Loren O. Stoddard serves as the director of general development for Sudan at the United States Agency for International Development

Graham's new book is an intriguing and informative "must read" from a woman who is probably the best-informed American on the terrifying realities concerning Vladimir Putin's motivations and his control over Trump.

By enabling greater productivity and accelerated software development timelines, no code/low code is on the rise.

The Stravito enterprise insights platform has enabled Delta to democratize its insights and maximize its research potential, improving the flying experience for customers and employees alike

Richard Calvo, Vincent Pons, and Jesse Shapiro write: Many observers have forecast large partisan shifts in the US electorate based on demographic trends. Such forecasts are appealing because demographic trends are often predictable even over long horizons. We backtest demographic … Continue reading →

"Work Comp Matters" - the central location for all your workers' compensation, employment and labor law matters. Steve Appell hosts this weekly podcast from sunny southern California - presenting some…

DALLAS, Jan. 24, 2024 — In an effort to identify effective food is medicine approaches for incorporating healthy food into health care delivery, the American Heart Association, the world’s leading voluntary organization focused on heart and brain health...

Sophia Antipolis, 3 September 2019

The upcoming ETSI Open Source MANO Hackfest, on 9-13 September 2019, Patras, Greece, will showcase and demonstrate the recently announced ETSI OSM Release SIX.

Read More...

Newly launched C-V2X service demonstrated at ETSI Plugtests event

Sophia Antipolis, 31 March 2022

Today at the 3^rd ETSI C‑V2X PLUGTESTS^TM interoperability event, held in partnership with 5GAA and hosted by DEKRA, Vodafone has demonstrated a new C-V2X platform designed to connect road users directly with transport authorities, enabling safety information, hazard warnings and traffic updates to be shared with users in real-time. Announced yesterday, the new C-V2X platform is based on ETSI TC ITS and 3GPP mobile communication standards. Vodafone plans to launch the platform within its own Vodafone Automotive apps later this year.

Read More...

"At Mt. Natagumo, Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke battle a terrible family of spider demons. Taking on such powerful enemies demands all the skill and luck Tanjiro has as he and his companions fight to rescue Nezuko from the spiders' web. The battle is drawing in other Demon Slayers but not all of them will leave Mt. Natagumo alive— or in one piece!" -- Page [4] of cover.

"In Taisho-era Japan, kindhearted Tanjiro Kamado makes a living selling charcoal. But his peaceful life is shattered when a demon slaughters his entire family. His little sister Nezuko is the only survivor, but she has been transformed into a demon herself! Tanjiro sets out on a dangerous journey to find a way to return his sister to normal and destroy the demon who ruined his life … After their initial confrontation with Kokushibo, the most powerful of Muzan's demons, Tokito is severely wounded and Genya has been cut in half— but is still alive! Can his regenerative power heal even this fatal wound? Then the Hashira Himejima and Sanemi square off against Kokushibo and unleash all the skill they have against him. Himejima is blind, but if he can see into the Transparent World, he might have a chance. Who will survive this whirlwind of flashing blades?"-- Provided by publisher.

"After centuries of preparation and training, the Demon Slayer Corps has come face-to-face with their nemesis, Muzan Kibutsuji. It is a desperate battle and several Demon Slayers have already been killed. Tanjiro himself has engaged Muzan, and, despite giving it everything he has, is taken out of the fight! Although severely injured and near death, he sees a vision of his ancestor that may hold the key to finally destroying Muzan! Can Tanjiro recover enough strength to fight Muzan to the finish?" -- Provided by publisher

"In Taisho-era Japan, Tanjiro Kamado is a kindhearted boy who makes a living selling charcoal. But his peaceful life is shattered when a demon slaughters his entire family. His little sister Nezuko is the only survivor, but she has been transformed into a demon herself! Tanjiro sets out on a dangerous journey to find a way to return his sister to normal and destroy the demon who ruined his life … Tanjiro finally chases down the main body of the upper-rank demon Hantengu. However, dawn is approaching, and the rising sun is a threat to Nezuko. Tanjiro's concern for his sister is a distraction from the focus he needs to fight Hantengu, and if he hesitates it could be the last mistake he ever makes! Elsewhere, Tamayo ponders the nature of Nezuko's curse and how she could be so different from other demons." -- Provided by publisher

Event Begins: Wednesday, November 13, 2024 5:00pm
Location:
Organized By: Sessions @ Michigan

Dinners for Democracy are nonpartisan presentations and small group discussions on topics students care about hosted by the student organization, Turn Up Turnout (TUT). Participants can expect to gain:A deeper knowledge of the issue and an opportunity to discuss your thoughtsInformation about how your vote in local offices can affect the issueAdditional resources you can use to learn moreFree food at in-person events! 

Event Begins: Wednesday, November 13, 2024 5:00pm
Location: Weill Hall (Ford School)
Organized By: Turn Up Turnout

Note: this is an in-person event on the Ann Arbor Campus.

When asked, voters have ranked immigration as one of their top issues this election year. People have been immigrating to the United States since before the country was established. In that long span of time, the immigration process, U.S. immigration laws, and sources of immigrants to the U.S. have changed often.

Join Turn Up Turnout for a nonpartisan, educational presentation on Immigration. FREE FOOD provided.

Register here: https://sessions.studentlife.umich.edu/track/event/session/81565

Event Begins: Wednesday, November 13, 2024 4:00pm
Location: Michigan League
Organized By: Center for Emerging Democracies

Immigration has become a polarizing issue across democratic, authoritarian, and transitioning contexts. Anti-immigrant rhetoric has become part of the standard playbook for authoritarian populists. Immigration policies in ostensibly democratic countries are becoming more restrictive, all while political conflict, war, pandemics, and intensifying climate change are leading to greater numbers of people migrating in search of safety and a better life. With immigration discourse taking up much of the oxygen in politics across the world, understanding the interconnections among immigration, democracy, and authoritarianism has become more important than ever. This roundtable brings together distinguished scholars to discuss how controversies surrounding immigration and immigrants have become critical for sustaining or upending democracy.

Moderator: Nandini Dey, Research Fellow, Center for Emerging Democracies.

Speakers:

Rebecca Wai
Ph.D. Candidate, Political Science Department, Freedom House Emerging Democracies Fellow, University of Michigan

Erin Chung
Professor of Political Science, Charles D. Miller Chair in East Asian Politics, Department of Political Science, Johns Hopkins University

Alexandra Filindra
Professor of Political Science & Psychology, University of Illinois-Chicago

Silvia Pedraza
Professor of Sociology and American Culture, University of Michigan

Zoom webinar link
Short URL link: https://myumi.ch/5yEEx

If there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you, please contact us. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange.

Event Begins: Wednesday, November 13, 2024 8:00am
Location: Shapiro Library
Organized By: University Library

This exhibit highlights U-M Press books (https://myumi.ch/N682p) relevant to the practices of democracy in five arenas:

* Ancient Athens
* The Iroquois Confederacy
* The Roman Republic
* South Korea in the 21st Century
* the U.S. in the 21st Century

The exhibit displays were developed and designed by student organization Michigan Advertising and Marketing in partnership with U-M Press.

The timing of the Red Sea attacks could not be worse for Democrats (Politico)

Senior research fellow Joseph Glauber is quoted in a Politico story about how the growing military conflict in a key trade corridor is threatening to unleash economic havoc on the global economy ahead of November. “If energy prices go up and remain high, you’d see food inflation persisting,” said Joe Glauber. He added that potential […]

The post The timing of the Red Sea attacks could not be worse for Democrats (Politico) appeared first on IFPRI.

Around the world, democratic ideals are being tested in surprising ways. As the curtains rise on a big election year, TED speakers explore what can keep people united and what drives them apart. Guests include journalist and Broadway producer Jose Antonio Vargas, civil war expert Barbara Walter, and political scientist Yascha Mounk.

TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at: plus.npr.org/ted

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

TORONTO, ON — A new study by University of Toronto and University of Tübingen researchers suggests that Islam is not as much of an impediment to liberal democracy as is often thought. “One of the key markers for a successful liberal democracy is a high degree of social tolerance,” says U of T sociologist Robert […]

The following is a list of University of Toronto experts who can comment on the Democrats staging a sit-in for gun reform. Jennifer Carlson, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology (U of T Mississauga) Expertise: Gun culture in the U.S., Strength of the NRA Tel: (312) 391‑1433 Email: jennifer.carlson@utoronto.ca Jooyoung Lee, Assistant Professor of Sociology Expertise: Gun violence, Gun […]

Writers and human rights experts call on India to repeal laws that threaten free expression in world’s largest democracyToronto, ON – Earlier this year, India’s Ministry of Home Affairs used an extensive arsenal of vague and overbroad laws to muzzle the world’s largest environmental watchdog, Greenpeace International.  Using seemingly innocuous provisions in the Indian Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act […]

Under that humble exterior lies a powerful design tool. Here’s how to unlock it.

In the medical device industry, reliability is critical. Manufacturers conduct extensive testing to ensure devices meet required standards, such as 95/95 or 95/99 confidence and reliability, assessed using Minitab Statistical Software.

Product demonstrations and technical presentations on 3D and CT scanning engage audiences in Wisconsin and Ohio.

The Navy tested command and control of an unmanned aircraft using its Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control Station (UMCS) for the first time this week in a demo using the  […]

Jay Kreps talks about the open source data store Project Voldemort. Voldemort is a distributed key-value store used by LinkedIn and other high-traffic web sites to overcome the inherent scalability limitations of a relational database. The conversation delves into the workings of a Voldemort cluster, the type of consistency guarantees that can be made in a distributed database, and the tradeoff between client and the server.

The Heritage Foundation has a plan to rewrite the rules of government under a second Trump term, and they’ve helpfully laid it all out for public viewing.

Instead of Project 2025's white supremacist vision for voting rights, Progress 2025 envisions universal early voting, a national federal holiday and more.

An extremely tight race for the presidency is sparking a last-minute, Black-led GOTV effort aimed at Black voters in swing states.

To show their support of a future Madame President, Gov. Tim Walz and others in the party are publicly relinquishing male power and privilege.

To live up to its stated ideals, the United States must finally cede power to the people.

Marjorie Kelly's new book critiques the U.S. economy's embrace of "wealth supremacy," and explores alternate models of democratic economies.

Washington, D.C.— The future of the film industry is more democratic. That’s the idea behind a Main Stage panel discussion at the 2024 NAB Show in Las Vegas. The team behind “Holy Smokes,” the winner of the Decentralized Pictures Kevin Smith Comedy Short Film Screenplay Award, will dive into the challenges aspiring filmmakers face and explore the groundbreaking shift towards audience-driven filmmaking. The panel features Decentralized Pictures (DCP) Co-founder Roman Coppola (“Moonrise Kingdom,” “The French Dispatch,” and “Darjeeling Limited”), and Actor Mena Suvari (“American Beauty,” “American Pie,” HBO’s “Six Feet Under”), followed by a screening of “Holy Smokes.”

NEW YORK — The 2024 NAB Show New York officially opens its doors at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, showcasing some 250 Exhibitors and welcoming attendees to the premier East Coast event for the broadcast, media and entertainment industry. With hundreds of new products on display, 20 new product launches and nearly 50 first-time Exhibitors, this year’s Show promises to deliver the latest innovations in AI, sports media, and content creation.

Andrew Kohn takes a deep dive into bass mutes, demonstrating 13 of them! Find Andrew’s compositions and editions in our sheet music store.

BELGRADE, 4 March 2016 – The Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, Ambassador Peter Burkhard and the Deputy Head of Mission, Michael Uyehara visited the House of Human Rights (HHR) in Belgrade today, and met representatives of the Civic Initiatives and the Policy Centre, two of the five civil society organizations based at the House.

The meeting completes a round of consultations with civil society actors, which also included the other tenants of the HHR: the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, and the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights.

“Civil society organizations play an important role in any modern society and significantly contribute to the quality of democratic processes in Serbia,” said Ambassador Burkhard. The Mission’s leadership noted that the engagement of civil society organizations will also benefit the monitoring of upcoming elections and the electoral campaign.

Related Stories

• EU Delegation, OSCE Mission, closely following situation in Serbia’s public service broadcasters
• More than 1,000 local inspectors in Serbia successfully complete OSCE-supported online training course
• OSCE Mission to Serbia supports public consultations on implementation of UN SCR 1325 – Women, Peace and Security (2016-2020) National Action Plan

KYIV, 15 July 2016 – The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine today opened a new sphere of project assistance to Ukraine – improving democratic control of defence and security sectors – with a presentation of international experience and best practices at a conference in Kyiv.

The event, co-organized with the Parliament and the Ministry of Defence, brought together more than 120 parliamentarians, military and civilian representatives of various ministries, experts, and civil society activists to learn about the basic principles in this area, as well as practical examples from other countries.

During the conference, the OSCE Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security and the OSCE Security Sector Governance and Reform Guidelines were presented. Ukrainian translations of these documents can be found at www.osce.org/fsc/41355  and www.osce.org/uk/secretariat/253156, respectively.

The participants discussed in detail the national models of parliamentary and civic control over the defence sectors of Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, and Norway.

“The ability of Parliament, and of society at large, to exercise control over its security services is a true litmus test for democracy and rule of law,” said Jeffrey Erlich, Senior Project Officer at the OSCE Project Co-ordinator’s Office. “Such oversight contributes to a much more effective security sector by rooting out corruption, and by strengthening the bond between society and the armed forces.”

Igor Dolgov, Deputy Minister of Defence, said: “For me there is no question of whether it is possible to simultaneously deal with current crisis and implement reforms in defense sectors, including strengthening mechanisms of democratic control over armed forces. It is needed and it is already happening.”

Until the end of the year, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator will provide expertise in developing a concept paper and implementation plan for democratic oversight; assist in promoting dialogue between the military, parliamentarians, experts and civic activists; and contribute to raising awareness among the public by publishing relevant online resources.  Further assistance efforts will continue after 2016.

In partnering with the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of the Armed Forces (DCAF), the project will also draw on their expertise.

Related Stories

• OSCE Project Co-ordinator promotes best practices of democratic control over defence and security sector in Ukraine
• OSCE Project Co-ordinator to mark 20 years of Ukraine’s constitution with discussion on constitutional reform
• OSCE Project Co-ordinator trains new Ukrainian neighbourhood police

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 3 May 2016 – Respectable standards of freedom of press have been achieved in Kosovo over the years, creating a vibrant and diverse media scene - but these efforts need to continue in order to address remaining challenges, said Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo Jean-Claude Schlumberger today on World Press Freedom Day.

“Freedom of the media in Kosovo is periodically violated, when journalists face intimidation, threats and sometimes even physical attacks. There were 27 cases of violence against journalists in 2015 and at least five cases during the first quarter of 2016,” he said.

Ambassador Schlumberger called on the law enforcement structures and the institutions of justice to enhance the level of priority given to countering intimidation against journalists and reach tangible results in processing cases of violence against journalists without delay.  

“Unfettered and professional media are the cornerstone of democracy,” he said. “On this day, the OSCE Mission in Kosovo acknowledges the importance of the media for building a democratic society. We also take the opportunity to commend the hard work and dedication of many journalists in Kosovo who reflect the spirit and values of media freedoms and professionalism. At the same time, we call on all institutions to do their utmost to further the respect for press freedoms and the right of the public to be informed.”

Schlumberger urged media regulators to ensure a conducive media environment and follow up closely on any breaches of ethical codes of conduct by audio-visual, print, and online media.

“To mark World Press Freedom Day, the Mission will support three televised debates promoting freedom of expression and freedom of media, in Albanian and Serbian languages,” said Schlumberger.

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo is mandated with human rights protection and promotion, democratization and public safety sector development. It is helping to safeguard the freedom of the media and freedom of expression and supports media development.

Related Stories

• Mini-Olympic Games 2016
• OSCE Mission-organized Junior Basketball Tournament
• OSCE Mission, police to discuss how to help prevent violent extremism and radicalization in Kosovo

VIENNA, 21 July 2016 – The mass cancellation of broadcasting licenses, criminal investigations against, and dismissal of, hundreds of journalists at the state broadcaster, and blocked websites are the latest, severe challenges to freedom of expression and media freedom in Turkey, Dunja Mijatović, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, said today.

Fully aligning herself with the statement made by the Chairperson-in-Office and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier on 16 July, strongly condemning any attempt to change the democratic order of Turkey through the use of force (statement available at www.osce.org/cio/254431), the Representative said:

“Democratically elected governments must be safeguarded, but they in turn must protect media freedom and support the role journalists play in ensuring and strengthening democracies,” Mijatović said.  “Fully recognizing the difficult times that Turkey is going through, the authorities need to ensure media freedom offline and online in line with their international commitments.”

On 19 July, the Radio and Television Supreme Council of Turkey (RTÜK) cancelled the licenses of radio and television stations that allegedly support the Gulen movement. The following television channels are currently affected: STV, Samanyolu Haber, Samanyolu Haber Radyo, Can Erzincan TV, Kanal 124, Yumurcak TV, Hira TV, MC TV, Dünya TV, Kanal Türk, Bugün TV, Mehtap TV, Berfin FM, Kanal Türk Radyo, Burç FM, Samanyolu Haber Radyosu, Radyo Mehtap, Haber Radyo Ege, Dünya Radyo, Radyo Küre, Merkür TV, Esra Radyo, Tuna Shoping TV, and Radyo Anadolu.

“Using the full force of my mandate, I urge the authorities of Turkey to ensure that pluralistic debate, diverging views and safety of journalists are respected,” Mijatović said, adding that the deteriorating media freedom situation in Turkey have been subject to numerous interventions from her Office in the past few years (available at www.osce.org/fom).

Also on 19 July, the Ankara Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation against 370 staff members of the state broadcaster TRT, for their alleged links to the Gulen movement.  

Further, the Representative expressed concern about the rapidly growing number of blocked websites in Turkey. In the past few days, dozens of websites suspected for endangering national security and public order have been blocked. More than 112.000 websites are reported being blocked in the country today.  

Mijatović noted with deep concern reports about death threats being made in social media against journalists critical to the authorities, and emphasized the importance of journalists’ safety. She also recalled warnings in several major media outlets announcing the possible arrests of members of the media on terrorism charges. She said that Turkey holds more journalists in prison than any other OSCE participating State – a fact her Office continuously raises attention to, by regularly publishing a detailed table on imprisoned journalists.

“Freedom of expression does not stop at views deemed appropriate by the government,” Mijatović said. “It remains the role of journalists to inform people of public issues, including highly sensitive ones, and it remains the role of the authorities to ensure that journalists can do so freely and safely.”

The Representative offered the continued assistance and expertise of her Office to the authorities in Turkey ensuring that media freedom and freedom of expression are protected, even under difficult circumstances.

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. She provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom. 

Related Stories

• OSCE Representative welcomes revision of Law of War manual in USA improving protection for journalists
• South Caucasus conference remains an important forum for discussing media freedom challenges in the region, says OSCE Representative
• OSCE Representative condemns murder of journalist Pavel Sheremet in Ukraine

The Democratic National Committee names the 20 presidential candidates who qualified for the first pivotal debate at the end of June. A sitting U.S. governor and a congressman are among the four left off the stage. - REUTERS

Climate hoaxers are not taking things well. Here is bitter fake Nobelist @michaelemann. pic.twitter.com/iAmVwU3FDk — Steve Milloy (@JunkScience) November 6, 2024

Letter-writers take opposing sides on the impact of Tuesday's presidential election.

Readers offer a variety of reasons Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris -- gender bias, the presentation of Harris' policies and Democrats' track record under Joe Biden.

5G Proof-of-concept demonstrations