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Category: Academic Analysis

  • MIL-OSI Global: Helper bots in online communities diminish human interaction

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By John Lalor, Assistant Professor of IT, Analytics, and Operations, University of Notre Dame

    Bots can be helpful in online communities, but they can also come between people. mathisworks/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

    When bots – automated agents that perform tasks on behalf of humans – become more active in online communities, it has profound effects on how humans interact with each other on those platforms. Bots designed to help users see more content increase the number of people users connect with but also decrease the interactions between people.

    In online communities, replies, likes and comments between users form a network of interactions. Analysis of these social networks shows patterns, such as who is connecting and who is popular or important in the community.

    My colleagues Nicholas Berente and Hani Safadi and I analyzed the network structure of communities on Reddit, called subreddits, that had seen increased use of bots from 2005 to 2019. Our goal was to see whether the presence of bots affected how the human community members interacted with each other.

    Based on recent research, we knew that we were looking for two types of bots: reflexive and supervisory bots.

    Reflexive bots are coded to plug into a community’s application programming interface. Based on how they are coded, they either post content based on specific rules or search for specific content and post a reply based on their preprogrammed rules. Supervisory bots have more permissions in the community and can delete or edit posts or even ban users based on preprogrammed community moderation rules.

    We found that when there is more reflexive bot activity in a community – more bots posting content – there are more human-to-human connections. This means that the reflexive bots posting content enable people to find novel content and engage with other users they otherwise would not have seen. However, this high bot activity leads to less back-and-forth discussion between users. If a user posts on a subreddit, it is more likely that a bot will reply or interject itself into the conversation instead of two human users engaging in a meaningful back-and-forth discussion.

    When there are supervisory bots moderating a community, we see less centralization in the human social network. This means that those key people who were important to the community have fewer connections than before. Without supervisory bots, these members would be the ones who establish and enforce community norms. With supervisory bots, this is less necessary, and those human members are less central to the community.

    Social media bots explained.

    Why it matters

    Bots are prevalent across online communities, and they can process vast amounts of data very quickly, which means they can react and respond to many more posts than humans can.

    What’s more, as generative AI improves, people could use it to create more and more sophisticated bot accounts, and the platforms could use it to coordinate content moderation. Tech companies investing heavily in generative AI technologies could also deploy generative AI bots to increase engagement on their platforms.

    Our study can help users and community leaders understand the impact of these bots on their communities. It can also help community moderators understand the impact of enabling automated moderation through supervisory bots.

    What’s next

    Bots are rigid because of their rules-based nature, but they are likely to become more advanced as they incorporate new technologies such as generative AI. More research will be needed to understand how complex generative AI bots affect human-to-human interactions in online communities.

    At the same time, automating platform moderation can lead to strange effects, because bots are more rigid in their enforcement and cannot deal with potential issues on a case-by-case basis. How generative AI changes moderator bots remains to be seen.

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

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

    – ref. Helper bots in online communities diminish human interaction – https://theconversation.com/helper-bots-in-online-communities-diminish-human-interaction-251795

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What are AI hallucinations? Why AIs sometimes make things up

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Anna Choi, Ph.D. Candidate in Information Science, Cornell University

    What springs from the ‘mind’ of an AI can sometimes be out of left field. gremlin/iStock via Getty Images

    When someone sees something that isn’t there, people often refer to the experience as a hallucination. Hallucinations occur when your sensory perception does not correspond to external stimuli.

    Technologies that rely on artificial intelligence can have hallucinations, too.

    When an algorithmic system generates information that seems plausible but is actually inaccurate or misleading, computer scientists call it an AI hallucination. Researchers have found these behaviors in different types of AI systems, from chatbots such as ChatGPT to image generators such as Dall-E to autonomous vehicles. We are information science researchers who have studied hallucinations in AI speech recognition systems.

    Wherever AI systems are used in daily life, their hallucinations can pose risks. Some may be minor – when a chatbot gives the wrong answer to a simple question, the user may end up ill-informed. But in other cases, the stakes are much higher. From courtrooms where AI software is used to make sentencing decisions to health insurance companies that use algorithms to determine a patient’s eligibility for coverage, AI hallucinations can have life-altering consequences. They can even be life-threatening: Autonomous vehicles use AI to detect obstacles, other vehicles and pedestrians.

    Making it up

    Hallucinations and their effects depend on the type of AI system. With large language models – the underlying technology of AI chatbots – hallucinations are pieces of information that sound convincing but are incorrect, made up or irrelevant. An AI chatbot might create a reference to a scientific article that doesn’t exist or provide a historical fact that is simply wrong, yet make it sound believable.

    In a 2023 court case, for example, a New York attorney submitted a legal brief that he had written with the help of ChatGPT. A discerning judge later noticed that the brief cited a case that ChatGPT had made up. This could lead to different outcomes in courtrooms if humans were not able to detect the hallucinated piece of information.

    With AI tools that can recognize objects in images, hallucinations occur when the AI generates captions that are not faithful to the provided image. Imagine asking a system to list objects in an image that only includes a woman from the chest up talking on a phone and receiving a response that says a woman talking on a phone while sitting on a bench. This inaccurate information could lead to different consequences in contexts where accuracy is critical.

    What causes hallucinations

    Engineers build AI systems by gathering massive amounts of data and feeding it into a computational system that detects patterns in the data. The system develops methods for responding to questions or performing tasks based on those patterns.

    Supply an AI system with 1,000 photos of different breeds of dogs, labeled accordingly, and the system will soon learn to detect the difference between a poodle and a golden retriever. But feed it a photo of a blueberry muffin and, as machine learning researchers have shown, it may tell you that the muffin is a chihuahua.

    Object recognition AIs can have trouble distinguishing between chihuahuas and blueberry muffins and between sheepdogs and mops.
    Shenkman et al, CC BY

    When a system doesn’t understand the question or the information that it is presented with, it may hallucinate. Hallucinations often occur when the model fills in gaps based on similar contexts from its training data, or when it is built using biased or incomplete training data. This leads to incorrect guesses, as in the case of the mislabeled blueberry muffin.

    It’s important to distinguish between AI hallucinations and intentionally creative AI outputs. When an AI system is asked to be creative – like when writing a story or generating artistic images – its novel outputs are expected and desired. Hallucinations, on the other hand, occur when an AI system is asked to provide factual information or perform specific tasks but instead generates incorrect or misleading content while presenting it as accurate.

    The key difference lies in the context and purpose: Creativity is appropriate for artistic tasks, while hallucinations are problematic when accuracy and reliability are required.

    To address these issues, companies have suggested using high-quality training data and limiting AI responses to follow certain guidelines. Nevertheless, these issues may persist in popular AI tools.

    Large language models hallucinate in several ways.

    What’s at risk

    The impact of an output such as calling a blueberry muffin a chihuahua may seem trivial, but consider the different kinds of technologies that use image recognition systems: An autonomous vehicle that fails to identify objects could lead to a fatal traffic accident. An autonomous military drone that misidentifies a target could put civilians’ lives in danger.

    For AI tools that provide automatic speech recognition, hallucinations are AI transcriptions that include words or phrases that were never actually spoken. This is more likely to occur in noisy environments, where an AI system may end up adding new or irrelevant words in an attempt to decipher background noise such as a passing truck or a crying infant.

    As these systems become more regularly integrated into health care, social service and legal settings, hallucinations in automatic speech recognition could lead to inaccurate clinical or legal outcomes that harm patients, criminal defendants or families in need of social support.

    Check AI’s work

    Regardless of AI companies’ efforts to mitigate hallucinations, users should stay vigilant and question AI outputs, especially when they are used in contexts that require precision and accuracy. Double-checking AI-generated information with trusted sources, consulting experts when necessary, and recognizing the limitations of these tools are essential steps for minimizing their risks.

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

    – ref. What are AI hallucinations? Why AIs sometimes make things up – https://theconversation.com/what-are-ai-hallucinations-why-ais-sometimes-make-things-up-242896

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How dramatic daily swings in oxygen shaped early animal life – new study

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Emma Hammarlund, Associate Professor, Geobiology, Lund University

    DesignMarjolein/Shutterstock

    Imagine a world where the oxygen you need changes dramatically between day and night. Your world shifts from being rich in oxygen (oxic) in the day, so you have energy to hunt for food, to suffocatingly oxygen-free (anoxic) at night, which slows you down.

    Now, picture early animals trying to survive in such an extreme environment. This was the reality for early animal life in oceans and seas about half a billion years ago. This was also the time when animal diversity boomed, in what is known as the “Cambrian explosion”.

    My team’s new research suggests that these drastic oxygen fluctuations played a crucial role in this dramatic period.

    For decades, scientists have debated what triggered this evolutionary burst. Many scientists have pointed to long-term atmospheric changes, where increasing oxygen levels supposedly drove a variation in the number of animal life forms. Over the last couple of years, however, the view on increasing atmospheric oxygen as a simple trigger for the rise of animals has been questioned.

    Our new study reveals a different, often overlooked factor. Daily swings in oxygen levels on the shallow seafloor may have stressed early animals (the ancestors of all animal life today), pushing them to adapt in ways that fuelled diversification. Rather than good conditions driving the change, we argue that harsh conditions triggered this.

    We used a computer model that can mimic conditions on the sunlit seafloor today. This model takes into account what life can produce or consume, but also how temperature, sunlight, and different types of sediment or water affect the overall conditions. Using this so-called “biogeochemical model”, we have shown that in warm, shallow waters, oxygen levels could fluctuate dramatically between day and night in the Cambrian (when oxygen was generally lower than today).

    During the day, photosynthesis by marine algae produced lots of oxygen, creating a fully oxygenated environment. But at night, when photosynthesis stopped because there was no light, oxygen was instead rapidly consumed by the algae as they respired (using energy and oxygen to perform cell functions), leading to anoxic conditions.

    This daily feast-and-famine cycle in oxygen availability created an intense physiological challenge for early animals, forcing them to develop adaptations to handle fluctuations in nutrients. For those that could deal with these fluctuations, adaptation gave them a competitive edge.

    The shallow, sandy beach-like shelf environments in oceans around the world also expanded dramatically at this time because the super-continent – known as Rodinia – broke up into smaller pieces. This increased the total circumference of continental crust, creating more continental edges where sun, nutrients and life could interact. These new continents were also flooded, so shallow, sunlit seafloor zones expanded even further.

    Sunlit marine environments tend to be the richest in nutrients. Species that had adapted to cope with daily oxygen fluctuations could more easily access the nutrients in this vast, shallow habitat. The stress-tolerant species would win the race to food.

    How stress drives evolution

    Physiological stress is often seen as an obstacle to survival. But it can be a catalyst for evolutionary innovation. Even today, species that endure extreme environments often develop specialist traits that make them more adaptable.

    Our study suggests a similar pattern played out in the Cambrian. Animals evolved ways to cope with the stress of fluctuating oxygen levels on the smörgåsbord of the shallow seafloor shelves.

    One key adaptation could have been the ability to efficiently sense and respond to oxygen fluctuations. This trait is regulated by a cellular control system – a molecular pathway that adapts how the cell responds to external conditions. The control system that may have emerged at the Cambrian explosion is known as HIF-1α (hypoxia-inducible factor 1).

    In modern animals, this system helps cells detect and adapt to changes in oxygen conditions, controlling processes like energy metabolism and the coordination of a cell’s functions.

    However, HIF-1α offers resistance to toxins such as hydrogen sulphide, a common byproduct of anoxic conditions. Our modelling suggests that animals with advanced oxygen-sensing mechanisms would have had a survival advantage in the fluctuating conditions of the Cambrian seafloor, allowing them to outcompete species without this capability.

    From harsh environments to animal diversity

    Today, biodiversity hotspots like tropical rainforests and coral reefs thrive under conditions of high biological competition and ecological complexity. However, in extreme environments where survival depends on withstanding harsh physical conditions rather than competing with other species, different evolutionary pressures come into play. Any adaptations against stress that led to increased survival would also be inherited efficiently, too.

    The shallow seafloor environment is rich in nutrients but also a place of daily shifts in oxygen levels.
    Barbarajo/Shutterstock



    Read more:
    Cancer tumours could help unravel the mystery of the Cambrian explosion

    The ability to cope with these rapid changes may have allowed certain animal lineages to thrive over others, leading to the emergence of more complex and adaptable life forms.

    Today, all animals with tissues as we know them (several layers of cells) use HIF to maintain regular maintenance or steady state (known as homeostasis). This molecular pathway is critical for building tissues and healing tissues. These “control knobs” in cells are even suggested to be essential for how animal life could get as large and old as giraffes, elephants and humans.

    This new model challenges traditional views that focus solely on large-scale geological changes as the primary drivers of early animal evolution. Local-scale challenges faced by individual organisms – such as surviving daily swings between oxygen-rich and oxygen-starved conditions – could have been just as important in shaping the course of evolution.

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

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

    Emma Hammarlund receives funding from the European Research Council Horizon 2020.

    – ref. How dramatic daily swings in oxygen shaped early animal life – new study – https://theconversation.com/how-dramatic-daily-swings-in-oxygen-shaped-early-animal-life-new-study-251657

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: South Africa has a problem with people in the public service lying about their qualifications: what needs to change

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Busani Ngcaweni, Visiting Adjunct Professor, Wits School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand

    The persistent challenge of falsified or misrepresented qualifications in South Africa exposes serious shortcomings in recruitment and appointment processes. Although the scale of the problem is difficult to quantify, it’s considered to be reaching “pandemic” levels. It is worse in the public sector.

    The problem became so serious that government introduced the National Qualifications Framework Amendment Act in 2019, making it a criminal offence to misrepresent qualifications. It is punishable by up to five years in prison.

    Yet the scourge continues, despite severe personal and professional consequences for some.

    The alarmingly high number of individuals pretending to be qualified for high-profile positions undermines trust and capability in organisations.

    There have been cases involving top executives and directors of parastatals. Some major companies have not been spared.

    Once unsuitable people occupy positions of responsibility, it is difficult to remove them. Their performance seldom improves because they lack the foundation.

    Their incompetence can affect institutions severely because they can make wrong decisions that result in financial losses. The South African Broadcasting Corporation, for instance, suffered financially due to poor decisions made by unqualified executives.



    Read more:
    South Africa’s public service: real spending is falling, but demand is growing

    Some municipalities with unqualified personnel often hire expensive consultants.

    Teachers with fraudulent credentials compromise quality education. This deprives children of opportunities to better their lives.

    Unscrupulous individuals have also been caught masquerading as medical doctors, putting lives at risk.

    Important infrastructure projects have collapsed owing to fake engineers.

    I am a researcher and practitioner of public sector reforms. I also head the National School of Government, which leads the drive to make the country’s public sector professional. I argue that to deter qualifications fraud, the management of human resources in the public sector must be professional.

    South Africa can draw lessons from the private sector and other governments.

    Loopholes in the system

    The National Qualifications Framework Amendment Act is aimed at deterring fraudulent qualifications. Some people have gone to jail for this crime.

    But measures to deter and punish it must be complemented by human resources management reforms.

    In my view, poor human resource screening processes, inadequate verification systems and ambiguous job descriptions and entry requirements contribute to appointing unsuitable candidates.

    The weekly public sector vacancies circular, published by the Department of Public Service and Administration, is a major source of data showing these limitations. It’s full of job advertisements where the minimum qualifications requirements are either too wide or below standard.



    Read more:
    South Africa’s public service is dysfunctional – the 5 main reasons why

    Some of the people who recruit and select staff are negligent. They fail to conduct thorough background checks or to screen applicants properly. This results in the appointment of unqualified and fraudulent candidates.

    Learning from the private sector

    The private sector, driven by competitive pressures and stakeholder expectations, developed robust systems to ensure the integrity and effectiveness of human resource functions. These systems can guide public sector reforms.

    Companies invest in advanced technologies and third-party verification services. They use agencies to check candidates’ fingerprints, verify qualifications, find references, and even do personality profiles.

    In contrast, public sector human resources personnel often rely on manual processes. These consume time and are prone to inaccuracies and manipulation. They can also be cumbersome as junior and middle management job advertisements often attract thousands of applicants.

    The private sector uses well-defined competency frameworks. These outline the skills, knowledge and experience required to evaluate a candidate.



    Read more:
    Africa should be building private-public partnerships in education

    Many private sector human resources practitioners belong to professional bodies. These enforce ethical standards. They also certify practitioners and promote ongoing professional development.

    Businesses also employ licensed and professional human resources practitioners. These are expected to be innovative, productive and ethical, and to act in the best interests of their employers. They can be dismissed if they lose their professional licence. These are guardrails against abuse.

    Learning from other governments

    India, China, South Korea, Singapore and several European nations have stringent public sector recruitment and selection methods. They emphasise merit and transparency to ensure only qualified and competent people are appointed.

    India’s Union Public Service Commission conducts a highly competitive civil services examination to recruit candidates.

    China uses the National Civil Service Examination, known as the Guokao. It evaluates candidates’ intellectual aptitude, policy knowledge and professional skills for jobs in government ministries and state-owned enterprises.

    South Korea’s Civil Service Examination system is a rigorous process which tests candidates’ analytical and managerial capabilities.

    Singapore is known for its efficient government. It employs structured assessment centres, psychometric testing and panel interviews to ensure capable people join the public sector.



    Read more:
    South Africa has a plan to make its public service professional. It’s time to act on it

    To uphold high standards of professionalism and integrity in governance, Germany and France have competitive entrance assessments for civil service roles.

    France’s Institut National du Service Public uses stringent entry requirements to prepare candidates for senior public service.

    South Africa introduced a pre-entry assessment called Nyukela/Step Up in 2020. It is applicable to public servants and citizens who wish to apply for a position in the senior management service.

    Professionalising the public sector

    Cabinet approved the National Framework Towards Professionalisation of the Public Sector in October 2022. It aims to tighten pre-entry requirements and carefully screen applicants. This includes verifying qualifications, testing integrity and assessing competence. The framework requires that public sector entities develop detailed job descriptions.

    The framework will help block fraud by professionalising human resources, supply chain management and legal services, among others. It will help human resources practitioners improve their competencies and make them part of a wider professional network. This is important for continued professional development.

    There will be consequences when officials violate their professional code of ethics. This has worked for lawyers and accountants who are disbarred for ethical and professional breaches.

    The framework gives the Public Service Commission a role in recruiting of heads of departments. This step controls entry to top positions in the civil service. The commission will bring two or more subject matter sector experts into the selection panels, making the process more rigorous.

    Busani Ngcaweni is affiliated with the University of Johannesburg as Senior Research Associate and Wits School of Governance as Visiting Adjunct Professor

    – ref. South Africa has a problem with people in the public service lying about their qualifications: what needs to change – https://theconversation.com/south-africa-has-a-problem-with-people-in-the-public-service-lying-about-their-qualifications-what-needs-to-change-244942

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Barbara Steveni: I Find Myself – a pioneering artist who influenced the civil service

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Martin Lang, Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader in Fine Art , University of Lincoln

    Barbara Steveni (1928-2020) was a pioneering artist who broke boundaries with new concepts such as “the artist as a living archive” and “art as social strategy”. The legacy of her 70-year career is explored in a new exhibition, Barbara Steveni: I Find Myself, at Modern Art Oxford.

    Steveni was an activist whose art had real-world impacts. One of her pioneering works was the foundation of the Artists Placement Group (APG), which placed artists in various industries and public institutions, ranging from zoos to corporations. The group arose from the idea that artists could provide unique insights and assist with the decision-making processes of these institutions.

    In 1972, she successfully negotiated with the civil service to place artists in government departments – which led, for example, to the placement of artist John Latham at the Scottish Office in Edinburgh (1975-76). This resulted in radical proposals for the future of the huge industrial spoil tips, known as “bings”, found in the region. Latham proposed retaining them as works of art and marking them with beacons.

    Today, the Policy Lab, a new civil service department, continues the spirit of APG by placing artists in government departments.

    The exhibition includes work associated with the APG such as The Sculpture (1971) – the board table around which APG artists. This table is not only a functional object but has twice previously been exhibited as a conceptual sculpture, inviting live discussions.

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

    Modern Art Oxford activates The Sculpture every Friday, inviting people including Policy Lab to engage with artists in discussions. Various APG archive materials – such as contracts and video footage of Steveni advocating for the inclusion of artist-advisors in business and policy decision-making – surround this table.

    But the exhibition is much more than a history of APG. It’s a reassessment of Steveni’s importance and influence as an artist. After spending much of her earlier career denying she was an artist at all (in one APG video, she declares: “I am not and have never called myself an artist”), in the late 2000s she had the revelation that she was the vessel which contained her archive and practice. That Steveni was herself an archive, and that her art was her life, is the central theme of this exhibition.

    Steveni’s assemblages – three-dimensional works composed of found objects – reflect a modernist heritage that dates back to Picasso and was developed by the Dadaists and Surrealists. However, the exhibition primarily focuses on her “dematerialised” practice, which includes non-traditional art objects and processes such as meetings, conversations and collections. These are considered precursors to today’s contemporary art where human interaction is central, and in some cases the art itself.

    In the spirit of Steveni’s collaborative and discursive ethos, Modern Art Oxford commissioned artists to realise some of her unfinished works and reinterpret existing ones. For example, Laure Prouvost, a long-time collaborator, created Dancing Thought Leftovers with Steveni.

    This immersive installation fills an entire room with music reminiscent of a child’s toy, alongside Steveni’s found objects hanging from the ceiling in front of projected films. The objects cast shadows on the walls, creating a nursery-like atmosphere.

    Both these objects and those in the films look like the kind of things you might dredge from a river: a knackered car tyre, a crumpled sheet of metal, a horseshoe, and part of an old speaker. Two car wing mirrors protrude from a wall.

    Mundane fillers around good art

    Steveni was at the forefront of developing the notion of the artist as a living archive, as well as “dematerialised art practice”, where ideas replace physical art, and artists’ involvement in decision-making. All this comes across strongly in the exhibition, but its curatorial approach gives the impression that filler material was also needed.

    At times, it feels as if you are looking at an exhibition of the artist’s admin rather than her art. Meeting notes, contacts and the contents of a paper shredder are displayed, blurring the line between art and life.

    In 1971, Linda Nochlin, a contemporary of Steveni, published the influential article Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?. This essay is often seen as the beginning of feminist art history.

    Nochlin acknowledged that while many interesting and good women artists remained insufficiently investigated or appreciated, there had been no great women artists due to systemic barriers. She warned: “No amount of manipulating the historical or critical evidence will alter the situation; nor will accusations of male-chauvinist distortion of history.”

    Nochlin’s point was that presenting mediocre art as great ignores these systemic barriers and hinders work to lift them. I am not suggesting Steveni’s work is mediocre, but it feels like the exhibition’s curators overreached regarding the classification of her personal effects as art, which distracts from the important work she did.

    The curators, no doubt, intended to highlight the balance women artists must strike between domestic chores and their practice. However, Nochlin’s treatise explicitly warns against having different standards for women’s art compared with men’s.

    While presenting Steveni’s personal effects as part of her living archive is appropriate, the inclusion of mundane items like clothes and biscuit recipes raises questions about their relevance. Do we really need to see Steveni’s old newspapers? Would we expect this in a retrospective of a male artist?

    In my view, these examples distract from her important artistic work. Nonetheless, the exhibition successfully highlights Steveni’s pioneering contributions, and her lasting impact on the art world.

    Barbara Steveni: I Find Myself is on at Modern Art Oxford till June 8 2025

    Martin Lang 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. Barbara Steveni: I Find Myself – a pioneering artist who influenced the civil service – https://theconversation.com/barbara-steveni-i-find-myself-a-pioneering-artist-who-influenced-the-civil-service-252761

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-Evening Report: What are non-tariff barriers – and why is agriculture so exposed?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Renwick, Professor of Agricultural Economics, Lincoln University, New Zealand

    Since the return to power of US President Donald Trump, tariffs have barely left the front pages.

    While the on-off-on tariff sagas have dominated the headlines, a paper released this week by the government’s Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) has highlighted other barriers. These non-tariff measures could actually be having a greater impact in terms of preventing trade.

    The report says these non-tariff measures are equivalent to Australian agricultural exporters facing a tariff of 19%.

    What are non-tariff measures?

    The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) defines a non-tariff barrier as

    any kind of “red tape” or policy measure, other than tariffs or tariff-rate quotas, that unjustifiably restricts trade.

    ABARES use a broader definition of “non-tariff measures”. This circumvents the tricky problem of trying to ascertain whether a non-tariff measure is justified or unjustified.

    Non-tariff measures can be separated into categories, such as sanitary and phytosanitary (food safety and plant/animal health-related), technical barriers to trade (food standards, labelling, and so on) and quantitative restrictions (such as quotas).

    It should be emphasised that these measures have a legitimate role to play in our trading systems.

    As noted by DFAT, enshrined in the rules of the World Trade Organization is the fact that all nations have the right to set trade rules to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of their citizens and to protect animal and plant health. Australia makes full use of these measures.

    How do they become a barrier to trade?

    So when does a measure become a barrier? According to DFAT, this is when they are:

    • unclear or unevenly applied
    • more trade-restrictive than necessary to meet their stated objective, or
    • introduced to provide an unfair advantage to domestic industries.

    Both justified and unjustified measures can work to prevent free trade. But the report also shows how non-trade measures can facilitate trade – for example, by providing assurances to customers in one country about the quality and safety of products from another country.

    Why agriculture is so exposed

    Non-tariff measures are particularly prevalent in agriculture because of the biological nature of food production and the potential risks to human, animal and plant health.

    Importing a faulty phone may lead to some losses to consumers. But infected agricultural products could severely disrupt a whole sector or even destroy ecosystems. For example, a large foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in Australia could cost the Australian economy more than A$26 billion over ten years.

    However, the existence of so many of these measures in the agricultural and food sectors may also be a political issue. Agricultural lobby groups are powerful in many countries and continually push for protection from imports. In this case, the measures can be viewed as barriers.

    The next wave of tariff announcements is coming on April 2.
    Bienvenido Velasco/Shutterstock

    What did the research say?

    The ABARES research highlights that non-tariff measures have proliferated in recent years as overall tariff rates have been declining. It also estimates that these measures have an increasingly negative impact on Australia’s agricultural export volumes.

    However, we do have to be careful in interpreting these results.

    An increase in justified measures is very different from an increase in unjustified measures.

    The ABARES report is not able to distinguish between the two. It may be questioned whether it is fair to include justified measures in a calculation of the headline tariff-equivalent measure.

    The report also highlights the costs of the measures, but does not consider the benefits. The example of foot and mouth shows that the benefits of non-tariff measures can be very large.

    It cuts both ways

    The ABARES report focuses on the impact of these measures on Australian export trade – but questions can also be raised about the use of them by Australia itself.

    Australia is in the crosshairs of Trump’s trade war. On April 2 the United States is set to implement a new wave of tariffs under its Fair and Reciprocal Trade Plan. These will target both tariffs and non-tariff measures.



    Read more:
    The next round in the US trade war has the potential to be more damaging for Australia

    Australia’s food security measures relating to beef are being explicitly called out by the US farm lobby. A US beef trade organisation called the Australia-US free trade agreement “by far the most lopsided and unfair trading deal” for its farmers.

    According to a press report on Friday, California winemakers have also complained to Trump about an Australian tax on wine sales, calling it “unfair”.

    There is no doubt there are significant gains to be had from disentangling genuine measures that protect human, plant and animal health from those that hinder trade purely to protect inefficient domestic producers or favour certain countries over others. Once this is done, work can be undertaken to reduce the unjustified barriers.

    However, the difficulty is how to achieve this – especially as what is often seen as justified by an importer may be the seen as the opposite or unjustified by an exporter.

    Alan Renwick 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. What are non-tariff barriers – and why is agriculture so exposed? – https://theconversation.com/what-are-non-tariff-barriers-and-why-is-agriculture-so-exposed-252739

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Australia’s ‘coercive’ news media rules are the latest targets of US trade ire

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Nicholls, Senior Research Associate in Media and Communications, University of Sydney

    As the United States recalibrates its trade policies to combat what the Trump administration sees as “unfair” treatment by other countries, two significant industries have complained to US regulators about their treatment in Australia.

    The tech industry – particularly Big Tech platforms such as Google and Meta – says it is being “coerced” into handing cash to Australian media companies. And the pharmaceutical industry is upset about low prices and delays in getting new treatments into the Australian market.

    Why are we hearing about these complaints now? And what will they mean for Australia?

    The US Trade Representative requests a pile-on

    In February, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) invited comments from the public to help it review and identify any unfair trade practices by other countries. The call was made “pursuant to the America First Trade Policy Presidential Memorandum and the Presidential Memorandum on Reciprocal Trade and Tariffs”.

    The aim was to use this consultation to investigate potential harm to the US from any non-reciprocal trade arrangements. The consultation was designed to help the USTR recommend appropriate actions to remedy any such practices.

    Essentially, it was an invitation to complain about any and all countries, including Australia. All the relevant industry associations have taken up this opportunity with a high degree of enthusiasm.

    There have been 766 submissions.

    Big Tech has complaints

    A tech industry group called the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) made a submission raising concerns about the digital policies of several countries, including Australia.

    The submission emphasised policies with what it calls “extractionary and redistributive characteristics” that force one set of market participants to subsidise the economic activities of another.

    The association’s Australian concern focuses on the News Media Bargaining Code. This requires tech companies to pay for news that appears on their platforms.

    The CCIA characterises the News Bargaining Code as:

    a coercive and discriminatory tax that requires US technology companies to subsidise Australian media companies.

    The CCIA argued that the financial burden imposed by the code is substantial. It said that two companies (Google and Meta, although the CCIA does not name them) pay A$250 million annually in deals “coerced through the threat of this law”. It also mentioned the planned “news bargaining incentive”, which aims to encourage platforms to do deals with media companies.

    Regulation by default

    The CCIA is also concerned about changes in competition law that will lead to platforms being regulated by default. That is, like telecommunications and electricity companies, designated platforms will be assumed to have a substantial degree of market power. (This was a finding made by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in 2019.)

    The industry group argued that Australia’s regulatory regime is modelled on the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). In fact, Australia is likely to look closely at both the EU and UK regimes.

    The CCIA says this default regulation would target specified US companies with discriminatory obligations.

    However, any business that is “designated” – regardless of its host country – would have these obligations. The proposed approach does not target or discriminate against US businesses.

    It is true the proposed approach will have heavy penalties for breach, and the CCIA complains about these “significant fines”. The CCIA correctly identifies that the regulations would empower the government to impose restrictions on how platforms use customers’ data, and whether they can preference their own products.

    The CCIA says it is concerned that these measures, like similar ones in other jurisdictions, disproportionately target US companies. It says they would also impose significant compliance costs, and may serve as a backdoor for industrial policy designed to advantage local competitors. They argue that such rules can require changes to operating procedures and services, and that non-compliance can result in hefty fines.

    The submission also addresses Australia’s proposed requirements for US online video providers, such as Netflix, to fund the development and production of Australian content, which could require these providers to allocate 10–20% of their local expenditure to Australian content. It does not note that the same is true for Australian streaming platforms.

    Big Pharma also has complaints – and a local ally

    Big Pharma, via the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) industry association, has also complained about various countries. Gripes about Australia include low prices under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and delays to approval of new treatments.

    Medicines Australia – a local organisation that represents pharmaceutical companies – agrees about the delays, citing a PBS review published last year.

    Barriers to trade

    The critical submissions should come as no surprise. Any industry group that passes up such a golden opportunity to complain on behalf of its members is arguably not doing its job.

    In the case of both Big Tech and Big Pharma, Australia was only one of the targets. Yet the potential impacts are high.

    The USTR is looking at treating any regulatory barriers faced by US companies as if they were tariffs. At least one Australian industry association is joining the pile-on.

    How will the USTR respond? Given the White House’s current approach to trade, there is a significant risk it will recommend retaliatory tariffs on yet more Australian products.

    Rob Nicholls receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. Australia’s ‘coercive’ news media rules are the latest targets of US trade ire – https://theconversation.com/australias-coercive-news-media-rules-are-the-latest-targets-of-us-trade-ire-252806

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: How will the history-making new Olympics boss shape sports worldwide, and in Australia?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Baka, Honorary Professor, School of Kinesiology, Western University, London, Canada; Adjunct Fellow, Olympic Scholar and Co-Director of the Olympic and Paralympic Research Centre, Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University

    In a surprisingly emphatic result, 41-year-old Kirsty Coventry, Zimbabwe’s Sport Minister, was selected as the new president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at its 144th session in Greece.

    Coventry is the first woman, the first African, and the youngest person ever to take on the role.

    So how did she rise to this position, and what should sports in Australia and globally expect?

    Unpacking the votes

    Coventry comes well-credentialed as a five-time Olympic swimmer, representing Zimbabwe from 2000 to 2016 and winning seven medals, two of them gold.

    An IOC member since 2013, Coventry was initially an athlete-elected member.

    She has taken on various IOC roles, including most recently on the Coordination Committee for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

    Although Coventry was one of the three favourites, along with Sebastian Coe from the United Kingdom and Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr from Spain (son of the previous IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch), she won the vote in a landslide on the first ballot, securing 49 votes of the 97.

    Having obtained the required 50% majority, no further rounds were held.

    So begins a new dawn for the IOC’s now extremely powerful inaugural woman leader, who will face several challenges.

    How did she win?

    Foremost, Coventry had longstanding president Thomas Bach’s informal endorsement and support.

    Bach no doubt had a huge sway over the voting members, many of whom were elected to the IOC during his 12-year reign.

    Bach’s appointment as Honorary President for Life from June this year means he will still have a powerful role and be able to mentor and influence Coventry.

    A lack of transparent voting for the position means we cannot know who voted for whom. Some will presume the new president garnered the majority of votes from women and African delegates, but such an observation can only be speculative.

    With women comprising 43% of IOC members, it is a reasonable assumption this cohort provided a strong support base.

    Several candidates proposed quite significant (and in some cases radical) changes, suggesting a vote for Coventry was a nod to keeping the status quo.

    Or was it just time to break the hold of male presidents?

    The 2024 Paris Olympics were the first games with equal 50-50 men-women participation. The IOC membership has also changed over the past few decades, with growing representation of women. As a result, its long-held reputation as an “old boys’ club” is slowly shifting.

    Coventry triumphed despite previous doubts about her domestic political ties, and a limited change agenda that seemed to be mainly a legacy choice for Bach.

    In this context, Bach might continue to exert his influence.

    Global challenges for the new president

    As Olympic Agenda 2020+5 draws to its end, the new president will have the opportunity to set a future-focused strategy.

    There are plenty of areas she will need to consider in taking the reins. Here are our top ten:

    1. Safeguarding athletes. The provision of safe spaces for sport is an area of global concern as the incidents of athlete harm are brought to light.

    2. Environmental, sustainability and global warming issues, such as lack of snow for the winter games, venue rationale, spending on mega events, and lack of bidders for future games.

    3. The impact of AI and digital transformation on all aspects of sport, from athlete performance and officiating to governance and management.

    4. Bidding processes for future host cities.

    5. Transgender athletes and diversity, equity and inclusion considerations.

    6. The (Australian-initiated) proposal for the pharmaceutical free-for-all Enhanced Games.

    7. Sponsorship changes – longtime sponsors Toyota and Panasonic have dropped out but others have come in, with some from China.

    8. Relations with Russia and the United States

    9. Athlete advocacy – perhaps giving the athletes more of the financial windfall the Olympics generate.

    10. Addition of new sports and culling or dropping existing less popular ones.



    Read more:
    Cricket? Lacrosse? Netball? The new sports that might make it to the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games

    What about Australia?

    Coventry comes from an impressive swimming background, and this could work to Australia’s advantage.

    Although she will step down from her role on the Coordination Committee for the Brisbane Olympics and Paralympics to handle other pressing presidential duties, she will no doubt retain a close link to the third Australian Olympic host city.

    The Australian Olympic Commission was quick to congratulate her on her ascension to the IOC presidency.

    Coventry knows AOC President Ian Chesterman, a fellow IOC member, so we can expect a close, friendly working relationship between them.

    With the Brisbane games only seven years away, the new IOC president will certainly have a strong vested interest in Australia and aspects of the Olympic and Paralympic movement in this part of the world.

    Tracy Taylor is on the Olympic Studies Centre Grant Award committee.

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

    – ref. How will the history-making new Olympics boss shape sports worldwide, and in Australia? – https://theconversation.com/how-will-the-history-making-new-olympics-boss-shape-sports-worldwide-and-in-australia-252623

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ACCC finds Australia’s supermarkets are among the world’s most profitable – but doesn’t accuse them of price gouging

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gary Mortimer, Professor of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour, Queensland University of Technology

    Daria Nipot/Shutterstock

    Australia’s supermarket sector has endured a long, uncomfortable moment in the spotlight. There have been six comprehensive inquiries into its conduct, pricing practices, and specifically claims of “price gouging”, over the past 18 months.

    Today, the long-awaited final report from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Supermarkets Inquiry has been released, more than 400 pages long.

    It finds Australia’s supermarkets are highly profitable by international standards, ranking among the highest in their peer group. But it did not find the supermarkets were price gouging. In fact, it didn’t even mention the phrase.

    How we got here

    In February 2024, the federal government formally directed the ACCC to investigate the competitiveness of retail prices in Australia’s supermarket sector. It was the first inquiry of its kind since 2008.

    The move followed widespread allegations the supermarkets had been price gouging – using the cover of high inflation to jack up prices even higher.

    The interim report from the ACCC’s inquiry, released in September, found the supermarket industry was highly concentrated, and reported many suppliers had raised concerns about “being exploited”.



    Read more:
    ‘Concerning’: ACCC interim report on supermarket inquiry tells of supplier woes and ‘oligopolistic’ market

    Highly profitable supermarkets

    The ACCC’s final report found Australian supermarkets appear highly profitable when compared with their international peers.

    ALDI’s, Coles’ and Woolworths’ average earnings before interest and tax margins were noted to be “among the highest of supermarket businesses in relevant comparator countries”.

    Average net profit after tax margins were similar to Walmart in the United States, Dutch-Belgian Ahold Delhaise, and Tesco in the United Kingdom, but below Canada’s Loblaw supermarkets.

    The inquiry found ALDI acted as a “price constraint” on Coles and Woolworths. But as a low-cost operator, ALDI does not compete with them “head-to-head” on all product offerings.

    It found while independent grocers provided a “valuable alternative”, consumers in regional areas were disadvantaged by higher freight costs and higher prices.

    ALDI’s, Coles’ and Woolworths’ store networks have expanded since the last inquiry in 2008, leading to greater “geographic overlap” and increased competition between their stores.

    Rising grocery prices

    The report notes that between late 2022 and early 2023, grocery prices were rising at more than twice the rate of wages. Supply chains took a big hit in the pandemic and its wake.

    Since March 2019, food and grocery prices have increased by about 24%, but this is still less than in many other OECD countries.

    The report notes input costs for supermarkets have increased dramatically since the pandemic. However, it says the fact supermarkets have also increased certain margins during this time means:

    at least some of the grocery price increases have resulted in additional profits for ALDI, Coles and Woolworths.

    Supermarkets often did not engage with suppliers “meaningfully” in relation to trading terms. Rebates paid by suppliers were opaque, complex and not well understood.

    The report found ALDI had been increasing its prices at a faster annual rate than Coles or Woolworths, particularly between 2022 and 2024.

    The ACCC investigated concerns suppliers lacked bargaining power when negotiating with the big supermarkets.
    Hypervision Creative/Shutterstock

    Was there any evidence of price gouging?

    Quite simply, no. And there appears to be no hard evidence of the practice from other inquiries either.

    A range of other inquiries into supermarket pricing and conduct at state and federal level have published findings in the past year, many centring on this very question:

    The ACTU report refers to price gouging 43 times, but no evidence is offered. Theories and possible economic impacts of price gouging and anti-competitive behaviour are presented.

    The Senate Select Committee report mentions “price gouging” at least 50 times, saying on whether price gouging exists in the supermarket sector – “the answer seems to be resounding yes”.

    However, a closer analysis again finds no actual evidence. Instead, the committee highlights that Australia’s “concentrated” supermarket sector, “potentially [creates] an environment for anti-competitive practices and price gouging”.

    The interim and final reports from the independent review into the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct mention “price gouging” multiple times. However, they don’t offer any evidence, instead referring to claims in the ACTU Report.

    Neither the ACCC inquiry’s interim report nor its final report mention “price gouging”.

    ACCC recommendations

    While the ACCC acknowledges there is no “silver bullet” to address competition issues in the supermarket sector, it offers 20 recommendations.

    Making it easier for smaller supermarket competitors to enter and expand in the market was one area of focus. Recommendations include simplifying planning and zoning rules, and encouraging governments of all levels to support community-owned supermarkets in remote areas.

    The ACCC also recommends supermarkets be required to publish notifications when “adverse” package size changes occur. This is commonly referred to as “shrinkflation”.

    Other notable recommendations include:

    • a requirement to provide an “independent” body weekly data about prices paid to fresh produce suppliers
    • a review of loyalty program practices in three years’ time
    • minimum information requirements for discount price promotions.

    The report did not recommend divestiture or breaking up the big supermarkets.

    Will Australians see lower grocery prices?

    The widely popular narrative of “stamping out price gouging” by dragging supermarket chief executives into public hearings and threatening them with jail time might have inferred such inquiries would lead to lower food prices. In isolation, they have not.

    The federal government says it agrees in principle with the recommendations. In its initial response, it has announced $2.9 million will be provided over three years for “targeted education programs” to help suppliers understand their rights.

    Gary Mortimer receives funding from the Building Employer Confidence and Inclusion in Disability Grant, AusIndustry Entrepreneurs’ Program, National Clothing Textiles Stewardship Scheme, National Retail Association, Australian Retailers Association.

    – ref. ACCC finds Australia’s supermarkets are among the world’s most profitable – but doesn’t accuse them of price gouging – https://theconversation.com/accc-finds-australias-supermarkets-are-among-the-worlds-most-profitable-but-doesnt-accuse-them-of-price-gouging-250503

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The search for missing plane MH370 is back on. An underwater robotics expert explains what’s involved

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stefan B. Williams, Professor of Marine Robotics, Australian Centre for Robotics, University of Sydney

    Armada 7805, similar to the 7806 vessel that will support the new MH370 search. Ocean Infinity

    More than 11 years after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, the Malaysian government has approved a new search for the missing debris of the aircraft.

    Malaysia announced the push for a renewed search last year, ten years after the tragedy that claimed the lives of 239 people.

    Seabed exploration firm Ocean Infinity, which conducted an unsuccessful search in 2018, prepared a new proposal to which Malaysia’s government agreed in principle in December last year.

    Now, the company has returned to the southern Indian Ocean 1,500 kilometres west of Perth – with a suite of new high-tech tools.

    A search area the size of Sydney

    Ocean Infinity is involved in projects surveying for offshore oil and gas reserves, and for suitable locations for offshore renewable energy projects.

    But it has also proved it is capable of locating underwater wreckage in the past. For example, in 2018, the company found a missing Argentinian navy submarine nearly 1,000 metres underwater in the Atlantic Ocean. And last October, it found the wreck of a US Navy ship that had been underwater for 78 years.

    The new search area for MH370 is roughly the size of metropolitan Sydney. It was identified in collaboration with experts based on refined analysis of information received after the aircraft disappeared. This information included weather, satellite data and the location of debris attributed to the aircraft which washed up along the coast of Africa and islands in the Indian Ocean.

    For this search, Ocean Infinity will be using a new 78 metre offshore support vessel, the Armada 7806. It was built by Norwegian shipbuilder Vard in 2023.

    Advanced sonar technology

    The Armada 7806 is equipped with a fleet of autonomous underwater vehicles manufactured by the Norwegian firm Kongsberg.

    These 6.2m long vehicles are capable of operating independently of the support vessel at depths of up to 6,000m for up to 100 hours at a time. They are equipped with advanced sonar technology, including sidescan, synthetic aperture, multibeam and sub-bottom profiling sonar.

    Sonar systems are essential for underwater mapping and object detection surveys. They use acoustic pulses to look for echoes from the seafloor.

    Sidescan sonar captures high-resolution images of the seafloor by sending out pulses of sound and detecting objects that reflect the sound pulses back.

    Synthetic aperture sonar is a technique for combining the results from multiple “pings” to effectively make the scanner bigger and more powerful, seeing further, and producing more detailed images.

    Multibeam sonar, in contrast, maps the seafloor topography by emitting multiple sonar beams in a fan-shaped pattern below the platform.

    Finally, sub-bottom profiling sonar operates at lower frequencies and penetrates the seabed to reveal underlying geological structures. This is useful for archaeological studies, sediment analysis and identifying buried objects.

    Together, these sonar technologies provide complementary data for underwater exploration, search and recovery, and geological assessments.

    Camera systems and lights on the vehicles may be used to confirm potential targets. Once a target of interest is detected using sonar, the vehicles would be programmed with missions designed to operate significantly closer to the seafloor. This would allow them to capture imagery of the search area with which to identify the targets.

    Such a search would only be conducted once a target of interest is identified, as the area covered by each image is significantly smaller than that covered by sonar, therefore requiring much denser survey tracks.

    Significant advancements in robotics

    Since its previous search in 2018, Ocean Infinity has made significant advancements in its marine robotics and data analytics capabilities. It has demonstrated its capacity to simultaneously deploy multiple vehicles at depths of up to 6,000m.

    This significantly increases the coverage area, as each vehicle covers its own patch of seafloor. This will allow for a more efficient and comprehensive survey of the designated search zone.

    The data being collected by the vehicles will be downloaded once the vehicles are brought back onboard, and stitched together to provide detailed maps of the search areas.

    Difficult conditions, above and below the surface

    Conditions in the search region are expected to be difficult. Weather on the surface will likely provide challenges for the support vessel and the crew. Underwater vehicles will have to contend with complex conditions on the seafloor, including steep slopes and rough terrain.

    The operation is expected to take up to 18 months. Weather conditions are most likely to be favourable between January and April.

    If Ocean Infinity succeeds in finding the wreckage of MH370, the Malaysian government will pay it US$70 million.

    The next steps would be trying to retrieve the plane’s black boxes, which would enable investigators to piece together what happened in the final moments before the plane plunged into the ocean. The Armada 7806 is likely to have remotely operated vehicles onboard equipped with cameras and manipulator systems, which may be used to verify the wreck site and in any future salvage operations.

    If Ocean Infinity fails, it will receive no payment. And the investigation into the location of the plane will essentially be back to square one.

    Stefan B. Williams receives funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC), Australian Economic Accelerator (AEA) program and the Inkfish Foundation.

    – ref. The search for missing plane MH370 is back on. An underwater robotics expert explains what’s involved – https://theconversation.com/the-search-for-missing-plane-mh370-is-back-on-an-underwater-robotics-expert-explains-whats-involved-252732

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: We found a new wasp! Students are discovering insect species through citizen science

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andy G Howe, Research Fellow (Entomology), University of the Sunshine Coast

    Andy Howe, CC BY

    Playgrounds can host a variety of natural wonders – and, of course, kids! Now some students are not just learning about insects and spiders at school — they are putting them on the map and even discovering and naming new species.

    Studies indicate insect populations are declining, and species are going extinct every week in Australia. But scientists have only described about a third of Australia’s estimated total of insect species.

    This means around 150,000 of our insect species do not have formal scientific names. We know little about where they are and what they do in ecosystems — vital information for stopping biodiversity loss.

    So, our team developed the citizen science project Insect Investigators.

    We took scientists to 50 regional schools across three states to learn about insects and other arthropods such as spiders. Students of all ages got to survey insect diversity, search for new species, and engage with entomologists and taxonomists throughout the school year.

    Students helped name new species, including several species of parasitoid wasp.

    Some of the scientific names include Apanteles darthvaderi (Back Plains State School students thought the wasp had gone to the “dark side” because of the way the wasp “sucks the life out of caterpillars”), Mirax supremus (named after the pinnacle science class at Beerwah State High School), and Coccygidium mellosiheroine, which means “honey-coloured hero” (named by students collaborating from several Queensland schools, who considered the wasp a hero as it attacks a crop pest).

    Our latest paper on the project is now published. We learned hands-on citizen science increased students’ interests in insects, nature and science.

    Apanteles darthvaderi – the wasp that’s gone to the dark side.
    Katherine Oestmann & Olivia Portmann, CC BY

    How many insects?

    Around 1,800 students and more than 70 teachers collected insects in or near their schools.

    Teachers sent samples to the project team, which sorted and sent a selection of specimens to be DNA barcoded. This method involves sequencing a small section of the genome to tell different species apart.

    The specimens were then sent to experts around Australia, who are working to describe any new species collected.

    The students collected more than 12,000 insect specimens, including 5,465 different species – many of which are probably not described.

    It will take years to identify all the species and work out how many are new to science, but we already know 3,000 had not been recorded in the Barcode of Life DNA database (BOLD).

    Queensland Mount Molloy students and their Malaise trap.
    Andy Howe, CC BY

    Good for insects, good for learning

    Getting to know insects as part of this citizen science project was great for kids’ active learning and developing an appreciation of the natural world.

    Students said they felt more interested in insects, nature and science, and it inspired them to spend more time outdoors.

    “I learnt there are many insect and plant species… that I haven’t seen before and how in different ecosystems you can find different insects,” said a student from South Australia.

    When students are engaged, it’s no surprise teachers enjoy their jobs more too — and this is exactly what we found. The more enthusiastic the students were about nature and science experiences through the project, the more interested the teachers were in teaching these topics.

    One teacher reported “students gained an understanding of the work of scientists, how to participate in research, protocols to follow, and gained a huge interest in insects!”

    Insect Investigators won the 2024 Eureka Prize for Innovation in Citizen Science (Australian Museum)

    What did students get out of it?

    After the insect survey was completed, we asked 118 students and 22 teachers in nine of the schools about what they experienced, and how they see insects and nature now.

    Students said the chance to find a new species, as well as discovering and catching insects they had not seen before, were highlights of Insect Investigators.

    Experiencing a hands-on learning style, outside in nature, was also mentioned as a benefit of the program.

    Many students said they now wanted to spend more time outdoors, act and encourage others to protect nature, and pay more attention to insect conservation and science classes. This implies the experience and discovery associated with hands-on citizen science has motivated greater engagement with nature and science.

    Queensland Cameron Downs kids show off an insect they found.
    Andy Howe, CC BY

    The potential of school-based citizen science

    Insect surveys offer an accessible way for students to actively learn about science and nature. Insects are virtually everywhere and by photographing them, students can observe natural insect behaviour – without the need to collect them.

    The iNaturalist App and Atlas of Living Australia facilitate citizen scientists to explore nature around them. We’ve also created resources for teachers who want to introduce lessons on insects into their school homepage.

    It’s never too early to develop science literacy skills and give children the chance to develop their curiosity, critical thinking and problem solving.

    Connecting schools and scientists is a great way to engage young learners and foster connections to nature. It has the added bonus of inventorying our natural world which is vital to conserving Australia’s biodiversity.

    Andy G Howe receives funding from the Australian Government, Queensland Government and Forest & Wood Products Australia. Since 2019, he is active with CSIRO Stem Professionals in Schools.

    Erinn Fagan-Jeffries receives funding from the Australian Government and Queensland Government. She sits on scientific advisory committees for Invertebrates Australia and Earthwatch.

    Patrick O’Connor receives funding from the Australian Research Council, State and Commonwealth Government Agencies and he is a board director of the Nature Conservation Society of SA, a committee member of the Restoration Decade Alliance and a councilor of the Biodiversity Council.

    Trang Nguyen receives funding from the End Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre and the Australian Government.

    – ref. We found a new wasp! Students are discovering insect species through citizen science – https://theconversation.com/we-found-a-new-wasp-students-are-discovering-insect-species-through-citizen-science-244960

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: This anniversary wasn’t meant to be easy: Malcolm Fraser and the modern Liberal Party

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joshua Black, Visitor, School of History, Australian National University

    Fifty years ago, Liberal MPs chose Malcolm Fraser as their leader. Eight months later, he led them into power in extraordinary – some might say reprehensible – circumstances. He governed for seven and a half years, and remains our fourth-longest serving prime minister.

    This year marks some awkward anniversaries for the Liberal Party. But this particular one is awkward for multiple reasons. There is the ruthlessness of Fraser’s quest for power, within and beyond the party itself. There is also the ambivalence of the current Liberal generation towards the memory of one of the party’s more electorally successful leaders.

    After Fraser’s time in power, he and his party embarked on very different journeys that still shape our politics today.

    How Fraser became leader

    Australian politics was pretty febrile in March 1975. The Whitlam government, narrowly re-elected in 1974, was increasingly unpopular. Inflation ran at 17.7% in the 12 months to March, and unemployment was at a post-war high of nearly 5%.

    Billy Snedden, Liberal leader from December 1972, was poorly placed to capitalise on these conditions. He had surprised many in 1974 with his strategy to block the government’s budget in the Senate and force an early election.

    But having run a tight race, Snedden lost credibility with his post-election claim that he was “not defeated” but merely “did not win enough seats to form a government”. He won a leadership spill in November 1974 but not convincingly enough to prevent another one later on.

    Billy Snedden (left), pictured here with Andrew Peacock, was unable to capitalise on the weaknesses of the Whitlam Labor government.
    Wikicommons

    A series of “unfortunate public gaffes” and unclear policy statements (on public health insurance among other things) left him vulnerable.

    Fraser, who in 1971 sternly (and famously) warned that “life wasn’t meant to be easy”, was the obvious alternative. He was a well-known frontbencher and a former senior minister. His role in the downfall of Liberal prime minister John Gorton meant he had many enemies. But as the Governor-General explained to Queen Elizabeth II in one of his confidential letters, Fraser had “a reputation of being strong, intelligent, aggressive and tough-minded”.

    Fraser studiously befriended new MPs whose loyalties were malleable, and used his portfolio (after the 1974 election, this was industrial relations) to win friends among his other colleagues.

    According to one profile, he hired a public relations firm to help him solve his “image problems” and to counteract personal criticisms from his internal rival and fellow Victorian, Andrew Peacock.

    Fraser sought to keep a clean image while his supporters, armed with the latest opinion polls, ran a backgrounding campaign described by Liberal MP Jim Forbes as “devious, unscrupulous and utterly contemptible”.

    The crunch came in March. On March 14, Peacock, who hoped to flush Fraser out, dramatically called for a special party meeting to vote on the leadership question. At a Victorian Liberal state council meeting in Bendigo that weekend, Fraser and Peacock canvassed their supporters, while Snedden gave a speech blaming his woes on the media and the Labor Party. According to The Age, a group of MPs met in Toorak that night to shore up their own positions for the week ahead.

    Under pressure on Monday morning, Snedden announced a party room meeting for Friday to settle the issue. Fraser confirmed his candidacy the next day. During four days of campaigning in which MPs pressured each other and party operatives worried openly about fundraising capacity, Snedden’s chances seemed to improve. Fraser’s supporters grew increasingly nervous and Peacock prepared to stand if Snedden lost the spill motion. The latter need not have bothered. In the end, it was Snedden who stood against Fraser and lost by a margin of ten votes.

    In search of strong leaders

    The Liberal Party has a special need for strong leaders. Gerard Henderson once diagnosed the party with a “Messiah complex”, while the political psychologist Graham Little argued that strong leaders gave parties a veneer of philosophy that could “whet the edge of political combat”. As Frank Bongiorno has more recently put it, strong leaders are those who provide their followers “structure, order and discipline” as well as “stark moral alternatives”.

    The collective psychology of the Liberal Party worked in Fraser’s favour in March 1975. There were philosophical differences between the two candidates – Snedden later told his biographer that these contests were always driven by the “difference between conservatives and liberals” – but the vote really was about the styles of leadership they offered. As first-time MP John Howard recalled in his memoir, Fraser “sounded strong and looked like a winner”.

    Fraser played the role forcefully for eight years, easily seeing off a challenge from Peacock in the final year of his government. Howard certainly fit the bill for much of his second stint as leader, and especially from 2001 onward. These men offered their followers a combination of ideological doctrine and hard-edged political pragmatism.

    In the 1980s and post-2007, the party amassed an impressive history of leadership spills in their search for a strong leader. The current leader, Peter Dutton, made a spectacular contribution with his first leadership bid in August 2018. He eventually won the prize in 2022, not necessarily because he had the strongest claim to be a strong leader, but largely due to the lack of “viable alternatives”. That has made his position awkward at times, not least following the historic Aston by-election defeat in 2023.

    Worlds Apart

    Over time, Fraser became a trenchant critic of his former party, which hardly knew what to do with him. He failed in a bid for the party’s federal presidency in the 1990s, and was openly critical of its approach to race, asylum seekers and climate policy under Howard. He resigned his life membership shortly after Tony Abbott was elected leader in December 2009.

    When Fraser died in March 2015, Abbott and his treasurer Joe Hockey led the awkward parliamentary tributes celebrating the life of a “genuine liberal”, while immigration minister Peter Dutton sat silently.

    Dutton has played a key role in distancing the party from aspects of the Fraser legacy. Fraser abhorred racism, and his embrace of multiculturalism marks him out as different from several of his successors.

    In 2016, Dutton controversially said that Fraser’s decision to resettle migrants fleeing civil war in Lebanon had been “a mistake”. He claims to have since apologised, but only to one senior member of the Lebanese community.

    Fraser’s approach to Indigenous policy was also streets apart from that of Dutton. In the early 1980s Fraser’s government, on the advice of the National Aboriginal Council, considered a Makarrata commission to begin acknowledging the history of “Aboriginal occupation” and identifying areas for “increased Aboriginal involvement” in decision-making.

    In 2024, Dutton ruled out a Makarrata commission, promising instead a more paternalistic approach to Indigenous affairs.

    In 2008, Fraser attended the Apology to the Stolen Generations while Dutton, a senior Liberal MP at the time, boycotted it. (He has since apologised for this.) During the 2023 referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, Fraser’s former ministers for Aboriginal affairs supported the “yes” campaign. Dutton was its chief opponent.

    When he died, Fraser was reported to be working on a platform for a new political party that would advocate for a Republic, a treaty with First Nations people, “a more independent foreign policy and a post-carbon economy”. In his book Independents’ Day, journalist Brook Turner suggests that some of the individuals who spoke with Fraser then are now at the forefront of the campaigns supporting community independent candidates.

    This year, Dutton hopes to win back some of those seats from these independent MPs. The coming contest may indicate that the memory of Fraser’s version of liberalism still has a place in Australia’s politics.

    Dr Joshua Black is a former Palace Letters Fellow at the Whitlam Institute within Western Sydney University, and a member of the University of Melbourne’s Malcolm Fraser Reference Group.

    – ref. This anniversary wasn’t meant to be easy: Malcolm Fraser and the modern Liberal Party – https://theconversation.com/this-anniversary-wasnt-meant-to-be-easy-malcolm-fraser-and-the-modern-liberal-party-250752

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Every generation thinks they had it the toughest, but for Gen Z, they’re probably right

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Intifar Chowdhury, Lecturer in Government, Flinders University

    Every generation thinks they had it tough, but evidence suggests young Australians today might have a case for saying they’ve drawn the short straw.

    Compared with young adults two or three decades ago, today’s 18–35-year-olds may earn more, but they also grapple with soaring living costs, rising education expenses, precarious employment and mounting debt.

    Shifts in the economy and labour market have restructured young adulthood, creating new barriers to financial security and delaying milestones such as home ownership, partnership and parenthood.

    How does this compare to what life was like for young Australians at the turn of the century?

    Increasing education, decreasing payoffs

    University participation has risen, but so has student debt. It’s now far beyond what was intended when HECS was introduced as a supposedly fair, income-contingent loan system.

    Indexation has outpaced wages, so much so that today’s 20-somethings carry debts that are more than $10,000 higher in real terms than their counterparts two decades ago.

    The Morrison government’s 2021 fee hikes only exacerbated the crisis, with some degrees nearly doubling in cost, leaving students with an even greater debt burden.

    University fees have increased over the past 25 years.
    Shutterstock

    Yet the financial return on education is increasingly uncertain.

    Credential inflation has reshaped the job market, with even low-wage positions now expecting a university degree.

    The widespread belief that a degree guarantees better pay is driving more students into higher education, yet there are many graduates saddled with debt and working in roles unrelated to their qualifications.

    In 1996, 28.5% of 21–25-year-olds found themselves in mismatched jobs.

    By 2019, that figure had climbed to 33% just among 25-year-olds.

    Salaries aren’t keeping up. Since 1996, graduate wages have risen by a factor of just 2.5, while student contributions have jumped between 1.7- and 6.2-fold. This leaves today’s graduates with debt that consumes a larger share of their income than ever before.

    The dwindling dream of home ownership

    Housing affordability has collapsed over the years.

    Twenty-five years ago, the average house cost nine years’ worth of the average household income.

    Now, it’s about 16.5 years.

    In 2001, property prices rose 1.3 times faster than incomes. Since then, they’ve surged at 2.3 times the rate.

    This is fuelled partly by tax incentive policies – for example, the Howard government’s 1999 capital gains tax changes – and, more recently, the COVID pandemic.

    Soaring prices have deepened the intergenerational housing wealth gap, reducing the home purchase opportunity for young people. While the First Home Owner Grant, introduced in 2000, provides some support, saving for a deposit remains a years-long struggle.

    That is, unless parents can help.

    For many young Australians, intergenerational wealth is now the key to home ownership. Inheritance is becoming nearly as important as employment.

    Since 2002, the total value of wealth transfers has more than doubled in real terms, with larger inheritances expected for younger generations due to rising parental wealth and fewer siblings.

    But parental wealth is far more unequally distributed than income – shaped by education and region.

    Therefore, inheritocracy is set to deepen economic inequality within today’s youth cohort.

    But this isn’t just about the ultra-wealthy passing down mansions. Most inheritances involve an ordinary home or proceeds from its sale.

    Housing, once central to middle-class stability, now determines who can build wealth and who will struggle financially for life.

    Mounting mental health pressures

    Meanwhile, Australians today are borrowing more than ever. Default risk is rising fastest among under-30s as soaring interest rates, rent hikes, and cost-of-living pressures squeeze finances.

    It’s then no surprise Gen Z is more concerned about finances than any other generation.

    Financial stress is taking a heavy toll on young people’s mental health. Between 2007 and 2022, the prevalence of mental health disorders among young Australians surged by nearly 50%.

    The burden of disease from non-fatal conditions – measured in years of healthy life lost – has risen 7% since 2003. This is largely due to mental health disorders and substance abuse, which disproportionately affect young people.

    Growing up Indigenous

    At the deepest end of these struggles are Indigenous youth, who face far greater challenges than their non-Indigenous peers.

    Across nearly every measure – education, employment, health and incarceration – outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people remain significantly worse.

    While today’s Indigenous youth have achieved better outcomes compared to previous generations – 39% of Indigenous Australians aged 20+ had completed Year 12 in 2021, up from 19.4% in 2001 – these gains still lag behind non-Indigenous youth.

    Systemic barriers, institutional racism and intergenerational trauma continue to limit fair access to opportunities. This compounds inequalities and contributes to higher rates of mental ill-health, stress and suicide among Indigenous youth.

    The changing politics of being young

    Undoubtedly, a continued period of instability and psychological distress in formative years is also shaping the youngest generation’s political attitudes and behaviours.

    With fewer assets to conserve compared to their parents or grandparents, they are more likely to lean more to the left politically, and this won’t change with age.

    Yet, they remain engaged, thanks in part to compulsory voting, but are also abandoning party loyalties.



    Read more:
    I looked at 35 years of data to see how Australians vote. Here’s what it tells us about the next election

    Australian Election Study data shows 18–30-year-olds were more interested in politics in 2022 than in 1998 (67% vs 63%). At the same time, they were more likely to change votes during campaigns (43% vs 30%) and less likely to consistently vote for the same party (28% vs 40%).

    Their right-wing identification has nearly halved since 1998, with the youth vote increasingly favouring left-wing parties (75% vs 61%).

    However, younger Australians’ diverse digital news habits add to their political unpredictability. With 60% of Gen Z relying short-form videos, podcasts, and social media platforms for news in 2024, they are increasingly exposed to fragmented, algorithm-driven content.

    This shift, coupled with rising concerns about misinformation, contributes to their volatility as voters.

    Overall, young Australians are coming of age in an era where hard work no longer guarantees security. How Australia adapts to this shifting economic and political reality will shape the country’s future for decades to come.

    This piece is part of a series on how Australia has changed since the year 2000. You can read other pieces in the series here.

    Intifar Chowdhury 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. Every generation thinks they had it the toughest, but for Gen Z, they’re probably right – https://theconversation.com/every-generation-thinks-they-had-it-the-toughest-but-for-gen-z-theyre-probably-right-249604

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Antarctic bases are hotbeds of stress and violence. Space stations could face the same challenges

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Kaiser, PhD Candidate, School of Social Sciences, University of Tasmania

    The South African National Antarctic Expedition research base, SANAE IV, at Vesleskarvet, Queen Maud Land, Antarctica.
     Dr Ross Hofmeyr/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA

    Earlier this week, reports emerged that a scientist at South Africa’s SANAE IV Antarctic research base had accused a colleague of physical assault.

    We research Antarctic governance and crime in isolated, confined and extreme environments such as Antarctic and space stations. Rebecca specifically investigates how station cultures evolve in isolation and what factors significantly influence conflict – and what can be done to improve safety in these environments.

    What happened on SANAE IV?

    SANAE IV is located on the edge of a steep cliff in Vesleskarvet in east Antarctica. The alleged assault stemmed from a dispute over a task the team leader wanted the team to do. In an email published by the South African Sunday Times, the alleged victim said the alleged attacker had also:

    threatened to kill [name withheld], creating an environment of fear and intimidation. I remain deeply concerned about my own safety, constantly wondering if I might become the next victim.

    Psychologists are now in touch with the research team. They aren’t due to leave the extremely isolated and remote base until December.

    This latest incident fits within a broader pattern of crime and misconduct in Antarctica. Research stations on the icy continent are often portrayed as hubs of scientific cooperation. But history has shown they can also become pressure cookers of psychological strain and violence.

    Multiple cases of misconduct

    There have been multiple cases of misconduct in Antarctica over the years.

    In 1959, a scientist at Russia’s Vostok Station allegedly attacked his colleague with an ice axe after losing a game of chess. In 2018, another Russian research station became the site of a stabbing. The alleged cause? Spoiled book endings.

    In 1984, the leader of Argentina’s Almirante Brown Station set fire to the facility after being ordered to stay through the winter. This resulted in the station’s evacuation.

    The 2000 death of an astrophysicist at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station was a suspected murder.

    And recent investigations into sexual harassment at multiple Antarctic stations highlight ongoing safety concerns.

    Drivers of conflict

    Research suggests several psychological and social factors contribute to conflict in remote locations such as Antarctica. These include prolonged isolation, extreme environmental conditions, and the necessity of constant close contact.

    In combination, these factors can amplify even minor frustrations. And over time, the lack of external social support, the monotony of daily routines, and the psychological weight of confinement can lead to heightened emotional responses and conflict.

    Without structured outlets for stress relief and effective de-escalation mechanisms (such as gyms, libraries, or quiet spaces where mediation between people can happen), tensions can reach breaking points.

    Power dynamics also play a crucial role. With limited external oversight, leadership structures and informal hierarchies take on an outsized influence. Those in positions of authority have significant control over how disputes are resolved. This has the potential to exacerbate tensions rather than reducing them.

    The process for reporting and responding to incidents in these kinds of environments also remains inconsistent. There’s a lack of policing, and traditional justice systems are also largely absent. Many stations rely on administrative action and internal conflict resolution mechanisms, rather than legal enforcement.

    But these mechanisms can be biased or inadequate. In turn, this can leave victims of harassment or violence with few options. It can also lead to more conflict.



    Read more:
    Antarctic stations are plagued by sexual harassment – it’s time for things to change

    From Antarctica to space

    As Antarctica and space become more accessible for research and commercial ventures, proactive approaches to crime and conflict prevention in these remote and extreme environments is vital.

    The psychological and social challenges observed in Antarctic stations provide a valuable model for understanding potential conflicts in long-duration space missions. Lessons learned from incidents in Antarctica can inform astronaut selection, training, and onboard conflict resolution strategies.

    A key area requiring refinement is psychological screening for personnel.

    Current screening methods may not fully account for how individuals will react to the social shift that takes place in a remote environment. This includes the altering of attitudes, personal priorities and tolerances.

    More advanced stress tolerance assessments and social adaptability training could improve candidate selection. It could also reduce the likelihood of conflicts escalating to violence.

    It’s also vital that we gain a better understanding of the unique conflict dynamics that evolve in these equally unique environments.

    Research can help. So too can thorough investigations of incidents, such as the one that allegedly occurred at SANAE IV.

    This knowledge can be used to recognise early signs of potential conflicts. It can also be integrated into case study-based training modules for expeditioners prior to their deployment. These training modules should include role-playing scenarios, crisis intervention techniques, and integrating the lived experiences of past expeditioners.

    This would better equip personnel to navigate interpersonal challenges.

    Going to extremes

    The recent alleged events at SANAE IV are indicative of a broader pattern of human behaviour in extreme environments.

    If we are to successfully expand scientific exploration and habitation in these settings, we must acknowledge the realities of human conflict and develop strategies to ensure the safety and wellbeing of those who live and work in these challenging conditions.

    Studying crime and conflict in environments such as Antarctica is not just about understanding the past. It’s about safeguarding the future of exploration – whether on Earth’s harshest frontier or in the depths of space.

    Hanne E F Nielsen receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Dutch Research Council.

    Rebecca Kaiser 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. Antarctic bases are hotbeds of stress and violence. Space stations could face the same challenges – https://theconversation.com/antarctic-bases-are-hotbeds-of-stress-and-violence-space-stations-could-face-the-same-challenges-252720

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: What’s the difference between baking powder and baking soda? It’s subtle, but significant

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nathan Kilah, Senior Lecturer in Chemistry, University of Tasmania

    Karynf/Shutterstock

    There is something special about sharing baked goods with family, friends and colleagues. But I’ll never forget the disappointment of serving my colleagues rhubarb muffins that had failed to rise. They were dense, rubbery and an embarrassment to the reputation of chemists as good cooks (#ChemistsWhoCook feeds on social media are full of delicious food).

    The cause of my failure was an imbalance between the acidity of rhubarb and the chemical raising agents I used in baking.

    Both baking powder and baking soda can play a role in giving baked goods their bubble-filled texture and taste. They are sold side-by-side in the supermarket, and have similar uses. But what’s the difference between them and how can we use those differences to our advantage?

    What’s in the box?

    A quick look at the packaging shows the difference between the two products.

    Baking soda contains one ingredient: sodium hydrogen carbonate, also known as sodium bicarbonate or simply bicarb. Baking soda is well known for its uses in cleaning, cooking and deodorising.

    Baking powder is typically a mixture of three ingredients: baking soda, an acid, and a starch derived from corn, rice or wheat. The starch makes it easier to measure the powder and also prevents the acid and base from reacting prematurely in the pantry. Baking powder is used exclusively for cooking.

    The common ingredient in both products is the baking soda. This salt can be purified from natural sources, or can be prepared synthetically.

    The acid is the key

    Baking soda is a base, which means it can chemically react with acids. This fizzy reaction produces bubbles of carbon dioxide, water and a mix of new salts. Baking soda can also release carbon dioxide gas when it is heated at temperatures above 80°C.

    When you mix baking soda into a cake batter, you will see some initial chemical activation by food acids. This causes bubbles to form and the mixture to rise.

    The acids come from other ingredients in the mix, such as yogurt, buttermilk, or the rhubarb in my failed muffins. Too much acid, and the majority of the carbon dioxide will be released at this batter stage.

    Once you place the mixture in the hot oven, the high temperature will form further carbon dioxide bubbles. This thermal activation forms a new salt, sodium carbonate, which can give a residual taste and “soapy” mouthfeel if there’s too much of it left in the final product.

    Baking soda produces bubbles when mixed with acid, and when exposed to a high temperature in the oven.
    SergeyKlopotov/Shutterstock

    Mixing baking powder into a cake batter will also result in chemical activation to form bubbles. The baking soda in the mixture will react with the acid included in the baking powder mix, as well as any acidic ingredients in the batter.

    The type of acid included in the baking powder can subtly change the way the baking powder behaves. The more soluble the acid in the batter, the faster the carbon dioxide will form bubbles.

    Recipes that ask for both baking powder and baking soda are likely looking to do two things: neutralise an abundance of food acid from another ingredient, and provide time-delayed, temperature-activated rising.

    Baking soda can also increase the surface browning of food by enhancing the Maillard reaction. This class of reactions results in delicious chemical transformations in roasted coffee, seared steaks, baked bread and more.

    Meanwhile an excess of baking soda can change the appearance of foods, for example turning blueberry anthocyanins green in muffins or pancakes.

    Too much sodium carbonate left over during baking can contribute to a ‘soapy’ mouthfeel – a real risk for scones, for example.
    Zain Abba/Pexels

    Can I substitute baking powder and baking soda?

    Baking (like chemistry) is a precise science. It’s best not to substitute baking soda for baking powder or vice-versa: they have subtly different chemical effects.

    If you really need a substitution, the general rule is that you need three times the baking powder for the equivalent quantity of baking soda (so, if the recipe asks for a teaspoon of baking soda, you’d add three teaspoons of baking powder).

    But it’s not a precise conversion: it doesn’t take into account the key role of acid that’s already in the baking powder. This could affect the final acid-base balance in your recipe.

    You can compensate by adding an acid such as cream of tartar or citric acid. But it can be difficult to get the relative quantities of acid and base correct. These acids are also likely to promote immediate release of carbon dioxide, with less left to activate in the oven – potentially leading to a dense bake.

    You definitely shouldn’t substitute baking powder for baking soda when cleaning. The acid in the baking powder will neutralise any cleaning activity of the sodium bicarbonate, while the starch may leave a sticky, streaky mess.

    It’s best to keep both baking powder and baking soda in your pantry for their distinct uses. Be sure to share whatever delicious treats you bake with others, as well as sharing your new knowledge of the bubbly chemistry contained within.

    Nathan Kilah 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. What’s the difference between baking powder and baking soda? It’s subtle, but significant – https://theconversation.com/whats-the-difference-between-baking-powder-and-baking-soda-its-subtle-but-significant-251050

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Vengeful ghost cat, divorce lizard, phantom horse: the animals that haunted Ancient Rome and Greece

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Willis, PhD Candidate, Classics and Ancient History, University of Newcastle

    djkett/Shutterstock

    You wake up at night sensing a weight on your legs that you thought was your pet dog – only to remember they died years ago. Or perhaps you know someone who swears they can still hear their childhood cat moving around the house, scratching at the door at night.

    Tales of ghost animals in our modern world are often framed as a comfort; the beloved pet returning to visit. But this has not always been the case.

    In ancient Greece and Rome, you might assume that the close relations between humans and animals would result in many tales of animal ghosts, but this is not the case. In fact, such stories are actually incredibly rare.

    And the handful of examples that do exist depict the ghostly animals not as friendly visitors but as mere tools for humans – often to do evil.

    1. Revenge of the ghost cat

    One such example comes from the Greek Magical Papyri, a document from Graeco-Roman Egypt that’s written mostly in ancient Greek.

    This handbook of spells and magic rituals was used by professional magicians dating from the second century BCE to the fifth century CE.

    It includes a spell that allows a practitioner of magic to use a ghost cat to get revenge on their enemy.

    This spell, listed in the document as “PGM III 1-164” does not have a specific goal but is described as suitable for:

    every ritual purpose: a charm to restrain charioteers in a race, a charm for sending dreams, a binding love charm, and a charm to cause separation and enmity.

    A translation note observes that all of these are forms of malicious magic.

    In this spell, the ghost cat is a mere tool of a nefarious human.
    Evgrafova Svetlana/Shutterstock

    The focus of this spell is the ritual drowning of a cat. While holding the cat’s body underwater, the magician recites an incantation and calls to the “cat-faced god[ess]” to inform them of the mistreatment that their sacred animal is suffering.

    However, the magician boldly lies to the god, claiming that it is their chosen human target who is responsible for the killing.

    The enterprising magician then offers a solution to this affront, asking the god to allow the cat to return as a ghost to serve them as a daimon (a supernatural being with mystical powers).

    With the god’s support the magician was then free to curse or bind their chosen victim, suitably reframing the action as the cat’s own revenge against its presumed murderer.

    2. The divorce lizard

    Our second example also comes from the Greek Magical Papyri (listed as “PGM LXI. 39-71”).

    Like many erotic spells of antiquity, this spell was designed to attract a chosen target to the magician.

    However, some targets were easier to attract than others.

    This text offers a ritual solution to would-be magicians whose chosen victim was already married. By harnessing the power of another ghostly animal daimon, this ritual aims to destroy the marriage.

    The text begins by instructing the magician to find a spotted lizard “from the place where bodies are mummified”, kill it with hot coals and make it into a ghostly daimon.

    Take one lizard ‘from the place where bodies are mummified’…
    Cheshir.002/Shutterstock

    While the lizard is dying, the magician recites an incantation. This spell aims to destroy the couple’s relationship by making them hate each other.

    Later, hiding outside the couple’s home with the lizard’s ashes, the magician calls upon the newly dead lizard to return as a ghost daimon and force the target to abandon her marital home using its supernatural powers.

    Once complete, the target would become especially vulnerable to an attraction spell.

    3. The ghostly cavalry

    The final example comes from a document known as Descriptions of Greece, written by Greek traveller and geographer Pausanias in the second century CE.

    The author recounts a local tale about a haunted field where the Battle of Marathon took place in 490 BCE.

    Here, Pausanias claims, the sounds of “horses neighing and men fighting” can be heard every night as the ghosts of fallen Greek and Persian soldiers continue to do battle.

    Interestingly, Pausanias is careful to warn his readers that those who deliberately seek out these ghosts will suffer their wrath. Thankfully, though, anyone that stumbles upon them by accident will remain safe.

    Unlike the first two examples, these ghost horses are not facilitated by magic or divine power. So, why were they believed to return as ghosts when other horses did not? Just as the ghosts of infantry men retained their swords and shields so they could continue to battle each night, the horses remained an essential tool for the ghosts of the cavalrymen.

    The sound of ‘horses neighing and men fighting’ can be heard at one battlefield, Greek traveller Pausanias reports.
    knight of silence/Shutterstock

    Animals with a ghostly purpose

    These examples provide a fascinating window into the perception of animals in antiquity.

    It is well evidenced that the Greeks and Romans adored their pets, and in everyday life animals were given many different roles in society.

    However, after death these roles are drastically narrowed. In ancient times, animals seem only to return as ghosts in situations where they exist as tools for human use.

    It remains to be seen what afterlife the ancients believed would be experienced by animals without a ghostly purpose.

    Rebecca Willis 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. Vengeful ghost cat, divorce lizard, phantom horse: the animals that haunted Ancient Rome and Greece – https://theconversation.com/vengeful-ghost-cat-divorce-lizard-phantom-horse-the-animals-that-haunted-ancient-rome-and-greece-249482

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The viability of some charities could rest on how they’re taxed – we should be cautious about changing the rules

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Juliet Chevalier-Watts, Associate Professor, Law School, University of Waikato

    Ground Picture/Shutterstock

    There have long been calls for New Zealand’s charity-linked businesses to lose their tax exemption status. Under the current rules, companies such as Sanitarium, which is wholly owned by the Seventh-day Adventist church pay no income tax.

    This could all change very soon.

    Inland Revenue recently opened consultation on rule changes that would include taxing business income unrelated to a charity’s charitable purpose. The consultation period runs until the end of this month.

    But overhauling the tax rules could undermine the sustainability of some charities, making it harder for them to continue their work.

    Our ongoing research looks into the economic contribution of the sector and, in particular, focuses on religious charities. The total value of the services provided by these charities in 2018 alone was NZ$6.1 billion – the equivalent of around 3% of annual government expenditure.

    Other studies have shown the substantial contributions charities make to education, sports, the arts, the environment and other activities that don’t get enough support from the government.

    Making a profit

    There are more than 29,000 registered charities in New Zealand. To register as one, an entity must meet strict legal criteria entrenched in the Charities Act 2005.

    Charities have to fall within one of four legally-recognised charitable purposes: relief of poverty, advancement of education, advancement of religion, and any other purposes beneficial to the community.

    The government recognises the high bar charities have to meet by giving some tax exemptions. This allows the charities to focus on providing benefits to communities rather than having to divert funds to the government. The exemptions are on both passive income (stocks, for example) as well as business income.

    But the issue is not as simple as certain criticisms might imply.

    Charities need to sustain themselves over time – particularly as donations fluctuate. Untaxed profits from charity-linked businesses allow them to do this, and changing the rules could undermine future cash flow for these groups.

    This argument should not be overstated. Removing the exemption won’t completely wipe out a charity’s profits. But it takes a portion of income that would then need to be covered by an increase in donations.

    The Inland Revenue discussion paper also only offers examples of businesses in the primary industry (farming, for example) and manufacturing sectors. But it is silent about the financial and services sectors. It appears charities’ income from interest or financial assets will still be exempt.

    This is not necessarily a bad thing.

    Holding assets such as a portfolio of stocks or bonds can improve charities’ ability to plan for the long term. But the tax rules should remain consistent between financial assets and non-financial assets, such as a farm or business.

    The Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing Company, the manufacturer of Weet-Bix, Marmite and other well known grocery items, is wholly owned by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church and doesn’t pay income tax.
    Adam Constanza/Shutterstock

    Will the gains be worth the cost?

    To better balance the contribution of charities to wider society with efforts to mak tax rules fair, there are a few points the government needs to consider.

    • Firstly, society benefits from having a wide variety of charities. Allowing them to build a stable financial base allows them to grow and continue to do their work.

    • There will always be gaps in what the government is able to provide. It’s arguably more efficient to address unmet need with charities than by leaving it to individuals to find donations themselves.

    • Charities should be able to structure themselves in ways that make them less dependent on donations.

    • The government needs to also consider what it would cost to overhaul the current tax rules when it comes to charities. Administrative costs for everyone could end up being greater than the revenue gained.

    • Finally, the impact of the proposed changes would extend beyond religious organisations to include gaming trusts, universities and asset-holding charities that provide significant funding for sports, arts, cultural and welfare organisations.

    Having public consultation on Inland Revenue’s proposed changes is a good start, but it is just that.

    More needs to be done to understand the implications for communities should tax changes occur – and what could be lost if charities are substantially less sustainable. So, if the government delivers a plan, let’s read and evaluate the small print.

    The authors thank Steven Moe, Partner at Parryfield Lawyers, for his significant help and mahi in contributing to this article.

    Juliet Chevalier-Watts receives funding from The Wilberforce Foundation and the InterChurch Bureau.

    Over four decades I have served as a volunteer and trustee for a range of development, educational, health and religious charities.

    – ref. The viability of some charities could rest on how they’re taxed – we should be cautious about changing the rules – https://theconversation.com/the-viability-of-some-charities-could-rest-on-how-theyre-taxed-we-should-be-cautious-about-changing-the-rules-251137

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Glastonbury is as popular as ever, but complaints about the lineup reveal its generational challenge

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Adrian York, Senior Lecturer in Commercial Music Performance, University of Westminster

    Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock since 1970 you will be aware of the five-day Glastonbury festival held every June (apart from “fallow” years to rest the land and the organisers), near Pilton in Somerset. Glastonbury is as much a pillar of the English summer as tennis at Wimbledon or opera at Glyndebourne.

    It’s a white, middle-class rite of passage and an easy win for people wishing peer approval and the cultural capital that comes with the price of a ticket. It’s expensive and exclusive and the booking policy reflects its audience.

    This year’s headliners include indie pop-rock darlings The 1975, angry girl supreme Olivia Rodrigo, old-school superstar Neil Young with his band the Chrome Hearts, with family favourite Rod Stewart filling the Sunday teatime “legend” slot.

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

    Other acts filling the 100-plus stages include Brat popster Charli XCX, English hip-hopper Loyle Carner, original bad boys The Prodigy (without original frontman Keith Flint, RIP) plus Raye, Doechii, Noah Kahan, Gracie Abrams, and old pros Alanis Morissette, En Vogue and Gary Numan.

    With tickets costing £378.50 for Glastonbury 2025, are the 210,000 attendees getting value for money?

    A Reddit thread titled “Glastonbury 2025 lineup, thoughts?”, gives a flavour of some commonly aired opinions. Disappointed customer praf973 “tried to get tickets but was unsuccessful. I’m not bitter, but the line up isn’t really looking that great.” Another commenter, Whilst-I-was-forced, declared: “Nothing to get excited about. It’s gone too commercial and sterile.”

    Ok_Handle_3530 gave a different perspective: “This line-up looks … great, people are too hard to please.” ShankSpencer opined, “There are no good line-ups any more. No one young listens to bands any more, so there are no headline acts.”

    The exceptionally popular festival sold out in 35 minutes this year even before the artists had been announced, raising the question: has Glastonbury become a victim of its own success?

    Last year there were issues with overcrowding at some of the smaller stages creating issues for fans wanting to see acts such as the Sugababes. Some sets were even being stopped early because of crowd surges.

    But what’s really behind these complaints about the lineup and are they justified? There’s been a changing of the guard as the veteran generation of performers from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s step back from performing because they have retired, are too ill or have died.

    There doesn’t seem to be enough credible stadium acts from the 1990s onwards to fill their shoes, leading to a lack of enthusiasm for the current offerings. The new generation of acts have an opportunity to impress, but many of them don’t have the volume of hits that legacy acts such as Elton John or Paul McCartney provide – nor the cross-generational appeal.

    There is also a growing sense that the cultural importance of the rock band is fading. Gen Z has far more in the way of distractions than previous generations with myriad forms of social media and digital entertainment. With so much competition for their attention, the tribal allegiances that bands used to command may feel dated and irrelevant to many younger people.

    On their single Guys, one of this year’s headliners, The 1975 trill: “The moment that we started a band was the best thing that ever happened.” Perhaps lead singer Matty Healy’s love affair with the mythology of rock’n’roll is no longer widely shared.

    Glastonbury has also been criticised for a lack of diversity. Clubbing magazine Mixmag made the point that in 2023, “the number of male acts playing this year’s Glastonbury Festival is nearly double that of female acts”.

    Similarly, the festival’s lineup and audience are predominantly white and fail to adequately reflect the British music industry. Though there have been a few black bands and artists headlining over the years, it wasn’t until 2019 that the first solo black British performer headlined on the Pyramid stage, with an unforgettable set from London rapper Stormzy in a black Union Jack stab vest designed by Banksy.

    For Glastonbury to move with the times, a more diverse booking policy is needed to widen the audience demographic and the festival’s appeal. Despite having enjoyed the event, mixed-heritage music journalist and academic Jenessa Williams noted: “I was still left with the feeling that certain punters saw black artists as a mockable novelty, a by-product to tolerate rather than truly a piece of the event’s heart and soul.”

    And then there’s the issue of cost. According to a 2024 report, two-thirds of UK adults feel that music festivals are becoming too expensive. Popular music artists have had to pivot towards live events for income generation because of the poor returns from streaming compared to selling albums.

    So are major tours and larger festivals such as Glastonbury sucking revenue out of the music economy? Research shows that while big high-profile event tours are making millions, at the other end of the spectrum grassroots venues – where new talent is incubated – are buckling under a lack of support and the prohibitive costs of running their operations.

    Glastonbury won’t be making an appearance in 2026, the next fallow year for rest and recovery. This will create an opportunity for organiser Emily Eavis to reflect on some of the more problematical issues the festival faces, from diversity in the audience and artists, to the sustainability of the talent pipeline.

    Maybe the last word should go to American rapper Azealia Banks commenting on this year’s festival lineup: “Glastonbury is kinda cooked.”

    Adrian York 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. Glastonbury is as popular as ever, but complaints about the lineup reveal its generational challenge – https://theconversation.com/glastonbury-is-as-popular-as-ever-but-complaints-about-the-lineup-reveal-its-generational-challenge-252588

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Canada’s economic vulnerabilites show why it must invest in the wealth of local communities

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Audrey Jamal, Assistant Dean, Strategic Partnerships and Societal Impact, University of Guelph

    Five years after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11, 2020, Canada now faces a new challenge — unprecedented economic pressure from its closest trading partner, the United States.

    Canadians are once again being forced to confront the country’s economic vulnerabilities. While the pandemic underscored the economic importance of place and social connections, economic aggression from the U.S. highlights the need for greater local autonomy.

    Canada needs a new approach to economic development. Yet, as the government searches for solutions to bolster “Team Canada,” policymakers risk falling back on the same tired strategies: corporate bailouts, tax breaks for big business and top-down stimulus.

    This played out during the pandemic. Policies favoured large corporations, leaving small businesses and workers struggling, despite their critical role in economic resilience. This time, Canada needs to do things differently.

    A renewed approach to economic development

    For Canada to build a more resilient economy, it must strengthen its communities by securing local assets, democratizing the economy and ensuring wealth circulates within communities rather than being extracted by distant, corporate interests.

    A promising solution lies in community wealth building, a local-first approach to building the economy that emerged in the early 2000s. This approach offers a tonic to current economic policies that concentrate wealth into the hands of a small group of individuals, leaving communities vulnerable.

    By prioritizing more inclusive and democratic ownership, investment and decision-making, community wealth building empowers communities to take control of their economic future. The strategy moves away from the current extractive economy, which prioritizes the exploitation of land, resources and people, toward one that builds wealth from the ground up.

    5 pillars of community wealth building

    The Democracy Collaborative’s community wealth-building framework offers five pillars for building strong local economies. These include progressive procurement, locally rooted finance, inclusive and democratic enterprise, fair work and the just use of land.

    Many communities across Canada and globally are experimenting with one or more of these pillars. For example, social purpose organizations are experimenting with locally rooted financial instruments that flow profits back into their mission.

    In Canada, community bonds allow social purpose organizations to raise capital from their community members to finance projects that benefit communities, such as affordable and green housing and regenerative food systems, among many others.

    When locally rooted finance is combined with just use of land, and inclusive and democratic ownership, these initiatives can ensure wealth-generating assets — land, housing, infrastructure and businesses — stay in the communities so more people benefit from economic development.

    Strengthening local economies

    Canada has a history of inclusive and democratic enterprise, with many co-operatives and social enterprises owned by charities and non-profits. Now, Canadian businesses also have the option of transferring ownership to employee ownership trusts.

    The diversity of ownership options challenges the false choice often presented when local businesses face closure: either shut down or be “saved” by an extractive investor.

    Despite these positive developments, many community wealth building projects in Canada continue to exist as one-offs and sit on the margins of mainstream economic development policy. Local projects challenge the status quo and, as community-led projects, can struggle with governance and access to financing.

    The federal government, non-profits and businesses all have the opportunity to shape a more resilient economic future for Canada by putting local businesses and local ownership first. But to transform local economies, action is needed across all five community wealth building pillars.

    Through our research on community bonds, community wealth building in mid-sized cities and community ownership, we have suggestions for how Canadian governments and businesses can help communities understand what strategies work, and how they can adapt and scale them as needed.

    This work is everyone’s business

    Real progress in this area requires action from all levels of government, as well as from policymakers, businesses and community leaders.

    As experience from Scotland and the U.S. shows, ground-up initiatives must be met with government support in the form of innovative policies, action and investments.

    In practical terms, this means aligning government procurement policies and partnerships with local initiatives for new businesses, introducing legislation that supports inclusive and democratic ownership, and building wealth from local assets rather than importing it.

    Local governments should commit to embedding community wealth building into their economic development planning. This is not a stretch, as many already support local business and entrepreneurship. The key is expanding on these efforts.

    For instance, both large cities like Toronto and coalitions of smaller local governments are using their purchasing power to buy goods and services from suppliers that strengthen the local economy.

    At the federal level, policy innovations like community right-to-buy legislation and related supports could give workers and communities the time, financing and expertise to compete with extractive investors and retain wealth and assets.

    By investing in community wealth building, governments can help shift economic power, build Canada’s economic resilience and ensure communities have agency in shaping their economic futures.

    Audrey Jamal receives funding from the Government of Canada’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

    Heather Hachigian receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and has received funding from the Vancouver Foundation to support research related to this article.

    – ref. Canada’s economic vulnerabilites show why it must invest in the wealth of local communities – https://theconversation.com/canadas-economic-vulnerabilites-show-why-it-must-invest-in-the-wealth-of-local-communities-250221

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The history of ‘common sense’ matters when caring for our common home

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Barbara Leckie, Professor, English and the Institute for the Comparative Study of Literature, Art, and Culture; Academic Director, Re.Climate: Centre for Climate Communication and Public Engagement, Carleton University

    In recent years, the idea of “common sense” has again catapulted to prominence in the conservative political landscape.

    From United States President Donald Trump’s call for a “revolution of common sense” and his references to himself as a “common-sense conservative” to Pierre Poilievre’s references to his party as “Common Sense Conservatives” the value of common sense has been widely trumpeted.

    As a professor in climate and environmental humanities, I’m interested in examining how this return to common sense tends to focus attention away from climate action.

    Common sense is the domain of the obvious, the self-evident and what goes without saying. “Hot things can burn you,” for example, is the maxim with which historian Sophia Rosenfeld opens her political history of common sense.

    The history of common sense

    Attaching common sense to conservative political positions in Canada is not new. The phrase revives Ontario Premier Mike Harris’s “Common Sense Revolution” in the 1990s.



    Read more:
    Mike Harris’s ‘common sense’ attack on Ontario schools is back — and so are teachers’ strikes

    But common sense also has a longer conservative legacy. In the U.S., as American historian Larry Glickman illustrates, the phrase was deployed in the 1930s to challenge the perceived turn to social aid associated with New Deal policies. Prior to Trump, it has been used by Ronald Reagan, Sarah Palin and so-called Tea Party Republicans.

    Common sense as a political strategy, however, was not always aligned with a free market economy. Rosenfeld traces its history from the Greeks and 17th-century and 18-century writers through to 20th-century thinkers like German-American philosopher Hannah Arendt.

    As Rosenfeld notes, common sense has long had two contrasting emphases: an inquiry position that questions prevailing norms and a conservative position that doubles down on prevailing norms.

    Democracy and common sense

    The inquiry position emerged, Rosenfeld illustrates, in the 18th century and its best-known version is a radical pamphlet, Common Sense, written by British American author and pamphleteer Thomas Paine in 1776.

    This pamphlet energized readers across all political spectrums to support the principles of equality, liberty and freedom of expression that we now associate with democracy at large.

    Thomas Paine’s pamphlet energized readers to support principles of equality, liberty and freedom of expression.
    (Wikipedia)

    The conservative position, by contrast, emerges when these same values threatened religious belief and the free market. In this version, expertise is discounted and the people’s everyday experience is privileged.

    Historically, this position has given rise to a populism that accordingly also discredits education, debate and other pillars of democratic practice. As Rosenfeld demonstrates, the history of common sense shows that common sense has been mobilized both to support democracy and to undermine it.

    Common sense encompasses the world of everyday things like temperature and know-how, and it describes a deeper world that defines how we understand each other and live together in that everyday world. Its ability to toggle between these two domains is part of what gives it its force.

    What ‘everyone knows’

    Most of the time, common sense operates quietly because it is assumed to be tacit knowledge — what everyone knows. In times of crisis, however, common sense comes out of the shadows.

    It is no surprise, then, to see common sense entering public discourse in Canada when the country is beset by multiple crises: the existential threat posed by climate change, economic inequality and racism, to name only a few. Common sense, in this context, emerges as a call to return to when things were “normal.” It is the comfort food of thinking.

    For many people, there is solace in turning to what is familiar and seemingly obvious. For many others, there is not.



    Read more:
    Canadians are losing faith in the economy — and it’s affecting their perception of inequality

    ‘Common sense’ of market and environment

    Poilievre defines himself as a “champion of a free market.”

    “Free enterprise” and the market economy was also, as Glickman argues, the platform that Republicans polished into common sense. And it is, arguably, the platform that produced the very issues that most endanger us now, from climate change to economic inequality.

    But, as Einstein noted: “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” The common sense of the market economy, in other words, cannot solve the problems it created.

    Waking up to common sense

    The versatility of common sense as a populist political strategy is evident in Poilievre’s platform.

    For example, he wants voters to perceive him as radical by having attacked and apparently succeeded in undermining the idea of a carbon tax in both Conservative and Liberal platforms (the revolutionary side of common sense) while doubling down on what he calls woke politics (the conservative side of common sense).

    The concept of being woke, in turn, has been adopted as shorthand to criticize calls for climate action, a point reinforced in Poilievre’s recent conversation with psychologist and author Jordan Peterson when “he called people concerned about climate change ‘environmental loons that hate our energy.’”

    It’s always easier to stay with the old and familiar. But we are already in unfamiliar and unavoidable terrain.

    Our national parks are burning. Our air quality has been worse than any other country in the world. Flooding across the country is on the rise as is extreme heat.

    Caring economy needed

    Free-market common sense does not help us here. A neoliberal economy in which profits are more important than people and the planet does not help us here. What does, then?

    It’s not a leap to try to create the conditions for a caring rather than an extractive economy, as the collaborative work of scholars and activists Leanne Betasamosake Simpson and Robin Maynard suggests.

    Hot things can burn you. The hot things we confront now are not stove tops or flames, but global temperature increases. Leaders, it seems, tend to deploy “common sense” as an excuse to look away from the hot things that matter. Common sense, in its everyday meaning, would suggest that we look at them.

    Common sense works best rhetorically when it’s not questioned. The history of common sense suggests that now is the time to question it.

    Barbara Leckie receives funding from SSHRC.

    – ref. The history of ‘common sense’ matters when caring for our common home – https://theconversation.com/the-history-of-common-sense-matters-when-caring-for-our-common-home-251428

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: A brief guide to vitamin and mineral supplements – when too much of a good thing can become toxic

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dipa Kamdar, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice, Kingston University

    KucherAV/Shutterstock

    Around half of UK adults currently take a food supplement – but vitamins and minerals are usually only needed in small amounts and too much of a good thing can be bad for you.

    Here’s what you need to know about the benefits and risks of some of the most common vitamins and minerals.

    Vitamin A

    Vitamin A aids the immune system in fighting off infections, helps you see better in the dark and is needed for healthy skin. Most people can get enough vitamin A from eating dairy, oily fish and liver. Yellow and red vegetables such as carrots and peppers, contain beta-carotene, which breaks down into vitamin A in the body. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) is 700 micrograms and 600 micrograms for men and women respectively.

    Although your body will store excess vitamin A, some research shows having more than 1.5mg a day over many years may weaken bones. In older people, this can lead to fractures as they are more likely to get osteoporosis. In severe cases, people may experience irreversible liver damage.

    If you are pregnant, you should avoid vitamin A supplements completely – excess vitamin A can cause birth defects and miscarriage.

    Vitamin B6

    Also called pyridoxine, this vitamin is needed to make healthy red blood cells and help the body store energy from food. The RDA is 1.4mg and 1.2mg a day for men and women respectively. This can be obtained by eating, for example, fortified cereal, chicken and soya beans. More than 10mg a day is not recommended as the effects are unclear.

    But taking 200mg or more a day has been linked to peripheral neuropathy – when the nerves in the body’s extremities are damaged. This can start with tingling in the arms and legs and lead to loss of feeling. In some patients the effect will stop once the vitamin B6 is stopped. In other patients, nerve damage can be permanent.

    Folic acid

    Folic acid or folate is needed to make healthy red blood cells. Good sources of folic acid include green leafy vegetables, chickpeas and fortified cereals. The RDA is 200 micrograms daily.

    In patients who are pregnant, folic acid is recommended to prevent neural tube defects like spina bifida. Doctors may prescribe higher than recommended doses (5mg) in high risk patients.

    Consuming more than 1000 micrograms (1mg) of folic acid can mask symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, such as tiredness, tingling hands and feet, sore tongue and muscle weakness. These can indicate a vitamin B12 anaemia. By correcting the anaemia symptoms caused by a B12 deficiency, high folate levels can prevent the detection of an underlying B12 problem, which could lead to brain damage if left untreated.

    Vitamin D and calcium

    The amount of calcium in the body is controlled by vitamin D. Both nutrients help with healthy bones and teeth. Vitamin D is also needed for the immune system, muscles and nerves. Some foods like fortified cereal contain vitamin D but it is mostly made in the body when the skin is exposed to sunlight. The RDA for vitamin D is 10 micrograms. Those with a vitamin D deficiency may be prescribed higher doses.

    People with darker skin or who do not have much exposure to sunlight may benefit from taking a daily supplement. But too much vitamin D over many years can cause kidney failure and irregular heartbeats. It may even be bad for the bones.

    A Canadian study found that high doses could be linked to weakened bones. This is because high vitamin D intake causes too much calcium to build up in the body. The body starts to break down bones to lower the calcium.

    Iron

    Iron is an important nutrient needed to make red blood cells. Sources include red meat and beans. Iron deficiency is the world’s most common cause of anaemia; however, taking too much can be toxic. The RDA for iron varies depending on your sex and age but you shouldn’t take more than 17mg a day. Higher doses can be bought from a pharmacy or prescribed if there is a diagnosed deficiency.

    Taking more than 20mg of iron everyday can cause stomach problems such as vomiting, diarrhoea and pain. Prolonged use or higher doses can cause organ damage such as liver failure. This is because it builds up in the organs and interferes with normal cell function.

    Fish oil

    These supplements contain omega-3 fatty acids. Different fats are needed to support the cells in the body and also to keep the heart, lungs, blood vessels and immune system working properly. Some are essential for brain and eye development in babies. Fish oil has been linked to a lower chance of heart disease. However, studies have mixed results about how effective these really are.

    A recent study showed that healthy people taking fish oil supplements may have an increased risk of heart issues like stroke or atrial fibrillation. The benefits are mainly seen in people who already have heart disease. However, there are still benefits from eating food rich in omega-3s such as oily fish.

    The British Dietetic Association says it’s better to improve diet before considering supplements. Some groups, like infants, pregnant women and those with a diagnosed deficiency, need supplements. Different supplements have different amounts of vitamins and minerals so always read the label to make sure you’re taking the recommended dose – and avoid taking multiple supplements that could increase your intake of a particular vitamin or mineral beyond safe levels. Ask your doctor, pharmacist or dietitian to check if you need a supplement before taking anything.

    Dipa Kamdar 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 brief guide to vitamin and mineral supplements – when too much of a good thing can become toxic – https://theconversation.com/a-brief-guide-to-vitamin-and-mineral-supplements-when-too-much-of-a-good-thing-can-become-toxic-251528

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Turkey: a favourable international climate is spurring Erdoğan’s crackdown on democracy

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Massimo D’Angelo, Research Associate in the Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs, Loughborough University

    The Turkish judiciary has finally succeeded in sidelining Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, at the fourth attempt. On the morning of March 19, the 53-year-old posted a video on social media announcing that police had arrived at his home to arrest him on charges of corruption, aiding a terrorist organisation and organised crime.

    “Hundreds of police are at my door”, he said in a voice message. “This immoral and tyrannical approach will undoubtedly be overturned by the will and resilience of our people”.

    Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has consistently excelled at positioning himself on the international stage, adeptly seizing opportunities left by others and turning them to his advantage. He has demonstrated this once again by orchestrating the arrest of İmamoğlu, his main political rival.

    With global events bolstering his leverage over the west, Erdoğan is well placed to act with impunity, knowing that his strategic importance will likely shield him from serious repercussions.

    The judiciary’s first attempt to remove İmamoğlu through legal means came in 2019, shortly after he won the Istanbul mayoral election by a narrow margin (around 13,000 votes). Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) contested the results, citing irregularities.

    Under intense pressure from the government, the Supreme Electoral Council annulled the vote and ordered a rerun. İmamoğlu not only retained, but significantly increased his lead. He secured victory over the AKP’s candidate, Binali Yıldırım, by more than 800,000 votes.

    Then, in 2022, İmamoğlu was sentenced to two years in prison for having called two public officials “fools” three years earlier. Ultimately, he was not arrested. But the sentence severely undermined his presidential ambitions, prompting him to forgo running for the presidency the following year.

    The third attempt occurred just days ago, when the government revoked the validity of İmamoğlu’s academic degree on bureaucratic grounds. Turkey’s political future looks to be entering a new and more precarious phase.

    İmamoğlu was born in Akçaabat, a district of Trabzon province on north-east Turkey’s Black Sea coast. He graduated in economics at Istanbul University and worked as a construction entrepreneur before entering politics.

    He is married with three children and, like Erdoğan, is passionate about football. In his youth, he was both a footballer and the managing director of his hometown’s football club, Trabzonspor.

    In 2024, İmamoğlu was reelected as mayor of Istanbul. Over the past six years, he has become a highly prominent political figure and, given the city’s size and his broad popularity, he has often been regarded as a natural candidate for the Turkish presidency.

    Many expected him to run as the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) candidate in the 2023 presidential election. But the party chose its leader, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, instead.

    This decision was partly driven by internal power struggles between the party’s old guard and newer leadership. However, the insult lawsuit against İmamoğlu alarmed many within the CHP, who feared that a potential arrest during the campaign would plunge the contest into chaos.

    Kılıçdaroğlu is less popular than İmamoğlu, and is from an older generation of opposition politicians who have repeatedly failed to challenge Erdoğan effectively. He ultimately lost to Erdoğan in the second round of voting.

    Despite state-led media campaigns to discredit İmamoğlu, his popularity has continued to rise. As a leading CHP figure, he was the frontrunner in the party’s primaries scheduled for March 23, ahead of the 2028 presidential elections. The arrest of İmamoğlu is widely seen as Erdoğan’s latest attempt to obstruct his candidacy.

    A pattern of political suppression

    Along with İmamoğlu, Turkish authorities have detained 87 people as part of an investigation into alleged terrorism and organised crime in Istanbul.

    Prosecutors accuse İmamoğlu of leading a criminal organisation, engaging in bribery, extortion and bid rigging. The inquiry also links him to financial misconduct and alleged ties with the Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK), which the Turkish state categorises as a terrorist organisation.

    This is not the first time prominent political leaders in Turkey have been arrested on such charges. İmamoğlu’s case closely mirrors that of Selahattin Demirtaş, a Kurdish politician and former co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic party (HDP), who has been imprisoned since November 2016.

    Demirtaş, who was arrested during Erdoğan’s crackdown on political opposition after an attempted coup in 2016, was charged with “terrorist propaganda” and “undermining state unity”. In elections the previous year, his presidential campaign had gained widespread support, allowing the HDP to surpass Turkey’s 10% electoral threshold for entering parliament for the first time.

    Despite international calls for his release, including rulings from the European Court of Human Rights, Demirtaş remains incarcerated. In 2024, he was sentenced to a total of 42 years. Much like İmamoğlu today, his continued detention is widely regarded as politically motivated.

    In their influential work, How Democracies Die, Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt argue that the willingness to curtail civil liberties, such as controlling the media and suppressing dissent, is typical of populist leaders determined to tighten their grip on power.

    This latest crackdown is yet another episode in the continued erosion of democratic space in Turkey. However, Erdoğan currently operates in an unusually favourable global climate, with multiple strategic negotiations placing him centre stage.

    Although he has not hesitated to sideline rivals in the past, this environment has shifted further in his favour. The US president, Donald Trump, has rarely opposed such actions or condemned the suppression of political rights in other countries. On several occasions, Trump has even demonstrated his willingness to subject the US justice system and his opponents to his own will.

    The EU, distracted by internal conflicts and the Russian threat, also appears keen to keep Turkey onside. Turkey has Nato’s second-largest army and a Black Sea coastline, and is seeking to assume a key role in Europe’s security following Washington’s pivot away from the region. Across the Middle East, democracy often serves more as a bargaining chip than a genuine priority.

    Erdoğan has recently launched a “new Kurdish process”, aimed at reconciling with the PKK. This makes İmamoğlu’s arrest all the more surprising. The move may be intended to distance Kurdish voters from the CHP.

    Some citizens have attempted to protest the arrest despite a government ban on public gatherings. It remains to be seen how resilient the Turkish people will prove. Ultimately, Erdoğan’s success depends on the opposition’s ability to unite against him.

    Massimo D’Angelo 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. Turkey: a favourable international climate is spurring Erdoğan’s crackdown on democracy – https://theconversation.com/turkey-a-favourable-international-climate-is-spurring-erdogans-crackdown-on-democracy-252694

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: England’s national curriculum is up for review – lessons from abroad show how it could work better for everyone

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Mark Boylan, Professor of Education, Sheffield Hallam University

    arrowsmith2/Shutterstock

    A review of the English school curriculum is currently underway. The review’s recently released interim report makes clear that the current education system is not working well for all young people – in particular those with special educational needs and from more deprived backgrounds.

    However, the report does not recommend radical change. It proposes sticking with the curriculum approach brought in through reforms over the last decade or so under the previous Conservative government, but that these need to be built on to have a more inclusive approach.

    In 2014, there were significant changes in the national curriculum and to GCSE exams. These changes were branded a “knowledge-rich” curriculum, which meant more content to learn and a greater emphasis on memorising and final exams.

    Defenders of the changes, such as former schools minister Nick Gibb, say that the success of this curriculum is shown by improvements in England’s performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa). This is a global series of tests for 15-year-olds in maths, science and reading, taken in each country’s national language, that run usually every three years.

    In 2022, the most recent round of tests, England’s country rank was 14th for maths, 14th for science and 13th for reading out of 81 countries. This compares with 2009’s rankings of 28th for maths, 16th for science and 25th for reading.

    Understanding the stats

    The story is that Pisa tests dropped in the noughties due to a “skills-based curriculum” but have risen under a knowledge-rich curriculum. Pisa is important to this argument because the changes to national examinations in England mean GCSE exam results 20 years ago cannot be directly compared with GCSE results today. The curriculum review interim report notes that England’s results compare well internationally.

    However, this proof of the success of a knowledge-rich curriculum is not clear cut. To understand why, we need to look at the Pisa tests and how Pisa sampling works, the importance of not cherry-picking evidence, and what has really changed and not changed in the curriculum in England.

    Reading is one of the measures assessed by Pisa.
    PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock

    To compare two people’s knowledge or how the knowledge of the same person changes over time, the same or equivalent tests need to be used. But the Pisa tests taken in 2022 are not the same as the ones taken previously. Each time Pisa tests are taken, some items from the last test are kept but other items are added. There are various ways that the OECD, who run Pisa, try to make sure that tests are equivalent, but changes do make a difference.

    What’s more, Pisa is not usually a test of everyone in a country. The government’s official research report on the 2022 Pisa results states that higher performing pupils were overrepresented and disadvantaged pupils underrepresented.

    Adjusting for the bias in the sample, the OECD estimated that the 2022 result might have been up to eight points lower. Still above the OECD national averages but very similar to 2009, and so hardly the resounding success claimed by some.

    All the evidence

    More generally, we need to be careful that evidence isn’t being cherry-picked – choosing the evidence that supports a case rather than all the evidence. Any success in Pisa 2022 for England appears to be due to success for those already doing well. The gap between advantaged and disadvantaged pupils in England is not closing. This backs up the headline goal of the curriculum review – to improve the curriculum so it works better for everyone.

    Regardless of pupil performance, the pupil survey done alongside the test contained some worrying findings. Pupils reported the second lowest levels of life satisfaction across OECD countries, and headteachers said that difficulties recruiting teachers are negatively affecting pupils.

    Pisa scores were not the main reason for changing the curriculum in 2014 in England. They were used to justify the changes. But the amount of change is overstated, and this also undermines the claims made for the success of the current curriculum and also the fear that any change would undermine England’s comparative success in tests like Pisa.

    It is a myth that the before the 2014 curriculum reforms, England had a skills-based national curriculum. With colleagues, I looked at skills in the curriculum in England in the past and now and found that generic life skills were hardly mentioned before the reforms. Looking at maths, the content of the curriculum hasn’t changed much at all.

    We also compared the current curriculum in England with other countries that do better than England in Pisa and are also seen as examples of knowledge-rich systems. These include Singapore, the world leader, and Estonia, who are top in Europe. What we found is that those countries’ Pisa success is based on a curriculum that works better for everyone.

    Part of that comes from including aspects of a skills-based approach. These curricula balance a focus on knowledge with inclusion of skills, particularly digital literacy. They pay attention to making sure school is a good basis for vocational education, working life and taking part in society, and not only for further academic study.

    Taking a closer look at Pisa outcomes and the differences between our curriculum and other countries’ backs up the central message of the curriculum review’s interim report. The English system works well for some but not well for everyone, and could do better as an education system. It also points to practical lessons from countries like Singapore and Estonia about how vocational education and skills can be valued without losing sight of the importance of knowledge.

    Mark Boylan currently receives funding for research from the Education Endowment Foundation and the Department for Education

    – ref. England’s national curriculum is up for review – lessons from abroad show how it could work better for everyone – https://theconversation.com/englands-national-curriculum-is-up-for-review-lessons-from-abroad-show-how-it-could-work-better-for-everyone-248509

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Britain has almost 1 million young people not in work or education – here’s what evidence shows can change that

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Peter Urwin, Director, Centre for Employment Research, University of Westminster

    amenic181/Shutterstock

    Keir Starmer says the current benefits system is unsustainable, unfair and needs changing to avoid a wasted generation of young people who are not in education, employment or training (Neet).

    The government is concerned about the rising number of young people aged 16 to 24 who are Neet, which in the quarter to December 2024 was estimated at 987,000 in the UK. This is 13.4% of all young people in this age group. The increase, from around 11% in the period prior to the start of the pandemic, is linked to long-term illness among the economically inactive.

    About 40% of young people who are Neet are unemployed (not in work but looking for work) and the other 60% are inactive (not looking for work). Over the period of the pandemic, the number of young people with a mental health issue who are inactive because of long-term sickness has risen sharply.

    This is clearly concerning, but it is not entirely new. The number of 16- to 34-year-olds with a mental health condition, who are economically inactive because of long-term sickness, increased from around 100,000 in 2013 to about 180,000 at the start of the pandemic. The figure is now over 250,000. This long-term trend is part of a wider increase in disability prevalence across the UK’s ageing population.

    When discussing young people specifically, social policy experts such as myself use the label Neet, because “inactivity” also includes those in education and just using the youth unemployment rate does not capture the scale of the challenge.

    Young people (and particularly lower-attaining young people) tend to become Neet when they make the transition from school to post-16 learning, and then from learning to work. But the lack of robust data on these transitions means we still don’t fully understand it.

    When looked at historically, the current economic inactivity rate across age groups is not actually very high. The Neet rate among young people is a longstanding challenge, but it seems most responsive to the economic cycle – falling in good times and rising in bad. For instance, Neet rates for 18- to 24-year-olds last peaked in the period after the 2008 financial crisis.

    What will help get young people into work?

    The welfare reforms announced recently are aimed at addressing some of these long-term issues, specifically: restrictions to personal independence payment (PiP) eligibility and proposals to prevent under-22s from qualifying for incapacity benefits, the health element within universal credit.

    Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, says these and other changes will save over £5 billion a year by the end of the decade. But this isn’t just about saving money. As the government has repeatedly said, it is also about getting young people into work.

    But trying to save both money and a generation seems a tall order. Can we do both?

    Reducing the level of benefits and limiting eligibility does save money and it will certainly force (rather than “help”) some people into work. But it is not an approach that will tackle the mental and physical health challenges this generation is facing.

    In discussion of “what works”, we cannot ignore the need to increase employment opportunities for those who are most at risk of becoming Neet. Ideally, this will come from improved economic growth driven by investment. This boosts productivity, creates new jobs and, importantly, drives up the quality of jobs and wages.

    However, UK productivity growth since the financial crisis has been weak, and when worse economic times come, we once again face the same challenge. Many young people, even if they are qualified to degree level, face barriers to progress. For instance, it is not easy to access many of the jobs that pay better wages, as they are in parts of the country where the cost of living is particularly high.

    Liz Kendall announces welfare reforms that will affect disability benefits and introduce more work support.
    House of Commons/Flickr, CC BY-ND

    It’s positive to see that the government is also investing in mental health support as part if its reforms, and that it has highlighted a number of evidence-based interventions. On mental health, for example, there is strong evidence that relatively light touch cognitive behavioural therapy and NHS Talking Therapies can improve employment outcomes.

    The welfare reform package also contains £1 billion a year for employment support. Kendall suggests that this could be used for programmes such as Work Choice, a voluntary employment programme for people who have a disability that prevents them from working or puts them at risk of losing their job.

    There is compelling evidence that those who took part in this programme before the pandemic experienced increased employment rates by between 11 and 12 percentage points. We also know that even short entry-level training for very low-skilled unemployed young people can have significant impacts, increasing employment rates by five percentage points.

    The government’s programme for change is evidence-based and they are to be commended in recognising and beginning to tackle long-standing issues of Neet among young people. The announcements on welfare will help, but we still need to tackle the root causes of high Neet rates in the UK.

    Youth transitions need to be better managed by all agencies of government, especially for those who have mental health challenges. There also need to be better jobs available for young people who become disillusioned with the education system.

    Growing the economy, together with the package of measures announced, will go some way to help. But some support needs to start even earlier. Young people who do not perform well in school have few education or employment options – this is the real tragedy of lost generations.

    Peter Urwin has received funding from UK Research Councils, the Nuffield Foundation and government departments such as DWP and DfE to investigate the challenges that young people face in making the transition from education to employment.

    – ref. Britain has almost 1 million young people not in work or education – here’s what evidence shows can change that – https://theconversation.com/britain-has-almost-1-million-young-people-not-in-work-or-education-heres-what-evidence-shows-can-change-that-252222

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: My team discovered ‘dark oxygen’ on the seafloor – now we’re trying to understand how it was made

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Andrew Sweetman, Professor of Seafloor Ecology and Biogeochemistry, Scottish Association for Marine Science

    Love Employee/Shutterstock

    Children are always asking “Why?” As they experience things for the first time, it’s natural to want to find out more. But as children grow into adults, they often dismiss something new that challenges their experience and understanding.

    This is what happened to me when I discovered a source of oxygen production in the deep sea – but ignored it for nine years.

    In 2013, I was conducting experiments to measure seafloor carbon cycling in the Clarion-Clipperton zone of the Pacific Ocean in 2013. I deployed a lander system (a remote-operated platform used to carry scientific equipment) to a depth of 4,000 metres and it came back with bubbles inside it. This was highly unusual, so two years later, when we returned to the same site, I took some optodes (oxygen sensors) with me.

    These are designed to measure oxygen consumption, but instead they were showing me oxygen production, the exact opposite of what I was expecting. Instead of questioning why I was getting these results, I dismissed the reading as the result of a faulty sensor.

    We are all taught from very early on in our education that oxygen is only produced through photosynthesis and that requires light – something in short supply at thousands of metres below the sea surface. It took me until 2021, when I measured oxygen production with a second method, that I realised we’d found something exceptional: dark oxygen – oxygen that’s produced without sunlight.

    In the summer of 2024, my team and I published our findings in the journal Nature Geoscience.



    Read more:
    Deep sea rocks suggest oxygen can be made without photosynthesis, deepening the mystery of life

    The discovery of dark oxygen has shifted our understanding of the deep sea and potentially life on Earth. But we still don’t know for sure how this oxygen is produced, and to what extent, and whether it is ecologically significant to the deep-sea ecosystems where it happens.

    In our paper, we suggest that the source could be polymetallic nodules, rock-like formations composed of lots of different metals, including manganese, which can create differences in electrical potential when interacting with seawater. We proposed that these could produce a voltage sufficient to split the seawater into hydrogen and oxygen. A new Chinese study has just shown that oxygen can potentially be produced when these manganese nodules are forming.

    More ‘why’ questions

    This year, thanks to funding from The Nippon Foundation, we will probe some of these scientific questions. If we show that oxygen production is possible in the absence of photosynthesis, this discovery would change the way we look at the possibility of life on other planets too.

    Indeed, we are already in conversation with experts at Nasa who believe that dark oxygen could reshape our understanding of how life might be sustained on other ocean worlds like Enceladus and Europa, moons that have ice crusts that limit sunlight penetration to the ocean below.

    We’re also in the process of analysing the potential of dark oxygen in the central Pacific Ocean and developing purpose-built and autonomous landers, or rigs. This will be the UK’s first opportunity to sample below depths of 6,000m. These vehicles will carry specialist instrumentation to depths of 11,000 metres, where the pressure is more than one tonne per square centimetre (that’s equivalent to 100 elephants sitting on top of you).

    We will investigate whether hydrogen is released during the creation of dark oxygen, and whether it is used as an energy source for an unusually large community of microbes in parts of the deep ocean. We also want to find out more about how climate change might impact biological activity in the deep sea.

    This project is the first of its kind to directly explore these processes. My team will be able to study the deep seafloor into the hadal zone, an area which reaches 6,000 – 11,000 metres depth and makes up around 45% of the entire ocean. This habitat, full of deep ocean trenches, is still poorly understood.

    The discovery of dark oxygen clearly has potential implications for the deep-sea mining industry. Deep-sea mining would extract polymetallic nodules that contain metals such as manganese, nickel and cobalt, which are required to produce lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and mobile phones.

    We don’t yet know how an industry such as this would affect the seabed, but our research over the coming years should help to answer many of the questions posed and perhaps better inform where the seabed should be more protected from deep-sea mining. One thing is for sure: whatever we find, I’ll try and feed my childlike sense of enthusiasm and be sure to ask “Why?”

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

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

    Andrew Sweetman receives funding from The Nippon Foundation.

    – ref. My team discovered ‘dark oxygen’ on the seafloor – now we’re trying to understand how it was made – https://theconversation.com/my-team-discovered-dark-oxygen-on-the-seafloor-now-were-trying-to-understand-how-it-was-made-250445

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Thousands of satellites are due to burn up in the atmosphere every year – damaging the ozone layer and changing the climate

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Minkwan Kim, Associate Professor of Astronautics, University of Southampton

    The world’s first artificial satellite, the Soviet Union’s Sputnik 1, was launched in October 1957. Just three months later, it fell out of orbit. As Sputnik hit the upper atmosphere at incredible speed, the friction would have caused it to heat up and almost entirely burn off. Some small remnants of the satellite would have remained in the upper atmosphere, like smoke and ash after a fire: humankind’s first space debris.

    Seven decades on, scientists like us are only just beginning to piece together how this space debris might be damaging the ozone layer, the climate and even human health. We still don’t know how much of this debris the atmosphere can sustain before it causes significant environmental harm.

    Today, the number of objects in orbit has surged to over 28,000. More than 11,000 of these are active satellites, with most belonging to commercial “mega-constellations”: groups of satellites that work together to deliver internet access. Examples include Starlink, operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Amazon’s Kuiper or China’s Guowang.

    Operators follow a 25-year rule: at this point, a satellite’s mission is deemed to have ended and it is lowered into the atmosphere where gravity and friction kicks in. While this helps clear space, it results in thousands of satellites burning up in the atmosphere each year.

    A new problem

    Until recently, the high-altitude destruction of satellites was not a concern. The amount of spacecraft debris was relatively small compared to debris from naturally occurring meteorites.

    But by 2030, the global satellite population is expected to exceed 60,000, and thousands of spacecraft will be re-entering the atmosphere and burning up each year. With each satellite weighing as much as a small car, it all adds up. We are conducting research on the problem, and our early estimates are that around 3,500 tonnes of aerosols will be added to the atmosphere each year by 2033.

    Aerosols are tiny particles suspended in the air. They can play an important role in Earth’s climate, either cooling or warming it depending on their type and colour. Light-coloured particles generally reflect incoming sunlight and cause cooling, while darker particles, usually containing soot, absorb sunlight and make the atmosphere warmer.

    Some of these aerosols are particularly worrying. In 2023, US scientists discovered particles containing various metals, including aluminium and lithium, in the stratosphere. These particles originated from spacecraft and debris such as the disposable rocket boosters attached to them. When spacecraft burn up during re-entry, they release chemicals such as metal oxides and nitrogen oxides.

    The full composition of these emissions remains unclear. But key pollutants found in satellite debris are known to affect the atmosphere’s thermal balance, potentially driving global climate change.

    Aluminium oxide, for instance, could actually help cool the Earth by reflecting away sunlight. In fact, some geoengineering scientists have proposed injecting tiny particles of it into the stratosphere to keep global warming in check.

    It’s way too early to say exactly how much cooling this will cause. And we don’t know how messing with Earth’s energy balance like this might trigger unintended consequences including extreme weather.

    But we do know how the process works. And we know the amount of aluminium oxides from satellite re-entries is now approaching levels produced by meteorites – and will soon far exceed it. At a bare minimum, this is something we must track closely.

    Reopening the ozone hole?

    Aluminium oxide and other pollutants also act as catalysts in the breakdown of the ozone layer, a section of the stratosphere that shields the Earth from the Sun’s radiation.

    Rare ‘polar stratospheric clouds’, like these in Norway, are linked to ozone depletion. Satellite debris can cause these clouds to form more often.
    Romija / shutterstock

    In the 1970s and 1980s, the ozone layer was devastated by a group of chemicals known as CFCs that were widely used in fridges, spray cans and cleaning products. The 1987 Montreal protocol phased out CFCs and other ozone-depleting substances, and led to significant progress in reversing the damage.

    According to the World Economic Forum, the economic benefits of protecting the ozone layer add up to around US$2.2 trillion (£1.7 trillion) in total. To take one example, a thinner ozone layer increases exposure to harmful ultra-violet (UV) radiation, leading to a higher incidence of skin cancer and cataracts.

    The re-entry of satellites and space debris therefore may not only affect the Earth’s atmosphere but also pose serious risks to global climate and public health. More critically, unlike ground-based pollutants, pollutants from old spacecraft can persist in the upper atmosphere for decades or centuries, remaining undetected until their effects on ozone concentrations become evident.

    New solutions required

    History provides us with valuable lessons, allowing us to learn from past mistakes. Despite the success of the Montreal protocol, the ozone layer is not expected to fully recover until 2066, meaning it will take an 80-year effort to restore what was harmed in just a few decades.

    Nasa astronaut Don Pettit captured SpaceX Starlink satellites swarming like ‘cosmic fireflies’ in this time-lapse.

    The disaster of 21st-century climate change was set in motion when humankind began burning fossil fuels on a global scale in the mid-19th century. We are still working to resolve this problem by reducing carbon emissions. We must not add further environmental damage through satellite debris accumulating at the edge of Earth’s atmosphere.

    There’s no simple solution, however. If we want the benefits of worldwide networks of satellites then we really do have to let them burn off in the atmosphere. It’s the only cost-effective disposal method at present.

    For now, the space industry’s contribution to ozone depletion and climate change is relatively small. But, as space activity continues to grow exponentially, we cannot afford to overlook the consequences of satellite debris.

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

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

    Minkwan Kim receives funding from the UK Space Agency (UK Space Agency Contract No: UKSAG23A_00100), which is entitled as “Beyond the Burning: Researching and Implementing Policy Solutions for Sustainable Debris Ablation”

    Ian Williams receives funding from EPSRC and AHRC.

    – ref. Thousands of satellites are due to burn up in the atmosphere every year – damaging the ozone layer and changing the climate – https://theconversation.com/thousands-of-satellites-are-due-to-burn-up-in-the-atmosphere-every-year-damaging-the-ozone-layer-and-changing-the-climate-251845

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Can books be bad for you? Only if you’re a ‘bad reader’ like Don Quixote

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Karen Attar, Research Fellow in Institute of English Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London

    An illustration from an edition of Don Quixote where the eponymous protagonist goes mad from reading. Wikimedia, CC BY

    Books as a backdrop in a portrait or an interview lend gravitas. They stand for literacy, for education, for a way to open the mind, develop the imagination and get on in life. But not all books are considered to convey such benefits.

    Opinions about which books are worthy and which are not have dogged fiction. Which are frivolous nonsense, sure to pollute the mind, and which are worthy intellectual pursuits? Also, are there books which are just too dangerous to read?

    Is Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye sure to influence unwanted behaviour? Are there those who can read a book like Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince and not see it as real advice of how any immoral act is justified if they lead to power and glory?

    In short, are there bad books, or are there just bad readers?

    The theme of bad books versus bad readers runs through my recent publication Books, Reading and Libraries in Fiction, which I wrote with Institute of English Studies Reader Andrew Nash. It starts with Don Quixote (1605), which is considered the first modern novel in Europe and an enduring classic of world literature.

    By the beginning of the 17th century, medieval chivalric romances about knights riding around the countryside seeking adventures and saving damsels in distress were distinctly old-fashioned. Don Quixote did not realise that. He spent all his time reading such romances, neglecting all other duties, to the extent that he went mad.

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    Believing the stories implicitly, he set off in search of knightly adventures. Don Quixote is the quintessential bad reader who takes fiction literally and who focuses on the activity of fighting instead of the metaphorical value of striving for good against evil. It’s the uncritical way children may read, but not the way we expect adults to.

    It is because he was a man that Don Quixote had the purchasing power to surround himself with books (there were no public libraries in those days) and travel around. So, it has more often been women who have typically been portrayed as poor readers, over-identifying with the heroines of novels, reading books that are bad for them, or reading when they should be doing something else.

    The Female Quixote, a little-known novel by Charlotte Lennox (1752), draws consciously on Don Quixote as heroine Arabella expects life to reflect the French novels she has read. At the end a doctor must explain to her the difference between fiction and reality. The reader of The Female Quixote is expected to have a lot more sense and distance than the reader within the novel. They are supposed to learn from Arabella’s silliness.

    Jane Austen, who we know loved reading novels, has most to say about relegating fiction to its place. She does it famously in a gentle, high-spirited way through her heroine in Northanger Abbey (1817), Catherine Morland. This young woman gorges on sensational gothic romances and this fiction starts to seep into her perception of reality.

    On one particularly stormy gothic night in a strange country house, she finds a roll of paper in a drawer. “What is it?” she thinks. Her candle goes out and she tosses and turns until early morning, her imagination leading her to terrifying conclusions. In the cold light of morning, she discovers that the paper is only an old laundry bill.

    The worst case of “bad reading” in our book occurred in a 1855 novella Faust by Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev. The story deals with a young woman whose mother had banned the reading of fiction. The young male narrator introduces her to the first part of Goethe’s drama Faust. Overwhelmed by the emotions it arouses, unequipped to deal with them from any former contact with imaginative literature, the heroine falls ill and dies.

    Like her fictitious predecessors, she over-identifies with fiction. In her case she suffers because, had she read fiction when she was younger, she would have been more robust now. Typically in fiction of the past, fortunate women had wise men to guide them and their reading. Vera in Turgenev’s tale is rather unfortunate in her guide’s lack of discrimination.

    Does it mean that Faust, considered by many the pinnacle of German literature, is a “bad” book? No. Neither are gothic romances. We know from her letters that Jane Austen devoured novels, and that she liked Ann Radcliffe, one of the most prominent Gothic writers. Also, medieval chivalric romances can be inspiring.

    The challenge for characters in fiction, as for us, is to read with distance and discernment. It helps to start young, unlike Turgenev’s Vera. We must read to understand and follow worthy principles, rather than blindly imitating the behaviour of characters in novels. But most of all, we must read all sorts of fiction. And then we shall be reading thoughtfully, wisely and well.

    Karen Attar 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. Can books be bad for you? Only if you’re a ‘bad reader’ like Don Quixote – https://theconversation.com/can-books-be-bad-for-you-only-if-youre-a-bad-reader-like-don-quixote-252428

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The animal alliances reshaping our understanding of intelligence

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Alexandra Schnell, Research Fellow in Comparative Psychology, University of Cambridge

    Cleaner wrasse form unlikely alliances with other fish Azrael3141/Shutterstock

    In nature, interactions between species are often framed in terms of survival — those that hunt and those that are hunted. But research is showing some animals form surprising partnerships, reshaping scientists’ ideas about how intelligence evolves in the animal kingdom.

    Take Octavia and Finn, a striking duo hunting along a coral reef. I observed this pair while exploring a research site on the Great Barrier Reef as part of a project to understand complex behaviour in the wild. Octavia moves with fluid grace, slipping between the rocks, while Finn zips through the water with bursts of speed. They work as a team. Each of them brings a unique skill to the hunt – Octavia with her dexterity, Finn with his quick strikes. Octavia is a day octopus, and Finn is a coral trout.

    This kind of collaboration isn’t unique to the ocean — on land, other species have also developed remarkable partnerships. Take, for instance, the relationship between the greater honeyguide bird (Indicator indicator) and humans. Honeyguides call and flutter to lead humans to bee nests. Once the humans harvest the honey, the bird swoops in for the leftovers, beeswax and larvae – a treat that it couldn’t easily access without help. The two species engage in a kind of cross-species conversation, each relying on the other’s skills.

    Other collaborations show how different species can use trust and deception to their advantage. The fork-tailed drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis) acts as a sentinel for meerkats (Suricata suricatta), issuing alarm calls to warn them of approaching predators. Drongos sometimes give false alarms, sending meerkats scattering so the bird can steal their abandoned food. Even so, the relationship is beneficial for both parties: meerkats gain an extra set of eyes, while the drongo secures an occasional meal.

    In the underwater world, similar dynamics are at play. Cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) remove parasites from the bodies of larger “client” fish, such as groupers and manta rays. Client fish will congregate at underwater “cleaning stations”, often atop coral heads, and will even queue up for their turn. But these partnerships aren’t always fair. Sometimes, cleaner wrasse sneak a nibble of their client’s protective mucus instead. When this happens, the client fish can cut the interaction short and leave. This disruption suggests that these relationships involve strategic decision-making.

    Perhaps the most captivating example of marine collaboration happens between octopuses and fish. Initially, scientists assumed fish took advantage of octopuses, snatching prey they flushed out. But thanks to advances in tracking technology, a richer, more cooperative dynamic is emerging. Combining data from two cameras allows researchers to study highly accurate movement patterns. One of my collaborators applied this method to study the octopus-fish partnership, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution in 2024.

    The day octopus keeps its partner in line.
    Shpatak/Shutterstock

    The day octopus (Octopus cyanea) collaborates with fish such as coral trout (Plectropomus spp.) and goatfish (Parupeneus spp.) during hunts. The 2024 study found these fish don’t just follow the octopus, they participate in the hunt. Scientists have even observed octopuses “punching” fish that aren’t pulling their weight. Fish like the coral trout produce signals by using their bodies. They perform a “head-stand”, tipping their heads downward and hovering above crevices to indicate hidden prey. This prompts the octopus to flush it out with its dexterous arms. Although octopuses are solitary animals, these brief partnerships reveal a degree of social sophistication.

    A blend of ecological and cognitive factors probably underpins these partnerships. Dietary overlap plays a crucial role, as partnerships are more likely to form when animals of different species feed on similar prey.

    Cognitive abilities are equally important. For these partnerships to work, both species must recognise each other as reliable partners. Octopuses demonstrate behavioural flexibility, adapting their tactics in real time, based on their partner’s actions. Fish show self-control by holding back until the octopus has flushed prey from hiding.

    Habitat complexity also shapes the partnership. Coral reefs, with their maze of crevices, make hunting alone difficult). Timing may also help make these partnerships work. Since both species are active during the day they can capitalise on daylight to communicate using visual signals.

    Rethinking animal intelligence

    It remains unclear whether octopuses truly understand the meaning behind their partner fish signals or follow them instinctively. But either way the interaction hints at a surprising level of cognitive sophistication. Research in animal cognition suggests that behaviour such as perspective-taking – (understanding that others may have different views) and theory of mind (the ability to attribute thoughts, beliefs, or intentions to others) – could be involved in referential signals.

    These abilities are typically seen in social animals (such as chimpanzees, crows, or jays) that live in groups or among family members, where understanding one another’s intentions can offer a real survival advantage. Animal alliances are challenging the traditional view in research that intelligence and social skills develop solely through interactions within the same species.

    This idea broadens the way in which scientists think about social intelligence, showing that the capacity to collaborate can arise wherever there’s something to be gained from working together. A project funded by the National Geographic Society through the Meridian Grant Program aims to push these ideas further. A team of behavioural ecologists, comparative psychologists (including myself), robotics researchers, and underwater storytellers are developing a robotic fish to interact with day octopuses. By controlling one partner in the interaction, we can test responses and decode the signals exchanged between octopuses and their fish collaborators.

    Just like the octopus and fish, this project is a reminder that some tasks can only be achieved through collaboration. No single species, or team, can do it alone.

    Alexandra Schnell receives funding from the National Geographic Society.

    – ref. The animal alliances reshaping our understanding of intelligence – https://theconversation.com/the-animal-alliances-reshaping-our-understanding-of-intelligence-251301

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Glastonbury is as popular than ever, but complaints about the lineup reveal its generational challenge

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Adrian York, Senior Lecturer in Commercial Music Performance, University of Westminster

    Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock since 1970 you will be aware of the five-day Glastonbury festival held every June (apart from “fallow” years to rest the land and the organisers), near Pilton in Somerset. Glastonbury is as much a pillar of the English summer as tennis at Wimbledon or opera at Glyndebourne.

    It’s a white, middle-class rite of passage and an easy win for people wishing peer approval and the cultural capital that comes with the price of a ticket. It’s expensive and exclusive and the booking policy reflects its audience.

    This year’s headliners include indie pop-rock darlings The 1975, angry girl supreme Olivia Rodrigo, old-school superstar Neil Young with his band the Chrome Hearts, with family favourite Rod Stewart filling the Sunday teatime “legend” slot.

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

    Other acts filling the 100-plus stages include Brat popster Charli XCX, English hip-hopper Loyle Carner, original bad boys The Prodigy (without original frontman Keith Flint, RIP) plus Raye, Doechii, Noah Kahan, Gracie Abrams, and old pros Alanis Morissette, En Vogue and Gary Numan.

    With tickets costing £378.50 for Glastonbury 2025, are the 210,000 attendees getting value for money?

    A Reddit thread titled “Glastonbury 2025 lineup, thoughts?”, gives a flavour of some commonly aired opinions. Disappointed customer praf973 “tried to get tickets but was unsuccessful. I’m not bitter, but the line up isn’t really looking that great.” Another commenter, Whilst-I-was-forced, declared: “Nothing to get excited about. It’s gone too commercial and sterile.”

    Ok_Handle_3530 gave a different perspective: “This line-up looks … great, people are too hard to please.” ShankSpencer opined, “There are no good line-ups any more. No one young listens to bands any more, so there are no headline acts.”

    The exceptionally popular festival sold out in 35 minutes this year even before the artists had been announced, raising the question: has Glastonbury become a victim of its own success?

    Last year there were issues with overcrowding at some of the smaller stages creating issues for fans wanting to see acts such as the Sugababes. Some sets were even being stopped early because of crowd surges.

    But what’s really behind these complaints about the lineup and are they justified? There’s been a changing of the guard as the veteran generation of performers from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s step back from performing because they have retired, are too ill or have died.

    There doesn’t seem to be enough credible stadium acts from the 1990s onwards to fill their shoes, leading to a lack of enthusiasm for the current offerings. The new generation of acts have an opportunity to impress, but many of them don’t have the volume of hits that legacy acts such as Elton John or Paul McCartney provide – nor the cross-generational appeal.

    There is also a growing sense that the cultural importance of the rock band is fading. Gen Z has far more in the way of distractions than previous generations with myriad forms of social media and digital entertainment. With so much competition for their attention, the tribal allegiances that bands used to command may feel dated and irrelevant to many younger people.

    On their single Guys, one of this year’s headliners, The 1975 trill: “The moment that we started a band was the best thing that ever happened.” Perhaps lead singer Matty Healy’s love affair with the mythology of rock’n’roll is no longer widely shared.

    Glastonbury has also been criticised for a lack of diversity. Clubbing magazine Mixmag made the point that in 2023, “the number of male acts playing this year’s Glastonbury Festival is nearly double that of female acts”.

    Similarly, the festival’s lineup and audience are predominantly white and fail to adequately reflect the British music industry. Though there have been a few black bands and artists headlining over the years, it wasn’t until 2019 that the first solo black British performer headlined on the Pyramid stage, with an unforgettable set from London rapper Stormzy in a black Union Jack stab vest designed by Banksy.

    For Glastonbury to move with the times, a more diverse booking policy is needed to widen the audience demographic and the festival’s appeal. Despite having enjoyed the event, mixed-heritage music journalist and academic Jenessa Williams noted: “I was still left with the feeling that certain punters saw black artists as a mockable novelty, a by-product to tolerate rather than truly a piece of the event’s heart and soul.”

    And then there’s the issue of cost. According to a 2024 report, two-thirds of UK adults feel that music festivals are becoming too expensive. Popular music artists have had to pivot towards live events for income generation because of the poor returns from streaming compared to selling albums.

    So are major tours and larger festivals such as Glastonbury sucking revenue out of the music economy? Research shows that while big high-profile event tours are making millions, at the other end of the spectrum grassroots venues – where new talent is incubated – are buckling under a lack of support and the prohibitive costs of running their operations.

    Glastonbury won’t be making an appearance in 2026, the next fallow year for rest and recovery. This will create an opportunity for organiser Emily Eavis to reflect on some of the more problematical issues the festival faces, from diversity in the audience and artists, to the sustainability of the talent pipeline.

    Maybe the last word should go to American rapper Azealia Banks commenting on this year’s festival lineup: “Glastonbury is kinda cooked.”

    Adrian York 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. Glastonbury is as popular than ever, but complaints about the lineup reveal its generational challenge – https://theconversation.com/glastonbury-is-as-popular-than-ever-but-complaints-about-the-lineup-reveal-its-generational-challenge-252588

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Canada’s Africa strategy is a landmark moment for Canada-Africa relations, but still needs work

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By David J Hornsby, Professor of International Affairs and the Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President (Academic), Carleton University

    For the first time in its history, Canada has unveiled a comprehensive Africa strategy, marking a significant milestone in the Canadian approach to engaging with the African continent.

    Launched on March 6 by Liberal MP Rob Oliphant, the parliamentary secretary to the foreign affairs minister, the strategy represents a crucial step towards a more coherent and intentional relationship with Africa.

    This development is worthy of praise for several reasons.

    The strategy’s strengths

    First, it demonstrates Canada’s recognition of Africa’s growing importance on the global stage. It acknowledges the need for Canada to work closely with African states and organizations in multilateral forums such as the United Nations, the G20 and the Francophonie.

    It also positions Canada not only as a partner in enhancing Africa’s voice in global affairs, but also as an ally in advancing the Canadian government’s strategic interests abroad.

    The strategy’s development process was remarkably inclusive, with more than 600 stakeholder submissions. This consultative approach not only ensured a diverse range of perspectives, but also promotes accountability in the strategy’s implementation.

    Finally, the initiative’s broad scope is commendable. By intentionally crafting the strategy to encompass a wide array of African partners — from the African Union to diaspora groups in Canada — the government has created a framework that allows various African nations and organizations to see themselves reflected in the partnership.

    Remaining questions

    However, as with any significant policy development, there are areas for improvement and questions to be addressed. These include:

    Resource allocation: While the strategy sets ambitious goals, it’s unclear how these will be achieved without new funding.

    Although the argument can be made that the government has the option to reconfigure existing funding to align with broader policy shifts, that would leave major gaps in current development programming. The government must provide more specific details about funding and, just as importantly, metrics for implementation.

    Competitive landscape: The strategy doesn’t fully acknowledge Canada’s current position in Africa. While it identifies increased competition from familiar players like China, the European Union and Russia, as well as a growing array of competitors like Brazil, Turkey and the Gulf states, it doesn’t confront the degree to which, relatively speaking, Canada has lost ground.

    This needs to be acknowledged alongside Canada’s residual reputational strength, rooted in a history of supporting democratic transitions for African nations — particularly during the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, but also during numerous peacekeeping engagements.



    Read more:
    Brian Mulroney’s tough stand against apartheid is one of his most important legacies

    Investments in developmental projects related to education and health in Africa have led to Canada garnering a reputation as a constructive and responsive collaborator on African issues. That said, Canada’s reputation in terms of mining and other extractive activities on the continent is an unhelpful counterpoint.

    Canada must strongly position itself as a state that can be trusted to champion African issues while forging partnerships based on mutual interest and respect in the fast-changing global competitive environment.

    Innovation and education: Despite the strategy’s mention of engaging youth and diaspora communities, it’s unclear on how to do this. A crucial way to connect with youth in particular is to enhance education connections and expand the links between universities and science and technological innovation institutions in Canada and African states.

    Dual degrees, funded collaborative research projects, student exchanges and scholarships are all tried-and-tested mechanisms to foster cross-cultural understandings that bind societies together.

    A sustainable Canada-Africa strategy must see educational and scientific partnerships, training and knowledge circulation as cornerstones for success.

    It would be a missed opportunity if the government fails to use this blueprint to leverage Canada’s extensive educational and scientific assets to generate innovative ideas that support the strategy’s implementation. This approach could also create opportunities for Canadian and African youth to build a strong foundation for a lasting and meaningful Canada-Africa relationship in the future.



    Read more:
    Why international students could be a critical factor in bolstering Canada’s economic resilience

    Ethical considerations: The strategy doesn’t adequately address issues related to the mining sector and the need for more ethical practices.

    Given Canada is touted as a mining superpower in Africa, a clear commitment to supporting human rights-centred and community development-oriented mining practices would go a long way to sustaining Canada’s interest in the extractive sector in Africa. This would also enhance its overall reputation on the continent.

    Furthermore, the ethics of Canada’s immigration regime and the often punitive approach to giving out temporary visas to African travellers is starkly missing from the strategy.

    It’s critical in terms of Canada’s future engagements and relations with African nations to recognize the current system is broken and considered overly intrusive by Africans. If Canada is serious about learning from Africa and forming equitable partnerships based on mutual respect, it cannot mete out indignities at the border.

    High-level commitment: The launch of the strategy by a parliamentary secretary, rather than the foreign affairs minister or the prime minister, raises questions about the perceived importance of this strategy at the highest levels of government.

    The launch was diplomatically underwhelming, with no invitations extended to the Canadian media or the African diplomatic community in Canada. This created the impression that the government was either already distancing itself from the strategy, or was anxious to manage expectations.

    Given that the launch of the strategy coincided with the Independence day of Ghana, one of the first African countries that Canada established official diplomatic relations with, the Canadian government should have seized on this historic moment to send a strong diplomatic message to the African continent.

    Substantial starting point

    Despite these concerns, the Africa strategy represents a significant and promising starting point.

    It provides a coherent, multidimensional and multi-purpose framework for Canada’s engagement with Africa. It synthesizes ongoing initiatives, sets intentions for future collaborations and seeks to move beyond paternalistic motivations to build an enhanced Canada-Africa relationship based on trust and respect.

    The strategy is realistic not only about Canada’s own limitations and needs, but also about the complexities of building partnerships with a large and diverse continent. It highlights humanitarian and security priorities while also emphasizing economic and political opportunities in Africa. The combination of humanitarian concerns with strategic interests signals a shift toward a more balanced and consistent approach towards the continent.



    Read more:
    Why Canada must seize the moment and launch its long-awaited Africa strategy

    As we move forward, the Canadian government must address the strategy’s shortcomings and provide more concrete plans for its implementation.

    Nonetheless, this moment deserves recognition. Canada has taken an important first step towards a more strategic, intentional and mutually beneficial relationship with Africa. It’s now up to policymakers, businesses, the academic community and civil society to build upon this foundation and turn this strategy into tangible, positive outcomes for both Canada and its African partners.

    David Black receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

    Thomas Kwasi Tieku receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

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

    – ref. Canada’s Africa strategy is a landmark moment for Canada-Africa relations, but still needs work – https://theconversation.com/canadas-africa-strategy-is-a-landmark-moment-for-canada-africa-relations-but-still-needs-work-252367

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –