Released by: Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government
NSW residents searching for love this Valentine’s Day are being warned to guard their hearts – and wallets – against charming con artists posing as the real deal.
In 2024, scammers managed to steal more than $8.9 million from NSW residents using romance scams, according to ScamWatch.
Fraudsters are skilled professionals at lying and deceiving their victims and seemingly there is no age limit, with all age groups represented in 798 reports of romance and dating scams last year in NSW including under 18s.
Tips to avoid falling victim to a romance scam include:
Minimise the amount of personal info on your dating profile and adjust your privacy settings. Limit the disclosure of full names, addresses, work, location, and information about any children.
Keep conversations on the app. Online safety features on the app can only protect people while they’re using the app.
Look out for suspicious photos or profiles. Many dating apps now include verified photos which show a person is legitimate. An image search can also determine if a person is who they say they are.
Set up multi-factor authentication for accounts. Multi-factor authentication will help secure and minimise the risk of being hacked.
If it doesn’t feel right, trust your instincts. You don’t have to talk to someone just because you have been matched. You don’t have to agree to anything that you’re unsure about, or that makes you feel uncomfortable. It is always your decision.
Anyone interested in learning more about scams, warning signs, and protecting their identity can sign up now for a free online event on romance scams on 14 February hosted by ID Support NSW.
The event starts at 11:00am and will run for one hour. It will feature advice on how to spot common dating and romance scams, tools for protecting yourself and there will be opportunities to ask questions directly to experts.
ID Support NSW also has a range of tools and information to protect people from scammers including a Data Breach Portal which checks if an email anyone has received from ID Support NSW is authentic.
Anyone concerned about the security of personal information they store can use ID Support NSW’s Personal Information Risk Assessment Tool (PIRAT) to understand the potential risks in holding customer data. The tool can be used both proactively and in the wake of a data breach to assess risk from low to extreme based on the information’s usage and its appeal to cybercriminals.
Anyone who has experienced a scam and is seeking advice on what to do next can also call ID Support NSW on 1800 001 040 to speak with one of our advisors for personalised advice. Advisors are available from 9am to 5pm, Monday through Friday. Interpreter services are available.
Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government, Jihad Dib said:
“Fraudsters aren’t afraid to give you heartache this Valentine’s Day and will use sophisticated scams to try and steal from people across NSW.
“People can protect themselves from being rorted by Romeo or jilted by Juliet by not sending money to anyone they have not met in person.
“It’s important victims of romance scams speak up and get the help they need. ID Support NSW is here to help you – and remember, there is no shame in falling victim to a con artist.”
Director ID Support NSW, Jacki Muir said:
“Know the warning signs and take steps to protect yourself so you don’t fall victim to these convincing imposters.”
The NSW Government will today introduce two bills to protect places of worship and further criminalise Nazi symbols, as part of a crackdown on recent racial hatred and antisemitism.
The Crimes Amendment (Places of Worship) Bill 2025 is part of a package of reforms announced last week to give police additional powers and resources to respond to acts of racial violence and hatred.
The latest proposed changes to the Crimes Act create two new offences to ensure people of faith can attend their place of worship in safety:
Intentionally blocking, impeding or hindering a person from accessing or leaving, or attempting to access or leave, a place of worship without a reasonable excuse; and
Harassing, intimidating or threatening a person accessing or leaving, or attempting to access or leave, a place of worship.
The maximum penalty for the new offences is 200 penalty units and/or two years’ imprisonment.
The Bill will also amend the Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Act 2002 to authorise a police officer to issue a move on direction to a person who is participating in a demonstration, protest, procession or assembly occurring in or near a place of worship. This would not apply in circumstances where the relevant action is within an authorised public assembly.
The Crimes Legislation Amendment (Racial and Religious Hatred) Bill also:
Clarifies that graffiti is a “public act” for the purposes of the offences of threatening or inciting violence and displaying Nazi symbols;
Provides for tougher sentencing for displaying by public act a Nazi symbol on or near a synagogue, the Jewish Museum or a Jewish school; and
Aggravates sentences when a person’s conduct is partially or wholly driven by hate.
These reforms provide greater protection to the community against public displays of hate and crimes that may be partially motivated by hate and prejudice.
The Department of Communities and Justice held targeted consultation on the legislation, including with faith institutions, key legal stakeholders and relevant government agencies.
The NSW Government is currently finalising new laws on hate speech.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said:
“Disgusting acts of antisemitism and intimidation have no place in NSW – acts designed to divide will not work.
“Our package is a strong response to recent antisemitism, but will also protect any person, of any religion.
“We are sending a clear message that these disgusting attacks have to stop.”
Attorney General Michael Daley said:
“People of faith have the right to attend their place of worship without fear or obstruction.
“Blocking access to a church, mosque, synagogue or other holy building is a completely unacceptable behaviour that has no place in our society. These proposed changes provide strong penalties and expand police powers to ensure people can practice their beliefs in safety.
“The NSW Government is also expanding the criminal law to send a clear message that inciting hatred is not just unacceptable, it will soon be criminal.
“We believe these proposed reforms strike the right balance between protecting people of faith and the community’s right to protest.”
It comes as new data shows NSW Health’s youth-targeted campaign has supported or persuaded almost 40,000 young people in NSW to quit vaping.
Meanwhile, the latest seizure data suggests a severe disruption to product availability following the introduction of laws stopping vapes at the border.
NewPaveapp to support quitting vaping
The new Pave app being launched today will provide users with helpful tips, motivation, tracking tools, distractions for when cravings hit, as well as activities and information to navigate common barriers to quitting vaping.
It provides a daily check-in feature supporting users to reflect on their progress and a click-to-call function to connect with Quitline counsellors.
The app was developed by the Cancer Institute NSW, and designed together with young people who vape or had recently quit vaping.
Their experiences informed the content and user interface of the app.
It’s free and available to download on iOS and Android.
Campaign supports or persuades 40,000 to quit
In January 2024, we launched the ‘Every vape is a hit to your health’ behaviour change campaign to reduce the health impact of vaping among 14 to 24 year olds in NSW – the campaign running across TV, public transport and social media.
The campaign connects young people to information about vaping and quit support, including telephone support through the Quitline, general practitioners and now digital apps such as Pave.
New research shows the campaign motivated 24,000 young people in NSW to quit vaping, and persuaded a further 15,000 to consider quitting.
Research also shows that 80 per cent of young Aboriginal people who vape felt motivated to try to quit after being exposed to the campaign.
The campaign is now entering a new phase which will highlight the health harms of vaping including nicotine addiction, lung damage, breathlessness, nicotine poisoning and burns from exploding vapes.
These health materials are available in Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Nepali and Arabic, and can be accessed here.
Tens of thousands of illegal products removed from community
Between 1 October 2024 to 31 December 2024, over 47,000 vaping products were seized from 300 inspections.
This is compared to the same period the previous year, when just under 80,000 vaping products were seized from 238 inspections.
Despite the higher number of inspections, the lower number of products seized is likely the result of the disruption in product availability in the market following the introduction of the commonwealth vaping laws.
Quotes attributable to Health Minister Ryan Park:
“I am very concerned about the prevalence of illegal vapes in our community.
“In particular, I’m worried about the impacts it will have on the community’s health, and ultimately, our health system, long into the future.
“This is a once-in-a-generation moment to prevent a ticking timebomb in public health.
“Our efforts against vaping cannot be solely about enforcement – we’ve got to persuade young people to take ownership of their health, as well as clean our streets of illegal products.
“I am encouraged by our efforts to create awareness among young people of the dangers of vaping, as well as to instil in them a desire to say no, or to quit.
“What I’m determined to see as minister is the requisite supports to help them do it.”
Quotes attributable to Chief Cancer Officer and CEO of Cancer Institute NSW Professor Tracey O’Brien AM
“It’s encouraging to see that tens of thousands of young people are trying to quit vaping or thinking about doing so.
But vaping remains a significant public health issue and the new Pave app is another option we can provide to encourage young people to seek help and stay on track on their quit journey.
“Vaping can cause significant health harms and can be highly addictive.
“Like cigarettes, vapes are also full of harmful chemicals that have been known to cause cancer and there is growing evidence that young people who vape are more likely to take up smoking, which can significantly increase their cancer risk.”
“It’s important that people avoid taking up vaping or seek help to quit. While quitting can be hard, with support, taking that first step can be life changing.”
Quotes attributable to former vaper Jillie Clarke
“The craziest thing about vaping is that I genuinely don’t believe anyone wants to be a vaper.
“I didn’t realise I was addicted until I tried to quit and I couldn’t.
“But quitting vaping is 100 per cent possible, it’s a journey but every step is progress and you can do it.
“Vaping had a noticeable impact on my breathing, it felt like my lungs were working harder than they used to and I ended up getting really sick with a lung infection.
“What was really scary for me was learning that the impacts of vaping go beyond respiratory issues, with other damage not being felt until it’s too late – I didn’t want to risk getting to that stage.”
Released by: Minister for Planning and Public Spaces
Thirteen highly skilled design practices have been commissioned by the Minns Labor Government to contribute additional low and mid rise designs to the NSW Pattern Book.
This is the second tranche of designs to be added to the NSW Pattern Book to make the delivery of homes in NSW faster, providing more homes for those who need them.
Six designs for terraces, semi-detached dual occupancy and manor houses or low-rise apartment buildings will be produced alongside six designs for mid-rise residential flat buildings.
Additionally, one landscape design practice has been commissioned to develop design guidance for the low-rise and mid-rise patterns, for both private and shared open spaces.
Once complete, these designs will become part of the NSW Pattern Book alongside the five winners from the professional category of the NSW Housing Pattern Book Design Competition that were announced in November last year.
The NSW Pattern Book will provide families, builders and developers with a collection of pre-approved, architecturally designed and cost-effective patterns to choose from. Those that use the designs will have access to a fast-tracked planning pathway.
Restoring choice and diversity is at the centre of the Minns Government’s housing reforms. This means building more homes that offer people at different stages of life more options.
The Pattern Book builds on the Minns Government recent reforms to the planning system to speed up the delivery of more homes, including:
· Establishment of the Housing Delivery Authority to allow for major housing projects to be prioritised by being assessed directly by the NSW Government.
· The largest rezoning in NSW history around transport hubs.
· The largest ever investment in the delivery of social and affordable housing in NSW.
· $200 million in financial incentives for councils that meet the new expectations for development applications, planning proposals and strategic planning.
· $450 million to build new apartments for essential workers including nurses, paramedics, teachers, allied health care workers, police officers and fire fighters.
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:
“Sydney is currently the second most expensive city in the world and has less housing diversity than it did a century ago. This means less optionality and less opportunity for our families, young people, workers and downsizers to live in NSW.
“As we see the average household change and evolve, we want to make sure there are homes to suit everyone, and this means more than just single dwellings and high-rise apartments.
“We’re not sacrificing quality for quantity as we deliver more homes, the NSW Pattern Book will have the stamp of approval from the NSW Government Architect.
“We want new homes to be built faster, but the Pattern Book will mean those homes are good quality, sustainable and cost-effective.”
Released by: Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading
Greater accountability and transparency are at the heart of new strata laws now in effect which require strata managers in NSW to be upfront with owners about kickbacks and conflicts of interest.
The reforms give property owners better information and increase accountability for strata managers through improved transparency around their financial relationships and potential conflicts of interest.
The expanded disclosure requirements mandate clear and timely information-sharing by strata managers.
Under the new laws, strata managers must:
Disclose any connections with suppliers and developers, including the nature of the relationships
Provide detailed breakdowns of insurance quotes, including commissions and broker fees
Report in real time if any new connections or interests arise during their appointment
Additionally, strata managers must now provide enhanced annual reports to owners corporations which detail any supplier and developer connections.
NSW Fair Trading will be enforcing these new obligations, with strata managers required to understand and comply with the new requirements, including auditing their previous disclosure practices to identify any gaps, and implement processes to ensure timely and accurate reporting under the new requirements.
Strata property owners are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the changes and discuss any concerns with their strata manager.
Targeted compliance operations and education initiatives will embed recent reforms and improve consumer confidence in strata management.
Managers who fail to meet the new disclosure obligations may face penalties of up to $110,000.
These new rules form part of the second tranche of reforms the Government has passed through the NSW Parliament to improve the strata industry.
A third tranche of reforms is currently being debated in the NSW Parliament and will increase accountability of developers to ensure initial strata levies are accurate so owners aren’t hit with higher fees once they move in, and will introduce financial hardship provisions for people struggling to pay their fees and protect owners from unfair contract terms.
For more information, visit the NSW Fair Trading website:
Quotes to be attributed to Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading Anoulack Chanthivong:
“These reforms are about ensuring transparency and accountability for everyone living in strata communities.
“These enhanced disclosure requirements will give strata property owners the confidence they need to make informed decisions about their homes or investments.
“Strata managers have an obligation to act in the best interests of their clients, which includes maintaining the trust of owners corporations. These reforms will improve oversight and ensure strata managers’ practices are open and transparent.
“Strata owners deserve clear, timely, and honest information from their managers, and these laws provide a vital step in restoring trust and supporting better decision-making for strata communities.”
Quotes to be attributed to Fair Trading Commissioner Natasha Mann:
“With more than 87,000 strata schemes and more than 1.2 million people living in strata across NSW, these reforms are vital in ensuring fairness and trust for everyone living in strata communities.
“We will be working to educate the industry on their obligations and monitor compliance with NSW strata laws, with penalties of up to $110,000 for those flouting the law.”
Headline: Glendenning one step closer to a new ambulance station
Published: 10 February 2025
Released by: Minister for Health
Communities in Glendenning, Doonside and the surrounding suburbs are a step closer to a new purpose-built ambulance station following the purchase of a site for a new Ambulance Station on Glendenning Road.
The new Glendenning Ambulance Station is being delivered to boost frontline emergency care for the Glendenning and Doonside communities as part of the NSW Government’s $615.5 million NSW Ambulance Infrastructure Program.
The new station will support local paramedics to provide the best emergency and mobile medical care now and into the future.
NSW Ambulance identified the area as a high priority location for a new ambulance station following a comprehensive service planning process using best practice modelling software to map Triple Zero (000) calls.
New stations are located at places which optimise ambulance response performance, best meet the needs of local community as well as the needs of emergency ambulance operations and paramedic staff.
The next steps for the Glendenning Ambulance Station include design development and progressing planning approval. Construction and operational timeframes will be determined as the project progresses.
The NSW Ambulance Infrastructure Program will deliver 30 additional ambulance stations and supporting infrastructure across Sydney, the Central Coast, Newcastle, the Hunter and Wollongong over the coming years, boosting frontline emergency ambulance care.
Health Infrastructure is working with NSW Ambulance and other government stakeholders to identify potential sites for the new ambulance stations. Sites are confirmed for North Sydney, South Windsor, Oran Park, Berowra, Prestons, Moss Vale, Bargo, Lisarow and now Glendenning.
The NSW Government is recruiting 2,500 additional NSW Ambulance staff including 500 paramedics to rural and regional areas, to boost emergency and mobile healthcare for our metropolitan and regional communities.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health, Ryan Park:
“The purchase of this site marks a significant milestone in delivering a vital health service for growing communities in Glendenning, Doonside and surrounding suburbs.
“The new Glendenning Ambulance Station will support local paramedics to provide the best emergency and mobile medical care well into the future.
Quotes attributable to Member for Blacktown, Stephen Bali:
“The new Glendenning Ambulance Station will bolster emergency care for the Western Sydney community and provide a first-class facility for NSW Ambulance paramedics.
“The new ambulance station will improve ambulance network coverage and support existing stations and paramedic teams including the ambulance station at Blacktown.”
Name: John Moisan Formal Job Classification: Research oceanographer Organization: Ocean Ecology Laboratory, Hydrosphere, Biosphere, Geophysics (HBG), Earth Science Directorate (Code 616) – duty station at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s Eastern Shore What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? How do you help support Goddard’s mission? I develop ecosystem models and satellite algorithms to understand how the ocean’s ecology works. My work has evolved over time from when I coded ocean ecosystem models to the present where I now use artificial intelligence to evolve the ocean ecosystem models. How did you become an oceanographer? As a child, I watched a TV series called “Sea Hunt,” which involved looking for treasure in the ocean. It inspired me to want to spend my life scuba diving. I got a Bachelor of Science in marine biology from the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine, and later got a Ph.D. from the Center for Coastal Physical Oceanography at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Initially, I just wanted to do marine biology which to me meant doing lots of scuba diving, maybe living on a sailboat. Later, when I was starting my graduate schoolwork, I found a book about mathematical biology and a great professor who helped open my eyes to the world of numerical modeling. I found out that instead of scuba diving, I needed instead to spend my days behind a computer, learning how to craft ideas into equations and then code these into a computer to run simulations on ocean ecosystems. I put myself through my initial education. I went to school fulltime, but I lived at home and hitchhiked to college on a daily basis. When I started my graduate school, I worked to support myself. I was in school during the normal work week, but from Friday evening through Sunday night, I worked 40 hours at a medical center cleaning and sterilizing the operating room instrument carts. This was during the height of the AIDS epidemic. What was most exciting about your two field trips to the Antarctic? In 1987, I joined a six-week research expedition to an Antarctic research station to explore how the ozone hole was impacting phytoplankton. These are single-celled algae that are responsible for making half the oxygen we breathe. Traveling to Antarctica is like visiting another planet. There are more types of blue than I’ve ever seen. It is an amazingly beautiful place to visit, with wild landscapes, glaciers, mountains, sea ice, and a wide range of wildlife. After my first trip I returned home and went back in a few months later as a biologist on a joint Polish–U.S. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) expedition to carry out a biological survey and measure how much fast the phytoplankton was growing in different areas of the Southern Ocean. We used nets to measure the amounts of fish and shrimp and took water samples to measure salinity, the amount of algae and their growth rates. We ate well, for example the Polish cook made up a large batch of smoked ice fish. What other field work have you done? While a graduate student, I helped do some benthic work in the Gulf of Maine. This study was focused on understanding the rates of respiration in the muds on the bottom of the ocean and on understanding how much biomass was in the muds. The project lowered a benthic grab device to the bottom where it would push a box core device into the sediments to return it to the surface. This process is sort of like doing a biopsy of the ocean bottom. What is your goal as a research oceanographer at Goddard? Ocean scientists measure the amount and variability of chlorophyll a, a pigment in algae, in the ocean because it is an analogue to the amount of algae or phytoplankton in the ocean. Chlorophyll a is used to capture solar energy to make sugars, which the algae use for growth. Generally, areas of the ocean that have more chlorophyll are also areas where growth or primary production is higher. So, by estimating how much chlorophyll is in the ocean we can study how these processes are changing with an aim in understanding why. NASA uses the color of the ocean using satellites to estimate chlorophyll a because chlorophyll absorbs sunlight and changes the color of the ocean. Algae have other kinds of pigments, each of which absorbs light at different wavelengths. Because different groups of algae have different levels of pigments, they are like fingerprints that can reveal the type of algae in the water. Some of my research aims at trying to use artificial intelligence and mathematical techniques to create new ways to measure these pigments from space to understand how ocean ecosystems change. In 2024, NASA plans to launch the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite, which will measure the color of the ocean at many different wavelengths. The data from this satellite can be used with results from my work on genetic programs and inverse modeling to estimate concentrations of different pigments and possibly concentrations of different types of algae in the ocean. You have been at Goddard over 22 years. What is most memorable to you? I develop ecosystem models. But ecosystems do not have laws in the same way that physics has laws. Equations need to be created so that the ecosystem models represent what is observed in the real world. Satellites have been a great source for those observations, but without a lot of other types of observations that are collected in the field, the ocean, it is difficult to develop these equations. In my time at NASA, I have only been able to develop models because of the great but often tedious work that ocean scientists around the world have been doing when they go on ocean expeditions to measure various ocean features, be it simple temperature or the more complicated measurements of algal growth rates. My experience with their willingness to collaborate and share data is especially memorable. This experience is also what I enjoyed with numerous scientists at NASA who have always been willing to support new ideas and point me in the right direction. It has made working at NASA a phenomenal experience.
Related Article: NASA Researcher’s AI ‘Eye’ Could Help Robotic Data-Gathering
What are the philosophical implications of your work? The human capacity to think rapidly, to test and change our opinions based on what we learn, is slow compared to that of a computer. Computers can help us adapt more quickly. I can put 1,000 students in a room developing ecosystem model models. But I know that this process of developing ecosystem models is slow when compared what a computer can do using an artificial intelligence approach called genetic programming, it is a much faster way to generate ecosystem model solutions. Philosophically, there is no real ecosystem model that is the best. Life and ecosystems on Earth change and adapt at rates too fast for any present-day model to resolve, especially considering climate change. The only real ecosystem model is the reality itself. No computer model can perfectly simulate ecosystems. By utilizing the fast adaptability that evolutionary computer modeling techniques provide, simulating and ultimately predicting ecosystems can be improved greatly. How does your work have implications for scientists in general? I do evolutionary programming. I see a lot of possibility in using evolutionary programming to solve many large problems we are trying to solve. How did life start and evolve? Can these processes be used to evolve intelligence or sentience? The artificial intelligence (AI) work answers questions, but you need to identify the questions. This is the greater problem when it comes to working with AI. You cannot answer the question of how to create a sentient life if you do not know how to define it. If I cannot measure life, how can I model it? I do not know how to write that equation. How does life evolve? How did the evolutionary process start? These are big questions I enjoy discussing with friends. It can be as frustrating as contemplating “nothing.” Who inspires you? Many of the scientists that I was fortunate to work with at various research institutes, such as Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. These are groups of scientists are open to always willing to share their ideas. These are individuals who enjoy doing science. I will always be indebted to them for their kindness in sharing of ideas and data. Do you still scuba dive? Yes, I wish I could dive daily, it is a very calming experience. I’m trying to get my kids to join me. What else do you do for fun? My wife and I bike and travel. Our next big bike trip will hopefully be to Shangri-La City in China. I also enjoy sailing and trying to grow tropical plants. But, most of all, I enjoy helping raise my children to be resilient, empathic, and intelligent beings. What are your words to live by? Life. So much to see. So little time.
Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage.
Name: Mark SubbaRao Title: Lead, Scientific Visualization Studio (SVS) Formal Job Classification: Information Technology Specialist Organization: SVS, Science Mission Directorate (Code 606.4) What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? How do you help support Goddard’s mission? I have an amazing job. I get to work with all the most interesting NASA science and make it visual to help people can understand it. The Scientific Visualization Studio, the SVS, supports all of NASA and is located at Goddard. What is your educational background? I have B.S. in engineering physics, minor in astronomy, from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. I have a Ph.D. in astrophysics from Johns Hopkins University. What is data visualization? How is it different from animation? Data visualization is the graphical representation of actual data (in our case usually scientific data). At its most basic it takes the forms of charts, graphs, and maps. In contrast, conceptual animation, such as the work of our colleagues in the CI Lab, is the graphical representation of ideas. Conceptual animation and data visualization are both needed to communicate the full scientific process. How did your work for the University of Chicago develop your interest in visualization? I worked on software for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, a project to create the biggest 3D map of the universe. Our goal was to map 3D positions of a million galaxies, which we did. My role was to develop the software to determine the distance to galaxies. To see the result we needed a way to see how the galaxies were distributed in 3D, which led to my interest in visualization. Viewing this map, I felt like we had revealed a new world which no one had yet seen altogether. The desire to share that with the public led me a position at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago.
How did planetariums evolve during your 18 years of working for the Adler Planetarium? I led their visualization efforts for their Space Visualization Laboratory, a laboratory that was on the museum floor and had multiple specialized displays. The local scientific community used our laboratory to present to the public including other scientists and students. I also produced planetarium shows and designed exhibits. My last project, “Astrographics” for Art on the Mart, was a 2.6-acre, outdoor projection onto a building near the Chicago River. We believe that this is the largest, permanent outdoor digital projection in the world. I began to see the power of the planetarium as a data visualization environment. Traditionally, a planetarium has been a place to project stars and tell stories about constellations. Planetariums have now evolved into a general-purpose visualization platform to communicate science. I got more involved with the planetarium community, which led to me becoming president of the International Planetarium Society. A major focus of my presidency was promoting planetariums in Africa. Why did you come to NASA’s SVS at Goddard? I came to Goddard in December 2020. I always admired NASA’s SVS and had used their products. I consider the SVS the preeminent group using scientific visualization for public communication. I wanted to work on visualizations for a broader variety of sciences, in particular, climate science. Our group created visualizations for the United Nations Climate Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, the fall of 2021. In March 2022, I created a visualization called Climate Spiral, which went viral.
[embedded content] This visualization shows monthly global temperature anomalies (changes from an average) between the years 1880 and 2021. Whites and blues indicate cooler temperatures, while oranges and reds show warmer temperatures.Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center / NASA’s Scientific Visualization StudioDownload high-resolution video and images from NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio
As the lead, how do you hope to inspire your group? Our group is very talented, experienced, and self-motivated. Data visualization has recently exploded as a communication tool. Our goal is to continue to stay on top of this rapidly evolving field. Coupled with this, there has been an explosion in scientific data from satellites and super computers. As data becomes bigger and more complex, visualization becomes an even more important tool for understanding that data.
Your work combines art and science. What are the benefits of combining art and science? One huge benefit is that you can reach people through an artistic visual presentation of science who may not be interested in simply reading an article. You can go beyond teaching people, you can move them emotionally through a good, artistic presentation. For example, in “Climate Spiral,” we did not want to just inform people that global average temperatures have increased, we wanted people to feel that the temperature has increased. Also, our universe is just beautiful. Why not let the beauty of the universe create something artistic for you? I sometimes feel like I cheat by letting the universe do my design for me. What do you do for fun? Since moving to Maryland, and living near the Chesapeake Bay, I have taken up stand up paddleboarding. I like to cook too. My father is Indian, so I cook a lot of Indian food. Who inspires you? Arthur C. Clarke, the science fiction writer, also wrote a lot of popular science. He played a big part in my decision to become a scientist.
Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage. By Elizabeth M. JarrellNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
The Highland Council is pleased to announce a significant investment of £162,541 from the Community Regeneration Funding (CRF) towards the structural upgrade of the Sir Hector MacDonald Memorial in Dingwall. This funding, part of the Place Based Investment Programme (PBIP) provided by The Scottish Government, aims to support economic regeneration and sustainable development in the Highland region.
The decision to allocate this funding was made following a thorough review of potential projects in the Dingwall and Seaforth area. The Sir Hector MacDonald Memorial emerged as a priority due to its strategic importance and strong community support.
The restoration project will be managed by The Highland Council in collaboration with the Dingwall Community Development Company, who wish to take possession and oversee the asset upon completion of the works.
Councillor Margaret Paterson, Vice-Chair of the Dingwall and Seaforth Committee, expressed enthusiasm for the project, stating, “This investment is a testament to our commitment in preserving our local heritage and fostering community pride. The upgrade works for the Sir Hector MacDonald Memorial will not only honour a significant historical figure but also enhance the cultural and economic vitality of Dingwall and the local area.”
The funding must be invested in a project by 31 March 2025 to comply with the grant conditions set by The Scottish Government.
Highland Council owned garage rents for the Ward 8 area will increase by 6% for 2025/26 as agreed at today’s Dingwall and Seaforth Area Committee.
Vice-Chair of the Dingwall and Seaforth Area Committee, Cllr Margaret Paterson said: “We understand that any increase in rent can be a concern for our tenants. However, the proposed increases are necessary to ensure that we can continue to maintain and improve our tenants’ garage estate.
“Highland Council garage rents remain low in the Dingwall and Seaforth Area when compared with other renting alternatives.”
Councillors agreed that for Council tenants:
Garage Rents will increase from £11.25 to £11.93 per week, an increase of 69p
…and for non-tenants:
Garage Rents will increase from £13.50 to £14.31 per week, an increase of 81p
Garage Sites weekly rents will increase from £0.98 to £1.04, an increase of 6p
As a result of the 6% garage rent increase, total annual income will rise to £121,733.58.
Online enrolment opens today (Monday 10 February 2025), for all Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) providers, including local authority nurseries, partner settings and commissioned childminders. The enrolment week for all ELC places is from Monday 10 February to Friday 14 February 2025.
Children born between 1 March 2021 and 28 February 2023 will be entitled to a funded ELC place.
To enrol your child, or for further information on completing the online form, the enrolment process, catchment areas, Gaelic Medium education, school transport and placing requests, please visit www.highland.gov.uk/enrol.
Please note once you have enrolled your child online, the setting will contact you to arrange the necessary induction for your child.
Parents who do not have access to the online enrolment process should contact their ELC setting during enrolment week to request a paper copy of the enrolment form.
Parents and carers are also welcome to phone the setting of their choice to find out more about what is offered. To find out what provision is available in local communities, a helpful map can be found on the Council’s website.
Farr ELC and Primary School have received positive reports following their most recent inspection by Education Scotland.
Education Committee Chair, Cllr John Finlayson said: “The recent inspection at the Farr ELC and Primary School from Education Scotland received a very positive report, reflecting the professionalism, dedication and commitment of the caring staff at the settings, to create an inclusive, safe and nurturing ethos for all pupils attending.
“The report noted, the strong working partnerships with parents, the highly skilled staff/leadership and the well-equipped environment that promote children’s natural curiosity and imagination, learning and growth.
“The setting is at the heart of the community and staff work collaboratively to ensure a holistic approach to help assist in supporting the needs of all pupils and their families. I’d like to commend all the staff at Farr ELC and Primary School for this excellent and deserving report.”
The reports for the ELC from HMIE and the Care Inspectorate praised various qualities and strengths, reporting the following:
Practitioners in the nursery are highly skilled. They effectively support children to make very good progress in their learning through skilful interactions.
Positive relationships are a key strength of the nursery and are evident between children, practitioners, families, and senior leaders. Practitioners have a strong focus on the wellbeing of children, their families and each other.
Children were cared for by staff who were warm, compassionate, and nurturing. Staff provided individualised support by positively engaging with children.
Senior leaders provide sensitive and responsive support to practitioners to ensure they can be highly effective in their role. The ELC also merited the distinction of having practice identified that should be shared more widely.
The report for the primary school also identified examples of good practice and strengths:
Across the school, there is an inclusive and welcoming ethos. Children are proud of their school and show respect for adults and visitors.
Teachers create calm, purposeful learning environments. Overall, most children engage well in their learning and are eager participants in class discussions.
Children across the school benefit from a range of leadership opportunities. For example, they are members of the pupil council, the eco group or the rights respecting schools’ group.
Children have access to attractive grounds and beautiful natural landscapes that surround the school. Senior leaders recognise the need to ensure that children experience greater opportunities to take their learning outdoors.
Senior leaders support staff, including non-teaching staff to engage meaningfully with annual staff professional reviews. The Head Teacher provides strong leadership and is ambitious for children to achieve success.
Farr Cluster Head Teacher, Katherine Van Voornveld said: “Over the past seven years, all of the ELCs, primaries and secondary school within our Campus have been inspected by HMIE and the Care Inspectorate. This has been a very positive experience and extremely supportive of our improvement journey. I am very proud of the most recent inspection reports received by Farr ELC and Primary School and would like to both commend the pupils and staff for their hard work and thank all our parents and partners for their ongoing support. “
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maggie Kirkman, Senior Research Fellow, Global and Women’s Health, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University
You’ve heard of the gender pay gap. What about the gap in medical care?
Cardiovascular diseases – which can lead to heart attack and stroke – are one of the leading causes of death for women in Australia.
But women are less likely than men to receive preventive care for heart disease, such as appropriate medication. One study in New South Wales showed women admitted to hospital for a stroke were more likely to be first told by paramedics it was a migraine, headache, anxiety or nausea.
Despite these differences, official guidelines in Australia too often ignore the impact of sex and gender on health care. For example, a guideline on atrial fibrillation (irregular and often fast heartbeat) has limited information on sex and nothing on gender.
“Sex” refers to various biological characteristics by which at birth we are identified as female, male or intersex. “Gender” is a social and cultural concept in which people understand themselves to be a woman, a man or non-binary.
Our recent study reviewed 80 clinical guidelines. We found very few define sex and gender and the majority don’t mention gender at all. This has serious consequences for everyone, but especially for women, girls and gender-diverse people.
What are clinical guidelines for?
Clinical guidelines are recommendations about how to diagnose and treat a medical condition, based on research and usually developed by a team of specialists. Clinicians and other health workers are expected to use them to guide day-to-day health care.
A health practitioner’s sensitivity about gender and sex can profoundly affect the mental health of gender-diverse patients. Media_Photos/Shutterstock
Because clinical guidelines are based on research, they can report only what has been studied and published in peer-reviewed journals. This means where there are gaps in research, clinical guidelines are usually silent.
What we did
As part of a larger project, the federal government asked our team to examine whether there are still clinical guidelines that do not take into account sex and gender differences.
There is no central database of Australia’s clinical guidelines. But in a comprehensive search, we found 80 published from January 2014 to April 2024.
These encompassed guidelines for conditions including various cancers, diabetes and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, designed for a range of health professionals such as general practitioners, medical specialists, physiotherapists and paramedics.
We searched every document for the following words:
sex
gender
female
male
women
men
girl
boy
If none of these words were found, we looked for “psychosocial” and “cultural”, to see if gender was considered without being named directly. We also read the text around each relevant word to understand its context and meaning.
What we found
Clinical guidelines in Australia too often do not offer guidance on incorporating sex and (especially) gender into health care.
We found:
15% of guidelines didn’t mention sex or gender at all. This includes recommendations about acute coronary syndrome from the National Heart Foundation and on e-mental health by the peak body for GPs. These guidelines did not even give the most basic information on sex differences in occurrence (of heart disease or mental health problems)
only four guidelines (5%) defined the terms “sex” and “gender”
19% made no reference to clinical practice concerning sex. That is, there was no information on how symptoms and treatments might vary among biologically female, male and intersex bodies
the majority (58%) ignored the role gender can play in clinical practice and how it might shape what treatment is most effective. For example, some women may be more comfortable being seen by a female doctor, for a range of personal or cultural reasons
most (81%) did acknowledge biological sex in some way. But among those 65 guidelines there was great variation, ranging from a single statement about whether a condition (such as lung cancer) occurred more often in women or men, to detailed risk factors, prevalence, treatment and management, such as for advanced life support by paramedics.
Why does this matter?
The male body has historically been considered the “standard” human. With hormonal changes and pregnancies, women’s bodies have been seen as too complicated to be included in clinical research.
This means research has been conducted on men and then applied to women, ignoring the differences that excluded them from the research in the first place.
Women have long been excluded from clinical trials, while male bodies have been considered the standard. Inside Creative House/Shutterstock
If the standard body is implicitly that of a (white) male, discrimination against all other bodies is inevitable.
The Australian Institute of Sport’s guideline on concussion and brain health is one of just four guidelines that define sex and gender.
This is crucial, given growing evidence women footballers are at greater risk of concussion than men. But their approach is far from mainstream.
Gender-diverse people also require distinct health care and support, based on inclusive and non-discriminatory practice and policy. There is clear evidence the mental health of gender-diverse people is profoundly affected by how sensitive – or discriminatory – their health care is.
Eliminating discrimination
Discrimination can be explicit and overt.
But it can also simply come from a lack of imagination, based on the assumption some kinds of health care are sex- and gender-neutral.
For example, the treatment of skin – dermatology – could appear neutral, as everyone has skin. Yet social expectations about clothing, make-up and appearance are highly gendered, and these can influence how skin conditions develop and are treated.
Guidelines that offer detailed information on sex- and gender-aware practice, such as those by GP Supervisor Australia, can contribute to challenging both explicit and implicit discrimination.
Ultimately, we hope this leads to equitable health care for people of all sexes and genders.
We recommend all developers of clinical guidelines look for evidence concerning sex and gender and, when they find none, say so. Funding bodies should also demand inclusion of sex and gender as a criterion to award money for medical research.
Silence on sex or gender implies that the topics aren’t important. This is far from the truth.
We acknowledge the contribution of the other members of our research team: Tomoko Honda, Steve McDonald, Sally Green, Karen Walker-Bone, and Ingrid Winship.
Maggie Kirkman received funding from the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care to conduct this research.
Jane Fisher receives funding from:
The National Health and Medical Research Council, The Australian Research Council, The Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, VicHealth, The Ramsay Hospital Research Foundation, The Paul Ramsay Foundation, The Human Safety Net, The LEGO Foundation, The Jasper Foundation, The National Center for Healthy Ageing
The dramatic rise in antisemitic incidents has dominated headlines in Australia in recent months, with calls for urgent action to address what many are calling a crisis.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry tallied more than 2,000 antisemitic incidents in 2024, including physical assaults, attacks on synagogues, vandalism and graffiti. This is a 316% increase over the previous year.
These alarming events have sparked a heated political debate, with the opposition accusing the federal government of not taking the issue seriously enough.
However, focusing only on overt acts of antisemitism risks seeing it as an exceptional phenomenon or a problem limited to fringe extremist groups. This can obscure the more subtle and structural forms of antisemitism that perpetuate stereotypes about Jews and entrench discrimination in society.
How laws ingrain structural antisemitism
In my research, I examine how certain forms of antisemitism persist in Western societies with a Christian tradition.
While laws explicitly targeting Jews are largely a relic of the past, subtler forms of exclusion and discrimination remain. These often stem from perceptions that Jews deviate from dominant cultural norms.
For instance, Jewish communities frequently encounter resistance to the building of an eruv. This is a symbolic demarcation of a public space that enables Jews to observe Shabbat, a day when work is prohibited. It can sometimes involve stringing a wire between poles to create a boundary where people can do things they aren’t normally able to do, such as push a pram or carry shopping bags.
When an Orthodox Jewish community in Sydney sought permission to construct an eruv in the 2010s, local residents opposed it. Many arguments invoked stereotypes of Jews as clannish, intrusive and conspiratorial.
There have been similar disputes over eruvs in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. In many cases, local councils have sided with opponents, meaning Orthodox Jewish communities have had to go to court to seek approval.
In Europe, bans on religious slaughter have also singled out Jews and Muslims as cruel and fundamentalist, despite the widespread use of factory farming in Western societies.
There have also been calls to outlaw infant male circumcision in the name of children’s rights in many European countries and parts of the US.
These campaigns have, at times, tapped into longstanding antisemitic ideas about Jews as barbaric, bloodthirsty and backward.
These legal conflicts or campaigns reveal the structural dimensions of antisemitism. Similar to other forms of structural racism, structural antisemitism normalises majoritarian norms, perceptions and practices.
In turn, it marginalises and denigrates Jews as foreign, threatening and a problematic “other”.
Institutions, including schools, workplaces and local councils, can perpetuate these biases when they legitimise such exclusionary norms without critical reflection.
Understanding structural antisemitism also requires examining the Christian heritage of Western societies. In particular, there is a need to reflect on the legacy of Christian anti-Judaism.
Historically, the Christian belief in “supersessionism” referred to idea that Christianity has superseded Judaism and that Christians have replaced Jews as the people of God. Alongside the stereotype of Jews as the killers of Christ, this belief has contributed to stereotypes of Jews as inferior to Christians and being archaic, unenlightened, exclusive and ritualistic.
As the legal conflicts over eruvs, religious slaughter and circumcision suggest, such views continue to subtly influence attitudes towards Jews, even in modern secular societies.
For example, popular references to Judeo-Christian values signal the equality of Jews and Christians in society. However, this glosses over the fact that the acceptance of Jews can be contingent on conforming with majority norms.
This legacy also normalises Christian privilege. While Christians may face discrimination in certain contexts, they also enjoy inherent advantages in societies shaped by Christian traditions.
National calendars, weekly rhythms and public holidays align with Christian practices, while minorities need to seek accommodations to observe their own traditions.
For example, Western cities are filled with Christian symbols, such as churches and annual Christmas decorations. Several Australian parliaments and local councils also still begin meetings with Christian prayers.
What might seem like benign cultural traditions can signal exclusion to minority communities, including Jews. Implicit Christian norms can also create pressure to assimilate, especially given the long history of Christian societies’ attempts to convert or assimilate Jews.
However, these dynamics are rarely acknowledged in public debates about the discrimination of Jews and can also fly under the radar of the law.
In 1998, for instance, a Jewish father in New South Wales brought racial discrimination complaints against the education department over Christian activities at his children’s public school. These included nativity plays, Christmas carols and exchanging Easter eggs. The complaints were dismissed because they did not constitute discrimination on the basis of race.
The law in NSW does not prohibit religious discrimination (although the state now has religious vilification laws).
This gap exists in federal discrimination law, as well. It leaves minority religious groups with limited legal options to challenge the dominance of Christian norms. The NSW example demonstrates this and suggests there may be a case for a new federal religious discrimination law.
The question of what constitutes antisemitism remains a vexed question, including among Jews. Violent antisemitic attacks demand urgent attention. Yet, public discussions of antisemitism must also address these subtler forms of exclusion and the structural dimensions of antisemitism.
Mareike Riedel 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.
About 400 kilometres northwest of Sydney, just south of Dubbo, lies a large and interesting body of rock formed around 215 million years ago by erupting volcanoes.
Known as the Toongi deposit, this site is rich in so-called rare earths: a collection of 16 metallic elements essential for modern technologies from electric cars to solar panels and mobile phones.
Efforts are under way to mine this deposit, but the demand for rare earths in the coming decades is likely to be enormous.
To find more, we need to understand how and why these deposits form. Our latest research on Australian volcanoes, published in Nature Communications Earth and Environment, shows how tiny crystals formed inside volcanoes offer clues about the formation of rare earth deposits – and how we can find more of them.
Rare earths and the melting mantle
The formation of rare earth element deposits begins with partial melting of Earth’s mantle which lies deep below the crust.
Earth’s mantle is dominated by minerals that are rich in iron and magnesium. These minerals also contain small amounts of other elements, including the rare earth elements.
When the mantle melts to form magma, the rare earth elements move easily into the magma. If the amount of melting is small, the magma has a higher proportion of rare earth elements than if the amount of melting is large – for example, at a mid-ocean ridge where vast amounts of magma rush to the surface and form new oceanic crust.
As this magma migrates towards Earth’s surface, it cools down and new minerals begin to form. These minerals are mostly composed of oxygen, silicon, calcium, aluminium, magnesium and iron.
This means the leftover magma contains a higher concentration of rare earth elements. This residual liquid will continue to ascend through the crust until it solidifies or erupts at the surface.
From Greenland to central New South Wales
If the magma cools and crystallises in the crust, it can form rocks containing high levels of critical metals. One place where this has happened is the Gardar Igneous Complex in Southern Greenland, which contains several rare earth element deposits.
In central New South Wales in Australia, magmas enriched in rare earth elements erupted at the surface. They are collectively given the geological name Benolong Volcanic Suite.
The Toongi deposit was formed hundreds of millions of years ago. ASM
Within this suite is the Toongi deposit – a part of the ancient volcanic plumbing system. This is an “intrusion” of congealed magma containing very high levels of critical metals.
Magmas enriched in rare earth elements are uncommon, and those that are enriched enough to be productively mined are rarer still, with only a few known examples worldwide. Even with all we know about how magmas form, there is much more work to be done to better understand and predict where magmas enriched in critical metals can be found.
Crystals record volcanic history
You may have wondered how scientists know so much about what happens kilometres (sometimes tens of kilometres) below our feet. We learn a lot about the interior of the Earth from studying rocks which make their way to the surface.
The processes that occur in a magma as it rises from Earth’s interior leave clues in the chemical composition of minerals which crystallise along the way. One mineral in particular – clinopyroxene – is particularly effective at preserving these clues, like a tiny crystal ball.
Fortunately, there are crystals of clinopyroxene within many of the rocks in the Benolong Volcanic Suite. This allowed us to examine the history of the non-mineralised rocks and compare it with the mineralised Toongi intrusion.
What’s different about the rocks at Toongi
We found that the Toongi rocks have two important differences.
First, the clinopyroxenes in the non-mineralised volcanic suite contain a lot of rare earth elements. This tells us that for most rocks in the volcanic suite, critical metals were “locked up” within clinopyroxene, rather than remaining in the residual melt.
In contrast, clinopyroxene crystals from Toongi show low levels of rare earth elements. Here, these elements are contained in a different mineral, eudialyte, which can be mined for rare earth elements.
Second, and most interesting, the clinopyroxenes from Toongi have an internal crystal structure that resembles an hourglass shape. This is caused by different elements residing in some parts of the crystal. It’s an exciting observation because it suggests rapid crystallisation occurred due the release of gas while the crystals were forming.
In contrast, we found no evidence of rapid crystallisation in the rocks without high levels of rare earths.
Our work means we can now track the composition and zoning of clinopyroxene in other extinct volcanoes in Australia and beyond to find out which ones may accumulate relevant rare earth element deposits.
This study adds another piece of the puzzle for understanding how critical metals accumulate, and how we can find them to power green, renewable energy sources for a sustainable future.
Brenainn Simpson works for the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Geological Survey of New South Wales and publishes with the permission of the Chief Geoscientist and Head of the Geological Survey of New South Wales.
Carl Spandler receives funding from the Australian Research Council.
Teresa Ubide works for The University of Queensland. She receives research funding from the Australian Research Council, and infrastructure funding from NCRIS AuScope.
Canadian firm cited in parliamentary debate on energy projects
Plans attract widespread UK national media attention
MORAY, Scotland, Feb. 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A letter from The Cabrach Trust, a community led project, in the Scottish Highlands to Canadian energy giant Boralex about its plans for a new windfarm have been raised in a Scottish Parliament debate about the impact of energy projects.
The debate last month (January 22) was led by Conservative MSP Douglas Lumsden who mentioned the Boralex project after stories appeared in major UK newspapers the previous weekend about a letter sent to company bosses from the local regeneration trust.
Quebec-based Boralex hopes to develop the Clashindarroch Extension scheme in The Cabrach area of the Scottish Highlands to build 22 wind turbines and a battery energy storage facility. The area already has 78 turbines operational within a six miles radius, and a further 21 consented.
Boralex, which last year posted revenues of CA$1.02bn (£580m) but has recently announced quarterly losses of CA$14 million (£7.9 million), took over the project when it acquired the UK interests of European energy company Infinergy in July 2022. It has now formed a joint venture with site owner Dr Christopher Moran, the London-based businessman and Conservative Party donor.
Last year, The Cabrach Trust, the charity established in 2013 to safeguard the fragile community and preserve its cultural heritage, wrote to Boralex Chief Executive Patrick Decostre, and has now written to Boralex’s UK Country Director, Esbjorn Wilmar, to seek further clarification about the company’s commitment to corporate social responsibility and community engagement.
In his letter to Mr Wilmar, Cabrach Trust Chief Executive Jonathan Christie wrote: “We feel strongly there is acute over-provision of wind turbines around our remote and fragile community, and further expansion, such as planned by Boralex, is at odds with our ambitions to regenerate the area in a way which is sensitive and in harmony with its landscape, community, and history.”
The company’s environmental mission statement promises to “foster an open dialogue with our host communities, listen to their concerns and take them into account in our environmental response.”
In October, Scotland’s Deputy First Minster, Kate Forbes, inaugurated the The Cabrach Trust’s £5m Cabrach Distillery & Heritage Centre, part a wider programme of community regeneration initiatives.
A man has appeared at court for failing to clear an illegal waste site for the second time – and operating another one in Middlesbrough.
The image shows large piles of waste at the illegal Owens Road site.
In a prosecution brought by the Environment Agency, Martin Hindmarsh, 38, of High Street, Stokesley, appeared at Teesside magistrates’ court on Tuesday 4 February.
He admitted he was in contempt of court for the second time for failing to comply with a court order to clear waste from an illegal site at Tame Road, in Middlesbrough.
He had also previously pleaded guilty on 19 November 2024 to operating another illegal waste site at Owens Road, also in Middlesbrough, which he was doing during the investigation and prosecution in relation to the Tame Road site.
For the illegal waste site, he was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months, with 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 250 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay costs of £7,506.60.
For the contempt of court, he was fined £5,000 and told he must clear the site or expect to be back before the court.
The image shows the piles of waste still present at the illegal Tame Road site.
‘Determined to tackle waste crime’
Gary Wallace, area environment manager for the Environment Agency in the North East, said:
We are determined to tackle waste crime that is blighting our communities, and continue to take action against those involved.
Hindmarsh has shown a complete disregard for the law in relation to both of the sites he has operated in Middlesbrough, and we’re pleased this has been recognised by the court.
Trying to bypass environmental laws for financial gain can ultimately end up being significantly more costly.
The court heard that Hindmarsh, the director of B8 Waste Services Ltd – which was ultimately dissolved in October 2023 – started renting an industrial unit at Owens Road in December 2022.
In June 2023, both Cleveland Fire and Rescue Service and the Environment Agency received information about a large amount of waste on the site.
Officers from both organisations attended the site together and saw it filled with waste, including fridges and freezers, wood, metal, mattresses and gas canisters, all stored in one big pile causing a fire hazard.
Hindmarsh, who was on site, said he did not have an Environment Agency environmental permit, which is required to operate a waste facility.
He was given a notice that required him to stop operating the site with immediate effect and to remove all waste by 14 July 2023. He was also asked for his waste transfer notes, which are a legally required document that record the movement of waste between one place and another.
The image shows illegal waste at the Owens Road site.
Checks on illegal site
On 14 July, the Environment Agency returned to the site to assess whether waste had been removed, and while the unit was shut, they found there was an increase in waste stored outside of the unit.
In August, a further visit confirmed the amount of waste on site had increased.
In December, the Environment Agency wrote to Hindmarsh requesting that all waste transfer notes for waste that left the site between 1 July and 20 December 2023 were provided by 29 December 2023.
In February the following year, officers met with Hindmarsh on site. While the majority of waste had been removed, there were still around 40 fridge freezers remaining. Hindmarsh also provided the waste transfer notes this month, six weeks after the December deadline.
At the Tame Road site, in July 2023, Hindmarsh and his other company, B8 Waste Management Limited, were fined and ordered to pay costs totalling almost £26,000 when they appeared at Teesside magistrates’ court. Hindmarsh was ordered to clear the site of waste by 31 December 2023, and disqualified from being a company director for two years
In July 2024, he appeared in court again where he admitted contempt of court for failing to clear the site by the deadline. He was fined £2,500 and ordered to pay costs of £2,750.
He indicated he would clear the site within two months, but checks by Environment Agency officers in August and November revealed the waste was still on site. Waste was also still present during a final visit by officers on the day of sentencing – 4 February 2025.
In mitigation, the court heard that Hindmarsh had cleared the Owens Road site and had recently borrowed money to clear the Tame Road site, and expected it to be cleared in the next week. It was added that his family would suffer if sent to prison.
People can report waste crime to the Environment Agency on its incident hotline: 0800 807060
Background
Full charge
Between 7 June and 2 February 2024, Hindmarsh operated a regulated facility, namely a waste operation for the recovery or disposal of waste, except under and to the extent authorised by an environmental permit.
Contrary to regulations 12(1)(a) and 38(1) Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016.
Green Party Councillors Lauren Kendall and Barry McKee have achieved a significant victory for animal welfare at the Ards & North Down Environment Committee. Their motion, of “Kindness over cruelty”, challenges Northern Ireland’s current ban on rehoming XL Bully type dogs, which has led to the destruction of healthy, non-aggressive animals.
The approved motion recognises the paramount importance of community safety while arguing that the blanket ban on rehoming XL Bullies is unnecessarily cruel. It calls on the DAERA Minister to revise the legislation, allowing registered animal charities and shelters to rehome these dogs following professional behavioural assessments.
Councillor Kendall emphasised the need for evidence-based policy: “Expert organisations like the USPCA and Dogs Trust agree that dog breeds aren’t inherently dangerous. Every day, shelters assess dogs for rehoming based on behaviour, not breed. We’re simply asking for XL Bullies to be given the same chance, with proper vetting and safety measures in place.”
Councillor McKee highlighted the human cost of the current legislation: “The case of Max in Lisburn & Castlereagh shows how flawed this system is. Without public outcry, a misidentified dog would have been needlessly destroyed. We’re wasting time and resources fighting these battles when better legislation could prevent them entirely.”
The Green Party’s motion offers a balanced approach, prioritising both public safety and animal welfare. By advocating for professional assessments and responsible ownership practices, it aims to prevent the needless euthanasia of dogs that could bring joy to suitable owners.
As the Council prepares to write to the DAERA Minister, the Green Party Northern Ireland reaffirms its commitment to evidence-based policy-making that protects both communities and animals. This motion represents a crucial step towards more humane and effective dog control measures in Northern Ireland, ensuring that no dog is destroyed simply because of its breed.
ENDS
The social housing sector in England houses 4 million tenants (16% of the country’s households). The sector is home to some of the UK’s most vulnerable and poorest households, and paying rent is one of the biggest challenges they face. If they do not pay, they risk being evicted from their homes.
Recent research we carried out for the Nuffield Foundation highlights the difficulties many tenants face paying their rent, and the sacrifices they have to make to do so.
We surveyed more than 1,200 tenants across 15 neighbourhoods in England, and found that 9% were in rent arrears. However, this figure dramatically underestimates the number of tenants who were finding it difficult to pay their rent: 61% had gone without essentials, such as food and heating, in order to pay it in the last year.
The financial situation of tenants has become more difficult in recent years due to a combination of cost-of-living increases, including rapidly rising food and energy prices, and real-term reductions in salary due to increasingly precarious employment. Some 43% of tenants we surveyed regularly ran out of money before their next wage or benefit payment.
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In-depth interviews revealed that many tenants ran out of money before their basic needs (rent, household bills, food, clothing and travel to work or school) had been met. In these cases, they had to make difficult decisions, sometimes choosing between paying their rent – the highest priority payment for most – or meeting other basic needs.
Nearly half (46%) of tenants had made the difficult decision to cut back on their heating expenditure so they could pay their rent. Tenants reported turning off appliances and using hot water sparingly:
“I had to turn the heating off today. As the last bit of money I had was used to buy packed lunch things for my daughter for school.”
They reported a range of strategies for keeping warm without using their gas or electricity, including sitting in sleeping bags, wearing thermal clothing and thick jumpers indoors, covering themselves with blankets and fleeces and using hot water bottles.
Those who did use their heating reported putting it on for just one hour. One woman with a seven-month-old baby reported using the “heating minimal, mainly at night when the temperatures really drop, so I just keep him wrapped up usually.”
Tenants also reported using their electricity minimally, not watching television, boiling the kettle if I need to do the washing up and sitting with the lights off:
“[We] switch everything of … We would switch the TVs off … We’d just switch everything off as much as we could. We wouldn’t use the lights. We’d just use the torches on our phones.”
‘One meal a day’
Some 43% of tenants reported that they had cut back on their food spending in order to pay their rent. Some reported that they skipped meals – “I eat I’d say one meal a day at teatime,” – or not eating adequately, for example, eating insufficient portions or toast in place of an evening meal.
One woman reported going without meals at one point in order to pay rent: “I’d sooner do without food myself to do the council [rent] cos they’re on your back.”
Tenants reported running out of money for food or replacing substantial cooked dinners with snacks:
“Well, I used to do myself a proper meal every evening, but now I just do it two times a week … and I have beans on toast or something like that.”
There were also many examples of participants doing without nutritious food because it was more expensive than processed food. These tenants were very aware of the lower nutritional value of the food they were buying and lamented not being able to afford the fresh food they preferred.
This included pregnant women and people with children, for whom nutritious food is particularly important. Recognising this, some talked about buying healthier food for their children than for themselves when they could.
Participants in our study reported that they bought unhealthy processed foods because they could not afford fresh food. 1000 Words/Shutterstock
National income and tenancy standards
Our research shows that most tenants are committed to paying their rent, prioritising it at a cost to their and their family’s health and wellbeing. Only by improving tenants’ financial circumstances will the situation change.
One step towards this would be for the government to endorse the minimum income standard, a level of income that allows people to “thrive” and not merely “survive”. The government should use this standard to determine benefit rates and the national minimum wage, alongside measures to provide people with greater job security.
Our research has shown that many tenants have only been able to sustain their tenancies by going without. But can we really say someone is sustaining their tenancy, if their home is cold and damp because they cannot afford to heat their homes? They are using mobile phones torches for lighting? They are skipping meals?
Social housing landlords must rethink how they understand tenancy sustainment. It shouldn’t just be about how long tenants stay in a property, but about the quality of their life while in it.
The research discussed in this article was funded by the Nuffield Foundation. Paul Hickman 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.
The research discussed in this article was funded by the Nuffield Foundation. Kesia Reeve 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.
Water bills are going up in England and Wales, even after the series of scandals around water companies. Last year water firms paid £158 million in fines following a record-breaking number of sewage dumps in rivers and seas.
Severn Trent Water and United Utilities alone reportedly made 1,374 illegal sewage spills over two years. (Both companies took issue with the analysis that led to this figure but acknowledged concerns about sewage discharges.)
There have been other notable incidents. Whistleblowers have told of water companies that fail to treat legally required amounts of sewage and divert that sewage to public waterways. To add to the disgrace, water companies have generally failed to invest enough in the UK’s water infrastructure.
Research suggests that governments have been pressured to become more “business-like”. This has given rise to the use of public-private partnerships (PPPs) to run important public services, such as water, transport and even prisons. Water companies in England and Wales are private companies that bid for their contracts, while in Scotland, the water provider is a public organisation.
While other findings show that PPPs can support important public service needs, such as public health, research by my colleagues and I examines a consistent pattern in UK PPP scandals and wrongdoing. Over the past decade and a half, billions of pounds of taxpayers’ funds are unaccounted for. This appears to be largely because private interests have been prioritised over public needs.
As a researcher of PPP wrongdoing, the reasons for many of the scandals seem obvious. My colleagues and I studied parliamentary inquiries and reports that have scrutinised PPP wrongdoing. This research can tell us a great deal about the UK’s predicament with regard to the failings in the water industry.
The first lesson is that, in general, many PPPs are motivated actually to reduce the quality of the services they deliver. One parliamentary inquiry found that contracting services out from the public to the private sector had become a “transactional process” where cost-cutting is favoured and the “knock-on cost” to users results in a lower-quality public service.
Other findings showed that companies regularly reduced the quality of a service to maximise profits. One way was to bid for a public service at a low price. A Public Accounts Committee member observed that companies coming in with low quotes for contracts can end up damaging services by under-investing in them.
Another example is Sodexo – a private prison management provider. It cut employee numbers by around 200 and a subsequent BBC Panorama documentary detailed escapes and widespread drug use in the prisons they managed and also criticised a lack of safety for both prisoners and prison officers. Sodexo acknowledged the programme had highlighted problems and said it would investigate, but added that there had been “positive actions and improvements” already.
Similar practices were observed at a children’s prison run by security firm G4S, where an officer was left with brain damage after an attack by inmates. G4S admitted liability for the officer’s injuries and agreed a settlement with him.
Pay the fine, it’s cheaper
The second lesson is it can be cost-effective to breach contracts and pay fines. Companies sometimes breach the terms of their public-private contracts because it’s in their economic interest. This even has a name – economists call it “efficiency breach”.
When observing the fines in comparison to the profitable contracts, it’s easy to posit what the motivations of many in the UK’s public service system are. In 2017, despite previous indictments of wrongdoing, G4S won £25 million of government contracts.
In 2020 the firm won another £300 million contract to run Wellingborough “mega-prison” in England. Despite some raised eyebrows, G4S said at the time it aimed to make the site a blueprint for “innovation, rehabilitation and modernisation” in the prison service.
Pay the shareholders, invest later
The third lesson is that shareholders are more important than long-term investments in a service. This is perhaps the most notable feature of the UK’s public service system, where a vast array of shareholders benefit from the profits made by PPPs. In one of the parliamentary reports we analysed, which details the collapse of the facilities management firm Carillion, it was clear that shareholders’ interests trumped good management and long-term investment.
As was noted in the report, despite Carillion’s collapse, the firm paid out £333 million more to shareholders than it generated in cash between 2012 and 2017. Often, this shareholder primacy can even go against a firm’s own employees rather than just the state and taxpayers. One MP noted that despite its pension scheme being in deficit, shareholders were still receiving dividends.
Often, shareholders are prioritised because of short-term thinking. These processes can lead to firms passing these bad practices down their supply chains.
The behaviour of water companies is suggestive of these dynamics. Since water companies have been privatised, they have loaded themselves up with debt (£64 billion) but paid out £78 billion to shareholders. Some 70% of these shareholders are “foreign investment firms, private equity, pension funds and businesses lodged in tax havens”.
So what should be done? There are plenty of ways to enhance and improve the UK’s PPP problems. The most obvious may be to renationalise public services and renew the quality of public services through New Deal-style investments. After all, this is what what most of the UK electorate wants.
There are other options. An innovative and exciting frontier is opening for businesses to recognise their environmental responsibilities – initiatives in New Zealand, India and Ecuador are giving the status of personhood to rivers and ecosystems, for example.
Outdoor fashion brand Patagonia has “the Earth” as its only shareholder, and hair and skincare brand Faith in Nature has appointed nature to its board. Imagine if the UK’s water companies had the rivers and seas represented.
In the end, only time will tell how water companies will be held accountable. But for the moment it’s the UK taxpayer and consumer paying the price.
G4S was approached about this article but declined to comment.
Daniel Fisher receives funding from the Leverhulme/British Academy for his work with heritage steam train drivers, which is unrelated to his research on PPP wrongdoing.
Derry and Strabane Council agrees its budget for 2025/26
10 February 2025
Derry City and Strabane District Council today agreed its budget for the incoming 2025/26 financial year and set a District Rates increase for ratepayers of 4.92%.
The budget was set at a Special Meeting of Council today, Monday, 10th February 2025, where it was highlighted that the increase comprised a 3.42% baseline increase to cover the significant statutory financial challenges and service demands facing Council along with a 1.50% rates investment towards the financing of Council’s hugely ambitious and exciting capital strategy.
In terms of the baseline increase, Members were advised of the range of statutory pressures and new service demands facing Council services including pay pressures, Employer’s national insurance costs and cost inflation which have been partially offset by some rate-base growth, additional waste income and continued efficiencies across Council services.
It was outlined to Members at the meeting that pay pressures continue to be a significant issue for Council, particularly in the current year whereby the Employer’s national insurance increases imposed by the recent UK budget have added circa £1.1m to Council’s pay bill and have had a direct 1.21% impact on rates bills. Unfortunately, despite ongoing lobbying by Councils, no funding has been confirmed from Treasury to offset this additional cost for public sector employers in Northern Ireland.
Facilitated by new waste income, the baseline rates position also includes investment of £1.266m (1.64%) towards the reinstatement of previously implemented service cuts as well as new service pressures and demands. These include costs associated with assuming the responsible reservoir manager role at Creggan Reservoir; addressing budgetary and resourcing pressures within our key core front line services e.g. grounds maintenance, refuse collection, street cleansing and cemeteries; additional investment into grant aid programmes within sports development, community centre venues, consensual local growth partnerships, advice and cultural organisations; additional resources within community services to address emerging and immediate priorities e.g. Whole Systems approach to Obesity and Ending Violence against Women and Girls strategy; as well as additional tourism resource focused on screen and food tourism.
This year’s budget will therefore allow Council to continue to provide critical frontline services to ratepayers with a clear focus and commitment to protecting jobs as well as the continued provision of funding to organisations who rely on Council support to deliver community services and projects.
Central to this year’s rates process is the substantial positive progress made to Council’s capital funding strategy and our ambitious capital development plans. To date over £200m of capital projects have been completed or are progressing with full funding in place. These include Acorn Farm, Derg Active, Daisyfield Sports Hub, new Northwest cemetery provision at Mullenan Road, the DNA Museum and COVID recovery small settlements investment across the District, as well as the recently approved Riverine and Strabane Public Realm projects.
Members were also informed that, whilst work progresses across the Council District on Council’s fully funded programme of community and statutory capital projects, this years’ rates investment would ensure an additional £10m of funding could be made available to progress several further projects. This will supplement the £4m funding previously earmarked for a range of these projects and the hope that Council investment can be further leveraged through the securing of external investment from Central Government. Following the conclusion of the rates process, immediate considerations by the Capital and Corporate projects Planning Group in respect of the prioritisation of projects will progress.
In conclusion, members in approving the agreed District rates increase have given Council authority to continue to press ahead with its ambitious plans to drive growth and investment across the City and Region as well deliver critical front-line services across the City and District.
The new agreed District rate for the year ending 31st March 2026 is 39.5993 p in the £ for Non-Domestic properties and of 0.6369p in the £ for Domestic properties. This represents a 4.92% District rates increase for all ratepayers.
The Special Council meeting is available to watch back on the Council’s Youtube channel.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Extension will allow certain Ukrainian licence holders to drive in GB for a period of up to 4 years and 6 months after becoming resident.
The UK is continuing to support Ukrainians following the illegal invasion by Putin.
The government is extending by 18 months the period for which certain Ukrainian driving licence holders can drive Mopeds, motor bicycles and cars (category B) in Great Britain (GB), beyond the current 36-months. This will allow certain Ukrainian licence holders to drive in GB for a period of up to 54 months (4 years and 6 months) after becoming resident.
This will continue to support Ukrainian licence holders’ ability to get around and adapt to living in GB.
Separate to the driving licensing extension SI, the government will extend the existing exemption for certain Ukrainians on specific visa schemes from registering and paying vehicle excise duty (VED), on their Ukrainian-plated and registered vehicles to align with the length of their UK visas. The extension is effective from 4 March 2025, to ensure Ukrainians can continue to use their vehicles without needing to register or pay VED. Further information will be posted on GOV.UK.
Finally, driver licensing is devolved in Northern Ireland so the relevant regulations would need to be followed by those Ukrainian Refugees resident there.
The UConn Neag School of Education and its Alumni Board are delighted to announce the 2025 Neag School Alumni Awards honorees. Eight outstanding graduates will be formally recognized at the Neag School’s 27th Annual Alumni Awards Celebration on Saturday, March 15.
Outstanding School Educator – Tracey-Ann Lafayette ’15 (CLAS), ’15 (ED), ’16 MA, ’22 6th Year
A graduate of the Neag School’s Integrated Bachelor’s/Master’s Teacher Education Program and UConn Administrator Preparation Program, Tracey-Ann Lafayette is an innovative educator dedicated to fostering inclusivity and academic excellence. She taught grades three and four at Robert J. O’Brien Elementary School in East Hartford, Connecticut, from 2016 until 2024. Currently, she teaches seventh-grade English Language Arts at Illing Middle School in Manchester, Connecticut. With expertise in culturally responsive teaching, Lafayette integrates diversity, advocacy, and conflict resolution into daily lessons, ensuring a positive classroom climate. A leader in professional development, Lafayette has facilitated workshops on equity and secured grants to support educational initiatives. Beyond the classroom, Lafayette has mentored aspiring educators of color through organizations like the Neag School’s Leadership in Diversity (LID) group, which she co-founded as a student, and the Neag School’s Diverse Educators Making Outstanding Change (DEMO) program. She co-founded the international Melanin Magic Educators collective, exemplifying her commitment to supporting educators of color. Her work has been featured on Connecticut’s WTNH Channel 8 and earned her a Fund for Teachers Fellowship (FFT). Through FFT, she had the opportunity to travel to South Africa to explore the connections between the country’s anti-apartheid movement and the civil rights movement here in the U.S. As a sought-after speaker, Lafayette has also presented at numerous conferences on anti-racist education and student activism. She is also a Malka Penn Award Committee member, allowing her to highlight literature promoting human rights.
Outstanding Professional – Alicia Bowman ’01 (ED), ’02 MA, ’08 6th Year
Alicia Bowman is a highly accomplished educational leader with expertise in the instructional, operational, and financial aspects of school administration. As associate executive director of the Connecticut Association of Schools, Bowman champions visionary priorities for educational administrators through advocacy, coaching, and professional learning. Her tenure as assistant superintendent for finance and operations for Farmington Public Schools showcased her strategic leadership in mentoring, union collaboration, and large-scale improvement initiatives. Bowman’s impact extends to the classroom and beyond, having previously served as principal at Farmington’s West Woods Upper Elementary School, where she led innovative instructional models and established a Makerspace and flexible learning blocks. She is a lifelong learner, earning her bachelor’s, master’s, and 6th Year diploma from the Neag School, and her doctoral degree from the University of New England. She is also an adjunct faculty member, coach, and former mentor principal for the University of Connecticut Administrator Preparation Program (UCAPP). Widely recognized for her contributions, Bowman has been previously named National Distinguished Principal and Connecticut Elementary Principal of the Year. She has contributed to publications and presented at national forums on equity, leadership, and student-centered learning and is passionate about fostering inclusive, transformative educational systems.
Outstanding Early Career Professional – Paul Singleton II ’17 MA, ’24 Ph.D.
Paul Singleton II ’17 MA, ’24 Ph.D. (Submitted photo)
Paul Singleton II is an accomplished educator, counselor, and advocate for equity in education, dedicated to fostering student success across diverse backgrounds. He holds a master’s in school counseling and a Ph.D. in educational psychology with a focus on counselor education and supervision from the Neag School, where his research centered on the impact of psychoeducational groups on African American male college students and their career readiness. Singleton is a counselor for grades seven through 12 and the diversity, equity, and inclusion coordinator at The Potomac School in McLean, Virginia. Singleton supports students’ academic and social-emotional development in these roles while implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives to build an inclusive school culture. He is also the founding director of the Learning & Engagement at the Potomac School (LEAP) Program, a pioneering effort to enhance student engagement and leadership through tailored support and mentorship. Previously, Singleton has contributed to initiatives such as UConn’s ScHOLA²RS House, focusing on retention and success for Black male students, and has taught graduate courses in school counseling. His widely recognized work, publications, and presentations reflect his passion for empowering students to achieve their full potential.
Outstanding School Administrator – Lori Leibowitz ’19 Cert.
Lori Leibowitz ’19 Cert. (Submitted photo)
With over two decades of experience in education, Lori Leibowitz is a distinguished administrator, educator, and advocate for equity in gifted education who holds a graduate certificate from the Neag School in gifted education and talent development. As the district administrator for Gifted and Talented and the Arts in Norwalk, Connecticut, she has overseen the redesign and implementation of innovative programs, increasing gifted identification rates by 25% and ensuring equitable access for underrepresented populations. Leibowitz’s leadership extends across teacher coaching and districtwide events celebrating diversity and inclusion. A published author, Leibowitz has contributed to scholarly works on gifted education, talent development, and social justice for multilingual learners. Her dissertation at Baylor University focused on empowering Hispanic multilingual learners through a social justice curriculum. She is a sought-after presenter, sharing insights at national conferences such as the National Association of Gifted Children (NAGC), the National Association of Bilingual Educators (NABE), and UConn’s Confratute. Leibowitz has earned accolades such as the Gifted Coordinator Award (NAGC, 2020) and the Outstanding Dissertation Award (NABE, 2024). A dedicated advocate for transformative education, she continues to drive change through research, innovation, and collaboration.
Outstanding School Superintendent – Howard Thiery III ’91 MS, ’07 ELP
Howard J. Thiery III ’91 MS, ’07 ELP (Submitted photo)
A graduate of the Neag School’s Executive Leadership Program (ELP), Howard Thiery III is a dedicated and innovative educational leader with over three decades of experience spanning K-12 and higher education. Thiery also holds a master’s degree in physiology and neurobiology from UConn. As superintendent of Regional School District 10 since 2019, he has championed initiatives that enhance student creativity, increase access to college-credit courses, and improve special education services. Under his leadership, the district has implemented a systemic leadership development system, restructured administrative frameworks to focus on high-quality learning, and launched personalized learning opportunities. Previously, Thiery served as superintendent for Regional School District 17, assistant superintendent for Southington Public Schools, and principal of the Greater Hartford Academy of Math and Science, where he managed curriculum development and led a visionary approach to STEM education. His contributions have extended internationally through his work with UConn’s Advanced Instructional Leadership Program in Jordan and his role as chair of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on International Education. An accomplished educator and author, Thiery’s publications and teaching reflect a lifelong commitment to academic excellence and innovation.
Outstanding Higher Education Professional – Daniel Burkey ’23 MA
Daniel Burkey ’23 MA (UConn photo)
Daniel Burkey is an accomplished chemical engineer, educator, and academic leader. With degrees from Lehigh University, MIT, and the University of Connecticut, Burkey’s expertise spans chemical engineering and educational psychology, specializing in research methods and engineering education innovation. Currently the associate dean for undergraduate education, outreach, and diversity in UConn’s College of Engineering, he has overseen transformative growth, including a 70% enrollment increase and initiatives to triple female enrollment. He co-developed the College’s new Ph.D. in Engineering Education program and launched innovative undergraduate teaching programs. As an educator, Burkey integrates cutting-edge techniques like game-based learning, earning accolades such as the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) David Himmelblau Award and multiple university teaching awards. His contributions to process safety education and curriculum design are widely recognized, alongside his leadership roles in professional organizations like AIChE, where he was recently elected as a Fellow. Burkey has secured significant research funding, authored book chapters, and developed pioneering educational technologies. Beyond academia, his mentorship and advocacy for diversity and inclusion continue to shape the next generation of engineers.
Outstanding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Professional – Fany DeJesús Hannon ’08 MA
Fany DeJesús Hannon ’08 MA (UConn photo)
Fany DeJesús Hannon, who holds a Master of Arts in higher education from UConn, is an accomplished higher education administrator and educator dedicated to fostering holistic student success and belonging. She also holds a doctorate in education from New England College. As dean of students at UConn, she leads initiatives addressing critical issues like crisis management, free speech, and student equity, ensuring inclusive engagement and retention across diverse populations. With over 18 years of higher education leadership experience, Hannon has championed programs enhancing cultural identity, leadership, and academic achievement, notably increasing Latinx/a/o retention and graduation rates during her tenure as director of the Puerto Rican/Latin American Cultural Center. A passionate advocate for first-generation and marginalized students, Hannon collaborates with University leadership, faculty, and legislative bodies to develop policies supporting access, equity, and well-being. Her teaching philosophy, rooted in Paulo Freire’s scholarship, centers on student engagement and diverse learning styles. Recognized for her leadership, she has earned accolades like the Nuestro Orgullo Hispano award and has presented nationally on diversity and mentoring. Fluent in multiple languages, she combines strategic vision with cultural competency to empower and inspire future leaders.
Distinguished Alumnus – Mark Daigneault ’07 (ED)
Mark Daigneault ’07 (ED) (Oklahoma City Thunder photo)
Mark Daigneault is the head coach of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder. He previously served as head coach of the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s G-League affiliate, for five seasons. Originally from Massachusetts, Daigneault graduated with a BA in education from UConn, where he also worked as a student manager for the men’s basketball team. He has credited his studies with being able to connect with players. Daigneault’s coaching career began at Holy Cross, followed by an assistantship at the University of Florida, where he was involved in scouting and working with players off the court. During his tenure, the Gators achieved three SEC titles and four Elite Eight appearances. In 2020, Daigneault became the Thunder’s head coach, guiding the team through a rebuilding phase. Daigneault was 35 years old at the time, becoming the second-youngest head coach in the NBA. In 2023-2024, the Thunder became the youngest team in NBA history to earn the best regular season record in the NBA’s Western Conference, with Daigneault being awarded NBA Coach of the Year. Known for his innovative coaching style, defensive strategies, and player-development focus, Daigneault is praised by players for his adaptability and fostering strong relationships.
For more information on the event, visit s.uconn.edu/NeagAlumni2025.
To learn more about the UConn Neag School of Education, visit education.uconn.edu and follow the Neag School on Instagram, Facebook,X, and LinkedIn.
In 2020, in response to the riots that followed the murder of 46-year-old Black man George Floyd, Donald Trump declared himself the “president of law and order.” During the same speech, he threatened to use the military to suppress the civil unrest that erupted after a police officer killed Floyd.
“We’re going to get approval, hopefully, to get them the hell out of our country, along with others. Let them be brought to a foreign land and maintained by others for a very small fee, as opposed to being maintained in our jails for massive amounts of money.”
The history of exile
I’m a scholar in public policy administration, law and ethics. Trump’s exile proposals in the wake of his pardon of the Jan. 6 rioters reveal significant ethical lapses.
In the modern era, exile is regarded as problematic. But in ancient times, like during the Roman Empire, voluntary exile was an alternative to capital punishment, underscoring its severity.
Similarly, in England, James II, a Catholic king, was the last monarch involuntarily removed from power during the Glorious Revolution. Jacobitism, the political movement aimed at restoring James and his descendants to the throne, stemmed from his exile.
In modern times, people who go into exile are typically deposed heads of state like Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, those avoiding legal issues such as Julian Assange or Asil Nadir, or those escaping violence or persecution, such as Salman Rushdie.
Other charges included trespassing, disrupting Congress, theft, weapons offences, making threats and conspiracy, including seditious conspiracy — the most serious offence.
Violent protesters, loyal to then-President Donald Trump, storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Unlike those whose Black Lives Matter protests Trump found disorderly back in 2020, the vast majority of the Jan. 6 convicts are not from racialized communities.
The irony of Trump’s position on pardons, repeat offenders and exiles is apparent. The very people he pardoned are now potential candidates for his proposed exile program due to their repeat offender status.
Similarly, Enrique Tarrio, who received a 22-year prison sentence for his role in the riots, declared after his pardon: “It’s going to be retribution.”
Karma in terms of Trump’s exile proposals may be awaiting the pardoned rioters, however, amid this pattern of defiance. Their emboldened sentiments following Trump’s pardons could suggest they’re at a higher risk of becoming repeat offenders, making them prime candidates for the president’s proposed exile program — that is, of course, unless he pardons them again.
Businesses invited to find out about the benefits of digital transformation
10 February 2025
Local businesses are being invited to find out more about how their enterprise could benefit from improved digital capability assisted by the Digital Transformation Flexible Fund (DTFF).
An information session will take place in the Everglades on 27th Feb, from 10am to 12.30pm delivered by the William J Clinton Institute at Queen’s University Belfast. Members of Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Business Team will also be on hand to provided tailored advice and information about the programme and the many benefits. Eligible businesses can apply for capital grant funding between £5000 and £20000 to support their business transformation journey to accelerate digital ambitions.
The Fund is delivered by all local authorities in Northern Ireland under the Full Fibre Northern Ireland Consortium (FFNI) and supported by Invest NI. The project is part funded by the NI Executive, UK Government, Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) and all local authorities.
Looking ahead to the event, Business Development Manager with Council, Danielle McNally said: “This is a unique and innovative funding opportunity for businesses to introduce new technologies that will really enhance both their profile and their performance. Many local enterprises are unaware of the support that’s out there and we are happy to advise on how they can best leverage opportunities like the DTFF to get the maximum benefit for their venture.
“I would really encourage anyone interested in digital transformation to come along and find out more about how they can harness the latest digital technologies in the most effective way.”
The closing date for Expressions of Interest to this call closes on 14th March and businesses are encouraged to attend the information session to see what the fund can do for them. Other local businesses will also be on hand on the day to share their experiences of engaging with the DTFF programme to date.
The information session will help identify the types of technology funded, the application process and the importance of leveraging this unique opportunity to address financial barriers to the adoption of advanced digital technologies.
Headline: National University of Singapore wins 20th ICC Mediation Competition
Taken place on Saturday 8 February 2025 in the historic Émile Boutmy Lecture Hall of Sciences Po University in Paris, the students gathered one last time to watch the two teams tackle the final mock mediation problem. Authored by Rissiane Goulart, a Strategic Commercial and Dispute Resolution Attorney at Goulart & Associados, the scenario focused on unauthorised logging in protected timber harvesting zones. The session was mediated by Andy Rogers, Director of Communications and Mediator at the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution.
The National University of Singapore reached the semi-finals of the Mediation Competition in 2024, while the University of New South Wales had reached the final rounds in previous editions, and won the Competition in 2018 and 2016. Mervyn Lin and TianAo Li represented the National University of Singapore on stage, while teammates Joan Goh and Taesha Tan and coaches Seth Tay and Melvin Loh supported from the audience.
Mr Lin said:
“This week has been a rollercoaster of emotions. We have a huge culture of mediation at our school and we are so excited that we could use everything we have learned during this competition. The final session was intense, we had to really stretch our knowledge because of the strength of the other team, which made it all the more enjoyable. We didn’t expect the win and I want to congratulate the Australian team on their strong performance.”
The ICC Mediation Competition is one of the biggest educational competitions worldwide dedicated exclusively to international commercial mediation. Hosted in Paris from 3-8 February, the 20th edition of the competition this year saw 48 university teams from 32 countries compete to resolve international business disputes through mediation. Guided by professional mediators and administered under the ICC Mediation Rules, over 75 mock mediation sessions took place. In total, over 300 students and professionals took part.
From left to right: Melvin Loh, TianAo Li, Joan Goh, Mervyn Lin, and Seth Tay – all representing the National University of Singapore
The judges for the final were Raffaella Maria Pileri, Joanna Campos Carvalho, David Lutran, Jody Sin, and Ido Kleinberger.
Mr Kleinberger said:
“This competition is an amazing opportunity for me as a professional and for the students. As mediators, we aspire to look at the problems together instead of looking at each other. The teams did an extraordinary job in trying to find an agreement together while striking the balance to ensure your company’s interests are defended. The session was very true to life: The teams encouraged each other to speak, establishing an open relationship. The call was very close but in the end the Singapore team deserved the win.”
The trophy was awarded by Alexander G. Fessas, Secretary General of the ICC International Court of Arbitration Secretary and Director of ICC Dispute Resolution Services.
He said:
“Mediation is a sign of an advanced level of civilisation and understanding of each other. In ancient Greece, mediation was a way to find a fair solution for each other. Sometimes we forget the lessons of the past to understand the world today. Openness in dispute resolution, but also in trade, is central to understanding how the world operates. Through mediation, we can overcome our differences peacefully.”
The runner-up team from the University of New South Wales consisted of Lihara Delungahawatte, Kyla Rivera, Lina Zaioor, Rhea Baweja, and coaches Anvi Kohli and Steve Lancken.
Ms Delungahawatte said:
“We already have some experience in similar student competitions but this week was really special to us. Not only are we incredibly proud to make it to the final round, the ICC Mediation Competition pushed us to our limits, enabling us to reach our maximal potential. The nights were often short, the mock mediation problems challenging, and the sessions intensive but in the end it was all worth it.”
Re-live all the highlights of the ICC Mediation Competition on X and Facebook by following the official event hashtag, #ICCMW2025. A recording of the final session is also available on the ICC Official YouTube channel @ICCWBO1919.
For more information on ICC mediation services, visit the ICC International Centre for ADR.
Responding to the news that Labour are now publishing videos of police immigration raids, Green Party Co-Leader, Carla Denyer MP, said:
“This Labour government are plumbing new depths with their plan to broadcast footage of people being detained and deported. Those involved should be searching their consciences to ask if such breath-taking cruelty is really worth it all for the sake of aping the rhetoric of Reform. The bitter irony is that following Reform to the right on migration won’t win Labour any support – it will only lend legitimacy to Reform’s extreme views. It’s time this government showed a bit of backbone and told the truth – that migration is good for this country.”
Sixty years ago, on January 24, Britons gathered around their radios to listen to the sombre BBC announcement that Sir Winston Churchill had died at the age of 90. Others learned about the news at church, as they listened to prayers for the life of the former prime minister, admired by many for leading Britain through the second world war. Later that day, radio and television schedules were suspended to make way for the flood of tributes.
Around this time in villages around England and Wales, Women’s Institute (WI) members were just beginning a year-long scrapbooking project in honour of the WI’s golden jubilee year in 1965. A branch-based voluntary organisation,
founded in 1915, the WI was set up to bring country women together.
This scrapbook project was one way in which the organisation sought to foster a sense of community in rural areas. Members were invited to chronicle everything that happened in their village during that year. Although not every entry featured a tribute to Churchill, several WI members decided to mark the former leader’s death.
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Today, many of these scrapbooks survive in county record offices, while others remain cherished volumes kept by WIs in their branch archives. Some branches, along with local history societies, have digitised their scrapbooks and shared them online.
Scrapbooks are perhaps not what immediately spring to mind when we think about the 1960s. Traditionally, they conjure up images of brightly coloured printed clippings or pressed flowers, saved by Victorian women and children. But this is just one page in scrapbooking’s rich history.
In the 20th century, the rise of popular newspapers, magazines, domestic photography and television provided an array of material that could be transformed into personal archives. Scrapbooking proved a popular way for people to document what they found meaningful in their lives. Family, work, activism, stars of film, music and sport, royalty and even the weather were just some of the many topics covered.
In 1965, WI members in Woodford, the constituency Churchill represented for 40 years until 1964, decided to conclude their community scrapbook with a tribute to their former MP.
On a page of black sugar paper, members pasted a programme from a local memorial church service. Women also included a commemorative stamp, together with a photograph of floral tributes left at a bronze statue of Churchill on the village green, flanked by servicemen. Even though Churchill died at the beginning of the year, it was evidently the last thing Woodford Green’s WI members wanted their readers to encounter in their scrapbook.
Local and national newspapers published a plethora of obituaries and articles on Churchill’s life, providing scrapbookers, such as WI members in Stoke Ferry in Norfolk, with a wealth of visual material for their community volumes.
Local WI members crafted a photographic record of Churchill’s life, from childhood through to retirement, arranging the images in chronological order, mirroring the conventions associated with family photograph albums. They combined a series of press photographs and newspaper headlines with a handwritten note elaborating on what they felt was significant about Churchill’s death. WI women even went as far as to connect Churchill with their scrapbooking activities:
As we compile this Jubilee Scrap Book, we stop to wonder what life would have been like in this village in 1965 but for that great statesman and leader, Sir Winston Churchill. Would this book be the happy record of a free and thriving community?
On the following pages, they contrasted photographs from the funeral procession, with a shot of a bunch of pink tulips, given by a serviceman. In juxtaposing these images, they switched between ceremonial and more intimate forms of commemoration.
WI scrapbookers clearly felt strongly about recording the death of Churchill in their community volumes. The scrapbook genre allowed these women, at a significant moment in time, to shape the historical record in a way they found to be meaningful, with an eye to the future generations they expected to read their creations.
‘Cold lunches were the order of the day’
As relayed in many of these WI scrapbooks, Churchill was the first prime minister in the 20th century who was afforded a state funeral. It was broadcast around the world in a transmission of unparalleled significance – second only to the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
One woman in Whitchurch, Herefordshire, wrote a series of diary entries under the pseudonym of Ann Whitchurch for her WI’s competition entry. After an earlier entry (exploring the merits of new brightly coloured long johns) Whitchurch reflected on January 30:
Everyone seems to feel his loss as something that really matters. Whatever anyone’s politics are, he stood for England, especially for people of my generation who remember his great speeches during the War. It’s rather like the end of a chapter.
Whitchurch chose the more intimate format of the diary entry, as opposed to national newspaper coverage, to offer a personal tribute to Churchill. By declaring herself the spokeswoman for her generation, Whitchurch conveyed how she understood Churchill’s death as a moment of rupture and transition.
Over 100 miles away in the Cotswolds, a farmer’s wife in Chedworth shared what the day looked like from her rural farm:
Cold lunches were the order of the day, everyone was watching the funeral procession of Sir Winston Churchill – an unforgettable memory. Even the menfolk dashed in and out between essential jobs.
This WI member used her passage to show how the villagers’ commitment to watching the funeral upended their everyday routines at home and at work.
Sixty years on, browsing the pages of these community scrapbooks reveals more than just a reaction to Churchill’s death by a specific group of rural women. They provide a fascinating glimpse of how national mourning unfolded in English villages and the different ways in which country women documented this moment on behalf of their communities.
Cherish Watton-Colbrook works as an Archives Assistant for Churchill Archives Centre in Cambridge.
February 10, 2025Lynn, MA, United StatesEnforcement and Removal
LYNN, Mass. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged an immigration detainer against Eric Dionida German-Pena, 25, a native and citizen of the Dominican Republic, following his apprehension in Lynn for his alleged role in the murder of a Massachusetts sandwich shop owner during an apparent home-invasion robbery.
“Eric Dionida German-Pena will have his day in court, but he stands accused of a very serious and disturbing crime against a member of our Massachusetts community. ICE Boston takes its public safety mission extremely seriously — which is why we’ve lodged an immigration detainer against him with Lynn police,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde. “The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has charged him with murder, and with the cooperation of the Lynn District Court, we intend to take him into ICE custody after he has paid his debt to society. ICE Boston will continue our mission of arresting and removing egregious alien offenders from New England.”
The Lynn Police Department police arrested German February 5 and charged him with the murder. ICE discovered that German illegally entered the United States in September 2022.
Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.
Learn more about ICE’s mission to increase public safety in our New England communities on X: @EROBoston.
COOTAMUNDRA, Australia, Feb. 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Australian Oilseeds Holdings Limited, a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”) (NASDAQ: COOT) today announced financial results for its first quarter fiscal 2025 ended September 30, 2024.
First Quarter Fiscal 2025 Financial Highlights Compared to Prior Year
Sales revenue increased 6.1% to A$10.4 million due to strong demand for the Company’s cold pressed canola oil.
Retail oil revenue increased 59.9% to A$5.7 million due to expanded distribution in leading retailers in Australia along with the addition of several new SKUs.
Net loss of A$0.6 million compared to net income of A$1.4 million, reflecting changes to sales mix along with the timing of planned investments in brand and marketing to support our GEO products.
Cash flow from operations improved to A$0.6 million compared to a use of A$1.5 million.
“We delivered exceptionally strong growth in our retail oils business during the first quarter driven primarily by our expanded distribution in Costco and Woolworths in Australia, ” said Gary Seaton, Chief Executive Officer. “We also benefited from three new SKUs that were launched in coordination with focused, integrated marketing campaigns across our key retail partners. While margins and profitability were impacted by the timing of our investments in branding initiatives during the quarter, as planned, we believe we are still well positioned to drive improving results as our business continues to grow and scale. We remain steadfast in our commitment to eliminating chemicals from the edible oil production and manufacturing systems to supply quality products such as non-GMO oilseeds and organic and non-organic food-grade oils to customers globally.”
About Australian Oilseeds Investments Pty Ltd. Australian Oilseeds Investments Pty Ltd. is an Australian proprietary company that, directly and indirectly through its subsidiaries, is focused on the manufacture and sale of sustainable oilseeds (e.g., seeds grown primarily for the production of edible oils) and is committed to working with all suppliers in the food supply chain to eliminate chemicals from the production and manufacturing systems to supply quality products to customers globally. The Company engages in the business of processing, manufacture and sale of non-GMO oilseeds and organic and non-organic food-grade oils, for the rapidly growing oilseeds market, through sourcing materials from suppliers focused on reducing the use of chemicals in consumables in order to supply healthier food ingredients, vegetable oils, proteins and other products to customers globally. Over the past 20 years, the Company’s cold pressing oil plant has grown to become the largest in Australia, pressing strictly GMO-free conventional and organic oilseeds.
Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including but not limited to, statements regarding our financial outlook, business strategy and plans, market trends and market size, opportunities and positioning. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections. Words such as “expect,” “anticipate,” “should,” “believe,” “hope,” “target,” “project,” “goals,” “estimate,” “potential,” “predict,” “may,” “will,” “might,” “could,” “intend,” “shall” and variations of these terms and similar expressions are intended to identify these forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which involve factors or circumstances that are beyond our control. For example, global economic conditions could in the future reduce demand for our products; we could in the future experience cybersecurity incidents; we may be unable to manage or sustain the level of growth that our business has experienced in prior periods; our financial resources may not be sufficient to maintain or improve our competitive position; we may be unable to attract new customers, or retain or sell additional products to existing customers; we may experience challenges successfully expanding our marketing and sales capabilities, including further specializing our sales force; customer growth could decelerate in the future; we may not achieve expected synergies and efficiencies of operations from recent acquisitions or business combinations, and we may not be able to pay off our convertible notes when due. Further information on potential factors that could affect our financial results is included in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent our views only as of the date of this press release and we assume no obligation and do not intend to update these forward-looking statements.
Contact Australian Oilseeds Holdings Limited 126-142 Cowcumbla Street Cootamundra New South Wales 2590 Attn: Bob Wu, CFO Email: bob@energreennutrition.com.au
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