Category: Education

MIL-Evening Report: Huge waves in the atmosphere dump extreme rain on northern Australia

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Fadhlil Rizki Muhammad, Graduate Researcher, The University of Melbourne

Bureau of Meteorology via AAP

In 2023, almost a year’s worth of rain fell over ten days in parts of northwestern Australia, leading to catastrophic flooding in the town of Fitzroy Crossing and surrounds. The rainfall was linked to a tropical cyclone, but there were also lesser-known forces at work: huge, planet-scale oscillations called atmospheric waves which bring heavy rain to northern Australia.

While climate drivers such as El Niño and La Niña are becoming more familiar to many Australians, fewer understand the significant role played by atmospheric waves, which are like vast musical notes resonating around the globe. These waves can greatly influence rainfall and extreme weather events in Australia – and we don’t know yet whether they could grow more intense as the world warms.

In our latest research, we discovered how these waves affect Australia’s rainfall, and how they can help us make better weather forecasts. The research is published in the Journal of Climate.

What are atmospheric waves?

You can think of atmospheric waves as huge musical notes that travel through the atmosphere around the equator. Just like a musical note, an atmospheric wave has a frequency (a pitch, or how often it oscillates) and an amplitude (a volume or intensity).

Atmospheric waves can interact with each other to create complex melodies and harmonies in the atmosphere. They affect many aspects of the atmosphere, such as wind, humidity and pressure.

In the same way musical harmony can evoke emotions, certain combinations of atmospheric waves can lead to complex clusters of clouds that evoke extreme rain events.

Equatorial atmospheric waves were first discovered mathematically in 1966 by Japanese researcher Taroh Matsuno. By solving equations that describe the behaviour of the atmosphere near the equator, he found waves that could be categorised by frequency, structure, speed and direction of movement.

Later research found these waves exist in the real world – and they have been studied ever since.

Some of the most important waves are called Kelvin waves and equatorial Rossby waves. Kelvin waves are centred around the equator, propagate to the east, and take between 2.5 and 17 days to complete one oscillation.

On the other hand, equatorial Rossby waves are structured as a pair of swirls, one north of the equator and one to the south, which propagate to the west. They are also slower than Kelvin waves, taking between 9 and 72 days to complete an oscillation.

There are also two other kinds of equatorial fluctuations, discovered after Matsuno’s original work. These are the Madden–Julian Oscillation, which propagates eastward, and tropical depression-type waves, which propagate to the west. Both of these have their own frequencies and influences on the Australian atmosphere.

Impacts on Australian weather

We studied the relationship between these waves and rainfall in northern Australia from 1981 to 2018. We found the waves had a significant impact on rainfall during the southern summer (December–February) and autumn (March–May).

Equatorial Rossby waves that cross Australia may make heavy rainfall around 1.5 times as likely as normal, while tropical depression-type waves make it 1.3 times more likely.

When waves combine in certain ways, heavy rain events become even more likely.

Atmospheric waves travelling around the equator can increase the chances of heavy rain – and combinations of waves can have an even greater impact.
Fadhlil Rizki Muhammad

For example, a combination of an equatorial Rossby wave and the Madden–Julian Oscillation can make heavy rain in northern Australia two to three times more likely. Similarly, if a tropical depression-type wave and an equatorial Rossby wave cross Australia at the same time, heavy rainfall could be twice as likely as usual.

Due to Australia’s vast landmass and local geography, the impacts of these waves are quite different across the continent. Regions such as the Kimberley, Cape York and the Top End experience the largest impact from these waves, increasing the chance of heavy rain by up to 3.3 times.

Meanwhile, the impacts of these waves on the eastern coast of Queensland and inland Queensland are not as great as in the other regions. However, the change in likelihood is still quite high: the waves can make heavy rain 1.4–2.2 times more likely than it would otherwise be.

What does the future look like?

We have shown that the activity of these “atmospheric melodies” is important and potentially provides room for improvement in weather models.

Currently, a good representation of these waves in weather models can improve forecasts up to two weeks ahead.

A better representation of these waves may improve future weather prediction in the tropics.

In addition, the impact of these waves in a warmer world is still a mystery. Recent research suggests some atmospheric waves, such as Kelvin and the Madden-Julian Oscillation, could become more intense, potentially with more organised cloud clusters and significant impacts on heavy rain events.

Fadhlil Rizki Muhammad receives funding from The University of Melbourne and ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes.

Andrew King receives funding from the ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather and the National Environmental Science Program.

Claire Vincent receives funding from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes and the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Weather of the 21st Century

Sandro W. Lubis receives funding from U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science Biological and Environmental Research as part of Global and Regional Model Analysis program area. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract DE-AC05-76RLO1830.

– ref. Huge waves in the atmosphere dump extreme rain on northern Australia – https://theconversation.com/huge-waves-in-the-atmosphere-dump-extreme-rain-on-northern-australia-240788

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Remarks by President Biden During a Call with Jewish Faith Leaders for High Holidays

US Senate News:

Source: The White House
2:59 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you very much, Rabbi, for that introduction. And before I want to be- — before I begin, I want to say, we’re prepared for another hurricane hitting Florida, and that’s what I’ve been doing and why I had to p- — push back these — this sev- — several times. And I apologize.
I directed my team to do everything we can to save lives and help communities before, during, and after the hurricane — the one that has just passed and this awful one that’s about to hit.
My most important message today is for those who are in impacted areas, please, please listen to your local authorities, follow all safety in- — instructions and evacuation orders. This is serious — very serious.
But now to the events of the day. You know, as the — my friends, the — the rabbis in Delaware who I’ve become friends with over the years, have been engaged with, can tell you, I was one of those lucky Christians who was raised by a — a Christian who was — he had — he understood what was going on.
My dad was what we — you’d call “a righteous Christian.” My dad literally raised us to believe that we had to stand up for the — any community being persecuted, and he used to rage — he used to rage at dinner about why we didn’t bomb the railroad tracks in Auschwitz and why we didn’t — and this is the God’s truth, as the rabbis at home could tell you.
And he used to talk about how we wouldn’t let the — that one ship land and — and — with the Jewish refugees on it at the time, during — during the — Hitler’s era. And, you know, he — he talked about how it was important for people to know what happened and not forget.
And one of the things that it taught me was that I — every one of my children and grandchildren, when they turned the age of 14, we put them on a plane and I flew them to Dachau, because I wanted them to see — want them to see that no one could pretend it wasn’t happening.
You go through — you walk through the gate, and you’ll be liberated. Well, to stand — you see those beautiful homes along the outside of that gate, and you’ll know they had to know. They had to know what was going on. And — and I wanted them to understand. I wanted them to see where the ovens were. I wanted them to know what was going on and — because I wanted them to be aware — aware.
And I think one of the things that I’m about to talk about is — you know, the country has been sort of a — I don’t know how I could say it — has not paid nearly much attention to our hi- — the history that brought us —
But when I went over shortly after the — the second, smaller holocaust, but even more vividly seen by the whole world on the 7th, it was — it was because I wanted to let the world know where I stood and where America stood. And I saw the remnants of what had happened 10 days earlier. I saw — and the — anyway, you all know; you understand it.
But now, this event today — I want to thank you for joining this call, and I apologize for having had to reschedule it.
You know, at my direction, last week, the United States military took unprecedented action again to actively assist the successful defense of Israel. You’ve — you’ve heard me say before that I got very badly criticized as a young senator for saying, “I’m a Zionist.” You don’t have to be a Jew to be a Zionist. It’s not necessary.
And the idea — I firmly believe — without an Israel, every Jew in the world’s security is less stable. I mean that. It doesn’t mean that Jewish leadership doesn’t have to be more progressive than it is, but it does mean it has to exist, and that’s what worries me most about what’s going on now.
You’ve heard me say before that my commitment to the safety of the Jewish people and the security of Israel as the right to exist is independent — independent of that — of everything else. The Jewish state has to remain. It has to remain — the ironclad commitment to it.
In the last three years, it’s been the honor to do this High Holiday with all of you from the White House in a season of joy and a season of pain. And that’s what we’ve been going through: a season of joy and pain.
You know, you are the rock for your people. I want to thank you for all you do every single day for your congregations, for your communities, for our country.
You know, I know this year’s call is very different, and it’s a very — a difficult time for the Jewish community and for Jews around the world. In the midst of the High Holidays, two days ago, we commemorated the first anniversary of October 7th, the deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust.
And a year later, with the trauma and the loss from that day and its aftermath, it’s still raw. It’s hard to memorialize and mourn a tragedy that’s still ongoing. Hostages still in captivity — some American Jews as well; loved ones still in harm’s way; survivors carrying wounds, seen and unseen, that never go away. The families and friends left behind will never, never be the same.
I just spoke with Pres- — Prime Minister Netanyahu for about an hour this morning and offered my condolences on this somber one-year anniversary.
Throughout this year, my wife, Jill, and I, Kamala and Doug mourned along with all of you, including after the appalling execution of the six hostages, including America’s own Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 24-year-old last week — who just turned — would have turned 24 last week.
My administration is doubling down on our work to secure the release of the remaining hostages, just as we have freed hostages already. And we will not rest until they’re all home.
As you saw just last week, the United States fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Iran and all its proxies — Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis. We’re doing everything we can to ease the suffering of all the people from this war against Hamas and that Hamas started.
As Israel’s ambassador to Washington said at the memorial two days ago, quote, “We remember the Jewish commandment that we are all created in the image of God,” and “the loss of innocent life — Israel — Israeli, Palestinian, Lebanese, or others — is a tragedy.” Well, I feel the same way. Far too many civilians have suffered far too much during this year’s conflict.
I also want you to know that I see you, I hear you, I see your pain from the ferocious surge of antisemitism in America and, quite frankly, around the world — absolutely despicable. And I hope we h- — we learned a lesson from our parents’ generation. We have to stand up. We have to call it out. It has to be stopped.
In America, we respect and protect the fundamental right of free speech to protest peacefully. But there is no place — emphasize, no place — anywhere in America — none — for antisemitism, hate speech, or threats of violence of any kind against the Jews or anyone else.
Long before October the 7th — long before — I launched the first National Security [Strategy] to Counter Antisemitism in American history — the first time in American history. Vice President Harris and I and our entire administration are aggressively implementing that commitment.
Since we took office, we secured a record of over $800 million for the physical security of nonprofits, including synagogues, Jewish community centers, Jewish day schools all around the country.
Since October 7, ‘23 — in 2023, we’ve secured an additional $400 million — the largest single increase ever in funding — ever.
And we have concrete evidence that our historic assistance is making an impact and the investment matters.
The Department of Education has put our colleges on notice about something that should be obvious to everyone — that antisemitism is discrimination. Say it again: Antisemitism is discrimination and prohibited under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
And the Department of Homeland Security has proved — provided resources to train campus law enforcement, administrators on how to ensure Jewish students are safe on campus. And we’re going to keep working to ensure — ensure that Jewish students can get their education free of intimidation and harassment.
The Department of Justice is also moving swiftly to investigate and prosecute antisemitic hate crimes and hold the perpetrators accountable.
We encourage you, as members of your community, to please report incidences to local law enforcement.
My administration is calling on the social media companies to adopt a zero-tolerance policy toward antisemitism and other hateful content, including the vile antisemitic attacks online that we’ve seen in recent days against public officials leading responses to recovery efforts to Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.
You know, it’s appalling, but we — it must end now. We have to speak and end it now.
Globally, our nation’s first ambassador to the level of special envoy and to monitor and combat antisemitism is Deb- — Debor- — Deborah Lipstadt — Lipstadt. And Deborah has mobilized more than 40 countries and international organizations to support our new guidelines for countering antisemitism around the world. And this matters, but I know there’s so much more to do.
And let me assure you as your president that you are not alone. You belong, always — always have, always will be, and always must be protected.
From the inception of our nation, Jewish Americans have enriched every part of American life. Let me say that again. From our very inception as a nation, Jewish Americans have enriched every part of American life, and you’re going to continue to do so for many years to come.
Let me close with this. I think about the wisdom I’ve learned from Jewish communities in Delaware and across the country that I’ve gotten to know over the years. It seems to me there is a delicate yet profound balance between joy and pain to the High Holidays.
Rosh Hashanah is a day of celebration in the Je- — of — for the Jewish New Year. But it’s also a day of judgment.
Similarly, Yom Kippur is the most solemn day in the Jewish calendar, yet Jewish scholars say it’s also the happiest day because it’s a time of — for forgiveness and for renewal.
And in two weeks, you celebrate another holiday for the singing and dancing of the — for — for the Torah. You know, I know you’ll do so with profound sorrow in your soul because, last year, that holiday was shattered by October the 7th.
From my perspective, Jewish people have embodied this duality of pain and joy for generations. It’s your strength. The Jewish people have always chosen to find joy and happiness and light, despite centuries of suffering, persecution, and pain.
That’s the ending and — of what — this — look, this is — is enduring — it’s an enduring lesson and legacy for the Jewish people and for all of America to understand.
So, thank you for continuing to find joy in the darkness and shine your light on the nation and on the world.
God bless you all. And may you have a happy New Year.
3:11 P.M. EDT

MIL OSI USA News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: These 5 ‘post-truth’ claims are fuelling the water wars in Australia

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Quentin Grafton, Australian Laureate Professor of Economics, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University

Mr Privacy/Shutterstock

The contest between truth and post-truth matters when trying to solve big public policy questions. One of these questions is how to sustainably manage water in Australia for the benefit of all.

Truths can be confirmed or, at the very least, can be proved false. Post-truths, however, are opinions that masquerade as facts and are not supported by verifiable evidence.

Post-truths muddy political and policy debates. They leave everyday people simply not knowing what to believe anymore. This prevents good policy being enacted.

As I outline in a speech to the National Press Club today, several post-truths, espoused by a wide range of people and organisations, are getting in the way of Australian water reforms. These reforms are essential to secure a better water future for the driest inhabitable continent.

Water policy in Australia is now at a crucial juncture. This year is the 20th anniversary of the National Water Initiative that was meant to lay the foundations for sustainable water management. The completion date of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, accompanied by billions of dollars in funding, is just two years away.

Yet the so-called “water wars” are raging again. Here are five post-truth claims to watch out for.

Australia’s water wars are raging again.
Shutterstock

1. Water buybacks to sustain rivers harm communities

The Australian government buys water rights from willing sellers to return water to the environment. These buybacks have been controversial and blamed, with little evidence, for causing many farmers to become distressed and bankrupt, and to leave farming.

It’s true some irrigators are opposed to buybacks and prefer subsidies to build more efficient irrigation infrastructure on their properties.

But converting state water licences to a system of tradeable water rights gifted irrigators rights now worth tens of billions of dollars. In return, the government was supposed to buy back enough water from willing sellers to return rivers to health.

But insufficient water has been bought back from irrigators, for a couple of reasons.

First, the federal budget for buybacks was much less than needed to reduce irrigators’ water use to sustainable levels.

Second, the Abbott government capped buybacks in 2015. Its justification was the post-truth claim, based on “low quality” consultant reports, that buybacks were “destroying” irrigation communities.

The truth is, buybacks from willing sellers are much more cost-effective than taxpayer-subsidised irrigation infrastructure. Research shows infrastructure subsidies give irrigators an incentive to use even more water.

And there is robust evidence that, overall, the net social and economic impacts of water buybacks are positive. They give sellers the flexibility to adjust their farming practices in ways that are best for them.

2. Efficient irrigation ‘saves’ water and increases stream flows

Australia’s irrigation industry, in general, uses water efficiently. It’s a result of many practices, ranging from drip irrigation to covered water channels to digital monitoring technology, among other things.

However, spending on irrigation efficiencies has not saved much water.

Landholders have been paid billions of dollars for efficiency improvements. These same taxpayer dollars, paradoxically, may have reduced stream flows in some of our largest rivers. That’s because more efficient irrigation can decrease the amount of water flowing from farmers’ fields to rivers and aquifers.

3. Australia has world-best water management

Australia has one of the world’s largest formal water markets. But that doesn’t mean everyone benefits.

For a start, the water markets are unjust. First Peoples, who were dispossessed of their land and water from 1788 onwards, still have only a tiny share of Australia’s water rights.

In key areas, Australian water management is also far from best practice. For example, building weirs and dams has partly or completely disconnected groundwater from surface water and prevented or restricted the water flows to floodplains and wetlands that keep them healthy.

Fish, bird and invertebrate habitats have been destroyed as a result. This must change if we are to avoid further degradation of river ecosystems.

There is no more obvious sign of the ongoing destruction of Australia’s waterways than the fish kills along the Baaka (Lower Darling River) at Menindee. This happened in 2018–19, during a drought, and again in early 2023, when there was no drought.

The New South Wales Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer investigated the 2023 fish kill. Its report found:

Mass fish deaths are symptomatic of degradation of the broader river ecosystem over many years […] failure in policy implementation is the root cause of the decline in the river ecosystem and the consequent fish deaths.

4. All Australians have reliable access to good-quality water

It’s true that residents of Australia’s biggest cities and towns enjoy reliable, good-quality water supplies 24/7. But it’s also true that hundreds of thousands of Australians in rural and remote areas regularly face multiple drinking water threats.

These threats result in temporary public advice notices to boil water to remove microbiological pollution and health warnings about contaminants that boiling cannot remove, such as nitrates. A few dozen communities have elevated levels of the “forever chemicals”, PFAS, in their tap water.

5. Dams can ‘drought-proof’ Australia

It’s true that dams have helped Australia cope with variable rainfall from year to year. It’s also true, however, that despite building very large water storages in the 20th century, too much water is being diverted in multiple places. They include the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia’s “food bowl”.

Australia is over-extracting the available water in its dams. It’s happening in the northern Murray-Darling Basin, where there is little control over how much overflow from rivers onto floodplains can be taken.

Over-extraction is a big problem, especially during long droughts when there may be very little water to spare. It means the livelihoods of downstream irrigators with perennial plantings, such as grapes or fruit trees, are at stake. If their trees die, so do their businesses.

A sustainable future must be built on facts

Responding to Australia’s water crises is a huge challenge. It’s made even more difficult if we accept the post-truth claims, rather than verifiable facts about how we manage our waters.

Real reform is needed to secure a sustainable Australian water future. To achieve this, we must tell the truth, acknowledge what’s wrong and be clear about what works and what doesn’t.

Quentin Grafton receives funding from the Australian Research Council in relation to his water research. He is a former Member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists (2010-2011).

John Williams is affiliated as founding member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, a former Chief CSIRO Land and Water and former NSW Comissioner of Natural Resources.

– ref. These 5 ‘post-truth’ claims are fuelling the water wars in Australia – https://theconversation.com/these-5-post-truth-claims-are-fuelling-the-water-wars-in-australia-239941

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Mozambicans vote for new leaders

Source: China State Council Information Office

Ossufo Momade (Front) of Mozambique’s main opposition party Renamo is seen after casting his vote at a polling station in Maputo, Mozambique, on Oct. 9, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

Mozambicans began voting on Wednesday for a new president.

Around 17 million people are registered to vote, including 333,839 voters registered in the diaspora participating from seven African and two European countries as part of Mozambique’s global electoral process.

The 2024 general elections mark the seventh presidential election, with the ruling party Frelimo’s candidate, Daniel Chapo, 47, aiming to succeed incumbent President Filipe Nyusi, who is completing his maximum of two terms.

Chapo faces competition from three other candidates: Lutero Simango of the Democratic Movement of Mozambique, Ossufo Momade of the main opposition party Renamo, and independent candidate Venancio Mondlane backed by Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique.

In addition to the presidential race, voters will elect 250 members of parliament and 794 members for provincial assemblies, with 35 political parties competing for national parliamentary seats and 14 parties and civic groups vying for provincial positions.

According to observers from national and international organizations, the one-day electoral process is proceeding smoothly. Reports indicate that 92.8 percent of the 3,297 voting stations visited by 800 electoral observers had the presence of party delegates.

After casting his vote at around 7:05 a.m. local time on Wednesday at the Josina Machel Secondary School in the country’s capital of Maputo, President Nyusi urged for calm throughout the voting process.

“The game has 90 minutes. Only after the whistle do we know the result. We must avoid declaring victory prematurely, after 15 or 20 minutes, or even during halftime,” he stated, emphasizing that results should not be announced before the official conclusion.

He also underscored the necessity of maintaining peace and transparency during the election, saying “Let’s ensure our democracy strengthens the development of our country.”

Despite the rainy weather in the capital, which he referred to as a “blessing,” Nyusi encouraged all eligible voters to head to the polls within Mozambique and in the nine other countries where they are voting.

Chapo, if elected, would become the first leader born after Mozambique’s independence. After casting his vote in Inhambane Province in southern Mozambique, he called for a peaceful continuation of the electoral process, urging that the celebratory spirit of the campaign carry through to the voting and counting phases.

“We saw that during the campaign, all Mozambicans were in a festive mood. The campaign was orderly, peaceful, and without violence. Our appeal is that we continue in this manner today, even after the polls close, during the counting, and the announcement of results,” Chapo said.

Momade expressed his desire for the elections to be free, fair, and transparent, respecting the will of the voters. “We want free, fair, and transparent elections. We want the decision of Mozambicans to be respected,” Momade said shortly after voting at Josina Machel Secondary School in Maputo.

After casting his vote at the 25 de Setembro Primary School in Maputo, Mondlane called for continued vigilance among voters, especially the youth, until results are announced.

“Today is a pivotal day for our future. I think it’s a historic moment. History is anxious, announcing a generational transition, a democratic changeover,” he said to journalists, warning that if there are signs of fraud, the reaction will not be as peaceful as in previous elections.

Vote counting is expected to begin immediately after polls close. The National Election Commission (CNE) has up to 15 days to deliver the full results to the Constitutional Council for validation and formal declaration.

According to the CNE, the electoral process is being monitored by 11,516 national observers and 412 international observers, including delegations from the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries, the European Union, and the Southern African Development Community.

MIL OSI China News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Peter Weir’s The Cars That Ate Paris – a driving force in Ozploitation filmmaking

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark David Ryan, Professor, Film, Screen, Animation, Queensland University of Technology

IMDB

It has been 50 years since the cinema release of Peter Weir’s iconic, offbeat, cult classic The Cars That Ate Paris. The film seared the image of a silver Volkswagen Beetle weaponised with deadly spikes into the national imagination. It also helped shape the tropes of Ozploitation filmmaking within the history of Australian cinema.

Main character Arthur Waldo (Terry Camilleri) and his older brother drive through idyllic countryside, filmed like a tourism commercial. But when a sign diverts them off the highway towards the fictitious town of Paris, it soon becomes clear the place survives on a “crash economy”.

Older men in the community orchestrate car crashes on the road into Paris and survivors are taken to a hospital where a psychopathic doctor experiments on them. The townsfolk trade luggage from the cars for food and clothing and wrecks are salvaged by youths who terrorise the community.

The mayor of Paris (John Meillon) pities Arthur and adopts him into his family. Arthur is eventually forced to work as the town’s sole parking inspector, gripped by a phobia of driving, having caused more than one death from behind the wheel.

A uniquely Australian genre

Cars was Australia’s first “car crash” film. These were Ozploitation films, which privileged “low” culture and sensationalist sex, violence, nudity or gore to shock viewers after the R rating was introduced in 1971.

The Mad Max franchise later popularised the car-crash trope to create what has been regarded as a uniquely Australian film genre in the 1970s and 1980s. Movies in this canon included Chain Reaction (1980), Dead End Drive-In (1986) and Road Games (1981).

Both The Cars That Ate Paris and Weir’s next feature – Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), which would catapult him onto the global stage – marked a critical turning point for Australian cinema. They generated increased interest from distributors and film buyers in international markets and established the Australian Gothic style.

Cars is one of our most iconic Australian horror movies, but it is paradoxically a movie most Australians have never seen.

‘No one leaves Paris … no one.’

The slow burn of success

Cars was Weir’s second feature film and a far more polished effort than his first experimental horror. Homesdale (1971) is about the owners of a guesthouse performing hideous social experiments on characters already suffering trauma.

Cars was the first Australian movie to screen at France’s prestigious Cannes Film Festival. It marked a significant achievement for a local movie during the rebirth of the local movie industry, after the production of fiction movies had collapsed during the 1950s.

To market the film, Car’s producers drove the spiked Volkswagen around Cannes’ streets in an ingenious attempt to hype its screening during a packed festival schedule. The film was well received, but as critic David Stratton observed, it proved just too different from anything Australian filmmakers had made before, and indeed to anything being made anywhere.

The film failed to secure a distributor or reach large audiences at home or abroad – though it was released several years later in North America as The Cars That Eat People.

A cult following

A key reason for the movie’s slow reception was also why it became a cult classic: it defies filmic categories. It was originally promoted as a horror movie before being marketed as an art film. This was partly because the movie’s tone shifts jarringly from parody and black comedy to social commentary, before settling on all-out horror.

The film was later released with a different title.
IMDB

The story is mostly a dark comment on authority, normality and car culture, which descends into schlock violence in the final act. After the older patriarchy punishes youths for terrorising the streets, a gang of monstrous cars – including the iconic porcupine VW beetle – idle on a darkened hill to the sound of animal noises. The killer cars attack the town, leading to murder, mayhem and a violent battle.

Authur, drawn into the fight, kills one of the youths by repeatedly reversing over him. But rather than express shock or regret, he delights at being cured of his phobia. Arthur drives out of town joyously as survivors of the carnage flee the burning town.

Some things don’t change

The movie’s longevity comes from how it tackles social issues at the heart of the national character. Onscreen we see a dark critique of our obsession with cars and the “hoon culture” that results in tragic speeding or drink-driving-related deaths every year.

The movie also examines tensions between generations. The older, conservative generation arranges car crashes before hypocritically attending church services and preaching justice. The younger hoons bristle at being controlled in a town where they see no future.

One of the movie’s lasting thematic contributions to Ozploitation film is Weir’s depiction of the economic fragility and inopportunity of rural economies that lead to absurdly immoral activities.

More recently, the 2010 film The Clinic adapted this premise by portraying the small town of Montgomery as reliant on an illegal international adoption ring. Townsfolk steal babies and force their mothers to fight to the death in an abandoned abattoir while affluent foreign couples watch on monitors to determine which baby they will adopt.

The Clinic is a bleak, absurd example. But it shows how The Cars That Ate Paris continues to influence Australian cinema in profound and surprising ways.

Mark David Ryan has received funding from the Australian Film Institute Research Collection (AFIRC) fellowship and is a co-founding member of the Streaming Industries and Genres Network (SIGN).

– ref. Peter Weir’s The Cars That Ate Paris – a driving force in Ozploitation filmmaking – https://theconversation.com/peter-weirs-the-cars-that-ate-paris-a-driving-force-in-ozploitation-filmmaking-237233

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: University rankings: Treaty obsession risks international irrelevance

Source: ACT Party

“New Zealand universities should be alarmed by new rankings that suggest they are becoming less internationally relevant,” says ACT Tertiary Education spokesperson Dr Parmjeet Parmar.

“No New Zealand universities have improved their position in the THE World University Rankings. These rankings are of real importance to international students who pay full fees and effectively subsidise our university system.

“According to the rankings, there is one area in which every single New Zealand university has lost credibility, and that is their international outlook. That measure covers their proportion of international students and staff and their level of international collaboration.

“ACT is deeply concerned that a growing obsession with the Treaty of Waitangi and local indigenous knowledge will only see universities become more inward-looking, less internationally-relevant, and less attractive to international students.

“Take the example of the University of Auckland, which has fallen out of the top 150 for the first time since 2020, and within three years has fallen 6.1 percentage points in its international outlook score.

“From next year, the University plans to force all first-year students to complete a ‘Waipapa Taumata Rau’ course covering the Treaty of Waitangi and traditional Māori knowledge systems.

“This compulsory course will not effectively serve international students, who make up 31 percent of the student body. Nor will it effectively serve Kiwi students who want to prepare themselves for an international career.

“The University of Auckland’s compulsory course is just one example. Academics and students from multiple universities have told ACT that indigenous knowledge and Treaty propaganda has diffused into almost every area of study. How will universities attract international lecturers by asking them to put a local indigenous lens over their years of hard-studied subject-matter expertise?

“If our universities want to collaborate on the world stage, they need to rediscover the value of universal knowledge systems such as the scientific method, and the free and open contest of ideas. Forcing students to learn and staff to teach within the framework of unscientific, politicised, indigenous knowledge systems is not the answer.

“Putting indigenous knowledge on a pedestal may impact universities’ rankings on other metrics too. As ACT has previously argued, effective academic inquiry requires that all knowledge is contestable.”

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Economics: Huawei Austria Celebrates Five Years of TECH4ALL Nature Conservation at Biodiversity Forum Oct 10, 2024

Source: Huawei

Headline: Huawei Austria Celebrates Five Years of TECH4ALL Nature Conservation at Biodiversity Forum
Oct 10, 2024

[Vienna, Austria, October 10, 2024] Huawei hosted the Innovations for Biodiversity Forum this week to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Huawei’s TECH4ALL digital inclusion initiative and share insights into how technology is revolutionizing biodiversity protection.
Launched in 2019 and aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, TECH4ALL leverages technology and partnerships to create a positive impact in four domains: environment, education, health, and development. In the environment domain, Huawei TECH4ALL has run nature conservation projects in 53 protected areas with global and local partners in forest, wetland, and ocean ecosystems around the world.
Media delegates at the TECH4ALL Innovations for Biodiversity Forum

“Over the past five years, Huawei’s TECH4ALL program has demonstrated how technology can be a powerful force for good, addressing global challenges in environmental protection, education, and digital inclusion,” said Harvey Zhang, CEO of Huawei Austria.
The Innovations for Biodiversity Forum focused on TECH4ALL nature conservation projects in Europe, including findings of biodiversity monitoring in the wetland ecosystem around Austria’s Lake Neusiedl.
The quality of the reed bed habitats in this ecosystem is declining, negatively impacting amphibian species, mammals, and bird life. Since 2021, audio monitoring devices have collected more than 2 million individual audio files of 69 bird species.
Wildlife in the reed beds of Lake Neusiedl in Austria

This vast dataset will help develop a conservation management plan for the ecosystem, including controlled fire management to rejuvenate aging reed beds and strengthen overall biodiversity by understanding the habitat preferences of the individual species studied.
“Hardly any reed harvesting has been done in recent decades, which has had a negative impact on the state of the reed belt. The study investigated whether targeted fires could have an effect similar to that of harvesting. To do this, areas that show different age conditions due to fires were compared,” said Dr. Christian Schulze from the Department of Biodiversity Research at the University of Vienna. “The research showed that older reed beds harbor the greatest diversity of bird species. However, the analysis of individual species also shows that controlled reed fires have positive aspects.”
The forum explored a similar TECH4ALL monitoring project in Poland to build a more complete picture of biodiversity in the Białowieża National Park ecosystem, also with the aim of developing targeted conservation measures.
Greek startup PROBOTEK introduced a forest fire-prevention solution that uses sensors, drones, AI, and 5G to detect and transmit real-time video-footage of fire risks, which are on the rise in parts of Europe due to climate change and rising temperatures. The project is designed to enable emergency response in the first ‘golden 15 minutes’ of a forest fire being detected, notify residents of evacuation routes, and plan routes for fire trucks and ambulances.
The forum also looked at the success of an AI-based filtering system designed to protect Norway’s wild Atlantic salmon from possible extinction due to the invasive pink salmon species. The pilot project in 2023 successfully filtered out 6,000 invasive salmon, and expectations are high that the solution, the world’s first of its type, can be scaled out across Norway’s river systems.
On day two of the forum, the media delegation in attendance visited Lake Neusiedl to learn how the TECH4ALL solution works in practice and the transformative effect that intelligent digital technologies can have on nature conservation.

MIL OSI Economics –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Universities – Super-sized risk of heart disease – UoA

Source: University of Auckland (UoA)

New Zealand adults are eating, on average, far more salt daily than international recommendations; but, takeaways frequently do not display salt content.

New Zealand adults are eating, on average, far more salt daily than international recommendations; however, takeaways frequently do not display salt content.

New Zealanders over 15 years consume around 3,000mg of sodium per day, compared with the World Health Organization’s upper limit of 2,000mg (or one tsp of salt) per day.

Under the Food Standards Code, it is mandatory to provide nutrition information for packaged foods, but there are no such regulations for fast food, say public health researchers at the University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau in a new study.

Dietary sodium comes chiefly from salt. The researchers are calling for a national sodium-reduction strategy but say a key first step would be mandatory labelling of the sodium content in takeaway meals.

“A single serve of a burger or takeout sandwich with fries can easily provide more than the recommended daily upper limit for sodium [dietary salt] of 2,000mg,” says Associate Professor Helen Eyles from the School of Population Health in Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.

In 2020, the average NZ household spent a third (29 percent) of its weekly food budget on restaurant meals and takeaways.

Of 28 major fast-food chains, with more than 20 outlets, reviewed in 2020, ten did not provide information on the sodium content of their products.

Of 5246 products checked, only one-third provided sodium data for consumers, according to the research just published in the Journal of Nutritional Science.

This is despite salt being a significant contributor to heart disease.

Excess sodium [salt] consumption leads to raised blood pressure, which in turn can lead to stroke, heart attack, and other types of heart disease, the leading causes of preventable mortality in New Zealand and globally.

New Zealand has committed to a 30 percent relative reduction in mean population sodium intake by 2025, as part of the WHO Global Action Plan for reducing non-communicable diseases, which it is unlikely to achieve.

The countries that are doing the best in sodium reduction have a national sodium reduction strategy and a multipronged approach – it is not just about fast food but packaged food too, Eyles says.

In addition to setting benchmarks for processed foods a strategy would include a consumer awareness campaign, improved labelling of salt on foods, and monitoring of the food environment alongside population salt intake, says Shona Gomes whose masters research on target development informed the new paper.

Currently, New Zealand has only two voluntary strategies to reduce sodium in processed foods in place – targets for some categories of packaged foods (led by the Heart Foundation of New Zealand) and the Government-led Health Star Rating nutrition label.

Countries doing well have comprehensive benchmarks for packaged foods, and at least some sections of fast foods, such as for sodium on fries, and in burgers and pizzas.

“First of all, in New Zealand, we need to make it visible how much salt is in our fast foods,” Eyles says.

“We really need a national sodium reduction strategy implemented by the government, with one prong of that approach being to work with fast food manufacturers to reduce salt in their products.”

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Save the Children – Education disrupted for sixth year for 1.5 million children in Lebanon, with half of public schools used as shelters

Source: Save the Children

Half of Lebanon’s public schools have been turned into shelters for forcibly displaced people in the past two weeks, disrupting children’s education for the sixth consecutive year and increasing the threat to their long-term physical and mental wellbeing, Save the Children said.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Education said that Israeli airstrikes have forced about 40% of Lebanon’s 1.5 million pupils from their homes and postponed the start of the school year for public schools from 14 October to 4 November.

At least 500 public schools – about half of Lebanon’s public schools – are now being used as collective shelters -, following escalating violence on 23 September that led to the displacement of over 1.2 million people, or about one fifth of the population.

This marks the sixth year of significant disruptions to education for children in Lebanon, with the World Bankestimating that it will take Lebanon generations to recover from these successive shocks to children’s education.

Save the Children said children in Lebanon have been hit by multiple complex crises for decades, without being able to fully recover, including the COVID19 pandemic, political instability, the Beirut port explosion, economic downturns and the teachers’ strike in 2023.

Since October 2023, escalating cross-border hostilities have resulted in over 2,000 people being killed, including about 127 children, and at least 10,000 injured in Lebanon.

Salim-, 45, is a father of three boys aged 12, 16 and 17 from the south of Lebanon. In the past year, his family was forced to relocate eight times. The family is now staying at a school used as a collective shelter in Bekaa, eastern Lebanon, sharing a classroom with another family. He said:

“Every time we thought this was it, and we could settle down, take a breath, we were forced to move again. None of my children have received a proper education since 2020. Now, all they care about is making sure we’re safe and together. I never wanted this for them. I wanted them to have the freedom to dream, to chase after those dreams when the time was right, and to live their lives to the fullest. But now, all I want is for them to survive. Dreams have been replaced by basic survival. Food, education, and medication, these things have become distant luxuries.”

Sawsan-, 27, was displaced to the same school with her two children, aged four and five. She said:

“It’s been a year like this, a year of my children waking up to the sounds of Israeli bombs exploding around us. A year of uncertainty. We left on 26 September after our village was attacked. We spent two days on the road, desperately searching for safety and shelter until we arrived at this school. At first, my children were confused and unsure. “We’re going to live in a school?” they asked. “Does that mean we’ll study here too?”

Erin Wall, Education Technical Advisor at Save the Children Lebanon, said:

“Education during conflict plays a crucial role in providing a sense of normalcy and routine for children, but schools are now closed once again, and most non-formal education activities halted in the last two weeks. This only adds to the children’s distress as they lose access to the comfort of their friends and teachers, the structure of safe learning spaces and the routine support services they can find in schools. If schools stay closed, we expect compounded learning losses, with children unable to read and write, leading to a higher risk of drop-out and lower learning achievement overall, not to mention social isolation and disconnection. This will significantly affect children’s wellbeing, development, and ability to learn, limiting their opportunities for the future.”

Save the Children is committed to ensuring children can access their right to a quality education even in times of crisis. Since hostilities escalated in October 2023, Save the Children has reached more than 2,100 displaced children through delivery of emergency learning activities, provision of critical non-specialized psychosocial support and social emotional learning activities, and distribution of educational materials.

Jennifer Moorehead, Country Director of Save the Children in Lebanon said:

“Countless parents are telling us that one of their top priorities is for their children to get back to school, which does not surprise us. Education is one of the most essential factors necessary for the recovery and future of children – and the country. Schools also offer an important entry point for children to be referred to other essential services like healthcare, mental health support or child protection services. Every day away from the classroom, is a growing threat to children’s long-term physical and mental wellbeing. Schools should only be used as shelters as a last resort, and for the shortest possible period. We call for an immediate ceasefire to prevent further suffering and protect children’s right to education.”

Save the Children has been working in Lebanon since 1953. Since October 2023, we’ve been scaling up our response in Lebanon, supporting displaced Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian children and families, and now have escalated an emergency response throughout the country in 161 collective shelters. Since October 2023, we’ve supported more than 100,000 people, including 40,000 children, with cash, blankets, mattresses and pillows, food parcels, water bottles and kits containing essential hygiene items.

Currently, Save the Children is scaling up its Education in Emergency response and related child protection support for displaced families inside and outside collective shelters, focusing on ensuring learning continuity and wellbeing support.

Notes

– “Collective shelters” are pre-existing buildings and structures where large group of displaced people find shelter for a short time while durable solutions are pursued. A variety of facilities may be used as collective centres – community centres, town halls, hotels, gymnasiums, warehouses, unfinished buildings, disused factories. Infrastructure and basic services are provided on a communal basis or access to them is made possible.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Hoeven: New Minot North High School Will Help Provide Important Opportunities for Students

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven
10.09.24
MINOT, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today joined community and school leaders at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the newly opened Minot North High School. Minot North High School opened for classes on August 21, 2024, and is part of a larger reconfiguration of Minot Public Schools. The senator previously helped break ground on the new school and commended city and school officials on their efforts to meet the needs of Minot’s students.
“A quality education is the great equalizer, helping ensure young people have the skills they need to compete in the economy of the future and live a fulfilling life,” said Hoeven. “Not only does this new high school double the square footage of Minot High, it will also help double participation in extra-curricular and co-curricular activities, meaning that more students will get opportunities to participate and learn. Congratulations to Superintendent Faul, former Superintendent Vollmer, Principal Johnson, and the community as a whole, who all worked together to make today’s achievement possible.”
As a member of the Senate, Hoeven has worked to provide resources to help prepare students for careers in industries that will be critical to the future of the state and nation’s economy. To this end, the senator is working to expand access to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, including by:
Supporting the Student Support and Academic Enrichment program, which can be used by school districts to build greater capacity for STEM education.
Cosponsoring and helping pass legislation to expand the National Science Foundation’s STEM education initiatives for young children, including establishing new research grants to increase the participation of girls in computer science.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: International student caps are set to pass parliament, ushering in a new era of bureaucratic control

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Norton, Professor in the Practice of Higher Education Policy, Australian National University

The federal government’s controversial plan to limit international student numbers is now almost certain to win parliamentary approval. But it looks like there will be some changes to the original bill introduced in May.

A Senate committee, which has a Labor majority, has recommended the bill be passed with amendments. The government is expected to accept the committee’s suggestions.

What did the committee find and what does this mean for caps on international student numbers?

Clashing views in parliament

In the inquiry report, Coalition senators criticised the government’s handling of international education. But they continued to support the idea of putting a limit on international students.

The Greens’ dissenting report completely rejected the idea of caps. The Greens don’t have the Senate numbers to block them, but they may find common ground with the Coalition on some amendments to influence the final outcome.

Changes to caps on courses

The government’s original legislation would let the minister set international student caps by education provider, location and course.

Caps by provider and location are meant to reduce pressure on accommodation and other services, especially in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. This is a key goal of the bill and other recent changes to international student policy.

But course-level enrolment caps are not necessary to achieve this.

As the inquiry report notes, most international students do not stay in Australia permanently. So they should be allowed to choose courses based on their own interests and job opportunities in their home countries.

The report also notes significant administrative issues involved with setting and monitoring caps for the more than 25,000 courses on offer to international students.

But the report does not take these points to the logical conclusion of recommending no caps on courses. Instead, it proposes no course caps for universities or TAFEs. Non-university higher education providers and non-TAFE vocational education providers could still be subject to course-level caps.

After the report was released, Education Minister Jason Clare cited advice about some vocational providers offering courses that “don’t give [students] a real qualification”.

Coalition senators may seek the full removal of course caps from the bill – in the Senate report, they criticise what they call the “appalling treatment of many private higher education and [vocational education and training] providers”. With support from the Greens, course caps could be stopped.

A new power to exempt some categories of students

The government has flagged it wants to exempt students from the Pacific or Timor-Leste and some students on government scholarships from the new cap regime.

That would require amendments to the original bill, which the Senate inquiry also recommends. This change is unlikely to face any Senate obstacles.

An earlier date for announcing caps

The bill requires caps to be announced by September 1 in the year before the caps apply, except for this year when the deadline is December 31.

This date was criticised because international students receive offers before September. Education providers need to know their caps before they start making offers.

The Senate report recommends a July 1 announcement instead.

Huge powers for the minister

As drafted, the bill gives the minister extraordinary personal power to set international student caps. It sets no limit on the reasons for setting caps. It requires no consultation prior to setting caps, other than the minister for education consulting the minister for skills.

The Senate report suggests improvements to this process. The education minister would also need to consult the immigration minister and the regulators for vocational education and higher education.

The report also says education providers should be consulted on the initial setting of enrolment limits each year. With around 1,500 providers registered to offer courses to international students, this consultation may need to be with their representative groups.

More scrutiny for the caps?

The bill has a dual system for setting caps. One of these is via a “legislative instrument”, which the minister makes. This can be disallowed by either house of parliament and is the only limit on the minister’s power.

But the bill also allows the minister to bypass the parliament with a “notice” to education providers. This has the same practical effect as the legislative instrument.

The bill’s explanatory memorandum (the document to help readers understand legislation), offers a benign explanation for this. It says the minister will only exercise the power of using a notice in limited circumstances. Its examples include when the education provider has supplied additional student accommodation, or needs to expand to take students from other providers that have gone out of business.

Nothing in the bill, however, limits the use of capping by notice.

In a submission to the inquiry, I recommended requiring parliamentary scrutiny of the way caps are set. The legislative instrument would set out rules and formulas for calculating the cap. The notice to education providers would have to apply these rules and formulas to their specific circumstances.

The Senate committee majority, however, recommended a much weaker form of scrutiny. It suggested replacing the notice with a “notifiable instrument”. This would ensure the provider’s cap was publicly available. The notices, by contrast, only go to to the affected education provider, the Department of Education, and the relevant regulator.

A notifiable instrument would allow more public scrutiny of the minister’s decisions, for people who keep an eye on the government’s legislation website. But it falls well short of a system in which parliament is always directly notified of caps and given the power to intervene.

A turning point

The Senate inquiry partly answers some criticisms or weaknesses of the bill. It’s likely the bill will next be debated when parliament sits in November.

But whatever views people hold on capping international students – and with the student visa holder population nearing 700,000 there is a case for moderation – we are witnessing a major turning point in higher education.

This bill, in combination with planned controls on domestic student enrolments, signals the demise of student choice and university autonomy. A new era of bureaucratic control from Canberra is arriving.

Andrew Norton is employed by the Australian National University, which has announced major job cuts that it partly blames on the capping of international student enrolments.

– ref. International student caps are set to pass parliament, ushering in a new era of bureaucratic control – https://theconversation.com/international-student-caps-are-set-to-pass-parliament-ushering-in-a-new-era-of-bureaucratic-control-240988

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Tracing the origins of Confucian inspiration

Source: China State Council Information Office 3

Across the span of human history, many great thinkers have shone like bright stars, profoundly shaping civilization. Confucius is one of them. Throughout the millennia since his time around the 5th century BC, the school of thought he founded and the Confucianism that developed from it has continued to offer inspiration for people, not only in China.

A new exhibition at the Palace Museum in Beijing opened on the National Day holiday to demonstrate the lasting legacy of the sage through 380 cultural relics on loan from nearly 30 institutions from home and abroad. It will run for more than three months.

In the Meridian Gate Galleries, above the southern entry of the former Chinese imperial palace also known as the Forbidden City, When the Great Way Prevails: Special Exhibition of Confucian Culture launches a time travel spectacle resonating with ancient ritual and wisdom.

Through the objects on display, this exhibition aims to illustrate the historical context, core concepts, and far-reaching influence of Confucian culture.

“The agricultural civilization of China shaped the nation’s cultural genes: order, stability, humility and peace as the core values,” says Da Weijia, deputy director of department of objects and decorative arts of the Palace Museum, who is in charge of organizing the exhibition.

“From these, Confucianism developed, and continually influenced people’s values, ways of thinking and behavioral norms, producing a distinctive Confucian culture,” she says. “It still resonates with our modern life today.”

Exhibited ceremonial musical instruments and ritual bronze wares, showing the hierarchical social status from the Western Zhou Dynasty (c. 11th century-771 BC) to Confucius’ time, display his lofty pursuit.

The authority of Zhou kings declined as feudal lords vied for supremacy, bringing devastating damage to the ritual system.

Confucius decided that his mission was to revive the rituals in the hope of reestablishing the social order, Da explains. “At that time, many schools of thought put forward their ideas in response to the disorder and division. These greatly expanded the breath and depth of people’s thinking.”

By “interpreting rituals with benevolence”, Confucius, a pioneering educator who also first initiated private schools in China, established an all-encompassing moral code that was closely tied to human nature.

More than 300 years later, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), who ruled a unified country of vast territory, supported Confucian thought, with Confucius’ teachings as its key exemplar, to become the official orthodoxy.

Exhibits ranging from figure paintings to various editions of Confucian classics show how Confucianism has been a vital source of spiritual nourishment for the Chinese nation in its continuous growth. “This culture has kept pace with the times and evolved in response to historical changes,” Da says.

On a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) hanging scroll, Confucius Giving a Lecture, a romantic imagination on how the educator inspired his disciples was featured. In China, Confucius deserves his reputation as an exemplary teacher of any age for the moral principles and love of learning he set.

A Tang Dynasty (618-907) portrait of centenarian Fu Sheng, whose long life spanned the 3rd to 2nd centuries BC, urges visitors to remember this brave scholar, who spent his lifetime protecting Confucianism during a time of war and social upheaval. This precious painting, on loan from Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts, is often credited to Tang poet Wang Wei, a household name for Chinese people.

Confucian classics engraved on stones, across several dynasties, demonstrated their status as the official guiding thoughts. This physical evidence may have fallen into fragments but the highlighted wisdom they recorded seem to have lasted much longer.

“Confucianism advocates fulfilling responsibilities to the family and the state, extending moral conduct from cultivating the self and regulating the family to rightly governing the state, bringing peace to all under heaven,” Wang Guangyao, a researcher with the Palace Museum and a curator of the exhibition, explains.

Calligraphic works left by iconic Confucian philosophers, such as Wang Shouren, also known as Wang Yangming from the Ming Dynasty, demonstrated how generations of Chinese literati pursued the ideals portrayed by the ancient sages. For the Common Good, a handwritten scroll by last century’s revolutionary pioneer Sun Yat-sen demonstrating his signature slogan, probably reflects Confucian mindset in national governance in a modern context.

Archaeological findings also help to further record ancient people’s Confucian practices in detail. A group of displayed bamboo slips that were unearthed from a Han Dynasty tomb in Wuwei, Gansu province, usher modern people to review how those who lived in ancient times respected the elderly.

This was a cornerstone of Confucian moral codes. In Confucianism, a goal is “to build a society where the elderly have a place to live, the strong have a place to work, the young have a place to grow, and the widowed, the orphaned, the disabled, and the sick are all taken care of”.

As the exhibition also shows, Confucian culture has spread far and wide. In the East, Confucianism had its deep impact on neighboring Asian countries. In the West, Confucianism even inspired Enlightenment philosophers like Voltaire with its humanist and rationalist spirit.

Sacrificial bronze wares from the Temple of Confucius in Qufu, Shandong province, also the sage’s hometown, and a group of Edo-era animal-shaped bronze vessels used for Confucius-honoring ceremonies from Tokyo National Museum are jointly displayed to provide a glimpse of a shared cultural circle.

A Joseon Dynasty edition of ancient Chinese Confucian classic Zuo’s Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals and a screen with Chinese characters promoting core values of Confucian virtues, both from the National Folk Museum of Korea in Seoul also reflect significance of Confucianism in people’s daily life on the Korean Peninsula.

“To this day, the profound wisdom, ideals and moral standards of Confucian culture continue to inspire people from different civilizations around the world to understand each other and learn from each other,” Wang Guangyao says.

This curator wants to create not only width, but also a long lineage in this review of Confucianism. That is why the time span of displayed relics started from a period much earlier than Confucius’ time. A section of the exhibition is particularly designed for many milestone relics from Neolithic period to trace the roots of the rites and ceremonies that were admired by Confucius.

Jiahu bone flute, dating back 9,000 years, and ceremonial jade artifacts, more than 5,000 years old, may belong to different eras than Confucius’, but the ritual system and shared cultural community they contributed to build may create a foundation for his school of thought.

“Confucius’ philosophies didn’t suddenly pop out,” Wang Guangyao explains. “These relics reflect our ancestors’ concern for virtues and order, and they explain how a united China chose Confucianism as a guiding mindset in national governance.”

MIL OSI China News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Second Reading Speech – Better and Fairer Schools (Funding and Reform) Bill 2024

Source: Australian Executive Government Ministers

This is a Bill to increase funding for our public schools.
I am a product of public education and proud of it.
Education is the most powerful cause for good in this country.
It doesn’t just change lives.
Its impact ricochets through generations.
It changes communities and it changes countries.
It’s changed ours.
And it’s public education that does most of that heavy lifting.
More than 6,700 public primary and high schools across the country.
Full of children from every background, every religion and every culture.
And mums and dads up and down the income scale. Doing every sort of job.
That’s part of what makes public education special. It is for everyone.
But it also does something else.
It plays an outsized role in educating the most disadvantaged children in this country.
The children who are most likely to start behind or fall behind.
The children who need our help the most.
And these are the schools that are the most underfunded.
One in 10 children today are below the minimum standards we set for literacy and numeracy.
But one in three children from poor families are below that standard.
Most of those children are in our public schools.
Many never catch up.
And many never finish school.
Over the last eight years the percentage of students finishing high school has gone down not up.
From 85 percent to 79 percent.
That drop isn’t happening everywhere.
In non-government schools the percentage of students finishing school is either pretty flat or going up.
Where the drop is happening is in our public schools. From 83 percent to 73 percent.
And it’s happening at a time when it’s more important to finish school than ever before.
Where more and more jobs require you to finish school and then get a qualification from TAFE or uni.
This is what we have got to turn around.
This is what we have got to fix.
And this is what this legislation is about.
——
In 2011 David Gonski delivered the report that recommended a new funding formula for schools.
What we now call the Schooling Resource Standard – or SRS.
The SRS sets the estimated level of total public funding each school should receive to fund the cost of schooling each year.
At the moment, the base per student amount is $13,570 for a child in primary school and $17,053 for a child in high school.
As part of the model that David Gonski recommended, additional funding is also provided for:
•    Students with disability
•    Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
•    Students experiencing socio-educational disadvantage
•    Students with low-English proficiency; and
•    School size and location.
These are called loadings.
For most non-government schools, the base per student amount is reduced depending on the median income of the parents of the children who attend the school.
This means for example that at a non-government school where the median family income of the parents is very high the school only gets 20 percent of the SRS base amount.
All of this is what’s often described as the Gonski model or needs-based funding.
At the moment all non-government schools are funded at the level David Gonski set all those years ago, or they are on track to get there, or they are above it and coming back down to it.
But most public schools aren’t.
The Commonwealth Government provides 80 percent of the SRS funding for non-government schools and the State and Territory Governments provide the other 20 percent.
For public schools it’s the reverse.
The Commonwealth provides 20 percent of the SRS funding and the States and Territories are supposed to provide another 75 percent.
Some do. Some don’t.
That means there is at least a five percent gap.
At the last election we promised “to work with all states and territories to get all public schools on a path to 100 per cent of the SRS.”
What that means is both the Commonwealth Government chipping in more and the States and Territories chipping in more to fill that gap.
To do that we have to amend the Australian Education Act.
At the moment, the Act says the Commonwealth Government will provide a maximum 20 percent of the Schooling Resource Standard to public schools.
This Bill turns that maximum amount into a minimum.
It turns that ceiling into a floor.
It enables the Commonwealth government to ratchet up funding for public schools.
And it makes it harder for future governments to rip that money out.
It means that when the Commonwealth government does a deal with a State or Territory to increase funding to public schools, that bigger Commonwealth share becomes the new floor for that State or Territory.
It is locked in and it can’t go backwards without changes to the Act.
We have done three of those deals so far this year.
With Western Australia, with the Northern Territory and Tasmania.
All of them involve the Commonwealth government chipping in more and the State and Territory governments chipping in more.
All of them mean more funding from 1 January next year.
In the case of Western Australia it means every public school there will be fully funded by 1 January 2026, just over 12 months away.
In the case of Tasmania it means every public school will be fully funded by no later than 2029.
And in the case of the Northern Territory it means something that promises to be truly transformational.
At the moment Northern Territory public schools receive approximately 80 percent of the funding they are supposed to get under the Gonski model.
Less than anywhere else in the country.
It means in effect that one in five children in the Northern Territory are not receiving any funding.
The agreement I signed this year fixes that.
It doubles the Commonwealth’s investment in public schools in the Northern Territory.
It brings forward the day that all Northern Territory public schools are fully funded by more than 20 years.
And it means that some of the most disadvantaged public schools in this country will now be some of the best funded.
To make this happen though we need to pass this Bill.
——
There are some people who say that funding isn’t important. We just need practical reforms.
And there are others who say the opposite.
The truth is both are required. Funding and reform.
As David Gonski said in his report: “resources alone will not be sufficient to fully address Australia’s schooling challenges and achieve a high quality, internationally respected schooling system. The new funding arrangements must be accompanied by continued and renewed efforts to strengthen and reform Australia’s schooling system.”
I agree.
That’s why the agreements we have struck with Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory are not a blank cheque.
They are tied to real, practical reforms. That includes:
•    Phonics checks and numeracy checks in Year 1 or earlier, to identify children early who are behind and need additional support.
•    Evidence based teaching and catch up tutoring to help children catch up and keep up.
•    Funding extra mental health and well-being services in schools. Including counsellors, psychologists and full service schools.
•    Providing access to high-quality and evidence-based professional learning for teachers and school leaders and providing quality-assured curriculum resources that have been developed in partnership with the teaching profession, and
•    Paying experienced teachers more to work in schools that need additional support.
All of this is part of the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement that the Commonwealth and the States and Territories have developed together.
It also includes targets and measures to make sure this money glows in the dark.
I want parents and teachers to know where this funding is going.
That’s why the bill and the Agreement strengthens the reporting and public transparency requirements around how taxpayer funding is invested, without placing additional burden on schools.
The Agreement includes requirements for States and Territories to outline how the additional money is being invested in the key reform areas, and a new public reporting dashboard.
And the Bill includes a new annual Ministerial statement to the Australian Parliament on the progress of school education reform agreements.
_____
This is important reform. But it is just one part of the reforms we need to make to make our education system better and fairer.
We need to reform higher education too.
That’s what the Australian Universities Accord is about. It’s a blueprint print for reform to higher education over the next ten years and beyond.
What it says is we need to build a workforce by the middle of the century where 80 percent of working aged people have a TAFE qualification or a university degree.
And the only way to do that it says, is to help more people from poor families and more people from regional Australia get to university and help them succeed once they get there.
We also have to reform early education.
That’s what the Productivity Commission’s report that we released a few weeks ago is about.
What it says is that it’s these same children, children from poor families, from the regions, from disadvantaged backgrounds, who are the least likely to go to child care or pre-school, and the most likely to benefit from it.
And this, what we are doing here, is the critical piece in the middle.
Helping those same children who start behind or fall behind, to catch up, keep up and help more children finish school.
What the Prime Minister calls opening the door of opportunity.
A country where no one is held back and no one is left behind.
That at its core is what public education is about.
What it has always been about.
That’s what this Bill is about.
If you support lifting funding for our public schools you will support this Bill.
I commend it to the House.

MIL OSI News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: “The Elder Son” and other performances. What premieres are Oleg Tabakov Theatre and Sovremennik preparing

MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

Artistic director of the Moscow Oleg Tabakov Theatre and Sovremennik Vladimir Mashkov spoke about plans for the new season at a meeting of both troupes. He took up the post of director of the second theatre quite recently – in June of this year.

Premieres

In the new season, the Oleg Tabakov Theatre will return to the stage “The Elder Son” based on the play by one of the main Soviet playwrights of the 1970s, Alexander Vampilov. The plot revolves around two young people who missed the last train from an unfamiliar city. They decided to stay the night in the first house they came across and dropped in on musician Andrei Sarafanov, who was raising his son and daughter alone. One of the uninvited guests introduced himself as his illegitimate child.

“Director Alena Lapteva has begun rehearsals with new performers, and the work is progressing quite quickly. The play will return to the stage very soon,” said Vladimir Mashkov.

In the near future, they will begin rehearsing a play with the working title “Callsign Silence”. The idea for it arose during the work of the Tavrida art cluster laboratory, when the author of the play Oleg Antonov, together with the director and actor Sevastian Smyshnikov, met with participants in a special military operation.

“The performance will be staged with the support of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives. This is the first work in which artists from two theaters will take part,” the artistic director noted.

The performance dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War will also feature actors from both troupes. They will be joined by students from the Oleg Tabakov Moscow Theatre School.

In addition, there are plans to create a performance for the 90th anniversary of Oleg Tabakov’s birth. It will be “An Ordinary Story” – in the second half of the 1960s, the production became an important cultural event in the life of Moscow. Then, Galina Volchek transferred Ivan Goncharov’s novel to the stage of “Sovremennik”, and Oleg Tabakov played one of the main roles and received the USSR State Prize for it. Later, in 1990, he himself staged this performance – already in his own theater.

“This production was the most important in Oleg Pavlovich’s life. It is brilliant, incredibly modern, endowed with feelings, energy, love, passion – everything that accompanies our life. I think it would be a good study,” Vladimir Mashkov noted.

Oleg Tabakov Theatre is 35. We remember the history of the famous “Tabakerka”

The Oleg Tabakov Theatre and Sovremennik are preparing other performances for the new season; they promise to announce details about them later.

Exhibitions, cinema, excursions

In December, the Sovremennik Theatre Museum, which opened this year, will open an exhibition dedicated to the showing of The Government Inspector, where Galina Volchek once shone in the role of Anna Andreyevna. On December 19, the actress would have turned 91. “Perhaps on this day, in honor of her memory, we will perform the play The Government Inspector,” said Vladimir Mashkov.

The museum will also host a series of lectures dedicated to the founders of the theater and what it is living today. The plans also include walking tours of the theater quarter on Chistye Prudy.

Already next year, several exhibitions dedicated to the 90th anniversary of Oleg Tabakov’s birth will be organized. They are expected to take place in Zaryadye Park, on Tverskoy Boulevard and in some other places. In addition, a documentary film dedicated to the life and work of the actor is being prepared.

The theatre school operating at the Oleg Tabakov Theatre will now also be at Sovremennik.

“The theatre is an organism that is constantly evolving. And its heart is the theatre school, which now exists at two theatres. The students recently staged the play ‘Guardians’ – in my opinion, it is very interesting,” said the artistic director.

It is dedicated to famous theatre figures – Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, Mikhail Chekhov, Vsevolod Meyerhold, Maria Knebel, Yevgeny Vakhtangov, Georgy Tovstonogov and Oleg Efremov. According to Vladimir Mashkov, “The Guardians” will be shown to the audience very soon.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

http://vvv.mos.ru/nevs/item/145047073/

MIL OSI Russia News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Moscow entrepreneurs learn about the rules of working with brand reputation

MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

On October 21, the State Budgetary Institution “Small Business of Moscow” (MBM), with the support of the capital’s Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovative Development, will hold a conference “The Path to the Client’s Heart” for capital businessmen and anyone who wants to start their own business.

Conference participants will learn how to manage reputation in social networks, analyze customer needs, increase their loyalty and work with the customer base. In addition, entrepreneurs will be able to receive individual expert consultations in the mentor lounge.

The business program will begin with speeches by speakers. The deputy chief operating officer of an online reputation management agency will tell how entrepreneurs can work with brand reputation on the Internet. The head of the sales department of a social media and mass media monitoring and analysis system will explain how to build communications with clients and develop your product based on feedback.

The event will continue with a thematic session “Customer experience for the self-employed”, a workshop “Customer base is the main asset of your business” and an individual mentoring lounge, which will take place from 17:00 to 19:00.

The workshop will be conducted by a business coach, owner of several companies in the field of retail, services and consulting. Its participants will learn to measure the main indicators of their business, form a client base and segment it, define the goals of marketing activities for each group of clients and create promotional events for these purposes.

Within the framework of the mentoring lounge, experts, including the founder of women’s clothing brands, the chief specialist of a consulting company, and a patent attorney, will conduct individual consultations and suggest optimal solutions to the problems facing businessmen.

The conference will be held on October 21 from 12:00 to 19:00 in the pavilion “Art. Technograd” at the address: Prospekt Mira, house 119, building 318. Participation is free, you can register on the MBM portal. To attend the workshop and receive expert advice in the mentor lounge, you must register in advance; the number of places is limited.

Support for businessmen is provided within the framework of the national project “Small and medium entrepreneurship and support for individual entrepreneurial initiative”. More information about this and other national projects implemented in Moscow can be found here find out here.

State Budgetary Institution “Small Business of Moscow”, subordinate To the Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovative Development of the City, helps people open and develop their own businesses in the capital. In business service centers, everyone can learn about financial and non-financial measures of state support.

Free educational and business events are held for entrepreneurs: forums, seminars, trainings, conferences, which help to improve professional competencies and find like-minded people.

You can also get advice on opening and running a business and learn more about current measures to support entrepreneurs in Moscow on the MBM website and by phone: 7 495 225⁠-14⁠-14.

Starting with coffee: entrepreneurs are invited to join the new MBM training project “MBM Business School” invites you to a course for social entrepreneurs The number of small and medium entrepreneurs in the education sector has grown by 27 percent in three years

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

http://vvv.mos.ru/nevs/item/145021073/

MIL OSI Russia News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: NSU Student Startup Receives Support from Innovation Assistance Fund

MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

The Foundation for Assistance to Innovations (Bortnik Foundation) approved the allocation of a grant in the amount of 4 million rubles under the Start Digital Technologies program to residents of the Startup Studio of the Novosibirsk State University — developers of a Telegram bot for coffee shops. The founders of the project plan to create a full-fledged service based on machine learning for building “smart” marketing.

As the developers said, the idea for the project came to them during a conversation in line for coffee at Novosibirsk State University (NSU) and consisted of creating a service that allows you to pre-order this drink to go and not waste time waiting. This is how Cloffer was born.

To use the service, the client logs into the Telegram bot, selects a dish with optional additives, pays for the order and monitors its preparation status. The guest receives a notification about the readiness of the drink or dish. The user of the service can also receive discounts and special offers, make a deferred order, without registering or downloading any applications.

The authors of the project successfully completed the A:START accelerator, received a ticket for residency in Akadempark, and became the owners Startup Lynch’s Grand Prize for NSU student startups this spring. A grant from the Innovation Assistance Fund will allow them to take a new step towards the widespread implementation of their product.

— Previously, we were developing this project in our free time from studies and work, now we have agreed to focus on the grant, to devote more time to the project. And first of all, we want to develop the service further: to apply machine learning methods to build “smart” marketing. We will collect as much data as possible, analyze how users behave, what factors influence their behavior and try to build personalized offers in such a way as to increase sales to establishments that have connected to our service, — said Ivan Morgun, head of the development team.

The service’s appearance will also change: instead of a standard Telegram bot, it will receive a full-fledged graphical interface, in which you can look at images of goods and order them in a more convenient format. In addition, the service developers plan to expand their geography: not only to connect catering establishments in Novosibirsk, but also to Omsk and Tyumen.

As the developers themselves note, the foundation’s support turned out to be useful both materially (which allowed them to devote more time to the project) and psychologically.

“Winning the competition gives us additional confidence that we are moving in the right direction, because the foundation’s experts assessed that our idea is promising,” Ivan Morgun emphasized.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

http://vvv.nsu.ru/n/media/nevs/education/start-up-students-nsu-received-support-from-the-innovation-promotion-fund/

MIL OSI Russia News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Space isn’t all about the ‘race’ – rival superpowers must work together for a better future

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Art Cotterell, Research Associate, School of Regulation and Global Governance, Australian National University

Artist’s concept of the docked Apollo and Soyuz in 1975. David Meltzer/NASA

In recent years, a new “space race” has intensified between the United States and China. At a campaign rally last weekend, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump invoked this rivalry when declaring the US will “lead the world in space”, echoing Democratic counterpart Vice President Kamala Harris.

Meanwhile, the president of China, Xi Jinping, has said becoming “a space power is our eternal dream”.

But what is this latest “race” about, and are there pathways to common ground? History suggests these do exist. As a space governance specialist, I argue our future depends on it.

The ‘race’ to the Moon

Lunar missions have become synonymous with a “space race”. During the Cold War, the US and Soviet Union’s competition to achieve that first “one small step” on the Moon was a symbolic and strategic quest for political, technological, military and ideological dominance on Earth.

Geopolitical tensions are again moving off-Earth. The US and China are leading separate missions which aim to return humans to the Moon. One goal is to further scientific research. But space mining and economic expansionism are also driving these efforts.

This new “race” may give rise to new conflicts, especially over prime landing sites and valuable and scarce resources speculated to be located on the lunar south pole.

Mining water ice could produce oxygen, drinking water and rocket fuel – all vital for sustaining lunar exploration and beyond. The Moon may also contain rare earth metals used in everyday electronics, and a rare non-radioactive isotope, helium-3, for nuclear power.

Space mining could lead to a concerning “lunar gold rush” or trade war with nations and private actors in space. Resources mined off-Earth are predicted to be worth trillions of dollars.

The US has a longer history of demonstrated space-faring capabilities, investments and partnerships. Yet China is catching up. While the US made its first uncrewed landing on the lunar south pole this year, China has made several landings. In June this year, China’s Chang’e 6 mission returned with the first rock and soil samples from this sought-after region of the Moon.

International Space Station’s Expedition 72 crew pose for a portrait on September 29 2024. For the past two decades, the ISS has been a great example of space collaboration.
NASA Johnson

How are nations working together on space?

Both superpowers have invited other nations to join them in realising their lunar visions. This week the Dominican Republic became the 44th signatory to the US-led NASA Artemis Accords.

Thirteen other nations are participating in the China-led International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) in collaboration with Russia. Senegal joined last month.

With no membership overlap between the two initiatives, new “space blocs” are emerging, reflective of global power dynamics.

The Artemis Accords and ILRS are currently not legally binding, but they will be influential in shaping space governance in the 21st century. This is because treaty-making in the United Nations’ Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS, established in 1959) hasn’t kept pace with the latest developments and actors in space.

Nor has space governance adequately engaged with growing ethical questions, including on space colonisation and light pollution caused by satellites.

We’re at a critical juncture. It’s important the emergence of these new “space blocs” doesn’t escalate into a contest over whose space governance approach prevails. Not only could this increase the risk of conflict on the lunar surface itself, but it could even fuel geopolitical instability and military competition on Earth.

History shows we can work together

Space has fostered cooperation even between superpower rivals during tense geopolitical times. During the Cold War, the US and Soviet Union cooperated on space governance, laws, science and technologies. This built mutual trust and eased tensions.

Within COPUOS, nations worked together to agree on what became the first of multiple foundational space law treaties, the Outer Space Treaty in 1967. It prohibits placing nuclear weapons in space and national appropriation claims over celestial bodies like the Moon.

A joint Moon landing never eventuated. But in 1975, the Apollo and Soyuz spacecrafts docked while in orbit. This marked the first international human spaceflight partnership, a historic feat made possible thanks to technical cooperation and diplomacy. COPUOS heralded this as inspiring ongoing cooperation.

More recently, NASA’s International Space Station (ISS) has been an orbiting testament to coexistence. Astronauts from the US, Russia and other partners have conducted over 3,000 experiments in microgravity.

At the recent UN Summit of the Future, video messages from the ISS and China’s Tiangong space station astronauts reaffirmed the importance of international cooperation and the peaceful uses of space.

From rhetoric to practice

Humanity has much to lose if global superpowers don’t cooperate on space governance. There is a real and growing risk of exporting and exacerbating our earthly conflicts in space. This will invariably increase tensions on Earth.

The US and China need to explore opportunities to open dialogue between the Artemis Accords and ILRS. There are some similarities in their separate planned activities, governing principles and guidelines already.

To make this happen, the US will need to revisit the 2011 Wolf Amendment, a law that restricts NASA from using its funding to cooperate with China, without congressional approval. But China has no equivalent and recently expressed its willingness to cooperate, including sharing its rock and soil samples.

Sharing scientific information may help find initial common ground before further discussions on space governance. This could even move towards agreeing on landing sites or a lunar time zone. If a rescue mission is ever necessary on the Moon, having some compatible technology through interoperability would make it much easier.

The US and China do actively engage in COPUOS, including in the working group on space resources. Yet treaty-making is often slow moving. This means greater opportunities for communication, consistency and certainty on space governance are imperative. This could even support multilateral efforts.

Perhaps a joint lunar research mission between the US and China – in the spirit of the Apollo-Soyuz docking – can still happen in the future.

In the meantime, the world needs to see space not only in terms of a “race”. It’s also an opportunity to improve international relations, benefiting our future humanity on Earth and, one day, beyond.

Art Cotterell 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. Space isn’t all about the ‘race’ – rival superpowers must work together for a better future – https://theconversation.com/space-isnt-all-about-the-race-rival-superpowers-must-work-together-for-a-better-future-240543

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 23, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Is TikTok right? Can adding a teaspoon of cinnamon to your coffee help you burn fat?

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Evangeline Mantzioris, Program Director of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Accredited Practising Dietitian, University of South Australia

Evannovostro/Shutterstock

Cinnamon has been long used around the world in both sweet and savoury dishes and drinks.

But a new TikTok trend claims adding a teaspoon of cinnamon to your daily coffee (and some cocoa to make it more palatable) for one week can help you burn fat. Is there any truth to this?

Not all cinnamon is the same

There are two types of cinnamon, both of which come from grinding the bark of the cinnamomum tree and may include several naturally occurring active ingredients.

Cassia cinnamon is the most common type available in grocery stores. It has a bitter taste and contains higher levels of one of the active ingredient cinnamaldehyde, a compound that gives cinnamon its flavour and odour. About 95% of cassia cinnamon is cinnamaldehyde.

The other is Ceylon cinnamon, which tastes sweeter. It contains about 50-60% cinnamaldehyde.

Does cinnamon burn fat? What does the research say?

A review of 35 studies examined whether consuming cinnamon could affect waist circumference, which is linked to increased body fat levels. It found cinnamon doses below 1.5 grams per day (around half a teaspoon) decreased waist circumference by 1.68cm. However, consuming more than 1.5g/day did not have a significant effect.

A meta-analysis of 21 clinical trials with 1,480 total participants found cinnamon also reduced body mass index (BMI) by 0.40kg/m² and body weight by 0.92kg. But it did not change the participants’ composition of fat or lean mass.

Another umbrella review, which included all the meta-analyses, found a small effect of cinnamon on weight loss. Participants lost an average of 0.67kg and reduced their BMI by 0.45kg/m².

The effect appears small.
Radu Sebastian/Shutterstock

So overall, the weight loss we see from these high-quality studies is very small, ranging anywhere from two to six months and mostly with no change in body composition.

The studies included people with different diseases, and most were from the Middle East and/or the Indian subcontinent. So we can’t be certain we would see this effect in people with other health profiles and in other countries. They were also conducted over different lengths of time from two to six months.

The supplements were different, depending on the study. Some had the active ingredient extracted from cinnamon, others used cinnamon powder. Doses varied from 0.36g to 10g per day.

They also used the two different types of cinnamon – but none of the studies used cinnamon from the grocery store.

How could cinnamon result in small amounts of weight loss?

There are several possible mechanisms.

It appears to allow blood glucose (sugar) to enter the body’s cells more quickly. This lowers blood glucose levels and can make insulin work more effectively.

It also seems to improve the way we break down fat when we need it for energy.

Finally, it may make us feel fuller for longer by slowing down how quickly the food is released from our stomach into the small intestine.

What are the risks?

Cinnamon is generally regarded as safe when used as a spice in cooking and food.

However, in recent months the United States and Australia have issued health alerts about the level of lead and other heavy metals in some cinnamon preparations.

Lead enters as a contaminant during growth (from the environment) and in harvesting. In some cases, it has been suggested there may have been intentional contamination.

Some people can have side effects from cinnamon, including gastrointestinal pain and allergic reactions.

One of the active ingredients, coumarin, can be toxic for some people’s livers. This has prompted the European Food Authority to set a limit of 0.1mg/kg of body weight.

Cassia cinnamon contains up to 1% of coumarin, and the Ceylon variety contains much less, 0.004%. So for people weighing above 60kg, 2 teaspoons (6g) of cassia cinnamon would bring them over the safe limit.

What about the coffee and cocoa?

Many people may think coffee can also help us lose weight. However there isn’t good evidence to support this yet.

An observational study found drinking one cup of regular coffee was linked to a reduction in weight that is gained over four years, but by a very small amount: an average of 0.12kg.

Good-quality cocoa and dark chocolate have also been shown to reduce weight. But again, the weight loss was small (between 0.2 and 0.4kg) and only after consuming it for four to eight weeks.

So what does this all mean?

Using cinnamon may have a very small effect on weight, but it’s unlikely to deliver meaningful weight loss without other lifestyle adjustments.

We also need to remember these trials used products that differ from the cinnamon we buy in the shops. How we store and how long we keep cinnamon might also impact or degrade the active ingredients.

And consuming more isn’t going to provide additional benefit. In fact, it could increase your risk of side effects.

So if you enjoy the taste of cinnamon in your coffee, continue to add it, but given its strong taste, you’re likely to only want to add a little.

And no matter how much we’d like this to be true, we certainly won’t gain any fat-loss benefits by consuming cinnamon on doughnuts or in buns, due to their high kilojoule count.

If you want to lose weight, there are evidence-backed approaches that won’t spoil your morning coffee.

Evangeline Mantzioris is affiliated with Alliance for Research in Nutrition, Exercise and Activity (ARENA) at the University of South Australia. Evangeline Mantzioris has received funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, and has been appointed to the National Health and Medical Research Council Dietary Guideline Expert Committee.

– ref. Is TikTok right? Can adding a teaspoon of cinnamon to your coffee help you burn fat? – https://theconversation.com/is-tiktok-right-can-adding-a-teaspoon-of-cinnamon-to-your-coffee-help-you-burn-fat-240683

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: NSU students took part in the 28th Far Eastern Energy Forum “Oil and Gas of Sakhalin”

MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University – 4th year students with Faculty of Geology and Geophysics, NSU — Polina Anisova, Valeria Belitskaya, Irina Voronina, Arina Goryacheva, Ksenia Gladysheva and Kristina Raiko — took part in the 28th Far Eastern Energy Forum “Sakhalin Oil and Gas”. This major event brought together leading industry experts to discuss current issues of energy development and the region’s ecology.

At the forum, students attended lectures and seminars on offshore projects, hydrocarbon production and processing, logistics issues, sales markets, and the professional development of young specialists. During the plenary session, the results of 30 years of work in the field of offshore projects were considered, as well as strategies for developing the energy sector in Sakhalin and the Far East. Liquefied natural gas technologies, support measures for oil and gas projects, and the role of interaction between science and industry in the process of developing and implementing innovations were discussed.

In addition to the business program, the participants were able to enjoy a rich cultural and entertainment program: exhibitions, concerts and excursions made the forum even more memorable. This year, a special track for young people was organized, within the framework of which NSU students met with company representatives and HR managers, leaving their resumes for possible employment.

— The forum left a deep impression — the atmosphere was filled with energy and innovation. Excitement for the future and the desire to develop were felt in every conversation. We felt how important it is to exchange experience and knowledge in our field, and the opportunity to directly interact with professionals inspired new ideas and undertakings. The cultural program added bright colors, allowing us not only to study, but also to relax, find like-minded people and strengthen connections. It was a unique experience that charged us with optimism and confidence in our future, — Irina Voronina shared her impressions of the forum.

In addition to the business part, the students were also able to enjoy the natural beauty of Sakhalin Island.

— Sakhalin Island captivated us with its stunning mountains, beautiful beaches and green forests. The region’s desire for development is also clearly visible. Sakhalin left vivid memories and a feeling that this place combines a rich history and a dynamic future, — Irina notes.

The Sakhalin Oil and Gas Forum became a unique opportunity for our students not only to deepen their professional knowledge, but also to establish useful contacts for further development in the energy industry.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

http://vvv.nsu.ru/n/media/nevs/education/NSU-students-took-participation-in-the-28th-Far-Eastern-energy-forum-oil-and-gas-of-Sakhalin/

MIL OSI Russia News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Australia’s child support system can put single mothers at risk of poverty and financial abuse
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kay Cook, Professor and Research Director, School of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, Swinburne University of Technology

KieferPix/Shutterstock

Australia’s child support system can not only increase women’s poverty, but can actually facilitate financial abuse, according to our recent research.

Child support is an important system that aims to share the financial burden of raising children between separated parents.

But there are some serious problems with the way it operates, putting already vulnerable women further at risk.

Drawing on the experiences of 675 single mothers, we sought to examine women’s experience with the child support system from start to finish.

Our research suggests four key changes could improve both women’s safety and financial wellbeing.

How does child support work?

Where deemed necessary, child support arrangements typically require one separated parent to make payments to the other, on a regular basis.

How much is paid and how it is collected can vary in different circumstances.

The amount agreed to be paid in child support can take in a range of factors, such as the cost of childcare.
AKIRA_PHOTO/Shutterstock

In some families, a child support recipient’s income will be too high to receive the family tax benefit – a key payment that assists with the costs of raising children.

In this instance, a family can decide for itself how much will be paid, to whom, and how.

This is called self management, but it is very difficult to navigate when abuse is present in a relationship.

For families that do collect the family tax benefit, separated parents can use Services Australia to calculate the amount that will be paid.

Services Australia will consider factors including what it costs to care for and educate a child, as well as the difference in income between the two parents.

Once the amount has been calculated, separated parents can transfer payments privately between themselves, an approach called “private collect”.

Alternatively, this group can also use a service called “agency collect” to manage the transfer. Here, Services Australia collects the funds from the paying parent, then gives it to the agreed recipient.

For parents using agency collect, payments can also be “garnisheed” – deducted from a paying parent’s salary.

The system is failing the most vulnerable

Government reports reveal that across the agency collect system, a staggering $1.7 billion is owed to a third of single-parent households, representing 475,000 children.

The vast majority of this money is owed to women, two-thirds of whom have children in their care 86% or more of the time.

The vast majority of single parents are single mothers.
FotoDuets/Shutterstock

Losing out on payments

Across the child support system, 28% of paying parents fail to submit tax returns on time, reducing the accuracy of assessments.

Centrelink’s Family Tax Benefit A (the first part of a two-part payment) is linked to child support, with every dollar of child support above a certain threshold reducing this payment by 50 cents.

Concerningly, while reports indicate that 60% of single mothers receiving income support have experienced violence prior to separation, less than 15% receive exemptions from having to seek child support on the basis of this violence.

By not applying for either child support or an exemption, single mothers could lose a significant portion of their Family Tax Benefit A payments.

These sobering statistics are only part of the picture. Others remain invisible.

There are another 500,000 or so children in the private collect system. Many of their situations are a mystery. Services Australia doesn’t know how much those women and children are owed, as they don’t trace this amount and assume that payments are fully compliant.

What we uncovered

Our mixed methods survey of 675 single mothers asked women about their experiences in the child support system from start to finish.

We asked women how they made various decisions about child support, such as when to apply for it and when to change how it is collected and calculated.

Many women avoid chasing what’s owed to them for fear of retaliation from an ex-partner.
rigsbyphoto/Shutterstock

78% of women reported experiencing some form of violence at the time of separation.

But the research also showed how the nature of this abuse can change post-separation, when financial abuse becomes the primary mechanism.

Just over half the women reported currently experiencing either emotional or psychological abuse, and 60% financial abuse.

Women shared they were often fearful of retaliation from their ex-partner if they applied or changed child support payment arrangements.

I was advised not to apply at the time because of the family violence and he had made threats to kill me so [it] was recommended I didn’t give him any reason to act on this so I went without child support for some period of time.

Others had to ask for an exemption to apply.

A Centrelink social worker changed my son’s father to unknown so I wouldn’t be murdered.

The results show how the current system’s logic can force women to risk their financial welfare to ensure their own safety.

I withdrew my application to avoid further conflict by telling CSA [Child Support Agency] there was a private agreement but there isn’t and he doesn’t pay anything.

Often, women are paying back debts to Centrelink due to retrospective changes in their ex-partner’s income or level of care, at the same time they themselves are owed thousands of dollars in child support arrears.

I’ve at times been living on as little at $72 a week of FTB [Family Tax Benefit] as my sole income to feed, house, clothe and educate myself and two children. I don’t understand how that is possible.

How could we fix it?

Based on our findings, our report makes four recommendations that could bring about meaningful improvements, give women choices to suit their family, and create a system that is safe.
1. De-link family payments from child support.
2. Co-design family violence processes in the child support system.
3. Move all payment collections back to being handled by the tax office.
4. Make all payment debts owed to and enforced by the Commonwealth.
Any meaningful solution to this problem will need to include the voices of victim survivors, advocates, researchers and social support organisations to co-design an effective system.

The authors would like to acknowledge the assistance of Terese Edwards, chief executive of Single Mother Families Australia (SMFA), in the preparation of the report.

Terese and SMFA provided in-kind support in the form of survey design feedback and recruitment assistance. Terese also contributed to writing the report.

Kay Cook receives funding from the Australian Research Council in the form of a Discovery Project grant. She is Secretary of The Australian Sociological Association (TASA) and a Member of the federal Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee. She is the PhD supervisor of Terese Edwards, CEO of Single Mother Families Australia.

Adrienne Byrt is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow on a Discovery Project funded by the Australian Research Council.

Ashlea Coen’s research assistant position for this research was funded by Swinburne University of Technology.

Marg Rogers received funding from the Commonwealth-funded Manna Institute for her Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2022-24.

– ref. Australia’s child support system can put single mothers at risk of poverty and financial abuse – https://theconversation.com/australias-child-support-system-can-put-single-mothers-at-risk-of-poverty-and-financial-abuse-240917
MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –
January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Te Ūranga Waka Senior Lecturer honoured with Te Tohu Reo Māori Award | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

7 mins ago

EIT Te Ūranga Waka Senior Lecturer Hiria Tumoana (Ngāi Tūhoe) has been awarded the Te Tohu Reo Māori Award.

EIT Te Ūranga Waka Senior Lecturer Hiria Tumoana (Ngāi Tūhoe) has become the first recipient of the prestigious Te Tohu Reo Māori Award.

Presented by Ako Aotearoa, the Te Whatu Kairangi Awards celebrate outstanding educators who make a profound impact on their learners, their whānau, and the wider community.

Hiria, who will receive the award at Parliament next month, is overwhelmed by the honour.

“It’s amazing. They have a lot of people to work through. So, for someone like me, I must be doing something really good. I think I’m just really privileged and lucky to get this,” the 70-year-old said.

Hiria’s journey with te reo Māori began in Ruatoki, where she was raised in a community where Māori language and culture were central to everyday life.

Te reo Māori was her first language, and it has remained the foundation of her life’s work.

“For me, English doesn’t tell me who I am. Only te reo Māori does that,” Hiria reflects. “I will never stop teaching te reo Māori and hope to continue until my time is up.”

Hiria began teaching Te Reo Māori at Victoria University in 1977.

Since then, she has gone on to gain her BA Honours, train and examine translators for Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori (Māori Language Commission), and co-design and teach te reo Māori on Radio Kahungunu and across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Her passion for revitalising the language has driven her more than 40-year career at EIT, first starting in Wairoa, and now at the Hawke’s Bay campus in Taradale.

Hiria is renowned for her engaging teaching style, which blends humour, tradition, and modern techniques to create an inclusive environment for learners of all ages.

She believes that helping students discover their full potential is her greatest achievement.

“I want them all to be successful and I want them to know their full potential. They don’t always know what they know but when they understand, they feel good about who they are and what they can do.”

Pareputiputi Nuku, Pouarataki, Te Uranga Waka, says: “Hiria is an inspiration to all staff of Te Ūranga Waka, the majority of whom she has taught over the years and now they themselves are teachers”.

“Congratulations Hiria as the inaugural winner of this very significant award. E poho kereru ana mātau i a koe!”

Ako Aotearoa Deputy Director Māori, Dr Joe Te Rito says the proverb, ‘Te puna o te kī, te whītiki o te kī’ describes Hiria most aptly.

“She is an authority on the Māori language, as a native speaker and linguist, and she has a special gift for teaching it. Hiria is an icon for her life-time commitment to the revitalisation and teaching of the language dating back to the 1972 te reo Māori Petition.”

Hiria Tumoana will join the 10 other Te Whatu Kairangi awardees at Parliament on November 4 at the official awards ceremony hosted by the Hon Penny Simmonds, Minister of Tertiary Education and Skills.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Chinese Culture Festival held in Chicago after 4-year hiatus

Source: China State Council Information Office 3

The seventh Annual Chinese Culture Festival, co-hosted by Chicago Public Schools and Phoenix Tree Publishing, the North American subsidiary of Beijing Language and Culture University Press, took place at Whitney Young Magnet High School, Chicago, on Saturday.

This event marked the festival’s return after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Running from 10 am to 2 pm, it attracted over 1,300 participants, including students, parents, and teachers from more than 20 schools across the CPS.

Notable attendees included Wang Baodong, consul general of Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China in Chicago, Karime Asaf, the chief officer of the Multilingual-Multicultural Education Office of CPS, and Rickey Harris, the principal of Whitney Young Magnet High School.

In his remarks, Wang underscored the event’s role in enhancing mutual understanding between US and Chinese people, saying that cultural exchange is vital for fostering harmony, coexistence, and mutual development.

Chicago Public Schools, the third-largest school district in the United States, has 13,737 students across 37 schools participating in the World Language Program to study Chinese, supported by over 50 Chinese language teachers.

Jane Lu, the program’s coordinator, said that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Chinese Culture Festival had been on hiatus for four years. This year, it has been finally brought back, offering students and their families an opportunity to delve into Chinese culture, she said.

The festival featured a wide array of activities, including lion dances, martial arts demonstrations, and various other artistic performances. More than 20 interactive booths showcased aspects of Chinese culture such as calligraphy, Peking Opera masks, tai chi, and Chinese cuisine, providing attendees with a rich and immersive cultural experience.

Since its founding in 2011, Phoenix Tree Publishing has been supporting Chinese language and cultural education in K-12 schools across North America. Alongside providing professional international Chinese educational resources, the publishing house actively promotes cultural exchanges between Chinese and American students.

MIL OSI China News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: China removes block on Australian lobster, in last big bilateral trade breakthrough

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

China has removed the last significant trade barrier it imposed on Australia, with a timetable to resume full lobster imports by the end of the year.

Anthony Albanese announced the breakthrough after a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Vientiane, where the prime minister is attending the ASEAN-Australia summit.

Albanese said the end of the barrier would be in time for the Chinese New Year. This would be welcomed by those in the lobster trade in places including Geraldton, Western Australia, and in South Australia and Tasmania, he said.

The lobster decision means the Chinese over the last two years have removed trade barriers of nearly $20 billion slapped on Australia during the time of the former government when relations between the two countries went into a deep freeze. This followed various Australian decisions, including the call for an inquiry into the origins of COVID.

Remaining impediments are now worth less than $500 million, with two red meat establishments still affected.

The lobster trade was worth more than $700 million in 2019.

More than 3000 people are employed in the lobster industry, 2000 of them in WA.

“The reinstatement in normalised trade for all commodities is front and centre of the Government’s engagement strategy with China,” Albanese said.

“It is in the interests of both our countries to continue this path of stabilising our relationship. A resumption in trade for all Australian commodities is an important part of this process.”

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

– ref. China removes block on Australian lobster, in last big bilateral trade breakthrough – https://theconversation.com/china-removes-block-on-australian-lobster-in-last-big-bilateral-trade-breakthrough-241012

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI China: ‘Role models’ portrayed in artworks

Source: China State Council Information Office 3

In a period of nearly five months earlier this year, members of the teaching faculty of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, in Beijing, visited people who have been recognized as “role models” and “master craftsman” in different trades in Shanghai, and portrayed them in various forms of art.

Now, these paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints and digital works, some 200 pieces depicting 75 figures, are on show at Shanghai Workers’ Cultural Palace to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and to pay tribute to these endeavoring at the grassroots, from different walks of life.

Since 2015, the Central Academy of Fine Arts has been motivating its teachers and students to make portrayals for model workers from various fields, to create an image archive of the figures who have contributed to the country. Figures at the current exhibition include these from the manufacturing industries, science and new technologies such as AI and biotech, the fields of cultural heritage and protection and different sections of the city administration.

Yu Ding, the exhibition’s curator and dean of CAFA’s Sino-French Institute of Arts and Design Management, in Shanghai, says the event has built a bridge to connect artists and professionals from a wider social spectrum who share responsibilities to empower the country with hard work and hold up high the spirit of devotion.

The exhibition is organized by the Shanghai Municipal Trade Union Council.

MIL OSI China News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK and Canada announce satellite collaboration
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Dstl will test a short wave infrared camera to identify objects in orbit over the South Pole as part of a space domain awareness trial.
LISSA nanosatellite

The UK is to collaborate with Canada on the Redwing microsatellite Space Domain Awareness (SDA) mission scheduled to launch in 2027.

Redwing will track objects in congested orbits with improved sensors, and provide near real-time tasking in response to evolving space events.

Redwing, which is the size of a small washing machine, will be directed and tasked by the Department of National Defence’s science and technology organisation, Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC). The satellite will itself deploy a smaller nanosatellite that will incorporate a payload from the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) on behalf of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and UK Space Command.

Dr Gemma Bagheri, Dstl Space Research and Development Programme Manager, commented:

Space is increasingly congested and it is vital that we keep pace with new and emerging threats. The collaboration with our Canadian partners will enable us to improve the characterisation of objects and maintain security in space to protect our mutual interests.

The nanosatellite, roughly the size of a cereal box and known as Little Innovator in Space Situational Awareness (LISSA), will incorporate as its primary payload a Dstl experimental short wave infrared (SWIR) camera. Once separated, Redwing and LISSA will fly in tandem in sun-synchronous low Earth orbit, approximately 575km above the Earth and up to 200km apart.

The mission will assess the capabilities of the SWIR camera with particular focus on the South Pole of Earth, where the glare from the illuminated Antarctic ice sheet can hinder object identification in orbit. Space objects over the Earth’s South Pole is less monitored than the North Pole and the mission will inform future space surveillance considerations based on findings from the mission.

This international research cooperation between the countries provides the opportunity for joint collaboration and for developing prototype infrastructure and data processing architecture.

Major General Paul Tedman, Commander, UK Space Command, said:

This is yet another example of the value of international collaboration in space. Through Redwing and LISSA, the UK and Canada will test innovative technologies, which in the long term may vastly improve our ability to monitor and identify objects in space.

Magellan Aerospace will design, build, prepare for launch, and operate the Redwing microsatellite and LISSA nanosatellite. LISSA will be built by the University of Manitoba. Bornea Dynamics has been contracted by Dstl to produce and qualify the SWIR camera payload hardware.

Scott McLelland, DRDC Director of Research and Development for the Defend North America strategic focus area, commented:

The space domain continues to change and evolve and requires space faring nations to innovate to keep informed of the security situation in the space domain. DRDC is thrilled to have Dstl participate in the Redwing mission to help grow both nations’ defence space programs.

Find out more about Dstl’s space capability.

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Published 10 October 2024
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI China: ’Harry Potter’ series returns to Chinese theaters

Source: China State Council Information Office 3

Harry Potter fans in China will return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this weekend as Warner Bros. Pictures rereleases all eight films in theaters nationwide starting Oct. 11.

A promotional poster advertises the rerelease of eight “Harry Potter” films in China. [Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Discovery]

Warner Bros. will rerelease one “Harry Potter” film each Friday in Chinese theaters for eight consecutive weeks, starting Oct. 11 with “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” The schedule continues with “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” on Oct. 18, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” on Oct. 25, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” on Nov. 1, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” on Nov. 8, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” on Nov. 15, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” on Nov. 22, and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” on Nov. 29.

The complete film collection will screen in more than 3,400 theaters across 295 Chinese mainland cities, available in formats including IMAX, Cinity and Dolby Cinema. This marks the first consecutive showing of all eight films on such a scale in China, highlighting the franchise’s enduring popularity.

The Warner Bros. rerelease announcement has sparked nostalgia among fans. Meanwhile, audiences may pay tribute to renowned actor Maggie Smith, who passed away recently and was beloved for her role as iconic Professor Minerva McGonagall.

Beyond the theatrical rerelease, Warner Bros. Discovery regularly partners with Chinese companies to engage fans through various products and experiences, including theme parks, games and audiobooks. Warner Bros. Discovery has organized fan events across China, including “Magical Mischief” and the “Fantastic Beasts Red Envelope Giveaway.” The annual “Back to Hogwarts” celebration drew large crowds this year in Beijing, Shanghai and Changsha. The Changsha event alone attracted more than 230,000 people.

The Wizarding World franchise, which includes “Harry Potter” films and the “Fantastic Beasts” series, is the fourth-highest-grossing film series globally, with $9.6 billion in worldwide box office receipts. Eight Harry Potter films generated $7.7 billion worldwide, including 1.26 billion yuan ($178 million) from the Chinese mainland.

The first installment, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” was rereleased in 2020 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first “Harry Potter” book published in China in 2000. It grossed 192 million yuan in China’s ever-expanding film market, significantly more than the 56 million yuan it initially made in China in 2002, according to China’s ticketing platform and box office tracker Maoyan.

Harry Potter fans participate in a “Back to Hogwarts” event in Changsha, Hunan province, Sept. 1, 2024. [Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Discovery]

The “Harry Potter” series, created by British novelist J.K. Rowling, has captivated generations of Chinese readers and moviegoers. Since its debut more than 25 years ago, the saga of the young wizard has become a cultural phenomenon, ranking among the most successful entertainment franchises in history.

Rowling’s novels have spawned eight blockbuster films, three “Fantastic Beasts” movies, the stage play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” and various games. Fans globally also engage through consumer products and enjoy themed attractions at Universal Studios worldwide. Warner Bros. Discovery’s expanding “Harry Potter” portfolio includes tours, events and stores like Platform 9 3/4 shops and the flagship Harry Potter New York store. Studio Tours in London and Tokyo offer behind-the-scenes looks.

An upcoming HBO series based on the “Harry Potter” books promises to expand the franchise’s reach, inviting both longtime fans and newcomers to explore its magic.

MIL OSI China News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: From Moments to History. How the “Student Perspective 2024” Went

MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

An off-site educational seminar for first-year trade union organizers called “Student Perspective 2024” was held at the “Goluboe Ozero” recreation center. For the 26th time, PROF organized a meeting for first-year students so that they could get acquainted with the basics of student self-government at the Polytechnic University, communicate with administration representatives, exchange experiences with activists from various institutes, and outline their development trajectory at the university.

The seminar opened with a video with a welcoming address from the rector of the Polytechnic University, chairman of the St. Petersburg branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences Andrey Rudskoy.

Over the course of three days, more than 300 participants — trade union organizers, trainers, representatives of PROF and student associations — were fully immersed in active student life. This year’s theme was “From Moments to History,” and indeed, the participants were able to create many bright moments that formed a fascinating and positive story. In addition to trainings, the trade union organizers attended the events “PROF.festival” and “Catch the Moment: A Journey Through the Stars,” where the institutes demonstrated their unity and creativity.

One of the key events was a meeting with representatives of the university administration: the head of the rector’s administrative office Vladimir Glukhov, the vice-rector for youth policy and communication technologies Maxim Pasholikov, the head of the Youth Policy Department Ivan Khlamov, the director of the SPbPU Student City Vyacheslav Olshevsky, the chairman of the PROF Maxim Susorov. The students asked questions about the educational process and extracurricular activities of the Polytechnic University, as well as about the future of the university.

A separate strategic session with Maxim Pasholikov and Ivan Khlamov was organized for the trade union committee. At it, the participants designed interaction within the framework of the university’s youth policy. On the second day, a festival of student associations was held, where the guys got to know such associations as ReGreen, the School of Cultural Organizers, the Military History Club, the United Student Council of Dormitories, the Polytechnic Community of Physics Students, and others.

“Student Perspective” ended with a warm and pleasant ceremony with sparklers and a group photo session at the Blue Lake.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

http://www.spbstu.ru/media/nevs/student_life/from-moments-in-history-how-the-student-perspective-2024/

MIL OSI Russia News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Polytechnicians at the International DID Forum

MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

The city of Innopolis hosted the traditional international forum Digital Innopolis Days, which this year was combined with the AI IN conference on artificial intelligence. The topics of the discussions were focused on key areas and technologies: artificial intelligence, robotics, unmanned systems, innovations in education and personnel training.

At the plenary session “Prospects for robotization of Russia: converting problems into tasks,” the following spoke: Minister of Science and Higher Education Valery Falkov, Minister of Industry and Trade Anton Alikhanov, Deputy Minister of Energy Eduard Sheremetsev, representatives of the largest industrial enterprises, such as KAMAZ and Transmashholding.

Valery Falkov spoke about approaches to training personnel for robotics, and also noted important changes taking place in the higher education system. First of all, this is the search for models of its implementation in accordance with the needs of the modern technological structure and training of specialists of the future, reformatting engineering education. The head of the Ministry of Education and Science noted that any educational program related to production should contain a block on automation systems and robotics, and universities need to qualitatively build work in the market of additional professional education.

Vice-Rector for Continuing and Pre-University Education at SPbPU Dmitry Tikhonov noted: The forum platform is very representative and practice-oriented. Based on the results of last year, we launched three new educational projects with new partners, contacts with whom were established precisely at DID. This year there were interesting sections in the field of UAS and AI, which showed the diversity of potential areas of application of these technologies.

The use of artificial intelligence in education and university management, digital development of the education system, and new collaborations in this area were discussed at the forum by Vladimir Tuchkevich, Head of the Department for Development of Portals and Mobile Applications at SPbPU, and Denis Ivanov, Deputy Director of the Institute of Computer Science and Cybersecurity.

Traditionally, an interesting discussion unfolded around the digital departments. This year, a closed session was held for the best students of the project and an HR studio was organized. The Polytechnic was represented by IKNK student Ekaterina Chadayeva, one of the best graduates of the program “Development of digital solutions based on 1C technologies”.

Several useful events were organized for students. This was not only an introduction to various companies, but also a strategic session for graduates of digital departments. There we discussed what a dream digital department should be like, – Ekaterina shared her impressions.

Industrial partners presented their best practices for working with universities within the framework of the Digital Departments project.

At the forum, we exchanged practices and visions for the future development of IT education. Every year, companies’ interest in joint programs for professional retraining of the digital department is growing. For example, the company “1C” presented a joint program with the Polytechnic University, in the implementation of which 15 employers are participating at once. This approach demonstrates the importance of this project and allows us to create programs that are truly relevant for the industry, – said the head of the project office “Digital Departments” of SPbPU Nadezhda Tsvetkova.

The forum also hosted a closed event of Gazprom partner universities, where the curator of the project “PAO Gazprom Flagship University” Yanis Olekhnovich and the head of the employment assistance sector Elvira Tuktamysheva gave a report. They presented the results of the implementation of educational programs and events for training personnel and developing applied IT competencies necessary for an engineer to perform the company’s tasks. Part of the report was a presentation of specialized interactive educational and demonstration complexes based on VR technologies. These complexes allow students to be trained using the example of the industrial partner’s technologies.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

https://vvv.spbstu.ru/media/nevs/science_and_innovations/polytechnics-at-the-international-forum-did-ai-in-2024/

MIL OSI Russia News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Kadir Rende from Turkey: “Polytech is a springboard for future professionals”

MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

On October 7, applications for free education at the expense of the budget of the Russian Federation within the quota established by the government of the country for the 2025/26 academic year were accepted. A bachelor’s student from Turkey, Kadir Rende, spoke about his experience at the Polytechnic University. He entered the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Transport of SPbPU on a contract basis, but passed the quota selection of Rossotrudnichestvo and continued his education on a budgetary basis.

— Why did you choose to study mechanical engineering at the Polytechnic?

— From an early age, I was interested in how the toys I played with worked. I was constantly taking them apart to understand how they worked. As I grew older, this curiosity grew into a desire to find out why machines move and how it happens. I never doubted that I would become an engineer.

When I decided to study in Russia, I started looking for the ideal university and chose Peter the Great Polytechnic University. It is one of the best universities in the country with a rich history, within whose walls many famous engineers and scientists studied.

Mechanical engineering is a promising direction. Highly qualified specialists like me will be in demand at various enterprises. I am sure that the knowledge and skills I have gained will help me make a significant contribution to this industry and realize my ambitions.

— How difficult is it to communicate in Russian in everyday life?

— I studied Russian at the preparatory department in Kazan before continuing my studies in St. Petersburg. Although it may seem that I speak well, my level is still limited to conversational. In lectures I encounter more complex materials, which sometimes causes difficulties. Fortunately, I have excellent relationships with teachers who understand our problems and are always ready to help. My Russian classmates and other students are also very friendly and willing to explain if something is unclear. I am a sociable person. I enjoy speaking Russian, which I find very rich and beautiful.

Thanks to constant practice, I feel that my level of language proficiency is getting better and better. This year, I even took second place in the Olympiad in Russian as a Foreign Language, which I am very proud of!

— What other Russian cities have you seen?

— I have been to Moscow, Kazan and small towns around it, but to be honest, St. Petersburg is my favorite. It feels like a fairy tale, so I really love walking around the cultural capital. Last year, my relatives flew in from Istanbul to visit me. They were delighted with the city.

— Did you manage to make friends with the locals?

— I was told that Russians can seem “cold”. However, almost all my friends here are Russian. We communicate very well. At first it was difficult to get to know each other because of the language barrier, but as I got to know them better, I realized that they are actually kind and helpful people.

— Do you study on a fee-paying basis or through some kind of scholarship program?

— At first, I studied under a contract and didn’t even think about participating in the competition for free education. I thought that I would have to start studying all over again. But after studying the issue in detail, I made up my mind. In my second year, I managed to transfer to a budget. So I’m very happy.

— What do you do in your free time?

— I try to find interesting and beautiful places in the city. Then I visit them with friends. The Polytechnic also has excellent conditions for doing sports. I am into boxing and go to free training sessions in the evenings, I made new friends there. There is a gym in our dormitory, sometimes I work out there.

— What advice would you give to other international students who are already studying or just entering the Polytechnic?

— There are many organizations for students, including international students, at the university, and I highly recommend visiting them. They offer a variety of activities and events, allowing everyone to find something for themselves. I go to Russian conversation clubs in the PolyUnion space, and at the Interclub I like to get together with friends for games. There are really many opportunities for activities here. It’s a great way to meet new people and improve your knowledge of the language.

— What are your plans for the future?

— After completing my bachelor’s degree, I would like to continue my studies at the Polytechnic University for a master’s degree. I understand that this will be very useful for building my future career.

We remind you that international students can apply forwebsite quota selection until January 15. You can also take part in the international Open Doors Olympics and get the opportunity to study for bachelor’s, master’s and postgraduate degrees at the Polytechnic University for free.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

http://www.spbstu.ru/media/nevs/international_activize/kadir-rende-from-turkey-polytech-springboard-for-future-professionals/

MIL OSI Russia News –

January 23, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Polytechnicians win two gold medals at international construction championship

MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

The IV International Construction Championship has ended in Yekaterinburg. The Institute of Civil Engineering of SPbPU is a traditional participant of this large-scale event. This year, the Institute performed triumphantly – two gold awards in the team and individual nomination “Information Modeling and Design”.

Our gold medalists in the team category are Dmitry Zharkov, Alina Doroshenko, Mikhail Safoshkin, Alexandra Kulakova and Ulyana Popova.

The winner in the individual nomination is Serafim Zagorodniy.

The experts in the nominations from the Civil Engineering Institute were senior lecturer of the Higher School of Civil Engineering and Construction (HSCECI) Anna Kukina and assistant of the Higher School of Civil Engineering and Construction (HSCECI) Alexander Mitin.

We congratulate the guys on their victory and wish them further professional success!

We are proud of our absolute victory at the international construction championship in the student nomination “Information Modeling and Design”. For the Civil Engineering Institute, this is the highest assessment of our activities in the field of training the engineering elite from the professional community. This triumph once again proves that the Polytechnic is one of the best universities in the country in training engineering personnel, – commented on the success of the Polytechnics, Director of the ISI Marina Petrochenko.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

https://vvv.spbstu.ru/media/nevs/achievements/polytechnics-won-two-golds-at-the-international-construction-championship/

MIL OSI Russia News –

January 23, 2025