Category: Education

MIL-OSI USA: Cramer Welcomes NDSU Bison Football Team Back to Washington

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)

***Click here for media resources***

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The North Dakota State University (NDSU) Bison returned to Washington, D.C., to celebrate their National Collegiate Athletics Association Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) national title. The Bison beat the Montana State Bobcats 35-32 in January, securing the team’s 10th FCS Championship within 14 years, and the 18th championship in program history. Following the Bison’s win, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced President Donald Trump would host the team at the White House.

Cramer and fellow North Dakota U.S. Senator John Hoeven welcomed the team to the U.S. Capitol for lunch and a tour before visiting the White House. North Dakota Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak kicked off the lunch by congratulating the team, and Alabama Senator and former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville stopped by to address those gathered at the lunch.

Watching the Bison football championship game was like nothing I’ve ever seen, except those nine other times,” said Cramer in a post on X. “It never gets old! Great to celebrate them at the Capitol today!”

“Winning a national championship gets the NDSU football team invited to DC,” Cramer continued. “Being outstanding student athletes and men gets them invited to the White House. Thank you to NDSU for raising American leaders & the honor of hosting them today with President Trump.”

At the White House, the team met with President Trump in the East Room. NDSU Head Coach Tim Polasek presented President Trump with a custom “Trump 47” jersey. North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong, Former North Dakota Governor and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Former North Dakota First Lady Kathryn Burgum, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem were also in attendance. President Trump also welcomed players into the Oval Office, where he gifted a coin and pen to each member of the team.

To celebrate the Bison’s victory and historic accomplishment, Cramer and Hoeven delivered remarks on the Senate floor and introduced a resolution to congratulate the team.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: 10 April 2025 Donors making a difference in support of WHO’s global work for better nutrition for all

Source: World Health Organisation

Nutrition is a critical part of health and development at every stage of life. Better nutrition is related to improved infant, child and maternal health, stronger immune systems, safer pregnancy and childbirth, lower risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, and longevity. Healthy children learn better. People with adequate nutrition are more productive and can create opportunities to gradually break the cycles of poverty and hunger.

Today, the world faces a double burden of malnutrition that includes both undernutrition and overweight. Undernutrition as well as obesity result in diet-related noncommunicable diseases.

WHO’s support to initiatives to tackle malnutrition is not possible without funding. For core work like this, WHO needs sustainable financing that is predictable, flexible and resilient, enabling the Organization to have the greatest impact where it is needed most.

In parallel to providing fully flexible funding, donors also invest in specific WHO activities across the globe to address malnutrition. The examples reveal a wide range of donor support, not only in emergency contexts with vulnerable or displaced populations but also as a long-term and deeply embedded concern for many countries. This support is even more vital in the face of rising conflict, poverty, food insecurity and rising food prices coupled with easy access to cheap and highly processed foods across all income levels.

Bridging gaps in health and nutrition services for internally displaced people (IDPs) and crisis-affected communities in Amhara, Ethiopia

^{Bridging gaps in health and nutrition services for IDPs and crisis-affected communities in Amhara, Ethiopia. Photo by: WHO/Nitsebiho Asrat}

The Amhara region of Ethiopia has faced a severe humanitarian crisis since November 2021. Nearly a million IDPs are scattered across 38 collective sites and host communities, alongside hundreds of thousands of refugees and returnees.

Ongoing public health emergencies have exacerbated the already critical demand for basic essential health and nutrition services. Availability and access to services are severely limited. WHO, in collaboration with regional government authorities, deployed Mobile Health and Nutrition Teams (MHNTs) to bring essential services to the most vulnerable populations.

As needs increased, the number of MHNTs expanded to 19, comprising 132 health workers, in April 2024. This was made possible through funding from the European Commission Humanitarian Aid, the United States Agency for International Development, the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (UN CERF), and the People and Government of Japan.

Read the full story.

Stabilisation centres are a lifeline for Sudan’s malnourished children

^{WHO Regional Director Dr Hanan Balkhy at the WHO-supported nutrition stabilisation centre in Port Sudan which is providing life-saving care for many infants suffering from acute malnutrition. Photo by: WHO/Inas Hamam}

In 2024, almost a year after conflict erupted in Sudan, nearly 25 million people needed humanitarian assistance. Of these, 18 million people faced acute hunger, 5 million of them at emergency levels.

In 2024, WHO provided medical supplies and technical support to 121 state-run stabilisation centres in Sudan and supported 11 with operating costs. About 3.5 million children under 5 years – every 7th child in Sudan – experience acute malnutrition. Stabilisation centres are a lifeline to more than 100 000 children who are severely acutely malnourished and suffer from medical complications.

Since the conflict erupted in April 2023, WHO has trained 1 942 nutrition cadres and distributed over 2 300 severe acute malnutrition kits to help treat more than 28 000 children. WHO was able to do this thanks to the generous financial assistance of the Italian Development Cooperation, Japan and the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance. This ensured life-saving support, much more of which is needed to address the staggering numbers of Sudanese children in need.

Read the full story.

Nutrition services included in the emergency health response in Syria

^{WHO team visits a health centre in Maskaneh village in rural Aleppo, meeting with health and community workers and beneficiaries, 2024. Photo by: WHO/Farah Ramada}

WHO welcomes US$ 5.5 million funding received from UN CERF to enhance its integrated multisectoral emergency response in Syria. The funding will enable WHO to continue delivering life-saving healthcare services to the most vulnerable populations in conflict-affected regions of the country.

The support aims to reduce morbidity and mortality by ensuring access to essential health care, including advanced nutrition services, and by delivering health services to people in need in north-west and north-east Syria, including sub-districts in Aleppo, Al-Hasakeh, Dar’a, Deir-ez-Zor, Idleb and Lattakia.

The funding supports around 1.8 million people in prioritized areas, aiming to improve access to primary and secondary health care and to bolster emergency referral systems. The focus is on children experiencing malnutrition, providing essential supplies to nutrition stabilisation centres and hospitals, and on strengthening the capacity of local health care workers for mental health, gender-based violence, and communicable diseases.

Read the full story.

Life-saving health supplies and services to over 5 million people across drought-affected states in Somalia

^{EU ECHO-funded project helped equip 11 nutrition stabilisation centres, 2024. Photo by: WHO/Somalia I.Taxta}

WHO and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), with funding from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (EU ECHO) supported Somalia’s Federal and State Ministries of Health to provide life-saving health supplies and services to over 5 million people across drought-affected areas of Banadir, South West, Jubbaland and Galmudug states. WHO supported 63 stabilisation centres for treatment of severe acute malnutrition with medical complications, treating over 25 000 children across the country in these centres. 84% of these children survived.

The 24-month project increased access to health and nutrition services for IDPs in camps and host communities and addressed the needs of pregnant and lactating women, elderly individuals, and children under 5 in drought and conflict-affected areas.

Essential medical supplies were procured and distributed for severe acute malnutrition with medical complications in children, essential health and severe malnutrition kits, and to support detection and response to outbreaks. The project helped equip 11 nutrition stabilisation centres across target districts with severe acute malnutrition kits, with an average cure rate of 94.25% in children under 5.

Read the full story.

Benin: nutrition and health monitoring to bolster children’s health

^{WHO-supported health screenings help safeguard children’s physical and intellectual well-being in Benin’s primary schools, 2023. Photo by: WHO/D. Akomatsri}

Every day, all primary and pre-primary pupils in Benin’s state schools receive a hot meal, courtesy of the National Integrated School Feeding Programme. An associated nutritional and health monitoring campaign is carried out biannually offering a package of services, including micronutrient supplementation, deworming, and hygiene promotion in schools.

The campaign reached 60 schools in 2023, with support from WHO, the World Food Programme and the United Nations Children’s Fund. This helped detect and treat cases of malnutrition amongst pupils, with 13 986 children screened and 1 367 cases of malnutrition detected, including 390 severe acute cases and 975 moderate acute cases.

By linking medical care to the school feeding scheme, Benin’s Ministry of Health aims to address both the physical and intellectual health of schoolchildren. WHO, through the French Muskoka Fund, is supporting this initiative to monitor health and nutrition amongst schoolchildren in a bid to help entrench health promotion in schools.

Read the full story.

Protecting children from the harmful effect of food marketing in Malaysia

^{Policymakers, civil society organizations, academics and industry representatives participated in the consultative seminar. Photo by: WHO}

Malaysia has the highest rate of childhood overweight or obesity in ASEAN, yet children continue to be exposed to aggressive marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages. Over 30% of children aged 5-17 years old were classified as overweight or obese in 2022.

This trend is coupled with a significant portion of children growing up stunted, creating a double burden of malnutrition. Addressing the double burden of malnutrition demands collaboration across different sectors and levels of society.

In Malaysia, the Pledge on Responsible Advertising to Children was launched in 2012 and it included 15 food and beverage companies which committed to not marketing unhealthy foods to children aged 12 and below.

To identify ways to better protect children in Malaysia from the harmful effects of food marketing, WHO and the Nutrition Division, Ministry of Health convened over 60 policymakers, academics, industry and civil society representatives in September 2024. Stakeholders discussed key challenges and barriers to policy implementation, and developed strategies and recommendations while strengthening collaboration.

This works is thanks to invaluable flexible, unearmarked funding to WHO.

Read the full story.

Nine Latin American and Caribbean countries intensify efforts to curb obesity

^{Lady measuring her weight. Photo by: iStock/klvn}

The WHO Region for the Americas (PAHO/AMRO) has the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity in the world, with 67.5% of adults and 37.6% of children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 experiencing overweight or obesity. The WHO Acceleration Plan to Stop Obesity and forthcoming Technical Package to stop obesity aims to halt rising obesity rates through a comprehensive approach combining regulatory, fiscal, and multisectoral strategies.

In the Americas, 9 countries are pioneering this initiative: Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay. Lessons learned are expected to serve as a model for future expansion across the region.

PAHO and these countries are implementing a series of measures including the application of front-of-package warning labels, regulation of marketing for unhealthy food products, promotion of breastfeeding, regulation of foods offered in schools, and adoption of fiscal policies that promote healthy diets. Along with monitoring and learning, PAHO continues to provide technical assistance, capacity-building, and intersectoral coordination.

This work is thanks to invaluable flexible, unearmarked funding to WHO.

Read the full story.

Thailand fighting obesity – changing the system to save lives

^{The Minister of Public Health, DOH Director-General and other officials, together with WHO Representative to Thailand showed strong commitment to fight against obesity. Photo by: Department of Health, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand}

In recent years, Thailand is facing an escalating obesity trend that threatens the health of its future generations. In the span of just two decades, the rate of obesity in school children has surged from 5.8% to 15%. The situation amongst adults is equally alarming, with 42% falling into the obese category by 2020. Noncommunicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, hypertension, and stroke now claim 400 000 lives annually and account for 74% of all deaths in Thailand.

Recognizing the urgent need for action, Thailand has taken bold and innovative steps to curb this epidemic. The Ministry of Public Health (MPOH) has rolled out a comprehensive policy that aims to drive changes in 4 systems.

The priority interventions will focus on improving the quality of school lunch programme, changing food marketing to reduce sugar, fat, and salt, strengthening health services system to provide better prevention and management of obesity-related conditions, and modifying the environment to increase physical activity. Thailand has also tightened its national definition of obesity. While WHO’s definition states that “a body mass index (BMI) over 25 is considered overweight, and over 30 is obese”, in Thailand citizens with BMI greater or equal to 25 are registered as obese – which allows the health stakeholders to expand the reach and support to broader population groups.

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Promoting healthy diets and increased physical activity are key strategies which are supported by Global Regulatory and Fiscal Capacity Building Programme (RECAP), a collaborative project between the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) and WHO, supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the European Union. In addition, Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL) partners with WHO to promote healthy diets through evidence-based interventions.

Strong leadership, multi-sectoral action and development partners’ support are crucial in bending the obesity curve in the country.

Read the full story.

Fast forward: Nutrition for Growth 2025 Summit

WHO announced 13 ambitious commitments across 8 key areas at the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit, hosted by the Government of France. Stakeholders pledged US$ 27,55 billion in global funding for nutrition. This moment of global solidarity showcases growing support to improve health and well-being for all through nutrition.

127 delegations, including the governments of 106 countries, together with international and civil society organizations, development banks, philanthropic organizations, research institutions, and businesses, joined forces in Paris to help put an end to the malnutrition scourge, which hinders countries’ economic and social development and traps communities in an intergenerational cycle of poverty.

A few amongst numerous examples of pledges are: €750 million in projects supported by France (between now and 2030), €6.5 billion to fight malnutrition mobilized by the European Union, of which €3.4 billion was allocated by the European Commission. Other countries, including Madagascar, Côte d’Ivoire, Guatemala, and Bangladesh also made noteworthy political and financial commitments to tackling the burden of malnutrition in their countries. The development banks are also on board, particularly the World Bank and the African Development Bank, which pledged US$ 5 billion and US$ 9.5 billion respectively until 2030. Philanthropic organizations, civil society organizations and the private sector account for a substantial share of financial commitments. Philanthropic organizations will raise more than US$ 2 billion in the coming years to combat malnutrition. As follow up builds, participants expect more than 500 commitments to be made overall.

WHO’s eight commitments reflect our dedication to tackling malnutrition and promoting health and well-being worldwide. Read more on commitments.

Acknowledgements

WHO’s work is made possible through all contributions of our Member States and partners. WHO thanks all donor countries, governments, organizations and individuals who are contributing to the Organization’s work, with special appreciation for those who provide fully flexible contributions to maintain a strong, independent WHO.

The donors and partners acknowledged in this story are (in alphabetical order) the African Development Bank, Bangladesh, Côte d’Ivoire, the EU ECHO, European Commission Humanitarian Aid, French Muskoka Fund, the Government of France, Guatemala, the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), Italian Development Cooperation, Japan, Madagascar, Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), UNCERF, the USA Agency for International Development, and the World Bank.

WHO’s support to initiatives to tackle obesity and malnutrition would not have been possible without funding. To continue to support core work like this, WHO needs sustainable financing, that is, predictable, flexible, and resilient. This will allow WHO to have the greatest impact where it is needed most.

More on nutrition and obesity

Draft recommendations for the prevention and management of obesity over the life course, including potential targets

Follow-up to the political declaration of the third high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases – Annex 12

Obesity and Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists | Obesity | JAMA | JAMA Network

MIL OSI United Nations News –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: House Passes Issa Legislation to Stop Activist Judges and Their Rogue Rulings

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-50)

WASHINGTON, D.C.: The House of Representatives today approved HR 1526, The No Rogue Rulings Act of 2025, authored by Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-48), Senior Member of the Judiciary Committee and Chairman of its Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence, and the Courts.

“Practically every day, activist federal judges are abusing their Article III power, contradicting the Constitution, and blocking President Donald Trump from exercising his executive authority to deport criminal illegals, reduce wasteful government spending, and strengthen our military, said Rep. Issa.” Today, a majority of the House of Representatives declared that enough is enough.”

Majority Whip Tom Emmer (MN-06): “One unelected district judge should not have the power to halt the President of the United States from executing the policies the American people elected him to enact—that defies all common sense. I am thankful for Rep. Issa’s leadership in House Republicans efforts to rein inactivist judges and restore constitutional balance to the three branches.”

Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (MI-9): “House Republicans prevented activist judges from stalling the American people’s agenda. Rep. Issa’s bill ensures rogue judges can’t block the lawful exercise of executive power. We upheld the constitutional authority of checks and balances and protected the integrity of our democracy.”

Rep. Issa and Republican Study Committee Chairman Austin Pfluger (TX-11) co-authored an op-ed today in Fox News Digital: “Courtroom coup: Ending the district judges’ war on presidential authority.”

About The No Rogue Rulings Act:

• Restores principles of federalism by clarifying that judicial orders cannot bind non-parties to litigation before a court.

• Stops single district court judges from solely determining national policy – an authority the Constitution reserves for Congress, the President, and, in limited instances, the Supreme Court.

• Creates an exception for certified class action lawsuits and establishes a three-judge appeals process that can be appealed directly to the Supreme Court.

“I thank my steadfast GOP colleagues in the House and Senate — as well as President Trump — for their support of our work. After today, activist judges and their increasingly rogue rulings are being put on notice. Help is on the way,” said Issa.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Panetta Awarded U.S. Navy’s Highest Civilian Honor

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif)

Washington, DC – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), a veteran of the U.S. Naval Reserve, was awarded the Department of the Navy’s Distinguished Public Service Award, the highest honor the Navy can bestow upon a civilian. The award recognizes Rep. Panetta’s steadfast support of the United States Navy and Marine Corps during his tenure in Congress and his commitment to ensuring that service members have the resources, training, and readiness necessary to protect the nation’s interests.

Rep. Panetta served in the U.S. Navy, Reserve Component, as an Intelligence Officer. In 2007, Rep. Panetta was mobilized to active duty and deployed with a special operations task force to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Based on his meritorious service in a combat zone, then Lieutenant Panetta and was awarded the Bronze Star.

Upon returning home, Rep. Panetta continued his advocacy for our men and women who served in uniform by working with homeless veterans at the Veterans Transition Center, and leading the effort to establish the first Veterans Treatment Court in Monterey County, as well as the Central Coast Veterans Cemetery on the former Fort Ord.

As the U.S. Representative for California’s 19^th Congressional District, Rep. Panetta works hard to support and bolster the 17 defense installations, including five naval installations, in his district. Those installations include the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Support Activity Monterey, Fleet Meteorology Center, Naval Research Lab, Coast Guard Station Monterey. The installations of California’s 19^th Congressional District boast more than 15,000 military personnel and their families and help boost the local economy by $2.6 billion each year.

“Our nation must always serve those who serve us and the military families who shoulder immense sacrifices,” said Rep. Panetta. “California’s 19^th Congressional District has long boasted a strong military tradition and presence, which I am proud to carry on and support as a veteran in Congress advocating for the quality of life and support needed by our men and women in uniform. I’m honored to receive this recognition from the U.S. Navy and look forward to the work ahead to bolster our military, national security, and all of those committed to serving our nation.”

In Congress, as well as a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Panetta has led bipartisan efforts to strengthen military readiness, enhance servicemember benefits, tackle military hunger, address subpar housing for military families, and advance the Navy and Marine Corps’ operational capabilities.

In the FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Rep. Panetta secured funding for the new Naval Innovation Center in Monterey, established a pilot program to send noncommissioned officers from the Army and Navy to the Naval Postgraduate School, and directed a regenerative grazing pilot program and Navy and Marine Corps installations, among other key quality of life provisions.

Through previous NDAAs, Rep. Panetta has had several bills signed into law including; the Smart Act which opened new advanced degree opportunities at NPS for enlisted servicemembers, Military Hunger Prevention Act which created a Basic Needs Allowance for military servicemembers with incomes below the poverty line, DLI Act which allowed the Defense Language Institute to confer Bachelor degrees to graduates, Better Military Housing Act which created a tenant bill of rights for residents of privatized military housing, and more.

In 2024, Rep. Panetta also authored and passed into law legislation to honor Everett Alvarez, Jr. who grew up on the Central Coast of California and demonstrated immense courage and resilience as our nation’s second longest serving prisoner of war, with the Congressional Gold Medal. The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor bestowed by Congress, reserved for individuals who have made significant contributions to American history and culture.

The Department of the Navy’s Distinguished Public Service Award is presented to individuals who have provided exceptionally distinguished service that significantly impacts the Department of the Navy as a whole.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Bennie G. Thompson to Host Town Halls on Budget Cuts and Critical Benefits Updates
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Bennie G Thompson (D-MS)

BOLTON, MS – Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) will host a town hall to address Trump’s cuts to the Department of Education, Department of Health & Human Services, Social Security Administration, and other key government programs in Mississippi’s Second Congressional District. The discussion will cover how these proposed cuts could impact students, seniors, and low-income families who depend on federal programs.
- WHO: Congressman Bennie G. Thompson
- WHAT: Town Hall Events – Federal Budget Cuts and Other Key Programs
- WHEN & WHERE:
  
  Tuesday, April 15, 2025, 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. (CT)
New Beginnings M.B. Church

35 Triumph Ln

Natchez, MS 39120

Thursday, April 24, 2025, 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. (CT)

                                    New Hope First Baptist Church

                                    705 Nelson Street

                                    Greenville, MS 38701

Members of the media who wish to attend are asked to RSVP by emailing Stephanie Booker at stephanie.booker@mail.house.gov .

MIL OSI USA News –
April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Jayapal, Hirono Introduce Resolution to Recognize Library Workers

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)

WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) and U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) are introducing a resolution honoring library workers during National Library Week.

“Libraries and library workers are vital to every single community in this country. They facilitate our access to information, provide often lifesaving social resources, and host critical educational programming,” said Jayapal. “As the Trump administration seeks to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services, libraries and library staff across the country are facing threats to their jobs. Today, I am proud to reaffirm my support for these dedicated workers and thank them for the critical work they do for our communities.”

“From accessing books to providing safe spaces for people to work and learn, the resources that libraries provide are essential to our communities,” said Senator Hirono. “I’m proud to lead this resolution with Congresswoman Jayapal, commemorating National Library Week in recognition of our country’s libraries and their dedicated staff. As the Trump Administration and Republicans work to systemically erase diverse voices from our history, schools, and libraries, it is crucial that we reaffirm our right to free and unfettered access to books and information without obstruction. Libraries are an important hub for information exchange and learning, and I will keep working to protect the indispensable services they provide.”

Over 350,000 public servants work at an estimated 120,000 libraries across the nation. Library workers provide the public with a host of critical services, from access to books, media, and the internet, to offering high-quality educational and cultural programming geared toward visitors of all ages, including connecting visitors to social services. These services are often essential to meeting the needs of underserved communities, including low-income and unhoused individuals and families. Overall, the public highly values libraries, 69 percent of U.S. adults age 16 or older felt their local libraries substantially contributed to providing a safe place for people to spend time, and 58 percent felt they substantially contributed toward creating educational opportunities.

Unfortunately, libraries and library staff across this country are currently facing unprecedented challenges that harm their ability to provide critical resources, especially in rural, Tribal, and other underserved communities. In the wake of President Trump’s executive order to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services, libraries across the country are already starting to receive notice of their federal grants being terminated.

“Library workers are always there for us—offering knowledge, support, and safe spaces for all,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “This National Library Week, we not only thank these dedicated public service professionals—we recognize the serious threats they’re up against. They are facing a disturbing rise in intimidation, censorship, and even violence, all while the Trump administration works to defund libraries and undermine their essential work. We proudly stand with Senator Hirono and Representative Jayapal in fighting for their rights, and we’ll continue organizing alongside library workers to secure the respect, safety, and stability that only a union contract can provide.”

“We thank Congresswoman Jayapal for giving voice to the many library workers in Washington state who provide our communities something special – a free place where all are invited to read, think, gather, connect, and grow.” said Tom Fay, Chief Librarian and Executive Director of The Seattle Public Library. “At a time when division and isolation are impacting many Americans, libraries provide an antidote by bringing people together to explore and celebrate a diversity of ideas. At a time when goods and services are costing more, libraries provide tremendous value, boosting educational and economic community outcomes. We need more of this, not less, if we are to foster a healthy and flourishing democracy.”

The resolution is sponsored by Representatives Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Brendan Boyle (PA-02), Greg Casar (TX-35), Angie Craig (MN-02), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Dwight Evans (PA-03), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Summer Lee (PA-12), Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Donald Norcross (NJ-01), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-At-Large), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), and Linda Sánchez (CA-38) and Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)..

The resolution is endorsed by The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

Issues: Arts & Education

MIL OSI USA News –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: A world of career opportunities

Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

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

On April 10, the Youth Career Forum was held in the Technopolis Polytech research building. Representatives of companies offered students and future graduates vacancies, internships, practical training places and development programs. The event was organized by the SPbPU Career Development Department.

Vice-Rector for Educational Activities of SPbPU Lyudmila Pankova opened the forum and expressed gratitude to the company representatives for their participation.

Today, representatives of 64 companies have gathered at the Polytechnic University. This is a record number for us. Employers will share information about the best places for practice and internships. Various surprises and activities await you. I am sure that our partners will find ambitious and unique young specialists, and our students will get acquainted with the companies of their dreams, – emphasized Lyudmila Pankova.

A career is a life-long marathon, full of ups, downs, personal transformations and discoveries. Today, we, employers, together with Polytech, will help you find answers to important questions: what internships will help you, what programs will suit you, – said Svetlana Barabantseva, Head of Young Talents at Severstal.

At the stand session, the largest Russian companies vividly demonstrated vacancies and opportunities for internships and traineeships. Representatives talked about the conditions, answered students’ questions and conducted interviews.

Among the regular participants of the IFF are such well-known companies as Sber, Gazprom Neft, Power Machines, Severstal, Petersburg Tractor Plant, VK Education, Rosatom State Corporation, Geropharm, etc. They attracted the attention of students with logical tasks, quizzes, games, puzzles, and, of course, branded gifts.

The company “Russian Mechanics” from Rybinsk specializes in the development, production and sale of snowmobiles and ATVs. At the forum, representatives demonstrated the RM 800 T ATV of the “Silk Road” series and the multi-purpose snow and swamp vehicle with a 6×6 wheel arrangement “Termite”.

The Petersburg Tractor Plant is a regular participant in the Polytechnic University career events. The enterprise employs many Polytechnic University graduates: designers, technologists and quality management specialists. At the forum, the company showed the Kirovets K-7 tractor.

The Sovcombank company has been participating in SPbPU events for several years now, and many of its employees are graduates of the Polytechnic University. Today, specialists have prepared tasks related to key areas of activity, a game of Tic-Tac-Toe with artificial intelligence, and gifts.

Polytechnicians work for us as interns, junior specialists, employees in the departments of system analysis and development. Students actively participate in our events. This is an intensive course in system analysis “SovkomLab”, the School of Credit Analysts, competitions in the profile of information security and the career festival “Adventure League”. Many of them continue to work in full-time positions. Therefore, our cooperation with Polytechnic is truly productive, – shared the team leader of the team for the development of the HR brand and interaction with universities Valeria Kozinets.

Young were present as new members

In addition to manufacturing products for the science and medical industries, we actively cooperate with schools and universities in matters of popularizing science. So that children can see in practice what radiation is and not be afraid of it. We are also interested in finding new employees in universities. The company has an agreement with the Polytechnic University, students do their internships with us. Today we decided to show ourselves at our home university. By the way, I am also a graduate of the Polytechnic University, I graduated from IMMiT in 2017, – said the head of the component sector Pavel Krikunov.

Traditionally, the forum featured a stand of the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU “Digital Engineering”. Leading engineers and heads of educational programs of the Advanced Engineering School of SPbPU told students and graduates of the Polytechnic University about promising areas of training and employment. The event was also attended by industrial partners of the school, including Centrotech-Engineering LLC (part of the Fuel Division of the Rosatom State Corporation), St. Petersburg State Unitary Enterprise Gorelectrotrans. They presented joint master’s programs that combine fundamental training with applied knowledge. Students gain unique experience by participating in real research and development (R&D) work.

The forum was attended by employees of the SPbPU Center for Work with Applicants, who provided advice to students on issues of admission to a master’s program.

The business program included 19 offline and online activities, divided into two tracks: career and skills. Students watched presentations of internship programs, learned life hacks on building a career after university, participated in master classes on time management, project management and building self-esteem, attended workshops and networking.

CareerTalks format events were held by VK Education, SBER, Rosatom, Lukoil. Employees of Axenix, Tricolor, Arman, Gazprom Gazofiya held master classes. Specialists of the Scientific and Educational Center for Information Technologies and Business Analysis Gazprom Neft organized a business game “Everything (Not) According to Plan”. A career master class on adaptation in the company after an offer was held in the VK group of the Career Development Department of SPbPU.

The forum also included a round table for ISI students and employers in the construction sector, “Problems of Forming Interaction between Students and Organizations: Expectations vs. Reality.” The event was moderated by ISI student practical training officer Janis Olekhnovich. Company employees shared valuable advice and recommendations with students on developing the necessary skills and acquiring knowledge that will allow them to stand out in the professional environment.

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 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Amata Welcomes House Passage of Bipartisan Veterans Bills, and Peace Officers Memorial Service Resolution

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative for Western Samoa Congresswoman Aumua Amata

Headline: Amata Welcomes House Passage of Bipartisan Veterans Bills, and Peace Officers Memorial Service Resolution

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata, who serves as Vice Chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee (HVAC), is welcoming House passage of a slate of bipartisan Veterans bills from the Committee, and letting American Samoa’s veterans know about these efforts, which are now sent to the Senate for consideration.

Discussing Veterans’ issues recently with VA Secretary Collins, HVAC Chairman Bost and other key Members

“We have made a commitment to our Veterans as a nation, and continue to push for improvements in the access and delivery of services to all who served,” said Congresswoman Amata. “We want consistency, care, and competence in our national services to Veterans through laws, oversight, and ongoing reform efforts at the VA.”

The Deliver for Veterans Act, H.R. 877, passed unanimously, is sponsored by Congressman James Moylan (Guam), with Congresswoman Aumua Amata (American Samoa), Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds (CNMI), and Congressman Ed Case (Hawaii) as original cosponsors. This bill would cover the delivery costs, including the islands, for major equipment for disabled veterans such as a specially equipped automobile.

The Clear Communication for Veterans Claims Act, H.R. 1039, passed 412-0, requires the VA to make communications with Veterans clearer and more user friendly. Sponsor Congressman Tom Barrett, R-Michigan, said in a House speech, “Our veterans served the United States military, with honor. They shouldn’t need a lawyer or specially trained advocate to explain a claims letter to them.”

The Vietnam Veterans Liver Fluke Cancer Study Act, H.R. 586, passed by a vote of 411-0, requiring the VA to conduct an epidemiological study, create a report on the prevalence of cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) in veterans who served in the Vietnam theater, and submit this information to Congress.

The Fairness for Servicemembers and their Families Act of 2025, H.R. 970, requires the VA to review every five years and report on the maximum coverage available under the Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance and Veterans’ Group Life Insurance programs, taking into account the average percentage by which the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased over that five years.

In other action, the House unanimously passed necessary legislation authorizing the use of U.S. Capitol grounds for the National Peace Officers Memorial Service in May. The concurrent resolution authorizes the National Fraternal Order of Police to sponsor two public events on Capitol grounds: the 44th Annual National Peace Officers Memorial Service, and the National Honor Guard and Pipe Band Exhibition.

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MIL OSI USA News –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Pappas Takes Action to Protect Public Employees’ Right to Organize

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH)

Today Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) announced he is cosponsoring the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act, bicameral legislation to guarantee the right of public sector employees to organize, and the Protect America’s Workforce Act, bipartisan legislation to nullify a recent Trump Administration Executive Order ending collective bargaining rights for a wide-ranging group of federal employees.

The Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act would establish baseline federal protections to ensure all public service workers can join a union and negotiate workplace conditions, regardless of state law. The bill comes at a critical time, as recent federal actions have renewed attention on the collective bargaining rights of public employees, including those serving in national security-related agencies.

The Protect America’s Workforce Act would nullify President Trump’s March 27 executive order seeking to end collective bargaining rights for unionized federal employees across several agencies.

“Working families are the engine that drive our economy, but all too often we’ve seen the right to organize for better wages, safe conditions, and full benefits come under attack, including by this administration’s recent attempt to roll back collective bargaining rights for federal employees,” said Congressman Pappas. “All workers, including public employees, deserve to be able to collectively bargain for fair wages and safe working conditions, and I am proud to support legislation that will ensure those who put in a hard day’s work have a seat at the table and a say in their future.”

The Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act is supported by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME); the Communications Workers of America (CWA); American Federation of Teachers (AFT); AFL-CIO; Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU); Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE); International Brotherhood of Teamsters; International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM); International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE); International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE); International Union of Police Associations (IUPA); International Union of Painters & Allied Trades (IUPAT); Laborer’s International Union of North America (LiUNA); National Education Association (NEA); National Nurses United; Service Employees International Union (SEIU); Transport Workers Union of America (TWU); UNITE HERE!; United Autoworkers; United Steelworkers (USW).

“Passing this legislation has never been more urgent — especially now, as federal workers face unprecedented attacks on their collective bargaining rights,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “We believe, as most Americans do, that every worker deserves a union — no matter who they work for. This bill is about something fundamental: respect. Respect for the public service workers who’ve devoted their careers to serving their communities. And respect means the freedom to negotiate.”

“When workers stand together in a union, their jobs and lives improve. But in half of the country, the people who keep our cities and towns running are banned from collectively bargaining for a good union contract. Every day, the attacks on the fundamental freedoms of workers who keep our streets and water clean, our public transportation moving, and our children learning are increasing from the highest level of government. We need federal law to protect their rights to form a union and negotiate fair contracts that allow them to continue to do the work that is so essential to our communities. We call on every member of Congress to stand with working people and support the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler.

“For years now, the rights of workers like nurses, librarians, educators, and all our essential public servants who dedicate themselves to our communities have been chipped away at, despite their dedication and selfless service to their communities,” said Claude Cummings Jr., president of the Communications Workers of America. “That’s why the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act is so vital. It protects public sector workers’ fundamental right to join together, bargain for fair pay, and stand up for decent working conditions. Congress needs to step up and pass this now and push back against efforts trying to undermine these essential rights.”

“As education, healthcare and public service workers, our members make a difference in the lives of others every day. But too many states don’t allow the people who do the work to have a voice,” said Randi Weingarten, President of AFT. “The Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act would change that, ensuring public servants, no matter where they reside, have a means to influence their own lives. Whether it’s higher wages, safer working conditions, or a secure retirement, the ability to organize a union and bargain collectively lifts working families, students, patients, and entire communities up. That’s why we enthusiastically support this legislation and are committed to moving it forward.”

The Protect America’s Workforce Act is supported by the AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU), National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS), and Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

“Donald Trump is trying to end collective bargaining for hundreds of thousands of federal workers, silencing their voices and ripping up their contracts. This order would strike a blow to every American’s fundamental right of freedom of speech and association,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler. “More than 70 percent of Americans and nearly 9 in 10 young people support unions — no one voted to attack the freedom to organize with our co-workers for a better life. We commend the leadership of Reps. Jared Golden and Brian Fitzpatrick for using Congress’ power to reverse this executive order. The labor movement is 100 percent behind this bill, and we call on every member of Congress, Democrat and Republican, to take a stand in support of our fundamental rights by backing this critical legislation.”

Last month, Congressman Pappas helped reintroduce H.R. 20, the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, a comprehensive, bipartisan proposal to protect workers’ right to come together and bargain for higher wages, better benefits, and safer workplaces, and spoke out forcefully against news that the Trump administration had moved to end collective bargaining rights for a wide-ranging group of federal employees.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: As Republicans Attack Public Education, Rep. Omar Joins Rep. Pressley in Reintroduces Bills to Invest in Safe, Nurturing Learning Environments for All Students
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Ilhan Omar (DFL-MN)

Pair of Bills Would Address Pushout of Black Girls, Invest in Counselors and End Over-Policing of Public K-12 Schools
Ending PUSHOUT Act | Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act

WASHINGTON – As Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Republicans attack public education, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (MN-05) and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) reintroduced a pair of bills, the Ending PUSHOUT Act and Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act, which would collectively end the discriminatory treatment of Black and brown students, LGBTQIA+ students, and students with disabilities in schools, and invest in safe, nurturing learning environments for all students.

“Classrooms should be a place for students to learn, grow, and thrive – not be overpoliced and criminalized. With Republicans gutting public education and attacking vulnerable students, our bills would help protect our students by promoting trauma-informed policies and investing in counselors, nurses, social workers, and other trained professionals who actually make our schools safer,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “I’m grateful to my House and Senate colleagues for their ongoing partnership and for the coalition of individuals and organizations from across the country who joined us in support of these bills. We must affirm the right for every student to learn in a setting free from fear.”

Reps Ilhan Omar (MN-05) and Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) are joined by Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) in reintroducing the Ending PUSHOUT Act, which would end the punitive pushout of girls of color from schools.

“Over the last 25 years, more than $1 billion in federal funds have been used to put police officers in our nation’s schools without any evidence that this funding has improved school safety or student outcomes,” said Senator Booker. “Additionally, research shows that students of color, particularly girls, are often subjected to harsher and more frequent disciplinary action compared to their white counterparts. The Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act and Ending PUSHOUT Act are critical bills that invest federal dollars in counselors, social workers, and other trauma-informed personnel to support students so we can keep create safer academic environments for all students to thrive.”

“I want my granddaughter to learn, grow, and receive an education in an environment where she is loved and valued,” said Rep. Watson Coleman. “But we know, both from the data and our own experience, that this is not always the case for Black girls. They are disproportionately likely to face severe punishment for similar behaviors compared to their white peers and we must take action to dismantle this systemic discrimination. The school-to-prison pipeline is real, and it has specifically harmed and targeted Black girls. I’m proud to support Rep. Pressley’s End PUSHOUT Act to put an end to this injustice, and foster a learning environment where every student, regardless of race, gender, or ZIP code, has the opportunity to thrive.”

“It’s heartbreaking but not surprising that across the country, Black girls and Indigenous girls are still being pushed out of classrooms at staggering rates. Black students in Minnesota are eight times more likely to be suspended than white students. For Indigenous students, it’s ten times,” said Rep. Omar. “The Ending PUSHOUT Act is about creating school environments where girls of color feel safe, supported, and free to learn. I’m proud to stand with Congresswoman Pressley and Congresswoman Watson Coleman to say our girls deserve better and we’re going to fight for them.”

Rep. Pressley is joined by Congresswoman Omar (MN-05), Congresswoman Summer Lee (PA-12), and Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) in introducing the Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act, which would invest in safe and nurturing school climates that support all students and end over-policing in our nation’s public K-12 schools.

“Every kid deserves to feel secure and supported in their classroom. But too often students, especially kids of color and students with disabilities, are arrested at school instead of getting the help that would actually address the root causes of their behavioral issues. While a number of school districts across the country have made progress by taking police out of classrooms and giving our kids the kind of support that we know leads to better results, other schools have gone back to old rules that just punish kids but don’t help them get back on track. This legislation would put more counselors and social workers in schools and make sure school districts have the resources they need to make classrooms safe for all students,” said Senator Murphy.

“Our children deserve to feel safe, supported, and seen in their schools, not criminalized for simply being kids. Schools have increasingly relied on policing to manage behavior in our classrooms, a practice that has disproportionately harmed Black, brown, LGBTQ+, and disabled students,” said Rep. Omar. “This bill moves us toward justice by directing resources toward counselors, social workers, and the support systems our students actually need to thrive. I’m proud to join my colleagues in fighting for a future where every child has the freedom to learn in an environment that uplifts their potential instead of policing their existence.”

“Schools should be a place our students feel safe and supported without fear of surveillance or punishment,” said Rep. Summer Lee. “Rather than increasing police presence in schools, the Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act would invest in trauma-informed counselors and social workers to create more positive learning environments. We should be bringing students in, not pushing them out—especially marginalized students disproportionately criminalized for normal childhood and adolescent behavior.”

Across the country, the education of Black and brown students is often disrupted as a result of discriminatory and punitive discipline policies that criminalize and push them out of school. In particular, Black girls are suspended, expelled, referred to law enforcement, and arrested on school campuses at disproportionately higher rates than white girls due to unfair dress code and hair policies and a lack of understanding of the historical, social, and economic inequities such as poverty, trauma, hunger, and violence that often impact student behavior. Overall, Black girls, girls of color, LGBTQ+ students, and students with disabilities are disproportionately subjected to exclusionary school discipline policies such as suspension and expulsion, which can have long-term effects on the safety, wellbeing, and academic success of all students.

Additionally, research shows that the presence of mental and behavioral health personnel in schools, like counselors, social workers, and psychologists, improves educational outcomes for kids, specifically by improving attendance and graduation rates while lowering the rates of suspension, expulsion and other disciplinary incidents. Meanwhile, the presence of police in schools leads to an increase in arrests of students — disproportionately students of color, LGBTQ+ students, and students with disabilities — often for common misbehavior that a school could address without the involvement of law enforcement.

The Ending PUSHOUT Act will work to disrupt the school-to-confinement pathway by investing in safe and nurturing school environments for all students, especially girls of color. Specifically, the bill would:

Establish new federal grants to support states and schools that commit to ban unfair and discriminatory school discipline practices and improve school climate.

Protect Civil Rights Data Collection and strengthen the Department of Education’s (ED) Office for Civil Rights (OCR).

Establish a federal interagency taskforce to end school pushout and examine its disproportionate impact on girls of color.

The Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act would:

Prohibit the use of federal funds for maintaining police in schools: Since 1999, the federal government has spent more than $1 billion to increase the number of police in schools. However, evidence does not show this funding has improved student outcomes and school safety. This legislation would prohibit federal funds from being used to hire or maintain police in K-12 schools, diverting that funding toward other uses related to school safety within applicable grant programs.

Invest billions to help schools hire counselors, social workers, and other trauma-informed support personnel necessary to create safe, supportive learning environments for all students: This legislation helps schools build safe and positive learning cultures by establishing a new $5 billion grant program to support the hiring of counselors, social workers, school psychologists, and other personnel. The grant would also help schools implement programs to improve school climate, such as school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports, as well as invest in trauma-informed services and professional development. As more schools move away from policies that criminalize students and push them out of school, this historic investment will ensure districts have the resources to provide students with the support they need to feel safe in school and thrive.

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MIL OSI USA News –
April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Honoured Citizen Award for the Friends of Welford Road Cemetery (2)

Source: City of Leicester

A GROUP of volunteers which has been helping to look after Welford Road Cemetery for more than 25 years has received an Honoured Citizen award from the Lord Mayor of Leicester.

The Friends of Welford Road Cemetery, founded in 1999, encourage people to enjoy the history and surroundings of the cemetery by helping visitors to research their family history, staffing the on-site visitor centre and holding regular events, including annual commemorations of ANZAC Day and Armistice Day.

They were put forward for an Honoured Citizen Award after the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress visited their Remembrance Day service and talked to them about their work, which includes helping with the maintenance and upkeep of the cemetery as well as preserving the historical significance of the site.

Honoured Citizen Awards aim to recognise Leicester residents who have made an outstanding contribution to the city.

The Lord Mayor of Leicester, Cllr Bhupen Dave, said: “We were so impressed with the work of the Friends of Welford Road Cemetery when we visited them, and especially with the length of time these volunteers have committed to their roles. I’m very pleased to be able to make them Honoured Citizens in recognition of their unwavering dedication to the cemetery – which as well as being an important historical site, is a real haven for peace and for wildlife right in the heart of the city. I congratulate all of the Friends on their award.”

Richard Taylor, chairman of the Friends of Welford Road Cemetery, said: “I welcome this recognition of all the hard work done over the years by the many volunteers past and present, including students from the University of Leicester. It has been a privilege to help so many people from Leicester and abroad find out about their ancestors and to learn the many stories they have to tell. We are a strong group and hope to carry on promoting this special site for many years to come.”

Alan Brown, bereavement services manager at Leicester City Council, added: “I’m so delighted that the fantastic work of the Friends of Welford Road Cemetery has been highlighted and recognised in this way. Their efforts over quarter of a decade are hugely appreciated and they have made a real difference to many people in Leicester and beyond, so it’s wonderful that they have received this award.”

ENDS

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Senators Coons and Moran, Reps. Pingree and Lawler introduce NO TIME TO Waste Act to combat American food loss and waste

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) reintroduced today the bipartisan, bicameral New Opportunities for Technological Innovation, Mitigation, and Education To Overcome Waste, or NO TIME TO Waste Act. The bill would reduce food loss and waste in the United States in an effort to increase food security, foster productivity, promote resource and energy conservation, and address climate change. This reintroduction comes during National Food Waste Prevention Week (April 7-13) to raise awareness around the issue of food waste and highlight bipartisan opportunities to find solutions.
“Food waste exacerbates hunger, pollutes the environment, and undercuts our economy,” said Senator Coons. “As we celebrate National Food Waste Prevention Week, I’m proud to reintroduce this bipartisan, bicameral bill that takes commonsense steps to tackle food waste. Together, we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve health outcomes, and ensure food reaches the communities across Delaware and the nation who need it most.”
“Kansas is the breadbasket of the country, helping feed the nation and the world,” said Senator Moran. “However, nearly 40 percent of food produced in the U.S. goes to waste while many Americans face hunger and food shortages. This legislation would require collaboration between agencies to help cut food waste and support partnerships to feed those in need.”
“With food insecurity on the rise across the country and the cost of groceries continuing to rise, it’s more important than ever that we develop whole-of-government solutions and strategies to prevent food loss and waste, encourage greater food recovery, and ensure that no one in this country goes hungry. This bill is a big step in the right direction,” said Congresswoman Pingree, co-founder of the bipartisan Food Recovery Caucus and member of the House Agriculture Committee. “Our NO TIME TO Waste Act would strengthen the federal government’s approach to food loss by tackling waste in every step of our food system—from prevention research to composting and education programs. Food waste isn’t just an economic or environmental issue; it’s a moral one—and it’s long past time that we address it.”
“I’m proud to join Congresswoman Pingree and Senators Coons and Moran in reintroducing the bipartisan, bicameral NO TIME TO Waste Act to cut food waste and fight hunger. From Rockland to Putnam to Westchester, I’ve seen local food banks and community groups doing incredible work—and this bill gives them the tools, funding, and federal support they need to do even more,” said Congressman Lawler (NY-17).
Each year, 30 to 40% of the U.S. food supply is lost or wasted—133 billion pounds. Meanwhile, 47 million Americans go hungry, including 7 million children, often in rural communities. In the United States, food is the single largest category of material placed in municipal landfills, generating methane gas as it decomposes, a greenhouse gas approximately 28% more potent than carbon dioxide. In response, the United States committed in the 2018 Farm Bill to cut food loss and waste (FLW) in half by the year 2030 through the U.S. 2030 Food Loss and Waste Reduction Goal, the first-ever domestic goal to reduce FLW.
Specifically, the NO TIME TO Waste Act would:
Improve federal coordination by formally authorizing the existence of collaboration between the USDA, EPA, and FDA to reduce FLW by 50% by 2030
Establish an Office of Food Loss and Waste at USDA to support the role of the Food Loss and Waste Liaison, strengthen research on FLW and new technologies, and quantify the impact of current FLW policies on greenhouse gas emissions
Strengthen current USDA research programs to include FLW as part of their priorities and support states’ efforts to assist local food recovery infrastructure and coordination
Launch a national public awareness and education campaign to educate households on practical ways to reduce waste at home, the impacts of FLW, methods for preserving and storing foods, tips for identifying whether food is still safe and edible, and developing educational materials
The NO TIME TO Waste Act is endorsed by the Zero Food Waste Coalition (Natural Resources Defense Council, Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic, World Wildlife Fund, ReFED), Upcycled Food Association, Plastic Free Delaware/Zero Waste First State, and Health Care Without Harm.
“Food waste is a systemwide problem that requires systemwide action to solve, said Renee Albrecht, Co-Chair Federal Working Group, Zero Food Waste Coalition. “The bipartisan NO TIME TO Waste Act provides commonsense solutions to tackle waste throughout the food system and deliver environmental, social, and economic benefits.”
“With the massive scale of wasted food comes tremendous opportunity for transformative bipartisan food systems change,” said Amanda Oenbring, CEO, Upcycled Food Association. “EPA’s Food Waste Scale identifies upcycling as a ‘most-preferred’ pathway alongside donation to managing wasted food because it displaces the need for additional food production while ensuring food reaches its highest and best use in the human food system. The NO TIME TO Waste Act will increase collaboration support for the entrepreneurs and innovators rescuing nutrition from half of food surplus that is excess and byproducts while educating consumers about the value these ingredients and products bring to our tables. In doing so we can scale efforts to stop food waste and realize greater social, economic and environmental benefits across the US and beyond.”
“Plastic Free Delaware (aka Zero Waste First State) applauds our Delaware Senator Coons, and Senator Moran, for pursuing the goals inherent in the NO TIME TO Waste Act,” said Dee Durham, Plastic Free Delaware/Zero Waste First State. “The Act would bolster our efforts on the ground in Delaware to reduce food waste and divert organics from Delaware’s landfills, saving Delawareans money, conserving resources, and reducing emissions of methane which is a significant climate change component.”
A one-pager is available here.
You can read the full text of the bill here.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI: TAB Bank Doubling Down on ‘Building Value in All We Do’ in 2025
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

OGDEN, Utah, April 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — TAB Bank is forging ahead in 2025 with a sharper commitment to all stakeholders by updating its vision to: building value in all we do. This renewed focus underscores a relentless pursuit of excellence in customer service, talent development and operational efficiency.

“Building value in all we do”
This philosophy serves as the nucleus for all bank decisions and activities, ranging from marketing campaigns to portfolio acquisitions. In business decisions, TAB Bank focuses on long-term investments with the highest potential to benefit customers, stakeholders and the bank. TAB Bank believes this new vision will better support the bank’s mission of, “Unlocking dreams with bold financial solutions that lift and empower.” TAB’s vision and mission stand on three strategic tenets: Exceptional Customer Experience, Extraordinary People and Excellent Operations.

Exceptional customer experience
TAB Bank creates a customer-focused culture by listening to customers through multiple channels, including surveys, online reviews, and focus groups; analyzing and publishing that feedback to the entire bank; and creating product-level action plans that drive improved customer experiences.

Extraordinary people
The bank works to create an environment where employees thrive by recruiting mission-driven team members; utilizing internal and external programs to enhance and evolve employees’ skills; and fostering an engaging work environment that rewards creativity, collaboration and adaptability.

Excellent operations
TAB Bank invests in operational excellence to generate positive outcomes for all stakeholders. Everything the bank does is to promote safety and soundness to ensure long term sustainability. TAB’s focus on optimization enables the bank to grow and scale with our clients.

A Year of Milestones: TAB Bank’s Recent Achievements
Through these three strategic tenets, TAB Bank has achieved multiple successes over the past year that include products, systems, operational procedures and regulatory improvement, as follows:
- Named a Top 10 Best Online Bank for 2025 by GOBankingRates.
- Launched TAB Spend, a cutting-edge rewards checking account that offers customers two ways to compound their cash: high-yield interest and cash back rewards on everyday purchases.
- Rebranded their high-yield savings account, TAB Save, offering one of the nation’s highest interest rates for savings accounts.
- Doubled the size of its small business lending portfolio in two years.
- Issued $65 million in community development loans, investments and grants.
- Expanded community involvement through employee volunteer programs supporting various organizations such as United Way, Family Support Center, Habitat for Humanity, Enable, Weber State University Wildcat MicroFund, and Ogden Rescue Mission.
- Donated more than 1,500 Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) qualified service hours.
- Achieved customer service NPS scores in the top 93^rd percentile of the banking industry.
- Received an FDIC “satisfactory rating” in keeping with the bank’s significant history of outstanding CRA ratings throughout the 25+ year life of the bank.
- Revamped the technology strategy with an emphasis to make the bank’s systems more modular and meet the needs of clients.
“For more than 25 years, TAB Bank has been driven to empower our customers to achieve their goals, said Austin Strong, CEO of TAB Bank. “As we enter 2025, we’re doubling down on our key tenets—building value through exceptional customer service, extraordinary people and excellent operations—that bring our vision to life. We’re excited for what’s ahead for the bank and its customers.”

About TAB Bank
At TAB Bank, our mission is to unlock dreams with bold financial solutions that empower individuals and businesses nationwide. We are committed to making financial success accessible to everyone through our innovative banking products. Our dedication drives us to continuously improve, ensuring that we meet the evolving needs of our clients with excellence and agility. For more than 25 years, we have remained steadfast in offering tailored, technology-enabled solutions designed to simplify and enhance the banking experience.

For more information about how we can help you achieve your financial dreams, visit www.TABBank.com.

Trevor Morris
Director of Marketing
801-624-5172
trevor.morris@tabbank.com

The MIL Network –
April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Classical High School senior wins R.I. ‘Poetry Out Loud’ recitation contest

Source: US State of Rhode Island

Providence, RI � A senior at Classical High School, Emmanuel Obisanya, was named the Rhode Island 2025 winner of the state’s Poetry Out Loud Championship on March 8 at the Providence Public Library. He won with his stand-out recitation of the following poems: Dirge Without Music, Edna St. Vincent Millay; I am the People, the Mob, Carl Sandburg; and Revenge, Letitia Elizabeth Landon.

Obisanya moves onto the regional competition starting at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 6, in Washington, D.C., at George Washington University. The competition will be streamed via www.arts.gov/Poetry-Out-Loud. The nine finalists named during the regional semifinals will proceed to the national finals on Wednesday, May 7.

During the state’s championship, Central High School’s Jaydan Wirawan, placed second; Jennifer Shon, Portsmouth Abbey School, netted third place; and honorable mentions went to Sebastiana Lux Hernandez, Johnston High School, and Mays Miller, Providence Country Day School.

Local school finalists included:

� Kiernan Elliott, Bishop Hendricken High School. � Andrew Smith, La Salle Academy. � Carter Stolt, Chariho Regional High School. � Sula Prentiss, School One. � Elska Alario, East Providence High School. � Teeghan Riley, Central Falls High School. � Yiadalis Cardec, William M. Davies Career and Technical High School. � Lola Darling, Moses Brown School.

“On behalf of RISCA, congratulations to Emmanuel and everyone, students, teachers and mentors, who participated in this year’s Poetry Out Loud. We wish Emmanuel the best of luck in the national competition,” said Todd Trebour, Executive Director of RISCA. “Our arts agency has been a longtime partner with the NEA and the Poetry Foundation� having participated in all 20 Poetry Out Loud competitions. These students dedicated themselves to months of preparation for this key arts education program, and we are inspired by their display of bravery, skill and passion.”

Locally, more than 1,700 R.I. students, 32 teachers and 13 schools from throughout the state participated in the arts education competition. Prior to the championship the competitors spent most of the school year studying poetry through learning, memorization and performance.

This year marks the competition’s 20th anniversary. Out of the 157,000 students who participated in Poetry Out Loud state championships, 55 have advanced to the 2025 National Finals. Since its inception in 2005, this arts education program has reached more than 4.5 million students.

A special thank you to guest poet Marlon Carey; the content judges April Brown, Lawrence Nunes and Lenore Rheaume; Paul Rheaume for accuracy; prompting support from Sarah Ashley; and tabulation by Ellen House and Toni Rose. The Poetry Out Loud staff members were teaching artists Kate Lohman and Carey, and co-director Damont Combs. Thank you to the Providence Public Library, the R.I. Center for the Book and Providence Athenaeum.

The winner of the Poetry Out Loud Rhode Island championship receives $200 with a $500 stipend to the winning school for the purchase of poetry materials. Second place wins $100, with $200 stipend for the school’s library.

Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest, a partnership with RISCA, NEA and the Poetry Foundation, inspires high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performances and competition. Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high schools throughout the country.

Poetry Out Loud lifts poetry off the page, creating community and connection. The program starts in the classroom/school or at the local level with an area organization. Students memorize and recite poems they select from an anthology of more than 1,200 classic and contemporary poems. Winners then may advance to a regional and/or state competition, and ultimately to the National Finals. Since the program began in 2005, more than 4.5 million students and 85,000 teachers from 21,000 schools and organizations across the nation have participated in Poetry Out Loud. For more information about Poetry Out Loud and how to participate in the 2025�2026 program, visit PoetryOutLoud.org.

Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that is the largest funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide and a catalyst of public and private support for the arts. By advancing opportunities for arts participation and practice, the NEA fosters and sustains an environment in which the arts benefit everyone in the United States. Visit Arts.gov to learn more.

The Poetry Foundation recognizes the power of words to transform lives. The Foundation works to amplify poetry and celebrate poets by fostering spaces for all to create, experience, and share poetry. Follow the Poetry Foundation and Poetry magazine on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkLinkedInedIn.

Mid Atlantic Arts supports artists, presenters, and organizations through unique programming, grant support, partnerships, and information sharing. Created in 1979, Mid Atlantic Arts is aligned with the region’s state arts councils and the National Endowment for the Arts. Mid Atlantic Arts combines state and federal funding with private support from corporations, foundations, and individuals to nurture diverse artistic expression while connecting people to meaningful arts experiences within our region and beyond. To learn more about Mid Atlantic Arts visit www.midatlanticarts.org.

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MIL OSI USA News –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: ‘Adolescence’ on Netflix: Evidence-based ways parents can support boys around masculinity norms

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Deinera Exner-Cortens, Associate Professor of Psychology and Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (Childhood Health Promotion), University of Calgary

Teenage boys may retreat into a wall of silence as they detect gendered norms. Parents’ persistence to talk with them about their experiences, beliefs and emotions matters. (Netflix)

This story contains spoilers about Netflix’s ‘Adolescence.’

Since its release in mid-March 2025, Adolescence has been streamed almost 100 million times worldwide. The show tells the story of a 13-year-old boy who murders a female classmate after being radicalized by the manosphere.

There has been mass public discussion about the series, including among parents. As stated by one commenter on the subreddit r/Parenting: “I have a fairly standard 15-year-old boy … After watching this on Netflix, I’ve got terrible anxiety about it all … ”

As a developmental psychologist with a focus on adolescent boys, I believe this discourse is important, but the intense discussion can make it seem like these are new issues. Yet, psychologists and feminist scholars have been studying masculinities since at least the 1960s, including among adolescent boys.

We have also learned how to create supportive spaces for boys through research on gender-transformative interventions. These interventions address issues like poor mental health, substance use and use of violence by focusing on how strict adherence to patriarchal masculine norms (such as emotional restriction, homophobia and aggression) can harm boys’ health and the health of those around them.

Here, I offer three key takeaways parents and caregivers can learn from this research, and additional resources to explore.

1. Curiosity is key.

Many gender-transformative programs use ideas of transformational learning, where the experiences, beliefs and perspectives of boys are used to support critical reflection and change. Put simply, this means when boys say they like “that Andrew Tate shite” (Episode 2), adults respond with curiosity and not condemnation (for example, saying something like: “Why does that idea feel true to you?”).

Read more:
‘Adolescence’ on Netflix: A painful wake-up call about unregulated internet use for teens

Curiosity, however, does not equal agreement. By demonstrating that we are authentically engaged with what our teen is sharing, we can also (gently) push them to consider how these ideas might harm themselves or others (for instance: “How do you think that idea might make the girls around you feel?”). It is also OK to express disagreement when ideas cross a line, but explain why (for instance: “I am not OK with you calling girls bitches. Do you know where that word comes from?”).

Another thing we have learned is that this style of engagement — while effective — is not a one-and-done. Effective gender-transformative intervention strategies take time to work, and these conversations need to be consistent and ongoing, ideally starting well before adolescence (though it is never too late to start).

Adolescents may also not be the first to engage, so it’s important to regularly and intentionally create space for them to share their ideas and experiences. If you get a wall of silence, try again another time. One idea is to look for natural opportunities for moments of conversation, like on the way to an extracurricular activity, or when eating a meal together (like the lead detective does with his son in the second episode). Also look for activities you can do alongside your child, and where they can teach you something (for example, playing a video game together).

This is hard work, and so finding support among like-minded parents (whether in-person or online) can be helpful.

2. Masculinity is not ‘toxic’.

Many pieces on Adolescence refer to “toxic masculinity.” However, this is a phrase to avoid, because for boys, this suggets there is something inherently flawed with a core aspect of their identity, making manosphere messages that celebrate misogynistic forms of masculinity all the more enticing. Instead, we can talk with boys about how they feel they are expected to act as a boy in their world, and the ways they might find some of these expectations restricting.

For example, many boys want to share their emotions, and indeed do so until adolescence. But, as families, schools, peers and society start to place stricter expectations on the norm of boys suppressing their emotions, boys may retreat from this sharing.

Yet, boys who are able to resist this norm — with the support of their families, peers and schools — do much better psychologically and socially.

Parents and caregivers can support this resistance by actively asking boys about their emotions (and sharing our own), and giving boys words to label what they are feeling.

For example, in Adolescence, Jamie’s dad does show emotional vulnerability several times, but never in front of Jamie. Instead, Jamie recounts a memory of his dad having a “proper rager” and the type of language we hear Eddie use when yelling at boys who tagged his van (“I’ll slap that f-king smile off your face … Listen to me, you little twat”) is mirrored by Jamie when he yells at the psychologist (“I don’t f-king wanna sit down! … Look at me now!”). In sum, what we say, do and share is key for boys’ positive development.

3. Boys are individuals.

As one boy in our research shared: “To be a guy is to be human, it’s OK to be sad or upset or nervous and stuff. It’s also good to be happy so it’s OK to show how you feel and that.” Yet, that essential opportunity to be human is often curtailed for boys by the gendered expectations and pressures they feel.

In Adolescence, we learn Jamie once loved to draw, but at some point he stopped. Comparatively, another detective, who is a woman, discusses how she was helped to survive a tough school environment when a teacher supported her drawing. Jamie’s dad talks about how he encouraged Jamie to be “sporty,” while, by contrast, Jamie relays he is not good at sports, and knew his dad was ashamed of this. The messages Jamie received told him that he needed to be a certain way, and when he failed to live up to those expectations, he turned to online manosphere spaces for acceptance.

Similarly, in our research with former incels, we learned that participants found the community when they were looking for online help for their struggles meeting masculinity norms. So, if boys are struggling, parents can help them find supportive spaces that promote messages about the many ways to be a guy in the world, and that match their needs and interests.

Resources for parents and caregivers

• Gender-transformative interventions in the U.S. and Canada with evidence of effectiveness include Coaching Boys Into Men, Manhood 2.0 and WiseGuyz

• Books: Masculinity Workbook for Teens; Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys

• Podcast: On Boys

• Canadian non-profit Next Gen Men, dedicated to changing how the world sees, acts and thinks about masculinity.

• Common Sense Media has great guides and information, though for some content, a paid subscription is required.

Deinera Exner-Cortens receives funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada. She has also been the lead evaluator for the WiseGuyz program since 2016.

– ref. ‘Adolescence’ on Netflix: Evidence-based ways parents can support boys around masculinity norms – https://theconversation.com/adolescence-on-netflix-evidence-based-ways-parents-can-support-boys-around-masculinity-norms-253724

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Foreign interference threats in Canada’s federal election are both old and new

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Chris Tenove, Assistant director, Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions, University of British Columbia

Fears of foreign interference loom over the Canadian election. The federal inquiry on foreign interference revealed that entities aligned with India and China interfered in recent elections, albeit without major impact on the results, and concluded that disinformation campaigns pose the greatest threat to Canada’s long-term democratic health.

Now, with a Canada-bashing American president adding to those foreign interference risks, Canada’s election integrity seems to be in an unprecedented state of fragility.

However, foreign interference has a longstanding history in Canadian elections. Understanding what is and is not new about current efforts may help to turn down the heat and focus more on how Canadians can make their own decisions this election.

Read more:
Thanks to social media platforms, election interference is more insidious and pervasive than ever

Covert techniques

For starters, what is foreign interference?

The commission, following established practice, defined it as an action whereby “states pursue their global interests using covert, corrupt, illegal or coercive techniques.” That means public comments on our election by foreign politicians is not interference, as Canadian government officials have made clear.

While we largely agree with the commission’s definition, we argue that the interfering entity isn’t necessarily a state. Foreign corporations, crime syndicates and terrorist networks can also interfere in our elections.

Elon Musk is a tricky case. He is a Canadian citizen, but his current role with the United States government may mean that he can be considered a “foreign entity” according to Canada’s election law, as legal scholar Eve Gaumond has pointed out.

U.S. interference isn’t new

History reveals a long menu of options for foreign interference, ranging from bribery to espionage and polling assistance.

In the 1872 election campaign, Sir Hugh Allan, a Montréal shipping and railroad magnate, successfully used more than $350,000 of mostly U.S. funds to pressure John A. Macdonald and other Conservative party members to award Allan and his allies the contract to build the Canadian Pacific Railway. This was bribery to advance corporate aims.

After these machinations became public in 1873, Macdonald eventually resigned over what became known as the Pacific Scandal, and Allan lost the Canadian Pacific Railway contract. Today his actions would be a violation of campaign finance laws, which prohibit foreign funding of electioneering. But until the late 19th century, such donations weren’t uncommon.

Foreign policy has shaped Canadian elections before, even if the last Canadian election that focused almost primarily on tariffs with the U.S. was in 1911. But concerns about relations with other countries are different from foreign interference.

To date, the most significant foreign interference came in Canada’s 1962 and 1963 elections. Again, Americans were behind it. The John F. Kennedy administration was frustrated by positions taken by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.

The Conservative government continued to trade with Cuba despite American sanctions, had made a deal to sell grain to the People’s Republic of China, and — most importantly — had not agreed to a U.S. proposal to station air defence missiles with nuclear warheads on Canadian soil.

Rather than bribery, the U.S. provided Lester B. Pearson’s Liberal Party with assistance from pollster Lou Harris. Harris was a key figure both in Kennedy’s 1960 election win and in the nascent use of computer-assisted analysis of opinion polls to target specific demographic groups.

The Kennedy administration went further in 1963 and issued a press release in the midst of the election, calling Diefenbaker a liar and disputing his positions on air defence. Neither of these actions was illegal at the time, though the secret provision of in-kind assistance to the 1962 Liberal campaign would now run afoul of the prohibition on foreign support for electioneering.

Soviet, American interference

The Soviets too were interested in Canadian politics, with some Canadians allegedly recruited as spies, according to Igor Gouzenko, a cipher clerk based at the Soviet embassy in Ottawa who defected to Canada in 1945.

The revelations even led to the arrest of one member of Parliament, Fred Rose.

In fact, American and Russian interference in general elections around the world was common in the 20th century. Political scientist Dov Levin has estimated that from 1946 to 2000, the U.S. and Soviet Union (Russia after 1991) intervened in 11.3 per cent of all global national elections.

New digital techniques

All these techniques can be pursued today, but there are at least three new forms of interference.

First, foreign interference can include threats made against party leaders or other candidates. As in the past, these can come through clandestine networks or hired thugs. But today, an insult or false accusation from Trump, Musk or others with huge, hostile followings can expose politicians and others to a blizzard of online threats and abuse.

Second, foreign interference can occur by providing money for electioneering. Rather than a single bundled sum offered to John A. Macdonald, funds are more likely to come through online donations, possibly including crypto-currency transfers that are difficult to monitor.

For instance, in Romania’s 2024 election, the far-right, Russia-supporting candidate Calin Georgescu was accused of receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal campaign support. In late March, a crypto-currency businessman was arrested and accused of using TikTok’s “gifts” feature to provide US$879,000 to induce 265 people to vote for Georgescu.

Such acts would be illegal in Canada. More ambiguous is whether social media platforms use their algorithms to amplify some views and diminish others.

There is no doubt that X, Facebook and TikTok platforms have the capability to do this. While government officials said such actions would be investigated, it is less clear whether they could be detected or what the government would do in response.

Finally, foreign interference can occur by trying to influence Canadians’ voting choices by threatening illegal or coercive actions or promoting misinformation.

Trump has already violated trade agreements with Canada and threatened future illegal activities, even going as far as to threaten annexation. Any comments that link these threats to voting outcomes — for example, if Trump said something like “if Canadians choose Carney, they will see tariffs like they have never seen before” — would constitute interference.

Read more:
Forget booing the anthem, Canada must employ strategic communications to fight Trump’s lies

What can be done?

There are systems in place to detect foreign interference.

Canadian intelligence agencies and law enforcement are monitoring for foreign interference, and a panel of five senior bureaucrats makes non-partisan decisions about whether to alert the public.

Global Affairs Canada’s Rapid Response Mechanism is monitoring the online information environment for foreign interference. Elections Canada is also monitoring for violations of election law.

Members of the public can help. Anyone can share cases of manipulated images and other misleading information related to the election with the Digital Threats Tipline, created by the Canadian Digital Media Research Network. (Our Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions at the University of British Columbia is a member of this McGill University-based network.)

These monitoring efforts will help us keep an eye on social media platforms. The companies have agreed to act on interference in the election, but experts are skeptical of their commitment.

If platforms are pipelines of election interference, they should be more tightly regulated. For instance, the European Union’s Digital Services Act has enabled investigations and potential accountability measures in response to interference in Romania’s election.

The most important thing Canadians can do is vote in this election based on their own well-informed priorities, worries and aspirations.

While remaining alert to foreign interference, Canadians can perhaps take some comfort in the resilience of our democratic institutions in the face of a long history of attempts to undermine elections.

Chris Tenove receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council to research global policies to address online interference in elections.

Heidi J. S. Tworek receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Canada Research Chair programe. She is a senior fellow with the Centre for International Governance Innovation and testified before the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in October 2024.

– ref. Foreign interference threats in Canada’s federal election are both old and new – https://theconversation.com/foreign-interference-threats-in-canadas-federal-election-are-both-old-and-new-253600

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Infertility Support 101: What women want to hear (and what they don’t)

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Ashley A Balsom, Assistant Professor in Clinical Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland

By making small but intentional shifts in how we communicate, we can help ensure that individuals experiencing infertility feel supported. (Shutterstock)

Infertility is more than a medical condition — it is an emotional journey that can leave people feeling isolated and misunderstood. For the one in six couples affected, experiencing infertility can be the most upsetting period of their lives.

Even when loved ones try to offer support, their words sometimes miss the mark, inadvertently deepening feelings of loneliness.

To better understand these experiences, we set out to explore what people with infertility find helpful versus unhelpful in social interactions. This question became especially relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic when fertility treatments were put on hold, heightening feelings of uncertainty and loss.

We surveyed 80 women from Canada and the United States whose fertility treatments had been cancelled during the pandemic. By examining the kinds of comments people facing infertility received, we identified six meaningful ways to offer support.

What helps: Meaningful ways to show support

One of the most striking findings from our study was that the most appreciated form of support was simply being listened to without interruption. This aligns with research on other health conditions, such as cancer and chronic pain, where empathetic listening has been shown to improve well-being.

Participants valued hopeful statements that didn’t dismiss their emotions. They also appreciated shared lived experiences and encouragement to engage in activities beyond fertility treatments. Practical support — whether emotional support (for example, “I’m here for you”) or tangible help (assisting with appointments or finances) — was particularly meaningful.

One of the most striking findings from our study was that the most appreciated form of support was simply being listened to without interruption.
(Freepik), FAL

What hurts? Commonly harmful comments

Despite good intentions, certain types of comments often left participants feeling worse. Some interactions, while meant to encourage, came across as dismissive or intrusive.

A key example was toxic positivity, where statements like “Just stay positive” or “Everything happens for a reason” were perceived as minimizing real pain. Similarly, unsolicited advice — such as “Just relax and it will happen” — was frustrating because it overlooked the complexity of infertility and placed blame on the individual.

Repeated prying about fertility treatments or pregnancy updates was also widely reported as distressing. Being asked “Any news yet?” or “Are you pregnant?” created a sense of pressure and invasion of privacy during an already vulnerable time.

A model for providing support

These findings formed the basis of LIFTED and DOWN — models designed to help loved ones offer support in ways that are both compassionate and helpful. Each of these strategies aligns with the interactions participants in our study found most helpful, offering a clear, research-backed guide for those who want to support someone experiencing infertility.

LIFTED stands for Listening without judgment, Inspiring hope, Finding common ground, Tangible support, Emotional validation and Distraction encouragement. Together, these points embody helpful methods for supporting those facing infertility, as outlined by the participants in our study.

DOWN stands for Dismissive positivity, Overbearing advice, Withholding validation and Nosy prying. These make up the main routes to avoiding taking when comforting those with infertility struggles. For example, offering solutions to issues without being asked and minimizing real emotions were regarded as unhelpful by participants.

Fine line between encouraging, dismissing

An important distinction our study identified was between inspiring hope and engaging in dismissive positivity.

Hopeful statements were often perceived as helpful, but only when paired with emotional validation. For example, “I know this is incredibly difficult, and it’s OK to feel upset. But no matter what, you are not alone” conveys both acknowledgement of distress and encouragement.

In contrast, statements like “Just be positive!” or “It will happen when you stop stressing” felt dismissive and invalidating. The key difference is whether the person’s emotions are recognized or disregarded.

Similarly, distraction can be a valuable coping tool — but only when it aligns with the individual’s values and needs. Encouraging someone to engage in meaningful activities, such as exercise, creative hobbies or community engagement, can be helpful. However, saying “Just keep busy” or “Think happy thoughts” risks coming across as minimizing their experience.

Shared understanding and self-education

Another key takeaway from our study is that individuals struggling with infertility often found the most comfort in speaking with others who had gone through similar experiences. Lived experience provided a rare sense of understanding, reducing feelings of isolation.

However, even those without direct experience can still play a meaningful role in providing support. Self-education — reading firsthand accounts, watching documentaries or following advocacy organizations — can help loved ones gain insight into the emotional impact of infertility.

Educating oneself can also prevent unintentional harm by reducing the likelihood of saying something dismissive, offering unhelpful advice or making assumptions about the person’s experience.

Shifting support to be more meaningful

If someone in your life is facing infertility, the most meaningful support may be simple.

It’s not about coming up with the perfect thing to say or having all the right answers, it’s about being present, listening without judgment and validating their emotions.

By making small but intentional shifts in how we communicate, we can help ensure that individuals experiencing infertility feel supported rather than dismissed, heard rather than pressured and uplifted rather than brought down.

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

– ref. Infertility Support 101: What women want to hear (and what they don’t) – https://theconversation.com/infertility-support-101-what-women-want-to-hear-and-what-they-dont-250747

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Tax Day highlights the costs of single living – but demographics are forcing financial change

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Peter McGraw, Professor of Marketing and Psychology, University of Colorado Boulder

Tax Day is right around the corner – an annual reminder that without the option to file jointly, singles pay more per dollar earned than married people. Tax advantages are just one of over 1,000 legal and economic benefits married couples enjoy, a disparity worsened by marketplace and employer practices.

Despite its disadvantages, single living is on the rise. While the average age of first marriage was just 21 in 1960, today it has risen to 29. Half the adults in the U.S. are unmarried, and half of them aren’t seeking a relationship. As many as a third of Zoomers may never tie the knot.

But this shift is more than cultural – it’s redefining the rules of personal finance. Freed from the constraints of shared decision-making, single people are earning, spending and investing on their own terms.

And as a behavioral economist who studies single living, I think this could mean big things for the future of money. As more people opt out of marriage, I expect that governments, businesses and financial systems will adapt – just as they did in response to women’s economic independence.

The price of singlehood

As a lifelong bachelor, I have a cheeky response when filing my taxes: “That’s the price of freedom.”

For many singles, the price is too steep. More than half of singles over 30 feel financially insecure, one survey found, and their economic reality backs it up. For example, singles spend about US$5,500 more annually than their married peers – which adds up to more than $200,000 over a 40-year career.

Some of the challenge is mathematical. Married couples split major expenses like housing, transportation and travel, and rely on dual incomes as a buffer against job loss or disability.

Policy amplifies the financial burdens. One-person households are the most common type in the U.S., yet developers still prioritize building large single-family houses – driving up apartment and condo costs. Retirement presents another stark contrast. Singles can’t claim spousal or survivor Social Security benefits and solely fund their retirement.

Employers design benefits around families – offering spousal coverage, dependent tax breaks and family leave. Single employees tend to shoulder more responsibilities yet receive 3.6 fewer paid days off per year than their married peers.

In the marketplace – from travel to tech and insurance – businesses often price goods and services with couples and families in mind. Solo travelers often pay single supplements on cruises and tours. Streaming, phone and retail memberships offer “family plans” with no option for solo users subscribing as part of a group. Even auto insurance penalizes solo drivers – two-door cars cost 16% more to insure.

The costs add up – but the news for singles isn’t all bad.

Peter McGraw discusses living single in a financial system built for two.

The financial upside of going solo

I study how singles build financial security through the hallmarks of single living: autonomy and adaptability.

An obvious financial factor is the cost of children. While some singles are parents, they’re far less likely than married couples to shoulder the expense of raising a child – an outlay of more than $300,000 per child before college.

A key advantage: Singles have complete financial control. They choose how to earn, save and spend. There’s less risk of absorbing a partner’s credit card or student loan debt, covering for reckless spending, or facing the financial fallout of divorce.

Career flexibility is another key advantage. Singles can more easily relocate for higher-paying jobs or lower-cost locales – freedom that enables powerful financial arbitrage. Many digital nomads, most of them single, choose countries with lower costs and better quality of life.

Singles also have greater control over when and how they retire. Unlike couples, who must coordinate timing and strategies, singles have more freedom to retire early, ride out a down market, or ease into semiretirement.

Building a financial system for everyone

As a business school professor, I’ve seen how slow business and government can be to respond to demographic shifts. The tax system won’t change overnight – governments have long used the tax code to promote marriage – but other policies and practices will evolve. I believe the rise of singles – and the power of their votes and dollars – will make the status quo unsustainable.

Scandinavia and parts of Asia are setting precedents. In Sweden, solo adults are recognized as a “family of one,” with access to housing support, parental leave and pension benefits – no marriage required. Smart companies will also adapt to recruit and retain singles, who make up a large portion of the labor force. I expect to see an expansion of single-inclusive offerings like caregiving leave, flexible work arrangements and individual-friendly health plans.

Singles also build lifelong support systems outside marriage. Sweden again offers a glimpse of what might be: A landmark court case recently granted life insurance benefits to a platonic partner, proving that legal protections don’t have to hinge on romance.

Housing remains another legacy system built for couples. While most new developments still prioritize single-family homes, markets like Japan and
Hong Kong have embraced lower-cost micro-apartments with shared community spaces – an appealing model for solo dwellers. Some U.S. cities are beginning to experiment with similar designs, signaling a shift toward more inclusive urban housing.

China’s celebration of solo living, Singles’ Day – held every year on 11/11 – is now the world’s largest e-commerce holiday, generating more sales than Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined. The company that created it, Alibaba, promotes deals on single-serve appliances, one-way flights and self-care bundles.

Western companies are catching on: Travel brands are waiving singles supplements, restaurants are welcoming solo diners with dedicated seating, and telecom companies are rolling out “friends and family” plans that don’t require a romantic partner.

Finally, I believe wealth management will respond to the rise of singles. While I’ve found that most financial advice still assumes that people will eventually marry, solo earners need different strategies, such as bigger emergency funds, flexible housing options and proactive estate planning. Expect a wave of financial products designed for solo living, from retirement tools to mortgages built for one.

As singles become the majority in many countries, governments, businesses and financial institutions will adapt by necessity.

The bottom line

As an advocate for singles, I am an optimist. Yes, singles pay more on Tax Day – among other challenges. But they also have one undeniable advantage: financial freedom. Singles can do more than survive in a system built for two – they can thrive.

Americans are not going back to the 1960s. As solo living becomes the norm, financial systems will evolve. Governments will face pressure to modernize policy, businesses will launch products and services for one-person households, and financial professionals will adapt to better serve solo earners.

The institutions that recognize this shift first will shape the future – for everyone.

I have a book (“Solo: Building a Remarkable Life of Your Own”) and a podcast (“Solo – The Single Person’s Guide to a Remarkable Life”) that are relevant to this article.

– ref. Tax Day highlights the costs of single living – but demographics are forcing financial change – https://theconversation.com/tax-day-highlights-the-costs-of-single-living-but-demographics-are-forcing-financial-change-254035

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Black Americans are more likely than other racial groups to express their faith in the workplace

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Elaine Howard Ecklund, Professor of Sociology, Rice University

Many Black Americans want to bring their faith to work but face discrimination. Keeproll/E+ via Getty Images

Nearly 40% of Black workers feel comfortable talking about their faith with people at work, the highest of any U.S. racial group, our two recent studies found. But they also risk facing religious discrimination.

For the past 15 years, we have been studying religion in workplaces. Recently we conducted two studies, including two online surveys involving 15,000 workers and in-depth interviews with nearly 300. Our respondents included Christian, Jewish, Muslim and nonreligious individuals.

The majority of Black Americans – nearly 8 in 10 – identify as Christians. And we found that Black workers from all faiths are more likely than other racial groups to use their traditions to find meaning and purpose in their work and to feel “called” to their work.

Although not all Black Americans are religious or want their faith to intersect with their work, we found that many Black Americans very much want to bring their religious beliefs to work. This goes beyond just talking about them at work, such as their holiday celebrations or the importance of their church in their lives. In addition, Black Americans are more likely than other racial groups to display or wear religious symbols, such as jewelry or head coverings.

Why it matters?

Scholars have often focused on racial discrimination in workplaces. However, the potential overlap between racial and religious marginalization has not been studied as much.

Some Black Christians told us that when they mention faith at work, they fear they will be discriminated against because of their race and because of their faith – what we call “double marginalization.”

For example, we interviewed a Black Christian woman who worked as an assistant professor of English. She told us she was reluctant to describe the challenges she faced in academia as religious discrimination but said the humanities “tend to not always be welcoming toward religious people and Christians specifically.” She recalled several instances when she was treated differently due to her faith.

Black people can feel negatively judged on account of their faith.
Andrey Popov/iStock Getty Images Plus

Black Christians we interviewed said that co-workers stereotyped them as narrow-minded or sanctimonious in ways that felt marginalizing. For example, some said the term “holy” – which might seem positive in certain kinds of contexts – can be applied in pejorative ways to Black Christians. A man we interviewed who attends a majority Black congregation said he talks about his faith openly in the workplace and often feels negatively judged.

Members of minority religions may feel even more at risk. The largest group of Muslims in the U.S. are Black Americans. Black Muslim female workers, for example, feel three times marginalized – feeling at risk for gender, racial and religious discrimination – our study found.

Their faith sometimes makes Black Americans less likely to address inequality in their workplaces. We found they sometimes draw on religious values like forgiveness and their belief that “God is in control” to justify remaining quiet about religious and racial discrimination.

What’s next

This contrasts with our previous work, where we argued that religion can be used to address inequalities at work. We need more research that examines the inextricable link between religion and race in workplaces. Workplace leaders who care about lessening inequality need to understand that racial and religious identities are often deeply intertwined.

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

Elaine Howard Ecklund receives funding from the Lilly Endowment Inc., the Templeton Religion Trust, and the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation.

Christopher P. Scheitle receives funding from the National Science Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation.

Denise Daniels receives funding from the Lilly Endowment Inc.

– ref. Black Americans are more likely than other racial groups to express their faith in the workplace – https://theconversation.com/black-americans-are-more-likely-than-other-racial-groups-to-express-their-faith-in-the-workplace-253203

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Agreement Temporarily Halts Enforcement of Department of Education’s Unlawful Directive

Source: US National Education Union

By: Eric Jotkoff

Published: April 10, 2025

CONCORD, N.H. – In a major development in the lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Education’s February 14, 2025, Dear Colleague Letter and its April 3, 2025, Certification Requirement, the parties have reached an agreement that blocks the department from taking any enforcement action under either directive until at least April 24, 2025. The agreement, reached after plaintiffs filed an emergency motion to block the Certification Requirement, ensures that no school district, state agency, or higher education institution will face investigation or penalties for failure to return the challenged certification that diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts do not exist within their curriculums.

As part of the agreement, states and local education agencies are not required to submit the certification now. The department has agreed not to act upon any already submitted certifications or treat them as material representations before the April 24 deadline. This pause in enforcement provides immediate relief to schools across the country while the broader legal challenge continues.

The agreement also clarifies that any certifications submitted by states or local education agencies will not become effective prior to April 24 and may not be used for any purpose, including as the basis for enforcement actions, investigations, or liability under the False Claims Act or similar legal claims. The department further agreed it will not initiate any enforcement actions or investigations based on the Feb. 14 letter or any actions implementing it until after April 24.

On March 5, the National Education Association (NEA), the National Education Association–New Hampshire, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of New Hampshire, and the ACLU of Massachusetts filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in New Hampshire against the U.S. Department of Education (ED). Also joining the case is the Center for Black Educator Development.

The lawsuit challenges ED’s directive on multiple legal grounds. Specifically, the lawsuit argues that ED has overstepped its authority by imposing unfounded and vague legal restrictions that violate due process and the First Amendment; limiting academic freedom and restricting educators’ ability to teach and students’ right to learn; and unlawfully dictating curriculum and educational programs, exceeding its legal mandate.

A copy of the agreement can be found here.

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MIL OSI USA News –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Economics: Samsung Celebrates Selection of Top 20 Schools for the 2025 Solve for Tomorrow STEM Competition

Source: Samsung

Samsung in conjunction with the Department of Basic Education have announced the selection of the Top 20 schools in South Africa – celebrating their advancement to the next phase of the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2025 STEM competition.

The Samsung Solve for Tomorrow STEM competition which honours and recognises the innovative spirit of learners from quintile 1 – 4 public schools, aims to empower young people in grade 10 & 11 from underserved communities through education and skill enhancement, particularly focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). This year’s theme: “Infrastructure and Safety” – challenges learners to tackle pressing issues in their schools and respective communities.

The entries to this year’s competition closed at the end of March and from the applications submitted – the Top 20 schools were selected to participate in the next phase of the competition, with the help of assigned Samsung employee mentors. This year, the selected participants are tasked with addressing genuine community problems using STEM principles, thus improving their analytical abilities and gaining professional guidance from Samsung employees.

Launched for the first time in 2023 in South Africa, Samsung Solve for Tomorrow is a unique competition that encourages creative thinking, problem-solving skills and teamwork to nurture social innovative ideas that address local communities’ most pressing challenges. Since inception, the competition has been growing from strength to strength and this alone, is an affirmation of Samsung’s dedication to empowering the youth with the skills required to drive innovation and change.

Lefa Makgato, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager for Samsung Electronics in Southern Africa said: “Congratulations to the top 20 schools for advancing to the 2nd phase of the Solve for Tomorrow contest. We are incredibly impressed by the passion, creativity and innovative ideas demonstrated in their entries. Each submission has shown a deep commitment to addressing real-world challenges with fresh perspectives and practical solutions. At Samsung, we believe that the future is shaped by young minds and we are excited to see how their ideas will continue to inspire change and drive progress.

Makgato explained with excitement how Samsung is now looking forward to seeing the learners’ continued dedication in the next phase – where they will be expected to conduct research, develop paper prototypes and submit their solutions for evaluation.
Below is a list of the Top 20 schools that have been selected:

#
SCHOOLS
PROVINCE
1
Thengwe High School
Limpopo
2
Setswakgosing Secondary School
North-West
3
Lenakeng Technical School
Free State
4
Mbilwi Secondary School
Limpopo
5
Masibambane Secondary School
Western Cape
6
Phomolong Secondary School
Gauteng
7
NM Tsuene Secondary School
Gauteng
8
Patrick Ramaano Secondary School
Limpopo
9
Umlazi Comprehensive Technical High School
Kwa-Zulu Natal
10
Moyaneng Secondary School
Limpopo
11
Phaphamani Secondary School
Mpumalanga
12
Khwezi Lomso Comprehensive School
Eastern Cape
13
Adams College
Kwa-Zulu Natal
14
Phendukani Full Service High School
Kwa-Zulu Natal
15
Buhlebemfundo Secondary School
Gauteng
16
Tembisa West Secondary School
Gauteng
17
Lereng Secondary School
Free State
18
Mthiyaqhwa High School
Kwa-Zulu Natal
19
Koffiefontein Combined School
Free State
20
Maphuthaditshaba Secondary School
Mpumalanga

And, with Samsung helping them with resources as well as mentors guiding them in phase two, the learners will need to conduct research, develop and submit their paper prototypes for the challenges they had identified in the preliminary phase. As part of this very crucial stage, the teams from the Top 20 schools for 2025 will now be taken to Design Thinking workshops to be held within their respective regions. Also, to help learners conduct their research and communicate with their mentors, the teams from the selected schools will be sponsored with a Samsung tablet as well as data.

At the Design Thinking workshops, learners will be taught invaluable skills on how to best approach and get the most out of their work, think critically, speak and act like designers as well as a cognitive and structured process for human-centred, creative problem-solving. Learners will also be encouraged to focus on building strong teams and will be trained on how to conduct research that can help transform their ideas from mere concepts to workable solutions that can address the identified issues within their communities.

At the end of this phase, the Top 20 Finalists will be expected to submit the paper prototypes of the solutions they have identified and the judges will evaluate to determine the top 10 schools to proceed to the final phase. The participating teams stand a chance to win exciting prizes and the recognition as South Africa’s next generation of innovators and problem-solvers.

In recognition of their efforts and brilliance, the participating schools have an opportunity to walk away with an overall, first prize of R100,000, the school that takes 2nd place will receive R50,000 and the school that will complete in third place will be awarded R30,000 in STEM equipment. Moreover, Samsung will yet again sweeten the deal by rewarding each of the learners in the top three teams with a Samsung device.

Makgato added: “These prizes combined with the principles of this competition are a clear indication of Samsung’s commitment to empowering the country’s youth and rewarding excellence. We would therefore like to encourage schools, learners and the broader community to follow the competition and support these schools that are not only participating in the competition but are also representing their respective communities.”

MIL OSI Economics –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Schools are harnessing artificial intelligence to revolutionize courses in hospitality management

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Betsy Pudliner, PhD, Associate Professor of Hospitality and Technology Innovation, University of Wisconsin-Stout

Generative AI helps create dynamic simulations that provide students with hands-on, project-based learning experiences. Matt Bird/Getty Images

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

Title of course:

Hospitality Employee Relations

What prompted the idea for the course?

The idea came from my frustration with traditional methods used to teach hospitality management. As a professor and industry professional, I saw the need to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world skills.

Internships and fieldwork are valuable. But they may not be available to students, especially those in online or hybrid programs. I wanted to offer students an opportunity to gain hands-on learning experiences.

Using Articulate’s Rise 360 – an e-learning development platform – I created dynamic simulations based on stories from my own experiences, as well as from other industry professionals.

For example, an interactive lost wallet scenario I created with my instructional design team involves a person who realizes they’ve left their wallet behind after visiting a nursing home. It includes decision points that enhance critical thinking and decision-making through the use of concept art.

AI-driven prompts aid in transforming industry experiences into online course content. The Pinnacle Golf Resort, a made-up resort I created using Rise 360, engages students with dynamic cause-and-effect decision trees with realistic managerial challenges.

What does the course explore?

Students engage with real-world challenges, such as:

• Managing guest complaints

• Handling staffing issues

• Dealing with financial challenges

• Implementing operational solutions

• Moral and ethical issues and conflict resolution

Students are tasked with making decisions that affect the outcome of each scenario, with immediate feedback on their choices. That provides personalized learning experiences tailored to their progress.

The course focuses on connecting theory to practice, such as application of leadership styles − autocratic, democratic or different types of power − to solve problems and improve guest satisfaction.

One scene in the Pinnacle Golf Resort simulation involves a restaurant manager handling a disruptive guest during a high-profile event. I realized I needed a decision-rating scale to assess the student’s choices. Generative AI refined decision options and aided in the construction of that decision-rating scale.

This ensures that choices − such as offering a goodwill gesture or removal of the guest − have realistic consequences. Therefore, the total number of points affixed would determine whether the restaurant manager would be promoted or need more training.

Why is this course relevant now?

As the hospitality industry becomes more competitive and complex − with higher turnover rates and shifting workforce expectations − effective decision-making and problem-solving skills become crucial in managing guest experiences.

Traditional internships and fieldwork are valuable.

But online and hybrid programs may struggle to provide these opportunities. As hospitality programs shift to online and hybrid formats, the demand for scalable, hands-on learning tools has increased.

What’s a critical lesson from the course?

A key lesson is the importance of adaptive decision-making and understanding the consequences of one’s actions. Through simulations created with the help of generative AI, students see firsthand how their decisions impact multiple areas of a hospitality business.

These scenarios allow students to experience real-world challenges. And this helps them practice making decisions in a dynamic environment.

By participating in the simulations, students learn that there is no one-size-fits-all approach in hospitality management. They must adapt their leadership style based on the situation and the individuals involved.

What materials does the course feature?

The course creates interactive simulations using Articulate 360 and Rise 360.

These simulations replicate real-world hospitality situations such as managing guest complaints or financial decision-making.

The class uses stories drawn from the instructor’s own industry experience. This exposes students to the complexities of hospitality management.

Feedback is generated based on the student’s decisions in the simulations, developed with the help of ChatGPT. This fosters self-reflection and promoting continual improvement in their leadership abilities.

What will the course prepare students to do?

Upon completion, students will be able to:

• Navigate complex guest relations and manage complaints in real time.

• Make informed operational decisions while balancing guest satisfaction, employee performance and financial considerations.

• Apply various leadership styles to motivate teams, resolve conflicts and ensure high service standards.

• Assess their leadership style and adapt it to different situations in hospitality management.

Betsy A. Pudliner is affiliated with ICHRIE-International Council of Hospitality, Restaurant and Institutional Educators.

– ref. Schools are harnessing artificial intelligence to revolutionize courses in hospitality management – https://theconversation.com/schools-are-harnessing-artificial-intelligence-to-revolutionize-courses-in-hospitality-management-249423

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Fill-in-the-blank training primes AI to interpret health data from smartwatches and fitness trackers

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Eloy Geenjaar, Ph.D. Student in Electrical Engineering & Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

AI promises to help wearable devices like smart watches better monitor your health. adamkaz/E+ via Getty Images

The human body constantly generates a variety of signals that can be measured from outside the body with wearable devices. These bio-signals – ranging from heart rate to sleep state and blood oxygen levels – can indicate whether someone is having mood swings or can be used to diagnose a variety of body or brain disorders.

It can be relatively cheap to gather a lot of bio-signal data. Researchers can organize a study and ask participants to use a wearable device akin to a smartwatch for a few days. However, to teach a machine learning algorithm to find a relationship between a specific bio-signal and a health disorder, you first need to teach the algorithm to recognize that disorder. That’s where computer engineers like myself come in.

Many commercial smartwatches, such as ones by Apple, AliveCor, Google and Samsung, currently support atrial fibrillation detection. Atrial fibrillation is a common type of irregular heart rhythm, and leaving it untreated can lead to a stroke. One way to automatically detect atrial fibrillation is to train a machine learning algorithm to recognize what atrial fibrillation looks like in the data.

This machine learning approach requires large bio-signal datasets in which instances of atrial fibrillation are labeled. The algorithm can use the labeled instances to learn to recognize a relationship between the bio-signal and atrial fibrillation.

The labeling process can be quite expensive because it requires experts, such as cardiologists, to go through millions of data points and label each instance of atrial fibrillation. The same problem extends to many other bio-signals and disorders.

To resolve this issue, researchers have been developing new ways to train machine learning algorithms with fewer labels. By first training a machine learning model to fill in the blanks of large-scale unlabeled bio-signal data, the machine learning model is primed to learn the relationship between a bio-signal and a disorder with fewer labels. This is called pretraining. Pretraining even helps a machine learning model learn a relationship between a bio-signal and a disorder when it is pretrained on a completely unrelated bio-signal.

Bio-signals are found all over the body and provide information about different bodily functions. Each of these is a bio-signal that measures a specific physiological signal in a noninvasive way.
Eloy Geenjaar

Challenges of working with bio-signals

Finding relationships between bio-signals and disorders can be difficult because of noise , or irrelevant data, differences between people’s bio-signals, and because the relationship between a bio-signal and disorder may not be clear.

First, bio-signals contain a lot of noise. For example, when you’re wearing a smartwatch while running, the watch will move around. This causes the sensor for the bio-signal to record at different locations during the run. Since the locations vary across the run, swings in the bio-signal value may now be due to variations in the recording location instead of due to physiological processes.

Second, everyone’s bio-signals are unique. The location of veins, for example, often differ between people. This means that even if smartwatches are worn at exactly the same place on everyone’s wrists, the bio-signal related to those veins is recorded differently from one person to the next. The same underlying signal, such as someone’s heart rate, will lead to different bio-signal values.

The underlying signal itself can also be unique for people or groups of people. The resting heart rate of an average person is around 60-80 beats per minute, but athletes can have resting heart rates as low as 30-40 beats per minute.

Lastly, the relationship between a bio-signal and a disorder is often complex. This means that the disorder is not immediately obvious from looking at the bio-signal.

Machine learning algorithms allow researchers to learn from data and account for the complexity, noise and variability of people. By using large bio-signal datasets, machine learning algorithms are able to find clear relationships that apply to everyone.

Learning to fill in the blanks

Researchers can use unlabeled bio-signal data as a warmup for the machine learning algorithm. This warmup, or pre-training, primes the machine learning algorithm to find a relationship between the bio-signal and a disorder. This is a bit like walking around a park to get the lay of the land before working out a route to go running.

There are many ways to pretrain a machine learning algorithm. In my research with Dolby Laboratories researcher Lie Lu and previous research, the machine learning algorithm is taught to fill in the blanks.

To do this, we take a bio-signal and artificially create gaps of a certain length – for example, one second. We then teach the machine learning algorithm to fill in the missing piece of bio-signal. This is possible because the machine learning algorithm sees what the bio-signal looks like before and after the gap.

If the heart rate of a person is around 60 beats per minute before the gap, there will likely be a heartbeat in the one-second gap. In this case, we’re training the machine learning algorithm to predict when that heartbeat will occur.

Once we have trained the machine learning algorithm to do this, it will have found a relationship between someone’s heart rate and when the next beat should occur. We can now train the machine learning algorithm with this relationship between a normal heart rate and bio-signal already learned. This makes it easier for the algorithm to learn the relationship between heart rate and atrial fibrillation. Since atrial fibrillation is characterized by fast and irregular heartbeats, and the algorithm is now good at predicting when a heartbeat will happen, it can quickly learn to detect these irregularities.

Machine learning pre-training on filling in the blanks of a heart bio-signal.
Eloy Geenjaar

The idea of filling in the blanks can be generalized to other bio-signals as well. Previous research has shown, and our work reconfirmed, that pretraining a model on one bio-signal without any labels allows it to learn clinically useful relationships from other bio-signals with few labels. This shortcut means that researchers can pretrain on bio-signals that are easy to gather and use the machine learning model on ones that are hard to gather and label.

Faster disorder detection development

By improving pretraining, researchers can make machine learning algorithms better and more efficient at detecting diseases and disorders. Pretraining improvements reduce cost and time spent by experts labeling.

A recent example of machine learning algorithms used for early detection is Google’s Loss of Pulse smartwatch feature. The emerging field of bio-signal pretraining can help enable faster development of similar features using a wider range of bio-signals and for a wider range of disorders.

With increasing types of bio-signals and more data, researchers may be able to discover relationships that dramatically improve early detection of disease and disorders. The earlier many diseases and disorders are found, the better a treatment plan works for patients.

Eloy Geenjaar receives funding from the National Institute of Health and the National Science Foundation, and performed bio-signal research during an internship at Dolby Laboratories.

– ref. Fill-in-the-blank training primes AI to interpret health data from smartwatches and fitness trackers – https://theconversation.com/fill-in-the-blank-training-primes-ai-to-interpret-health-data-from-smartwatches-and-fitness-trackers-251890

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Race isn’t a ‘biological reality,’ contrary to recent political claims − here’s how scientific consensus on race developed in the 20th century

Source: The Conversation – USA – By John P. Jackson, Jr., Professor of History and Philosophy of Science, Michigan State University

‘The Dying Tecumseh,’ a marble sculpture at the Smithsonian, depicts the Shawnee leader in a heroic light. Frederick Pettrich, Smithsonian American Art Museum, CC BY

In the recent flurry of executive orders from President Donald Trump, one warned of “a distorted narrative” about race “driven by ideology rather than truth.” It singled out a current exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum titled “The Shape of Power: Stories of Race and American Sculpture” as an example. The exhibit displays over two centuries of sculptures that show how art has produced and reproduced racial attitudes and ideologies.

The executive order condemns the exhibition because it “promotes the view that race is not a biological reality but a social construct, stating ‘Race is a human invention.’”

The executive order apparently objects to sentiments such as this: “Although a person’s genetics influences their phenotypic characteristics, and self-identified race might be influenced by physical appearance, race itself is a social construct.” But those words are not from the Smithsonian; they are from the American Society of Human Genetics.

Scientists reject the idea that race is biologically real. The claim that race is a “biological reality” cuts against modern scientific knowledge.

I’m a historian who specializes in the scientific study of race. The executive order places “social construct” in opposition to “biological reality.” The history of both concepts reveals how modern science landed at the idea that race was invented by people, not nature.

Race exists, but what is it?

At the turn of the 20th century, scientists believed humans could be divided into distinct races based on physical features. According to this idea, a scientist could identify physical differences in groups of people, and if those differences were passed on to succeeding generations, the scientist had correctly identified a racial “type.”

The results of this “typological” method were chaotic. A frustrated Charles Darwin in 1871 listed 13 scientists who identified anywhere between two and 63 races, a confusion that persisted for the next six decades. There were almost as many racial classifications as racial classifiers because no two scientists could seem to agree on what physical characteristics were best to measure, or how to measure them.

One intractable problem with racial classifications was that the differences in human physical traits were tiny, so scientists struggled to use them to differentiate between groups. The pioneering African American scholar W.E.B. Du Bois noted in 1906, “It is impossible to draw a color line between black and other races … in all physical characteristics the Negro race cannot be set off by itself.”

But scientists tried. In an 1899 anthropological study, William Ripley classified people using head shape, hair type, pigmentation and stature. In 1926, Harvard anthropologist Earnest Hooton, the leading racial typologist in the world, listed 24 anatomical traits, such as “the presence or absence of a postglenoid tubercle and a pharyngeal fossa or tubercle” and “the degree of bowing of the radius and ulna” while admitting “this list is not, of course, exhaustive.”

All this confusion was the opposite of how science should operate: As the tools improved and as measurements became more precise, the object of study − race − became more and more muddled.

Malvina Hoffman’s sculptures illustrate a map titled Races of the World and Where They Live.
Malvina Hoffman/Field Museum of Natural History

When sculptor Malvina Hoffman’s “Races of Mankind” exhibit opened at Chicago’s Field Museum in 1933, it characterized race as a biological reality, despite its elusive definition. World-renowned anthropologist Sir Arthur Keith wrote the introduction to the exhibition’s catalog.

Keith dismissed science as the surest method to distinguish race; one knows a person’s race because “a single glance, picks out the racial features more certainly than could a band of trained anthropologists.” Keith’s view perfectly captured the view that race must be real, for he saw it all around him, even though science could never establish that reality.

In the scientific study of race, however, things were about to change.

Turning to culture to explain difference

By 1933, the rise of Nazism had added urgency to the scientific study of race. As anthropologist Sherwood Washburn wrote in 1944, “If we are to discuss racial matters with the Nazis, we had better be right.”

In the late 1930s and early 1940s, two new scientific ideas came to fruition. First, scientists began looking to culture rather than biology as the driver of differences among groups of people. Second, the rise of population genetics challenged the biological reality of race.

In 1943, anthropologists Ruth Benedict and Gene Weltfish wrote a short work also titled The Races of Mankind. Writing for a popular audience, they argued that people are far more alike than different, and our differences owe to culture and learning, not biology. An animated cartoon short later gave these ideas wider circulation.

‘The Brotherhood of Man’ was based on Benedict and Weltfish’s pamphlet and pointed out that differences between people come from their environments.

Benedict and Weltfish argued that while people did, indeed, differ physically, those differences were meaningless in that all races could learn and all were capable. “Progress in civilization is not the monopoly of one race or subrace,” they wrote. “Negroes made iron tools and wove fine cloth for their clothing when fair-skinned Europeans wore skins and knew nothing of iron.” The cultural explanation for different human lifestyles was more robust than confused appeals to an elusive biological race.

The turn to culture was consistent with a deep change in biological knowledge.

Genetic research was taking off in the 1940s, as in this lab at Iowa State College in Ames, Iowa.
Jack Delano, U.S. Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information, CC BY

A tool to understand evolution

Theodosius Dobzhansky was a preeminent biologist of the 20th century. He and other biologists were interested in evolutionary changes. Races, which supposedly didn’t change over time, were therefore useless for understanding how organisms evolved.

A new tool, what scientists called a “genetic population,” was much more valuable. The geneticist, Dobzhansky held, identified a population based on the genes it shared in order to study change in organisms. Over time natural selection would shape how the population evolved. But if that population didn’t shed light on natural selection, the geneticist must abandon it and work with a new population based on a different set of shared genes. The important point is that, whatever population the geneticist chose, it was changing over time. No population was a fixed and stable entity, as human races were supposed to be.

Sherwood Washburn, who happened to be Dobzhansky’s close friend, brought those ideas into anthropology. He recognized that the point of genetics was not classifying people into fixed groups. The point was to understand the process of human evolution. This change reversed everything taught by Hooton, his old teacher.

Writing in 1951, Washburn argued, “There is no way to justify the division of a … population into a series of racial types” because doing so would be pointless. Presuming any group to be unchanging stood in the way of understanding evolutionary changes. A genetic population was not “real”; it was an invention of the scientist using it as a lens to understand organic change.

Classifying for a purpose, not as a ‘true’ assessment of tall or short.
Buena Vista Images/Stone via Getty Images

A good way to understand this profound difference relates to roller coasters.

Anyone who’s been to an amusement park has seen signs that precisely define who is tall enough to ride a given roller coaster. But no one would say they define a “real” category of “tall” or “short” people, as another roller coaster might have a different height requirement. The signs define who is tall enough only for riding this particular roller coaster, and that’s all. It’s a tool for keeping people safe, not a category defining who is “really” tall.

Similarly, geneticists use genetic populations as “an important tool for inferring the evolutionary history of modern humans” or because they have “fundamental implications for understanding the genetic basis of diseases.”

Anyone trying to pound a nail with a screwdriver soon realizes that tools are good for tasks they were designed for and useless for anything else. Genetic populations are tools for specific biological uses, not for classifying people into “real” groups by race.

Whoever wanted to classify people, Washburn argued, must give the “important reasons for subdividing our whole species.”

The Smithsonian’s exhibit shows how racialized sculpture was “both a tool of oppression and domination and one of liberation and empowerment.” Science agrees with its claim that race is a human invention and not a biological reality.

The Conversation U.S. receives funding from the Smithsonian Institution.

John P. Jackson, Jr. 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. Race isn’t a ‘biological reality,’ contrary to recent political claims − here’s how scientific consensus on race developed in the 20th century – https://theconversation.com/race-isnt-a-biological-reality-contrary-to-recent-political-claims-heres-how-scientific-consensus-on-race-developed-in-the-20th-century-253504

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Trump’s nomination for NASA leader boasts business and commercial spaceflight experience during a period of uncertainty for the agency

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Wendy Whitman Cobb, Professor of Strategy and Security Studies, Air University

Jared Isaacman, the nominee for next NASA administrator, has traveled to orbit on two commercial space missions. AP Photo/John Raoux

Jared Isaacman, billionaire, CEO and nominee to become the next NASA administrator, faced questions on April 9, 2025, from members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation during his confirmation hearing for the position.

Should the Senate confirm him, Isaacman will be the first billionaire – but not the first astronaut – to head NASA. Perhaps even more significant, he will be the first NASA administrator with significant ties to the commercial space industry.

As a space policy expert, I know that NASA leadership matters. The head of the agency can significantly shape the missions it pursues, the science it undertakes and, ultimately, the outcome of America’s space exploration.

Jared Isaacman speaks at a news conference in 2024, before his Polaris Dawn mission.
AP Photo/John Raoux, File

An unconventional background

At 16 years old, Isaacman dropped out of high school to start a payment processing company in his basement. The endeavor succeeded and eventually became known as Shift4.

Though he found early success in business, Isaacman also had a love for aviation. In 2009, he set a record for flying around the Earth in a light jet, beating the previous record by more than 20 hours.

While remaining CEO of Shift4, Isaacman founded another company, Draken International. The company eventually assembled the world’s largest fleet of privately owned fighter jets. It now helps to train U.S. Air Force pilots.

In 2019, Isaacman sold his stake in Draken International. In 2020, he took Shift4 public, making him a billionaire.

Isaacman continued to branch out into aerospace, working with SpaceX beginning in 2021. He purchased a crewed flight on the Falcon 9 rocket, a mission that eventually was called Inspiration4. The mission, which he led, represented the first private astronaut flight for SpaceX. It sent four civilians with no previous formal space experience into orbit.

Following the success of Inspiration4, Isaacman worked with SpaceX to develop the Polaris Program, a series of three missions to help build SpaceX’s human spaceflight capabilities. In fall 2024, the first of these missions, Polaris Dawn, launched.

Polaris Dawn added more accomplishments to Isaacman’s resume. Isaacman, along with his crewmate Sarah Gillis, completed the first private spacewalk. Polaris Dawn’s SpaceX Dragon capsule traveled more than 850 miles (1,367 kilometers) from Earth, the farthest distance humans had been since the Apollo missions.

The Polaris Dawn mission launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in September 2024.
AP Photo/John Raoux

The next adventure: NASA

In December 2024, the incoming Trump administration announced its intention to nominate Isaacman for the post of NASA administrator.

As NASA administrator, Isaacman would oversee all NASA activities at a critical moment in its history. The Artemis program, which has been in progress since 2017, has several missions planned for the next few years.

This includes 2026’s Artemis II mission, which will send four astronauts to orbit the Moon. Then, in 2027, Artemis III will aim to land on it.

If the mission proceeds as planned, the Artemis II crew will fly in an Orion crew capsule, pictured behind them, around the Moon in 2026.
Kim Shiflett/NASA via AP, File

But, if Isaacman is confirmed, his tenure would come at a time when there are significant questions about the Artemis program, as well as the extent to which NASA should use commercial space companies like SpaceX. The agency is also potentially facing funding cuts.

Some in the space industry have proposed scrapping the Artemis program altogether in favor of preparing to go to Mars. Among this group is the founder of SpaceX, Elon Musk.

Others have suggested canceling NASA’s Space Launch System, the massive rocket that is being used for Artemis. Instead, they argue that NASA could use commercial systems, like SpaceX’s Starship or Blue Origin’s New Glenn.

Isaacman has also dealt with accusations that he is too close to the commercial space industry, and SpaceX in particular, to lead NASA. This has become a larger concern given Musk’s involvement in the Trump administration and its cost-cutting efforts. Some critics are worried that Musk would have an even greater say in NASA if Isaacman is confirmed.

Since his nomination, Isaacman has stopped working with SpaceX on the Polaris Program. He has also made several supportive comments toward other commercial companies.

But the success of any of NASA’s plans depends on having the money and resources necessary to carry them out.

While NASA has been spared major cuts up to this point, it, like many other government agencies, is planning for budget cuts and mass firings. These potential cuts are similar to what other agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services have recently made.

During his confirmation hearing, Isaacman committed to keeping the Artemis program, as well as the Space Launch System, in the short term. He also insisted that NASA could both return to the Moon and prepare for Mars at the same time.

Although Isaacman stated that he believed NASA had the resources to do both at the same time, the agency is still in a time of budget uncertainty, so that may not be possible.

About his relationship with Musk, Isaacman stated that he had not talked to Musk since his nomination in November, and his relationship with SpaceX would not influence his decisions.

Additionally, he committed to carrying out space science missions, specifically to “launch more telescopes, more probes, more rovers.”

But since NASA is preparing for significant cuts to its science budget, there is some speculation that the agency may need to end some science programs, like the Hubble space telescope, altogether.

Isaacman’s future

Isaacman has received support from the larger space community. Nearly 30 astronauts signed a letter in support of his nomination. Former NASA administrators, as well as major industry groups, have signaled their desire for Isaacman’s confirmation.

He also received the support of Senator Ted Cruz, the committee chair.

Barring any major development, Isaacman will likely be confirmed as NASA administrator by the Senate in the coming weeks. The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation could approve his nomination once it returns from a two-week break at the end of April. A full vote from the Senate would follow.

If the Senate does confirm him, Isaacman will have several major issues to confront at NASA, all in a very uncertain political environment.

Wendy N. Whitman Cobb is affiliated with the US School of Advanced Air and Space Studies. Her views are her own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Defense or any of its components.

– ref. Trump’s nomination for NASA leader boasts business and commercial spaceflight experience during a period of uncertainty for the agency – https://theconversation.com/trumps-nomination-for-nasa-leader-boasts-business-and-commercial-spaceflight-experience-during-a-period-of-uncertainty-for-the-agency-254274

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

April 11, 2025

MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Change of His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Stephen Hitchen

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

Press release

Change of His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Stephen Hitchen

Mr Stephen Hitchen has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Mr Stephen Hitchen has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in succession to Mr Neil Crompton. Mr Hitchen will take up his appointment during August 2025.

Curriculum vitae

Full name: Stephen Charles Hitchen

Year	Role
2023 to 2025	Baghdad, His Majesty’s Ambassador
2019 to 2023	FCO, Director, Counter Terrorism Department
2016 to 2019	FCO, Director, Middle East and North Africa Directorate
2013 to 2016	Amman, Counsellor Regional Affairs
2012 to 2013	FCO, Head of Middle East Reporting, Middle East and North Africa Directorate
2009 to 2012	FCO, Head of Iran Political Team, Middle East and North Africa Directorate
2006 to 2009	Kuwait, Head of Regional Affairs
2004 to 2006	Cairo, First Secretary, Political
2004	Joined FCO
1996 to 2004	Ministry of Defence, including 18 months full time Arabic Language Training

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.

Published 10 April 2025

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

April 11, 2025

MIL-OSI: SalesHood Launches AI Role Play to Boost Sales Readiness and Win Rates with Realistic, Real-Time Training Simulations
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

San Francisco, April 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SalesHood, the AI-driven revenue enablement platform, announced the launch of AI Role Play, its latest innovation designed to empower sales teams with personalized, adaptive, real-world sales training experiences. The new AI-driven feature enables sales and customer success teams to practice core selling skills in immersive, realistic simulations—receiving instant feedback, actionable insights, and personalized coaching tips.

AI Role Play strengthens reps’ messaging, objection handling, and closing techniques, accelerating sales readiness, boosting confidence, and increasing overall effectiveness in prospect engagement.

“SalesHood AI Role Play marks a significant step forward in sales training, enabling reps to sharpen their skills in real-world, AI-powered simulations that feel both practical and impactful,” said Elay Cohen, CEO of SalesHood. “Our goal is to create everboarding experiences for teams to accelerate skill-building and mastery with self-service, AI-driven enablement.”

“SalesHood’s AI Role Play boosts win rates by 7 to 10% and improves sales productivity with real, life-like practice conversations,” shares Craig Jones, Chief Revenue Officer at StarCompliance. “Our sales teams are being trained to think on their feet and adapt new positioning strategies using SalesHood’s AI Role Play.”

Key Features of SalesHood AI Role Play

Realistic, AI-Driven Training
SalesHood AI Role-Play offers an intuitive, immersive experience that replicates real-world sales interactions, encouraging deeper engagement and skill development in an authentic setting.

Context-Rich Preparation
Sales reps receive comprehensive instructions, context, and resources for each role play scenario, ensuring they enter each session well-prepared and confident.

User-Friendly Dashboard
Managers benefit from a streamlined dashboard that organizes all role-play submissions, making it easy to monitor rep progress, evaluate performance, and provide tailored feedback.

Customizable Scenarios and Personas
With customizable options for roles, job titles, companies, and conversation contexts, SalesHood AI Role Play supports personalized training across a wide range of selling scenarios.

No-Code, Easy Setup
SalesHood AI Role-Play enables personalized training at scale without requiring engineers to program AI interactions.

SalesHood’s Advanced AI Architecture

The AI Role Play solution leverages SalesHood’s cutting-edge AI architecture—a unified, adaptive and flexible system that seamlessly integrates third-party and localized language models. SalesHood’s AI architecture supports a fully connected experience for sales teams to practice and refine their skills with consistently high-quality, AI-driven interactions.

About SalesHood

SalesHood is a global leader in AI-driven revenue enablement, on a mission to empower salespeople to sell smarter and faster. SalesHood’s purpose-built platform delivers repeatable revenue by activating content, ramping readiness, personalizing buyer engagement, and measuring impact at scale.

Easy to use, fast to deploy, and consistently rated best-in-class for results and usability, SalesHood helps high-growth companies accelerate onboarding, improve rep performance, and drive in-quarter revenue growth. Trusted by leading teams at Copado, SmartRecruiters, and Frontline Education, SalesHood customers report win rate improvements of 50–200%, reduced coaching time for managers, and more selling time for sellers.

For more information on SalesHood AI Role Play and how it is revolutionizing sales enablement, visit SalesHood.

Attachment
- AI-Driven Role Play by SalesHood
The MIL Network –
April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: This chart explains why Trump backflipped on tariffs. The economic damage would have been huge
Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By James Giesecke, Professor, Centre of Policy Studies and the Impact Project, Victoria University

The Trump administration has announced a 90-day pause on its plan to impose so-called “reciprocal” tariffs on nearly all US imports. But the pause does not extend to China, where import duties will rise to around 125%.

The move signals a partial retreat from what had been shaping up as a broad and aggressive trade war. For most countries, the US will now apply a 10% baseline tariff for the next three months. But the White House made clear that its tariffs on Chinese imports will remain in place.

So why did President Trump back away from the broader tariff push? The answer is simple: the economic cost to the US was too high.

Our economic model shows the fallout, even after the ‘pause’

Using a global economic model, we have been estimating the macroeconomic consequences of the Trump administration’s tariff plans as they have developed.

The following table shows two versions of the economic effects of the tariff plan:
- “pre-pause” – as the plan stood immediately before Wednesday’s 90-day pause, under a scenario in which all countries retaliate except Australia, Japan and South Korea (which said they would not retaliate)
- “post-pause” after reciprocal tariffs were withdrawn.
As is clear, the US would have faced steep and immediate losses in employment, investment, growth, and most importantly, real consumption, the best measure of household living standards.

Heavy costs of the tariff war

Under the pre-pause scenario, the US would have seen real consumption fall by 2.4% in 2025 alone. Real gross domestic product (GDP) would have declined by 2.6%, while employment falls by 2.7% and real investment (after inflation) plunges 6.6%.

These are not trivial adjustments. They represent significant contractions that would be felt in everyday life, from job losses to price increases to reduced household purchasing power. Since the current US unemployment rate is 4.2%, these results suggest that for every three currently unemployed Americans, two more would join their ranks.

Our modelling shows the damage would not just be short-term. Across the 2025–2040 projection period, US real consumption losses would have averaged 1.2%, with persistent investment weakness and a long-term decline in real GDP.

It is likely that internal economic advice reflected this kind of outlook. The decision to pause most of the tariff increases may well be an acknowledgement that the policy was economically unsustainable and would result in a permanent reduction in US global economic power. Financial markets were also rattled.

The scaled-back plan: still aggressive on China

The new arrangement announced on April 9 scales the higher tariff regime back to a flat 10% for about 70 countries, but keeps the full weight of tariffs on Chinese goods at around 125%. Rates on Canadian and Mexican imports remain at 25%.

In response, China has announced an 84% tariff on US goods.

The table’s “post-pause” column summarises the results of the scaled-back plan if the pause becomes permanent. For consistency, we assume all countries except Australia, Japan and Korea retaliate with tariffs equal to those imposed by the US.

As is clear from the “post-pause” results, lower US tariffs, together with lower retaliatory tariffs, equal less damage for the US economy.

Tariffs applied uniformly are less distortionary, and significant retaliation from just one major partner (China) is easier to absorb than a broad global response.

However, the costs will still be high. The US is projected to experience a 1.9% drop in real consumption in 2025, driven by lower employment and reduced efficiency in production. Real investment is projected to fall by 4.8%, and employment by 2.1%.

Perhaps we should not be surprised that the costs are still so high. In 2022, China, Canada and Mexico accounted for almost 45% of all US goods imports, and many countries were already facing 10% reciprocal tariffs in the “pre-pause” scenario. Trump’s tariff pause has not changed duty rates for these countries.

US President Donald Trump discusses the 90-day pause.

What does this mean for Australia?

Much of the domestic commentary in Australia has focused on the risk of collateral damage from a US-China trade war. Given Australia’s economic ties to both countries, it is a reasonable concern.

But our modelling suggests that Australia may actually benefit modestly. Under both scenarios, Australia’s real consumption rises slightly, driven by stronger investment, improved terms of trade (a measure of our export prices relative to import prices), and redirection of trade flows.

One mechanism is what economists call trade diversion: if Chinese or European exporters find the US market less attractive, they may redirect goods to Australia and other open markets.

At the same time, reduced global demand for capital, especially in the US and China, means lower interest rates globally. That stimulates investment elsewhere, including in Australia. In our model, Australian real investment rises under both scenarios, leading to small but sustained gains in GDP and household consumption.

These results suggest that, at least under current policy settings, Australia is unlikely to suffer significant direct effects from the tariff increases.

However, rising investor uncertainty is a risk for both the global and Australian economies, and this is not factored into our modelling. In the space of a single week, the Trump administration has whipsawed global investor confidence through three major tariff announcements.

A temporary reprieve

Tariffs appear to be central to the administration’s economic program. So Trump’s decision to pause his broader tariff agenda may not signal a shift in philosophy: just a tactical retreat.

The updated strategy, high tariffs on China and lower ones elsewhere, might reflect an attempt to refocus on where the administration sees its main strategic concern, while avoiding unnecessary blowback from allies and neutral partners.

Whether this narrower approach proves durable remains to be seen. The sharpest economic pain has been deferred. Whether it returns depends on how the next 90 days play out.

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

– ref. This chart explains why Trump backflipped on tariffs. The economic damage would have been huge – https://theconversation.com/this-chart-explains-why-trump-backflipped-on-tariffs-the-economic-damage-would-have-been-huge-253632
MIL OSI – Global Reports –
April 11, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Images provide taste of what’s to come inside new City Learning Quarter college campus

Source: City of Wolverhampton

The city centre state of the art facility is currently under construction by contractor McLaughlin & Harvey and forms part of phase 2 of Wolverhampton Council’s transformational masterplan to boost skills and employment.

Situated around the Old Hall Street and St George’s Parade area, incorporating a site on the corner of Garrick Street and Bilston Street where the former Faces nightclub building once stood, the development is also utilising the existing Metro One building – it will open to City of Wolverhampton College students in the autumn.

Alongside improvements to the neighbouring Adult Education Wolverhampton and Central Library facilities, the £61 million scheme – supported by Government funding – will establish new educational provision that will enhance skills and employment outcomes for residents across the city and wider region.

It will offer A Levels in a range of subjects and vocational qualifications in art, design and photography, business and management, catering and hospitality, computing and digital, creative media, games design and e-sports, hair and beauty, health and social care, music technology, performing arts, and science.

Construction on phase one of the City Learning Quarter masterplan – a new £8.1 million Advanced Technology and Automotive Centre at the college’s Wellington Road campus – has been completed and opened to students in September 2024.

Councillor Chris Burden, City of Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for City Development, Jobs and Skills, said: “The City Learning Quarter has been a long held ambition of the council and fantastic progress is being made by the contractors in the construction of this skills and education hub that will open later this year, unlocking future opportunities for all in the city.

“The development is already a prominent feature in the city centre and when completed will act as a focal point, increasing footfall to support neighbouring businesses.

“It’s excellent connectivity to rail, bus, tram and cycle routes also means this inspirational facility will be easily accessible to everyone in Wolverhampton and beyond.”

Peter Merry, Deputy Principal and Chief Executive at the College, said: “After many years of discussions and planning it is really exciting for us to be able to unveil the images of the building and for current and potential students and apprentices, staff, employers and local people to see what the interior will be like and the fantastic training facilities that will be provided on the site.”

The exciting City Learning Quarter proposals were initially supported by investment from the council with a further £49 million coming through UK Government funding, plus additional government grants and contributions from the college and council.

It will pave the way for City of Wolverhampton College to move from its 1960s Paget Road site, which has been identified as land to build much needed housing.

The college forecasts that over a 10 year period approximately 45,000 people will benefit from learning at the City Learning Quarter and around 7,500 apprenticeships will be started.

Its central location and close proximity to the new £150 million transport interchange will make it easily accessible. It will also boast environmental benefits in line with council’s climate emergency agenda.

See how the City Learning Quarter college campus is shaping up inside by watching the video below.

[embedded content]

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

April 11, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: The Coalition prepares to soften Australia’s 2030 climate target, while reaffirming its commitment to the Paris Agreement

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Wood, Program Director, Energy, Grattan Institute

The Coalition has been forced to reassert its commitment to the Paris climate agreement after its energy spokesman Ted O’Brien appeared to waver on the pledge on Thursday.

O’Brien faced off against Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen at a debate in Canberra, weeks out from a federal election in which energy policy is emerging as a hot-button issue.

Under the landmark Paris deal, Australia has pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 43% by the end of the decade, compared to 2005 levels. O’Brien on Thursday said the Coalition would review the target if it wins office. He deflected a question on whether a Dutton government would remain a signatory to the Paris Agreement, saying the Coalition would “always act in the national interest”.

Within hours of the debate, the Coalition was forced to clarify O’Brien’s comments and reaffirm its commitment to Paris. But the Coalition appears intent on winding back the 2030 target if it is elected next month – a move that would weaken our bipartisan commitment to net zero by 2050 and be against the interests of the global climate.

The 2025 Climate and Energy debate | ABC NEWS.

Resetting the 2030 target

The Coalition has long disputed Labor’s claims that the 43% target would be met.

In June last year, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton claimed the Albanese government has “no hope of achieving the targets and there’s no sense signing up to targets you don’t have any prospect of achieving”.

In January this year, Dutton said a Coalition government would remain party to Paris, despite United States President Donald Trump’s move to withdraw his nation from the deal.

On Thursday, O’Brien confirmed a Coalition government would review the 43% target. In doing so, it would consider three factors: Australia’s emissions trajectory, the state of the economy and the Coalition’s suite of policies – including nuclear power and more gas.

O’Brien went on to say:

Labor, the Coalition, nobody in this country will be able to achieve the emission target set by Chris Bowen and Anthony Albanese. The difference between Peter Dutton and Anthony Albanese is that Peter Dutton has been honest and upfront about that.

O’Brien would not rule out withdrawing Australia from the Paris deal, but later released a statement saying the Coalition remained committed to the agreement.

Will Australia meet the 43% target?

During the debate, Bowen claimed Australia is “on track” to meet its emissions-reduction goal. He pointed to analysis by his department released late last year showing emissions are projected to be 42.6% below 2005 levels in 2030.

Australia will have to work hard to meet the target, with our emissions reductions having stalled since 2021. The government’s projection assumes it achieves its target of 82% renewable electricity generation by 2030 – possible but very challenging from about 45% today.

It also depends on two policies to reduce emissions outside electricity, neither of which have yet demonstrated their progress.

The first is the safeguard mechanism, which aims to reduce emissions from heavy industry. It began in mid-2023 but its results are not yet clear. Second is the new vehicle efficiency standard, introduced from January this year.

What if Dutton does walk back Australia’s Paris commitment?

Even if a Dutton government remained in the Paris Agreement, walking back on the 43% emissions target is problematic, for a number of reasons.

Most obviously is that the threat of dangerous climate change is real, and growing. The Paris deal aims to keep average global temperatures “well below” 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and ideally, limit warming to no more than 1.5°C.

But according to official data, Earth’s monthly global average temperature exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for 11 months last year. So meeting the Paris commitment is already looking shaky.

While the Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty, there has been much debate as to the real meaning of “legally binding”. Some argue that national commitments to reduce emissions are not legally binding, and can be revised in either direction. While a downward revision is liable to draw criticism, it could be a legally available option under the Paris Agreement. Transgressors don’t get kicked out of the club.

But any downward revision on the targets is a bad look on the global stage. University of Melbourne climate law expert Jacqueline Peel has argued that any moves by a future Coalition government to water down Australia’s 2030 target, or to submit a 2035 target weaker than our current pledges, would:

go against the spirit, if not the letter, of the Paris Agreement, and – in some circumstances – could constitute a breach of those obligations.

Where to now?

The Albanese government chose not to announce a 2035 target before the election. The Opposition says it won’t set a 2035 target until it’s in government.

That means voters will be left in the dark on this important issue as they head to the ballot box.

At the moment, the Coalition appears to be relying on its controversial nuclear power plan to meet the bipartisan goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. But analysts have warned the plan will lead to much more emissions between now and then.

Meanwhile, there is far more work to be done outside the energy sector – in agriculture, transport, industry and more – to meet Australia’s climate commitments.

Australia’s cost of living crisis has garnered much attention during the election campaign so far. There has been very little talk about how Australia’s entire economy will get to net-zero.

That’s a terrible reflection on the state of our politics. Ultimately, unmitigated climate change will be bad for the planet and very bad for Australia.

Tony Wood may own shares in companies in relevant industries through his superannuation fund.

– ref. The Coalition prepares to soften Australia’s 2030 climate target, while reaffirming its commitment to the Paris Agreement – https://theconversation.com/the-coalition-prepares-to-soften-australias-2030-climate-target-while-reaffirming-its-commitment-to-the-paris-agreement-249945

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

April 11, 2025

Category: Education

Bridging gaps in health and nutrition services for internally displaced people (IDPs) and crisis-affected communities in Amhara, Ethiopia

Stabilisation centres are a lifeline for Sudan’s malnourished children

Nutrition services included in the emergency health response in Syria

Life-saving health supplies and services to over 5 million people across drought-affected states in Somalia

Benin: nutrition and health monitoring to bolster children’s health

Protecting children from the harmful effect of food marketing in Malaysia

Nine Latin American and Caribbean countries intensify efforts to curb obesity

Thailand fighting obesity – changing the system to save lives

Fast forward: Nutrition for Growth 2025 Summit

Acknowledgements

More on nutrition and obesity

Pair of Bills Would Address Pushout of Black Girls, Invest in Counselors and End Over-Policing of Public K-12 Schools

Resources for parents and caregivers

Covert techniques

U.S. interference isn’t new

Soviet, American interference

New digital techniques

What can be done?

What helps: Meaningful ways to show support

What hurts? Commonly harmful comments

A model for providing support

Fine line between encouraging, dismissing

Shared understanding and self-education

Shifting support to be more meaningful

The price of singlehood

The financial upside of going solo

Building a financial system for everyone

The bottom line

Why it matters?

What’s next

Title of course:

What prompted the idea for the course?

What does the course explore?

Why is this course relevant now?

What’s a critical lesson from the course?

What materials does the course feature?

What will the course prepare students to do?

Challenges of working with bio-signals

Learning to fill in the blanks

Faster disorder detection development

Race exists, but what is it?

Turning to culture to explain difference

A tool to understand evolution

An unconventional background

The next adventure: NASA

Isaacman’s future

Change of His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Stephen Hitchen

Curriculum vitae

Share this page

Updates to this page

Our economic model shows the fallout, even after the ‘pause’

Heavy costs of the tariff war

The scaled-back plan: still aggressive on China

What does this mean for Australia?

A temporary reprieve

Resetting the 2030 target

Will Australia meet the 43% target?

What if Dutton does walk back Australia’s Paris commitment?

Where to now?