Category: Australia

  • MIL-OSI Translation: Prime Minister to attend ASEAN Summit and 25th Meeting of Contact Group on Ukraine’s Defence

    MIL OSI Translation. Canadian French to English –

    Source: Prime Minister of Canada – in French

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today announced that he will participate in the ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos, and the 25th meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

    For nearly half a century, Canada and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have worked in partnership to promote peace, prosperity, and progress. As we create well-paying jobs, fight climate change, and grow our economies, Canada and ASEAN are working together to improve the lives of people in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.

    At the Summit, to be held on October 10-11, 2024, Prime Minister Trudeau will underscore Canada and ASEAN’s longstanding commitment to building a fairer and more prosperous future for people on both sides of the Pacific. As work continues toward a Canada-ASEAN free trade agreement, the Prime Minister will highlight progress made under the ASEAN-Canada Strategic Partnership and emphasize the importance of long-term sustainable growth that focuses on the well-being of all, empowers women and girls, and is anchored in the clean energy transition.

    ASEAN is one of the fastest-growing economic regions in the world. That is why Canada is working to increase trade and investment with ASEAN and to put Canadians at the forefront of this immense opportunity. Together, ASEAN member states were Canada’s fourth-largest merchandise trading partner in 2023, with increased progress in agriculture, agri-food, and people-to-people digital trade. Indeed, increased trade and investment fosters jobs, innovation, and growth.

    As part of theCanada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, Prime Minister Trudeau will also meet with ASEAN partners at the ASEAN-Canada Special Summit to strengthen collaboration and effectively support prosperity and stability across the region. The Prime Minister will also highlight Canada’s constructive role in addressing new and emerging challenges to peace and security, including malicious cyber activity and cybercrime threats.

    This visit will mark the first official visit by a Canadian Prime Minister to Laos. As Canada and Laos celebrate 50 years of bilateral relations this year, Prime Minister Trudeau will seek to advance shared interests and further strengthen ties between our two countries.

    The Prime Minister will then participate in the 25th meeting of the Contact Group on the Defense of Ukraine, which will take place at the US air base in Ramstein, Germany, on October 12, 2024.

    At the meeting, which will be hosted by United States President Joe Biden, international leaders will reaffirm global solidarity with Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s unjustifiable war of aggression. Building on progress made at the NATO Summit in Washington DC, United States of America, earlier this year, Prime Minister Trudeau will emphasize the importance of maintaining international support for Ukraine and finding a just and lasting peace for Ukrainians.

    The Prime Minister will also highlight the importance of addressing Ukraine’s immediate defence and security needs, including providing the country with military equipment, security assistance and training, and economic support. He will also highlight Canada’s commitment to Ukraine’s long-term security, as demonstrated by theCanada-Ukraine Security Cooperation Agreement, which was concluded earlier this year.

    Canada will continue to work closely with its international partners to support Ukraine and Ukrainians in their struggle for freedom, independence and democracy.

    Quote

    “To meet common challenges, we need to find common solutions, and the ASEAN Summit and the Ukraine Defence Contact Group are helping us do just that. Whether it’s fighting climate change, creating good-paying jobs or strengthening democracy, Canada is playing a leading role in creating a better, safer and more just future for people around the world.”

    Highlights

    ASEAN is a regional intergovernmental organization with 10 member states. Its objectives are to: Accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development. Promote regional peace and stability, and respect for justice and the rule of law. Enhance regional collaboration in a range of economic, social, cultural, technical, scientific and administrative fields. The ASEAN region as a whole is Canada’s fourth largest trading partner. In 2023, bilateral trade reached more than $38.8 billion. Last year, Canada and ASEAN launched a Strategic Partnership to strengthen collaboration in strategic areas of mutual interest, including peace and security, and economic and socio-cultural cooperation. Canada became an ASEAN Dialogue Partner in 1977 and is one of 11 partners to have achieved this designation. Dialogue partners engage with ASEAN on political and security issues, regional integration, economic interests, interfaith dialogue, transnational crime and counter-terrorism, disaster risk reduction, and other areas. Other dialogue partners include Australia, China, the European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy advances and defends Canada’s interests, helping to build a more secure, prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable region, and protects Canada’s national and economic security at home and abroad. The Ukraine Defense Contact Group was established by the U.S. Secretary of Defense in April 2022 to enable Allies and partners to synchronize donations, consult, and coordinate military assistance to Ukraine, while strengthening the capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which meets monthly at the ministerial level, now includes representatives from more than 50 countries. Since the launch of theOperation UNIFIER, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has trained more than 43,000 members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Canada announced an extension of the mission until March 2026, so that the CAF can continue to meet Ukraine’s training needs. Since 2022, Canada has provided more than $19.5 billion to support Ukraine in a variety of ways, including more than $12.4 billion in financial assistance, which allows the Ukrainian government to continue to function, including providing essential government services and pensions to Ukrainians. Other assistance includes more than $4.5 billion in military aid and military equipment donations, $358.2 million in humanitarian assistance, $442 million in development assistance, and more than $210 million in security and stabilization programming. According to expert estimates, since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, thousands of Ukrainian children have been deported, forcibly transferred or relocated from the territory of Ukraine to the temporarily occupied territories, and to Russia, in order to erase their identities. To date, hundreds of children have been repatriated to Ukraine and reunited with their families. Since 2014, Canada has imposed sanctions on more than 3,000 individuals and entities in Russia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine for their complicity in violating Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and their gross and systematic violations of human rights. Many of these sanctions have been implemented in coordination with Canada’s partners.

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    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Prime Minister to participate in ASEAN Summit and the 25th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group

    Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister

    The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced that he will participate in the ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos, and the 25th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at the U.S. air base in Ramstein, Germany. 

    For almost half a century, Canada and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have been partners in promoting peace, prosperity, and progress. As we create good-paying jobs, fight climate change, and grow our economies, Canada and ASEAN stand united to make life better for people in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.

    At the Summit, from October 10 to 11, 2024, Prime Minister Trudeau will highlight Canada and ASEAN’s long-standing commitment toward building a fairer, more prosperous future for people on both sides of the Pacific. As work toward a Canada-ASEAN free trade agreement continues, the Prime Minister will note progress on last year’s ASEAN-Canada Strategic Partnership and underscore the importance of sustainable long-term growth that works for everyone, empowers women and girls, and is anchored in the clean energy transition.

    ASEAN is one of the world’s fastest growing economic regions. That’s why Canada is increasing trade and investment with ASEAN and putting Canadians at the forefront of this immense opportunity. As a group, ASEAN member states represented Canada’s fourth largest merchandise trading partner in 2023, with increased progress in agriculture, agrifood, and digital trade between our peoples. Greater trade and investment mean more jobs, more innovation, and more growth.

    Building on Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, Prime Minister Trudeau will also meet with ASEAN partners at the ASEAN-Canada Special Summit to enhance collaboration so we can effectively support prosperity and stability throughout the region. He will emphasize Canada’s constructive role in addressing new and emerging challenges to peace and security, including malicious cyber activity and threats from cybercrime.

    This visit will mark the first official visit of a Canadian Prime Minister to Laos. As Canada and Laos celebrate 50 years of bilateral relations this year, Prime Minister Trudeau will work to advance shared interests and forge even stronger ties between our two countries.

    The Prime Minister will then participate in the 25th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at the U.S. air base in Ramstein, Germany, on October 12, 2024.

    Hosted by the President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, leaders from the international community will reaffirm global solidarity with Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s unjustifiable war of aggression. Building on the progress made at the NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., United States of America, earlier this year, Prime Minister Trudeau will emphasize the importance of sustained international support for Ukraine and a just and lasting peace for Ukrainians.

    The Prime Minister will highlight the importance of addressing Ukraine’s immediate defence and security needs, including the provision of military equipment, security assistance and training, and economic support. He will also highlight Canada’s commitment to Ukraine’s long-term security, as evidenced by the Agreement on security cooperation between Canada and Ukraine, which was concluded earlier this year. 

    Canada will continue to work closely with its international partners to support Ukraine and Ukrainians as they continue to fight for their freedom, independence, and democracy.

    Quote

    “Shared challenges require shared solutions – that’s what the ASEAN Summit and the Ukraine Defense Contact Group are all about. Whether it’s fighting climate change, creating good-paying jobs, or strengthening democracy, Canada is playing a leadership role in creating a better, safer, and fairer future for people across the world.”

    Quick Facts

    • ASEAN is a regional intergovernmental organization comprising 10 member states. The objectives of ASEAN are to:
      • Speed up economic growth, social progress, and cultural development.
      • Promote regional peace and stability and respect for justice and the rule of law.
      • Increase collaboration across a range of economic, social, cultural, technical, scientific, and administrative spheres.
    • Together, ASEAN as a regional bloc represents Canada’s fourth-largest trading partner, with over $38.8 billion in bilateral trade in 2023.
    • Last year, Canada and ASEAN launched a strategic partnership for further collaboration in strategic areas of mutual interest, including peace and security and economic and socio-cultural co-operation.
    • Canada became an ASEAN dialogue partner in 1977 and is one of 11 partners with this designation.
    • ASEAN Dialogue Partners co-operate on political and security issues, regional integration, economic interests, inter-faith dialogue, transnational crime and counterterrorism, disaster risk reduction, and other areas. Other Dialogue Partners include: Australia, China, the European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
    • Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy advances and defends Canada’s interests by supporting a more secure, prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable Indo-Pacific region while protecting Canada’s national and economic security at home and abroad.
    • The Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) was created by the United States Secretary of Defense in April 2022 to allow Allies and partners to synchronize donations to Ukraine, consult and co-ordinate military assistance, and build up the capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). Convening monthly at the ministerial level, the UDCG now brings together more than 50 countries.
    • Since the launch of Operation UNIFIER, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has trained more than 43,000 members of the AFU. Canada has announced the extension of this mission until March 2026 so the CAF can continue to respond to Ukraine’s training needs.
    • Since 2022, Canada has committed over $19.5 billion in multifaceted support to Ukraine. This includes over $12.4 billion in financial assistance, which has helped the Ukrainian government to continue to operate, including by delivering essential government services and pensions to Ukrainians. Other assistance includes over $4.5 billion in military aid and equipment donations, $358.2 million in humanitarian assistance, $442 million in development assistance, and over $210 million in security and stabilization programming.
    • Experts estimate that since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, thousands of Ukrainian children have been deported, forcibly transferred, or otherwise displaced from Ukraine to temporarily occupied territories and to Russia, for the purpose of erasing their Ukrainian identity. To date, hundreds of children have been returned to Ukraine and reunited with their families.
    • Since 2014, Canada has imposed sanctions on more than 3,000 individuals and entities in Russia, Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine for their complicity in the violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as gross and systematic human rights violations. Many of these sanctions have been implemented in co-ordination with Canada’s partners.

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  • MIL-OSI Translation: VATICAN – Pope announces a Consistory: 21 new Cardinals in December

    MIL OSI Translation. Region: Italy –

    Source: The Holy See in Italian

    Sunday, October 6, 2024

    Vatican Media

    Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – “I am pleased to announce that on December 8th I will hold a Consistory for the nomination of new Cardinals”. Surprisingly, as has often happened in these years of pontificate, Pope Francis, at the Angelus, announces the imposition of the red hat. In total, 21 monsignors will receive the purple: 10 are European, of which 4 are Italian; 6 are from the American continent, of which 5 are South American, 4 Asian, two African. Of these, only one, having reached the age limit, will not be an elector in a future conclave. Among them also Bishop Baldassarre Reina who from today, as specified by the Pontiff, will hold the role of new Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome, thus succeeding Cardinal De Donatis, appointed Major Penitentiary last April. Here are the names of the new Cardinals: H.E. Monsignor Angelo Acerbi, Apostolic Nuncio; H.E. Monsignor Carlos Gustavo Castillo Mattasoglio, Archbishop of Lima, Peru; H.E. Monsignor Vicente Bokalic Iglic, C.M., Archbishop of Santiago del Estero, Primate of Argentina; H.E. Mons. Cabrera Gerardo Cabrera Herrera, O.F.M., Archbishop of Guayaquil, Ecuador; H.E. Monsignor Natalio Chomalí Garib, Archbishop of Santiago de Chile, Chile; H.E. Mons. Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi, S.V.D, Archbishop of Tokyo, Japan; H.E. Monsignor Pablo Virgilio Siongco David, Bishop of Kalookan, Philippines; H.E. Monsignor Ladislav Nemet, S.V.D., Archbishop of Beograd -Smederevo, Serbia;H.E. Mons. Jaime Spengler, O.F.M, Archbishop of Porto Alegre; H.E. Monsignor Ignace Bessi Dogbo, Archbishop of Abidjan, Ivory Coast; H.E. Monsignor Jean-Paul Vesco, O.P., Archbishop of Alger, Algeria; H.E. Mons. Paskalis Bruno Syukur, O.F.M, Bishop of Bogor, Indonesia; H.E. Mons. Joseph Mathieu, O.F.M. Conv., Archbishop of Tehran Ispahan, Iran; H.E. Monsignor Roberto Repole, Archbishop of Turin, Italy; H.E. Monsignor Baldassare Reina, from today Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome; H.E. Mons. Francis Leo, Archbishop of Toronto, Canada; H.E. Mons. Rolandas Makrickas, Coadjutor Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore; H.E. Mons. Mykola Bychok, C.Ss.R., Eparch of Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne of the Ukrainians; Rev. Father Timothy Peter Joseph Radcliffe, O.P, theologian; Rev. Father Fabio Baggio, C.S., Under-Secretary of the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development; Mons. George Jacob Koovakad, Official Secretary of State, responsible for Papal Trips. In total, in these almost twelve years of pontificate, Pope Francis has created 142 cardinals of which 113 electors. From Sunday 8 December 2024, the College of Cardinals will be enriched with new members and will therefore be composed of 256 members, of which 141 electors and 115 non-electors. The biographies of the new cardinalsS. E. Monsignor Tarcisio Isao KIKUCHI, S.V.D., Archbishop of Tokyo (Japan). He was born on 1 November 1958 in the prefecture of Iwate, diocese of Sendai. He studied in Japan. He made his perpetual profession in the Congregation of the Missionaries Verbiti in March 1985 and was ordained a priest in March 1986. He completed his studies at the “Spiritual Institute of Sacred Heart” in Melbourne (Australia). He was: 1986-1992: Missionary in the dioceses of Accra and Koforidua, in Ghana; 1993-1994: Trainer and vice-prefect of Verbiti postulants in Japan, and director for vocations of the Institute; 1994-1999: Provincial Councilor of the Verbiti. Since 1994: Teacher at Nanzan University, member of the “International Aid Committee” of the Episcopal Conference of Japan. Since 1996 he has been Coordinator of the “Justice and Peace” Office in the Asia and Pacific area of ​​the Verbiti. Since 1998: Member of Caritas Japan and representative of the Japanese Bishops for various international conferences and meetings. Since 1999: Provincial Superior of the Verbites in Japan (second mandate since 2002). Executive Director of Caritas Japan. Member of the committee for the ongoing formation of the clergy of the diocese of Nagoya. Prior to his installation as archbishop of Tokyo in 2017, he had served as bishop of Niigata since 2004, when he was first appointed as bishop.H.E. Monsignor Pablo Virgilio SIONGCO DAVID, Bishop of Kalookan (Filipinas) He was born in Betis, Guagua, Pampanga, in the archdiocese of San Fernando, on 2 March 1959. He was ordained a priest on 12 March 1983 for the archdiocese of San Fernando. After a year as assistant parish priest, he was Director of the Mother of God Counsel Seminary until 1986. From 1986 to 1991 he studied abroad, obtaining a licentiate and then a doctorate in Holy Theology at the Catholic University of Louvain, and attending courses at the Ecole Biblique de Jerusalem where he graduated. Upon returning to his homeland he held various management and teaching roles in the educational team of the archdiocesan seminary. In 2002 he became director of the seminary’s Theology Department, continuing to teach Sacred Scripture. In the same year he was elected Vice-President of the Association of Catholic Biblical Scholars of the Philippines and Vice-President of the Archidiocesan Media Apostolate Networks. He is the author, at both an academic and popular level, of several publications on Sacred Scripture. On 27 May 2006 he was appointed titular bishop of Guardialfiera and auxiliary of San Fernando by Benedict XVI, and was consecrated the following 10 July. On 14 October 2015, he was appointed Bishop of Kalookan (Philippines).H.E. Monsignor Paskalis Bruno SYUKUR, O.F.M., Bishop of Bogor (Indonesia) He was born on 17 May 1962 in Ranggu, in the diocese of Ruteng, on the Island of Flores (Indonesia). After primary school, he attended the Pius X minor seminary in Kisol. He completed his philosophical studies at the Faculty of Driyakara Philosophy in Jakarta, then continued his theological studies at the Faculty of Theology in Yogyakarta. He made his solemn profession with the Franciscans Minor on 22 January 1989. He was ordained a priest on 2 February 1991. He then held the following roles: 1991-1993: Ministry in the parish of Moanemani, diocese of Jayapura (West Papua); 1993-1996: Studies for the Licentiate in Spirituality at the Antonianum, in Rome; 1996-2001: Master of Novices at Depok; 1998-2001: Guardian of the O.F.M. Community in Depok and Member of the Provincial Council; 2001-2009: Provincial Minister in Indonesia; since 2009: General Definitor of the O.F.M. for Asia and Oceania in Rome. On 21 November 2013, Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of the diocese of Bogor (Indonesia).S. E. Mons. Dominique Joseph MATHIEU, O.F.M. Conv., Archbishop of Tehran Ispahan (Iran) He was born on 13 June 1963 in Arlon, Belgium. After his high school studies, he entered the Order of Friars Minor Conventual. He made his solemn profession in 1987 and was ordained a priest on 24 September 1989. Since 2013 he has been incardinated in the Provincial Custody of the East and of the Holy Land. Within his Order, he held various positions: Vocational Promoter, Secretary, Vicar and Provincial Minister of the Belgian Province of the Conventual Friars Minor, becoming General Delegate after unification with the Province of France; Rector of the National Sanctuary of Saint Anthony of Padua in Brussels and Director of the related Confraternity. He was also President of two different non-profit associations linked to the presence of the Conventual Friars Minor in Belgium, with roles of responsibility in the Catholic School of Landen. He was President of the Central European Federation of Conventual Friars Minor and a member of the International Commission for the Economy of his Order. Having moved to Lebanon in 2013, he was Custodial Secretary, Formator, Master of Novices and Rector of Postulants and Candidates in the Provincial Custody of the East and the Holy Land. Since 2019 he has been General Definitor and General Assistant for the Central European Federation of Conventual Friars Minor. On 8 January 2021, he was appointed Archbishop of Tehran Ispahan (Iran).H.E. Mons. Jean-Paul VESCO, O.P., Archbishop of Alger (Algeria) He was born in Lyon (France) on 10 March 1962. He obtained a degree in Law and practiced law in a lawyer’s office in Lyon, until the choice to enter the Order of Preacher Fathers. In 1995 he began his novitiate year and made his first religious profession on 14 September 1996. He was ordained a priest on 24 June 2001 in Lyon. He arrived in the diocese of Oran (Algeria) on 6 October 2002 at the convent of Tlemcen. In 2004 he was chosen as a delegate of the diocese for the preparation of the Interdiocesan Assembly of Algeria (AIDA). Since 2005 he has been Vicar General of the same diocese and since 2007 he has also assumed the office of diocesan bursar. On 16 October 2007 he was elected Superior of the Dominican Community of Tlemcen, a position he held until January 2011, when he was elected Provincial Superior of France. On 1 December 2012, he was appointed Bishop of Oran (Algeria), until 27 December 2022, when the Holy Father appointed him Metropolitan Archbishop Alger (Algeria).H.E. Mons. Ignace BESSI DOGBO, Archbishop of Abidjan (Ivory Coast) He was born on 17 August 1961 in Niangon-Adjamé, Diocese of Yopougon. He was ordained a priest on 2 August 1987. He has held the following positions: parish ministry (1987-1989); License in Exegesis from the Pontifical Biblical Institute of Rome; diocesan director of the Pontifical Mission Societies (1993-1995); Vicar General of Yopougon (1995-2004); parish priest of Yopougon Cathedral (1997-2004); Professor of Biblical Languages ​​in the Saint Paul Major Seminary of Abadjin Kouté; Diocesan Spiritual Assistant of the J.E.C. He was elected Bishop of the Diocese of Katiola on 19 March 2004 and received episcopal consecration on the following 4 July; President of the Episcopal Conference (2017-2023); since 2017, Apostolic Administrator ad nutum Sanctae Sedis of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Korhogo; from 2021 to 2024, Metropolitan Archbishop of Korhogo. On 20 May 2024, he was appointed Archbishop of Abidjan (Ivory Coast).H.E. Mons. Carlos Gustavo CASTILLO MATTASOGLIO Archbishop of Lima (Peru) He was born in Lima on 28 February 1950. Having entered the Santo Toribio major seminary of Mogrovejo of the archdiocese of Lima, he was sent to Rome for his ecclesiastical studies where, in 1979, he obtained a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and, in 1983, in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University. He was ordained a priest, incardinating in the archdiocese of Lima on 15 July 1984. He obtained the licentiate in 1985 and, in 1987, the doctorate in dogmatic theology, again from the Pontifical Gregorian University. He has held the following positions: Professor of Theology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (from 1987 to the present); Councilor of the National Union of Catholic Students (1987-1998); Parochial vicar in the parish of San Francisco de Asís (1987-1990); Parochial vicar of the parish of La Encarnación (1990-1991); Archdiocesan head of the University Pastoral of Lima and collaborator at the parish of San Juan Apóstol (1991-1999); Vicar for youth ministry of Lima, organizer of the vicar for youth and responsible for vocational ministry (1996-1999); National Councilor of the Episcopal Commission for Youth of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference (1990-2001); parochial vicar of the parish of San Juan Apóstol (1999-2001); National councilor for youth ministry (2000); parish priest of the parish of Virgen Medianera (2002-2009); Director of relations with the Church and member of the University Council of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (2003-2006); Parish priest of the parish of San Lázaro (2010-2015). On 25 January 2019 Pope Francis appointed him Metropolitan Archbishop of the archdiocese of Lima (Peru).H.E. Monsignor Vicente BOKALIC IGLIC C.M., Archbishop of Santiago del Estero (Primado de la Argentina). He was born on 11 June 1952 in Lanús (Buenos Aires). In 1970 he entered the Congregation of the Mission (Lazarists). He studied philosophy at the Jesuit Maximo College in San Miguel, and theological studies at the Seminary of Buenos Aires. He took his perpetual vows on 5 June 1976. Ordained a priest on 1 April 1978, he was in charge of the vocational and youth ministry of Buenos Aires and, since 1981, he has also exercised the office of Parish Vicar of Nuestra Señora de la Medalla Milagrosa. From 1983 to 1986 he was a formator and bursar, and from 1987 to 1990 superior in the Seminary of the Congregation of the Mission. From 1991 to 1993 he worked again in the Nuestra Señora de la Medalla Milagrosa Parish, from 1994 to 1997 he was a missionary in the Prelature of Deán Funes and, from 1997 to 2000, Superior of the Seminary of his Congregation in San Miguel. Missionary and parish priest in the diocese of Goya from 2000 to 2003, from December 2003 to December 2009 he exercised the office of Provincial Superior of the Congregation of the Mission. Then he was sent again to the Nuestra Señora de la Medalla Milagrosa Parish in Buenos Aires. On 15 March 2010 he was appointed titular bishop of Summa and auxiliary of Buenos Aires (Argentina). He received episcopal consecration on May 29 of the same year. On 23 December 2013, Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Santiago del Estero (Argentina). On 22 July 2024, the Holy Father elevated the Diocese of Santiago del Estero (Argentina) to the rank of Primatial Archdiocese of Argentina, and appointed him the first Archbishop of Santiago del Estero (Argentina).H.E. Mons. Luis Gerardo CABRERA HERRERA, O.F.M., Archbishop of Guayaquil (Ecuador). He was born in Azogues on 11 October 1955. He attended the Franciscan minor seminary in Azogues and Quito, studied philosophy and theology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador and he obtained a Doctorate in philosophy from the Antonianum in Rome. He was ordained a priest on 3 September 1983. He held the following roles: assistant to the Master of Novices O.F.M. and then novitiate master of Riobamba; member of the Provincial Council of the Order, responsible for vocational pastoral care and the formation of aspirants of the Franciscan province; Director of the philosophical-theological institute “Card. B. Echeverría” of Quito; Secretary of the ecumenism sector of the Episcopal Commission of Magisterium and Doctrine of the Ecuadorian Episcopal Conference. In August 2000 he was elected Provincial Minister of the Franciscans of the Province of Ecuador and Vice President of the Conference of Religious. From 2003 until 2009 he was Definitor of the Franciscan Order and Delegate of the Minister General for the Franciscan Provinces of Latin America and the Caribbean. On 20 April 2009 he was appointed Archbishop of Cuenca, receiving episcopal consecration the following 4 July. In the period 2001-2014 he was Vice-President of the Ecuadorian Episcopal Conference. Since 24 September 2015 he has been Archbishop of Guayaquil (Ecuador).H.E. Monsignor Fernando Natalio CHOMALÍ GARIB Archbishop of Santiago de Chile (Chile) He was born on 10 March 1957 in Santiago de Chile. After graduating in Civil Engineering from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, he completed his philosophical and theological studies at the Pontifical Major Seminary of Santiago. He received priestly ordination on 6 April 1991 for the Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile. He held the following positions and carried out further studies: Licentiate in Moral Theology at the Pontifical Alphonsian Academy in Rome; Doctorate in Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome; Master in Bioethics at the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences in Rome; Parish vicar; Episcopal Delegate for University Pastoral; Professor of Moral Theology and Bioethics in the Faculties of Theology and Medicine of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and in the Major Seminary; Parish Priest of Santa María de la Misericordia; Moderator of the Curia and President Delegate of the Economic Council of the Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile; Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life (since 2001). On 6 April 2006 he was appointed titular bishop of Noba and auxiliary of Santiago de Chile, receiving episcopal consecration the following 3 June. On 20 April 2011 he was appointed Archbishop of Concepción and, on 25 October 2023, Archbishop of Santiago de Chile. He is currently Vice President of CECH.S.E. Mons. Jaime SPENGLER, O.F.M., Archbishop of Porto Alegre (Brasil) He was born on 6 September 1960, in Blumenau, in the State of Santa Catarina, in the diocese of the same name. He did his Franciscan postulancy in Guaratinguetá (1981) and his novitiate in Rodeio (1982); he made his perpetual profession in 1985 and was ordained a priest on 17 November 1990. He completed his studies in philosophy at the São Boaventura Philosophical Institute in Campo Largo and those in theology, first at the Franciscan Theological Institute in Petrópolis (1986- 1987) and then at the Theological Institute of Jerusalem (1987-1990), where he obtained a license in Sacred Scripture. Subsequently he obtained a degree in Philosophy in Rome, at the Pontifical Athenaeum Antonianum (1995-1998). He has held the following positions: Professor in the Franciscan Novitiate in Rodeio, Master of Postulants (1990); Professor in the Postulancy and Parish Vicar in Guaratinguetá (1991-1994); Professor and Vice-Rector of the São Boaventura Institute of Philosophy in Campo Largo (2000-2003); Religious Assistant of the Federação Brasileira das Irmãs Concepcionistas (2001-2002); local superior and parish vicar of the Senhor Bom Jesus Parish, in the archdiocese of Curitiba (2004-2006), Professor of Philosophy at the São Boaventura Faculty in Curitiba (2000-2003); Vice-president of the Franciscan Association of Ensino Senhor Bom Jesus in Campo Largo and Guardian of the Local Convent. On 10 November 2010 he was appointed titular bishop of Patara and auxiliary of Porto Alegre. He received episcopal ordination on 5 February 2011. On 18 September 2013, he was appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of Porto Alegre (Brazil).H.E. Mons. Francis LEO, Archbishop of Toronto (Canada) He was born on 30 June 1971 in Montreal (Canada). In 1990 he entered the Seminary obtaining the Baccalaureate in Philosophy (1992), the Licentiate and then the Doctorate in Theology (2005), with specialization in Marian Studies, obtained at the International Marian Research Institute (IMRI), University of Dayton (Ohio ). He was ordained a priest on December 14, 1996 for the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Montreal. After his priestly ordination, he was Deputy Parish Priest of Notre-Dame-de-la-Consolata (1996-2001); Administrator of the Parish Saint-Joseph-de-Rivière-des-Prairies (2003-2005); Chaplain of the Roscelli School and religious teacher of the Collège Reine-Marie (2003-2005); Parish priest of Saint-Raymond-de-Peñafort (2005-2006). From 2006 to 2008 he was sent to the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome. Having entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See, he worked in the Apostolic Nunciature in Australia (2008-2011) and then at the Study Mission of the Holy See in Hong Kong (2011-2012). Returning to Montreal in 2012, he was appointed Director and Professor of Dogmatics of the Major Seminary, Director of the Department of Canon Law of the IFTM and Vice President of the Diocesan Work for Vocations. From 2013 to 2015 he was a member of the Presbyteral Council. From 2015 to 2021 he was General Secretary of the Canadian Episcopal Conference. In 2021 he received the role of Vicar General and Moderator of the Archdiocesan Curia of Montreal. On 16 July 2022 he was appointed titular bishop of Tameda and auxiliary of Montreal, and was consecrated the following 12 September. On 11 February 2023 he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Montreal.S.E. Monsignor Mykola BYCHOK, C.Ss.R., Bishop of the Eparchy Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne of the Ukrainians. He was born on 13 February 1980 in Ternopil in Ukraine. He entered the Redemptorist Order in July 1997, and trained in Ukraine and Poland, obtaining a license in Pastoral Theology. On 17 August 2003 he took his final vows, and on 3 May 2005 he was ordained a priest in Lviv. He has held the following positions: missionary in the Mother Church of Perpetual Help in Prokopyevsk in Russia, Superior of the Monastery of St. Joseph and Parish Priest of the Mother Parish of Perpetual Help in Ivano-Frankivsk in Ukraine, Bursar of the Redemptorist Province of Lviv and since 2015 Vicar of the Parish of St. John the Baptist in Newark, NJ, Archeparchy of Philadelphia of the Ukrainians. On 15 January 2020 he was appointed Bishop of the Eparchy Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne of the Ukrainians. On 7 June 2020 he was consecrated bishop by His Beatitude Patriarch Sviatoslav Shevchuk in St. George’s Cathedral, Lviv. On 12 July 2021, the feast of Saints Peter and Paul in the Julian Calendar, he was enthroned as the third bishop of the Eparchy of Melbourne by His Grace Peter Comensoli, Archbishop of Melbourne, in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, Melbourne.S. E. Monsignor Ladislav NEMET, S.V.D., Archbishop of Beograd – Smederevo, (Serbia) He was born on 7 September 1956 in Odžaci, in the Diocese of Subotica (Serbia). In 1977 he entered the Society of the Divine Word and was ordained a priest on 1 May 1983. He obtained a Doctorate in Dogmatic Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He held the following positions: Missionary in the Philippines; Teacher in Poland, Austria and Croatia; Collaborator of the Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the UN in Vienna; Provincial of the Hungarian Province of the Society of the Divine Word; General Secretary of the Hungarian Episcopal Conference. He was appointed Bishop of Zrenjanin on 23 April 2008. In 2021, he was re-elected for a second term as President of the International Episcopal Conference of Saints Cyril and Methodius; furthermore, he is Vice President of the Council of Episcopal Conferences of Europe (CCEE).H.E. Mons. Rolandas MAKRICKAS, Coadjutor Archpriest Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore He was born in Biržai, Lithuania, on 31 January 1972. Ordained a priest on 20 July 1996 for the Diocese of Panevėžys, from 1996 to 2001 he was under-secretary of the Lithuanian Episcopal Conference and head of the National Committee of the Great Jubilee of 2000. He obtained a Doctorate in Ecclesiastical History from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome in 2004. Having entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See on 1 July 2006, he worked at the Pontifical Representations in Georgia, Sweden, the United States of America and Gabon, and at the General Affairs Section of the Secretariat of State. From 15 December 2021 to 19 March 2024 he was extraordinary commissioner for the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. On 11 February 2023 he was appointed titular Archbishop of Tolentino and on the following 15 April he received episcopal ordination, in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, from Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of His Holiness. On 19 March 2024 he was appointed by the Holy Father Coadjutor Archpriest with right of succession of the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.H.E. Mons. Baldassare REINA, auxiliary bishop of Rome, former vice-gerent and, from today, Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome. He was born on 26 November 1970 in San Giovanni Gemini, in the province and Archdiocese of Agrigento. He entered the Archbishop’s Seminary in 1981. In 1995 he obtained a Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology and in 1998 a Licentiate in Biblical Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome. He was ordained a priest on 8 September 1995. From 1998 to 2001 he was Diocesan Assistant of Catholic Action and Vice-Rector of the Archbishop’s Seminary of Agrigento. From 2001 to 2003 he was parish priest of the Blessed Mary Virgin of Itria in Favara. From 2003 to 2009 he was Prefect of studies of the San Gregorio Agrigentino Theological Study and from 2009 to 2013 Parish Priest of S. Leonead Agrigento. From 2013 to 2022 he was Rector of the Major Seminary of Agrigento. He also held the following roles in the Diocese: Teacher of Sacred Scripture at the Institute of Religious Sciences; Permanent teacher at the San Gregorio Agrigentino Theological Studio; Director of the Culture Office; Canon of the Cathedral Chapter; Member of the Presbyteral Council and of the College of Consultors. On 27 May 2022, he was appointed titular bishop of Acque di Mauritania and auxiliary of Rome. On 6 January 2023, the Holy Father appointed him Vicegerent of the Diocese of Rome.H.E. Mons. Roberto REPOLE, Archbishop of Turin (Italy) He was born in Turin on 29 January 1967. Having entered the Seminary at the age of eleven, he completed his high school studies at the Minor Seminary, obtaining his classical high school diploma at the Valsalice Salesian High School in Turin in 1986. He studied philosophy and theology at the archiepiscopal seminary of Turin and received presbyteral ordination on 13 June 1992. From 1992 to 1996 he was parochial vicar at the parish of Gesù Redentore and collaborator of the parish of Ss. Nome di Maria in Turin. He continued his studies in systematic theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, obtaining his licentiate in 1998 and his doctorate in 2001 with a thesis on the thought of Henri de Lubac in dialogue with Gabriel Marcel. Since 2001 he has taught systematic theology at the parallel Turin branch of the Theological Faculty of Northern Italy and the Higher Institute of Religious Sciences of the same city. Canon of the Royal Church of San Lorenzo in Turin since 2010, he was president of the Italian Theological Association from 2011 to 2019; dean of the Turin section of the Theological Faculty of Northern Italy and collaborator of the Santa Maria della Stella parish in Druento. On 19 February 2022, Pope Francis appointed him the 95th Metropolitan Archbishop of Turin and Bishop of Susa, thus uniting the two sees in person as bishops. On 7 May 2022 he received episcopal ordination. In September 2022, the Permanent Episcopal Council of the CEI appointed him as a member of the Episcopal Commission for Catholic Education, School and University. In October 2022 in Aosta the bishops of Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta elected him vice president of the Episcopal Conference of Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta (CEP).R.P. Timothy Peter Joseph RADCLIFFE, OP, theologian Born in London in 1945, he joined the Dominican order in 1965. After completing his studies in Oxford and Paris, he began teaching sacred Scripture at the University of Oxford. Ordained a priest in 1971, actively involved in the peace movement, he also carried out pastoral ministry among AIDS sufferers. From 1982 to 1988 he was prior of the convent of Oxford, then provincial of England from 1988 to 1992, and finally master general of the order founded by Saint Dominic from 1992 to 2001. Orator, lecturer, preacher and writer of international fame, he is member of CAFOD (agency of the Catholic Church of England and Wales, involved in charitable support and development in overseas countries) and of the theological commission of international Caritas. He has received honorary degrees from Oxford University and other academic institutions in France, Italy and the United States. In 2007 he was awarded the Michael Ramsey Prize for theological writings.R. Fr Fabio BAGGIO, C.S., under secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. He was born in Bassano del Grappa in 1965 and, in 1976, entered the Scalabrini-Tirondola Seminary of the Missionaries of San Carlo, making his perpetual profession in 1991. The following year he was ordained a Priest. In 1998 he obtained a doctorate in Church History from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. From 1995 to 1997, in Santiago de Chile, in addition to exercising the pastoral ministry, he held the position of Advisor to the Episcopal Commission for Migration of Chile (INCAMI). Subsequently, until 2002, he was Director of the Department for Migration of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, also covering, in 1999, the role of National Secretary of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, Pontifical Mission Societies Argentina. On 14 December 2016 he was appointed Under-Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. On 23 April 2022, the Holy Father confirmed him as Under-Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development also with responsibility for the Migrants and Refugees Section and Special Projects Mons. George Jacob KOOVAKAD, Official of the Secretary of State, responsible for Papal Trips. He was born in Chethipuzha (India) on 11 August 1973. He was ordained a Priest on 24 July 2004, incardinated in Changanacherry. Graduated in Canon Law. Having entered the Diplomatic Service of the Holy See on 1 July 2006, he was assigned to the Apostolic Nunciature in Algeria, as Attache. On March 2, 2009, he was transferred to the Apostolic Nunciature in Korea until February 2012, when he was transferred to the Apostolic Nunciature in Iran. On February 16, 2015, he was transferred to the Apostolic Nunciature in Costa Rica. Since July 10, 2020, he has worked in the Secretariat of State, General Affairs section. on 10 July 2020. From 2021, Pope Francis has entrusted him with the organization of papal trips.H.E. Mons. Angelo Acerbi, Apostolic Nuncio He was born on 23 September 1925 in Sesta Godano (Italy) and was ordained a priest on 27 March 1948 for the then Diocese of Pontremoli. Having entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1956, he served in the Papal Representations in Colombia, Brazil, France, Japan and Portugal, as well as in the Council for Public Affairs of the Church of the Secretariat of State. St. Paul VI, on June 22, 1974, appointed him an apostolic pro-nuncio in New Zealand and apostolic delegate in the Pacific Ocean, assigning him the headquarters of Zella and the personal title of Archbishop; The same Holy Pontiff, on the following 30 June, conferred him the episcopal ordination in the papal basilica of San Pietro in the Vatican. St. John Paul II, then, sent him as Nunzio to Colombia – where, together with other diplomats, he was hostage for six weeks by the guerrillas of the Movimiento 19 de Abril – and, subsequently, in Hungary and Moldova and in the Netherlands. From 2001 to 2015 he held the office of prelate of the Sovereign Military Hospital Order of San Giovanni di Jerusalem of Rhodes and Malta.

    EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

    MIL Translation OSI

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hurricane Helene update #9 from Congressman Edwards

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chuck Edwards (NC-11)

    Dear Friend,

    Happy Sunday. If you’ll give me a point of privilege, I’d like to skip the business talk today and share a bit of positivity. Regardless of your beliefs, Sundays are an opportunity to reflect and be grateful for the blessings in our lives.

    Today, I’m grateful that I get to represent such strong, resilient, salt-of-the-earth people who continue to show up for each other. I’m grateful for the thousands of people from across the country who have come to serve and help our mountains, and I’m grateful for the local leaders who are working day and night to help us recover and achieve a new normal.

    I’m curious, what are you grateful for today?

    Today’s update includes the longest list of food and water distribution sites yet. It also includes more information on county trash pickup/debris removal, plans to rebuild and reopen I-40 into Tennessee, and where to find free internet.

    Today is update number nine, with more information to follow in the coming days. Please make sure to read everything and share it with your friends and family.

    • Supplying drinkable water remains a top priority for emergency crews.
      • 93 water systems are on a boil advisory.
      • 37 treatment plants have reported having no power and 41 systems are out of water.
        • Water restoration trends continue to move in a positive direction.
    • Today, October 6, 12 combined teams from the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be conducting infrastructure assessments on public water supplies in the following counties:
      • Buncombe
      • Henderson
      • McDowell
      • Polk
      • Rutherford
      • Yancey
        • The results of these assessments are expected on October 7 and will provide insight into the necessary steps to restore water services in each county.
    • The state of North Carolina is continuing to provide a minimum of 40 trailer loads of water and 20 trailer loads of food daily through at least October 6, per their promise to the people of Western North Carolina.
      • I’m in conversation with NC Emergency Management to negotiate a new commitment for the people of Western North Carolina since the state’s initial promise of 40 trailers of water and 20 trailers of food expires today.
    • The Federal Emergency Management Agency has promised 120 truckloads a day of food and water with no specified end date.
      • To date, FEMA has shipped 13 million meals and 13 million liters of water utilizing the $20 billion in funds that I helped to draft and pass for disaster relief just two days before Hurricane Helene hit.
    • Walmart is hosting activities at the following locations:
      • Hendersonville, NC Store 1242
        • 250 Highlands Square Dr., Hendersonville, NC 28792
          • Portable restrooms
          • Serving hot meals at 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. daily
      • Arden, NC Store 1179
        • 60 Airport Rd., Arden, NC 28704
          • Portable restrooms
          • Laundry
          • Showers
          • Wi-fi hotspot and charging stations
      • Resource pick-up locations are listed below by county. As I learn more, I will keep you posted:
        • Buncombe County
          • Buncombe County has begun water distribution at multiple sites. Each will be available daily from 1:00 -7:00 p.m.:
            • Pack Square Park – you MUST bring your own container for this site
              • 80 Court Plz., Asheville, NC 28801
            • William W. Estes Elementary School
              • 275 Overlook Rd., Asheville, NC 28803
            • Sand Hill-Venable Elementary
              • 154 Sand Hill School Rd., Asheville, NC 28806
            • North Windy Ridge Intermediate School
              • 20 Doan Rd., Weaverville, NC 28787
            • Fairview Elementary
              • 1355 Charlotte Hwy., Fairview, NC 28730
          • The following major feeding site is available in Buncombe County, where citizens can access food, water and other basic necessities:
            • Biltmore Baptist Church
              • 35 Clayton Rd., Arden, NC 28704
                • Distribution and bulk pickup for volunteers looking to take bulk loads of supplies to in-need community members
                  • Saturday hours: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
                • Community drive-thru for anyone in the community needing supplies
                  • Saturday hours: 3:00-6:00 p.m.
            • First Baptist Church – Weaverville
              • 63 N. Main St., Weaverville, NC 28787
                • Hot showers available from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
                • Unlimited clean drinking water is available, bring your own container.
                • Supplies and bottled water.
                • Hot lunch served at 1:30 p.m.
          • Food and drinking water are available from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily at the following locations:
            • Asheville Middle School
              • 211 S. French Broad Ave., Asheville, NC 28801
            • Ingles
              • 550 NC-9, Black Mountain, NC 28711
                • This location also has handwashing stations and portable restrooms
            • Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center
              • 121 Shiloh Rd., Asheville, NC 28803
            • Lucy Herring Elementary
              • 98 Sulphur Springs Rd., Asheville, NC 28806
            • Oakley Elementary School
              • 753 Fairvew Rd., Asheville, NC 28803
        • Haywood County
          • The following locations are providing community members with essential resources such as but not limited to, food, water, cleaning products, baby formula, and pet food, Monday through Fridays:
            • Pigeon Community Center
              • 450 Pigeon St., Waynesville, NC 28786
                • Also offering hot meals every day at 2:00 p.m.
                • Daily Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
            • Cruso Community Center
              • 13186 Cruso Rd., Canton, NC 28716
                • Daily Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
            • First United Methodist Church
              • 566 S. Haywood St., Waynesville, NC 28786
                • Includes shower access.
                • Daily Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
            • Maggie Valley Pavilion
              • 3935 Soco Rd., Maggie Valley, NC 28751
                • Daily Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
            • Woodland Baptist Church
              • 545 Crabtree Rd., Waynesville, NC 28786
                • Daily Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
            • Bethel Elementary School
              • 4700 Old River Rd., Canton, NC 28716
                • Daily Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
            • Jonathan Valley Elementary School
              • 410 Hall Dr., Waynesville, NC 28786
                • Daily Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
                • Monday through Friday
          • The following location offers hot meals daily:
            • Maggie Valley Fire Department
              • 2901 Soco Rd., Maggie Valley, NC 28751
          • The following location offers showers daily from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.:
            • Calvary Baptist Church
              • 2701 Soco Rd., Maggie Valley, NC 28751
        • Henderson County
          • Henderson County has stood up Resource Hub locations for water distribution and other supplies as they become available.
          • Distribution will be taking place daily from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 6 at the following locations:
            • Etowah Elementary: 320 Etowah School Rd., Etowah, NC 28729
            • Rugby Middle School: 3345 Haywood Rd., Hendersonville, NC 28791
            • East Henderson High School: 150 Eagle Pride Dr., East Flat Rock, NC 28726
            • North Henderson High School: 35 Fruitland Rd., Hendersonville, NC 28792
            • Mills River Town Hall: 124 Town Center Dr., Mills River, NC 28759
            • Fletcher Town Hall: 300 Old Cane Creek Rd., Fletcher, NC 28732
          • Each family unit will be provided supplies for one day’s meal and water as available.
          • Individuals are asked to enter the drive-through and remain in your car unless otherwise instructed by volunteers to ensure an efficient process.
        • Jackson County
          • In partnership with the Red Cross, the following is available for citizens of Jackson County:
            • The Boys & Girls Club of the Plateau are providing shelf-stable meals at the following location:
              • 558 Frank Allen Rd., Cashiers, NC 28717
              • Hours of operation to come.
              • The Canada Fire Department is distributing emergency supplies at the following location:
                • 149 Charleys Creek Rd., Tuckasegee, NC 28783
                • Hours of operation to come.
        • Madison County
          • The following locations are offering food, water, and some supply distribution in Madison County:
            • Beech Glen Community Center
              • 2936 Beech Glen Rd., Mars Hill, 28754
              • Daily hours: Unable to locate daily hours at this time.
            • Center Community Center
              • 1300 Grapevine Rd., Marshall, NC 28753
              • Daily hours: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
            • Ebbs Chapel Community Center
              • 281 Laurel Valley Rd., Mars Hill, NC 28754
              • Daily hours: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
            • Enon Baptist Church
              • 174 Ammons Branch Rd., Marshall, NC 28753
              • Open Sunday 12:00-4:00 p.m.
            • Freedom Christian Church
              • 7350 US 25/70 Bypass, Marshall, NC 28753
              • Daily hours: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
              • This location offers additional resources such as hygiene products, blankets, clothes, cleaning supplies, diapers, pet food, etc.
            • Laurel Community Center – also has supplies
              • 4100 NC 212 Hwy., Marshall, NC 28753
              • Daily Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
            • Revere-Rice Community Center
              • 3980 Revere Rd., Marshall, NC 28753
              • Daily hours: 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (Mon-Sat)
            • Spring Creek Community Center
              • 13075 NC 209 Hwy., Hot Springs, NC 28743
              • Daily hours: 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
              • This location also has additional resources such as pet food, livestock feed and hay.
            • Walnut Community Center – also has supplies
              • 46 School Rd., Marshall, NC 28753
              • Daily hours: Unable to locate daily hours at this time.
            • N.C. Cooperative Extension – Madison County Center
              • 258 Carolina Ln., Marshall, NC 28753
              • Daily hours: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
              • This location is offering drive-thru food distribution only.
        • McDowell County
          • McDowell County has established multiple points of distribution that are open daily from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 4:00-6:00 p.m., depending on supply levels.
          • Distribution takes place daily at the following locations:
            • Former TJ’s Discounts – North Cove
              • 8153 US 221 N., Marion, NC 28752
            • Old Fort Town Hall
              • 38 Catawba Ave., Old Fort, NC 28762
            • New Manna Baptist Church
              • 225 E. Court St., Marion, NC 28752
            • Solid Rock Free Will Baptist Church – Dysartsville 
              • 7860 NC 226 S., Nebo, NC 28761
            • Zion Hill Baptist Church
              • 1036 Zion Hill Rd., Marion, NC 28752
          • Hot meals are also being provided at the following location:
            • Grace Community Church
              • 5182 US 70 W., Marion, NC 28752
                • Lunch is served every day from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
                • Dinner is available from 4:00-5:30 p.m.
          • First Baptist Church of Marion is offering hot showers, air conditioning, and areas to charge devices.
            • Current hours: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 2:00-5:00 p.m., Monday-Saturday.
        • Polk County
          • The following locations are offering food and water distribution for residents in need from 1:00-5:00 p.m.:
            • Mill Spring/Green Creek Community
              • 25 International Blvd., Mill Spring, NC 28756
            • Columbus Community
              • 95 Walker St., Columbus, NC 28722
            • Saluda Community Bus Parking Lot
              • 214 E. Main St., Saluda, NC 28773
            • Tryon Community
              • 301 N. Trade St., Tryon, NC 28782
            • Sunny View
              • 86 Sunny View School Rd., Mill Spring, NC 28756
        • Rutherford County
          • The following locations are open from 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. for citizens to get food and emergency supplies:
            • Thomas Jefferson High School
              • 2527 US-221A Hwy., Mooresboro, NC 28114
            • Florence Baptist Church
              • 201 S. Broadway St., Forest City, NC 28043
            • Rutherford County Health Department
              • 221 Callahan Koon Rd., Spindale, NC 28160
            • Gilkey Church of God
              • 255 Oak Springs Rd., Rutherfordton, NC 28139
            • Parks, Recreation, & Lake Office
              • 658 Memorial Hwy., Lake Lure, NC 28746
            • Lake Lure Baptist Church
              • 6837 US-74 ALT, Lake Lure, NC 28746
            • Ingles at Lake Lure – meals only
              • 276 NC-9, Lake Lure, NC 28746
                • Offers hot meals at 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. and 4:30-6:30 p.m.
                • Also offers showers, restrooms, a mobile health van, a tool trailer, a charging station (please bring your own charging cord), and wi-fi.
            • Father’s Vineyard – also has shower and charging stations
              • 724 Oakland Rd., Spindale, NC 28160
            • Spencer Baptist Church – water distribution only
              • 187 N Oak St., Spindale, NC 28160
            • United Way of Rutherford County – water distribution and charging stations only
              • 668 Withrow Rd., Forest City, NC 28043
            • The Church at Sapphire – through October 10
              • 620 Whitewater Rd., Sapphire, NC 28774
              • Daily hours: 12:00 – 4:00 p.m.
            • Little River Baptist Church – through October 11
              • 51 Little River Church Rd., Penrose, NC 28766
              • Breakfast hours: 8:00-10:00 a.m.
              • Lunch hours: 12:30-2:00 p.m.
              • Dinner hours: 6:00-7:30 p.m.
            • Cedar Mountain Community CenterTransylvania County
              • 10635 Greenville Hwy., Cedar Mountain, NC 28718
              • Breakfast hours: 9:00-11:00 a.m.
              • Lunch hours: 12:00-2:00 p.m.
              • Dinner hours: 4:00-6:00 p.m.The following locations are providing hot meals to county residents:
            • Balsam Grove Community Center – daily until power is fully restored
              • 8732 Parkway Rd., Balsam Grove, NC 28708
              • Daily hours: 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
          • Bottled water is available daily at local fire departments and 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at Anchor Baptist Church located at:
            • 3232 Hendersonville Hwy., Pisgah Forest, NC 28768
          • Water filling stations can be found at the following locations:
            • City Sports Complex
              • 824 Ecusta Rd., Brevard, NC 28712
              • Daily hours: 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
            • Cedar Mountain Outpost
              • 8431 Greenville Hwy., Brevard, NC 28712
              • No posted daily hours.
            • Territory Brevard
              • 43 S. Broad St, Brevard, NC 28712
              • No posted daily hours.
            • DD Bullwinkles
              • 60 E. Main St., Brevard, NC 28712
              • No posted daily hours.
            • First United Methodist Church
              • 325 N. Broad St., Brevard, NC 28712
              • Daily hours: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
            • Pisgah Forest Baptist Church
              • 494 Hendersonville Hwy., Pisgah Forest, NC 28768
              • Daily hours: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
            • Newfound Artisan
              • 22 W. Jordan St., Brevard, NC 28712
              • Through today, October 6.
              • Hours: 12:00-5:00 p.m.
          • Food, water, and other supplies such as hygiene products are being distributed at the following locations:
            • Anchor Baptist Church
              • 3232 Hendersonville Hwy., Pisgah Forest, NC 28768
              • Daily hours: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
            • The Church at Sapphire
              • 620 Whitewater Rd., Sapphire, NC 28774
              • Through October 10.
              • Daily hours: 12:00-4:00 p.m.
        • Yancey County
          • Yancey County has transitioned to one centralized distribution site for water, food and ice located at the following address:
            • Altec
              • 150 Altec Rd., Burnsville, NC 28714
          • Mobile laundry facilities are available in the GO Grocery parking lot located at the following address:
            • 631 W Hwy. 19E Bypass, Burnsville, NC 28714

    • Additionally, the following counties have resources for where to take debris waste.
      • Buncombe
        • Curbside collection will begin Monday for City of Asheville sanitation customers.
          • There will be no recycling pick up until the recycling plant is operational.
          • Residents can use both recycling and trash carts for household waste.
            • The following materials cannot be collected at this time: Mud, construction debris, concrete and other bulky or hazardous items.
          • Debris collection is estimated to start in mid-October.
        • The Town of Black Mountain Public Works Department has secured four 15-yard dumpsters located in two sites for Black Mountain residents to throw away household trash ONLY:
          • Tractor Supply: 125 Old US Hwy. 70 E., Black Mountain, NC 28711
          • Ingles: 550 NC-9, Black Mountain, NC 28711
          • Please Note: Yard waste, bulk item, separate recycling and debris collection are not available at this time. 
      • Haywood
        • Household waste will be accepted at the Materials Recovery Facility at 247 Recycle Rd., Clyde and at Convenience Centers at Jonathan Creek, Beaverdam, Bethel, Hazelwood, Mauney Cove, Jones Cove and Highway 110.
        • White Oak Landfill has reopened.
      • Henderson
        • Henderson County Transfer Station is open and accepting storm debris with normal fees.
        • Henderson County has begun curbside storm debris removal to county residents as a free service.
          • The county will pick up storm debris for free if it is pushed to the right of way of a property.
        • Storm debris includes tree branches, leaves, logs, building materials, furniture, paint etc.
          • Please be patient.
          • The county will pick up storm debris for free as quickly as possible.
      • Madison
        • The Hot Springs collection center is operating on normal hours for household trash ONLY:
          • Monday: 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
          • Wednesday: 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
          • Friday: 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
          • Saturday: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
        • Hot Springs trash pickup is returning to Mondays like usual.
          • Please only use this pickup service if you cannot bring it to the collection center yourself.
          • The pickup service is being led by volunteers at this time.
      • Polk
        • The Polk County landfill is open Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and Saturday 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
          • 322 Landfill Rd., Mill Spring, NC 28756
          • The service fee is waived through October 8.
          • Beginning on October 9, drop off of residential trash will be $10.
        • GFL trash services will continue on the regular schedule. However, certain areas may be inaccessible due to ongoing power outages from Hurricane Helene.
          • Two dumpsters are located on Gibson Street for immediate trash disposal due to road inaccessibility.
      • Transylvania
        • The City of Brevard has resumed regular trash pickup.
      • Yancey
        • The Riverside and East Yancey Recycling Centers were expected to resume operations by yesterday, October 5.
        • No update has been published, but I will keep you posted once I have received confirmation that the facilities have been reopened.

    • The North Carolina State Board of Elections has provided pertinent information and recommendations for voters in the Helene disaster area during the 2024 general election.
      • To review information on voting in the 2024 general election after Hurricane Helene, you can follow this link.
        • The site provides information on absentee voting, how to change your polling location, county board of elections, office closures and more.
        • For any additional questions on voting post-hurricane, please contact your county Board of Elections.
          • Please note: Your county Board of Elections is the best place to get any questions answered.
            • I have been permitted to share the above, nonpartisan information but am prohibited from answering any questions related to the 2024 general election.

    • USPS anticipates continued improvement of mail delivery operations with local recovery efforts, to include power, connectivity, and roads.
    • There are some facilities unable to provide full retail and mail delivery due to road closures and current conditions.
      • No drop shipments will be accepted at any of the locations listed below.
        • The following sites are closed:
          • Barnardsville – 28709
          • Cedar Mountain – 28718
          • Hot Springs – 28743
          • Rosman – 28772
          • Swannanoa – 28778
        • The following sites are closed with alternative facilities listed:
          • Alexander – 28701
          • Alternative location: 270 N. Main St., Weaverville, NC 28787
            • Daily hours M-F: 8:45 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
            • Open Saturdays: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
          • Bat Cave – 28710
            • Alternative location: 1800 Four Season Blvd., Ste. 11, Hendersonville, NC 28739
              • Daily hours M-F: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
              • Open Saturdays: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
          • Chimney Rock – 28720
            • Alternative location: 2432 Memorial Hwy., Lake Lure, NC 28746
            • Daily hours M-F: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., closed 12:00-1:00 p.m.
          • Edneyville – 28727
            • Alternative location: 1800 Four Seasons Blvd., Ste. 11, Hendersonville, NC 28739
              • Daily hours M-F: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
              • Open Saturdays: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
          • Gerton – 28735
            • Alternative location: 1352 Charlotte Hwy., Fairview, NC 28730
              • Daily Hours M-F: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
              • Open Saturdays: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
          • Green Mountain – 28740
            • Alternative location: 670 W. Main St., Burnsville, NC 28714
            • Daily hours M-F: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
            • Open Saturdays: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
          • Marshall – 28753
            • Alternative Location: 270 N. Main St., Weaverville, NC 28787
              • Daily hours M-F: 8:45 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
              • Open Saturdays: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
          • Micaville – 28755
            • Alternative location: 670 W. Main St., Burnsville, NC 28714
              • Daily hours M-F: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
              • Open Saturdays: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
          • Montreat – 28757
            • Alternative location: 2 Tucker Rd., Ridgecrest, NC 28770
              • Daily hours M-F: 12:30-4:30 p.m.
          • Penland – 28765
            • Alternative location: 899 Oak Ave., Spruce Pine, NC 28777
              • Daily hours M-F: 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
              • Open Saturdays: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
        • The following sites are attempting delivery where safe to do so:
          • Arden – 28704
          • Asheville London Rd. – 28803
          • Asheville S&DC – 28810
          • Black Mountain – 28711
          • Brevard – 28712
          • Burnsville – 28714
          • Candler – 28715
          • Clyde – 28721
          • Columbus – 28722
          • East Flat Rock – 28726
          • Etowah – 28729
          • Fairview – 2873
          • Fletcher – 28732
          • Hendersonville Annex – 28792
          • Horse Shoe – 28742
          • Lake Toxaway (cash only/PO box) – 28747
          • Marion – 28752
          • Mars Hill – 28754
          • Old Fort – 28762
          • Rutherfordton – 28139
          • Saluda – 28773
          • Sapphire – 28774
          • Spruce Pine – 28777
          • Tryon – 28782
          • Weaverville – 28787
        • Due to internet outages and connectivity issues, the following sites are providing retail services with cash only, PO Box only:
          • Dana – 28724
          • Enka – 28728
          • Flat Rock – 28731
          • Hendersonville MPO – 28739
          • Lake Lure (OIC) – 28746
          • Little Switzerland – 28749
          • Mountain Home – 28758
          • Naples – 28760
          • Pisgah Forest – 28768
          • Ridgecrest – 28770
          • Skyland – 28776
          • Zirconia – 28790
          • Bostic – 28018
      • Multiple United Parcel Service (UPS) sites continue to be affected by power, flooding, and downed trees/power and lines/storm related obstacles.
        • The Hendersonville and Asheville UPS buildings in North Carolina are currently operational and are being powered by portable generators.
        • Delivery of packages in these areas is increasing as road conditions improve daily.

    • The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response under the Department of Health and Human Services has activated the Emergency Prescription Assistance Program (EPAP) for North Carolinians as of Friday, October 4.
      • The EPAP program helps uninsured residents replace prescription medication or certain medical equipment lost or damaged during Hurricane Helene.
      • Through the program, uninsured residents can:
        • Request a free 30-day supply of certain prescription medications at any EPAP-participating pharmacy which can be renewed every 30 days while the EPAP is active.
        • Replace certain medical equipment and supplies such as canes, crutches, walkers, wheelchairs, blood sugar meters and blood sugar test strips for diabetics.
          • Uninsured North Carolina residents affected by the recent hurricane can call the EPAP hotline, 855-793-7470, or visit the EPAP website to check their eligibility, determine if their medications or medical equipment are covered, or locate a participating pharmacy.
      • Prescription Pad is open from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and filling prescriptions for Yancey County residents at the following location:
        • 730 E. Main St., Burnsville, NC 28714
    • For individuals able to safely travel to fill a prescription, CVS at the following locations are actively open as of October 2:
      • 324 Long Shoals Rd., Arden, NC 28704
      • 505 Smokey Park Hwy., Asheville, NC 28806
      • 371 Asheville Hwy., Brevard, NC 28712
      • 3450 Hendersonville Rd., Fletcher, NC 28732
      • 1605 Four Seasons Blvd., Hendersonville, NC 28792
      • 2001 Spartanburg Hwy., Hendersonville, NC 28792
      • 111 S Main St., Rutherfordton, NC 28139
      • 773 Russ Ave., Waynesville, NC 28786
    • You can also use this link to locate non-CVS pharmacy locations open to the public by county.
    • How to Acquire a Prescription:
      • If a store is closed, you can still call the number and the pharmacy’s phone lines have been rerouted to a nearby CVS Pharmacy that is open to help patients access their prescriptions.
      • Patients can visit any CVS Pharmacy for assistance with immediate prescription needs.

    • There is a field hospital with physicians, nurses and paramedics who can treat patients at the Burnsville Fire Department. The address is as follows:
      • 305 Pineola St., Burnsville, NC 28714
    • The following urgent cares are open and accessible for community members with non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries:
      • Locations open between 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.:
        • Mercy Urgent Care Weaverville
          • 61 Weaver Blvd., Weaverville, NC 28787
        • Mercy Urgent Care West Asheville
          • 1201 Patton Ave., Asheville, NC 28806
        • Mercy Urgent Care Waynesville
          • 120 Frazier St., Ste. 6, Waynesville, NC 28786
      • Locations open between 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.:
        • Mercy Urgent Care Brevard
          • 22 Trust Ln., Brevard, NC 28712
      • Locations open between 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.:
        • Mercy Urgent Care Columbus
          • 140 West Mills St., Columbus, NC 28722
      • Locations open between 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.:
        • Mobile Urgent Care Clinic
          • 12 Florida Ave., Black Mountain, NC 28711
        • Mental Health & Basic Medical Support Center
          • 130 Montreat Rd., Black Mountain, NC 28711
        • Pardee Urgent Care
          • 45 Hendersonville Hwy., Ste. A, Pisgah Forest, NC 28768
      • Locations open from 12:00-5:00 p.m.
        • Hot Springs Elementary School – Art Room (mental health services only)
        • 63 N. Serpentine Ave., Hot Springs, NC 28743

    • Legionnaires, Sons of the American Legion members and Legion Posts that have been displaced from their primary residence due to damage sustained during Hurricane Helene may be eligible for financial assistance through the American Legion.
      • Legionnaires and Sons of the American Legion members may be eligible for up to $3,000.
      • Legion Posts may be eligible for up to $10,000.
        • To learn more or to request assistance, please use this link.
        • Applications must be submitted within 90 days of the disaster: Dec. 26, 2024.
    • The Charles George VA Medical Center in Asheville and Master Sergeant Jerry K. Crump VA Clinic in Forest City are open for essential and emergency services.
      • Veterans can:
        • Visit the Asheville VA Hospital pharmacy for medication refills or:
        • Call the Regional Clinical Contact Center at (855) 679-0074 and press 1 for pharmacy representatives.
      • Local pharmacies in the VA’s community care network will also fill written prescriptions, or prescriptions as they appear on an active VA prescription bottle that is not older than six months and has available refills, to provide a 30-day supply.
    • Hickory and Franklin outpatient VA clinics are now operating regularly.
      • Due to the damage and personal losses caused by Hurricane Helene to the staff of the VA, it will take some time to bring staffing to full capacity.
      • Please be patient as the VA works to rebuild their workforce.

    • The United States Department of Agriculture is beginning to put together a list of resources for farmers and other agricultural industry members.
      • If your agricultural operation has been impacted by Hurricane Helene, you can review this link, farmers.gov, for emergency and disaster assistance programs.
    • On Monday, October 7, at 11:00 a.m., USDA is hosting a virtual briefing to share information on disaster assistance programs.
      • You can join the event on Microsoft Teams using this link.
      • Add the event to your calendar: Google, iCal, or Outlook.

    • 141,000 customers remain without power in Western North Carolina.
    • As work on substations conclude, Duke Energy is moving personnel to work on the power grid’s thousands of miles of lines and poles that serve individual homes and businesses.
      • This work can feel slower because the same amount of work restores fewer customers.
    • For more information on Duke Energy’s power restoration efforts, you can review the following links:

    • A “DO NOT DRIVE” message remains in place from the North Carolina Department of Transportation for most of Western North Carolina.
      • Unless it is an emergency, please do not travel to the hardest hit communities.
      • Cherokee, Graham, Clay and Swain counties ARE FULLY OPEN to people who can access them through safe routes.
        • Please DO NOT try to visit or travel through the areas hardest hit by the storm such as Henderson and Buncombe counties.
    • USDOT approved an initial $100 million in Emergency Repair funds to NCDOT.
      • Damage to our mountain roads exceeds $100 million but USDOT’s investment is a significant and most welcome start.
      • Since Friday, NCDOT has deployed an additional 450 employees to help respond to storm damage.
      • A total of 2,050 DOT employees are working to restore and repair road access in WNC.
      • NCDOT also has more than 50 personnel from neighboring states on the ground providing assistance.
    • There are currently about 650 road closures, 109 of which are to primary routes.
      • About 300 bridges have been identified for further investigation and at least one-third will need to be replaced.
    • NCDOT and Tennessee DOT are collaborating on a long-term plan for reconstruction of I-40 in the Pigeon River Gorge.
      • NCDOT is in the process of contracting a project to stabilize the westbound lanes of I-40 where the eastbound lanes no longer exist to mitigate the risk of further damage.
      • NCDOT is working to expedite these repairs to restore mobility to the area as soon as possible.
    • Air traffic has sustained at 300 percent above pre-hurricane levels in Western NC.
      • NCDOT’s aviation division continue to work to make sure flight operations are safe coming into and out of airports, including by:
        • Scheduling landing/unloading times and aircraft parking so aircraft are spaced out and to reduce the risk of incidents.
        • Establishing a first of its kind “corridors in the sky” to separate civilian and military aircraft in the air.
        • Having search and rescue partners use short, time and location specific restrictions on air operations to enhance safety when multiple helicopters are engaged in search and rescue efforts.
      • The state of North Carolina is NOT turning away civil aviation support so long as it has been coordinated through the proper channels with NC Emergency Management.
        • If you or someone you know is interested in providing civil aviation support and don’t know where to coordinate your efforts, please call my office and we will help you get in touch with the right folks.
    • NCDOT has launched a detour map to show motorists how to get around closures on I-26 and I-40 at the Tennessee border.
      • You can access the map here.

    • Internet providers are working with local energy and cell providers to restore service for customers across Western North Carolina.
    • To mitigate the lack of service, Optimum, formerly Altice USA, has set up an Optimum Wi-Fi Trailer that is open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the following locations:
      • 717 S. Grove St., Hendersonville, NC 28792
      • 1800 Four Seasons Blvd., Hendersonville, NC 28792
    • The following locations are offering free public wi-fi:
      • First Baptist Church – Weaverville
        • 63 N. Main St, Weaverville, NC 28787
      • Downtown Franklin
        • The Town of Franklin has free wi-fi on the town hill area in downtown.
      • Transylvania County Library – 24/7
        • 212 S. Gaston St., Brevard, NC 28712
      • Newfound Artison through today, October 6
        • High-speed internet and charging outlets
        • Available 12:00-5:00 p.m.
      • The Yard Brevard
        • 284 Railroad Ave., Brevard, NC 28712
      • Brevard Visitor Center
        • 175 E. Main St., Brevard, NC 28712
        • Available daily from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

    • Verizon was able to restore service in the Waynesville area.
      • They will be moving the portable cell sites and satellite connections that were in Waynesville to Lake Junaluska, Iron Duff, and other areas north of Waynesville to provide service for the residents and first responders there.
    • Engineers have finally been able to clear access for equipment in Rutherford County near Chimney Rock and Lake Lure.
      • Providers are currently assessing the extent of the damage and starting repairs.
    • Even though you may have service again, you may notice it is different from your pre-storm service.
      • The temporary connection links put in place as a temporary fix while the fiber is being repaired can accommodate smaller amounts of traffic.
        • Network capacity on temporary connection links may be maxed out more frequently, so service providers are encouraging customers to use the network sparingly to maintain room for first responders and community members who still need to reach help or critical resources.
        • Support and recovery personnel are also encouraged to minimize cell usage.
      • Service providers are working to add additional capacity to cell sites and move mobile assets where needed to accommodate data increases, so I am requesting a little more patience on their behalf as providers work to fully restore our community’s network.
    • Cell service providers have implemented disaster roaming for any phone located in Western North Carolina to maximize phone service for all users.
      • Disaster roaming allows users to connect to any mobile network during a disaster when other networks are down.
        • This allows users to access emergency services, such as 911, even when their own network is out.
      • If you have service one moment, but experience a reduction in service the next, try restarting your phone to jumpstart disaster roaming again.
    • UpCycle Tech in Transylvania County is offering free computers and phones for use at the following location:
      • 470 Asheville Hwy., Brevard, NC 28712
    • AT&T has deployed its Mobile Connectivity Center to the following location:
      • Sam’s Club: 645 Patton Ave., Asheville, NC 28806
        • The Mobile Connectivity Center is an air-conditioned mobile unit open to the public, equipped with laptops, charging stations and wi-fi.
        • The public can use the center for various needs including contacting your insurance company, filling out paperwork or connecting with loved ones.
    • Verizon has deployed Wireless Emergency Communication Centers to help hurricane survivors stay connected to their friends, family and other important contacts.
      • Wireless Emergency Communication Centers are generator-powered mobile units that have device charging and computer workstations, along with wireless phones, tablets, and other devices available for use.
      • Verizon’s Wireless Emergency Communication Centers have been set up at the following locations:
        • A-B Technical Community College
          • 340 Victoria Rd., Asheville, NC 28801
        • Asheville YMCA
          • 30 Woodfin St., Asheville, NC 28801
        • Family Justice Center
          • 35 Woodfin St., Asheville, NC 28801
        • Groce United Methodist Church
          • 954 Tunnel Rd., Asheville, NC 28805
      • Verizon also has charging stations at the following locations:
        • YMCA of Western North Carolina
          • 348 Grace Corpening Dr., Marion, NC 28752
            • Two charging stations at this location
        • WNC Agricultural Center
          • 761 Boylston Hwy., Fletcher, NC 28732
            • Three charging stations at this location
        • A-B Technical Community College
          • 340 Victoria Rd., Asheville, NC 28801
          • One charging station at this location
    • T-Mobile has set up satellite cellular on light trucks (SatCOLTs), providing cellular voice and data along with wi-fi and charging stations at the following locations:
      • Asheville Middle School
        • 211 S. French Broad Ave., Asheville, NC 28801
      • Dr. Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center
        • 285 Livingston St., Asheville, NC 28801
      • First Baptist Church
        • 130 Montreat Rd., Black Mountain, NC 28711
    • Additional T-Mobile satellite cell on trucks are located in Hendersonville and at a Tractor Supply Co. in Asheville, with others planned for Mission Hospital in Asheville, Cherokee County Emergency Operations Center in Murphy, and in Cherokee.

    • More than 1,500 North Carolina National Guard soldiers and airmen have been deployed to provide support to Western North Carolina so far.
      • The total number of deployed guardsmen will continue to increase over the coming days.
    • The National Guard has deployed a military liaison officer to each of the affected counties to aid in communication and coordination with each county EMS.
    • Although airspace is limited due to ongoing missions by the National Guard and Department of Defense, a process has been established for private pilots seeking to fly in humanitarian relief to coordinate with local authorities.
      • If you are looking to fly in resources and don’t know where to turn, call my office and we will get you in contact with the right coordinators.
    • On October 2, the Secretary of Defense authorized the movement of up to 1,000 active-duty soldiers, including soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division from Ft. Liberty (formerly Ft. Bragg).
      • Many of these soldiers have arrived in Western North Carolina and are supporting the delivery of food, water and other critical aid to communities impacted by Hurricane Helene.
        • 400 soldiers have already been stationed in Western North Carolina.
        • Hundreds of others are positioned nearby, prepared to assume tasks and missions as they are requested by counties and assigned by NC Emergency Management.
      • The Department of Defense has also committed 22 helicopters to assist with search and rescue operations.
    • Here are a few key phone numbers from the NCNG:
      • HOTLINE: 888-892-1162
      • Emergency management watch: 919-733-3300
      • Donated goods: 919-825-2474
        • These lines have very high call volumes. If you do not get through the first try, keep calling.

    • Asheville Regional Airport closed mid-day on Friday, September 27, due to risk of flooding.
    • Commercial flights at Asheville Regional Airport have resumed.
    • If you parked your car in an Asheville Regional Airport lot and could not retrieve the vehicle due to the storm, great news – none of the airport’s lots flooded and all cars are fine.
      • Stay safe and pick up your car when you are able.
    • PLEASE NOTE:
      • No general aviation pilots are allowed to land at Asheville Regional Airport without prior clearance from FEMA to ensure the safety of aircraft and personnel.
        • Supply deliveries by civilian pilots ARE permitted to land at Asheville Regional Airport so long as they have prior clearance from FEMA.
        • FEMA is not turning away any pilot that has gone through the proper channels to coordinate delivery and ensure the safety of his fellow aircraft and personnel.

    Federal Nutrition Programs

      • SNAP
        • North Carolina was granted a waiver for the 10-day reporting requirement for the replacement of food purchased with SNAP benefits lost because of the hurricane.
        • This waiver provides additional time beyond the standard 10-day time frame for households to report food losses and receive replacement benefits for food that was destroyed and previously purchased with SNAP benefits.
      • Child Nutrition
        • The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction was approved for a waiver pertaining to the child nutrition programs.
          • Under the waiver approval, NCDPI’s local program operators may:
            • Serve meals in a non-congregate setting
            • Adjust the time of meal service
            • Allow parent pick-up
            • Allow service of meals at school sites
      • Food and Nutrition Services Program
        • People and families in North Carolina who are enrolled in the Food and Nutrition Services program can now use their EBT card to purchase hot food.
          • This flexibility will remain in effect until November 3.
      • Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, & Children (WIC)
        • Families participating in WIC who may have relocated to a new area can go to any NC WIC agency to:
          • Have a new eWIC card issued
          • Request replacement breastfeeding supplies or breast pumps
          • Request replacement food that was purchased with current WIC benefits and lost due to Hurricane Helene

    • If you own a medical practice in NC-11 and are experiencing financial hardship due to Hurricane Helene, the North Carolina Medical Society will be reactivating its Financial Recovery Program (FRP) to help you recover and open your doors again.
      • The FRP will be back online to provide much needed assistance soon.
      • More information to follow.
    • The Department of Health and Human Services through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has made available:
      • Accelerated payments to Medicare Part A providers affected by Hurricane Helene
      • Advance payments to Medicare Part B suppliers affected by Hurricane Helene

    • For county leaders: This is a reminder to make sure your Emergency Operation Center has submitted the request for gasoline, food, water, cell service deployables, etc. with North Carolina Emergency Management to have your request processed and resources delivered.
      • My office stands ready to assist with checking the status of your request if the county or municipality has not heard back from NC Emergency Management within 24 hours.

    North Carolina received a Major Disaster Declaration for the following counties: Buncombe, Clay, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania and Yancey counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

    People with damage to their homes or personal property who live in one of the above-listed counties should apply for Individual Assistance through FEMA, which may include upfront funds to help with essential items like food, water, baby formula and other emergency supplies.

    • Funds may also be available to repair storm-related damage to homes and personal property, as well as assistance to find a temporary place to stay.

    Individual Assistance provides financial aid and services to eligible individuals and households that have been affected by a disaster to assist with the recovery process. Individuals can officially begin applying for Individual Assistance online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, or by calling the application phone number at 1-800-621-3362 (TTY: 800-462-7585) between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. EST.

    • To date, FEMA has paid out more than $26 million in housing and other types of assistance to more than 19,000 North Carolina households.

    • Residents trying to connect with family members may call NC 211 (or 1-888-892-1162 if calling from out-of-state) to report missing loved ones or request a welfare check.
    • People in the impacted areas can indicate that they are safe by reporting themselves safe through Red Cross Reunification by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
      • Please only use 911 for life-threatening emergencies so the lines remain open for critical situations.
    • If you are still trying to locate a friend or family member, please complete this form to notify local officials of their missing status.
      • The form was created by Buncombe County but information is being shared amongst all counties.
      • Regardless of which county your loved one was last known to be in, you can still submit the form.
        • Buncombe County will share the information with the appropriate officials to initiate search and rescue efforts.
      • United Way is also fielding missing person/welfare check requests.
        • Text PERSON to 40403 to add a loved one to search and rescue efforts or fill out this form.

    For information on the status of utilities, debris sites, etc., we want to share the following resources. As communications are restored and more information becomes available, these sites will continue to be updated.

      • Filing FEMA claims and appeals (a process which can be overwhelmingly bureaucratic and burdensome)
      • Replacement of lost or destroyed legal and government documents, including driver’s licenses and identification cards
      • Medical and insurance claims
      • Home repair contracts
      • Utility disputes related to restoration of services
      • Consumer protection issues like construction fraud, price-gouging on repairs and identity theft
      • Housing issues such as unlawful eviction and foreclosures
      • Bankruptcy
      • Probate and clearing title for survivors living in generational homes without a clear title
      • Family law cases and children in need of services (unfortunately, domestic violence tends to rise following a natural disaster)
    • If you need civil legal assistance, please contact Legal Aid of North Carolina via the following toll-free hotline:
      • (866) 219-LANC or (866) 219-5262
        • The hotline is available from:
          • 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Monday through Friday; and 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Monday and Thursdays.
        • Constituents can also apply online at legalaidnc.org/get-help/ between 1:00-4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday.

      • IRS has extended various filing deadlines for taxpayers in impacted areas, including 2024 individual/business returns, certain quarterly estimated income tax payments, and certain payroll/excise taxes.
      • Tax relief for qualified payments, disaster-related losses:
        • IRS released provided guidance to taxpayers on how to address disaster-related losses in their 2024 tax return, as well as providing guidance on how qualified disaster relief payments – like government assistance payments – are generally excluded from gross income.

    • For those unable to evacuate to a safe location or in need of a place to go, the following shelters are currently open and available as of October 5:
      • Buncombe
        • A-B Technical Community College
          • 340 Victoria Rd., Asheville, NC 28801
        • Gold’s Gym
          • 801 Fairview Rd, Asheville, NC 28803
        • WNC Agricultural Center
          • 1301 Fanning Bridge Rd., Fletcher, NC 28732
      • Haywood
        • Haywood County Government Armory
          • 285 Armory Dr., Clyde, NC 28781
      • Henderson
        • Edneyville Elementary School
          • 2875 Pace Rd., Hendersonville, NC 28792
        • Henderson County Recreation Center
          • 708 S. Grove St., Hendersonville, NC 28792
      • Madison
        • Madison Early College High School
          • 5374 US Hwy 25-70, Marshall, NC 28755
      •  McDowell
        • Glenwood Baptist Church
          • 1550 Glenwood Baptist Church Rd., Marion, NC 29640
        • YMCA of Western North Carolina
          • 348 Grace Corpening Dr., Marion, NC 28752
      • Polk
        • Polk County High School
          • 1681 NC 108 Hwy. E., Columbus, NC 28722
      • Rutherford
        • Rutherfordton/Spindale Central High School
          • 641 US 221 Hwy. N., Rutherfordton, NC 28139
      • Transylvania
        • Transylvania Parks & Rec
          • 1078 Ecusta Rd., Brevard, NC 28712
      • Yancey
        • Blue Ridge Elementary
          • 910 Cane River School Rd., Burnsville, NC 28714
        • Cane River Middle School
          • 1128 Cane River School Rd., Burnsville, NC 28714

    With my warmest regards,

    Chuck Edwards
    Member of Congress

    MIL OSI USA News

  • MIL-Evening Report: A year of devastation: with hope and trust shattered, what can bring an end to the violence in Israel-Palestine?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eyal Mayroz, Senior Lecturer in Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Sydney

    On October 7 2023, Hamas launched a savage attack on southern Israel, massacring around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 240 people. The following day, I wrote in an analysis for The Conversation:

    For many Palestinians, this weekend’s events offered Israelis a small taste of what their own lives have been like under decades of occupation. However, the early celebrations will likely soon turn into anger and frustration as the numbers of Palestinian civilian casualties will continue to rise. Violence begets violence.

    As the Israeli retaliation had only just begun, no one could have imagined how devastating it would end up being for the people of Gaza. There are now well over 40,000 Palestinians dead, mostly civilians, and countless wounded. Nearly 2 million people have been displaced within the coastal strip.

    The ferociousness of the Israel Defence Forces’ aerial bombings – and its subsequent ground invasion of Gaza – triggered intense global pressure to stop the violence. This was coupled with a worldwide campaign to end Israel’s decades-long illegal occupation of Palestinian territories.

    This popular movement was able to place its agenda at the forefront of the international media’s attention and sustain it there for many months.

    A year later, however, concern for the people of Gaza – and for the dozens of Israeli hostages still locked up in Hamas’ tunnels – has begun to wane. The world’s focus is shifting to the fast-expanding misery along the Israel–Lebanon border, and to a possible full-scale war between Israel and Iran.

    As the fighting in Gaza grinds on with no end in sight, the prospects for resolving the most intractable conflict in the world between Israeli-Jews and Palestinians seem ever dimmer. But is it so?

    One conflict, two peoples and many onlookers

    In a century-long struggle between two societies over the same small parcel of land, the cycle of violence has barely stopped.

    The challenges today remain frustratingly robust – entrenched territorial claims, grave errors by leaders on both sides and many missed opportunities. Years of polarising narratives have also bred mistrust, competing accounts of victimisation, debilitating fears and animosity — to the point of mutual dehumanisation.

    On the Israeli-Jewish side, there’s a strong sense of an existential security threat, compounded by the inter-generational trauma of the Holocaust and ongoing fears of terrorist attacks. This sharply contrasts with Palestinians’ experiences of decades of dispossession, humiliation, continuous rights violations and feelings of abandonment by the world.

    To further undermine a solution to the conflict, religious and radical nationalist influences – on both sides – have turned an already complex, asymmetric conflict into an unyielding impasse.

    Over the years, international failures to help resolve the conflict drove many states to recalibrate their foreign policies away from constructive engagement. Arguably, this was to avoid harmful impacts to their reputations over future failures, or accusations of bias, from one or both sides.

    Fear, victimhood and tit-for-tat revenge

    The 1948 Nakba, or “catastrophe”, followed by decades of oppressive Israeli occupation, have inflicted immeasurable suffering on Palestinians. In turn, this occupation has also inflicted significant and often unappreciated damage to Israel’s social fabric, cohesion, economy, international standing, security and moral stature.

    Hamas’ brutal massacres and Israel’s vicious retaliations have only exacerbated these effects, for both sides. And they are now threatening to extinguish what tiny hope may have existed before October 2023 for a path towards a liveable future for both people.

    Should the tit-for-tat cycle of violence continue, the blowback will hurt not only Israel’s efforts to attain safety and security for its citizens, but the prospects for a political future for the Palestinians, as well.

    Arguably, existential fear may be the most underappreciated and damaging element behind the conflict’s intractability.

    Outside observers tend to view security concerns rationally, and as a national concern, based on the threat to the state or to the people as a whole.

    But in the Israel-Palestine conflict, people react to such fears emotionally, focusing first on their own safety. And the fear is ever-present – a rocket exploding in my house, or my child being shot at by a sniper on the way to school.

    These worries and experiences have been etched in the minds of generations of Palestinians and Israelis. We need to appreciate this fact to make sense of how both sides have dehumanised one another and excluded the “other” from their spheres of moral concern, particularly following the October 7 attack and in the weeks and months after.

    The late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, assassinated in 1995 by a Jewish extremist for engaging in peace efforts, once said you don’t make peace with friends, but with enemies.

    However, absent a minimum sense of safety and trust – if not in the other side, than at least in the mediators and future outside guarantors – the security arrangements required to sustain a peace agreement would be difficult, if not impossible, for both sides to agree on.




    Read more:
    10 books to help you understand Israel and Palestine, recommended by experts


    Entrenched views and dangerous simplifications

    As the war in Gaza has not yet ended, a detailed assessment of the successes and failures of the campaign for a Palestinian state is still ahead of us.

    During the fighting, misinformation and disinformation have been rife. With both sides waging a propaganda war, the manipulation of facts ratcheted up divisions and increased polarisation between “pro-Israel” and “pro-Palestine” groups across the globe.

    Selectively embracing information that could validate one’s own position and omitting or rejecting everything else have become the norm.

    Once we choose a side, we can go to great lengths to defend its actions. Our conditioned responses challenge or cast doubt on any claim or information put forth by the other side. And the more emotionally invested we become, the harder it is for us to empathise with the suffering of the “other”.

    Simplistic misconceptions, for example, that an aggressor cannot also be a victim or vice versa, have added fuel to the fire and to the conflict’s polarisation. This has had negative consequences for empathy, reconciliation, trust and peace-building.

    We could debate without end who has suffered more. But how useful would that be, at this stage, for the prospects of a future peace?

    Despite the strong emphasis in the global debate on the “pro-Palestinian” versus “pro-Israeli” dichotomy, an important reality is that meeting the basic needs of one side could never be achieved without addressing those of the other.

    These needs for peace, safety, security and dignity are mutual. As such, they should be promoted in the public debate over the incompatible needs ramped up by minorities in the two camps.

    Rather than taking sides, efforts should focus on reconciling both parties’ objectives: a ceasefire in Gaza, an end to the unjust occupation, self-determination for Palestinians, and safety and security for Israelis.

    As the future welfare of one side is inextricably linked to the security needs of the other, zero-sum solutions won’t achieve anything. Rather, they will only fan the suspicions, animosities and victimhood grievances on both sides, and lead to more violence.




    Read more:
    Why is the Gaza war tearing us apart?


    It’s the world’s turn

    Most Palestinians and Israelis have lost what little desire or capacity they had prior to October 7 for trusting or empathising with the misery of the other. The anger, fear and suffering today are too overwhelming.

    In the short term, meaningful solutions must come from the outside.

    In addition to a critically needed change of leadership on both sides, it is time for more sincere collaborative efforts by key states in the international community.

    It is time to replace years of empty condemnations with more meaningful and sustained commitments.

    It is time to help both societies, through carrots but also strong sticks, to free themselves from the chokeholds of illusory, all-or-nothing radical ideologies that have brought so much suffering and devastation to all.

    It is time for a better future for both Palestinian and Israeli children, even at the price of painful concessions. And concessions will have to be made on both sides for the promise of a lasting peace.

    To pressure governments to do more, protests should continue, but their voices should call for peace for all and against harming innocents on all sides, regardless of who they are.

    Peace, or at this stage an end to violence, has to come first – even if this would slow down (not prevent!) accountability and justice for all victims.

    Hate comes easily in the face of injustices. It is hard to empathise with the misfortunes of “others” who may or may not have brought their miseries upon themselves. But selective denunciation of crimes perpetrated by the other side, based on one’s support or rejection of a cause, is not only morally flawed, but counterproductive.

    Those who have been severely aggrieved by this human tragedy may struggle to apply the same yardstick to others, certainly in the near future. But the rest of us can, and should, do better.

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

    ref. A year of devastation: with hope and trust shattered, what can bring an end to the violence in Israel-Palestine? – https://theconversation.com/a-year-of-devastation-with-hope-and-trust-shattered-what-can-bring-an-end-to-the-violence-in-israel-palestine-239204

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-Evening Report: Getting antivirals for COVID too often depends on where you live and how wealthy you are

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Breadon, Program Director, Health and Aged Care, Grattan Institute

    CGN089/Shutterstock

    Medical experts recommend antivirals for people aged 70 and older who get COVID, and for other groups at risk of severe illness and hospitalisation from COVID.

    But many older Australians have missed out on antivirals after getting sick with COVID. It is yet another way the health system is failing the most vulnerable.

    Who missed out?

    We analysed COVID antiviral uptake between March 2022 and September 2023. We found some groups were more likely to miss out on antivirals including Indigenous people, people from disadvantaged areas, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

    Some of the differences will be due to different rates of infection. But across this 18-month period, many older Australians were infected at least once, and rates of infection were higher in some disadvantaged communities.

    How stark are the differences?

    Compared to the national average, Indigenous Australians were nearly 25% less likely to get antivirals, older people living in disadvantaged areas were 20% less likely to get them, and people with a culturally or linguistically diverse background were 13% less likely to get a script.

    People in remote areas were 37% less likely to get antivirals than people living in major cities. People in outer regional areas were 25% less likely.

    Dispensing rates by group.
    Grattan Institute

    Even within the same city, the differences are stark. In Sydney, people older than 70 in the affluent eastern suburbs (including Vaucluse, Point Piper and Bondi) were nearly twice as likely to have had an antiviral as those in Fairfield, in Sydney’s south-west.

    Older people in leafy inner-eastern Melbourne (including Canterbury, Hawthorn and Kew) were 1.8 times more likely to have had an antiviral as those in Brimbank (which includes Sunshine) in the city’s west.

    Why are people missing out?

    COVID antivirals should be taken when symptoms first appear. While awareness of COVID antivirals is generally strong, people often don’t realise they would benefit from the medication. They wait until symptoms get worse and it is too late.

    Frequent GP visits make a big difference. Our analysis found people 70 and older who see a GP more frequently were much more likely to be dispensed a COVID antiviral.

    Regular visits give an opportunity for preventive care and patient education. For example, GPs can provide high-risk patients with “COVID treatment plans” as a reminder to get tested and seek treatment as soon as they are unwell.

    Difficulty seeing a GP could help explain low antiviral use in rural areas. Compared to people in major cities, people in small rural towns have about 35% fewer GPs, see their GP about half as often, and are 30% more likely to report waiting too long for an appointment.

    Just like for vaccination, a GP’s focus on antivirals probably matters, as does providing care that is accessible to people from different cultural backgrounds.

    Care should go those who need it

    Since the period we looked at, evidence has emerged that raises doubts about how effective antivirals are, particularly for people at lower risk of severe illness. That means getting vaccinated is more important than getting antivirals.

    But all Australians who are eligible for antivirals should have the same chance of getting them.

    These drugs have cost more than A$1.7 billion, with the vast majority of that money coming from the federal government. While dispensing rates have fallen, more than 30,000 packs of COVID antivirals were dispensed in August, costing about $35 million.

    Such a huge investment shouldn’t be leaving so many people behind. Getting treatment shouldn’t depend on your income, cultural background or where you live. Instead, care should go to those who need it the most.

    Getting antivirals shouldn’t depend on who your GP is.
    National Cancer Institute/Unsplash

    People born overseas have been 40% more likely to die from COVID than those born here. Indigenous Australians have been 60% more likely to die from COVID than non-Indigenous people. And the most disadvantaged people have been 2.8 times more likely to die from COVID than those in the wealthiest areas.

    All those at-risk groups have been more likely to miss out on antivirals.

    It’s not just a problem with antivirals. The same groups are also disproportionately missing out on COVID vaccination, compounding their risk of severe illness. The pattern is repeated for other important preventive health care, such as cancer screening.

    A 3-step plan to meet patients’ needs

    The federal government should do three things to close these gaps in preventive care.

    First, the government should make Primary Health Networks (PHNs) responsible for reducing them. PHNs, the regional bodies responsible for improving primary care, should share data with GPs and step in to boost uptake in communities that are missing out.

    Second, the government should extend its MyMedicare reforms. MyMedicare gives general practices flexible funding to care for patients who live in residential aged care or who visit hospital frequently. That approach should be expanded to all patients, with more funding for poorer and sicker patients. That will give GP clinics time to advise patients about preventive health, including COVID vaccines and antivirals, before they get sick.

    Third, team-based pharmacist prescribing should be introduced. Then pharmacists could quickly dispense antivirals for patients if they have a prior agreement with the patient’s GP. It’s an approach that would also work for medications for chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease.

    COVID antivirals, unlike vaccines, have been keeping up with new variants without the need for updates. If a new and more harmful variant emerges, or when a new pandemic hits, governments should have these systems in place to make sure everyone who needs treatment can get it fast.

    In the meantime, fairer access to care will help close the big and persistent gaps in health between different groups of Australians.

    Grattan Institute has been supported in its work by government, corporates, and philanthropic gifts.

    A full list of supporting organisations is published at http://www.grattan.edu.au.

    ref. Getting antivirals for COVID too often depends on where you live and how wealthy you are – https://theconversation.com/getting-antivirals-for-covid-too-often-depends-on-where-you-live-and-how-wealthy-you-are-239497

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-Evening Report: Australia has an extraordinary 13 million spare bedrooms. Here’s how to use at least some of them to ease the housing crisis

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lyndall Bryant, Lecturer in Property Economics, Queensland University of Technology

    While there’s little relief in sight for Australia’s housing crisis, with new projects years away from completion, there appear to be as many as 13 million unused spare bedrooms across the country.

    In a new briefing paper for the QUT Centre for Justice I suggest that, at least in the interim, these spare rooms ought to be part of the solution.

    Here’s where you find them. The census says about 3.2 million Australian homes have one spare bedroom, another 3 million have two spare rooms and 1.2 million have three spare bedrooms or more.

    They are more common in the homes of older than younger Australians.

    A survey by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute found that more than three-quarters of homeowners aged 74 and older had spare rooms compared to less than two-thirds of homeowners aged 55 and younger.

    These older owners are often “asset rich and income poor”. Most rely at least in part on the age pension and could do with the income that would come from renting out a room, so long as it didn’t cut into their pension or present them with a capital gains tax bill when their home is eventually sold.

    My work suggests these fears are largely unfounded, even though it’s hard to convince many older Australians of that.

    Rent needn’t mean income tax

    The Tax Office has long provided for “domestic arrangements” and other arrangements where board and lodging provided at non-commercial rates is not considered assessable income for taxation purposes.

    The downside is that expenses are not tax deductible.

    These arrangements are said to occur when all residents including the owner bear an appropriate proportion of the costs actually incurred on food, electricity, heating and other costs of running the home.

    “Homestay” for international students is an example. Homestay hosts can receive about $350 per week for providing a fully furnished room, main meals and utilities in an arrangement the Tax Office has ruled need not be taxable.

    Rent needn’t cut off the pension

    All pensioners are currently eligible for the work bonus scheme that allows additional earnings of up to $504 a fortnight for singles and $660 per fortnight for couples without loss of any pension.

    It ought to be easy enough to apply the scheme to rent as well as income from work, as it arguably already does given that renting out spare bedrooms is a form of self-employment and hence “work”.

    As important would be making pensioners aware of any changes or clarifications to the rules in a way that normalised “taking in boarders”.

    Rent needn’t mean capital gains tax

    Anecdotal evidence suggests homeowners fear that renting out a spare bedroom will make their home liable for the capital gains tax that applies to rented properties when they are eventually sold.

    While this may be true in some situations, it is somewhat of an urban myth, and the amounts of tax involved can be small.

    According to the Tax Office

    • capital gains tax only applies to properties bought after September 20 1985

    • any gain is taxed only at the marginal rate in the year the property is sold

    • only half of each gain is taxed

    • gains can be offset against capital losses

    • only the net gain is taxed after costs.

    And capital gains tax only applies for the portion of the home that is rented out, and for the portion of time it is rented out.

    In my paper I explain how an apparent capital gain of $100,000 is taxed less where a room is only let for one year in five and is one of three bedrooms in the home, cutting the taxable capital gain to just $3,333.

    If the very concept of the calculation remains a barrier, it might be possible to offer homeowners who let out rooms a short-term “capital gains tax holiday” for the next three to five years while new housing stock is being built.

    Rules for safety and boarder matching essential

    Another barrier is concern about safety, both personal and financial for older homeowners. Surprisingly, there are few rules governing boarding, with tenancy legislation saying little, forcing homeowners and tenants to rely on common law.

    Australians letting out rooms need legislated protections from elder abuse and spurious claims of cohabitation and other rights.

    Tenant matching and management systems could make the process simpler.

    Imagine being able to walk into your local real estate agency and list your spare room to rent. If the agency offered boarder management services you could outline your preferences and ask it to put forward a list of candidates to interview.

    Good matches would provide benefits for both older Australians and younger companions. Boarder management could become a new business model for real estate agents as well as non-profits.


    Please note: This article does not provide tax or financial advice. It is general in nature and should not be relied on for taxation or financial purposes.

    Lyndall Bryant 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. Australia has an extraordinary 13 million spare bedrooms. Here’s how to use at least some of them to ease the housing crisis – https://theconversation.com/australia-has-an-extraordinary-13-million-spare-bedrooms-heres-how-to-use-at-least-some-of-them-to-ease-the-housing-crisis-239490

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-Evening Report: Australia is hosting the world’s first ‘nature positive’ summit. What is it, and why does it matter?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Lowe, Director, Environment Institute, University of Adelaide

    MPIX, Shutterstock

    This week, Australia hosts the inaugural Global Nature Positive Summit in Sydney. It comes at a crucial time: biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse is one of the biggest risks the world faces in the next decade.

    The event, which begins tomorrow, brings together leaders from government, business, academia, environment groups and Indigenous Peoples. Together, they will seek ways to drive investment in nature and improve its protection and repair.

    More than half the world’s economy directly depends on nature. Biodiversity loss threatens global financial stability, putting at least US$44 trillion (A$64 trillion) of economic value at risk.

    Industries such as agriculture, fishing, forestry, tourism, water and resources rely heavily on nature. But ultimately, all of humanity depends on the natural world – for clean air, water, food, and a liveable climate.

    In Australia significant investment is needed to reverse the decline in our natural environment. It will require action from governments, landholders and the private sector.

    That’s why this week’s summit is so important. Nature conservation and restoration is expensive and often difficult. The task is beyond the capacity of governments alone.

    What’s going on at the summit?

    According to the World Economic Forum, “nature positive” is an economic worldview that goes beyond limiting environmental damage and aims to actually improve ecosystems.

    Under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, to which almost 200 countries have signed up, at least 30% of land and waters must be protected or restored by 2030. The summit is exploring ways to realise this global commitment, which is also known as the 30×30 target.

    The federal and New South Wales governments are co-hosting the event.

    Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek will address the summit on day one, outlining her government’s Nature Positive Plan. It commits to the 30×30 target as well as “zero new extinctions”. Achieving these commitments involves environmental law reform, setting up a Nature Repair Market and establishing a national Environment Protection Agency.

    Delegates are expected to demonstrate their commitment and progress towards the 30×30 goal. They will then turn to the main point of the summit: building consensus on the economic settings needed to increase private investment in nature.

    Finance models and corporate partnerships are on the agenda, along with how to make this work, including how to measure, monitor and report on progress and manage risk.

    Sessions will focus on specific sectors of the environment such as agriculture and farming, cities, oceans and forests. On Thursday, delegates will visit nature sites around Sydney.

    Creating a market to incentivise biodiversity investment | 7.30.

    Investing in a market for nature repair

    Substantial co-investment from the private sector, including landholders, will be required to repair and protect nature at the scale required.

    Market-based approaches can drive private investment in natural resources. But most existing environmental markets focus on water and carbon. A more holistic approach, including nature repair, is needed.

    Australia’s Nature Positive Plan includes building a nature repair market. This world-first measure is a legislated, national, voluntary biodiversity market in which individuals and organisations undertake nature repair projects to generate a tradeable certificate. The certificate can be sold to generate income. Demand for certificates is expected to grow over time.

    But the role the government will take remains unclear. For example, will the government both regulate market prices and decide what, in a scientific sense, amounts to repairing nature?

    On day two, the summit explores how nature markets can unlock new sources of finance. We can expect this discussion to include ways carbon and biodiversity markets can work together: so-called “carbon-plus” outcomes.

    For example, when landholders conserve vegetation, the plants can both draw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and provide habitat for animals, preventing biodiversity loss. Markets could be designed so landholders are rewarded for achieving these dual results.

    Significant economic returns

    Under optimistic estimates, the global nature-positive transition will unlock business opportunities worth an estimated US$10 trillion (almost A$15 trillion) a year and create 395 million jobs by 2030.

    The potential benefits for Australia are also substantial. They include benefits to nature such as restoring habitat for wildlife, while storing carbon. It can also provide returns for agriculture, by improving land value, yield and quality.

    A strong nature-positive stance from Australia will also help safeguard our access to global markets. For example, the European Union has already established trade barriers to imports that damage forests. This could have serious consequences for the Australian beef industry.

    So the potential benefits have to be weighed against the risks of not doing anything. The summit is a chance to get a wide range of people on board, working towards a shared vision of a more positive future.

    It’s time for a nature-positive mindset

    The Albanese Labor government came to power promising to overhaul Australia’s national environment laws, following a scathing independent review.

    When the summit was conceived, the government may have envisaged having cause for celebration by now. But some proposed reforms stalled in the Senate.

    Nonetheless, the Nature Repair Market, a significant government win, is taking shape.

    This week’s summit offers Australia an opportunity to show the world we have embraced the nature-positive mindset. There really is no time to waste.

    Australia, the sixth most biodiverse country in the world, has listed 2,224 species and ecological communities as threatened with extinction. These losses are predicted to escalate if we continue business as usual and allow continued decline of ecosystems.

    Despite having pledged to end deforestation by 2030, Australia is the only deforestation hotspot among developed nations. Land clearing continues apace in northern Australia, often without being assessed under national environmental laws.

    We desperately need to reverse the decline in nature, once and for all.

    Andrew Lowe receives funding from a range of national and international funding sources including the Australian Research Council, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, The International Tropical Timber Organization.

    This article was crafted following conversations with the Advisory Committee of the Nature Positive Economy CRC bid, including Daisy Mallett – Lawyer / International Abitrator; Ian Overton – Principal, Natural Economy Consulting; Professor Hugh Possingham – University of Queensland; Nicki Hutley – Climate Council; Cheryl Hayman – Beston Global Food Company; Robert Waterworth – FLINTPro; Kate Andrews – NRM Regions Australia; Tim King – Melior Investment Management; Peter Boyd – Rozetta Institute; David Shelmerdine – ClimateWorks; Wendy Mackay – Pollination Group; Tim Jarvis – Fauna & Flora International; Jody Gunn – Australian Land Conservation Alliance; Joshua Bishop – University of Sydney; Phil Duncan – University of Canberra; Dr Paul Dalby – Rozetta Project Director.

    ref. Australia is hosting the world’s first ‘nature positive’ summit. What is it, and why does it matter? – https://theconversation.com/australia-is-hosting-the-worlds-first-nature-positive-summit-what-is-it-and-why-does-it-matter-236236

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-OSI Global: The chemistry behind beer brewing is still shrouded in mystery, but tiny microfluidic chips could change that

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Katherine Elvira, Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair, Department of Chemistry, University of Victoria

    As the brewing industry expands and new beer styles, such as hazy pale ales, emerge, brewers are constantly looking for new ways to analyze the composition of their beers to preserve the carefully crafted sensory quality of their products.

    However, analyzing how the molecules in beer affect its flavour is challenging because of the sheer amount of different types of molecules present in the beverage. To address this issue, our research team at the University of Victoria has developed a user-friendly lab-on-a-chip device to investigate how we can add more hop flavours to beer by making oil-in-beer emulsions.

    Lab-on-a-chip, or microfluidic, technologies are tiny devices usually made from a transparent, rubbery material that can be used to transport and analyze liquids in pipes the size of a human hair.

    While these technologies are not commonly used in the food sciences, they are perfectly suited for the creation of emulsions, which are widely used in the food industry. Emulsions are formed by creating tiny drops of one liquid in another immiscible liquid.




    Read more:
    Microfluidics: The tiny, beautiful tech hidden all around you


    For example, salad dressing is usually made by mixing oil and vinegar, a water-like liquid. Oil and water do not mix, so to create an oil-in-vinegar emulsion, a stabilizer like mustard or egg is added. This allows tiny oil drops to be suspended in the vinegar, giving a pleasant texture to the salad dressing.

    Similarly, in beer, hop oils (essential oils from hops) are stabilized in the water-like beer. Understanding the type of molecule responsible for this stabilization could help brewers create more highly hop-flavoured beers.

    Katherine Elvira explains how her lab makes and uses microfluidic devices. Video by Julian Sketchley.

    Creating a new method

    Brewing beer requires a precise understanding of four main ingredients: malted barley, hops, water and yeast. Each of these ingredients contains a complex mixture of components, and their interactions, while used by humans for thousands of years, are still not well-understood chemically.

    The wealth of ingredients in beer makes it hard to tease out the behaviour and interactions of specific molecules, and how these relate to the flavour and composition of the beverage. Each ingredient interacts with others in complex ways, influencing the brewing process and the final product.




    Read more:
    Brewing Mesopotamian beer brings a sip of this vibrant ancient drinking culture back to life


    This is where our lab-on-a-chip device comes in. Our research, conducted in lead author Katherine Elvira’s laboratory at the University of Victoria’s Department of Chemistry, was done in collaboration with local microbrewery Phillips Brewing and Malting Co.

    The new method for making oil-in-beer emulsions was developed by undergraduate students Danielle Hanke, Jaling Kersen, Alexandra Schauman, Caitland Stagg and Nicole York, and graduate students Alex McDonald, Jaime Korner and Kaitlyn Ramsay.

    Together, they created a simple microfluidic platform designed to be usable by non-experts in the academic and industrial sectors, making it a valuable tool for advancing the science of brewing.

    Unlocking new possibilities

    Our research explored the role of gluten, a protein present in beer, in stablizing hop oil emulsions. By gaining a better understanding of this, brewers can fine-tune the composition of their ingredients to influence the final visual and sensory quality of beer.

    We tested two different hop oils, alpha-terpene and linalool, that are commonly present in hoppy beers. The two hop oils differed in droplet stability with protein and enzyme treatment, suggesting this effect may also be dependent on the type of hop oils present.

    This research could help brewers decide which types of grains and hops to include in their hazy beers — a style characterized by their cloudy appearance and strong hop flavour — to create the most shelf-stable and flavoursome beers.

    The future of brewing

    Our beer-on-a-chip platform can be used to generate experimental conditions that reflect full-scale brewing operations on a smaller, more manageable scale. By doing this, we can gain better insight into the brewing process, which still contains many chemical mysteries.

    Traditionally, these technologies have not been widely used in the brewing industry, but our research shows how microfluidic platforms can be more widely used in the food sciences to study emulsions.

    Whether it’s developing new beer styles, improving the shelf life of existing ones or enhancing flavour profiles, this technology could become an invaluable tool for brewers worldwide. Future work on microfluidic brewing may yet reveal more interesting and delicious insights into brewing.

    Alex McDonald, a graduate of the Master of Science in Chemistry program from the University of Victoria, co-authored this story.

    Katherine Elvira received funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Engage program to fund this research.

    ref. The chemistry behind beer brewing is still shrouded in mystery, but tiny microfluidic chips could change that – https://theconversation.com/the-chemistry-behind-beer-brewing-is-still-shrouded-in-mystery-but-tiny-microfluidic-chips-could-change-that-238182

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-OSI Global: Canada has always had a ‘tap on, tap off’ immigration policy aimed primarily at filling jobs

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Thomas Klassen, Professor, School of Public Policy and Administration, York University, Canada

    The federal government will soon announce its immigration plan and immigration levels for the next three years. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals have already signalled, however, that the number of immigrants will decline from the levels of the past several years.

    The government has been under fire for its immigration policy and must move carefully with a federal election likely next year. The increase in housing costs is cited by critics as consequence of too many immigrants arriving in Canada over a short period of time.




    Read more:
    What’s behind the dramatic shift in Canadian public opinion about immigration levels?


    Sharp increases and decreases in the number of immigrants are nothing new in Canada’s history. Historically, immigration policy has been “tap on, tap off,” with immigration levels increased when the unemployment rate falls and reduced when unemployment rises. Immigration has always been thinly veiled labour market policy; that is, a way to fill jobs.

    Influx of immigrants

    In 1913, an estimated 400,900 immigrants arrived in Canada, accounting for five per cent of the country’s population. At that time, the government sought farmers to settle the Prairies and allow the western expansion of Canada.

    It took more than a century — until 2021 under Trudeau — before a larger number of immigrants was accepted in a single year; 406,000 were admitted.

    But those who came in 2021 accounted for only one per cent of the nation’s much larger population, rather than five per cent in 1913.

    When the Liberals came to power in late 2015, the national unemployment rate was seven per cent and dropping. By 2019, it was under six per cent, a level not experienced for nearly half a century.

    The economy was humming with low unemployment and inflation, allowing the immigration tap to be turned on. From 2017-19, 300,000 immigrants were accepted each year, but from 2021 to 2023, that increased to a record high of about 430,000 annually.

    In the past decade, employers have benefited from high levels of immigration and voiced few complaints. Businesses know that labour costs are kept low when immigrants flood into the job market.

    International students

    What has made the nation’s immigration policy distinct under Trudeau is that the tap has also been turned on for international students. These students are not immigrants, but rather are allowed to enter Canada and, initially, remain only during the time they are studying.

    In the past several decades Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States have become extraordinarily attractive for college and university students.

    Middle-class families in China, India, Brazil and other countries are willing to spend what is required to send their children to study abroad.

    Universities and colleges covet international students as a source of income since they pay twice or more what local students pay in tuition.

    The additional income earned by post-secondary institutions from international students has allowed provincial governments to limit tuition fee increases for Canadian students. For example, the Ontario government reduced tuition fees by 10 per cent in 2019 and has kept tuition frozen for local students ever since.

    Permanent citizenship pathways

    When the Liberals came to power, there were about 300,000 international students in Canada. Last year, that number reached one million. Immigration rules were tweaked in the past decade to open paths to permanent citizenship for some international students and their families.

    Some believe the combination of high immigration rates and a large number of international students has created an unsustainable situation as housing costs in many parts of Canada increase significantly over the past several years.




    Read more:
    International students are not to blame for Canada’s housing crisis


    Suddenly, earlier this year, the federal government placed limits on the number of student visas it would issue annually to reduce the flow of students coming from abroad. Provinces and educational institutions were furious, especially by the lack of advance notice and the loss of expected revenues.

    However, rapid swings in immigration policy are a feature of Canada’s history. After welcoming 400,000 immigrants in 1913, only 10 per cent of that number were granted entry five years later.

    Sharp U-turns

    The causes that necessitated the recent sharp U-turn in the number of international student visas — and limiting the pathways to students and their dependants to become immigrants — are instructive.

    The federal government ignored the fact that colleges and universities were not equipped for the massive ramp-up of foreign student enrolment. Some post-secondary institutions, particularly those operated for profit, took advantage of incoming students by providing sub-standard education.

    A closer monitoring of the impact of high numbers of international students would have allowed the federal government to more gradually adjust the visa tap. More consultation between all levels of government would have permitted problems to quickly reach the appropriate decision-makers.

    Moving forward, the federal government would do well to better monitor the impacts of immigration levels. More consultation with other levels of government, employers and stakeholders will result in more gradual adjustments to the number of newcomers who are — and always have been — critical to Canada’s economic and cultural successes.

    Thomas Klassen 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. Canada has always had a ‘tap on, tap off’ immigration policy aimed primarily at filling jobs – https://theconversation.com/canada-has-always-had-a-tap-on-tap-off-immigration-policy-aimed-primarily-at-filling-jobs-239896

    MIL OSI – Global Reports

  • MIL-Evening Report: Could NZ foreign policy be Trumped? Why the government will be hoping Kamala Harris wins the US election

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert G. Patman, Professor of International Relations, University of Otago

    Getty Images

    One of the political ironies of the race for the White House is that the foreign policy interests of New Zealand’s centre-right government are probably best served by Democratic candidate Kamala Harris winning.

    Since the end of World War II, all New Zealand governments have supported multilateralism and an international rules-based order enshrined in the institutions of the United Nations.

    The relationship with the United States has reflected that, and tends to outlast the periodic fluctuations associated with changes in government and policy in Wellington or Washington.

    New Zealand’s current National-led coalition inherited close relations with the US, too. American visitor numbers were second only to Australians last year. The US is our third largest export market. And the two countries remain strategically linked within the Five Eyes intelligence sharing arrangement.

    Nevertheless, one of the key foreign policy goals of the coalition is to strengthen alignment with traditional allies such as the US. Given the very different worldviews of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, the November 5 election will have a large bearing on how successful any push for closer relations with the US can be.

    Closer relations in the balance

    On the one hand, Republican candidate Trump is opposed to multilateral institutions, unless they explicitly serve US national interests. And he wants to reverse the impact of globalisation by constraining immigration, free trade and global governance.

    Nationalist slogans like “America First” promise a return to a so-called golden era of patriotism and sovereignty: a top-down world where the greatest power of all is unencumbered and free to assert its dominance.

    On the other hand, Harris would seem to support a more traditional US foreign policy agenda. This recognises the importance of international institutions and alliances in a world where “isolation is not insulation”.

    Whoever occupies the White House next, then, is likely to have a significant impact on New Zealand foreign policy.

    Isolation and dominance: Trump plays the immigration card at Republican National Convention in July 18.
    Getty Images

    Power plays and the Pacific

    First, Trump’s belief in an international system run by great powers would seem to be a recipe for depriving smaller states like New Zealand of a voice on international issues that affect them.

    Second, New Zealand’s regional focus on ties with Pacific Island nations – underpinned by close people-to-people links and a significant proportion of the country’s overseas development aid programme – is more likely to be complemented by a Harris foreign policy.

    Outgoing president Joe Biden reversed decades of US neglect of much of the Pacific, which had played to the advantage of other external powers – notably China.

    The Biden team launched the annual US-Pacific Islands Summit in 2022. And Kamala Harris played an active role in delivering US$800 million in development and climate assistance to Pacific Island nations in 2022-23.

    Whether Trump will maintain this enhanced diplomatic and economic engagement in the Pacific (and elsewhere) is questionable. Similarly, after Biden rejoined the Paris Climate Accord, Trump will probably quit it for a second time.

    Kamala Harris hosts Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House in September.
    Getty Images

    AUKUS and Ukraine

    Third, the New Zealand government faces the delicate task of navigating relations with an increasingly assertive China – the country’s biggest trade partner – while pursuing its goal of moving closer to the US.

    Since March 2023, successive New Zealand governments have been considering joining an arrangement to share advanced defence technologies under pillar two of the AUKUS security partnership that aims to deter a rising China in the Indo-Pacific region.

    It remains to be seen how China would react if New Zealand did join. But Trump’s insistence on US primacy in any multilateral agreement could make it more difficult for the government to win domestic support for pillar two membership.

    Even outside the AUKUS debate, Trump is more likely to insist allies spend more on defence than they did traditionally.

    Fourth, New Zealand has a big stake in the failure of Russia’s attempted annexation of Ukraine. Wellington’s interests are clearly more in line with Harris’ pledge to maintain support for Ukraine to restore its territorial integrity.

    Trump’s promise to end the war within 24 hours, on the other hand, could probably only be achieved by giving Vladimir Putin what he wants.

    The Middle East and the UN

    Finally, there do not seem to be substantive policy differences between Trump and Harris on the catastrophic situation in Gaza, and increasingly Lebanon.

    There remains a slim possibility a Harris administration might recognise unconditional support for the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu is not sustainable for a superpower whose foreign policy is supposed to be driven by universal values and respect for international law.

    But this would be near impossible for Trump. Indeed, he would probably provide Netanyahu with even greater support.

    Overall, the foreign policy interests of the National-led coalition seem to align more with a Harris presidency than one led by Trump.

    But even if Harris wins, the alignment of interests will not be perfect. US exceptionalism – an informal ideology that claims the nation is a political exemplar for the rest of the world – and Washington’s veto power in the UN security Council are likely to remain constraining factors on the New Zealand-US relationship.

    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. Could NZ foreign policy be Trumped? Why the government will be hoping Kamala Harris wins the US election – https://theconversation.com/could-nz-foreign-policy-be-trumped-why-the-government-will-be-hoping-kamala-harris-wins-the-us-election-240538

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Vital help passes pub test

    Source: Ministers for Social Services

    The pub test has been part of the Australian vernacular for… well, maybe since the Hope and Anchor opened in Hobart in 1807 and the first bloke to down a schooner regaled the room with his opinion.

    And we all know that alcohol can have a loosening effect on people speaking their mind, so since then pubs have probably seen enough opinions to fill 1000 Sydney Harbours.

    Today though, we use the “pub test” expression to mean what any reasonable person might think about a particular situation. What the average Australian may think is or isn’t a good idea.

    It’s been the question many a politician has asked themselves if trying to gauge the temperature of their electorate on tricky issues.

    Perhaps we could even update the term to be called the “hairdresser test”.

    Recently there has been a lot of talk about whether the supports and programs funded by the National Disability Insurance Scheme pass the pub test. I’ll be blunt. Some of them simply do not.

    Most people would tell me I was dreaming if I told them that tarot cards, clairvoyance, wilderness therapy, and cuddle therapy are among the things we had to specify were definitely not being funded by the taxpayer. Can you imagine those things being discussed in the front bar?

    And look, there are very few people on the scheme currently getting cuddle therapy, but we want to put certain therapies beyond all reasonable doubt.

    That is why I have released lists of what NDIS participants can and cannot spend their funding on.

    The lists, which came into effect from October 3, update current guidelines and practices and, importantly, provide much needed clarity and certainty to participants and providers.

    So, no more guessing. Participants will be able to identify what is appropriately funded by the NDIS, and what NDIS funding can be used to purchase.

    But I want to run through a few things the scheme has not and will not pay for.

    It will not pay a participant’s rent, rental bond, home deposit or mortgage. It will not pay for donations, tithes, gifts or political contributions. It will not pay for fines, penalties or court ordered amounts. It will not pay for spa baths, saunas, steam rooms.

    It will not pay for groceries in the ordinary course of events.

    I can’t state it any more clearly that the lists are about putting the rorting and the exploitation of grey areas by some unscrupulous providers behind us.

    This scheme is going to be run properly, transparently – and this is the most important part – in the best interests of participants.

    I want every cent designed to get positive outcomes for participants to go to the participant. Not find its way into the pocket of a dodgy provider.

    I want to stress that very few providers are directing NDIS funds towards iffy supports and services but there are some who think that a scientific or evidentiary basis for therapies is optional.

    It’s not.

    The lists are part of the amendments introduced under the Getting the NDIS Back on Track Bill No.1, which passed Parliament in August.

    These changes are the next key step in returning the NDIS to its original intent and improving the scheme experience for every participant.

    The lists were finalised after a significant month-long public consultation, with the Department of Social Services, which undertook the consultation, receiving 6180 survey responses, 919 email responses and 120 submissions from organisations and peak bodies.

    Importantly, there will be a transition period for the first year of the new NDIS supports lists to ensure participants aren’t penalised for simple mistakes.

    That transition period will not apply to things which are already unlawful to spend your NDIS money on now, including illicit drugs, sex workers and alcohol.

    And there is also a substitution list which will allow participants to request a replacement support in cases where a standard household item might be able to provide better outcomes and value.

    We know the NDIS is changing lives of participants and their loved ones.

    The NDIS helps young people such as Ken in WA who has Down syndrome, to go to work at Coles. Or Karan from Melbourne, blind and partially deaf, who accesses NDIS supports for assistive technology to live and work independently. While Koen from Sydney uses his NDIS supports to play and coach wheelchair basketball.

    The scheme also helps some short-statured people get modifications for their car so they can drive and live independently.

    I want to acknowledge at this point that many participants are feeling uncertain about these change but the supports being accessed by the vast majority of people will not be impacted by the revised lists which are based on existing guidance.

    The Australian people are fiercely protective of the NDIS, as they are of Medicare. But we must be mindful that we are using taxpayer’s money and we must use it as responsibly as possible.

    Since the lists were announced, around 95 per cent of comments about the news and correspondence I’ve received are very supportive of the changes.

    I hope our quest to make the NDIS fairer and more sustainable has passed the national pub test.

    “This scheme is going to be run properly, transparently, in the best interests of participants.”

    Originally published in The West Australian Monday 7 October 2024.

    MIL OSI News

  • MIL-Evening Report: Kamala Harris maintains narrow lead in key states in US presidential race

    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 on November 5. In analyst Nate Silver’s aggregate of national polls, Democrat Kamala Harris leads Republican Donald Trump by 49.3–46.2, a slight gain for Trump since last Monday, when Harris led Trump by 49.3–46.0.

    Joe Biden’s final position before his withdrawal as Democratic candidate on July 21 was a national poll deficit against Trump of 45.2–41.2.

    In economic data, the US added 254,000 jobs in September and the unemployment rate slid 0.1% to 4.1%. The unemployment rate had peaked at 4.3% in July.

    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 Electoral College favourite in Silver’s model.

    In the key states, Harris remains ahead in Silver’s poll aggregates by one to two points in Pennsylvania (19 electoral votes), Michigan (15), Wisconsin (ten) and Nevada (six). If Harris wins these four states, she probably wins the Electoral College by at least 276–262. Trump leads by 0.5 points in North Carolina (16 electoral votes), one point in Georgia (16) and 1.2 points in Arizona (11).




    Read more:
    Kamala Harris the slight favourite to win US election as she narrowly leads in key states


    In Silver’s model, Harris has a 56% chance to win the Electoral College, unchanged since last Monday’s article. The FiveThirtyEight model was more favourable to Harris in September, but now gives her a 55% chance to win. It’s close to a 50–50 probability for either candidate, but Harris remains a slight favourite.

    There are still more than four weeks to go until the election, so there’s time for the polls to change and for one candidate to have a decisive Electoral College advantage on election day. Or the polls could be understating either Harris or Trump, in which case the candidate that benefits from the poll error could have a decisive win.

    Thumping lead for LNP in Queensland

    The Queensland state election is on October 26. A Freshwater poll for The Financial Review, conducted September 26–29 from a sample of 1,067, gave the Liberal National Party (LNP) a 56–44 lead, a five-point gain for the LNP since the previous Freshwater poll in July 2023.

    Primary votes were 43% LNP (up three), 30% Labor (down four), 12% Greens (up one), 8% One Nation (up one) and 7% for all Others (down one).

    Labor Premier Steven Miles had a net approval of -5, while LNP leader David Crisafulli had a +15 net approval. Crisafulli led Miles by 46–38 as preferred premier.

    The poll asked about the federal leaders’ Queensland ratings, with Anthony Albanese at net -17, while Peter Dutton was at net zero. Queensland is a Coalition-friendly state at federal elections relative to the national results.

    Federal Newspoll quarterly data

    On September 30, The Australian released aggregate data for the four Newspolls taken from July to September, which had a combined sample size of 5,035. The Poll Bludger said the Coalition led in New South Wales by 51–49, unchanged on the June quarter.

    In Victoria, Labor led by 52–48, a two-point gain for the Coalition. In Queensland, the Coalition led by an unchanged 54–46. In Western Australia, Labor led by an unchanged 52–48. In South Australia, Labor led by 54–46, a one-point gain for Labor.

    The Poll Bludger’s BludgerTrack data shows the results by educational attainment. In the September quarter, Labor led by 53–47 among university-educated people, a one-point gain for Labor. With TAFE-educated people, there was a 50–50 tie, a one-point gain for the Coalition. Those with no tertiary education favoured the Coalition by 51–49, a one-point gain for the Coalition.

    Coalition gains lead in Morgan poll

    A national Morgan poll, conducted September 23–29 from a sample of 1,668, gave the Coalition a 51–49 lead, a 1.5-point gain for the Coalition since the September 16–22 Morgan poll.

    Primary votes were 38% Coalition (up 0.5), 30% Labor (down two), 13.5% Greens (up one), 4.5% One Nation (down 0.5), 9.5% independents (steady) and 4.5% others (up one).

    The headline figure uses respondent preferences. But if preferences were assigned using the 2022 election flows, Labor led by 51.5–48.5, a 0.5-point gain for the Coalition. There was an unusually large gap last week between the two measures.

    Resolve poll on Middle East conflict

    Voting intentions have not yet been released from a national Resolve poll for Nine newspapers that was conducted October 1–5 from a sample of 1,606. Regarding the political response in Australia to the Middle East conflict, 22% thought Dutton and the Liberals had responded best, 18% Albanese and Labor and 6% Adam Bandt and the Greens, while 55% said none had responded best or were unsure.

    On Australia’s actions, 23% thought we should voice in-principle support for Israel, 12% Gaza and 65% both or none. On accepting refugees, 52% don’t want any refugees accepted, 24% would accept refugees from either Israel or Gaza, 13% Gaza only and 11% Israel only.

    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. Kamala Harris maintains narrow lead in key states in US presidential race – https://theconversation.com/kamala-harris-maintains-narrow-lead-in-key-states-in-us-presidential-race-240117

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-Evening Report: Why a portrait of a former NRL great could spark greater concussion awareness in Australia

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Townsend, Research Fellow, UQ School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, The University of Queensland

    A new portrait of NRL legend Wally Lewis conveys a striking message about the consequences of brain trauma in sport.

    The portrait, created by visual artist Jamie van Leeuwen in cooperation with Lewis, is currently entered in the 2024 Brisbane Portrait Prize.

    It uses artificial intelligence (AI) and traditional photography to depict Lewis contemplating his own brain, prompting viewers to consider the consequences of athletes subjecting their bodies (and brains) to a lifetime of physical trauma in contact sports.

    It further suggests that art has an important role to play in science communication.

    Heavy lies the crown

    Lewis is one of Queensland’s most beloved figures and one of Australia’s greatest rugby league players.

    His intelligence was matched by a rugged playing style. He thrilled crowds by appearing to relish hard tackles and seeking confrontation.

    Lewis’ State of Origin performances for Queensland, the Australian representative team, and multiple clubs earned him the nickname “The King” and the “Emperor of Lang Park,” where he is celebrated with a life-size statue.

    In short, it is difficult to overstate the affection many Queenslanders have for Lewis and the magnitude of his reputation in the Australian rugby league community.

    The King speaks

    Although rugby league gave a lot to Lewis, it also took a heavy toll.

    After retiring he moved into broadcasting, becoming the long-term sports anchor for Channel Nine in Queensland.

    In late 2006, he had two successive epileptic episodes on live television.

    Following the second episode, Lewis announced publicly that he had been diagnosed with epilepsy during his playing career but hid the condition for decades. He further revealed his epilepsy was caused by repeated concussions.

    Wally Lewis has spoken out about his epilepsy struggles.

    More recently, Lewis has become one of the most prominent figures in the broader conversation around brain trauma in sport, particularly following his 2023 diagnosis of traumatic encephalopathy syndrome (TES), the symptomatic precursor of the brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

    This diagnosis is likely linked to his lifetime accumulation of brain trauma in rugby league.

    Who is listening?

    Many Australian sports and athletes are being impacted by concussion, with a cacophony of experts and advocates attempting to make themselves heard.

    Scientists, researchers, doctors, athletes, parents, families, and politicians are all straining to communicate the potentially serious consequences of brain trauma to the sporting public.

    This portrait of Lewis cuts through the noise and conveys a complex and sometimes controversial narrative: the neurological consequences of contact sport can outweigh its benefits.

    This is a particularly fraught conversation in light of a recent study that argued the opposite.

    The King’s Battle

    The portrait conveys the duality of contact sport in an instant.

    As the artist states, the meaning of the piece is “about legacy […] both sides of legacy.”

    Lewis’ successes are evidenced by the 1987 Maroons jersey he wears and the crown atop his head.

    The costs are equally visible.

    His wearied expression, the blood and grime on his collar and the disembodied brain resting in his palms prompt the viewer to imagine Lewis’s thoughts.

    Is he re-imagining past victories? Planning an uncertain future? Harbouring fears for his fellow athletes?

    After viewing the image for the first time, Lewis said:

    It pretty much tells the story straight away […] there is great hope in the future that I’m going to be able to deal with some of the difficulties.

    The image is emotionally freighted in a way that researchers and medical practitioners usually try to avoid, particularly in discussions about sports concussion where advocates for player safety have been accused of being overly emotional or scare-mongering.

    The King’s Battle reminds us brain trauma is an emotional issue as much as a scientific one.

    As ANU science media researcher Matt Ventresca says, some of the most effective advocates for player welfare are former and current athletes who “in the absence of scientific certainty, express fear about the health of their brains.”

    Art and the future of science

    Arts and science are often viewed as contradictory, but creative expressions like The King’s Battle should play a role in science communication.

    Think Susan Sontag’s brilliant essay Illness as Metaphor or the haunting lyrical description of cancer in Blood by Australian band The Middle East.

    “Blood”, by Australian indie band The Middle East, became the band’s signature song.

    The concussion crisis is a potent space for artistic representation – the 2015 film Concussion starring Will Smith is a landmark in public perceptions of brain trauma in sport.

    The upcoming ABC television program Plum also tells the story of a brain damaged former sports star.

    A 2024 portrait of former Australian NFL player Colin Scotts shows the consequences of a life in contact sport.

    Artistic representations such as The King’s Battle are important because they bring home the consequences of brain trauma in ways that traditional science communication struggles to achieve.

    It reminds us that understanding the emotion of health is just as important as understanding its scientific and medical aspects.

    For CTE researchers, van Leeuwen’s portrait also carries abstract echoes of another hope for the future.

    His use of AI technology to disembody Lewis’ brain in the artwork is reminiscent of current methods of CTE diagnosis: post-mortem removal and dissection of the brain.

    The difference in The King’s Battle is that Lewis can look on the damage done to his brain while still very much alive.

    In much the same way, we hope in the near future that technological advances will allow us to see CTE in the brains of living athletes and help them to live better lives with the disease.

    Alan Pearce is currently unfunded. Alan is a non-executive director for the Concussion Legacy Foundation (unpaid position) and Adjunct research manager for the Australian Sports Brain Bank (unpaid position). He has previously received funding from Erasmus+ strategic partnerships program (2019-1-IE01-KA202-051555), Sports Health Check Charity (Australia), Australian Football League, Impact Technologies Inc., and Samsung Corporation, and is remunerated for expert advice to medico-legal practices.

    Stephen Townsend 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. Why a portrait of a former NRL great could spark greater concussion awareness in Australia – https://theconversation.com/why-a-portrait-of-a-former-nrl-great-could-spark-greater-concussion-awareness-in-australia-238882

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-Evening Report: NASA is launching a major mission to look for habitable spots on Jupiter’s moon Europa

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Lloyd, Research Fellow, ARC CoE Plants for Space, School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia

    Illustration of the spacecraft above Europa’s icy surface. NASA/JPL-Caltech

    On October 10, NASA is launching a hotly anticipated new mission to Jupiter’s fourth-largest moon, Europa.

    Called Europa Clipper, the spacecraft will conduct a detailed study of the moon, looking for potential places where Europa might host alien life.

    It’s the largest planetary exploration spacecraft NASA has ever made: as wide as a basketball court when its solar sails are unfolded. It has a mass of about 6,000 kilograms – the weight of a large African elephant.

    But why are we sending a hulking spacecraft all the way to Europa?

    Looking for life away from Earth

    The search for life in places other than Earth usually focuses on our neighbour Mars, a planet that’s technically in the “habitable zone” of our Solar System. But Mars is not an attractive place to live, due to its lack of atmosphere and high levels of radiation. However, it’s close to Earth, making it relatively easy to send missions to explore it.

    But there are other places in the Solar System that could support life – some of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Why? They have liquid water.

    Here on Earth, water is the solvent of life: water dissolves salts and sugars, and facilitates the chemical reactions needed for life on Earth to proceed. It’s possible life forms exist elsewhere that rely on liquid methane or carbon dioxide or something else, but life as we know it uses water.

    The reason there’s liquid water so far out in the Solar System is because Jupiter and Saturn, the gas giants, wield immense gravitational power over their moons.

    Saturn’s moons, Titan and Enceladus, are stretched and compressed by gravity as they go around their host planet. This movement results in vast underground oceans with a surface of solid ice, with plumes of water vapour exploding 9,600 kilometres from the surface.

    It is strongly suspected that Europa is the same. While we know a lot about Europa from more than four centuries of observation, we have not confirmed it has an under-ice liquid ocean like Titan and Enceladus.

    But all clues point to yes. Europa has a smooth surface despite being hit by many meteors, suggesting the surface is young, recently replaced. Ice volcanoes raining down water over the surface would make sense.

    It also has a magnetic field, suggesting that like Earth, Europa has a liquid layer inside (on Earth, this liquid is molten rock).

    This artist’s concept (not to scale) shows what Europa’s insides might look like: an outer shell of ice, perhaps with plumes venting out; a deep layer of liquid water; and a rocky interior, potentially with hydrothermal vents on the seafloor.
    NASA/JPL-Caltech

    What will Europa Clipper do?

    At the surface, Europa is bombarded by high levels of space radiation, concentrated by Jupiter. But deeper down, the thick ice sheet could be protecting life in the liquid subsurface ocean.

    This means it would be difficult for us to find concrete evidence for life without drilling down deep. But where to look? Through flybys of the icy moon, Europa Clipper will be looking at areas where life could be dwelling under the icy shell.

    To achieve this, Europa Clipper has nine scientific instruments. These include a wide-angle camera to study geologic activity and a thermal imaging system to measure surface texture and detect warmer regions on the surface.

    There’s also a spectrometer for looking at the chemical composition of the gases and surface of Europa, and for any explosive plumes of water from the surface. The mission also has tools for mapping the moon’s surface.

    Other instruments will measure the depth and salt levels of the moon’s ocean and the thickness of its ice shell, and also how Europa flexes within the strong gravitational pull of Jupiter.

    Excitingly, a mass spectrometer will analyse the gases of the moon’s faint atmosphere and potential plumes of water. By examining the material ejected from the plumes, we can understand what is hidden within the under-ice oceans of Europa.

    A dust analyser will also look at matter that has been ejected from Europa’s surface by tiny meteorites or released from the plumes.

    Unfortunately, we will have to wait a while for any discoveries. Europa Clipper will take more than five years to reach Jupiter. And the mission is only equipped to look for the potential of life, not life itself. If we see evidence that might point towards life, we will need future missions to return and explore Europa in depth.

    So we must be patient. But this is an exciting opportunity for humanity to get one step closer to find life beyond our own home planet.

    James Lloyd 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. NASA is launching a major mission to look for habitable spots on Jupiter’s moon Europa – https://theconversation.com/nasa-is-launching-a-major-mission-to-look-for-habitable-spots-on-jupiters-moon-europa-239928

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-Evening Report: Is owning a dog good for your health?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tania Signal, Professor of Psychology, School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, CQUniversity Australia

    Pogodina Natalia/Shutterstock

    Australia loves dogs. We have one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world, and one in two households has at least one dog.

    But are they good for our health?

    Mental health is the second-most common reason cited for getting a dog, after companionship. And many of us say we “feel healthier” for having a dog – and let them sleep in our bedroom.

    Here’s what it means for our physical and mental health to share our homes (and doonas) with our canine companions.

    Are there physical health benefits to having a dog?

    Having a dog is linked to lower risk of death over the long term. In 2019, a systematic review gathered evidence published over 70 years, involving nearly four million individual medical cases. It found people who owned a dog had a 24% lower risk of dying from any cause compared to those who did not own a dog.

    Having a dog may help lower your blood pressure through more physical activity.
    Barnabas Davoti/Pexels

    Dog ownership was linked to increased physical activity. This lowered blood pressure and helped reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease.

    The review found for those with previous heart-related medical issues (such as heart attack), living with a dog reduced their subsequent risk of dying by 35%, compared to people with the same history but no dog.

    Another recent UK study found adult dog owners were almost four times as likely to meet daily physical activity targets as non-owners. Children in households with a dog were also more active and engaged in more unstructured play, compared to children whose family didn’t have a dog.

    Exposure to dirt and microbes carried in from outdoors may also strengthen immune systems and lead to less use of antibiotics in young children who grow up with dogs.

    Children in households with a dog were often more active.
    Maryshot/Shutterstock

    Health risks

    However, dogs can also pose risks to our physical health. One of the most common health issues for pet owners is allergies.

    Dogs’ saliva, urine and dander (the skin cells they shed) can trigger allergic reactions resulting in a range of symptoms, from itchy eyes and runny nose to breathing difficulties.

    A recent meta-analysis pooled data from nearly two million children. Findings suggested early exposure to dogs may increase the risk of developing asthma (although not quite as much as having a cat does). The child’s age, how much contact they have with the dog and their individual risk all play a part.

    Slips, trips and falls are another risk – more people fall over due to dogs than cats.

    Having a dog can also expose you to bites and scratches which may become infected and pose a risk for those with compromised immune systems. And they can introduce zoonotic diseases into your home, including ring worm and Campylobacter, a disease that causes diarrhoea.

    For those sharing the bed there is an elevated the risk of allergies and picking up ringworm. It may result in lost sleep, as dogs move around at night.

    On the other hand some owners report feeling more secure while co-sleeping with their dogs, with the emotional benefit outweighing the possibility of sleep disturbance or waking up with flea bites.

    Proper veterinary care and hygiene practices are essential to minimise these risks.

    Many of us don’t just share a home with a dog – we let them sleep in our beds.
    Claudia Mañas/Unsplash

    What about mental health?

    Many people know the benefits of having a dog are not only physical.

    As companions, dogs can provide significant emotional support helping to alleviate symptoms of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress. Their presence may offer comfort and a sense of purpose to individuals facing mental health challenges.

    Loneliness is a significant and growing public health issue in Australia.

    In the dog park and your neighbourhood, dogs can make it easier to strike up conversations with strangers and make new friends. These social interactions can help build a sense of community belonging and reduce feelings of social isolation.

    For older adults, dog walking can be a valuable loneliness intervention that encourages social interaction with neighbours, while also combating declining physical activity.

    However, if you’re experiencing chronic loneliness, it may be hard to engage with other people during walks. An Australian study found simply getting a dog was linked to decreased loneliness. People reported an improved mood – possibly due to the benefits of strengthening bonds with their dog.

    Walking a dog can make it easier to talk to people in your neighbourhood.
    KPegg/Shutterstock

    What are the drawbacks?

    While dogs can bring immense joy and numerous health benefits, there are also downsides and challenges. The responsibility of caring for a dog, especially one with behavioural issues or health problems, can be overwhelming and create financial stress.

    Dogs have shorter lifespans than humans, and the loss of a beloved companion can lead to depression or exacerbate existing mental health conditions.

    Lifestyle compatibility and housing conditions also play a significant role in whether having a dog is a good fit.

    The so-called pet effect suggests that pets, often dogs, improve human physical and mental health in all situations and for all people. The reality is more nuanced. For some, having a pet may be more stressful than beneficial.

    Importantly, the animals that share our homes are not just “tools” for human health. Owners and dogs can mutually benefit when the welfare and wellbeing of both are maintained.

    Tania Signal 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. Is owning a dog good for your health? – https://theconversation.com/is-owning-a-dog-good-for-your-health-238888

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Provisional Driver caught driving 80km/hr over the speed limit

    Source: Tasmania Police

    Provisional Driver caught driving 80km/hr over the speed limit

    Monday, 7 October 2024 – 11:03 am.

    A 17-year-old male p-plater from Cygnet has been charged with reckless driving and aggravated evade after he was observed travelling south on the Southern Outlet, Kingston, about 9.30pm on 18 September at high speed.
    Police attempted to intercept the vehicle; however, it continued at speed and weaved between other motorists to avoid police.
    The youth was observed travelling at approximately 160km/hr in an 80km/hr zone.
    He was later intercepted and arrested.
    Police are continuing to investigate the incident and are calling for motorists who witnessed a Black Ford Fiesta or who have dashcam footage of the dangerous driving at the time to come forward.
    Anyone with information is asked to contact Tasmania Police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers Tasmania on 1800 333 000 or crimestopperstas.com.au. Information can be provided anonymously. Please quote OR754261.

    MIL OSI News

  • MIL-Evening Report: People don’t like a ‘white saviour’, but does it affect how they donate to charity?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Hoffmann, Professor of Economics, Tasmanian Behavioural Lab, University of Tasmania

    Shutterstock

    Efforts to redress global inequality are facing an unexpected adversary: the white saviour. It’s the idea that people of colour, whether in the Global South or North, need “saving” by a white Western person or aid worker.

    An eclectic mix of white activists have been publicly accused of being white saviours for trying to help different causes in the Global South. They include celebrities who adopted orphaned children, organised benefit concerts such as Live Aid, or called out rights abuses.

    Others include professional and volunteer charity workers and journalists reporting on poverty in Africa. Even activism at home can earn the white saviour label, like efforts to refine the proposal for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament in Australia.

    We conducted a series of studies with 1,991 representative Australians to find out what people thought made a white saviour, how charity appeal photographs create this impression, and how it affected donations.

    White saviourism and charities

    The concern is that white people’s overseas charity, even when well-meaning, can inadvertently hurt rather than help the cause. It could perpetuate harmful stereotypes of white superiority, disempower local people, or misdirect resources to make helpers feel good rather than alleviating genuine need.

    The fear of being labelled a white saviour could make people think twice about giving time or money to worthy causes. It might stop aid organisations using proven appeals to raise donations they need.

    Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), for instance, released a video apologising for using photos depicting white people in aid settings and which aren’t representative of the majority local staff they employ.

    Therein lies the dilemma: white donors can relate to photos of white helpers, but this is easily interpreted as white savourism.

    What makes someone a white saviour?

    Very little research exists into exactly what white saviourism means. Broadly, it seems to describe people in the Global North who support international causes for selfish reasons, to satisfy their own sentimentality and need for a positive image. We wanted to go deeper.

    In the first of our studies, we showed our participants 26 photographs depicting different Global South aid settings with a white helper.

    The helpers that participants thought of as highly “white saviour” typically had these characteristics:

    • they appeared to be privileged and superior

    • they gave help sentimentally and tokenistically

    • they conformed to the colonial stereotype of the helpless local and powerful foreigner.

    Further analysis showed these characteristics boil down to two essential features: ineffectiveness of the help and entitlement of the helpers.

    These two perceptions of the white saviour explain the problem for charity. Behavioural economics research has identified two main reasons for donating, and these perceptions undermine both.

    Why do people donate at all?

    So to see how much white saviourism affects charities, we need to know why people donate in the first place.

    One reason for giving is pure altruism, the desire to help others with no direct benefit to oneself. The effective altruism movement encourages people to make every donated dollar count – getting the maximum bang for the buck in terms of measurable outcomes for those in need.

    The difficulty for effective altruists is in assessing the impact of different charities vying for their donations. There are now websites that list charities by lives saved per dollar donated.




    Read more:
    How white saviourism harms international development


    Alternatively, donors might look at a charity’s appeal images for clues of how effectively it will use their dollars.

    Depicting white people as saviours can create the impression of tokenistic aid that only serves the helper’s sentimental needs. Evidence shows people resent impure motives in others (including organisations) and might try to penalise them.

    Behavioural economics research also shows, as you might expect, that some people are more concerned about themselves than others when giving. This is known as “warm glow” giving.

    Warm glow givers have several self-serving motivations. They include giving to gain self-respect or social status.

    People also have a desire to meet their social obligations. For richer folks this could include charitable giving. And giving can reduce guilt they might feel about their privilege.

    Just like the effective altruist, the warm glow giver could be put off by any sign of white saviourism. They don’t want to be seen to be endorsing it.

    Do people still donate?

    All this suggests that seeing a white saviour depiction in a charitable appeal will make people donate less.

    We examined this in another study, in which participants were shown each of the previous photos. This time they were asked, for every photo, if they were willing to donate to a charity that uses it.

    And as we thought, the photos previously rated as high in white saviourism had low intentions to donate.

    Participants were shown photos of white aid workers in the Global South.
    Shutterstock

    But intentions do not always equal actions, as psychologist have demonstrated for many years.

    To overcome this, we measured real donations in another study. Again participants saw the same photos, but this time they had the chance to donate part of their participation fee to a real charity when seeing them.

    What we found surprised us: the white saviour effect disappeared. How high a photo was on the white saviour scale had no impact on how much participants donated when seeing it.

    Does the end justify the motivation?

    Our results summarise the dilemma. Donors might object to white saviourism by charities, but in the end feel that it’s the help that counts, not the motivation behind it.

    We found some evidence for this when we asked participants about their general views of white saviourism.

    Almost 70% agreed that white saviour motives are common in Western help and that this was problematic for recipients. But interestingly, only 42% thought helpers with these motives deserved criticism.

    Together, this might suggest that people feel white saviour help is better than no help. There are voices in the charity community who echo this sentiment: imposing conditions on charitable giving will serve to reduce it.

    In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Elise Westhoff, president of the Philanthropy Roundtable in the United States, said “by imposing those ‘musts’ and ‘shoulds’, you really limit human generosity”.

    But this doesn’t mean there are no legitimate concerns. There are, but it’s not hard for charities to address them.

    Our results show that white saviour perceptions do not affect actual donations, so read another way, suggests charities can safely replace highly white saviour images without losing donations for their causes.

    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. People don’t like a ‘white saviour’, but does it affect how they donate to charity? – https://theconversation.com/people-dont-like-a-white-saviour-but-does-it-affect-how-they-donate-to-charity-239307

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Plenty of fun to be had at FunLoong Fun Day

    Source: State of Victoria Local Government 2

    Hargreaves Mall and part of Williamson Street will be bursting with free activities and live entertainment as part of the City of Greater Bendigo’s 2024 FunLoong Fun Day from 11am to 2pm on Saturday October 19.

    City of Greater Bendigo Healthy Communities and Environments Director Stacy Williams said FunLoong Fun Day is an inclusive event that celebrates National Children’s Week with a great range of free activities and live entertainment for children and families to enjoy.

    “It is one of the most well attended and anticipated annual events for local children and their families,” Ms Williams said.

    “We expect to see big numbers again this year and encourage everyone to come along and enjoy this free family event and all the fun that it offers.”

    Highlights of the 2024 FunLoong Fun Day program include face painting, animal petting zoo, bubble fun, safe archery, Lego play, airbrush tattoos, henna painting, toy library, slot cars, craft activities, waste sorting and garbage truck, free fruit, giveaways and more.

    There will be a Welcome to Country and didgeridoo performance on the live stage.  As well as other live performances by Central Victorian Lion Team and Academy of Creative Arts.  Don’t miss the Alice in Wonderland Show and the roving characters.

    The Open Street in Williamson Street will feature The Zone big baller, laser tag, meltdown challenge, gymnastics and bike riding, and try-out skateboarding activities as well as displays by Ambulance Victoria, CFA and Victoria Police.

    The Kangaroo Flat Rotary Club will be selling sausages and vegie burgers for only $2 each and the Coliban Water refill station will also be available for people to refill their water bottles.

    This is a not to be missed annual event with plenty of free fun on offer for local families.

    MIL OSI News

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Experts call for resilient and inclusive trade at WTO chairs conference in India

    Source: WTO

    Headline: Experts call for resilient and inclusive trade at WTO chairs conference in India

    Speaking at the opening of the conference in the presence of the IIFT Vice-Chancellor, Professor Rakesh Mohan Joshi, WTO Deputy Director-General Xiangchen Zhang stressed the importance of the WTO Chairs Programme (WCP) network in fortifying the multilateral trading system and guiding both current and future trade negotiations. “Trade negotiations cannot succeed if only a few voices are heard,” he said. “Every country, regardless of size or wealth, has a stake in the system and should actively shape its future. Universities and academic institutions such as the WTO Chairs have a critical role to play.”
    Ajay Bhadoo, Additional Secretary of the Department of Commerce in India, highlighted the rapid transformation of the global trade environment, driven by factors such as digital trade, sustainability goals, and supply chain resilience. “Asia and Africa are at the nexus of these changes,” he noted, emphasizing that these regions are pivotal in driving the next phase of global trade expansion, which must be inclusive, sustainable and equitable.
    Throughout the conference, participants engaged in discussions on critical issues, including regional approaches to international trade, with experts calling for stronger connections between regions to promote “re-globalization” in the face of current global challenges.
    Another key topic of discussion was the role of digital technology in empowering marginalized groups, including small businesses, women, and youth. Participants highlighted the WCP’s efforts in building resources to support this goal, stressing the need for inclusive digital policies.
    The conference also explored how international trade could support sustainable climate actions, particularly in the areas of clean energy, agricultural sustainability, and green industrial policies. The vital importance of minerals essential for the transition to net-zero emissions, as well as the need for climate-resilient agricultural trade policies, was also discussed.
    Ambassador Senthil Pandian, India’s Permanent Representative to the WTO, commended the WTO chairs’ efforts in advancing international trade knowledge across all regions. “This conference has underscored the immense potential within Asia and Africa and the opportunities to forge stronger partnerships to develop capacity in trade,” he said.
    France’s Permanent Representative to the WTO, Ambassador Emmanuelle Ivanov-Durand, also emphasized the value of knowledge exchange. “It is even more valuable between countries from different continents where interests can be understood differently but where strong partnerships can be found,” she said. France is the largest donor of the WCP.
    Ambassador Jung Sung Park, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the WTO, reaffirmed the importance of collaboration between Asia and Africa, which together account for approximately half of the WTO’s membership. He stressed that evidence-based research is crucial to shaping a more inclusive and sustainable global trade system, and praised the WCP for its role in bridging academia, policymakers and the public.
    Julian Storm, Economic Counsellor  at the Australian High Commission in India, represented Australia, a donor to the WCP, at the event. “Australia believes global trade must be inclusive, and growth must benefit developing economies,” he stated. “The best way to achieve this is by ensuring we have a WTO that is durable, fit for purpose, and works for all.”
    The conference concluded with remarks from Satya Srinivas, Additional Secretary of the Department of Commerce in India and chief negotiator for the India-European Union free trade agreement, who praised the event for encouraging critical discussions on governance and sustainable development, particularly within the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
    The WTO Chairs Programme seeks to foster research, build capacity, and facilitate meaningful dialogue on international trade issues among policymakers and key stakeholders. This conference laid a robust foundation for future collaboration between the WTO, the Government of India and the wider regions of Asia and Africa, paving the way for strengthened partnerships and deeper engagement in shaping the global trade landscape.

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    MIL OSI Economics

  • MIL-Evening Report: XEC is now in Australia. Here’s what we know about this hybrid COVID variant

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lara Herrero, Research Leader in Virology and Infectious Disease, Griffith University

    Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock

    Over the nearly five years since COVID first emerged, you’d be forgiven if you’ve lost track of the number of new variants we’ve seen. Some have had a bigger impact than others, but virologists have documented thousands.

    The latest variant to make headlines is called XEC. This omicron subvariant has been reported predominantly in the northern hemisphere, but it has now been detected in Australia too.

    So what do we know about XEC?

    Is COVID still a thing?

    People are now testing for COVID less and reporting it less. Enthusiasm to track the virus is generally waning.

    Nonetheless, Australia is still collecting and reporting COVID data. Although the number of cases is likely to be much higher than the number documented (around 275,000 so far this year), we can still get some idea of when we’re seeing significant waves, compared to periods of lower activity.

    Australia saw its last COVID peak in June 2024. Since then cases have been on the decline.

    But SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, is definitely still around.

    Which variants are circulating now?

    The main COVID variants circulating currently around the world include BA.2.86, JN.1, KP.2, KP.3 and XEC. These are all descendants of omicron.

    The XEC variant was first detected in Italy in May 2024. The World Health Organization (WHO) designated it as a variant “under monitoring” in September.

    Since its detection, XEC has spread to more than 27 countries across Europe, North America and Asia. As of mid-September, the highest numbers of cases have been identified in countries including the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Denmark.

    XEC is currently making up around 20% of cases in Germany, 12% in the UK and around 6% in the US.

    The virus behind COVID continues to evolve.
    Photo by Centre for Ageing Better/Pexels

    Although XEC remains a minority variant globally, it appears to have a growth advantage over other circulating variants. We don’t know why yet, but reports suggest it may be able to spread more easily than other variants.

    For this reason, it’s predicted XEC could become the dominant variant worldwide in the coming months.

    How about in Australia?

    The most recent Australian Respiratory Surveillance Report noted there has been an increasing proportion of XEC sequenced recently.

    In Australia, 329 SARS-CoV-2 sequences collected from August 26 to September 22 have been uploaded to AusTrakka, Australia’s national genomics surveillance platform for COVID.

    The majority of sequences (301 out of 329, or 91.5%) were sub-lineages of JN.1, including KP.2 (17 out of 301) and KP.3 (236 out of 301). The remaining 8.5% (28 out of 329) were recombinants consisting of one or more omicron sub-lineages, including XEC.

    Estimates based on data from GISAID, an international repository of viral sequences, suggests XEC is making up around 5% of cases in Australia, or 16 of 314 samples sequenced.

    Queensland reported the highest rates in the past 30 days (8%, or eight of 96 sequences), followed by South Australia (5%, or five out of 93), Victoria (5%, or one of 20) and New South Wales (3%, or two of 71). WA recorded zero sequences out of 34. No data were available for other states and territories.

    What do we know about XEC? What is a recombinant?

    The XEC variant is believed to be a recombinant descendant of two previously identified omicron subvariants, KS.1.1 and KP.3.3. Recombinant variants form when two different variants infect a host at the same time, which allows the viruses to switch genetic information. This leads to the emergence of a new variant with characteristics from both “parent” lineages.

    KS.1.1 is one of the group commonly known as “FLiRTvariants, while, KP.3.3 is one of the “FLuQE” variants. Both of these variant groups have contributed to recent surges in COVID infections around the world.

    The WHO’s naming conventions for new COVID variants often use a combination of letters to denote new variants, particularly those that arise from recombination events among existing lineages. The “X” typically indicates a recombinant variant (as with XBB, for example), while the letters following it identify specific lineages.

    We know very little so far about XEC’s characteristics specifically, and how it differs from other variants. But there’s no evidence to suggest symptoms will be more severe than with earlier versions of the virus.

    What we do know is what mutations this variant has. In the S gene that encodes for the spike protein we can find a T22N mutation (inherited from KS.1.1) as well as Q493E (from KP.3.3) and other mutations
    known to the omicron lineage.

    Will vaccines still work well against XEC?

    The most recent surveillance data doesn’t show any significant increase in COVID hospitalisations. This suggests the current vaccines still provide effective protection against severe outcomes from circulating variants.

    As the virus continues to mutate, vaccine companies will continue to update their vaccines. Both Pfizer and Moderna have updated vaccines to target the JN.1 variant, which is a parent strain of the FLiRT variants and therefore should protect against XEC.

    However, Australia is still waiting to hear which vaccines may become available to the public and when.

    In the meantime, omicron-based vaccines such as the the current XBB.1.5 spikevax (Moderna) or COMIRNATY (Pfizer) are still likely to provide good protection from XEC.

    It’s hard to predict how XEC will behave in Australia as we head into summer. We’ll need more research to understand more about this variant as it spreads. But given XEC was first detected in Europe during the northern hemisphere’s summer months, this suggests XEC might be well suited to spreading in warmer weather.

    Lara Herrero receives funding from NHMRC.

    ref. XEC is now in Australia. Here’s what we know about this hybrid COVID variant – https://theconversation.com/xec-is-now-in-australia-heres-what-we-know-about-this-hybrid-covid-variant-239292

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-Evening Report: What are the greatest upsets in NRL grand final history?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wayne Peake, Adjunct research fellow, School of Humanities and Communication Arts, Western Sydney University

    The Penrith Panthers and Melbourne Storm will contest the National Rugby League (NRL) grand final on Sunday.

    Betting markets have them pretty much equal favourites. However, history shows grand finals don’t always go to plan.

    But what are the biggest upsets in NRL grand final history?

    Using a combination of formlines during the season and in finals, betting odds, media coverage and past performances, here are some of the most outlandish upsets in rugby league’s history.

    1944: Balmain 12, Newtown 8

    In 1944, Newtown was the minor premier while Balmain was second.

    Newtown entered the finals series as hot favourite and looked even hotter after destroying third-placed St George 55–7 in the first semi-final.

    However, in the final, Balmain won 19–6. That wasn’t the end of the story, though.

    Under the rules of the day, Newtown, as minor premier, could seek a rematch in a grand final “challenge”.

    Newton fielded a much stronger side and most expected it to reverse the final result. However, Balmain won again, 12–8.

    1952: Western Suburbs 22, South Sydney 12

    In 1952, Wests were minor premiers, while Souths finished third.

    Souths won the first semi-final 18–10 but Wests, as minor premiers, went straight to the grand final challenge three weeks later anyway. Meanwhile, Souths beat North Sydney to advance.

    According to the Sydney Truth, Wests were “regarded in some quarters as rank outsiders”.

    Then, rumours spread that Wests had “thrown” the first game and the referee assigned to the decider, George Bishop, had placed £400 on them, causing their price to shorten.

    Bishop sent off a player from each team ten minutes into the second half. Souths scored a try with 20 minutes to go to take the lead before Wests scored four tries in the last ten minutes to win.

    Bishop retired after the grand final.

    1963: St George 8, Western Suburbs 3

    In 1963, St George was minor premiers, while Wests were second. However, Wests, which had lost the previous two grand finals to St George, had beaten them twice in the regular rounds and again in the major semi-final, and went into the game favourite.

    On grand final day, the field deteriorated into a quagmire and led to the famous post-match “gladiators” photograph of captains Arthur Summons and Norm Provan shaking hands while coated in mud.

    The foul conditions contributed to a low-scoring game, which St George won 8–3.

    Once more it was suspected the referee, this time Darcy Lawler, had a financial interest in the outcome. He, too, retired immediately.

    Today we view St George’s victory in the context of a huge winning streak of premierships from 1955 to 1966.

    1989: Canberra 19, Balmain 14

    South Sydney had been minor premiers while Balmain finished third, one point clear of Canberra.

    Balmain were generally considered to have been more impressive than Canberra and were favourites for the grand final.

    One media expert, Harry Craven, was so confident Balmain would win he had his “weatherboard” (house) on the Tigers.

    In the grand final, Balmain led 14-8 with 15 minutes to play before Canberra levelled at 14–14 with 90 seconds remaining.

    After 20 minutes of extra time, Canberra won 19–14 and became the first team to win from further back than third in the regular season.

    1995: Canterbury 17, Manly 4

    Possibly the hottest grand final favourites of the past half-century, Manly lost just two games in the regular season and shared the minor premiership with Canberra.

    Canterbury (officially, the “Sydney Bulldogs” in 1995) were sixth and needed to win four straight games to be premier.

    The two sides met once in the regular season, with Manly winning 26-0.

    In the grand final, the Bulldogs led 6–4 at half-time and disaster loomed when Terry Lamb was sin-binned early in the second term.

    Somehow, the Dogs held Manly out until his return, then gained the ascendancy and won comfortably.

    1997: Newcastle 22, Manly 16

    In 1997 we had the first season of the News Limited-funded “Super League”.

    The glamourous Manly side was once more expected to be easy winners over Newcastle, which was contesting its first grand final.

    Only two teams in 70 years had won at their first attempt, while Manly had won its past 11 matches against the Knights.

    The grand final followed its anticipated plot until Newcastle’s Robbie O’Davis evened the score at 16–16. Newcastle missed with two field goal attempts, but after the second, Darren Albert regathered the ball and pierced the Manly defence to score under the posts with six seconds remaining.

    In 1997, the Newcastle Knights secured a maiden title against the Manly Sea Eagles.

    1999: Melbourne 20, St George Illawarra 18

    Odds for the 1999 grand final are unknown but the press anointed St George “hot favourites” while Canterbury champion Ricky Stuart rated them “unbeatable”.

    Melbourne was in just its second year of NRL competition and had never beaten St George.

    Melbourne had pulled off “escapes” against Canterbury and Parramatta to make the decider but the Saints were winning with ease and even crushed Melbourne 34–10 in the qualifying final.

    In the decider, St George led 14–0 and was looking good. Then, in the 51st minute, Anthony Mundine kicked the ball to a vacant try line but fumbled it touching down.

    The Melbourne Storm shocked the NRL world when they won the 1999 grand final.

    Nevertheless, St George maintained an 18–6 advantage midway through the second half, before a Storm fightback.

    With minutes remaining, Melbourne received a penalty try which it converted to win the game.

    The biggest upset: 1969, Balmain 11, South Sydney 2

    Most agree the biggest grand final upset is Balmain’s 11-2 defeat of South Sydney in 1969.

    Bookies had Souths as heavy favourites – they had won the previous two grand finals, while Balmain was a young team lacking grand final experience.

    However, the form lines of the two teams were not dissimilar.

    At the end of the regular season, South Sydney was the minor premier with Balmain just one win behind them.

    Souths defeated Balmain by one point in the semi-final, and a week later, Balmain beat Manly by a point to scrape into the grand final.

    Despite South’s heavy favouritism, Balmain were not friendless. Of six “experts” whose opinion was sought by one newspaper on the morning of the game, two picked Balmain outright and another conceded them an even-money chance.

    It was perhaps the circumstances of the game, as much as the result, that has lent the 1969 grand final its legend status.

    Souths, noted for their attacking potency, were unable to score a try. Balmain scored a single try early in the second half but then several Balmain players set about disrupting the Souths attack by, allegedly, feigning injuries to give their teammates a breather.

    The game has since become known as the “sit-down grand final”.

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

    ref. What are the greatest upsets in NRL grand final history? – https://theconversation.com/what-are-the-greatest-upsets-in-nrl-grand-final-history-239380

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-Evening Report: How we created a beautiful native wildflower meadow in the heart of the city using threatened grassland species

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katherine Horsfall, PhD Candidate, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, The University of Melbourne

    Matthew Stanton, CC BY-NC

    A city street may seem an unusual place to save species found in critically endangered grasslands. My new research, though, shows we can use plants from these ecosystems to create beautiful and biodiverse urban wildflower meadows. This means cities, too, can support nature repair.

    Species-rich grassy ecosystems are some of the most threatened plant communities on the planet. Occupying easily developed flat land, grassy ecosystems are routinely sacrificed as our cities expand.

    In south-east Australia, the volcanic plains that support Melbourne’s northern and western suburbs were once grasslands strewn with wildflowers, “resembling a nobleman’s park on a gigantic scale”, according to early explorer Thomas Mitchell. But these exceptionally diverse, critically endangered ecosystems have been reduced to less than 1% of their original area. The few remnants continue to be lost to urban development and weed invasion.

    A mix of the seeds used to create the meadow.
    Hui-Anne Tan, CC BY-NC

    Unfortunately, efforts to restore the grasslands around Melbourne have had mixed results. In 2020 the City of Melbourne took matters into its own hands. Recognising it is possible to enrich the diversity of birds, bats and insects by providing low-growing native plants, the council set a goal to increase understorey plants by 20% on the land it manages.

    Creating a large native grassland in inner-city Royal Park would help achieve this goal. Adopting a technique used by wildflower meadow designers, we sowed a million seeds of more than two dozen species from endangered grasslands around Melbourne. All but one of these species established in the resulting native wildflower meadow.

    The recreated native wildflower meadow is close to an inner-city road.
    Matthew Stanton, CC BY-NC

    What were the challenges at this site?

    Existing restoration techniques remove nutrient-enriched topsoils full of weed seeds before sowing native seeds. The target plant community can then establish with less competition from nutrient-hungry weeds.

    However, this approach could not be used at the Royal Park site. Topsoil removal cannot be used on many urban sites where soils are contaminated or there are underground services. Alternative approaches are needed to reduce weed competition while minimising soil disturbance.

    I saw a possible answer in the horticultural approaches used to create designed wildflower meadows.

    Preparing the selected site in Royal Park by raking away mulch.
    Hui-Anne Tan, CC BY-NC

    While still rare in Australia, designed wildflower meadows can increase the amenity and biodiversity of urban environments. They also reduce the costs of managing and mowing turf grass. These meadows are designed to be infrequently mown or burnt.

    Wildflower meadow designers typically use an international suite of species that can be established from seed and persist without fertiliser or regular irrigation. An abundance of flowers makes people more accepting of “messy” vegetation. Recognising this, designers select a mix of species that will flower for as much of the year as possible.

    Seed being spread by hand across the prepared area in April 2020.
    Hui-Anne Tan, CC BY-NC

    To reduce competition from weeds, these meadows are often created on a layer of sand that covers the original site soils. The low-nutrient sand buries weed seeds and creates a sowing surface that resists weed invasion from the surrounding landscape.

    However, the grasslands around Melbourne grow on clay soils, not sand. Would these techniques work for plants from these ecosystems?

    A deep sand layer controls weeds and slugs

    To find out we sowed more than a million seeds on sites with two depths of sand (10mm and 80mm) and one without a sand layer in Royal Park. Within one year, 26 of the 27 species sown had established to form a dense, flowering meadow across all sand depths. These plants included three threatened species.

    The hoary sunray, Leucochrysum albicans subsp. tricolor, is one of the endangered species in the native wildflower meadow.
    Marc Freestone/Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, CC BY-NC-SA

    Crucially, the deepest sand layer reduced weed numbers and therefore time spent weeding.

    Interestingly, slugs played a role in determining the diversity of the native meadow. South-east Australia’s grasslands have largely evolved without slugs. As a result, seedlings lack chemical or physical defences against grazing by slugs, which can greatly reduce species diversity in native meadows.

    Again, sand provided a real benefit. Fewer slugs occurred on the deepest sand layer compared to bare soil. The suggestion that sand can deter slugs is consistent with meadow research in Europe.

    By September 2020, seedlings are growing on the prepared plots. The roof tile in the foreground is for monitoring slug numbers.
    Hui-Anne Tan, CC BY-NC

    Now to repair nature in all our cities

    Our research gives us another technique to reinstate critically endangered plant communities. We can use it to bring nature back to city parks and streets.

    Working in urban contexts also unlocks other advantages. There’s ready access to irrigation while the meadow gets established and to communities keen to care for natural landscapes. Creating native wildflower meadows in cities also helps native animals survive, including threatened species that call our cities home.

    People will be able to engage with beautiful native plants that are now rare in cities. Enriching our experience of nature can enhance our health and wellbeing.

    The meadow’s plant community was established by November 2020, six months after sowing.
    David Hannah, CC BY-NC

    My colleagues and I trialled these approaches with the support of the City of Melbourne. We are continuing our research to improve the scale and sustainability of native wildflower meadows in other municipalities.

    Native wildflower meadows and grassland restoration projects could genuinely help Australia meet its commitment to restore 30% of degraded landscapes. But first we need to invest much more in seed production. Reinstating native species on degraded land requires a lot of seed.

    Once seed supply is more certain, we will be able to bring back native biodiversity and beauty to streets, parks and reserves across the country.


    I would like to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which the project took place, the Wurundjeri and Bunurong people of the Kulin Nations, and we pay our respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging. I also acknowledge my colleagues listed as co-authors on the research paper that formed the basis of this article: urban ecologists Nicholas S.G. Williams and Stephen Livesley, and seed ecologists Megan Hirst and John Delpratt.

    Katherine Horsfall received funding from the City of Melbourne to undertake this research and receives funding from the Australian Research Training Program.

    ref. How we created a beautiful native wildflower meadow in the heart of the city using threatened grassland species – https://theconversation.com/how-we-created-a-beautiful-native-wildflower-meadow-in-the-heart-of-the-city-using-threatened-grassland-species-240332

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-Evening Report: From cheeky thrill to grande dame – the Moulin Rouge celebrates 135 years of scandal and success

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Will Visconti, Teacher and researcher, Art History, University of Sydney

    Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec At the Moulin Rouge – The Dance, 1890 Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec/Wikimedia Commons

    When the Moulin Rouge first opened on October 6 1889, it drew audiences from across classes and countries.

    The Moulin offered an array of fin-de-siècle (end-of-the-century) entertainments to Paris locals and visitors. Located in Montmartre, its name, the “red windmill”, alluded to Montmartre’s history as a rural idyll. The neighbourhood was also associated with artistic bohemia, crime, and revolutionary spirit. This setting added a certain thrill for bourgeois audiences.

    From irreverent newcomer to a French institution, the Moulin Rouge has survived scandal, an inferno and found new ways to connect with audiences.




    Read more:
    How the Eiffel Tower became silent cinema’s icon


    Red and electric

    In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was not the only red landmark to open in Paris. The Eiffel Tower, built as part of the Universal Exhibition and originally painted red, had opened earlier that same year. What set them apart, however, was their popularity.

    The Moulin Rouge was an instant hit, capitalising on the global popularity of a dance called the cancan. Dancers like Moulin Rouge headliner La Goulue (“The Glutton”, real name Louise Weber) were seen as more appropriate emblems for the city than the Tower, which many considered an eyesore.

    In an illustration from Le Courrier Français newspaper, a dancer modelled on a photograph of La Goulue holds her leg aloft, flashing her underwear with the caption “Greetings to the provinces and abroad!”.

    Every aspect of the Moulin spoke to the zeitgeist, from its design to the performances, the use of electric lights that adorned its façade, and its advertising.

    Its managers, the impresario team of Joseph Oller and Charles Harold Zidler, had a string of successful venues and businesses to their names. They recognised the importance of modern marketing, using print media, publicity photographs, and posters to spark public interest.

    Among the most iconic images of the Moulin is Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s 1891 poster. At its centre is La Goulue, kicking her legs amid swirling petticoats.

    Henri Toulouse-Lautrec’s 1891 poster.
    Shutterstock

    She certainly can cancan

    Found primarily in working-class dance halls from as early as the 1820s, the cancan became a staple of popular entertainment the world over.

    Part of the dance’s thrill lay in the dancers’ freedom of movement and titillation of spectators, as well as its anti-establishment energy. Women used the cancan to thumb their nose at authority via steps like the coup de cul (“arse flash”) or coup du chapeau (removing men’s hats with a high kick).

    The cancan was not the only attraction at the Moulin. There were themed spaces, sideshows, and variety performances ranging from belly dancers and conjoined twins to Le Pétomane (“The Fartomaniac”) who was a flatulist and the highest-paid performer. People watching was equally popular.

    Famous farter, Le Pétomane (Joseph Pujol).
    Wikimedia Commons

    Scandals, riots, and royalty

    Over the years, the Moulin has been no stranger to controversy.

    In its early years, it cultivated an air of misbehaviour and featured in pleasure guides for visiting sex tourists.

    In 1893 it hosted the Bal des Quat’z’Arts (Four-Arts Ball) held by students from local studios. Accusations of public indecency were made against the models and dancers in attendance, and violent protests followed after the women were arrested.

    In 1907 the writer Colette appeared onstage at the Moulin in an Egyptian-inspired pantomime with her then-lover, Missy, the Marquise de Belbeuf. When the act culminated in a passionate kiss, a riot broke out.

    Historical footage shows the Moulin Rouge as it was.

    Kicking on and on

    Over time, the Moulin Rouge shows changed their format to keep pace with public taste, though the cancan remained. The venue hosted revues and operettas, and various stars including Edith Piaf, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and Liza Minnelli.

    Famous guests have included British royalty: from Edward VII (while Prince of Wales) to his great-granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II, and her son, Prince Edward.

    Since its opening, the Moulin’s fortunes have waxed and waned.

    In 1915 the Moulin Rouge burned down but was rebuilt in 1921. Its famous windmill sails fell off overnight earlier this year but were swiftly repaired.

    In the 1930s, it survived the Depression and rise of cinema (also capturing the attention of several filmakers). It also survived the Nazi occupation of Paris in the 1940s.

    By the early 1960s, Jacki Clerico was managing the Moulin’s show after his father had revamped the venue as a dinner theatre destination. The younger Clérico oversaw additions like a giant aquarium where dancers swam with snakes, and its now-famous “nude line” – a chorus of topless dancers – in its shows.

    In 1963, the Moulin Rouge struck upon a winning formula: revues, all named by Clérico with titles beginning with the letter “F” – from Frou Frou to Fantastique and Formidable. Since 1999, the revue Féerie (“Fairy”, also a French genre of stage extravaganza) has been performed almost without interruption.

    The Moulin Rouge or ‘red mill’ today, with its famous windmill.
    Rafa Barcelos/Shutterstock

    Ticket sales were boosted thanks to Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film Moulin Rouge! and more recently Moulin Rouge! The Musical.

    Since COVID, the Moulin Rouge management have diversified. The windmill’s interior has been rented out via AirBnB and the Moulin’s dance troupe has performed on France’s televised New Year’s Eve celebrations. This year, the Moulin Rouge and its dancers were part of the Paris Olympics celebrations, dancing in heavy rain.

    Though people have come to appreciate the Eiffel Tower too, the Moulin Rouge can still argue its status as the pinnacle of live entertainment in the French capital: immediately recognisable, internationally visible, and quintessentially Parisian.

    Will Visconti is the author of Beyond the Moulin Rouge: The Life & Legacy of La Goulue (2022), published by the University of Virginia Press.

    ref. From cheeky thrill to grande dame – the Moulin Rouge celebrates 135 years of scandal and success – https://theconversation.com/from-cheeky-thrill-to-grande-dame-the-moulin-rouge-celebrates-135-years-of-scandal-and-success-239849

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  • MIL-Evening Report: 71% of Australian uni staff are using AI. What are they using it for? What about those who aren’t?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Hay, Senior Lecturer, School of Education and Professional Studies, Griffith University

    Yanz Island/Shutterstock

    Since ChatGPT was released at the end of 2022, there has been a lot of speculation about the actual and potential impact of generative AI on universities.

    Some studies have focused on students’ use of AI. There has also been research on what it means for teaching and assessment.

    But there has been no large-scale research on how university staff in Australia are using AI in their work.

    Our new study surveyed more than 3,000 academic and professional staff at Australian universities about how they are using generative AI.

    Our study

    Our survey was made up of 3,421 university staff, mostly from 17 universities around Australia.

    It included academics, sessional academics (who are employed on a session-by-session basis) and professional staff. It also included adjunct staff (honorary academic positions) and senior staff in executive roles.

    Academic staff represented a wide range of disciplines including health, education, natural and physical sciences, and society and culture. Professional staff worked in roles such as research support, student services and marketing.

    The average age of respondents was 44.8 years and more than half the sample was female (60.5%).

    The survey was open online for around eight weeks in 2024.

    We surveyed academic and professional staff at universities around Australia.
    Panitan/Shutterstock

    Most university staff are using AI

    Overall, 71% of respondents said they had used generative AI for their university work.

    Academic staff were more likely to use AI (75%) than professional staff (69%) or sessional staff (62%). Senior staff were the most likely to use AI (81%).

    Among academic staff, those from information technology, engineering, and management and commerce were most likely to use AI. Those from agriculture and environmental studies, and natural and physical sciences, were least likely to use it.

    Professional staff in business development, and learning and teaching support, were the most likely to report using AI. Those working in finance and procurement, and legal and compliance areas, were least likely to use AI.

    Given how much publicity and debate there has been about AI in the past two years, the fact that nearly 30% of university staff had not used AI suggests adoption is still at an early stage.

    What tools are staff using?

    Survey respondents were asked which AI tools they had used in the previous year. They reported using 216 different AI tools, which was many more than we anticipated.

    Around one-third of those using AI had only used one tool, and a further quarter had used two. A small number of staff (around 4%) had used ten tools or more.

    General AI tools were by far the most frequently reported. For example, ChatGPT was used by 88% of AI users and Microsoft Copilot by 37%.

    University staff are also commonly using AI tools with specific purposes such as image creation, coding and software development, and literature searching.

    We also asked respondents how frequently they used AI for a range of university tasks. Literature searching, writing and summarising information were the most common, followed by course development, teaching methods and assessment.

    ChatGPT was the most common generative AI tool used by our respondents.
    Monkey Business Images/ Shutterstock

    Why aren’t some staff using AI?

    We asked staff who had not yet used AI for work to explain their thinking. The most common reason they gave was AI was not useful or relevant to their work. For example, one professional staff member stated:

    While I have explored a couple of chat tools (Chat GPT and CoPilot) with work-related questions, I’ve not needed to really apply these tools to my work yet […].

    Others said they weren’t familiar with the technology, were uncertain about its use or didn’t have time to engage. As one academic told us plainly, “I don’t feel confident enough yet”.

    Ethical objections to AI

    Others raised ethical objections or viewed the technology as untrustworthy and unreliable. As one academic told us:

    I consider generative AI to be a tool of plagiarism. The uses to date, especially in the creative industries […] have involved machine learning that uses the creative works of others without permission.

    They also also raised about AI undermining human activities such as writing, critical thinking and creativity – which they saw as central to their professional identities. As one sessional academic said:

    I want to think things through myself rather than trying to have a computer think for me […].

    Another academic echoed:

    I believe that writing and thinking is fundamental to the work we do. If we’re not doing that, then […] why do we need to exist as academics?

    How should universities respond?

    Universities are at a crucial juncture with generative AI. They face an uneven uptake of the technology by staff in different roles and divided opinions on how universities should respond.

    These different views suggest universities need to have a balanced response to AI that addresses both the benefits and concerns around this technology.

    Despite differing opinions in our survey, there was still agreement among respondents that universities need to develop clear, consistent policies and guidelines to help staff use AI. Staff also said it was crucial for universities to prioritise staff training and invest in secure AI tools.

    Alicia Feldman receives an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship and Fee Offset.

    Paula McDonald receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    Abby Cathcart and Stephen Hay 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. 71% of Australian uni staff are using AI. What are they using it for? What about those who aren’t? – https://theconversation.com/71-of-australian-uni-staff-are-using-ai-what-are-they-using-it-for-what-about-those-who-arent-240337

    MIL OSI AnalysisEveningReport.nz

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Establishment of the National Commission for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People

    Source: Australian Ministers for Social Services

    The Albanese Labor Government is committed to achieving better outcomes for First Nations children, young people and their families.

    An independent National Commission for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People will be officially operational from 13 January next year to progress this aim.

    The Commission has now been established as an Executive Agency under the Public Service Act 1999 with applications for the role of the National Commissioner to open this month.

    The National Commissioner will be dedicated to protecting and promoting the rights, interests and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people across a range of issues, including the over representation of Indigenous children in out-of-home care.

    The Commissioner, a First Nations person, will champion First Nations children’s strengths, sense of hope and ideas for change.

    They will work directly with First Nations children and young people and listen to and amplify their voices, needs and aspirations, along with the broader community.

    The Commissioner will also work with groups such as the Safe and Supported Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership Group, other First Nations leaders, state and territory Children’s Commissioners, Guardians and Advocates, as well as the National Children’s Commissioner and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner.

    Policy advice will then be provided from the Commissioner to governments to assist in the implementation of key policy frameworks and coordination.

    Indigenous children are almost eleven times more likely to be in out-of-home care than non-Indigenous children and 29 times more likely to be in youth detention.

    Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth emphasised that the Commission and Commissioner will highlight how systemic change should be inspired and led by First Nations people.

    “This is a historic milestone, and one which demonstrates our commitment to shared decision-making through the establishment of a legislated, independent and empowered National Commissioner,” Minister Rishworth said.

    “The National Commissioner will work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, communities, commissioners, guardians, advocates, and other stakeholders to provide expert advice on the development and delivery of policies, programs and services to ensure they meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people.”

    Minister for Indigenous Australians, Senator Malarndirri McCarthy said the Commission and Commissioner will be an important part of the Commonwealth’s strategy to Closing the Gap on outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people.

    “The over-representation of young people in out-of-home care and youth detention is unacceptable. The National Commissioner will focus on working with First Nations people and organisations on evidence-based programs and policies to turn those figures around,” Minister McCarthy said.

    “The National Commissioner will be informed by the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people, whose voices deserve to be heard. Their strengths, sense of hope and new ideas will drive systemic change.”

    Chair of the Safe and Supported Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership Group Catherine Liddle said the Leadership Group has been working with the Albanese Government to frame the National Commissioner’s roles and responsibilities. 

    “It has taken time to get to this point, but we have to get this role right. Our children deserve it,” Ms Liddle said.

    “Through shared decision-making processes we have been able to establish strong functions that reflect the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sector’s long-held ambition to have a National Commissioner with real authority.

    “This position will be a game-changer in tackling the over-representation of our young people in out-of-home care and youth detention.”

    MIL OSI News

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Archie Moore unveils a new moving image commission at Samstag Museum of Art

    Source: University of South Australia

    04 October 2024

    In his first exhibition since winning the prestigious Golden Lion at the 2024 Venice Biennale, Kamilaroi/Bigambul artist, Archie Moore, presents an ambitious new moving image work at the University of South Australia’s Samstag Museum of Art as part of the Adelaide Film Festival.

    Archie Moore: AFF and Samstag Moving Image Commission 2024 will feature as part of the Wirltuti (‘spring’ in Kaurna) season of exhibitions that run from 11 October to 29 November 2024.

    Sponsored by Dr David Bunton and Helen Stacey-Bunton, Archie Moore will be a UniSA Pirku murititya Visiting Research Fellow during October 2024.

    During this time, Moore will transform the Samstag gallery with a scaled and meticulously recreated replica of his childhood home. This will be Moore’s fifth iteration of his series Dwelling, installations that explore the rooms and spaces of his childhood family home.

    An ongoing investigation of memory and effects of colonisation, the exhibition draws on visual, auditory, haptic and olfactory elements in its staging. Moore has worked closely with filmmaker Molly Reynolds (Charlie’s Country, David Gulpillil) to realise the ambitious project.

    Erica Green, Director, Samstag Museum of Art says it’s been an honour to work closely with Archie over the past two years on his forthcoming work.

    “24 years ago, Archie was awarded the Anne and Gordon Samstag International Visual Arts Scholarship, as a recent art school graduate. Since then, he’s gone on to build a remarkable career of international standing,” Green says.

    “Archie’s new moving image work is part of the 13th Adelaide Film Festival and Samstag Art and Moving Image Commission.

    “Our Wirltuti Season of exhibitions is a testament to our proud, long-standing and fruitful relationship with the Adelaide Film Festival that supports exceptional artists to create bold and visionary work.”

    Samstag will also premiere the inaugural AFF/Samstag 2024 Expand Moving Image Commission featuring a series of experimental docu-fiction moving image works by artists Susan Norrie, Matthew Thorne and Emmaline Zanelli.

    In three chapters, these artists follow the narrative threads of mining in Australia, focusing on fly-in-fly-out workers, their families, environmental impacts and the complex relationship experienced by First Nations custodians of the land on which the resource extraction takes place.

    Together they offer counter-perspectives to frequently cliched assumptions, excavating this underrepresented but critical sector of contemporary Australia.

    Samstag has a long history of commissioning and presenting screen-based works through its partnership with the Adelaide Film Festival. Previous art and moving image commissions have included Warwick Thornton (Stranded, 2011), Lynette Wallworth (Duality of Light, 2009) and Amos Gebhardt (Small acts of resistance, 2021).

    Notes for editors:

    • The Wirltuti Season Launch on Tuesday 22 October, 5:30-7:30pm
      Please join us for a drink and music in Fenn Place outside the Samstag Museum of Art entrance, Hawke Building, UniSA City West campus, 55 North Terrace, Adelaide.
      (Registrations encouraged: https://events.humanitix.com/wirltuti-season-launch)
    • Archie Moore in conversation with Mathew Kesting on Saturday 26 October, 3:00-4:00pm
      Please join us for a conversation about film with Archie Moore
      Samstag Museum of Art, Hawke Building, UniSA City West campus, 55 North Terrace, Adelaide.
      (Registrations essential: https://events.humanitix.com/in-conversation-with-archie-moore-and-matt-kesting).
    • Archie Moore – Deaf Led Tour on Saturday 19 October 1:00-2:30pm
      Please join us for an Aslan only tour of the exhibition.
      Samstag Museum of Art, Hawke Building, UniSA City West campus, 55 North Terrace, Adelaide.

    The Samstag is open every Wednesday from 10am-12pm. Entry is free.

    For more information, visit http://www.unisa.edu.au/samstagmuseum

    ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

    For further information, to arrange interviews and to obtain high-resolution images, contact:  
    Erica Green M: +61 438 821 239 E: Erica.Green@unisa.edu.au
    Media contact: Annabel Mansfield M: +61 479 182 489 E: Annabel.Mansfield@unisa.edu.au

    Other articles you may be interested in

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  • MIL-Evening Report: Is big tech harming society? To find out, we need research – but it’s being manipulated by big tech itself

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Graham, Associate Professor in Digital Media, Queensland University of Technology

    AlexandraPopova/Shutterstock

    For almost a decade, researchers have been gathering evidence that the social media platform Facebook disproportionately amplifies low-quality content and misinformation.

    So it was something of a surprise when in 2023 the journal Science published a study that found Facebook’s algorithms were not major drivers of misinformation during the 2020 United States election.

    This study was funded by Facebook’s parent company, Meta. Several Meta employees were also part of the authorship team. It attracted extensive media coverage. It was also celebrated by Meta’s president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, who said it showed the company’s algorithms have “no detectable impact on polarisation, political attitudes or beliefs”.

    But the findings have recently been thrown into doubt by a team of researchers led by Chhandak Bagch from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In an eLetter also published in Science, they argue the results were likely due to Facebook tinkering with the algorithm while the study was being conducted.

    In a response eLetter, the authors of the original study acknowledge their results “might have been different” if Facebook had changed its algorithm in a different way. But they insist their results still hold true.

    The whole debacle highlights the problems caused by big tech funding and facilitating research into their own products. It also highlights the crucial need for greater independent oversight of social media platforms.

    Merchants of doubt

    Big tech has started investing heavily in academic research into its products. It has also been investing heavily in universities more generally. For example, Meta and its chief Mark Zuckerberg have collectively donated hundreds of millions of dollars to more than 100 colleges and universities across the United States.

    This is similar to what big tobacco once did.

    In the mid-1950s, cigarette companies launched a coordinated campaign to manufacture doubt about the growing body of evidence which linked smoking with a number of serious health issues, such as cancer. It was not about falsifying or manipulating research explicitly, but selectively funding studies and bringing to attention inconclusive results.

    This helped foster a narrative that there was no definitive proof smoking causes cancer. In turn, this enabled tobacco companies to keep up a public image of responsibility and “goodwill” well into the 1990s.

    Big tobacco ran a campaign to manufacture doubt about the health effects of smoking.
    Ralf Liebhold/Shutterstock

    A positive spin

    The Meta-funded study published in Science in 2023 claimed Facebook’s news feed algorithm reduced user exposure to untrustworthy news content. The authors said “Meta did not have the right to prepublication approval”, but acknowledged that The Facebook Open Research and Transparency team “provided substantial support in executing the overall project”.

    The study used an experimental design where participants – Facebook users – were randomly allocated into a control group or treatment group.

    The control group continued to use Facebook’s algorithmic news feed, while the treatment group was given a news feed with content presented in reverse chronological order. The study sought to compare the effects of these two types of news feeds on users’ exposure to potentially false and misleading information from untrustworthy news sources.

    The experiment was robust and well designed. But during the short time it was conducted, Meta changed its news feed algorithm to boost more reliable news content. In doing so, it changed the control condition of the experiment.

    The reduction in exposure to misinformation reported in the original study was likely due to the algorithmic changes. But these changes were temporary: a few months later in March 2021, Meta reverted the news feed algorithm back to the original.

    In a statement to Science about the controversy, Meta said it made the changes clear to researchers at the time, and that it stands by Clegg’s statements about the findings in the paper.

    Unprecedented power

    In downplaying the role of algorithmic content curation for issues such as misinformation and political polarisation, the study became a beacon for sowing doubt and uncertainty about the harmful influence of social media algorithms.

    To be clear, I am not suggesting the researchers who conducted the original 2023 study misled the public. The real problem is that social media companies not only control researchers’ access to data, but can also manipulate their systems in a way that affects the findings of the studies they fund.

    What’s more, social media companies have the power to promote certain studies on the very platform the studies are about. In turn, this helps shape public opinion. It can create a scenario where scepticism and doubt about the impacts of algorithms can become normalised – or where people simply start to tune out.

    This kind of power is unprecedented. Even big tobacco could not control the public’s perception of itself so directly.

    All of this underscores why platforms should be mandated to provide both large-scale data access and real-time updates about changes to their algorithmic systems.

    When platforms control access to the “product”, they also control the science around its impacts. Ultimately, these self-research funding models allow platforms to put profit before people – and divert attention away from the need for more transparency and independent oversight.

    Timothy Graham receives funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC) for his Discovery Early Career Researcher Award, ‘Combatting Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour on Social Media’. He also receives ARC funding for the Discovery Project, ‘Understanding and combatting “Dark Political Communication”‘ (2024–2027).

    ref. Is big tech harming society? To find out, we need research – but it’s being manipulated by big tech itself – https://theconversation.com/is-big-tech-harming-society-to-find-out-we-need-research-but-its-being-manipulated-by-big-tech-itself-240110

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  • MIL-OSI Australia: Attemtped arson attack north-eastern suburbs business

    Source: South Australia Police

    Police are investigating following an attempted arson on a tobacco shop in Clearview earlier this morning.

    About 4.45am on Friday 4 October, police and emergency services were called to a business premises on Hampstead Road after a member of the public reported seeing a fire at the front of the property.

    MFS crews extinguished the small fire on the ground outside the business and fortunately no damage was caused to the shop.

    Western District patrols located remnants of a Molotov cocktail nearby and a crowbar suspected to have been used on the roller shutter at the front of the building causing minor damage.

    Crime Scene Investigators and Detectives will be attending the scene this morning to further investigate the incident.

    Anyone with information that may assist with the investigation is asked to contact Crime Stoppers.  You can anonymously provide information to Crime Stoppers online at https://crimestopperssa.com.au or free call 1800 333 000.

    MIL OSI News

  • MIL-OSI: PennantPark Investment Corporation Schedules Earnings Release of Fourth Fiscal Quarter 2024 Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MIAMI, Oct. 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — PennantPark Investment Corporation (the “Company”) (NYSE: PNNT) announced that it will report results for the fourth fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2024 on Monday, November 25, 2024 after the close of the financial markets.

    The Company will also host a conference call at 12:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on Tuesday, November 26, 2024 to discuss its financial results. All interested parties are welcome to participate. You can access the conference call by dialing toll-free (888) 394-8218 approximately 5-10 minutes prior to the call. International callers should dial (646) 828-8193. All callers should reference conference ID #3424889 or PennantPark Investment Corporation. An archived replay will also be available on a webcast link located on the Quarterly Earnings page in the Investor section of PennantPark’s website.

    ABOUT PENNANTPARK INVESTMENT CORPORATION

    PennantPark Investment Corporation is a business development company which principally invests in U.S. middle-market private companies in the form of first lien secured debt, second lien secured debt, subordinated debt and equity investments. PennantPark Investment Corporation is managed by PennantPark Investment Advisers, LLC.

    ABOUT PENNANTPARK INVESTMENT ADVISERS, LLC

    PennantPark Investment Advisers, LLC is a leading middle market credit platform, managing $8.0 billion of investable capital, including potential leverage.  Since its inception in 2007, PennantPark Investment Advisers, LLC has provided investors access to middle market credit by offering private equity firms and their portfolio companies as well as other middle-market borrowers a comprehensive range of creative and flexible financing solutions.  PennantPark Investment Advisers, LLC is headquartered in Miami and has offices in New York, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and Amsterdam.

    FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

    This press release may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release are forward-looking statements and are not guarantees of future performance or results and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those described from time to time in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. PennantPark Investment Corporation undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statement made herein. You should not place undue influence on such forward-looking statements as such statements speak only as of the date on which they are made.

    CONTACT:
    Richard T. Allorto, Jr.
    PennantPark Investment Corporation
    (212) 905-1000
    http://www.pennantpark.com

    The MIL Network