Category: Business

MIL-OSI Global: The heart is symbol of love – things weren’t always like that

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Michelle Spear, Professor of Anatomy, University of Bristol

Valentine’s Day is all about the hearts: heart-shaped chocolates, cards, balloons and even pizza. But the heart hasn’t always just been a symbol of romance.

Across cultures and centuries, the heart has been revered as the seat of the soul, a source of supernatural power and a vessel of identity. From ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs to medieval relics, from necromantic rituals to modern heart transplants, this organ has been at the centre of both scientific curiosity and deep-seated mysticism.

Why has the heart, more than any other organ, been imbued with such deep symbolism and power? While anatomy tells us it is a muscular pump controlled by electrical impulses, history tells a more complex story – one of rituals, relics and even dark magic.

The human heart is a remarkably efficient pump, beating about 100,000 times a day and circulating about 7,500 litres of blood. It is driven by the sinoatrial node, a cluster of pacemaker cells that spontaneously generate electrical impulses independently of the brain.

As this intrinsic electrical system does not rely on direct nervous input but is influenced by it, the heart can continue beating for a short while even when removed from the body – provided it has an adequate supply of oxygen and electrolytes. This uncanny quality only reinforced superstitions that the heart was more than just a muscle and may explain why many early cultures viewed the heart as possessing a life force of its own.

But to present the heart as merely a pump ignores wider influences. The heart functions as an endocrine organ, releasing hormones that regulate blood pressure, fluid balance and cardiovascular health.

The connection between the heart and “love hormones”, such as oxytocin, extends beyond metaphor, as research suggests the heart not only responds to oxytocin but may also play a role in its release.

Oxytocin is primarily produced in the brain by the hypothalamus and released from the pituitary gland, flooding the body during moments of affection, trust and bonding. It is the chemical catalyst behind the deep emotional connections that define human relationships.

The heart is equipped with oxytocin receptors, and studies show that the hormone promotes vasodilation (widening of the blood vessels), reducing blood pressure and improving circulation. Beyond this, oxytocin may protect the heart, helping it repair itself and reducing inflammation after injury, such as during a heart attack.

However, the heart’s function was not always understood. The ancient Greeks believed it was the seat of intelligence, while Aristotle dismissed the brain as a mere “cooling fluid” for the heart’s divine fire.

Galen, a Greek physician, surgeon and philosopher who lived during Roman times, described the heart as the body’s furnace, while William Harvey’s 1628 discovery of circulation reshaped our understanding of this important organ. Even so, its symbolic and mystical significance never fully waned.

The seat of the soul

The ancient Egyptians preserved the heart during mummification, believing it would be weighed by Anubis against the Feather of Truth, the divine measure of justice. Ironically, the brain was discarded as totally useless. An excerpt from the Book of the Dead, an ancient Egyptian funerary text, reads:

O my heart which I had from my mother! which I had from my mother! O my heart of my different ages! Don’t stand up as a witness against me. Do not be opposed to me in the tribunal.

This spell is intended to pacify the heart and assert dominion, ensuring it remains loyal when weighed.

The idea that the heart carried more than just blood persisted into the Renaissance, with scholars debating whether it was the true locus of identity.

“If indeed from the heart alone rise anger or passion, fear, terror, and sadness; if from it alone spring shame, delight, and joy, why should I say more?” Andreas de Laguna, a Spanish physician wrote in 1535.

Even today, heart transplants fuel questions about whether a transplanted heart carries something of its donor. Some recipients report changes in personality, memories or food preferences, raising speculation about cellular memory. While no definitive scientific basis exists, such cases continue to intrigue.

Heart of darkness

The heart’s power was not only revered, but feared. In folk magic and necromancy, people believed that the hearts of executed criminals retained energy from their violent deaths. Some thought consuming, burning or preserving a heart could grant knowledge or strength.

In Scotland and England, people reportedly boiled the hearts of murderers to prevent their ghosts from haunting the living. Dried hearts were sometimes ground into powders for potions, while in occult traditions, they were burned in rituals to banish spirits or bind enemies.

More disturbing are accounts of unbaptised infants’ hearts in witchcraft traditions. Some sources claim they were used in hexes, flying ointments or dark pacts. While probably exaggerated during witch trials, such stories reflect a deep-rooted belief in the heart as a conduit of power.

The heart has been a vessel of the soul, a source of magic and a point of conflict between science and superstition. While modern medicine has demystified much of its function, its symbolism remains deeply ingrained in human culture.

This Valentine’s Day, as we exchange stylised hearts in celebration of love, we might pause to remember that the power of the heart has been a symbol of life, death and everything in between for millennia.

Michelle Spear does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. The heart is symbol of love – things weren’t always like that – https://theconversation.com/the-heart-is-symbol-of-love-things-werent-always-like-that-249211

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Eight of the most romantic poems to read to your love this Valentine’s Day

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Ellen Howley, Assistant Professor in the School of English, DCU, Dublin City University

Grinbox/Shutterstock

For many of us, the run-up to Valentine’s Day is spent seeking out the least cringe-worthy card in the shop to gift to our significant other, and show them how we really feel. But, unfortunately, Hallmark rhymes rarely mine the depths of love and desire.

So, if you’re looking for the perfect words for your loved one this year, why not share one of these poems, which attempt to express the wonder and complexities of romantic love.

1. Sonnet 106 by William Shakespeare (1609)

Portrait of William Shakespeare by John Taylor (1611).
National Portrait Gallery

If you make a list of love poems, you’re obliged to include a Shakespearean sonnet, so I’ll start with a lesser known one, Sonnet 106.

In the poem, the bard compares the beauty of his lover to ancient poems that described beautiful knights and ladies. He declares that these older writers must have been prophets to know his lover’s true beauty. In fact, his lover is even more beautiful than these descriptions because the poets “had not skill enough your worth to sing”.

Here, Shakespeare addresses a problem that has plagued love poets throughout the ages: how to write of the love and beauty they feel and see when words may never match up.

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2. From the Irish by Ian Duhig (1997)

British-Irish poet, Ian Duhig confronts the same problem as Shakespeare in From the Irish. It is a poem that thinks as much about language as it does about love, but resolves in a sincere but frustrated attempt to tell his lover how he feels.

In trying to be precise in his use of language, he ends up telling his lover that their face “is like a slice of half-boiled turnip”.

This attempt to compare his lover’s face to the moon is not an insult, but instead part of his serious attempt to, as he says, “love you properly, according to Dinneen”.

3. Heart to Heart by Rita Dove (2004)

Rita Dove’s Heart to Heart likewise contemplates the relationship between love and language. In the poem, Dove, the former US poet laureate dismisses the clichéd ways in which we talk about the heart:

It doesn’t melt

or turn over,

break or harden.

The poet cannot tell her lover from “the bottom of it / how I feel” but gives it to them all the same.

Rita Dove reads her poem Heart to Heart.

4. He Seemed to Me Equal to the Gods by Sappho (translated by Anne Carson in 2002)

Closely aligned to the theme of romantic love is that of desire, and across the centuries poets have written about the torture of yearning. The Greek poet Sappho knew this even 2,600 years ago. Women are the objects of desire in her erotic poetry.

Sappho by Enrique Simonet (1864).
Wiki Commons

This poem, translated by the Canadian poet, Anne Carson, finds the poet watching her lover, which, says Sappho, “puts the heart in my chest on wings” but also renders her speechless. She describes the intensity and agony of desire:

fire is racing under skin

and in eyes no sight and drumming

fills ears.

These lines are a surviving fragment of a larger, lost poem, so what the poet might have “dared” at the end remains a mystery.

5. His Mistress Going to Bed by John Donne (circa 1590)

John Donne by Isaac Oliver (1622).
National Portrait Gallery

Perhaps more daring is John Donne’s His Mistress Going to Bed. Donne, an English poet who began writing in the 16th century, is considered one of the great love poets.

His Mistress Going to Bed is his attempt at seduction, undressing his lover across the poem’s lines: “Now off with those shoes, and then safely tread / In this love’s hallow’d temple, this soft bed.” The sexual act is seen as one of union: “As souls unbodied, bodies uncloth’d must be, / To taste whole joys.”

So prepared is the poet, we discover by the poem’s end, that he is already naked and ready to go to bed with his love.

6. Poem II by Adrienne Rich (1978)

As partnerships evolve, the initial intensity of sexual passion morphs into a more everyday, although no less exciting kind of love.

Poem II from Adrienne Rich’s sequence Twenty-One Love Poems describes the poet waking in her lover’s bed following a dream. She tenderly writes: “You’ve kissed my hair / to wake me.”

Adrienne Rich (right) with Audre Lorde (left) and Meridel Lesueur in 1980.
K. Kendall/flickr, CC BY

The poem is a warm and intimate portrait of the love between two women, with Rich declaring:

I laugh and fall dreaming again

or the desire to show you to everyone I love,

to move openly together.

In this, the poet acknowledges the ease and depth of her love but also makes subtle reference to the lack of acceptance of homosexual relationships in the 1970s, when the poems were first published.

7. An Amish Rug by Michael Longley (1991)

Michael Longley, the Irish poet who passed away in January, presents a similarly private scene of an established relationship in his poem, An Amish Rug.

Describing the handmade rug he gifts to his wife, the poet contrasts the simplicity of the Amish lifestyle with its vivid woven colours.

If hung on the wall, the rug will become a stained-glass “cathedral window”. Or, it may be placed on the floor so that “whenever we undress for sleep or love / We shall step over it as over a flowerbed”.

There’s a Valentine’s gift to live up to.

8. The Orange by Wendy Cope (1992)

Wendy Cope’s The Orange almost unexpectedly turn into a love poem, as the poet describes the increasing “peace and contentment” that comes from sharing a “huge orange” with her colleagues. This, she says, “made me so happy, / As ordinary things often do”.

The Orange by Wendy Cope.

Its description of a lovely but ordinary day ends with the affirming line “I love you. I’m glad I exist,” revealing that profound reflections can come from small moments.

Ellen Howley does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Eight of the most romantic poems to read to your love this Valentine’s Day – https://theconversation.com/eight-of-the-most-romantic-poems-to-read-to-your-love-this-valentines-day-248479

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: What to do if your partner wants to speak to your baby in a language you don’t understand

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Una Cunningham, Professor emerita, Department of Teaching and Learning, Stockholm University

Mladen Zivkovic/Shutterstock

Finding out you and your partner are expecting a baby throws many discussions that might have once been hypothetical into stark relief. This certainly may be the case if your partner speaks another language beyond the one spoken where you live and that the two of you communicate in.

“I’d like to bring the baby up to speak my language”, they say, and suddenly what seemed a wonderful idea – a bilingual child – might throw up panicked visions of being left out of private jokes and conversations at the dinner table. But growing up with two or more languages can be hugely beneficial for children, and there’s plenty you can do to help out and get involved.

When children acquire a minority language – a language other than the dominant language or languages in the place they live – spoken by one or both parents, they have the key to that culture. It offers the possibility of a deep relationship with extended family and others they might otherwise not be able to talk to at all. You really want to do everything in your power to support your partner and your child in this venture.

Learning something of your partner’s language will effectively solve your problem. You may be able to join a class to learn the language or even just use a language app such as Duolingo to get a head start on vocabulary and basic phrases. This becomes more challenging if the language in question is not a standard variety or is a language not spoken by many people.

If a parent is proficient in a lower-status and higher-status variety of a language – such as Cypriot Greek and standard Greek, or colloquial Singapore English and standard English – it may be tempting to want the child to learn the high-status variety. But the lower-status variety might be the one that the child will need to be able to visit family and feel like an insider. The higher-status variety can be added later if and when your child needs or wants it.

Even if you’re learning a non-standard language, and it takes time to achieve proficiency, you can learn a lot of useful language along with your baby. You just need to understand the gist of a conversation to be able to join in in your own language, and honestly, most conversations with a baby are not difficult to follow.

Even minimal effort towards learning to understand the language is worthwhile for the goodwill it encompasses. Just accepting that your partner will use another language with your child is really enough.

Family language policy

If your partner is speaking their language most of the time with your child, you don’t need to aspire to do that. Your job is to speak the other language.

Together you, your partner and your child will develop a family language policy about who speaks which language to whom. A popular approach is one-person-one-language: you speak your language to your child, your partner speaks theirs to them, and as parents you communicate in any available language, usually what you spoke together before you became parents.

This leads to dinner-table conversations with two or more languages, but children manage this easily. A major advantage of each parent mostly sticking to one language is that it is easier to get into the habit of using the languages, particularly a minority language that might not have had a place in your life as a couple before your baby was born.

The family linguistic repertoire can be said to be partially shared, with your child as the winner of the jackpot, developing skills in at least a couple of the languages spoken by their parents.

Learning the language spoken by extended family will help children build a relationship with them.
Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock

Welcoming your partner’s language into your home means that you are preparing the ground for them and their extended family to support your child’s language development.

Grandparents are a powerful resource, especially if they have limited proficiency in the majority language – the language most commonly spoken where you live. They are often very motivated to help your child develop proficiency in their language so that they can have a relationship with them.

Your partner will face challenges, particularly as the child gets older and has more opportunity to hear and use the majority language with other children. It is likely that the child will at some point answer your partner in the majority language. Help them both to persevere with using the minority language.

Encourage your partner and child to make trips without you to environments where the minority language is spoken. You can help your partner create a linguistic landscape in your home: put up alphabet posters, and get books and children’s TV shows and films in their language.

Don’t worry about the majority language – your child has you and the surrounding community to support their majority language development. There is zero risk that your child will end up monolingual in the minority language if they have the opportunity to use the majority language with you and outside the home. Together, you and your partner can give your baby the gift of bilingualism.

Una Cunningham does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. What to do if your partner wants to speak to your baby in a language you don’t understand – https://theconversation.com/what-to-do-if-your-partner-wants-to-speak-to-your-baby-in-a-language-you-dont-understand-248588

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI China: China’s economy poised for steady growth in 2025: central bank

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

BEIJING, Feb. 13 — China’s economy is expected to maintain stable growth in 2025, according to the Q4 2024 monetary policy report released by the People’s Bank of China on Thursday.

Stimulus measures rolled out in late 2024 have already begun to revitalize production, demand, and market sentiment, which will further sustain the recovery momentum, according to the report.

Domestic demand has shown great potential for improvement, with measures to boost consumption and investment delivering standout results. Notably, retail sales for home appliances jumped 11.8 percent year on year in 2024.

China will adopt a more proactive fiscal policy and a moderately loose monetary policy, prioritizing the stabilization of prices at reasonable levels, the central bank said.

Monetary authorities will deepen market-driven exchange rate reforms, strengthen foreign exchange market resilience, and enhance cross-border capital flow monitoring, in a bid to ensure the yuan remains stable at an equilibrium level.

China will accelerate institutional reforms and high-standard financial market opening, with measures to advance the yuan’s global use in cross-border trade and investment, and deepen international currency cooperation, the central bank added.

MIL OSI China News –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Sam Kerr verdict: what it means for law in the UK and the star athlete’s soccer career

Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Megan McElhone, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Monash University

A London court has found Sam Kerr not guilty of the racially aggravated harassment of Metropolitan Police officer Stephen Lovell.

As captain of the Australian women’s national soccer team, Kerr was widely condemned when news broke she had used a “racial slur” against an officer during an altercation.

The high-profile incident sparked debate across the globe.

Initially, former Australian soccer player Craig Foster criticised Kerr’s behaviour before retracting it and publicly apologising to her.

Meanwhile, politicians and academics argued her comments did not amount to racism given the power dynamics at play: not only is Kerr of Indian descent, but official inquiries have found the Metropolitan Police to be institutionally racist.

Historically, police have played a role in sustaining colonialism, racism and white supremacy. Calling Kerr’s words racist overlooks that they don’t accord with an entrenched, global system of power.

What happened that night?

Kerr has maintained she and her partner – United States’ women’s national team player Kristie Mewis – believed they were being kidnapped by a cab driver.

He refused to let them out of the cab after Kerr vomited, taking them to Twickenham police station instead of their destination.

There, Mewis broke the cab window in an attempt to get out of the vehicle.

At the station, Kerr reportedly appealed to officers to “understand the emergency that both of us felt”, referencing the 2021 abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a Metropolitan Police officer.

The commissioned inquiry into Everard’s murder characterised the Metropolitan Police as institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic.

However, Kerr soon faced an allegation of racism after becoming distressed and antagonistic towards the officers.

Believing they were siding with the cab driver after forming negative preconceptions because of her skin colour, she repeated “you guys are stupid and white, you guys are fucking stupid and white”.

What are the legal ramifications in the UK?

Kerr pleaded not guilty to the offence of intentionally causing harassment, alarm, or distress to another by using threatening, abusive, or insulting words under Section 4A of the Public Order Act 1986, and to the racial aggravation of the offence per the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.

She faced a maximum sentence of two years’ imprisonment and an unlimited fine.

Kerr accepted she used the words “fucking stupid and white”. But it still had to be proven she intended and caused harassment, alarm, or distress to Lovell and that the offence was racially motivated.

Initially, the Crown Prosecution Service concluded there was not enough evidence to charge Kerr.

But after receiving a request from the Metropolitan Police to review the case, and a new statement from Lovell about Kerr’s words making him feel “belittled” and “upset”, they authorised police to charge the athlete.

A jury found her not guilty after a seven-day trial.

Broadly speaking, public order offences criminalise words and behaviour that might breach the peace. Police have significant discretion to use these offences as tools to regulate people’s uses of public space.

In Australia and the UK, police have been shown to use these powers in discriminatory ways.

Kerr has conceded her behaviour was regrettable but the charge against her is difficult to align with the purpose of public order legislation.

What does it mean for Kerr’s soccer career?

It is unclear what this verdict means for Kerr’s career.

Her English club, Chelsea, is anticipating she will return from a long-term knee injury soon.

It is possible the club was kept in the loop about Kerr’s altercation with police from the beginning, as she reportedly threatened to involve its lawyers in the body-cam footage shown at trial.

The club is yet to make a statement about the trial or verdict.

Football Australia is in a different position though, having been blindsided by the news Kerr had been charged by police.

The fact Kerr is the captain of the Matildas, and the sport’s highest-profile marketing asset, adds layers of complexity to Football Australia’s decision-making.

CEO of Football Australia James Johnson declined to weigh in on Kerr’s captaincy until her trial concluded.

It is possible the governing body will impose a sanction, with Kerr falling afoul of clause 2.14 of their national code of conduct and ethics after being charged with a criminal offence.

Kerr could return to the pitch later this month, but has been left out of the Matildas squad for the SheBelieves Cup in the US because of her fitness.

With the AFC Women’s Asian Cup on the horizon, interim Matildas head coach Tom Sermanni no doubt hopes her recovery stays on track.

Meanwhile, Kerr is yet to play under Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor. She could prove crucial as the club chases an elusive UEFA Women’s Champions League title, but faces competition for her spot.

Megan McElhone does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Sam Kerr verdict: what it means for law in the UK and the star athlete’s soccer career – https://theconversation.com/sam-kerr-verdict-what-it-means-for-law-in-the-uk-and-the-star-athletes-soccer-career-249153

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Hate speech on X surged for at least 8 months after Elon Musk takeover – new research

Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Michael Jensen, Associate professor, Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis, University of Canberra, University of Canberra

Kemarrravv13/Shutterstock

Hate speech on X was consistently 50% higher for at least eight months after tech billionaire Elon Musk bought the social media platform, new research has found.

The research looked at the prevalence of overt hate speech including a wide range of racist, homophobic and transphobic slurs.

The study, published today in PLOS ONE, was conducted by a team of researchers led by Daniel Hickney from the University of California, Berkeley.

It clearly demonstrates how a platform initially invented to help friends and family stay in touch has now metamorphosed into a place where hate speech is prolific. This is especially concerning given hate speech online has been linked to violent hate crimes offline.

A long list of promises

On October 27 2022, Musk officially purchased X (then known as Twitter) for US$44 billion and became its CEO. His takeover was accompanied by promises to reduce hate speech on the platform and tackle bots and other inauthentic accounts.

But after he bought X, Musk made several changes to the platform to reduce content moderation. For example, in November 2022 he fired much of the company’s full time workforce. He also fired outsourced content moderators who tracked abuse on X, despite research showing social medial platforms with high levels of content moderation contain less hate speech.

The following month, Musk also disbanded the platform’s Trust and Safety Council – a volunteer advisory group of independent human rights leaders and academics formed in 2016 to fight hate speech and other problems on the platform.

Previous research has shown hate speech increased on X immediately after Musk took over. So too did the prevalence of most types of bots.

This new study is the first to show that this wasn’t an anomaly.

Hate speech including homophobic, racist and transphobic slurs was significantly higher on X after Elon Musk bought the platform. The black lines represent standard errors.
Hickey et al., 2025 / PLOS One

More than 4 million posts

The study examined 4.7 million English language posts on X from the beginning of 2022 through to June 9 2023. This period includes the ten months before Musk bought X and the eight months afterwards.

The study measured overt hate speech, the meaning of which was clear to anyone who saw it – speech attacking identity groups or using toxic language. It did not measure covert types of hate speech, such as coded language used by some extremist groups to spread hate but plausibly deny doing so.

As well as measuring the amount of hate speech on X, the study also measured how much other users engaged with this material by liking it.

The researchers’ access to X data was cut off during the study due to a policy change by the platform, replacing free access to approved academic researchers with payment options which are generally unaffordable. This significantly hampered their ability to collect sample posts. But they don’t mention whether it affected their results.

A clear increase in hate

The study found “a clear increase” in the average number of posts containing hate speech following Musk’s purchase of X. Specifically, the volume of posts containing hate speech was “consistently” 50% higher after Musk took over X compared to beforehand – a jump from an estimated average of 2,179 to 3,246 posts containing hate speech per week.

Transphobic slurs saw the highest increase, rising from an average of roughly 115 posts per week before Musk’s acquisition to an average of 418 afterwards.

The level of user engagement with posts containing hate speech also increased under Musk’s watch. For example, the weekly rate at which hate speech content was liked by users jumped by 70%.

The researchers say these results suggest either hate speech wasn’t taken down, hateful users became more active, the platform’s algorithm unintentionally promoted hate speech to users who like such content – or a combination of these possibilities.

The study also detected no decrease in the activity of inauthentic accounts on X. In fact, it found a “potential increase” in the number of bot accounts partly based on a large upswing in posts promoting cryptocurrency, which are typically associated with bots.

An important data-driving deep dive

There were a number of limitations to the study. For example, it only measured hate speech posts in English, which accounts for only 31% of posts on the platform.

Even so, the study is an important, data-driven deep dive into the state of X. It shows it is a platform where hate speech is prolific. It also shows Musk has failed to fulfil his earlier promises to address problems on X such as hate speech and bot activity.

As Musk himself said at the White House earlier this week: “Some of the things I say will be incorrect and should be corrected”.

Michael Jensen receives funding from the Australian Research Council, Bayer, and the Australian Department of Defence Science and Technology Group.

– ref. Hate speech on X surged for at least 8 months after Elon Musk takeover – new research – https://theconversation.com/hate-speech-on-x-surged-for-at-least-8-months-after-elon-musk-takeover-new-research-249603

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI: NANO Nuclear Energy to be Included in MSCI USA Index as of February 28, 2025

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

New York, N.Y., Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NNE) (“NANO Nuclear” or “the Company”), a leading advanced nuclear energy and technology company focused on developing clean energy solutions, is pleased to announce that it has been included in the MSCI USA Index, effective as of February 28, 2025, following the February index review by MSCI Inc.

The MSCI USA Index is a part of the MSCI Global Small Cap Indexes, which capture small cap representation across 23 Developed Market countries. The index covers approximately 14% of the free float-adjusted market capitalization in each country. MSCI is a leading provider of decision support tools and services for the global investment community, backed by over 50 years of expertise in research, data, and technology. Widely recognized by international financial markets and referenced by global investment institutions, MSCI’s stock indexes cover high-performing, high-potential companies.

“Our addition to the MSCI US Index is a validation of our business approach and trajectory as we continue to build upon a great 2024, during which our company was the top performing initial public offering in the U.S.,” said Jay Yu, Founder and Chairman of NANO Nuclear Energy. “We believe this will also significantly enhance our visibility and accessibility among capital markets and institutional investors worldwide. This continued global access will play a part to reinforce our position as a leading innovator in the advanced nuclear energy technology sector.”

Figure 1 – NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. Announces its Inclusion in the MSCI USA Index, effective February 28, 2025.

“Building on a strong 2024 for NANO Nuclear, we’re thrilled to begin 2025 with our inclusion in the MSCI USA Index,” said James Walker, Chief Executive Officer and Head of Reactor Development of NANO Nuclear Energy. “This milestone reflects the market’s growing appetite for next-generation nuclear energy technologies and endorses our strategic growth initiatives. We are eager to build on this achievement in the coming months.”

About NANO Nuclear Energy, Inc.

NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NNE) is an advanced technology-driven nuclear energy company seeking to become a commercially focused, diversified, and vertically integrated company across five business lines: (i) cutting edge portable and other microreactor technologies, (ii) nuclear fuel fabrication, (iii) nuclear fuel transportation, (iv) nuclear applications for space and (v) nuclear industry consulting services. NANO Nuclear believes it is the first portable nuclear microreactor company to be listed publicly in the U.S.

Led by a world-class nuclear engineering team, NANO Nuclear’s reactor products in development include “ZEUS”, a solid core battery reactor, and “ODIN”, a low-pressure coolant reactor, each representing advanced developments in clean energy solutions that are portable, on-demand capable, advanced nuclear microreactors. NANO Nuclear is also developing patented stationary KRONOS MMR^™ Energy System and space focused, portable LOKI MMR^™.

Advanced Fuel Transportation Inc. (AFT), a NANO Nuclear subsidiary, is led by former executives from the largest transportation company in the world aiming to build a North American transportation company that will provide commercial quantities of HALEU fuel to small modular reactors, microreactor companies, national laboratories, military, and DOE programs. Through NANO Nuclear, AFT is the exclusive licensee of a patented high-capacity HALEU fuel transportation basket developed by three major U.S. national nuclear laboratories and funded by the Department of Energy. Assuming development and commercialization, AFT is expected to form part of the only vertically integrated nuclear fuel business of its kind in North America.

HALEU Energy Fuel Inc. (HEF), a NANO Nuclear subsidiary, is focusing on the future development of a domestic source for a High-Assay, Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) fuel fabrication pipeline for NANO Nuclear’s own microreactors as well as the broader advanced nuclear reactor industry.

NANO Nuclear Space Inc. (NNS), a NANO Nuclear subsidiary, is exploring the potential commercial applications of NANO Nuclear’s developing micronuclear reactor technology in space. NNS is focusing on applications such as the LOKI MMR^™ system and other power systems for extraterrestrial projects and human sustaining environments, and potentially propulsion technology for long haul space missions. NNS’ initial focus will be on cis-lunar applications, referring to uses in the space region extending from Earth to the area surrounding the Moon’s surface.

For more corporate information please visit: https://NanoNuclearEnergy.com/

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Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This news release and statements of NANO Nuclear’s management in connection with this news release contain or may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In this context, forward-looking statements mean statements related to future events, which may impact our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as “expects”, “anticipates”, “intends”, “plans”, “believes”, “potential”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “would” or “may” and other words of similar meaning. In this press release, forward-looking statements include those related to the anticipated benefits of being included in the MSCI USA Index as described herein. These and other forward-looking statements are based on information available to us as of the date of this news release and represent management’s current views and assumptions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, events or results and involve significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may be beyond our control. For NANO Nuclear, particular risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements include but are not limited to the following: (i) risks related to our U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) or related state or non-U.S. nuclear fuel licensing submissions, (ii) risks related the development of new or advanced technology and the acquisition of complimentary technology or businesses, including difficulties with design and testing, cost overruns, regulatory delays, integration issues and the development of competitive technology, (iii) our ability to obtain contracts and funding to be able to continue operations, (iv) risks related to uncertainty regarding our ability to technologically develop and commercially deploy a competitive advanced nuclear reactor or other technology in the timelines we anticipate, if ever, (v) risks related to the impact of U.S. and non-U.S. government regulation, policies and licensing requirements, including by the DOE and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, including those associated with the recently enacted ADVANCE Act, and (vi) similar risks and uncertainties associated with the operating an early stage business a highly regulated and rapidly evolving industry. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this news release. These factors may not constitute all factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in any forward-looking statement, and NANO Nuclear therefore encourages investors to review other factors that may affect future results in its filings with the SEC, which are available for review at www.sec.gov and at https://ir.nanonuclearenergy.com/financial-information/sec-filings. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as a predictor of actual results. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this news release, except as required by law.

Attachment

The MIL Network –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI: FE International Advises Acquisition of Link My Books by Visma

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

NEW YORK, Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FE International, the leading firm in lower and middle market tech M&A, is proud to announce the successful acquisition of Link My Books, an automated bookkeeping platform, by Visma, a global leader in cloud software solutions.

Link My Books is a software solution catering to e-Commerce merchants offering streamlined accounting solutions. The Company’s services focus on automating financial processes and reconciling sales data across multiple e-Commerce platforms with popular accounting software such as Xero and QuickBooks.

The accounting software market was valued at $18 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach $34 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 14%. In recent years, Link My Books grew revenue 40% YoY – exemplary growth for a platform in the vertical.

Visma, the acquirer, is a privately held company that provides cloud accounting, payroll, invoicing, and HR business software products. This partnership will expand the resources available to Link My Books customers while maintaining their autonomy and customer-first approach.

“Visma shares our vision of simplifying financial processes for businesses of all sizes,” said Link My Books CEO Dan Little in a recent announcement by the business. “Their extensive experience in B2B cloud software and their reputation for fostering innovation make them the perfect partner for Link My Books.”

FE International is a leader in strategic acquisitions for sector-specific platforms, especially in fintech and ecommerce – where the team has successfully completed hundreds of deals. “Our in-depth knowledge of the space and industry connections helped us easily identify Visma as the ideal partner to drive Link My Books to international success,” said Ashley Bohn, Vice President at FE International and deal lead.

Learn more about Fintech and Ecommerce M&A in the recent industry reports published by the firm.

About FE International

Founded in 2010, FE International is an award-winning strategic advisor for technology businesses. FE’s team has completed over 1,500 transactions with a combined value of over $50 billion. FE International was named one of The Americas’ Fastest Growing Companies from 2020 to 2024 by the Financial Times and is also a four-time Inc. 5000 company.

About Link My Books

Link My Books automates the bookkeeping for e-commerce businesses in a way that cannot be achieved manually. They pair a deep understanding of the intricacies of selling online with cutting edge technology resulting in accounts that are accurate, automated and on time.

About Visma

Visma develops and delivers software to small businesses, medium businesses, and the public sector – improving the work-life of millions of people around the world. Their software simplifies and automates complex and manual work processes, empowering people’s everyday lives.

Media Contact:
Gaj Tanwar
Marketing Coordinator, FE International
Email: gaj.tanwar@feinternational.com

The MIL Network –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI: The Now Corporation (OTC: NWPN) Reduces Debt by $5 Million in Exchange for Off-Road EV Design and Announces Website Revamp
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Key Points:

Financial Strength & Debt Reduction
- Debt Reduction of $5 Million: The Now Corporation (OTC: NWPN) has significantly improved its financial position by reducing $5 million in convertible debt.
- Strategic Agreement with Medican Enterprises Inc.: Debt was exchanged for the research, development, and design of an advanced off-road electric vehicle.
Off-Road EV Innovation
- Cutting-Edge Electric Vehicle Development: The new EV will feature a quad-motor configuration, solid-state battery technology, adjustable air suspension (24 inches of clearance), and superior off-road capabilities.
- Green Rain Solar’s Expertise: The Now Corporation’s subsidiary, Green Rain Solar Inc., will lead the R&D, leveraging its strength in renewable energy and battery management.
Profit-Sharing Partnership
- 50/50 Revenue Split: Medican Enterprises Inc. retains ownership of the brand and IP, while The Now Corporation leads development. Net profits from commercial sales will be split evenly.
Corporate Digital Expansion
- Website Revamp & Enhanced Online Presence: The Now Corporation is launching a fully redesigned corporate website (www.greenrainenergy.com) within 24 hours to provide investors and stakeholders with streamlined access to company updates.
Strategic Vision & Industry Impact
- Commitment to Renewable Energy & EV Technologies: The Now Corporation aims to revolutionize off-road EVs by integrating solar-powered innovations and sustainable energy solutions through Green Rain Solar.
- Market Leadership in Urban & Grid-Connected Solar Solutions: The company specializes in urban rooftop solar installations and advanced battery storage for high-energy-cost regions.
PASADENA, Calif., Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Now Corporation (OTC: NWPN) (“Now” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce a significant improvement in its financial position by reducing its outstanding debt by $5 million. This milestone has been achieved through a strategic agreement with Medican Enterprises Inc. (“Medican”), further strengthening the Company’s commitment to innovation in the renewable energy and electric vehicle (EV) sectors.

Under the terms of the agreement, The Now Corporation has exchanged $5 million of convertible debt in consideration for the research, development, and design of an advanced off-road electric vehicle. This cutting-edge EV is being engineered to surpass current market offerings, featuring a quad-motor configuration, solid-state battery technology, an adjustable air suspension system with up to 24 inches of clearance, and superior off-road capabilities designed for extreme terrains.

Green Rain Solar: Powering the Future of EV Innovation

The Now Corporation, through its wholly owned subsidiary Green Rain Solar Inc., possesses the technical expertise and experienced engineering team necessary to complete the design of this state-of-the-art off-road EV. Green Rain Solar is an industry leader in sustainable energy solutions, specializing in solar-powered innovations and energy grid integration. The subsidiary’s deep-rooted knowledge in advanced energy storage, battery management systems, and renewable power applications positions The Now Corporation as a formidable player in the electric mobility space.

“The completion of this agreement strengthens our balance sheet while positioning The Now Corporation as an innovator in the off-road EV market,” said Alfredo Papadakis, CEO of The Now Corporation. “Through our subsidiary Green Rain Solar, we have assembled a world-class team with the expertise to bring this revolutionary vehicle to life. This project represents a bold step toward integrating cutting-edge electric vehicle technology with sustainable energy solutions.”

As part of the agreement, Medican Enterprises Inc. will retain full ownership of the EV’s brand, intellectual property, and proprietary technologies, while The Now Corporation, through Green Rain Solar, will lead the research and development efforts necessary to complete the vehicle’s design.

Profit-Sharing Agreement:

Once the off-road EV is fully developed, produced, and commercially sold, all net profits will be equally divided (50%/50%) between The Now Corporation and Medican Enterprises Inc.. This profit-sharing structure ensures that both parties benefit from the success of the vehicle while reinforcing The Now Corporation’s commitment to long-term value creation.

Corporate Website Revamp: New Online Presence Goes Live

In addition to this major debt reduction and development initiative, The Now Corporation is excited to announce the full revamp of its corporate website, www.greenrainenergy.com. The newly designed website will provide investors, stakeholders, and customers with enhanced access to information about the Company’s projects, ongoing developments, and strategic vision. The website is scheduled to go live within the next 24 hours.

A Strong Future for The Now Corporation

The Now Corporation remains committed to pioneering advancements in renewable energy and electric vehicle technologies. The Company believes that leveraging its expertise through Green Rain Solar will allow it to set new industry standards for sustainable off-road transportation. Additional updates on the EV project and other strategic initiatives will be provided as developments progress.

About The Now Corporation:

The Now Corporation (OTC: NWPN) is committed to advancing clean energy solutions through its subsidiary, Green Rain Solar Inc. Green Rain Solar focuses on urban rooftop solar installations and grid-connected power solutions, targeting markets with high energy costs. By combining state-of-the-art solar and battery technologies, The Now Corporation is dedicated to driving innovation and sustainability in the renewable energy sector.

About Green Rain Solar Inc.:

Green Rain Solar Inc., a subsidiary of The Now Corporation (OTC: NWPN), is a solar energy utility company specializing in urban solar energy and grid integration. The company develops innovative rooftop solar projects to transform sunlight into grid-connected power, promoting sustainable energy solutions for high-cost urban areas.

Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and is subject to the safe harbor created by those sections. This material contains statements about expected future events and/or financial results that are forward-looking in nature and subject to risks and uncertainties. This includes the possibility that the business outlined in this press release may not be concluded due to unforeseen technical, installation, permitting, or other challenges. Such forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of The Now Corporation to differ materially from those expressed herein. Except as required under U.S. federal securities laws, The Now Corporation undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

For press inquiries, please contact:
Michael Cimino
Michael@pubcopr.com

The MIL Network –
February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI: Phunware Appoints Jeremy Krol as Chief Operating Officer

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Phunware, Inc. (“Phunware” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: PHUN), a leader in enterprise cloud solutions for mobile applications, today announced the appointment of Jeremy Krol as Chief Operating Officer (COO) effective February 10, 2025. Mr. Krol, who joined Phunware in June 2024 and most recently held the position of Fractional COO, brings more than 20 years of experience with a background in engineering, finance, and technology startups. He will oversee the Company’s operations to ensure the business is scalable and aligned with objectives that drive meaningful impact.

“Jeremy is a strategic operator who blends sharp analytical thinking with intuitive leadership,” said Stephen Chen, CEO of Phunware. “He has a natural talent for problem-solving, system optimization, and team empowerment. He is a major asset to Phunware and will be an integral part of the Phunware team moving forward.”

Mr. Krol has spent his career optimizing business operations, integrating technology with market needs, and leading high-performing teams through complex transitions. He excels at bringing structure to ambiguity, leveraging proven frameworks like the Entrepreneurial Operating System to instill operational rigor while maintaining adaptability in a fast-moving industry.

“I am looking forward to my increased leadership role with Phunware. I aim to distill complex challenges into clear, actionable steps to foster collaboration and momentum within the organization,” said Mr. Krol. “I feel that my ability to bridge strategy with people will prove to be beneficial for the Company.”

Prior to Phunware, Jeremy worked extensively with tech startups and SMBs, guiding them through scaling challenges, refining go-to-market strategies, and developing resilient business models. His leadership style is grounded in curiosity, pragmatism, and a commitment to building strong, accountable teams. Whether navigating market shifts or refining internal processes, Jeremy is dedicated to driving Phunware’s continued evolution and expansion into new verticals.

About Phunware

Phunware, Inc. (NASDAQ: PHUN) is an enterprise software company specializing in mobile app solutions with integrated intelligent capabilities. We provide businesses with the tools to create, implement, and manage custom mobile applications, analytics, digital advertising, and location-based services. Phunware is transforming mobile engagement by delivering scalable, personalized, and data-driven mobile app experiences.

Phunware’s mission is to achieve unparalleled connectivity and monetization through the widespread adoption of Phunware mobile technologies, leveraging brands, consumers, partners, digital asset holders, and market participants. Phunware is poised to expand its software products and services audience through its new Generative AI platform, utilize and monetize its patents and other intellectual property, and reintroduce its digital asset ecosystem for existing holders and new market participants.

For more information on Phunware, please visit www.phunware.com. To better understand and leverage generative AI and Phunware’s mobile app technologies, visit ai.phunware.com

Safe Harbor / Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, business strategy and plans, and our objectives for future operations, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “will,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. For example, Phunware is using forward-looking statements when it discusses the adoption and impact of emerging technologies and their use across mobile engagement platforms.

The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. These forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties, and other assumptions that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors” in our filings with the SEC. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. We caution you that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that our actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

Investor Relations Contact:

Chris Tyson, Executive Vice President
MZ Group – MZ North America
949-491-8235
PHUN@mzgroup.us
www.mzgroup.us

Phunware Media Contact:

Joe McGurk, Managing Director
917-259-6895
PHUN@mzgroup.us

The MIL Network –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI: Thrive Acquires Secured Network Services

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

BOSTON, Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Thrive, a global technology outsourcing provider for cybersecurity, Cloud, and IT managed services, today announced the acquisition of Secured Network Services (SNS), a leading New Hampshire-based IT provider for organizations across industries, including healthcare, non-profit, and municipal government. The acquisition will enable Thrive to enter the New Hampshire market to deepen its presence in New England, bringing its industry-leading global Security Operation Center (SOC) & Hybrid Cloud solutions to SNS’ customers.

Cyber regulations are continuing to get more complex across industries – for example, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is facing several proposed changes to its Privacy and Security rules in 2025. With the acquisition of SNS, Thrive will deepen its vertical industry knowledge, ensuring healthcare, non-profit, and government customers are backed with the latest industry insights to navigate these challenging landscapes. Together, Thrive and SNS will enable customers in New Hampshire and beyond to have access to industry-leading resources and Thrive’s global high-touch 24x7x365 service mandate.

“SNS’ similar philosophy of providing the highest caliber of technical expertise and unwavering dedication to customers greatly resonated with us,” said Bill McLaughlin, CEO of Thrive. “Coupled with their deep vertical knowledge, SNS will ensure we continue delivering the best technology solutions to businesses across industries.”

This acquisition builds upon Thrive’s tremendous growth, having completed eleven previous acquisitions over the past two years, most recently acquiring Michigan-based Safety Net and North Carolina-based The Longleaf Network. Along with geographic expansion, Thrive also received a strategic investment from Berkshire Partners and Court Square Capital Partners to continue scaling the capabilities of the company.

“Our team is excited to accelerate our growth and enable our customers to have access to Thrive’s NextGen solutions,” Kevin M. Low, Founder & CEO at SNS. “Our mission of helping businesses get the most from their technology aligns seamlessly with Thrive’s dedication to delivering outsized ROI and the best technology outcomes for each customer. We look forward to advancing our capabilities to better help our customers navigate the complex IT landscape with Thrive’s partnership.”

To learn more about Thrive and its offerings, visit the website. 

About Thrive 
Thrive delivers global technology outsourcing for cybersecurity, Cloud, networking, and other complex IT requirements. Thrive’s NextGen platform enables customers to increase business efficiencies through standardization, scalability, and automation, delivering oversized technology returns on investment (ROI). They accomplish this with advisory services, vCISO, vCIO, consulting, project implementation, solution architects, and a best-in-class subscription-based technology platform. Thrive delivers exceptional high-touch service through its POD approach of subject matter experts and global 24x7x365 SOC, NOC, and centralized services teams. Learn more at www.thrivenextgen.com or follow us on LinkedIn. 

Contacts 
Amanda Maguire 
thrive@v2comms.com  

The MIL Network –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI: Banzai Fully Regains Compliance with Nasdaq Continued Listing Requirements

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

SEATTLE, Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Banzai International, Inc. (Nasdaq: BNZI) (“Banzai” or the “Company”), a leading marketing technology company that provides essential marketing and sales solutions, today announced that it has received a notification letter from the Hearings Department of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) notifying the Company that it has demonstrated compliance with the minimum stockholders’ equity requirement under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(1). The Company’s securities will therefore continue to be listed and traded on The Nasdaq Capital Market.

Banzai previously received a notification letter from the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Department on August 6, 2024, notifying the Company that its market value of listed securities was below the minimum requirement for continued listing on The Nasdaq Global Market, as outlined in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(b)(2)(A). As a result, the Company requested a hearing before a Nasdaq Hearings Panel (the “Panel”). At the hearing, the Company requested a phase-down to The Nasdaq Capital Market. The Panel granted the Company’s request for a phase-down pursuant to an exception to the stockholders’ equity requirement on that market.

Following the Company’s recent acquisition of Vidello Limited, which closed on January 31 2025, the Company filed a Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission, on January 31, 2025, demonstrating that it had regained compliance with the stockholders’ equity requirement for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market. As a result, the Panel determined that the Company had achieved compliance with the stockholders’ equity requirement and determined to close the Nasdaq compliance review. The Company will continue to be traded on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the trading symbol BNZI.

About Banzai

Banzai is a marketing technology company that provides AI-enabled marketing and sales solutions for businesses of all sizes. On a mission to help their customers grow, Banzai enables companies of all sizes to target, engage, and measure both new and existing customers more effectively. Banzai customers include Cisco, New York Life, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Thinkific, Doodle and ActiveCampaign, among thousands of others. Learn more at www.banzai.io. For investors, please visit https://ir.banzai.io.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements often use words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “target,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “would,” “propose,” “plan,” “project,” “forecast,” “predict,” “potential,” “seek,” “future,” “outlook,” and similar variations and expressions. Forward-looking statements are those that do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. Examples of forward-looking statements may include, among others, statements regarding Banzai International, Inc.’s (the “Company’s”): future financial, business and operating performance and goals; annualized recurring revenue and customer retention; ongoing, future or ability to maintain or improve its financial position, cash flows, and liquidity and its expected financial needs; potential financing and ability to obtain financing; acquisition strategy and proposed acquisitions and, if completed, their potential success and financial contributions; strategy and strategic goals, including being able to capitalize on opportunities; expectations relating to the Company’s industry, outlook and market trends; total addressable market and serviceable addressable market and related projections; plans, strategies and expectations for retaining existing or acquiring new customers, increasing revenue and executing growth initiatives; and product areas of focus and additional products that may be sold in the future. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity and development of the industry in which the Company operates may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Therefore, investors should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially include changes in the markets in which the Company operates, customer demand, the financial markets, economic, business and regulatory and other factors, such as the Company’s ability to execute on its strategy. More detailed information about risk factors can be found in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q under the heading “Risk Factors,” and in other reports filed by the Company, including reports on Form 8-K. The Company does not undertake any duty to update forward-looking statements after the date of this press release.

Investor Relations
Chris Tyson
Executive Vice President
MZ Group – MZ North America
949-491-8235
BNZI@mzgroup.us
www.mzgroup.us

Media
Rachel Meyrowitz
Director, Demand Generation, Banzai
media@banzai.io

The MIL Network –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI: DriveItAway Holdings, Inc. Secures a Credit Line Guaranty of 4 Million Dollars from Industry Leader Menachem Light, Who Will Chair the Board of Advisors

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Philadelphia, PA, Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

– The Credit Line Guaranty of $4 Million is to Further the DriveItAway Mission to Solve the Personal Transportation Problem of Entry Level Employees in the U.S., and Supply Vehicles for its Small Commercial Enterprises, by Enabling Individuals and Small Businesses the Ability to Drive and Then Buy Quality Vehicles on the DriveItAway all Digital Flexible Lease Subscription Mobility Platform

– The Funding Guaranty is from Fleet and Mobility Technology Leader Menachem Light, the Co-Founder of Voyager Global Mobility (VGM) the innovative mobility supply company that provides professionally managed vehicles in North America to driver and software company partners through its internally operated companies and its wholly owned subsidiaries Buggy TLC (United States), FastTrack Leasing TLC (United States) and Mi Nave (Mexico)

– Menachem Light will immediately Chair DriveItAway Holdings Inc.’s newly created Board of Advisors, as the Company Broadens its Resources with Leaders with Deep Industry Expertise,

DriveItAway Holdings, Inc. ( OTC Marketplace: DWAY) (“DriveItAway” and “Company”), an automotive industry leader in new digital mobility platforms with its unique “micro-lease/subscription to purchase” technology, continues to gain traction and visibility in its mission to enable all to drive, and then buy, affordable quality personal transportation, announces today the closing of a four million dollar credit line funding guaranty from Menachem Light, a noted national leader in the vehicle rental industry. He has also agreed to serve on the Company’s Board of Advisors as Chairman.

Menachem Light, is the Co-Founder of Voyager Global Mobility (VGM), a growing mobility supply company that provides professionally managed vehicles in North America to driver and software company partners on the trillion-dollar asset side of the smart mobility industry: ride-hailing, on-demand travel, and car sharing. Through its internally operated companies and its wholly owned subsidiaries Buggy TLC (United States), FastTrack Leasing TLC (United States) and Mi Nave (Mexico), and partners closely with Uber, Lyft, Via, Didi, Turo and Getaround as it efficiently grows its market share in this hyper-fragmented supply industry.

DriveItAway will use the credit guaranty to increase its own company-owned fleet, operating on its unique app-based digital platform that easily and transparently provides vehicle subscriptions, long-term rentals and flexible leases to individuals, and now small businesses, regardless of credit score, credit history or cash down payment.

“According to Deloitte’s 2025 Global Automotive Consumer Study, 44% of 18-34 year olds in the US are somewhat or very interested in giving up vehicle ownership for subscription model, yet very few car dealerships offer vehicle subscriptions or flexible leases as an option,” says John F. Possumato, Founder & CEO of DriveItAway Holdings, Inc., “While we are fundamentally a turnkey Software as a Service for car dealerships who want to offer vehicle subscriptions and flexible leases to all prospects (including those who ‘fall of the buying grid’ due to a poor credit scores), increasing our own fleet of vehicles serves not only to increase revenues and continues to improve our technology, but also acts as an ‘open book’ example to our chosen supplier car dealer partners that may be interested in using our platform to provide this turnkey service with their own inventory, as a unique competitive advantage for gaining new potential vehicle prospects who are looking for such a service but who currently are not being offered this option – we don’t just offer SaaS, we put ‘our money where our mouth is’ in demonstrating, first hand, the returns and advantages.”

“As outlined in my ‘Year End Message to Shareholders’ last month, we believe that we are at the forefront of a massive opportunity for our new automotive retailing technology to solve the needs of a vast number of people and small businesses, and one of our goals for the new year is to work and be guided by the very best in our sector of the industry to reach our true potential,” continues Possumato, “which is why I am the most pleased and excited to announce that Menachem Light, a true industry icon, has agreed to Chair our newly created Board of Advisors to help us with long-term strategy and growth. We are very fortunate that Menachem will help us achieve and fully leverage the massive opportunity we see ahead.”

“As one of the original three co-founders of Buggy, which grew from just one vehicle in New York City to over 14,000 vehicles globally, I believe that I can truly help DriveItAway on this path to scale,” says Menachem Light, Co-Founder of Voyager Global Mobility. “I think there is tremendous opportunity here as the way people ‘acquire’ personal transportation begins to change, and DriveItAway provides the technology needed to enable all automotive retailers to adapt to these changes, which is why I am ‘all in’ in helping John and his team at DriveItAway achieve and leverage this tremendous scalable business.”

“Menachem Light, Co-Founder of Voyager Global Mobility, and I are scheduled as guests on an upcoming episode of ‘The EVs for Everyone Podcast‘ with Elena Ciccotelli, to discuss the future developments of automotive fleet and retailing technologies and where EVs fit into the mix,” notes Possumato.

DriveItAway will be filing its annual 10K for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and the Quarterly Report for the First Quarter December 31, 2024, in the near future.

Download the DriveItAway app today at DriveItAway.

About DriveItAway Holdings, Inc.

DriveItAway Holdings, Inc. is the first national dealer-focused mobility platform that enables car dealers to sell more vehicles in a seamless way through eCommerce, with its exclusive “Pay as You Go” app-based subscription. DriveItAway provides a comprehensive turn-key, solutions-driven program with proprietary mobile technology and driver app, insurance coverages, and training to get dealerships up and running quickly and profitably in emerging online sales opportunities, to gain sales and market share.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to expectations, beliefs, projections, future plans and strategies, anticipated events or trends and similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” or “potential” or the negative of these words and phrases or similar words or phrases which are predictions of or indicate future events or trends and which do not relate solely to historical matters. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control, and may cause actual results to differ significantly from those expressed in any forward-looking statement. All forward-looking statements reflect our good faith beliefs, assumptions, and expectations, but they are not guarantees of future performance. We caution investors not to unduly rely on any forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release.

The MIL Network –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Michael Mosoeu Moerane was a pioneering composer in South Africa. A new book is restoring his place in history

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Gwen Ansell, Associate of the Gordon Institute for Business Science, University of Pretoria

Composer and educator Michael Mosoeu Moerane (1904-1980) is probably best known for a few evergreen choral works, including Della and Sylvia, still sung by choirs across South Africa today.

And, of course, for his orchestral piece FatŠe laHeso (My Country). It had the distinction of being recorded by both the British and South African public broadcasters in an era when white minority rule denied even the existence of Black classical musicians.

Moerane teaches his son to play piano. Wits University Press

Apartheid held the identity of Black people in South Africa to be unchangeingly simple, rural and tribal. Sophisticated activities such as orchestral composing were both beyond their capacity and dangerously subversive.

But, as South African author and music scholar Christine Lucia’s biography of Moerane, The Times Do Not Permit, reveals, there was more to Moerane’s work than those few compositions. And a far more nuanced relationship with his oppressive political times. Moerane was vocal against the system, yet secured white university supervision. He was consulted by white ethnomusicologists. Yet still he was stereotyped and confined by apartheid rules.

I am a researcher into South African jazz and other genres and a teacher of writing. (Jazz, incidentally, was a genre that Moerane detested.) From my own work, I recognise many similarities between his story and the lives of jazz musicians I have studied: genteel homes with a piano in the parlour; after-dinner family music hours; the risk of instant dismissal for schoolteachers heard discussing anti-apartheid politics.

I recognise, too, the gaps in his music story that Lucia finds: the questions that scholars did not ask while more people were still alive to answer them.

Read more: Mzilikazi Khumalo: a stellar Zulu, African, Pan African and cosmopolitan composer

Her book matters because, at last, it asks and answers those questions. In how it assembles the answers, it helps us to start mapping the undiscovered continent of Black classical music under apartheid.

The book’s nearly 300 pages offer a detailed account of Moerane’s life, based on research and conversations with family and still-living contemporaries.

Lucia takes us through Moerane’s various roles in turn (student, teacher, choralist and more). It also analyses his compositions and their treatment of themes that range from spirituality and tradition to love and loss.

A reader can view Moerane’s life though these different lenses; together they add up to an intricate, multidimensional portrait.

Who was Michael Moerane?

Born in the Eastern Cape province and educated there and in neighbouring Basutoland (today Lesotho), Moerane stitched a music-teaching career together that moved between the two countries.

The Peka High School Orchestra and Moerane (front centre) in 1965. Courtesy Sophia Metsekae Moerane/Marumo Moerane

His own radical Africanist politics, the activism of family members, his marriage across apartheid-defined ethnic barriers (he was Sotho, his wife Xhosa) and the simple fact of being a Black composer exploring unconventional, modernist music meant he was often in the sights of repressive authorities in both countries. Lowering his profile every now and then (a new school, a more obscure place to live) was his best protection.

There’s real fear in some of his letters that all these moves would mean his written compositions would be lost or scattered. Yet remarkably, through all this, he managed to hold a family together, establish music ensembles and a reputation, and graduate with a music degree from the University of South Africa in 1941, a time when it was almost unknown for Black South Africans to receive a university education outside segregated black colleges. He was supported, through a unique arrangement, by supervision from the all-white Rhodes University College in his home province.

His external examiner, William Henry Bell, said of FatŠe laHeso (Moerane’s examination piece) that he “never had expected such a work to be written in South Africa and less so by a Native”.

Moerane’s A General Note on Modern Music, in his own handwriting. Courtesy Neo Mahase Moerane

Lucia’s account of how Moerane got there, and of the many compositions and long music teaching career that followed, is made even clearer through a rich variety of material. There are geographical, historical and musical road-maps, extracts from his manuscripts, evocative photographs of people and places, and probably the most complete catalogue of Moerane’s works to date.

The catalogue was put together from both archive records and fragments of sheet music surviving in the family piano-stool, where they were stored. It’s a poignant reminder of how much Black South African history is no longer available because of how apartheid repeatedly uprooted people and communities, with little chance to save family memorabilia.

White minority rule didn’t only restrict where Black South Africans could live and work but even how they could learn music. Tuition for Black music students was limited to writing in tonic sol-fa (doh-re-mi) notation. Excluded from the notation used in classical music, composers and performers who would have occupied concert stages were limited to community choirs and brass bands. That was part of Moerane’s story too.

Moerane’s Sylvia is still performed by choirs today.

His life matters because of all this.

A masterful book

The book traces the defiant survival and originality of this important figure and restores him in the country’s history. It adds detail and clarification to what was already known. It corrects confusions about dates and place names. If that were all the book had done, it would already have been a worthwhile contribution.

But Lucia’s way of telling the story adds significantly more. It brings Moerane alive through the texture of human voices and human detail, creating a read that is academic but far from dry. We hear, for example, his children recalling how strict he was during daily piano practice: “You would scramble to get a slot when my father wasn’t at home.”

The African Springtime Orchestra, 1952. Moerane stands at the back, his wife Betty seated. Courtesy Sophia Metsekae Moerane/Marumo Moerane/Jonathan Ball Publishers

But more: South African music under apartheid is often shown as the “soundtrack” to history. Or often the history is seen as mere “background” to the music. But Moerane’s music was not a soundtrack to history: it was part of history. His times were not a background to his music, they were an ingredient. Not so much because of the work but because of who he chose to be – and who he could not be.

The title, The Times Do Not Permit, is taken from a 1966 letter written by Moerane to music academic Percival Kirby, in polite response to a request for detailed information about his life:

Please be satisfied with the bare statement that the times do not permit.

That may seem cryptic to anybody who has not felt the iron heel of state repression. For those who have, it’s obvious: the more the authorities know about you, the more power they have over you.

Read more: An African violin? New study tests which indigenous woods could make one

So Lucia’s book allows us to enter a world that is distant from today’s experience and rejoice that such a full life was led and that now we know about it. But it also forces us to mourn the opportunities lost for him – and by earlier scholars looking into his life. How many other Black South African musicians have had their lives and legacies obscured like Michael Mosoeu Moerane’s was?

– Michael Mosoeu Moerane was a pioneering composer in South Africa. A new book is restoring his place in history
– https://theconversation.com/michael-mosoeu-moerane-was-a-pioneering-composer-in-south-africa-a-new-book-is-restoring-his-place-in-history-248948

MIL OSI Africa –

February 14, 2025

MIL-OSI Economics: RBI imposes monetary penalty on The Tiruppur Co-operative Urban Bank Ltd., Tamil Nadu

Source: Reserve Bank of India

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has, by an order dated February 07, 2025, imposed a monetary penalty of ₹1.50 lakh (Rupees One Lakh Fifty Thousand only) on The Tiruppur Co-operative Urban Bank Ltd., Tamil Nadu (the bank) for non-compliance with certain directions issued by RBI on ‘Exposure Norms and Statutory / Other Restrictions – UCBs’, and ‘Know Your Customer (KYC)’. This penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers conferred on RBI under the provisions of Section 47A(1)(c) read with Sections 46(4)(i) and 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

The statutory inspection of the bank was conducted by RBI with reference to its financial position as on March 31, 2023. Based on supervisory findings of non-compliance with RBI directions and related correspondence in that regard, a notice was issued to the bank advising it to show cause as to why penalty should not be imposed on it for its failure to comply with the said directions. After considering the bank’s reply to the notice and oral submissions made during the personal hearing, RBI found, inter alia, that the following charges against the bank were sustained, warranting imposition of monetary penalty:

The bank had failed to:

adhere to the prudential inter-bank (gross) exposure limit; and
upload the KYC records of customers onto Central KYC Records Registry (CKYCR) within the prescribed timeline.

This action is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank with its customers. Further, imposition of this monetary penalty is without prejudice to any other action that may be initiated by RBI against the bank.

(Puneet Pancholy)
Chief General Manager

Press Release: 2024-2025/2153

MIL OSI Economics –

February 14, 2025

MIL-OSI Economics: RBI imposes monetary penalty on The Ramanathapuram Co-operative Urban Bank Ltd., Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu

Source: Reserve Bank of India

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has, by an order dated February 07, 2025, imposed a monetary penalty of ₹50,000/- (Rupees Fifty Thousand only) on The Ramanathapuram Co-operative Urban Bank Ltd., Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu (the bank) for non-compliance with certain directions issued by RBI on ‘Know Your Customer (KYC)’. This penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers conferred on RBI under the provisions of Section 47A(1)(c) read with Sections 46(4)(i) and 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

The statutory inspection of the bank was conducted by RBI with reference to its financial position as on March 31, 2023. Based on supervisory findings of non-compliance with RBI directions and related correspondence in that regard, a notice was issued to the bank advising it to show cause as to why penalty should not be imposed on it for its failure to comply with the said directions. After considering the bank’s reply to the notice and oral submissions made during the personal hearing, RBI found, inter alia, that the following charge against the bank was sustained, warranting imposition of monetary penalty:

The bank had failed to upload the KYC records of customers onto Central KYC Records Registry (CKYCR) within the prescribed timeline.

(Puneet Pancholy)
Chief General Manager

Press Release: 2024-2025/2152

MIL OSI Economics –

February 14, 2025

MIL-OSI Global: Michael Mosoeu Moerane was a pioneering composer in South Africa. A new book is restoring his place in history

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Gwen Ansell, Associate of the Gordon Institute for Business Science, University of Pretoria

Composer and educator Michael Mosoeu Moerane (1904-1980) is probably best known for a few evergreen choral works, including Della and Sylvia, still sung by choirs across South Africa today.

And, of course, for his orchestral piece FatŠe laHeso (My Country). It had the distinction of being recorded by both the British and South African public broadcasters in an era when white minority rule denied even the existence of Black classical musicians.

Apartheid held the identity of Black people in South Africa to be unchangeingly simple, rural and tribal. Sophisticated activities such as orchestral composing were both beyond their capacity and dangerously subversive.

But, as South African author and music scholar Christine Lucia’s biography of Moerane, The Times Do Not Permit, reveals, there was more to Moerane’s work than those few compositions. And a far more nuanced relationship with his oppressive political times. Moerane was vocal against the system, yet secured white university supervision. He was consulted by white ethnomusicologists. Yet still he was stereotyped and confined by apartheid rules.

I am a researcher into South African jazz and other genres and a teacher of writing. (Jazz, incidentally, was a genre that Moerane detested.) From my own work, I recognise many similarities between his story and the lives of jazz musicians I have studied: genteel homes with a piano in the parlour; after-dinner family music hours; the risk of instant dismissal for schoolteachers heard discussing anti-apartheid politics.

I recognise, too, the gaps in his music story that Lucia finds: the questions that scholars did not ask while more people were still alive to answer them.

Read more:
Mzilikazi Khumalo: a stellar Zulu, African, Pan African and cosmopolitan composer

Her book matters because, at last, it asks and answers those questions. In how it assembles the answers, it helps us to start mapping the undiscovered continent of Black classical music under apartheid.

The book’s nearly 300 pages offer a detailed account of Moerane’s life, based on research and conversations with family and still-living contemporaries.

Lucia takes us through Moerane’s various roles in turn (student, teacher, choralist and more). It also analyses his compositions and their treatment of themes that range from spirituality and tradition to love and loss.

A reader can view Moerane’s life though these different lenses; together they add up to an intricate, multidimensional portrait.

Who was Michael Moerane?

Born in the Eastern Cape province and educated there and in neighbouring Basutoland (today Lesotho), Moerane stitched a music-teaching career together that moved between the two countries.

His own radical Africanist politics, the activism of family members, his marriage across apartheid-defined ethnic barriers (he was Sotho, his wife Xhosa) and the simple fact of being a Black composer exploring unconventional, modernist music meant he was often in the sights of repressive authorities in both countries. Lowering his profile every now and then (a new school, a more obscure place to live) was his best protection.

There’s real fear in some of his letters that all these moves would mean his written compositions would be lost or scattered. Yet remarkably, through all this, he managed to hold a family together, establish music ensembles and a reputation, and graduate with a music degree from the University of South Africa in 1941, a time when it was almost unknown for Black South Africans to receive a university education outside segregated black colleges. He was supported, through a unique arrangement, by supervision from the all-white Rhodes University College in his home province.

His external examiner, William Henry Bell, said of FatŠe laHeso (Moerane’s examination piece) that he “never had expected such a work to be written in South Africa and less so by a Native”.

Lucia’s account of how Moerane got there, and of the many compositions and long music teaching career that followed, is made even clearer through a rich variety of material. There are geographical, historical and musical road-maps, extracts from his manuscripts, evocative photographs of people and places, and probably the most complete catalogue of Moerane’s works to date.

The catalogue was put together from both archive records and fragments of sheet music surviving in the family piano-stool, where they were stored. It’s a poignant reminder of how much Black South African history is no longer available because of how apartheid repeatedly uprooted people and communities, with little chance to save family memorabilia.

White minority rule didn’t only restrict where Black South Africans could live and work but even how they could learn music. Tuition for Black music students was limited to writing in tonic sol-fa (doh-re-mi) notation. Excluded from the notation used in classical music, composers and performers who would have occupied concert stages were limited to community choirs and brass bands. That was part of Moerane’s story too.

Moerane’s Sylvia is still performed by choirs today.

His life matters because of all this.

A masterful book

The book traces the defiant survival and originality of this important figure and restores him in the country’s history. It adds detail and clarification to what was already known. It corrects confusions about dates and place names. If that were all the book had done, it would already have been a worthwhile contribution.

But Lucia’s way of telling the story adds significantly more. It brings Moerane alive through the texture of human voices and human detail, creating a read that is academic but far from dry. We hear, for example, his children recalling how strict he was during daily piano practice: “You would scramble to get a slot when my father wasn’t at home.”

But more: South African music under apartheid is often shown as the “soundtrack” to history. Or often the history is seen as mere “background” to the music. But Moerane’s music was not a soundtrack to history: it was part of history. His times were not a background to his music, they were an ingredient. Not so much because of the work but because of who he chose to be – and who he could not be.

The title, The Times Do Not Permit, is taken from a 1966 letter written by Moerane to music academic Percival Kirby, in polite response to a request for detailed information about his life:

Please be satisfied with the bare statement that the times do not permit.

That may seem cryptic to anybody who has not felt the iron heel of state repression. For those who have, it’s obvious: the more the authorities know about you, the more power they have over you.

Read more:
An African violin? New study tests which indigenous woods could make one

So Lucia’s book allows us to enter a world that is distant from today’s experience and rejoice that such a full life was led and that now we know about it. But it also forces us to mourn the opportunities lost for him – and by earlier scholars looking into his life. How many other Black South African musicians have had their lives and legacies obscured like Michael Mosoeu Moerane’s was?

Gwen Ansell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Michael Mosoeu Moerane was a pioneering composer in South Africa. A new book is restoring his place in history – https://theconversation.com/michael-mosoeu-moerane-was-a-pioneering-composer-in-south-africa-a-new-book-is-restoring-his-place-in-history-248948

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Can the president really kill off the penny – and should he?

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jay L. Zagorsky, Associate Professor Questrom School of Business, Boston University

In the middle of Super Bowl LIX, President Donald Trump posted on social media that he was getting rid of the penny. Since the lowly penny in 2024 cost about 3.7 cents to make – meaning the government loses money on every coin – the announcement might seem practical at first glance. But does the president have the power to kill off the penny?

I’m a business school professor and a longtime advocate for physical money who has written op-eds supporting the penny in The Wall Street Journal and CNN. My forthcoming book, “The Power of Cash,” explores the many advantages of using old-fashioned currency. Yet inflation has slashed the value of the penny by a third in just the past decade, and even I now admit that its time is up.

But eliminating the penny via a social media post isn’t just legally dubious. It could cause more problems than it solves.

The penny problem

Critics see the penny as a shining example of government waste. Last year, the U.S. Mint lost US$85 million making pennies, according to the bureau’s annual report. It also lost about $18 million minting nickels. Now, to be clear, just because the mint didn’t make money on pennies or nickels doesn’t mean it’s losing money overall. In 2024, the mint earned a profit of about $100 million making the country’s pocket change. Still, $85 million is no small sum.

Meanwhile, public opinion on the penny is split. Some surveys show support for it, but it has plenty of opponents. Many of my students cite carrying around “nuisance coins” like the penny as a reason for switching away from using cash.

The good news, for those who dislike the penny, is that the coin is disappearing on its own. The U.S. Mint has made about 5 billion pennies annually throughout the 2020s — down from about 11 billion each year in the 1990s. So far in 2025, it has only made about a quarter of a million pennies.

But is it legal?

Setting aside people’s feelings toward the penny, the problem with the president’s order, I think, is that only Congress can change the type of coins the mint produces.

To be fair, some defenders of the president’s order believe his actions are legal. But the U.S. Constitution’s Article 1, Section 8 – which gives Congress the power to do important things like levy taxes, pay debts and declare war – also authorizes Congress “to coin money.”

Now the phrase “to coin money” is vague. To fix that, the United States’ second Congress passed the Coinage Act of 1792, which was signed into law by President George Washington. The act, which lays out how the mint operates and what it produces, says it must produce “Cents – each to be of the value of the one hundredth part of a dollar, and to contain eleven penny-weights of copper.”

Congress can modify this act anytime it wants – and it has. The 1792 act also required the mint to produce “Half Cents – each to be of the value of half a cent.” These coins were eliminated in 1857 by an act of Congress. Similarly, before 1965, many U.S. coins were made out of silver. After a 1965 congressional amendment to the act passed, they were made out of a cheaper composite.

And lawmakers have tried several times to eliminate the penny. In 1989, for example, Arizona Rep. Jim Hayes proposed the Price Rounding Act, which called for cash purchases to be rounded to the nearest nickel. It didn’t pass. More recently, in 2017, Republican Senator John McCain introduced the COINS act, which would have eliminated the minting of pennies. The bill also proposed switching the paper one-dollar bill to a metal coin. It, too, didn’t pass.

What happens if pennies go?

Since Congress has failed to eliminate the penny in the past, Trump is trying to do so via a direct order to the Treasury secretary. However, many of Trump’s actions are being challenged in court. For the sake of argument, let’s assume no one challenges the order to kill off production of the penny.

A big problem remains. Even if the U.S. stopped making pennies, they’d remain legal tender and people would still need them as change. In simple terms, the supply would change, but not the demand.

Past efforts to phase out the penny have tried to deal with this problem by requiring rounding, but Trump’s effort doesn’t do this. I think it’s entirely possible that people opposed to Trump would organize national “Demand your penny in change” days in an attempt to embarrass the president.

The U.S. government loses less than $10 million a month minting pennies. In theory, Congress could pass legislation eliminating the penny and requiring rounding within a month or two. The cost to the government for doing things legally is low. If the penny has to go, let Congress do it the right way.

Jay L. Zagorsky 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. Can the president really kill off the penny – and should he? – https://theconversation.com/can-the-president-really-kill-off-the-penny-and-should-he-249825

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: From Jewish summer camp to gospel to Chabad, Bob Dylan’s faith doesn’t fit in a box − but he’s long had a connection to Israel

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Shalom Goldman, Professor of Religion, Middlebury

Bob Dylan gives his first concert in Israel in 1987 in Tel Aviv, playing with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. AP Photo/Anat Givon

James Mangold’s film “A Complete Unknown,” nominated for eight Oscars, captures the elusive, enigmatic quality of Bob Dylan in the early 1960s: the years he emerged as a major musical and cultural phenomenon. A scant few years after he came to New York from Minnesota, and legally changed his name from Robert Allen Zimmerman, Dylan transformed American music.

Especially “unknown” and baffling is Dylan’s religious and spiritual identity, one that has undergone many transformations. Mangold’s film avoids these questions, as does his 2005 film “Walk the Line,” a Johnny Cash biopic. The filmmaker – and much of Hollywood in general – must believe religion isn’t good at the box office.

As a music fan and scholar of religion, I have long been interested in artists’ religious backgrounds. Cash’s tumultuous life, like his friend and collaborator Dylan’s, was rich in religious affiliations and commitments.

And both of these musical giants shared a connection with Israel, defying calls to cancel performances there over concern for Palestinian rights – similar to artists’ debates in recent years. Dylan’s, in particular, is difficult to parse and part of his larger spiritual journey – one that’s rambled through Judaism and Christianity and back again.

Bob Zimmerman

The last time Dylan took the stage in Israel was at Tel Aviv’s Ramat Gan Stadium in June 2011. It had been 18 years since his last performance in the country, though he had made many personal visits in the interim.

He was, of course, a household name in Israel, revered by the young as well as the not so young. The audience members that evening, according to the Haaretz reporter who covered the event, were
“overwhelmingly young, overwhelmingly native-born Israelis.”

Surely everyone in attendance knew that Dylan had been born Robert Zimmerman – indeed, that he had a long, complicated relationship with Israel and with Judaism itself.

Bob Dylan, right, and a friend visit the Western Wall in Jerusalem on April 6, 1971.
AP Photo

Young Zimmerman grew up in Hibbing, Minnesota, in a home that emphasized Jewish identity, if not its religious rituals. A visiting Orthodox rabbi had prepared him for his bar mitzvah, which took place in May 1954, with 400 guests in attendance. That summer, Zimmerman attended Camp Herzl in Wisconsin, a Jewish camp with a Zionist orientation; he would return there the following summers as well. At Camp Herzl young Bob formed his first musical group, the Jokers.

In his mid-20s, he married Sara Lownds, a Jewish woman with whom he had five children. Dylan made his first private visit to Israel in 1969 and returned regularly in the early 1970s. In May 1971, he celebrated his 30th birthday in Jerusalem; photos of him at the Western Wall appeared in Israeli and American newspapers, fueling speculation that he had “found religion” in the holy city.

In some ways, the young star put distance between himself and his Jewish roots – he was now Dylan, after all, not Zimmerman. But even in these early years, as throughout his career, “Dylanologists” delighted in the biblical allusions in some of his songs – including irreverent ones, at least at first glance.

“Highway 61 Revised,” for example, the title track of a 1965 album, kicks off with the binding of Isaac: a section of the Book of Genesis where God famously tests Abraham with a command – reprieved at the last moment – to kill his beloved child:

Yeah, God said to Abraham, “Kill me a son”
Abe said, “Man, you must be puttin’ me on”
God said, “No”, Abe said, “What?”

Twists and turns

But Dylan confounded both his admirers and his critics, turning abruptly in the late 1970s to evangelical Christianity. After his conversion, Dylan took a course at Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Los Angeles, which emphasized the end-time narratives of the New Testament Book of Revelation.

Bob Dylan performs in November 1979, during his Gospel Tour, in San Francisco.
Larry Hulst/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

His years as a born-again Christian resulted in a series of gospel-influenced albums and at least one more visit to Israel during this early ’80s period. In 1987 he gave his first concerts there, kicking off his Temples in Flames world tour alongside Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Within years of embracing Christianity, however, Dylan’s spiritual life yet again confounded his critics and fans, including the more scholarly obsessives known as “Dylanologists.” Born into Judaism, then a born-again evangelical, the rocker now forged ties to Chabad, an ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Jewish movement. Between 1986 and 1991, he made three appearances on the Chabad “To Life” Telethon, an annual fundraiser broadcast from Los Angeles.

Because Dylan was – and is – so private and publicity-shy, it is difficult to know whether such ecumenism represented true spiritual seeking, a political statement or sheer mischief.

Whether he was presenting himself as a born-again Christian, a supporter of Chabad or just a rock and roller, Dylan seemed inextricably connected to Israel in all its complexity. For example, many listeners interpreted the song “Neighborhood Bully” on his 1983 “Infidels” album as a “declaration of full-throated Israel support,” as Haaretz wrote.

Many fans interpret ‘Neighborhood Bully’ as sympathetic to Israel.

The lyrics presented the title character, the “bully,” as an unrepentant, besieged victim: “His enemies say he’s on their land/ They got him outnumbered a million to one/ He got no place to escape to, no place to run.”

‘Dylan lives here’

Dylan performed again in Israel in June 1993, bringing his summer tour to Tel Aviv, Beersheba and Haifa.

It would be nearly two decades before his next public performance in Israel, the 2011 concert at Ramat Gan. By then, performing in Israel had become much more controversial, with artists planning to tour there under scrutiny.

The boycott, divestment and sanctions movement publicly pressured the singer to cancel his Tel Aviv show, appealing to his past support of the American Civil Rights Movement. Activists called on Dylan “not to perform in Israel until it respects Palestinian human rights. A performance in Israel, today, is a vote of support for its policies of oppression, whether you intend for it to be that, or not.”

Ever the enigmatic artist, Dylan did not respond to the BDS appeal, nor did he cancel his concert. The towering pop-music icon did not say why. But many Israelis and Americans read his return as a gesture of support for the Jewish state in the face of widespread criticism.

Tel Aviv welcomed him with open arms, including a television news profile of his life, music and Jewish affiliations. Though he said nothing from the stage during the performance – late-career Dylan is notorious for not addressing the audience between songs – Israeli fans saw the concert as a triumphant homecoming.

“Dylan lives here. He lives in the culture of Israel,” wrote the Haaretz reviewer. “He has influenced Israel for the better more than any other American Jew.”

Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023, international criticism of Israeli policies has become much more strident. Dylan, as cryptic as ever, has neither joined the critics nor identified himself with Israel’s supporters.

But supporters are posting “Neighborhood Bully” wherever and whenever they can.

Shalom Goldman 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. From Jewish summer camp to gospel to Chabad, Bob Dylan’s faith doesn’t fit in a box − but he’s long had a connection to Israel – https://theconversation.com/from-jewish-summer-camp-to-gospel-to-chabad-bob-dylans-faith-doesnt-fit-in-a-box-but-hes-long-had-a-connection-to-israel-248739

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Syria’s mass graves: Accounting for the dead and disappeared is crucial for the nation to heal

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Stefan Schmitt, Project Lead for International Technical Forensic Services Global Forensic Justice Center, Florida International University

Shortly after the fall of Bashar Assad in Syria in December 2024, reports emerged of mass graves being uncovered in liberated areas.

Grim as such discoveries are, they should come as little surprise. The scale of the regime’s torture and killings in its detention facilities became evident years earlier, when in January 2014 a forensic photographer defected and left the country with a cache of 55,000 photos of people who had been tortured and died in detention.

As an expert in forensic anthropology and mass casualties in conflict, I was asked to evaluate what became known as the “Caesar photographs.” What was clear to me then, and is even more so now, is that those photos represented a systematic approach to torturing, killing and disappearing massive numbers of people by the Assad regime.

With Assad now gone, the newly formed government of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has vowed to seek justice for the crimes Syrians suffered under Assad. Doing so will be difficult, even with the civil war in Syria being one of the better monitored conflicts in recent history. Yet it is a task that is imperative for the sake of pursuing justice in a shattered country and reducing the likelihood of violence returning to Syria.

Holding perpetrators to account

Since Syria erupted into violence in 2011, several groups have been collecting evidence of human rights violations. These include the Syrian Justice and Accountability Center, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the Syrian Emergency Task Force and the Commission for International Justice and Accountability. Internationally, the United Nations established an International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism for Syria in 2016 to assist any investigations and prosecutions of those responsible for serious violations of international law in Syria since March 2011.

Estimates of those killed since the start of civil conflict in 2011 range anywhere from 100,000 to over 600,000, with civilian deaths accounting for at least 160,000.

Many of these deaths have been at the hands of the Assad regime. But different armed groups, including the al-Nusra Front and Islamic State group, have also been accused of atrocities.

From the perspective of holding perpetrators accountable, that could complicate matters. The leader of now ruling Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is the founder of the al-Nusra Front and might not be willing to hold his group or others accountable or acknowledge the crimes of that group.

An uncovered mass grave believed to contain the remains of civilians killed by the ousted Assad regime in Daraa, Syria.
Bekir Kasim/Anadolu via Getty Images

Who investigates?

There are three dimensions of accounting for the missing following conflict. First, there is the task of identifying and repatriating the remains of those in mass graves to allow family and friends to grieve. Second, the rights of victims to know the truth about what happened to their loved ones needs to be addressed. And finally, the process needs to provide justice, accountability and reconciliation, regardless of who was responsible.

But before this can take place, the question of who is responsible for the accounting needs to be addressed.

Countries coming out of civil conflict have turned to different mechanisms, from truth commissions to criminal tribunals. In the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, special U.N. courts were set up to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of grievous crimes. These tribunals were created as independent judicial bodies dedicated to investigating and prosecuting those most responsible for the crimes that had been committed during conflict.

Guatemala, which emerged from a decades-long civil war in 1996, turned to national human rights and victim organizations to take the lead in a process of “transitional justice.” This included the Commission for Historical Clarification, which through its investigation concluded that an estimated 200,000 people had been killed.

The nongovernmental Forensic Anthropology Foundation of Guatemala, or FAFG, has since 1993 formed a fundamental part of searching, identifying and repatriating the missing. FAFG collects personal information, DNA profiles and witness statements and is responsible for protecting the rights of victims’ families in Guatemala’s judicial system.

Its work continues to this day.

What crimes to include

As to the Syrian civil war, a decision over the scope of any investigation into the disappeared and dead will likewise have to be made.

Will it include all those missing and in mass graves in areas held by al-Nusra, the Islamic State group and other armed groups, as well as those killed by Assad? The fact that groups and individuals that now form the government could have been involved in human rights violations may risk future investigations being skewed toward just the victims of Assad.

Even if the scope was narrowed to Assad’s crimes, it’s unclear how far back one should go. Assad rule in Syria began more than 50 years ago under Assad’s father, Hafez al Assad. And killings and disappearances date back to the elder’s time in power, including the 1982 massacre in the city of Hama in which an estimated 20,000 to 40,000 were killed.

The role of the state

Another fact-finding question concerns the sharing of information between civil society groups and the state.

The information gathered on the war by various NGOs so far is technically held or “owned” by such groups, not the Syrian state. This is for a good reason, as victims trust these organizations to protect information from the perpetrators, some of whom might form part of the new government.

The International Commission on Missing Persons, an NGO with its seat in the Netherlands, gained its reputation while identifying the dead from the conflict in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s and early 2000s. It has already collected and stored testimonies from over 76,200 Syrian relatives of more than 28,000 missing persons and has identified 66 mass grave locations. Other organizations have similar testimonies.

But to what extent will these groups share their data and analysis with a future Syrian state led by a rebel group that itself is accused of human rights violations, such as arbitrary detentions and torture?

At some point, the state of Syria will need to be involved in the process. Legally and in practice, the state issues a citizen’s “civil identity” through things such as a birth certificate that establish a person with rights and responsibilities. In the same manner, the state issues death certificates in which the manner of death determines any judicial reactions – such as a criminal investigation in cases where the death is due to homicide.

The state is also important in resolving issues such as inheritance and widower status.

Identifying the remains from the mass graves is therefore not just a “technical” issue dependent on cutting-edge DNA laboratories and missing-persons databases. It is also something that any future Syrian state should work toward, and then own and take responsibility for.

Shifting responsibility away from the state to an international body would not really help Syria develop its own accountability mechanisms or hold the government to delivering justice for the victims and their families.

In my view, empowering victims in this transitional justice process needs to be a priority for the Syrian state. This includes the establishment of a transparent forensic and investigative effort to address the concerns of families searching for loved ones.

It should not, I believe, be outsourced. From my experience with similar processes elsewhere, it is important that Syrians become “experts” in all aspects of this process. No doubt, the task will take time and searching for the truth about what happened, and will involve perpetrators and victims alike.

It might well be a painful and painstaking process. But it is a necessary one if postconflict Syrian is to hold to account those who attempted to “erase” the identity of victims by disappearing them, burying them in mass graves, or leaving them under the bombed rubble of their neighborhoods.

Stefan Schmitt 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. Syria’s mass graves: Accounting for the dead and disappeared is crucial for the nation to heal – https://theconversation.com/syrias-mass-graves-accounting-for-the-dead-and-disappeared-is-crucial-for-the-nation-to-heal-246400

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Trump and Maduro refresh a complex relationship governed by self-interest and tainted by Venezuela election fraud

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Paul Webster Hare, Master Lecturer and Interim Director of Latin American Studies, Boston University

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with Richard Grenell, President Donald Trump’s special envoy, in Caracas, Venezuela, on Jan. 31, 2025. Venezuela’s presidential press office, via AP

In 2019, President Donald Trump recognized then-Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the country’s interim leader over Nicolás Maduro, who has ruled the country since 2013.

The policy, which led Venezuela to officially sever ties with the United States, was consistent with the first Trump administration’s policy of maximum pressure and a desire for regime change when it came to the socialist government in Caracas.

Fast forward six years: The early days of Trump’s second administration has seen the U.S. president negotiate with Maduro over the release of detained Americans and an apparent willingness from Venezuela to receive hundreds of thousands of its nationals being deported from the U.S.

As a diplomat who served in Venezuela and knew Maduro’s predecessor and mentor, Hugo Chavez, I detect a subtle shift in the evolving Trump administration’s policy toward Venezuela. It’s true that the administration retains a strong dose of the anti-Maduro posture it held last time, particularly in light of Maduro’s widely denounced election fraud in 2024 and an undercurrent of antipathy in Washington toward left-wing authoritarianism in Latin America.

But U.S.-Venezuela relations under a second Trump term are subject to other factors and dynamics, including Trump’s desire to be known for deal-making and the fulfillment of his campaign promise to deport immigrants back to Latin America. At the same time, Trump needs to balance satisfying anti-Maduro voices in his coalition with not pushing Venezuela further toward China, a country all too willing to exert greater influence in parts of Latin America.

Deal-making and immigration

So far, the second Trump’s administration seems to be sticking to the line of not officially recognizing Maduro and preferring his departure from the scene. It has kept sanctions on the country intact and continues to recognize Maduro’s opponent, Edmundo González, as the legitimate president-elect.

But that hasn’t stopped the administration from pursuing negotiations. In late January, Trump’s envoy Richard Grenell visited Caracas to secure the release of six Americans accused by Venezuela of plotting to destabilize the country. Trump subsequently announced that Maduro would accept repatriation of deportations of Venezuelans in the U.S. The U.S. administration also revoked the Temporary Protected Status, a categorization prioritized by President Joe Biden, for hundreds of thousands of people who fled Maduro’s Venezuela.

On Feb. 10, two Venezuelan planes returned home from the U.S with nearly 200 deported Venezuelan nationals, a signal that negotiations between the two nations were more than just optics. But news that the Trump administration has sent Venezuelan detainees to a U.S. military camp at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba – and is trying to send more – could yet prove a thorn in the side of any diplomatic thaw.

Regardless, the shift in stance on Venezuela has raised eyebrows among some Republicans and Democrats alike. Their concern is that Grenell’s visit – and overtures from the White House – gives Maduro’s regime a veneer of legitimacy.

But so long as Trump feels Venezuela under Maduro is useful to his aims of deportations, other U.S. issues with the government in Caracas are, I believe, likely to remain of secondary importance.

Rhetoric vs. reality

The complicated dynamic of two men, ideologically opposed but aware of the other’s usefulness, is reciprocated by Maduro. The Venezuelan leader congratulated Trump on his election victory in November, and he appears to treat his more powerful adversary with some pragmatism. But Maduro also remains willing to take a strident line rhetorically, even suggesting that Venezuela might “liberate” Puerto Rico if the U.S. keeps meddling with Venezuela’s affairs.

Rhetoric aside, Maduro – as evidenced by his apparent willingness to deal with the new administration on hostages and immigration – is likely to pursue self-interest where possible. And he will be well aware that the survival of his rule may be tied with his country’s economic situation.

Venezuela has been hit hard by U.S. sanctions that have been in place since 2017.

The level of poverty in the country is estimated to be around 80% of the population. This bleak economic picture is improving slowly but is still hampered by sluggish oil production despite having vast reserves.

Under Biden, the U.S. granted some exemptions for oil companies to work in Venezuela despite sanctions, helping the struggling export industry to recover some of its lost productivity.

Maduro will want to see where he can work with the Trump team to continue such allowances and avoid a full embargo. But recent noises coming from the administration have been mixed on this front. On Jan. 20, Trump suggested that he may pull the plug on Venezuelan oil exports to the U.S. “We don’t have to buy their oil. We have plenty of oil for ourselves,” he said.

Such a move would be a severe blow to Venezuela’s economy, which has benefited from increased exports to the U.S. in recent years. But the move will likely face resistance from oil producers like Chevron, the American company that has a license to operate in Venezuela.

Election fraud and beyond

It’s plausible Trump will be swayed by the elements of his base or administration who view Venezuela primarily in terms of a socialist authoritarian adversary to be defeated.

In 2024, Maduro pulled off one of Latin America’s great election frauds. Computer printouts had shown the opposition campaign of González and Maria Corina Machado won the July election by a landslide. And yet, Maduro declared himself the winner with no evidence.

Many in Trump’s circle viewed the fraudulent election as another reason for being hawkish toward the nation – a position that takes in both ideological and electoral considerations.

Trump knows there is a strong base of anti-communist Venezuelans in Florida who want to be tough on the Cuban-aligned government of Maduro. The new U.S. administration’s deportation policy has already concerned some among this strongly Trump voting base; any relaxation on Maduro could be seen as a further “betrayal.”

And Trump has appointed several people who have long been critical of Maduro, including his national security adviser, Mike Waltz, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Rubio, in particular, is a longtime critic of any accommodation with Venezuela. He has spoken to opposition leaders, called González the legitimate president, blasted any relaxation of sanctions and, during his confirmation hearing, labeled Maduro’s government “a narco-trafficking organization.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, oversees a ‘seized’ sign being placed on a Venezuelan government airplane on Feb. 6, 2025.
Mark Schiefelbein/AFP via Getty Images

And while U.S. envoy Grenell has been shaking hands with Maduro, Rubio has been seizing the Venezuelan leader’s aircraft. On Feb. 6, the U.S. secretary of state personally oversaw its confiscation while visiting the Dominican Republic, where it had been impounded since last year.

Competition with China

During his first administration, Trump failed in his efforts to encourage the replacement of Maduro.

In any case, the Venezuelan government under Maduro, like Chavez before him, has shown itself capable of withstanding U.S. pressure.

Throwing a further wrinkle to any U.S. intentions of influencing the future of Venezuela is the role China has taken on in the country and Maduro’s increasing closeness with Beijing. In contrast to leaders in the West, China’s president, Xi Jinping, congratulated Maduro following the latter’s claim of victory in 2024. China is the leading importer of Venezuelan crude oil and has signed a series of bilateral trade and tourism pacts that have provided Maduro an economic lifeline.

To some U.S. hawks, China’s influence with Maduro represents a breach of a long-standing vision of the U.S. as a regional hegemony, as envisioned by the Monroe Doctrine. Yet other voices within the administration – including Trump, who has spoken positively about diplomatic overtures to Beijing, or Elon Musk, who has extensive business interests in China – view the country in far different terms than predecessors.

Ultimately, whatever path Trump chooses on relations with Venezuela is likely to be conditioned on what factions win out in his administration and which political constituencies the president is most keen to please.

Paul Webster Hare 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. Trump and Maduro refresh a complex relationship governed by self-interest and tainted by Venezuela election fraud – https://theconversation.com/trump-and-maduro-refresh-a-complex-relationship-governed-by-self-interest-and-tainted-by-venezuela-election-fraud-248275

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: 60 years of progress in expanding rights is being rolled back by Trump − a pattern that’s all too familiar in US history

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Philip Klinkner, James S. Sherman Professor of Government, Hamilton College

There’s a long history in the U.S. of denying the rights, liberties and benefits of democracy to some Americans. rob dobi/Getty Images

For many Americans, Donald Trump’s head-spinning array of executive orders in the early days of his second term look like an unprecedented effort to roll back democracy and the rights and liberties of American citizens.

But it isn’t unprecedented.

As we have written, American history is not a steady march toward greater equality, democracy and individual rights. America’s commitment to these liberal values has competed with an alternative set of illiberal values that hold that full American citizenship should be limited by race, ethnicity, gender and class.

The most famous example of this conflict is the Jim Crow era after Reconstruction, when many of the political and legal rights gained by African Americans in the Civil War era were swept away by disenfranchisement, segregation and discrimination. From roughly 1870 until 1940, democracy and equal rights were retreating, not advancing, leaving what was described in the 1960s by President Lyndon Johnson as “the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice.”

Today, the Trump administration is seeking to roll back America’s commitment to equality and engaging in a broad effort to limit – if not outright deny – the rights, liberties and benefits of democracy to all Americans.

President Donald Trump attacked the FAA’s DEI initiatives during a press conference on the D.C. plane crash.

Progress, then rollbacks

The biggest gains in African American rights came during the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War II and the Cold War, when the United States confronted enemies that Americans believed contradicted its liberal values – the British monarchy, Southern slaveholders, fascist dictators and communist tyrants. The United States highlighted its commitments to democracy and human rights as a way of contrasting itself from its enemies.

But once the pressures of war faded, America’s illiberal values reasserted themselves. With the end of the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, the movement for greater equality stalled and many of the previous gains were rolled back.

The onset of World War II and then the Cold War forced Americans to renew their commitment to democracy and human rights for all Americans. This period is often described as the Second Reconstruction.

Like the First Reconstruction a century earlier, the federal government helped to ensure civil and voting rights for African Americans. These efforts laid the groundwork for advancing the political and civil rights of women, other racial and ethnic groups, immigrants, disabled persons and, eventually, members of the gay and lesbian community.

But like the First Reconstruction, these changes generated intense backlash.

Bigger than anti-DEI

Since the demise of the Cold War over 30 years ago, the Republican Party has increasingly sided with those seeking to roll back the gains of the Second Reconstruction.

Even before Trump first ran for president, the Republican Party began adopting nativist, anti-immigration policies. In 2012, a Republican-dominated Supreme Court gutted a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, the landmark 1965 law barring racial discrimination in voting that was one of the signal achievements of the Second Reconstruction.

In 2016, Trump rose to the Republican nomination by expressing and amplifying the racist and xenophobic views of many white Americans, including the claim that Barack Obama was born outside of the U.S., that Mexican immigrants were criminals and rapists, and that the U.S. should close its borders to anyone from Muslim countries.

Since his second inauguration, Trump has mounted a full-scale effort to undermine the policies of the Second Reconstruction. This effort has been masked as an attack on diversity, equity and inclusion – or DEI – policies. According to Trump and other critics of DEI, these policies are themselves racist, since they allegedly single out white Americans for shame and scorn.

As scholars of race and American politics, we believe that, overall, DEI initiatives have combated racial discrimination and expanded the pools of talented people who can contribute to the nation’s progress.

The Trump administration’s effort to end DEI programs is really an attack on decades of efforts by the federal government to make good on the promise of America: to engage in rigorous nondiscrimination efforts and open up opportunities for all.

One of Trump’s first executive orders, which prominently featured abandonment of DEI policies, also repealed a 60-year-old executive order signed by President Johnson mandating “affirmative action” to end widespread discrimination by the federal government and its contractors.

Antidiscrimination is discrimination?

These diversity initiatives have for more than 50 years included requirements that beneficiaries of these policies must be qualified for the benefits they obtain.

But to Trump and many conservatives, such policies force employers to engage in racial and gender quotas to prove that they don’t discriminate. Furthermore, these efforts to end discrimination, according to Trump’s executive order, “diminish the importance of individual merit, aptitude, hard work, and determination,” leading to “disastrous consequences.”

In other words, Trump and others claim that efforts to end discrimination are themselves a form of discrimination and force the hiring of unqualified and incompetent people.

Trump made this view clear in his comments on the recent collision between a passenger airliner and a military helicopter in Washington, D.C. Before any formal investigation, Trump alleged that the crash resulted from Obama and Biden administration efforts to diversify the Federal Aviation Administration staff. Such efforts, he suggested, elevate unqualified people.

“If they don’t have a great brain … they’re not going to be good at what they do and bad things will happen,” he said.

Efforts to reverse DEI have been accompanied by other antidiversity moves. One example: According to a news release, the Defense Department will no longer use “official resources” to mark “Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Pride Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and National American Indian Heritage Month.”

Undoing 19th-century advances

The attack on DEI goes beyond the federal government. Other executive orders mandate that K-12 schools as well as colleges and universities end DEI programs, since they are “anti-American, subversive, harmful, and false ideologies.”

Instead, Trump insists that schools engage only in “patriotic education.”

Such a policy will almost certainly prevent schools from honestly addressing the ways in which racial, ethnic and gender discrimination have influenced America’s past and present.

The Trump administration is attacking the First Reconstruction as well. Another Trump executive order seeks to end birthright citizenship for children of unauthorized alien residents.

That move would limit the 14th Amendment, one of the constitutional cornerstones of the First Reconstruction. Passed in 1868 in order to guarantee citizenship rights for African Americans, it begins by stating:

“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

This provision was included in order to explicitly overturn the notorious 1857 Supreme Court decision, Dred Scott v. Sandford, that ruled that African Americans were not citizens and consequently “they had no rights which the white man was bound to respect.”

Pushback capacity

A protester at a demonstration against the Trump administration at the Texas State Capitol on Feb. 5, 2025, in Austin, Texas.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

How far can the Trump administration go in its efforts to undo the Second Reconstruction?

Numerous legal challenges have already been filed. In the case of the executive order limiting birthright citizenship, a lower federal court judge appointed by President Ronald Reagan blocked the order, calling it “blatantly unconstitutional.”

Many of these cases will ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court, which under Chief Justice John Roberts has been willing to overturn long-established equal rights precedents. Besides its 2012 gutting of the Voting Rights Act, in 2022 the court limited the reproductive rights of women by overturning its 1973 decision, Roe v. Wade. Most recently, in 2023 the court ended a 45-year precedent that allowed colleges and universities to engage in limited forms of affirmative action in order to achieve more student diversity.

Yet despite years of attacks by conservatives and now the Trump administration, most efforts to end discrimination and open doors to all Americans, including DEI, remain popular. And the groups empowered by the Second Reconstruction – racial and ethnic minorities, women, immigrants, the LGBTQ community – are far more numerous and have far more legal and political resources available with which to fight back than those that were aided by the First Reconstruction.

There are now no government pressures driving Americans to make greater progress toward democracy and equal rights for all, as in the relatively brief earlier periods of significant reform in America.

But those reforms have given many more Americans the capacity to push back against policies that violate both American values and American interests.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. 60 years of progress in expanding rights is being rolled back by Trump − a pattern that’s all too familiar in US history – https://theconversation.com/60-years-of-progress-in-expanding-rights-is-being-rolled-back-by-trump-a-pattern-thats-all-too-familiar-in-us-history-248526

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Video: EC President Ursula von der LEYEN @ the Munich Security Conference 2025

Source: European Commission (video statements)

Joint press statements by Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the European Commission and Markus SÖDER, Minister President of the Land of Bavaria

Follow us on:
-X: https://twitter.com/EU_Commission
-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/europeancommission/
-Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EuropeanCommission
-LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/european-commission/
-Medium: https://medium.com/@EuropeanCommission

Visit our website: http://ec.europa.eu/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30m1sKlNkrc

MIL OSI Video –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Company offering fake hospitality packages to the British Grand Prix is shut down
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Foresea Limited is connected to three other hospitality package scams which were wound up by the Insolvency Service in the past six months.
Foresea Limited targeted businesses with hospitality tickets for the British Grand Prix 

The company is connected to three similar scam businesses shut down following Insolvency Service investigations.

Foresea Ltd was wound-up at the High Court in Manchester on 12 February 2025.

A company which offered businesses British Grand Prix hospitality packages they never actually had has been shut down after customers failed to receive tickets they had paid for.

Foresea Limited – originally based in Kent but thought to have changed business address several times – claimed to be a large-scale provider of corporate hospitality, despite never having the tickets to sell.

An Insolvency Service investigation found that clients would be contacted through cold calls and would then pay for the hospitality packages which were later cancelled by Foresea Limited with no refunds being paid.

The Insolvency Service understands that Foresea Limited is connected to at least three other scam hospitality businesses which have been shut down by the agency since August 2024: Informa Expo Ltd, Prive Global Sports Ltd and Darcella Ltd.

David Usher, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said:

We have worked hard to root out these companies and attempt to end this cycle of scam hospitality packages.

Foresea Limited existed for the sole purpose of continuing to cause harm to unsuspecting members of the public, with the promise of tickets to high-profile sporting event.

Our investigations into these types of scams continue, and we will do all we can to put a stop to them.

Warnings about the company were also published by the FIA, the governing body of motorsport.

Clients of Foresea Limited also made complaints to Action Fraud.

Foresea Ltd charged 20% VAT on each sale, collecting around £12,000 in tax, when it was not registered to do so.

Attempts to contact current and previous directors of Foresea Ltd were unsuccessful and the company failed to provide its books and records as it was required to do.

The Official Receiver has been appointed as liquidator of the company.

All enquiries concerning the affairs of the Foresea Ltd should be made to the Official Receiver of the Public Interest Unit: 16th Floor, 1 Westfield Avenue, Stratford, London, E20 1HZ. Email: piu.or@insolvency.gov.uk.

Information about the other companies related to this case can be found here:

Darcella Ltd: Corporate sports and music hospitality provider shut down after last-minute booking cancellations and failure to pay refunds – GOV.UK

Prive Global Sports Ltd: Scam company which claimed to sell hospitality packages to major sporting events is shut down – GOV.UK

Informa Expo Limited: Scam company which offered fake hospitality packages to British Grand Prix is shut down – GOV.UK

Further information

Foresea Limited (company number 12962600)

The Insolvency Service can investigate complaints about corporate abuse by live companies. This may include serious misconduct, fraud, scams or dishonest practice in the way the company operates. Further information on our live investigations can be found here 

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct.

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Published 13 February 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Sun Dong visits Hengqin, Zhuhai

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Prof Sun Dong was in Hengqin and Zhuhai today, where he toured the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Co-operation Zone in Hengqin, met officials, and inspected a university and two companies.

Prof Sun’s first stop was the co-operation zone in Hengqin, with a view to speeding up the implementation of the development planning of the Hong Kong Park at the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science & Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone.

The tour of the Hong Kong Park project was in accordance with the spirit of the important instructions given by CPC Central Committee Hong Kong & Macao Work Office Director and State Council Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office Director Xia Baolong, when he inspected the park.

During an engagement session with CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee Hengqin Working Committee Deputy Secretary, Guangdong Province Hengqin Office Director and Executive Committee Deputy Director Nie Xinping, Prof Sun learnt about the in-depth planning and industry development of the co-operation zone, taking into account the development of the Hong Kong Park.

At the Zhuhai MUST Science & Technology Research Institute in the co-operation zone, the technology chief found out more about its work in promoting the cross-boundary flow of data in the zone.

The institute is an industry-academia-research demonstration base built by the Macau University of Science & Technology in the Greater Bay Area.

Prof Sun also met CPC Zhuhai Municipal Committee Deputy Secretary and Zhuhai’s Acting Mayor Wu Zetong as well as the city’s Vice Mayor Huang Zhenqiu, where he introduced the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government’s latest policies on leading the city’s innovation and technology (I&T) development and the current developments.

The tech chief also learnt about Zhuhai’s achievements in I&T and high-tech industrialisation. Both sides exchanged views on promoting I&T collaboration and exchanges between the two places.

In the afternoon, Prof Sun visited the cell production workshops of the Zhuhai SoleFiori Technology Company.

He welcomed the enterprise’s plan to expand its business in Hong Kong, which involved the technologies and productivity of new high-efficiency heterojunction solar cells and modules with low energy consumption and low carbon emissions.

Prof Sun then proceeded to the headquarters of Gree Electric Appliances Inc of Zhuhai, a technology-based household consumer goods and industrial equipment manufacturing group.

Apart from receiving a briefing on the group’s latest developments in quality assurance, product innovations and talent training, Prof Sun also learnt more about the self-developed industrial robots, computer numerical control machine tools, and smart warehousing products and systems developed by the group.

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Economics: Directions under Section 35 A read with section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (As Applicable to Co-operative Societies) – New India Co-operative Bank Limited, Mumbai

Source: Reserve Bank of India

It is hereby notified for information of the public that in exercise of powers vested in it under sub section (1) of Section 35 A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) vide Directive Ref. No. CO.DOS.SED.No.D-01/12-22-350/2024-2025 dated February 13, 2025, has issued certain Directions to New India Co-operative Bank Limited, Mumbai (“the bank”), whereby, as from the close of business on February 13, 2025, the bank shall not, without prior approval of RBI in writing, grant or renew any loans and advances, make any investment, incur any liability including borrowal of funds and acceptance of fresh deposits, disburse or agree to disburse any payment whether in discharge of its liabilities and obligations or otherwise, enter into any compromise or arrangement and sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of any of its properties or assets except as notified in the RBI Direction dated February 13, 2025, a copy of which is displayed on the bank’s website / premises for perusal by interested members of the public. Considering the bank’s present liquidity position, the bank has been directed not to allow withdrawal of any amount from savings bank or current accounts or any other account of a depositor but is allowed to set off loans against deposits subject to the conditions stated in the above RBI Directions. The bank may incur expenditure in respect of certain essential items such as salaries of employees, rent, electricity bills, etc., as specified in the said Directions.

2. These directions are necessitated due to supervisory concerns emanating from the recent material developments in the bank, and to protect the interest of depositors of the bank.

3. The eligible depositors would be entitled to receive deposit insurance claim amount of their deposits up to a monetary ceiling of ₹5,00,000/- (Rupees five lakh only) in the same capacity and in the same right, from the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC), as applicable under the provisions of the DICGC Act, 1961, based on submission of willingness by the depositors concerned and after due verification. The depositors may contact the bank officials for further information. Details may also be accessed on the DICGC website: www.dicgc.org.in.

4. The issue of the above Directions by the RBI should not per se be construed as cancellation of banking license by RBI. The bank will continue to undertake banking business subject to restrictions specified in the said Directions till its financial position improves. The RBI continues to monitor the position of the bank and will take necessary actions including modifications of these Directions, as warranted, depending upon circumstances and in the interest of the depositors.

5. These Directions shall remain in force for a period of six months from the close of business on February 13, 2025 and are subject to review.

(Puneet Pancholy)
Chief General Manager

Press Release: 2024-2025/2154

MIL OSI Economics –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Economics: Samsung Wins Gold in AVA Digital Awards for Integrated Marketing Campaign

Source: Samsung

Samsung was named a Gold Winner of the 2025 AVA Digital Awards program, an annual, international competition that recognizes excellence in digital communications. The company received this distinction for its integrated marketing campaign, “Samsung Celebrates Big Ideas, Small Businesses,” which aimed to spotlight the lifeblood of the U.S. economy – small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).
The Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP) launched the AVA Digital Awards program over 30 years ago to honor creative professionals and teams from across industries for the planning, concept, direction, design and production of both digital campaigns and projects. Samsung’s multifaceted campaign set itself apart from other nominees through its use of marketing strategy, social media and influencer marketing, content marketing, customer relationship management (CRM) and email marketing, web development and public relations to promote how SMBs are actively using display technology and software to achieve their unique business goals.

SMBs featured in the campaign included:
Harvest Gap Brewery
Wrigleyville Sports
Figurella
Beach People Studio
SB Korean BBQ
Through the campaign, Samsung garnered over 1 million impressions and 30K engagements across its social channels and notable media placements in publications such as Commerce magazine, the official magazine of the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey (CIANJ). As a result of its product giveaway and a special holiday pricing promotion hosted in tandem with the campaign, Samsung awarded Big Spoon Creamery, an Alabama-based artisan ice cream company, a Samsung Pro TV and a one-year subscription to the all-in-one content management system Samsung VXT.

“As a long-time partner of SMBs, this campaign served as an amazing opportunity to shine a light on many incredible entrepreneurs currently using our display technology within their businesses,” said Sukhmani Mohta, Chief Marketing Officer of the Display Division, Samsung Electronics America. “We are proud to not only take home Gold in the AVA Digital Awards, but also to amplify the unique brand stories of our SMB customers on a larger stage.”
To learn more about how Samsung’s digital signage innovations help small businesses engage their customers, please visit samsung.com/us/business/displays.

MIL OSI Economics –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: NEWS: Bipartisan Lawmakers Demand Trump Reinstate NLRB Member Wilcox

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Vermont – Bernie Sanders

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), Congressional Labor Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Donald Norcross (D-N.J.) and Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) led every Democratic senator and a bipartisan group of 213 Representatives in urging President Trump to immediately reinstate National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Member Gwynne Wilcox. The lawmakers called on the president to restore the NLRB’s ability to protect the rights of American workers to organize and collectively bargain, which were already impaired by understaffing at the agency, and are now effectively lost the lack of quorum on the NLRB.

“We are writing to express our deep frustration at the unprecedented and illegal firing of National Labor Relations Board Member Gwynne Wilcox and the negative impact this will have on working people across the country,” wrote Sanders and the lawmakers. “This firing violates the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), renders the Board unable to effectively enforce federal labor law, and profoundly undermines the independence of the agency.”

Congress created the NLRB nearly 90 years ago as an independent, non-partisan federal agency to protect workers nationwide by enforcing the NLRA, which guarantees the rights of workers to join together in collective action, including by organizing unions, negotiating contracts, and going on strike. The lawmakers pointed to specific federal statute that restricts the president’s ability to remove NLRB members for reasons other than neglect of duty or malfeasance. They also clarified that Wilcox’s firing without a hearing or cause expressly violated that law.

“Workers rely on the NLRB to safeguard their rights to organize and collectively bargain to better their working conditions,” continued the lawmakers. “However, by firing Member Wilcox and leaving the five-seat NLRB with only two Members, you have left the Board without a quorum and effectively shut down its decision-making ability. This simply encourages bad employers to violate the law and trample on workers’ rights, while workers subjected to illegal union-busting will face significant delays in receiving the justice to which they are entitled.”

Since Trump fired Wilcox, grocery store workers in Philadelphia have already seen their labor rights eroded as large corporations are allowed to violate labor law with no recourse available for their employees. After Whole Foods workers voted overwhelmingly to form a union, the company, owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, is “attempting to exploit some of the disruption Trump has caused,” according to the Washington Post, by not abiding by the outcome of the union election.

“We urge you to reverse your decision and to immediately reinstate Member Wilcox to the NLRB to ensure that working people are afforded the protections to which they are entitled under the law,” concluded Sanders and the lawmakers.

Read the full text of the letter here.

MIL OSI USA News –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New report highlights key sources of air pollution in Oxford
Source: City of Oxford

A new report has been published by Oxford City Council, providing a breakdown of the key sources of air pollution in the city.
The Oxford Source Apportionment report, which was conducted by Ricardo Group, highlights that road transport remains the highest contributor to NOx emissions, while domestic wood burning is the largest contributor to particulate pollution (PM2.5) in the city.

The report examines the contributions of different sectors to air pollution in Oxford (transport, domestic combustion, point sources, other transport, and other emissions), focusing on nitrogen oxides (NOX – a combination of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2)) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10).

The report is based on air pollution data measured in 2022, as well as modelling on the impact of the introduction of 159 electric buses in Oxford through the Government’s ZEBRA scheme.

The report found that while road transport remains the largest source of NOX pollution (32%), domestic combustion—particularly wood burning—is the leading cause of harmful PM2.5 emissions (24%).

Key findings of the report:

Road transport remains the largest contributor to NOX pollution – accounting for 32% of total NOX emissions.

Domestic combustion accounts for 26% of total NOX emissions.

Point sources (emissions from sources at a known location that can be directly mapped such as industry or commercial buildings) contribute 20% of total NOX emissions.

Other road transport (including boats, and military aircraft) accounts for 9% of total NOX emissions.

Other emissions (including rail and aircrafts, non-road mobile machinery, industry, waste, solvents, agriculture, and production processes) accounts for 13% of total NOX emissions.

Domestic wood burning is the highest contributor to PM2.5 pollution, accounting for 24% of total PM2.5 emissions.

Buses contribute 4% to total NOX emissions, reflecting a significant (28%) reduction since the previous source apportionment study, due to Oxford’s transition to electric buses.

Road Transport

Road transport remains the largest single contributor to NOX pollution, with diesel vehicles dominating emissions:

Cars (petrol and diesel) account for 48% of total NOX emissions.

Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) account for 19%.

Light Goods Vehicles (LGVs) account for 26%.

Buses contribute 4% to total NOX emissions, reflecting a significant (28%) reduction since the previous source apportionment study, due to Oxford’s transition to electric buses.

Private hire and Hackney taxis account for 2%.

Since the previous Source Apportionment Study, road transport NOX emissions have dropped from 40% to 32%, primarily due to the introduction of electric buses under the government’s ZEBRA scheme. Buses now contribute to 4% to total NOX emissions in the city.

Since the previous Source Apportionment Study, road transport NOX emissions have dropped from 40% to 32%, primarily due to the introduction of electric buses under the government’s ZEBRA scheme. Buses now contribute to 4% to total NOX emissions in the city.

Hotspot Locations

In addition to transport emissions across the whole city, the report also looked at pollution in three ‘hotspot’ locations – St Clement’s, Botley road and Worcester Street – which have historically seen high levels of air pollution and are key roads for vehicles to travel into and across the city.

The findings show:

Cars are the biggest contributors to NOX across all three locations.

LGVs and HGVs follow as the next most significant contributors.

Buses have seen a reduction in their contribution to NOX emissions, following the transition to electric in 2024.

Private hire taxis contribute more to NOX emissions than Hackney Carriages – with both sources combined accounting for 2% of NOX.

Domestic Combustion

The report highlights that the domestic combustion sector (which includes emissions from burning wood, coal, and gas to heat homes) is responsible for 35% of total PM2.5 emissions citywide – with wood burning alone accounting for 25%.

When looking at the specific sources of PM2.5 within the domestic combustion sector:

Wood burning accounts for 70% of all PM2.5 emissions relating to domestic combustion.

Commercial heating (in businesses and institutions) contributes 15%.

Gas and coal (domestic others) burning contributes 14%.

Smokeless fuels account for just 1%.

Other sources of emissions

Other sources of NOX emissions in Oxford includes:

Point sources (such as industry and commercial buildings) contribute 20% of total NOX emissions.

Other road transport (including boats, and military aircraft) accounts for 9% of total NOX emissions.

Other emissions (including rail and aircrafts, non-road mobile machinery, industry, waste, solvents, agriculture, and production processes) account for 13% of total NOX emissions.

There is no safe level of air pollution

In Oxford, the main pollutant of concern is nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Over the past few years, Oxford’s air quality has improved significantly, and since the introduction of the city’s current Air Quality Action Plan in 2021, NO2 levels across Oxford have seen a 18% average reduction.

Oxford is currently in compliance with the UK’s legal limit for NO2 in all areas of ‘relevant exposure’ within the city (40 µg/m³). However, there is ultimately no safe level of NO2 exposure.

In September 2021 the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended a much ‘safer’ annual mean level of NO2 of 10 µg/m³. Under its current Air Quality Action Plan, which was established in January 2021, Oxford has set its own voluntary annual mean target for NO2 of 30 µg/m³) to be achieved across the city by 2025.

Next Steps

The report will inform the Council’s upcoming Air Quality Action Plan, which will be updated in 2026 following public consultation later this year.

An Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) outlines the actions that the Council and its partners will take to improve air quality in Oxford within a certain period of time.The Council’s current Air Quality Action Plan can be read here.

For more information on air quality in Oxford, visit the Council’s Air Quality pages.

Comment

“This latest source apportionment study shows us to the key sources of toxic air pollution in Oxford, and what areas we need to focus on to improve air pollution across the city.

“We can see that there has been a significant reduction in the contribution of buses to NOX levels following the introduction of the 159 electric bus fleet. However, cars remain the largest contributor to this pollution.

“The report also highlights that we must address the growing issue of domestic wood burning, which is now the largest source of harmful PM2.5 pollution in Oxford. Many people may not realise that even modern wood stoves produce dangerous emissions. By reducing wood burning and supporting zero-emission transport, we can continue to improve Oxford’s air quality for everyone.”

Councillor Anna Railton, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Zero Carbon Oxford, Oxford City Council

“The modelled impact that the new fleet of electric buses is having on air quality in Oxford in such as short space of time is remarkable. We are incredibly proud to have put together the successful bid alongside the bus companies to bring them to the city, and this new report shows why it was such an important initiative in creating a cleaner, greener county.”

Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport Management

“We’re proud of the massive step change in emissions buses have delivered in Oxford over the last decade to help provide radically cleaner air for the communities we serve.

“This has been sustained over several years with the move to ultra-low emission vehicles and more recently zero emission vehicles, following significant investment by both companies.

“However, overall Oxford’s air is not benefitting as much as it could be due to the steadily increasing proportion of car and van emissions. The data clearly demonstrates that it’s vital for Oxford’s health that suitable measures are introduced to help reduce the volume of private vehicles on the city’s roads to achieve even greater improvements in air quality.”

Luke Marion, Managing Director of Oxford Bus Company
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Three projects to boost local businesses awarded grants

Source: Scotland – City of Aberdeen

Three projects including an event to boost to city centre footfall, further targeting of the Love Local Card, and trips for cruise ship visitors including a seabird safari with potential dolphin spotting are to take place in the next few months.

Aberdeen City Council’s Finance and Resources Committee yesterday agreed to spend £135,700 on the projects – Freebie Fortnight, Love Local Card, and the development of the travel trade tours offered by the Council’s Countryside Ranger Service.

Co-Leader Councillor Ian Yuill said: “The Council is committed to working with city centre businesses and others to drive up occupancy levels on Union Street and make our city centre an even better place to visit, work, shop, live , invest and do business.”

Committee convener Councillor Alex McLellan said: Aberdeen City Council is continuing to support business in the city centre and increase footfall through these initiatives which have been developed in partnership with the business community.”

A report to committee said £115,000 is to be allocated to Freebie Fortnight, which is aimed at strengthening local entrepreneurial ecosystems and supporting the development of SMEs.

Freebie Fortnight proposal will be run in co-ordination with local retail and hospitality businesses to boost city centre footfall, visitor numbers, and local spend.

The aim is to have about 20 local retailers participating in Freebie Fortnight. Each will be asked to select an in-store offering of value up to either £5 or £10, to be made available to a set number of customers per day over the period, for free. Customers will need to use a verbal code to access the offering. The funding from UKSPF would meet the cost of this offering, reimbursing each participating business.

There will be a particular emphasis on targeting businesses adjacent to current city centre works and disruption on Union Street Central and the new market building. It is expected that funding will support about 20 businesses to take part, and criteria will be set around these being local SMEs with fewer than three stores, rather than national chains.

The report said a total of £10,000 is to be spent on Love Local Card online development and promotion. There are more than 300 businesses in the city signed up to the Aberdeen Gift Card which is the most successful in the UK for the second year running.

Aberdeen Gift Cards can be used in both local independents as well as national chains and offer the opportunity of aggregate spend, in person in the city, and not online. The Gift Card is therefore a major boost to the local economy, local spend and visitor numbers.

To continue this momentum, a key area for growth for the Aberdeen Gift Card is corporate sales. Where organisations and businesses adopt the Gift Card for use as staff gifts, staff benefits and staff rewards, there is opportunity for increased spend and awareness of the Gift Card. The grant money will be used to support Aberdeen Inspired to target corporate sales growth of the Gift Card by developing and launching a webpage including video and case study content and increase engagement.

The travel tour fairs by the Countryside Rangers Service was awarded £10,700. Last year, the service began working with the Council’s Tourism Officer to introduce new tours targeted at the travel trade, with cruise tourism being a catalyst for the activity. The initial offer is focused on a seabird safari with potential dolphin spotting, a minibeast safari looking at insects and woodland areas, and a night-time moth-spotting trail.

The grant funds will be used to purchase equipment and kit to support the existing programme, expand the offer to include a wider area, and enhance the night-time tour with telescopes. The tours align to the Destination Strategy developed with VisitAberdeenshire which includes a focus on outdoor and adventure tourism experiences distinct to the region.

The grants were from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund managed by Aberdeen City Council.

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

February 14, 2025

Category: Business

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4. He Seemed to Me Equal to the Gods by Sappho (translated by Anne Carson in 2002)

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6. Poem II by Adrienne Rich (1978)

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Updates to this page

Key findings of the report:

Road Transport

Hotspot Locations

The findings show:

Domestic Combustion

Other sources of emissions

There is no safe level of air pollution

Next Steps

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