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Category: Transport

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Piero Cipollone: From dependency to autonomy: the role of a digital euro in the European payment landscape

    Source: European Central Bank

    Introductory statement by Piero Cipollone, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, at the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs of the European Parliament

    Brussels, 23 September 2024

    It is a pleasure to be here today to meet the new members of this Committee and to update you on the status of the digital euro project. Let me also congratulate Madame Lalucq on her election as ECON Chair.

    The ECB appreciates the open and valuable exchanges we have had with the ECON Committee on the digital euro since the beginning of the project. I am fully committed to continuing these exchanges and look forward to our future discussions.

    Today I will focus on three key areas. First, Europe’s dependency on foreign players for retail payments. Second, the benefits of a digital euro for everyone, including consumers, merchants and banks. And third, the progress we have made on the digital euro project so far.

    Foreign dominance in the European payment landscape

    Fast-forward to the year 2030. Imagine you are at the football World Cup in Spain. You want to buy a drink, but you can only pay with Alipay. This scenario is not as far-fetched as it may seem: this summer, buying tickets for the European Football Championships in Germany was only possible with Chinese or American means of payment.

    Could you imagine this happening in the United States? Going to the finals of the American football league, for example, and having no American means of payment available? I certainly cannot.

    The Eurosystem will of course continue to ensure that people in Europe can pay with cash.[1] However, cash is becoming less and less popular as digital payments and online shopping grow.[2]

    For example, more and more people are buying their groceries online. But you can’t use cash to pay for these. More often than not, the only option is PayPal or an international card scheme like Visa or Mastercard.

    And more and more people are using digital wallets like PayPal or Apple Pay on their mobile phones. By 2027 these platforms are expected to handle 40% of e-commerce and 27% of in-store payments in Europe.[3]

    At the same time, the share of companies in the euro area not accepting cash has been increasing significantly.[4]

    These developments are contributing to the marginalisation of elderly and less tech-savvy people. They also make us dependent on non-European companies, which is risky.

    Imagine what would happen if you could not pay digitally. For example, two weeks ago significant parts of the European card payments market were shut down for almost an entire day.[5] Just like with electricity, gas or water, we don’t think about payments until they stop working. For energy, we had to learn this the hard way following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. For payments, we owe it to Europeans to do better.

    We need our own strong digital payments system.[6] We can achieve this by bringing central bank money into the digital era with the introduction of a digital euro: a digital form of cash, issued by the central bank and available to everyone in the euro area.[7]

    A digital euro would strengthen Europe’s financial sovereignty and resilience because it would be built with European technology and infrastructure. It would empower Europe to independently develop and manage digital payment solutions, supporting the further deepening of the Single Market.[8]

    But most importantly, the digital euro would offer tangible benefits to all stakeholders – consumers, merchants and banks.

    Benefits for European citizens

    We strongly support the Single Currency Package[9], which will ensure that cash remains widely accessible and accepted. At the same time, it will pave the way for a digital euro, which would take the advantages of cash into the digital world.

    Consumers could use a digital euro for all payments, everywhere in the euro area, also when shopping online. With a digital euro, making or receiving payments would be free of charge and as easy as using cash today. Consumers would need to use only one device and remember just one password. In addition, having a single means of payment for all circumstances would make it easier for users to have an overview of their expenditure.

    Importantly, a digital euro would seek to promote digital financial inclusion by ensuring that no one is left behind.[10] It would be accessible to everyone across the euro area, via a mobile app or a physical card, so everyone can choose the technology that they are most comfortable with, no matter how old or tech-savvy they are.

    Finally, a digital euro would offer the best possible privacy and data protection afforded by the current technology used in large payment systems.[11] From the outset, ensuring user privacy has been a central focus of the digital euro project.

    A digital euro would be available both online and offline.[12] With the offline functionality, users would enjoy cash-like privacy. The details of your offline payments would only be known to you and the recipient. For online payments, too, we would ensure that your personal data remain your own. The Eurosystem will not be able to identify you, nor directly link you to your payments.[13]

    New opportunities for merchants

    A digital euro would also bring new opportunities for European merchants.

    Right now, merchants in Europe are largely dependent on a handful of dominant online or card payment methods, often relying on non-European providers. International card schemes currently account for 64% of card transactions in the euro area.[14]

    This costs European merchants a lot of money. They collectively pay a significant amount each year to international card schemes like Visa or Mastercard. And the cost is mostly borne by smaller merchants, who incur charges three to four times higher than those of their larger competitors.[15]

    A digital euro would include safeguards for merchants by capping the fees they pay to banks for processing payments.[16] A digital euro would thus narrow the gap between what smaller and larger merchants are charged for digital payments.

    By providing a true alternative to existing payment solutions, a digital euro would also put all merchants, large and small, in a stronger position to negotiate better conditions with other providers. Finally, it could provide a safety net for merchants in case of network or power outages, thanks to its offline functionality.[17]

    Benefits for banks

    Banks would benefit too, particularly in our rapidly evolving payment landscape, in which new players – especially big tech companies from outside Europe – are increasingly entering the market. The banks would be remunerated for the services they offer, while the Eurosystem would cover the costs of the digital euro scheme and infrastructure.

    When you compare a digital euro with services like PayPal or Apple Pay, the benefits for banks become even clearer. For instance, banks do not earn anything if people top up their PayPal wallet via direct debit. And with Apple Pay, banks actually have to pay a fee just to let their cards be used in Apple Wallet.

    A digital euro would also open up a new source of revenue by allowing banks to provide value-added services to their customers.[18]

    We are working closely with the market to ensure that a digital euro leverages the existing standards as much as possible, which would keep costs down and support Europe’s competitive payment landscape.[19]

    Moreover, cards and applications currently available in only one or a handful of Member States could use these standards to reach customers across the euro area without the need to invest in new acceptance infrastructure. Therefore, a digital euro would mean that European payment service providers could offer their customers the convenience of using their product everywhere in the euro area – just like international card companies. It would also strengthen banks’ negotiating positions vis-à-vis these companies.

    Finally, banks and other payment service providers would be responsible for distributing a digital euro, thus serving as the sole point of contact for digital euro users. So a digital euro could help banks retain their customers in the face of growing payments competition.

    Project preparation phase at full speed

    Let me now give you a brief update on where we stand with the project.[20]

    We started the investigation phase back in 2021 and are now at the midpoint of the preparation phase, with roughly one more year to go.

    One of our key focus areas during this phase is to develop a methodology for determining the maximum amount of digital euro a person could hold at any time.[21] The holding limits are important to ensure financial stability and prevent large-scale transfers from bank deposits to digital euro, especially during crises.

    These limits would be high enough to avoid negatively affecting the digital euro user experience.[22]

    Experts from the ECB, the national central banks in the Eurosystem and national competent authorities, building on their unique know-how, have started to identify the factors that could influence the holding limit calibration, on the basis of three key areas defined in the draft Regulation: usability, monetary policy and financial stability.[23]

    While the exact holding limits would be defined closer to the potential launch and on the basis of a well-defined governance process enshrined in the draft Regulation,[24] we are committed to ensuring that our methodology would be predictable. This is why ECB experts regularly talk to consumers, merchants and financial institutions, to keep everyone updated on the technical work and to gather feedback.

    We are also working on finalising the digital euro rulebook, which will provide a clear set of rules and standards to ensure a consistent user experience across the euro area.[25] This will also help private companies roll out their own solutions.[26] We are working closely with all the representatives in the Rulebook Development Group, including consumers, retailers, banks and non-bank associations.

    In addition, we are currently in the process of selecting potential providers[27] who could develop a digital euro platform and infrastructure.[28]

    Finally, we are also looking closely at other key technical aspects, such as privacy and offline functionality. We will keep you updated on all these developments.

    By the end of 2025 the ECB’s Governing Council will decide whether to move to the next phase of the project. But the Governing Council will not take any decision about the issuance of a digital euro before the legislative act has been adopted.

    Conclusion

    To conclude, introducing a digital euro across the euro area would take time, but it is key for Europe’s future. Countries across the world are exploring retail central bank digital currencies. If we want to be standard-setters and keep our position among the frontrunners, we need to move swiftly.

    A digital euro is a common European project, which is why we are talking to all the relevant stakeholders and carefully listening to their views and concerns. I also remain committed to engaging regularly with the European Parliament.

    Introducing a digital euro that all banks and other providers make available to their customers and that all merchants accept, everywhere in the euro area, would take several years. Market participants need certainty to invest in the digital euro and this requires coordination between co-legislators and the central bank.

    I appreciate all the work that the ECON Committee has done on the digital euro so far. The legislative discussions are now in your hands. The ECB is of course ready to engage with the negotiating team and to provide continued technical support when needed.

    It is important that the legislative and technical work advance in parallel, swiftly and in close cooperation. Together, we can ensure that the digital euro strengthens Europe’s financial sovereignty and serves all its citizens.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: ASIA/ARAB EMIRATES – Bishop Martinelli closes the Jubilee of the Martyrs of Arabia: they are our roots

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    AVOSA

    Abu Dhabi (Agenzia Fides) – The Jubilee in honor of Saint Aretha and his Companions, Martyrs of Arabia, was also a precious opportunity to rediscover the long history of Christianity in Arabia, a history “rooted in the apostolic witness and saturated with the blood of the martyrs”. A source from which the composite and vibrant community of millions of Catholics today scattered in the various countries of the Arabian Peninsula can also draw. This is what the Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia, bishop Paolo Martinelli (ofm.Cap.), emphasized with an eye to the present and the future, who celebrated the closing Mass of the Jubilee year yesterday, Sunday 23 September. More than 3,000 Catholics took part in the solemn Mass at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Abu Dhabi, during which the Holy Door was closed.The Jubilee, which began on October 23, 2023 (see Fides, 20/10/2023 and 24/10/2023), was celebrated jointly by the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia (with the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Oman) and the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia (led by Bishop Aldo Berardi with Barhain, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia). The closing ceremony of the Jubilee in the Vicariate of Southern Arabia was brought forward because Bishop Martinelli will be in Rome in October for the assembly of the Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. In the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Arabia, a similar closing ceremony is planned for October 23.“The communion that the Catholic communities of the Arabian Peninsula have experienced through the joint celebration of the Jubilee Year,” said Bishop Martinelli in his homily, is one of the reasons why these saints are so important to us as “we come from many different countries, have different liturgical rites and spiritual traditions. Each of us has devotions to saints from our own culture and we may wish to celebrate them here as well. But Saint Arethas and his companions are saints of this land of Arabia in which we now live. Therefore, they are our saints, whom we all can celebrate in common” as “one Church, the Church of Arabia.” In fact, “coming to this country in the Gulf as migrants – insisted the Apostolic Vicar – we become an indivisible part of the history of this Church of Arabia, rooted in the Apostolic testimony and watered by the blood of the martyrs”.Saint Arethas and his Companions are venerated in all Catholic and Orthodox churches. Historical sources report that they were Arab Christians from the ancient Christian city of Najran in southern Arabia (in present-day Saudi Arabia) who were martyred in 523 AD. Arethas, whose Arabic name was Al-Harith bin Ka’b, was born in 427 AD and served as ruler of the predominantly Christian city until his martyrdom at the venerable age of ninety-five. In the 6th century, the king of Himyar (in modern-day Yemen), Dhu Nuwas, began a systematic persecution of Christians in southern Arabia, burning churches, forcing people to convert, and killing those who refused to renounce their Christian faith. Priests, deacons, nuns, and entire families—men, women, and children—were burned alive. According to tradition, the relics of Saint Arethas and his companions, the martyrs of Najran were kept in a magnificent cube-shaped shrine that became a popular pilgrimage site for Arab Christians in late antiquity. The shrine was destroyed in the 7th century when Christians were expelled from southern Arabia.The relics of Saint Arethas eventually found their way to Mount Athos in Greece. Their return to the Arabian Peninsula after nearly fourteen centuries is therefore considered an extraordinary blessing for today’s Christian communities in the Gulf. The Apostolic Penitentiary issued a decree authorizing the Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia, Bishop Aldo Berardi (O.S.S.T.), to impart the “Apostolic Blessing with Plenary Indulgence” by the Pope after the celebration of Holy Mass on an appropriate day of the Holy Year to “all the faithful present who are deeply contrite and moved by love.”At the end of the Jubilee, Bishop Martinelli also wrote the Pastoral Letter “Joy and Jubilee,” which was published yesterday, Sunday, September 22. In the Letter, the Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia reviews the Jubilee Year of Saint Aretha, describing the spiritual fruits it has brought to the Vicariate and invites prayer in the spirit of Pope Francis’ call for the Holy Year 2025.In the letter, Bishop Martinelli announces that the feast of Saint Aretha will be celebrated every year on October 24th from now on, to ask that the memory of the Arab martyrs continue to inspire and accompany the journey of Catholic communities. “They constitute a deep root of the tree in which we find ourselves today. We are called to inhabit with faith this land.” After celebrating the holy martyrs of Arabia for a whole year, it is now “easier to recognize that “being Christians in the Gulf means belonging to this Church in the Gulf. We are not only faithful who come from different churches: here, we all together form the Catholic Church in Arabia,” writes the bishop. Looking ahead to the upcoming Jubilee 2025, the Bishop invites everyone “to prepare well for the Holy Year 2025 by getting into the mode of prayer”, and summarizes the gestures and practices that in the spiritual life of the people of God unite prayer, Sacraments, reading of the Word. In this summary, he refers to the Our Father, the Liturgy of the Hours, personal prayer, the Rosary and Eucharistic Adoration. “Prayer,” underlines Bishop Martinelli, “is the request to keep alive the desire for God in daily life,” says Bishop Martinell, referring to Saint Augustine.As the Catholic community in the Gulf moves from one Jubilee to another, Archibishop Paolo’s letter recalls with gratitude the gifts received and shared during the Jubilee of the Martyrs of Arabia, and at the same time suggests the path to follow in the future.The Jubilee has brought together the entire Church of the Arabian Peninsula at its ancient source. “Individuals, families, groups, young people, associations and movements, children and the elderly: everyone came to celebrate the victory of these holy martyrs of Arabia through their pilgrimage to the Holy Door”. During the Jubilee year, the various communities in the United Arab Emirates and the Sultanate of Oman had the opportunity to host the relics of Saint Arethas. Many stressed that they had come to know the holy martyrs of Arabia only thanks to the Jubilee. “Every day”, recalled a woman cited by the Apostolic Vicariate in the testimonies collected and disseminated, “the priest told of the torments endured by Saint Arethas and his companions, and reported how their suffering was transformed into a beautiful crown for our Lord Jesus Christ. This touched me deeply, because I realized how easily we worry and lose ourselves over little things”. (GV) (Agenzia Fides, 23/9/2024)
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  • MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/DR CONGO – Appointment of bishop of Isiro-Niangara

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Monday, 23 September 2024

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Dieudonné Madrapile Tanzi as bishop of Isiro-Niangara, Democratic Republic of the Congo, transferring him from the pastoral care of the diocese of Isangi.Bishop Bishop Dieudonné Madrapile Tanzi was born on 18 August 1958 in Niangara. He received priestly ordination on 25 August 1985 for the diocese of Isiro-Niangara.After ordination, he first held the roles of formator in Rungu Minor Seminary (1985-1986), teacher and spiritual animator of the Saint Augustin Interdiocesan Major Seminary of philosophy, Kisangani (1986-1996), vicar general of the diocese of Isiro-Niangara (1996-2001), diocesan administrator of Isiro-Niangara (2001-2003), and rector of the Blessed Anuarite National Marian Shrine (2003-2006). After receiving a doctorate in missiology from the Pontifical Urbaniana University, Rome (2006-2013), he went on to serve as chaplain of the Daughters of Saint Mary of Providence, Opera Don Guanella, Rome, and professor of pastoral theology at the Pontifical Urbaniana University (2012-2016). Since 12 July 2024 he has been apostolic administrator of the diocese of Isiro-Niangara. He was elected bishop of Isangi on 2 April 2016 and consecrated on 10 July 2016. (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 23/9/2024)
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  • MIL-OSI Global: Inside the collapse of Disney’s America, the US history-themed park that almost was

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Jared Bahir Browsh, Assistant Teaching Professor of Critical Sports Studies, University of Colorado Boulder

    Disney has long promoted a sanitized and nostalgic view of American history. Bettmann/Getty Images

    As a top producer of children’s entertainment, Disney is no stranger to America’s culture wars.

    Liberals have long criticized the company for its products’ promotion of gender stereotypes and racist tropes. Meanwhile, conservatives have excoriated the company for being “too woke,” whether it was casting actresses of color in live action remakes of the “The Little Mermaid” and “Snow White” or coming out against a Florida statute that curtails discussion of gender and sexuality in public schools.

    As Disney CEO Bob Iger grapples with the unenviable task of navigating criticism from all sides, I can’t help but recall how executives decided to table an effort to “Disneyfy” American history 30 years ago.

    My research and teaching investigates how media companies such as Disney construct historical narratives for popular consumption. I can only imagine how today’s culture wars would have expressed themselves at Disney’s proposed theme park, which would have featured everything from Civil War forts to Native American villages.

    Disney eyes the outskirts of DC

    From his early days as an animator, Walt Disney presented a sanitized and nostalgic view of America.

    Mickey Mouse represented the “everyman,” while the company’s animators drew a largely optimistic portrait of America, first in the studio’s animated films and later in their theme parks. Anyone who has walked down Disneyland’s Main Street, U.S.A., witnessed Magic Kingdom’s Hall of Presidents or visited Epcot’s American Adventure can see how Disney strives to present an uncomplicated, uncritical view of the nation and its leaders.

    In 1984, Michael Eisner became the company’s CEO. He was credited with revitalizing Disney’s brand through producing hit animated features such as “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Little Mermaid,” and spearheading theme parks such as Disney–MGM Studios – now known as Hollywood Studios – and Disneyland Paris.

    Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner, seated on the left, appears with former President Ronald Reagan at a Disney World parade in 1990.
    Mike Guastella/WireImage via Getty Images

    A visit to Colonial Williamsburg inspired Eisner’s next venture: a theme park based on U.S. history that would be built outside of Washington, D.C.

    Beginning in 1993, the company quietly started purchasing real estate in northern Virginia using shell companies. The land acquisitions became public knowledge only a few days before the announcement of the theme park, aptly named Disney’s America.

    The news was largely welcomed by politicians. Eisner had already gained the support of the state’s outgoing and incoming governors, along with the Virginia Commission on Population Growth and Development. The plan was to build the park in Haymarket, Virginia, a small, wealthy area southwest of Washington, D.C., a few miles from Manassas, the site of two major Civil War battles.

    History isn’t so simple

    Although Disney had diligently worked to consolidate support ahead of the announcement, signs of conflict emerged during the first press conference, which featured Bob Weis, a Disney vice president who had helped oversee the planning of several theme parks.

    “This is not a Pollyanna view of America,” he told the group of assembled reporters. “We want to make you a Civil War soldier. We want to make you feel what it was like to be a slave or what it was like to escape through the underground railroad.”

    Questions over how Disney would tell the complex – often discriminatory – history of the nation spurred a group of historians, led by David McCullough, to lodge their concerns: How would Disney construct its narrative of the United States? And how would the park affect Manassas, one of the most important Civil War battle sites?

    The proposed theme park was to be located just a few miles from Manassas National Battlefield Park.
    Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

    According to the original plans and brochures, Disney’s America would contain nine sections: a Colonial-era Presidents Square, an Indigenous village, Ellis Island, a factory town from the Industrial Revolution, a Civil War fort, a county fair, an early 19th-century port, a World War II-era battlefield and a Depression-era family farm.

    On the surface, these themed areas seemed fitting. You could easily see them as exhibits at the Smithsonian. But issues emerged when people took into account that this was still a Disney theme park, with entertaining guests and making money likely taking precedence over historical accuracy and contemporary sensitivities and sensibilities.

    The story of immigration, for example, would have been told through the musical-comedy stylings of Kermit the Frog and the other Muppets.

    There were also concerns over how Disney would handle the exploitative and violent history of the treatment of a number of groups.

    This included the enslavement of Africans and the genocide of Indigenous populations, the latter of which was also connected to the forthcoming 1995 release of “Pocahontas.” Historians later highlighted the film’s distorted history, and it isn’t far-fetched to imagine rides or attractions based on those misrepresentations at Disney’s America.

    Mickey Mouse goes to Washington

    Even as plans came together for Disney, criticism began to mount.

    Disney issued an ultimatum to the Virginia legislature to improve infrastructure surrounding the site, threatening to abandon the project if the US$150 million for infrastructure improvements were not passed on the last day of the Virginia General Assembly’s legislative session in March 1994.

    In June, the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a resolution opposing the park, and the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing regarding the proposed project’s environmental impact.

    The proposed logo for Disney’s America.
    Wikimedia Commons

    The now-infamous hearing featured discussions regarding sewage, traffic and lodging, and even saw U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado, who at the time was a registered Democrat, place a Mickey Mouse hat on the lectern in a show of support.

    As criticism mounted, Disney decided to shift its approach. In the summer of 1994, it renamed the project Disney’s American Celebration.

    Rather than highlight periods or events in American history, the new concept would focus more on themes: Democracy, Work, Family, Generations, Streets of America and the Land.

    Many of the attractions featured in these lands would have resembled attractions already in Disney parks. For example, Generations would have been similar to the Magic Kingdom’s Carousel of Progress, while the Land was already a pavilion at Epcot.

    This would have also opened more opportunities for sponsorship. The Work section of the park would have included virtual factory tours of popular brands such as Apple or Crayola, while Streets of America would have featured cuisine from around the country, similar to Downtown Disney, which opened in 1997 in Disney World and in 2001 at Disneyland.

    It all falls apart

    Disney abruptly announced on Sept. 28, 1994, that it would abandon these plans.

    Although the criticism from historians was a factor, there were also concerns about the park’s profitability in colder months. The company faced mounting debt from its Paris theme park and uncertain leadership after the death of senior executive Frank Wells in a helicopter crash in April 1994. Eisner, meanwhile, had undergone bypass surgery in July 1994.

    Many of the attractions that were planned for the Virginia site found their way into Disney parks, particularly in Disney’s California Adventure in Anaheim.

    Disney, both under Walt’s leadership and after his death, has long leveraged patriotism for the sake of its media content and park experiences. From Mickey Mouse to the Hall of Presidents, Disney’s nostalgic, linear and uncomplicated view of American progress has been foundational to the Disney experience.

    However, an entire park dedicated to this approach – just down the road from a real battlefield integral to the bloodiest war in U.S. history – was too much for historians and other critics to ignore.

    Disney’s failure to profit from an uncritical celebration of America may have been a blessing in disguise, as it avoided constructing yet another battlefield in the culture wars.

    Jared Bahir Browsh 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. Inside the collapse of Disney’s America, the US history-themed park that almost was – https://theconversation.com/inside-the-collapse-of-disneys-america-the-us-history-themed-park-that-almost-was-236931

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Sharks and rays leap out of the water for many reasons, including feeding, courtship and communication

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By A. Peter Klimley, Adjunct Associate Professor of Wildlife, Fish, & Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis

    Manta rays breaching in waters off Costa Rica. Peter Loring, iStock/Getty Images

    Many sharks and rays are known to breach, leaping fully or partly out of the water. In a recent study, colleagues and I reviewed research on breaching and ranked the most commonly hypothesized functions for it.

    We found that removal of external parasites was the most frequently proposed explanation, followed by predators chasing their prey; predators concentrating or stunning their prey; males chasing females during courtship; and animals fleeing predators, such as a ray escaping from a hammerhead shark in shallow water.

    We found that the highest percentage of breaches, measured by the number of studies that described it, occurred in manta rays and devil rays, followed by basking sharks and then by eagle rays and cownose rays. However, many other species of sharks, as well as sawfishes and stingrays, also perform this behavior.

    A breaching white shark surprises researchers off Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

    Why it matters

    It takes a lot of energy for a shark or ray to leap out of the water – especially a massive creature like a basking shark, which can grow up to 40 feet (12 meters) and weigh up to 5 tons (4.5 tonnes). Since the animal could use that energy for feeding or mating, breaching must serve some useful purpose.

    Sharks that have been observed breaching include fast-swimming predatory species such as blacktip sharks and blue sharks. White sharks have been seen breaching while capturing seals in waters off South Africa and around the Farallon Islands off central California.

    However, basking sharks – enormous, slow-swimming sharks that feed by filtering tiny plankton from seawater – also breach. So do many ray species, such as manta rays, which also are primarily filter feeders. This suggests that breaching likely serves different functions among different types of sharks and rays.

    The most commonly proposed explanation for breaching in planktivores, like basking sharks and most rays, is that it helps dislodge parasites attached to their bodies. Basking sharks are known to host parasites, including common remoras and sea lampreys. The presence of fresh wounds on basking sharks that match the shape and size of a lamprey’s mouth suggests that breaching has torn the lampreys off the sharks’ bodies.

    Basking sharks are filter feeders that live on plankton. They may breach to rid their bodies of parasites.

    Other species may breach to communicate. For example, white sharks propelling themselves out of the water near the Farallon Islands may do so to deter other sharks from feeding upon the carcass of a seal.

    Researchers have seen large groups of mantas and devil rays jumping together among dense schools of plankton – presumably to concentrate or stun the plankton so the rays can more easily scoop them up. Scientists have also suggested that planktivorous sharks and rays may breach to clear the prey-filtering structures in their gills.

    Understanding more clearly when and how different types of sharks and rays breach can provide insights into these animals’ life habits, and into their interactions with their own species and competitors.

    How we did our work

    I worked with marine scientists Tobey Curtis, Emmett Johnston, Alison Kock and Guy Stevens. Across our various projects, we have seen breaching in bull sharks in Florida, basking sharks in Ireland, white sharks in South Africa and central California, and manta rays in the Maldives. Each of us has proposed different explanations for why the animals did it.

    We reviewed scientific studies and video footage to see what species had been observed to breach, under what conditions, and the functions that other researchers had proposed for them doing so. This included information gathered from data logging tags attached to sharks and rays, digital photography, and imagery from underwater and aerial drones.

    Our review proposes further studies that could provide more information about breaching in different species. For example, attaching data loggers to individual animals would help scientists measure how quickly a shark or ray accelerates as it propels itself out of the water.

    Experiments in aquarium tanks could provide more insight into why the animals breach. For example, scientists could add remoras to a tank containing bull sharks, which can live in an aquarium environment, and observe how the sharks respond when remoras attach themselves to the sharks’ bodies.

    In the field, researchers could play audio recordings of splashes from breaches to elicit withdrawal or attraction responses from sharks tagged with ultrasonic transmitters. There remains much to learn about why these animals spend precious energy jumping out of the water.

    The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.

    A. Peter Klimley 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. Sharks and rays leap out of the water for many reasons, including feeding, courtship and communication – https://theconversation.com/sharks-and-rays-leap-out-of-the-water-for-many-reasons-including-feeding-courtship-and-communication-238487

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Goodwill created a new high school for dropouts − it led to better jobs and higher wages

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Patrick Turner, Associate Research Professor of Economics, University of Notre Dame

    Graduates found jobs in high-paying sectors, new research shows. izusek/E+ via Getty Images

    When Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana realized most of the clients in its job-training program lacked a high school diploma, it set out to address the issue.

    In 2010, with the help of per-pupil funding from the state, the nonprofit opened The Excel Center, a tuition-free high school tailored for adults. The charter school offered flexible schedules, free on-site child care, transportation assistance and a life coach. Thirteen years later, research by my team at the University of Notre Dame’s Lab for Economic Opportunities shows that The Excel Center is a success.

    Indiana graduates of the program, which has now expanded to 10 other states and the District of Columbia, were able to find better jobs and earn substantially more over their lifetimes than their peers who did not graduate from the program.

    At the Lab for Economic Opportunities – or LEO – I worked with colleagues Rebecca Brough and David Phillips to measure the economic return of graduating from The Excel Center. We found that graduates of The Excel Center experience a nearly 40% increase in earnings five years after applying – or roughly US$80,000 more in their pockets over their lifetimes – than similarly situated adults who applied but did not enroll. The LEO team did not receive any funding from The Excel Center or Goodwill in its research, although Goodwill provided assistance with data.

    More steady employment

    According to our research, graduates of The Excel Center didn’t just earn more, but the jobs they found were more stable. Excel graduates experienced a 22% increase in continuous employment within the same industry over five years than their peers in the comparison group. Graduates of the program were 19% less likely to work in the hospitality industry – among the lowest-paid sectors in the country – and more likely to work jobs such as pharmacy technician, dental assistant or in HVAC maintenance.

    Graduates of Excel found jobs in high-paying sectors, such as HVAC maintenance.
    Mikael Vaisanen/The Image Bank via Getty Images

    In addition to a diploma, students earned industry-recognized credentials, such as those in phlebotomy and child development, and certification as nursing assistants and pharmacy technicians. These credentials opened up careers in industries such as health care and education.

    Some students used the certificates as a launching point for additional study at the local community college. At the time we conducted our research, Excel graduates in Indiana were more likely to have earned college credits: Roughly 30% of Excel graduates earned college credit, compared with 11.5% of the group that didn’t enroll.

    To reach these conclusions, we looked at the data of more than 9,000 Excel Center applicants from 2013–15. We focused on their earnings over the five years before and after they applied to the program. Our analysis compared the experience of Excel students – both graduates and nongraduates – with other adult residents of Indiana from similar backgrounds who had expressed interest in going to The Excel Center but never enrolled.

    Why it matters

    The Excel program is not just good for the students who graduate; it offers the states who help fund the program a return on their investment. Because graduates earn more, they pay more in taxes, allowing states to recoup much of the per-student cost over the graduates’ working careers. Each additional dollar of government funding generates $20 in benefits for the typical Excel Center student, measured as the present value of their lifetime increase in after-tax earnings.

    In contrast, federally funded programs such as Job Corps and Adult Education and Literacy primarily help adults without credentials study and pass a high school equivalency exam, such as the GED test. But research suggests a GED diploma has little effect on earnings, especially for women.

    More than 23 million adults in the U.S. lack a high school credential such as a diploma or a GED certificate. They are not only shut out of most jobs but also earn substantially less than their peers who have graduated from high school.

    Plans to expand

    Goodwill is leveraging the LEO study to expand the impact of its programs. In addition to the 18 Excel Center campuses the group currently operates throughout central and southern Indiana, it has partnered with Goodwill regions across the country to bring adult high schools to Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, South Carolina and Washington, D.C.

    LEO’s data was cited directly when Arizona, which had been one of 18 states without a high school option for adults, decided to join the Excel roster. In February 2020, state lawmakers – prompted by testimony from Goodwill and by the LEO research – amended the state’s law to establish a continuing high school program in the state.

    Patrick Turner has received funding to support his research from J-PAL North America, the TIAA Institute, the Russel Sage Foundation, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, and Policy Impacts.

    – ref. Goodwill created a new high school for dropouts − it led to better jobs and higher wages – https://theconversation.com/goodwill-created-a-new-high-school-for-dropouts-it-led-to-better-jobs-and-higher-wages-235079

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: SBB Research Group Foundation Names August 2024 Grant Finalists: CASA Lake County, Insight Youth Outreach Blessings, Naomi Ruth Cohen Institute for Mental Health Education

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CHICAGO, Sept. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The SBB Research Group Foundation recognizes three Chicago-area charities as the August 2024 finalists of its monthly grant program supporting impactful nonprofits (in alphabetical order): 

    • CASA Lake County (Vernon Hills, IL) is committed to protecting the best interests of youth experiencing abuse or neglect. By training volunteers to advocate for these children in court and the community, the organization aims to help them safely reunite with their families or find secure, permanent homes. The vision is for all children and families to thrive emotionally, mentally, and physically, with lasting connections to caring adults and a nurturing environment.
    • Insight Youth Outreach Blessings (Bellwood, IL) creates a safe and supportive environment where children can thrive by offering programs that promote physical activity, nutrition, and mental well-being. They believe that every child, regardless of socioeconomic background, should have access to healthy extracurricular activities and aim to help children develop life skills, self-confidence, and a positive outlook on life.
    • Naomi Ruth Cohen Institute for Mental Health Education (Chicago, IL) is dedicated to reducing the stigma of mental illness, which often prevents individuals, families, and communities from receiving essential support. The institute provides resources and hope to those affected by mental illness and those who support them. The institute educates the public on mental health issues, with the overarching goal of giving a voice to those living with mental illness.

    The Foundation encourages any 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to apply for a grant at sbbrg.org/apply-for-grant. Donations are awarded to different organizations monthly.

    About the SBB Research Group Foundation 

    The SBB Research Group Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that furthers the philanthropic mission of SBB Research Group LLC (SBBRG), a Chicago-based investment management firm led by Sam Barnett, Ph.D., and Matt Aven. The Foundation provides grants to support ambitious organizations solving unmet needs with thoughtful, long-term strategies. In addition, the Foundation sponsors the SBBRG STEM Scholarship, which supports students pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics degrees. 

    Contact: Erin Noonan 
    Organization: SBB Research Group Foundation 
    Email: grants@sbbrg.org 
    Phone: 1-847-656-1111 
    Website: https://www.sbbrg.org 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Repsol to present at the dbVIC – Deutsche Bank ADR Virtual Investor Conference on September 25 2024

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MADRID, Sept. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Repsol (REP), based in Madrid, is a global multi-energy company that creates value through innovation, efficiency, and respect to drive progress in society and achieve a profitable energy transition, today announced that Repsol Senior Investor Relations Officer Álvaro Visús will present at the dbVIC – Deutsche Bank American Depositary Receipt (ADR) Virtual Investor Conference on September 25th. This virtual investor conference is aimed exclusively at introducing global companies with ADR programs to investors.

    DATE: September 25, 2024
    TIME: 10:30 AM ET
    LINK: https://bit.ly/47xPcjS

    This will be a live, interactive online event where investors are invited to ask the company questions in real-time – both in the presentation hall as well as the organization’s “virtual trade booth.” If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available after the event.

    It is recommended that investors pre-register and run the online system check to expedite participation and receive event updates.

    Participation is free of charge.

    Recent Company Highlights

    • Strategic Update 24-27 (Link) focus on achieving a profitable energy transition, which prioritizes investments with Repsol’s current integrated portfolio of quality assets and low-carbon initiatives, attractive shareholder remuneration, and the maintenance of financial strength.

    About Repsol

    Repsol is a global multi-energy company that is capable of meeting all its customers’ needs, whether at home or on the move. It employs 25,000 people in more than twenty countries and serves twenty-four million customers.

    Its extensive network of 4,500 service stations across Spain, Portugal, Peru and Mexico offers fuels and is incorporating alternatives such as 100% renewable fuels, electric recharging, AutoGas, and natural gas for vehicles. In addition, Repsol has 2.4 million electricity and gas customers in Spain and Portugal and is the fourth largest operator in this market in Spain. The company is building a diversified renewable generation portfolio, with an installed capacity of 3.118 MW, mainly in Spain, the United States and Chile.

    Producing an average of 599,000 barrels of oil per day, Repsol boasts one of Europe’s most efficient refining systems. Repsol is transforming its six industrial complexes in the Iberian Peninsula into multi-energy hubs, capable of turning a wide variety of raw materials and waste into products with a low carbon footprint such as 100% renewable fuels, which will be key to achieving its goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050.

    About Virtual Investor Conferences®

    Virtual Investor Conferences (VIC) is the leading proprietary investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for publicly traded companies to seamlessly present directly to investors.

    Providing a real-time investor engagement solution, VIC is specifically designed to offer companies more efficient investor access. Replicating the components of an on-site investor conference, VIC offers companies enhanced capabilities to connect with investors, schedule targeted one-on-one meetings and enhance their presentations with dynamic video content. Accelerating the next level of investor engagement, Virtual Investor Conferences delivers leading investor communications to a global network of retail and institutional investors.

    Contacts
    REPSOL
    Investor Relations: investor.relations@repsol.com

    Virtual Investor Conferences

    John M. Viglotti
    SVP Corporate Services, Investor Access
    OTC Markets Group
    (212) 220-2221
    johnv@otcmarkets.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: FACT SHEET: Protecting America from Connected Vehicle Technology from Countries of  Concern

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    Chinese automakers are seeking to dominate connected vehicle technologies in the United States and globally, posing new threats to our national security, including through our supply chains. The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring that our automotive supply chains are resilient and secure from foreign threats. Today, President Biden is announcing strong action to protect America from the national security risks associated with connected vehicle technologies from countries of concern. The Department of Commerce is issuing a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that would, if finalized as proposed, prohibit the sale or import of connected vehicles that incorporate certain technology and the import of particular components themselves from countries of concern, specifically the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia. The announcement is the next step in a process President Biden announced in February, 2024. This NPRM incorporates public feedback submitted in response to the Department’s advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) issued on March 1, 2024, which sought public comment on the national security risks associated with certain technologies used in connected vehicles. Connected vehicles provide many benefits — from promoting vehicle safety to assisting drivers with navigation — but they also pose new and growing threats. These technologies include computer systems that control vehicle movement and collect sensitive driver and passenger data as well as cameras and sensors that enable automated driving systems and record detailed information about American infrastructure. Now more than ever, vehicles are directly connected into our country’s digital networks. As the Department of Commerce has found, vehicles’ increasing connectivity creates opportunities to collect and exploit sensitive information. Certain hardware and software in connected vehicles enable the capture of information about geographic areas or critical infrastructure, and present opportunities for malicious actors to disrupt the operations of infrastructure or the vehicles themselves. Commerce has determined that certain technologies used in connected vehicles from the PRC and Russia present particularly acute threats. These countries of concern could use critical technologies within our supply chains for surveillance and sabotage to undermine national security. The Department of Commerce’s proposed rule would prohibit the import or sale of certain connected vehicle systems designed, developed, manufactured, or supplied by entities with a sufficient nexus to the PRC or Russia. Specifically, the rule covers “vehicle connectivity systems” (VCS) — that is, systems and components connecting the vehicle to the outside world, including via Bluetooth, cellular, satellite, and Wi-Fi modules — and “automated driving systems” (ADS), which allow highly autonomous vehicles to operate without a driver behind the wheel. The rule includes restrictions on imports or sales of connected vehicles using VCS and ADS software, as well as imports of VCS hardware equipment. The Department of Commerce is also proposing procedures to let certain parties, such as small producers of vehicles, receive exemptions from the prohibitions on an exceptional basis, in order to minimize unanticipated and unnecessary disruption to industry. The prohibitions on software would take effect for Model Year 2027, and the prohibitions on hardware would take effect for Model Year 2030, or January 1, 2029 for units without a model year. These restrictions will help address national security risks posed by connected vehicle technologies from countries of concern. As the Department of Commerce develops the final rule, the Administration encourages interested stakeholders to share input with the Department so that their views can be taken into consideration. The Department will continue to consult closely with industry, U.S. allies and partners, and other stakeholders throughout the regulatory process to ensure any actions maximally protect U.S. national security, while minimizing unintended consequences or disruptions.
    The Biden-Harris Administration is focused on comprehensively addressing the threats caused by foreign automobiles and supply chains. In May of this year, President Biden directed an increase from 25% to 100% on the tariff rate on Chinese electric vehicles under Section 301. The Inflation Reduction Act tied eligibility for the $7,500 EV tax credit to final assembly in North America and sourcing key battery minerals and components from the United States or trade partners. These prior actions underscore the Administration’s commitment to ensuring that the American auto industry is leading in quality and innovation, and that U.S. automakers have the opportunity to compete on a level playing field as they develop the next generation of automobiles. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Climate change is a pollution problem, and countries have stopped similar threats before – think DDT and acid rain

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Alexander E. Gates, Professor of Earth and Environmental Science, Rutgers University – Newark

    Adding scrubbers in coal-fired power plants helped reduce acid rain, but they continued to fuel climate change. Drums600 via Wikimedia, CC BY-SA

    Climate change can seem like an insurmountable challenge. However, if you look closely at its causes, you’ll realize that history is filled with similar health and environmental threats that humanity has overcome.

    The main cause of climate change – carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels – is really just another pollutant. And countries know how to reduce harmful pollutants. They did it with the pesticide DDT, lead paint and the power plant emissions that were causing acid rain, among many others.

    In each of those cases, growing public outcry eventually led to policy changes, despite pushback from industry. Once pressured by laws and regulations, industries ramped up production of safer solutions.

    I am an earth and environmental scientist, and my latest book, “Reclaiming Our Planet,” explores history’s lessons in overcoming seemingly insurmountable hazards. Here are a few examples:

    Banning DDT despite industry pushback

    DDT was the first truly effective pesticide and considered to be miraculous. By killing mosquitoes and lice, it wiped out malaria and other diseases in many countries, and in agriculture, it saved tons of crops.

    After World War II, DDT was applied to farms, buildings and gardens throughout the United States. However, it also had drawbacks. It accumulated in mother’s milk to levels where it could deliver a toxic dose to infants. Women were advised against nursing their babies in the 1960s because of the danger.

    U.S. bald eagle populations were decimated by DDT. Once the chemical was banned, they began to rebound.
    U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

    In addition, DDT bioaccumulated up the food chain to toxic levels in apex species like raptors. It weakened the eggshells to the point where brooding mothers crushed their eggs. Bald eagles were reduced to 417 breeding pairs across North America by 1967 and were placed on the endangered species list.

    Biologist Rachel Carson documented DDT’s damage in her 1962 book “Silent Spring” and, in doing so, catalyzed a public environmental movement. Despite disinformation campaigns and attacks from the chemical industry, tremendous public pressure on politicians led to congressional hearings, state and federal restrictions and eventually a U.S. ban on the general use of DDT in 1972.

    Rachel Carson, whose book ‘Silent Spring’ led to a study of pesticides, testifies before a Senate committee in Washington on June 4, 1963.
    AP Photo/Charles Gorry

    Bald eagles recovered to 320,000 in the United States by 2017, about equal to populations from before European settlement. The chemical industry, facing a DDT ban, quickly developed much safer pesticides.

    Building evidence of lead’s hazards

    Lead use skyrocketed in the 20th century, particularly in paints, plumbing and gasoline. It was so widespread that just about everyone was exposed to a metal that research now shows can harm the kidneys, liver, cardiovascular system and children’s brain development.

    Clair “Pat” Patterson, a geochemist at the California Institute of Technology, showed that Americans were continuously exposed to lead at near toxic levels. Human skeletons from the 1960s were found to have up to 1,200 times the lead of ancient skeletons. Today, health standards say there’s no safe level of lead in the blood.

    Lead paint was banned for residential use in the U.S. in 1978, but existing lead paint in older homes can still chip, creating a health risk for children today.
    EPA

    Despite threats both personally and professionally and a disinformation campaign from industry, Patterson and his supporters compiled years of evidence to warn the public and eventually pressured politicians to ban lead from many uses, including in gasoline and residential paints.

    Once regulations were in place, industry ramped up production of substitutes. As a result, lead levels in the blood of children decreased by 97% over the next several decades. While lead exposure is less common now, some people are still exposed to dangerous levels lingering in homes, pipes and soil, often in low-income neighborhoods.

    Stopping acid rain: An international problem

    Acid rain is primarily caused when sulfur dioxide, released into the air by the burning of coal, high-sulfur oil and smelting and refining of metals, interacts with rain or fog. The acidic rain that falls can destroy forests, kill lake ecosystems and dissolve statues and corrode infrastructure.

    Acid rain damage across Europe and North America in the 20th century also showed the world how air pollution, which doesn’t stop at borders, can become an international crisis requiring international solutions.

    The problem of acid rain began well over a century ago, but sulfur dioxide levels grew quickly after World War II. A thermal inversion in London in 1952 created such a concentration of sulfur dioxide and other air pollutants that it killed thousands of people. As damage to forests and lakes worsened across Europe, countries signed international agreements starting in the 1980s to cut their sulfur dioxide emissions.

    Trees killed by acid rain in the Czech Republic in 1998. Forests across many parts of Europe and North America suffered from acid rain damage.
    Seitz/ullstein bild via Getty Images

    In the U.S., emissions from Midwestern power plants killed fish and trees in the pristine Adirondacks. The damage, health concerns and multiple disasters outraged the public, and politicians responded.

    Sulfur dioxide was named as one of the six criteria air pollutants in the groundbreaking 1970 U.S. Clean Air Act, which required the federal government to set limits on its release. Power plants installed scrubbers to capture the pollutant, and over the next 40 years, sulfur dioxide concentrations in the U.S. decreased by about 95%.

    Parallels with climate change

    There are many parallels between these examples and climate change today.

    Mountains of scientific evidence show how carbon dixoide emissions from fossil fuel combustion in vehicles, factories and power plants are warming the planet. The fossil fuel industry began using its political power and misinformation campaigns decades ago to block regulations that were designed to slow climate change.

    And people around the world, facing worsening heat and weather disasters fueled by global warming, have been calling for action to stop climate change and invest in cleaner energy.

    The first Earth Day, in 1970, drew 20 million people. Rallies in recent years have shifted the focus to climate change and have drawn millions of people around the world.

    Public campaigns and huge rallies for action on climate change, like this one in New York City in 2023, help put public pressure on politicians.
    Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images

    The challenge has been getting politicians to act, but that is slowly changing in many countries.

    The United States has started investing in scaling up several tools to rein in climate change, including electric vehicles, wind turbines and solar panels. Federal and state policies, such as requirements for renewable energy production and limits on greenhouse gas emissions, are also crucial for getting industries to switch to less harmful alternatives.

    Climate change is a global problem that will require efforts worldwide. International agreements are also helping more countries take steps forward. One shift that has been discussed by countries for years could help boost those efforts: Ending the billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded fossil fuel subsidies and shifting that money to healthier solutions could help move the needle toward slowing climate change.

    Alexander E. Gates is affiliated with The Newark Green Team.

    – ref. Climate change is a pollution problem, and countries have stopped similar threats before – think DDT and acid rain – https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-a-pollution-problem-and-countries-have-stopped-similar-threats-before-think-ddt-and-acid-rain-236479

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: In the evenings, the Hedgehog went to the Bear Cub to count the stars (09/23/2024)

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Central Bank of Russia –

    On September 23, 2024, the Bank of Russia will issue into circulation commemorative coins “Hedgehog in the Fog” of the “Russian (Soviet) Animation” series:

    — silver coin with a face value of 3 rubles (catalog No. 5111-0510),

    — made of nickel-plated steel with a face value of 25 rubles (catalog No. 5715-0003),

    — made of copper-nickel alloy with a color coating with a face value of 25 rubles (catalog No. 5015-0072).

    “Hedgehog in the Fog” was filmed by world-famous director Yuri Norshteyn in 1975 at the Soyuzmultfilm studio. The touching image of the hedgehog won the love of both adults and children. The film has become truly iconic for many generations not only in Russia, but also throughout the world. In 2003, at the international animation festival in Tokyo, “Hedgehog in the Fog” was recognized as the best cartoon of all time and peoples. In total, the film has more than 40 awards.

    Description of a coin made of precious metal

    The silver coin with a face value of 3 rubles (pure precious metal weight – 31.1 g, alloy fineness – 925) has the shape of a circle with a diameter of 39.0 mm.

    There is a raised edge around the circumference of both the front and back sides of the coin.

    On the obverse of the coin there is a relief image of the State Emblem of the Russian Federation, the inscriptions “RUSSIAN FEDERATION”, “BANK OF RUSSIA”, the coin denomination “3 RUBLES”, the date “2024”, the designation of the metal according to the Periodic Table of Elements of D.I. Mendeleyev, the alloy fineness, the trademark of the St. Petersburg Mint and the mass of the pure precious metal.

    On the reverse side of the coin is a color image of the hero of the cartoon “Hedgehog in the Fog”, standing on a hill, made in relief, against the background of a landscape in the fog, created using the laser matting technique; at the top left along the circumference there is a relief inscription “HEDGEHOG IN THE FOG”.

    The side surface of the coin is ribbed.

    The coin is made in proof quality.

    The mintage of the coin is 7.0 thousand pieces.

    Description of coins made of base metals

    Coins made of base metals with a denomination of 25 rubles have the shape of a circle with a diameter of 27.0 mm.

    The obverse and reverse sides of the coins have a raised edge around the circumference.

    The side surface of the coins is ribbed.

    On the obverse of the coins is a relief image of the State Emblem of the Russian Federation, above it along the edge is the semicircular inscription “RUSSIAN FEDERATION”, framed on both sides by double diamonds, on the right is the trademark of the Moscow Mint, under the emblem in the center in three lines is the inscription “BANK OF RUSSIA”, the denomination of the coins “25 RUBLES”, the date “2024”.

    On the reverse side:

    — nickel-plated steel coins feature a relief image of the cartoon character “Hedgehog in the Fog” standing on a hill, against a relief landscape and fog; at the top left along the circumference there is a relief inscription “HEDGEHOG IN THE FOG”;

    — the copper-nickel alloy coin features a relief and color image of the cartoon character “Hedgehog in the Fog” standing on a hill, against a relief landscape and fog; at the top left along the circumference there is a relief inscription “HEDGEHOG IN THE FOG”.

    Coin circulation:

    — made of nickel-plated steel — 850.0 thousand pieces;

    — made of copper-nickel alloy with colored coating — 150.0 thousand pieces.

    The issued coins are legal tender in the Russian Federation and must be accepted at face value for all types of payments without restrictions.

    When using the material, a link to the Press Service of the Bank of Russia is required.

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

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

    http://vvv.kbr.ru/press/PR/?file=638626845125049350COINS.htm

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lankford’s Shadow Wolves Improvement Act Clears Homeland Security Committee

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Lankford

    OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — The Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee unanimously approved the Shadow Wolves Improvement Act, which was introduced by Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), Ranking Member and Chair of the Border Management Subcommittee, along with Senators John Hoeven (R-ND) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ). The Shadow Wolves Improvement Act would provide additional career mobility opportunities for Shadow Wolves law enforcement officers, making it easier to recruit and retain Shadow Wolves agents and to improve border security. 

    “ICE Shadow Wolves agents—a Native American tactical patrol unit—use their unique expertise and personal knowledge to stop drug traffickers and human smugglers from coming across the southern border. Giving these critical law enforcement officers access to expanded career mobility and opportunity not only supports their work to secure the border but also strengthens recruiting and retention for agents,” said Lankford.

    “Our bill ensures the Tohono O’Oodham Nation’s Shadow Wolves have the resources needed to continue combating drug smuggling, human trafficking, and other illicit activity on the Southwest border. I’m proud my legislation earned strong bipartisan support, and I look forward to getting it passed into law,” said Sinema.

    “Our legislation builds upon the success of the Shadow Wolves initiative, giving these agents the career mobility they deserve while expanding the program, including along the northern border,” said Hoeven. “Doing so comes as part of our broader efforts to deploy the personnel, infrastructure and technology needed to ensure the security of our nation’s borders, get the illegal immigration crisis under control and protect against human and drug trafficking.” 

    “The Shadow Wolves are a critical asset of our nation’s border security efforts, using their unique skills and knowledge to stop dangerous drug and human trafficking operations on tribal lands,” said Kelly. “By enhancing recruitment and retention, we are not only protecting the Tohono O’odham Nation, but strengthening security along our entire southern border. I’m proud to see our bill advance with strong bipartisan support, and I look forward to seeing it through to final passage.” 

    “The Shadow Wolves are an elite, all-Native American tracking and investigative unit with decades of experience, who use both technology and traditional tracking methods to interdict human and drug smuggling on the Tohono O’odham reservation. The Tohono O’odham Nation strongly supports the Shadow Wolves Improvement Act, which will further enhance the effectiveness of the Shadow Wolves program by improving retention and recruitment and expanding the program. The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee has done great work incorporating feedback from the Nation into this bill. Its passage will ensure that this group of Native American agents can continue to grow and provide their uniquely important capabilities to protect the Tohono O’odham and the US homeland,” said Verlon Jose, Chairman of Tohono O’odham Nation.

    “Public Safety, particularly drug and human trafficking, continue to be a priority for Indian Country. These issues are uniquely difficult for tribal communities, like the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, who are located along the US border. The Shadow Wolves Improvement Act is an additional tool within the law enforcement toolbox that will help. The Tribe appreciate Senators Sinema and Hoeven introducing this legislation and urge its swift passage in the Senate,” said Jamie Azure, Chairman of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians.

    “The Shadow Wolves Improvement Act is a necessary step forward to provide appropriate guidance and options to a group of Native American law enforcement agents which will permit them to receive the same compensation, benefits, and opportunities as their non-native brothers and sisters,” said President Mat Silverman of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA). “FLEOA recognizes the value and expertise the Shadow Wolves provide and support the expansion of this program. Our country and Native American border communities will benefit from the increased opportunities, increased safety, and equality this Act will bring to the Tohono O’odham Nation and other tribes across this great nation.”

    Shadow Wolves are members of the Tohono O’odham Nation who patrol the 76-mile stretch of land that the Tohono O’odham Nation shares with Mexico. They are known for their ability to track drug smugglers as they attempt to smuggle illegal commodities across Tribal land, thanks to their unique geographical and cultural knowledge. They also help improve the relationship between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Tribal communities. The Shadow Wolves unit is classified as special agents allowed to patrol, investigate, interdict, and secure the border. Shadow Wolves were previously classified as tactical officers under ICE Homeland Security Investigation (HSI), making them unable to access the same career opportunities, pay, and job mobility afforded to HSI special agents. However, Shadow Wolves still lack the same career opportunities as other HSI special agents because of how they were originally hired.

    The Shadow Wolves Improvement Act solves this by providing ICE with the authority to convert Shadow Wolves from the excepted to the competitive service upon completion of three years of satisfactory service—affording them career mobility and compensation parity with other HSI special agents. This update will enhance career opportunities for Shadow Wolves agents, strengthen recruitment efforts, and improve border security. Additionally, the legislation codifies GAO’s recommendations to improve and expand the Shadow Wolves program.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: A video game based on the Chinese novel ‘Journey to the West’ is the most recent example of innovative retelling of this popular story

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Michael Naparstek, Lecturer in Religious Studies, University of Tennessee

    Gaming enthusiasts at the 2023 Gamescom gaming fair on Aug. 23, 2023, in Cologne, Germany. Sascha Schuermann/Getty Images

    The recent launch of the video game “Black Myth: Wukong” has broken numerous records around the world for the number of users. The game is set in the world of the famous Chinese novel “Journey to the West,” where players battle gods and demons of traditional popular Chinese religion. In the first few weeks following its release on Aug. 19, 2024, “Black Myth: Wukong” had reportedly sold over 18 million copies, making it one of the fastest-selling games of all time.

    Players take on the role of freeing Sun Wukong, the monkey protagonist from the popular 16th-century novel. The story details the journey of the Chinese monk, Xuanzang, as he makes his way to India in search of Buddhist scrolls. Sun Wukong aids the monk in this trip. Yet, the monkey proves to be the ultimate troublemaker, as Sun Wukong insults popular gods of the Chinese pantheon and insists on besting them in magical battles. Sun Wukong’s fate is sealed when the Buddha imprisons him under a mountain as punishment for all the havoc he created in Heaven.

    The video game picks up after the end of the story, pitting the player against those whom Sun Wukong had fought in the popular narrative. In so doing, the game continually references the complex and competitive world of traditional Chinese religion in which Buddhist, Taoist and popular gods are always interacting with one another.

    As a scholar of Chinese religion, I am interested in the ways narratives of Chinese deities become popular and spread across different contexts. The popularity of “Black Myth: Wukong” is the most recent example in a centuries-old tradition of retelling this story through popular media.

    Woodblock print of the monkey king from the Chinese novel ‘Journey to the West.’
    Japanese Artist Yashima Gakutei, 1827, Metropolitan Museum of Art.

    Many stories, many versions

    “Journey to the West” was first published in 1592, but the stories were popular long before that.

    As scholar of Chinese literature Anthony Yu notes, the various tales describing Xuanzong and Sun Wukong’s adventures existed for nearly 1,000 years before they were collected and published in “Journey to the West.” People in traditional China would hear many of these adventures through oral storytelling, but also through various media such as dramatic performances, poetic tales and short stories.

    Traveling opera troupes were one of the most popular ways to tell Sun Wukong’s tale. Professional actors would perform tales of Sun Wukong’s exploits through dramatic renditions coupled with acrobatic fight scenes and dazzling displays of martial arts. These entertaining performances would disseminate information about the gods to both literate and illiterate audiences all throughout China.

    An 18th-century painting of a Chinese traveling opera performance.
    Xu Yang, 18th c. via Wikimedia Commons

    Stories of Sun Wukong’s mischievous, and often irreverent, behavior made their rounds throughout traditional Chinese society. The monkey hero’s brash attempts at subverting authority and picking fights with divine personae cemented his place as a popular cultural icon. As scholar of Chinese religions Meir Shahar notes, novels such as “Journey to the West” served as a way to define and transmit an entire pantheon of deities all across the various regions of traditional China.

    In so doing, these forms of media would reflect the dynamic world of Chinese religion and, at the same time, help shape the way people would come to understand the stories of their own gods.

    Impact on Chinese religions

    Many of the characters who appear in “Journey to the West” come directly out of the Chinese pantheon. Guanyin, the Buddhist deity of compassion and one of the most popular gods across East Asia, has her struggles against Sun Wukong; Taoist figures, such as the deified Lao-tzu, the purported author of the Taoist classic “Tao Te Ching,” battles with the monkey, and ancient Chinese deities like the Queen Mother to the West and the Jade Emperor play a prominent role as authority figures throughout the story.

    Sun Wukong also battles localized gods like the martial deity Erlang. Many of these figures are also referenced throughout the video game, while some, like Erlang, appear as “bosses” who need to be defeated before moving on to the next level.

    In the novel, the gods work together to stand in the way of Sun Wukong, representing the authority of the Chinese pantheon. At the same time, Sun Wukong often gets the better of the gods, either through trickery or martial prowess. Eventually, the authority of the gods wins out, with the monkey trapped under the mountain. Yet, this is not the end of Sun Wukong. As the recent release of the video game demonstrates, it is but one more beginning to the monkey’s story.

    While the game is careful not to promote any one religious identity, the cultural source for these compelling characters remains deeply rooted in the long history of Chinese religions.

    Today’s gamers get to encounter aspects of Chinese culture in a whole new way. Players who may be unfamiliar with Sun Wukong’s character from the novel can still see Sun Wukong flip in the air, brandish his weapons and defeat his enemies with dramatic flair. Only now the gamer gets to perform these feats through their connection with the video game’s hero.

    Still, while the gaming experience may be relatively new, enjoying tales of the gods is very old.

    Michael Naparstek 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. A video game based on the Chinese novel ‘Journey to the West’ is the most recent example of innovative retelling of this popular story – https://theconversation.com/a-video-game-based-on-the-chinese-novel-journey-to-the-west-is-the-most-recent-example-of-innovative-retelling-of-this-popular-story-238404

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Mixed emotions – neuroscience is exploring how your brain lets you experience two opposite feelings at once

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Anthony Gianni Vaccaro, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Psychology, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

    Can you hold a positive emotion simultaneously with a negative one? Dimitri Otis/Stone via Getty Images

    Countless parents across the country recently dropped their kids off at college for the first time. This transition can stir a whirlwind of feelings: the heartache of parting, sadness over a permanently changed family dynamic, the uncertainty of what lies ahead – but also the pride of seeing your child move toward independence. Some might describe the goodbye as bittersweet, or say that they’re feeling mixed emotions.

    In that scenario, what would you do if I asked you to rate how you felt on a scale from 1-9, with 1 being the most negative and 9 the most positive? This question seems silly given the circumstances – how should you rate this blend of bad and good? Yet, this scale is what psychology researchers often use to survey feelings in scientific studies, treating emotions as either positive or negative, but never both.

    I’m a neuroscientist who studies how mixed emotions are represented in the brain. Do people ever truly feel both positive and negative at the same time? Or do we just switch quickly back and forth?

    What emotions do for you

    Scientists sometimes define emotions as states of the brain and body that motivate you toward or away from things. People typically experience them as either positive or negative.

    If you’re walking in the woods and see a bear, your heart rate and breathing accelerate, giving you the urge to flee – likely helping you make a decision that keeps you alive. Many scientists would label that reaction as the emotion of “fear.”

    Similarly, warm feelings around loved ones make you want to stay around them and nurture those relationships, helping strengthen your social network and support system.

    This approach-and-avoid view of emotions helps explain why emotions evolved and how they affect decision-making. Scientists have used it as a guiding principle when trying to figure out the biology behind emotions.

    But mixed emotions do not fit into this framework. If opposite biological systems inhibit each other, and if emotions are biological, you can’t experience opposites in the same moment. This reasoning would mean it’s impossible to hold two opposite emotions at once; you must instead be flipping back and forth. Ever since scientists proposed the first theories on the biological foundations of emotion, this is how they’ve conceptualized mixed emotions.

    The pride, love and sadness that mingle when a parent drops off a child at college comprise a classic mixture of emotions.
    fstop123/E+ via Getty Images

    Untangling the biology of mixed emotions

    Mainstream methods for measuring feelings still treat positive and negative as opposite sides of a spectrum. But researchers find that study participants commonly report mixed emotions.

    For instance, people across cultures experience some feelings, such as nostalgia and awe, as simultaneously positive and negative.

    One research group found that volunteers’ physiological responses – such as heart rate and skin conductance – display unique patterns during experiences that are both disgusting and funny, compared with either category separately. This implies that disgusted and amused reactions are indeed occurring simultaneously to create something new.

    In a seemingly contradictory finding, research that used functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, to study brain responses to disgusting humor did not find a pattern of brain activity that was distinct from plain disgust. The brain states of people reporting being both disgusted and amused seemed to reflect only disgust – not a unique pattern for a new mixed emotion.

    But fMRI studies generally rely on averaging brain activity across people and time. The heart of the question – experiencing truly mixed emotions versus fluctuating between positive and negative states – concerns what the brain is doing over time. It is possible that by looking at the average brain activity across time, scientists end up with a pattern that looks a lot like one emotion – in this case, disgust – but are missing important information about how activity changes or stays the same second-to-second.

    Mixed emotions in the brain

    To dig in to that possibility, I ran a study to see whether mixed emotions were related to a unique brain state that held steady over time.

    While in the MRI machine, participants watched a bittersweet animated short film about a young girl’s lifelong pursuit, with her father’s support, to become an astronaut. Spoiler alert: Her dad dies. After scanning, those same subjects rewatched the video and labeled the exact times they had felt positive, negative and mixed emotions.

    Researchers looked for brain areas with above average (red) or below average (blue) activity during moments in Taiko Studio’s ‘One Small Step’ that elicited mixed emotions.
    Taiko Studios and University of Southern California Dornsife Office of Communications

    My colleagues and I discovered that mixed emotions didn’t show unique, consistent patterns in deeper brain areas like the amygdala, which plays an important role in quick responses to emotionally important items. Strikingly, the insular cortex, a part of the brain that connects deeper brain regions with the cortex, had consistent and unique patterns for both positive and negative emotions, but not for mixed ones. We took this finding to mean that regions such as the amygdala and insular cortex were processing positive and negative emotions as mutually exclusive.

    But we did see unique, consistent patterns in cortical regions such as the anterior cingulate, which plays an important role in processing conflict and uncertainty, and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, which is important for self-regulation and complex thinking.

    These brain regions in the cortex that carry out more advanced functions appear to represent much more complex states, allowing someone to truly feel a mixed emotion. Brain regions such as the anterior cingulate and ventromedial prefrontal cortex integrate many sources of information – essential for being able to form a mixed emotion.

    Our findings also fit with what scientists know about brain and emotional development. Interestingly, kids do not begin to understand or report mixed emotions until later in childhood. This timeline matches up with what researchers know about how development of these brain regions leads to more advanced emotional regulation and understanding.

    What happens next

    This study revealed something new about how complex feelings are formed in the brain, but there is much more to learn.

    Mixed emotions are so interesting, in part, because of their potential role during important life events. Sometimes, mixed emotions help you cope with big changes and turn into cherished memories. For example, you may experience both positive and negative feelings when your friends throw a big going away party before you move to another city for your dream job.

    Other times, mixed emotions are an ongoing source of distress. Even if you know you should break up with a romantic partner, that doesn’t mean all the positive feelings you have about them automatically go away, or that a split won’t bring some pain.

    What leads to this difference in outcome? Might these differences have to do with how the brain represents these mixed emotional states over time? A better understanding of mixed emotions might help people make sure these kinds of strong feelings become cherished memories that help them grow, instead of a distressing goodbye they fail to get over.

    Anthony Gianni Vaccaro 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. Mixed emotions – neuroscience is exploring how your brain lets you experience two opposite feelings at once – https://theconversation.com/mixed-emotions-neuroscience-is-exploring-how-your-brain-lets-you-experience-two-opposite-feelings-at-once-234994

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Indictment Charges Two in $230 Million Cryptocurrency Scam

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

                WASHINGTON – An indictment was unsealed today charging Malone Lam, 20, of Miami, FL and Los Angeles, CA, and Jeandiel Serrano, 21, of Los Angeles, CA, with conspiracy to steal and launder over $230 million in cryptocurrency from a victim in Washington, D.C.  Lam, a citizen of Singapore who goes by the online monikers “Anne Hathaway” and “$$$”, and Serrano, who uses “VersaceGod” and “@SkidStar”, were arrested last night and are appearing in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida and the Central District of California, respectively, today.

                The arrests and indictment were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, and Executive Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington, D.C. Field Office.

                According in the indictment, since at least August 2024, Lam, Serrano, and others conspired to carry out cryptocurrency thefts and to launder the stolen crypto currency through exchanges and mixing services. The conspirators would fraudulently gain access to victim cryptocurrency accounts and then transfer victim funds into their possession. They laundered the proceeds, including by moving the funds through various mixers and exchanges using “peel chains,” pass-through wallets, and virtual private networks (VPNs) to mask their true identities.  Lam and Serrano then allegedly spent the laundered cryptocurrency proceeds on international travel, nightclubs, luxury automobiles, watches, jewelry, designer handbags, and rental homes in Los Angeles and Miami. In one instance, on August 18, 2024, Lam, Serrano, and their conspirators contacted a victim in D.C. and, through the communications with that victim, fraudulently obtained over 4,100 Bitcoin (worth over $230 million at the time).

                This ongoing investigation is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the IRS-Criminal Investigation Washington Field Office.  Significant investigative and operational support was provided by the FBI’s Los Angeles and Miami Field Offices.

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

    ###

    24cr417

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: USNS Lucy Stone Christened as MSC’s Newest Fleet Replenishment Oiler

    Source: United States Navy

    SAN DIEGO — The fleet replenishment oiler USNS Lucy Stone (T-AO 209), the Military Sealift Command’s newest ship, was christened during a ceremony at the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard in San Diego, Calif., today.

    The event was attended by Secretary of the Navy, Carlos Del Toro; Meredith Berger, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations and Environment; Vice Adm. John F. G. Wade, commander, U.S. THIRD Fleet; Vice Adm. Jeffrey Jablon, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Installations and Logistics; Rear Adm. Thomas J. Anderson, Program Executive Officer, Ships; Capt. Micah Murphy, commander, Military Sealift Command Pacific; U.S. Merchant Marine Capt. Lee Apsley, Stone’s civil service master; as well as executives and employees of NASSCO San Diego.

    The ship honors American suffragist Lucy Stone, who joined other notable advocates such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Ernestine Rose, and Antoinette Brown Blackwell to petition for suffrage and abolition in the 19th century. Her efforts as a founder of the Women’s National Loyal League were essential to the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery.

    “In choosing to name this ship after Lucy Stone, Secretary Mabus and Secretary Berger knew the legacy of this remarkable woman, who dedicated her life to freedom and to equality for all, “said Deborah Donnley Simmons, Stone co-sponsor. “Her legacy will continue to be told, as this ship sails throughout the world.”

    The official christening moment happened when the ship’s co-sponsors, Alicia Aadnesen
    Deborah Donley Simmons broke a bottle of champagne over the ship’s bow with the words, “For the United States of America, I christen you the USNS Lucy Stone. May God bless this ship and all who sail on her.” Following the christening moment, the ship blew her horns and slid down the rails, amid a fanfare of music from the Navy Band Southwest and red, white and blue streamers.

    “The enduring legacy of Lucy Stone as a trailblazer in the women’s rights movement remains an indelible source of inspiration today,” said Mabus. “How extraordinary that all of these years later, today, our United States Navy is headed-up by the Chief of Naval Operations, a female by the name of Adm. Lisa Franchetti. It would not have been possible if it had not been for the efforts of Lucy Stone.”

    The 746-foot Stone is the fifth ship in the new John Lewis-class previously known as the TAO(X). This class of oilers has the ability to carry 162,000 barrels of diesel ship fuel, aviation fuel and dry stores cargo. The upgraded oiler is built with double hulls to protect against oil spills and strengthened cargo and ballast tanks and will be equipped with a basic self-defense capability. The Lewis-class of oilers will replace the current Kaiser Class fleet replenishment oilers as they age out of the MSC fleet. The ship will be manned by a crew of about 100 civilian Merchant Mariners, sailing under the operational control of MSC.

    “In order to maintain sustained operations at sea, our Navy warships rely on Military Sealift Command’s Combat Logistics Fleet,” said Mabus. “Despite the challenges posed by shortfalls in numbers, MSC continues to play a vital roll in supporting our nation’s logistics readiness. I thank all of our Merchant Mariners for answering our national call to maritime service, and for their ongoing efforts to recruit and maintain our critical capabilities!”

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: U.S. Navy EOD advances exMCM capabilities with Allies and partners at Exercise Sea Breeze 2024

    Source: United States Navy

    VARNA, Bulgaria – Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 8 and Mobile Diving and Salvage Company (MDS) 2-3 operated alongside NATO allies and partners at Exercise Sea 24-3, Sept. 9-20, 2024. This collaborative exercise aims to address the current maritime mine threat, collective demining capabilities, and effective means of enhancing Black Sea regional maritime security.

    In its 23rd iteration, Sea Breeze is an annual, multinational maritime exercise, originally co-hosted by Ukraine and U.S. 6th Fleet to enhance interoperability and capabilities among participating forces.

    For Sea Breeze 24.3, U.S. 6th Fleet led the pre-planning and coordinated logistics, and EODMU 8, a subordinate command of Commander Task Force (CTF) 68 headquartered in Rota, Spain, led the planning and execution, sharing extensive expeditionary mine countermeasure (exMCM) knowledge and capabilities with NATO allies and partners. Countries participating, observing, or mentoring during Sea Breeze 24-3 included Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Georgia, Japan, Norway, Romania, Sweden, Türkiye, Ukraine, and U.S.

    U.S. Navy expeditionary forces such as EODMU 8 have had a consistent presence in the Black Sea and have a longstanding history of training alongside partner nations on tactics, techniques, and procedures for mine threat operations in order to enhance our shared lethality and support freedom of navigation.

    “EOD Mobile Unit 8 operates consistently with outstanding professionalism, and every member of the Thunderstealer team plays a critical role in ensuring mission success,” said Cmdr. John Kennedy, commander, EOD Mobile Unit 8. “Exercises like Sea Breeze allow us to share our knowledge, techniques, and best practices with our NATO Allies and partners for enhanced agility and interoperability in future mine countermeasure operations and demining the Black Sea.”

    Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Allied and partner nations have counter charged over 100 floating mines. As this threat increases, EOD forces have a responsibility to prepare for a large-scale post-conflict demining effort.

    “Our goal for this year’s Sea Breeze is to improve freedom of navigation in the Black Sea region for the security and stability of the Black Sea nations,” said Vice Adm. Thomas Ishee, commander, U.S. 6th Fleet. “We’ll do this through continued training and by enhancing interoperability to counter the floating mine threat in the Black Sea.”

    The mines in the Black Sea region pose a significant danger to civilian ships, disrupt exports, and threaten freedom of navigation.

    “Due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, there is currently a mine concern in international waters, and our job is to mitigate that,” said Kennedy. “We’ve shown our standards to our partners and allies, we’ve practiced our techniques shoulder-to-shoulder, and that builds confidence when we are called to mitigate explosive threats in the Black Sea. Our support to Ukraine has never been stronger.”

    In response to the current mine threat, NATO members Bulgaria, Romania, and Türkiye joined forces to tackle this issue through the Mine Countermeasures Task Group Black Sea (MCM Black Sea).

    Collaboration between NATO members in support of MCM Task Group Black Sea underscores the importance of collective security efforts to restore safety and stability in the region.

    Multinational exercises like Sea Breeze are a tangible representation of the agility and cooperation made possible through partnership in the dynamic security environment of the Black Sea.

    “The greatest value we’ve gained from Sea Breeze is an understanding how each unit of action operates, and then learning to operate together in order to be the most lethal combined force in a future conflict,” said Lt. Jon Miller, EOD company commander, EODMU 8. “We’re able to enhance the tactics, techniques, and procedures of all participating units at the exercise, and then flex those capabilities in the event of real-world operations.”

    Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2, a subordinate command of EODGRU 2, is also participating in Sea Breeze 24-3, with a focus on diving and salvage training. MDS Company 2-3, currently deployed to U.S. 6th Fleet, trained alongside partners and Allies from Ukraine and Romania on surface supplied diving, underwater cutting and welding, and other skills to enhance harbor clearance and battle damage repair capabilities.

    “Operating and exchanging knowledge on battle damage repair in this area of operations is our unit’s first opportunity to train the techniques and capabilities in a region with real world implications,” said Chief Navy Diver Michael Christensen, company master diver, MDSU 2. “We are in the Black Sea, doing this with the Ukrainian salvage divers, and their military is currently engaged in conflict. After Sea Breeze, they can return to the fight and utilize these skills for harbor clearance.”

    Navy EOD is the only community with mine warfare as a core competency, and our capabilities directly support deterrence of aggression, promote freedom of navigation and stability, and contribute directly to the fight for sea control. Our unique ability to conduct explosive ordnance disposal operations and clear hazards underwater make Navy EOD crucial in a future fight for sea control – protecting our own and our partners’ bases, harbors and sea lanes, sea transport capabilities, mobility and combat strength.

    CTF 68 provides explosive ordnance disposal operations, naval construction, expeditionary security, and theater security efforts in the 6th Fleet area of responsibility.

    EODGRU 2 operates as part of Navy Expeditionary Combat Command and provides skilled, capable, and combat-ready deployable Navy EOD and Navy Diver forces around the globe to support a range of operations.

    Details of Sea Breeze 2024 activities and imagery are available at http://www.c6f.navy.mil and https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/seabreeze24.

    For the full collection of photos of EODGRU2 operating at Sea Breeze 2024, and news about U.S. Navy EOD, visit https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/EODG-2.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Vermont Delegation Introduces Bill to Redraw Boundaries of the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park in Woodstock

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Vermont Congressional Delegation, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Representative Becca Balint (VT-At-Large) introduced the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park Establishment Act Amendments Act, legislation that extends the boundary of the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park to include the neighboring King Farm, which is currently owned by the Vermont Land Trust.  
    “The Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park is a treasure for Vermont and our nation,” said Senator Sanders. “Vermont’s forests and working farms have always been vital to our economy and critical to our character as a state. I’m pleased this bill will continue Vermont’s conservation legacy by expanding this park and helping to conserve land for agriculture, forestry, and educational purposes for future generations.” 
    “The Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park is a unique example of how decades of conservation and stewardship have shaped our landscape and Vermont Values. As Vermont’s first and only national park, this park plays an important role in conserving and educating folks about out state’s rich agricultural heritage,” said Senator Welch. “By expanding the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP to include the King Farm, our bill will create new enrichment opportunities and ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy and appreciate this historical treasure.” 
    “In Vermont, we care deeply about the preservation, stewardship, and the future of our parks and lands,” said Rep. Balint. “I’m proud to take action to strengthen this partnership and ensure that King Farm has the resources it needs for trail maintenance, conservation, and land management. I’m grateful to work with Senator Welch and Sanders and our shared commitment to our state’s outdoor recreation.” 
    Located in Woodstock, the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP preserves a significant historical, agricultural, and natural landscape. The Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP became Vermont’s first and only national park when it opened its doors to the public in 1998. The Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP commemorates the historical contributions of its namesakes—George Perkins Marsh, Frederick Billings, and Mary French Rockefeller—preserves Vermont’s proud agricultural heritage, and conserves native forestland ecosystems. It also provides countless educational opportunities for visitors, protects archaeological sites, and showcases historic architecture. 
    The Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park Establishment Act Amendments Act would expand resources for the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP’s Stewardship Institute to support educational programing, research, community engagement, and conservation efforts. Additionally, the bill would authorize the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP to acquire the King Farm from willing property owners in the future, without requiring its sale. 
    The Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park Establishment Act Amendments Act is endorsed by the Vermont Land Trust and has the support of the Town of Woodstock: 
    “The Town of Woodstock is happy with this legislation as we have an outstanding and cooperative relationship with the National Park Service and our residents enjoy all the activities and services they currently offer,” said Eric Duffy, Municipal Manager, Town of Woodstock. “The Park is a massive tourist draw and a vital part of our community.” 
    “We welcome the opportunity to partner more closely with NPS in enhancing access to land and programming at King Farm. The timing aligns perfectly with our efforts to raise funds and invest in King Farm, alongside community partners,” said Tracy Zschau, President and CEO, Vermont Land Trust. 
    Learn more about the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park Establishment Act Amendments Act. 
    Read the full text of the bill. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA Astronaut Tracy C. Dyson, Crewmates Return from Space Station

    Source: NASA

    NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson completed a six-month research mission aboard the International Space Station on Monday, returning to Earth with Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub.
    The trio departed the space station aboard the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft at 4:36 a.m. EDT Monday, Sept. 23, making a safe, parachute-assisted landing at 7:59 a.m. (4:59 p.m. Kazakhstan time), southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan.
    While aboard the orbiting laboratory, Dyson conducted multiple scientific and technology activities including the operation of a 3D bioprinter to print cardiac tissue samples, which could advance technology for creating replacement organs and tissues for transplants on Earth. Dyson also participated in the crystallization of model proteins to evaluate the performance of hardware that could be used for pharmaceutical production and ran a program that used student-designed software to control the station’s free-flying robots, inspiring the next generation of innovators.
    Dyson launched on March 23 and arrived at the station March 25 alongside Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy and spaceflight participant Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus. Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya were aboard the station for 12 days before returning home with NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara on April 6.
    Spanning 184 days in space, Dyson’s third spaceflight covered 2,944 orbits of the Earth and a journey of 78 million miles as an Expedition 70/71 flight engineer. Dyson also conducted one spacewalk of 31 minutes, bringing her career total to 23 hours, 20 minutes on four spacewalks.
    Kononenko and Chub, who launched with O’Hara to the station on the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft last September, spent 374 days in space on a trip of 158.6 million miles, spanning 5,984 orbits. Kononenko completed his fifth flight into space, accruing a record of 1,111 days in orbit, and Chub completed his first spaceflight.
    Following post-landing medical checks, the crew will return to the recovery staging city in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Dyson will then board a NASA plane bound for the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
    Learn more about space station activities by following @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook, ISS Instagram, and the space station blog.
    -end-
    Claire O’Shea / Julian ColtreHeadquarters, Washington202-358-1100claire.a.o’shea@nasa.gov / julian.n.coltre@nasa.gov
    Sandra JonesJohnson Space Center, Houston281-483-5111sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Mark Cuban Foundation Brings Free AI Bootcamp to New York City Teens

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, Sept. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Time is running out to apply to participate in the Mark Cuban Foundation Artificial Intelligence (AI) Bootcamp. Applications for the no-cost bootcamp, held in New York, are closing September 30.

    The Mark Cuban Foundation is bringing the only artificial intelligence (AI) camp of its kind, free of charge, to high school students in New York. With a custom and highly relevant curriculum focused on teaching students about the latest developments in the world of AI and Generative AI, the camp will provide the tools to make these technologies work for them and promises to educate, inspire and fuel the next generation of AI professionals.

    The program aims to provide students with a foundational understanding of artificial intelligence and its applications to future careers. Students can select from six tracks: healthcare, arts and entertainment, business and entrepreneurship, computer science, sports science, or education and career readiness. Driven by the belief that fostering interest in AI at a young age is crucial for preparing the next generation for their future, the AI Bootcamps are introductory and accessible to students in 9-12 grade with an interest in technology. Students do not need any familiarity with computer science or programming to attend.

    This free AI Bootcamp is hosted for underserved high school students with a transparent focus on recruiting girls, students of color, first generation college students, and those from low to moderate income households.

    “As AI continues to become an undeniable force in all of our lives, it’s crucial that we open the door to this knowledge, especially to young people who want to explore it,” said Mark Cuban, founder. “While technology expands and becomes more advanced, it becomes more critical that we ensure our students are prepared when they apply for schools or jobs in the future. This bootcamp will offer an avenue to explore this fascinating field of technology to any student, no matter their means.”

    This year’s bootcamp, taking place in New York on November 2nd, 9th, and 16th, will provide students with lunch and a snack, transportation assistance, and technology equipment during bootcamp.

    There is just one week left until the September 30 deadline. Do not miss your chance—submit your application now, as spaces are limited.

    Apply for the bootcamp at: markcubanai.org.

    Watch Mark Cuban’s message about Mark Cuban Foundation’s AI bootcamps and access the full media kit here.

    To learn more, visit markcubanai.org.

    Media Contact:
    Bishop.wash@markcubanai.org

    This bootcamp is facilitated with support from Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamp Program’s media partner, Notified, a globally trusted technology partner for investor relations, public relations and marketing professionals.

    About Mark Cuban Foundation’s AI Bootcamp Initiative
    The Mark Cuban Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private non-profit led by entrepreneur and investor Mark Cuban. The AI Bootcamps Program at MCF seeks to inspire young people with emerging technology so that they can create more equitable futures for themselves and their communities. Over 3 consecutive Saturdays underserved 9th -12th grade students learn what AI is and isn’t, where they already interact with AI in their own lives, the ethical implications of AI systems, and much more. Learn more about the no-cost AI Bootcamp program at markcubanai.org.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Polytechnic at the international forum “Partnership Days” in Samarkand

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    The delegation of the Polytechnic University visited the forum “Partnership Days”. It was held on the day of the celebration of the foundation (September 21, 1420) of the Samarkand State University.

    SSU is one of the key partners of our university, with which research activities are carried out with the release of joint high-quartile publications in international co-authorship, exchange of postgraduate students and interns, holding summer schools. In 2023, a joint scientific, educational and technological center, as well as SPbPU and SSU signed a partnership agreement and a roadmap for 2023-2025.

    Festive events, various exhibitions and intellectual games were held in Samarkand. A parade of faculties took place, where students presented their achievements in science and education.

    A solemn ceremony dedicated to the university’s birthday was held at the Samarkand Youth Center. Head of the International Education Department Evgeniya Satalkina handed over a congratulatory note from the rector of SPbPU, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Andrey Rudskoy.

    Samarkand State University is the flagship of the education system of Uzbekistan, one of the leading scientific clusters, providing its unique potential and atmosphere for educating a new generation in the spirit of careful attitude to national traditions, but relying on advanced knowledge and the latest technologies. Our universities are good partners and good friends. Professors, staff and students of SPbPU and SSU are in close interaction and successfully carry out joint activities in many areas, – noted Evgeniya Vasilyevna.

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

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

    http://www.spbstu.ru/media/nevs/international_activize/polytech-at-the-international-forum-partner-days-in-Samarkand/

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: Mark Cuban Foundation Brings Free AI Bootcamp to Raleigh-Durham Teens

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    RALEIGH-DURHAM, N.C., Sept. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Time is running out to apply to participate in the Mark Cuban Foundation Artificial Intelligence (AI) Bootcamp. Applications for the no-cost bootcamp, held in Raleigh, are closing September 30.

    The Mark Cuban Foundation is bringing the only artificial intelligence (AI) camp of its kind, free of charge, to Raleigh-Durham high school students. With a custom and highly relevant curriculum focused on teaching students about the latest developments in the world of AI and Generative AI, the camp will provide the tools to make these technologies work for them and promises to educate, inspire and fuel the next generation of AI professionals.

    The program aims to provide students with a foundational understanding of artificial intelligence and its applications to future careers. Students can select from six tracks: healthcare, arts and entertainment, business and entrepreneurship, computer science, sports science, or education and career readiness. Driven by the belief that fostering interest in AI at a young age is crucial for preparing the next generation for their future, the AI Bootcamps are introductory and accessible to students in 9-12 grade with an interest in technology. Students do not need any familiarity with computer science or programming to attend.

    This free AI Bootcamp is hosted for underserved high school students with a transparent focus on recruiting girls, students of color, first generation college students, and those from low to moderate income households.

    “As AI continues to become an undeniable force in all of our lives, it’s crucial that we open the door to this knowledge, especially to young people who want to explore it,” said Mark Cuban, founder. “While technology expands and becomes more advanced, it becomes more critical that we ensure our students are prepared when they apply for schools or jobs in the future. This bootcamp will offer an avenue to explore this fascinating field of technology to any student, no matter their means.”

    This year’s bootcamp, taking place in Raleigh on November 2nd, 9th, and 16th, will provide students with lunch and a snack, transportation assistance, and technology equipment during bootcamp.

    There is just one week left until the September 30 deadline. Do not miss your chance—submit your application now, as spaces are limited.

    Apply for the bootcamp at: markcubanai.org.

    Watch Mark Cuban’s message about Mark Cuban Foundation’s AI bootcamps and access the full media kit here.

    To learn more, visit markcubanai.org.

    Media Contact:
    Bishop.wash@markcubanai.org

    This bootcamp is facilitated with support from Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamp Program’s media partner, Notified, a globally trusted technology partner for investor relations, public relations and marketing professionals.

    About Mark Cuban Foundation’s AI Bootcamp Initiative
    The Mark Cuban Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private non-profit led by entrepreneur and investor Mark Cuban. The AI Bootcamps Program at MCF seeks to inspire young people with emerging technology so that they can create more equitable futures for themselves and their communities. Over 3 consecutive Saturdays underserved 9th -12th grade students learn what AI is and isn’t, where they already interact with AI in their own lives, the ethical implications of AI systems, and much more. Learn more about the no-cost AI Bootcamp program at markcubanai.org.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Mark Cuban Foundation Brings Free AI Bootcamp to Richardson Teens

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    RICHARDSON, Texas, Sept. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Time is running out to apply to participate in the Mark Cuban Foundation Artificial Intelligence (AI) Bootcamp. Applications for the no-cost bootcamp, held in Richardson, are closing September 30.

    The Mark Cuban Foundation is bringing the only artificial intelligence (AI) camp of its kind, free of charge, to high school students in Richardson. With a custom and highly relevant curriculum focused on teaching students about the latest developments in the world of AI and Generative AI, the camp will provide the tools to make these technologies work for them and promises to educate, inspire and fuel the next generation of AI professionals.

    The program aims to provide students with a foundational understanding of artificial intelligence and its applications to future careers. Students can select from six tracks: healthcare, arts and entertainment, business and entrepreneurship, computer science, sports science, or education and career readiness. Driven by the belief that fostering interest in AI at a young age is crucial for preparing the next generation for their future, the AI Bootcamps are introductory and accessible to students in 9-12 grade with an interest in technology. Students do not need any familiarity with computer science or programming to attend.

    This free AI Bootcamp is hosted for underserved high school students with a transparent focus on recruiting girls, students of color, first generation college students, and those from low to moderate income households.

    “As AI continues to become an undeniable force in all of our lives, it’s crucial that we open the door to this knowledge, especially to young people who want to explore it,” said Mark Cuban, founder. “While technology expands and becomes more advanced, it becomes more critical that we ensure our students are prepared when they apply for schools or jobs in the future. This bootcamp will offer an avenue to explore this fascinating field of technology to any student, no matter their means.”

    This year’s bootcamp, taking place in Richardson on November 2nd, 9th, and 16th, will provide students with lunch and a snack, transportation assistance, and technology equipment during bootcamp.

    There is just one week left until the September 30 deadline. Do not miss your chance—submit your application now, as spaces are limited.

    Apply for the bootcamp at: markcubanai.org.

    Watch Mark Cuban’s message about Mark Cuban Foundation’s AI bootcamps and access the full media kit here.

    To learn more, visit markcubanai.org.

    Media Contact:
    Bishop.wash@markcubanai.org

    This bootcamp is facilitated with support from Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamp Program’s media partner, Notified, a globally trusted technology partner for investor relations, public relations and marketing professionals.

    About Mark Cuban Foundation’s AI Bootcamp Initiative
    The Mark Cuban Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private non-profit led by entrepreneur and investor Mark Cuban. The AI Bootcamps Program at MCF seeks to inspire young people with emerging technology so that they can create more equitable futures for themselves and their communities. Over 3 consecutive Saturdays underserved 9th -12th grade students learn what AI is and isn’t, where they already interact with AI in their own lives, the ethical implications of AI systems, and much more. Learn more about the no-cost AI Bootcamp program at markcubanai.org.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: IAM Union, TWU-IAM Association Win Pay, Pension Increases for 34,000+ American Airlines Members

    Source: US GOIAM Union

    More than 34,000 members of the TWU-IAM Association, a union alliance of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) and the Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) at American Airlines, will soon vote on well-deserved pay, pension, license and other premium increases.

    The Association’s negotiating committees reached tentative agreements with the carrier after roughly a month of negotiations. IAM Districts 141 and 142 represent mechanic and related, fleet service and related, and stores workers at American Airlines.

    The two-year proposed extension, from Jan. 1, 2025 to Jan. 1, 2027, includes:

    • Average wage increase for covered employees in January 2025 ranging from 10.8% to 16.7% and 18% to 26% over the life of the extension.
    • 3% out year increases in January 2026 and 2027 that also match the highest in the industry.
    • Several non-economic quality of life issues were also addressed.
    • Increases in License Pay, Skill Pay, and Crew Chief Pay.
    • Increases in IAM National Pension Plan contributions.
    • No concessions/givebacks.

    “The IAM continues to negotiate agreements that are fundamentally changing the landscape of the entire airline industry,” said IAM Air Transport Territory General Vice President Richie Johnsen. “By continuing to win contracts that push wages and retirement security to new heights, we are lifting every worker and community that makes the world move.”

    “Our negotiating committee showed up ready to achieve the pay, pension, license increases along with other premium increases that our members deserve – and they have delivered,” said IAM Airline Coordinator Tom Regan. “These increases at American Airlines are great news for the entire airline industry and every worker who deserves to be compensated fairly for their labor.”

    “IAM members are the people who make American Airlines run every single day,” said IAM District 142 President and Directing General Chair John M. Coveny Jr. “This agreement is a testament to our negotiating committee and the dedication of our skilled membership.”

    “The IAM is delivering well-deserved wage increases for every member at American Airlines,” said IAM District 141 President and Directing General Chair Mike Klemm. “Our strength and solidarity has never been more powerful, and we’re continuing to make history with every agreement in the airline industry.”

    In the coming weeks, IAM representatives will schedule in-person and virtual meetings to explain the agreement and voting process to members.

    The TWU-IAM Association, the largest union at the carrier, was formed after the merger of American Airlines and US Airways in 2012.

    Share and Follow:

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: President calls on all stakeholders to help preserve SA’s heritage

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on business and other stakeholders to work with government to protect and conserve historical, cultural and natural heritage sites, particularly in marginalised communities.

    President Ramaphosa made the call in his weekly newsletter to the nation on Monday, ahead of the Heritage Day celebrations.

    South Africa will on Tuesday observe Heritage Day, where citizens will celebrate the rich cultural tapestry that makes up the nation. 

    President Ramaphosa noted that while heritage preservation is a responsibility of government, the private sector, corporate sponsors, philanthropists, heritage organisations and other stakeholders also have an important role to play in ensuring these legacies are safeguarded for future generations. 

    “Private sector support for heritage preservation is uneven. While some high-profile heritage sites like Robben Island, the Mandela House in Soweto, Constitution Hill, and others receive donor funding, other less prominent institutions, events, and initiatives struggle to obtain support. 

    “As a result, many important sites of memory have fallen into disrepair. This is a wasted opportunity, because a number of these sites could stimulate local economies and provide work opportunities to the communities in which they are situated,” President Ramaphosa said.

    The President said protecting and conserving historical, cultural, and natural heritage sites was also vitally important for nation-building and national reconciliation. 

    “On this Heritage Day, I call on business and other stakeholders to work with government in the cause of heritage preservation, particularly in marginalised communities. There is already laudable work being done in this regard. 

    “By working together as government, business, and society, we can use our national heritage to uplift communities, create opportunities and make us all proud to be South African,” the President said.

    Highlighting the significance of Heritage Day, President Ramaphosa noted that having emerged from a painful apartheid past where indigenous customs, traditions and languages were denigrated and marginalised, Heritage Day is one of the most important events on the national calendar. 

    “It is a valuable opportunity for cross-cultural exchange and for building bridges of tolerance and understanding between races and different ethnic groups. I have always found it heartwarming to see how South Africans from all walks of life celebrate Heritage Day in their communities, schools, workplaces, places of worship and institutions of higher learning. 

    “It has become a regular facet of Heritage Day to see South Africans share their traditions, cuisine, dress, music, and other forms of cultural expression with their compatriots. Beyond the benefits for cultural self-expression, pride and nation-building, heritage preservation is an important driver of economic growth, job creation and sustainable development,” President Ramaphosa said. 

    South Africa is perfectly placed to use its rich cultural and natural heritage to promote economic growth. 

    “As one of the world’s most mega biodiverse countries, South Africa’s natural heritage attracts tourists from around the world, supporting local job creation and investment in natural resource infrastructure. By way of example, in December 2023 alone, there were more than 400 000 visitors to sites like the Table Mountain National Park and Robben Island,” the President highlighted. 

    Coupled with this, he said, South Africa has an abundance of historical sites across the country that span the pre-colonial, colonial, apartheid, and democratic eras. 

    “These sites are not just important for tourism. They are also sites of memory and monuments to the past that serve to educate the younger generation of South Africans,” President Ramaphosa said. 

    To preserve the country’s rich heritage, the President underscored a need to do more to attract young South Africans to careers and opportunities in the sector. 

    He said through the Presidential Employment Stimulus, the National Heritage Council and National Arts Council has provided unemployed young people with work opportunities in film and digital media production, cultural project management, storytelling, language preservation and as museum guides.

    Government will commemorate Heritage Day at Meqheleng Stadium in Ficksburg, in the Free State, under the theme: “Celebrating the lives of our heroes and heroines who laid down their lives for our freedom”.

    This year’s theme puts a spotlight on South Africa’s liberation movements who received various forms of solidarity and support from neighbouring countries during the liberation struggle. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI: EquityZen Adds to Senior Executive team – Hires Justin Howell as COO and promotes Jean Brandolini Lamb to CMO

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, Sept. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — EquityZen, an online marketplace for company-approved sales of pre-IPO employee shares, today announces the appointment of Justin Howell as Chief Operating Officer. Howell’s appointment marks a significant milestone for EquityZen as it accelerates its mission of bringing “private markets to the public” for investors and shareholders on its fintech platform. 

    Howell will oversee daily operations and will report to EquityZen CEO, Atish Davda. Before joining EquityZen, Justin founded and led Rize Money, Inc., a pioneering embedded payments platform that provided payment infrastructure and risk management capabilities to fintechs and other technology companies seeking to integrate innovative financial products into their existing user experiences. Under his leadership, Rize was successfully acquired by Fifth Third Bank, where he served as Senior Vice President and oversaw the integration of Rize’s infrastructure into Newline, Fifth Third’s embedded payments division, allowing Fifth Third to win enterprise-scale clients like Stripe and Trustly. 

    “Throughout my career I have been on a mission to transform financial services through technology,” said EquityZen’s newly appointed COO, Justin Howell. “As an early investor in EquityZen and a long-time client, I am thrilled to be working with the leadership team at EquityZen to help bring greater access to alternative markets.”

    Howell’s career spans over 20 years with various roles at Bain & Company, Bain Capital, Soleil Securities and Perry Capital, where he gained experience in strategy, operations, and investment across both startups and Fortune 100 companies before founding Rize. His passion for building impactful companies extends to sectors such as personal finance, greentech, education and media & entertainment. Justin holds a Bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and an MBA from The Wharton School. He actively contributes to the entrepreneurial community as a mentor, advisor and board member.

    Jean Brandolini Lamb has spent two years as EquityZen’s head of marketing before being promoted to Chief Marketing Officer. 

    “It’s been a pleasure to be part of EquityZen’s advancement as we see interest in our category and company grow. I look forward to working even more deeply with the leadership team to focus on our customers and the opportunities ahead of our thriving business,” said Jean Brandolini Lamb, EquityZen’s new CMO. 

    Jean joined EquityZen as head of marketing in 2022. Over the last 20+ years, Jean has led marketing teams at global financial services and technology companies including J.P. Morgan, TIAA, SAP and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from NYU and an MA from Columbia University. 

    “Justin is an invaluable addition to our team given his experience as a seasoned entrepreneur, business strategist and his proven track record in scaling businesses. His deep understanding of our business, financial technology and how to operate nimbly in a highly regulated industry will be instrumental as we continue to innovate and transform our pre-IPO platform,” said Atish Davda, CEO of EquityZen. “Jean joined to lead marketing two years ago and expanded her purview to also lead funds, research and customer experience in her tenure. With this promotion, she brings her valued voice and insight into our customers to the senior executive team. Our goal at EquityZen is to democratize access to investing in the private markets and I look forward to both of their contributions at our company,” he added.

    About EquityZen

    Since 2013, the EquityZen marketplace has made it easy to buy and sell shares in the private companies shaping the future. EquityZen brings together investors and shareholders, providing liquidity to early shareholders and private market access to accredited investors. With low investment minimums through our funds and with more than 41,000 private placements completed across 450+ companies, EquityZen leads the way in delivering “Private Markets for the Public.” 

    Media Contact

    Deborah Kostroun, Zito Partners

    +1 (201) 403-8185

    deborah@zitopartners.com

    Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/946c4fa0-0b3d-4fb1-ad69-92656e2711ca
    https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/24305c18-3024-4999-be01-12e6d1ecd213

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Sprout Social Deepens Commitment to Public Sector by Partnering With Carahsoft as a NASPO-Approved Vendor for Government Agencies

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CHICAGO, Sept. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sprout Social (Nasdaq: SPT), an industry-leading provider of cloud-based social media management software, today announced their publishing, engagement, customer care, advocacy, and AI-powered business intelligence solutions have been added to the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) ValuePoint Cloud Solutions Contract held by Carahsoft Technology Corp., The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider®. The contract enables Carahsoft and its reseller partners to provide Sprout Social’s products to participating state and local government agencies.

    NASPO ValuePoint Cloud Solutions Contract is a cooperative purchasing program facilitating public procurement solicitations and agreements using a lead-state model. The program provides the highest standard of excellence in public cooperative contracting. By leveraging the leadership and expertise of all states and the purchasing power of their public entities, NASPO ValuePoint Cloud Solutions delivers the highest valued, reliable and competitively sourced contracts, offering public entities outstanding pricing.

    “Social media has become a vital tool for government agencies to engage with the public and deliver timely, transparent communication,” said Ryan Barretto, President and incoming CEO, Sprout Social. “Our partnership with Carahsoft and NASPO ensures Sprout customers in the public sector can work more efficiently, create more time for citizen engagement and confidently demonstrate the value of social.”

    Sprout takes billions of social conversations from across the major social networks and brings them together in seconds, surfacing rich insights, building comprehensive dashboards and powering intelligent automations. With the addition of Sprout Social solutions to NASPO, government agencies may now purchase the platform alongside other approved technologies, all from one contract offered by Carahsoft.

    “Carahsoft is excited to announce that Sprout Social’s cloud-based social media management platforms are now available to NASPO members,” said Craig P. Abod, Carahsoft President. “The inclusion of Sprout Social in NASPO’s offerings expands the range of digital communication solutions available to State and Local agencies. Carahsoft is committed to helping NASPO members enhance their social media management through collaboration with our resellers. With Sprout Social now part of NASPO, customers can more effectively communicate and serve their communities.”

    Learn more about Sprout Social here.

    About Sprout Social
    Sprout Social is a global leader in social media management and analytics software. Sprout’s intuitive platform puts powerful social data into the hands of more than 30,000 brands so they can deliver smarter, faster business impact. Named the #1 Best Software Product by G2’s 2024 Best Software Award, Sprout offers comprehensive publishing and engagement functionality, customer care, influencer marketing, advocacy, and AI-powered business intelligence. Sprout’s software operates across all major social media networks and digital platforms. For more information about Sprout Social (NASDAQ: SPT), visit sproutsocial.com.

    Social Media Profiles:
    www.twitter.com/SproutSocial
    www.twitter.com/SproutSocialIR
    www.facebook.com/SproutSocialInc
    www.linkedin.com/company/sprout-social-inc-/
    www.instagram.com/sproutsocial

    Contact
    Media:
    Layla Revis
    Email: pr@sproutsocial.com
    Phone: (866) 878-3231

    Investors:
    Lexi Johnson
    Twitter: @SproutSocialIR
    Email: investors@sproutsocial.com
    Phone: (312) 528-9166

    About Carahsoft
    Carahsoft Technology Corp. is The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider, supporting Public Sector organizations across Federal, State and Local Government agencies and Education and Healthcare markets. As the Master Government Aggregator® for our vendor partners, we deliver solutions for Customer Experience and Engagement, Cybersecurity, HR and Training Technology, MultiCloud, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Open Source, DevSecOps and more. Working with resellers, systems integrators and consultants, our sales and marketing teams provide industry leading IT products, services and training through hundreds of contract vehicles. Visit us at www.carahsoft.com. 

    Contact
    Mary Lange
    (703) 230-7434
    PR@carahsoft.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Broadcom Delivers Industry Leading 200G/lane DSP for Gen AI Infrastructure

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ: AVGO) today announced the general availability of Sian™2, 200 Gbps per lane (200G/lane) PAM-4 DSP PHY. Sian2 features 200G/lane electrical and optical interfaces to augment the Sian DSP that supports 100 Gbps electrical and 200Gbps optical interfaces. Sian and Sian2 DSPs enable pluggable modules with 200G/lane interfaces that are foundational to connect next generation AI clusters.

    AI cluster sizes and cluster performance needs are growing dramatically to support exploding AI model sizes. High performance, low latency, and resilient connectivity are vital for the scale-up and scale-out of next generation AI clusters. For these networks, customers demand reliable optical network connectivity with higher bandwidth, lower power, lower latency and lower cost. This necessitates the migration from the 400G/800G links with 100G/lane optics being used in AI clusters today to 800G/1.6T links with 200G/lane optics that Sian2 enables. Broadcom’s Sian2 and Sian DSPs are optimized for 800G and 1.6T optical module platforms and deliver unmatched performance by doubling the bandwidth with lower power, lower latency and lower cost per bit to facilitate AI data center scale.

    “200G/lane DSP is foundational to high-speed optical links for next generation scale-up and scale-out networks in the AI infrastructure,” said Vijay Janapaty, vice president and general manager of the Physical Layer Products Division at Broadcom. “The Sian family of products reinforces Broadcom’s leadership in optical DSP PHYs and enables our AI data center customers to deploy high-performance 800G and 1.6T links.”

    Further, the combination of Sian2 and Sian PHY and Broadcom’s leading-edge 200G/lane optics, including electro-absorption modulated laser (EML) and continuous wave laser (CWL), provides the best-in-class performance and power consumption enabling data center operators to cost-effectively scale AI workloads.

    “AI market leaders will start ramping optical modules using 200G/lane in 2025,” commented Dr. Vlad Kozlov, CEO and Chief Analyst at LightCounting. “There is a race for dominance in AI fueling a demand for delivery in excess of 1M units of 1.6T optical transceivers within the first 12 months. We have never seen new products ramping at such rate.”

    Sian2 Product Highlights:

    • Low power 5nm 200G/lane DSP solution enabling sub-28W 1.6T transceivers
    • Supports 800G and 1.6T pluggable modules
    • Support for both 212.5-Gb/s and 226.875-Gb/s data rates for InfiniBand and Ethernet applications
    • Support for multiple FEC options including Bypass, Segmented and Concatenated FEC
    • Built-in low-swing and high-swing laser driver for both SiP and EML based optical modules
    • Sub-80ns roundtrip (Ingress + Egress) latency for AI/ML applications
    • Crossbar support for ease of transceiver design

    Demo Showcase at ECOC 2024
    Broadcom Sian2 PHY and 200G/lane optics inside 1.6T DR8 optical modules will be demonstrated in the Innolight Booth B81 and Eoptolink Booth D60 taking place at ECOC Exhibition 2024, in Frankfurt, Germany from September 23-25. Attendees will see live transmit eye performance and end-to-end pre-FEC & post-FEC performance with IEEE compliant KP4 FEC.

    “Sian2 enables the design of high-speed optical transceivers for next generation switches, network interface cards and accelerators with 200G SerDes interfaces,” said Richard Huang, CEO, Eoptolink Technology. “The Broadcom Sian2 DSP and Eoptolink’s innovative transceiver design approach results in performance leading 1.6T pluggable optical transceivers. Combined with Eoptolink’s high volume manufacturing capability, this ensures the supply for the growing bandwidth in AI networks.”

    “InnoLight is leading the industry’s transition to 1.6T with the lowest power transceiver solutions, leveraging Broadcom’s Sian2 DSP,” said Hai Ding, VP of Marketing, InnoLight Technology. “As engineering pioneers, we’re redefining optical networking with our cutting-edge innovations, and helping accelerate the deployments of 200G/lane pluggables for next generation AI workloads.”

    Availability
    Broadcom is currently sampling the Sian2 BCM8582X device to its early access customers and partners. Please contact your local Broadcom sales representative for samples and pricing.

    For more information on Broadcom’s 200G/lane optical solutions, please click here.

    About Broadcom
    Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ: AVGO) is a global technology leader that designs, develops, and supplies a broad range of semiconductor, enterprise software and security solutions. Broadcom’s category-leading product portfolio serves critical markets including cloud, data center, networking, broadband, wireless, storage, industrial, and enterprise software. Our solutions include service provider and enterprise networking and storage, mobile device and broadband connectivity, mainframe, cybersecurity, and private and hybrid cloud infrastructure. Broadcom is a Delaware corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, CA. For more information, go to www.broadcom.com.

    Broadcom, the pulse logo, and Connecting everything are among the trademarks of Broadcom. The term “Broadcom” refers to Broadcom Inc., and/or its subsidiaries. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

    Press Contact:
    Khanh Lam
    Corporate Communications
    press.relations@broadcom.com
    Telephone: +1 408 433 8649

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: View politics critically but charitably and with good old common sense: cowboy commentator Will Rogers’ wisdom for 2024

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Steven Watts, Professor of History, University of Missouri-Columbia

    Will Rogers made a career out of making fun of politics and politicians − with a generous spirit. George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images

    For those trying to come to terms with a particularly tumultuous election year full of deep divisions, ideological invective and personal insults, guidance can come from a historical figure whose insights into American politics still prove useful.

    As I chronicle in my new book, “Citizen Cowboy: Will Rogers And The American People,” Will Rogers stood as perhaps the most influential commentator on public affairs in the United States a century ago. Born in Oklahoma, he had risen to fame as a cowboy humorist in vaudeville, the Ziegfeld Follies, Broadway shows and silent movies, and he earned public acclaim with his shrewd, folksy and witty observations on American life and values.

    By the 1920s, this led to a syndicated column Rogers wrote for over 300 newspapers, a stream of magazine articles and essays, and steady appearances on the national lecture circuit. He hosted a national radio program and had starring roles in several Hollywood “talkie” movies.

    Rogers became the most beloved figure in America until his death in 1935. As I discovered in my research, a flood of eulogies appeared in newspapers and magazines following his passing. Typical was this one appearing in the Minneapolis Journal: “We all loved Will Rogers … . Poets we have had, and philosophers, and humorists of note; but not one among them all so endeared to the heart of the whole people. None was ever mourned with such genuine grief, none will be so missed from our common life.”

    Especially fascinated by the nation’s politics, Rogers often trained his humor on its foibles and achievements alike. Three touchstones guided his commentary: a genial skepticism about politics as usual, a belief that politics must be subsumed within a broader perspective on life and, above all, an insistence that political discussants honor a code of civility.

    Will Rogers sends up politics and politicians in this radio broadcast from 1924.

    ‘I just … report the facts’

    Rogers got most of his laughs from skeptical jabs at the system. He gleefully skewered the “bunk” of American politics, his favorite word for politicians’ shameless hypocrisy, bombastic rhetoric, inflated egos and shady deal-making. Both Democrats and Republicans stood guilty of peddling bunk.

    “You know, the more you read and observe about this politics thing, you’ve got to admit that each party is worse than the other,” Rogers said. “It is getting so that a Republican promise is not much more to be depended on than a Democratic one. And that has always been considered the lowest form of collateral in the world.”

    The Oklahoman poked fun at the political system’s grandiose rituals and fumbling institutions. He wrote of a benumbing presidential convention in 1924 that took three weeks and 103 ballots to nominate a nonentity: “In number of population the convention is holding its own. The deaths from old age among the delegates is about offset by the birthrate.”

    Rogers pilloried governmental ineptness in Washington, D.C. One year, when Congress reconvened after a round of egregious bickering and inaction, he joked, “Let us all pray: Oh Lord, give us strength to bear that which is about to be inflicted upon us. Be merciful with them, Oh Lord, for they know not what they do.”

    He claimed a simple approach: “I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.”

    ‘Critical yet charitable’

    Yet Rogers insisted that political disputation should be kept in perspective. He urged his fellow citizens to avoid politicizing every public issue and instead concentrate on more meaningful endeavors – family, friends, community and work.

    Despite the dire warnings of political zealots, he said, “There is no less sickness, no less Earthquakes, no less Progress, no less inventions, no less morality, no less Christianity under one (president) than the other.”

    But for Rogers, the ultimate guarantee of stability came from the mass of workaday American citizens seeking commonsense solutions to public problems. What Rogers called the “Big Honest Majority” lived simply and worked hard, wanted a good life for their families and pursued their own version of happiness.

    The average citizen, Rogers believed, had solid judgment and “was not simple minded enough to believe that EVERYTHING is right and doesn’t appear to be cuckoo enough to believe that EVERYTHING is wrong.”

    Finally, Rogers urged an approach to politics that was critical yet charitable, principled yet magnanimous. A connoisseur of civility, he insisted that political disputants were opponents, not enemies, and that contrary viewpoints deserved respect.

    The humorist set the example: “I haven’t got it in for anybody or anything.”

    Will Rogers dining with Oklahoma Gov. Bill Murray on Feb. 3, 1931, in Oklahoma City. Murray had his usual meal of hard-boiled eggs and milk; Rogers chose fried chicken.
    Associated Press

    Surviving overwrought partisanship

    Even as he pilloried politicians’ shortcomings, he never made it personal. Despite their faults, Rogers wrote, “the Rascals, when you meet ’em face to face and know ’em, they are mighty nice fellows.” He declared famously, “I’ve joked about every prominent man in my time but I never met a man I didn’t like.”

    Determinedly nonpartisan throughout most of his career, he leaned toward the party of Franklin Roosevelt during the Great Depression while jesting, “I don’t belong to any organized political faith; I’m a Democrat.” The cowboy humorist saw politics as an endeavor for genial discussion, not a blood sport.

    Rogers’ political axioms of healthy skepticism, perspicacity and civility remain useful guides for surviving even the most sordid electioneering.

    So when you hear overwrought partisans lamenting “the end of democracy” or “we won’t have a country left anymore,” take a deep breath and consider Will Rogers’ calmer, wiser approach to presidential elections a century ago. Remember his conclusion that America won’t be ruined “no matter who is elected, so the Politicians will have to wait four more years to tell us who will ruin us then.”

    Then you can adopt his sage advice that when dealing with a political adversary, “don’t disagree with him looking at him; walk around behind him and see the way he’s looking.”

    Steven Watts 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. View politics critically but charitably and with good old common sense: cowboy commentator Will Rogers’ wisdom for 2024 – https://theconversation.com/view-politics-critically-but-charitably-and-with-good-old-common-sense-cowboy-commentator-will-rogers-wisdom-for-2024-239372

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: Aether Fuels Signs MOU with JetBlue

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CHICAGO, Sept. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aether Fuels (Aether), a venture-backed climate technology company, today announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with JetBlue (NASDAQ: JBLU). Aether has developed a breakthrough technology that utilizes a diverse array of waste feedstocks to produce sustainable liquid fuels at a lower cost and greater scale than existing approaches. The agreement creates a pathway for Aether to supply JetBlue with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) when commercial production begins.

    The MOU extends Aether’s relationship with JetBlue that began when its venture capital subsidiary, JetBlue Ventures, invested in Aether’s convertible note and Series A financings.

    Aether’s technology, known as Aether Aurora™, uses a range of waste carbon feedstocks that do not compete with food or feed value chains. This critical “feedstock flexibility” differentiator enables the large-scale deployment of Aether Aurora technology and contributes to the breakthrough economics that are essential for sustainable liquid fuels, by enabling the conversion of numerous abundant waste carbon feedstocks into jet fuel. This overcomes the supply constraints faced by many other SAF production processes that rely on a limited type of often-scarce or cost-constrained feedstocks.

    The technology, an enhanced version of the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process, combines innovations in chemistry (catalysts), equipment (reactors), and novel process flow schemes that enable major process simplifications (intensification) when converting waste carbon streams, such as captured carbon dioxide, industrial waste gases, biogas and treated agricultural residues, into liquid hydrocarbons. It is a robust, flexible, and efficient process engineered to deliver high yield and broad feedstock support at lower investment and operating costs.

    This MOU is the first for Aether in the SAF space. It comes as the company’s team of expert technologists, in partnership with GTI Energy, are constructing a 100 gallon-per-day (380l/day) pilot line that builds on the successful operation of an existing 1.5 gallon-per-day (6l/day) pilot line. The work leverages eight years of technology development initiated by GTI Energy and accelerates the commercial deployment of Aether Aurora at scale.

    In parallel, Aether is developing a pipeline of commercial-scale production facilities. This includes projects in the U.S. and Southeast Asia to produce SAF and other high-value sustainable liquid fuels in collaboration with select strategic partners.

    “JetBlue is a leader in proactively transitioning to SAF so their interest in the company and the Aether Aurora technology is gratifying,” said Conor Madigan, Co-founder and CEO at Aether. “For a disruptive technology like ours, early and informed input from potential users, including airlines, can accelerate the ramp from R&D to commercialization. We are excited to engage with JetBlue and look forward to supporting their SAF vision.”

    “Scaling up production of SAF is the essential challenge to solve for the decarbonization of aviation,” said Sara Bogdan, Managing Director of Sustainability and ESG at JetBlue. “Aether Fuels’ technology targets a key need. By enabling access to a much wider range of feedstocks than previously available, the new technology shows incredible promise to help SAF reach the commercial scale needed for the industry transition to renewable fuels. As our investment via JetBlue Ventures demonstrates, we are believers in the Aether technology and team, and we look forward to being part of that journey.”

    Aether Aurora is trademarked by Aether Fuels

    About JetBlue: JetBlue is New York’s Hometown Airline®, and a leading carrier in Boston, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Los Angeles, Orlando and San Juan. JetBlue, known for its low fares and great service, carries customers to more than 100 destinations throughout the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean, Canada and Europe. For more information and the best fares, visit jetblue.com.

    About Aether Fuels: Aether Fuels envisions a net-zero world enabled by its breakthrough sustainable liquid fuel production technology. We are developing highly scalable solutions that dramatically improve the unit economics of producing sustainable fuels for aviation and ocean shipping. Established in 2022 as a spin-out of Xora Innovation, a deep-tech early-stage investment platform of Temasek, we maintain principal offices in the U.S. and Singapore. For more information, visit www.aetherfuels.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

    Contact

    Kelsey Duke; Diffusion PR for Aether Fuels; email: AetherFuels@Diffusionpr.com

    The MIL Network –