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Category: Education

  • MIL-Evening Report: Val Kilmer’s macho action figures held a melancholy just below the surface

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aaron Humphrey, Lecturer, Media and Digital Humanities, University of Adelaide

    Leading man of 1990s Hollywood, Val Kilmer, has died at 65 from pneumonia. Battling cancer since 2014, he has not been a frequent presence on our film screens for most of this century. While he has recently done some interesting projects, he never recaptured his fame and box-office draw of the 1980s and ‘90s, when he appeared in iconic films such as Top Gun (1986) and Batman Forever (1995).

    His standout performance as Tom Cruise’s swaggering, self-assured rival Iceman in Top Gun made him a star. But the film that really cemented his reputation as a leading man was Oliver Stone’s The Doors (1991), in which he played Jim Morrison to astonishing effect. He is the best thing about that film.

    Kilmer starred as Doc Holliday in the 1993 film Tombstone – a kind of cross between a superhero film and a western.
    IMDB

    In 1993, he starred as Doc Holliday in Tombstone, a stylish modern western, which he co-headlined with Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp. It was perhaps the most ’90s of the ’90s westerns. Kilmer’s performance was crowd-pleasing and critically acclaimed. His 2020 memoir, I’m Your Huckleberry, took its name from a line Kilmer spoke in the film.

    In some ways, it is a superhero film with cowboys – as you can see so clearly in the poster. It was this performance that put Kilmer on the radar of Warner Bros when they were looking to cast a new Batman after Michael Keaton abandoned the suit.

    Batman Forever

    We’ve got used to superhero films having cinematic universes and narrative continuity between films, but in the 1990s that had not quite been established.

    Warner Bros had struck cinematic gold with the first modern superhero blockbuster, Superman (1978) starring Christopher Reeve, but faced diminishing critical and financial returns with each subsequent film in the series. After Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) failed to connect with audiences, the studio turned to Batman to be its cinematic icon. In those days, one superhero film every couple of years was seen as sufficient. Fortunately, Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), two dark takes on the Batman story both starring Michael Keaton, were hits.

    However, Batman Returns was regarded by audiences and critics as too “dark”, and too Burton. Both Burton and the studio felt a change of pace was needed for a third film. Joel Schumacher was brought on as director and, perhaps due to the departure of Burton, Keaton also chose to leave the series.

    Fresh off Tombstone, Kilmer was cast as the superhero.

    Batman Forever took a goofier tone, inspired just as much by the campy 1960s TV series as the dark gothic noir style of Burton. It is still brooding, but the film is more bombastic, more colourful. Noted for performances from Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey as the villains – and the costumes that famously featured nipples and codpieces – Kilmer’s performance got lost.

    Val Kilmer and Chris O’Donnell in Batman Forever (1995).
    IMDB

    Worse for Kilmer, rumours of being difficult to work with on the set of Batman may have set his career back in subsequent years. But, despite these difficulties, Kilmer makes a good Batman.

    He performed the role with a brooding physicality, as well as playfulness. He was underrated, and certainly better than George Clooney, who took over in Batman and Robin (1997) after Kilmer declined to return.

    The non-Keaton Batman films are sometimes overlooked by fans, or not seen as living up to the heights of the Burton movies. In recent years, Burton’s movies have become more or less canonised as the “real” Batman of the era. A series of comic books, Batman ’89, has been published since 2021 that continues the story from Batman Returns, bypassing the developments of Kilmer’s Batman Forever and Clooney’s Batman and Robin.

    Keaton has since reprised his role as the caped crusader on the silver screen as a major supporting character in The Flash (2023), which also featured cameos from Batman alumni Clooney and Ben Affleck as alternate universe versions of the Dark Knight. Kilmer and Christian Bale were the only retired big-screen Batmans not to appear in the film.

    But Batman Forever stands the test of time. It is an entertaining film that walks the line between the dark and brooding Batman from Burton, and the parody of the 1960s television series starring Adam West.

    Soulful melancholy

    Batman Forever was the pinnacle for Kilmer in terms of critical and commercial success. He followed it with great performances in films such as The Ghost and the Darkness (1996), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) and Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009), but he was often the supporting character rather than the lead. These films, too, weren’t box-office smashes like his films up to and including Batman had been.

    One of his best performances of the 2000s was in the David Mamet film Spartan (2004). Kilmer plays a retired marine corps sergeant in a good leading turn. He gave a muscular performance that still had a soulful melancholy at its heart, which can be seen in a lot of his roles. He plays action figures who are tough and macho on the outside, but have a melancholy just below the surface.

    Although he never reprised his role as Bruce Wayne, a fitting coda for Kilmer’s career was the long-awaited sequel Top Gun: Maverick (2022), in which he gives a cameo as an ailing version of Iceman.

    Kilmer will be missed for his iconic roles as the quintessential performer of the late 1980s and ’90s. In 2021, a documentary about Kilmer, Val, was released, based on decades of archive footage. I would recommend it to audiences who want to know more about the man, his life, his career and his health battles over the past decades.

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

    – ref. Val Kilmer’s macho action figures held a melancholy just below the surface – https://theconversation.com/val-kilmers-macho-action-figures-held-a-melancholy-just-below-the-surface-253631

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Labor wants to give the minimum wage a real boost. The benefits would likely outweigh any downsides

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris F. Wright, Professor of Work and Labour Market Policy, University of Sydney

    Labor has called for an “economically sustainable real wage increase” for almost 3 million workers who depend on the award system for their wages.

    In a submission to the Fair Work Commission’s Annual Wage Review on Wednesday, Labor said a real wage increase above inflation would provide cost-of-living relief for lower-income workers – especially in the early childhood, cleaning and retail sectors.

    Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has said he’s not opposed to an increase in minimum wages. Several major business groups have also tentatively endorsed an increase.

    But the size of the wage boost is in contention. The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry wants an increase to be no higher than headline inflation, saying:

    [an] increase in minimum and modern award wages of no more than 2.5% is fair and reasonably responsible in the current economic environment.



    Read more:
    Labor will urge Fair Work Commission to give real wage rise to three million workers

    Can the government actually raise wages?

    The federal government doesn’t set minimum and award wages directly. That job falls to the Fair Work Commission, Australia’s independent national workplace relations tribunal.

    Each year, the commission receives submissions for the Annual Wage Review from “interested parties” such as business groups, trade unions and governments.

    Governments almost always make submissions, typically informed by economic logic, to the annual review.

    Labor’s submission is consistent with that approach. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said businesses would benefit overall, because when low-wage workers receive a wage increase, they typically spend rather than save it.

    Could a real wage boost fuel inflation?

    Labor’s proposal has already attracted concern.

    Some economists have argued it could increase inflation. That could make it harder for the Reserve Bank of Australia to deliver further interest rate cuts.

    However, this concern was addressed in the OECD’s 2023 Economic Outlook paper, which argued:

    in several sectors and countries, there is room for profits to absorb some further increases in wages to mitigate the loss of purchasing power at least for the low paid without generating significant additional price pressures.

    In other words, with inflation falling in Australia and other parts of the world, there is scope for wages to increase without a significant risk this will generate inflationary pressure.

    The OECD has also stated that much of the recent high global inflation was generated by the impact of the Ukraine war on rising food and energy prices, rather than wages.

    Wage growth without productivity growth

    A second concern relates to boosting wages in the context of Australia’s languishing levels of labour productivity – output per worker or per hour worked.

    On Tuesday, Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock said without an increase in productivity:

    the rate of nominal wages growth that can be sustained and be in line with the inflation target is lower.

    However, as Mark Bray and Alison Preston found in their interim report from the review of the Secure Jobs, Better Pay laws, labour productivity growth has been consistently higher than capital productivity.

    According to Bray and Preston:

    It is, therefore, difficult to argue that industrial relations systems have a significant, dominant effect on national productivity outcomes.

    If anything, a wages boost might be good for productivity. There is evidence to suggest measures to improve the quality of employment – including by increasing wages – can boost productivity.

    If workers feel they are paid fairly, they are more likely to be satisfied and work harder, and less likely to leave their employer.

    Staff turnover, on the other hand, requires employers to recruit and train new employees, which is time-consuming and resource-intensive, and can sap productivity.

    What about inequality?

    It’s important we don’t overlook another important factor in the minimum wage debate. Since its 2022 election victory, addressing inequality has been central to the Albanese government’s labour market reforms.

    Before 2022, wages growth was persistently weak for several years, despite the lowest unemployment rate in almost five decades.

    Low unemployment is generally assumed to stimulate wages growth, but this didn’t eventuate. This worsened workforce shortages, making it hard for employers to attract and retain workers.

    Findings from a large body of academic research published before the passage and implementation of the December 2022 Secure Jobs, Better Pay amendments highlighted the need for fairer redistribution in pay settings.

    The gender pay gap

    This includes addressing gender-based pay inequalities.

    Improving job quality – particularly by raising wages – in low-paid sectors is essential to advancing gender equality. The minimum wage and award-reliant segments of the Australian labour market are highly feminised. These include vital frontline roles in the care, cleaning and hospitality sectors.

    The latest Workplace Gender Equality Agency scorecard, drawing on ABS Labour Force Survey data, shows wage growth in these sectors over the past two years has contributed significantly to reducing the national gender pay gap to its lowest point on record.

    Lifting wages and job quality is not only crucial for attracting and retaining workers in these essential frontline roles. It also supports broader labour force participation, particularly for working parents.

    An “economically sustainable” boost to the minimum wage is therefore unlikely to drive up inflation, or adversely impact productivity. However, it will provide cost-of-living relief to Australia’s lowest-paid workers.

    Chris F. Wright has received funding from the Australian Research Council, the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the UK Economic and Social Research Council, the International Labour Organization, the Australian and NSW governments, and various business and trade union organisations.

    – ref. Labor wants to give the minimum wage a real boost. The benefits would likely outweigh any downsides – https://theconversation.com/labor-wants-to-give-the-minimum-wage-a-real-boost-the-benefits-would-likely-outweigh-any-downsides-253624

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Careers guidance for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds ‘variable’ – new report

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Careers guidance for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds ‘variable’ – new report

    Careers guidance for post-16 students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds can vary in quality, a new report from Ofsted has found.

    Ofsted was commissioned by the Department for Education (DfE) to carry out a study on the quality of careers guidance that students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds receive from further education (FE) providers.

    Most FE students spoken to for the research were very positive about the careers guidance they received and spoke of being more confident and resilient as a result.

    However, Ofsted also found that understanding and knowledge-sharing of students’ backgrounds were variable. College leaders reported that challenges collaborating with feeder schools were leading to some students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds having to self-refer to support services, with many missing out on tailored careers guidance.

    Today’s report also found that:

    • all the colleges visited were offering at least generic careers guidance that covered their disadvantaged students
    • the strongest careers guidance for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds integrated curriculum and employer needs into an overarching strategy
    • colleges are experiencing difficulties in recruiting and retaining experienced careers advisers, which is affecting the quality of careers guidance
    • traditional work placements remain challenging to implement, but other models of employer engagement are filling the gaps
    • despite the challenges, students valued the careers guidance they had received

    To improve careers guidance for this group, the report recommends that FE providers have better definitions and guidance to help them identify students who are in need of extra support.

    The report also recommends that:

    • further study is needed on what types of careers interventions work best for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds
    • schools and colleges need to improve their collaboration to aid the transition to post-16
    • further evaluation should be carried out into the benefits of work placements versus more flexible engagements with employers

    Lee Owston HMI, Ofsted’s National Director for Education, said:

    We know how beneficial careers guidance is for all students, particularly those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who may need more support to achieve their career aspirations. It’s reassuring to hear that, despite the challenges, students were very positive about the guidance they received post-16.

    I hope this research is helpful to policymakers and further education providers, as they improve the careers guidance they offer to students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

    To conduct the study, Ofsted carried out research visits to 3 secondary schools, 19 general FE colleges and 6 sixth-form colleges during the summer 2024 term. The research also included interviews with 7 local authorities, 2 focus groups with employers, and a survey of parents from the schools and colleges visited.

    Updates to this page

    Published 2 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Have your say on student accommodation

    Source: City of Norwich

    Published on Tuesday, 1st April 2025

    City residents are being asked to have their say on student accommodation in Norwich.

    Norwich City Council is seeking views on its new Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) concerning student accommodation within the city through Get Talking Norwich.

    A council spokesperson, said: “Norwich is home to two thriving universities, the University of East Anglia and Norwich University of the Arts, both of which are significant contributors to the local economy and are projected to continue their growth.

    “Over the past decade, a substantial amount of student accommodation has been developed, primarily within the city centre.  

    “We recognise the valuable contribution purpose built student accommodation makes to the housing market of Norwich alongside other forms of accommodation. However, we believe there is enough existing and planned student accommodation supply to meet the city’s needs until 2038.”

    The SPD also gives advice on the design of student accommodation, how it should be managed and where in the city they have been built.

    To get involved and make your views known on the SPD go to https://gettalking.norwich.gov.uk/pbsa

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Notice to convene Annual General Meeting

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Company announcement no. 3/2025

    According to Art. 9.1 of the Articles of Association, notice is hereby given of the Annual General Meeting of Columbus A/S to be held on:

    Tuesday 29 April 2025 at 10.00
    at Columbus, Lautrupvang 6, 2750 Ballerup

    Agenda:

    1. Board of Directors’ report on the business of the Company during the past year.

    2. Presentation and approval of the Annual Report.

    3. Resolution on the appropriation of profit or covering of loss as recorded in the adopted Annual Report.

    4. Presentation of and indicative ballot on the Remuneration Report.

    5. Proposal to authorize the Board of Directors to acquire for the Company up to 10 per cent of the Company‘s share capital

    6. Election of members of the Board of Directors

    7. Election of one or two state authorized public accountants as auditors.

    7.1. Election of state authorized public accountants as auditors
    7.2. Election of state authorized public accountants as sustainability auditors

    8. Any other business

    Full wording of proposals

    Re. item 1:
    The Board of Directors proposes that the General Meeting takes note of the Board of Director’s report on the business of the Company during the past year.

    Re. item 2:
    The Board of Directors recommends that the Annual Report 2024 be approved.

    Re. item 3:
    The Board of Directors proposes that the General Meeting approves the Board of Directors’ proposal for the allocation of profit as stated in the Annual Report for 2024, including distribution of an ordinary dividend to shareholders of DKK 0.125 per share of DKK 1.25 (nom.), corresponding to total dividends of DKK 16,159,533.

    Re. item 4:
    The Board of Directors recommends that the General Meeting approves the Remuneration Report.

    Re. item 5:
    The Board of Directors proposes that the General Meeting authorizes the Board of Directors for a period of 18 months from the date of the General Meeting to acquire for the Company up to 10 per cent of the Company‘s share capital against payment which shall not deviate more than 10 per cent up or downwards from the latest listed price of the shares at Nasdaq Copenhagen prior to the acquisition.

    Re. item 6:
    The Board of Directors proposes re-election of the following Board members:

    Ib Kunøe
    Sven Madsen
    Peter Skov Hansen
    Karina Kirk
    Per Kogut

    For further information about the individual Board members, see Appendix 1.

    Re. item 7.1:
    The Board of Directors recommends that Pricewaterhousecoopers Statsautoriseret Revisionspartnerselskab, CVR-no. 33 77 12 31 be re-elected in accordance with the recommendation from the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee has not been influenced by third parties and has not been subjected to any agreement with third parties which limits the General Meeting’s election of certain auditors or auditing firms.

    Re. item 7.2:
    The Board of Directors recommends that Pricewaterhousecoopers Statsautoriseret Revisionspartnerselskab, CVR-no. 33 77 12 31 be elected to provide a statement on sustainability reporting in the management’s review in accordance with the recommendation from the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee has not been influenced by third parties and has not been subjected to any agreement with third parties which limits the General Meeting’s election of certain auditors or auditing firms.

    Adoption requirements
    For adoption of the proposals under the items 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 on the agenda simple majority is required.

    Registration date
    The date of registration is 22 April 2025, at 23:59 CET.
    Only shareholders who possess shares in the Company at the expiration of the registration date are entitled to participate and vote at the Annual General Meeting. On expiry of the date of registration, the shares held by each of the Company‘s shareholders on the date of registration date is determined on the basis of the shares registered in the register of shareholders and duly evidenced notifications to the Company of share acquisitions not yet entered in the register of shareholders, but received by the Company before expiry of the date of registration.

    Participation is furthermore conditional on the shareholder‘s punctual requisitioning of an admission card as described below.

    Procedure for participating in and voting at the Company’s Annual General Meeting
    Requisition of admission cards:
    digitally via the Shareholder Portal on the Company’s website: cgr@columbusglobal.com.

    Registration must reach Computershare A/S or the Company no later than Friday 25 April 2025 at 23:59 CET.

    Ordered admission cards will be sent out by e-mail. This requires that your email address is registered on the Shareholder Portal, or that you register your e-mail address when ordering admission card via the Shareholder Portal. After registration, you will receive an electronic admission card. Bring your electronic version on your smartphone or tablet. If you have forgotten your admission card for the general meeting, it can be obtained against presentation of appropriate proof of identification. Ballot papers will be handed out at the entry point at the General Meeting.

    Proxies:
    Proxies can be granted:
    digitally via the shareholder portal on the Company’s website: Information from the Company

    No later than 7 April 2025 the following information will be available to the shareholders at the Company’s website

    By the notice to convene annual general meeting Columbus A/S has registered a share capital of nominal DKK 161,595,330, corresponding to 129,276,264 shares of nominal DKK 1.25. Each share of nominal DKK 1.25 provides 1 vote.

    Ballerup, April 2nd, 2025
    Board of Directors, Columbus A/S

    Appendix 1: Election of members to the Board of Directors 

    Election of members to the Board of Directors and recruitment criteria
    Pursuant to Columbus A/S’ Articles of Associations, the Board of Directors must consist of 3-7 members to be elected by the general meeting for a term of one year.

    When nominating new Board members, management experience, professional and financial competencies needed to ensure that the Board has the necessary competencies to be able to manage the interests of the Company and thereby the shareholders are carefully assessed.

    Besides competencies and qualification, new candidates are selected on the basis of criteria such as the need for seniority, renewal and diversity.

    The Company’s Articles of Association do not include restrictions concerning the number of times a member is allowed to be re-elected to the Board of Directors. Seniority in itself is not a crucial criterion, but the Board of Directors finds that long seniority and thereby extensive experience for part of the Board members is highly beneficial to the company. Seniority combined with continuous renewal ensure a broad-based composition of the Board of Directors.

    Gender, age and nationality are not qualifications alone, but are part of the total assessment of the competencies of a board candidate.

    Information about proposed candidates
    Below, competencies and directorships in other companies are described for each of the proposed candidates.

    It is the Board of Director’s assessment that the proposed candidates represent the necessary competencies in the Board of Directors to ensure that the size, composition and competencies of the Board of Directors is such that constructive discussions and efficient decision-making process can be ensured during Board meetings.

    Ib Kunøe
    Born 1943
    Chairman of the Board
    Member of the Board since 2004, re-elected in 2024
    Does not fulfill the Committee of Corporate Governance definition of independency

    Education:
    Holds an HD Graduate Diploma in Organisation and Management as well as a background as a professional officer (major).

    Chairman of the Board for:
    Consolidated Holdings A/S, X-Yachts A/S, X-Yachts Marina A/S, CALUM Ballerup K/S, CALUM Åbyhøj K/S, CALUM Værløse K/S, CALUM Rødovre K/S, Komplementarselskabet Åbyhøj ApS, Komplementarselskabet Værløse ApS, Komplementarselskabet Rødovre ApS, Komplementarselskabet Ballerup ApS

    Member of the Board for:
    Atrium Partner A/S

    Special competencies:
    Company management, including management of IT companies, development of and dealing with companies.

    Sven Madsen
    Born 1964
    Member of the Board since 2007, re-elected in 2024
    CFO in Consolidated Holdings A/S
    Member of the Audit Committee
    Does not fulfill the Committee of Corporate Governance definition of independency

    Education:
    Holds a Graduate Diploma in Financial and Management Accounting and an MSc in Business Economics and Auditing

    Chairman of the Board for:
    Atea ASA, CHV III ApS, Dansk Emballage A/S

    Member of the Board for:
    Consolidated Holdings A/S, core:workers AB, core:workers Holding A/S, X-Yachts A/S,  X-Yachts Marina A/S, Ejendomsaktieselskabet af 1920 A/S, DAN-Palletiser Finans A/S, MonTa Biosciences ApS.

    Special competencies:
    General management, M&A, business development, economic and financial issues.

    Peter Skov Hansen
    Born 1951
    Member of the Board since 2012, re-elected in 2024
    Chairman of the Audit Committee
    Transitioning from being independent to no longer fulfilling the Committee of Corporate Governance’s definition of independence due to the duration of the board tenure exceeding 12 years.

    Education:
    Completed State Authorized Public Accountant education in 1980, registered as non-practicing 

    Member of the Board for:
    X-Yachts A/S

    Special competencies:
    Business development and financial, accounting and tax related issues.

    Karina Kirk
    Born 1971
    Member of the Board since 2018, re-elected in 2024
    Owner of KIRK & CO., Executive and board advisory
    Fulfills the Committee of Corporate Governance definition of independency

    Education:
    Holds a Master of Science in International Business Administration (1996), NYU Stern School of Business, MBA selected classes (1994), Executive, Board Leadership and Governance (2017)

    Member of the Board for:
    Ringsted Olie A/S, BRO Kommunikation A/S

    Special competencies:
    General management, management of consulting companies, market and customer leadership, business development and business transformation.

    Per Kogut
    Born 1964
    Member of the Board since 2022, reelected in 2024
    Fulfills the Committee of Corporate Governance definition of independency

    Education:
    Per Kogut holds a Master, Public Administration & IT science from the University of Copenhagen.

    Chairman of the Board for:
    Digital Hub Denmark

    Member of the Board for:
    Loyal Solutions A/S, Loyal Solutions A/S, Enhance TopCo A/S, Enhance BidCo ApS, Relatable Consulting A/S and Automize A/S

    Special competencies:
    General management, management of consulting companies, market and customer leadership and business development.

    Attachment

      SE_03_2025_Notice_to_convene_Annual_General_Meeting

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: 96% of city schools now Good or Outstanding

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    Today, 69 primary schools in the city are Good or Outstanding, equivalent to 97% of those with a current Ofsted judgment, while 18 secondary schools are Good or Outstanding, or 90% of those with a current judgment.

    That marks a significant increase from 2014, when just 66% of primary schools and 65% of secondaries held one of to the top 2 grades.

    Councillor Jacqui Coogan, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, said: “Our schools have been on a sustained journey of improvement over the last decade, and we’re now seeing the fruits of their labour – with more pupils able to attend schools that are rated Good or Outstanding than ever before.

    “This dramatic improvement is brilliant news for our city, and particularly for our children and young people.

    “It has been achieved thanks to the hard work and dedication of our education leaders, school staff, governors and of course parents and pupils themselves.

    “It has also been brought about thanks to excellent collaboration work between schools and the council and the efforts of high performing schools who have worked with other schools which have needed support.

    “Intensive intervention, which has seen advisers from the council work with school leadership teams and governors to plan, deliver and monitor progress, has also helped secure a noticeable increase in standards over recent years.

    “As a council, we have a strong commitment to school improvement through our Education Excellence strategy. We also have ambitious political leadership which wants the very best for our children and young people, both in education and in all other aspects of their formative years.

    “The onus is now on us all to maintain these high standards and, by supporting schools to improve and challenging where performance is below where it ought to be, we will ensure that children and young people are able to attend high performing schools across Wolverhampton.

    “What is clear is that there has never been a better time to be a pupil in Wolverhampton, and for that we should thank everyone working in our education system today.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Digital health platforms poised to improve predictive modeling and personalized treatment strategies, says GlobalData

    Source: GlobalData

    Digital health platforms poised to improve predictive modeling and personalized treatment strategies, says GlobalData

    Posted in Medical Devices

    The integration of patient data into mobile health platforms is part of a larger trend in digital health innovation. The recent collaboration between Momentum Health and the Harms Study Group (HSG) aims to enhance pediatric scoliosis management by leveraging technology such as 3D imaging, artificial intelligence (AI), and wearable tracking. As AI, machine learning, and data analytics become more sophisticated, healthcare providers can leverage these technologies to improve predictive modeling and personalized treatment strategies, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

    The Momentum Spine platform introduces 3D topography scans, AI-powered analysis, and real-time wearable tracking to replace traditional X-rays, reducing radiation exposure. Additionally, its brace monitoring functionality ensures patient adherence to prescribed treatment plans. These innovations align with the healthcare industry’s move toward personalized and data-driven treatment strategies.

    Elia Garcia, Medical Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Children and adolescents with scoliosis, in particular, are poised to gain significant advantages from this approach. Remote monitoring of posture and spinal alignment reduces the need for frequent hospital visits, promoting a more proactive model of care. Furthermore, real-time tracking of activity levels and brace compliance allows patients to take greater ownership of their treatment. Managing a chronic condition like scoliosis can be psychologically demanding, but providing immediate feedback and positive reinforcement through digital tools may improve adherence and lead to better treatment outcomes.”

    GlobalData’s report, “Regulatory Approved Apps Market Size by Segments, Share, Regulatory, Reimbursement, and Forecast to 2036,” reveals that as AI, machine learning, and data analytics evolve, healthcare providers can use these technologies to enhance predictive models and create more personalized treatment plans.

    Garcia concludes: “Over time, collaborations like Momentum Health and HSG could lead to broader applications in spinal care. By improving patient compliance and reducing complications, digital platforms like Momentum Spine can help healthcare systems use resources more efficiently and reduce costs.”

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Europeans have more flexible views on how to respond to irregular migrants than policymakers think – new research

    Source: The Conversation – France – By Martin Ruhs, Professor of Migration Studies, European University Institute

    With an estimated minimum of 2.6 to 3.2 million irregular migrants in Europe and fierce public debates about them, policymakers face the difficult question of how to ensure migrants’ basic rights of protection from exploitation, destitution and ill health while also establishing effective migration controls. However, we know surprisingly little about how Europeans think about this policy dilemma.

    In our study, the first of its kind in Europe, we surveyed 20,000 people across Austria, Italy, Poland, Sweden, and the UK to understand their preferences on policies regarding access to healthcare, social welfare and labour protections, as well as the obtainment of regular legal status or “regularisation” for irregular migrants.

    The results challenge the idea that public attitudes toward irregular migrants’ rights are simply “for” or “against”. Instead, we find that variations in policy design matter – and when policies include both migration controls and protections for migrants, public support often increases.

    Our method

    To study public preferences for policies relating to irregular migrants, we conducted a conjoint survey experiment. In it, respondents were presented with different multidimensional “policy packages” that randomly varied in how they regulated opportunities for regularisation, as well as legal rights to access primary health care, financial support in low-income situations, and back pay of withheld wages.

    Respondents were shown two policy packages at a time, and then asked to rate and indicate which of the two they preferred. For each respondent, this process was repeated five times. This method allowed us to study how a change in a particular policy feature – e.g., a change in how access to primary healthcare is regulated – affects individuals’ support for the overall policy package.

    So, what do Europeans think? Here are some of our key results.

    • People favour selective regularisation

    Our results suggest that the public prefers targeted pathways for regularisation for irregular migrants. Across all five countries we analysed, respondents consistently preferred policies that allow irregular migrants to acquire legal status based on certain conditions, including a clean criminal record and a minimum length of stay in the host country. Somewhat surprisingly, there was no consistent preference between a five-year or ten-year minimum residence period.

    • Healthcare gets more support than financial assistance

    We found that giving irregular migrants access to healthcare is far less controversial than giving access to financial support for those living on low incomes. This aligns with findings from the US, where such support has remained politically divisive.

    • Some migration controls boost support for access to rights – but not all rights

    We also found greater support for irregular migrants receiving health care and back pay for withheld wages when these rights were linked to a migration control measure: obligations for public sector employees to report irregular migrants to authorities.

    This suggests, as existing literature highlights, that many people experience an internal conflict between humanitarian concerns and a desire for stricter migration controls.

    However, the pattern in our data does not hold for all rights: even when combined with reporting obligations, the provision of cash assistance for irregular migrants still does not generate public support.

    • A preference for essential workers

    Not all irregular migrants are viewed equally: our findings show that people are more supportive of rights and regularisation opportunities for migrants who previously worked legally in the host country – especially in essential roles like elder care. This reflects broader research on attitudes toward welfare deservingness, which found that public perception of migrants’ past contributions to society shape views on whether they should get access to rights.

    How do attitudes differ across countries?

    While there are many similarities in public views on regularisation opportunities and access to rights for irregular migrants across the countries we studied, there are also some notable differences. For example, support for providing primary healthcare varied: respondents in the UK were the least supportive, and respondents in Italy were the most. Similarly, while respondents in most countries opposed the provision of low-income support, Italian respondents were more ambivalent, showing no strong preference for or against this right for irregular migrants.

    Overall, respondents in Italy showed the greatest preferences for inclusive policies, including the strongest support for allowing irregular migrants to apply for legal status. While our analysis does not investigate the reasons for this, it may reflect Italy’s history of regularisation programmes in recent decades, which may have made Italian respondents more open to and supportive of such programmes.

    Rethinking public attitudes about irregular migrants

    Public attitudes matter – they influence which policies are feasible and sustainable over time. Our research shows that EU and UK residents don’t default to blunt and one-sided policies such as blanket opposition to irregular migrants ever gaining legal status. Instead, people are selective, and prefer policies that distinguish between giving irregular migrants different types of rights. People also have specific views about when and why irregular migrants should have access to healthcare, social welfare, labour protections and legal status.

    This does not mean that survey respondents wanted to offer unconditional legal status and access to rights to all irregular migrants. Instead, respondents often preferred an approach that combines selective access to rights with enforcement of migration rules. What our study indicates is that the public has more nuanced views on how migration should be managed than policymakers generally give them credit for. This suggests there may be more room for selective and inclusive policymaking than often assumed.

    This article is based on a research paper co-authored by Lutz Gschwind (Uppsala University, UU), Martin Ruhs (EUI), Anton Ahlén (UU) and Joakim Palme (UU). The paper is part of the international “PRIME” project that analyses the conditions of irregular migrants in Europe. PRIME is funded by the European Union Horizon Europe programme. Views and opinions expressed, however, are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the EU or the European Research Executive Agency. Neither the EU nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

    The author has received support from the European Union Horizon Europe funding programme for research and innovation (project number 101095113).

    – ref. Europeans have more flexible views on how to respond to irregular migrants than policymakers think – new research – https://theconversation.com/europeans-have-more-flexible-views-on-how-to-respond-to-irregular-migrants-than-policymakers-think-new-research-253473

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Universities – NTU Singapore scientists create ‘fungi tiles’ with elephant skin texture to cool buildings

    Source: Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore)

    Proof-of-concept shows promise as a sustainable passive cooling solution

    A team of scientists led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed ‘fungi tiles’ that could one day help to bring the heat down in buildings without consuming energy.

    These wall tiles are made from a new biomaterial combining fungi’s root network – called mycelium – and organic waste. Earlier research has shown that mycelium-bound composites are more energy efficient than conventional building insulation materials such as expanded vermiculite and lightweight expanded clay aggregate.

    Building on this proven insulating property, the NTU Singapore team worked with local ecology and biomimicry design firm bioSEA to add a bumpy, wrinkly texture to the tile, mimicking an elephant’s ability to regulate heat from its skin. Elephants do not have sweat glands and rely on these wrinkles and crevices on their skin to regulate heat.

    In laboratory experiments, the scientists found that the cooling rate of their elephant skin-inspired mycelium tile was 25 per cent better than a fully flat mycelium tile, and the heating rate was 2 per cent lower. They also found that the elephant skin-inspired tile’s cooling effect improved a further 70 per cent in simulated rain conditions, making it suitable for tropical climates.

    The construction industry accounts for nearly 40 per cent of all energy-related emissions worldwide, so the search for eco-friendly insulation materials is critical. NTU’s Associate Professor Hortense Le Ferrand, who led the study, said mycelium-bound composites could be a promising alternative.

    Assoc Prof Le Ferrand, who holds a joint appointment at NTU’s Schools of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) and Materials Science and Engineering (MSE), said: “Insulation materials are increasingly integrated into building walls to enhance energy efficiency, but these are mostly synthetic and come with environmental consequences throughout their life cycle. Mycelium-bound composite is a biodegradable material that is highly porous, which makes it a good insulator. In fact, its thermal conductivity is comparable to or better than some of the synthetic insulating materials used in buildings today.

    “We worked closely with bioSEA to integrate natural design principles that can optimise its performance as a building insulator. The result is a promising proof of concept that takes us one step closer to efficient, sustainable, and cheaper passive cooling solutions in hot and humid conditions.”

    Dr Anuj Jain, the Founding Director of bioSEA explained the inspiration behind the elephant-linked innovation: “Elephants are large animals that live in hot and sometimes humid tropical climates. To withstand the heat, elephants evolved to develop a skin that is heavily wrinkled which increases water retention and cools the animal by evaporation. We were inspired by how an elephant could cool itself in hot weather without sweat glands, and tried to see how we could replicate the same cooling mechanisms of shading, trapping cool air, and increasing the surface area for water to evaporate.”

    This study, published in Energy & Buildings in February, builds on Assoc Prof Le Ferrand’s work on possible uses for mycelium-bound composites, such as for greener construction materials.

    Turning fungi into a functional material

    Mycelium-bound composites are created by growing fungi on organic matter such as sawdust or agricultural waste. As the fungus grows, it binds the organic matter into a solid, porous composite.

    For this study, the NTU scientists used the mycelium of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) – a commonly found fungus – and bamboo shavings collected from a furniture shop.

    These two components were mixed with oats and water and packed into a hexagonal mould with an elephant skin-inspired texture designed by bioSEA using computational modelling and algorithms to select the optimal design.

    The mycelium tiles were left to grow in the dark for two weeks, then removed from the hexagonal mould and left to grow in the same conditions for another two weeks.

    Finally, the tiles were dried in an oven at 48°C for three days. This final step removes any remaining moisture, prohibiting further mycelial growth.

    Elephant skin-inspired texture improves heat regulation

    Previous research has shown that mycelium-bound composites have thermal conductivity comparable to conventional building insulation materials like glass wool and extruded polystyrene.

    To assess how an elephant skin-inspired texture affects the mycelium tile’s heat regulation, the scientists heated mycelium tiles on a 100°C hot plate for 15 minutes and tracked temperature changes using an infrared camera.

    They found that the elephant skin-inspired tile absorbed heat more slowly. When its bumpy textured surface faced the heat source, its temperature increased by 5.01°C per minute, compared to 5.85°C per minute when its flat surface was exposed to heat. As a control, the scientists also heated a flat mycelium tile and found it gained 5.11°C per minute.

    To measure the tile’s cooling efficiency, the scientists heated one side at 100°C for 15 minutes, then exposed it to ambient conditions (22°C, 80% humidity) and measured temperature changes on the tile’s opposite side.

    The elephant-skin-inspired tile cooled fastest when heated from the flat side, losing 4.26°C per minute. When heated from the textured side, its flat side lost 3.12°C per minute. The fully flat control tile lost 3.56°C per minute.

    Based on these findings, the scientists recommended installing the tiles with the flat side adhered to the building façade and the textured surface exposed to external heat for optimal thermal performance (See image in Notes to Editor for how tiles could be used).

    Tiles perform better in wet weather

    To simulate the effect of rain on the tiles, the scientists heated the tiles as described earlier. While allowing them to cool, the scientists sprayed water onto the tiles at one-minute intervals over a 15-minute period.

    When misted on its bumpy side, the elephant skin-inspired tile lost 7.27°C per minute – a 70 per cent improvement compared to its performance in dry conditions.

    The scientists attributed this effect to the mycelium-bound composite’s hydrophobic nature. “The fungal skin that develops on the tile’s surface repels water, allowing droplets to remain on the surface rather than roll off immediately. This promotes evaporative cooling, increasing the cooling rate,” explained Eugene Soh, an NTU researcher and the study’s first author.

    Building on this proof of concept, the scientists are now exploring ways to enhance the tiles for real-world use, such as increasing their mechanical stability and durability or using different mycelium strains.

    The scientists are also working with local start-up Mykílio to scale up the size of the mycelium tiles and conduct outdoor tests on building façades.

    A challenge they foresee in scaling up the production of the tiles is the time needed to grow the mycelium tiles. While it requires minimal energy resources, the process takes three to four weeks.

    The scientists also expect high inertia towards using mycelium tiles as an alternative construction material due to the well-established infrastructure in production, storage, and transportation of common insulating materials.

    Said Assoc Prof Le Ferrand: “We’ve developed a promising eco-friendly alternative that transforms waste into a valuable resource while rethinking conventional thermal management materials. This opens the pathway for more elephant skin-inspired designs and the use of different mycelium strains to overcome the challenges that come with using mycelium tiles as an alternative construction material.”

    Notes

    The research paper titled “Biodegradable mycelium tiles with elephant skin inspired texture for thermal regulation of buildings” was published in Energy and Buildings in Volume 328, 1 February 2025, 115187

    DOI: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2024.115187  

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Election diary: Dutton tries to shake off Trump dust and avoid being trapped on wages

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    Ahead of Donald Trump’s tariff announcement early Thursday (Australian time), the United States president has become a serious and increasing worry for Peter Dutton’s campaign. Even apart from Labor’s obvious and constant “Trump-whistling”, many voters are apparently seeing a lot of Trump dust on the opposition leader.

    Liberal strategists know how dangerous this is, given Trump’s unpopularity with Australians. So Dutton is shaping up.

    In a Sky interview aired Wednesday, Dutton positioned himself as ready to take on Trump (or anyone else) if necessary. “If I needed to have a fight with Donald Trump or any other world leader to advance our nation’s interests, I’d do it in a heartbeat,” he declared. “And I’ll put the Americans on notice and anyone else who seeks to act against our national interest.”

    It’s a measure of where things are that an Australian conservative leader is putting “the Americans on notice”.

    Anthony Albanese – who once said Trump “scares the shit out of me” – suggested his opponent was going over the top.

    “Peter Dutton will always dial things up to 11. He thinks this is a contest of who can say the most aggro things. It’s not. It’s not the way that diplomacy works.”

    When it comes to Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff announcement – which will feed directly into the Australian campaign – it seems diplomacy hasn’t worked.

    Trade Minister Don Farrell told briefings for agricultural and industry groups on Tuesday and Wednesday he was “pessimistic”, suggesting the likelihood of a tariff of up to 20% across the board.

    Farrell indicated the Australian government had put an offer to the US, but that was rejected. Australia rejected a counter offer from the US, and resubmitted its original offer.

    At Wednesday’s briefing for the red meat industry, Farrell said, “Tomorrow might be the end of the first part of the process but we’ll continue to engage with the Americans to get these tariffs removed, as we did with the Chinese”.

    The government is preparing its response, which reportedly could involve taking the US to the World Trade Organisation. Asked about this, Albanese would not be drawn but told the ABC, “What we’re doing is supporting our US Free Trade Agreement, that says that goods and services between our two nations should be tariff-free.

    “That’s what we’re doing, supporting our agreement, holding to our word, standing up for Australia’s national interest, and calling for the United States not only to stand up for that agreement, but to stand up to their own interests as well.”

    Liberals play it cool on Albanese’s bid for real wage rise

    The Liberals had a very bad experience on wages in the 2022 election.

    Then-opposition leader Albanese said he’d “absolutely” support a wage increase to keep up with inflation, which was more than 5%.

    The Coalition went on the attack, branding him as economically irresponsible. As he campaigned in the following days, Albanese kept producing a gold coin to show how small the rise would be for those on the minimum wage. He still occasionally reprises this party trick.

    Labor is once again campaigning on wages, this time advocating a boost to real wages – that is, an increase above inflation, which is now down to 2.4%. (The submission put in on Wednesday to the Fair Work Commission went in from the Labor Party, rather than the government, because we’re in the “caretaker” period.)

    The government’s position is clever. It says the wage rise, which would cover about three million workers, should be “economically sustainable”. But it doesn’t recommend a figure.

    The Liberals a re trying to stay off the wages sticky paper. To be saying “no” in a cost-of-living election would only spell grief. Instead, they’re keeping their response vague. “We support wage increases”, Dutton said, without being specific about the government’s above-inflation pitch.

    As to a figure, “Without further economic advice from treasury and finance, our position is we want higher wages and we want to make sure we have downward pressure on costs”.

    “The prime minister is in search of a fight here,” Dutton said, a conclusion that didn’t require much perception, a fight Dutton was determined to try to side step.

    Labor’s case received some backing on Wednesday from the Australian Industry Group, which suggested a rise of 2.6%.

    The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry advocated a rise of no more than 2.5%. Asked what sort of difference there was between ACCI and the government, ACCI CEO Andrew McKellar said “that’s very hard to say. They are deliberately being non-specific.”

    The ABC is in the Liberals’ sights – again

    The ABC is a favourite target for many Liberals, including Dutton. In recent months he has singled out ABC reporters for attention when he didn’t like their questions.

    So would he look at its budget? Dutton is leaving the impression he likely would; moreover he is critical of the national broadcaster’s regional service, which even most Coalition MPs praise.

    “The approach that we would take is to reward excellence and where we find waste, to cut that waste.

    “And there are a lot of regional services for the ABC which I think are underdone,” he said in his Sky interview. He’d been in western Queensland this week looking at the floods “and the ABC could be a much more integral part of that community. But just having it based in Sydney or just being based in Melbourne is not helping people in outer metro areas or regional areas.”

    According to the ABC, it has about 600 employees in rural and regional Australia in 56 locations.

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

    – ref. Election diary: Dutton tries to shake off Trump dust and avoid being trapped on wages – https://theconversation.com/election-diary-dutton-tries-to-shake-off-trump-dust-and-avoid-being-trapped-on-wages-253117

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: Micro dramas, video games, online literature: Chinese digital content goes global

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Through the global expansion of micro dramas, video games and online literature, Chinese digital works have become part of their daily entertainment for many international audiences.

    Chinese micro-drama platforms have achieved considerable reach, with over 300 apps accumulating more than 470 million downloads worldwide across more than 200 countries and regions, according to the National Radio and Television Administration.

    One prominent example is ReelShort, a micro-drama platform under Crazy Maple Studio. Its minute-long episodes, featuring intense plot twists and rapid story development, have quickly gained a large following — and are mostly watched on smart devices.

    “Last year we explored new formats by localizing Chinese micro dramas for global distribution and co-producing content with Hollywood crews. Now, we have hundreds of staff locally,” said Nan Yapeng, vice president of Crazy Maple Studio.

    The gaming sector has seen similar breakthroughs. “Black Myth: Wukong,” a 3A video game with cutting-edge graphics, has captivated global players, while established gaming hits like “Genshin Impact” and “Honkai: Star Rail” continue to rank among the top downloaded items in over 100 countries and regions.

    Data from the China Audio-video and Digital Publishing Association (CADPA) show that China’s gaming industry reported overseas revenue of 18.56 billion U.S. dollars in 2024 — up 13.39 percent compared with the previous year.

    Games like “Genshin Impact” and “Black Myth: Wukong” demonstrate China’s cultural innovation by skillfully blending traditional heritage with global fantasy elements, said Xue Ke, deputy dean of USC-SJTU Institute of Cultural and Creative Industry of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

    This creative fusion of ancient stories and interactive experiences not only resonates worldwide but also maintains authentic Chinese roots, Xue added.

    Recognition also extends to online literature. In November 2024, the British Library expanded its Chinese collection by adding 10 online novels by Chinese authors, including “Lord of the Mysteries,” “Soul Land” and “The Joy of Life.” This library first added Chinese online literature to its collection in 2022.

    In 2023, total revenue of China’s online literature industry in the overseas market amounted to 4.35 billion yuan (about 606 million U.S. dollars), a 7.06 percent year-on-year increase, according to a report from the CADPA.

    Notably, the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) also brings new opportunities for the global expansion of China’s digital content.

    WebNovel, an online reading platform, added over 2,000 AI-translated works in 2024 alone, while gaming giant miHoYo has filed hundreds of patents in AI, cloud gaming and other technologies, achieving procedural content production for 3D rendering.

    “AI technology will help boost the global expansion of Chinese culture, transforming content exports from premium offerings to large-scale distribution,” said Li Ming, CEO of NewTV, an internet television media platform. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: FACT SHEET: Trump, Musk, & RFK Jr. Hollow Out HHS, Threatening Americans’ Health and Wellbeing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    Trump carries out mass firings across HHS and subagencies today
    ICYMI: Murray, Former Health Department Leaders, Sound Alarm on Trump and RFK Jr. Gutting HHS
    ICYMI: Murray, DeLauro, Baldwin Demand Answers on RFK Jr.’s Plans to Gut HHS
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), responded to the Trump administration’s mass firings across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its many subagencies, which are responsible for protecting Americans’ health and delivering essential health and social services. 
    “Today, two billionaires are making good on their vow to take a wrecking ball to the Department of Health and Human Services and put Americans’ health and wellbeing at serious risk–and Republicans are letting them,” said Senator Murray. “These firings make a lot of sense if you believe measles spreading like wildfire is good–or think we should be slashing cancer research. While Republicans work to pass more tax breaks for billionaires, Trump, Musk, and RFK Jr. are ripping essential health services away from the American people and decimating our country’s ability to prevent outbreaks and keep families safe. There’s no two ways about it: this is the type of carelessness that gets people killed.”
    Late last week, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced plans to unilaterally push out 20,000 HHS employees (a ~25% reduction) and to dramatically reorganize and hollow out the Department–in clear violation of annual spending laws, including the one that Congress passed and was signed into law just weeks ago. 
    On Monday, Senator Murray led a letter to Secretary Kennedy demanding more information about the sweeping, devastating plans–noting that if this administration is truly committed to transparency, as it claims to be, and is confident its drastic plans will protect Americans’ health, it should be eager to share basic information about them. Thus far, however, the administration has provided no additional details to Congress or the public about its mass firings and reorganization.
    This morning, thousands of health officials woke up to emails notifying them that they were being fired. In addition to the mass firings, HHS says it will eliminate 5 of 10 regional offices, trim 28 divisions into 15, and consolidate and move essential functions to other agencies.
    Since taking office, Trump, Musk, and RFK Jr. have taken a sweeping array of actions to halt HHS’ essential, lifesaving work and diminish its capacity to keep families healthy. It has systematically choked off lifesaving medical research, and just last week, Trump ripped away resources communities nationwide are using to address bird flu, measles, the fentanyl epidemic, the mental health crisis, and more. 
    FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA)
    The FDA protects Americans’ health by ensuring the safety and effectiveness of medicines, biologics, and medical devices–and regulating food, cosmetics, and tobacco products. 
    The Trump administration announced last week it will cut 3,500 employees at the FDA. It has now pushed out senior leaders across the agency focused on food, drug, and medical device policy, as well as the head of the Center for Tobacco Products and the head of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. Among the thousands of FDA staff fired by the Trump administration are experts who manage the review of new applications for drugs, vaccines, and medical devices–which will delay approval of new, potentially life-changing products that patients are counting on. Others reportedly pushed out include veterinary medicine experts working on bird flu preparedness and response, the top Type 1 Diabetes expert, and regulatory staff focused on negotiations on User Fee Agreements that fund some of FDA’s work–among many others. 
    “Americans depend on the FDA every time they sit down for a meal or pick up a prescription–but that’s no matter: Trump and Musk are hollowing out the agency and putting their health at risk. Let’s be crystal clear: there’s nothing strategic about firing thousands of people who inspect our food and ensure our prescriptions and babies’ formula are safe. While they work overtime to pass more tax breaks for themselves, Trump, Musk, and RFK Jr. are insisting on senseless cuts to all but destroy FDA, jeopardizing Americans’ safety and leaving patients waiting longer for lifesaving drugs to get to market,” said Senator Murray.
    CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (CDC)
    CDC is charged with protecting the American people from health threats, including infectious diseases like measles and bird flu.
    The Trump administration announced plans to force out 2,400 employees at CDC. 
    Today, scores of CDC staff woke up to emails notifying them they are being fired. This includes mass reductions in force across most CDC centers, which will prevent the critical work CDC is responsible for from being carried out. Staff were fired en mass across CDC offices for domestic violence prevention, Smoking and Health, HIV prevention, Tuberculosis elimination, disability and health, childhood lead poisoning, asthma control, among many others. Trump has even reportedly fired the entire team focused on assistive reproductive technology like IVF–despite his wild claims to be the “fertilization president.”
    The Trump administration has also reportedly fired nearly two-thirds of the CDC National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) staff, or nearly 900 people. The Trump administration is now, for example, apparently working to shutter the CDC NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory in Washington state, firing dozens of workers today who study how to protect workers’ health and safety on the job, particularly those in fields like mining, the maritime industry, and firefighting, where workers face elevated risks.
    “Decimating the CDC is a great way to make our communities less safe and less prepared to respond quickly and effectively when diseases–like measles and bird flu–put lives and livelihoods in danger. When the next pandemic hits and America is unprepared, it will be thanks to Donald Trump and Republicans destroying our public health infrastructure. Decimating the agency that helps prevent workplace injuries and illnesses is a slap in the face to workers across America–and will threaten the safety of firefighters, miners, construction and agricultural workers, and so many others while on the job,” said Senator Murray.
    NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH)
    NIH is the nation’s premier biomedical research agency. Each year, NIH supports biomedical research that produces life-changing and, in many cases, lifesaving treatments and cures.
    The Trump administration has already pushed out top experts, scientists, and senior leadership, well over 1,100 NIH employees, and systematically choked off billions of dollars in NIH funding for new treatments and cures for devastating diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer.
    Now, it is firing even more NIH scientists and staff–including veterans and more than 1,300 additional employees as of this afternoon–decimating the agency. President Trump and RFK Jr. are pushing out senior NIH leadership, including Institute and Center Directors at the Fogarty International Center (FIC), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD).  
    “Since taking office, Trump has systematically worked to break the NIH–he’s taking patients’ hopes for new treatments and cures and throwing them right in the shredder. These sweeping firings at NIH will set back our efforts to discover medical breakthroughs that save lives by decades. And they won’t just delay research, they will halt clinical trials in their tracks and cut patients off from care,” said Senator Murray.
    CENTERS FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES (CMS)
    CMS helps ensure over 100 million Americans have access to affordable, high-quality health insurance by overseeing Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Affordable Care Act marketplaces. 
    The agency has long been understaffed and under-resourced, including for essential functions like nursing home safety inspections and protecting Americans from surprise medical bills. Nonetheless, Trump and Musk are pushing even more people out–and jeopardizing Americans’ health care in doing so. Trump announced that 300 employees at CMS will be cut. 
    “The American people are looking to their leaders to make sure they can get quality, affordable health care–instead, two billionaires are gutting the very agency that helps over 100 million Americans get health care. Undercutting CMS is an attack on Americans’ health care–full stop. Firing the people who keep our systems running, who ensure long-term care facilities are safe, and prevent health care companies from ripping people off makes no sense and will hurt patients nationwide,” said Senator Murray.
    INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE (IHS)
    IHS is responsible for providing direct medical and public health services to members of federally recognized Tribes, and it is the principal federal health care provider and health advocate for Tribal communities across the country. 
    IHS is already struggling to provide quality health care to 2.8 million Americans who rely on its services, and the actions being taken by the Trump administration to freeze federal hiring, reduce office space, and reduce the HHS workforce that IHS relies on are making matters worse. Chronic understaffing continues to plague the IHS, and despite some hiring exemptions for doctors and nurses, quality health care can’t be delivered without sufficient administrative personnel at HHS and at IHS hospitals and health clinics. 
    Adding to the IHS’ staffing struggles, the Trump administration is arbitrarily canceling leases that house IHS administrative offices across all service areas and its medical supply warehouse, which stockpiles and distributes critical medical supplies to all IHS hospitals and health clinics. IHS needs more resources and staffing to fulfill its mission, not less. 
    “Trump and Musk are leaving the Indian Health Service and our Tribes in the dust–freezing hiring at an already-strapped agency, canceling leases it counts on, and now, gutting essential HHS functions that enable IHS to serve patients. They are breaking government with no idea of what they are doing and no regard for who gets hurt–all while they enrich themselves,” said Senator Murray.
    SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION (SAMHSA)
    SAMHSA is charged with improving services and support available to people across the country for substance use disorder and mental health. The agency plays a leading role in tackling the fentanyl and opioid crisis, and it oversees the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. 
    The Trump administration has announced plans to eliminate SAMHSA and collapse it into a new “Administration for a Healthy America.” But it has not provided any additional details on its illegal reorganization or how it will ensure SAMHSA’s statutorily-mandated, lifesaving functions would be carried out. Today, the Trump administration made more deep cuts to SAMHSA’s staff, which will result in the agency’s staffing levels being reduced by fifty percent since January–weakening the ability of communities to respond to the mental health and substance use crises. 
    “Just as we are finally starting to make progress getting opioid overdose deaths to trend down nationally, Trump and Musk have decided to scrap the agency responsible for our national response to the epidemic. These billionaires believe our country can afford to pay for more tax breaks for them but cannot afford to keep up the fight against the opioid epidemic. These chaotic, senseless moves will undermine federal support for all the work our communities on the frontlines are doing to tackle the opioid and mental health crises–and save lives,” said Senator Murray.
    ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES (ACF)
    ACF is responsible for administering a variety of programs to help children and families thrive–including the primary federal child care grant program, Head Start, family violence prevention programs, and Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), among many others. 
    Today, the Trump administration made deep cuts to the staff responsible for carrying out these programs, threatening the services and essential oversight families count on. The administration also shuttered half of the regional offices for the Office of Head Start, which are charged with ensuring Head Start services delivered to families are high-quality, without any explanation of how it will fulfill its mission and continue serving children and families without these offices or staff. Trump also gutted the Office of Community Services, which administers the LIHEAP program to help low-income individuals and families afford to heat and cool their homes and administers the Community Services Block Grant program, which helps communities nationwide fight poverty.
    “While the child care crisis crunches families’ budgets, Trump and Musk are focused on firing the very people who help make sure there are safe, affordable child care options available to families in every part of the country,” said Senator Murray. “Decimating this agency may well mean child care and Head Start centers don’t get the funding they need to keep their doors open, and shuttering regional offices will threaten families’ access to quality and reliable Head Start services. These firings will certainly risk kids’ safety–because that’s what happens when you get rid of the people who monitor centers’ care. These billionaires are ripping the rug out from under families just as they seek to give themselves more tax breaks.”
    ADMINISTRATION FOR COMMUNITY LIVING (ACL)
    ACL provides unique and critical support to help ensure seniors and Americans with disabilities can live independently and with the same opportunities as others in their communities. ACL programs improve access to health care and long-term care supports, fund essential services like congregate and home-delivered meals and respite care, and invest in essential research and innovation to better support seniors and Americans with disabilities.
    The Trump administration announced plans to eliminate ACL in clear violation of annual appropriations law that explicitly funds ACL–and has provided no additional details on how its essential, statutorily-mandated functions will continue without interruptions that seriously hurt seniors and people with disabilities.
    Today, Trump gutted ACL, firing scores of staff and leaving the administration of these critical programs in jeopardy.
    “Trump and Musk are ripping the rug out from underneath seniors and Americans with disabilities by gutting the agency that helps them get the support they need to not only live independently, but also thrive in their communities,” said Senator Murray.
    ADMINISTRATION FOR STRATEGIC PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE (ASPR)
    ASPR leads our country’s medical and public health preparedness for, response to, and recovery from disasters and public health emergencies–coordinating planning and response for when fires erupt, pathogens like COVID or bird flu emerge, and so much more.
    The Trump administration has announced that ASPR will be consolidated into CDC, and today laid off a number of staff, including staff for the Strategic National Stockpile.
    “As bird flu rages and measles spreads across the country in an outbreak with little recent precedent, apparently Donald Trump thinks it’s a good idea to destroy the very agency tasked with leading our public health preparedness efforts. Firing this staff puts our economy and our families in serious danger,” said Senator Murray.
    HEALTH RESOURCES AND SERVICES ADMINISTRATION (HRSA)
    HRSA is charged with improving access to care for vulnerable and underserved populations. The agency runs critical programs to bolster the nation’s health workforce, improve maternal and child health, support high-quality care in community health centers and Ryan White HIV/AIDS clinics, address rural health needs, modernize the nation’s organ transplant system, and more.
    The Trump administration has announced it plans to eliminate HRSA and collapse it into a new “Administration for a Healthy America” but has not provided any additional details on how this reorganization might work and how it will ensure HRSA’s statutorily-mandated functions will be carried out.
    Today, the Trump administration reportedly fired hundreds of staff who provide support to the nation’s 1,400 community health centers, which operate more than 15,000 sites serving millions of patients across the U.S. regardless of their ability to pay. Others fired include those working on HRSA’s maternal and child health programs, who oversee states’ block grants and operate the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program to support mothers, children, and families. Staff were also fired from HRSA’s health workforce programs, where they work to engage with communities nationwide to address shortages of doctors and nurses, and provide scholarships and loan repayment for those working in high-need communities.
    “It defies logic to get rid of the people who help strengthen our nation’s health workforce, support our nation’s health centers, and work to ensure children grow up healthy. These reckless firings and thoughtless reorganization will set back efforts to improve maternal care, help Americans in rural areas get basic health services, and so much more,” said Senator Murray.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Statement on Evisceration of Seattle HHS Office and Spokane NIOSH Office Amidst Mass Layoffs at HHS

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    ICYMI: Murray, Former Health Department Leaders Sound Alarm on Trump and RFK Jr. Gutting HHS
    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement on the evisceration of the HHS Region 10 Office in Seattle and the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Spokane Research Laboratory.
    Today, the Trump administration began suddenly firingmost—if not all—workers at the HHS Region 10 office in Seattle—around 2oo people—as well as at the NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory—an estimated 90 employees. The future of both offices remains deeply unclear. The HHS Region 10 office is based in Seattle but covers all of Washington, Alaska, Idaho and Oregon; Region 10 also has the greatest number of federally recognized Tribes—272—of all HHS regions.
    “It is infuriating and downright reckless for the Trump administration to have fired nearly everyone at the HHS Regional office in Seattle and the CDC’s NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory—all but decimating these offices, though they are still outright refusing to answer basic questions about their evisceration of HHS and the future of these critical offices.
    “Closing the Seattle Region 10 office will mean a drastically diminished HHS presence on the ground in our communities, no one to help seniors, families, and providers with Medicare and Medicaid issues or conduct site visits in the community, little-to-no collaboration with local and regional health leaders on emerging public health issues—and so much else.
    “And the Trump administration’s mass firings of people researching how to better protect American workers’ safety on the job is a disaster waiting to happen. Those firings included nearly all of the researchers at the Spokane NIOSH Research Laboratory, who are doing critical and time-sensitive work studying how to protect workers’ health and safety on the job in dangerous fields like mining, firefighting, and the maritime industry.
    “These dangerous, thoughtless, and callous cuts will jeopardize Americans’ health and safety today, tomorrow, and years down the line—and I will not stop sounding the alarm and doing everything I possibly can to hold this lawless administration to account.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Contract awarded for final construction phase of government hub

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Contract awarded for final construction phase of government hub

    Construction of a new government office in Manchester City Centre is entering its final phase with the appointment of Wates to conduct the Category B fit-out

    Credit: Ask Real Estate

    Construction of a new government office in Manchester City Centre is entering its final phase with the appointment of a new contractor.

    The Government Property Agency (GPA) has appointed Wates to conduct the Category B (Cat B) fit-out of its First Street Hub following a competitive tender process. 

    The company will be responsible for the hub’s fit-out works, ensuring the nine-storey building is functional for office use. It marks another key development in the programme following the recent practical completion of the Category A (Cat A) fit-out and lease commencement. 

    Launched as part of the GPA’s Government Hubs Programme, the Manchester First Street Hub will accommodate around 2,600 civil servants from departments including Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED), and the Department for Education (DfE). It is earmarked for completion in Autumn 2026.

    Georgina Dunn, the GPA’s Interim Director of Capital Projects, said: 

    Appointing the Cat B contractor was the final major hurdle to overcome before the home straight of delivering this exceptional building. The hub will provide a state-of-the-art office space for thousands of civil servants and will be one of the largest cross-departmental hubs outside London. It also has enviable sustainability credentials with the building achieving  a NABERS 5.5* rating – ranking it among the most sustainable buildings in the UK.

    We are proud of the progress we continue to make as we look to provide high quality and sustainable workplaces for civil servants throughout the UK.

    The £105M development, which was forward-funded by the Pension Insurance Corporation (PIC), supports the Government Hubs Programme’s aim of securing growth across the country. The programme is rationalising the government’s estate in towns and cities across the UK, playing a pivotal role in delivering modern, customer-focused and varied workspaces where civil servants can thrive. 

    Just a few minutes’ walk from Oxford Road and Deansgate rail stations, First Street Hub has been designed to be class-leading, meeting inclusive and accessible design standards. The design for the 12,000sq m building will support a variety of different working styles including spaces to enable collaboration, creativity and community.

    Scott Camp, Managing Director of Wates’ fit-out and refurbishment business, Smartspace, said:

    We are delighted to continue our successful partnership with the Government Property Agency following our work at Darlington Economic Campus and 2 Ruskin Square in Croydon.

    Securing the contract for the Cat-B fit-out at Manchester First Street is a testament to our expertise in delivering high-quality, modern office environments. This project will provide thousands of civil servants with a state-of-the-art workspace, enabling them to foster collaboration and efficiency. It also reinforces our commitment to our purpose – ‘Reimagining places for people to thrive’ – by creating another exceptional workspace that supports productivity and well-being.

    For media enquiries, email: pressoffice@gpa.gov.uk

    Updates to this page

    Published 2 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Scientists from Novosibirsk State University presented new type of training devices for forensic experts

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

    The II International Scientific and Analytical Forum “Digital Law” was held at the “Boiling Point – Novosibirsk” of Academpark. The event was organized by Novosibirsk State University (Institute of Philosophy and Law), Institute of Philosophy and Law of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Law School of Heilongjiang University (PRC).

    — We hold many joint events with the Institute of Philosophy and Law of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, but today, thanks to cooperation with Heilongjiang University, we are already reaching the international level of discussing the problems of legal regulation in the field of information technology. The Forum program includes many reports on various aspects of digital law. And all this suggests that its topic is becoming more and more relevant every year, the emergence of new technologies entails the emergence of new tasks and conflicts that need to be resolved with the help of legal mechanisms, — noted Vladimir Diev, Director of the Institute of Philosophy and Law of NSU, Doctor of Philosophy, Professor, in his speech.

    The forum program opened with a report by Doctor of Law, Professor of the Department of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure and Forensic Science at NSU Roman Borovskikh, dedicated to the university’s developments in the field of new technologies for training future forensic scientists.

    — Forensic science is an applied science, it requires honing certain skills, which is best done at a testing ground. But it is not always possible to create a full-scale, physical testing ground, and here its virtual version comes to the rescue. Simulators are used in many areas of training specialists — in cosmonautics, medicine, and others. We have applied this approach in jurisprudence, — he said.

    Modeling of training scenarios on simulators is carried out in several directions. First of all, lines of models are built on the investigation of different types of crimes: violent against the person (murder, rape, etc.), property (various thefts), economic, official, etc. Within each such line there is a gradation depending on a specific situation in which the investigation takes place – place, time, situation, etc.

    — Our simulators are based on the idea of a computer game, a quest, but at the same time they incorporate the entire arsenal of forensic tools for investigation, evidence collection, verification of versions, and so on. That is, they allow you to simulate the situation of investigating certain types of crimes in a game form. And the first lessons on them have already aroused great interest not only among students, but also among our fellow practitioners and scientists, — emphasized Roman Borovskikh.

    In addition to NSU students, participants of the first international student festival of cybercriminology were able to work on cyber simulators CRIMELABE Fest-2024, organized by the university last fall. The event was a success, and Roman Borovskikh invited all the forum participants to take part in the next festival, which will take place approximately in September 2025.

    It can be expected that by that time the list of situations simulated on virtual training grounds will expand even more – simulator developers are constantly improving their product.

    — Not long ago, we formed a working group, which included university employees as theorists and employees of the Investigative Committee as practitioners. The goal is to improve this educational technology. In particular, we added to the range of simulated situations the investigation of an airliner crash, sabotage at infrastructure facilities. And we continue this work. I think we will be able to show a lot of interesting things at the next festival, — Roman Borovskikh summed up.

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

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Moskino Cinema Park to Host Student Filming Days

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    On the weekend of April 5 and 6, the Moskino cinema park will become a creative territory for young filmmakers and anyone who wants to get to know the world of cinema better.

    Make your own film and meet experienced filmmakers

    Camera operators, directors and producers will be able to film their course and diploma theses for free on location at the Moscow Cathedral Square cinema park, Prince Andrey’s Chambers, the area near the Tu-154 aircraft and the natural chromakey, as well as in the Moscow of the 1940s set. For filming you need register.

    On April 5, from 15:00 to 16:00, the educational center will host a lecture by Irina Glebova, Dean of the Production Department of the Institute of Cinema and Television (GITR). The winner of numerous awards will talk to the audience about detective films and the principles of creating such films. On April 6, from 15:00 to 16:00, producer Pavel Kirillov will talk to the audience about the creative aspects of producing films and television, and will also answer questions.

    From 17:00 to 18:00, the Gonzaga Theatre will host a creative evening with theatre and film actor and stage fencing teacher Sergei Chudakov, who will talk about the acting profession, participation in projects, and show fencing tricks.

    On the second floor of the educational center on April 5 and 6 at 13:00 and 15:30, two master classes are planned: on makeup (it will be conducted by Svetlana Shevtsova) and on creating hairstyles (Irina Konovalova will teach). During the classes, you can learn how makeup is applied to professional actresses and how original images of heroines are created through styling. Participation is included in the cost of an entrance ticket to the cinema park. You can buy it by link.

    Remember your childhood or feel like a student

    This weekend, the baroque Gonzaga Theatre will host the play When I’m Little Again, performed by the Little Family Theatre. On April 5, viewers will be able to see the production at 1:30 PM and 3:30 PM, and on April 6, at 2:30 PM and 4:30 PM. Visitors will be treated to a story about childhood memories, filled with joy, carefree pranks, and bright dreams.

    Fans of tasks on logic, speed and attention will be able to take part in the quest “Time for a retake”. They will have to remember the school curriculum and answer a number of questions, imagining themselves as a student at an exam. This quest will appeal not only to schoolchildren and students, but also to those who have long since graduated. In addition, children and teenagers will be interested in the games “Record Book”, “Retake” and others. In the relay race “Record Book” participants will need to balance on one leg and juggle balls, and in the game “Retake” you will need to unite into a team to confuse the teacher and prevent him from taking the cheat sheet. Guests of the cinema park will also find many other similar games.

    On both days at 12:00 and 15:35, master classes on creating postcards from colored soap will be held in the central square, at 13:10 and 16:45 — paintings on cardboard using texture paste, and at 14:20 and 17:55, participants will mold magical characters from airy plasticine. Attendance at the events is included in the price of the entrance ticket to the cinema park.

    Join the production and see the long-awaited premieres

    On the locations of “Berlin Streets” and “Moscow in the 1940s”, staged filming based on the Soviet films “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson” and “Operation Y and Shurik’s Other Adventures” will once again take place, and everyone is invited to join in. You can play in one of the scenes from the film in a movie costume and with props, as well as receive photos and a video as a souvenir, throughout the weekend. Participation is included in the price of the entrance ticket to the cinema park.

    On April 5 and 6, the Moskino Kinopark cinema invites you to screen the most anticipated Russian films of this spring. The program includes the comedy Batya 2. Ded, a continuation of the beloved story about family, growing up and nostalgia for childhood. In the film Palma-2, viewers will experience exciting adventures. This is a story about a boy, his faithful shepherd and a bear cub who have to go through the dangers of the forest. Young dreamers will be delighted with The Frog Princess, a kind and funny fairy tale about how miracles happen if you believe in them. Fans of historical films will enjoy the drama The Prophet. The History of Alexander Pushkin, a new look at the life of the great poet. Tickets are already on sale on the website.

    You can get to the Moskino cinema park not only by your own car, but also by free transport. Buses run every 25 minutes on routes M1 and M2 from the Salaryevo and Teply Stan metro stations. You can find out more about the route and see the schedule on the cinema park’s website in the section “How to get there”.

    The Moskino cinema park is part of Sergei Sobyanin’s “Moscow – City of Cinema” project and an object of the Moscow cinema cluster, which is being developed by the capital Department of Culture. The first stage has already been completed here: 24 natural sites, four pavilions and six infrastructure facilities have been equipped, including the sets “Center of Moscow”, “Moscow in the 1940s”, “Vitebsk Station”, “Yurovo Airport”, “Cathedral Square of Moscow”, “Deaf Village”, “Partisan Village”, “County Town”, “Cowboy Town”, “St. Petersburg Bar” and others.

    The Moscow Film Cluster is an infrastructure facility, services and facilities for filmmakers, which are being developed by the Moscow Government within the framework of the Moscow — City of Cinema project. Its structure includes the Moskino film park, the Gorky Film Studio (sites on Sergei Eisenstein Street and Valdaisky Proyezd), the Moskino film factory, the Moskino cinema chain, the film commission and the Moskino film platform.

    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.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: What courses and workshops will NKO Lab experts conduct in April

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    The educational project “NPO Lab” invites employees of non-profit organizations (NPOs) to learn how to work with electronic reporting, collect and analyze social media data, and apply digital technologies. In April, meetings with specialists from the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation and experts in the field of marketing and the use of artificial intelligence were prepared for them. Students will be able to attend face-to-face classes and webinars, and then apply the knowledge they have gained in practice.

    Employees of non-profit organizations will be able to join the training: managers, accountants and PR and promotion specialists. The events are free. Pre-registration is required.

    The first lesson of the month will be devoted to the work of the new site Ministry of Justice of Russia. At the workshop, which will be held on April 3 from 14:00 to 16:15, specialists from this department will meet with the audience. Participants will receive detailed instructions on filling out reporting forms, which have been transferred to electronic format since this year. They will also analyze typical errors that may occur when preparing documents. The workshop will be held in the NPO coworking center in the Northern Administrative District at the address: Petrozavodskaya Street, Building 18, Building 1. You can register at this link.

    Two of the project’s classes will be devoted to the development of NPO Telegram channels. At the webinar, which will take place on April 7 at 16:00, listeners will learn how to collect and analyze data from social networks and track the sources of new subscribers. Registration — by link. At the in-person meeting, which will take place on April 17 at 16:00, participants will be told about ways to promote their Telegram channels. The class will be held in the coworking center of the NPO South-West Administrative District at the address: Vinokurova Street, Building 2. You can register by link.

    On April 8, the advanced training course “AI in the Service of NGOs” will begin. It will consist of five in-person classes devoted to working with artificial intelligence and the use of digital technologies. The meetings will tell you how to correctly compose requests, use various applications and online services, analyze data and compose grant applications. The training will take place on weekdays at the educational center at the address: Pleteshkovsky Lane, Building 19. Upon completion of the course, participants will receive a certificate of the established form. Registration — by link.

    The educational project “NPO Lab” began its work in 2016. It includes webinars, master classes, advanced training courses, intensive courses and consultations, which are conducted for employees of non-profit organizations. The full schedule and description of all the project’s events can be found on the Internet portal of the NPO coworking center network in the section “Education”.

    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.

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Heroes’ Stories: Capital Youth Prepares Photo Exhibition for 80th Anniversary of Victory

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    The photo exhibition “Great-grandchildren of Victory” opened in the Krasnaya Presnya Park, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. The heads of patriotic clubs of Moscow universities, organizations whose activities are aimed at perpetuating memory, as well as cadets, activists of youth communities and participants of the special military operation (SVO) shared stories about the exploits of their ancestors. Everyone can see the exhibition until April 30 inclusive on the main alley near the ponds.

    “The photo exhibition “Great-grandchildren of Victory” reminds us not only of the heroism of those who fought for freedom and peace, but also of the importance of preserving their memory for future generations. The youth of Moscow carefully preserves the memory of their heroes, passing on their stories so that courage, fortitude and love for the Motherland remain our common heritage,” said

    Ekaterina Dragunova, Chairman of the City Committee for Public Relations and Youth Policy.

    Each image on the stands reminds us that the history of Russia is not just facts and dates, but personal stories that are of great importance. The idea of creating a photo exhibition was suggested by activists of the project “City of Heroes Moscow”. The pictures show the exploits of those who took part in the Great Patriotic War and worked in the rear. They courageously and bravely defended Moscow, saved wounded soldiers, helped dig trenches to protect the approaches to the capital. Representatives of the younger generation, who provided photo materials for the exhibition, share such stories of their relatives.

    Participants of the SVO also joined in organizing the exhibition. For example, one of the fighters told about his grandmother, who was an outstanding sniper during the Great Patriotic War. Her grandson decided to follow in her footsteps – he is also a sniper and serves in the SVO zone.

    “This exhibition is another opportunity to say thank you to our ancestors for the peaceful sky above our heads. It shows how important it is to preserve the memory of your family, because the history of our state consists of the stories of many individuals who stood up to defend the country. It is in families, in the stories of our grandparents, great-grandparents – veterans of the Great Patriotic War – that the chronicle of Victory is kept,” said Yegor Stativka, head of the patriotic project “City of Heroes Moscow”.

    Photo exhibition organizer – project “Youth of Moscow” urban Committee on Public Relations and Youth Policy. More information about opportunities for young city dwellers can be found on the portal “Youth of Moscow” and on the project pages in social networks.

    Events in honor of the 80th anniversary of Victory will be held throughout Moscow — Sergei SobyaninSchoolchildren and college students began studying documents of pilots and aeronauts in the Main Archives of Moscow

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    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: From projects to expeditions: what children do in environmental clubs

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    Distinguishing animals by their tracks, determining the quality of water in reservoirs and finding their way around the area are all things that students of environmental clubs open in the capital’s schools and institutions of additional education can do. Children participate in campaigns, go on hikes and expeditions, conduct research and implement projects. We tell you about the activities that help schoolchildren become real defenders of nature.

    Moscow Palace of Pioneers: from expeditions to Kamchatka to space exploration

    You can study the laws of nature and get acquainted with natural sciences at the environmental education center inMoscow Palace of Pioneers on Sparrow Hills (Kosygina Street, Building 17, Buildings 4, 5). There are classes for children from five to 18 years old.

    “We introduce children to natural sciences. The center has more than 100 clubs in a variety of areas – from botany and zoology to medicine and organic chemistry. Among them, there is a unique one – a biogeography club, which helps children understand the relationship between biology and geography. Schoolchildren are told about the features of the climate, types of soil and plants. Our goal is to instill in children a love for nature and teach them to protect it. We show how important it is to take care of the environment, because it is a source of inspiration and knowledge,” says the head of the environmental education center, Alexey Bobrov.

    To make studying sciences more exciting, a botanical garden has been opened in the Palace of Pioneers. Classes are held there for young biologists of the environmental education center. The botanical garden has a rich collection – more than five thousand species of plants from all over the world. Future zoologists can also get in touch with nature. A zoological museum has been created for them in the Palace of Pioneers, which contains four thousand exhibits. There is also a special living corner. It is home to basilisk lizards that look like small dragons, giant New Guinea grasshoppers, macaws, guinea pigs, chinchillas, meerkats and other animals.

    From a young age, children in the environmental education center’s clubs develop projects and even participate in research by the state corporation Roscosmos. Children plan biological experiments that cosmonauts then conduct in flight. For example, for one of the studies, a container with duckweed leaves was sent into orbit. Together with the cosmonauts, the children tracked how the plant develops in zero gravity.

    In the spring, students from different clubs at the center form teams and go to the Moscow region, where they have practical classes and conduct field research. The kids work in forests, meadows, rivers and swamps. Like real scientists, they take soil and water samples and then analyze them in a mobile laboratory. In addition, schoolchildren learn to identify species of animals, plants and mushrooms. Anyone can go on such an adventure starting in the third grade.

    “From the age of 14, young ecologists, together with teachers from our center, go on expeditions to regions of Russia or other countries. Such trips last up to six weeks. During them, the children take samples on assignment from Russian research institutes or study flora and fauna, collect minerals. Schoolchildren have already visited Karelia, Baikal, Chukotka, the North and South Caucasus, and even China. Last summer, the children were in Kamchatka, where they studied plants and marine life from the Red Book, watched birds, and even saw a brown bear,” says Alexey Bobrov.

    According to him, the knowledge and skills acquired in eco-clubs often help schoolchildren choose their future profession. Many of them enter the natural science departments of the country’s leading universities and build a career in science.

    Northern rivers, smoking volcanoes and mountain peaks: what hikes Moscow schoolchildren and students have been onWinter Garden, Ship Laboratory and Robot Workshop: How the Palace of Pioneers on Vorobyovy Gory Is Organized

    Palace of Children and Youth Creativity “Na Stopani”: from preschoolers to future scientists

    The environmental center also offers great opportunities for young biologists. Palace of Children and Youth Creativity “Na Stopani” (Ogorodnaya Sloboda lane, building 6, building 1). Popular areas include the sections “Young connoisseurs of nature”, “Zoological research” and “Our pets”, where children study animals and the conditions in which they are kept, if they are domestic, or ways to preserve them as a species, if they live, for example, in forests, steppes or swamps.

    “Each program is designed for two to three years. If the child wants to develop further, he can choose any other section. We have sections for children of different ages – from preschoolers to graduates. We strive to teach children to take care of nature,” says Andrey Rodionov, a teacher of additional education, head of the environmental center of the Palace of Children’s and Youth Creativity “Na Stopani”.

    Classes for the youngest children (from age five) are held in a playful manner. Together with teachers, they go to parks, where they close their eyes and listen to the singing of birds or the rustling of leaves. Older children conduct laboratory research with microscopes, study the habits of animals and learn to care for them.

    In addition, the center’s students traditionally participate in the All-Russian environmental social and educational project “Ekolyata”. They plant trees and hold clean-up days, defend their work at competitions and forums. Recently, the children performed in the library of the Moscow Zoo with the program “Ekostinye Ekolyata: “Amazing is Nearby””, dedicated to the Red Book of Russia. Young ecologists presented projects to preserve rare animals of the country and endangered species of the planet. The ideas interested scientists – now they await further development.

    Thanks to the classes at the center, the children created a project of an invisible ecological shield — a system of ionizing nets, developed jointly with the participants of the physics club section “Robotics in Space”. Initially, the schoolchildren went to Lefortovo Park and examined local ponds, took water samples and analyzed its composition. The nets retain ions of heavy metals and other harmful impurities, preventing them from settling on water and plants.

    And the guys from the robotics section will work on creating automated systems for cleaning networks from pollution and maintaining their magnetization. This approach will help effectively protect the capital’s water bodies from pollution.

    Herbariums, microscopes and wild animals: what schoolchildren study in the Moscow Zoo’s young biologists’ clubAmur tiger, anteaters and potto: how the scientific department of the Moscow Zoo helps to preserve rare animals

    Palace of Children and Youth Creativity “Undiscovered Islands”: the world under the microscope

    Schoolchildren are invited to get to know nature betterPalace of Children and Youth Creativity “Undiscovered Islands”. Each branch holds classes for children aged five to 15. For example, in the “Island of Freedom” palace division (65 Svobody Street, Building 1), children conduct research, study plants and animals, and participate in environmental campaigns.

    “One of the most interesting areas is “The World Under the Microscope”, where children conduct natural science research. During lessons, they use microscopes with digital screens, binoculars, laboratory sets for experiments and interactive boards. In addition, the “Amazing Nearby” club is popular. At different times of the year, children go to natural areas, where they learn to identify the tracks of hares and squirrels or distinguish beaver teeth marks – gnawings – from broken branches. They also observe how nature changes with the onset of new seasons,” says Anna Lukyanchikova, an additional education teacher at the Palace of Children’s and Youth Creativity “Undiscovered Islands”.

    This year, the Undiscovered Islands Children and Youth Creativity Palace opened a club called “Birds: Amazing Ornithology.” Its participants try to observe birds and learn how their living conditions are affected by proximity to humans. There are groups for every age. Registration is open from September to May.

    “In addition, for interested children, we hold master classes where they can make crafts related to the topics of the classes. For example, if we study fauna, we make animal figurines. We also organize eco-quests. During them, children solve riddles, look for animal tracks and study nature in a playful way. In addition, we participate in clean-up days and feed birds. It is important to take care of what surrounds us and try to preserve it,” adds Anna Lukyanchikova.

    Moscow Children’s and Youth Center for Ecology, Local History and Tourism: Go on a Hiking Trip

    Environmental education helps not only to learn more about nature, but also to develop personal qualities, the director is sure Moscow Children and Youth Center for Ecology, Local History and Tourism (Odesskaya street, house 12a) Dmitry Morgun.

    “Nature is a book that a child needs to be taught to read. To do this, we develop thematic programs and invite zoologists, botanists, ecologists, geographers and other experts to classes. More than 7.5 thousand people study at our center. Clubs are open to children from 10 to 16 years old. Younger schoolchildren study nature, and older students offer solutions to environmental problems, go on hikes and expeditions across the regions of Russia. During trips, under the guidance of teachers, children learn to pitch tents, cook over a fire and navigate the terrain. This not only develops practical skills, but also helps them develop leadership qualities and learn to work in a team,” says Dmitry Morgun.

    Schoolchildren bring back rock samples, fossils and animal photographs from expeditions, which they then display at exhibitions in the center. Today, the exhibitions “Plant Diversity,” “Mammals of Russia,” and “Paleontological Finds in the Central Federal District” are open there.

    The center’s students can study the nature of Russia not only on long expeditions, but also in the natural areas of Moscow. This spring, the center opened a club called “Young Naturalist Path.” Classes are held in the Losiny Ostrov National Park. The children learn to assess the environmental situation, find solutions to improve the environment, study plants and observe animals. Employees of the Losiny Ostrov Ecocenter the capital’s Department of Nature Management and Environmental Protection talk about the importance of preserving biodiversity.

    Closer to the summer holidays, a “Field Eco-School” will open for schoolchildren. Children will walk routes in parks every day, observe seasonal changes, and study flora and fauna.

    “Nature will always be the center of attention. Therefore, if a parent sees that a child is interested in ecology, it is necessary to support such interest. And the capital has all the opportunities for this,” says Dmitry Morgun.

    Enroll a child You can join an environmental club on the mos.ru portal in the “Education” section. The window that opens will show filters for selecting an institution and direction. You can also specify the most convenient area or the nearest metro station. It is recommended to enroll in clubs at the beginning of the school year, as the number of places is limited.

    From Art to Science. The Best Educational Programs for Children in MoscowRobots, biochemistry and composites for the Arctic: what innovative developments are being created by Moscow schoolchildrenFrom artistic fencing to eSports. What unusual sections do young Muscovites attend?

    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.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/152067073/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Secures Preliminary Injunction Blocking Trump Administration from Unlawfully Terminating Federal Employees

    Source: US State of California Department of Justice

    OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today released a statement after the issuance of a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump Administration from conducting unlawful mass terminations of federal probationary employees who live or work in California.

     “The Trump Administration’s callous and reckless mass firings of federal employees have harmed thousands of employees and families including many veterans in our state who have dutifully served their country in uniform,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Today’s decision is an important victory for the rule of law, which blocks the administration from terminating federal employees without lawfully required notice. California will continue to fight to protect our federal workforce, and the services Californians rely on.” 

    Background

    Last month, Attorney General Bonta joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration for conducting an illegal mass firing of federal employees. Soon after, the U.S. District Court for Maryland granted a temporary restraining order that barred the Trump Administration’s unlawful mass firing of federal employees from 18 federal agencies from taking effect and ordering the employees’ reinstatement. Today’s order prevents the federal agencies listed below from conducting during the pendency of the lawsuit unlawful mass firings of federal employees who live or work in California and requires the reinstatement of any affected employees who have not already been reinstated. The order also extends the injunction to encompass employees from the Department of Defense and the Office of Personnel Management.

    Department of Agriculture    Department of Transportation  
    Department of Commerce   Department of Treasury  
    Department of Defense   Department of Veterans Affairs  
    Department of Education   Consumer Financial Protection Bureau  
    Department of Energy   Environmental Protection Agency  
    Department of Health and Human Services   Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation  
    Department of Homeland Security   General Services Administration  
    Department of Housing and Urban Development   Office of Personnel Management  
    Department of Interior    Small Business Administration  
    Department of Labor   United States Agency for International Development   

    Nationally, there are more than 5.1 million federal workers. Nearly all federal employees serve a one-or two-year probationary period, and more than 200,000 are on probationary status across the federal government. In California, numerous federal employees serve in critical roles across key agencies including the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Agriculture, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Forest Service, among others.

    The abrupt, pretextual termination of federal employees was not only unlawful but also disrupted essential government services from support for veterans and farmers to protection of our cherished national parks and lands. This action also had far reaching economic effects. Specifically, in California, federal employees heavily contribute to our economy by paying state income taxes and generating substantial local revenue. As a direct result of the Trump Administration’s unlawful actions, the state Employment Development Department was forced to commit substantial human and financial resources to quickly offer unemployment and reemployment assistance and information to wrongfully displaced workers. During the month of February 2025, coinciding with the layoffs, California saw a 149% increase in state unemployment benefit claims by federal workers.  

    Attorney General Bonta is joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai‛i, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia, in securing the preliminary injunction.

    A copy of the court’s order can be found here. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: New research lays bare the harsh realities facing artists and arts workers

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Grace McQuilten, Associate professor, RMIT University

    Australia’s visual arts and craft workers are facing increasingly deteriorating conditions, according to research published today.

    Our four-year study reveals workers are abandoning the visual art sector, largely because of unstable employment, below-average salaries and a lack of support.

    We present findings from the largest academic surveys of artists and arts workers to-date – the first conducted in 2022 (more than 700 respondents) and the second in 2024 (almost 900 respondents) – with income and employment data from four financial years between 2018 and 2024.

    Alongside the surveys, we conducted interviews with 20 artists and arts workers to better understand hybrid career patterns – and consulted widely with industry.

    Comparable to the gig economy

    Artists and arts workers represent a financially vulnerable group in Australia’s workforce. Our research identified concerning patterns of work, including:

    • high levels of education that don’t match salaries, which are well below the average for professional workers

    • high levels of unpaid work, volunteer work and self-employment

    • a highly gendered (majority women) workforce, with a significant gender pay gap

    • barriers to opportunity and career progression for people with disability and from diverse cultural backgrounds.

    We also found artists and arts workers often don’t know which awards and agreements they’re covered by, if any.

    A gendered workforce

    According to our 2024 survey responses, more than 74% of the visual arts workforce identify as women.

    Despite this, there was a significant gender pay gap. On average, woman artists earned 47% less than men artists, while women arts workers earned 23% less than men arts workers.

    This is much higher than the broader gender pay gap of 11.5% in 2024 (based on base pay for full-time workers).

    The average income from visual art or craft practice in 2023–24 was A$13,937, with men artists reporting an average of $23,130, women artists $12,330, and non-binary artists $14,074.

    This is matched with slow progression through career stages from emerging to “established”, particularly for women artists.

    Lack of security, long hours, little return

    Artists are surviving by taking multiple jobs. Only 25% of respondents spent 100% of their working time as an artist – with 82% receiving at least some income from other jobs.

    Half of artists also participated in unpaid work. This equated to an average of 28 hours per month.

    The cost-of-living crisis added further financial pressure, with 63% of respondents saying they were very or moderately financially stressed when it came to paying for essential goods and services.

    This had a flow-on effect on wellbeing. Half the artists surveyed rated their mental health as poor or fair, while 59% rated their work-life balance as poor or fair. These issues were amplified for artists with disability and from diverse cultural backgrounds, who experience significant barriers to participation.

    Arts workers, meanwhile, reported working an average of 45 hours per week in 2024. Despite this, 60% said they wanted to work even more hours – pointing to low pay and the challenges of making an arts career viable.

    On average, arts workers earned an annual income of $63,031. This was much lower than professionals in other industries, who earned an average income of $100,017.

    Levelling the playing field

    Our report contains a suite of policy recommendations and priority actions for the arts industry to address these issues.

    To address gender-related disparities, we suggest:

    • requiring gender pay gap reporting from organisations receiving public funding, along with action plans to address disparities

    • greater transparency in recruitment and promotion processes

    • commitments to gender equity targets in leadership positions.

    We also recommend greater transparency and reporting of disability and cultural diversity representation in staffing, including leadership and board roles, to promote accountability and drive cultural change.

    Funding incentives should be introduced to support diverse leadership – including higher pay to compensate for the additional workload carried by workers from First Nations, disability and culturally diverse backgrounds.

    Boosting incomes

    To address the intractable issue of low incomes, we suggest all funding contracts from state and federal arts bodies mandate adherence to industry best practice (such as NAVA’s Code of Practice). This will help agencies better support artists and arts workers, and uphold employment standards across the sector.

    Further, operational funding agreements should consistently prioritise secure work for artists and arts workers, by laying down permanent contracts or minimum fixed terms.

    Finally, there must be greater, more transparent recognition of the amount of unpaid labour in the arts, and a commitment to moving away from this. We therefore recommend sector-wide reportable targets aimed at reducing unpaid labour.

    Grace McQuilten received funding from the Australian Research Council. The Linkage Project Ambitious and Fair: strategies for a sustainable arts sector (LP200100054)

    Chloë Powell received funding from the Australian Research Council. The Linkage Project Ambitious and Fair: strategies for a sustainable arts sector (LP200100054).

    Jenny Lye received funding from the Australian Research Council. The Linkage Project Ambitious and Fair: strategies for a sustainable arts sector (LP200100054)

    Kate MacNeill received funding from the Australian Research Council. The Linkage Project Ambitious and Fair: strategies for a sustainable arts sector (LP200100054)

    Marnie Badham received funding from the Australian Research Council: Linkage Project Ambitious and Fair: strategies for a sustainable arts sector (LP200100054).

    – ref. New research lays bare the harsh realities facing artists and arts workers – https://theconversation.com/new-research-lays-bare-the-harsh-realities-facing-artists-and-arts-workers-253547

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Markey Blasts Trump Cuts to K-12 Education Funding

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Washington (April 1, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement today following the Trump administration’s decision to cut $106 million in K-12 education funding in Massachusetts, and more than $2 billion to K-12 schools nationwide.

    “President Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon have callously cut $106 million in funding to K-12 schools in Massachusetts – another salvo in their war on students and educators. To Massachusetts communities, this funding is a lifeline that helps provide students with math tutoring and dyslexia screening, update aging school buildings, and train educators to provide students with the highest quality instruction possible.

    “With these devastating cuts, the Trump administration is hurting students, educators, families, and communities in the Commonwealth and nationwide. Massachusetts is the birthplace of public education and has the best school system in the country. But we cannot continue to make necessary strides toward a school system that enables all students to succeed when the Trump administration is ripping the rug out from under states and cruelly clawing back funds that are owed to the Commonwealth.

    “As a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, I demanded that Linda McMahon promise not to cut funding for public schools. She refused. Now, Trump and McMahon are following through on their anti-student, anti-educator, anti-family agenda. They want to lock the promise of education and opportunity in an ivory tower and throw away the key.

    “I will fight these callous cuts, and I will fight any other attempts from Trump, McMahon, Musk and their lackeys to gut public education.”

    Impacted school districts in Massachusetts:

    • Springfield ($47,357,654)
    • New Bedford ($15,603,433) 
    • Fitchburg ($6,578,468)
    • Everett ($4,897,300)
    • Revere ($4,613,327)
    • Boston ($3,468,659)
    • Leominster ($1,868,215)
    • Stoughton ($1,512,470)
    • Worcester ($1,454,350)
    • Chelsea ($1,448,715)
    • Lawrence ($1,307,307)
    • Dracut ($648,702)
    • Holyoke ($395,863)
    • West Springfield ($354,868)
    • Lynn ($339,357)
    • Fairhaven ($250,802)
    • Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical ($115,465)
    • Ludlow ($83,334)
    • Blue Hills Regional Vocational Technical ($21,461)
    • Mashpee ($2,481)
    • Mater Dolorosa Catholic School in Holyoke ($118,894)
    • Saint Stanislaus School in Chicopee ($172,692)

    Senator Markey is fighting back against the Trump administration’s attacks on education and standing up for students, educators, and their families. On March 20, Senator Markey slammed Trump’s Executive Order to dismantle the Department of Education. On March 11, Senator Markey delivered remarks on the Senate Floor to spotlight Trump’s plan to gut the Department. On February 27, Senator Markey introduced the No Cuts to Public Schools Act, which would prevent any cuts to federal education formula funding during the Trump administration. On February 10, Senator Markey held a press conference in Boston with Massachusetts educators and teachers’ unions on Trump’s vow to dismantle the Department, and the impact on Massachusetts students, educators, and communities.

    On February 6, 2025, Senator Markey, members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation, along with the Massachusetts Teachers Association, American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts, Massachusetts Association of School Committees, and Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, released a joint statement after President Trump vowed to dismantle the Department of Education.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: US Senator Cory Booker just spoke for 25 hours in Congress. What was he trying to achieve?

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Bruce Wolpe, Non-resident Senior Fellow, United States Study Centre, University of Sydney

    The Democrats have been under intense pressure to find an effective way to challenge US President Donald Trump without control of either chamber of Congress or a de facto opposition leader.

    They may have just found one. New Jersey Senator Cory Booker took the Senate floor on Monday evening in Washington to give a speech lambasting Trump’s actions. He didn’t stop talking – aside for the occasional question from a fellow Democrat – until Tuesday night, 25 hours later.

    So, how common are these types of speeches in the US Congress, and what’s the point?

    Cory Booker reportedly did not leave the chamber to use the toilet and sipped from two glasses of water.

    Filibusters throughout history

    Booker’s speech set a new record for the longest continuous speech in the Senate, surpassing Senator Strom Thurmond’s 24-hour speech in 1957 to try to prevent the passage of the Civil Rights Act.

    This was during the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe during the second world war. The army was the great desegregation force in the 1940s, and Eisenhower, as president in the 1950s, was strongly in favour of civil rights.

    Strom Thurmond.
    Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division/Wikimedia Commons

    In 1957, Congress was going to pass a civil rights bill that would make it harder for officials in southern states, in particular, to prevent Black people from voting. So Thurmond, the South Carolina senator and fierce proponent of segregation, launched what was (until today) the longest speech in Senate history to oppose it.

    Thurmond’s speech was a filibuster, an extended speech in the Senate to attempt to delay or block a vote on a bill or confirmation. Thurmond, however, was unable to stop enactment of the bill.

    Senators engage in filibusters when they know they’re going to lose, especially when it’s a piece of legislation they really dislike or disagree with. Because they can’t stop the passage of the bill, they use the filibuster to call attention to their opposition to it. The intention is to rally the troops and say, “I’m standing with you, even if this vote goes the other way”.

    In 2016, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, who represents the state of Connecticut where the deadly shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School took place, launched a nearly 15-hour filibuster to force the Republican Senate leadership to allow votes on two gun control measures.

    Republican Senator Ted Cruz also spoke all night – 21 hours in total – against Obamacare in 2013. It wasn’t all focused on health policy; he filled the time by reading the children’s book, Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Seuss.

    Highlights from Ted Cruz’s filibuster.

    What Booker was trying to achieve

    Booker’s speech was not technically a filibuster – he wasn’t holding the floor to talk against a specific bill, as Thurmond was. He was giving time to his Democratic colleagues to just control the shape of the general debate about Trump.

    Senators use speeches like this when they’re losing on a issue, and Booker feels the Democrats are currently losing to Trump. They have been unable to stop any of his executive actions, so they feel they need to cut through in some way to reach the American people.

    Trump has been “flooding the zone” from the moment he took office in January with hundreds of policies and executive actions – and he has been extremely successful at it. These actions cut across so many areas, it’s been very hard for the Democrats, on any given day, to pick out the top things to fight against.

    Because they don’t have control of the House or Senate, and there is no opposition leader, there is no single, principal Democrat who can stand up day by day and say, “This is what happened, this was what the threat to the country is, this why we’re opposing it and this is the way we’re going to attack it”.

    Trump is controlling the narrative and the media environment. And the Democratic leadership has been unable to counter it, even though, at the grassroots level, Democrats and many others who voted for Trump are really angry.

    As Booker put it during his speech:

    Moments like this require us to be more creative or more imaginative, or just more persistent and dogged and determined.

    There comes a certain point in a human drama that transcends partisanship when you’re looking at someone speaking from the heart, speaking their convictions and you can come to respect them.

    Booker ran for the presidency in 2020 and ultimately yielded to Joe Biden, and I expect we’ll hear much more from him in 2028 when the next presidential election occurs. He is most likely going to run again.

    Bruce Wolpe receives funding, as a non resident senior Fellow, from the United Statses Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. He served for ten years on the Democratic staff in the US House of Representatives.

    – ref. US Senator Cory Booker just spoke for 25 hours in Congress. What was he trying to achieve? – https://theconversation.com/us-senator-cory-booker-just-spoke-for-25-hours-in-congress-what-was-he-trying-to-achieve-253616

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-Evening Report: US Senator Cory Booker just spoke for 25 hours in Congress. What was he trying to achieve?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bruce Wolpe, Non-resident Senior Fellow, United States Study Centre, University of Sydney

    The Democrats have been under intense pressure to find an effective way to challenge US President Donald Trump without control of either chamber of Congress or a de facto opposition leader.

    They may have just found one. New Jersey Senator Cory Booker took the Senate floor on Monday evening in Washington to give a speech lambasting Trump’s actions. He didn’t stop talking – aside for the occasional question from a fellow Democrat – until Tuesday night, 25 hours later.

    So, how common are these types of speeches in the US Congress, and what’s the point?

    Cory Booker reportedly did not leave the chamber to use the toilet and sipped from two glasses of water.

    Filibusters throughout history

    Booker’s speech set a new record for the longest continuous speech in the Senate, surpassing Senator Strom Thurmond’s 24-hour speech in 1957 to try to prevent the passage of the Civil Rights Act.

    This was during the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe during the second world war. The army was the great desegregation force in the 1940s, and Eisenhower, as president in the 1950s, was strongly in favour of civil rights.

    Strom Thurmond.
    Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division/Wikimedia Commons

    In 1957, Congress was going to pass a civil rights bill that would make it harder for officials in southern states, in particular, to prevent Black people from voting. So Thurmond, the South Carolina senator and fierce proponent of segregation, launched what was (until today) the longest speech in Senate history to oppose it.

    Thurmond’s speech was a filibuster, an extended speech in the Senate to attempt to delay or block a vote on a bill or confirmation. Thurmond, however, was unable to stop enactment of the bill.

    Senators engage in filibusters when they know they’re going to lose, especially when it’s a piece of legislation they really dislike or disagree with. Because they can’t stop the passage of the bill, they use the filibuster to call attention to their opposition to it. The intention is to rally the troops and say, “I’m standing with you, even if this vote goes the other way”.

    In 2016, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, who represents the state of Connecticut where the deadly shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School took place, launched a nearly 15-hour filibuster to force the Republican Senate leadership to allow votes on two gun control measures.

    Republican Senator Ted Cruz also spoke all night – 21 hours in total – against Obamacare in 2013. It wasn’t all focused on health policy; he filled the time by reading the children’s book, Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Seuss.

    Highlights from Ted Cruz’s filibuster.

    What Booker was trying to achieve

    Booker’s speech was not technically a filibuster – he wasn’t holding the floor to talk against a specific bill, as Thurmond was. He was giving time to his Democratic colleagues to just control the shape of the general debate about Trump.

    Senators use speeches like this when they’re losing on a issue, and Booker feels the Democrats are currently losing to Trump. They have been unable to stop any of his executive actions, so they feel they need to cut through in some way to reach the American people.

    Trump has been “flooding the zone” from the moment he took office in January with hundreds of policies and executive actions – and he has been extremely successful at it. These actions cut across so many areas, it’s been very hard for the Democrats, on any given day, to pick out the top things to fight against.

    Because they don’t have control of the House or Senate, and there is no opposition leader, there is no single, principal Democrat who can stand up day by day and say, “This is what happened, this was what the threat to the country is, this why we’re opposing it and this is the way we’re going to attack it”.

    Trump is controlling the narrative and the media environment. And the Democratic leadership has been unable to counter it, even though, at the grassroots level, Democrats and many others who voted for Trump are really angry.

    As Booker put it during his speech:

    Moments like this require us to be more creative or more imaginative, or just more persistent and dogged and determined.

    There comes a certain point in a human drama that transcends partisanship when you’re looking at someone speaking from the heart, speaking their convictions and you can come to respect them.

    Booker ran for the presidency in 2020 and ultimately yielded to Joe Biden, and I expect we’ll hear much more from him in 2028 when the next presidential election occurs. He is most likely going to run again.

    Bruce Wolpe receives funding, as a non resident senior Fellow, from the United Statses Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. He served for ten years on the Democratic staff in the US House of Representatives.

    – ref. US Senator Cory Booker just spoke for 25 hours in Congress. What was he trying to achieve? – https://theconversation.com/us-senator-cory-booker-just-spoke-for-25-hours-in-congress-what-was-he-trying-to-achieve-253616

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Kim Il Sung University is exploring the possibility of opening a representative office in Novosibirsk’s Akademgorodok

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

    Kim Il Sung University, the leading university in the DPRK, is exploring the possibility of opening its representative office in Akademgorodok. Currently, the leadership of Novosibirsk State University, the Presidium of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the scientific and technological park of the Novosibirsk Akademgorodok are actively engaged in resolving organizational issues and searching for a potential location for this representative office.

    The opening of the representative office will strengthen scientific and educational ties between North Korea and Russia, create a platform for joint research and exchange of experience in various fields of science and technology, and attract the attention of students and scientists to the educational opportunities provided by Novosibirsk.

    It is expected that this cooperation will result in joint research programs, student and teacher exchanges, and scientific conferences and seminars. This will create additional opportunities for the internationalization of education in both countries and will enhance the level of scientific research.

    — The visit of the delegation of Kim Il Sung University to Novosibirsk took place at the end of January 2025, within the framework of it, the rectors of Novosibirsk State University and Kim Il Sung University expressed confidence that the establishment of the representative office will be an important step towards the development of bilateral relations in the field of science and education. They also emphasized the importance of interaction with international partners to solve urgent scientific and technological problems facing society, – commented Evgeny Sagaydak, Head of the Department of Education Export at NSU.

    In addition, an agreement was reached that a partner school would be found in North Korea for WITHspecializededucationalscientific center of NSU (Physics and Mathematics School). This will allow us to jointly prepare North Korean schoolchildren for admission to Novosibirsk State University, providing them with the necessary knowledge and skills for successful study.

    The delegation of Kim Il Sung University also confirmed its intention to participate in the events of Interweek, which will be held at NSU in late April. This will open up new opportunities for the exchange of experience and knowledge between schoolchildren and teachers, and will also demonstrate interest in establishing closer academic ties between the two countries.

    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 –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Can you tell the difference between real and fake news photos? Take the quiz to find out

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By T.J. Thomson, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication & Digital Media, RMIT University

    A (real) photo of a protester dressed as Pikachu in Paris on March 29 2025. Remon Haazen / Getty Images

    You wouldn’t usually associate Pikachu with protest.

    But a figure dressed as the iconic yellow Pokémon joined a protest last week in Turkey to demonstrate against the country’s authoritarian leader.

    And then a virtual doppelgänger made the rounds on social media, raising doubt in people’s minds about whether what they were seeing was true. (Just to be clear, the image in the post shown below is very much fake.)

    This is the latest in a spate of incidents involving AI-generated (or AI-edited) images that can be made easily and cheaply and that are often posted during breaking news events.

    Doctored, decontextualised or synthetic media can cause confusion, sow doubt, and contribute to political polarisation. The people who make or share these media often benefit financially or politically from spreading false or misleading claims.

    How would you go at telling fact from fiction in these cases? Have a go with this quiz and learn more about some of AI’s (potential) giveaways and how to stay safer online.

    How’d you go?

    As this exercise might have revealed, we can’t always spot AI-generated or AI-edited images with just our eyes. Doing so will also become harder as AI tools become more advanced.

    Dealing with visual deception

    AI-powered tools exist to try to detect AI content, but these have mixed results.

    Running suspect images through a search engine to see where else they have been published – and when – can be a helpful strategy. But this relies on there being an original “unedited” version published somewhere online.

    Perhaps the best strategy is something called “lateral reading”. It means getting off the page or platform and seeing what trusted sources say about a claim.

    Ultimately, we don’t have time to fact-check every claim we come across each day. That’s why it’s important to have access to trustworthy news sources that have a track record of getting it right. This is even more important as the volume of AI “slop” increases.

    T.J. Thomson receives funding from the Australian Research Council. He is an affiliated researcher with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making & Society.

    – ref. Can you tell the difference between real and fake news photos? Take the quiz to find out – https://theconversation.com/can-you-tell-the-difference-between-real-and-fake-news-photos-take-the-quiz-to-find-out-253539

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Getting valuable input from Northcote’s future generation

    Source: Auckland Council

    On behalf of Auckland Council, Eke Panuku creates amazing spaces for current and future generations across Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. 

    In Northcote, they’re transforming the town centre over the next ten years. There will be new public facilities and, working with private investors, they’ll be new housing, eateries, offices, and shops, including a new larger supermarket.

    A key part of the transformation is delivering a new community hub, on the current Northcote Library site, and an upgrade of the neighbouring Puāwai Cadness Reserve.

    Kate Cumberpatch, Priority Location Director at Eke Panuku, says, “It’s critical that these public spaces work for everyone, particularly our youth, so last year we enlisted the help of students at Northcote Intermediate School for their input on the proposed design.”

    “Students loved being involved in the process and seeing their ideas come to life in the final design. They were so enthusiastic and eager to help and had some creative ideas and useful feedback, particularly for the upgrade of Puāwai Cadness Reserve.”

    “Some of their great ideas – a hamster wheel, trampolines, climbing and balance activities, and a big swing – are all part of the final design.”

    The students loved that there will be two separate playgrounds for younger and older kids and the general vibe of the design, with bright colours and lots of greenery. They were also very happy to see the field retained for playing games.

    Kate says, ‘It’s exciting times ahead in Northcote, with the new community hub and upgraded reserve kicking off the regeneration of the town centre. We’d like to thank the students from Northcote Intermediate School that worked with on this project for their energy and enthusiasm, helping us to create exciting public spaces in Northcote for everyone to enjoy.”  

    Construction of the community hub and upgrade of Puāwai Cadness Reserve, which is part of Te Ara Awataha – Northcote’s new greenway – is expected to start in late 2025.

    See here for more information about this project. Information about the wider transformation of Northcote is here.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Local News – Young People’s Fund grant recipients aim to empower Porirua youth

    Source: Porirua City Council

    Recipients of the latest Young People’s Fund grants will run programmes ranging from boxing to podcasting, all aimed at positively impacting tamariki and rangatahi living in Porirua.
    This round of funding included two Tier 1 grants – $50,000 a year for three years, as well as five Tier 2 grants – one-off payments of $6000.
    This year’s Tier 1 funding recipients are the Cannons Creek Youth Charitable Trust – which runs the Cannons Creek Boxing Academy, and Voice of Aroha.
    The Cannons Creek Youth Charitable Trust will use the funding to provide their boxing programmes to local students aged 9-19 at no cost. Those involved in the charity say the programme will be “life changing” for participants.
    As well as learning boxing skills, the sessions include a check-in process and understanding of the academy’s value system.
    “This grant is acknowledgement of the hard work and dedication that the Cannons Creek Boxing Academy team and the Cannons Creek Youth Charitable Trust Board have put in over the last few years in growing and developing the academy to what it is today,” says Cannons Creek Youth Charitable Trust Te Tumu Whakahaere, Paegan Edmonds-Topia.
    The second Tier 1 recipient, Voice of Aroha, aims to equip Porirua young people with the skills and confidence to tell their stories, raise their voices, and create positive change in their communities.
    Over the three years they will run workshops on digital media production, podcasting, and public speaking, with a focus on issues such as mental health, identity and belonging.
    A panel of rangatahi aged 16-24 years-old representing a cross-section of the Porirua community worked with council officers to consider the applications for the Young People’s Fund before making recommendations to the council.
    Porirua Mayor Anita Baker says choosing the recipients this year was tough as there were so many excellent applicants.
    “There are many worthy projects out there for supporting our city’s young people. We’re happy to provide this assistance to a range of projects focusing on the environment, health and wellbeing, and diversity and inclusion.”
    Five organisations received Tier 2 funding this year:
    Holy Family School – for their Pa Harakeke (Harakeke Garden) project which comprises a labyrinth of harakeke complemented by clusters of edible and coastal plants, and areas for students to relax and meditate.
    Wellness Within – to run workshops aiming to educate, inspire, and support as many tamariki as possible in leading healthy, balanced lives and enhancing their overall wellbeing.
    Porirua Multicultural Council – for projects to support the identity of young people in Porirua from different communities and help them into the workforce.
    Wellington Access Radio – to support three short-run radio shows/podcasts with three different groups of young people in the Porirua community.
    Alofa Tunoa Trust –

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: ‘Adolescence’ on Netflix: A painful wake-up call about unregulated internet use for teens

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Martina Calçada Kohatsu, PhD Candidate in Educational Psychology, McGill University

    In ‘Adolescence,’ a communication abyss that separates Gen X from Gen Z gives way to calamity. (Netflix)

    This story contains spoilers about the Netflix series ‘Adolescence.’

    In the Netflix series Adolescence, we have no idea why Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) is arrested at the beginning of the first episode. The tension from seeing a helpless 13-year-old boy escorted to a police station and interrogated holds us to the screen. Every minute of the one-hour episode, shot in a single continuous take, makes us feel like we are in the police station with the Miller family, viewing things through his parents’ disorientation.

    As the plot unfolds, we are given clues to explain the inexplicable, but we can’t fully appreciate the show’s magnitude until the very last scene, a dramatic moment where we see the boy’s father (Stephen Graham) cry over his son’s teddy bear while asking it for forgiveness.

    From an educational psychology angle, the show is ripe for analysis. One could comment on the premature sexualization of young girls and boys or the obsolete sense, for parents, that they can assume kids are safe when they’re at home in their rooms.

    However, as a doctoral student in educational psychology, I am mostly concerned with human learning — both the cognitive development that must accompany successful learners, and how children and youth understand the world through relationships.

    The state of Jamie’s cognitive development and of teenagers in general may help us understand his frame of mind — or the “why” that detective Luke Bascombe (Ashley Walters) pursues.

    For parents, this show raises serious questions about the crisis in parent-child communication and how the internet is shaping children’s behaviour and minds. I suggest turning to the practice of dialogue as a way for parents to strengthen their communication with their children and learn about each other and the world.

    Trailer for ‘Adolescence.’

    Children’s minds

    According to the government of Canada, “any human being below the age of 18” is defined as a child. Children can’t be recruited to join the Armed Forces, sign legal contracts, drive, vote, marry, drink alcohol and so on. As adults, we understand that these prohibitions not only protect them but also us.

    Setting aside ethical reasons why children shouldn’t do any of these things, the major reason is due to the developmental state of their minds.

    To better understand this, we must consider executive function, also called cognitive control. Executive function refers to the unconscious cognitive processes of abstract thinking, inhibition, impulse control and planning that allow us to consciously control and direct our thoughts to goals, actions and emotions.

    Think of executive control as interconnected paths in the brain. In an adolescent’s brain, these paths resemble more of a labyrinth, with difficult and sometimes non-working passages.

    Children and adolescents’ cognitive development are in “sensitive periods” in which their brains are more plastic and susceptible to environmental influences. Besides not having full control of their thought processes, research has also shown that abstract and more “neutral” cognitive skills develop earlier than those that involve motivated or emotionally charged actions.

    Ability to weigh options still developing

    Adolescents might be mature enough to solve complex math problems, but still feel helpless when needing to be polite to someone they believe offended them (not an easy task for adults either). In such a case, one would need to “step back” from the situation, and weigh options to respond.

    An adult might think “maybe I misinterpreted what this person said” or “if I offend them back, I risk losing my job/friendship/reputation.” By dwelling on different course of actions, they don’t act impulsively.

    This is precisely the ability that adolescents are still developing.

    Adolescent brains have not fully matured in ways that enable them to calculate risk.
    (Netflix)

    Virtual selves and threats

    When adolescents engage with social media, they can be exposed to a threatening environment where they must assert their virtual selves and deal with bullying and inappropriate content, while lacking full control of their thought processes.

    Yet, as American social psychologist Jonathan Haidt has chronicled, our society has allowed adolescents to take part in this at grave risk. With maturing cognitive capabilities, teens are at risk in an online environment that thrives on extreme views and hijacks emotions.

    As a victim of cyberbullying, Jamie was probably not equipped with the cognitive abilities to step back from the situation and seek help. Instead, he responds to cruelty he experienced with cruelty he knew.

    With unregulated internet use, in terms of both content and unrestricted time spent online, communication with parents atrophies. At its core, Adolescence is a painful wake-up call to the effects of unregulated internet usage in teens, and how the communication abyss that separates Gen X from Gen Z gives way to calamity.

    Clueless adults, aware teens

    Nowhere in the show is this distance more evident than when police detectives move cluelessly through Jamie’s school trying to understand his motives, while the students seem cynically aware of what really happened.

    The detective’s son clues him into interpreting signs of incel subculture.
    (Netflix)

    In a typical moment reflecting contemporary intergenerational dynamics in which the Gen Zs explain stuff to their analog parents, Bascombe’s son is the one to enlighten him about incel subculture and what certain emojis represent.

    It becomes clear that pop-cultural references mean different things to a younger generation. For example, “red pill” was appropriated from The Matrix and is now used for those who “see the truth” and reject feminism.

    Generations are comfortable communicating in different ways. Teens, for example, are clever texters. They use images, edit reels and create memes to convey subtle and often complex feelings.

    In contrast, teens’ discomfort with face-to-face conversations is explicit in the last episode of Adolescence, when the Miller family drives to a hardware store. The parents play a song from their prom and reminisce. The oldest daughter is with them, but not present, focused on her phone and only sporadically joining the conversation.

    Why dialogue matters

    Parents and their children may find direction through dialogue. This ancient practice is based on the view of the world as becoming, with infinite internal and external contradictions that must be overcome so that new understandings of reality may emerge.

    Dialogue was famously advanced as an educational practice by philosopher of education, Paulo Freire.

    Freire believed people must come together to share their meanings of the world, and through this push and pull of ideas, reasons and opinions, conceptualize new forms of understanding. For parents, this means that without trying to understand what teens are saying and, importantly, how they are saying it, we can’t possibly create a better future for all of us.

    Open channel needed

    Engaging in dialogue involves two things: asking and answering questions. It is not a matter of merely extracting information (although knowing what children are doing is important), but rather of mutually sharing interests and letting it guide discovery.

    When parents and children find a channel, communication opens and for as long as the mutual interest is there, they can steadily build meaningful connections that transform how they see the world and their relationships.

    With renewed urgency, dialogue that validates the interests and knowledge of both parents and children can offer a way out of the polarization created between them by long hours spent online.

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

    – ref. ‘Adolescence’ on Netflix: A painful wake-up call about unregulated internet use for teens – https://theconversation.com/adolescence-on-netflix-a-painful-wake-up-call-about-unregulated-internet-use-for-teens-253068

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-Evening Report: New NZ TV series Happiness gives us an engaging musical peak behind the amateur theatre curtain

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Camp, Senior Lecturer, School of Music, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

    Warner Bros Discovery

    The last few decades have seen many attempts to make musical TV shows.

    Some of them applied the aesthetics of musicals (where people spontaneously sing and dance) to the television form, such as the recent cult series Schmigadoon! (2021–23) and the less successful medieval-set Galavant (2015–16).

    Others have foregrounded music by being backstage musicals, or “backstagers”, about the creation of musicals. Glee (2009–15), about the American high school show choir scene, was the most successful of these. It led to imitators like Smash (2013–14), about a Marilyn Monroe musical; 2018’s Rise, a major flop about a high school producing Spring Awakening; and, my favourite, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (2019–23), a meta-fictional take on the Disney musical canon.

    Backstagers have usually been more successful and also easier to produce than true through-and-through musicals for television, as they place their stories in settings that allow for the more or less “natural” presence of song and dance as part of the shows being staged. This acts as a bridge for audience members who might baulk at the singing and dancing fantasies inherent to the musical genre.

    With their new show Happiness, Kip Chapman and Luke Di Somma have created a welcome New Zealand answer to this style of musical TV show.

    Creating a musical

    Charlie (Harry McNaughton) has returned from New York to his hometown of Tauranga, having been dismissed from helming a Broadway revival of Cats.

    In a desperate attempt to demonstrate competency for a renewal of his visa – and to please his mum Gaye (Rebecca Gibney) – he decides to help out the local amateur musical theatre society Pizzaz (“the finest large-scale yet boutique classical musical theatre company in Tauranga”) with their latest production, an original musical called The Trojan Horse, based on the Iliad.

    The first number in the first episode is an airport flash mob set to Backstreet’s Back, which Charlie’s mum has arranged to welcome her son home. While the nod to the Backstreet Boys is fun, it would have been more effective to start the show with an original musical number. As many writers of musicals have argued, one has to set up the “rules” of a musical in the first ten minutes, otherwise there is a risk of confusing the audience.

    This number hints that Happiness might be a jukebox musical, but thankfully that is not the case. On the contrary, it has a whole set of new songs.

    Happiness takes an affectionate look at community musical theatre.
    Warner Bros Discovery

    The score that Luke Di Somma has written for the show-within-the-show is a convincing pastiche of standard musical theatre styles. There is lots of Les Misérables high drama, Chicago showbiz razzle-dazzle, and Dear Evan Hansen pop balladry.

    The songs carefully tread the line between portraying the well-meaning amateurishness of The Trojan Horse and being clever and competent enough in themselves to retain the audience’s interest.

    This collection of stylistic nods, at least among the songs heard in the first two episodes I was able to preview, is typical of musical theatre writing as it is currently done. Di Somma has nicely balanced his own personal style (on display in earlier works like That Bloody Woman and The Unruly Tourists) with the needs of Happiness’s pastiche to create a score that wouldn’t be out of place on any musical stage.

    An affectionate take

    Happiness takes an affectionate look at community musical theatre, with details like the mismatched teacups and homemade lamingtons available during rehearsal breaks, the amusingly stuffed prop and costume store, and the mix of ages and experiences in the cast.

    Backstagers are good fodder for TV as they can involve a wide variety of eccentric characters among the show’s cast and crew. The first episode does a good job of introducing them all. The usual backstage tropes are all there, like the young ingenue overshadowed by the haughty star and the put-upon music director (Marshayla Christie) trying to get her voice heard by the out-of-touch stage director (Peter Hambleton).

    Happiness brings a specific New Zealand spin to the backstage musical.
    Warner Bros Discovery

    This all makes Happiness fairly predictable, but it is also well observed and always engaging. A specific New Zealand spin comes with details such as the look of the the barn-like space that houses Pizazz, the Number Eight Wire attitude shown by the crew (they have $167 to make the Trojan Horse prop), and poking a bit of fun at the Kiwi accent. In one scene, Charlie suggests that local star Jacqui (Jessie Lawrence) as Helen of Troy might try it without the “Classical” English accent – which only ends up strengthening her Kiwi vowels.

    I hope that Warner Discovery, which produces the show, will distribute it abroad. Happiness paints New Zealand musical theatre talent in a positive light and shows what the locals can do, while also being very entertaining in its own right. It is a welcome addition to the “let’s put on a show” backstager genre.

    Happiness is available on Three and ThreeNow from tomorrow.

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

    – ref. New NZ TV series Happiness gives us an engaging musical peak behind the amateur theatre curtain – https://theconversation.com/new-nz-tv-series-happiness-gives-us-an-engaging-musical-peak-behind-the-amateur-theatre-curtain-253025

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –