NewzIntel.com

Category: Education

  • MIL-OSI USA: Investor Bulletin: SIPC Protection (Part 1: SIPC Basics)

    Source: Securities and Exchange Commission

    The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) are issuing two Investor Bulletins to help educate investors about SIPC protection for brokerage accounts. The first Investor Bulletin (“SIPC Basics”) will provide investors with an overview of how SIPC protection works and what it protects, and the second Investor Bulletin (“Filing a SIPC claim”) will provide investors with an overview for how to file a SIPC claim.

    What is SIPC protection?

    When you open a brokerage account with a SIPC member brokerage firm, SIPC protection helps address your risk of losing your securities and cash held by the firm if it fails or goes out of business.  If a SIPC member brokerage firm fails, SIPC protects its customers against the loss of securities and cash deposited with the SIPC member firm for the purchase of securities.  SIPC protection advances funds of up to $500,000 per customer (including a $250,000 limit for cash claims) to cover a shortfall in customer property. We will discuss how this protection works in more detail below. 

    Who are SIPC member brokerage firms?

    SIPC member brokerage firms are, with narrow exceptions, all securities broker-dealers registered with the SEC.  SIPC members pay annual membership assessments which are used to fund SIPC and its mission.

    Most registered brokerage firms which conduct business with the investing public are SIPC members. SIPC member brokerage firms must state that they are SIPC members in their offices and on their webpage and advertisements.  The narrow exceptions to SIPC membership include brokerage firms whose exclusive business involves selling specific products, like registered open-end mutual funds or variable annuities.  Brokerage firms that are not SIPC members must disclose this fact to customers before or at the time of conducting any securities transactions in a customer’s account.

    A SIPC member’s affiliate, including a parent company or subsidiary, is a separate legal entity and not a member of SIPC unless independently registered.  Accordingly, customers of a foreign subsidiary of a SIPC member firm are not protected by SIPC if the foreign subsidiary fails.

    SIPC members include both introducing brokers and clearing brokers.  The different broker roles create an important difference in how SIPC protection might apply.  An introducing broker generally is a client-facing brokerage firm which interacts with the customer and takes customer orders.  The clearing broker works on the back end, executing customer trades, holding custody of customer property, and issuing statements and confirmations.  Because SIPC protects against losses caused by the failure of a brokerage firm to maintain custody of customer accounts, the failure of an introducing broker may not require SIPC protection. Customer property should be safely held by the clearing broker, which will usually locate a new introducing broker to service the accounts.

    Who are customers?

    In general, you are a customer if you have an investment account with a SIPC-member brokerage firm or have deposited cash with a SIPC-member brokerage firm, for the purpose of purchasing securities.  You do not need to be a U.S. citizen to qualify as a customer.  SIPC protection of customers with multiple accounts is determined by “separate customer” capacity.

    Some of examples of separate capacities include:

    • An individual account;
    • a joint account;
    • a traditional individual retirement account;
    • a Roth individual retirement account;
    • an account for a trust created under state law;
    • an account for a corporation; and
    • an account held by a guardian for a minor.

    Additional information on separate accounts may be found in SIPC’s Series 100 Rules.

    Each separate capacity is treated as a unique customer and protected up to $500,000 for securities and cash (including a $250,000 limit for cash only). Accounts held in the same capacity are combined for purposes of the SIPC protection limits.  Here are some examples to illustrate how SIPC protection limits apply to investors with multiple accounts:

    Example 1:

    Sally has a brokerage account in her name at her brokerage firm.

    SIPC Protection Limit

    Sally has SIPC protection up to $500,000 for her brokerage account.
    Example 2:

    Tim has two brokerage accounts, each in his name, at the same brokerage firm.

    SIPC Protection Limit

    For purposes of SIPC protection, Tim’s accounts are combined. Tim does not have SIPC protection of $500,000 for each account, but has a total of $500,000 SIPC protection for both accounts.
    Example 3:

    Tim and Sally are married and they have a joint brokerage account, in addition to the individual brokerage accounts they each have at the brokerage firm.

    SIPC Protection Limit

    This joint brokerage account of Tim and Sally would have SIPC protection of $500,000, in addition to the SIPC protections of $500,000 that Sally and Tim have for their individual brokerage accounts discussed in Examples 1 and 2.
    Example 4:

    Tim also has a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA at the same brokerage firm.

    SIPC Protection Limit

    In addition to the other SIPC protections in the above examples, each of these IRA accounts would receive up to $500,000 in SIPC protection.

    What is protected?

    SIPC works to return “customer property,” generally meaning customer securities and related cash held by a SIPC-member brokerage firm.  Protected securities include notes; stocks; Treasuries; bonds; CDs; options on securities; investment company shares such as mutual funds, ETFs, and money market funds; and investment contracts that are registered with the SEC under the Securities Act of 1933.

    A brokerage firm may hold your securities as either “customer name securities” – directly registered in your name in a non-negotiable form – or street name securities – owned by you on the brokerage firm’s books and records but registered in the brokerage firm’s name.  Both customer name and “street” name securities are protected by SIPC, although, as discussed below, the registration method affects how the securities are returned to you. 

    Protected securities do not include commodities (such as gold or silver) or futures contracts, unregistered investment contracts, unregistered limited partnerships, fixed annuity contracts, or most types of crypto assets. For additional information on the types of securities SIPC protects, see SIPC’s “What SIPC Protects” webpage (https://www.sipc.org/for-investors/what-sipc-protects).

    In recent years, certain securities have been issued and/or transferred using blockchain or distributed ledger technology, i.e., a crypto asset security.  At this time, many of the crypto asset securities that have been issued may be investment contracts and very few of them are registered in compliance with the federal securities laws.  As noted above, under SIPA an investment contract must be registered with the Commission under the Securities Act of 1933 in order to be a protected security, regardless of whether it is a crypto asset security.

    Cash held in the account for the purpose of purchasing securities is also protected.  Cash placed in the account solely for the purpose of earning interest, however, is not protected.  Investments in currency, such as foreign exchange trading positions, also are not protected.

    What SIPC Does Not Protect

    SIPC protection works to restore to customers the cash and securities that were in their brokerage account when the SIPC-member brokerage firm failed. SIPC protection:

    • does not protect you against the decline in value of your securities
    • does not protect you against non-custody related fraud or misrepresentations such as being sold worthless stock or other securities. (SIPC protection may apply to the fraudulent transfer of your securities)
    • does not protect against losses due to a broker’s bad investment advice or recommendations for inappropriate investments, or for claims that a broker you authorized to buy or sell securities in your account did so in a way that was inconsistent with your overall investment objectives. 
    • does not provide protection for claims of churning – that your broker engaged in excessive trading to generate commissions.
    • does not protect assets held outside of a SIPC-member brokerage firm, even if such assets are reported on an account statement

    Brokerage firms may offer you different options for managing cash in your account.  SIPC provides protection for two common cash management options: either simply leaving the cash in your brokerage account to invest it or placing it in a money market fund (which qualifies as a security for SIPC protection purposes).  Another option offered by some brokerage firms is a bank sweep program.  In a bank sweep program, your brokerage firm automatically transfers (or “sweeps”) unused cash from your brokerage account into a bank account.  There, the cash is protected under banking laws and may be insured within limits by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).  Since cash in a bank sweep program is held outside of the brokerage firm, SIPC would not protect these funds if your brokerage firm fails.

    How do I obtain SIPC protection?

    You become eligible to receive SIPC protection simply by becoming a securities customer of a SIPC member brokerage firm.  You do not need to pay additional fees for SIPC protection.  

    What should I do to protect myself?

    Outside of the liquidation of a SIPC member, SIPC cannot intervene to satisfy claims or offer protection when a brokerage firm is still viable.  SIPC is not a regulator, and it has no authority to investigate active brokerage firms and does not have access to account records.  Accordingly, you should be vigilant and take steps when investing through a brokerage firm to protect yourself and maximize your protection should your brokerage firm be liquidated. 

    First, you should verify that you have invested with a SIPC member brokerage firm.  You can find a list of SIPC members on SIPC’s website (https://www.sipc.org/list-of-members/), and you can research registered brokerage firms using BrokerCheck, a service provided by FINRA (https://brokercheck.finra.org/).  You should further ensure that all deposits or transfers are directed to the SIPC member (or a SIPC-member clearing broker) and not to an individual representative or affiliate.

    You should carefully review your account statements and trade confirmations.  Any discrepancies should be brought promptly to the brokerage firm’s attention in writing.  Of particular importance, you should submit a written complaint to your introducing brokerage firm if you notice any unauthorized trading.  The failure to file a complaint about an unauthorized trade may result in the trade being “ratified” – meaning that you are deemed to have accepted and authorized the trade.  If you have any complaint about your account, you should first contact the brokerage firm and see if it can resolve the complaint.  If not, you should contact the SEC, FINRA, or your state securities regulator, documenting any complaints.

    Additional Resources

    Investor Bulletin: SIPC Protection (Part 2: Filing a SIPC Claim) (https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/general-resources/news-alerts/alerts-bulletins/investor-bulletins-102)

    SIPC Brochure: How SIPC Protects You (https://www.sipc.org/media/brochures/HowSIPCProtectsYou-English-Web.pdf)

    SIPC Brochure: The Investor’s Guide to Brokerage Firm Liquidations (https://www.sipc.org/media/brochures/Liquidations-Web.pdf)

    Investor.gov Glossary: Securities Investor Protection Corporation (https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/investing-basics/glossary/securities-investor-protection-corporation-sipc)

    FINRA Investor Alert: If a Brokerage Firm Closes Its Doors (https://www.finra.org/investors/insights/if-brokerage-firm-closes-its-doors)

    FINRA: Your Rights Under SIPC Protection (https://www.finra.org/investors/need-help/your-rights-under-sipc-protection)

    FDIC: Understanding Deposit Insurance (https://www.fdic.gov/resources/deposit-insurance/understanding-deposit-insurance/index.html)

    For more information regarding SIPC, please visit SIPC’s website (www.sipc.org).  If you have any questions regarding SIPC and the protection that it provides, you can email SIPC at asksipc@sipc.org.

    Visit the SEC’s website for individual investors, Investor.gov.

    Call OIEA at 1-800-732-0330, ask a question using this online form, or email us at Help@SEC.gov.

    Receive Investor Alerts and Bulletins from OIEA by email or RSS feed. Follow OIEA on Twitter. Like OIEA on Facebook.

    This Investor Alert represents the views of the staff of the Office of Investor Education and Advocacy. It is not a rule, regulation, or statement of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”). The Commission has neither approved nor disapproved its content. This Alert, like all staff statements, has no legal force or effect: it does not alter or amend applicable law, and it creates no new or additional obligations for any person.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Minister Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia addresses press conference to share important decisions and achievements taken by the Department of Telecommunications in the 100 days of the third term of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

    Source: Government of India

    Union Minister Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia addresses press conference to share important decisions and achievements taken by the Department of Telecommunications in the 100 days of the third term of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

    Shri JyotiradityaScindia says “Initiatives aims to ensure that digital and infrastructural links are ubiquitous, facilitating access to essential services and opportunities to all.”

    These initiatives reaffirm to expanding and enhancing India’s Telecom ecosystem, for a more digitally empowered future

    DoT’s initiative,’Ek Ped MaaKe Naam’ App also gets launched, combining environmental responsibility with a personal touch

    Posted On: 23 SEP 2024 5:53PM by PIB Delhi

    The Minister of Communications (Department of Telecom & Department of Post) and Development of Northeastern Region (DONER), Shri Jyotiraditya M Scindia today said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s governmenthas prioritized connectivity for every citizen across the nation. He said, the initiatives of Department of Telecommunications aim to ensure that digital and infrastructural links are ubiquitous, facilitating access to essential services and opportunities. He emphasized that maintaining this connectivity is crucial for fostering inclusive growth and development throughout India.

    Shri Jyotiraditya M Scindia along with Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekharwas addressing the media on achievements of the Ministry of Communications (DoT& DoP) and Ministry of Development of Northeastern Region (DONER)in 100 days of the Government in New Delhi. Secretary (T), Secretary (DoP), Secretary DONER and senior officials of the ministries were present.

    Shri JyotiradityaScindia also launched ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam(EPKMN) App, a uniqueinitiative of DoT, where citizens can plant a tree in honour of their mother and record the location, latitude, longitude, and timestamp of the dedicated tree.The app allows them to update the tree’s growth by uploading a new image every 30 days, allowing for continuous tracking.(The android application can be downloaded from https://usof.gov.in/en/ek-ped-maa-ke-naam).

     

    Highlighting the accomplishments of the Department of Communications during the first 100 days of the government, Minister Scindia gave a detailed outline of the work done. He pointed out that DoT has successfully completed several key initiatives as part of the Government of India’s 100-day programme. He said, during this period, DoT has made significant strides in strengthening the four goals of a developed telecom ecosystem – Samaveshit (ubiquitous connectivity fuelling inclusive growth), Viksit (developed India through triad of perform, reform and transform), Tvarit (accelerated development and swift resolution), and Surakshit (safely and securely). The major achievements of 100-day programme are:

     

    Samaveshit

    Under various initiatives funded by the Digital Bharat Nidhi (Erstwhile Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF)), 4G mobile coverage is being expanded to uncovered villages across India. These efforts are focused on regions such as aspirational districts, the North-Eastern region, border areas, islands, and areas affected by left-wing extremism. A total of 7,101 4G mobile towers have been commissioned by Telecom Service Providers (Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel & BSNL) under various Digital Bharat Nidhi funded 4G schemes including 4G Saturation scheme. Out of these 4G towers 2,618Towers have been made on-air since June 2024.

     

    5G technology has reached almost all districts of India. As of today, 98% districts in India have presence of 5G technology thereby empowering citizens with highspeed data network. 5G networks have been rolled out in all States/ UTs across the country and more than 4.5 lakh 5G Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) have been installed across the country.

     

    Viksit

    Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched the Bharat 6G Vision in March 2023 with the objective to be a front-line contributor in design, development and deployment of 6G technology by 2030. In line with the Bharat 6G Vision and to support India’s prominence in 6G technology and develop the 6G RAN for the world, the DoT invited proposals from academia, industry, and other bodies engaged in R&D. So far 111 project proposalshave been processed for funding to expedite the research under “Accelerated research on 6G Ecosystem”.

     

    • 100 5G Labs 

    Labs with indigenously developed 5G technology are being set up at 100 institutions, equally distributed across four zones in the country. The labs are being set up with the aim of capacity building in new telecom technologies and creating use cases in various socio-economic sectors for 5G technologies in collaboration with academia and start-ups. From June 2024 onwards, 41 out of the total 100 labs have been installed making the cumulatively installed labs to 81.

     

     

     

    A Centre of Excellence (CoE) on “Classical and Quantum Communications for 6G” has been established at IIT Madras.Another MoU has been signed between the Telecom Centre of Excellence (TCOE) India and Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) – Visvesvaraya Research & Innovation Foundation (VRIF) to establish a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Quantum Technology, focusing on associated 5G/6G technologies. TheseCoE will serve as a hub for innovation bringing together industry and academic experts to collaborate on cutting edge project in advance telecommunication technologies to foster and spearhead the development and deployment of 6G technology

     

    A MoU has been signed between TCoE India and National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) Gandhinagar for setting up of Centre of Excellence on Telecom Security. The MoU envisages strengthening the National cyberspace by securing the Telecom network and to develop an Indian telecom network security stack to enhance security of the nation’s communication infrastructure.

     

     

    Sangam Digital Twin with AI Driven Insights:Digital Twin with AI-Driven Insights is an initiative to revolutionize infrastructure planning. This two-stage initiative began with a creative exploration phase designed to build confidence among participants through networking events.Over 150 organizations and experts participated in Stage-I in the form of networking events held in July 2024, demonstrating a willingness and foundational capability to develop the envisioned ecosystem for advanced infrastructure planning.In the Stage-II of Sangam development and demonstration of specific use cases are being planned.

     

    PoC of Metro route planning: DoT, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) have successfully conducted a Proof of Concept (PoC) to demonstrate the feasibility of using aggregated telecom data for metro route planning addressing privacy challenges. PoC explored solution’s flexibility to evolve and tackle ridership issues in ongoing metro projects by accurately identifying catchment areas, analysing arrival times, assessing interchange durations, utilization optimize operations, generating an Origin-Destination (OD) matrix for metro network planning and improving ongoing operational strategies. The promising results achieved endorse the Sangam Digital Twin initiative and represent a significant first step.

    To boost domestic manufacturing, investments and export in the telecom and networking products PLI scheme with a financial outlay of ₹ 12,195 Crores over a period of 5 years has been initiated. So far, 42 PLI beneficiary companies, collectively invested Rs. 3,718 crores achieved sales of Rs. 57,498 crore including export of Rs. 11,506 crores and direct employment of 22,315.

     

    Tvarit

    MSME Certification assistance scheme:DoTlaunched reimbursement scheme aimed at easing financial burdens for startups and Micro & Small Enterprises (MSEs) in the telecom sector. With the objective of fostering domestic manufacturing, attracting investments and enhancing exports, the scheme will reimburse up to INR 50 lakhs per startup or MSE for testing and certification costs essential for product quality and market access.

    With an objective of improving the telecom network performance, benchmarks will be gradually tightened for key network parameters like network availability, call drop rates, packet drop rates, etc. In this regard, TRAI has released its revised regulations, “The Standards of Quality of Service of Access (Wirelines and Wireless) and Broadband (Wireline and Wireless) Service Regulations, 2024 (06 of 2024)’.

    To update the existing laws and to address the challenges of the Telecom sector, Central Government enacted Telecommunications Act, 2023 on 24th Dec 2023. The Act replaces colonial era’s Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 and Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933. Enforcement of its provisions and rules will enable effective and modern regulation of Telecom sector. It will provide clearly defined framework for Spectrum assignment and its optimal utilization, Effective and efficient RoW framework, Strong provisions for National Security and Public emergency, etc

    In accordance with section 1(3), the Central Government has on 21.06.2024 issued Gazette Notification enforcing sections 1,2, 10 to 30, 42 to 44, 46, 47, 50 to 58, 61 and 62 of the Telecommunications Act w.e.f. 26.06.2024. The Department has also, on 04.07.2024, notified sections 6 to 8, 48 and 59(b) of the Act w.e.f. 05.07.2024.

    Draft Rules for Security related provisions have been published for public consultation. Public consultation on draft rules for Adjudication, Amateur Station Operator and Commercial Radio Operator’s Certificate of Proficiency to operate Global Maritime Distress and Safety System has been completed. Two set of rules i.e. Telecommunications (Administration of Digital Bharat Nidhi) Rules, 2024 and Telecommunications (Right of Way) Rules, 2024 have come into force through gazette notification dated 31.08.2024 and 18.09.2024 respectively.

    • Spectrum Auction

    Spectrum Auction in 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300 MHz and 26 GHz bands was held in June 2024. A total of 141.4 MHz of spectrum in the 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz and 2500 MHz bands were sold at a market determined price of Rs. 11340.78 crores.

     

    Surakshit

    DoThas developed an online secure Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) under Digital Intelligence Unit (DIU) Project for sharing information related to misuse of telecom resources among the stakeholders on near real time basis for prevention of cyber-crime and financial frauds. Different stakeholders are being onboarded on it including Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), law enforcement agencies, RBI, banks, financial institutions (FIs), GSTN, UIDAI and social media platforms. 32 States/UTs police, Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI), National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) have on boarded this platform during Jul-Aug 2024.

    Till date 750 users of various stakeholders have on boarded on DIP. These stakeholders include field units of Department of Telecommunications (DoT), telecom service providers (TSPs), MHA, Indian Cybercrime coordination centre (I4C), National Intelligence Agency (NIA), 32 States/UTs police, 460 banks, FIs, fintechs, Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), SEBI, GSTN, IRCTC and social media platforms

     

    The Department of Telecommunications, through these 100 days achievements, reaffirm to expanding and enhancing India’s telecom infrastructure, ensuring seamless connectivity, promoting digital inclusion, fostering innovation and preparing the country for a more digitally empowered future.

    ****

    MG/PD/DP

    (Release ID: 2057958) Visitor Counter : 325

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman at the United Nations Development Program Event “Mobilizing Africa’s Sixth Region: Helping Educate and Skill Africa for the 21st Century”

    Source: USAID

    DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR ISOBEL COLEMAN: Good afternoon. Thank you to our colleagues at UNDP for bringing us together today, and to our partners joining the discussion. 

    It’s a pleasure to be with you as we explore the promise of African-led innovation in education, technology, and entrepreneurship to drive global progress.

    All of us here today know that the African continent is a powerhouse of promise. This year, the continent is poised to be the world’s second fastest-growing region – Africa is home to 12 of the 20 fastest growing economies on the planet. 

    The African continent also boasts an exceptionally young and growing population, with 60 percent of its inhabitants under the age of 25, and by 2040, Africa will have the largest workforce in the world – larger than China and India combined.

    If we are going to achieve the SDGs and build the peaceful and prosperous world we all seek to advance, we must invest in harnessing that enormous potential. 

    This past March, I visited Atlanta to take part in the Phambili Trade and Innovation Event. While in Atlanta, I started discussing with Helene Gayle, the President of Spellman college, the potential for connecting American Historically Black Colleges and Universities, or HBCUs, with universities and colleges in Africa – harnessing cultural ties, and connecting young people pursuing careers in STEM on both sides of the world, empowering the next generation of students that could develop relationships and trade between the continent and the United States. 

    Since then, USAID has been in conversation with Spellman and other HBCUs about making this idea a reality, starting with one class that could count toward the HBCU students’ college degrees. 

    The idea blossomed, and in May of this year, USAID officially announced the launch of this program during the official visit of Kenyan President Ruto to the United States.

    EdTech Africa will pilot in Kenya featuring a select cohort of students from two to three HBCUs in the United States – Howard University and the Atlanta University Consortium – and three Kenyan Universities – University of Nairobi, University of Embu, and the Open University of Kenya – focusing on data science.

    In addition to academic coursework, the partnership will provide workforce development training in association which will require a collaborative project as a capstone to the class. 

    They will also participate in an entrepreneurship bootcamp in Atlanta sponsored by Mastercard and project based work sponsored by Microsoft at their Microsoft Africa Research Institute in Nairobi. 

    This hands-on approach will equip students with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in today’s competitive job market. 

    This is just the first partnership under EdTech Africa that will develop enduring connections with industry and between African and U.S. institutions focused on technology research and development and private-sector job growth. 

    The EdTech Africa initiative is poised to make a significant impact at a time when Africa is experiencing rapid digital transformation characterized by technological advancements, increased connectivity, and emerging job opportunities. 

    To thrive in this new digital landscape, a safe and secure ecosystem is essential, and the EdTech Africa initiative will contribute to building such an environment. 

    The United States is eager to partner with Africa to uplift the next generation of innovative, African-led solutions – helping generate broadly shared opportunity and prosperity that benefits families and communities across the continent, and sustainable growth that benefits economies across the world. 

    These are just a few of the ways USAID is investing in Africa’s future. 

    But we know our work is not done. 

    The African continent is teeming with potential to drive the next generation of global progress, and now, it’s up to all of us – governments, partner countries, UN organizations, and the private sector – to invest in that potential.

    Thank you.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: A renovated aircraft for atmospheric sciences is ready for action

    Source: US Government research organizations

    The newly updated U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) University of Wyoming (UW) King Air Research Aircraft (King Air) is set to fly its first research mission in the summer of 2025.

    The university is hosting an open house on Sept. 24 to celebrate this upcoming milestone, at the Donald L. Veal Research Flight Center. On Friday, Sept. 27, the university will host a public ribbon cutting.

    “The renovated aircraft will be a remarkable asset to the atmospheric sciences community,” said Anne Johansen, the NSF division director for Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences. “Not only does it demonstrate our strong partnership with the University of Wyoming, but it also enables new and creative approaches to educating and training scientists and engineers.”

    The aircraft has new and upgraded equipment and sensors to explore atmospheric chemistry, cloud physics, aerosol dynamics, air quality and energy exchange between the surface of the Earth and its lower atmosphere.

    The first research mission for the NSF UW King Air will take place in Salt Lake City in the summer of 2025. The Salt Lake City Summer Ozone Study will investigate the formation of ozone over the Salt Lake Valley during summer.

    Credit: Dr. Dana Caulton, University of Wyoming

    The new University of Wyoming King Air Research Aircraft, on the ground in Laramie, WY

    To make this new aircraft possible, NSF provided funding through an NSF Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure award to UW that totaled $15.7 million. About $7 million from that funding went into building and acquiring research infrastructure and new instruments for the plane.

    The aircraft is managed under a cooperative agreement with UW. NSF invested about $8.9 million into the design, installation and certification of the new aircraft, and UW invested approximately $4.5 million into the baseline aircraft, along with the new avionics suite of instruments.

    “The upgrade includes everything from cabling to racks; physical instruments, such as new lidars; upgrades to existing radars; and acquisition of new atmospheric chemistry and aerosol equipment,” Jeff French, a professor at UW, said in the university press release.

    Since 1987, NSF UW King Air has been supported and funded through a series of cooperative agreements between UW and NSF. This will continue with the new research aircraft; UW will receive nearly $3 million annually through its cooperative agreement to maintain the aircraft.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Transcript: Fireside Chat on Gun Violence Prevention

    Source: US State of New York

    Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul participated in a Clinton Global Initiative fireside chat on gun violence prevention.

    VIDEO: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).

    AUDIO: The Governor’s remarks are available in audio form here.

    PHOTOS: The Governor’s Flickr page has photos of the event here.

    A rush transcript of the Governor’s remarks is available below:

    Gabriel Arana, Texas Observer Former Editor-in-Chief: So the issue we are about to talk about, gun violence, is urgent, complex, and multifaceted. Before we jump into some of the solutions and approaches you’ve taken in New York, I’d like to talk to you about how you’ve addressed the issue here. First to start out I’d like to talk about one of the countless tragedies that has befallen our state. The May 2022, mass shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo, your hometown. Tell me what that was like and what actions you’ve taken as a result.

    Governor Hochul: Well, it was the most horrific event in Buffalo’s history and that was ten minutes from where I live. That was an area I’ve been to so many times. I knew the people. And to have an individual who was radicalized online, which again is another topic, but really important as to how people are developing these horrible, horrible thoughts. And his intent was to replicate the shooting in New Zealand just a few years before. So he learned how to do it online is the point.

    He was able to walk into a store on his 18th birthday and to be able to buy an AK-47. Okay? Buy it. Go over to Pennsylvania where they have different laws and a magazine enhancer so he could have the highest number of casualties possible. And what he did was he looked geographically to find the largest black population closest to him. It was 3 hours and 10 minutes to Buffalo, it would have been 3 hours and 20 minutes to Brooklyn. Or to, to the Bronx. So he was trying to find a population that he intentionally wanted to slaughter. He scoped out the location. He knew where he was going. And when I went there and saw the scene of that massacre and held weeping families and hugging them and just trying to give some comfort to them, I knew I had to do something in that moment. Dramatic. And change the whole dynamic, change every law I could in the State of New York. And that has been an inspiration to me, to know that can happen in an innocent place. A sunny day in May, where people are shopping for groceries, including a dad who is buying a birthday cake for his little girl’s third birthday that he never got to see. I’ve held that little girl. And this just tears at you. At a very human level.

    And all of us in government – we shouldn’t have to wait to have the kind of slaughter I saw in Buffalo or you experienced in covering Uvalde, and other people have day after day to a point where my fear is that people become desensitized to this and they don’t have that shock and that sense of urgency to do something. I don’t ever want to get to that place in this country because it would be a sad commentary on how far we’ve fallen.

    Gabriel Arana, Texas Observer Former Editor-in-Chief: In the last few years, more than 20 states including New York, have passed new laws restricting how people can buy and carry guns but we’re seeing data that indicates there’s a thriving underground market for guns. Can you talk about the 2022 Interstate Task Force to stop the illegal trafficking of guns?

    Governor Hochul: When I took office three years ago, we were in the throes of a major crime wave nationwide, not just New York. It was a nationwide phenomena. And my husband was the United States Attorney for Barack Obama. And I saw how collaboration can help and eradicate crime. And I thought, why don’t we harness the power of not just New York State, but all of our neighbors? Because 80 percent of the guns in New York come from out of state. We don’t manufacture them. So there is a pipeline that’s bringing these guns right to the streets of New York, and we have to stop that.

    So I reached out to other Governors. We had nine at first. We now have 12 states that are all contiguous. And if we’re sharing data, identifying perpetrators, stopping them at the border, we can stop the flow of illegal guns from coming into our state. And the numbers have been incredibly successful.

    The number of gunned addictions about 9,500. We’ve taken 10,000 guns off the streets. These are numbers that were just escalating year after year until someone finally says, “We’re gonna work together. I’ll put the resources behind it.” We have spent over 800 million directly on gun interdiction measures and another billion dollars to help support our local communities for the gun violence disrupter program. So combined almost $2 billion into in three years to say no more, no more slaughter in my state.

    Gabriel Arana, Texas Observer Former Editor-in-Chief: Following our conversation here I’m going to dive in with our panelists on community based solutions and approaches that they’re doing on the ground throughout the country. We know that these solutions from the communities themselves are promising toward reducing gun related injuries and killings. In a similar vein from your perch what do you see as promising solutions and approaches to the issue?

    Governor Hochul: It does absolutely come down to engaging the community. They’re the ones who are victimized. They’re the ones who often see perpetrators. They’re the ones who have evidence that can come forward.

    But also, how do we change the hearts and minds of particularly young men? Young kids in these neighborhoods who think that the only alternative they have is to be part of a gang because they’re not getting the love and nurture they need at home. This becomes their family. And that is what’s so tragic about this.

    But, what you can do with these violence disruptor programs, and we funded so many of them, all across the state – is that oftentimes these might be former gang members, these are people who’ve been involved with the law. And so they’re the ones who have the story to say, don’t make the same mistake I did. And if we fund them and increase the number of them in every community, they are making a real difference. So I’m going to continue focusing on not just the law enforcement side, which has been quite extraordinary.

    And back to changing our laws, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down a law that we had on the books for over 100 years. A concealed carry law that says you should not be able to walk into this venue right now with a gun in your pocket, go on our subways, walk around Times Square. And the Supreme Court took that power away from me as the Governor of New York to protect my citizens. And I said, the next day, we’re fighting back. We’re going to structure a different law. We’ll go right up to the line. to where we can go and now we’ve identified sensitive locations, which is a large part of New York where you cannot carry a gun, including Times Square and houses of worship and other places. So I had to come around and do an end run basically around what the Supreme Court was trying to do, taking away my rights.

    So the violence disruptor programs, the massive funding into law enforcement, the community policing, the interdiction at the borders with our consortium is making a difference to a point where our murders are down almost to the 1960s levels, which is extraordinary. In one year, we had, in 1990, we had 2,600 murders in the State of New York. We’re trending to be about 350 this year. Look at the difference in that. It’s gone. Shootings are down 47 percent since I became Governor because we had an intentional strategy that said, “We’re not going to lose any more lives senselessly to guns.”

    And again the laws are so important the laws that we have on the books – the red flag laws. We had about 1,300 Extreme Risk Protection Orders – when you identify someone who shows a propensity to do harm to themselves or to others, someone sees that red flag – a school counselor, a family member, a, law enforcement, a principal, a teacher, someone’s seeing this behavior, someone’s watching it. And they don’t think they have the power to do something about it. But we said, “You do have the power.” And by changing the law to say you are required to notify the authorities so they can identify whether they have access to a gun, we have had a 1,300 percent increase in the number of Extreme Risk Protection Orders where other states aren’t doing anything.

    And I need to, this should be a national policy. This should be a national policy passed by Congress because we have taken guns out of the hands that we know from people that could do harm to others before there’s a tragedy that happens. This is what smart policies are all about. Getting there before you have to go to another funeral of a child. And that’s what I want to continue doing here in New York. And I hope other states will follow suit.

    Gabriel Arana, Texas Observer Former Editor-in-Chief: The Supreme Court stands poised to knock down any legislation, attempts to legislate the gun violence epidemic. You mentioned going right up to the line. What is that line? What can you do? What can’t you do?

    Governor Hochul: We weren’t allowed to ban concealed carry weapons, but I put in place more restrictions on who can apply for them. We are able to look at your social media. That’s where people are telegraphing what they’re going to do. That was our Buffalo killer. It was all out there on social media. It’s often out there. People are telegraphing what they’re going to do. And if you can’t be aware of that and you can’t see what’s out there about them, then you’re not protecting yourself or society.

    My number one job as Governor of the State is to protect our citizens. Full stop. And this is part of that strategy. So we made – we have more requirements on background checks. Our background checks are very strong, but even if someone is able to secure a concealed weapon permit and many of them are legitimate, there’s people in security and there are legitimate purposes that I will agree with, but it’s time, place and manner.

    And again, I don’t want them on the streets of New York. I don’t think that’s appropriate. I don’t think it should be in a schoolyard. That’s not appropriate. A playground. So many places, they don’t make that. So we went right, when they said, I can’t ban them, I said, but they threw some words about sensitive places and I define sensitive places in New York and our law is holding, so far.

    Gabriel Arana, Texas Observer Former Editor-in-Chief: You mentioned violence diversion programs. What’s entailed in these programs?

    Governor Hochul: We fund an enormous number of these. We know the neighborhoods where they need them. These are individuals who – community based organizations, SNUG is one of them. It’s just “guns” spelled backwards.

    It’s one I was familiar with in Buffalo, New York. Like I said, I was – I have a family member in law enforcement, a prosecutor, and I saw the power of these organizations when they got together. I did a lot of events with them. We announced a lot of funding for them all over the state. And what they do is, they develop relationships.

    They intervene because if a young person has a strong role model at home, both parents, one parent, grandparents, someone that’s taking care of them and watching them and knows where they are after school and keep an eye on them. There’s not likely to be a problem, but that’s not the reality for so many families in so many of our communities.

    The parents have to work, the mom has to work, and there’s no one there after school. And this is where the temptation is great to find alternatives. These members, like I said, many of them have done time themselves. They can speak truth to what they saw. They’re credible messengers that are the only ones who can break through and make a difference.

    And they’ve been successful and I’ll keep supporting them over and over again as part of a holistic strategy. But another part of that strategy deals with mental health. We have seen the radicalization of people on social media, but also our teenagers are – many of them are despairing. And I’ve seen this because I’ve convened countless roundtables with teenagers over the last year as I look at social media, the effect it has on their well being, how they feel about themselves, and also cell phones in schools.

    This is an issue I’m looking intensely at because kids are spiraling. They’re not paying attention in class. They’re being bullied all day long. They don’t have a break from it. And one young woman said to me at one of our forums, “You have to save us from ourselves. You have to help us. You have to stand up and say we shouldn’t be doing this because we can’t do it alone.”

    So that’s only tangentially related to gun violence, but it also goes to the psychology of people. And if we’re not helping children and teenagers be healthy now, what are we supposed to expect from them when they turn to adults? We’re supposed to not just raise children, but raise adults who are healthy and fully functioning and have human connections that they’re being denied right now. The way this device has taken over their lives.

    Gabriel Arana, Texas Observer Former Editor-in-Chief: I have to wrap up here. But one more question. If there’s one key message that you’d the audience here, to walk away with, what would it be?

    Governor Hochul: We have seen in New York State, that leadership that is committed to ensuring that you look at all the levers at our disposal, the platforms we have, the ability to change.

    There are ways that we can stop gun violence in this country. We can be like the other countries who are gathering in our city right now that don’t know a fraction of the shootings we have. It’s accessibility to guns. I continue to call on Congress to do the right thing and reinstate the ban on assault weapons that was so effective for an entire decade until it was repealed.

    That’s number one. Call on other states to do as we’ve done with the red flag law. Just pass what we did here in New York and you could have prevented so many of the mass shootings. Every time you look at and analyze the social media and the footprint that’s out there for these shooters, it’s always telegraphed in advance.

    You can – and they – and there’s always someone who says, “Yeah, I thought that kid was – Something wrong was there.” The evidence is there. We have to give people the responsibility to report it to law enforcement. Let them get the order of protection. And let’s start protecting people. That’s what this is all about.

    I would say, don’t give up hope. The situation is dire. It is spiraling. One more mass shooting on the news is just making us sick and it’s taking us to a dark place, but it does not have to be that way. I reject the notion that this has to be our destiny. There are policies out there that are working.

    Otherwise, how do we cut shootings down 47 percent? This is all since I’ve been Governor in just a few years. Look at the impact that we have had here in the State of New York. I want every state to be just like that. And then we start reclaiming our kids and our safety and the mental health that we need to know that we are safe in our country.

    Gabriel Arana, Texas Observer Former Editor-in-Chief: Governor Hochul, thank you so much for being here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DoD Commits $500 Million for Women’s Health Research, Supports Better Care for All Women

    Source: United States Department of Defense

    The Department of Defense (DoD) is working to ensure that research conducted across the Department addresses health disparities faced by women, including conditions that affect women uniquely, disproportionately, or differently. As part of the Department’s broader efforts to support the health of women Service members, veterans, and beneficiaries (such as spouses and dependents) to enhance the medical readiness of the force—and consistent with the President’s Executive Order on Advancing Women’s Health Research and Innovation—DoD is publicly announcing a series of new actions and commitments to advance women’s health research by:

    • Spending half a billion dollars each year on women’s health research, primarily through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP);
    • Adopting a new research policy to ensure that women’s health is considered during every step of the research process that will apply to relevant research funded through the CDMRP beginning on October 1, 2024;
    • Standardizing CDMRP and Military Health System Research funding opportunity announcements to encourage applicants to consider research on health areas and conditions that affect women; and
    • Committing DoD’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program to increase its investments in supporting innovators and early-stage small businesses engaged in research and development on women’s health.

    These new announcements build on recent work that DoD has already done to advance women’s health research—including the establishment of a joint collaborative to improve women’s health research with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), DoD’s new Military Women’s Health Research Program, and the appointment of Dr. Lynette Hamlin as the first-ever dedicated Director of the Military Women’s Health Research Program at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences—as well as DoD’s prior investments in women’s health research.

    Investing in women’s health research and evidence-based care is critical to meeting the health care needs of the women served by DoD. The DoD provides medical care to more than 230,000 active-duty Service women, nearly 2 million women military retirees, and to the family members of the active force and of retirees. Compared to men, this population experiences more than twice the rate of conditions in hematological, genitourinary, endocrine, nutrition, and immunity-related disorder categories. Additionally, women’s rates for illness and injury-specific diagnoses, such as those associated with the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue, are more than 1.5 times those of male rates. DoD’s systematic surveillance and research of health conditions among Service women at a population level will bolster treatment options, improve patient care, and support breakthrough technologies and resources for women inside and outside of the military health system. Information on specific DoD policy efforts can be found below.

    Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs
    CDMRP funds a wide variety of specialized health research areas that affect women, such as Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, lupus, orthopedic and musculoskeletal injuries, and various cancers. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 and FY 2023, CDMRP funded 751 grants, produced 625 studies, and supported 706 researchers. For FY 2024, depending on the applications received, DoD anticipates investing more CDMRP funding for women’s health research than in previous years. These funds will be used to support research on topics such as rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue, eating disorders, and gynecological cancers.

    In addition to this new commitment, DoD adopted a new policy that will require researchers interested in CDMRP funding to consider sex as a biological variable in study design and analysis. Intentional consideration of biological variables, like sex, in medical research improves our understanding of health and disease in men and women. Under the new policy, CDMRP-funded research must consider the known and potential sex differences in disease prevalence, presentation, and outcomes. Peer and programmatic panels will review applications for how sex as a biological variable is incorporated into the proposed research and data analysis plans.

    This new policy aligns with a similar policy adopted by the National Institutes of Health and will take effect on October 1, 2024. The new policy will apply to applications submitted for FY 2025 CDMRP funding opportunities, contingent on FY 2025 funding for CDMRP-managed programs. White House and DoD officials highlighted this change at DoD’s 2024 Military Health System Research Symposium, the Department’s premier scientific meeting.

    Accounting for Women’s Health Across DoD’s Research Programs and Processes
    DoD has taken action to ensure that women’s health is considered throughout the research application process. For instance, the CDMRP, the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (USUHS), and the Military Health System Research Program have all included standardized language in their FY 2024 funding opportunity announcements to encourage research on women’s health, including consideration of sex as a biological variable and its relationship to socioeconomic factors in affecting health outcomes. Additionally, for these programs, DoD has implemented policies to ensure that reviewers consider women’s health when evaluating research proposals, where appropriate.

    Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences
    The USUHS established the Military Women’s Health Research Program (MWHRP) in 2023, under the leadership of Dr. Lynette Hamlin, the program’s inaugural Director. The MWHRP funds $1.67 million in research grants annually, sponsors publications and webinars to share important research findings, and encourages women to participate in the SBIR program and the STTR program. Over the last five years, USUHS has sponsored 76 grants, and produced 32 presentations and 152 publications specific to women’s health research.

    USUHS also established the Military Women’s Health Research Consortium to develop and guide best practices for the clinical care of women in the Military Health System. Recent research focus areas include studying interventions for physical and emotional pain due to uterine fibroids, evaluating treatment options for women with low back pain, and studying the effects of prenatal mental health support.

    Defense Health Program Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs
    The Defense Health Agency (DHA) SBIR and STTR programs are statutorily required programs established to increase the participation of small businesses in federal research and development. These programs enable DHA to spark the development of future technologies to improve warfighter health and survival. DHA SBIR and STTR revised the DoD Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), the funding mechanism utilized for these programs, to encourage participation in innovation and entrepreneurship by women. Additionally, to enhance investments in applied research and practice focused on women’s health, SBIR and STTR have requested women’s health research topics from stakeholders as part of the FY 2025 BAA development process.

    DoD/VA Women’s Health Research Collaborative
    To further our collaboration and partnership with the VA, the joint DoD/VA Health Executive Committee established a Women’s Health Research Collaborative in 2024, which will explore opportunities to promote joint efforts to advance women’s health research and improve evidence-based care for the women they serve: Service members, veterans, and their spouses, surviving spouses, dependents, and family caregivers. Additionally, the Collaborative will increase coordination with the goal of improving care and care delivery across the lifespan of women Service members, veterans, and other beneficiaries. The Collaborative will also advance research on key women’s health issues and develop a roadmap to close pressing research gaps, including those specifically affecting Service women and women veterans.

    Moreover, the Department ensures our providers are trained in gender-specific care. Through the DoD/VA Women’s Health Working Group, two mini-residencies are held annually to build provider proficiency. The DoD/VA Women’s Musculoskeletal Mini-Residency and DoD/VA Women’s Mental Health Mini-Residency offer health care providers, from both departments, opportunities to learn about the latest research while strengthening skills and knowledge in how to assess, diagnose, and treat women Service members, veterans, and other beneficiaries.

    The DoD/VA also developed a Women’s Midlife Health Concerns Working Group to develop a needs assessment tool that will be deployed to women Service members, veterans, and other beneficiaries to gather their input on their midlife health concerns, including menopause and cardiovascular health. This group will make recommendations and develop tools to build provider proficiency in appropriately assessing and treating midlife health concerns.

    Additional DoD actions to support the health needs of women Service members, retirees, and their eligible family members include the establishment of the Women’s Midlife Telehealth Clinic – the first U.S.-based study examining birth outcomes between births attended by Certified Nurse Midwives and physicians focused on births within the MHS – and the provision of world-class cancer care and translational research at the Murtha Cancer Center at Walter Reed Gynecological Cancer Center of Excellence.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The internet can be toxic. But there are also online oases where mutual care flourishes

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By George Buchanan, Deputy Dean, School of Computing Technologies, RMIT University

    Chun photographer/Shutterstock

    This piece is part of a series on the great internet letdown. Read the rest of the series.

    The internet can be a toxic place. Disinformation, hate speech and trolling are not just abundant – they are encouraged by the economy of clicks which governs many online platforms. There are no good clicks, no bad clicks, only clicks. By that metric, mutual hostility is great, because it results in lots of clicks.

    But this is only one side of the web.

    As I have discovered in my research there are also lesser-known places on the internet where mutual care flourishes.

    These online oases are built, carefully tended, and fiercely protected by dedicated people who usually share a niche interest. Members connect and share information with each other that can often be life-changing, helping them overcome personal barriers both great and small.

    Informal networks

    “Informal networks” are social connections that allow people to share information around a common interest or need.

    In the past, a version of this would be village gossip. In times of urgency, this grapevine of social connections ensured people could respond without waiting for the next newspaper – or attend to matters the newspaper would not even cover.

    Today, while geographically bounded informal networks are dissolving, they are forming online.

    For example, people who have relatively rare chronic conditions can find others on Facebook or in online forums who can provide information on lived experience, tips on how to get quality medical care or ideas for how to continue with a sport.

    These networks often exist in a dual world, both online and in person.

    Many people find each other and create informal networks on Facebook and in online forums.
    BlurryMe/Shutterstock

    Finding the right people

    Diabetes is an increasingly common condition, and it makes everyday life more complex and challenging.

    In my own research, I discovered a group of keen runners with diabetes who were initially strangers but became connected through chance social encounters. They bonded over a shared challenge: how to find the right diet and manage blood sugar levels so they could keep running.

    One runner explained that “finding the right people saved the life I loved, maybe even my life”. This network includes a dietitian and a sports scientist, and provides information and guidance that would never appear in a book.

    Local and family history is another topic around which online informal networks form.

    Often, specific knowledge is key, as one member of an online local history group explained:

    when I was trying to get access to the [local archive] I found it really difficult to get the archivist to be helpful […] I got guidance [via an online group] on how to get on her right side, so I could get what I was after.

    Again, this isn’t the sort of knowledge that is going to be published. But it is vital for those pursuing it out of interest.

    The opposite of division

    These informal networks present a stark contrast to the divisive pattern found in some parts of the web. Too-frequent posting and divisive or offensive attitudes are quickly going to get you expelled.

    Those who run the Facebook groups and online forums I research are usually volunteers. The main source of information is other members, so there is an inherent need to be a good citizen. As one person explained:

    I want the community to work, but I have no time or patience for people who are being disruptive.

    Status comes from being friendly, constructive and informative, and there is an expectation of reciprocal behaviour. Many groups, such as the runners with diabetes, encounter each other in real life and are located in a set geographical area.

    People researching local and family histories often connect through online informal networks.
    NATALIA61/Shutterstock

    Discussions often occur across time, spanning in-person chats over coffee, chance encounters at an event, online one-to-one messaging and forum posts. The network spans different social and technological contexts.

    The value of these online informal networks is getting knowledge of real experience, and often the emotional support needed to put that experience into practice.

    While commercial online platforms value conflict, as it produces enraged engagement and higher advertising revenue, the currencies of these networks are empathy and insight.

    A new model

    However, the pressures of the world outside the online oasis still exist. Most groups need occasional policing. For example, moderators of a diabetic discussion forum have continually had to expel people touting “snake oil” solutions.

    More often, though, anti-social behaviour results in participants being ignored and left on their own. A rogue post will more likely result in a telling off from other posters than the moderator needing to step in. Everyone is involved in both creating and defending the value of the informal network.

    Unlike many parts of the internet, online informal networks don’t care about clicks: they survive on real-world benefit. They dissolve when they no longer deliver the benefits people want or need.

    Instead of just thinking about clicks, the companies controlling major online platforms could help improve the internet by learning from what is valued in informal networks.

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

    – ref. The internet can be toxic. But there are also online oases where mutual care flourishes – https://theconversation.com/the-internet-can-be-toxic-but-there-are-also-online-oases-where-mutual-care-flourishes-237769

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Scientists discover heat-tolerant corals hidden in plain sight. Could it help protect the Great Barrier Reef?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Melissa Naugle, PhD Candidate in Coral Ecology, Southern Cross University

    Wikimedia, CC BY

    Just as individual humans handle stress differently, so do corals. Even coral colonies of the same species, growing side by side, vary in their tolerance to pressures such as heatwaves.

    In research published today, we discovered surprising new evidence of variable heat tolerance in corals. As the world’s oceans warm, these differences are important.

    Earlier this year, the world’s fourth global mass bleaching event was declared. The Great Barrier Reef has suffered five mass bleachings since 2016 – most recently this past summer. The declarations followed the world’s warmest year on record.

    To keep the world’s coral reefs healthy and functioning, global carbon emissions must be dramatically curbed to reduce the rate of ocean warming. As humanity works towards that goal, interventions may buy time for corals to survive in their warming environments.

    What we did

    The heat tolerance of corals can be measured by analysing their responses to elevated water temperatures. Our research involved measuring the bleaching thresholds of more than 500 colonies of the tabular coral, Acropora hyacinthus.

    Acropora hyacinthus is a common coral that forms “tables” of tiny branchlets. This species is both ecologically important and highly vulnerable to heat waves, making it a prime candidate for conservation.

    The characteristic colour of coral is provided by algae living inside its tissue. The algae also provide most of the coral’s nutrition. When water temperatures get too high for too long, the coral expels the algae, causing it to bleach and starve.

    While at sea, we visited 17 reefs to scuba dive and search for Acropora hyacinthus. We then brought samples of these corals on board a research vessel to conduct experiments.

    Our specially designed portable experiment system contained 12 tanks set to four different temperatures. Coral fragments were placed in each tank and subjected to short-term heat stress at different temperatures.

    Afterwards, we measured the amount of pigment left in the coral fragments, which directly aligns with the amount of algae left in the coral’s cells.

    We then determined each coral’s bleaching thresholds – in other words, the temperature at which the coral’s pigmentation drops to 50% of its healthy level. This allowed us to understand how much variation exists and where the most heat-tolerant colonies live.

    So what did we find? Under our experiments, the amount of pigment retained under high temperatures varied from 3% to 95%. This means at high temperatures, some coral colonies completely bleached while others seemed barely affected.

    Of the 17 reefs we studied, 12 contained colonies with bleaching thresholds in the top 25%. This means heat-tolerant corals could be found at most of the reefs we sampled.

    Nature versus nurture

    Corals handle stress differently for two reasons: nature and nurture.

    Each coral has a unique “nature” or genetic makeup that can affect its heat tolerance. Our results suggest corals found across the entire Great Barrier Reef may hold unique genetic resources that are important for recovery and adaptation.

    However, aspects of the marine environment may nurture, or hinder, a coral’s heat stress response. These include water temperatures, nutrient conditions, and the symbiotic algae living inside coral tissue.

    We found corals living in warmer regions, such as the northern Great Barrier Reef, can handle higher water temperatures. However, because the water is so warm in these areas, the corals are already pushed close to their temperature limits.

    Corals in the southern Great Barrier Reef cannot handle temperatures as high as their northern neighbours. Our findings suggest these corals can tolerate more warming above their local temperatures than corals to the north.

    These tolerance patterns may affect which corals survive marine heatwaves.

    Giving our reefs a future

    Our findings have potentially important implications for the ability of corals to adapt to warmer seas under climate change.

    The results may also inform reef restoration and conservation efforts. For example, heat-tolerant parent corals could be selectively bred to produce offspring better suited to warmer waters.

    The success of such programs depends on the extent to which a coral’s genetic makeup controls its tolerance to heat. So, the next step in this research is investigating these genetic differences.

    Selective breeding trials are already underway, using the most heat-tolerant corals identified in this study.

    When it comes to protecting our coral reefs, reducing greenhouse gas emissions is imperative. However, interventions such as selective breeding may be useful supplements to give coral reefs the best future possible.

    Melissa Naugle receives funding from the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program, funded by the partnership between the Australian government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

    Emily Howells receives funding from the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program, funded by the partnership between the Australian government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

    Line Bay works for the Australian Institute of Marine Science, a publicly funded research organisation that receives funding from the Australian government, state government departments, foundations and private industry. She receives funding from the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program, a partnership between the Australian Governments Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, Revive and Restore, the Paul G Allen Family Foundation and BHP.

    – ref. Scientists discover heat-tolerant corals hidden in plain sight. Could it help protect the Great Barrier Reef? – https://theconversation.com/scientists-discover-heat-tolerant-corals-hidden-in-plain-sight-could-it-help-protect-the-great-barrier-reef-231823

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Bergman Leads on School Safety, Introduces Bill to Secure Resource Officer Funding

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jack Bergman (MI-1)

    Today, Representative Jack Bergman (R-MI) introduced the School Resource Officer (SRO) Funding Protection Act with original cosponsors Bill Huizenga (R-MI) and Lisa McClain (R-MI) and support of First District State Legislators, as well as law enforcement. The bill would require states to maintain funding for SRO programs at or above the amount spent in their previous fiscal year to remain eligible for full federal aid for elementary and secondary education.

    “The horrific epidemic of school shootings requires all of us to put people above politics and action behind words in wake of these tragedies. Lagging school safety measures aren’t going to cut it – children can’t be sitting ducks, unprotected from evil intruders due to budget cuts. My bill will ensure that states maintain a sufficient budget for school resource officers and related programs, because our children deserve to feel safe and be protected,” Representative Bergman stated.

    State Senator John Damoose noted, “We have all seen the devastation caused by school violence and a spiraling mental health crisis amongst our kids. Cutting funding for school resource officers and mental health care was just plain irresponsible. I applaud Congressman Jack Bergman for taking the lead to protect our kids and doing the job our state legislature should have done in the first place.”

    State Senator Michelle Hoitenga asserted, “When Democrats in Lansing slashed school safety funding, they put Michigan’s students and teachers at risk. Congressman Bergman’s School Resource Office Funding Protection Act would safeguard our students and staff, by investing in the security and well-being of our children.”

    “Unbelievable that at a time our students need more support, the Democratic leadership in Lansing removed over 90% of the funding for mental health support in our schools. We need to support our kids. This legislative proposal by Rep. Bergman will provide important checks and balances at the federal level to ensure our children are safe at school,” said State Representative John Roth.

    “I’ve been working with my colleagues on a bipartisan school safety package, House Bills 4088-4100, to improve communication, mental health resources, and staff training in schools,” State Representative Cam Cavitt remarked. He continued, “Congressman Jack Bergman’s efforts at the federal level will provide critical support to these initiatives, ensuring schools have the tools to address threats and mental health concerns more effectively. Together, these efforts will create safer, more supportive environments for our kids, both physically and emotionally.”

    “Commonsense legislation such as this is what our kids really need instead of the political games that Lansing politicians have played with their lives. During a time of heightened security threats in our school systems, we need more safety resources and funding for key programs, not less. I commend Rep. Bergman for his work on this issue and I’ll continue to work alongside him to keep our schools safe,” State Representative Ken Borton stated.

    “As a former Special Education teacher I am troubled by the cuts in School Resource Officer funding,” State Representative Ed Markkanen added. “This legislation will ensure our schools have SRO’s present across the U.P. and the rest of Michigan.”

    Speaking to the budgetary importance of SRO funding, Kenneth Grabowski, Legislative Director, Police Officers Association of Michigan said, “Everyone wants to talk about school safety, but far too often politicians fail to put their money where their mouth is. This year, the state changed budget priorities and cut millions of dollars in dedicated school safety funding, putting our students and teachers at risk. We commend Rep. Bergman for stepping up and introducing the School Resource Officer Funding Protection Act to ensure our kids are safe at school and our SRO’s are properly funded.”

    “Funding for School Resource Officers and mental health are a critical part of keeping our children safe. Cuts in these areas make it difficult for police departments and school districts to keep this lifesaving service available in our state.  In rural communities, where police response if often delayed due to a limited amount of law enforcement, these cuts make it next to impossible to provide adequate security for our students and faculty,” Gaylord City Police Chief Frank Claeys stated.

    Emmet County Sheriff Pete Wallin expressed his support, “Our students are our future. Protecting them is one of the most important jobs we have. Restoring full funding for our School Resource Officers is critical at a time when threats are at an all time high. I applaud Rep. Bergman for introducing this badly needed legislation.”

    “As Sheriff, one of the most important jobs I have is protecting our children at our schools. I’m grateful that Representative Bergman introduced this legislation to protect our School Resource Officers following massive cuts at the State level,” said Otsego County Sheriff Matthew Nowicki.

    The State of Michigan’s fiscal year 2025 budget slashes nearly $302 million in school safety and mental health funding. The funds will be reduced to $26.5 million come October 1, 2024, a 92% decrease. Rep. Bergman’s legislation will ensure that any state which fails to maintain the required funding levels for SRO programs will see its federal education aid reduced, unless a waiver has been granted. Waivers can be granted by the Secretary of the Department of Education on a case-by-case basis.

    Read the full text of the bill here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Dingell, Moore, Murray Introduce SAFE for Survivors Act to Provide Economic Security for Domestic Violence Survivors

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (12th District of Michigan)

    Today, Representatives Debbie Dingell (MI-06) and Gwen Moore (WI-04), along with Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), introduced the Security and Financial Empowerment (SAFE) for Survivors Act to establish provisions that promote the safety and security of survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, gender-based violence, and stalking. 

    The 2024 SAFE for Survivors Act allows victims to take time off from work without fear of penalty, requires that employers provide reasonable accommodations to assist survivors dealing with the aftermath of violence, provides access to unemployment benefits for survivors, and establishes insurance protections to support survivors–ensuring that victims are not punished for their abusers’ crimes.

    “Financial abuse occurs in nearly every case of domestic violence. So many survivors are financially tied to their abuser, which ends up being one of the main reasons survivors stay with an abusive partner,” Dingell said. “Survivors have unique needs in their journey to economic independence, and the provisions in this bill will support their ability to provide for their families safely and independently, whether they choose to enter, remain, or take time off from the workplace.”

    “Domestic violence survivors shouldn’t face financial hardship as they work to pick up the pieces after experiencing abuse,” Moore said. “But too many endure a financial cost, which is why we must work to remove these barriers, so that survivors can access the resources they need. That’s why I am thankful to partner with my House and Senate colleagues in much-needed legislation to strengthen survivors’ access to health care, unemployment benefits, and paid leave.”

    “No survivor of domestic violence or sexual assault should be forced to choose between their safety and their paycheck, job, or ability to support their family,” Murray said. “Survivors who are dealing with the mental and physical impacts of assault and violence often can’t afford to miss a day of work or can’t provide for their families on their own if they choose to leave a dangerous situation. We must do everything we can to change this heartbreaking reality. The SAFE Act for Survivors Act would take a huge step toward ensuring no woman or person is stuck between worrying for their safety and making ends meet.”

    One in four women in the U.S. experience physical violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime and one in four women report an attempted or completed rape during their lifetime. Individuals who experience intimate partner violence, sexual assault, gender-based violence and stalking often find that abuse and threats follow them from home into the workplace. This type of violence has direct consequences for survivors’ economic security, which can affect their ability to recover, provide for their families, and remove themselves from dangerous situations. 

    According to the Domestic Violence Hotline,  44% of full-time employed adults in the US reported experiencing the effect of domestic violence in their workplace; 21% identified themselves as victims of intimate partner violence. Domestic violence issues lead to nearly 8 million lost days of paid work each year, the equivalent of over 32,000 full-time jobs.

    Highlights of the 2024 SAFE for Survivors Act include: 

    Increased Access to Leave

    1. The SAFE for Survivors Act allows victims to take time off from work—40 days of leave, ten of which must be paid—without penalty in order to contend with the consequences of gender-based violence, including attending court appearances, seeking legal assistance, and getting help with safety planning. For too many victims, access to these essential services can mean the difference between life and death.

    Enhanced Workplace Protections

    1. The SAFE for Survivors Act prohibits discriminatory employment practices in connection with survivors of domestic or sexual violence and requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to assist survivor dealing with the aftermath of violence.

    Access to Unemployment Benefits

    1. The SAFE for Survivors Act allows victims in every state access to unemployment benefits if they are fired or forced to leave their job because of abuse.

    Insurance Protections for Survivors

    1. The SAFE for Survivors Act prohibits denial or restriction of insurance coverage based on the status of the applicant or insured regarding abuse or abuse related claims, ensuring that victims are not punished for their abusers’ crimes.

    A section by section of the SAFE for Survivors Act is available HERE.

    In the House, the SAFE for Survivors Act is cosponsored by: Ann Kuster (NH-02), Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Raul Grijalva (AZ-07), Barbara Lee (CA-12)

    In the Senate, the SAFE for Survivors Act is cosponsored by: Baldwin, Blumenthal, Casey, Hirono, Klobuchar, Padilla, Sanders, Shaheen.

    The SAFE for Survivors Act is endorsed by: National Partnership for Women & Families, The National Domestic Violence Hotline, Ascend Justice, Just Solutions, Legal Momentum, The Women’s Legal Defense and Education Fund, Family Values @ Work, Center for American Progress, Futures Without Violence, A Better Balance, Legal Aid at Work, Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence, MomsRising, Center for Law and Social Policy, Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, Women Employed, Project Safeguard, The Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC UNITED), Family Forward, Caminar Latino-Latinos United for Peace and Equity, National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, National Network to End Domestic Violence, The Network Advocating Against Domestic Violence.

    “In Illinois, we are fortunate to have job-protected leave for survivors under the Victims’ Economic Security and Safety Act,” said Katherine Gaughan-Palombi, Senior Attorney of Economic Justice Project, Ascend Justice. “However, passage of the Federal SAFE Act would enhance employment protections and economic security for survivors in Illinois – such as including paid leave. It would also provide crucial safe leave and job protections for survivors across the nation.”

    “In our decades of work to enact workplace protections for survivors of gender-based violence and harassment, Legal Momentum has seen how essential these laws are to ensuring the safety of survivors. Yet, the slim patchwork of state and local laws leaves too many survivors at risk,” said Seher Khawaja, Director of Economic Justice, Legal Momentum, The Women’s Legal Defense and Education Fund. “We are grateful to Representative Dingell, Representative Moore, and Senator Murray for their leadership in introducing a comprehensive bill that would establish federal paid safe leave, anti-discrimination protections and reasonable accommodations in the workplace, and access to unemployment insurance for survivors. These protections are at the heart of safeguarding and empowering survivors, and we are proud to endorse the SAFE Act.”

    “At The Hotline, we hear time and time again that economic insecurity is the largest barrier preventing survivors from leaving abusive situations,” said Katie Ray-Jones, CEO of The National Domestic Violence Hotline. “The SAFE for Survivors Act, introduced by Senator Murray, and Representatives Dingell and Moore, answers this call by giving survivors the protections they need—whether it’s leave from work, unemployment benefits, or increased protections—they can better focus on their safety and recovery. We commend their efforts to prioritize survivors’ economic security,”

    “Family Values @ Work is proud to support Representatives Dingell and Moore’s and Senator Murray’s SAFE For Survivors Act of 2024,” said Family Values @ Work (FV@W) Deputy Director Erica Clemmons Dean. “We have long championed and advocated for the need for paid sick and safe time for all, and ensuring victims of domestic violence have access to paid sick and safe time is good policy. For 20 years, FV@W has worked to win paid time to care for all workers. We’ve been fortunate to have the support of the Congresswomen and Senator, and are proud to endorse the SAFE Act as well.”

    “Survivors deserve the opportunity to seek the care they need to leave their abusive partner without the looming fear that they will lose their job or income, and job-protected, paid safe leave provides that opportunity,” said Jocelyn Frye, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families. “We thank Senator Murray and Representative Dingell for their tremendous efforts to protect survivors and to support vulnerable workers and their families.”

    “Survivors of domestic and sexual violence deserve paid leave from work so they can be safe and seek justice and healing while still being able to keep their jobs,” said Esta Soler, President and Founder of Futures Without Violence. “Thank you Senator Murray and Representatives Dingell and Moore for introducing the SAFE for Survivors Act and always fighting for the economic security of all of survivors.”

    “For survivors of violence, safety and economic security go hand in hand,” said Molly Weston Williamson, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress. “The SAFE for Survivors Act would give survivors the tools they need to pursue safety without compromising their economic independence, including paid, protected safe leave from work for needs like relocating to safety or accessing legal or support services.”

    “Through our free and confidential legal helpline, A Better Balance hears far too often from workers who are forced to choose between their jobs and their personal or family safety,” said Jared Make, Vice President of A Better Balance. “It is imperative to provide safe leave to workers across the United States, to ensure that survivors of domestic and sexual violence are able to stay connected to the workforce while also remaining safe.”

    Dingell has long been a leader in Congress in combating domestic violence. She has led the Strengthening Protections for Domestic Violence and Stalking Survivors Act to close the boyfriend loophole and keep guns out of the hands of abusive dating partners and stalkers. In 2018, she established the Bipartisan Working Group to End Domestic Violence to bring together a bipartisan group of members to identify ways to strengthen resources and protections for survivors and their children.

    She has been working to address funding shortfalls in the Victims of Crime Act’s (VOCA) Crime Victims Fund (CVF), the largest source of federal grant funding for victim services organizations, including organizations supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence, child abuse, stalking, and other crimes. 

    In April, Dingell led a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, urging the Commission to take proactive measures to address the threat of domestic abusers exploiting connectivity tools in vehicles to harass and intimidate their partners.

    This year she co-led the Justice in Sentencing for Survivors Act, which authorizes the court to impose a sentence that is below the mandatory minimum if the offender’s crime is connected to their survivor status, and the TAKE IT DOWN Act, which bans the publication of non-consensual intimate images (also known as deepfakes) prohibits their distribution and creates a criminal penalty for doing so, and requires websites to have a removal process.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Climate change is a pollution problem, and countries know how to deal with pollution threats – think DDT and acid rain

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Alexander E. Gates, Professor of Earth and Environmental Science, Rutgers University – Newark

    Adding scrubbers in coal-fired power plants helped reduce acid rain, but they continued to fuel climate change. Drums600 via Wikimedia, CC BY-SA

    Climate change can seem like an insurmountable challenge. However, if you look closely at its causes, you’ll realize that history is filled with similar health and environmental threats that humanity has overcome.

    The main cause of climate change – carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels – is really just another pollutant. And countries know how to reduce harmful pollutants. They did it with the pesticide DDT, lead paint and the power plant emissions that were causing acid rain, among many others.

    In each of those cases, growing public outcry eventually led to policy changes, despite pushback from industry. Once pressured by laws and regulations, industries ramped up production of safer solutions.

    I am an earth and environmental scientist, and my latest book, “Reclaiming Our Planet,” explores history’s lessons in overcoming seemingly insurmountable hazards. Here are a few examples:

    Banning DDT despite industry pushback

    DDT was the first truly effective pesticide and considered to be miraculous. By killing mosquitoes and lice, it wiped out malaria and other diseases in many countries, and in agriculture, it saved tons of crops.

    After World War II, DDT was applied to farms, buildings and gardens throughout the United States. However, it also had drawbacks. It accumulated in mother’s milk to levels where it could deliver a toxic dose to infants. Women were advised against nursing their babies in the 1960s because of the danger.

    U.S. bald eagle populations were decimated by DDT. Once the chemical was banned, they began to rebound.
    U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

    In addition, DDT bioaccumulated up the food chain to toxic levels in apex species like raptors. It weakened the eggshells to the point where brooding mothers crushed their eggs. Bald eagles were reduced to 417 breeding pairs across North America by 1967 and were placed on the endangered species list.

    Biologist Rachel Carson documented DDT’s damage in her 1962 book “Silent Spring” and, in doing so, catalyzed a public environmental movement. Despite disinformation campaigns and attacks from the chemical industry, tremendous public pressure on politicians led to congressional hearings, state and federal restrictions and eventually a U.S. ban on the general use of DDT in 1972.

    Rachel Carson, whose book ‘Silent Spring’ led to a study of pesticides, testifies before a Senate committee in Washington on June 4, 1963.
    AP Photo/Charles Gorry

    Bald eagles recovered to 320,000 in the United States by 2017, about equal to populations from before European settlement. The chemical industry, facing a DDT ban, quickly developed much safer pesticides.

    Building evidence of lead’s hazards

    Lead use skyrocketed in the 20th century, particularly in paints, plumbing and gasoline. It was so widespread that just about everyone was exposed to a metal that research now shows can harm the kidneys, liver, cardiovascular system and children’s brain development.

    Clair “Pat” Patterson, a geochemist at the California Institute of Technology, showed that Americans were continuously exposed to lead at near toxic levels. Human skeletons from the 1960s were found to have up to 1,200 times the lead of ancient skeletons. Today, health standards say there’s no safe level of lead in the blood.

    Lead paint was banned for residential use in the U.S. in 1978, but existing lead paint in older homes can still chip, creating a health risk for children today.
    EPA

    Despite threats both personally and professionally and a disinformation campaign from industry, Patterson and his supporters compiled years of evidence to warn the public and eventually pressured politicians to ban lead from many uses, including in gasoline and residential paints.

    Once regulations were in place, industry ramped up production of substitutes. As a result, lead levels in the blood of children decreased by 97% over the next several decades. While lead exposure is less common now, some people are still exposed to dangerous levels lingering in homes, pipes and soil, often in low-income neighborhoods.

    Stopping acid rain: An international problem

    Acid rain is primarily caused when sulfur dioxide, released into the air by the burning of coal, high-sulfur oil and smelting and refining of metals, interacts with rain or fog. The acidic rain that falls can destroy forests, kill lake ecosystems and dissolve statues and corrode infrastructure.

    Acid rain damage across Europe and North America in the 20th century also showed the world how air pollution, which doesn’t stop at borders, can become an international crisis requiring international solutions.

    The problem of acid rain began well over a century ago, but sulfur dioxide levels grew quickly after World War II. A thermal inversion in London in 1952 created such a concentration of sulfur dioxide and other air pollutants that it killed thousands of people. As damage to forests and lakes worsened across Europe, countries signed international agreements starting in the 1980s to cut their sulfur dioxide emissions.

    Trees killed by acid rain in the Czech Republic in 1998. Forests across many parts of Europe and North America suffered from acid rain damage.
    Seitz/ullstein bild via Getty Images

    In the U.S., emissions from Midwestern power plants killed fish and trees in the pristine Adirondacks. The damage, health concerns and multiple disasters outraged the public, and politicians responded.

    Sulfur dioxide was named as one of the six criteria air pollutants in the groundbreaking 1970 U.S. Clean Air Act, which required the federal government to set limits on its release. Power plants installed scrubbers to capture the pollutant, and over the next 40 years, sulfur dioxide concentrations in the U.S. decreased by about 95%.

    Parallels with climate change

    There are many parallels between these examples and climate change today.

    Mountains of scientific evidence show how carbon dixoide emissions from fossil fuel combustion in vehicles, factories and power plants are warming the planet. The fossil fuel industry began using its political power and misinformation campaigns decades ago to block regulations that were designed to slow climate change.

    And people around the world, facing worsening heat and weather disasters fueled by global warming, have been calling for action to stop climate change and invest in cleaner energy.

    The first Earth Day, in 1970, drew 20 million people. Rallies in recent years have shifted the focus to climate change and have drawn millions of people around the world.

    Public campaigns and huge rallies for action on climate change, like this one in New York City in 2023, help put public pressure on politicians.
    Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images

    The challenge has been getting politicians to act, but that is slowly changing in many countries.

    The United States has started investing in scaling up several tools to rein in climate change, including electric vehicles, wind turbines and solar panels. Federal and state policies, such as requirements for renewable energy production and limits on greenhouse gas emissions, are also crucial for getting industries to switch to less harmful alternatives.

    Climate change is a global problem that will require efforts worldwide. International agreements are also helping more countries take steps forward. One shift that has been discussed by countries for years could help boost those efforts: Ending the billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded fossil fuel subsidies and shifting that money to healthier solutions could help move the needle toward slowing climate change.

    Alexander E. Gates is affiliated with The Newark Green Team.

    – ref. Climate change is a pollution problem, and countries know how to deal with pollution threats – think DDT and acid rain – https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-a-pollution-problem-and-countries-know-how-to-deal-with-pollution-threats-think-ddt-and-acid-rain-236479

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Can you trust companies that say their plastic products are recyclable? US regulators may crack down on deceptive claims

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Patrick Parenteau, Professor of Law Emeritus, Vermont Law & Graduate School

    Keurig, maker of K-Cup single-use coffee pods, was recently fined for claiming the pods were recyclable. Dixie D. Vereen/For The Washington Post, via Getty Images

    Plastic is a fast-growing segment of U.S. municipal solid waste, and most of it ends up in the environment. Just 9% of plastic collected in municipal solid waste was recycled as of 2018, the most recent year for which national data is available. The rest was burned in waste-to-energy plants or buried in landfills.

    Manufacturers assert that better recycling is the optimal way to reduce plastic pollution. But critics argue that the industry often exaggerates how readily items can actually be recycled. In September 2024, beverage company Keurig Dr Pepper was fined US$1.5 million for inaccurately claiming that its K-Cup coffee pods were recyclable after two large recycling companies said they could not process the cups. California is suing ExxonMobil, accusing the company of falsely promoting plastic products as recyclable.

    Environmental law scholar Patrick Parenteau explains why claims about recyclability have confused consumers, and how forthcoming guidelines from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission may address this problem.

    Why do manufacturers need guidance on what ‘recyclable’ means?

    Stating that a product is recyclable means that it can be collected, separated or otherwise recovered from the waste stream for reuse or in the manufacture of other products. But defining exactly what that means is difficult for several reasons:

    • Different U.S. states have different recycling regulations and guidelines, which can affect what is considered recyclable in a given location.

    • The availability and quality of recycling infrastructure also varies from place to place. Even if a product technically is recyclable, a local recycling facility may not be able to accept it because its equipment can’t process it.

    • If no market demand for the recycled material exists, recycling companies may be unlikely to accept it.

    Most plastic goods that consumers put in their recycle bins aren’t recycled, despite the “chasing arrow” label. Critics say manufacturers have deceived the public to avert plastic bans.

    What is the Federal Trade Commission’s role?

    Public concern about plastic pollution has skyrocketed in recent years. A 2020 survey found that globally, 91% of consumers were concerned about plastic waste.

    Once plastic enters the environment, it can take 1,000 years or more to decompose, depending on environmental conditions. Exposure through ingestion, inhalation or in drinking water poses potential risks to human health and wildlife.

    The Federal Trade Commission’s role is to protect the public from deceptive or unfair business practices and unfair methods of competition. Every year, it brings hundreds of cases against individuals and companies for violating consumer protection and competition laws. These cases can involve fraud, scams, identity theft, false advertising, privacy violations, anticompetitive behavior and more.

    The FTC publishes references called the Green Guides, which are designed to help marketers avoid making environmental claims that mislead consumers. The guides were first issued in 1992 and were revised in 1996, 1998 and 2012. While the guides themselves are not enforceable, the commission can use them to prove that a claim is deceptive, in violation of federal law.

    The guidance they provide includes:

    • General principles that apply to all environmental marketing claims

    • How consumers are likely to interpret claims, and how marketers can substantiate these claims

    • How marketers can qualify their claims to avoid deceiving consumers

    The agency monitors environmentally themed marketing for potentially deceptive claims and evaluates compliance with the FTC Act of 1914 by reference to the Green Guides. Marketing inconsistent with the Green Guides may be considered unfair or deceptive under Section 5 of the FTC Act.

    Courts also refer to the Green Guides when they evaluate claims for false advertising in private litigation.

    Currently, the Green Guides state that marketers should qualify claims that products are recyclable when recycling facilities are not available to at least 60% of consumers or communities where a product is sold.

    How is the agency addressing recyclability claims?

    The FTC is reviewing the Green Guides and issued a request for public comment on the guides in late 2022. In May 2023, the agency convened a workshop called Talking Trash at the FTC: Recycling Claims and the Green Guides.

    This meeting focused on the 60% processing threshold for recyclability claims. It also addressed potential confusion created by the “chasing arrows” recycling symbol, which often identifies the type of plastic resin used in a product, using the numbers 1 through 7.

    Many critics argue that consumers may see the symbol and assume that a product is recyclable, even though municipal recycling programs are not widely available for some types of resins. Other labels use a version of the symbol for products such as single-use grocery bags that aren’t accepted in most curbside recycling programs but can be dropped off at designated stores for recycling.

    The FTC has sought public comments on specific characteristics that make products recyclable. It also has asked whether unqualified recyclability claims should be made when recycling facilities are available to a “substantial majority” of consumers or communities where the item is sold – even if the item is not ultimately recycled due to market demand, budgetary constraints or other factors.

    What are companies and environmental advocates saying?

    Organizations representing environmental interests, recycling businesses and the waste and packaging industries have offered numerous suggestions for updating the Green Guides. For example:

    • The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency urged the FTC to increase its threshold for recyclability claims beyond the current 60% rate. The EPA said that products and packaging “should not be considered recyclable without strong end markets in which they can reliably be sold for a price higher than the cost of disposal.” It also recommended requiring companies’ recyclability claims to be reviewed and certified by outside experts.

    • The Consumer Brands Association, which represents the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Plastics Industry Association and other commercial interests, called for more research into public understanding of environmental marketing claims. To help companies avoid making deceptive advertising claims, it urged the FTC to provide more detailed explanations, with examples of acceptable marketing.

    • The Association of Plastic Recyclers encouraged the FTC to increase enforcement against deceptive unqualified claims of both recyclability and recycled content. It recommended providing stronger, more prescriptive guidance; publicizing specific examples from the marketplace of deceptive representations; and sending warning letters when companies appear to be making unsubstantiated claims. It also asked the FTC to maintain its current recyclability claim threshold at 60% and to update the Green Guides again within five years instead of 10.

    • A coalition of environmental groups, including Greenpeace USA and the Center for Biological Diversity, urged the commission to codify the Green Guides into binding rules. They also argued that for goods that require in-store drop-off, companies should have to prove that processors can capture and recycle at least 75% of the material.

    The FTC has not set a date for publishing a final version of the revised Green Guides. All eyes will be on the agency to see how far it is willing to go to police recycling claims by manufacturers in this $90 billion U.S. industry.

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

    – ref. Can you trust companies that say their plastic products are recyclable? US regulators may crack down on deceptive claims – https://theconversation.com/can-you-trust-companies-that-say-their-plastic-products-are-recyclable-us-regulators-may-crack-down-on-deceptive-claims-239156

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Academics and taxpayers deserve better than AUT’s discriminatory travel policy

    Source: ACT Party

    ACT has obtained a copy of AUT’s policy for funding researcher travel, which allocates 30 percent more points to travel applications for researchers who identify as Māori, and 20 percent more for Pasifika.

    “This policy will put some academics at a disadvantage relative to others, simply because they have the ‘wrong’ ancestry,” says ACT Tertiary Education and Skills spokesperson Dr Parmjeet Parmar.

    “Allocating travel funding based on race is a disrespect to those who would otherwise secure opportunities based on merit, or on the value their travel can offer to the university and society.

    “After hearing reports of the existence of this policy, my office requested a copy of the points system from AUT on Wednesday morning. With no response from the university, I emailed around 500 AUT researchers over the weekend asking them if they knew about the points system and if they could provide a copy. This must have caused a stir, because yesterday morning AUT sent my office a copy of the points system, and the Vice-Chancellor sent an email to researchers and staff defending the policy. However, the Vice-Chancellor opted not to link directly to the points system so staff could easily view and understand it.

    “I have now sent a copy of the points system to AUT researchers so they can view it themselves.

    “Many researchers told me they were not aware of the points system, which is not listed publicly and is not easily found on internal systems. The University has not been up front with its staff and researchers, who deserve better.

    “Last week the Government issued a circular to government agencies setting the expectation that public resources be allocated according to need and value, not race. However, as the Tertiary Education Minister has pointed, universities are given autonomy under the Education Training Act 2020 to adopt their own policies. Of course, academics, politicians, and taxpayers can still – and should – debate and challenge funding decisions.

    “ACT will continue to shine sunlight on the discriminatory use of public funds. Having seen the Vice-Chancellor’s defence of the policy, I do not agree with the Tertiary Education Minister’s assessment that AUT’s rationale is ‘good’. ACT is deeply concerned that universities who fail to uphold equal opportunity for students and academics damage their own reputations and place divisive political ideology ahead of value for taxpayers.”

    Editor’s note: The AUT points system for travel funding prioritises applications based on a number of criteria, before an ‘equity multiplier’ of up to 1.3x is applied to advantage selected groups. This means that while a Māori-identifying researcher can earn up to 37.7 points, a researcher not eligible for an equity multiplier may only accumulate 29 points. This means, in effect, that an Asian academic seeking to attend a conference to which they are contributing a paper could lose funding to a Māori-identifying researcher who is merely visiting the conference, solely on the basis of race.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: After recent attacks, the Hezbollah-Israel confrontation could become more intense

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Emilie El Khoury, Postdoctoral fellow at Queen’s University’s Centre for International Policy and Defence (CIDP), Queen’s University, Ontario

    The violent conflict between Hezbollah and Israel has intensified in recent days. Reports from Lebanon indicate Israeli air strikes have killed 356 people and injured more than 1,200.

    These latest air strikes come shortly after thousands of pagers and other electronic devices exploded across Lebanon on Sept. 17 and 18, killing 37 people and injuring thousands.

    Hezbollah quickly laid the blame for the explosions on Israel, which has not taken credit for the attack. Volker Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said international humanitarian law prohibits the use of booby-trapped devices and that “it is a war crime to commit violence intended to spread terror among civilians.”

    Days later, Israel bombed a building in Beirut, killing 45 people, including a Hezbollah commander.

    Israeli officials have reportedly said their recent attacks on Lebanon are an attempt to reach “de-escalation through escalation.” However, in response, Hezbollah has launched hundreds of rockets deep into Israel, signalling that Israeli attempts at de-escalatory escalation are unlikely to work.

    In a speech following the pager explosions, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Israel had “crossed all red lines,” that the group remained resolved and that it would continue its attacks on Israel.

    Psychological warfare

    Since the current Hamas-Israel war began in October 2023, the violent exchanges between Hezbollah and the Israeli military have been based on a logic of deterrence, with each side attempting to discourage the other from widening the conflict.

    However, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant recently said the focus of Israel’s war effort is moving to the north of the country and that Israel plans to deepen its attacks on Lebanon.

    Israeli President Isaac Herzog has claimed Hezbollah hides rockets in civilian homes, suggesting they could become targets. Meanwhile, the Israeli education minister has called for “a massive war against Lebanon.” He has also declared: “There is no difference between Hezbollah and Lebanon. The way things are progressing, Lebanon will be annihilated.”

    Such comments, along with the attacks on Lebanon, indicate the confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel may become more intense in the coming weeks and months. They also exacerbate the level of terror among civilian populations already grappling with the uncertainty and stress the war has wrought.

    While Israel has not confirmed it was behind the pager explosions, Israeli jets regularly fly over Lebanon, causing sonic booms as they break the sound barrier. This is a tactic designed to spread fear among the civilian population.

    Israel has adopted a similar tactic in Gaza, using drones that produce a loud constant buzzing sound that causes anxiety and a sense of insecurity.

    These displays allow Israel to demonstrate the strength of its military capabilities. In this context, Israel is intensifying its attacks across Lebanon to erode the morale of the Lebanese people.

    What is terrorism?

    The explosions across Lebanon instilled deep terror among the population. Among the injured and killed were innocent civilians, including children.

    This raises the question: Do indiscriminate attacks that spread fear among civilian populations qualify as terrorist if they possess all the characteristics of terrorism but lack a specific objective or motivation given that no one has claimed any?

    Politics scholars have attempted to come up with definitions of terrorism. Some argue any action that generates terror or panic and aims to destabilize society can be considered a terrorist act.

    However, the lack of a clear claim complicates this classification. These acts seem more akin to criminal acts, as the political or ideological motivations are not formally established.

    The concept of terrorism originated during the French Revolution, particularly during the Reign of Terror, a violent period marked by the execution of tens of thousands by revolutionary governments.

    In response to state terror, groups identifying as revolutionaries emerged, employing similar tactics to resist their authorities, and these groups were seen as terrorists.

    Since then, terrorism has been viewed as a form of violent communication directed at a state, using lethal means to instil fear and achieve specific ideological or political goals.

    In 1979, the United States government began designating certain countries as “state sponsors of terrorism,” with Iran notably implicated in supporting such activities following the Iranian Revolution.

    Today, the question of whether states employ tactics akin to terrorism is complex and widely debated. Anti-terrorism strategies typically aim to protect nations from immediate threats, while counterinsurgency focuses on stabilizing and supporting existing governments.

    But violent counterinsurgency raises ethical dilemmas. It can perpetuate cycles of violence, cause more terror and reinforce rebellion among affected populations.

    Do such attacks work?

    If the goal is to spread fear, then these attacks are successful. The explosions triggered scenes of panic in public places as shops, restaurants, schools and hospitals became sites of terror.

    However, if — as the Israeli government has suggested — the attacks seek to weaken Hezbollah’s support among the Lebanese population, they can have the opposite effect. Although many Lebanese people have been critical of Hezbollah’s involvement in the conflict, these recent attacks are perceived as targeted against all Lebanese.

    Many innocent civilians were killed or injured, including women, children and health-care workers. People from all walks of life felt a palpable threat, giving rise to unprecedented solidarity.

    From an anthropological perspective, Israel’s latest attacks have galvanized a greater sense of solidarity within the Lebanese population. Following the attacks, calls for blood donations poured in, while various political parties and religious groups expressed support for the victims.

    For Hezbollah, these attacks, despite the significant human losses, can bolster it politically. They reinforce its narrative of martyrdom and portray the group as a defender of Lebanon to its supporters.

    The cross-border attacks by Israel and Hezbollah are in part designed to pressure the civilian populations, and in turn, the opposing side. However, this psychological war has not yielded the expected results for either side. Thousands of civilians on both sides of the border have had to flee their homes. However, neither side has seemingly been deterred.

    As the attacks become more deadly and rhetoric more inflammatory, there is an urgent need to de-escalate tensions, abandon this violent approach and return to diplomacy.

    Emilie El Khoury receives funding for her postdoctoral research at Queen’s University from Queen’s Research Opportunities Postdoctoral Fund.

    – ref. After recent attacks, the Hezbollah-Israel confrontation could become more intense – https://theconversation.com/after-recent-attacks-the-hezbollah-israel-confrontation-could-become-more-intense-239554

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: The Parkinson’s research landscape

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Parkinson’s is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world, affecting around 153,000 people in the UK. It affects the dopamine-producing neurons in the brain and leads to many symptoms, mainly tremor, slowness of movement, and rigidity.

    Currently, there are no specific diagnostic tests or disease-modifying drugs available to diagnose and treat Parkinson’s. Diagnosis is based on medical history, symptoms, and a neurological and physical exam. Treatments focus on replacing the lost dopamine but are associated with long-term side effects and do not stop remaining neurons from dying.

    Remarkable progress is being made by scientists in the UK and globally to understand the mechanisms of neurodegeneration, develop diagnostics, stratify patients, and prevent/treat Parkinson’s. Journalists came to this Science Media Centre briefing to hear three leading experts discuss the current research landscape, including early detection, models to test the effect of genetics and environment and test new therapies, and the new Landmark programme; a consortium led by Parkinson’s UK using big data to accelerate treatments.

    Speakers included: 

    Professor David Dexter, Director of Research at Parkinson’s UK

    Professor Alastair Noyce, Professor in Neurology and Neuroepidemiology at Queen Mary University of London and Consultant Neurologist at Barts Health NHS Trust

    Professor Sonia Gandhi, MRC Senior Clinician Scientist, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology & Senior Group Leader, The Francis Crick Institute

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: FACT SHEET: Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation  Ministerial

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    Today, the members of the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation, – or the Atlantic Partnership – came together and reaffirmed their commitment to a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Atlantic region and a healthy, sustainable, and resilient Atlantic Ocean that is a resource for future generations. Since its launch, the Atlantic Partnership has grown to forty-two members, representing more than 75 percent of the Atlantic coastline. Countries from Africa, Europe, North America, South America, and the Caribbean come together to address shared challenges, promote common solutions, and advance collective principles. In addition to the 32 original founding members, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Cameroon, Guinea-Bissau, Panama, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago have joined the Atlantic Partnership over the past year.
    Members have endorsed a Declaration on Atlantic Cooperation promising engagement on the basis of international law, existing national and international legal frameworks, mutual collaboration, and respect for differences in capacity and political perspective, and acknowledging the special role and primary interest of Atlantic states in the Atlantic.  At today’s ministerial, the Partnership’s members reaffirmed their commitment to work together to uphold the guiding principles for Atlantic cooperation as outlined in the Declaration. These include:
    A commitment to uphold international law, including the UN Charter, to promote an open Atlantic in which Atlantic states are free from interference, coercion, or aggressive action;
    A commitment to uphold the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, and political independence of states;
    Recognition of the special interest and primary role that Atlantic states have in the Atlantic.
    The Atlantic Partnership has focused on three lines of effort: 1)Sustainable Blue Economy, 2) Science Capacity Building and Exchange, and 3) Ocean-based Food Security.
    Sustainable Blue Economy
    The blue economy is the sustainable use of Atlantic Ocean resources for economic growth. The increase in the use of the ocean space, resources, and services, and their impact on marine biodiversity and ocean ecosystems, can put the ocean’s benefits at risk. The Declaration and its accompanying Plan of Action established the objective of advancing sustainable blue economic development as an overarching Atlantic Partnership goal. The United States is contributing to the Sustainable Blue Economy line of effort with the following programs and initiatives:   
    Marine Spatial Planning Technical Assistance – The Atlantic Partnership has established a working group on Marine Spatial Planning (MSP), which is co-chaired by Spain, Morocco, and Angola. MSP is a process that helps coordinate multiple ocean-related industries to use marine resources sustainably. MSP can provide an integrated, ecosystem-based framework to allow for sustainable use of the marine and coastal environment, maintain biodiversity, and ensure alignment of government policies, community needs, and economic drivers. The United States is sponsoring MSP capacity building via directed technical assistance, local case studies, and global best practices.         
    Blue Economy/Blue Tech Solutions Public Diplomacy:  The United States is sponsoring a series of Atlantic Partnership Blue Economy/Blue Tech Solutions events.  The events will bring the private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and technical government offices together with U.S. counterparts to develop and deploy solutions to environment- and ocean-related challenges with the United States as a model.      
    Partnering Across the Atlantic on the Blue Economy – The United States is sponsoring technical assistance and capacity building to strengthen Atlantic Partnership members’ efforts to grow the blue economy. The Atlantic Partnership is strengthening the blue economy via support for work on aquaculture, sustainable fisheries, coastal planning, coastal resilience, science-based decision making, technology and data management, and early career development for scientists.     
    Support for Ghost Gear Reduction in the Atlantic – Ghost gear is abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear that can wreak havoc on marine ecosystems. The United States is working with the Global Ghost Gear Initiative and technical experts and local partners in West Africa and Central America to identify factors contributing to ghost gear in the Atlantic Ocean and potential solutions. In April 2024, The United States and Canada convened Atlantic Partnership members to focus on the problem of abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) or “ghost gear,” a form of marine plastic debris.  Canada, Costa Rica, and Ghana shared response experiences, best practices, and challenges, creating a new network of pan-Atlantic practitioners addressing the issue.    
    Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation Marine and Blue Economy “4TheAtlantic” Incubator – To bolster cooperation among Atlantic Cooperation countries in the Gulf of Guinea to address emerging oceanic environmental issues, the United States is funding a three-day capacity building program designed to help entrepreneurs across Atlantic Partnership members to tackle emerging oceanic environmental issues such as food security, rising sea levels, deteriorating marine life, increased oceanic and surface temperatures, unregulated fishing, and marine pollution. 
    Ocean-related or “Blue” Technology – In August 2024, the Atlantic Partnership convened technology leaders to introduce new and innovative technology solutions to improve the blue economy, enhance environmental stewardship, and address challenges posed by climate change. These included technologies for ocean mapping, hydrography, GIS, ocean observation, robotics and telepresence, and vessel monitoring.
    Innovative Financing: In April 2024, the United States convened members and external partners to focus on innovative financing solutions for marine conservation. Co-hosted by Pew and the Nature Conservancy, the event highlighted opportunities and processes associated with debt-for-nature programming and the Belize and Gabon’s experiences of with innovative finance to protect their marine areas.    
    Science Capacity Building and Exchange    The Atlantic Ocean is at the heart of the Atlantic Partnership.  Under the leadership of Brazil, Portugal, and the United States, the Partnership has created a platform to advance Atlantic Ocean observation and understanding. The Platform creates a mechanism to bring in world-class science, connect with ongoing scientific endeavors, strengthen member participation, and deliver benefits to members. The United States is contributing to the Science Capacity Building and Exchange line of effort with the following programs and initiatives:   
    Building Ocean Observation and Modeling Capacity – The United States is sponsoring a targeted effort to support diverse, equitable, and inclusive all-Atlantic research collaborations with facilitated trainings and workshops that respond to Atlantic Partnership members’ needs, including building the technical capacity and increasing global access to Atlantic Ocean research data through increased access to and training on ocean observing equipment for under-resourced countries and communities, and will collaborate with All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance (AAORIA) Partners. 
    Atlantic Partnership/AAORIA Ocean Observation and Modeling Workshop – The United States hosted a joint Atlantic Partnership/AAORIA workshop on ocean observation and modeling capacities in Washington, DC. Collaboration with AAORIA brings access to the broader Atlantic Ocean science community, strengthens the potential for internal interagency coordination in member governments, and further demonstrates the power of the Atlantic community.     
    Ocean-Based Food Security  
    Food security and food system resilience affect all countries, and some of the coastal Atlantic states face acute pressures. Over half the world’s population depends on ocean-derived foods as a vital food source, underscoring the immense importance of ocean-based food security. In addition to conflict and political challenges, Atlantic States face increasing pressures from changing precipitation patterns, shifting fisheries stocks, and warming oceans, all of which affect food and nutrition security in real terms. 
    The United States is contributing to the Food Security of effort with the following initiative:   
    Ocean-based Food Security Solutions Exchange: The Atlantic Partnership “solutions exchange” will focus on sustainable aquaculture as a food security solution, highlighting global food security as its signature issue for its December 2024 UN Security Council Presidency General Debate. Working with the Environmental Defense Fund, the United States will bring together government officials, private sector leaders, NGO and academic experts, philanthropies, and multilateral groups to focus on the nexus between food security and the Atlantic Ocean. This exchange will highlight the critical importance of the issue of food security, particularly the potential for the Atlantic Ocean to support sustainable responses.   
    Public Private PartnershipsThe United States is partnering with the Schmidt Ocean Institute and with additional philanthropies, academics, private sector, and NGOs to bring their significant resources and expertise to augment government efforts, with a particular focus on ocean research and observations and harness opportunities for early career scientists. 
    Partnership with Schmidt Ocean Institute:  The United States is partnering with Schmidt Ocean Institute to leverage its planned work in Atlantic Ocean scientific observation, research, and capacity building, through the 2025-2029 R/V Falkor (too) Atlantic Expeditions.
    Cabo Verde Partnership Opportunity Delegation:  The United States will bring a delegation of interested U.S.-based research, private sector, and conservation organizations to explore opportunities to collaborate with Cabo Verde at the nexus of science exchange and sustainable economic development.    
    Ongoing U.S. Atlantic ProgramsConsistent with our leadership of the Atlantic Partnership, the United States has implemented and continues to advance programs across the Atlantic on a range of shared challenges:
    The End Plastic Pollution International Collaborative (EPPIC) – The United States initiated EPPIC, a new international public-private partnership to incentivize investment and solutions to end plastic pollution, starting upstream. EPPIC engages partners beyond national level governments to take on ambitious commitments that reduce demand for plastic and maximize circularity.
    Save Our Seas Initiative – The United States addresses ocean plastic pollution in the northern coast of Dominican Republic through its global and bilateral programs. The global Clean Cities, Blue Ocean program focuses on supporting an improved solid waste management system and remediating opened dump sites in Samana Province and preventing waste, including plastic waste entering the Samana Bay. The Dominican Republic Solid Waste Reduction Program works to reduce waste in municipalities on Puerto Plata, Monte Cristi, and Dojabon provinces leading to cleaner oceans, enabling communities and economies to thrive and build resilience to climate and economic shocks.  
    Coastal Resilience, Carbon, and Conservation Finance – The United States Climate Finance for Development Accelerator launched the Coastal Resilience, Carbon, and Conservation Finance (C3F) program to encourage the flow of private capital into coastal resilience and blue carbon projects. These projects generate biodiversity conservation, climate mitigation, and adaptation outcomes while safeguarding local communities’ benefits.  The United States is partnering with the Ocean Risk and Resilience Alliance to identify and engage stakeholders in Senegal, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Suriname, and other countries to build capacity to develop bankable, climate-positive projects and address information asymmetries between communities and investors – leading to investments that safeguard local resources and livelihoods.
    Blue Carbon Inventory Project – Through the Blue Carbon Inventory Project, the United States will continue to provide partner countries with technical assistance on the integration of coastal wetlands in National Greenhouse Gas Inventories and maximizing the value of these ecosystems in terms of coastal resilience and blue economies. Through an integrated series of workshops, engagements and directed bilateral collaboration, the Blue Carbon Inventory Project has already collaborated to varying degrees with Costa Rica, Ghana, and Senegal and hopes to engage with other members of the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation in the years to come.
    Atlantic Ocean Marine Microbiome Working Group – Marine microbes play pivotal roles in the environment and climate, the food value chain, biodiscovery, and a host of cross-cutting challenges, including the need to demonstrate the socio-economic value of marine microbiomes and environmental DNA (eDNA). The United States co-chairs and provides in-kind contributions to the Atlantic Ocean Marine Microbiome Working Group, which focuses on building a network of marine microbiome researchers and disseminating knowledge about the important role microbiomes play in the functioning of the ocean.
    Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) Pole to Pole of the Americas – The United States continues to provide support for MBON Pole to Pole, a knowledge sharing network dedicated to the collection, use, and sharing of marine biodiversity data in a coordinated, standardized manner, leveraging existing infrastructure and standards.
    U.S.-Caribbean Partnership to Address the Climate Crisis 2030 (PACC 2030) – The United States has provided over $100 million in new resources to increase access to climate finance, accelerate the transition to renewable energy, and build resilience to climate change and natural disasters under PACC 2030. PACC 2030 has established a network of Caribbean-based scientific experts to develop new climate mitigation and adaptation measures, identified new opportunities for clean energy infrastructure, and enhanced resilient food production systems to feed the region. 
    Caribbean Sustainable Ecosystems Activity – The United States Caribbean Sustainable Ecosystems Activity aims to reduce threats to coastal-marine biodiversity in the Caribbean while building coastal communities’ resilience to climate change. The Sustainable Ecosystems Activity harmonizes regional conservation approaches and engages the tourism sector to advocate and conserve marine protected areas
    Caribbean Biodiversity Program – Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) can help support biodiversity and climate resilience in the face of climate change. The Caribbean Biodiversity Program facilitates international and regional peer-to-peer exchange between MPAs in areas of enforcement, protected area financing, communication, outreach, public education, coral reef monitoring, and socio-economic monitoring.
    Sargassum Inundation Embassy Science Fellow – Sargassum inundation events occur when rafts of this algae are carried to shore by winds and currents. These events are a type of harmful algal bloom that can adversely impact coastal ecosystems, tourism, and public health. The United States embedded an environmental engineer at the University of the West Indies to focus on collaborative research to better detect and address Sargassum influxes in the Caribbean and to support developing a plan for identification and response strategies for Sargassum inundation events in the Eastern Caribbean. 
    National Marine Litter Action Plans – The United States assisted several Atlantic Partnership members (Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, and Guatemala) in the development of their National Marine Litter Action Plans which establish a roadmap for relevant authorities in each country to better manage marine litter issues.
    Ocean Conservation Skill Sharing – The United States is working to build relationships among regional institutions to share approaches and learning to improve conservation of mangroves, shellfish, seagrass, and coral reefs.
    Support for fisheries management efforts of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) – The United States provides extensive support for ICCAT, which oversees the conservation and management of Atlantic tunas, swordfish, marlin and sharks, and adopts measures to minimize bycatch of sea turtles, seabirds, and other protected species associated with these fisheries. This responsibility is shared among ICCAT’s 53 members, including a number of members of the Atlantic Partnership. 
    Support for the Atlantic Centre Course on “Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing in the Atlantic” – The United States partners with the Atlantic Centre, a “Multilateral Centre of Excellence,” to promote defense capacity-building for the Atlantic, including the recent course on “Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing in the Atlantic,” held in the Azores. 
    Joint Presentation of the Five-Day Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Seminar – The United States has deployed an exportable, internationally-focused seminar to assist partner nations (including Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone) to develop and strengthen their fisheries enforcement regimes to help prevent illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing products from entering the global seafood market. 
    Maritime Advisor to Côte d’Ivoire – The United States supports a Maritime Advisor to Côte d’Ivoire, who assists in countering illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing; and improving maritime governance, port security, and port state control in West Africa. A mobile training team completed a two-week Boarding Officer Course for 18 Ivorians from their Navy, Gendarmerie, Customs and Fisheries organizations.  
    Ghana Fisheries Recovery Activity – The United States funds the Feed the Future Ghana Fisheries Recovery Activity (GFRA) – a five-year, $17.8 million project that is mitigating the near collapse of Ghana’s small pelagic fisheries and establishing a foundation for their ecological recovery. The GFRA reduces overfishing and improves small pelagic fisheries management, which encourages ecological sustainability and marine biodiversity conservation and improves the socioeconomic well-being, food security, and resilience of fishers and coastal communities in Ghana. 
    Women Shellfishers and Food Security Activity – The United States works in field sites in The Gambia and Ghana to demonstrate effective shellfishing and natural resource management approaches to women-led, community-based shellfishing operations.
    Protecting Natural Ecosystems in Sierra Leone – The United States provided $10 million in political risk insurance to support West Africa Blue’s equity investment in a mangrove blue carbon project in the Bonthe and Moyamba regions of Sierra Leone. The project builds on a longstanding relationship with local communities and aims to develop long-term conservation, restoration, and income diversification activities funded sustainably through the issuance of high-quality, certified carbon credits. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: WHOLE-OF-SOCIETY EFFORTS TO SUPPORT MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF YOUTHS IN SINGAPORE

    Source: Asia Pacific Region 2 – Singapore

              The Institute of Mental Health (IMH) has released the findings of the latest National Youth Mental Health Study (NYMHS), which provides deeper insights into the state of youth mental health and well-being in Singapore. The study was spearheaded by the IMH, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, CHAT (Centre of Excellence for Youth Mental Health) and NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health.

    2.      Findings from the study affirm the whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to tackling youth mental health issues in the National Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy that was launched by the Government in October 2023. Many of the measures under the Strategy are already in place, while others will be progressively rolled out across the next few years.

    Upstream Support to Improve Youth Mental Health
    3.       The NYMHS found that among the participants of the study, about one in three young people aged between 15 and 35 years in Singapore reported experiencing severe or extremely severe symptoms of depression, anxiety and/or stress. This is similar to other research studies conducted on youth mental health and well-being based on self-reporting.

    4.       The study also identified protective factors, such as resilience, social support, and self-esteem, which were associated with lower likelihood of severe or extremely severe symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. It is therefore important that we continue with our upstream efforts to mitigate the risk of mental health issues among youths, strengthen support, and build resilience at a young age.

    5.        In schools, Mental Health Education lessons in the Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) curriculum provide students with knowledge and skills to regulate their emotions, differentiate normal stress from distress or mental illnesses, and to seek help when needed.

    6.       Such learning is reinforced through student development experiences beyond the classroom such as co-curricular activities, learning journeys, and outdoor adventure learning camps, which also contribute to students’ well-being. As part of the Cyber Wellness Education lessons in the CCE curriculum, students are taught to be safe, respectful and responsible users of the cyberspace and to be positive peer influence. These efforts extend to the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) through various mental and digital well-being programmes that continue to equip youths to be resilient in navigating life challenges in the digital age.

    7.       The NYMHS also found that informal support networks such as family and friends remain the predominant form of support accessed by youth. In line with this, schools and IHLs have in place an ecosystem of support comprising peer supporters, educators, and school counsellors. Such communities encourage help-seeking as well as facilitate early identification of, and timely intervention for those who require more support.
    8.       In the wider community, informal social support networks like Well-Being Circles have been set up to strengthen peer support networks, equip the community with basic skills to care for themselves and those around them, and raise awareness of the importance of mental health and well-being. Well-Being Circles have been set up at various locales, including youth-centric ones such as Project Re:ground @ Red Box and Punggol West Well-Being Circle. Since 2022, Well-Being Circles have trained over 600 individuals in peer support skills and reached more than 3,000 people through their programmes.
    9.      The NYMHS also examined various factors linked to mental health symptoms among youths, including excessive social media use, body shape concerns, and cyberbullying. To empower and equip parents with skills to build strong parent-child relationships, strengthen their children’s mental well-being and emotional resilience, and support their children’s digital journeys while keeping them safe online, a toolbox of bite-sized strategies called Parenting for Wellness will be rolled out in phases from September 2024. The first phase of resources was launched on 18 September 2024. It will cover various topics such as managing screen use, addressing cyberbullying, understanding mental health and well-being, and supporting the child to cope with difficult emotions e.g. stress and anxiety.
    10.     A Positive Use Guide on Technology and Social Media will also be introduced as an authoritative, research-based source to guide healthy and positive uses of technology and social media, and provide recommendations to mitigate its potential negative impact. This guide will be ready in the first half of 2025.
    Early Access to Mental Health Support in the Community
    11.       Enhancing community support is a key focus area of the Strategy. This enables individuals with mental health needs to seek early support without stigma and receive help for their recovery. Youths may approach community mental health services like Youth Community Outreach Teams (CREST-Youth) and Youth Integrated Teams (YITs) provided by social service agencies. CREST-Youth conduct outreach to raise awareness of mental health issues and promote early identification, while YITs provide mental health assessment and psychosocial interventions. The community mental health services provided by CREST-Youth and YITs are catered for youths aged 12 to 25 years old, and are fully funded by the government without any out-of-pocket cost. As of March 2024, we have eight CREST-Youth teams that have reached out to over 8,000 youths and parents, and four YITs that have supported over 4,500 youths and parents. These teams will be expanded across Singapore by 2030.

    12.       Alternatively, youths can approach CHAT, a national youth mental health outreach and assessment service for young people aged 16 to 30 years old to receive mental health checks, intervention and outreach services. As of end-March 2024, CHAT has supported over 7,600 youths in the community at risk of mental health conditions, and provided them with mental health assessments. CHAT also started an online messaging platform (webCHAT) since 2017 for youths to receive counselling in real time for their mental health-related concerns. It has conducted about 3,100 webCHAT sessions as of end March 2024.

    A Whole-of-Society Approach to Youth Mental Health and Well-being

    13.      Ultimately a whole-of-Singapore effort is required to tackle the multi-faceted nature of youth mental health, by de-stigmatising mental health conditions, building resilience and encouraging early help-seeking among youths.1 For example, NUS’ Youth Epidemiology and Resilience (YEAR) study, which was reported in April 2023, found that about one in three youths aged 10 to 18 years old in Singapore reported internalising mental health symptoms such as depression, anxiety and loneliness. However, only 12% of respondents eventually met the diagnostic criteria for mental health disorder. In addition, the National Population Health Survey (NPHS) 2023 found that about one quarter of youths aged 18 to 29 years old reported poor mental health.

    1 For example, NUS’ Youth Epidemiology and Resilience (YEAR) study, which was reported in April 2023, found that about one in three youths aged 10 to 18 years old in Singapore reported internalising mental health symptoms such as depression, anxiety and loneliness. However, only 12% of respondents eventually met the diagnostic criteria for mental health disorder. In addition, the National Population Health Survey (NPHS) 2023 found that about one quarter of youths aged 18 to 29 years old reported poor mental health.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman will embark on an official visit to Uzbekistan from 24th to 28th Sept. 2024

    Source: Government of India

    Union Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman will embark on an official visit to Uzbekistan from 24th to 28th Sept. 2024

    Union Finance Minister will attend 9th Annual Meeting of Board of Governors of AIIB during the visit

    Smt. Sitharaman will also sign Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) between India and Uzbekistan

    The Union Finance Minister will hold important bilateral meetings with her counterparts from Uzbekistan, Qatar, China, and AIIB President

    Posted On: 23 SEP 2024 6:35PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman will embark on an official visit to Uzbekistan from 24thto 28thSeptember, 2024. The Union Finance Minister will lead the Indian delegation of officials from the Ministry of Finance.

     

    During the visit, Smt. Sitharaman will attend the Ninth Annual Meeting of Board of Governors of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) scheduled in Samarkand on 25thand 26thSeptember 2024, besides other important bilateral meetings with her counterparts from Uzbekistan, Qatar, China, and AIIB President.

    In the Annual Meeting of AIIB, the Union Finance Minister will attend as the Indian Governor to the AIIB. India is the second largest shareholder of the bank. The multilateral discussions centred around a broad spectrum of important global issues relevant to the development agenda.

    As part of the official visit, the Union Finance Minister is expected to call-on H.E Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of Uzbekistan.

    During the visit, the Union Finance Minister will sign a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) between India and Uzbekistan. The BIT will be signed by the Union Finance Minister and Uzbekistan Minister for Investment, Industry and Trade. The treaty aims to promote more extensive economic cooperation for the mutual benefit of both countries on a long-term basis.

    The Union Finance Minister will also participate in the India-Uzbekistan Business forum discussions, jointly organised as well as represented by industry captains from both the countries.

    Besides the above engagement, Smt. Sitharaman will also visit the Samarkand State University and Lal Bahadur Shastri Monument in Tashkent. The Union Finance Minister will also interact with Indian diaspora representing leading voices from multiple sectors.

    About AIIB and Annual Meetings

    The AIIB Annual Meeting witnesses’ participation of delegations from around 80 countries, and other international organisations. As a multilateral development bank, AIIB is focused on developing sustainable infrastructure in Asia and in promoting investments in infrastructure and other productive sectors with a view to foster sustainable economic development, create wealth and improve infrastructure connectivity.

    ****

    NB/KMN

    (Release ID: 2057978) Visitor Counter : 80

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: FACT SHEET: Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation  Ministerial

    Source: The White House

    Today, the members of the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation, – or the Atlantic Partnership – came together and reaffirmed their commitment to a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Atlantic region and a healthy, sustainable, and resilient Atlantic Ocean that is a resource for future generations.
     
    Since its launch, the Atlantic Partnership has grown to forty-two members, representing more than 75 percent of the Atlantic coastline. Countries from Africa, Europe, North America, South America, and the Caribbean come together to address shared challenges, promote common solutions, and advance collective principles. In addition to the 32 original founding members, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Cameroon, Guinea-Bissau, Panama, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago have joined the Atlantic Partnership over the past year.

    Members have endorsed a Declaration on Atlantic Cooperation promising engagement on the basis of international law, existing national and international legal frameworks, mutual collaboration, and respect for differences in capacity and political perspective, and acknowledging the special role and primary interest of Atlantic states in the Atlantic. 
     
    At today’s ministerial, the Partnership’s members reaffirmed their commitment to work together to uphold the guiding principles for Atlantic cooperation as outlined in the Declaration. These include:

    • A commitment to uphold international law, including the UN Charter, to promote an open Atlantic in which Atlantic states are free from interference, coercion, or aggressive action;
    • A commitment to uphold the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, and political independence of states;
    • Recognition of the special interest and primary role that Atlantic states have in the Atlantic.

    The Atlantic Partnership has focused on three lines of effort: 1)Sustainable Blue Economy, 2) Science Capacity Building and Exchange, and 3) Ocean-based Food Security.

    Sustainable Blue Economy

    The blue economy is the sustainable use of Atlantic Ocean resources for economic growth. The increase in the use of the ocean space, resources, and services, and their impact on marine biodiversity and ocean ecosystems, can put the ocean’s benefits at risk. The Declaration and its accompanying Plan of Action established the objective of advancing sustainable blue economic development as an overarching Atlantic Partnership goal. The United States is contributing to the Sustainable Blue Economy line of effort with the following programs and initiatives:   

    • Marine Spatial Planning Technical Assistance – The Atlantic Partnership has established a working group on Marine Spatial Planning (MSP), which is co-chaired by Spain, Morocco, and Angola. MSP is a process that helps coordinate multiple ocean-related industries to use marine resources sustainably. MSP can provide an integrated, ecosystem-based framework to allow for sustainable use of the marine and coastal environment, maintain biodiversity, and ensure alignment of government policies, community needs, and economic drivers. The United States is sponsoring MSP capacity building via directed technical assistance, local case studies, and global best practices.         
    • Blue Economy/Blue Tech Solutions Public Diplomacy:  The United States is sponsoring a series of Atlantic Partnership Blue Economy/Blue Tech Solutions events.  The events will bring the private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and technical government offices together with U.S. counterparts to develop and deploy solutions to environment- and ocean-related challenges with the United States as a model.      
    • Partnering Across the Atlantic on the Blue Economy – The United States is sponsoring technical assistance and capacity building to strengthen Atlantic Partnership members’ efforts to grow the blue economy. The Atlantic Partnership is strengthening the blue economy via support for work on aquaculture, sustainable fisheries, coastal planning, coastal resilience, science-based decision making, technology and data management, and early career development for scientists.     
    • Support for Ghost Gear Reduction in the Atlantic – Ghost gear is abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear that can wreak havoc on marine ecosystems. The United States is working with the Global Ghost Gear Initiative and technical experts and local partners in West Africa and Central America to identify factors contributing to ghost gear in the Atlantic Ocean and potential solutions. In April 2024, The United States and Canada convened Atlantic Partnership members to focus on the problem of abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) or “ghost gear,” a form of marine plastic debris.  Canada, Costa Rica, and Ghana shared response experiences, best practices, and challenges, creating a new network of pan-Atlantic practitioners addressing the issue.    
    • Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation Marine and Blue Economy “4TheAtlantic” Incubator – To bolster cooperation among Atlantic Cooperation countries in the Gulf of Guinea to address emerging oceanic environmental issues, the United States is funding a three-day capacity building program designed to help entrepreneurs across Atlantic Partnership members to tackle emerging oceanic environmental issues such as food security, rising sea levels, deteriorating marine life, increased oceanic and surface temperatures, unregulated fishing, and marine pollution. 
    • Ocean-related or “Blue” Technology – In August 2024, the Atlantic Partnership convened technology leaders to introduce new and innovative technology solutions to improve the blue economy, enhance environmental stewardship, and address challenges posed by climate change. These included technologies for ocean mapping, hydrography, GIS, ocean observation, robotics and telepresence, and vessel monitoring.
    • Innovative Financing: In April 2024, the United States convened members and external partners to focus on innovative financing solutions for marine conservation. Co-hosted by Pew and the Nature Conservancy, the event highlighted opportunities and processes associated with debt-for-nature programming and the Belize and Gabon’s experiences of with innovative finance to protect their marine areas.    

    Science Capacity Building and Exchange  
      
    The Atlantic Ocean is at the heart of the Atlantic Partnership.  Under the leadership of Brazil, Portugal, and the United States, the Partnership has created a platform to advance Atlantic Ocean observation and understanding. The Platform creates a mechanism to bring in world-class science, connect with ongoing scientific endeavors, strengthen member participation, and deliver benefits to members. The United States is contributing to the Science Capacity Building and Exchange line of effort with the following programs and initiatives:   

    • Building Ocean Observation and Modeling Capacity – The United States is sponsoring a targeted effort to support diverse, equitable, and inclusive all-Atlantic research collaborations with facilitated trainings and workshops that respond to Atlantic Partnership members’ needs, including building the technical capacity and increasing global access to Atlantic Ocean research data through increased access to and training on ocean observing equipment for under-resourced countries and communities, and will collaborate with All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance (AAORIA) Partners. 
    • Atlantic Partnership/AAORIA Ocean Observation and Modeling Workshop – The United States hosted a joint Atlantic Partnership/AAORIA workshop on ocean observation and modeling capacities in Washington, DC. Collaboration with AAORIA brings access to the broader Atlantic Ocean science community, strengthens the potential for internal interagency coordination in member governments, and further demonstrates the power of the Atlantic community.     

    Ocean-Based Food Security  

    Food security and food system resilience affect all countries, and some of the coastal Atlantic states face acute pressures. Over half the world’s population depends on ocean-derived foods as a vital food source, underscoring the immense importance of ocean-based food security. In addition to conflict and political challenges, Atlantic States face increasing pressures from changing precipitation patterns, shifting fisheries stocks, and warming oceans, all of which affect food and nutrition security in real terms. 

    The United States is contributing to the Food Security of effort with the following initiative:   

    • Ocean-based Food Security Solutions Exchange: The Atlantic Partnership “solutions exchange” will focus on sustainable aquaculture as a food security solution, highlighting global food security as its signature issue for its December 2024 UN Security Council Presidency General Debate. Working with the Environmental Defense Fund, the United States will bring together government officials, private sector leaders, NGO and academic experts, philanthropies, and multilateral groups to focus on the nexus between food security and the Atlantic Ocean. This exchange will highlight the critical importance of the issue of food security, particularly the potential for the Atlantic Ocean to support sustainable responses.   

    Public Private Partnerships
    The United States is partnering with the Schmidt Ocean Institute and with additional philanthropies, academics, private sector, and NGOs to bring their significant resources and expertise to augment government efforts, with a particular focus on ocean research and observations and harness opportunities for early career scientists. 

    • Partnership with Schmidt Ocean Institute:  The United States is partnering with Schmidt Ocean Institute to leverage its planned work in Atlantic Ocean scientific observation, research, and capacity building, through the 2025-2029 R/V Falkor (too) Atlantic Expeditions.
    • Cabo Verde Partnership Opportunity Delegation:  The United States will bring a delegation of interested U.S.-based research, private sector, and conservation organizations to explore opportunities to collaborate with Cabo Verde at the nexus of science exchange and sustainable economic development.    

    Ongoing U.S. Atlantic Programs
    Consistent with our leadership of the Atlantic Partnership, the United States has implemented and continues to advance programs across the Atlantic on a range of shared challenges:

    • The End Plastic Pollution International Collaborative (EPPIC) – The United States initiated EPPIC, a new international public-private partnership to incentivize investment and solutions to end plastic pollution, starting upstream. EPPIC engages partners beyond national level governments to take on ambitious commitments that reduce demand for plastic and maximize circularity.
    • Save Our Seas Initiative – The United States addresses ocean plastic pollution in the northern coast of Dominican Republic through its global and bilateral programs. The global Clean Cities, Blue Ocean program focuses on supporting an improved solid waste management system and remediating opened dump sites in Samana Province and preventing waste, including plastic waste entering the Samana Bay. The Dominican Republic Solid Waste Reduction Program works to reduce waste in municipalities on Puerto Plata, Monte Cristi, and Dojabon provinces leading to cleaner oceans, enabling communities and economies to thrive and build resilience to climate and economic shocks.  
    • Coastal Resilience, Carbon, and Conservation Finance – The United States Climate Finance for Development Accelerator launched the Coastal Resilience, Carbon, and Conservation Finance (C3F) program to encourage the flow of private capital into coastal resilience and blue carbon projects. These projects generate biodiversity conservation, climate mitigation, and adaptation outcomes while safeguarding local communities’ benefits.  The United States is partnering with the Ocean Risk and Resilience Alliance to identify and engage stakeholders in Senegal, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Suriname, and other countries to build capacity to develop bankable, climate-positive projects and address information asymmetries between communities and investors – leading to investments that safeguard local resources and livelihoods.
    • Blue Carbon Inventory Project – Through the Blue Carbon Inventory Project, the United States will continue to provide partner countries with technical assistance on the integration of coastal wetlands in National Greenhouse Gas Inventories and maximizing the value of these ecosystems in terms of coastal resilience and blue economies. Through an integrated series of workshops, engagements and directed bilateral collaboration, the Blue Carbon Inventory Project has already collaborated to varying degrees with Costa Rica, Ghana, and Senegal and hopes to engage with other members of the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation in the years to come.
    • Atlantic Ocean Marine Microbiome Working Group – Marine microbes play pivotal roles in the environment and climate, the food value chain, biodiscovery, and a host of cross-cutting challenges, including the need to demonstrate the socio-economic value of marine microbiomes and environmental DNA (eDNA). The United States co-chairs and provides in-kind contributions to the Atlantic Ocean Marine Microbiome Working Group, which focuses on building a network of marine microbiome researchers and disseminating knowledge about the important role microbiomes play in the functioning of the ocean.
    • Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) Pole to Pole of the Americas – The United States continues to provide support for MBON Pole to Pole, a knowledge sharing network dedicated to the collection, use, and sharing of marine biodiversity data in a coordinated, standardized manner, leveraging existing infrastructure and standards.
    • U.S.-Caribbean Partnership to Address the Climate Crisis 2030 (PACC 2030) – The United States has provided over $100 million in new resources to increase access to climate finance, accelerate the transition to renewable energy, and build resilience to climate change and natural disasters under PACC 2030. PACC 2030 has established a network of Caribbean-based scientific experts to develop new climate mitigation and adaptation measures, identified new opportunities for clean energy infrastructure, and enhanced resilient food production systems to feed the region. 
    • Caribbean Sustainable Ecosystems Activity – The United States Caribbean Sustainable Ecosystems Activity aims to reduce threats to coastal-marine biodiversity in the Caribbean while building coastal communities’ resilience to climate change. The Sustainable Ecosystems Activity harmonizes regional conservation approaches and engages the tourism sector to advocate and conserve marine protected areas
    • Caribbean Biodiversity Program – Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) can help support biodiversity and climate resilience in the face of climate change. The Caribbean Biodiversity Program facilitates international and regional peer-to-peer exchange between MPAs in areas of enforcement, protected area financing, communication, outreach, public education, coral reef monitoring, and socio-economic monitoring.
    • Sargassum Inundation Embassy Science Fellow – Sargassum inundation events occur when rafts of this algae are carried to shore by winds and currents. These events are a type of harmful algal bloom that can adversely impact coastal ecosystems, tourism, and public health. The United States embedded an environmental engineer at the University of the West Indies to focus on collaborative research to better detect and address Sargassum influxes in the Caribbean and to support developing a plan for identification and response strategies for Sargassum inundation events in the Eastern Caribbean. 
    • National Marine Litter Action Plans – The United States assisted several Atlantic Partnership members (Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, and Guatemala) in the development of their National Marine Litter Action Plans which establish a roadmap for relevant authorities in each country to better manage marine litter issues.
    • Ocean Conservation Skill Sharing – The United States is working to build relationships among regional institutions to share approaches and learning to improve conservation of mangroves, shellfish, seagrass, and coral reefs.
    • Support for fisheries management efforts of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) – The United States provides extensive support for ICCAT, which oversees the conservation and management of Atlantic tunas, swordfish, marlin and sharks, and adopts measures to minimize bycatch of sea turtles, seabirds, and other protected species associated with these fisheries. This responsibility is shared among ICCAT’s 53 members, including a number of members of the Atlantic Partnership. 
    • Support for the Atlantic Centre Course on “Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing in the Atlantic” – The United States partners with the Atlantic Centre, a “Multilateral Centre of Excellence,” to promote defense capacity-building for the Atlantic, including the recent course on “Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing in the Atlantic,” held in the Azores. 
    • Joint Presentation of the Five-Day Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Seminar – The United States has deployed an exportable, internationally-focused seminar to assist partner nations (including Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone) to develop and strengthen their fisheries enforcement regimes to help prevent illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing products from entering the global seafood market. 
    • Maritime Advisor to Côte d’Ivoire – The United States supports a Maritime Advisor to Côte d’Ivoire, who assists in countering illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing; and improving maritime governance, port security, and port state control in West Africa. A mobile training team completed a two-week Boarding Officer Course for 18 Ivorians from their Navy, Gendarmerie, Customs and Fisheries organizations.  
    • Ghana Fisheries Recovery Activity – The United States funds the Feed the Future Ghana Fisheries Recovery Activity (GFRA) – a five-year, $17.8 million project that is mitigating the near collapse of Ghana’s small pelagic fisheries and establishing a foundation for their ecological recovery. The GFRA reduces overfishing and improves small pelagic fisheries management, which encourages ecological sustainability and marine biodiversity conservation and improves the socioeconomic well-being, food security, and resilience of fishers and coastal communities in Ghana. 
    • Women Shellfishers and Food Security Activity – The United States works in field sites in The Gambia and Ghana to demonstrate effective shellfishing and natural resource management approaches to women-led, community-based shellfishing operations.
    • Protecting Natural Ecosystems in Sierra Leone – The United States provided $10 million in political risk insurance to support West Africa Blue’s equity investment in a mangrove blue carbon project in the Bonthe and Moyamba regions of Sierra Leone. The project builds on a longstanding relationship with local communities and aims to develop long-term conservation, restoration, and income diversification activities funded sustainably through the issuance of high-quality, certified carbon credits. 

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: FEMA’s New Mexico Joint Recovery Office is Hiring: Attend Sept. 24 and 25 Hiring Fairs in Santa Fe

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: FEMA’s New Mexico Joint Recovery Office is Hiring: Attend Sept. 24 and 25 Hiring Fairs in Santa Fe

    FEMA’s New Mexico Joint Recovery Office is Hiring: Attend Sept. 24 and 25 Hiring Fairs in Santa Fe

    SANTA FE, N.M. — The FEMA New Mexico Joint Recovery Office (JRO) is hosting a hiring fair on Sept. 24 and 25 for full-time New Mexico Joint Recovery Office and Claims Office positions. The positions will support the important mission of helping the state recover from disasters, process claims, and compensate those affected by the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire and subsequent flooding.

    FEMA staff will be available at the hiring fairs to receive resumes, answer questions, and conduct on-the-spot interviews. 

    Interested individuals are encouraged to attend the hiring fair to learn more about open positions and how to secure a fulfilling career while serving their community.

    When

    Sept. 24, 2024: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. MT

    Sept. 25, 2024: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. MT

    Where

    Santa Fe Community College Higher Education Center, 1950 Siringo Road, Santa Fe, NM 87505

    Open positions for the Santa Fe office include Navigators, Appeals Analysts, Deputy Finance Director, Spend Plan Analyst, Invoice Management Specialist, Travel Manager, Accountable Property Manager, Facilities Specialist, Ordering Specialist, Supply Specialist, Deputy Director, Recovery Coordination, Administrative Specialist, Recovery Coordination Group Supervisor, Voluntary Agency Liaison, Infrastructure Branch Director, Program Delivery Manager, Geospatial Information Systems Specialist, Program/Data Analyst, Technical Writer, 406 Mitigation Specialist.

    FEMA employee benefits include eligibility for public service student loan forgiveness; federal retirement plans; paid annual leave; mental health resources; health, dental, and vision insurance; annual federal pay raises, and career growth opportunities.

    FEMA is looking for people who can represent the New Mexico Joint Recovery Office with compassion, fairness, integrity, and respect. Ideal candidates will have customer service experience; strong organizational, written, and verbal communication skills; and experience completing high-quality products within assigned time frames.

    “Claims Office staff are vital in FEMA’s recovery mission in Northern New Mexico,” said Jay Mitchell, Director of Operations at the New Mexico Joint Recovery Office. “We aim to hire dedicated people from the community who can take on the unique challenges of post-fire recovery. Their local knowledge and commitment will strengthen our efforts to support and rebuild the affected areas.” 

    For additional information about the hiring fairs, including candidate qualifications, position descriptions, and FEMA benefits, please visit fema.gov/fact-sheet/claims-office-and-jro-open-positions.

    Anyone impacted by the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire and subsequent flooding is encouraged to start a claim with the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Claims Office if they haven’t already. The deadline to submit a Notice of Loss is November 14, 2024, per the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire Assistance Act.

    The Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Claims Office is committed to meeting the needs of people impacted by the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire and subsequent flooding by providing full compensation available under the law as expeditiously as possible. At the time of publication, the FEMA Claims Office has paid more than $1 billion to claimants. 

    Claims Office compensation is not taxable. Receiving payment from the Claims Office will not impact eligibility for government assistance programs. Contact a tax professional for specific tax-related questions. Questions and concerns can also be addressed by calling your claim Navigator or the Claims Office Helpline at 505-995-7133.

    For information and updates regarding the Claims Office, please visit the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Claims Office website at fema.gov/hermits-peak. For information in Spanish, visit fema.gov/es/hermits-peak. You can also follow our Facebook page and turn notifications on to stay up to date about the claims process, upcoming deadlines and other program announcements at facebook.com/HermitsPeakCalfCanyonClaimsOffice. 

    amy.ashbridge

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: PASSED: Congresswoman Lee-led Bipartisan Legislation to Expand Health Care Access for Non-English Speakers Passes House

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03)

    WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Susie Lee’s (NV-03) bipartisan legislation to expand health care access for non-English and limited English proficiency speakers passed the U.S. House of Representatives. The Supporting Patient Education And Knowledge (SPEAK) Act, co-led by Congresswoman Michelle Steel (CA-45),would improve access to health care information technologies such as telehealth and patient portals.

    Nearly 30% of Nevadans regularly speak a language other than English at home, but local health care services do not reflect appropriate language capabilities to get them the care they need. Meanwhile, every county in Nevada is already designated as a health professional shortage area with inadequate telehealth services, making it difficult to get care to southern Nevadans regardless of the language they speak. 

    The SPEAK Act would require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to create a task force of industry experts and stakeholders to improve health care information technology such as teleheath and patient portals, as well as using interpreters, providing accessible instructions, and enabling multi-person video calls. The task force would then develop recommendations and best practices for addressing barriers for people with limited English proficiency. 

    “Understanding our health care options can sometimes be complicated, and that is especially true for the 300,000 Nevadans who don’t speak English as their first language,” said Congresswoman Susie Lee. “Many of these same people rely on telehealth services to access their health care, as they are either homebound, disabled, or have limited transportation. My bipartisan bill will make it easier for the millions of Americans across this country who struggle with language and transportation barriers to access this health care tool that they need and in a way that they can understand.” 

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Moore, Murray, and Dingell Introduce the SAFE for Survivors Act to Provide Economic Security for Domestic Violence Survivors

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Gwen Moore (WI-04)

    Moore, Murray, and Dingell Introduce the SAFE for Survivors Act to Provide Economic Security for Domestic Violence Survivors  

    The Security and Financial Empowerment (SAFE) for Survivors Act of 2024 addresses economic barriers faced by survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, ensures 40 days of leave for victims—10 of which must be paid

    Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-WI-04), U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06) introduced the Security and Financial Empowerment (SAFE) for Survivors Act to establish provisions that promote the safety and security of survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, gender-based violence, and stalking. 

    “Domestic violence survivors shouldn’t face financial hardship as they work to pick up the pieces after experiencing abuse,” Congresswoman Moore said. “But too many endure a financial cost, which is why we must work to remove these barriers, so that survivors can access the resources they need. That’s why I am thankful to partner with my House and Senate colleagues in much-needed legislation to strengthen survivors’ access to health care, unemployment benefits, and paid leave.”

    “No survivor of domestic violence or sexual assault should be forced to choose between their safety and their paycheck, job, or ability to support their family,” Senator Murray said. “Survivors who are dealing with the mental and physical impacts of assault and violence often can’t afford to miss a day of work or can’t provide for their families on their own if they choose to leave a dangerous situation. We must do everything we can to change this heartbreaking reality. The SAFE Act for Survivors Act would take a huge step toward ensuring no woman or person is stuck between worrying for their safety and making ends meet.”

    “Financial abuse occurs in nearly every case of domestic violence. So many survivors are financially tied to their abuser, which ends up being one of the main reasons survivors stay with an abusive partner,” Congresswoman Dingell said. “Survivors have unique needs in their journey to economic independence, and the provisions in this bill will support their ability to provide for their families safely and independently, whether they choose to enter, remain, or take time off from the workplace.”

    The 2024 SAFE for Survivors Act allows victims to take time off from work without fear of penalty, requires that employers provide reasonable accommodations to assist survivors dealing with the aftermath of violence, provides access to unemployment benefits for survivors, and establishes insurance protections to support survivors–ensuring that victims are not punished for their abusers’ crimes.

    One in four women in the U.S. experience physical violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime and one in four women report an attempted or completed rape during their lifetime. Individuals who experience intimate partner violence, sexual assault, gender-based violence and stalking often find that abuse and threats follow them from home into the workplace. This type of violence has direct consequences for survivors’ economic security, which can affect their ability to recover, provide for their families, and remove themselves from dangerous situations. 

    According to the Domestic Violence Hotline,  44% of full-time employed adults in the US reported experiencing the effect of domestic violence in their workplace; 21% identified themselves as victims of intimate partner violence. Domestic violence issues lead to nearly 8 million lost days of paid work each year, the equivalent of over 32,000 full-time jobs.

    Highlights of the 2024 SAFE Act include: 

    Increased Access to Leave

    • The SAFE for Survivors Act allows victims to take time off from work—40 days of leave, ten of which must be paid—without penalty in order to contend with the consequences of gender-based violence, including attending court appearances, seeking legal assistance, and getting help with safety planning. For too many victims, access to these essential services can mean the difference between life and death.

    Enhanced Workplace Protections

    • The SAFE for Survivors Act prohibits discriminatory employment practices in connection with survivors of domestic or sexual violence and requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to assist survivor dealing with the aftermath of violence.

    Access to Unemployment Benefits

    • The SAFE for Survivors Act allows victims in every state access to unemployment benefits if they are fired or forced to leave their job because of abuse.

    Insurance Protections for Survivors

    • The SAFE for Survivors Act prohibits denial or restriction of insurance coverage based on the status of the applicant or insured regarding abuse or abuse related claims, ensuring that victims are not punished for their abusers’ crimes.

    A section by section of the SAFE for Survivors Act is available HERE.

    In addition to Murray, the SAFE for Survivors Act is cosponsored by Senators Baldwin, Blumenthal, Casey, Hirono, Klobuchar, Padilla, Sanders, Shaheen, and Van Hollen.

    In addition to Dingell and Moore, the SAFE for Survivors Act is cosponsored by Representatives Ann Kuster (NH-02), Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Raul Grijalva (AZ-07), and Barbara Lee (CA-12)

    The SAFE for Survivors Act is endorsed by: National Partnership for Women & Families, The National Domestic Violence Hotline, Ascend Justice, Just Solutions, Legal Momentum, The Women’s Legal Defense and Education Fund, Family Values @ Work, Center for American Progress, Futures Without Violence, A Better Balance, Legal Aid at Work, Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence, MomsRising, Center for Law and Social Policy, Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, Women Employed, Project Safeguard, The Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC UNITED), Family Forward, Caminar Latino-Latinos United for Peace and Equity, National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, National Network to End Domestic Violence, and The Network Advocating Against Domestic Violence.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Bipartisan Support Grows for Pappas Bill to Protect Veterans’ Benefits from Predatory Claim Sharks

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

    The Problem Solvers Caucus – a group evenly split between Republicans and Democrats – has endorsed Pappas’s GUARD VA Benefits Act.

    This week, the Problem Solvers Caucus – a group evenly split between Republicans and Democrats – endorsed Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01)’s Governing Unaccredited Representatives Defrauding (GUARD) VA Benefits Act, which would reinstate criminal penalties for unaccredited claim representatives who charge unauthorized fees while assisting veterans with filing a claim for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation benefits. Pappas is a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus and has been rated among the most independent, bipartisan members of Congress.

    “Veterans seeking to access their benefits should not face another battle to do so. Unfortunately, unaccredited, for-profit companies are scamming veterans of their earned benefits under the guise of helping them, and they must be stopped and held accountable,” said Congressman Pappas, Ranking Member of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs (DAMA) Subcommittee of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee (HVAC). “As we continue to implement the PACT Act and expand veterans’ benefits, it’s vital we ensure veterans can access these benefits and receive help from representatives that are accredited, engage in transparent and ethical practices, and adhere to VA regulations. My bipartisan GUARD VA Benefits Act would protect veterans and their benefits from predatory claim sharks, and as it continues to gain bipartisan support, I’ll keep fighting to get this important legislation passed.”

    Unaccredited claims representatives, or claim sharks, are not subject to VA standards. They strategically advertise their services to avoid regulatory oversight and as a result, may engage in predatory and unethical practices that target veterans and rob them of their VA benefits. Federal laws and regulations prohibit anyone from assisting a veteran in the preparation, presentation, or prosecution of a VA benefit claim, or charging a fee for this assistance, without accreditation from VA’s Office of General Counsel. However, VA and other federal agencies are limited in their ability to enforce existing law because explicit criminal penalties were stripped from statute nearly two decades ago. This has contributed to the proliferation of unaccredited claims representatives in recent years. This legislation will discourage for-profit companies from operating outside the bounds of federal law and will give VA and other agencies an additional tool to protect veteran claimants from predatory practices.

    The GUARD VA Benefits Act has strong support within Congress and across the veterans community. The House legislation has 214 bipartisan cosponsors and companion legislation has been introduced by Senators Boozman, Blumenthal, Tester, and Graham. It has also been endorsed by Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), The American Legion, National Organization of Veterans’ Advocates (NOVA), Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), AMVETS, National Association of Counties (NACo), Military-Veterans Advocacy, Blinded Veterans Association, National Association of County Veterans Service Officers, National Law School Veterans Clinic Consortium, and National Veterans Legal Services Program.

    Background:

    In February 2022, Pappas called for and received a briefing from VA on its strategy to raise awareness of and better protect veterans from these predatory practices. In April 2022, Pappas chaired a joint Subcommittee hearing on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Accreditation Program for individuals who assist veterans with VA disability claims. Testimony given at the hearing highlighted the rise of unaccredited disability claims consultants who target veterans for financial exploitation and the importance of reinstating criminal penalties to deter bad actors.

    In August 2022, Pappas first introduced the Governing Unaccredited Representatives Defrauding (GUARD) VA Benefits Act to reinstate criminal penalties for unaccredited claim representatives who charge unauthorized fees while assisting veterans with filing a claim for VA disability compensation benefits. In February 2023, Pappas re-introduced this legislation in the 118th Congress.

    In September 2023, Pappas led a call for VA to enforce all existing protections for veterans filing initial claims for disability benefits and request additional tools they need to hold bad actors accountable for scamming veterans. In March 2024, Pappas joined a joint hearing held by the Senate and House Committees on Veterans’ Affairs to hear from Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) about their priorities for the 118th Congress. During the hearing, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) applauded Pappas’s GUARD VA Benefits Act, noting it as one of their top priorities, and urged Congress to pass the legislation.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Polis, Colorado WINS Leadership Sign New Partnership Agreement

    Source: US State of Colorado

    DENVER – Today, Governor Polis and leadership from Colorado WINS signed the new partnership agreement after the agreement was ratified by members. The new agreement goes into effect today and includes predictable wage increases, further clarity on working conditions including schedules and hiring, as well as language that strengthens the labor-management relationship. It also includes the initial statewide Partnership Agreement in 2021, the wage reopener in 2022, and State entity agreements with individual agencies and Institutions of Higher Education to improve compensation, working conditions, and opportunities for State employees. 

    “We are thrilled to sign this agreement today, making state government more efficient and supporting Colorado’s incredible state workforce. Our dedicated state employees go above and beyond to give back to our communities and people around our state, and this agreement helps provide greater certainty around pay, schedules, hiring and more. I want to thank Colorado WINS for their partnership on this agreement and look forward to the benefits state employees will receive from it,” said Governor Jared Polis. 

    “Our members voted 97% in favor of this agreement because it is a step forward on the long road to improving working conditions for state workers, which is critical if we want to retain and attract the talent we need to deliver the best possible services to Coloradans,” said Colorado WINS President Skip Miller. 

    “This is a step forward for all Coloradans, because when state jobs get better, state services get better too. Our members are also hopeful because this agreement commits us to working together on outstanding issues like better recognition for long term service and housing solutions that make it possible for state workers to be able to afford to live where they work. If successful, that work will go a long way to truly making the state an employer of choice,” said Hilary Glasgow, Colorado WINS Executive Director. 

    The agreement builds on the Colorado Partnership for Quality Jobs and Service Act, passed in 2020 and signed into law by Governor Polis, which recognized Colorado WINS as the certified employee organization for the 27,100 covered State employees who work across 23 Colorado state departments and 24 Institutes of Higher Education. 

    Read the Partnership Agreement here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Manchin Congratulates The 2024 West Virginia National Blue Ribbon Schools

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Joe Manchin
    September 23, 2024
    Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV) congratulated Gilmore Elementary School in Sandyville, Kellogg Elementary School in Huntington, and Pleasant Valley Elementary School in Fairmont for being recognized as 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools. Since its creation in 1982, the U.S. Department of Education’s National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has recognized the hard work of students, educators, families, and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging content and attain high academic achievement.
    “Earning a National Blue Ribbon School recognition is an outstanding achievement for any school in our country—and West Virginia is home to three such high-performing schools,” said Senator Manchin. “Young people are our future, and I’m incredibly proud of the students, faculty, and families who helped their schools earn this prestigious award for 2024. Gilmore, Kellogg, and Pleasant Valley Elementary Schools represent the best of the Mountain State. Gayle and I join all West Virginians in congratulating them on this well-deserved academic distinction and community accomplishment.”
    To learn more about the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy, Connecticut Delegation Announce $4.2 Million For Behavioral Health Services

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    September 23, 2024

    HARTFORD— U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, joined U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and U.S. Representatives John Larson (D-Conn.-01), Joe Courtney (D-Conn.-02), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.-03), Jim Himes (D-Conn.-04) and Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.-05) in announcing $4.2 million for seven community health centers in Connecticut to expand mental health, behavioral health, and substance use disorder services.
    “For too many struggling with mental illness or substance use, lifesaving care remains out of reach because overburdened health centers are unable to meet demand. This $4.2 million in federal funding is going to give community health centers across the state the resources to treat and work with thousands more people, and I’ll never stop fighting for expanded access to mental health services,” said Murphy.
    “This $4.2 million in federal funding will allow seven crucial community health centers in Connecticut to expand their lifesaving mental and behavioral health services. The need for these services has never been higher as Connecticut confronts an ongoing mental health crisis. These health centers are on the frontlines of providing care to those who need it most and I am thrilled that they will receive robust support to expand and continue this work,” said Blumenthal. 
    “I’m thrilled to announce $600,000 in federal funding for Hartford’s Charter Oak Health Center,” said Larson. “These funds are part of a nationwide effort to expand access to mental health care and substance use prevention services. Today’s announcement means that health centers across the country, including right here in Hartford, will be able to serve more than 300,000 patients previously unable to access the care they need.”
    “The United Community and Family Services is an indispensable health resource in our region. I am very pleased that the Health Resources and Services Administration awarded the UCFS with a substantial federal grant to support its ongoing behavioral health services. This federal award is a reflection of the exceptional service the health care professionals and staff provide, and will help expand and improve the mental and behavioral health services that so many residents rely on,” said Courtney. 
    “As the top Democrat on the Labor-Health and Human Services-Education subcommittee, I am proud to support this critical $4.2 million investment to combine mental health and drug use disorder treatment, which will empower our community health centers and ensure that more of our neighbors can access the care they need,” said DeLauro. “This is a triumph for every person and family affected by the opioid and mental health crises, and for our Federally Qualified Health Centers who are on the frontlines. I commend the Biden-Harris Administration for prioritizing these essential services, and I will continue to support investments that will have a positive impact on our district.”
    “With over 14,000 patients, the Norwalk Community Health Center (NCHC) is a stellar example of how to provide quality, local medical care to patients in the languages they speak for costs they can afford. The connections NCHC has built with the Norwalk community are invaluable, and will ensure that, as the medical facility expands its services with this $600,000 federal grant, its patients know they can get the help they need from medical professionals they trust,” said Himes.
    “Community health centers address the most urgent community needs, especially mental health and substance abuse services. Through critical investments like this, more people in Danbury, Plainville and surrounding towns will be able to seek the care they need right where they live. I am grateful to the Biden-Harris Administration for its commitment to expanding and improving access to care in Connecticut and across the country,” said Hayes.
    The federal funding, through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), will support critical services at seven federally qualified community health centers in Connecticut:
    Charter Oak Health Center in Hartford will receive $600,000.
    Connecticut Institute for Communities in Danbury will receive $600,000.
    Cornell Scott Hill Health in New Haven will receive $600,000.
    Fair Haven Community Health Clinic in New Haven will receive $600,000.
    Norwalk Community Health Center in Norwalk will receive $600,000.
    United Community and Family Services Inc. in Norwich will receive $600,000.
    Wheeler Clinic Inc. in Plainville will receive $600,000.
    A new report from Mental Health America demonstrates the need for this important expansion of services, finding that the vast majority of people with a substance use disorder in the U.S. are not receiving treatment. One in 5 youth had at least one major depressive episode in the last year—with over half not receiving treatment, and 10 percent of adults with a mental illness are uninsured.  
    Today, most health centers are only able to meet about 27% of the demand for mental health services and 6% of the substance use disorder treatment demand among their patients, according to HRSA.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Cassidy “It’s Time to Hold China Accountable on Pollution”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) penned an op-ed in The Washington Times for their special Energy Week edition highlighting an industrial manufacturing and trade policy to counter competition from China. The piece highlights Cassidy’s Foreign Pollution Fee Act, legislation to level the playing field with Chinese manufacturing and expand American production.
    “For years, China has strengthened its economy, military, and geopolitical influence at the expense of the U.S. This must stop. It is time to hold communist China accountable with comprehensive legislation that addresses economic development, national security, and the environment. The Foreign Pollution Fee Act (FPFA) is the path forward,” wrote Dr. Cassidy. 
    “It makes absolutely no sense to continue allowing China and other countries to pollute freely and weaken the U.S. economically, and relatively speaking, militarily. We must turn the tables to make China pay instead of making the American people pay. The FPFA does this,” concluded Dr. Cassidy. 
    Read the full op-ed here or below: 
    It’s Time to Hold China Accountable on Pollution
    For years, China has strengthened its economy, military, and geopolitical influence at the expense of the U.S. This must stop. It is time to hold communist China accountable with comprehensive legislation that addresses economic development, national security, and the environment. The Foreign Pollution Fee Act (FPFA) is the path forward.
    Over the years, China has gained an unfair trade advantage over American companies by intentionally not enforcing environmental standards. A business deciding between opening a manufacturing plant in the U.S. or China has a clear monetary incentive to pick China. This has contributed to 2.5 million American jobs being lost to China over the last 20 years.
    This is negatively affecting our environment. Up to a quarter of sulfate pollution in the western U.S. comes from Chinese emissions, according to a study published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. China’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions now exceed those of the U.S. and EU combined.
    As this took place, China’s GDP grew from 19th globally to second. China has used its economic strength to become the second-greatest military power in the world. China uses military power as a hegemonic tool, seeking to intimidate Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, and other U.S. allies.
    China gets American jobs, expands economically, and uses economic strength to militarize, while America gets China’s pollution. At the same time, the U.S. spends billions to make sure our manufacturing and energy production is the cleanest in the world. This is wrong.
    Classical economics says that there is a place for fees or tariffs if there is an externality, like pollution, not included in the price of a good. This is the basis for the FPFA. This fee capitalizes on the fact that the U.S. has invested billions to control emissions. The FPFA would be commensurate with the avoided cost of complying with international pollution control norms. This decreases the ability of China (and other high-polluting countries) to underprice U.S. manufacturers. The FPFA will incentivize high-polluting countries to reduce emissions. To the degree that it equalizes manufacturing costs, it can encourage re-shoring jobs. Speaking of China in particular, in concert with the economic advantage shifting to the U.S., China will have less money to militarize. For the U.S., it’s a win, win, win, instead of a lose, lose, lose.
    I recently presented my plan to Americans from across the country visiting D.C. in the latest episode of Bill on the Hill. People agreed that putting a fee on dirty products coming from high-polluting countries was not only wise policy but the reasonable course of action. This is consistent with recent nationwide polling that found that 84% of Americans favor taxing foreign companies for importing products that emit more GHG than comparable U.S. products.
    It makes absolutely no sense to continue allowing China and other countries to pollute freely and weaken the U.S. economically, and relatively speaking, militarily. We must turn the tables to make China pay instead of making the American people pay. The FPFA does this.
    • Sen. Bill Cassidy was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014. He serves on the Finance Committee, the Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions Committee (HELP), the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and the Veterans Affairs Committee.
    Background
    Cassidy announced he will be holding a summit entitled, “Louisiana Energy Security Summit: Unleashing American Abundance in a Changing Global Landscape,” in Baton Rouge on Wednesday, October 16, 2024. The Energy Security Summit will bring together leaders from the federal, state, and local government, industry, research community, and more. 
    He frequently highlights the geopolitical challenges confronting U.S. manufacturers operating internationally. Adversaries exploit lax environmental and labor standards to gain an unfair trade advantage over American companies. Cassidy advocates for a U.S. foreign policy integrating national, economic, and energy security.
    He and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced their Foreign Pollution Fee Act to level the playing field with Chinese manufacturing and expand American production.
    Earlier this month, he released the 3rd episode of Bill on the Hill, which highlights his Foreign Pollution Fee Act and discusses China’s growing economy and military at the expense of the American worker. After hearing fellow Americans share his concerns, Cassidy presented his plan to address the nexus between economic development, national security, and the environment. His Foreign Pollution Fee Act would even the playing field while holding China accountable.
    He penned editorials in Foreign Affairs, The Washington Times, and jointly in the USA Today Network with State Senator Caleb Kleinpeter (R-Port Allen), and State Representative Blake Miguez (R-Erath) discussing the geopolitical threats China poses to U.S. global standing. Cassidy also joined Greta Van Susteren on Newsmax to discuss his foreign pollution fee, noting the competitive advantage China receives from intentionally ignoring environmental standards. 
    Last Spring, the Louisiana Senate and House of Representatives unanimously adopted a resolution urging Congress to pursue an industrial manufacturing and trade policy to counter competition from China. Learn more here. 
    Last Congress, Cassidy released a landmark energy policy outline in response to the Biden administration’s assault on domestic energy. The outline details how we can successfully reset U.S. energy policy, including Cassidy’s plan for an Energy Operation Warp Speed to cut permitting red tape and unleash domestic energy and manufacturing. In support of this complete vision and in addition to the Foreign Pollution Fee, Cassidy led Republican colleagues in opposition to a domestic carbon tax and introduced the first comprehensive judicial reform for permitting bill. He also pushed back on disastrous proposals from the Biden administration to limit development in the Outer Continental Shelf with the introduction of the WHALE Act and the Offshore Energy Security Act of 2023.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why virtual reality nature can’t provide the same wellness benefits as the real thing

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Savannah Stuart, PhD Candidate in Social and Ecological Sustainability, University of Waterloo

    VR headsets let users explore natural settings like beaches, greenery and oceans, choosing the time of day and the weather. (Shutterstock)

    As nature connection researchers, we’re aware of the innumerable benefits of spending time outside in nature. We’re also aware that, like so many other interactions, immersing oneself in nature is an experience that is now available virtually. In fact, virtual reality (VR) companies now promote VR nature as tools for corporate wellness.

    Some universities have also added VR to staff or student services. When we learned that our staff association at University of Waterloo was offering a new wellness initiative linked to nature, our excitement faded upon realizing the initiative wasn’t about real nature — such as encouraging staff members to take regular breaks to sit by the stream on campus, or to walk around nearby Columbia Lake — but VR nature.

    Headsets would be available for use in libraries pre-loaded with the Nature Treks VR app, which lets users explore natural settings like beaches, greenery and oceans, choosing the time of day and the weather.

    Waterloo is not the first institution to turn to such tools to support well-being. The McGill Student Wellness Hub similarly offers VR sessions with “Mindful Escapes,” an app in which users can “embark on virtual journeys to serene landscapes, calming forests, ocean depths or mountain adventures.”

    VR nature appears to be a wellness trend.

    Technological nature

    Virtual reality companies now promote VR nature as a tool for corporate wellness.
    (Shutterstock)

    We’re skeptical that VR nature will enable the diverse benefits that real nature offers. What might be the consequences of such “technological nature” — nature mediated and augmented by a technological interface?

    Peter H. Kahn of the University of Washington, who has done foundational work in this field, concludes from a multitude of studies that:

    “in terms of human well-being, technological nature is better than no nature, but not as good as actual nature.”

    Turning to technology such as VR headsets for nature immersion contributes to what one expert in environmental psychology, Susan Clayton, calls a transformation of experience. First, VR allows the user to control and therefore optimize and homogenize their nature experience, perhaps selecting only glorious weather and the most sensational or pristine wilderness. Technologically optimized depictions of nature “may lead people to be less interested in, or satisfied by, messy, unexciting, local ecosystems.”

    Might VR headsets diminish users’ appreciation of immersive and restorative nature experiences that can be found in their local greenspace?

    Sensory immersion

    The disparities in benefits between the virtual and real nature experiences raise a big question: Why are wellness initiatives investing in these new tech tools rather than hands-on experiences that prioritize sensory immersion?
    (Shutterstock)

    Second, VR headsets fail to provide the sensory immersion and embodiment of actual nature. Sensory inputs such as smell, sound, touch and sight are all intertwined in the complex relationship between nature immersion and well-being, but VR headsets remove the sensuality of nature experiences.

    For example, stimulating one’s sense of touch can lead to increased psychological restoration and numerous tree species produce chemical compounds that have psychological and physiological benefits. The rapidly growing area of research on the microbiome-brain connection stresses the importance of encountering beneficial bacteria through contact with soil, something that a VR headset cannot replicate.

    And finally, a recurrent issue with VR headset use is the onset of “cybersickness,” nausea that appears to be exacerbated by walking or movement. This may make users of VR headsets wary of moving while wearing the headset, which is another disadvantage compared to being outside free of one.

    In addition to losing these facets of experience in nature, another factor we wonder about is the evidence base for purchasing these devices. The study cited in the University of Waterloo announcement, which specifically evaluates the efficacy of Nature Treks VR for wellness, lacked a control group and had a small sample size. The study authors state that due to their lack of a control group, “a causal relationship between the VR experience and participants’ mood could not be established.”

    More research on the contrast between VR and real nature for well-being must be undertaken to rigorously compare the two.

    Access and equity issues

    VR nature experiences may appeal to those who did not grow up with opportunities to have immersive experiences in nature and thus don’t feel entirely comfortable there. They may also appeal to those who have accessibility limitations.

    However, defaulting to VR could contribute to the existing inequity in access to the benefits of real nature immersion. It may make it easier to turn to technological nature experiences rather than developing accessible nature programming.



    Read more:
    How cities can avoid ‘green gentrification’ and make urban forests accessible

    The disparities in benefits between the virtual and real nature experiences raise a big question: why are wellness initiatives investing in these new tech tools rather than hands-on experiences that prioritize sensory immersion?

    Funding opportunities often seem to favour the new “techno-fix” that offers a streamlined and simple solution. But the introduction of such tools necessitates reflection on values of workplace wellness. Is the goal to attain wellness as efficiently as possible, instead of aspiring to the most effective modalities?

    Rather than donning headsets, we encourage people to engage in simple outdoor activities to cultivate a deeper connection with nature. There’s a lot to be said for making use of whatever green space you have access to: go outside, slow down and, if possible, smell the proverbial roses.

    Savannah Stuart receives funding from OGS.

    Brendon Larson receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

    Steffanie Scott receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

    – ref. Why virtual reality nature can’t provide the same wellness benefits as the real thing – https://theconversation.com/why-virtual-reality-nature-cant-provide-the-same-wellness-benefits-as-the-real-thing-234124

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Meta’s AI-powered smart glasses raise concerns about privacy and user data

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Victoria (Vicky) McArthur, Associate Professor, School of Journalism and Communication, Carleton University

    Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are just one of many wearable tech devices on the market. The glasses, which first launched in 2021, are a collaboration between Meta and Italian-French eyewear company EssilorLuxottica, which owns Ray-Ban among many other brands.

    The smart glasses feature two small cameras, open-ear speakers, a microphone and a touch panel built into the temple of the glasses. To access these features, users must pair them to their mobile phone using the Meta View app. Users can take photos or videos with the camera, listen to music from their phone and livestream to Meta’s social media platforms.

    Users can operate the glasses using spoken commands or the built-in Meta AI assistant, which responds to prompts like “hey Meta.” For example, users can say, “hey Meta, look and…” followed by questions about their surroundings.

    To take a photo or video, users press and hold a button on the frame, which activates an LED in the front of the glasses. The LED signals to others that the camera is actively capturing a photo or video. If the LED is covered, the camera won’t work and the user will be prompted by the Meta AI assistant to uncover it.

    Although the LED helps to signal that the camera is in operation, the relatively small size of the LED garnered criticism from privacy regulators in Europe.

    Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses on display in Cremona, Italy, on July 29, 2024.
    (Shutterstock)

    Data privacy concerns

    As a company that makes nearly all of its money from advertising, there have been concerns raised about how images captured with the glasses will be used by the company.

    Meta has a long history of privacy concerns. When it comes to user data, folks are rightly concerned about how their images — potentially captured without their consent — might be used by the company.

    The Meta smart glasses add another layer to this debate by introducing AI into the equation. AI has already prompted numerous debates and criticism about how easy it is to decieve, how confidently it gives incorrect information and how racially biased it can be.



    Read more:
    AI technologies — like police facial recognition — discriminate against people of colour

    When users take photos or videos with the smart glasses, they are sent to Meta’s cloud to be processed via AI. According to Meta’s own website, “all photos processed with AI are stored and used to improve Meta products, and will be used to train Meta’s AI with help from trained reviewers.”

    Meta states this processing includes the analysis of objects, text and other contents of photos, and that any information “will be collected, used and retained in accordance with Meta’s Privacy Policy.” In other words, images uploaded to the cloud will be used to train Meta’s AI.

    Leaving it up to users

    The ubiquity of portable digital cameras, including wearable ones, has had a significant impact on how we document our lives while also reigniting legal and ethical debates around privacy and surveillance.

    In many Canadian jurisdictions, people can be photographed in a public place without their consent, unless there is a reasonable expectation of privacy. However, restrictions apply if the images are used for commercial purposes or in a way that could cause harm or distress. There are exceptions for journalistic purposes or matters of public interest, but these can be nuanced.

    Meta has published a set of best practices to encourage users to be mindful of the rights of others when wearing the glasses. These guidelines suggest formally announcing when you plan to use the camera or livestream, and turning the device off when entering private spaces, such as a doctor’s office or public washrooms.

    As someone who owns a pair, I can ask my Ray-Ban Meta glasses to comment on what I can see and it will describe buildings, translate signs and accurately guess the species of my mixed-breed dog, but will let me know that it is not allowed to tell me anything about people whenever a person appears in frame.

    What remains unclear is the issue of bystander consent and how people who appear unintentionally in the background of someone else’s photos will be used by Meta for AI training purposes. As AI capabilities evolve and these technologies become more widespread, these concerns are likely to grow.

    Meta’s reliance on user behaviour to uphold privacy norms may not be sufficient to address the complex questions surrounding consent, surveillance and data exploitation. Given the company’s track record with privacy concerns and its data-driven business model, it’s fair to question whether the current safeguards are enough to protect privacy in our increasingly digitized world still.

    Victoria (Vicky) McArthur 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. Meta’s AI-powered smart glasses raise concerns about privacy and user data – https://theconversation.com/metas-ai-powered-smart-glasses-raise-concerns-about-privacy-and-user-data-238191

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Governments of Canada and Manitoba Celebrate Opening of New Child-Care Facility in Fort Rouge

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    September 23, 2024

    Governments of Canada and Manitoba Celebrate Opening of New Child-Care Facility in Fort Rouge

    – – –
    40 New Child-Care Spaces to Open this Fall: Sudds, Kinew

    Families with young children in Winnipeg will benefit from a new child-care facility opening its doors this fall, Families, Children and Social Development Minister Jenna Sudds and Premier Wab Kinew announced today.

    “With these new child-care spots in Winnipeg, we are planting the seeds for a brighter future – one where kids get to learn from the land and their community,” said Sudds. “We will keep working hard to create more spots to get kids off wait lists and into high-quality, affordable child care close to home. Every family deserves access to child care that gives their children the best possible start in life and we are committed to making that a reality.”

    S.P.L.A.S.H. Child Care Inc. in Winnipeg has expanded its operations to facilitate 40 new child-care spaces.  These new child-care spaces have been created through S.P.L.A.S.H.’s new Urban Learning Centre, which joins S.P.L.A.S.H.’s Early Learning Centre at 109 Pulford St. as well as S.P.L.A.S.H.’s two other facilities in Winnipeg for a total of 236 infant, preschool and school-age spaces. The new site will offer 10 preschool and 30 school-age spaces.

    The Manitoba government invested $215,000 in capital grant funding to create new school-age spaces through the Early Learning and Child Care Building Fund and provided an additional $13,000 in one-time start-up grant funding.

    “Affordable and accessible child care is the backbone of a strong economy where everyone can participate,” said Kinew. “This is an important step towards our commitment to create more child-care spaces for Manitoba families. This announcement is about making life better for families today and investing in our kids for the future.”

    The Government of Canada invested a further $175,000 under the Canada-Manitoba Early Learning and Child Care Agreement to create new preschool spaces through the Child Care Renovation Expansion Grant and provided $4,500 in one-time start-up grant funding. Annual operating funding for preschool-aged spaces will be provided to S.P.L.A.S.H via the Canada-Manitoba Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement to ensure long-term sustainability of these new spaces, noted the minister.

    “It is important for Manitoba children and students to have the best possible learning environments throughout our province,” said Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Nello Altomare. “S.P.L.A.S.H.’s expansion will also enable the centre to continue to provide exceptional programming rooted in Indigenous knowledge.”

    For more information about early learning and child-care in Manitoba, visit:  www.manitoba.ca/education/childcare/.

    For more information on the Canada-Manitoba Early Learning and Child Care agreements, visit: www.canada.ca/en/early-learning-child-care-agreement/agreements-provinces-territories/manitoba-canada-wide-2021.html.

    – 30 –

    MIL OSI Canada News –