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  • Netflix’s Shark Whisperer wants us to think ‘sexy conservation’ is the way to save sharks – does it have a point?

    Source: ForeignAffairs4

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Susan Hopkins, Senior Lecturer in Education (Curriculum and Pedagogy), University of the Sunshine Coast

    Netflix

    In the new Netflix documentary Shark Whisperer, the great white shark gets an image makeover – from Jaws villain to misunderstood friend and admirer.

    But the star of the documentary is not so much the shark, but the model and marine conservationist Ocean Ramsey (yes, that’s her real name).

    The film centres on Ramsey’s self-growth journey, with the shark co-starring as a quasi-spiritual medium for finding meaning and purpose (not to mention celebrity status).

    The film, and some in it, are happy to attribute Ramsey’s success as a shark conservation activist to how driven and photogenic she is. Ramsey says “People look first and listen second. I’ll use my appearance, I’ll put myself out there for a cause.”

    Her husband, the photographer Juan Oliphant, enthuses she is good for sharks partly because she is so beautiful and uses all the attention she attracts in the selfless service of sharks.

    The image of the long-haired, long-limbed young woman in a bikini swimming above an outsized great white shark is not a new one.

    Primal fears and fantasies

    Since Jaws (1975), generations have been fascinated and titillated by filmic images and promotional materials of bikini-clad young women juxtaposed with dangerous sharks.

    The heroine of Deep Blue Sea (1999) is a neuroscientist – however the film and its promotional materials still require her to appear in a wet t-shirt and underwear while pursued by a massive shark monster.

    A shark mouth looms above a busty woman.
    The poster for 1999’s Deep Blue Sea.
    IMDB

    The Shallows (2016) presents countless images of its bikini-clad heroine, with partially exposed bottom and long legs marked by bite marks as a kind of meat to be consumed – not least by the voyeuristic lens of the camera.

    The poster for 47 Meters Down: Uncaged (2019) features a bikini-clad young woman with legs dangling precariously in front of the gaping jaws of an unnaturally large great white.

    I have previously explored the psychosexual symbolism of these films and images. These films were never really about actual sharks. They are about very human fears and fantasies about being exposed and vulnerable.

    Whisperer and the Ocean Ramsey website tap into the collective fascination with dangerous sharks fuelled by popular culture. Many online images show Ramsey in a bikini or touching sharks – she’s small, and vulnerable in the face of great whites. As with forms of celebrity humanitarianism, what I have dubbed “sexy conservationism” leaves itself open to criticism about its methods – even if its intentions are good.

    The paradox of Shark Whisperer – and indeed the whole Ocean Ramsey empire – is it both resists and relies on Jaws mythology and iconography to surf the image economy of new media.

    Saving, not stalking

    Ramsey and Oliphant are on a mission not just to save individual sharks, but to change the public perception of great whites to a more positive one.

    This mission is reiterated in Shark Whisperer and in the Saving Jaws documentary linked to the website, which also promotes a book, accessories and shark-diving tours.

    Ramsay pats a shark.
    Shark Whisperer both resists and relies on the mythical status of the shark brought to us by Jaws.
    Netflix

    It is reassuring to know proceeds from the bikini you buy from the official website are donated to shark conservation. But the (often sexualised) media attention which fuels the whole enterprise still depends on tapping into the legacy of popular culture representations of great whites as fearsome monsters.

    In footage, Ramsey seems to spend most of her time with smaller tiger sharks, yet her website and the Shark Whisperer film foreground her rare close encounters with an “enormous” or “massive” great white as the climax and cover shot.

    Shark Whisperer also includes the kind of “money shots” we have come to expect: images of a large great white tearing at flesh (here, a whale carcass) with blood in the water. Images like these arouse our collective cultural memory of the filmic great white as the ultimate bestial predator.

    In its climactic scene, Whisperer strategically deploys eerie music to build the suspense and foretell the appearance of the enormous great white which rises from the depths. Again echoes of Jaws are used to stimulate viewing pleasures and sell the mixed messages of sexy shark conservation.

    A story of (personal) growth

    The self-growth narrative which underpins Whisperer will feel familiar to shark film fans. Jaws was always about overcoming fears and past traumas, as in the scene where Quint and Brody compare their real and metaphorical scars.

    A shark closes in on a woman in a bikini.
    The poster for the 2022 film Shark Bait.
    IMDB

    Over the past decade, a new generation of post-feminist shark films have used sharks as metaphorical stalkers to tell stories about women overcoming past trauma, grief, “inner darkness” or depression.

    In The Reef: Stalked (2022) the heroine must overcome the murder of her sister. In Shark Bait (2022) the heroine must rise above a cheating partner. In The Shallows, the heroine is processing grief.

    Whisperer also leans into the idea of Ramsey fighting inner demons on a journey to self-actualisation.

    And while Ramsey has undoubtedly raised the profile of shark conservation, as a model-designer-conservationist-entrepreneur she has also disseminated another more dubious message: that the way to enact influence and activism is through instagrammable images of beautiful models in high risk situations.

    Happy endings

    The end credits of Whisperer are a montage of happy endings: Ramsey frolics with sharks and shows off her diamond ring. There is even an ocean-themed wedding scene.

    Yet beneath all the glossy surface lies a sombre reality: globally at least 80 million sharks are killed every year.

    The Ramsey website and the film rightly remind us of this. They also remind us that, thanks in part to the hashtag activism of Ocean Ramsey and her millions of fans and followers, Hawaii was the first state in the United States to outlaw shark fishing.

    So, Ramsey may be right to argue her ends justify the means.

    The Conversation

    Susan Hopkins 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. Netflix’s Shark Whisperer wants us to think ‘sexy conservation’ is the way to save sharks – does it have a point? – https://theconversation.com/netflixs-shark-whisperer-wants-us-to-think-sexy-conservation-is-the-way-to-save-sharks-does-it-have-a-point-260290

  • XFG could become the next dominant COVID variant. Here’s what to know about ‘Stratus’

    Source: ForeignAffairs4

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Paul Griffin, Professor, Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, The University of Queensland

    visualspace/Getty Images

    Given the number of times this has happened already, it should come as little surprise that we’re now faced with yet another new subvariant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID.

    This new subvariant is known as XFG (nicknamed “Stratus”) and the World Health Organization (WHO) designated it a “variant under monitoring” in late June. XFG is a subvariant of Omicron, of which there are now more than 1,000.

    A “variant under monitoring” signifies a variant or subvariant which needs prioritised attention and monitoring due to characteristics that may pose an additional threat compared to other circulating variants.

    XFG was one of seven variants under monitoring as of June 25. The most recent addition before XFG was NB.1.8.1 (nicknamed “Nimbus”), which the WHO declared a variant under monitoring on May 23.

    Both nimbus and stratus are types of clouds.

    Nimbus is currently the dominant subvariant worldwide – but Stratus is edging closer. So what do you need to know about Stratus, or XFG?

    A recombinant variant

    XFG is a recombinant of LF.7 and LP.8.1.2 which means these two subvariants have shared genetic material to come up with the new subvariant. Recombinants are designated with an X at the start of their name.

    While recombination and other spontaneous changes happen often with SARS-CoV-2, it becomes a problem when it creates a subvariant that is changed in such a way that its properties cause more problems for us.

    Most commonly this means the virus looks different enough that protection from past infection (and vaccination) doesn’t work so well, called immune evasion. This basically means the population becomes more susceptible and can lead to an increase in cases, and even a whole new wave of COVID infections across the world.

    XFG has four key mutations in the spike protein, a protein on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 which allows it to attach to our cells. Some are believed to enhance evasion by certain antibodies.

    Early laboratory studies have suggested a nearly two-fold reduction in how well antibodies block the virus compared to LP.8.1.1.

    Where is XFG spreading?

    The earliest XFG sample was collected on January 27.

    As of June 22, there were 1,648 XFG sequences submitted to GISAID from 38 countries (GISAID is the global database used to track the prevalence of different variants around the world). This represents 22.7% of the globally available sequences at the time.

    This was a significant rise from 7.4% four weeks prior and only just below the proportion of NB.1.8.1 at 24.9%. Given the now declining proportion of viral sequences of NB.1.8.1 overall, and the rapid rise of XFG, it would seem reasonable to expect XFG to become dominant very soon.

    According to Australian data expert Mike Honey, the countries showing the highest rates of detection of XFG as of mid-June include India at more than 50%, followed by Spain at 42%, and the United Kingdom and United States, where the subvariant makes up more than 30% of cases.

    In Australia as of June 29, NB.1.8.1 was the dominant subvariant, accounting for 48.6% of sequences. In the most recent report from Australia’s national genomic surveillance platform, there were 24 XFG sequences with 12 collected in the last 28 days meaning it currently comprises approximately 5% of sequences.

    The big questions

    When we talk about a new subvariant, people often ask questions including if it’s more severe or causes new or different symptoms compared to previous variants. But we’re still learning about XFG and we can’t answer these questions with certainty yet.

    Some sources have reported XFG may be more likely to course “hoarseness” or a scratchy or raspy voice. But we need more information to know if this association is truly significant.

    Notably, there’s no evidence to suggest XFG causes more severe illness compared to other variants in circulation or that it is necessarily any more transmissible.

    Will vaccines still work against XFG?

    Relatively frequent changes to the virus means we have continued to update the COVID vaccines. The most recent update, which targets the JN.1 subvariant, became available in Australia from late 2024. XFG is a descendant of the JN.1 subvariant.

    Fortunately, based on the evidence available so far, currently approved COVID vaccines are expected to remain effective against XFG, particularly against symptomatic and severe disease.

    Because of SARS-CoV-2’s continued evolution, the effect of this on our immune response, as well as the fact protection from COVID vaccines declines over time, COVID vaccines are offered regularly, and recommended for those at the highest risk.

    One of the major challenges we face at present in Australia is low COVID vaccine uptake. While rates have increased somewhat recently, they remain relatively low, with only 32.3% of people aged 75 years and over having received a vaccine in the past six months. Vaccination rates in younger age groups are significantly lower.

    Although the situation with XFG must continue to be monitored, at present the WHO has assessed the global risk posed by this subvariant as low. The advice for combating COVID remains unchanged, including vaccination as recommended and the early administration of antivirals for those who are eligible.

    Measures to reduce the risk of transmission, particularly wearing masks in crowded indoor settings and focusing on air quality and ventilation, are worth remembering to protect against COVID and other viral infections.

    The Conversation

    Paul Griffin has been the principal investigator for clinical trials of 8 COVID-19 vaccines. He has previously participated in medical advisory boards for COVID-19 vaccines. Paul Griffin is a director and medical advisory board member of the immunisation coalition.

    ref. XFG could become the next dominant COVID variant. Here’s what to know about ‘Stratus’ – https://theconversation.com/xfg-could-become-the-next-dominant-covid-variant-heres-what-to-know-about-stratus-260499

  • Greek and Roman nymphs weren’t just sexy nature spirits. They had other important jobs too

    Source: ForeignAffairs4

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Kitty Smith, PhD Candidate in Classical Greek and Roman History, University of Sydney

    Acteon, having accidentally seen the goddess Diana and her nymphs bathing, begins to change into a stag. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. George S. Amory, Object Number: 64.208.

    Could you ever be truly alone in the woods of ancient Greece or Rome? According to myth, the ancient world was filled with wild animals, terrifying monsters, and mischievous deities. Among them were nymphs: semi-divine female figures that personified elements of the natural world.

    But nymphs offer us more than just stories of sexy nature spirits.

    They can reveal how ancient people thought about their world and connected with their landscape through mythology.

    Personifying elements of nature

    Nymph was a broad category in myth. It encompassed almost every semi-divine woman and girl in myth, including a number of goddesses. The sea goddess Thetis and the underworld river Styx were both sea nymphs as well as goddesses.

    Nymphs were typically portrayed as young, exceptionally beautiful women in art and literature. The word “nymph” in ancient Greek could even be used to mean “young girl” or “unmarried woman” when applied to mortal women.

    Despite this etymological connection, many nymphs were married or mothers or gods. Amphitrite was the wife of Poseidon, and her sister Metis, the personification of wisdom, was Zeus’ first wife, according to Hesiod’s Theogony. Maia was the mother of Hermes, the messenger god.

    What links all nymphs was their connection with the natural world. Nymphs typically personified elements of nature, like bodies of water, mountains, forests, the weather, or specific plants.

    This carving derives from a passage in The Iliad that describes the nereid Thetis, mother of the hero Achilles, and other nereids carrying newly forged armour to her son.
    This carving derives from a passage in The Iliad that describes the nereid Thetis, mother of the hero Achilles, and other nereids carrying newly forged armour to her son.
    The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Bothmer Purchase Fund, 1993, Object Number: 1993.11.2

    The nymph Daphne

    One of the most quintessential nymphs was Daphne (or Laurel, in Latin). According to the Roman poet Ovid in his poem the Metamorphoses, Daphne was a stunningly beautiful nymph who lived in the forest.

    Daphne had chosen to follow in the footsteps of Artemis (Diana), the goddess of the hunt, by being a huntress and abstaining from sex and marriage. But her beauty would be her downfall.

    One day the god Apollo saw Daphne and immediately tried to pursue her. Daphne did not feel similarly and fled through the forest. Apollo chased and nearly caught her.

    But Daphne’s father Peneus, a river god, saved his daughter by transforming her into the laurel tree.

    Like many nymphs, Daphne’s myth was an origin story for her namesake tree and its significance to the god Apollo.

    But her story also followed one of the most common tropes in nymph myths – the trope a nymph transformed into her namesake after running away from a male deity.

    Different nymphs for trees, water, mountains, stars

    There were even special names for different types of nymph.

    Daphne was a dryad, or tree nymph. Oreads (mountain nymphs) are referenced in Homer’s Iliad. There were three different types of water nymph: the saltwater oceanids and nereids, and the freshwater naiads.

    Nymphs lived in the wilderness. These untamed places could be dangerous but they also held precious natural resources that nymphs personified, such as special trees and springs.

    Spring nymphs personified one of the most precious resources of all: freshwater.

    It was hard to find freshwater in the ancient world, especially in places without human infrastructure. Cities were often built around springs.

    The nymph Arethusa was the personification of the spring Arethusa in Sicily. Today, you can visit the Fountain of Arethusa in modern day Syracuse.

    No matter where you looked in the ancient landscape, there were nymphs – even in the sky.

    The Pleiades and Hyades were two sets of daughters of the god Atlas who eventually were transformed into stars.

    Their myths gave an origin for two sets of constellations that were used for navigation and divination.

    The Pleiades and Hyades constellations were visible to the naked eye, and can still be seen today.

    This painting depicts the god Bacchus (the Roman equivalent of the wine god Dionysus) lounging with some nymphs in a landscape.
    This painting depicts the god Bacchus (the Roman equivalent of the wine god Dionysus) lounging with some nymphs in a landscape.
    Abraham van Cuylenborch/The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Object Number: 25.110.37

    The divine presence in nature

    Although myths may feel like a fictional story told to kids, nymph myths show that ancient myth is inseparable from the ancient landscape and ancient people.

    The natural world was imbued with a divine presence from the gods who physically made it – Gaia (Earth) was literally the soil underfoot. Nymphs were a part of this divine presence.

    This divine presence brought with it a very special boon: the gift of inspiration.

    Some writers (such as Plato) referred to this sort of natural inspiration as being “seized by the nymphs” (νυμφόληπτος or nympholeptus).

    Being present in nature and present in places with nymphs could bring about divine inspiration for philosophers, poets and artists alike.

    So, if you ever do find yourself alone in a Grecian wood, you may find yourself inspired and in good company – as long as you remain respectful.

    The Conversation

    Kitty Smith is a member of the Australian Society for Classical Studies and of Australasian Women in Ancient World Studies.

    ref. Greek and Roman nymphs weren’t just sexy nature spirits. They had other important jobs too – https://theconversation.com/greek-and-roman-nymphs-werent-just-sexy-nature-spirits-they-had-other-important-jobs-too-258287

  • AI is driving down the price of knowledge – universities have to rethink what they offer

    Source: ForeignAffairs4

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Patrick Dodd, Professional Teaching Fellow, Business School, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

    For a long time, universities worked off a simple idea: knowledge was scarce. You paid for tuition, showed up to lectures, completed assignments and eventually earned a credential.

    That process did two things: it gave you access to knowledge that was hard to find elsewhere, and it signalled to employers you had invested time and effort to master that knowledge.

    The model worked because the supply curve for high-quality information sat far to the left, meaning knowledge was scarce and the price – tuition and wage premiums – stayed high.

    Now the curve has shifted right, as the graph below illustrates. When supply moves right – that is, something becomes more accessible – the new intersection with demand sits lower on the price axis. This is why tuition premiums and graduate wage advantages are now under pressure.



    According to global consultancy McKinsey, generative AI could add between US$2.6 trillion and $4.4 trillion in annual global productivity. Why? Because AI drives the marginal cost of producing and organising information toward zero.

    Large language models no longer just retrieve facts; they explain, translate, summarise and draft almost instantly. When supply explodes like that, basic economics says price falls. The “knowledge premium” universities have long sold is deflating as a result.

    Employers have already made their move

    Markets react faster than curriculums. Since ChatGPT launched, entry-level job listings in the United Kingdom have fallen by about a third. In the United States, several states are removing degree requirements from public-sector roles.

    In Maryland, for instance, the share of state-government job ads requiring a degree slid from roughly 68% to 53% between 2022 and 2024.

    In economic terms, employers are repricing labour because AI is now a substitute for many routine, codifiable tasks that graduates once performed. If a chatbot can complete the work at near-zero marginal cost, the wage premium paid to a junior analyst shrinks.

    But the value of knowledge is not falling at the same speed everywhere. Economists such as David Autor and Daron Acemoglu point out that technology substitutes for some tasks while complementing others:

    • codifiable knowledge – structured, rule-based material such as tax codes or contract templates – faces rapid substitution by AI

    • tacit knowledge – contextual skills such as leading a team through conflict – acts as a complement, so its value can even rise.

    Data backs this up. Labour market analytics company Lightcast notes that one-third of the skills employers want have changed between 2021 and 2024. The American Enterprise Institute warns that mid-level knowledge workers, whose jobs depend on repeatable expertise, are most at risk of wage pressure.

    So yes, baseline knowledge still matters. You need it to prompt AI, judge its output and make good decisions. But the equilibrium wage premium – meaning the extra pay employers offer once supply and demand for that knowledge settle – is sliding down the demand curve fast.

    What’s scarce now?

    Herbert Simon, the Nobel Prize–winning economist and cognitive scientist, put it neatly decades ago: “A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.” When facts become cheap and plentiful, our limited capacity to filter, judge and apply them turns into the real bottleneck.

    That is why scarce resources shift from information itself to what machines still struggle to copy: focused attention, sound judgement, strong ethics, creativity and collaboration.

    I group these human complements under what I call the C.R.E.A.T.E.R. framework:

    • critical thinking – asking smart questions and spotting weak arguments

    • resilience and adaptability – staying steady when everything changes

    • emotional intelligence – understanding people and leading with empathy

    • accountability and ethics – taking responsibility for difficult calls

    • teamwork and collaboration – working well with people who think differently

    • entrepreneurial creativity – seeing gaps and building new solutions

    • reflection and lifelong learning – staying curious and ready to grow.

    These capabilities are the genuine scarcity in today’s market. They are complements to AI, not substitutes, which is why their wage returns hold or climb.

    What universities can do right now

    1. Audit courses: if ChatGPT can already score highly on an exam, the marginal value of teaching that content is near zero. Pivot the assessment toward judgement and synthesis.

    2. Reinvest in the learning experience: push resources into coached projects, messy real-world simulations, and ethical decision labs where AI is a tool, not the performer.

    3. Credential what matters: create micro-credentials for skills such as collaboration, initiative and ethical reasoning. These signal AI complements, not substitutes, and employers notice.

    4. Work with industry but keep it collaborative: invite employers to co-design assessments, not dictate them. A good partnership works like a design studio rather than a boardroom order sheet. Academics bring teaching expertise and rigour, employers supply real-world use cases, and students help test and refine the ideas.

    Universities can no longer rely on scarcity setting the price for the curated and credentialed form of information that used to be hard to obtain.

    The comparative advantage now lies in cultivating human skills that act as complements to AI. If universities do not adapt, the market – students and employers alike – will move on without them.

    The opportunity is clear. Shift the product from content delivery to judgement formation. Teach students how to think with, not against, intelligent machines. Because the old model, the one that priced knowledge as a scarce good, is already slipping below its economic break-even point.

    The Conversation

    Patrick Dodd 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. AI is driving down the price of knowledge – universities have to rethink what they offer – https://theconversation.com/ai-is-driving-down-the-price-of-knowledge-universities-have-to-rethink-what-they-offer-260493

  • A Shakespearean, small-town murder: why Australia became so obsessed with the Erin Patterson mushroom case

    Source: ForeignAffairs4

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Xanthe Mallett, Criminologist, CQUniversity Australia

    The “mushroom murder trial”, as it has popularly become known, has gripped Australia over the past 11 weeks. More than that, it’s prompted worldwide headlines, multiple daily podcasts, and even YouTube videos of self-proclaimed “body language experts” assessing defendant Erin Patterson’s every move.

    There’s an ABC drama series in the works. Acclaimed Australian author Helen Garner has been in the courtroom.

    But why did this tragedy, in which three people died and a fourth was lucky to survive, grip the public consciousness in way no other contemporary Australian case has?




    Read more:
    Erin Patterson has been found guilty in the mushroom murder trial. Legal experts explain why


    A not-so-wholesome family lunch

    On July 29 2023, in a sleepy town called Leongatha in the foothills of the Strzelecki Ranges in Victoria, a very normal woman called Erin Patterson made an ostensibly very normal lunch of beef Wellington.

    She was cooking for her in-laws, Gail and Don Patterson, Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, and Heather’s husband Ian. Erin’s estranged husband, Simon Patterson, was also invited, but chose not to attend.

    Simon and Erin had two children, a boy and a girl, who did not attend the lunch either.

    Shortly after the lunch, all four guests were admitted to hospital with suspected gastroenteritis. Erin Patterson also presented to hospital, but refused to be admitted.

    Within a few days, Gail, Don, and Heather all died as a result of what was later confirmed as poisoning with Amanita phalloides, better known as death cap mushrooms.

    Ian survived, but he was lucky. He spent seven weeks in hospital and needed a liver transplant.

    The questions became, how did the mushrooms get into the beef Wellington? Was this an awful accident or something more sinister?

    Public obsession

    These questions became the focus of very significant public and media attention.

    Erin Patterson spoke to the media in the days after the incident. She presented as your typical, average woman of 50.

    That is, in my opinion, where the obsession with this case began.

    This case had the feel of a Shakespearean drama: multiple deaths within one family, death by poison, and a female protagonist.

    The juxtaposition between the normality of a family lunch (and the sheer vanilla-ness of the accused) and the seriousness of the situation sent the media into overdrive.

    Then there were the lies. Patterson lied about foraging for mushrooms, and about having cancer to encourage the guests to attend.

    The location also played a huge part. Leongatha is known for its staggering natural beauty and thriving food and wine scene. It’s hardly a place where the world expected a mass murderer to live.

    However, the perception that rural areas are utopias of safety and social cohesion, and cities are dark and dangerous places, is a myth.

    One study by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare paints a different picture.

    For serious assault cases that resulted in hospitalisation, for major cities the rates were 65 per 100,000 people. In rural areas, this rose to 1,244 people per 100,000. And for murder, in very remote areas the rate was five per 100,000 population, but fewer than one per 100,000 in urban areas.

    Then there was Erin Patterson’s unusual behaviour. She disposed of the desiccator in which the mushrooms she had foraged were dehydrated. She used multiple phones, one of which underwent multiple factory resets on in the days following the lunch. One of these resets was done remotely after police seized her phone.

    There are also the much-discussed plates. The court heard she prepared her meal on a different-coloured plate to those of her other guests so they were easily identifiable.

    The public latched onto these details, each providing a new talking point around water coolers or spurring new Reddit threads dedicated to unpacking their significance.

    The courtroom as a stage

    Ultimately, after three months, Erin Patterson was charged with three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. She pleaded not guilty.

    The trial lasted 40 days. The prosecution alleged Patterson intentionally poisoned her guests, whereas the defence suggested it was all an awful, tragic accident.

    The jury took six and a half days to deliberate. During that time, various media outlets did everything they could to keep the story on the front page.

    Bizarre pieces began appearing online from credible sources such as the ABC, profiling people who had attended court. They included stories of people turning down work to attend the court daily, cases of friendships blossoming during the trial between regular attendees, and the outfit choices of locals turning up every day to watch the drama unfold.

    There were also articles profiling local cafe owners and how they felt about being at the centre of the legal theatrics. The daily podcasts continued even when news from the courtroom didn’t.

    The vibe felt more appropriate for a royal visit than a triple murder trial.

    It seemed everyone in Australia was gripped by one event, united in a way few other things could manage. We all waited with bated breath to see what the 12 men and women of the jury would decide.




    Read more:
    Justice on demand? The true crime podcasts serving up Erin Patterson’s mushroom murder trial


    Humanity behind the spectacle

    The end to this strange and unique criminal case came on Monday July 7.

    The result? Guilty on all four counts. Erin Patterson is formally a mass murderer, though many in the court of public opinion had reached the same conviction months earlier.

    Leongatha will always be known for being the setting of (arguably) the most infamous multiple murder case in Australian history. It will join Snowtown in South Australia (home of the “bodies in the barrell” murder case), Kendall in New South Wales (where William Tyrrell disappeared), and Claremont in Western Australia (the murder or disappearance of three women) as places forever linked to tragic crimes.

    While the trial is over, there’s much more content still to come, the public’s appetite yet to be satiated.

    But the final word should be saved for the Patterson and Wilkinson families. This is an awful tragedy, and there are no winners. Ian and Simon have lost loved ones. The Patterson children have lost grandparents and now have to come to terms with the fact their mother caused those deaths intentionally.

    Amid the spectacle, it’s easy to lose sight of the humanity at the centre. As the media spotlight dims, may the families get the privacy and respect they deserve.

    The Conversation

    Xanthe Mallett 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. A Shakespearean, small-town murder: why Australia became so obsessed with the Erin Patterson mushroom case – https://theconversation.com/a-shakespearean-small-town-murder-why-australia-became-so-obsessed-with-the-erin-patterson-mushroom-case-259982

  • MIL-OSI China: Tianzhou-8 cargo craft re-enters atmosphere

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, July 9 — China’s Tianzhou-8 cargo craft has re-entered the atmosphere in a controlled manner at 6:42 a.m. (Beijing Time) Wednesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

    Most of the spacecraft’s components burned up during the re-entry, and a small amount of its debris fell into the scheduled safe waters, said the CMSA.

    Launched on Nov. 15, 2024 from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan, the Tianzhou-8 was loaded with supplies for astronauts, propellants, and devices for applications and experiments.

    The Tianzhou-8 separated from the orbiting Tiangong space station combination on Tuesday and then entered its independent flight phase.

    MIL OSI China News

  • MIL-OSI China: Tianzhou-8 cargo craft re-enters atmosphere

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, July 9 — China’s Tianzhou-8 cargo craft has re-entered the atmosphere in a controlled manner at 6:42 a.m. (Beijing Time) Wednesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

    Most of the spacecraft’s components burned up during the re-entry, and a small amount of its debris fell into the scheduled safe waters, said the CMSA.

    Launched on Nov. 15, 2024 from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan, the Tianzhou-8 was loaded with supplies for astronauts, propellants, and devices for applications and experiments.

    The Tianzhou-8 separated from the orbiting Tiangong space station combination on Tuesday and then entered its independent flight phase.

    MIL OSI China News

  • MIL-OSI China: GBA to host upcoming 15th National Games

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    The 15th National Games, to be jointly organized by Guangdong province and the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, will accelerate the integrated development of the Greater Bay Area, according to a news conference held in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong on Tuesday.

    Under the guidance of the General Administration of Sport, the China Disabled Persons’ Federation and the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the three regions have reached consensus in six key areas through high-density communication and negotiations, said Huang Mingzhong, director of the office of the 15th National Games Organizing Committee.

    “The areas are cross-border events, port clearance, personnel and vehicle documents, food safety, green event management and event schedule,” Huang said at the news conference, which disclosed the progress of the three regions’ joint organizing work for the 15th National Games.

    “The three regions have now explored a joint competition model of ‘three regions with three similarities’, indicating ‘same frequency communication, concerted decision-making and synchronous execution’,” he said.

    “Taking the emblem design as an example, our emblem consists of three petals. With Guangdong’s kapok, Hong Kong’s bauhinia and Macao’s lotus overlapping and rotating, it forms a concentric floral pattern, symbolizing the unity and deep integration of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area,” said Huang, who is also deputy secretary-general of the Guangdong provincial government.

    Huang revealed that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Road Cycling Race, as a part of the 15th National Games, will take place in the three regions.

    “At that time, cyclists will depart from Zhuhai and first reach Macao via the Macao Bridge and then arrive at Hong Kong’s Lantau Island via Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge,” said Huang.

    Zhang Zhihua, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Guangdong province, said relevant departments have set up a dedicated channel at entry and exit ports, allowing relevant delegations to enter and leave whenever they need.

    “We have also opened a green channel for our ticket holders, with nationwide application for entry and exit documents,” he said.

    “With special treatment for entry and exit, we will contribute to the development of a one-hour life circle within the GBA,” said Zhang, who is also the deputy director of the coordinating department of the 15th National Games Organizing Committee.

    During the National Games, visitors can enjoy entry and exit without the need to show documents, he said.

    The 15th National Games, the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities, and the 9th National Special Olympic Games, are expected to attract more than 6,000 athletes from the Chinese mainland to cross the borders to Hong Kong and Macao to compete, while another more than 3,000 athletes from the two Chinese SARs are expected to come to the mainland for the competition, according to Zhang.

    Guangzhou will host the opening ceremony, while Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong, will host the closing ceremony.

    The 15th National Games will take place from Nov 9 to 21.

    MIL OSI China News

  • MIL-OSI China: GBA to host upcoming 15th National Games

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    The 15th National Games, to be jointly organized by Guangdong province and the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, will accelerate the integrated development of the Greater Bay Area, according to a news conference held in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong on Tuesday.

    Under the guidance of the General Administration of Sport, the China Disabled Persons’ Federation and the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the three regions have reached consensus in six key areas through high-density communication and negotiations, said Huang Mingzhong, director of the office of the 15th National Games Organizing Committee.

    “The areas are cross-border events, port clearance, personnel and vehicle documents, food safety, green event management and event schedule,” Huang said at the news conference, which disclosed the progress of the three regions’ joint organizing work for the 15th National Games.

    “The three regions have now explored a joint competition model of ‘three regions with three similarities’, indicating ‘same frequency communication, concerted decision-making and synchronous execution’,” he said.

    “Taking the emblem design as an example, our emblem consists of three petals. With Guangdong’s kapok, Hong Kong’s bauhinia and Macao’s lotus overlapping and rotating, it forms a concentric floral pattern, symbolizing the unity and deep integration of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area,” said Huang, who is also deputy secretary-general of the Guangdong provincial government.

    Huang revealed that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Road Cycling Race, as a part of the 15th National Games, will take place in the three regions.

    “At that time, cyclists will depart from Zhuhai and first reach Macao via the Macao Bridge and then arrive at Hong Kong’s Lantau Island via Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge,” said Huang.

    Zhang Zhihua, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Guangdong province, said relevant departments have set up a dedicated channel at entry and exit ports, allowing relevant delegations to enter and leave whenever they need.

    “We have also opened a green channel for our ticket holders, with nationwide application for entry and exit documents,” he said.

    “With special treatment for entry and exit, we will contribute to the development of a one-hour life circle within the GBA,” said Zhang, who is also the deputy director of the coordinating department of the 15th National Games Organizing Committee.

    During the National Games, visitors can enjoy entry and exit without the need to show documents, he said.

    The 15th National Games, the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities, and the 9th National Special Olympic Games, are expected to attract more than 6,000 athletes from the Chinese mainland to cross the borders to Hong Kong and Macao to compete, while another more than 3,000 athletes from the two Chinese SARs are expected to come to the mainland for the competition, according to Zhang.

    Guangzhou will host the opening ceremony, while Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong, will host the closing ceremony.

    The 15th National Games will take place from Nov 9 to 21.

    MIL OSI China News

  • MIL-OSI China: Alcaraz, Sabalenka take contrasting routes into Wimbledon semis

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the Wimbledon semifinals after ending British hope Cameron Norrie’s run with a dominant 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 victory on Tuesday.

    The Spaniard delivered a masterclass performance, firing 13 aces and converting 5 of 11 break points to seal the win in just 99 minutes.

    “I’m really happy. To play another Wimbledon semifinal is super special,” said Alcaraz.

    The second seed will next face Taylor Fritz of the United States, who reached his first-ever Wimbledon semifinal after defeating Russia’s Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4).

    Women’s world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka battled into the semifinals with a hard-fought 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 win over Laura Siegemund.

    The title favorite had to overcome a tough challenge from the 37-year-old German, twice recovering from a break down in the deciding set to secure victory.

    Sabalenka will now face 13th-seeded American Amanda Anisimova, who edged past Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 7-6 (9), for a place in the final.

    Chinese veteran Zhang Shuai and El Salvador’s Marcelo Arevalo saw their mixed doubles campaign end in the semifinals, losing 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4) to Joe Salisbury of Britain and Brazil’s Luisa Stefani.

    MIL OSI China News

  • MIL-OSI China: Alcaraz, Sabalenka take contrasting routes into Wimbledon semis

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the Wimbledon semifinals after ending British hope Cameron Norrie’s run with a dominant 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 victory on Tuesday.

    The Spaniard delivered a masterclass performance, firing 13 aces and converting 5 of 11 break points to seal the win in just 99 minutes.

    “I’m really happy. To play another Wimbledon semifinal is super special,” said Alcaraz.

    The second seed will next face Taylor Fritz of the United States, who reached his first-ever Wimbledon semifinal after defeating Russia’s Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4).

    Women’s world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka battled into the semifinals with a hard-fought 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 win over Laura Siegemund.

    The title favorite had to overcome a tough challenge from the 37-year-old German, twice recovering from a break down in the deciding set to secure victory.

    Sabalenka will now face 13th-seeded American Amanda Anisimova, who edged past Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 7-6 (9), for a place in the final.

    Chinese veteran Zhang Shuai and El Salvador’s Marcelo Arevalo saw their mixed doubles campaign end in the semifinals, losing 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4) to Joe Salisbury of Britain and Brazil’s Luisa Stefani.

    MIL OSI China News

  • MIL-OSI China: Xiplomacy: Xi’s reply inspires American, Chinese youths to carry on friendship forged through pickleball

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Xi’s reply inspires American, Chinese youths to carry on friendship forged through pickleball

    “We are extremely honored to receive a response from President Xi,” said Jeffrey Sullivan, head of the U.S. youth pickleball cultural exchange delegation from Montgomery County, Maryland.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping recently replied to the delegation’s letter, congratulating them on their successful visit to China. In April, Sullivan led a group of 44 teachers and students from 13 U.S. schools to China under Xi’s “50,000 in Five Years” initiative, which aims to bring 50,000 young Americans to China for exchange and study programs in a five-year span.

    After visiting Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing, the delegation sent a letter to Xi, expressing their gratitude for the initiative, noting they had forged unforgettable friendships with Chinese youths during the trip.

    In his reply, Xi said he was pleased to see that pickleball has become a new bond for youth exchanges between China and the United States. The future of China-U.S. relations depends on the youth, said Xi, expressing the hope that the delegation members will become a new generation of ambassadors for friendship between the two countries and make greater contributions to enhancing the friendship between the two peoples.

    A TRANSFORMATIVE JOURNEY

    “Thank you again for your vision and commitment to providing opportunities for our students and our countries to come together and build friendships, relationships and cultural learning opportunities,” the delegation wrote in the letter to Xi.

    Hailing the trip as life-changing, Sullivan said it enabled his delegation to immerse themselves in the Chinese culture and experience interpersonal relationships.

    “That was made possible because of the hospitality of the Chinese people, who opened their doors to us, who served us wonderful food, who had wonderful performances showcasing the culture and traditions of China,” he said, adding, “It (the visit) would be something that we would take with us forever.”

    Echoing Sullivan, Wang Pengfei, one of the initiators of the tour, said, “We want young Americans to see today’s China for themselves.”

    “Every high-five on the court, every hands-on experience in traditional craft workshops and every visit to a high-tech company is reshaping how they perceive China’s development,” said Wang.

    For student Isabella Brant, celebrating her birthday in China was the most memorable part of the trip. She recalled playing pickleball with her Chinese partners on that day, receiving flowers, but more importantly, gaining friendship.

    “Definitely life-changing!” said Brant, adding, “I was a little nervous to go over to China, but it definitely changed my perspective on things and how I viewed everything.”

    NEW BONDS

    “It was an amazing trip for our students to build friendships through sport,” Sullivan said, adding that the exchange between American and Chinese youths during this tour is “not just on the pickleball court, but also off the court.”

    Pickleball, a paddle sport that originated in the United States that blends elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis, is easy to pick up for beginners and has rapidly gained popularity in China.

    According to Sullivan, Montgomery is the first U.S. school district to offer pickleball as a varsity sport, as this activity is fully inclusive and continues to bring people of all ability levels together.

    The Montgomery County public schools have now begun cooperation with Shenzhen Nanshan District Education Bureau, education groups of Beijing Middle School and Beijing No. 10 Middle School to establish long-term partnerships, with pickleball included as a key area of exchange.

    “I witnessed firsthand how the power of sports can transcend borders and bring people from different cultural backgrounds closer together,” said Xie Yuan, a student from Wenhua School in Shenzhen who took part in the event.

    Speaking of the friends she made during the tour, Ella Geary, a student from the delegation, said, “I find it amazing that you can just instantly bond with someone who lives on the other side of the globe.”

    Echoing Geary, Sullivan’s daughter, Reagan Sullivan, also a student from the delegation, depicted the bonds they built as “amazing and unbreakable.”

    Pickleball has become a new bond for building friendships, she said.

    PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE FRIENDSHIP

    In April 1971, a 15-member U.S. table tennis delegation took a historic trip to China, becoming the first delegation of Americans to visit China in decades.

    Recalling the China-U.S. “Ping-Pong Diplomacy” 54 years ago, Sullivan said that sports have a unique power to bring people together.

    Beyond discovering China’s cultural charm and technological innovation, many students played Ping-Pong for the first time. Sullivan said a visit to the China Table Tennis Museum gave them deeper insight into the history of “Ping-Pong Diplomacy,” which once helped bridge U.S.-China relations.

    Upon hearing Xi’s reply, Stephen Mull, former U.S. acting undersecretary of state for political affairs, emphasized the unifying power of sports.

    “It encourages each participant to be the very best version of himself or herself while underscoring the common humanity that binds us all together on the field of play,” he explained.

    “Pickleball has served as a unique and joyful bridge between our two cultures, one that allowed for connection, mutual respect and shared learning. Like your vision, we believe that sports engagement is essential in building the foundation for lasting international friendship,” the delegation wrote in the letter to Xi.

    The vision refers to Xi’s “50,000 in Five Years” initiative, launched in November 2023. Nearly 15,000 American youth visited China by the end of 2024 under the initiative, observing China with their own eyes and traveling the expanse of the country on their own feet.

    “If I had the opportunity, I would definitely go back,” said Joel Geary, a student from the delegation.

    “We are all part of the ‘50,000 in Five Years’ initiative,” said Sun Yuyan, a student who participated in the event from Shanghai Luwan High School, adding, “The future of China-U.S. relations should be a shared future shaped by our generation, one that lives up to the promise of our youth.”

    “I would love to organize additional exchanges and opportunities, whether it’s through pickleball or other sports, using them as a platform to bring people together,” said Sullivan.

    MIL OSI China News

  • MIL-OSI China: Xiplomacy: Xi’s reply inspires American, Chinese youths to carry on friendship forged through pickleball

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Xi’s reply inspires American, Chinese youths to carry on friendship forged through pickleball

    “We are extremely honored to receive a response from President Xi,” said Jeffrey Sullivan, head of the U.S. youth pickleball cultural exchange delegation from Montgomery County, Maryland.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping recently replied to the delegation’s letter, congratulating them on their successful visit to China. In April, Sullivan led a group of 44 teachers and students from 13 U.S. schools to China under Xi’s “50,000 in Five Years” initiative, which aims to bring 50,000 young Americans to China for exchange and study programs in a five-year span.

    After visiting Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing, the delegation sent a letter to Xi, expressing their gratitude for the initiative, noting they had forged unforgettable friendships with Chinese youths during the trip.

    In his reply, Xi said he was pleased to see that pickleball has become a new bond for youth exchanges between China and the United States. The future of China-U.S. relations depends on the youth, said Xi, expressing the hope that the delegation members will become a new generation of ambassadors for friendship between the two countries and make greater contributions to enhancing the friendship between the two peoples.

    A TRANSFORMATIVE JOURNEY

    “Thank you again for your vision and commitment to providing opportunities for our students and our countries to come together and build friendships, relationships and cultural learning opportunities,” the delegation wrote in the letter to Xi.

    Hailing the trip as life-changing, Sullivan said it enabled his delegation to immerse themselves in the Chinese culture and experience interpersonal relationships.

    “That was made possible because of the hospitality of the Chinese people, who opened their doors to us, who served us wonderful food, who had wonderful performances showcasing the culture and traditions of China,” he said, adding, “It (the visit) would be something that we would take with us forever.”

    Echoing Sullivan, Wang Pengfei, one of the initiators of the tour, said, “We want young Americans to see today’s China for themselves.”

    “Every high-five on the court, every hands-on experience in traditional craft workshops and every visit to a high-tech company is reshaping how they perceive China’s development,” said Wang.

    For student Isabella Brant, celebrating her birthday in China was the most memorable part of the trip. She recalled playing pickleball with her Chinese partners on that day, receiving flowers, but more importantly, gaining friendship.

    “Definitely life-changing!” said Brant, adding, “I was a little nervous to go over to China, but it definitely changed my perspective on things and how I viewed everything.”

    NEW BONDS

    “It was an amazing trip for our students to build friendships through sport,” Sullivan said, adding that the exchange between American and Chinese youths during this tour is “not just on the pickleball court, but also off the court.”

    Pickleball, a paddle sport that originated in the United States that blends elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis, is easy to pick up for beginners and has rapidly gained popularity in China.

    According to Sullivan, Montgomery is the first U.S. school district to offer pickleball as a varsity sport, as this activity is fully inclusive and continues to bring people of all ability levels together.

    The Montgomery County public schools have now begun cooperation with Shenzhen Nanshan District Education Bureau, education groups of Beijing Middle School and Beijing No. 10 Middle School to establish long-term partnerships, with pickleball included as a key area of exchange.

    “I witnessed firsthand how the power of sports can transcend borders and bring people from different cultural backgrounds closer together,” said Xie Yuan, a student from Wenhua School in Shenzhen who took part in the event.

    Speaking of the friends she made during the tour, Ella Geary, a student from the delegation, said, “I find it amazing that you can just instantly bond with someone who lives on the other side of the globe.”

    Echoing Geary, Sullivan’s daughter, Reagan Sullivan, also a student from the delegation, depicted the bonds they built as “amazing and unbreakable.”

    Pickleball has become a new bond for building friendships, she said.

    PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE FRIENDSHIP

    In April 1971, a 15-member U.S. table tennis delegation took a historic trip to China, becoming the first delegation of Americans to visit China in decades.

    Recalling the China-U.S. “Ping-Pong Diplomacy” 54 years ago, Sullivan said that sports have a unique power to bring people together.

    Beyond discovering China’s cultural charm and technological innovation, many students played Ping-Pong for the first time. Sullivan said a visit to the China Table Tennis Museum gave them deeper insight into the history of “Ping-Pong Diplomacy,” which once helped bridge U.S.-China relations.

    Upon hearing Xi’s reply, Stephen Mull, former U.S. acting undersecretary of state for political affairs, emphasized the unifying power of sports.

    “It encourages each participant to be the very best version of himself or herself while underscoring the common humanity that binds us all together on the field of play,” he explained.

    “Pickleball has served as a unique and joyful bridge between our two cultures, one that allowed for connection, mutual respect and shared learning. Like your vision, we believe that sports engagement is essential in building the foundation for lasting international friendship,” the delegation wrote in the letter to Xi.

    The vision refers to Xi’s “50,000 in Five Years” initiative, launched in November 2023. Nearly 15,000 American youth visited China by the end of 2024 under the initiative, observing China with their own eyes and traveling the expanse of the country on their own feet.

    “If I had the opportunity, I would definitely go back,” said Joel Geary, a student from the delegation.

    “We are all part of the ‘50,000 in Five Years’ initiative,” said Sun Yuyan, a student who participated in the event from Shanghai Luwan High School, adding, “The future of China-U.S. relations should be a shared future shaped by our generation, one that lives up to the promise of our youth.”

    “I would love to organize additional exchanges and opportunities, whether it’s through pickleball or other sports, using them as a platform to bring people together,” said Sullivan.

    MIL OSI China News

  • MIL-OSI China: Rural China embraces lifestyle-focused green tourism

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Over the past five years, Yang Chenglan, a 39-year-old entrepreneur of Dong ethnicity living in southwest China’s mountainous region, has transformed her business from trading brocade cloth and traditional garments to curating immersive lifestyle experiences.

    Back in 2016, after seven years away, Yang returned to her hometown with a mission to revive her community’s traditional hand-weaving practices. A native of Fengdeng Dong Village in Guizhou Province, she initially led a small team of weavers, embroiderers, and dyers to produce Dong brocade and traditional costumes. Before long, annual sales surpassed one million yuan (about 139,800 U.S. dollars).

    “Nowadays, we welcome visitors to experience the craft themselves. They can stay in our village, work at our looms, and get a feel for our way of life,” Yang said.

    To meet growing demand, she set up workshops for brocade weaving, dyeing, and costume-making. Prices for these hands-on courses range from just over 100 yuan to several hundred yuan, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

    “Customers increasingly value hands-on experience,” Yang said. “They join our workshops, integrate into daily village life, and often purchase products before they leave.”

    Yang’s success story is a microcosm of the broader shift from “selling products” to “selling lifestyles” in pursuit of greener spending habits. By championing green consumption and promoting low-carbon production and lifestyles, China is accelerating its green transformation while meeting people’s rising aspirations for a better life.

    Traveling for events has become a popular “culture-sports-tourism” package in the country in recent years. Whether following a cycling race, attending an opera performance, sampling local customs, or exploring cultural relics, more and more urbanites are discovering China’s rural landscapes through fresh, green experiences.

    In Guizhou Province, for example, a series of “village-branded” events such as the Village Super League (Cun Chao), Village Basketball Association (Cun BA), Village Song and Village Marathon have drawn strong tourist interest. Originating in Rongjiang County in 2023, the village football league attracted over 2.41 million visitors between Jan. 1 and May 5 this year, marking an 11.77 percent increase year on year.

    “We chase the ‘Cun Chao’ not only for the football and local culture but also to immerse ourselves in local customs,” said Wu Qilin, a frequent visitor from Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province.

    Data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism show that in the first quarter of 2025, China’s rural tourism received 707 million visits, up 8.9 percent year on year.

    Rural tourism has evolved from showcasing scenic landscapes to marketing local products, and has now progressed to offering immersive lifestyle experiences, said Yang Lu, deputy director of the Rongjiang County bureau of culture, sports, radio, television and tourism. “We expect visitors not only to enjoy the mountains and rivers but also to take home lasting memories and emotional connections.”

    Beyond tourism, other industries are also embracing the green shift. In Guizhou, the heartland of sauce-flavor baijiu, a distilled spirit, local officials and entrepreneurs have urged a shift from merely “selling liquor” to “selling lifestyles” to better meet diverse consumer demands.

    In Maotai Township, Zunyi City — the historic birthplace of China’s signature spirit — efforts are underway to develop showcase distilleries, gourmet streets and integrated liquor-tourism zones, all aimed at creating rich cultural and culinary experiences.

    Distilleries in Maotai are transforming their approach by crafting immersive experiences that weave together the region’s landscapes, culture, cuisine, and renowned spirits, according to representatives from local distilleries.

    This shift from simply selling liquor to promoting a holistic lifestyle not only revitalizes the industry but also supports the broader move toward sustainable, green consumption, they said. ■

    MIL OSI China News

  • MIL-OSI China: Rural China embraces lifestyle-focused green tourism

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Over the past five years, Yang Chenglan, a 39-year-old entrepreneur of Dong ethnicity living in southwest China’s mountainous region, has transformed her business from trading brocade cloth and traditional garments to curating immersive lifestyle experiences.

    Back in 2016, after seven years away, Yang returned to her hometown with a mission to revive her community’s traditional hand-weaving practices. A native of Fengdeng Dong Village in Guizhou Province, she initially led a small team of weavers, embroiderers, and dyers to produce Dong brocade and traditional costumes. Before long, annual sales surpassed one million yuan (about 139,800 U.S. dollars).

    “Nowadays, we welcome visitors to experience the craft themselves. They can stay in our village, work at our looms, and get a feel for our way of life,” Yang said.

    To meet growing demand, she set up workshops for brocade weaving, dyeing, and costume-making. Prices for these hands-on courses range from just over 100 yuan to several hundred yuan, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

    “Customers increasingly value hands-on experience,” Yang said. “They join our workshops, integrate into daily village life, and often purchase products before they leave.”

    Yang’s success story is a microcosm of the broader shift from “selling products” to “selling lifestyles” in pursuit of greener spending habits. By championing green consumption and promoting low-carbon production and lifestyles, China is accelerating its green transformation while meeting people’s rising aspirations for a better life.

    Traveling for events has become a popular “culture-sports-tourism” package in the country in recent years. Whether following a cycling race, attending an opera performance, sampling local customs, or exploring cultural relics, more and more urbanites are discovering China’s rural landscapes through fresh, green experiences.

    In Guizhou Province, for example, a series of “village-branded” events such as the Village Super League (Cun Chao), Village Basketball Association (Cun BA), Village Song and Village Marathon have drawn strong tourist interest. Originating in Rongjiang County in 2023, the village football league attracted over 2.41 million visitors between Jan. 1 and May 5 this year, marking an 11.77 percent increase year on year.

    “We chase the ‘Cun Chao’ not only for the football and local culture but also to immerse ourselves in local customs,” said Wu Qilin, a frequent visitor from Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province.

    Data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism show that in the first quarter of 2025, China’s rural tourism received 707 million visits, up 8.9 percent year on year.

    Rural tourism has evolved from showcasing scenic landscapes to marketing local products, and has now progressed to offering immersive lifestyle experiences, said Yang Lu, deputy director of the Rongjiang County bureau of culture, sports, radio, television and tourism. “We expect visitors not only to enjoy the mountains and rivers but also to take home lasting memories and emotional connections.”

    Beyond tourism, other industries are also embracing the green shift. In Guizhou, the heartland of sauce-flavor baijiu, a distilled spirit, local officials and entrepreneurs have urged a shift from merely “selling liquor” to “selling lifestyles” to better meet diverse consumer demands.

    In Maotai Township, Zunyi City — the historic birthplace of China’s signature spirit — efforts are underway to develop showcase distilleries, gourmet streets and integrated liquor-tourism zones, all aimed at creating rich cultural and culinary experiences.

    Distilleries in Maotai are transforming their approach by crafting immersive experiences that weave together the region’s landscapes, culture, cuisine, and renowned spirits, according to representatives from local distilleries.

    This shift from simply selling liquor to promoting a holistic lifestyle not only revitalizes the industry but also supports the broader move toward sustainable, green consumption, they said. ■

    MIL OSI China News

  • MIL-OSI China: Exhibition marking 80th anniversary of victory against Japanese aggression, fascism launched in Beijing

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Exhibition marking 80th anniversary of victory against Japanese aggression, fascism launched in Beijing

    Xinhua | July 9, 2025

    People visit an exhibition themed “For National Liberation and World Peace” at the Museum of the War of Chinese People’s Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Beijing, capital of China, July 8, 2025. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

    The exhibition commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War opened to public in Beijing on Tuesday.

    The exhibition features 1,525 photos and 3,237 artifacts across an area of 12,200 square meters.

    1   2   3   4   5   >  

    MIL OSI China News

  • MIL-OSI China: Exhibition marking 80th anniversary of victory against Japanese aggression, fascism launched in Beijing

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Exhibition marking 80th anniversary of victory against Japanese aggression, fascism launched in Beijing

    Xinhua | July 9, 2025

    People visit an exhibition themed “For National Liberation and World Peace” at the Museum of the War of Chinese People’s Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Beijing, capital of China, July 8, 2025. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

    The exhibition commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War opened to public in Beijing on Tuesday.

    The exhibition features 1,525 photos and 3,237 artifacts across an area of 12,200 square meters.

    1   2   3   4   5   >  

    MIL OSI China News

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for July 9, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 9, 2025.

    Teeth record the hidden history of your childhood climate and diet
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tanya M. Smith, Professor in the Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution & Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University Douglas Sacha / Getty Images The climate we live in affects our lives in profound ways: hot summers, cold winters, dry spells and wet weather

    Netflix’s Shark Whisperer wants us to think ‘sexy conservation’ is the way to save sharks – does it have a point?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Hopkins, Senior Lecturer in Education (Curriculum and Pedagogy), University of the Sunshine Coast Netflix In the new Netflix documentary Shark Whisperer, the great white shark gets an image makeover – from Jaws villain to misunderstood friend and admirer. But the star of the documentary is not

    How do coronial inquests work? Here’s what they can and can’t do
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marc Trabsky, Associate Professor of Law, Monash University Northern Territory Coroner Elizabeth Armitage’s inquest findings into the death of Kumanjayi Walker have sparked conversations across Australia. The coroner found the NT police officer who shot Walker, Zachary Rolfe, was “racist”, and she couldn’t exclude the possibility that

    Greek and Roman nymphs weren’t just sexy nature spirits. They had other important jobs too
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kitty Smith, PhD Candidate in Classical Greek and Roman History, University of Sydney Acteon, having accidentally seen the goddess Diana and her nymphs bathing, begins to change into a stag. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. George S. Amory, Object Number: 64.208. Could you ever be

    American science is in crisis. It’s a great opportunity for Australia to snap up top scientists
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kylie Walker, Visiting Fellow, National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, Australian National University Stellalevi / Getty Images Science in the United States in in trouble. The National Science Foundation, a key research funding agency, has suffered devastating funding cuts under the current administration. Critics say

    Some young people sexually abuse. Here’s how to reduce reoffending by up to 90%
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jesse Cale, Associate Professor of Criminology, Deputy Director Research (Griffith Youth Forensic Service), Griffith University When we think about who’s responsible for sexual abuse in Australia, we usually picture adults. But young people are responsible for a substantial proportion of sexual offences nationwide. Up to a third

    XFG could become the next dominant COVID variant. Here’s what to know about ‘Stratus’
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Griffin, Professor, Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, The University of Queensland visualspace/Getty Images Given the number of times this has happened already, it should come as little surprise that we’re now faced with yet another new subvariant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID. This new subvariant

    Can a pizza box go in the yellow bin – or not? An expert answers this and other messy recycling questions
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pooria Pasbakhsh, Research Fellow in Polymer Upcycling, The University of Melbourne ViDCan/Shutterstock Have you ever gone to toss something into the recycling bin – a jam jar, a pizza box, a takeaway container encrusted with yesterday’s lunch – and wondered if you’re doing it right? Perhaps you

    AI is driving down the price of knowledge – universities have to rethink what they offer
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Dodd, Professional Teaching Fellow, Business School, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau For a long time, universities worked off a simple idea: knowledge was scarce. You paid for tuition, showed up to lectures, completed assignments and eventually earned a credential. That process did two things: it

    Academic slams NZ government over ‘compromised’ foreign policy
    Asia Pacific Report A prominent academic has criticised the New Zealand coalition government for compromising the country’s traditional commitment to upholding an international rules-based order due to a “desire not to offend” the Trump administration. Professor Robert Patman, an inaugural sesquicentennial distinguished chair and a specialist in international relations at the University of Otago, has

    Interest rates are on hold at 3.85%, as the Reserve Bank opts for caution over mortgage relief
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stella Huangfu, Associate Professor, School of Economics, University of Sydney Thurtell/Getty Images The Reserve Bank of Australia has kept the cash rate at 3.85%, after cutting it in February and May. Those earlier moves were aimed at supporting the economy as growth slowed and inflation eased. This

    The US has high hopes for a new Gaza ceasefire, but Israel’s long-term aims seem far less peaceful
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ali Mamouri, Research Fellow, Middle East Studies, Deakin University US President Donald Trump has hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for dinner at the White House, where he has declared talks to end the war in Gaza are “going along very well”. In turn, Netanyahu revealed he

    What makes a good AI prompt? Here are 4 expert tips
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sandra Peter, Director of Sydney Executive Plus, Business School, University of Sydney FOTOSPLASH/Shutterstock “And do you work well with AI?” As tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot and other generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems become part of everyday workflows, more companies are looking for employees who can answer

    Saying goodbye is never easy: why we mourn the end of our favourite TV series
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Gerace, Senior Lecturer and Head of Course – Positive Psychology, CQUniversity Australia Netflix Has the ending of Squid Game left you feeling downhearted? The South Korean megahit struck a nerve with audiences worldwide, with millions logging in to Netflix to follow protagonist Seong Gi-hun and fellow

    Are chemicals to blame for cancer in young people? Here’s what the evidence says
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Diepstraten, Senior Research Officer, Blood Cells and Blood Cancer Division, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research) Cancer is traditionally known as a disease affecting mostly older people. But some worrying trends show cancer rates in younger people aged under 50 are on the

    ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for July 8, 2025
    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 8, 2025.

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for July 9, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 9, 2025.

    Teeth record the hidden history of your childhood climate and diet
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tanya M. Smith, Professor in the Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution & Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University Douglas Sacha / Getty Images The climate we live in affects our lives in profound ways: hot summers, cold winters, dry spells and wet weather

    Netflix’s Shark Whisperer wants us to think ‘sexy conservation’ is the way to save sharks – does it have a point?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Hopkins, Senior Lecturer in Education (Curriculum and Pedagogy), University of the Sunshine Coast Netflix In the new Netflix documentary Shark Whisperer, the great white shark gets an image makeover – from Jaws villain to misunderstood friend and admirer. But the star of the documentary is not

    How do coronial inquests work? Here’s what they can and can’t do
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marc Trabsky, Associate Professor of Law, Monash University Northern Territory Coroner Elizabeth Armitage’s inquest findings into the death of Kumanjayi Walker have sparked conversations across Australia. The coroner found the NT police officer who shot Walker, Zachary Rolfe, was “racist”, and she couldn’t exclude the possibility that

    Greek and Roman nymphs weren’t just sexy nature spirits. They had other important jobs too
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kitty Smith, PhD Candidate in Classical Greek and Roman History, University of Sydney Acteon, having accidentally seen the goddess Diana and her nymphs bathing, begins to change into a stag. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. George S. Amory, Object Number: 64.208. Could you ever be

    American science is in crisis. It’s a great opportunity for Australia to snap up top scientists
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kylie Walker, Visiting Fellow, National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, Australian National University Stellalevi / Getty Images Science in the United States in in trouble. The National Science Foundation, a key research funding agency, has suffered devastating funding cuts under the current administration. Critics say

    Some young people sexually abuse. Here’s how to reduce reoffending by up to 90%
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jesse Cale, Associate Professor of Criminology, Deputy Director Research (Griffith Youth Forensic Service), Griffith University When we think about who’s responsible for sexual abuse in Australia, we usually picture adults. But young people are responsible for a substantial proportion of sexual offences nationwide. Up to a third

    XFG could become the next dominant COVID variant. Here’s what to know about ‘Stratus’
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Griffin, Professor, Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, The University of Queensland visualspace/Getty Images Given the number of times this has happened already, it should come as little surprise that we’re now faced with yet another new subvariant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID. This new subvariant

    Can a pizza box go in the yellow bin – or not? An expert answers this and other messy recycling questions
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pooria Pasbakhsh, Research Fellow in Polymer Upcycling, The University of Melbourne ViDCan/Shutterstock Have you ever gone to toss something into the recycling bin – a jam jar, a pizza box, a takeaway container encrusted with yesterday’s lunch – and wondered if you’re doing it right? Perhaps you

    AI is driving down the price of knowledge – universities have to rethink what they offer
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Dodd, Professional Teaching Fellow, Business School, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau For a long time, universities worked off a simple idea: knowledge was scarce. You paid for tuition, showed up to lectures, completed assignments and eventually earned a credential. That process did two things: it

    Academic slams NZ government over ‘compromised’ foreign policy
    Asia Pacific Report A prominent academic has criticised the New Zealand coalition government for compromising the country’s traditional commitment to upholding an international rules-based order due to a “desire not to offend” the Trump administration. Professor Robert Patman, an inaugural sesquicentennial distinguished chair and a specialist in international relations at the University of Otago, has

    Interest rates are on hold at 3.85%, as the Reserve Bank opts for caution over mortgage relief
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stella Huangfu, Associate Professor, School of Economics, University of Sydney Thurtell/Getty Images The Reserve Bank of Australia has kept the cash rate at 3.85%, after cutting it in February and May. Those earlier moves were aimed at supporting the economy as growth slowed and inflation eased. This

    The US has high hopes for a new Gaza ceasefire, but Israel’s long-term aims seem far less peaceful
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ali Mamouri, Research Fellow, Middle East Studies, Deakin University US President Donald Trump has hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for dinner at the White House, where he has declared talks to end the war in Gaza are “going along very well”. In turn, Netanyahu revealed he

    What makes a good AI prompt? Here are 4 expert tips
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sandra Peter, Director of Sydney Executive Plus, Business School, University of Sydney FOTOSPLASH/Shutterstock “And do you work well with AI?” As tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot and other generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems become part of everyday workflows, more companies are looking for employees who can answer

    Saying goodbye is never easy: why we mourn the end of our favourite TV series
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Gerace, Senior Lecturer and Head of Course – Positive Psychology, CQUniversity Australia Netflix Has the ending of Squid Game left you feeling downhearted? The South Korean megahit struck a nerve with audiences worldwide, with millions logging in to Netflix to follow protagonist Seong Gi-hun and fellow

    Are chemicals to blame for cancer in young people? Here’s what the evidence says
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Diepstraten, Senior Research Officer, Blood Cells and Blood Cancer Division, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research) Cancer is traditionally known as a disease affecting mostly older people. But some worrying trends show cancer rates in younger people aged under 50 are on the

    ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for July 8, 2025
    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 8, 2025.

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-OSI Russia: A new direction “Integration of solutions using artificial intelligence technologies” has opened at the Higher College of Informatics of NSU

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Novosibirsk State University –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    The Higher College of Informatics of Novosibirsk State University has received a license and is opening a new specialty, “Integration of Solutions Using Artificial Intelligence Technologies.” This is a modern secondary vocational education (SVE) program aimed at training qualified specialists in working with AI. Recruitment for the new program has already started and will amount to up to 30 people. The training is designed for a period of 3 years and 10 months in full-time form.

    Graduates of the program will receive the qualification of “artificial intelligence specialist” and acquire skills in developing, integrating and implementing AI solutions in various fields: industry, medicine, education, finance and service industries. During the training, students will study the basics of artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data processing, as well as working with intelligent systems and robotics.

    — Our new program is different in that students will work on real cases of industrial partners, train neural networks on the most productive graphics cluster beyond the Urals — this is the pilot cluster of the Lavrentyev supercomputer center, which we launched in 2024. The teachers will be research associates of the NSU Research Center for Artificial Intelligence — leading experts in AI in our country. From this point of view, our program is unique: no other educational institution of secondary vocational education in our region provides such opportunities, — says Alexey Okunev, director of the Higher College of Informatics at NSU.

    Those who enroll in the new program will gain the skills of training, customizing, and implementing products based on artificial intelligence. The development of new artificial intelligence tools will be taught in this program, which distinguishes it from other programs presented at the NSU VKI.

    A new direction has just appeared: the Higher College of Informatics of NSU received a license in June of this year. Recruitment is conducted on a fee-paying basis based on 9 classes, next year it is planned to receive budget places.

    The NSU VKI has already noted a great deal of interest in the program, although recruitment was only recently announced. One of the reasons is the high demand on the market for specialists who can work with AI. Some IT companies, when hiring, require programming skills using AI assistants. And the new program teaches how to use artificial intelligence in professional work.

    — The demand for process automation using artificial intelligence exceeds the supply of specialists on the market. In the field of AI, even graduates with the skills of a beginner programmer can find good vacancies. It is important to note that we do not need those who are doing “my first project on YOLO”. We need specialists in optimizing the performance of AI solutions, their integration with other IT products. The use of artificial intelligence on autonomous and robotic devices is also gaining popularity, — adds Alexey Okunev.

    NSU VKI teachers closely follow trends in both products and market applications of artificial intelligence. Therefore, the new direction has great prospects for further development.

    — Now, in addition to autonomous AI, prompt engineering is gaining popularity, that is, the creation of effective and accurate prompts (hints) for working with large language models (Large Language Model, LLM); as well as information search using Retrieval Augmented Generation (generation supplemented by search), when LLMs respond to a request based on data obtained as a result of searching in external sources. In the near future, we hope to implement these, currently advanced, developments in our courses, — adds Alexey Okunev.

    The admissions campaign for the 2025–2026 academic year in four specialties is ongoing at the NSU Higher College of Informatics.

    For all questions related to admission, you can contact the admissions office of VKI NSU: by mail Admission@mer.K. NSU.ru and phone: 7 (383) 373-11-61

    Up-to-date information, as well as answers to questions of interest, can be obtained in official group of VKI NSU on VKontakte

     

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Bendigo Regional Employment Precinct community update

    Source: New South Wales Ministerial News

    Early planning work for the development of the Bendigo Regional Employment Precinct in Marong is underway to deliver much-needed industrial land for Greater Bendigo.

    The Victorian Government has invested $6M to prepare a range of studies that will outline how the site can be developed and identify the most appropriate businesses and uses for the 155ha precinct located along the Wimmera and Calder Alternative Highways south of the Marong township.

    It is intended a Planning Scheme Amendment will be released in August or September this year to rezone the site from the current Farming Zone to an industrial zone.

    City of Greater Bendigo Chief Executive Officer Andrew Cooney said Greater Bendigo had less than 10 years’ supply of industrial land left.

    “Greater Bendigo has a strong manufacturing industry. This project intends to secure jobs in the region and support local businesses that may want to grow and attract future businesses seeking large parcels of land ready for development,” Mr Cooney said.

    “Much of the industrial land that is available now is small and the lot sizes are spread out, which is not ideal when it comes to supporting large-scale industry and separating this kind of development from residential living.

    “We have partnered with Development Victoria, the Victorian Planning Authority, the Department of Transport and Planning, and Regional Development Victoria to complete a range of technical studies, including traffic and transport, flora and fauna, and Aboriginal cultural heritage. Coliban Water is also delivering a pipeline upgrade between Golden Square and Marong to deliver increased water pressure and water flow.

    “A key focus of the studies is to identify the enabling infrastructure the site is going to need, for example power, sewer and roads, and the best development model that ultimately makes it affordable for tenants to move in.

    “As the studies are completed, we will have a better understanding of the kind of costs involved so we can start having discussions with our State and Federal colleagues about how to realise our vision for this site.”

    To guide the development of future industrial land, since 2020 the City has prepared three strategic documents that confirmed the demand for industrial land and where a future site would be best located.

    The 2020 Greater Bendigo Industrial Land Development Strategy acknowledged Greater Bendigo was experiencing a significant industrial land shortfall and struggling to meet demand, while the 2020 Marong Township Structure Plan and 2024 revised Greater Bendigo Industrial Land Development Strategy identified a preferred 294ha site for development in Marong. In 2021, the City purchased 155ha within this preferred site.

    MIL OSI News

  • MIL-OSI Europe: The 2025 Vulnerability Assessment brings an encouraging outcome

    Source: Frontex

    The year 2025 brought important anniversaries to the European Border and Coast Guard community – 40 years of the Schengen Agreement and 20 years of Frontex are truly important milestones.

    The Agency‘s vulnerability assessment function is still two years short of its first round anniversary. With the important inputs from border guard colleagues in the 29 Member States and Schengen Associated Countries, this year we shared the eighth edition of individual country assessments with our stakeholders on Thursday, 26 June.

    The overall results are encouraging – the total number of identified vulnerabilities concerning the capacities and preparedness of border control in our Member States show a relevant overall downward trend. Less vulnerabilities and, potentially, less recommended measures for remedial action down the line do however not automatically translate into a situation where all is just fine at the European external borders. For that, the geopolitical faults at our doorstep are too manyfold, furthermore, the digitalisation of borders might herald new challenges of which currently only rough contours have become visible.

    Together we will set out to implement remedies – all this with one common goal: to ensure today‘s external borders of the European Union remain secure tomorrow

    MIL OSI Europe News

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Massive cocaine seizure: Frontex supports crackdown on sea smuggling

    Source: Frontex

    More than 3 tons of cocaine have been stopped from reaching Europe’s streets thanks to a large-scale international operation targeting maritime drug smuggling. Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, played a central role in co-leading the action, which ran throughout June.

    Operation White Sea V focused on smuggling routes in the Atlantic, the North Sea, and the English Channel. It brought together forces from 12 countries, including Belgium, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom, along with Frontex, Europol, and MAOC-N.

    • 3.3 tons of cocaine seized
    • 951 ships tracked
    • 119 ships inspected
    • 13 arrests

    One of the biggest hauls came on 23 June, when Belgian authorities found 647 kg of cocaine hidden deep inside a tanker from Brazil docked in Zeebrugge. Five crew members were arrested and remain in custody.

    Frontex provided real-time ship tracking, aerial surveillance flights, and deployed six cross-border crime officers to support boarding and inspection teams on the ground, including during the Zeebrugge operational period.

    Operation White Sea V, which took place in the month of June, reflects a growing trend of traffickers using the sea to smuggle large quantities of cocaine. Frontex remains fully committed to supporting Member States in disrupting organized crime and keeping European borders secure.

    Frontex played a key part in the operation by tracking nearly 1 000 ships and providing the tools needed to support national teams. We sent six of our experts to assist with inspections on the ground, including the one that led to the major  seizure in Zeebrugge.

    We also contributed from the air, coordinating 12 surveillance flights over key sea routes. These flights, which covered nearly 25 hours in total, helped spot suspicious activity and guide enforcement teams.

    The operation highlights a worrying trend in sea-based cocaine smuggling. Frontex will continue working closely with national authorities to fight organized crime and protect Europe’s borders.

    The European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT) tackles the most important threats posed by organized and serious international crime affecting the EU. EMPACT strengthens intelligence, strategic and operational cooperation between national authorities, EU institutions and bodies, and international partners. EMPACT runs in four-year cycles focusing on common EU crime priorities.

    MIL OSI Europe News

  • MIL-Evening Report: Netflix’s Shark Whisperer wants us to think ‘sexy conservation’ is the way to save sharks – does it have a point?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Hopkins, Senior Lecturer in Education (Curriculum and Pedagogy), University of the Sunshine Coast

    Netflix

    In the new Netflix documentary Shark Whisperer, the great white shark gets an image makeover – from Jaws villain to misunderstood friend and admirer.

    But the star of the documentary is not so much the shark, but the model and marine conservationist Ocean Ramsey (yes, that’s her real name).

    The film centres on Ramsey’s self-growth journey, with the shark co-starring as a quasi-spiritual medium for finding meaning and purpose (not to mention celebrity status).

    The film, and some in it, are happy to attribute Ramsey’s success as a shark conservation activist to how driven and photogenic she is. Ramsey says “People look first and listen second. I’ll use my appearance, I’ll put myself out there for a cause.”

    Her husband, the photographer Juan Oliphant, enthuses she is good for sharks partly because she is so beautiful and uses all the attention she attracts in the selfless service of sharks.

    The image of the long-haired, long-limbed young woman in a bikini swimming above an outsized great white shark is not a new one.

    Primal fears and fantasies

    Since Jaws (1975), generations have been fascinated and titillated by filmic images and promotional materials of bikini-clad young women juxtaposed with dangerous sharks.

    The heroine of Deep Blue Sea (1999) is a neuroscientist – however the film and its promotional materials still require her to appear in a wet t-shirt and underwear while pursued by a massive shark monster.

    The poster for 1999’s Deep Blue Sea.
    IMDB

    The Shallows (2016) presents countless images of its bikini-clad heroine, with partially exposed bottom and long legs marked by bite marks as a kind of meat to be consumed – not least by the voyeuristic lens of the camera.

    The poster for 47 Meters Down: Uncaged (2019) features a bikini-clad young woman with legs dangling precariously in front of the gaping jaws of an unnaturally large great white.

    I have previously explored the psychosexual symbolism of these films and images. These films were never really about actual sharks. They are about very human fears and fantasies about being exposed and vulnerable.

    Whisperer and the Ocean Ramsey website tap into the collective fascination with dangerous sharks fuelled by popular culture. Many online images show Ramsey in a bikini or touching sharks – she’s small, and vulnerable in the face of great whites. As with forms of celebrity humanitarianism, what I have dubbed “sexy conservationism” leaves itself open to criticism about its methods – even if its intentions are good.

    The paradox of Shark Whisperer – and indeed the whole Ocean Ramsey empire – is it both resists and relies on Jaws mythology and iconography to surf the image economy of new media.

    Saving, not stalking

    Ramsey and Oliphant are on a mission not just to save individual sharks, but to change the public perception of great whites to a more positive one.

    This mission is reiterated in Shark Whisperer and in the Saving Jaws documentary linked to the website, which also promotes a book, accessories and shark-diving tours.

    Shark Whisperer both resists and relies on the mythical status of the shark brought to us by Jaws.
    Netflix

    It is reassuring to know proceeds from the bikini you buy from the official website are donated to shark conservation. But the (often sexualised) media attention which fuels the whole enterprise still depends on tapping into the legacy of popular culture representations of great whites as fearsome monsters.

    In footage, Ramsey seems to spend most of her time with smaller tiger sharks, yet her website and the Shark Whisperer film foreground her rare close encounters with an “enormous” or “massive” great white as the climax and cover shot.

    Shark Whisperer also includes the kind of “money shots” we have come to expect: images of a large great white tearing at flesh (here, a whale carcass) with blood in the water. Images like these arouse our collective cultural memory of the filmic great white as the ultimate bestial predator.

    In its climactic scene, Whisperer strategically deploys eerie music to build the suspense and foretell the appearance of the enormous great white which rises from the depths. Again echoes of Jaws are used to stimulate viewing pleasures and sell the mixed messages of sexy shark conservation.

    A story of (personal) growth

    The self-growth narrative which underpins Whisperer will feel familiar to shark film fans. Jaws was always about overcoming fears and past traumas, as in the scene where Quint and Brody compare their real and metaphorical scars.

    The poster for the 2022 film Shark Bait.
    IMDB

    Over the past decade, a new generation of post-feminist shark films have used sharks as metaphorical stalkers to tell stories about women overcoming past trauma, grief, “inner darkness” or depression.

    In The Reef: Stalked (2022) the heroine must overcome the murder of her sister. In Shark Bait (2022) the heroine must rise above a cheating partner. In The Shallows, the heroine is processing grief.

    Whisperer also leans into the idea of Ramsey fighting inner demons on a journey to self-actualisation.

    And while Ramsey has undoubtedly raised the profile of shark conservation, as a model-designer-conservationist-entrepreneur she has also disseminated another more dubious message: that the way to enact influence and activism is through instagrammable images of beautiful models in high risk situations.

    Happy endings

    The end credits of Whisperer are a montage of happy endings: Ramsey frolics with sharks and shows off her diamond ring. There is even an ocean-themed wedding scene.

    Yet beneath all the glossy surface lies a sombre reality: globally at least 80 million sharks are killed every year.

    The Ramsey website and the film rightly remind us of this. They also remind us that, thanks in part to the hashtag activism of Ocean Ramsey and her millions of fans and followers, Hawaii was the first state in the United States to outlaw shark fishing.

    So, Ramsey may be right to argue her ends justify the means.

    Susan Hopkins 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. Netflix’s Shark Whisperer wants us to think ‘sexy conservation’ is the way to save sharks – does it have a point? – https://theconversation.com/netflixs-shark-whisperer-wants-us-to-think-sexy-conservation-is-the-way-to-save-sharks-does-it-have-a-point-260290

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-Evening Report: Teeth record the hidden history of your childhood climate and diet

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tanya M. Smith, Professor in the Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution & Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University

    Douglas Sacha / Getty Images

    The climate we live in affects our lives in profound ways: hot summers, cold winters, dry spells and wet weather all leave their mark.

    For growing children, one way seasons and storms are recorded is in their teeth. As we have shown in new research, teeth contain a week-by-week climatic history of their owner’s childhood.

    To establish this, we studied the teeth of wild chimpanzees, captive macaque monkeys, and a woman born in Brisbane in January 1990. Her infancy included distinctive weather events – but its more powerful use is to reveal the climates that shaped individual lives thousands or even millions of years ago.

    How does it work?

    You wouldn’t know it, but changes in rainfall and temperature cause subtle changes in drinking water. Specifically, they affect the proportions of different atomic variants of oxygen (the isotopes oxygen-18 and oxygen-16).

    Under a microscope, you can see tiny lines inside teeth that correspond to daily layers of growth. Using a machine called the Sensitive High Resolution Ion MicroProbe (SHRIMP) at the Australian National University, we vaporised spots of enamel corresponding to these lines and analysed the oxygen isotopes in the vapour.

    Once we know about the balance of oxygen isotopes, we can work backwards to determine changes in drinking water and the corresponding climatic conditions.

    Top: Teeth start to develop before birth, forming mineralised layers with visible growth lines. Middle: the balance of oxygen isotopes from tiny spots in the enamel are sampled with the SHRIMP. Bottom: isotopic values reveal cycles of wetter (dark blue) and drier (light blue) seasons during the development of the tooth.
    Smith et al. 2025 / Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta

    Brisbane, 1990

    Our Australian tooth donor began her life during a wet summer during which a cyclone dumped enormous amounts of rain on Brisbane and surrounds, and months of high rainfall in the region persisted through to autumn.

    Oxygen isotopes (red) in a child’s tooth enamel compared to local rainfall (blue). Isotopic values decrease with rainfall and become higher during dry seasons.
    Smith et al. 2025 / Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta

    Her tooth enamel formed during the summer of 1990 showed oxygen isotope trends that were consistent with the rainfall patterns at the time. The minimum values occurred close in time to the wettest period, and the maximum values happened towards the end of the long dry spell that began later in the year.

    After she reached her first birthday, these climate markers became more challenging to interpret. This likely happened because she began to consume more cooked foods, which carry a different isotope balance from raw food and breast milk.

    Diet records

    Thankfully, the SHRIMP can also help us learn more about these dietary changes by measuring nitrogen isotopes in the tooth dentine (which is found under the outer layer of enamel). There is a known relationship between the balance of nitrogen-15 and nitrogen-14 and the protein in a child’s diet.

    In an earlier study, we looked at these records in the same tooth. Mothers’ milk contains high levels of nitrogen-15, and our donor showed a clear signal of rising values from birth. Shortly after six months of age, her nitrogen isotope ratio began to fall, as her mother gradually began offering her fruits and vegetables to supplement her exclusive milk diet.

    Nitrogen isotopes (red) in a child’s tooth compared to breastfeeding history (grey bars), showing higher values during intensive nursing and decreases as milk was gradually replaced with weaning foods.
    Smith et al. 2024 / American Journal of Biological Anthropology

    During our donor’s second year of life, she was fed more solid foods, including bread, cheese, eggs, and yogurt – leading to a further decline in the isotopic ratio. She continued breastfeeding at night for a few months into her third year, and finally as she ceased nursing entirely, her nitrogen values reached a minimum.

    From 35 years ago to 17 million years ago

    Fine-scaled isotopic studies such as these are a world first. Teeth are typically sampled with hand-held drills or small saws to measure inputs from water and food.

    These coarse sampling methods are relatively common and inexpensive, but they cannot show short-term changes in the composition of teeth. This limits how well they can be used to identify important environmental or dietary changes.

    Our new technique has many applications. We’ve studied Neanderthal children from the Rhône basin of southeastern France, who experienced some rough seasons 250,000 years ago. By SHRIMPing thin tooth slices, and relating this to enamel formation ages, we were even able to estimate the seasons in which one child was born and weaned 2.5 years later.

    Designed for geological studies, the Sensitive High Resolution Ion MicroProbe (SHRIMP) can be used to determine the balance of different atomic variants in many different kinds of material – including teeth.
    Tanya Smith / Australian Academy of Science

    We have just begun to produce isotopic weaning curves for humans who lived several hundred to several thousand years ago, yielding new insights into ancient maternal behaviour and infant health.

    This technology can also be applied to much more ancient fossils, including apes who lived in Africa 17 million years ago. In this instance, isotopic differences between fossils were consistent with other evidence that a changing climate played an important role in influencing the anatomy and development of humanity’s forebears.

    Teeth hold many more tales, and technological breakthroughs such as those at the Australian National University will continue to reveal hidden details of our ancient humanity as well as the unintended consequences of our modern lifestyles.

    Tanya M. Smith receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    Ian Stuart Williams has previously received funding from the Australian Research Council.

    ref. Teeth record the hidden history of your childhood climate and diet – https://theconversation.com/teeth-record-the-hidden-history-of-your-childhood-climate-and-diet-258707

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Netflix’s Shark Whisperer wants us to think ‘sexy conservation’ is the way to save sharks – does it have a point?

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Susan Hopkins, Senior Lecturer in Education (Curriculum and Pedagogy), University of the Sunshine Coast

    Netflix

    In the new Netflix documentary Shark Whisperer, the great white shark gets an image makeover – from Jaws villain to misunderstood friend and admirer.

    But the star of the documentary is not so much the shark, but the model and marine conservationist Ocean Ramsey (yes, that’s her real name).

    The film centres on Ramsey’s self-growth journey, with the shark co-starring as a quasi-spiritual medium for finding meaning and purpose (not to mention celebrity status).

    The film, and some in it, are happy to attribute Ramsey’s success as a shark conservation activist to how driven and photogenic she is. Ramsey says “People look first and listen second. I’ll use my appearance, I’ll put myself out there for a cause.”

    Her husband, the photographer Juan Oliphant, enthuses she is good for sharks partly because she is so beautiful and uses all the attention she attracts in the selfless service of sharks.

    The image of the long-haired, long-limbed young woman in a bikini swimming above an outsized great white shark is not a new one.

    Primal fears and fantasies

    Since Jaws (1975), generations have been fascinated and titillated by filmic images and promotional materials of bikini-clad young women juxtaposed with dangerous sharks.

    The heroine of Deep Blue Sea (1999) is a neuroscientist – however the film and its promotional materials still require her to appear in a wet t-shirt and underwear while pursued by a massive shark monster.

    The poster for 1999’s Deep Blue Sea.
    IMDB

    The Shallows (2016) presents countless images of its bikini-clad heroine, with partially exposed bottom and long legs marked by bite marks as a kind of meat to be consumed – not least by the voyeuristic lens of the camera.

    The poster for 47 Meters Down: Uncaged (2019) features a bikini-clad young woman with legs dangling precariously in front of the gaping jaws of an unnaturally large great white.

    I have previously explored the psychosexual symbolism of these films and images. These films were never really about actual sharks. They are about very human fears and fantasies about being exposed and vulnerable.

    Whisperer and the Ocean Ramsey website tap into the collective fascination with dangerous sharks fuelled by popular culture. Many online images show Ramsey in a bikini or touching sharks – she’s small, and vulnerable in the face of great whites. As with forms of celebrity humanitarianism, what I have dubbed “sexy conservationism” leaves itself open to criticism about its methods – even if its intentions are good.

    The paradox of Shark Whisperer – and indeed the whole Ocean Ramsey empire – is it both resists and relies on Jaws mythology and iconography to surf the image economy of new media.

    Saving, not stalking

    Ramsey and Oliphant are on a mission not just to save individual sharks, but to change the public perception of great whites to a more positive one.

    This mission is reiterated in Shark Whisperer and in the Saving Jaws documentary linked to the website, which also promotes a book, accessories and shark-diving tours.

    Shark Whisperer both resists and relies on the mythical status of the shark brought to us by Jaws.
    Netflix

    It is reassuring to know proceeds from the bikini you buy from the official website are donated to shark conservation. But the (often sexualised) media attention which fuels the whole enterprise still depends on tapping into the legacy of popular culture representations of great whites as fearsome monsters.

    In footage, Ramsey seems to spend most of her time with smaller tiger sharks, yet her website and the Shark Whisperer film foreground her rare close encounters with an “enormous” or “massive” great white as the climax and cover shot.

    Shark Whisperer also includes the kind of “money shots” we have come to expect: images of a large great white tearing at flesh (here, a whale carcass) with blood in the water. Images like these arouse our collective cultural memory of the filmic great white as the ultimate bestial predator.

    In its climactic scene, Whisperer strategically deploys eerie music to build the suspense and foretell the appearance of the enormous great white which rises from the depths. Again echoes of Jaws are used to stimulate viewing pleasures and sell the mixed messages of sexy shark conservation.

    A story of (personal) growth

    The self-growth narrative which underpins Whisperer will feel familiar to shark film fans. Jaws was always about overcoming fears and past traumas, as in the scene where Quint and Brody compare their real and metaphorical scars.

    The poster for the 2022 film Shark Bait.
    IMDB

    Over the past decade, a new generation of post-feminist shark films have used sharks as metaphorical stalkers to tell stories about women overcoming past trauma, grief, “inner darkness” or depression.

    In The Reef: Stalked (2022) the heroine must overcome the murder of her sister. In Shark Bait (2022) the heroine must rise above a cheating partner. In The Shallows, the heroine is processing grief.

    Whisperer also leans into the idea of Ramsey fighting inner demons on a journey to self-actualisation.

    And while Ramsey has undoubtedly raised the profile of shark conservation, as a model-designer-conservationist-entrepreneur she has also disseminated another more dubious message: that the way to enact influence and activism is through instagrammable images of beautiful models in high risk situations.

    Happy endings

    The end credits of Whisperer are a montage of happy endings: Ramsey frolics with sharks and shows off her diamond ring. There is even an ocean-themed wedding scene.

    Yet beneath all the glossy surface lies a sombre reality: globally at least 80 million sharks are killed every year.

    The Ramsey website and the film rightly remind us of this. They also remind us that, thanks in part to the hashtag activism of Ocean Ramsey and her millions of fans and followers, Hawaii was the first state in the United States to outlaw shark fishing.

    So, Ramsey may be right to argue her ends justify the means.

    Susan Hopkins 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. Netflix’s Shark Whisperer wants us to think ‘sexy conservation’ is the way to save sharks – does it have a point? – https://theconversation.com/netflixs-shark-whisperer-wants-us-to-think-sexy-conservation-is-the-way-to-save-sharks-does-it-have-a-point-260290

    MIL OSI Analysis

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: XFG could become the next dominant COVID variant. Here’s what to know about ‘Stratus’

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Paul Griffin, Professor, Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, The University of Queensland

    visualspace/Getty Images

    Given the number of times this has happened already, it should come as little surprise that we’re now faced with yet another new subvariant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID.

    This new subvariant is known as XFG (nicknamed “Stratus”) and the World Health Organization (WHO) designated it a “variant under monitoring” in late June. XFG is a subvariant of Omicron, of which there are now more than 1,000.

    A “variant under monitoring” signifies a variant or subvariant which needs prioritised attention and monitoring due to characteristics that may pose an additional threat compared to other circulating variants.

    XFG was one of seven variants under monitoring as of June 25. The most recent addition before XFG was NB.1.8.1 (nicknamed “Nimbus”), which the WHO declared a variant under monitoring on May 23.

    Both nimbus and stratus are types of clouds.

    Nimbus is currently the dominant subvariant worldwide – but Stratus is edging closer. So what do you need to know about Stratus, or XFG?

    A recombinant variant

    XFG is a recombinant of LF.7 and LP.8.1.2 which means these two subvariants have shared genetic material to come up with the new subvariant. Recombinants are designated with an X at the start of their name.

    While recombination and other spontaneous changes happen often with SARS-CoV-2, it becomes a problem when it creates a subvariant that is changed in such a way that its properties cause more problems for us.

    Most commonly this means the virus looks different enough that protection from past infection (and vaccination) doesn’t work so well, called immune evasion. This basically means the population becomes more susceptible and can lead to an increase in cases, and even a whole new wave of COVID infections across the world.

    XFG has four key mutations in the spike protein, a protein on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 which allows it to attach to our cells. Some are believed to enhance evasion by certain antibodies.

    Early laboratory studies have suggested a nearly two-fold reduction in how well antibodies block the virus compared to LP.8.1.1.

    Where is XFG spreading?

    The earliest XFG sample was collected on January 27.

    As of June 22, there were 1,648 XFG sequences submitted to GISAID from 38 countries (GISAID is the global database used to track the prevalence of different variants around the world). This represents 22.7% of the globally available sequences at the time.

    This was a significant rise from 7.4% four weeks prior and only just below the proportion of NB.1.8.1 at 24.9%. Given the now declining proportion of viral sequences of NB.1.8.1 overall, and the rapid rise of XFG, it would seem reasonable to expect XFG to become dominant very soon.

    According to Australian data expert Mike Honey, the countries showing the highest rates of detection of XFG as of mid-June include India at more than 50%, followed by Spain at 42%, and the United Kingdom and United States, where the subvariant makes up more than 30% of cases.

    In Australia as of June 29, NB.1.8.1 was the dominant subvariant, accounting for 48.6% of sequences. In the most recent report from Australia’s national genomic surveillance platform, there were 24 XFG sequences with 12 collected in the last 28 days meaning it currently comprises approximately 5% of sequences.

    The big questions

    When we talk about a new subvariant, people often ask questions including if it’s more severe or causes new or different symptoms compared to previous variants. But we’re still learning about XFG and we can’t answer these questions with certainty yet.

    Some sources have reported XFG may be more likely to course “hoarseness” or a scratchy or raspy voice. But we need more information to know if this association is truly significant.

    Notably, there’s no evidence to suggest XFG causes more severe illness compared to other variants in circulation or that it is necessarily any more transmissible.

    Will vaccines still work against XFG?

    Relatively frequent changes to the virus means we have continued to update the COVID vaccines. The most recent update, which targets the JN.1 subvariant, became available in Australia from late 2024. XFG is a descendant of the JN.1 subvariant.

    Fortunately, based on the evidence available so far, currently approved COVID vaccines are expected to remain effective against XFG, particularly against symptomatic and severe disease.

    Because of SARS-CoV-2’s continued evolution, the effect of this on our immune response, as well as the fact protection from COVID vaccines declines over time, COVID vaccines are offered regularly, and recommended for those at the highest risk.

    One of the major challenges we face at present in Australia is low COVID vaccine uptake. While rates have increased somewhat recently, they remain relatively low, with only 32.3% of people aged 75 years and over having received a vaccine in the past six months. Vaccination rates in younger age groups are significantly lower.

    Although the situation with XFG must continue to be monitored, at present the WHO has assessed the global risk posed by this subvariant as low. The advice for combating COVID remains unchanged, including vaccination as recommended and the early administration of antivirals for those who are eligible.

    Measures to reduce the risk of transmission, particularly wearing masks in crowded indoor settings and focusing on air quality and ventilation, are worth remembering to protect against COVID and other viral infections.

    Paul Griffin has been the principal investigator for clinical trials of 8 COVID-19 vaccines. He has previously participated in medical advisory boards for COVID-19 vaccines. Paul Griffin is a director and medical advisory board member of the immunisation coalition.

    ref. XFG could become the next dominant COVID variant. Here’s what to know about ‘Stratus’ – https://theconversation.com/xfg-could-become-the-next-dominant-covid-variant-heres-what-to-know-about-stratus-260499

    MIL OSI Analysis

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Greek and Roman nymphs weren’t just sexy nature spirits. They had other important jobs too

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Kitty Smith, PhD Candidate in Classical Greek and Roman History, University of Sydney

    Acteon, having accidentally seen the goddess Diana and her nymphs bathing, begins to change into a stag. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. George S. Amory, Object Number: 64.208.

    Could you ever be truly alone in the woods of ancient Greece or Rome? According to myth, the ancient world was filled with wild animals, terrifying monsters, and mischievous deities. Among them were nymphs: semi-divine female figures that personified elements of the natural world.

    But nymphs offer us more than just stories of sexy nature spirits.

    They can reveal how ancient people thought about their world and connected with their landscape through mythology.

    Personifying elements of nature

    Nymph was a broad category in myth. It encompassed almost every semi-divine woman and girl in myth, including a number of goddesses. The sea goddess Thetis and the underworld river Styx were both sea nymphs as well as goddesses.

    Nymphs were typically portrayed as young, exceptionally beautiful women in art and literature. The word “nymph” in ancient Greek could even be used to mean “young girl” or “unmarried woman” when applied to mortal women.

    Despite this etymological connection, many nymphs were married or mothers or gods. Amphitrite was the wife of Poseidon, and her sister Metis, the personification of wisdom, was Zeus’ first wife, according to Hesiod’s Theogony. Maia was the mother of Hermes, the messenger god.

    What links all nymphs was their connection with the natural world. Nymphs typically personified elements of nature, like bodies of water, mountains, forests, the weather, or specific plants.

    This carving derives from a passage in The Iliad that describes the nereid Thetis, mother of the hero Achilles, and other nereids carrying newly forged armour to her son.
    The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Bothmer Purchase Fund, 1993, Object Number: 1993.11.2

    The nymph Daphne

    One of the most quintessential nymphs was Daphne (or Laurel, in Latin). According to the Roman poet Ovid in his poem the Metamorphoses, Daphne was a stunningly beautiful nymph who lived in the forest.

    Daphne had chosen to follow in the footsteps of Artemis (Diana), the goddess of the hunt, by being a huntress and abstaining from sex and marriage. But her beauty would be her downfall.

    One day the god Apollo saw Daphne and immediately tried to pursue her. Daphne did not feel similarly and fled through the forest. Apollo chased and nearly caught her.

    But Daphne’s father Peneus, a river god, saved his daughter by transforming her into the laurel tree.

    Like many nymphs, Daphne’s myth was an origin story for her namesake tree and its significance to the god Apollo.

    But her story also followed one of the most common tropes in nymph myths – the trope a nymph transformed into her namesake after running away from a male deity.

    Different nymphs for trees, water, mountains, stars

    There were even special names for different types of nymph.

    Daphne was a dryad, or tree nymph. Oreads (mountain nymphs) are referenced in Homer’s Iliad. There were three different types of water nymph: the saltwater oceanids and nereids, and the freshwater naiads.

    Nymphs lived in the wilderness. These untamed places could be dangerous but they also held precious natural resources that nymphs personified, such as special trees and springs.

    Spring nymphs personified one of the most precious resources of all: freshwater.

    It was hard to find freshwater in the ancient world, especially in places without human infrastructure. Cities were often built around springs.

    The nymph Arethusa was the personification of the spring Arethusa in Sicily. Today, you can visit the Fountain of Arethusa in modern day Syracuse.

    No matter where you looked in the ancient landscape, there were nymphs – even in the sky.

    The Pleiades and Hyades were two sets of daughters of the god Atlas who eventually were transformed into stars.

    Their myths gave an origin for two sets of constellations that were used for navigation and divination.

    The Pleiades and Hyades constellations were visible to the naked eye, and can still be seen today.

    This painting depicts the god Bacchus (the Roman equivalent of the wine god Dionysus) lounging with some nymphs in a landscape.
    Abraham van Cuylenborch/The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Object Number: 25.110.37

    The divine presence in nature

    Although myths may feel like a fictional story told to kids, nymph myths show that ancient myth is inseparable from the ancient landscape and ancient people.

    The natural world was imbued with a divine presence from the gods who physically made it – Gaia (Earth) was literally the soil underfoot. Nymphs were a part of this divine presence.

    This divine presence brought with it a very special boon: the gift of inspiration.

    Some writers (such as Plato) referred to this sort of natural inspiration as being “seized by the nymphs” (νυμφόληπτος or nympholeptus).

    Being present in nature and present in places with nymphs could bring about divine inspiration for philosophers, poets and artists alike.

    So, if you ever do find yourself alone in a Grecian wood, you may find yourself inspired and in good company – as long as you remain respectful.

    Kitty Smith is a member of the Australian Society for Classical Studies and of Australasian Women in Ancient World Studies.

    ref. Greek and Roman nymphs weren’t just sexy nature spirits. They had other important jobs too – https://theconversation.com/greek-and-roman-nymphs-werent-just-sexy-nature-spirits-they-had-other-important-jobs-too-258287

    MIL OSI Analysis

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: AI is driving down the price of knowledge – universities have to rethink what they offer

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Patrick Dodd, Professional Teaching Fellow, Business School, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

    For a long time, universities worked off a simple idea: knowledge was scarce. You paid for tuition, showed up to lectures, completed assignments and eventually earned a credential.

    That process did two things: it gave you access to knowledge that was hard to find elsewhere, and it signalled to employers you had invested time and effort to master that knowledge.

    The model worked because the supply curve for high-quality information sat far to the left, meaning knowledge was scarce and the price – tuition and wage premiums – stayed high.

    Now the curve has shifted right, as the graph below illustrates. When supply moves right – that is, something becomes more accessible – the new intersection with demand sits lower on the price axis. This is why tuition premiums and graduate wage advantages are now under pressure.



    According to global consultancy McKinsey, generative AI could add between US$2.6 trillion and $4.4 trillion in annual global productivity. Why? Because AI drives the marginal cost of producing and organising information toward zero.

    Large language models no longer just retrieve facts; they explain, translate, summarise and draft almost instantly. When supply explodes like that, basic economics says price falls. The “knowledge premium” universities have long sold is deflating as a result.

    Employers have already made their move

    Markets react faster than curriculums. Since ChatGPT launched, entry-level job listings in the United Kingdom have fallen by about a third. In the United States, several states are removing degree requirements from public-sector roles.

    In Maryland, for instance, the share of state-government job ads requiring a degree slid from roughly 68% to 53% between 2022 and 2024.

    In economic terms, employers are repricing labour because AI is now a substitute for many routine, codifiable tasks that graduates once performed. If a chatbot can complete the work at near-zero marginal cost, the wage premium paid to a junior analyst shrinks.

    But the value of knowledge is not falling at the same speed everywhere. Economists such as David Autor and Daron Acemoglu point out that technology substitutes for some tasks while complementing others:

    • codifiable knowledge – structured, rule-based material such as tax codes or contract templates – faces rapid substitution by AI

    • tacit knowledge – contextual skills such as leading a team through conflict – acts as a complement, so its value can even rise.

    Data backs this up. Labour market analytics company Lightcast notes that one-third of the skills employers want have changed between 2021 and 2024. The American Enterprise Institute warns that mid-level knowledge workers, whose jobs depend on repeatable expertise, are most at risk of wage pressure.

    So yes, baseline knowledge still matters. You need it to prompt AI, judge its output and make good decisions. But the equilibrium wage premium – meaning the extra pay employers offer once supply and demand for that knowledge settle – is sliding down the demand curve fast.

    What’s scarce now?

    Herbert Simon, the Nobel Prize–winning economist and cognitive scientist, put it neatly decades ago: “A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.” When facts become cheap and plentiful, our limited capacity to filter, judge and apply them turns into the real bottleneck.

    That is why scarce resources shift from information itself to what machines still struggle to copy: focused attention, sound judgement, strong ethics, creativity and collaboration.

    I group these human complements under what I call the C.R.E.A.T.E.R. framework:

    • critical thinking – asking smart questions and spotting weak arguments

    • resilience and adaptability – staying steady when everything changes

    • emotional intelligence – understanding people and leading with empathy

    • accountability and ethics – taking responsibility for difficult calls

    • teamwork and collaboration – working well with people who think differently

    • entrepreneurial creativity – seeing gaps and building new solutions

    • reflection and lifelong learning – staying curious and ready to grow.

    These capabilities are the genuine scarcity in today’s market. They are complements to AI, not substitutes, which is why their wage returns hold or climb.

    What universities can do right now

    1. Audit courses: if ChatGPT can already score highly on an exam, the marginal value of teaching that content is near zero. Pivot the assessment toward judgement and synthesis.

    2. Reinvest in the learning experience: push resources into coached projects, messy real-world simulations, and ethical decision labs where AI is a tool, not the performer.

    3. Credential what matters: create micro-credentials for skills such as collaboration, initiative and ethical reasoning. These signal AI complements, not substitutes, and employers notice.

    4. Work with industry but keep it collaborative: invite employers to co-design assessments, not dictate them. A good partnership works like a design studio rather than a boardroom order sheet. Academics bring teaching expertise and rigour, employers supply real-world use cases, and students help test and refine the ideas.

    Universities can no longer rely on scarcity setting the price for the curated and credentialed form of information that used to be hard to obtain.

    The comparative advantage now lies in cultivating human skills that act as complements to AI. If universities do not adapt, the market – students and employers alike – will move on without them.

    The opportunity is clear. Shift the product from content delivery to judgement formation. Teach students how to think with, not against, intelligent machines. Because the old model, the one that priced knowledge as a scarce good, is already slipping below its economic break-even point.

    Patrick Dodd 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. AI is driving down the price of knowledge – universities have to rethink what they offer – https://theconversation.com/ai-is-driving-down-the-price-of-knowledge-universities-have-to-rethink-what-they-offer-260493

    MIL OSI Analysis

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: A Shakespearean, small-town murder: why Australia became so obsessed with the Erin Patterson mushroom case

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Xanthe Mallett, Criminologist, CQUniversity Australia

    The “mushroom murder trial”, as it has popularly become known, has gripped Australia over the past 11 weeks. More than that, it’s prompted worldwide headlines, multiple daily podcasts, and even YouTube videos of self-proclaimed “body language experts” assessing defendant Erin Patterson’s every move.

    There’s an ABC drama series in the works. Acclaimed Australian author Helen Garner has been in the courtroom.

    But why did this tragedy, in which three people died and a fourth was lucky to survive, grip the public consciousness in way no other contemporary Australian case has?




    Read more:
    Erin Patterson has been found guilty in the mushroom murder trial. Legal experts explain why


    A not-so-wholesome family lunch

    On July 29 2023, in a sleepy town called Leongatha in the foothills of the Strzelecki Ranges in Victoria, a very normal woman called Erin Patterson made an ostensibly very normal lunch of beef Wellington.

    She was cooking for her in-laws, Gail and Don Patterson, Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, and Heather’s husband Ian. Erin’s estranged husband, Simon Patterson, was also invited, but chose not to attend.

    Simon and Erin had two children, a boy and a girl, who did not attend the lunch either.

    Shortly after the lunch, all four guests were admitted to hospital with suspected gastroenteritis. Erin Patterson also presented to hospital, but refused to be admitted.

    Within a few days, Gail, Don, and Heather all died as a result of what was later confirmed as poisoning with Amanita phalloides, better known as death cap mushrooms.

    Ian survived, but he was lucky. He spent seven weeks in hospital and needed a liver transplant.

    The questions became, how did the mushrooms get into the beef Wellington? Was this an awful accident or something more sinister?

    Public obsession

    These questions became the focus of very significant public and media attention.

    Erin Patterson spoke to the media in the days after the incident. She presented as your typical, average woman of 50.

    That is, in my opinion, where the obsession with this case began.

    This case had the feel of a Shakespearean drama: multiple deaths within one family, death by poison, and a female protagonist.

    The juxtaposition between the normality of a family lunch (and the sheer vanilla-ness of the accused) and the seriousness of the situation sent the media into overdrive.

    Then there were the lies. Patterson lied about foraging for mushrooms, and about having cancer to encourage the guests to attend.

    The location also played a huge part. Leongatha is known for its staggering natural beauty and thriving food and wine scene. It’s hardly a place where the world expected a mass murderer to live.

    However, the perception that rural areas are utopias of safety and social cohesion, and cities are dark and dangerous places, is a myth.

    One study by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare paints a different picture.

    For serious assault cases that resulted in hospitalisation, for major cities the rates were 65 per 100,000 people. In rural areas, this rose to 1,244 people per 100,000. And for murder, in very remote areas the rate was five per 100,000 population, but fewer than one per 100,000 in urban areas.

    Then there was Erin Patterson’s unusual behaviour. She disposed of the desiccator in which the mushrooms she had foraged were dehydrated. She used multiple phones, one of which underwent multiple factory resets on in the days following the lunch. One of these resets was done remotely after police seized her phone.

    There are also the much-discussed plates. The court heard she prepared her meal on a different-coloured plate to those of her other guests so they were easily identifiable.

    The public latched onto these details, each providing a new talking point around water coolers or spurring new Reddit threads dedicated to unpacking their significance.

    The courtroom as a stage

    Ultimately, after three months, Erin Patterson was charged with three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. She pleaded not guilty.

    The trial lasted 40 days. The prosecution alleged Patterson intentionally poisoned her guests, whereas the defence suggested it was all an awful, tragic accident.

    The jury took six and a half days to deliberate. During that time, various media outlets did everything they could to keep the story on the front page.

    Bizarre pieces began appearing online from credible sources such as the ABC, profiling people who had attended court. They included stories of people turning down work to attend the court daily, cases of friendships blossoming during the trial between regular attendees, and the outfit choices of locals turning up every day to watch the drama unfold.

    There were also articles profiling local cafe owners and how they felt about being at the centre of the legal theatrics. The daily podcasts continued even when news from the courtroom didn’t.

    The vibe felt more appropriate for a royal visit than a triple murder trial.

    It seemed everyone in Australia was gripped by one event, united in a way few other things could manage. We all waited with bated breath to see what the 12 men and women of the jury would decide.




    Read more:
    Justice on demand? The true crime podcasts serving up Erin Patterson’s mushroom murder trial


    Humanity behind the spectacle

    The end to this strange and unique criminal case came on Monday July 7.

    The result? Guilty on all four counts. Erin Patterson is formally a mass murderer, though many in the court of public opinion had reached the same conviction months earlier.

    Leongatha will always be known for being the setting of (arguably) the most infamous multiple murder case in Australian history. It will join Snowtown in South Australia (home of the “bodies in the barrell” murder case), Kendall in New South Wales (where William Tyrrell disappeared), and Claremont in Western Australia (the murder or disappearance of three women) as places forever linked to tragic crimes.

    While the trial is over, there’s much more content still to come, the public’s appetite yet to be satiated.

    But the final word should be saved for the Patterson and Wilkinson families. This is an awful tragedy, and there are no winners. Ian and Simon have lost loved ones. The Patterson children have lost grandparents and now have to come to terms with the fact their mother caused those deaths intentionally.

    Amid the spectacle, it’s easy to lose sight of the humanity at the centre. As the media spotlight dims, may the families get the privacy and respect they deserve.

    Xanthe Mallett 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. A Shakespearean, small-town murder: why Australia became so obsessed with the Erin Patterson mushroom case – https://theconversation.com/a-shakespearean-small-town-murder-why-australia-became-so-obsessed-with-the-erin-patterson-mushroom-case-259982

    MIL OSI Analysis