of the full-scale invasion in early 2022, Harris traveled to Europe to help shore up a coalition of European allies to support Ukraine.
As a presidential candidate, Harris has openly signaled her commitment to supporting Kyiv – not only for Ukraine survival but for the collective security of NATO allies and the U.S. itself. Harris emphasized this point in the September debate, suggesting that Ukraine was not Putin’s final stop and that he has “his eyes on the rest of Europe, starting with Poland.”
Standing next to Zelenskyy in Washington on Sept. 26, 2024, Harris reiterated the point: “The United States supports Ukraine not out of charity, but because it’s in our strategic interest.”
Since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, the U.S. Congress has passed five bills that provide aid to Ukraine, totaling US$175 billion.
However, a six-month delay in aid in early 2024 highlighted growing partisan tension in Congress over continued aid to Ukraine.
The composition of Congress after the November election is another unknown factor in Washington’s support for Ukraine. Zelenskyy met with congressional leaders during his visit to the U.S. in September, but notably absent was Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, who in the past has shown reluctance to support continued funding.
For the large part, support for Ukraine remains bipartisan in Congress and among American voters. Yet there is a risk the election could further politicize the issue. And the outcome of November’s vote could determine whether U.S. efforts going forward focus more on pushing for a negotiated deal or on-going support for Ukraine.
Lena Surzhko Harned does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
A simple difference in the genetic code – two X chromosomes versus one X chromosome and one Y chromosome – can lead to major differences in heart disease. It turns out that these genetic differences influence more than just sex organs and sex assigned at birth – they fundamentally alter the way cardiovascular disease develops and presents.
While sex influences the mechanisms behind how cardiovascular disease develops, gender plays a role in how health care providers recognize and manage it. Sex refers to biological characteristics such as genetics, hormones, anatomy and physiology, while gender refers to social, psychological and cultural constructs. Women are more likely to die after a first heart attack or stroke than men. Women are also more likely to have additional or different heart attack symptoms that go beyond chest pain, such as nausea, jaw pain, dizziness and fatigue. It is often difficult to fully disentangle the influences of sex on cardiovascular disease outcomes versus the influences of gender.
While women who haven’t entered menopause have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than men, their cardiovascular risk accelerates dramatically after menopause. In addition, if a woman has Type 2 diabetes, her risk of heart attack accelerates to be equivalent to that of men, even if the woman with diabetes has not yet gone through menopause. Further data is needed to better understand differences in cardiovascular disease risk among nonbinary and transgender patients.
Despite these differences, one key thing is the same: Heart attack, stroke and other forms of cardiovascular disease are the leading cause of death for all people, regardless of sex or gender.
The reasons behind sex and gender differences in cardiovascular disease are not completely known. Nor are the distinct biological effects of sex, such as hormonal and genetic factors, versus gender, such as social, cultural and psychological factors, clearly differentiated.
What researchers do know is that the accumulated evidence of what good heart care should look like for women compared with men has as many holes in it as Swiss cheese. Medical evidence for treating cardiovascular disease often comes from trials that excluded women, since women for the most part weren’t included in scientific research until the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993. For example, current guidelines to treat cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure are based primarily on data from men. This is despite evidence that differences in the way that cardiovascular disease develops leads women to experience cardiovascular disease differently.
In addition to sex differences, implicit gender biases among providers and gendered social norms among patients lead clinicians to underestimate the risk of cardiac events in women compared with men. These biases play a role in why women are more likely than men to die from cardiac events. For example, for patients with symptoms that are borderline for cardiovascular disease, clinicians tend to be more aggressive in ordering artery imaging for men than for women. One study linked this tendency to order less aggressive tests for women partly to a gender bias that men are more open than women to taking risks.
In a study of about 3,000 patients with a recent heart attack, women were less likely than men to think that their heart attack symptoms were due to a heart condition. Additionally, most women do not know that cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 cause of death among women. Overall, women’s misperceptions of their own risk may hold them back from getting a doctor to check out possible symptoms of a heart attack or stroke.
These issues are further exacerbated for women of color. Lack of access to health care and additional challenges drive health disparities among underrepresented racial and ethnic minority populations.
Sex difference in heart disease
Cardiovascular disease physically looks different for women and men, specifically in the plaque buildup on artery walls that contributes to illness.
Women are more likely than men to have cardiovascular disease that presents as multiple narrowed arteries that are not fully “clogged,” resulting in chest pain because blood flow can’t ratchet up enough to meet higher oxygen demands with exercise, much like a low-flow showerhead. When chest pain presents in this way, doctors call this condition ischemia and no obstructive coronary arteries. In comparison, men are more likely to have a “clogged” artery in a concentrated area that can be opened up with a stent or with cardiac bypass surgery. Options for multiple narrowed arteries have lagged behind treatment options for typical “clogged” arteries, which puts women at a disadvantage.
In addition, in the early stages of a heart attack, the levels of blood markers that indicate damage to the heart are lowerin women than in men. This can lead to more missed diagnoses of coronary artery disease in women compared with men.
Too often, women with symptoms of cardiovascular disease are sent away from doctor’s offices because of gender biases that “women don’t get heart disease.”
Considering how symptoms of cardiovascular disease vary by sex and gender could help doctors better care for all patients.
One way that the rubber is meeting the road is with regard to better approaches to diagnosing heart attacks for women and men. Specifically, when diagnosing heart attacks, using sex-specific cutoffs for blood tests that measure heart damage – called high-sensitivity troponin tests – can improve their accuracy, decreasing missed diagnoses, or false negatives, in women while also decreasing overdiagnoses, or false positives, in men.
Our research laboratory’s leaders,collaborators and other internationally recognized research colleagues – some of whom partner with our Ludeman Family Center for Women’s Health Research on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus – will continue this important work to close this gap between the sexes in health care. Research in this field is critical to shine a light on ways clinicians can better address sex-specific symptoms and to bring forward more tailored treatments.
The Biden administration’s recent executive order to advance women’s health research is paving the way for research to go beyond just understanding what causes sex differences in cardiovascular disease. Developing and testing right-sized approaches to care for each patient can help achieve better health for all.
Amy Huebschmann receives funding from the National Institutes of Health, the National Heart Lung Blood Institute, the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the United States Health Resources and Services Administration and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the United States government.
Judith Regensteiner receives funding from the National Institutes of Health focused on sex differences in the cardiovascular consequences of type 2 diabetes. She also has a mentoring grant from the NIH.
Source: The Conversation – USA – By Farah Nibbs, Assistant Professor of Emergency and Disaster Health Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Long before colonialism brought slavery to the Caribbean, the native islanders saw hurricanes and storms as part of the normal cycle of life.
The Taino of the Greater Antilles and the Kalinago, or Caribs, of the Lesser Antilles developed systems that enabled them to live with storms and limit their exposure to damage.
On the larger islands, such as Jamaica and Cuba, the Taino practiced crop selection with storms in mind, preferring to plant root crops such as cassava or yucca with high resistance to damage from hurricane and storm winds, as Stuart Schwartz describes in his 2016 book “Sea of Storms.”
The current disaster crisis that the Caribbean’s small islands are experiencing as hurricanes intensify did not start a few decades ago. Rather, the islands’ vulnerability is a direct result of the exploitative systems forced upon the region by colonialism, its legacies of slave-based land policies and ill-suited construction and development practices, and its environmental injustices.
Rather than growing crops that could sustain the local food supply, the Europeans who began arriving in the 1600s focused on exploitative extractive economic models and export cash crops through the plantation economy.
They forced Indigenous people off their lands and built settlements along the coast, which made it easier to import enslaved peoples and goods and to export cash crops such as sugar and tobacco to Europe – and also left communities vulnerable to storms. They also developed settlements in low-lying areas, often near rivers and streams, which could provide transportation for agricultural produce but which became flood risks during heavy rains.
Homes built to the water’s edge in Saint-Martin, an overseas collectivity of France, were devastated when Hurricane Irma hit in 2017. Helene Valenzuela/AFP via Getty Images
Today, more than 70% of the Caribbean’s population lives along the coast, often less than a mile from the shore. These coastlines are not only highly exposed to hurricanes but also to sea-level rise fueled by climate change.
Legacies of slave-based land policies
Colonialism’s legacy of land policies has also made recovery from disasters much harder today.
When colonial powers took over, a few landowners were given control of most of the land, while the majority of the population was forced onto marginal and small areas. The local population had no legal right to the land, as the people did not possess land certificate titles or deeds and were often forced to pay rent to landlords.
After independence, most island governments tried to acquire land from former plantations or estates and to redistribute it to the working class. But these efforts, mainly in the 1960s and ’70s, largely failed to transform land ownership, improve economic development or reduce vulnerability.
One colonial legacy perpetuating vulnerability to this day is known as crown land, or state land. In the English-speaking Caribbean, all land for which there was no land grant was considered property of the British crown. Crown land can be found in every English-speaking island to this day.
How colonial powers controlled the Caribbean over time.
For example, in Barbuda, all land is vested in the “crown in perpetuity” on behalf of Barbudans. This means that an individual born on the island of Barbuda cannot individually own land.
After emancipation from slavery, freed people had no right nor access to land. To build houses, they were forced to lease land from the former enslavers who at a whim could terminate their employment or kick them off the land.
This led to the development of a particular type of housing structure known as chattel houses in countries such as Barbados. These houses are tiny and were constructed in a way in which they could be easily taken apart and loaded onto carts, should the residents be forced out by their former enslavers. Many Bajans still live in these houses today, although quite a few have been converted to restaurants or shops.
In Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, owned by the Dutch, slave huts were built along the coast, on land not suitable for agriculture and easily damaged by storms. These former slave huts are now tourist attractions, but the colonial patterns of settling along the coast has left many coastal communities exposed to hurricane damage and rising seas.
The vulnerability of such houses is not only a result of their exposure to natural hazards but also the underlying social structures.
In many islands today, poorer residents can’t afford protective measures, such as installing storm shutters or purchasing solar-powered generators.
They often live in marginal and disaster-prone areas, such as steep hillsides, where housing tends to be cheaper. Houses in these areas are also often poorly constructed with low-grade materials, such as galvanized sheeting for roofs and walls.
This situation is made worse by the informal and unregulated nature of residential housing construction in the region and the poor enforcement of building codes.
Due to the legacy of colonialism, most housing or building standards or codes in the Commonwealth Caribbean are relics from the United Kingdom and in the French Antilles from France. Building standards across the region lack uniformity and are generally subjective and uncontrolled. Financial limitations and staffing constraints mean that codes and standards more often than not remain unenforced.
Progress, but still a lot of work to do
The Caribbean has made progress in developing wind-related building codes to try to increase resilience in recent years. And while damage from torrential rain is still not properly addressed in most Caribbean building standards, scientific guidance is available through the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology in Barbados.
Construction standards can help the islands build resilience. But work remains to be done to overcome the legacy of colonial-era land policies and development that have left island towns vulnerable to increasing storm risks.
Farah Nibbs does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
In one of the most haunting scenes of Stephen King’s 1975 novel “Salem’s Lot,” a gravedigger named Mike Ryerson races to bury the coffin of a local boy named Danny Glick. As night approaches, a troubling thought overtakes Mike: Danny has been buried with his eyes open. Worse, Mike senses that Danny is looking through the closed coffin back at him.
A mania overcomes Mike. Prayers run through his head – “the ways things like that will for no good reason.” Then more disturbing thoughts intrude: “Now I bring you spoiled meat and reeking flesh.” Mike leaps into the hole he’s dug and furiously shovels soil off the coffin. The reader knows what he’s going to do, but ought not to do, next: Mike will open the coffin, freeing whatever Danny has become.
Enter the whip-poor-wills. Several of them, King writes, “had begun to lift their shrilling call,” the demand for violence that gives the species its name: whip-poor-will.
This isn’t the first time whip-poor-wills appear in “Salem’s Lot,” nor is it the last time King would invoke them in his work. But despite the importance of the species to King, whip-poor-wills never appear in film and television adaptations of “Salem’s Lot.”
Released on Oct. 3, 2024, the most recent adaptation of “Salem’s Lot” incorporates birdsong but makes little use of them. Here and there, an American crow or blue jay calls. Sparrowlike chirps pepper scenes at night. And as Mike unburies the undead Danny, the less threatening call of a barred owl replaces that of whip-poor-wills.
The whip-poor-will got its name from the male’s three-note call that sounds like it’s wailing, ‘Whip poor will.’
As a cultural sociologist writing a book about eastern whip-poor-wills, I’m interested in this omission not because it reflects an unfaithful recreation of King’s novel. Rather, I see the erasure of whip-poor-wills from “Salem’s Lot” as a symptom of broader ecological changes, one in which species loss is also tied to cultural loss.
Perhaps the best known whip-poor-wills in American horror appear in H.P. Lovecraft’s novella “The Dunwich Horror.” Lovecraft references the species nearly two dozen times in his story, with the birds often appearing around the deaths of the Whateley family, who live in the fictional town of Dunwich, Massachusetts.
By behaving in ways that real whip-poor-wills never do, Dunwich’s nightjars symbolize the horrors the Whateleys unleash on the townspeople. The birds also act as psychopomps: beings who guide the souls of the newly deceased to the afterlife.
Dunwich’s whip-poor-wills remain in the town until Halloween – “unnaturally belated,” Lovecraft writes – as they chant in unison with the dying breaths of Whateleys. (Indeed, most whip-poor-wills leave the Northeast by the end of September, and they usually don’t coordinate their singing.) But though whip-poor-wills are essential to the plot of “The Dunwich Horror,” another common owl, this one a great horned owl, replaces whip-poor-wills in the 1970 film adaptation of Lovecraft’s story.
King, too, uses whip-poor-wills to great effect. In “Jerusalem’s Lot,” the short story King later published as a prelude to “Salem’s Lot,” whip-poor-wills haunt the Maine town. And in his 1989 novel “The Dark Half,” King references the lore of whip-poor-wills as psychopomps.
Lovecraft’s and King’s fictional whip-poor-wills draw on widespread Indigenous, European and American beliefs about the species. A whip-poor-will singing near one’s home was an especially ominous sign, usually meaning that death would soon take someone in the house. An 1892 article in the American Journal of Folklore documents this belief in King’s home state, Maine. It also offers a story, probably apocryphal, as evidence: “A whippoorwill sang at a back door repeatedly; finally, the woman’s son was brought home dead, and the corpse brought into the house through the back door.”
Birds and belief disappear
For the better part of the 19th and early 20th centuries, whip-poor-will lore circulated among people who encountered the bird. Outside of the world of folklore studies, you can find passing mention of ill omens in the nature writing of Henry David Thoreau and Susan Fenimore Cooper, though neither gave credence to these superstitions. Into the 20th century, local newspapers continued to share lore about the birds with their readers.
But as erasure of the species from horror suggest, broader cultural familiarity with whip-poor-wills has atrophied. In one exception, “Chapelwaite,” a 2021 television series based on King’s “Jerusalem’s Lot,” the characters explicitly discuss the birds’ behaviors, so that viewers understand the reference.
The cultural erasure of whip-poor-wills mirrors the species’ actual decline. Conservationists estimate that eastern whip-poor-will populations have declined by about 70% since the 1970s. This decline is likely leading to what the naturalist Robert Michael Pyle calls the “extinction of experience.” Pyle reasons that when a species declines, people lose opportunities to encounter it in local landscapes and are less likely to be familiar with it in the first place.
Such declines also drive social and cultural losses. This is most stark when a species goes extinct. Consider the passenger pigeon. As the writer Jennifer Price shows in her book “Flight Maps,” the life of Americans was once entwined with the species. When massive flocks of passenger pigeons arrived, communities gathered to hunt the birds, which were once an integral part of the American diet. Now, however, the species is remembered almost exclusively as a symbol of human-induced extinction.
A passenger pigeon pictured in the early 20th century, shortly before the species went extinct. Bettmann/Getty Images
Similarly, the decline of common birds alters people’s relationships to the environment. For instance, in the U.K., the decline of house sparrows robs landscapes of the beloved sight and sound of a once ubiquitous species. The loss of common cuckoos, meanwhile, means that spring arrives in the U.K. without its iconic song.
Beyond cultures of loss
I think we are witnessing similar cultural changes with whip-poor-wills. Their absence in the adaptations of King’s work mirrors their absence both in the landscape and in people’s lives. But though lossand grief rightfully characterize many people’s relationship with whip-poor-wills and other declining species, I want to make a case for hope.
On one hand, there’s reason to be hopeful about the possibility of conservation: Whip-poor-wills appear to respond well to forest management practices that create diverse forests with a mix of younger and older trees. Many places where whip-poor-wills breed have active conservation plans to support the bird and other species that share their habitats.
Nor are whip-poor-wills culturally extinct.
After all, readers still find their way to the works of Lovecraft and King. These and other enduring references to the species offer people an opportunity to find their way back to the bird – and to what the species meant to all those who have cared for them.
Jared Del Rosso does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
