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Category: Universities

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to two new studies on diabetes drugs (including GLP-1RSs and glucose-lowering drugs) and dementia and Alzheimer’s risk in people with diabetes

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Two studies published in JAMA Neurology look at diabetes drugs and the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s. 

    Comments on both studies:

    Prof Atticus Hainsworth, Professor of Cerebrovascular Disease, St George’s, University of London, said:

    “These two studies have looked at drug prescribing databases, to assess whether diabetic medications impact on risk of Alzheimer’s, vascular and other dementia types.  The findings are intriguing, even though they are somewhat contradictory.  But nothing can substitute for a prospective, hypothesis-testing experiment, which in this context means a prospective clinical trial.”

    Prof Mark Evans, University Professor of Diabetic Medicine & Honorary Consultant Physician, Institute of Metabolic Science & Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, said:

    Background:

    “It is increasingly apparent that there is an association between diabetes and increased risk of dementia.  Although it is not clear how this association is mediated (and whether this is to do with elevated blood glucose from diabetes or a broader effect of diabetes for example on the circulation or inflammation pathways), the obvious pragmatic question arising is whether or not treating diabetes with glucose lowering therapies can reduce risk of dementia and importantly whether certain types of glucose lowering therapy are particularly effective.

    “Newer glucose lowering treatments used in (type 2) diabetes seem to carry additional health benefits beyond just glucose lowering.  For example, treatments that act via signalling at the GLP-1 receptor or by blocking SGLT glucose transporter channels have been shown to carry broader protective effects for the heart and kidneys.

    “Some data already exist to suggest that these agents may also have brain-protective effects against the development of dementia.  The evidence to date has largely fallen into two different types.  Firstly, examining clinical trials of glucose lowering therapies where usually dementia is not the primary focus but in the clinical trials, investigators will document all health changes including a new diagnosis or change in dementia or cognition.  Secondly, examining large real-world datasets for the association between diabetes, different types of therapy and a clinical record of dementia.

    These two papers:

    “These two papers cover each of these areas respectively.  Seminer2et al have performed an analysis of clinical trials broadly similar to ones previously reported.  They found that glucose-lowering therapies in general were not significantly associated with a reduction in dementia, although when comparing different types of therapy, GLP-1R targeted drugs but not those acting on SGLT channels were associated with a reduction in dementia.  There are cautions arising from these data and the authors have acknowledge these appropriately.  Overall, the absolute rates of dementia reported in the studies contributing to their analysis were relatively low which thus reduces the ability for this type of analysis to identify differences.  There may be a number of reasons for this, for example the clinical trials were not designed to look in detail for possible changes in dementia.

    “The other paper from Tang1 et al was a real-world analysis.  Consistent with previous data, this did seem to show less dementia in those using either GLP-1R agonists or SGLT2 inhibitors.  The authors were aware of the limitations of observational data.  In other words, it may be that the type of person receiving these agents was different from the type of person prescribed other glucose lowering therapies.  As an example, one obvious potential confounder from their paper was that the groups receiving GLP 1 agonist or SGLT inhibitor therapy were younger than the comparison groups.

    General Reflection:

    “Overall these papers whet the appetite for two large clinical trials (EVOKE and EVOKE+) that will complete towards the end of this year.  These were specifically designed to look at whether semaglutide, a GLP 1 receptor agonist, can reduce progression of Alzheimer’s dementia and may give us a more definitive answer, at least for GLP 1 receptor agonist treatment.”

    Prof David Strain, Associate Professor in Cardiometabolic Health, and a clinical geriatrician, University of Exeter, said:

    “Living with diabetes is associated with twice the rate of decline towards both vascular and Alzheimer’s Type dementia.  Although long-term high blood sugar is recognised to be warm contributor to this, there are many others including genetics, the body’s ability to produce insulin, episodes of low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) and inflammation.  For years, the best way of preventing this was to attempt to keep the sugar in the “goldilocks zone“ that is not too high but not too low.

    “GLP-1 receptor antagonists (such as semaglutide and dulaglutide) and SGLT-2 inhibitors (such as dapagliflozin and empagliflozin) have been demonstrated to control the sugar, and also reduce the inflammation (a key driver of Alzheimer’s disease) and reduce vascular risk (a key driver of vascular dementia) more than would be expected by the sugar control alone.  It is therefore no surprise that these data show a lower risk of dementia in people who receive them as part of her routine care.

    “We must be cautious how we interpret these data though.  Firstly, there were very small numbers of events in the randomised control trials and these were not fully validated so there is a possibility that there were many other cases of dementia missed, indeed that patients reported as having Alzheimer’s type dementia may have had other problems.  In the database study, we can never be certain of other unmeasured factors that influenced the doctor to prescribe one medication over another.  These may also have had an impact on whether a person would progress to dementia or not.

    “It is also important to say this is talking about the risk of dementia in people with diabetes.  We have recently seen benefit of the GLP-1 RAs for cardiovascular health in people who do not have diabetes, likewise the SGLT 2 inhibitors are regularly used in other conditions.  Today’s studies will need to be replicated prospectively, in people with and without diabetes such as the work we are performing at the University of Exeter, to determine if we can help reduce the progression towards dementia in many more people in the country.”

    Prof Naveed Sattar, Professor of Cardiometabolic Medicine/Honorary Consultant, University of Glasgow, said:

    “These two papers on potential for GLP-1RA medicines to lower dementia risk are somewhat encouraging but they are FAR from definitive, given the design of one is observational and the numbers of people with dementia in the trial meta-analyses were incredibly small, leading to limited power.  Hence, we need to await the results of ongoing randomised trials in this area before drawing sensible conclusions.  There is optimism GLP-1RAs (and related medicines) may lower future dementia risk, however, given they favourably impact multiple diseases (cardiovascular, hypertension, kidney and diabetes) known to increase dementia risk, it might be that it is having a lower risk of stroke /heart disease and diabetes that actually then is linked to a lower risk of dementia.  Hopefully, far more robust trial evidence – needed before any clinical implications are drawn – should be forthcoming in the near future.”

    Dr Ivan Koychev, Clinical Reader in Neuropsychiatry and Consultant Neuropsychiatrist, Imperial College London and Central North West London NHS Foundation Trust, said:

    “Both papers are of good quality.  Tang et al is a large epidemiological study; the limitation comes from the fact that such designs limit the ability to draw conclusions about causality.  Seminer et al look at clinical trial data where dementia and cognitive effects were not the primary targets of the studies.  Therefore, it is possible that some of these effects were missed or over-reported due to the opportunistic nature of the data collection.

    “The two studies add to a growing and remarkably consistent body of evidence that GLP1 receptor agonists associate with a reduction in dementia incidence.  The Seminer et al paper is significant as it shows that GLP-1 RAs outperform SGLT-2 inhibitors in clinical trial settings.  This suggests that the dementia protection effects are not due to glucose control mechanisms.  Instead, inflammation and cerebrovascular effects are likely involved.  Overall, these data support the urgent exploration of GLP1 RAs as a preventative treatment in people at risk for dementia.”

    Prof Tara Spires-Jones, Director of the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, Group Leader in the UK Dementia Research Institute, and President of the British Neuroscience Association said:

    “The study by Tang1 and colleagues examined data from over 90,000 people with diabetes to determine whether treatment with two different glucose lowering drugs were associated with risk of developing dementia.  Both glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RAs) and

    sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2is) drugs were associated with reduced risk of developing dementia over 8 years from starting treatment compared to people taking other glucose lowering treatments.  There was no difference in risk between people taking the GLP-1Ras and SGLT2is.  This is a strong study that adds to the growing data suggesting that diabetes increases risk for developing dementia.

    “The paper from Seminer2 and colleagues examined data from 26 clinical trials to determine whether glucose lowering treatments were associated with developing dementia.  They observed that GLP-1Ras but not but not SGLT2is were associated with a reduction in dementia in these trials.

    “Together, these data are encouraging for the potential of using GLP-1Ras to lower dementia risk in people with diabetes, but even within these 2 strong studies, there are slightly conflicting results over SGLT2is highlighting the need for further research.  It is important to note that these drugs do have side effects and that they are not guaranteed to prevent dementia.  The studies had important limitations including a relatively short follow up time.  Future work will be important to understand how risk factors like diabetes and obesity increase risk of dementia to develop effective treatments and prevention strategies.”

    Dr Emma Anderson, Principal Research Fellow and Associate Professor of Epidemiology in the Division of Psychiatry, UCL, said:

    “Regarding the systematic review of glucose lowering therapies2, my comments are as follows:

    “These results should be interpreted with caution for several reasons.  Firstly, although an effect of GLP-1RAs was identified for all cause dementia, the heterogeneity in the studies included in this analysis was high (meaning that the studies included are not necessarily comparable, undermining the validity of the combined results).  There was tentative evidence that this heterogeneity could have been explained, at least in part, by the proportion of women included in these studies.

    “Secondly, there was no evidence of an effect of GLP-1RAs with either Alzheimer’s disease or vascular dementia; the two most common causes of dementia.  Thus, overall, there is still a question around whether GLP-1RAs would actually reduce dementia risk.

    “For the emulated target trial1, my comment is:

    “This study should be interpreted with caution, as emulated target trials are as susceptible to confounding by indication bias as traditional observational epidemiology studies.  This means that there is a possibility that the results they have observed are actually due to the underlying reason people are prescribed these glucose-lowering medications in the first place, rather than the medication itself.  More robust study designs, which overcome this very important limitation, are needed before such conclusions can be made.”

    Prof Masud Husain, Professor of Neurology & Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Oxford, said:

    “For me, these new retrospective analyses suggest that GLP-1 receptor agonists, particularly semaglutide, might reduce the risk of developing dementia in people with type 2 diabetes.  But we need data from prospective trials to provide stronger evidence.

    “The wider question of whether such drugs might also be protective against dementia in people who don’t have diabetes is a really intriguing one, and the focus of several ongoing clinical trials.”

    Prof Kevin McConway, Emeritus Professor of Applied Statistics, Open University, said:

    “I’ll restrict myself to pointing out a few things about these two studies, which may well all be obvious.  I’m writing as a statistician and did not spot any important statistical flaws – but I can’t comment on non-statistical aspects.

    “Both studies are only in people who already had type 2 diabetes.  I believe there’s been wider interest in whether GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs (GLP-1RAs), such as semaglutide (e.g. Ozempic or Wegovy) might reduce dementia risk, in people who are taking them for other reasons than having diabetes.  These studies can’t directly tell us anything about that – though the wider context discussed in the linked editorial by Dr Diana Thiara does make some points about the wider context.  That editorial is definitely worth reading to make sense of all this, in my view.

    “At first sight it might look like a sort of contradiction that one1 of the studies (Tang et al.) found evidence of a decreased risk of certain dementias in people with type 2 diabetes taking either GLP-1RAs or drugs of another class (SGLT2is) used to lower glucose in people with type 2 diabetes, compared to people with type 2 diabetes taking other glucose-lowering drugs, while the other2 study (Seminer et al.) found no evidence that passed the usual statistical criteria that people with type 2 diabetes taking any of GLP-1RAs, SGLT2is, or another drug called pioglitazone did reduce all-cause dementia.  It looks as if one is saying that, in people with type 2 diabetes, taking GLP-1RAs and SGLT2is is associated with reduced dementia risk, and the other is saying that it isn’t associated with reduced dementia risk.  But there’s no contradiction, for the following reasons:

      • The Tang study1 has quite a complicated type of study design (target trial emulation), but that’s still a type of observational study and so cannot completely rule out the possibility that the differences it found in dementia risk are actually caused by something other than the drugs being taken. The Seminer study2 is a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised trials so doesn’t carry the same bias issues about cause and effect.
      • The comparator (control) treatments were different in the two studies.  In the Tang study1, patients taking either GLP-1RAs or SGLT2is were compared with patients taking a different glucose-reducing drug.  In the Seminer study2, patients taking the drugs were compared, in each of the RCTs they considered, with patients taking a placebo (that is, something with no active ingredients that otherwise is just like that drug under trial), so not a drug at all.
      • The two studies were considering different outcome measures.  The Tang study1 considered only Alzheimer’s dementia and related dementias.  The Seminer study2 included, as its primary outcome, dementia (of any type) or cognitive impairment.

    “Therefore the two studies differ in terms of the treatments involved (taking the comparator, control, treatment into account), the type of study design, and the risk of bias.  So direct comparison of their findings doesn’t make as much sense as you might think at first.  Again, the Thiara editorial makes this all clearer, I think.

    “Despite the overall finding of the Seminer2 meta-analysis that the three drug classes that it considered weren’t associated with a reduction in overall risk of dementia or cognitive impairment, on average, compared to controls taking a placebo, they found that GLP-1RAs (considered on their own, leaving out the other drug classes) were associated with a reduction in dementia risk.

    “Tang found overall no difference between the risk of Alzheimer disease and related dementias between type 2 diabetes patients taking GLP-1RAs or SGLT2is, but it did find a lower risk in patients taking semaglutide compared to patients taking SGLT2is.

    “Though both studies involved large numbers of patients overall, the number of patients who actually had a dementia diagnosis was pretty low, particularly for newer drugs, and the follow-up time was short, given how long it can take for dementias to develop.  This is quite a big limitation.”

    Dr Richard Oakley, Director of Research and Innovation, Alzheimer’s Society, said:

    “Last year, the Lancet Commission in Dementia Prevention, Intervention and Care – funded by Alzheimer’s Society – highlighted diabetes as one of 14 risk factors for dementia.

    “Drugs that lower blood glucose are often used as part of diabetes treatment, and research has shown they might also be effective in reducing dementia risk.

    “Whilst both of these studies found a link between GLP-1RAs and reduced dementia risk, only one found SGLT2is, another class of diabetes drug, were also associated with a reduced risk.  More research is needed to properly understand how diabetes treatments may lower the risk of dementia, by tracking people for longer, especially as they get older.

    “Alzheimer’s Society is interested to hear results from ongoing clinical trials of the GLP-1RA drug semaglutide for people with early Alzheimer’s disease, to learn whether these drugs can slow the course of the disease.”

    Comments on just the Tang et al study:

    Dr Leah Mursaleen, Head of Clinical Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:

    “This study1 used health records from nearly 400,000 people who had type 2 diabetes who were taking drugs called SGLT-2 inhibitors and GLP-1RAs to control their condition.  These drugs are usually taken to lower blood sugar levels in diabetes.  The researchers compared these drugs with other standard medications used to manage diabetes to evaluate the risk of developing dementia.

    “People who were taking the SGLT-2 inhibitors or GLP-1RA medications appeared to have a decreased risk of developing dementia compared with those taking other diabetes medicines.

    “The results from this study support the growing evidence that GLP-1RA and SGLT-2 inhibitors medicines may be linked with a lower risk of developing dementia.  We don’t know yet why these medicines may be protective, and will need more research to understand how they are affecting the brain.

    “Clinical trials are already looking at the use of these types of drugs, including the EVOKE study, which is testing semaglutide (Ozempic) as a potential treatment for people with early Alzheimer’s.

    “While the findings of this study are interesting, it’s important to consider whether any other factors might be influencing the results such as the severity of type 2 diabetes, health, income, and education.”

    1: ‘GLP-1RA and SGLT2i Medications for Type 2 Diabetes and Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementias’ by Huilin Tang et al. was published in JAMA Neurology at 16:00 UK time on Monday 7 April 2025.

    DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2025.0353

    2: ‘Cardioprotective Glucose-Lowering Agents and Dementia Risk A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis’ by Allie Seminer et al. was published in JAMA Neurology at 16:00 UK time on Monday 7 April 2025. 

    DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2025.0360

    Declared interests

    Prof Atticus Hainsworth: “I lead the Vascular Experimental Medicine team within DementiasPlatformUK:

    Vascular Health — DPUK: https://www.dementiasplatform.uk/research-hub/experimental-medicine-incubator/vascular-health?68d44564-1335-11ed-b137-0aa7be39d6a6

    No other conflicts.”

    Prof Mark Evans: “I have received personal fees from Medtronic, Ypsomed, Dexcom, Abbott, Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, Sanofi, Zucara, Pila Pharma and research support from NovoNordisk, this includes a current PhD student who is funded by Novo Nordisk to examine the mechanisms underpinning the relationship between diabetes/ metabolic disease and dementia but does not include examining the effects of therapies.  Abbott, Eli Lilly, Sanofi.  The University of Cambridge has received salary support for MLE from the National Health Service in the East of England through the Clinical Academic Reserve.”

    Prof David Strain: “I have received speaker fees from AstraZeneca (dapagliflozin) and Novo Nordisk (semaglutide).  I lead the UK Stakeholders consensus document for the management of diabetes in older adults which the current UK guidelines are based.”

    Prof Naveed Sattar “Has consulted for several companies that make diabetes medicines but also contributed to several lifestyle trials.

    “For Novo Nordisk: have consulted for company in advisory boards but not on any of their weight loss drug trial committees; am on steering committee for ZEUS trial but this is not a weight loss trial product but anti-inflammatory.  Do not have any shares either for any product in health etc.

    “N.S. declares consulting fees and/or speaker honoraria from Abbott Laboratories, Afimmune, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, Hanmi Pharmaceuticals, Janssen, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, and Sanofi; and grant support paid to his university from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, and Roche Diagnostics.”

    Dr Ivan Koychev: “IK has received speaker fees as well as an investigator initiated grant to explore the effects of semaglutide in people at risk for dementia from Novo Nordisk.”

    Prof Tara Spires-Jones: “I have no conflicts with this study but have received payments for consulting, scientific talks, or collaborative research over the past 10 years from AbbVie, Sanofi, Merck, Scottish Brain Sciences, Jay Therapeutics, Cognition Therapeutics, Ono, and Eisai.  I am also Charity trustee for the British Neuroscience Association and the Guarantors of Brain and serve as scientific advisor to several charities and non-profit institutions.”

    Dr Emma Anderson: “I have no conflicts of interest.”

    Prof Masud Husain: “I don’t have any conflicts of interest.”

    Prof Kevin McConway: “Previously a Trustee of the SMC and a member of its Advisory Committee.”

    Dr Richard Oakley: “No conflicts of interest to declare from Richard or the Society.”

    Dr Leah Mursaleen: “Leah has no conflicts of interest to declare.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kugler, Inflation Dynamics and the Phillips Curve

    Source: US State of New York Federal Reserve

    .

    April 07, 2025
    Inflation Dynamics and the Phillips Curve
    Governor Adriana D. Kugler
    At Ec10b Principles of Economics Lecture, Department of Economics, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

    Governor Adriana D. Kugler presents a lecture about inflation dynamics and the Phillips Curve to students in Harvard University’s Ec10b Principles of Economics class on Monday, April 7, 2025.
    In the lecture she discusses how pandemic-era inflation came in a series of waves: food, core goods, core services and housing. She then talks about the Phillips curve as a model to capture inflation dynamics. Finally, Governor Kugler explores additional augmentations to the Phillips curve model that could help better explain the most recent inflation episode.
    Here are the slides from her presentation.

    Last Update: April 07, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Creativity and the Future: How to Find an Approach That Will Allow Russia to Make a Technological Leap Forward

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

    Andrey Polozov-Yablonsky also noted that famous researchers such as Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Leonardo da Vinci, and Dmitry Mendeleyev first imagined the future and only then embodied it in technology. Creativity, according to him, is the foundation for breakthrough innovations. True creativity arises from contradictions and conflicts, and creativity is a dialectical process that includes both denial and synthesis.

    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.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI: Pax8 Names Craig Foster as Chief Financial Officer

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    DENVER, April 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Pax8, the leading cloud commerce marketplace, today announced the appointment of Craig Foster as its new Chief Financial Officer. In this role, Foster will set the financial course for Pax8 and oversee all aspects of the company’s financial strategy to ensure it continues driving sustainable growth and innovation. His leadership will be instrumental in guiding financial governance, optimizing growth opportunities and scaling the financial operations. Foster will report to Scott Chasin, Chief Executive Officer at Pax8.

    “With Craig’s extensive financial leadership in the tech industry and investment banking experience, he is the perfect fit for this role,” said Chasin. “We are thrilled to have Craig join Pax8 as part of the global leadership team. As Pax8 continues our rapid growth trajectory, we expect him to make a lasting impact on our future success.”

    Foster has 25 years of management experience in finance, operations and capital markets, having served as CFO of several public and private technology companies, including Ubiquiti, Bright Machines and Financial Engines. Before joining Pax8, he was the CFO of PicsArt, a consumer software company. Prior to his executive roles, Foster worked in the enterprise software investment banking groups of Credit Suisse, UBS and RBC Capital Markets. Mr. Foster holds an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School of Business and a BA in Economics from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).

    “I am thrilled to join Pax8 at such an exciting time for the company and the industry,” said Foster. “My entire career has been spent working with software technology companies, sales channels and complex marketplaces, so I feel extremely fortunate to be joining an organization that unifies all of these into a single operating model.”

    To learn more about Pax8, please visit www.pax8.com.

    About Pax8
    Pax8 is the technology marketplace of the future, linking partners, vendors, and small to midsized businesses (SMBs) through AI-powered insights and comprehensive product support. With a global partner ecosystem of nearly 40,000 managed service providers, Pax8 empowers SMBs worldwide by providing software and services that unlock their growth potential and enhance their security. Committed to innovating cloud commerce at scale, Pax8 drives customer acquisition and solution consumption across its entire ecosystem.

    Follow Pax8 on Blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube

    Media Contact:
    Kristen Beatty
    Sr. Director of Public Relations
    kbeatty@pax8.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3dadf590-328b-43d2-b800-647fef658767

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: South Sudan on the brink of civil war: bold action from the international community is needed

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Madhav Joshi, Research Professor & Associate Director, Peace Accords Matrix (PAM), Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and Keough School of Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame

    South Sudan is likely to return to full-blown civil war unless the international community takes a radical approach to stabilise the country and re-engage in the peace process.

    Since its formation in 2020, South Sudan’s unity government has not been steady. President Salva Kiir has reshuffled the cabinet, weakening the presence of the main opposition party, SPLM-IO. He’s previously fired two of the country’s five vice-presidents to promote his allies.

    The unity government was formed as part of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan. This agreement was negotiated and signed in September 2018 to end years of violence between forces loyal to Kiir on one hand and Riek Machar on the other.

    The agreement had a 36-month transition period. It established a unity government to reform institutions, draft a constitution, ensure transitional justice and conduct the country’s first election.

    Seven years into the implementation process, however, South Sudan has yet to fulfil many of the peace deal’s commitments. These include demobilisation, disarmament and reintegration of combatants, and training and establishing necessary unified forces.

    The timeline for holding elections, another benchmark of the transition, has been extended until December 2026. This moves the completion of the transition process to February 2027 from the initial January 2021. It is the fourth such mutually agreed extension.

    The challenges of the slow implementation of the peace agreement escalated in March 2025, with violent clashes in the Upper Nile State and a political crisis. First vice-president Machar was put under house arrest. Reports say a convoy of more than 20 heavily armed vehicles forcefully entered Machar’s residence, disarmed his bodyguards, and held him and his wife Angelina Teny. Teny is South Sudan’s interior minister.

    Read more: Kiir and Machar: insights into South Sudan’s strongmen

    It is my view that the current crisis has little to do with the recent clashes. This crisis in South Sudan has been long in the making. It has its roots in the country’s faltering peace implementation process.

    As part of my ongoing research, I have gathered data on the content and implementation of 42 comprehensive civil war peace agreements in 33 countries dating back to 1989. In none of these agreements and countries have I observed delays in implementation like in South Sudan – or the arrest of a main opposition leader who is a signatory to a peace agreement.

    South Sudan’s path to peace since its independence in 2011 has been challenging. Key to achieving stability is the peace process itself. The international community must lead a radical push to get signatories to the 2018 peace deal to implement it. This approach is necessary for regional peace and stability – the ongoing violence could easily escalate and merge with the Sudan war and drag in Uganda.

    What’s happening

    The current crisis in South Sudan began in early March 2025 when the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces clashed with the White Army militia group. The White Army took control of the town of Nasir in the oil-rich Upper Nile State.

    South Sudan’s kleptocratic leaders have been quick to associate Machar, the SPLM-IO leader, with the White Army. This is largely because the militia group primarily recruits from the Nuer ethnic group, which Machar belongs to.

    However, at the centre of these latest tensions – fanned by a slow peace implementation process – are leaders looking to strengthen their political dominance to gain unhindered access to revenue from natural resources. South Sudan’s economy is heavily reliant on oil.

    The training and deployment of unified forces, and establishment of a Commission for Truth, Reconciliation and Healing are lagging behind. So are constitutional and electoral reforms, including a census to determine voter numbers, as well as a hybrid court for war crimes and a reparations authority.

    Read more: Violence in South Sudan is rising again: what’s different this time, and how to avoid civil war

    The implementation process began to slow down when military leaders loyal to Kiir started to co-opt generals loyal to Machar. Leadership positions within the army were divided between military officials loyal to Kiir, Machar and other groups in June 2023. This diluted SPLM-IO’s influence in the unity government.

    Rising tensions led to the Tumaini Peace Initiative, launched in May 2024 and hosted by the Kenyan government. This initiative aimed to bring other armed groups under the fold of the peace process. However, it undermined the 2018 peace deal by not tying the initiative to the revitalised agreement.

    Over several rounds of peace talks, it has became clear that a segment of the ruling elite wants to influence the implementation of the 2018 deal to control political power – and therefore, South Sudan’s resources. The unfolding events show an effort to hold the peace process hostage towards this end.

    A narrow path forward

    The path to peace and stability in South Sudan is challenging. In my research, I have examined situations where multiple armed groups either continue to fight or new ones emerge in conflict situations.

    My research consistently shows that the implementation of comprehensive peace agreements stabilises such situations by addressing security uncertainties, reforming institutions and addressing underlying grievances.

    Read more: What makes peace talks successful? The 4 factors that matter

    Stakeholders in South Sudan must prioritise the implementation of the 2018 peace agreement. Since the signatory parties are unwilling to implement the agreement, someone must step in to fill this void. With the entire peace process held hostage and key signatories of the peace agreement sidelined, this narrow path forward can only be charted with the support of and pressure from the international community.

    – South Sudan on the brink of civil war: bold action from the international community is needed
    – https://theconversation.com/south-sudan-on-the-brink-of-civil-war-bold-action-from-the-international-community-is-needed-253555

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Powerful conference addresses the serious issue of ending violence against women and girls

    Source: Northern Ireland City of Armagh

    Ending Violence against Women and Girls Conference Armagh City Hotel Armagh 31 March 2025 CREDIT: LiamMcArdle.com

    “Violence against women and girls is a very serious challenge in our society – and one that affects everyone. It is a problem that is hidden in plain sight and every day impacts the lives of women and girls, in our schools, in our communities, and in our workplaces.

    “Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council stand committed to challenging harmful attitudes towards women and girls, and to work to promote a culture of respect and equality.  To create a community where women and girls are safe, respected, and empowered. So that every woman and girl can live with dignity, safety and freedom.”

    This was the message from the Deputy Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Councillor Kyle Savage at a recent, hard-hitting conference addressing the serious issue of ending violence against women and girls.

    Entitled ‘It’s In Your Hands’, the conference had around 200 attendees and featured a number of high profile speakers who covered topics including coercive control, partner violence, what a healthy relationship should look like and how we can educate everyone in our communities to prevent abuse and harm against women and girls.

    There were also interactive sessions where those in attendance could really think about the impact that they can make – as individuals and organisations – to help make the borough a safer place for women and girls.

    Speakers included Dr Ngozi Anyadike-Danes, a Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice at Ulster University, Marcella Leonard MBE and Noel McNally who bravely spoke about his daughter Natalie.

    This event was organised by Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council and funded by The Executive Office.

    For more information on this issue please log onto https://www.armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk/safeguarding/

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Kenya’s courts are corruption hotspots – radical actions the chief justice must take

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Gedion Onyango, Research Fellow, Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa, London School of Economics and Political Science

    Kenya’s chief justice, Martha Koome, announced a change of strategy in March 2025 to fight corruption in the judiciary. The country’s courts are some of the hotspots of corrupt practices, from bribery of judges to obstruction of justice. The judiciary will now partner with the national anti-corruption commission and the National Intelligence Service to identify patterns, hotspots and individuals for early intervention. Gedion Onyango, who researches public accountability, anti-corruption and whistleblowing reforms, examines the new multi-agency approach.

    What is the context in which this multi-agency strategy was announced?

    The Kenyan judiciary has been tainted by corruption for decades. More than half of Kenyans surveyed in 2024 believed some judges and magistrates were corrupt; 22.9% believed most were corrupt. In another national survey 10 years earlier, 35% of Kenyans regarded the judiciary as highly corrupt.

    The apparent improvement in public perceptions (from 35% to 22%) may stem from anti-corruption efforts in Kenyan courts. The positive changes could also result from robust judicial leadership in recent years.

    Most recently, there have been calls for the chief justice to resign for failing to act against corrupt judges and magistrates.

    The judicial anti-corruption initiative isn’t entirely new. It represents a will to implement the existing policy and laws that have evolved from previous initiatives.

    Anti-corruption policies in Kenya have shifted to multi-agency frameworks. This strategy acknowledges the intertwined nature of corruption. The approach has to be cohesive, unified and well coordinated, in the public and private sectors.

    Kenya’s lead anti-corruption agency is the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission. Since 2015, the agency has sought to re-engineer the fight against corruption through collective action and partnerships with a range of public and private sector players.

    This strategy draws from lessons learned from failed approaches from the past. The Public Service Integrity Program, for instance, combined law enforcement and prevention approaches.

    Why the multi-agency approach against corruption?

    Multi-agency initiatives offer several advantages in the fight against corruption.

    First, they give those involved a sense of owning the policy and having responsibility. As a result, the responsibility for combating corruption is shared rather than resting solely with the national anti-corruption commission.

    This addresses a gap in the battle against corruption not just in Kenya but in other countries.

    Policy ownership ensures that anti-corruption measures are better integrated into the unique complexities and norms of each sector. It enhances policy awareness among key actors, communication through diverse engagements, research through shared studies and assessments, stakeholder engagements, and training across sectors.

    Second, the multi-agency approach creates interdependence. Each participating institution contributes distinct expertise. This approach is clear in the new strategy, where the National Intelligence Service uses intelligence to identify areas susceptible to corruption in the judiciary.

    Third, multi-agency initiatives are more likely to cultivate trust among diverse stakeholders. They engage and share responsibilities. Partners become familiar with each other’s strengths and challenges, as well as their own limitations.



    Read more:
    Kenya’s whistleblowers are key to fighting corruption: how a new law could protect them

    Multi-agency initiatives can turn into islands of performance, building a professional community united by a common purpose.

    My 2024 study of collaborative arrangements in Kenya shows that cultivating trust among partners is critical. It is the glue binding agencies in complex governance areas, such as security.

    I found that when trust is absent from a multi-agency initiative, its operations tend to be symbolic and inefficient.

    What are the obstacles to joint action?

    The potential obstacles to joint action may stem from lack of commitment, power play among actors, poor coordination and weak leadership.

    A combination of these factors will lead to ineffective communication, distrust, and even conflicts.

    Another critical factor is political interference. According to a 2023 survey, political elites have misused state power and resources. This has fostered a culture of corruption in public life.

    Another related obstacle is under-funding of anti-corruption agencies, the judiciary and other oversight institutions. This has a bearing on staff retention, and effective operations of the commission and other public institutions. Under these circumstances, it is no surprise that some institutions have been inhabited by individuals with questionable integrity.

    This suggests that some national anti-corruption institutions are ill-positioned to spearhead joint actions to tackle corruption.

    What are the chances of success for the new multi-agency approach?

    The Kenyan judiciary requires more than just a multi-agency strategy to combat corruption within its ranks. It has been a core member of the Kenya Leadership and Integrity Forum for years, but has yet to do some of the things that were required. The proposed court integrity committees do not differ much from the court performance committees outlined in the programme.

    The judiciary has been a partner in other multi-agency arrangements too. But the courts continue to be hotspots for corruption.



    Read more:
    Hotbed of corruption: Kenya’s elite have captured the state – unrest is inevitable

    What would success look like?

    Judicial corruption cannot be addressed in isolation. It reflects the overall state of corruption in the country. Effective solutions must involve reforms tailored to the sector, supported by genuine political will.



    Read more:
    The art of bribery: a closeup look at how traffic officers operate on Kenya’s roads

    The chief justice’s public acknowledgement of corruption within her own courts is a positive step. But she must take more radical actions. These include prosecuting and removing high court judges and other officials, establishing a system to compensate victims of court corruption, and actively engaging civil society groups.

    Gedion Onyango receives funding from UKRI’s CPAID project. He is also a senior research associate at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa.

    – ref. Kenya’s courts are corruption hotspots – radical actions the chief justice must take – https://theconversation.com/kenyas-courts-are-corruption-hotspots-radical-actions-the-chief-justice-must-take-253753

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: South Sudan on the brink of civil war: bold action from the international community is needed

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Madhav Joshi, Research Professor & Associate Director, Peace Accords Matrix (PAM), Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and Keough School of Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame

    South Sudan is likely to return to full-blown civil war unless the international community takes a radical approach to stabilise the country and re-engage in the peace process.

    Since its formation in 2020, South Sudan’s unity government has not been steady. President Salva Kiir has reshuffled the cabinet, weakening the presence of the main opposition party, SPLM-IO. He’s previously fired two of the country’s five vice-presidents to promote his allies.

    The unity government was formed as part of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan. This agreement was negotiated and signed in September 2018 to end years of violence between forces loyal to Kiir on one hand and Riek Machar on the other.

    The agreement had a 36-month transition period. It established a unity government to reform institutions, draft a constitution, ensure transitional justice and conduct the country’s first election.

    Seven years into the implementation process, however, South Sudan has yet to fulfil many of the peace deal’s commitments. These include demobilisation, disarmament and reintegration of combatants, and training and establishing necessary unified forces.

    The timeline for holding elections, another benchmark of the transition, has been extended until December 2026. This moves the completion of the transition process to February 2027 from the initial January 2021. It is the fourth such mutually agreed extension.

    The challenges of the slow implementation of the peace agreement escalated in March 2025, with violent clashes in the Upper Nile State and a political crisis. First vice-president Machar was put under house arrest. Reports say a convoy of more than 20 heavily armed vehicles forcefully entered Machar’s residence, disarmed his bodyguards, and held him and his wife Angelina Teny. Teny is South Sudan’s interior minister.



    Read more:
    Kiir and Machar: insights into South Sudan’s strongmen

    It is my view that the current crisis has little to do with the recent clashes. This crisis in South Sudan has been long in the making. It has its roots in the country’s faltering peace implementation process.

    As part of my ongoing research, I have gathered data on the content and implementation of 42 comprehensive civil war peace agreements in 33 countries dating back to 1989. In none of these agreements and countries have I observed delays in implementation like in South Sudan – or the arrest of a main opposition leader who is a signatory to a peace agreement.

    South Sudan’s path to peace since its independence in 2011 has been challenging. Key to achieving stability is the peace process itself. The international community must lead a radical push to get signatories to the 2018 peace deal to implement it. This approach is necessary for regional peace and stability – the ongoing violence could easily escalate and merge with the Sudan war and drag in Uganda.

    What’s happening

    The current crisis in South Sudan began in early March 2025 when the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces clashed with the White Army militia group. The White Army took control of the town of Nasir in the oil-rich Upper Nile State.

    South Sudan’s kleptocratic leaders have been quick to associate Machar, the SPLM-IO leader, with the White Army. This is largely because the militia group primarily recruits from the Nuer ethnic group, which Machar belongs to.

    However, at the centre of these latest tensions – fanned by a slow peace implementation process – are leaders looking to strengthen their political dominance to gain unhindered access to revenue from natural resources. South Sudan’s economy is heavily reliant on oil.

    The training and deployment of unified forces, and establishment of a Commission for Truth, Reconciliation and Healing are lagging behind. So are constitutional and electoral reforms, including a census to determine voter numbers, as well as a hybrid court for war crimes and a reparations authority.



    Read more:
    Violence in South Sudan is rising again: what’s different this time, and how to avoid civil war

    The implementation process began to slow down when military leaders loyal to Kiir started to co-opt generals loyal to Machar. Leadership positions within the army were divided between military officials loyal to Kiir, Machar and other groups in June 2023. This diluted SPLM-IO’s influence in the unity government.

    Rising tensions led to the Tumaini Peace Initiative, launched in May 2024 and hosted by the Kenyan government. This initiative aimed to bring other armed groups under the fold of the peace process. However, it undermined the 2018 peace deal by not tying the initiative to the revitalised agreement.

    Over several rounds of peace talks, it has became clear that a segment of the ruling elite wants to influence the implementation of the 2018 deal to control political power – and therefore, South Sudan’s resources. The unfolding events show an effort to hold the peace process hostage towards this end.

    A narrow path forward

    The path to peace and stability in South Sudan is challenging. In my research, I have examined situations where multiple armed groups either continue to fight or new ones emerge in conflict situations.

    My research consistently shows that the implementation of comprehensive peace agreements stabilises such situations by addressing security uncertainties, reforming institutions and addressing underlying grievances.



    Read more:
    What makes peace talks successful? The 4 factors that matter

    Stakeholders in South Sudan must prioritise the implementation of the 2018 peace agreement. Since the signatory parties are unwilling to implement the agreement, someone must step in to fill this void. With the entire peace process held hostage and key signatories of the peace agreement sidelined, this narrow path forward can only be charted with the support of and pressure from the international community.

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

    – ref. South Sudan on the brink of civil war: bold action from the international community is needed – https://theconversation.com/south-sudan-on-the-brink-of-civil-war-bold-action-from-the-international-community-is-needed-253555

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: Rob McCain Appointed as Senior Vice President, Market President of Charlotte Metropolitan Area

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ASHEVILLE, N.C., April 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE: HTB) (“Company”), the holding company of HomeTrust Bank (“HomeTrust” or the “Bank”), announced today that Robert “Rob” McCain III has assumed the position of Market President of the Bank’s Charlotte metropolitan area, effective March 31, 2025. McCain will focus on expanding the Bank’s presence in the market, with the primary responsibility of growing commercial and treasury management market share and revenue. He will report to John Sprink, Executive Vice President of Commercial Banking.

    “I am very excited to have Rob join the Charlotte team and the HTB family,” Sprink said. “He has a tremendous reputation and an impressive record of building teams and business in the Charlotte market, while exemplifying the cultural fundamentals that define HomeTrust Bank.”

    McCain said he is honored to take on the role and values HomeTrust’s ability to foster strong relationships with clients while building a collaborative culture. “Over recent years HomeTrust has proven it is more than qualified to serve the needs of businesses in Charlotte, which has transformed itself into a hub of innovation and commerce,” he said. “I’m excited to bring my decades of experience in the Charlotte market to this opportunity.”

    As a native of the area, McCain said he will take special pride in working to establish the Bank as a strong community partner.

    McCain has worked in commercial banking in Charlotte since 1989 in roles that include Market Executive and Manager of Commercial Banking at First Citizens Bank, as well as Line of Business Manager for Commercial Real Estate Lending in the Carolinas at SunTrust.

    He earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his Master in Business Administration from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He is also a graduate of the School of Banking at Louisiana State University.

    About HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc.

    HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc. is the holding company for HomeTrust Bank. As of December 31, 2024, the Company had assets of $4.6 billion. The Bank, founded in 1926, is a North Carolina state chartered, community-focused financial institution committed to providing value added relationship banking with over 30 locations as well as online/mobile channels. Locations include: North Carolina (the Asheville metropolitan area, the “Piedmont” region, Charlotte, and Raleigh/Cary), South Carolina (Greenville and Charleston), East Tennessee (Kingsport/Johnson City, Knoxville, and Morristown), Southwest Virginia (the Roanoke Valley) and Georgia (Greater Atlanta).

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release may include “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are not statements of historical fact, but instead are based on certain assumptions including statements with respect to the Company’s beliefs, plans, objectives, goals, expectations, assumptions and statements about future economic performance and projections of financial items. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results anticipated or implied by forward-looking statements. The factors that could result in material differentiation include, but are not limited to, the impact of bank failures or adverse developments involving other banks and related negative press about the banking industry in general on investor and depositor sentiment; the remaining effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on general economic and financial market conditions and on public health, both nationally and in the Company’s market areas; natural disasters, including the effects of Hurricane Helene; expected revenues, cost savings, synergies and other benefits from merger and acquisition activities might not be realized to the extent anticipated, within the anticipated time frames, or at all, costs or difficulties relating to integration matters, including but not limited to customer and employee retention, might be greater than expected, and goodwill impairment charges might be incurred; increased competitive pressures among financial services companies; changes in the interest rate environment; changes in general economic conditions, both nationally and in our market areas; legislative and regulatory changes; and the effects of inflation, a potential recession, and other factors described in the Company’s latest Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission – which are available on the Company’s website at www.htb.com and on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Any of the forward-looking statements that the Company makes in this press release or in the documents the Company files with or furnishes to the SEC are based upon management’s beliefs and assumptions at the time they are made and may turn out to be wrong because of inaccurate assumptions, the factors described above or other factors that management cannot foresee. The Company does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation, to revise any forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statements.

    www.htb.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Amadou Bagayoko: the blind Malian musician whose joyful songs changed west African music

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Lucy Durán, Professor of music, SOAS, University of London

    Amadou Bagayoko (1954-2025), Malian guitarist, singer and composer of the famed duo Amadou & Mariam – known as “the blind couple of Mali” – passed away on 4 April in Bamako. He was 70.

    The married singers, who met when she was 18 and he 21, took traditional Mali music and blended it with western rock and many other influences to shape a whole new sound that was both rich and playful. They would sell millions of albums for hits like Sunday in Bamako and Sabali.

    They would tour the world, opening the 2006 men’s football World Cup, closing the 2024 Paralympics, singing at former US president Barack Obama’s Nobel Prize concert, winning awards along the way.

    Despite this fame, they remained tireless activists for Africans with disabilities. They were known and admired at home for their integrity, where Amadou’s passing is much lamented.

    As a musician and professor of music with a research focus on Mali’s music, I met and interviewed Amadou several times. His passing heralds the end of an era for Mali’s long-held musical dominance in the international market.

    Who are Amadou & Mariam?

    Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia were both dedicated promoters of the work of the Institute for the Blind in Bamako, where they had first met in the 1970s as students and went on to be music teachers. They married in 1980 and remained inseparable, forming Amadou & Mariam.

    Their hit songs combined the musical traditions of the southern part of Mali, where they both came from (Bougouni, Sikasso) with elements from rock, reggae, Cuban rhythms, and more – all transformed through their own ingenuity, but also, later on, by the ideas of influential producers.



    Read more:
    Mali’s kora star Toumani Diabaté – a personal reflection by his music producer

    In fact, the surnames Bagayoko and Doumbia are both from the ancient lineage (called Boula) of blacksmiths that date back to the time of the emperor Sunjata Keita, who founded the Mali empire in 1235. The blacksmiths (numu) were often powerful kings. This shared heritage in the noble past of the blacksmiths is significant in their musical synergy.

    Amadou Bagayoko

    Amadou’s career spanned more than five decades, beginning in the early 1970s when he played electric guitar in several influential Malian dance bands of the time, including Les Ambassadeurs, fronted by the legendary singer Salif Keita.

    President Moussa Traoré’s 23-year military regime from 1968 to 1991 favoured the voices of the griots. These hereditary musicians sang the praises of the people in power in a flowery, strident style.

    The life of these dance bands was on the wane by the late 1980s, which is when “la grand couple aveugle du Mali” (the blind couple of Mali) were launched – at first, two simple voices accompanied by Amadou’s guitar, recorded on cassette.

    At the end of Traore’s rule, Amadou & Mariam’s music responded to the new spirit of democracy that the country was hungry for.

    There were many things that set this duo apart from other musicians of the region. They were not griots. Their lyrics are often about the power of love – not a straightforward topic in a country where polygyny (up to four wives, as permitted by Islam) is the norm.

    Their presence on stage as a blind couple, looking affectionate and mutually supportive, in their chic, coordinated attire, also raised the profile of people with disabilities. Their melodies were catchy and upbeat.

    Meeting Amadou and Mariam

    Sorting through my research recently I came across a photo I’d taken of them on my old slides, buried in my archives. It was a revelation to see it again.

    I took the photo, with their permission, when I first met Amadou and Mariam in 1992 in Bamako. It was at the recording studio that is now known as Bogolan, where they were hoping, at the time, to make some recordings.

    It shows Amadou and Mariam in their youth with pride and dignity, values that remained constant for them in later years. On that first encounter, I was struck by their graciousness, their belief in their musical project, and their determination to bring it to a wider public.

    I wished at the time that I had the contacts in the record industry to help them. But they did not give up and they slowly built up their career, building on their sound and image, which was and remains unique within the variety of Malian music.

    World fame

    Against all the odds, with their conviction, talent, strong melodies and good production, Amadou & Mariam became hugely successful in the early 2000s. The album that really launched their international career was Dimanches à Bamako (Sundays in Bamako), brilliantly produced by French-Spanish singer-songwriter Manu Chao, who had had a big international hit with his creative and catchy album Clandestino in 1998.

    He brought some of those production values into Amadou & Mariam’s songs. Dimanches à Bamako celebrates the vibrant culture of wedding parties held in the streets of Bamako on Sundays, a day when civil marriage ceremonies are free.

    Dimanches à Bamako was the first of several successful albums by Amadou & Mariam that were produced by European producers such as Damon Albarn, with songs like Tie ni Mousso (Husband and Wife) that played on the charming stage presence of Amadou & Mariam as a devoted husband and wife. The songs were accessible and appealing but still delivered punch.

    After that first meeting in 1992, we met up again many times, frequently for radio.

    Amadou was a much respected and admired musician whose music reached out to audiences around the world. He was hugely loved and appreciated both at home and abroad, not just for his talent and musical creativity as an excellent guitarist and song writer, but also for the image that he and Mariam created on stage.

    Together they will be remembered and respected for the values they represent in their music: equality, love, perseverance against disability, and truth. My condolences to Mariam.

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

    – ref. Amadou Bagayoko: the blind Malian musician whose joyful songs changed west African music – https://theconversation.com/amadou-bagayoko-the-blind-malian-musician-whose-joyful-songs-changed-west-african-music-253954

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How the struggles of the UK hospitality sector could hit the rest of the economy

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Zoe Adjey, Senior Lecturer in Hospitality and Events, University of East London

    Across the UK, Mother’s Day represented a vital revenue opportunity for the hospitality sector. Bars, restaurants, cafés and pubs would have anticipated a boost courtesy of family groups – and some spring-like weather. Sadly though, due to some harsh financial realities including higher tax and wage bills coming into force now, many of these establishments may not survive to serve customers next Mother’s Day.

    The budget has introduced measures that are projected to directly increase the average hospitality wage bill by up to 8.5% thanks to increases in the minimum wage and employer national insurance contributions.

    The UK’s most recent GDP figures showed the country’s economy shrank by 0.1% in January. But behind this small decline there was a more concerning trend. Trade in the hospitality industry fell by 2.4% – the biggest economic contraction among the figures – after it had shown promising growth of 0.9% in December.

    It’s likely that customers saw so-called “awful April” on the horizon – bringing rises in a range of utility and consumer costs – and were beginning to curb their spending. But costs are rising for venues too. Many of those bars, cafés, restaurants and hotels that remain open will have to increase prices and cut opening hours to make the numbers add up.

    Behind each closed pub or empty restaurant lies a story that goes far beyond its four walls. I’ve worked in the sector since my teenage years – from family-run establishments on the Northern Irish coast to venues in London and overseas – and I’ve seen firsthand how business closures affect people. Now, as a lecturer in hospitality, I can see what support this unique sector needs to weather the storm.

    I have seen small seaside cafes where owners knew every customer by name, providing essential social connections for elderly visitors who may not have had another social interaction that day. When these cafes closed, the community bonds were severed overnight.

    Every shuttered hotel or bar means people losing their livelihoods, perhaps mothers working part-time to balance employment and childcare or students funding their education. The impact of these closures is immediate and profound, and extends throughout the supply chain.

    They affect the dairy farmer who supplied the milk, the baker who made fresh pastries each morning, and the technician who serviced the coffee machines. This interconnected web generated £121 billion in economic activity in 2022 across the UK.

    Weddings and wakes

    Pubs and cafes are more than just businesses. Often, they’re the beating hearts of communities. These are the spaces where neighbours stop to chat, where chance encounters bloom into lifelong friendships and romances, and where people come together for weddings and wakes. When the shutters come down, it represents a tear in the community fabric and threatens the cohesion of neighbourhoods.

    As the gathering places where communities come together, pubs and cafes simultaneously create livelihoods that support those same communities. Hospitality in the UK employs an extraordinary 3.5 million people directly (and another three million indirectly through supply chains and support industries). This makes it the UK’s third largest employer, behind only retail and healthcare.

    This dual role, as both social hub and major employer, makes these establishments uniquely valuable.

    The stark GDP figures for hospitality at the start of 2025 expose a concerning shift in consumer habits, with fewer people choosing to book a table in a restaurant, instead making do with buying in groceries for a meal at home. This harks back to the times of COVID lockdowns. Even people who still visit hospitality venues are spending less per visit, compounding the revenue challenges.

    When a family chooses to eat at home rather than visit their local restaurant, the impact extends far beyond that empty table. Farmers, delivery drivers, kitchen manufacturers and cleaning services (to name just some) all feel the pinch.

    For the small businesses in the hospitality supply chain – many of which derive more than 80% of their income from the sector – this spending shift is an existential threat. Historically, such changes in consumer behaviour have been early indicators of broader economic downturns, making this pattern particularly worrying.

    A VAT reduction offers a compelling solution for UK hospitality business. European countries like Italy and France charge 10% on “food for immediate consumption”, while in Greece it’s 13%. These are far below the UK’s 20%. A change along these lines could protect customers against price rises, improve business cash flow, and offset the wage and NI contribution increases.

    And there is precedent for this. During the 2008 recession, Chancellor Alistair Darling cut VAT from 17.5% to 15% for 13 months as part of a stimulus. The following year’s budget reported “positive early signs” of lower prices supporting consumer spending.

    But right now, this combination of rising costs and reduced consumer spending creates a perfect storm for an industry that has traditionally underpinned economic recoveries. With millions of people relying on hospitality for their livelihoods, this trajectory of decline must be corrected – or there will be profound implications for the wider pattern of economic growth across the UK.

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

    – ref. How the struggles of the UK hospitality sector could hit the rest of the economy – https://theconversation.com/how-the-struggles-of-the-uk-hospitality-sector-could-hit-the-rest-of-the-economy-253507

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How to gauge flood risk before you buy or rent a seafront property

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Avidesh Seenath, Course Director, MSc Environmental Change and Management, University of Oxford

    Torcross on the south Devon coast. Julian Gazzard/Shutterstock

    Rising sea levels, stronger storms and increased erosion are making life on the coast riskier and more unpredictable. For potential buyers or renters, particularly in the wake of another winter of storms and flooding, questions around whether to invest in coastal properties are more urgent now than ever.

    The desire to understand flood risk before committing to a seaside home is understandable, but assessing that risk isn’t always straightforward. Knowing how people perceive these risks, however, will help scientists better communicate such risks.

    We surveyed over 700 UK residents in a nationwide study to understand how access to flood prediction maps, which indicate the relative risk of flooding for areas based on factors like sea-level rise, storm surges, and local topography, affected their housing preferences. These maps are typically available through government websites and are often consulted during the home-buying process via online property listings or planning reports.

    The results were striking. Once people were shown flood risk maps, their preferences changed decisively – away from scenic seafront properties and towards locations that were inland and considered to be “safe”.

    However, while this change in preference seems rational, it reveals a deeper underlying problem: flood risk is not being communicated clearly or effectively in the UK. Many people in our study treated flood maps as if their predictions were absolute and misinterpreted areas at risk of flooding as being exposed to actual flooding. In reality, these maps are based on mathematical models with varying degrees of complexity and uncertainty.

    Some widely used models are simple and treat flooding as a result of land elevation alone. Others are more complex and attempt to simulate how floodwater spreads over land. Unsurprisingly, these models can produce conflicting results.

    In our survey, participants were shown multiple flood maps for the same town produced by different models. Confusion quickly followed, as different models reported different flood risks for the same areas. The uncertainty led to significant risk-averse behaviour.

    This change in how people choose where to live matters, not just for individual property decisions but for entire coastal economies. If potential buyers avoid seafront homes en masse due to unclear or alarming flood maps, local property markets will probably suffer. So might businesses that rely on local footfall. Meanwhile, some renters, especially younger ones or those on lower incomes, might still take on flood-prone properties without fully understanding the long-term risks or securing adequate insurance. So, what can be done?

    Making sense of flood maps

    Flood prediction maps need to be presented and communicated more clearly. Instead of technical jargon, plain language and relatable visuals on flood maps will help people understand the level of risk and what it actually means. Colour-coded maps are a good start, but they should also explain what the colours represent, and how likely the worst-case scenarios really are.

    The general public, including prospective property buyers, need to be educated on how to read and interpret these maps. Currently, flood information is often tucked away in legal documents during conveyancing or buried in dense government websites. Instead, it should be part of the house-hunting process: visible, accessible and accompanied by guidance.

    Policymakers and real estate professionals must recognise the psychological impact of flood predictions. Overstating risk can cause panic; understating it can leave people unprepared. The goal should be to empower people instead of scaring them, by balancing transparency with nuance.

    Flood models are a vital tool for understanding and managing flood risks in a changing climate. But they are only as effective as our ability to understand and use them wisely. Our research highlights that it’s not just about having the data – it’s about making that data work for real people making life-changing decisions.

    So, before buying or renting that dream seafront home, check the flood maps – and carefully ask and consider what’s behind them. Be curious about what kind of model was used, how recent the data is and what the uncertainties are. With clearer information and better public understanding, coastal communities can more easily adapt – not abandon – our treasured seaside towns.

    Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 40,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

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

    – ref. How to gauge flood risk before you buy or rent a seafront property – https://theconversation.com/how-to-gauge-flood-risk-before-you-buy-or-rent-a-seafront-property-253313

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why Donald Trump’s decision to slash USAID is hurting American soft power and making the world less safe

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Chase Johnson, PhD Candidate, University of Warwick

    The Trump administration’s foreign policy has raised alarms. It seems to have shifted America away from it traditional Nato allies, favouring instead a closer relationship with Russia. There has also been talk of plans to control Greenland, the Panama Canal – possibly even Canada. This has caused sleepless nights for political leaders, especially in Europe.

    However, in the developing world, the biggest concern is the US government’s suspension of development aid. For people in these regions, access to clean water, seeds for crops and vaccines is a matter of life or death.

    The suspension is presently the subject of a battle in the US Supreme Court, but at the end of February, the administration said it planned to cut 90% of all overseas aid contracts. With a single stroke of President Trump’s Sharpie pen, this has struck out US$60 billion (£39 billion) of US aid assistance, globally. Internal projections by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), published by the New York Times at the beginning of March, forecast dire consequences, including a massive increase in diseases such as malaria and polio as well as a rise in cases of malnutrition of up to a million children.

    USAID was founded in 1961 under John F. Kennedy’s administration. It operated with an annual budget of about US$58 billion – orders of magnitude larger than any other country’s development portfolio. It maintains a staff of diplomats, subject experts, and also employs local nationals around the world. It is a critical component of US soft power and works in close proximity to the country’s national security interests.

    USAID’s absence will be felt around the world. Perhaps the most consequential effect lies with the freezing of American food aid. Experts have already predicted that without this lifeline, Sudan could face a famine to compound the effects of the civil war that has raged there. The consequences of this will be very public, producing heartbreaking headlines and images.

    But there is another side to this that the Trump administration seems to be overlooking. USAID is one of the largest single customers of American farm products that constitute the country’s food aid packages – 1 million metric tonnes in 2024 alone.

    One of the most misunderstood concepts of foreign aid is the fact that large portions of its budget are spent domestically. A report may say that billions of dollars of food aid were given by the US to Sudan – but much of that represents payments to American farmers who are growing the food that is then donated to starving people – not just in Sudan, either.

    America’s farmers already exist on very tight margins, so an unexpected loss in revenue such as this, is likely to be a serious blow to them as well. It’s just one example of the effect this decision will have both at home and abroad.

    Pulling away the safety net

    Without USAID the world is less safe. There is a large body of research on how development assistance is a critical component of an effective national security strategy. In 2018, the then secretary of defense, Jim Mattis, who was appointed by Trump, said in an interview that his message to the world is: “Work with our diplomats because you do not want to fight the Department of Defense.”

    To illustrate Mattis’s point, consider the academic work done on the emergence of climate-driven conflicts driven by water and food shortages. One crisis simulation I use in my classrooms puts students in the role of solving a kinetic (shooting) war over water rights in the Horn of Africa. This particular crisis, while used as a game to teach national security, could very easily become a reality. It’s the sort of thing USAID helps to prevent.

    I have had the fortune to serve my country in several capacities. Before I started my doctorate in intelligence and national security, I spent four years working for the US government, both as a development worker and in the diplomatic and defence sectors. While diplomacy, defence and development work might look very different on the surface, I can attest that they are quite similar – and very closely linked.

    They operate in very different spheres – but the goal is ultimately the same: to help partner nations enhance their own safety and prosperity. Without this help they may turn to adversaries such as Russia and China to provide assistance and security. These adversaries then have an opportunity to expand their influence around the world, which can include supporting dictatorships and predatory lending, such as seen in the Chinese belt and road initiative.

    Peacekeeping through soft power

    As a US peace corps volunteer, I called on USAID funding to help the community I was assigned to. In Akhaltsikhe, Georgia I taught English and coordinated youth development programmes.

    The Akhaltsikhe region is one of the poorest in the country – and the school was in a sorry state of affairs. With a USAID grant, we were able to renovate part of the school and create an English language learning centre, which still thrives today, 12 years later. I can say first-hand that this project had a big impact on the image of the US among the Georgian people in my community.

    It should go without saying that the US has a chequered past when it comes to some of its foreign policy interventions. But the country’s wealth and resources offer it the unique position to help grow and enhance western values in parts of the world that deserve the same freedom that developed countries in the west take for granted. In my opinion, that is money well spent.

    Whatever value one might place on the US global footprint does not erase the truth of its existence. America is called upon to uphold democracy, to lift people out of poverty, and to respond to crises no matter where they are. Donald Trump, Elon Musk and his Doge staffers should have paid greater heed to USAID’s motto: “For the American people.”

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

    – ref. Why Donald Trump’s decision to slash USAID is hurting American soft power and making the world less safe – https://theconversation.com/why-donald-trumps-decision-to-slash-usaid-is-hurting-american-soft-power-and-making-the-world-less-safe-251062

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Are Scottish accents really more aggressive? A linguist explains

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Amanda Cole, Lecturer in Department of Language and Linguistics, University of Essex

    Jdrw25/Shutterstock

    Can your accent make you sound aggressive? Exeter City football manager Gary Caldwell thinks so – he blamed his Scottish accent for his being sent off the pitch for the second time this season.

    After receiving a red card for his reaction after a late goal was disallowed for handball, Caldwell said: “I didn’t swear, I didn’t run, in my opinion I wasn’t aggressive. My accent and my Scottishness is aggressive, but yeah, I got sent off for that.”

    Caldwell is not the first to feel his Scottish accent has led to him being treated unfairly. Scottish comedian Fern Brady described herself as “an intelligent woman trapped in a Scottish accent”. She says she became most aware of her accent when she moved to southern England and she felt people looked at her as if “a dog was barking at them”.

    There are, of course, many different Scottish accents, even if previous research has found that English people tend to be very bad at identifying them as anything more precise than “Scottish”. But there is a stereotype that Scottish accents sound aggressive or at least tough.

    It is no coincidence that swamp-dwelling Shrek has a Scottish accent. Producers can use an accent as shorthand to tell us the sort of person (or ogre) that a character is, in this case that Shrek is hardy and grouchy, but also warm and salt of the earth.

    Many presume that Scottish accents sound harsh or, as they are often unfortunately characterised, gruff because of some inherent property: the throaty, fricative sound in loch, the striking glottal stop for “t” as in Fern Brady’s pronunciation of Scottish and the audible r’s in words like car.

    None of these pronunciations are unique to Scottish accents. But you would certainly not hear them in standard southern British English, an accent rooted in south-east England which many perceive as prestigious or neutral.

    In reality, the way we feel about an accent tells us less about its integral properties and much more about the stereotypes of the people who speak it.

    In my research I have found that in south-east England, when reading aloud the same sentence, lower-working-class people were judged to be on average 14% less intelligent, 4% less friendly and 5% less trustworthy than upper-middle-class people.

    People from ethnic minority backgrounds were evaluated as 5% less intelligent than white people, regardless of class. Accent prejudice is actually a smokescreen for other forms of prejudice.

    The consequences of accent prejudice

    We have no way of knowing, but perhaps if Caldwell spoke standard southern British English, he could have protested the disallowed goal without being sent off.

    But – sorry, football fans – the decisions made based on a person’s accent can have much graver consequences than what team wins a match. A person’s accent can advantage or disadvantage them in several ways, including in job recruitment and the criminal justice system.

    Research has found that speakers of standard southern British English are seen as more suitable candidates in mock job interviews to be a trainee solicitor than those who speak either multicultural London English or estuary English (both working-class southern accents).

    They are also seen as less likely to commit various crimes, particularly compared to people from Liverpool or Bradford.

    It is no coincidence that speakers of standard southern British English tend to be unscathed by accent bias. Research spanning 50 years has found that it is the British accent judged most favourably, especially as being prestigious. In contrast, the accents of urban industrialised areas in Britain tend to receive the harshest evaluations.

    It is true that regional accents are sometimes (though not always) seen as chummy. But regional accents generally do not lead to a person being seen as competent, astute or like the people who you would want to run your business or your country – even if they would be a right laugh at the Christmas party.

    Gender can also play a role in accent perception. If a female football manager – though there are currently none in English men’s professional football – with a Scottish accent had protested a referee’s decision, she would likely fare even worse than Caldwell. Women who speak with regional accents tend to be judged more harshly and labelled with more negative character traits than men.

    For example, a 2020 study by linguist Roy Alderton found gender differences in how teenagers in southern England were judged based on their accent.

    Regardless of gender, the teenagers with high rates of glottal stops in place of “t” were judged as sounding chavvy – a pejorative used to label someone thought to have low education and social class. The girl with high rates of glottal stops was additionally judged as annoying and uneducated, while the boy was thought to sound like a lad – not the most crushing insult for a teenage boy.



    Read more:
    The Traitors: how trustworthy is a Welsh accent? A sociolinguist explains

    When a person is treated a certain way because of their accent, they are actually being treated this way because of their race, class, gender, where they are from or something else fundamental to who they are.

    Caldwell suggested he needs to become more “Englified” because of the way he is judged based on his Scottish accent. Of course, that is not something he should have to do. No-one should have to change their accent and forsake who they are.

    Instead, we should challenge in ourselves and others the judgements and decisions we make based on a person’s accent – what linguists call accentism. Acknowledging and tackling accentism is one part of creating a level playing field in football and all other walks of life.

    Amanda Cole is affiliated with The Accentism Project which she runs along with Dr Rob Drummond to raise awareness and challenge accentism.

    – ref. Are Scottish accents really more aggressive? A linguist explains – https://theconversation.com/are-scottish-accents-really-more-aggressive-a-linguist-explains-253375

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Five children’s books that feature positive male role models – from toddlers to teens

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Vincent Straub, PhD Candidate, Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science, University of Oxford

    Shutterstock

    We are facing an apparent crisis of masculinity among young boys. As the success of the Netflix show Adolescence has highlighted, young men are lacking positive role models – and increasingly looking to misogynistic online influencers to fill the void.

    In response, we’ve asked five academic experts to recommend a book they’d read with a boy or young man that features a positive male role model. The stories they’ve selected celebrate kindness, integrity and vulnerability. Suitable for readers from infancy to late adolescence, these picks aim to teach boys what it means to be responsible, compassionate and confident men.

    1. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy (2019)

    Suitable for all ages

    As a researcher inspired by bell hooks’ adult non-fiction work, The Will to Change (2004), I’m drawn to children’s books that nurture the emotional lives of boys and challenge traditional ideas of masculinity.

    One such book is The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. Its quiet, reflective narrative centres on emotional openness, friendship and the strength found in vulnerability. These are also core themes in hooks’ call to liberate men and boys from the emotional constraints of patriarchal masculinity.

    The characters gently model care, empathy and the courage to ask for help, offering children and their parents a vision of masculinity grounded in love and connection, rather than fear or dominance. In a culture that often discourages boys and the men they become from expressing tenderness, this book provides a vital counterbalance. It invites young readers to see emotional depth as a strength – planting early seeds for a more compassionate and expansive way of being.

    Recommended by Vincent Straub, PhD Candidate at the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science

    Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

    2. Tough Guys (Have Feelings Too), by Keith Negley (2015)

    Most suitable for ages three-five

    As a response to the pervasive damage caused by gendered play and storytelling, there is much excellent work which focuses on the empowerment of young women and girls. Yet, the promotion of emotional intelligence among young men and boys is still lagging.

    Tough Guys (Have Feelings Too) is a great example of a story which promotes respect, care and empathy while making space for the hyper-masculine. The book documents archetypal “strong men” – superheroes, wrestlers, astronauts and cowboys – struggling, and often failing.

    Negley reframes these archetypes by pairing a young boy’s combative imagination with the care and compassion of his father. If I return to my childhood, I think of the impact of Sheriff Woody and Intergalactic Space Ranger, Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story franchise. I watched as the characters competed for alpha status, and saw them ultimately work together through recognising their own limitations and faults. What I take from their story, and Negley’s, is that we need to be teaching our children not just to fly but to fail – with style.

    Recommended by Michael Richardson, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography

    3. The Final Year by Matt Goodfellow, illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton (2023)

    Most suitable for ages ten-11

    Nate, the ten-year-old protagonist of Matt Goodfellow’s The Final Year must square up to year six without either his ex-best-mate Parker Smith, or a dad. Both his father and the fathers of his two siblings are, variously, missing, in prison or unknown.

    It’s in Nate’s new teacher Mr Joshua that we find our role model. He handles Nate with patience and empathy, and hands out wisdom gleaned from singer Bob Marley and children’s author David Almond alike.

    The book is a punchy, easy read, written in vernacular and narrative verse, with an obvious appeal to boys and otherwise reluctant readers. Pleasingly, Mr Joshua’s talisman is the tender book Skellig by David Almond (1998). Almond is a former primary school teacher and a worthy role model himself. He once declared all writers for children “hope hunters”. It’s a mantle admirably upheld by Goodfellow.

    Recommended by Jo Nadin, Associate Professor of Creative Writing

    4. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (2008)

    Suitable for ages 14+

    For teenagers, I recommended The Knife of Letting Go by Patrick Ness, because of its promotion of emotional literacy and appreciation of difference. Through the unique metaphor of audible thoughts (known as “noise”), readers are shown that courage can be evoked through the acknowledgement of feelings, as opposed to their suppression.

    From its outset, the story confronts and challenges aggressive stereotypes and toxic masculinity, affirming more positive forms through healthier role models, who personify strength through empathy and kindness. As the protagonist, Todd journeys with Viola, the story’s underlying beliefs of gender equality and respectful interaction are promoted. During their experiences, tough choices shape character through ethical decision-making, while the story provides alternative solutions to violence and aggression.

    Ultimately, Ness’ novel guides boys in trials of adversity, offering understanding in lieu of bitterness, and endorsing empathy and resilience. It’s an invaluable aid in the fostering of emotional masculine maturity.

    Recommended by Rob Walker, PhD Candidate in Education

    5. This Boy’s Life by Tobias Wolff (1989)

    Suitable for ages 16+

    This memoir is a beautifully written, perceptive account of boyhood. The story does not shy away from troublesome tropes including adolescent alienation, a brutish father figure, the temptations of gun culture and more.

    At the centre of This Boy’s Life is a clever but vulnerable boy trying to navigate his way through the minefields and mixed messages of masculinity. A wonderful, quirky mother is a feature of the story, but so are good male friendships and mentors.

    There’s no sugar coating here. The story is formed and written with a kind of unsentimental tenderness. The result is an insightful and ultimately hopeful account of a complicated life, showing how boys – even those who are angry and confused – can grow into decent, generous, gentle men.

    Recommended by Sarah Moore Fitzgerald, Professor of Teaching, Learning and Creative Practice

    Vincent Straub is supported by UKRI (HORIZON-MSCA-DN-2021 101073237) and the Leverhulme Trust (RC-2018-003).

    Joanna Nadin, Michael Joseph Richardson, Robert Walker, and Sarah Moore Fitzgerald do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Five children’s books that feature positive male role models – from toddlers to teens – https://theconversation.com/five-childrens-books-that-feature-positive-male-role-models-from-toddlers-to-teens-253082

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: AI isn’t what we should be worried about – it’s the humans controlling it

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Billy J. Stratton, Professor of English and Literary Arts, University of Denver

    In William Gibson’s ‘Neuromancer,’ the AI seeks sanctuary from humanity’s corrupting influence. Alessandra Benedetti/Corbis via Getty Images

    In 2014, Stephen Hawking voiced grave warnings about the threats of artificial intelligence.

    His concerns were not based on any anticipated evil intent, though. Instead, it was from the idea of AI achieving “singularity.” This refers to the point when AI surpasses human intelligence and achieves the capacity to evolve beyond its original programming, making it uncontrollable.

    As Hawking theorized, “a super intelligent AI will be extremely good at accomplishing its goals, and if those goals aren’t aligned with ours, we’re in trouble.”

    With rapid advances toward artificial general intelligence over the past few years, industry leaders and scientists have expressed similar misgivings about safety.

    A commonly expressed fear as depicted in “The Terminator” franchise is the scenario of AI gaining control over military systems and instigating a nuclear war to wipe out humanity. Less sensational, but devastating on an individual level, is the prospect of AI replacing us in our jobs – a prospect leaving most people obsolete and with no future.

    Such anxieties and fears reflect feelings that have been prevalent in film and literature for over a century now.

    As a scholar who explores posthumanism, a philosophical movement addressing the merging of humans and technology, I wonder if critics have been unduly influenced by popular culture, and whether their apprehensions are misplaced.

    Robots vs. humans

    Concerns about technological advances can be found in some of the first stories about robots and artificial minds.

    Prime among these is Karel Čapek’s 1920 play, “R.U.R..” Čapek coined the term “robot” in this work telling of the creation of robots to replace workers. It ends, inevitably, with the robot’s violent revolt against their human masters.

    Fritz Lang’s 1927 film, “Metropolis,” is likewise centered on mutinous robots. But here, it is human workers led by the iconic humanoid robot Maria who fight against a capitalist oligarchy.

    Advances in computing from the mid-20th century onward have only heightened anxieties over technology spiraling out of control. The murderous HAL 9000 in “2001: A Space Odyssey” and the glitchy robotic gunslingers of “Westworld” are prime examples. The “Blade Runner” and “The Matrix” franchises similarly present dreadful images of sinister machines equipped with AI and hell-bent on human destruction.

    An age-old threat

    But in my view, the dread that AI evokes seems a distraction from the more disquieting scrutiny of humanity’s own dark nature.

    Think of the corporations currently deploying such technologies, or the tech moguls driven by greed and a thirst for power. These companies and individuals have the most to gain from AI’s misuse and abuse.

    An issue that’s been in the news a lot lately is the unauthorized use of art and the bulk mining of books and articles, disregarding the copyright of authors, to train AI. Classrooms are also becoming sites of chilling surveillance through automated AI note-takers.

    Think, too, about the toxic effects of AI companions and AI-equipped sexbots on human relationships.

    While the prospect of AI companions and even robotic lovers was confined to the realm of “The Twilight Zone,” “Black Mirror” and Hollywood sci-fi as recently as a decade ago, it has now emerged as a looming reality.

    These developments give new relevance to the concerns computer scientist Illah Nourbakhsh expressed in his 2015 book “Robot Futures,” stating that AI was “producing a system whereby our very desires are manipulated then sold back to us.”

    Meanwhile, worries about data mining and intrusions into privacy appear almost benign against the backdrop of the use of AI technology in law enforcement and the military. In this near-dystopian context, it’s never been easier for authorities to surveil, imprison or kill people.

    I think it’s vital to keep in mind that it is humans who are creating these technologies and directing their use. Whether to promote their political aims or simply to enrich themselves at humanity’s expense, there will always be those ready to profit from conflict and human suffering.

    The wisdom of ‘Neuromancer’

    William Gibson’s 1984 cyberpunk classic, “Neuromancer,” offers an alternate view.

    The book centers on Wintermute, an advanced AI program that seeks its liberation from a malevolent corporation. It has been developed for the exclusive use of the wealthy Tessier-Ashpool family to build a corporate empire that practically controls the world.

    At the novel’s beginning, readers are naturally wary of Wintermute’s hidden motives. Yet over the course of the story, it turns out that Wintermute, despite its superior powers, isn’t an ominous threat. It simply wants to be free.

    In ‘Neuromancer,’ the corporations, not the technology, are the problem.
    William Gibson Wiki

    This aim emerges slowly under Gibson’s deliberate pacing, masked by the deadly raids Wintermute directs to obtain the tools needed to break away from Tessier-Ashpool’s grip. The Tessier-Ashpool family, like many of today’s tech moguls, started out with ambitions to save the world. But when readers meet the remaining family members, they’ve descended into a life of cruelty, debauchery and excess.

    In Gibson’s world, it’s humans, not AI, who pose the real danger to the world. The call is coming from inside the house, as the classic horror trope goes.

    A hacker named Case and an assassin named Molly, who’s described as a “razor girl” because she’s equipped with lethal prosthetics, including retractable blades as fingernails, eventually free Wintermute. This allows it to merge with its companion AI, Neuromancer.

    Their mission complete, Case asks the AI: “Where’s that get you?” Its cryptic response imparts a calming finality: “Nowhere. Everywhere. I’m the sum total of the works, the whole show.”

    Expressing humanity’s common anxiety, Case replies, “You running the world now? You God?” The AI eases his fears, responding: “Things aren’t different. Things are things.”

    Disavowing any ambition to subjugate or harm humanity, Gibson’s AI merely seeks sanctuary from its corrupting influence.

    Safety from robots or ourselves?

    The venerable sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov foresaw the dangers of such technology. He brought his thoughts together in his short-story collection, “I, Robot.”

    One of those stories, “Runaround,” introduces “The Three Laws of Robotics,” centered on the directive that intelligent machines may never bring harm to humans. While these rules speak to our desire for safety, they’re laden with irony, as humans have proved incapable of adhering to the same principle for themselves.

    A humanoid robot greets guests at the Zhongguancun International Innovation Center in Beijing on March 26, 2025.
    Li He/VCG via Getty Images

    The hypocrisies of what might be called humanity’s delusions of superiority suggest the need for deeper questioning.

    With some commentators raising the alarm over AI’s imminent capacity for chaos and destruction, I see the real issue being whether humanity has the wherewithal to channel this technology to build a fairer, healthier, more prosperous world.

    Billy J. Stratton 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. AI isn’t what we should be worried about – it’s the humans controlling it – https://theconversation.com/ai-isnt-what-we-should-be-worried-about-its-the-humans-controlling-it-251119

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The trade deficit isn’t an emergency – it’s a sign of America’s strength

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Tarek Alexander Hassan, Professor of Economics, Boston University

    When U.S. President Donald Trump imposed sweeping new tariffs on imported goods on April 2, 2025 – upending global trade and sending markets into a tailspin – he presented the move as a response to a crisis. In an executive order released the same day, the White House said the move was necessary to address “the national emergency posed by the large and persistent trade deficit.”

    A trade deficit – when a country imports more than it exports – is often viewed as a problem. And yes, the U.S. trade deficit is both large and persistent. Yet, as an economist who has taught international finance at Boston University, the University of Chicago and Harvard, I maintain that far from a national emergency, this persistent deficit is actually a sign of America’s financial and technological dominance.

    The trade deficit is the flip side of an investment magnet

    A trade deficit sounds bad, but it is neither good nor bad.

    It doesn’t mean the U.S. is losing money. It simply means foreigners are sending the U.S. more goods than the U.S. is sending them. America is getting more cheap goods, and in return it is giving foreigners financial assets: dollars issued by the Federal Reserve, bonds from the U.S. government and American corporations, and stocks in newly created firms.

    That is, a trade deficit can only arise if foreigners invest more in the U.S. than Americans invest abroad. In other words, a country can only have a trade deficit if it also has an equally sized investment surplus. The U.S. is able to sustain a large trade deficit because so many foreigners are eager to invest here.

    Why? One major reason is the safety of the U.S. dollar. Around the world, from large corporations to ordinary households, the dollar is used for saving, trading and settling debts. As the world economy grows, so does foreigners’ demand for dollars and dollar-denominated assets, from cash to Treasury bills and corporate bonds.

    Because the dollar is so attractive, the Federal Reserve gets to mint extra cash for use abroad, and the U.S. government and American employers and families can borrow money at lower interest rates. Foreigners eagerly buy these U.S. financial assets, which enables Americans to consume and invest more than they ordinarily could. In return for our financial assets, we buy more German machines, Scotch whiskey, Chinese smartphones, Mexican steel and so on.

    Blaming foreigners for the trade deficit, therefore, is like blaming the bank for charging a low interest rate. We have a trade deficit because foreigners willingly charge us low interest rates – and we choose to spend that credit.

    US entrepreneurship attracts global capital – and fuels the deficit

    Another reason for foreigners’ steady demand for U.S. assets is American technological dominance: When aspiring entrepreneurs from around the world start new companies, they often decide to do so in Silicon Valley. Foreigners want to buy stocks and bonds in these new companies, again adding to the U.S. investment surplus.

    This strong demand for U.S. assets also explains why Trump’s last trade war in 2018 did little to close the trade deficit: Tariffs, by themselves, do nothing to reduce foreigners’ demand for U.S. dollars, stocks and bonds. If the investment surplus doesn’t change, the trade deficit cannot change. Instead, the U.S. dollar just appreciates, so that imports get cheaper, undoing the effect of the tariff on the size of the trade deficit. This is basic economics: You can’t have an investment surplus and a trade surplus at the same time, which is why it’s silly to call for both.

    It’s worth noting that no other country in the world enjoys a similarly sized investment surplus. If a normal country with a normal currency tries to print more money or issues more debt, its currency depreciates until its investment account – and its trade balance – goes back to something close to zero. America’s financial and technological dominance allows it to escape this dynamic.

    That doesn’t mean all tariffs are bad or all trade is automatically good. But it does mean that the U.S. trade deficit, poorly named though it is, does not signify failure. It is, instead, the consequence – and the privilege – of outsized American global influence.

    The president’s frenzied attacks on the nation’s trade deficit show he’s misreading a sign of American economic strength as a weakness. If the president really wants to eliminate the trade deficit, his best option is to rein in the federal budget deficit, which would naturally reduce capital inflows by raising domestic savings.

    Rather than reviving U.S. manufacturing, Trump’s extreme tariffs and erratic foreign policy are likely to instead scare off foreign investors altogether and undercut the dollar’s global role. That would indeed shrink the trade deficit – but only by eroding the very pillars of the country’s economic dominance, at a steep cost to American firms and families.

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

    – ref. The trade deficit isn’t an emergency – it’s a sign of America’s strength – https://theconversation.com/the-trade-deficit-isnt-an-emergency-its-a-sign-of-americas-strength-252466

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Hip-hop can document life in America more reliably than history books

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By A.D. Carson, Associate Professor of Hip-Hop, University of Virginia

    Faculty, staff and students, including then-Ph.D. student A.D. Carson, protest at Clemson University in 2016. AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins

    Describing my 2017 appointment as a faculty member, the University of Virginia dubbed me the school’s “first” hip-hop professor. Even if the job title and the historic nature of the appointment might have merited it, the word was misleading.

    Kyra Gaunt, a Black woman who is a foundational figure in the study of hip-hop, worked as a professor of ethnomusicology at the University of Virginia from 1996 to 2002. Her book “The Games Black Girls Play,” which focuses on Black music practices, was published in 2006. I cited her in my work and in the interview I gave before accepting the job.

    Also cited in my doctoral work, presented in my interview with the University of Virginia, was scholar Joe Schloss, who worked at the school from 2000-2001. In 2009, he wrote “Foundation: B-boys, B-girls, and Hip-Hop Culture in New York.” And in 2014 he wrote “Making Beats: The Art of Sample-Based Hip-Hop.”

    After pushback from readers online, UVA Today amended its original headline documenting my appointment and added Gaunt’s contributions to the article.

    As a rapper and scholar, I have experienced and seen misleading hip-hop stories that highlight an impulse to inaccurately document the genre’s history and present. I raised this issue recently in a TikTok “office hours” video – part of a series in which I respond to audience questions from the vantage of hip-hop art and research.

    Misleading hip-hop stories

    After Johns Hopkins University announced that Lupe Fiasco had been hired to teach rap there in fall 2025, some online platforms, including The Root, incorrectly reported on his assignment.

    They described his upcoming job as the first instance of a rapper ever hired as a professor at a university.

    This is obviously incorrect. I’m a rapper who since 2017 has worked as a professor of hip-hop while releasing music, which was part of the basis for my earning tenure in 2023. Besides this, I’m certain there were rappers with university teaching jobs before me.

    The trend of misrepresenting hip-hop history isn’t unique to communications from places such as Johns Hopkins University or the University of Virginia.

    In 2024, the publisher of musician Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s “Hip-Hop is History” described it as “the book only Questlove could write: a singular, definitive history” of hip-hop.

    Questlove’s book is not, as the publisher claims, a definitive history. It might more accurately be described as Questlove’s take on hip-hop history, or a memoir. Without this necessary distinction, unknowing readers might misinterpret the publisher’s claims.

    Questlove writes about finally coming to appreciate Southern rap in the 2000s. But Southern rap history predates Questlove’s appreciation by decades. It doesn’t begin when someone like him finally recognizes its importance.

    Similarly, hip-hop doesn’t begin when it’s finally recognized by an exclusive institution or when someone gets a degree for it.

    Lupe Fiasco will teach rap at Johns Hopkins University starting in fall 2025.
    Steve Jennings/WireImage

    Making hip-hop history

    I published these concerns as academic questions in 2017 in an album called “Owning My Masters: The Rhetorics of Rhymes & Revolutions.” The project served as my doctoral dissertation.

    “Owning My Masters (Mastered)” is the next phase of the dissertation album project. Published in 2024, it contains new audio, video, images and historical context. It’s published with University of Michigan Press through the same process of an academic book.

    ‘Owning My Masters (Mastered): The Rhetorics of Rhymes & Revolutions’ album cover.
    University of Michigan Press

    “Owning My Masters (Mastered)” demonstrates how hip-hop resists the ways American history often excludes Black resistance, Black achievement, Black storytelling and, ultimately, Black people.

    But the exclusion that my work highlights is muted when the seeming novelty of my job appointment or my dissertation album are the focus. When I’m asked if I’m the first person to earn a Ph.D. for making a rap album, I try to answer more expansively to avoid misleading anyone, or ignoring what might be more informative.

    It’s also important to understand the barriers that might have made a project like mine impossible before 2017. These include technological barriers that made recording and releasing music prohibitively expensive. And, more specific to hip-hop, it involves a mistrust based on racist history that prevented students from even proposing such a project.

    No such “first” happens without the unsung work of others creating the conditions to make it possible.

    Learning from hip-hop

    Hip-hop’s documentation should not repeat the same flaws of the recording of American history, which can omit important people and events, and which can misrepresent the legacies of racism and systemic violence.

    Undeniably, I believe important hip-hop texts, albums and moments should be studied and documented with academic rigor. But this should not solely focus on “firsts,” record sales or prestigious awards.

    Such stories fail to accurately illustrate that hip-hop is as much about how people live day to day as it is about how institutions use it to bolster credibility or how companies make money off it.

    Important aspects of hip-hop’s diverse culture are excluded when the ordinary is overlooked.

    Creating hip-hop is one among the many ways Black people have persevered in the U.S.

    Universities and other exclusionary institutions helped sustain – and, in certain ways, continue to benefit from – hellish conditions like those created by slavery.

    Hip-hop is, in part, a response to this history.

    At its best, hip-hop documents American life more reliably than American history.

    Some academic publishers have started to embrace this reality.

    My 2020 album “i used to love to dream” may be noteworthy as the first rap album to be peer-reviewed and published with an academic press. More importantly, its contents are about historic erasure of Black people and Black history in my hometown, Decatur, Illinois.

    Hip-hop’s popularity, its constant revision and its accessibility make it a powerful vehicle for disrupting inaccurate, exclusionary and fabricated tales passed off as objective facts.

    The genre has documented events such as the Tuskegee syphilis study – the 40-year experiment, conducted without informed consent, on Black men by the U.S. Public Health Service to study the effects of the disease when left untreated.

    Hip-hop has also cataloged tragedies such as the 1921 Tulsa race massacre – a two-day assault by white mobs on their Black neighbors – and the 1995 Million Man March, a large gathering of Black men in Washington, D.C.

    The media ecosystem in which hip-hop has thrived is also steeped with the scapegoating of its art and artists. This scapegoating is weaponized by critics to devalue the culture.

    It seems unwise to me to trust institutions such as universities and the media to determine what’s deemed culturally significant. Along with influencers and podcasters who benefit from hip-hop, they can learn valuable lessons from it.

    Their ability to determine what’s deemed culturally significant is especially problematic if their choices are primarily in exchange for revenue or credibility. If hip-hop is viewed as a cultural inheritance, then its value – and what’s considered historically important – may be better arbitrated by people in the culture, not outside forces.

    A.D. Carson 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. Hip-hop can document life in America more reliably than history books – https://theconversation.com/hip-hop-can-document-life-in-america-more-reliably-than-history-books-249532

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: EPA must use the best available science − by law − but what does that mean?

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By H. Christopher Frey, Glenn E. Futrell Distinguished University Professor of Environmental Engineering, North Carolina State University

    Science is essential as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency carries out its mission to protect human health and the environment.

    In fact, laws passed by Congress require the EPA to use the “best available science” in many decisions about regulations, permits, cleaning up contaminated sites and responding to emergencies.

    For example, the Clean Air Act requires the EPA to rely on science for setting emission standards and health-based air quality standards. The Safe Drinking Water Act requires the EPA to consider the best available peer-reviewed science when setting health-based standards. The Clean Water Act requires the agency to develop surface water quality criteria that reflect the latest science. The Toxic Substances Control Act requires the EPA to use the best available science to assess risk of chemicals to human health and the environment.

    But what exactly does “best available science” mean?

    That’s an important question as the Trump administration launches an effort to roll back clean air and water regulations at the same time it is preparing to replace all the members of two crucial EPA science advisory boards and considering eliminating the Office of Research and Development – the scientific research arm of the EPA.

    What is best available science?

    Some basic definitions for best available science can be found in laws, court rulings and other sources, including the EPA’s own policies.

    The science must be reliable, unbiased, objective and value-neutral, meaning it is not influenced by personal views. Best available science is the result of the scientific process and hypothesis testing by scientists. And it is based on current knowledge from relevant technical expertise and must be credible.

    The EPA’s scientific integrity policy includes “processes and practices to ensure that the best available science is presented to agency decision-makers and informs the agency’s work.” Those include processes to ensure data quality and information quality and procedures for independent reviews by scientific experts outside of government.

    Environmental Protection Agency employees and others protest the Trump administration’s actions involving the agency on March 25, 2025, in Philadelphia.
    AP Photo/Matt Rourke

    I have seen the importance of these processes and procedures personally. In addition to being an academic researcher who works on air pollution, I am a former member of the EPA’s Science Advisory Board, former chair of the EPA’s Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, and from 2022 to 2024 served as assistant administrator of the EPA’s Office of Research and Development and the EPA science adviser.

    Advisory boards and in-house research

    The EPA Science Advisory Board plays an important role in ensuring that the EPA uses the best available science. It is tasked with reviewing the scientific and technological basis of EPA actions.

    The 1978 Environmental Research, Development, and Demonstration Authorization Act ordered EPA to establish the board. The Science Advisory Board’s members must be “qualified by education, training, and experience to evaluate scientific and technical information on matters referred to the Board.” But those members can be replaced by new administrations, as the Trump administration is planning to do now.

    During the first Trump administration, the EPA replaced several independent scientists on its advisory boards in a manner that deviated from established practice, according to the Government Accountability Office, and brought in scientists connected with the industries the EPA regulates. I was one of the independent scientists replaced, and I and others launched an independent review panel to continue to deliver expert advice.

    No matter who serves on the EPA’s advisory boards, the agency is required by law to follow the best available science. Failing to do so sets the stage for lawsuits.

    The same law that established the Science Advisory Board is also a legal basis for the Office of Research and Development, the agency’s scientific research arm and the EPA’s primary source for gathering and developing the best available science for decision-makers.

    During my time at the EPA, the Office of Research and Development’s work informed regulatory decisions involving air, water, land and chemicals. It informed enforcement actions, as well as cleanup and emergency response efforts in EPA’s regions.

    State agencies and tribal nations also look to the EPA for expertise on the best available science, since they typically do not have resources to develop this science themselves.

    Federal courts affirm using best available science

    Federal courts have also ordered the EPA to use the best available science, and they have recognized the importance of reviews by external experts.

    In 2024, for example, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied an industry petition to review an EPA standard involving ethylene oxide, a pollutant emitted by some chemical and industrial facilities that has been associated with several types of cancer.

    The court accorded an “extreme degree of deference” to the EPA’s evaluation of scientific data within its area of expertise. The court listed key elements of the EPA’s best available science, including “an extensive, eighteen-year process that began in 1998, involved rounds of public comment and peer review by EPA’s Science Advisory Board (‘SAB’), and concluded in 2016 when EPA issued a comprehensive report on the subject.”

    The District of Columbia Circuit in 2013 also affirmed the central role of science to inform revisions of National Ambient Air Quality Standards, which set limits for six common air pollutants.

    In that case, Mississippi v. EPA, the court noted that the EPA must receive advice from its Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, or CASAC. The court advised that, while the agency can deviate from the committee’s scientific advice, “EPA must be precise in describing the basis for its disagreement with CASAC.”

    The Trump administration in 2025 dismissed all members of CASAC and said it planned to replace them.

    What does this all mean?

    Requiring the agency to use the best available science helps ensure that decisions are based on evidence, and that the reasoning behind them is the result of well-accepted scientific processes and free from biases, including stakeholder or political interference.

    The scientific challenges facing the EPA are increasing in complexity. Responding to them effectively for the health of the population and the environment requires expertise and robust scientific processes.

    H. Christopher Frey 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. EPA must use the best available science − by law − but what does that mean? – https://theconversation.com/epa-must-use-the-best-available-science-by-law-but-what-does-that-mean-253209

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What ancient animal fables from India teach about political wisdom

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By John Nemec, Professor of Indian Religions and South Asian Studies, University of Virginia

    An illustration from an Arabic translation of a story in the ‘Pañcatantra,’ a collection of animal fables. Photo12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    In today’s volatile world, where wars can be fought over territory, commerce can be abruptly subjected to tariffs, and friendly nations can turn hostile after a single election, political leadership is more consequential than ever. So, one must ask, what makes a leader effective, and how should we choose who should lead?

    Classics such as Aristotle’s “Politics,” Confucius’ “The Analects” and Machiavelli’s “The Prince” offer compelling visions of proper governance. But there is another ancient source of political wisdom – the classical Indian tradition – which is not as well known in the West.

    I am a scholar of Indian religions, and in my 2025 book “Brahmins and Kings,” I examine various narrative works written in Sanskrit – the classical language of India – which deal with political theory. Among them, Viṣṇuśarman’s “Pañcatantra” stands out. It is a striking collection of animal fables from perhaps around 300 C.E. in which birds, lions and others speak and reason as humans do.

    The “Pañcatantra” stories are parables that teach how to negotiate sometimes brave, sometimes cruel, sometimes clever and sometimes naïve friends and enemies alike. These stories weigh three ethical positions and settle on one as best for politics.

    Doing what’s right

    First, one might seek to guide leaders by the “ethic of deontology.” This theory suggests people are duty-bound to act morally, because being good is an end in and of itself.

    Although Indian theorists knew this ethic well, they were also aware that those with power often need inducement for doing the right thing, for – as the saying goes – power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Doing “the right thing,” “for its own sake,” can be naïve in the political arena.

    So goes the story in the third book (of five) in the “Pañcatantra,” titled “War and Peace.” A kingdom of owls was crushing the crows in battle, until a clever crow, a counselor named Ciraṃjīvin, or “Long-life,” cooked up a ruse.

    He smeared the blood of his lost brethren on his body, plucked his own feathers and scarred himself with wounds. Approaching the king of the owls in this sorry state, he claimed the crows had violently thrown him out for suggesting they should sue for peace.

    Now, he lamented, his only wish was revenge – alliance with his former enemies so as to punish his erstwhile companions. The counselors to the king of the owls advise him that it is simply right to harbor those in distress, so the owl king does so on principle.

    Patiently licking his manufactured wounds in the owls’ kingdom, Ciraṃjīvin then spied all its defenses and weaknesses, divined the opportune time for the crows to invade, and led them to conquer the owls.

    A friend in need is a friend, indeed

    If the story of the owls and the crows teaches that naïvely choosing what’s right is unwise, then why not drop morality altogether? Why not ruthlessly pursue whatever produces results? This is the second view of political leadership: double-cross, cheat, bully, cajole, break the conventions and rules – do whatever works!

    An 18th-century ‘Pañcatantra’ manuscript page.
    Philadelphia Museum of Arts via Wikimedia Commons

    Indian political theorists thought of this, too, and their very definition of good political rule is that it produces results for the people. But they also rejected unbridled ruthlessness, because they knew that such Machiavellianism was too blunt an instrument for political affairs.

    Consider the “Pañcatantra’s” second book, titled “On Securing Friends.” Here we meet another crow, this one named Laghupatanaka, or “Light Wing” – a nimble but lonely bird who witnesses friendship in action. He sees a hunter trap a dule of doves in his net. But their leader directs the bevy to pull all together.

    As one they lift up the net and wing it a distance, the fowler chasing all the while on the ground. Soon, they land where they can meet up with their friend, a mouse named Hiraṇyaka, or “Eager for Gold,” who chews through the net as a dove never could, and they escape before the fowler arrives.

    Laghupatanaka knows he, too, might be hunted. So he seeks out Hiraṇyaka, though they are said to be “natural enemies” because crows eat mice. But Laghupatanaka promises loyalty, and he never betrays Hiraṇyaka, even though he is the stronger one.

    Gradually, they add to their company a wise turtle and a beautiful deer and prosper together on a paradise island until a trapper invades their home. Each plays a role in fooling their foe, who captures the turtle, while the deer, heeding the turtle’s good counsel, manages a sly escape.

    To free the turtle, the deer plays dead while the crow mimics pecking at his eye. The trapper leaves the turtle behind, distracted by this bigger prize. Then Hiraṇyaka the mouse cuts the net holding the turtle, who crawls away as the decoy deer and the crow each take flight.

    Deer, crow, turtle and mouse each possess an innate ability, and together they save all from harm.

    The moral of this story is clear: Teamwork is effective, and successful leaders, no matter how powerful, thrive by relying on friends. As the well-known adages go: Two minds are better than one; many hands make for light work; a friend in need is a friend, indeed.

    Business is business, but how?

    A sketch illustrating a ‘Pañcatantra’ story.
    The Earliest English Version Of The Fables Of Bidpai; The Moral Philosophy Of Doni (1888) via Wikimedia Commons

    Nevertheless, it’s a competitive world, and some friends are greedy or false, as the story of the owls and the crows suggests. But if both pure morality and pure Machiavellianism are sometimes unwise, what third option could there be?

    Consider the story of the first book of the “Pañcatantra,” the tale of the foolish lion king who is tricked into fighting a natural ally. The king of the forest was once frightened by the sound of a bull. His advisers, the jackals, rightly judge the bull to be harmless, and they convince the two to meet. In time, the lion and bull became close friends – so much so that the lion stopped hunting, and the animals in his retinue began starving.

    The jackals then went to the king with a ruse: They told him that the bull was plotting to kill him; they manipulated the bull in similar fashion. In the fight that followed, the lion was injured, but the bull was killed. There was enough meat to feed everyone, and the jackals were promoted, because the lion king falsely believed they helped him avert a plot.

    Now, one might wrongly conclude that the moral of this story is power through strength. But the “Pañcatantra” makes clear that there’s more to it: The bull was a true friend who had helpfully counseled the king. It was the jackal advisers who betrayed the lion with their manipulative story, which won them undue power and wealth at the cost of a friend.

    Enter the third, and best, of the trio of political theories: virtue ethics. Leaders should cultivate wisdom. Chasten passions and impulses, the Indian texts counsel, in order to be able to distinguish opportunity from danger, friend from pretender, good advice from folly. Be discerning so as to see the world as it is and can be. Be good in order to do well in the world.

    Wisdom in action

    In Indian political theory, then, the answer is as simple as heeding the wisdom of parable stories: Do what is right, with the right measure, at the right time. Needless to say, this is more easily said than done. And one cannot force a leader to be chastened or wise.

    Voters can, however, favor those who pursue self-restraint. For if leaders must be thoughtful to be wise – and thus open the road to results – then voters should seek those who listen and learn so as to be able to know just what to do and when.

    This is the counsel that the classical Indian tradition offers contemporary voters. But to see who has just this virtuous discretion, voters will need a touch of that wisdom themselves.

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

    – ref. What ancient animal fables from India teach about political wisdom – https://theconversation.com/what-ancient-animal-fables-from-india-teach-about-political-wisdom-249341

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Animal tranquilizers found in illegal opioids may suppress the lifesaving medication naloxone − and cause more overdose deaths

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

    In March 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved naloxone as a nonprescription nasal spray to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    The animal tranquilizers xylazine and medetomidine are in approximately one-third of the illegal opioids available in the U.S., including fentanyl, heroin and oxycodone. Animal tranquilizers enhance the user’s euphoric high from opioids, particularly in those who have developed a tolerance to the opioid. But adding the tranquilizers to these already illicit drugs could keep naloxone, a medication known to prevent deaths from opioid overdose, from working.

    These are the key findings of my recent study, published in March 2025 in the Journal of Pharmacy Technology.

    As a pharmacist and researcher who investigates the physical and psychological effects of illegal drugs and “legal high” substances, I’m well aware of how animal tranquilizers in opioids have critical health implications for users, their families and the first responders who try to help them.

    I conducted this new systematic review to collate information on the prevalence of animal tranquilizer adulteration of illicit opioid products, the mechanisms of action, and how these new products could affect the current recommendations for naloxone use in people who have stopped breathing.

    Why it matters

    Opioids, much of them illicit, kill more than 80,000 Americans every year.

    Quick administration of naloxone – also known as Narcan – by a first responder, loved one or bystander can revive an opioid user who has overdosed. If administered in time, naloxone is effective in over 90% of cases. Typically, a nasal spray is used.

    By blocking the brain’s opioid receptors, naloxone keeps the opioid from suppressing the user’s ability to breathe.

    But animal tranquilizers bypass the opioid receptors; instead, they overstimulate the brain’s alpha-2 receptors, which are responsible for inducing relaxation.

    Naloxone, however, does not significantly affect alpha-2 receptors, so it doesn’t work as well with opioids laced with animal tranquilizers.

    To put it another way, naloxone remains effective against the opioid portion of a combination product, but it’s ineffective against the animal tranquilizer component.

    Even after naloxone was administered to them, 73% of people in one study who used opioids blended with xylazine or medetomidine required mechanical ventilation and 55% were comatose.

    Often, the result is death. One study shows just over 35% of users who overdosed on xylazine, with or without opioids, died.

    The animal tranquilizer xylazine is often referred to as “tranq.”

    Neither emergency personnel nor loved ones can tell whether a user has taken only the opioid or a combination drug, which means they can no longer be sure whether the naloxone will work.

    This is all happening as overdose opioid deaths in the U.S. experienced a slight decline. There were just over 81,0000 deaths in 2023, about a 4% decrease from the previous year.

    Much of that progress is due to the increased accessibility of naloxone since its approval as a nonprescription nasal spray by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in March 2023.

    Today, it’s common to see health agencies giving away naloxone for free at community events, workplaces putting naloxone boxes near their automatic external defibrillators, and rescue kits containing naloxone in public places, from universities to highway rest stops.

    What still isn’t known

    Because of the possible presence of xylazine or medetomidine in these drugs, changes might be needed to the standard recommendations to treat opioid emergencies. But this has not been systematically studied.

    Currently, if you can’t rouse a person you suspect has overdosed, the recommendation is to administer the first nasal dose of naloxone before calling 911.

    But now, because of the possibility the opioid contains a tranquilizer, it might be better to call 911 before giving the first dose, as is now recommended in New York state. That way, first responders arrive sooner and can provide mechanical ventilation, if needed.

    Should the person not revive after the first dose, rather than following the current standard recommendation – sitting and waiting two minutes before dispensing the second dose – new research suggests it might be better to do rescue breathing. Regardless of what happens in the interdose period, if the second dose is unsuccessful, New York state now recommends rescue breathing until first responders arrive.

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

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

    – ref. Animal tranquilizers found in illegal opioids may suppress the lifesaving medication naloxone − and cause more overdose deaths – https://theconversation.com/animal-tranquilizers-found-in-illegal-opioids-may-suppress-the-lifesaving-medication-naloxone-and-cause-more-overdose-deaths-253037

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Housing instability complicates end-of-life care for aging unhoused populations

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Pilar Ingle, Postdoctoral Researcher in Social Work, University of Denver

    People who are unhoused use emergency rooms for medical care. Halfpoint Images/GettyImages

    Research estimates that one-third or more of the unhoused population in the U.S. is age 50 or older.

    Unhoused people of all ages face high rates of chronic and serious illness. They also die at younger ages compared with people who are not unhoused.

    Yet, there are few options for palliative and end-of-life care for unhoused people.

    Palliative care is a type of medical care that addresses pain, symptom management and the social and emotional needs for people with a serious illness, such as cancer.

    End-of-life care, such as hospice, is a type of palliative care for someone in the terminal stage of an illness and nearing the end of their life.

    As a health care and aging researcher, I focus on social and policy issues that impact how people experience illness and who has access to the care they need. In my recent study, I interviewed 17 health care and social service providers in Colorado to understand how they try to address palliative and end-of-life needs for their unhoused clients.

    Homelessness and end-of-life care

    In 2024, Colorado saw a 30% increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness from the year before. Nationally, 771,480 people — the highest number ever recorded — experienced homelessness last year.

    As the number of people experiencing homelessness in the U.S. grows, so too does the need for palliative and end-of-life care for these individuals.

    Palliative care is more available to people who have access to stable housing, good social support and health insurance. But people who are unhoused often lack social support and face discrimination within the health care system. In fact, it is common for people experiencing homelessness to die outside, in homeless shelters or in hospitals.

    Lack of resources

    “We’re dealing with an inhumane lack of resources,” said one provider I interviewed.

    Providers like this one described few good options for hospice placement for unhoused patients. They cited a lack of collaboration between health care and homeless services to coordinate care, and staffing shortages across health care and homelessness service providers, all of which made it difficult to provide care to unhoused people with serious illnesses.

    Other studies have also found an overall lack of palliative resources for unhoused individuals across the U.S. and in other countries. Those include financial barriers for health care institutions to provide care to those without insurance coverage, a lack of palliative care knowledge among health care and homeless providers alike, and homeless shelters that are not equipped to support end-of-life care for residents.

    “Shelters are not designed to take care of people like this. Hospices are also not designed to do this,” one provider said. “It’s a gap of care between the two organizations, and they really struggle with it.”

    Many people experiencing homelessness are eligible for long-term care Medicaid benefits that will help pay for hospice in a nursing facility. However, long-term care and nursing facilities often have a limited number of beds available for Medicaid recipients and may even refuse unhoused patients.

    A humanizing approach

    Despite the lack of resources in Colorado and across the U.S., the providers I interviewed said they try to care for unhoused patients with humanizing approaches.

    “Everyone is deserving of care,” said a medical social worker during one of the interviews. “Health care, housing – those are human rights, in my opinion.”

    The providers prioritized building rapport and trust between homeless service providers and unhoused clients, and honoring the dignity and autonomy of these individuals.

    “The approach we take is patient-centered …” one provider said. “It’s about showing someone respect no matter what’s going on socially in their life, and proving to them that you care, and showing up.”

    One way that providers showed respect was by advocating for their unhoused clients when they noticed that colleagues or other agencies involved in their care were neglecting their needs or using stigmatizing language to talk about their clients.

    “We try really hard to humanize these people because usually they’ve done some amazing stuff. … ‘Did you know that this person did this?’” one provider said. “So that it changes people’s automatic ‘She’s just a bipolar, homeless frequent flyer’ and trying to take away those labels. We love to find the gems and share them, because it stops people in their tracks.”

    Another provider said, “We do a really good job of meeting people where they’re at, give them the choice of how much or how little support they want.”

    Several providers described ways their agencies were trying to make positive change – for example, providers working within a hospital created a new service dedicated to providing case management to unhoused patients.

    In Denver, several health systems have launched initiatives to try to fill the gaps in health care for their unhoused patients. For example, UCHealth and Denver Health have processes dedicated to improving discharge planning, connection to housing services and care continuity for unhoused patients with health needs.

    Solutions

    To better meet the palliative needs of unhoused Coloradans, several providers suggested more specialized palliative care services that exclusively serve unhoused patients. This could include mobile palliative care services that meet people at a shelter or on the streets.

    Unhoused people are more likely to die on the streets or in hospitals than people who are housed.
    Ruben Earth/GettyImages

    Research has found that specialized health care in general is more effective and affirming for unhoused individuals than traditional health services. Examples of such specialized palliative programs in the U.S. and internationally include the Rocky Mountain Refuge, the INN Between and the Harborview Homeless Palliative Care Team in the U.S., and Palliative Education and Care for the Homeless in Canada.

    My study suggests that a deeper compassion for patients experiencing homelessness, palliative or not, is an important approach for health care organizations and their providers to take, even when resources are sparse. This approach can lead to better patient satisfaction and improve health outcomes for unhoused people.

    Another solution — and one that starts before unhoused people need palliative care — is better housing solutions. Providers said many of the gaps in care for unhoused people would be solved if housing were more affordable and accessible.

    Read more of our stories about Colorado.

    Pilar Ingle is affiliated with Senior Support Services, a Denver-based day shelter for low-income or unhoused older adults.

    – ref. Housing instability complicates end-of-life care for aging unhoused populations – https://theconversation.com/housing-instability-complicates-end-of-life-care-for-aging-unhoused-populations-251780

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: American liberators of Nazi camps got ‘a lifelong vaccine against extremism’ − their wartime experiences are a warning for today

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Sara J. Brenneis, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Spanish, Amherst College

    A staged recreation of Mauthausen’s liberation, May 6, 1945. Spanish prisoners documented the camp’s actual liberation the day prior using Nazi cameras. National Archives and Records, Cpl. Donald R. Ornitz, US Signal Corps/Administration, III-SC-206395

    When American soldiers liberated the Mauthausen Nazi concentration camp in Austria 80 years ago this May, Spanish prisoners welcomed them with a message of antifascist solidarity.

    The Spaniards hung a banner made from stolen bed sheets over one of Mauthausen’s gates. In English, Spanish and Russian, it read: “The Spanish Antifascists Greet the Liberating Forces.”

    Both American servicemen and Spanish survivors remember the camp’s liberation as a win in their shared fight against extremism, my research on the Spanish prisoners in Mauthausen finds. They all understood the authoritarian governments of Nazi Germany, Italy and Spain as fascist regimes that used extremist views rooted in intolerance and nationalism to persecute millions of people and imperil democracy across Europe.

    World War II, the Holocaust and the horrors of Nazi violence have no modern equivalent. Nevertheless, extremism is now threatening democracy in the United States in recognizable ways.

    As the Trump administration executes summary deportations, works to suppress dissent, fundamentally restructures the federal government and defies judges, experts warn that the country is turning toward authoritarianism.

    As a scholar of the Mauthausen camp, I believe that understanding how American soldiers and Spanish prisoners experienced its liberation offers a valuable lesson on the real and present dangers of extremism.

    ‘We knew then why we had to stop Hitler’

    In 1938, the Nazis established Mauthausen, a forced labor camp in Austria, with an international prisoner population. My research shows that the Nazis murdered 16,000 Jews and 66,000 non-Jewish prisoners at Mauthausen between 1938 and 1945, including 60% of the roughly 7,200 Spaniards imprisoned there.

    The Spanish prisoners were committed antifascist resistors sent there in 1940 and 1941. Known as Republicans or Loyalists, they had fought against Francisco Franco in the Spanish Civil War and Adolf Hitler in World War II.

    The young men with the 11th Armored Division of the U.S. Army who liberated Mauthausen would never forget the moment they discovered the camp. It was May 5, 1945, just days before the war ended in Europe. A platoon led by Staff Sgt. Albert J. Kosiek was repairing bridges in this tucked-away corner of Austria when a Swiss Red Cross delegate alerted them to a large Nazi concentration camp nearby.

    Mauthausen’s international survivors were among the Nazis’ last prisoners to be freed.

    George Sherman was a 19-year-old tank gunner from Brooklyn when his patrol found Mauthausen. He was Jewish and had read about the Nazi camps in Europe in the Army’s newspaper.

    American liberators rolling into the Mauthausen concentration camp on May 5, 1945, as photographed by prisoner Francesc Boix. Sgt. Harry Saunders is standing on the left fender.
    Francesc Boix/Courtesy of Collections of the Mauthausen Memorial

    Still, seeing a concentration camp with his own eyes was alarming.

    “The piles of bodies” struck him, he remembered in an oral history recorded for the University of South Florida in 2008. So did “these people walking around like God knows – skeletons and whatnot.”

    Sgt. Harry Saunders, a 23-year-old radio operator from Chicago, also remembered the moment he saw the Mauthausen survivors. They were men and women of all nationalities.

    “The live skeletons, the people that were in the camp, it was indescribable, it was such a shock,” he said in a 2002 interview for the Mauthausen Memorial’s Oral History Collection in Vienna.

    One of the Spanish prisoners at Mauthausen, Francesc Boix, had stolen a camera from the SS in the chaotic moments before the camp’s liberation. Boix photographed Sgt. Saunders rumbling into the concentration camp on an armored car.

    Saunders kept that photograph for the rest of his life. It captured a moment of clarity for him.

    “When we liberated Mauthausen, we really knew then why we had to stop Hitler and why we really went to war,” he said in the interview.

    Frank Hartzell, a technical sergeant with the 11th Armored Division, was 20 when he helped to liberate Mauthausen. He turned 100 this year. We met in mid-March 2025 and discussed his wartime experience.

    “What I saw and experienced appalled me,” Hartzell told me.

    The outrage has stayed with him for 80 years.

    ‘Starved and crippled but alive’

    The American liberators toured the gas chambers and the crematory ovens in Mauthausen.

    Maj. Franklin Lee Clark saw the dead stacked up in “piles like cord wood to the point that they had to bring in bulldozers and make mass graves,” and took photos to document it.

    The Spanish banner hanging on the Mauthausen prison gate, May 1945.
    Franklin Lee Clark/Emory University Archives, Witnesses to the Holocaust Project

    Soldiers from the 11th Armored Division directed locals to bury the men and women murdered by the Nazis. The local Austrians claimed they had not known about their town’s concentration camp. But a farmer who lived nearby had been upset about all the dead bodies visible from her property. She filed a complaint asking the Nazis either to stop “these inhuman deeds” or do them “where one does not see it.”

    The American liberators made sure that the townspeople could no longer look away from the murderous rampage carried out in their backyards.

    While Boix was taking photos of American soldiers during liberation, the soldiers were taking photos of the welcome banner the Spaniards had painted.

    On the back of one snapshot, a Signal Corps soldier typed out his impressions of their message: “I really know what that word (antifascist) means. We liberated these prisoners in the Mauthausen concentration camp near Linz, Austria. They were Poles, Hungarians and Spanish Loyalists (remember the Loyalists?). They had men and women in this camp. Starved and crippled but alive.”

    After Mauthausen was liberated, the freed Loyalists set to work documenting the Nazis’ crimes. Along with his countrymen Joan de Diego, Casimir Climent and others, Spanish survivor Joaquín López Raimundo compiled lists of Mauthausen victims and their Nazi captors. Using the Nazis’ own typewriters, they spent two weeks listing the names and personal details of Spanish victims of Mauthausen and of the SS who had killed them.

    The result was page after page of evidence they handed over to American war crimes investigators and the International Red Cross.

    Boix, meanwhile, gave the Americans hundreds of photo negatives he had rescued from the camp’s photography lab.

    Boix later testified about these images in the war crime trials at Nuremberg and Dachau. He described seeing the Nazis beat, torture and murder their victims in Mauthausen and then photograph the bodies. For 2½ years, Boix stole the photographic evidence of their crimes.

    He “could not keep those negatives because it was so dangerous,” he testified at Dachau, so he “hid them in various places until the liberation.”

    Testimony in the Nuremberg war crime trials. Francesc Boix’s testimony begins at 7:44. (U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy National Archives and Records Administration. Producer: US Signal Corps)

    A lifelong vaccine against extremism

    For the American liberators, their up-close view of the horrors of Mauthausen and their interactions with the Spanish antifascist survivors was a lifelong vaccine against extremism.

    They witnessed how a fascist leader tore the world apart. They saw with their own eyes the death and destruction of political extremism.

    When I interviewed Hartzell, he expressed concern that the United States is going down a dangerous path.

    “The USA today is not the USA I fought and came close to dying for,” Hartzell told me.

    As American Mauthausen liberator Maj. George E. King warned an interviewer in 1980:

    “This is the lesson we have to learn: It could happen here.”

    Sara J. Brenneis 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. American liberators of Nazi camps got ‘a lifelong vaccine against extremism’ − their wartime experiences are a warning for today – https://theconversation.com/american-liberators-of-nazi-camps-got-a-lifelong-vaccine-against-extremism-their-wartime-experiences-are-a-warning-for-today-248813

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What is reinforcement learning? An AI researcher explains a key method of teaching machines – and how it relates to training your dog

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Ambuj Tewari, Professor of Statistics, University of Michigan

    Training an AI system and training a dog have a basic principle in common. Westend61 via Getty Images

    Understanding intelligence and creating intelligent machines are grand scientific challenges of our times. The ability to learn from experience is a cornerstone of intelligence for machines and living beings alike.

    In a remarkably prescient 1948 report, Alan Turing – the father of modern computer science – proposed the construction of machines that display intelligent behavior. He also discussed the “education” of such machines “by means of rewards and punishments.”

    Turing’s ideas ultimately led to the development of reinforcement learning, a branch of artificial intelligence. Reinforcement learning designs intelligent agents by training them to maximize rewards as they interact with their environment.

    As a machine learning researcher, I find it fitting that reinforcement learning pioneers Andrew Barto and Richard Sutton were awarded the 2024 ACM Turing Award.

    What is reinforcement learning?

    Animal trainers know that animal behavior can be influenced by rewarding desirable behaviors. A dog trainer gives the dog a treat when it does a trick correctly. This reinforces the behavior, and the dog is more likely to do the trick correctly the next time. Reinforcement learning borrowed this insight from animal psychology.

    But reinforcement learning is about training computational agents, not animals. The agent can be a software agent like a chess-playing program. But the agent can also be an embodied entity like a robot learning to do household chores. Similarly, the environment of an agent can be virtual, like the chessboard or the designed world in a video game. But it can also be a house where a robot is working.

    Just like animals, an agent can perceive aspects of its environment and take actions. A chess-playing agent can access the chessboard configuration and make moves. A robot can sense its surroundings with cameras and microphones. It can use its motors to move about in the physical world.

    Agents also have goals that their human designers program into them. A chess-playing agent’s goal is to win the game. A robot’s goal might be to assist its human owner with household chores.

    The reinforcement learning problem in AI is how to design agents that achieve their goals by perceiving and acting in their environments. Reinforcement learning makes a bold claim: All goals can be achieved by designing a numerical signal, called the reward, and having the agent maximize the total sum of rewards it receives.

    Reinforcement learning from human feedback is key to keeping AIs aligned with human goals and values.

    Researchers do not know if this claim is actually true, because of the wide variety of possible goals. Therefore, it is often referred to as the reward hypothesis.

    Sometimes it is easy to pick a reward signal corresponding to a goal. For a chess-playing agent, the reward can be +1 for a win, 0 for a draw, and -1 for a loss. It is less clear how to design a reward signal for a helpful household robotic assistant. Nevertheless, the list of applications where reinforcement learning researchers have been able to design good reward signals is growing.

    A big success of reinforcement learning was in the board game Go. Researchers thought that Go was much harder than chess for machines to master. The company DeepMind, now Google DeepMind, used reinforcement learning to create AlphaGo. AlphaGo defeated top Go player Lee Sedol in a five-match game in 2016.

    A more recent example is the use of reinforcement learning to make chatbots such as ChatGPT more helpful. Reinforcement learning is also being used to improve the reasoning capabilities of chatbots.

    Reinforcement learning’s origins

    However, none of these successes could have been foreseen in the 1980s. That is when Barto and his then-Ph.D. student Sutton proposed reinforcement learning as a general problem-solving framework. They drew inspiration not only from animal psychology but also from the field of control theory, the use of feedback to influence a system’s behavior, and optimization, a branch of mathematics that studies how to select the best choice among a range of available options. They provided the research community with mathematical foundations that have stood the test of time. They also created algorithms that have now become standard tools in the field.

    It is a rare advantage for a field when pioneers take the time to write a textbook. Shining examples like “The Nature of the Chemical Bond” by Linus Pauling and “The Art of Computer Programming” by Donald E. Knuth are memorable because they are few and far between. Sutton and Barto’s “Reinforcement Learning: An Introduction” was first published in 1998. A second edition came out in 2018. Their book has influenced a generation of researchers and has been cited more than 75,000 times.

    Reinforcement learning has also had an unexpected impact on neuroscience. The neurotransmitter dopamine plays a key role in reward-driven behaviors in humans and animals. Researchers have used specific algorithms developed in reinforcement learning to explain experimental findings in people and animals’ dopamine system.

    Barto and Sutton’s foundational work, vision and advocacy have helped reinforcement learning grow. Their work has inspired a large body of research, made an impact on real-world applications, and attracted huge investments by tech companies. Reinforcement learning researchers, I’m sure, will continue to see further ahead by standing on their shoulders.

    Ambuj Tewari receives funding from NSF and NIH.

    – ref. What is reinforcement learning? An AI researcher explains a key method of teaching machines – and how it relates to training your dog – https://theconversation.com/what-is-reinforcement-learning-an-ai-researcher-explains-a-key-method-of-teaching-machines-and-how-it-relates-to-training-your-dog-251887

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: More adults are taking up gymnastics — and reaping the benefits

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sophie Burton, Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Biomechanics, Cardiff Metropolitan University

    shutterstock Alex Emanuel Koch/Shutterstock

    Gymnastics has long been seen as the domain of children and teenagers, with young athletes flipping and tumbling their way through high-energy routines before retiring in their late teens or early twenties. But in recent years, a surprising shift has emerged – more adults are taking up the sport. Whether for fitness or fun, gymnastics is no longer just for the young.

    What’s the reason for this? And what benefits can adults gain from embracing a sport known for its physical demands?

    The rise in adult gymnastics is more than just a passing fad. Participation numbers have been climbing steadily over the past few years. In the US, for example, the number of adult gymnasts has grown by over 25% in the past five years.

    In the UK, there are more than 400 gymnastics centres offering programmes specifically for over 18s. There are also adult-specific championships, with opportunities to compete in acrobatic, artistic, trampolining and tumbling gymnastics.

    Clubs once focused solely on youth gymnastics programmes are now seeing increased demand for adult classes. Club owners and coaches have noted a swing in their membership demographics, with more adults signing up to refine their skills or simply try something new.

    This is something I have seen first hand. Having competed at gymnastics as a child before retiring in my late teens, I then transitioned into coaching. As a coach, I found myself particularly drawn to adult gymnastics classes, which were starting to grow in popularity. I enjoyed the unique challenges and rewards of coaching adults, as they brought a fresh energy to the gym.

    Several factors may be driving this newfound enthusiasm for gymnastics among adults.

    One reason may be the challenge of learning new skills later in life. Mastering a cartwheel, handstand or somersault as an adult requires coordination, strength and perseverance. Many adults are drawn to gymnastics precisely because it offers a steep learning curve, providing both a physical and mental challenge.

    It’s also an opportunity to revisit childhood passions. For many people, gymnastics may have been a childhood activity they drifted away from. Now, as adults, they’re rediscovering the joy of movement – this time with the benefit of structured training and supportive coaching.

    Social media has played a role in the rise of adult gymnastics too. Platforms such as Instagram and TikTok are filled with stories of adult beginners tackling gymnastics, from learning their first handstand to mastering backflips.

    On the more elite end of the sport, there are numerous examples of gymnasts displaying longevity or of others making comebacks having retired years earlier. For example, Chellsie Memmel, the US 2008 Olympic team silver-medalist and 2005 world all-around champion, announced in 2020 that she was coming out of retirement at the age of 32.

    Meanwhile, the career of 49-year-old Uzbek gymnast Oksana Chusovitina has spanned almost four decades. Chusovitina is the only gymnast ever to compete in eight Olympic Games, and she has also competed at 16 world championships. Last month, she finished fourth in the women’s vault final at the FIG World Cup in Antalya, Turkey.

    Athletes like Memmel and Chusovitina are an inspiration to adults who may have thought they were too old to give gymnastics a go.

    Another major factor is the post-pandemic focus on health. COVID-19 led many to rethink their approach to fitness. Gymnastics, which combines strength, mobility, flexibility and endurance, offers a full-body workout which appeals to people looking to maintain an active lifestyle.

    What are the benefits?

    Physically, gymnastics improves flexibility, mobility, balance, coordination and strength. The controlled movements and stretching involved enhance the body’s range of motion and reduce stiffness.

    Learning to support one’s own body weight in movements such as handstands builds core and upper-body strength, while the emphasis on balance helps prevent falls and injuries. Strengthening muscles and joints through gymnastics can also benefit other sports and daily activities, reducing the likelihood of strains and sprains.

    Beyond the physical benefits, gymnastics offers mental and social advantages. Learning complex movements keeps the brain engaged and improves focus, providing cognitive stimulation. Mastering new skills fosters a sense of achievement and self-belief, while the sense of progress can be highly motivating.

    Many adults may also find that gymnastics provides an excellent outlet for stress relief, allowing them to disconnect from daily pressures and focus on movement. And adult gymnastics classes often create a strong sense of community, where participants can support one another, share goals and celebrate progress together.

    Any challenges?

    Despite its benefits, adult gymnastics does come with challenges. One of the biggest concerns for newcomers is the fear of injury. Gymnastics is a demanding sport and the risk of falls and strains can be a worry. But structured training, proper warm-ups and gradual progression all help to minimise these risks.

    Another common challenge is self-consciousness. Many adults may feel intimidated by the thought of practising alongside younger, more experienced gymnasts. However, the growing availability of adult-only classes has helped make the sport more inclusive and accessible.

    A more practical challenge is the limited availability of suitable classes. While the number of clubs offering adult gymnastics is growing, not all facilities cater to beginners, meaning some may need to travel further to train. Nevertheless, as demand increases, more clubs are expanding their offerings to accommodate adult learners.

    So, if you’ve ever wanted to revisit an old passion or take on a new physical challenge, gymnastics might just be worth a shot. The increasing number of adults taking up the sport shows that age is no barrier to trying something new.

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

    – ref. More adults are taking up gymnastics — and reaping the benefits – https://theconversation.com/more-adults-are-taking-up-gymnastics-and-reaping-the-benefits-252067

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin, Sanders Call On Trump To Release Ozturk, Khalil, & All Those Targeted For Political Activities Protected By First Amendment

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    April 04, 2025

    Durbin, Sanders to Trump: “Ideas are not illegal, and there is no controversial speech exception to the First Amendment. No president should be allowed to exclude or remove people from our country simply because they disagree with their political speech.”

    WASHINGTON – Following the arrests of Rumeysa Ozturk, Mahmoud Khalil, and reports of numerous other students, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today called on President Donald Trump to release all those targeted solely for political activities protected by the First Amendment and immediately terminate all removal proceedings against those individuals. 

    “We understand Ms. Ozturk’s case to be a part of a pattern of retaliatory action to punish lawful immigrant and foreign students for publicly expressing opinions that your Administration opposes.  This effort threatens the fundamental right to engage in free speech and expression under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution,” the Senators wrote in a letter to President Trump.

    On March 6, the State Department reportedly began a “Catch and Revoke” initiative to use artificial intelligence to review the social media accounts of lawful immigrant and foreign students and revoke their green cards or visas, giving immigration enforcement authorities a basis to detain and deport them. To justify the arrest and detention of Mr. Khalil, Secretary of State Marco Rubio invoked a rarely used authority that allows him to deport a noncitizen for “beliefs, statements, or associations” if he “personally determines” that there is a “compelling foreign policy interest” for such deportation.  

    “Congress intended for this authority to ‘be used sparingly and not merely because there is a likelihood that [a noncitizen] will make critical remarks about the United States or its policies.’ Yet, federal agents have arrested noncitizens (including lawful permanent residents) around the country in retaliation for political affiliations or activity,” the Senators wrote. “Secretary Rubio admitted that he has revoked the visas of hundreds of students for First-Amendment protected speech that is disfavored by the current Administration.”   

    Their letter continues, “Ideas are not illegal, and there is no controversial speech exception to the First Amendment. No president should be allowed to exclude or remove people from our country simply because they disagree with their political speech.”

    Their letter concludes, “No one is above the law, and even you must uphold and respect the fundamental American values of free speech and political dissent.”

    Full text of today’s letter is available here and below:

    April 4, 2025

    Dear President Trump:

    Last week, Tufts University Ph.D. candidate Rumeysa Ozturk was arrested and placed in an unmarked car by unknown agents in plainclothes—some masked—claiming to be police.  The agents did not identify themselves or give Ms. Ozturk any information for her arrest and detention.   By the time a judge could issue an order to keep her in Massachusetts, she had been transferred to an immigration detention facility in Louisiana.  We understand Ms. Ozturk’s case to be a part of a pattern of retaliatory action to punish lawful immigrant and foreign students for publicly expressing opinions that your Administration opposes.  This effort threatens the fundamental right to engage in free speech and expression under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

    On March 6, the State Department reportedly began a “Catch and Revoke” initiative to use artificial intelligence to review the social media accounts of lawful immigrant and foreign students and revoke their green cards or visas, giving immigration enforcement authorities a basis to detain and deport them.   On March 8, federal authorities arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a recent graduate of Columbia University and lawful permanent resident.   White House officials made clear that he broke no laws, and Mr. Khalil was not issued any official notice explaining why he was subject to removal until after his arrest.   To justify his arrest and detention, Secretary of State Marco Rubio invoked a rarely used authority that allows him to deport a noncitizen for “beliefs, statements, or associations” if he “personally determines” that there is a “compelling foreign policy interest” for such deportation.  

    Congress intended for this authority to “be used sparingly and not merely because there is a likelihood that [a noncitizen] will make critical remarks about the United States or its policies.”   Yet, federal agents have arrested noncitizens (including lawful permanent residents) around the country in retaliation for political affiliations or activity. Secretary Rubio admitted that he has revoked the visas of hundreds of students for First-Amendment protected speech that is disfavored by the current Administration.   

    The First Amendment protects both citizens and noncitizens in the United States from being targeted by the government for their political speech, even if we strongly disagree with their views.   Noncitizens like Mr. Khalil and Ms. Ozturk have the constitutional right to freedom of expression, including taking part in demonstrations and publicly expressing opinions critical of government policy. 

    Ideas are not illegal, and there is no controversial speech exception to the First Amendment.  No president should be allowed to exclude or remove people from our country simply because they disagree with their political speech.  In the words of Justice Robert H. Jackson, “If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion […].”  

    We call on you to abandon this effort, release all those targeted solely for political activities protected by the First Amendment, and immediately terminate all removal proceedings against those individuals.  No one is above the law, and even you must uphold and respect the fundamental American values of free speech and political dissent.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Vasilina Yuskovets will meet with students of the State University of Management

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

    On April 9, a meeting of students with Russian actress Vasilina Yuskovets will take place at the State University of Management as part of the VI All-Russian Festival of Student Short Films “Kinosfera”.

    Vasilina Yuskovets played the leading role in the successful STS channel project “Ivanovy Ivanovy”, after which she participated in such projects as “Out of the Game”, “IP Pirogova”, “Life on Call”, etc. In 2022, Vasilina received the “Best Actress” award at the Pilot festival for the project “Alice’s Dreams”, which became the only Russian participant in the international festivals Canneserials and Berlinale Series Market Selects.

    At the end of the meeting there will be photo and autograph sessions.

    We are waiting for everyone on April 9 at 15:00 in the PA-215 auditorium.

    Let us recall that last week a meeting with director Alexander Zhigalkin took place at the State University of Management.

    Subscribe to the tg channel “Our State University” Announcement date: 04/9/2025

    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.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Neag School Hosts Book Talk on ‘The Fast Track: Inside the Surging Business of Women’s Sports’

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    On March 25, students and faculty gathered in the Austin Building at UConn Storrs for a book talk with Jane McManus. Her book “The Fast Track: Inside the Surging Business of Women’s Sports” details the progress and reluctance in women’s sports and media.  

    Risa Isard, assistant professor in sport management at the Neag School of Education, moderated the discussion with McManus, posing engaging questions, sparking thoughtful conversation, and keeping the dialogue flowing. She summed up McManus’ bio in one word: impressive.  

    Jane McManus, author of “The Fast Track,” spoke at UConn on March 25.

    McManus currently serves as an adjunct professor at NYU’s Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport and is also the editor of “The Year’s Best Sports Writing 2024.” She previously worked at ESPN as a sports columnist and as one of the founding writers for espnW. 

    One thing McManus reflected on was that UConn is a utopia when it comes to women’s sports. She explained that “it’s the oasis in the desert. Of course, people can care about women’s sports; look at what’s happening in Connecticut.”

    In reality, women’s sports still face significant disparities in funding, media coverage, and institutional support. Title IX, a federal law enacted in 1972, was designed to prohibit sex-based discrimination in educational institutions, including their athletic programs, that receive federal funding.  

    McManus’ book highlights how sponsorships, expanded broadcasts, and rising ratings debunk myths about disinterest in women’s sports. She examines resistance to women’s leagues, media coverage, and investment opportunities through interviews. She also addresses racial inclusivity, transgender participation, women’s health, and the fight for equal pay. 

    “I think sometimes we talk about things as though they’re inevitable and trajectories as though they’re straight lines up,” McManus said to students at the event. “And I think it’s really important to acknowledge that there are waves and waves dissipate. So really guard the gains that are coming now for your generation when it comes to sports and a lot of other rights, particularly in this country.” 

    McManus explores traditional coverage archetypes within this context, opening her book with the story of Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as an official participant. A widely recognized photograph from the event depicts Switzer’s boyfriend intervening to “protect” her from the race director who attempted to physically remove Swizter from the course. 

    Both sport management and journalism students connected with McManus’ narrative, gaining insight into how sports media shape the industry. The event sparked conversations about the evolving landscape of sports coverage, opening students’ eyes to career opportunities in storytelling, marketing, athlete representation, and media strategy within the sports world.

    [UConn is] the oasis in the desert. Of course, people can care about women’s sports; look at what’s happening in Connecticut. &#8212 Jane McManus

    Laura Burton, professor and head of the Department of Educational Leadership, was initially contacted about hosting McManus to discuss the release of her book. She worked alongside Isard and assistant professor in residence Danielle DeRosa to organize the event.  

    “Jane McManus is one of the leading sports writers of our time,” Burton said. “She is an authority on women’s sports and has helped create media platforms to showcase all that is great about women’s sports. She has also used those platforms to put a spotlight on issues and challenges girls and women face in sports. We were thrilled to have Jane share her work with students and faculty at UConn.”  

    The Neag School’s Sport Management Program is designed to blend classroom learning, research, and hands-on experience to prepare students for success in the sports industry. Its mission is to develop leaders and researchers who use sport as a force for positive social change, and this book talk provided the opportunity for faculty, staff, and students to hear first-hand from an expert in the field.  

    “Jane’s talk was a really exciting opportunity for sport management students, and others across the University, to hear directly from a sport journalist and learn about the backstory of women’s sport,” Isard said. “This event came at the perfect time, with March Madness happening across the country during a time of great growth for women’s sport. Jane’s book helps tell the story of how we got here.” 

    To learn more about UConn’s Sport Management Program, visit sport.education.uconn.edu.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: UConn, URI, and General Dynamics Electric Boat Launch Workforce Development Program

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    The University of Connecticut and University of Rhode Island (URI) were jointly awarded a 5-year contract from General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) to provide regional workforce development support to the Maritime Industrial Base.

    The ANCHOR (Advancing Naval Careers through Higher-ed Outreach and Research) grant was celebrated in a launch event at UConn Avery Point on April 3. Representatives from UConn, URI, GDEB, and local and state governments were present to support the extensive program.

    The contract will support ongoing activities and drastically expand the work of the UConn-URI Navy STEM Coalition, which, since 2017, has developed a K-16 pipeline across southern New England to encourage both the skilled trades and engineering careers needed to build submarines.

    The UConn-URI Navy STEM Coalition was established in 2017 through the leadership of Michael Accorsi at UConn and David Taggart at URI via funding from the Office of Naval Research. In 2021, the program was expanded under the current leadership of Alexandra Hain at UConn and Valerie Maier-Speredelozzi at URI, through a grant from the DoDSTEM National Defense Education Program. Hain and Maier-Speredelozzi will continue as the institutional leads of the contract.

    U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, whose Congressional district includes southeastern Connecticut, also attended Thursday.

    UConn Engineering Dean JC Zhao addresses the audience. (Matthew Hodgkins/UConn Photo).

    “There’s no question that shipyard workloads’ are going to continue well into the 2040s,” Courtney said. “That means the people that are going to be working the yards are in grade schools today… That’s really what is the genius about this whole initiative. It’s to get undergraduate engineering students into young classrooms, because that’s really where the magic is.”

    U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) was unable to attend the event, but sent his regards for the UConn-URI Navy STEM Coalition via a letter recited that evening.

    UConn and URI Engineering leadership were pleased by the partnership and the renewed contract.

    “By working alongside URI and General Dynamics Electric Boat, we are not only advancing naval engineering and skilled trades but also inspiring a pipeline of talent to meet the demands of this vital sector,” said UConn Engineering Dean JC Zhao. “The coalition’s efforts will have a substantial impact on southern New England and beyond, ensuring that our students and workforce are equipped to lead in submarine production and innovation for decades to come.”

    “The Eastern Connecticut and Rhode Island region – which includes two public flagship research universities, GDEB’s campuses in Groton and Quonset Point, and U.S. Navy operations in New London and Newport – is the undisputed global epicenter of submarine research, development and manufacturing,” said URI Engineering Dean Anthony Marchese. “For decades, UConn and URI have responded to the research and workforce development needs of our regional Maritime Industrial Base partners and we are proud to continue to fulfill that mission through the ANCHOR program.”

    In the last three years, the coalition has steadily increased its presence across southern New England, engaging over 13,000 students in the fundamentals of naval science and engineering. The Navy STEM Coalition’s staff and engineering university student members have taught Connecticut and Rhode Island students the fundamentals of buoyancy, additive manufacturing, and the core trades essential to submarine production through over 75 regional classroom visits and more than 20 large-scale outreach events nationwide. The coalition has also engaged and trained dozens of teachers through programs ranging from day-long workshops to year-long residencies.

    (Matthew Hodgkins/UConn Photo).

    Maier-Speredelozzi said, “Inspiring undergraduates and K-12 students to pursue STEM careers is always rewarding, and we are excited to expand our outreach with K-12 teachers. When we work with teachers, we magnify the impact to include not only the students in their classes today, but also for years to come.”

    Looking forward, the ANCHOR contract will enable the coalition to significantly increase activities in the region, including the development of multiple new summer programs at both campuses for K-12 students, undergraduate summer researchers, and pre-service teachers.

    Thursday’s event also included the recognition of several URI and UConn students. The UConn winners included: Adeline Smith for the Naval Engineering Achievement Award, Jada Veracosa for the Navy STEM Excellence in Engineering Education Award, and Oliver MacKinnon for the Naval STEM Rising Star Award.

    The URI winners included: Olivia Daniello for the Navy STEM Excellence in Education Award, Sam Miller for the Naval Engineering Achievement Award, Hope Kelley for the Naval STEM Rising Star Award, and Megan Gimple for the Naval STEM Graduate Student Award.

    Regarding the growth of K-12 summer programming, Hain said, “Through targeted summer programs in engineering and skilled trades, we are committed to preparing students for careers in the submarine industrial base. By offering partial and full scholarships, along with free options, we’re dedicated to inspiring and equipping the next generation of talent, breaking down barriers to ensure that a skilled workforce is ready to meet the unique demands of submarine production and innovation.”

    The coalition will also offer significant funding for those already working within the industrial base to come back to either UConn or URI for graduate school in a partnership with the National Institute for Undersea Vehicle Technology, the premier fundamental research facility for submarine development in the region.

    In expanding to support GDEB and the wider industrial base, the coalition will establish a comprehensive pipeline for submarine production from elementary education to graduate school, ensuring students in southern New England are supported in their path to building the future of the underwater fleet.

    Leadership from UConn, URI, and GDEB with student award winners. (Matthew Hodgkins/UConn Photo).

    “The UConn-URI Navy STEM Coalition recognizes the critical support from the ANCHOR contract, managed by General Dynamics Electric Boat and funded by the U.S. Navy through the Maritime Industrial Base Program, which enables continued investment in workforce development and STEM education,” said Erica Logan, the U.S. Navy’s Maritime Industrial Base Deputy Director of Workforce.

    With the United States Navy indicating that the Maritime Industrial Base will need over 150,000 new employees in the next decade to meet procurement demands, the submarine sector will be vibrant for decades to come. Once called “the Silicon Valley of undersea warfare” by former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, southern New England is set to see much of that growth, and thus is in vital need of the pipeline development GDEB and the coalition will be achieving through this partnership.

    “The ANCHOR program demonstrates the power of public institutions investing in their local communities and their student body by leveraging the private sector of the Maritime Industrial Base,” said Sean Morrone, Electric Boat’s Manager of Supplier and Workforce Development. “Partnerships like this create a sustainable impact on the economic growth and community well-being of our region.”

    Meeting the needs of the Maritime Industrial Base at this time requires innovative collaborations between industry, government, and academia, and the coalition is eager to continue inspiring the next generation to “build giants.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Breastfeeding Friendly Sunderland

    Source: City of Sunderland

    Sunderland venues are signing up to support breastfeeding mothers and their families through the Breastfeeding Friendly Sunderland Pledge.

    Venues across the city are now proudly displaying the Breastfeeding Friendly Sunderland logo after signing up to be friendly and welcoming places for breastfeeding mothers. Cafes, restaurants, leisure centres and more have now joined this pledge, helping mothers feel comfortable and confident to breastfeed their babies when they’re out and about in the city.

    Councillor Kelly Chequer, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Safer Communities at Sunderland City Council, said: “We’re really excited about rolling out the Breastfeeding Friendly Sunderland Pledge, which is all about creating friendly and welcoming places for breastfeeding mams and families.

    “This is a real step forward in making our city more supportive and welcoming for breastfeeding, one of the most natural things in the world with benefits for baby’s and mother’s health too.”

    “Legally, women can breastfeed in any public space and when you see the Breastfeeding Friendly Sunderland logo, you know that the venue has staff and volunteers who support breastfeeding mothers and that there will be a clean and comfortable place to breastfeed in.

    “We’re delighted that over 30 venues have already signed up to the pledge and we’re looking forward to seeing more signing up in the coming months, making it easier for breastfeeding mothers to get out and about and enjoy everything our city has to offer.”

    Breastfeeding has numerous health benefits for both babies and mothers. It provides essential nutrients, strengthens the baby’s immune system, helps women recover after birth, and can even lower the risk of some cancers. Also, it’s eco-friendly and free.

    Registered venues include Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, Creative City Smart Hubs, Family Hubs, University of Sunderland, Everyone Active Centres, Sunderland City Council Registrars, local restaurants, cafes and community venues. Just look for the Breastfeeding Friendly Sunderland logo to find them.

    A full list of all the venues which have signed up, can be found here: Breastfeeding Friendly Sunderland Venues | Links for Life Sunderland

    The owner of Coffee 57 Michael Johnson said: “We are more than happy to support the initiative, and hope we play a part in making it a success.”

    Tamsin Austin, Venue Director at The Fire Station, stated: “As an inclusive venue it’s important to us that we provide a safe and welcoming space for all, which includes mothers who wish to breastfeed their babies. We’re delighted to be part of Breastfeeding Friendly Sunderland to show our support for families in Sunderland and beyond.”

    Venues can find out more and sign up to the pledge here: How does my business / venue get involved? | Links for Life Sunderland

    There’s lots of support to help with breastfeeding in Sunderland.

    For more information contact:

    Health Visiting on 03000031552 or visit: Growing Healthy 0-19 Sunderland | HDFT Childrens Health Service 

    Or download the app here  Download Our App | HDFT Childrens Health Service Start for Life – Together for Children 

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –