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  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: From the Streets to the Fleet: How Navy Training Transformed a Philadelphia Native’s Life

    Source: United States Navy

    “Growing up, I knew I wanted more,” Segarra recalled. “Where I come from, people don’t usually make it out. The Navy was my way out and my way forward, and joining was a decision that truly saved my life.”

    As he approaches 10 years of Navy service, Segarra is the Systems Administration Course supervisor and leading petty officer at Information Warfare Training Command (IWTC) San Diego, a position that allows him to mentor young Sailors who might come from similar backgrounds. He also dedicates his free time to being an active father to his daughter and providing her with a caring childhood.

    Turning a New Page with NETC

    Segarra’s story is a testament to how Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) has the power to set Sailors on a new course. Through NETC’s robust training programs, Sailors like Segarra receive not only technical skills but also the discipline and support they need to change their lives. For Segarra, his first encounter with NETC came during boot camp at Recruit Training Command (RTC), an experience that he describes as transformative.

    “Boot camp was the first time in my life that I experienced real silence,” he said. “Coming from a neighborhood where sirens and gunshots were constant, it was powerful to be in a place where I could focus and grow. That’s when I realized I was becoming part of something bigger than myself.”

    From RTC, Segarra moved on to Information Technician “A” School, where he faced the challenge of intense coursework. He credits his instructor, Chief Information Systems Technician Kelley Torranto, for believing in him and pushing him to succeed.

    “Chief Torranto was the first person outside of my uncle who truly believed in me,” he reflected. “She kept pushing me, even when I felt like giving up. I still have the challenge coin she gave me after I graduated—it reminds me every day of what I’ve overcome.”

    A Career Defined by Service and Mentorship

    Since those early days, Segarra’s career has been marked by rapid advancement and recognition. He served at the Naval Communications Security Material System in Washington, D.C., where he quickly advanced in rank, and earned titles like Bluejacket of the Year and Junior Sailor of the Year. Later, while serving aboard littoral combat ships, Segarra deployed on pioneering missions, including counter-drug operations in the U.S. 4th Fleet area of responsibility.

    Now, as an instructor at IWTC San Diego, Segarra focuses on preparing the next generation of Navy information warriors. He shares his background with new Sailors, especially those from difficult upbringings, offering hope and encouragement as someone who understands their challenges.

    “I’ve been where they are, and I know what it’s like to think there’s no way out,” he said. “My goal is to help them see what’s possible with hard work and commitment.”

    The Impact of NETC Training

    Segarra’s story highlights the strengths of NETC’s training programs, which combine technical instruction with personal mentorship to create well-rounded, fleet-ready Sailors. He emphasizes that NETC’s focus on real-world skills and fleet-relevant training helps Sailors gain confidence and expertise.

    “NETC isn’t just about teaching us the basics,” he explained. “It’s about setting us up for success, both on and off the ship. The Navy has given me stability, purpose and the ability to give my daughter a life I never had. For me, that’s worth everything.”

    Looking Ahead

    As he continues his Navy career, Segarra remains deeply grateful for the opportunities and experiences that have shaped his journey. He looks forward to furthering his career in the Navy and using the skills and values he has gained to inspire others.

    “My peers sometimes joke about how motivated I am, but they don’t realize how much I feel indebted to the Navy for giving me this second chance,” Segarra said. “Thanks to the Navy, I can be the dad I always wanted to be, and I can provide a better future for my family. That’s something I never take for granted.”

    Conclusion

    Segarra’s story is a powerful reminder of how the Navy and NETC’s training programs can transform lives. From the streets of Philadelphia to his current role at IWTC San Diego, Segarra’s journey is a testament to resilience, dedication and the life-changing impact of military service. Through his continued work, he helps shape the next generation of Sailors, showing them that, with hard work and determination, they too can achieve their dreams.

    For more information on how NETC prepares Sailors for success in the fleet, visit https://www.netc.navy.mil/.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Assistance from the OSCE Presence in Albania helps enhance informant management for Albanian law enforcement bodies

    Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE

    Headline: Assistance from the OSCE Presence in Albania helps enhance informant management for Albanian law enforcement bodies

    Assistance from the OSCE Presence in Albania helps enhance informant management for Albanian law enforcement bodies | OSCE
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    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Reminder to sign in at every hearing

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Recent joint working between LAA and HMCTS has identified the need for greater consistency across all courts in the way advocates sign in on all hearing days.

    New guidance has been issued by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) to all court staff and the expectation is that counsel and defence practitioners will be required to sign in at every hearing.

    This will improve the data within Common Platform and enable the Legal Aid Agency to process claims without the need to request an attendance note and delay any payments.

    Evidence of attendance via the court log or attendance note is vital to ensure that the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) can evidence that payments are being made in compliance with the Criminal Procedure Rules. All payments must be evidenced for Crown Court hearings.

    Detailed guidance for how to sign in is available on the HMCTS GOV.UK pages: Check in to a Common Platform hearing – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

    Further information

    Crown Court fee guidance

    Legal aid guidance page has the following resources:

    Criminal Bills Assessment Manual

    Regulatory links:

    Criminal Legal Aid (Remuneration) Regulations 2013 – regulation 13(3)

    Updates to this page

    Published 23 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Child Poverty Taskforce aims to ‘give all children the best start in life’

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Voices of struggling families, anti-poverty organisations and local leaders will be put at the centre of the Child Poverty Taskforce’s work to build an ambitious strategy to give all children the best start in life, ministers have pledged in a new framework published today [Wednesday 23 October].

    • Child Poverty Taskforce co-chairs Liz Kendall and Bridget Phillipson speak to parents and Barnardo’s CEO at a charity centre in Brent  

    • Comes as new framework sets out how Child Poverty Taskforce will build a bold strategy to break down barriers to opportunity and give all children the best start in life  

    • Ministers to host events and travel across the United Kingdom to hear views and experiences of local leaders, charities and those living in poverty

    The Taskforce today publishes a framework for the strategy that will come out in the Spring. 

    Over the coming months the Taskforce will focus on reducing the number of children in relative poverty after housing costs, reducing the number of children who are going without essentials, and giving all children the best start in life.

    The publication outlines how the Taskforce will work with key anti-poverty organisations around targets such as reducing costs, increasing incomes and improving access to early year’s support for struggling families.

    Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall MP and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson MP kicked off this engagement by visiting a Barnardo’s Family Centre in Brent alongside Barnardo’s CEO Lynn Perry MBE. They joined a children’s session focused on healthy eating and heard how parents – including single parents – are struggling with the cost of essentials.

    Later today, ministers will meet with the likes of Ofgem, The Food Foundation, Water UK and other leading organisations on the theme of reducing household costs.

    The new document sets out how ministers will take part in events across the nations and regions of the United Kingdom, bringing together a diverse range of voices and expertise to address the systemic drivers of poverty – ranging from employment to housing – as it creates an ambitious strategy to be set out in the Spring.

    Taskforce co-chair and Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall MP will visit Scotland next month to bring together local leaders, key charities and organisations as well as parents, children and frontline workers.

    Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall MP said:  

    Children can’t fulfil their potential without food in their bellies or a roof over their head. And Britain cannot fulfil its potential when the talents of so many children are being denied.

    It is unacceptable that more than 4m children are now growing up in poverty. Under our new government, this will change.

    We will work with campaigners and experts – and struggling families across the country to deliver a bold and ambitious strategy that drives down poverty and drives up opportunity in every corner of the land.

    Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson MP said:  

    The stain of poverty of child poverty in this country has jeopardised the life chances of too many children for too long.

    Ending child poverty is a complex and difficult task, but our defining mission is to break down the unfair link between background and success – so every child believes that opportunity can belong to them.

    Today’s framework sets the clear direction on this mission, ensuring we are united across government and with stakeholders to drive down household costs.

    A new forum of parents and carers living across the UK will be set up to ensure the experiences of children in poverty, including those with special educational needs and disabilities, feed into the final strategy.

    Leading organisations such as Barnardo’s, Citizens Advice, the National Children’s Bureau and Save the Children will share their knowledge with Ministers, and a new board of leading academics and experts on tackling poverty will inform, test and scrutinise the work being done on the Strategy.

    Barnardo’s Chief Executive, Lynn Perry MBE, said:    

    We are seeing epidemic levels of poverty amongst children in the UK. Across the country, families are facing a desperate struggle to put food on the table, keep the lights on and heat their homes this winter. More than 4.3 million children are growing up in poverty, with one in four families saying they’ve struggled to afford food in the last 12 months alone.   

    Growing up in poverty can have a devastating impact on a child’s life, affecting their learning, mental and physical health long into adulthood, while limiting their life chances.  

    We’re grateful to the Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and Education for their visit to meet children and families at our Brent service which supports those struggling with the cost-of-living. We look forward to working with ministers to find long-term solutions to these issues whilst recognising families also need immediate help this winter.

    Dame Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive at Citizens Advice, said:  

    The cost-of-living crisis has squeezed household finances and tipped many into significant hardship. Our frontline advisors are still seeing families doing all they can but unable to afford essentials for their children.

    A clear strategy to combat child poverty is urgently needed. It must be ambitious and ensure that people facing acute pressures get the help they need soon, while also delivering change that will last.

    Anna Feuchtwang, Chief Executive of the National Children’s Bureau, said:  

    4.3 million children living in poverty in the UK is an unacceptable blight on our society and children deserve better.

    NCB welcomes the Government’s commitment to consulting with a broad range of stakeholders to understand how to make this happen. It is crucial that the voices of children and families with lived experience of poverty are central not just to the development of the strategy, but to implementing it as well.

    We desperately need to see progress for children in this area – asking the right questions is a good start.

    Dan Paskins, Executive Director of Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns at Save the Children UK, said:  

    For too long child poverty has been shamefully high, so we welcome the recognition from the UK Government today that tackling it is a moral imperative.

    The root causes of poverty are complex and can only be solved by listening to and working with those most affected. We are therefore really pleased to be working with the UK Government to facilitate the Child Poverty Taskforce hearing directly from children, their families, and our partners in communities across the UK.

    We look forward to working with UK Government, with organisations across the sector, and across the regions and nations of the UK, to develop a Child Poverty Strategy that ensures all children have the guaranteed support that they desperately need and deserve.

    The development of this ambitious strategy will be guided by the internationally recognised measure ‘Relative Poverty After Housing Costs’. 

    To support struggling families, we have already boosted the Household Support Fund by a further £421 million in England while the Warm Home Discount remains in place for low-income households as the Government stands firms on its commitment to protect those most at risk this winter.  

    This comes alongside Government plans to deliver quality work and better pay through the Employment Rights Bill, create 3,000 new nurseries, and lower energy bills through Great British Energy.  

    Additional Information   

    • There are currently 4.3m children in relative poverty after housing costs in the United Kingdom as of 2022/23.  

    • Relative Poverty After Housing Costs takes into account the proportion of families with below 60% of the median income after housing costs are deducted.  

    • The Barnardo’s Family Centre in Brent offers a wide range of free advice to families while providing crisis funding through vouchers, hosts cooking sessions and holds activity days for children to give them the best start in life and ease the burden on those living in poverty.  

    • The ’Tackling Child Poverty: Developing our Strategy’ document is available here: Tackling Child Poverty: Developing Our Strategy – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 

    • Following the Household Support Fund extension, an estimated £79million will be made available to the Devolved Governments to support their citizens as they see fit.

    Updates to this page

    Published 23 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Moscow Metro Celebrates 3 Years of Biometric Payments, Sets New Cashless Payment Record

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Metro

    Moscow Metro celebrates milestone: three years of successful biometric payment

    Maxim Liksutov, Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Transport and Industry, noted the convenience of this payment method, which is now available at turnstiles throughout the city:

    – the metro and the Moscow Central Circle (MCC)

    – Aeroexpress

    – regular river transport

    – several stations of the Moscow Central Diameter (MCD).

    Here are some impressive numbers:

    – More than 1,100 turnstiles equipped with a biometric payment system

    – More than 160,000 daily travel tickets issued using biometrics

    – About 375,000 users have registered with the service

    In 2021, we launched biometric payment in the metro. Passengers no longer need cards, phones or wallets to pass through the turnstiles. They just look into the camera, and the passage opens. Users have already made more than 125 million passes. Nowhere in the world is this service as convenient as in the Russian capital. Over these 3 years, it has proven its maximum security and reliability, – Liksutov noted.

    The Moscow Metro also set a new record:

    The Moscow Metro system has reached a new milestone: a record 91.2% of passengers now use non-cash payment methods. This is the highest figure since the launch of these services, and it is a clear sign of the transition to more convenient and efficient transport for our citizens. By introducing digital solutions, we have made convenient, fast and environmentally friendly payment instruments easily accessible, – added Maxim Liksutov.

    The most popular methods of cashless payment include:

    – Biometric payment

    – Virtual card “Troika”

    – Fast Payment System (FPS)

    – Bank cards and payment stickers

    Moscow is becoming a world leader in the number of available payment methods for public transport. Following the instructions of Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, we will continue to develop modern, domestic services in our city’s transport system, Liksutov concluded.

    This achievement highlights Moscow’s commitment to modernising its infrastructure and introducing innovative technologies to improve the lives of its citizens.”

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: 10/23/2024, 11-34 the values of the lower limit of the repo price corridor, the rollover rate and the range of interest rate risk assessment of the CIAN security (CIAN-addr) were changed.

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    10/23/2024

    11:34

    In accordance with the Methodology for determining the risk parameters of the stock market and deposit market of Moscow Exchange PJSC by NCO NCC (JSC) on 10/23/2024, 11:34 (Moscow time), the values of the lower limit of the repo price corridor with settlement code Y0/Y1Dt (up to -20.0%), the transfer rate and the range of interest rate risk assessment (up to -1.36 rubles, equivalent to a rate of 104.28%) of the CIAN security (CIAN-addr) were changed.

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

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    https://www.moex.com/n74229

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: 10/23/2024, 13-25 (Moscow time) the values of the upper limit of the price corridor and the range of market risk assessment for the security RU000A1009L8 (RZhD 1P-15R) were changed.

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    10/23/2024

    13:25

    In accordance with the Methodology for determining the risk parameters of the stock market and deposit market of Moscow Exchange PJSC by NCO NCC (JSC), on 10/23/2024, 13-25 (Moscow time), the values of the upper limit of the price corridor (up to 88.35) and the range of market risk assessment (up to 935.27 rubles, equivalent to a rate of 15.0%) of the security RU000A1009L8 (RZhD 1P-15R) were changed.

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

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    https://www.moex.com/n74237

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: A Congress.gov Interview with Christy Amatos, Assistant Parliamentarian for the US Senate

    Source: US Global Legal Monitor

    Today’s Congress.gov interview is with Christy Amatos, an Assistant Parliamentarian at the United States Senate. 

    Describe your background.

    I am a native Ohioan who attended The Ohio State University and later Boston University for law school. I have been working in non-partisan legislative work for about a decade – I started my career in the Ohio General Assembly as a bill drafter. After about a year of that, I was offered the chance to move to another legislative agency that was in the process of rolling out software to fully digitize the lawmaking process. I had no background in tech but they promised me if I knew the legislative process, they would teach me everything I needed to know about being a business analyst.

    I had no idea what I was getting into but I loved it! I served as the liaison between the clerks in the Ohio Senate and House of Representatives and the team designing and developing the software. I learned so much about communication – both the unique language used in software development but also how to confront and address problems in a productive and congenial way, particularly in high stress situations. At the time, I had no idea how much those skills were going to help me in the future.

    A few years later, I joined the Office of the Senate Parliamentarian in Congress, another non-partisan role but one that was more traditionally connected to my legal training. I have been here for about six years and love it. The people who work on Capitol Hill are what make this job so great – from the Secretary of the Senate staff I work with every day to the folks at the Library of Congress who engage with us on Congress.gov.

    How would you describe your job to other people?

    The Senate Parliamentarian is kind of like the referee of the Senate. We interpret and apply the rules of the Senate on a daily basis.

    What is your role in the development of Congress.gov?

    It just so happened that when I started working in the Senate, there was an opportunity to join the Secretary of the Senate’s Congress.gov team and because of my past experience, my boss suggested I join. I was definitely excited to be able to dip my toes back into some of the type of work I had been doing in Ohio. At that time, Congress.gov was live but so was the previous resource, LIS, which was a website only accessible to Congress with some additional features that the public-facing site THOMAS did not have. There were a lot of growing pains getting Congress.gov to the point where it could provide the same level of service to users that LIS had . . . and a lot of staff who were always going to like LIS better no matter what. So we had a big challenge working to gain the trust of the internal users while also continuing to work on bettering Congress.gov.

    Fortunately, we were able to gather a great group of staff, both on the Secretary of the Senate side of things and on the Library of Congress side, and were able to get buy-in from some important, but previously uninvolved, stakeholders and then things really started to improve.

    All of that to say that I think of my role in two parts – provide important feedback on how data is used and presented from the perspective of my office, but also to help facilitate the good conversations and working relationships that are critical to the success of Congress.gov.

    One thing I do take great satisfaction in is fixing errors in really old data – we recently fixed one from five years before I was born – you know the errors have been out there for decades and maybe no one has looked at that particular piece of legislation or maybe they did not notice the misspelled word but fixing it is one more tiny step to getting Congress.gov to be as perfect as we can make it and I find that so satisfying.

    What is your favorite feature of Congress.gov?

    I think someone described the folks in my office as “power users” of Congress.gov, which sounds much more impressive than I ever actually feel on a daily basis. But I do use the search functions on Congress.gov every single day, so my favorite feature is absolutely one of the advanced searches. The command line search lets the user input search terms and connectors to tailor the results to be very specific without having to click a lot of boxes or choose from dropdown menus. There is nothing more satisfying than getting good search results on the first try!

    What is the most interesting fact you’ve learned about the legislative process while working for Congress?

    I have been working in the legislative branch for about a decade at this point, so I am not entirely sure I can pin down one in particular. Something I have started to spend time learning, however, is the history of the legislative process, and by extension, the history of the people working in the legislature.

    One of my favorite anecdotes is that before the Russell Senate Office Building was named for Richard Russell, it was just called the Senate Office Building and Senator Harry Truman would joke that his constituents could address his mail to “Harry Truman S.O.B.” and the Post Office would know where to deliver it.

    One of the important things I have learned about the legislative process is that it is made up of all of the people who have worked and served here, not just the elected members. For example, last year I read the obituary of former Senate Committee on Foreign Relations staffer Bertie Bowman and immediately went in search of his autobiography. He started working at the Capitol in the 1940s when he was 13 years old and did not fully retire until 2021. His story of service to his country is just one example of why so many people have done this work over more than two centuries and serves as an inspiration for those of us currently doing it.

    What’s something most of your co-workers do not know about you?

    This is the opposite of something people do not know about me, I am telling everyone because it makes me laugh! I just got a kitten and I named him John Quincy Catams.

    John Quincy Catams, picture courtesy of Christy Amatos.

    Subscribe to In Custodia Legis – it’s free! – to receive interesting posts drawn from the Law Library of Congress’s vast collections and our staff’s expertise in U.S., foreign, and international law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Global Cloud Storage Market Expected to Reach $234 Billion By 2028 as Tech Stocks Chase Big Opportunities in Big Data

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PALM BEACH, Fla., Oct. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FN Media Group News Commentary – The cloud storage market is witnessing significant growth due to the expanding realms of IoT and big data. Cloud storage services offer an agile, flexible, and scalable model for data storage on the Internet, managed and operated by service providers. This model provides enterprises with advantages such as rapid deployment, scalability, reduced CAPEX, and uninterrupted business continuity. A report from MarketsAndMarkets projected that the global Cloud Storage Market size is expected to grow to USD $234.9 Billion by 2028 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 18.8% during the forecast period. The report said: “The rising investments by governments and investors in tailored Cloud Storage solutions offerings along with the increasing need for flexible, scalable, efficient storage and disaster recovery, backup solutions and services, are expected to drive the market growth. The demand across enterprises worldwide for Cloud Storage solutions in a shift to cloud-based technologies from on premises is expected to drive the market growth. Surge in demand to provide remote work force with omnipresent access to data and files has been a key driving factor to foster market adoption largely.” Active tech companies in the markets this week include: Scope Carbon Corp. (OTCQB: SCPCF) (CSE: SCPE), Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL), Snowflake (NYSE: SNOW), NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA), Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMD).

    MarketsAndMarkets continued: “Based on use cases, Backup & Recovery will hold the highest market share in the Cloud Storage market during the forecast period. Backup & Recovery is crucial in safeguarding data and ensuring business continuity. These applications are purpose-built to address the unique challenges of modern, dynamic, and often distributed IT environments. By seamlessly integrating with cloud technologies and containerized workloads, they provide a layer of resilience that protects data against loss, corruption, or disasters. These solutions enable organizations to efficiently create backups, perform granular recoveries, and maintain data integrity, thereby supporting cloud applications and services reliable and uninterrupted operation. In an era where data is a paramount asset, Backup & Recovery applications in cloud storage are indispensable for mitigating risks and ensuring the availability and integrity of critical information.”

    Scope Carbon Corp. (CSE: SCPE) (OTCQB: SCPCF) Launches Subscription Model for Round-Trip Encrypted, Quantum-Resilient Cloud Storage for Individuals and Small Businesses – Scope Carbon Corp. (“Scope” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce the official launch of its subscription model, now offering individuals and small businesses full access to its industry-leading round-trip encrypted and quantum-resilient decentralized cloud storage solutions.

    This launch builds on Scope Technologies’ commitment to providing top-tier, next-generation data security. With the QSE (Quantum Security Entropy) platform, individuals and small businesses can now leverage the same advanced encryption and decentralized storage infrastructure that Scope delivers to mid-sized and enterprise clients, ensuring their data remains safe from current and future cyber threats. The platform is designed for seamless scalability, allowing users to expand their storage and security needs as they grow, without compromising performance or protection. Additionally, QSE’s efficiency-driven model ensures competitive pricing, reflecting our ability to deliver premium security solutions with exceptional value. Readers are encouraged to visit Scope Technologies’ QSE platform at: https://www.qse.group/#services

    A New Era of Data Security for Individuals and Small Businesses

    Following the successful completion of platform updates and closed-group testing, individuals and small business users now have access to QSE’s cloud storage services, featuring:

    • Quantum-Proof Encryption: Utilizing quantum entropy to generate encryption keys that remain unbreakable, even by future quantum computing power.
    • Immutable, Decentralized Storage: A decentralized infrastructure ensures data is protected from ransomware, over-encryption, or tampering, offering a significant advantage over traditional cloud backups.
    • Seamless Integration: Easy-to-use APIs allow for quick setup and smooth integration with existing data systems, providing flexibility and scalability.
    • Accessible Pricing Plans: Tiered subscription options make enterprise-grade security affordable and accessible for both individuals and small businesses.

    “Data protection should not be a luxury,” said Sean Prescott, Founder and CTO of Scope Technologies Corp. “With this launch, we’re making the same round-trip, quantum-resistant encryption and decentralized storage vaults available to individuals and small businesses that we already provide to mid-sized and enterprise corporations. Now everyone can protect their data from today’s risks and the future challenges posed by quantum computing.” CONTINUED… Read this full release and more for Scope Technology at: https://www.financialnewsmedia.com/news-scpe/

    In other tech industry news of interest:

    Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ: ORCL) – To ease patient settlement and payment reconciliation, Oracle recently announced Oracle Health Payments. With the end-to-end payment solution, including gateway routing, processing, and acquiring under a single agreement, healthcare facilities can help reduce costly, unexpected service fees. It also makes it easier for patients to cover a copay, elective surgery, or an existing bill using a variety of payment options including, traditional chip and pin pay methods, or simply tapping to pay with the latest digital options including Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay.

    Payment processing costs can vary widely between payment providers, card brands, or payment types. Compliance and service fees can also make it difficult for healthcare facilities to estimate and factor these costs into their financial planning. Built on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), Oracle Health Payments offers a payment card industry (PCI)-compliant, fixed-rate pricing model with no additional service or convenience fees. Integrated with Oracle’s point-of-sale hardware and Oracle Health Patient Accounting, Oracle Health Payments uses end-to-end encryption and tokenization, empowering health systems to securely capture payments and automate revenue posting, which helps reduce fraud and collection costs.

    Snowflake (NYSE: SNOW), the AI Data Cloud company, recently announced the launch of the AI Data Cloud for Travel and Hospitality, uniting Snowflake’s data platform, AI capabilities, and industry-specific solutions to deliver best-in-class data insights for the travel and hospitality industry. Snowflake empowers airlines, hotels, cruise lines, and travel technology providers to harness data and artificial intelligence to improve operations and power five-star customer experiences across the sector.

    As the travel and hospitality industry transitions from recovery to stable growth, businesses face new challenges and opportunities. Snowflake is uniquely positioned to support this growth, offering a unified platform that streamlines AI and ML development, providing top-tier security and governance capabilities, and democratizing data access. With robust data collaboration capabilities and effortless scalability, Snowflake enables organizations to harness their data’s full potential.

    NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) recently announced that it has contributed foundational elements of its NVIDIA Blackwell accelerated computing platform design to the Open Compute Project (OCP) and broadened NVIDIA Spectrum-X™ support for OCP standards.

    At this year’s OCP Global Summit, NVIDIA will be sharing key portions of the NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 system electro-mechanical design with the OCP community — including the rack architecture, compute and switch tray mechanicals, liquid-cooling and thermal environment specifications, and NVIDIA NVLink™ cable cartridge volumetrics — to support higher compute density and networking bandwidth.

    NVIDIA has already made several official contributions to OCP across multiple hardware generations, including its NVIDIA HGX™ H100 baseboard design specification, to help provide the ecosystem with a wider choice of offerings from the world’s computer makers and expand the adoption of AI.

    Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMD) and Intel Corp. (INTC) recently announced the creation of an x86 ecosystem advisory group bringing together technology leaders to shape the future of the world’s most widely used computing architecture. x86 is uniquely positioned to meet customers’ emerging needs by delivering superior performance and seamless interoperability across hardware and software platforms. The group will focus on identifying new ways to expand the x86 ecosystem by enabling compatibility across platforms, simplifying software development, and providing developers with a platform to identify architectural needs and features to create innovative and scalable solutions for the future.

    For over four decades, x86 has served as the bedrock of modern computing, establishing itself as the preferred architecture in data centers and PCs worldwide. In today’s evolving landscape—characterized by dynamic AI workloads, custom chiplets, and advancements in 3D packaging and system architectures—the importance of a robust and expanding x86 ecosystem is more crucial than ever.

    About FN Media Group:

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    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Amplify ETFs Launches the Amplify Small-Mid Cap Equity ETF (NYSE Arca: SMAP)

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CHICAGO, Oct. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Amplify ETFs announces the launch of the actively managed Amplify Small-Mid Cap Equity ETF (NYSE Arca: SMAP), offering investors targeted exposure to high-quality U.S.-listed small- and mid-cap growth and value equity securities.

    SMAP seeks to invest in companies with market capitalizations between $400 million and the largest companies in the Russell 2500 Index, giving successful companies room to run into mid-cap without forced premature selling. Curi RMB Capital actively manages SMAP by using a proprietary economic return framework to identify attractively priced small- to mid-cap companies across all stages of the corporate lifecycle while building a portfolio diversified by corporate lifecycle stage and sector.

    “SMAP offers investors a compelling opportunity to capitalize on the growth potential of professionally selected small and mid-cap companies in a rate-cutting environment,” said Christian Magoon, CEO of Amplify ETFs. “The Curi RMB Capital team prides itself on a rigorous selection process in search of high-quality small- and mid-cap companies. SMAP is a natural complement to our growing suite of ETFs that meet the diverse needs of today’s investors.”

    Curi RMB Capital also runs the RMB SMID Cap Fund (RMBMX), a mutual fund with a 20-year track record. RMBMX is led by Christopher Faber, senior vice president and portfolio manager, who has a history of identifying market inefficiencies and uncovering high-growth potential small and mid-sized companies. Christopher Faber is also the lead portfolio manager for SMAP.

    “We are pleased to enter the ETF market with Amplify ETFs as our partner,” said Faber. “Market conditions are favorable for small- and mid-cap companies driven by lower rates, strong earnings potential and current valuations.”

    For more information about SMAP, visit AmplifyETFs.com/SMAP.

    About Amplify ETFs
    Amplify ETFs, sponsored by Amplify Investments, has over $10 billion in assets across its suite of ETFs (as of 10/11/2024). Amplify ETFs deliver expanded investment opportunities for investors seeking growth, income, and risk-managed strategies across a range of actively managed and index-based ETFs. To learn more visit AmplifyETFs.com.

    Carefully consider the Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses before investing. This and other information can be found in the Fund’s statutory and summary prospectuses, which may be obtained at AmplifyETFs.com. Read the prospectus carefully before investing.

    Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. The fund is new with limited operating history. You could lose money by investing in the Fund. There can be no assurance that the fund’s investment objectives will be achieved. Shares of any ETF are bought and sold at market price (not NAV), may trade at a discount or premium to NAV and are not individually redeemed from the Fund. Brokerage commissions will reduce returns.

    Investments in small and mid-cap companies may have limited liquidity and greater price volatility than large-capitalization companies.

    Amplify Investments LLC serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. Curi RMB LLC and Penserra Capital Management LLC each serve as investment sub-advisers to the Fund.

    Amplify ETFs are distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis partners with Michigan State Housing Development Authority to launch Rate Relief Mortgage Program

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In an effort to make homeownership more accessible and affordable in Michigan, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis (FHLBank Indianapolis or the Bank) and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) have created the MSHDA Rate Relief Mortgage Program to benefit low-income, first-time homebuyers in the state.

    This new program will allow qualified low-income first-time homebuyers to reduce the cost of their mortgage by one full percentage point if they finance through a MSHDA-approved lender that also is a Bank member. This will allow hundreds of Michigan’s first-time homebuyers to save money every month on their mortgage.

    “Every Michigander should be able to raise their family in a home they love,” said Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II. “That is why we have made historic investments to build or rehabilitate 34,000 housing units and announced the largest housing investment in state history. The MSHDA Rate Relief Mortgage program will lower the mortgage interest rate for eligible homebuyers by a full percentage point, saving families hundreds each year, keeping money in their pockets, and helping more Michigan families achieve their dream of homeownership. Let’s keep working together to build more affordable housing and create a brighter future for Michigan families.”

    FHLBank Indianapolis is supporting the program by purchasing a $50 million MSHDA bond (Series F), allowing Bank members the opportunity to sell single-family mortgage loans to MSHDA at below-market rates.

    “Everyone should have the opportunity to own a home,” said Cindy Konich, President and CEO of FHLBank Indianapolis. “That’s why the MSHDA Rate Relief Mortgage Program — and our growing partnership with MSHDA — is so important. It reflects our shared vision and values of providing affordable housing solutions, eliminates financing barriers, and opens the door to a brighter future for hundreds of first-time homebuyers in Michigan.”

    Amy Hovey, CEO and Executive Director of MSHDA, agreed.

    “This program is a game changer for Michigan families. Saving first-time homebuyers a full percentage point on their mortgages will make a big difference, helping more families make it in Michigan,” Hovey said.

    MSHDA’s Homeownership Division offers mortgages with competitive interest rates, connections to homebuyer education and counseling, and up to $10,000 in down-payment assistance. Last year, this team backed mortgages and down-payment assistance worth more than $728 million, helping 5,082 first-time homebuyers achieve access to this important wealth-building tool. The Michigan Legislature is currently considering House Bill 5032, which would eliminate the current cap of $224,500 on mortgages eligible for MSHDA support.

    Key facts about the program:

    • Who’s eligible? First-time homebuyers with a qualifying income at or below 80% of Area Median Income (AMI); a credit score of 640 or higher; and must work through an FHLBank Indianapolis member that is also a MSHDA-participating lender.
    • Other qualifications: New or existing single-family residences, including some types of manufactured homes; 30-year terms; and a maximum sales price limit of $224,500 (per Michigan law. Other restrictions may apply.)
    • Launch date: The program opened Oct. 21, 2024, and will continue until funds are depleted on a first-come, first-served basis.
    • How to apply: Interested first-time homebuyers can get more information at their local lending institution. FHLBank Indianapolis members can find more specifics on the Bank’s MemberLink portal and through the Bank’s direct member communications.

    Current MSHDA participating lenders who also are FHLBank Indianapolis members are below:

    • 1st State Bank
    • Adventure Credit Union
    • Bank of Ann Arbor
    • Case Credit Union
    • ChoiceOne Bank
    • Commercial Bank
    • Dart Bank
    • Dort Federal Credit Union
    • Financial Plus Credit Union
    • First Merchants Bank (Level One Bank)
    • Grand River Bank
    • Horizon Bank
    • Independent Bank
    • Kellogg Community Credit Union
    • Lake Michigan Credit Union
    • Macatawa Bank
    • Mercantile Bank of MI
    • Metro Community Development, Inc.
    • Michigan First Mortgage, a division of Michigan First Credit Union
    • Northland Area Credit Union
    • Northpointe Bank
    • Superior National Bank and Trust
    • United Bank of Michigan
    • United Federal Credit Union
    • University Bank
    • West Shore Bank
         

    This is the second housing partnership the Bank and MSHDA have created this year. In January, they jointly announced the launch of the Tribal Nations Housing Development Assistance Program (TNHDAP). That program is aimed at building on tribal nations’ existing capacity and providing resources and support to develop affordable housing programs and projects that respond to their unique housing needs. FHLBank Indianapolis is supporting the program with a grant of up to $3 million.

    Media contacts:
    FHLBank Indianapolis Corporate Communications
    Scott Thien, Sr. Communications Lead
    sthien@fhlbi.com

    Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA)
    Katie Bach, Communications Director
    Partnerships and Engagement Division
    BachK@michigan.gov

    About Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis:
    FHLBank Indianapolis is a regional bank in the Federal Home Loan Bank System. FHLBanks are government-sponsored enterprises created by Congress to provide access to low-cost funding for their member financial institutions, with particular attention paid to providing solutions that support the housing and small business needs of members’ customers. FHLBanks are privately capitalized and funded, and they receive no Congressional appropriations. One of 11 independent regional cooperative banks across the U.S., FHLBank Indianapolis is owned by its Indiana and Michigan financial institution members, including commercial banks, credit unions, insurance companies, savings institutions and community development financial institutions. For more information about FHLBank Indianapolis, visit http://www.fhlbi.com and follow the Bank on LinkedIn, and Instagram and X at @FHLBankIndy.

    About MSHDA
    The Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), established in 1966, provides financial and technical assistance through public and private partnerships to create and preserve safe and decent affordable housing, engage in community economic development activities, develop vibrant cities, towns and villages, and address homeless issues.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Humans of Samsung: Embracing Mindfulness on a Transformative Journey to Korea

    Source: Samsung

    On July 14, 2024, I stepped off the plane in Seoul, South Korea, and I couldn’t help but feel a mix of excitement, curiosity, and nervousness. I was about to embark on a journey that would touch me both professionally and personally as part of the pilot Samsung Ambassador Program. Little did I know that this trip would not only deepen my understanding of Samsung’s rich history, philosophy, and leadership but also introduce me to some of the kindest, most passionate, and most dedicated individuals from around the world.
    My first day started promptly at 8 a.m. on July 15th. The Ambassador Program participants gathered in front of the hotel, awaiting a shuttle bus that would take us to Samsung University. After about an hour-long ride, we arrived at the campus, which is nestled near Everland in Yongin, Gyeonggi, roughly an hour outside of Seoul. The university grounds were perfectly manicured, with trees that resembled huge bonsais and wild peacocks basking in the sunlight. The natural beauty of the surroundings was stunning, especially since we were just outside one of the largest urban areas in the world. From the moment we arrived, I was struck by the warmth and hospitality of the Samsung University team.

    As we gathered in the “Vision Hall,” one of the main training rooms at the university, we quickly dove into the program following introductions. There was no time like the present! While we learned about Samsung’s commitment to innovation, quality, and customer satisfaction, it was the kindness, generosity, and warmth of my fellow ambassadors that truly left a permanent mark on my heart.
    Throughout the week-long program, we explored Samsung’s fascinating history, its humble beginnings, its visionary leadership, and the guiding principles that have propelled the company to global success. We engaged in thought-provoking discussions, hands-on workshops, and an exclusive tour of the Samsung Guide Dog School, founded by late chairman Lee Kun-hee in June 1993. The school, which supports the visually impaired, as well as therapy and search-and-rescue efforts, proudly celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2023.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Afreximbank Signs term Sheet for US$3Million Facility for Mediwood Studios’ Expansion

    Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

    ALGIERS, Algeria, October 23, 2024/APO Group/ —

     African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) and Mediwood Studios in Tunisia have signed a Term Sheet for a US$3 million facility aimed to Strengthen Mediwood’s position as a key contributor to the growth of the Tunisian film industry.  

    As part of the agreement, signed on 19 October 2024 on the sidelines of the just concluded Creative Africa Nexus Weekend (CANEX WKND) 2024, Mediwood Studios will use the proceeds of the term loan facility for the expansion of its studio facilities so as to showcase Tunisia as a filmmaking destination and provide world class facilities for both domestic and international productions in the Middle East and North Africa. 

    Signing the Term Sheet on behalf of Afreximbank was Mrs. Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President, Intra-African Trade Bank, and Mr. Mehdi Ajroudi, Chief Executive Officer of Mediwood Studios, on behalf of his company. 

    Commenting on the deal, Mrs. Awani stated that Afreximbank was committed to ensuring that Africa’s creative economy remained relevant on the global stage while enhancing economic integration, job creation and bridging of cultural divides. 

    “By enhancing Tunisia’s filmmaking infrastructure, we hope to attract international productions, foster local talent and promote authentic regional narratives, thereby reinforcing Africa’s cultural influence globally. This is part of our mandate to support Africa’s creative industries through the CANEX Programme. The expansion of Mediwood Tunisia’s studio facilities will position Tunisia as an attractive hub for domestic and international film productions, enhancing the country’s visibility and appeal to global filmmakers and support the promotion of Africa’s narratives and talent.” 

    Mr. Ajroudi, on his part, said that the expanded studio facilities would foster job creation and skills development across pre-production, production and post-production activities as the world-class infrastructure would accommodate large-scale productions capable of stimulating economic activity in Tunisia’s creative sector.  

    “At Mediwood Studios, we believe it’s time for Africa to become the storyteller – sharing our heritage, dreams, and voices with the world,” he said. 

    The four-day CANEX WKND 2024, organised by Afreximbank was held from October 16 to 19 under the theme “One People, United in Culture, Creating for the World” and was attended by almost 4,000 participants — representing a diversity of creative sectors from across Africa. 

    It featured live performances, speeches by industry leaders and experts, masterclass sessions, fashion shows, sporting events, high energy music concerts and gastronomical showcases alongside a vibrant market and exhibition. 

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-Evening Report: This Atlanta neighborhood hired a case manager to address rising homelessness − and it’s improving health and safety for everyone

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ishita Chordia, Ph.D. Candidate in Information Science, University of Washington

    Mural by artist Chris Wright on Metropolitan Avenue in East Atlanta. Art Rudick/Atlanta Street Art Map, CC BY-ND

    Homelessness has surged across the United States in recent years, rising 19% from 2016 though 2023. The main cause is a severe shortage of affordable housing. Rising homelessness has renewed debates about use of public space and how encampments affect public safety.

    The U.S. Supreme Court recently weighed in on these debates with its 2024 decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson. The court’s ruling grants cities the authority to prohibit individuals from sleeping and camping in public spaces, effectively condoning the use of fines and bans to address rising rates of homelessness.

    East Atlanta Village, a historically Black neighborhood in Atlanta with about 3,000 residents, is trying something different. In the fall of 2023, with support from the Atlanta City Council, the mayor’s office and Intown Cares, a local nonprofit that works to alleviate homelessness and hunger, the neighborhood hired a full-time social worker to support people experiencing homelessness.

    Michael Nolan, an Intown Cares social worker, is trained in an approach that emphasizes individual autonomy and dignity, recognizes that being homeless is a traumatic experience, and prioritizes access to housing. His role includes helping individuals get the documentation they need to move off the streets, such as copies of their birth certificates and Social Security cards. He also has a dedicated phone line that community members can use to alert him about dangerous situations that involve homeless people.

    Michael Nolan, East Atlanta Village’s social worker, spends 40-plus hours weekly providing supplies, services and other help to people experiencing homelessness.

    I am a researcher at the University of Washington studying programs and technologies that help urban neighborhoods flourish. I’m also a resident of East Atlanta Village and have helped the neighborhood organize and evaluate this experiment.

    For the past year, my colleagues and I have collected data about the neighborhood social work program to understand how well it can support both people without housing and the broader community. Our preliminary findings suggest that neighborhood social work is a promising way to address challenges common in many neighborhoods with homelessness.

    I believe this approach has the potential to provide long-term solutions to homelessness and improve the health and safety for the entire neighborhood. I also see it as a sharp contrast with the punitive approach condoned by the Supreme Court.

    Resolving conflicts over public space

    One of the people I interviewed while evaluating this initiative was Rebecca, a resident of East Atlanta Village who walks her dog in the local park every day. In the fall of 2023, she noticed that a man had moved into the park and set up a tent. At first, the area was clean, but within a few weeks there was garbage around the tent and throughout the park.

    Rebecca felt that the trash was ruining one of the few green spaces in the neighborhood. She decided to contact Nolan. Nolan told her that he knew the unhoused man, was working with him to secure permanent housing and in the meantime would help him move his tent to a less-frequented space.

    Such negotiations around public spaces are common challenges for neighborhoods with large homeless populations, especially in dense urban areas. Other examples in our data included conflicts when a homeless person began sleeping in his car outside another resident’s home, and when a homeless man wandered into a homeowner’s yard.

    The standard approach in these situations is to fine, ban or imprison the unhoused individual. But those strategies are expensive, can prolong homelessness and do little to actually resolve the issues.

    In contrast, hiring a social worker has enabled East Atlanta Village to resolve conflicts gently, through conversation and negotiation. The solutions address concerns about public health and safety and also offer people without homes an opportunity for long-term change.

    Meeting basic needs

    Over the past year, this program has helped 13 people move into housing. Nolan has facilitated over 180 medical and mental health care visits for people living on the street.

    Eighty-six people have been connected to Medicaid, food assistance or Social Security benefits. Thirty-five people have health care for the first time, and six people have started receiving medication for their addictions.

    Research shows that addressing people’s basic needs by helping them obtain food, medicine, housing and other necessities not only supports those individuals but also produces cascading benefits for the entire community. They include reduced inequality, better health outcomes and lower crime rates.

    Managing mental and behavioral health

    Studies have found that about two-thirds of unhoused individuals struggle with mental health challenges. Unmet mental and behavioral health needs can contribute to unsafe and illegal behavior.

    The United States does not have a comprehensive system in place for supporting people who are living on the street and struggling with chronic mental and behavioral health challenges. While much more infrastructure is needed, in East Atlanta Village, Nolan is able to check in on people experiencing homelessness, work with clinics to deliver medication for addiction and mental health needs and alert community members about dangerous situations.

    As an example, in December 2023 a homeless man was arrested in East Atlanta Village for trespassing, stealing mail and other erratic behavior. When concerned residents posted to the neighborhood Facebook group, Nolan responded that he knew the man well, that this behavior was not typical and that he would look into the situation.

    Nolan later updated his post, commenting that the man had been arrested but that he would “continue to follow up and ensure that his current behaviors do not return upon his release.”

    In other examples, Nolan has helped de-escalate situations when people experienced mental health episodes in local coffee shops and churches.

    A model for other cities

    Cities around the U.S. have decisions to make about addressing homelessness and its associated challenges. Neighborhood social work is not a magic bullet, but my colleagues and I see it as a promising approach to address the most common challenges that neighborhoods with high rates of homelessness face.

    East Atlanta Village is currently working with the Atlanta City Council to renew funding for this program, which cost US$100,000 in its initial year. We hope that other neighborhoods also consider this strategy when deciding how to address homelessness in their own areas.

    Ishita Chordia is affiliated with the East Atlanta Neighborhood Association. She volunteers for the neighborhood association and has helped organize and evaluate the neighborhood social work program.

    – ref. This Atlanta neighborhood hired a case manager to address rising homelessness − and it’s improving health and safety for everyone – https://theconversation.com/this-atlanta-neighborhood-hired-a-case-manager-to-address-rising-homelessness-and-its-improving-health-and-safety-for-everyone-236466

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What’s in a pantsuit? Kamala Harris’ and Donald Trump’s fashion choices say a lot about their personalities − and vision for the future

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Therèsa M. Winge, Fashion Professor, Michigan State University

    Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have very different policy positions and political approaches − as well as fashion choices. Jacquelyn Martin/pool/AFP via Getty Images and Win McNamee/Getty Images

    Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Republican contender Donald Trump could not be more different – and this split between them extends far beyond politics and into their fashion choices.

    While Harris tends to wear form-fitting pantsuits and feminine tops, Trump opts for ill-fitting, boxy, navy suits and long red ties.

    All American politicians often wear American flag pins on their lapels, as well as red, white and blue clothing. But my research shows how fashion plays an important, symbolic role in politics that goes far beyond patriotism. A person’s appearance reflects their identity and how they want others to perceive them.

    It makes sense that political campaigns often work with professional stylists to dress and style their top candidates, as a way to define and reflect politicians’ different personalities, identities and policy positions.

    Kamala Harris arrives to speak at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 22, 2024, wearing a dark blue pantsuit.
    Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

    Harris’ professional, feminine look

    Harris typically wears an updated version of Hillary Clinton’s famous power pantsuits.

    While Clinton’s pantsuits during the 2016 presidential campaign had rigid silhouettes that did not show the shape of her body, Harris’ pantsuits are more relaxed and less formal.

    As a senator, Harris, alongside other Democratic female politicians, wore a white pantsuit to commemorate and celebrate the suffragettes.

    Harris now typically wears dark, bold hues, almost monochromatic ensembles, with either dark high heels or sneakers.

    At the Democratic National Convention in August 2024, Harris accepted the presidential nomination wearing a perhaps unsurprising navy blue pantsuit with the standard politician’s American flag pin on the lapel. She topped off the look with medium-heel dress shoes and a dark blue pussycat bow blouse, sometimes also called a lavallière. The pussycat bow blouse, which was popularized in the 1970s among professional women, is a feminine version of a traditional tie.

    This type of tie has a soft, floppy bow at the neck that can be tied in numerous ways.

    Harris’ decision to regularly wear pussycat bow blouses shows that she has a feminine flair, and it’s also a nod to past feminist icons who wore that type of bow.

    When Harris wears sneakers – which are often Chuck Taylors – with a pantsuit, it reminds me of how the actress Helen Hunt’s character wore practical commuter sneakers with business clothing in the 1990s and 2000s “Mad About You” TV series.

    The unlikely combination of a pantsuit with sneakers shows that Harris is a busy, professional woman – who is also youthful, energetic and relatable to other women.

    Walz’s American dad style

    Tim Walz speaks at a campaign rally in Volant, Pa., on Oct. 15, 2024, wearing one of his signature flannel shirts.
    Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

    Harris’ running mate, Tim Walz, has also received public attention for his clothing choices.

    At the Democratic National Convention in August, former President Barack Obama remarked about Walz regularly wearing plaid, flannel shirts. “You can tell those flannel shirts he wears don’t come from some political consultant. They come from his closet, and they have been through some stuff,” Obama said.

    Walz’s typical outfits, including plaid shirts, jeans and a well-worn suit with the shirt collar unbuttoned and no tie, signals that he is authentic and relatable to the average American.

    This unofficial uniform also helps cement the public perception of Walz as an archetypal American coach and dad.

    The Harris-Walz campaign has capitalized on Walz’s image by selling merchandise that seems like something out of his closet.

    The campaign’s camouflage hat, which spells out “HARRIS WALZ” in a bold, orange font, has become an extremely popular item – selling out and resulting in the manufacturer scrambling to find materials and sewing machines to make more hats.

    Donald Trump and JD Vance attend a 9/11 remembrance ceremony at the World Trade Center at Ground Zero in New York City on Sept. 11, 2024.
    Adam Gray/AFP via Getty Images

    Vance’s and Trump’s aesthetics

    Republican politicians also show who they are, or who they want to be, through their fashion choices. Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance, for example, has noticeably changed his appearance from when he first became involved in politics a few years ago to when he became a senator in 2023.

    In 2017, Vance often wore jeans, a button-down, open-collar shirt and an unbuttoned blazer during his book tour. When he was elected as a senator in 2023, he began wearing suits and ties.

    More recently, Vance began dressing in the unofficial Make America Great Again uniform, consisting of a tailored dark blue suit, red tie and white shirt with dark shoes. With this outfit choice, Vance is wrapping himself in red, white and blue, referencing the American flag and signaling his patriotism.

    Trump wears a nearly identical political uniform that has become instantly recognizable and closely associated with conservative politicians.

    When Trump selected Vance as his running mate in July 2024, Vance also dyed his gray hair to brown to possibly appear more youthful. Perhaps it became more important for Vance to appear younger after 81-year-old President Joe Biden stepped down from the Democratic ticket and 60-year-old Harris became the presidential candidate.

    Beyond the campaign, in February 2024, Trump released 1,000 pairs of limited edition high-top sneakers called “Never Surrender.” These shoes, which quickly sold out, were covered in gaudy, gold lamé and had an American flag printed around the collar of the sneakers.

    I recently found several examples of pairs of Trump sneakers for sale on eBay and other online shops for thousands of dollars.

    People at a Trump rally in Las Vegas hold a pair of his gold sneakers on Sept. 13, 2024.
    Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

    Fashion on both sides

    Harris’ monochromatic blouses and pantsuit with sneakers combination, alongside Walz’s Midwestern dad outfits, will likely help the campaign’s effort for its candidates to appear as relatable to many working class voters and women.

    Likewise, Trump’s classic MAGA red hat and tie, in addition to Vance’s similar uniform of navy blue suit, white button-down shirt and red tie, evoke their focus on masculine conservatism.

    The candidates’ styles don’t tell voters any details about campaign promises or political policies, but they do give an idea of who the candidates think they are.

    Therèsa M. Winge 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. What’s in a pantsuit? Kamala Harris’ and Donald Trump’s fashion choices say a lot about their personalities − and vision for the future – https://theconversation.com/whats-in-a-pantsuit-kamala-harris-and-donald-trumps-fashion-choices-say-a-lot-about-their-personalities-and-vision-for-the-future-240084

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠ Harris Administration Announces $110 Million in Awards from ARPA-H’s Sprint for Women’s Health to Accelerate New Discoveries and  Innovation

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden created the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research to fundamentally change how our nation approaches and funds women’s health research. Despite making up more than half the population, women have historically been understudied and underrepresented in health research. Since its launch in November 2023, the Initiative has made significant investments to close gaps in research on women’s health—from menopause-related conditions to endometriosis to auto-immune conditions to cardiovascular disease—so that we can improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases and conditions that affect women uniquely, disproportionately, and differently.
    Today in Las Vegas, Nevada, the First Lady will announce $110 million in awards from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to accelerate transformative research and development in women’s health. President Biden established ARPA-H, a new research and development funding agency, with bipartisan Congressional support to generate high-impact biomedical and health breakthroughs. In February 2024, the First Lady launched ARPA-H’s Sprint for Women’s Health, the first major deliverable of the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research. Over the last 10 months, ARPA-H received an unprecedented response to this call for solutions for women’s health, with over 1,700 submissions across 45 states and D.C. as well as 34 countries.
    In less than a year, the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research has galvanized nearly a billion dollars in funding for women’s health research, including the First Lady’s recent announcement of $500 million from the U.S. Department of Defense and $200 million from the National Institutes of Health. Additionally, in his State of the Union address, President Biden called on Congress to make a bold, transformative investment of $12 billion in new funding for women’s health research. President Biden also signed a first-of-its-kind Executive Order on Advancing Women’s Health Research and Innovation, directing the most comprehensive set of executive actions ever taken to expand and improve research on women’s health. Through the Initiative, federal agencies have committed to taking over 100 actions to prioritize investments in women’s health research and integrate women’s health across the federal research portfolio.
    Accelerating Progress in Women’s Health Research
    Today’s ARPA-H awardees will spur innovation and advance high-impact, novel approaches to diseases and conditions that affect women uniquely, disproportionately, and differently. Today’s awardees are working across a range of women’s health issues—from pursuing new ways to prevent, detect, and treat cardiovascular conditions, ovarian cancer, endometriosis, neurological diseases, and pain in women to developing next-generation approaches to menopause, migraines, obstetrics, and gynecological care.
    One-quarter of today’s awardees are pursuing “launchpad” projects, meaning those projects have the potential for commercialization within two years. The remaining awardees are pursuing “spark” projects that are in the early stage of research. ARPA-H’s support for these projects will help ensure that women and their health care providers can soon benefit from the research investments being made today.
    The $110 million in ARPA-H awards announced today across 23 teams fund bold and transformative women’s health solutions, including:
    Aspira Women’s Health Inc. of Shelton, Connecticut will receive $10 million to create a first-of-its-kind definitive, non-invasive blood test to diagnose endometriosis. Endometriosis is a debilitating condition that affects about 1 in 10 women and often takes years and surgery to be diagnosed. Aspira Women’s Health Inc. aims to reduce the time it takes to diagnose endometriosis from years to days while helping health care providers identify the most appropriate treatment option for each woman’s needs.
    Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Inc. of Boston, Massachusetts will receive $9.1 million to improve our ability to assess brain disorders in women through a novel non-invasive MRI imaging biomarker. Even though conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and multiple sclerosis disproportionately affect women, there are significant gaps in our knowledge about how to prevent, detect, and treat these conditions in women. By developing a novel and non-invasive MRI technology to measure a specific brain protein, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Inc. will advance our understanding of, and improve treatments for, brain disorders in women.
    Children’s Research Institute of Washington, DC—through its research arm on families—will receive $8.1 million to develop a novel way to assess chronic pain in women. Women experience pain differently than men which can lead health care providers to underestimate and undertreat this pain, resulting in prolonged suffering, delayed diagnosis and treatment, and a reluctance to seek medical care. Despite this need, there is currently no objective, quantitative indicator of chronic pain in women. Children’s Research Institute aims to fill this gap by studying how a woman’s eyes react to external stimulation, which is directly related to how she perceives pain.
    Gravidas Diagnostics, Inc. of Los Angeles, California will receive $3 million to create a first-of-its-kind at-home test to revolutionize our ability to detect early preeclampsia, a leading cause of maternal mortality and morbidity. By making it easier to identify preeclampsia quickly, Gravidas Diagnostics Inc.’s new low-cost fingerstick test would help women and their doctors get the information they need sooner to reduce pregnancy-related complications and improve maternal and child health.
    The University of Iowa will receive $10 million to revolutionize the treatment for late-stage and metastatic ovarian cancer by using personalized nanoparticles to boost a woman’s immune system. More than half of women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed only after the cancer has metastasized, making it harder to treat and reducing survival rates. Leveraging nanotechnology, the University of Iowa will engineer personalized nanoparticles to use a woman’s own immune system to attack multiple cancers and help more women get the treatment they need to live longer.
    The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill) will receive $3 million to improve our ability to treat migraines in women. Women are more likely than men to suffer from migraines, which can be extremely debilitating. UNC-Chapel Hill will study the lymphatic system to better understand why women are more susceptible to migraines than men—with the goal of treating migraines with new drugs specifically targeting the brain lymphatics and developing personalized treatments to reduce women’s debilitating migraines.
    Additional information and a full list of awardees is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK commits additional £3 million to bolster aid to Syria

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The UK has announced an additional £3 million to bolster aid to Syria.

    • FCDO will provide emergency healthcare and protection assistance to women and girls fleeing the conflict in Lebanon.
    • £3m package to support those most in need, as 400,000 people are displaced into Syria due to conflict in Lebanon.
    • Minister for Development Anneliese Dodds continues UK call for displaced civilians to be protected and given safe passage away from the violence.

    The most vulnerable civilians fleeing the Lebanon conflict into Syria will be provided with life-saving emergency assistance and healthcare, as the UK boosts its humanitarian support with a £3 million package.

    Taking refuge from the escalating conflict, more than 400,000 people – over half of whom are women and children – are estimated by the UN to have been displaced from Lebanon into Syria since September. The majority of those who have been displaced are Syrians, who initially fled to Lebanon after the Syrian civil war which began in 2014.

    The UK funding will help trusted aid organisations to deliver immediate healthcare at border crossings, including trauma and injury support, as well as targeted protection assistance for women and girls.

    Minister for Development Anneliese Dodds said:

    The humanitarian situation in Lebanon and the wider Middle East is extremely concerning. It is critical that vulnerable civilians fleeing the conflict in Lebanon are given safe passage, and for their lives to be protected.

    Today’s package of emergency assistance will provide support to those most in need as they continue to risk their lives to make this dangerous journey.

    Of the £3 million in funding, £2 million has been allocated to the UN OCHA led Syria Humanitarian Fund, with £500,000 given to both the International Medical Corps UK and UNFPA.

    International Medical Corps UK Country Director Wafaa Sadek said:

    This new contribution builds on the generous support from the FCDO, helping the International Medical Corps to deliver essential healthcare and humanitarian aid to people crossing from Lebanon into Syria.

    Thanks to FCDO funding, International Medical Corps has already deployed three Mobile Medical Teams to address the growing needs—one serving Damascus and Rural Damascus, another covering Latakia and Tartous, and a third focusing on Hama and Homs governorates.

    This announcement follows more than £4 billion of funding that the UK has contributed since 2011 in lifesaving and life-sustaining assistance for the victims of the crisis in Syria – its largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.

    In Lebanon, we have already announced £10 million of aid to respond to a widespread lack of shelter, and reduced access to clean water, hygiene and healthcare. This is in addition to £5 million already provided to UNICEF. The government is also supporting the DEC Middle East Humanitarian Appeal, with the government aid matching up to £10 million raised by the public. 

    The UK is clear that a wider regional conflict must be avoided at all costs and is committed to working with partners to secure a ceasefire on all sides.

    Notes to Editors:

    • Today’s allocation of funding comes from the UK’s annual Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) package for Syria, which is totalled at £97m for FY 24-25.
    • In addition, £6m will be released from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) – to which the UK contributes centrally and is a leading donor– for the UN response to new arrivals from Lebanon in Syria.
    • Syria remains an unsafe destination for vulnerable people, including Syrian refugees, who should only return to Syria voluntarily in a safe and dignified manner.
    • UK commits additional £10 million of aid to Lebanon – GOV.UK

    Media enquiries

    Email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk

    Telephone 020 7008 3100

    Contact the FCDO Communication Team via email (monitored 24 hours a day) in the first instance, and we will respond as soon as possible.

    Updates to this page

    Published 23 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Lord Mayor of London’s Dinner for HM Judges 2024: Lord Chancellor’s Speech

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    At this annual event for HM Judges the Rt Hon Shabana Mahmood MP spoke about the importance of prisons in maintaining the rule of law.

    Location:
    Mansion House
    Delivered on:
    (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered)

    Political content has been removed from this transcript

    My Lord Mayor, Lady Mayoress, my Lady Chief Justice, members of His Majesty’s judiciary, ladies and gentlemen.

    I want to thank Michael [Mainelli, Lord Mayor] and Elisabeth [Reuß, Lady Mayoress] for hosting us this evening…

    And express my gratitude for their year of service to the City of London…

    I am looking forward to welcoming the next Lord Mayor, Alastair King, in a ceremony at the House of Lords on Monday.

    As the first Muslim Lord Chancellor, I’m afraid I won’t partake in sipping port from the Loving Cups…

    But I am looking forward to the shortbread.

    Let me say what an honour it is to be here for the first time as Lord Chancellor.

    Unlike most of my 11 predecessors across the last 14 years…

    It will not also be my last.

    I understand that, in the past, my predecessors have peppered these speeches with humour.

    But you may have seen the very serious announcements that I made earlier today…

    And so, sadly, this is not a time for levity.

    Instead, I want to take this opportunity to explain why I had to make them and what they mean.  

    But let me start with something that should never be contentious: the rule of law.

    My parents came to the UK just a few decades ago…

    Leaving a country created by partition. 

    They were so-called ‘Mangla Dam affectees’…

    A people whose land was seized and then flooded by an overbearing and unaccountable state.

    But when they came here, to Britain…

    They found a home where no one is above the law – not even a government… 

    And where no one can fall below it either.

    It was that inheritance…

    And an argumentative disposition…

    That led me to the bar…

    And left me with an enduring belief in the sanctity of the rule of law…

    The most enduring of British values.

    That defines who we are and how our country works.

    Here, the law rules, not the mob…

    And our disagreements are resolved through the careful crafting of arguments.

    This Great British value is also of great value to Britain…

    Underpinning our economy…

    Giving businesses, large and small, the confidence to trade….

    In the knowledge that any disputes that arise will be settled fairly.

    In every instance, those who come before the courts…

    Know that their case will be decided on the facts by learned judges – by you…

    And that those judgments will be done without interference or commentary…

    From politicians like me or my colleagues.

    The oath that I swore when I took this job: to respect the rule of law and defend the independence of the judiciary…

    Is one that I take extremely seriously.

    It was at the forefront of my mind when I was appointed as Lord Chancellor.

    Our prisons were not just in crisis…

    They were on the point of collapse.

    Weeks away from running out of space altogether.

    And had that happened, the consequences are hard to contemplate:

    The police unable to make arrests…

    Your courts forced to cancel trials.

    Justice would have come to a grinding halt.

    As my officials explained the enormity of the situation…

    My oath rang in my ears.

    Would I be the Lord Chancellor who days after swearing to uphold the rule of law…

    Oversaw the breakdown of law and order?

    I had no choice but to take drastic action…

    To make sure the justice system could continue to function…

    Anything else would have been a betrayal of my constitutional duty.

    I simply could not allow that to happen.

    So, I took the decision to bring forward the release point for some prisoners serving standard determinate sentences…

    From the usual 50 percent to 40 percent…

    Spending the remainder on strict licence conditions in the community.

    The first releases happened in September and more took place today.

    Given the disgraceful disorder just a few weeks after we took office, the necessity of that decision was soon apparent.

    At one point, the prison places remaining in the adult male estate…

    Fell into double figures.

    And let me place on record, once again, my deepest thanks for all that you did this summer…

    Handing down justice, swiftly, to those responsible.

    I have no doubt at all that your work brought that disorder to a halt.

    The measures that I was forced to take…

    To bring our prisons back from the brink…

    Were not a long-term solution.

    So today, in parliament, I set out a long-term plan for our prisons…

    To ensure the scenes that we have witnessed today, of the emergency release of prisoners, are never witnessed again.

    And that starts by building more prisons.

    But we must be honest:  

    We cannot build our way out of this crisis.

    This isn’t a matter of ideology.

    It is simple mathematics.

    Every year, our prison population grows by around 4,500 prisoners…

    To keep up with that demand would require us to build the equivalent of HMP Birmingham, in my own constituency, four and a half times over, every single year.  

    We simply cannot build that fast.

    For that reason, I have today launched a landmark review of sentencing.

    It will have one clear goal:

    To ensure we are never again in a position where we have more prisoners than space in our prisons.

    The review will follow 3 principles:

    First, sentences must punish offenders and protect the public.

    For dangerous offenders, prison will always remain the answer.

    Punishment and public protection will be this government’s first priority.

    There will be dangerous offenders who must always receive a custodial sentence…

    And there must always be space in our prisons for them.

    The second principle of the review is that sentences must encourage offenders to turn their backs on lives of crime.

    The system needs both sticks and carrots.

    In this, I will be encouraging the reviewers to learn from those who have succeeded in other jurisdictions.

    The third principle of the review will be to expand punishment that offenders receive outside of prison.

    There are already ways that we severely constrain offenders…

    Limiting their freedom outside of prison.

    Those under Home Detention Curfews are, in practice, under a highly effective form of house arrest.

    And sobriety tags enforce teetotalism almost as strict as my own.

    And we must explore how the next generation of technology can ensure the eyes of the state follow an offender on the outside…

    As closely – or even more so – than a prison officer, on the inside.

    Moving punishment out of prison – for those who can be safely managed there – has huge benefits:

    Outside of prison, offenders can engage in work that pays back the communities and individuals who they have harmed.

    And the evidence is clear that those who serve their sentences outside prison are far less likely to reoffend…

    Making our streets safer…

    And reducing the cost to society of reoffending, which has been most recently valued at over £22bn a year.

    I am pleased to say that the review will be led by a former Lord Chancellor, David Gauke…

    A highly regarded Minister who served in multiple roles across government…

    And who I know earned the trust and respect of many of you in the room this evening.

    I will work with him to assemble a panel of reviewers who will draw together deep expertise and experience in the criminal justice system…

    Including judicial colleagues.

    And the review will take a bipartisan and evidence-based look at an issue that has – for far too long – been a political football, booted around by both sides.

    David Gauke will report back with his recommendations in the Spring…

    And I look forward to discussing them with the senior judiciary then.

    I know that for many in this room, it may seem like this government is preoccupied with what is happening in our prisons…

    Where an acute crisis could easily shroud the great challenges that we face across our justice system.

    I want you to know that I fully recognise all of those challenges…

    I know our courts backlogs are at historic highs…

    That, for far too many victims, justice delayed now means justice denied.

    I know you are working under immense pressure…

    In the delivery of justice…

    And in the defence of the rule of law.

    This government will support you.

    Speaking before a budget, my lips are – by necessity – sealed.

    But let me say this:

    This government will pursue the hard work of restoring and reforming our justice system.

    We will support you in delivering justice more swiftly…

    We will promote this country’s standing as a global beacon of the rule of law…

    And we will back our legal sector, which is so vital to this government’s mission to kickstart economic growth.

    All this, I must acknowledge, will take time.

    I know that you have grown weary of the merry-go-round of Lord Chancellors…

    Holding this ancient office for the blink of an eye…

    With every judges’ dinner yet another introduction…

    More warm words and bromides from the new Lord Chancellor…

    Who promises the world but goes out with a whimper.

    This time, it will be different.

    I am a Lord Chancellor who is here for the long haul.

    I won’t hide the difficulty of the job at hand.

    But nor will I resile from the hard work of pursuing it.

    I will, I must admit, need your support along the way.

    When times are good…

    And when we agree…

    We will support each other.

    And when we disagree, as I am sure we will on occasion…

    We must be frank with each other, albeit in private…

    Always critical friends in the pursuit of a shared endeavour.

    As I mentioned earlier, the rule of law runs strongly through my background.

    My parents did not study Magna Carta, Habeas Corpus and the Bill of Rights, as I would go on to do.  

    But they had a strong sense when they arrived here from rural Kashmir…

    That this country was different…

    Because it has rules to which all people are subject.

    That inheritance from my parents only grew stronger…

    As I went on to practise and was then elected to Parliament.  

    My personal commitment to the rule of law is something you should never doubt.  

    I hope I have shown already that I am willing to take the difficult and even unpopular decisions required to ensure that justice can be done in this country.

    It is a habit I intend to keep…

    As we, together, uphold the rule of law and promote justice…

    Through a period of great challenge, but also of great opportunity.

    It is an honour to be here with you this evening, as we embark upon it.

    Which leaves me only to thank our gracious hosts, who have brought us here together…

    So let’s raise our glasses and toast:

    The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress!  

    Thank you.

    Updates to this page

    Published 23 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Passage of rating bill welcomed

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Government welcomed the passage of the Rating (Amendment) Bill 2024 by the Legislative Council today, which gives effect to the progressive rating system for domestic tenements.

    The bill will take effect from the fourth quarter of this financial year, ie January to March 2025, to uphold the “affordable users pay” principle.

    Starting from the fourth quarter, domestic tenements with a rateable value (RV) of $550,000 or below will continue to be charged rates at 5% of the RV. For domestic tenements with an RV exceeding $550,000, rates will be charged at the same rate of 5% for the first $550,000, 8% for the next $250,000, and 12% for the remaining RV.

    Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui said the progressive rating system endeavours to strike a balance between upholding the “affordable users pay” principle and minimising the number of ratepayers affected.

    Mr Hui noted in formulating the progressive rating system, the Government has taken into account a basket of factors, including the affordability of ratepayers of domestic tenements, the market rentals as reflected in the RV, the number of affected ratepayers and the amount of additional rates to be paid, the estimated increase in revenue from rates as well as the fundamental principle of maintaining a simple rating system.

    He said the progressive rating system is part of the Government’s comprehensive fiscal consolidation programme. It is expected that government revenue will increase by about $820 million each year.

    The affected domestic tenements account for about 1.9% of the total number of private domestic tenements in Hong Kong, Mr Hui added.

    Non-domestic tenements, including those used for business activities or social services, will not be subject to the progressive rating system.

    The bill will be gazetted on November 1.

    The Rating & Valuation Department will inform the affected ratepayers, and the quarterly demands to be issued in the fourth quarter of this financial year will reflect the progressive rates for applicable cases.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA Quiet Space Fan Research to Benefit Commercial Space Stations

    Source: NASA

    NASA researchers developed a Quiet Space Fan to reduce the noise inside crewed spacecraft, sharing the results with industry for potential use on future commercial space stations.
    Controlling noise inside spacecraft helps humans talk to each other, hear alarms clearer, get restful sleep, and minimizes the risk of hearing loss. It is best to control the noise at the source, and in spacecraft the noise often comes from cabin ventilation and equipment cooling fans.
    Since the earliest days of human spaceflight, there has been noise from the Environmental Control and Life Support System ventilation. NASA is working to design highly efficient and quiet fans by building on technology initially developed at the agency’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and sharing it with companies that are developing new spacecraft and space stations.

    “As NASA continues to support the design and development of multiple commercial space stations, we have intentional and focused efforts to share technical expertise, technologies, and data with industry,” said Angela Hart, manager of NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “The Quiet Space Fan research is one more example of how we are actively working with private companies to foster the development of future destinations.”
    The initial fan prototype was designed at Glenn in 2009 using tools developed for aircraft turbofan engines. The fan design size, flow rate – how much air the fan moves – and pressure rise – the increase in pressure across the fan – were designed similarly to the original Orion cabin fan design point (150 cubic feet per minute, 3.64 inches of water column). Acoustic measurements showed that the new design was approximately 10 decibels quieter than a similar-sized commercial off-the-shelf fan.
    To take the research a step further, a larger fan was recently designed with almost twice the flow rate and pressure rise capability (250 cubic feet per minute, 7 inches of water column) compared to the initial prototype. For example, the original fan could provide enough airflow for a large car or van, and the larger fan could provide enough airflow for a house.
    NASA’s quiet fan design aims to maintain high performance standards while significantly reducing everyday noise levels and can potentially be used on the International Space Station and future commercial destinations.

    “This work will lead to significant benefits including volume and mass savings from noise controls that are no longer as large or needed at all, reduced system pressure loss from mufflers and silencers that don’t need to be as restrictive, reduced power draw because of the reduced system pressure loss and the highly efficient fan design, and satisfying spaceflight vehicle acoustic requirements to provide a safe and habitable acoustic environment for astronauts,” said Chris Allen, Acoustics Office manager at NASA Johnson.
    Developing quieter fans is one of many efforts NASA is making to improve human spaceflight and make space exploration more innovative and comfortable for future missions to low Earth orbit. Helping private companies provide reliable and safe services at a lower cost will allow the agency to focus on Artemis missions to the Moon while continuing to use low Earth orbit as a training and proving ground for deep space missions.
    Learn more about NASA’s commercial space strategy at:
    https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/commercial-space

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: ICC reaches arbitration milestone with case 29,000

    Source: International Chamber of Commerce

    Headline: ICC reaches arbitration milestone with case 29,000

    The milestone case involves Brazilian parties from the power and energy sector, governed by Brazilian law, with a tribunal to be seated in Rio de Janeiro. The parties had initially agreed to ad hoc arbitration under the UNCITRAL Rules, with ICC as the appointing authority. They then modified that agreement in favour of arbitration under the ICC Rules of Arbitration. 

    Alexander G. Fessas, Secretary General of the ICC Court and Director of ICC Dispute Resolution Services, said: 

    “When the Secretariat’s São Paolo’s office opened seven years ago, we pledged to provide long-term support to the ever-developing disputes landscape in Brazil and Latin America. We now celebrate the success of that pledge with the registration of our 29,000th case, and the trust parties place in ICC Arbitration.” 

    In 2023, ICC Arbitration involved 80 Brazilian parties (including 12 state-owned entities) in newly registered cases, and the ICC Court confirmed or appointed 60 arbitrators coming from Brazil. Brazil ranks sixth globally in terms of the nationality of parties and arbitrators.  

    Parties from Latin America and the Caribbean account for approximately 15% of all parties in arbitrations registered with ICC. Brazil has traditionally been the leading jurisdiction in Latin America and is the fifth most used seat of arbitration worldwide. In terms of applicable laws in newly registered cases in Latin America, Brazil came second (29 cases), just behind Mexico (35 cases).  

    Same-nationality party disputes represented 29% of the ICC Court’s new caseload in 2023, with 21 cases involving only parties coming from Brazil. This makes Brazil the second top jurisdiction resorting to ICC Arbitration for domestic disputes in 2023. 

    The energy sector traditionally generates the second largest number of ICC cases, slightly behind the construction and engineering sector, accounting for over 20.6% of all new cases registered in 2023. 

    Ana Serra e Moura, Deputy Secretary General of ICC International Court of Arbitration, said: 

    “The registration of the 29,000th case involving Brazilian parties highlights ICC’s consistent growth in Brazil and beyond, in one of the most important industry sectors. It is now time to pause and celebrate the trust of our users and the relentless work of our teams on ensuring that ICC Dispute Resolution Services meet the needs of global business.” 

    Efforts to expand ICC Dispute Resolution Services in Latin America began with the establishment of a dedicated case management team in São Paulo in 2017, following the inauguration of ICC Brazil in 2014. Since then, the ICC Secretariat’s case management team in Brazil has administered over 650 cases, in recent years surpassing 100 cases annually, further solidifying Brazil’s importance in ICC operations.  

    As ICC continues to strengthen its presence in Latin America, key regional developments will be discussed at the upcoming 22nd ICC Miami Conference on International Arbitration from 1 to 3 December 2024, including significant updates from Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Ecuador. 

    For an in-depth breakdown of the numbers behind the continued growth of ICC Arbitration in Brazil and Latin America, please visit ICC Dispute Resolution Statistics: 2023 – ICC – International Chamber of Commerce (iccwbo.org) 

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How beef became a marker of American identity

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Hannah Cutting-Jones, Assistant Professor, Department of Global Studies; Director of Food Studies, University of Oregon

    Beef dominates American diets. In 2022, Americans consumed almost 30 billion pounds of beef. Johnrob/E+ via Getty Images

    Beef is one of America’s most beloved foods. In fact, today’s average American eats three hamburgers per week.

    American diets have long revolved around beef. On an 1861 trip to the United States, the English novelist Anthony Trollope marveled that Americans consumed twice as much beef as Englishmen. Through war, industry, development and settlement, America’s love of beef continued. In 2022, the U.S. as a whole consumed almost 30 billion pounds (13.6 billion kilograms) of it, or 21% of the world’s beef supply.

    Beef has also reached iconic status in American culture. As “Slaughterhouse-Five” author Kurt Vonnegut once penned, “Being American is to eat a lot of beef, and boy, we’ve got a lot more beef steak than any other country, and that’s why you ought to be glad you’re an American.”

    In part, the dominance of beef in American cuisine can be traced to settler colonialism, a form of colonization in which settlers claim – and then transform – lands inhabited by Indigenous people. In America, this process centered on the systemic and often violent displacement of Native Americans. Settlers brought with them new cultural norms, including beef-heavy diets that required massive swaths of land for grazing cattle.

    As a food historian, I am interested in how, in the 19th century, the beef industry both propelled and benefited from colonialism, and how these intertwined forces continue to affect our diets, culture and environment today.

    Cattle and cowboys

    Beginning in the 16th century, the first Europeans to settle across the Americas – and later, Australia and New Zealand – brought their livestock with them. A global economy built on appropriated Indigenous territories allowed these nations to become among the highest consumers and producers of meat in the world.

    The United States in particular tied its burgeoning national identity and westward expansion to the settlement and acquisition of cattle-ranching lands. Until 1848, Arizona, California, Texas, Nevada, Utah, western Colorado and New Mexico were part of Mexico and inhabited by numerous tribes, Indigenous cowboys and Mexican ranchers.

    The Mexican-American War, which lasted from 1846-48, led to 525,000 square miles being ceded to the United States – land that became central to American beef production. Gold, discovered in the northern Sierra by 1849, drew hundreds of thousands more settlers to the region.

    The desire for cattle-supporting land played an integral role in the systematic decimation of bison populations, as well. For thousands of years, Native Americans relied on bison for physical and cultural survival. At least 30 million roamed the western United States in 1800; by 1890, 60 million head of cattle had taken their place.

    Beef replaces bison

    It is no coincidence that the rise of an extensive and powerful American beef industry coincided with the near-elimination of bison across the United States.

    Bison populations were already in steep decline by the mid-1800s, but after the Civil War, as industrialization transformed transportation, communication and mass production, the U.S. Army actively encouraged the wholesale slaughter of bison herds.

    In 1875, Philip Sheridan, a general in the U.S. Army, applauded the impact bison hunters could have on the beef industry. Hunters “have done more in the last two years, and will do more in the next year, to settle the vexed Indian question, than the entire regular army has done in the last forty years,” Sheridan said. “They are destroying the Indians’ commissary … (and so) for a lasting peace, let them kill, skin and sell until the buffaloes are exterminated. Then your prairies can be covered with speckled cattle.”

    In 1884, with no hint of irony, the U.S. Department of Indian Affairs constructed a slaughterhouse on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana and required tribal members to provide the factory’s labor in exchange for its beef.

    By 1888, New York politician and sometimes rancher Theodore Roosevelt described Western stockmen as “the pioneers of civilization,” who with “their daring and adventurousness make the after settlement of the region possible.” Later, during Roosevelt’s presidency – from 1900 to 1908 – the U.S. claimed another 230 million acres of Indigenous lands for public use, further opening the West to ranching and settlement.

    The Union Stock Yards in Chicago, the most modern slaughterhouse of the era, opened on Christmas Day in 1865 and marked a turning point for industrial beef production. No longer delivered “on the hoof” to cities, cattle were now slaughtered in Chicago and sent East as tinned meat or, after the 1870s, in refrigerated railcars.

    Processing over 1 million head of cattle annually at its height, the Union Stock Yards, a global technological marvel and international tourist attraction, symbolized industrial progress and inspired national pride.

    Beef consumption has become part of the American origin myth of rugged individualism.
    pastorscott via Getty Images.

    Where’s the beef?

    By the turn of the 20th century, beef was solidly linked to American identity both at home and globally. In 1900, the average American consumed over 100 pounds of beef per year, almost twice the amount eaten by Americans today.

    Canadian food writer Marta Zaraska argues in her 2021 book “Meathooked” that beef became a key part of the American origin myth of rugged individualism that was emerging at this time. And cowboys, working the grueling cattle drives, came to embody values linked to the frontier: self-reliance, strength and independence.

    Popular for decades as a street food, America’s proudest culinary invention – the hamburger – debuted at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904 alongside other novelties such as Dr. Pepper and ice cream.

    After World War II, suburban markets and fast-food chains dominated the American foodscape, where beef burgers reigned supreme. By the end of the century, more people around the globe recognized the golden arches of McDonald’s than the Christian cross.

    At the same time, national programs reinforced food insecurity for Native Americans. In efforts to eventually dissolve reservations and open these lands to private development, for example, in 1952 the U.S. government launched the Voluntary Relocation Program, in which the Bureau of Indian Affairs persuaded many living on reservations to move to cities. The promised well-paying jobs did not materialize, and most of those who relocated traded rural for urban poverty.

    The true cost of a burger

    Plant- and lab-based meat companies are making headway into restaurants and food markets.
    coldsnowstorm/iStock via Getty Images Plus

    Policies encouraging settler colonialism ultimately led to more sedentary lifestyles and a dependence on fast, convenient and processed foods – such as hamburgers – regardless of the individual or environmental costs.

    In recent decades, scientists have warned that industrial meat production, and beef in particular, fuels climate change and leads to deforestation, soil erosion, species extinction, ocean dead zones and high levels of methane emissions. It is also a threat to biodiversity. Nutritionist Diego Rose believes the best way “to reduce your carbon footprint (is to) eat less beef,” a view shared by other sustainability experts.

    As of January 2022, about 10% of Americans over the age of 18 considered themselves vegetarian or vegan. Another recent study found that 47% of American adults are “flexitarians” who eat primarily, but not wholly, plant-based diets.

    At the same time, small-scale farmers and cooperatives are working to restore soil health by reintegrating cows and other grazing animals into sustainable farming practices to produce more high-quality, environmentally friendly meat.

    More encouraging still, tribes in Montana – Blackfeet Nation, Fort Belknap Indian Community, Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, and South Dakota’s Rosebud Sioux – have reintroduced bison to the northern Great Plains to revive the prairie ecosystem, tackle food insecurity and lessen the impacts of climate change.

    Even so, in the summer of 2024, Americans consumed 375 million hamburgers in celebration of Independence Day – more than any other food.

    Hannah Cutting-Jones 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. How beef became a marker of American identity – https://theconversation.com/how-beef-became-a-marker-of-american-identity-214824

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Americans use the Book of Revelation to talk about immigration – and always have

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Yii-Jan Lin, Associate Professor of New Testament and Public Voices Fellow, Yale University

    A French tapestry depicts Saint John the Evangelist gazing at the New Jerusalem. Octave 444 via Wikimedia Commons

    During a campaign speech in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 19, 2024, Donald Trump promised to save the country from immigrants: “I will rescue every town across America that has been invaded and conquered, and we will put these vicious and bloodthirsty criminals in a jail or kick them out of our country.”

    Depicting immigrants as a threat has been a pillar of Trump’s message since 2015. And the types of terms he uses aren’t just disparaging. It might not seem like it, but Trump is continuing a long tradition in American politics: using language shaped by the Bible.

    When the former president says those at the border are “poisoning the blood of our country,” “animals” and “rapists,” his vocabulary mirrors verses from the New Testament. The Book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, says those kept out of the city of God are “filthy”; they are “dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.”

    In fact, Americans have been using the Bible for centuries to talk about immigrants, especially those they want to keep out. As a scholar of the Bible and politics, I’ve studied how language from Revelation shaped American ideas about who belongs in the United States – the focus of my book, “Immigration and Apocalypse.”

    The shining city

    The Book of Revelation describes a vision of the end of the world, when the wicked are punished and the good rewarded. It tells the story of God’s enemies, who worship the evil Beast of the Sea, bear his mark on their body and threaten God’s people. Because of their wickedness, they suffer diseases, catastrophes and war until they are finally destroyed in the lake of fire.

    God’s followers, however, enter through the gates of the walls surrounding the New Jerusalem, a holy city that comes down from heaven. God’s chosen people enter through the gates and live in the shining city for eternity.

    18th century evangelists like the English preacher John Wesley urged sinners to take the path of righteousness, toward the New Jerusalem.
    Photo 12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    Throughout American history, many of its Christian citizens have imagined themselves as God’s saints in the New Jerusalem. Puritan colonists believed they were establishing God’s kingdom, both metaphorically and literally. Ronald Reagan likened the nation to the New Jerusalem by describing America as a “shining city … built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace,” but with city walls and doors.

    Reagan was specifically quoting Puritan John Winthrop, one of the founders of Massachusetts Bay Colony, whose use of the “city on a hill” phrase quotes Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. But Reagan’s detailed description closely matches that of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21. Like God’s heavenly city, Reagan’s picture of America also has strong foundations, walls and gates, and people from every nation bringing in tribute.

    Barring the gates

    If people imagine the U.S. as God’s city, then it’s easy also to imagine enemies who want to invade that city. And this is how unwanted immigrants have been depicted through American history: as enemies of God.

    In the 19th century, when virtually all politicians were Protestant, anti-Catholic politicians accused Irish immigrants of bearing the “mark of the Beast” and being loyal to the “Antichrist”: the pope. They claimed that Irish immigrants could form an unholy army against the nation.

    At the turn of the century, “yellow peril” novels against Chinese immigration imagined a heathen horde taking over the U.S. At the end of one such book, China itself is depicted as a satanic “Black Dragon,” forcing its way through “the Golden Gate” of America.

    ‘Uncle Sam’s Farm in Danger’: an 1878 cartoon by G. F. Keller depicts Chinese emigrants fleeing famine.
    The Wasp via Wikimedia Commons

    And all immigrant groups who were unwanted at one time or another have been accused of being “filthy” and diseased, like the enemies of God in Revelation. Italians, Jews, Irish, Chinese and Mexicans were all, at some point, targeted as unhealthy and carrying illness.

    In political cartoons from the turn of the 20th century, Eastern European and Jewish immigrants were depicted as rats, while Chinese immigrants were portrayed as a horde of grasshoppers – echoing imagery from Revelation, where locusts with human faces swarm the Earth. During COVID-19, an event itself considered apocalyptic, xenophobic fear has focused on Asian Americans and migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

    This constellation of labels from Revelation – plague-bearing, bestial, invading, sexually corrupt, murderous – has been reused and recycled throughout American history.

    A 1909 political cartoon by S.D. Ehrhart.
    Library of Congress

    ‘Heaven has a wall’

    Trump himself has described immigrants as diseased, “not human,” sexual assaulters, violent and those “who don’t like our religion.”

    Others have more explicitly used images from Revelation to talk about immigration. Pastor Robert Jeffress, who preached at Trump’s 2017 inauguration church service, told viewers on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends,” “God is not against walls, walls are not ‘un-Christian,’ the Bible says even heaven is going to have a wall around it.” The Conservative Political Action Conference held a panel in 2017 titled “If Heaven Has a Gate, A Wall, and Extreme Vetting, Why Can’t America?” There are even bumper stickers that say, “Heaven Has A Wall and Strict Immigration Policy / Hell Has Open Borders.”

    Revelation 21 indeed describes the heavenly New Jerusalem with a massive shining wall, “clear as crystal,” with pearls for gates. Trump, similarly, talks about his “big, beautiful door,” set in a “beautiful,” massive wall that also has to be “see-through.”

    The city of God metaphor has long been a tool for American leaders – both to idealize the nation and to warn against immigration. But the concept of a walled-in city seems increasingly outdated in a digitally connected, global world.

    As migration continues to rise around the world due to climate change and conflict, I’d argue that these metaphors and the attitudes they drive are not just obsolete, but exacerbating crisis.

    Yii-Jan Lin 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. Americans use the Book of Revelation to talk about immigration – and always have – https://theconversation.com/americans-use-the-book-of-revelation-to-talk-about-immigration-and-always-have-240969

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Halloween candy binges can overload your gut microbiome – a gut doctor explains how to minimize spooking your helpful bacteria

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Christopher Damman, Associate Professor of Gastroenterology, School of Medicine, University of Washington

    It’s probably best to enjoy your Halloween spoils in moderation. Jupiterimages/The Image Bank via Getty Images

    Each October, as the days shorten and the air grows crisp, millions of Americans prepare for the beloved – and often sugar-fueled – tradition of Halloween. From jack-o’-lanterns glowing on porches to costumes ranging from the whimsical to the gory, Halloween is a time of playful scares, childhood memories and, of course, candy.

    But as the wrappers pile up and the sugar rush hits, there’s something far more sinister brewing beneath the surface: the negative effects of candy on your gut health.

    Sugar and other ingredients in Halloween treats can cast a sickly spell on the trillions of microorganisms that reside in your gut, collectively known as the gut microbiome. As a gastroenterologist and gut microbiome researcher at the University of Washington School of Medicine, I have dedicated my career to decoding the cipher of how food affects this microbial community within your gut.

    While no candy is truly healthy, some options are better for your gut than others. And there are ways you can help wake your gut from its sugar “spell” after holiday indulgence.

    Gut-busting treats

    What does all this candy do to your gut?

    In a healthy state, your gut microbiome acts like a microbial factory. It digests nutrients your body can’t – such as fiber and colorful, health-conferring plant compounds called polyphenols – and produces important molecules called metabolites that protect against infection and support brain health. It also regulates metabolism, or the transformation of food into useful components that power and grow cells.

    A balanced diet keeps your gut’s microbial cauldron churning smoothly. But the concentrated sugar, saturated fat and additives in candy can throw things into disarray by feeding inflammatory microbes that weaken your gut barrier – the protective lining that separates your microbiome from the rest of the body.

    Once the gut barrier is breached, even friendly microbes can stir up inflammation, causing health issues ranging from overweight to obesity, infections to autoimmune disease, and mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s.

    The food you eat shapes your gut microbes, which in turn shape your overall health.

    Sugar and inflammation impair your microbiome’s ability to digest food and regulate metabolism. Instead of producing healthy byproducts – such as butyrate from fiber and urolithin A from polyphenols – candy lacking these nutrients may trick your system into storing more fat, providing less energy for your muscles and brain.

    Too much candy can also affect your immune system. A healthy gut microbiome helps your immune system distinguish between friend and foe, reducing the risk of infections and autoimmune disorders. Sugar and inflammation undermine the microbiome’s role in training the immune system to distinguish between harmful invaders and harmless substances. Without a carefully calibrated immune system, your body may not effectively clear infections or may strongly react to its own cells.

    Neurologically, excess sweets can also affect the gut-brain axis, the two-way communication between the gut and brain. A healthy microbiome normally produces neurotransmitters and metabolites, such as serotonin and butyrate, that influence mood and cognitive performance. Sugar and inflammation adversely affects the microbiome’s role in mental health and cognitive function, contributing to depression, anxiety and memory troubles.

    The candy conundrum

    Not all Halloween treats are created equal, especially when it comes to their nutritional value and effects on gut health. Sugar-coated nuts and fruit such as honey-roasted almonds and candy apples rank among the top, offering whole food benefits just beneath the sugary coating. Packed with fiber and polyphenols, they help support gut health and healthy metabolism.

    On the opposite end of the spectrum are chewy treats such as candy corn, Skittles, Starbursts and Twizzlers. These sugar-laden confections are mostly made of high fructose corn syrup, saturated fat and additives. They can increase the unsavory bacterial species in your gut and lead to inflammation, making them one of the least healthy Halloween choices.

    Chocolate-based candies, however, stand out as a more microbiome-friendly option. While varieties such as Twix, Three Musketeers and Milky Way contain only a small amount of chocolate, pure chocolate bars – especially dark chocolate – are rich in fiber and polyphenols. In moderation, dark chocolate with at least 80% to 85% cacao may even benefit your gut microbiome and mood by encouraging beneficial bacterial species to grow.

    Candy apples usually provide a serving of fruit and nuts.
    Ryan Benyi Photography/Connect Images via Getty Images

    Chocolates with whole nuts, such as almonds or peanuts, offer a boost of fiber, protein and omega-3 fats, making them a healthier choice. Dark chocolate with nuts is best. But when sorting through Halloween treats, Peanut M&Ms, 100 Grands and Almond Joys may be better options over Rolos, Krackels and Crunches. Even candies with processed nuts, such as Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Butterfingers, retain small amounts of fiber and protein, making them preferable to nut-free options.

    At the bottom of the list, along with chewy sugar candies, are pure sugar candies such as lollipops, Jolly Ranchers, gummies and Smarties. These sweets lack nutritional value, and their high sugar content can contribute to the growth of unhealthy bacteria in your gut microbiome.

    In the end, all candies are high in sugar, which can be harmful when consumed in large quantities. Moderation and an otherwise balanced diet is key to enjoying Halloween treats.

    Rebalancing after indulgence

    If the microbiome is critical for health, and candy can disrupt its balance, how can you restore gut health after Halloween?

    One simple strategy is focusing on the four F’s of food: fiber, phytochemicals, unsaturated fats and fermented foods. These food components can help support gut health.

    Fiber-rich foods such as whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, fruits and vegetables regulate digestion and nourish beneficial gut bacteria.

    Dark chocolate is a treat that may offer some health benefits.
    Wachiwit/iStock via Getty Images Plus

    Polyphenol-rich foods such as dark chocolate, berries, red grapes, green tea and extra virgin olive oil help reduce inflammation and encourage the growth of healthy gut bacteria.

    Unsaturated fats such as omega-3 fats, walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseed, avocados and fatty fish such as salmon can also support a healthy microbiome.

    Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, kefir and miso help replenish beneficial bacteria and restore gut balance.

    To make tracking your diet easier, consider using a food calculator to measure how well your meals align with the four F’s and microbiome friendly options. Like a virtual “spellbook,” an online tool can help ensure your food choices support your gut health and ward off the effects of sugar overload.

    As my daughters often remind me, it’s perfectly fine to indulge every now and then in a few tricks and treats. But remember, moderation is key. With a balanced diet, you’ll keep your gut healthy and strong long after the Halloween season ends.

    Christopher Damman is on the scientific advisory board at Oobli, Supergut, and One BIO.

    – ref. Halloween candy binges can overload your gut microbiome – a gut doctor explains how to minimize spooking your helpful bacteria – https://theconversation.com/halloween-candy-binges-can-overload-your-gut-microbiome-a-gut-doctor-explains-how-to-minimize-spooking-your-helpful-bacteria-240504

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Both Harris and Trump have records on space policy − an international affairs expert examines where they differ when it comes to the final frontier

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Thomas G. Roberts, Postdoctoral Fellow in International Affiars, Georgia Institute of Technology

    Neither candidate has talked much about space policy on the campaign trail, but both have records to consider. Anton Petrus/Moment via Getty Images

    The next president of the United States could be the first in that office to accept a phone call from the Moon and hear a woman’s voice on the line. To do so, they’ll first need to make a series of strategic space policy decisions. They’ll also need a little luck.

    Enormous government investment supports outer space activities, so the U.S. president has an outsize role in shaping space policy during their time in office.

    Past presidents have leveraged this power to accelerate U.S. leadership in space and boost their presidential brand along the way. Presidential advocacy has helped the U.S. land astronauts on the surface of the Moon, establish lasting international partnerships with civil space agencies abroad and led to many other important space milestones.

    But most presidential candidates refrain from discussing space policy on the campaign trail in meaningful detail, leaving voters in the dark on their visions for the final frontier.

    For many candidates, getting into the weeds of their space policy plans may be more trouble than it’s worth. For one, not every president even gets the opportunity for meaningful and memorable space policy decision-making, since space missions can operate on decades-long timelines. And in past elections, those who do show support for space initiatives often face criticism from their opponents for their high price tags.

    But the 2024 election is different. Both candidates have executive records in space policy, a rare treat for space enthusiasts casting their votes this November.

    As a researcher who studies international affairs in outer space, I am interested in how those records interface with the strategic and sustainable use of that domain. A closer look shows that former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have used their positions to consistently prioritize U.S. leadership in space, but they have done so with noticeably different styles and results.

    Trump’s space policy record

    As president, Trump established a record of meaningful and lasting space policy decisions, but did so while attracting more attention to his administration’s space activities than his predecessors. He regularly took personal credit for ideas and accomplishments that predated his time in office.

    The former president oversaw the establishment of the U.S. Space Force and the reestablishment of the U.S. Space Command, as well as the National Space Council. These organizations support the development and operation of military space technologies, defend national security satellites in future conflicts and coordinate between federal agencies working in the space domain.

    While president, Donald Trump oversaw the creation of the U.S. Space Force.
    AP Photo/Alex Brandon

    He also had the most productive record of space policy directives in recent history. These policy directives clarify the U.S. government’s goals in space, including how it should both support and rely on the commercial space sector, track objects in Earth’s orbit and protect satellites from cyber threats.

    He has called his advocacy for the creation of the Space Force one of his proudest achievements of his term. However, this advocacy contributed to polarized support for the new branch. This polarization broke the more common pattern of bipartisan public support for space programming.

    Like many presidents, not all of Trump’s visions for space were realized. He successfully redirected NASA’s key human spaceflight destination from Mars back to the Moon. But his explicit goal of astronauts reaching the lunar surface by 2024 was not realistic, given his budget proposal for the agency.

    Should he be elected again, the former president may wish to accelerate NASA’s Moon plans by furthering investment in the agency’s Artemis program, which houses its lunar initiatives.

    He may frame the initiative as a new space race against China.

    Harris’ space policy record

    The Biden administration has continued to support Trump-era initiatives, resisting the temptation to undo or cancel past proposals. Its legacy in space is noticeably smaller.

    As the chair of the National Space Council, Harris has set U.S. space policy priorities and represented the United States on the global stage.

    As vice president, Harris has chaired the National Space Council.
    NASA/Joel Kowsky, CC BY-NC-ND

    Notably, the Trump administration kept this position that the president can alter at will assigned to the vice president, a precedent the Biden administration upheld.

    In this role, Harris led the United States’ commitment to refrain from testing weapons in space that produce dangerous, long-lasting space debris. This decision marks an achievement for the U.S. in keeping space operations sustainable and setting an example for others in the international space community.

    Like some Trump administration space policy priorities, not all of Harris’ proposals found footing in Washington.

    The council’s plan to establish a framework for comprehensively regulating commercial space activities in the U.S., for example, stalled in Congress.

    If enacted, these new regulations would have ensured that future space activities, such as private companies operating on the Moon or transporting tourists to orbit and back, pass critical safety checks.

    Should she be elected, Harris may choose to continue her efforts to shape responsible norms of behavior in space and organize oversight over the space industry.

    Alternatively, she could cede the portfolio to her own vice president, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who has virtually no track record on space policy issues.

    Stability in major space policy decisions

    Despite the two candidates’ vastly different platforms, voters can expect stability in U.S. space policy as a result of this year’s election.

    Given their past leadership, it is unlikely that either candidate will seek to dramatically alter the long-term missions the largest government space organizations have underway during the upcoming presidential term. And neither is likely to undercut their predecessors’ accomplishments.

    Thomas G. Roberts is affiliated with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

    – ref. Both Harris and Trump have records on space policy − an international affairs expert examines where they differ when it comes to the final frontier – https://theconversation.com/both-harris-and-trump-have-records-on-space-policy-an-international-affairs-expert-examines-where-they-differ-when-it-comes-to-the-final-frontier-238289

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why the margin of error matters more than ever in reading 2024 election polls – a pollster with 30 years of experience explains

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Doug Schwartz, Director of the Quinnipiac Poll, Quinnipiac University

    A political opinion poll aims to get a representative sample of the wider public. borzaya/iStock / Getty Images Plus

    In just about any discussion of a poll about the very close presidential race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, you’ll hear the phrase “within the poll’s margin of error.” Those words signal that it is a tight race with no clear leader, even if one of them has a slightly larger percentage of support, like 48% to 47%.

    As the director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, which has been taking the pulse of the public on policy issues and elections for the past 30 years, I’ve noted that people have been paying more attention to this technical term since at least 2016.

    In that year, some polls in Florida, for example, indicated that Hillary Clinton was just a couple of percentage points ahead of Trump. Journalists and the public largely – and incorrectly – understood that apparent popular-vote lead to mean Clinton was likely to win.

    But those 1 or 2 percentage points were within their polls’ margins of error. And Clinton lost Florida. In a poll about a political race, the margin of error tells readers the likely range of results of an election.

    What is a margin of error?

    A poll is one or more questions asked of a small group of people and used to gauge the views of a larger group of people. The margin of error is a mathematical calculation of how accurate the poll results are – of how closely the answers given by the small group match the views held by the larger group.

    If everyone in the larger group were polled, there would be no margin of error. But it’s complicated, difficult and expensive to contact that many people. The U.S. Census Bureau spent US$13.7 billion over several years in its most recent effort to count every person in the United States every 10 years, and it still wasn’t able to include exactly everyone.

    Pollsters don’t have that kind of time – or money – so they use smaller samples of the population. They seek to identify representative samples in which all members of the larger group have a chance to be included in the poll.

    The group size is important

    The calculation of how close the poll is to the views of the larger population is based on the size of the group that is polled.

    For example, a sample of 600 voters will have a larger margin of error – about 4 percentage points – than a sample of 1,000 voters, which has a margin of error of just over 3 percentage points.

    The way the sample is chosen also matters: In 1936, the Literary Digest magazine polled people on the presidential election by mailing surveys to telephone owners, car owners and country club members. Everyone in this group was relatively affluent, so they were not representative of the whole U.S. voting population. Calculating a margin of error would have been meaningless because the sample did not capture all segments of the population.

    The larger the sample size, the smaller the margin of error.
    Zieben007 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

    A concrete example

    Let’s use an example of how to understand the margin of error. If a poll shows that 47% of the polled group support Candidate A, and the margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points, that means that the percentage in the population supporting Candidate A is likely to be between 44% (47 minus 3) and 50% (47 plus 3).

    One quick note: Most polls report margins of error alongside another technical term, “confidence interval.” In the most rigorous reporting of polls, you might see a sentence near the end that says something like “The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points, at a 95% confidence interval.” What all that means is this: Imagine if 100 different random samples of the same size were selected from the larger group, and then asked the same questions in the poll. The 95% confidence interval means that 95% of the time, those other polls’ responses would be within 3 percentage points of the answers reported in this one poll.

    Comparing support between candidates

    The concept of margin of error gets more complex when looking at the differences in support between two candidates. If a margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points, the margin of error on the difference between them is about double – or 6 percentage points, in this example.

    That’s because the margin of error here is a combined one, and refers to not just the percentage voting for Candidate A but also to the percentage voting for the other candidate.

    To look back at 2016 again, the final Quinnipiac University Poll in Florida before Election Day showed Clinton with 46% support and Trump with 45% support. The margin of error was 3.9 percentage points, which meant Clinton was likely to get between 42.1% and 49.9% of the vote, and Trump was likely to get between 41.1% and 48.9% of the vote.

    The actual result was that Trump won Florida with 48.6%, as compared with Clinton’s 47.4%. Those results were within our poll’s margin of error, meaning we were correct to declare it “too close to call” – and we would have been wrong to say Clinton was ahead.

    2024 will be a close election

    In the current election cycle, many media reports about polls are not including information about the margin of error.

    Leaving out that information, or downplaying its significance, may help media outlets provide a quick, simple picture about the state of the race. Technology can seem precise in the modern age of the internet and artificial intelligence.

    But polling is not as precise. It is an inexact science. It’s a pollster’s job to capture snapshots of the complexities of human nature at a particular time. People’s minds can change, and new information can arise as the campaigns unfold.

    With the presidential election in its final weeks, our polls have been finding a fairly tight and steady race, with most voters telling us their minds are made up. Because the difference between the presidential candidates is within the margin of error in swing states, the election polling in autumn 2024 is telling Americans to hold their breath and make sure they vote, because it is likely to be a squeaker.

    Doug Schwartz is affiliated with the American Association of Public Opinion Research (AAPOR).

    – ref. Why the margin of error matters more than ever in reading 2024 election polls – a pollster with 30 years of experience explains – https://theconversation.com/why-the-margin-of-error-matters-more-than-ever-in-reading-2024-election-polls-a-pollster-with-30-years-of-experience-explains-240633

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: This Atlanta neighborhood hired a case manager to address rising homelessness − and it’s improving health and safety for everyone

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Ishita Chordia, Ph.D. Candidate in Information Science, University of Washington

    Mural by artist Chris Wright on Metropolitan Avenue in East Atlanta. Art Rudick/Atlanta Street Art Map, CC BY-ND

    Homelessness has surged across the United States in recent years, rising 19% from 2016 though 2023. The main cause is a severe shortage of affordable housing. Rising homelessness has renewed debates about use of public space and how encampments affect public safety.

    The U.S. Supreme Court recently weighed in on these debates with its 2024 decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson. The court’s ruling grants cities the authority to prohibit individuals from sleeping and camping in public spaces, effectively condoning the use of fines and bans to address rising rates of homelessness.

    East Atlanta Village, a historically Black neighborhood in Atlanta with about 3,000 residents, is trying something different. In the fall of 2023, with support from the Atlanta City Council, the mayor’s office and Intown Cares, a local nonprofit that works to alleviate homelessness and hunger, the neighborhood hired a full-time social worker to support people experiencing homelessness.

    Michael Nolan, an Intown Cares social worker, is trained in an approach that emphasizes individual autonomy and dignity, recognizes that being homeless is a traumatic experience, and prioritizes access to housing. His role includes helping individuals get the documentation they need to move off the streets, such as copies of their birth certificates and Social Security cards. He also has a dedicated phone line that community members can use to alert him about dangerous situations that involve homeless people.

    Michael Nolan, East Atlanta Village’s social worker, spends 40-plus hours weekly providing supplies, services and other help to people experiencing homelessness.

    I am a researcher at the University of Washington studying programs and technologies that help urban neighborhoods flourish. I’m also a resident of East Atlanta Village and have helped the neighborhood organize and evaluate this experiment.

    For the past year, my colleagues and I have collected data about the neighborhood social work program to understand how well it can support both people without housing and the broader community. Our preliminary findings suggest that neighborhood social work is a promising way to address challenges common in many neighborhoods with homelessness.

    I believe this approach has the potential to provide long-term solutions to homelessness and improve the health and safety for the entire neighborhood. I also see it as a sharp contrast with the punitive approach condoned by the Supreme Court.

    Resolving conflicts over public space

    One of the people I interviewed while evaluating this initiative was Rebecca, a resident of East Atlanta Village who walks her dog in the local park every day. In the fall of 2023, she noticed that a man had moved into the park and set up a tent. At first, the area was clean, but within a few weeks there was garbage around the tent and throughout the park.

    Rebecca felt that the trash was ruining one of the few green spaces in the neighborhood. She decided to contact Nolan. Nolan told her that he knew the unhoused man, was working with him to secure permanent housing and in the meantime would help him move his tent to a less-frequented space.

    Such negotiations around public spaces are common challenges for neighborhoods with large homeless populations, especially in dense urban areas. Other examples in our data included conflicts when a homeless person began sleeping in his car outside another resident’s home, and when a homeless man wandered into a homeowner’s yard.

    The standard approach in these situations is to fine, ban or imprison the unhoused individual. But those strategies are expensive, can prolong homelessness and do little to actually resolve the issues.

    In contrast, hiring a social worker has enabled East Atlanta Village to resolve conflicts gently, through conversation and negotiation. The solutions address concerns about public health and safety and also offer people without homes an opportunity for long-term change.

    Meeting basic needs

    Over the past year, this program has helped 13 people move into housing. Nolan has facilitated over 180 medical and mental health care visits for people living on the street.

    Eighty-six people have been connected to Medicaid, food assistance or Social Security benefits. Thirty-five people have health care for the first time, and six people have started receiving medication for their addictions.

    Research shows that addressing people’s basic needs by helping them obtain food, medicine, housing and other necessities not only supports those individuals but also produces cascading benefits for the entire community. They include reduced inequality, better health outcomes and lower crime rates.

    Managing mental and behavioral health

    Studies have found that about two-thirds of unhoused individuals struggle with mental health challenges. Unmet mental and behavioral health needs can contribute to unsafe and illegal behavior.

    The United States does not have a comprehensive system in place for supporting people who are living on the street and struggling with chronic mental and behavioral health challenges. While much more infrastructure is needed, in East Atlanta Village, Nolan is able to check in on people experiencing homelessness, work with clinics to deliver medication for addiction and mental health needs and alert community members about dangerous situations.

    As an example, in December 2023 a homeless man was arrested in East Atlanta Village for trespassing, stealing mail and other erratic behavior. When concerned residents posted to the neighborhood Facebook group, Nolan responded that he knew the man well, that this behavior was not typical and that he would look into the situation.

    Nolan later updated his post, commenting that the man had been arrested but that he would “continue to follow up and ensure that his current behaviors do not return upon his release.”

    In other examples, Nolan has helped de-escalate situations when people experienced mental health episodes in local coffee shops and churches.

    A model for other cities

    Cities around the U.S. have decisions to make about addressing homelessness and its associated challenges. Neighborhood social work is not a magic bullet, but my colleagues and I see it as a promising approach to address the most common challenges that neighborhoods with high rates of homelessness face.

    East Atlanta Village is currently working with the Atlanta City Council to renew funding for this program, which cost US$100,000 in its initial year. We hope that other neighborhoods also consider this strategy when deciding how to address homelessness in their own areas.

    Ishita Chordia is affiliated with the East Atlanta Neighborhood Association. She volunteers for the neighborhood association and has helped organize and evaluate the neighborhood social work program.

    – ref. This Atlanta neighborhood hired a case manager to address rising homelessness − and it’s improving health and safety for everyone – https://theconversation.com/this-atlanta-neighborhood-hired-a-case-manager-to-address-rising-homelessness-and-its-improving-health-and-safety-for-everyone-236466

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: North Carolina is not really a red or blue state − and that makes political predictions much more difficult

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Christopher A. Cooper, Professor of Political Science & Public Affairs, Western Carolina University

    Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson shares the stage with former U.S. President Donald Trump during a 2022 rally in Selma, N.C. Allison Joyce/Getty Images

    For all its prominence as a key battleground state, North Carolina hasn’t done much swinging in U.S. presidential elections.

    The last time a majority of North Carolinians voted for a Democratic candidate was 2008 for Barack Obama. The time before that was 1976 for Jimmy Carter. In the past 12 presidential elections, Republicans have won 10. Those Republicans include Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020.

    But as I demonstrate in my 2024 book, “Anatomy of a Purple State: A North Carolina Politics Primer,” simply looking at the outcome of presidential voting gives a skewed understanding of voting behavior in other elections across the state.

    Consider 2020 again. While it is true that Trump won North Carolina’s 15 electoral college votes – it now has 16, based on 2020 U.S Census Bureau data — his margin of victory was only about 74,000 votes out of some 5.4 million votes cast. It was the smallest margin of any state that Trump won.

    Part of the reason is the nearly even split among voters in the two major parties and the emergence of registered voters who claim they are unaffiliated.

    As of September 2024, North Carolina had 7.6 million registered voters. Of these, the largest group at 38% were registered as unaffiliated, followed by registered Democrats at 32% and registered Republicans at 30%.

    Despite being considered a red state, North Carolina’s congressional delegation is split evenly between Democrats and Republicans with seven each. In addition, four of the state’s 10 statewide, elected Council of State officeholders, including Gov. Roy Cooper, are Democrats.

    In no other Southern state does a single elected Democrat hold a similar statewide seat.

    Though both of North Carolina’s U.S. senators are Republicans and the GOP holds supermajorities in both houses of the state Legislature, North Carolina is not entirely red or blue. It is undeniably purple – and that gives rise to further uncertainty over how the state will vote in the 2024 presidential election.

    The Kamala Harris factor

    Before U.S. President Joe Biden dropped out of the race in July 2024, polls showed that he lagged behind Trump by 5 percentage points in North Carolina.

    As in many other battleground states, it appeared that Trump had a small but fairly durable lead over Biden.

    Vice President Kamala Harris campaigns in Greenville, N.C., on Oct. 13, 2024.
    Alex Wong/Getty Images

    But soon after Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee, several national polls showed Harris had an immediate bump and closed the gap – in some polls actually taking a lead. Trump has since regained a slight lead – less than a percentage point – in one October 2024 poll.

    But Harris’ impact wasn’t just on national polls.

    For the first time in years, Democratic Party registration began to exceed Republican Party registration in the state.

    From July 20-26, 2,351 people registered as Democrats in North Carolina – a 44% increase compared with the previous week. During the same period, Republican and unaffiliated voter registrations were down 23% and 14%, respectively, from the previous week.

    The rise and fall of Mark Robinson

    In spring 2024, during the height of primary season, Trump stepped into the North Carolina gubernatorial race by endorsing Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a Black Republican with a history of derogatory comments about Muslims and members of the LGBTQ community.

    “This is a Martin Luther King on steroids,” Trump said of Robinson during a rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, on March 2, 2024.

    Given Trump’s two wins in the state, his endorsement was expected to help Robinson beat Democrat Josh Stein in one of the nation’s most competitive state elections.

    But Trump’s enthusiasm all but vanished after a series of negative stories about Robinson. They included a Sept. 19, 2024, CNN report alleging that Robinson frequented a porn web site called “Nude Africa” years ago where he described himself as a “Black Nazi.” Robinson also allegedly made a number of misogynistic and racist statements such as “slavery is not bad.”

    Robinson denied the allegations and called the CNN report “salacious tabloid lies.”

    Trump made another campaign stop in Wilmington on Sept. 21, 2024. Robinson, who had frequently appeared with Trump at previous North Carolina rallies, was not on the stage.

    Polling conducted after CNN’s bombshell report showed an election that had shifted from competitive to one where the Democrat Stein is favored by a large margin to become North Carolina’s governor.

    It is unclear whether Robinson’s apparent demise will affect the top of the ticket – or other state GOP candidates.

    Natural disasters

    Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina on Sept. 28 and brought high winds, flooding, an estimated US$47 billion in property damages and 250 deaths.

    It also caused questions about access to voting in areas devastated by Helene and then, two weeks later, Hurricane Milton.

    A woman in North Carolina places an American flag near a mobile home that was destroyed in October 2024 by Hurricane Helene.
    Mario Tama/Getty Images

    Twenty-nine counties in North Carolina were affected by the storm, although 13 counties received the brunt of the damage. Analysis of data from the North Carolina Board of Elections reveals that Trump led Biden by about a 10 percentage-point margin among voters in those affected counties.

    Given this, lower turnout in this region might hurt Trump more than Harris. It’s little surprise then that the Trump campaign has called for expanding voting access in those areas.

    But there’s no way to know who will receive North Carolina’s 16 Electoral College votes. Such is the unpredictable politics of a purple state.

    Christopher A. Cooper 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. North Carolina is not really a red or blue state − and that makes political predictions much more difficult – https://theconversation.com/north-carolina-is-not-really-a-red-or-blue-state-and-that-makes-political-predictions-much-more-difficult-240844

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Many wealthy members of Congress are descendants of rich slaveholders − new study demonstrates the enduring legacy of slavery

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Neil K R Sehgal, PhD Student in Computer & Information Science, University of Pennsylvania

    A statue of Jefferson Davis, second from left, is on display in Statuary Hall on Capitol Hill in Washington. A slaveholder, Davis represented Mississippi in the Senate and House before the American Civil War. AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File

    The legacy of slavery in America remains a divisive issue, with sharp political divides.

    Some argue that slavery still contributes to modern economic inequalities. Others believe its effects have largely faded.

    One way to measure the legacy of slavery is to determine whether the disproportionate riches of slaveholders have been passed down to their present-day descendants.

    Connecting the wealth of a slaveholder in the 1860s to today’s economic conditions is not easy. Doing so requires unearthing data for a large number of people on slaveholder ancestry, current wealth and other factors such as age and education.

    But in a new study, we tackled this challenge by focusing on one of the few groups of Americans for whom such information exists: members of Congress. We found that legislators who are descendants of slaveholders are significantly wealthier than members of Congress without slaveholder ancestry.

    How slavery made the South rich

    In 1860, one year before the Civil War, the market value of U.S. slaves was larger than that of all American railroads and factories.

    At the time of emancipation in 1863, the estimated value of all enslaved people was roughly US$13 trillion in today’s dollars. The lower Mississippi Valley had more millionaires, all of them slaveholders, than anywhere else in the country.

    Some post-Civil War historians have argued that emancipation permanently devastated slave-owning families.

    More recently, however, historians discovered that, while the South fell behind the North economically immediately following emancipation, many elite slaveholders recovered financially within one or two generations.

    They accomplished this by replacing slavery with sharecropping – a kind of indentured servitude that trapped Black farm workers in debt to white landowners – and enacting discriminatory Jim Crow laws that enforced racial segregation.

    100 descendants of slaveholders

    Using genealogist-verified historical data and financial data from annual congressional disclosures, we examined members of the 117th Congress, which was in session from January 2021 to January 2023.

    Of its 535 members, 100 were descendants of slaveholders, including Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell.

    Legislators whose ancestors were large slaveholders – defined in our study as owning 16 or more slaves– have a current median net worth five times larger than their peers whose ancestors were not slaveholders: $5.6 million vs. $1.1 million. These results remained largely the same after accounting for age, race and education.

    Wealth creates many privileges – the means to start a business or pursue higher education. And intergenerational wealth transfers can allow these advantages to persist across generations.

    Because members of Congress are a highly select group, our results may not apply to all Americans. However, the findings align with other studies on the transfers of wealth and privilege across generations in the U.S. and Europe.

    Wealth, these studies find, often stays within rich families across multiple generations. Mechanisms for holding onto wealth include low estate taxes and access to elite social networks and schools. Easy entry into powerful jobs and political influence also play a part.

    Privilege with power

    But members of Congress do not just inherit wealth and advantages.

    They shape the lives of all Americans. They decide how to allocate federal funds, set tax rates and create regulations.

    This power is significant. And for those whose families benefited from slavery, it can perpetuate economic policies that maintain wealth inequality.

    Beyond inherited wealth, the legacy of slavery endures in policies enacted by those in power – by legislators who may be less likely to prioritize reforms that challenge the status quo.

    COVID-19 relief legislation, for example, helped reduce child poverty by more than 70% while bringing racial inequalities in child poverty to historic lows. Congress failed to renew the program in 2022, plunging 5 million more children into poverty, most of them Black and Latino.

    The economic deprivation still experienced by Black Americans is the flip side of the privilege enjoyed by slaveowners’ descendants. The median household wealth of white Americans today is six times higher than that of Black Americans – $285,000 versus $45,000.

    Meanwhile, federal agencies that enforce antidiscrimination laws remain underfunded. This limits their ability to address racial disparities.

    Legislators in the House of Representatives debate the abolition of the 1836 gag rule, which prevented discussion of any laws concerning slavery.
    MPI/Getty Images

    The path forward

    As the enduring economic disparities rooted in slavery become clearer, a growing number of states and municipalities are weighing some form of practical and financial compensation for the descendants of enslaved people.

    Yet surveys show that most Americans oppose such reparations for slavery. Similarly, Congress has debated slavery reparations many times but never passed a bill.

    There are, however, other ways to improve opportunities for historically disadvantaged populations that could gain bipartisan backing.

    A majority of Americans, both conservatives and liberal, support increased funding for environmental hazard screening, which assesses the potential impact of a proposed project. They also favor limits on rent increases, better public school funding and raising taxes on the wealthy.

    These measures would help dismantle the structural barriers that perpetuate economic disparities. And the role of Congress here is central.

    Members of Congress do not bear personal responsibility for their ancestors’ actions. But they have an opportunity to address both the legacies of past injustices and today’s inequalities.

    By doing so, they can help create a future where ancestral history does not determine economic destiny.

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

    – ref. Many wealthy members of Congress are descendants of rich slaveholders − new study demonstrates the enduring legacy of slavery – https://theconversation.com/many-wealthy-members-of-congress-are-descendants-of-rich-slaveholders-new-study-demonstrates-the-enduring-legacy-of-slavery-239077

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: The UK welcomes the unanimous mandate renewal of the Multinational Security Support mission to Haiti: UK statement at the UN Security Council

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Haiti.

    Location:
    United Nations, New York
    Delivered on:
    (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered)

    Thank you President. I thank SRSG Salvador and Executive Director Russell for their briefings. I welcome the participation of the Permanent Representatives of Haiti and Kenya as well as Foreign Minister Álvarez Hill from the Dominican Republic in our meeting today.

    And I would also like to thank Ms. Auguste Ducéna for joining us today. As you and the other briefers made clear, the crisis in Haiti continues to bring unimaginable daily suffering and misery to the Haitian people. This Council remains shocked and appalled by the barbarity and human rights abuses committed by gangs.

    The UK welcomes the unanimous mandate renewal of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission to Haiti and pays tribute to Kenya’s leadership. We welcome the deployment of personnel from Kenya, Jamaica and Belize to the MSS as well as the pledged contributions from other nations. The MSS remains vital to supporting Haitian efforts to resolve instability and we commend the initial progress it has made alongside the Haitian National Police. It is important to ensure international security efforts are sustainable and support the Haitian government in addressing the root causes of the crisis. 

    We are also grateful to BINUH for their work to establish coordination between Haitian stakeholders, the MSS, and the international community. The UK has pledged over $6 million to support the deployment of the MSS through strengthening the mission’s human rights compliance framework. We expect the first tranche of funding to be released imminently.

    The Transitional Presidential Council must work together for the benefit of the Haitian people. We urge Haitian political and civil society, with the active participation of women and youth, to seize this opportunity to create the conditions necessary for lasting change.

    President, in a welcome step this Council decided to expand the UN Haiti sanctions designation list and for the first time targeted an individual responsible for financing destabilising gang activity.

    In conclusion, we call on all political actors to work together to address Haiti’s serious challenges and to refrain from acting based on personal or partisan interests. There is a chance to bring the peace and security that the Haitian people need and deserve.

    Updates to this page

    Published 23 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –