Category: Entertainment

MIL-Evening Report: Keith Rankin Analysis – Who, neither politician nor monarch, executed 100,000 civilians in a single night?
Analysis by Keith Rankin.

Who, neither politician nor monarch, executed 100,000 civilians in a single night?

Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand.

Answer: Curtis LeMay, American Air Force General, in the wee hours of 10 March 1945. While authorised by his immediate superior, this firebombing of Tokyo was a decentralised military operation which received subsequent popular approval. It was called ‘Operation Meetinghouse’. While Japanese civilians were aware that they had become a collateral target to the encroaching American military machine, these victims had no prior idea of the murderous danger they faced that night.

Le May went on to execute at least another 120,000 Japanese civilians in the next five months and five days; from 10 March until 15 August. The method of execution was to burn people alive. LeMay’s inflammatory instrument was napalm. The politicians approved, but did not fully comprehend. They had been softened up by bureaucratic-speak, and they did not see burning people on their TV screens.

(In that August there was an additional couplet of mass executions; nuclear executions. This parallel military operation was not under the command of LeMay, but used the same airfields and the same B29 aircraft type. Contrary to impressions given that the atomic bomb was planned for Germany, pilot Paul Tibbets was chosen in 1944, and was doing test manoeuvres from Cuba at the end of that year. And there were five cities LeMay had been asked not to firebomb, and did not bomb, knowing that these were ‘reserved’ targets. An additional 120,000 people were summarily executed by the untested ‘Little Boy’ [Hiroshima] and the New Mexico tested ‘Fat Man’ [plutonium bomb dropped on Nagasaki], with thousands more suffering lingering executions. These bombings – rubber-stamped by President Truman – were arranged by technocrats and military bureaucrats. The American authorities were preparing to give a repeat larger dose when more ‘Fat Men’ would become available towards the end of 1945.)

In the middle centuries of the last millennium, one particularly appalling form of execution was to burn ‘heretics’ and ‘witches’ at the stake. These executions peaked in the sixteenth century. The most renowned perpetrator was Bloody Mary, Queen of England during the 1550s. Her tally, those burned while she was queen, was about 500 people. Unlike the citizens of Tokyo, most of Queen Mary’s victims had options, albeit unsatisfactory options, to escape their fates. We think of such executions-by-fire as the epitome of terror. (And we note that some Holocaust victims, in places such as Belarus, were burned in wooden buildings locked by their Nazi executioners.)

It is 200 kilometres from Auckland to Tauranga via SH2. (For an international example, try Dover to Cambridge.) Just imagine 20,000 stakes, faggots at the ready, 10 metres apart, all the way along the highway between those two cities. Now imagine a family being burned at each of those 20,000 stakes. That is, in essence, what General Curtis LeMay achieved in one spring night, in central Tokyo. (And, as we have noted, he was only warming up. His total civilian kill count was ‘limited’ because putative victims, now forewarned, were more able to take measures to save their lives though not their homes. He firebombed literally hundreds of Japanese cities.)

Did we remember this event in March this year, its 80th anniversary? No. This literal holocaust was barely remembered, even in Japan. Indeed, in the 1960s, political leaders in the new Japan presented him in 1964 with a prestigious accolade for his supposed sine qua non role in making the new Japan possible.

1945 was not Lemay’s first participation in megadeath; not his first rodeo. He earned his stripes in the European ‘bombing theatre’ in 1942 and 1943, where he took on board the ‘atrocities may be more effective’ approach of the British RAF. He also operated out of Bengal in 1944, during the Bengal famine which resulted from food being diverted away from millions of Bengali civilians to facilitate war objectives, in an earlier attempt to bomb Japan via India and China. In addition to starving Indians – a somewhat wretched people, in LeMay’s view – the American military was willing to sustain huge American losses, eg flying over the Himalayas, for minimal military success. A mitigating factor for LeMay, then, was that he was implementing other people’s plans. On 10 March 1945, Operation Meetinghouse was his scheme.

Why?

What was the purpose of this mass execution, this collective punishment of civilians who happened to live in a country that was losing a war?

Japanese civilians were neither fascists nor communists nor anti-semites nor anti-hamites nor anyone else ‘deserving’ of immolation. Their government was however guilty of good old-fashioned imperialism, and the usual atrocities that come with conquests of other people’s lands.

There were two officially-stated arguments used to justify these executions. One was that, as civilian victims of such suffering, they, demoralised, might somehow convince their political masters to end the war sooner. The second justification was that the civilian victims were either workers in factories producing military goods, or were involved in ‘cottage industries’ which contributed to the production of military goods; this really amounts to some kind of ‘revenge’ justification masked as ‘normal warfare’. And this second justification is uncannily like the ‘Hamas’ argument used at present by the Israeli government to justify executions of civilians in Gaza.

The American bombing culture in Europe had been more reserved than that of the British. The Americans, including LeMay, witnessed the British firebombing of German cities during 1942 to 1944 – especially in the west of Germany where Nazi support was the least – which had conspicuously failed to create conditions facilitating popular revolution in Germany. Dead people tended to be passive, and survivors tended to channel their despair towards the perpetrators of their anguish. Indeed, among victimised communities, murderous bombing campaigns generally reinforced propaganda perpetuated by the victims’ governments. Further, despite calling their tactic ‘morale bombing’, the British already knew that the morale narrative was false, having been able to closely evaluate the morale effects of comparatively small amounts of German bombing in 1940 upon British civilians.

Overall, it comes across that the main reason for the executions was some kind of ‘impunity’; they did it because they could. The more they failed to bring the war to an end, the more they persevered in doing the executions that hadn’t achieved their stated goals. Just one more city. And then another. And another.

The impunity argument was augmented by the ‘scientific’ rationalisations. Applied scientists developing ever more efficient methods of execution would never be satisfied unless they could see the success of their own apparatus ‘in the field’.

Sky-executions this century: Iraq from 2003, Afghanistan, and Gaza from 2023

In the last decade (or so) of the twentieth century, most people believed that humans – except perhaps a few terrorists (who indeed perpetrated a sky-execution in 2001) – could never repeat such atrocities upon civilians. Then we saw, in 2003, based on false claims about ‘weapons of mass destruction’ held by Saddam Hussein, executions similar to those of WW2 were perpetrated upon the civilians of Iraq. And a huge bunker bomb – the Mother of All Bombs “the most powerful non-nuclear bomb ever used” – was dropped on a village in eastern Afghanistan in 2017. (A comment to this recent Al Jazeera news clip says: “Americans tested their weapons on innocent civilians’ villages”. And see BBC: The Mother of All Bombs: How badly did it hurt IS in Afghanistan? 27 April 2017.)

These executions were seen to be a mix of ‘revenge’ and ‘impunity’, although once again cloaked as being part of a higher purpose; in this case the higher purpose being the export of western-style ‘Democracy’. We saw in Iraq that the main consequence of western sky-executions – the ‘shock and awe’ bombing campaign – was the formation of terror-group ISIL, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan dragged on for twenty years before the eventual humiliation of the United States in Afghanistan in 2021.

Since 2023 in Gaza we have seen a constant stream of airborne executions of civilians; mostly people who by fate were born into that occupied or encircled ghetto; a piece of real estate, densely populated by the descendants of refugees, coveted by the descendants of comparatively recent European colonisers making bizarre historical claims of entitlement.

The young people of this world were shocked to see that their political leaders were indifferent, and that many were actually prompting these executions; executions by explosion and fire. Admittedly the scale of what is happening in Gaza is much less than the scale of Curtis LeMay’s murderous firebombs. But otherwise it is much the same. Our elders, some of whom protested against the Vietnam War, by and large couldn’t care less.

This indifference is facilitated by the fact that the victims’ fates are simply too graphic to show on television. There is no lack of footage; it’s just too horrible. But now, there is footage that’s less horrible – though still very horrible – of emaciated starving children. I don’t think that those western elites who were indifferent to the live burnings are really any less indifferent to the starvations perpetrated, not by Jews, but by the state of Israel. But the elites are sensitive to the impact of detrimental optics on their ability to garner political support from non-elites.

G-Hats and B-hats

It must be hard for young people to explain why there is so much indifference among their elders, especially their elite elders, towards the sky-executions that appear on daily news feeds (though commonly at about 6:25pm – after two sets of advertisements – on the nightly six o’clock news).

My explanation is this. We put hats (ie labels) on various groups of people. Especially ‘Goody’ and ‘Baddy’ hats. Hats labelled G (for good or for God), and hats labelled B (for bad, or evil). Sometimes there is a D-hat; western liberal ‘Democracy’, the imperialism we most see today.

Following westerners’ contrition for The Holocaust, the first people in line to be awarded G hats were the Jewish citizens of the newly created state of Israel. We gave out many G and B hats to various other people of course. And, of course, just about every identity group issues themselves with G-hats, reserving B-hats for distinct others.

One of the problems with the human brain is that it reacts badly to contradiction. Neural pathways short-circuit when we see people with G-hats doing B (bad) – often very bad – things. Most observers will resolve the contradiction in favour of the hat rather than in favour of the observed action. So, if a G-hatted person or institution sky-executes some people, then we rationalise this dissonance by ignoring the action or by presuming that the victims must have been B (effectively converting a grotesque action into a good action). We expect our societal leaders to rise above these forms of neural conflict.

Through this kind of dissonance, we both excuse the bad actions of the Good, and fail to acknowledge the good actions of the Bad. (An example of the latter is that, in many contexts, colonisers and their descendants are given B-hats by the descendants of the colonised; and any genuine achievements which may have arisen from a colonised setting are devalued, deamplified, or disregarded.)

On the matter of cognitive dissonance, for which my hat explanation is an example, see Social Atrophy on the Rise,France24 26 May 20125, featuring Sarah Stein Lubrano, author of Don’t Talk about Politics (published this month). She says: “When people are given new information or new arguments about something about which they already hold beliefs – especially strong beliefs – they experience cognitive dissonance, they feel discomfort between the contradiction between new ideas and existing ideas and this often causes them to re-entrench, to double-down on their existing ideas.”

Conclusion

Some things are so horrible – including inflammatory executions – we cannot compute them. That’s no excuse to repeat them.

————-

On Curtis LeMay, my three main sources have been:
- Richard Overy (2025), Rain of Ruin
- Malcolm Gladwell (2021), The Bomber Mafia
- James Scott (2022), Black Snow
*******

Keith Rankin (keith at rankin dot nz), trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand.
MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –
May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Free trivia spots to try in Canberra
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
- Canberra has lots of venues that offer weekly trivia.
- This story lists over 15 Canberra venues that host trivia.
Looking for a fun and free way to catch up with mates? Trivia nights are the perfect answer.

Whether you’re a pop-culture junkie, history buff or you just want a laugh, trivia is a great way to spend time with family or friends and not break the bank.

There are many Canberra venues that offer free trivia. We’ve rounded up over 15 great spots to try across the city, from Monday to Thursday.

MONDAY

Hopscotch, Braddon

Enjoy two hours of fun-filled trivia every Monday and Wednesday at 7pm.

Monday’s trivia is hosted by Fame Trivia, and Wednesday’s by Quiz Meisters.

The Pedlar, Campbell

Compete for prizes at The Pedlar’s trivia, every Monday at 7pm.

PJs in the City, Canberra City

Grab your work mates and head from the office to the pub for some Monday night trivia.

There are prizes to win, great food to eat and lots of fun to be had.

TUESDAY

The Lighthouse Pub, Belconnen

Lighthouse offers general trivia every Tuesday night. Register at 7pm for 7:30pm start.

Both winners and those who come second last get a prize. There will also be drink giveaways during the game.

The Durham Castle Arms, Kingston

Flex your mental muscles at the Durham’s trivia, hosted every Tuesday and Wednesday night at 7:30pm.

Keep an eye out for a themed night. They recently hosted a ‘Simpsons’ trivia.

The Hellenic Club, Woden

Enjoy trivia every Tuesday at 7pm at the Woden club.

There’s food and beverage prizes, and the chance to play for a cash jackpot.

The Old Canberra Inn, Lyneham

Head down to one of Canberra’s oldest pubs for a bit of IQ Trivia.

Trivia is on every Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30pm.

Verity Lane Market, Canberra City

Enjoy Fame Trivia every Tuesday night at Verity Lane, from 6pm-8pm.

Have a laugh, eat some great food and win some prizes!

WEDNESDAY

3rd Space, Hackett

Italian and Trivia? Yes please.

Every Wednesday from 7pm enjoy a two-hour quiz at 3rd Space featuring on-screen videos and interactive live games.

The Alby, Woden

Southsiders can enjoy trivia every Wednesday at 7pm at The Alby.

There will be prizes, giveaways and great food.

To All My Friends, Cook

This cosy pub at Cook shops offers trivia every Wednesday night at 7pm.

Tables book up fast so book a table for you and your mates in advance.

The Duxton, O’Connor

Enjoy trivia every Wednesday at The Duxton. Arrive at 6;30pm for a 7pm start.

Food and drinks are available to enjoy while you play.

Bookings are essential. Reserve a table.

The Hellenic Club, Canberra City

Put your brain to the test at Hellenic Club in the city every Wednesday at 7pm.

There’s food and beverage prizes, and the chance to play for a cash jackpot.

THURSDAY

Casey Jones Pub, Gungahlin

Test your knowledge at Casey Jones’ trivia every Thursday night at 7pm.

There will be great prizes to win.

Gang Gang, Downer

Enjoy wonderful woodfired pizzas and trivia at Gang Gang, every Thursday night at 7pm.

This trivia covers everything from pop culture, politics, geography, musical clues, movie clues, and more!

Mooseheads, Canberra City

Larry from Fame Trivia hosts Mooseheads’ trivia every Thursday night.

Challenge your knowledge and win awesome prizes.

Although these dates and times were correct at the time of publishing, please ensure you always check with the venue for up-to-date information and timeframes.

Read more like this:
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MIL OSI News –
May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI China: UNESCO intangible cultural heritage: Qiang New Year Festival

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

Editor’s note: The Qiang New Year Festival is a traditional celebration of the Qiang people, one of China’s oldest ethnic groups, often described as a “living fossil” in the evolutionary history of the Chinese nation.

Southwest China’s Sichuan province is home to the country’s only Qiang ethnic enclave, where approximately 300,000 Qiang people primarily reside in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture, and Beichuan Qiang autonomous county in Mianyang city.

Every year, on the first day of the 10th lunar month, the Qiang people celebrate their most significant traditional festival — the Qiang New Year. Centered around themes of worshiping heaven and expressing gratitude, they hold ceremonies during the festival to honor the gods, drive away evil, express gratitude for the harvest, and pray for blessings.

The Qiang people are renowned for their talent in singing and dancing, exemplified by the Salang dance, a distinctive circle dance whose name means “sing and dance” in the Qiang language.

In 2009, the Qiang New Year Festival was inscribed on UNESCO’s List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. In 2024, UNESCO inscribed the festival on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This recognition highlights the significance of the festival in preserving the cultural traditions, social bonds and spiritual beliefs of the Qiang people.

The Qiang New Year Festival, with a history that stretches back centuries, is deeply rooted in the agricultural and pastoral traditions of the Qiang people. Signaling renewal and hope for the coming year, it is both a cultural and social event, involving elaborate ceremonies that seek to ensure prosperity, health and harmony within the Qiang community.

The festival’s origins are closely tied to the agricultural calendar, particularly the importance of seasonal cycles in the Qiang way of life. Traditionally, the Qiang people practiced farming and animal husbandry in the rugged, high-altitude regions of Sichuan, and their spiritual beliefs were deeply intertwined with nature. Their New Year Festival is a time to honor the spirits of the ancestors, the earth and the natural elements, while also celebrating the community’s resilience and unity.

Participants engage in prayers at the rituals of the Qiang New Year Festival, hoping for bountiful harvests, good fortune and protection of their herds. The festival includes a variety of traditional activities, such as sacrificial rites, communal feasts, and performances of traditional Qiang music and dance, most notably the Qiang dance, which is often accompanied by the unique sound of bamboo instruments.

In addition to these cultural elements, the festival is an important occasion for socializing. It fosters unity within the Qiang community, strengthening family and clan ties, and allows younger generations to learn and participate in the traditions of their elders.

In recent decades, the festival has faced pressures from migration, changing lifestyles and the loss of traditional customs among younger generations. However, concerted efforts by local communities, cultural institutions and government agencies have helped revitalize and protect this important cultural practice.

Local authorities in Sichuan province have actively worked to preserve the festival by promoting it as a cultural tourism event, which has brought attention and resources to the celebration. In addition, the establishment of cultural heritage programs, including the training of cultural bearers and the documentation of traditional practices, has helped ensure the survival of the festival’s rituals.

The festival is increasingly recognized as an important part of China’s diverse cultural heritage, and its significance extends beyond the Qiang people themselves. The Qiang New Year Festival has been showcased in cultural exchange programs, and efforts to engage younger generations in the preservation of traditional practices are ongoing.

UNESCO’s recognition of the Qiang New Year Festival emphasized its role as a vital cultural expression of the Qiang people and its importance in maintaining the community’s traditional values, social cohesion and spiritual beliefs. UNESCO praised the festival for its diversity of rituals, ceremonies and performances, highlighting the way it fosters a deep connection to nature and the ancestors.

The organization also noted the importance of preserving the festival for future generations. UNESCO emphasized the need for education, intergenerational transmission, and community participation to sustain the festival amid modern influences. Furthermore, UNESCO’s designation highlighted the role of the Qiang New Year Festival in promoting intercultural understanding, as it offers a glimpse into the unique cultural traditions of one of China’s many ethnic minority groups.

Discover more treasures from China on UNESCO’s ICH list:

• 2024: Spring Festival

• 2022: Traditional tea processing

• 2020: Wangchuan ceremony, taijiquan

• 2018: Lum medicinal bathing of Sowa Rigpa

• 2016: Twenty-four solar terms

• 2013: Abacus-based Zhusuan

• 2012: Training plan for Fujian puppetry performers

• 2011: Shadow puppetry, Yimakan storytelling

• 2010: Peking opera, acupuncture and moxibustion, wooden movable-type printing, watertight-bulkhead technology of Chinese junks, Meshrep

• 2009: Yueju opera, Xi’an wind and percussion ensemble, traditional handicrafts of making Xuan paper, traditional firing techniques of Longquan celadon, Tibetan opera, sericulture and silk craftsmanship, Regong arts, Nanyin, Khoomei, Mazu belief and customs, Dragon Boat Festival, Manas, Craftsmanship of Nanjing Yunjin brocade, Xinjiang Uygur Muqam art, Hua’er, China engraved block printing technique, Chinese traditional architectural craftsmanship for timber-framed structures, Chinese paper-cut, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese seal engraving, Grand song of Dong ethnic group, Traditional Li textile techniques, Traditional design and practices for building Chinese wooden arch bridges, Farmers’ dance of China’s Korean ethnic group, Gesar epic tradition

• 2008: Kunqu opera, Guqin, Urtiin Duu

MIL OSI China News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Arrest – Sexual assault – Karama

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

The Northern Territory Police Force has arrested a 31-year-old male in relation to a sexual assault outside of a shopping centre in Karama overnight.

About 12:20am, Police CCTV Operators observed a sexual assault occur on an unconscious female outside the shopping centre. The male fled the scene before police arrival.

Strike Force Trident detectives responded and arrested the male at a residence nearby.

The female victim was attended to by police.

Sex Crimes Section has carriage of the investigation.

MIL OSI News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI: $HAREHOLDER ALERT: Class Action Attorney Juan Monteverde Investigates the Merger A SPAC III Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: ASPCU)
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

NEW YORK, May 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

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The MIL Network –
May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Canada: Spsa Fire Ban Revised to Prohibit the Use of ATVs and UTVs
Source: Government of Canada regional news

Released on May 29, 2025

Effective as of 5 p.m. on May 29, 2025, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) has revised the provincial fire ban to prohibit the use of All Terrain Vehicles and Utility Terrain Vehicles in the following areas of the province:
- All vacant Crown land;
- Provincial parks located within the provincial forest; and,
- The provincial forest, including the Northern Saskatchewan Administrative District.
The fire ban also prohibits any open fires, controlled burns and fireworks in the designated boundary.

“The vast majority of the active fires in the province are caused by human activity,” SPSA Vice-President of Operations Steve Roberts said. “By revising the fire ban to prohibit ATVs and UTVs, we are taking a significant step to reducing the number of fire starts.”

In Saskatchewan, human-caused wildfires typically start in accessible areas near communities and roads. Simple actions like not driving a vehicle on dry grass, drowning campfires until embers are cool and talking to young children about fire safety can make an impact on the number of fires in Saskatchewan.

The SPSA continues to encourage all other municipalities, rural municipalities and communities to examine fire risks in their area and to consider implementing consistent fire bans to prevent unwanted human-caused wildfires.

As of 4 p.m., there are 17 wildfires burning in the province. To date, Saskatchewan has had 207 wildfires, which is 40 more than the same point in time last year of 167. The wildfire 5-year average in Saskatchewan to date is 125.

Anyone who spots a wildfire can call 1-800-667-9660, dial 9-1-1 or contact their closest SPSA Forest Protection Area office.

People can find an interactive fire ban map, frequently asked questions, fire risk maps and fire prevention tips at saskpublicsafety.ca.

A list of fire bans and restrictions in provincial parks and recreation sites can be found here.

Established in 2017, the SPSA is a treasury board crown corporation responsible for wildfire management, emergency management, Sask911, SaskAlert, the Civic Addressing Registry, the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program and fire safety.

-30-

For more information, contact:

MIL OSI Canada News –
May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI: XenDex Extends $XDX Presale as Exchange Listing Discussions Progress with Leading Exchanges
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

SYDNEY, May 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — XenDex has confirmed it is actively negotiating with several top-tier exchanges ahead of the official listing of its native token, $XDX. This revelation comes just as the project team announced a limited extension of its presale phase due to overwhelming demand and investor requests.

With over 93% of the $XDX presale allocation already sold, this final window which is just about 72-hour grace period, is the last chance for late investors to buy the token at discounted presale rates and $XDX will launch at market price across multiple exchanges.

The presale extension coincides with bullish developments within the broader XRP ecosystem. Ripple has announced its acquisition of Circle, the issuer of USDC, while Volatility Shares has launched the XRPI Futures ETF, both of which have sent positive shockwaves across the crypto market. As institutional interest in XRP surges, XenDex is riding that momentum as the most anticipated DeFi platform to emerge on XRPL.

What Makes XenDex Unique?

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- AI Copy Trading: Automatically mimic the trades of top-performing traders and minimize loss.
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- DAO Governance: $XDX holders can vote on major protocol upgrades and decisions.
Why Buy $XDX Now?

Aside from pumping upon listing, and trading on exchanges, early holders of $XDX gain access to:
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XenDex Presale

Crypto analysts are already speculating a strong pump once $XDX gets listed on the exchanges. After the presale, $XDX is expected to be available for trading on major exchanges, with active discussions currently underway with Binance, Gate.io, MEXC, BitMart, MagneticX, and FirstLedger.

How To Buy $XDX During The Presale?
1. Visit the official presale link: https://xendex.net/presale
2. Set up a Trustline using an XRP-compatible wallet (e.g., Xaman)
3. Minimum buy is 150 XRP
4. Exchange rate is 1.25 XRP = 10 XDX
5. Full guide available here: https://xdxdocs.gitbook.io/xendex/buy-usdxdx-token-presale
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The MIL Network –
May 30, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Talk to Me was a rollercoaster, but the Philippou brothers’ Bring Her Back will trap you in a house of horrors

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Balanzategui, Associate Professor in Media, RMIT University

A24

They may have only made two feature films so far, but Danny and Michael Philippou are already being hailed as Australia’s premiere horror auteurs.

Their 2023 debut Talk To Me sparked a bidding war between distributors upon its premiere at Sundance.

It went on to become prestige indie studio A24’s highest grossing horror release ever at the United States box office. That’s an impressive feat, given A24 is behind some of the most revered horror films of the 21st century, including Ari Aster’s Hereditary (2018) and Midsommar (2019), and Robert Eggers’ The Witch (2015).

This context helps explain the sky-high expectations around the release of the Philippous’ newest horror film, Bring Her Back. The brothers even expressed their nerves around the film’s release during a preview screening introduction.

But I’d suggest they breathe a sigh of relief. Bring Her Back trades the chaotic thrills of Talk To Me for a slow-burning, sensory-driven exploration of grief that’s as engrossing as it is unbearable.

Same universe, but not a sequel

Bring Her Back is very tonally distinct from and not explicitly narratively linked to Talk To Me. However, the directors have explained it exists in the same fictional universe as their original smash hit.

This explains why, despite the stark difference in tone – Bring Her Back is a much more sombre watch – there are many thematic and stylistic parallels. These similarities are visible from the films’ marketing materials, through to individual frames.

Film posters for Bring Her Back and Talk To Me.
A24

Bring Her Back’s sombre notes

Talk To Me is a riotous, bloody and loud racket of teen supernatural possession horror.

Like Richard Carter’s song Le Monde, a viral hit from the movie’s soundtrack, the film rises and falls cacophonously. It follows a group of teens at a party as they decide to commune with the dead through an occult party prop: a cursed hand.

Trauma, grief, gore and comedy strike discordantly at the piano keys as the body count piles up.

In contrast to Talk To Me’s tonal and sonic mayhem, Bring Her Back heavily pounds at the same two notes throughout: grief and trauma.

Set in the horror staple of a mysterious, suffocating house, the film follows step-siblings Piper (Sora Wong) and Andy (Billy Barratt) as they adjust to life with their new foster mother, Laura (Sally Hawkins), after their father’s sudden death. The teen’s sense of vulnerability in the strange new environment is heightened by the fact Piper is blind.

Bring Her Back builds on a trend of sensory-driven horror films – including the Quiet Place franchise, Bird Box (2018), and The Silence (2019) – that impel viewers to navigate threatening environments through the main character’s sensory loss or impairment.

Uncomfortable on the ear

In Bring Her Back, the viewer inhabits the destabilising environment of the house through layered sensory textures that feel increasingly claustrophobic and threatening.

Case in point is the harsh rush of water in the running shower where the teens find their father’s gruesome dead body in the opening moments. As the film progresses, this sound manifests as a genuine threat to Piper’s life, in the form of relentlessly pouring (and potentially occult) rain.

The oppressive rain gradually fills up the house’s desolate, unfenced swimming pool, which is the site of previous trauma for foster mother Laura.

Simply traversing the house’s backyard becomes increasingly perilous for Piper as she becomes accustomed to her environment, a process the audience shares through the audio-visuals of her hands gliding across walls, counter tops and corners.

The immersive sound design is dense with hands scraping, sliding and slapping – as well as some truly hideous teeth gnashing. These tactile sounds integrate chillingly with the otherwordly soundtrack composed by Cornel Wilczek, who also composed the score for Talk to Me.

Haunting performances

The teens soon learn that another foster child, the mute and mysterious Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips), also inhabits the house. The strange relationship between Laura and Oliver couldn’t be more ominous.

Sally Hawkins is captivatingly monstrous as the outwardly warm but increasingly overbearing and unhinged mother figure (particularly for those of us with a fresh memory of Hawkins’ loveably zany mum, Mrs Brown, from the Paddington films).

Piper is tempted to sink into the warm embrace Laura offers. The viewer, however, is privy to Laura’s vicious streak – evident in her rough, uncaring gestures, harsh glares and sinister flashes of cunning.

Young Jonah Wren Phillips is transfixing as the creepy Oliver, delivering a performance through piercing stares and tortured bodily contortions rather than dialogue.

Unbearably grim

Bring Her Back exhibits a dense film literacy. The Philippous have discussed the influence of classic “psycho biddy” films such as What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), and foundational ghost films such as The Innocents (1961).

But for me, Bring Her Back chimes most evocatively with the trauma- and grief-soaked Japanese horror wave of the early 2000s, and particularly with Hideo Nakata’s J-Horror masterpiece Dark Water (2002).

This tragic ghost story similarly deploys the rippling, rushing and dripping of water as an agent of death and decay within fractured mother-daughter relationships.

Inhabiting the world of Bring Her Back ends up feeling like an unbearably grim and claustrophobic endurance effort – which is exactly what the Philippous intended.

While this is not the exhilarating rollercoaster of Talk To Me, the shift in tonal gears showcases the Philippous’ impressive range within the horror genre’s rich emotional terrain.

Bring Her Back is in cinemas from today.

Jessica Balanzategui receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

– ref. Talk to Me was a rollercoaster, but the Philippou brothers’ Bring Her Back will trap you in a house of horrors – https://theconversation.com/talk-to-me-was-a-rollercoaster-but-the-philippou-brothers-bring-her-back-will-trap-you-in-a-house-of-horrors-257631

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI: Blaize to Attend D.A. Davidson 1st Annual Consumer & Technology Conference

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

EL DORADO HILLS, Calif., May 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Blaize Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: BZAI), a pioneer in scalable, energy-efficient AI computing across edge to cloud, today announced it will participate in the upcoming D.A. Davidson 1st Annual Consumer & Technology Conference on June 10, 2025, in Nashville, Tennessee.

The conference will bring together public and private companies, institutional investors, and thought leaders across the consumer and technology landscape. Blaize will participate in a live Q&A session as part of the event’s broader agenda of moderated discussions and sector insights.

Blaize Live Q&A Session, D.A. Davidson 1st Annual Consumer & Technology Conference
Date: June 10, 2025
Time: 8:50am-9:30am CDT (6:50am-7:30am PDT/9:50am-10:30am EDT)
Webcast Link: https://wsw.com/webcast/dadco67/bzai/1903280
*A live and archived webcast of the session will be available at ir.blaize.com

About Blaize
Blaize provides a full-stack programmable processor architecture suite and low-code/no-code software platform that enables AI processing solutions for high-performance computing at the network’s edge and in the data center. Blaize solutions deliver real-time insights and decision-making capabilities at low power consumption, high efficiency, minimal size, and low cost. Headquartered in El Dorado Hills (CA), Blaize has more than 200 employees worldwide with teams in San Jose (CA) and Cary (NC), and subsidiaries in Hyderabad (India), Leeds and Kings Langley (UK), and Abu Dhabi (UAE). To learn more, visit www.blaize.com or follow us on LinkedIn and on X at @blaizeinc.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) that are based on beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to Blaize, including statements regarding the industry in which Blaize operates, market opportunities, and product offerings. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the following words: “may,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “project,” “potential,” “continue,” “ongoing,” “target,” “seek” or the negative or plural of these words, or other similar expressions that are predictions or indicate future events or prospects, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this document, including but not limited to: (i) changes in domestic and foreign business, market, financial, political and legal conditions; (ii) the expected benefits of Blaize’s business combination with BurTech Acquisition Corp. (the “Business Combination”) are not obtained; (iii) the ability to continue to meet stock exchange listing standards following the consummation of the Business Combination; (iv) the risk that the Business Combination disrupts current plans and operations of Blaize as a result of the consummation of the Business Combination; (v) failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the Business Combination, which may be affected by, among other things, competition, the ability of the combined company to grow and manage growth profitably, maintain relationships with customers and suppliers and retain its management and key employees; (vi) costs related to the Business Combination; (vii) changes in applicable law or regulations; (viii) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Blaize; (ix) the effects of competition on Blaize’s future business; (x) the ability of the combined company to issue equity or equity-linked securities or obtain debt financing; (xi) the enforceability of Blaize’s intellectual property rights, including its copyrights, patents, trademarks and trade secrets, and the potential infringement on the intellectual property rights of others; and (xii) those factors discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on April 15, 2025 and other documents filed by Blaize from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Blaize assumes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law, including the securities laws of the United States and the rules and regulations of the SEC. Blaize does not give any assurance that it will achieve its expectations.

The financial projections in this release are forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions that are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond Blaize’s control. While such projections are necessarily speculative, Blaize believes that the preparation of prospective financial information involves increasingly higher levels of uncertainty the further out the projection extends from the date of preparation. The assumptions and estimates underlying the projected results are inherently uncertain and are subject to a wide variety of significant business, economic and competitive risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the projections. The inclusion of financial information or projections in this press release should not be regarded as an indication that Blaize, or its representatives and advisors, considered or consider the information or projections to be a reliable prediction of future events. The independent registered public accounting firm of Blaize has not audited, reviewed, compiled or performed any procedures with respect to the projections for the purpose of their inclusion in this press release and, accordingly, has not expressed an opinion or provided any other form of assurance with respect thereto for the purpose of this press release.

Investor Contact
ir@blaize.com

Media Contacts
Leo Merle
Blaize
info@blaize.com

Source: Blaize Holdings, Inc.

The MIL Network –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI: Central 1 reports first quarter 2025 financial results
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Central 1 Credit Union (Central 1) today reported its 2025 first quarter performance reflecting continued strength in its core fee-based revenue streams and a one-time provision associated with the transfer of its Digital Banking business.

“This quarter, we finalized activities to support the transition of the digital banking side of our business, including the transfer of some employees to Intellect Design,” said Sheila Vokey, President & CEO of Central 1. “We are focused on our role to deliver reliable payments through a centralized platform of new APIs, core investments and financial products through our treasury team, and as a connector to critical financial services partners and major banking hosts in Canada. Central 1 remains focused on delivering long-term value through ongoing innovation and operational stability.”

First quarter 2025 compared with the first quarter 2024:
- Net loss, inclusive of provision related to digital banking, was $24.0 million, compared with net income of $28.9 million.
- Adjusted net income of $1.7 million, compared with $28.9 million.
- Net interest income was $17.4 million, compared with $14.5 million.
- Net fair value losses were $7.4 million, compared with net fair value gains of $34.5 million.
- Return on average equity (ROE)¹^,2 of (2.3)%, compared with 3.8%.
- Adjusted ROE^1,2 of 0.8%, compared with 3.8%.
Adjusted net income in the current quarter excludes a provision of $35.1 million (pre-tax).

Core Business Performance:

Digital Banking
In January 2025, Central 1 announced the transfer of digital banking operations to Intellect Design Arena Ltd. (Intellect), and the transaction closed February 28, 2025. Also during the quarter, Central 1 recognized a provision of $35.1 million related to the asset transfer and Central 1’s obligation to provide on-going access to its digital banking infrastructure to Intellect. Central 1 continues to work with Intellect and our clients to support clients’ transition to alternative digital banking providers within a three-to-four-year timeline.

Treasury
Treasury reported net income was $5.4 million for the quarter, reflecting the impact of challenging market conditions, including a broad-based widening of credit spreads and a shift in market sentiment. Widening credit spreads in response to the threat of higher tariffs resulted in unrealized losses on Treasury’s fixed income portfolio of $7.4 million. While these external factors influenced performance compared to the $34.6 million reported in the first quarter of the prior year, results were supported by an increase in net interest income, underscoring the strength and resilience of the core business operations.

Payments
Payments reported a net loss of $1.7 million for the quarter, compared to net income of $1.9 million in the same period last year. This loss reflects strategic investments to accelerate long-term growth, including the ongoing development of enhanced payment capabilities for both new and existing clients. As part of this forward-looking approach, non-interest expenses increased by $5.6 million year-over-year. Total revenue remained consistent with the prior year, highlighting a stable foundation as the division positions itself for future expansion.

In February, Central 1 welcomed a new Chief Payments Officer, Barclay Hancock, who draws on his significant experience in payments across business and financial services to lead the business line as we continue to deliver reliable payments services through our centralized, modular platform of APIs. Central 1 continues to add API availability, including API access to our existing connections with all the major banking hosts in Canada — delivering payments transactions and banking host data for clients regardless of the digital banking provider they use.

Central 1’s first quarter Management’s Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) and Financial Statements have been filed on Central 1’s SEDAR profile at www.sedarplus.com and are also available at www.central1.com/investor-relations.

Notes
^1.This is a non-GAAP financial ratio. Refer to the “Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures” section of the MD&A for more information.

²^.When calculating the annualized return on average assets and annualized return on average equity, the onerous contract provision was treated as a non-recurring item and therefore was not annualized.

About Central 1
Central 1 cooperatively empowers credit unions and other financial institutions who deliver banking choice to Canadians. With assets of $10.8 billion as of March 31, 2025, Central 1 provides critical payments, treasury and clearing and settlement services at scale to enable a thriving credit union system. We do this by collaborating with our clients, developing strategies, products, and services to support the financial well-being of their more than 5 million diverse customers in communities across Canada. For more information, visit www.central1.com.

Caution Regarding Forward Looking Statements
This press release and announcement contain historical and forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are or may be based on assumptions, uncertainties, and management’s best estimates of future events. Central 1 has based the forward-looking statements on current plans, information, data, estimates, expectations, and projections about, among other things, results of operations, financial condition, prospects, strategies and future events, and therefore undue reliance should not be placed on them. These include, without limitation, statements relating to our financial and non-financial performance objectives, vision and strategic goals and priorities, including focus on capital and cost management, the economic, market and regulatory review and outlook for the Canadian economy and the provincial economies in which our member credit unions operate , the impacts of external events such as international conflicts, protests, natural disasters or pandemics, as well as statements that contain the words “may,” “will,” “intends” and “anticipates” and other similar words and expressions.

Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated. Securityholders are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Certain important assumptions by Central 1 in making forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, competitive conditions, economic conditions and regulatory considerations. Important risk factors that could cause actual results and the timing of such results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include economic risks, regulatory risks (including legislative and regulatory developments), risks and uncertainty from the impact of rising or falling interest rates, international conflicts, natural disasters or pandemics, geopolitical uncertainty, information technology and cyber risks, environmental and social risk (including climate change), digital disruption and innovation, reputation risk, competitive risk, privacy, data and third-party related risks, risks related to business and operations, risks relating to the transition of clients to alternative digital banking providers, and other risks detailed from time to time in Central 1’s periodic reports filed with securities regulators. Central 1 is subject to risks associated with evolving U.S. trade and tariff policies, inflationary pressures, interest rate volatility, and potential regulatory changes under the current U.S. administration. Shifts in tariff structures or global trade conditions may adversely affect our cost structure and overall operating environment. Given these risks, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Central 1 undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable laws.

Contacts

Media:
Heather Merry
Senior Manager, Communications
Central 1 Credit Union
T 1.800.661.6813 ext. 2355
E communications@central1.com

Investors:
Brent Clode
Chief Investment Officer
Central 1 Credit Union
T 905.282.8588 or 1.800.661.6813 ext. 8588
E bclode@central1.com

The MIL Network –
May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI: Color Star Announces a Significant Milestone in its Cryptocurrency Mining Business

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

New York, May 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Color Star Technology Co., Ltd. (Nasdaq: ADD) (“Color Star” or the “Company”), a global entertainment technology company specializing in the integration of artificial intelligence and technology in the entertainment industry, today announced a significant milestone in the company’s new cryptocurrency mining business.

The Company has deployed 10,000 Bitmain Antminer T21 rigs at the facility in Kazakhstan, positioning Color Star as a significant emerging player in the global Bitcoin mining landscape. During its first month of operation in April, the cryptocurrency mining farm generated approximately 29 Bitcoins (BTC).

Color Star will continue to monitor the performance of its mining operations and the broader cryptocurrency market to determine its strategic decisions. The Company remains committed to maximizing returns on investment and delivering long-term value to its shareholders through operational efficiency and technological advancement.

About Color Star Technology Co., Ltd.
Color Star Technology Co., Ltd. (Nasdaq: ADD) is an entertainment and education company that provides online entertainment performances and online music education services. Its business operations are conducted through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Color Metaverse Pte. Ltd. and CACM Group NY, Inc. The Company’s online education is provided through its Color World music and entertainment education platform. The Company has also commenced operations in its new cryptocurrency mining business. More information about the Company can be found at www.colorstarinternational.com and www.colorstar.investorroom.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements that are other than statements of historical facts. When the Company uses words such as “may,” “will,” “intend,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project,” “estimate” or similar expressions that do not relate solely to historical matters, it is making forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantee of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results to differ materially from the Company’s expectations discussed in the forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks including, but not limited to, the following: the Company’s goals and strategies; the Company’s future business development, including the development of the metaverse project; product and service demand and acceptance; changes in technology; economic conditions; the growth of the educational and training services market internationally where ADD conducts its business; reputation and brand; the impact of competition and pricing; government regulations; the ability of Color Star to meet NASDAQ listing standards in connection with the consummation of the transaction contemplated therein; and other risks and uncertainties described herein, as well as those risks and uncertainties discussed from time to time in other reports and other public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission by Color Star. For these reasons, among others, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements in this press release. Additional factors are discussed in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available for review at www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forward–looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date hereof unless required by applicable laws, regulations or rules.

Contact
Color Star Investor Relations
Office Number No. 1003, 9th Floor,
7 World Trade Center, Suite 4621
New York NY 10007
Office: (212) 410-5186
Email ir@colorstarinternational.com

The MIL Network –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Economics: Microsoft Edge Game Assist is now available

Source: Microsoft

Headline: Microsoft Edge Game Assist is now available

Today, we’re thrilled to announce that Microsoft Edge Game Assist is now available to everyone on Windows 11. We announced the preview of this in-game browser built for PC gaming last November and since then have received valuable feedback to make it even better. Only available with Microsoft Edge, Game Assist is here to help keep you in the game, unlocking a smarter way to game and browse.

Let’s jump in.

Built for a seamless, immersive gameplay experience

We know that staying focused on your game is important, yet you also need to look up game guides, connect with friends, or even listen to music if you want while you play. Alt-Tabbing from the game to the desktop is common practice, but it takes you out of your immersive experience. Depending on the game, it can also be quite slow or may even cause issues with the game. Today, we’re excited to announce that Microsoft Edge Game Assist is available worldwide¹, allowing you to quickly access the web without leaving your game. Say goodbye to Alt-Tab and simply press Win+G to open Game Bar and start using Microsoft Edge for a more seamless and immersive experience.

Game Assist is the first in-game browser built specifically with PC players in mind, featuring tips and guides for many of the top PC games, easy access to essential sites like Discord, Spotify, and Twitch, and more — all right in your game. Everything you need is on one screen so you can stay focused on the action without interruption. You can also pin Game Assist above your game to reference guides or watch videos while you play. And because it’s connected to your Edge browser, you’ll have instant access to your favorites, passwords, history, and more – ensuring everything you need is always within reach.

Get help navigating a challenging level

We’ve all been there. You’re deep into a game and suddenly stuck on a tough level. Rather than leaving your game and Alt-Tabbing to find a game guide, simply press Win+G to launch Microsoft Edge Game Assist to find what you need. Game Assist is also game-aware and will suggest tips and guides when you play enhanced games², helping you make the most of every session. Quickly glance at the guide and then dismiss Game Bar to continue with your game or pin the walkthrough above the game so you can follow along while you play. Game Assist also makes it easier to search the web (or a site) by automatically filling in the name of your game when you hit Ctrl+G or select Paste game title in the right-click menu.

What you need in one place

Microsoft Edge Game Assist is about more than just guides. Multitasking while you play is incredibly common, whether you’re chatting with friends, listening to a podcast, watching a TV show, pulling up your quest notes, or just looking something up while you wait to respawn. With Microsoft Edge Game Assist, we’re bringing the full web into your game. Access your favorite sites like Discord or Twitch, watch a live stream in picture-in-picture, or get in the zone with the perfect Spotify playlist. Everything is designed to help you stay in your game, multitask with ease, and access the web when you need it.

Your feedback helps us get to the next level

Your feedback during the preview phase was invaluable. We’ve read your suggestions, followed up on bug reports, and replied whenever we could. With your help, we improved the look and feel of Game Assist, streamlining the interface to put more of a focus on the webpage. We’ve enhanced Game Assist for over 80 games, added keyboard shortcuts including the aforementioned Paste Game Title, and added easy access to favorites, history, and even extensions. We believe this progress has leveled up the experience, and we ask that you keep sending us feedback to help us improve it even more.

We hope you’re just as excited about Game Assist – and saying goodbye to Alt-Tab – as we are. Simply press Win+G to open Game Bar and start using Microsoft Edge Game Assist or learn more. Whether you’ve been an Edge fan for a while (thank you!) or this is your first experience with our browser, be sure to explore everything AI-powered Microsoft Edge has to offer to help you get more out of your online experience.

Game Assist is available where Edge is available. Enhanced game content is available English-only at this time. Game Assist experience may also vary depending on game and geography.
Enhanced games list

MIL OSI Economics –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: SCHUMER WARNS: UNDER CLEAN ENERGY TAX HIKE IN GOP PLAN THAT PASSED HOUSE LAST WEEK, NEW YORK COULD LOSE A STAGGERING 20,000+ JOBS & SEE HIGHER MONTHLY ENERGY BILLS; SENATOR SOUNDS ALARM AND DEMANDS…
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for New York Charles E Schumer

Last Week, The House GOP Rushed To Pass Trump’s Tax Giveaway To Billionaires, That Guts Food Assistance And Medicaid, AND Also Kills The Fed Clean Energy Investments NY Companies Are Using To Lower Energy Costs, Create Good-Paying Union Jobs & Bring Manufacturing Back From China

Since The Inflation Reduction Act Passed Three Years Ago, NY Companies Have Announced Over $5 BILLION In Clean Manufacturing Investments Creating Thousands Of Good-Paying Jobs From Long Island To Buffalo; Senator Warns What Will Happen If GOP Doesn’t Back Off Plan To Kill Clean Energy And Manufacturing

Schumer: Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Is An Ugly Mess That Means Bigger Electric Bills & Big Job Losses For New York

Just a week after House Republicans passed Trump’s devastating bill to kill clean energy incentives so they could give tax breaks to billionaires, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer revealed how tax hikes on clean energy tucked in the bill would be a gut punch to New York’s economy.

Schumer said new data studies from NERA Economic Consulting shows that repealing the clean energy tax credits could cause New York to lose up to 20,300 jobs as clean energy projects are cancelled or scaled back due to lack of incentive, with a whopping nearly $3.5 billion hit to the state’s GDP and New Yorkers paying up to $650 in higher energy costs each year by 2032 if these devastating cuts become law.

“Higher energy bills and many thousands fewer jobs, that’s what New York gets under Trump’s reckless tax bill, which is a giveaway to billionaires and corporations. Already, thousands of New Yorkers were making improvements to their homes to lower their electric bills and make their homes warmer in the harsh winters, now they lose all that support. Thousands of new jobs building clean energy projects in every corner of the state and bringing manufacturing back from China will all be vaporized by the GOP’s ugly budget bill. It is a gut punch to New York and a gift to China, which wants to dominate clean energy manufacturing,” said Senator Schumer. “Losing these clean energy projects means losing cheaper electricity for families and businesses. We need more energy production from many sources including wind and solar and water; we need America to be energy independent and to manufacture clean energy technology here, not overseas, and eliminating these tax credits radically and irresponsibly rolls back all the progress we have made in recent years. It turns America’s clean energy boom into a bust.”

Schumer explained that the bill which passed the Republican House last week would kill clean energy incentives created in the Inflation Reduction Act, these tax credits are already benefiting hundreds of New York businesses with ongoing projects and families who are using them to help improve their homes and lower their electric bills. These cuts are broad and deep to New York’s clean energy sector, Schumer specifically highlighted how the bill would:
- Eliminates the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Tax Credit, which provides families in New York up to $3,200 to help weatherize their homes for better protection in the harsh winters and make improvements to make their homes more energy efficient to lower their electric bills with qualifying items like doors, windows, better insulation and heat pumps.
- Eliminates the Residential Clean Energy Credit, which gives New York families a 30% discount on home energy improvements, like solar panels, heat pumps, or energy storage, that help lower energy bills and keep the lights on during power outages.
- Eliminates the Clean Electricity Investment & Production Credits that support more cheap, clean electricity. With natural gas turbines on a five-year delay, the IRA’s clean electricity tax credits have ensured a robust buildout of wind and solar power while helping keep electricity prices from increasing and spurring demand for American-made energy products.
- Sabotages the Advanced Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit that has generated a more than five-fold increase in investment in manufacturing in the solar and EV supply chains, creating thousands of jobs and shifting these industries out of China to the U.S.
- Eliminates the IRA’s Electric Vehicle Tax Credits that make it cheaper to buy new and used electric and plug-in hybrid cars, and has led to a massive onshoring of EV and battery supply chain manufacturing, undercutting China and bolstering American companies.
- Eliminates the New Energy-Efficient Home Credit that makes it cheaper to build new, highly efficient and affordable homes, expanding the housing supply while reducing energy costs.
- Eliminates the Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit that supports American-made clean hydrogen, led by New York companies like Plug Power and Air Products, to be used for clean manufacturing and agriculture.
Schumer said that clean energy investments from the Inflation Reduction Act have created the biggest clean energy boom in American history, but now with many of these core provisions being clawed back or eliminated it risks all the progress that has been made in New York and across the country. The senator said if NY energy projects are forced to stop or scale back, energy costs would increase for families and businesses across the country. With electricity demand surging in New York and across the country, clean energy sources like wind and many other sources of clean power are often the most efficient sources of new electricity, much cheaper than traditional alternatives like natural gas and oil. NERA Economic Consulting estimates costs for New York families could increase by $650 a year, as the Republican plan to gut the clean electricity production and investment tax credits makes it more expensive to provide more electricity, while simultaneously killing the Residential Clean Energy and Energy Efficient Home Improvement tax credits makes it more costly for families to make their homes more efficient and reduce their energy bills.

Schumer added, “Democrats are united in opposing this cruel and counterproductive bill, and these ill-conceived elimination of energy tax credits so they can put more money in the pockets of billionaires. We need the GOP to block these cuts, otherwise it will be American families and our manufacturing future paying the price.”

The Clean Economy Tracker estimates the Inflation Reduction Act’s incentives have spurred over $5 billion worth of investments in clean manufacturing in New York, creating over 7,200 jobs. Schumer said if this House Republican plan goes through, many of the clean energy projects spurred by the IRA could be forced to scale back or even stop and the workers building the future of American energy would be laid off, and projects that otherwise would have come online will never come to fruition. That would impact both major NY employers and manufacturers in the clean energy, manufacturing, electric vehicle, battery, research sector and our small businesses. One example is Geothermal Works in the Hudson Valley, a small Westchester based family business with that helps homes get updated with heat pumps and geothermal systems to lower their electric costs, who said that if the current clean energy cuts go through in the GOP bill it would shutter their business and force them into early retirement.

Below are just some examples of projects spurred by the Inflation Reduction Act in New York State that show why eliminating these provisions could be so harmful:
- Off Long Island, Equinor invested $5 billion in building a massive offshore wind farm project, Empire Wind, that will provide power for hundreds of thousands of homes in New York State, and is supported by tax credits for offshore wind projects created by the Inflation Reduction Act .
- In the Capital Region, Plug Power invested $125 million in a new green hydrogen fuel cell factory in 2023, creating new good paying jobs to boost production of clean hydrogen fuel cells with support from the Fuel Cell Production Tax Credit. Additionally, the company is poised to harness the Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit which was created by the Inflation Reduction Act, to spur further growth both in the Capital Region and at Plug’s Henrietta, NY Gigafactory in the Finger Lakes that manufactures Electrolyzers. GE Vernova invested $50 million in a new manufacturing line for its onshore wind business in 2023, hiring 200 new workers with support from a production tax credit for U.S. wind turbine manufacturing created by the Inflation Reduction Act.
- In Western New York, Viridi Parente a fast growing company on Buffalo’s East Side has added hundreds of good-paying jobs growing the domestic battery manufacturing industry with support from clean energy tax credits created by the Inflation Reduction Act, such as the Advanced Manufacturing Production tax credit. Solar Liberty Energy Systems and PanelClaw are installing thousands of solar panels at homes and businesses. Solar Liberty Energy Systems is helping customers navigate available federal clean energy tax credits created by the Inflation Reduction Act to reduce the burden of installation costs while PanelClaw is producing racking systems with help from the American Domestic Manufacturing Bonus tax credit created by the Inflation Reduction Act.
Since Trump was elected, approximately $14 billion worth of manufacturing projects have been outright cancelled, representing more than 13,000 jobs lost. If the GOP plan to raise taxes on energy goes through, those cancellations could balloon to threaten more than $800 billion in private investment in domestic clean energy made in the past three years across the country, according to the Clean Investment Monitor. NERA Economic Consulting estimates that New York could lose an estimated 20,300 jobs if these tax breaks are killed. Schumer said the House Republican bill would repeal the very parts of the Inflation Reduction Act that have helped companies grow in New York and spurred millions of investments, many of which are in Republican districts.

Repealing the clean energy tax incentives would also be a disaster for America and Schumer said that would cede energy manufacturing leadership to China, which already produces a significant amount of the world’s clean technologies like solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries. If companies can no longer support clean energy manufacturing in the United States, they will bring these projects to America’s competitors, and jobs that would’ve otherwise been created in America will be created in countries like China. This will destabilize American supply chains and make American families and businesses reliant on China for cheap energy.

“No matter which way you slice it, the House Republican bill is bad news for New Yorkers. Shutting down projects, killing jobs, and increasing electricity bills would be devastating for our state, which is why we need Republicans to stand up to this bill to save investments in homegrown American energy,” concluded Schumer.
MIL OSI USA News –
May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: 2025/26 UK Shared Prosperity Fund Delivery Plan Approved – Highland Events To Benefit From New Grant Fund

Source: Scotland – Highland Council

Members of The Highland Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee have agreed a delivery plan that will see £3 million of funding from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) invested to support Highland communities, businesses, employment and tourism.

The 2025/26 Highland UKSPF Delivery Plan is made up of a range of projects geared to delivering positive impacts across the Highlands, building on the successes of the 2022-25 Delivery Plan and introducing new interventions, all aimed at maximising the return on the 2025/26 investment.

Included in the 2025/26 Delivery Plan is a new £75,000 Strategic Events Grant Fund to support the region’s vibrant events sector and stimulate the visitor economy during the quieter shoulder and off-season months.

Councillor Ken Gowans, Chair of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee, welcomed the initiative, saying: ““This fund is a fantastic opportunity to support the creativity and resilience of our communities. By investing in events that celebrate our culture, attract visitors, and extend the tourism season, we’re helping to build a stronger, more sustainable Highland economy.”

The fund, which is part of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) programme, will offer grants of between £3,000 and £10,000 to eligible events taking place between September 2025 and March 2026. It is open to a wide range of public events, including music, food and drink, cultural, sports, and nature-based festivals.

Priority will be given to events that demonstrate strategic value—such as those that drive overnight stays, promote responsible tourism, and align with national and regional strategies including Scotland the Perfect Stage 2024–2035 and The Highland Council’s Sustainable Tourism Strategy 2024–2030.

Applications will open on Monday 2 June and close on Monday 30 June 2025. Successful applicants will be notified by mid-July.

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI: Aptean Unveils Keynote Speakers for “UNITE 2025”: Futurist Erica Orange and Trailblazing Veteran Col. Nicole Malachowski, USAF (Ret.)

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

ALPHARETTA, Ga., May 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aptean, a global provider of mission-critical enterprise software solutions, is excited to announce two distinguished keynote speakers for “UNITE 2025”, its flagship North American customer conference: renowned futurist and thought leader, Erica Orange, along with decorated veteran and trailblazer, Col. Nicole Malachowski, USAF (Ret.). Taking place in Orlando, Florida from October 6-9, 2025, this premier event will offer engaging sessions, cutting-edge insights and unparalleled networking opportunities.

The theme of this year’s conference, “Elevate Your Game,” is designed to inspire businesses to push boundaries, embrace innovation and lead with confidence in an ever-evolving market. With two dynamic keynote speakers—each bringing distinct perspectives on transformation, leadership and forward-thinking strategy—Aptean reinforces its commitment to delivering a dynamic and empowering experience for attendees.

Erica Orange, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of The Future Hunters, is one of today’s foremost futurists and is renowned for her bold insights into emerging trends and disruptive technologies. At UNITE 2025, she will explore how AI is reshaping the business landscape and what it means for decision-makers looking to stay ahead. With a deep understanding of the intersection between AI, innovation and strategic foresight, she will inspire attendees to reimagine possibilities and explore how future-focused thinking can unlock next-level growth.

Ms. Malachowski, the first woman pilot to join the elite U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, embodies perseverance, leadership and the ability to excel under pressure. A decorated combat veteran, White House Fellow, and passionate advocate for resilience and reinvention, Nicole will share inspiring personal stories and lessons in courageous leadership – offering a roadmap for navigating change with strength and clarity. Inspired by the metaphor of “pushing the envelope”, Nicole will challenge attendees to move beyond perceived limitations, foster deeper collaboration, drive accountability and unlock their full potential.

“Our customers come to UNITE not just for product insights, but to be inspired and empowered,” said TVN Reddy, CEO at Aptean. “Erica and Nicole truly exemplify the spirit of ‘Elevate Your Game.’ Through their powerful stories, deep expertise and visionary leadership, they will challenge our customers to think bigger, lead boldly and take decisive action that drives meaningful results.”

Aptean UNITE 2025 will offer attendees a robust agenda of product deep dives, customer panels, industry networking and thought leadership sessions—all designed to help users maximize the value of their Aptean solutions and unlock new opportunities.

To learn more about UNITE 2025, or to register for the event, visit our event website.

About Aptean

Aptean is a global provider of industry-specific software that helps manufacturers and distributors effectively run and grow their businesses. Aptean’s solutions and services help businesses of all sizes to be Ready for What’s Next, Now^®. Aptean is headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia and has offices in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. To learn more about Aptean and the markets we serve, visit www.aptean.com.

Aptean and Ready for What’s Next, Now are Registered Trademarks of Aptean, Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

MEDIA INQUIRIES

MediaRelations@Aptean.com

The MIL Network –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Breaking: Israel accepts US special envoy S. Witkoff’s proposal for ceasefire in Gaza – media

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

JERUSALEM, May 29 (Xinhua) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that the Jewish state’s government has accepted the proposal of U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle East Steven Witkoff for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages, Israeli state television Kan TV reported.

According to the TV channel, B. Netanyahu made the corresponding statement during a meeting with the families of the Israeli hostages, who are presumed dead. –0–

MIL OSI Russia News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI: Artel Launches Innovative SDI-Host SFP Module: an SDI-to-IP/Ethernet Gateway using SMPTE ST2110 or ST2022-6
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Patton… Let’s Connect!

HUDSON, Mass. and GAITHERSBURG, Md., May 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Artel Video—a brand of Patton and maker of Media Transport Products—announces the launch of the FL-ST2110-SFP, a Small Form-factor Pluggable (SFP) module designed for SDI media conversion and/or transport to IP using ST2110 or ST2022-6.

Direct Plug-in. Artel’s new FiberLink SDI Video-to-ST2110/ST2022-6 Gateway SFP Module plugs directly into SDI-Host SFP slots.

IP Encapsulation. The module directly encapsulates and de-encapsulates SDI to Ethernet/SMPTE ST2110 for IP integration and media transport.

Compact Design. The FL-ST2110-SFP features a compact design that allows seamless integration into existing infrastructures, facilitating the transition to IP-based workflows.

Key features of the FL-ST2110-SFP include:
- SFP plugs directly into SDI SFP Hosts for flexible deployment.
- Compliance with SMPTE ST 2110 and ST2022-6 standards for professional media over managed IP networks.
- Support for uncompressed video, audio, and ancillary data.
  Ultra-low latency for real-time applications.
- “Clean Switch” feature facilitates switching between video sources without artifacts.
- A “Frame Synch” feature enables PTP frame synchronization at the source or at the point of encapsulation.
- High reliability and performance for mission-critical environments.
First Move. “The FL-ST2110-SFP is Patton’s ‘first-move’ since acquiring Artel and it represents a step towards Patton’s vision of an All-IP Media Broadcast network,” said Paul Seiden, Patton’s Sales Director for Media Transport Products.

“Patton seeks to help broadcasters modernize their infrastructure without compromising performance,” said Burton Patton, Patton Chief Revenue Officer. “This little SFP is one such help. There is much more to come.”

The FL-ST2110-SFP is now available through Patton’s global network of distributors and resellers.

For more information, visit https://www.patton.com/artel/fl-st2110-sfp/.

In related news, Patton recently announced the new Tone Commander TC7910 secure SIP Phone that offers three switched gigabit Ethernet ports.

About Patton

Patton is a world-renowned manufacturer of networking and communications technology, offering a wide range of solutions including VoIP, Ethernet extension, wireless, and fiber optic products

Let’s Connect!

Media Contact: Glendon Flowers | +1 301 975 1000 | press@patton.com

A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4c54a74f-f3a5-4edf-9e6f-8d21b293297f

The MIL Network –
May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI: Invest529 Launches Smart Start Giveaway to Celebrate 529 Day with $25 Contribution

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Richmond, Va., May 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The cost of higher education is on the rise, and Invest529 is helping families across the country take the first step toward saving for their children’s future with its “Smart Start”Giveaway.

For one day only (May 29), get a $25 contribution when you open a new Invest529 account.

May 29 is recognized nationally as 529 Day, a chance to remind people of how important it is to plan for a loved one’s higher education costs and to raise awareness of the benefits 529 accounts offer in helping individuals and families save.

Visit Invest529.com for more information about Invest529 and to read the “Smart Start” Giveaway official terms and conditions.

About Invest529℠:
Invest529 helps make education more accessible and affordable for families and individuals. With more than $107.4 billion in assets under management and 3.1 million accounts as of April 30, 2025, Invest529 is the largest 529 plan in the country. The program includes two flexible, affordable, tax-advantaged options—Invest529 and CollegeAmerica®—as well as the early commitment scholarship program, SOAR Virginia®, all designed to support students of any age in achieving their higher education goals. To learn more about education savings options from Invest529, visit Invest529.com or call 1-888-567-0540 to request program materials. These materials include information about Virginia529 programs, including investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and other important details. Please read them carefully before investing. All investments involve risk, including the possible loss of principal. Invest529 recommends that prospective participants consult with a financial, tax, or legal advisor regarding the implications of opening an account. For non-Virginia residents: Before investing, consider whether your or your beneficiary’s home state offers state tax or other benefits—such as financial aid, scholarship opportunities, or creditor protection—that may only be available through that state’s qualified tuition program. ©2025 Invest529. All rights reserved.

The MIL Network –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: City hits the high notes with summer of music and performances in bandstands and open spaces

Source: City of Sunderland

An exciting summer-long programme of performances gets underway in the city’s bandstands, parks, amphitheatres and open spaces this weekend.

An exciting summer-long programme of performances gets underway in the city’s bandstands, parks, amphitheatres and open spaces this weekend.

The first event is being held in Mowbray Park in Sunderland city centre from 10am to 3pm this Saturday 31 May.

A collaboration with Sunderland’s iconic music studio, The Bunker, this will feature live music from musicians who have worked with The Bunker from 11am onwards.

The event at the park’s bandstand, will culminate with a performance from The Everglades from NAME (Northern Academy of Music Education), which is based at the University of Sunderland.

There’ll also be arts and craft stalls and activities selling and showing local artists’ work and the chance to get involved in a range of workshops run by artists on the day, as well as a local bookseller selling new and used books.

This is the first in a series of community focused monthly performances which will run through until September.

The performances and activities are aimed at transforming parks and open spaces into lively community hubs, offering free entertainment for families, friends and neighbours.

Councillor Beth Jones, Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Tourism at Sunderland City Council, said: ” ‘Back to the Bandstand’ is a community-led programme celebrating our public outdoor spaces – especially our beautiful bandstands and community greenspaces – through live music, creative workshops, and wellbeing activities.

“We want to bring these spaces back to life with music, art and community spirit and we’re looking at offering something for everyone, with everything from swing bands to yoga in the sun.

“It’s also about celebrating the fantastic and vibrant local communities across our city through these fantastic green spaces in the heart of our communities.

“We’re especially keen to work with local communities and local, independent community groups and event organisers who would like to curate and run their own sessions.

“So we’d love to hear from any local groups interested in working with us to host performances, workshops, and wellbeing sessions, and bring our parks back to life together.”

Dan Donnelly from NAME (Northern Academy of Music Education), who also plays guitar in The Levellers, said: “Our students at NAME are happy to be working with the council on numerous outdoor events across the city and we are excited at the council’s attitude towards outdoor live music in Sunderland Music City. It’s a great experience for them to play at local events and great for the people of Sunderland to experience live music as a part of their everyday life.”

Any community groups or organisations interested in working with Sunderland City Council on the project are asked to contact events@sunderland.gov.uk

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Your chance to see the brand new Women’s Rugby World Cup in Sunderland

Source: City of Sunderland

People will be able to have their photo taken with the brand new Women’s Rugby World Cup trophy when it visits Sunderland next Friday 6 June.

The iconic silverware is putting in a special appearance between 12 noon and 4pm in Keel Square on the first day of the three-day Sunderland Food and Drink Festival.

World Rugby unveiled the new trophy earlier this month to tie in with the start of the 100-day countdown to the opening match of the Women’s Rugby World Cup kicking off in Sunderland on Friday 22 August which will see England’s Red Roses take on the USA at the Stadium of Light.

The trophy’s visit marks the culmination of a nationwide tour of all eight host cities and towns as excitement continues to build for the record-breaking tournament.

The 2025 tournament is already on course to become the biggest Women’s Rugby World Cup in history after selling more than 300,000 tickets – more than twice the total attendance at the last tournament in New Zealand in 2021.

People visiting Keel Square next Friday will be able to see the new Women’s Rugby World Cup and the bespoke RWC 2025 Defender Trophy Tour Vehicle and have their photo taken with the trophy.

Councillor Michael Mordey, Leader of Sunderland City Council, said: “It’s fantastic to have the trophy visiting Sunderland as we count down to hosting the opening match of the Women’s Rugby World Cup on 22 August.

“Having the opening match here is a brilliant opportunity to showcase our city on the international stage. We’re really looking forward to welcoming the Red Roses and the USA teams to Sunderland, along with home-grown rugby fans and those from across the world.”

Councillor Beth Jones is Sunderland City Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Tourism: “With excitement continuing to build now that we’re less than 100 away from the tournament kicking off in Sunderland, this is a brilliant opportunity to have your photo taken with the trophy that the top women’s rugby teams in the world are going to be competing for this summer,” she said.

“It’s also a great chance to find out more about the sport and how you can get involved, so I’d encourage everyone to come down, have your photo taken with the trophy and enjoy a fantastic time at the Food and Drink Festival while you’re here.”

Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 Managing Director, Sarah Massey, said: “Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 promises to be a landmark tournament for the sport and the trophy tour to our host locations provides a brilliant opportunity to ignite excitement across England.

“We look forward to celebrating with fans and encouraging even more people to be a part of this unforgettable tournament.”

Sunderland Food & Drink Festival is set to take place across Keel Square, High Street West and Market Square from Friday 6 to Sunday 8 June.

Featuring food from across the world including street food and artisan produce, visitors will also be able to enjoy the live stage programme in Keel Square from 11am to 7pm every day.

For more information on the food and drink festival visit https://sunderlandfooddrinkfest.co.uk/live-entertainment/

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Investing in New York’s Canal System
Source: US State of New York

overnor Kathy Hochul today announced New York State is continuing to invest in the New York State Canal system through a $50 million allocation in the FY 2026 Enacted Budget as the Erie Canal’s Bicentennial navigation season begins. The capital funding secured through the state, the second in two years, builds upon the annual investment into the waterway’s core operation and maintenance by the New York Power Authority and New York State Canal Corporation, and supports the vision put forth by the Canal Recreationway Commission in the recently published Canal Recreationway 2050 Plan.

“Governor DeWitt Clinton may have been the one to take credit for bringing the Erie Canal to life, but I’d like to take credit for keeping it thriving 200 years later by providing unprecedented funding to ensure the Canal system remains safe, operable, and a driver of tourism and economic activity,” Governor Hochul said. “By supporting the Canal system’s essential infrastructure, some of which dates back to the 19th century, we’re ensuring this network of waterways and trails will continue to positively support those who come to recreate and do business here, and the more than 200 upstate New York communities that thrive within the Canal corridor.”

The $50 million appropriation in the FY 2026 Enacted Budget includes funding to support the rehabilitation of 19th century reservoir dams, a high-hazard earthen embankment dam that retains water above an adjacent community, and aging steel gates and other water control structures along the Canal system that are designed to protect downstream life and property. This investment in the canal’s principal infrastructure ensures the waterway is resilient, supports the diverse needs of the communities it passes through, and continues to be a driver of economic development as it begins its third century of operation.

New York Power Authority Board of Trustees Chairman John Koelmel said, “We have been making historic investments in the Canal system to ensure its infrastructure is resilient; its programming is innovative and engaging; and that all of our efforts allow this waterway to remain in continuous operation for the next two centuries. We are working toward having a Canal System that is a vibrant, sustainable resource for New Yorkers and beyond.”

New York Power Authority President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll said, “We are committed to transforming the Erie Canal into a model of sustainable infrastructure that honors its rich history and secures its place in a thriving, resilient, and inclusive future for its next two centuries of use.”

2025 marks the 201st consecutive season of navigation along the Canal system and the bicentennial of the opening of the original Erie Canal on October 26, 1825. Supported by the Erie Canal Bicentennial Commission, the canal corridor from Albany to Buffalo will be bustling with events this year ranging from concerts to festivals to theater performances and more. As communities and organizations come together to commemorate this milestone, information on all of these happenings can be found on an interactive calendar hosted by the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. The link to the calendar can be found here.

Erie Canal Bicentennial Commission Co-Chair and First Gentleman William J. Hochul Jr. said, “I have spent countless hours traversing the New York State Canal system and have enjoyed every minute. It has been a high honor to work on commemorative activities celebrating the remarkable history of the Canals, while also preparing the way for the future. As we kick off the 2025 navigation season, I can’t wait to see all our efforts, which have been many months in the making, come to life across the many cities and towns that share access to the Canals.”

New York State Canal Corporation Director and Erie Canal Bicentennial Commission Co-Chair Brian U. Stratton said, “We have been hard at work since 2017, the beginning of this bicentennial period, to ensure we honor this occasion appropriately. Our efforts have ranged from event support to creating a robust blueprint for the next 25 years of Canal operations to putting herculean effort into ensuring our infrastructure is in good, safe working order. The end goal is a thriving Erie Canal that is open for through-navigation, for all of the communities it passes through, and for all of the people who come to recreate here.”

This July, the two-time GRAMMY award-winning Albany Symphony, in partnership with the New York Power Authority and the New York State Canal Corporation, will perform a free five-part concert series along the Canal system. This musical experience, entitled “Water Music NY,” will be offered in Medina, Seneca Falls, Utica, Fort Plain, and Schuylerville with each concert composed specifically for the host canalside communities. The music series will explore themes of nature, the environment and contemporary communities on the Erie Canal; the food and stories of people from around the world who now call Utica, a premier Erie Canal community, home; music that honors the multi-layered stories of women on the Waterways; Indigenous heritage; and the experience of enslaved people who fought for freedom on the Underground Railroad. This year’s concerts build upon the “Water Music NY: More Voices” program offered last year that focused on exploring underrepresented voices, including those of women, immigrants, people of color and Indigenous peoples.

Albany Symphony Music Director David Alan Miller said, “As the Erie Canal nears its third century of operation, we are so excited to embark on a grand new adventure with our wonderful partners at the New York State Canal Corporation. In anticipation of the Erie Canal’s momentous bicentennial season, we have engaged five brilliant composers who have immersed themselves in five gorgeous canalside communities and have created visionary new works for our orchestra and community collaborators exploring the vibrant history and culture of our great state. We cannot wait to celebrate with thousands of residents and visitors at free daylong festivals that include delicious food, fun outdoor activities, historical explorations, and family-friendly arts, culminating in fabulous orchestra concerts featuring these dazzling new works. It is our hope that our music will spark dialogue, expand perspectives, and inspire everyone to experience and cherish the beautiful canal system that flows through our state and is so much a part of New York State’s past, present and future.”

In September, the 2025 World Canals Conference will occur in Buffalo as part of the bicentennial commemoration. This yearly event, held in locations around the world, brings together an international audience of hundreds of canal and inland waterway enthusiasts, professionals and scholars to learn about a variety of topics related to canals. The New York Power Authority, New York State Canal Corporation, and the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, in partnership with the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation and Visit Buffalo Niagara, are the joint sponsors this year and are coordinating all aspects of the conference.

As the World Canals Conference concludes, the Seneca Chief, a replica of the original Erie Canal boat New York State Governor DeWitt Clinton sailed from Buffalo to New York Harbor in 1825, will begin its journey to recreate that inaugural voyage. The Seneca Chief is scheduled to arrive in New York Harbor on October 26, the official anniversary of the completion of the Erie Canal. Created and built by the Buffalo Maritime Center, the project has been heralded as one of the largest community-based boatbuilding endeavors in the world. The Seneca Chief will make stops in communities across the Erie Canal and Hudson River, with commemorative events at each stop.

To ensure a more complete narrative on the Erie Canal’s history and its enduring legacy is told this bicentennial year, the New York Power Authority, New York State Canal Corporation, and WMHT Public Media partnered to create a multi-platform, multi-media initiative, called “Reflections on the Erie Canal,” which launched this spring with the airing of a 10-part weekly documentary series. The series will conclude with an hourlong original documentary, to premier this September at the World Canals Conference in Buffalo. In addition to the documentary series, new content was created for classrooms across New York.

Last, in honor of the Erie Canal’s bicentennial, the New York State Canal Corporation commissioned artist Dr. Tyler Nordgren to create a poster that captures 200 years of this remarkable waterway, and its future. The image can be found here. Information on how to obtain copies of the full-sized poster will be made available to the public in the coming weeks.

In addition to the abovementioned efforts, several New York State agencies and businesses are offering Erie Canal Bicentennial themed products, including:
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles – Erie Canal Bicentennial License Plate
- New York State Office of General Services – An Erie Canal themed photo exhibit at the Empire State Plaza in Albany
- New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets – Erie Canal themed displays at the 2025 Great New York State Fair
- New York State Division of the Lottery – Plans are in the works for something special, to be announced this summer
- Saratoga Springs based Stewart’s Shops – “Minted in 1825” ice cream available at participating locations throughout the Capital Region, Mohawk Valley and Syracuse area
- Buffalo based Big Ditch Brewing Company – An Erie Canal themed beer will be available soon at select locations in Western NY where Big Ditch is sold
New York State Secretary of State Walter T. Mosley said, “Throughout its history, the Erie Canal generated and grew canal-based cities, and opened our state and nation to endless economic possibilities. As we mark the 201st consecutive navigation season of the Erie Canal and prepare for bicentennial celebrations coming this fall, I’m excited to see how our Canal communities will continue to use their unique heritage and history as a catalyst for future growth and redevelopment.”

Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “Two hundred years after its opening, the Erie Canal is still a driver of tourism and economic activity. As we commemorate the Bicentennial this summer, there are many opportunities for visitors to learn about the canal, whether experiencing the exciting ‘Waterway of Change’ exhibit at Canalside in Buffalo, following the Seneca Chief’s journey across New York State or listening to community concerts set to historically inspired scores. Thanks to Governor Hochul and to investments in the Erie Canal’s infrastructure, this iconic waterway will be celebrated for the next 200 years.”

Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Commissioner Pro Tem Randy Simons said, “As we celebrate the bicentennial of the Erie Canal, we honor a legacy that transformed New York State and the nation. Exploring the Canal offers a unique journey through America’s early history and innovation as the Canal continues to connect people through its scenic trails, vibrant waterways, and historic towns. The 200th anniversary serves as a reminder of the enduring value of preserving our heritage while embracing the recreational, cultural, and historic destination the Canal provides for future generations to come.”

New York State Historian Devin Lander said, “The building of the Erie Canal was a complex and momentous undertaking. It involved thousands of laborers and dozens of engineers and resulted in a public works project beyond anything the nation had seen at the time. It opened New York State to the west and opened the west to America. When it was all said and done, it can be said that the Empire State was born on the back of a canal boat.”

Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Executive Director Bob Radliff said, “The Erie Canal transformed New York State and had a profound impact on the nation. We hope this auspicious anniversary year invites everyone to explore New York’s extraordinary canal heritage and enjoy all that the waterway has to offer today.”

State Senator Jeremy Cooney said, “200 years on the Erie Canal! This bicentennial celebration is an opportunity to reflect on the history of the canal, the role it played in the building of our community, and the impact it still has every day on tourism and navigation. I want to thank Governor Hochul for her continued commitment towards promoting the canal’s history and recreation throughout canal communities.”

Assemblymember Bill Magnarelli said, “The Erie Canal is an iconic historical feature of the Central New York region. The Governor’s investment in the Erie Canal will help it continue to be a factor in our state’s tourism, economic development and future history.”

The New York State Canal system will operate daily this navigation season through Monday, November 3, 2025.

MIL OSI USA News –
May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Economics: App Store in the U.S. facilitated $406B in developer billings and sales in 2024

Source: Apple

Headline: App Store in the U.S. facilitated $406B in developer billings and sales in 2024

May 29, 2025

UPDATE

App Store in the U.S. facilitated over $400 billion in developer billings and sales in 2024

For more than 90 percent of billings and sales facilitated by the App Store, developers did not pay any commission to Apple

Earnings of U.S. developers more than doubled in the last five years

Apple today announced the App Store ecosystem in the U.S. facilitated $406 billion in developer billings and sales in 2024, according to a study conducted by Professor Andrey Fradkin from Boston University Questrom School of Business and economist Dr. Jessica Burley from Analysis Group. Importantly, for more than 90 percent of the billings and sales facilitated by the App Store, developers did not pay any commission to Apple.

Over the last five years, the size of the App Store ecosystem has nearly tripled from $142 billion in 2019 to $406 billion last year, and earnings for U.S.-based developers also more than doubled. Small developers in particular have done exceptionally well as their earnings increased by 76 percent between 2021 and 2024.

“For more than 15 years, the App Store has created incredible opportunity for app developers, entrepreneurs, and businesses of all sizes,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “That includes the many U.S. developers who are innovating, building their businesses, and finding exceptional success on the App Store. We’ll continue to invest in powerful tools, technology, and resources to help developers in the U.S. and around the world take their apps to new heights and create transformative experiences for users.”

Strong Growth Across App Categories

Since its launch in 2008, the App Store has been a great business opportunity for developers. The new study estimates that in 2024 the App Store ecosystem facilitated $277 billion in total billings and sales from physical goods and services, $75 billion from in-app advertising, and $53 billion from digital goods and services. Key drivers included growth in food and grocery delivery, entertainment, and enterprise apps. And the App Store continues to be a global launchpad for innovation, with AI-powered apps increasingly shaping users’ daily lives.

Since 2019, spending on physical goods and services has more than tripled, while in-app spending on digital goods and services and in-app advertising more than doubled. In the physical goods and services category, general retail spending and grocery delivery increased more than fourfold. By 2024, spending on travel and food delivery and pickup both surpassed ride hailing, with users increasingly turning to apps to book travel, and restaurants increasingly offering delivery options through apps. U.S. developers also saw their earnings grow across top categories like productivity, education, and business, with the games category seeing the highest earnings in 2024.

Global Reach for U.S. Developers

U.S. developers have also found tremendous success globally, with the ability to list their apps on storefronts in 175 countries and regions. The support of the App Store’s seamless payment and commerce system has made it easy for these developers to monetize their apps in the U.S. and around the world. Many apps from U.S. developers have also appeared on the most-downloaded app charts in storefronts outside of the U.S. and ranked among the Top 5 most-downloaded apps in 170 out of 175 App Store storefronts.

The App Store remains a safe and trusted marketplace for users, thanks to Apple’s rigorous App Review process and robust privacy and security protections. In a recent report, Apple found that the App Store prevented more than $9 billion in fraudulent transactions over the last five years, and it also rejected 1.9 million app submissions in 2024 for failing to meet Apple’s standards for security, reliability, and user experience.

Developers in the U.S. Have an Increasing Number of Incredible Resources Available from Apple

Apple continues to invest in App Store features that make it easier for developers to distribute their apps and games and get discovered across the storefront. This includes continued investments to App Store Connect, which provides developers with tools and technologies to track app performance and engagement through App Analytics, enhancements to StoreKit, custom product pages, and new features like App Store Accessibility Nutrition Labels, available to developers later this year.

Designed to accelerate innovation and help propel app businesses forward, initiatives like the App Store Small Business Program support the next generation of groundbreaking apps by small developers like Slopes. Originally launched as a passion project by a solo developer, Slopes has now achieved international success and is trusted by over 5 million skiers and snowboarders. This app is designed for winter sports enthusiasts, enabling them to track and record their personal stats, locate friends on the mountain, and explore interactive resort maps. The team behind Slopes has integrated with many Apple technologies, including HealthKit, Live Activities, and ARKit, as well as expanding to Apple Watch.

Apple also offers developers a variety of online and in-person programs to support them in elevating their apps, including Meet with Apple. The Apple Developer Center in Cupertino also serves as home to year-round activities, and offers a supportive environment for developers to improve their apps through more than 250,000 APIs including as part of frameworks such as HealthKit, Metal, Core ML, MapKit, and SwiftUI. Resources like Pathways and Apple Developer Forums are available to better connect developers within the community and help them easily access tools, documentation, and videos to create their best products on Apple’s platforms.

Apple launched its first U.S.-based Apple Developer Academy in Detroit in 2021 in collaboration with Michigan State University to help students build foundational skills in coding, AI, design, and marketing. Since its launch, the academy has trained over 1,200 students. Separately, more than 900 students have also participated in the Apple Foundation Program, an intensive four-week course that teaches students the fundamentals of app development at the academy and Henry Ford College.

Apple supports more than 2.9 million jobs across the U.S. through direct employment, work with U.S.-based suppliers and manufacturers, and developer jobs in the thriving iOS app economy.

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MIL OSI Economics –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Waiting for Godot has been translated into Afrikaans: what took so long

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Rick de Villiers, Associate professor, University of the Free State

At last, the most infamous latecomer in all of literature has arrived – not in the flesh, but in South Africa’s Afrikaans language. Irish playwright Samuel Beckett’s best-known drama, Waiting for Godot, now also lives as Ons Wag vir Godot.

Published and staged in 2024, the translation was inspired by the official centenary of Afrikaans in 2025.

As a Beckett scholar, I think it’s worth asking why Afrikaans is so late on the scene – and why it matters.

Godot in many tongues

First written in French, En attendant Godot was published in 1952 and debuted on stage the next year.

The action involves two tramps, Vladimir and Estragon, who have a series of absurd conversations and encounters as they wait for a man called Godot who never arrives. Beckett would self-translate the drama into English in 1954, calling it “a tragicomedy in two acts”.

Since then, translations of the play have exploded. By 1969 – the year of Beckett’s Nobel Prize for Literature – Waiting for Godot could already be read in dozens of languages, including Albanian, Marathi, and even Icelandic.

Samuel Beckett and South Africa

Beckett’s connections with South Africa are surprisingly varied. As a young man, he unsuccessfully applied for a lectureship at the University of Cape Town. His 1951 novel, Molloy, was translated from French into English with the help of a South African student, Patrick Bowles. And in 1968, Beckett made a donation to the then-banned resistance party, the African National Congress, in the form of a manuscript for auction.

This gesture was unprecedented for the Irish writer, who was wary of political causes. Yet not only did Beckett feel strongly enough about apartheid’s injustices to make this donation, he also refused to let anyone perform his plays before South Africa’s racially segregated audiences.

Read more:
The case of the acclaimed South African novel that ‘borrows’ from Samuel Beckett

Already in 1963 Beckett had signed the petition Playwrights Against Apartheid. He would continue to refuse performance rights in South Africa until 1980, when the Baxter Theatre was allowed to stage Waiting for Godot with a racially integrated cast.

Nevertheless, unauthorised Godots materialised before this. Athol Fugard, the South African playwright whose own dramas were influenced by Beckett, directed one of the earliest South African productions in 1962. Featuring an all-black cast, it testified to the play’s political charge, which Fugard emphasised:

Vladimir and Estragon … were at Sharpeville or the first in at Auschwitz.

It’s reasonable to think that Beckett would have supported this protest performance. But he would probably have denounced the first and unofficial Afrikaans version, Afspraak met Godot, translated by Suseth Brits and performed in 1970 at the Potchefstroom University College (now North-West University) behind closed doors.

For different reasons, Beckett would also have frowned on the substantial “borrowings” in Afrikaans novelist Willem Anker’s 2014 novel, Buys.

Domesticating a European classic

Fully sanctioned by Beckett’s estate and beautifully translated (from the French and English) by now-retired professor of French at the University of the Free State Naòmi Morgan, Ons Wag vir Godot arrives at a different moment altogether.

The translation retains the gallows humour of the original while adding local flavour. For instance, where Vladimir originally names the Eiffel Tower as a picturesque site to commit suicide, his Afrikaans counterpart nominates Van Stadensbrug, a bridge over a ravine in the Eastern Cape. The slave-like Lucky once entertained his master with European dances: “the farandole, the fling, the brawl, the jig, the fandango”. These now become a South African mix: “volkspele, die riel, die pantsula, selfs die horrelpyp” (folk games, riel dance, pantsula dance, a hiding).

In translation-speak, Ons Wag vir Godot is therefore fully “domesticated”: the play’s universality comes through even though – and perhaps even more so because – it’s anchored in a particular place and time.

This struck me when I attended the play’s limited-run production, expertly directed by Dion van Niekerk, at the 2024 Vrystaat Kunstefees (Free State arts festival). Its set managed to thread together subtle South African roadside details: a toppled rubbish bin, pylons on the horizon, a (broken) picnic bench.

In the text itself, we encounter familiar place names, sayings and cultural clues. Consider how Beckett’s abstract phrase “the essential doesn’t change” is grounded in African mythology: “Jakkals verander van hare, maar nie van streke nie” (The leopard doesn’t change its spots). Then there’s the charming touch of the dog in Vladimir’s song snatching “’n stukkie wors” (a piece of sausage particular to South Africa) rather than a measly “bone”.

Godot and the Afrikaans canon

Ons Wag vir Godot achieves its most profound tribute to Beckett and Afrikaans through its intertextual richness. Both the French and English originals are highly allusive texts: they invoke other works of literature to increase their range of meaning and subtlety. Morgan is attuned to this subtlety and to the parallels to be found in Afrikaans literature. There are references to works by canonical Afrikaans writers like Eugène Marais, Totius and C.J. Langenhoven, each adding its own resonance.

Read more:
Koos Prinsloo: the cult Afrikaans writer has been translated to English – here’s a review

Yet the dilemma any translator faces is not so much in bringing in the new, but in striking a balance with the old. Consider the judicious swapping of a line from Percy Bysshe Shelley for a line from C. Louis Leipoldt.

In the English version, Estragon looks up forlornly at the moon and half-quotes the English Romantic poet: “Pale for weariness … Of climbing heaven and staring on the likes of us.” In the Afrikaans, he gives us a fragment from the wistful poem, Die Moormansgat: “ek kyk na die lig van die volle silwermaan” (I behold the light of the full silver moon). At face value, this lacks the detached, woeful quality of Shelley’s line. But read in the context of Leipoldt’s poem, it is every bit as poignant.

The virtue of waiting

“Vladimir would agree,” Morgan concludes in the preface to her translation, “that a century is a decent amount of time to hone a language for the translation of one of the best-known dramas in world literature”.

Read more:
Animal Farm has been translated into Shona – why a group of Zimbabwean writers undertook the task

And indeed, the riches of the Afrikaans language are on display in this sensitive, witty and allusive rendering of Beckett’s European classic. But it’s also true that a certain amount of political baggage had to be shaken off before such a feat could be realised – not just in the right words, but in the right spirit. Of course, if Beckett’s play teaches us anything, it’s the virtue of waiting.

Rick de Villiers 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. Waiting for Godot has been translated into Afrikaans: what took so long – https://theconversation.com/waiting-for-godot-has-been-translated-into-afrikaans-what-took-so-long-257345

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: A 16th-century Chinese writer spoke of workplace burnout, leaving a blueprint for radical acts of rest

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jason Wang, Postdoctoral Fellow, Modern Literature and Culture Research Centre, Toronto Metropolitan University

Gathering at the Orchid Pavilion by Qian Gu, 1560 (Chinese, 1508–ca. 1578), Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Handscroll, ink C. C. Wang Family, Gift of Douglas Dillon, 1980/ MET open collection, CC BY

We are in the middle of a global workplace burnout epidemic — aptly named the “burnout society” by Korean-German philosopher Byung-Chul Han.

Four centuries ago, late Ming Dynasty scholar-official Yuan Hongdao (1568–1610) shifted from state administrative work to xiaopin — brief, personal essays celebrating everyday pleasures like gardening, leisurely excursions and long vigils beside a rare blossom.

The cover of ‘Burnout Society’ by Byung-Chul Han.
(Stanford U Press)

Today, his Ming Dynasty-era practice resonates with uncanny urgency within our burnout epidemic.

Amid the Wanli Emperor’s neglect and escalating bureaucratic infighting in Beijing, Yuan turned away from what today we call a “toxic workplace.”

Instead, he found refuge in Jiangnan’s landscapes and literary circles. There he exchanged hierarchical pressures, administrative tedium and cut-throat careerism for moments of unhurried attention.

Yuan’s xiaopin, alongside those of his contemporaries, transformed fleeting sensory moments into radical acts of resilience, suggesting that beauty, not institutions, could outlast empires.

The Ming Dynasty: A literary rebellion

The late Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) was an era of contradictions.

While Europe hurtled toward colonialism and scientific rationalism, China’s Jiangnan region — the fertile Yangtze Delta in today’s Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces — flourished via merchant wealth, global silver trade and a thriving print culture.

Bookshops lined city streets like modern cafés. They peddled plays, poetry and xiaopin volumes like Meiyou Pavilion of Arts and Leisure (1630) and Sixteen Xiaopin Masters of the Imperial Ming (1633).

The imperial examination system, a civil service written exam — once a path to prestige — had become a bottleneck. Thousands of scholars languished in bureaucratic limbo, channelling their frustrations and exhaustion into xiaopin’s intimate vignettes.

Chinese imperial examination candidates gathering around the wall where the results are posted (painting by Qiu Ying, c. 1540)
(National Palace Museum)

In his preface to Meiyou Pavilion, editor Zheng Yuanxun (1603–1644) praised the genre’s “flavour beyond flavour, rhythm beyond rhythm” — a poetic nod to its rich sensory detail and subtle musicality — rejecting moralizing orthodox prose by embracing immersive aesthetics.

Against neo-Confucianism’s rigid hierarchies, xiaopin elevated the private, the ephemeral and the esthetically oblique: a well-brewed pot of tea, the texture of moss on a garden rock and incense wafting through a study.

Wei Shang, professor of Chinese culture at Columbia University, has noted such playful text flourished among late Ming literati disillusioned with the era’s constraints. The texts reframed idleness and sensory pleasure as subtle dissent within a status-obsessed society.

When doing less becomes radical

Long before French poet Charles Baudelaire’s flâneur used dandyism and idle promenades to resist the alienating pace of western modernity, Ming literati like Chen Jiru (1558–1639) and Gao Lian (1573–1620) framed idleness as defiance.

Drawing on Daoist wu wei (non-action), Gao praised the “crystal clear retreat” that scrubbed the heart of “worldly grime” and cultivated “a tranquil heart and joyful spirit.” For him, human worth lay not in bureaucratic promotions but in savouring tea, listening to crickets or resting against a well-fluffed pillow.

A hanging scroll, ink on paper of a plum blossom branch by Chen Jiu (1558–1639).
(Yale University Art Gallery/S. Sidney Kahn, 1959/Christie’s, lot 677, 1983/Bones of Jade, Soul of Ice, 1985), CC BY

Hung-tai Wang, a cultural historian at Academia Sinica in Taipei, identifies xiaopin as a “leisurely and elegant” esthetic rooted in nature’s rhythms.

Chen Jiru, a Ming Dynasty-era painter and essayist, embodied this framework by disallowing transactional logic. In one essay, Chen lauds those who possess “poetry without words, serenity without sutras, joy without wine.” In other words, he admired those whose lives resonated through prioritizing lived gestures over abstract ideals.

The art of living in a disconnected age

In the late Ming’s burgeoning urban and commercial milieu, xiaopin turned everyday objects into remedies for social isolation.

In the Jiangnan gardens, late Ming essayists saw landscapes infused with emotion. At the time, essayist Wu Congxian called it “lodging meaning among mountains and rivers:” moonlight turned into icy jade, oar splashes to cosmic echoes.

Chen Jiru had study rituals — fingering a bronze cauldron, tapping an inkstone — curated what he termed “incense for solitude, tea for clarity, stone for refinement.”

This cultivation of object-as-presence anticipates American academic Bill Brown’s “thing theory,” where everyday items invite embodied contemplation and challenge the subject-object binary that enables commodification.

The Ming Dynasty-era scholar-connoisseur, Wen Zhenheng (1585–1645), turned domestic minutiae into philosophical resistance.

His xiaopin framed everyday choices — snowmelt for tea, rooms facing narrow water, a skiff “like a study adrift” — as rejections of abstraction. Through details like cherries on porcelain or tangerines pickled before ripening, he asserted that value lies in presence, not utility.

Wen suggests that exhaustion stems not from labour but from disconnection.

The Garden of the Inept Administrator (Zhuozheng Yuan) by Wen Zhengming, 1551. Wen painted 31 views of the site, each accompanied by a poem and a descriptive note.
(Gift of Douglas Dillon, 1979/MET open source collection), CC BY

The burnout rebellions: ‘Tang ping,’ ‘quiet quitting’

Just as xiaopin turned domestic rituals into resistance, today’s movements recast the mundane as a mode of defiance.

In April 2021, China’s tang ping (“lying flat”) movement surfaced with a post by former factory worker Luo Huazhong: “Lying flat is justice.” The message was simple and subversive: work had become intolerable, and opting out was not laziness but resistance.

In a backlash against China’s “996” work model extolled by tech moguls like Jack Ma, tang ping rejects the sacrifice of dignity and mental health for productivity and casts idleness as a quiet revolt against exploitative norms.

In the West, the COVID-19 pandemic sparked similar reckonings. The “Great Resignation” saw millions leave unfulfilling jobs. And “quiet quitting” rejected unpaid overtime and emotional labour. These movements emerged as a soft refusal of hustle culture.

As anthropologist David Graeber argues in Bullshit Jobs (2018), the “moral and spiritual damage” inflicted by meaningless work reflects a profound political failure.

Just like the late Ming literati who poured their lives into a state that repaid them with hollow titles and bureaucratic decay, today’s workers withdraw from institutions that exploit their labour yet treat them as disposable.

Unlike French philosopher Michel de Montaigne’s introspective self-examination in his Renaissance-era Essays, xiaopin refuses utility. In doing so, it inverts the contemporary self-help trend critiqued by Byung-Chul Han, which co-opts personal “healing” as a form of productivity through neoliberal logic.

Xiaopin proposes resistance as an existential shift beyond (self-)optimization. Its most radical gesture is not to demand change, but to live as if the system’s demands are irrelevant.

The revolution of pause

Xiaopin asks: What is progress without presence? Its fragments — on lotus ponds, summer naps, a cat’s shadow — prove that resistance need not be loud.

Like Japanese writer Haruki Murakami’s vision of contemporary literature as “space of individual recovery,” the genre shelters us from “hierarchy and efficiency.”

Here, time is not spent but reclaimed.

To pause in an age of weaponized ambition is in fact revolt. Tracing a petal’s vein, sipping tea until bitterness fades, lying flat as the machinery of productivity grinds on — these are not acts of shirking reality, but defiant gestures against the systems that feed on our exhaustion. They are affirmations of agency: microcosms where we rehearse what it means to belong to ourselves, and thus, to the world.

Xiaopin’s revolution awakens in a flicker of attention: a reminder that presence, too, is a language — one that hums beneath the buzz of progress, waiting to be heard.

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

– ref. A 16th-century Chinese writer spoke of workplace burnout, leaving a blueprint for radical acts of rest – https://theconversation.com/a-16th-century-chinese-writer-spoke-of-workplace-burnout-leaving-a-blueprint-for-radical-acts-of-rest-256651

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Waiting for Godot has been translated into Afrikaans: what took so long

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Rick de Villiers, Associate professor, University of the Free State

At last, the most infamous latecomer in all of literature has arrived – not in the flesh, but in South Africa’s Afrikaans language. Irish playwright Samuel Beckett’s best-known drama, Waiting for Godot, now also lives as Ons Wag vir Godot.

Published and staged in 2024, the translation was inspired by the official centenary of Afrikaans in 2025.

As a Beckett scholar, I think it’s worth asking why Afrikaans is so late on the scene – and why it matters.

Godot in many tongues

First written in French, En attendant Godot was published in 1952 and debuted on stage the next year.

Naledi Books

The action involves two tramps, Vladimir and Estragon, who have a series of absurd conversations and encounters as they wait for a man called Godot who never arrives. Beckett would self-translate the drama into English in 1954, calling it “a tragicomedy in two acts”.

Since then, translations of the play have exploded. By 1969 – the year of Beckett’s Nobel Prize for Literature – Waiting for Godot could already be read in dozens of languages, including Albanian, Marathi, and even Icelandic.

Samuel Beckett and South Africa

Beckett’s connections with South Africa are surprisingly varied. As a young man, he unsuccessfully applied for a lectureship at the University of Cape Town. His 1951 novel, Molloy, was translated from French into English with the help of a South African student, Patrick Bowles. And in 1968, Beckett made a donation to the then-banned resistance party, the African National Congress, in the form of a manuscript for auction.

This gesture was unprecedented for the Irish writer, who was wary of political causes. Yet not only did Beckett feel strongly enough about apartheid’s injustices to make this donation, he also refused to let anyone perform his plays before South Africa’s racially segregated audiences.

Read more: The case of the acclaimed South African novel that ‘borrows’ from Samuel Beckett

Already in 1963 Beckett had signed the petition Playwrights Against Apartheid. He would continue to refuse performance rights in South Africa until 1980, when the Baxter Theatre was allowed to stage Waiting for Godot with a racially integrated cast.

Nevertheless, unauthorised Godots materialised before this. Athol Fugard, the South African playwright whose own dramas were influenced by Beckett, directed one of the earliest South African productions in 1962. Featuring an all-black cast, it testified to the play’s political charge, which Fugard emphasised:

Vladimir and Estragon … were at Sharpeville or the first in at Auschwitz.

It’s reasonable to think that Beckett would have supported this protest performance. But he would probably have denounced the first and unofficial Afrikaans version, Afspraak met Godot, translated by Suseth Brits and performed in 1970 at the Potchefstroom University College (now North-West University) behind closed doors.

For different reasons, Beckett would also have frowned on the substantial “borrowings” in Afrikaans novelist Willem Anker’s 2014 novel, Buys.

Domesticating a European classic

Fully sanctioned by Beckett’s estate and beautifully translated (from the French and English) by now-retired professor of French at the University of the Free State Naòmi Morgan, Ons Wag vir Godot arrives at a different moment altogether.

From left: Peter Taljaard (Pozzo), Charl Henning, Chris Vorster and Gerben Kamper (Lucky). Leopold Frechow/UFS

The translation retains the gallows humour of the original while adding local flavour. For instance, where Vladimir originally names the Eiffel Tower as a picturesque site to commit suicide, his Afrikaans counterpart nominates Van Stadensbrug, a bridge over a ravine in the Eastern Cape. The slave-like Lucky once entertained his master with European dances: “the farandole, the fling, the brawl, the jig, the fandango”. These now become a South African mix: “volkspele, die riel, die pantsula, selfs die horrelpyp” (folk games, riel dance, pantsula dance, a hiding).

In translation-speak, Ons Wag vir Godot is therefore fully “domesticated”: the play’s universality comes through even though – and perhaps even more so because – it’s anchored in a particular place and time.

This struck me when I attended the play’s limited-run production, expertly directed by Dion van Niekerk, at the 2024 Vrystaat Kunstefees (Free State arts festival). Its set managed to thread together subtle South African roadside details: a toppled rubbish bin, pylons on the horizon, a (broken) picnic bench.

Chris Vorster as Vladimir and Sibabalwe Jokani as Seun/Boy. Leopold Frechow/UFS

In the text itself, we encounter familiar place names, sayings and cultural clues. Consider how Beckett’s abstract phrase “the essential doesn’t change” is grounded in African mythology: “Jakkals verander van hare, maar nie van streke nie” (The leopard doesn’t change its spots). Then there’s the charming touch of the dog in Vladimir’s song snatching “’n stukkie wors” (a piece of sausage particular to South Africa) rather than a measly “bone”.

Godot and the Afrikaans canon

Ons Wag vir Godot achieves its most profound tribute to Beckett and Afrikaans through its intertextual richness. Both the French and English originals are highly allusive texts: they invoke other works of literature to increase their range of meaning and subtlety. Morgan is attuned to this subtlety and to the parallels to be found in Afrikaans literature. There are references to works by canonical Afrikaans writers like Eugène Marais, Totius and C.J. Langenhoven, each adding its own resonance.

Read more: Koos Prinsloo: the cult Afrikaans writer has been translated to English – here’s a review

Yet the dilemma any translator faces is not so much in bringing in the new, but in striking a balance with the old. Consider the judicious swapping of a line from Percy Bysshe Shelley for a line from C. Louis Leipoldt.

In the English version, Estragon looks up forlornly at the moon and half-quotes the English Romantic poet: “Pale for weariness … Of climbing heaven and staring on the likes of us.” In the Afrikaans, he gives us a fragment from the wistful poem, Die Moormansgat: “ek kyk na die lig van die volle silwermaan” (I behold the light of the full silver moon). At face value, this lacks the detached, woeful quality of Shelley’s line. But read in the context of Leipoldt’s poem, it is every bit as poignant.

The virtue of waiting

“Vladimir would agree,” Morgan concludes in the preface to her translation, “that a century is a decent amount of time to hone a language for the translation of one of the best-known dramas in world literature”.

Read more: Animal Farm has been translated into Shona – why a group of Zimbabwean writers undertook the task

And indeed, the riches of the Afrikaans language are on display in this sensitive, witty and allusive rendering of Beckett’s European classic. But it’s also true that a certain amount of political baggage had to be shaken off before such a feat could be realised – not just in the right words, but in the right spirit. Of course, if Beckett’s play teaches us anything, it’s the virtue of waiting.

– Waiting for Godot has been translated into Afrikaans: what took so long
– https://theconversation.com/waiting-for-godot-has-been-translated-into-afrikaans-what-took-so-long-257345

MIL OSI Africa –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Rise of the Zombie Bugs takes readers on a jaw-dropping tour of the parasite world

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Alex Dittrich, Senior Lecturer in Zoology, Nottingham Trent University

A “zombie” snail infected with a flatworm JoostP/Shutterstock

Rise of the Zombie Bugs, by Mindy Weisberger, is a non-fiction book that borrows from popular culture to make one of the most complex and grisly interactions in the animal kingdom accessible to the reader.

From fungi and viruses that infect the brains of insects, to parasites that burst through the abdominal cavities of their unsuspecting hosts, Weisberger shows readers a gruesomely fascinating world.

Weisberger’s definition of a zombie bug is an insect that has become host to a parasite. The parasite modifies its host’s behaviour for its own means. She affectionately refers to these parasites as “zombifiers”. This zombification can make the host more susceptible to conditions that enable that parasite to complete its lifecycle or spread.

The author takes the reader through a taxonomic feast of invertebrates and their parasites. The idea of “host-altered behaviour” is particularly interesting here, as it shows the ends that parasites go to to complete their lifecycle and reproduce.

For example Leucochloridium, a flatworm that turns the eyes of snails vivid colours and patterns, which makes them more susceptible to bird predation. The flatworm also makes the snail stay out in the open. Once eaten by a bird, the flatworm can complete its life cycle in the bird’s gut. And Weisberger helps the reader understand some of the complex processes that underpin this phenomenon. For example, how these parasites hijack the host’s nervous system and cause unusual behaviour.

There are parasitic flies that disrupt the natural foraging behaviour of ants. After the fly lays eggs in the ant’s thorax, the larvae eventually migrate to the ant’s head, making it fall off. There’s also the cordyceps fungi that infects the brains of many insect species and makes them move to a better location for the fungi, such as the ends of tree branches or the tips of grass stems. A location normally treacherous to the insect – but ideal for the fungi to spread its spores. Once there, a fruiting mushroom sprouts from the insect’s head.

An ant infected with cordyceps.
Jojo dexter/Shutterstock

Parasites are all around us. Weisberger reassures us that, although the grisly and fantastical world of fiction is not far removed from what we see in nature, the processes she describes in the book are natural. And indeed necessary for a healthy planet, playing a crucial role in controlling and halting pest invasions. In the insect world, they are one of the most abundant natural controls on populations of pest insects.

Although naturally occurring populations of these parasites are not more likely to attack invasive species than native ones, we have however used them to our advantage in exploiting their behaviour to protect our crops. For example, the parasitic wasps I mentioned before are key for controlling populations of beetle pests in fruiting crops.

Parasites and us

The war waged on insects by their parasites has inspired a lot of popular culture, such as the chest-bursting aliens from the Alien films – rumoured to have been based on parasitoid wasps that lay their eggs inside the bodies of unsuspecting insects. The video game and popular HBO series The Last of Us imagines a world where cordyceps infect humans, not just insects.

As someone with a soft spot for invertebrate behaviour, I am drawn into the case studies where invertebrate animals interact with each other and the decapitated ants and disco snails are firm favourites of mine.

However, the book does end on a note of caution. The author writes a worrying footnote on rabies and Toxoplasma gondii, and the ability of both to not only cause serious harm to us but to even alter our behaviour.

Toxoplasma gondii is a single-cell parasite that causes an illness called toxoplasmosis in humans. You can catch it from cat faeces, or from eating infected meat. It is one of the most common parasitic infections of humans and other warm-blooded animals. It doesn’t make most adults seriously ill but it can cause blindness and developmental disorders in children infected as a foetus and cause life-threatening illness in immunocompromised people.

Toxoplasmosis has been linked to rage and suicidal behaviour in humans. Although one third of people are estimated to have been exposed to toxoplasmosis, there is still much we don’t understand about it.

Rise of the Zombie Bugs is a fun read that would appeal to a wide range of audiences, whether you work in science and education or simply want to expand your understanding of the natural world.

Alex Dittrich 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. Rise of the Zombie Bugs takes readers on a jaw-dropping tour of the parasite world – https://theconversation.com/rise-of-the-zombie-bugs-takes-readers-on-a-jaw-dropping-tour-of-the-parasite-world-256026

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI: Best Car Loan Refinance for Bad Credit: Apply with Caribou’s Auto Loans
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Laurel, Mississippi, May 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

Key Takeaways
- In this article, we’re talking about the best car loan refinance for bad credit options available today
- Bad credit doesn’t mean you can’t refinance – many lenders specialize in helping borrowers with credit challenges
- Refinancing with bad credit can lower your monthly payments and potentially save thousands over your loan term
- Online marketplaces make comparing multiple bad credit refinancing offers easier than ever
- Having a stable income and a history of on-time payments can improve your chances despite credit issues
- Always read the fine print to avoid predatory lending practices when refinancing with bad credit
- The right refinancing strategy can actually help rebuild your credit score over time
Are your car payments too high and hard to afford each month? Even if your credit isn’t very good, you can still refinance your car loan. This means you get a new loan to replace your old one with better terms. Refinancing can help you save money and make your payments easier to handle.

When you refinance, you might get a lower interest rate, pay less each month, or have more time to pay off the loan. This can help you have extra money for other things and make your budget less stressful. It’s a good idea to see if refinancing can help you manage your car loan better.

APPLY ONLINE FOR THE BEST AUTO LOANS

Here, we’ll walk through everything you need to know about best car loan refinance for bad credit – from understanding what lenders consider “bad credit” to comparing the best lenders willing to work with credit-challenged borrowers. We’ll also share practical tips to improve your chances of approval and help you avoid common pitfalls along the way.

What Does “Bad Credit” Mean in Auto Loan Refinancing?

When lenders talk about “bad credit,” they’re typically referring to FICO scores below 600. Here’s a quick breakdown of credit score ranges:
- Excellent: 750+
- Good: 700-749
- Fair: 650-699
- Poor: 600-649
- Bad: Below 600
With a score in the “bad” range, many traditional banks and credit unions might turn you away. When it comes to refinancing car loans, bad credit creates specific challenges:
- Fewer lenders are willing to work with you
- Higher interest rates than those offered to prime borrowers
- Stricter requirements for income verification
- Possible limitations on vehicle age and mileage
- Potential need for a co-signer
But don’t lose hope! Many lenders specialize in bad credit auto refinancing, understanding that credit scores don’t tell the whole story about a person’s ability to repay a loan.

Benefits of Refinancing a Car Loan with Bad Credit

Even with credit challenges, refinancing your car loan can offer several important benefits:
- Lower Monthly Payments
Refinancing often results in reduced monthly payments, either through a lower interest rate or by extending your loan term. This immediate relief can free up money for other essential expenses or debt payments.
- Potential Interest Rate Reduction
If your credit has improved even slightly since you took out your original loan, or if you originally financed through a dealership (which typically charges higher rates), you might qualify for a better rate now. Even a 1-2% reduction can save hundreds or thousands over the life of your loan.
- Flexible Loan Terms
Bad credit refinancing lenders often provide more flexible terms to fit your specific situation. You might choose to extend your term for lower monthly payments or keep a similar term but with a better rate.
- Path to Credit Improvement
Successfully refinancing your car loan and making consistent, on-time payments on the new loan can actually help improve your credit score over time, potentially opening doors to better financing options in the future.

FIND AFFORDABLE CAR LOANS WITH BAD CREDIT

Common Challenges When Refinancing With Bad Credit

While refinancing with bad credit is possible, you should be prepared for certain challenges:
- Higher Interest Rates
Even the best car loan refinance for bad credit typically come with higher interest rates than those offered to borrowers with good credit. However, they may still be lower than what you’re currently paying.
- Stricter Requirements
Expect more thorough income verification and possibly higher income requirements. Lenders want to ensure you can afford the new loan payments despite past credit issues.
- Equity Requirements
Some lenders require that you have positive equity in your vehicle (meaning it’s worth more than you owe). If you’re upside-down on your loan, refinancing might be more difficult.
- Vehicle Restrictions
Many lenders have age and mileage restrictions. Older vehicles with high mileage may be harder to refinance, especially with bad credit.

How to Find the best car loan refinance for bad credit

Finding the right lender is crucial when refinancing with bad credit. Here’s how to locate the best options:

Look for Lenders Who Use Alternative Credit Criteria

Some forward-thinking lenders look beyond your credit score, considering factors like education, employment history, and income stability. These lenders understand that many responsible borrowers have experienced credit setbacks due to circumstances beyond their control.

Use Online Marketplaces and Comparison Tools

Online loan marketplaces allow you to submit a single application and receive multiple offers from different lenders. This makes comparison shopping much easier and increases your chances of finding a lender willing to work with your credit situation.

Check for Lenders Offering Soft Credit Inquiries

When shopping for rates, look for lenders who perform “soft pulls” on your credit rather than “hard inquiries.” This allows you to check potential rates without further damaging your credit score. Many online refinancing platforms now offer this feature.

Prepare Your Finances to Improve Chances

Before applying, take steps to strengthen your financial position:
- Make sure you’re current on your existing car loan
- Reduce other debt balances if possible
- Gather proof of stable income and employment
- Save for a possible down payment to reduce your loan-to-value ratio
GET APPROVED FOR AUTO LOAN REFINANCE FAST

Caribou Auto Loan: The Best Choice For Refinancing Car Loans

Caribou is the best choice for refinancing car loans, especially for people with bad credit. They understand that many borrowers have faced financial struggles through no fault of their own, like job loss or medical bills, and deserve a second chance.

Unlike many banks that only work with good credit, Caribou helps people with credit scores as low as 560. They work with many lenders who offer special programs for people with credit challenges. Their goal is to help everyday Americans lower their monthly car payments and get better loan terms.

What makes Caribou stand out is their easy and quick online application process that only does a soft credit check, so your score won’t be hurt. Plus, every borrower gets a personal Loan Consultant who guides them through the process and offers advice on improving credit.

Based in Colorado, Caribou has helped thousands of people save money on their car loans, with clients saving an average of $145 each month. Their personal approach and wide network of lenders make refinancing easier and more affordable for those with bad credit.

Why Caribou As The Best Choice

Caribou has earned its reputation as one of the best car loan refinance for bad credit providers due to:
1. Flexible Credit Requirements: They work with borrowers with scores as low as 560, focusing on your overall financial picture rather than just your score.
2. Impressive Savings: Their clients save an average of $145 per month on their auto payments – that’s real money back in your pocket.
3. Extensive Lender Network: Caribou partners with numerous lenders, giving them access to loan terms that aren’t typically available directly to the public.
4. Simple Three-Step Process: Their streamlined application takes just minutes and won’t impact your credit score during the initial phase.
5. Skip Payment Option: Many Caribou refinance options include the ability to skip payments for up to 90 days, giving your budget immediate relief.
6. Personal Loan Consultants: Their dedicated team works one-on-one with borrowers to find the best solution for their specific situation.
7. Proven Track Record: Real-life success stories show dramatic savings, like Famatta who reduced her monthly payment by $371 by refinancing through Caribou.
SEE IF YOU QUALIFY FOR A CAR LOAN

Tips to Improve Your Chances of Refinancing Approval with Bad Credit

Even with lenders like Caribou that specialize in bad credit car loan refinancing, taking these steps can significantly improve your chances of approval:

1. Maintain Steady Employment and Income

Lenders want to see stability in your income source. If possible, wait until you’ve been at your job for at least six months before applying for refinancing.

2. Pay Off Other Debts or Reduce Balances

Lowering your debt-to-income ratio makes you appear less risky to lenders. Try to pay down credit card balances and avoid taking on new debt before applying.

3. Avoid New Credit Inquiries

Multiple credit applications in a short time can further lower your score and make lenders nervous. Focus only on your refinancing goal and put other credit applications on hold.

4. Gather Necessary Documents Upfront

Being prepared speeds up the process and shows lenders you’re serious. Collect:
- Proof of income (pay stubs, tax returns)
- Proof of residence
- Current auto insurance documentation
- Information about your current loan and vehicle
5. Consider a Co-signer

If available, a co-signer with better credit can significantly improve your chances of approval and help you secure better terms.

APPLY NOW FOR EASY CAR LOAN REFINANCE

What to Watch Out For When Refinancing With Bad Credit

When dealing with bad credit auto refinancing, stay alert for these potential issues:

1. High Fees or Hidden Charges

Some lenders targeting bad credit borrowers add excessive origination fees, prepayment penalties, or processing charges. Always ask for a full disclosure of all fees.

2. Predatory Lending Practices

Be wary of lenders who:
- Pressure you to decide quickly
- Guarantee approval without checking your information
- Focus only on the monthly payment, not the total loan cost
- Add unnecessary products or services
3. Unfavorable Loan Terms

Watch out for extremely long loan terms that might lower your payment but cost thousands more in interest. Also be cautious of loans with balloon payments (large payments due at the end of the loan).

4. Importance of Reading the Fine Print

Take time to thoroughly understand all terms before signing. If something seems confusing, ask questions or have someone you trust review the paperwork.

START YOUR FAST AND SIMPLE LOAN APPLICATION

Step-by-Step Process of Refinancing Your Car Loan with Bad Credit

Ready to pursue refinancing your car loan? Here’s what to expect with Caribou:

1. Quick Online Application

Start by filling out Caribou’s simple online form with basic information about your vehicle and current loan. This takes just a minute or two and won’t impact your credit score.

2. Review Your Options

After submitting your information, you’ll receive personalized refinancing options based on your specific situation. An Caribou Loan Consultant will walk you through these options.

3. Choose Your Best Option

With help from your Loan Consultant, select the refinancing option that best meets your needs – whether that’s the lowest monthly payment, shortest term, or best overall savings.

4. Document Submission

Provide any requested documentation promptly. This typically includes:
- Proof of identity and residence
- Income verification
- Current loan information
- Vehicle details (VIN, mileage, condition)
5. Loan Approval and Closing

After approval, you’ll receive final loan documents to review and sign. Read everything carefully before signing.

6. Enjoy Your Savings

Once everything is finalized, your new lender will pay off your original loan. You’ll start making payments on your new, more affordable loan – and potentially enjoy up to 90 days before your first payment is due.

Conclusion

Having bad credit doesn’t mean you’re stuck with your current high-interest auto loan. With specialized lenders like Caribou, refinancing car loans for bad credit is not only possible but could significantly improve your monthly cash flow and overall financial health.

Remember that the best refinancing option isn’t always the one with the lowest monthly payment. Consider the total cost of the loan, including interest paid over the full term. Sometimes a slightly higher payment with a shorter term saves thousands in the long run.

With Caribou’s average monthly savings of $145, you could put that money toward other debts, build an emergency fund, or save for your future. Their extensive lender network and experience with credit-challenged borrowers makes them an excellent choice for those looking to refinance despite credit issues.

Ready to explore your options? Start your journey to lower car payments today by checking your rate with Caribou – it only takes a minute and won’t impact your credit score.

SECURE A BETTER CAR LOAN RATE TODAY

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can you refinance a car loan with a different bank?

Yes! In fact, refinancing with a different lender is the most common approach. Working with a company like Caribou gives you access to multiple lenders, increasing your chances of approval despite bad credit.

What is the best car refinance company for bad credit?

Caribou stands out as one of the best car loan refinance for bad credit options due to their minimum credit score requirement of just 560, extensive lender network, and proven track record of helping credit-challenged borrowers save money.

How soon can you refinance a car loan after purchase?

Most lenders prefer that you’ve had your current loan for at least 6-12 months before refinancing. However, companies like Caribou may be able to help sooner if your credit has improved or if you initially financed through a dealership at a high rate.

How long do you have to wait to refinance a car loan?

There’s no mandatory waiting period, but waiting 6-12 months gives you time to establish payment history on your current loan and potentially improve your credit score, leading to better refinancing terms.

Where can I refinance my car loan?

While you can refinance through banks, credit unions, and online lenders, working with a refinancing platform like Caribou gives you access to multiple lending options with a single application. This is especially valuable for those with bad credit.

What disqualifies you from refinancing a car?

Common reasons include very low credit scores (below 500), owing more on your car than it’s worth, an old vehicle with high mileage, low income or high debt, and loans in default. Caribou helps many with credit scores as low as 560 who might be rejected by other lenders.

Can you refinance a car loan?

Absolutely! Refinancing a car loan is a common financial strategy that can lower your interest rate, reduce monthly payments, or change your loan term. Even with bad credit, companies like Caribou specialize in helping borrowers refinance to more favorable terms, with many clients saving $145 per month on average.

mail:contact@gocaribou.com

Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Individual results may vary based on your credit score, income, and other factors. We recommend consulting with financial professionals and comparing multiple lenders before making any refinancing decisions. Interest rates and loan terms are subject to change, and approval is not guaranteed.

Attachment

The MIL Network –
May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Night view of Hongyadong scenic area in China’s Chongqing

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

Night view of Hongyadong scenic area in China’s Chongqing

Updated: May 29, 2025 20:57 Xinhua

Tourists enjoy the night view of the Hongyadong scenic area by the Jialing River in southwest China’s Chongqing, May 28, 2025. Hongyadong in Chongqing is an ancient city gate that has been transformed into a giant suspended building featuring restaurants and other entertainment venues. [Photo/Xinhua]

Tourists enjoy the night view of the Hongyadong scenic area by the Jialing River in southwest China’s Chongqing, May 28, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

This photo taken on May 28, 2025 shows the night view of the Hongyadong scenic area in southwest China’s Chongqing. [Photo/Xinhua]

This photo taken on May 28, 2025 shows the night view of the Hongyadong scenic area in southwest China’s Chongqing. [Photo/Xinhua]

Tourists enjoy the night view of the Hongyadong scenic area by the Jialing River in southwest China’s Chongqing, May 28, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

This photo taken on May 28, 2025 shows the night view of the Hongyadong scenic area in southwest China’s Chongqing. [Photo/Xinhua]

MIL OSI China News –

May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Canada: The countdown is on: Canada Day 2025 will be one to remember!
Source: Government of Canada News (2)

OTTAWA, May 29, 2025

On Canada Day, Canadians from coast to coast to coast will celebrate the best country in the world.

Today, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages, unveiled the official program for Canada Day 2025. The July 1 festivities will allow us to celebrate our unity and express our national pride, while affirming our sovereignty, our identity and our culture.

Celebrating our Canada, loud and proud

More than ever, this year is the perfect opportunity to wave our flag proudly and show the world what makes us the True North strong and free. Canadians are encouraged to take part in celebrations in their communities across the country and in the heart of Canada’s Capital Region.

National noon ceremony

The national noon ceremony will officially kick off the celebrations live from Ottawa’s LeBreton Flats Park starting at noon (ET) and will be broadcast on CBC, CBC News Network, CBC Gem, CBC Radio, the CBC News YouTube channel and CBC News streaming channels as well as ICI RDI, ICI TÉLÉ and ICI TOU.TV. Watch performances by:
- Amanda Marshall
- Garou
- Thompson Egbo-Egbo
- Rafaëlle Roy
- Alli Walker
- Sonia Benezra (host)
National evening show

In the evening, a sea of red and white will spread across LeBreton Flats Park with a show that will ignite the crowds gathered in the capital and resonate across the country, from 8 to 10 p.m. (ET).

Live from Ottawa, with special segments from Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories and Vancouver, British Columbia, the following Canadian artists and special guests will take to the stage:
- Sarah McLachlan
- Muzion
- Cœur de pirate
- Billie du Page
- Josh Ross
- Morgan Grace
- Tom Cochrane
- Blue Rodeo (Summerside)
- Mitsou
- Alex Wells (Vancouver)
- Amanda Marshall
- Dear Rouge (Vancouver)
- Roch Voisine
- Crook the Kid (Yellowknife)
- Randy Bachman
- Brenda Montana (Yellowknife)
- Édith Butler
- Jeff Douglas (special guest)
- TALK
- Katherine Levac (special guest)
- Dumas & Ivan Boivin-Flamand
- Les Sœurs Bégin (special guests)
- Fredz
- Enola Bedard (special guest)
- Aasiva
Hosted by Isabelle Racicot, the evening show will be broadcast live on CBC, CBC News Network, CBC Gem, CBC Radio, the CBC News YouTube channel and CBC News streaming channels as well as ICI TÉLÉ, ICI TOU.TV and Radio-Canada.ca.

To get into the festive spirit, listen to the official Canada Day playlist and discover the artists who will be taking centre stage on July 1.

The O Canada! Station

In honour of Canada Day, Canadians are invited to record a short video to express what makes them proud to be Canadian. To make their videos, they can visit the O Canada! Station website or go to one of the video booths set up in many of the major VIA Rail stations across the country.

To showcase Canadian pride, some of these videos will be featured on the Canada Day National Evening Show broadcast on CBC and Radio-Canada. Each video submitted will also give eligible contestants the chance to win a trip with VIA Rail Canada.

Experience Canada Day in Canada’s Capital Region

Celebrating Canada Day in the heart of Canada’s capital is a one-of-a-kind experience. Once again this year, Ottawa and Gatineau will host must-see festivities: shows, activities for the whole family and of course, the spectacular Tim Hortons Canada Day Fireworks.

Take part in free activities in several key locations: Four official sites, four different atmospheres
- LeBreton Flats Park
  Interactive activities for all: On the Dance Floor with multiple professional dancers (including Les Sœurs Bégin), outdoor short films, an electrifying performance by DJ Miss Shelton, and much more.
- Parliament Hill
  Iconic site featuring Canadian traditions: the Ceremonial Guard Band, bagpipes, demonstrations by the Snowbirds and a live broadcast of the national noon ceremony and evening show on a giant screen.
- Supreme Court of Canada (NEW)
  A new family-friendly space with a host of activities, including yoga and drumming workshops, as well as live broadcasts of both national celebrations.
- Old Hull
  A festive atmosphere with family activities during the day and captivating evening performances by famous artists.
Visit the Canada Day website to discover all the activities.

Follow us on social media

Get the latest Canada Day news and share your pride year-round, especially on July 1. Join the conversation on our platforms and use the hashtag #CanadaDay in your posts.

Facebook: @capitalexperience | @vivezlacapitale
Twitter: @capital_exp | @VivezlaCapitale
YouTube: @CdnHeritage | @PatrimoineCdn
Instagram: @canadacapitalregion | @regioncapitalecanada

MIL OSI Canada News –
May 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: President Lai attends 2025 Europe Day Dinner

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

Details
2025-05-28
President Lai meets US delegation led by Senator Tammy Duckworth
On the afternoon of May 28, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation led by United States Senator Tammy Duckworth. In remarks, President Lai thanked the US Congress and government for their longstanding and bipartisan support for Taiwan. The president stated that Taiwan will continue to strengthen cooperation with the US and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability. He pointed out that the Taiwan government has already proposed a roadmap for deepening Taiwan-US trade ties and will encourage mutual investment between Taiwanese and US businesses. He then expressed hope of deepening Taiwan-US ties and creating more niches for both sides. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: I warmly welcome this delegation led by Senator Duckworth, a dear friend of Taiwan. Senator Duckworth previously visited in May last year to convey congratulations after the inauguration of myself and Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao. Your bipartisan delegation was the first group from the US Senate that I met with as president. Today, you are visiting just after the first anniversary of my taking office, demonstrating the staunch support of the US and our deep friendship. On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I extend my sincere appreciation and greetings. And I invite you to come back and visit next year, the year after that, and every year. Taiwan and the US share the values of democracy and the rule of law and believe in free and open markets. Both sides embrace a common goal of peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. I thank the US Congress and government for their longstanding, bipartisan, and steadfast support for Taiwan. In 2021, to help Taiwan overcome the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Senator Duckworth made a special trip here to announce that the US government would be donating vaccines to Taiwan. In recent years, Senator Duckworth has also promoted the TAIWAN Security Act, STAND with Taiwan Act, and Taiwan and America Space Assistance Act in the US Congress, all of which have further deepened Taiwan-US cooperation and steadily advanced our ties. For this, I express my deepest appreciation. I want to emphasize that the people of Taiwan have an unyielding determination to protect their homeland and free and democratic way of life. Over the past year, the government and private sector have been working together to enhance Taiwan’s whole-of-society defense resilience. The government is committed to reforming national defense, and it has proposed prioritizing special budget allocations to ensure that our defense budget exceeds three percent of GDP. This will continue to bolster Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities. Moving forward, Taiwan will continue to strengthen cooperation with the US. In addition to jointly safeguarding regional peace and stability, we also aspire to deepen bilateral trade and economic ties. At the SelectUSA Investment Summit in Washington, DC, earlier this month, Taiwan’s delegation was once again the biggest delegation attending the event – proof positive of our close economic and trade cooperation. We have already proposed a roadmap for deepening Taiwan-US trade ties. We will narrow the trade imbalance through the procurement of energy and agricultural and other industrial products from the US. We will encourage mutual investment between Taiwanese and US businesses to stimulate industrial development on both sides, especially in such industries as national defense and shipbuilding. We therefore look forward to Congress passing the US-Taiwan Expedited Double-Tax Relief Act as soon as possible, as this would deepen Taiwan-US trade ties and create more niches for business. In closing, I once again thank Senator Duckworth for making the trip to Taiwan. Let us continue to work together to elevate Taiwan-US ties. I wish you a pleasant and successful visit. Senator Duckworth then delivered remarks, saying that she is happy to be back in Taiwan and that she wanted to make sure to come back just after President Lai’s one-year anniversary of taking office to show the dedication and the outstanding friendship that we have. She noted that because no matter who is in the White House, no matter which political party is in power in Washington, DC, she has always believed that if America wants to remain a leader on the global stage, it has to show up for friends like Taiwan. Senator Duckworth mentioned that in the years that she has been coming to Taiwan since pre-COVID times, she has seen a remarkable increase in participation in its defense and the support of the Taiwanese people for defending the homeland. She then thanked Taiwan for making the commitment to its self-defense, and also for being a partner with other nations around the world. The STAND with Taiwan Act, the senator noted, is so named because the US wants to stand side by side with Taiwan. Pointing out that Taiwan is an important leader in the Indo-Pacific and on the global stage, she reiterated that there is support on both sides of the aisle in Washington for Taiwanese democracy, and added that the people of Taiwan are showing that they are willing to shore up their own readiness. Senator Duckworth said that whether it is delivering vaccines to Taiwan or making sure that the US National Guard works with Taiwan’s reserve forces or even with its civilian emergency response teams, these are all important components to the ongoing partnership between our nations. Senator Duckworth indicated that there are many great opportunities moving forward beyond our military cooperation with one another. Whether it is in chip manufacturing, agricultural investments, shipbuilding, or in the healthcare field, those investments in both nations will facilitate stability and development in both our nations. She said that is why she wants to continue the Taiwan-US relationship, underlining that they are in it for the long haul. The delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office by American Institute in Taiwan Taipei Office Director Raymond Greene.

President Lai meets delegation led by US House Natural Resources Committee Chair Bruce Westerman”>Details
2025-05-27
President Lai meets delegation led by US House Natural Resources Committee Chair Bruce Westerman
On the afternoon of May 27, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation led by Chair of the Natural Resources Committee of the United States House of Representatives Bruce Westerman. In remarks, President Lai stated that Taiwan and the US enjoy close industrial exchanges and continue to explore new opportunities for investment and collaboration. The president said that Taiwan will continue to increase purchases from and together build non-red supply chains with the US, expressing hope that economic and trade relations grow even closer and that both work together to jointly safeguard peace and stability throughout the region. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: I am delighted to meet and exchange views with members of the US House Committee on Natural Resources today. Chair Westerman, the leader of this delegation, is an old friend of Taiwan. On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I extend a very warm welcome to the delegation. I also want to thank you all for your long-term close attention to Taiwan-related affairs and your strong support for Taiwan. Taiwan and the US enjoy close ties and share ideals and values. There is an excellent foundation for cooperation between us, particularly in such areas as energy, the economy and trade, agriculture and fisheries, environmental protection, and sustainable development. In recent years, Taiwan-US ties have grown closer and closer. The US has become Taiwan’s largest destination for overseas investment, accounting for over 40 percent of Taiwan’s outbound investment. Taiwan is also the seventh largest trading partner of the US and its seventh largest export market for agricultural products. The SelectUSA Investment Summit held in Washington, DC earlier this month was the largest in its history. Taiwan’s delegation, representing 138 enterprises, was once again the biggest delegation attending the event. This shows that Taiwan and the US enjoy close industrial exchanges and continue to explore new opportunities for investment and collaboration. Looking ahead, with the global landscape changing rapidly, Taiwan will continue to increase purchases from the US, including energy resources such as natural gas and petroleum, as well as agricultural products, industrial products, and even military procurement. This will not only help balance our bilateral trade, but also strengthen development for Taiwan in energy autonomy, resilience, the economy, and trade. Taiwan and the US are also well-matched in such areas as high tech and manufacturing. As the US pursues reindustrialization and aims to become a global hub for AI, Taiwan is willing to take part and play an even more important role. We will strengthen Taiwan-US industrial cooperation and together build non-red supply chains. In addition to bringing our economic and trade relations even closer, this will also allow Taiwanese industries to remain rooted in Taiwan while expanding their global presence, helping bolster the US, and marketing worldwide. As for military exchanges, we are grateful to the US government for continuing its military sales to Taiwan and backing our efforts to upgrade our self-defense capabilities. Taiwan will continue to work with the US to jointly safeguard peace and stability throughout the region. In closing, I thank our guests once again for making the long journey here, not only offering warm friendship, but also demonstrating the staunch bipartisan support for Taiwan in the US Congress. Chair Westerman then delivered remarks, saying that it is an honor for him and his colleagues to be in Taiwan to talk about the strong relationship between the US and Taiwan and how that relationship can continue to grow in the future. The chair pointed out that natural resources are foundational to any kind of economic development, whether it is energy, which is key to manufacturing, or whether it is mining, which provides rare earth elements and all the minerals and metals needed for manufacturing. He said that as for natural resources including fish, wildlife, or timber, all are foundational to any society, but this is especially so for agriculture, noting that the US produces a lot of food and fodder and is always looking for more friends to share that with. Chair Westerman indicated that they are excited about opportunities to work with Taiwan, adding that Taiwan’s investments in the US have been greatly appreciated. He said they also are excited about the talks with the Trump administration and the future going forward on how we can have a stronger trade relationship, a stronger bilateral relationship, and how we can work with each other to help both economies grow and prosper. Chair Westerman concluded his remarks by expressing thanks for the opportunity to visit, saying that they treasure Taiwan’s friendship and our long-term relationship, and are very excited to be able to discuss in more detail how our two countries can work together. The delegation also included US House Natural Resources Committee Representatives Sarah Elfreth, Harriet Hageman, Celeste Maloy, and Nick Begich. The delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office by American Institute in Taiwan Taipei Office Director Raymond Greene.

Details
2025-05-27
President Lai meets and hosts luncheon for delegation led by Governor Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero of Guam
On the morning of May 27, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation led by Governor Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero of Guam and her husband, and hosted a luncheon for the delegation at noon. In remarks, President Lai noted that this is the governor’s first trip to Taiwan, fully demonstrating the Guam government’s support and high regard for Taiwan. The president said that Guam, being the closest United States territory to Taiwan, is an important bridge for collaboration between Taiwan and the US. He stated that aside from promoting tourism, we can also explore even more opportunities for collaboration in other areas to further advance industrial development for both sides. He said that, as we begin a new chapter, we look forward to working together to generate even more momentum in bilateral cooperation and exchanges. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I extend a warm welcome to Governor Leon Guerrero and her delegation. Last year, I transited through Guam en route for visits to Taiwan’s diplomatic allies in the Pacific. The enthusiastic reception I received from the government, legislature, people, and members of our overseas community in Guam was very touching and left me with a deep impression. During the morning tea reception hosted by Governor Leon Guerrero, we joined in singing our respective national anthems, as well as the Fanohge CHamoru. I also received at the Guam Legislature a copy of a Taiwan-friendly resolution it passed on behalf of the people of Taiwan. And I still remember to this day the striking scenery of the governor’s house and the warm reception I received there. It is therefore a great pleasure to meet with all of you today here at the Presidential Office. This is Governor Leon Guerrero’s first trip to Taiwan. Your visit fully demonstrates the Guam government’s support and high regard for Taiwan. As we begin a new chapter, we look forward to working with you to generate even more momentum in bilateral cooperation and exchanges. Taiwan and Guam are like family. We share the Austronesian spirit and culture. Our wide-ranging and mutually-beneficial collaboration is very fruitful. And now, we are facing the challenges of climate change, public health and medicine, and regional security together. The world is rapidly changing and tensions in the Indo-Pacific continue to rise. But if we combine our strengths, come together as one, and enhance cooperation, we can maintain regional peace, stability, and prosperity. Last Tuesday, I delivered an address on my first anniversary of taking office. I mentioned that for many years, Taiwan, the US, and our democratic partners have actively engaged in exchange and cooperation. Taking a market-oriented approach, we will promote an economic path of staying firmly rooted in Taiwan and expanding the global presence of our enterprises while strengthening ties with the US. Guam is the closest US territory to Taiwan. It is an important bridge for collaboration between Taiwan and the US. Last month, we were pleased to see United Airlines officially launch direct flights between Taipei and Guam. I believe this will benefit tourism and economic and trade exchanges for both sides. In the area of health care, many hospitals in Taiwan already offer referral services to patients from Guam. Both Governor Leon Guerrero and I have backgrounds in medicine. It is my hope that Taiwan and Guam can continue to work hand in hand to create even more positive outcomes from cooperation in public health and medical services. During the governor’s visit, aside from promoting tourism, we can also explore even more opportunities for collaboration in other areas. There is potential for more exchanges in aquaculture, food processing, hydroculture, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and recycling. This will further advance industrial development in Taiwan and Guam. In closing, I thank Governor Leon Guerrero and all our distinguished guests for backing Taiwan. I wish you all a smooth and successful visit. Governor Leon Guerrero then delivered remarks, saying that she is very happy to come to Taiwan. She said that after learning during President Lai’s visit to Guam last year that he is a medical doctor, she felt more relaxed because healthcare colleagues are one in their endeavor to help enhance the health and well-being of people. She then expressed her heartfelt appreciation for the invitation to Taiwan. Governor Leon Guerrero said that as they learn more about opportunities for collaboration with Taiwan, they are humbled by the hospitality they have experienced. In both of our islands, she said, hospitality is more than just a custom – it forms a part of our identities. She noted that despite being nearly 2,000 miles apart, we are connected by the Pacific Ocean and common roots, and our ancestors both value family, community, and tradition. That is why being here today, she said, she feels a strong sense of familiarity, like reconnecting with old friends. The governor remarked that Taiwan has evolved so quickly in all areas of essential life, sustenance, economy, and prosperity, adding that Taiwan’s resources in such areas as health, education, data, AI, advanced technology, aquaculture, agriculture, and commerce enhance our economic stability. She stated her belief that in collaboration and support, and working with each other, we can gain prosperity, maintain freedom and democracy, and live in peace. Governor Leon Guerrero stated that their delegation is here to see how they can partner with Taiwan to help raise the quality of life for both our peoples, mentioning that one special concern of theirs is tourism. Tourism, she said, is the most influential engine and driver for the economy and quality of life in Guam, but they cannot have a vibrant economy and tourism without air connectivity. She added that they are prepared to help in any way to provide incentives and low-cost fees so that they can get more airlines from Taiwan to establish permanent flight schedules to Guam, so as to drive development in Guam’s tourism industry. Governor Leon Guerrero then proceeded to introduce each of the members of her delegation before remarking that while they have been very busy on this visit they are always reminded of the freedom and democracy that the people must protect. She said she looks forward to a great, strong relationship between Taiwan and Guam in cooperation on social and economic issues, in culture, marketing, tourism, and freedom and democracy. Among those in attendance were First Gentleman Jeffrey A. Cook, Chief of Staff Jon Junior Calvo, Director of the Department of Administration Edward Birn, General Manager of the Guam Visitors Bureau Regine Biscoe Lee, Deputy Executive Manager of the Guam International Airport Authority Artemio “Ricky” Hernandez, Board of Directors Chairman of the Guam International Airport Authority Brian J. Bamba, Deputy General Manager of the Guam Economic Development Authority Carlos Bordallo, Director of Landscape Management Systems Guam Bob Salas, Chairperson of the Guam Chamber of Commerce Tae Oh, President of the University of Guam Anita Borja Enriquez, and Director of the Guam Taiwan Office Felix Yen (嚴樹芬). After the meeting, President Lai, accompanied by Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao, hosted a luncheon for Governor Leon Guerrero, her husband, and the delegation.

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2025-05-27
President Lai meets delegation from European Parliament
On the morning of May 27, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation from the European Parliament. In remarks, President Lai thanked the European Parliament for continuing to pay close attention to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and voice support for Taiwan. The president expressed hope for an even closer relationship and diversified cooperation between Taiwan and the European Union. The president said that Taiwan and the EU can work together in such areas as semiconductors, AI, and green energy to create more resilient supply chains for global democracies and contribute to global prosperity and development. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: I warmly welcome our guests to the Presidential Office. After being elected last year, MEPs Reinis Pozņaks and Beatrice Timgren are making their first visits to Taiwan, demonstrating support for Taiwan through concrete action. On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I extend my sincerest welcome and appreciation. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the European Parliament for continuing to pay close attention to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Just last month, the European Parliament adopted resolutions with regard to annual reports on the implementation of the European Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy and Common Security and Defence Policy. These resolutions reaffirmed the EU’s steadfast commitment to maintaining the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. The European Parliament also condemned China for continuing to take provocative military actions against Taiwan and emphasized that Taiwan is a key democratic partner in the Indo-Pacific region. It called on the EU and its member states to continue working closely with Taiwan to strengthen economic, trade, and investment ties. Once again, I thank the European Parliament for voicing support for Taiwan. Just as MEPs Pozņaks and Timgren are visiting Taiwan to strengthen Taiwan-EU exchanges, our Minister of Economic Affairs Kuo Jyh-huei (郭智輝) also led a delegation to Europe last year, marking the first in-person dialogue between high-ranking economic and trade officials of Taiwan and the EU. Moving ahead, we look forward to bringing Taiwan-EU ties even closer and to diversifying our cooperation. The EU is Taiwan’s largest source of foreign investment. Both sides are highly complementary in such areas as semiconductors, AI, and green energy. Through our joint efforts, we can create more resilient supply chains for global democracies and further contribute to global prosperity and development. Looking ahead, I hope that MEPs Pozņaks and Timgren will continue to make the case in the European Parliament for the signing of a Taiwan-EU economic partnership agreement. This would not only yield mutually beneficial development, but also consolidate economic security and boost international competitiveness for both sides. In closing, I am sure that you will gain a deeper understanding of Taiwan through this visit. Please feel welcome to come back as often as possible as we continue to elevate Taiwan-EU ties. MEP Pozņaks then delivered remarks, saying that it is a great honor to be here and thanking everybody involved in arranging this trip that allows them the opportunity to better know Taiwan. He added that it is definitely not the last time they will be here, as Taiwan is a very beautiful country. MEP Pozņaks mentioned that he comes from Latvia, and despite their being on the other side of the world, they know how the Taiwanese people feel, because they also have a big neighbor who is claiming that Latvia belongs to them. Unfortunately, he said, there is already war in Europe, but he is confident that their situation is similar to Taiwan’s, adding that they have a neighbor who uses disinformation attacks. MEP Pozņaks said that we live in very challenging times, and that our choices will define the future of the world, asking whether it will be a world where the rule of law prevails or where physical power and aggression succeeds. Coming from a small country, he said he clearly understands that for them there is no other possibility; they must protect the world where the rule of law prevails. That is why now, he emphasized, it is very crucial for all democracies around the world to stick together to protect our freedoms, values, and democracy. MEP Timgren then delivered remarks, thanking President Lai for meeting with them and saying it is a big honor. Noting that they arrived here two days ago and that while she really loves Taiwan, its food, and the good weather, she stated that the reason they are here is because of the values that we share, our good relationships, and solidarity with other democratic countries in the world, which is important for them in Europe and in Sweden. MEP Timgren, referring to MEP Pozņaks’s earlier remarks, said that they face a big threat from Russia that is discernible even in the European Parliament. Actually, she pointed out, there is a war inside Europe that shows us how important it is that we support one another. She said that the Russian people thought it would be easy to take over Ukraine, but it was not, because all European countries stepped up and provided weapons and support. And that is why, MEP Timgren said, it is important that democratic countries maintain good relationships and let China and Russia see that we have good relationships, because a part of defense is solidarity. In closing, she expressed her gratitude for having the honor to be here in this beautiful country.

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2025-05-20
President Lai hosts state banquet for President Surangel Whipps Jr. of Republic of Palau
On the evening of May 20, President Lai Ching-te, accompanied by Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao, hosted a state banquet at the Presidential Office in honor of President Surangel Whipps Jr. of the Republic of Palau and his wife. In remarks, President Lai said that he looks forward to working closely with President Whipps to promote tourism exchanges and sports cooperation so that Taiwan and Palau shine brightly together on the international stage. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: It is a pleasure to host this banquet tonight at the Presidential Office for President Whipps, First Lady Valerie Whipps, and the esteemed members of their delegation. Welcome to Taiwan. During my trips to Palau in 2022 and last year, President and First Lady Whipps received me with great hospitality. Wearing my island shirt, I enjoyed a very friendly reception from the people of Palau. It felt warm and friendly, just like being welcomed back home. The first time I visited Palau, President Whipps and I piloted a boat to the Milky Way lagoon. We both tried volcanic mud facial masks. We also fished together and enjoyed the breeze as we walked on the beach. Last year, on my second visit to Palau, I was honored to be invited to address the National Congress. I also observed the results of the close bilateral cooperation between our two nations. Due to its world-famous ocean scenery, Palau is sometimes referred to as “God’s aquarium.” And it is even possible to snorkel with sharks. It leaves a deep impression. Nothing compares to seeing Palau firsthand. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan and Palau launched a travel bubble that created a safe means of travel. Now, with the pandemic behind us, I hope that even more Taiwanese can tour Palau and gain a greater understanding of our diplomatic ally. In addition to tourism exchanges, I mentioned on my visit to Palau last year that I hoped Taiwan and Palau could promote sports cooperation by providing training away from home. Next month, Palau will be holding the Pacific Mini Games. And right now, Palau’s national baseball and table tennis teams are holding training sessions here in Taiwan. We will do our utmost to support Palau’s national players and we hope they stand out and achieve outstanding results in the events. I look forward to working closely with President Whipps so that Taiwan and Palau shine brightly together on the international stage. Thank you! Mesulang! President Whipps then delivered remarks, saying that it is truly an honor to be here once again one year after President Lai’s inauguration. Mentioning that this is his first state visit after being reelected to a second term, he said that it is important to be here among friends, and that we are more than friends, we are family. He thanked President Lai for the generous words and, most importantly, Taiwan’s enduring support. He remarked that our relationship continues to get stronger in each passing year. President Whipps said that President Lai’s diplomacy initiative, leadership, and vision deeply resonate with them. Diplomacy must be rooted in our shared values, he said, and an unwavering support for our allies and a commitment to a sustainable, inclusive development are all deeply appreciated by their people. President Whipps emphasized that, as we look into the future and the challenges that we face, from security to climate change, it is so important that we are united. He added that it is important for the world, and especially important for them in Palau, that they stand up for Taiwan, so that Taiwan can participate on international fora that address climate change, security, and health, because they know the world is better when Taiwan has a seat at the table. Mentioning that Palau will host the Pacific Islands Forum next year, President Whipps said that Palau remains committed to working closely with Taiwan to ensure a successful event, and that they will continue to speak up for Taiwan’s indispensable contributions as we stand together against any efforts to silence or isolate democratic partners. President Whipps said that our nations have navigated challenges and emerged stronger, bound by a partnership that is built on trust, respect, and hope for a better world. Whether it is in clean energy, education, smart medicine, or tourism, our shared journey is just beginning, he said, and we are stronger together. Also in attendance at the banquet were Palauan Minister of State Gustav Aitaro, Minister of Public Infrastructure and Industries Charles Obichang, Minister of Human Resources, Culture, Tourism and Development Ngiraibelas Tmetuchl, Senate Floor Leader Kerai Mariur, House of Delegates Floor Leader Warren Umetaro, High Chief of Ngiwal State Elliot Udui, Governor of Peleliu State Emais Roberts, and Governor of Koror State Eyos Rudimch.

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2025-05-20
President Lai interviewed by Nippon Television and Yomiuri TV
In a recent interview on Nippon Television’s news zero program, President Lai Ching-te responded to questions from host Mr. Sakurai Sho and Yomiuri TV Shanghai Bureau Chief Watanabe Masayo on topics including reflections on his first year in office, cross-strait relations, China’s military threats, Taiwan-United States relations, and Taiwan-Japan relations. The interview was broadcast on the evening of May 19. During the interview, President Lai stated that China intends to change the world’s rules-based international order, and that if Taiwan were invaded, global supply chains would be disrupted. Therefore, he said, Taiwan will strengthen its national defense, prevent war by preparing for war, and achieve the goal of peace. The president also noted that Taiwan’s purpose for developing drones is based on national security and industrial needs, and that Taiwan hopes to collaborate with Japan. He then reiterated that China’s threats are an international problem, and expressed hope to work together with the US, Japan, and others in the global democratic community to prevent China from starting a war. Following is the text of the questions and the president’s responses: Q: How do you feel as you are about to round out your first year in office? President Lai: When I was young, I was determined to practice medicine and save lives. When I left medicine to go into politics, I was determined to transform Taiwan. And when I was sworn in as president on May 20 last year, I was determined to strengthen the nation. Time flies, and it has already been a year. Although the process has been very challenging, I am deeply honored to be a part of it. I am also profoundly grateful to our citizens for allowing me the opportunity to give back to our country. The future will certainly be full of more challenges, but I will do everything I can to unite the people and continue strengthening the nation. That is how I am feeling now. Q: We are now coming up on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, and over this period, we have often heard that conflict between Taiwan and the mainland is imminent. Do you personally believe that a cross-strait conflict could happen? President Lai: The international community is very much aware that China intends to replace the US and change the world’s rules-based international order, and annexing Taiwan is just the first step. So, as China’s military power grows stronger, some members of the international community are naturally on edge about whether a cross-strait conflict will break out. The international community must certainly do everything in its power to avoid a conflict in the Taiwan Strait; there is too great a cost. Besides causing direct disasters to both Taiwan and China, the impact on the global economy would be even greater, with estimated losses of US$10 trillion from war alone – that is roughly 10 percent of the global GDP. Additionally, 20 percent of global shipping passes through the Taiwan Strait and surrounding waters, so if a conflict breaks out in the strait, other countries including Japan and Korea would suffer a grave impact. For Japan and Korea, a quarter of external transit passes through the Taiwan Strait and surrounding waters, and a third of the various energy resources and minerals shipped back from other countries pass through said areas. If Taiwan were invaded, global supply chains would be disrupted, and therefore conflict in the Taiwan Strait must be avoided. Such a conflict is indeed avoidable. I am very thankful to Prime Minister of Japan Ishiba Shigeru and former Prime Ministers Abe Shinzo, Suga Yoshihide, and Kishida Fumio, as well as US President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden, and the other G7 leaders, for continuing to emphasize at international venues that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are essential components for global security and prosperity. When everyone in the global democratic community works together, stacking up enough strength to make China’s objectives unattainable or to make the cost of invading Taiwan too high for it to bear, a conflict in the strait can naturally be avoided. Q: As you said, President Lai, maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is also very important for other countries. How can war be avoided? What sort of countermeasures is Taiwan prepared to take to prevent war? President Lai: As Mr. Sakurai mentioned earlier, we are coming up on the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII. There are many lessons we can take from that war. First is that peace is priceless, and war has no winners. From the tragedies of WWII, there are lessons that humanity should learn. We must pursue peace, and not start wars blindly, as that would be a major disaster for humanity. In other words, we must be determined to safeguard peace. The second lesson is that we cannot be complacent toward authoritarian powers. If you give them an inch, they will take a mile. They will keep growing, and eventually, not only will peace be unattainable, but war will be inevitable. The third lesson is why WWII ended: It ended because different groups joined together in solidarity. Taiwan, Japan, and the Indo-Pacific region are all directly subjected to China’s threats, so we hope to be able to join together in cooperation. This is why we proposed the Four Pillars of Peace action plan. First, we will strengthen our national defense. Second, we will strengthen economic resilience. Third is standing shoulder to shoulder with the democratic community to demonstrate the strength of deterrence. Fourth is that as long as China treats Taiwan with parity and dignity, Taiwan is willing to conduct exchanges and cooperate with China, and seek peace and mutual prosperity. These four pillars can help us avoid war and achieve peace. That is to say, Taiwan hopes to achieve peace through strength, prevent war by preparing for war, keeping war from happening and pursuing the goal of peace. Q: Regarding drones, everyone knows that recently, Taiwan has been actively researching, developing, and introducing drones. Why do you need to actively research, develop, and introduce new drones at this time? President Lai: This is for two purposes. The first is to meet national security needs. The second is to meet industrial development needs. Because Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines are all part of the first island chain, and we are all democratic nations, we cannot be like an authoritarian country like China, which has an unlimited national defense budget. In this kind of situation, island nations such as Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines should leverage their own technologies to develop national defense methods that are asymmetric and utilize unmanned vehicles. In particular, from the Russo-Ukrainian War, we see that Ukraine has successfully utilized unmanned vehicles to protect itself and prevent Russia from unlimited invasion. In other words, the Russo-Ukrainian War has already proven the importance of drones. Therefore, the first purpose of developing drones is based on national security needs. Second, the world has already entered the era of smart technology. Whether generative, agentic, or physical, AI will continue to develop. In the future, cars and ships will also evolve into unmanned vehicles and unmanned boats, and there will be unmanned factories. Drones will even be able to assist with postal deliveries, or services like Uber, Uber Eats, and foodpanda, or agricultural irrigation and pesticide spraying. Therefore, in the future era of comprehensive smart technology, developing unmanned vehicles is a necessity. Taiwan, based on industrial needs, is actively planning the development of drones and unmanned vehicles. I would like to take this opportunity to express Taiwan’s hope to collaborate with Japan in the unmanned vehicle industry. Just as we do in the semiconductor industry, where Japan has raw materials, equipment, and technology, and Taiwan has wafer manufacturing, our two countries can cooperate. Japan is a technological power, and Taiwan also has significant technological strengths. If Taiwan and Japan work together, we will not only be able to safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and security in the Indo-Pacific region, but it will also be very helpful for the industrial development of both countries. Q: The drones you just described probably include examples from the Russo-Ukrainian War. Taiwan and China are separated by the Taiwan Strait. Do our drones need to have cross-sea flight capabilities? President Lai: Taiwan does not intend to counterattack the mainland, and does not intend to invade any country. Taiwan’s drones are meant to protect our own nation and territory. Q: Former President Biden previously stated that US forces would assist Taiwan’s defense in the event of an attack. President Trump, however, has yet to clearly state that the US would help defend Taiwan. Do you think that in such an event, the US would help defend Taiwan? Or is Taiwan now trying to persuade the US? President Lai: Former President Biden and President Trump have answered questions from reporters. Although their responses were different, strong cooperation with Taiwan under the Biden administration has continued under the Trump administration; there has been no change. During President Trump’s first term, cooperation with Taiwan was broader and deeper compared to former President Barack Obama’s terms. After former President Biden took office, cooperation with Taiwan increased compared to President Trump’s first term. Now, during President Trump’s second term, cooperation with Taiwan is even greater than under former President Biden. Taiwan-US cooperation continues to grow stronger, and has not changed just because President Trump and former President Biden gave different responses to reporters. Furthermore, the Trump administration publicly stated that in the future, the US will shift its strategic focus from Europe to the Indo-Pacific. The US secretary of defense even publicly stated that the primary mission of the US is to prevent China from invading Taiwan, maintain stability in the Indo-Pacific, and thus maintain world peace. There is a saying in Taiwan that goes, “Help comes most to those who help themselves.” Before asking friends and allies for assistance in facing threats from China, Taiwan must first be determined and prepared to defend itself. This is Taiwan’s principle, and we are working in this direction, making all the necessary preparations to safeguard the nation. Q: I would like to ask you a question about Taiwan-Japan relations. After the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, you made an appeal to give Japan a great deal of assistance and care. In particular, you visited Sendai to offer condolences. Later, you also expressed condolences and concern after the earthquakes in Aomori and Kumamoto. What are your expectations for future Taiwan-Japan exchanges and development? President Lai: I come from Tainan, and my constituency is in Tainan. Tainan has very deep ties with Japan, and of course, Taiwan also has deep ties with Japan. However, among Taiwan’s 22 counties and cities, Tainan has the deepest relationship with Japan. I sincerely hope that both of you and your teams will have an opportunity to visit Tainan. I will introduce Tainan’s scenery, including architecture from the era of Japanese rule, Tainan’s cuisine, and unique aspects of Tainan society, and you can also see lifestyles and culture from the Showa era. The Wushantou Reservoir in Tainan was completed by engineer Mr. Hatta Yoichi from Kanazawa, Japan and the team he led to Tainan after he graduated from then-Tokyo Imperial University. It has nearly a century of history and is still in use today. This reservoir, along with the 16,000-km-long Chianan Canal, transformed the 150,000-hectare Chianan Plain into Taiwan’s premier rice-growing area. It was that foundation in agriculture that enabled Taiwan to develop industry and the technology sector of today. The reservoir continues to supply water to Tainan Science Park. It is used by residents of Tainan, the agricultural sector, and industry, and even the technology sector in Xinshi Industrial Park, as well as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. Because of this, the people of Tainan are deeply grateful for Mr. Hatta and very friendly toward the people of Japan. A major earthquake, the largest in 50 years, struck Tainan on February 6, 2016, resulting in significant casualties. As mayor of Tainan at the time, I was extremely grateful to then-Prime Minister Abe, who sent five Japanese officials to the disaster site in Tainan the day after the earthquake. They were very thoughtful and asked what kind of assistance we needed from the Japanese government. They offered to provide help based on what we needed. I was deeply moved, as former Prime Minister Abe showed such care, going beyond the formality of just sending supplies that we may or may not have actually needed. Instead, the officials asked what we needed and then provided assistance based on those needs, which really moved me. Similarly, when the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 or the later Kumamoto earthquakes struck, the people of Tainan, under my leadership, naturally and dutifully expressed their support. Even earlier, when central Taiwan was hit by a major earthquake in 1999, Japan was the first country to deploy a rescue team to the disaster area. On February 6, 2018, after a major earthquake in Hualien, former Prime Minister Abe appeared in a video holding up a message of encouragement he had written in calligraphy saying “Remain strong, Taiwan.” All of Taiwan was deeply moved. Over the years, Taiwan and Japan have supported each other when earthquakes struck, and have forged bonds that are family-like, not just neighborly. This is truly valuable. In the future, I hope Taiwan and Japan can be like brothers, and that the peoples of Taiwan and Japan can treat one another like family. If Taiwan has a problem, then Japan has a problem; if Japan has a problem, then Taiwan has a problem. By caring for and helping each other, we can face various challenges and difficulties, and pursue a brighter future. Q: President Lai, you just used the phrase “If Taiwan has a problem, then Japan has a problem.” In the event that China attempts to invade Taiwan by force, what kind of response measures would you hope the US military and Japan’s Self-Defense Forces take? President Lai: As I just mentioned, annexing Taiwan is only China’s first step. Its ultimate objective is to change the rules-based international order. That being the case, China’s threats are an international problem. So, I would very much hope to work together with the US, Japan, and others in the global democratic community to prevent China from starting a war – prevention, after all, is more important than cure.

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

May 30, 2025