(NewsUSA)  – One in three active-duty families of color have turned down military assignments due to concerns about racism or lack of inclusion in local communities, according to research from Blue Star Families’ Campaign for Inclusion. For two-thirds of these service members, declining orders led to negative career impacts — and for 15%, it was career-ending.

“When military families of color turn down assignments due to community concerns, it impacts not just family well-being but our national security,” said Kathy Roth-Douquet, CEO of Blue Star Fami-lies. “With most recruitable U.S. adults projected to be people of color within five years, creating truly inclusive communities isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s essential for maintaining our All-Volunteer Force.”

The latest research from Blue Star Families’ Campaign for Inclusion examined how communities can better support diverse military families through case studies of three distinct military communities: Hill Air Force Base (Utah), San Antonio (Texas, “Military City USA”), and Hampton Roads (Virginia).

Key findings reveal that both formal systems (like community resources and programs) and informal networks (neighbors and local connections) are foundational for military families developing a sense of belonging. Having multiple shared identities — from military affiliation to cultural background — strengthens these connections. Continue reading →

(NewsUSA)  – The United States is poised for global leadership in the area of AI and robotics as discussed at the AI+ Robotics Summit hosted by the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP), a nonprofit and nonpartisan initiative with a goal of making recommendations to strengthen America’s long-term competitiveness in AI. The sessions highlighted significant technological advancements and outlined ways to achieve and maintain global leadership, said SCSP in a recent newsletter.

Key takeaways regarding AI and robotics identified at the summit include:

Continue reading →

(NAPSI)—In 2022, Lisa Reed was eagerly anticipating her 70th birthday. She had plans to travel to Italy and was looking forward to spending more quality time with her grandchildren. But a persistent cough, worsened by a bout of COVID-19, led her to the emergency room in her hometown of Sante Fe. There, a series of tests, including a high-resolution chest CT of her lungs, revealed something unexpected: pulmonary fibrosis (PF).

Symptoms of PF, such as chronic dry cough, fatigue and shortness of breath, can often be confused with other more common illnesses, making it difficult to diagnose. In Reed’s case, her chest CT showed the presence of white tissue on her lungs—a characteristic sign of scarring and inflammation.

Like many others diagnosed with PF, Reed had never heard of the disease. Her internet search was startling, revealing that PF causes progressive and irreversible scarring in the lungs. It is part of a family of over 200 interstitial lung diseases (ILD) that affect more than 250,000 Americans.  Continue reading →

(NAPSI)—Shopping for the holidays is more expensive than ever. With Americans carrying more debt than ever before, many are expected to spend $18.5 billion using third-party buy now, pay later (BNPL) services for holiday purchases according to data firm Adobe Analytics.

Today’s shoppers want and need meaningful ways to save money without having to completely sit out the holiday season or being able to participate in the merriment of gift giving.

To help, here are six tips for saving on essentials that can let you put your hard-earned money toward thoughtful holiday gifts for friends and family:

Tip 1: Make a list and check it three times—Take the time before you start surfing the Internet or leave the house to jot down your gift ideas and keep an eye out for Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, which can help spread out the shopping and hit to your bank account.  Continue reading →

(NAPSI)—Behind every sip of Anheuser-Busch’s industry-leading beers is a farmer who worked hard to grow the high-quality rice, barley, corn, or hops inside that beer. This National Farmer’s Day, Anheuser-Busch is raising a toast to the more than 700 farmers across the country who make our beers possible.

For more than 165 years, Anheuser-Busch has been proudly connected with and committed to American farmers, many of whom it has worked with for generations. As the nation’s leading brewer and a major American manufacturer, Anheuser-Busch is a significant purchaser of U.S. agricultural products, spending more than $700 million annually to source nearly all their ingredients from farmers across the United States. This includes 100% of the rice and corn and 99% of the barley in their iconic American beers.  Continue reading →

(NAPSI)—With millions of U.S. high school students beginning a new school year, many have their sights set on the future as they prepare for college admissions. As part of a holistic admissions process, students use the SAT® to show their strengths and be seen by colleges and scholarships.

The SAT is valuable because it’s a strong predictor of college success, and colleges are increasingly asking students to submit test scores at the point of enrollment. In fact, after experimenting with test-optional policies during the COVID pandemic, many schools, including Dartmouth, MIT, Caltech, and Purdue, are reinstating testing requirements for admissions. And those remaining test-optional continue to use scores for critical decisions about admissions, student support, and class placement.

A wealth of recent research found that amid all the components of a college application—grades, essays, extracurricular activities—test scores are among the most useful in identifying students ready to succeed. When viewed within the context of where a student lives and learns, test scores can help confirm students’ grades or can even show their strengths beyond what their high school grades show.

Students are taking the SAT more than any other admissions exam, including the ACT. The new digital SAT meets the needs of today’s students by providing a shorter test, with more time per question, and an overall streamlined testing experience as compared to the ACT: Continue reading →

(NAPSI)—If you or a loved one are among the nearly 100 million Americans affected by liver disease, consider joining the American Liver Foundation Patient Registry. By sharing your story, you can help share the future of liver health. As a participant in the registry, you will join a group of individuals dedicated to changing the face of liver disease through the advancement of new science and treatments that will benefit all.

The American Liver Foundation Patient Registry is free to join and the first-ever patient registry for all types of liver diseases, including transplant. It helps provide researchers with a better understanding of liver diseases, the effect of current treatments, and how liver disease affects patients. Until now, there has not been one central place where researchers interested in liver disease can access information on a patient’s disease history and more importantly, how patients are managing their disease and its often-debilitating symptoms and associated conditions such as: Continue reading →

Rear view of young university students talking while walking up the stairs

(NAPSI)—Here’s good news for students and their parents: Whether in college or grade school, you can save money on Internet essentials and installation fees.

While free Internet access is available on most campuses and in dorms, for the best Internet connection to power your studies off campus, you’ll need a home Internet connection you can rely on.

Fortunately, many broadband providers offer budget-friendly packages and university discounts with such perks as high-speed Internet for online classes, affordable TV bundles for downtime, and special mobile phone plans with unlimited data and discounts.

What You Can Get

Providers all over the country have student offers ranging from Internet discounts to streaming bundles. Plus, you may qualify for programs from the FCC that can save you even more. Learn more about these offers, as well as other tips and resources for students at www.smartmove.us/back-to-school-Internet.

You’ll also find tips like the below for optimizing digital ecosystems at home to enhance productivity and connectivity for students of all ages. Continue reading →

(NAPSI)—When your phone rings­—don’t answer it. At least, not unless you’ve a good idea of who’s calling. After all, your phone is like your house. You deserve to know whom to let in.

Especially now. September, Hispanic Heritage Month, and all through the year, Latinos and others can be subject to calls from criminals looking to take your money and confuse your vote.

The Problem

Studies suggest the Hispanic community is disproportionately targeted with misinformation, particularly through phone scams and fraudulent communications. So it’s more important than ever to empower Latino communities with the tools they need to protect themselves and their voices, ­especially during Hispanic Heritage Month. Celebrated every September, this celebration of Hispanic culture, achievements, and contributions, is also a good time to reflect on the challenges that lie ahead, particularly as America moves into a critical election period.

The Numbers

According to the latest Truecaller/Harris Poll Scam Report for 2024, Hispanics are twice as likely as non-Hispanics to lose money to phone scams, with 30% of Hispanics reporting financial losses compared to 15% of non-Hispanics. Additionally, Hispanics experience mobile phone scams at a rate more than double that of non-Hispanics (23% vs. 11%), indicating a targeted approach by scammers.

Misinformation during election cycles often comes in the form of robocalls and text messages that spread false narratives or provide misleading voting information. The report shows that Hispanics are three times more likely than non-Hispanics to lose money to scams originating from robocalls (16% vs. 5%). This highlights the urgent need for tools that can protect this community from both financial scams and the spread of election-related disinformation. Continue reading →

While there’s no distinct COVID-19 season like there is for the flu, it’s been shown that COVID-19 can peak during the winter months. To help fight respiratory illnesses, it’s recommended you get a flu vaccination, as well as the updated COVID-19 vaccine.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people six months and older, with rare exception, should get the updated annual flu vaccine, ideally by the end of Oct ober. The CDC also recommends that everyone ages six months and older should get the updated 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine, unless otherwise noted, to help restore and enhance protection against the currently circulating virus variants.

It’s especially important to protect certain populations. This includes those at increased risk of complications from severe flu or COVID-19 illness, such as adults 65 and older, people with certain immunocompromising or chronic medical conditions, infants, children younger than two and pregnant women.

“Preventive vaccinations are the best way to protect yourself and your family from seasonal illnesses,” said Dr. Sree Chaguturu, executive vice president and chief medical officer at CVS Health. “Access to preventive vaccinations is critical to keeping communities healthy.”

According to Dr. Chaguturu, it’s helpful to understand the science behind vaccines so people feel informed and safe getting vaccinated.

Myth #1: You should wait until flu season peaks to get vaccinated. Continue reading →