Day: September 27, 2022

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U.S. Soy Sustainability Assurance Protocol (SSAP) Certificates Can Now Be Transferred

Move by USSEC Supports Customers’ Efforts to Verify Sustainable Soy

ST. LOUIS, Sept. 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — International customers of U.S. Soy throughout the supply chain are now able to better demonstrate their commitment to sourcing sustainable ingredients. The U.S. Soy Sustainability Assurance Protocol (SSAP) has been expanded to allow the transfer of SSAP certificates up to four times.

U.S. Soybean Export Council; U.S. Soy

U.S. Soy customers have long sought more transparency in the sustainability of their purchases. This change to the SSAP by Soy Export Sustainability, LLC, which is partially funded by the national soybean checkoff, allows customers to keep records of their sustainable U.S. Soy purchases, use these purchases to meet their ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) goals, and report on their progress toward those goals. Importers will be able to receive a certificate in their name from an exporter, the importer will then be able to transfer certificates to their customers. The certificate has the potential to be transferred a total of four times after export.

“Ensuring sustainable sourcing of products is central to our commitment to responsible supply chains. We are glad to see continuous improvement of the SSAP certifications, as well as the transparent and credible methodologies in place for measuring sustainable performance. Transferable certificates are key to our customers and our business to track and verify that the soy products we source are raised in a sustainable manner, leading to greater sustainability of the global food system,” said Dessislava Barzachka, EA Sustainability Execution Manager, Bunge.

The SSAP, which was developed in 2013, is a verified aggregate approach, audited by third parties, that verifies sustainable soybean production on a national scale. The system is designed to maintain mass balance of verified sustainable soy at each transfer and industry processing calculations are also incorporated into the system. The organization issuing and tracking the certificates is Soy Export Sustainability, LLC.

While this change meets the buyers’ needs for demonstrating their commitment to sourcing sustainable soy in the short-term, in the long-term the change could also help generate demand for their products because of consumer preferences for sustainable products.

Under the SSAP guidelines, U.S. soybean farmers continuously improve their sustainability performance, ensuring an even more sustainable product in the future. U.S. Soy is already recognized as having the lowest carbon footprint versus soy of other origins. In addition, the SSAP includes farm audits conducted by an independent third party – the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). SSAP recently earned Silver Level Equivalence when benchmarked with the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform (SAI Platform)’s Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) 3.0. It is also positively benchmarked with the soy sourcing guidelines of the European Feed Manufacturers Federation (FEFAC) through the independent International Trade Centre (ITC) and is recognized by the Consumer Goods Forum’s Sustainable Soy Sourcing Guidelines and the Global Seafood Alliance’s Best Aquaculture Practices.

“U.S. soybean farmers have a strong commitment to sustainability, so we are always exploring how we can support their efforts to verify the sustainability of their products. The SSAP does that, but now with transferable certificates, it allows for that verification to be passed along to their other customers,” said Abby Rinne, Director of Sustainability, U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC). USSEC is a founding member of Soy Export Sustainability, LLC focused on differentiating, elevating preference, and attaining market access for U.S. Soy.

About U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC)

The U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) focuses on differentiating, elevating preference, and attaining market access for the use of U.S. Soy for human consumption, aquaculture, and livestock feed in 80+ countries internationally. USSEC members represent the soy supply chain including U.S. Soy farmers, processors, commodity shippers, merchandisers, allied agribusinesses, and agricultural organizations. USSEC is funded by the U.S. soybean checkoff, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) matching funds, and industry. Visit www.ussec.org for the latest information on U.S. Soy solutions and news about USSEC and U.S. Soy internationally.

This news release was partially funded by U.S. Soy farmers, their checkoff and the soy value chain.

Media Contacts:
Chris Samuel Kerrey Kerr-Enskat
Director of Global Communications  Senior Manager, Communications
U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC)  U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC)
+1.314.306.1273  I  CSamuel@ussec.org +1.515.823.1848  I   kenskat@ussec.org
Bill Raack    Andy Likes
Director Sr. Director
Lambert  Lambert
+1.314.602.0696  I  braack@lambert.com +1.314.606.1878  I  alikes@lambert.com

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1907832/USSEC_USSOY_Logo.jpg

 

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Phoenix Software Delivers a Faster JES3plus® with V1R2

Phoenix Software releases updates to its product line in September 2022

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Sept. 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Phoenix Software International, Inc., today announced its intention to make JES3plus V1R2, a derivative work based on IBM’s z/OS® JES3, generally available effective September 30, 2022. This release provides new functionality and integrates continuous delivery items made available over the past twelve months. Thanks to Phoenix’s JES3plus Customer Advisory Council, organizations that migrate to JES3plus can reap the benefits of new features that were ranked in terms of providing true business value to their fellow customers.

JES3plus V1R2

Functional Highlights:

  • Parallel SPOOL I/O – Takes full advantage of the Parallel Access Volumes technology supported by modern mainframe DASD through support for up to eight STARTIO channel programs running concurrently for a single SPOOL extent. This is a major improvement over the traditional JES3 approach of allowing only one STARTIO at a time per SPOOL extent.
  • Reduced Local Lock Contention – Now intrinsic to the way JES3plus operates, multiple I/O completion SRBs execute simultaneously by acquiring the local lock only if and when needed. In addition, if the completing I/O contains requests from only a single address space, the SRB is scheduled directly to that address space rather than to the JES3plus address space.
  • Improved WLM Batch Initiator Balancing – Enabling this facility results in JES3plus placing batch jobs into idle initiators across the JESplex using a target percentage derived from WLM’s initiator allocation counts. Until now this behavior occurred on JES2 systems only.

“Switching to JES3plus is the obvious choice for existing IBM JES3 customers,” said Ed Jaffe, Chief Technology Officer at Phoenix Software International, “and we have reinforced that point by improving performance with empirical results so dramatic they speak for themselves. SPOOL I/O-intensive benchmarks conducted on our z15† showed JES3plus running nearly twice as many jobs as IBM JES3 while simultaneously reducing FICON channel utilization by 92%! Similarly-favorable results were observed when comparing against JES2. And, because our roadmap for enhancements is 100% customer driven, we believe a migration to JES3plus is not only the easiest and least risky choice, it’s the one that just makes sense.”

(E)JES® V6R2

(E)JES V6R2, the latest release of Phoenix Software’s modern z/OS JESplex management tool, includes enhancements for viewing and managing Coupling Facility connections and structures, WLM scheduling environments, job class/groups, sysplex members, and z/OS UNIX mounts. Additionally, support has been added for a filter repository that provides end user ability to save filters and reload them.

Phoenix Software Product Releases: September 2022

Phoenix Software is refreshing its product line this month. Product downloads will be available to customers via the Phoenix Software International Support portal. Visit https://phoenixsoftware.com/support.htm#downloads. New product releases include:

  • (E)JES V6R2
  • CONDOR® z/OS 26.2 z/VSE 32.1
  • CYGNET® z/OS 26.2 z/VSE 32.1
  • Entrypoint® 16.3
  • FALCON® z/OS 26.2 z/VSE 32.1
  • Falcon64® 11.2
  • JES3plus V1R2
  • Key/101® 9.2
  • PHX-Adders®/PHX-Guest® 7.4
  • PHX-BDT® V1R2
  • PHX-KeyPlus® 5.4
  • PHX-ODE® 7.4

About Phoenix Software International

Phoenix Software International, Inc., (https://www.phoenixsoftware.com) is a systems software development company providing advanced software applications to enterprises around the globe. The company offers a wide range of solutions to modern business challenges.

Press contact:
(310) 338-0400
news@phoenixsoftware.com

† Analysis summary and raw benchmark SMF data available upon request.

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Phoenix Software lança um JES3plus® mais rápido com V1R2

Phoenix Software atualiza sua linha de produtos em setembro de 2022

EL SEGUNDO, Califórnia, Sept. 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A Phoenix Software International, Inc., divulgou hoje a sua intenção de lançar o JES3plus V1R2, trabalho derivado do z/OS® JES3 da IBM, em 30 de setembro de 2022. Esta versão oferece novas funcionalidades que foram disponibilizados nos últimos doze meses. Graças ao Conselho Consultivo de Clientes JES3plus  da Phoenix, as empresas que migram para o JES3plus podem se benefícios dos novos recursos que fornecem valor comercial real para seus clientes.

JES3plus V1R2

Destaques Funcionais:

  • E/S de SPOOL paralelo – Aproveitamento máximo da tecnologia de Volumes de Acesso Paralelo com suporte DASD de mainframe moderno para até oito programas de canal STARTIO em execução simultânea com uma única extensão de SPOOL. Esta é uma grande melhoria em relação à abordagem JES3 tradicional de permitir apenas um STARTIO de cada vez por extensão de SPOOL.
  • Contenção de Bloqueio Local Reduzido – Agora como parte da operação do JES3Plus, vários SRBs de conclusão de E/S são executados simultaneamente, com bloqueio local apenas se e quando necessário. Além disso, se a E/S de conclusão contiver solicitações de apenas um único espaço de endereço, o SRB será agendado diretamente para esse espaço de endereço, em vez do espaço de endereço JES3 plus.
  • Balanceamento aprimorado do Iniciador em Lote WLM – Com o JES3 plus colocando trabalhos em lote em iniciadores ociosos em todo o JESplex usando uma porcentagem alvo derivada das contagens de alocação de iniciadores da WLM. Até agora este comportamento ocorria apenas nos sistemas JES2.

“A adoção do JES3plus é a escolha óbvia para os clientes JES3 da IBM”, disse Ed Jaffe, Diretor de Tecnologia da Phoenix Software International, “e reforçamos esse ponto por meio do aprimoramento do desempenho com resultados empíricos muito impactantes. Os benchmarks intensivos em E/S da SPOOL conduzidos no nosso z15† mostraram que o JES3 plus executou quase o dobro dos trabalhos executados no JES3 da IBM, reduzindo simultaneamente a utilização do canal FICON em 92%! Resultados igualmente favoráveis foram observados na comparação com o JES2. E, como nosso roteiro de melhorias está 100% voltado para o cliente, acreditamos que uma migração para JES3plus seja a escolha mais fácil e menos arriscada, e a que faz mais sentido.”

(E)JES® V6R2

(E)JES V6R2, a mais recente versão da moderna ferramenta de gerenciamento JESplex z/OS da Phoenix Software, inclui melhorias para visualização e gerenciamento de conexões e estruturas de instalações de acoplamento, ambientes de agendamento WLM, classe/grupos de trabalho, membros sysplex e montagens z/OS UNIX. Além disso, adicionamos suporte para um repositório de filtros que fornece ao usuário final a capacidade de salvar e recarregar filtros.

Lançamentos de Produto da Phoenix Software: Setembro de 2022

A Phoenix Software está atualizando sua linha de produtos este mês. Os downloads de produtos estarão disponíveis para os clientes através do portal de suporte da Phoenix Software International. Visite https://phoenixsoftware.com/support.htm#downloads. Novos produtos:

  • (E)JES V6R2
  • CONDOR® z/OS 26.2 z/VSE 32.1
  • CYGNET® z/OS 26.2 z/VSE 32.1
  • Entrypoint® 16.3
  • FALCON® z/OS 26.2 z/VSE 32.1
  • Falcon64® 11.2
  • JES3plus V1R2
  • Key/101® 9.2
  • PHX-Adders®/PHX-Guest® 7.4
  • PHX-BDT® V1R2
  • PHX-KeyPlus® 5.4
  • PHX-ODE® 7.4

Sobre a Phoenix Software International

A Phoenix Software International, Inc., (https://www.phoenixsoftware.com) é uma empresa de desenvolvimento de software de sistemas que fornece aplicativos de software avançados para empresas em todo o mundo. A empresa oferece uma ampla gama de soluções para atender os desafios das empresas modernas.

Contato de Imprensa:
(310) 338-0400
news@phoenixsoftware.com

† Resumo da análise e dados brutos de SMF de referência disponíveis mediante solicitação.

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Phoenix Software offre une version plus rapide de JES3plus® avec V1R2

Phoenix Software sort des mises à jour de sa gamme de produits en septembre 2022

EL SEGUNDO, Californie, 27 sept. 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Phoenix Software International, Inc. a annoncé aujourd’hui son intention de rendre JES3plus V1R2, un produit dérivé basé sur z/OS® JES3 d’IBM, généralement disponible à partir du 30 septembre 2022. Cette version offre de nouvelles fonctionnalités et intègre les articles de livraison continue mis à disposition au cours des douze derniers mois. Grâce au Customer Advisory Council (comité consultatif client) de JES3plus de Phoenix, les organisations qui migrent vers JES3plus peuvent récolter les fruits de nouvelles fonctionnalités en termes de provision d’une véritable valeur commerciale à leurs clients.

JES3plus V1R2

Fonctionnalités marquantes :

  • E/S SPOOL parallèles – tire pleinement parti de la technologie Parallel Access Volumes soutenue par le mainframe moderne DASD grâce à la prise en charge de huit programmes de canaux STARTIO pouvant opérer simultanément pour une seule extension SPOOL. Il s’agit d’une amélioration majeure par rapport à l’approche traditionnelle de JES3 consistant à n’autoriser qu’un seul programme STARTIO à la fois par extension SPOOL.
  • Réduction des conflits de verrouillage locaux – élément désormais intrinsèque à la façon dont JES3plus fonctionne, plusieurs SRB de complétion E/S s’exécutent simultanément en acquérant le verrou local uniquement si et quand cela est nécessaire. En outre, si la complétion E/S contient des demandes provenant d’un espace d’adresse unique, le SRB est programmé directement dans cet espace d’adresse plutôt que dans l’espace d’adresse de JES3plus.
  • Amélioration de l’équilibrage de l’initiateur de lots WLM – cette fonctionnalité permet à JES3plus de placer des tâches de lots dans des initiateurs inactifs à travers JESplex à l’aide d’un pourcentage cible dérivé des comptes d’allocation de l’initiateur de WLM. Jusqu’à présent, cela n’était possible que sur les systèmes JES2.

« Passer à JES3plus est le choix évident pour les clients existants d’IBM JES3 », a déclaré Ed Jaffe, directeur technologique de Phoenix Software International. « De plus, nous avons renforcé ce point en améliorant les performances avec des résultats empiriques si spectaculaires qu’ils parlent d’eux-mêmes. Les tests intensifs en E/S SPOOL réalisés sur notre z15†  ont montré que JES3plus exécute près de deux fois plus de tâches qu’IBM JES3 tout en réduisant simultanément l’utilisation des canaux FICON de 92 % ! Des résultats tout aussi favorables ont été observés lors de la comparaison avec JES2. Et comme notre feuille de route pour les améliorations est axée à 100 % sur le client, nous pensons qu’une migration vers JES3plus  constitue non seulement le choix le plus simple et le moins risqué, mais aussi le plus logique. »

(E)JES® V6R2

(E)JES V6R2, la dernière version de l’outil de gestion z/OS JESplex moderne de Phoenix Software, comprend des améliorations pour la visualisation et la gestion des connexions et structures de Coupling Facility, des environnements de planification WLM, des groupes/classes de tâches, des membres sysplex et des montages z/OS UNIX. En outre, une prise en charge a été ajoutée pour un référentiel de filtres qui offre à l’utilisateur final la possibilité d’enregistrer des filtres et de les recharger.

Nouvelles versions des produits Phoenix Software : septembre 2022

Phoenix Software met à jour sa gamme de produits ce mois-ci. Les téléchargements de produits seront disponibles pour les clients via le portail d’assistance de Phoenix Software International. Rendez-vous sur https://phoenixsoftware.com/support.htm#downloads. Les nouvelles versions de produits comprennent :

  • (E)JES V6R2
  • CONDOR® z/OS 26.2 z/VSE 32.1
  • CYGNET® z/OS 26.2 z/VSE 32.1
  • Entrypoint® 16.3
  • FALCON® z/OS 26.2 z/VSE 32.1
  • Falcon64® 11.2
  • JES3plus V1R2
  • Key/101® 9.2
  • PHX-Adders®/PHX-Guest® 7.4
  • PHX-BDT® V1R2
  • PHX-KeyPlus® 5.4
  • PHX-ODE® 7.4

À propos de Phoenix Software International

Phoenix Software International, Inc. (https://www.phoenixsoftware.com) est une société de développement de logiciels de systèmes fournissant des applications logicielles avancées aux entreprises du monde entier. La société propose une large gamme de solutions aux défis professionnels modernes.

Contact auprès de la presse :
(310) 338-0400
news@phoenixsoftware.com

† Résumé de l’analyse et données SMF brutes de référence disponibles sur demande.

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South Africa: No quick fix to load shedding but progress being made, says Pres Ramaphosa

PRETORIA, Sept 27 (NNN-SANEWS) — Given the unpredictable performance of public utility Eskom’s fleet of coal-fired power stations, President Cyril Ramaphosa has admitted that the country will not be able to eliminate load shedding in the short term.

This as Eskom announced on Sunday that Stage 3 load shedding would continue to be implemented between 00:00 and 16:00 until Thursday, while Stage 4 load shedding will be implemented daily during the evening peaks from 16:00 until 00:00.

In his weekly newsletter, President Ramaphosa said there was no quick fix however, progress has been made in the implementation of the additional actions announced in July, even though the effects may not be immediately felt.

“As we work with greater urgency to fix the immediate problem of an unreliable power system, we are also busy laying the groundwork for a sustainable, lasting solution to the country’s electricity woes,” he said on Monday.

The President has reaffirmed government’s immediate goal, which is to reduce the frequency and severity of load shedding by addressing power station breakdowns.

He said that this is a significant challenge given the average age of power stations, and that in the past critical maintenance was not undertaken at the necessary intervals.

“Eskom is urgently implementing measures to improve plant performance, which is a priority until new generation power projects are brought online. It is addressing the critical issue of coal supply, including working with Transnet on the transportation of coal and monitoring the consistency of the supply from collieries to stations.

“Eskom is also addressing the poor quality of coal, which often leads to plant breakdowns. People with experience in running power stations are being brought back to help with plant operation, management and mentorship,” the President said.

In a bid to ensure that critical maintenance is undertaken without delay, discussions are underway to ease local content requirements for spare parts and to use the equipment manufacturers to undertake maintenance.

In addressing the immediate energy shortfall, Eskom has since July worked on procuring emergency power, and in the last week launched power purchase programmes for 1,000 megawatts of emergency capacity from companies with existing generation capacity and to secure imports from neighbouring countries.

Government is also giving close attention to the skills, experience and capabilities of the Eskom leadership to ensure that the company has the best people at all levels of the organisation.

“These interventions will help to reduce the severity and frequency of load shedding as we are bringing new power onto the grid over the medium term to increase energy supply,” Ramaphosa said.

While government works to increase the supply of electricity, the President has pleaded that efforts must be increased to reduce demand, particularly at peak times.

“We must come together as citizens to alleviate the pressure on the national grid. This means using electricity sparingly, reporting illegal connections and paying for the electricity we use.”

He further urged businesses, households and government departments that owe Eskom to pay up so that the power utility is able to undertake the critical maintenance that is needed to keep the lights on.

“As we continue to experience load shedding, there is a great temptation to give up hope that we will ever solve this problem.

“Yet, if we look just beyond the most immediate crisis, there are real signs of progress and good reasons to be optimistic,” the President said.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

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President Cyril Ramaphosa wishes Jewish community well for Rosh Hashanah

President Cyril Ramaphosa has wished the Jewish community well over Rosh Hashanah and the High Holy Days that culminate with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

Having begun at sunset on Sunday, 25 September 2022, Rosh Hashanah is being observed by Jewish communities in South Africa and around the world.

“At a time when our country faces many challenges, we draw strength from the deep spiritual reserves of the Jewish community and of all the South African people, as we strive to make our country a better place for all who live in it,” President Ramaphosa said.

“May you and your loved ones be inscribed and sealedin the Book of Life for a good and sweet new year,” the President said. Source: Government of South Africa

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President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses Local Government Summit, 28 Sept

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Wednesday, 28 September 2022, address the National Local Government Summit which is hosted by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.

The Summit takes place at the Birchwood Conference Centre in Boksburg, on Tuesday and Wednesday, 27 and 28 September 2022, under the theme “DDM in Action – Towards an Ideal Municipality”.

This platform will bring together close to 2 000 senior officials and leaders across all spheres of Government, legislature, business, academia, traditional leaders, civil society, women, youth and persons with disabilities to deliberate on a collective programme of action for an Ideal Municipality.

Delegates will include Mayors, Speakers, Whips, Municipal Managers and Chief Financial Officers.

The Summit follows the session of the South African Local Government Association’s Council of Mayors on 8 September 2022 as well as a National Conference on Local Governance hosted by the South African Human Rights Commission and the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities.

Source: Government of South Africa