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  • MIL-OSI Global: Don’t panic reading ‘electoral process porn’: There are plenty of safeguards to make sure voters’ wishes are respected

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Justin Levitt, Professor of Law, Loyola Law School Los Angeles

    Electoral process porn can make people think their vote will be stolen, so what’s the point of voting? Illustration: wildpixel/ iStock / Getty Images Plus

    You’ve probably seen them: alarming columns or stories with alarming headlines about how somebody is going to exploit an obscure provision in election law to undo the 2024 presidential election and toss it to the House of Representatives. Your vote won’t count, and democracy will go to hell.

    Election law scholar Justin Levitt throws cold water on those scenarios, and in an interview with Naomi Schalit, The Conversation’s senior editor for politics and democracy, he says the voters will decide the election, “flat out.”

    What’s “electoral process porn?”

    It’s a writing genre identifying a tactic or loophole that’s supposedly going to fundamentally change the election process – what I called “The Key to the Whole Thing This Time” in a Slate piece earlier this year – usually, by taking away everyone’s voting rights and magically delivering the election to one candidate. It’s a lurid, titillating take that depends on the fact that election law and process can sometimes seem impenetrable.

    What distinguishes this type of think piece from other reporting on the election process is tone and emphasis, rather than information. Just like not every sex scene in the movies needs an NC-17 label, not every piece about how elections work is going to be electoral process porn.

    Perhaps the worst part about electoral process porn is that it leaves readers with an unjustified feeling of helplessness, even the thought that voting might be pointless, if it’s all subject to this supposed hidden gimmick. It is dystopian fiction masquerading as analysis, feeding on people’s anxieties that a basic process of self-government might be taken out of their own hands.

    A selection of headlines trumpeting the ways the 2024 presidential election could be subverted.
    Mother Jones, Politico, USA Today

    Can you give me a few examples? I want the person who reads this to understand concretely what you’re talking about.

    Sure. One example fits the mold of the artful con: the heist movie or spy thriller that depends on knowing the particular procedural lever to deliver results, the MacGuffin nobody else can anticipate, making the person who’s the center of the thriller the smartest person in the room. It’s the story about an Electoral College feature in which an obscure part of the law, say subparagraph (ii)(B) of paragraph (1)(c) about delivering a particular piece of paper, secretly holds the spell to make millions of votes disappear. It depends on a wildly implausible sequence of events and a whiff of magical legalism, with a basic misunderstanding of what legal rules are for.

    Another example is the armchair detective mystery, with the promise that if you squint just right, you can find the clues that finally solve the big crime. This type of piece often centers on alleged voter fraud, making a legitimate loss feel more palatable by suggesting it’s theft instead. The thing is, these are usually murder mysteries with no dead bodies. People motivated to play detective will often find suspicious patterns in conduct that’s entirely lawful.

    A third version is a horror story, with jump scares at scale: tales of voter suppression predicting that evildoers will steal the election by preventing millions of legitimate voters from casting ballots that count.

    But there are practices and rules that can be obstacles to voting.

    There sure are. I’m a civil rights lawyer, so it’s worth noting that some election rules do make the process harder than it needs to be. Sometimes intentionally. Rules disenfranchising people with convictions offer a particularly stark version of that very real problem. We’ve got an obligation to keep making the election process better.

    But these electoral process porn articles often portray the system as an endless nightmare of procedural hurdles. That’s not reality for most of the electorate.

    Democrats and others have criticized Trump and his followers in the GOP for destroying confidence in our elections. Yet much of this kind of what you label “porn” comes from Democrats and progressives. Doesn’t this also diminish people’s confidence in the election’s integrity?

    Yes. And it diminishes people’s confidence in the power of their vote. I think it would be somewhat less harmful if it were paired with a message of empowerment, like, “Here is what people are trying to do to take power. But it’s not going to work. And you can ensure your voice counts by registering and casting your ballot.”

    A person drops off a mail-in ballot on Oct. 15, 2024, in Doylestown, Pa.
    Hannah Beier/Getty Images

    I don’t mean to shake my finger at writers who are trying to present information in a way that draws readers in. But the tone of these columns, and the degree to which they empower or discourage, matters. These process-porn pieces are at their worst when the voters are peripheral, when the articles say, “This is being done to you, and there’s really nothing you can do about it other than get angry and give us money.”

    We’re getting pretty close to Election Day, which is the culmination of the vote. Are there legitimate problems that voters should be aware of?

    There will be some bumps, sure. Until humans figure out how not to make mistakes, there will be issues that crop up. It’s a good thing that for most Americans, voting is a period of time, rather than a single day. That gives opportunities to catch and address the problems.

    The U.S. election process is remarkably robust. Everyone saw that in 2020, the most scrutinized election in the nation’s history, during the middle of a pandemic. The system was stress-tested in ways beyond anyone’s wildest imagination, and it responded remarkably well.

    There’s always work to improve the voting system – the Constitution reminds Americans to work toward a “more perfect union.” But the fact that we can and should do better should not shake people’s confidence in the integrity of the election results overall.

    The Electoral College means that a few thousand voters in a few swing states are going to decide the winner. It’s going to be up to those voters, flat out – who decides to cast a ballot and who they decide to vote for – not a deus ex machina. The election process is designed to tell us who we chose, not to determine the answer without us.



    Read more:
    Why Pennsylvania is the key to a Harris or Trump Electoral College victory

    Of course, it has happened that a presidential election came down to 537 votes in a single state – remember Florida in 2000. When it’s that close, everything matters. A butterfly ballot flaps its wings in one part of the country and the answer changes nationwide.

    But 537 votes is an anomaly. The elections of 2016 and 2020 were very close in the states that determined the Electoral College results – but still nowhere near Florida-in-2000 close.

    And because of all the fail-safes built into the system, even very close is something the election process can handle. I’m very confident that the voters are going to decide this election, not the lawyers or the courts.

    Electoral process porn is adult fiction. In the real world, it turns out “The Key To The Whole Thing This Time” isn’t a process quirk. It’s us.

    Professor Levitt served as the country’s first White House Senior Policy Advisor for Democracy and Voting Rights, from 2021-2022.

    – ref. Don’t panic reading ‘electoral process porn’: There are plenty of safeguards to make sure voters’ wishes are respected – https://theconversation.com/dont-panic-reading-electoral-process-porn-there-are-plenty-of-safeguards-to-make-sure-voters-wishes-are-respected-241403

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: On Ukraine, candidate Trump touts his role as dealmaker while Harris sticks with unwavering support

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Lena Surzhko Harned, Associate Teaching Professor of Political Science, Penn State

    Continued support from the White House for Ukraine could hinge on the presidential election. AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta

    The U.S. presidential election isn’t drawing eyes only at home – Moscow and Kyiv are watching closely, too.

    Regardless of who wins in November, there will be significant implications for Ukraine as it continues to resist Russia in a war heading toward a fourth year.

    Washington’s continued support is seen by some as no less than an existential issue for Ukraine. Without U.S. arms and aid, it is unlikely that the nation would be able to continue repelling its larger, better-armed neighbor.

    During the presidential debate on Sept. 10, 2024, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Republican contender Donald Trump had a chance to clarify their positions on Ukraine. Trump evaded ABC moderator David Muir’s question regarding the importance of Ukraine’s victory over Russia, twice. Instead, he repeated his long-standing line that he would achieve a negotiated peace quickly – even before taking office as president.

    At the same debate, Harris dismissed the idea of Trump negotiating with “a dictator who would eat you for lunch.” She instead emphasized the Biden policy to support Ukraine “as long as it takes” in concert with U.S. allies.

    But detail has been light on what either candidate would actually do to support Ukraine and end the war. So, what do we know about each candidate’s approach to Ukraine based on their records?

    Trump: A ‘very fair and rapid deal’?

    Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Trump has repeatedly stated that ending the war is in the U.S.’s best interests and that he can end the war quickly. In fact, Trump is certain that had he remained president after the 2020 election, Russian President Vladimir Putin would not have invaded – an unsubstantiated claim he repeated during the Sept. 10 presidential debate.

    Trump has often reiterated that both Putin and Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy respect him, and he would be able to use his “good relationship” with both to bring them to the negotiating table and end the war.

    Yet, Trump’s record on his relationships with Zelenskyy and Putin is rather complicated.

    Trump’s admiration for Putin is well documented and dates back to his first presidential run in 2016, sparking numerous investigations and reports of collusion. Most recently, Bob Woodward reported that Trump secretly sent COVID-19 tests to Putin in the midst of a pandemic shortage, a claim confirmed by the Kremlin.

    Trump’s relationship with Zelenskyy is similarly laden with baggage. A 2019 phone call between the two men, during which Trump pressured Ukraine’s president to open a criminal investigation into Joe Biden, led to Trump’s impeachment. In exchange, Ukraine would have received continued U.S. support for the country’s defense against Russia, which had been waging a proxy war in eastern regions of Ukraine since 2014. During the subsequent hearings in Congress, one of Trump’s aids testified that “Trump did not give a sh*t about Ukraine” and was only interested in his own political gains.

    Standing next to Zelenskyy during a meeting at the Trump Tower on Sept. 27, 2024 – their first meeting since Sept. 25, 2019 – Trump said he was sure that both Zelenskyy and Putin are interested in peace and that a “very fair” and “rapid” deal is possible.

    When asked what that deal might entail, Trump responded that it’s “too early” to discuss details and that both he and Zelenskyy have “their own ideas.”

    While the Republican candidate has not been explicit on the details of negotiations or possible conditions, some of his proxies have voiced proposals. Trump’s vice presidential pick, JD Vance, has laid out a plan that includes potential land concessions on the part of Ukraine and the creation of a demilitarized zone along the battle lines of the Russian-occupied territory of eastern Ukraine.

    Meanwhile, Trump’s son Donald Jr. co-authored a piece with former presidential candidate turned Trump ally Robert F Kennedy Jr., arguing that a concession to Russian demands for “Ukrainian neutrality and a halt to NATO’s eastward expansion” were reasonable to avoid a nuclear game of chicken. Although these have not been echoed in Trump’s own statements on Ukraine, both men have the ear of the Republican candidate.

    These plans have been criticized as closely resembling those of the Kremlin. Prior to meeting with Trump in New York, Zelenskyy had also criticized Vance’s plan and expressed doubts that Trump and his team really know how to end the war.

    Harris: ‘Strategic interest, not charity’

    Harris has been harshly critical of Trump’s approach to Ukraine. “They are not proposals for peace,” Harris said in response to suggestions that Ukraine cede territory for peace. “Instead they are proposals for surrender,” she added.

    Such views are in line with Harris’ record. As part of the Biden administration, Harris has given vocal support to Ukraine’s fight for political sovereignty and territorial integrity.

    At the onset of the full-scale invasion in early 2022, Harris traveled to Europe to help shore up a coalition of European allies to support Ukraine.

    As vice president, Harris has repeatedly condemned Russian war crimes in Ukraine. In February 2023, while attending the annual Munich Security Conference in Germany, she announced that the U.S. has determined that Russian actions in Ukraine amounted to “crimes against humanity,” affirming U.S. commitment to the international rule of law.

    Along with continued support, the U.S. has provided substantial aid for Ukraine, totaling US$61.3 billion in military aid since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.

    The Biden administration also has said that rising costs and keeping pressure on Russia through sanctions are important mechanisms to keep Moscow accountable. Harris reiterated this need to maintain sanctions and broad coalition support for Ukraine at the Munich Security Conference in February 2024 and again in June at the peace summit organized by Ukraine in Switzerland.

    As a presidential candidate, Harris has openly signaled her commitment to supporting Kyiv – not only for Ukraine survival but for the collective security of NATO allies and the U.S. itself. Harris emphasized this point in the September debate, suggesting that Ukraine was not Putin’s final stop and that he has “his eyes on the rest of Europe, starting with Poland.”

    Standing next to Zelenskyy in Washington on Sept. 26, 2024, Harris reiterated the point: “The United States supports Ukraine not out of charity, but because it’s in our strategic interest.”

    Yet, White House policy on Ukraine has been criticized for being slow and hesitant in supplying weaponry. The U.S. has imposed rules on the use of heavy weaponry against targets inside Russia. Furthermore, the U.S. has so far been reticent on Ukraine’s invitation to join NATO, which is seen as crucial for any lasting peace in Kyiv. How Harris’ White House would differ from Biden’s on these issues is not clear.

    Beyond the candidates

    Since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, the U.S. Congress has passed five bills that provide aid to Ukraine, totaling US$175 billion.

    However, a six-month delay in aid in early 2024 highlighted growing partisan tension in Congress over continued aid to Ukraine.

    The composition of Congress after the November election is another unknown factor in Washington’s support for Ukraine. Zelenskyy met with congressional leaders during his visit to the U.S. in September, but notably absent was Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, who in the past has shown reluctance to support continued funding.

    For the large part, support for Ukraine remains bipartisan in Congress and among American voters. Yet there is a risk the election could further politicize the issue. And the outcome of November’s vote could determine whether U.S. efforts going forward focus more on pushing for a negotiated deal or on-going support for Ukraine.

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

    – ref. On Ukraine, candidate Trump touts his role as dealmaker while Harris sticks with unwavering support – https://theconversation.com/on-ukraine-candidate-trump-touts-his-role-as-dealmaker-while-harris-sticks-with-unwavering-support-237534

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Women are at a higher risk of dying from heart disease − in part because doctors don’t take major sex and gender differences into account

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Amy Huebschmann, Professor of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

    Rates of heart disease and cardiac events in women are often underestimated. eternalcreative/iStock via Getty Images

    A simple difference in the genetic code – two X chromosomes versus one X chromosome and one Y chromosome – can lead to major differences in heart disease. It turns out that these genetic differences influence more than just sex organs and sex assigned at birth – they fundamentally alter the way cardiovascular disease develops and presents.

    While sex influences the mechanisms behind how cardiovascular disease develops, gender plays a role in how health care providers recognize and manage it. Sex refers to biological characteristics such as genetics, hormones, anatomy and physiology, while gender refers to social, psychological and cultural constructs. Women are more likely to die after a first heart attack or stroke than men. Women are also more likely to have additional or different heart attack symptoms that go beyond chest pain, such as nausea, jaw pain, dizziness and fatigue. It is often difficult to fully disentangle the influences of sex on cardiovascular disease outcomes versus the influences of gender.

    While women who haven’t entered menopause have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than men, their cardiovascular risk accelerates dramatically after menopause. In addition, if a woman has Type 2 diabetes, her risk of heart attack accelerates to be equivalent to that of men, even if the woman with diabetes has not yet gone through menopause. Further data is needed to better understand differences in cardiovascular disease risk among nonbinary and transgender patients.

    Despite these differences, one key thing is the same: Heart attack, stroke and other forms of cardiovascular disease are the leading cause of death for all people, regardless of sex or gender.

    We are researchers who study women’s health and the way cardiovascular disease develops and presents differently in women and men. Our work has identified a crucial need to update medical guidelines with more sex-specific approaches to diagnosis and treatment in order to improve health outcomes for all.

    Gender differences in heart disease

    The reasons behind sex and gender differences in cardiovascular disease are not completely known. Nor are the distinct biological effects of sex, such as hormonal and genetic factors, versus gender, such as social, cultural and psychological factors, clearly differentiated.

    What researchers do know is that the accumulated evidence of what good heart care should look like for women compared with men has as many holes in it as Swiss cheese. Medical evidence for treating cardiovascular disease often comes from trials that excluded women, since women for the most part weren’t included in scientific research until the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993. For example, current guidelines to treat cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure are based primarily on data from men. This is despite evidence that differences in the way that cardiovascular disease develops leads women to experience cardiovascular disease differently.

    Gender biases in health care influence the kind of tests and attention that women receive.
    FG Trade Latin/E+ via Getty Images

    In addition to sex differences, implicit gender biases among providers and gendered social norms among patients lead clinicians to underestimate the risk of cardiac events in women compared with men. These biases play a role in why women are more likely than men to die from cardiac events. For example, for patients with symptoms that are borderline for cardiovascular disease, clinicians tend to be more aggressive in ordering artery imaging for men than for women. One study linked this tendency to order less aggressive tests for women partly to a gender bias that men are more open than women to taking risks.

    In a study of about 3,000 patients with a recent heart attack, women were less likely than men to think that their heart attack symptoms were due to a heart condition. Additionally, most women do not know that cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 cause of death among women. Overall, women’s misperceptions of their own risk may hold them back from getting a doctor to check out possible symptoms of a heart attack or stroke.

    These issues are further exacerbated for women of color. Lack of access to health care and additional challenges drive health disparities among underrepresented racial and ethnic minority populations.

    Sex difference in heart disease

    Cardiovascular disease physically looks different for women and men, specifically in the plaque buildup on artery walls that contributes to illness.

    Women have fewer cholesterol crystals and fewer calcium deposits in their artery plaque than men do. Physiological differences in the smallest blood vessels feeding the heart also play a role in cardiovascular outcomes.

    Women are more likely than men to have cardiovascular disease that presents as multiple narrowed arteries that are not fully “clogged,” resulting in chest pain because blood flow can’t ratchet up enough to meet higher oxygen demands with exercise, much like a low-flow showerhead. When chest pain presents in this way, doctors call this condition ischemia and no obstructive coronary arteries. In comparison, men are more likely to have a “clogged” artery in a concentrated area that can be opened up with a stent or with cardiac bypass surgery. Options for multiple narrowed arteries have lagged behind treatment options for typical “clogged” arteries, which puts women at a disadvantage.

    In addition, in the early stages of a heart attack, the levels of blood markers that indicate damage to the heart are lower in women than in men. This can lead to more missed diagnoses of coronary artery disease in women compared with men.

    The reasons for these differences are not fully clear. Some potential factors include differences in artery plaque composition that make men’s plaque more likely to rupture or burst and women’s plaque more likely to erode. Women also have lower heart mass and smaller arteries than men even after taking body size into consideration.

    Reducing sex disparities

    Too often, women with symptoms of cardiovascular disease are sent away from doctor’s offices because of gender biases that “women don’t get heart disease.”

    Considering how symptoms of cardiovascular disease vary by sex and gender could help doctors better care for all patients.

    One way that the rubber is meeting the road is with regard to better approaches to diagnosing heart attacks for women and men. Specifically, when diagnosing heart attacks, using sex-specific cutoffs for blood tests that measure heart damage – called high-sensitivity troponin tests – can improve their accuracy, decreasing missed diagnoses, or false negatives, in women while also decreasing overdiagnoses, or false positives, in men.

    Our research laboratory’s leaders,collaborators and other internationally recognized research colleagues – some of whom partner with our Ludeman Family Center for Women’s Health Research on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus – will continue this important work to close this gap between the sexes in health care. Research in this field is critical to shine a light on ways clinicians can better address sex-specific symptoms and to bring forward more tailored treatments.

    The Biden administration’s recent executive order to advance women’s health research is paving the way for research to go beyond just understanding what causes sex differences in cardiovascular disease. Developing and testing right-sized approaches to care for each patient can help achieve better health for all.

    Amy Huebschmann receives funding from the National Institutes of Health, the National Heart Lung Blood Institute, the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the United States Health Resources and Services Administration and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the United States government.

    Judith Regensteiner receives funding from the National Institutes of Health focused on sex differences in the cardiovascular consequences of type 2 diabetes. She also has a mentoring grant from the NIH.

    – ref. Women are at a higher risk of dying from heart disease − in part because doctors don’t take major sex and gender differences into account – https://theconversation.com/women-are-at-a-higher-risk-of-dying-from-heart-disease-in-part-because-doctors-dont-take-major-sex-and-gender-differences-into-account-233861

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Colonialism’s legacy has left Caribbean nations much more vulnerable to hurricanes

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Farah Nibbs, Assistant Professor of Emergency and Disaster Health Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

    Hillside streets can quickly become muddy rivers during hurricane rains in the islands. Estailove St-Val/AFP via Getty Images

    Long before colonialism brought slavery to the Caribbean, the native islanders saw hurricanes and storms as part of the normal cycle of life.

    The Taino of the Greater Antilles and the Kalinago, or Caribs, of the Lesser Antilles developed systems that enabled them to live with storms and limit their exposure to damage.

    On the larger islands, such as Jamaica and Cuba, the Taino practiced crop selection with storms in mind, preferring to plant root crops such as cassava or yucca with high resistance to damage from hurricane and storm winds, as Stuart Schwartz describes in his 2016 book “Sea of Storms.”

    The Kalinago avoided building their settlements along the coast to limit storm surges and wind damage. The Calusa of southwest Florida used trees as windbreaks against storm winds.

    In fact, it was the Kalinago and Taino who first taught the Europeans – primarily the British, Dutch, French and Spanish – about hurricanes and storms. Even the word ‘hurricane’ comes from Huracán, a Taino and Mayan word denoting the god of wind.

    But then colonialism changed everything.

    A French advertising card from around 1900 depicts colonial power in Guadeloupe, with a trader sitting comfortably among sacks of cotton, cocoa and coffee while islanders work in the field.
    Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    I study natural disasters in the Caribbean, including how history molded responses to disasters today.

    The current disaster crisis that the Caribbean’s small islands are experiencing as hurricanes intensify did not start a few decades ago. Rather, the islands’ vulnerability is a direct result of the exploitative systems forced upon the region by colonialism, its legacies of slave-based land policies and ill-suited construction and development practices, and its environmental injustices.

    Forcing people into harm’s way

    The colonial powers changed how Caribbean people interacted with the land, where they lived and how they recovered from natural hazard events.

    Rather than growing crops that could sustain the local food supply, the Europeans who began arriving in the 1600s focused on exploitative extractive economic models and export cash crops through the plantation economy.

    They forced Indigenous people off their lands and built settlements along the coast, which made it easier to import enslaved peoples and goods and to export cash crops such as sugar and tobacco to Europe – and also left communities vulnerable to storms. They also developed settlements in low-lying areas, often near rivers and streams, which could provide transportation for agricultural produce but which became flood risks during heavy rains.

    Homes built to the water’s edge in Saint-Martin, an overseas collectivity of France, were devastated when Hurricane Irma hit in 2017.
    Helene Valenzuela/AFP via Getty Images

    Today, more than 70% of the Caribbean’s population lives along the coast, often less than a mile from the shore. These coastlines are not only highly exposed to hurricanes but also to sea-level rise fueled by climate change.

    Legacies of slave-based land policies

    Colonialism’s legacy of land policies has also made recovery from disasters much harder today.

    When colonial powers took over, a few landowners were given control of most of the land, while the majority of the population was forced onto marginal and small areas. The local population had no legal right to the land, as the people did not possess land certificate titles or deeds and were often forced to pay rent to landlords.

    After independence, most island governments tried to acquire land from former plantations or estates and to redistribute it to the working class. But these efforts, mainly in the 1960s and ’70s, largely failed to transform land ownership, improve economic development or reduce vulnerability.

    One colonial legacy perpetuating vulnerability to this day is known as crown land, or state land. In the English-speaking Caribbean, all land for which there was no land grant was considered property of the British crown. Crown land can be found in every English-speaking island to this day.

    How colonial powers controlled the Caribbean over time.

    For example, in Barbuda, all land is vested in the “crown in perpetuity” on behalf of Barbudans. This means that an individual born on the island of Barbuda cannot individually own land.

    Instead, land is communally owned, which limits access to the credit and development opportunities that were sorely needed to reconstruct the island after Hurricane Maria in 2017. Most Barbudans were unable to insure their homes because they had no title deeds to their property.

    This and other collective land tenure systems created by colonialism places Caribbean residents at greater risk from a variety of natural hazards and limits their ability to seek financial credit for disaster recovery today.

    The roots of poor construction

    Vulnerability to disasters in the Caribbean also has roots in post-slavery housing construction and subsequent failures to institute proper building codes.

    After emancipation from slavery, freed people had no right nor access to land. To build houses, they were forced to lease land from the former enslavers who at a whim could terminate their employment or kick them off the land.

    This led to the development of a particular type of housing structure known as chattel houses in countries such as Barbados. These houses are tiny and were constructed in a way in which they could be easily taken apart and loaded onto carts, should the residents be forced out by their former enslavers. Many Bajans still live in these houses today, although quite a few have been converted to restaurants or shops.

    Chattel houses are still used as homes in Barbados.
    Shardalow via Wikimedia, CC BY

    In Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, owned by the Dutch, slave huts were built along the coast, on land not suitable for agriculture and easily damaged by storms. These former slave huts are now tourist attractions, but the colonial patterns of settling along the coast has left many coastal communities exposed to hurricane damage and rising seas.

    The vulnerability of such houses is not only a result of their exposure to natural hazards but also the underlying social structures.

    Slave huts were built on the coast in Bonaire, where they were vulnerable to storm surge.
    Leslie Ket via Wikimedia, CC BY-SA

    In many islands today, poorer residents can’t afford protective measures, such as installing storm shutters or purchasing solar-powered generators.

    They often live in marginal and disaster-prone areas, such as steep hillsides, where housing tends to be cheaper. Houses in these areas are also often poorly constructed with low-grade materials, such as galvanized sheeting for roofs and walls.

    This situation is made worse by the informal and unregulated nature of residential housing construction in the region and the poor enforcement of building codes.

    Due to the legacy of colonialism, most housing or building standards or codes in the Commonwealth Caribbean are relics from the United Kingdom and in the French Antilles from France. Building standards across the region lack uniformity and are generally subjective and uncontrolled. Financial limitations and staffing constraints mean that codes and standards more often than not remain unenforced.

    Progress, but still a lot of work to do

    The Caribbean has made progress in developing wind-related building codes to try to increase resilience in recent years. And while damage from torrential rain is still not properly addressed in most Caribbean building standards, scientific guidance is available through the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology in Barbados.

    Individual islands, including Dominica and Saint Lucia, have new minimum building standards for recovery after disasters. The island of Grenada is hoping to guide new construction as it recovers from Hurricane Beryl. Trinidad and Tobago has developed a national land use strategy but has struggled to use it.

    Construction standards can help the islands build resilience. But work remains to be done to overcome the legacy of colonial-era land policies and development that have left island towns vulnerable to increasing storm risks.

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

    – ref. Colonialism’s legacy has left Caribbean nations much more vulnerable to hurricanes – https://theconversation.com/colonialisms-legacy-has-left-caribbean-nations-much-more-vulnerable-to-hurricanes-231913

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The whip-poor-will has been an omen of death for centuries − what happened to this iconic bird of American horror?

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jared Del Rosso, Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminology, University of Denver

    An illustration, drawn and engraved, of an eastern whip-poor-will, by Richard Polydore Nodder. Florilegius/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    In one of the most haunting scenes of Stephen King’s 1975 novel “Salem’s Lot,” a gravedigger named Mike Ryerson races to bury the coffin of a local boy named Danny Glick. As night approaches, a troubling thought overtakes Mike: Danny has been buried with his eyes open. Worse, Mike senses that Danny is looking through the closed coffin back at him.

    A mania overcomes Mike. Prayers run through his head – “the ways things like that will for no good reason.” Then more disturbing thoughts intrude: “Now I bring you spoiled meat and reeking flesh.” Mike leaps into the hole he’s dug and furiously shovels soil off the coffin. The reader knows what he’s going to do, but ought not to do, next: Mike will open the coffin, freeing whatever Danny has become.

    Enter the whip-poor-wills. Several of them, King writes, “had begun to lift their shrilling call,” the demand for violence that gives the species its name: whip-poor-will.

    This isn’t the first time whip-poor-wills appear in “Salem’s Lot,” nor is it the last time King would invoke them in his work. But despite the importance of the species to King, whip-poor-wills never appear in film and television adaptations of “Salem’s Lot.”

    Released on Oct. 3, 2024, the most recent adaptation of “Salem’s Lot” incorporates birdsong but makes little use of them. Here and there, an American crow or blue jay calls. Sparrowlike chirps pepper scenes at night. And as Mike unburies the undead Danny, the less threatening call of a barred owl replaces that of whip-poor-wills.

    The whip-poor-will got its name from the male’s three-note call that sounds like it’s wailing, ‘Whip poor will.’

    As a cultural sociologist writing a book about eastern whip-poor-wills, I’m interested in this omission not because it reflects an unfaithful recreation of King’s novel. Rather, I see the erasure of whip-poor-wills from “Salem’s Lot” as a symptom of broader ecological changes, one in which species loss is also tied to cultural loss.

    The horror of the night

    As least as early as Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” the call of whip-poor-wills, a member of the nocturnal nightjar family, haunted American fiction.

    Perhaps the best known whip-poor-wills in American horror appear in H.P. Lovecraft’s novella “The Dunwich Horror.” Lovecraft references the species nearly two dozen times in his story, with the birds often appearing around the deaths of the Whateley family, who live in the fictional town of Dunwich, Massachusetts.

    By behaving in ways that real whip-poor-wills never do, Dunwich’s nightjars symbolize the horrors the Whateleys unleash on the townspeople. The birds also act as psychopomps: beings who guide the souls of the newly deceased to the afterlife.

    Horror writer H.P. Lovecraft.
    Wikimedia Commons

    Dunwich’s whip-poor-wills remain in the town until Halloween – “unnaturally belated,” Lovecraft writes – as they chant in unison with the dying breaths of Whateleys. (Indeed, most whip-poor-wills leave the Northeast by the end of September, and they usually don’t coordinate their singing.) But though whip-poor-wills are essential to the plot of “The Dunwich Horror,” another common owl, this one a great horned owl, replaces whip-poor-wills in the 1970 film adaptation of Lovecraft’s story.

    King, too, uses whip-poor-wills to great effect. In “Jerusalem’s Lot,” the short story King later published as a prelude to “Salem’s Lot,” whip-poor-wills haunt the Maine town. And in his 1989 novel “The Dark Half,” King references the lore of whip-poor-wills as psychopomps.

    Lovecraft’s and King’s fictional whip-poor-wills draw on widespread Indigenous, European and American beliefs about the species. A whip-poor-will singing near one’s home was an especially ominous sign, usually meaning that death would soon take someone in the house. An 1892 article in the American Journal of Folklore documents this belief in King’s home state, Maine. It also offers a story, probably apocryphal, as evidence: “A whippoorwill sang at a back door repeatedly; finally, the woman’s son was brought home dead, and the corpse brought into the house through the back door.”

    Birds and belief disappear

    For the better part of the 19th and early 20th centuries, whip-poor-will lore circulated among people who encountered the bird. Outside of the world of folklore studies, you can find passing mention of ill omens in the nature writing of Henry David Thoreau and Susan Fenimore Cooper, though neither gave credence to these superstitions. Into the 20th century, local newspapers continued to share lore about the birds with their readers.

    But as erasure of the species from horror suggest, broader cultural familiarity with whip-poor-wills has atrophied. In one exception, “Chapelwaite,” a 2021 television series based on King’s “Jerusalem’s Lot,” the characters explicitly discuss the birds’ behaviors, so that viewers understand the reference.

    The cultural erasure of whip-poor-wills mirrors the species’ actual decline. Conservationists estimate that eastern whip-poor-will populations have declined by about 70% since the 1970s. This decline is likely leading to what the naturalist Robert Michael Pyle calls the “extinction of experience.” Pyle reasons that when a species declines, people lose opportunities to encounter it in local landscapes and are less likely to be familiar with it in the first place.

    Such declines also drive social and cultural losses. This is most stark when a species goes extinct. Consider the passenger pigeon. As the writer Jennifer Price shows in her book “Flight Maps,” the life of Americans was once entwined with the species. When massive flocks of passenger pigeons arrived, communities gathered to hunt the birds, which were once an integral part of the American diet. Now, however, the species is remembered almost exclusively as a symbol of human-induced extinction.

    A passenger pigeon pictured in the early 20th century, shortly before the species went extinct.
    Bettmann/Getty Images

    Similarly, the decline of common birds alters people’s relationships to the environment. For instance, in the U.K., the decline of house sparrows robs landscapes of the beloved sight and sound of a once ubiquitous species. The loss of common cuckoos, meanwhile, means that spring arrives in the U.K. without its iconic song.

    Beyond cultures of loss

    I think we are witnessing similar cultural changes with whip-poor-wills. Their absence in the adaptations of King’s work mirrors their absence both in the landscape and in people’s lives. But though loss and grief rightfully characterize many people’s relationship with whip-poor-wills and other declining species, I want to make a case for hope.

    On one hand, there’s reason to be hopeful about the possibility of conservation: Whip-poor-wills appear to respond well to forest management practices that create diverse forests with a mix of younger and older trees. Many places where whip-poor-wills breed have active conservation plans to support the bird and other species that share their habitats.

    Nor are whip-poor-wills culturally extinct.

    After all, readers still find their way to the works of Lovecraft and King. These and other enduring references to the species offer people an opportunity to find their way back to the bird – and to what the species meant to all those who have cared for them.

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

    – ref. The whip-poor-will has been an omen of death for centuries − what happened to this iconic bird of American horror? – https://theconversation.com/the-whip-poor-will-has-been-an-omen-of-death-for-centuries-what-happened-to-this-iconic-bird-of-american-horror-240873

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Investments in Warfighter Sustainment: Arrival of USS Oscar Austin

    Source: United States Navy

    The Oscar Austin departed Norfolk, Va., September 30, after being homeported there since its commissioning Aug. 19, 2000, and is now assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 60 / Commander, Task Force (CTF) 65 and U.S. 6th Fleet, now the fifth DDG in Rota with a sixth to follow.

    Oscar Austin is ballistic missile defense, anti-submarine, and anti-surface warfare capable.

    NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center Sigonella (FLCSI) Site Rota has been preparing for the arrival for years to ensure the crew and their families, approximately 500 people, can be properly supported with mailing and household goods services.

    “NAVSUP FLCSI plays a huge role in behind-the-scenes logistics,” said Commander Travis Miller, NAVSUP FLCSI Site Rota director. “We strive and take strategic action to meet the operational needs of the forward-deployed ships, and in parallel, support the needs of the crew and their families.”

    FLCSI is responsible for all material processing, shipping, receiving and woodworking since the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) turned over their largest warehouse and its responsibilities to NAVSUP in 2020. While everything, including the storage containers for fuels, was built before the arrival of the first DDG to Site Rota in 2014, FLCSI has been investing to improve the support of all operational forces operating out of this base.

    “Moving a ship to a new homeport is a very big deal,” said Andrew Benson, the FLCSI executive director, who attended the ceremony. “The new sailors and their families have property that needs to be shipped overseas. They have letter mail and Amazon packages coming into our post offices. We have to figure out how to store more fuel and more parts for the ships. This is what we do at FLCSI; we sustain the warfighter. This isn’t something that just happens, we’ve been planning for this for a long time to ensure we are ready to support.”

    Prior to Oscar Austin’s arrival, the mail center in NAVSTA Rota was at 98 percent capacity for boxes on site. With the arrival of USS Oscar Austin, the estimated growth was 250 new mailboxes. To prepare, NAVSUP FLCSI Site Rota added 360 new mailboxes with plans for a fleet mail center expansion to improve functionally and storage on site.

    NAVSUP FLCSI, in conjunction with NAVSUP headquarters, identified a need for more manpower resulting in a proposed increase of 24 additional personnel being added to NAVSUP FLCSI Site Rota to support this growth in mission.

    “We’ve had considerable growth in all products and services supporting all customers across the Iberian Peninsula,” Miller said. “The Oscar Austin is the acute eyes on target that is arriving, but the base footprint itself has grown considerably.”

    Over the last two years, NAVSUP FLCSI Site Rota has seen an increase of 500 household goods shipping transactions to support new sailors and their families. This number doesn’t include the other increases in manning around the base as new units move in to support the ships.

    The arrival of the Oscar Austin and the other DDGs doesn’t impact just Rota; it makes an impact on FLCSI sites around the region as the ships move through their areas of responsibility.

    “As these additional ships operate throughout our critical area of responsibility, we are likely to be supporting them from every site across the FLCSI enterprise,” Benson said. “Our wonderful team of logistics professionals is standing by to support the Oscar Austin and all the other DDGs that now call Rota their home as the move throughout the region.”

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Lenfest Institute, OpenAI and Microsoft announce $10M AI Collaborative and Fellowship program for US metro news organizations

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Lenfest Institute, OpenAI and Microsoft announce $10M AI Collaborative and Fellowship program for US metro news organizations

    Chicago Public Media, The Minnesota Star Tribune, Newsday (Long Island, New York), The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Seattle Times will receive grant funding and enterprise credits for experimentation with generative AI

    PHILADELPHIA — Oct. 22, 2024 — The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, a leader in developing solutions for the next era of local news, on Tuesday announced a major new collaboration with OpenAI and Microsoft Corp. to help newsrooms explore and implement ways in which artificial intelligence can help drive business sustainability and innovation in local journalism through the Lenfest Institute AI Collaborative and Fellowship program.

    In the initial round of funding, Chicago Public Media, Newsday (Long Island, NY), The Minnesota Star Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Seattle Times will each receive a grant to hire a two-year AI fellow to pursue projects that focus largely on improving business sustainability and implementing AI technologies within their organizations. The fellowship will also provide OpenAI and Microsoft Azure credits to help these publications experiment and develop tools to assist with local news. As part of the program, the news organizations will work collaboratively with each other and the broader news industry to share learnings, product developments, case studies and technical information needed to help replicate their work in other newsrooms. An additional three organizations will be awarded fellows in a second round of grants.

    “We are pleased to be working with both OpenAI and Microsoft on this important initiative to support local news,” said Jim Friedlich, executive director and CEO of The Lenfest Institute. “Through these fellowships — and by sharing results with the broader news industry — we will help empower local newsrooms to explore, implement and advocate for AI business solutions that uphold the highest ethical standards while strengthening their future prospects. The Lenfest Institute and OpenAI incubated the fellowship program, which is designed to promote the use of AI in creating a sustainable future for independent local journalism, and we welcome its expansion in scope and resources with Microsoft’s commitment.”

    The first slate of AI Collaborative and Fellows members will work on projects that focus on the use of AI for analysis of public data, to better utilize news and visual archives, to build audience engagement, for creating new AI-based news tools and products, and more. The projects were chosen through an application process led by The Lenfest Institute with assistance from FT Strategies, a global media consultant, and Nota, a provider of AI tools for journalism.

    “While nothing will replace the central role of reporters, we believe that AI technology can help in the research, investigation, distribution and monetization of important journalism. We’re deeply invested in supporting smaller, independent publishers through initiatives like The Lenfest Institute AI Collaborative and Fellowship, ensuring they have access to the same cutting-edge tools and opportunities as larger organizations,” said Tom Rubin, chief of Intellectual Property and Content, OpenAI. “Local news is a particularly vulnerable area of journalism, and we believe AI can help it thrive.”

    The selected projects are:

    • Chicago Public Media, which publishes The Chicago Sun-Times and runs public radio station WBEZ, will focus on leveraging AI for transcription, summarization and translation to expand content offerings and reach new audiences.
    • The Minnesota Star Tribune will experiment with AI summarization, analysis and content discovery for both its journalists and readers.
    • Newsday will build AI public data summarization and aggregation tools for its newsroom, for readers and for businesses as a marketing services offering.
    • The Philadelphia Inquirer will use AI platforms to build a conversational search interface for its archives. It will also leverage AI to monitor and analyze media produced by local municipalities and agencies.
    • The Seattle Times will use AI platforms to assist in advertising go-to-market, sales training support, and other sales analytics before rolling out learnings to other business functions and departments.

    “We need local journalism to inform and educate citizens, expose wrongdoing, and encourage civic engagement. We will work with the Lenfest AI Fellowship to drive AI innovation that can help news organizations create new products to extend their reporting, find new sources of revenue, and ultimately build a more sustainable future,” said Teresa Hutson, corporate vice president, technology for fundamental rights at Microsoft. “We hope these news organizations will be lighthouses for the industry, to provide examples of how AI can build a better future for the business of news.”

    To support the new Lenfest Institute AI Collaborative and Fellowship program and resources, OpenAI and Microsoft are each awarding $2.5 million in direct funding and $2.5 million in software and enterprise credits, for a total of up to $10 million. The two-year pilot program is in partnership with The Lenfest Institute’s Local Independent News Coalition (LINC), a group of eight of the largest independently owned metropolitan news organizations in the United States.

    LINC is one of several Communities of Practice led by The Lenfest Institute with funding from the Institute and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. LINC includes The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Chicago Public Media (WBEZ and The Chicago Sun Times), The Dallas Morning News, Newsday (Long Island, New York), The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Seattle Times, The Minnesota Star Tribune, and The Tampa Bay Times.

    Learn more about LINC here and sign up to receive updates on the Lenfest AI Fellows experiments and lessons learned through The Lenfest Institute Solution Set newsletter.

    About The Lenfest Institute for Journalism 

    The Lenfest Institute for Journalism creates solutions for the next era of local news by investing in sustainable business models at the intersection of local journalism and community in Philadelphia and nationwide.

    About OpenAI  

    OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company. Its mission is to ensure that artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity.

    About Microsoft 

    Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) creates platforms and tools powered by AI to deliver innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers. The technology company is committed to making AI available broadly and doing so responsibly, with a mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

    For more information, press only:

    Microsoft Media Relations, WE Communications for Microsoft, (425) 638-7777, [email protected]

    Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit Microsoft Source at https://news.microsoft.com/source. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at https://news.microsoft.com/microsoft-public-relations-contacts.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Two years of the Meloni Government, two years of achievements and milestones for Italy

    Source: Government of Italy (English)

    On 22 October 2022, President of the Council of Ministers Giorgia Meloni, Vice-Presidents Antonio Tajani and Matteo Salvini and the Government Ministers were sworn in by the President of the Republic.

    On 22 October 2024, the Meloni Government, the first in Italy’s history to be headed by a woman, turns two years old and has become the seventh longest-serving Government of the Italian Republic.

    The document attached provides a summary of the key figures and most significant measures that have been approved and launched since the Government first took office, made possible by the Government’s teamwork with the precious support of the State administration system.

    The principle guiding the Government’s work is adherence to and timely implementation of the joint programme which the centre-right coalition presented to the Italian people, winning their trust at the general election on 25 September 2022.

    This programme has enabled Italy to regain a key leading role at international level, to boost economic growth and employment, to launch long-awaited reforms, to protect the industrial and productive fabric from the impact of high energy costs and the consequences of the current geopolitical crises, to safeguard public finances, and to defend the purchasing power of households, particularly those with children and the most vulnerable.

    Over the course of its legislative term, the Government will continue working to consolidate its achievements and to fully deliver on the commitments made to citizens in its programme.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Marie-Philippe Bouchard to become the next President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada

    Source: Government of Canada News

    Minister St-Onge announces the appointment of Marie-Philippe Bouchard as President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada

    GATINEAU, October 22, 2024

    Since its inception in 1936, CBC/Radio-Canada has been and continues to be a vital institution for Canadians. From sharing local and diverse stories to providing accessible and reliable information, Canada’s public broadcaster plays a central role in strengthening Canadian culture and democracy.

    The Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage, today announced the appointment of Marie‑Philippe Bouchard as the next President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada for a five-year term, effective January 3, 2025. This appointment is the result of a rigorous, open, transparent and merit-based selection process led by the Independent Advisory Committee for Appointments to the CBC/Radio-Canada Board of Directors convened in March 2024.

    Ms. Bouchard has served as President and CEO of TV5 Québec Canada since February 2016. She has been responsible for managing all aspects of the TV5 Unis channels and platforms, a leader in public broadcasting, serving Francophone audiences across the country. She has also presided over TV5 Numérique, TV5MONDE’s partner in establishing the international French-language platform TV5MONDEPlus, since September 2019.

    Prior to joining TV5 Québec Canada, Ms. Bouchard held key management and senior executive positions at CBC/Radio-Canada in legal services, strategic planning and regulatory affairs, information and digital services, and music. A member of the Québec Bar since 1985, she holds a master’s degree in public law from the Université de Montréal. She also sits on a number of boards, including the Festival international de Lanaudière, and chairs the management board of the Université de Montréal’s Centre for Research in Public Law.

    Ms. Bouchard is fluently bilingual and the first Francophone woman to serve as President and CEO of Canada’s national public broadcaster, bringing a deep understanding and experience in the unique value of public service media and public broadcasting in Canada.

    “Marie-Philippe Bouchard is a talented, strong public broadcasting leader with a proven record of transformation. As the next President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada, she brings a wealth of experience to this pivotal time for our cultural and information ecosystem, as well as a solid background in organizational culture and change leadership. In a critical time of modernization, I am confident that Ms. Bouchard will provide a steady hand and be a positive guiding force for Canada’s national public service media now and into the future. I want to thank the Independent Advisory Committee, which played a crucial role in this process. I would also like to thank Catherine Tait for her work and passion for CBC/Radio-Canada as a vibrant, creative and inclusive force during her tenure as President and CEO.”

    —The Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage

    “Public service media all around the world serve as a precious public asset. As society changes at a fast pace, so must our public broadcaster, continuing to build trust in order to remain relevant to all Canadians. With my experience serving audiences both at TV5/Unis TV and CBC/Radio-Canada, I look forward to this challenge and to working together with all Canadians, including the CBC/Radio-Canada team, Canadian content creators and other partners, to chart the path forward. Our national public broadcaster brings us and our understanding of one another closer together despite massive distance. CBC/Radio-Canada is our place for discovering and sharing stories that embody Francophone, Anglophone and Indigenous cultures, on a range of innovative platforms. Our national broadcaster provides us with trustworthy news and information, highlights our creativity and offers us perspectives that enrich our lives, right here in this place we call home.”

    —Marie-Philippe Bouchard, next President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: [User Guide] Unlock New Possibilities With Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra

    Source: Samsung

     
    The Galaxy Tab series serves as a versatile companion to professionals who prioritize work-life balance, supporting both work and leisure. The lightweight, portable design maximizes productivity with powerful multitasking capabilities during the workday — while the rich selection of entertainment and streaming features elevates relaxation after work.
     
    The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is Samsung Electronics’ first AI-powered tablet and latest premium offering. Through various features optimized for a larger screen, the device has garnered enthusiastic responses from Galaxy fans and set a new standard for next-generation tablets. Samsung Newsroom explored how the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra can support modern individuals as they pursue balance in their work and personal lives.
     

     
     
    Unleashing the Power of AI on an Ultra-Large Screen
    The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra boasts the largest screen in the Galaxy Tab series so far — and with the integration of Galaxy AI, the device has become even more capable. Designed to be a dependable tool for professionals who frequently handle extensive documents and search for various resources online, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is poised to significantly enhance work efficiency.
     
    ▲ (From left) The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra and Circle to Search
     
    When viewed vertically, the huge 14.6-inch screen allows users to read large amounts of text without the need to scroll through multiple pages. The screen can be divided into three sections to create a multitasking environment that improves productivity and adapts to individual workflows.
     
    Circle to Search, a feature that enables instant searches with a simple gesture, becomes even more powerful with the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra. Streamlined for the massive screen, this intuitive image-based search can display more results and information than before.
     

    ▲ Press and hold the Home button, then tap Translate to instantly translate comments on social media.
     

    ▲ Translation
     
    Furthermore, the large screen proves invaluable when viewing resources on social media or PDF documents in foreign languages. With a press of the Galaxy AI button, PDF files are translated in real time. The Translation feature allows users to absorb information quickly and efficiently.
     
     
    Making Meetings Smarter From Note-Taking to Minute-Taking
    Meetings are an integral part of work, but lengthy sessions can make keeping track of information and conversations difficult. The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra offers a smarter way to participate in meetings and stay organized with features designed for efficient note- and minute-taking.
     
    ▲ Note Assist
     
    Note Assist is handy for meetings since the feature records users’ voices and automatically transcribes the content. AI technology will summarize meetings and provide translations if necessary, allowing users to focus entirely on the discussions at hand. What’s more, Galaxy AI assists in taking minutes — significantly reducing the time required for post-meeting tasks.
     

    ▲ Handwriting mode
     
    The benefits of the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra continue even after meetings end. The tablet’s large screen provides a comprehensive view of the conversation’s flow, ensuring that key points can be reviewed without missing any details. When jotting down notes in a hurry, users need not worry about messy handwriting. Handwriting mode enhances the legibility of scribbles by leveling text, aligning lines, adjusting word spacing and more. Now, users can keep their notes neat and organized to make reviews a breeze.
     
     
    Working Without Boundaries Anytime, Anywhere
    ▲ More portable than ever, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra can serve as a secondary monitor for a laptop.
     
    Although the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra has the largest ever screen in the Galaxy Tab series, the device remains comfortably portable with a sleek 5.4-mm thickness and lighter weight when compared to its predecessor. Perfect for different working styles, the tablet can be taken anywhere — whether that’s home, a café or a coworking space.
     
    For those with a laptop, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra’s Second screen feature is a game-changer. By connecting the tablet to a laptop, users can extend or duplicate their screen to enhance productivity and multitask on a larger workspace.
     
    ▲ The Book Cover Keyboard with the AI Assistant key allows the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra to be used like a laptop.
     
    Equipped with a Book Cover Keyboard and Bluetooth mouse, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra works just like a laptop. Both the Book Cover Keyboard and Book Cover Keyboard Slim accessories include a dedicated key for instant access to AI Assistant. With a single tap, users can work smarter and more efficiently.
     

     
    The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra takes after-work leisure to the next level by elevating creativity, enhancing entertainment and enriching enjoyment of life’s simple pleasures.
     
     
    Transform Sketches Into Masterpieces With S Pen

    ▲ Sketch to Image with the S Pen
     
    True to its title as an AI tablet, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra’s S Pen also leverages AI. By simply picking up the S Pen and pressing the pen-shaped icon on the right side of the screen, users can activate Air Command for a range of AI capabilities. Sketch to Image automatically transforms simple sketches into high-quality images through AI recognition. These images can then be rendered into various styles — including watercolor, illustration, pop art and 3D cartoon — making it easy for anyone to create art. The tablet’s large screen further enhances this experience, providing a spacious digital canvas for unleashing creativity.
     
     
    Playing Immersive Games With Uninterrupted Performance
    
    ▲ The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra offers smooth gameplay for even the most demanding games.
     
    The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra handles demanding, high-performance mobile games by leveraging the advanced cooling system to prevent the tablet from overheating, even during extended gaming sessions.
     
     
    Maximizing Immersion for Unparalleled Viewing Experiences

     
    The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra’s 14.6-inch screen provides an immersive experience for both video watching and gaming. The Dynamic AMOLED 2X display delivers accurate colors and crisp, high-definition images as the 120Hz refresh rate supports smoother transitions. While the anti-reflection screen minimizes glare, Vision Booster adjusts the display based on external brightness for more comfortable viewing.
     
    ▲ Go to Sound quality and effects in Settings and select Dialogue Boost
     
    Notably, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra’s Dialogue Boost uses AI technology to analyze voices and isolate conversational speech for enhanced clarity when watching content on YouTube or streaming platforms. To activate this feature, select Sound quality and effects under Settings and tap Dialogue Boost. Users will be able to more clearly hear conversations in TV and movies for a fully immersive experience.
     

     
    After a long day at work, relaxing in bed while watching YouTube or streaming videos is truly one of life’s small pleasures. The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra enhances these moments by offering superior picture and sound quality along with convenient features to enrich leisure time beyond mere content consumption.
     
    The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra delivers a comprehensive mobile experience on an expansive screen — improving productivity and maximizing immersion through its unique Galaxy AI features. For today’s professionals, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra will be a premium tablet bringing new meaning to work-life balance.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Dot plots for the Eurosystem? | Speech at Harvard University

    Source: Deutsche Bundesbank in English

    Check against delivery.
    1 Introduction
    Ladies and gentlemen,
    it is a great pleasure to be at Harvard again, to meet long time companions like Hans-Helmut Kotz and to exchange ideas with top scientists such as Benjamin Friedman. When I was in this round two years ago, we were dealing with an unprecedented global inflation spike.[1] Fortunately, the worst is behind us, and inflation in the euro area is heading back to the Eurosystem’s target. We have not brought the inflation ship safely back into the 2% harbour, but the port is in sight. Thus, I can focus on another question today.
    Before I do that, let me share an analogy to set the stage for my discussion. Back in the 1970s and 1980s, the field of economics was split into two seemingly incompatible schools of thought: New Keynesian and New Classical. Their proponents were not too polite in their language, calling assumptions “foolishly restrictive” or comparing an opponent to someone attempting to pass himself off as Napoleon Bonaparte.[2] But, over time, ideas from both camps ultimately merged to form a consensus called the New Neoclassical Synthesis, the very foundation of modern macroeconomics.[3] Gregory Mankiw neatly described this story in his essay “The Macroeconomist as Scientist and Engineer”.[4]
    The takeaway from this analogy is that complex issues are rarely black or white. With this in mind, I want to explore whether the conduct of monetary policy in the euro area could be enhanced by offering more detailed and nuanced information regarding its future outlook. More specifically, today I will address the following question: Should the Eurosystem introduce dot plots?
    To explore this, I will first examine current experience with dot plots and other forms of forward guidance in both the United States and the euro area. I will then evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of incorporating dot plots into the Eurosystem’s communication strategy. In this analysis, I will concentrate on the implications for policymakers’ independence, the effectiveness of monetary policy and the management of uncertainty.
    2 The dot plot and other forms of forward guidance
    Let me begin with some basics. Most central banks in advanced economies have a clear mandate to keep prices stable. They do this mainly by setting the policy rate and communicating their decisions in order to manage the expectations of economic agents, including market participants, households and firms. When central banks provide explicit signals about the future path of the policy rate, we call it forward guidance.
    We can classify forward guidance into two ideal types: “Odyssean” and “Delphic”.[5] Odyssean forward guidance means the central bank makes a firm commitment to a future course of action, like promising to keep interest rates at a certain level for a certain time. Like Odysseus, who famously tied himself to the mast of his ship to resist the call of the sirens, central banks are committing to staying on course – whatever the future brings.
    In contrast, Delphic forward guidance is conditional and involves sharing information about the central bank’s economic outlook and policy intentions without making firm commitments. This term comes from the Oracle of Delphi, famous for its prophecies and predictions, which were so ambiguous and open to interpretation that they always seemed to be borne out in hindsight. A prime example of Delphic forward guidance is the policy rate forecasts published by central banks such as Norges Bank and Sweden’s Riksbank.
    A more subtle way of monetary policy communication is through the central bank’s reaction function. A reaction function indicates how the central bank adjusts its policy rate in response to key macroeconomic variables like the inflation rate or economic growth. When economic agents have a clear understanding of this reaction function, communication about the expected development of these macroeconomic variables can also help shape their expectations regarding the future trajectory of the policy rate.
    2.1 The Fed’s dot plot
    To consider if the Eurosystem should introduce dot plots, let me briefly recall what the Fed dot plots are and how market observers view them. Twelve years ago, the Fed began publishing the federal funds rate projections of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) participants. Its intention was to boost transparency and communication with financial markets and the general public. On the other side of the Atlantic, the Eurosystem has, from its inception, held public press conferences and published monetary policy statements, the minutes of its meetings, and the results of its quarterly macroeconomic projections.
    As you are well aware, before the FOMC meeting, FOMC participants share their individual assessment of the appropriate level of the fed funds rate for the end of the current year, the end of the coming two to three years and over the longer run. The longer run projection refers to “each participant’s assessment of the value to which each variable would be expected to converge, over time, under appropriate monetary policy and in the absence of further shocks to the economy.”[6]
    Due to its visual representation in the Summary of Economic Projections (SEP), the combined projections of all FOMC members are known as the dot plot. These dots complement the FOMC participants’ projections for GDP growth, unemployment and inflation. While each FOMC participant submits their funds rate projection together with corresponding projections for macroeconomic variables, these correspondences are not revealed by the SEP. Accordingly, market observers cannot directly link the interest rate projections to the projections of the other macro variables.
    The dot plot was meant to complement the Fed’s communication, not to replace the forward guidance it provided in the monetary policy statement at that time during the press conference. For example, in January 2012, the FOMC statement provided explicit forward guidance on rates, saying that the Committee “[…] anticipates that economic conditions […] are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels for the federal funds rate at least through late 2014.”[7] During the accompanying press conference, Chairman Ben Bernanke introduced the dot plot, observing that “[…] eleven participants expect that the appropriate federal funds rate at the end of 2014 will be at or below 1 percent, while six participants anticipate higher rates at that time.”[8]
    Although the Federal Reserve did not introduce the dot plots as an explicit tool for forward guidance, many market analysts began to interpret them as such. When the forward guidance in the statement and the dot plot sent mixed signals, FOMC chairs often downplayed the dot plot’s importance.
    In 2014, Janet Yellen famously stated: “[…] one should not look to the dot plot, so to speak, as the primary way in which the Committee wants to or is speaking about policy […].”[9] Similarly, in 2019, Jerome Powell noted that “[…] the dot plot has, on occasion, been a source of confusion. Until now, forward guidance in the statement has been a main tool for communicating committee intentions and minimizing that confusion.”[10]
    And this is also how Fed watchers now see the dot plot, ranking it as the Fed’s fifth most important communication tool.[11] The top communication tools are the press conference, the Summary of Economic Projections (excluding the dots), the FOMC statement, and speeches by the chair.
    Numerous studies show that the Fed has successfully used monetary policy communication to influence long-term interest rates and other asset prices.[12] And some research suggests that the dot plots significantly and independently influence market interest rates. [13] But there is a fundamental issue about these results: it is very challenging to determine how much each communication channel contributes to the overall effect.
    To identify the causal effect of monetary policy, scholars often define a so-called event window around central banks’ monetary policy meetings. Changes in market interest rates during this event window are then attributed to monetary policy.
    But there is a problem: when the dot plot is released, it is published together with the monetary policy statement. That makes it hard to determine which one caused the interest rate changes observed during the event. And because of this, it is unclear whether those channels actually provide complementary information or are just substitutes.
    2.2 Monetary policy communication at the Eurosystem
    So, what does the Eurosystem’s monetary policy communication look like? The Eurosystem began using explicit forward guidance in the introductory statement to its July 2013 meeting. At that time, inflation in the euro area was low, and the Eurosystem expected underlying price pressures to stay subdued in the medium term. Interest rates were already at the effective zero lower bound.
    To provide further accommodation, the ECB’s Governing Council, which is the counterpart of the FOMC, announced in its July 2013 meeting that it “expects the key ECB interest rates to remain at present or lower levels for an extended period of time.”[14] The Governing Council continued to use variations of this statement for almost a decade. And there is now also ample evidence that the Eurosystem has been successful in implementing its forward guidance.[15]
    With the resurgence of inflation in 2021 and high uncertainty caused by major shocks and structural changes, the Eurosystem shifted to a data-dependent, meeting-by-meeting approach, largely stepping away from explicit forward guidance.
    More specifically, we now base our interest rate decisions on three elements: first, our assessment of the inflation outlook in light of the incoming economic and financial data, second, the dynamics of underlying inflation, and third, the strength of monetary policy transmission. These three elements can be seen as a further specification of our reaction function. However, the Governing Council does not pre-commit to any specific rate path.
    Taken together, apart from the publication of the dot plot, the approaches to monetary policy communication taken by the Federal Reserve System and the Eurosystem are largely comparable. Both institutions regard the monetary policy statement and the press conference as their primary communication tools. And both central banks have recently shifted from explicit forward guidance towards a data-dependent meeting-by-meeting approach.
    But the Eurosystem also continues to provide signals about future policy rates. It simply does it more implicitly. For example, the wording of the monetary policy statement and the answers of the ECB President during press conferences provide insights into future policy rates. As do speeches and interviews given by Governing Council members. Additionally, the Eurosystem influences market expectations through its quarterly staff projections.[16]
    Unlike some other central banks, the Eurosystem uses the interest rate implied by financial market prices on a specific cut-off day as a conditioning assumption for its macroeconomic projections. Specifically, this means that our medium-term inflation forecast aligns with market expectations for a particular policy rate path. Market participants can subsequently compare the exogenous path for the policy rate, as embedded in our macroeconomic projections, with our actual monetary policy decisions, in order to gain insights into our reaction function.
    You could say that the Eurosystem provides Athenian communication. Athena was known as the Goddess of wisdom and as a protector and guide to many Greek heroes. Rather than communicating directly with those she protected, Athena often used indirect guidance. And through her subtle guidance, Athena empowered the heroes she protected to take decisive action and make wise choices.
    3 A dot plot for the Eurosystem?
    Now, let us get to the heart of the matter. Should the Eurosystem introduce dot plots? Although this question can only be answered “yes” or “no”, complex issues are rarely black and white, as mentioned earlier.
    In the following, rather than simply listing the pros and cons of introducing dot plots in the Eurosystem, I will structure my discussion around three themes: First, the impact dot plots could have on the independence of the Eurosystem. Second, the potential for dot plots to improve the effectiveness of our monetary policy communication. And third, the role dot plots could play in capturing projection uncertainty around our baseline forecasts.
    Throughout, I will only consider adding projections for the policy rates to the existing macroeconomic projections by Eurosystem staff. For simplicity, I will not consider whether to also complement our current consensus projections for macroeconomic variables with individual macroeconomic projections.
    3.1 Independence
    Let me begin with the theme of independence. The ECB’s Governing Council consists of the six ECB Executive Board members and the 20 governors of the euro area’s national central banks. Although this setting may resemble that of the Federal Open Market Committee, which includes Federal Reserve Bank Presidents, there is a significant difference.
    The euro area is not composed of regions within a single country but of individual countries within a larger union, each with its own fiscal authority and national laws, as well as considerable differences in economic size and performance. Therefore, within the Governing Council we have a strong interest in finding and communicating a consensus perspective. This is, for example, enshrined in our statute, which states that the proceedings of the meetings of the Governing Council are confidential.
    When we discussed introducing ECB accounts from our Governing Council meetings – comparable to the published minutes of FOMC meetings – about a decade ago, we aimed to balance two things: On the one hand, to clearly articulate the consensus perspective. Yet on the other hand to represent the full spectrum of views in order to help market participants better understand the ECB Governing Council’s decision-making process.[17]
    In the end, the Eurosystem decided to represent the full spectrum of the discussion without naming individuals. Nevertheless, despite the anonymity of the arguments presented, markets and the media alike continue to attempt to discern the identities of the individuals behind them. Given that numerous members of the Governing Council express their views on monetary policy through speeches and interviews, identifying their positions is not a particular challenge.
    If there were anonymous dot plots of Governing Council members, media and the markets alike would probably attempt to match individual members to each dot as well. The primary distinction between speeches and dot plots is that Governing Council members deliver speeches voluntarily. In contrast, dot plots would force all Governing Council members to regularly articulate their perspectives on the future trajectory of interest rates. And this could potentially influence the Governing Council’s independence.
    Once national stakeholders become aware of “their” representative’s views on future interest rates, they may exert pressure on the representative to align with national interests. I am confident that, even if we were to publish dot plots, every member of the Governing Council would continue to act independently and in the best interests of the entire euro area. However, I believe we are well advised not to put ourselves in a situation that might increase pressure on us to act in ways others want us to.
    3.2 Effectiveness of monetary policy communication
    My second theme is whether a dot plot could significantly enhance the Eurosystem’s effectiveness of monetary policy communication. And here I am sceptical. To begin with, there is the previously discussed issue: the dot plot may conflict with the consensus message conveyed in the monetary policy statement. But the main reason for my scepticism is that comparative studies on different methods of monetary policy communication are inconclusive.
    A BIS working paper shows that interest rate projections provide additional information to macroeconomic projections, meaning that they are not redundant.[18] That could be seen as an argument for introducing dot plots. However, while market participants in countries that publish both interest rate projections and macroeconomic projections prefer the former, they might still be able to obtain sufficient information from macroeconomic projections alone.
    Furthermore, research on central bank communication in Norway and Sweden shows that publishing interest rate projections has not improved market understanding of what new macroeconomic information implies for future interest rate.[19] In other words, the publication of interest rate paths did not help market participants better understand the central banks’ reaction functions.
    This finding aligns with research published by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand that shows that announcements with interest rate forecasts and those with only written statements lead to similar market reactions across the yield curve.[20] The authors pointedly conclude that, while central bank communication is important, the exact form it takes is less relevant.
    This result echoes a seminal study by Blinder and co-authors, who concluded back in 2008 that there was no consensus on what constitutes an optimal communication strategy.[21]
    All things considered, I see no compelling evidence that the Eurosystem’s monetary policy communication would be significantly enhanced by the introduction of a dot plot.
    3.3 Projection uncertainty
    Now to the third and final theme – uncertainty. I am quite sure that the Eurosystem has room to improve how we handle projection uncertainty. Currently, the ECB’s Governing Council summarises its view on the uncertainty surrounding economic growth and inflation in the risk assessment section of its monetary policy statement. More specifically, the Eurosystem addresses the uncertainty around its baseline inflation forecast in two ways.[22]
    First, it produces fan charts with symmetric ranges around the point forecast, based on past projection errors. In this setup, past projection errors act as a catch-all proxy for uncertainty. Second, it occasionally publishes risk scenarios, conditional on assumptions different from those in the baseline projection. For instance, during the pandemic, the Eurosystem began using alternative assumptions about the future path of infections and contact restrictions to illustrate macroeconomic uncertainty.
    Could the use of dot plots enhance the communication of inflation forecast uncertainty within the Eurosystem? Given that dot plots offer only an indirect method for conveying uncertainty about the inflation outlook, there may be more effective alternatives.
    One might be to enhance the communication of our existing measures of uncertainty. Another might be to develop new measures, such as scenario and sensitivity analyses, as well as improved fan charts. We must carefully evaluate the pros and cons of each approach.
    Hence, it is quite fitting that the Eurosystem is currently performing an interim strategic review, which includes an analysis of how risk and uncertainty should inform both policy decisions and policy communication. I’m already looking forward to the results.
    4 Conclusion
    Ladies and gentlemen, let me conclude. I began my talk by discussing different schools of thought – New Keynesian and New Classical – and argued that complex issues are rarely black or white. When it comes to central bank communication about the future, there are certainly many promising approaches. And, undoubtedly, dot plots are an intriguing instrument for central bank communication.
    However, given the prevailing evidence, I do not see a compelling case for introducing dot plots for the Eurosystem.
    On the other hand, I firmly believe that we can and should enhance how we account for uncertainty in our macroeconomic projections. I have outlined a few options which the Eurosystem will address in the ongoing strategy review.
    Footnotes:
    Nagel, J. (2022), The ECB’s mandate: maintaining price stability in the euro area, speech at the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University.
    Mankiw, G. (2006), The Macroeconomist as Scientist and Engineer, Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 20(4), pp. 29-46.
    Goodfriend, M. and R. King (1997), The New Neoclassical Synthesis and the Role of Monetary Policy, in: NBER Macroeconomics Annual, Bernanke, B. and J. Rotemberg (eds.), MIT Press, pp. 231-283.
    Mankiw, G. (2006), op. cit.
    Campbell, J. et al. (2012), Macroeconomic Effects of Federal Reserve Forward Guidance, Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Vol. 43(1), pp. 1-80. Another distinction is between time-dependent (or calendar-dependent) and state-dependent forward guidance. The former ties monetary policy to a specific time frame, whereas the latter ties future policy actions to specific economic conditions or thresholds. The concepts can overlap and be used in combination.
    SEP: Compilation and Summary of Individual Economic Projections, 24-25 January 2012.
    FOMC Statement, 25 January 2012.
    Bernanke, B. (2012), Transcript of Chairman Bernanke’s Press Conference, 25 January 2012,
    Yellen, J. (2014), Transcript of Chair Yellen’s Press Conference, 19 March 2014.
    Powell, J. (2019), Monetary Policy: Normalization and the Road Ahead, speech at the SIEPR Economic Summit, Stanford Institute of Economic Policy Research, Stanford, California.
    Wessel, D. and S. Boocker (2024), Federal Reserve communication – survey results, Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at Brookings.
    See, for example, Gürkaynak, R. et al. (2005), Do Actions Speak Louder Than Words? The Response of Asset Prices to Monetary Policy Actions and Statements, International Journal of Central Banking, International Journal of Central Banking, Vol. 1(1), pp. 55-93; Wright, J. (2012), What Does Monetary Policy Do to Long‐term Interest Rates at the Zero Lower Bound?, Economic Journal, Vol. 122(564), pp. 447-466; and Swanson, E. (2021), Measuring the effects of federal reserve forward guidance and asset purchases on financial markets, Journal of Monetary Economics, Vol. 118(C), pp. 32-53.
    See, for example, Couture, C. (2021), Financial market effects of FOMC projections, Journal of Macroeconomics, Vol. 67 and Hillenbrand, S. (2023), The Fed and the Secular Decline in Interest Rates, Accepted, Review of Financial Studies.
    Draghi, M. and V. Constâncio (2013), Introductory statement to the press conference (with Q&A), Frankfurt am Main, 4 July 2013.
    See, for example, Altavilla, C. et al. (2021), Assessing the efficacy, efficiency and potential side effects of the ECB’s monetary policy instruments since 2014, ECB Occasional Paper, No. 278; Andrade, P. and F. Ferroni (2021), Delphic and Odyssean monetary policy shocks: Evidence from the euro area, Journal of Monetary Economics, Vol. (117), pp. 816-832; Kerssenfischer, M. (2022), Information effects of euro area monetary policy, Economics Letters, Vol. 216(C); and Monetary Policy Committee, Taskforce on Rate Forward Guidance and Reinvestment (2022), Rate forward guidance in an environment of large central bank balance sheets: A Eurosystem stock-taking assessment, ECB Occasional Paper No. 290.
    The Eurosystem produces macroeconomic projections four times a year. ECB staff produces them in March and September. In June and December, they are co-produced by ECB and national central bank staff.
    See Morris, S. and H. Shin (2005): Central Bank Transparency and the Signal Value of Prices, Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Vol.36(2), pp. 1-66 for a general treatment of the role of transparency.
    Hofmann, B. and D. Xia (2022), Quantitative forward guidance through interest rate projections, BIS Working Paper No. 1009.
    Natvik, G. et al. (2020), Does publication of interest rate paths provide guidance?, Journal of International Money and Finance, Vol. 103.
    Detmers, G.-A (2021), Quantitative or Qualitative Forward Guidance: Does it Matter?, Economic Record, Vol. 97(319), pp. 491-503.
    Blinder, A. et al. (2008), Central Bank Communication and Monetary Policy: A Survey of Theory and Evidence, Journal of Economic Literature, Vol. 46(4), pp. 910-945.
    See ECB (2024), ECB staff macroeconomic projections for the euro area, March 2023, box 6 for a rundown.

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Breaking the vicious circle between banks and sovereigns for good | Joint guest contribution by Joachim Nagel and Nicolas Véron, op-ed for Politicoby Politico

    Source: Deutsche Bundesbank in English

    Twelve years after its initiation, it is time to complete the banking union
    In the early hours of 29 June 2012, boldness and clarity came together. After a long night of negotiations, European leaders laid the foundations for the banking union project. They found strong and clear words on its purpose, stating it is imperative to break the vicious circle between banks and sovereigns.
    The decision was taken in the aftermath of a twin crisis that had shaken the euro area – a sovereign debt crisis coupled with a banking crisis. The close links between sovereigns and banks had created a “doom loop”: sovereigns bailed out teetering banks, straining public finances, and rising sovereign yields put pressure on banks’ home-biased sovereign exposures. Such loops emerged as a particular vulnerability of the euro area, with its unique institutional setup as a monetary union of otherwise sovereign states, increasing the pressure on the Eurosystem to save the day. The banking union was conceived as the sword that would sever the doom loop.
    Today’s banking union is primarily the result of intensive legislative efforts between 2012 and 2014. They established a complete framework for supervising European banks, and an incomplete one for dealing with banking crises. This helped to mitigate the vicious circle, in particular by creating the Single Supervisory Mechanism under the European Central Bank and the national supervisory authorities. That has proven its effectiveness, but the vicious circle has not yet been broken.
    Before the lessons of 2012 are forgotten, the new EU term offers an opportunity to finish the task and break the vicious circle between banks and sovereigns for good. Action must go both ways. First, block the direct contagion channel from banks to sovereigns. Taxpayers should not have to suffer when banks run into problems. Second, close the contagion channel from sovereigns to banks. A sovereign credit event cannot and should not be ruled out in a monetary union with sovereign fiscal policies at the national level. At the same time, it must not be permitted to drag down banks with it and thus further jeopardise financial stability.
    The first aim calls for strengthening the crisis intervention framework. Valuable progress has been made with the establishment of the Single Resolution Board and the Single Resolution Fund. The latter reached its target level, currently at €78 billion, after a decade of build-up. However, a more streamlined and predictable framework is needed. Specifically, resolution should be a credible and feasible option to manage more, if not all, failing banks under EU law, instead of the current confusing mix of European and national procedures that leaves too much scope for national state aid and moral hazard.
    The reform of the framework for crisis management is closely linked to deposit insurance. A common European deposit insurance mechanism would strengthen confidence in depositor protection and thus reduce the risk of bank runs. It is intended to weaken the link between banks and their national sovereigns and thus to contribute to making the euro area as a whole more resilient. The two of us have different views on how it should be structured, whether fully centralised or a hybrid involving national authorities. However, we share the firm conviction that deposit protection needs a European level. All banks in the euro area should participate in it. Its funding can and should be risk-based, taking into account arrangements such as the institutional protection schemes that play a significant role in Austria and Germany.
    Under that mechanism, certain risks would be shouldered jointly within the EU. Conversely, risks that are within the remit of the individual Member States must be appropriately limited. To reduce negative spillovers from sovereigns to banks – the second aim – it is crucial to avoid large and undiversified exposures of bank balance sheets to a single sovereign. Concentration limits and capital charges can serve as effective tools here. With adequate calibration and a transition phase, these tools could incentivise banks to diversify their sovereign exposures, thereby gradually overcoming home bias.
    As it turns out, the issues of crisis management, deposit insurance and banks’ sovereign exposures are intertwined. Attempts to make progress have so far failed, not least because they were not comprehensive enough. Part of why the European Commission’s 2015 legislative proposal on deposit insurance was shelved is because banks’ concentrated sovereign exposures were not tackled at the same time. It seems that Member States are unwilling to make concessions if the outcome is merely a halfway house. A comprehensive approach that addresses the interlinked issues holistically is worth considering. It could complete the work that began with a promise twelve years ago – to break the vicious circle between banks and sovereigns.
    Nicolas Véron is a French economist. He is a senior fellow at Bruegel in Brussels, which he co-founded in 2002–05, and at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington DC.

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: HMCS Montréal Returns from Operation HORIZON

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    Today, His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Montréal returned to its home port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, having completed its six-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific region under Operation HORIZON.

    October 22, 2024 – Halifax, N.S. – National Defence/Canadian Armed Forces

    Today, His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Montréal returned to its home port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, having completed its six-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific region under Operation HORIZON.

    Operation HORIZON is Canada’s forward-presence mission to the Indo-Pacific region to promote peace, stability, and the rules-based international order. HMCS Montréal was the first of three Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) warships that deployed under the operation in 2024 in support of the Government of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy.

    During this deployment, HMCS Montréal sailed in a spectrum of diverse, challenging environments; from the North Atlantic to the Mediterranean and the Indo-Pacific. Working in unison with allies and partners in the region, the ship’s crew demonstrated the RCN’s operational capabilities during military training exercises; highlighting Canada’s commitment to international collaboration and fostering military and diplomatic partnerships.

    Canada’s routine presence in the Indo-Pacific, notably the deployment of HMC Ships, demonstrates our commitment to support peace, security, and stability in the region. The most recent actions and international engagements executed by the crew of HMCS Montréal, have presented Canada as a reliable and capable international security partner, especially in regions experiencing increasing uncertainty and instability.

    “The Royal Canadian Navy’s persistent presence in the Indo-Pacific region supports Canada’s priority to peace, security, and stability. His Majesty’s Canadian Ship Montréal exemplified this commitment again this year with their deployment under the banner of Operation HORIZON through which they circumnavigated the globe. During their 40,000 nautical mile voyage, the ship participated in three operations and eight exercises in partnership with nine navies. It is with great pride that today we celebrate Montréal’s return to their home port of Halifax. These efforts have not only bolstered the rules-based international order but have also played a crucial role in safeguarding Canada’s interests on the global stage. I extend my sincere appreciation to the crew for their dedication and professionalism, and to their families for minding the home front in their absence with equal commitment. Welcome home, team!”

    Rear-Admiral Josée Kurtz, Commander Maritime Forces Atlantic & Commander Joint Task Force Atlantic

    “I am proud to say that the crew of His Majesty’s Canadian Ship Montréal was truly extraordinary in their display of excellence at sea. Through our engagements and exercises with allied and partner navies, we successfully deepened existing relationships and fostered many new ones in the Indo-Pacific region. These accomplishments would not have been possible for us, the fleet, nor Canada without the support of our military families back home. The Ship’s Company now deserves a much-needed break to rest and reconnect with loved ones.”

    Commander Travis Bain, Commanding Officer HMCS Montréal

    Media Relations
    Department of National Defence
    Phone: 613-904-3333
    Email: mlo-blm@forces.gc.ca

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Local Plan plea for more brownfield sites to come forward

    Source: City of Canterbury

    Home  »  Latest News   »   Local Plan plea for more brownfield sites to come forward

    Owners of brownfield sites in the district that could be developed are being urged to come forward. 

    The plea is the latest part in the process of pulling together a draft Local Plan, the document that allocates land in the district for new homes, jobs, new schools, a new hospital and community uses. 

    Leader of the Council, Cllr Alan Baldock, said: “When we took office in May 2023, we decided to take a fresh look at the draft Local Plan and we consulted on our proposals in the spring of this year. 

    “While our draft already prioritised development on brownfield sites, the results of the consultation made it clear people wanted us to strain every sinew to try and find more. 

    “So, to make sure we leave no stone unturned, and before any final decisions on sites are made, we are asking people to come forward with potential brownfield sites within the district that are suitable, and available, for development. 

    “We are also open to hearing about a range of other types of sites that might be suitable too.” 

    This part of the Local Plan process is officially known as a Call For Sites and will run from 9am on Monday 21 October until 5pm on Monday 16 December. 

    Officers are keen to hear about new sites for any type of future use that have not been submitted before, and are particularly interested in: 

    • brownfield land that could be suitable and available for development for any future use (capable of accommodating a minimum of five dwellings or 500sqm floorspace) 
    • small and medium-sized sites (capable of accommodating a minimum of five dwellings up to around 100 dwellings) 
    • land that could be suitable for employment and commercial development (above 0.25ha or 500sqm floorspace)  
    • land that could be suitable for Gypsy and Traveller accommodation 
    • land that could be suitable for renewable energy schemes 

    The Call For Sites process follows a decision at the end of September by Canterbury City Council’s Cabinet to extend the current Local Plan timetable by around six to seven months so council officers could consider government changes to national planning policy which are coming down the track. 

    The deadline for a final draft has now moved from the one imposed by the last government of June 2025 to spring 2026. 

    The council will use this time to: 

    • digest the feedback it received from the consultation and what it should do about it 
    • think carefully, in light of that feedback and numerous other technical considerations, about where in the district the bigger sites, known as strategic allocations, that are needed to deliver the government’s housing targets should go. It has to be remembered housing targets are likely to be mandatory and the government has suggested the district’s target needs to go up ever so slightly 
    • keep talking to stakeholders such as Kent County Council, National Highways, Natural England, the Environment Agency, other councils etc 
    • continue to assess any potential sites that may come forward 
    • make progress on the modelling needed to test the council’s transport strategy is robust 
    • ensure its net zero and biodiversity net gain policy ambitions remain as robust as humanly possible 

    What is brownfield land? 

    A brownfield site is land which has previously been developed.  

    This usually means that it is occupied by a permanent structure, or has been in the past, including the curtilage of the developed land (although it should not be assumed that the whole of the curtilage should be developed) and any associated fixed surface infrastructure.  

    Typical brownfield sites might include land used for commercial or industrial purposes such as warehousing or offices and car parks.  

    It excludes land that: 

    • is or was last occupied by agricultural or forestry buildings 
    • was developed for minerals extraction or waste disposal by landfill, where provision for restoration has been made 
    • is in built-up areas such as residential gardens, parks, recreation grounds and allotments 
    • was previously developed but where structural remains have blended into the landscape 

    People can suggest brownfield land that is currently in use, but for a site to be able to deliver development in the future, it must be available for development now or likely to be available within the Local Plan timescales (up to 2040). 

    Find out more about the Call for Sites process.

    Published: 22 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Report calls for urgent action to reverse soil degradation in Europe

    Source: European Union 2

    Launched today at the EU Soil Observatory Stakeholder Forum, the 2024 State of Soils in Europe report assesses the state of soil degradation across the EU and other countries in the European Economic Area, including Ukraine, Türkiye, and the Western Balkans. The report shows alarming status and trends, with soil degradation getting much worse in recent years, and highlights the need for immediate action to reverse this trend. 

    For example, overall soil erosion is estimated to amount to 1 billion tonnes per year across the EU. At present date, approximately a quarter (24%) of EU soils are affected by water erosion, mainly in cropland, with projections referring to a possible increase of 13-25% by 2050. Unsustainable water erosion affects about a third (32%) of agricultural land. The mechanical agitation of soil, a common practice in agriculture, can also initiate soil degradation. This phenomenon, called tillage erosion, can have a significant impact on cultivated fields. Other forms of erosion include wind erosion and crop harvesting, among others.

    Nutrient imbalancesare also on the rise: they are now estimated to affect 74% of agricultural land. These changes to the composition of soil can have negative consequences. For example, nitrogen surplus is increasing and can be harmful to human health, crops, eco-systems, and the climate. Meanwhile, soil organic carbon, which is essential to keeping soil healthy, is decreasing in agricultural areas. An estimated 70 million tonnes of this organic carbon were lost from the mineral soils of croplands across the EU and UK between 2009 and 2018.

    The degradation of peatlands is also concerning. These wetlands are essential carbon sinks: they absorb greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and store them, contributing to mitigate climate change. When they deteriorate, peatlands can release those gases back into the atmosphere. In the EU, peatland drainage is responsible for around 5% of total greenhouse gas emissions. 50% of peatlands in the EU are now estimated to be degraded, many of which have been irreparably damaged.

    Outside the EU, the situation is similarly dire – particularly in Ukraine, where military activities have caused severe soil destruction. Over 10 million of Ukraine’s 60 million hectares of land are estimated to be degraded because of Russia’s invasion. Recovery from this damage could take decades or even centuries. In Türkiye, approximately 1.5 million hectares of land have salinity issues, which can impact both agricultural productivity and ecosystem health. The Western Balkans have reported over 100 identified contaminated or potentially contaminated sites due to mining and industrial activities, although the true extent of soil pollution in these areas remains unknown.

    The importance of soil monitoring and new legislation

    The State of Soils in Europe report is a collaboration between the Joint Research Centre and the European Environment Agency. It sets out the scale of the problem facing Europe today, but it also aims to reinforce and build capacities among the soil research community, while enhancing the engagement of soil users and society.

    The EU Soil Observatory (EUSO) has already laid the foundation for better soil monitoring, using advanced tools to improve the quality of data on soil erosion, soil organic carbon levels, and nutrient imbalances. Together with other collaborations and soil monitoring networks, EUSO is also giving a clearer understanding of how agricultural practices and climate change are impacting Europe’s soils.

    The EU Soil Monitoring Law aims to ensure that soil degradation is assessed more accurately by creating a monitoring framework, to promote sustainable soil management and to identify potentially contaminated sites. It will standardise data collection across EU member states, ensuring that the insights gathered by EUSO and initiatives like the Land Use/Cover Area frame Survey (LUCAS-Soil) are implemented effectively.

    As part of the common agricultural policy (CAP), the sustainable use of agricultural soils is already supported through the CAP Strategic Plans in all Member States by a mix of mandatory and voluntary measures for farmers. For the period 2023-2027, 47% of the European farmland (compared to 15% in the past) will receive support for actions aimed at improving soils or avoiding soil degradation, including by water erosion. 

    The EU Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’ is a large-scale applied R&D funding programme that supports the EU soil strategy, the upcoming Soil Monitoring Law, and the CAP. The Mission funds actions to establish harmonised soil health monitoring in the EU; to develop and promote the adoption of sustainable soil management practices and technologies to restore soil health; and to provide advice and education on soil health to managers and citizens. The Mission has invested €435 million so far and has created the first of a network of 100 living labs, with more than 1000 testing sites across a wide range of land-use sectors (agriculture, forestry, industry, urban and regional planning) across Europe. The Mission currently encompasses 50 projects, which are contributing to increase and improve the knowledge of the state of soils in the EU.  

    Protecting our soils: a shared responsibility

    Tackling soil degradation is vital for achieving the EU’s environmental, agricultural, and climate goals. The numbers are clear: soil degradation has worsened significantly in the last decade, but with collective action, enhanced monitoring, and legislative support, the EU can restore this vital resource and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.

    Background:

    The EUSO Stakeholder Forum serves as the platform for the formal presentation of the 2024 report, bringing together experts, policymakers, and stakeholders from across Europe. Discussions focus on future strategies for reversing soil degradation trends, with particular attention to the upcoming soil legislation and how it facilitates more comprehensive restoration efforts across the continent. With the EU Soil Strategy, the EU Soil Mission, and the Soil Monitoring Law on the horizon, the EU is positioning itself to implement coordinated actions that could dramatically improve soil health in the coming years.

    Related links

    JRC report: The state of soils in Europe

    Article in Nature: Policy implications of multiple concurrent soil erosion processes in European farmland

    European Soil Data Centre (ESDAC)

    EUSO Stakeholders Forum

    Land Use and Coverage Area frame Survey (LUCAS) project

    Soil health

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Remarks in Kyiv by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III on Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom (As Delivered)

    Source: United States Department of Defense

    Well, good afternoon.

    Thanks for welcoming me back to Kyiv, and to this proud academy.

    Director Nadolenko, I’m very grateful for those generous words.

    And speaking of outstanding diplomats: All Americans should be proud of our tireless and fearless ambassador, Bridget Brink. Ambassador, thanks for doing tremendous work.

    [Applause]

    Let me also thank my good friend, Minister Umerov. Rustem, thanks for that very kind introduction and for your tremendous service to your country.

    Ladies and gentlemen, it’s a great honor to be here with you today.

    I’d like to talk today about Ukraine’s just war of self-defense, and the road ahead.

    And I’d like to start by echoing the words of President Kennedy in his historic 1963 speech in Berlin.

    There are some who say that they don’t understand — or say they don’t understand — what is at stake between the free world and an aggressive tyrant like Putin.

    And I say to them: Let them come to Kyiv.

    There are some who say that both sides are to blame for Putin’s war of aggression.

    Let them come to Kyiv.

    There are some who blur the lines between aggressor and victim.

    Let them come to Kyiv.

    There are some who deny that the Kremlin targets Ukrainian civilians.

    Let them come to Kyiv.

    There are some who say that Ukraine isn’t a real nation.

    Let them come to Kyiv.

    And finally, there are some who claim that Ukraine lacks the courage to prevail.

    Let them come to Kyiv.

    Ladies and gentlemen, let us never forget how this war began.

    For years, Putin had harassed and assaulted the independent nation-state of Ukraine. On February 24, 2022, Putin crossed the line into an all-out invasion. And the Kremlin started the largest war in Europe since World War II.

    Now, Putin’s war of choice poses fundamental questions to every government and every person who seeks a decent and secure world.

    And so I ask today: Do rules matter?

    Do rights matter?

    Does sovereignty matter?

    I believe that they do.

    President Biden believes that they do.

    And every free citizen of Ukraine believes that they do.

    When the largest military in Europe becomes a force of aggression, the whole continent feels the shock.

    When a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council tries to deny self-rule to more than 40 million people, the whole world feels the blow.

    And when a dictator puts his imperial fantasies ahead of the rights of a free people, the whole international system feels the outrage.

    And so that’s why nations of goodwill from every corner of the planet have seen and have risen to Ukraine’s defense. And that’s why the United States and our allies and partners have proudly become the arsenal of Ukrainian democracy.

    America’s values call us to stand by a peaceful democracy fighting for its life. And America’s security demands that we stand up to Putin’s aggression.

    America’s security demands that we stand up to Putin’s aggression.

    Ukraine matters to U.S. security for four blunt reasons.

    Putin’s war threatens European security.

    Putin’s war challenges our NATO allies.

    Putin’s war attacks our shared values.

    And Putin’s war is a frontal assault on the rules-based international order that keeps us all safe.

    Now, this invasion hasn’t gone the way that the Kremlin planned. After 970 days of war, Putin has not achieved one single strategic objective.

    Not one.

    President Zelenskyy didn’t flee. Kyiv didn’t fall. And Ukraine didn’t fold.

    Instead, Russia has paid a staggering price for Putin’s imperial folly.

    Russian forces have suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties since February 2022. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Russian losses in just the first year of Putin’s war were more than Moscow’s losses in all of its conflicts since World War II—combined.

    And Russia has had to dig so deep into its Soviet stockpiles that it’s attacking Ukraine with tanks from the time of World War II.

    And Russia has squandered more than 200 billion dollars to sustain its invasion. And Russia has given up untold billions of dollars more in previously anticipated economic growth.

    Now, Ukraine has suffered terribly at Putin’s hands.

    Since February 2022, according to the U.N., Russian forces have killed more than 11,000 Ukrainian civilians in verified civilian casualty incidents. And that includes more than 600 children.

    The U.N. says that Putin’s forces have bombed more than 250 Ukrainian schools and hospitals. And they’ve wrecked treasured sites of Ukrainian history, culture, and memory.

    But the Kremlin’s malice has not broken Ukraine’s spirit. Ukraine stands unbowed — and strengthened.

    You know, your fight began with soldiers setting tank ambushes on the streets of Kyiv, and with ordinary citizens making Molotov cocktails to defend their homes.

    And it continues today with a battle-tested Ukrainian military and security forces — and a roaring Ukrainian defense industrial base.

    Ukrainian factories are now pumping out some of the best UAVs in the world, and experienced Ukrainian air defenders are protecting their forces and their families. 

    And your soldiers have shown incredible skill. Your frontline defenders have shown heroic resolve. And your citizens have shown stunning courage.

    Ukraine’s resistance is powered by the emergency workers who rush to the scene; and by the energy workers who race to fix the damage of the Kremlin’s attacks; by the doctors who risk their own lives to save the wounded; by the nurses who provide comfort in hours of anguish; and by the clergy who tend to suffering souls; by the teachers who keep Ukraine’s schools open; and by the parents and grandparents who fight every day to keep their children safe and give them a future of peace.

    So your admirers around the world are studying the Ukrainian way of resistance. And we strongly encourage the reforms that Ukraine has launched to help realize its people’s hopes of joining the European Union and NATO. 

    Ukraine’s defenders have brought inspiration to the world — and glory to Ukraine.

    Slava Ukraini!

    [Audience responds in Ukrainian]

    Yet this struggle imposes obligations on us all. As President Biden told the U.N. General Assembly in September, “Our test is to make sure that the forces holding us together are stronger than the forces that are pulling us apart.”

    And make no mistake. The outcome of Ukraine’s fight for freedom will help set the trajectory for global security in the 21st century.

    Europe’s future is on the line.

    NATO’s strength is on the line.

    And America’s security is on the line.

    So the U.S. government has moved with urgency and purpose. And we’ve seen the huge progress that principled diplomacy can produce —the kind of diplomacy taught right here in this academy.

    Since April 2022, I have been convening the Ukraine Defense Contact Group — the coalition of some 50 countries from around the world determined to help Ukraine fight Putin’s aggression. The Contact Group has met 24 times now.

    And I know that Minister Umerov and my other Ukrainian friends often refer to the Contact Group as “the Ramstein format”— after Ramstein Air Base, where the Contact Group was forged.

    And each time that I’m back at Ramstein, I find it moving to look around that long table; to see in human form the global indignation over Putin’s crimes; and to see determined defense leaders from around the world — from Argentina to Australia, and from Tunisia to Türkiye.

    And it has worked.

    America’s allies and partners are sharing the burden of our shared security.

    And that’s the power of Ramstein.

    You know, as a percentage of GDP, a dozen U.S. allies and partners now provide more security assistance to Ukraine than the United States does. And members of the Contact Group have provided more than [51] billion dollars in direct security assistance to Ukraine.

    And I am proud to remind you that the United States is doing our part as well.

    My country has committed more than 58 billion dollars in security assistance for Ukraine since February 2022. We’ve delivered two Patriot batteries and dozens of other air-defense systems. We’ve provided 24 HIMARS [rocket] systems, and thousands of armored vehicles and drones, and millions of rounds of artillery and other critical munitions.

    Now, that is a very real financial commitment. But for anyone who thinks that American leadership is expensive — well, consider the price of American retreat.

    In the face of aggression, the price of principle is always dwarfed by the cost of capitulation.

    Our allies and partners know that. And I’ve been proud to watch the pro-Ukraine coalition dig deep.

    So just consider Germany, host to Ramstein Air Base. Germany alone has provided or committed to military assistance for Ukraine valued at close to 31 billion dollars.

    And through the Contact Group and its capability coalitions, Ukraine’s friends are now forging an unprecedented, coordinated, 13-country drive to increase industrial production, to meet Ukraine’s battlefield requirements, and to build up the force to deter and repel Russian aggression in the future.

    And so, not since World War II has America systematically rallied so many countries to provide such a range of industrial and military assistance for a partner in need.

    Now, there is no silver bullet. No single capability will turn the tide. No one system will end Putin’s assault.

    What matters is the way that Ukraine fights back. What matters is the combined effects of your military capabilities. And what matters is staying focused on what works.

    Now, I believe that President Biden and Vice President Harris will have a proud place in history for rallying the world to defend Ukraine.

    So will the allies and partners who seek a free Ukraine in a safer world.

    But the proudest place of all will go to the Ukrainian people.

    From President Zelenskyy on down, your leaders chose to fight back. And the people of Ukraine have met Russia’s aggression and atrocities with magnificent defiance.

    The spirit of Ukraine has inspired the world. And it has reminded us all to never take our freedom for granted.

    So we refuse to blame Ukraine for the Kremlin’s aggression.

    We refuse to offer excuses for Putin’s atrocities.

    And we refuse to pretend that appeasement will stop an invasion.

    We fully understand the moral chasm between aggressor and defender.

    And we will not be gulled by the frauds and the falsehoods of the Kremlin’s apologists.

    And we will continue to defend the Ukrainian people’s right to live in security and freedom.

    The Kremlin has forced us into an age where Europe’s largest military invades Europe’s second-largest country. And we dare not believe, as the novelist George Eliot once wrote, that “the giant forces that used to shake the earth are forever laid to sleep.”

    America’s goals remain clear, achievable, and principled. We seek a free and sovereign Ukraine that can defend itself from Russian aggression today — and deter Russian aggression in the future.

    We seek a more secure Europe — and a reinforced commitment from nations of goodwill worldwide to an open international system of rules, rights, and responsibilities.

    I know that the Kremlin’s war is a nightmare from which the Ukrainian people are trying to awake. But we should all understand that Putin’s assault is a warning. It is a sneak preview of a world built by tyrants and thugs — a chaotic, violent world carved into spheres of influence; a world where bullies trample their smaller neighbors; and a world where aggressors force free people to live in fear.

    So we face a hinge in history.

    We can continue to insist that cross-border invasion is the cardinal sin of world politics. And we can continue to stand firm against Putin’s aggression.

    Or we can let Putin have his way. And we can condemn our children and grandchildren to live in a far bloodier and more dangerous world.

    So we must continue to face, to squarely face, the specter of an aggressive Russia — backed by other autocrats from North Korea and Iran.

    If Ukraine falls under Putin’s boot, all of Europe will fall under Putin’s shadow.

    Putin is not just hammering at the norms of the international system built at such a terrible cost by the Allies after World War II. He is shoving us all toward a world where right — where might makes right, and where empire trumps sovereignty. And he is determined to show that his brand of autocracy can outlast the world’s democracies.

    You see, Putin does not just think that his will is stronger. He thinks that his system is better.

    But he could not be more wrong.

    You know, few forces are more powerful than a democracy fighting for freedom.

    As I have said: Peace is not self-executing. Order does not preserve itself. And the principles of freedom, and sovereignty, and human rights do not uphold themselves.

    Yes, there is a price to be paid for human freedom. But it is dwarfed by the price that we would all pay for letting aggression go unchecked.

    So President Biden has chosen the path of mutual responsibility and common security. And we have chosen to share the responsibility of ensuring that Ukraine remains sovereign and free.

    And make no mistake. The United States does not seek war with Russia. And even as Putin makes profoundly reckless and dangerous threats about nuclear war, we will continue to behave with the responsibility that the world rightly demands of a nuclear-armed state.

    So the United States will uphold our sworn NATO obligations.

    The United States will defend every inch of NATO territory.

    And the United States will get Ukraine what it needs to fight for its survival and security.

    [Applause]

    Ladies and gentlemen, let’s be clear.

    Ukraine does not belong to Putin.

    Ukraine belongs to the Ukrainian people.

    And Moscow will never prevail in Ukraine.

    You know, Putin thought that Ukraine would surrender. He was wrong.

    Putin thought that our democracies would cave. He was wrong.

    And Putin thought that the free world would cower. He was wrong.

    And Putin thinks that he will win. He is wrong.

    And as I said in Halifax almost two years ago: free people will always refuse to replace an open order of rules and rights with one dictated by force and fear.

    Now, Ukraine faces complex challenges in the days to come.

    And as then-Vice President Biden said at this academy in 2014, “Democracy is not a destination. Democracy is a road traveled. And it’s a hard damn road to travel.”

    But you have shown the world the moral power of a free people fighting to defend their country.

    That force can bend the arc of history.

    Ladies and gentlemen: never underestimate the strategic advantage of a just cause.

    Never underestimate the resolve of free citizens.

    And never underestimate the power of a democracy summoned to defend itself.

    Ukraine has chosen the course of courage.

    And so have we.

    My friends, you walk a hard road.

    But you do not walk it alone.

    Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless all who fight to defend freedom.

    [Standing ovation]

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Disaster Recovery Centers to Open in Greene, Hamblen Counties

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Disaster Recovery Centers to Open in Greene, Hamblen Counties

    Disaster Recovery Centers to Open in Greene, Hamblen Counties

    Disaster Recovery Centers will open Tuesday, Oct. 22, in Greene County and Wednesday, Oct. 23, in Hamblen County to help Tennesseans who had damage or losses from Tropical Storm Helene.Center hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET Monday to Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. ET Sunday.Locations are:Greene County opening Oct. 22: Greene County Courthouse/Annex 204 North Cutler St., Greeneville, TN 37745Hamblen County opening Oct. 23: Utility Commission Conference and Training Center441 Main St., Morristown, TN 37814A center is also open in:Unicoi County: National Guard Armory/Unicoi Emergency Operations Center 615 South Main Ave., Erwin, TN 37650Additional centers may open in other impacted areas. To find a center near you, visit fema.gov/drc.The deadline to apply for federal disaster assistance is Monday, Dec. 2. To apply, visit a Disaster Recovery Center, go online to DisasterAssistance.gov, use the FEMA App or call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362. Lines are open from 7 a.m. to midnight ET. Operators speak most languages; if you use a relay service, captioned telephone or other service, you can give FEMA your number for that service.For an accessible video on how to apply, visit FEMA Accessible: Registering for Individual Assistance (youtube.com).You may also apply for a low-interest disaster loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration. SBA disaster loans are the largest source of federal recovery funds for homeowners, renters and businesses of all sizes. To learn more or apply, visit sba.gov/disaster, call 800-659-2955 or email DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov.
    kwei.nwaogu
    Tue, 10/22/2024 – 13:13

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Armagh’s Georgian Festival returns for 20th year this November!

    Source: Northern Ireland City of Armagh

    Armagh’s annual Georgian Festival will kickstart Northern Ireland’s festive season, marking the perfect way to get into the Christmas spirit. Returning for its 20th year this November, the award-winning event will run from November 28 to December 1, launching the Cathedral City’s Christmas celebrations.

    The city is set to bring its Georgian past to life through buildings, characters, customs and a jam-packed programme of events that will appeal to history buffs, curious families, culture vultures and foodies. Many of the events are free to attend, and so the destination is preparing to welcome thousands to the city across the four days.

    Festivalgoers can choose from a range of guided tours, each offering a unique glimpse into Armagh’s rich history. From the scenic Palace Demesne Tour and exclusive Archbishop’s Palace tours, to the informative Guided Georgian Walking Tour, there’s something for everyone. Food lovers can indulge in a sparkling three-course feast in the glorious surroundings of the Archbishop’s Palace at the Highwayman’s Banquet as they listen to tales and tunes dedicated to stories of the Notorious Highwaymen & Rapparees, creating a dining experience that seamlessly blends history, storytelling, and fine cuisine.

    There’s also the chance to get a taste for the pitiless Georgian legal system as a member of the jury at Armagh Courthouse in a mock-trial – a spectacle of rough justice. Throughout the city, festivalgoers will encounter iconic Georgian figures — noble gentry, street urchins, and gin-soaked ladies — as they wander and explore. On The Mall, families can enjoy an array of festive activities, including traditional funfair rides like the Carousel and Swing Boats, along with classic games such as Hoopla, Hook a Duck, and Coconut Shy. Santa’s reindeer will even make an appearance, and as night falls, fire performers will light up the evening for all to enjoy.

    Topping off the programme is the acclaimed Light Show. It will run Friday 29 November and Saturday 30 November and is a dramatic Holly Jolly Christmas animation that will transform the Market House into a shimmering canvas for images, special effects, and other surprises. (Tickets essential)

    Deputy Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Cllr Kyle Savage, said;

    “Our Georgian Festival is an established cornerstone of Armagh’s cultural calendar – it’s recognised far and wide for its impressive selection of activities, and the unforgettable energy and atmosphere it brings to the city.

    “Through the combined efforts of the local Council team, and our artists, performers, retailers and artisans, we’ve been able to build an event that brings the local community together, whilst also welcoming visitors to experience the rich heritage and history of Armagh City and its surrounding areas.”

    The Georgian Festival originally launched in 2004 as a one-day market, thanks to the efforts of a team of remarkable local retailers. Since then, it has transformed into the four-day celebration known to most today and has soared in popularity with people from Ireland and the UK, as well as international visitors.

    The artisan market element of the festival has now grown to include more than 130 festive market stalls selling high-quality crafts, gifts, food and seasonal products, making it one of the largest on the island. Set to take place on Georgian Day, Saturday November 30, the Georgian market stalls will take place as the clip clop of horses and the aroma of roasting chestnuts and mulled spices fills the street.

    Roberta Wright of Wrights Interiors on Scotch Street in the city was part of a team of retailers who were responsible for establishing Georgian Day in its early days. It was created as an opportunity to showcase Armagh, to highlight the wealth of independent retailers in the city and add some Christmas sparkle for visitors. She said, “It’s incredible how far the festival has come since we first launched in 2004. Armagh has such a unique history, a fascinating story to tell, and a community of people who are passionate about the heritage of this place, and our Georgian Festival gives us the perfect platform to showcase everything that makes Armagh the wonderful place it is. Excitement is already building for our 2024 celebration, and I would highly recommend visitors pop by the wide range of independent stores in the city to do some Christmas shopping as they make their way around the exciting activities taking place across the city.”

    The team behind the festival are continuing to embrace sustainability as Gill Robb, Events Manager at Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, explains. She said, “Our famous, must-see light show, running on the evenings of Friday November 29 and Saturday November 30, will switch to a more sustainable power source this year, whilst park and ride facilities will also be available on Saturday. We’ve also tried to limit as many single use plastics as possible with stallholders switching to compostable plates, glasses and cutlery, and abiding by our complete ban on plastic bags.”

    Click here for more information and to book tickets for special events.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Award Win for Preston City Council Building Control Team

    Source: City of Preston

    Preston City Council’s Building Control Team have been named a regional winner in the LABC Building Excellence Awards 2024

    The Local Authority’s building control team, alongside KPDL Ltd and Ogden Design Consultants Ltd, have won the award for their role in the North West’s Best Small New Housing Development category for The Vines, Preston, and have been praised for achieving building excellence in the delivery of outstanding construction and workmanship.

    The Vines is a luxury residential development of four bed detached homes in the popular village location of Lea Town, Preston.

    The team was previously nominated in various award categories back in 2019 but this is the first time they have scooped the regional title.  

    The Local Authority Building Control (LABC) represents all Local Authority building control teams in England Wales, committed to safeguarding the safety and protection of our communities by constantly reviewing surveyor competence and ensuring the performance and standards of Local Authority teams.

    Councillor Amber Afzal, Cabinet Member for Planning and Regulation said:

    Congratulations to our Building Control team who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure that all new buildings, conversions and extensions are delivered to high standards throughout all the phases of construction, from design and specification, right through to completion. This hardworking team deserves this recognition it deserves.”

    The team has been automatically put forward for the national grand finals in January 2025 in London.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: As a federal election campaign looms, Canadians must demand stronger ethics laws from politicians

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Ian Stedman, Associate Professor, Canadian Public Law & Governance, York University, Canada

    Canadian politics is at a crossroads. When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took office in 2015, his open letter to Canadians promised them accountability and transparency. As Trudeau’s time as prime minister seems to be winding down, however, his government has been subject to nearly two dozen conflict-of-interest investigations, with Trudeau himself even violating conflict laws.

    Partisan vitriol, electioneering and political brinkmanship are ramping up, with pressing issues like inflation, crime, climate action and housing set to dominate the political news cycle. What must not get lost amid these policy concerns is the urgent need to strengthen Canada’s governmental ethics and accountability laws, especially given the growing Canadian distrust in politicians.

    That includes distrust of those in the current government. A 2023 poll found that two-thirds of 1,632 respondents don’t trust the Trudeau government, with only about a third expressing confidence in the Prime Minister’s Office and less than half trusting the House of Commons.

    The prime minister’s high-profile conflict-of-interest violations highlight the inadequacy of accountability measures. They illustrate that federal ethics laws need reform, particularly the Conflict of Interest Act that applies to public office holders (the Conflict of Interest Code applies to MPs in their role as MPs while the act applies to MPs in their role as ministers or parliamentary secretaries).

    As researchers who focus on the laws of public sector ethics and accountability, we believe ethics issues must be kept in public view and political parties should be pressured to offer meaningful reform ideas in their campaign and party platforms.



    Read more:
    U.S. election results may suggest ethics no longer matter … just like in Canada

    Trudeau’s conflict violations

    Trudeau first breached conflict-of-interest laws in late 2016 and early 2017, when he vacationed with his family on the private Caribbean island of the Aga Khan, a spiritual leader whose foundation is registered to lobby and has received money from the government.

    The prime minister accepted private helicopter travel and other gifts, violating multiple sections of the Conflict of Interest Act.

    Mary Dawson, the ethics commissioner at the time, found that Trudeau had failed to avoid a conflict or to seek advice from her office before accepting the trip. Despite these conclusions, Trudeau faced no formal punishment.

    Trudeau’s second violation was revealed in 2019 amid the SNC-Lavalin affair. In a nutshell, the prime minister attempted to pressure then-Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould to intervene in a criminal prosecution against the engineering firm, which has its head offices in the same province as Trudeau’s electoral riding.



    Read more:
    SNC-Lavalin & the need for fresh thinking around independence and interference

    The ethics commissioner concluded that Trudeau used his position in an attempt to improperly serve SNC-Lavalin’s interests, breaching provisions of the Conflict of Interest Act. While this scandal rocked the Liberals, Trudeau again faced no real consequences for his actions apart from some ministerial resignations and possibly a failure to gain more Liberal seats in the October 2019 election.

    These incidents have helped foster an environment where conflict-of-interest violations have become normalized. Former ministers Bill Morneau and Yasmin Ratansi, Liberal House Speaker Greg Fergus, current ministers Mary Ng and Randy Boissonnault, along with various government appointees, have all been caught in ethics scandals.

    No consequences

    Regardless of which party holds power, a striking flaw in Canada’s political ethics framework is the lack of clear consequences for violating the Conflict of Interest Act. While ethics commissioners have the authority to investigate and report on violations, their reports are published online and submitted to the prime minister, who then decides whether any consequences will apply.

    Any penalties the commissioner can impose are laughably small, with administrative monetary penalties of no more than a paltry $500 for failing to meet reporting requirements.

    This critical gap places the responsibility for imposing consequences under the act on the person who may have been the one to violate the rules, which is sometimes the leader of the government.

    The prime minister decides on the punishment, even if the investigation concerns a cabinet member. This raises concerns about impartiality. Is there any incentive for the prime minister to actually hold colleagues accountable when they violate conflict-of-interest laws?

    And what message does it send to an already distrustful electorate when the prime minister and his inner circle can repeatedly violate conflict laws, then determine whether they should face consequences for their actions?

    Ongoing ethics concerns

    Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who was tenacious in 2020 when grilling the prime minister over conflict-of-interest concerns during the WE Charity scandal, seems determined to continue challenging the Liberals on their ethics record.

    Poilievre interrogates Trudeau over the prime minister’s third conflict investigation in five years, this one concerning the WE Charity scandal in 2020. (CTV News)

    Poilievre’s Conservatives recently raised concerns over the controversial appointment of Mark Carney as a special adviser to the Liberal Party. Being appointed to a party position instead of a government job allows Carney to avoid the ethics commissioner’s scrutiny of his private interests yet still advise government officials.

    Additionally, accusations that the Liberals mismanaged the Sustainable Development Technology Canada fund and used it as a “slush fund” for party insiders recently caused Parliament to grind to a halt. The government has refused to provide information on how the fund was managed.

    At the same time, allegations that Trudeau has avoided taking responsibility for foreign interference in Canada’s elections have provided the opposition with further ethics ethics ammunition for an election campaign looming on the horizon.

    Given Trudeau’s poor polling numbers, recent reports about Liberal MPs calling for him to step down and the imminence of yet another cabinet shuffle, government ethics and accountability must take centre stage if the country is to rebuild Canadian trust in government. Updating the Conflict of Interest Act would be a strong and necessary starting point.

    Ethics aren’t a luxury

    Since the Conflict of Interest Act cannot be updated without the involvement of legislators, a cynical observer might wonder how ethics standards can be strengthened.

    One answer is that the Conservatives’ relentless push for an election gives the public a perfect opportunity to demand that proposals to improve conflict-of-interest laws are part of the campaign platforms of all parties.

    This is exactly what happened in 2006 when Stephen Harper led the Conservatives to victory by pledging a more ethical and accountable Ottawa, although his government ultimately faced its own share of scandals.

    Ethical lapses in leadership must not be treated as secondary to pressing economic and social issues. Having a government that continuously strengthens and upholds its ethical standards should not be considered a luxury.

    Strong ethical governance is needed to restore and maintain public trust and to ensure our elected officials are working hard on behalf of Canadians — not in their own self-interest.

    Ian Stedman receives research funding from SSHRC and CIHR. He is also the 2024-25 Jocelyne Bourgon Visiting Scholar at the Canada School of Public Service.

    Matthew Cerilli 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. As a federal election campaign looms, Canadians must demand stronger ethics laws from politicians – https://theconversation.com/as-a-federal-election-campaign-looms-canadians-must-demand-stronger-ethics-laws-from-politicians-241710

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Mortgage Lenders See Immense Value in Simplifying and Standardizing Closing-Cost Descriptions

    Source: Fannie Mae

    Closing costs are fees and charges paid by borrowers in connection with the closing of a home purchase or a mortgage refinancing.1 Examples include mortgage origination fees, borrower credit report fees, appraisal fees, title insurance premiums, settlement fees, and real estate agent commissions. In recent years, these costs have risen considerably,2 posing a significant challenge for many first-time and lower-income homebuyers hoping to purchase a home.3

    In late July, we surveyed over 200 senior mortgage executives via our Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey® to gather insights from lenders about opportunities to simplify and standardize closing cost line-item descriptions, as well as their opinions on which cost areas would benefit from clearer definitions to increase transparency for borrowers. Additionally, we asked lenders to provide feedback on areas where they believe costs can be reduced.

    Among the key findings:

    • While 60% of lenders believe it’s easy to accurately estimate closing costs, their experience explaining these costs to borrowers is mixed: Only half of lenders told us that it’s easy to explain closing costs to borrowers.
    • The majority of lenders (81%) agreed that simplifying and standardizing closing cost line-item descriptions would be valuable for the mortgage industry. Respondents indicated that increasing transparency, particularly for borrowers, would be the most important benefit of such an effort, followed by decreasing compliance costs, and helping consumers comparison-shop.

    Click image above for larger view

    • Lenders said “getting key players to align on standardization” is the biggest implementation challenge, followed by making the necessary technology updates (e.g., integrating with loan origination systems or industry data portals).
    • To help improve transparency for borrowers, several closing cost types were highlighted by lenders as being especially likely to benefit from further clarity, including lender fees, settlement/closing fees, lender’s title insurance premium or attorney opinion letter (AOL) fees, and borrower credit report and verification of income/employment/assets (VOI/E/A) fees.4

    Click image above for larger view

    • We asked lenders to identify the areas where they believe closing costs can be reduced, and the most common responses were borrower credit report and VOI/E/A fees5, lender’s title insurance premium or AOL fees, and real estate agent commissions, in that order.

    Click image above for larger view

    As part of the survey, we also encouraged lenders to provide write-in commentary on the closing-cost concerns that are top of mind for them. Some lenders noted that certain costs charged by third parties, such as credit reports and employment verification fees, have climbed significantly, despite technological advancements intended to make the process more efficient and cost-effective. Others expressed the opinion that some closing costs were overpriced relative to the associated risk, while some observed that costs charged to borrowers can vary considerably, even for effectively the same service. A few lenders noted that while the individual fees charged by the transacting parties are often relatively low, when aggregated the closing costs typically add up to a significant amount. Finally, many lenders concluded that simplifying and standardizing closing cost line-item descriptions would be an important value-add for the entire mortgage industry, asserting that it would help increase transparency, reduce compliance costs, and enable consumers to both better understand the costs and shop around for better prices.

    Based on these findings, we believe meaningful opportunities exist for the mortgage industry to increase transparency around closing costs and potentially help save consumers money. In recent years, the mortgage industry has made some strides in this space, including introducing tools to help borrowers better understand (and calculate for themselves) the various mortgage costs and fees, deploying property valuation modernization efforts to streamline the home-valuation process and reduce appraisal costs for borrowers, and allowing lenders to use an Attorney Opinion Letter (AOL) as an alternative to a lender’s title insurance policy. Still, we believe much more can be done, and we’re committed to working with our industry partners to help improve transparency and reduce closing costs for borrowers.

    To learn more, read the full research deck.

    Opinions, analyses, estimates, forecasts, beliefs, and other views of Fannie Mae’s Economic & Strategic Research (ESR) Group or survey respondents included in these materials should not be construed as indicating Fannie Mae’s business prospects or expected results, are based on a number of assumptions, and are subject to change without notice. How this information affects Fannie Mae will depend on many factors. Although the ESR Group bases its opinions, analyses, estimates, forecasts, beliefs, and other views on information it considers reliable, it does not guarantee that the information provided in these materials is accurate, current, or suitable for any particular purpose. Changes in the assumptions or the information underlying these views could produce materially different results. The analyses, opinions, estimates, forecasts, beliefs, and other views published by the ESR Group represent the views of that group or survey respondents as of the date indicated and do not necessarily represent the views of Fannie Mae or its management.

    1 These fees are typically itemized under “Closing Cost Details” on the Closing Disclosure document. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure (TRID) rule requires all settlement fees to be disclosed in the form of a Loan Estimate and the integrated Closing Disclosure. The objective of the Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure documents is to simplify and clarify the terms of the loan that a borrower is applying for while also showing how much money is needed at closing and for what purpose.

    2 According to a CFPB analysis, from 2021 to 2023, median total loan costs for home mortgages increased by over 36%.

    3 “Barriers to Entry: Closing Costs for First-Time and Low-Income Homebuyers,” Fannie Mae, December 2021,
    https://www.fanniemae.com/research-and-insights/publications/barriers-entry-closing-costs-first-time-and-low-income-homebuyers
    https://www.fanniemae.com/media/document/pdf/barriers-entry-homebuyer-closing-costs

    4 Larger lenders (37%) are significantly more likely than smaller lenders (15%) to cite “borrower credit report & VOI/E/A fees” as a top-two opportunity to increase transparency. Mortgage banks (34%) are significantly more likely than depository institutions (14%) and credit unions (16%) to cite “borrower credit report & VOI/E/A fees” as a top-two opportunity to increase transparency.

    5 Larger lenders (56%) are significantly more likely than smaller lenders (36%) to cite “borrower credit report & VOI/E/A fees” as a top-two opportunity to reduce costs. Mortgage banks (53%) are significantly more likely than credit unions (29%) to cite “borrower credit report & VOI/E/A fees” as a top-two opportunity to reduce costs.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI: Setting the Stage for Growth: Bank of Glen Burnie Names New Director of Commercial Banking and Vice President of Cash Management

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    GLEN BURNIE, Md., Oct. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Bank of Glen Burnie®, a wholly owned subsidiary of Glen Burnie Bancorp (NASDAQ: GLBZ), expanded its business banking team. Jonathan Shearin was named director of commercial banking and Ed Abedi was named vice president of cash management, announced Mark C. Hanna, President and CEO of Glen Burnie Bancorp and The Bank of Glen Burnie.

    Hanna commented, “We are thrilled to welcome Jonathan and Ed to the team. Growing our ability to serve the businesses of Anne Arundel County is goal number one for the Bank. As an independent, community-driven bank, we’re uniquely positioned to support small businesses—the backbone of job creation. Jonathan will champion this message in his role, ensuring that local companies know we have the products, services and people to meet their needs. Ed will play a key role in enhancing our digital services to keep pace with continually evolving demands.”

    Jonathan Shearin most recently served as a commercial relationship manager at Shore United Bank, where he worked with companies to provide banking solutions tailored to their operations and growth. Prior to this, he was a commercial relationship manager at Primis, overseeing and developing a portfolio of over $220 million. His banking career began with roles in treasury management and commercial lending at Eastern Virginia Bankshares, where he supported credit analysis and client management. He is a graduate of Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in business with a concentration in finance.

    Shearin shared, “I am pleased to join the Bank of Glen Burnie. With a 75-year legacy of commitment to community and service, the Bank has deep roots in supporting local businesses. My focus will be on carrying forward that tradition, helping businesses thrive as we strengthen those connections.”

    Ed Abedi has over two decades of experience in commercial banking and treasury management. Most recently, he served as vice president of commercial banking at HTLF, a regional bank headquartered in Denver, Colorado. His previous roles include positions at First Horizon Bank, EagleBank, PNC, and Bank of America Merrill Lynch (now BofA Securities), where he specialized in treasury management and commercial banking solutions. Ed is a graduate of California’s San Francisco State University.

    Abedi shared, “The right digital banking tools enable companies to operate more efficiently and strategically. My role is to ensure businesses fully leverage these technologies to their advantage, which will enhance their overall experience with the Bank of Glen Burnie. I’m excited to join this team and to serve our valued customers as we continue to innovate.”

    About Glen Burnie Bancorp

    Glen Burnie Bancorp is a bank holding company headquartered in Glen Burnie, Maryland. Founded in 1949, The Bank of Glen Burnie® is a locally owned community bank with eight Anne Arundel County branches. The Bank is engaged in commercial and retail banking, including accepting demand and time deposits and originating loans to individuals, associations, partnerships, and corporations. The Bank’s real estate financing consists of residential first and second mortgage loans, home equity lines of credit and commercial mortgage loans. The Bank also originates automobile loans through arrangements with local automobile dealers. Additional information is available at thebankofglenburnie.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    The statements contained herein that are not historical financial information may be deemed to constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, which could cause the company’s actual results in the future to differ materially from its historical results and those presently anticipated or projected. These statements are evidenced by terms such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “should,” “expect,” “believe,” “intend,” and similar expressions. Although these statements reflect management’s good faith beliefs and projections, they are not guarantees of future performance and they may not prove true. For a more complete discussion of these and other risk factors, please see the Company’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/634043fc-d456-4ff0-ab1a-e933cc748e3d

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2fe23ee6-9936-4985-ad76-c6f68b1003f0

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: OLAF’s Intelligence Leads to Record-Breaking Seizure of Illegal F-Gases in the Netherlands

    Source: European Anti-Fraud Offfice

    Intelligence provided by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) has led to the largest-ever seizure of illegal F-gases in the Netherlands. The Dutch authorities, acting on OLAF’s information, confiscated four containers filled with nearly 4,800 cylinders of F-gases at the port of Rotterdam. The illegal shipment, valued at approximately 1.5 million EUR, was intercepted before it could be delivered to unauthorized importers within the European Union.

    OLAF has been closely monitoring the international traffic of F-gases (hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs) to the EU from third countries. The intelligence shared with Dutch authorities highlighted suspicious movements of F-gases destined for three European countries, where importers lacked the proper authorization to handle these substances. Thanks to this information, the Dutch Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT-IOD) launched a successful investigation, tracking and seizing the containers in Rotterdam.

    F-Gases and Environmental Concerns

    F-gases are subject to strict quotas and a phased reduction under EU environmental regulations due to their significant impact on global warming. The seized shipment originated from outside the EU, and OLAF, in partnership with national authorities, is working to disrupt illegal networks trafficking these potent greenhouse gases into Europe.

    As the EU enforces increasingly stringent rules on F-gas usage and importation, the black market for these gases has expanded. Devices such as air conditioners and industrial refrigeration systems, which rely on F-gases, are fueling this illegal trade. OLAF remains at the forefront of efforts to protect the EU’s environmental integrity by cracking down on illegal F-gas trafficking.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Casten, Beatty Introduce Legislation to Financially Empower Women in Abusive Situations

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Sean Casten (IL-06)

    October 22, 2024

    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Representatives Sean Casten (IL-06) and Joyce Beatty (OH-03) introduced the Financial Empowerment and Protection Act, legislation aimed at removing barriers to the financial insights often necessary for people to safely leave abusive relationships.

    “Far too often, we hear stories of victims of abuse who feel trapped in their situation due to limited or no insight into their household finances,” said Congressman Casten. “This legislation, which came out of one such story from a constituent who called in, aims to take away that lever of control from an abuser, empowering women to make their own financial decisions.”

    “Financial control is often used to trap women in abusive relationships by limiting their economic and physical independence,” said Congresswoman Beatty. “This bill provides crucial protection by ensuring equal access to and control over shared household finances, empowering women to make decisions for their wellbeing and future. I’m proud to join Congressman Casten in introducing this bill to help protect and support women, especially those in crisis, in building secure, independent lives.”

    “For too long, financial abuse has been used by abusers to hold on to power and control over women—with laws on the books that allow them to withhold financial information women need to leave abusive relationships and build security of their own,” said Christian F. Nunes, president of the National Organization for Women. “Rep. Casten’s bill will finally correct this dangerous gap in our laws, and unlock doors to financial freedom women urgently need.”

    “Survivors of domestic violence deserve safeguards that sustain their financial stability and security. Maintaining survivors’ access to shared accounts, such as cell phone, utility and mortgage accounts, is one of many policy solutions needed to better preserve their economic well-being,” said Jocelyn Frye, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families. “The Financial Empowerment and Protection Act would give power back to survivors by providing them with the tools to regain or retain their independence. We are grateful to Representatives Casten and Beatty for their tremendous efforts to support survivors and their families.”

    “This legislation is important for sexual violence survivors in their efforts to regain independence from their abusers,” said Carrie Ward, CEO of the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault. “Far too frequently, survivors are manipulated and coerced by abusers due to financial factors. If approved, this legislation would demonstrate that our society does not tolerate such manipulation and instead provides every opportunity for survivors to regain their independence.  Illinois rape crisis centers support Rep. Casten as he introduces this legislation and believe it is another step forward in supporting survivors.”

    Under the Financial Empowerment and Protection Act, mortgage lenders, landlords, utility providers, and childcare providers would be required to offer joint accounts for cohabitating or co-parenting couples. Oftentimes, abusive partners use financial limitations as a method of control to prevent a victim from leaving the situation. This means that people leaving abusive relationships may have limited access to pay their own bills; and may lose access to housing and childcare. Domestic violence shelters report that information about these accounts is commonly withheld during the dissolution of abusive relationships. This legislation aims to circumvent this, allowing victims equal insight into their household finances.

    This bill has endorsements from the National Partnership for Women & Families, National Organization for Women (NOW), the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

    Text of the legislation can be found here.

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: New rules make for more efficient and greener flights

    Source: European Union 2

    On Tuesday, MEPs paved the way for improved management of European airspace, enabling more direct flights and fewer delays, and supporting climate neutrality.

    The reform of Single European Sky rules, already agreed upon in negotiations with the Council last March, strengthens national performance plans for air navigation services and will help to improve EU airspace management. These plans will have binding targets and incentives to make flights more efficient and environmentally friendly. An independent advisory Performance Review Board would be set up to help the Commission and EU member states in taking decisions on implementing these plans.

    In addition, the Commission will adopt EU performance targets on capacity, cost efficiency, climate and environmental factors for air navigation services, to be reviewed at least every three years.

    Greener air navigation charges

    MEPs secured a provision that tasks the Commission with assessing how charges levied on airspace users (airlines or private planes operators) for providing air navigation services could encourage them to become more environmentally friendly, for example by using the most fuel-efficient available routing or alternative clean propulsion technologies.

    More competition

    Another key demand of MEPs during the negotiations was to encourage competition in the air navigation services market. The new bill includes the possibility for air-traffic service providers to procure other air navigation services, such as communication, meteorological or aeronautical information services, under market conditions.

    Quotes

    “The reform is a step forward in removing bottlenecks, creating more efficient air traffic control and management, and reducing costs and emissions through shorter and safer flights, from which all European airlines, and especially European citizens, will benefit. The creation of a truly single European airspace, however, has been blocked by member states, unwilling to give up national powers for the greater good. I now call on member states to constructively implement this reform”, said EP co-rapporteur Jens Gieseke (EPP, DE).

    “Today, Europe’s airspace is like a big jigsaw puzzle where each country has its own piece, but unfortunately not all the pieces fit together. This leads to detours, waiting times and unnecessary costs. In 2023, almost three out of ten flights were delayed by more than 15 minutes. The new rules will make aviation safer, more punctual and more climate-friendly”, added EP co-rapporteur Johan Danielsson (S&D, SE) and also thanked former rapporteurs Marian-Jean Marinescu (EPP, Romania) and Bogusław Liberadzki (S&D, PL) for their work.

    Next steps

    Both co-legislators have now approved the new rules– the Council did so on 26 September. They will enter into force 20 days after publication in the Official Journal of the EU. While most of the provisions will apply from that date, other provisions (e.g. penalties for infringing the new rules; national supervisory authority’s independence) will only take effect two years later.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI: Go Fund Yourself Show Debuts Private Viewing at “Million Dollar Weekend” Event, Keynote Presented by Show Titan Jayson Waller

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    JUPITER, Fla., Oct. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The prestigious Million Dollar Weekend event, a gathering of top entrepreneurs, influencers, and thought leaders, hosted an exclusive preview of Go Fund Yourself! a groundbreaking crowdfunding platform that is revolutionizing how businesses raise capital. Keynote speaker and investor Jayson Waller introduced the platform, showcasing its unique ability to connect entrepreneurs with investors through real-time interaction.

    As a keynote, investor, and co-host of Go Fund Yourself! Waller delivered an inspiring presentation about entrepreneurship, building business –– and how “Go Fund Yourself! is leveling the playing field for entrepreneurs who are looking for funding.

    “Unlike other pitch and business investment shows where investment in promising new companies is limited to the privileged few, through Go Fund Yourself, virtually anyone and everyone has the same opportunity to invest in these companies as the so-called elites, and that’s a good thing,” said Jayson Waller. “It also gives deserving new companies access to an extensive broad audience of potential investors they otherwise could never reach.”

    “Go Fund Yourself gives businesses the opportunity to share their story, connect with investors instantly, and secure the funding they need to grow,” said Show Titan David Meltzer. “I’m excited entrepreneurs and businesspeople at the Million Dollar Weekend event watched a private viewing of our new show and crowdfunding platform that’s disrupting the game.”

    VIP attendees watched an exclusive private viewing of one of the episodes, featuring entrepreneurs pitching their businesses to a panel of esteemed “Titans.” The Go Fund Yourself! Titans include partners Jayson Waller, serial entrepreneur; David Meltzer, a world-renowned business coach, philanthropist and investor; and Rory J. Cutaia, the show’s creator, visionary entrepreneur and Founder & CEO of Verb Technology Company, Inc. [NASDAQ: VERB], who are joined in each Show episode by a celebrity Titan from show business, sports, or business fame. Together, they ask the tough questions investors want answered while providing the entrepreneurs presenting their businesses on the Show with guidance and real-time feedback.

    “I understand all too well how difficult it is for an entrepreneur to raise capital for a novel new idea or innovative business,” said Rory J. Cutaia, VERB CEO and Go Fund Yourself Show creator. “I, along with my fellow Titans David Meltzer and Jayson Waller, find it personally rewarding to know that we are making a difference, we’re helping entrepreneurs access the capital they need to realize their dreams on terms that are fair and reasonable, and ensuring that new products, new technology that deserve to see the light of day, actually do.” “We’re also thrilled that the everyday man and woman has access to the same investment opportunities – anyone of which could be that life-changing event – that are only seen by the same small group of investment insiders.”

    Attendees were captivated by the innovative nature of the show, which combines live pitching with interactive audience engagement. “It was thrilling to witness Go Fund Yourself! first-hand at Million Dollar Weekend,” said Cindy Metzler, CEO of Omm Media. “The energy in the room was electric, and the platform opens up so many opportunities for businesses to secure funding in an unprecedented way.”

    Denis Sinelnikov, CEO of Media Components, echoed these sentiments: “Sharing Go Fund Yourself! with such a distinguished crowd was an amazing experience. This platform is about to change how businesses approach fundraising and how investors find their next big opportunity.”

    About Go Fund Yourself! Go Fund Yourself! is an innovative interactive social crowdfunding platform designed for public and private companies seeking capital through Regulation CF and Regulation A offerings. The show allows entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas to a panel of successful “Titans” while viewers engage in real-time by making investment decisions as they watch. The panel includes Jayson Waller, David Meltzer, and Rory Cutaia—three entrepreneurial powerhouses committed to helping companies succeed. The platform also allows companies with consumer products to engage with viewers through shoppable, real-time icons during the broadcast.

    With its game-changing approach, Go Fund Yourself! is poised to redefine how businesses raise capital and build meaningful connections with investors across the globe.

    For Show Casting: Visit Go Fund Yourself Application or email Casting@gofundyourself.show

    Media Contact
    Cindy Metzler
    561-271-1389
    Cindy@cindymetzler.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Breaking Financial Chains: Beatty & Casten’s New Bill Helps Women in Abusive Situations

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (3rd District of Ohio)

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) and Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06) introduced the Financial Empowerment and Protection Act, legislation aimed at removing barriers to the financial information often necessary for women to safely leave abusive relationships.

    Under the Financial Empowerment and Protection Act, mortgage lenders, landlords, utility providers, and childcare providers would be required to offer joint accounts for cohabitating or co-parenting couples. Oftentimes, abusive partners use financial limitations as a method of control to prevent a victim from leaving the situation. This means that people leaving abusive relationships may have limited access to pay their own bills; and may lose access to housing, childcare, and transportation. Domestic violence shelters report that information about these accounts is commonly withheld during the dissolution of abusive relationships. This legislation aims to circumvent this, allowing victims equal access and visibility into their household finances.

     

    “Financial control is often used to trap women in abusive relationships by limiting their economic and physical independence,” said Congresswoman Beatty. “This bill provides crucial protection by ensuring equal access to and control over shared household finances, empowering women to make decisions for their wellbeing and future. I’m proud to join Congressman Casten in introducing this bill to help protect and support women, especially those in crisis, in building secure, independent lives.”

     

    “Far too often, we hear stories of victims of abuse who feel trapped in their situation due to limited or no insight into their household finances,” said Congressman Casten. “This legislation, which came out of one such story from a constituent who called in, aims to take away that lever of control from an abuser, empowering women to make their own financial decisions.”

     

    “For too long, financial abuse has been used by abusers to hold on to power and control over women—with laws on the books that allow them to withhold financial information women need to leave abusive relationships and build security of their own,” said Christian F. Nunes, president of the National Organization for Women. “Rep. Casten’s bill will finally correct this dangerous gap in our laws and unlock doors to financial freedom women urgently need.”

     

    “Survivors of domestic violence deserve safeguards that sustain their financial stability and security. Maintaining survivors’ access to shared accounts, such as cell phone, utility and mortgage accounts, is one of many policy solutions needed to better preserve their economic well-being,” said Jocelyn Frye, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families. “The Financial Empowerment and Protection Act would give power back to survivors by providing them with the tools to regain or retain their independence. We are grateful to Representatives Casten and Beatty for their tremendous efforts to support survivors and their families.”

     

    This bill has endorsements from the National Partnership for Women & Families, National Organization for Women (NOW), the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

     

    Text of the legislation can be found here.

    October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, an opportunity to raise awareness of domestic violence and its impact on individuals, families, and communities and work together to create change.

     

    For more media inquiries, please contact Cassandra.Johnson@mail.house.gov.

    ###

     

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: North Carolina Man Sentenced for Assaulting Law Enforcement During the January 6 Capitol Breach

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

             WASHINGTON— A North Carolina man was sentenced to prison today after he previously pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

             Curtis Davis, 45, of Snow Hill, North Carolina, was sentenced to 24 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, the first six months of which to be served on home detention, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution by U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta. Davis previously pleaded guilty to one count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers on June 10, 2024.

             According to court documents, at about 3:00 p.m., on Jan.6, 2021, Davis entered the U.S. Capitol building via the East Rotunda doors and made his way into the Rotunda, where law enforcement officers were attempting to disperse a crowd of rioters. Inside the Rotunda, while pressed against a line of police officers, Davis forcibly attacked a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer and attempted to grab ahold of the officer’s baton.

             At about 3:09 p.m., court documents say that Davis punched an MPD officer in the face shield and refused law enforcement orders to leave the building. A short while later, Davis punched another MPD officer in the head and forcibly pulled away a riot shield from another. Davis then used the shield to press against the backs of a line of rioters in an attempt to resist the efforts of police.

             Davis was then expelled from the Rotunda but later returned to the East Rotunda doors. Here, Davis, along with other rioters, attempted to push their way through a line of police officers into the Rotunda.  Davis then made his way to the front of the line of rioters and punched a riot shield held by an officer three times.

             Court documents say that later that night, Davis filmed a group of police officers with his cell phone camera before turning it around, filming his fist, and stating, “Them knuckles right there, from one of those m—f— faces at the Capitol.”

             The FBI arrested Davis on Dec. 8, 2023, in Snow Hill.

             The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting this case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina provided valuable assistance.

             The FBI’s Charlotte and Washington Field Offices investigated this case. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

             In the 45 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,532 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 571 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

             Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New York Man Pleads Guilty to Felony Civil Disorder During January 6 Capitol Breach

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

              WASHINGTON – A New York man pleaded guilty today to felony civil disorder during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

              Christopher Douglas Finney, 32, of Hopewell Junction, New York, pleaded guilty to a single felony count of civil disorder before U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden. Judge McFadden will sentence Finney on Jan. 24, 2025.

              According to court documents, Finney traveled from his home in New York State to attend a rally in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021. While waiting near the Washington Monument for the rally to begin, Finney recorded himself asking, “what’s the building where they’re doing the counting at?” and after receiving an answer, stated, “we’re going up to the Capitol, eventually. We’re gonna storm the Capitol. They’re not gonna keep us outta there. We’re gonna make sure that this is done correct and that Donald Trump is still our president.”

              When he made the recording, Finney was wearing plastic goggles with a red border and a protective plate carrier vest with pouches containing white plastic flex cuffs and a silver canister similar to a container for chemical spray. Before leaving the area near the Monument, Finney repeated, “We’re gonna storm the Capitol. We’re gonna do this correct. We’re not gonna back down, stand down, we the people will not be silent anymore.” Finney was also recorded wearing a knife in a holster on his right hip.

              Finney entered the restricted perimeter around Capitol grounds and toward the West Lawn and gestured for the crowd to follow him. Finney recorded his approach to the Capitol across the lawn and as he scaled a wall. Finney remained near the Capitol’s West Front, moving from the scaffolding at its southwest corner to covered scaffolding above the northwest steps. Finney then ascended the steps, breached a police line leading to the Upper West Terrace Northwest Courtyard, and approached the Senate Wing Doors.

              At approximately 2:14 p.m., Finney entered the Capitol building through the Senate Wing Doors. Once inside, he turned north, encountered police, and hastily retreated, climbing out of a broken window. Finney re-entered the building through the Senate Wing Doors. After re-entering, Finney made his way through the Crypt and the OAP (Office of the Attending Physician) corridor and eventually exited the Capitol through the Memorial Doors.

              Finney eventually made his way to the Capitol’s Lower West Terrace, where he joined other rioters, including several carrying makeshift weapons, outside of the Lower West Terrace Tunnel, the site of some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement that day. There, rioters were struggling to forcibly breach a police line preventing the mob from accessing the Capitol’s interior. One rioter yelled, “Push, push, push,” and Finney responded by joining a crowd in a group push against the police line. The force from the group push reached officers in and behind the first line of officers, while rioters at the front of the group push made direct physical contact with officers at the front of the police line.

              Finney remained on the Lower West Terrace, watching and recording as other rioters violently attacked officers defending the Lower West Terrace exit. He remained within the Capitol’s restricted perimeter until after dark.

              The FBI arrested Finney on Feb. 8, 2024, in New York.

              This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

              This case is being investigated by the FBI’s New York and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

              In the 45 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,532 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 571 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

              Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: IAM Members Get Out the Vote with Philadelphia AFL-CIO

    Source: US GOIAM Union

    The Nov. 5 national election date is approaching and IAM members have been in the city of Philadelphia and the battleground state of Pennsylvania. 

    The AFL-CIO is coordinating a massive canvass of all union members in the area and urging them to vote for pr-labor candidates. The teams of union members are walking neighborhoods and giving out election information to households asking them if they have made a plans to vote.

    Pennsylvania State Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler took time to meet with the union members and thank them for their efforts to talk to union members about voting. 

    “I’m making sure unions are strong so the next generation of workers have the ability to join,” said Fiedler

    More than 50 members from several AFL-CIO unions gathered this past Saturday at the Philadelphia’s Seafarers International Hall for the weekly labor walk. The members were given instructions on where they would be going for the morning midday action in the city. Various union members from several AFL-CIO unions took time to talk to the IAM Communications Department to explain why this election is important to them. 
      
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    MIL OSI USA News –