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Category: Education

  • MIL-OSI Global: Appliance efficiency standards save consumers billions, reduce pollution and fight climate change

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By David J. Vogel, Professor Emeritus of Business Ethics and Political Science, University of California, Berkeley

    Refrigerators were the target of the very first energy efficiency standards for appliances, back in 1974. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    President Donald Trump has said he wants to reverse decades of regulations about energy efficiency in American household appliances, claiming doing so will provide Americans with “freedom to choose” products that meet their needs.

    In an April 9, 2025, statement, Trump claimed he could alter government regulations on his own, without the legally required process of public notice and comment.

    But as a scholar of environmental regulations, I know those regulations were created to save energy and lower utility bills for consumers. I also know that many companies and consumers have supported federal regulation to strengthen energy efficiency standards and generally have opposed weakening them.

    The first government-set energy efficiency standards for appliances were issued by California in 1974. They were initially for refrigerators, the household appliance that used the most energy. Subsequently, several other household appliances were added. During the next decade, more states issued standards, as saving energy would help avoid the costs of constructing new power plants.

    The proliferation of state standards led the federal government to prohibit states from issuing appliance efficiency standards once the federal government had done so. The first federal standards, in 1987, applied to 13 household products, including refrigerators.

    Since then, the federal government has created standards for additional products and tightened existing ones. Those changes have progressively made home appliances and business and industrial equipment more efficient, saving consumers billions of dollars, decreasing air pollution from power plants and reducing carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to climate change.

    Electric meters like these at a Mississippi apartment complex keep track of how much – or how little – electricity residents use.
    AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis

    Broad application

    Federal data indicates that 40% of total U.S. energy consumption – and 28% of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions – is attributable to household and industrial appliances, such as heating and cooling systems, refrigerators, lighting and various kinds of equipment, such as computers, printers and electric motors.

    At present, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Appliance and Equipment Standards Program covers more than 70 products that the government estimates consume about 90% of energy used in homes, 70% of energy in commercial buildings and 30% of energy used in industry. The government estimates the standards saved American consumers $105 billion just in 2024 – with a typical household saving about $576 over the expenses if there were no efficiency standards.

    Appliance energy efficiency standards now in place are cumulatively expected by the Department of Energy to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 2 billion metric tons over 30 years. That’s as much carbon dioxide as 15 million gas-powered cars would emit in that same period.

    Many federal standards, including on light bulbs, electric motors and commercial heating and cooling equipment, have been based on those previously adopted by one or more states. Federal law permits states to issue standards for products that the federal government has not yet regulated: As of 2024, 18 states had set efficiency rules for a total of 22 types of appliances, including computers and televisions.

    Additional benefits

    These appliance standards have reduced American energy use, including electricity. The existing national standards are projected to reduce overall national energy consumption by 10% between 2025 and 2035.

    Those standards also improve public health, because there is less need to build new fossil-fuel power plants or operate existing ones. As a result, power generators have been able to reduce their emissions of dangerous pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and mercury.

    Energy efficiency standards reduce the need for fossil fuel-powered electric plants, like this one in Ohio.
    Jim West/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    A popular policy

    Making appliances more energy efficient has proved popular. A national survey released by the Consumer Federation of America in 2018 found that 71% of Americans “support the idea that the government should set and update energy efficiency standards for appliances.” Significantly, 72% of those surveyed named lowering electrical bills and 57% stated that avoiding construction of new power plants to keep electricity rates from rising were important reasons to increase appliance efficiency.

    Support remains strong: A June 2024 YouGov poll found that 60% of Americans support tougher appliance efficiency standards.

    From 1987 through 2007, more than three-quarters of national appliance energy efficiency standards were passed into law by Congress, with the rest created by administrative processes under existing laws. These legal standards received bipartisan support and were signed into law by Republican Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.

    But more recently, partisanship has affected the setting of standards. Since 2008, whether standards improve or remain unchanged has depended on whether Democrats or Republicans occupied the White House.

    Political back-and-forth

    The Obama administration enacted among the most ambitious energy efficiency standards for appliances and equipment to date. New standards for commercial air conditioners and furnaces affected heating and cooling equipment for half of the square footage used by the nation’s businesses. The rules were projected to reduce energy costs to businesses by $167 billion over the life of the regulated products.

    But during the first Trump administration, improvements in existing standards came to a halt.

    When Joe Biden became president, his administration resumed issuing new standards, most notably phasing out incandescent light bulbs. The Biden administration also issued new standards for furnaces, residential water heaters, stoves, washing machines and refigerators.

    Electric induction stoves, like this one, are more energy efficient than gas stoves.
    Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images

    Controversy continues

    A new Biden rule for electric motors, which are widely used in manufacturing and processing equipment, incorporated recommendations from businesses and advocacy organizations. The rule was slated to take effect in 2028 and was expected to save businesses and consumers up to $8.8 billion over a 30-year period.

    But the Trump administration has withdrawn this standard, along with others issued by the Biden administration, including for ceiling fans, dehumidifers and external power supplies. The administration has postponed the effective dates of other standards that had been finalized before Trump took office. The administration said the reversals would “slash unnecessary red tape and regulations that raise prices, reduce consumer choice, and frustrate the American people.”

    Another set of politically controversial standards Biden introduced sought to encourage consumers to switch from stoves, furnaces and water heaters that use natural gas or propane to electric ones. The electric versions of those appliances are more energy efficient, while gas cooking emits toxic chemicals into the home. Switching can be expensive, and many consumers prefer gas-powered appliances, as of course does the natural gas industry, which has opposed these federal efforts.

    And in early April 2025, Republicans in Congress used their legislative authority to overturn the regulations for natural gas water heaters. But most of the federal standards – and all of the state ones – remain in effect, at least for now.

    David J. Vogel 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. Appliance efficiency standards save consumers billions, reduce pollution and fight climate change – https://theconversation.com/appliance-efficiency-standards-save-consumers-billions-reduce-pollution-and-fight-climate-change-253673

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Ethical leadership can boost well-being and performance in remote work environments

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Mark R. Gleim, Associate Professor of Marketing, Auburn University

    Managers can still provide ethical leadership in remote environments if they’re able to convey genuine care for employees. pixdeluxe/E+ via Getty Images

    Employees are likely to perform better and be committed to the organization when they are supervised by ethical leaders, even when working remotely. Ethical leadership is evident in an organization when employees recognize values such as integrity, fairness and care for others through the actions of a leader.

    Coming out of the pandemic, we were interested in the shift to remote work and how it impacts employees when they are not able to observe and interact with managers face-to-face. Given that our research team has over 60 years of combined leadership experience in multiple industries and over 40 years of combined academic experience, we could envision the shift to remote work being impactful. These findings are based on three studies of salespeople conducted between 2021 and 2024 aimed at understanding how ethical leadership is perceived in a remote work environment.

    Across the studies, our results showed that when salespeople perceive their leaders as ethical, they feel significantly more committed to the organization. That commitment, in turn, leads to greater well-being and better performance.

    Interestingly, even as the percentage of remote supervision increases, these positive effects hold steady, suggesting that ethical leadership remains powerful and effective, even in fully remote positions.

    In-depth interviews with sales professionals who worked remotely highlighted four key factors that help reinforce ethical leadership in a remote setting: consistent and transparent communication, occasional in-person interactions, modeling integrity, and establishing clear ethical standards.

    Why it matters

    More sales jobs are becoming remote, meaning managers and employees often interact through video calls, emails and messages rather than in person. In fact, remote sales positions saw the greatest increase in new job postings – up 48% in 2023 compared with the previous year. About 22% of the U.S. workforce will work remotely in 2025.

    Some experts worry that remote work limits employees’ ability to connect with their leaders, making it harder to build a strong ethical culture. There is little understanding of how virtual communication affects employees’ perceptions of ethical leadership in organizations.

    Ethical leadership plays a crucial role in shaping workplace culture, influencing everything from employee satisfaction to overall performance. Leaders who demonstrate integrity, strong values and clear expectations foster an environment where employees feel supported and motivated. This, in turn, leads to higher engagement, lower turnover and better job performance.

    Remote supervision can pose several challenges for managers, but it can also present valuable opportunities.
    Morsa Images/Digital vision via Getty Images

    However, as remote work becomes more common, the way employees perceive and experience ethical leadership is changing. Without face-to-face interactions, employees may struggle to pick up on the same cues that signal ethical leadership in traditional office settings. For example, the spontaneous moments of ethical behavior – like how a manager handles unexpected dilemmas or navigates tough decisions in real time – are more likely to be witnessed in person.

    Remote supervision presents both challenges and opportunities for ethical leadership. While technology allows for greater flexibility and global communication, it can also create barriers to trust and connection. Emails and messages lack tone and nuance, and video calls, while more personal, still lack the spontaneous conversations that help build relationships.

    At the same time, advances in communication tools have improved the ability to convey emotions and intent, making remote leadership more effective. Features such as video calls, emojis and reactions in chat, along with voice messages, help recreate the emotional nuance of in-person interactions. These tools can allow managers to express empathy, enthusiasm, concern or praise more clearly, making their messages feel more personal and authentic; employees can better interpret a leader’s values and intentions, strengthening trust and connection even without face-to-face contact.

    What’s next

    Given the positive impact of ethical leadership on employee outcomes, it is important to understand communication effectiveness among leaders. Ethical leadership starts at the top with the CEO, who sets the tone for the entire organization. However, it must also be consistently demonstrated by managers, since employees interact with them most often and look to them for everyday guidance. While executive leadership shapes the culture, direct leaders display it daily.

    It’s also important to understand which coaching methods, like video calls or check-ins, work best to support remote teams. Individual differences, such as age or experience, may influence how employees respond to ethical leaders, so studying these factors can help tailor leadership approaches. As hybrid work becomes more common, it will also be important to examine how a mix of in-person and remote interactions impact the way ethical leadership is perceived and practiced.

    The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.

    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. Ethical leadership can boost well-being and performance in remote work environments – https://theconversation.com/ethical-leadership-can-boost-well-being-and-performance-in-remote-work-environments-253201

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Popular AIs head-to-head: OpenAI beats DeepSeek on sentence-level reasoning

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Manas Gaur, Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

    DeepSeek’s language AI rocked the tech industry, but it comes up short on one measure. Lionel Bonaventure/AFP via Getty Images

    ChatGPT and other AI chatbots based on large language models are known to occasionally make things up, including scientific and legal citations. It turns out that measuring how accurate an AI model’s citations are is a good way of assessing the model’s reasoning abilities.

    An AI model “reasons” by breaking down a query into steps and working through them in order. Think of how you learned to solve math word problems in school.

    Ideally, to generate citations an AI model would understand the key concepts in a document, generate a ranked list of relevant papers to cite, and provide convincing reasoning for how each suggested paper supports the corresponding text. It would highlight specific connections between the text and the cited research, clarifying why each source matters.

    The question is, can today’s models be trusted to make these connections and provide clear reasoning that justifies their source choices? The answer goes beyond citation accuracy to address how useful and accurate large language models are for any information retrieval purpose.

    I’m a computer scientist. My colleagues − researchers from the AI Institute at the University of South Carolina, Ohio State University and University of Maryland Baltimore County − and I have developed the Reasons benchmark to test how well large language models can automatically generate research citations and provide understandable reasoning.

    We used the benchmark to compare the performance of two popular AI reasoning models, DeepSeek’s R1 and OpenAI’s o1. Though DeepSeek made headlines with its stunning efficiency and cost-effectiveness, the Chinese upstart has a way to go to match OpenAI’s reasoning performance.

    Sentence specific

    The accuracy of citations has a lot to do with whether the AI model is reasoning about information at the sentence level rather than paragraph or document level. Paragraph-level and document-level citations can be thought of as throwing a large chunk of information into a large language model and asking it to provide many citations.

    In this process, the large language model overgeneralizes and misinterprets individual sentences. The user ends up with citations that explain the whole paragraph or document, not the relatively fine-grained information in the sentence.

    Further, reasoning suffers when you ask the large language model to read through an entire document. These models mostly rely on memorizing patterns that they typically are better at finding at the beginning and end of longer texts than in the middle. This makes it difficult for them to fully understand all the important information throughout a long document.

    Large language models get confused because paragraphs and documents hold a lot of information, which affects citation generation and the reasoning process. Consequently, reasoning from large language models over paragraphs and documents becomes more like summarizing or paraphrasing.

    The Reasons benchmark addresses this weakness by examining large language models’ citation generation and reasoning.

    How DeepSeek R1 and OpenAI o1 compare generally on logic problems.

    Testing citations and reasoning

    Following the release of DeepSeek R1 in January 2025, we wanted to examine its accuracy in generating citations and its quality of reasoning and compare it with OpenAI’s o1 model. We created a paragraph that had sentences from different sources, gave the models individual sentences from this paragraph, and asked for citations and reasoning.

    To start our test, we developed a small test bed of about 4,100 research articles around four key topics that are related to human brains and computer science: neurons and cognition, human-computer interaction, databases and artificial intelligence. We evaluated the models using two measures: F-1 score, which measures how accurate the provided citation is, and hallucination rate, which measures how sound the model’s reasoning is − that is, how often it produces an inaccurate or misleading response.

    Our testing revealed significant performance differences between OpenAI o1 and DeepSeek R1 across different scientific domains. OpenAI’s o1 did well connecting information between different subjects, such as understanding how research on neurons and cognition connects to human-computer interaction and then to concepts in artificial intelligence, while remaining accurate. Its performance metrics consistently outpaced DeepSeek R1’s across all evaluation categories, especially in reducing hallucinations and successfully completing assigned tasks.

    OpenAI o1 was better at combining ideas semantically, whereas R1 focused on making sure it generated a response for every attribution task, which in turn increased hallucination during reasoning. OpenAI o1 had a hallucination rate of approximately 35% compared with DeepSeek R1’s rate of nearly 85% in the attribution-based reasoning task.

    In terms of accuracy and linguistic competence, OpenAI o1 scored about 0.65 on the F-1 test, which means it was right about 65% of the time when answering questions. It also scored about 0.70 on the BLEU test, which measures how well a language model writes in natural language. These are pretty good scores.

    DeepSeek R1 scored lower, with about 0.35 on the F-1 test, meaning it was right about 35% of the time. However, its BLEU score was only about 0.2, which means its writing wasn’t as natural-sounding as OpenAI’s o1. This shows that o1 was better at presenting that information in clear, natural language.

    OpenAI holds the advantage

    On other benchmarks, DeepSeek R1 performs on par with OpenAI o1 on math, coding and scientific reasoning tasks. But the substantial difference on our benchmark suggests that o1 provides more reliable information, while R1 struggles with factual consistency.

    Though we included other models in our comprehensive testing, the performance gap between o1 and R1 specifically highlights the current competitive landscape in AI development, with OpenAI’s offering maintaining a significant advantage in reasoning and knowledge integration capabilities.

    These results suggest that OpenAI still has a leg up when it comes to source attribution and reasoning, possibly due to the nature and volume of the data it was trained on. The company recently announced its deep research tool, which can create reports with citations, ask follow-up questions and provide reasoning for the generated response.

    The jury is still out on the tool’s value for researchers, but the caveat remains for everyone: Double-check all citations an AI gives you.

    Manas Gaur receives funding from USISTEF Endowment Fund.

    – ref. Popular AIs head-to-head: OpenAI beats DeepSeek on sentence-level reasoning – https://theconversation.com/popular-ais-head-to-head-openai-beats-deepseek-on-sentence-level-reasoning-249109

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Video: Radio Davos | Workplace wellbeing and WFH: what’s best for business and for you?

    Source: World Economic Forum (video statements)

    Are you happy at work? And if so, do you think that helps you do the job better? Jan-Emmanuel de Neve, Professor of Economics and Behavioural Science at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School thinks so – and says he has the real-world evidence – from companies and millions of employees to prove it.

    He also says there is evidence that companies with a happy workforce will perform better for shareholders.

    And he answers the question – does that mean working from home is best, or should we all go back to the office?

    Links:

    Thriving Workplaces: How Employers can Improve Productivity and Change Lives: https://www.weforum.org/publications/thriving-workplaces-how-employers-can-improve-productivity-and-change-lives/

    Future of Jobs Report 2025: https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2025/
    Why Workplace Wellbeing Matters: https://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/news/jan-emmanuel-de-neve-launches-latest-book-workplace-wellbeing-and-why-it-matters

    Related podcasts:
    Wharton psychologist Adam Grant: How to rethink the work day – and the soft skill future leaders need: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/adam-grant-skills-future-leaders-work/

    The future of jobs requires a ‘skills-first’ mindset – for employers and for you: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/radio-davos/episodes/skills-first-jobs/

    Intel’s HR chief on reskilling and building teams for the future: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/christy-pambianchi-intel-ai-jobs-reskilling/

    IKEA HR chief shares decades of career lessons learned and what’s needed to bridge the gender equity gap: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/ulrika-biesert-ingka-group-gender-equity/

    Check out all our podcasts on wef.ch/podcasts:

    YouTube: – https://www.youtube.com/@wef/podcasts
    Radio Davos – subscribe: https://pod.link/1504682164
    Meet the Leader – subscribe: https://pod.link/1534915560
    Agenda Dialogues – subscribe: https://pod.link/1574956552
    Join the World Economic Forum Podcast Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wefpodcastclub

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    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRxbRNl16p0

    MIL OSI Video –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Sustainability Roundtable, Inc. Achieves B Corp™ Certification, Demonstrating Leadership in Purpose-Driven Business

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BOSTON, April 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —  Sustainability Roundtable, Inc. (SR Inc) proudly announces that it is now a Certified B CorporationTM (B Corp™), joining a global community of businesses that meet high standards of social and environmental impact, performance, accountability, and transparency. This prestigious certification, granted by B Lab™, affirms SR Inc’s commitment to using business as a force for goodTM.

    B Corp™ certification is awarded to businesses that meet rigorous criteria in areas such as environmental impact, employee well-being, community engagement, and positive contributions to customers’ lives. SR Inc particularly excelled in governance standards, reflecting its strong dedication to stakeholders, recently affirmed by its Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) status. With this certification, SR Inc showcases its commitment to driving economic change and its unwavering focus on meeting rising social and environmental standards.

    “Building on the support we received from our shareholders that enabled SR Inc to become a Public Benefit Corporation earlier this year, becoming a certified B Corp™ further demonstrates SR Inc’s deep commitment to leading with purpose. Doing both in 2025 brings home how we are growing our roots deeply into the purpose we share with our world-leading clients,” said Jim Boyle, CEO and founder of SR Inc. “At SR Inc, we’re energized by our mission to accelerate the growth and implementation of best practices in more sustainable business to help align business with life. By exceeding stringent B Lab™ standards, we demonstrate to all our stakeholders that we’re not just advocates for change – we are change.”

    SR Inc’s Sustainable Business & Enterprise Roundtable (SBER) played a key role in its B Corp™ achievement as it was recognized as an Environmental Education Impact Business Model (IBM). SR Inc’s strategic advisory and support services arm, SBER helps executives set goals, drive progress, and report results in more sustainable leadership. SBER’s IBM status underscores SR Inc’s high operational performance standards, its capacity to drive business-critical corporate sustainability education, and its ability to drive positive Member-Client outcomes.

    SR Inc recently achieved its goal of helping clients cause one gigawatt (GW) of new renewable energy by 2025 – made possible through its Net Zero Consortium for Buyers (NZCB), an invitation-only, confidential renewable energy buyers’ community that opens utility-scale aggregated procurements to enterprises that cannot access them alone. SR Inc’s clients have made the NZCB the leading platform servicing businesses in North America and Europe. Now, backed by the globally recognized B Corp™ certification, SR Inc is further poised to achieve its goal of helping clients cause 10 GW of new clean energy at home and abroad through 2030.

    The B Impact Assessment™ is designed to evaluate a company’s impact on all stakeholders – workers, customers, communities, and the environment – not just shareholders. Companies must score at least 80 points to attain certification, and those scores are made publicly available to ensure transparency. To maintain certification, companies must complete the assessment and verification process every three years, proving continued alignment with B Lab™ standards, which are continually refined with input from industry experts.

    For more information about SR Inc and its commitment to positive social and environmental change, visit www.sustainround.com.

    About SR Inc

    SR Inc is a for-profit Public Benefit Corporation and certified B Corp™ missioned to accelerate the growth and adoption of best practices in more sustainable business to help align business with life. SR Inc’s Sustainable Business & Enterprise Roundtable (SBER) provides strategic advisory and support in enterprise decarbonization. SR Inc’s Net Zero Consortium for Buyers (NZCB) is a confidential buyers’ community committed to creating corporate buyer-favorable renewable energy transactions, which SR Inc clients have made the leading platform for aggregated procurements of utility-scale clean energy. In doing so, SR Inc clients are helping the NZCB democratize the financial, environmental, and human health benefits of utility-scale clean energy.

    About the B Corp™ Movement

    The B Corp™ movement is a global ok movement of People Using Business as a Force for Good®. Together, they are shifting the economic system from profiting only the few to benefitting all, from concentrating wealth and power to ensuring equity, from extraction to regeneration, and from prioritizing individualism to embracing independence.

    Media Contact
    FischTank PR
    srinc@fischtankpr.com

    Other Inquiries
    Sarah Lehan
    sarahlehan@sustainround.com

    The MIL Network –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Is a ‘friend-apist’ what we really want from therapy?

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By David E. Tolchinsky, Professor and Dean, The Media School, Indiana University

    ‘Shrinking’ portrays a tangled web of care and connection, where therapists and patients are enmeshed in one another’s personal and professional lives. Apple TV+

    When I read the recent New York Times article “Therapy Is Good. These Therapists Are Bad,” I couldn’t help but think of the Apple TV+ series “Shrinking.”

    The article details the troubling prevalence of ethical and legal boundary violations by therapists: riding an exercise bike during appointments, bringing a dog into sessions despite a patient’s fear of animals, flirting with patients and even having sex with them.

    In “Shrinking,” Jason Segel stars as Jimmy Laird, a cognitive behavioral therapist who becomes increasingly entangled in his patients’ lives. His skeptical boss, Paul Rhoades – played by Harrison Ford – critiques Jimmy’s unconventional methods while facing struggles of his own. Everyone seems enmeshed with everyone else’s personal and professional lives: A patient lives with Jimmy; Jimmy is sleeping with his colleague, Gaby; Paul secretly treats Jimmy’s daughter; Jimmy’s neighbor starts a business with Jimmy’s patient. (No one, thankfully, is sleeping with their patient.)

    Whether in real life or on screen, something strange is happening with therapy: The line between therapist and friend seems to be blurring.

    As a screenwriter who teaches a course on how to portray mental health on screen, I wonder: Are these depictions a reaction to earlier conceptions of therapists? Do they reflect a growing suspicion of authority? And ultimately, what do they reveal about what we now want from a therapist?

    The distant therapist

    Not too long ago, therapists acted like black boxes and authoritative gods.

    Take my father, a well-regarded, Freudian psychoanalyst who never shared anything about himself with his patients. He wanted to be a blank wall onto which the patient could project their fantasies.

    He saw patients at our home. When they arrived or left, my family hid to preserve the client’s anonymity. When we were out running errands and saw one of his patients, we quickly left so the patient would have no inkling of my father’s personal life.

    Traditionally, psychoanalysts tried to stay neutral, silent and enigmatic during their sessions.
    Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

    Movies from the 1940s reflect the trope of the mysterious therapist. Dr. Jaquith in the 1942 film “Now, Voyager” is a friendly presence yet remains unknowable, even as he effectively cures his patient’s mental health issues.

    Naturally, positive depictions of therapists gave rise to negative ones. Released that same year, “King’s Row” features a therapist, Dr. Tower, who seems to be a consummate professional, but ends up poisoning his disturbed daughter and killing himself, a twist that hints at an incestuous relationship between the two.

    “Ordinary People,” which won best picture at the 1981 Academy Awards, tells the story of Conrad Jarrett, a teenager who has attempted suicide, and may be contemplating it again.

    Dr. Berger, his therapist who’s played by Judd Hirsch, is friendly and empathetic, but still maintains professional boundaries. When Conrad asks how life can be worth living when it’s so painful, Berger’s comforting response – “Because I’m your friend” – is clearly a therapeutic technique, not a declaration of friendship.

    Therapists are people, too

    Later on-screen depictions of therapists humanize them as flawed individuals, just like everyone else.

    In “Good Will Hunting,” Robin Williams’ Dr. Maguire grieves over his late wife and talks about his own mental health struggles.

    Viewers are privy to the personal struggles of “The Sopranos” therapist Jennifer Melfi, played by Lorraine Bracco. While she occasionally missteps – like when she accidentally reveals Tony Soprano’s identity – she takes her job seriously and routinely consults a fellow therapist, which is part of the ongoing learning process for practitioners. She’s human yet professional.

    Robin Williams, left, as therapist Sean Maguire in ‘Good Will Hunting.’
    Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

    In “Shrinking,” however, the boundaries blur completely. The show’s messy web of care and connection is entertaining and funny. But it distorts the therapist’s role. Everyone involved – patient, family member, practitioner – is portrayed as equally flawed and equally responsible for each other’s growth. While the therapists in “Shrinking” make a lot of mistakes, the message seems to be that connection and shared vulnerability matter more than expertise.

    In Season 2, “Shrinking” does interrogate its own boundary crossing when Jimmy realizes he can’t be a therapist, friend and roommate. And Paul starts out from a position of unmovable authority and realizes that he has his own issues – and that maybe Jimmy is a better therapist than he gives him credit for.

    Finding a happy medium

    But the gestalt – if I may use a psychological term – of “Shrinking” is that therapists and patients are on a somewhat equal footing and that boundary crossing is tolerated and even celebrated.

    To me, this reflects a broader cultural shift away from trusting experts, which tangentially could be related to younger generations’ greater willingness to confront authority. Social media has blurred the lines between expertise and lay knowledge further, with influencers and celebrities sometimes positioning themselves as quasi-therapists.

    At minimum, many patients nowadays seem to be looking for an equal, two-way conversation with their therapist, someone like Jimmy who admits that his psychological issues occasionally affect his therapeutic judgment.

    This is in contrast to my father, who, at least publicly, resisted the notion that his own inner life might color his psychoanalytic interpretations. He saw himself as a scientist, uncovering the true objective source of a patient’s symptoms – an endeavor he believed could be tested with the rigor of a scientific hypothesis.

    In my father’s defense, psychoanalysts are trained to recognize and neutralize their own psychological influence. He would say he was always learning. Still, his authoritative stance – and the continued insistence by many contemporary psychoanalysts on remaining a “blank screen” – may help explain why psychoanalysis has fallen out of favor as a therapeutic approach.

    In the screenwriting classes I teach, I’ve shifted from positioning myself as an all-knowing expert to being a facilitator. I share my experience, including my mistakes and failures. But I mostly focus on helping students find their own answers. Similarly, therapy may need to balance expertise with authentic connection – say, a combination of Dr. Berger’s steady wisdom in “Ordinary People” with Dr. Maguire’s openness in “Good Will Hunting.”

    If media depictions like “Shrinking” get you to talk about mental health or seek therapy, that’s no small thing. But I think it’s important to not conflate connection with qualification. Therapists aren’t friends. They’re trained professionals. And that boundary is exactly what makes the relationship work.

    David E. Tolchinsky 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. Is a ‘friend-apist’ what we really want from therapy? – https://theconversation.com/is-a-friend-apist-what-we-really-want-from-therapy-254437

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why people with autism struggle to get hired − and how businesses can help by changing how they look at job interviews

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Cindi May, Professor of Psychology, College of Charleston

    First impressions matter − they shape how we’re judged in mere seconds, research shows. People are quick to evaluate others’ competence, likability and honesty, often relying on superficial cues such as appearance or handshake strength. While these snap judgments can be flawed, they often have a lasting impact. In employment, first impressions not only affect hiring choices but also decisions about promotion years later.

    As a researcher in cognitive science, I’ve seen firsthand how first impressions can pose a challenge for individuals with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD. People with ASD often display social behaviors − such as facial expressions, eye contact, gestures and sense of personal space − that can differ from those of neurotypical individuals.

    These differences are often misunderstood, leading people with ASD to be perceived as awkward, odd or even deceptive. People form these negative impressions in just seconds and report being reluctant to talk to, hang out with or even live near people on the spectrum.

    It’s not surprising, then, that unfavorable first impressions create barriers for people with ASD in the workplace.

    The interview trap

    It starts with the job interview. Whether you’re seeking a position as a computer programmer at a tech firm or a dog groomer at a vet clinic, the job interview is a critical gateway. Success depends on your ability to think on your feet, communicate your qualifications and present yourself as likable, agreeable and collegial.

    My research demonstrates that job seekers with ASD often perform poorly in interviews due to the social demands of the situation. This is true even when the candidate is highly qualified for the job they are seeking.

    In one study, my colleagues and I videotaped mock job interviews with 30 young adults − half with ASD, half neurotypical − who were all college students without an intellectual disability. We asked them to discuss their dream jobs and qualifications for five minutes. Afterward, evaluators rated them on social traits, such as likability, enthusiasm and competence, and indicated how likely they were to hire each interviewee. As in most professional interviews, the evaluators weren’t aware that some candidates were on the autism spectrum.

    Candidates with autism spectrum disorder were consistently rated less favorably on all social dimensions compared with people without the condition, and those unfavorable social ratings weighed heavily on hiring decisions. Even though candidates with ASD were rated as equally qualified as neurotypical candidates, they were significantly less likely to be hired.

    Interestingly, when evaluators only read the candidates’ interview transcripts without watching the interviews, ratings for ASD candidates were the same as, or even better than, those for neurotypical candidates. This suggests that it’s not just what candidates say in an interview but how they present themselves socially that affects hiring decisions.

    This is especially problematic for jobs that require minimal social interaction − think data analyst or landscaper − where a candidate’s qualifications should be the main consideration. By relying on interviews as a primary screening tool, employers may miss out on competent, qualified applicants with unique strengths.

    Rethinking what makes a good candidate

    Scientists have explored whether it’s possible to teach adults with ASD how to improve their interview skills, for example by maintaining more eye contact or standing at a socially acceptable distance from an interviewer.

    While such training can help, it addresses only a small part of the problem, and I think this approach may not significantly improve employment outcomes for autistic adults.

    For one, it reduces the challenges faced by adults with ASD to a limited set of behaviors. ASD is a complex condition, and research shows that the negative evaluations of individuals with ASD are not driven by a single difference or a collection of specific differences, but rather by the individual’s overall presentation.

    In addition, this type of training often encourages individuals to mask their autistic traits, which could make a stressful interview even more difficult. Finally, if ASD candidates successfully mask their autism during the interview but can’t maintain that mask once they are hired, their longevity in the position could be at risk.

    A more effective approach may be to change how interviews are conducted and how candidates are perceived. This includes giving employers meaningful education about autism and giving job applicants a way to disclose their diagnosis without penalty. Research shows that when people know more about autism spectrum disorder, they have more positive views of people with ASD. In addition, ratings of people with ASD are often more favorable when evaluators know about their diagnosis. Combining these two approaches − that is, pairing ASD education for employers with diagnostic disclosure for candidates − may lead to better outcomes.

    An introduction to the concept of neurodiversity from the Child Mind Institute.

    My colleagues and I explored this possibility in a series of studies. Again, we showed raters the mock job interviews of candidates with and without ASD. This time, however, some evaluators watched a brief educational video about autism, learning about characteristics and strengths often associated with ASD before evaluating the mock interviews. In addition, these raters knew which candidates had an ASD diagnosis.

    Even though raters still perceived the candidates with ASD as more awkward and less likable, they rated those candidates as equally qualified as neurotypical candidates and were just as likely to hire them. This boost in hiring ratings persisted even when the educational video about autism was viewed months before candidates were evaluated.

    Notably, neither of these interventions was effective on its own. In different conditions, some evaluators simply got the training but didn’t receive diagnostic information about candidates; others received no education about autism but were aware of which candidates had ASD. Both groups continued to select against candidates with ASD in hiring decisions, even though the candidates with ASD were rated as highly qualified. It appears that both knowing a person has autism and understanding more about autism are important for overcoming negative first impressions.

    We believe that our training fostered a greater understanding of the atypical interactive style and behaviors that can be common among adults with ASD. This understanding, when coupled with the knowledge of a candidate’s diagnosis, may have helped evaluators contextualize those behaviors and, in turn, place more emphasis on qualifications when making hiring decisions.

    When hiring decisions are based on merit, both employees and employers benefit. First impressions, though impactful, can be deceptive and often bias decisions, particularly for individuals with ASD. Our findings highlight an important truth: Understanding autism enables employers to focus on qualifications, giving candidates with ASD a fair opportunity to succeed based on their true potential.

    Cindi May is a board member for Disability Rights South Carolina and a member of the National Accreditation Team for Inclusive Postsecondary Education.

    – ref. Why people with autism struggle to get hired − and how businesses can help by changing how they look at job interviews – https://theconversation.com/why-people-with-autism-struggle-to-get-hired-and-how-businesses-can-help-by-changing-how-they-look-at-job-interviews-254658

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: International students infuse tens of millions of dollars into local economies across the US. What happens if they stay home?

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Barnet Sherman, Professor, Multinational Finance and Trade, Boston University

    The Trump administration has recently revoked the visas of more than 1,300 foreign college students – detaining some – and launched immigration enforcement actions on college campuses across the country. This has raised concerns among the more than 1.1 million international students studying at U.S. universities.

    Headlines are filled with perspectives from immigration and civil rights experts, but one aspect of the story often goes overlooked: the tremendous economic impact international students have on local communities.

    Although the actual impact on enrollment won’t be known until the next academic year, interest from foreign students in pursuing graduate-level education in the U.S. fell sharply in the early days of the Trump administration, one analysis showed.

    If these global scholars stay home, that’s bad economic news for cities and towns across the United States.

    A $44 billion economic impact

    Higher education is America’s 10th-largest export, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. (Yes, even though students are coming into the U.S. for their education, economists consider it an export.)

    Last year, U.S. colleges and universities attracted international students from 217 nations and territories, including one student from the island nation of Niue in the South Pacific. Their economic contributions added up to more than the value of U.S. telecommunications, computer and information services exports combined.

    While the national impact is impressive, the effects at the local level are even more important. After all, nearly every city across the U.S. has at least one institution of higher learning.

    The average international student brings a wallet stuffed with about $29,000 to spend on everything from tuition to pizza. As these students rent apartments, buy books and order DoorDash delivery to fuel all-nighters, they’re pumping money into the local community.

    This money translates into American jobs. On average, a new job is created for every four international students enrolled in a U.S. college or university. In the 2023-24 academic year, about 378,175 jobs were created. And that’s just counting jobs that are directly supported by international students, such as local business hiring to staff retail shops and restaurants. If you count those jobs indirectly supported by international students, such as employees at a distribution center, the number is even higher.

    A boon to local economies

    In any of the 50 largest American cities, you’ll find at least one college or university with international students on campus. For these communities, global learners bring a most welcome financial aid package.

    Consider Boston. Greater Boston hosts more than 50 colleges and universities, including Boston University, where I teach multinational finance and trade. The city’s economic gains from the more than 63,000 international students attending these schools are huge: about $3 billion.

    Prestigious private schools are a draw, but hands down the biggest pull for international students are state universities and colleges. Of the nation’s top schools enrolling these students last year, 29 were state colleges and universities, attracting over 251,300 students.

    In the top three of those public institutions alone − Arizona State University, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of California, Berkeley − international students contributed nearly $1.7 billion, supporting over 16,800 jobs. Expand that to the top 10 − the University of California system takes four of those spots − and the numbers pop up to $4.68 billion and 47,136 jobs.

    Bringing the world to Mankato

    Yet international students aren’t just boosting the economies of major university towns. Consider Mankato, a small city of 45,000 about 80 miles from Minneapolis that hosts a Minnesota State University campus. In the 2023-24 academic year, about 1,716 international students called Mankato their home away from home.

    Those students brought an infusion of $45.9 million into that community, supporting around 190 jobs. There are dozens of similar campuses in cities and towns like Mankato across the country. It adds up quickly.

    In addition to private and public universities, community colleges attract thousands of global scholars. Although their international enrollment declined during Covid-19, community colleges are resurgent, attracting some 59,315 international students in 2024, with China, Vietnam and Nepal leading the countries-of-origin list.

    Generating about $2 billion and supporting 8,472 jobs, they have a major economic impact − particularly in Texas, California and Florida, where the majority of these students come to learn.

    Texas leads the nation with the three community colleges with the largest international enrollment: Houston Community College, Lone Star College and Dallas College. Of the $256.7 million and 1,096 jobs international students brought into those institutions, Lone Star led the pack with $102.3 million and 438 jobs, nearly one job created for every two international students − double the national average.

    Due to changing demographics, American colleges enroll 2.3 million fewer domestic students than they did a decade ago − a decline of 10.7%. Colleges and universities are increasingly looking to international students to fill the gap. What’s more, universities tend to see international students as subsidizing domestic students, particularly since international students are generally ineligible for need-blind admissions.

    Moreover, the vast majority of international students are funded by family or foreign sponsors. Few require student aid packages. In fact, less than 20% of all international students receive grant funding from a federal source, and most of that goes to postgraduates doing advanced research. If you look at undergraduate exchange students alone, just 0.1% receive any sort of public funding.

    One thing’s for sure: Whether they’re attending small-town community colleges or the Ivies in big cities, international students bring a “high degree” of economic impact with them.

    This is an updated version of a story originally published Aug. 13, 2024.

    Barnet Sherman 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. International students infuse tens of millions of dollars into local economies across the US. What happens if they stay home? – https://theconversation.com/international-students-infuse-tens-of-millions-of-dollars-into-local-economies-across-the-us-what-happens-if-they-stay-home-254539

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Local Partnership Expands Early Childhood Development Training for UConn Waterbury Students

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    When Alee Ennis ’25 (CLAS) began her required practicum hours for her human development and family sciences (HDFS) degree with a specialization in early childhood development, she faced a grueling commute. Without a car, she traveled nearly two hours by train and Uber each way from her home to practicum sites in Stamford and Westport – often leaving before sunrise and returning long after dark.   

    “My GPA took a hit, and I was constantly tired,” Ennis says. “But I knew this was the path I wanted.” 

    In Fall 2024, HDFS expanded its Early Childhood Specialization (ECS) program to UConn Waterbury in partnership with the Slocum School, a local Head Start program operated by TEAM Inc. The collaboration brought practicum opportunities just minutes from the Waterbury campus, making the program more accessible for students like Ennis. 

    “It changed everything,” Ennis says. “I could finally focus on the experience, the kids, and the material — without worrying about trains, rides, or losing an entire day to travel.” 

    Ennis was drawn to early childhood development after taking an HDFS course that introduced her to a more holistic approach to child development across a person’s lifespan. Initially interested in psychology, she realized the ECS program offered more hands-on, immersive learning that would prepare her to work with young children in a real-world setting. 

    Determined to stay on track despite the commute, Ennis says she worked closely with Cora D’Alessandro, instructor-in-residence and student coordinator for the ECS program. When the local practicum site launched in Waterbury, D’Alessandro was able to help Ennis transition into a preschool classroom placement. 

    “Cora made it happen,” Ennis says. “We even did an independent study so I could take a required course that was still only offered in Stamford. She made sure I stayed on track to graduate.” 

    Cora D’Alessandro, instructor-in-residence and student coordinator for the ECS program and Alee Ennis ’25 (CLAS) at Slocum School in Waterbury. (Steve Bustamante / University of Connecticut).

    The ECS program at UConn Waterbury blends research-based coursework with reflective practice and culturally responsive teaching. Students not only learn child development theory — they’re taught to apply it, observe, and adapt in real time. This collaborative model benefits students interested in teaching as well as those interested in pursuing careers across the full range of services TEAM offers, such as home visiting, health screenings, nutrition services, and a family resource center. 

    “Our students are learning how to teach, but also how to think critically about their teaching,” D’Alessandro says. “By working alongside professionals in a high-quality program like Slocum, they’re gaining the tools they need to support children and families in meaningful ways.” 

    Slocum School serves more than 200 children annually through TEAM Inc.’s Head Start program. As part of the program, Ennis was paired with a focus child for her practicum project. She documented the child’s language, motor, and social-emotional development, and worked closely with the classroom teacher to support growth in key areas. 

    “The classroom at Slocum was bigger and more diverse than what I’d experienced in Westport,” Ennis says. “I worked with kids with autism and other developmental needs. At first, I was nervous, but over time I learned how to build trust and support each child based on where they were developmentally.” 

    At Slocum, students like Ennis also work alongside experienced early childhood professionals, observing and engaging in classroom activities, assisting in curriculum implementation, and applying culturally responsive and inclusive teaching strategies. Many of the professionals at Slocum are HDFS alumni themselves, many of whom specialized in early childhood development, including TEAM Inc. CEO David Morgan ’97 (CLAS). 

    “The bedrock to our TEAM achievements is collaboration, and we’re humbled and honored that the University of Connecticut recognized and embraced this opportunity to partner with us,” Morgan says. 

    According to Fumiko Hoeft, dean of UConn Waterbury, the partnership is not only enhancing student learning but also strengthening the local early childhood education workforce. 

    “This collaboration with Slocum and TEAM Inc. is giving students the chance to stay local and still get a high-impact educational experience,” Hoeft says. “It’s a win for students, families, and the community.” 

    Ennis plans to pursue graduate study to become a child life specialist, supporting children and families navigating serious health challenges. Her time at Slocum affirmed her career goals and gave her the confidence to take the next step. 

     “I don’t think I would’ve made it through this program without the support I found here in Waterbury,” Ennis says. “Having this kind of opportunity close to home made all the difference.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Babbidge Library Exhibit Offers Powerful Images of War, and Hope, Created by Ukrainian Children

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    In the drawing, two little children hold hands, the taller figure with shoulder-length hair.

    The shorter figure has hair cropped short, and holds a teddy bear in their other hand, one of the toy’s eyes missing and portrayed as an X.

    Between the two is an umbrella, seemingly their only protection from what’s falling from the sky above them – a cluster of ominous black bombs.

    ‘With faith in victory,’ an original drawing by Anastasiia B., a 14-year-old from Ukraine, from the ‘Children Draw War, Not Flowers’ exhibit, on display at the Babbidge Library until August 1, 2025. (Contributed image)

    The umbrella is striped – yellow, blue, yellow – in the colors of the flag of the artist’s home country: Ukraine.

    It’s a simple drawing, but poignant, and made ever more so by the fact that the artist who created the work, entitled “With faith in victory,” was only 14 years old when they drew it in September 2022, seven months after Russia launched a military invasion of Ukraine.

    This drawing, and many others like it – created by Ukrainian children during the ongoing Russo-Ukraine War – are on display at the UConn Library’s Homer Babbidge Library as part of the “Children Draw War, Not Flowers” exhibit, which opened on April 8.

    In the fall of 2022, the Cherkasy Regional Universal Scientific Library, funded by the School of Information at San Jose State University in California, held a drawing competition in 40 public regional libraries in communities where over 220,000 displaced Ukrainians resided.

    Children from the ages of 6 to 18 created more than 450 drawings documenting their experiences of war, trauma, and hope. Those drawings are now part of “Children Draw War, Not Flowers,” which has traveled to a number of institutions but will reside at UConn Storrs until later this summer.

    Its stop at UConn was made possible by a collaboration with Ulia Gosart from San Jose State University, an assistant professor, scholar, writer, and human rights activist who received her bachelor’s degree from Kiev University of Arts in Ukraine and her master’s in library and information science from Southern Connecticut State University, according to Jean Cardinale ’04 MS, head of communication and marketing for the UConn Library.

    “Since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Gosart has been supporting Ukrainian libraries by raising awareness and fundraising through programming, including curating this traveling exhibit,” says Cardinale. “She supports her community engaged in war through the power of libraries, and the UConn Library was honored to be asked to take part in her important work.”

    The “Children Draw War, Not Flowers” exhibit includes 70 drawings depicting weapons, loss, soldiers, and destroyed buildings and artifacts. But the drawings also show symbols of hope and pride. The blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag are abundant. Angels hover over Ukrainian soldiers. Sunflowers and storks, images of national solidarity, hang over depictions of war.

    The exhibit’s goal, explains Cardinale, is to help visitors gain greater understanding of the realities Ukrainian people – and especially Ukrainian children – face in the midst of war.

    “Thankfully, living through war is something most of us have not had to experience, and we are geographically so far away that it’s easy to disassociate from what is happening,” Cardinale says. “When you see these pieces where children have drawn themselves amid bombings, fires, and saying goodbye to their homes and their families, you see the trauma that effects children of war.”

    The exhibit at the Babbidge Library also includes drawings from the Mia Farrow Collection, donated to the UConn Library’s Archives & Special Collections in 2009, that were made by refugee children escaping war and ethnic cleansing at the Djabal Refugee Camp in Eastern Chad in 2002.

    “Our Archives & Special Collections has many collections that focus on documenting human rights violations and struggles for social justice in the United States and internationally,” says Cardinale. “Their guiding principles are to enable us to understand the past to inspire our future. Displaying these two collections of drawings together shows parallels in how children have used art to express their feelings during war.”

    For children who may not yet know who to talk with about their feelings, art encourages them to explore their emotions and perceptions through their creativity, Cardinale notes. The images these children have created during two different conflicts, occurring decades apart, show the similarities of their struggles in a powerful and visual way.

    ‘Ukraine will win!’ an original drawing by Yana Kh., an 8-year-old from Ukraine, from the ‘Children Draw War, Not Flowers’ exhibit, on display at the Babbidge Library until August 1, 2025. (Contributed image)

    The exhibit also serves as a reminder that Ukrainian and Ukrainian American students at UConn continue to feel the ongoing impact of the war that may not always be clearly visible to the community at large.

    “We have had the opportunity to connect with the Ukrainian Students Association here at UConn, and at the exhibit’s opening reception, they brought their personal experiences of family members directly affected by the war,” she says. “So, it also serves as a reminder that our students may be experiencing many different challenges that we don’t see and deserve some grace during this stressful time of the semester.”

    “Children Draw War, Not Flowers” will be on display at the Gallery on the Plaza at the Homer Babbidge Library in Storrs through August 1, 2025.

    To view drawings from the “Children Draw War, Not Flowers” collection online, please visit Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online at gallery.sucho.org/collections.

    For more information about this and other exhibits at the UConn Library, as well as collections maintained by the library’s Archives & Special Collections, visit lib.uconn.edu.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Student Organization Hosts Annual Multicultural Education Conference Focused on Equity and Opportunity

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    On April 5, the Leadership in Diversity (LID) student organization held its annual multicultural education conference at UConn Storrs, offering space for dialogue and discussion among educators across Connecticut. The event, titled “Empowering Education: Strength in Opportunity and Equity,” was free and coordinated by students in the Neag School of Education’s Integrated Bachelor’s/Master’s teacher preparation program who lead LID.

    Founded in 2014 by two Neag School students, LID aims to equip aspiring educators with the necessary tools, networks, and knowledge to become competitive, well-rounded, and culturally responsive professionals.

    “Our annual spring conference is a staple to our community,” said Carter Newman ’24 (ED), ’25 MA, vice president and treasurer of LID. (Sydney Herdle/UConn Photo)

    “Our annual spring conference is a staple to our community,” said Carter Newman ’24 (ED), ’25 MA, vice president and treasurer of LID. “We have the privilege of hosting this event for students, faculty, and the greater education community to spread the joy of working in this field. Each conference features a diverse set of presenters who share their impact in the educational field and creates space for guests to engage with one another, sharing their own expertise.”

    Daniel Lozano ’24 (ED), ’25 MA, secretary of LID, emphasized the organization’s importance in promoting inclusion.

    “Understanding and supporting Leadership in Diversity is vital because it fosters inclusive leadership and challenges us to confront systemic inequities in our schools and communities,” Lozano said. “We are deeply grateful to the educators who continue to support our organization’s mission and who work every day to create more just and inclusive learning environments.”

    Held in the Charles B. Gentry Building, the conference featured eight rotating presentations, including:

    • Perspectives About Translanguaging Amongst Dual Language Educators, presented by Natalia Murphy ’25 (ED), ’26 MA
    • The Power of Mentorship in Education, presented by Terrell Huff, CEO of Dilligence Training Cares
    • Navigating Conflict: The Intersection of Cultural Competency and Effective Resolution, presented by Tonya Clairborne and Scott Hurwitz ’06 (ED), ’07 MA, ’19 Ed.D., ’21 ELP, Glastonbury Public Schools
    • Affinity Group in the Meriden Public Schools: Recruiting and Retaining Racially Diverse Educators, presented by Orlando Valentin Jr. ’13 (ED), ’15 MA, ’19 6th Year, Meriden Public Schools
    • Incorporating Social Justice into Curriculum, presented by Toby Way, Mansfield Public Schools
    • AAVE? Ebonics? Slang? Can We Call This a Language?, presented by Mikaya Robinson ’24 (ED), ’25 MA
    • Building Effective Relationships with Students with Challenging Behaviors, presented by Vilenti Tulloch, CEO of Academic Leadership Association
    • Disability Inclusivity in Elementary Education, presented by Lauren Midgette, Neag School adjunct professor

    “The passion that comes from our presenters, attendees, and the team behind planning is something I love being able to witness,” said Camille Terrell ’24 (ED), ’25 MA, LID co-president. “The work and discussion that is done at this conference is meant to inspire, change, and equip current and future educators to provide students with the opportunity to forever learn and grow.”

    The work and discussion that is done at this conference is meant to inspire, change, and equip current and future educators to provide students with the opportunity to forever learn and grow. &#8212 Camille Terrell ’24 (ED), ’25 MA, LID co-president

    Logan McCallum Laval ’24 (ED), ’25 MA, co-president of LID, noted the event’s strong attendance despite a new format.

    “We were especially pleased to see such a strong turnout,” Laval said. “We are thankful for those who attended, presented, came to learn, and be a part of such impactful conversations around education.”

    Murphy presented a case study conducted at an elementary school in eastern Connecticut, exploring how dual language teachers work to bridge the gap between students’ natural language practices and the long-standing language separation policies of districts.

    “It’s not just the English speakers or the non-English speakers, everyone is valued in this process,” Murphy said. “Every student’s language skills and the things they bring to the table are important to us.”

    Hurwitz and Clairborne focused on how cultural competency strengthens conflict resolution by helping educators recognize and respond to different communication styles and ways of handling conflict.

    “Sometimes, as a leader, listening is your most important skill that you can exhibit,” Hurwitz said. “You think as a leader that you have to talk, but sometimes not talking is the best way to begin solving the problem.”

    Midgette highlighted the need for disability representation and inclusivity in education, as well as shared practical strategies to achieve it. She was joined by her 6-year-old daughter, helping illustrate how meaningful and respectful conversations about disability can be integrated into early learning environments.

    “I am a secondary educator by training, but after having this beautiful little girl in 2019, I became more interested in elementary education and the ways that we are ensuring that our youngest get the same conversations but at an appropriate level,” Midgette said.

    “Recognizing and embracing Black Language in educational spaces only strengthens our goals as educators to create an inclusive learning environment for every student,” said Mikaya Robinson ’24 (ED), ’25 MA at the conference. (Nicole Dobrzanski/Neag School)

    Robinson discussed the work of April Baker-Bell, an academic scholar, in her research of Black Language. The presentation focused on how educators can champion linguistic justice in their classrooms through language, writing, and reading.

    “Recognizing and embracing Black Language in educational spaces only strengthens our goals as educators to create an inclusive learning environment for every student,” Robinson said. “Change begins with knowledge — and with that, we can create safer spaces for Black students and speakers of Black Language.”

    Alyssa Hadley Dunn, director of teacher education at the Neag School, praised the event and its organizers.

    “I was so impressed and inspired by the LID conference, including the outstanding organizers and the individual presenters,” Dunn said. “Our Neag School students and alumni who presented their research were passionate about educational justice and did a wonderful job engaging the audience. They are wonderful examples of the type of educators we need in today’s world.”

    Dominique Battle-Lawson, LID advisor and assistant director of student support at the Neag School, underscored the importance of fostering inclusive education and professional networks.

    “LID is one of several initiatives to bridge this gap by supporting and encouraging prospective Neag School students of color throughout the UConn application process,” Battle-Lawson said. “We also strive to assist current Neag School students of color by offering networking opportunities, professional development, and a safe space to discuss educational issues. This work is essential for ensuring a more inclusive and representative future in education.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Thailand’s fragile democracy takes another hit with arrest of US academic

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Adam Simpson, Senior Lecturer, International Studies, University of South Australia

    Despite the challenges faced by local democratic activists, Thailand has often been an oasis of relative liberalism compared with neighbouring countries such as Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.

    Westerners, in particular, have been largely welcomed and provided with a measure of protection from harassment by the authorities. Thailand’s economy is extremely dependent on foreign tourism. Many Westerners also work in a variety of industries, including as academics at public and private universities.

    That arrangement now seems under pressure. Earlier this month, Paul Chambers, an American political science lecturer at Naresuan University, was arrested on charges of violating the Computer Crimes Act and the lèse-majesté law under Section 112 of Thailand’s Criminal Code for allegedly insulting the monarchy.

    Chambers’ visa has been revoked and he now faces a potential punishment of 15 years in jail.

    The lèse-majesté law has become a common tool for silencing Thai activists. At least 272 people have been charged under the law since pro-democracy protests broke out in 2020, according to rights groups.

    Its use against foreigners has, until now, been limited. No foreign academic has ever been charged with it. Because of the law, however, most academics in Thailand usually tread carefully in their critiques of the monarchy.

    The decision to charge a foreign academic, therefore, suggests a hardening of views on dissent by conservative forces in the country. It represents a further deterioration in Thailand’s democratic credentials and provides little optimism for reform under the present government.

    Thailand’s democratic deficit

    Several other recent actions have also sparked concerns about democratic backsliding.

    Following a visit by Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to China in February, the government violated domestic and international law by forcibly returning 40 Uyghurs to China.

    The Uyghurs had fled China a decade earlier to escape repression in the western Xinjiang region and had been held in detention in Thailand ever since. They now potentially face worse treatment by the Chinese authorities.

    Then, in early April, Thailand welcomed the head of the Myanmar junta to a regional summit in Bangkok after a devastating earthquake struck his war-ravaged country.

    Min Aung Hlaing has been shunned internationally since the junta launched a coup against the democratically elected government in Myanmar in 2021, sparking a devastating civil war. He has only visited Russia and China since then.

    In addition, the military continues to dominate politics in Thailand. After a progressive party, Move Forward, won the 2023 parliamentary elections by committing to amend the lèse-majesté law, the military, the unelected Senate and other conservative forces in the country ignored the will of the people and denied its charismatic leader the prime ministership.

    The party was then forcibly dissolved by the Constitutional Court and its leader banned from politics for ten years.

    In February, Thailand’s National Anti-Corruption Commission criminally indicted 44 politicians from Move Forward for sponsoring a bill in parliament to reform the lèse-majesté law. They face lifetime bans from politics if they are found guilty of breaching “ethical standards”.

    Even the powerful former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, whose daughter is also the current prime minister, is not immune from the lèse-majesté law.

    He was indicted last year for allegedly insulting the monarchy almost two decades ago. His case is due to be heard in July.

    This continued undermining of democratic norms is chipping away at Thailand’s international reputation. The country is now classified as a “flawed democracy” in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index, with its ranking falling two years in a row.



    Read more:
    Thailand’s democracy has taken another hit, but the country’s progressive forces won’t be stopped

    Academic freedom at risk

    The lèse-majesté law has always represented something of a challenge to academic freedom in Thailand, as well as freedom of speech more generally. Campaigners against the law have paid a heavy price.

    The US State Department has provided a statement of support for Chambers, urging the Thai government to “ensure that laws are not used to stifle permitted expression”. However, given the Trump administration’s attacks on US universities at the moment, this demand rings somewhat hollow.

    Academic freedom is a hallmark of democracies compared with authoritarian regimes. With the US no longer so concerned with protecting academic freedom at home, there is little stopping flawed democracies around the world from stepping up pressure on academics to toe the line.

    The undermining of democracy in the US is already having palpable impacts on democratic regression around the world.

    With little international pressure to adhere to democratic norms, the current Thai government has taken a significant and deleterious step in arresting a foreign academic.

    In the future, universities in Thailand, as in the US, will find it harder to attract international talent. Universities – and the broader society – in both countries will be worse off for it.

    Adam Simpson 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. Thailand’s fragile democracy takes another hit with arrest of US academic – https://theconversation.com/thailands-fragile-democracy-takes-another-hit-with-arrest-of-us-academic-254706

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Reckoning and resistance: The future of Black hiring commitments on campus

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Cornel Grey, Assistant Professor in Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies, Western University

    In the wake of George Floyd’s murder in May 2020, a global reckoning on anti-Black racism ignited protests, conversations and demand for action. Across North America, universities scrambled to make public commitments to racial justice. They pledged to make changes and address systemic inequalities.

    One of the most significant commitments was what’s known as cluster hiring. Recruiting multiple Black scholars at the same time can foster a thriving intellectual community. Research shows cluster hires improve Black faculty representation and retention.

    This strategy can also help combat the isolation, hostility and lack of support that Black faculty often face in predominantly white institutions.

    Many universities pledged lofty and hopeful equity initiatives at the time. These included similar commitments to hiring Indigenous faculty in clusters, developing or expanding Black Studies programs and implementing campus-wide anti-racism strategies.

    But these pledges now face a challenging landscape.

    The United States is witnessing a growing backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and higher education in general. And Canada is not immune.

    In Canada, hiring freezes are now gripping several Canadian post-secondary institutions.

    As austerity measures as well as political shifts impact students, faculty and administrators, a big question looms. What programs will institutions cut in these times of fiscal restraint and shifting cultural values?



    Read more:
    The world is in crisis – what role should our universities play?

    The true test to racial justice committment

    In 2020, McGill made a powerful pledge: to hire 40 Black tenure-track or tenured professors by 2025 and 85 by 2032.

    According to McGill University, it has increased the number of Black tenure-track or tenured professors from 14 in 2021 to 50 in 2025. This marks a significant step toward addressing longstanding gaps in representation.

    But as public support for DEI initiatives wanes and universities face growing financial pressures, will these efforts to build a more equitable faculty be sustained?

    Several Canadian universities also pledged to create or expand Black Studies programs.

    New programs were launched at Toronto Metropolitan University, Western University, the University of Guelph and the University of Waterloo. Existing initiatives at Queen’s University, Dalhousie University and York were expanded.

    Yet the development and funding of Black Studies in Canada largely remains fragile. Administrative support is often lacking and dependent on broader institutional priorities.

    Black studies programs are fragile

    Disciplines like Black Studies, Indigenous Studies and Gender Studies are not just academic pursuits. They provide students with essential analytical tools to understand our most pressing issues, including economic precarity, the erosion of civil freedoms and land sovereignty.

    These university programs are at the forefront of equity education. They are crucial to foster the ability of students and scholars to critically engage with the key challenges we face today.



    Read more:
    Afua Cooper: My 30-year effort to bring Black studies to Canadian universities is still an upward battle

    The U.S. is a warning

    Recent developments in the U.S. serve as a cautionary tale. Canadian politicians and agencies often take cues from American trends.

    Republican lawmakers have aggressively targeted DEI initiatives on campuses in several states. And new legislation bans race-conscious hiring and rewrites curricula.

    Canadian researchers receiving funding from U.S. federal agencies are being pressured to conform their scholarship to the ideological agendas of the White House.

    At the University of Alberta, the move away from DEI discourses to more neutral language like “access, community, and belonging” has marked a fundamental shift.

    In Alberta, the Provincial Priorities Act (Bill 18) now requires federal research funds to align with provincial government priorities. And in Nova Scotia, Bill 12 threatens to link university funding decisions to the government’s social and economic priorities.

    In this climate, ideas of curtailing DEI in research are no longer speculative.

    Within these changes are urgent questions about how research and funding agencies like the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) will respond.

    Research shows that including DEI frameworks in funding applications has had some positive impacts for researchers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, but its focus on personal responsibility and metrics can obscure the deeper forces behind inequality.

    Retaining its political edge

    Universities often frame their commitments to Black faculty hiring and Black Studies programs as part of broader DEI agendas.

    However, as scholars have long pointed out, DEI policies prioritize representation over structural transformation, reducing the presence of Black faculty to a matter of optics rather than a meaningful shift in institutional power.

    When Black Studies is treated as an administrative deliverable rather than a radical intellectual tradition grounded in resistance to oppression, it is stripped of its political edge.

    Institutional integrity

    As Canadian universities face financial pressures and shifting political tides, the commitments will now be put to the test.

    Anti-Black racism and equity cannot be a temporary trend that universities go through during times of public scrutiny. It must remain at the core of academic values, regardless of political or financial pressure.

    The fight for Black and Indigenous hiring initiatives continues and the 2020-21 promises made by universities need to be held to the highest standard. This is about sustained commitment to structural change in our institutions. The stakes couldn’t be higher.

    Cornel Grey receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

    Muna-Udbi Abdulkadir Ali receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

    Stephanie Latty receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

    – ref. Reckoning and resistance: The future of Black hiring commitments on campus – https://theconversation.com/reckoning-and-resistance-the-future-of-black-hiring-commitments-on-campus-253676

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why deregulating online platforms is actually bad for free speech

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Michael Gregory, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Clemson University

    Free speech requires freedom from fear and intimidation. AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam

    One of the first executive orders that President Trump signed after his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025, was titled Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship. The order accused the previous administration of having “trampled free speech rights by censoring Americans’ speech on online platforms.”

    What Trump was referring to as censorship was the government’s attempt to work with social media and broadcasting platforms to regulate misinformation, disinformation and misleading information by removing content, limiting its dissemination or labeling it, sometimes with fact-checking included. Similar accusations had been brought before the Supreme Court in 2024, where the justices sided with the federal government, preserving its ability to interact and coordinate with social media platforms.

    However, the decision came during a trend toward deregulation of online platforms as Elon Musk removed guardrails after acquiring X, and Meta and YouTube removed policies meant to combat hate and misinformation. With Trump’s commitment to free speech protections through deregulation, online platforms are likely to remove more guardrails.

    As a scholar of legal and political philosophy, I know that deregulation and free speech are often linked. Recently there has been a significant increase in broad court rulings on the First Amendment that support deregulation in all sorts of market sectors, from contributions to political campaigns to graphic labels on cigarettes.

    This is not surprising considering that free speech has long been associated with the metaphor of free trade in ideas, closely tied to the value of a deregulated market economy. The presumption has been that the way to protect freedom of speech is through a deregulated marketplace, and speech on social media platforms is no exception. However, research on online speech shows the opposite to be the case: Regulating online speech protects free speech.

    What is content moderation?

    Free speech and its exceptions

    Free speech in the U.S. has always been accompanied by a series of exceptions, laid out clearly by the courts, that constrain speech based on a competing concern for the prevention of harm. For example, speech that threatens, incites or directly causes harm is not protected speech.

    Yet, when it comes to content-based regulation dealing with ideas or ideological expression, the courts have been clear that the government should not place burdens on speech that is objectionable. The government cannot censor speech that is false but does not lead to a specific, identifiable harm.

    Despite these legal constraints, researchers have suggested that upholding the value of free speech requires some content-based regulation. To understand this seemingly paradoxical conclusion, it’s important to understand why free speech is valuable in the first place. Free speech enables you to be an autonomous member of society by allowing you to express yourself and hear other people express themselves.

    People consider it wrong when a government bans discussion of a viewpoint or piece of content because that violates their right as speakers and listeners to engage with the viewpoint or content. In other words, having free speech is essential because citizens need to be able to choose freely what they say and listen to.

    In addition, democracy is served by having a citizenry that is able to engage freely and meaningfully in the content of their choosing. Democratic dissent, after all, was the original inspiration for free speech protections and serves as the backbone of their protections today.

    Regulating for free speech

    The need for citizens in a democratic state to be autonomous speakers and thinkers underscores the importance of content-based regulation in upholding free speech. Research has shown that hate speech online in particular and the proliferation of extremism online in general have a chilling effect on online speech through intimidation and fear. So, restrictions on hate speech can support free speech rather than undermining it.

    Hate speech is a form of speech that can diminish free speech.
    Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via Getty Images

    In addition, the spread of online misinformation and the challenges of detecting it can similarly undermine the people’s ability to exchange ideas and evaluate viewpoints as autonomous speakers or listeners. In fact, research shows that users are bad at distinguishing between true and false claims online. This fundamental weakness undermines your ability to operate as an autonomous speaker or listener.

    Finally, increased polarization online, caused by the dissemination of falsehoods, undermines the democratic point of free speech protections. People cannot meaningfully engage in the marketplace of ideas on a platform where falsehoods are amplified. Importantly, this insight aligns with users’ preference that platforms remove disinformation rather than protect it.

    All of this is evidence that deregulating social media platforms is a net loss for free speech. In economic markets, maintaining a consumer’s freedom of choice requires regulations against coercion and deceit. In the marketplace of ideas, the principle is the same: The free trade of ideas requires regulation.

    Michael Gregory 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. Why deregulating online platforms is actually bad for free speech – https://theconversation.com/why-deregulating-online-platforms-is-actually-bad-for-free-speech-253015

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Japanese expert in hoarding visits Norwich to share global insights

    Source: City of Norwich

    Professor Aso, a former nurse in Japan and now an academic specialising in the study of hoarding, was aware of the good work taking place in Norwich to support residents affected by hoarding.

    Because of this she approached us, keen to learn more about our service and to share her own learnings with us.

    Hoarding is a complex and sensitive issue which can cause profound wellbeing problems for those suffering with the condition. It can also be a very difficult issue for family members and loved ones to understand.

    On top of this, there are often real barriers to tackle when it comes to getting the relevant professional services on board to provide the right kind of support to help tackle the issue.

    Council officers have witnessed first-hand how hoarding can negatively impact the lives of some residents. To help us understand more about this we were very happy to invite Professor Yasuko Aso, a public health expert from Japan, to come to City Hall and share her insights with us – drawn from across her research into hoarding.

    Rachel Omori, independent living and collaboration manager at Norwich City Council said: “Bringing in international expertise helps us see what works elsewhere and where we can do better. Learning from others allows us to keep improving support for people in Norwich.”

    During her visit, Professor Aso from Wayo Women’s University and Japan’s National Institute of Public Health, met with housing colleagues from the city council and other local organisations including St Martins Housing Trust, adult social care, and the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board and INTERACT.

    Among the topics discussed was an explanation of how group workshops can help people reduce clutter and improve their quality of life.

    Professor Aso said: “In Japan, we face challenges like an ageing population, limited space, and natural disasters, which make hoarding a growing concern.
    “Norwich’s approach has given me fresh ideas to take back to my colleagues. I hope this conversation continues.”

    Those involved shared their own experiences and methods for supporting residents affected by hoarding with the aim to learn from each other and improve support services.

    Dr Jan Sheldon, chief executive of St Martins Housing Trust, said:
    “Whilst we and our partners have made great strides forward supporting people with hording behaviours over the last few years there is always more to learn. The international exchange of knowledge and experience is always important, we have much to learn from each other. It is critical that our work in this area continues to build upon our understanding and practical implementation of the Psychological Informed Environment (PIE) and Trauma Informed Care (TIC)”

    The visit, which took place earlier this month, highlights the city council’s commitment to learning from global best practice to improve lives locally, especially for residents facing complex housing and health needs. The timing of this visit helps to shine a spotlight on ‘UK Hoarding Awareness Week’ which runs from 12–16 May. Please follow our posts on social media for more updates.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Missions and challenges of youth policy: what universities should strive for

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

    Universities have always been considered as something more than just a place for training personnel. In each historical period, they were given different goals, and different requirements were imposed depending on the stage of development of the country and society. What the university of the future should be like and how to build a youth policy in it were discussed by representatives of more than 40 universities from all over the country at a strategic session that took place at the National Research University Higher School of Economics on April 11–12.

    In recent years, the concept of youth policy has been undergoing a transformation: today, its tasks in universities are not just to provide leisure time for young people, but to fully and comprehensively develop their personality. Universities are beginning to work on building unified ecosystems of youth policy, in which each student can be unique and have their own development trajectory. At the same time, institutional support for the youth policy sphere is also in need of modernization. How to set up a system of grant competitions with a focus on supporting long-term systemic projects? How to understand students’ requests and build response support measures?

    At the opening of the strategic session, the head of Rosmolodezh Grigory Gurov spoke about the priorities of youth policy and the opportunities provided by the department, and also recalled the advantages of the grant competition. “Grants are not just funds for the implementation of a project. This is an opportunity to get acquainted with the work of state and public institutions, this is a protected opportunity to implement your project, bring public benefit, and gain competencies,” he emphasized.

    Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Olga Petrova thanked her colleagues from Rosmolodezh and the Higher School of Economics, emphasizing the importance of creating a unified system of work with young people. “Do not be afraid to interact with each other in your projects, within the subject, take into account inter-university collaborations. We are strengthening our common unified system of students, the implementation of youth policy among students, using all the tools and mechanisms that exist,” she said, welcoming the participants of the event.

    HSE Vice-Rector Dmitry Zemtsov, one of the ideologists of the strategic session, delivered the opening lecture-challenge “Students’ Dreams and the University Mission”. He noted that universities have always implemented the mission of social development, but at each historical stage and in each state they understood it differently. According to him, today there is a certain crisis of this concept, the issue is relevant for the entire global scientific community, at the same time it opens up opportunities for the transition to evidence-based youth policy, in which decision-making and development of measures are based on data and research.

    Director Institute of Education HSE University Evgeny Terentyev presented the results of a large-scale empirical study conducted by HSE together with 12 other Russian universities over the past three years. Scientists identified first-year students’ attitudes towards the role of higher education, their perception of its value, and their expectations of learning.

    The strategy session also included lectures by the chief research fellow Project-training laboratory “Youth policy” HSE Alexey Tokarev “The Image of the Future in the Mass Consciousness of Young People: Applied Sociology”, Director of the Resource Center of Rosmolodezh Pavel Khlopin “Modern Challenges of Education in the Sphere of Education”, Director Center for Sociology of Higher Education HSE Ivan Gruzdev “What young people are silent about and how can we find out about it” and others.

    The first day of the strategic session ended with the business game “Grad Kitezh”, the main objective of which was to demonstrate to the participants the importance of keeping the key goal and mission of their activities in focus. Having reflected on the results of the game, on the second day the teams spoke at a pitch session with a presentation of the best university solutions in the field of youth policy.

    Summing up the results of the strategic session, HSE expert Alexandrina Klyus and HSE Deputy Vice-Rector Ilya Yaskov called on students to treat their studies at the university as a very important job that serves the benefit of not only the university and the region, but the entire country. “Universities are always on the frontier, they really are the drivers of development, it is at the university that knowledge is born, which is then transformed into production and economic growth,” Ilya Yaskov summed up.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why is Donald Trump failing to bring peace to Ukraine like he promised?

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jennifer Mathers, Senior Lecturer in International Politics, Aberystwyth University

    Ending Russia’s war in Ukraine was one of Donald Trump’s campaign promises, and one that he famously boasted could be achieved in 24 hours. But three months after taking office, the Trump administration has only managed to negotiate a partial ceasefire that has done nothing to stop the fighting.

    On April 13, for example, Russia fired ballistic missiles into the city of Sumy in north-eastern Ukraine, killing at least 35 civilians gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday and injuring over 100 more.

    Military attacks have continued despite numerous meetings between senior Russian and US officials, and phone conversations where Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, have spoken directly.

    So, why are Trump’s efforts to end the war struggling to get off the starting blocks? The most important reason is that Russia is blocking progress. Moscow has created obstacles, deployed delaying tactics and has generally muddied the waters.

    Fighting in Ukraine has continued as Washington and Moscow discuss the future of Ukraine.
    Institute for the Study of War

    Trump’s major initiative is his proposal for a 30-day general ceasefire to prepare the way for broader peace negotiations. While Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, agreed to this immediately when it was proposed in March, Putin did not. He instead offered a counter proposal: a partial ceasefire banning attacks on energy infrastructure.

    Russia relies heavily on the export of energy, especially oil, to fund the war. But Ukraine has been systematically targeting Russia’s oil refineries and storage facilities, mainly using domestically produced drones. Ukraine is estimated to have destroyed 10% of Russia’s refining capacity since the beginning of 2025.

    By narrowing the scope of the ceasefire, Putin was able to shield Russia’s energy production while continuing to attack Ukraine. Moscow needs the fighting to continue to achieve its openly stated goal of controlling all of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, the four regions of Ukraine it claimed to annex in 2022.

    Another Russian tactic has been to take every opportunity to present a list of demands for Ukrainian concessions. These include Kyiv giving up its claims to Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia, abandoning its goal of joining Nato, and reducing its armed forces significantly. Russia also wants Ukraine to agree to a change of political leadership.

    This tactic is important for two reasons. First, Russia’s demands make it clear that Moscow envisages the war as the first stage in a longer-term plan to exercise control over all of Ukraine, not only the annexed territories. And second, repeatedly stating Russia’s demands gets them into the public discourse.

    When journalists – or, especially, US officials – repeat them, as Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff did recently, they gain an air of legitimacy. This creates the expectation that a peace agreement will comply with Moscow’s agenda.

    Russia is also good at deflecting attention away from ending the war. Sometimes Putin does this with flattery and by appealing to Trump’s sense of self-importance.

    In an interview about his March trip to Moscow, Witkoff glided over his failure to secure a pledge from the Russians to agree to a general ceasefire and instead conveyed a touching story demonstrating Putin’s regard for Trump.

    Putin apparently told Witkoff that he went to church and prayed for Trump’s recovery after he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt during the election campaign. Putin also sent Witkoff back to the US with a portrait of Trump, painted by an artist who is known for producing flattering portraits of Putin himself.

    Another effective tactic of deflection involves money. Russian officials dangle the prospect of lucrative deals involving trade and investment in front of Trump administration officials. This was evidently the focus of much of the first meeting between US and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia in February, although it was convened to discuss plans for peace.

    It is also probably the reason for Kirill Dmitriev’s visit to Washington at the beginning of April. Dmitriev, a figure close to Putin and head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, confirmed to journalists that his discussions encompassed possible deals with the US involving rare-earth metals, exploiting resources in the Arctic, and resuming direct flights between the US and Russia.

    Trump’s role

    While Russia places obstacles in the path of peace, Trump and his officials do nothing to remove them. This allows Moscow to continue waging war without constraints.

    Despite Trump’s occasional tough talk about running out of patience with Moscow, as well as his threats of secondary tariffs on countries that buy oil from Russia, no measures that would put pressure on Russia have been implemented.

    Trump has instead made excuses for Moscow. He described the attack on Sumy as a “mistake”, and has expressed admiration for Putin for dragging his feet to get a better deal with Washington.

    This contrasts sharply with Trump’s dealings with Ukraine. Zelensky was publicly humiliated during his meeting with Trump and US vice-president, J.D. Vance, in the Oval Office in February. Trump has even accused Zelensky of starting the war, which was launched by a mass invasion of Russian forces.

    Trump and his team have shown far less interest in Ukraine’s security needs than in striking a lucrative deal to extract the country’s natural resources. The prospect of the Trump administration negotiating a peace agreement that the Ukrainians would accept seems remote.

    So, where does this leave the peace process? When the partial ceasefire arrangement comes to an end later in April, Washington will have to decide whether to resume its efforts to secure a general ceasefire or chart a new course.

    Based on his track record so far, Trump might just blame the Ukrainians for refusing to surrender to Russia’s terms, abandon attempts to reach a negotiated settlement to the war, and go straight to reestablishing normal relations with Russia.

    Jennifer Mathers 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. Why is Donald Trump failing to bring peace to Ukraine like he promised? – https://theconversation.com/why-is-donald-trump-failing-to-bring-peace-to-ukraine-like-he-promised-254546

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Five reasons why young-onset dementia is often missed

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Molly Murray, PhD Candidate, University of the West of Scotland

    The number of people with young-onset dementia could be even higher than current estimates suggest. AtlasStudio/ Shutterstock

    Around 57 million people worldwide have dementia. While most cases of dementia are diagnosed in older adults, about 7% of cases occur in people under 65. This number may be even higher as young-onset dementia continues to be under-recognised. This means many people may be missing out on the support they need.

    Here are five reasons young-onset dementia remains under-recognised:

    1. Dementia is typically associated with older age

    When you hear the word “dementia” do you picture someone under 65? While dementia is usually associated with older adults, the condition doesn’t discriminate based on age. In fact, anyone (even children) can be diagnosed with different forms of dementia.

    But this common assumption means many younger people may not seek a diagnosis from their doctor, as many don’t assume dementia could be causing any of the symptoms they’re experiencing.

    Doctors, too, often fail to consider the possibility of a younger person having dementia. Many people diagnosed with young-onset dementia initially had their symptoms dismissed. Some doctors even showed little concern for their experiences. It also isn’t uncommon for younger adults to be told they’re “too young” to have dementia.

    It’s not surprising then that these experiences lead to frustration, with patients and their families feeling unheard and neglected by the healthcare system.

    The misunderstanding that dementia is a disease of older adults leaves people with young-onset dementia fighting to be heard.

    2. Symptoms are different

    Dementia is most often linked to short-term memory loss. However, cognition (which encompasses all of our mental processes, from thinking to perception) is very complex. For this reason, dementia can lead to a huge variety of symptoms – such as changes in personality and language, difficulties recognising objects, judging distances or coordinating movement and even hallucinations and delusions.

    Compared to dementia in older adults, people with young-onset dementia are more likely to experience symptoms other than memory loss as the earliest signs of the condition. For instance, research shows that for around one-third of people with young-onset Alzheimer’s disease, the earliest symptoms they had were problems with coordination and vision changes.

    3. Rarer causes of dementia

    Dementia is an umbrella term that encompasses a range of brain disorders that all cause problems with cognition. In older adults, the most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease – accounting for 50-75% of cases. But in people under 65, only around 40% of dementia cases can be attributed to Alzheimer’s disease.

    Instead, young-onset dementia tends to be caused by rarer neurodegenerative conditions, such as frontotemporal dementias. Frontotemporal dementias only affect around one in 20 people diagnosed with dementia. These conditions affect parts of the brain responsible for personality, behaviour, language, speech and executive functioning.

    For example, primary progressive aphasia is one type of frontotemporal dementia. This condition affects around three in every 100,000 people. Primary progressive aphasia mainly alters a person’s ability to communicate and understand speech.

    Primary progressive aphasia can make it difficult to communicate.
    Fida Olga/ Shutterstock

    Secondary dementias are also more common in people with young-onset dementia. These are dementias that are caused by another underlying medical condition, disease (such as Huntington’s disease or a brain tumour) or external factor (such as a viral infection, substance misuse or head injury).



    Read more:
    Young-onset Alzheimer’s can be diagnosed from as early as 30 – and the symptoms are often different

    Recognition of these rarer forms of dementia is increasing – thanks in part to celebrities such as Fiona Phillips, Pauline Quirke and Terry Jones opening up about their experiences. But there’s still much less understanding around treatment options and managing symptoms when it comes to these rarer forms of dementia. Rarer dementias are also linked to atypical symptoms, which often go missed. This prolongs the diagnostic journey.

    4. Symptoms overlap with other conditions

    Symptoms of young-onset dementia have considerable overlap with those common in certain mental health conditions, such as bipolar disorder, psychosis, depression and anxiety. Symptoms might also include apathy, feelings of panic, irritability, hallucinations and delusions.

    Early symptoms of young-onset dementia may also be misdiagnosed as menopause in women, as well as a period of burnout.

    Of course, not everyone experiencing these symptoms will have young-onset dementia. But it’s important we raise awareness about symptom overlap to make the diagnosis process easier for those who do.

    5. Experiences differ between people

    The type and severity of a person’s symptoms can vary due to a variety of factors – such as their physical health, their social environment and even their stress levels. This all leads to significant variability in how dementia is experienced.

    A person’s cognitive reserve (the brain’s ability to maintain good cognitive function despite damage or brain changes) also affects their experience of dementia symptoms and how they cope with them. Some people may adapt more effectively, drawing on strong support networks, psychological resilience or their own personal coping strategies to overcome these challenges.

    All of these factors together can make it difficult to recognise symptoms of young-onset dementia, especially in its early stages.

    Need for awareness

    The under-recognition of young-onset dementia is significant. It contributes to the lack of resources, specialised care and advice, appropriate support and early diagnosis for people with young-onset dementia. While this is improving, greater awareness still needs to be brought to the experience of dementia in younger adults – especially given research shows that the progression of cognitive decline is more pronounced in younger adults.

    If you’re worried about yourself or a family member showing signs of dementia, it’s important to discuss symptoms and seek support early. You can also contact local dementia support organisations such as Alzheimer Scotland, Dementia UK, and Alzheimer Society, who can provide information, resources and guidance on support options.

    Molly Murray is a PhD student at the University of the West of Scotland. She receives a Studentship and funding from the University of the West of Scotland for completing her PhD which explores experiences of navigation in people with young-onset dementia.

    – ref. Five reasons why young-onset dementia is often missed – https://theconversation.com/five-reasons-why-young-onset-dementia-is-often-missed-254001

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Wall Street caught between a rock and a hard place as tensions between US and China rise

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Johannes Petry, CSGR Research Fellow, University of Warwick

    American investment bank JP Morgan’s logo on its Hong Kong office. Tada Images / Shutterstock

    The trade war between China and the US has spiralled into unchartered territory. On April 10, the Trump administration imposed a tariff of 125% on all Chinese imports. China called the actions unfair and responded with similar measures.

    Within the broader debate around unravelling economic ties between the US and China, where economic interdependence has increasingly been viewed as a threat to US national security, this escalation raises questions about whether global finance is also reducing its presence in China.

    After all, the risks of financial connectivity with China have been discussed prominently by US policymakers in recent years. And many financial analysts have spent much of the past year discussing whether China has become “uninvestable” due to rising geopolitical tensions.

    However, as I show in a recently published study, most global financial firms have continued to expand their presence in Chinese markets over the last decade, even as tensions have intensified.

    Crucially, they have done so on China’s terms, operating within a system that prioritises government oversight and policy goals over liberal market norms. This pragmatic accommodation is quietly reshaping the global financial order.

    China’s capital markets, which have historically been sealed off from the rest of the world, have been opening up in recent decades. This has prompted global financial firms to expand their footprint in China.

    Investment banks such as Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan have taken full ownership of local joint ventures. And asset managers like BlackRock or Invesco have established fund management operations on the Chinese mainland.

    Yet China has not liberalised in the way many in the west expected. Rather than conforming to global norms of open, lightly regulated markets, China’s financial system remains largely guided by the state.

    Markets there operate within a framework shaped by the policy priorities of the central government, capital controls remain in place, and foreign firms are expected to play by a different set of rules than they would in New York or London.

    Foreign investors have been allowed to buy into mainland markets, but through infrastructure that limits capital outflows and preserves regulatory oversight.

    Rather than adapting China to the global financial order, Wall Street has accommodated China’s distinct model. The motivation behind this is clear: China is simply too big to ignore.

    Take China’s pension system as an example. Whereas pension assets in the US amount to 136.2% of GDP in 2019, in China these only amounted to 1.6%. The growth potential in this market is enormous, representing a trillion-dollar opportunity for global firms.

    Consequently, index providers such as MSCI, FTSE Russell, and S&P Dow Jones – key gatekeepers of global investment – have included Chinese stocks and bonds in major benchmark indices.

    These decisions, taken between 2017 and 2020, effectively declared Chinese markets “investment grade” for institutional investors around the world. This has helped legitimise China’s market model within the architecture of global finance.

    America strikes back

    In recent years, Washington has sought to curtail US financial exposure to China through a growing set of measures. These include investment restrictions, entity blacklists, and forced delisting for Chinese firms on US stock exchanges. Such actions signal a broader effort to use finance as a tool of strategic leverage.

    The moves have had some effect. Some US institutional investors and pension funds have declared China “uninvestable”, and are reducing their exposure. American investments in China have roughly halved since their US$1.4 trillion (£1.1 trillion) peak in 2020.

    But attributing this solely to geopolitical pressure overlooks another key factor: China’s underwhelming market performance. A protracted property crisis, a government crackdown on tech companies, and a weak post-pandemic economic recovery have made Chinese markets less attractive to investors in purely financial terms.

    More strategically oriented investors from Asia, Europe and the Middle East have invested more into Chinese markets, filling gaps left by US investors. Sovereign wealth funds from the Middle East, especially, have engaged in more long-term investments as part of broader efforts to strengthen economic cooperation with China.

    And at the same time, many western financial firms have doubled down on their presence in China, expanding their onshore footprint. Since 2020, institutions like JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs and BlackRock have opened new offices, increased their staff, acquired new licences and bought out their joint venture partners to operate independently as investment banks, asset managers or futures brokers.

    It has become more difficult to invest foreign capital in China. But western financial firms are positioning themselves to tap into China’s huge domestic capital pools and capture its long-term growth opportunities – even as they tread carefully around geopolitical sensitivities.

    Fragmenting financial order

    It is too early to predict the long-term effects of the current geopolitical tensions. But Wall Street is trying to placate both sides. On the one hand, it is adapting to capital markets with Chinese characteristics. And on the other, it is trying not to antagonise an increasingly interventionist America.

    However, while holding its breath amid further escalation and having scaled back some of its activities, Wall Street has not left China. It is instead learning how to work within the constraints of a system shaped by a different set of priorities.

    This does not necessarily signal a new global consensus. But it does suggest that the liberal financial order, once defined by Anglo-American norms, is becoming more pluralistic. China’s rise is showing that alternative models – where the state retains a strong hand in markets – can coexist with, and even shape, global finance.

    As tensions between the US and China continue to rise, financial firms are learning to navigate a world in which existing relationships between states and markets are being reconfigured. This process may well define the future of global finance.

    Johannes Petry receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the German Research Foundation (DFG).

    – ref. Wall Street caught between a rock and a hard place as tensions between US and China rise – https://theconversation.com/wall-street-caught-between-a-rock-and-a-hard-place-as-tensions-between-us-and-china-rise-254490

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: How petrostates succeeded in watering down the world’s plan to cut shipping emissions

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Christiaan De Beukelaer, Senior Lecturer in Culture & Climate, The University of Melbourne

    The UN’s International Maritime Organization has just agreed to start charging ships for the greenhouse gases they emit. After decades of ineffective incremental tweaks to shipping emissions, the breakthrough came on April 11 at a summit in London. It makes shipping the first industry subject to a worldwide – and legally binding – emissions price.

    The positive spin is that getting any sort of deal is a major win for multilateral climate action, especially considering two strong headwinds.

    From within the meeting, there was sustained opposition to ambitious action from Saudi Arabia and other petrostates, as well as from China and Brazil. Second, the US had already disengaged from negotiations. Even so, from outside the meeting, the US administration’s tariff war and explicit threat to retaliate against states supporting a shipping pricing regime could have affected talks far more than they did.

    But we’re not sure that this agreement can be considered a success. While there is little traditional climate change denial at the IMO, “mitigation denial” is alive and kicking. Mitigation denial means making lofty promises, often in line with scientific evidence, but not adopting concrete measures able to deliver on these targets. This is exactly what petrostates pushed the IMO to do last week.

    Ultimately, the IMO has well and truly failed the most climate vulnerable, by favouring a more gradual and less certain transition to low-carbon shipping. It’s even effectively making these countries pay the price.

    What are the measures?

    The IMO agreement introduces a global fuel standard for shipping, with financial penalties for ships that don’t meet emissions targets. This is effectively a carbon-trading scheme.

    It sets two targets, both of which get tougher every year: a “base” level and a stricter “direct compliance” level. Ships that miss the direct target have to buy “remedial units”, and more expensive ones if they also fail the base level. Ships that go beyond their targets earn “surplus units”, which they can trade or save for up to two years.

    In practice, this means that the companies and countries that can invest in new technologies will earn a double dividend: they won’t pay for emissions and they will receive rewards for using low-emission fuels.

    At the same time, countries and shipping companies lacking the means to invest will effectively subsidise those early movers by paying penalties that reward them. Hardly any revenues will be available for the promised “just and equitable” transition that would ensure no country is left behind. No wonder nearly all delegates from vulnerable Pacific nations abstained from the vote at the IMO.

    For a typical ship burning heavy fuel oil in 2028, it works out at around US$25 (£19) per tonne of greenhouse gas. That’s far lower than needed to drive a rapid transition to cleaner fuels. We also still don’t know exactly how the money raised will be used.

    Delegates also agreed to update the IMO’s “carbon intensity” policy, which now requires ships to be 21.5% more fuel efficient by 2030 compared to 2019. This is a modest 2.5% improvement per year.

    Pacific island states and the UK were among those arguing for bigger cuts (up to 47%). China pushed for 15% and the EU proposed the surprisingly low 23%. The final result of 21.5% is a bad compromise that does not reflect scientific recommendations on meeting the IMO’s goals or what is possible with available technology.

    Climate action at the IMO

    This geopolitical struggle goes back decades. Following the adoption of the Kyoto protocol (a precursor of the Paris agreement) in 1997, the UN tasked the IMO with reducing shipping emissions. After two decades of little progress, in 2018 the IMO eventually set a weak target to cut emissions by 50% from 2008 levels. In 2023, that goal was strengthened to net-zero emissions “by or around 2050”, with interim targets of 20-30% cuts by 2030 and 70-80% by 2040.



    Read more:
    Why the shipping industry’s increased climate ambition spells the end for its fossil fuel use

    Most importantly, the 2023 strategy also committed to adopting legally binding measures in April 2025 to deliver on these targets. This has now happened.

    In light of that history, the new measures do constitute progress. However, their success has to be judged on whether they can actually meet the IMO’s targets.

    The 2030 goal is especially important as climate damage is proportional to cumulative emissions over time, so it’s important to cut emissions as soon as possible. If the shipping sector misses its 2030 target, it may have emitted too much carbon to still make a fair contribution to the Paris agreement.

    Academics at UCL have analysed the new IMO agreement. Unfortunately, they calculated the new policies will only deliver a 10% reduction by 2030 – that’s not even close to the 20% goal the IMO set, let alone the “strive” target of 30%.

    Mitigation denial?

    At the IMO’s closing meeting, Harry Conway, chair of its Marine Environment Protection Committee, held up a glass of water and remarked that at the start of the week, the glass was empty, now the glass is half full.

    As political spin, that image might work. But when it comes to setting a clear and ambitious path forward, the measures fall well short.

    The 2023 strategy committed nations to “strive” to deliver 30% emissions cuts by 2030. Last week’s meeting might yield 10%. Another reason why Pacific delegates abstained from voting. There is a lot more striving – and delivering – to be done.

    A credible pathway to reach net-zero by 2050 is now at risk. Strong pushback by the US, Saudi Arabia, China and Brazil, and weak leadership from the EU all played a role. Even adopting these modest measures – which requires a vote in October – and specifying operational “guidelines” afterwards will be an uphill battle.

    Christiaan De Beukelaer receives funding from the ClimateWorks Foundation.

    Simon Bullock is a member of the Institute for Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST)

    – ref. How petrostates succeeded in watering down the world’s plan to cut shipping emissions – https://theconversation.com/how-petrostates-succeeded-in-watering-down-the-worlds-plan-to-cut-shipping-emissions-254638

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: Television wasn’t the death knell for cinema – and that holds lessons for the creative industries and AI

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Mark Fryers, Lecturer in film and media, The Open University

    KitohodkA/Shutterstock

    As television grew rapidly in popularity in the second half of the 20th century, many people assumed it would cause a knock-on crisis for the film industry. After all, it meant that viewers no longer had to leave their sofas to enjoy onscreen entertainment.

    But the reality was far more nuanced. The “death of cinema” has been habitually touted ever since the introduction of the TV, but never really came to pass. Instead, cinema found ways to work with new competition through technological innovation, aesthetic invention and engaging with challenging subject matters.

    Today, lessons from the introduction of TV demonstrate how the creative industries have navigated the introduction of new technology. And could offer some comfort to those who fear that artificial intelligence (AI) technology could be a death knell for the creative industries.

    This article is part of our State of the Arts series. These articles tackle the challenges of the arts and heritage industry – and celebrate the wins, too.

    As far back as 1938, long before its widespread popularity, film production company Paramount Studios sought to break into television. It made significant investment in DuMont Laboratories, which evolved into a pioneering commercial TV network.

    Other studios followed suit and experimented with “live cinema”. This was a form of entertainment in which broadcast images, including sporting events, were converted into 35mm film and projected onto cinema screens, and it was made throughout the 1940s.

    The “Paramount decrees” antitrust case issued by the US Supreme Court in 1948 ended the monopolistic practices of the studios, which precluded them from owning broadcast companies in favour of the radio networks. They were also ordered to sell their cinema chains, which meant that their films no longer had guaranteed screenings to the public.

    Nevertheless, they continued to form television production companies, with Columbia establishing Screen Gems in 1951 and Paramount reinvesting in the ABC network in 1952. By the 1960s, the majority of prime-time television programming was provided by Hollywood studio companies. These close ties fostered a mutually beneficial relationship.

    Cross-pollination

    After the break-up of the studios, many studio personnel found work in the television industry. It provided a training ground for future cinema stars, including as Steven Spielberg, George Clooney and John Travolta. Studios could also rent out their studios and facilities to television production companies.

    The “star system” (in which the popularity of film stars had always driven the commercial potential of cinema) was now complimented by the exposure of these stars on television programmes.

    Jaws was advertised across TV channels.
    Wiki Commons, CC BY-SA

    Many studios began using TV to advertise their films. For example, Disneyland TV programmes helped to advertise the Disney studio and its cinematic products as distinct from television. And film trailers became another important conduit for cinema advertising. The summer blockbuster era was ushered in by Jaws in 1975 with blanket advertising on every prime-time TV show.

    When early television schedules lacked enough new content to fill the airwaves, British cinema and cheap films and serials (a series of short films with cliffhanger endings; an early progenitor of television series) from the smaller Hollywood studios filled the early schedules.

    Other studio executives took note that their back catalogues of film, which mainly sat untouched in vaults, were a financial goldmine that could be ploughed back into film production and technological development. MGM, which owned titles including perennial favourite The Wizard of Oz, which CBS reserved exclusive rights to screen for 20 years, from August 1956 US$34 million (£12 million) for its titles, while Paramount held out for US$50 million (£17.8 million). Screening rights were sold to the television networks.

    As a result, television became the primary conduit for film viewing. Subsequently, more films were seen on television than on the big screen. There were 3.4 billion film viewings on UK TV in 2013 compared with 165 million cinema admissions – these are now shared with streaming and on demand services. Something had to be done to keep people going to the cinema.

    Technical and aesthetic innovation

    In attempting to preserve the experience of the big screen, widescreen, 3D and multi-track sound systems were introduced to cinemas. The move to standardised colour film accelerated, while extended film length attempted to link the cinematic experience with “high culture” such as the theatre and opera, with overtures and intermissions.

    While many were seen as gimmicky (such as “smell-O-vision” in Scent of Mystery, 1960), widescreen filming became the aesthetic choice of filmmakers, producing epic canvasses and an alternative viewing experience to the small television screen.

    A trailer for A Scent of Mystery and its ‘smell-o-vision’ marketing.

    Although many of these technologies dated back to the 1920s, small-screen competition drove technological and aesthetic innovation, and was partly financed by the tele-visual licensing of their films. Alongside these innovations, the content of the films themselves offered a demonstrable alternative to the small screen.

    By the late 1960s, Hollywood had essentially broken free from the self-imposed censorial strictures of the Hay’s production code, which regulated everything from language to interracial relationships. Instead, film-makers had absorbed the influences of documentary, avant-garde and the French New Wave, among others, as well as the rock n’ roll and counterculture movements to make bold and controversial films, such as Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) and Easy Rider (1969).

    The topics and levels of sex and violence portrayed in these films were unthinkable within the heavily regulated family and advertiser-friendly television industry.

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    Director Alfred Hitchcock made the most of this distinction between mediums. He utilised the agile tele-visual working crew of his TV series Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) for the taboo-bothering horror film Psycho in 1960, suggesting that the two mediums could be related but also divided by content. This, along with the aesthetic innovations helped to elevate cinema artistically in relation to the small screen.

    And so the AI era dawns. The writers and actors strike of 2023 showed that the creative industries are ready to fight for their survival. Adaptability, as Hollywood has demonstrated throughout its history, can also be the key to continued success.

    Dr Mark Fryers received funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (MA & PhD funding, 2011-2015).

    – ref. Television wasn’t the death knell for cinema – and that holds lessons for the creative industries and AI – https://theconversation.com/television-wasnt-the-death-knell-for-cinema-and-that-holds-lessons-for-the-creative-industries-and-ai-250227

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: IOM, University of Pennsylvania Partner to Harness Innovation for Global Migration Challenges

    Source: International Organization for Migration (IOM)

    Berlin/Philadelphia 17 April 2025 – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Penn Development Research Initiative (PDRI/DevLab@Penn) at the University of Pennsylvania today announced a new partnership aimed at leveraging data and technology to address pressing global migration issues. This collaboration will focus on innovative approaches to data analysis, using cutting-edge tools to enhance understanding of migration dynamics and inform effective solutions. 

    IOM and PDRI/DevLab@Penn will combine their extensive expertise in data and research methodologies. By integrating advanced technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence, the institutions aim to improve the analysis of global migration trends and provide actionable insights. 

    “Through this exciting new partnership with the University of Pennsylvania, IOM will be able to harness innovative technologies to act quickly and in more targeted ways. Combatting smuggling and trafficking and anticipating displacement before it happens are just some of the ways we can put these advanced technologies to use,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope.  

    “Our research is so much better when we have partners like IOM. We have jointly developed an ambitious learning agenda that aims to tackle human trafficking networks, the impact of climate on migration at a granular scale, and the use of machine learning to forecast forced displacement. We are extremely excited to be working with IOM,” said Erik Wibbels, Co-director of PDRI/DevLab@Penn. 

    This partnership will help develop global datasets and new techniques to evaluate the impact of migration policies and programs. The initiative also emphasizes the importance of ethical practices in data collection and analysis, and as it adheres to strict privacy and legal frameworks, the collaboration aims to balance the need for actionable insights with safeguarding human rights. 

    The partnership will be formally launched on Friday, April 18 at an event hosted by Perry World House, IOM, and PDRI/DevLab@Penn as part of the Perry World House conference, “From Migrant to Mainstay: Safeguarding Human Rights after the Journey”.  
     

    Register to the event launch here. 

    Note to Editors: 

    About IOM’s commitment to data: 

    IOM is dedicated to advancing the collection, analysis, and dissemination of migration data to improve policy-making and humanitarian response. IOM is the pre-eminent source of migration and displacement data worldwide. Learn more:  https://www.iom.int/migration-data  

    About PDRI/DevLab@Penn: 

     PDRI/DevLab@Penn, housed at the University of Pennsylvania, is a leading hub of innovation in the application of AI and machine learning for international development. Its mission is to advance research and foster impactful programming worldwide. Learn more: https://pdri-devlab.upenn.edu/about-us/ 

    For more information, please contact: 

    In Berlin: Andi Armia Pratiwi, IOM, Email: apratiwi@iom.int 

    In Washington: Stacey Cohan, IOM, Email: scohan@iom.int  

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: 17 April 2025 How young advocates are preventing child marriage and early pregnancy in Nepal

    Source: World Health Organisation

    Evidence shows that investing in adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) reduces adolescent pregnancy and child marriage, improves health, empowers girls and strengthens economies.

    Between 2000 and 2021, the global adolescent birth rate fell by 34%, and between 2010 and 2020 child marriage declined by 24%. Progress has been driven by efforts across diverse sectors, from health to education, with integral contributions from young leaders. However, pregnancy and childbirth related complications are the leading cause of death among 15–19-year-old girls and more than 12 million teenage girls give birth globally every year.

    We sat down with Darshana Rijal, a young social leader in Nepal, who is also the vice president of the youth-led organization YUWA (which means ‘youth’ in Nepali). She has participated in several WHO-supported workshops and conferences as a young leader making change in this space.

    Darshana strongly advocates for improved policies that support sexual and reproductive health, family planning services and health information for young people, including sexuality education and programmes that give young people a voice in decision-making.

    Q: How much of a problem is child marriage in the communities where you work?

    A: Poverty, lack of education and deeply entrenched norms push girls into early marriage. I have met young women who were forced to leave school because they were getting married. In humanitarian crises or climate disasters, girls are at even higher risk as families struggle with economic pressures and see marriage as their last resort to get some money in.

    Q: What other problems do young people in your community face?

    A: One of the biggest barriers for young people to access health care is stigma. When adolescents seek contraceptives or other services, they are often judged by health professionals. This prevents them from getting the care they need. There are even more challenges for adolescents living in rural areas where child marriage is most common.

    Q: What have you learned in your work with communities throughout Nepal?

    A: Education programmes can be life changing. After setting up a system with the government, we ensured girls stayed in school instead of being forced into child marriage. Now, more and more young people are completing their education. For instance, we conducted a three-day class on sexual and reproductive health and rights in rural Nepal, where child marriage rates are high. We taught young people about consent, healthy relationships, and that girls should have a say in their relationships. Later, we learned that some of them had successfully stopped child marriage by speaking with their parents and convincing them to wait until the legal age of 21. We also did a monitoring visit back to the area, and it was amazing to see how the young people we taught had become educators themselves. They were passing on knowledge about consent, healthy relationships, and girls’ rights.

    Q: Through your work, what successes have you seen when rolling out targeted work on child marriages and adolescent pregnancy?

    A: Education programmes need to be accessible. We visited three different communities to teach about sexual and reproductive health and rights. In one, we used regular Nepali, while in the other two, we worked with local facilitators in their native languages. The response was much stronger in the communities where we used local languages – it showed us that resources need to be in languages young people can relate to. In some villages, no one had ever graduated high school.

    Q: What is your biggest demand in relation to young people’s health?

    A: We as young people must be at the forefront of this change. When girls are given the power to lead, they transform not only their own lives but also their entire communities. I want to see a world where a girl’s potential is not cut short. They are not only the future, but they are also the present cornerstones of our society. For me, activism is about challenging the status quo and creating opportunities for youth to lead change. In Nepal, adolescents make up a very large group of our population, so it is ensuring that our rights are respected and prioritized. We are often misheard and misrepresented and put aside, when in reality adolescent needs are vast and concrete, especially for adolescent girls.

    WHO is launching a guideline for preventing early pregnancy and poor reproductive outcomes in low- and middle-income countries. The guideline promotes the meaningful engagement of adolescents in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of efforts to address their rights and needs.

    Partnering with a wide range of organizations, including those that are youth-led, will be essential to the uptake of the recommendations in the updated guideline. Reflecting this, WHO’s Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health, including the UN Special Programme in Human Reproduction (HRP), plans to develop policies and tools, including communication materials, that are accessible and useful to young people and youth-led organizations.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

    April 18, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to top line results in Lilly press release about their phase 3 ACHIEVE-1 trial of their oral GLP-1 (orforglipron) and weight loss efficacy, and safety

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    April 17, 2025

    Scientists comment on phase 3 trial results of Lilly’s oral GLP-1 (Orforflipron). 

    Prof Naveed Sattar, Professor of Cardiometabolic Medicine/Honorary Consultant, University of Glasgow, said:

    “These are important results.  Having new oral agents that lower glucose but also meaningfully lower weight well beyond levels seen with most existing diabetes therapies is critical to future type 2 diabetes care. This because recent research has shown excess weight not only leads to type 2 diabetes in the first place in many but that it is also a major contributor to many of its associated complications. Intentional weight loss also often helps improve patients quality of life.  Of course, one caveat is that we do not know the effects of this newer therapy on cardiovascular outcomes but this will be forthcoming in future trials.  It is also good to hear about the safety profile of these new oral GLP-1RA drugs – especially the liver results – and it will be good to see the data in a full publication in due course.”

    Lilly press release (there is no paper): https://investor.lilly.com/news-releases/news-release-details/lillys-oral-glp-1-orforglipron-demonstrated-statistically

    Declared interests

    Prof Naveed Sattar: “NS has consulted for and/or received speaker honoraria from Abbott Laboratories, AbbVie, Afimmune, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Carmot Therapeutics, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Hanmi Pharmaceuticals, Janssen, Menarini-Ricerche, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Metsera, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Sanofi, and Roche; and received grant support paid to his University from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, and Roche.  No shares in any medical areas.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    April 17, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: SPbPU and the Republic of Tatarstan signed four cooperation agreements

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    The program of the visit of the representative delegation of the Republic of Tatarstan to the Polytechnic included the signing of several cooperation agreements. The rais of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov and the vice-governor of St. Petersburg Vladimir Knyaginin participated in the solemn ceremony.

    The cooperation between the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Tatarstan and Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University will contribute to the effective development of higher education in both subjects of the Federation, the training of highly qualified specialists, continuous professional development of workers, and the integration of professional education and science. The basis for achieving these goals should be joint relevant scientific, technical, educational, innovative, investment, production, and socio-economic projects and programs. The document was signed by the Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Tatarstan Ilsur Khadiullin and the Rector of SPbPU Andrey Rudskoy.

    The agreement provides for the unification of the partners’ efforts for the comprehensive development of a system for training scientific and engineering personnel, the involvement of students and young scientists in real scientific research and experimental design developments, and the creation of a new material base for the implementation of educational programs and scientific research projects.

    Other areas of cooperation include: modernization of the education system, improvement of the quality of educational services, advanced training of managers and teaching staff of educational institutions of the Republic of Tatarstan; popularization of science, development of scientific and technical creativity of young people, etc.

    Innopolis University has also joined the cooperation with the Polytechnic University. Having signed the agreement, SPbPU Rector Andrey Rudskoy and Innopolis University Director Iskander Bariyev expressed their desire for strategic interaction between the universities in the field of methodological, educational and scientific activities. The agreement provides for the modernization of current educational programs and the development of new ones, including online ones. An important part of the cooperation will be joint scientific research, including the creation of a specialized laboratory for the development of composite materials for robotic systems and unmanned aircraft. Other areas of cooperation include: organizing academic mobility for teachers and students; popularization of scientific research; joint design, technological and experimental work in the field of robotics and mechatronics, the search for and design of new materials with specified properties, additive technologies, artificial intelligence; participation in the audit of Russian companies and enterprises, including an assessment of the level of their digital maturity, robotics and digital transformation; organization and holding of conferences, meetings, exhibitions and other events on current issues of industrial robotics, etc.

    Almetyevsk State Technological University “Higher School of Oil” has signed an agreement with the Polytechnic University to work together on innovative methods of engineering education, conduct scientific research and implement scientific, educational and creative projects, including within the framework of the federal project “Advanced Engineering Schools”. The document was signed by Andrey Rudskoy and Rector Alexander Dyakonov.

    Kazan National Research Technical University named after A. N. Tupolev-KAI has become a strategic partner of Polytechnic University. The agreement signed by Acting Rector Kirill Okhotkin and Rector of SPbPU Andrey Rudskoy provides for joint activities in scientific, educational, research and innovation spheres and support for large-scale scientific and industrial projects, including within the framework of advanced engineering schools. The partners agreed to use their scientific infrastructure and combine competencies to implement joint projects in such priority areas as: composite material structures; additive, laser and plasma technologies; information and control systems; radio photonics; quantum technologies; electromagnetic compatibility; microelectronics; digital modeling of elements of manned and unmanned transport systems; artificial intelligence.

    “We have very close ties with the Republic of Tatarstan through the Academy of Sciences,” commented Vladimir Knyagin, Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg. “For our St. Petersburg branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Tatar colleagues are not only partners, but also, in many cases, cooperators in research. There is an exchange of personnel, research topics, and knowledge. And the fact that today we have the head of the republic testifies to the official recognition of the importance of such interaction.”

    After the signing ceremony, another ceremonial procedure took place — the awarding of representatives of the Polytechnic University. For fruitful cooperation and significant contribution to strengthening the socio-economic potential of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov presented medals “100 years of the formation of the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic” to Vice-Rector for Digital Transformation Alexey Borovkov, Director of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Transport Anatoly Popovich and Academic Secretary of SPbPU Dmitry Karpov.

    During the visit, the delegation of Tatarstan visited several specialized scientific and production sites of the Polytechnic University. Thus, in the Laboratory of Light Materials and Structures, the guests got acquainted with the technologies of additive electric arc growth and friction stir welding. Director of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Transport Anatoly Popovich presented the competencies of SPbPU in the field of large-scale 3D metal printing, spoke about the equipment used, and demonstrated product samples. The partners also saw the advanced developments of the Polytechnic University in the field of additive laser technologies, visitedNetwork engineering center and other workshops.

    In the experimental design bureau of the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU “Digital Engineering” (OKB PISH), guests from Tatarstan got acquainted with breakthrough developments and research in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), aircraft manufacturing, engine and rocket engineering, as well as robotics, implemented using approaches to systemic digital engineering based on the Digital Platform for the Development and Application of Digital Twins CML-Bench®.

    Vice-Rector for Digital Transformation of SPbPU, Head of the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU “Digital Engineering” Alexey Borovkov presented to the guests a line of multifunctional devices – a family of electric unmanned aerial vehicles “Snegir”: the “Snegir-1” model and its improved version VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing – vertical takeoff and landing) “Snegir-1.5”. Alexey Ivanovich emphasized that the development of the UAV “Snegir-1.5” was carried out using virtual test benches and testing grounds, as well as using the domestic Digital platform CML-Bench®, which made it possible to optimize the design methods of unmanned aircraft systems and their components. The project is being implemented within the framework of the federal initiative “Development, standardization and serial production of unmanned aircraft systems and components” of the national project “Unmanned aircraft systems”, which was launched in accordance with the Strategy for the development of unmanned aviation of the Russian Federation until 2030 and for the future until 2035.

    Alexey Borovkov noted that leading specialists of the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU “Digital Engineering” are developing technologies and a demonstrator of a software package for the automated design of electric propeller-motor groups of unmanned aerial vehicles, and demonstrated the results of the development and manufacture of a prototype of the CML_03 electric motor for unmanned aerial vehicles with improved technical characteristics. The development is based on multi-criteria optimization methods and interdisciplinary calculation methods.

    Speaking about the promising projects of the SPbPU Ecosystem of Technological Development, Aleksey Borovkov focused on the strategic tasks planned and already implemented jointly with the partner of the SPbPU – the scientific institution “Engineering and Design Center for Support of Operation of Space Technology” to create tooling kits and quality control for the manufacture of tank structures of the Angara family of launch vehicles using advanced technologies. In addition, the vice-rector announced the start of a project to create a prototype of the CML-Aeroplane, where the key task is multi-criteria optimization of the design taking into account aerodynamics, flight dynamics, strength, fuel efficiency and cost.

    As part of the project activities of the structural divisions of the SPbPU Technological Development Ecosystem, a scientific and technological reserve has been formed that allows us to carry out cross-industry technology transfer and accelerate the design of complex and new products thanks to the CML-Bench® Digital Platform, which stores information on solving similar problems, concluded Alexey Ivanovich.

    The guests were interested in the activities of the Student Design Bureau (SDB), which operates within the structure of the SPbPU Advanced Engineering School Design Bureau. SDB is a unique educational and practical platform where students, under the guidance of university teachers and specialists from industrial partners, acquire basic engineering competencies through participation in real R&D, and also have the opportunity to implement their own initiatives in the field of technological creativity. As an example, Alexey Borovkov cited the development of the SPbPU Advanced Engineering School student team CML®-Bots – the combat robot “Laska”. This project became the winner of the International Robot Fighting Championship in India in April 2025 and a number of Russian student competitions earlier.

    “The Battle of Robots is a prestigious championship where engineers compete in creating the most effective combat vehicles,” noted Alexey Ivanovich. “Our students not only achieve victories, but also constantly improve the design, deepening their knowledge in robotics, mechanics and physics. The acquired skills allow them to find non-standard, interdisciplinary solutions to complex engineering problems, which is extremely important for future professional activities.”

    Photo archive

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    April 17, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Change of British High Commissioner to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean: Simon Mustard

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Change of British High Commissioner to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean: Simon Mustard

    Mr Simon Mustard has been appointed British High Commissioner to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. He will take up his appointment during May 2025.

    Simon Mustard

    Mr Simon Mustard has been appointed British High Commissioner to Barbados, and non-resident High Commissioner to Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

    Simon will succeed Mr Scott Furssedonn-Wood MVO, who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment.

    Mr Mustard will take up his appointment during May 2025.

    Curriculum vitae

    Full name: Simon Mustard

    Year Role
    2021 to 2025 FCDO, Director East/Southern Africa
    2019 to 2021 Freetown, British High Commissioner
    2017 to 2019 FCO, Head, Southern and Central Africa Department and Special Envoy to African Great Lakes Region
    2016 Lilongwe, British High Commissioner
    2013 to 2016 Amman, Deputy Head of Mission
    2011 to 2013 FCO, Head, Country-Casework Team and Deputy Head of Consular Assistance, Consular Directorate
    2009 to 2011 FCO, Head, Regional Issues Team, Counter-Proliferation Department
    2008 to 2009 FCO, Private Secretary to Minister of State, and also to the Secretary of State
    2005 to 2008 Washington, Policy Lead on Counter-Terrorism and Strategic Threats
    2002 to 2004 Belmopan, Third Secretary (Political)
    2000 to 2002 FCO, Desk Officer, Environment Policy Department
    1994 to 2000 Police Officer, Lothian and Borders Police

    Media enquiries

    Email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk

    Telephone 020 7008 3100

    Contact the FCDO Communication Team via email (monitored 24 hours a day) in the first instance, and we will respond as soon as possible.

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    Updates to this page

    Published 17 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    April 17, 2025

  • MIL-OSI: Signing Day Sports/U.S. Army Bowl Combines Provide Recruitment Opportunities, Draw Strong Participation

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SCOTTSDALE, AZ, April 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Signing Day Sports, Inc. (“Signing Day Sports” or the “Company”) (NYSE American: SGN), the developer of the Signing Day Sports app and platform, today provided an in-season update on the 2025 Military Appreciation U.S. Army Bowl National Combine Series.

    Since kicking off in February, Signing Day Sports has successfully hosted five combines in Atlanta, GA; Orlando, FL; Chicago, IL; Phoenix, AZ; and Jackson, MS. Nearly 1,000 high school football athletes have participated to date, underscoring the continued momentum and strong demand for recruiting exposure and student-athlete development opportunities.

    In addition to the in-person events, Signing Day Sports has hosted weekly X Spaces Recruiting Webinars through its “Signing Day Sports Recruiting” series. These webinars serve as an extension of the Company’s digital engagement strategy and are designed to:

    • Highlight the top performers from each combine
    • Promote student-athletes who have been invited to the National Combine for each combine, set for December 2025
    • Help student-athletes gain national visibility and connect directly with college football programs

    As part of its continued commitment to creating meaningful exposure and expanding collegiate opportunities for high school athletes, Signing Day Sports is proud to spotlight two remarkable individuals whose journeys embody the impact of its combines, Amiri Acker, and Cooper Crosby. These student-athletes arrived at their respective combines without a single scholarship offer. However, through their standout performances, the visibility gained from the Signing Day Sports platform, and strategic promotion across social media and national recruiting webinars, both have since attracted significant attention from college football programs across the country. Their success stories serve as powerful testaments to the reach and effectiveness of the Signing Day Sports model.  Click their Signing Day Sports Profile link to watch them perform at the combine, just like college coaches.

    • Amiri Acker – Atlanta, GA Combine
    • Click Link Below:
      Signing Day Sports Profile
      Scholarship Offers Gained: University of Kentucky; East Carolina University; Coastal Carolina University; University of Nevada, Las Vegas; University of Cincinnati; Liberty University, Georgia Southern University; United States Naval Academy; Troy University
    • Cooper Crosby – Jackson, MS Combine
    • Click Link Below:
      Signing Day Sports Profile
      Scholarship Offers Gained: University of Louisiana; University of Southern Mississippi; Arkansas State University; Southeastern Louisiana University

    “These success stories are just two examples of what’s possible when we combine our technology, national platform, and strategic outreach,” said Jeff Hecklinski, President of Signing Day Sports. “Our combine series continues to be a powerful driver of exposure, helping student-athletes gain real offers and meaningful opportunities – many for the very first time. We are not just measuring success by attendance numbers, but by real outcomes – student-athletes getting recruited, building confidence, and being empowered to pursue their dreams at the next level.”

    “The momentum we built in 2024 has carried strongly into 2025, and we are seeing that energy reflected in every city we visit. We are committed to supporting every student-athlete’s journey as we expand our national footprint and enhance the services we provide. With additional combines scheduled in Dallas, Dayton, and Denver – and more on the horizon – these events continue to serve as a vital pipeline to the Military Appreciation U.S. Army Bowl and National Combine. At the same time, our digital platform keeps student-athletes visible throughout the year by showcasing their verified performance data and providing direct access to college coaches nationwide. Ultimately, it is about opening doors and building a foundation for long-term success – for both the student-athletes and their families. As we scale our reach and deepen our impact, we believe these efforts will translate into sustained growth, brand strength, and long-term value for our stockholders.”

    Signing Day Sports encourages all aspiring college athletes to take advantage of upcoming events to maximize their exposure and recruiting potential.

    To learn more or to register for an upcoming combine, visit sdscombines.com.

    Signing Day Sports
    Signing Day Sports’ mission is to help student-athletes achieve their goal of playing college sports. Signing Day Sports’ app allows student-athletes to build their Signing Day Sports’ recruitment profile, which includes information college coaches need to evaluate and verify them through video technology.

    For more information on Signing Day Sports, go to https://bit.ly/SigningDaySports.

    Forward-Looking Statements
    This press release contains “forward-looking statements” that are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release may be identified by the use of words such as “may,” “could,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “expect,” “plan,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “project” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors. These risks, uncertainties and other factors are described more fully in the section titled “Risk Factors” in the Company’s periodic reports which are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks, uncertainties and other factors are, in some cases, beyond our control and could materially affect results. If one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors become applicable, or if these underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual events or results may vary significantly from those implied or projected by the forward-looking statements. No forward-looking statement is a guarantee of future performance. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning the Company or other matters and attributable to the Company or any person acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements above. Forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are made as of this date, and the Company undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.

    Investor Contacts:
    Crescendo Communications, LLC
    212-671-1020
    SGN@crescendo-ir.com

    The MIL Network –

    April 17, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Fragmentation and Block Formation: How the Global Economy is Changing

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

    Within the framework XXV Yasinsky (April) International Scientific Conference The former head of the Bank of Russia, professor of the Department of Finance and Credit of the Faculty of Economics of Moscow State University, Sergei Dubinin, gave an honorary report. He spoke about the transformation of the global monetary and financial system and the Russian economy.

    As Sergey Dubinin noted, one of the main trends that became noticeable after the pandemic and is observed now is the fragmentation of the global world economy. “This fragmentation today constitutes some stage, a phase of globalization. It was initially understood as deglobalization, complete collapse, but it quickly became clear that the situation is not quite like that,” the speaker noted. Fragmentation leads to a slowdown in international trade, and to an increase in barriers to the movement of goods, services, labor, and restrictions on the spread of technology. These trends are causing concern among many experts.

    Fragmentation is very noticeable in the relations between countries. Blocks are being created that are oriented towards the US and China. There are also so-called neutral states, intermediary countries. For example, India or Mexico, they “want to be intermediaries in both trade and financial transactions,” says Sergey Dubinin. “Economic relations are developing more actively within the blocks. Both trade [transactions] and capital movement between the blocks are facing restrictions, in particular tariffs,” he says. At the same time, the latest news about the increase in tariffs by US President Donald Trump is strengthening these trends, the expert notes.

    Against the backdrop of events in the global economy, confidence in American securities has declined. “It was a safe haven,” notes Sergei Dubinin. “And that was the advantage of the American financial market system, when even in the conditions of a crisis that began on the US market, US government securities were considered the best insurance asset. And very large amounts of money were directed there.” And in recent years, there has been a noticeable decline in investments in these securities.

    “Right now there is an acute phase in the relationship between China and the United States. It can lead to various consequences, both for political and economic life,” the expert notes. And here it is important to understand what position Russia wants to take. “Recently, we have heard a lot of talk about Russian-American joint economic projects,” says Sergey Dubinin. One point of view is that it is better to take the position of an intermediary country than to unilaterally focus on one country.

    The former head of the Central Bank also spoke about the state of the Russian financial sector. He noted that despite numerous sanctions, the position of banks remains stable. The volume of net profit of banks in 2024 reached more than 4 trillion rubles. According to him, there are currently just over 300 credit institutions left on the market, and only 35 banks were unprofitable. He recalled that “during the period from 2010 to 2020, 681 banks were closed.”

    As a result, according to Sergei Dubinin, a “highly concentrated and fairly stable” system has now emerged. The top ten largest Russian banks, which include systemically important players, account for almost 80% of the banking system’s assets. At the same time, “quality indicators remain quite good.”

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    April 17, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Secretary Noem Terminates $2.7 Million in DHS Grants; Orders Harvard to Prove Compliance with Foreign Student Requirements

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Secretary Noem Terminates $2

    7 Million in DHS Grants; Orders Harvard to Prove Compliance with Foreign Student Requirements

    ASHINGTON – Today, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the cancelation of two DHS grants totaling over $2

    7 million to Harvard University, declaring it unfit to be entrusted with taxpayer dollars

    The Secretary also wrote a scathing letter demanding detailed records on Harvard’s foreign student visa holders’ illegal and violent activities by April 30, 2025, or face immediate loss of Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification

    “Harvard bending the knee to antisemitism — driven by its spineless leadership — fuels a cesspool of extremist riots and threatens our national security,” said Secretary Noem

    “With anti-American, pro-Hamas ideology poisoning its campus and classrooms, Harvard’s position as a top institution of higher learning is a distant memory

    America demands more from universities entrusted with taxpayer dollars

    ”
    The $800,303 Implementation Science for Targeted Violence Prevention grant branded conservatives as far-right dissidents in a shockingly skewed study

    The $1,934,902 Blue Campaign Program Evaluation and Violence Advisement grant funded Harvard’s public health propaganda

    Both undermine America’s values and security

    This action follows President Donald J

    Trump’s decision to freeze $2

    2 billion in federal funding to Harvard University, proposing the revocation of its tax-exempt status over its radical ideology

    Since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Harvard’s foreign visa-holding rioters and faculty have spewed antisemitic hate, targeting Jewish students

    With a $53

    2 billion endowment, Harvard can fund its own chaos—DHS won’t

    And if Harvard cannot verify it is in full compliance with its reporting requirements, the university will lose the privilege of enrolling foreign students

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 17, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Testing in the Clouds: NASA Flies to Improve Satellite Data

    Source: NASA

    In February, NASA’s ER-2 science aircraft flew instruments designed to improve satellite data products and Earth science observations. From data collection to processing, satellite systems continue to advance, and NASA is exploring how instruments analyzing clouds can improve data measurement methods.
    Researchers participating in the Goddard Space Flight Center Lidar Observation and Validation Experiment (GLOVE) used the ER-2 – based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California – to validate satellite data about cloud and airborne particles in the Earth’s atmosphere. Scientists are using GLOVE instruments installed onboard the aircraft to measure and validate data about clouds generated by satellite sensors already orbiting in space around Earth.
    “The GLOVE data will allow us to test new artificial intelligence algorithms in data processing,” said John Yorks, principal investigator for GLOVE and research physical scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “These algorithms aim to improve the cloud and aerosol detection in data produced by the satellites.”

    The validation provided by GLOVE is crucial because it ensures the accuracy and reliability of satellite data. “The instruments on the plane provide a higher resolution measurement ‘truth’ to ensure the data is a true representation of the atmospheric scene being sampled,” Yorks said.
    The ER-2 flew over various parts of Oregon, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada, as well as over the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. These regions reflected various types of atmospheres, including cirrus clouds, marine stratocumulus, rain and snow, and areas with multiple types of clouds.
    “The goal is to improve satellite data products for Earth science applications,” Yorks said. “These measurements allow scientists and decision-makers to confidently use this satellite information for applications like weather forecasting and hazard monitoring.”

    The four instruments installed on the ER-2 were the Cloud Physics Lidar, the Roscoe Lidar, the enhanced Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Airborne Simulator, and the Cloud Radar System. These instruments validate data produced by sensors on NASA’s Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite 2 (ICESat-2) and the Earth Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE), a joint venture between the ESA (European Space Agency) and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency).
    “Additionally, the EarthCARE satellite is flying the first ever Doppler radar for measurements of air motions within clouds,” Yorks said. While the ER-2 is operated by pilots and aircrew from NASA Armstrong, these instruments are supported by scientists from NASA Goddard, NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, and the Naval Research Laboratory office in Monterey, California, as well as by students from the University of Iowa in Iowa City and the University of Maryland College Park.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 17, 2025
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