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  • MIL-Evening Report: NZ Palestinian network co-founder Janfrie Wakim praises ‘heroic Gaza’, calls for more action

    Asia Pacific Report

    A co-founder of a national Palestinian solidarity network in Aotearoa New Zealand today praised the “heroic” resilience and sacrifice of the people of Gaza in the face of Israel’s ruthless attempt to destroy the besieged enclave of more than 2 million people.

    Speaking at the first solidarity rally in Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau since the fragile ceasefire came into force last Sunday, Janfrie Wakim of the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) also paid tribute to New Zealand protesters who have supported the Palestine cause for the 68th week.

    “Thank you all for coming to this rally — the first since 7 October 2023 when no bombs are dropping on Gaza,” she declared.

    “The ceasefire in Gaza is fragile but let’s celebrate the success of the resistance, the resilience, and the fortitude — the sumud [steadfastness] — of the heroic Palestinian people.

    “Israel has failed. It has not achieved its aims — in the longest war [15 weeks] in its history — even with $40 billion in aid from the United States. It has failed to depopulate the north of Gaza, it has a crumbling economy, and 1 million Israelis [out if 9 million] have left already.”

    Wakim said that the resistance and success in defeating Israel’s “deadly objectives” had come at a “terrible cost”.

    “We mourn those with families here and in Gaza and now in the West Bank who made  the ultimate sacrifice with their lives — 47,000 people killed, 18,000 of them children, thousands unaccounted for in the rubble and over 100,000 injured.

    Grieving for journalists, humanitarian workers
    “We grieve for but salute the journalists and the humanitarian workers who have been murdered serving humanity.”


    Janfrie Wakim speaking at today’s Palestine rally in Tamaki Makaurau. Video: APR

    She said the genocide had been enabled by the wealthiest countries in the world and the Western media — “including our own with few exceptions”.

    “Without its lies, its deflections, its failure to report the agonising reality of Palestinians suffering, Israel would not have been able to commit its atrocities,” Wakim said.

    “And now while we celebrate the ceasefire there’s been an escalation on the West Bank — air strikes, drones, snipers, ethnic cleansing in Jenin with homes and infrastructure being demolished.

    “Checkpoints have doubled to over 900 — sealing off communities. And still the Palestinians resist.

    “And we must too. Solidarity. Unity of purpose is all important. Bury egos. Let humanity triumph.”

    Palestinian liberation advocate Janfrie Wakim . . . “Without its lies, its deflections, its failure to report the agonising reality of Palestinians suffering, Israel could not have been able to commit its atrocities.” Image: David Robie/APR

    90-year-old supporter
    During her short speech, Wakim introduced to the crowd the first Palestinian she had met in New Zealand, Ghazi Dassouki, who is now aged 90.

    She met him at a Continuing Education seminar at the University of Auckland in 1986 that addressed the topic of “The Palestine Question”. It shocked the establishment of the time with Zionist complaints and intimidation of staff which prevented any similar academic event until 2006.

    Wakim called for justice for the Palestinians.

    “Freedom from occupation. Liberation from apartheid. And peace at last after 76 years of subjugation and oppression by Israel and its allies,” she said

    She called on supporters to listen to what was being suggested for local action — “do what suits your situation and energy. Our task is to persist, as Howard Zinn put it”.

    “When we organise with one another, when we get involved, when we stand up and speak out together, we can create a power no government can suppress,” she said.

    “We don’t have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.”

    Introduced to the Auckland protest crowd today . . . Ghazi Dassouki, who is now aged 90.

    As a symbol for peace and justice in Palestine, slices of water melon and dates were handed out to the crowd.

    Calls to block NZ visits by IDF soldiers
    Among many nationwide rallies across Aotearoa New Zealand this weekend, were many calls for the government to suspend entry to the country from soldiers in the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF).

    “New Zealand should not be providing rest and recreation for Israeli soldiers fresh from the genocide in Gaza,” said PSNA national chair John Minto.

    “We wouldn’t allow Russian soldiers to come here for rest and recreation from the invasion of Ukraine so why would we accept soldiers from the genocidal, apartheid state of Israel?”

    As well as the working holiday visa, since 2019 Israelis have been able to enter New Zealand for three months without needing a visa at all.

    This visa-waiver is used by Israeli soldiers for “rest and recreation” from the genocide in Gaza.

    Minto stressed that IDF soldiers had killed at least 47,000 Palestinians — 70 percent of them women and children.

    The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has declared Israeli actions a “plausible genocide”; Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch have branded the continuous massacres as genocide and extermination; and the latest report from UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestine Territories Francesca Albanese has called it “genocide as colonial erasure”.

    Watermelon slices for all . . . a symbol of peace, the seed for justice. Image: David Robie/APR

    War crimes red flags
    Also, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

    “All these red flags for genocide have been visible for months but the government is still giving the green light to those involved in war crimes to enter New Zealand,” Minto said.

    Last month, PSNA again wrote to the government asking for the suspension of travel to New Zealand for all Israeli soldiers and reservists.

    Meanwhile, 200 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails have been set free under the terms of the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. Seventy of them will be deported to countries in the region, reports Al Jazeera.

    Masses of people have congregated in Ramallah, celebrating the return of the released Palestinian prisoners.

    A huge crowd waved Palestinian flags, shouted slogans and captured the joyful scene with their phones and live footage shows.

    The release came after Palestinian fighters earlier handed over four female Israeli soldiers who had been held in Gaza to the International Red Cross in Palestine Square.

    The smiling and waving soldiers appeared to be in good health and were in high spirits.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Peter Dutton’s reshuffle: David Coleman the surprise choice as shadow foreign minister

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    Peter Dutton has chosen a dark horse in naming David Coleman for the key shadow foreign affairs portfolio, in a reshuffle that also seeks to boost the opposition’s credentials with women.

    Coleman has been communications spokesman. He led the opposition’s campaign for an age limit on young people’s access to social media – a policy that was later adopted by the government and now has been legislated by the parliament.

    He is one of the opposition’s small band of moderates although not seen as a factional player.

    Coleman, who holds the Sydney marginal seat of Banks, has done extensive work with Middle East communities and the Chinese community. He is a former minister for immigration, citizenship, migrant services and multicultural affairs.

    The foreign affairs job, previously held by Simon Birmingham, who is departing parliament, was keenly sought by a number of frontbenchers. One of the aspirants was deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley, whose position entitles her to choose her portfolio, at least in theory.

    Dutton has also brought Julian Leeser back onto the frontbench, as shadow assistant minister for foreign affairs. Leeser quit the shadow ministry to fight for the yes case in the 2023 Voice referendum.

    While his return will be welcomed by many on merit grounds, it also reflects the high profile that Leeser, who is Jewish, has taken in demanding more action against the wave of antiseminism in Australia. Announcing his reshuffle on Saturday, Dutton described Leeser as “a powerhouse of support for Australia’s Jewish community”.

    The new shadow cabinet has 11 women, the same number as in the Albanese cabinet.

    Melissa McIntosh, from NSW, has been promoted to the shadow cabinet and takes Coleman’s previous job of communications. She stays shadow minister for Western Sydney.

    Claire Chandler, from Tasmania and the right, is promoted to shadow cabinet as shadow minister for government services and the digital economy and shadow minister science and the arts. Chandler was in the headlines before the last election for her campaigning against trans women’s access to female sports.

    The high profile Jacinta Price receives a promotion. In shades of Elon Musk’s role in the United States, in addition to her current responsibility as shadow minister for Indigenous Australians, she has been given a new role as shadow minister for government efficiency.

    Tony Pasin, from South Australia and the right faction, joins the shadow ministry as spokesman on roads and road safety. The government is emphasising its roads program in its campaigning, this month announcing $7.2 billion to upgrade the Bruce Highway.

    Matt O’Sullivan, a senator from Western Australia, joins the outer shadow ministry as shadow assistant minister for education.

    Ted O’Brien adds energy affordability and reliability to his key role as the opposition’s energy spokesman, in which he is prosecuting the nuclear debate. It has been speculated that the government is likely to do more to give people relief on their power bills.

    Kerrynne Liddle adds Indigenous health services to her responsibilities as shadow minister for child protection and the prevention of family violence.

    Victorian senator James Paterson, who as home affairs spokesman has been regarded as one of the opposition’s best performers, joins the Coalition leadership group.

    Michael Sukkar becomes manager of opposition business in the House of Representatives, the position that has been held by Paul Fletcher, who is retiring at the election.

    Michelle Grattan 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. Peter Dutton’s reshuffle: David Coleman the surprise choice as shadow foreign minister – https://theconversation.com/peter-duttons-reshuffle-david-coleman-the-surprise-choice-as-shadow-foreign-minister-248303

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: What should I do to prepare for a monologue performance?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Natasha Beaumont, Lecturer in Creative Arts, School of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney

    Frame Stock Footage/Shutterstock

    Monologue performance is a technically demanding but deeply rewarding form of theatre. Monologues are the purest form of storytelling an actor can engage in.

    Before I was a drama teacher and researcher, I was an actor on stage and television in Australia and in the United Kingdom.

    As an actor, you are always having to prepare monologues as audition pieces. Here are some principles and techniques to help you with this process, to allow you to draw in your audience and strengthen your artistic expression.

    Choosing your monologue

    Successful characterisation in monologue acting depends on “casting” yourself well. This means choosing a text and a character that resonate with your own persona and emotional range.

    Even if you decide you want to play someone with a completely different age, gender and life experience to your own, there should be something about this character that speaks to you: maybe it’s their sense of vulnerability, their love of life, their rage at unfair circumstances. The more you can relate to some specific aspect of this person, the easier it will be to access the emotional range to play them.

    If you decide on a character from a well-known play, make sure you have an understanding of the whole text the piece comes from.

    Finding the personality

    As an actor, you should have a good grasp of your character’s personality and attitudes to life.

    Look for clues in the monologue or the overall play that tell you something about this person’s inner psychology. Do they always agree with everyone, or are they always complaining? How do they talk about themselves, how do they talk about other people?

    In a well-written play, dialogue is always filled with signals like these that actors rely on when creating characters.

    Get clues about your character’s personality from the script.
    Cynthia Smith/Unsplash

    Another useful approach is to develop a detailed backstory for the role you are playing. Performers often use journalling or visualisation to deepen their emotional connection with the person they are depicting.

    Taking time to imagine these key “memories” can provide an emotional anchor when you want to access different parts of their personality. The audience will never know these choices you have made, but you will carry them within you, and they can add depth and dimension to your portrayal.

    Making the character physical

    Along with analysing your character’s psychology and motivations, spend time working on their physicality.

    How does this person move through the world? Are they a daydreaming wanderer, or a short sharp stepper who is always in a hurry? Do they close themselves off from the world with hunched shoulders, or do they stand tall and project themselves outward?

    These qualities might change throughout the monologue as your character moves through different thoughts and memories.

    Making stage direction choices for a monologue can be one of the most challenging things to get right. Simple things such as walking downstage to talk directly to your audience, or sitting down at a particular moment, can add effective dynamics to your performance. But any choices you make must come from an inner impulse within your character. Movement needs to be motivated by some kind of shift in their thoughts.

    Breaking down the monologue

    To identify these shifts, break down your script into key “beats”. These are the moments in a text where your character starts talking about something new. You can use these to create shifts in movement, tone and pace.

    Incorporating different beats into your piece is vital for keeping your audience’s interest. Every monologue should take the audience on a journey through a character’s inner life. Ensuring this journey includes some surprises or effective use of dramatic tension will help make your piece work as a solo performance.

    Sit down with the script and a pencil to find the ‘beats’ of the monologue.
    Media_Photos/Shutterstock

    Sit down with a pencil and mark down any point in the script where you think the character starts thinking or talking about something new. Once you have all these internal shifts marked out, decide if any of these could be played with a contrasting emotional tone and pace to create dramatic effect.

    Who are you talking to?

    Performing a piece on your own can be daunting as there are no other characters to respond to or generate reactions from. Understanding who your character is speaking to during the monologue means you can use your audience as an additional “actor”. Are they an ally or an enemy? Or are these private thoughts, with the audience as a witness to your inner mind?

    Clarifying this relationship can help you make clearer choices in how you deliver your lines.

    Give yourself time

    There are many creative decisions to be made when preparing a monologue performance.

    Make sure to give yourself enough time to make these decisions and to learn your lines by heart.

    Think about the physicality of the character you have chosen.
    foto-lite/Shutterstock

    Experiment with lots of different choices when you are starting out and rehearse your piece as often as possible. This will help reduce nerves when it comes to your final performance as it’s difficult to focus on acting when your mind is racing trying to remember what to say next.

    Once the hard work of preparation, experimentation and creative expression is done, there is no better feeling than nailing a solo performance!

    Natasha Beaumont 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 should I do to prepare for a monologue performance? – https://theconversation.com/what-should-i-do-to-prepare-for-a-monologue-performance-238778

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The ‘big 4’ accounting firms often consult for the same clients they audit. Should that be allowed?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Helen Spiropoulos, Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney

    Public trust in the auditing profession is under intense pressure. A series of high-profile scandals, both in Australia and overseas, has severely damaged its reputation.

    This week, Australia’s corporate watchdog – the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) – put the entire sector on notice.

    In a letter to auditors on Wednesday, ASIC announced it would soon commence a new data-driven surveillance of auditor independence and conflicts of interest. Put simply, any practices that could compromise the integrity of auditing work.

    The move comes amid longstanding calls for stronger regulation. Some have gone as far as to call for auditors – particularly the “big four” – to be banned from offering consulting services to their audit customers. Why? Fears it helps companies unethically game the system.

    But our recent research, which specifically examines chief executive pay, offers an alternative perspective and suggests we should tread carefully.



    Read more:
    A year after the PwC scandal, the furore is gone – as well as any real appetite for structural change

    Objectivity and independence

    The “big four” – PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Ernst & Young (EY), KPMG and Deloitte – are the world’s largest professional services firms. They offer services in auditing, consulting, tax and advisory services.

    Known for their extensive resources and global reach, these firms serve major clients, including many publicly listed companies and governments.

    However, some have raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest that may arise when these firms provide both consulting and auditing to the same client.

    Auditing is the process of examining a company’s financial statements and processes to ensure both accuracy and compliance with accounting standards.

    Conducted by external auditors, it’s meant to give investors, regulators, and the public confidence that a company’s financial picture is accurate and trustworthy.

    The key worry is that offering both services risks compromising an auditor’s objectivity and independence.

    Auditors may be incentivised to shy away from scrutinising their clients too closely, if it helps preserve lucrative consulting contracts.

    How much money should the boss make?

    Professional services firms, including the big four, are often engaged as external consultants to help decide on “executive compensation” – how much a company’s chief executive should be paid.

    Chief executive pay is highly contentious. They can earn staggering amounts of money, which can sometimes appear disconnected from how well a company is actually performing and what’s in its shareholders’ best interests.

    Large companies often outsource decisions about how much to pay chief executives.
    GaudiLab/Shutterstock

    Compensation consultants are hired to help structure these pay packages, ideally by setting up performance targets that align chief executives’ incentives with shareholder value.

    The idea is that if you don’t meet a certain goal as the boss, you should miss out on being paid for it.

    But these consultants can also be a part of the problem. As chief executives can influence whether a particular consultant is hired or retained, consultants might design favourable contracts to increase their chances of getting hired again.

    How? By setting up targets that are easy to hit, or vague enough to avoid true accountability.

    Such accountability in executive compensation is extremely important. How much those at the top get paid should reflect the quality of their decisions.

    Without proper oversight, pay structures risk incentivising quick wins instead of long-term growth, which could potentially harm investors, employees and the company’s future.

    To solve this problem, you need transparent performance metrics. This makes it easier for shareholders to see whether chief executives are truly earning their pay.

    When executive compensation consultants do their job well, such transparency gets built in. So how does the big four score?

    What we found

    Our study, published in the Australian Journal of Management, analysed chief executives’ compensation structures in a sample drawn from the 500 largest companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), between 2005 and 2019.

    We found that the big four, when engaged as compensation consultants, appeared to uphold more rigorous standards than their smaller counterparts.

    For example, big four firms were more likely to recommend including performance measures like “relative total shareholder return”, which takes the performance of a company’s competitors into account.

    This can reduce the likelihood of “pay for luck” – paying a chief executive extra when a company performs well simply due to market-wide factors, such as movements in commodity prices or currency exchange rates.

    Non-big four consultants, on the other hand, showed a tendency towards less clearly defined targets, which can open the door to less accountability.

    Compensation consultants should set targets for chief executives that genuinely reflect good performance.
    Owlie Productions/Shutterstock

    What’s behind this effect?

    One possible explanation for our findings is that the big four’s multi-service approach gives them less reliance on securing repeat business from any single client.

    With consulting, tax, audit and advisory services across various industries, these firms aren’t as dependent on individual clients, which can give them greater freedom to recommend compensation packages that may not always align with a chief executive’s preferences.

    It has been argued, including by former chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Graeme Samuel, that the big four’s consulting services pose potential conflicts that could compromise their audit duties.

    The same could be said for other advisory services provided by these firms.

    However, our findings offer evidence that when it comes to executive compensation, the big four’s reputation and expertise may actually discourage practices that obscure performance metrics or result in excessive chief executive pay.

    Any reforms should tread carefully

    The auditing sector will be watching the outcomes of ASIC’s forthcoming “crackdown” closely. The case for stricter oversight is strong.

    But we should be careful not to lose the nuance of this issue. In some cases, the big four’s multi-service approach may actually elevate governance standards rather than erode them.

    In a market dominated by these firms, the consequences of their exit from consulting services could extend beyond audit independence.

    Ironically, forcing these firms out of consulting could make auditing their primary revenue source from many clients, creating the very dependence regulators aim to avoid.

    Are we ready to face the unintended effects of limiting these firms’ roles? If our research is any indication, the answer is not so clear-cut.

    As an undergraduate student, Helen Spiropoulos did two internships at Deloitte in the areas of Audit and then Consulting (Strategy and Operations).

    Rebecca L. Bachmann 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. The ‘big 4’ accounting firms often consult for the same clients they audit. Should that be allowed? – https://theconversation.com/the-big-4-accounting-firms-often-consult-for-the-same-clients-they-audit-should-that-be-allowed-242588

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: In Norway, students get grades for their behaviour – could this work in Australia?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Dobson, Professor and Dean of Education and the Arts, CQUniversity Australia

    Student behaviour is one of the biggest issues facing Australian schools. A survey of Queensland teachers earlier this year found “managing student behaviour” was the main thing taking their time away from teaching.

    Along with students talking out of turn, using their phones or not paying attention, there are regular reports of students being violent and abusive towards teachers. Australian classrooms are rated among the “least favourable” for discipline in the OECD.

    Amid a push to include more classroom management training for teachers, what other approaches could we look at to improve behaviour?

    What happens in Norway?

    For several decades Norwegian school children have been assessed twice a year on their sense of personal order (being punctual, well-prepared and following up on homework) and social behaviour (showing care and respect for others).

    In some schools this might involve following rules against throwing snowballs, eating in class or leaving school grounds.

    Until Year 8, students receive comments and then they also get a grade (good, quite good or not so good).

    Teachers in all subjects report to the child’s home base teacher who calculates an average, noting any poor examples of poor personal order and social behaviour. The overall report is shared with the student and parents receive a copy.

    The goal, as specified in Norway’s Education Act, is to ensure a good and safe school environment and “social learning”. This means learning to behave around others through observing, modelling and imitating the behaviours of others.

    This is on top of learning knowledge and skills.

    Norwegian students can be graded on whether they follow rules about snowball throwing.
    Maria Sbytova/Shutterstock

    Does it work?

    Norwegian society takes these grades seriously. It has been part of the Norwegian schooling system since 1939.

    Research on teachers and students describe it as a valued tool for dealing with students who disrupt the learning environment in the classroom.

    Even when young adults apply for jobs after university or vocational study, employers can be interested in the grade received for order and behaviour at school. Students and their teachers are aware it can indicate trustworthiness and employability.

    A not uncommon story repeated by Norwegian parents to their teenage children is “if you have a record of behaving poorly or arriving late at school it doesn’t bode well whether you want to work on a construction site, in an office or on a hospital ward”.

    There are Norwegian critics of this approach. Some researchers argue behaviour grades can sometimes say more about who are the “teachers’ favourites”.

    But despite some limited trials to refine Norway’s behaviour grading, there are currently no plans to remove it.

    What about Australia?

    There is some precedence for reporting on behaviour in Australia.

    For example, Queensland public schools report about effort and behaviour against a five-point scale: excellent, very good, satisfactory, needs attention and unacceptable.

    But assessment criteria and evidence for the reporting of student effort and behaviour seems to be a more subjective appraisal than reporting against other standards in the curriculum.

    Some Australian schools already report on aspects of student behaviour.
    Monkey Business Images/ Shutterstock

    School is about more than maths and reading

    Schools can teach students more than academic knowledge or vocational skills.

    And while addressing behaviour in schools is complex (and will not be solved by any single thing), reporting on behaviour could provide a regular opportunity for Australian teachers, schools and parents to reflect on how a students is progressing.

    Grading students could make students more accountable for how they interact with their peers and their teachers.

    It could also help build their understanding of what is acceptable, not just in the classroom but in the community more broadly. For example, if there are specific rules about how you speak to others, whether you are safe in the playground and respectful in the classroom.

    This type of social learning is important, because it can help teach students to be inclusive and responsible towards others. It can also help to create a safer school environment for all students and staff.

    At the moment, there is a general requirement in the Australian Curriculum to teach students social and emotional skills across all subjects.

    But it is up to state and territory education authorities to work out if and how students are assessed about this. This includes any reasonable adjustments for students with disability or other special needs.

    The authors 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. In Norway, students get grades for their behaviour – could this work in Australia? – https://theconversation.com/in-norway-students-get-grades-for-their-behaviour-could-this-work-in-australia-239384

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: From eye exams to blood tests and surgery: how doctors use light to diagnose disease

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Griffith, Associate Professor and ARC Future Fellow and Director, UniSA Microscopy and Microanalysis Facilities, University of South Australia

    megaflopp/Shutterstock

    This is the next article in our ‘Light and health’ series, where we look at how light affects our physical and mental health in sometimes surprising ways. Read other articles in the series.

    You’re not feeling well. You’ve had a pounding headache all week, dizzy spells and have vomited up your past few meals.

    You visit your GP to get some answers and sit while they shine a light in your eyes, order a blood test and request some medical imaging.

    Everything your GP just did relies on light. These are just some of the optical technologies that have had an enormous impact in how we diagnose disease.

    1. On-the-spot tests

    Point-of-care diagnostics allow doctors to test patients on the spot and get answers in minutes, rather than sending samples to a lab for analysis.

    The “flashlight” your GP uses to view the inside of your eye (known as an ophthalmoscope) is a great example. This allows doctors to detect abnormal blood flow in the eye, deformations of the cornea (the outermost clear layer of the eye), or swollen optical discs (a round section at the back of the eye where the nerve link to the brain begins). Swollen discs are a sign of elevated pressure inside your head (or in the worst case, a brain tumour) that could be causing your headaches.

    The invention of lasers and LEDs has enabled many other miniaturised technologies to be provided at the bedside or clinic rather than in the lab.

    Pulse oximetry is a famous example, where a clip attached to your finger reports how well your blood is oxygenated. It does this by measuring the different responses of oxygenated and de-oxygenated blood to different colours of light.

    Pulse oximetry is used at hospitals (and sometimes at home) to monitor your respiratory and heart health. In hospitals, it is also a valuable tool for detecting heart defects in babies.

    See that clip on the patient’s finger? That’s a pulse oximeter, which relies on light to monitor respiratory and heart health.
    CGN089/Shutterstock

    2. Looking at molecules

    Now, back to that blood test. Analysing a small amount of your blood can diagnose many different diseases.

    A machine called an automated “full blood count analyser” tests for general markers of your health. This machine directs focused beams of light through blood samples held in small glass tubes. It counts the number of blood cells, determines their specific type, and reports the level of haemoglobin (the protein in red blood cells that distributes oxygen around your body). In minutes, this machine can provide a snapshot of your overall health.

    For more specific disease markers, blood serum is separated from the heavier cells by spinning in a rotating instrument called a centrifuge. The serum is then exposed to special chemical stains and enzyme assays that change colour depending on whether specific molecules, which may be the sign of a disease, are present.

    These colour changes can’t be detected with the naked eye. However, a light beam from an instrument called a spectrometer can detect tiny amounts of these substances in the blood and determine if the biomarkers for diseases are present, and at what levels.

    Light shines through the blood sample and tells us whether biomarkers for disease are present.
    angellodeco/Shutterstock

    3. Medical imaging

    Let’s re-visit those medical images your GP ordered. The development of fibre-optic technology, made famous for transforming high-speed digital communications (such as the NBN), allows light to get inside the body. The result? High-resolution optical imaging.

    A common example is an endoscope, where fibres with a tiny camera on the end are inserted into the body’s natural openings (such as your mouth or anus) to examine your gut or respiratory tracts.

    Surgeons can insert the same technology through tiny cuts to view the inside of the body on a video screen during laparoscopic surgery (also known as keyhole surgery) to diagnose and treat disease.

    Doctors can insert this flexible fibre-optic tube with a camera on the end into your body.
    Eduard Valentinov/Shutterstock

    How about the future?

    Progress in nanotechnology and a better understanding of the interactions of light with our tissues are leading to new light-based tools to help diagnose disease. These include:

    • nanomaterials (materials on an extremely small scale, many thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair). These are being used in next-generation sensors and new diagnostic tests

    • wearable optical biosensors the size of your fingernail can be included in devices such as watches, contact lenses or finger wraps. These devices allow non-invasive measurements of sweat, tears and saliva, in real time

    • AI tools to analyse how blood serum scatters infrared light. This has allowed researchers to build a comprehensive database of scatter patterns to detect any cancer

    • a type of non-invasive imaging called optical coherence tomography for more detailed imaging of the eye, heart and skin

    • fibre optic technology to deliver a tiny microscope into the body on the tip of a needle.

    So the next time you’re at the GP and they perform (or order) some tests, chances are that at least one of those tests depend on light to help diagnose disease.

    Matthew Griffith receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Australian Research council.

    – ref. From eye exams to blood tests and surgery: how doctors use light to diagnose disease – https://theconversation.com/from-eye-exams-to-blood-tests-and-surgery-how-doctors-use-light-to-diagnose-disease-231379

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: New data on violence against LGBTQ+ people makes ‘grim reading’ – and undermines NZ’s inclusive reputation

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Plum, Senior Research Fellow, Auckland University of Technology

    New Zealand is ranked the tenth most inclusive society by international legal standards, with a reputation for being forward-thinking and progressive – especially when it comes to the rights of sexually and gender-diverse individuals.

    But recent high-profile hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community suggest we may not be as progressive as our global reputation suggests.

    The painting over of rainbow pedestrian crossings in Gisborne and Auckland might seem like comparatively minor crimes. But they highlight the insidious – and increasingly overt – nature of prejudice against the rainbow community.

    A major concern for members of this community is how easily this kind of prejudice spills over into criminal acts against them. And there are indications of a concerning trend. The number of reported hate crimes against transgender people rose by 42% between 2022 and 2023.

    This is backed by overseas research. According to a study from the United States, gay/lesbian and bisexual individuals are significantly more likely to be victims of violence than heterosexual men and women.

    But how do rates of violence and crime faced by LGBTQ+ individuals here compare to the general population in New Zealand? For the first time, our new research sheds light on crime victimisation rates among the LGBTQ+ population in New Zealand. It’s grim reading.

    High rates of crime victimisation

    Our research used data from the New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey (NZCVS).

    The NZCVS surveyed approximately 32,000 New Zealanders between 2018 to 2022. Participants were asked about their experiences with crime. The survey collected information on reported and non-reported offences, and asked the participants about their socio-demographic characteristics, including sexual orientation and gender identity.

    LGBTQ+ individuals include those whose sexual orientation is
    gay/lesbian, bisexual, or other, or when being gender diverse or when gender identity and biological sex differ (also called transgender).

    We found LGBTQ+ individuals were much more likely to be victims of crime than non-LGBTQ+ individuals.

    Almost half of LGBTQ+ respondents (46%) reported being a victim of at least one crime in the previous year, compared to a third of non-LGBTQ+ people (31%).



    Read more:
    NZ’s hate speech proposals need more detail and wider debate before they become law

    Members of the LGBTQ+ community were also much more likely to be a victim of crime more than once. According to the survey, approximately 22% of LGBTQ+ individuals experienced more than one victimisation in the previous year, compared with 11% of non-LGBTQ+ individuals.

    Two groups stood out in particular: bisexual individuals and transgender/gender-diverse people.

    One potential explanation for the crime rates against LGBTQ+ people is that they have higher-than-average risk factors that are unrelated to their sexual orientation or gender identity. For example, they are younger and have lower incomes on average.

    But our research refutes this explanation. Even after accounting for these other risk factors, the crime victimisation rates among LGBTQ+ individuals were much higher than among non-LGBTQ+ individuals.

    Motivating factors

    The NZCVS also collected information on the perceived motivation behind the crime. Response options included sexual orientation, sex or general discrimination.

    We found LGBTQ+ individuals were more likely to say the perceived reason for crime was their sexual orientation or their sex compared to non-LGBTQ+ individuals.

    The consequences of these offences were also more severe for LGBTQ+ individuals.

    They were more likely to suffer from physical injuries or need time off work. They were also more likely to feel less noticeable effects of the violence: lower life satisfaction and a greater sense of feeling unsafe.

    Living up to NZ’s inclusive reputation

    In the long term, understanding how victimisation affects LGBTQ+ individuals can help shape policies that are better tailored to prevent crime and support victims. This includes building greater awareness and knowledge in the sexual and family violence sectors to prevent and support affected rainbow communities.

    But until that happens, crime victimisation continues to disproportionately affect LGBTQ+ individuals. New Zealand needs to do something to close that gap.

    Our research highlights a serious gap between how New Zealand is perceived on the global stage (safe and inclusive), and the reality of life for our LGBTQ+ community (increasingly unsafe and threatened by intolerance).

    New Zealand’s laws must ensure crimes against people based on their sexual orientation and gender identity will not be tolerated. The ongoing review of the Human Rights Act is a step in the right direction but more needs to be done to explicitly protect trans, non-binary and intersex people against discrimination.

    The authors want to thank Tabby Besley for her feedback. Tabby is the managing director at InsideOut, which provides resources, workshops, consulting, advocacy and support for anything concerning rainbow communities

    Alexander Plum receives funding from the Ministry of Justice.

    Lee Zhuge receives funding from The Ministry of Justice of New Zealand.

    – ref. New data on violence against LGBTQ+ people makes ‘grim reading’ – and undermines NZ’s inclusive reputation – https://theconversation.com/new-data-on-violence-against-lgbtq-people-makes-grim-reading-and-undermines-nzs-inclusive-reputation-239706

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Explainer: a short history of the Electoral College and how it subverts the will of voters

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hart, Emeritus Faculty, Australian National University

    For a fleeting moment in early October, it looked like the US presidential electoral system might become an issue in this year’s election. The Democratic vice presidential candidate, Tim Walz, told two audiences that the Electoral College should be abolished and replaced by a direct national popular vote.

    Walz was shut down quickly by Kamala Harris’ campaign with a brief statement that abolishing the Electoral College is not its official position. Walz duly walked back his comments and the story had a shelf-life of fewer than 24 hours.

    But the Electoral College issue may well come back to haunt the Harris campaign should this year’s election produce yet another “runner-up” president – when the loser of the popular vote wins the electoral vote and therefore the election.

    If the race is as close as most polls are indicating, this is a possible outcome. And Republican former President Donald Trump is more likely than Harris to be the beneficiary of this archaic, undemocratic voting system.

    How the Electoral College works

    There is a two-stage, indirect election for the president under the Electoral College system.

    First, there is the popular vote in each of 50 states and District of Columbia on November 5 to choose “electors”, who formally cast the “electoral vote” on December 17 in what is known as the “Electoral College”.

    It is the electoral vote that determines the president, not the popular vote.

    To make things even more complicated, each state is awarded electoral votes based not on its population, but on its representation in the US Congress.

    Each state has at least one member of the House of Representatives and two members of the Senate, meaning every state has at least three electoral votes regardless of its population size.

    There are 538 votes in the Electoral College, and an absolute majority of those – 270 or more – is needed to win. The Constitution also contains a complex and highly undemocratic contingency procedure should no candidate win an Electoral College majority. The choice of president would then be decided by the House of Representatives with each state delegation having just one vote.

    Sample presidential ballot from Arlington County in the state of Virginia showing that voters will be selecting electors, not the candidate directly.
    Arlington County Electoral Board

    The origins of the Electoral College

    It is not surprising the Electoral College is an undemocratic institution – it was deliberately designed to be. The method of electing the president was an expression of a very conservative philosophy of government embodied by most of the framers of the Constitution when they met in Philadelphia in 1787.

    The framers had strong views the presidency should be an office above politics. They also felt the choice should be made by those with knowledge, experience and understanding of government and statecraft.

    As such, the framers objected to a popular vote for the president, because they feared it would lead to what one of the founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton, called “tumult and disorder”. The framers were vehemently opposed to direct democracy, preferring instead what they called a “republic”.

    Their solution was to allow the state legislatures to determine how the electors from each state should be chosen. In the beginning, most states’ legislatures chose the electors to decide who was president – not the people.

    The Electoral College structure – and its philosophical underpinnings – were then locked into the Constitution and purposely designed to exclude the people from the process.

    It has also been argued that race and slavery were integral to its design. By piggy-backing on the already-agreed compromise over representation in Congress and the counting of slaves as “three-fifths of all other persons”, the framers of the Constitution handed the major slave-holding states far more clout not only in Congress, but in the selection of the president, as well.

    In the longer term, the framers weren’t entirely successful in their efforts because two major political developments in the early 19th century forced some adaptation to the model.

    As the American frontier expanded and political parties were developed, people began demanding a greater role in American democracy. This put pressure on state legislatures to cede their power to select electors and allow popular voting for the Electoral College instead.

    By the mid-19th century, the Electoral College was operating in much the same way as it does today.

    Surprisingly, this required no constitutional amendment because the wording of the Constitution gave the states the flexibility to respond to the demand for popular voting:

    Each State shall appoint, in such manner as the legislature thereof may direct, a number of Electors…

    But that didn’t change the fact that it was the “electors” who would still choose the president, not the people directly.

    How the Electoral College distorts the popular vote

    The electoral vote always distorts the popular vote by exaggerating the winner’s margin of victory. In very close contests, it can also go against the popular vote, as it has done on four occasions – 1876, 1888, 2000 and 2016.

    Two mechanisms are responsible for this.

    First, the populations of small states are over-represented in the Electoral College compared to the larger states because of the guaranteed minimum three electoral votes.

    For example, Alaska, with three electoral votes, has one electoral vote for every 244,463 inhabitants (based on 2020 US census data). In contrast, New York, with 28 electoral votes, has one electoral vote for every 721,473 inhabitants. So, an electoral vote in Alaska is worth almost three time as much as an electoral vote in New York.

    Second, and far more significant, is the “winner-takes-all” arrangement. In every state, except Maine and Nebraska, the winner of the popular vote takes 100% of the electoral votes, no matter how close the contest is.

    Even in Maine and Nebraska, it’s winner-takes-all, except those states award two electoral votes to the statewide winner of the popular vote and one electoral vote to the popular vote winner in each of its congressional districts.

    Few Americans would be conscious of how the winner-takes-all system works, either.

    Put simply, when voters cast a ballot, they are, in effect, voting multiple times – once for each elector in the state supporting the presidential candidate of their choice. They do this by marking just one box alongside their preferred candidate’s name.

    For example, if Harris defeats Trump by 51-49% of the popular vote in Pennsylvania, every one of the 19 electors on Harris’ slate will defeat every one of Trump’s 19 electors by the same margin. The popular vote may have been close, but in the electoral vote, it’s 19-0 for Harris.

    When that is repeated across all 50 states, the Electoral College vote will always exaggerate the margin of victory compared to the popular vote.

    In the 1992 presidential election, for example, Bill Clinton defeated George H.W. Bush by a landslide in the electoral college, 370-168. However, Clinton only edged Bush by 5.5 percentage points in the popular vote (43% to 37.45%). Independent candidate Ross Perot, meanwhile, earned nearly 19% of the popular vote, but because he didn’t carry any states, he got zero electoral votes.

    And when the loser of the popular vote wins the electoral vote, such as Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016, it shows the total number of popular votes won by a candidate is less important than where those votes are located.

    To win in the Electoral College, a candidate needs to have their vote distributed economically between the states. In a majoritarian democracy (based on the principle of majority rule), this ought not to be a feature of the electoral system. But the US presidential election process was never designed to operate this way.

    Lastly, the Electoral College also heavily determines the nature of the election campaign. Most states in the US are “safe” wins for one party or the other.

    As such, the efforts of the candidates are concentrated in the handful of states that are competitive – the so-called “battleground” states. The rest of the country tends to be ignored.

    The future of the Electoral College

    That the Electoral College survives into the 21st century is partly due to the adaptability of the Constitution to deal with the earlier challenge in the 1800s over the selection of electors in the states, as well as the immense difficulty of amending the Constitution.

    This is despite the fact a clear majority of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College in favour of a national, direct popular vote for the presidency.

    What happens in this election is anyone’s guess. With the polls showing such narrow margins in the popular vote in the battleground states, the outcome is not only unpredictable, it may even be random. And that’s a terrible comment on the state of American democracy.

    John Hart 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. Explainer: a short history of the Electoral College and how it subverts the will of voters – https://theconversation.com/explainer-a-short-history-of-the-electoral-college-and-how-it-subverts-the-will-of-voters-239206

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Ancient mud reveals Australia’s burning history over the past 130,000 years – and shows a way through our fiery future

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michela Mariani, Associate Professor in Physical Geography, University of Nottingham

    Lano Lan / Shutterstock

    Increased land management by Aboriginal people in southeastern Australia around 6,000 years ago cut forest shrub cover in half, according to our new study of fossil pollen trapped in ancient mud.

    Shrubs connect fires from ground cover to the forest canopy, allowing fires to spread and intensify quickly. The reduction in shrub cover, linked to evidence for increasing population size and more widespread landscape use by Aboriginal people, would have dramatically decreased the potential for high-intensity bushfires.

    We also found the shrub layer in modern forests is even greater than it was 130,000–115,000 years ago, when the climate was similar to today’s but there were no people around.

    Our deep-time research shows how important Indigenous cultural practices were for reducing dangerous high-intensity fires. It also suggests a way forward in Autralia’s current fire crisis, which climate change is making worse.

    The trouble with shrubs

    For decades, Australia has tried to manage fires by suppressing them. This strategy may be effective in the short term, but it has led to dire consequences in the long term.

    Over the past 20 years, the forests and woodlands of southeastern Australia have become hotspots for major fires.

    Fire suppression has allowed vegetation, particularly in the shrub layer, to grow without constraint. Shrubby, mid-height vegetation acts as a ladder, enabling fires to spread up from the ground to the forest canopy. This results in more intense and uncontrollable fires.

    Summary timeline of past landscape changes across southeastern Australia. We show changes from pre-human contact (top), through Indigenous population expansion (middle), to the present (post-colonial, bottom).
    Simon Connor, CC BY

    Evidence for denser vegetation comes from tiny, fossilised grains of pollen that are laid down in layers of ancient sediment in wetlands and lake beds. By extracting fossil pollen from mud, scientists can develop a picture of vegetation in the past.

    Our new study used archaeological data and information preserved in ancient mud. We looked at how the vegetation of southeastern Australia changed in response to climate and human management over the past 130,000 years.

    We wanted to see how things changed in key periods: before human arrival in Australia, through periods of Indigenous occupation, and following British colonisation.

    We used sophisticated models to estimate vegetation cover and how it related to human land use at different times.

    Caring for Country

    Indigenous Australians have been the custodians of this continent for millennia. Their journey in Australia started at least 65,000 years ago.

    Direct evidence of cultural burning traces back at least 11,000 years in the Top End, although it may have begun much earlier.

    Indigenous Australian cultural burning practices are complex and varied. However, in many parts of the continent they included regular, controlled burns. These helped to manage vegetation growth and reduce the risk of high-intensity fires.

    Since British colonisation, the landscape of Australia has undergone significant changes, with both more open pastures and more densely vegetated forests. The introduction of European land management practices, including fire suppression, disrupted the fire regimes Indigenous Australians had maintained for thousands of years.

    This suppression-focused approach has led to an accumulation of plant matter, creating a tinderbox ready to ignite.

    A call for change: integrating Indigenous Knowledge

    To address this crisis, a shift in fire management strategies is essential. One promising approach is to integrate Indigenous fire management practices into contemporary fire management plans, working with Traditional Owners to best care for Country.

    This must be done in a way that supports Indigenous livelihoods and fosters connection to Country, not by management agencies simply appropriating Indigenous know-how.

    Indigenous Australians possess hundreds of generations’ worth of experience in managing the country’s fire-prone landscapes. Indigenous-led fire management is already being reinvigorated in northern Australia.

    Our research demonstrates that southeastern forests and woodlands were effectively managed in the past and would also benefit from Indigenous caring-for-Country practices today.

    Reducing dangerous fuels in the shrub layer means less high-intensity fires threatening the bush–urban interface, such as the 2019–20 Black Summer fires.

    Indigenous-led burning at a project site in Tasmania.
    Matthew Newton / RUMMIN Productions

    Higher temperatures and prolonged droughts have created ideal conditions for bushfires to spread. Colonisation has compounded the problems arising from human-driven climate change.

    But there is no fire without fuel. It is the combination of increased biomass and a warming climate that now fuels fires of unprecedented scale and intensity, posing a significant threat to lives, property and ecosystems.

    Australia’s fire crisis is a complex issue that requires a multifaceted solution. By learning from and working with Indigenous practitioners, Australia can develop more effective and sustainable fire management strategies. This collaborative approach offers a path forward to tame the flames and protect the nation’s unique and diverse landscapes.

    Michela Mariani receives funding from the Leverhulme Trust and is affiliated with the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH) and the Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures (CIEHF).

    Anna Florin receives funding from the Australian Research Council and is affiliated with the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH).

    Haidee Cadd receives funding from the Australian Research Council and is affiliated with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH).

    Simon Connor receives funding from the Australian Research Council. He is affiliated with CABAH, the Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage.

    Matthew Adeleye 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. Ancient mud reveals Australia’s burning history over the past 130,000 years – and shows a way through our fiery future – https://theconversation.com/ancient-mud-reveals-australias-burning-history-over-the-past-130-000-years-and-shows-a-way-through-our-fiery-future-239561

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: 5 things you can do to end the biodiversity crisis as the world talks about it at COP16

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jim Radford, Associate Professor, Ecology and Environment, La Trobe University

    The world is charging towards tipping points for species extinctions, ecosystem collapse and loss of genetic diversity. Crossing these tipping points will be devastating for nature and human existence alike.

    Avoiding this catastrophe of humanity’s making is the purpose of the 16th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16) in Cali, Colombia. COP16 has been reviewing progress on implementing the Global Biodiversity Framework adopted at COP15 in Montreal, Canada, in 2022. Progress has been incremental at best.

    These pledges, plans and goals, while necessary and commendable, are also far removed and often intangible for everyday citizens. Collective global action is inherently political. It moves at glacial pace when urgent action is needed.

    The issues can seem so colossal and complex that individuals often feel powerless. This may mean they do nothing or, worse, add to the problem. But, in fact, there are five steps individuals can take to help end the biodiversity crisis.

    So why isn’t government action enough?

    COP16 wraps up on November 1, but has so far failed to live up to expectations. The COP16 chair claims it has put biodiversity “on an equal footing” with climate. However, solid commitments have yet to emerge.

    For example, before COP16, governments had pledged only US$250 million (A380 million) of the estimated $200 billion per year required by 2030 for the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund. Pledges of another $163 million this week take the total number of contributors to a mere 12.

    Only 15% of countries (including Australia) met the deadline to submit their plans to meet the goals set at COP15. These include protecting at least 30% of the world’s land and water and restoring 30% of degraded ecosystems by 2030.

    And plans do not guarantee action. Indeed, the world has never achieved a single global nature target set by such initiatives.

    Our everyday decisions can’t be divorced from nature

    “Natural capital” is a buzzword in global initiatives, government policies, marketing slogans and sustainability frameworks worldwide. Natural capital refers to all living and non-living natural resources that provide products and services of value to society. In essence, it’s what we commonly call “nature”.

    Understanding and managing natural capital is crucial for conserving biodiversity, addressing climate change and ensuring future generations’ wellbeing by not exceeding our planetary boundaries. It’s why we’ve recently created the Natural Capital Primer. It’s a website that explains how our everyday lives, businesses and economies depend on nature.

    By understanding our connection to nature, we can all reduce our impact on nature. Here are five ways you can make a difference, starting today.

    The Natural Capital Primer explains the concept, aiming to shift attitudes toward nature and promote global conservation.

    1. Cut consumption when you can

    Do you really need to update your mobile phone, your summer wardrobe or your flat-screen TV? What we buy reverberates around the globe.

    Our demand for new products affects resource extraction (leading to habitat loss), carbon emissions (propelling climate change) and pollution (degrading habitat). These impacts are often far from where we make our purchases. From the lithium in our phones to the plastics in our clothes and the metals in our vehicles, our consumption drives demand, which almost inevitably harms biodiversity.

    If you do need to replace something, consider buying second-hand or products made from recycled materials.

    2. Watch what you eat

    Agriculture is the single greatest driver of changes in land use and biodiversity loss. We all need to eat, of course, but where possible buy local and sustainably produced foods.

    Reducing processed foods in your shopping trolley is a good start. Cutting your intake of over-fished, wild-caught seafood, red meat and palm oil-based products will also help. This issue is not straightforward because these products are available as a confusing mix of unsustainable and sustainable options.

    A further complication, made worse by the rise of greenwashing, is that it can be hard to work out exactly what is in certain foods or where they came from. Sustainability certification and apps (GoodFish Australia, for example) can help consumers make better choices.

    3. Choose renewable energy

    The climate and biodiversity crises are inseparable. Neither can be resolved in isolation. For example, nature-based solutions, such as protecting forests as carbon sinks, will help with both the climate crisis and biodiversity.

    With greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change, which threatens many species, a whole range of our choices determine the impacts of our energy use. From your mode of transport to powering your home, choose renewable energy sources.

    Tech giants such as Google and Amazon are turning to nuclear energy to power their generative AI and cloud storage in an effort to reduce their climate impact. However, 100% renewable energy is realistic if consumers demand it from their power companies and governments.

    4. Get your hands dirty

    You can take direct action to protect and increase biodiversity. Volunteer or donate to environmental projects in your neighbourhood. Not only will this make you feel good, but revegetation and habitat restoration do improve local biodiversity.

    Many grass-roots, community-driven projects are making a difference on the ground. They range from urban restoration work, such as the Merri Creek restoration in Melbourne, to forest stewardship projects, such as Tarwin River Forest in Gippsland, Victoria. Get local and get involved!

    5. Adjust expectations and accept responsibility

    People in wealthy countries (such as Australia) have both the biggest environmental footprints and the most capacity to adapt. They must lead change.

    The process starts with increasing awareness of the issues and taking responsibility for change. That includes adjusting our expectations about how and where we live.

    Small changes are magnified when repeated by millions of people. We should never doubt the power of cumulative impact. After all, it’s what got us into this mess in the first place.

    So while governments and corporations haggle, posture and delay over global targets and policies, we can all start right now to make a difference through smarter decisions and sustainable choices.

    Jim Radford receives funding from Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water, the National Environmental Science Program Resilient Landscapes Hub, Transport for NSW, SmartSat CRC, Macdoch Foundation and Australian Wool Innovation. He is a member of Standards Australia Biodiversity Committee and North Central CMA Science Advisory Panel.

    – ref. 5 things you can do to end the biodiversity crisis as the world talks about it at COP16 – https://theconversation.com/5-things-you-can-do-to-end-the-biodiversity-crisis-as-the-world-talks-about-it-at-cop16-242205

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Forum troika’s visit highlights value of regionalism for New Caledonia

    ANALYSIS: By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk

    As a three-day fact-finding mission from a group of Pacific leaders drew to a close in New Caledonia, and with the outcomes report not expected before next year, the visit to the riot-hit French Pacific territory seems to have triggered a new sense of awareness locally about the values of Pacific regional mechanisms of “talanoa” embodied by the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).

    Local President Louis Mapou stressed on several occasions during the visit that New Caledonia’s situation was the “subject of much attention” in the Pacific region.

    He suggested that one of the reasons for this could be because of a potential “spillover” effect that could “jeopardise cohesion in the Pacific”.

    However, Mapou also stressed that he had received the message conveyed by the PIF “Troika-Plus” group that “they’re ready to take part in [New Caledonia’s] reconstruction”.

    ‘New Caledonia’s regional integration in its region’
    Mapou said that one of the recurrent themes during the PIF visit was “New Caledonia’s regional integration in its region”.

    “Whatever might be said, in many ways, New Caledonia does not know its [Pacific] region very well. Because it has this affiliation relationship to Europe and France that has prevailed over all these years,” he told local media.

    “So, in a certain way, we’re just discovering our region. And in this process, the Pacific Islands Forum could bring a sort of leverage,” he said.

    Kanaky New Caledonia, as well as French Polynesia — both French Pacific entities — became full members of the Pacific Islands Forum in 2016, after several years of “associate members” status.

    Mapou said New Caledonia’s current status vis-à-vis France was mentioned during talks with the PIF mission.

    “I spoke with them about obstacles that should be removed, that are directly related to our current status. This is part of topics on which we should be working in future,” he said.

    “They’re very open-minded, they don’t have any preconceived ideas, they’re happy to talk equally about the concepts of independence, just as they are for keeping [New Caledonia] within the French Republic,” he revealed.

    One of the unexpected outcomes, beyond the specific fact-finding mission that brought this PIF “Troika-Plus” leaders’ delegation to New Caledonia, seems to have underlined the values of regionalism, as well as New Caledonia’s long-awaited and genuine integration in its “regional environment”.

    These values seem to have been recognised by all sides of New Caledonia’s political spectrum, as well as all walks of life within the civil, economic, educational and religious society.

    PIF’s “Troika-Plus” leaders meet with Southern Province President Sonia Backès (third from left) at SPC headquarters last Monday. Image: PIF/RNZ Pacific

    Pacific diversity in status
     During the past few days, informal exchanges with the Pacific leaders have also allowed New Caledonia’s authorities to share and compare possible ways forward regarding the territory’s political status.

    “They readily exchanged their own experiences with our government. The Cook Islands, which is a self-governing state in ‘free association’ with New Zealand; Tonga, which has never been colonised; and the Solomon Islands, who have also undergone inter-ethnic conflicts and where the young population was also involved. And Fiji, which obtained independence (in 1970), had decided to withdraw from the Commonwealth and is finally re-discussing its link with Great Britain,” Mapou briefed local media on Tuesday.

    The leaders spent three days (October 27-29) in the French Pacific territory to gather information on the ground, after destructive riots broke out in May, resulting in 13 deaths and extensive economic damage estimated at €2.2 billion.

    During the three days, the PIF leaders met a wide range of political, business, religious, and civil society leaders to get a first-hand account of the situation.

    On Tuesday, the “plus” component of the troika, Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, reiterated the mission’s assigned mantra in a manner of conclusion to their mission.

    “We were here to understand and make recommendations. We have heard many extremely different attitudes. We hope it will be possible to find a solution for the people and the government,” Rabuka told religious leaders.

    Bitterness from civil society
     The long series of talks, within a particularly tight schedule, also allowed groups within New Caledonia’s civil society — including traditional chiefs, youth, human rights activists, educationists, mayors and women — to express their views directly during the Pacific leaders’ visit.

    Some of these groups also took the opportunity to point out that they were not always listened to in other circumstances.

    “Today, peace has just been through a rough episode. And we, women, are being asked to help. But when was the last time we were heard?

    “We’ve already said women should be part of all levels of decision-making, including on matters of dealing with violence and access for women to economic empowerment.

    “We were ignored. And then, when fire breaks out, we’re being asked for help because this is the foundation of Pacific values,” said Sonia Tonga, the president of the Oceania Union of Francophone Women, which groups women’s groups from New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis-and-Futuna and Vanuatu.

    Talking about the youth, she said there was an “ill-being”, “they don’t recognise themselves in this system, including for education. We’re trying to fit an Oceanian society into a framework that has not been designed for them.

    “When will we be heard in our country?”.

    As part of talks with church leaders, it was also pointed out that there were benefits from sharing experiences with Pacific leaders.

    “I’ve been many times in Fiji, Tonga, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and other Pacific islands. They too have had their hard times.

    “And they too are familiar with the experience of violence which is difficult to bring back to a path of dialogue,” said 80-year-old Nouméa Catholic Archbishop Michel-Marie Calvet, a respected figure.

    In terms of earlier crises in the Pacific region, among PIF member island states, in the early 2000s, civil unrest occurred in both Fiji and the Solomon Islands, with shops being targeted and looted.

    Under Pacific Islands Forum mechanisms, especially the declaration of Biketawa, this prompted in 2003 the setting up of “RAMSI” (Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands), with mostly Australia and New Zealand military and police as its main contributors, with additional input from other Pacific island countries.

    In Fiji, the mission to defuse the crisis, associated with an attempted coup and a MPs hostage situation within Parliament buildings in May 2000, was mainly achieved by the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) through protracted negotiations and without violence.

    Forum “Troika-Plus” leaders in New Caledonia conducting a fact-finding mission to assess the situation on ground. Image: X /@ForumSEC/RNZ Pacific

    Supporting Pacific dialogue
    In the political sphere, there was a recognition of the benefits of a Pacific perspective.

    “There is a Pacific tradition of dialogue and talanoa. So, I think [the PIF leaders] can invite pro-independence parties to come to the [negotiating] table,” said New Caledonia’s Mayors’ Association president Pascal Vittori.

    “We’re actually expecting PIF will back this notion of dialogue — that’s what’s important now,” he told local media.

    Sonia Backès, one of the staunchest defenders of New Caledonia remaining part of France, told reporters on Monday: “We didn’t ask for this [mission]. Now we’re waiting for this (troika) report based on their observing mission.

    “We all know that there are biased views on the part of some, one way or the other.

    “So we hope the final report will be as fair and neutral as possible so as not to add fuel to the fire.”

    Following their visit to New Caledonia and based on the information gathered, the Forum “Troika-Plus” leaders are expected to compile a “comprehensive report” to be submitted to the next annual Forum Leaders’ Summit in the Solomon Islands in 2025.

    “The terms of reference of this mission were discussed beforehand between the government of New Caledonia, the Pacific Islands Forum and the (French) State. We all agreed that what was most important was to have an assessment of the situation.

    “There is a need to provide information to the public so that it is an informed opinion leader. It’s important in those times of misinformation and manipulation from one side or the other,” French ambassador for the Pacific Véronique Roger-Lacan told public broadcaster NC la 1ère TV on Tuesday evening.

    Rioting damage in Nouméa’s Ducos industrial zone. Image: LNC TV/RNZ Pacific

    Business sector now needs Pacific market overtures
     Even the business sector now seems to believe that, as a result of the widespread destruction caused by the riots, which has left more than 800 companies burnt down and looted, as well as thousands jobless, the wider Pacific region has now become a new potentially attractive market.

    “Our local market has just shrunk considerably and so we will need to find new openings for our products. In that perspective, our cooperation with the Pacific is very, very strategic”, said business leaders association MEDEF-NC president Mimsy Daly.

    She had once again presented a detailed view of the widespread devastation caused by the recent riots and those who took part.

    “‘Were they aware of what they were doing?’ is one of the questions I was asked,” she wrote on social networks after her encounter with the “Troika-Plus”.

    “A logical question when you know that what has been destroyed equals about 70 percent of the GDP of the Cook Islands, 100 percent of the GDP of the Solomon Islands and 40 percent of the GDP of Fiji.”

    But she admitted the response to this complex question was “primordial” and “every light will have to be shed on the matter”.

    In a wrap-up of the three days, President Mapou held a final meeting with the group on Tuesday.

    Wide circle of ‘concertation’ needed
     French High Commissioner Louis Le Franc, after a final meeting with the delegation, said: “They have come here to seek the profound causes of what happened on May 13. They have been listening very closely.

    “I understand their view is that a wide circle of concertation [cooperation] will be required to reach an agreement,” he said.

    He elaborated, saying that the Pacific Forum leaders seemed to place a lot of hope in the notions of “trust”, the “necessity of living together” and the PIF’s “will to help, while saying that, at the same time, the solution lies in the hands of New Caledonia”.

    French President Macron (right) with New Caledonia’s President Louis Mapou (left) and former New Caledonia Congress President Roch Wamytan (centre) earlier this year. Image: RNZ Pacific

    Next: another ‘concertation and dialogue’ mission
     Following the PIF “Troika-Plus” mission, another visit is expected in New Caledonia in the next few days — this time coming from Paris.

    This new high-level visit will be headed by the presidents of both houses of Parliament in France (Senate and National Assembly), respectively Gérard Larcher and Yaël Braun-Pivet, from November 9-14.

    They will lead what is described as a “mission of concertation and dialogue”.

    The dates come as a top-level meeting took place last week, presided by French Head of State Emmanuel Macron and attended by French minister for Overseas François-Noël Buffet (who had just returned from New Caledonia), French PM Barnier, Larcher and Braun-Pivet.

    The objective, once again, was to reinforce the signal that the time had come to resume political dialogue.

    Macron indicated earlier that he still intended to host a meeting in Paris sometime in November.

    Buffet was also in New Caledonia earlier this month for four days to assess the situation and try to restore a path to dialogue between all political stakeholders, both pro-independence and pro-France.

    This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Individual action on climate was tarred as greenwashing or virtue signalling. But it still has a place

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sukhbir Sandhu, Associate Professor in Sustainability, University of South Australia

    j.chizhe/Shutterstock

    Two decades ago, the fight against climate change was often framed as a personal choice. You might try to reduce your carbon footprint by avoiding flights or change your buying habits to avoid meat or reduce plastic.

    But this approach lost popularity, as it shifted responsibility from producer to consumer. The carbon footprint, for instance, was famously popularised by oil company BP. In 2008, well-known American climate activist Bill McKibben pointed out the impotence of individual action without collective action.

    Behavioural researchers also began finding a seeming paradox – many of us expressed strong interest in taking individual action on climate, but our actual behaviours barely changed.

    Much focus shifted to top-down efforts such as government incentives for clean energy and commitments at a national level to cut emissions.

    But there is still a role for individuals – especially around demonstrating what clean alternatives actually look like. For instance, the more solar panels are installed on rooftops in your neighbourhood, the more likely you are to consider it. This neighbourhood effect also affects uptake of electric vehicles and e-bikes. This is especially important if we are to see clean alternatives go mainstream rather than stop at a small fraction of the population.

    Of course, individual actions can only go so far. As our research on sustainable consumption has shown, individual actions can be magnified with a backdrop of institutional support.

    The neighbourhood effect has influence on solar and electric vehicle uptake.
    zstock/Shutterstock

    What we say and what we do

    Humans are complicated. We often say we want to make greener choices – but in reality, we act differently.

    Individual climate action sounds great in theory. If many of us chose electric vehicles or bikes, installed solar panels and built energy efficient houses, our actions in aggregate could contribute to wider emissions goals. Then there are choices such as reducing dairy and meat, installing LED lights and buying produce with less packaging.

    Everyday actions can contribute too, such as washing clothes in cold water, avoiding putting aircon too low or heating too high, and wearing extra layers of clothes. Recycling, repairing and reusing offer us still more methods to extend the life of our products, reduce waste and save money.

    Yet it turns out the reality of individual action on climate is much more complicated – because we are complicated.

    When surveyed, a majority of us say we want green, sustainable products. But when we go to the shops, we often don’t actually buy them. My colleagues and I have dubbed this the “Janus faced” consumer phenomenon – we often say one thing but do another.

    Why might that be? One reason is many consumers believe green products – whether electric cars or detergents – will perform worse. Green products are also perceived to be more expensive and inconvenient to use.

    Then there’s the question of virtue signalling. This is a phenomenon where consumers purchase highly visible green products primarily to signal they’re a person who cares about the environment without necessarily doing so.

    Some of these challenges are being overcome. It’s hard to write off modern electric cars as inferior when they can accelerate faster and run much cheaper than fossil fuel cars. While early adopters of solar might once have been seen as virtue-signallers, the main reason Australian households go solar is to save money on the power bill, according to a CSIRO survey.

    Was buying a Toyota Prius about going green – or signalling your virtue?
    Stephen Barnes/Shutterstock

    One and the many

    Individual action can only go so far. For individual action to create sustained impact, it needs supportive policies and institutional backing.

    For instance, a 2023 report found many Australian clean energy organisations would like to re-use solar panels for community projects or as a low-cost option for households. This makes sense, given used solar panels are often 80% as good as new ones.

    But for consumers to actually act on this, they need institutional scaffolding. If you’re going to buy used solar, you want to make sure they are in good condition. Without a certification process, their willingness will come to nothing.

    While many of us say we would consider buying an electric vehicle, the uptake is constrained by things outside our control such as whether there are enough public chargers in cities and rural areas.

    You can see the importance of institutional backing clearly in transport. The Melbourne-Sydney flight path is the fifth busiest in the world. That’s because there are no fast green alternatives. If there was high-speed rail as in China or Japan, many of us would choose to avoid the emissions caused by flying. But it doesn’t exist (yet), so our individual choices are curtailed.

    Which way forward?

    As climate change intensifies, more and more of us say we are willing to act on our beliefs and concerns on an individual level. Even better, more of us are actually doing what we say we will.

    Not everywhere, of course. For many Australians, switching from petrol to electric might be easier than giving up meat or a flight to Japan. But some progress is better than none.

    This groundswell is encouraging. But our individual efforts can only go so far. To make the most of it, we need institutional scaffolding. Australia has world-beating rooftop solar uptake because state and federal governments used subsidies and incentives to make the emerging technology cheaper. With incentives on offer, millions of us made individual choices to take it up.

    We are more than consumers, of course. Our power as individuals isn’t limited to choosing specific products. As citizens, we can push for our governments to provide the essential scaffolding we need to make greener choices.

    Sukhbir Sandhu has received research grants from Australian Research Council (Discovery), Green Industries SA, and the European Union.

    – ref. Individual action on climate was tarred as greenwashing or virtue signalling. But it still has a place – https://theconversation.com/individual-action-on-climate-was-tarred-as-greenwashing-or-virtue-signalling-but-it-still-has-a-place-239196

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Moderators protect us from the worst of the internet. That comes at huge personal cost

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Wake, Associate Professor, Journalism, RMIT University

    Shutterstock

    Unless you’re a moderator for a local community group discussing garbage collections or dog park etiquette, you are unlikely to fully understand the sheer volume and scale of abuse directed at people online.

    But when social media moderation and community management is part and parcel of your daily work, the toll on people and their loved ones can be enormous. Journalists, often early in their careers, can be on the receiving end of torrents of abuse.

    If they come from culturally or linguistically diverse backgrounds, that reluctance to report can be even higher than other colleagues.

    There’s growing employer concern about how moderating confronting content can affect people’s wellbeing. Employers also have a duty to keep their staff safe at work, including online.

    The ABC wanted to understand what this looked like in practice. Its internal survey data shows just how bad the problem has become for moderators who are employed to keep audience members safe when contributing to online discussions.

    What did the ABC find?

    In 2022, the ABC asked 111 staff who were engaged in online moderation as part of their jobs to self-report the frequency of exposure to potentially harmful experiences.

    First it was important to understand just how long people were spending online moderating content. For those who had to moderate content every day, 63% they did it for less than an hour and a half, and 88% moderated for less than three hours.

    The majority of staff surveyed saw potentially harmful content every week.

    71% of moderators reported seeing denigration of their work weekly, with 25% seeing this daily.



    Read more:
    Can human moderators ever really rein in harmful online content? New research says yes

    Half reported seeing misogynistic content weekly, while more than half said they saw racist content weekly.

    Around a third reported seeing homophobic content every week.

    In the case of abusive language, 20% said they encountered it weekly.

    It’s a confronting picture on its own, but many see more than one type of this content at a time. This compounds the situation.

    It is important to note the survey did not define specifically what was meant by racist, homophobic or misogynistic content, so that was open to interpretation from the moderators.

    A global issue

    We’ve known for a few years about the mental health problems faced by moderators in other countries.

    Some people employed by Facebook to filter out the most toxic material and have gone on to take the company to court.

    In one case in the United States, Facebook reached a settlement with more than 10,000 content moderators that included U$52 million (A$77.8 million) for mental health treatment.

    In Kenya, 184 moderators contracted by Facebook are suing the company for poor working conditions, including a lack of mental health support. They’re seeking U$1.6 billion (A$2.3 billion) in compensation.

    The case is ongoing and so too are other separate cases against Meta in Kenya.

    In Australia, moderators during the height of the COVID pandemic reported how confronting it could be to deal with social media users’ misinformation and threats.

    A 2023 report by Australian Community Managers, the peak body for online moderators, found 50% of people surveyed said a key challenge of their job was maintaining good mental health.

    What’s being done?

    Although it is not without its own issues, the ABC is leading the way in protecting its moderators from harm.

    It has long worked to protect its staff from trauma exposure with a variety of programs, including a peer support program for journalists. The program was supported by the Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma Asia Pacific.

    But as the level of abuse directed at staff increased in tone and intensity, the national broadcaster appointed a full-time Social Media Wellbeing Advisor. Nicolle White manages the workplace health and safety risk generated by social media. She’s believed to be the first in the world in such a role.

    As part of the survey, the ABC’s moderators were asked about ways they could be better supported.

    Turning off comments was unsurprisingly rated as the most helpful technique to promote wellbeing, followed by support from management, peer support, and preparing responses to anticipated audience reactions.

    Turning off the comments, however, often leads to complaints from at least some people that their views are being censored. This is despite the fact media publishers are legally liable for comments on their content, following a 2021 High Court decision.

    Educating staff about why people comment on news content has been an important part of harm reduction.

    Some of the other changes implemented after the survey included encouraging staff not to moderate comments when it related to their own lived experience or identity, unless they feel empowered in doing so.

    The peer support program also links staff others with moderation experience.

    Managers were urged to ensure that self-care plans were completed by staff to prepare for high-risk moderation days (such as the Voice referendum). These includes documenting positive coping mechanisms, how to implement boundaries at the end of a news shift, debriefing and asking staff to reflect on the value in their work.

    Research shows one of the most protective factors for journalists is being reminded that the work is important.

    But overwhelmingly, the single most significant piece of advice for all working on moderation is to ensure they have clear guidance on what to do if their wellbeing is affected, and that seeking support is normalised in the workplace.

    Lessons for others

    While these data are specific to the public broadcaster, it’s certain the experiences of the ABC are reflected across the news industry and other forums where people are responsible for moderating communities.

    It’s not just paid employees. Volunteer moderators at youth radio stations or Facebook group admins are among the many people who face online hostility.

    What’s clear is that any business or volunteer organisation building a social media audience need to consider the health and safety ramifications for those tasked with maintaining those platforms, and ensure they build in support strategies.

    Australia’s eSafety commissioner has developed a range of publicly available resources to help.

    The author would like to acknowledge the work of Nicolle White in writing this article and the research it reports.

    Alexandra Wake is a member of Dart Asia Pacific, having previously served as a director of its Board. She is currently a joint recipient of an Australian Research Council Discovery Grant, Australian Journalism, Trauma and Community.

    – ref. Moderators protect us from the worst of the internet. That comes at huge personal cost – https://theconversation.com/moderators-protect-us-from-the-worst-of-the-internet-that-comes-at-huge-personal-cost-241775

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Fit kids have better mental and physical health. What’s the best way to get them active?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Singh, Research fellow, Allied Health & Human Performance, University of South Australia

    Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock

    The mental health benefits of exercise for adults are well known, easing depression and reducing anxiety.

    Now, emerging research highlights its rising importance for children’s wellbeing. Staying active could be key to safeguarding and enhancing young people’s mental health.

    Mood-boosting benefits

    One in seven adolescents worldwide has a mental illness. As a result, parents and health-care providers are increasingly seeking effective prevention strategies.

    Evidence is accumulating to suggest one surprisingly simple approach: physical fitness.

    One recent study reveals even small improvements in fitness were linked to improved teen mental health. When adolescents improved their fitness by just 30 seconds on a running test, their risk of developing anxiety, depression, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) dropped by 7-8%.

    This suggests something as straightforward as regular exercise could play a crucial role in protecting young people’s mental wellbeing.

    For parents and health professionals looking to support adolescent mental health, encouraging participation in team sports could also be an especially effective strategy.

    A study of more than 17,000 teenagers revealed a powerful link between sports and mental health: teens who participated in sports clubs were 60% less likely to experience depression compared to inactive kids.

    This suggests team sports offer a unique environment for teens’ mental wellbeing, combining physical activity, social connection and structured routines.

    Active kids do better in the classroom

    Physical activity can also sharpen kids’ thinking and improve school performance: being active is associated with improvements in concentration, decision-making abilities, attention and academic performance.

    Studies have also found positive links between physical activity and performance in maths and reading skills.

    Even short ten-minute bouts of activity can have immediate positive effects on classroom performance.

    Adding more physical activity to the school day — rather than cutting it for academic subjects — can not only boost students’ academic performance but also enhance their overall health and wellbeing.

    Getting kids started with fitness and physical activity delivers myriad benefits.

    Starting early: when and how

    Age considerations

    While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, experts generally agree it’s never too early to encourage physical activity.

    The World Health Organisation recommends children aged 3-4 should engage in at least 180 minutes of physical activity daily, with at least 60 minutes being moderate to vigorous intensity: activities that cause kids to huff and puff, such as running or playing sports.

    For school-age children (five to 17 years), the recommendation is at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily, with activities that strengthen muscles and bones at least three times a week.

    Getting started

    The key to introducing fitness to children is to make it fun and age-appropriate. Here are some strategies:

    1. Incorporate play: for younger children, focus on active play rather than structured exercise. Activities such as tag, hide-and-seek, or obstacle courses can be both fun and physically demanding.

    2. Explore various activities: expose children to different sports and activities to help them find what they enjoy. This could include team sports, dance, martial arts, or swimming. Consider activities that are culturally relevant or significant to your family, as this can enhance their sense of belonging and interest.

    3. Lead by example: children often mimic their parents’ behaviours, observing their actions. By being active yourself, you not only set a positive example but also encourage your children to do the same.

    4. Make it a family affair: encourage physical activity by planning active family outings like hikes, bike rides, or trips to the park to foster a love of exercise in a fun and engaging way.

    5. Limit screen time: Encourage outdoor play and physical activities as alternatives to sedentary screen time, fostering a healthier lifestyle and promoting wellbeing.

    Potential risks and how to mitigate them

    While the benefits of fitness for children are clear, it’s important to approach it safely. Some potential risks include:

    1. Injuries from overexertion: children eager to push their limits can suffer from overuse injuries, such as sprains or strains. Encourage a variety of physical activities to prevent overuse injuries. Ensure adequate rest during training and competition, and promote proper a warm-up and cool-down.

    2. Heat-related illness: children exercising in hot weather are at risk of heat exhaustion, with symptoms including dizziness and nausea. Emphasise hydration before, during and after exercise. Schedule activities during cooler times and provide shaded areas for breaks, teaching kids to recognise signs of overheating.

    3. Improper technique and equipment: using incorrect form or inappropriate equipment can result in injuries and impede development. It’s essential to provide proper instruction, ensure equipment is size-appropriate, and supervise children during exercise. Programs should be designed to be safe and inclusive, accommodating children with disabilities, ensuring everyone can participate meaningfully without barriers.

    4. Burnout: excessive exercise or pressure to perform can cause physical and mental burnout. This can lead to a loss of interest. To prevent burnout, it is important stick to national and international activity recommendations, ensure adequate rest, and encourage a balance between structured exercise and free play.

    A love for movement and activity

    The evidence is clear: fit kids are happier, healthier, and better equipped to handle life’s challenges.

    By introducing fitness early and in an engaging, age-appropriate manner, we can set children on a path to lifelong physical and mental wellbeing.

    Remember, the goal is to foster a love for movement and activity that will serve children well into adulthood.

    The authors 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. Fit kids have better mental and physical health. What’s the best way to get them active? – https://theconversation.com/fit-kids-have-better-mental-and-physical-health-whats-the-best-way-to-get-them-active-242102

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Trump’s slight lead in Pennsylvania could give him Electoral College win; Biden a drag on Harris

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne

    The United States presidential election will be held next Tuesday, with results coming in Wednesday AEDT. In analyst Nate Silver’s aggregate of national polls, Democrat Kamala Harris leads Republican Donald Trump by 48.6–47.5, a slight gain for Trump since Monday, when Harris led by 48.6–47.4. Harris’ national lead peaked on October 2, when she led by 49.4–45.9.

    The US president isn’t elected by the national popular vote, but by the Electoral College, in which each state receives electoral votes equal to its federal House seats (population based) and senators (always two). Almost all states award their electoral votes as winner-takes-all, and it takes 270 electoral votes to win (out of 538 total).

    Relative to the national popular vote, the Electoral College is biased to Trump, with Harris needing at least a two-point popular vote win to be the narrow Electoral College favourite in Silver’s model.

    In Silver’s averages, Trump has a 0.6-point lead in Pennsylvania (19 electoral votes), up from 0.3 on Monday. Trump has slightly larger leads of one to two points in North Carolina (16), Georgia (16) and Arizona (11). Harris is narrowly ahead by 0.1 point in Nevada (six) and about one point ahead in Michigan (15) and Wisconsin (ten).

    If current polls are exactly right, Trump wins the Electoral College by 281–257. Not making Pennsylvania’s popular governor Josh Shapiro her running mate could be Harris’ biggest mistake.

    In Silver’s model, Trump has a 54% chance to win the Electoral College, slightly higher than 53% on Monday. There’s a 29% chance that Harris wins the popular vote but loses the Electoral College. The FiveThirtyEight forecast gives Trump a 51% win probability.

    Without a major event, there isn’t likely to be much change in the polls before the election, but a polling error where one candidate overperforms their polls could still occur. Silver’s model gives Trump a 22% probability of sweeping the seven swing states and Harris a 12.5% probability.

    I wrote about the US election for The Poll Bludger yesterday, and also covered three Canadian provincial elections and Japan’s conservative LDP, which has governed almost continuously since 1955, losing its majority at an election last Sunday.

    Biden a drag on Harris and favourability ratings

    Joe Biden remains unpopular with a net -16.5 approval in the FiveThirtyEight national aggregate, with 55.8% disapproving and 39.3% approving. As Harris is the incumbent party’s candidate, an unpopular president is a key reason for Trump’s edge.

    Biden’s remarks on Tuesday, in which he seemed to call Trump supporters “garbage”, resembled Hillary Clinton’s “basket of deplorables” in the 2016 presidential campaign. This won’t help Harris.

    Biden is almost 82, Trump is 78 and Harris is 60. Trump’s age should be a factor in this election that favours Harris, but Silver said on October 19 that Democrats spent so much time defending Biden before he withdrew on July 21 that it’s now difficult for them to attack Trump’s age without seeming hypocritical.

    Harris’ net favourability in the FiveThirtyEight national aggregate is -1.5, with 47.8% unfavourable and 46.3% favourable. Her net favourability peaked at +1 in late September. Trump’s net favourability is -8.5 with 52.1% unfavourable and 43.6% favourable; his ratings have improved a little in the last two weeks.

    While Harris is more likeable than Trump, that’s not reflected in head to head polls. Silver said on October 23 that Trump’s campaign is promoting him as not-nice, but on your side, and as someone who will get things done. They argue Harris’ campaign lacks clear policies.

    Harris’ running mate Tim Walz is at +2.6 net favourable, while Trump’s running mate JD Vance is at -6.9 net favourable. In the past few weeks, Vance’s ratings have improved slightly while Walz’s have dropped back.

    Congressional elections

    I last wrote about the elections for the House of Representatives and Senate that will be held concurrently with the presidential election on October 14. The House has 435 single-member seats that are apportioned to states on a population basis, while there are two senators for each of the 50 states.

    The House only has a two-year term, so the last House election was at the 2022 midterm elections, when Republicans won the House by 222–213 over Democrats. The FiveThirtyEight aggregate of polls of the national House race gives Democrats a 46.2–46.1 lead over Republicans, a drop for Democrats from a 47.1–45.9 Democratic lead on October 14.

    Senators have six-year terms, with one-third up for election every two years. Democrats and aligned independents currently have a 51–49 Senate majority, but they are defending 23 of the 33 regular seats up, including seats in three states Trump won easily in both 2016 and 2020: West Virginia, Montana and Ohio.

    West Virginia is a certain Republican gain after the retirement of former Democratic (now independent) Senator Joe Manchin at this election. Republicans have taken a 5.4-point lead in Montana in the FiveThirtyEight poll aggregate, while Democrats are just 1.6 points ahead in Ohio.

    Republicans are being challenged by independent Dan Osborn in Nebraska, and he trails Republican Deb Fischer by 2.3 points. Democrats did not contest to avoid splitting the vote. In Democratic-held Wisconsin, Democrats lead by 2.1 points, while other incumbents are ahead by at least three points.

    If Republicans gain West Virginia and Montana, but lose Nebraska to Osborn, and no other seats change hands, Republicans would have a 50–49 lead in the Senate. If Harris wins the presidency, Osborn would be the decisive vote as a Senate tie can be broken by the vice president, who would be Walz. This is the rosiest plausible scenario for Democrats.

    The FiveThirtyEight congressional forecasts give Republicans a 53% chance of retaining control of the House, so it’s effectively a toss-up like the presidency. But Republicans have an 89% chance to gain control of the Senate.

    Adrian Beaumont 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. Trump’s slight lead in Pennsylvania could give him Electoral College win; Biden a drag on Harris – https://theconversation.com/trumps-slight-lead-in-pennsylvania-could-give-him-electoral-college-win-biden-a-drag-on-harris-242393

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Maria Anna Mozart was a musical prodigy overshadowed by her brother. A new documentary tells her story

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Diane Charleson, Senior Lecturer in media School of Arts Australian Catholic University, Australian Catholic University

    Alina Gozin’a

    Award-winning director Madeleine Hetherton-Miau’s latest offering is an evocative and hard-hitting documentary with a strong message. Mozart’s Sister investigates the life of Maria Anna Mozart, the older sister of the more famous Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

    The film portrays a sensitive and well-researched investigation into Maria Anna’s life – illuminating how the draconian attitudes that prevailed during her time condemned her to a lesser life than her brother, even though she was similarly talented.

    It also reminds us of the importance of championing women musicians today, as “if we don’t encourage women now, it (discrimination) only repeats”.

    Who was Maria Anna Mozart?

    Maria Anna was the first-born child of Leopold Mozart. He himself was a musician and composer and had his daughter schooled in music from a very young age.

    Maria showed amazing talent – a child prodigy in playing and composing. When Wolfgang was born, he quickly became engrossed in playing and composing music with his sister.

    Mozart’s Sister features wonderfully poignant recreations of this childhood bond over music – emphasising the siblings’ playfulness and engagement with music in a noncompetitive way.

    Leopold recognised his children’s prodigious talents. He soon had them travelling and playing concerts all over Europe, where they were lauded by the highest aristocracy. Maria Anna and Wolfgang were inseparable during this time and composed many works together.

    Maria Anna and Wolfgang composed many works together.
    Madeleine Hetherton-Miau

    Women musicians in the 18th century

    But all of this came to an abrupt end with Maria Anna turned 15. As custom would dictate, it was considered unsuitable and unseemly for a girl of that age to perform in public, likening this form of public performance to that of a prostitute.

    The film portrays the unfortunate fate that befell many 18th-century women who wanted to pursue a career in music. Regardless of their aptitude, these women would have no real career prospects. They were even banned from playing musical instruments deemed unseemly, including the violin and cello.

    Composing and playing music was largely taken up by the nuns in monasteries. As Mozart’s Sister highlights, even though this was a time of enlightenment, this “enlightenment” was reserved for men – and white men at that. It definitely didn’t flow on to women.

    Maria Anna was forced to stay home while Wolfgang continued pursuing music uninterrupted – and the rest is history.

    Maria Anna’s musical talents weren’t encouraged the way her younger brother’s were.
    Shannon Ruddock

    The film ponders what it must have been like for her to be left at home, away from her brother (who was once her constant companion) and unable to play as she used to. Her life is poignantly illustrated through her diary entries, which are mainly filled with references to the weather, as though nothing else was happening for her.

    Maria Anna eventually married, but continued to practice music each day. Upon her husband’s death – now a woman of means and a baroness in her 50s – she returned to solo concert performances.

    A documentary on two levels

    Mozart’s Sister is a documentary that functions on many levels.

    On one level, it’s a biopic that portrays Maria Anna’s story through recreations of her childhood in Austria, with a voiceover narration and interviews highlighting her relationship with her brother. Much is shot on location in Austria and framed through the perspective of present-day museum curators and experts.

    On another level, the film is a broader statement on the underrepresentation of female composers. I thought the director did an excellent job in portraying this duality through the juxtaposition of Maria Anna’s with the young British composer Alma Deustger. Deustger displayed many of the characteristics we could imagine Maria Anna having.

    Like Maria Anna, Deustger is a brilliant modern-day composer with a deep appreciation for for composing and conducting. But unlike Maria, she has been able to pursue her passion and turn it into a career. I was particularly struck by the film’s closing, in which Deustger discusses writing her waltz based on the police sirens of New York.

    Mozart’s Sister follows in a recent literary trend of discussions of appropriation – and of the overlooking of talented women in history who have been overshadowed by their more famous male counterparts. Anna Funder’s Wifedom and Hernan Diaz’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book Trust are two other examples of this.

    It is an interesting and provocative film that will appeal to classical music lovers, as well as those interested more broadly in the issue of female underrepresentation in the arts.

    Mozart’s Sister is in cinemas from today.

    Diane Charleson 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. Maria Anna Mozart was a musical prodigy overshadowed by her brother. A new documentary tells her story – https://theconversation.com/maria-anna-mozart-was-a-musical-prodigy-overshadowed-by-her-brother-a-new-documentary-tells-her-story-241794

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Trust matters but we also need these 3 things to boost vaccine coverage

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Holly Seale, Associate Professor, School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney

    Julien Jean Zayatz/Shutterstock

    Australia’s COVID vaccine roll-out started slowly, with supply shortages and logistical shortcomings. Once it got going, we immunised more than 95% of the population.

    This week’s COVID inquiry report contains a number of recommendations to improve Australia’s vaccine preparedness the next time we face a pandemic or health emergency.

    While the inquiry gets most things right, as vaccine experts, we argue the government response should be broadened in three areas:

    • expanding compensation programs for people who suffer any type of vaccine injury
    • better understanding why people aren’t up-to-date with their vaccinations
    • equipping community helpers in marginalised communities to deliver information about vaccines and combat misinformation.

    Australians should be compensated after vaccine injuries – not just during pandemics

    The inquiry recommends reviewing Australia’s COVID vaccine claims scheme in the next 12 to 18 months, to inform future schemes in national health emergencies.

    Early in the pandemic, vaccine experts called on the Australian government to establish a COVID vaccine injury compensation scheme.

    This meant people who were injured after suffering a rare but serious injury, or the families of those who died, would receive compensation when there had been no fault in the manufacturing or administration of the vaccine.

    Vaccine experts recommended the creation of such a scheme based on the principle of reciprocity. The Australian public was asked to accept the recommended COVID vaccines in good faith for their health benefit and the benefit of the community. So they should be compensated if something went wrong.

    In 2021, the Australian government announced the COVID-19 Vaccine Claims Scheme. Australia had no such scheme before this, in stark contrast to 25 other countries including the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand.

    Australia’s scheme closed on September 30 2024.

    The inquiry report recommends reviewing:

    • the complexity of the claims process
    • delayed or denied payments
    • any links between the scheme and vaccine hesitancy.

    However, this is currently framed only within the scope of the scheme being used for future epidemic or pandemic responses.

    Instead, we need a permanent, ongoing vaccine compensation scheme for all routine vaccines available on the National Immunisation Program.

    As we’ve learnt from similar schemes in other countries, this would contribute to the trust and confidence needed to improve the uptake of vaccines currently on the program, and new ones added in the future. It is also right and fair to look after those injured by vaccines in rare instances.

    Not getting vaccinated isn’t just about a lack of trust

    The COVID inquiry recommends developing a national strategy to rebuild community trust in vaccines and improve vaccination rates, including childhood (non-COVID) vaccine rates, which are currently declining.

    The COVID vaccine program has affected trust in routine vaccines. Childhood vaccine coverage has declined 1–2%. And there is a persistent issue around timeliness – kids not getting their vaccines within 30 days of the recommended time point.

    The national Vaxinsights project examined the social and behavioural drivers of under-vaccination among parents of children under five years. It found access issues were the main barriers to partially vaccinated children. Cost, difficulty making an appointment and the ability to prioritise appointments due to other conflicting needs were other barriers. Trust was not a major barrier for this group.

    However for unvaccinated children, vaccine safety and effectiveness concerns, and trust in information from the health-care provider, were the leading issues, rather than access barriers.

    To improve childhood vaccination rates, governments need to monitor the social and behavioural drivers of vaccination over time to track changes in vaccine acceptance. They also need to address barriers to accessing immunisation services, including affordability and clinic opening hours.

    It is also imperative we learn from the lessons during COVID and better engage communities and priority populations, such as First Nations communities, people with disabilities and those from different cultural groups, to build trust and improve access through community drop-in and outreach vaccine programs.

    To address the decline in adult COVID vaccination we need to focus on perceptions of need, risk and value, rather than just focusing on trust. If adults don’t think they are at risk, they won’t get the vaccine. Unfortunately, when it comes to COVID, people have moved on and few people believe they need boosters.

    Variant changes or enhancements to the vaccine (such as combined vaccines to protect against COVID and flu, or RSV or vaccines with long last protection) may encourage people to get vaccinated in the future. In the meantime, we agree with the inquiry that we should focus on those most at risk of severe outcomes, including residents in aged care and those with chronic health conditions.

    Invest in community-led strategies to improve uptake

    The COVID inquiry recommends developing a communication strategy for health emergencies to ensure all Australians, including those in priority populations, families and industries, have the information they need.

    While these are not strictly focused on the promotion of vaccination, the suggestions – including the need to work closely with and fund community and representative organisations – are aligned with what our COVID research showed.

    However, the government should go one step further. Communication about vaccines must be tailored, translated for different cultural groups, and easy to understand.

    In some settings, messages about the vaccines will have the most impact if they come from a health-care worker. But this is not always the case. Some people prefer to hear from trusted voices from their own communities. In First Nations communities, these roles are often combined in the form of Aboriginal Health Workers.

    We must support these voices in future health emergencies.

    During COVID, there was insufficient support and training for community helpers – such as community leaders, faith leaders, bilingual community workers, and other trusted voices – to support their vaccine communication efforts.

    The government should consider implementing a national training program to support those tasked (or volunteering) to pass on information about vaccines during health emergencies. This would provide them with the information and confidence they need to undertake this role, as well as equipping them to address misinformation.

    Holly Seale is an investigator on research studies funded by NHMRC and has previously received funding from NSW Ministry of Health, as well as from Sanofi Pasteur, Moderna and Pfizer for investigator driven research and consulting fees.

    Julie Leask receives a fellowship from the National Health and Medical Research Council and research funding from the World Health Organization. She received reimbursement for overseas travel costs from Sanofi in April 2024.

    Margie Danchin receives funding from the Victorian and Commonwealth governments, NHMRC/MRFF and DFAT.

    – ref. Trust matters but we also need these 3 things to boost vaccine coverage – https://theconversation.com/trust-matters-but-we-also-need-these-3-things-to-boost-vaccine-coverage-242487

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Cats and dogs shaped our world – and art: the NGV gives us the definitive exhibition

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sasha Grishin, Adjunct Professor of Art History, Australian National University

    Marguerite Mahood, Feline design, 1930s colour linocut, with hand-colouring 36.0 × 22.5 cm (image and block). National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Gift of Andrée Fay Harkness through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, 2020 © MTH Mahood

    After a new relationship with pets was forged during COVID lockdown and the phenomenon of Bluey, we now have the definitive cats and dogs show presented by the National Gallery of Victoria.

    Can there be an intelligent show about canines and felines that goes beyond a collection of feelgood images of our favourite pets? This exhibition sets out to achieve this and, at least in part, succeeds.

    A central question concerning pets and people is how we position ourselves in relationship to animals. If we adopt a Judeo-Christian position – that of Adam naming and having power over all of the animals on earth – then there is the power relationship of ownership.

    Venkat Raman Singh Shyam, The world of the Gonds, 2017. Synthetic polymer paint on canvas 125.0 × 91.0 cm.
    National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Purchased NGV Foundation, 2019 © Venkat Shyam, courtesy of Minhazz Majumdar

    Alternatively, as understood by many First Nations peoples, many Asian civilisations and popularised by such writers as Joseph Campbell, there are common animal powers that mystically unite humankind with nature.

    The dogs and cats that share our lives are also our distant (perhaps not that distant) ancestors. They understand us so intimately because they are part of us and we are part of them.

    Most pet owners already know this. We did not need Rupert Sheldrake to tell us that dogs know when their owners are coming home, but, by him telling us, this confirms in our minds we are not simply crazy.

    Nomenclature also matters – “owners”. As pointed out in the excellent book that accompanies this exhibition, dogs may have masters, while cats have only servants.

    Do we really own our dogs and cats or simply provide for their physical needs while they support us in countless ways?

    Companions over time

    When it comes to dogs and cats represented in art, the weirdness exposed in this exhibition lies in the social and ideological values held in various human societies.

    The Christian tradition saw cats as sinister – Satan’s little helpers and the essential attribute of witches – while dogs are noble and above all else designate fidelity. The dog is a symbol of faith, protection and companionship. The Bible is silent on cats, with a single possible passing reference in the Old Testament, while dogs are mentioned over 40 times.

    Albrecht Dürer, Adam and Eve, 1504. Engraving 25.0 × 19.3 cm (image and sheet)
    National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Felton Bequest, 1956

    Albrecht Dürer’s magnificent engraving Adam and Eve (1504) sums up much of the traditional Christian attitude to cats. The cat at Eve’s foot represents the choleric humour – cruelty and pride – and its tail entwines Eve’s feet echoing that of the serpent who gives her the forbidden fruit that leads to their expulsion from Paradise and the advent of death.

    In the etchings of Rembrandt and the aquatints of Goya, the demonic cat joins witches and other powers of darkness.

    Francisco Goya y Lucientes, Where is mother going? (Donde vá mamá?), 1797–98. Etching, aquatint and drypoint printed in sepia ink 18.2 × 11.9 cm (image) 20.6 × 16.2 cm (plate) 23.9 × 16.4 cm (sheet trimmed within platemark at left edge).
    National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Felton Bequest, 1976

    A mysterious kind of folk

    The cat in many cultures is also associated with seduction, debauchery and eroticism. The NGV exhibition is particularly rich in examples of this category.

    This includes Jan Steen’s tavern interior (1661–65), Henri Toulouse-Lautrec’s May Belfort (1895) and the great painting by Balthus, Nude with cat (1949).

    Balthus, French, 1908-2001, worked in Italy 1961–77. Nude with cat, 1949. Oil on canvas 65.1 x 80.5 cm.
    National Gallery of Victoria Felton Bequest 1952 (2949 – 4)

    While the cat may be omnipresent, its actual participation in the events surrounding it frequently remain ambiguous.

    As the great observer of human behaviour, Sir Walter Scott, once commented: “Cats are a mysterious kind of folk”.

    Man’s best friend

    Dogs, in keeping with their reputation as man’s best friend, are superficially more knowable to people because dogs already know what to expect.

    Rembrandt, in Christ at Emmaus: the smaller plate (1634) has the faithful dog standing at Christ’s feet ready to protect the Saviour.

    Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, Christ at Emmaus: the smaller plate, 1634. Etching and touches of drypoint 9.7 × 7.2 cm (image) 10.3 × 7.3 cm (sheet, trimmed to platemark).
    National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Felton Bequest, 1958

    In Dürer’s Saint Eustace (ca.1501), the dogs are not only noble witnesses to the conversion of the Roman general to Christianity, but the five dogs are shown from different angles and positions to celebrate the beauty of the canine.

    This is one of the great dog studies of Western civilisation.

    Albrecht Dürer, Saint Eustace, 1501. Engraving 35.9 × 26.1 cm (image) 36.0 × 26.2 cm (sheet; inlaid onto cream wove sheet 39.6 × 29.9 cm).
    Etching: five dogs, a horse and a man.

    The exhibition features Aboriginal dog dreaming barks and wooden sculptures of dingos. In the coastal community of Aurukun in Far North Queensland, the dingo, or ku’, are ancestral beings that carry a special significance for the artists and their community.

    The dogs are unique with their specific characters but also tap into an ancestral history.

    Installation view of Cats & Dogs on display at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia from November 1 2024 to July 20 2025.
    Photo: Tom Ross

    Throughout human history, dogs were also status symbols and an expression of their owner’s personality from William Hogarth’s pug, called Trump, to David Hockney’s dachshunds, Stanley and Boodgie.

    Many a maiden in 19th and 20th century Europe would establish their reputation through their highly groomed and ridiculously attired poodle or lapdog as richly testified to in this exhibition.

    Dogs also carried their owner’s personality. Pierre Bonnard’s dogs and Grace Cossington Smith’s cats tell us as much about their owners as they do about the personality of the animal.

    Grace Cossington Smith, Quaker girl, 1915. Oil on canvas 67.0 × 51.6 cm.
    National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Presented by the National Gallery Society of Victoria, 1967 © Estate of Grace Cossington Smith

    Humour and reverence

    About 250 furry creatures from the collection of the NGV have been brought together for this exhibition by curators Laurie Benson and Imogen Mallia-Valjan. You meet farm dogs and Felix the Cat with cats and dogs kept separate on different sides of the rooms.

    Thomas Gainsborough, Richard St George Mansergh – St George, c. 1776–80. Oil on canvas 230.2 × 156.1 cm.
    National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Felton Bequest, 1922

    Although this exhibition is raining cats and dogs, they are presented with respect, sometimes with humour and occasionally with reverence.

    In the past we thought about how we shaped the world of our canine and feline companions – now we increasingly are starting to understand how they have shaped and enriched our world.

    This wonderful exhibition explores part of this journey of realisation.

    Disclaimer: Sasha Grishin all of his life has shared his home with dingos and dogs.

    Cats & Dogs is at the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia until July 20 2025.

    Sasha Grishin 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. Cats and dogs shaped our world – and art: the NGV gives us the definitive exhibition – https://theconversation.com/cats-and-dogs-shaped-our-world-and-art-the-ngv-gives-us-the-definitive-exhibition-241365

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Islands Business publisher Samantha Magick – storyteller, risk-taker and community champion

    By Teagan Laszlo, Queensland University of Technology

    For Samantha Magick, journalism isn’t just a job. It is a lifelong commitment to storytelling, advocacy, and empowering voices often overlooked in the Pacific.

    As the managing editor and publisher at Islands Business, the Pacific Islands’ longest surviving news and business monthly magazine, Magick’s commitment to quality reporting and journalistic integrity has established her as a leading figure in the region’s news industry.

    Magick’s passion for journalism began at a young age.

    “I wanted to be a journalist when I was like 12,” Magick recalls. “When I left school, that’s all I wanted to study.”

    She remembers her family’s disapproval when she would write stories as a child, as they thought she was “sharing secrets”. Despite that early condemnation, Magick’s thriving journalism career has taken her across continents and exposed her to diverse media landscapes.

    After completing a Bachelor of Communications with a major in journalism at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst, Australia, Magick began her career at Communications Fiji Limited (CFL), a prominent Fijian commercial network.

    She progressed over 11 years from a cadet to CFL’s news director.

    Guidance of first boss
    Magick attributes some of her early success to the guidance of her first boss and CFL’s founder, William Parkinson. She considers herself fortunate to have had a supportive mentor who led by example and dared to take risks early in life, such as founding a radio station in his 20s.

    After leaving CFL, Magick’s career took her across the globe, including regional Pacific non-government organisations, news publications in Hawai’i and Indonesia, and even international legal organisations in Italy.

    Magick, who is of both Fijian and Australian heritage, returned to Suva in 2018, where she began her current role as Islands Business’s managing editor.

    “I’ve chosen to make my life in Fiji because I feel more myself here,” Magick says, reflecting on her deep connection to the island nation.

    Magick’s vision for Islands Business focuses on delving into the deeper, underlying narratives often overshadowed by breaking news cycles and free, readily available news content.

    “We need to be able to demonstrate the value of investigation, big picture reporting rather than the day-to-day stuff,” Magick says.

    Magick prides herself on creating a diverse and inclusive newsroom that reflects the communities it serves.

    Need for diverse newsroom
    “You have to have a diverse newsroom,” she emphasises, recognising the importance of amplifying marginalised voices. “For example, there is a conscious effort to make sure our magazine is not full of photos of men shaking hands with other men.”

    Magick also believes journalists have a responsibility to advocate for change, as demonstrated by Islands Business’s dedication to tackling pressing issues from climate change to media freedom.

    “Why would I give a climate change denier space?” Magick questions when discussing the need to balance objectivity and advocacy. “Because it’s kind of going to sell magazines? Because it’s going to create a bit of a stir online? That’s not something we believe in.”

    Despite her success, Magick’s career has not been without challenges. Magick worked through Fiji’s former draconian media restriction laws under the Media Industry Development Act 2010, while also navigating the shift to digital media.

    Islands Business managing editor Samantha Magick (right) with Fiji Times reporter Rakesh Kumar and chief editor Fred Wesley (centre) celebrating the repeal of the draconian Fiji media law last year . . . ““Why would I give a climate change denier space?” Image: Lydia Lewis/RNZ Pacific

    Magick emphasises the need to constantly upskill and re-evaluate strategies to ensure she and Islands Business can effectively navigate the constantly evolving media landscape.

    From learning to capitalise on social media analytics to locating reputable information sources when many of them feared to speak to the journalists due to the risk of legal retribution, Magick believes flexibility and perseverance are crucial to staying ahead in media.

    In her early career, Magick also faced sexism and misogyny in the media industry. “When I think back about the way I was treated as a young journalist, I feel sick,” Magick says as she reflects on how she and her female colleagues would warn each other against interviewing certain sources alone.

    Supporting aspiring journalists
    The challenges Magick has faced undoubtably contribute to her dedication to supporting aspiring journalists, as evident through Kite Pareti’s journey. Starting as a freelance writer with no newswriting experience in March 2022, Pareti has since progressed to one of two full-time reporters at Islands Business.

    Pareti expresses gratitude for the opportunities she’s had while working at Islands Business, and for the mentorship of Magick, whom she describes as “family”.

    “Samantha took a chance on me when I had zero knowledge on news writing,” Pareti says. “So I’m grateful to God for her life and for allowing me to experience this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

    Magick reciprocates this sentiment. “Recently, I am inspired by some of our younger reporters in the field, and their ability to embrace and leverage technology — they’re teaching me.”

    Magick anticipates an exciting period ahead for Islands Business, as she aims to attract a younger, professionally driven, and regionally focused audience to their platforms.

    When asked about her aspirations for journalism in the region, Magick says she hopes to see a future where Pacific voices remain at the centre, “telling their own stories in all their diversities”.

    Teagan Laszlo was a student journalist from the Queensland University of Technology who travelled to Fiji with the support of the Australian Government’s New Colombo Plan Mobility Programme. This article is published in a partnership of QUT with Asia Pacific Report, Asia Pacific Media Network (APMN) and The University of the South Pacific.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Grattan on Friday: furore over Anthony Albanese’s Qantas perks chips away at public trust in politicians

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    A major takeout from the inquiry into the national response to COVID is that a lack of trust would likely mean a less cooperative public during a future pandemic.

    Trust spiked early in the crisis, as fear ran high and people turned to known institutions and authority figures. Later, trust declined and frustrations rose, with people reacting against harsh measures.

    Criticism has grown in retrospect. In a 2024 survey, 54% said the government’s handling at the time was appropriate. This had been 80% at the pandemic’s peak. By 2024, 29% said the government had overreacted; they were more likely to rate its performance poorly than were people earlier.

    The review, by an independent panel, stressed the importance of better communication and coordination in planning for future crises. But a few wrinkles should also be considered.

    If we had another pandemic in five years, people would indeed be more resistant to restrictions. But if the next similar crisis was, say, 50 years on, the then-public’s attitude would be anyone’s guess. Trust might surge and subside in a similar pattern.

    The change in views is unsurprising. Looking back, memories of the threat fade somewhat – because overall Australia did well – while those of the restraints (some of them notable overreach) loom larger.

    The pandemic’s lift in public trust was a blip – driven by extraordinary circumstances – in a long-term decline. This decline is a serious intractable problem in our democracy, as in many other countries.

    You’d have to be super optimistic to expect a revival in trust in the foreseeable future. But if it continues to fall away, the foundations of our political institutions and our society will become shakier.

    In the United States, Donald Trump made a huge assault on people’s trust in the electoral system after he lost the 2020 presidential election. There’d be fears he would do the same if he loses next week.

    Thankfully, in Australia trust around election management remains absolutely solid. But there’s mounting concern about the corrosive effect of misinformation and disinformation in the political debate and, equally, distrust of proposals to curb these.

    The polarisation in our media is a much paler version of what we see in the US, but is still wearing away at trust.

    Distrust and cynicism are closely related, and can be fuelled by relatively small things.

    Australians have always been disrespectful of the political class. To a degree this can be positive, if it is healthy scepticism. But if it descends into a belief politicians are more likely to serve themselves than serve the public good, that pulls democracy downwards.

    Independent Helen Haines wrote this week: “in a world of aggressive lobbying, of jobs for mates, and acceptance of pork-barrelling, it is no surprise that in Australia there is diminishing trust in politics and governments”.

    The furore over Anthony Albanese obtaining Qantas upgrades, arising from Joe Aston’s just-published The Chairman’s Lounge, might be seen as small beer, as “scandals” go.

    But it raises suspicions, justified or not, in voters’ minds about decision-making. If big corporations are so cosy with politicians, are the politicians more likely to lend them sympathetic ears?

    After all, the pursuit of access and influence is behind much of the money that’s donated to politics. The same applies to privileges extended.

    Integrity is vital to trust. It didn’t pass the integrity test for Albanese to have accepted upgrades from Qantas, especially for personal travel, when he was transport minister in the former Labor government, overseeing regulation of the airline.

    After dodging for days – he said it took a long time to check his records – Albanese finally denied ever contacting then Qantas chief Alan Joyce (or other executives) to request upgrades. But, it will be asked, did a mates network mean he didn’t need to?

    Albanese is highly sensitive over the Qantas story, insisting to colleagues and others it is just a media beatup.

    The affair has chipped away at public trust not just in the prime minister but, to an extent, more generally, as scrutiny stretched to travel largesse received by opposition figures, including Peter Dutton asking to use Gina Rinehart’s plane.

    Research for the COVID inquiry showed a distrustful public wants more transparency from their politicians.

    It’s a paradox that we’ve seen an expansion of mechanisms for transparency, yet there’s the perception, and often the reality, of things being deeply opaque.

    In the upgrades affair, Albanese has made much of the fact he declared everything on his parliamentary register of interests. Yet that doesn’t get us to the core of the relationship between a senior politician and key people in an airline.

    It’s the same with the gambling industry. What has been going on behind the scenes to delay the government’s decision on gambling reform, expected months ago? We can find from the record the donations the gambling industry gave, but not the influence exerted privately.

    The increasing professionalisation of politics may have worked against trust. It distances voters from the politicians, and provides more tools for manipulating public opinion.

    This may be one reason why “community candidates”, with their grassroots campaigning, have appealed. But the apparent shyness of Simon Holmes à Court, whose Climate 200 fund donates to some of these candidates, about finding himself on the Australian Financial Review’s “covert power” list only turned more attention to the backstory of money and politics.

    Concern about integrity and trust was a driver of the Albanese government’s establishment, with much fanfare, of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). Now a scathing report released this week threatens to undermine public trust in that body.

    It followed the NACC’s decision not to investigate six people referred to it by the royal commission into Robodebt.

    Robodebt had delivered a massive blow to people’s trust in government and the public service, and it was vital full accountability was pursued.

    The NACC head, Paul Brereton, delegated the decision-making on whether to open an investigation to another commissioner, because he’d had a professional relationship with one of the people referred.

    But, in a damning report, the Inspector of the NACC found Brereton had not adequately excused himself.

    “I found that the NACC Commissioner’s involvement in the decision-making was comprehensive, before, during and after the 19 October 2023 meeting at which the substantive decision was made not to investigate the referrals,” the Inspector concluded.

    Brereton’s response has been to say mistakes happen, the important thing is to correct them, and this will be done – through the appointment of an “eminent person” to review whether the referrals should be investigated.

    Both government and opposition are declaring faith in Brereton. But crossbench senator David Pocock argues Brereton should go. Anthony Whealy, former judge and chair of the Centre for Public Integrity, told the ABC that while Brereton hadn’t committed a sackable offence, in his shoes he would step down, to protect the NACC’s reputation.

    Is that the price of maintaining trust in this institution that was supposed to help restore trust?

    Michelle Grattan 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. Grattan on Friday: furore over Anthony Albanese’s Qantas perks chips away at public trust in politicians – https://theconversation.com/grattan-on-friday-furore-over-anthony-albaneses-qantas-perks-chips-away-at-public-trust-in-politicians-242589

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Deaths linked to chatbots show we must urgently revisit what counts as ‘high-risk’ AI

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Henry Fraser, Research Fellow in Law, Accountability and Data Science, Queensland University of Technology

    De Visu/Shutterstock

    Last week, the tragic news broke that US teenager Sewell Seltzer III took his own life after forming a deep emotional attachment to an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot on the Character.AI website.

    As his relationship with the companion AI became increasingly intense, the 14-year-old began withdrawing from family and friends, and was getting in trouble at school.

    In a lawsuit filed against Character.AI by the boy’s mother, chat transcripts show intimate and often highly sexual conversations between Sewell and the chatbot Dany, modelled on the Game of Thrones character Danaerys Targaryen. They discussed crime and suicide, and the chatbot used phrases such as “that’s not a reason not to go through with it”.

    A screenshot of a chat exchange between Sewell and the chatbot Dany.
    ‘Megan Garcia vs. Character AI’ lawsuit

    This is not the first known instance of a vulnerable person dying by suicide after interacting with a chatbot persona. A Belgian man took his life last year in a similar episode involving Character.AI’s main competitor, Chai AI. When this happened, the company told the media they were “working our hardest to minimise harm”.

    In a statement to CNN, Character.AI has stated they “take the safety of our users very seriously” and have introduced “numerous new safety measures over the past six months”.

    In a separate statement on the company’s website, they outline additional safety measures for users under the age of 18. (In their current terms of service, the age restriction is 16 for European Union citizens and 13 elsewhere in the world.)

    However, these tragedies starkly illustrate the dangers of rapidly developing and widely available AI systems anyone can converse and interact with. We urgently need regulation to protect people from potentially dangerous, irresponsibly designed AI systems.

    How can we regulate AI?

    The Australian government is in the process of developing mandatory guardrails for high-risk AI systems. A trendy term in the world of AI governance, “guardrails” refer to processes in the design, development and deployment of AI systems. These include measures such as data governance, risk management, testing, documentation and human oversight.

    One of the decisions the Australian government must make is how to define which systems are “high-risk”, and therefore captured by the guardrails.

    The government is also considering whether guardrails should apply to all “general purpose models”. General purpose models are the engine under the hood of AI chatbots like Dany: AI algorithms that can generate text, images, videos and music from user prompts, and can be adapted for use in a variety of contexts.

    In the European Union’s groundbreaking AI Act, high-risk systems are defined using a list, which regulators are empowered to regularly update.

    An alternative is a principles-based approach, where a high-risk designation happens on a case-by-case basis. It would depend on multiple factors such as the risks of adverse impacts on rights, risks to physical or mental health, risks of legal impacts, and the severity and extent of those risks.

    Chatbots should be ‘high-risk’ AI

    In Europe, companion AI systems like Character.AI and Chai are not designated as high-risk. Essentially, their providers only need to let users know they are interacting with an AI system.

    It has become clear, though, that companion chatbots are not low risk. Many users of these applications are children and teens. Some of the systems have even been marketed to people who are lonely or have a mental illness.

    Chatbots are capable of generating unpredictable, inappropriate and manipulative content. They mimic toxic relationships all too easily. Transparency – labelling the output as AI-generated – is not enough to manage these risks.

    Even when we are aware that we are talking to chatbots, human beings are psychologically primed to attribute human traits to something we converse with.

    The suicide deaths reported in the media could be just the tip of the iceberg. We have no way of knowing how many vulnerable people are in addictive, toxic or even dangerous relationships with chatbots.

    Guardrails and an ‘off switch’

    When Australia finally introduces mandatory guardrails for high-risk AI systems, which may happen as early as next year, the guardrails should apply to both companion chatbots and the general purpose models the chatbots are built upon.

    Guardrails – risk management, testing, monitoring – will be most effective if they get to the human heart of AI hazards. Risks from chatbots are not just technical risks with technical solutions.

    Apart from the words a chatbot might use, the context of the product matters, too. In the case of Character.AI, the marketing promises to “empower” people, the interface mimics an ordinary text message exchange with a person, and the platform allows users to select from a range of pre-made characters, which include some problematic personas.

    The front page of the Character.AI website for a user who has entered their age as 17.
    C.AI

    Truly effective AI guardrails should mandate more than just responsible processes, like risk management and testing. They also must demand thoughtful, humane design of interfaces, interactions and relationships between AI systems and their human users.

    Even then, guardrails may not be enough. Just like companion chatbots, systems that at first appear to be low risk may cause unanticipated harms.

    Regulators should have the power to remove AI systems from the market if they cause harm or pose unacceptable risks. In other words, we don’t just need guardrails for high risk AI. We also need an off switch.

    If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

    Henry Fraser receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. Deaths linked to chatbots show we must urgently revisit what counts as ‘high-risk’ AI – https://theconversation.com/deaths-linked-to-chatbots-show-we-must-urgently-revisit-what-counts-as-high-risk-ai-242289

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The Moogai could have been a powerful Indigenous horror film – but gets flattened by its own weight

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ali Alizadeh, Senior Lecturer in Literary Studies and Creative Writing, Monash University

    Elise Lockwood

    Isn’t raising one’s child supposed to be full of joy and laughter? Apparently not, according to the horror genre.

    Consider Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818), one of the earliest and most famous horror novels ever written. It follows a father-like character who creates a child-like progeny, and the former’s failure to love the latter turns the nameless creature into a “monster” in more ways than one.

    Australia is a noteworthy contributor to the sub-genre of parental horror. The Babadook (2014), Relic (2020) and Lake Mungo (2008) are just some Aussie horror films that feature terrified (or terrifying) mums and dads.

    The first half of Jon Bell’s The Moogai made me think it could be in the running for the title of Ultimate Aussie Horror Flick. It is a certifiably Australian horror film. It is also one of very few Indigenous-directed horror films, alongside Tracey Moffatt’s 1993 experimental triptych beDevil.

    Bell’s past credits include work in horror’s sister genre, sci-fi, including for co-writing the script of the acclaimed TV series Cleverman. As with this show, his directorial debut feature fuses a figure from Indigenous spiritual traditions with the modern genre conventions.

    The Moogai is a bad spirit from Indigenous lore that is known to steal children.
    Elise Lockwood

    Being followed by a bad spirit

    The titular figure at the centre of The Moogai is a “bad spirit” from Indigenous lore – “something akin to the boogie man,” Bell said in an interview.

    We first encounter the Moogai – or at least become aware of his ominous presence – in the film’s introductory sequence which recalls the trauma of the forced removals of the Stolen Generations.

    In these scenes, set in 1970, an Indigenous girl runs into a cave in a rural setting to hide from government agents. She and the audience soon realise something very threatening already resides in the cave.

    We hear some heavy breathing, a growl, the girl’s scream and then … cut to 2024, to a posh corporate function in the city, where a bottle of champagne is being uncorked. It’s a terrifically startling cut, and Bell’s incisive use of montage throughout the film is just one facet of his skills as a highly visual filmmaker.

    In one of the most wonderfully disturbing scenes, the protagonist Sarah (Shari Sebbens), not long after having given birth to her second child, cracks open an egg in the kitchen to make breakfast. Inside is a bloody chicken embryo. Unsettled, Sarah throws the egg’s contents in the kitchen sink, but the glistening embryo is alive; it opens its beak and pecks at her fingers.

    This scene of fertility gore succinctly and excellently conveys the film’s central source of horror. Sarah, a successful corporate lawyer, has a Lazarus moment while giving birth. During a brief otherworldly sojourn, the Moogai enters her life to do what the Moogai apparently are known to do: steal children.

    Soon, Sarah’s petrified daughter Chloe (Jahdeana Mary) is mumbling about having seen “that man with the long arms”. Sarah’s estranged biological mother, Ruth (played by a forceful and fascinating Tessa Rose), counsels Chloe: “you look out for that Moogai, baby girl.”

    Shari Sebbens plays the main character, Sarah.
    Elise Lockwood

    Bloodless and thematically heavy

    There’s a clear allegorical, or perhaps metaphorical, association between the demonic entity in The Moogai and the lurid racial policies of Australian governments with regards to the Indigenous. At the same time, the film is careful not to overstate or oversimplify its figurative qualities.

    Sarah is, to be sure, an Indigenous woman fearing for the safety of her children, but she’s not a simple or stereotypical victim. She’s proudly bourgeois, supremely self-important and unabashedly horrible towards those who earn less money than her, including the long-suffering Ruth.

    The Moogai is as much about class – and the horror wealthy folk have of things not always going their way – as it is about maternity, Indigeneity, mental illness and intergenerational conflict.

    It is perhaps due to the these hefty topics that the film starts to become, as it were, somewhat weighty in its second half. While it maintains a degree of dread and includes a few scary moments, its interest in horror recedes. There are, much to my sadness, no scenes of blood and gore – not even when the minor character Ray Boy (Clarence Ryan) is primed to get mauled by the Moogai.

    The Moogai touches on a range of weighty topics from Indigeneity to intergenerational conflict.
    Elise Lockwood

    A toned-down approach to horror

    The final confrontation between the three generations of women and their ghostly tormentor strikes me as something from a fantasy or superhero movie. It seems, for whatever reason, the filmmakers decided to tone down the horror and opt for a restrained offering with an exceedingly positive and heart-warming ending.

    This is a shame, really. If The Moogai had embraced the genre’s darker, more shocking aesthetics, it could have easily earned its place not only alongside recent Australian instant classics such as Talk to Me (2022), but also the year’s best horror films such as The Substance. But it has ultimately settled for a fairly bloodless tale of parental paranoia and cultural dissociation.

    I’m confident viewers who appreciate serious movies with serious themes would approve of the film’s second half. But would these folk deign to see anything that resembles “horror” to begin with?

    Here’s hoping the indisputably talented Jon Bell will continue to work in the genre – and engage with it more wholeheartedly in the future.

    Bell’s directorial debut falls short of embracing the darker side of the horror genre.
    Elise Lockwood

    The Moogai is out in cinemas from October 31.

    Ali Alizadeh 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. The Moogai could have been a powerful Indigenous horror film – but gets flattened by its own weight – https://theconversation.com/the-moogai-could-have-been-a-powerful-indigenous-horror-film-but-gets-flattened-by-its-own-weight-241250

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: What are Veblen and Giffen goods?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By María Yanotti, Lecturer of Economics and Finance Tasmanian School of Business & Economics, University of Tasmania

    photo-lime/Shutterstock

    This article is part of The Conversation’s “Business Basics” series where we ask experts to discuss key concepts in business, economics and finance.

    In economics, goods and services can be classified in different ways. You might be surprised to realise you already knew this, even without knowing their classification names.

    Most goods and services are what we call normal goods. Normal goods are those that you purchase more of as your income increases.

    For example, you might put healthier and more nutritious food in your trolley, buy more shoes and clothes, or spend more on outings at restaurants and events.

    Normal goods still abide to what’s called the law of demand, which might feel like common sense: as the price of something goes up, the quantity of or frequency with which it is demanded will fall.

    But there are some categories that violate our intuitions around supply and demand. And they do so for very different reasons. Meet Veblen and Giffen goods, the products that “break the rules”.



    Read more:
    What’s inflation – and how exactly do we measure it?

    Needs and wants

    Normal goods can be further divided into two types: necessity goods and luxury goods.

    Most groceries are an example of necessity goods.
    No Revisions/Unsplash

    Broadly speaking, necessity goods are all those things we require for everyday life – food, housing, electricity and so on.

    Luxury goods, on the other hand, are the those things we don’t necessarily need but are nice to have. Luxury houses, fancier cars, more expensive clothes and so on.

    We become more able to afford luxury goods as we earn more. But as a result, they are also the first things we tend to cut when our income tightens.

    For most of these products, something called the “law of demand” applies. That is, if their price increases, people buy less of them than they did before. Demand for them shrinks.

    However, some types of good defy this “natural” principle.

    Symbols of status and wealth

    The first type are Veblen goods, named after American economist Thorstein Veblen. Sometimes they’re also called “snob” goods.

    When these goods go up in price, demand for them actually increases.

    Clear examples of Veblen goods are some forms of art, high-end designer clothes, exclusive cars and watches. The more expensive the good is, the more exclusive it is, and the more the consumers (who are attracted to it) want to purchase it.

    It all centres on signalling status. Being seen to be able to purchase them can indicate someone has exquisite taste, or lots of money to spend.

    Most times, Veblen goods are an example of what economists call “positional” goods. These are goods that are valued according to how they are distributed among people, and who exactly has them.

    The satisfaction of purchasing a Veblen good comes from the sense of having it and being able to show it off, not necessarily from how useful it is.

    The value of Veblen goods is driven by their artificial scarcity – they’re deliberately hard for people to acquire.
    Andrea Natali/Unsplash

    Inferior goods

    On the opposite side of normal goods are inferior goods. As our income increases, we tend to consume less of these goods.

    Think, for example, of two-minute noodles or the bus service.

    As your income increases, you may be able to afford more nutritious and healthier food and stop consuming cheaper food. You may be able to purchase a car or a bike and stop using public transport.

    But within inferior goods, one rare kind offers another exception to the law of demand – Giffen goods.

    Why does a rise in price cause demand to go up? Because for people on limited incomes, this limits their ability to buy substitutes.

    Take examples such as wheat, rice, potatoes, or bread. If the price of any of these goes up, a consumer on low income may have less to spend on higher quality goods like meat and fresh vegetables, increasing their demand for the inferior good.



    Read more:
    What is competition, and why is it so important for prices?

    María Yanotti receives funding from AHURI. She is affiliated with the Economic Society of Australia, and the Women in Economics Network.

    – ref. What are Veblen and Giffen goods? – https://theconversation.com/what-are-veblen-and-giffen-goods-241799

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: How do children learn good manners?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sophia Waters, Senior Lecturer in Writing, University of New England

    Pexels/Anna Shvets

    Ensuring kids have manners is a perennial preoccupation for parents and caregivers.

    How, then, do you teach good manners to children?

    Modelling good manners around the home and in your own interaction with others is obviously crucial.

    But there’s a clear uniting theme when it comes to manners in Australia: in Australian English, good manners centre on honouring personal autonomy, egalitarianism and not appearing to tell people what to do.

    Which manners matter most in Australia?

    Some of the most important manners in Australian English are behavioural edicts that focus on particular speech acts: greeting, requesting, thanking and apologising.

    These speech acts have a set of words associated with them:

    • hello
    • hi
    • may I please…?
    • could I please…?
    • thank you
    • ta
    • sorry
    • excuse me.

    Good manners make people feel comfortable in social situations by adding predictability and reassurance.

    They can act as signposts in interactions. Anglo cultures place a lot of weight on egalitarianism, personal autonomy and ensuring we don’t tell people what to do.

    If you want to get someone to do something for you – pass you a pen, for example – you frame the request as a question to signal that you’re not telling them what to do.

    You’ll also add one of the main characters in Anglo politeness: the magic word, “please”.

    This framing recognises you don’t expect or demand compliance. You’re acknowledging the other person as an autonomous individual who can do what they want.

    If the person does the thing you’ve asked, the next step is to say “thank you” to recognise the other person’s autonomy. You’re acknowledging they didn’t have to help just because you asked.

    ‘Say ta!’
    DGLimages/Shutterstock

    The heavy hitters

    The words “please” and “thank you” are such heavy hitters in Australian English good manners, they’re two of the words that language learners and migrants learn first.

    They can help soften the impact of your words. Think, for example, of the difference between “no” and “no, thank you”.

    Of course, there are times when “no” is a full sentence. But what if someone offered you a cup of tea and you replied “no” without its concomitant “thank you” to soften your rejection and acknowledge this offer didn’t have to be made? Don’t be surprised if they think you sound a bit rude.

    The other big players in Australian English good manners are “sorry” and “excuse me”. Much like in British English, the Australian “sorry” means many things.

    These can preface an intrusion on someone’s personal space, like before squeezing past someone in the cinema, or on someone’s speaking turn.

    Interrupting or talking over someone else is often heavily frowned on in Australian English because it is often interpreted as disregarding what the other person has to say.

    But in some cultures, such as French, this conversational style is actively encouraged. And some languages and cultures have different conventions around what good manners look like around strangers versus with family.

    Good manners involve saying certain words in predictable contexts.

    But knowing what these are and when to use them demonstrates a deeper cultural awareness of what behaviours are valued.

    Talking over someone else is often heavily frowned on in Australian English.
    MDV Edwards/Shutterstock

    How do children learn manners?

    As part of my research, I’ve analysed parenting forum posts about “good manners”. Some believe good manners should be effortless; one parent said:

    Good manners shouldn’t be something that a child has to think about […] teach them correctly at home from day one, manners become an integral part of the way they view things.

    Another forum user posited good modelling was the key, saying:

    the parent has to lead by example, rather than forcing a child to say one or the other.

    One study, which involved analysis of more than 20 hours of videorecorded family dinner interactions collected in Italy, found mealtimes are also sites where parents control their children’s conduct “through the micro-politics of good manners.”

    By participating in mealtime interactions, children witness and have the chance to acquire the specific cultural principles governing bodily conduct at the table, such as ‘sitting properly’, ‘eating with cutlery’, and ‘chewing with mouth closed’.

    Yet, they are also socialised to a foundational principle of human sociality: one’s own behavior must be self-monitored according to the perspective of the generalised Other.

    In Australian English, that means regulating your behaviour to make sure you don’t do something that could be seen as “rude”. As I argued in a 2012 paper:

    While child socialisation in Anglo culture involves heavy discouragement of rudeness, French does not have a direct equivalent feature […] French children are taught ça ne se fait pas, ‘that is not done’. Where the French proscribe the behaviours outright, the Anglos […] appeal to the image one has of oneself in interpersonal interactions.

    In Anglo English, the penalties for breaches could be other people’s disapproval and hurting their feelings.

    Good manners form part of the bedrock for human sociality.
    Shutterstock

    Why are good manners important?

    Good manners affect our interactions with others and help us build positive relationships.

    Fourteenth century English bishop and educator, William of Wykeham, declared that “manners maketh the man”.

    John Hopkins University Professor Pier Forni called them a “precious life-improvement tool.”

    The “Good Manners” chart, based on a set of rules devised by the Children’s National guild of Courtesy in UK primary schools in 1889, was issued to Queensland primary schools until the 1960s.

    It tells kids to remember the golden rule to “always do to others as you would wish them to do to you if you were in their place.”

    Good manners form part of the bedrock for human sociality. Childhood is when we give kids foundational training on interacting with others and help them learn how to be a culturally competent member of a society.

    Sophia Waters 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. How do children learn good manners? – https://theconversation.com/how-do-children-learn-good-manners-237133

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: State of the Climate 2024: Australia is enduring harsher fire seasons, more ocean heatwaves and sea-level rise

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Neil Sims, Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO

    ArliftAtoz2205, Shutterstock

    Worldwide, greenhouse gas emissions are still increasing, and temperatures are rising across land and sea.

    But what is climate change doing to Australia, the driest inhabited continent? The latest CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology State of the Climate Report report highlights that Australia’s climate is continuing to warm.

    Extreme fire weather is increasing. Sea levels are rising. Marine heatwaves are becoming more intense and frequent. And oceans are getting more acidic. All of these come with serious consequences for Australia’s environment and communities.

    Australia’s land is already 1.5°C hotter

    On land, Australia has warmed by an average of 1.51°C since 1910. Our oceans have heated up by 1.08°C on average since 1900.

    This doesn’t mean we’ve breached the Paris Agreement goal of holding climate change to 1.5°C or less, because this goal is based on the long-term average of both land and ocean temperatures. But Australia’s land and seas are now at record levels of heat.

    Globally, 2023 was the hottest year on record – so far. But Australia’s warmest recorded year was 2019.

    Why the difference? Between 2020 and early 2023, three consecutive La Niña events have kept Australia wetter and cooler than during most of the past decade, leading to fewer heat extremes than in 2019. Even so, these years were still warmer than most years before 2000.

    As Australia keeps warming, extreme heat events will become more frequent and more extreme. Extreme heatwaves cause more deaths in Australia than any other natural hazard , peaking at 830 heat-related deaths during Australia’s hottest year in 2019.

    More heat waves, longer fire seasons

    Australia is notoriously fire prone. But fires differ hugely, from low-intensity grassfires through to enormous bushfires that consume forests. When extreme fire weather arrives – hot, dry and windy – small fires can turn large very quickly.

    Extreme fire weather is more frequent and more intense than in previous decades. Hotter conditions dry out grass and leaf litter, producing more fuel for fire. This has led to larger and more frequent forest fires, especially in the southeast of Australia over the past 30 years. Dangerous fire weather will be more common in the future, and the fire seasons will continue to lengthen.

    In extreme fire years such as the Black Summer of 2019-20, when large areas of Australia’s east coast burned, carbon dioxide emissions from bushfires and prescribed burns can actually outweigh Australia’s total emissions that year. However, these emissions are offset in large part when trees and shrubs regrow.

    Drier in the south, wetter in the north

    Climate change is driving a major divergence in where rain falls in Australia.

    In northern Australia, average wet-season rainfall is now about 20% higher than 30 years ago.

    But in southwestern Australia, rainfall in the cooler, growing-season months has declined 16%, and in the southeast by 9% in recent decades.

    More rain in these regions now falls in heavy, short-lived rainfall events.

    These changes are also reflected in our rivers, with significantly lower flows for about one third of the gauges in the south. Australia-wide, only 4% of our river gauges are measuring increased flows, and almost all of these are in the north.

    Flows are declining in most rivers in Australia’s south due in part to reduced rainfall, while most rivers in the north are seeing increased flows linked to higher rainfall. This map shows trends in annual median streamflow from available river gauge data in the 1970−2023 period.
    CSIRO/Bureau of Meteorology, CC BY-NC-ND

    Hotter oceans, rising seas

    Almost all (90%) of the extra heat trapped by greenhouse gases has gone into the oceans. Oceans are getting rapidly hotter. This matters because ocean heat strongly influences weather patterns in Australia.

    Australia’s oceans are warming faster than the global average. But the oceans off south-east Australia and the Tasman Sea are a particular hotspot and are now warming at twice the global average.

    As the seas warm, they expand. This thermal expansion is one of the main contributors to rising sea levels. Around Australia, sea levels have risen 22 centimetres since 1900 – with half of that since 1970.

    More emissions equals more heat

    Avoiding the worst damage from climate change is conceptually simple and unequivocal: rapidly reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will help Australia meet its net zero 2050 target.

    Tasmania’s northwest tip has some of the cleanest air in the world, which is why it was chosen to host the Kennaook/Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station. For 48 years, this station has been recording concentrations of greenhouse gases. The picture it captures is stark.

    Carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations are now about 51% higher than pre-industrial levels, while concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide, both strong greenhouse gases, continue to increase. Their rate of atmospheric accumulation has rapidly increased in recent years even as some regions and some sources have begun to see emissions slow or even decline, such as reduced CO₂ emissions from land clearing, globally and in Australia.

    Global CO₂ emissions from fossil fuel use have been increasing since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, and increased by 1.1% from 2022 to 2023, reaching the highest annual level ever recorded.

    The warming has led to an increase in the frequency of extreme heat events over land and in the oceans.
    Leah-Anne Thompson, Shutterstock

    Australia’s carbon contribution

    This year, the State of the Climate report for the first time quantifies Australia’s major human and natural carbon sources and sinks and how they contribute to global CO₂ levels.

    It shows the average annual carbon content embedded in Australia’s fossil fuel exports between 2010 and 2019 (1,055 megatonnes) was more than double the average annual national carbon emissions over the same period (455 Mt). However, the emissions of these carbon exports are accounted in the countries where the fossil fuels are used.

    It also demonstrates the importance of maintaining the integrity of our natural land ecosystems. Ecosystems are Australia’s most important carbon sinks, but their effectiveness as sinks depends on factors including the future evolution of the climate and how it will affect rainfall and wildfire regimes.

    Australia’s Carbon Budget 2010-2019. A product of the National Environmental Science Program – Climate Systems Hub; and a contribution to the Global Carbon Project – Regional Carbon Cycle Assessment and Processes-2.
    Source: NESP-2

    What lies ahead for Australia?

    Australia’s warming is expected to continue, which will lead to more extreme heat events, lower rainfall in some regions, and longer droughts.

    We can expect to see more intense rainfall events, even in regions where average rainfall falls or stays the same.

    Sudden intense rains make flooding more likely, especially in urban areas where concrete and tarmac prevent the ground from soaking up excess water and in low-lying coastal areas where rising sea levels amplify damage from other climate hazards.

    Climate change is already here. Through multiple lines of data and evidence, we have tracked what it is doing to make Australia hotter, more prone to floods and fires, and cutting river flows in the south where most of us live.

    If warming continues, these trends will get worse over time. Understanding these changes and the impacts to Australia will help manage climate risk, now and in the decades to come.

    Blair Trewin, Senior Research Scientist at the Bureau of Meteorology, contributed to this article

    Pep Canadell receives funding from the National Environmental Science Program – Climate Systems Hub

    Neil Sims 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. State of the Climate 2024: Australia is enduring harsher fire seasons, more ocean heatwaves and sea-level rise – https://theconversation.com/state-of-the-climate-2024-australia-is-enduring-harsher-fire-seasons-more-ocean-heatwaves-and-sea-level-rise-242191

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Earth’s climate will keep changing long after humanity hits net-zero emissions. Our research shows why

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew King, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science, The University of Melbourne

    Shutterstock

    The world is striving to reach net-zero emissions as we try to ward off dangerous global warming. But will getting to net-zero actually avert climate instability, as many assume?

    Our new study examined that question. Alarmingly, we found reaching net-zero in the next few decades will not bring an immediate end to the global heating problem. Earth’s climate will change for many centuries to come.

    And this continuing climate change will not be evenly spread. Australia would keep warming more than almost any other land area. For example if net-zero emissions are reached by 2060, the Australian city of Melbourne is still predicted to warm by 1°C after that point.

    But that’s not to say the world shouldn’t push to reach net-zero emissions as quickly as possible. The sooner we get there, the less damaging change the planet will experience in the long run.

    New research examines if climate change will stop once the world reaches net-zero emissions.
    Shutterstock

    Reaching net-zero is vital

    Global greenhouse gas emissions hit record highs in 2023. At the same time, Earth experienced its hottest year.

    Analysis suggests emissions may peak in the next couple of years then start to fall. But as long as emissions remain substantial, the planet will keep warming.

    Most of the world’s nations, including Australia, have signed up to the Paris climate agreement. The deal aims to keep global warming well below 2°C, and requires major emitters to reach net-zero as soon as possible. Australia, along with many other nations, is aiming to reach the goal by 2050.

    Getting to net-zero essentially means nations must reduce human-caused greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible, and compensate for remaining emissions by removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere elsewhere. Methods for doing this include planting additional vegetation to draw down and store carbon, or using technology to suck carbon out of the air.

    Getting to net-zero is widely considered the point at which global warming will stop. But is that assumption correct? And does it mean warming would stop everywhere across the planet? Our research sought to find out.

    Centuries of change

    Computer models simulating Earth’s climate under different scenarios are an important tool for climate scientists. Our research used a model known as the Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator.

    Such models are like lab experiments for climate scientists to test ideas. Models are fed with information about greenhouse gas emissions. They then use equations to predict how those emissions would affect the movement of air and the ocean, and the transfer of carbon and heat, across Earth over time.

    We wanted to see what would happen once the world hit net-zero carbon dioxide at various points in time, and maintained it for 1,000 years.

    We ran seven simulations from different start points in the 21st century, at five-year increments from 2030 to 2060. These staggered simulations allowed us to measure the effect of various delays in reaching net-zero.

    We found Earth’s climate would continue to evolve under all simulations, even if net-zero emissions was maintained for 1,000 years. But importantly, the later net-zero is reached, the larger the climate changes Earth would experience.

    Warming oceans and melting ice

    Earth’s average temperature across land and sea is the main indicator of climate change. So we looked at that first.

    We found this temperature would continue to rise slowly under net-zero emissions – albeit at a much slower rate than we see today. Most warming would take place on the ocean surface; average temperature on land would only change a little.

    We also looked at temperatures below the ocean surface. There, the ocean would warm strongly even under net-zero emissions – and this continues for many centuries. This is because seawater absorbs a lot of energy before warming up, which means some ocean warming is inevitable even after emissions fall.

    Over the last few decades of high greenhouse gas emissions, sea ice extent fell in the Arctic – and more recently, around Antarctica. Under net-zero emissions, we anticipate Arctic sea ice extent would stabilise but not recover.

    In contrast, Antarctic sea ice extent is projected to fall under net-zero emissions for many centuries. This is associated with continued slow warming of the Southern Ocean around Antarctica.

    Importantly, we found long-term impacts on the climate worsen the later we reach net-zero emissions. Even just a five-year delay would affect on the projected climate 1,000 years later.

    Delaying net-zero by five years results in a higher global average surface temperature, a much warmer ocean and reduced sea ice extent for many centuries.

    Australia’s evolving climate

    The effect on the climate of reaching net-zero emissions differs across the world.

    For example, Australia is close to the Southern Ocean, which is projected to continue warming for many centuries even under net-zero emissions. This warming to Australia’s south means even under a net-zero emissions pathway, we expect the continent to continue to warm more than almost all other land areas on Earth.

    For example, the models predict Melbourne would experience 1°C of warming over centuries if net-zero was reached in 2060.

    Spell out GMST (global mean surface temperature?) in chart? Is listed as global average in caption??

    Net-zero would also lead to changes in rainfall in Australia. Winter rainfall across the continent would increase – a trend in contrast to drying currently underway in parts of Australia, particularly in the southwest and southeast.

    Knowns and unknowns

    There is much more to discover about how the climate might behave under net-zero.

    But our analysis provides some clues about what climate changes to expect if humanity struggles to achieve large-scale “net-negative” emissions – that is, removing carbon from the atmosphere at a greater rate than it is emitted.

    Experiments with more models will help improve scientists’ understanding of climate change beyond net-zero emissions. These simulations may include scenarios in which carbon removal methods are so successful, Earth actually cools and some climate changes are reversed.

    Despite the unknowns, one thing is very clear: there is a pressing need to push for net-zero emissions as fast as possible.

    Andrew King receives funding from the ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather and the National Environmental Science Program.

    Tilo Ziehn receives funding from the ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather and the National Environmental Science Program.

    – ref. Earth’s climate will keep changing long after humanity hits net-zero emissions. Our research shows why – https://theconversation.com/earths-climate-will-keep-changing-long-after-humanity-hits-net-zero-emissions-our-research-shows-why-241692

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: 215 million hectares of forest – an area bigger than Mexico – could grow back by itself, if we can just leave it alone

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brooke Williams, Research Fellow, School of Biology & Environmental Science, Queensland University of Technology

    Gustavo Frazao/Shutterstock

    About 215 million hectares of land – an area bigger than Mexico – could be reforested naturally and without costly manual planting, our new research shows.

    This would allow us to offset around 23.4 gigatonnes of global carbon emissions over the next three decades. That’s about 50 years worth of Australia’s carbon emissions (assuming 2023 emission rates continue).

    Extensive and effective forest restoration is crucial to mitigating climate change and conserving biodiversity.

    It’s vital we find cost-effective ways to get and keep more trees in the ground. One way to do this is just to let forests grow back by themselves. However, this isn’t possible in all deforested lands, as certain environmental conditions are needed for this approach to work.

    Our research identified land where this approach had strong potential.

    Allowing forests to grow back naturally in deforested areas, such as this degraded land in Brazil, could be more cost-effective than manual reforestation projects.
    Author provided

    The benefits of natural regeneration

    Globally, 65% of original tropical forest extent has been lost to make way for human development such as agriculture, roads, and urbanisation. Deforestation has contributed to climate change and biodiversity loss.

    We’ve also lost a worrying amount of what researchers call “ecosystem services”, meaning the benefits people derive from nature, such as clean water.

    Forest restoration is an important strategy for reversing the damage.

    Our paper, published in the journal Nature, looked at where natural regeneration is likely to be successful due to the surrounding environmental conditions.

    Natural regeneration is important because it is sometimes better than manual tree planting, which includes the costs of saplings, manual labour, fertilisation and maintenance.

    Using manual techniques in degraded landscapes can be expensive. It can also be less effective in terms of native biodiversity recovery and keeping water systems functioning well.

    Natural regeneration is a less costly alternative. That means allowing forests to grow back on their own or with carefully planned human intervention.

    For example, natural reforestation may cost between $US12 and $3,880 per hectare. By contrast, active regeneration methods in the tropics would cost between $105 and $25,830 per hectare.

    Natural regeneration restoration methods often have better long-term success and biodiversity outcomes than full manual tree-planting.

    Studies have found that biodiversity “success” – meaning richer biodiversity and more species – can be up to 56% higher when natural regeneration approaches were used (rather than manual planting projects).

    It’s vital we find cost-effective ways to get and keep more trees in the ground.
    Richard Whitcombe/Shutterstock

    Where might natural reforestation projects succeed?

    Until now, it’s not always been clear how to predict areas where natural regeneration is most likely to occur. That’s made it hard to do large-scale natural regeneration projects.

    Our research addresses this gap. We identified the best areas to roll out natural approaches in the tropics.

    We focused on tropical forested regions because they are particularly important.

    Their biodiversity is unparalleled and they provide vast economic, cultural, and recreational services to people.

    They also grow much faster than other forest types, and many large tropical forests have already been cleared and degraded.

    Factors that make a forest likely to regenerate naturally include:

    • the amount of surrounding forest
    • distance to existing forest and
    • soil organic carbon content

    This suggests areas with higher levels of landscape degradation and intensive land uses would be less likely to regenerate naturally.

    We found suitable environmental conditions for natural regeneration occur across:

    • 98 million hectares in the Neotropics (which includes many areas in South and Central America)

    • 90 million hectares in the Indomalayan tropics (which includes many areas in Southeast Asia, Malaysia, and India)

    • 25.5 million hectares in the continent of Africa

    Up to 52% of this natural regeneration could occur in just five countries: Brazil, Indonesia, China, Mexico, and Colombia.

    This suggests these countries would be excellent candidates for large scale natural regeneration projects.

    We also found that 29 other countries have at least one million hectares each that could be naturally reforested.

    We identified 400,000 hectares of deforested lands with potential for natural forest regeneration in the Australian tropics.

    Fixing forests will also improve biodiversity.
    Martin Prochazkacz/Shutterstock

    The world has committed to fixing forests

    The world has committed to ambitious forest restoration targets in order to substantially increase the area of forest ecosystems by 2050.

    These commitments include the Bonn Challenge, which aims to restore 350 million hectares by 2030.

    Another is Target 2 of the recently adopted Global Biodiversity Framework, which calls for 30% of the area of degraded ecosystems to be restored by 2030.

    Achieving these targets, especially for nations with emerging economies, will not be possible using active restoration techniques alone. This due to cost and feasibility constraints.

    To assist with this global task, we have made our dataset publicly available and free to use.

    Local communities at the centre

    Encouraging natural regeneration remains a major challenge, particularly on privately held and communally managed land because it can mean reduced land available for other uses.

    Providing local people with training and support to grow, harvest and market products sourced from naturally regenerating forests is also crucial. This could help keep young naturally regenerating forests standing and growing.

    This income could supplement or replace payments landowners and local people currently receive to look after land and prevent it from being deforested. Payment-based approaches are not always sustainable in the long term.

    Currently, many forests are controlled and managed by central or national governments. Giving local and Indigenous communities control over their forests would help encourage restoration that meets local needs.

    However, this requires appropriate technical support and monitoring.

    Importantly, our analysis does not define where restoration activities should or should not occur. We only show where natural forest regeneration is possible or more likely to succeed.

    We echo calls to ensure restoration occurs as equitably as possible, and foregrounds the needs of local people.

    Forest restoration should be as equitable as possible, and foreground the needs of local people.
    WNDR Worlds/Shutterstock

    Let’s give it a chance

    Natural forest regeneration presents an opportunity to restore vast areas of forest cheaply and effectively. It can help mitigate the effects of climate change and help countries meet their emissions reduction targets.

    Other benefits include conserving biodiversity, regulating water resources, reducing erosion, and making ecosystems more resilient.

    Recognising the massive regeneration capacity of tropical forests is key.

    It’s also crucial it occurs alongside protecting intact forests, and reducing deforestation.

    Robin Chazdon is the global co-director of the Assisted Natural Regeneration Alliance. She is a senior fellow with the World Resources Institute’s Global Restoration Initiative.

    Brooke Williams 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. 215 million hectares of forest – an area bigger than Mexico – could grow back by itself, if we can just leave it alone – https://theconversation.com/215-million-hectares-of-forest-an-area-bigger-than-mexico-could-grow-back-by-itself-if-we-can-just-leave-it-alone-236696

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The UN warns famine is likely in Gaza. What do malnutrition and hunger do to the body?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Lecturer In Nutrition & Dietetics, University of the Sunshine Coast

    Anas-Mohammed/Shutterstock

    The risk of famine looms in Gaza. International monitors warn more than 90% of the population face acute food insecurity, meaning their inability to eat enough food puts them in immediate danger of starvation. The number experiencing “catastrophic” hunger is set to double in the coming months.

    Israel has been accused of deliberately blocking humanitarian aid, including food. In September, deliveries of food and aid to Gaza fell to their lowest in seven months after Israel introduced new customs rules.



    Read more:
    Gaza: weaponisation of food has been used in conflicts for centuries – but it hasn’t always resulted in victory

    The World Health Organization has repeatedly warned about the consequences of hunger and food insecurity in the region, including the impact on rising infection rates and increased child mortality.

    The scale of this humanitarian crisis could be overwhelming, as extreme hunger threatens to engulf an entire population – nearly half of which are children.

    What does hunger mean for people’s health – especially children – at the individual level? And will survivors be able to recover from the damage?

    Who is most at risk?

    Food shortages mean people not only eat less overall but can miss out on essential nutrients.

    This can lead to severe acute malnutrition. In children, this means measurable negative effects on bodily functions and growth, including weight and muscle loss.

    Some people will experience the effects of starvation more rapidly. Those most at risk have low stores of energy and protein, and/or higher nutritional needs for growth and development. They include the elderly, infants, children, and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

    Childhood nutrition is critical

    From a nutritional viewpoint, the first 1,000 days of life are a critical window for growth and development.

    During this time, the microbiome (the bacteria that live in our digestive system) develops and is influenced by external factors such as diet, and exposure to microbes and pollutants, which shape how the body and immune system function.

    Severe acute malnutrition has several short-term impacts. Malnourished children have reduced immunity, meaning they are less able to fight infections – such as E.coli – partly due to changes to their microbiome. This makes them more vulnerable to contaminated food and water.

    Bacterial infection is a leading cause of death for children with severe acute malnutrition.

    Israel has destroyed around two-thirds of Gaza’s water systems, according to UNICEF, forcing children to drink unsafe water and increasing their exposure to sewage and waterborne diseases.



    Read more:
    Polio in Gaza: what does this mean for the region and the world?

    Long-term impacts of malnutrition

    The effects of malnutrition and starvation during childhood continue into adulthood. Those who survive have a higher risk of developing chronic diseases, including diabetes, high blood pressure and metabolic syndrome (a cluster of conditions that can increase your risk for heart disease and stroke).

    Damage to the gut lining can also cause long-term inflammation. This may make it harder to absorb nutrients, increase the risk of bacterial imbalances, and stop the pancreas and liver working properly.

    Muscle loss and changes in electrolytes can also impact the heart, increasing the risk of arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat).

    What about the brain?

    Malnutrition can harm brain development in children. It can reduce brain size and slow growth, potentially impairing function and memory.

    Impacts on how the brain develops could affect cognition, behaviour and reduce academic achievement.

    More research is needed to understand how malnutrition during childhood affects mental health. But studies suggest it may be linked to personality disorders, attention deficits, lower self-esteem and reduced quality of life.

    For children in Gaza, these harms will likely be compounded by trauma and displacement.

    Impact during pregnancy

    Malnutrition can also affect the health of unborn babies. Famine and food shortages in Gaza mean pregnant women are not getting enough folate, iron, vitamin B12 and iodine. These nutrients are crucial to ensure their baby’s healthy delivery and reduce long-term health impacts.

    Nutritional deficiencies for the mother during pregnancy can increase the baby’s risk of clinical obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

    Although less well-studied, there is also evidence a father’s diet, health, sperm quantity and quality can have similar health impacts on their offspring.

    How is severe acute malnutrition treated?

    Severely malnourished people need nutritional rehabilitation. This involves slowly increasing nutrient intake – by around 25% above normal requirements – and eating high-quality, protein-rich foods, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals.

    During the initial treatment phase children may need to be hospitalised. One concern is refeeding syndrome, a condition where sudden availability of glucose can cause rapid changes in electrolytes. In extreme cases, this can cause heart failure. Researchers are also investigating how to restore the microbiome of malnourished children.

    But access to adequate treatment is not assured, given the widespread damage to Gaza’s hospital system.

    Unfortunately successful treatment doesn’t guarantee survival. Lasting impacts of severe acute malnutrition are linked to high rates of disease and early death, even after treatment. Studies suggest up to 10.4% of children successfully treated in hospitals do not survive 12 months after they’re discharged.

    The devastating social and food conditions in Gaza are unimaginable to those of us living in other parts of the world. With no end in sight, the impact of food insecurity and lack of humanitarian aid can only lead to an escalation of the rates of malnutrition and diseases in those most vulnerable.

    The long-term consequences for Palestinians will be felt for generations to come.

    Clare Dix has received funding from the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care.

    Helen Truby receives funding from the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing, the MRFF, the NHMRC and various philanthropic agencies.

    – ref. The UN warns famine is likely in Gaza. What do malnutrition and hunger do to the body? – https://theconversation.com/the-un-warns-famine-is-likely-in-gaza-what-do-malnutrition-and-hunger-do-to-the-body-241682

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: How light can shift your mood and mental health

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jacob Crouse, Research Fellow in Youth Mental Health, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney

    llaszlo/Shutterstock

    This is the next article in our ‘Light and health’ series, where we look at how light affects our physical and mental health in sometimes surprising ways. Read other articles in the series.

    It’s spring and you’ve probably noticed a change in when the Sun rises and sets. But have you also noticed a change in your mood?

    We’ve known for a while that light plays a role in our wellbeing. Many of us tend to feel more positive when spring returns.

    But for others, big changes in light, such as at the start of spring, can be tough. And for many, bright light at night can be a problem. Here’s what’s going on.

    An ancient rhythm of light and mood

    In an earlier article in our series, we learned that light shining on the back of the eye sends “timing signals” to the brain and the master clock of the circadian system. This clock coordinates our daily (circadian) rhythms.

    “Clock genes” also regulate circadian rhythms. These genes control the timing of when many other genes turn on and off during the 24-hour, light-dark cycle.

    But how is this all linked with our mood and mental health?

    Circadian rhythms can be disrupted. This can happen if there are problems with how the body clock develops or functions, or if someone is routinely exposed to bright light at night.

    When circadian disruption happens, it increases the risk of certain mental disorders. These include bipolar disorder and atypical depression (a type of depression when someone is extra sleepy and has problems with their energy and metabolism).

    Light on the brain

    Light may also affect circuits in the brain that control mood, as animal studies show.

    There’s evidence this happens in humans. A brain-imaging study showed exposure to bright light in the daytime while inside the scanner changed the activity of a brain region involved in mood and alertness.

    Another brain-imaging study found a link between daily exposure to sunlight and how the neurotransmitter (or chemical messenger) serotonin binds to receptors in the brain. We see alterations in serotonin binding in several mental disorders, including depression.

    Our mood can lift in sunlight for a number of reasons, related to our genes, brain and hormones.
    New Africa/Shutterstock

    What happens when the seasons change?

    Light can also affect mood and mental health as the seasons change. During autumn and winter, symptoms such as low mood and fatigue can develop. But often, once spring and summer come round, these symptoms go away. This is called “seasonality” or, when severe, “seasonal affective disorder”.

    What is less well known is that for other people, the change to spring and summer (when there is more light) can also come with a change in mood and mental health. Some people experience increases in energy and the drive to be active. This is positive for some but can be seriously destabilising for others. This too is an example of seasonality.

    Most people aren’t very seasonal. But for those who are, seasonality has a genetic component. Relatives of people with seasonal affective disorder are more likely to also experience seasonality.

    Seasonality is also more common in conditions such as bipolar disorder. For many people with such conditions, the shift into shorter day-lengths during winter can trigger a depressive episode.

    Counterintuitively, the longer day-lengths in spring and summer can also destabilise people with bipolar disorder into an “activated” state where energy and activity are in overdrive, and symptoms are harder to manage. So, seasonality can be serious.

    Alexis Hutcheon, who experiences seasonality and helped write this article, told us:

    […] the season change is like preparing for battle – I never know what’s coming, and I rarely come out unscathed. I’ve experienced both hypomanic and depressive episodes triggered by the season change, but regardless of whether I’m on the ‘up’ or the ‘down’, the one constant is that I can’t sleep. To manage, I try to stick to a strict routine, tweak medication, maximise my exposure to light, and always stay tuned in to those subtle shifts in mood. It’s a time of heightened awareness and trying to stay one step ahead.

    So what’s going on in the brain?

    One explanation for what’s going on in the brain when mental health fluctuates with the change in seasons relates to the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine.

    Serotonin helps regulate mood and is the target of many antidepressants. There is some evidence of seasonal changes in serotonin levels, potentially being lower in winter.

    Dopamine is a neurotransmitter involved in reward, motivation and movement, and is also a target of some antidepressants. Levels of dopamine may also change with the seasons.

    But the neuroscience of seasonality is a developing area and more research is needed to know what’s going on in the brain.

    How about bright light at night?

    We know exposure to bright light at night (for instance, if someone is up all night) can disturb someone’s circadian rhythms.

    This type of circadian rhythm disturbance is associated with higher rates of symptoms including self-harm, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and lower wellbeing. It is also associated with higher rates of mental disorders, such as major depression, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (or PTSD).

    Why is this? Bright light at night confuses and destabilises the body clock. It disrupts the rhythmic regulation of mood, cognition, appetite, metabolism and many other mental processes.

    But people differ hugely in their sensitivity to light. While still a hypothesis, people who are most sensitive to light may be the most vulnerable to body clock disturbances caused by bright light at night, which then leads to a higher risk of mental health problems.

    Bright light at night disrupts your body clock, putting you at greater risk of mental health issues.
    Ollyy/Shutterstock

    Where to from here?

    Learning about light will help people better manage their mental health conditions.

    By encouraging people to better align their lives to the light-dark cycle (to stabilise their body clock) we may also help prevent conditions such as depression and bipolar disorder emerging in the first place.

    Healthy light behaviours – avoiding light at night and seeking light during the day – are good for everyone. But they might be especially helpful for people at risk of mental health problems. These include people with a family history of mental health problems or people who are night owls (late sleepers and late risers), who are more at risk of body clock disturbances.

    Alexis Hutcheon has lived experience of a mental health condition and helped write this article.

    If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

    Jacob Crouse receives funding from Wellcome Trust and National Health and Medical Research Council.

    Professor Hickie is a Professor of Psychiatry and the Co-Director of Health and Policy, Brain and
    Mind Centre, University of Sydney. He has led major public health and health service development
    in Australia, particularly focusing on early intervention for young people with depression, suicidal
    thoughts and behaviours and complex mood disorders. He is active in the development through
    codesign, implementation and continuous evaluation of new health information and personal
    monitoring technologies to drive highly-personalised and measurement-based care. He holds a 3.2%
    equity share in Innowell Pty Ltd that is focused on digital transformation of mental health services.

    Emiliana Tonini 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. How light can shift your mood and mental health – https://theconversation.com/how-light-can-shift-your-mood-and-mental-health-231282

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  • MIL-Evening Report: Collisions between planes and birds follow seasonal patterns and overlap with breeding and migration – new research

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tirth Vaishnav, PhD Candidate in Ecology and Biodiversity, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

    Getty Images

    Bird strikes with aircraft pose a serious threat to human safety. The problem dates back to the early days of aviation, with the first death of a pilot recorded in 1912 when an aircraft crashed into the sea after striking a gull.

    Since then, 795 lives have been lost to collisions between aircraft and birds, not to mention the countless bird fatalities.

    As aircraft get faster, quieter, larger and more numerous, the risk of serious accidents increases accordingly. Every year, the aviation industry incurs damages worth billions of dollars.

    To mitigate this problem, airports around the world implement wildlife hazard management, including dispersing flocks away from the runway, tracking local bird movements and managing potential food sources such as landfills and farms near the aerodrome.

    In our recent study, we zoomed out from the local airport and examined seasonal and hemispheric trends in bird strikes.

    We found they peak in late summer and autumn in both hemispheres, but the annual distribution differs between the northern and southern hemispheres. Seasonal trends in bird strikes were seemingly influenced by avian breeding and migration patterns.

    Airports deploy noise barriers and reflective walls to keep birds away from the runway.
    Getty Images

    Seasonal patterns

    To assess seasonal patterns in bird strikes, we gathered information for individual airports from existing literature and online sources. Our dataset includes 122 airports in 16 countries and five continents.

    For each hemisphere, we determined the time of year with the overall highest number of bird strikes and the spread of strikes through the year.

    We found that bird strikes peaked in late August in the northern hemisphere and in early April in the southern hemisphere. Strikes were relatively more seasonal in the north, while they had a greater annual spread in the south.

    For instance, strikes in New York or Oslo in the northern hemisphere were considerably higher in August compared to other times of the year, while in Wellington or Durban in the southern hemisphere, strikes occurred more consistently throughout the year.

    Birds strikes are more seasonal in the northern hemisphere and more distributed across the year in the southern hemisphere.
    Author provided, CC BY-SA

    Bird strikes peaked in the autumn season in each hemisphere. Autumn is generally when young birds fledge and take to the skies. There may be two explanations for why bird strikes are higher during this time of year.

    1. For young birds, avoiding foreign objects in the flight path may be a learned behaviour. This would result in juveniles being struck at a higher rate.

    2. The greater number of birds in the air during autumn due to the influx of fledglings may result in more strikes, with adults and juveniles being struck at random.

    Links to bird migration

    Seasonal peaks in bird strikes were more pronounced in the north compared to the south. Approximately 80% of the southern hemisphere’s surface is water and the solar energy absorbed by the oceans leads to a more stable thermal regime.

    Conversely, the surface of the northern hemisphere is mostly land, leading to greater fluctuations in temperature. Birds migrate in response to these environmental factors and this influences global avian distributions and abundances.

    The intensity of migration is, therefore, much stronger in the northern hemisphere compared to the southern hemisphere, where local bird abundances are more stable seasonally.

    Our findings bridge a gap between aviation safety and macroecology. Airport authorities can use this information in several ways.

    • Wildlife officers can optimise their bird strike mitigation efforts by allocating more resources in the autumn months, particularly in northern regions.

    • Management plans for “problem” species such as gulls are often adapted from existing plans for similar species at other airports. Information on patterns in bird strikes may help in customising these plans to local bird behaviour.

    • Bird strikes are a global issue, so better standardisation in reporting bird strike statistics could improve our ability to analyse them at a global scale.

    Finally, with climate change altering the seasonal timing of cyclical events, such as avian breeding seasons and migration patterns, it may be crucial to forecast the impact of these changes on the seasonal trends in bird strikes.

    To some degree, bird strikes may be inevitable. But with the cooperation of aviation authorities, scientists and policy makers, we may be able to minimise their frequency and intensity.

    Tirth Vaishnav 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. Collisions between planes and birds follow seasonal patterns and overlap with breeding and migration – new research – https://theconversation.com/collisions-between-planes-and-birds-follow-seasonal-patterns-and-overlap-with-breeding-and-migration-new-research-241238

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