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  • MIL-OSI Banking: Designing against the deaf tax: How we can flip the script on tokenism

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Designing against the deaf tax: How we can flip the script on tokenism

    Inclusive Design – UX/UI

    How we can flip the script on tokenism

    By

    Toby Fitch

      –   The estimated reading time is 11 min.

    “Your baby has failed” isn’t a phrase any parent wants to hear. Yet for parents born with deaf children, babies are labeled failures before even leaving the hospital because they don’t pass mandated hearing tests. The weight and impact of that label is never felt by the hearing population because in an audio-dominant world, there’s no such thing as a mandatory sign language test. It’s no surprise, then, that systems fail to design for what dominant culture does not see or value: the creativity, brilliance, and depth of deaf culture.

    When my parents found out I was deaf, my mother cried, worrying that I would have to navigate the challenges she and my father endured. Like me and my sister, both of my parents are deaf. As author Isabel Wilkerson describes in her book about race, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, my parents experienced firsthand how our world is run by a caste system that is “about respect, authority and assumptions of competence — who is accorded these and who is not.”

    American Sign Language for “born failures” is made up of three signs: ‘BORN, FAIL, FINISH’

    From medicine to education, our systems are developed and implemented based on policies, attitudes, and institutional practices. It’s not biology that disables people in the Deaf or Disability community; it is the mismatches between our abilities and designed systems not designed for us. As disability rights activist Haben Girma put it, “They designed this environment for people who can see and hear. In this environment, I am disabled. They place the burden on me to step out of my world and reach into theirs.” Those mismatches place a disability tax on Deaf people at an early age. For example, fighting for accommodations like sign language interpreters for school, work, or receiving healthcare, or having the courage to speak up in the face of discrimination.

    Despite the exclusion, ridicule, and language deprivation — my parents didn’t learn sign language until I entered elementary school because their [hearing] parents were told that they had to ‘talk’ (eg: speech) to succeed in life — they were never without hope. “Deaf people can do anything hearing people can, except hear,” said Dr. I. King Jordan, the first Deaf president of Gallaudet University. When a child endures language deprivation, they don’t get adequate exposure to other forms of effective communication, thus delaying their cognitive, social, and emotional development. Ultimately, having my sister and I would give new meaning to my parents’ personal histories and broaden their perspective in profound ways. As a born failure, I grew up in a world of mismatches, but as desktop computers became more readily available, those mismatches would lead me down a path of using my lived experience to break barriers in society, design and technology.

    American sign language for “accessibility” shows a dominant hand moving under the non-dominant hand in a motion that implies the ability for anyone to go in and out of a space with ease.

    Technology cracks the door open

    Growing up, there weren’t really computers in classrooms and since most kids my age didn’t care for them, I was one of the first kids in my area to start using a computer. Since I had limited access to communicate with my classmates, computers helped me fill the time. My first computer was a PowerMac G3 Desktop, gifted by my cousin who ran his own design firm. I tinkered with different programs and video games like Backyard Baseball (1998) and the door to my future slowly opened.

    I got my second computer in 7th grade because my parents were trying to be creative in how I would keep up in class with note taking. Pencil and paper weren’t working for me. My eyes were focused on my interpreter, the whiteboard, and just taking everything in. Couple that with the fact that teachers don’t stop speaking just because you’re looking down to write, and it’s not a surprise that I missed a lot of information. Typing notes was much faster than writing, so my school provided a PC and that widened the doorway to technology. It was a Dell Inspiron 8100 with Windows 2000 that was built like a tank, and it was really heavy! I sank a lot of time on that computer and surfed on the Internet quite often to learn just about anything. Ask Jeeves was my best friend, eventually replaced by MSN search and Google.

    Access to information was my lifeline to learning about the world… and I did it through technology because I didn’t receive my information from conversations around the room. This wasn’t from lack of effort. I took over 15 years of speech training and learned to speak quite well to try and meet people halfway. The problem was, when they responded, I would only partially or pretend to understand, nodding my way through communication mismatches. This led to shallow interactions and pretending didn’t feel good because there was always something lacking — a missed opportunity for true human connection — when people were not willing to meet me halfway. These days, I rarely speak. Primarily using sign language gives me 100% access. I also use a notetaking app using speech-to text on my phone to interface with folks who don’t know sign language.

    American Sign Language for “design” shows a dominant hand expressively drafting something in one swooping motion on the non-dominant hand with an open palm representing a canvas.

    Using a Deaf lens at Microsoft

    Designing at Microsoft, I often think about my lived experience and bringing empathy to the mismatches I face daily. I may be an avid user of technology, but there is plenty of room for technology to grow and fill accessibility gaps. I advocate for accessibility not because I want to, but because I have to. Design should be about how Deaf people experience the world, anticipating every need, and shifting left to prevent issues later in the product cycle. Differing lived experiences inform our unique perspectives, creating an exchange that can open opportunities. Overlooked problems get discovered and the approach to solving them become very mindful and effective.

    As a profession, design has evolved tremendously in the past few years, moving from the aspirational towards the functional. UX mismatches in the systems we use still exist because, while they’re made based on a very wide set of users, they still lack all of the necessary elements for me to be accommodated. To solve these problems, we sometimes need to focus on “design for one and solve for many.” In other words, when we focus on designing for a single problem (or disability), it helps us to navigate the problem space writ large using empathy, our lived experiences, and leveraging co-design principles.

    Part of what catalyzed many recent changes in design thinking was the 2020 Pandemic and rapid transition to remote work. For Deaf folks, we quickly found that video conferencing was the great equalizer because for once we were on equal footing with our peers. Meetings were more mindful and easier to track because people couldn’t talk over each other. This made work easier for Deaf people as others modified their behaviors to ensure clear audio or taking turns when speaking in meetings. Deaf people could also rely on captions to figure out who was speaking or catch the dropped information that interpreters may miss due to accents or things being lost in translation. For the first time, millions of people were experiencing Deaf gain. Communication and human connection through technology was improved by the Deaf community because anyone could use those features (including folks forced to mute their audio thanks to a screaming kid in the background!).

    UX for Sign Language View in Teams. The D/HH experience in Microsoft Teams has driven the development of accessibility features like Sign Language View, designed specifically for those who rely on sign language for communication. Through a collaborative, co-design process with the D/HH community and sign language interpreters, we have developed features that ensure sign language users can perform at their best in any virtual collaboration setting. Key enhancements — such as the ability to manage and prioritize a list of signers, improved video quality for clearer sign language visibility, and simplified meeting controls — empowering D/HH users to engage quickly, fully and confidently.

    The creation of Sign Language View in Teams

    One shortfall of this new way of working, however, was the existing captioning solutions. It was painful for my Deaf peers and I to have to turn on captions with each call. Every time, you had to look for and prioritize the interpreters, open the chat window, and then finally be ready to participate in meetings. This design mismatch led to two Deaf employees (myself and a coworker) innovating an UX proposal for Microsoft Teams that would be more accommodating for Deaf users. Sign Language View was born out of a mismatch that we as employees faced daily, to the point that it was weighing on our disability tax. These days, I can now join meetings with less friction than I had before — but there are still more doors to open and work to do!

    With AI, it’s truly an exciting time in tech and so much is yet to be determined. This makes it critical to enter the space with curiosity, humility, and nuance. People in the Deaf and Disabled community operate outside of societal norms, attuning us to gaps often missed by others. That creates a very sensitive, nuanced lens and curiosity is also often at play. When your ability to succeed is determined by how creatively you can hack a system that doesn’t work for you, it necessitates innovation. In totality, this gives us a lens to approach problems in ways that may be more holistic than traditional design best practices.

    Co-design is great, but representation is an even better way to ensure people with lived experiences work directly to solve problems for their own communities. Ultimately, this leads to more equitable products for everyone and potentially more enjoyable ones, too. With sign language, for example, people often see it as a lesser form of communication but it’s highly expressive and an integral part of our cultural identity. People often want to travel to other countries to enrich their own lives by better understanding different ways of living. Living without sound is another way of experiencing life, and Deaf culture has its own social beliefs, behaviors, traditions, art, and values.

    American Sign Language for “empathy” shows two people, one of which is the signer. With one hand close to the heart, both hands sign the word ‘UNDERSTAND,’ showing how sign language can expressively convey empathy for different viewpoints.

    So, of the 90% of deaf children born to hearing parents, what if instead of being given the “bad news,” they were told they now had the chance to dive into a culture rich with language and expression? I think it could help erode the disability tax over time, leading to products and systems that are truly meant for all.

    Header imagery by Karan Singh.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Health – ‘Get ready for Flying Doctors’ – Fast-track Aussie approval increases urgency for NZ funding fix – Genaro

    Source: GenPro

    New Zealand needs to properly fund general practice or it will lose even more doctors to Australia.

    From October 21, Australia is introducing a new fast-track process which means an expedited pathway for general practitioners to work across the ditch.

    “The fast-track process means a GP who qualified as a fellow of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners after 2012 is deemed to have a similar qualification to that in Australia, which means they will see patients sooner. Get ready for Flying Doctors,” said Angus Chambers, Chair of the General Practice Owners Association of Aotearoa New Zealand.

    New Zealand is already struggling to retain doctors in New Zealand and recruit from overseas, Dr Chambers said.

    “According to OECD data, New Zealand has about 3.62 doctors per 1,000 people, well behind Australia’s 5.48. The fast-track process will make that worse.” (ref. http://www.oecd.org/en/data/indicators/doctors.html )

    And according to Te Whatu Ora, New Zealand is 485 GPs short, with this number expected to grow to a shortage of between 753 and 1043 doctors in the next 10 years. (ref. http://www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/350286694/nz-almost-500-gps-short-briefing-reveals )

    Years of underfunding general practices and limits on increasing patient charges have resulted in many practices closing, reducing their services, or not taking on new patients. Financial stresses and greater patient need have resulted in many GPs retiring or moving overseas, adding pressure to already under-resourced practices.

    “Australia’s doctor shortage is less severe than New Zealand’s, but the Australian government has in less than a year made speedy changes to its approval process and other reforms.

    “By comparison the New Zealand government and Te Whatu Ora seem resigned to the gutting of general practice, and instead want to boost tele-health, pharmacy, and nurse-led care. While these have a place, patient care is optimised in a face-to-face visit with a local GP,” Dr Chambers said.
         
    “If we are to retain our existing GP work force and grow the numbers entering the profession in Aotearoa, we need to be able to match the terms and conditions offered by Australian practices.   We need the opportunities here to be attractive and competitive compared to Australia and beyond if we want to have a general practice service in future.

    “We also need to stem the flow of GPs out of New Zealand general practice. They are already pouring out with retirements, often at earlier ages than in the past, going to secondary care, or leaving New Zealand for jobs offshore, especially Australia.”
     
    “The government must as a matter of urgency increase its support of primary healthcare, overhaul the current out-of-date funding model, and help increase the supply of medical professionals into primary healthcare,” said Dr Chambers.

    GenPro, which represents about half of all general practices in Aotearoa, is ready to work with the Minister of Health and the Health NZ Commissioner to develop the solutions needed.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Trade Issues – Continued trade action against Canada: a necessary step – Dairy Association

    Source: Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ)

    The Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ) is welcoming as necessary the New Zealand Government’s decision to trigger mandatory negotiations as the next step in the dairy quota dispute with Canada under the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (CPTPP).
    “New Zealand needing to take yet another legal step to ensure Canadian dairy trade policy is in line with its trade obligations feels like Groundhog Day. But it is unavoidable as Canada continues to flout the commitments it made under the CPTPP agreement,” says DCANZ Executive Director Kimberly Crewther.
    “We hope that Canada will come to the table with a genuine intent to preserve the integrity of the CPTPP agreement by complying with the rules. Trade rules and agreements are only as good as their implementation and so far, Canada’s disregard of its CPTPP dairy commitments has only served to undermine and diminish value.”
    The policies implemented to date by Canada to allocate import licenses for the sixteen quotas that facilitate dairy access to Canada’s market under the CPTPP agreement have placed the lions-share of access into the hands of Canadian processors, most of whom use only a fraction of their quota allocation. This creates barriers and costs that limit other importers with a stronger interest in New Zealand products from getting quota licenses.
    “Canada’s market remains 95% closed to New Zealand dairy exporters outside of the import quotas. This heightens the importance of ensuring that New Zealand dairy exporters get a fair shot at exporting under the very limited market access that Canada agreed to in the CPTPP agreement.”
    DCANZ supports the Government’s action to protect New Zealand’s economic interests when trade partners breach the rules. DCANZ is also concerned about trade disruption arising from subsidised Canadian dairy exports and has requested the government take WTO action on this.
    “Canada’s milk pricing system is operating to illegally subsidise the disposal of Canada’s surplus milk protein in global markets, harming New Zealand’s high-value protein business,” says Crewther.
    “It is a double whammy of trade distortion for Canada to be disregarding CPTPP rules and restricting agreed access to its own market while at the same time dumping products onto the global market in contravention of WTO rules. We support the New Zealand government taking decisive action to address both issues.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Miller’s Statement on the USITC’s Ruling on Russian Ferrosilicon

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV)

    Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-W) released a statement on the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) ruling that all imports of ferrosilicon from Russia will harm U.S. industries. This decision requires the Department of Commerce to place additional anti-dumping and countervailing tariffs on ferrosilicon, which will generate more production in West Virginia.

    “The U.S. ferrosilicon industry and hundreds of American workers have been negatively impacted by the unfair foreign trade of ferrosilicon metals. There is no replacement for ferrosilicon and therefore, it is critical to promote a strong American ferrosilicon industry to protect the communities that rely on its manufacturing and to defend our national security. I, along with a bipartisan group of my colleagues, sent a letter to the USITC Chair Amy Karpel urging her to enact U.S. trade enforcement mechanisms that benefit U.S. energy production and manufacturing. This correction by the USITC and the Department of Commerce is long overdue, and the United States’ will be stronger and safer for it,” said Congresswoman Miller.

    Background:

    • Congresswoman Miller sent a letter to U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) Chair Amy Karpel urging her to investigate the effect dumped and subsidized ferrosilicon from other countries, including Russia, is having on U.S. production.
    • The ferrosilicon production site in West Virginia currently has unused capacity, partly because of the unfair pricing scheme caused by other countries subsidizing their ferrosilicon.
    • In 2023, Congresswoman Miller introduced the Increasing American Ferrosilicon Production Act, a bipartisan, bicameral bill that impose a tariff on Si 75% ferrosilicon, the last remaining Russian ferrosilicon product that is imported into the United States duty free. Si 75% ferrosilicon will now be subjected to anti-dumping and countervailing tariffs.  

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia Statement on the Death of Yahya Sinwar

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (TX-29)

    Houston, TX – Today, Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia (D-TX-29) released the following statement on the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar:

    “Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind behind the brutal October 7 attack on Israel and leader of Hamas, is no longer a threat. The world is now a safer place. This is a new opportunity to end the war in Gaza, free the remaining hostages, and achieve lasting peace, security, and dignity for all Israelis and Palestinians.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Warrant to arrest – Hirini Te Runa

    Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

    Police are seeking to locate Hirini Te Runa, who has multiple warrants for his arrest.

    He is wanted on assault and injures with intent to injure matters as well as another incident involving breaching detention conditions.

    Police believe Te Runa is somewhere in the wider Auckland, Waikato or Whakatane areas.

    Any sightings of Te Runa should be reported to Police on 111 immediately.

    If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact Police on 105, quoting file number 240614/9546.

    Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

    ENDS.

    Holly McKay/NZ Police

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Roy & Sen. Cruz demand answers from Biden-Harris admin on growing presence of Tren de Aragua gang

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Chip Roy (R-TX)

    WASHINGTON, DC – On Thursday, Representative Chip Roy (TX-21) and Senator Ted Cruz (TX) demanded answers from Department of  Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on the growing presence of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) in Texas and across America.

    The Texas lawmakers wrote in a letter,“The Biden-Harris administration has imported Venezuelan illegal aliens at an alarming rate, allowing criminals – including the gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) – to gain a foothold in Texas and communities throughout the United States. Texans and the American people deserve better.”

    On October 5, 2024, Texas law enforcement executed “Operation Aurora,” a sting targeted at TdA members occupying a San Antonio apartment complex that had been forcefully taken over by the violent gang, similar to the situation recently seen in Aurora, Colorado. Authorities arrested 19 Venezuelan illegal aliens, four of whom are confirmed TdA members.

    The lawmakers said, “Alleged TdA affiliates have committed heinous crimes against Americans. The two Venezuelan illegal aliens charged with raping and murdering 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray before tossing her dismembered body into a Houston bayou, both of whom were released under your tenure after they unlawfully crossed into Texas earlier this year, are believed to have ties to TdA.”

    “Our law enforcement community and the Texans they serve deserve answers on the scope of infiltration of TCOs under this administration,” the letter concludes.

    Read the full letter here.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Guatemala: Internacional organizations demand due process guarantees at key hearing for Jose Rubén Zamora’s release

    Source: Amnesty International –

    19 international civil society organisations demand due process at the review of journalist Jose Rubén Zamora’s detention due on Friday 18 October 2024. A Guatemala City court will consider the request for revision of pre-trial detention order issued against journalist Zamora. He has been unjustly imprisoned since 29 July 2022. We, the undersigned organisations, express our deep concern regarding the violations of his human rights and the new threats to judicial independence.

    Since being appointed to preside over the hearing on Friday the 18, the substitute judge has faced stigmatisation on social media and a criminal complaint, intended to exert undue pressure. This kind of intimidation is not an isolated incident. It is part of a broader, deeply troubling trend of criminalisation targeting those implicated in politically motivated prosecutions. This tactic is frequently deployed against human rights defenders, journalists, judicial officers and others. They, like Jose Rubén Zamora, have courageously taken a stand in the fight against impunity and corruption.

    At least 10 lawyers who have taken up Zamora’s defence have been forced to abandon the case due to external pressures. Some have even faced unjust criminal proceedings leading to their imprisonment, as reprisal for their  efforts on behalf of the journalist. These alarming incidents, combined with a series of irregularities, unjustified delays, and the absence of credible evidence, have severely tainted the criminal proceedings against Zamora and violated his rights to a defense, to the presumption of innocence and to a fair and impartial trial.

    Jose Rubén Zamora has been unjustly deprived of his liberty for over 800 days in the Mariscal Zavala prison in Guatemala City. International experts have raised alarming concerns that the conditions of Zamora’s imprisonment could constitute torture, and cruel and inhumane treatment. Such conditions are a grave violation of human dignity and justice. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has classified his prolonged detention as arbitrary and has unequivocally called for his immediate release. The criminal prosecution against Jose Ruben also violates freedom of expression and seeks to silence critical voices in the country.

    Jose Rubén Zamora is currently facing two separate criminal proceedings, both resulting in pre-trial detention orders. His path to freedom is blocked unless both courts handling these cases concurrently decide to replace his pre-trial detention with house arrest.

    In August 2024, the court overseeing the alleged money laundering offence case ruled to modify Jose Rubén Zamora’s pre-trial detention order. However, a second pre-trial detention order remains in force in a separate case, and on 18 October, another court will examine this order. This is the only legal rationale currently keeping the journalist behind bars.

    We, the undersigned organisations, call for this pivotal hearing to be conducted with full guarantees of independence and impartiality, ensuring strict compliance with the fundamental requirements of due process.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hern Statement on Israel’s Strike Eliminating Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Kevin Hern (OK-01)

    TULSA, OK – Representative Kevin Hern (OK-01) released the following statement following reports that Israel eliminated Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza. 

    “Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind behind the October 7th attacks, has brought death and destruction to innocent Americans, Israelis, and Palestinians for years,” said Rep. Hern. “His elimination marks a significant blow against terror and a step toward justice. Once again, Israel has shown the world that they will defend their people and avenge the deaths of those killed by Hamas on October 7th. Israel has my full support as they continue the mission to destroy Hamas.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Whip Clark Statement on the Death of Yahya Sinwar

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Katherine Clark (5th District of Massachusetts)

    KINGSTON, NY — Democratic Whip Katherine Clark released the following statement:

    “The world is a safer place without Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. He was the architect of the heinous October 7th attack and plotted against the Israeli people for decades. Because of him, more than 1,200 civilians — including 40 Americans — were murdered, and hundreds were kidnapped. 

    “Sinwar was an unyielding obstacle to peace. Now, we have an opportunity to move forward.

    “After more than a year of horrendous violence, today must mark a turning point. It is critical that we now secure a ceasefire, return the remaining hostages, and surge aid to the people of Gaza. That is the only path to a just and lasting peace for both Israelis and Palestinians.”
     

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Nadler on Death of Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jerrold Nadler (10th District of New York)

    Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), the most senior Jewish Member of the House of Representatives, issued the following statement regarding the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar:

    “Yahya Sinwar was a mastermind of the horrific October 7th attack. In his death we must recognize who he truly was in his life: a brutal butcher of innocent civilians. Israel, Gaza, the Middle East, and the entire world are safer today without him in it.

    “For Israelis, Sinwar represented the face of the terrorists’ barbarity on October 7th, the deadliest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust. For Palestinians, Sinwar’s death represents a major step in the struggle for freedom from the oppressive yoke of Hamas’ savagery.

    “Sinwar’s death represents a major milestone in Israel’s war in Gaza. Israel’s objective to eliminate Hamas leadership, especially those responsible for masterminding October 7th, is seemingly complete. Israel must now focus on the critical objective of returning the hostages home to their families.

    “Now is the time to vigorously pursue a negotiated ceasefire agreement that will ensure a complete hostage release from Gaza. Israel must also heed the warnings of the United States and continue to increase the amount of humanitarian aid allowed to enter Gaza. 

    “Yahya Sinwar was a terrorist with the blood of countless innocent civilians on his hands. The news of his death also impacts the many whose lives have been forever altered by the violence and destruction he inflicted upon the world. As the world digests this news, now is the time to turn the page on this bloody and devastating conflict in Gaza. Now is the time to come to an agreement on a negotiated ceasefire for the sake of all Israelis and Palestinians. Such an agreement will transition the situation on the ground from war to the elusive “day after,” including allowing innocent Palestinians to begin to rebuild their lives, and to finally fulfil what so many Israelis have been demanding for over a year: to bring them home, now.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Carter secures USDA disaster designation to help Georgia farms recover from Tropical Storm Debby

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Earl L Buddy Carter (GA-01)

    Headline: Carter secures USDA disaster designation to help Georgia farms recover from Tropical Storm Debby

    SAVANNAH – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) this week announced a disaster declaration for Georgia counties impacted by Tropical Storm Debby, including all 15 counties in Georgia’s First Congressional District, following a letter from Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) requesting such assistance for farmers’ and growers’ recovery.


    Tropical Storm Debby’s devastating rain and wind caused extensive property damage and crop losses for Georgia growers. The Secretarial disaster designation makes farm operators in primary and contiguous counties eligible for Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loan assistance.

    “America relies on our growers; but right now, growers are relying on us. Agriculture is the #1 industry in the state of Georgia, and the losses we’ve experience this hurricane season are going to impact not just our local economy, but the national food supply chain. This funding opportunity is a lifeline for the farmers and growers whose crops were wiped out during Tropical Storm Debby, and I will continue to ensure our district has the resources it needs to fully recover,” said Rep. Carter.


    According to the USDA’s announcement, farmers in eligible counties have 8 months from the date of a Secretarial disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans. FSA considers each emergency loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of production losses on the farm and the security and repayment ability of the operator.


    To apply,     contact your local FSA office.


    Read Rep. Carter’s letter to USDA     here.


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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Tech can help kids connect with nature and go outdoors – here are tips to make it work

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kellie Vella, Postdoctoral researcher in Human-Computer Interaction, Queensland University of Technology

    RasaBasa/Shutterstock

    Young children’s lives are increasingly spent indoors. They have less access to green spaces, their parents are concerned about safety, and there’s also the draw of digital entertainment. This shift away from the natural world has been evocatively named “the extinction of experience”.

    By being in green spaces, children benefit in many ways, including greater physical activity and improved concentration and self-control. The outdoors is also good for children’s learning. Benefits such as these have fuelled the rise of forest schools and the integration of nature play in early childhood education.

    The things that play the biggest role in limiting children’s time in nature are urbanisation and parental attitudes. Despite this, digital devices are often blamed for keeping kids indoors.

    Digital entertainment is widely perceived as addictive and detrimental. While the concept of screen time is contested, most Australian children are exceeding the current recommended guidelines.

    Our research took a different approach, asking: could digital technologies be designed to foster nature connection? After looking at studies of digital technologies used by children aged eight years and under, we found a wide range of ways technology can help children find their way back into the great outdoors.

    Being in nature

    The ways children connect to nature go through several phases: “being in nature, being with nature, and being for nature”. Key experiences that boost this connection include free time in nature, seeing others like oneself in natural settings, recording nature experiences, and gaining confidence and a sense of agency outdoors.

    We found technologies that help children to

    • have social and playful experiences outdoors
    • discover nature
    • show their care for and learn about other species and the environment, and
    • focus their creative and artistic abilities on the world around them.

    The most commonly used technology were digital cameras in various forms: handheld, GoPros, or built into smartphones or prototype devices.

    Case studies from all around the world show how digital imagery opens doors into the natural world. In São Paulo, Brazil, photography helped children notice urban nature they had overlooked. In the United States, it allowed them to collect images of species to learn about.

    In Australia, children took photos in parks for creative manipulation later, while in Finland, an augmented reality “forest elf” encouraged imaginative nature exploration that children could photograph. In Italy, the ABBOT prototype used a screenless camera device linked to a tablet application, enabling nature exploration without the distraction of screens.

    Julle, the augmented reality ‘forest elf’ used in the Finnish study.
    Kumpulainen et al. (2020), CC BY

    Young citizen scientists

    Nature photography is also a gateway to citizen science. Apps like QuestaGame, though not a subject of our research, bridge the appeal of photography and the game design of Pokémon Go. The goal of the game is to collect images of species for science.

    Our study found one citizen science project with seven- and eight-year-old children text logging seashore species they found. While the youngest children needed parental support to do this, they were reportedly the most enthusiastic.

    Sound technologies can also help connect kids with nature. The Ambient Birdhouse plays nature videos in the home so that children are sensitised to bird sounds when outside. Another tool, the Eko nature sound collector, pairs with an app to let children manipulate sounds they’ve collected outdoors.

    Like photography, sound technologies are an entry point to noticing the natural world. And children can use these even if they can’t yet read.

    How can we use tech to connect children with nature?

    There are many ways to appropriate existing technologies and make new ones to help children connect with nature. Parents and educators can use accessible technologies like cameras, and applications such as QuestaGame, including their schools-oriented challenge.

    To add mystery and excitement by having to look at the images later – much like with film cameras – parents can cover up the screen of a smartphone or digital camera. (A few inches of painter’s masking tape can do the trick.)

    Going out to check an automatic nature camera can also be exciting. It can even turn into a daily ritual. These cameras are available both commercially and DIY. To find the best places to put them, children can engage in backyard experimentation, adding another dimension to this activity.

    To further encourage their children’s creative and scientific learning, parents can help children make digital stories out of nature photos, or learn about species together.

    Finally, tech developers can use all this evidence to design dedicated tech tools for children to use in nature. These designs should be easy for young children to use, engage more senses than sight, and encourage outdoor play, wonder and care for nature.

    If such technologies are designed in collaboration with children, families and educators, they have the chance to be widely embraced, both at home and in the classroom.

    Our work shows there are ways to use technology to build kids’ interest in the outdoors. By listening to parents’ concerns about addiction to smart devices and children’s safety, we can ensure a world where children play outdoors freely, without veering towards surveillance.

    Kellie Vella is a Research Fellow with the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child.

    Madeleine Dobson is an Associate Investigator with the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child.

    – ref. Tech can help kids connect with nature and go outdoors – here are tips to make it work – https://theconversation.com/tech-can-help-kids-connect-with-nature-and-go-outdoors-here-are-tips-to-make-it-work-240442

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Preventing falls: Google Street View offers a quick way to assess risks for older New Zealanders

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Angela Curl, Senior lecturer, Department of Population Health, University of Otago

    Google Street View has fast become a tool for people trying to get the feel for a community, look at real estate – and sometimes prank the tech giant when its mapping car drives by. But it also has the potential to help prevent falls and injuries in New Zealand’s urban environments.

    Falls are a leading cause of injury and accidental death among older adults, but identifying the location of risks outside is labour and time intensive.

    In our new research, we have created a tool using Google Street View to audit the places where people walk.

    The goal of our new tool – Fall-SAFE – is to identify the risks in New Zealand’s built environments and create a database for local councils and community groups to understand where an older person might fall – and why.

    A costly risk

    Annually, one-in-three people over 65 are injured in a fall. This figure rises to one-in-two for people over 80.

    In 2023 alone, ACC received 236,985 new claims for falls from people over the age of 60. Many of these falls resulted in serious injury, such as a hip fracture, hospitalisation or even death.

    It’s not just older people who are at risk of falling – though they are, by far, the largest group. Last year, ACC paid out NZ$2.15 billion to cover claims for falls.

    The flow-on effect from falls extends further than just medical recovery. Older people who have fallen outside, or who fear falling due to perceived risks, may be less willing to go for walks. They then miss out on the physical, mental and social benefits of this sort of activity.

    Assessing the environment

    Using data from ambulance service Hato Hone St John, we identified 2,117 falls between July 2016 and June 2018 in urban areas involving adults aged 65 and over. Wellington was excluded as the city uses a different ambulance service.

    Auditors then used Google Street View to assess the locations of these falls and identify risks in the built environment that might have contributed. These risks included trip hazards, uneven foot paths, obstructions (such as overgrown bushes) and slopes.

    Auditors used a “drop-and-spin” approach to their assessment, where they completed a 360° audit of the fall location. The Google Maps imagery was set to be as close to the date of the accident as possible.

    Drop-and-spin virtual audits are quicker than physical audits, but similarly reliable. Furthermore, drop-and-spin virtual audits enable assessment over large geographic areas that would be difficult to examine in person.

    Understanding New Zealand’s streets

    After examining the different fall sites, we gained a better understanding of where falls happened and the hazards that could have contributed to the falls.

    Half of all the falls had occurred in residential locations (49.1%) and one quarter occurred in commercial locations (22.4%). A further 16.2% of the falls had occurred in “other” locations (such as rural or industrial areas).

    Over 60% of fall sites had at least one trip hazard due to poorly maintained footpaths. The most common obstructions were manholes, service covers or grates (71.5 %), poles (65.4%), utility boxes (46.6%) and overhanging vegetation (39.5%). Other obstructions such as bus shelters, chairs and tables, or drains were noted at 64.5% of the sites.

    Three-quarters of the falls had occurred in locations that had a flat or gentle slope (76.3%). Only 15.5% of the falls had occurred on a moderate slope, while 8.2% had occurred on a steep slope.

    Most (95.6%) of the fall locations had a normal kerb height (ten centimetres). Few locations had no kerbs (2.3%) or storm drains (2%). Streetlights were present in most fall locations, either on one side of the street (including partial or very sparse locations) (54%) or on both sides (44%). Streetlights were not visible in 0.9% of sites.

    Of all the locations we assessed, just under 6% had no obvious risk whatsoever. This seems to indicate that external hazards were a contributing factor to the vast majority of falls – though without information from the person who fell, it is hard to know for sure.

    A cheaper and faster option

    The current approach to assessing the safety of urban environments – sending people out to physically look at a footpath to identify issues – can be time consuming and costly.

    And the money to do the work is simply unavailable. Several councils, including Hamilton and Masterton, have announced significant cuts in funding from the New Zealand Transport Agency to maintain and repair footpaths and cycle lanes.

    Another problem is that these assessors may not fully understand the experiences of older people in these locations. A hazard for someone aged 65+ may not seem like one for someone in their 30s or 40s.

    Understanding the factors that contribute to a fall for older people – such as obstructions and trip hazards – allows city planners to address problems in the built environment.

    Our free auditing tool provides a way for councils and advocacy groups to look at environments to understand the risks. Our research applied this to places where we know people had fallen, but the tool can be used to assess the risk of any environment.

    Investing the time and effort now to address these fall risks early could save money – and lives – further down the track.

    Angela Curl receives funding from Healthier Lives and Ageing Well National Science Challenges and Lotteries Health.

    – ref. Preventing falls: Google Street View offers a quick way to assess risks for older New Zealanders – https://theconversation.com/preventing-falls-google-street-view-offers-a-quick-way-to-assess-risks-for-older-new-zealanders-241343

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: U.S. Rep. Castor, SBA Administrator Open Small Business Recovery Center to Aid Businesses, Individuals, Renters & Nonprofits Damaged or Economically Harmed By Hurricanes

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Reprepsentative Kathy Castor (FL14)

    TAMPA, FL – U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL-14) and Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman marked the opening of a new SBA Business Recovery Center (BRC) at the Entrepreneur Collaborative Center in Ybor City to support recovery from Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

    The SBA BRC is available to assist businesses, homeowners and renters with advice and applications for low-interest disaster loans.

    “Tampa Bay small businesses fuel our economy, but back-to-back hurricanes have hurt local business owners,” said Rep. Castor. “The new Business Recovery Center will provide on-the-ground support to homeowners, renters, businesses and nonprofits and help them bounce back. I’m grateful to SBA, USF Small Business Development Center and other dedicated disaster teams for helping our community recover. A low-interest disaster loan is a better option than a credit card with a high interest rate.”

    SBA can make disaster loans of up to $500,000 to homeowners to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters may be eligible for up to $100,000 to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed personal property. Businesses may be eligible for up to $2 million for both physical damage and economic injury from business disruption.

    SBA received approximately 37,000 applications for relief submitted from those impacted by Hurricane Helene. The SBA has already made over 700 Helene loan offers totaling about $48 million. For Hurricane Milton, SBA has received over 12,000 applications. 

    Due to a lapse in funding, SBA has paused disbursement until Congress acts, but the SBA application portal remains open, and individuals and small businesses are strongly encouraged to apply for loans. Disaster survivors should start the application process immediately so SBA can review applications and position eligible applicants to receive offers and funds.

    Rep. Castor stands ready to return to Washington to vote for additional disaster funding immediately.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Cheap grog, new drunkenness offence and mandatory rehab: why 9 experts think proposed NT alcohol reforms would be a disaster

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cassandra Wright, Alcohol and other Drugs Program Lead, Menzies School of Health Research

    logoboom/Shutterstock

    The new Northern Territory government is planning a swathe of changes to alcohol policy.

    If implemented, these changes fly in the face of what evidence shows works to reduce alcohol-related harms. Some are also out of step with the rest of Australia.

    Among our concerns are plans that would lead to harmful alcohol products becoming cheaper, alcohol becoming more easily available, criminalising public drunkenness, and a particularly worrying type of mandatory alcohol treatment – all of which evidence suggests will cause more harms.

    No one is downplaying the magnitude and complexities of alcohol-related issues in the NT. But we hope the territory government will pay more heed to the evidence and voices of those most impacted.

    Alcohol-related harm in the NT is complex

    Alcohol-related harms in the NT are significantly higher (for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people) than elsewhere in Australia.

    In the territory, these harms contribute to health and social outcomes costing at least A$1.4 billion a year. Alcohol harms result in costs related to health care, deaths, crime, policing and child protection.

    Aboriginal communities in the NT have for decades cried out for solutions and services that effectively respond to alcohol-related harm. Instead, they found their lives made part of a political football match on law and order. Policies have been reactive and mostly ineffective. They’ve been overturned at each election.

    Now, the new NT government is discussing changes that promise to exacerbate the very issues it aims to address.

    1. Cheap alcohol that contributes most harm would be on the market

    The World Health Organization recognises that raising the price of alcohol is one of the most effective ways for governments to reduce alcohol-related harm.

    So some governments around the world, including in the NT, have set a price below which alcohol cannot be sold, known as the minimum or “floor price”. This targets cheap, high-strength alcohol associated with patterns of drinking that cause the most harm.

    The new NT government plans to repeal this, despite evidence showing this works to reduce harms.

    Since the NT alcohol floor price was set at $1.30 per standard drink in 2018, there has been a:

    • 14% reduction in alcohol-related assaults in Darwin and Palmerston

    • 11% reduction in domestic and family violence assaults

    • 21% reduction in domestic and family violence assaults involving alcohol

    • 19% reduction in alcohol-related emergency department attendances.

    Originally, experts recommended a $1.50 floor price but this was reduced to $1.30 after a backlash from alcohol industry lobbyists. Had the policy not been watered down, evidence suggests the impacts above would likely have been greater.

    The floor price has likely also lost some of its initial impact as it has never been indexed for inflation.

    The best available research shows the floor price has reduced alcohol-related harms with no evidence of unintended consequences or negative impacts on the alcohol industry, despite claims otherwise.

    Researchers and experts from around the world have been writing to NT ministers urging them to reconsider repealing this effective policy.

    This includes researchers from the United Kingdom and Canada, who have coauthored this article. In these countries, evidence on the effectiveness of minimum pricing has been used to increase the floor price by 30%, not abolish it.

    2. Bottle shops could be open longer

    There are also proposals to repeal current restrictions on bottle shop trading hours. Such restrictions are highly effective in reducing alcohol harms, including violence.

    Our paper from earlier this year found that in the town of Tennant Creek, restrictions to reduce trading hours and introduce purchase limits at bottle shops resulted in a 92% reduction in alcohol-involved domestic and family violence assaults.

    Preliminary analyses of the reduced trading hours introduced in Alice Springs following Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit in early 2023 also suggest a clear reduction on violence rates.

    Bottle shops would be open for longer, making alcohol more easily available.
    AustralianCamera/Shutterstock

    3. New public drunkenness offence

    Ministers were also set to pass laws to create a new offence for “nuisance” public intoxication (also known as public drunkenness). This would allow police officers to arrest people and fine them up to $925, in addition to current powers to seize and tip out alcohol from people drinking in prohibited areas.

    This is at the time when nearly every other jurisdiction in Australia is in the process of decriminalising public drunkenness, making the NT out of step with the rest of the nation.

    The NT’s proposed new laws on public drunkenness would criminalise more people who are already locked out from our society, placing them at risk of the negative, intergenerational and preventable impacts that often arise from contact with the justice system.

    4. Mandatory rehab

    Mandatory alcohol treatment was also an election commitment.

    In its previous term of government, mandatory alcohol treatment was focused on people with a public intoxication offence rather than providing quality care to people with alcohol dependence in life-saving circumstances. If the same model is reintroduced, this is potentially harmful and at best ineffective.

    In the NT, this model of mandatory alcohol treatment had no better outcomes than for those who may not have received any treatment at all. But it cost the taxpayer three times as much.

    Where to from here?

    Researchers, health professionals and partner organisations have urged the NT government to reconsider these decisions, as we have well-founded concerns these may worsen the very issues the government aims to address.

    There’s no need to guess the outcomes of changing, repealing or introducing alcohol policies. We can draw on robust evidence, including extensive research from the NT, on what works in our communities.

    Cassandra Wright receives funding from the Australian Research Council, National Health and Medical Research Council, Music NT, NT Motor Accident Compensation Commission and Commonwealth government Department of Health.

    Beau Jayde Cubillo receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council and Fisheries Research Development Corporation on behalf of the Australian Commonwealth.

    John Holmes receives funding from the UK National Institute for Health and Care Research and has previously received funding from UK Research & Innovation, the Wellcome Trust, Alcohol Change UK and other similar public health charities and government bodies. He has received funding from NHS Health Scotland (now part of Public Health Scotland) to evaluate the impact of minimum unit pricing in Scotland. He has also received funding from UK and international governments to model the potential impact of minimum unit pricing in various jurisdictions.

    Mark Mayo receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, Ian Potter Foundation, Ramaciotti Foundation.

    Mark Robinson currently receives, or has previously received, funding from Health and Wellbeing Queensland, Queensland Health, National Health and Medical Research Council, and Australian government Department of Health and Aged Care. He was a member of the Consumption and Health Harms Evaluation Advisory Group for the evaluation of minimum unit pricing led by Public Health Scotland.

    Michael Livingston receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the National Health and Medical Research Council, HealthWay, VicHealth and the Commonwealth Department of Health. He is on the board of the Alcohol and Drug Foundation.

    Nicholas Taylor receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the Cancer Council, VicHealth, the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, the Northern Territory government, and the Queensland government Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability.

    Sarah Clifford receives funding from National Health and Medical Research Council, Music NT, and NT Motor Accident Compensation Commission.

    Tim Stockwell receives funding from the Canadian Cancer Society, the the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research. He has accepted travel expenses from IOGT-Sweden, the Swedish temperance society. He has been an expert witness in court cases in Canada relating to contested liquor licence applications and damages for the victims of alcohol-related violence and road crashes. He has received research funds, travel expenses and minor personal fees for conducting public health related research for government-owned alcohol retail monopolies in Finland, Sweden and Canada.

    – ref. Cheap grog, new drunkenness offence and mandatory rehab: why 9 experts think proposed NT alcohol reforms would be a disaster – https://theconversation.com/cheap-grog-new-drunkenness-offence-and-mandatory-rehab-why-9-experts-think-proposed-nt-alcohol-reforms-would-be-a-disaster-241373

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Why are some Australian students having to pay to do PE at public schools?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Amy Sears, Lecturer, School of Education, Charles Sturt University

    mattimix/Shutterstock

    Health and physical education is one of the key subjects students learn at school. In Australia it is mandatory for students from the first year of school to Year 10.

    It involves theory and practical components to help students manage their health and wellbeing. This includes healthy eating habits, sexual health, cyber safety and mental health. It also incorporates fundamental movement skills (such as throwing and catching), sports (such as swimming, gymnastics and football) and team-building.

    Because it is a core, compulsory part of the curriculum it is supposed to be free for students at government schools. But our research shows some students are being asked to pay – and those who cannot are missing out.

    Our research

    In our recent study, we looked at the staffing and delivery of health and physical education in New South Wales government schools.

    We surveyed 556 schools, which make up about 30% of public schools in the state. This included primary and high schools with a mix of locations and levels of advantage.

    We used an online survey, which was completed by the teacher in charge of health and physical education.

    Many schools are outsourcing lessons

    We asked survey respondents who was teaching health and physical education to students at their schools. Some schools were using more than one option.

    • For all schools: 67% were using external provider, 44.5% were using a specialist teacher and 55.4% were using another teacher.

    • For primary schools: 78.4% were using an external provider, 17.9% were using a specialist teacher and 48% were using another teacher.

    • For high schools: 44.8% were using an external provider, 95.9% were using a specialist teacher and 69.2% were using another teacher.

    Previous research has shown how schools outsource to external providers to “fill the gap” of teachers lacking confidence and competence to provide quality health and physical education lessons.

    This study did not measure how frequent outsourcing was, however, comments from respondents suggests it is regular. For example, one teacher said: “a typical [outsourced] class would have one lesson a week for a term”.

    Another teacher similarly said

    one 40 min[ute] lesson per week. Company comes in with equipment and young university students to run different activities. They also assess our students for us.

    Another teacher told us:

    We use [company name], they offer different sports/programs that run for one lesson a week per term.

    Families are being asked to pay

    Of the schools who were outsourcing lessons, 78% of the schools outsourcing lessons said they were asking parents to help pay for these lessons.

    One respondent told us, the costs were “A$45 for one term, $80 for two”.

    Of this group, 64% reported students who did not pay did other school work (either for health and physical education or another core subject). About one fifth of schools said students that don’t pay just had to “sit and watch”.

    This suggests some students are missing out on basic learning opportunities at school for financial reasons. As one teacher told us:

    the school uses some off-campus sporting/gaming facilities that students can choose to pay extra for instead of free on-campus teacher run [activities].

    Some students are just made to ‘sit and watch’ if they can’t pay.
    nannycz/Shutterstock

    Why is this a problem?

    The outsourcing of health and physical education lessons comes in the middle of an ongoing teacher shortage in Australia and around the world.

    A 2024 UN report estimates a global shortage of more than 44 million teachers, with many teachers teaching outside of their areas of expertise.

    Specific shortages of health and physical education teachers have been noted for more than a decade.

    However, outsourcing lessons away from qualified teachers, is a significant concern. Little is known about the external providers’ qualifications or quality. Unlike teachers, they are not subject to registration requirements or professional standards.

    Even more concerning is some students are missing out on lessons or some components of lessons because their families have not been able to pay.

    This links to wider concerns about unequal access to sport in the school system. This includes some private schools with new Olympic pools and boat ramps when other public schools don’t have access to council playing fields.

    More research is needed

    Our study suggests more research is needed. We need further information on staffing, outsourcing and lesson delivery in other areas of the country and in other subjects.

    We need to be sure all students are being taught the core curriculum, free of charge and by qualified teachers – ideally specialists.

    Jessica Amy Sears is affiliated with ACHPER (Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation) NSW.

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

    – ref. Why are some Australian students having to pay to do PE at public schools? – https://theconversation.com/why-are-some-australian-students-having-to-pay-to-do-pe-at-public-schools-239489

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: A decade after the US version ended, Australia remakes The Office. It’s not new, but it’s funny

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philippa Burne, Honorary Fellow (Screenwriting), Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne/PhD Candidate, UniSA Creative, The University of Melbourne

    Amazon/Bunya Entertainment

    Firstly, let’s revisit the question: why are they remaking The Office?

    Just over ten years after the United States version of the British series ended, Australia has decided to make its own version. It follows franchises in Canada, Greece, India, Sweden and Poland, to name a few.

    But we all have offices to go to, we all have our particular office cultures, co-workers and complaints. Post-pandemic, office life is becoming routine again. The more things change, the less things change, and that could be the theme of The Office Australia.

    In fact, this is probably the perfect timing for this remake: post work-from-home, when large corporations are demanding workers return (often unwillingly) to shared workplaces. That’s the premise of the pilot episode of The Office Australia – everyone stops working remotely and reunites at the office. It’s timely and a good way of updating the concept to make it relatable.

    ‘A riddle, swallowed by an idiot …’

    Modern nods, same old business

    A few more nods to contemporary office culture are included, such as Zoom meetings and standing desks. But apart from that, the Australian Office could be set anytime from the 1990s onwards in terms of the look, practices and low-fi tech of the office itself.

    The remake mirrors closely the US version: a romance storyline, tensions between office and warehouse, an old-school boss who loves, craves and needs camaraderie, and a staff for whom work life comes second to what they’d rather be doing.

    The original United Kingdom series of The Office, by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, only had 12 episodes, which is still surprising to realise given how much it defined television sitcom in the decades following. Parks and Recreation (2009–2015) owes a huge debt to The Office. Whether we would have had Utopia (2014–present) without it is debatable. The late, great John Clarke broke in Australia with The Games (1998–2000) and Australia has long done this sort of observational comedy very well.

    Will Australia’s version capture local flavour? It does feature the Melbourne Cup.
    Amazon

    Despite a deep vein of experience and success to draw on, The Office Australia sticks closely to The Office format in terms of stories, characters, tone, look and laughs.

    This might be because the show – made by Amazon and BBC Australia – is launching into around 240 countries and territories. It needs to find a line between being Australian and being international. That said, it has probably veered more into the international end of the scale, with enough Australiana (venomous snakes, barbecues) to ground it here, but still universal enough to be widely relatable and understandable.

    The US version had 201 episodes, giving it scope to develop the characters and the storylines and make it a massively popular and frequently rewatched series. (There’s a follow up series in the works called The Paper.) So it’s no wonder writers Julie De Fina and Jackie van Beek looked to the this version for guidance for the Australian series. This is less an adaptation than a remake with a different accent.

    Familiar and new faces

    Hannah Howard (Felicity Ward) is the devoted office manager who loves her job too much and runs an under-performing, dysfunctional workplace of uninterested staff.

    The show centres on her, with the familiar mockumentary style. Like David Brent and Michael Scott before her, Hannah Howard is optimistic, naive, relentless and terrible at staff management. She forces pyjama days and bus trips on her employees, who are clearly unwilling yet never actively rebel. There is plenty of comedy in the awkwardness and small moments.

    Felicity Ward plays the boss (sort of) of this particular office.
    Amazon

    Her devoted assistant and receptionist Lizzie (Edith Poor), a former Scout, wears a grey suit and will pursue any idea no matter how ill-conceived or illegal to make Hannah’s plans come to fruition.

    Long-suffering human resources manager Martin (Josh Thomson) tries to keep them from actually breaking laws, while Nick (Steen Raskopoulos) and Greta (Shari Sebbens) gaze awkwardly across their workstation divider at each other in a slow-burning love story. There are the usual office roles which offer story beats: accounting, IT, sales.

    The first Australian season of The Office might not be anything new, but I kept watching. It felt safe, even comforting. Perhaps in a similar way going to someone else’s family for Christmas lunch can feel familiar: recognisable foods, decorations, known characters – but with the frisson that maybe something different will happen this time.

    This remake knows what it is. It’s been made to satisfy an audience wanting to be in a world that reflects their own experiences, but takes it just that bit too far. It’s not setting out to break moulds, but to bring the mould up to date and give it an Australian voice for the world to hear.

    The Office premieres on October 18 on Prime.

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

    – ref. A decade after the US version ended, Australia remakes The Office. It’s not new, but it’s funny – https://theconversation.com/a-decade-after-the-us-version-ended-australia-remakes-the-office-its-not-new-but-its-funny-241356

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DeLauro Renews Call for Emergency Disaster Supplemental

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03)

    Today, House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) released a statement renewing calls for a comprehensive disaster relief package following news that the Small Business Administration (SBA) had exhausted funds for new disaster loans:

    “For the last year, I have consistently called for a comprehensive emergency supplemental in response to several disasters – from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, to Connecticut flooding and other localized extreme weather events fueled by climate change, to wildfires, to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The SBA’s funds for disaster loans are now exhausted while small businesses and communities across the country still face the impact of these events. While we provided $20 billion for FEMA in the funding bill we passed at the end of September to ensure that they could provide immediate assistance, it is clear now that more is needed. It is far past time for Speaker Johnson to agree to a comprehensive disaster package to help American families, farms, businesses, and communities recover.”

    While the SBA has exhausted funds for its disaster loan program, its loan application portal remains open, as well as SBA disaster centers across the country. The agency will continue to accept new loan applications and ready borrowers to get their disaster loans as soon as funds are available. You can find the application for SBA’s disaster loan program here. If you require relief from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), you can find more information here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner and Kaine Write to International Trade Commission in Support of Goodyear Workers in Danville

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) sent a letter to the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) in support of workers at Goodyear’s manufacturing plant in Danville. Last year, the United Steelworkers, which represents more than 1,800 Virginians employed at Goodyear, filed an antidumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) petition with the ITC alleging illegal dumping of truck and bus tire imports from Thailand.
    Dumping—when a country exports a product at a price substantially below the cost of producing the product or below the sale price in the exporter’s home market—is considered a form of predatory pricing and an unfair trade practice. In some cases, dumping is used as a tactic to drive domestic businesses out of the market and eventually raise prices for consumers.
    “On behalf of more than 2,000 Virginian workers, we ask that you ensure that U.S. trade laws are fairly enforced and that American workers are protected from unfair trade practices. The Goodyear plant in Danville, Virginia, employs more than 2,000 workers, including more than 1,800 who are members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 831,” wrote the senators. “We each have a long history with this plant stemming from our terms as Governor of Virginia.”
    “The Goodyear plant in Danville is a well-equipped facility with talented and dedicated workers. It can compete with tires from anywhere in the world as long as the playing field is level,” the senators continued. “There are reports that the same Chinese manufacturers responsible for previous dumping are investing in facilities in Thailand and similarly selling into U.S. markets at below-market prices. If foreign producers are able to circumvent U.S. trade remedies, it undermines the effectiveness of and faith in our rules-based trading system.”
    Warner and Kaine have taken a number of steps to support steelworkers’ complaints that they are competing against unfairly dumped tires from China and other countries. In 2017, Warner and Kaine testified to the ITC in support of workers at Goodyear in Danville. Warner and Kaine have also supported AD/CVD cases on passenger vehicle and light truck (PVLT) tires from China and Southeast Asia, which affected the Yokohama plant in Salem.
    Full text of the letter is available here and below:
    Dear Chair Karpel and Commissioners of the U.S. International Trade Commission,
    We write today in regards to the United States International Trade Commission’s (ITC) investigation of imports of truck and bus tires from Thailand. On behalf of more than 2,000 Virginian workers, we ask that you ensure that U.S. trade laws are fairly enforced and that American workers are protected from unfair trade practices.
    The Goodyear plant in Danville, Virginia, employs more than 2,000 workers, including more than 1,800 who are members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 831. The plant rolled its first tire off the line in 1966, the same year USW Local 831 was formed, and has since produced more than 100 million truck and aviation tires. Tires manufactured at the plant serve both commercial and military needs, and the plant is the largest manufacturer of medium radial truck and aero tires in the world.
    Danville is a city of 42,000 people with a long history of manufacturing, and the Goodyear plant is the largest employer in the city. Well-paying manufacturing jobs are vital to cities such as Danville, and support the local economy in both direct and indirect ways. Conversely, the loss of such jobs tends to be felt for years or decades.
    We each have a long history with this plant stemming from our terms as Governor of Virginia. Most notably, in 2008 the Kaine Administration helped secure performance-based grants and community funding to support a $200 million investment in modernizing the facility. In the United States Senate, we have worked to open up procurement opportunities for aviation tires for the U.S. Navy; Goodyear later won a competitive bid process for a multi-year to supply the U.S. Navy with a significant portion of their aviation tire needs.
    The Goodyear plant in Danville is a well-equipped facility with talented and dedicated workers. It can compete with tires from anywhere in the world as long as the playing field is level. In 2017, we each offered testimony to the Commission in regards to imports of truck and bus tires from China and asked that the Commission combat unfair trade practices to ensure that level playing field. In that case, the Commission acted to combat dumping from the Chinese firms in question.
    Since then, truck and bus tire imports from Thailand have increased substantially. There are reports that the same Chinese manufacturers responsible for previous dumping are investing in facilities in Thailand and similarly selling into U.S. markets at below-market prices. If foreign producers are able to circumvent U.S. trade remedies, it undermines the effectiveness of and faith in our rules-based trading system.
    We ask that the commission carefully consider the evidence of injury and act to safeguard our domestic industry.
    Thank you for your consideration.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NEWS: Statement from Senator Sanders on the Death of Yahya Sinwar

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Vermont – Bernie Sanders
    WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Thursday issued the following statement on the death of Yahya Sinwar, leader of Hamas:
    Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a war criminal who masterminded the brutal October 7th terrorist attack that killed 1,200 innocent people and took 250 hostages, is now dead.
    There is now no justification for Prime Minister Netanyahu and his extremist government to continue their all-out war against the Palestinian people, which has killed 42,000 Palestinians and injured 100,000 – two-thirds of whom are women, children, and the elderly.
    There is no justification for continuing to deny humanitarian aid to the many thousands of children in Gaza who are starving.
    There is no justification for continuing to destroy the housing, health care, and infrastructure of Gaza.
    There is now no justification for further delaying a hostage deal and a ceasefire.
    And there is absolutely no justification for continued U.S. support for Netanyahu’s horrific policies, which are in clear violation of U.S. and international law.
    When Congress returns, the Senate will be voting on my Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to block offensive arms sales to Israel. We must end our complicity in this cruel and illegal war.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Peters Helps Introduce Legislation to Protect Michigan Small Businesses Impacted by Low Snowfall

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Michigan Gary Peters
    Published: 10.17.2024
    Legislation Would Extend Federal Disaster Relief to Businesses Suffering Losses Due to Milder Winters, Low Snowfall Levels

    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) helped introduce legislation to protect small businesses that have been harmed by milder winters and low snowfall levels in recent years. The Winter Recreation Small Business Recovery Act would ensure small businesses that rely on strong winters are eligible for disaster relief through the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program during winters with below average snowfall or snow cover.
    “With visitors traveling from around the world to experience the benefits of Michigan winters, snowfall is a critical component of our state’s economy, particularly for communities Up North,” said Senator Peters. “I’m proud to help lead this commonsense bill that would not only protect Michigan small businesses and workers, but also the unique character of the communities they support.”
    The EIDL program provides small businesses with the resources they need to remain operational while recovering from a disaster. Under current law, disasters that qualify for assistance include droughts, ice storms, and blizzards, but do not account for winters without enough snow. However, last winter, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) declared 42 Michigan counties as drought disaster areas due to lack of snow. As a result, small businesses across Michigan suffered severe losses and were forced to cut staff or close their doors completely due to lack of visitors or demand for their services. The State of Michigan has lost millions of dollars in revenue and Michigan’s ski hills lost an estimated $41 million last season. Additionally, according to the Michigan Snowsports Industries Association, over 3,400 employees that operate Michigan’s ski hills were laid off due to the unseasonably warm winter.
    Michigan’s winter recreation industry is driven by snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice fishing, and sleigh rides, as well as snowboard manufacturers and snow removal services. By extending a crucial safety net to these small businesses, the Winter Recreation Small Business Recovery Act would help protect the livelihoods of Michiganders, particularly in Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, by ensuring they are eligible for federal relief during unseasonably warm winters.
    Peters introduced the bill with U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Public advisory: Large scale training exercise in Northland this weekend

    Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

    A controlled training exercise will be conducted in the Bay of Islands and Paihia areas from Friday through to Sunday.

    The multi-agency exercise is being led by Police, with support from Land Search and Rescue, Coastguard Bay of Islands and Surf Lifesaving, and will simulate both land and marine search and rescue scenarios.

    Police, along with other agency personnel, will be in the area throughout today and the course of the weekend.

    The training exercise, named Operation Tapeka, is expected to run from 5pm Friday 18 October until approximately 1pm on Sunday 20 October. 

    No members of the public are participating in the exercise.

    Senior Sergeant Cliff Metcalfe says a multitude of resource will be deployed to the exercise, including marine vessels, ropes rescue teams and Police vehicles. 

    “We want to reiterate this is part of a controlled, routine training exercise and is not an emergency event.

    “These exercises enable Police and partner agencies to test our response and systems should an emergency ever arise and there is no immediate risk to the public.

    “We will aim to cause as little disturbance as possible and hope people will understand the importance of us carrying out these types of exercises.”

    ENDS.

    Holly McKay/NZ Police

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Wicker Announces Nearly $130 Million to Improve Mississippi Infrastructure

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Mississippi Roger Wicker

    MISSISSIPPI – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., announced $127,296,812 to improve freight corridors in Jackson and on the Gulf Coast. The funding stems from the infrastructure bill that Senator Wicker helped negotiate as the then highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.

    The funding will upgrade SR 67 to a Superstreet Corridor on the Gulf Coast. It will also resurface approximately 32 linear miles and update bridge structures along the Interstate 20/ Interstate 55 Freight Corridor in Jackson.

    “Infrastructure investments make Mississippi an even better place to live, work, and visit. These improvements will help attract more people and economic development to the Gulf Coast and Jackson area,” Senator Wicker said. “Supporting infrastructure will continue to be one of my top priorities in Congress.”

    Senator Wicker sent letters of support to the U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for these projects.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: b1BANK Promotes Jerry Vascocu to President

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BATON ROUGE, La., Oct. 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — b1BANK, the banking subsidiary of Business First Bancshares, Inc. (Nasdaq: BFST), announced today that N. Jerome “Jerry” Vascocu Jr. will be the bank’s new president, reporting to Jude Melville, who will retain the title of chairman and CEO.

    Vascocu, who joined b1BANK in 2022 as chief administrative officer, oversees the coordination of banking, operations, risk and credit functions for the bank. He has also led several functions for the bank including correspondent banking, wealth management, human resources and marketing, where he recruited additional strong teammates, developed new products and introduced new technology.

    “With an extensive and varied 30-year career, Jerry’s proven leadership and broad-based banking experience is especially relevant to the challenges and opportunities we anticipate facing as we continue to grow our impact on behalf of clients across the regions in which we operate,” said Jude Melville, chairman and CEO of b1BANK. “Most important, he’s a good person and I look forward to partnering with him in this new role.”

    Before joining b1BANK and relocating to Baton Rouge, La., Vascocu led the development and implementation of client-focused strategies for commercial banking teams across the Southeast at First Horizon Bank. During his 17-year career at IBERIABANK and First Horizon, he also served as market president in multiple markets across Louisiana and Arkansas. Vascocu started his banking career immediately after earning his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Vanderbilt University.

    “b1BANK continues to build momentum in all our markets and across our various business units. This is a direct result of our teams’ dedication to our clients and to the communities we serve,” said Vascocu. “I am fortunate to be part of a great organization and thankful for the opportunity to serve in an expanded leadership role. I am excited about what is ahead for b1BANK.”

    Vascocu remains focused on community development, economic development, education and healthcare, having served in board leadership roles across Louisiana most recently for One Acadiana, Ochsner Lafayette General Hospital and Foundation, University of Louisiana at Lafayette College of Business and Athletic Foundation.

    About Business First Bancshares, Inc.

    As of June 30, 2024, Business First Bancshares, Inc., (Nasdaq: BFST) through its banking subsidiary b1BANK, had approximately $6.7 billion in assets, $6.1 billion in assets under management through b1BANK’s affiliate Smith Shellnut Wilson, LLC (SSW) (excludes $0.9 billion of b1BANK assets managed by SSW) and operates Banking Centers and Loan Production Offices in markets across Louisiana and Texas, providing commercial and personal banking products and services. Commercial banking services include commercial loans and letters of credit, working capital lines and equipment financing, and treasury management services. b1BANK was awarded #1 Best-In-State Bank, Louisiana, by Forbes and Statista and is a multiyear winner of American Banker’s “Best Banks to Work For.” Visit b1BANK.com for more information.

    Misty Albrecht
    b1BANK
    225.286.7879
    Misty.Albrecht@b1BANK.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6f3fe29c-03e2-468c-afd8-4ed162d7727e

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Wicker Statement on the Elimination of Yahya Sinwar

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Mississippi Roger Wicker

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement in response to reports that the Israel Defense Force eliminated Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza:

     

    “Iran and its proxies should take note that in a matter of weeks, Israel has decapitated the senior leadership of Hezbollah and Hamas. The world is a safer place because Israel has proven what strong action against global terrorism should look like,” Senator Wicker said. “Every time the Biden-Harris administration attempts to place conditions on Israel’s self-defense, they are weakening Israeli and American responses to terrorism. The only way that this war will end is with Israel’s victory and the defeat of Iran’s terrorist proxies. Israel’s removal of the architect of this war represents another key step toward eliminating these threats.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: BREAKING: Hawley Demands Secret Service Director Rowe Resign Over DHS Panel Findings From Butler Rally

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo)

    Thursday, October 17, 2024

    Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) issued the following statements calling for U.S. Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe to resign. The Senator’s call for Rowe to resign comes after an independent review panel commissioned by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a report of major Secret Service failures at the Butler Rally in July where former President Trump was shot. 

    “The findings of the DHS review panel re: the Butler attempted assassination of Donald Trump are incredibly disturbing – and confirm what whistleblowers have repeatedly told me. It is clear now the current leadership of the USSS must go, and that begins with Acting Director Rowe,” wrote Senator Hawley. “The DHS review panel found error upon error, mistake upon mistake in Butler, almost all ultimately attributable to USSS leadership. Sadly, that failure of leadership has continued. I have lost any confidence in Director Rowe. He must resign & be replaced by someone outside USSS.” 

    In September, as part of his ongoing investigation into the July 13 Butler, Pa., rally, Senator Hawley unveiled a comprehensive whistleblower report, chronicling the Secret Service’s failures to protect former President Trump.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Announces Charges Against Indian Government Employee in Connection with Foiled Plot to Assassinate U.S. Citizen in New York City

    Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

    Note: View the second unsealed superseding indictment here.

    The Justice Department today announced the filing of murder-for-hire and money laundering charges against Indian government employee, Vikash Yadav, 39, also known as Vikas, and Amanat, in connection with his role in directing a foiled plot to assassinate a U.S. citizen in New York City. Yadav is charged in a second superseding indictment unsealed today in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Yadav’s alleged co-conspirator, Nikhil Gupta, 53, was previously charged and extradited to the United States on the charges contained in the first superseding indictment. Yadav remains at large.

    “The Justice Department will be relentless in holding accountable any person — regardless of their position or proximity to power — who seeks to harm and silence American citizens,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “As alleged, last year, we foiled an attempt by Vikash Yadav, an Indian government employee, and his co-conspirator, Nikhil Gupta, to assassinate an American citizen on U.S. soil.  Today’s charges demonstrate that the Justice Department will not tolerate attempts to target and endanger Americans and to undermine the rights to which every U.S. citizen is entitled.”

    “The defendant, an Indian government employee, allegedly conspired with a criminal associate and attempted to assassinate a U.S. citizen on American soil for exercising their First Amendment rights,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI will not tolerate acts of violence or other efforts to retaliate against those residing in the U.S. for exercising their constitutionally protected rights. We are committed to working with our partners to detect, disrupt, and hold accountable foreign nationals or others who seek to engage in such acts of transnational repression.”

    “Today’s charges are a grave example of the increase in lethal plotting and other forms of violent transnational repression targeting diaspora communities in the United States,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “To the governments around the world who may be considering such criminal activity and to the communities they would target, let there be no doubt that the Department of Justice is committed to disrupting and exposing these plots and to holding the wrongful actors accountable no matter who they are or where they reside.”

    “DEA foiled this assassination attempt last year and has continued to trace this case back to an employee of the Indian government whom we charge was an orchestrator of this intricate murder-for-hire scheme. DEA did not relent, and today’s indictment names Vikash Yadav as an alleged mastermind,” said Administrator Anne Milgram of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “We charge that Yadav, an employee of the Indian government, used his position of authority and access to confidential information to direct the attempted assassination of an outspoken critic of the Indian government here on U.S. soil. This case was led by the DEA New York Division’s Drug Enforcement Task Force, which is comprised of DEA, the New York State Police, and the New York City Police Department, and is a true testament to the tenacity and determination of our team.”

    “Last year, this office charged Nikhil Gupta for conspiring to assassinate a U.S. citizen of Indian origin on U.S. soil,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams. “But, as alleged, Gupta did not work alone. Today, we announce charges against an Indian government employee, Vikash Yadav, who orchestrated the plot from India and directed Gupta to hire a hitman to murder the victim. The right to exercise free speech is foundational to our democracy, and predicated on the notion that we can do so without fear of violence or reprisal, including from beyond our borders. Let this case be a warning to all those who would seek to harm and silence U.S. citizens: we will hold you accountable, no matter who and where you are.” 

    As alleged in the second superseding indictment and other public court documents, in 2023, Yadav, working together with others, including Gupta, in India, and elsewhere, directed a plot to assassinate on U.S. soil an attorney and political activist who is a U.S. citizen of Indian origin residing in New York City (the victim). The victim is a vocal critic of the Indian government and leads a U.S.-based organization that advocates for the secession of Punjab, a state in northern India that is home to a large population of Sikhs, an ethnoreligious minority group in India. The victim has publicly called for some or all of Punjab to secede from India and establish a Sikh sovereign state called Khalistan, and the Indian government has banned the victim and his separatist organization from India.

    During times relevant to the second superseding indictment, Yadav was employed by the Government of India’s Cabinet Secretariat, which houses Indian’s foreign intelligence service, the Research and Analysis Wing. Yadav has described his position as a “senior field officer” with responsibilities in “security management” and “intelligence.” Yadav also has referenced previously serving in India’s Central Reserve Police Force and receiving “officer[] training” in “battle craft” and “weapons.” Yadav is a citizen and resident of India, and he directed the plot to assassinate the Victim from India.

    In or about May 2023, Yadav recruited Gupta to orchestrate the assassination of the victim in the United States. Gupta is an Indian national who resided in India and has described his involvement in international narcotics and weapons trafficking in his communications with Yadav and others. At Yadav’s direction, Gupta contacted an individual whom Gupta believed to be a criminal associate, but who was in fact a confidential source (the CS) working with the DEA, for assistance in contracting a hitman to murder the victim in New York City. The CS introduced Gupta to a purported hitman, who was in fact a DEA undercover officer (the UC). Yadav subsequently agreed, in dealings brokered by Gupta, to pay the UC $100,000 to murder the victim. On or about June 9, 2023, Yadav and Gupta arranged for an associate to deliver $15,000 in cash to the UC as an advance payment for the murder. Yadav’s associate then delivered the $15,000 to the UC in Manhattan.

    In or about June 2023, in furtherance of the assassination plot, Yadav provided Gupta with personal information about the victim, including the victim’s home address in New York City, phone numbers associated with the victim, and details about the victim’s day-to-day conduct, which Gupta then passed to the UC. Yadav directed Gupta to provide regular updates on the progress of the assassination plot, which Gupta accomplished by forwarding to Yadav, among other things, surveillance photographs of the victim. Gupta directed the UC to carry out the murder as soon as possible, but Gupta also specifically instructed the UC not to commit the murder around the time of the Indian Prime Minister’s official state visit to the United States, which was scheduled to begin on or about June 20, 2023.

    On or about June 18, 2023, approximately two days before the Indian Prime Minister’s state visit to the United States, masked gunmen murdered Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia, Canada. Nijjar was an associate of the victim, and, like the victim, was a leader of the Sikh separatist movement and an outspoken critic of the Indian government. On or about June 19, 2023, the day after the Nijjar murder, Gupta told the UC that Nijjar “was also the target” and “we have so many targets.” Gupta added that, in light of Nijjar’s murder, there was “now no need to wait” on killing the Victim. On or about June 20, 2023, Yadav sent Gupta a news article about the victim and messaged Gupta, “[i]t’s [a] priority now.”

    Yadav and Gupta of India have been charged with murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; and conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The DEA New York Division and the FBI New York Field Office’s Counterintelligence Division are investigating the case, with valuable assistance provided by the DEA Special Operations Division, DEA Vienna Country Office, FBI Prague Country Office, Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, and Czech Republic’s National Drug Headquarters.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Camille L. Fletcher, Ashley C. Nicolas, and Alexander Li for the Southern District of New York are prosecuting the case with assistance from Trial Attorney Christopher Cook of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Trial Attorney A.J. Dixon of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

    An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Tennessee Mental Health Center Owner Charged with Employment Tax Crimes

    Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

    A federal grand jury in Nashville returned an indictment yesterday charging a former business owner with willfully failing to account for and pay over employment taxes to the IRS.

    According to the indictment, from at least 2011 through 2023, Mari Alexander, of Columbia, South Carolina, was the owner and president of Ross Behavioral Group, a mental health counseling center with multiple locations in middle Tennessee. Alexander controlled Ross Behavioral Group’s financial affairs and was responsible for withholding Social Security, Medicare and federal income taxes from employees’ wages and paying them over to the IRS. From at least 2015 through 2020, Alexander allegedly withheld these taxes from her employees’ wages, but did not fully pay the withheld taxes over to the IRS.

    Each year, from at least 2015 through 2020, Alexander allegedly issued IRS Forms W-2, Wage and Tax Statements and paystubs to the employees that showed taxes taken out of their pay, which falsely implied that the withheld taxes were paid over to the IRS.

    In total, Alexander is alleged to have caused a tax loss to the IRS of more than $1 million.

    Alexander is charged with 11 counts of willfully failing to account for and pay over employment taxes. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on each count. She also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Thomas J. Jaworski for the Middle District of Tennessee made the announcement.

    IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case with assistance from the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General.

    Trial Attorney Ashley J. Stein of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitchell T. Galloway for the Middle District of Tennessee are prosecuting the case.

    An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ottawa — Significant transnational organized crime group disrupted by RCMP, FBI and police across Canada and the Americas

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    The RCMP and FBI worked together for over a year to target a Mexican Cartel-linked criminal network. This network has been moving large amounts of methamphetamine and cocaine from Central and South America via the United States to Canada and overseas. It also has been commissioning murders across North America, and laundering significant proceeds of crime.

    Enforcement action against the network began in Mexico earlier this month and continued this week with targeted arrests in Colombia, the United States, and Canada. These efforts are ongoing.

    The alleged leader of the network, Canadian Ryan Wedding, remains at large. He is wanted by the United States and Canada on separate charges.

    As part of FBI Operation GIANT SLALOM, US authorities indicted 16 people, including 10 Canadians, for a range of serious charges including drug trafficking, murder, conspiracy to murder and continuing a criminal enterprise.

    Four Canadians were arrested in Ontario this week by local Canadian law enforcement at the request of United States authorities, pending extradition. They were:

    • Hardeep Ratte
    • Gurpreet Singh
    • Rakhim Ibragimov
    • Malik Cunningham

    Three Canadian individuals were also arrested in the US:

    • Nahim Jorge Bonilla
    • Ranjit Singh Rowal
    • Iqbal Singh Virk

    A ninth Canadian, Andrew Clark, was arrested in Mexico by local authorities earlier this month as part of efforts against this network.

    A tenth Canadian, Gennadii Bilonog, remains at large.

    Along with the indictments, law enforcement seized over one tonne of drugs and collected evidence on numerous homicides and conspiracies to commit murder.

    RCMP Federal Policing worked closely with the FBI during the investigation and acted as a crucial link to Canadian law enforcement, including Niagara Regional Police, Ontario Provincial Police, Toronto Police Service and Peel Regional Police.

    This successful collaboration between the RCMP, the FBI, police in Canada, and overseas highlights the RCMP’s continued international and domestic efforts to reduce the harm to Canadians caused by global drug trafficking and violent crime. It is one example of the tireless work we do here in Canada and around the world everyday with our partners to tackle the threats we face and prevent transnational crime from hurting everyday Canadians and our allies. Our global efforts are yielding results that keep Canadians safe.

    Liam Price, Director General, International Special Services

    As the world becomes more interconnected, organized crime groups continue to evolve and expand internationally. Through collaborative efforts with the FBI, we have disrupted a major organized crime group. The actions taken during this operation will have positive impacts on the safety and security of our communities and citizens.

    Chief Superintendent Mathieu Bertrand, Director General, Serious and Organized Crime and Border Integrity

    Organized crime extends beyond borders and is constantly developing new ways to thwart the law. Partnerships, such as the one with the FBI, allow the RCMP to join forces to disrupt criminal activity.

    Appeal to the public

    Any member of the public with information on the whereabouts of Gennadii Bilonog is asked to call their local Police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477

    Do you have information on the illegal activities of individuals or groups of individuals? Contact the RCMP or your local police department.

    MIL Security OSI –