NewzIntel.com

Category: Universities

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Cycling can be 4 times more efficient than walking. A biomechanics expert explains why

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Anthony Blazevich, Professor of Biomechanics, Edith Cowan University

    You’re standing at your front door, facing a five kilometre commute to work. But you don’t have your car, and there’s no bus route. You can walk for an hour – or jump on your bicycle and arrive in 15 minutes, barely breaking a sweat. You choose the latter.

    Many people would make the same choice. It’s estimated that there are more than a billion bikes in the world. Cycling represents one of the most energy-efficient forms of transport ever invented, allowing humans to travel faster and farther while using less energy than walking or running.

    But why exactly does pedalling feel so much easier than pounding the pavement? The answer lies in the elegant biomechanics of how our bodies interact with this two-wheeled machine.

    A wonderfully simple machine

    At its heart, a bicycle is wonderfully simple: two wheels (hence “bi-cycle”), pedals that transfer power through a chain to the rear wheel, and gears that let us fine-tune our effort. But this simplicity masks an engineering that perfectly complements human physiology.

    When we walk or run, we essentially fall forward in a controlled manner, catching ourselves with each step. Our legs must swing through large arcs, lifting our heavy limbs against gravity with every stride. This swinging motion alone consumes a lot of energy. Imagine: how tiring would it be to even swing your arms continuously for an hour?

    On a bicycle, your legs move through a much smaller, circular motion. Instead of swinging your entire leg weight with each step, you’re simply rotating your thighs and calves through a compact pedalling cycle. The energy savings are immediately noticeable.

    But the real efficiency gains come from how bicycles transfer human power to forward motion. When you walk or run, each footstep involves a mini-collision with the ground. You can hear it as the slap of your shoe against the road, and you can feel it as vibrations running through your body. This is energy being lost, literally dissipated as sound and heat after being sent through your muscles and joints.

    Walking and running also involve another source of inefficiency: with each step, you actually brake yourself slightly before propelling forward. As your foot lands ahead of your body, it creates a backwards force that momentarily slows you down. Your muscles then have to work extra hard to overcome this self-imposed braking and accelerate you forward again.

    Kissing the road

    Bicycles use one of the world’s great inventions to solve these problems – wheels.

    Instead of a collision, you get rolling contact – each part of the tyre gently “kisses” the road surface before lifting off. No energy is lost to impact. And because the wheel rotates smoothly so the force acts perfectly vertically on the ground, there’s no stop-start braking action. The force from your pedalling translates directly into forward motion.

    But bicycles also help our muscles to work at their best. Human muscles have a fundamental limitation: the faster they contract, the weaker they become and the more energy they consume.

    This is the famous force-velocity relationship of muscles. And it’s why sprinting feels so much harder than jogging or walking – your muscles are working near their speed limit, becoming less efficient with every stride.

    Bicycle gears solve this problem for us. As you go faster, you can shift to a higher gear so your muscles don’t have to work faster while the bike accelerates. Your muscles can stay in their sweet spot for both force production and energy cost. It’s like having a personal assistant that continuously adjusts your workload to keep you in the peak performance zone.

    Cycling can be at least four times more energy-efficient than walking and eight times more efficient than running.
    The Conversation, CC BY

    Walking sometimes wins out

    But bicycles aren’t always superior.

    On very steep hills of more than about 15% gradient (so you rise 1.5 metres every 10 metres of distance), your legs struggle to generate enough force through the circular pedalling motion to lift you and the bike up the hill. We can produce more force by pushing our legs straight out, so walking (or climbing) becomes more effective.

    Even if roads were built, we wouldn’t pedal up Mount Everest.

    This isn’t the case for downhills. While cycling downhill becomes progressively easier (eventually requiring no energy at all), walking down steep slopes actually becomes harder.

    Once the gradient exceeds about 10% (it drops by one metre for every ten metres of distance), each downhill step creates jarring impacts that waste energy and stress your joints. Walking and running downhill isn’t always as easy as we’d expect.

    Not just a transportation device

    The numbers speak for themselves. Cycling can be at least four times more energy-efficient than walking and eight times more efficient than running. This efficiency comes from minimising three major energy drains: limb movement, ground impact and muscle speed limitations.

    So next time you effortlessly cruise past pedestrians on your morning bike commute, take a moment to appreciate the biomechanical work of art beneath you. Your bicycle isn’t just a transport device, but a perfectly evolved machine that works in partnership with your physiology, turning your raw muscle power into efficient motion.

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

    – ref. Cycling can be 4 times more efficient than walking. A biomechanics expert explains why – https://theconversation.com/cycling-can-be-4-times-more-efficient-than-walking-a-biomechanics-expert-explains-why-257120

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Can’t work out without music? Neither could the ancient Greeks and Romans

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Konstantine Panegyres, Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History, The University of Western Australia

    Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

    These days when you see people exercising, they’re usually also listening to music, whether they’re at the gym, or out jogging on the street.

    It makes sense, as studies have shown listening to music can help you get the most out of a workout.

    Somehow the ancient Greeks and Romans knew this too, long before modern science was there to back it.

    A more than 2,000-year-old habit

    In his oration To the People of Alexandria, the Greek writer Dio Chrysostom (40-110 CE) complained about a phenomenon he saw all the time.

    Dio wrote people loved to listen to music in their daily activities. According to him, music could be found in the courtroom, in the lecture theatre, in the doctor’s room, and even in the gym.

    “Everything is done to music […] people will presently go so far as to use song to accompany their exercise in the gymnasium,” Dio wrote.

    But exercising to music wasn’t a new thing in his day. This practice has been recorded across the ancient Greek and Roman worlds from the earliest times, and as far back as the poems of Homer (circa 800 BCE).

    Why exercise to music?

    There are many depictions of professional athletes training, or competing, to the accompaniment of music in ancient Greek vase paintings.

    In one vase painting from the 5th century BCE, a group of athletes trains while a musician plays the aulos, a type of ancient pipe instrument.

    Young men exercising to the sound of an aulos player (an ancient wind instrument).
    Wikimedia

    The ancient writer Plutarch of Chaeronea (46-119 CE) tells us music was also played while people wrestled or did athletics.

    Athenian writer Flavius Philostratus (circa 170-245 CE) offers clues as to why. In a book about gymnastics, Philostratus wrote music served to stimulate athletes, and that their performance might be improved through listening to music.

    Today’s researchers have proven this to be true. One 2020 study involving 3,599 participants showed listening to music during exercise had many benefits, such as reducing the perception of fatigue and exertion, and improving physical performance and breathing.

    Singing and trumpets

    Since ancient people didn’t have electronic devices, they found other ways to exercise to music. Some had music played by a musician during their exercise routine. Others sang while they exercised.

    Singing while playing ball games was particularly popular. In Homer’s Odyssey (circa 8th century BCE), Nausicaa, the daughter of the King of Phaeacia, plays a ball game with her girl friends, and they all sing songs as they play.

    Similarly, the historian Carystius of Pergamum (2nd century BCE) wrote the women of his time “sang as they played ball”.

    Another popular activity was dancing to music. Dancing was widely regarded as a gymnastic exercise people could do for better health.

    One famous advocate of the benefits of dancing as exercise was the great Athenian philosopher Socrates (circa 470-399 BCE). According to the historian Diogenes Laertius (3rd century CE), “it was Socrates’ regular habit to dance, thinking that such exercise helped to keep the body in good condition”.

    Exercising to music was depicted in several ancient Greek vase painting.
    Wikimedia, CC BY-NC-SA

    Apart from individuals using music in their personal exercise, soldiers also did training exercises, and marched to battle, to the sound of trumpets.

    Don’t skip leg day

    There was a belief in ancient Greek and Roman that music and exercise played an important role in shaping and developing the body and soul.

    The ideal was harmony and moderation. The body and soul needed to be balanced and proportionate in all their parts, without any excess. As such, doing one kind of exercise too often, or exercising one body part excessively, was frowned upon.

    The physician Galen of Pergamum (129-216 CE) criticised types of exercise that focused too much on one part of the body. He preferred ball games as they exercised the whole body evenly.

    Immoderation in music – that is, listening to too much, or listening to music that was too emotional – was also sometimes frowned upon.

    For example, the Athenian philosopher Plato (circa 428-348 BCE) famously argued most music should be censored as it can stir the passions too strongly. Plato thought only simple and unemotional music, listened to in moderation, should be allowed.

    If the ancients could see today’s people running along the pavement with music thumping in their ears, they would surely be amazed. And they’d probably approve – as long as it wasn’t being done in excess.

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

    – ref. Can’t work out without music? Neither could the ancient Greeks and Romans – https://theconversation.com/cant-work-out-without-music-neither-could-the-ancient-greeks-and-romans-258069

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: A project-analytical session of the Institute of Medicine and Medical Technologies was held at NSU

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: Novosibirsk State University –

    An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    A two-day project-analytical session was held at Novosibirsk State University Institute of Medicine and Medical Technologies NSU. It was attended by the heads of the IMMT NSU, including curators of educational programs, as well as representatives of other leading medical universities of our country – Sechenov University and the Siberian State Medical University (SSMU). The goal of the event was to determine the main directions of the transformation of medical education at NSU taking into account modern trends.

    — We discussed how the structure of medical education should be changed so that it corresponds to strategic changes in higher education as a whole. First of all, this is a trend towards personalization, when each student has their own development trajectory; the second important point is to provide the maximum possible number of practical skills that are in demand in practical activities and the pharmaceutical industry, so that students already during their studies know how to work in the future. For example, they have skills in working with modern systems that are used in healthcare, such as electronic document management, technologies based on artificial intelligence. Another point: curricula should be flexible, constantly updated, updated and developed, this will allow students to understand modern methods of treatment, therapy, diagnostics. At the same time, it is important to find a balance between classical education, fundamental knowledge and special subjects that are aimed specifically at training doctors. After all, the specificity of the university is that we train not just doctors, but medical researchers, said Mikhail Khvostov, acting dean of the faculty of medical cybernetics and pharmacy at the Institute of Medicine and Medical Technologies of NSU.

    The session included a plenary part, when nine experts made presentations. First, the university team presented key information about the current status of medical education at NSU. Yulia Samoylova, professor, director of the IMMT NSU, told about the history of the emergence of medical care at the university, gave an overview of what is happening now, focused on what scientific, technological and educational projects the Institute is engaged in and what are the prospects for the future. Then the heads of the areas of “Medical Care”, “Medical Cybernetics” and “Psychology” spoke about their programs. The speech of Dmitry Kudlai, director of innovative development programs at NSU, was devoted to the use of artificial intelligence in education in general and in industrial pharmacy in particular. Irina Sergeeva, director of the Center for Postgraduate Medical Education at NSU, spoke about the features of residency programs.

    The presentations by external experts – Victoria Kovalevskaya, a representative of Sechenov University, and Inessa Yakimovich, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Siberian State Medical University – were devoted to new models of medical education. Then there was work in small groups, when the participants had to define the key elements of the future model of medical education at NSU.

    Among the main areas for development identified as a result of the session are the introduction of individual trajectories in medical education; training students and teachers to use modern information systems, artificial intelligence, both in education and in medicine.

    — The response to modern trends in the industry was the launch of a new educational program at our Institute — medical cybernetics. This is a science that is developing at the intersection of biology, medicine and information technology. We are currently in the midst of an admissions campaign; and we see that the direction is in demand, there is great interest in it. Thus, we made the right choice by introducing a new direction, and this is important, since cybernetics should contribute to the introduction of digitalization of healthcare and help doctors make better diagnoses and treat people more effectively, which is one of the priorities in the modern world, — emphasized Yulia Samoylova, Director of the IMMT NSU.

    The project-analytical session held at NSU is an introductory one and opens a series of events that will be aimed at modernizing medical education and developing a unified strategy for its development in the near future, including taking into account the infrastructure of the new campus and involving the entire university staff in the work.

    Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    .

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for July 14, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 14, 2025.

    Washington’s war demands – Australia risks being dragged into a conflict with China over Taiwan
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University Andy. LIU/Shutterstock The United States can count on Australia as one of its closest allies. Dating back to the shared experiences in the second world war and the ANZUS Treaty signed in 1951, Australia has steadfastly

    Women played key roles in Syria’s revolution. Now they’ve been pushed to the margins
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kinda Alsamara, Lecturer in the School of Languages and Cultures, The University of Queensland The end of the oppressive Assad regime in Syria in late 2024 has been broadly welcomed on the global stage – underscored by the fact the United States and European Union have now

    Music is at the forefront of AI disruption, but NZ artists still have few protections
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dave Carter, Associate Professor, School of Music and Screen Arts, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University Getty Images Was the recent Velvet Sundown phenomenon a great music and media hoax, a sign of things to come, or just another example of what’s already happening ? In

    Cycling can be 4 times more efficient than walking. A biomechanics expert explains why
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Blazevich, Professor of Biomechanics, Edith Cowan University You’re standing at your front door, facing a five kilometre commute to work. But you don’t have your car, and there’s no bus route. You can walk for an hour – or jump on your bicycle and arrive in

    ‘You become a target’: research shows why many people who experience racism don’t report it
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mario Peucker, Associate Professor and Principal Research Fellow, Institute for Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities, Victoria University The way racism manifests itself may have changed over time, but it remains a persistent problem in Australia. The 2024 Reconciliation Barometer found a significant increase in racism against First

    Even a day off alcohol makes a difference – our timeline maps the health benefits when you stop drinking
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicole Lee, Adjunct Professor at the National Drug Research Institute (Melbourne based), Curtin University d3sign/Getty Alcohol has many negative effects on our health, some of which may surprise you. These include short-term impacts such as waking up with a pounding head or anxiety, to long-term effects including

    What’s happened to Australia’s green hydrogen dream? Here are 5 reasons the industry has floundered
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Reeve, Program Director, Energy and Climate Change, Grattan Institute An official from German energy supplier Eon with Fortescue founder Andrew Forrest after inking a deal in 2022 to supply green hydrogen from Australia to Germany. Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images As the world looks for

    Soaring house prices may be locking people into marriages, new research shows
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Whelan, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Sydney GAS-photo/Shutterstock House prices continued to rise across Australia in June, recent data shows. Nationally, prices have risen about 38% in the past five years. Higher housing prices are simply one contributor, albeit a very important one, to the

    Can’t work out without music? Neither could the ancient Greeks and Romans
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Konstantine Panegyres, Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History, The University of Western Australia Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA These days when you see people exercising, they’re usually also listening to music, whether they’re at the gym, or out jogging on the street. It makes sense, as studies have

    The Bradbury Group features Palestinian journalist Yousef Aljamal, Middle East report and political panel
    Asia Pacific Report In the new weekly political podcast, The Bradbury Group, last night presenter Martyn Bradbury talked with visiting Palestinian journalist Dr Yousef Aljamal. They assess the current situation in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and what New Zealand should be doing. As Bradbury, publisher of The Daily Blog, notes, “Fourth Estate public broadcasting

    Author David Robie tells of outrage over sinking of the Rainbow Warrior 40 years ago
    RNZ News Nights Tomorrow marks 40 years since the bombing and sinking of the Rainbow Warrior — a moment that changed the course of New Zealand’s history and reshaped how we saw ourselves on the world stage. Two French agents planted two explosives on the ship, then just before midnight, explosions ripped through the hull

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for July 14, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 14, 2025.

    Washington’s war demands – Australia risks being dragged into a conflict with China over Taiwan
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University Andy. LIU/Shutterstock The United States can count on Australia as one of its closest allies. Dating back to the shared experiences in the second world war and the ANZUS Treaty signed in 1951, Australia has steadfastly

    Women played key roles in Syria’s revolution. Now they’ve been pushed to the margins
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kinda Alsamara, Lecturer in the School of Languages and Cultures, The University of Queensland The end of the oppressive Assad regime in Syria in late 2024 has been broadly welcomed on the global stage – underscored by the fact the United States and European Union have now

    Music is at the forefront of AI disruption, but NZ artists still have few protections
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dave Carter, Associate Professor, School of Music and Screen Arts, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University Getty Images Was the recent Velvet Sundown phenomenon a great music and media hoax, a sign of things to come, or just another example of what’s already happening ? In

    Cycling can be 4 times more efficient than walking. A biomechanics expert explains why
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Blazevich, Professor of Biomechanics, Edith Cowan University You’re standing at your front door, facing a five kilometre commute to work. But you don’t have your car, and there’s no bus route. You can walk for an hour – or jump on your bicycle and arrive in

    ‘You become a target’: research shows why many people who experience racism don’t report it
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mario Peucker, Associate Professor and Principal Research Fellow, Institute for Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities, Victoria University The way racism manifests itself may have changed over time, but it remains a persistent problem in Australia. The 2024 Reconciliation Barometer found a significant increase in racism against First

    Even a day off alcohol makes a difference – our timeline maps the health benefits when you stop drinking
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicole Lee, Adjunct Professor at the National Drug Research Institute (Melbourne based), Curtin University d3sign/Getty Alcohol has many negative effects on our health, some of which may surprise you. These include short-term impacts such as waking up with a pounding head or anxiety, to long-term effects including

    What’s happened to Australia’s green hydrogen dream? Here are 5 reasons the industry has floundered
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Reeve, Program Director, Energy and Climate Change, Grattan Institute An official from German energy supplier Eon with Fortescue founder Andrew Forrest after inking a deal in 2022 to supply green hydrogen from Australia to Germany. Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images As the world looks for

    Soaring house prices may be locking people into marriages, new research shows
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Whelan, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Sydney GAS-photo/Shutterstock House prices continued to rise across Australia in June, recent data shows. Nationally, prices have risen about 38% in the past five years. Higher housing prices are simply one contributor, albeit a very important one, to the

    Can’t work out without music? Neither could the ancient Greeks and Romans
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Konstantine Panegyres, Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History, The University of Western Australia Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA These days when you see people exercising, they’re usually also listening to music, whether they’re at the gym, or out jogging on the street. It makes sense, as studies have

    The Bradbury Group features Palestinian journalist Yousef Aljamal, Middle East report and political panel
    Asia Pacific Report In the new weekly political podcast, The Bradbury Group, last night presenter Martyn Bradbury talked with visiting Palestinian journalist Dr Yousef Aljamal. They assess the current situation in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and what New Zealand should be doing. As Bradbury, publisher of The Daily Blog, notes, “Fourth Estate public broadcasting

    Author David Robie tells of outrage over sinking of the Rainbow Warrior 40 years ago
    RNZ News Nights Tomorrow marks 40 years since the bombing and sinking of the Rainbow Warrior — a moment that changed the course of New Zealand’s history and reshaped how we saw ourselves on the world stage. Two French agents planted two explosives on the ship, then just before midnight, explosions ripped through the hull

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Washington’s war demands – Australia right to refuse being dragged into a potential conflict with China over Taiwan

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University

    Andy. LIU/Shutterstock

    The United States can count on Australia as one of its closest allies.

    Dating back to the shared experiences in the second world war and the ANZUS Treaty signed in 1951, Australia has steadfastly worked to help ensure the US remains the principal security guarantor in the Indo-Pacific.

    Australia’s track record speaks for itself. Yet additional demands are being placed that rankle.

    The Pentagon wants to know how Australia – and other allies such as Japan – would respond in the event of a war with China over Taiwan.

    Making these demands – which are being sought as part of the review of the AUKUS nuclear submarine agreement – is both unjustified and unreasonable.

    ‘100 years of mateship’

    Since federation in 1901, Australians have found themselves alongside US counterparts in almost all the major conflicts of the 20th century and beyond.

    It is this shared experience that led former Ambassador to Washington, Joe Hockey, to coin the term “100 years of mateship”.

    The pinnacle of the security relationship is the ANZUS Treaty which is a loosely worded document barely 800 words long.

    However, it is important to remember AUKUS is just that – a technical agreement, albeit premised on the century-spanning trusted collaboration across the full spectrum of national security ties.

    Goldilocks solution

    More recently, the US administration has made demands of allies, including Australia, the likes of which have not been seen in living memory.

    This spans not just tariffs, but also increased defence spending. American policymakers appear oblivious or unconcerned about the blowback they are generating.

    It is this context which makes the US demands for a broad-ranging and largely open-ended commitment over the defence of Taiwan, in advance of any conflict, so extraordinary and unhelpful.

    Under-secretary of defence for policy Elbridge Colby who wants a clear sense of how Australia would act in a potential war over Taiwan.
    Supplied by US Department of Defence, CC BY

    Australia has long had a fear of abandonment. Ever since the searing experience of the fall of Singapore in 1942, officials have been eager to burnish ties with US counterparts. Conversely, there has always been a strong element in the community that has feared entrapment in yet another US-led war in Asia.

    The experience in the Korean and Vietnam wars, let alone Afghanistan and Iraq, left many guarded about the efficacy of hitching the wagon to US-led military campaigns.

    In essence, though, Australian policymakers have long sought the Goldilocks solution: not too enthusiastic to trigger entrapment and not too lukewarm to trigger abandonment.

    No guarantees

    Now Australia, Japan and others face a surprising new push by American officials for a commitment to a hypothetical conflict, under open-ended circumstances.

    The irony is that American demands for a commitment fly in the face of the loosely worded ANZUS alliance – which stipulates an agreement to consult, but little more than that.

    The AUKUS agreement includes no such guarantees either. The overt and confronting nature of Washington’s demands means Prime Minister Anthony Albanese effectively has no option but to push back:

    We support the status quo when it comes to Taiwan. We don’t support any unilateral action […] we want peace and security in our region.

    Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy was adamant Australia would not be committing forces ahead of any “hypothetical” conflict:

    The decision to commit Australian troops to a conflict will be made by the government of the day, not in advance, but by the government of the day.

    A further irony is Australia, like Japan, is already hugely invested in its US military relationship, particularly through its military technology.

    The purchase of the F35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, for instance, was meant to help enable the generation of interoperable forces, yet no such demand has been made when it comes to an advance commitment over their use in support of US ambitions.

    So why invoke AUKUS in such a way?

    Evidently, the way the US is trying to stand over Japan and Australia is harmful to its own interests. Such adversarial and unduly transactional behaviour could provoke a popular backlash in Australia and elsewhere.

    The government has rightly rebuffed the calls saying it would be up to the government of the day to make such a decision. It is likely this will not be well received by the Trump administration. The PM is right though, to say it’s hypothetical and not worthy of a public endorsement.

    Strategic ambiguity

    Yet a further irony is that this is mostly a moot point.

    The key benefit of alliance collaboration is already in place – and that relates to the efforts to deter China from ever acting on its desire to change the status quo in the first place.

    As former PM and now ambassador to Washington, Kevin Rudd explained in his book, The Avoidable War, geo-political disaster is still avoidable, particularly if the US and China can find a way to coexist without betraying their core interests through managed strategic competition.

    This strategic ambiguity is meant to complicate a potential adversary’s military planners and political decision makers’ thought processes over the advantages and disadvantages of going to war.

    China already knows a clash over Taiwan would mean US allies like Japan and Australia would find it virtually impossible to avoid being entangled. The strategic ambiguity can be maintained ad infinitum, so long as an outright invasion is averted.

    And the likelihood of conflict over Taiwan? I remain sanguine that conflict can be avoided.

    But to do so would involve clear and compelling messaging: both through diplomatic channels and through the demonstration of robust military capabilities that war would be too costly.

    John Blaxland received funding (2015–2018) from the US DoD Minerva Research Initiative.

    – ref. Washington’s war demands – Australia right to refuse being dragged into a potential conflict with China over Taiwan – https://theconversation.com/washingtons-war-demands-australia-right-to-refuse-being-dragged-into-a-potential-conflict-with-china-over-taiwan-261076

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Washington’s war demands – Australia right to refuse being dragged into a potential conflict with China over Taiwan

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University

    Andy. LIU/Shutterstock

    The United States can count on Australia as one of its closest allies.

    Dating back to the shared experiences in the second world war and the ANZUS Treaty signed in 1951, Australia has steadfastly worked to help ensure the US remains the principal security guarantor in the Indo-Pacific.

    Australia’s track record speaks for itself. Yet additional demands are being placed that rankle.

    The Pentagon wants to know how Australia – and other allies such as Japan – would respond in the event of a war with China over Taiwan.

    Making these demands – which are being sought as part of the review of the AUKUS nuclear submarine agreement – is both unjustified and unreasonable.

    ‘100 years of mateship’

    Since federation in 1901, Australians have found themselves alongside US counterparts in almost all the major conflicts of the 20th century and beyond.

    It is this shared experience that led former Ambassador to Washington, Joe Hockey, to coin the term “100 years of mateship”.

    The pinnacle of the security relationship is the ANZUS Treaty which is a loosely worded document barely 800 words long.

    However, it is important to remember AUKUS is just that – a technical agreement, albeit premised on the century-spanning trusted collaboration across the full spectrum of national security ties.

    Goldilocks solution

    More recently, the US administration has made demands of allies, including Australia, the likes of which have not been seen in living memory.

    This spans not just tariffs, but also increased defence spending. American policymakers appear oblivious or unconcerned about the blowback they are generating.

    It is this context which makes the US demands for a broad-ranging and largely open-ended commitment over the defence of Taiwan, in advance of any conflict, so extraordinary and unhelpful.

    Under-secretary of defence for policy Elbridge Colby who wants a clear sense of how Australia would act in a potential war over Taiwan.
    Supplied by US Department of Defence, CC BY

    Australia has long had a fear of abandonment. Ever since the searing experience of the fall of Singapore in 1942, officials have been eager to burnish ties with US counterparts. Conversely, there has always been a strong element in the community that has feared entrapment in yet another US-led war in Asia.

    The experience in the Korean and Vietnam wars, let alone Afghanistan and Iraq, left many guarded about the efficacy of hitching the wagon to US-led military campaigns.

    In essence, though, Australian policymakers have long sought the Goldilocks solution: not too enthusiastic to trigger entrapment and not too lukewarm to trigger abandonment.

    No guarantees

    Now Australia, Japan and others face a surprising new push by American officials for a commitment to a hypothetical conflict, under open-ended circumstances.

    The irony is that American demands for a commitment fly in the face of the loosely worded ANZUS alliance – which stipulates an agreement to consult, but little more than that.

    The AUKUS agreement includes no such guarantees either. The overt and confronting nature of Washington’s demands means Prime Minister Anthony Albanese effectively has no option but to push back:

    We support the status quo when it comes to Taiwan. We don’t support any unilateral action […] we want peace and security in our region.

    Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy was adamant Australia would not be committing forces ahead of any “hypothetical” conflict:

    The decision to commit Australian troops to a conflict will be made by the government of the day, not in advance, but by the government of the day.

    A further irony is Australia, like Japan, is already hugely invested in its US military relationship, particularly through its military technology.

    The purchase of the F35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, for instance, was meant to help enable the generation of interoperable forces, yet no such demand has been made when it comes to an advance commitment over their use in support of US ambitions.

    So why invoke AUKUS in such a way?

    Evidently, the way the US is trying to stand over Japan and Australia is harmful to its own interests. Such adversarial and unduly transactional behaviour could provoke a popular backlash in Australia and elsewhere.

    The government has rightly rebuffed the calls saying it would be up to the government of the day to make such a decision. It is likely this will not be well received by the Trump administration. The PM is right though, to say it’s hypothetical and not worthy of a public endorsement.

    Strategic ambiguity

    Yet a further irony is that this is mostly a moot point.

    The key benefit of alliance collaboration is already in place – and that relates to the efforts to deter China from ever acting on its desire to change the status quo in the first place.

    As former PM and now ambassador to Washington, Kevin Rudd explained in his book, The Avoidable War, geo-political disaster is still avoidable, particularly if the US and China can find a way to coexist without betraying their core interests through managed strategic competition.

    This strategic ambiguity is meant to complicate a potential adversary’s military planners and political decision makers’ thought processes over the advantages and disadvantages of going to war.

    China already knows a clash over Taiwan would mean US allies like Japan and Australia would find it virtually impossible to avoid being entangled. The strategic ambiguity can be maintained ad infinitum, so long as an outright invasion is averted.

    And the likelihood of conflict over Taiwan? I remain sanguine that conflict can be avoided.

    But to do so would involve clear and compelling messaging: both through diplomatic channels and through the demonstration of robust military capabilities that war would be too costly.

    John Blaxland received funding (2015–2018) from the US DoD Minerva Research Initiative.

    – ref. Washington’s war demands – Australia right to refuse being dragged into a potential conflict with China over Taiwan – https://theconversation.com/washingtons-war-demands-australia-right-to-refuse-being-dragged-into-a-potential-conflict-with-china-over-taiwan-261076

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI China: Equipment manufacturers driving trade growth

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    A drone photo shows the shipbuilding site of the subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corp Ltd in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on March 20. [Photo/Xinhua]

    In early July, a shipyard along the Yangtze River in Jiangyin, East China’s Jiangsu province, was humming with the sounds of welding and hammering.

    In one berth, work on an oil tanker was nearing completion, while a hospital ship was undergoing a major retrofit. A little distance away, dry docks were operating at full throttle.

    CSSC Chengxi Shipyard Co, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corp, saw its export value surge by more than 28 percent year-on-year in the first five months. With orders lined up through 2028 and a growing appetite for high-tech vessels, this shipyard is powering full steam ahead.

    “We are steering toward transformation,” said Yang Haibo, the shipyard’s assistant president. “Take the 41,800-ton self-unloading vessel we built last year; its value hit $96 million, triple that of a conventional bulk carrier. We just secured an overseas order to build a 44,000-ton self-discharger in May.”

    As global demand shifts, Yang said Chinese shipyards are embracing greener and smarter solutions to remain competitive, including ramping up investment in next-generation shipbuilding technologies.

    Much like China’s new energy vehicle, industrial robot and energy storage sectors, the shipbuilding industry exemplifies how domestic manufacturers are adopting innovation and green development to rise above the challenges posed by unilateralism and geoeconomic fragmentation.

    In the process, they are playing a vital role in supporting the country’s foreign trade and industrial upgrade.

    As a high value-added sector, the equipment manufacturing industry has become a key driver of China’s export restructuring.

    The country’s exports of equipment manufacturing products amounted to 6.22 trillion yuan ($853.3 billion) between January and May, up 9.2 percent year-on-year, accounting for 58.3 percent of the country’s total exports, data from the General Administration of Customs showed.

    Meanwhile, China’s exports of electric vehicles grew by 19 percent year-on-year, construction machinery by 10.7 percent, ships by 18.9 percent and industrial robots by an impressive 55.4 percent.

    Equipment manufacturing accounted for 73 percent of China’s export growth in the first five months, with the contribution rising to 76.9 percent in May alone, providing strong support for the steady growth of foreign trade, said Lyu Daliang, director-general of the administration’s department of statistics and analysis.

    The ongoing upgrade of China’s equipment manufacturing industry is not only fueling the growth of domestic manufacturers, but also delivering energy-efficient, high-tech and competitively priced products to its trading partners, said Chen Jianwei, a researcher at the University of International Business and Economics’ Academy of China Open Economy Studies in Beijing.

    This progress is accelerating the digital and green advancement of developed economies, while also supporting industrialization and urbanization in many developing and emerging markets, contributing to more balanced global development and long-term sustainability, said Chen.

    Among the key drivers of this momentum, industrial robots have rapidly become a standout export category. These multijoint robotic arms and other advanced robotic systems are widely used in sectors such as automotives, electronics, chemicals and consumer goods.

    As China’s production capabilities in this field continue to advance, a growing number of industrial robots are being exported to markets such as Thailand, Germany, the United States and the United Arab Emirates — underscoring the global appeal of the nation’s smart manufacturing solutions.

    At AgileX Robotics, a robotic arm manufacturer in Dongguan, Guangdong province, workers were busy packing robotic arms in late June. This batch of products, designed for data collection, plays a key role in the development and training of humanoid robots, and has gained strong traction in overseas markets.

    “We really can’t ship fast enough and demand is overwhelming. Our exports this year are expected to rise by 70 to 80 percent compared with 2024,” said Chen Peng, the company’s marketing director.

    Chen said that orders from overseas research institutions, particularly in the artificial intelligence field, are growing the fastest. These clients often require rapid delivery due to time-sensitive needs.

    This growth is not merely the success of a single robot manufacturer. Rather, it reflects a broader trend in Dongguan.

    The city’s exports of industrial robots, including industrial robotic arms, handling and welding robots, and robots with other functions, exceeded 190 million yuan during the January-May period, representing a year-on-year increase of 116.4 percent, data from Huangpu Customs showed.

    From an industrial chain perspective, China’s industrial robot sector has seen significant advancements over the past decade, especially in core components such as reducers, servo motors, controllers and control units, said Lei Lei, deputy secretary-general of the robotics branch of the Beijing-based China Machinery Industry Federation.

    Lei said Chinese industrial robot manufacturers are evolving their export models as they expand globally. This shift is already playing out among many companies in the sector.

    Xu Hongchun, vice-president of Suzhou JiBOT Technology Co, a Suzhou, Jiangsu province-based manufacturer of collaborative robotic arms and mobile robot platforms, said the company has already shifted toward providing customized end-to-end solutions for overseas factories and warehouses.

    “Our material handling robots are primarily used in the new energy and electronic semiconductor sectors,” said Xu. “Currently, more than 70 percent of our exports in this category include solution-based packages.”

    The Chinese company achieves this by integrating data from various robots into a centralized control system. A smart dispatching platform enables real-time coordination, allowing multiple robots to operate efficiently across different zones and meet the specific needs of its foreign clients.

    While industrial robots and intelligent automation are shifting manufacturing and logistics, traditional heavy industries are also embracing innovation and seizing more market opportunities across the world.

    In sectors such as mining and construction, Chinese companies are combining durable engineering with localization strategies to meet the needs of emerging markets.

    Sany Heavy Equipment Co, a mining and construction machinery manufacturer based in Shenyang, Liaoning province, has been actively expanding its presence in the African market. Its wide-body dump trucks, electric-powered dumpers and engineering excavators are widely used in countries including South Africa, Ghana, Angola and Zambia.

    “Africa is rich in mineral resources and has significant demand for mining machinery. Our mining equipment is built to withstand harsh operating conditions and is well-suited for the complex terrains found in mining areas,” said Sun Bo, head of the company’s sales unit.

    Sun said that Sany Heavy Equipment Co’s mining dump trucks have significantly improved operational efficiency and earned high praise from clients in countries such as Eritrea and Mozambique in recent years.

    The company’s exports amounted to 1.44 billion yuan in the first half, while its exports to Africa surged 230 percent year-on-year to 330 million yuan, the latest data from Shenyang Customs showed.

    Experts said the continued rise of China’s equipment manufacturing exports reflects both industrial progress and the country’s deeper integration into global supply chains.

    Zhao Ping, head of the academy of the Beijing-based China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said that China is no longer just a source of affordable goods. It is increasingly a provider of complex, high-value equipment that meets the needs of developed and emerging markets alike.

    Zhao said that the combination of strong research and development capabilities, digitalized manufacturing processes and mature supply chains has enabled Chinese manufacturers to evolve from volume-driven to value-driven exports.

    “This transformation not only enhances China’s competitiveness, but also contributes to global industrial development and technological diffusion,” said Ji Xuehong, a professor at the School of Economics and Management at Beijing-based North China University of Technology.

    In the face of a complex and volatile external environment, China will steadfastly expand its high-standard opening-up and address the uncertainty of drastic changes in the external environment with the certainty of its own high-quality development, said Xiao Lu, deputy director-general of the department of foreign trade at the Ministry of Commerce.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Openness, fair competition power China’s unified national market

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    A drone photo taken on July 2, 2025 shows an electric vertical take-off-and-landing (eVTOL) aircraft performing flight demonstration at Luogang Park in Hefei, east China’s Anhui Province. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu)

    At Hefei’s urban air mobility hub, the rotor blades of an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft hum to life before it glides smoothly into the summer sky.

    Known as a “flying taxi,” this innovative vehicle is operated by Hefei Heyi Aviation Co., which in March became one of China’s first companies to receive an operating certificate for passenger-grade civil unmanned aircraft.

    “Chinese companies have long been capable of designing and building these aircraft, but operating them was challenging due to regulatory restrictions,” said Li Xiaona, general manager of the company in east China’s Anhui Province.

    Following the breakthrough in airworthiness certification, the commercialization of passenger-grade unmanned aircraft in China has accelerated, with government agencies working closely with industry bodies to set clear standards and define responsibilities.

    By clearly defining “how to enter” and “how to regulate,” China’s low-altitude economy has hit the fast-forward button. Data show that over 80,000 companies are now operating nationwide, with the market continuing to expand rapidly.

    This exemplifies the Chinese government’s efforts to streamline administrative approvals and boost market vitality. China’s vast and rapidly growing market provides a crucial advantage and a stable foundation amid global uncertainties. To drive high-quality growth and establish a new development model, building a unified national market is vital, and government authorities nationwide are stepping up efforts to make this vision a reality.

    Beyond aviation, China has steadily enhanced its market access regulations, opening more sectors to private and foreign investment, thereby driving innovation and fostering competition.

    In April, the country released a new edition of its national market access negative list, cutting the number of restricted items to 106 from 151 in 2018, a move designed to provide businesses with clearer expectations and greater certainty.

    With market entry barriers lowered, private and foreign businesses are discovering fresh opportunities across various sectors.

    In Beijing, Minospace recently secured an 804 million yuan (about 112 million U.S. dollars) contract to develop and launch a network of 10 remote-sensing microsatellites. For a privately owned company founded in 2017, the scale of this order is especially significant, underscoring how private players are becoming more deeply involved in driving growth in China’s aerospace sector.

    In February, China approved 13 foreign companies to operate pilot value-added telecommunications services. In May, Hong Kong Cell Valley launched operations in Shenzhen under a new Guangdong pilot program that permits overseas investors to develop and apply technologies related to human stem cells, as well as gene diagnosis and treatment.

    Guo Liyan, deputy head of the Economic Research Institute at the National Development and Reform Commission, said that alongside the streamlining of the negative list, reforms in approvals, registration and supervision are progressing simultaneously to ensure a level playing field for all businesses.

    In south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, local authorities have removed discriminatory licensing restrictions in the shared e-bike sector, opening the market to more brands. Meanwhile, in Wuhan, capital city of central Hubei Province, automakers and suppliers have formed an industry alliance to develop automotive-grade chips, fostering greater collaboration across the supply chain.

    Similar efforts to eliminate market entry barriers have increased bidding success rates of private firms and fostered the growth of new business models, emerging industries and innovative application scenarios.

    Government authorities across the country have also been working to improve infrastructure connectivity, strengthen industrial coordination and enhance data sharing, building a more standardized and fair market environment to support stronger business capabilities and unlock the full potential of the national market.

    “A large market does not automatically generate scale effects. Reforms are essential to consolidate and expand market resources and create synergy between large factories and a unified market,” said Dong Yu, executive vice dean of the China Institute for Development Planning at Tsinghua University.

    Going ahead, China is expected to implement more robust measures to refine market access rules and enhance the business environment, developing a unified national market where innovation will thrive and growth momentum can be further unleashed. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Women played key roles in Syria’s revolution. Now they’ve been pushed to the margins

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kinda Alsamara, Lecturer in the School of Languages and Cultures, The University of Queensland

    The end of the oppressive Assad regime in Syria in late 2024 has been broadly welcomed on the global stage – underscored by the fact the United States and European Union have now lifted sanctions against the country.

    However, women have been marginalised by Syria’s new leadership. That’s a problem for Syrian women, of course, but it also puts at risk prospects for sustainable peace in Syria.

    A growing body of research, including our own, shows a direct correlation between gender equality and peace.

    Syria now stands at a crossroads. Will it ensure women’s meaningful participation and follow a path to peace? Or will things head in the other direction?

    This is more urgent than ever. Failure to grapple with women’s rights in Syria risks plunging the nation further into extremist violence.

    Women excluded both before and after Assad’s rule

    After decades in power, the harsh Assad regime was overthrown late last year by rebels led by Sunni Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

    But women – who were marginalised politically and economically under Assad – continue to be systematically excluded from decision-making in the new government.

    This is even though women played an essential role in the Syrian revolution. They organised protests and advocated for rights (often at great personal risk).

    They endured sacrifices such as imprisonment, torture, disappearance and displacement.

    Yet, only one woman was appointed to Syria’s immediate post-Assad caretaker government. She didn’t get a ministerial title.

    The caretaker government spokesman reportedly suggested women’s “biological and physiological nature” makes them unsuitable for certain government roles.

    Reports allege the man initially appointed as Syria’s new minister of justice previously oversaw executions of women accused of being sex workers.

    Some Syrian activists are concerned Hayat Tahrir al-Sham will enforce a gendered and conservative interpretation of Islamic law, which prevailed in its previous stronghold of Idlib (a city in northwestern Syria).

    Limited roles for women

    A key moment came when the new Syrian government held a “national dialogue conference” earlier this year. This conference was to establish a forward-looking “political identity” for Syria.

    Of the seven-member conference preparatory committee, only two were women.

    There was no representation on the preparatory committee from several of Syria’s diverse communities, including Kurdish, Alawite and Druze groups.

    Most members had strong ties with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham or other Islamist factions.

    About 200 of the 1,000 delegates at the conference were women. However, their input in legislative and security committees was minimal.

    Only one of 18 conference recommendations referred (in a limited way) to women.

    Following the national dialogue conference, new Syrian President Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa signed into force a constitutional declaration that set a five-year transition period and established the interim government.

    Senior figures in the new government described the declaration as guaranteeing women’s political and economic rights.

    Yet only one of Syria’s 23 ministers is a woman: Hind Kabawat, appointed as minister of social affairs and labour. This “soft” portfolio is commonly associated with gendered expectations around care and welfare.

    Key ministries were allocated to al-Sharaa’s all-male long-time comrades from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s base in Idlib.

    Change is possible

    A just and sustainable peace requires proactive measures to integrate women into leadership roles in Syria.

    Change is possible. For example, constitutional mandates could guarantee minimum representation for women in ministerial leadership and judicial positions, which would better reflect the diversity of Syrian society.

    Independent mechanisms could be established to investigate and address gender-based injustices. This would need to provide accountability for past abuses and protect women’s rights under the post-Assad system.

    As we have previously noted, there cannot be a “collective forgetting” of crimes Syrian women experienced in the past.

    Economic empowerment initiatives would also help foster women’s financial independence and participation in public life.

    Public awareness campaigns could also highlight women’s contributions to the revolution and their essential role in nation-building.

    Syria at a crossroads

    With the recent lifting of sanctions by the US and EU, and ongoing regional instability globally, Syria stands at a crossroads.

    The G7 Summit in May 2025 emphasised the global community’s renewed focus on women’s participation in peace processes.

    Influential middle-power countries can play a key role by reviewing sanctions and tying humanitarian aid to the promotion of human rights, gender inclusion and pluralistic governance.

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

    – ref. Women played key roles in Syria’s revolution. Now they’ve been pushed to the margins – https://theconversation.com/women-played-key-roles-in-syrias-revolution-now-theyve-been-pushed-to-the-margins-257358

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Washington’s war demands – Australia risks being dragged into a conflict with China over Taiwan

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University

    Andy. LIU/Shutterstock

    The United States can count on Australia as one of its closest allies.

    Dating back to the shared experiences in the second world war and the ANZUS Treaty signed in 1951, Australia has steadfastly worked to help ensure the US remains the principal security guarantor in the Indo-Pacific.

    Australia’s track record speaks for itself. Yet additional demands are being placed that rankle.

    The Pentagon wants to know how Australia – and other allies such as Japan – would respond in the event of a war with China over Taiwan.

    Making these demands – which are being sought as part of the review of the AUKUS nuclear submarine agreement – is both unjustified and unreasonable.

    ‘100 years of mateship’

    Since federation in 1901, Australians have found themselves alongside US counterparts in almost all the major conflicts of the 20th century and beyond.

    It is this shared experience that led former Ambassador to Washington, Joe Hockey, to coin the term “100 years of mateship”.

    The pinnacle of the security relationship is the ANZUS Treaty which is a loosely worded document barely 800 words long.

    However, it is important to remember AUKUS is just that – a technical agreement, albeit premised on the century-spanning trusted collaboration across the full spectrum of national security ties.

    Goldilocks solution

    More recently, the US administration has made demands of allies, including Australia, the likes of which have not been seen in living memory.

    This spans not just tariffs, but also increased defence spending. American policymakers appear oblivious or unconcerned about the blowback they are generating.

    It is this context which makes the US demands for a broad-ranging and largely open-ended commitment over the defence of Taiwan, in advance of any conflict, so extraordinary and unhelpful.

    Under-secretary of defence for policy Elbridge Colby who wants a clear sense of how Australia would act in a potential war over Taiwan.
    Supplied by US Department of Defence, CC BY

    Australia has long had a fear of abandonment. Ever since the searing experience of the fall of Singapore in 1942, officials have been eager to burnish ties with US counterparts. Conversely, there has always been a strong element in the community that has feared entrapment in yet another US-led war in Asia.

    The experience in the Korean and Vietnam wars, let alone Afghanistan and Iraq, left many guarded about the efficacy of hitching the wagon to US-led military campaigns.

    In essence, though, Australian policymakers have long sought the Goldilocks solution: not too enthusiastic to trigger entrapment and not too lukewarm to trigger abandonment.

    No guarantees

    Now Australia, Japan and others face a surprising new push by American officials for a commitment to a hypothetical conflict, under open-ended circumstances.

    The irony is that American demands for a commitment fly in the face of the loosely worded ANZUS alliance – which stipulates an agreement to consult, but little more than that.

    The AUKUS agreement includes no such guarantees either. The overt and confronting nature of Washington’s demands means Prime Minister Anthony Albanese effectively has no option but to push back:

    We support the status quo when it comes to Taiwan. We don’t support any unilateral action […] we want peace and security in our region.

    Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy was adamant Australia would not be committing forces ahead of any “hypothetical” conflict:

    The decision to commit Australian troops to a conflict will be made by the government of the day, not in advance, but by the government of the day.

    A further irony is Australia, like Japan, is already hugely invested in its US military relationship, particularly through its military technology.

    The purchase of the F35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, for instance, was meant to help enable the generation of interoperable forces, yet no such demand has been made when it comes to an advance commitment over their use in support of US ambitions.

    So why invoke AUKUS in such a way?

    Evidently, the way the US is trying to stand over Japan and Australia is harmful to its own interests. Such adversarial and unduly transactional behaviour could provoke a popular backlash in Australia and elsewhere.

    The government has rightly rebuffed the calls saying it would be up to the government of the day to make such a decision. It is likely this will not be well received by the Trump administration. The PM is right though, to say it’s hypothetical and not worthy of a public endorsement.

    Strategic ambiguity

    Yet a further irony is that this is mostly a moot point.

    The key benefit of alliance collaboration is already in place – and that relates to the efforts to deter China from ever acting on its desire to change the status quo in the first place.

    As former PM and now ambassador to Washington, Kevin Rudd explained in his book, The Avoidable War, geo-political disaster is still avoidable, particularly if the US and China can find a way to coexist without betraying their core interests through managed strategic competition.

    This strategic ambiguity is meant to complicate a potential adversary’s military planners and political decision makers’ thought processes over the advantages and disadvantages of going to war.

    China already knows a clash over Taiwan would mean US allies like Japan and Australia would find it virtually impossible to avoid being entangled. The strategic ambiguity can be maintained ad infinitum, so long as an outright invasion is averted.

    And the likelihood of conflict over Taiwan? I remain sanguine that conflict can be avoided.

    But to do so would involve clear and compelling messaging: both through diplomatic channels and through the demonstration of robust military capabilities that war would be too costly.

    John Blaxland received funding (2015–2018) from the US DoD Minerva Research Initiative.

    – ref. Washington’s war demands – Australia risks being dragged into a conflict with China over Taiwan – https://theconversation.com/washingtons-war-demands-australia-risks-being-dragged-into-a-conflict-with-china-over-taiwan-261076

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Why Texas Hill Country, where a devastating flood killed more than 130 people, is one of the deadliest places in the US for flash flooding

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Hatim Sharif, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of Texas at San Antonio

    A Kerrville, Texas, resident watches the flooded Guadalupe River on July 4, 2025. Eric Vryn/Getty Images

    Texas Hill Country is known for its landscapes, where shallow rivers wind among hills and through rugged valleys. That geography also makes it one of the deadliest places in the U.S. for flash flooding.

    In the early hours of July 4, 2025, a flash flood swept through an area of Hill Country dotted with summer camps and small towns about 70 miles northwest of San Antonio. More than 130 people died in the flooding. The majority of them were in Kerr County, including more than two dozen girls and counselors at one summer camp, Camp Mystic. Dozens more people were still unaccounted for a week later.

    The flooding began with a heavy downpour, with more than 10 inches of rain in some areas, that sent water sheeting off the hillsides and into creeks. The creeks poured into the Guadalupe River.

    A river gauge at Hunt, Texas, near Camp Mystic, showed how quickly the river flooded: Around 3 a.m. on July 4, the Guadalupe River was rising about 1 foot every 5 minutes at the gauge, National Weather Service data shows. By 4:30 a.m., it had risen more than 20 feet. As the water moved downstream, it reached Kerrville, where the river rose even faster.

    Flood expert Hatim Sharif, a hydrologist and civil engineer at the University of Texas at San Antonio, explains what makes this part of the country, known as Flash Flood Alley, so dangerous.

    What makes Hill Country so prone to flooding?

    Texas as a whole leads the nation in flood deaths, and by a wide margin. A colleague and I analyzed data from 1959 to 2019 and found 1,069 people had died in flooding in Texas over those six decades. The next highest total was in Louisiana, with 693.

    Many of those flood deaths have been in Hill County. It’s part of an area known as Flash Flood Alley, a crescent of land that curves from near Dallas down to San Antonio and then westward.

    The hills are steep, and the water moves quickly when it floods. This is a semi-arid area with soils that don’t soak up much water, so the water sheets off quickly and the shallow creeks can rise fast.

    When those creeks converge on a river, they can create a surge of water that wipes out homes and washes away cars and, unfortunately, anyone in its path.

    Hill Country has seen some devastating flash floods. In 1987, heavy rain in western Kerr County quickly flooded the Guadalupe River, triggering a flash flood similar to the one in 2025. Ten teenagers being evacuated from a camp died in the rushing water.

    San Antonio, at the eastern edge of Hill Country, was hit with a flash flood on June 12, 2025, that killed 13 people whose cars were swept away by high water from a fast-flooding creek near an interstate ramp in the early morning.

    Why does the region get such strong downpours?

    One reason Hill Country gets powerful downpours is the Balcones Escarpment.

    The escarpment is a line of cliffs and steep hills created by a geologic fault. When warm air from the Gulf rushes up the escarpment, it condenses and can dump a lot of moisture. That water flows down the hills quickly, from many different directions, filling streams and rivers below.

    As temperature rise, the warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, increasing the downpour and flood risk.

    A tour of the Guadalupe River and its flood risk.

    The same effect can contribute to flash flooding in San Antonio, where the large amount of paved land and lack of updated drainage to control runoff adds to the risk.

    What can be done to improve flash flood safety?

    First, it’s important for people to understand why flash flooding happens and just how fast the water can rise and flow. In many arid areas, dry or shallow creeks can quickly fill up with fast-moving water and become deadly. So people should be aware of the risks and pay attention to the weather.

    Improving flood forecasting, with more detailed models of the physics and water velocity at different locations, can also help.

    Probabilistic forecasting, for example, can provide a range of rainfall scenarios, enabling authorities to prepare for worst-case scenarios. A scientific framework linking rainfall forecasts to the local impacts, such as streamflow, flood depth and water velocity, could also help decision-makers implement timely evacuations or road closures.

    Education is particularly essential for drivers. One to two feet of moving water can wash away a car. People may think their trucks and SUVs can go through anything, but fast-moving water can flip a truck and carry it away.

    Officials can also do more to barricade roads when the flood risk is high to prevent people from driving into harm’s way. We found that 58% of the flood deaths in Texas over the past six decades involved vehicles. The storm on June 12 in San Antonio was an example. It was early morning, and drivers had poor visibility. The cars were hit by fast-rising floodwater from an adjacent creek.

    This article, originally published July 5, 2025, has been updated with the death toll rising.

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

    – ref. Why Texas Hill Country, where a devastating flood killed more than 130 people, is one of the deadliest places in the US for flash flooding – https://theconversation.com/why-texas-hill-country-where-a-devastating-flood-killed-more-than-130-people-is-one-of-the-deadliest-places-in-the-us-for-flash-flooding-260555

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI China: Songshan Lake: A microcosm of China’s innovation ecosystem

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    A staff member operates robot to climb stairs at a robot base in Dongguan, south China’s Guangdong Province, June 23, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Songshan Lake, nestled in south China’s Guangdong Province, buzzes with youthful energy as tomorrow’s tech leaders weave through roads once scented by lychees.

    Just two decades ago, this thriving innovation hub was a quiet orchard. Today, it blossoms with ideas instead of fruit.

    Covering 103 square kilometers, this high-tech zone hosts over 17,000 market entities. Among them are seven national-level manufacturing champion enterprises and 770 national high-tech enterprises, each playing a part in the rise of new-generation industries technology — from connected vehicles and robotics to intelligent equipment manufacturing, biomedicine and the frontiers of new materials and energy.

    Fueling this rapid enterprise growth is Songshan Lake’s innovation ecosystem. It houses six universities and 18 provincial-level new R&D institutions. It is also home to several key scientific facilities, including China Spallation Neutron Source and the under-construction Advanced Attosecond Laser Infrastructure.

    The journey of ePropulsion, a company co-founded by Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) graduate Pan Zongliang and his three classmates, exemplifies this ecosystem.

    In 2012, spotting significant potential in marine new energy, they formed a startup team dedicated to marine electric propulsion R&D. By 2014, they had developed a prototype for their first electric outboard motor. However, turning that breakthrough into a market-ready product was not easy sailing — industrialization turned out to be a formidable voyage.

    Luckily, HKUST professor Li Zexiang founded the XbotPark robotics base within Songshan Lake also in 2014, and Li recommended and helped ePropulsion’s five-member team relocate their company to Songshan Lake.

    “As a marine new energy company, we needed a water area for product testing,” explained Pan, ePropulsion’s co-founder and COO. The Songshan Lake administrative committee provided the team a crucial asset: a dedicated water testing dock. “It was tremendous support,” Pan recalled.

    Beyond policy backing, Songshan Lake’s strategic location allows XbotPark companies to leverage the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area’s supply chain advantages.

    “Teams here often say, ‘If you can imagine it, you can build it’,” said director of the XbotPark robotics base. “Good ideas can typically find suppliers for implementation within half an hour.”

    Today, ePropulsion operates a manufacturing plant in Dongguan City, where Songshan Lake is located, with its products — ranging from 500W to 1000kW electric outboards, pod drives, inboard systems, and matching battery and control systems — sold globally.

    “Our main market is Europe and the United States, and our small and medium-sized electric outboards ranked first globally in shipments last year,” Pan noted. “Domestic market share is also rising with China’s expanding new energy vessel sector.”

    Their green propulsion systems now power boats in events like the SailGP and America’s Cup, as well as scenic waters across China, including Wuhan’s East Lake, Hangzhou’s West Lake, and Guilin’s Li River.

    According to XbotPark, it has incubated over 80 robotics and smart hardware startups, of which six are unicorns, boasting an over 80 percent survival rate. Its top companies have a cumulative valuation of 10 billion U.S. dollars.

    An intelligent underwater robot is tested at a provincial institute of intelligent robotics in Dongguan, south China’s Guangdong Province, June 24, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    Nearby at the Guangdong Intelligent Robotics Institute (GIRI), another industrial park at Songshan Lake, a bright yellow robot maneuvers in a testing pool, surfacing and diving with fish-like agility. This intelligent underwater inspection robot, developed by BlueDiveBot, performs comprehensive, blind-spot-free surveys.

    “Underwater robots can handle equipment maintenance, debris removal, water quality monitoring, and emergency response, overcoming human limitations and safety risks,” explained Hu Gangyi, general manager of BlueDiveBot.

    Incubated by the GIRI and founded in 2023, BlueDiveBot has established a collaborative innovation platform integrating industry, academia, research, and application for advanced underwater equipment. It has mastered a series of cutting-edge technologies in unmanned underwater intelligent systems, some being domestic firsts.

    “The well-developed industrial chain in Dongguan and surrounding areas accelerates our R&D commercialization,” Hu said. “We rapidly achieved production capacity and significant market sales growth.”

    Since its establishment in August 2015, GIRI has focused its R&D and commercialization efforts on core robotics components like high-power lasers, sensors, and machine vision, alongside core products including industrial robots, high-end intelligent equipment, unmanned autonomous systems, and industrial big data.

    GIRI vice president Zhou Xiaoxiao likens prototype technology to “an unripe green apple,” which needs refinement to turn into “a mature red apple” that can then serve a whole chain of products, such as apple jam and apple juice.

    Further empowering innovation, the Songshan Lake high-tech zone partnered with Huawei Cloud to build a developer village in April 2022. It addresses enterprise digitalization needs through deep integration and collaborative innovation among different developer organizations, fostering digital innovation and industrial upgrading. Currently, 29 companies have settled there.

    “The Songshan Lake high-tech zone has deployed frontier basic research,” concluded Wang Qianqian, deputy director of the Songshan Lake Science, Technology and Innovation Bureau. “Based on fundamental research results, we are forging a complete innovation chain from pioneering research to commercialization and industrial development.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: When disasters fall out of the public eye, survivors continue to suffer – a rehabilitation professional explains how sustained mental health support is critical to recovery

    Source: The Conversation – USA (3) – By Lee Ann Rawlins Williams, Clinical Assistant Professor of Education, Health and Behavior Studies, University of North Dakota

    In Kerrville, Texas, Leighton Sterling watches the rushing floodwaters along the Guadalupe River on July 4, 2025. Eric Vryn via Getty Images News

    The devastating losses from the historic flooding in Texas Hill Country on July 4, 2025, are still coming into grim focus, with 121 deaths confirmed and more than 100 still missing as of July 10.

    As emergency responders focus on clearing debris and searching for victims, a less visible and slower disaster has been unfolding: the need for ongoing mental health support long after headlines fade.

    This phase is no less critical than restoring power or rebuilding bridges. Disasters destabilize emotional well-being, leaving distress, prolonged recovery and long-term impacts in their wake long after the event is over.

    Without sustained emotional support, people and communities face heightened risks of prolonged trauma and stalled recovery.

    As an educator and practitioner focused on disability and rehabilitation, I explore the intersection of disaster recovery and the impact of disasters on mental health. Both my research and that of others underscore the vital importance of support systems that not only help people cope in the immediate aftermath of a disaster but also facilitate long-term healing over the months and years that follow – especially for vulnerable populations like children, older adults and people with disabilities.

    The emotional toll of disasters

    Natural disasters disrupt routines, displace families and challenge people’s sense of control and security. In the immediate aftermath, survivors often experience shock, grief, anxiety and sleep disturbances. Often these symptoms may evolve into chronic stress, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or a combination of these conditions.

    A 2022 study found that Texans who experienced two or more disasters within a five-year span had significantly poorer mental health, as reflected by lower scores on standardized psychological assessments, which highlights the cumulative toll repeated disasters can have on mental well-being.

    After Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans in 2005, nearly a third of survivors continued to experience poor mental health years later.

    And reports following Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017 revealed surging rates of anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts, especially in areas where services remained unavailable for extended periods of time.

    There are actionable ways to make a difference in the recovery process.

    Strained recovery systems

    Disaster response understandably focuses on immediate needs like rescue operations, providing post-disaster housing and repairing damaged infrastructure. In addition, short-term mental health supports such as mobile health clinics are often provided in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.

    However, although emergency services are deployed quickly after a disaster, long-term mental health support is often delayed or under-resourced, leaving many people without continued care during the recovery period, especially in remote or rural communities, exposing deep structural gaps in how recovery systems are designed.

    One year after Hurricane Harvey devastated parts of Texas in 2017, more than 90% of Gulf Coast residents reported ongoing stress related to housing instability, financial hardship or displacement. Yet less than 10% of people stated that they or someone in their household had used mental health services following the disaster.

    Hurricane Helene in 2024 similarly tested the resilience of rural mental health networks in western North Carolina. The storm damaged roads and bridges, schools and even local clinics.

    This prompted a news organization, North Carolina Health News, to warn of rising “trauma, stress and isolation” among residents as providers scrambled to offer free counseling despite legal barriers stemming from licensing requirements to provide counseling across state borders. State health officials activated community crisis centers and helplines, while mobile mental health teams were dispatched from Tennessee to help those impacted by the disaster. However, state representatives stressed that without long-term investment, these critical supports risk being one-off responses.

    These events serve as a powerful reminder that while roads and buildings can often be restored quickly, emotional recovery is a slower, more complex process. Truly rebuilding requires treating mental health with the same urgency as physical infrastructure. This requires investing in strong mental health recovery systems, supporting local clinics, sustaining provider networks and integrating emotional care into recovery plans from the start.

    In Hunt, Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott speaks to volunteers and community members during a news conference on July 8, 2025.
    Brandon Bell via Getty Images News

    Finding mental health support following a disaster

    Lessons learned from previous disasters and an abundance of research show how sustained mental health supports can help people recover and build resilience.

    These six lessons are particularly helpful for finding needed mental health support following a disaster:

    • If you’re feeling overwhelmed after a disaster, you’re not alone, and help is available. Free and confidential support is offered through resources like the Disaster Distress Helpline (1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746), which connects you to trained counselors 24/7.

    • Many communities offer local mental health crisis lines or walk-in centers that remain active well after the disaster passes. Check your county or state health department’s website for updated listings and information.

    • Even if physical offices are closed, many clinics now offer virtual counseling or can connect you with therapists and medication refills remotely. If you’ve seen someone before, ask if they’re still available by phone or video.

    • After major disasters, states often deploy mobile health clinics that include mental health services to shelters, churches or schools. These temporary services are free and open to the public.

    • If someone you care about is struggling, help them connect with resources in the community. Share hotline numbers, offer to help make an appointment or just let them know it’s OK to ask for support. Many people don’t realize that help is available, or they think it’s only for more “serious” problems. It’s not.

    • Mental health support doesn’t always arrive right away. Keep an eye on local news, school updates or health department alerts for new services that may become available in the weeks or months after a disaster.

    Disasters don’t just damage buildings; they disrupt lives in lasting ways.

    While emotional recovery takes time, support is available. Staying informed and sharing resources with others can help ensure that the road to recovery isn’t traveled alone.

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

    – ref. When disasters fall out of the public eye, survivors continue to suffer – a rehabilitation professional explains how sustained mental health support is critical to recovery – https://theconversation.com/when-disasters-fall-out-of-the-public-eye-survivors-continue-to-suffer-a-rehabilitation-professional-explains-how-sustained-mental-health-support-is-critical-to-recovery-260781

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: When disasters fall out of the public eye, survivors continue to suffer – a rehabilitation professional explains how sustained mental health support is critical to recovery

    Source: The Conversation – USA (3) – By Lee Ann Rawlins Williams, Clinical Assistant Professor of Education, Health and Behavior Studies, University of North Dakota

    In Kerrville, Texas, Leighton Sterling watches the rushing floodwaters along the Guadalupe River on July 4, 2025. Eric Vryn via Getty Images News

    The devastating losses from the historic flooding in Texas Hill Country on July 4, 2025, are still coming into grim focus, with 121 deaths confirmed and more than 100 still missing as of July 10.

    As emergency responders focus on clearing debris and searching for victims, a less visible and slower disaster has been unfolding: the need for ongoing mental health support long after headlines fade.

    This phase is no less critical than restoring power or rebuilding bridges. Disasters destabilize emotional well-being, leaving distress, prolonged recovery and long-term impacts in their wake long after the event is over.

    Without sustained emotional support, people and communities face heightened risks of prolonged trauma and stalled recovery.

    As an educator and practitioner focused on disability and rehabilitation, I explore the intersection of disaster recovery and the impact of disasters on mental health. Both my research and that of others underscore the vital importance of support systems that not only help people cope in the immediate aftermath of a disaster but also facilitate long-term healing over the months and years that follow – especially for vulnerable populations like children, older adults and people with disabilities.

    The emotional toll of disasters

    Natural disasters disrupt routines, displace families and challenge people’s sense of control and security. In the immediate aftermath, survivors often experience shock, grief, anxiety and sleep disturbances. Often these symptoms may evolve into chronic stress, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or a combination of these conditions.

    A 2022 study found that Texans who experienced two or more disasters within a five-year span had significantly poorer mental health, as reflected by lower scores on standardized psychological assessments, which highlights the cumulative toll repeated disasters can have on mental well-being.

    After Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans in 2005, nearly a third of survivors continued to experience poor mental health years later.

    And reports following Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017 revealed surging rates of anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts, especially in areas where services remained unavailable for extended periods of time.

    There are actionable ways to make a difference in the recovery process.

    Strained recovery systems

    Disaster response understandably focuses on immediate needs like rescue operations, providing post-disaster housing and repairing damaged infrastructure. In addition, short-term mental health supports such as mobile health clinics are often provided in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.

    However, although emergency services are deployed quickly after a disaster, long-term mental health support is often delayed or under-resourced, leaving many people without continued care during the recovery period, especially in remote or rural communities, exposing deep structural gaps in how recovery systems are designed.

    One year after Hurricane Harvey devastated parts of Texas in 2017, more than 90% of Gulf Coast residents reported ongoing stress related to housing instability, financial hardship or displacement. Yet less than 10% of people stated that they or someone in their household had used mental health services following the disaster.

    Hurricane Helene in 2024 similarly tested the resilience of rural mental health networks in western North Carolina. The storm damaged roads and bridges, schools and even local clinics.

    This prompted a news organization, North Carolina Health News, to warn of rising “trauma, stress and isolation” among residents as providers scrambled to offer free counseling despite legal barriers stemming from licensing requirements to provide counseling across state borders. State health officials activated community crisis centers and helplines, while mobile mental health teams were dispatched from Tennessee to help those impacted by the disaster. However, state representatives stressed that without long-term investment, these critical supports risk being one-off responses.

    These events serve as a powerful reminder that while roads and buildings can often be restored quickly, emotional recovery is a slower, more complex process. Truly rebuilding requires treating mental health with the same urgency as physical infrastructure. This requires investing in strong mental health recovery systems, supporting local clinics, sustaining provider networks and integrating emotional care into recovery plans from the start.

    In Hunt, Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott speaks to volunteers and community members during a news conference on July 8, 2025.
    Brandon Bell via Getty Images News

    Finding mental health support following a disaster

    Lessons learned from previous disasters and an abundance of research show how sustained mental health supports can help people recover and build resilience.

    These six lessons are particularly helpful for finding needed mental health support following a disaster:

    • If you’re feeling overwhelmed after a disaster, you’re not alone, and help is available. Free and confidential support is offered through resources like the Disaster Distress Helpline (1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746), which connects you to trained counselors 24/7.

    • Many communities offer local mental health crisis lines or walk-in centers that remain active well after the disaster passes. Check your county or state health department’s website for updated listings and information.

    • Even if physical offices are closed, many clinics now offer virtual counseling or can connect you with therapists and medication refills remotely. If you’ve seen someone before, ask if they’re still available by phone or video.

    • After major disasters, states often deploy mobile health clinics that include mental health services to shelters, churches or schools. These temporary services are free and open to the public.

    • If someone you care about is struggling, help them connect with resources in the community. Share hotline numbers, offer to help make an appointment or just let them know it’s OK to ask for support. Many people don’t realize that help is available, or they think it’s only for more “serious” problems. It’s not.

    • Mental health support doesn’t always arrive right away. Keep an eye on local news, school updates or health department alerts for new services that may become available in the weeks or months after a disaster.

    Disasters don’t just damage buildings; they disrupt lives in lasting ways.

    While emotional recovery takes time, support is available. Staying informed and sharing resources with others can help ensure that the road to recovery isn’t traveled alone.

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

    – ref. When disasters fall out of the public eye, survivors continue to suffer – a rehabilitation professional explains how sustained mental health support is critical to recovery – https://theconversation.com/when-disasters-fall-out-of-the-public-eye-survivors-continue-to-suffer-a-rehabilitation-professional-explains-how-sustained-mental-health-support-is-critical-to-recovery-260781

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI China: Telescope in world’s roof starts hunt for Big Bang’s oldest ripples

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    High on a ridge 5,250 meters above sea level in southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, a new eye onto the infant universe has blinked open.

    Scientists at the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced Sunday that their AliCPT-1 telescope has captured its first crisp images of the moon and Jupiter at 150 GHz, a milestone that marks the formal opening of China’s first hunt for primordial gravitational waves.

    The ripples — faint whispers from the dawn of time — may hold the key to explaining how the universe began.

    Imagine the universe as a newborn; the primordial gravitational waves would be its very first cry. Born from quantum fluctuations in spacetime during the epoch of cosmic inflation, these elusive signals are the most pristine ripples ever etched into the fabric of the cosmos.

    Primordial gravitational-wave detection is believed to be a critical test of cosmic origin, probing inflation and quantum gravity.

    “If we successfully detect primordial gravitational waves, we will glimpse the universe in its very first instant,” said Zhang Xinmin, a researcher at the IHEP.

    “At the same time, it can drive breakthroughs in cutting-edge technologies like cryogenic superconducting detectors and low-temperature readout electronics, thus propelling cosmology into an era of unprecedented precision,” Zhang added.

    Led by the IHEP, the telescope was built in eight years by a 16-member global consortium including China’s National Astronomical Observatories and Stanford University.

    Placed on the roof of the world, the telescope is designed to escape atmospheric water vapor that would drown the whisper of primordial gravitational waves.

    Only four sites on Earth are known to be viable for such observations: Antarctica, Chile’s Atacama Desert, the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and Greenland, said Liu Congzhan, a project manager of the telescope experiment.

    The moon and Jupiter experiment is just the beginning, said Li Hong, also a researcher at IHEP. “As the Northern Hemisphere’s first high-altitude primordial gravitational-wave observatory, the telescope fills a gap for China and, together with devices in Antarctica and Chile, completes a global, complementary network.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Tackling a $1.2 billion problem for Australian farmers using dirt-cheap crushed volcanic rock

    Source:

    14 July 2025

    UniSA researcher Dr Binoy Sarkar and a student spreading basalt onto crops.

    Cheap volcanic rock that languishes in open cut mines and quarries could transform Australia’s farming sector as a natural fertiliser, boosting crop yields and removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

    It turns out that crushed basalt – a common rock used to make roads, houses, schools and hospitals – may address two very critical issues of our time: climate change and acidic soils.

    University of South Australia (UniSA) environmental researcher Dr Binoy Sarkar is leading an Enhanced Rock Weathering trial that involves applying crushed basalt to agricultural soils, measuring its nutrient release and carbon capture.

    Dr Sarkar, from UniSA’s Future Industries Institute,  is collaborating with James Cook University, the Tropical North Queensland Drought Hub, and industry partner Carbonaught Pty Ltd on two projects, funded by the Federal Government and Cascade Climate.

    “Australian farmers spend nearly $1.2 billion a year to tackle soil acidification, using expensive liming materials that in themselves contribute to greenhouse gas emissions,” Dr Sarkar says.

    “Large volumes of adequately fine rock particles – a byproduct of the mining and construction industry – can be bought for as little as $30 per ton and applied to soils using existing farm equipment, with negligible expense.

    “Basalt does not completely replace chemical fertilisers, but it can cut fertiliser amounts needed to grow crops, saving farmers a lot of money and substantially improving their profit margins.”

    A truck spreading basalt – crushed rock from quarries – onto crops.

    Farming with basalt solves two critical challenges facing Australian agriculture: improving infertile soils and simultaneously removing greenhouse gas emissions from farming practices that include nitrogen fertilisers, deforestation and land clearing.

    “As a country, we have committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Almost 18% of our emissions are produced by the agricultural sector, primarily from crop production and emissions from livestock,” Dr Sarkar says.

    “Lime is commonly used for correcting soil acidity, but it is expensive and contributes heavily to on-farm carbon dioxide emissions. Basalt naturally reduces acidity, captures carbon, and it also releases nutrients such as phosphorus, calcium, magnesium and silicon into the soil.”   

    Dr Sarkar says the research will not only benefit Australia’s agricultural sector, but also the mining sector, where basalt is a byproduct that has to be dug and moved aside before reaching valuable minerals located at depth.

    This byproduct is already crushed to make road building and construction materials, but finer fractions are stockpiled, often taking up large amounts of space with negligible commercial use.

    Society at large is also a winner, thanks to basalt scrubbing gigatons of carbon dioxide from the air.

    Dr Sarkar’s collaborative team is the first in Australia to receive significant R&D federal funding ($5 million) to trial the low-cost carbon cutting technology nationally.

    “I hope we can see a lot more trials in the next few years, to build confidence and propel a large-scale adoption of this rock weathering technology.

    “It will also provide opportunities for farmers and quarry owners to sell carbon credits and earn additional profits. Our farmers will be able to take advantage of this huge market when we have a strong monitoring, reporting and verification program for the technology.”

    A video accompanying this media release is available at: https://youtu.be/rivrFCol0g0

    Contact for interview: Dr Binoy Sarkar M: +61 433 801 054 E: binoy.sarkar@unisa.edu.au

    Media contact: Megan Andrews M: +61 434 819 275 E: megan.andrews@unisa.edu.au

    Other articles you may be interested in

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Music is at the forefront of AI disruption, but NZ artists still have few protections

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dave Carter, Associate Professor, School of Music and Screen Arts, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University

    Getty Images

    Was the recent Velvet Sundown phenomenon a great music and media hoax, a sign of things to come, or just another example of what’s already happening ?

    In case you missed it, the breakout act was streamed hundreds of thousands of times before claims emerged the band and their music were products of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI).

    Despite the “band” insisting they were real, an “associate” later admitted it was indeed an “art hoax” marketing stunt. Much of the subsequent commentary was concerned with fairness – particularly that a “fake” band was succeeding at the expense of “real” artists.

    But Velvet Sundown is only the most recent example in a long history of computer generated and assisted music creation – going back to the 1950s when a chemistry professor named Lejaren Hiller debuted a musical composition written by a computer.

    By the 1980s, David Cope’s Experiments in Musical Intelligence created music so close to the style of Chopin and Bach it fooled classically trained musicians.

    Artist and composer Holly Herndon was highlighting a need for the ethical use and licensing of voice models and deepfakes several years before Grimes invited others to use AI-generated versions of her voice to make new music, and “Deepfake Drake” alarmed the major record labels.

    At the same time, music companies, including Warner, Capitol and rapper-producer Timbaland, have since inked record contracts for AI-generated work.

    GenAI-powered tools, such as those offered by Izotope, LANDR and Apple, have become commonplace in mixing and mastering since the late 2000s. Machine learning technology also underpins streaming recommendations.

    Creativity and copyright

    Despite this relatively long history of technology’s impact on music, it still tends to be framed as a future challenge. The New Zealand government’s Strategy for Artificial Intelligence, released this month, suggests we’re at a “pivotal moment” as the AI-powered future approaches.

    In June, a draft insight briefing from Manata Taonga/Ministry for Culture & Heritage explored “how digital technologies may transform the ways New Zealanders create, share and protect stories in 2040 and beyond”.

    It joins other recent publications by the Australasian Performing Rights Association and New Zealand’s Artificial Intelligence Researchers Association, which grapple with the future impacts of AI technologies.

    One of the main issues is the use of copyright material to train AI systems. Last year, two AI startups, including the one used by Velvet Sundown, were sued by Sony, Universal and Warner for using unlicensed recordings as part of their training data.

    It’s possible the models have been trained on recordings by local musicians without their permission, too. But without any requirement for tech firms to disclose their training data it can’t be confirmed.

    Even if we did know, the copyright implications for works created by AI in Aotearoa New Zealand aren’t clear. And it’s not possible for musicians to opt out in any meaningful way.

    This goes against the data governance model designed by Te Mana Raraunga/Māori Sovereignty Network. Māori writer members of music rights administrator APRA AMCOS have also raised concerns about potential cultural appropriation and misuse due to GenAI.

    Recent research suggesting GenAI work displaces human output in creative industries is particularly worrying for local musicians who already struggle for visibility. But it’s not an isolated phenomenon.

    In Australia, GenAI has reportedly been used to impersonate successful, emerging and dead artists. And French streaming service Deezer claims up to 20,000 tracks created by GenAI were being uploaded to its service daily.

    Regulation in the real world

    There has been increased scrutiny of streaming fraud, including a world-first criminal case brought last year against a musician who used bots to generate millions of streams for tracks created with GenAI.

    But on social media, musicians now compete for attention with a flood of “AI slop”, with no real prospect of platforms doing anything about it.

    More troublingly, New Zealand law has been described as “woefully inadequate” at combating deepfakes and non-consensual intimate imagery that can damage artists’ brands and livelihoods.

    The government’s AI strategy prioritises adoption, innovation and a light-touch approach over these creative and cultural implications. But there is growing consensus internationally that regulatory intervention is warranted.

    The European Union has enacted legislation requiring AI services to be transparent about what they have trained their models on, an important first step towards an AI licensing regime for recorded and musical works.

    An Australian senate committee has recommended whole-of-economy AI guardrails, including transparency requirements in line with the EU. Denmark has gone even further, with plans to give every citizen copyright of their own facial features, voice and body, including specific protections for performing artists.

    It’s nearly ten years since the music business was described as the “canary in a coalmine” for other industries and a bellwether of broader cultural and economic shifts. How we address the current challenges presented by AI in music will have far-reaching implications.

    Dave Carter is a writer member of APRA AMCOS. He has received funding and contributed to projects funded by Manatū Taongao Ministry for Culture and Heritage, NZ on Air and APRA AMCOS.

    Jesse Austin-Stewart has completed commissioned research for NZ On Air and participated in focus groups for Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage. He has received competitive funding from Creative New Zealand, NZ On Air, Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture & Hertiage, and the NZ Music Commission. He is a writer member of APRA AMCOS and a member of the Composer’s Association of New Zealand and Recorded Music NZ

    Oli Wilson has previously completed research in partnership with or commissioned by APRA AMCOS, Toi Mai Workforce Development Council, Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture & Heritage and the NZ Music Commission. He has also received funding, or contributed to projects that have benefited from funding from NZ on Air, the NZ Music Commission and Recorded Music New Zealand. He has provided services to The Chills, owns shares in TripTunz Limited, and is a writer member of APRA AMCOS.

    – ref. Music is at the forefront of AI disruption, but NZ artists still have few protections – https://theconversation.com/music-is-at-the-forefront-of-ai-disruption-but-nz-artists-still-have-few-protections-260299

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Weekly injection could be life changing for Parkinson’s patients

    Source:

    14 July 2025

    UniSA PhD candidate Deepa Nakmode and Professor Sanjay Garg in the lab.

    A new weekly injectable drug could transform the lives of more than eight million people living with Parkinson’s disease, potentially replacing the need for multiple daily tablets.

    Scientists from the University of South Australia (UniSA) have developed a long-acting injectable formulation that delivers a steady dose of levodopa and carbidopa – two key medications for Parkinson’s – over an entire week.

    Their findings have been reported in the journal Drug Delivery and Translational Research.

    The biodegradable formulation is injected under the skin or into muscle tissue, where it gradually releases the medication over seven days.

    Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurological disorder, affecting more than 8.5 million people worldwide. Currently there is no cure and the symptoms – tremors, rigidity and slow movement – are managed with oral medications that must be taken several times a day.

    The frequent dosing is a burden, especially for elderly patients or those with swallowing difficulties, leading to inconsistent medication levels, more side effects, and reduced effectiveness.

    Lead researcher Professor Sanjay Garg, from UniSA’s Centre for Pharmaceutical Innovation, says the newly developed injectable could significantly improve treatment outcomes and patient adherence.

    “Our goal was to create a formulation that simplifies treatment, improves patient compliance, and maintains consistent therapeutic levels of medication. This weekly injection could be a game-changer for Parkinson’s care,” Prof Garg says.

    “Levodopa is the gold-standard therapy for Parkinson’s, but its short life span means it must be taken several times a day.”

    UniSA PhD student Deepa Nakmode says the in-situ implant is designed to release both levodopa and carbidopa steadily over one week, maintaining consistent plasma levels and reducing the risks associated with fluctuating drug concentrations.

    “After years of focused research, it’s incredibly rewarding to see our innovation in long-acting injectables for Parkinson’s disease reach this stage. Our invention has now been filed for an Australian patent,” Nakmode says.

    The injectable gel combines an FDA-approved biodegradable polymer PLGA with Eudragit L-100, a pH-sensitive polymer, to achieve a controlled and sustained drug release.

    Extensive lab tests confirmed the system’s effectiveness and safety:

    • More than 90% of the levodopa dose and more than 81% of the carbidopa dose was released over seven days.
    • The implant degraded by over 80% within a week and showed no significant toxicity in cell viability tests.
    • The formulation can be easily administered through a fine 22-gauge needle, minimising discomfort and eliminating the need for surgical implant.

    “The implications of this research are profound,” Prof Garg says. “By reducing the frequency of dosing from multiple times a day to a weekly injection is a major step forward in Parkinson’s therapy. We’re not just improving how the drug is delivered; we’re improving patients’ lives.”

    Prof Garg says the technology could also be adapted for other chronic conditions such as cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders, pain management, and chronic infections that require long-term drug delivery.in

    The system can be tuned to release drugs over a period ranging from a few days to several weeks depending on therapeutic needs.

    UniSA scientists hope to start clinical trials in the near future and are exploring commercialisation opportunities.

    The study, titled “Development of an in-situ forming implant system for levodopa and carbidopa for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease,” is authored by Professor Sanjay Garg,  Deepa Nakmode, Dr Sadik Abdella and Dr Yunmei Song. DOI: 10.1007/s13346-025-01892-y

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

    Contact for interview: Professor Sanjay Garg E: sanjay.garg@unisa.edu.au

    Media contact: Candy Gibson M: +61 434 605 142  E: candy.gibson@unisa.edu.au

    Other articles you may be interested in

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Can’t work out without music? Neither could the ancient Greeks and Romans

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Konstantine Panegyres, Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History, The University of Western Australia

    Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

    These days when you see people exercising, they’re usually also listening to music, whether they’re at the gym, or out jogging on the street.

    It makes sense, as studies have shown listening to music can help you get the most out of a workout.

    Somehow the ancient Greeks and Romans knew this too, long before modern science was there to back it.

    A more than 2,000-year-old habit

    In his oration To the People of Alexandria, the Greek writer Dio Chrysostom (40-110 CE) complained about a phenomenon he saw all the time.

    Dio wrote people loved to listen to music in their daily activities. According to him, music could be found in the courtroom, in the lecture theatre, in the doctor’s room, and even in the gym.

    “Everything is done to music […] people will presently go so far as to use song to accompany their exercise in the gymnasium,” Dio wrote.

    But exercising to music wasn’t a new thing in his day. This practice has been recorded across the ancient Greek and Roman worlds from the earliest times, and as far back as the poems of Homer (circa 800 BCE).

    Why exercise to music?

    There are many depictions of professional athletes training, or competing, to the accompaniment of music in ancient Greek vase paintings.

    In one vase painting from the 5th century BCE, a group of athletes trains while a musician plays the aulos, a type of ancient pipe instrument.

    Young men exercising to the sound of an aulos player (an ancient wind instrument).
    Wikimedia

    The ancient writer Plutarch of Chaeronea (46-119 CE) tells us music was also played while people wrestled or did athletics.

    Athenian writer Flavius Philostratus (circa 170-245 CE) offers clues as to why. In a book about gymnastics, Philostratus wrote music served to stimulate athletes, and that their performance might be improved through listening to music.

    Today’s researchers have proven this to be true. One 2020 study involving 3,599 participants showed listening to music during exercise had many benefits, such as reducing the perception of fatigue and exertion, and improving physical performance and breathing.

    Singing and trumpets

    Since ancient people didn’t have electronic devices, they found other ways to exercise to music. Some had music played by a musician during their exercise routine. Others sang while they exercised.

    Singing while playing ball games was particularly popular. In Homer’s Odyssey (circa 8th century BCE), Nausicaa, the daughter of the King of Phaeacia, plays a ball game with her girl friends, and they all sing songs as they play.

    Similarly, the historian Carystius of Pergamum (2nd century BCE) wrote the women of his time “sang as they played ball”.

    Another popular activity was dancing to music. Dancing was widely regarded as a gymnastic exercise people could do for better health.

    One famous advocate of the benefits of dancing as exercise was the great Athenian philosopher Socrates (circa 470-399 BCE). According to the historian Diogenes Laertius (3rd century CE), “it was Socrates’ regular habit to dance, thinking that such exercise helped to keep the body in good condition”.

    Exercising to music was depicted in several ancient Greek vase painting.
    Wikimedia, CC BY-NC-SA

    Apart from individuals using music in their personal exercise, soldiers also did training exercises, and marched to battle, to the sound of trumpets.

    Don’t skip leg day

    There was a belief in ancient Greek and Roman that music and exercise played an important role in shaping and developing the body and soul.

    The ideal was harmony and moderation. The body and soul needed to be balanced and proportionate in all their parts, without any excess. As such, doing one kind of exercise too often, or exercising one body part excessively, was frowned upon.

    The physician Galen of Pergamum (129-216 CE) criticised types of exercise that focused too much on one part of the body. He preferred ball games as they exercised the whole body evenly.

    Immoderation in music – that is, listening to too much, or listening to music that was too emotional – was also sometimes frowned upon.

    For example, the Athenian philosopher Plato (circa 428-348 BCE) famously argued most music should be censored as it can stir the passions too strongly. Plato thought only simple and unemotional music, listened to in moderation, should be allowed.

    If the ancients could see today’s people running along the pavement with music thumping in their ears, they would surely be amazed. And they’d probably approve – as long as it wasn’t being done in excess.

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

    – ref. Can’t work out without music? Neither could the ancient Greeks and Romans – https://theconversation.com/cant-work-out-without-music-neither-could-the-ancient-greeks-and-romans-258069

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Soaring house prices may be locking people into marriages, new research shows

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Whelan, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Sydney

    GAS-photo/Shutterstock

    House prices continued to rise across Australia in June, recent data shows. Nationally, prices have risen about 38% in the past five years.

    Higher housing prices are simply one contributor, albeit a very important one, to the cost of living crisis that Australian households face. Energy prices are another.

    Those higher costs of living and the financial stress associated with them are linked to a range of negative outcomes for households, including poor health and wellbeing, greater housing insecurity, and some families having to go without some essential items.

    One consequence of house prices that has largely been ignored is their relationship to marriage and divorce.

    Divorce rates are at historic lows

    The rate of divorce in Australia is at the lowest level since the introduction of no-fault divorce in 1976.

    The 1990s recession was also a period of significant financial hardship for households, and divorces rose over that time. Why isn’t this happening now?

    Couples may prefer to divorce but can’t for financial reasons.

    Why? Put simply, divorce is a decision that brings with it significant costs. The financial implications of divorce could mean couples stay together longer than they’d like to.

    Why do people choose to marry or separate?

    To understand patterns of divorce, a good place to start is to think about why couples choose to marry, or separate, in the first place.

    Economists argue that individuals marry if the expected benefits from marriage exceed the benefits from remaining single.

    As new information arises or unexpected outcomes occur, individuals may reassess their beliefs about the expected benefits from being married versus being single.

    In turn, we might expect that separation occurs if either partner believes they will be better off outside the marriage than within it, taking into account all costs and constraints.

    How housing prices can affect the likelihood of divorce

    Research shows that housing prices are closely linked to a range of household behaviours and outcomes, including consumer spending, labour supply and fertility intentions.

    Rising housing prices might encourage couples to remain married (or not separate) due to the higher housing costs they would face if they separated.

    It is generally cheaper to run a single household where many resources are shared rather than two separate households. This may be thought of as a cost that accompanies higher house prices.

    The high cost of housing can affect couples’ decisions to separate.
    Elias Bitar/Shutterstock

    Of course, higher house prices also offer some benefit in the event of separation. For homeowners, the asset held by the couple is more valuable and the wealth each partner may be entitled to is greater. This benefit from separation might encourage couples to separate and divorce.

    Our research, presented at the Australian Conference of Economists last week and not yet peer reviewed, addresses this issue. We looked at whether unanticipated changes in the growth of housing prices are related to the likelihood of divorce.

    It is important to focus on unanticipated changes in housing prices. Unanticipated changes, or “shocks”, will lead individuals to reassess their decision to stay married, or separate and divorce.

    Which factors explain divorce in Australia?

    Our research sought to understand the key factors associated with divorce in Australia using the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey.

    Not unexpectedly we found couples who share similar traits such as the same religion, education level or place of birth are more likely to remain married. A longer time being married is also linked to couples being less likely to separate. In contrast, partners whose parents had divorced are more likely to separate.

    Importantly, the inclusion of housing price shocks into our analysis indicates they have a significant effect on the likelihood of divorce. But the effect differs depending on whether the housing price shock is positive or negative.

    For homeowners, lower-than-anticipated housing price growth significantly increases the likelihood of separation. In this case the cost of lower house prices is more important than the benefit of lower house prices. When house prices don’t grow as quickly as anticipated, couples can separate knowing they will not face as large a penalty running separate households.

    So what lesson may be drawn from this research and why is a link between housing prices and divorce important?

    Our findings indicate higher-than-expected house price growth may be keeping some people in marriages they’d otherwise leave, but don’t, for financial concerns. This is more likely to include women with low education levels, low-income households and older couples.

    In some instances, this will have negative consequences. Often those harmful consequences are disproportionately experienced by women and policy settings have a role to play in reducing those effects.

    One only needs to look at initiatives such as the Leaving Violence Program. By providing financial support to assist people leaving potentially dangerous relationships, it will alleviate barriers associated with high housing costs that come after separation.

    Stephen Whelan receives funding from the Australian Research Council as part of DP230101054. Funding is also received from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute for project 24/PRO/73346.

    Luke Hartigan receives funding from the Australian Research Council as part of DP230100959.

    – ref. Soaring house prices may be locking people into marriages, new research shows – https://theconversation.com/soaring-house-prices-may-be-locking-people-into-marriages-new-research-shows-260086

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Even a day off alcohol makes a difference – our timeline maps the health benefits when you stop drinking

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicole Lee, Adjunct Professor at the National Drug Research Institute (Melbourne based), Curtin University

    d3sign/Getty

    Alcohol has many negative effects on our health, some of which may surprise you. These include short-term impacts such as waking up with a pounding head or anxiety, to long-term effects including cancer.

    If you are thinking about taking some time off alcohol, you’ll find many quick wins and long-term gains for your health.

    How long will you have to wait to feel the benefits?

    We’ve made a timeline – based on scientific research – that shows what you might feel in the first days, weeks, months and years after taking a break from alcohol.

    Some benefits start immediately, so every day without alcohol is a win for your health.

    After one day

    Alcohol takes around 24 hours to completely leave your body, so you may start noticing improvements after just one day.

    Alcohol makes you need to urinate more often, causing dehydration. But your body can absorb a glass of water almost immediately, so once alcohol is out of your system alcohol dehydration is reduced, improving digestion, brain function and energy levels.

    Alcohol also reduces the liver’s ability to regulate blood sugar. Once alcohol leaves the system, blood sugar begins to normalise.

    If you are a daily drinker you may feel a bit worse to start with while your body adjusts to not having alcohol in its system all the time. You may initially notice disrupted sleep, mood changes, sweating or tremors. Most symptoms usually resolve in about a week without alcohol.

    After one week

    Even though alcohol can make you feel sleepy at first, it disrupts your sleep cycle. By the end of an alcohol-free week, you may notice you are more energetic in the mornings as a result of getting better quality sleep.

    As the body’s filter, the liver does much of the heavy lifting in processing alcohol and can be easily damaged even with moderate drinking.

    The liver is important for cleaning blood, processing nutrients and producing bile that helps with digestion.

    But it can also regenerate quickly. If you have only mild damage in the liver, seven days may be enough to reduce liver fat and heal mild scarring and tissue damage.

    Even small amounts of alcohol can impair brain functioning. So quitting can help improve brain health within a few days in light to moderate drinkers and within a month even for very heavy dependent drinkers.

    Alcohol damages your liver, but it’s very good at regenerating and healing itself.
    skynesher/Getty

    After one month

    Alcohol can make managing mood harder and worsen symptoms of anxiety and depression. After a few weeks, most people start to feel better. Even very heavy drinkers report better mood after one to two months.

    As your sleep and mood improve you may also notice more energy and greater wellbeing.

    After a month of abstinence regular drinkers also report feeling more confident about making changes to how they drink.

    You may lose weight and body fat. Alcohol contains a lot of kilojules and can trigger hunger reward systems, making us overeat or choose less healthy foods when drinking.

    Even your skin will thank you. Alcohol can make you look older through dehydration and inflammation, which can be reversed when you quit.

    Alcohol irritates the gut and disrupts normal stomach functioning, causing bloating, indigestion, heartburn and diarrhoea. These symptoms usually start to resolve within four weeks.

    One month of abstinence, insulin resistance – which can lead to high blood sugar – significantly reduces by 25%. Blood pressure also reduces (by 6%) and cancer-related growth factors declines, lowering your risk of cancer.

    After six months

    The liver starts to repair within weeks. For moderate drinkers, damage to your liver could be fully reversed by six months.

    At this point, even heavy drinkers may notice they’re better at fighting infections and feel healthier overall.

    Just a month without alcohol can you make more confident about sticking to changes.
    Yue_/Getty

    After one year or more

    Alcohol contributes to or causes a large number of chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and seven different types of cancer, as well as mental health issues. All of these risks can be reduced by quitting or cutting back on alcohol.

    Alcohol increases blood pressure. High blood pressure (hypertension) is the top risk factor for death in the world. A small 2mmHg increase in blood pressure above the normal range (120mmHG) increases death from stroke by 10% and from coronary artery disease by 7%.

    Cutting back on alcohol to less than two drinks a day can reduce blood pressure significantly, reducing risk of stroke and heart disease. Reducing blood pressure also reduces risk of kidney disease, eye problems and even erectile dysfunction.

    With sustained abstinence, your risk of getting any type of cancer drops. One study looked at cancer risk for more than 4 million adults over three to seven years and found the risk of alcohol-related cancer dropped by 4%, even for light drinkers who quit. Reducing from heavy to moderate drinking reduced alcohol-related cancer risk by 9%.

    Making a change

    Any reduction in drinking will have some noticeable and immediate benefits to your brain and general health. The less you drink and the longer you go between drinks, the healthier you will be.

    Whether you aim to cut back or quit entirely, there are some simple things you can do to help you stick with it:

    If you are still wondering about whether to make changes or not you can check your drinking risk here.

    If you have tried to cut back and found it difficult you may need professional help. Call the National Alcohol and other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015 and they will put you in touch with services in your area that can help. You can also talk to your GP.

    We would like to thank Dr Hannah MacRae for assistance in identifying the research used in this article.

    Nicole Lee works as a paid evaluation and training consultant in alcohol and other drugs. She has previously been awarded grants by state and federal governments, NHMRC and other public funding bodies for alcohol and other drug research. She is CEO of Hello Sunday Morning.

    Dr Katinka van de Ven is the Research Manager of Hello Sunday Morning. She also works as a paid evaluation and training consultant in alcohol and other drugs. Katinka has previously been awarded grants by state governments and public funding bodies for alcohol and other drug research.

    – ref. Even a day off alcohol makes a difference – our timeline maps the health benefits when you stop drinking – https://theconversation.com/even-a-day-off-alcohol-makes-a-difference-our-timeline-maps-the-health-benefits-when-you-stop-drinking-249272

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘You become a target’: research shows why many people who experience racism don’t report it

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mario Peucker, Associate Professor and Principal Research Fellow, Institute for Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities, Victoria University

    The way racism manifests itself may have changed over time, but it remains a persistent problem in Australia.

    The 2024 Reconciliation Barometer found a significant increase in racism against First Nations people. Antisemitism and Islamophobia have also been on the rise.

    Many other migrant communities and their Australian-born descendants continue to face racial discrimination, abuse and systemic marginalisation.

    And yet the true picture of racism in Australia is hard to determine, as a lot of racism goes unreported. Our soon to be published research reveals people often don’t know how to come forward, are scared of negative consequences, or simply don’t think anything would change if they did report it.

    Unheard voices

    The silencing of those who have experienced racism manifests in various ways, including the sceptical, at times hostile public reactions to those who speak out publicly.

    But our research, funded by VicHealth and accepted for publication by the journal Ethnic and Racial Studies, analysed how inadequate formal reporting pathways can mean people don’t come forward about their experiences.

    We conducted a survey of more than 700 people, then focus groups with almost 160 people. In total, we examined the experiences of 859 Victorian adults from culturally or racially marginalised communities.

    The vast majority of them – 76% of the survey respondents – had experienced racism in Australia, across many areas of life. These experiences happened at work, in shopping centres, on public transport and on the streets. Some also encountered racism in schools, healthcare, housing, online or when dealing with police.

    But crucially, only 15.5% of them had ever reported any such incident to an organisation.

    Unsurprisingly, one of the reasons why people do not report is that many are not aware of existing reporting options, for example through the federal or states’ human rights commissions.

    For 75.2% of survey respondents, not knowing where and how to report was a key barrier. The only place most people knew about was the police, which was often not seen as appropriate unless the incident involved physical violence.

    Moreover, trust in an effective response by police was generally low. A Muslim woman in one of the focus groups said:

    the biggest reason [for not reporting] is probably not knowing. The obvious is the police station, but then, well, many of us already feel that police won’t do much. But what else is out there?

    High cost, low reward

    An even bigger obstacle is that reporting racism was commonly considered high-cost, but low-reward. Most participants (83.2%) were deterred by the conviction that the process was taking too much time and effort.

    As one Asian-Australian participant stated:

    I imagine the reporting to be a long process. Do I want to go through the process, especially as a migrant. You ask yourself: is it life and death? If not, let me just get on with my day.

    Many highlighted concerns they would not be taken seriously (75.9%) or that reporting would have negative consequences for them or their children (72.8%). They were also concerned about how reporting could negatively affect their career, treatment at school or even their legal resident status.

    An African-Australian man said:

    You know you’re gonna be a double victim. Let’s say at your workplace, if you report racism, straight away […] you become a target.

    No accountability

    These factors shape the discouraging perspective that reporting is a high-cost action.

    But what makes it even worse is the very common conviction, expressed by 90.6% of survey respondents, that “nothing would change” even if they were to report, and that there was no accountability for racist behaviour.

    A Somali-born mother, whose daughter was called a racist slur by her teacher, complained to the school principal, but “he didn’t do anything”. She said her kids and their friends “all agreed that no one would do anything about this”. She said:

    They have this belief that if they make a complaint, it will not go anywhere. They all said the same thing: If you go somewhere, no one will care.

    Another survey participant said reporting racism would have to be worth the effort:

    We need to know that the mental and emotional sacrifice of reporting will be worth it, that it will result in an outcome. Why would I report racism if nothing will be done?

    ‘Don’t rock the boat’

    In addition, there are other psychological factors at play.

    Of those surveyed, 70.1% explained they refrain from reporting because they don’t want to “cause trouble”. In the focus groups, participants often spoke about not wanting to “rock the boat” or refraining from “talking bad, talking about racism because they might hate us”.

    Similarly, others are so determined to “blend in” they feel they have to accept racism. A Chinese-Australian participant explained her community wouldn’t complain because:

    we want to, and try to, fit in. And we have come to accept a little bit of tough treatment.

    Even protecting the perpetrators of racism from harm was described by some as a reason for not reporting:

    I thought by reporting I would hurt her [the perpetrator], and in our culture, we should not be hurting another person.

    What can be done?

    Our research shows racism often goes undetected and unreported due to systemic and cultural barriers. As a result, injustice remains unchallenged and normalised.

    But communities are finding alternative ways of speaking out against racism, often outside formal reporting channels.

    Following our research, for example, three local community-led anti-racism support networks have been set up in parts of Victoria to complement the existing support and reporting system.

    These networks provide trusted and culturally safe spaces and support to those who face racism. They have started to systematically document racism, working towards local evidence that can be used to raise awareness and inform targeted anti-racism actions in the future.

    Networks like these could be introduced around the country to give people more options to come forward.

    We won’t be able to properly address racism while those experiencing it think they won’t be listened to. We all need to ensure racist incidents are taken seriously, responded to promptly and that people are heard.

    Mario Peucker receives funding from the Victorian Government and VicHealth.

    Franka Vaughan receives funding from VicHealth

    Jo Doley received funding from VicHealth.

    Tom Clark receives funding from VicHealth.

    – ref. ‘You become a target’: research shows why many people who experience racism don’t report it – https://theconversation.com/you-become-a-target-research-shows-why-many-people-who-experience-racism-dont-report-it-260092

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Cycling can be 4 times more efficient than walking. A biomechanics expert explains why

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Blazevich, Professor of Biomechanics, Edith Cowan University

    You’re standing at your front door, facing a five kilometre commute to work. But you don’t have your car, and there’s no bus route. You can walk for an hour – or jump on your bicycle and arrive in 15 minutes, barely breaking a sweat. You choose the latter.

    Many people would make the same choice. It’s estimated that there are more than a billion bikes in the world. Cycling represents one of the most energy-efficient forms of transport ever invented, allowing humans to travel faster and farther while using less energy than walking or running.

    But why exactly does pedalling feel so much easier than pounding the pavement? The answer lies in the elegant biomechanics of how our bodies interact with this two-wheeled machine.

    A wonderfully simple machine

    At its heart, a bicycle is wonderfully simple: two wheels (hence “bi-cycle”), pedals that transfer power through a chain to the rear wheel, and gears that let us fine-tune our effort. But this simplicity masks an engineering that perfectly complements human physiology.

    When we walk or run, we essentially fall forward in a controlled manner, catching ourselves with each step. Our legs must swing through large arcs, lifting our heavy limbs against gravity with every stride. This swinging motion alone consumes a lot of energy. Imagine: how tiring would it be to even swing your arms continuously for an hour?

    On a bicycle, your legs move through a much smaller, circular motion. Instead of swinging your entire leg weight with each step, you’re simply rotating your thighs and calves through a compact pedalling cycle. The energy savings are immediately noticeable.

    But the real efficiency gains come from how bicycles transfer human power to forward motion. When you walk or run, each footstep involves a mini-collision with the ground. You can hear it as the slap of your shoe against the road, and you can feel it as vibrations running through your body. This is energy being lost, literally dissipated as sound and heat after being sent through your muscles and joints.

    Walking and running also involve another source of inefficiency: with each step, you actually brake yourself slightly before propelling forward. As your foot lands ahead of your body, it creates a backwards force that momentarily slows you down. Your muscles then have to work extra hard to overcome this self-imposed braking and accelerate you forward again.

    Kissing the road

    Bicycles use one of the world’s great inventions to solve these problems – wheels.

    Instead of a collision, you get rolling contact – each part of the tyre gently “kisses” the road surface before lifting off. No energy is lost to impact. And because the wheel rotates smoothly so the force acts perfectly vertically on the ground, there’s no stop-start braking action. The force from your pedalling translates directly into forward motion.

    But bicycles also help our muscles to work at their best. Human muscles have a fundamental limitation: the faster they contract, the weaker they become and the more energy they consume.

    This is the famous force-velocity relationship of muscles. And it’s why sprinting feels so much harder than jogging or walking – your muscles are working near their speed limit, becoming less efficient with every stride.

    Bicycle gears solve this problem for us. As you go faster, you can shift to a higher gear so your muscles don’t have to work faster while the bike accelerates. Your muscles can stay in their sweet spot for both force production and energy cost. It’s like having a personal assistant that continuously adjusts your workload to keep you in the peak performance zone.

    Cycling can be at least four times more energy-efficient than walking and eight times more efficient than running.
    The Conversation, CC BY

    Walking sometimes wins out

    But bicycles aren’t always superior.

    On very steep hills of more than about 15% gradient (so you rise 1.5 metres every 10 metres of distance), your legs struggle to generate enough force through the circular pedalling motion to lift you and the bike up the hill. We can produce more force by pushing our legs straight out, so walking (or climbing) becomes more effective.

    Even if roads were built, we wouldn’t pedal up Mount Everest.

    This isn’t the case for downhills. While cycling downhill becomes progressively easier (eventually requiring no energy at all), walking down steep slopes actually becomes harder.

    Once the gradient exceeds about 10% (it drops by one metre for every ten metres of distance), each downhill step creates jarring impacts that waste energy and stress your joints. Walking and running downhill isn’t always as easy as we’d expect.

    Not just a transportation device

    The numbers speak for themselves. Cycling can be at least four times more energy-efficient than walking and eight times more efficient than running. This efficiency comes from minimising three major energy drains: limb movement, ground impact and muscle speed limitations.

    So next time you effortlessly cruise past pedestrians on your morning bike commute, take a moment to appreciate the biomechanical work of art beneath you. Your bicycle isn’t just a transport device, but a perfectly evolved machine that works in partnership with your physiology, turning your raw muscle power into efficient motion.

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

    – ref. Cycling can be 4 times more efficient than walking. A biomechanics expert explains why – https://theconversation.com/cycling-can-be-4-times-more-efficient-than-walking-a-biomechanics-expert-explains-why-257120

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Police Minister Mchunu placed on leave of absence

    Source: Government of South Africa

    President Cyril Ramaphosa has placed Police Minister Senzo Mchunu on leave of absence with immediate effect.

    The President has also announced a judicial commission of inquiry – led by Acting Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga – into the allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

    The President made the announcements during an address to the nation on Sunday evening.

    During a media briefing last week, Mkhwanazi made several allegations about an alleged criminal syndicate that has “spread its tentacles into law enforcement and intelligence services”.

    Mkhwanazi also made allegations against the Police Minister – alleging that Mchunu colluded with criminal elements to disband the Political Killings Task Team based in KwaZulu-Natal.

    During the address to the nation, the President emphasised that the allegations “call for an urgent and comprehensive investigation”.

    “To address these allegations and the implications of these allegations, I am establishing a judicial commission of Inquiry, chaired by Acting Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga. Justice Madlanga will be assisted by Advocate Sesi Baloyi SC and Advocate Sandile Khumalo SC.

    “In order for the Commission to execute its functions effectively, I have decided to put the Minister of Police, Mr Senzo Mchunu, on a leave of absence with immediate effect. The Minister has undertaken to give his full cooperation to the Commission to enable it to do its work,” President Ramaphosa said.

    Mkhwanazi had also made allegations about the uncovering of a drug cartel, implicating, amongst others, the judiciary, law enforcement, prosecutors and politicians.

    The President said these allegations “raise serious concerns around the Constitution, the rule of law and national security”.

    “These allegations, if proven true, threaten to undermine the confidence of South Africans in the ability of the South African Police Service to protect them and to effectively fight crime and corruption.

    “South Africans are concerned about corruption and the rise of criminality in our country, which manifests itself in the killing of innocent people, gender-based violence, gang violence, kidnappings, construction mafia criminality and many others.

    “As we intensify the fight against crime, it is vital that we safeguard the integrity and credibility of the police and other law enforcement agencies,” President Ramaphosa said.

    With the Police Minister now on a leave of absence, Professor Firoz Cachalia has been appointed as acting Minister  in terms of Section 91(3)(c) of the Constitution.

    “Professor Cachalia is currently a professor of law at the University of the Witwatersrand and is the chairperson of the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council. He previously served as a MEC of Community Safety in Gauteng.

    “Professor Cachalia will be retiring from his current position at the University of Witwatersrand at the end of July. I will appoint an Acting Minister from within Cabinet until Professor Cachalia takes up his post at the beginning of August,” the President said. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Disasters don’t disappear when the storm ends – cascading hazards, from landslides to floods, are upending risk models

    Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Brian J. Yanites, Associate Professor of Earth and Atmospheric Science. Robert Shrock Professor of Surficial and Sedimentary Geology, Indiana University

    The Carter Lodge hangs precariously over the flood-scoured bank of the Broad River in Chimney Rock Village, N.C., on May 13, 2025, eight months after Hurricane Helene. AP Photo/Allen G. Breed

    Hurricane Helene lasted only a few days in September 2024, but it altered the landscape of the Southeastern U.S. in profound ways that will affect the hazards local residents face far into the future.

    Mudslides buried roads and reshaped river channels. Uprooted trees left soil on hillslopes exposed to the elements. Sediment that washed into rivers changed how water flows through the landscape, leaving some areas more prone to flooding and erosion.

    Helene was a powerful reminder that natural hazards don’t disappear when the skies clear – they evolve.

    These transformations are part of what scientists call cascading hazards. They occur when one natural event alters the landscape in ways that lead to future hazards. A landslide triggered by a storm might clog a river, leading to downstream flooding months or years later. A wildfire can alter the soil and vegetation, setting the stage for debris flows with the next rainstorm.

    Satellite images before (top) and after Hurricane Helene (bottom) show how the storm altered landscape near Pensacola, N.C., in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
    Google Earth, CC BY

    I study these disasters as a geomorphologist. In a new paper in the journal Science, I and a team of scientists from 18 universities and the U.S. Geological Survey explain why hazard models – used to help communities prepare for disasters – can’t just rely on the past. Instead, they need to be nimble enough to forecast how hazards evolve in real time.

    The science behind cascading hazards

    Cascading hazards aren’t random. They emerge from physical processes that operate continuously across the landscape – sediment movement, weathering, erosion. Together, the atmosphere, biosphere and the earth are constantly reshaping the conditions that cause natural disasters.

    For instance, earthquakes fracture rock and shake loose soil. Even if landslides don’t occur during the quake itself, the ground may be weakened, leaving it primed for failure during later rainstorms.

    That’s exactly what happened after the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan Province, China, which led to a surge in debris flows long after the initial seismic event.

    A strong aftershock after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Sichuan province, China, in May 2008 triggered more landslides in central China.
    AP Photo/Andy Wong

    Earth’s surface retains a “memory” of these events. Sediment disturbed in an earthquake, wildfire or severe storm will move downslope over years or even decades, reshaping the landscape as it goes.

    The 1950 Assam earthquake in India is a striking example: It triggered thousands of landslides. The sediment from these landslides gradually moved through the river system, eventually causing flooding and changing river channels in Bangladesh some 20 years later.

    An intensifying threat in a changing world

    These risks present challenges for everything from emergency planning to home insurance. After repeated wildfire-mudslide combinations in California, some insurers pulled out of the state entirely, citing mounting risks and rising costs among the reasons.

    Cascading hazards are not new, but their impact is intensifying.

    Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of wildfires, storms and extreme rainfall. At the same time, urban development continues to expand into steep, hazard-prone terrain, exposing more people and infrastructure to evolving risks.

    The rising risk of interconnected climate disasters like these is overwhelming systems built for isolated events.

    Yet climate change is only part of the equation. Earth processes – such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions – also trigger cascading hazards, often with long-lasting effects.

    Mount St. Helens is a powerful example: More than four decades after its eruption in 1980, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to manage ash and sediment from the eruption to keep it from filling river channels in ways that could increase the flood risk in downstream communities.

    Rethinking risk and building resilience

    Traditionally, insurance companies and disaster managers have estimated hazard risk by looking at past events.

    But when the landscape has changed, the past may no longer be a reliable guide to the future. To address this, computer models based on the physics of how these events work are needed to help forecast hazard evolution in real time, much like weather models update with new atmospheric data.

    A March 2024 landslide in the Oregon Coast Range wiped out trees in its path.
    Brian Yanites, June 2025
    A drone image of the same March 2024 landslide in the Oregon Coast Range shows where it temporarily dammed the river below.
    Brian Yanites, June 2025

    Thanks to advances in Earth observation technology, such as satellite imagery, drone and lidar, which is similar to radar but uses light, scientists can now track how hillslopes, rivers and vegetation change after disasters. These observations can feed into geomorphic models that simulate how loosened sediment moves and where hazards are likely to emerge next.

    Researchers are already coupling weather forecasts with post-wildfire debris flow models. Other models simulate how sediment pulses travel through river networks.

    Cascading hazards reveal that Earth’s surface is not a passive backdrop, but an active, evolving system. Each event reshapes the stage for the next.

    Understanding these connections is critical for building resilience so communities can withstand future storms, earthquakes and the problems created by debris flows. Better forecasts can inform building codes, guide infrastructure design and improve how risk is priced and managed. They can help communities anticipate long-term threats and adapt before the next disaster strikes.

    Most importantly, they challenge everyone to think beyond the immediate aftermath of a disaster – and to recognize the slow, quiet transformations that build toward the next.

    Brian J. Yanites receives funding from the National Science Foundation.

    – ref. Disasters don’t disappear when the storm ends – cascading hazards, from landslides to floods, are upending risk models – https://theconversation.com/disasters-dont-disappear-when-the-storm-ends-cascading-hazards-from-landslides-to-floods-are-upending-risk-models-259502

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NEWS: Sanders: ‘No, Mr. President. Climate Change is Not a Hoax’

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Vermont – Bernie Sanders

    BURLINGTON, Vt., July 13 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today released the following statement:

    In the midst of everything else going on, it’s easy to ignore the extraordinary planetary crisis we face from climate change. But we just can’t allow ourselves to do that.

    The past 10 years have been the warmest 10 years on record. 2024 was the warmest year in recorded history. January 2025 was the hottest January on record. Western Europe just had its hottest June on record. The recent heat wave in the United States put nearly 190 million Americans under heat advisories and broke heat records in more than 280 locations. Over the past 60 years, the frequency of heat waves in the United States has tripled. According to a new study from Yale University, 64% of Americans think global warming is affecting the weather in the U.S. and almost HALF say they have personally experienced its effects.

    From May 2024 to May 2025, 4 billion people — half of the world’s population — experienced at least one extra month of extreme heat due to climate change. Climate change exacerbated Hurricane Helene last fall in the American Southeast, flooding in Texas this past week and in Vermont and Brazil last summer, recent wildfires in Canada and Los Angeles, and health waves in the United States, Europe, India and Pakistan.

    And what is President Trump’s response? He just fired the last remaining State Department employees who work on climate change, which is undoubtedly one of the greatest threats to our national security.

    Donald Trump is putting the planet and future generations at risk for the short-term profits of his fossil fuel executive friends.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Want more orgasms? Choose a woman partner

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Caroline Pukall, Professor, Department of Psychology, Queen’s University, Ontario

    Being partnered with a woman is associated with an orgasm advantage. (Pexels/Cottonbro)

    The orgasm gap — the consistent finding that men who have sex with women have more frequent orgasms than women who have sex with men — has been shown in study after study of cisgender, heterosexual participants.

    The gap is a big one: Based on a recent Canadian study, approximately 60 per cent of women and 90 per cent of men reported reaching orgasm in their most recent sexual encounter.

    In sexually diverse samples (samples that also include women who have sex with women and men who have sex with men), the pattern becomes more nuanced but still supports a gendered orgasm gap.

    Research has shown that women who have sex with women have a more equal frequency of orgasms within their partnership.
    (Pexels/Ketut Subiyanto)

    Research has shown that the gap in orgasm frequency is reduced (in other words, there is more equal orgasm frequency) in women who have sex with women (about 75 per cent), and this rate is significantly higher than in women who have sex with men (about 62 per cent). However, men as a group — regardless of who they were having sex with — still had significantly higher orgasm frequency (85 per cent) than women overall (63 per cent). Women are orgasm-disadvantaged overall and especially when they have sex with men.

    Mind the gap

    How far-reaching is the orgasm gap and what factors might be standing in the way of orgasms for all? We — a team of researchers and science journalists from the podcast Science Vs — examined orgasm frequency in a large diverse sample that included sexual (such as lesbian) and gender (such as trans) minorities and majorities, as well as racialized participants (there were no significant results with analyses focused on sexual orientation or race).

    The good news? We found that many people overall were having lots of orgasms — about two-thirds reported having orgasms almost or every time they engaged sexually.

    The not-so-great news? The orgasm gap persisted: cis men overall reported the highest orgasm frequency compared to women and gender minorities (who did not differ significantly from each other). In addition, we found that participants of all genders who engaged sexually with women reported significantly more frequent orgasms than those who engaged sexually with men. So being partnered with a woman is associated with an orgasm advantage.

    More not-so-great news was that about 17 per cent of participants reported almost never or never having orgasms during sex and that there were many factors preventing orgasms in participants. For cis women, psychological barriers — such as insecurities, mental health struggles and distractions — were prominent, as were sexual obstacles (like not receiving adequate stimulation), difficulties inherent in having orgasms (for example, they take too long and require too much effort) and not knowing why orgasms are difficult for them to have.

    Closing the gap

    So why does the orgasm gap exist and persist? One main reason is that broad sociocultural norms prioritize men’s sexual pleasure over women’s. Indeed, these norms develop from the traditional (heterosexual, western) sexual script that defines the end of sexual activity as male orgasm; importantly, women’s adherence to this script has been associated with lower sexual satisfaction.

    Women’s own degree of familiarity with their partner has also been shown to be critical in narrowing the gap.
    (Unsplash/Jonathan Borba)

    Another is that mainstream media feeds into narratives of sexual expectations based on gender, such that portrayals of women who do not have orgasms are much more — even readily — acceptable than portrayals of orgasmless men. This inequality is played out in sexual encounters, perpetuating the gap and contributing to complacency in addressing it.

    But there is hope: Heterosexual men’s motivation to bring their partner to orgasm and their intentional incorporation of sexual activities that increase the chance of orgasm for their partner — such as clitoral stimulation and oral sex — can help narrow (and even eradicate!) the gap. Women’s own degree of familiarity with their partner has also been shown to be help narrow the gap. Higher familiarity (think of a long-term situationship as opposed to a casual hookup) was associated with higher orgasm frequency.

    The simple act of prioritizing women’s orgasm — captured with an easy-to-remember phrase of “she comes first” — may be all that is needed to substantially narrow the orgasm gap.

    Caroline Pukall receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health, and Queen’s University.

    – ref. Want more orgasms? Choose a woman partner – https://theconversation.com/want-more-orgasms-choose-a-woman-partner-259655

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Canada’s proposed east-west energy corridors should prioritize clean energy

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Andy Hira, Professor of Political Science, Simon Fraser University

    Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has made establishing east-west energy corridors a priority for Canada. He suggested that such corridors would include new oil and natural gas pipelines, designed to reduce dependence on the United States.

    Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson has gone even further in pushing for subsidization of carbon capture and storage projects that would effectively underwrite the long-term continuation of the fossil fuel industry at taxpayer expense.

    While there might be short-term political reasons for backing fossil fuels, such an approach goes against Canada’s long-term interests. Prioritizing fossil fuels undermines the country’s commitments to reduce emissions and takes away the investment needed for it to realize its potential to become a green energy superpower.

    Creating energy corridors is in the national interest, and would allow Canada to take full advantage of its abundant and diverse energy and mineral resources. The government also needs to be involved, as the corridors are interprovincial and will require substantial investment. However, the government has limited resources and so Canada must think strategically about its priorities for such corridors.

    Canadian taxpayers should not be subsidizing an already lucrative oil and gas industry. Instead, the federal government should prioritize funding clean energy supply solutions.

    Oil and gas subsidies

    Canadian governments have long faced opposition to building new pipelines. The provinces of Québec and British Columbia and many First Nations have strongly opposed new pipeline proposals. More recently, there is some signs of softening under the duress of U.S. tariffs.

    Even if such shifts are lasting, it’s for the private sector to step up and invest into these projects. Previous federal investments, such as the Trans Mountain pipeline (TMX), were reflections of the private market’s unwillingness to invest in pipelines because they are bad investments. The 2024 Parliamentary Budget Office report estimated that selling the TMX would result in a loss.

    There are reasons to question the soundness of fossil fuels on a purely financial basis. A 2022 Parliamentary budget office report found that climate change reduced GDP by 0.8 per cent in 2021, or around $20 billion. This number is expected to rise to 5.8 per cent per year by 2100 (or $145 billion in 2021 dollars).

    By contrast, from 2017 to 2021, federal, provincial and territorial governments received an average of $12 billion annually in revenues from the the oil and gas industry.

    The gap between the costs and benefits is only going to increase over time. The costs cut across all aspects of life, including food security, health care, global instability and threats to coastal cities due to sea level rise.

    On the other hand, every dollar invested in adaptation today has an estimated return of $13-$15.

    Furthermore, a recent study indicates a likely glut in global natural gas markets, and the future prospects for oil are equally questionable. For example, one of Canada’s target markets, Japan, has been reselling its liquefied natural gas imports to other countries, suggesting the glut of oil and gas is likely to continue as cheaper producers, including those in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, who are cheaper and closer to consumers, flood the market.

    Cheaper and closer oil producers are also flooding markets in anticipation of declining prices.

    There are important opportunity costs of investing money in fossil fuels that could otherwise be invested in the clean energy economy. When new technologies arise, there is a limited window of opportunity for global competitors to enter into an emerging industry.

    In light of the shift to electric vehicles, heat pumps and artificial intelligence, it’s clear that energy demand is bound to increase significantly in Canada in the coming years. Canada can become a global competitor, but only if it enters the race now, while the window is open.

    An East-West clean energy system

    Solar and wind prices have declined by 83 per cent and 65 per cent respectively since 2009. However, they suffer from the fundamental issue of intermittency; the sun is not always shining and the wind isn’t always blowing.

    While battery prices are declining, they remain an expensive solution. An easier solution is at hand: Canada’s hydroelectric resources. Québec, B.C. and Manitoba have abundant hydro resources that can reduce energy costs throughout the rest of the country.

    Alberta and Saskatchewan have potential for significant geothermal power generation. Ontario and the Atlantic provinces could contribute wind and solar. Trading electricity through an integrated national grid increases the investment capital and reduces the need for batteries while diversifying the energy mix.

    But we need an east-west electricity market to make this happen.

    An east-west grid would reduce the need for every province to run its own power generation system. Creating a pooled market would allow provinces to trade electricity, giving consumers more choice and investors a larger market and potential return on their investment.

    More valuable still is the fact that electricity capacity has to be built for the few peak hours and seasons. But most of the time demand is well below full capacity, such as the middle of the night or early summer, when neither heat nor air conditioning is needed in many areas. As peak times and seasons vary across the country, Canada can reduce overall costs by trading the electricity in the lowest cost producing province at a given time to where it’s needed in the other.

    By locating some of the new clean energy in First Nations, Canada can also move reconciliation forward. There is potential for a win-win situation whereby Canada increases renewable energy generation while creating new jobs and income for First Nations wherever feasible.

    The first step is for regulatory reform across the provinces to support a Canada-wide electricity market, and to provide the funding for the massive infrastructure investment required to connect provincial grids. This would be a federal investment with incredible long-term payoffs for employment, taxpayers and future generations.

    Following this plan could truly make Canada an energy superpower on the right side of the energy transition, create thousands of jobs and give the country a global competitive edge — all while helping to save the planet in the process.

    This article was co-authored by energy consultant Sheldon Fernandes.

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

    – ref. Canada’s proposed east-west energy corridors should prioritize clean energy – https://theconversation.com/canadas-proposed-east-west-energy-corridors-should-prioritize-clean-energy-259530

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: President Mahama inaugurates committee for University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) transfer to University of Ghana

    Source: APO


    .

    President John Dramani Mahama has inaugurated a committee tasked with overseeing the transfer of the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) from the Ministry of Health to the University of Ghana.

    The inauguration fulfils a key commitment by President Mahama to strengthen the links between the nation’s leading teaching hospital and its premier university.

    Named the Transitional Management Committee, the body is co-chaired by two distinguished Ghanaians: Professor Aaron Lawson, a seasoned academic and former Provost of the College of Health Sciences at the University of Ghana, and Professor Mutawakilu Iddrissu, a Neurosurgeon at the Department of Surgery, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

    The committee has been given a comprehensive mandate to guide the transition process. Its key responsibilities include:

    1. Conducting a comprehensive review of the legal mandates, operational structures, and academic frameworks of both UGMC and the University of Ghana Medical School.
    2. Developing integration guidelines to ensure coherence between UGMC’s clinical mandates and the university’s teaching and research mandates.
    3. Designing a practical roadmap with clear timelines and a communication plan for stakeholders.
    4. Facilitating all necessary legal and administrative processes for the seamless transfer and integration.
    5. Identifying potential challenges, particularly in funding, staffing, and resource allocation, and proposing sustainable solutions.
    6. Establishing a transition secretariat to provide operational and logistical support.
    7. Reviewing expressions of interest for partnership by international health care institutions.
    8. Submitting a comprehensive report to the President of the Republic within three months from the date of inauguration.

    President Mahama emphasised the significance of the committee’s work, urging the members to “work diligently with a sense of historic responsibility,” adding, “You’re laying the foundation for a legacy of health care and medical education excellence. You’re building a bridge between the past and the future.”

    The President described the UGMC as currently “a beacon of excellence, a world-class medical institution with a national mandate.”

    He noted that the Centre “hosts the largest digitised medical simulation and training centre in West Africa,” which has “the potential to provide cutting-edge training for healthcare professionals across the West African sub-region.”

    Built during President Mahama’s first term in office at a cost of $271 million and commissioned before he handed over power, the University of Ghana Medical Centre is a quaternary health facility.

    It provides specialised care in numerous areas, including urology, ophthalmology, ear, nose and throat, cardiology, dermatology, neurology, and interventional radiology for cancers.

    The facility also boasts amenities such as a medical hotel for clients, assisted reproductive technology services for fertility solutions, and a helipad for airlifting emergency cases.

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency, Republic of Ghana.

    MIL OSI Africa –