NewzIntel.com

Category: Americas

  • MIL-OSI Global: Bringing art into classrooms can benefit students who are learning to speak English

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Chenkai Chi, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Educational Studies, University of Windsor

    For students who are learning to speak English, art can empower a shift of focus away from rote memorization to creative and meaningful inquiry (Shutterstock)

    Most English-language learning classrooms use conventional teaching methods that focus on grammar drills, vocabulary memorization, reading comprehension and structured writing tasks — all with the emphasis on language accuracy. Unfortunately, these teaching methods don’t address newcomers’ needs or build on their strengths.

    This manner of teaching also fails to acknowledge students’ diverse experiences, skills and talents — including their knowledge of other languages. These experiences and skills can be important resources in their learning.

    Our recent study suggests there’s a better way of teaching and learning English. We found that English-language learners developed confidence, a sense of belonging and deeper language skills when the arts were incorporated into teaching and learning practices.

    To develop a new way of teaching English using the arts, we used the arts-integrated Parallaxic Praxis model. This is a research framework that celebrates and values diverse perspectives. The model was developed by Pauline Sameshima, one of the authors of this story, and her colleagues.

    Creative inquiry

    According to the Parallaxic Praxis model, engaging with different modes of creative communication — such as photography and drawing — can empower students to shift their focus from rote memorization to creative and meaningful inquiry. This helps students connect their personal experiences with language learning.

    The model has three phases for learning: The data collection phase, the analysis phase (where what a person has learned is transformed into something new — such as making a painting from a text description) and the rendering phase (where knowledge is produced). The model celebrates and values diverse perspectives, ensuring that the unique experiences of English-language learners are valued and acknowledged.

    In our study, adult English-language learners in southwestern Ontario were encouraged to connect with their community through photography — recording meaningful moments and writing descriptions that explained the personal significance of each image.

    The photographs served as data. Written reflections served as translations and analysis of the data. The photos and analyses they created (their renderings) served to produce new knowledge.

    The use of photographs

    For instance, Ning (pseudonym), a graduate student from China who participated in the study, faced a significant decision: to either stay in Canada or to return home.

    Rather than writing a standard essay, she instead photographed an intersection of roads — using the image as a metaphor for her uncertainty and being at a crossroad in her life. Ning said the arts integrated activity helped “express my feelings in English, making the language more personal and meaningful.”

    A different student, Jack (pseudonym) from Saudi Arabia, photographed houses on a quiet, snowy street. The buildings were connected with each other — but the people inside were noted to be isolated from one another. Reflecting on this, Jack wrote: “Though the houses are connected; the people inside are not connected. If people do not help each other, that will be a disaster.”

    Jack said that art made him more willing to communicate in English, stating: “Art is a powerful tool that helps us express many things. I feel more comfortable sharing in English when engaging in artistic activities.” This exercise helped him express complicated emotions in English while strengthening his critical thinking and narrative skills.

    Both Ning’s and Jack’s experiences highlight one underlying premise: that making and analyzing art helps students learn English on a more personal and emotional level than traditional approaches do.

    Challenging conventional learning approaches

    Using the Parallaxic Praxis model is more than an alternative approach in teaching English. It’s a challenge to conventional thinking and the way language education is understood.

    Many English-language learning programs are still mired in a deficit model that positions non-English-speaking students as outsiders who need to quickly “catch up”. Language learning should be an empowering process — not one where students are overly concerned with correcting small technicalities.

    Most English-language learning programs focus on memorization and correcting technicalities.
    (Shutterstock)

    Instead of the language-learning approach of rote memorization, this arts-integrated approach celebrates how all students bring their diverse perspectives and cultural and linguistic knowledge to the classroom. The Parallaxic Praxis model allows for different modes of creative expression to be used in the process of language learning — such as visual storytelling and creative writing.

    This concept echoes the idea of West-East Reciprocal Learning, the mutual learning of cultures across both sides, rather than a unilateral assimilation process, where the dominant culture often expects the other to conform. Teaching within a reciprocal learning paradigm emphasizes strengths, rather than weaknesses — and teachers view students as contributors with valuable personal experiences to offer and learn from.

    The arts-integrated Parallaxic Praxis model welcomes students to be their full selves, while becoming adept English language speakers. Other research has also shown that using arts in English language learning classes can lead to higher levels of analysis and challenge students.

    There are many ways in which the arts can be incorporated into English-language classrooms, such as:

    1. Using artistic activities: Rather than doing more grammar drills, ask students to take photos and write about their photos.
    2. Encourage many types of creativity: Students can translate their knowledge into English using stories, poems, scripts or narratives from illustrations.
    3. Foster collaboration: Create group storytelling projects, peer feedback sessions and digital showcases for student work.
    4. Focus on strengths, not deficits: Value students’ diverse cultural backgrounds, skills and talents — alongside their multilingual skills. These are all important resources to their learning, rather than barriers. Encourage students to use other languages they already know together with English in order to better express themselves — a strategy known as translanguaging.
    5. Make learning real-world and personal: Give students reflective projects, such as writing letters to their future selves.

    Language is not simply literal words and rigid rules. Recognizing how words facilitate culture, meaning, identity and human connection can deepen learning engagement and experience. Incorporating the arts into English-language learning does this — and creates a collaborative learning space that’s engaging and meaningful.

    Chenkai Chi receives funding from SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship and Ontario Graduate Scholarship.

    Mehdia Hassan receives funding from the Ontario Graduate Scholarship.

    Pauline Sameshima has received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

    – ref. Bringing art into classrooms can benefit students who are learning to speak English – https://theconversation.com/bringing-art-into-classrooms-can-benefit-students-who-are-learning-to-speak-english-247761

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: There will be no let-up in the UK’s support to Ukraine: UK statement to the OSCE

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    There will be no let-up in the UK’s support to Ukraine: UK statement to the OSCE

    The UK sets out plan agreed with leaders in London on 2 March to work with Ukraine and the United States on a strong, just and durable peace.

    Thank you, Mr Chair.  On Sunday 2 March, the UK hosted in London leaders from various European countries and Canada, the NATO Secretary General and the Presidents of the EU Commission and the EU Council to discuss our support for Ukraine.

    Together we reaffirmed our determination to work for a permanent peace in Ukraine, in partnership with the United States.

    The UK Prime Minister made clear that we must not repeat the mistakes of the past when weak deals allowed President Putin to invade again.  The UK, France and our international partners will work closely with Ukraine on a plan to stop the fighting.  And we will work directly with the United States on a strong, just and lasting peace that ensures Ukraine’s sovereignty and security.

    The plan agreed with leaders in London has four clear principles.

    First, we must keep military aid flowing and keep increasing the economic pressure on Russia.  To that end, we are doubling down on military aid.  At the weekend the UK agreed a new £2.2 billion loan for Ukraine, backed by profits from frozen Russian assets.

    Second, we agreed that any lasting peace must guarantee Ukraine’s sovereignty and security – and that Ukraine must be at the table when negotiating their future.

    Third, in the event of a peace deal, we would continue boosting Ukraine’s own defensive capabilities to deter any future invasion.

    And lastly, we will develop a “coalition of the willing” to defend a deal in Ukraine and to guarantee the peace. Those willing to contribute will intensify planning now.

    Mr Chair, Ukraine has been clear that it wants to reach a durable peace as soon as possible. This can happen only if we continue to show strength and provide Ukraine with the support it needs to defend itself against continued Russian aggression. There will be no let-up in the UK’s support, which we will continue for as long as it is necessary.

    Updates to this page

    Published 5 March 2025

    Invasion of Ukraine

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Parliamentary secretary’s statement on B.C. Seniors Care Providers Day

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Susie Chant, parliamentary secretary for seniors’ services and long-term care, has released the following statement in recognition of B.C. Seniors Care Providers Day on Wednesday, March 5, 2025: 

    “B.C. Seniors Care Providers Day recognizes the invaluable contribution of thousands of dedicated, compassionate workers, volunteers and family members who provide care for seniors in our communities for our friends and loved ones. The efforts and expertise of these workers enrich the lives of seniors at home, in long-term care homes and in assisted living centres, and we thank and celebrate them.

    “The unwavering commitment of those providing care and support to seniors can often go unsung, but their contributions are vital to building and supporting healthy and vibrant communities. As a nurse working in health care since the mid-1980s, I know the essential role that those working in health-care settings offer seniors, including those living with mental and physical disabilities. Health care and recreation assistants help seniors stay physically active and engaged in their communities, impacting and improving lives each and every day. Those in support and administration services maintain the structure necessary to sustain the health and wellness of this vulnerable population. And perhaps most importantly, families and friends do it all: assisting with meals, dressing, bathing, driving them to and from appointments, and offering companionship.

    “I would also like to recognize the health authorities, long-term care and assisted living operators, community-based seniors’ services and organizations that advocate for improvements in care for seniors, such as the BC Care Providers Association and Denominational Health. As well, I acknowledge the important role the Office of the Seniors Advocate has in monitoring and advocating for the health and well-being of B.C.’s seniors, and reflecting the concerns raised by seniors and their families.

    “As our population ages, there will be more opportunities for careers in this growing sector, which is why we’re investing in our workforce so care can be available for everyone who needs it. We also know that seniors want to stay at home for as long as possible, and that’s why we’re hiring more home-care workers and investing in community-based seniors’ programs such as Better at Home and Social Prescribing, so seniors can receive the services they need to remain safely in their own homes. We’re also expanding innovative programs such as Long-Term Care at Home and Hospital at Home, to give seniors and other people in British Columbia additional supports.

    “We know that wait times to access long-term care are increasing and the seniors’ population in B.C. is growing. That’s why we’re building more care homes and upgrading facilities in communities throughout the province. By 2030, we will have added 5,400 new and replacement beds in 32 new long-term care homes in B.C. communities. These buildings are designed with features such as small neighbourhoods and home-like environments to better meet the needs of those experiencing dementia.

    “Please join me in celebrating the unwavering commitment of those who help make seniors’ lives better every day. We thank you for enhancing the lives of seniors in British Columbia and look forward to working with you to ensure people receive the best care possible.”

    Learn More:

    To learn more about the B.C. Seniors’ Guide, visit:
    https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/people/seniors/about-seniorsbc/guide/bc-seniors-guide-12th-edition.pdf

    To learn more about the Long-Term Care at Home program, visit: 
    https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024HLTH0117-001230

    To learn more about Hospital at Home in Island Health, visit: 
    https://www.islandhealth.ca/our-services/hospital-home-services/hospital-home

    SeniorsBC website: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/family-social-supports/seniors

    Office of the Seniors Advocate: https://www.seniorsadvocatebc.ca/

    BC Care Providers Association and EngAge BC: https://www.bccare.ca

    Denominational Health Association: https://www.denominationalhealth.ca

    Better at Home: https://betterathome.ca

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Severe Thunderstorm Watch 27

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    Note:  The expiration time in the watch graphic is amended if the watch is replaced, cancelled or extended.Note: Click for Watch Status Reports.
    SEL7

    URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
    Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 27
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    1025 AM EST Wed Mar 5 2025

    The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

    * Severe Thunderstorm Watch for portions of
    Southern Maryland
    Eastern/Southeastern Virginia
    Coastal Waters

    * Effective this Wednesday morning and evening from 1025 AM until
    600 PM EST.

    * Primary threats include…
    Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph likely
    A tornado or two possible

    SUMMARY…A convective line is expected to continue
    eastward/northeastward into more of eastern/southeastern VA and
    southern MD over the next several hours. Strong wind fields across
    the region will support the potential for damaging gusts within this
    line. A low probability for a brief tornado or two also exists.

    The severe thunderstorm watch area is approximately along and 45
    statute miles north and south of a line from 75 miles west southwest
    of Richmond VA to 20 miles east of Patuxent River MD. For a complete
    depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update
    (WOUS64 KWNS WOU7).

    PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

    REMEMBER…A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means conditions are
    favorable for severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area.
    Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening
    weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible
    warnings. Severe thunderstorms can and occasionally do produce
    tornadoes.

    &&

    OTHER WATCH INFORMATION…CONTINUE…WW 26…

    AVIATION…A few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to
    1 inch. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 60 knots. A few
    cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean storm motion vector
    27035.

    …Mosier

    Note: The Aviation Watch (SAW) product is an approximation to the watch area. The actual watch is depicted by the shaded areas.
    SAW7
    WW 27 SEVERE TSTM MD VA CW 051525Z – 052300Z
    AXIS..45 STATUTE MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF LINE..
    75WSW RIC/RICHMOND VA/ – 20E NHK/PATUXENT RIVER MD/
    ..AVIATION COORDS.. 40NM N/S /33ESE LYH – 25W SBY/
    HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT..1 INCH. WIND GUSTS..60 KNOTS.
    MAX TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 27035.

    LAT…LON 37737857 38937605 37637605 36437857

    THIS IS AN APPROXIMATION TO THE WATCH AREA. FOR A
    COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE WOUS64 KWNS
    FOR WOU7.

    Watch 27 Status Report Message has not been issued yet.

    Note:  Click for Complete Product Text.Tornadoes

    Probability of 2 or more tornadoes

    Low (20%)

    Probability of 1 or more strong (EF2-EF5) tornadoes

    Low (5%)

    Wind

    Probability of 10 or more severe wind events

    Mod (60%)

    Probability of 1 or more wind events > 65 knots

    Low (20%)

    Hail

    Probability of 10 or more severe hail events

    Low (10%)

    Probability of 1 or more hailstones > 2 inches

    Low (

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Defense Pricing, Contracting, and Acquisition Policy Office Issued Class Deviation 2025-O0003

    Source: United States Department of Defense

    On March 4, 2025, the Principal Director, Defense Pricing, Contracting, and Acquisition Policy (DPCAP), issued Class Deviation 2025-O0003, Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity in Federal Contracts, directing contracting officers to remove, replace, and not enforce Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) solicitation provisions and contract clauses associated with Executive Order (E.O.) 11246, Equal Employment Opportunity, which was revoked by E.O. 14173, Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity. 

    The class deviation also implements direction to remove the term “gender” wherever it occurs in the FAR to comply with E.O. 14168, Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.

    Class Deviation 2025-O0003, Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity in Federal Contracts, is available in full on the DPCAP website at the following location:

    https://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/policy/policyvault/USA000368-25-DPCAP.pdf

    DPCAP maintains repositories of policy guidance, DoD Class Deviations, and links to the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) and Procedures, Guidance, and Information (PGI) on their website:

    The DPCAP Policy Vault: https://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/policy/index.html

    DoD Class Deviations: https://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/dars/class_deviations.html

    DFARS and PGI: https://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/dars/dfarspgi/current/index.html

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Former Alabama Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Federal Civil Rights Violation and Child Sexual Exploitation

    Source: US State Government of Utah

    A former Killen, Alabama, Police Department officer pleaded guilty yesterday for sexually assaulting a woman while on duty and for receiving sexually explicit photos of a minor.

    As part of the plea agreement, Jarrod Gailen Webster admitted that, on Nov. 12, 2023, he violated the civil rights of a woman after initiating a traffic stop on the woman’s vehicle. Webster asked the woman to step out of her vehicle and he asked her what she wanted to do to “get out of this.” When the woman told Webster that she was not going to do anything for him, Webster handcuffed the woman and sexually assaulted her.

    Further, Webster admitted that, between June 2016 and October 2018, he communicated with a minor by phone. Webster asked the minor to produce and send him sexually explicit images of herself. The minor victim sent multiple photos to Webster at his request, at least one of which constituted child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

    “Jarrod Webster took an oath to protect and serve citizens of his community. He violated that oath when he sexually assaulted a woman and exploited a minor to produce and send sexually explicit images,” said U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona for the Northern District of Alabama. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that those who violate positions of public trust are held accountable for their actions.”

    “Police officers are given immense trust and responsibility to serve and protect, and are therefore held to a higher standard, so there are serious consequences when one tarnishes the badge by breaking the law,” said Special Agent in Charge Carlton Peeples of the FBI Birmingham Field Office. “Jarrod Gailen Webster disgraced the uniform when he abused his authority, his sentencing affirms that the FBI has zero tolerance for officials who prey on the citizens they have sworn to protect.”

    Webster pleaded guilty to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of sexual exploitation of children. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 20.

    Webster faces a maximum penalty of life in prison, five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 for the count of deprivation of rights under color of law. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years and maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, supervised release for life, and a fine of up to $250,000 for the count of sexual exploitation of children. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The FBI Birmingham Field Office investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Royster for the Northern District of Alabama and Senior Sex Crimes Counsel Maura White and Trial Attorney Sarah Howard of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Guatemalan Man Indicted for Illegal Re-entry into U.S.

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A citizen of Guatemala has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on a charge of illegal re-entry of a removed alien, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

    The one-count Indictment named Edgar Lopez-Gomez, 29, as the sole defendant.

    According to the Indictment, on February 20, 2025, Lopez-Gomez was found in western Pennsylvania after having been removed from the United States on or about July 18, 2017.

    The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to two years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.

    Assistant United States Attorney Justin E. Lewis is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment.

    An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: OBSI announces new board members

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, March 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Board of Directors for the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI) is pleased to announce three appointments to the board:

    • Maureen L. Buckley CPA, CA has joined the board as a Community Director. Ms. Buckley has held several leadership positions within the Ontario Public Service, most recently as the Provincial Controller where she led the preparation and release of the Ontario Public Accounts. Previously, she was the Chief Administrative Officer at multiple ministries within the Ontario Public Service. Before joining the Ontario Public Service, Ms. Buckley held several roles at Price Waterhouse where she earned her Chartered Accountant designation. She holds an undergraduate degree from York University.
    • Jason Enouy B.A., JD has joined the board as an Industry Director. He is the Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer at Raymond James Ltd., leading all compliance functions for the firm. Before joining the firm, he led compliance and risk management functions at two large Canadian wealth management and securities firms, as well as a schedule II chartered bank. Mr. Enouy is a member of the Law Society of Ontario and holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Arts from Carleton University in Ottawa. He sits on the Board of the Raymond James Canada Foundation.
    • Professor Marina Pavlović LL.B, LL.M has joined the board as a Consumer Interest Director. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law, Common Law Section. A leading Canadian expert on consumer rights and technology policy, she brings extensive experience in research, advocacy, and law reform focused on consumer rights and access to justice. Ms. Pavlović has strong ties with consumer and public interest organizations and has represented them as counsel before the Supreme Court of Canada in landmark cases, including Douez v. Facebook, Uber v. Heller, and International Air Transport Association v. Canada. She has also appeared before the CRTC, the Canadian Transportation Agency, and parliamentary committees, influencing key policy and regulatory decisions affecting consumer rights. An award-winning educator, Ms. Pavlović is recognized for redefining legal education through her innovative and immersive teaching. She holds a law degree from the University of Belgrade, an LL.M. in Law & Technology from the University of Ottawa and is a member of the Law Society of Ontario.

    OBSI is overseen by an independent Board of Directors. OBSI’s bylaws require that a majority of directors, including the Board Chair, be independent, meaning they have not been affiliated with industry for at least two years. These independent directors are referred to as community directors. Three of the community directors are also designated as consumer interest directors, who have a particular interest in, access to, and competency with the interests and perspectives of the consumers that OBSI serves. The board also includes three designated industry directors who are directly affiliated with a participating firm.

    Industry directors and consumer interest directors are expected to bring their unique perspectives and expertise to board deliberations to ensure that OBSI governance is undertaken with an understanding and appreciation of the interests and concerns of all the stakeholders served by the organization. All directors have a fiduciary duty to OBSI and do not advocate for or represent any outside interest while engaged in OBSI governance.

    More information about the Board of Directors is available here.

    Canada’s Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI) is a national, independent, not-for-profit organization that helps resolve and reduce disputes between consumers and financial services firms in both official languages. OBSI is responsive to consumer inquiries, conducts fair and accessible investigations of unresolved disputes, and shares its knowledge and expertise with all stakeholders and the public. If a consumer has a complaint against an OBSI participating bank or investment firm that they are not able to resolve with the bank or firm, OBSI will investigate at no cost to the consumer. Where a complaint has merit, OBSI may recommend compensation up to a maximum of $350,000.

    For more information, contact:

    Mark Wright, Director, Communications and Stakeholder Relations

    416-287-2877 ext.2225

    publicaffairs@obsi.ca

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: President Trump’s Historic Address Captivates America

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    President Donald J. Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress last night was widely acclaimed as among his best — in which he touted his record accomplishments after just six weeks in office and laid out his compelling vision for four years of peace, strength, and prosperity for all Americans.
    This morning, President Trump’s speech was the focus of newspapers across America:
    The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)
    Chicago Sun-Times (Chicago, IL)
    The Wall Street Journal (New York City, NY)
    The Minnesota Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
    Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA)
    Colorado Springs Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO)
    Las Vegas Review-Journal (Las Vegas, NV)
    Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL)
    The Mercury News (Silicon Valley, CA)
    The Washington Times (Washington, D.C.)
    The Detroit News (Detroit, MI)
    Santa Fe New Mexican (Santa Fe, NM)
    Altoona Mirror (Altoona, PA)
    Arkansas Democrat Gazette (Little Rock, AR)
    Daily Inter Lake (Kalispell, MT)
    The Herald (Sharon, PA)
    Chattanooga Times Free Press (Chattanooga, TN)
    New York Post (New York City, NY)
    The Hill

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: The President and First Lady’s Message on Ash Wednesday, 2025

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    This Ash Wednesday, we join in prayer with the tens of millions of American Catholics and other Christians beginning the holy season of Lent—a time of spiritual anticipation of the passion, death, and Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
    During the Lenten season, Christians spend 40 days and 40 nights praying, fasting, and giving alms to deepen our faith and strengthen our belief in the Gospel.  Today, followers of Christ wear crosses of ash on their foreheads—a sacred reminder of our mortality and our enduring need for Christ’s infinite mercy and redeeming love.
    As we solemnly contemplate Jesus Christ’s suffering and death on the cross this Lent, let us prepare our souls for the coming glory of the Easter miracle.
    We offer you our best wishes for a prayerful and enriching Lenten season.  May Almighty God bless you, and may He continue to bless the United States of America.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Large-scale cocaine importers sentenced to federal prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    STATESBORO, GA:  Two men who supplied kilograms of cocaine for a major drug trafficking conspiracy have been sentenced to federal prison.

    Pedro Castro-Vasquez, a/k/a “Chipo,” 53, of Puerto Rico, and Sonic Torres-Garcia, 27, of Kissimmee, Florida,  were each sentenced after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, Cocaine, said Tara M. Lyons, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall sentenced Castro-Vasquez to 180 months in prison and a fine of $1,500, followed by three years of supervised release, and sentenced Torres-Garcia to 180 months in prison, consecutive to other pending state and federal cases, and a fine of $2,500, followed by three years of supervised release.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    “The conspiracy identified in this multi-year investigation was responsible for importing and distributing large quantities of drugs in the Southern District,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lyons. “Multiple law enforcement agencies persisted through this lengthy investigation in identifying the key players in this drug trafficking operation, holding them accountable for spreading misery in the Southern District.”

    As described in the 49-count indictment unsealed in November 2022, Operation Carpet Ride identified a drug trafficking conspiracy operating in Bulloch, Burke, Candler, Effingham, Evans, Liberty, Richmond, and Tattnall counties, and elsewhere, from as early as January 2016. Led by Daniel Morales-Jimenez, a/k/a “Danny Hill,” 48, of Puerto Rico, the conspiracy imported large quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine and other drugs from and through Puerto Rico, into Florida and the Southern District. Morales-Jimenez pled guilty to federal conspiracy charges in both the Southern District and in Puerto Rico and awaits sentencing.

    Castro-Vasquez was identified as a kilo-quantity distributor who obtained cocaine from Morales-Jimenez, arranging importation into the continental United States for distribution in the Southern District. Torres-Garcia supplied kilos of cocaine to Demarr Clayton Lee, 55, of Miami, Florida, while also arranging to deliver cocaine to the Southern District using members of his family. Lee, who pled guilty in the conspiracy, is serving a sentence of 98 months in federal prison, while 26 other defendants in Operation Carpet Ride are serving sentences of up to 240 months in prison after pleading guilty. 

    “This case represents the continued commitment of the Drug Enforcement Administration to identify and hold accountable those who engage in the distribution of dangerous drugs,” said Jae W. Chung, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division.

    “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service employs a whole-of-government approach to combatting illicit drugs in the mail,” said Steven Hodges, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Miami Division. “This case, and our partnerships, illustrate our strategy in action. Protecting the American public through criminal investigations like this is a top priority of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.”

    The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

    The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Homeland Security Investigations; the Georgia Bureau of Investigation; the Puerto Rico State Police; the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles; the Georgia Department of Community Supervision; the Tattnall County Sheriff’s Office; the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office; the Evans County Sheriff’s Office; the Barceloneta Police Department; the Claxton Police Department; and the Glennville Police Department; and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank M. Pennington II and OCDETF Coordinator Marcela C. Mateo. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Continuing to Build New Partnerships in Saskatchewan Through Artsvest

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Released on March 5, 2025

    The Government of Saskatchewan will provide $100,000 to support Saskatchewan artists and arts organizations through artsvest Saskatchewan, a matching sponsorship and training program delivered by Business / Arts that encourages private sector investment in arts, culture and heritage organizations.  

    Participating organizations can apply to receive funding and professional development support through webinars and hands-on workshops on topics such as governance, fundraising, marketing, fund development and financial sustainability. 

    “Our province is home to so many talented artists and we are proud to fund artsvest Saskatchewan for another year,” Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Alana Ross said. “Saskatchewan was the first province to partner on the program which provides a wonderful opportunity to support the arts community and help organizations strengthen their knowledge and skills.” 

    Since 2011, the province has invested more than $2 million in the artsvest Saskatchewan program. This in-turn has helped create 1,641 partnerships between the arts, culture and heritage sectors and the private sector, resulting in a total economic impact of over $10 million in Saskatchewan.

    Over the years, this program has proven itself to be a highly successful way of aligning businesses with arts, cultural and heritage organizations to work together and partner in ways that benefit both parties, their communities and ultimately the province.

    “The arts and business sectors can achieve remarkable things when they work together, and artsvest helps make those connections possible,” Business / Arts President and CEO Aubrey Reeves said. “With continued support from the Government of Saskatchewan and the Department of Canadian Heritage, we look forward to empowering Saskatchewan’s arts organizations with the resources they need to build lasting partnerships and enrich their communities.” 

    Here is what some program participants have said:

    Melfort Arts Council: “artsvest is a golden opportunity to learn and give back. It is almost unbelievable that this program is available! It is a no-brainer opportunity to make your organization stronger, and in turn, to support the growth of your community.” 

    Watrous Manitou Beach Heritage Centre: “Our continued participation [in artsvest] has allowed us to offer programs to the community that we may not have otherwise. The education portion provided information that assisted our staff in developing new skills. The videos offering different learning topics were beneficial to us. Our mentor was able to pinpoint some of our deficiencies that we were able to improve.” 

    Blenders Events: “artsvest bolsters our sponsorship drive with its mentorship and matching program. As our new organizational structure takes shape, we will use more of the resources provided. Money is tight with all organizations, and it is helpful to leverage those matching funds to obtain sponsorships. The webinars are helpful in seeing how other organizations across the country are doing, in hearing market trends, and in seeing what other people are doing.”

    For more information on the program, or how to apply, visit: www.businessandarts.org/artsvest/about-saskatchewan/.

    About Business / Arts
    Business / Arts is a national charitable organization that champions business investment in the arts and looks to build strong, lasting partnerships between the arts, business and government in Canada. Through targeted programming initiatives and a connected network of arts champions, Business / Arts works to ensure the arts are recognized as playing a vital role socially, culturally and economically across Canada.

    -30-

    For more information, contact:

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 4 sentenced to federal prison for cocaine conspiracy involving 89 kilograms

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    ORLANDO, Fla. – Four individuals from Central Florida were sentenced March 4 to a combined 32 years and three months in federal prison for their roles in conspiring to distribute more than 89 kilograms of cocaine in the Orlando region following a joint Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation with the Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

    Each previously pleaded guilty. The conspirators also forfeited $464,031 in cash seizures in the case:

    • Israel Miranda, 36, of Kissimmee, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
    • Abiezer Laboy Lozada, 36, of Orlando, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
    • Jorge Antonio Gonzalez de la Fuente, 31, of St. Cloud, was sentenced to seven years and three months in federal prison.
    • Carlos Antonio Garcia Garcia, 35, of Kissimmee, was sentenced to five years in federal prison.

    According to the plea agreements, the Drug Enforcement Administration identified a group of individuals working to distribute kilogram quantities of cocaine and the proceeds of those sales during 2022. On May 1, 2023, the DEA surveilled Miranda as he distributed drugs to Laboy Lozada in a parking lot. In this and similar meetings during the conspiracy, Laboy Lozada admitted to obtaining 20-30 kilograms of cocaine from Miranda. On Oct. 4, 2023, Miranda delivered a shoe box to Gonzalez de la Fuente, who delivered it to Garcia Garcia. When law enforcement stopped Garcia Garcia’s vehicle, he was found to be carrying that same box containing a kilogram of cocaine.

    Over the course of the conspiracy, Gonzalez de la Fuente met with his conspirators two or three times a month and was involved in distribution of 15-50 kilograms of cocaine. Gonzalez de la Fuente continued to engage in drug distribution after being charged federally and was detained when this was discovered.

    On Oct. 13, 2023, Miranda delivered drug proceeds to an individual who was found to be transporting $262,257 in a brown paper bag. At the same time, Miranda texted a conspirator an image of the stacks of bills he was distributing with the message “should be 110k.” Similar enforcement actions resulted in the seizure of $51,989 from Miranda on Nov. 7, 2023, and $149,785 from Miranda on March 6, 2024. Over the course of the conspiracy, Miranda distributed drugs or drug proceeds reflecting distribution of more than 89 kilograms of cocaine.

    This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Florida Highway Patrol, ICE Orlando, U.S. Secret Service, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dana E. Hill. This case was part of an OCDETF investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE arrests 9 Houston area criminal aliens in past week convicted or charged with sex offenses

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    March 5, 2025Houston, TX, United StatesChild Exploitation

    HOUSTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested nine criminal aliens in the Houston area between Feb. 24 – 28 charged with, or have been convicted of, a sex offense and are amenable to removal from the U.S.

    The arrests were part of a multi-agency enforcement effort conducted by ICE, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Texas Department of Public Safety – Criminal Investigation Division, and the Texas Office of Attorney General.

    “Our local communities are safer as a direct result of this targeted enforcement effort,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Houston Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz. “In just five days, working alongside our federal and state partners, and leveraging HSI’s unique investigative authorities and extensive expertise investigating child exploitation crimes, we were able to quickly locate and remove these criminal aliens from the community before they could reoffend.”

    The arrests made during the targeted enforcement effort included:

    • A 39-year-old three-time deported criminal alien from El Salvador arrested Feb. 24 who is charged with for continuous sexual assault of a minor.
    • A 61-year-old three-time deported criminal alien from Mexico arrested Feb. 26 who was previously convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a minor, driving while intoxicated, and illegal entry.
    • A 55-year-old criminal alien from Cuba arrested Feb. 25 who was previously convicted of aggravated sexual assault.
    • A 61-year-old criminal alien from Cuba arrested Feb. 26 who was previously convicted of sexual battery with a weapon, sexual assault, kidnapping, and failure to register as a sex offender.
    • A 57-year-old criminal alien from Vietnam arrested Feb. 24 who was previously convicted of abduction with intent to extort money for an immoral purpose, illegal possession of a weapon, and burglary.
    • A 57-year-old criminal alien from Vietnam arrested Feb. 25 who was previously convicted of gross sexual imposition with a minor under the age of 13, failure to register as a sex offender, aggravated assault, carrying a prohibited weapon, and prostitution.
    • A 41-year-old criminal alien from Mexico arrested Feb. 26 who was previously convicted of indecency with a minor by contact, DWI, and marijuana possession.
    • A 72-year-old criminal alien from the Philippines arrested Feb. 25 who was previously convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a minor and cocaine possession.
    • A 71-year-old criminal alien from Cuba arrested Feb. 27 who was previously convicted of sexual battery of a minor.

    To learn more about ICE’s mission to combat child exploitation in the Houston-area follow us on X at @HSIHouston.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Trade Smarter with BexBack: 100% Deposit Bonus, 100x Leverage, No KYC & $50 Bonus for New Users

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SINGAPORE, March 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — With Bitcoin’s price fluctuating below $100,000, many analysts predict a prolonged period of high volatility in the crypto market. Holding spot positions may struggle to generate short-term profits in such conditions. As a result, 100x leverage futures trading has become the preferred tool for seasoned investors looking to maximize potential gains in this volatile market. BexBack Exchange is ramping up its efforts to offer traders unmatched promotional packages.The platform now offers a 100% deposit bonus, a $50 welcome bonus for new users, and up to 100x leverage on cryptocurrency trading—all with No KYC requirements—providing excellent opportunities for investors.

    What Is 100x Leverage and How Does It Work?

    Simply put, 100x leverage allows you to open larger trading positions with less capital. For example:

    Suppose the Bitcoin price is $100,000 that day, and you open a long contract with 1 BTC. After using 100x leverage, the transaction amount is equivalent to 100 BTC.

    One day later, if the price rises to $105,000, your profit will be (105,000 – 100,000) * 100 BTC / 100,000 = 5 BTC, a yield of up to 500%.

    With BexBack’s deposit bonus

    BexBack offers a 100% deposit bonus. If the initial investment is 2 BTC, the profit will increase to 10 BTC, and the return on investment will double to 1000%.

    Note: Although leveraged trading can magnify profits, you also need to be wary of liquidation risks.

    How Does the 100% Deposit Bonus Work?
    The deposit bonus from BexBack cannot be directly withdrawn but can be used to open larger positions and increase potential profits. Additionally, during significant market fluctuations, the bonus can serve as extra margin, effectively reducing the risk of liquidation.

    About BexBack?

    BexBack is a leading cryptocurrency derivatives platform that offers 100x leverage on BTC, ETH, ADA, SOL, XRP, and 50 other major cryptocurrencies for futures contracts.. It is headquartered in Singapore with offices in Hong Kong, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Argentina. It holds a US MSB (Money Services Business) license and is trusted by more than 500,000 traders worldwide. Accepts users from the United States, Canada, and Europe. There are no deposit fees, and traders can get the most thoughtful service, including 24/7 customer support.

    Why recommend BexBack?

    No KYC Required: Start trading immediately without complex identity verification.

    100% Deposit Bonus: Double your funds, double your profits.

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    Sign up on BexBack now, claim your exclusive bonus and start accumulating more BTC today!

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    Disclaimer: This content is provided by BexBack. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice. Investing in crypto and mining related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector–including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining–complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed. Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release.

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e21fc178-7344-42ca-b670-266d9c3f7531

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6202de8e-d347-431f-8adf-311f08c14aad

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c61032f7-5659-4e45-9303-cfbf114c3816

    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/50ebb12a-7da1-4e6f-8a18-4ec9f503aa97

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reminiscing with the Class of 1975: A Look Back with School of Pharmacy Alumni.

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Cynthia Huge vividly recalls her time as a pharmacy student in the 1970s, a decade marked by cultural and political trouble. The Vietnam War protests and the Kent State shootings were important events during her college years. “It was a time of turmoil,” she says, noting the era’s profound impact on campus life. Despite these challenges, she felt her class embodied resilience and community.

    The pharmacy field itself was undergoing significant changes. “Pharmacy was shifting from independent ownership to chain drug stores,” Huge says. She believes this evolution opened the profession to more women. Her class of 1975 reflected this progress, with women making up 25% of students—an increase from just 10% a few years prior.

    Huge says that choosing to study pharmacy was a big decision. She had worked in a pharmacy during high school but entered UConn with little knowledge about the profession’s rigorous scientific foundation. “I thought all pharmacists did was type labels,” she says. Adjusting to courses like chemistry and physics wasn’t easy, but her determination and support from classmates helped her through.

    Cynthia Huge with the rest of the 1975 yearbook staff.

    Some of her fondest memories came from moments of creativity and humor. As co-editor of the yearbook, Huge and her team playfully dedicated it to the animals sacrificed in lab experiments. To fund the project, they organized a beer fest, a memorable event that showcased the community spirit of the School of Pharmacy.

    Reflecting on her journey, Huge acknowledges that the friendships and experiences she gained at UConn have shaped her life. “It was a different time, but the connections I made are still meaningful today,” she says. For aspiring pharmacists, she offers a simple message: embrace challenges, value collaboration, and treasure the lifelong bonds formed along the way.

    For Marghie Giuliano, the 70s at the School of Pharmacy were a time of transformation, both personally and professionally. Reflecting on her student years, Giuliano describes the decade as “unique, not just culturally and politically, but academically.” She recalls a time of significant curriculum changes, which posed challenges for students and professors alike. However, these challenges fostered resilience and growth.

    Marghie Giuliano posing for the 1975 yearbook.

    “We were labeled disruptive because we stood up for ourselves,” she says, recalling how her class was characterized by their willingness to question authority and advocate for their needs. These experiences strengthened her sense of self and cultivated a collaborative spirit among classmates. Giuliano fondly remembers the friendships that defined her experience: “We didn’t want to see anybody fail. There was a real sense of collaboration instead of competition.” This support network forged lifelong friendships and set a foundation for her career.

    Giuliano’s connection to UConn runs deep, reinforced by a family legacy in pharmacy. Her uncles, including one who also graduated from the School of Pharmacy, inspired her journey. Entering UConn for her first professional year was a significant transition from her small college background, but she found a welcoming community. “UConn has always been there for me—sometimes challenging me, sometimes supporting me,” she says. This enduring relationship with the university shaped her professional life, offering a sense of home within the larger institution.

    Looking back at the evolution of pharmacy, Giuliano marvels at the growth of the profession. “When we graduated, there were only three options: hospital, retail, or industry. Now, opportunities are endless,” she says. Giuliano encourages today’s students to broaden their horizons and embrace change, emphasizing the importance of leadership and adaptability. “Challenge yourself, step into leadership roles, and keep your vision of pharmacy open,” she says.

    Jack Collins had an unexpected start to his pharmacy career. Initially studying business at Boston College, a middle-of-the-night epiphany led him to transfer to UConn to follow in the footsteps of his pharmacist father and grandfather.

    “I woke up in the middle of the night and said, you know what? You need to go back to the pharmacy,” Collins says. “I felt that strongly. I’m from Connecticut. That’s the school you want to go to if you’re going to become a pharmacist.”

    His time at UConn wasn’t easy. The pharmacy program was intense, with five years of science-heavy courses that left little room for anything else. “It was science from freshman year through your fifth year, all in, full bore, and it was hard,” Collins says. Courses like organic chemistry and long lab sessions were especially challenging. “Organic was brutal…physics was hard, physics labs were hard.” But despite the challenges, Collins cherishes the relationships he formed with his classmates. “We had a great class. A lot of successful people came out of that class, and some of them are still good friends, even 50 years later.”

    As he entered the professional world, Collins saw the pressures of retail pharmacy firsthand and knew it wasn’t the right path for him. In the 1990s, he pivoted to Home Infusion Therapy and Compounding. “Retail pharmacy wasn’t going to sustain my growing family,” Collins says. “So, I did something different, and it worked out well.”

    Jack Collins catching up on his studies.

    Collins’ career highlights the adaptability of UConn graduates. He found success in niche areas of Pharmacy which allowed him to grow professionally and personally.

    As UConn celebrates 100 years of excellence, the class of 1975 stands as a testament to the school’s enduring legacy. “It’s hard to believe it’s been 50 years,” Collins reflects. “But I’m just happy to be part of it.”

    For future students, Collins’ advice is clear: “Try to find a branch of pharmacy that’s going to use your six years of very difficult education.” Collins encourages students to look for niches where they can apply their education and make a real impact, whether in hospitals, compounding, or other areas. “The opportunities are endless—go for it.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Farm certification could make Canada’s farms fairer for migrant workers

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Erika Borrelli, PhD Candidate in Sociology and Social Justice, University of Windsor

    Amnesty International recently released a report criticizing Canada for labour migration policies and farm inspections that enable migrant farm worker exploitation. The report urges the Canadian government to abolish closed-work permits that tie migrant workers to a single employer.

    These concerns echo long-standing demands from Canadian researchers and migrant rights advocates. In 2024, a United Nations special rapporteur called Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program a “breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery.” Yet, calls for the government to address these flaws have gone unanswered.

    While we await much-needed policy reforms, farm certification could fill this gap. Farm certification offers a potential strategy to improve labour standards, uphold rights and amplify migrants’ voices.



    Read more:
    How we treat migrant workers who put food on our tables

    Essential but unprotected

    Though essential for the agriculture industry, migrant farm workers live in Canada on temporary, employer-tied work permits. These permits create fear of employer retaliation, discouraging workers from speaking up. This leaves them vulnerable to unsafe working conditions, abuse, exploitation and harassment, with few opportunities for recourse.

    Agricultural workers, whether migrants or citizens, are excluded from employment laws that protect workers in other industries. For example, overtime provisions, collective bargaining rights and sick pay vary by province. This leaves migrant workers — who are restricted to agricultural jobs — with fewer rights to claim. Compounding these challenges are ineffective farm inspections, which are mostly reactive and triggered by worker complaints.

    Studies show that fear of job loss and subsequent deportation or being blacklisted from immigration programs discourages migrants from filing complaints. Additionally, deterrents like fines for employers are rarely enforced, leaving violations unchecked.

    Farm certification as a creative strategy

    Farm certification recognizes farms with fair working conditions and enforces higher standards. This approach encourages retailers to prioritize certified producers, with compliance driven by market and consumer demand.

    However, some argue that relying solely on consumer choice — where people “vote with their dollar” by purchasing ethically certified products — is not enough. They’re right.

    In a recent project, colleagues and I examined the potential for introducing a farm certification scheme in Ontario.

    We focused on two U.S.-based strategies, the Equitable Food Initiative and the Fair Food Program, which emphasize collaboration among diverse stakeholders. These models offer insights into how they may be replicated in Canada while avoiding the commodification of migrants.

    U.S. farm certification models

    The Fair Food Program, initiated by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), ensures fair wages and improved working conditions in Florida’s tomato fields.

    Compliance is enforced through contractual agreements between fast-food chains, retailers, growers and the CIW, all of whom commit to higher standards and responsible purchasing practices. Migrant workers played a central role in developing the program’s standards and remain involved in compliance and worker education.

    The Fair Food Program grew from grassroots campaigns that included hunger strikes and protests against low wages and extremely poor work conditions on farms. Campaigns later targeted major food corporations, arguing that if these companies could drive down farm wages, they could also demand better conditions from growers.

    The CIW organized a successful five-year boycott of Taco Bell, which ultimately joined the Fair Food Program, committing to source tomatoes only from growers who met the program’s standards. The boycott was successful due to sustained farm worker-student alliances. Other companies have since followed suit.

    The Equitable Food Initiative (EFI) is a certification model that integrates social and food safety standards. A selected group of workers at a certified farm, known as the Leadership Team, receive training on EFI’s standards and skills, such as communication and conflict resolution.

    The team functions as an internal grievance mechanism, allowing all workers to report concerns to designated members. Retailers participating in this initiative require growers to obtain EFI certification, replacing individual retailer audits.

    EFI emerged in California following the 2008 E. coli crisis. While industry leaders and retailers prioritized improving food safety standards on farms, migrant rights groups saw an opportunity to address poor working conditions for farm workers. Costco, Oxfam America and the United Farm Workers devised a strategy that ensures all stakeholders — retailers, growers and workers — to have an “equal seat at the table.”

    Some Canadian growers have become EFI-certified, primarily to meet demands of American retailers importing their produce. However, tariffs and the trade war between the U.S. and Canada could complicate the expansion of EFI in Canada.

    Replicating farm certification in Canada

    For farm certification to succeed in Canada, cross-movement collaboration is essential. The success of the Fair Food Program was driven by strong alliances between migrant rights and consumer movements. A similar coalition of food justice, migrant rights and consumer groups could pressure Canadian retailers to commit to ethical sourcing practices.

    EFI’s cross-sector collaboration model offers valuable lessons for Canada. Though it demands concessions, this approach fosters broad support from all stakeholders.

    For growers, it may help retain labour, particularly if sector-wide work permits are introduced that allow workers to change employers. As calls for self-reliance and food sovereignty grow in response to Trump’s tariffs, building a national food system that upholds workers’ rights will require collective efforts.

    Farm certification cannot replace essential policy reforms. Migrant workers need more secure legal status and greater labour rights, and non-compliant employers must face sanctions. However, certification can support education, empowerment and participation for workers, serving as an important complement to policy. If shaped and enforced by the workers it aims to protect, farm certification can be a meaningful tool for change.

    Erika Borrelli receives funding from the Mariam Assefa Fund and Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration at Toronto Metropolitan University.

    – ref. Farm certification could make Canada’s farms fairer for migrant workers – https://theconversation.com/farm-certification-could-make-canadas-farms-fairer-for-migrant-workers-249560

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Florida Dentist Sentenced for Threatening Public Figures and an Election Official

    Source: US State of Vermont

    A Florida dentist was sentenced yesterday to two years in prison for threatening public figures, an election official, and others between 2019 and 2024.

    According to court documents, from September 2019 to July 2020, Richard Glenn Kantwill, 61, of Tampa, sent over 100 threats via Facebook and Instagram messages, email, and text to various public figures based on their political commentary. As charged in the superseding information, those communications included threats to an author, a religious figure, and a television personality. Kantwill also sent at least seven additional threats to four public figures via Facebook from April 2022 to April 2024, including a threat to an election official in another state in February 2024.

    Kantwill pleaded guilty in November 2024 to four counts of interstate transmission of a threat.

    Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Sara C. Sweeney for the Middle District of Florida, and Special Agent in Charge Matthew Fodor of the FBI Tampa Field Office made the announcement.

    The FBI investigated the case.

    Trial Attorney Aaron L. Jennen of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Abigail K. King for the Middle District of Florida prosecuted the case, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: St. John’s — RCMP NL arrests five drivers for recent impaired operation offences

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    RCMP NL recently arrested five drivers, three on March 1, 2025 and two others on March 2, 2025, in various areas of the province for impaired driving offences.

    At approximately 4:45 a.m. on March 1, Burin Peninsula RCMP conducted a traffic stop with a vehicle that was parked on the Creston Causeway in Marystown. The driver, a 28-year-old man, showed signs of alcohol impairment and was arrested for impaired operation. Back at the detachment, the man provided further breath samples that were nearly twice the legal limit.

    Later in that morning, at approximately 7:15 a.m., Happy Valley-Goose Bay RCMP received a report of a vehicle off the road in a residential area of the town. Police attended the scene and checked on the driver, a 44-year-old, man who was seated in the driver’s seat of the idling vehicle. The man showed signs of alcohol impairment and failed a roadside breath test. He was arrested for impaired operation and, back at the detachment, provided breath samples that were above the legal limit.

    Later that afternoon, at approximately 1:45 p.m., Grand Falls-Windsor RCMP were called to a residential disturbance in Buchans. While officers were responding, information received stated that one of the individuals involved in the disturbance departed the residence in a vehicle while impaired. Officers located the 45-year-old man a short time later at another residence. He showed signs of impairment and was arrested. At the detachment, the man provided breath samples that were more than twice the legal limit.

    At approximately 3:00 p.m. on March 2, Harbour Grace RCMP stopped a vehicle traveling in front of the detachment after the driver passed a vehicle on a solid line. The driver, a 74-year-old man, showed signs of alcohol impairment and had open alcohol in the vehicle. Police administered a roadside breath test and the driver failed to provide a breath sample. He was arrested for refusal of a breath demand.

    Later that same evening, at approximately 8:45 p.m., Gander RCMP received a report of a suspected impaired driver on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Gander. The vehicle was reportedly stopped on the highway without any headlights or tail lights activated. Police located the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. The driver, a 65-year-old man, showed signs of impairment consistent with alcohol and drugs. He was arrested, was provided a demand for a blood sample and was transported to James Paton Memorial Regional Health Centre in Gander. Officers await the results of the testing to determine if charges of impaired operation are appropriate.

    Each driver was released from custody with a future court date to face charges, a licence suspension and a vehicle impound and seizure, where appropriate.

    Impaired drivers place themselves and all others who share the roadway at increased risk of serious injury or death. RCMP NL is dedicated to keeping roadways safe and free from those who choose to drive while impaired. If you suspect a driver is operating a vehicle while impaired, please immediately contact your local police to make a report.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Venezuelan Gang Members Arrested, Charged with Bank Theft and Conspiracy

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

    BUFFALO, N.Y. –U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that David Jose Gomez Cegarra, 24, and Jesus Segundo Hernandez-Gil, 19, both of Venezuela, were arrested and charged by criminal complaint with bank theft and conspiracy to commit bank theft. The charges carry a maximum penalty of ten years in prison.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey E. Intravatola and Douglas A.C. Penrose, who are handling the case, stated that the defendants are members of the Tren de Aragua Gang, which has been designated by the White House as a Global Terrorist Organization. They are accused of participating in an ATM Jackpotting scheme. ATM Jackpotting involves removing an ATM’s cover and infecting the ATMs hard drive with malware or removing the hard drive and replacing it with an infected hard drive, which allows the operator to assume control of the ATM and cause it to dispense currency.

    According to the complaint, Gomez-Cegarra, Hernandez-Gil, and other co-conspirators successfully completed an ATM Jackpotting scheme at a Radius Federal Credit Union in Kenmore, NY, on October 5, 2024. Video surveillance shows that at approximately 4:05 p.m., a vehicle, driven by Gomez-Cegarra,  approached the drive-up ATM, a co-conspirator exited the vehicle and opened the ATM utilizing a key, appeared to install something in the ATM, pressed buttons, and closed the ATM. The vehicle then left the area. Over the next several hours, the vehicle re-appeared multiple times at the ATM and conducted illegal withdrawals. Radius Federal Credit Union reported that $110,440.00 was stolen from the ATM during this ATM Jackpotting event.

    Gomez-Cegarra, Hernandez-Gil, and other co-conspirators are also believed to be responsible for ATM Jackpotting events St. Maly’s Federal Credit Union in Framingham, Massachusetts, on October 6, 2024, at First National Bank of Dryden in Dryden, NY, on October 17, 2024, and at two Community First Bank locations in Mount Vernon, Illinois, on November 11, 2024. During these events, approximately $187,000 was reported stolen.

    On November 11, 2024, the Mahomet, Illinois Police Department stopped Gomez-Cegarra and Hernandez-Gil in a vehicle together for suspicious activity. Both men presented Venezuelan identifications. They were arrested by the Mahomet Police Department, and ultimately charged by the Mount Vernon Police Department in relation to the incidents that occurred at the Community First Bank locations in Mount Vernon, IL.

    The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, the Kenmore Police Department, under the direction of Chief Thomas Phillips, the Homer, NY, Police Department, under the direction of Chief Robert Pitman, the Framingham, MA, Police Department, under the direction of Chief Lester Baker, and the Mahomet, Illinois, Police Department.

    The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

    # # # # 

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Video: What is the Army’s doing in March 2025? | Army Top 5 | U.S. Army

    Source: US Army (video statements)

    America’s #USArmy is very busy — here are five things to know for March. Join us each month for an update on key things happening in America’s Army.

    by Army Multimedia and Visual Information Division

    About the U.S. Army:

    The Army Mission – our purpose – remains constant: To deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars by providing ready, prompt & sustained land dominance by Army forces across the full spectrum of conflict as part of the joint force.

    Interested in joining the U.S. Army?
    Visit: spr.ly/6001igl5L

    Connect with the U.S. Army online:
    Web: https://www.army.mil

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/USarmy/
    X: https://www.twitter.com/USArmy
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/usarmy/
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/us-army
    #USArmy #Soldiers #Military

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZodepbFgfs

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK to extend electronic travel to European visitors

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    UK to extend electronic travel to European visitors

    Europeans can now apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to travel to the UK and will need one from 2 April 2025.

    Photo: Getty Images

    The UK government is taking the last major step in the rollout of Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for the millions of visitors who pass through the UK border every year. From today, eligible Europeans can apply for an ETA and will need one to travel to the UK from Wednesday 2 April 2025.

    This expansion follows the successful rollout of ETAs to all eligible non-European nationals last year, which includes visitors from the USA, Canada and Australia who now need an ETA to travel. Almost 1.1 million visitors have been issued with ETAs and will benefit from smoother, easier travel to the UK for short trips in the future.

    ETAs will strengthen the immigration system’s security and keep our country safe by screening people before they set foot in the UK.

    Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Seema Malhotra, said:

    Securing our borders is a foundation of the UK government’s Plan for Change and by digitising the immigration system we are paving the way for a contactless UK border, ensuring visitors enjoy a seamless travel experience in the future.

    Expanding ETA worldwide cements our commitment to enhance security through technology and innovation.

    Applying for an ETA is quick and simple through the UK ETA app and, with the vast majority of applicants currently receiving a decision automatically in minutes, spontaneous trips to the UK should still be possible. Prospective visitors can also apply on GOV.UK if they do not have access to a smartphone.

    Applicants provide their biographic and biometric details and answer questions on suitability and criminality. Once an applicant has successfully applied, their ETA is digitally linked to their passport.

    While most applications are approved quickly, it is still recommended to allow up to 3 working days to account for the small number of cases that require additional review.

    An ETA currently costs £10 and allows multiple visits to the UK of up to 6 months over a 2-year period, or until the holder’s passport expires – whichever is sooner. An ETA is not a visa, it is a digital permission to travel.

    The UK government continues to work closely with the travel industry, including major airline, maritime and rail carriers, to ensure the smooth implementation of our new digital requirements.

    Updates to this page

    Published 5 March 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NOAA’s National Ocean Service: Working for you!

    Source: US National Ocean Service News

    Kayakers paddle through Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Credit: Chuck Graham.

    NOAA’s National Ocean Service (NOS) has a unique mission that includes some of the most interesting parts of government! NOS is America’s leader in coastal and ocean science, technology, and management. We balance economic and environmental needs and deliver tools and services that directly support national security and the public. Dive in to learn more about how NOS works for you each and every day.
    We make using GPS more accurate. Our science improves GPS data by providing positioning information that is accurate to a fraction of an inch. This ensures ships navigate safely under bridges; farmers efficiently apply fertilizer to crops; and construction occurs in exactly the right place and with precise engineering.
    We help to get ships — and their cargo — safely and efficiently across oceans and into ports. Our science plays a key role in ensuring that shipments move swiftly along our marine highways. Who doesn’t like a new pair of sneakers? How about fresh bananas? Almost everything we use, wear, and eat relies upon our ports operating safely and efficiently.

    We make nautical charts, the roadmaps of the ocean, so those on the water can avoid dangers and arrive safely at their destination. We’ve been doing this since President Thomas Jefferson first commissioned a survey of U.S. coasts in 1807!

    We provide real-time water level, current, and wind conditions along shipping routes, helping mariners navigate busy, narrow channels, and ensuring successful delivery of cargo. Our “air gap” sensors also tell vessel operators if their ships can safely fit under bridges.

    Two different renderings of NOAA Electronic Navigational Chart (NOAA ENC®) data of the Columbia River, Oregon. The top image is from an Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) and the bottom image is output from the NOAA Custom Chart application.

    We respond when disasters strike. From extreme weather events to oil spills, our emergency response teams spring into action to assess impacts and aid in recovery.

    Following hurricanes and natural disasters, our scientists take flight aboard NOAA planes that collect aerial images of damage. The imagery is critical to understanding impacts sustained to both property and the environment and supports safe navigation during maritime recovery efforts. We also work to survey for dangers to navigation and remove marine debris to reopen ports and waterways.

    Every year we respond to over 150 oil and chemical spills in U.S. waters — which can threaten life, property, and substantially disrupt marine transportation with widespread economic impacts. Following a spill, our teams provide scientific support to estimate where the spill may go; analyze potential hazards; and to assess the risks and evaluate damages to people, habitats, and other species.

    Left image: National Geographic videographer Bob Perrin films an oil slick at the Deepwater Horizon site. Right image: Aerial view of a destroyed building in Asheville, North Carolina, collected by NOAA aircraft on October 5, 2024. Credit: NOAA.

    We forecast future ocean conditions and hazardous events. Our online tools help the public protect their health, safety, and wellbeing while at home and on the water, and our rip current forecasts keep swimmers safe while enjoying the ocean.

    We help to protect critical coastal infrastructure from hazardous events, like high tide flooding and tsunamis. We also maintain a national network of tide gauges, and gather and connect thousands of coastal and ocean data sources from around the country that inform NOAA forecasting tools for public safety and grow the ocean economy by improving public access to foundational data and information.

    Did you know that harmful algal blooms can occur in every U.S. coastal and Great Lakes state and can affect the health of people, animals, and even contaminate drinking water? We produce forecasts in the Gulf of America, the Gulf of Maine, and Lake Erie so beach-goers can adjust their plans; health officials and water treatment facility operators can focus their testing procedures; and seafood and tourism industries can minimize impacts to their businesses; and the public can remain healthy and well.

    NOAA deploys buoys like the one shown here in the Columbia River, Washington to collect real-time currents and wind data in support of scientific research, disaster recovery, and safe navigation. Credit: NOAA.

    We take care of special coastal and ocean places. By conserving unique areas around the country, we’re also boosting the economic benefits nationwide.

    We work with partners to manage 18 National Marine Sanctuaries and 30 National Estuarine Research Reserves in U.S. waters and along the coastline. These protected places provide opportunities for recreation and tourism — like fishing, diving, and whale watching — attracting visitors from all over the world and fueling local economies. As world-class destinations, these places also help raise public awareness about research and conservation.

    Did you know that coral reefs protect coastlines from storms and erosion, provide jobs for local communities, and are also a source of food and new medicines? We work to protect, conserve, and restore the nation’s coral reefs for current and future generations.

    Coral reef in Tres Palmas, Puerto Rico. Credit: NOAA

    These are just a few of the many ways NOS helps protect Americans and our oceans and coasts. Visit our website to learn more about how we contribute to NOAA’s mission of science, service, and stewardship.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Apple introduces the new MacBook Air with the M4 chip and a sky blue color

    Source: Apple

    Headline: Apple introduces the new MacBook Air with the M4 chip and a sky blue color

    March 5, 2025

    PRESS RELEASE

    Apple introduces the new MacBook Air with the soaring performance of the M4 chip, a gorgeous new sky blue color, and a lower starting price of $999

    The world’s most popular laptop delivers more value than ever with greater performance, up to 18 hours of battery life, a 12MP Center Stage camera, and enhanced external display support — all in its strikingly thin and light design

    CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today announced the new MacBook Air, featuring the blazing-fast performance of the M4 chip, up to 18 hours of battery life,1 a new 12MP Center Stage camera, and a lower starting price. It also offers support for up to two external displays in addition to the built-in display, 16GB of starting unified memory, and the incredible capabilities of macOS Sequoia with Apple Intelligence — all packed into its strikingly thin and light design that’s built to last. The new MacBook Air now comes in an all-new color — sky blue, a metallic light blue that joins midnight, starlight, and silver — giving MacBook Air its most beautiful array of colors ever. It also now starts at just $999 — $100 less than before — and $899 for education, making it an incredible value for students, business professionals, or anyone looking for a phenomenal combination of world-class performance, portability, design, and durability. With two sizes to choose from, the new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air are available to pre-order today, with availability beginning Wednesday, March 12.

    “MacBook Air is by far the world’s most popular laptop, and today we’re giving everyone even more reasons to love it, including a big boost in performance with the M4 chip, a new Center Stage camera, and a beautiful new sky blue color,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Combined with its thin and light, fanless design, all-day battery life, and the incredible capabilities of macOS Sequoia with Apple Intelligence, MacBook Air is unlike any other laptop. And with a new lower starting price of $999, MacBook Air delivers more value to consumers than ever before, making this the perfect moment to upgrade or experience the Mac for the first time.”

    A Fresh New Hue: Hello, Sky Blue  

    Adding a new choice to the lineup of MacBook Air colors is the all-new sky blue. A beautiful, metallic light blue that creates a dynamic gradient when light reflects off of its surface, sky blue joins midnight, starlight, and silver to complete the brilliant array of color choices for MacBook Air. All color options, including sky blue, come with a color-matched MagSafe charge cable.

    M4: Performance to the Next Level 

    With M4 in MacBook Air, everything from daily activities like multitasking between apps to more demanding tasks like photo and video editing is faster and more fluid. The M4 chip features a powerful 10-core CPU, an up to 10-core GPU, and support for up to 32GB of unified memory, making the new MacBook Air up to 2x faster than the M1 model.1 When compared to the fastest Intel-based MacBook Air, the M4 model delivers up to 23x faster performance.1 With battery life on the new MacBook Air up to 18 hours, Intel-based upgraders will get up to six additional hours, so they can get more done on a single charge.1 The powerful Neural Engine in the M4 chip, which accelerates AI-based tasks, is also up to 3x faster than on MacBook Air with M1, significantly increasing speed in tasks like automatically enhancing photos and removing background noise from a video.

    MacBook Air with M4 delivers a new level of performance:

    • Spreadsheet calculation performance in Microsoft Excel is up to 4.7x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Air, and up to 1.6x faster than the 13-inch MacBook Air with M1.1
    • Video editing in iMovie is up to 8x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Air, and up to 2x faster than the 13-inch MacBook Air with M1.2
    • Photo editing in Adobe Photoshop is up to 3.6x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Air, and up to 2x faster than the 13-inch MacBook Air with M1.1
    • Web browsing is up to 60 percent faster when compared to a PC laptop with an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, and more demanding tasks get up to 2x faster performance.1

    Built for Apple Intelligence

    MacBook Air is built for Apple Intelligence, unlocking exciting new capabilities that make Mac even more helpful and powerful. Users can explore creative new ways to express themselves visually with Image Playground, create the perfect emoji with Genmoji, and make their writing even more dynamic with Writing Tools. With new Siri improvements, users can move fluidly between spoken and typed requests to accelerate tasks throughout their day, and Siri can answer thousands of questions about Mac features and settings, with step-by-step instructions for how to do something on Mac. With access to ChatGPT seamlessly integrated into Writing Tools and Siri, users can choose to access ChatGPT’s expertise so they can get things done faster and easier than ever before. Users can access ChatGPT for free without creating an account, and privacy protections are built in — their IP addresses are obscured and OpenAI won’t store requests. Users can choose whether to enable ChatGPT integration, and are in full control of when they use it and what information is shared with ChatGPT.

    Designed to protect users’ privacy at every step, Apple Intelligence uses on-device processing, meaning that many of the models that power it run entirely on device. For requests that require access to larger models, Private Cloud Compute extends the privacy and security of Mac into the cloud to unlock even more intelligence. When using Private Cloud Compute, users’ data is never stored or shared with Apple; it is used only to fulfill their request.

    Always Camera-Ready

    A new 12MP Center Stage camera with improved video quality keeps MacBook Air users looking their best, whether at home, school, or work. Center Stage automatically keeps users centered in the frame as they move around — great for connecting with friends and family over FaceTime or joining an important meeting. It also supports Desk View, which simultaneously displays the user and a top-down view of their desk, making video calls even more engaging for those who want to show off their latest DIY project or present a prototype at work.

    Enhanced Display Support 

    MacBook Air can easily power a multi-display setup to make viewing and interacting with content a breeze, for anyone from business professionals at the office multitasking across multiple windows, to students in a dorm room tackling a big project across several apps. For users who like to spread their work out, MacBook Air now supports up to two 6K external displays, in addition to its built-in Liquid Retina display.

    Everything Users Already Love

    More people choose MacBook Air over any other laptop. In addition to what’s new, MacBook Air with M4 includes all of the useful features and capabilities that have made it so popular, including:

    • Reliability and durability: The 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air feature a durable aluminum unibody enclosure that’s built to last, and are both less than half an inch thin, so users can work, play, or create from anywhere. The 13-inch model provides the ultimate in portability for users on the go, while the 15-inch model offers even more room to multitask.
    • Touch ID and Magic Keyboard: With the advanced security of Touch ID, users can easily and securely unlock their MacBook Air, make online purchases with Apple Pay, and download apps. The comfortable and quiet Magic Keyboard is backlit and comes with a full-height function row.
    • Gorgeous display: MacBook Air features a brilliant 13.6- or 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display with up to 500 nits of brightness, support for 1 billion colors, and up to 2x the resolution of comparable PC laptops. Content looks vivid with sharp detail, and text appears super crisp.
    • Versatile connectivity: MacBook Air with M4 features fast Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. It also includes MagSafe charging and two Thunderbolt ports for connecting accessories like external storage and security keys, along with a 3.5mm headphone jack.
    • Mics and speakers: Users will sound their best with a three-mic array and enhanced voice clarity on audio and video calls. And with an immersive sound system that has support for Spatial Audio along with Dolby Atmos, users will enjoy a three-dimensional soundstage for music and movies.

    An Unrivaled Experience: macOS Sequoia

    macOS Sequoia completes the new MacBook Air experience with a host of exciting features, including iPhone Mirroring, allowing users to wirelessly interact with their iPhone, its apps, and notifications directly from their Mac.3 Safari, the world’s fastest browser,4 now surfaces relevant information on sites in Highlights; summarizes articles in the redesigned Reader; keeps videos front and center in a new Video Viewer; and lets users hide distracting items with Distraction Control. Gaming gets even more immersive with features like Personalized Spatial Audio and improvements to Game Mode, along with a breadth of exciting titles, including Civilization VII, Wuthering Waves, and more. Easier window tiling means users can stay organized with a window layout that works best for them. The all-new Passwords app gives convenient access to passwords, passkeys, and other credentials — all stored in one place. And users can apply new, beautiful built-in backgrounds for video calls, which include a variety of color gradients, or use their own photos.

    Next month, macOS Sequoia 15.4 will make it easier than ever to set up the new MacBook Air with iPhone. By simply bringing iPhone close to Mac, users can quickly and conveniently sign in to their Apple Account to get their files, photos, messages, passwords, and more on their new MacBook Air.5

    Better for the Environment

    MacBook Air is designed with the environment in mind. As part of Apple 2030, the company’s ambitious goal to be carbon neutral across its entire carbon footprint by the end of this decade, Apple is transitioning to renewable electricity for manufacturing, and investing in wind and solar projects around the world to address the electricity used to charge all Apple products, including MacBook Air. Today, all Apple facilities run on 100 percent renewable electricity — including the data centers that power Apple Intelligence.

    To achieve Apple 2030, the company is designing products with more recycled and renewable materials, which further drives down the carbon footprint. MacBook Air features over 55 percent recycled content overall, the most in any Apple product. This includes 100 percent recycled aluminum in the enclosure and 100 percent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets. The battery contains 100 percent recycled cobalt and — in a first for any Mac — over 95 percent recycled lithium. MacBook Air meets Apple’s high standards for energy efficiency, and is free of mercury, brominated flame retardants, and PVC. The packaging is entirely fiber-based, bringing Apple closer to its goal to remove plastic from all packaging by the end of 2025.6

    Pricing and Availability

    • Customers can pre-order the new MacBook Air with M4 starting today on apple.com/store and in the Apple Store app in 28 countries and regions, including the U.S. It will begin arriving to customers, and will be in Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Resellers, starting Wednesday, March 12.
    • The 13-inch MacBook Air with M4 starts at $999 (U.S.) and $899 (U.S.) for education, and the 15‑inch MacBook Air with M4 starts at $1,199 (U.S.) and $1,099 (U.S.) for education. Both are available in sky blue, midnight, starlight, and silver.
    • Additional technical specifications, configure-to-order options, and accessories are available at apple.com/mac.
    • Apple Intelligence is available on all Mac models with M1 and later, in localized English for Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the UK, and the U.S. Additional languages — including French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese (simplified), English (Singapore), and English (India) — will be available in April, with more languages coming over the course of the year, including Vietnamese. Some features, applications, and services may not be available in all regions or all languages.
    • With Apple Trade In, customers can trade in their current computer and get credit toward a new Mac. Customers can visit apple.com/shop/trade-in to see what their device is worth.
    • AppleCare+ for Mac provides unparalleled service and support. This includes unlimited incidents of accidental damage, battery service coverage, and 24/7 support from the people who know Mac best.
    • Every customer who buys directly from Apple Retail gets access to Personal Setup. In these guided online sessions, a Specialist can walk them through setup, or focus on features that help them make the most of their new device. Customers can also learn more about getting started with their new device with a Today at Apple session at their nearest Apple Store.
    • Customers in the U.S. who shop at Apple using Apple Card can pay monthly at 0 percent APR when they choose to check out with Apple Card Monthly Installments, and they’ll get 3 percent Daily Cash back — all up front. More information — including details on eligibility, exclusions, and Apple Card terms — is available at apple.com/apple-card/monthly-installments.

    About Apple Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. Apple’s six software platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, iCloud, and Apple TV+. Apple’s more than 150,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth and to leaving the world better than we found it.

    1. Testing was conducted by Apple in January 2025. See apple.com/macbook-air for more information. Battery life varies by use and configuration. See apple.com/batteries for more information.
    2. Results are compared to previous-generation MacBook Air systems with Apple M1, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 2TB SSD; and 1.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7-based MacBook Air systems with Intel Iris Plus Graphics, 16GB of RAM, and 2TB SSD.
    3. Available on Mac computers with Apple silicon and Intel-based Mac computers with a T2 Security Chip. See requirements on apple.com/macos/macos-sequoia. Some iPhone features (for example, camera and microphone) are not compatible with iPhone Mirroring.
    4. Testing was conducted by Apple in August 2024. See apple.com/safari for more information.
    5. Available next month on macOS Sequoia 15.4 with iPhone and iPad running iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, or a later version.
    6. Based on retail packaging as shipped by Apple. Breakdown of U.S. retail packaging by weight. Adhesives, inks, and coatings are excluded from our calculations of plastic content and packaging weight.

    Press Contacts

    Starlayne Meza

    Apple

    starlayne_meza@apple.com

    Lizette Viviana Du Pond

    Apple

    ldupond@apple.com

    Apple Media Helpline

    media.help@apple.com

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Apple unveils new Mac Studio, the most powerful Mac ever

    Source: Apple

    Headline: Apple unveils new Mac Studio, the most powerful Mac ever

    March 5, 2025

    PRESS RELEASE

    Apple unveils new Mac Studio, the most powerful Mac ever, featuring M4 Max and new M3 Ultra

    With Thunderbolt 5, up to 512GB of unified memory, and an up to 16TB SSD, all in a compact design, the ultimate pro desktop delivers even more performance

    CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today announced the new Mac Studio, the most powerful Mac ever made, featuring M4 Max and the new M3 Ultra chip. The ultimate pro desktop delivers groundbreaking pro performance, extensive connectivity now with Thunderbolt 5, and new capabilities in its compact and quiet design that can live right on a desk. Mac Studio can tackle the most intense workloads with its powerful CPU, Apple’s advanced graphics architecture, higher unified memory capacity, ultrafast SSD storage, and a faster and more efficient Neural Engine. It provides a big boost in performance compared to the previous generation, and a massive leap for users coming from older Macs.

    Mac Studio is a powerhouse for AI, capable of running large language models (LLMs) with over 600 billion parameters entirely in memory, thanks to its advanced GPU and up to 512GB of unified memory with M3 Ultra — the most ever in a personal computer. It’s also built for Apple Intelligence, the personal intelligence system that transforms how users work, communicate, and express themselves, while protecting their privacy. The new Mac Studio is available to pre-order today, with availability beginning March 12.

    “The new Mac Studio is the most powerful Mac we’ve ever made,” said John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. “A complete game-changer for pros around the world — powering both home and pro studios — Mac Studio sits in a class of its own, offering a staggering amount of performance in a compact, quiet design that fits beautifully on your desk. With this new Mac Studio, we’re delivering even more extreme performance with M4 Max and M3 Ultra, support for half a terabyte of unified memory, up to 16TB of superfast storage, and Thunderbolt 5 connectivity. Mac Studio truly is the ultimate pro desktop.”

    Mac Studio with M4 Max: A Performance Juggernaut

    The new Mac Studio with M4 Max is the perfect choice for video editors, colorists, developers, engineers, photographers, creative pros, and other users who need to blaze through intensive workflows. It delivers phenomenal single-threaded CPU performance with the world’s fastest CPU core, along with outstanding multithreaded CPU performance for complex workloads. Featuring an up to 16-core CPU, an up to 40-core GPU, over half a terabyte per second of unified memory bandwidth, and a Neural Engine that is over 3x faster than M1 Max, Mac Studio with M4 Max can run on-device AI models incredibly fast. Mac Studio with M4 Max is up to 3.5x faster than Mac Studio with M1 Max, and is up to 6.1x faster than the most powerful Intel-based 27-inch iMac.1

    The GPU in M4 Max also brings Apple’s advanced graphics architecture to Mac Studio for the first time, including dynamic caching, hardware-accelerated mesh shading, and a second-generation ray-tracing engine for more seamless content creation and gaming. Mac Studio with M4 Max starts at 36GB of unified memory, with support for up to 128GB, so users can do everything from sorting through thousands of images with speed and precision, to producing complex compositions with hundreds of tracks, plug-ins, and virtual instruments, all played in real time. And with the powerful Media Engine in M4 Max, which features two ProRes accelerators, Mac Studio performance is outstanding for videographers who can effortlessly work with multiple streams of 4K ProRes.

    Mac Studio with M4 Max enables:1

    • Up to 1.6x faster image processing in Adobe Photoshop when compared to Mac Studio with M1 Max, and up to 2.9x faster when compared to the 27-inch iMac with Core i9. 
    • Up to 2.1x faster build performance when compiling code in Xcode when compared to Mac Studio with M1 Max, and up to 3.1x faster when compared to the 27-inch iMac with Core i9. 
    • Up to 1.2x faster ProRes transcode performance in Compressor when compared to Mac Studio with M1 Max, and up to 2.8x faster when compared to the 27-inch iMac with Core i9. 
    • Up to 1.6x faster video processing performance in Topaz Video AI when compared to Mac Studio with M1 Max, and up to 5x faster when compared to the 27-inch iMac with Core i9.

    Mac Studio with M3 Ultra: The Pinnacle of Pro Performance

    Mac Studio with M3 Ultra pushes demanding workflows to a whole new level. It delivers nearly 2x faster performance than M4 Max in workloads that take advantage of high CPU and GPU core counts, and massive amounts of unified memory.2 Mac Studio with M3 Ultra is up to 2.6x faster than Mac Studio with M1 Ultra, and up to 6.4x faster than the 16-core Intel Xeon W-based Mac Pro.1 With the new M3 Ultra, Mac Studio features an up to 32-core CPU with 24 performance cores, 50 percent more than any previous Ultra chip and the most CPU cores ever in a Mac. It also offers an up to 80-core GPU, more than any Apple silicon chip; a powerful 32-core Neural Engine for on-device AI and machine learning (ML); and a high-bandwidth memory architecture that delivers over 800GB/s of unified memory bandwidth.

    Mac Studio with M3 Ultra starts with 96GB of unified memory, which can be configured up to 512GB — the most unified memory ever in a personal computer — and up to 16TB of ultrafast SSD storage, so content and data can be kept locally. That’s enough storage for over 12 hours of 8K ProRes video. The advanced graphics architecture brings Dynamic Caching, along with hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing, so graphics workflows like GPU-based renderers are up to 2.6x faster than Mac Studio with M1 Ultra.

    Mac Studio with M3 Ultra enables:1

    • Up to 16.9x faster token generation using an LLM with hundreds of billions of parameters in LM Studio when compared to Mac Studio with M1 Ultra, thanks to its massive amounts of unified memory.
    • Up to 2.6x faster scene rendering performance in Maxon Redshift when compared to Mac Studio with M1 Ultra, and up to 6.4x faster when compared to the 16-core Intel-based Mac Pro with Radeon Pro W5700X.
    • Up to 1.1x faster basecalling for DNA sequencing in Oxford Nanopore MinKNOW when compared to Mac Studio with M1 Ultra, and up to 21.1x faster when compared to the 16-core Intel-based Mac Pro with Radeon Pro W5700X. 
    • Up to 1.4x faster 8K video rendering performance in Final Cut Pro when compared to Mac Studio with M1 Ultra, and up to 4x faster when compared to the 16-core Intel-based Mac Pro with Radeon Pro W5700X.

    Thunderbolt 5 for High-Bandwidth Accessories and Expansion

    The new Mac Studio features Thunderbolt 5 ports that deliver transfer speeds up to 120 Gb/s, up to 3x faster than the prior generation, enabling faster external storage, expansion chassis, and powerful hub solutions. For those who rely on PCIe expansion cards for their workflows, Thunderbolt 5 allows users to connect an external expansion chassis with higher bandwidth and lower latency. And with M3 Ultra, Mac Studio now drives up to eight Pro Display XDRs at the full 6K resolution. Mac Studio also offers a wide array of connectivity within easy reach for pros, including a 10Gb Ethernet port, an HDMI port, an SDXC card slot on the front to conveniently import photos and video, along with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

    Built for Apple Intelligence

    Mac Studio helps pros push the boundaries of what they can do, and Apple Intelligence elevates those experiences even further. Writing is even more dynamic with Writing Tools, which can help users rewrite, proofread, or summarize — whether they are responding to emails or using summarization to draft an abstract in seconds in apps like Scrivener. Pros can minimize unnecessary distractions with Priority Notifications and use live transcription in Notes to record and easily recap important meetings. With new Siri improvements, users can move fluidly between spoken and typed requests to accelerate tasks throughout their day, and Siri can answer thousands of questions about Mac features and settings, with step-by-step instructions like how to combine PDF files in Preview. With access to ChatGPT seamlessly integrated into Writing Tools and Siri, users can tap into ChatGPT’s expertise, so they can get things done even faster and easier. Users can choose to enable ChatGPT integration, and are in full control of when to use it and what information is shared with ChatGPT. Users can also explore creative new ways to express themselves visually with Image Playground, and drop their original image right into their paper, mood board, or Keynote presentation. Whether users are researching their next project, editing a video, creating new designs, or preparing for their next lecture, these new tools will help pros be even more productive.

    Designed to protect users’ privacy at every step, Apple Intelligence uses on-device processing, meaning that many of the models that power it run entirely on device. For requests that require access to larger models, Private Cloud Compute extends the privacy and security of Mac into the cloud to unlock even more intelligence. When using Private Cloud Compute, users’ data is never stored or shared with Apple; it is used only to fulfill their request.

    macOS Sequoia: An Unrivaled Experience

    macOS Sequoia completes the new Mac Studio experience with a host of exciting features, including iPhone Mirroring, which allows users to wirelessly interact with their iPhone, its apps, and notifications directly from their Mac.3 Pros can now move files, photos, and videos between iPhone and Mac as easily as they can drag and drop between apps on Mac. Easier window tiling means users can stay organized with a window layout that works best for them. The all-new Passwords app gives convenient access to passwords, passkeys, and other credentials, all stored in one place. And users can apply beautiful built-in backgrounds for video calls, which include a variety of color gradients and system wallpapers, or upload their own photos. Safari, the world’s fastest browser,4 now surfaces relevant information on sites in Highlights; summarizes articles in the redesigned Reader; keeps videos front and center in a new Video Viewer; and lets users hide distracting items with Distraction Control. Gaming gets even more immersive with features like Personalized Spatial Audio and improvements to Game Mode, along with a breadth of exciting titles, including Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition by CD PROJEKT RED, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and more.

    Next month, macOS Sequoia 15.4 will make it easier than ever to set up the new Mac Studio with iPhone.5 By simply bringing iPhone close to Mac, users can quickly and conveniently sign in to their Apple Account to get their files, photos, messages, passwords, and more on their new Mac Studio.

    The Ultimate Studio Setup

    Mac Studio, together with Studio Display, empowers creative users to build the studio of their dreams. Studio Display perfectly pairs with Mac Studio with its expansive 27-inch 5K Retina display, 12MP Center Stage camera, studio-quality three-mic array, and six-speaker sound system with Spatial Audio. For users working on HDR workflows, Pro Display XDR offers a 32-inch Retina 6K display with up to 1600 nits of peak HDR brightness. Customers can also add matching Magic accessories — including Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, Magic Trackpad, and Magic Mouse — that beautifully complement the elegant design of Mac Studio and Studio Display.

    Better for the Environment

    The new Mac Studio is designed with the environment in mind. As part of Apple 2030, the company’s ambitious goal to be carbon neutral across its entire carbon footprint by the end of this decade, Apple is transitioning to renewable electricity for its manufacturing, and investing in wind and solar projects around the world to address the electricity used to power all Apple products, including Mac Studio. Today, all Apple facilities run on 100 percent renewable electricity — including the data centers that power Apple Intelligence.

    To achieve Apple 2030, the company is designing products with more recycled and renewable materials, which further drives down the carbon footprint. Mac Studio features over 30 percent recycled content overall, including 100 percent recycled aluminum in the enclosure and 100 percent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets. Mac Studio uses far less energy and materials than desktops in its class, and is free of mercury, brominated flame retardants, and PVC. The packaging is entirely fiber-based, bringing Apple closer to its goal to remove plastic from all packaging by the end of 2025.6

    Pricing and Availability

    • Customers can pre-order the new Mac Studio starting today on apple.com/store and in the Apple Store app in 28 countries and regions, including the U.S. It will begin arriving to customers, and will be in Apple Store locations and Apple Authorized Resellers, starting Wednesday, March 12.
    • Mac Studio starts at $1,999 (U.S.) and $1,799 (U.S.) for education. Additional configure-to-order options are available at apple.com/store. 
    • More information on Studio Display, Pro Display XDR, and Magic accessories is available at apple.com/shop/buy-mac.
    • Apple Intelligence is available on all Mac models with M1 and later, in localized English for Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the UK, and the U.S. Additional languages — including French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese (simplified), English (Singapore), and English (India) — will be available in April, with more languages coming over the course of the year, including Vietnamese. Some features, applications, and services may not be available in all regions or all languages. 
    • With Apple Trade In, customers can trade in their current computer and get credit toward a new Mac. Customers can visit apple.com/shop/trade-in to see what their device is worth. 
    • AppleCare+ for Mac provides unparalleled service and support. This includes unlimited incidents of accidental damage, battery service coverage, and 24/7 support from the people who know Mac best. 
    • Every customer who buys directly from Apple Retail gets access to Personal Setup. In these guided online sessions, a Specialist can walk them through setup, or focus on features that help them make the most of their new device. Customers can also learn more about getting started with their new device with a Today at Apple session at their nearest Apple Store.
    • Customers in the U.S. who shop at Apple using Apple Card can pay monthly at 0 percent APR when they choose to check out with Apple Card Monthly Installments, and they’ll get 3 percent Daily Cash back — all up front. More information — including details on eligibility, exclusions, and Apple Card terms — is available at apple.com/apple-card/monthly-installments.

    About Apple Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. Apple’s six software platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, iCloud, and Apple TV+. Apple’s more than 150,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth and to leaving the world better than we found it.

    1. Testing was conducted by Apple in January and February 2025. See apple.com/mac-studio for more information.
    2. Results are compared to Mac Studio systems with Apple M4 Max, 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, 128GB of RAM, and 8TB SSD.
    3. Available on Mac computers with Apple silicon and Intel-based Mac computers with a T2 Security Chip. See requirements on apple.com/macos/macos-sequoia. Some iPhone features (for example, camera and microphone) are not compatible with iPhone Mirroring.
    4. Testing was conducted by Apple in August 2024. See apple.com/safari for more information.
    5. Available next month on macOS Sequoia 15.4 with iPhone and iPad running iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, or a later version.
    6. Based on retail packaging as shipped by Apple. Breakdown of U.S. retail packaging by weight. Adhesives, inks, and coatings are excluded from calculations of plastic content and packaging weight.

    Press Contacts

    Michelle Del Rio

    Apple

    mr_delrio@apple.com

    Starlayne Meza

    Apple

    starlayne_meza@apple.com

    Apple Media Helpline

    media.help@apple.com

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The child boss in ‘Severance’ reveals a devastating truth about work and child-rearing in the 21st century

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Anna Mae Duane, Professor of English, University of Connecticut

    Miss Huang is, in many ways, capitalism’s ideal child. Apple TV+

    In the second season of “Severance,” there’s an unexpected character: a child supervisor named Miss Huang, who matter-of-factly explains she’s a child “because of when I was born.”

    Miss Huang’s deadpan response is more than just a clever quip. Like so much in the Apple TV+ series, which has broken viewership records for the streaming service, I think it reveals a devastating truth about the role of work in the 21st century.

    As a scholar of childhood studies, I also see historical echoes: What constitutes a “child” – and whether one gets to claim childhood at all – has always depended on when and where a person is born.

    An age of innocence?

    Americans are deeply invested in the idea of childhood as a time of innocence, with kids protected by doting adults from the harsh realities of work and making ends meet.

    However, French historian Philippe Ariès famously argued that childhood, as many understand it today, simply did not exist in the past.

    The 14th-century painting ‘Madonna of Veveri’ depicts a young child with adultlike proportions.
    The Print Collector/Getty Images

    Using medieval art as one resource, Ariès pointed out that children were often portrayed as miniature adults, without special attributes, such as plump features or silly behaviors, that might mark them as fundamentally different from their older counterparts.

    Looking at baptism records, Ariès also discovered that many parents gave siblings the same name, and he explained this phenomenon by suggesting that devastatingly high child mortality rates prevented parents from investing the sort of love and affection in their children that’s now considered a core component of parenthood.

    While historians have debated many of Ariès’ specific claims, his central insight remains powerful: Our modern understanding of childhood as a distinct life stage characterized by play, protection and freedom from adult responsibilities is a relatively recent historical development. Ariès argued that children didn’t emerge as a focus of unconditional love until the 17th century.

    Kids at work

    The belief that a child deserves a life free from the stress of the workplace came along still later.

    After all, if Miss Huang had been born in the 19th century, few people would question her presence in the workplace. The Industrial Revolution yielded accounts of children working 16-hour days and accorded no special protection because of their tender age and emotional vulnerability. Well into the 20th century, children younger than Miss Huang routinely worked in factories, mines and other dangerous environments.

    To today’s viewers of “Severance,” the presence of a child supervisor in the sterile, oppressive workplace of the show’s fictional Lumon Industries feels jarring precisely because it violates the deeply held belief that children are occupants of a separate sphere, their innocence shielding them from the dog-eat-dog environs of competitive workplaces.

    Lewis Hine’s 1908 photograph of girls working at Newberry Mills in Newberry, S.C.
    Library of Congress

    Childhood under threat

    As a child worker, Miss Huang might seem like an uncanny ghost of a bygone era of childhood. But I think she’s closer to a prophet: Her role as child-boss warns viewers about what a work-obsessed future holds.

    Today, the ideal childhood – access to play, care and a meaningful education – is increasingly under threat.

    As politicians and policymakers insist that children are the future, many of them refuse to support the intensive caregiving required to transform newborns into functioning adults. As philosopher Nancy Fraser has argued, capitalism relies on someone doing that work, while assigning it little to no monetized value.

    Child-rearing in the 21st century exists within a troubling paradox: Mothers provide unpaid child care for their own children, while those who professionally care for others’ children – predominantly women of color and immigrants – receive meager compensation for this essential work.

    In other words, economic elites and the politicians they support say they want to cultivate future workers. But they don’t want to fund the messy, inefficient, time-consuming process that raising modern children requires.

    The show’s name comes from a “severance” procedure that workers undergo to separate their work memories from their personal ones. It offers a darkly comic version of work-life balance, with Lumon office workers able to completely disconnect their work selves from their personalities off the clock. Each is distinct: A character’s “innie” is the person they are at the job, and their “outtie” is who they are at home.

    I see this as an apt metaphor for how market capitalism seeks to separate the slow, patient work required to raise children and care for other loved ones from the cold-eyed pursuit of economic efficiency. Parents are expected to work as if they don’t have children and raise children as if they don’t work.

    The result is a system that makes traditional notions of childhood – with its unwieldy dependencies, its inefficient play and its demands for attention and care – increasingly untenable.

    Capitalism’s ideal child

    Plummeting global fertility rates around the world speak to this crisis in child care, with the U.S., Europe, South Korea and China falling well below the birth rate required to replace the existing population.

    Even as Elon Musk frets about women choosing not to have children, he seems eager to restrict any government aid that would provide the time or resources that raising children requires.

    Accessible health care, affordable, healthy food and stable housing are out of the reach of many. The current administration’s quest for what it calls “government efficiency” is poised to shred safety net programs that help millions of low-income children.

    In the midst of this dilemma, Miss Huang offers a surreal solution to the problems children pose in 2025.

    She is, in many ways, capitalism’s ideal child. Already a productive worker as a tween, she requires no parent’s time, no teacher’s patience and no community’s resources. Like other workers and executives at Lumon, she seems to have shed the inefficient entanglements of family, love and play.

    In this light, Miss Huang’s clever insistence that she is a child “because of when I was born” is darkly prophetic. In a world where every moment must be productive, where caregiving is systematically devalued and where human relationships are subordinated to market logic, Miss Huang represents a future where childhood survives only as a date on a birth certificate. All the other attributes are economically impractical.

    Viewers don’t yet know if she’s severed. But at least from the perspective of the other workers in the show, Miss Huang works ceaselessly and, in doing so, proves that she is no child at all.

    Or rather, she is the only kind of child that America’s economic system allows to thrive.

    Anna Mae Duane 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.

    – ref. The child boss in ‘Severance’ reveals a devastating truth about work and child-rearing in the 21st century – https://theconversation.com/the-child-boss-in-severance-reveals-a-devastating-truth-about-work-and-child-rearing-in-the-21st-century-249123

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Learning ethics − one Marvel movie at a time

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By James Calvin Davis, Professor of Religion, Middlebury

    Philosophically, there’s more to many superhero movies than first meets the eye. Daniel Fung/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

    Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

    Title of course:

    Ethics in the MCU

    What prompted the idea for the course?

    As a die-hard fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I rewatch the movies and series on a regular basis. As an ethicist, I can’t help but notice that the MCU raises some really tough moral questions.

    Yes, the movies are about monsters and magic and things exploding, but they are also about racial prejudice, power and obligation, artificial intelligence, biotechnological enhancement and colonization. They center complicated questions about right and wrong, moral character and unintended consequences.

    The more I rewatched them, the more I was convinced that this would be a great way to introduce students to the study of ethics. So when my time came again to offer a first-year seminar, I constructed one around watching superheroes at work. Leading new college students through an ethical analysis of Marvel movies seemed like an opportunity to work on useful intellectual skills in a low-pressure environment. Not a bad way to start college!

    What does the course explore?

    I structured the course around specific moral questions and then used an MCU film or series to get the students thinking about those questions.

    For instance, the challenges faced by the female protagonist in “Captain Marvel” gave us an opportunity to talk more broadly about gender, empowerment and respect for women’s leadership, as did the brutal reaction to the movie by some comic book bros.

    The antagonist in “Black Panther” takes over the African country of Wakanda in order to ignite a global anticolonial uprising, and we used his perspective to think about the ethics of racial oppression, reparations and violent resistance.

    Captain America’s best friend, Bucky Barnes, who was captured and brainwashed into serving as a covert assassin for decades, has to deal with the consequences of his actions once he recovers his true self. Bucky’s situation invited us to talk about the relationship between intention and complicity in our moral judgments.

    And the most fascinating conversation I had in the entire semester was about the utilitarian calculus of the supervillain Thanos, who appears in the “Infinity War” and “Endgame” films. Overpopulation led to the destruction of Thanos’ home planet, and his fear that the whole cosmos could meet a similar fate drives him to wipe out half of all life in the universe.

    Was he justified? Our discussions explored the ethical limits of utilitarian calculations. To my shock, half of the class eventually came to the conclusion that Thanos may have had a moral point.

    Why is this course relevant now?

    While it is helpful to talk about moral responsibility theoretically, or with reference to real headlines, narrative is another useful way to get students to think about the ethical choices people make and how we make them. This is one way the arts and humanities can serve the liberal arts project, preparing young people for democratic citizenship.

    Stories serve as fictional but concrete “case studies” through which students can think about themselves and others as moral actors. By focusing on other characters, stories encourage our moral imagination and empathy. Rather than reducing ethical issues to abstraction, stories remind us that moral choices are made within particular circumstances and relationships.

    What materials does the course feature?

    Our main “texts” for the semester were movies and series we watched and discussed with certain moral questions in mind. In conjunction, we read short pieces on ethical theory to give students a tool kit for analyzing those issues. Authors ranged from classical writers such as Aristotle and 19th-century philosopher John Stuart Mill to more modern perspectives such as Martin Luther King Jr., theologian James Cone and philosopher Martha Nussbaum.

    We also read parts of two awesome books making similar connections: “The Politics of the Marvel Cinematic Universe,” edited by Nicholas Carnes and Lilly J. Goren, and “Marveling Religion,” edited by Jennifer Baldwin and Daniel White Hodge.

    What will the course prepare students to do?

    I hope the course provides students a fun chance to develop capacities for ethical thinking at the beginning of their college career. Public discourse in the United States, which is the focus of my teaching and scholarship, could use more citizens with greater skill in moral discernment, and these days we all could use more fun. Why not do something that is entertaining but also has intellectual integrity and social usefulness?

    James Calvin Davis 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.

    – ref. Learning ethics − one Marvel movie at a time – https://theconversation.com/learning-ethics-one-marvel-movie-at-a-time-247308

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Legislation considered under suspension of the Rules of the House of Representatives during the week of March 10, 2025

    Source: US Congressional Budget Office

    The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives announces bills that will be considered under suspension of the rules in that chamber. Under suspension, floor debate is limited, all floor amendments are prohibited, points of order against the bill are waived, and final passage requires a two-thirds majority vote.

    At the request of the Majority Leader and the House Committee on the Budget, CBO estimates the effects of those bills on direct spending and revenues. CBO has limited time to review the legislation before consideration. Although it is possible in most cases to determine whether the legislation would affect direct spending or revenues, time may be insufficient to estimate the magnitude of those effects. If CBO has prepared estimates for similar or identical legislation, a more detailed assessment of budgetary effects, including effects on spending subject to appropriation, may be included.

    CBO’s estimates of the bills that have been posted for possible consideration under suspension of the rules during the week of March 10, 2025, include:

    • H.R. 495, Subterranean Border Defense Act
    • H.R. 706, DHS Biodectection Improvement Act
    • H.R. 708, SHIELD Against CCP Act
    • H.R. 862, TSA Commuting Fairness Act
    • H.R. 901, Research Security and Accountability in DHS Act
    • H.R. 993, Emerging Innovative Border Technologies Act
    • H.R. 1166, Decoupling from Foreign Adversarial Battery Dependency Act
    • H.R. 1374, Securing the Cities Improvement Act
    • H.R. 1692, PATHS Act

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Byrna Technologies Announces Preliminary Fiscal First Quarter 2025 Record Revenue of $26.2 Million

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ANDOVER, Mass., March 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Byrna Technologies Inc. (“Byrna” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: BYRN), a technology company, specializing in the development, manufacture, and sale of innovative less-lethal personal security solutions, today announced select preliminary financial results for the fiscal first quarter ended February 28, 2025.

    Preliminary First Quarter Results
    Based on preliminary unaudited results, the Company expects total revenue for the fiscal first quarter of 2025 to be $26.2 million, representing a 57% increase compared to $16.7 million in the fiscal first quarter of 2024. The significant year-over-year growth in first quarter revenue is primarily attributable to the continued success of Byrna’s marketing strategies and increased production levels at Byrna’s Fort Wayne, Indiana factory.

    As a result, Byrna’s e-commerce channels were up $6.7 million over last year, representing 74% of Byrna’s total sales for the quarter. To meet heightened demand and support its growth initiatives for 2025, Byrna produced a record 68,916 launchers in the first quarter, a 26% increase from the fourth quarter of 2024 and a 219% increase year-over-year. Dealer sales also experienced strong growth, rising $1.9 million year-over-year.

    Management Commentary
    “We are gratified to see the growth in Q1, as this is the first year-over-year quarterly comparison where we were comparing our performance against a prior year quarter where we had implemented our celebrity endorsement strategy,” said Byrna CEO Bryan Ganz. “Historically, Q1 has been our slowest quarter, yet sales decreased only 6% sequentially from what is our seasonally strongest quarter of the fiscal year. This success is a testament to the growing brand awareness that we have built since pivoting our marketing strategy in 2023.

    “To support our ambitious growth targets, we produced a record 68,916 launchers in the quarter. With new celebrity influencers including Megyn Kelly, Lara Trump, and Donald Trump Jr., an expanding retail store presence, the kickoff of our store-within-a-store partnership with Sportsman’s Warehouse, and the launch of the Compact Launcher, we are well-positioned to continue our strong growth trajectory throughout 2025.”

    Preliminary Fiscal First Quarter 2025 Sales Breakdown:      
    Sales Channel ($ in millions) Q1 2025 Q1 2024 % Change
    Web 19.4  12.7  53 %
    Byrna Dedicated Dealers 4.4  2.5  76 %
    Law Enforcement / Schools / Pvt Security 0.0  0.0  0 %
    Retail Stores 0.3  0.2  53 %
    International 2.0  1.3  56 %
    Total Sales 26.2  16.7  57 %


    Tariff Exposure Update
    Byrna remains well-positioned to navigate evolving trade policies with minimal impact on its cost structure. As previously stated, Byrna sources no critical components from Mexico or Canada, and its limited exposure to China is mitigated by a dual-sourcing strategy. The Company is on track to move most, if not all of the current supply chain to the United States in 2025, reinforcing its commitment to domestic manufacturing. Additionally, higher tariffs on Chinese goods could benefit Byrna by raising costs for competitors that rely on China for production.

    Conference Call
    Byrna plans to report its full financial results for the fiscal first quarter in April, which will be accompanied by a conference call to discuss the results and address questions from investors and analysts. The conference call details will be announced prior to the event.

    About Byrna Technologies Inc.
    Byrna is a technology company specializing in the development, manufacture, and sale of innovative non-lethal personal security solutions. For more information on the Company, please visit the corporate website here or the Company’s investor relations site here. The Company is the manufacturer of the Byrna® SD personal security device, a state-of-the-art handheld CO2 powered launcher designed to provide a non-lethal alternative to a firearm for the consumer, private security, and law enforcement markets. To purchase Byrna products, visit the Company’s e-commerce store.

    Forward-Looking Statements
    This news release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the securities laws. All statements contained in this news release, other than statements of current and historical fact, are forward-looking. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “plans,” “expects,” “intends,” “anticipates,” and “believes” and statements that certain actions, events or results “may,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “might,” “occur,” “be achieved,” or “will be taken.” Forward-looking statements include descriptions of currently occurring matters which may continue in the future. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, our statements related to preliminary revenue results for the first fiscal quarter 2025, the timing of the release of full financial results for the quarter, expectations for future sales growth and demand trends, the impact of marketing strategies, the anticipated performance of new products and retail store expansion, and the Company’s ability to sustain momentum throughout 2025.Forward-looking statements are not, and cannot be, a guarantee of future results or events. Forward-looking statements are based on, among other things, opinions, assumptions, estimates, and analyses that, while considered reasonable by the Company at the date the forward-looking information is provided, inherently are subject to significant risks, uncertainties, contingencies, and other factors that may cause actual results and events to be materially different from those expressed or implied.

    Any number of risk factors could affect our actual results and cause them to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements in this news release, including, but not limited to, disappointing market responses to current or future products or services; prolonged, new, or exacerbated disruption of the Company’s supply chain; the further or prolonged disruption of new product development; production or distribution or delays in entry or penetration of sales channels due to inventory constraints, competitive factors, increased shipping costs or freight interruptions; prototype, parts and material shortages, particularly of parts sourced from limited or sole source providers; determinations by third party controlled distribution channels not to carry or reduce inventory of the Company’s products; determinations by advertisers to prohibit marketing of some or all Byrna products; the loss of marketing partners or endorsers; potential cancellations of existing or future orders including as a result of any fulfillment delays, introduction of competing products, negative publicity, or other factors; product design defects or recalls; litigation, enforcement proceedings or other regulatory or legal developments; changes in consumer or political sentiment affecting product demand; regulatory factors including the impact of commerce and trade laws and regulations; import-export related matters or tariffs, sanctions or embargos that could affect the Company’s supply chain or markets; delays in planned operations related to licensing, registration or permit requirements; and future restrictions on the Company’s cash resources, increased costs and other events that could potentially reduce demand for the Company’s products or result in order cancellations. The order in which these factors appear should not be construed to indicate their relative importance or priority. We caution that these factors may not be exhaustive; accordingly, any forward-looking statements contained herein should not be relied upon as a prediction of actual results. Investors should carefully consider these and other relevant factors, including those risk factors in Part I, Item 1A, (“Risk Factors”) in the Company’s most recent Form 10-K, should understand it is impossible to predict or identify all such factors or risks, should not consider the foregoing list, or the risks identified in the Company’s SEC filings, to be a complete discussion of all potential risks or uncertainties, and should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law.

    Investor Contact:
    Tom Colton and Alec Wilson
    Gateway Group, Inc.
    949-574-3860
    BYRN@gateway-grp.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Asphalt Ridge Option Period to Acquire Remaining 17.75% Working Interest Extended to April 10, 2025 and non-binding Letter of Intent to acquire Novacor oil and gas assets extended to March 15, 2025.

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Bakersfield, CA, March 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Trio Petroleum Corp (NYSE American: “TPET”, “Trio” or the “Company”), a California-based oil and gas company, today provided updates on its Asphalt Ridge Project in Uintah County, Utah, and its intent to acquire a 100% working interest in certain petroleum and natural gas properties held by Novacor Exploration Ltd. which are located in the prolific Lloydminster, Saskatchewan heavy oil region.

    Asphalt Ridge Project

    TPET announced on January 5, 2024, that it had secured an option (the “Option”) to acquire a 20% interest in a sweet (i.e., low sulfur content), heavy-oil and tar-sand development project at Asphalt Ridge, located near the town of Vernal in Uintah County, northeastern Utah. We announced on June 11, 2024, the successful drilling and completion of the first two exploratory wells at the project, the HSO 2-4 and HSO 8-4 and that the wells encountered substantial oil-bearing pay zones in the Rimrock and Asphalt Ridge tar-sands (over 190’of oil-pay in HSO 2-4 and over 100’ of oil-pay in HSO 8-4).

    TPET currently owns a 2.25% working interest in 960 acres at Asphalt Ridge, and under the Option may acquire up to an additional 17.75% working interest in the same 960 acres and also a 20% interest in an adjacent 1,920 acres, and also has a right of first refusal to participate in an additional approximate 30,000 acres of the greater Asphalt Ridge Project on terms offered to other third parties. TPET has secured an Option extension and now has until April 10, 2025, to exercise its right to acquire the remaining 17.75% interest in the initial 960 acres. 

    The Asphalt Ridge Project is known to be one of the largest heavy-oil and tar-sand deposits in North America outside of Canada, making it a potential giant oilfield, and is unique given its low wax and negligible sulfur content, which is expected to make the oil very desirable for many industries, including shipping. A typical project well has an estimated ultimate recovery (“EUR”) of 300,000 barrels of oil with an initial production rate of approximately 40 barrels of oil per day.

    Novacor Exploration Ltd Oil and Gas Assets

    TPET announced on December 19, 2024, that it had entered into a non-binding Letter of Intent (“LOI”) for the acquisition of a 100% working interest in certain petroleum and natural gas properties held by Novacor Exploration Ltd. (“Novacor”), which are located in the prolific Lloydminster, Saskatchewan heavy oil region (the “Acquisition”). “The Lloydminster area has seen noteworthy activity from top produces both large and small as the areas thermal and heavy oil projects are key operational focuses for public companies from Cenovus and Strathcona to Lycos Energy, along with a healthy pool of private companies. Unlike other more costly plays in Canada, Lloydminster “per well” costs are not prohibitive for many small producers as the wells are generally shallow, with an average true vertical depth of just under 1830 feet.” (BOE Report February 27, 2024). In the event that Trio consummates the Acquisition, it believes that it could strategically position itself to expand its operations into one of North America’s most promising heavy oil basins, with upside potential for long term production and reserve growth. Since the Novacor assets are in the heavy oil area, they offer economical development. Market accessibility combined with a favorable regulatory process makes this area very attractive for continued and future development within these lands.

    There are currently seven producing wells located on the two properties. The wells produce heavy crude oil from the McLaren/Sparky and Lloydminster formation(s). Novacor is the operator of these cash flow positive wells. Current production is approximately 70 barrels per day with potential for 4 additional re-entry wells and two fully equipped locations to be reactivated each capable of an additional 70 barrels in total per day. Trio and Novacor mutually agreed to extend the execution of definitive acquisition documents to March 15, 2025. Trio plans to negotiate an additional extension if documents are not completed and executed by that date.

    About Trio Petroleum Corp

    Trio Petroleum Corp is an oil and gas exploration and development company headquartered in Bakersfield, California, with operations in Monterey County, California, and Uintah County, Utah. In Monterey County, Trio owns a 85.75% working interest in 9,245 acres at the Presidents and Humpback oilfields in the South Salinas Project, and a 21.92% working interest in 800 acres in the McCool Ranch Field. In Uintah County, Trio owns a 2.25% working interest in 960 acres and options to acquire up to an additional 17.75% working interest in the 960 acres, and also a 20% working interest in an adjacent 1,920 acres, and a right of first refusal to participate in up to a 20% working interest in an additional approximate 30,000 acres of the Asphalt Ridge Project with other third parties.

    Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

    All statements in this press release of Trio Petroleum Corp (“Trio”) and its representatives and partners that are not based on historical fact are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and the provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Acts”). In particular, when used in the preceding discussion, the words “estimates,” “believes,” “hopes,” “expects,” “intends,” “on-track”, “plans,” “anticipates,” or “may,” and similar conditional expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Acts and are subject to the safe harbor created by the Acts. Any statements made in this news release other than those of historical fact, about an action, event or development, are forward-looking statements. While management has based any forward-looking statements contained herein on its current expectations, the information on which such expectations were based may change. These forward-looking statements rely on a number of assumptions concerning future events and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are outside of the Trio’s control, that could cause actual results to materially and adversely differ from such statements. Such risks, uncertainties, and other factors include, but are not necessarily limited to, those set forth in the Risk Factors section of the Trio’s S-1 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Copies are of such documents are available on the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov. Trio undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law.

    Investor Relations Contact:
    Redwood Empire Financial Communications
    Michael Bayes
    (404) 809 4172
    michael@redwoodefc.com

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