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  • MIL-OSI USA: A Dose of History: Pioneers of UConn Pharmacy

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Ann Petry: Making the Impossible Possible 

    Raised as a third-generation New Englander and Connecticut native, Ann Petry became the first Black woman to graduate from the Connecticut College of Pharmacy in 1931 (now, the UConn School of Pharmacy).  

    Anna Houston Lane, born in 1908, called Old Saybrook her home. In 1925, Ann graduated from high school as the only person of African American descent. Ann’s parents inspired her to push the limits of what was possible. Change-making didn’t scare the Lane family – Ann’s father, Pete, opened and operated two drugstores as a pharmacist. Her mother, Bertha James Lane, worked in a factory before becoming a shop owner, hairdresser, and chiropodist, and creating her own business, Beautiful Linens for Beautiful Homes. As the youngest of three daughters, Ann and her sisters were raised in “classic New England tradition” with strong familial role models who empowered her in light of systemic racial disadvantages. 

    “The Lanes were a close-knit, middle-class Black family, which provided the young Ann Lane with a strong sense of herself as well as with a level of confidence…”  – A Yęmisi Jimoh (UMass ScholarWorks)

    Ann, inspired by her aunt, Anna L. James, the first black woman pharmacist in Connecticut,  became determined to continue breaking barriers for Black women and to carry on her family legacy by enrolling in the Connecticut College of Pharmacy in New Haven, which has since been transformed into the School of Pharmacy in Storrs. After receiving her Graduate in Pharmacy degree (Ph.G.) from the School, Ann worked in the family business for several years in Old Saybrook and Old Lyme. While working as a pharmacist, Ann also explored her other interest in writing, crafting short stories in her free time.  

    Ann Petry (Wikimedia Commons)

    In 1938, Anne married George Petry, a Louisiana-born resident of Harlem. Soon after, Ann moved to New York City and set aside her pharmaceutical career to become a journalist and writer. She dove into the world of activism, inspired by the Harlem Renaissance, and wrote for The Harlem Amsterdam News and The People’s Voices while writing short stories and novels focused on the Black experience. While her husband was in service during WWII, Ann began work on her first novel The Street, which became the first novel by an African American woman to sell more than a million copies after its publication in 1946. Ann eventually moved back to Saybrook, where she continued her joy of writing, and passed away in 1997 with her loving husband and only daughter, Elizabeth Petry, by her side. Shortly before her death, she was inducted into the Women’s Hall of Fame in Connecticut where her legacy continues to live.  

    As the granddaughter of a slave who self-liberated and traveled to Connecticut through the Underground Railroad, Ann Petry had the forces of history against her. Yet, with the support of her loving family and friends, Ann wrote her own story – finding success in both pharmacy and writing.  

    Varro Tyler: From Pharmacognosist to Philatelist 

    A successful professor, pharmacognosist, and lifelong scholar, Varro Tyler graduated from UConn’s School of Pharmacy with his M.S. in 1951 and his Ph.D. in 1953, becoming the first individual to be awarded both degrees from the School. 

    Born in Nebraska in 1926, Varro was a Southern man at heart but moved to Connecticut for his academic pursuits in herbal medicine. Before attending UConn, he received his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from the University of Nebraska and studied plant sciences at Yale on an Eli Lilly Research Fellowship for a year before attending UConn.  

    Varro Tyler (Wikimedia Commons)

    Having attained his pharmacy degrees from several colleges and universities, Varro couldn’t leave academics behind. His most notable roles include associate professor and chairman of the Department of Pharmacognosy at the University of Nebraska, a similar position at the University of Washington, and Dean of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Purdue University in 1966.   

    Along with his time in academia, Varro served as the first president of the American Society of Pharmacognosy and president of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). As an active member of professional organizations and his community, Varro implemented his work in several settings – writing more than 270 publications and frequently appearing on TV and radio talk shows.

    As the dietary supplement industry boomed in the 1990s, Varro urged the FDA to take a more assertive role in regulating product quality and manufacturers’ claims while writing a monthly column on herbal remedies for Prevention magazine. Varro grounded his interests in scientific research, opposing para-herbalism (herbalism based on pseudoscience) throughout his academic career. 

    Varro’s research interests were wide-ranging, including herbal medicine, medicinal and toxic constituents of higher fungi, drug plant cultivation, and more. In addition to his literature on these pharmaceutical topics, Varro was an avid stamp collector later in life and specialized in the postage stamps of Japan. As a philatelist, Varro wrote substantial literature on stamp forgery and had a long association with the International Society for Japanese Philately.   

    “Varro had a profound impact on pharmacy education, natural product science, and the use of herbal medicine” and received many awards and accolades.” – James E. Robbers (The American Society of Pharmacognosy)

    After retiring in 1996, Varro continued to be passionate about his interests and passed away in 2001 with his loving wife, Virginia, by his side.  

    Mike Pikal: A Legacy That Lives On  

    With a UConn career spanning almost twenty-five years, Mike Pikal inspired thousands of students and faculty at the School and left an unmatched legacy.  

    Born in 1939 in Minnesota to parents Harold and Sophie, Mike was raised in the Midwest. He stayed close to home, earning his bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from St. John’s University in Minnesota. He later received a doctorate from Iowa State University in 1966.  

    Mike started his career as an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee before joining Eli Lilly Research Laboratories in the early 1970s. After years of dedicated research, Mike became a senior research scientist and won the 1996 President’s Award for his work at the company. Years later, in 1996, he joined UConn Nation as a professor of pharmaceutics.  

    During his time at UConn, Mike made the School proud, serving as the department head of Pharmaceutical Sciences and an Emeritus Professor while maintaining a fully active and highly productive research program. In 2005, he was named the first Pfizer Distinguished Endowed Chair in Pharmaceutical Technology.  

    Mike Pikal (UConn Archives)

    Mike’s research spanned freeze-drying, solid-state chemistry/materials science of pharmaceuticals and protein stability, which led to more than 170 publications. Particularly interested in freeze-drying, Mike was a leader in this field and its technology and was the main contributor to the School’s successful partnerships with groups like The Center for Pharmaceutical Processing (CPPR) and The National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL). He also directed a prominent and diverse research program in freeze-drying. Because of these efforts, as well as his membership in various pharmaceutical associations, Pikal won several awards, becoming one of fewer than twenty scientists to receive the AAPS Distinguished Pharmaceutical Scientist Award.  

    While all his accolades and research pursuits are outstanding, the School is especially grateful for the relationships Pikal formed with his Ph.D. students, postdoctoral fellows, and visiting scholars. Selflessly giving his time and advice to those starting in the pharmacy field, Pikal was truly an inspiration to those around him.

    Surrounded by his loving wife, Janice, five children, and many grandchildren, Pikal passed away in 2018, a year after retiring from UConn.  

    “Mike is just in a different league than most of the rest of us. One of the many things we love about him is that he never makes us feel that way.” — Steve Nail (Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences)

      

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: HHS, FDA Issue RFI on Deregulatory Plan to Lower Costs and Empower Providers

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3

    For Immediate Release:
    May 13, 2025

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced the launch of a public Request for Information (RFI) to identify and eliminate outdated or unnecessary regulations. The initiative is part of a broader federal effort to reduce regulatory burdens and increase transparency, in alignment with President Trump’s Executive Order 14192, “Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation.”
    Under the directive, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has committed the Department to a “10-to-1” deregulatory policy: for every new regulation proposed, at least ten existing regulatory actions will be rescinded. The effort is designed to lower the cost of living, remove bureaucratic barriers, and allow health care providers to devote more time and resources to patient care.
    “To Make America Healthy Again, we must free our doctors and caregivers to do what they do best—prevent and treat chronic disease,” said Secretary Kennedy.  “We cannot allow their time and talent to be wasted on bureaucratic red tape and paperwork.”
    Under the Executive Order, HHS will implement the following measures:

    The 10-to-1 rule: For every new regulation introduced, at least ten existing regulations must be eliminated.
    Regulatory cost cap: The total cost of all new regulations in fiscal year 2025 must be significantly less than zero.
    Expanded scope: The order applies not only to formal regulations but also to guidance documents, memoranda, policy statements, and similar directives.
    Radical transparency: HHS will publish annual reports detailing estimated regulatory costs and the specific rules being offset, promoting greater transparency and accountability.

    “This initiative is about restoring common sense to health care regulation,” said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H. “By cutting outdated red tape, we can lower costs, increase access to innovation, and let clinicians spend more time with patients—not paperwork. We welcome public input to help identify reforms that truly make a difference.”
    The 60-day public comment period opens today. Stakeholders are encouraged to submit their ideas for deregulatory actions through the Regulations.gov docket (AHRQ-2025-0001) or the newly launched online portal at Regulations.gov/Deregulation. The portal includes tools to assist users in drafting proposals that HHS may formally consider.
    ###

    Boilerplate

    The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, radiation-emitting electronic products, and for regulating tobacco products.

    Inquiries

    Consumer:
    888-INFO-FDA

    Content current as of:
    05/13/2025

    Follow FDA

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Letter to House AI and Energy Working Group Recommending Permitting Process Reform

    Source: Independent Petroleum Association of America

    Headline: Letter to House AI and Energy Working Group Recommending Permitting Process Reform

    May 12, 2025 Letter to House AI and Energy Working Group Recommending Permitting Process Reform

    Dear Representative Fedorchak:

    The undersigned organizations are pleased to provide our views in response to your AI and Energy Working Group’s recently circulated Request for Information. We represent companies and workers who build and provide equipment, materials, supplies and services to energy infrastructure development, including facilities essential to natural gas production, transportation and consumption. We comprise the vast industrial and labor supply chain that underpins American energy abundance, reliability and affordability.

    We applaud and stand ready to support your critical work to develop legislative and policy recommendations to ensure that abundant power is available to support data centers critical to American AI dominance.

    Long-term policy durability enshrined in law is critically essential to encourage large, long- term, multi-year investments by developers of energy infrastructure. Our comments below primarily address Pillar One of your Request for Information: American Energy Dominance and AI Energy Demands.

    Continue Reading

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Clarenville — Clarenville RCMP tickets off-road vehicle operator not wearing a helmet; RCMP NL reminds operators of Off-Road Vehicles Act

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    A 32-year-old man was ticketed by Clarenville RCMP for not wearing a helmet while operating a side-by-side all-terrain vehicle (ATV) on May 10, 2025.

    Shortly before 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, police stopped the ATV which was traveling on the shoulder of the Trans-Canada Highway near Clarenville. In addition to not wearing a helmet, the driver was unable to provide proof of insurance. He was ticketed for the violations.

    With the expected increased use of off-road vehicles heading into the Victoria Day Weekend and continuing over the summer, RCMP NL reminds operators of the province’s Off-Road Vehicles Act. Off-road vehicles include dirt bikes, quads, side-by-sides and snowmobiles.

    All occupants of off-road vehicles are required to wear helmets, as well as seat belts where available. Children who are required to use a child seat restraint system, such as a booster seat, under the Highway Traffic Act are required to follow that same legislation as a passenger of an off-road vehicle.

    It is illegal to operate an ATV on a roadway, except to cross from one side to the other, and the operator must have registration, insurance, a driver’s licence and not less than one hundred and fifty metres of visibility to do so. To access a trail, an ATV can be operated on the shoulder of a roadway for a maximum distance of 1 kilometre and at a maximum speed of 20 kilometres an hour, all while yielding to motor vehicle traffic.

    More information about the Off-Road Vehicles Act and Highway Traffic Act can be found here:

    https://www.assembly.nl.ca/Legislation/sr/statutes/o05-1.htm

    https://www.assembly.nl.ca/legislation/sr/statutes/h03.htm

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Ozop Energy Solutions, Inc. Issues a Shareholder Update

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Warwick, NY, May 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ozop Energy Solutions, Inc. (OTC: OZSC) (“Ozop” or the “Company”), a Company focused in the renewable energy sector, today provided an update to its shareholders on recent strategic milestones and upcoming initiatives. With a diverse portfolio of innovative energy solutions, Ozop remains focused on capturing a share of the rapidly growing renewable energy market.

    Ozop’s wholly owned subsidiary, Automated Room Controls, Inc. (DBA ARC), has made substantial progress, achieving ETL certification on its first attempt. Since its launch, ARC has submitted $580,000 in bids and secured its first $40,000 in orders, including a recently fulfilled $10,000 shipment. The division continues to refine its technology through ongoing research, development, and internal testing. ARC is scheduled to showcase its latest innovations at Lightstock, a leading Lighting and Controls Expo, in Canandaigua, NY, on June 25th, 2025.

    Empire Auto Protect, a trusted name in the automotive sector with a 17-year history of providing premium vehicle service protection plans, is expanding its portfolio to include Ozop Plus’s Electric Vehicle (EV) coverage. In collaboration with Ozop Plus, Empire has integrated the Fully Charged VSC, aligning backend quoting systems to offer a comprehensive suite of EV protection options. This partnership will enhance Empire’s ability to meet the growing demand for EV coverage.

    Ozop Plus has successfully completed state approvals with F&I Sentinel, enabling its EV Warranty to be included in auto manufacturers’ financing nationwide. This milestone clears the path for the upcoming launch of Triple-EV.com, a cost-effective, monthly roadside assistance program designed specifically for the EV market. In partnership with Nation Safe Drivers, Triple-EV will offer exclusive services, including roadside charging, flatbed towing, and member-only benefits.

    Strategic Growth and New Opportunities:

    Ozop Energy Solutions is currently having discussions with a potential acquisition target that is expected to generate approximately $3 million in annual revenue if completed. This acquisition is part of the Company’s ongoing strategy to expand its product range and increase shareholder value.

    CEO Statement

    Brian Conway, CEO of Ozop Energy Solutions, Inc., commented, “With the changing economic landscape, we’ve learned to pivot effectively when one area faces challenges, like solar and energy storage. As we move beyond years of intensive R&D, we are focused on scaling our sales and marketing efforts to bring innovative solutions to market.”

    About Ozop Energy Solutions.

    Ozop Energy Solutions (Ozop Energy Solutions (http://ozopenergy.com/) is the flagship company that oversees a wide variety of products in various stages of development in the renewable energy sector. Our strategy focuses on capturing a significant share of the rapidly growing renewable energy market as a provider of assets and infrastructure needed to store energy.

    About Empire Auto Protect

    Empire Auto Protect is at the forefront of transforming the auto warranty landscape by integrating cutting-edge technology into every aspect of our services. Much like how Apple revolutionized consumer electronics and Tesla redefined automotive innovation, we are setting new standards in the warranty sector.

    Our advanced digital platforms streamline the warranty process, making it more efficient and user-friendly for customers. By harnessing data analytics and seamless online tools, we empower consumers with tailored warranty solutions that meet their unique needs. This commitment to innovation not only enhances customer experience but also positions Empire Auto Protect as the leading technology provider in the automotive warranty industry, driving it into a new digital age.

    https://empireautoprotect.com/

    About Automated Room Controls, Inc.

    Also known as ARC, Inc. its mission is to deliver cutting-edge technology that simplifies complex control needs, ensuring seamless integration and exceptional performance. We aim to lead the industry by continuously innovating and providing solutions that meet the evolving demands of our customers. Our vision is to make control systems smarter, more efficient, and more accessible to everyone.

    www.ARControl.com

    About Ozop Energy Systems, Inc.

    Ozop Energy Systems is a manufacturer and distributor of Renewable Energy products in the Energy Storage, Solar, Microgrids, and EV charging Station space. We offer a broad portfolio of Renewable Energy products at competitive prices with a commitment to customer satisfaction from selection, to ordering, shipping, and delivery.

    About Ozop Engineering and Design

    Ozop Engineering and Design engineers’ energy efficient, easy to install and use, digital lighting controls solutions for commercial buildings, campuses, and sports complexes throughout North America. Products include relays panels, controllers, occupancy/vacancy sensors, daylight sensors and wall switch stations. Ozop has a dedicated design team that produces system drawings and a technical support group for product questions and onsite system commissioning. Our mission is to be recognized for our deep understanding of power management systems and ability to provide the right solution for each facility.

    www.ozopengineering.com

    About Ozop Capital Partners

    Ozop Capital Partners, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, and wholly owns EV Insurance Company, Inc. (“EVIC”). EVIC, DBA Ozop Plus is licensed as a captive insurer that reinsures. www.OzopPlus.com

    https://twitter.com/OzopEnergy

    https://www.facebook.com/OzopEnergy/

    Safe Harbor Statement

    “This press release contains or may contain, among other things, certain forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties. Such statements may include, without limitation, statements with respect to the company’s plans, objectives, projections, expectations and intentions and other statements identified by words such as “projects,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “intends,” “plans,” “potential” or similar expressions. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, including those detailed in the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ significantly from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that are subject to change based on various factors (many of which are beyond the company’s control). The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.”

    Investor Relations Contact – Ozop
    The Waypoint Refinery, LLC
    845-397-2956
    Visit our Discord:
    https://discord.gg/waypoint

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: POET Appoints Ghazi Chaoui, PhD, as Senior Vice President – Global Manufacturing and Digital Transformation

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, May 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — POET Technologies Inc. (“POET” or the “Company“) (TSX Venture: PTK; NASDAQ: POET), a leader in the design and implementation of highly-integrated optical engines and light sources for artificial intelligence networks, today announced the appointment of Ghazi M. Chaoui, PhD, MBA as its Senior Vice President of Global Manufacturing and Digital Transformation. Dr. Chaoui recently concluded a multi-year assignment as Chief Procurement Officer of Coherent Corp.

    An industry veteran of nearly 40 years, Dr. Chaoui (widely known as “Ghazi”) brings his considerable experience and stellar reputation to POET as it gears up manufacturing in Penang, Malaysia, where he will be stationed, reporting to Dr. Suresh Venkatesan, POET’s Chairman & Chief Executive Officer.   Ghazi will plan, direct, coordinate, and oversee all operations tied to order fulfillment, and ensure the development and implementation of efficient operations and cost-effective systems to meet the high demand for 800G and 1.6T transceivers needed by hyperscalers and AI cluster operators. Sundar Natarajan Yoganandan, POET’s Director of External Manufacturing and NPI, also a resident of Malaysia, will report directly to Ghazi.

    “We are thrilled to welcome Ghazi to the POET team,” said Dr. Venkatesan. “Our relationship with Globetronics in Malaysia is off to a strong start, with a suite of wafer-level assembly and test equipment installed and operational. With full production capacity expected to be on line this quarter, this is the ideal time for Ghazi and Sundar to staff an organization in Penang and establish the systems we need to ensure delivery of optical engines to customers. We have established POET Technologies Sdn. Bhd. as a wholly owned subsidiary and have begun resourcing it accordingly.”

    Ghazi holds PhD and MS degrees in mechanical and electrical engineering and an MBA. He began his career as an R&D lead designer and manager with AT&T Bell Labs and AT&T Microelectronics in Reading, PA. Over the next 40 years Ghazi held key manufacturing and supply chain roles in several countries with Lucent Technologies, Corvis Corporation/Broadwin Communications, Infinera, Oclaro, Teraxion, Kaiam Corp. and Macom Technology Solutions Holdings.

    “I am pleased to be joining POET at this time to help build a great company in photonics and optoelectronics, serving many customers that I know well and interacting with many suppliers with whom I have strong relationships,” said Dr. Chaoui. “By semiconductorizing optical engine assembly, I am confident we can supply high performance optical engines at high volumes on time to customers.”

    About POET Technologies Inc.
    POET is a design and development company offering high-speed optical modules, optical engines and light source products to the artificial intelligence systems market and to hyperscale data centers.  POET’s photonic integration solutions are based on the POET Optical Interposer™, a novel, patented platform that allows the seamless integration of electronic and photonic devices into a single chip using advanced wafer-level semiconductor manufacturing techniques. POET’s Optical Interposer-based products are lower cost, consume less power than comparable products, are smaller in size and are readily scalable to high production volumes. In addition to providing high-speed (800G, 1.6T and above) optical engines and optical modules for AI clusters and hyperscale data centers, POET has designed and produced novel light source products for chip-to-chip data communication within and between AI servers, the next frontier for solving bandwidth and latency problems in AI systems.  POET’s Optical Interposer platform also solves device integration challenges in 5G networks, machine-to-machine communication, self-contained “Edge” computing applications and sensing applications, such as LIDAR systems for autonomous vehicles.  POET is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with operations in Allentown, PA, Shenzhen, China, and Singapore.  More information about POET is available on our website at www.poet-technologies.com.

    Forward-Looking Statements
    This news release contains “forward-looking information” (within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws) and “forward-looking statements” (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Such statements or information are identified with words such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “expect”, “plan”, “intend”, “potential”, “estimate”, “propose”, “project”, “outlook”, “foresee” or similar words suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding any potential outcome. Such statements include the Company’s expectations with respect to the success of its senior leadership appointments in Malaysia, the success of its newly established Malaysia subsidiary, the success of its agreement with Globetronics, and the Company’s product development efforts, the performance of its products, operations, meeting revenue targets, and the expectation of continued success in the financing efforts, the capability, functionality, performance and cost of the Company’s technology as well as the market acceptance, inclusion and timing of the Company’s technology in current and future products and expectations regarding its successful development of high speed transceiver solutions and its penetration of the Artificial Intelligence hardware markets.

    Such forward-looking information or statements are based on a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions which may cause actual results or other expectations to differ materially from those anticipated and which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, the success of its senior leadership appointments in Malaysia, the success of its newly established Malaysia subsidiary, the success of its agreement with Globetronics, and the completion of its development efforts with its customers, the ability to build working prototypes to the customer’s specifications, and the size, future growth and needs of Artificial Intelligence network suppliers. Actual results could differ materially due to a number of factors, including, without limitation, the failure of operations in Malaysia to scale to production as expected, the failure of its technology to meet performance requirements, the failure to produce optical engines on time and within budget, the failure of Artificial Intelligence networks to continue to grow as expected, the failure of the Company’s products to be included in products aimed at AI and datacom networks, operational risks in the completion of the Company’s projects, the ability of the Company to generate sales for its products, and the ability of its customers to deploy systems that incorporate the Company’s products. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information or statements are reasonable, prospective investors in the Company’s securities should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because the Company can provide no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking information and statements contained in this news release are as of the date of this news release and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise this forward-looking information and statements except as required by law.

    Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: VERB Beats All Analysts Q1 2025 Financial Performance Estimates

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Management Delivers Impressive 80% Revenue Growth Quarter-Over-Quarter

    Beats All Revenue and EPS Estimates By A Wide Margin

    Q1 2025 Revenue Exceeds Entire 2024 Annual Revenue

    Closed $8.5 Million Acquisition Of AI Social Commerce Technology Platform Lyvecom

    $5 Million Cash Added To Balance Sheet In Non-Dilutive, Non-Convertible, Preferred Stock Deal

    Zero Debt – Strong Cash Position – Expected To Fund Operations Into 2028 And Beyond

    Increased Growth Projected For Q2 2025

    LAS VEGAS, May 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Verb Technology Company, Inc. (Nasdaq: VERB) (“VERB” or the “Company”), Transforming the Landscape of Social Commerce, Social Telehealth and Social Crowdfunding with MARKET.live; VANITYPrescribed; GoodGirlRx; and the GO FUND YOURSELF TV Show, today filed its Form 10-Q reporting financial and operating results for the quarter ending March 31, 2025.

    Q1 Highlights

    For the Quarter Ended March 31, 2025

    • Total Q1 revenue – $1.305 million, an increase of $582 thousand, or 80% over Q4 2024; and an increase of $1.298 million, or 18,543%, over the prior year comparable quarter. Represents the greatest amount of revenue generated since the strategic sale of the Company’s direct sales SaaS business unit in June 2023
    • Q1 2025 Revenue Exceeds Entire 2024 Annual Revenue
    • Net loss reduced by $1.0 million, represents an improvement of 29% over the prior year comparable quarter
    • Operating loss reduced by $558 thousand, represents an improvement of 17% over the prior year comparable quarter
    • General and Administrative expenses slight increase of $0.4 million, represents an increase of 12% over prior year; indicates that the Company’s current enhanced financial performance is attributable to increases in revenue – not excessive cost cutting measures
    • ZERO DEBT – All Remaining Debt retired in Q1
    • Closed Acquisition of AI Social Commerce Technology Platform Lyvecom in deal valued at $8.5 Million
    • Opportunistically Added $5 Million in Cash to the Company’s balance sheet through non-dilutive, non-convertible, non-voting, preferred stock deal – replenished all the cash used in Lyvecom acquisition and more
    • Strong Cash Position – expected to fund operations into 2028 and beyond

    Results of Operations

    Three Months Ended March 31, 2025 Compared to Three Months Ended March 31, 2024

    The following is a comparison of the results of our operations for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024 (in thousands):

        Three Months Ended March 31,  
        2025     2024     Change  
                   
    Revenue   $ 1,305     $ 7     $ 1,298  
                         
    Costs and expenses                    
    Cost of revenue, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below     347       5       342  
    Depreciation and amortization     286       256       30  
    General and administrative     3,331       2,963       368  
    Total costs and expenses     3,964       3,224       740  
                         
    Operating loss from continuing operations     (2,659 )     (3,217 )     558  
                         
    Other income (expense)                    
    Interest income     121       –       121  
    Unrealized gain on short-term investments     83       –       83  
    Interest expense     (1 )     (225 )     224  
    Other income (expense), net     18       (3 )     21  
    Total other income (expense), net     221       (228 )     449  
                         
    Net loss   $ (2,438 )   $ (3,445 )   $ 1,007  


    Revenue

    Revenue was $1,305 for the three months ended March 31, 2025, as compared to $7 for the three months ended March 31, 2024. The revenue increase of $1,298, representing an increase of 18,543%, is primarily attributable to revenue received from our MARKET.live business unit services packages and from our Go Fund Yourself business unit which began its operations in July 2024. 

    The table below sets forth our quarterly revenues beginning with the quarter ended September 30, 2023 (the first quarter following the sale of our SaaS business unit) through the quarter ended March 31, 2025, which reflects the trend of revenue over the past seven fiscal quarters:

      Q3
    2023    		 Q4
    2023    		 Q1
    2024    		 Q2
    2024    		 Q3
    2024    		 Q4
    2024    		 Q1
    2025
    MARKET.live $       29 29 7 37 103 490 561
    GO FUND YOURSELF $  –  –  –  – 25 233 744
    CONSOLIDATED $          29 29 7 37 128 723 1,305

    Operating Expenses

    Depreciation and amortization expenses were $286 for the three months ended March 31, 2025, as compared to $256 for the three months ended March 31, 2024.

    General and administrative expenses including stock compensation expense were $3,331 for the three months ended March 31, 2025, as compared to $2,963 for the three months ended March 31, 2024.

    Other Income (Expense), net

    Other income, net, for the three months ended March 31, 2025 was $221, which was primarily attributable to interest income attributable to our short-term highly liquid investments.

    Three Months Ended March 31, 2025 Compared to Three Months Ended December 31, 2024

    The following is a comparison of the results of our operations for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024 (in thousands):

         March 31,
    2025    		     December 31,
    2024    		     Change  
                       
    Revenue   $ 1,305       $ 723       $ 582    
                             
    Costs and expenses                        
    Cost of revenue, exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below     347         134         213    
    Depreciation and amortization     286         279         7    
    General and administrative     3,331         4,020         (689 )  
    Total costs and expenses     3,964         4,433         (469 )  
                             
    Operating loss from continuing operations     (2,659 )       (3,710 )       1,051    
                             
    Other income (expense)                        
    Interest income     121         331         (210 )  
    Unrealized gain (loss) on short-term investments     83         (153 )       236    
    Interest expense     (1 )       (1 )       –    
    Other income (expense), net     18         164         (146 )  
    Total other income (expense), net     221         341         (120 )  
                             
    Net loss   $ (2,438 )     $ (3,369 )     $ 931    


    Revenue

    Revenue was $1,305 for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, as compared to $723 for the quarter ended December 31, 2024. The revenue increase of $582, representing an increase of 80%, is primarily attributable to growth from our MARKET.live business unit services packages and from tremendous growth in our Go Fund Yourself business unit.  

    Operating Expenses

    Depreciation and amortization expenses were $286 for the three months ended March 31, 2025, as compared to $279 for the three months ended December 31, 2024.

    General and administrative expenses including stock compensation expense were $3,331 for the three months ended March 31, 2025, as compared to $4,020 for the three months ended December 31, 2024.

    Use of Non-GAAP Measures – Modified EBITDA

    In addition to our results under generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), we present Modified EBITDA as a supplemental measure of our performance. However, Modified EBITDA is not a recognized measurement under GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to net income, income from operations or any other performance measure derived in accordance with GAAP or as an alternative to cash flow from operating activities as a measure of liquidity. We define Modified EBITDA as net income (loss), plus depreciation and amortization, share-based compensation, unrealized (gain) loss on short-term investments, interest expense, financing costs, and other (income) expense, and other non-recurring charges.

    Management considers our core operating performance to be that which our managers can affect in any particular period through their management of the resources that affect our underlying revenue and profit generating operations that period. Non-GAAP adjustments to our results prepared in accordance with GAAP are itemized below. You are encouraged to evaluate these adjustments and the reasons we consider them appropriate for supplemental analysis. In evaluating Modified EBITDA, you should be aware that in the future we may incur expenses that are the same as or similar to some of the adjustments in this presentation. Our presentation of Modified EBITDA should not be construed as an inference that our future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items.

       
      Three Months Ended March 31,
    (in thousands)   2025       2024  
                   
    Net loss $ (2,438 )   $ (3,445 )
         
    Adjustments    
    Depreciation and amortization   286       256  
    Share-based compensation   958       378  
    Unrealized gain on short-term investments   (83 )     –  
    Interest expense   1       225  
    Other (income) expense, net   (18 )     3  
    Other costs (a)   256       84  
         
    Total EBITDA adjustments   1,400       946  
    Modified EBITDA $ (1,038 )   $ (2,499 )
                   

    (a) Represents a litigation accrual in 2024. Represents severance costs in addition to acquisition costs incurred for Lyvecom acquisition in 2025.

    We present Modified EBITDA because we believe it assists investors and analysts in comparing our performance across reporting periods on a consistent basis by excluding items that we do not believe are indicative of our core operating performance. In addition, we use Modified EBITDA in developing our internal budgets, forecasts and strategic plan; in analyzing the effectiveness of our business strategies in evaluating potential acquisitions; and in making compensation decisions and in communications with our board of directors concerning our financial performance. Modified EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool, which includes, among others, the following:

    • Modified EBITDA does not reflect our cash expenditures, or future requirements, for capital expenditures or contractual commitments;
    • Modified EBITDA does not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital needs;
    • Modified EBITDA does not reflect future interest expense, or the cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments, on our debts; and
    • Although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized will often have to be replaced in the future, and Modified EBITDA does not reflect any cash requirements for such replacements.

    Liquidity and Capital Resources

    Overview

    As of March 31, 2025 and 2024, we had the following balances of cash, restricted cash, and highly liquid investments. 

        March 31,
    2025    		     December 31,
    2024    		  
                 
    Cash   $ 6,275     $ 7,617  
    Restricted Cash     880       878  
    Investments: Government-Backed Securities     3,884       3,731  
    Investments: Corporate Bonds     1,197       1,182  
    Total    $ 12,236     $ 13,408  


    Conference Call Information

    VERB CEO, Rory J. Cutaia will hold a conference call today, May 13, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time to discuss the first quarter 2025 results and strategic plans for the remainder of 2025 and beyond. A telephonic replay of the conference call is available from 4:00 p.m. Eastern time today through May 27, 2025.

    VERB Q1 2025 Earnings Call
    Date: Tuesday, May 13, 2025
    Time: 1:00 p.m. Eastern time (10:00 a.m. Pacific time)

    To access by phone: Please call the conference telephone number 10-15 minutes prior to the start time. An operator will register your name and organization.

    Meeting Link: CLICK HERE
    Toll Free: 1-877-407-4018
    Toll/International: 1-201-689-8471
    Telephonic Replay: Available after 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on the same day through May 27, 2025 at 11:59 PM ET

    Toll-free replay number: 1-844-512-2921
    International replay number: 1-412-317-6671
    Replay ID: 13753877

    About VERB
    Verb Technology Company, Inc. (Nasdaq: VERB), is Transforming the Landscape of Social Commerce, Social Telehealth and Social Crowdfunding with MARKET.live; VANITYPrescribed; GoodGirlRx; and the GO FUND YOURSELF TV Show. The Company operates several business units, each of which leverages its social commerce technology and video marketing expertise. MARKET.live, together with recently acquired AI social commerce technology innovator Lyvecom, is a multi-vendor, livestream social shopping platform that allows brands and merchants to deliver a true omnichannel livestream shopping experience across their own websites, apps, and social platforms. Advanced AI capabilities power real-time user-generated-content creation, automated video content repurposing, and AI-powered virtual live shopping hosts that are virtually indistinguishable from human hosts, capable of real-time audience engagement. Brands utilize our proprietary AI model trained on tens of thousands of video commerce interactions to automate content creation and our intelligent tools designed to optimize merchandising strategies and increase conversion rates. GO FUND YOURSELF is a revolutionary interactive social crowd funding platform and TV show for public and private companies seeking broad-based exposure across social media channels for their crowd-funded Regulation CF and Regulation A offerings. The platform combines a ground-breaking interactive TV show with MARKET.live’s back-end capabilities allowing viewers to tap, scan or click on their screen to facilitate an investment, in real time, as they watch companies presenting before the show’s panel of “Titans”. Presenting companies that sell consumer products are able to offer their products directly to viewers during the show in real time through shoppable onscreen icons. VANITYPrescribed.com and GoodGirlRx.com are telehealth portals, intended to redefine telehealth by offering a seamless, digital-first experience that empowers individuals to take control of their healthcare needs. They were designed and developed to disrupt the traditional healthcare model by providing tailored healthcare solutions at affordable, fixed prices – without hidden fees, membership costs, or inflated pharmaceutical markups. GoodGirlRx.com, a partnership with Savannah Chrisley, a well-known lifestyle personality and advocate for health and wellness, offers customers access to convenient, no-hassle telehealth services and pharmaceuticals, including the new weight-loss drugs, with fixed pricing regardless of dosage, breaking away from the industry’s traditional model of excessive pricing and pharmaceutical gatekeeping.

    The Company is headquartered in Las Vegas, NV and operates full-service production and creator studios in Los Alamitos, California.

    For more information, please visit: www.verb.tech

    Follow VERB and MARKET.live here:
    VERB on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VerbTechCo
    VERB on Twitter: https://twitter.com/VerbTech_Co
    VERB on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/verb-tech
    VERB on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0eCb_fwQlwEG3ywHDJ4_KQ

    Sign up for E-mail Alerts here: https://ir.verb.tech/news-events/email-alerts

    FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
    This communication contains “forward-looking statements” as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and include, without limitation, any statement that may predict, forecast, indicate or imply future results, performance, or achievements. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, those identified in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including our annual, quarterly and current reports filed with the SEC and the risk factors included in our annual report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC today. Any forward-looking statement made by us herein is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

    Investor Relations Contact: investors@verb.tech

    Media Contact: info@verb.tech

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2dafa316-c785-42b3-9d3c-7e43a0b4ce58

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Megaport and NYI Mark 10 Years of Partnership with Expansion to Chicago

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CHICAGO, May 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NYI, a provider of hybrid datacenter, network and interconnection services and Megaport, a leading provider of global network connectivity services, are proud to honor ten years of partnership with the addition of Megaport services at the NYI Chicago data center facility in Oak Brook, IL, enhancing network connectivity options for customers with rapidly evolving digital business requirements.

    A unique partnership with a solutions focus

    In a decade that has witnessed significant technological developments and a rapidly changing industry landscape—one in which companies come and go, morph and change—the long, stable partnership between NYI and Megaport is notable in withstanding the test of time while evolving to meet the escalating needs of clients in the digital infrastructure and network connectivity space. At the core of the successful collaboration is a shared dedication to facilitating holistic, custom solutions and delivering seamless customer experiences in an increasingly complex hybrid technology environment, driven by AI and other emerging technologies.

    “NYI was one of our initial locations in New York, and they’ve been an outstanding partner for a decade now. They’re about more than just power and space—they understand the value of delivering market-leading solutions and a great customer experience, making them an ideal partner for Megaport,” says Michael Reid, CEO of Megaport. “Chicago is a booming Tier 1 market, and we’re excited to expand this partnership by adding NYI Chicago to our expansive global ecosystem.”

    Providing easy access to digital infrastructure and connectivity

    Both NYI and Megaport believe in making things simple for customers. While NYI simplifies data center operations by addressing the logistical hurdles involved in deploying digital infrastructure, Megaport simplifies the often arduous task of managing network connectivity. By leveraging a single interface, customers can access a full range of Megaport services including secure, resilient, and scalable connectivity to public and private clouds, seamless data center to data center interconnection, and multi-cloud connectivity—all provisioned within a few clicks using Megaport’s intuitive, on-demand platform.

    “We’re committed to helping facilitate the right connectivity solutions to support our clients’ needs and our ongoing partnership with Megaport helps us achieve that,” adds Phillip Koblence, Co-Founder and COO of NYI. “We are delighted to extend Megaport services to our Midwest customers—offering a real-time, flexible network connectivity platform to support critical hybrid cloud use cases from disaster recovery to AI and IoT.”

    A strategic data center location

    NYI Chicago is strategically located in Oak Brook, midway between Chicago (18 miles to the East) and Aurora (to the west). The fiber rich facility offers a comprehensive portfolio of cloud, colocation, and interconnection solutions, and high touch managed services to companies across industries including finance, healthcare, technology and education. For NYI customers globally, the site supports geographic expansion, regional diversity and business continuity options in the highly desirable Chicago area.

    The integration of Megaport extends NYI Chicago’s premier connectivity capabilities which include a wide range of carriers and low-latency direct connectivity to 350 E. Cermak, a key Midwest interconnection hub. NYI’s highly skilled on-site team can assist with network decision making and the deployment of relevant services associated with Megaport.

    Getting started
    To learn how to optimize your cloud networking, data center and peering capabilities, contact NYI to schedule a demo and free trial of the Megaport platform.

    About Megaport

    Megaport is changing how businesses connect their infrastructure, with one smart and simple platform to manage every connection. Build secure, scalable, and agile networks in just a few clicks, accessing global endpoints and creating private paths in minutes. Trusted by the world’s leading companies, Megaport partners with global service providers, DC operators, systems integrators, and managed services companies, and operates in 930+ enabled locations worldwide. Megaport is ISO/IEC 27001 certified. Join the network revolution at megaport.com.

    About NYI

    NYI is a global provider of hybrid infrastructure, network, and interconnection solutions. The company is known for cutting through the complexity of the IT landscape and facilitating custom solutions to address the critical infrastructure and connectivity needs of clients across industries. NYI is headquartered in New York City and provides enterprise services into key global markets through a trusted ecosystem of partners. To learn more, visit www.nyi.net, contact 800.288.7387 or follow NYI on LinkedIn. Media contact: Iromie Weeramantry, marketing@nyi.net

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4b3afd0f-0120-40e8-b9e7-287042cd3cb0

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Go High Level Review: ‘Exposed!’ Is It Really Worth It? Pros, Cons & Benefits Uncovered!

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Dallas, TX, May 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

    Welcome to our detailed review of Go High Level CRM, the ultimate all-in-one solution designed to simplify and supercharge your business operations. If you’ve been searching for a comprehensive platform to manage your leads, streamline communications, and scale your marketing efforts, this tool promises to deliver everything you need in one place.

    In this article, we’ll share an honest and detailed walkthrough of Go High Level CRM, covering its standout features, ease of use, benefits, and why it’s considered a powerful system for businesses of all sizes. We’ll also explore how it boosts productivity, improves customer engagement, and consolidates multiple tools into one intuitive platform. Whether you’re a small business owner or part of a larger organization, we’ll help you determine if Go High Level CRM is the right fit for you. Stay with us to uncover everything you need to know!

    >> Begin your 14-day Go High Level trial with zero risk and see real benefits in action! 

    Introduction to Go High Level

    Go High Level CRM is an all-in-one customer relationship management system designed to streamline operations and enhance efficiency for businesses in various industries. The platform combines a wide range of features, including lead generation, pipeline management, appointment scheduling, and marketing automation, all within a single interface. Its user-friendly design ensures accessibility for entrepreneurs with varying levels of technical expertise, making it a versatile option for both beginners and seasoned professionals.

    Who Should Use it?

    The primary purpose of Go High Level CRM is to provide businesses with a centralized tool to manage and optimize their customer relationships. By consolidating multiple tools and processes into one platform, it helps save time, reduce costs, and eliminate the need for juggling multiple software solutions.

    This platform is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses, marketing agencies, and solopreneurs looking to scale their operations and improve customer engagement. Whether you’re managing client campaigns, tracking sales funnels, or nurturing leads, Go High Level CRM is tailored to meet the diverse needs of businesses aiming for growth and efficiency. 

    >> Claim your 14-day risk-free Go High Level trial today and see real benefits in action!

    Key Features

    Go High Level CRM is a game-changer for businesses, offering a comprehensive solution that combines a wide array of essential tools into one powerful platform. This all-in-one approach eliminates the need to manage multiple tools, empowering businesses to streamline operations, build stronger customer relationships, and drive significant growth with ease. Let’s explore the standout features that make Go High Level an indispensable platform for modern businesses.

    >> Begin your 14-day Go High Level trial with zero risk and see real benefits in action! 

    1.CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

    GoHighLevel’s CRM is designed to help businesses organize and streamline how they manage leads and customers. It provides tools to track every interaction, keep growing contact lists in order, and automate follow-ups so businesses never miss a chance to connect.

    With advanced pipelines to visualize sales processes, task-setting options to keep teams on track, and detailed client profiles to personalize interactions, GoHighLevel ensures seamless communication and stronger engagement across every touchpoint. Whether you’re nurturing a lead or maintaining existing client relationships, this CRM helps you stay efficient and effective.

    2.Email and SMS Marketing

    GoHighLevel enables businesses to create and manage personalized email and SMS campaigns that foster deeper client connections. Its automation workflows allow businesses to maintain consistent communication, from follow-ups to appointment reminders, with minimal effort. Dynamic templates make it easy to craft professional messages, while real-time analytics help refine campaigns for better performance. With the ability to target specific audiences and track conversions, businesses can optimize their marketing strategies to achieve higher engagement and stronger results.

    3.Sales Funnels

    Simplifying the process of building effective sales funnels, GoHighLevel offers a range of tools to guide potential customers seamlessly through every stage of the sales journey. Businesses can use customizable templates to create funnels tailored to their goals, while split-testing features allow them to experiment with different approaches to maximize success.

    Conversion tracking provides clear insights into how well each funnel performs, helping users fine-tune their strategy for better customer acquisition and retention. Whether you’re selling a product, generating leads, or promoting services, GoHighLevel’s sales funnel builder ensures every step is optimized for success.

    4.Website and Landing Page Builder

    GoHighLevel’s drag-and-drop website and landing page builder makes creating professional, high-performing pages simple—even for those without technical or coding skills. The platform offers mobile-friendly and SEO-optimized designs that help businesses stand out online while capturing leads more effectively.

    Whether it’s designing a brand-new website or creating targeted landing pages for specific campaigns, users can build visually appealing pages that drive traffic and generate results. With endless customization options, businesses can easily align their online presence with their brand identity.

    >> Claim your 14-day risk-free Go High Level trial today and see real benefits in action!

    5.Automation

    Time-consuming tasks like follow-ups, reminders, and appointment scheduling can now be handled automatically with GoHighLevel’s advanced automation tools. By automating repetitive processes, businesses can reduce manual workloads, eliminate errors, and free up their teams to focus on higher-value activities such as building relationships and developing long-term strategies. From email drip campaigns to task assignments, automation ensures consistency and accuracy, making operations smoother and more efficient.

    6.Appointment Scheduling

    Gone are the days of juggling appointment logistics—GoHighLevel’s integrated scheduling system simplifies the process for both businesses and customers. Clients can easily view and book available time slots, while built-in reminders help reduce no-shows and missed appointments.

    The calendar sync feature ensures all bookings are organized and accessible, making appointment management seamless. Whether you’re running a small team or a large operation, this scheduling system helps you stay organized and deliver a smoother experience for your clients.

    7.Reporting and Analytics

    GoHighLevel’s powerful reporting and analytics tools provide businesses with actionable insights to track performance across campaigns, sales funnels, and customer interactions. From identifying trends and measuring ROI to evaluating the effectiveness of marketing efforts, the platform gives users the data they need to make informed, data-driven decisions. Detailed, easy-to-understand reports allow businesses to fine-tune their strategies and focus on what works, ensuring long-term growth and success.

    8.Mobile App and Desktop App

    Managing your business on the go is easier than ever with GoHighLevel’s mobile and desktop apps. These branded apps give users the flexibility to monitor campaigns, communicate with clients, and manage essential tasks from anywhere, at any time. Whether you’re in the office or on the move, the apps provide full access to the platform’s features, ensuring you’re always connected and in control of your operations.

    9.SaaS Mode

    One of GoHighLevel’s most unique features is SaaS mode, which allows businesses to white-label the platform and resell it as their own SaaS solution. This creates an additional revenue stream, enabling users to offer the platform to their clients under their own branding. With SaaS mode, businesses can scale their operations while building a profitable service offering to complement their existing business model. It’s a powerful way to grow revenue and expand into new opportunities.

    Go High Level CRM is more than just a platform—it’s a complete toolkit for businesses looking to operate smarter, simplify processes, and achieve sustainable growth. Whether you’re managing leads, automating tasks, or building an engaging online presence, GoHighLevel equips you with everything you need to succeed in today’s competitive landscape.

    Go High Level Pricing and Plans

    Go High Level offers three main pricing plans to fit businesses of all sizes — from solo entrepreneurs to agencies scaling with SaaS. Here’s a breakdown of what you get with each plan:

    1.Starter — $97/month

    Perfect for businesses just getting started and wanting essential tools to grow.

    • All the tools to capture more leads
    • Nurture and close leads into customers
    • Online booking, pipelines, social media calendar, website builder, and more
    • Unlimited contacts and users — no extra cost
    • Set up to three sub-accounts

    2. Unlimited — $297/month

    Designed for agencies and businesses ready to scale without limits.

    • Everything included in the Starter plan
    • API access — connect and integrate with anything
    • Unlimited sub-accounts — manage as many client accounts as you need
    • Branded desktop app — add your own domains and fully customize the platform

    3.SaaS Pro — $497/month

    For those ready to launch and manage a SaaS business with Go High Level.

    • Everything included in the Unlimited plan
    • SaaS mode — automatic sub-account creation
    • Rebilling — set your own pricing and profit margins
    • Rebilling available on Conversation AI

    >> Click Here to Start with the 14-day free trial to explore the platform before committing to a plan.  Whether you’re a small business or a growing agency, Go High Level has a flexible solution for you.

    User Experience and Interface

    Go High Level is designed with usability in mind, providing an intuitive interface that simplifies the onboarding process for new users. The platform offers detailed tutorials, guided setups, and a supportive community to help users quickly familiarize themselves with its features. Whether you’re a tech-savvy professional or a newcomer to SaaS tools, the learning curve is minimal, ensuring you can start using the platform effectively in no time.

    Mobile and Desktop Compatibility

    With full compatibility across both mobile and desktop devices, Go High Level ensures seamless access to your tools wherever you are. The platform’s responsive design adapts effortlessly to various screen sizes, allowing you to manage accounts, communicate with clients, and monitor performance on the go. A dedicated mobile app further enhances accessibility, making it easy to stay connected and responsive, regardless of your location.

    How Go High Level Stands Out in the Market?

    What sets Go High Level apart in the crowded CRM market is its all-in-one approach, providing a centralized platform that integrates marketing, sales, and customer management tools. Unlike many traditional CRMs that focus primarily on data organization, Go High Level empowers users with features like automated marketing campaigns, funnel building, and appointment scheduling, making it a comprehensive solution for businesses looking to streamline their operations.

    Its affordability, combined with its robust functionality, makes it especially appealing to small and medium-sized businesses that want enterprise-grade tools without the hefty price tag.

    >> Click here to claim your FREE 14-day trial of Go High Level and watch it transform your business to the next level!

    Key Competitors and Differences

    When compared to other major players such as Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zoho CRM, Go High Level shines in its niche targeting of marketers, agencies, and small business clients. While Salesforce offers extensive customization and enterprise-level capabilities, its complexity and high pricing can be barriers for smaller teams.

    HubSpot, known for its user-friendly interface and inbound marketing focus, often requires add-ons to achieve a similar level of functionality that Go High Level offers out of the box. Similarly, Zoho CRM, while budget-friendly, lacks the depth of marketing automation and integrations that Go High Level provides. By combining marketing, email, SMS, and client management into a single platform, Go High Level eliminates the need for multiple third-party tools, saving businesses both time and money. 

    >> Click here to claim your FREE Go High Level 14-day trial and watch it transform your business to the next level!

    Pros and Cons of Go High Level CRM

    Like any platform, Go High Level comes with its own set of strengths and a few considerations. Fortunately, the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks, especially for businesses seeking an all-in-one marketing and CRM solution.

    Pros

    • All-in-One Platform: Eliminates the need for multiple tools—CRM, email marketing, funnels, website builder, automation, appointment scheduling, and more are all in one place.
    • Unlimited Features: No caps on contacts, emails, funnels, or users—even with the Starter plan. This allows for unlimited growth without surprise costs.
    • Powerful Automation: Automate tasks like follow-ups, reminders, and campaigns to save time and reduce manual errors.
    • SaaS Mode for Agencies: Unique white-labeling and rebilling features help agencies launch their own SaaS offerings and create new revenue streams.
    • Mobile and Desktop Apps: Fully functional mobile and desktop applications let you manage your business on the go with ease.
    • High Customizability: Customize branding, workflows, funnels, dashboards, and more to suit your business and client needs.
    • Robust Funnel and Website Builder: Build landing pages and websites with a drag-and-drop editor that’s intuitive, even for non-tech-savvy users.
    • Excellent Value for the Price: Offers enterprise-grade functionality at a much lower cost than competitors like Salesforce or HubSpot.
    • Responsive Support and Active Community: While the learning curve exists, support reps and a thriving user community help users get up to speed quickly.

    >> Click here to claim your FREE Go High Level 14-day trial and watch it transform your business to the next level!

    Cons

    • Learning Curve for Beginners: Due to its robust feature set, new users may feel overwhelmed at first. However, this is manageable with tutorials and community support.
    • Interface Can Feel Cluttered: With so many tools in one place, the dashboard may feel busy until you get accustomed to it.
    • Occasional Glitches: Like any evolving platform, minor bugs can occur, but the development team is quick to release updates and improvements.
    • Support Wait Times (During Peak Hours): Some users report delays during peak times. That said, off-hour support is often faster and more attentive.

    User Feedback and Reviews

    Go High Level CRM has built a reputation not just for its robust all-in-one functionality but also for its exceptional customer support—a recurring theme across hundreds of user reviews on platforms like Trustpilot.

    Here’s what real users had to say:

    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This Review Is for Hershey – Not Just GHL”

    Mms Zaman – Canada

    “I went back and forth with multiple agents regarding one issue but did not get the exact solution I needed. Then luckily I got connected with Hershey on my next Zoom call—and she nailed it! I was literally surprised by her depth of knowledge and logical understanding. This review is less for GHL and more for Hershey. Keep shining. The industry needs resources like you.”

    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Off-Hour Support = Hidden Gem”

    Francisco – Team Mortgage, USA
    (Trustpilot)

    “If you try to log in and get help during regular mid-day hours, be prepared to wait. BUT if you log in later in the day—boom, help arrives fast. The rep I spoke with (forgot the name, my brain was processing info!) was awesome and got my issue resolved. GHL (Go High Level) is amazingly robust, but yeah—it’s like getting a degree to learn it all. Hang in there. It’s worth it!”

    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Fantastic Onboarding with Saloni”

    Barbara – Canada
    (Trustpilot)

    “I just finished a great onboarding call with Saloni Singh. She was super helpful and patient while setting up the basics and answering all my questions. She explained the platform in a way that aligned with my business goals. I now feel confident taking the next step inside GHL (Go High Level).”

    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Raymond Was a Game-Changer!”

    Tuan Luu
    (Trustpilot)

    “Great CRM and world-class support. I spoke with Raymond Sylvester today—he was incredibly helpful in solving my GHL issues and even assisted with some complex business number questions. Can’t say enough good things!”

    >> Try Go High Level risk-free for 14 days and watch it transform your business to the next level!

    My Personal Experience

    I’ve used Go High Level for over a year now, and I can confidently say it’s been one of the best investments I’ve made in my business. Before Go High Level, I was constantly juggling multiple tools to keep things running:

    • An email marketing tool to manage campaigns and nurture leads
    • A CRM to track client interactions and manage customer relationships
    • A funnel builder for creating landing pages and sales funnels
    • A booking tool to schedule calls and appointments
    • A reporting platform to analyze data and measure performance

    It was overwhelming, time-consuming, and costly. Not only was I spending hundreds of dollars each month on these separate tools, but switching between platforms made my processes inefficient and frustrating. It felt like I was always playing catch-up, trying to keep things organized while focusing on growing my business.

    After switching to Go High Level, everything changed. I consolidated all these tools into one intuitive dashboard, which allowed me to simplify my operations and save time. Instead of wasting hours managing disconnected platforms, I could focus on what really matters—delivering value to my clients. On top of that, I saved hundreds of dollars every month by cutting out all the extra subscriptions. 

    The best part? My business results improved across the board. Client engagement skyrocketed, my lead conversions increased, and my overall revenue grew significantly. By streamlining my tools with Go High Level, I was able to work smarter, not harder, and the difference has been incredible. 

    >> Try Go High Level risk-free for 14 days and watch it transform your business to the next level!

    If you’re tired of feeling stuck in a cycle of inefficiency, or if you’re ready to scale your business without the headaches, Go High Level is the solution you’ve been looking for. It’s a game-changer.

    Success Tips for Getting Started

    Here’s how to make the most of your Go High Level experience:

    Start with the Free Trial

    Begin with the free trial to familiarize yourself with the platform’s offerings. >> Click here to claim your FREE Go High Level 14-day trial and watch it transform your business to the next level!. Take your time exploring the features it provides and how they align with your business needs. This trial period is a chance to test out its flexibility and understand which tools will make the biggest impact. Don’t forget to jot down questions or areas where you might need clarification so you can make informed decisions as you move forward.

    Use Tutorials and Templates

    Leverage the extensive library of tutorials and pre-built templates that Go High Level provides. These resources are designed to help you maximize efficiency without a steep learning curve. Templates allow you to create professional, polished campaigns or workflows in no time. Tutorials, on the other hand, offer guidance on advanced functionalities that can help scale your business even faster.

    Automate Your Time-Consuming Tasks

    Focus on automating the tasks that consume the most of your time, such as client follow-ups, email sequences, or appointment scheduling. Automation not only saves you effort but also ensures consistency and reliability in your day-to-day operations. With Go High Level’s automation tools, you can stay focused on strategic priorities rather than manual, repetitive work.

    Customize Funnels and Emails

    Ensure your brand is front and center by customizing your funnels and email campaigns. Add your brand logos, colors, and tone of voice to create a seamless experience for your clients. Personalization within your communication can significantly enhance both engagement and overall results. The platform allows you to easily adjust these elements to align perfectly with your business vision.

    Track and Adjust with Analytics

    The analytics dashboard is one of the most powerful features in Go High Level. Use it to track your campaigns, client interactions, and overall performance. Regularly review this data to identify areas that need improvement or strategies that are working well. By adjusting based on insights, you can continuously optimize your efforts and drive business growth.

    Ready to Transform Your Business?

    Sign up for your FREE 14-day Go High Level trial today and experience the ultimate all-in-one CRM platform. With Go High Level, you can automate your business processes, nurture client relationships, and streamline operations all in one place.

    Take advantage of advanced features like pipeline management, email marketing automation, and a highly customizable dashboard tailored to your needs. Automate your business, close more leads, and watch your revenue grow! Whether you’re a small business owner or managing a team, Go High Level empowers you to work smarter, not harder. Don’t wait — start your free trial today!

    Final Verdict

    Go High Level stands out as a powerful tool designed to simplify and enhance your business processes. Its intuitive platform combines essential features such as automation, customization, and scalability, making it an ideal choice for businesses of all sizes. By leveraging its versatile functionalities, you can maximize efficiency, improve client engagement, and ultimately drive growth.

    If you’re looking for a solution that helps you stay ahead in a competitive market while saving time and effort, Go High Level is the answer. Take the first step towards transforming your business operations — start your free trial today and see the results!

    >> Click here to claim your FREE Go High Level 14-day trial and watch it transform your business to the next level!

    FAQ Section

    1. What is Go High Level, and how can it benefit my business?

    Go High Level is an all-in-one sales and marketing platform designed for agency owners and digital agencies. It offers a wide range of tools, including reputation management, lead generation, and two-way communication features like Facebook Messenger and voicemail drops. By integrating directly with various channels and offering awesome product configurations, Go High Level helps you streamline operations, achieve your goals, and stay ahead of your competition.

    2. Can Go High Level support unlimited users?

    Yes! Go High Level is built to scale with your business, which means it supports unlimited users. Whether you’re a small agency or manage a large team, the platform’s core settings are tailored to help everyone accomplish tasks efficiently and effectively, making it an exceptional solution.

    3. How does Go High Level handle payment processing and scheduling?

    Go High Level makes it easy to integrate payment processing directly into your workflows and handle scheduling appointments seamlessly. With its intuitive interface, you can save time by managing everything from a single platform, giving you and your clients a hassle-free experience from opposite sides of the transaction.

    4. Are there alternatives to Go High Level, and how does it stand out?

    While there are other platforms, Go High Level is unique in its combination of features and unparalleled support team. With tools like FB Messenger integration, voicemail drops, reputation management, and custom file configurations, it provides an overview of everything you need to manage your business successfully. Plus, any issues you encounter are resolved quickly, ensuring you are always heard and supported.

    5. Why should you choose GoHighLevel over alternatives?

    When considering GoHighLevel alternatives, it makes sense to evaluate the features, usability, and technology that each platform provides. What truly sets GoHighLevel apart is its ability to seamlessly log all client interactions, giving you a comprehensive view of your business activities. Unlike other platforms, GoHighLevel leverages advanced technology to simplify complex tasks, ensuring you save time and effort. If you’re looking for a system that won’t break your workflow, GoHighLevel delivers a streamlined solution. Its intuitive design and clear explanation of tools empower users to operate efficiently, making it the ultimate choice for modern businesses.

    6. What is GoHighLevel used for?

    GoHighLevel is an all-in-one platform for marketing, sales, and customer management. It’s used by businesses (especially agencies and marketers) to consolidate tools like CRM, email marketing, SMS campaigns, appointment scheduling, and even building websites or sales funnels in one place. This helps streamline workflows by managing lead generation, customer follow-ups, and sales processes within a single system.

    7. Is GoHighLevel a good CRM?

    Yes – GoHighLevel includes a robust CRM and is generally considered a good CRM solution, particularly for those who also need marketing automation. Its CRM capabilities (for tracking leads, conversations, and deals) hold up well and have been compared to established platforms like HubSpot or Pipedrive. Keep in mind that because it offers so many features in one, new users might face a learning curve before they can fully leverage its CRM and marketing tools.

    8. Can you actually make money with GoHighLevel?

    Yes, many agencies and marketers generate revenue with GoHighLevel by using it as the backbone for services they offer. GoHighLevel can be rebranded and resold to clients (allowing you to offer your own branded marketing/CRM platform), and its automation tools let you deliver valuable marketing services – for example, running lead campaigns and follow-ups – that clients are willing to pay for. In short, the software itself is a tool; you make money by applying it effectively (such as managing client marketing funnels or providing CRM as a service).

    9. Is GHL (GoHighLevel) better than HubSpot?

    It depends on your needs. HubSpot is a well-known, user-friendly CRM and marketing platform that excels for mid-to-large businesses, but it can be expensive with its tiered pricing. GoHighLevel, on the other hand, is an affordable all-in-one solution designed for agencies and small businesses, offering features like funnel building, SMS marketing, and even the ability to white-label the platform. If you need a highly polished enterprise CRM, HubSpot might be better, but if you want a cost-effective platform that combines many tools (CRM, marketing automation, scheduling, etc.) in one place, GoHighLevel can be a better fit.

    10. Can you send invoices with GoHighLevel?

    Yes, you can send invoices with GoHighLevel. The platform has built-in invoicing capabilities – you can create an invoice inside GoHighLevel and send it to your client, and if you integrate GoHighLevel with QuickBooks, the system will even create a matching invoice in QuickBooks once you mark it as sent in GoHighLevel. This means you’re able to bill clients and track payments directly through GoHighLevel without needing a separate invoicing tool.

    11. Can I build a website in GoHighLevel?

    Yes. GoHighLevel includes a drag-and-drop page builder that lets you create complete websites, not just single landing pages. You can design multi-page websites with menus and custom pages within the platform, which is handy for keeping your main website, landing pages, and marketing funnels all in one system.

    12. Is GoHighLevel good for e-commerce?

    GoHighLevel can handle basic e-commerce needs, but it’s not primarily an e-commerce platform like Shopify. It allows you to sell products or services through order forms and funnels and supports integrations with payment processors (like Stripe) and even Shopify for syncing store data. This is sufficient if you’re doing things like single-product sales, digital products, or service bookings, but for a large online store with a wide product catalog and advanced shopping features, a dedicated e-commerce solution would likely be more suitable (you could still use GoHighLevel alongside it for marketing and CRM).

    13. Does GoHighLevel have an affiliate program?

    Yes. GoHighLevel runs a tiered affiliate program that awards a 40% monthly recurring commission on every referred agency subscription (Tier 1) and an extra 5% on subscriptions from agencies signed up by your own referrals (Tier 2). >> Click Here to Join GoHighLevel Affiliate Program

    14. Is ClickFunnels better than GoHighLevel?

    ClickFunnels is a popular tool specifically for building sales funnels, and it’s very effective if your main goal is to create streamlined, high-converting funnel pages quickly. GoHighLevel, by contrast, also lets you build funnels but offers a much broader suite of features (integrated CRM, email/SMS marketing, appointment scheduling, etc.) in one platform. If you only need a simple funnel builder, ClickFunnels might be easier for that single purpose, but for most businesses that want an all-in-one solution to manage funnels and customer follow-up, GoHighLevel provides more value in a single package.

    GoHighLevel Contact Information
    Company: HighLevel, Inc
    Website: gohighlevel.com
    Phone: +1 (888) 732-4197
    Address: 400 North St. Paul Street Suite 920Dallas, TX 75201, USA
    Email: certifications@gohighlevel.com

    Disclaimer

    The information provided here is for general informational purposes and should not be used to make decisions regarding purchasing or participation in any offers. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the content, there may be typographical errors, outdated references, or inaccuracies. The publisher disclaims any responsibility for errors, omissions, or inaccuracies, and the use of this information is at your own risk.

    This content does not guarantee specific results. Outcomes may differ based on individual circumstances, participation, or external factors. The information presented is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be interpreted as endorsement of any product or service.

    Affiliate Disclosure

    This article may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, the publisher may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. These commissions help maintain the content and support the review process.

    All reviews and descriptions reflect the author’s honest opinion, based on available public data, user feedback, and research at the time of writing. The inclusion of affiliate links does not impact the objectivity or integrity of the content. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently and review the full terms and conditions of the offers before participating.

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    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Samsung’s slim phone offers distinctly marketable feature among obscure AI use cases, says GlobalData

    Source: GlobalData

    Samsung’s slim phone offers distinctly marketable feature among obscure AI use cases, says GlobalData

    Posted in Technology

    Following the news that Samsung has launched the slim Galaxy S25 Edge phone;

    Anisha Bhatia, Senior Technology Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers her view:

    “Samsung‘s Galaxy S25 Edge is a slim design that will redefine market standards amid competitive pressures. The phone’s sleek profile, measuring just 5.8 mm, stands out as a compelling feature in an era where differentiation is paramount. As original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and telcos navigate the complexities of unclear artificial intelligence (AI) use cases and their monetization, the allure of a marketable feature, such as a slim and lightweight form factor, becomes increasingly significant.

    “The trend towards slimmer smartphones is not a response to consumer demand; it is a strategic tactic by OEMs to carve out a unique identity in an intensely competitive landscape. The $1,099 S25 Edge comes with a hardy titanium body, weighs a light 163 grams, and includes all the multimodal AI features that are available in its parent S25 series of phones. But rival Apple’s anticipated iPhone 17 Air, expected in Fall 2025, is projected to be 5.5mm thin, poised to surpass Samsung in the race for slimness.

    “Apple may leverage the iPhone 17 Air’s slender design to counterbalance its perceived lag in AI features, generating significant market buzz. While the slim phone phenomenon has gained traction in China, its success in other markets, such as Europe and the US, remains uncertain due to varying cultural and consumer preferences. Nevertheless, the global appeal of this trend suggests a burgeoning niche market ripe for exploration by telcos and OEMs alike.”

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Insurers must resolve long-term problems to successfully sell to younger generations, says GlobalData

    Source: GlobalData

    Insurers must resolve long-term problems to successfully sell to younger generations, says GlobalData

    Posted in Insurance

    Insurers targeting younger generations face longstanding industry issues of a lack of understanding and a lack of consumer trust. While quicker fixes such as social media strategies and more flexible products may help somewhat, they would only appeal to a small proportion, so the more long-term issues need to be addressed to reach these generations, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

    A GlobalData poll* conducted in Q1 2025 (with 174 respondents) found that over 50% of respondents believed either a lack of understanding of insurance or a lack of trust in insurance providers were the key challenges in selling insurance to Gen Z and millennials. While these consumer segments are typically digitally savvy, addressing their concerns will require more than upgrading digital platforms and social media strategies.

    Ben Carey-Evans, Senior Insurance Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “A lack of consumer trust is a recurring issue for the industry. Rising premiums across some personal lines are not helping the situation; increasing the value and engagement insurers offer will be essential in turning this around.

    “Communicating the value of policies will also be a challenge—especially as many young people are introduced to insurance through the ‘grudge purchase’ of mandatory car insurance. However, the modern features of some insurance products can provide added value and engage customers. Features such as nutrition and fitness plans and smartwatch discounts within health insurance, or smart home devices helping make homes safer, are ways that can increase interaction and value between insurers and customers.”

    A lack of consumer understanding may be easier to fix, and limited understanding of the value of insurance and complexity of product structures are both seen as challenges. Insurers are often known for having long and complicated terms and conditions. Yet some providers—most notably US startup Lemonade—have prioritized simplicity of language and making policy terms as easy to understand as possible.

    Carey-Evans concludes: “The poll findings should be concerning to insurers, suggesting that improving younger generations’ perception of the insurance industry must be a key priority going forward. Longer-term issues such as consumer understanding and trust cannot be fixed simply by improving PR and social media strategies. Instead, providers must aim to increase engagement with customers, make policies easier to understand, and add value and incentives where profit margins allow.”

    *The poll was conducted across Verdict Media sites throughout Q1 2025 and had over 100 respondents

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: US tariffs could accelerate supply chain diversification in medtech sector, says GlobalData

    Source: GlobalData

    US tariffs could accelerate supply chain diversification in medtech sector, says GlobalData

    Posted in Medical Devices

    The US Trade Representative’s (USTR) plan to reinstate Section 301 tariffs targets Class I and II medical devices, including orthopedic instruments frequently sourced from China. The move is expected to lead to a rise in cost pressures and supply chain risks in the medtech sector. As such, tariff pressures could accelerate supply chain diversification and regional manufacturing in the sector, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

    The tariffs, part of a revived Trump-era trade strategy, aim to counter China’s economic influence and encourage domestic manufacturing. However, medtech leaders warn the move could raise healthcare costs and limit patient access to essential technologies.

    Zimmer Biomet has recently announced that proposed US tariffs on medical devices imported from China could reduce its 2025 profits by $60 million to $80 million. Zimmer Biomet’s update reflects the broader implications of geopolitical trade shifts on global healthcare. The global musculoskeletal healthcare company is evaluating mitigation strategies such as supplier diversification, logistics optimization, and potential reshoring.

    Graysen Vigneux, Medical Analyst at GlobalData, commented: “The impact of these tariffs is significant for globally integrated firms like Zimmer Biomet. While intended to boost US production, the immediate effect may be higher costs that ripple through to providers and patients.”

    Many of Zimmer Biomet’s orthopedic instruments, typically low-margin, high-volume products, fall under the tariff scope and cannot be easily transitioned to US manufacturing without major investment and regulatory delay.

    Vigneux concludes: “The US medtech industry, already facing inflation, labor shortages, and stricter regulation, now confronts added financial and strategic uncertainty. Companies must remain agile to navigate shifting trade policy without compromising access or quality.”

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Starlink’s partnership strategy will benefit both telco expansion and underserved customers in India and Africa, observes GlobalData

    Source: GlobalData

    Starlink’s partnership strategy will benefit both telco expansion and underserved customers in India and Africa, observes GlobalData

    Posted in Technology

    Airtel Africa is the latest in the line of telecoms operators partnering with LEO (low-earth orbit) operator Starlink to expand its reach and services. The deal was facilitated by parent company Bharti Airtel, which struck its own agreement with Starlink in India in March. The tie-up between Airtel and Starlink will benefit both companies as well as enterprise customers and businesses, pending regulatory approval in India and five African markets within Airtel Africa’s footprint markets where Starlink is not yet currently licensed, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

    Ismail Patel, Senior Analyst, Enterprise Technology and Services at GlobalData, comments: “For Starlink, partnering with telcos will give it access to points of sale on the ground as it competes with other LEO satellite systems that are vying for position globally. For telcos like Airtel, Starlink can help expand its reach to business customers with rural presence, educational institutions, health centers, logistical firms, agricultural and mining workers, remote tourist hotspots, and others generally requiring a more robust quality of service. There is also an opportunity for the Airtels of both India and Africa to improve their cellular backhaul through Starlink.”

    GlobalData analysis revealed the massive micro, small, and medium business opportunity in India, with roughly similar metrics for the African markets where Airtel operates. Airtel Africa and Starlink partnership has the potential to increase digitalization in rural and semi-rural regions in the 14 countries where Airtel Africa operates, especially for micro, small, and medium businesses.

    In India, the Confederation of Indian Industry states that of 63 million MSMEs in the country, over 51% are based in rural areas. Fixed broadband penetration of household units in India stood at just 9% as of end-2024, according to GlobalData.

    Patel concludes: “Starlink is trying to get a foothold in the global market with a clever combination of D2C and B2B strategies. It already has struck several partnerships with operators in the US, Canada, Japan, Australia, and Ukraine. It wants to maximize the head start it has on its rivals – like Amazon Kuiper, AST SpaceMobile, Telesat Lightspeed, and Eutelsat OneWeb (which itself is partly owned by Bharti Airtel) – that are at various stages of deployment and geographical breadth.

    “Competition is expected to heat up rapidly as telcos and satellite vendors will be striking a myriad of partnerships with one another to boost connectivity, which will only serve to benefit business and enterprise customers more. With this backdrop, those telcos and LEOs who stand to gain the most are those who get their foot in the door before others and leverage their first-mover advantage.”

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Where tomorrow’s scientists prefer to live − and where they’d rather not

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Christopher P. Scheitle, Associate Professor of Sociology, West Virginia University

    Many students have strong feelings about where they want to move after graduation. Tony Garcia/Stone via Getty Images

    Graduate students interested in an academic career after graduation day have often been told they need to be open to moving somewhere they may not want to live. This advice is because of how hard it is to get a tenure-track professor position.

    These days, this advice may be less relevant as graduate students are increasingly pursuing and ending up in careers outside of academia.

    Where graduate students want to settle post-graduation has potential consequences for communities and states across the country that depend more and more on a steady stream of skilled workers to power their economies. Locations seen as undesirable may struggle to attract and retain the next generation of scientists, engineers, professors and other professions filled by today’s graduate students.

    We are sociologists who are examining some of the factors that influence graduate students’ educational and career paths as part of a research project supported by the National Science Foundation. In March 2025 we distributed a survey to a sample of U.S.-based graduate students in five natural and social science disciplines: physics, chemistry, biology, psychology and sociology.

    As part of our survey, we asked students to identify states they would prefer to live in and places where they would be unwilling to go. To some extent, our findings match some past anecdotes and evidence about the varying number of applications received for academic positions across different states or regions.

    But little data has directly assessed students’ preferences, and our survey also provides some evidence that some states’ policies are having a negative impact on their ability to attract highly educated people.

    Most preferred, most unwilling

    For our study, we built our sample from the top 60 graduate programs for each of the five disciplines based on rankings from U.S. News and World Report. We received responses from nearly 2,000 students. Almost all of these students – 98%, specifically – are pursuing Ph.D.s in their respective fields.

    As part of our survey, we asked students to identify locations where they would “prefer” to live and also those where they would be “unwilling” to live after finishing their graduate program. For each of these questions, we presented students with a list of all states along with the option of “outside of the United States.”

    Just looking at the overall percentages, California tops the list of preferred places, with 49% of all survey-takers stating a preference to live there, followed by New York at 45% and Massachusetts with 41%.

    On the other hand, Alabama was selected most often as a state students said they’d be unwilling to move to, with 58% declaring they wouldn’t want to live there. This was followed by Mississippi and Arkansas, both with just above 50% saying they’d be unwilling to move to either state.

    Clusters of preference

    While the two lists in many respects appear like inversions of one another, there are some exceptions to that. Looking beyond the overall percentages for each survey question, we used statistical analysis to identify underlying groups or clusters of states that are more similar to each other across both the “prefer” and “unwilling” questions.

    One cluster, represented by California, New York and Massachusetts, is characterized by a very high level of preference and a low level of unwillingness. About 35% to 50% of students expressed a preference for living in these places, while only 5% to 10% said they would be unwilling to live in them. The response of “outside of the United States” is also in this category, which is noteworthy given recent concerns about the current generation of Ph.D. students looking to leave the country and efforts by other nations to recruit them.

    A second cluster represents states where the preference levels are a bit lower, 20% to 30%, and the unwillingness levels are a bit higher, 7% to 15%. Still, these are states for which graduate students hold generally favorable opinions about living in after finishing their programs. This cluster includes states such as Colorado, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey.

    A third group of states represents locations for which the rate of preference is similar to the rate of unwillingness, in the range of 10% to 20%. This cluster includes states such as Minnesota, Delaware and Virginia.

    The fourth and fifth clusters consist of states where the rate of unwillingness exceeds the rate of preference, with the size of the gap distinguishing the two clusters. In the fourth cluster, at least some students – 5% to 10% – express a preference for living in them, while around 30% to 40% say they are unwilling to live in them. This cluster includes Florida, Montana, South Carolina and Utah.

    Almost no students express a preference for living in the states contained in the fifth cluster, while the highest percentages – 40% to 60% – express an unwillingness to live in them. This cluster includes Alabama, Kansas, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

    Signs of current politics

    Many factors influence our preferences for where we want to live, including family, weather and how urban, rural or suburban it is. The politics of a community can also influence our perceptions of a place’s desirability.

    Indeed, political factors may be of particular concern to graduate students. In recent years, some states have taken a more hostile stance toward specific academic disciplines, institutions of higher education in general, or professions that are of interest to graduate students. While states such as Florida and Texas have been leading such efforts, many others have followed.

    Interestingly, our statistical grouping of states finds that students’ unwillingness to live in states such as Texas, Florida, Georgia and Ohio is higher than we would expect given those states’ corresponding preference levels. For example, about 10% of students selected Texas as a place they would prefer to live in after graduation. Looking at other states with similar preference levels, we would expect about 10% to 20% of students to say they are unwilling to live in Texas. Instead, this percentage is actually 37%. Similarly, 5% of students say they would prefer to live in Florida. Other states with this preference rate have an unwillingness rate of around 35%, but Florida’s is 45%.

    Although our data does not tell us for sure, these gaps could be a function of these states’ own policies or alignment with federal policies seen as hostile to graduate students and their future employers.

    These findings suggest that communities and employers in some states might continue to face particularly steep hurdles in recruiting graduate students for employment once they finish their degrees.

    Christopher P. Scheitle receives funding from the National Science Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation. This article is based on a study supported by the National Science Foundation (Award #2344563).

    Katie Corcoran receives funding from the National Science Foundation, the John Templeton Foundation, and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.

    Taylor Remsburg receives funding from the National Science Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation as a research assistant. This article is based on a study supported by the National Science Foundation (Award #2344563).

    – ref. Where tomorrow’s scientists prefer to live − and where they’d rather not – https://theconversation.com/where-tomorrows-scientists-prefer-to-live-and-where-theyd-rather-not-254431

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How Asian American became a racial grouping – and why many with Asian roots don’t identify with the term these days

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jennifer Ho, Professor of Asian American Studies, University of Colorado Boulder

    People gather for a rally in New York on March 16, 2023, to protest racism against Asian Americans. Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

    For the first time, in 1990, May was officially designated as a month honoring Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage. Though the current U.S. administration recently withdrew federal recognition, the month continues to be celebrated by a wide array of people from diverse cultural backgrounds.

    People from the Pacific Islands have their own distinct histories and issues, delineated in part by a specific geography. Yet when we refer to the even broader category of Asian Americans, a concept with a deep yet often unknown history, who exactly are we referring to?

    There are nearly 25 million people of Asian descent who live in the United States, but the term Asian American remains shrouded by cultural misunderstanding and contested as a term among Asians themselves.

    As a professor of Asian American studies, I believe it is important to understand how the label came into being.

    A long history of Asian people in America

    The arrival of people from Asia to the U.S. long predates the country’s founding in 1776.

    After visits to modern-day America that began in the late 16th century, Filipino sailors formed – as early as 1763 – what is believed to be the first Asian settlement in St. Malo, Louisiana.

    But it wasn’t until the 1849 California Gold Rush that Asian immigration to the U.S. – from China – began on a mass scale. That was bolstered in the 1860s by Chinese laborers recruited to build the western portion of the Transcontinental Railroad.

    Starting toward the end of the 19th century, Japanese immigration steadily picked up, so that by 1910 the U.S. Census records a similar number for both communities – just over 70,000. Likewise, a small number of South Asian immigrants began arriving in the early 1900s.

    An exclusionary backlash

    Yet after coming to the U.S. in search of economic and political opportunities, Asian laborers in America were met by a surge of white nativist hostility and violence. That reaction was codified in civil society groups and government laws, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882.

    By 1924, federal law had expanded into a virtual ban on all Asian immigration, and through the first half of the 20th century, a multitude of anti-Asian laws targeted areas including naturalization, marriage and housing, among others.

    In 1933, Chinese Americans in Sacramento, Calif., protested against deportations of Asian people and for higher unemployment insurance benefits.
    Bettmann/Contributor via Getty Images

    From the start, people from Asian countries in the U.S. were generally identified broadly with identifiers such as “Oriental,” a common term at the time mostly for those from China, Japan and Korea.

    As more Asians came to the U.S, other terms were used to denigrate and demean these new immigrants, whose physical appearance, language and cultural norms were distinctly different from their Euro-American neighbors.

    ‘Asian American’ and the birth of a movement

    The desire to claim America was one of the drivers for activists in the 1960s to create the concept of Asian American that we know today.

    The movement began in the charged political context of anti-Vietnam War protests and the Civil Rights Movement for Black equality. Students of Asian heritage at San Francisco State University and the University of California, Berkeley were organizing for the establishment of ethnic studies classes, specifically those that centered on the histories of Asians in the U.S.

    Rejecting the term “oriental” as too limiting and exotic, since oriental literally means “from the East,” the student activists wanted a term of empowerment that would include the Filipino, Chinese, Korean and Japanese students at the heart of this organizing. Graduate students Emma Gee and Yuji Ichioka came up with “Asian American” as a way to bring activists under one radical organizing umbrella, forming the Asian American Political Alliance in 1968.

    A contested term

    Today, the Asian American label has moved beyond its activist roots. The term might literally refer to anyone who traces their lineage from the whole of the Asian continent. This could include people from South Asian countries such as India, Pakistan or Sri Lanka to parts of West Asia like Syria, Lebanon or Iran.

    Yet not all people who identify as Asian actually use the words Asian American, since it is a term that flattens ethnic specificity and lumps together people with as disparate of backgrounds as Hmong or Bangladeshi, for example.

    A 2023 Pew Research Center survey of self-identified Asian adults living in the U.S. revealed that only 16% of people polled said they identified as “Asian American,” with a majority – 52% – preferring ethnic Asian labels, either alone or in tandem with “American.”

    Chinese immigrants play cards while waiting to be called in the immigration offices in New York in the 1940s.
    Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

    Moreover, unlike the student activists who worked together through their shared Asian American identity, the majority of people of Asian descent living in the U.S. came after the 1965 Immigration Act was passed, which ended all prior anti-Asian immigration laws. This, combined with a subsequent wave of Asian immigration from parts of Asia not represented in the past – including Vietnam, Taiwan and Pakistan – means that most Asian Americans alive today are either immigrants or one generation removed from immigrants.

    As a largely immigrant and recently Americanized group, many Asians therefore may not relate to the struggles of an earlier history of Asians in the U.S. That may contribute to why many don’t connect with the term “Asian American.” Korean immigrants, for instance, may not see their history connected with third-generation Japanese Americans, particularly when considering their homelands have been in conflict for decades.

    For some, Asian American is too broad a term to capture the complexity of Asian-heritage Americans.

    Indeed, Asian Americans come from over 30 countries with different languages, diverse cultures, and histories that have often been in conflict with other Asian nations. Within such a broad grouping as “Asian American,” a wide range of political, socioeconomic, religious and other differences emerge that greatly complicate this racial label.

    Even though the term remains contested, many Asians still see value in the concept. Much like the activists who first created the label in the 1960s, many believe it signifies a sense of solidarity and community among people who – despite their many differences – have been treated like outsiders to the American experience, regardless of how American their roots are.

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

    – ref. How Asian American became a racial grouping – and why many with Asian roots don’t identify with the term these days – https://theconversation.com/how-asian-american-became-a-racial-grouping-and-why-many-with-asian-roots-dont-identify-with-the-term-these-days-255578

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why collect asteroid samples? 4 essential reads on what these tiny bits of space rock can tell scientists

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Mary Magnuson, Associate Science Editor

    The OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule contained rock from the asteroid Bennu. NASA/Keegan Barber

    China’s Tianwen-2 asteroid sample return mission is set to launch this month, May 2025, en route to the asteroid Kamoʻoalewa (2016 HO3). The country could join the United States and Japan, whose space agencies have both successfully retrieved a sample from an asteroid to study back on Earth.

    Several space missions have flown by asteroids before and gotten a peek at their compositions, but bringing a sample back to Earth is even more helpful for scientists. The most informative analyses require having physical samples to poke and prod, shine light at, run through CT scanners and examine under electron microscopes.

    These missions require detailed planning and specialized spacecraft, so to shed light on why agencies go through the trouble, we compiled four stories from The Conversation U.S.’s archive. These articles describe the ways asteroid sample return missions generate new scientific insights at every stage – from the collection process, to the container’s return to Earth, to laboratory analyses.

    1. Ryugu’s colorful history

    The asteroid Ryugu is made of carbon-rich rock. Japan targeted Ryugu for its sample return mission Hayabusa2 in 2020.

    A sealed container that holds a piece of the Ryugu sample from Japan’s Hayabusa2 mission.
    NASA/Robert Markowitz

    As planetary scientist Paul K. Byrne from Washington University in St. Louis described in his article, the Hayabusa2 team shot the asteroid with a metal projectile and collected the dusty debris that floated into space. This process allowed the Hayabusa2 craft to gather a sample to bring home and also get a close-up look at the asteroid’s surface.

    One thing the collection team noticed: The material that flew off the asteroid was redder than the surface they shot at, which had a bluer tinge.

    Some parts of Ryugu appear almost striped – the middle latitudes are redder, while the poles look more blue. The sample collection process gave researchers some hints about why that is.

    “At some point the asteroid must have been closer to the Sun that it is now,” Byrne wrote. “That would explain the amount of reddening of the surface.”



    Read more:
    Touching the asteroid Ryugu revealed secrets of its surface and changing orbit

    2. Return capsules make shock waves

    Similar to how researchers gained valuable data just from the Hayabusa2 collection process, atmospheric scientists didn’t even need to open the OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule to learn something new.

    NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission traveled to the carbon-rich asteroid Bennu and sent home a small capsule containing a sample in September 2023.

    Released from the OSIRIS-REx craft, the sample return capsule hurtled down to Earth in a heavy box about the size of a microwave. Aside from the fact that it had been released from a spacecraft about 63,000 miles (102,000 kilometers) away, the return looked strikingly similar to that of a meteorite hitting Earth.

    Scientists don’t often have the advance notice needed to study how real meteoroids – the term given to meteorites before they hit the ground – behave when they enter the atmosphere, so they jumped on the opportunity to study the capsule as it returned to Earth.

    As physicists Brian Elbing from Oklahoma State University and Elizabeth A. Silber from Sandia National Laboratories discussed in their article, OSIRIS-REx’s reentry was the perfect opportunity to study what happens in the atmosphere when meteoroid-size objects fly through.

    The teams set up networks of sensitive microphones and other instruments – both on the ground and attached to balloons – to log the sound wave frequencies that the capsule generated in the atmosphere. Understanding how waves travel through the atmosphere can help scientists figure out how to detect hazards such as natural disasters.



    Read more:
    NASA’s asteroid sample mission gave scientists around the world the rare opportunity to study an artificial meteor

    3. Building blocks of life on Bennu

    Once the OSIRIS-REx return capsule was safely back on Earth, researchers across the world – including geologist Timothy J. McCoy from the Smithsonian Institution and planetary scientist Sara Russell from the Natural History Museum in the U.K. – got to work running tests on its contents, while handling the sample carefully to avoid contaminating it.

    As they described in their article, McCoy and Russell found the sample was mostly water-rich clay, which they expected from a carbon-rich asteroid. But they also found a surprising amount of salty and brine-related minerals. These minerals form when water evaporates off a rock’s surface.

    Because these minerals – aptly called evaporites – dissolve when they come into contact with moisture, scientists had never seen them in the meteorites that fly through Earth’s atmosphere, even ones with similar compositions to Bennu. The spacecraft’s sample container kept the Bennu sample airtight, so these evaporites stayed intact.

    These results suggest that the asteroid used to be wet and muddy. And a salty, water-rich environment like Bennu may have once been a great place for organic molecules to form. Some scientists predict that Earth got its ingredients for life from a collision with an asteroid like Bennu.



    Read more:
    Bennu asteroid reveals its contents to scientists − and clues to how the building blocks of life on Earth may have been seeded

    4. Looking ahead: Asteroid mining

    Asteroid sample return missions generate lots of scientific insights. They can also help space agencies and companies understand what exactly is out there, available to bring home from asteroids. While carbon-rich asteroids like Bennu and Ryugu aren’t flush with precious metals, other asteroids have more valuable contents.

    Launched in 2023 and currently traveling through space, NASA’s Psyche mission will explore a metallic asteroid. The Psyche asteroid likely contains platinum, nickel, iron and possibly gold – all materials of commercial interest.

    Scientists can learn about the formation and composition of Earth’s core from metallic asteroids like Psyche, which is the mission’s main goal. But as planetary scientist Valerie Payré from the University of Iowa wrote in her article, “The Psyche mission is a huge step in figuring out what sort of metals are out there.”

    For now, commercial asteroid mining operations are science fiction – not to mention legally fraught. But some companies have started considering early-stage plans for how they one day might do it. Asteroid sample missions can lay some early groundwork.



    Read more:
    NASA’s robotic prospectors are helping scientists understand what asteroids are made of – setting the stage for miners to follow someday

    This story is a roundup of articles from The Conversation’s archives.

    – ref. Why collect asteroid samples? 4 essential reads on what these tiny bits of space rock can tell scientists – https://theconversation.com/why-collect-asteroid-samples-4-essential-reads-on-what-these-tiny-bits-of-space-rock-can-tell-scientists-255705

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Researchers uncovered hundreds of genes linked to OCD, providing clues about how it changes the brain − new research

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Carol Mathews, Professor of Psychiatry, University of Florida

    No single gene causes OCD, but identifying the genetic markers linked to the condition can help clarify how it develops. Viktoria Ruban/iStock via Getty Images Plus

    Obsessive compulsive disorder has many unknowns, including what causes it, why symptoms can differ so much between people, how medication and therapy for it actually work, and why treatment is effective for some people and not for others. In our newly published research, my colleagues and I made a step toward unraveling some of these mysteries by shedding light on the genetics of OCD.

    Obsessive compulsive disorder is one of the most impairing illnesses worldwide. Affecting about 1 in 50 people globally, OCD is among the top 10 causes of years lost to disability, leading to harmful effects on a person’s ability to work and function in the world and on their family.

    Compared with people without OCD, a person with the condition has a 30% higher chance of dying prematurely from natural causes, such as infections or other illnesses, and a 300% higher chance of dying early from nonnatural causes, such as accidents or suicide.

    People with OCD experience obsessions – disturbing, recurrent and unwanted thoughts, fears or mental images – and compulsions, such as repetitive behaviors and rituals performed to ease the anxiety usually caused by obsessions. For example, someone might wash their hands dozens of times or in a specific way to get rid of germs, even if they know it’s excessive or illogical. Avoiding certain places or situations to reduce anxiety or prevent triggering obsessions and compulsions is also common.

    People with OCD have compulsions that interfere with their daily lives to a debilitating degree.
    Jena Ardell/Moment via Getty Images

    While the exact causes of OCD are unclear, researchers know that both genetic and environmental factors play a role in its development. OCD can run in families; studies attribute between 40% to 65% of OCD cases to genetic factors. OCD that begins in childhood has a stronger genetic influence than OCD that begins in adulthood.

    But unlike some genetic diseases caused by a single faulty gene, such as cystic fibrosis or Huntington’s disease, OCD is influenced by hundreds to thousands of genes that each play a small part in disease risk.

    My colleagues and I analyzed the DNA of over 53,000 people with OCD and over 2 million people without OCD, the largest study of this kind for this condition. We discovered hundreds of genetic markers potentially linked to OCD – data we hope will ultimately lead to improved ways of identifying people who are at risk for OCD and, down the line, to better treatments.

    How scientists study OCD genetics

    To find the genes involved in OCD risk, researchers use a method called a genome-wide association study, or GWAS. These studies compare the DNA of tens to hundreds of thousands of people with a disease of interest with the DNA of people without the disease, looking for tiny differences in the genetic material. These genetic markers may be linked to OCD or indicate the presence of other genes linked to the disease.

    In a GWAS, scientists carefully test each of the millions of genetic markers across the genome to identify those found more often in people with OCD than in people without OCD. They then determine which genes those markers are associated with, where in the body they are active and how they might contribute to the condition.

    GWAS studies look for genetic associations between different traits.

    We identified 30 areas in the genome linked to OCD, containing 249 genes of interest in total. Of those, 25 genes stood out as likely contributors to the development of OCD.

    The top three genes we found are also linked to other brain disorders such as depression, epilepsy and schizophrenia. Several other genes of interest for OCD were found in a region of the genome that plays a role in adaptive immunity and has been associated with other psychiatric disorders.

    Importantly, no single gene can predict or cause OCD on its own. Previous genetic studies have demonstrated that genes across all of the 23 pairs of chromosomes in people may contribute to OCD risk.

    Genetic insights into OCD

    Because the contribution of each genetic marker or gene to disease susceptibility is very small, GWAS are not useful for identifying genes that cause OCD for a given person. Rather, this kind of research helps scientists understand how the brain works in people with OCD and whether OCD shares genetic roots with conditions that commonly occur alongside it.

    For example, the genetic markers we found to be associated with OCD were highly active in several brain regions known to play a role in development of the condition. These brain areas are collectively involved in planning, decision-making, motivation, error detection, emotion regulation, and fear and anxiety, all of which can malfunction in OCD.

    We also found associations with a brain region called the hypothalamus, which converts emotions such as fear, anger, anxiety or excitement into physical responses. The hypothalamus has not been directly linked to OCD before, but it is part of a network of brain regions that may contribute to its symptoms.

    Additionally, we found that certain types of brain cells – particularly medium spiny neurons in a brain region called the striatum – were strongly linked to the OCD genes we identified. Medium spiny neurons play an important role in habit formation, the process by which a behavior becomes automatic and habitual – think compulsions. Specific receptors on medium spiny neurons are common targets for medications that are sometimes used to help treat OCD.

    Many people with OCD also suffer from anxiety.
    triocean/iStock via Getty Images Plus

    The results of our study can help researchers better understand the relationships between OCD and other conditions. We found genetic links between OCD and several other psychiatric disorders, especially anxiety, depression, anorexia and Tourette syndrome. People with OCD also showed lower genetic risk for conditions such as alcohol dependence and risk-taking behavior, aligning with what doctors see in clinics: Many people with OCD tend to be cautious and avoid risks.

    Surprisingly, we also found genetic overlaps between OCD immune-related conditions. While having OCD appears to be linked to an increased risk of asthma and migraines, it may also be linked to a reduced risk of inflammatory bowel disease. These findings may lead to new insights about the role the immune system and inflammation play in brain health.

    More effective OCD treatment

    OCD is a complex disorder that can look very different from person to person. Understanding the genetic and biological factors behind OCD helps researchers move closer to better diagnosis, treatment and possibly even prevention.

    As a practicing psychiatrist and researcher, I have spent my career working to understand the causes of OCD and to improve the lives of those who live with the condition. With larger studies and continued research, my team and I hope to better match specific biological patterns to individual symptoms.

    In time, this could lead to more personalized and effective treatments – improving the lives of millions of people living with OCD around the world.

    Carol Mathews receives funding from the National Institutes of Health. She is a member of the scientific advisory boards for the Family Foundation for OCD Research and the International OCD Foundation, and acts as a consultant for the Office of Mental Health for the State of New York.

    – ref. Researchers uncovered hundreds of genes linked to OCD, providing clues about how it changes the brain − new research – https://theconversation.com/researchers-uncovered-hundreds-of-genes-linked-to-ocd-providing-clues-about-how-it-changes-the-brain-new-research-255572

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China and Central Asian countries ready to deepen cooperation in education

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    URUMQI, May 13 (Xinhua) — The first China-Central Asia Education Ministers’ Meeting was held in Urumqi, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on Monday, calling for deeper cooperation in areas such as scientific research, vocational education and more.

    Delivering a keynote speech at the meeting, Chinese Education Minister Huai Jinpeng noted that China pays close attention to cooperation with Central Asian countries in the field of education. Over the past two years, the parties have cooperated more closely and achieved fruitful results, he said.

    Regarding deepening China-Central Asia educational cooperation, Huai Jinpeng called for building new platforms for comprehensive exchanges and cooperation, forming a new system of higher education cooperation for joint training of professionals, unleashing the potential of cooperation in vocational education, strengthening cooperation in digital education based on resource sharing, and promoting exchanges between civilizations in China and Central Asian countries.

    As stated by the Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan Sayasat Nurbek, Kazakhstan and China have developed fruitful cooperation in scientific research and education and actively promoted exchanges between specialists, while the youth of the two countries are showing growing interest in studying in each other’s countries.

    At the meeting, he also stressed the importance of expanding academic interaction, strengthening cooperation in postgraduate education, and enhancing the integration of artificial intelligence in the education process.

    At the meeting, the Minister of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic Dogdurkul Kendirbaeva proposed the development of cooperation in the field of developing a green economy and environmental education, supporting projects on artificial intelligence, digital technologies, e-commerce and innovative business models, as well as the continuous development of relevant projects in the field of biodiversity and climate change.

    The Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Tajikistan Rahim Saidzod stated that as the level of informatization of the social sphere increases, Tajikistan will actively promote technological innovations and cooperation in various aspects, including neural networks, robotic automated production, 3D printing, etc.

    Minister of Education of Turkmenistan Jumamyrat Gurbangeldiev noted that Turkmenistan and China maintain an active intercultural dialogue, which has laid a solid foundation for the sustainable development of bilateral cooperation in the field of education.

    The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of the Republic of Uzbekistan Kongratbay Sharipov put forward an initiative to strengthen cooperation in the “China-Central Asia” format in the field of professional education in such specialized areas as agricultural engineering, green logistics, medical technologies, car maintenance, etc.

    Following the meeting, the Working Charter of the Mechanism of the China-Central Asia Education Ministers’ Meeting and the Urumqi Declaration of the China-Central Asia Education Ministers’ Meeting were adopted.

    The meeting announced the establishment of the China-Central Asia Alliance for the Integration of Education and Production and the Central Asian branch of the Global Institute for Teacher Education, as well as the launch of several projects in the research field.

    Meanwhile, a number of memorandums and agreements between educational institutions were signed at the event. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Since the beginning of this year, Chinese-Russian border trade in Manzhouli has brought in 1 million yuan in revenue for local residents.

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

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

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

    BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) — Since the beginning of this year, Chinese-Russian border trade in the city of Manzhouli has brought in 1 million yuan in revenue for local residents, the city’s people’s government said on Thursday.

    Manzhouli City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is located on the border with Russia’s Zabaikalsky Krai. It has a road and railway checkpoint. The local China-Russia Mutual Trade Zone is an important platform for expanding the city’s openness to the outside world. The trading platform in the zone was put into operation in 2016.

    According to current regulations, the value of tax-free goods purchased in the designated area must not exceed 8,000 yuan per person per day. In addition to meeting their own needs, local residents can also resell these goods on the domestic market.

    Local residents are reportedly actively expanding channels for importing goods from Russia and reselling them in China. The most popular Russian goods are consumer goods, handicrafts and agricultural products, including chumiza, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, etc. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Department of State Press Briefing – May 13, 2025 – 2:00 PM

    Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)

    Department Press Briefing with Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott at the Department of State, on May 13, 2025.

    ———–
    Under the leadership of the President and Secretary of State, the U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity. On behalf of the American people we promote and demonstrate democratic values and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.

    The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.

    Get updates from the U.S. Department of State at www.state.gov and on social media!
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/statedept
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    Watch on-demand State Department videos: https://video.state.gov/
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    #StateDepartment #DepartmentofState #Diplomacy

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl8AxK3vBeI

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: IMF Reaches Staff-Level Agreement with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on the First Review under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF)

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    May 13, 2025

    End-of-Mission press releases include statements of IMF staff teams that convey preliminary findings after a visit to a country. The views expressed in this statement are those of the IMF staff and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF’s Executive Board. Based on the preliminary findings of this mission, staff will prepare a report that, subject to management approval, will be presented to the IMF’s Executive Board for discussion and decision.

    • The economy has been resilient, with economic growth reaching 6.5 percent in 2024, and projected to remain above 5 percent in 2025.
    • The escalation of the armed conflict in the eastern part of the country has placed significant strain on the budget, in addition to its severe humanitarian and social impact.
    • Credible revenue-enhancing measures, streamlining of non-priority spending, and accelerated reforms are critical to preserving the objectives of the ECF-supported program, which has been recalibrated to adapt to the new realities following the intensification of the conflict.

    Washington, DC: A staff team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), led by Calixte Ahokpossi, IMF Mission Chief for the DRC, visited Kinshasa from April 30 to May 13, to hold discussions on the first review of the DRC’s economic and financial program supported by the IMF under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF).

    At the end of the discussions, Mr. Ahokpossi issued the following statement:

    “The DRC authorities and the IMF team have reached a staff-level agreement on the first review of the DRC’s three-year economic and financial program supported by the IMF under the ECF, subject to approval by IMF management and the Executive Board. Consideration by the IMF Executive Board is tentatively scheduled for end-June 2025.

    “Since the last quarter of 2024, the DRC has faced an escalation of the armed conflict in its eastern part. The intensification of hostilities has claimed thousands of lives and caused severe humanitarian, social, and economic harm, particularly in the occupied provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu.

    “Economic activity remained resilient, with robust GDP growth of 6.5 percent in 2024. Growth is projected to remain above 5 percent in 2025, driven by continued dynamism in the extractive sector. External stability has strengthened, underpinned by ongoing international reserves accumulation and a narrowing current account deficit—though still below the recommended adequacy level for import coverage. The resulting exchange rate stability observed since mid-2024, coupled with appropriately tight monetary policy, has helped ease inflationary pressures. Year-on-year inflation has returned to single-digit levels in April 2025, for the first time since July 2022.

    “On the fiscal side, the conflict escalation has placed significant strain on public finances. Spending overruns—driven by sharp increases in exceptional security spending, public investment, and transfers to provinces and public entities—were only partially offset by strong revenue collection. As a result, the domestic fiscal deficit exceeded its programmed ceiling at end-2024. For 2025, the closure of revenue collection offices in the occupied eastern regions, combined with the exemption of basic food products from VAT and customs duties to ease the cost of living, have led to a revenue shortfall. Budgetary strains have also intensified, as exceptional security spending remained elevated through end-April of 2025, and salaries for military and police were doubled since March to bolster troops’ morale.

    “The government has reaffirmed its commitment to the objectives of ECF-supported program, which has been recalibrated to reflect the new realities following the intensification of the conflict. This will help safeguard fiscal sustainability while enabling adequate fiscal space for pressing security and humanitarian needs without crowding out priority social and investment spending, especially in light of the suspension of a significant share of external humanitarian assistance. Offsetting revenue-enhancing measures and streamlining of non-priority spending—including a reduction in operating expenses of the government—have been identified and incorporated, along with expected additional concessional financing from the World Bank, into a draft 2025 supplementary budget Law to be submitted to Parliament. Additional concessional financing from development partners would be welcome.

    “Progress on the structural reform agenda is encouraging. Reforms focused on modernizing public financial management are advancing: the legal framework was strengthened to induce stricter adherence to the expenditure chain, though its implementation needs to be tightened. The authorities are making progress in meeting key milestones to operationalize the Treasury, gradually decentralizing spending authorization to line ministries, establishing a treasury single account, and transitioning to a resource-based fiscal framework aimed at shielding public spending from the volatility of extractive revenues. In addition, domestic revenue-enhancing efforts should be stepped up, including by expediting the roll-out of the standardized VAT billing system, adopting an action plan to increase domestic revenue mobilization, streamlining inefficient tax exemptions, curbing tax evasion through tighter oversight of mineral exports, and further intensifying the fight against customs fraud at the borders. Stronger spending efficiency, including through better public investment management and stricter control of payroll abuses, remains critical, along with measures in the area of governance and transparency—including in the extractive sector— to combat corruption, and improve the business environment.

    “Finally, the IMF staff urged the authorities to continue laying the groundwork for the timely implementation of the reform measures (RM) underpinning the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF)–supported program. These RMs, coming due starting at the next review, are expected to help strengthen the DRC’s resilience to climate shocks while consolidating its role as a “solution country” in the global transition to a low-carbon economy.

    “The IMF staff would like to express its gratitude to the authorities, senior officials, technical staff, and various stakeholders—including representatives of the civil society, the private sector, and development partners—for their hospitality, continued support, and constructive discussions.”

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER: Tatiana Mossot

    Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/05/13/pr25140-democratic-republic-of-congo-imf-reaches-sla-with-drc-on-the-1st-review-under-ecf

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Denmark: Staff Concluding Statement of the 2025 Article IV Mission

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    May 13, 2025

    A Concluding Statement describes the preliminary findings of IMF staff at the end of an official staff visit (or ‘mission’), in most cases to a member country. Missions are undertaken as part of regular (usually annual) consultations under Article IV of the IMF’s Articles of Agreement, in the context of a request to use IMF resources (borrow from the IMF), as part of discussions of staff monitored programs, or as part of other staff monitoring of economic developments.

    The authorities have consented to the publication of this statement. The views expressed in this statement are those of the IMF staff and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF’s Executive Board. Based on the preliminary findings of this mission, staff will prepare a report that, subject to management approval, will be presented to the IMF Executive Board for discussion and decision.

    Copenhagen, Denmark:

    Denmark’s strong growth has continued, primarily driven by pharmaceutical exports, while domestic demand has remained relatively sluggish. Staff expects output growth to moderate in the near term as external demand weakens. Direct impacts from U.S. tariffs are expected to be limited, but heightened trade tensions and trade policy uncertainty pose risks to the outlook. Denmark’s robust institutions, competitive and relatively diversified economic structure, strong fiscal position, and highly educated workforce all reinforce its resilience to external shocks. In this context, the policy priorities are as follows.

    • Uphold fiscal sustainability amid rising defense and aging-related expenditures.
    • Ensure financial stability by vigilantly monitoring risks, maintaining a prudent capital-based macroprudential policy setting, and tightening borrower-based measures.
    • Further intensify structural reforms to support high levels of income and sustain the welfare state.

    Economic outlook and risks

    1. Staff anticipates a gradual moderation in GDP growth. Output growth is projected to decline from 3.7 percent in 2024 to 2.9 percent in 2025 and further to 1.8 percent in 2026. Export growth, including pharmaceutical exports, is expected to slow, while the full reopening of the Tyra natural gas and oil field will provide a temporary uplift. The U.S. is a key trading partner; however, exports produced in Denmark passing through customs account for only 3 percent of total exports, limiting the direct impact of U.S. tariffs on the Danish economy. Domestic demand is expected to gradually strengthen, driven by increased public expenditures and a modest recovery in private consumption due to improved consumer purchasing power. Beyond 2026, medium-term growth is projected at around 1.5 percent, reflecting a maturing pharmaceutical sector and a declining working-age population. Labor market pressures have eased, with inflation anticipated to stay around 2 percent.
    2. Risks to growth are on the downside. External risks dominate the outlook. A reversal of globalization, including higher trade barriers and deepening geoeconomic fragmentation, would put the Danish economy at risk. Global uncertainty, including the intensification of regional conflicts, would dampen consumer and business confidence, weighing on domestic demand. Upside risks to growth include a faster-than-expected resolution of trade and geopolitical tensions, as well as stronger pharmaceutical exports.

    Maintaining fiscal sustainability amid rising defense and aging-related spending

    1. The fiscal surplus is expected to decline significantly. In February, the authorities announced a temporary rise in defense spending from 2¼ percent of GDP in 2024 to 3¼ percent in 2025 and 2026, returning to 2¼ percent by 2033. This increase adds to already planned personal income tax cuts and increased expenditures related to health, long-term care, and climate. As a result, staff projects the overall surplus to fall from 4½ percent of GDP in 2024 to 1¼ percent in 2025 and further to ½ percent of GDP in 2026. Although labor market pressures have eased, and fiscal multipliers for the planned measures are likely to be low, the resulting fiscal stimulus could be stronger than warranted by macroeconomic circumstances. Given these risks, the authorities should continue to exercise robust spending controls and save any revenue above budget forecasts for the remainder of 2025.
    2. Given Denmark’s robust fiscal position, the announced temporary increase in defense spending is manageable from a public finance sustainability perspective. Denmark has long anticipated rising spending pressures from an aging population and has successfully reduced its debt-to-GDP ratio to below 30 percent, down from nearly 50 percent a decade ago. Furthermore, a significantly higher-than-expected fiscal surplus in 2024 provides additional room to accommodate the increased defense spending. In the staff’s baseline scenario, the structural balance is expected to remain above the -1 percent of GDP floor over the medium term, consistent with Denmark’s fiscal rules and a stable debt-to-GDP ratio.
    3. However, significantly higher and more persistent increases in defense spending would require adjustment measures to ensure long-term fiscal sustainability. These adjustment measures should be growth-friendly while ensuring fairness to preserve the welfare state. Specifically:
    • While both expenditure and revenue measures should be explored, given the already high tax burden, priority should be given to spending measures. To this end, an in-depth assessment of expenditures should be conducted to identify low-priority or inefficient spending, as well as the opportunity to enhance public administration efficiency by leveraging digitalization and AI.
    • Structural reform programs should be vigorously pursued to boost labor supply and enhance productivity. In this context, further raising the retirement age in line with improved life expectancy is vital to ensure fiscal sustainability.
    • The structural balance floor of -1 percent of GDP under current national fiscal rules should be respected.

    Safeguarding financial stability

    1. Although systemic risks have been contained, heightened global risks warrant continued vigilance in monitoring financial sector risks. Banks are well-capitalized, with strong profitability, asset quality, and liquidity. To further strengthen the resilience of the financial system, the authorities should (i) ensure that banks maintain robust provisioning practices for credit risks, including a thorough examination of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) 9 modeling practices; (ii) complete the ongoing review of internal ratings-based models promptly, followed by supervisory actions based on the results, and implement the EU’s CRR III/CRD VI as planned; (iii) continue efforts to enhance resilience against cyberattacks; and (iv) ensure that the Financial Supervisory Authority is adequately staffed across a full range of skills and experiences to deliver its mandates.
    2. Capital-based macroprudential policy is broadly appropriate, but borrower-based measures should be tightened to address pockets of vulnerabilities. Given heightened global risks and the fragile commercial real estate (CRE) sector, the 2.5 percent countercyclical capital buffer (CCyB) and the 7 percent sector-specific systemic risk buffer, introduced in June 2024 to mitigate risks in the CRE sector, should remain in place for now. To address pockets of vulnerabilities in mortgages, the authorities should consider lowering the maximum loan-to-value ratio below the current 95 percent. In addition, incentives for bigger mortgages should be reduced by lowering the tax deductibility of mortgage interest expenses.
    3. The risks posed by non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) should be closely monitored and assessed. The authorities have increased their focus on the NBFI sector in financial stability assessments. Given the considerable size and extensive interconnectedness of NBFIs within the financial system, as well as their susceptibility to market vulnerabilities, the authorities should continue strengthening the oversight framework for NBFIs. Key priorities include: (i) finalizing the supervisory order on the stress-testing framework for insurance and pension firms; (ii) developing a framework for systemic risk assessment that covers both banks and NBFIs; and (iii) ensuring that insurance and pension companies provide clear advice to clients about financial and longevity risks when selling non-guaranteed products.
    4. Addressing outstanding recommendations in the 2020 Financial Stability Assessment Program would further strengthen financial sector oversight and crisis management. The authorities have made significant strides in implementing numerous recommendations, especially in bank and insurance supervision and systemic liquidity. Important outstanding recommendations relate to systemic risk oversight and the governance of the resolution authorities.

    Pursuing structural reforms

    1. Structural reforms should be further intensified to sustain high levels of income, preserve fiscal space, and sustain the welfare state. Over the past several decades, Denmark has benefited significantly from globalization, including reduced trade barriers and expanded global value chains. However, these conditions may shift due to rising geopolitical and trade tensions. An aging population would also weigh on potential growth. All these concerns underscore the pressing need for Denmark to reinforce structural reform efforts. Specifically,
    • Strengthening policies to support entrepreneurship while harnessing the benefits of digitalization and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Staff welcomes the progress made in implementing a new entrepreneurship strategy launched in June 2024 to support start-ups and scale-ups. Denmark excels in digitalization and is well-positioned to leverage the benefits of AI. In this regard, the authorities should continue reviewing the legal and technical barriers to AI adoption while ensuring sound ethical principles. While Denmark’s flexicurity model is well-suited to facilitate possible labor reallocation across sectors, the implications of digital technologies on labor markets, including job displacement, should be closely monitored.
    • Continuing efforts to ensure a sufficient labor supply with the right skills, such as IT, health, and long-term care professionals. The authorities’ ongoing focus on labor market reforms is appropriate, including recent initiatives to (i) reform education curricula to equip students with digitalization skills; (ii) enhance vocational education and training; and (iii) make the active labor market policy framework more cost-effective while maintaining the strengths of the Danish flexicurity model. Other policy priorities include: (i) aligning the foreign worker recruitment schemes, especially the salary requirement limit and the positive list, with labor market needs; and (ii) ensuring the effectiveness of integration programs to help foreign workers and families successfully integrate into Danish society.
    1. A deeper EU single market could boost Denmark’s business dynamism and potential growth. The EU single market, Denmark’s most important trade area, is fragmented. Deepening EU integration will enhance the benefits of economies of scale and network effects, thus expanding the market for Danish businesses. Simultaneously, the authorities should make efforts to reduce domestic regulatory burdens on businesses (e.g., reporting requirements) while balancing the costs and benefits of these regulations. Denmark’s commitment to supporting multilateral and transparent trade policies that promote mutually beneficial cooperation in global trade, knowledge, and investment flows is commendable.
    2. Strengthening climate adaptation will support sustainable growth. Due to its coastal location and flat topography, Denmark is particularly vulnerable to sea level rise, storm surges, and coastal erosion, necessitating a well-designed long-term adaptation plan. The government is developing National Climate Adaptation Plan II, which focuses on enhanced coastal and groundwater protection, urban flood management, and the assessment of infrastructure needs, including financing responsibilities among central and local governments and the private sector. Simultaneously, the authorities are encouraged to reform the property insurance scheme (“Storm Surge Scheme”) to make insurance premiums risk-based.

    The mission thanks the authorities and private sector counterparts for their accommodative flexibility, warm hospitality, and candid and high-quality discussions. The IMF team is especially grateful to the Danmarks Nationalbank for its assistance with meeting and logistical arrangements.

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER: Boris Balabanov

    Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/05/12/mcs-denmark-staff-concluding-statement-of-the-2025-article-iv-mission

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: 13 May 2025 Departmental update WHO publishes surgical sub-group membership for caesarean section recommendations

    Source: World Health Organisation

    Caesarean sections are the most frequent major abdominal surgery performed in the world today. The worldwide proportion of women who give birth by caesarean section has steadily increased from 6% in 1990 to 21% in 2018 and is estimated to reach 30% in 2030.  Projections indicate that 38 million women will give birth by caesarean section in 2030, and 88% of these operations will occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

    A caesarean section is a complex operation that requires a series of preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative steps that can be broadly classified into surgical, medical and anaesthetic interventions. As with any surgery, caesarean sections are associated with short- and long-term risks which can extend many years beyond the current delivery and affect the health of the woman, her child and future pregnancies. These risks are higher in women with limited access to comprehensive obstetric care. 

    To improve the quality of care, safety and efficiency, as well as training and research on caesarean sections, it is important to standardize practices based on the best available evidence. At present, there is no international evidence-based consensus about what precise steps should be used when performing a caesarean section, and wide variations exist in practices within and between surgeons, hospitals and countries.

    In this context, the World Health Organization (WHO) will develop recommendations for evidence-based interventions to conduct caesarean sections. The Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for WHO Maternal and Perinatal Health (MPH) guidelines prioritized the development of this guideline in May 2024.

    A Guideline Development Group (GDG) meeting of a surgical subgroup will be held from 10 to 12 June 2025 to review and agree on the surgical interventions to be addressed in these forthcoming recommendations. In keeping with the requirements of the WHO Guidelines Review Committee and the WHO Compliance, Risk Management and Ethics Office, we are posting online short biographies of the GDG members. The listed candidates have also submitted a Declaration of Interest form stating any conflict of interests. WHO has applied its internal processes to ensure that the performance of the above tasks by members of this group will be transparent and without any significant conflict of interests (academic, financial or other) that could affect the credibility of the guideline.

    Nevertheless, WHO invites the public to review the experts and stakeholders involved and provide feedback regarding any member deemed to have a significant conflict of interest with respect to the terms of reference for this group. Comments and feedback should be cordial and constructive, and sent to srhmph@who.int.

    This WHO normative meeting is by invitation only.

    NOTE:

    The GDG members are participating in the meeting on their individual capacity. Affiliations are presented only as a reference. The participation of experts in a WHO meeting does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by WHO nor does it create a binding relationship between the experts and WHO. The biographies have been provided by the experts themselves and are the sole responsibility of the inpiduals concerned. WHO is not responsible for the accuracy, veracity and completeness of the information provided. In accordance with WHO conflict of interest assessment policy, expert’s biographies are published for transparency purposes. Comments and perceptions are brought to the knowledge of WHO through the public notice and comment process.   

    Comments sent to WHO are treated confidentially and their receipt will be acknowledged through a generic email notification to the sender. Please send any comments to the following email: srhmph@who.int. WHO reserves the right to discuss information received through this process with the relevant expert with no attribution to the provider of such information. Upon review and assessment of the information received through this process, WHO, in its sole discretion, may take appropriate management of conflicts of interests in accordance with its policies. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Using TheirStory to Help Tell Our Stories

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    UConn professor and Associate Director of Africana Studies, Fiona Vernal, is making strides to preserve oral histories from Connecticut communities using a platform called TheirStory.

    TheirStory is an oral history platform and was created during the pandemic. CEO Zack Ellis founded the company as a way to preserve his own family histories.

    The platform has grown since its inception and is supported by a nationwide network of universities and historical organizations from UConn to UCLA. It has features to take people through every step of the process of oral history preservation. Users can record, transcribe, index, organize and more to tailor and share their oral histories.

    “There are many, many ways that you can record. Recording has never been the problem when it comes to collecting stories. It’s always what happens after you record,” says Vernal.  “How do you transcribe it? How do you share it? How do you produce it? How do you package it for preservation? TheirStory fits into that ecosystem by providing the last 50% of the miles that you need for processing.”

    Vernal began working with Ellis and TheirStory in 2022. She was working on a project in Hartford on West Indian, African American, and Puerto Rican migrations to the city and received a call from Ellis. “I had been doing oral histories, but experiencing the same bottlenecks as everyone does,” says Vernal. “I ran my oral histories through TheirStory, and I was a convert immediately.”

    “I had a vision for how to share this resource with other folks who were doing the same kind of work,” Vernal says. “If you don’t have a good way to process and generate a transcript, an index and a summary, it’s very difficult to do anything. And it was my mission to try and change that landscape.”

    A State with Many Stories to Tell 

    Vernal and UConn began a partnership with Connecticut Humanities a year later. Vernal scaled her use of the platform from a personal level to a statewide collaboration between UConn, Connecticut Humanities, and the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History.

    “One of the things that the UConn strategic plan does is that it forces us, as faculty, to figure out what statewide service we can provide to citizens,” Vernal says. “As a state entity, we owe it to the citizens, right? I take it as a serious charge and responsibility that UConn should be benefiting the state.”

    Vernal credits Connecticut Humanities for helping expand her individual license as a researcher into a state license for anyone in Connecticut. The Connecticut Museum of Culture and History also helped expand this program into a statewide initiative, “Not just in terms of visibility, but also in terms of service,” says Vernal.

    The Connecticut Museum of Culture and History had a COVID-era oral history project about the impact of the pandemic on the state. “They were at the beginning of a new oral history project that was more expansive, and not just focused on COVID, so it made sense for them to be our partners as well,” Vernal says.

    The state license for oral history gives everyone in the state free access to the platform. It gives museums, libraries, students, community organizations and more the ability to learn more and utilize information on oral histories around the state.

    One of the pilot projects UConn and Vernal worked on included an oral history project for the Connecticut River Museum’s 50th anniversary. Another was for the Mather Homestead in Darien, “Which involves a house museum connected to the Mather lineage of Increase and Cotton Mather in the 1600s,” says Vernal. The Mather family donated their home to become a museum, and they wanted to gather oral histories of the family for the archives.

    Vernal also worked with the Windsor Historical Society, “which was looking at African American civic engagement in the town of Windsor, and also celebrating its own hundredth anniversary,” Vernal says.

    Connecticut is rich in both history and communities with rich traditions, as the projects Vernal has been involved with demonstrate. At the Enfield Historical Society, there is an exhibition about African American Heritage. In Bloomfield, an exhibit on the town’s African American, Jewish and West Indian heritage will premiere in September 2025. The Caribbean Heritage Museum will open in October to overlap with Founders Day at the West Indian Social Club of Hartford.

    “They are my longest-running collaborators,” says Vernal. “I’ve been collaborating with them since I was in graduate school, and they’re going to lend me a segment of the club to transform it into a permanent gallery for a Caribbean Heritage Museum. Folks can come and have that experience and figure out why Connecticut has West Indians as the largest foreign-born population.”  It will be the first Caribbean Heritage Museum in the Northeast.

    ‘History is Unfolding Now’

    Since activating the state license for the platform, Vernal and UConn have reported 107 projects signed up on TheirStory. Of those, about 50% are active, which means that people working on those stories are actively doing interviews and processing oral histories. “We thought we would get 50, and we’ve more than doubled that,” says Vernal. “For me, that’s been a resounding success.”

    For people who want to share their own stories, Vernal describes the process as “frictionless.” “If you know how to use Zoom, then the barriers to entry are very low,” she says. “You get a link, curate your background for lighting and make sure you look the way you want to look, and then you can focus on being the center of attention for the moment without having to worry about controls.” The people at TheirStory and UConn take care of all the logistical matters, while participating individuals are only responsible for sharing their history.

    Vernal is not worried about people fabricating their stories on the platform. “My mantra is that everyone is an expert in their own life story,” she says. “They might not be an expert into the statistical significance of their experiences, but they’re certainly an expert in their own life experiences and their own emotions.”

    The access to these stories is something Vernal is excited about. “We have the State Historical Society, which is well-staffed, and then we have something like the Wintonbury Historical Society, which is all volunteer. So organizations that are poorly staffed or well-endowed can all use this platform and move forward with building up their collection,” says Vernal. “I like that leveling effect, because that’s what investment in infrastructure should do. It should make it possible that no matter what your entry point is, no matter what your size is, you’re getting the skills, training and software that you need to be successful in your specific mission. Whether you’re the kid who wants to interview your parent or you are the organization that wants to do 500 oral histories, you both get exactly what you need to be successful.

    “I want to make the official case for oral histories as a way to build inclusive collections that help you document the ‘now.’ UConn has a tradition of robust support for oral history; this is part of our roots and our heritage,” says Vernal. “Organizations are obsessed with documents from the 1600s, 1700s, 1800s and the 1900s. History is unfolding now, we’re living through historic times now. We need to document these stories in real time, and oral histories can do that.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: CMS Moves to Shut Down Medicaid Loophole—Protects Vulnerable Americans, Saves Billions

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services

    The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule that would close a Medicaid tax loophole exploited by states to inflate federal payments to states, and free up state funds for non-Medicaid purposes.  Some states have exploited these tax loopholes to take money from federal taxpayers and then simultaneously spent “state” money on new benefits for illegal immigrants. This regulatory move is projected to save taxpayers more than $30 billion over five years and continues CMS’ work in ensuring this vital safety net continues to be available for the country’s most vulnerable populations in the future.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Preserving Medicaid Funding for Vulnerable Populations – Closing a Health Care-Related Tax Loophole Proposed Rule

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services

    Section 1902(a)(2) of the Social Security Act (the Act) requires states to share the responsibility of financing the Medicaid program with the federal government, by providing at least 40 percent, depending on the state, of reimbursement for expenditures under the state plan. There are several ways states can finance the non-Federal share, including health care-related taxes under section 1903(w) of the Act. States have historically looked for ways to shift this responsibility more toward the federal government, and both Congress and CMS have sought to address these cases.[1]

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: CMS Releases Draft Guidance for the Third Cycle of Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program to Lower Drug Prices for American Patients

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services

    The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is issuing draft guidance for public comment on the third cycle of negotiations under the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program (Negotiation Program). The draft guidance includes policies that will improve the transparency of the Negotiation Program, prioritize the selection of prescription drugs with high costs to the Medicare program, and minimize any negative impacts of the negotiated maximum fair price (MFP) on pharmaceutical innovation within the United States.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: After more than a decade of little change, U.S. electricity consumption is rising again

    Source: US Energy Information Administration

    In-brief analysis

    May 13, 2025

    In our latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, we forecast U.S. annual electricity consumption will increase in 2025 and 2026, surpassing the all-time high reached in 2024. This growth contrasts with the trend of relatively flat electricity demand between the mid-2000s and early 2020s. Much of the recent and forecasted growth in electricity consumption is coming from the commercial sector, which includes data centers, and the industrial sector, which includes manufacturing establishments.

    U.S. electricity consumption was essentially flat for nearly two decades. Electricity demand increases generally associated with population growth and economic growth were offset by efficiency improvements and other structural changes in the economy, such as the transition from manufacturing to service sectors that tend to consume less energy. Total electricity consumption includes sales to ultimate customers in the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors, and—to a lesser extent—sales to public transportation customers and the direct use of electricity at industrial facilities that produce power.

    More recently, U.S. electricity consumption has increased since a relative low point in 2020. From 2020 through the end of our short-term forecast in 2026, we expect electricity consumption to grow at an average rate of 1.7% per year. The commercial and industrial sectors grow faster in the forecast, at an average of 2.6% and 2.1% per year, respectively. Forecast electricity sales to the residential sector, which largely depend on year-to-year temperature fluctuations, grow on average 0.7% between 2020 and 2026.

    Expected electricity demand growth is spurring expansion in generating capacity and electricity storage. Much of this additional capacity is from solar and battery storage facilities. The new generating capacity is concentrated in Texas, California, the upper Midwest, and the Northeast.

    Electric utilities, grid operators, regulators, and other stakeholders are also committing to energy efficiency and demand response programs, according to analysis conducted by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and based on our utility spending data. In addition, utilities are expanding networks of high-voltage transmission lines to maintain system balancing and to ensure reliable electric service.

    Principal contributors: Mark Schipper, Tyler Hodge

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: What They’re Saying: Investing in NYC Transportation

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul recently signed new legislation as part of the FY26 Enacted Budget to make transformative investments in transportation infrastructure. In keeping with her record of leading on pro-transit investments, the FY26 Enacted Budget includes historic investments in New York City’s public transportation system with the biggest capital investment in New York’s transportation history by fully funding the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) $68.4 billion 2025-29 Capital Plan.

    State Senator Jeremy Cooney said, “Millions of New Yorkers rely on the MTA every day, both passengers downstate and manufacturers upstate who rely on MTA contracts to support their employees. This budget is forward thinking about the future needs of the MTA and I’m grateful for Governor Hochul’s leadership in making these investments possible to create the kind of modern system New Yorkers deserve.”

    State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal said, “A functioning public transit system is essential to a functioning New York City and State. I applaud Governor Hochul, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, and Speaker Heastie for working together to fully fund the MTA’s $68.4 billion Capital Plan. Under this agreement we will be able to make more subway stations accessible, including many stations in my district, modernize the signal system to reduce wait times, and purchase more electric buses. These changes will make a tremendous difference to the millions of people across the tristate area who use our public transit system every single day.”

    State Senator Andrew Gounardes said, “It’s never been more important to invest in our transit system. With so much uncertainty in Washington, New Yorkers are looking to us to offer the safe, reliable, accessible service that they need and deserve. That means new trains, upgraded signals, and long-overdue investments in station elevators and other improvements. This is a long-term investment in the future of our city, our economy and our communities, and I’m glad to work with Governor Hochul and my colleagues in the legislature to deliver it.”

    State Senator Robert Jackson said, “Our subways and buses are not luxuries—they are lifelines. Fully funding the MTA’s Capital Plan is more than an investment in concrete and steel; it’s a commitment to working people, to mobility, to equity. For the essential workers who kept this city alive, for the students racing to class, for the elders who deserve dignity in every ride—this is what putting people first looks like. This robust investment will help the MTA deliver on that promise: expanding ADA accessibility at subway stations across the district I serve, upgrading to clean electric bus fleets, and strengthening the rails and roads that keep my constituents moving. I’m proud to support a plan that moves New Yorkers forward—not just in transit, but in justice.”

    State Senator Cordell Cleare said, “We are hoping that this funding will extend to much needed projects like the Second Avenue Subway expansion, and other long-requested and necessary MTA accessibility upgrades and transportation alternatives, plus efforts to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and pressing forward with modernizing the subway system and improving overall air quality. My constituents in the 30th District are awaiting the implementation of these improvements.”

    State Senator Kristen Gonzalez said, “I’m proud to have advocated for the full funding of the $68 billion MTA Capital Plan. This pro-transit investment will result in infrastructure improvements that will benefit my constituents, including Midtown tunnel upgrades and Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) modernization. I’m grateful to advocates, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, and Governor Hochul for this funding to move our city and state forward.”

    Assemblymember Deborah J. Glick said, “The MTA is vital not only to New York City residents who depend on it for their daily commute, but for the entire metro area. Many New Yorkers rely on the MTA to enter the city to work, dine, and recreate. Fully funding the MTA capital plan will provide the resources that are needed to expand and modernize services, while increasing the environmental benefits gained by supporting a reliable public transit system. I thank Governor Hochul for her work in securing this critical funding.”

    Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte-Hermelyn said, “Public transportation is critical for many of my constituents, and for the millions of New Yorkers (and beyond) who rely on MTA’s infrastructure to keep moving forward. I applaud Governor Hochul and my colleagues for passing this legislation to make critical, record-high investments to improve transit for all New Yorkers, with a fully-funded 2025-29 Capital Plan. These prudent policies and transformative investments will ensure New York City’s largest public transportation system is continually improving, modernizing, and making our commutes better – all while creating good-paying jobs.”

    Assemblymember Yudelka Tapia said, “This historic investment in our transit infrastructure is a game changer for the Bronx. Fully funding the MTA’s Capital Plan means safer and more reliable service for our residents who rely on public transportation every day. I’m proud to support a budget that delivers the resources our communities need.”

    Assemblymember Brian Cunningham said, “A fully funded MTA Capital Plan is an important step toward delivering the transit improvements our communities deserve. For residents in my district, systemwide investments in accessibility and upgraded infrastructure will mean more dependable service and stronger connections to opportunity. The Interborough Express will bring new, much-needed transit options to Brooklyn residents who have long lacked efficient cross-borough service. This plan lays the groundwork for meaningful improvements in my district of Crown Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Flatbush, as well as across New York City’s transit system.”

    Assemblymember Tony Simone said, “The 2025-2029 MTA Capital Plan is essential for both riders and our local economy. This historic investment by Governor Hochul and the Legislature will address the significant infrastructure issues our aging system faces, enabling it to make large strides towards becoming a truly 21st century system worthy of our great city.”

    Assemblymember George Alvarez said, “I want to thank Governor Hochul for her strong support for, and meaningful investment in, New York City’s public transit system. The Governor clearly understands that improvements in transit translate to more opportunity, a better quality-of-life, and a stronger economy for all New Yorkers.”

    New York City Comptroller Brad Lander said, “For decades, Albany underfunded the MTA and neglected the needs of our transit system, creating a multibillion-dollar backlog of deferred maintenance that led to several preventable system failures — most notably, the infamous ‘Summer of Hell’ in 2017. By fully funding the 2025-2029 Capital Plan, the FY2026 Budget brings much-needed stability to the MTA’s finances and will deliver billions in subway accessibility, safety, and state-of-good repair improvements. Thanks to the efforts of Governor Hochul and the Legislature, a more accessible, reliable, and safer transit system is finally within reach.”

    Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine said, “There is no New York City without mass transit, so I am thrilled that this year’s state budget will fully fund the MTA’s 2025-29 Capital Plan. This plan will improve service, safety, and reliability for the millions of New Yorkers who take transit every day, with investments like making at least 60 stations fully accessible, modernizing signals to speed up service, replacing 40+ year old subway cars, and more. I commend the Governor, legislature, and MTA for getting this done.”

    New York City Council Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala said, “I commend Governor Hochul for her leadership and commitment to strengthening public transit infrastructure across New York City. The full funding of the MTA’s $68.4 billion Capital Plan marks a historic investment that will directly benefit the people of East Harlem and the South Bronx—communities that rely heavily on our transit system every single day. This funding will improve service, accessibility, and safety, helping to close long-standing transit equity gaps and ensuring that our constituents can commute, work, and live with the reliability and dignity they deserve.”

    Council Member Gale Brewer said, “This investment in the MTA is a huge win for New Yorkers who rely on public transit every day. Fully funding the Capital Plan means safer, more reliable service, and long-overdue upgrades that will benefit every borough. I thank Governor Hochul for her leadership and continued commitment to a more equitable, accessible, and resilient transportation system.”

    Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA Executive Director Lisa Daglian said, “The region’s riders have a lot to be thankful for in the state budget. Governor Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Heastie clearly understand the importance of the MTA to the millions of New Yorkers who use transit everyday, to our economy, and to employers across New York State. We are grateful for their steadfast support. Fully funding the 2025-29 MTA Capital Plan ensures the $1.5 trillion asset that keeps our region moving is kept in a state of good repair and brought into the 21st century – especially important in light of unwarranted threats to transportation programs from the federal government. Funding critical safety programs and support services will help riders feel and be safe underground — progressing what we have already begun to see. We look forward to continuing to work with Governor Hochul and the Legislature to advance more equitable access to affordable transit, especially for the New Yorkers who need it most.”

    Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Ben Furnas said, “A fully-funded MTA Capital Plan is existential for the future of our city. Congratulations to Governor Hochul and the legislature for their leadership. New York as we know it is only possible with mass transit. Our bridges and subways need to be brought into a state of good repair, and we need to be able to expand bus and train service in order to grow as a city without adding more cars to the road.”

    Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled Executive Director Joe Rappaport said, “A fully funded 2025-2029 capital budget means the MTA will meet its legal requirement to add elevators at dozens of stations across the city. It will get the MTA closer to meeting its ultimate goal of making virtually all subway stations accessible, as it agreed to do as part of a 2022 settlement with disability advocates, including BCID. It’ll also pay for other improvements that all riders need, whether or not they have a disability. We applaud Gov. Hochul’s and the legislature’s vision in passing this vitally needed funding.”

    Regional Plan Association President and CEO Tom Wright said, “As RPA’s recent research has shown, the 2025-2029 MTA Capital Plan will enable the region’s 2.1 million riders who live in the MTA service area and regularly take transit to work to earn $187 billion in wages, powering the economy of the New York region. Thanks to the determination and dedication of Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature, all the region’s riders will be able to rely on the vital infrastructure investments secured in this year’s New York State budget that will make taking transit more reliable, comfortable, safe, and accessible.”

    Riders Alliance Executive Director Betsy Plum said, “Public transit riders organized and Governor Hochul and the legislature heard us loud and clear. This budget builds on New York’s successful congestion relief program to keep fixing the subway that millions of us depend on every day. We’re grateful to the governor for her leadership in funding and maintaining a safe, affordable, reliable, accessible public transit system for all New Yorkers.”

    General Contractors Association of New York Executive Director Robert G. Wessels said, “We have worked hard in Albany, Washington, and right here in New York City to support funding for many MTA Capital Programs since its first five year plan in 1982, yet this one is particularly satisfying given its extraordinary level of investment. We commend the Governor for her efforts in getting this done, and our over 250 members and 25,000 skilled trades workers look forward to continuing to help New York rebuild and expand the nation’s premier transportation system.”

    New York Building Congress President and CEO Carlo Scissura said, “We are thrilled to see our partners in state government heed our industry’s call to ensure the MTA gets the funding it needs for the world class transit future New Yorkers deserve. Fully funding the MTA’s 2025–2029 Capital Program in the State Budget will generate over $106 billion in economic activity and support nearly 73,000 good-paying jobs across New York State, while delivering much-needed improvements to our transit infrastructure. The Capital Plan is essential to the continued growth of the region and is one of our strongest economic drivers. Building Congress members are ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work building a transportation network we can continue to be proud of. We thank Governor Hochul, Speaker Heastie, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, and the entire legislature for their leadership and commitment to New York’s future.”

    Felice Farber Executive Director Subcontractors Trade Association said, “We applaud Governor Hochul, Speaker Heastie, Majority Leader Stewart Cousins and the state legislature for their leadership in passing a budget that fully funds the MTA capital program. This critical investment not only ensures a safer, more reliable, and modernized transit system for millions of New Yorkers, but also fuels job growth and economic opportunity across the state. For subcontractors and small businesses, full funding means expanded access to projects, more predictable work pipelines, and a stronger foundation for long-term growth and innovation in the transportation infrastructure sector.”

    American Institute of Architects New York Chapter Executive Director Jesse Lazar said, “AIANY applauds Governor Hochul, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Speaker Heastie, and the Members of the New York State Legislature for their demonstrated commitment to our public transportation system. This investment in the 2025-2029 Capital Plan will have critical impacts on the resiliency of our transit system with signal modernization and new rail cars as well as valuable expansion projects such as the Interborough Express. The design community is eager to continue its work with the MTA to ensure our region’s infrastructure is well-maintained and quality is prioritized.”

    Real Estate Board of New York President Jim Whelan said, “A world class transit infrastructure network is essential for attracting and retaining residents and businesses, and will help encourage investment for new real estate developments. REBNY commends the Governor and State Legislature for outlining a sustainable funding plan for the MTA as part of the budget.”

    Associated General Contractors of New York State President and CEO Mike Elmendorf said, “The fact that the enacted state budget fully funds the MTA Capital Program is welcome news for New York’s commuters and economy. This, coupled with the budget’s inclusion of increased funding for core NYSDOT capital needs and for local roads and bridges—highlights just how critical infrastructure is to our communities and economy. We commend Governor Hochul and the Legislature for recognizing this reality and for their forward-looking action.”

    American Council of Engineering Companies of New York President and CEO John T. Evers said, “New York’s economic future depends on the efficiency and effectiveness of our transportation systems, and that’s why we would like to applaud the steadfast leadership of Governor Kathy Hochul and our legislative leaders for their diligent work to significantly increase in the budget of $800 million for the state Department of Transportation’s Capital Plan and adopt the five-year MTA Capital Plan. This funding will enable necessary upgrades to our aging network of roads, bridges and tunnels statewide, ensuring millions of New Yorkers can move forward in a safer and more sustainable manner. Improving our infrastructure means improving our quality of life, and as leaders in design and engineering, our members commend our government partners for securing the funds to better protect generations to come.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why protecting wildland is crucial to American freedom and identity

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Leisl Carr Childers, Associate Professor of History, Colorado State University

    The Wet Beaver Wilderness in Coconino National Forest in Arizona is one of many designated wilderness areas in the U.S. Deborah Lee Soltesz

    As summer approaches, millions of Americans begin planning or taking trips to state and national parks, seeking to explore the wide range of outdoor recreational opportunities across the nation. A lot of them will head toward the nation’s wilderness areas – 110 million acres, mostly in the West, that are protected by the strictest federal conservation rules.

    When Congress passed the Wilderness Act in 1964, it described wilderness areas as places that evoked mystery and wonder, “where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” These are wild landscapes that present nature in its rawest form.

    The law requires the federal government to protect these areas “for the permanent good of the whole people.” Wilderness areas are found in national parks, conservation land overseen by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, national forests and U.S. Fish and Wildlife refuges.

    In early May 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives began to consider allowing the sale of federal lands in six counties in Nevada and Utah, five of which contain wilderness areas. Ostensibly, these sales are to promote affordable housing, but the reality is that the proposal, introduced by U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei, a Nevada Republican, is a departure from the standard process of federal land exchanges that accommodate development in some places but protect wilderness in others.

    Regardless of whether Americans visit their public lands or know when they have crossed a wilderness boundary, as environmental historians we believe that everyone still benefits from the existence and protection of these precious places.

    This belief is an idea eloquently articulated and popularized 65 years ago by the noted Western writer Wallace Stegner. His eloquence helped launch the modern environmental movement and gave power to the idea that the nation’s public lands are a fundamental part of the United States’ national identity and a cornerstone of American freedom.

    Humble origins

    In 1958, Congress established the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission to examine outdoor recreation in the U.S. in order to determine not only what Americans wanted from the outdoors, but to consider how those needs and desires might change decades into the future.

    One of the commission’s members was David E. Pesonen, who worked at the Wildland Research Center at the University of California at Berkeley. He was asked to examine wilderness and its relationship to outdoor recreation. Pesonen later became a notable environmental lawyer and leader of the Sierra Club. But at the time, Pesonen had no idea what to say about wilderness.

    However, he knew someone who did. Pesonen had been impressed by the wild landscapes of the American West in Stegner’s 1954 history “Beyond the Hundredth Meridian: John Wesley Powell and the Second Opening of the West.” So he wrote to Stegner, who at the time was at Stanford University, asking for help in articulating the wilderness idea.

    Stegner’s response, which he said later was written in a single afternoon, was an off-the-cuff riff on why he cared about preserving wildlands. This letter became known as the Wilderness Letter and marked a turning point in American political and conservation history.

    Pesonen shared the letter with the rest of the commission, which also shared it with newly installed Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall. Udall found its prose to be so profound, he read it at the seventh Wilderness Conference in 1961 in San Francisco, a speech broadcast by KCBS, the local FM radio station. The Sierra Club published the letter in the record of the conference’s proceedings later that year.

    But it was not until its publication in The Washington Post on June 17, 1962, that the letter reached a national audience and captured the imagination of generations of Americans.

    Wallace Stegner, right, knew the power of American wilderness landscapes. In this photo, probably from the 1950s, he pauses with his son Page and wife, Mary, on a Yosemite National Park hiking trail.
    Multimedia Archives, Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah

    An eloquent appeal

    In the letter, Stegner connected the idea of wilderness to a fundamental part of American identity. He called wilderness “something that has helped form our character and that has certainly shaped our history as a people … the challenge against which our character as a people was formed … (and) the thing that has helped to make an American different from and, until we forget it in the roar of our industrial cities, more fortunate than other men.”

    Without wild places, he argued, the U.S. would be just like every other overindustrialized place in the world.

    In the letter, Stegner expressed little concern with how wilderness might support outdoor recreation on public lands. He didn’t care whether wilderness areas had once featured roads, trails, homesteads or even natural resource extraction. What he cared about was Americans’ freedom to protect and enjoy these places. Stegner recognized that the freedom to protect, to restrain ourselves from consuming, was just as important as the freedom to consume.

    Perhaps most importantly, he wrote, wilderness was “an intangible and spiritual resource,” a place that gave the nation “our hope and our excitement,” landscapes that were “good for our spiritual health even if we never once in ten years set foot in it.”

    Without it, Stegner lamented, “never again will Americans be free in their own country from the noise, the exhausts, the stinks of human and automotive waste.” To him, the nation’s natural cathedrals and the vaulted ceiling of the pure blue sky are Americans’ sacred spaces as much as the structures in which they worship on the weekends.

    Stegner penned the letter during a national debate about the value of preserving wild places in the face of future development. “Something will have gone out of us as a people,” he wrote, “if we ever let the remaining wilderness be destroyed.” If not protected, Stegner believed these wildlands that had helped shape American identity would fall to what he viewed as the same exploitative forces of unrestrained capitalism that had industrialized the nation for the past century. Every generation since has an obligation to protect these wild places.

    Stegner’s Wilderness Letter became a rallying cry to pass the Wilderness Act. The closing sentences of the letter are Stegner’s best: “We simply need that wild country available to us, even if we never do more than drive to its edge and look in. For it can be a means of reassuring ourselves of our sanity as creatures, a part of the geography of hope.”

    This phrase, “the geography of hope,” is Stegner’s most famous line. It has become shorthand for what wilderness means: the wildlands that defined American character on the Western frontier, the wild spaces that Americans have had the freedom to protect, and the natural places that give Americans hope for the future of this planet.

    Death Valley National Park in California contains one of the largest protected wilderness areas in the United States.
    National Park Service/E. Letterman

    America’s ‘best idea’

    Stegner returned to themes outlined in the Wilderness Letter again two decades later in his essay “The Best Idea We Ever Had: An Overview,” published in Wilderness magazine in spring 1983.

    Writing in response to the Reagan administration’s efforts to reduce protection of the National Park System, Stegner declared that the parks were “Absolutely American, absolutely democratic.” He said they reflect us as a nation, at our best rather than our worst, and without them, millions of Americans’ lives, his included, would have been poorer.

    Public lands are more than just wilderness or national parks. They are places for work and play. They provide natural resources, wildlife habitat, clean air, clean water and recreational opportunities to small towns and sprawling metro areas alike. They are, as Stegner said, cures for cynicism and places of shared hope.

    Stegner’s words still resonate as Americans head for their public lands and enjoy the beauty of the wild places protected by wilderness legislation this summer. With visitor numbers increasing annually and agency budgets at historic lows, we believe it is useful to remember how precious these places are for all Americans. And we agree with Stegner that wilderness, public lands writ large, are more valuable to Americans’ collective identity and expression of freedom than they are as real estate that can be sold or commodities that can be extracted.

    Leisl Carr Childers has received funding from the USDA Forest Service, the Henry Luce Foundation, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and Charles Redd Center for Western Studies.

    Michael Childers has received funding from the USDA Forest Service, the Henry Luce Foundation, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies.

    – ref. Why protecting wildland is crucial to American freedom and identity – https://theconversation.com/why-protecting-wildland-is-crucial-to-american-freedom-and-identity-254862

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –