Category: KB

MIL-OSI Global: The audacity of Kamala Harris’ laughter – and the racist roots of Trump’s derision

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Betsy Huang, Professor of English, Clark University

A split image of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris during the presidential debate on Sept. 10, 2024. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu/Getty Images

Just when the summer uproar over Donald Trump calling his potential rival “Laffin’ Kamala” and “Cackling Copilot Kamala Harris” was beginning to subside, an apparent new round of attacks by Trump and other Republicans has emerged after their initial U.S. presidential debate.

The target – again – was Kamala Harris’ laugh.

Three days after the debate, for instance, Bruce Zuchowski, an Ohio sheriff, posted on his Facebook account that Harris was a “laughing hyena.” Zuchowski was subsequently barred from providing election security during in-person voting.

Conservative media commentators also have voiced their displeasure, calling Harris’ laugh “contemptuous, ”exaggerated“ and ”inappropriate.“

This is not surprising, given that Harris’ laughter was on full display during much of the nationally televised debate – and, worse, Trump was clearly the object of her unrelenting derision.

Much has been written already about the sexism and racism behind Trump’s contempt for Harris’ laugh.

But in a little-known, 1985 essay called ”An Extravagance of Laughter,“ celebrated American writer Ralph Ellison provided a sharp analysis of the subversive power of Black laughter in 1930s America.

Ellison’s essay, published in a 1986 collection “Going to the Territory,” still offers useful historical racial context for explaining Trump’s animus toward Harris. Among the stories Ellison tells: Black people once had to put their heads in a barrel to laugh because their laughter unnerved white Southerners.

The dangers of Black laughter

Best known for his 1952 novel “Invisible Man,” Ellison was one of America’s foremost social critics who confronted racism and white supremacy by telling the stories of alienation among everyday Black people searching for identity in a nation that deemed them inferior.

In “An Extravagance of Laughter,” Ellison began with an anecdote about attending a theater adaptation of Erskine Caldwell’s novel “Tobacco Road” in New York City in 1936. The popular play detailed the lives of destitute white sharecroppers during the Great Depression. The sharecroppers feared, among other things, losing their social status by dropping below the lower rung reserved for Black people in America.

While laughing uncontrollably at a comical scene in the play involving the antics of poor white Georgia farmers, Ellison became aware of the stir he was causing among the predominantly white audience.

American novelist Ralph Ellison in 1963.
Ben Martin/Getty Images

For many white Americans, Black laughter was “a peculiar form of insanity suffered exclusively by Negroes, who in light of their social status and past condition of servitude were regarded as having absolutely nothing in their daily experience which could possibly inspire rational laughter,” Ellison explained.

As Ellison saw it, his laugh during the play was being construed as an affirmation of the Black buffoon stereotype.

As he described it, the white spectators were “catching fire and beginning to howl and cheer the disgraceful loss of control being exhibited” by a Black man.

Later in the essay, Ellison lampoons the use of “laughing barrels” in Southern towns, which he described as “huge whitewashed barrels labeled FOR COLORED, and into which any Negro who felt a laugh coming on was forced … to thrust his boisterous head.”

The intent of suppressing Black laughter, Ellison explained, was pro bono publico, or for the public good.

Stories of the use of barrels to block offensive Black laughter from public view have been well studied by scholars and are believed to be the origin of the expression “barrel of laughs.”

While the idea of the barrels may seem utterly ridiculous, Ellison understood them as an absurd strategy of containment for a not-so-absurd fear in post-Reconstruction and Jim Crow white America, when racial segregation was legal.

Black folks who laugh “turned the world upside down and inside out,” he explained.

And in so doing, Ellison wrote, Black laughter “in-verted (and thus sub-verted) tradition and thus the preordained and cherished scheme of Southern racial relationships was blasted asunder.”

In a 1983 letter celebrating Caldwell’s birthday, Ellison thanked the writer – “by giving artistic sanction to a source of comedy which in the interest of self-protection I had been forced to deny myself you had released me from three turbulent years of self-restraint.”

Flipping the script on who gets to laugh

The first time Trump found himself the object of Black laughter was during the 2011 White House correspondents’ dinner, where he was publicly and mercilessly roasted by a gleeful Barack Obama. The experience appeared to humiliate and infuriate Trump and is widely seen by political pundits as the catalyst for Trump’s entrance into the 2016 presidential race.

It is not surprising, then, to see his campaign resurrect the rhetoric that many deem to be racist to erode public confidence in Harris’ fitness for the office.

During the debate, Trump repeatedly accused Harris of “destroying the fabric of our country” with “insane” policies. Trump had previously called Harris “dumb as a rock” and “a radical left lunatic.”

In this Harper’s Weekly cartoon published in 1874, two Black legislators are arguing in front of their white colleagues.
Fotosearch/Getty Images

These hearken to the long and shameful history of racist characterizations of Black Americans as menaces to society. They include depictions of unruly, newly emancipated Black men holding public office in D.W. Griffith’s 1915 “The Birth of a Nation” to Trump’s public call for the death penalty for the Black and Hispanic teens known as the Central Park Five in a full-page New York Times ad in 1989.

In that case, the teen boys were falsely accused of the brutal assault of a white New York jogger. They served years in prison before being exonerated by DNA and the confession of a convicted rapist and murderer.

America’s new racial and gender norms

Trump’s mockery of Harris’ laughter has not been successful in neutralizing her popularity.

Harris is widely regarded by political commentators as the winner of the debate, and the lasting impression is that of a glowering Trump repeatedly failing to put a stop to Harris’ mirthful expressions of incredulity.

Almost a century has passed since Ellison’s disruptive laugh occurred in a New York theater in 1936. In that time, both Obama and Harris have reordered traditional gender and racial norms by using Black laughter in the very public theater of U.S. presidential politics.

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

– ref. The audacity of Kamala Harris’ laughter – and the racist roots of Trump’s derision – https://theconversation.com/the-audacity-of-kamala-harris-laughter-and-the-racist-roots-of-trumps-derision-238189

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Airdropping vaccines to eliminate canine rabies in Texas – two scientists explain the decades of research behind its success

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Rodney E. Rohde, Regents’ Professor & Chair, Medical Laboratory Science, Texas State University

Rabies is a fatal disease for both animals and people. CDC/Barbara Andrews

Rabies is a deadly disease. Without vaccination, a rabies infection is nearly 100% fatal once someone develops symptoms. Texas has experienced two rabies epidemics in animals since 1988: one involving coyotes and dogs in south Texas, and the other involving gray foxes in west central Texas. Affecting 74 counties, these outbreaks led to thousands of people who could have been exposed, two human deaths and countless animal lives lost.

In 1994, Gov. Ann Richards declared rabies a state health emergency. The Texas Department of State Health Services responded by launching the Oral Rabies Vaccination Program to control the spread of these wildlife rabies outbreaks.

Since 1995, the program has distributed over 53 million doses of rabies vaccine over 758,100 square miles (nearly 2 million square kilometers) in Texas by hand or aircraft. Rabies cases in dogs and coyotes went from 141 to 0 by 2005, and rabies cases in foxes went from 101 to 0 by 2014. By 2004, one canine rabies variant was effectively eliminated from Texas, and another variant was substantially controlled.

We are researchers who began studying wildlife rabies and oral vaccination in the 1980s. From providing a proof of concept in using oral vaccines in raccoons to being among the first to use new rabies vaccines in the 1990s, we were on the ground floor of efforts to contain this deadly virus.

Decades of vaccine research led to one of the most successful public health projects in Texas. And we’re hopeful it could provide a road map for the use of mass wildlife vaccination to prevent future outbreaks.

Developing the oral rabies vaccine

The Texas Oral Rabies Vaccination Program benefited greatly from the work of multiple researchers over prior decades.

The mid-20th century saw several major developments in rabies control. With the failure of efforts to poison or trap infected animals, virologist and veterinarian George Baer at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognized the need for a different strategy to prevent and control wildlife rabies. His and his colleagues’ work in the 1960s led to the concept of oral rabies vaccination. While orally vaccinating wildlife would help combat infection at its source, it was previously thought to be logistically unfeasible given the large range of target animals.

By the late 1970s, European researchers began the first field trials to orally vaccinate foxes against rabies. Small plastic containers were filled with vaccines and placed into baits, such as chicken heads. Over 50,000 of these vaccine-laden baits were distributed over four years in fox habitats in forests and fields.

Early vaccine baits were coated with fishmeal crumbles and cod liver oil.
Maki et al/Veterinary Research, CC BY-ND

Researchers in Canada also began similar field trials in Ontario. During the 1980s, an average of 235 rabid foxes per year were reported in the area. Baits containing oral rabies vaccine were dropped annually from 1989 to 1995 and successfully eliminated the fox variant of rabies from the whole area.

Recombinant oral rabies vaccine

The first generation of these vaccines used live viruses modified in an attempt to not cause severe disease. Although effective and generally safe, the original rabies vaccines had to be kept in cool temperatures and had the rare risk of causing rabies in animals.

In the early 1980s, scientists developed recombinant rabies vaccines, which use a separate virus to express the genes of the rabies virus. A collaboration between a nonprofit institute, the U.S. government, and the pharmaceutical industry led to the development of a recombinant viral vaccine that produced a rapid immune response against rabies without the possibility of causing rabies.

In 1984, preliminary work in laboratory animals showed the promise of using an oral form of the recombinant vaccine to vaccinate animals. However, the concept of using genetically modified organisms was in its infancy among both scientists and the general public. While the vaccine was safe and effective in captive raccoons and foxes, major questions loomed over how it might affect other species once released into the environment.

After years of work improving the vaccine’s design and testing its safety in several nonhuman species, the first European trial was held on a military base in Belgium. With data supporting it could safely and effectively control wildlife in Luxembourg and France, the vaccine was licensed to control fox rabies in 1995.

In the U.S., similar studies of the oral recombinant rabies vaccine were conducted. The first trial began in 1990 at Parramore Island off the Virginia coast, and a year of intensive monitoring found no significant adverse effects on the environment or any wildlife species. A second yearlong study on the mainland near Williamsport, Pennsylvania, had similarly positive results.

After the vaccine was successfully used to control raccoon rabies in tests in several other East Coast states, it was approved for use on raccoons in 1997.

In 1998, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service received funding to expand existing oral wildlife vaccination projects to states of strategic importance, to prevent the spread of specific rabies viruses, and to coordinate interstate projects.

Results in Texas

In Texas, the oral recombinant vaccine is now primarily distributed by hand and by approximately 75 separate helicopter flights annually.

The Texas Department of State Health Services rabies laboratory worked alongside the CDC to create the Regional Rabies Virus Reference Typing Laboratory. One of us was recruited to both distribute the vaccine in the field and to develop molecular typing tools to discriminate between different types of rabies virus variants in the lab. These techniques allowed us to identify where different rabies virus variants were emerging at any given moment.

The Texas Oral Rabies Vaccination Program continues to monitor and control rabies cases in the state.

Our lab was also the first in the nation outside of the CDC to assist other U.S. states and countries in testing their specimens for rabies virus variants. These techniques helped researchers monitor where the rabies epizootic was ongoing or retreating due to wildlife vaccination and new forms of spread.

With the constant threat of emerging and reemerging infectious diseases like COVID-19 and influenza, the prospect of mass vaccination of wild animals may be one way to address future pandemics. Though there is much work ahead of us, we have hope that we may one day have the option of using mass wildlife vaccination to reduce or eliminate infectious diseases like rabies.

Rodney E. Rohde has received funding from the American Society of Clinical Pathologists, American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science, U.S. Department of Labor (OSHA), and other public and private entities/foundations. Rohde is affiliated with ASCP, ASCLS, ASM, and serves on several scientific advisory boards.

Charles E. Rupprecht consults for global academic, governmental, industrial and NGO organizations. He receives funding from academic, governmental, industrial, and NGO sources.

– ref. Airdropping vaccines to eliminate canine rabies in Texas – two scientists explain the decades of research behind its success – https://theconversation.com/airdropping-vaccines-to-eliminate-canine-rabies-in-texas-two-scientists-explain-the-decades-of-research-behind-its-success-238508

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Fungal infections known as valley fever could spike this fall – 3 epidemiologists explain how to protect yourself

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jennifer Head, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, University of Michigan

As the climate warms and landscapes become drier, researchers fear that valley fever could spread across other regions of the U.S. Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post via Getty Images

As the climate warms, the southwestern U.S. is increasingly experiencing weather whiplash as the region swings from drought to flooding and back again. As a result, the public is hearing more about little-known infectious diseases, such as valley fever.

In May 2024, about 20,000 people attended a music festival in Buena Vista Lake, California. In the months that followed, at least 19 developed valley fever, and eight were hospitalized from their infection. This outbreak follows a dramatic increase of more than 800% in valley fever infections in California between 2000 and 2018.

In 2023, California reported the second-highest number of valley fever cases on record, with more than 9,000 cases reported statewide. And between April 2023 and March 2024, California provisionally reported 10,593 cases – 40% more than during the same period the prior year.

The Conversation U.S. asked Jennifer Head, Simon Camponuri and Alexandra Heaney – researchers specializing in the epidemiology of valley fever – to explain what valley fever is, and what might explain its rise in recent years.

What is valley fever, and how do you get infected?

Valley fever is the common name for a disease called coccidioidomycosis, which is an infection caused by pathogenic fungi from the Coccidioides genus. The fungi are primarily found in arid soils of the southwestern United States, as well as parts of Central and South America.

When the fungus has access to moisture and nutrients, it grows long, branching fungal chains throughout the soil. When the soil dries out, these chains fragment to form fungal spores, which can be stirred up into the air when the soil is disturbed, such as by wind or digging. Airborne spores can then be inhaled and cause a respiratory infection.

Cases of valley fever are typically highest in California’s southern San Joaquin Valley and southern Arizona, but they have been increasing outside of these regions. Between 2000 and 2018, the incidence of valley fever cases increased fifteenfold in the northern San Joaquin Valley and eightfold along the Southern California coast. And between 2014 and 2018, incidence increased by more than eightfold along the central coast.

Because of these trends and the virulence of the pathogen that causes valley fever, it is listed as a priority pathogen by the World Health Organization. Historically, fungal infections have received very little attention and resources. By creating this list, the WHO is hoping to galvanize action surrounding listed pathogens, including getting more resources for research as well as the development of new treatments.

Coccidioides immitis, one of the two species of fungus that cause valley fever.
Smith Collection-Gado/Archive Photos via Getty Images

What are the symptoms, and what should people be looking for?

After inhaling fungal spores from the environment, Coccidioides initially infects the lungs, causing symptoms like mild to severe cough, fever, difficulty breathing, chest pain and tiredness. Valley fever symptoms can resemble other common respiratory infections, so it’s important for people to get checked by a doctor if they’ve experienced prolonged symptoms, particularly if they have been given antibiotics that they are not responding to.

In California and Arizona, an estimated one-third of community-acquired pneumonia cases – or pneumonia acquired outside of the hospital – are caused by valley fever. However, only a fraction of community-acquired pneumonia cases get tested for it, so it’s likely the number of valley fever cases is significantly higher. Among diagnosed cases, half experienced symptoms for two months or more before being diagnosed.

In 5% to 10% of cases, the fungus can spread from the lungs to other parts of the body, such as the central nervous system, liver and bones, causing meningitis or arthritis-like symptoms. These cases can be severe and possibly fatal.

Antifungal treatment is available, and early diagnosis and treatment is critical for better outcomes.

Jose Epifanio Sanchez Trujeque of Lebec, Calif., spent four months in the hospital after contracting valley fever in 2023.
The Washington Post/Getty Images

What time of year should you be most concerned?

Valley fever cases can occur year-round, but in California, cases reported via surveillance systems tend to increase starting in August and September, peak in November and return to background levels in January and February.

Researchers believe that patients are likely exposed to the fungus in the summer and early fall months, typically one to three months prior to their diagnosis. This delay accounts for time between when patients are exposed, develop symptoms and are diagnosed with the disease. While cases peak in the fall on average, seasonal strength and timing varies regionally.

Our research shows that this seasonal surge in the fall is especially strong following wetter winters and that alternation between dry and wet conditions is associated with increased incidence in fall months.

Valley fever cases in California nearly doubled following wet winters that occurred one and two years after the 2007-2009 and 2012-2015 droughts.

In 2023, California experienced a similar transition, with an extreme drought occurring between 2020-2022 followed by heavy precipitation in the winter of 2022-2023.

This transition was followed by a near-record spike in cases in 2023. The state experienced another wet winter during the 2023-2024 wet season, furthering concern about continued high risk for valley fever in 2024.

Our research team recently developed a model to forecast valley fever cases that will occur between April 2024 and March 2025 in California. We forecast that the state is likely to see another spike in cases during the fall and winter of 2024, on par with the spike in 2023.

During high-risk periods, clinicians should consider valley fever as a potential diagnosis. This is especially true when evaluating a patient presenting with valley fever symptoms or a respiratory illness who lives in, works in or traveled to an endemic or emerging region.

We are currently working to characterize seasonal disease patterns in Arizona as well, which are different from California’s. This is likely because Arizona has two rainy seasons.

Are some people at greater risk than others?

Those who spend time or work outdoors in areas where valley fever is common, especially where they may be exposed to dirt and dust, are more likely to get it.

While healthy people are still at risk of infection, certain factors can increase the likelihood of developing severe disease from valley fever. These include being an adult 60 years or older, having diabetes, HIV or another condition that weakens the immune system, or being pregnant. People who are Black or Filipino also have been noted to have a higher risk of severe disease, which may relate to more exposure to the fungal spores, underlying health conditions, inequities in accessing care or other possible predispositions.

People who work around dry, dusty conditions are at a higher risk of contracting valley fever.
David McNew/Getty Images News via Getty Images

How can you protect yourself from getting valley fever?

People who live and work in the regions where the fungus is found should avoid exposure to dust as much as possible. When it is windy outside and the air is dusty, stay indoors and keep windows and doors closed.

When driving through a dusty area, limit vehicle speed, keep car windows closed and recirculate the air, if possible. When working outdoors, use dust suppression techniques, including wetting soil before digging to prevent stirring up dust, and installing fencing, windbreaks and vegetation where possible.

For those who must directly stir up soil or be in dusty conditions, such as while doing construction or gardening work, consider using an N95 mask to limit dust inhalation.

Jennifer Head receives funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health.

Alexandra K. Heaney receives funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health.

Simon Camponuri receives funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health and from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

– ref. Fungal infections known as valley fever could spike this fall – 3 epidemiologists explain how to protect yourself – https://theconversation.com/fungal-infections-known-as-valley-fever-could-spike-this-fall-3-epidemiologists-explain-how-to-protect-yourself-238972

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Drug prices improved under Biden-Harris and Trump − but not for everyone, and not enough

Source: The Conversation – USA – By C. Michael White, Distinguished Professor of Pharmacy Practice, University of Connecticut

Negotiations to reduce drug prices can sometimes shift costs onto consumers. rudisill/iStock via Getty Images Plus

When it comes to drug pricing, the Trump and Biden-Harris administrations both have some very modest wins to tout.

As director of the Health Outcomes, Policy, and Evidence Synthesis group at the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy, I teach and study about the ethics of prescription drug prices and the complexities of drug pricing nationally.

Delving into the presidential candidates’ successes on a number of drug-pricing policies, you’ll see a continuation of progress across the administrations. Neither the Trump administration nor the Biden-Harris administration, however, has done anything to truly lower drug prices for the majority of Americans.

$35 insulin

Insulin is a necessity for patients with diabetes. But from January 2014 to April 2019, the average price per unit went from US$0.22 to $0.34 before dropping back slightly by July 2023 to $0.29 per unit. Since dosing is weight-based, insulin costs for someone weighing 154 pounds would have risen from $231 to $357 a month from 2014 to 2019 and dropped to $305 a month by 2023. Price increases have led some patients to space out their medications by taking less than the dose they need for good blood sugar control. One study estimated that over 25% of patients in an urban diabetes center were underusing their insulin.

In July 2020, the Trump administration enacted a $35 cap on insulin copayments via executive order. In effect, it made participating Medicare Part D programs limit the price of just one of each type of insulin product to $35. For instance, if there were six short-acting insulin products on an insurance plan’s approved drug list, the insurer had to offer one vial form and one pen form at $35.

These price changes did not go into effect during Trump’s presidency. By 2022, only about 800,000 people – or around 11% of the more than 7.4 million people in the U.S. who use insulin to regulate their blood sugar – saw their prices reduced.

Millions of Americans need insulin to manage their diabetes.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

In August 2022, the Biden-Harris administration signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law. This maintained the $35 insulin cap with the same stipulations but made the program mandatory for all Medicare Part D and Medicare Part B members. This expanded the number of people who could benefit from cheaper insulin to 3.3 million.

This still doesn’t help a majority of diabetics. If you don’t have Medicare, the $35 reduction does not apply to you. Furthermore, pharmaceutical companies are not responsible for lowering insulin costs under these policies, but health plans are on the hook for lowering copayments. Costs could be passed along to beneficiaries in future Medicare premiums.

Importing Canadian drugs

Americans pay nearly 2.6 times more for prescription drugs than people in other high-income countries. One way regulators have tried to reduce prices is to simply import drugs at the prices pharmaceutical companies charge those countries rather than those charged to U.S. consumers.

In July 2019, the Trump administration proposed importing drugs from Canada as a way to share Canadians’ lower drug costs with American consumers. He signed an executive order allowing the Food and Drug Administration to create the rules under which states could import the drugs. When President Joe Biden came into office, he left the executive order in place and the rulemaking process continued.

Some Americans have traveled across borders for cheaper medications.
Jeff Haynes/AFP via Getty Images

No state under the Trump or Biden-Harris administrations has yet been able to successfully import a Canadian drug product. In January 2024, however, the Food and Drug Administration approved Florida’s plan to import Canadian drugs, the first state to receive the green light. Colorado, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Texas have applications pending as of September 2024.

Unfortunately, it is unlkely that Canada would allow their prescription drugs to be shipped in large quantities to American consumers, not without imposing high tariffs as a disincentive. That is because drug manufacturers could limit supplies to Canada and cause shortages if drugs are moved to the U.S. Manufacturers could also be less willing to negotiate lower prices for Canadians if that will hurt U.S. profits.

Negotiating with the pharmaceutical industry

Be it prescription drugs or cars, both buyer and seller must agree on a price for a successful sale to occur. If the potential buyer is unwilling to walk away from negotiations, you will not get the seller’s best price. One reason U.S. drug prices are higher than other countries’ is because the government is not a shrewd negotiator.

Negotiations that result in major reductions in drug prices frequently result from the drug manufacturer losing access to patients on a certain health plan or ending up in a higher drug tier that substantially raises a patient’s copay. However, if the buyer refuses the seller’s final offer, their members or citizens lose access to those drugs. While major private health plans and pharmacy benefit managers are able to directly negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical manufacturers, often with substantial savings, Medicare was prevented from doing so by federal law until recently.

In May 2018, the Trump administration released a so-called blueprint for reducing prescription drug prices that included negotiating Medicare prescription drug prices with the pharmaceutical industry. This plan wasn’t enacted during his term.

In August 2022, under the Biden-Harris administration, the Inflation Reduction Act enabled price negotiation and specified the number of drugs that negotiations could include in a year.

The Inflation Reduction Act allowed Medicare to negotiate drug prices for the first time.

The first negotiation between Medicare and the pharmaceutical industry took place over the summer of 2024, lowering costs for 10 Medicare Part D drugs, which include the blood thinner Xarelto and the drugs Farxiga and Jardiance, which treat Type 2 diabetes, heart failure and kidney disease. The resulting $1.5 billion in savings will be extended in 2026 to the approximately 8.8 million Medicare Part D patients who are taking these drugs. The prices for these drugs are still twice what they are in four other developed countries.

Prices will be negotiated for another 15 Medicare Part D drugs in 2027. Thereafter, drug negotiations could include Medicare Part D drugs, which you pick up from your pharmacy, and Medicare Part B drugs, which are administered or received from your doctor’s office.

Another aspect of the Inflation Reduction Act is capping out-of-pocket expenses at $2,000. This won’t go into effect until 2025, however, and simply shifts costs above the cap onto taxpayers.

Continuation of progress

It is often challenging to attribute policy successes to one administration versus another when assessing complex issues such as drug pricing. There were ideas initiated during the Trump administration that did not come to fruition until the Biden-Harris administration implemented and expanded on them.

For example, Medicare price negotiation, proposed in a Trump administration “blueprint,” was codified in law by President Biden, but the fruits of this policy will not be seen until the next administration. And regardless of who you attribute this success to, only a portion of people on Medicare will see any relief from high drug prices as a result.

Truly lowering the costs of prescription drugs would require identifying the maximum price the nation is willing to pay for benefits, such as cost per quality adjusted life year at the federal, state and private payer levels, and being willing to walk away from negotiations if the price exceeds that level. This would not be a panacea, though, especially for patients with rare and ultrarare diseases, and would need to be eased in over time to avoid bankrupting the industry.

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

– ref. Drug prices improved under Biden-Harris and Trump − but not for everyone, and not enough – https://theconversation.com/drug-prices-improved-under-biden-harris-and-trump-but-not-for-everyone-and-not-enough-238407

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Big lithium plans for Imperial Valley, one of California’s poorest regions, raise a bigger question: Who should benefit?

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Manuel Pastor, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and American Studies & Ethnicity, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

The edge of the Salton Sea, a heavily polluted lake with large geothermal and lithium resources beneath it. Manuel Pastor

Imperial County consistently ranks among the most economically distressed places in California. Its Salton Sea, the state’s biggest and most toxic lake, is an environmental disaster. And the region’s politics have been dominated by a conservative white elite, despite its supermajority Latino population.

The county also happens to be sitting on enough lithium to produce nearly 400 million batteries, sufficient to completely revamp the American auto fleet to electric propulsion. Even better, that lithium could be extracted in a way consistent with broader goals to reduce pollution.

The traditional ways to extract lithium involve either hard rock mining, which generates lots of waste, or large evaporation ponds, which waste a lot of water. In Imperial Valley, companies are pioneering a third method. They are extracting the mineral from the underground briny water brought up during geothermal energy production and then injecting that briny water back into the ground in a closed loop. It promises to yield the cleanest, greenest lithium on the planet.

The hope of a clean energy future has excited investors and public officials so much that the area is being rechristened as “Lithium Valley.”

In a region desperate for jobs and income, the prospect of a “white gold rush” is appealing. Public officials have been working to roll out the red carpet for big investors, including trying to create a clear plan for infrastructure and a quicker permitting process. To get community groups’ support, they are playing up the potential for jobs, including company commitments to hire local workers.

But Imperial Valley residents who have been on the butt end of get-rich schemes around water and real estate in the past are worried that their political leaders may be giving away the store. As we explore in our new book, “Charging Forward: Lithium Valley, Electric Vehicles and a Just Future,” the U.S. has an opportunity to ensure that these residents directly benefit from the lithium extraction boom, which is an important part of the global shift to clean energy.

Possibilities and perils in ‘Lithium Valley’

Imperial Valley is emblematic of the potential and the risks that have long faced impoverished communities in resource-rich regions.

To understand the possibilities and perils in Imperial Valley, it’s useful to remember that the world is not just moving away from fossil fuel extraction but toward more mineral extraction. Today’s battery technology – necessary for electric vehicles and energy storage – relies on minerals including cobalt, magnesium, nickel and graphite. And mineral extraction is often accompanied by obscured environmental risks.

A prototype for CTR’s lithium-producing geothermal facility, in the Hell’s Kitchen area of Imperial Valley.
Manuel Pastor

In Imperial Valley, environmental and community organizations are worried about lithium extraction’s water use, waste and air pollution as production steps up and truck traffic increases. When your region’s childhood asthma rate is already more than twice the national average, and dust from the drying lake is toxic, kicking up a “little extra dust” is a big deal.

Comite Civico del Valle, a long-established environmental justice organization in Imperial Valley, has sued to slow down a streamlined permitting process for Controlled Thermal Resources, a company planning lithium extraction there. The group’s concern is that inadequate environmental reviews could result in harm to residents’ health. Both the company and public officials are warning that the lawsuit could stop the lithium boom before it begins.

Local communities are also concerned about how much benefit they will see while the industry profits. They note that the electric vehicle boom driving lithium demand occurred precisely because of public policy. Tesla, for example, has benefited from multiple rounds of state and federal zero-emissions vehicle incentives, including the sale of emissions credits that accounted for 85% of Tesla’s gross margin in 2009 and rose to US$1.8 billion a year by 2023.

Behind these policies and financial incentives have been public will and taxpayer money.

Young advocates with the Imperial Valley Equity & Justice Coalition have been spreading their concerns through the community.
Chris Benner

We believe that local residents, not just companies, deserve a return. Rather than promising to just pay for community “benefits,” such as environmental mitigation, contributions to municipal coffers or jobs, the companies could pay “dividends” directly to local residents and communities.

There are models of this dividend approach. For example, the Alaska Permanent Fund gives an annual amount to all residents of that state from revenues obtained from the oil beneath the ground.

In Imperial Valley, the actual ownership of the lithium is complex, involving a mix of privately owned subsurface rights, public lease rights obtained by companies and public rights held by the regional water district to whom companies will pay royalties.

Given the ownership complexities and the desire to benefit as development takes place, local authorities and community organizations persuaded the state in 2022 to pass a per-metric-ton lithium tax to address local needs.

Controlled Thermal Resources CEO Rod Colwell, right, walks near the Salton Sea with a colleague.
AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

That “flat tax” was bitterly resisted by some in the emerging industry on the grounds that it could make Imperial Valley’s less-polluting extraction method too costly to compete with environmentally damaging imports; after the vote, CTR’s CEO called the legislators “clowns.” Meanwhile, CTR has also agreed to hire union workers in the construction phase. Everyone – companies, communities and government officials – is struggling to balance economic viability with accountability.

Lessons for a just transition

The hesitance of low-income Imperial Valley residents to immediately buy into the lithium vision is deeply rooted in history.

Decades of racial exclusion, patronizing practices and broken promises have led to deep distrust of outsiders who assert that things will be better this time.

Irrigation at the turn of the last century was supposed to bring an agriculture boom, but the early result was a broken canal that released enough water over nearly two years of disrepair to create what is now the Salton Sea. The Salton Sea was then supposed to fuel recreational tourism, but the failure to replenish it with anything but agricultural runoff helped to kill fish, birds and recreation. A more recent scheme to attract solar farms in recent decades delivered little employment and more worries about agricultural displacement.

You can still find old billboards promising a resort life on the Salton Sea, which today is one of the state’s most polluted lakes. Wind kicks up toxic dust when the water is low.
Manuel Pastor

Building the supply chain here, too

In recent years, some people have pinned their hopes on lithium. The main site so far in Imperial Valley has been CTR’s Hell’s Kitchen. It’s a fitting moniker on summer days when temperatures regularly exceed 110 degrees.

Ensuring that the surrounding communities benefit from this new lithium boom will require thinking about how to attract not just companies extracting the lithium but also those that will use it. So far, Imperial County has had limited success in attracting related industries. In 2023, a company named Statevolt said it would build a “gigafactory” there to assemble batteries. However, the company’s previous efforts – Britishvolt in the United Kingdom and Italvot in Italy – have stalled without any volts being produced. Imperial County will need serious suitors to make a go of it.

A potentially promising future for modern transportation and energy storage may be brewing in Imperial Valley. But getting to a brighter future for everyone will require remembering a lesson from the past: that community investments tend to be hard-won. We believe that ensuring everyone benefits long term is essential for achieving a more inclusive and sustainable future.

Research for the book from which this article draws was supported by the James Irvine Foundation, New Energy Nexus, the California Wellness Foundation, and Open Society Foundations. Manuel Pastor was also supported by a Residency at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center.

Research for the book from which this article draws was supported by the James Irvine Foundation, New Energy Nexus, the California Wellness Foundation, and Open Society Foundations. Chris Benner was also supported by a Residency at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center.

– ref. Big lithium plans for Imperial Valley, one of California’s poorest regions, raise a bigger question: Who should benefit? – https://theconversation.com/big-lithium-plans-for-imperial-valley-one-of-californias-poorest-regions-raise-a-bigger-question-who-should-benefit-238397

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: How the US government can stop ‘churches’ from getting treated like real churches by the IRS

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Lloyd Hitoshi Mayer, Professor of Law, University of Notre Dame

Uniformed members of Trail Life USA present the colors at the Family Research Council’s 2018 Values Voter Summit. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The Family Research Council is a conservative advocacy group with a “biblical worldview.” While it has a church ministries department that works with churches from several evangelical Christian denominations that share its perspectives, it does not represent a single denomination. Although its activities are primarily focused on policy, advocacy, government lobbying and public communication, the Internal Revenue Service granted the council’s application to be treated as “an association of churches” in 2020.

Concerned that the IRS had erred in allowing the council and similar groups to be designated churches or associations of churches, Democratic members of the House of Representatives sent the Treasury secretary and the IRS commissioner letters in 2022 and 2024 expressing alarm. The House Democrats pointed to what appeared to be “abuse” of the tax code and asked the IRS to “determine whether existing guidance is sufficient to prevent abuse and what resources or Congressional actions are needed.”

As a professor of nonprofit law, I believe some groups that aren’t churches or associations of churches want to be designated that way to avoid the scrutiny being a charitable organization otherwise requires. At the same time, some other groups that should qualify as churches may have difficulty doing so because of the IRS’ outdated test for that status.

Together with my colleague Ellen P. Aprill, I recently published a paper outlining two main arguments in favor of revising the federal government’s definitions of churches as they pertain to tax law.

No 990s means less scrutiny

All charitable nonprofits, including churches, get the same basic benefits under federal tax law. This means they don’t have to pay taxes on their revenue and that donors can deduct the value of their gifts from their taxable income – as long as they itemize deductions on their tax return.

Unlike other tax-exempt charities, churches don’t have to file 990 forms. That means the public does not have access to churches’ staff pay, board membership and funding details, which are in this publicly available tax form that all other charities must complete every year. The availability of 990 forms enhances the transparency and accountability of the nonprofit sector.

And churches and associations of churches are unlikely to get audited by the IRS. Federal law requires that a senior IRS official “reasonably believes” the church or association has violated federal tax rules before beginning an investigation. This means that an official must have reason to believe the organization has violated federal tax law before obtaining any information from the organization.

This standard is higher than what’s needed before an audit can begin for all other tax-exempt organizations and indeed all taxpayers. For everyone else, the IRS is free to begin an examination based only on a suspicion of a violation or even based on random selection.

Also, unlike other tax-exempt charities, churches and church associations are automatically eligible for their tax-exempt status. They don’t have to apply for it.

Why churches get special treatment

Congress has passed laws granting churches and what it calls “integrated auxiliaries” and “conventions or associations of churches” special protections because the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects religious freedom.

Churches include houses of worship ranging in size from a handful of parishioners to megachurches with 10,000 or more people attending weekly services. Houses of worship of all faiths, including synagogues, mosques and temples, count as churches, according to the IRS.

Integrated auxiliaries are church schools and other organizations affiliated with churches or conventions and primarily supported by internal church sources, as opposed to by the public or government.

Conventions or associations of churches are organizations that have houses of worship from either a single denomination or from multiple denominations as their members. Most denominational bodies, such as the executive committee of the Southern Baptist Convention and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, are likely conventions or associations of churches, although the IRS does not publish a list of such entities.

Not every religious nonprofit belongs in one of these categories.

For example, the University of Notre Dame, where I teach law students and conduct legal research, and World Vision, a global humanitarian group, are both religious organizations that do not fall into any of these categories. This makes sense, because Notre Dame and World Vision are primarily engaged in activities other than fostering a religious congregation or coordinating the activities of churches within a single denomination.

The IRS has long relied on a 14-factor test to distinguish churches from the other religious nonprofits. Examples of those factors include having ordained ministers, a formal doctrine, a distinct membership and a regular congregation attending religious services.

It’s not necessary for all the factors to apply to pass this test.

Yet for almost as long, courts have been uncomfortable with this test because it draws heavily on the traditional characteristics of Protestant Christian churches, as the U.S. Court of Federal Claims explained in a 2009 ruling. This system therefore may be a poor fit for houses of worship of other faiths, especially given the increasing diversity of faith communities.

These courts have instead adopted an “associational test.” It focuses on whether the organization’s congregants hold religious services on a regular basis and gather in person on other occasions.

With the growth of virtual and televised religious services, an update of this test is overdue.

A couple get married in May 2020 in a mostly empty church, with a screen set up so guests can watch over Zoom.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Proposed solutions

Aprill and I recommend that the IRS change its definition for churches to the associational one adopted by some courts in rulings as early as 1980. As the U.S. Court of Federal Claims explained in that 2009 ruling, this test focuses on whether a body of believers assembles regularly to worship. Given technological advances, the IRS should also make it clear that this test can be satisfied through remote participation in religious services using interactive, teleconferencing apps such as Zoom.

This definition would be also better suited for congregations of all faiths because some faiths do not prioritize many of the factors included in the IRS test, such as having a formal code of doctrine or requiring members to not be associated with other houses of worship or faiths. And it would better reflect how some Americans participate in religious services today.

We recommend that the IRS revisit its test for being a church and that Congress pass a law that would change the definition of church associations. The new law could limit associations of churches to organizations that represent a single denomination, as Congress likely initially intended.

This latter change would make it harder for religious organizations that are primarily involved in bringing churches from multiple faiths together to engage in advocacy or other activities to obtain this status and the lack of transparency and accountability that come with it. We believe Congress, not the IRS, should make this change because of the potential political tensions that narrowing the definition could create.

We don’t think the changes would impinge upon the special role that churches have in our society. Indeed, the revised test for qualifying as a church would better fit with both the increasing variety of faiths in our country and technological advancements.

Lloyd Hitoshi Mayer is affiliated with the University of Notre Dame, a tax-exempt religious nonprofit corporation. Lloyd Hitoshi Mayer is also affiliated with South Bend City Church, a tax-exempt religious nonprofit corporation that is classified as a church for federal tax purposes.

– ref. How the US government can stop ‘churches’ from getting treated like real churches by the IRS – https://theconversation.com/how-the-us-government-can-stop-churches-from-getting-treated-like-real-churches-by-the-irs-237922

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Grocery stores that donate expiring food − instead of price discounting or discarding − make higher profits

Source: The Conversation – USA – By John Lowrey, Assistant Professor of Supply Chain and Health Sciences, Northeastern University

This new food pantry opened on Long Island in September 2024. Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday RM via Getty Images

All major supermarkets and retailers that sell groceries, such as Kroger, Walmart and Costco, give large amounts of food to food banks and pantries. In 2022, retailers donated close to 2 billion pounds of food across the United States, which amounted to US$3.5 billion that year. The estimated value of donated food was a little less than $2 per pound in 2022.

Retailers donate products that are typically packaged, palatable and safe for consumption, yet unsuitable for sale due to quality concerns, such as minor blemishes. Since these items can go a long way to feeding hungry people, donations represent one of the best uses of leftover or surplus food.

Donations are also technically acts of charity, and the companies responsible for them get tax breaks. This means that donations boost profits by lowering costs. There’s a second effect of donations on a store’s bottom line: They improve the quality of food on the store’s shelves and increase revenue from food sales.

As a supply chain scholar who studies food banks, I worked with a team of economists to estimate the effects of retail food donations. We used sales data for five perishable food categories sold by two competing retail chains, with stores located in a large, Midwestern metropolitan area. We found that stores that remove items on the brink of expiration, donate them to food banks and fill up the emptied shelf space with fresher inventory get more revenue from sales and earn higher profits.

Retailers donate 30% of what food banks give their clients

U.S. food banks, which have been operating for more than 50 years, give away over 6 billion pounds of food annually.

They get about 30% of that food for free from supermarkets and big-box retailers that sell groceries. Prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, retailers supplied more than twice as much food to food banks than the federal government did. The volume of food supplied by federal programs administered by the United States Department of Agriculture, such as the Emergency Food Assistance Program, have steadily increased since 2020, to now almost match the volume of food donated by retailers.

In 2022, for example, the network of more than 200 Feeding America member food banks procured about 2 billion pounds from retailers and almost 1.5 billion pounds from government programs.

The remaining 2.88 billion pounds of food were either purchased directly, provided by farmers, donated by food processing companies or donated by people and organizations in local communities.

Despite several federal programs that help low-income people get food and the nation’s robust network of food banks and food pantries, nearly 50 million Americans are experiencing food insecurity. That means they can’t get enough nutritious food to eat at least some of the time.

Retail donation routines are established but inconsistent

When food on a store’s shelves is on the verge of expiration, store managers have three options. They can donate or discard it, or sell it at a discount.

Stores that regularly donate food have established routines for when they set aside about-to-expire food to give away. However, these routines are often inconsistent.

Many stores donate only on a seasonal basis or just give away certain kinds of food. For example, they might donate only meat, baked goods or fruits and vegetables. In many cases, donations take a backseat to more immediate priorities, such as customer service.

Those realities can increase the likelihood that food will land at the dump instead of on somebody’s table.

Although millions of Americans struggle to find their next meal, close to 40% of food gets thrown out along the supply chain, as food moves between agricultural producers, factories, retailers and consumers. This is largely due to logistical challenges: It’s hard to transport and distribute highly perishable food.

Discounted meat is displayed at a San Rafael, Calif., grocery store in September 2024.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Discounts on food can undercut sales

Stores often prefer to sell food on the brink of expiration at a discount rather than donate it or throw it out due to the money they recoup that way. This option, however, also keeps the discounted food on the shelf, where it takes up valuable space that could otherwise hold fresher inventory.

Shelf space dedicated to the sale and promotion of full-priced products competes with that for price-discounted food. Stocking perishable foods that are starting to look iffy – such as bananas with brown spots sold alongside unblemished yellow bananas – could harm a retailer’s image if shoppers start to question the store’s quality.

In other words, if consumers make judgments based on all the produce that’s on display, then it may be better for stores if they don’t sell sad-looking bananas and instead just give them away.

My research team calls this practice “preemptive removal.” Increasing the average quality level of food on display does more than improve a store’s appearance. We used panel data with over 20,000 observations, and we included 21 retail stores that compete in a similar market geography. The five fresh food categories were bakery, dairy, deli, meat and produce.

Stores that donated food, instead of discounting it, may have made better use of the limited room to display fresher inventory. My research team found that food donations can increase average food prices by up to 1%, which corresponds to a 33% increase in profit margins. Profit margins for supermarkets and other food retailers are quite low and typically hover below 3%.

That means even a small increment in food prices, even a 1% bump up, can translate into significantly higher profits for retailers. At the same time, increasing the volume of retail food donations would get more food to people who need it, limit hunger and reduce food insecurity.

Prof Lowrey has consulted with several Feeding America member Food Banks on procurement and food-distribution-related supply chain projects. He has also served on an advisory board to the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, focused on supply chain responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in the emergency feeding network. His research has been funded by the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (National Institute for Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture).

– ref. Grocery stores that donate expiring food − instead of price discounting or discarding − make higher profits – https://theconversation.com/grocery-stores-that-donate-expiring-food-instead-of-price-discounting-or-discarding-make-higher-profits-234998

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI NGOs: Japan: Acquittal of man after more than 45 years on death row highlights ‘irreversible harm’ of death penalty

Source: Amnesty International –

Iwao Hakamada retracted ‘confession’ alleging it was made under duress and police violence

In 2023, 107 of the 115 people on death row had their death sentences finalised putting them at risk of execution

Authorities must review all existing death sentences and abolish the death penalty

‘We strongly urge Japan to abolish the death penalty to prevent this from happening again’ – Boram Jang

Responding to the acquittal of Japanese man Iwao Hakamada, who spent more than 45 years on death row, Boram Jang, Amnesty International’s East Asia Researcher, said:

“We are overjoyed by the court’s decision to exonerate Iwao Hakamada. After enduring almost half a century of wrongful imprisonment and a further 10 years waiting for his retrial, this verdict is an important recognition of the profound injustice he endured for most of his life. It ends an inspiring fight to clear his name by his sister Hideko and all those who supported him.

“As we celebrate this long overdue day of justice for Hakamada, we are reminded of the irreversible harm caused by the death penalty. We strongly urge Japan to abolish the death penalty to prevent this from happening again.

“Japanese authorities must also review all existing death sentences, particularly when there are concerns of mental and intellectual disabilities. Only complete abolition of capital punishment will ensure that such grave errors are never repeated, and people not irreversibly and arbitrarily deprived of their lives.

“Amnesty International will continue to push for the abolition of the death penalty and for reforms that ensure fairness and justice for all.”

Japan’s death row

During his first trial Hakamada was convicted of murdering his employer and his employer’s family, largely based on a forced “confession” made after 20-days of interrogation which Hakamada retracted during the trial, alleging police had threatened and beaten him. He was sentenced to death by Shizuoka District Court in 1968 and spent more than 45 years on death row.

Japan has continued to carry out executions, including of people who had judicial appeals pending, in violation of international safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty. As of 31 December 2023, 107 out of the 115 people on death row had their death sentences finalised and were at risk of execution.

Those on death row continue to be held in solitary confinement and in the absence of effective safeguards or transparent regular psychiatric evaluations – people with mental health and intellectual disabilities continue to be subjected to the death penalty in violation of international law and standards. The last execution in Japan was carried out on 26 July 2022.

Amnesty opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception regardless of the nature or circumstances of the crime, guilt, innocence or other characteristics of the individual, or of the method used by the state to carry out the execution.

MIL OSI NGO –

January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Energy and Electricity Minister attends BRICS Energy Ministers Meeting

Source: South Africa News Agency

The Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has called on the BRICS Plus bloc of countries to work together to assist and support member countries to tackle energy challenges.

The Minister was delivering his opening remarks at the 9th Annual BRICS [Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa] Energy Ministers’ Meeting in Moscow, Russia.

“We believe that this BRICS group of like-minded country members has a huge potential, and working together will strengthen this resolve through cooperation on energy security.

“[It will] also provide an opportunity to join efforts to annihilate the challenges diagnosed during the BRICS 2023 Summit held in South Africa, such as addressing the lack or absence of integrated energy policy framework, diversification and beneficiation at source of critical minerals, infrastructure development, manufacturing, technology transfer and intellectual property, scaling up energy efficiency, mobilisation of finance and investment, as well as skills and capacity building, amongst others,” Ramokgopa said.

He called on the member countries to “tap and dig deeper into various capabilities and strengths” to ensure mutual support in harnessing the individual potential each country has at its disposal.

“To mention a few opportunities, it is mining and beneficiation of critical minerals, and rare-earth elements required to power the green economy, [expand] hydro power potential, promising hydrogen solutions and its derivatives, gas, nuclear – including small modular reactors, renewables, storage, biofuels, as well as clean coal, and carbon capture utilisation and storage,” the Minister said.

Ramokgopa highlighted that the meeting of BRICS Energy Ministers comes at a critical time, as countries ponder ways to transition towards low carbon economies.

“This meeting comes at a critical phase where our countries are grappling with the challenge of balancing developmental goals with energy transition pathways.

“We must ensure that these transitions safeguard energy sovereignty and security, promote sustainable economic development, facilitate universal access and respond effectively to environmental imperatives, all the while ensuring no one is left behind,” he said.

He told the meeting that the expansion of the BRICS bloc of countries is a “clear affirmation of the group’s growing significance and influence in the global energy agenda”.

“This is a pivotal moment, positioning BRICS to reshape, refocus, and reset the global energy architecture to ensure energy access, security, affordability, and eradicate energy poverty and promote a just energy transition.

“For us as South Africa, we see this as an opportune moment to clearly articulate our collective position as the developing nations that will enable us to continue to use our energy resources through innovative technologies that allow us to move from high emitting to low emitting energy systems, and thus achieve carbon-neutrality or net-zero at a pace and scale that is in line with our different national circumstances and capabilities.

“In this regard, we want to reiterate that our approach to an inclusive and people centred energy transition is informed by the need to maintain energy security in support of socio-economic objectives,” Ramokgopa said. – SAnews.gov.za

MIL OSI Africa –

January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group Departs Guam

Source: United States Navy

During the brief visit to Guam, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 9, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), was able to onload more than 700 pallets of parts, food and mail.

“Guam is a critical logistics hub, and the amount of supplies that the team here was able to process and deliver to us was proof of that,” said Rear Adm. Christopher Alexander, commander, CSG 9. “On behalf of the strike group, thank you to Naval Base Guam and the people of Guam who made this visit such a success. Your work allows us to get back to sea to help maintain deterrence and stability in the region.”

While in port, Sailors also had the opportunity to go ashore and take advantage of base amenities.

Carrier Strike Group 9 departed San Diego for a regularly scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific, Jan. 11, 2024 in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.

CSG 9 is a multiplatform team of ships and aircraft, capable of carrying out a wide variety of missions around the globe from combat missions to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief response. The strike group is comprised of CSG 9 staff, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 23 staff, Theodore Roosevelt (CVN) 71, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11, and DESRON 23 ships; the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Russell (DDG 59) and USS Daniel Inouye (DDG 118).

For more information about Carrier Strike Group 9 and USS Theodore Roosevelt, please visit:
Website: https://www.surfpac.navy.mil/ccsg9/
DVIDS: http://www.dvidshub.net/unit/USSTR-CVN71
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/usstheodoreroosevelt
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/usstheodoreroosevelt

MIL Security OSI –

January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI: Dominium Announces $1.6 Million in Scholarship Awards for 2024

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

MINNEAPOLIS , Sept. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Dominium, a leading affordable housing owner, developer, and manager, proudly reveals the recipients of the 2024 Opportunity’s Front Door Scholarship Program. This initiative reaffirms Dominium’s unwavering commitment to empowering individuals through education and bridging the gap between potential and opportunity.

The Opportunity’s Front Door Scholarship Program is dedicated to providing vital financial assistance to Dominium residents, employees, and their dependents, with the goal to facilitate access to higher education.

In 2024, Dominium granted a total of 335 scholarships, amounting to over $1.6 million. These scholarships are awarded to individuals enrolled in two-year or four-year colleges, vocational schools, or certificate programs. Designed to support a diverse array of scholars including first-generation students, nontraditional students, and single parents, the Opportunity’s Front Door Program exemplifies Dominium’s commitment to forging pathways for individuals to unlock their potential through education.

This extensive program stands as a resounding testament to Dominium’s enduring dedication to fostering growth, empowering communities, and creating opportunities for success. Through these scholarships, Dominium is making a substantial investment in personal and professional growth, reinforcing its commitment to educational development.

For more information about Dominium and Opportunity’s Front Door Scholarship Program, please visit: https://www.dominiumapartments.com/scholarship.html.

About Dominium
Founded in 1972, Dominium is a leading national owner, developer, and manager of affordable apartment communities with offices in Atlanta, Dallas, Phoenix, and Minneapolis. Owning and managing over 38,000 homes at over 230 sites in about half of all U.S. states, Dominium is known for creative solutions to unique and challenging development projects, and property management expertise. Dominium was named a Best Managed Company by Deloitte in 2020. For more information, visit http://www.dominiumapartments.com.

Media Contact
Miles Plueger
For Dominium
(952)851-7239
mplueger@tunheim.com

The MIL Network –

January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI: Bitget Wallet Rises to the Most Downloaded Web3 Wallet, Outlining Roadmap for Social and Payment Integrations

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

VICTORIA, Seychelles, Sept. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

Bitget Wallet, a leading Web3 non-custodial wallet, has surged to become the most downloaded globally, achieving nearly 2 million monthly app downloads in August, according to App Store and Google Play data. The platform now boasts over 30 million users globally, fueled by its mission to simplify Web3 access for the next billion users. During the TOKEN2049 conference, Bitget Wallet unveiled its roadmap for expanding mass adoption of blockchain technology, focusing on integration with Web2 social platforms and a streamlined payment solution.

A key driver of Bitget Wallet’s explosive growth has been its deep integration with Web2 social platforms, particularly Telegram. By enabling users to create and manage Web3 wallets using familiar logins like email, Google, and Telegram through keyless MPC (Multi-Party Computation) technology, the platform has significantly lowered the entry barrier to Web3. “Leveraging Telegram’s massive user base has been a game-changer. We’ve brought millions of users into Web3 who previously had no exposure to crypto,” said Alvin Kan, COO of Bitget Wallet. This seamless experience has led to a 2.7x increase in its MPC wallet creation, with over 40% of Bitget Wallet’s users now adopting TON-supported MPC wallets.

Bitget Wallet’s growth has been bolstered by its all-rounded involvement in the TON ecosystem, where popular Tap to Earn (T2E) Telegram mini games on TON network have driven significant user engagement. Tomarket, for instance, attracted 20 million users in just two months. Bitget Wallet’s mobile-first approach has proven particularly effective, with 68% of TON game users now using the wallet app. As a result, Bitget Wallet has contributed over 17% of all active addresses on the TON network.

To further onboard Web2 users, Bitget Wallet is preparing to roll out a payment solution that will enable users to seamlessly convert crypto into fiat and spend crypto directly from their wallets on everyday purchases, all while retaining full self-custody of their assets. “Our goal is to blur the lines between Web2 and Web3, starting with payments,” Kan explained. “By offering crypto-to-fiat conversion directly within self-custodial wallet, we’re enabling users to spend crypto as easily as fiat, which is key to driving broader adoption.”

Going forward, Bitget Wallet will also focus on fueling the growth of the broader Web3 ecosystem by partnering with major networks like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Base, and TON. These collaborations, combined with robust incentive structures and an all-in-one platform that supports everything from swaps, potential earning, trading and multi-chain Dapp explorer, are designed to drive users’ long-term engagement.

“We’re building an ecosystem where both users and developers can thrive, aiming at creating seamless experiences that keep users engaged in the long run while driving the adoption of decentralized applications,” said Kan.

About Bitget Wallet

Bitget Wallet stands as one of the world’s leading non-custodial Web3 wallets and decentralized ecosystem platform. With the Bitget Onchain Layer, the wallet is well-poised to develop a burgeoning DeFi ecosystem through co-creation and strategic incubation. Aside from a powerful Swap function, Bitget Wallet also offers multi-chain asset management, smart money insights, a native Launchpad, Inscriptions Center, and an Earning Center. Supporting over 100 major blockchains, 250,000+ tokens, and a wide array of DApps, Bitget Wallet is your top wallet for asset discovery and Web3 exploration.

For more information, users can visit: Website | Twitter | Telegram | Discord

Contact

PR team

media.web3@bitget.com

The MIL Network –

January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: W Cape records lowest HIV prevalence rate in SA

Source: South Africa News Agency

Out of the nine provinces in South Africa, the Western Cape had the lowest HIV prevalence (7.4%) in 2022 and second lowest in 2017 (8.6%).

According to the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), this translates to 540 000 people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the Western Cape, which was a decline from 560 000 PLHIV in 2017.

The information is based on the findings of the Sixth South African HIV Prevalence, Incidence and Behaviour Survey (SABSSM VI) for the Western Cape, which was released by the HSRC on Thursday.

According to the overall principal investigator of the study, the HSRC’s Professor Khangelani Zuma, the survey showed that in 2022, HIV prevalence in the province was higher among those aged 25 to 49 (10.8%) for both females (14.6%) and males (5.8%).

Meanwhile, HIV prevalence was higher among females (9%) compared to males (5.6%).

“HIV prevalence peaked at 12.9% amongst those aged 35 to 39 in 2022 from 23.4% in 2017 within the same age group.

“There was a decrease in HIV prevalence in 2022 among all age groups younger than 30 to 34 years compared to 2017, apart from the age groups zero to 14; 15 to 19, and those 50 years and older.

“The worsening prevalence among those younger than 24 years is deeply concerning, as it shows continued new infections from both horizontal and vertical transmissions,” Zuma said.

SAnews reported last week that Mpumalanga now has the highest HIV prevalence at 17.4% in 2022, which translates to an estimated 890 000 (PLHIV) in the province, followed by KwaZulu-Natal.

READ | Mpumalanga records highest HIV prevalence rate

Antiretroviral treatment

Antiretroviral treatment (ART) coverage in the Western Cape increased to 76.8% in 2022, from 54.4% in 2017.

This translates to an estimated 360 000 PLHIV in the province receiving ART in 2022.

In 2022, ART use among all PLHIV in the province was lower among those aged 15 to 49 (76.5%) compared to other age groups.

ART use was also lower among males (75.3%) compared to females (77.1%).

In addition, ART use was 76.2% amongst respondents who reside in urban areas and 81.4% in the City of Cape Town.

The SABSSM VI survey, conducted between 2022 and 2023, aimed to maintain surveillance of HIV infection and behaviours in South Africa, evaluate the progress of the South African national HIV and Aids, STI and TB Strategic Plan, and monitor HIV indicators for national and international reporting.

Viral load suppression (VLS)

The survey further revealed that in 2022, among all provinces, the Western Cape had the seventh highest proportion of PLHIV with VLS (78.4%), having increased from 2017 (54.6%).

Overall, VLS was also lower among males (76%) compared to females (79.7%).

VLS was also lower among those aged 50 and older (69.4%) compared to other age groups.

Knowledge of HIV status

The professor expressed concern that PLHIV between 25 and 49 years accounted for the majority of PLHIV in the Western Cape, who were unaware of their HIV status (59.1%); aware but not on ART (64.7%), and on ART but not VLS (66.7%).

Adolescents and youth aged between 15 and 24 contributed disproportionally to gaps in treatment, accounting for just 9.5% of all PLHIV.

Regarding the key drivers of the HIV epidemic, Zuma noted that in the Western Cape, there was an increase in the proportion of adolescents and youth aged 15 to 24, who reported sex before the age of 15 in 2017 (14%), compared to 2022 (16.3%).

Sexual debut before the age of 15 among adolescents and youth aged 15 to 24 in 2022 was higher among males (21.5%) than females (11.3%).

Multiple sexual partners

The survey revealed that in the Western Cape, 6.7% of people aged 15 and older reported having two or more sexual partners in 2022 compared to 7.6% in 2017.

The proportion of people aged 15 and older who reported having multiple sexual partners was two-fold higher among males (8.9%), compared to females (4.4%), and higher among those aged 15 to 24 (19.1%) compared to other age groups.

Condom use

The survey revealed that 22.1% reported using a condom with their most recent sexual partner in 2022 compared to 26.6% in 2017, representing a 4.5% decline.

Condom use with their most recent sexual partner among people who are 15 years and older was higher among those 15 to 24 years (39.9%) and in the urban areas (22.5%), while it was similar by sex.

A higher proportion also reported that they had never or sometimes (81.4%) used a condom with their most recent sexual partner. Only 13.4% reported that they had used condoms almost every time.

Consistency of condom use with their most recent sexual partner among people aged 15 in the province was higher among youth aged 15 to 24 (24%). – SAnews.gov.za

MIL OSI Africa –

January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Africa: Plan for reshaping conservation revealed

Source: South Africa News Agency

Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Narend Singh has unveiled a plan that advocates for a thriving environment for people and nature by 2040.

“We are today declaring a path towards a time in the future when nature and people both thrive because of how they would have reshaped the terms of their co-dependence,” Singh said on Thursday in Johannesburg.

Addressing the occasion of the reveal of Vision 2040, the Deputy Minister said the plan was about shifting the needle in terms of shared economic growth and job creation in a manner that promotes a much stronger embrace for nature.

Vision 2040 was launched under the theme “For A Life in Harmony with Nature,” which talks to a deliberate effort to ensure benefit sharing through sustainable development practices which can be articulated around the elements of people, planet and prosperity.

“Ours is a great, exciting and ambitious mission which speaks to how by 2040 we hope to have reshaped the character of conversations, plans and ambitions happening in our streets, homes, boardrooms, in public discourse and even possibly education to embrace our cultural and natural heritage,” the Deputy Minister said.

The main aim of Vision 2040 is to promote social justice and inclusivity by guaranteeing that all communities, particularly the disadvantaged and marginalised ones, have fair access to opportunities and resources and that conservation is a catalyst for growth and prosperity and the betterment of people’s livelihoods.

“Vision 2040 is part of our deliberate contribution of an element of the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) that we need to grow our conservation estate to be constituted so that 30% of the land and 30% of the sea be placed under protection by 2030 (commonly known as 30X30).

“It also indicates that communities living in and adjacent to conservation must tangibly benefit from the economic opportunities created. The creation of Mega Living Landscapes (MLLs), which as we have heard are vast, integrated areas that balance human development with natural ecosystems, and will be a major priority,” the Deputy Minister said.

This work is also linked to the National Biodiversity Economy Strategy.

Vision 2040 promotes sustainable economic development by leveraging biodiversity as a catalyst for social and economic transformation.

This includes promoting eco-tourism, sustainable agriculture, and green businesses that generate income while using and conserving natural resources.

“By aligning conservation efforts with economic activities, we aim to create job opportunities, support local economies and small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs) and provide sustainable livelihoods,” Singh said. – SAnews.gov.za

MIL OSI Africa –

January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI: Traliant Unveils Active Shooter Response Training to Enhance Workplace Safety

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

NEW YORK, Sept. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Traliant, an innovator in online compliance training, today announced new Active Shooter Response training to equip employees with the knowledge to act swiftly and confidently in an active shooter situation, safeguarding both staff and customers.

With nearly 31% of active shooter incidents happening at workplaces, and 79% of companies acknowledging they’re not fully prepared, according to The National Institute of Justice, it’s more important than ever to be ready. While these events are rare, knowing the warning signs of violence and how to respond can be lifesaving.

“When seconds count, having a workforce trained to respond to workplace violence can make all the difference,” said Michael Johnson, Chief Strategy Officer at Traliant. “Our Active Shooter Response training builds a culture of safety and preparedness, giving employers and employees the confidence to act decisively if the unthinkable happens.”

As workplace violence increases nationwide, states are implementing new laws to ensure businesses are better equipped. Most recently, New York passed the Retail Worker Safety Act requiring employers to include active shooter response training as part of their workplace violence prevention programs.

Traliant’s 35-minute interactive course prepares employees and managers to recognize a potential active shooter situation and respond using the FBI-endorsed “Run, Hide, Fight” method, while also covering communication with law enforcement and first responders.

To learn more about Traliant, visit: https://www.traliant.com/.

About Traliant
Traliant combines in-house legal expertise with modern, emotionally engaging course design to redefine compliance, training experiences and services. It helps thousands of organizations create a culture of ethics, inclusion and safety by addressing dozens of critical topics including sexual harassment training, DEI training and code of conduct training. Traliant’s innovative and interactive approach to learning can be easily customized into affordable and cost-effective solutions for clients to address their industry, branding, policies, risks and job-specific needs. Backed by PSG, a leading growth equity firm, Traliant is ranked on Inc.’s 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 lists of 5000 fastest-growing private companies in America and named to Inc.’s 2023 list of Best Workplaces. For more information, visit http://www.traliant.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Contact
Reagan Bennet
traliant@v2comms.com

The MIL Network –

January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI: Revenera’s Monetization Monitor 2025 Outlook Highlights Opportunities to Drive Profitability
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

ITASCA, Ill., Sept. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Revenera, producer of leading solutions that help technology companies build better products, accelerate time-to-value, and unlock new revenue opportunities, today released the Revenera Monetization Monitor 2025 Outlook: Software Monetization Models and Strategies report. Based on the results of a global survey of 418 leaders at global technology companies, this report is part of an annual series, which provides product executives at software, intelligent device, and IoT companies with benchmarks about digital business models and trends related to hybrid approaches to monetization and deployment models.

As software suppliers work to drive profitability, extensive reliance on usage-based pricing is more prevalent than a year ago. Successful initiatives must overcome the biggest barriers to the growth of annual recurring revenue: delayed time to market-for-new features/enhancements and customer acquisition.

“Software suppliers face two megatrends that they can take advantage of to improve their market position. Because Cloud and AI costs are driving up their operating expenses, product teams are considering how to respond to this pressure with pricing and packaging changes. At the same time, insight into real product usage and customer value is more available to suppliers than it has ever been,” said Nicole Segerer, General Manager at Revenera. “There is a significant market opportunity for technology companies that can adapt their offerings to the needs of their customers and grow more quickly than their competition.”

While subscription models remain top for expected growth, the Revenera Monetization Monitor 2025 Outlook indicates a sharp rise in outcome or value-based models, as well as usage-based approaches. Suppliers who are proactive and able to quickly implement these new models are better able to grow revenues while helping to offset the growing cost of running software in the cloud.

Highlights from the Revenera Monetization Monitor 2025 Outlook: Software Monetization Models and Strategies report include:
- A clear understanding of monetization models is necessary for efficient innovation.
  - The popularity of subscription/term monetization continues. It is the leading monetization model among companies that use one model extensively and is the most widely used model. It is also the model most likely to grow as a percentage of overall software license revenue in the next 12–18 months, followed closely by outcome-based monetization models.
  - Extensive reliance on usage-based pricing (including consumption and metered models) is more prevalent over the past year. The flexibility of pay-per-use may be a method of delivering the flexibility customers want.
  - Revenue goals are key to monetization and innovation initiatives. Among companies that have changed monetization models, the #1 reason was to “improve revenue margins/company valuation.” Among those who are planning change, the #1 reason is to “better support intelligent device models.”
  - The introduction of new monetization models can be relatively rapid or can necessitate more than a year. While some (18 percent) introduced a new monetization model in less than three months, almost half of respondents (46 percent) reported that it took more than 6 months.
  - Better support of pricing and packaging changes remains the leading reason for changes to monetization strategies. Growing in relative importance over the past year is the need to add/improve automated enforcement.
- Extensive use of SaaS continues, while private cloud deployments see strong growth.
  - Use of hybrid software deployment models continues. SaaS is still in the lead as the most widely used deployment model, with 86 percent using it at least moderately, up from 80 percent a year ago.
  - Respondents’ use of private cloud is going up significantly. A year ago, 20 percent of respondents reported using private cloud extensively; that number went up to 33 percent today, making private cloud the deployment model being used most extensively.
  - The staying power of on-premises deployments remains. The number using SaaS extensively (for more than 51 percent of their product lines), 27 percent, only slightly edges out on-premises (25 percent) deployments.
  - The transition to SaaS will continue. A year ago, 57 percent of respondents indicated that their use of SaaS in the coming 12–18 months would grow; that number goes up to 61 percent this year. More suppliers are transitioning multiple products from on-premises to SaaS; 73 percent report having transitioned multiple products from on-premises to SaaS.
- Product usage data is being used primarily to identify upsell opportunities, identify customer churn/retention risk, and prioritize product roadmap decisions.
  - Delayed time-to-market for new features/enhancements is the biggest barrier to growing annual recurring revenue. Customer acquisition follows close behind as an impediment to growing ARR.
  - Nearly all software companies recognize the importance of collecting product usage data. A mere 2 percent of respondents aren’t collecting data and have no plans to do so. Today 82 percent can gather product usage data either very well or that they have the ability to do some of this.
  - Aligning price and value is an ongoing challenge. Only slightly more than a third (36 percent) indicate that pricing is “totally aligned” with the value delivered to customers.
  - Multiple hurdles for aligning price and value are intensifying. The most pressing is “Lack of insights into user personas and their priorities,” reported by 50 percent. The number of respondents citing “lack of insights to monetize the most valuable features” and “disparate systems make it difficult to achieve single customer view” have also gone up in the past year.
  - Churn risks merit closer attention. The vast majority of respondents monitor churn risk. 97 percent monitor churn risk, but only 21 percent review support tickets to spot churn risk, illustrating an opportunity to improve their processes.
Methodology

The Revenera Monetization Monitor 2025 Outlook series of reports is based on 418 complete responses to a survey conducted by Revenera from May through July 2024. Job levels of these survey respondents were C-level/executive (23 percent), SVP/VP (17 percent), director (44 percent), manager/team leader (15 percent), and individual contributors/non-manager/consultant (1 percent). This report focuses on Software Monetization Models and Strategies; subsequent reports in this series will address Software Piracy & Compliance and Software Usage Analytics.

Follow Revenera

About Revenera
Revenera helps product executives build better products, accelerate time-to-value, and monetize what matters. Revenera’s leading solutions help software and technology companies drive top-line revenue with modern software monetization, understand usage and compliance with software usage analytics, empower the use of open source with software composition analysis, and deliver an excellent user experience—for embedded, on-premises, cloud, and SaaS products. To learn more, visit http://www.revenera.com.

The MIL Network –
January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI: Clean Core and CNL sign Cost Share Project under CNRI to advance Thorium-Based ANEEL™ Fuel

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories facilities – Photo © Canadian Nuclear Laboratories

CHICAGO, Sept. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Clean Core Thorium Energy (Clean Core) is pleased to announce that it has been accepted to participate in Canadian Nuclear Laboratories’ (CNL) Canadian Nuclear Research Initiative (CNRI). Through the program, CNL and Clean Core will work to verify and validate the computer codes and analytical models employed in the design and safety analysis of Clean Core’s ANEEL™ fuel which will enable its accelerated commercialization for the Canada Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) reactors.

Clean Core has developed and patented a fuel, named the ANEEL™ fuel, made of thorium and enriched uranium. The fuel is designed for use in existing pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWR) and CANDU reactors with flexibility across enrichment levels (LEU+ to HALEU) as well as fuel designs (such as 19-pin and 37-pin). The fuel retains the same external dimensions as the currently used natural uranium (NU) fuel and leverages a high burnup, once-through fuel cycle. With no modifications to the reactor or its core, the ANEEL™ fuel derives several advantages over the currently used low burnup, NU fuel including improved safety, economics, and operations as well as reduced nuclear waste volumes and proliferation resistance.

Launched in 2019, the CNRI program was established by CNL to accelerate the deployment of nuclear technologies in Canada by enabling research and development, and connecting the nuclear industry with the facilities and expertise within Canada’s national nuclear laboratories. Among the many benefits of the program, participants optimize resources, share technical knowledge, receive cost share funding and gain access to CNL’s expertise to help advance the commercialization of nuclear technologies.

“Clean Core recognizes this as a key collaboration for the ANEEL™ fuel by leveraging the technical capabilities and existing domain expertise at CNL for development and assessment of various fuel, physics and thermohydraulic models,” says Mehul Shah, CEO and Founder of Clean Core. “This collaboration will meaningfully accelerate the deployment of the ANEEL™ fuel, which can impact the Canadian and global nuclear industries.“

Clean Core completed initial design studies, and recently announced the successful conclusion of the Phase 1 Pre-licensing Vendor Design Review process with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. Additionally, Clean Core signed a Strategic Partnership Project Agreement with the US DOE and is currently performing irradiation testing and qualification of the ANEEL fuel in the Advanced Test Reactor at Idaho National Labs with burnup targets of up to 60 GWd/T.

About Clean Core Thorium Energy

Clean Core Thorium Energy is a nuclear fuel company exploring thorium-driven nuclear innovations. Clean Core’s patented nuclear fuel technology (called the ANEEL™ fuel) is comprised of thorium and enriched uranium (LEU+ to HALEU), which is capable of improving the safety and cost-efficiency of pressurized heavy-water reactors. The ANEEL™ fuel is a novel solution to safety, waste, and proliferation concerns in today’s nuclear plants.

Learn more at https://cleancore.energy/. Follow us on social media: LinkedIn and X.

Clean Core Contact:

Milan Shah
Chief Operating Officer
milan@cleancore.energy

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/907e1d40-e8e4-4214-819e-1be40dd0050d

The MIL Network –

January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI: Audius Expands Its Music Marketplace, Enabling Direct On-Platform Payments from Millions of Fans to Thousands of Artists They Love

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — via CryptoCurrencyWire — Audius, the largest decentralized music community and discovery platform for artists and their fans, announced today that the game changing monetization feature the company rolled out to select artists last year is emerging from private beta. Now any artist in the world can set their own terms and control the pricing of their music, and fans can support their favorite artists with direct payments. Music fans can seamlessly use their credit card to pay artists in USDC, which can be converted by artists and rights holders to any currency of their choice.

As part of the expansion of the Audius music marketplace, for the first time, 10% of every payment will now be captured by the Audius community treasury, with proceeds to be used at the direction of on-chain governance. A governance proposal is pending to finalize this change.

“It’s been very cool and surprising to see how artists have leveraged our music marketplace to engage with their fans while creating an entirely new revenue stream for themselves,” said Audius Co-Founder and CEO Roneil Rumburg. “From selling downloads to creating innovative contests, artists have really stretched the marketplace to fit their needs.”

Audius first launched its music marketplace in beta in November 2023, opening the monetization feature to more than 100 artists around the world. One early adopter, producer Kato On The Track, immediately leveraged the new feature to generate revenue via download sales of his music and beats.

“I like being an early adopter of new innovative platforms like Audius,” said Kato. “I can build new communities on Audius, and they have the tools that let me engage with my audience in ways that I can’t do on other music platforms.”

Another artist, rapper MadeinTYO sold beats on Audius and invited his fanbase to create songs using his stems and upload them back onto the platform. He picked a winner and flew them to Tokyo (where he was raised) to collaborate for a studio session and to enjoy the city with him.

“Artists today really have to be able to create special, memorable moments for their fans,” said MadeinTYO. “Audius is a unique vessel, which allows me to create unique ways to interact with my fans, while keeping the music first.”

Many independent record labels and distributors have already signed with Audius to make more money for their artists including DistroKid, EMPIRE, Nettwerk Music, Ninja Tune, Merge Records, Ampsuite, Circus Records, Anjunadeep, Anjunabeats, and others. Just last month the company announced a licensing pact with Kobalt, one of the world’s largest independent music publishers. Earlier this year Audius announced that it had forged pivotal deals with the world’s top performing rights organizations: ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR.

About Audius:
Audius is a community-owned music marketplace, where for the first time, artists and their fans can find, communicate, and transact with each other directly. Artists are no longer reliant on middlemen, creating a new music economy for a new generation. Backed by an all-star team of investors, Audius was founded in 2018 and serves millions of users every month, making it one of the largest crypto applications ever built. Sign up today at https://audius.co.

Contacts
John Vlautin
SpinLab Communications
jv@spinlab.net

Jill Mango
SpinLab Communications
jill@spinlab.net

Molly Sheban
SpinLab Communications
molly@spinlab.net

The MIL Network –

January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI: Surgent CPE to Premiere 14 New Courses in Q4 2024
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

RADNOR, Pa., Sept. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Surgent Accounting & Financial Education, a division of KnowFully Learning Group, today announced the premiere of 14 new continuing professional education (CPE) courses debuting in Q4 2024.

“Surgent’s dedication to providing timely, practical learning is central to our mission of helping accounting and finance professionals thrive,” said Elizabeth Kolar, executive vice president of Surgent. “Our latest course offerings reflect Surgent’s commitment to offering premium content that goes beyond compliance, giving professionals the tools they need to make real-world applications of complex tax laws, business practices and industry regulations.”

The new course offerings cover a diverse range of subjects, including taxation, client advisory services, financial planning and compliance issues. Many of these courses focus on current tax implications, gig economy trends, executive compensation, and the impact of the upcoming 2024 presidential and congressional elections.

“The 2024 election and ongoing economic shifts are at the forefront of many of our customers’ concerns,” said Nick Spoltore, Surgent’s vice president of tax and advisory content. “These courses provide timely insights to help practitioners offer more informed advice to their clients, whether they’re dealing with tax planning, client advisory services, or executive compensation.”

Below is a preview of the new offerings, along with their premiere dates. All courses are worth two CPE credits, except where noted.

The 14 new CPE courses are scheduled as follows:
- Oct. 1: More Money at the End of the Month: Strategic Ways to Improve Cash Flow (WIC2) – This course helps financial leaders optimize cash flow using practical strategies applicable to both startups and established businesses.
- Oct. 2: A Guide to Nonqualified Deferred Compensation (NDC2) – Provides insights into nonqualified deferred compensation (NQDC) plans, tax implications, and strategies for compliance under IRC Section 409A.
- Oct. 3: Exploring Client Advisory Services: Tax Due Dates and Penalties/Where Do I Need To File? (DDP2) – Equips professionals with multistate tax nexus knowledge, focusing on tax filing requirements and deadline management.
- Oct. 7: Unique Tax Attributes of Different Entity Types (AET2) – Examines the tax impact of different business entities, including self-employment taxes and flow-through entities, for financial planning.
- Oct. 18: Communicating Financial Results to Stakeholders: A Guide for Client Advisory Services (FRS2) – Guides client advisory professionals in communicating financial results to non-financial stakeholders effectively.
- Oct. 21: Hiring New Workers and Payroll Taxes (WPT2) – Helps business owners and practitioners navigate payroll compliance and unemployment insurance issues when hiring new employees.
- Oct. 22: Purchase and Sale of a Residence: Critical Tax Issues (PSR2) – Provides essential tax rules for assisting clients in selling personal residences, covering various tax implications.
- Oct. 23: How to Effectively Represent Clients Under IRS Audit (RCA2) – Discusses how to represent clients effectively during IRS audits, especially with the IRS’s increased audit efforts.
- Oct. 24: 2024 Tax Update for Client Advisory Services (TXU4) – This four-credit course updates CAS professionals on 2024 tax law changes in areas like payroll tax and tax return documentation.
- Oct. 28: A Guide to Gig Economy Tax Issues (GIG2) – Explores federal and state tax issues for gig workers, addressing the distinction between employees and independent contractors.
- Oct. 28: Tax Reporting for Executive Compensation (EXC2) – Covers taxation and reporting procedures for executive compensation arrangements, including stock options and incentive plans.
- Nov. 14: Post-election Coverage of Potential Tax Changes and Planning Strategies (PEL2) – Analyzes potential tax developments based on the 2024 election results, including planning strategies.
- Nov. 14: 2024 Tax Changes and Year-end Planning Opportunities (YT24) – This four-credit course reviews 2024 tax developments and year-end planning strategies in light of the sunsetting Tax Cuts and Jobs Act provisions.
- Nov. 14: How Our Economy and Markets Perform in Election Years (ELY2) – Examines the effects of election years on the economy and market investments, with a focus on tax policy impacts.
Registration for each course is open now at SurgentCPE.com. All new courses will debut as a live webinar, while some will later be available on-demand.

About Surgent Accounting & Financial Education
Surgent Accounting & Financial Education, a division of KnowFully Learning Group, is a provider of the high-impact education experiences that accounting, tax and financial professionals need throughout their careers. For most of the company’s 35-year history, Surgent has been a trusted provider of continuing professional education (CPE), continuing education (CE) and skill-based training that professionals need to maintain their credentials and stay current on industry changes. More recently, Surgent became one of the fastest-growing certification exam review providers, offering predictive learning-based courses that help learners pass accounting and finance credentialing exams faster. Learn more at Surgent.com.

About KnowFully Learning Group
The KnowFully Learning Group provides continuing professional education, exam preparation courses and education resources to the accounting, finance and healthcare sectors. KnowFully’s suite of learning solutions helps learners become credentialed, satisfy required credit hours to maintain credentials and stay informed on the latest trends and critical changes in their industries over the course of their careers. The company provides exam preparation and continuing education for accounting, finance, and tax professionals headlined by the Surgent Accounting & Financial Education brand. KnowFully’s healthcare education brands include American Fitness Professionals & Associates, ChiroCredit, Impact EMS Training, Online CE, PharmCon freeCE, PharmCon Rx Consultant and Psychotherapy.net. For more information, please visit KnowFully.com.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7b56442d-7af7-42c6-b096-7412c5b4a366

The MIL Network –
January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI: SpyCloud Launches Custom Automation Solution to Scale Identity Protection Workflows for Enterprises
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SpyCloud announced today the release of its new hosted automation solution, SpyCloud Connect, which delivers custom-built automation workflows to Information Security (InfoSec) and Security Operations (SecOps) teams. The solution enables rapid automation of SpyCloud’s suite of identity threat protection products with a vast array of security tools and systems they currently use to protect their business and users from cyber threats – saving them valuable time and alleviating overburdened resources.

With this new solution, SpyCloud will build, maintain, and support customer-specified workflows across their desired integration destinations – connecting SpyCloud’s rich recaptured darknet data with the tools they already use to deliver automated remediation of compromised identities across their workforce.

“When in-house development and engineering resources are strapped, we want to help customers take full advantage of the high-fidelity darknet data provided by SpyCloud’s products,” explained Damon Fleury, SpyCloud’s chief product officer. “With SpyCloud Connect, teams now have an endless number of integrations available to take instant action on the exposed identity data elements discovered and recaptured by SpyCloud.”

SpyCloud Connect maximizes existing investments in diverse security tools and systems, including SIEMs, SOARs, ticketing systems, Threat Intelligence Platforms (TIPs), Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) tools, XDR Platforms, Identity providers, and more.

Examples of customer-favorite workflows include:
- SpyCloud + JIRA + Okta: Receive password exposure alerts from SpyCloud and re-secure vulnerable accounts
- SpyCloud + JIRA + Google: Disable exposed Google Accounts based on SpyCloud’s recaptured data
- SpyCloud + Snow Software + Slack: Automatically create a ticket for a malware-infected user and send an alert to the SecOps team via Slack
SpyCloud Connect helps enterprises not only scale their operations but more quickly achieve a desired state of security posture. Deployments are customized to each enterprise’s specific use cases and needs – with most delivery cycles completed in 2-4 weeks.

To learn more about SpyCloud Connect and the wide-range of integration options, visit spycloud.com.

About SpyCloud

SpyCloud transforms recaptured darknet data to disrupt cybercrime. Its automated identity threat protection solutions leverage advanced analytics to proactively prevent ransomware and account takeover, safeguard employee and consumer accounts, and accelerate cybercrime investigations. SpyCloud’s data from breaches, malware-infected devices, and successful phishes also powers many popular dark web monitoring and identity theft protection offerings. Customers include more than half of the Fortune 10, along with hundreds of global enterprises, mid-sized companies, and government agencies worldwide. Headquartered in Austin, TX, SpyCloud is home to more than 200 cybersecurity experts whose mission is to protect businesses and consumers from the stolen identity data criminals are using to target them now.

To learn more and see insights on your company’s exposed data, visit spycloud.com.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/35c6c747-54b5-46a5-ba59-0123764f4277

The MIL Network –
January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI: Akamai Technologies, Teradyne, and Wayfair Partner to Purchase Solar Energy in Champaign County, Ill. Through the Net Zero Consortium for Buyers

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

BOSTON, Sept. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Through Sustainability Roundtable, Inc.’s Net Zero Consortium for Buyers (NZCB), Akamai Technologies (Akamai), Teradyne, and Wayfair LLC (Wayfair) have signed an aggregated virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with BayWa r.e. Americas. This agreement covers the renewable energy credits produced by the 135 megawatt alternating current (MWac) Prairie Solar project in Champaign County, Ill., which is being developed by the BayWa r.e. Americas group and is expected to achieve commercial operation at the end of 2025.

Prairie Solar is set to make a significant impact in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) region of Illinois, which, at only 32% low-carbon energy in 2023, is an especially carbon-intensive grid. Once operational, Prairie Solar will help reduce carbon emissions in this area, which currently relies heavily on fossil fuels.

By aggregating their demand, Akamai, Teradyne, and Wayfair overcome the challenge of modest energy loads that typically hinder independent procurement of utility-scale renewable energy. This buyer-aggregated approach democratizes access to the financial and environmental benefits of utility-scale renewable energy, making procurement possible for a broader range of enterprises.

Akamai, the world’s most distributed platform for cloud computing, security, and content delivery, plans to purchase the renewable energy generated by a 30 megawatt (MW) portion of the project to support the company’s commitment to run its distributed platform as efficiently as possible, to be mindful of its power usage, and to minimize the negative environmental impacts of its global operations.

“Akamai has led the way in innovative renewable energy projects since 2018, when we were a part of the United States’ first corporate aggregated VPPA – a game-changing approach for smaller renewable energy buyers. Today we are proud to continue that legacy by participating in this solar aggregation located in a very carbon intensive grid,” said Mike Mattera, director of corporate sustainability and environmental, social and governance officer at Akamai.

Teradyne, a leading global supplier of automated test equipment and robotics solutions, will purchase renewable energy generated by a 20 MW portion of Prairie Solar in furtherance of the company’s emissions reduction commitment. Once operational, Teradyne’s portion of the project is expected to deliver renewable energy equivalent to the company’s entire U.S. electric load.

“Teradyne remains committed to our sustainability initiatives. The NZCB provides one of the many ways Teradyne is working to reduce our environmental impact to benefit all of our stakeholders,” said Debra Pulpi, corporate environment, health and safety manager at Teradyne.

Wayfair, the destination for all things home, will purchase renewable energy generated by a 20 MW portion of the Prairie Solar project. Once operational, this portion is expected to generate 45,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of energy, which will cover about 80% of Wayfair’s electricity needs in North America for 2023. This will ultimately contribute to Wayfair’s goal of cutting Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 63% by 2035 (compared to 2020 baseline).

“We are proud to be part of our second aggregated virtual power purchase agreement in North America,” said Anna Vinogradova, head of sustainability and ESG for Wayfair. “This project will help Wayfair advance towards its Scope 1 and 2 emissions reduction goals, aligning with our vision of a more sustainable future. Partnerships like the NZCB harness collaboration to unlock ambitious opportunities for companies to contribute to a cleaner environment.”

The NZCB separately advised another entity on a VPPA contract for a 50 MW portion of the Prairie Solar project.

The NZCB has achieved over 90% of its goal of causing a gigawatt of new renewable energy capacity before 2025. Reaching the NZCB’s gigawatt goal would generate enough energy to meet the annual average electricity needs of more than 200,000 U.S. homes while helping mitigate commercial Scope 2 emissions across the business operations of corporate buyers. This transaction demonstrates how the NZCB offers a breakthrough model for commercial collaboration in causing utility-scale renewables, beginning in North America and Europe.

Sustainability Roundtable, Inc.
Sustainability Roundtable, Inc. (SR Inc) works to be the world’s most respected strategic advisor in enterprise decarbonization. For more than fifteen years, leaders at over 100 Fortune 500 and global growth companies have trusted SR Inc to provide membership-based strategic advisory and support services. SR Inc helps executives to set goals, drive progress, and report results as they lead their organizations to more sustainable high performance — all to help align business with life. SR Inc’s Net Zero Consortium for Buyers (NZCB) is a confidential renewable energy buyers’ community creating transactions favorable for corporate buyers. The NZCB enables enterprises to chart a profitable path to Net Zero emissions globally. SR Inc Member-Clients have made the NZCB the leading transaction platform for corporate aggregated procurement of utility scale renewable energy in North America and Europe.

Contact Information: srinc@fischtankpr.com

The MIL Network –

January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI: Strong Global Entertainment Announces Closing of Sale of Strong/MDI for Approximately $30 Million

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Mooresville, NC, Sept. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Strong Global Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: SGE) (“Strong Global”) and Fundamental Global Inc. (Nasdaq: FGF, FGFPP) (“Fundamental Global”) are pleased to announce the closing of the previously announced sale of Strong/MDI Screen Systems, Inc. (“MDI”) from Strong Global to Saltire Holdings Ltd (“Saltire”).

Mark Roberson, Chief Executive Officer of Strong Global, commented, “We are pleased to announce the closing of the sale of MDI. This is one element of our previously announced strategy to streamline operations, increase liquidity and drive shareholder value. We expect the transaction to result in a net pre-tax financial statement gain in excess of $25 million. At closing, Strong Global holds approximately 37% of the outstanding common shares of Saltire, and we look forward to participating in the Saltires’ long term growth strategy.”

At closing, and after a working capital adjustment, Strong Global received total consideration of $29.5 million, consisting of $0.8 million of cash, $9.0 million of preferred shares of Saltire, and $19.7 million of common shares of Saltire.

Prior to the Closing, Strong Global did not own or control any securities of Saltire. Strong Global received 1,972,723 common shares and 900,000 series A preferred shares of Saltire as consideration under the transaction.

Strong Global may acquire additional securities including on the open market or through private acquisitions or sell the securities including on the open market or through private dispositions in the future depending on market conditions, general economic and industry conditions, Saltire’s business and financial condition, and/or other relevant factors, and Strong Global may develop such plans or intentions in the future.

A copy of the Early Warning Report to be filed by Strong Global in connection with the transaction described above will be available on its SEDAR+ profile at http://www.sedarplus.ca.

About Strong Global Entertainment, Inc.

Strong Global Entertainment, Inc., a majority owned subsidiary of Fundamental Global Inc., is a leader in the entertainment industry, providing mission critical products and services to cinema exhibitors and entertainment venues for over 90 years.

About Fundamental Global Inc.

Fundamental Global Inc. (Nasdaq: FGF, FGFPP) and its subsidiaries engage in diverse business activities including reinsurance, asset management, merchant banking, manufacturing and managed services.

The FG^® logo and Fundamental Global^® are registered trademarks of Fundamental Global LLC.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). These statements are therefore entitled to the protection of the safe harbor provisions of these laws. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “budget,” “can,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “envision,” “estimate,” “expect,” “evaluate,” “forecast,” “goal,” “guidance,” “indicate,” “intend,” “likely,” “may,” “might,” “outlook,” “plan,” “possibly,” “potential,” “predict,” “probable,” “probably,” “pro-forma,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “target,” “view,” “will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result” or the negative thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology. In particular, discussions and statements regarding the Company’s future business plans and initiatives are forward-looking in nature. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations, assumptions, estimates, and projections. While we believe these to be reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. These and other important factors may cause our actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, and may impact our ability to implement and execute on our future business plans and initiatives. Management cautions that the forward-looking statements in this release are not guarantees of future performance, and we cannot assume that such statements will be realized or the forward-looking events and circumstances will occur. Factors that might cause such a difference include, without limitation: risks associated with our inability to identify and realize business opportunities, and the undertaking of any new such opportunities; our lack of operating history or established reputation in the reinsurance industry; our inability to obtain or maintain the necessary approvals to operate reinsurance subsidiaries; risks associated with operating in the reinsurance industry, including inadequately priced insured risks, credit risk associated with brokers we may do business with, and inadequate retrocessional coverage; our inability to execute on our investment and investment management strategy, including our strategy to invest in the risk capital of special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs); our ability to maintain and expand our revenue streams to compensate for the lower demand for our digital cinema products and installation services; potential interruptions of supplier relationships or higher prices charged by suppliers in connection with our Strong Global business; our ability to successfully compete and introduce enhancements and new features that achieve market acceptance and that keep pace with technological developments; our ability to maintain Strong Global’s brand and reputation and retain or replace its significant customers; challenges associated with Strong Global’s long sales cycles; the impact of a challenging global economic environment or a downturn in the markets; the effects of economic, public health, and political conditions that impact business and consumer confidence and spending, including rising interest rates, periods of heightened inflation and market instability; potential loss of value of investments; risk of becoming an investment company; fluctuations in our short-term results as we implement our new business strategy; risks of being unable to attract and retain qualified management and personnel to implement and execute on our business and growth strategy; failure of our information technology systems, data breaches and cyber-attacks; our ability to establish and maintain an effective system of internal controls; our limited operating history as a public company; the requirements of being a public company and losing our status as a smaller reporting company or becoming an accelerated filer; any potential conflicts of interest between us and our controlling stockholders and different interests of controlling stockholders; potential conflicts of interest between us and our directors and executive officers; risks associated with our related party transactions and investments; and risks associated with our investments in SPACs, including the failure of any such SPAC to complete its initial business combination. Our expectations and future plans and initiatives may not be realized. If one of these risks or uncertainties materializes, or if our underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those expected, estimated or projected. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof and do not necessarily reflect our outlook at any other point in time. We do not undertake and specifically decline any obligation to update any such statements or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any such statements to reflect new information, future events or developments.

Investor Relations Contacts:
IR@strong-entertainment.com

investors@fundamentalglobal.com

The MIL Network –

January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI: LIS Technologies Inc. Contracts Leading Construction Specialist to Oversee $1 Million Redevelopment of its Secured Facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Sept. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LIS Technologies Inc. (“LIST” or “the Company”), a proprietary developer of advanced laser technology and the only USA-origin and patented laser uranium enrichment company, today announced that it has engaged a leading construction specialist to oversee the design and redevelopment of its facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, creating a modern and secure space for the Company’s next phase of physical test work.

Following completion of the nearly $1 Million redevelopment, the facility will house LIST’s specialized testing equipment aimed at refining and demonstrating the capabilities of its technology. It will include dedicated space for the Phase 1 Test Loop demonstration of the Company’s proprietary, patented laser uranium enrichment technology, serving as the central hub for its development. Additionally, the facility will support the production of stable isotopes for medical and scientific research. The initial design and build-out will ensure the facility is properly equipped to host operations and lay the groundwork for future physical test work.

“The new LIST headquarters in Oak Ridge, TN will be converted into a “closed area,” which will allow LIST to perform research on its laser enrichment technology and protect said technology as Classified in accordance with NRC regulations, prior to DOE declaring the LIST technology as Restricted Data,” said Keith Everly, Head of Security and IP Management of LIS Technologies Inc. “We will work closely with the regulatory frameworks to streamline the process and ensure regulatory compliance of CRISLA, the technology that LIST plans to commercialize.”

Figure 1 – LIS Technologies Inc. Contracts Leading Construction Specialist to Oversee Retrofitting of its Secured Facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee

“I’m thrilled that major upgrades to our new facility in Oak Ridge will start soon, which will allow us to take the next steps towards the rebirth of our patented, US-origin laser enrichment technology,” said Christo Liebenberg, Chief Executive Officer of LIS Technologies Inc. “We are taking a pro-active approach with the security upgrade. It is a short matter of time before we demonstrate that the CRISLA process can produce practical quantities of enriched uranium product. We want our facility to be ready and secure before the DOE classifies the technology. This is a major threshold for the Company and positions us closer towards to our ultimate goal of enriching uranium for the next generation of advanced nuclear reactors in the United States.”

The proprietary technology is the only proven US-origin laser enrichment solution and is scalable, efficient, and cost-effective. Optimized for both Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU) and High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU), it overcomes the limitations of traditional pulsed 16µm CO₂ lasers, featuring a streamlined design due to its lower absorption and shorter wavelength at 5.3µm. Demonstrated in the 1980s and 90s, this technology is protected by a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

About LIS Technologies Inc.

LIS Technologies Inc. (LIST) is a USA based, proprietary developer of a patented advanced laser technology, making use of infrared wavelengths to selectively excite the molecules of desired isotopes to separate them from other isotopes. The Laser Isotope Separation Technology (L.I.S.T) has a huge range of applications, including being the only USA-origin (and patented) laser uranium enrichment company, and several major advantages over traditional methods such as gas diffusion, centrifuges, and prior art laser enrichment. The LIST proprietary laser-based process is more energy-efficient and has the potential to be deployed with highly competitive capital and operational costs. L.I.S.T is optimized for LEU (Low Enriched Uranium) for existing civilian nuclear power plants, High-Assay LEU (HALEU) for the next generation of Small Modular Reactors (SMR) and Microreactors, the production of stable isotopes for medical and scientific research, and applications in quantum computing manufacturing for semiconductor technologies. The Company employs a world class nuclear technical team working alongside leading nuclear entrepreneurs and industry professionals, possessing strong relationships with government and private nuclear industries.

For more information please visit: http://www.LaserIsTech.com

For further information, please contact:
Email: info@laseristech.com
Telephone: 800-388-5492
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on LinkedIn

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In this context, forward-looking statements mean statements related to future events, which may impact our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as “expects”, “anticipates”, “intends”, “plans”, “believes”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “would” or “may” and other words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements are based on information available to us as of the date of this news release and represent management’s current views and assumptions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, events or results and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may be beyond our control. For LIS Technologies Inc., particular risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements include but are not limited to the following which are, and will be, exacerbated by any worsening of global business and economic environment: (i) risks related to the development of new or advanced technology, including difficulties with design and testing, cost overruns, development of competitive technology, loss of key individuals and uncertainty of success of patent filing, (ii) our ability to obtain contracts and funding to be able to continue operations and (iii) risks related to uncertainty regarding our ability to commercially deploy a competitive laser enrichment technology, (iv) risks related to the impact of government regulation and policies including by the DOE and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission; and other risks and uncertainties discussed in this and our other filings with the SEC. Only after successful completion of our Phase 2 Pilot Plant demonstration will LIS Technologies be able to make realistic economic predictions for a Commercial Facility. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this news release. These factors may not constitute all factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in any forward-looking statement. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as a predictor of actual results. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this news release, except as required by law.

Attachment
- LIS Technologies Inc.
The MIL Network –
January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI: AMD Instinct MI300X Accelerators Available on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure for Demanding AI Applications

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

— Customers including Fireworks AI are powering their AI inference and training workloads with new OCI Compute instances —

— OCI Supercluster leads among cloud providers with support for up to 16,384 AMD Instinct MI300X GPUs in a single ultrafast network fabric —

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) today announced that Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) has chosen AMD Instinct™ MI300X accelerators with ROCm™ open software to power its newest OCI Compute Supercluster instance called BM.GPU.MI300X.8. For AI models that can comprise hundreds of billions of parameters, the OCI Supercluster with AMD MI300X supports up to 16,384 GPUs in a single cluster by harnessing the same ultrafast network fabric technology used by other accelerators on OCI. Designed to run demanding AI workloads including large language model (LLM) inference and training that requires high throughput with leading memory capacity and bandwidth, these OCI bare metal instances have already been adopted by companies including Fireworks AI.

“AMD Instinct MI300X and ROCm open software continue to gain momentum as trusted solutions for powering the most critical OCI AI workloads,” said Andrew Dieckmann, corporate vice president and general manager, Data Center GPU Business, AMD. “As these solutions expand further into growing AI-intensive markets, the combination will benefit OCI customers with high performance, efficiency, and greater system design flexibility.”

“The inference capabilities of AMD Instinct MI300X accelerators add to OCI’s extensive selection of high-performance bare metal instances to remove the overhead of virtualized compute commonly used for AI infrastructure,” said Donald Lu, senior vice president, software development, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. “We are excited to offer more choice for customers seeking to accelerate AI workloads at a competitive price point.”

Bringing Trusted Performance and Open Choice for AI Training and Inference
The AMD Instinct MI300X underwent extensive testing which was validated by OCI that underscored its AI inferencing and training capabilities for serving latency-optimal use cases, even with larger batch sizes, and the ability to fit the largest LLM models in a single node. These Instinct MI300X performance results have garnered the attention of AI model developers.

Fireworks AI offers a fast platform designed to build and deploy generative AI. With over 100+ models, Fireworks AI is leveraging the benefits of performance found in OCI using AMD Instinct MI300X.

“Fireworks AI helps enterprises build and deploy compound AI systems across a wide range of industries and use cases,” said Lin Qiao, CEO of Fireworks AI. “The amount of memory capacity available on the AMD Instinct MI300X and ROCm open software allows us to scale services to our customers as models continue to grow.”

Supporting Resources

About AMD
For more than 50 years AMD has driven innovation in high-performance computing, graphics, and visualization technologies. Billions of people, leading Fortune 500 businesses, and cutting-edge scientific research institutions around the world rely on AMD technology daily to improve how they live, work, and play. AMD employees are focused on building leadership high-performance and adaptive products that push the boundaries of what is possible. For more information about how AMD is enabling today and inspiring tomorrow, visit the AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) website, blog, LinkedIn, and Twitter pages.

AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, Instinct, ROCm, and combinations thereof are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Other names are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Trademarks
Oracle, Java, MySQL and NetSuite are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation. NetSuite was the first cloud company—ushering in the new era of cloud computing.

Contact:
David Szabados
 AMD Communications
+1 408-472-2439
david.szabados@amd.com

Mitch Haws
AMD Investor Relations
+1 512-944-0790
mitch.haws@amd.com

The MIL Network –

January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: European Day of Languages: promoting multilingualism and learning

Source: European Union 2

The European Day of Languages, celebrated annually on 26 September, promotes linguistic diversity, encourages language learning across all age groups, and highlights the importance of translation and language-related professions.

This year, the European Commission is hosting 2 virtual conferences to foster discussions about multilingualism in Europe. In addition, a wide range of activities will take place from 1–30 September across the EU, including multilingual mini language courses, online quizzes, translation workshops, language fairs, and travelling book exhibitions.

The EU’s multilingualism policy advocates for teaching and learning multiple languages to boost communication, mobility, and cooperation across Europe. Thanks to programmes such as Erasmus+, Europeans can improve their language skills through educational or training activities in 34 countries. The EU also funds various linguistic projects, encourages peer learning among EU countries and cooperates with international organisations to promote innovation in language teaching.

The yearly Juvenes Translatores competition is another initiative that encourages secondary school students across Europe to learn languages. Registration for this year is open until 14 October 2024, 12 PM (CET). 

Language skills can help people find a job, facilitate access to services and rights, and contribute to solidarity through enhanced intercultural dialogue and social cohesion. The EU is characterised by its cultural and linguistic diversity, and the languages spoken in EU countries are an essential part of its cultural heritage.

For more information

European Day of Languages

European Day of Languages 2024 – virtual conferences

Multilingualism

The Erasmus+ programme

Juvenes Translatores

MIL OSI Europe News –

January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: European Week of Regions and Cities

Source: European Union 2

You can now register for the European Week of Regions and Cities 2024 with its motto “Empowering Communities,” taking place in Brussels 7-10 October 2024. Discover the #EURegionsWeek programme and register now! Get ready to exchange ideas, connect with regions and cities across Europe, and expand…

MIL OSI Europe News –

January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Happy Valley-Goose Bay — Happy Valley-Goose Bay RCMP investigates hit and run collision involving pedestrian

Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Happy Valley-Goose Bay RCMP is investigating a hit and run collision that occurred on September 24, 2024. A pedestrian was transported to the Labrador Health Centre with non-life-threatening injuries.

The collision occurred at approximately 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday on Hamilton River Road near the baseball field. A number of other pedestrians were nearby. The vehicle departed after the collision occurred and did not stop to render assistance to injured individual.

The vehicle is described as possibly a dark-colored SUV. The investigation is continuing.

Happy Valley-Goose Bay RCMP asks the public to check all available surveillance footage and to report any information that could assist police with this investigation.

Anyone having information about this incident or the involved vehicle or the identity of the driver is asked to contact Happy Valley-Goose Bay RCMP at 709-896-3383. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers: #SayItHere 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), visit http://www.nlcrimestoppers.com or use the P3Tips app.

MIL Security OSI –

January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: CS chairs inter-departmental working group meeting on festival arrangements (with photo)

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

As directed by the Chief Executive, the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, chaired the inter-departmental working group meeting on festival arrangements today (September 26) to holistically review and steer the overall co-ordination work of various government departments in welcoming visitors to Hong Kong during the National Day Golden Week. The Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing; the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung; the Under Secretary for Security, Mr Michael Cheuk; and representatives of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, the Transport and Logistics Bureau, and other relevant Government departments attended the meeting. At the meeting, Mr Chan instructed various departments to better prepare for receiving visitors during the Mainland’s National Day Golden Week, actively coordinate and consolidate supporting services of boundary control points (BCPs), traffic and public transport, promptly respond to various emergency situations, and strengthen information dissemination, with a view to providing quality experience to residents and visitors in celebration of the National Day.Estimated visitor flow and preparatory work According to the Immigration Department (ImmD)’s estimate, around 7.01 million passengers (including Hong Kong residents and visitors) will pass through Hong Kong’s sea, land and air control points during the Mainland’s National Day Golden Week (October 1 to October 7) this year, among which 5.98 million passengers will pass through land control points. The number of outbound and inbound passengers using land boundary control points will peak on October 1 (Tuesday). In terms of Mainland inbound visitors, it is estimated that about 1.23 million passengers will visit Hong Kong via various sea, land and air control points during the seven-day Mainland’s National Day Golden Week. The Travel Industry Authority has reminded travel agents receiving Mainland inbound tour groups to stagger arrival time as far as possible, and will coordinate with agencies such as tourist spots to adopt appropriate diversion measures to enable proper management of the flow of visitors and tour buses, with a view to offering a pleasant travel experience to visitors. There will be a rich array of celebratory activities before, during and after the Mainland’s National Day Golden Week. Major mega events include the “Celebration of National Day – The Next Generation Chorus Performance” at the West Kowloon Cultural District on September 30 night (Monday) and the 2024 National Day Fireworks Display at the Victoria Harbour on October 1 night (Tuesday). The Hong Kong Police Force (Police) will arrange sufficient police manpower to implement corresponding crowd management measures and special traffic arrangements as necessary to ensure that all celebrations will be conducted in a safe and orderly manner. Various district offices will also closely monitor the flow of visitors within their corresponding districts during the Mainland’s National Day Golden Week and strengthen management of the relevant spots having regard to the actual circumstances.Coordinate control points, traffic and public transport facilities The Inter-departmental Joint Command Centre set up by Hong Kong Customs, the Police, the ImmD and other departments will be activated from September 28 (Saturday) to October 7 (Monday) to monitor the real-time situation at various control points, maintain close liaison with the Mainland port authorities through the established port hotlines and real-time notification mechanism, and take timely contingency actions to flexibly deploy manpower at the BCPs to ensure smooth operation of the land control points. The Security Bureau will also activate the Emergency Monitoring and Support Centre in a timely manner to closely monitor and co-ordinate the public order situation at various BCPs and facilitate interdepartmental follow-up actions where necessary to respond promptly to various kinds of emergencies. For transport arrangements, the Transport Department (TD) has worked with relevant Mainland authorities and relevant operators to formulate plans to strengthen services at various ports, including increasing the frequency of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) shuttle bus (Gold Bus) and the Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang cross-boundary shuttle bus (Yellow Bus), as well as arranging dedicated public transport lanes at the HZMB Port, Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang Port and Shenzhen Bay Port as necessary, with a view to ensuring smooth public transport services. Regarding local public transport services, the TD has approached various public transport operators proactively to enhance the capacity, and reserve vehicles and manpower to meet the travel needs of visitors. Amongst them, the MTR Corporation Limited will enhance train service of railway lines during September 28 to October 13, with a total of about 950 extra trips, so as to facilitate the travelling of local residents and visitors. The TD’s Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre will operate 24 hours to closely monitor the traffic conditions and public transport services of different districts including various BCPs and major stations. The TD will adopt various measures including increasing the frequency of public transport services as appropriate so as to cope with the service demand and passenger flow, and will disseminate the latest traffic information through various channels. As regards the two homeporting calls of a mega cruise ship at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal during the Mainland’s National Day Golden Week, while the cruise terminal operator will continue to coordinate with the cruise company, transport service operators and travel agents etc. to make proper transport planning, the Tourism Commission (TC) has also liaised with the bus companies and the taxi trade through the TD to provide additional support. Shuttle bus services will also be strengthened subject to demand. As it is anticipated that many Mainland visitors will come to Hong Kong to join cruise itineraries via the land BCPs, the TC has also assisted the trade in coordinating with BCPs to ensure smooth immigration clearance. Direct coach services will be provided to take visitors from the BCPs to the cruise terminal.Weather forecast The weather in Hong Kong is expected to be generally fine during the Mainland’s National Day Golden Week, with low chances of being affected by heavy rain and tropical cyclones. A fresh to strong northeasterly monsoon is expected to arrive in Guangdong on the National Day, followed by a couple of days of slightly cooler and drier weather, with a minimum temperature of around 22 degrees Celsius in the urban areas. The above forecast is a preliminary assessment, and the Observatory will update the forecast depending on the latest weather changes.Information dissemination To facilitate visitors in planning their itineraries, the inter-departmental working group will strengthen information dissemination including the latest inbound visitor arrivals, the situation at various BCPs, information on celebratory events, transport arrangements and the latest weather information, etc, to facilitate residents and visitors to plan their itineraries according to the latest situation. The Tourism Board (TB) has also launched a dedicated webpage to consolidate various useful information during the Mainland’s National Day Golden Week, including the operating arrangements of major tourist attractions in Hong Kong, details of various unique celebratory events, special discount and promotional activities around the National Day, so as to facilitate residents and visitors to plan their itineraries more conveniently. The TB has also stepped up promotion in the Mainland, including launching special offers with major online integrated tourism platforms in the Mainland, in order to promote large-scale events with characteristics, explore the unique cultural and tourism experiences in Hong Kong through the promotional channel of the platforms and boost spending of more Mainland visitors in Hong Kong as well as enhance visitors’ experience.

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: NASA Invites Public to Join as Virtual Guests for SpaceX Crew-9 Launch

Source: NASA

NASA invites the public to participate as virtual guests in the launch of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission. NASA astronaut Nick Hague, commander, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, mission specialist, will embark on a flight aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, launching no earlier than 1:17 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Sept. 28, from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Members of the public can register to attend the launch virtually. Virtual guests for this mission will receive curated resources, interactive opportunities, updates with the latest news, and a mission-specific collectible stamp for their virtual guest passport after liftoff. Don’t have a passport yet? Print yours here and get ready to add a stamp!
Live coverage and countdown commentary will begin at 9:10 a.m. EDT Saturday, Sept. 28, streaming on NASA+ agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA content on a variety of platforms, including social media.
Want to learn more about the mission and NASA’s Commercial Crew Program? Follow along on the mission blog, Commercial Crew blog, @commercial_crew on X, or check out Commercial Crew on Facebook.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 22, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Annual report 2023 – 2024 and new business plan published
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

The Adjudicator’s Office are pleased to announce the publication of its 2023 to 2024 annual report and new 3-year business plan for 2024 to 2027.
2023 to 2024 annual report and new business plan published

The Adjudicator’s Office are pleased to announce the publication of its 2023 to 2024 annual report. For the first time this also includes an in-depth report and set of recommendations on a specific theme: Applying Customer Circumstances to Decision Making.

We are also publishing our new three-year business plan and an updated Service Level Agreement (SLA) with HMRC and the Valuation Office Agency (VOA).

The Adjudicator Mike McMahon said: “I am delighted to be publishing my first annual report as Adjudicator and our new business plan today. Our role is to challenge all of our stakeholders to provide the best outcomes for their customers and the annual report is a key part of this.

“I am pleased that this annual report will see our first published in-depth insight report for HMRC into applying customer circumstances to decision making. I am keen that we become more transparent and publishing more information is part of that.”

The full set of documents that have been published on our site today are:

2023 to 2024 annual report: Providing a reflection of our performance during the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024

Insight report: Applying Customer Circumstances to Decision Making. Our formal report using our insight and expertise to analyse specific themes and make recommendations to HMRC to improve services for customers.

Business plan: Confirming our objectives over the next three years from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2027

Updated Service Level Agreement: We have updated our Service Level Agreement (SLA) with HMRC and VOA. The new SLA will come into effect from 26 September 2024.

Quality standards: For the first time we are publishing our quality standards, which underpin our work to make sure we provide our customers and stakeholders a quality service.

In addition, over the coming weeks we will be publishing our Service Standards and our first set of quarterly performance metrics.

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Published 26 September 2024
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
January 22, 2025