We need to talk about monkeypox without shame and blame

August 11, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer Power, Associate Professor and Principal Research Fellow at the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University

The recent global outbreak of monkeypox largely among men who have sex with men has raised concerns homophobia will undermine effective prevention efforts. There are also fears the disease will fuel homophobic stigma and discrimination.

Even the name monkeypox is stigmatising due to long-held racist appropriation of the term monkey and the false implication the virus is transmitted by monkeys.

The World Health Organization has said the name needs to change, but has not agreed on or announced a new one. Currently, advocates for the LGBTQA+ community are using the term MPX, the term I will use here.

MPX is, of course, not the first infectious disease to affect men who have sex with men. So there are things we must learn and things we must not repeat from the public health response to HIV.

Lessons from HIV

When HIV emerged among communities of gay and bisexual men in the 1980s, fear and uncertainty about the cause and nature of the virus led to vilification of gay and bisexual men.

HIV was initially named “gay-related immune deficiency” or GRID and there was speculation it was caused by men’s excessive sex or drug use (specifically use of amyl nitrate).

As well as sparking calls for a crackdown on the rights and freedoms of LGBTQA+ communities, the view gay and bisexual men were to blame for HIV obstructed effective public health responses.

Famously, in the United States, then President Ronald Reagan made no public mention of HIV or AIDS until more than 12,000 American citizens had died, and HIV had spread widely into many communities.

Although today, globally, HIV affects more women than men, it is still difficult to disentangle HIV-related stigma from homophobia or stigma against other affected populations, including injecting drug users or sex workers.

Stigma creates barriers to HIV prevention as people are reluctant to talk about HIV or seek testing for fear of being associated with stigmatised groups. It also perpetuates a fundamental lack of empathy for people living with HIV.

For these reasons, it’s important we don’t approach MPX in these terms.

A new approach?

There are some reports of MPX being used to justify homophobic sentiment or actions. However, a crucial difference between this disease and HIV is the world has learned from HIV.

There is now better understanding of the insidious ways stigma and discrimination undermine public health. HIV also taught us to be cautious about the potential for public health messaging to contribute to stigma, especially when an illness is associated with marginalised cultural or racial groups.

Health policy makers have been fast to condemn stigmatising media reporting of MPX. Meanwhile the community-based HIV sector has mobilised existing infrastructure and experience to support advocacy and MPX education for men who have sex with men.

Importantly, we now have better knowledge about the effectiveness of sex-positive approaches to preventing HIV and other sexually transmissible infections (STIs). Such approaches affirm the pleasures and benefits of sex, aim to build open dialogue about safe sex and ensure people can seek testing without fear of judgement or backlash.

The impact of sexual moralising

We have learned lessons from HIV. However, MPX has exposed the ways sexual moralising is ever-present in public health, undermining sex-positive health promotion.

Observers of early media responses to MPX note efforts to avoid stigmatising gay and bisexual men have led to obtuse and confusing reporting about the ways in which the disease, although not classified as an STI, can be spread through close physical contact and why gay and bisexual men may be at risk of exposure.

Reporting has been deliberately vague because there is very limited cultural space for speaking about group sex, casual sex or sex with multiple partners without these practices, and people involved, being shamed.

Despite increasing acceptance of sexual diversity, people’s right to engage in pleasurable sex outside a married, monogamous relationship is rarely affirmed. Young women, for example, are shamed for having “too many” sexual partners, while calls for comprehensive, pleasure-based sex education are controversial.

While the world has come a long way toward acceptance of same-sex marriage, homophobia often drives condemnation of gay and bisexual men’s sexual cultures.

This is most visible in relation to public health. For example, when pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) first became available to prevent HIV, public funding for it was critiqued by some on the grounds this amounted to subsidising gay and bisexual men’s promiscuity.

When considered through the lens of public health, casual sex is often equated with irresponsibility. People’s right to seek sex and intimacy can also be devalued or seen as irrelevant.

We know, however, acknowledging the significance of sexual identities and sexual connection in people’s lives is the best way to engage communities in sexual health promotion.

A sex-positive approach

As current vaccine supplies for MPX are limited in many jurisdictions, including Australia, priority access is being given to high-risk groups, including men who have sex with men who have multiple sexual partners.

Given men are being asked to disclose their sexual practices to obtain a vaccine, assurance of non-stigmatising health care will be essential for this program to be successful.

A sex-positive approach to MPX prevention will also support more open conversations so people can gain a better handle on risk and prevention, no matter who they are.

Jennifer Power receives research funding from the Australian Research Council and the Australian Department of Health.

– ref. We need to talk about monkeypox without shame and blame – https://theconversation.com/we-need-to-talk-about-monkeypox-without-shame-and-blame-188295

Why migrant and refugee women and children remain in the shadows of health reforms in New Zealand

By The Conversation -

August 11, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Reem Abbas, Research Fellow, Auckland University of Technology

New Zealand’s healthcare policies for migrants rate among the top five countries globally. Yet research shows persistent health inequities among women and children with migrant and refugee backgrounds.

The current health system reforms create opportunities to improve publicly funded migrant health policies and to achieve health equity, particularly in maternal and child health services.

Annual migration to New Zealand was estimated at 46,100 in March 2022. This includes the annual refugee and family reunification quotas which have recently increased from 1,300 to 2,100.

By 2038, a quarter of New Zealand’s population is projected to identify with African, Asian, Latin American or Middle Eastern heritage backgrounds. In 2018, almost four in five of these people were born overseas and nearly two-thirds of the women were of childbearing age.

Our recent studies highlight several interlocking factors that affect access and acceptability of maternal and child health services for migrant and refugee women and their children.

They include cultural and language barriers, stereotyping and systemic racism, inequities in access to information and lack of support to navigate services.

Migrant mother and a child with another woman. — A more culturally competent health workforce could improve equity for migrants and refugees.
Getty Images

The health reforms emphasise attention to voices from marginalised communities for the development of primary care “localities”. However, eliciting migrant and refugee women’s voices requires a bottom-up approach that acknowledges and addresses the profound barriers to community engagement.

Health system challenges for migrant and refugee women

Migrant mothers face substantial challenges as they raise their children in a new country. These include social isolation, emotional distress, financial constraints and different cultural norms.

Our own lived experiences as migrant women demonstrate the personal impact of these issues. This motivated our studies with the ultimate aim of improving policy and practice.

Migramt woman with a baby — Research shows persistent health inequities among women and children with migrant and refugee backgrounds.
Getty Images

Sexual and reproductive health services in Aotearoa fail to cater adequately for African women because cultural taboos around “sex talk” and family planning impose a strong barrier to accessing such services. These taboos are based on longstanding African religious and gender norms, accompanied by attitudes and social mores about women’s morality and sexual conduct.

One research participant explains:

So even though the services are there, we are not accessing them. We know it’s there but it’s not for us. Everybody knows everybody. When they see you walk into that clinic you’re going to be talked about.

Stereotyping and discrimination, and lack of support and information during and after birth are problems. An African colleague shared her experience of being refused pain relief medication during birth, despite noting it in her birth plan and asking for it during labour.

The midwives said they had seen African women going to fetch wood and water with the newborn strapped on their back a few hours after delivery.

An opaque healthcare system

Newly migrated, first-time pregnant Indian women found it difficult to understand the process of finding a midwife and other maternal health services. One research participant said:

I had a pretty hard time finding a good midwife because when I was pregnant for the first time, I didn’t know anything. And New Zealand is a new country. And I didn’t have anyone, I didn’t know anyone, and I have no family, no friends.

An Indian woman with her child — Indian women often found it difficult to navigate New Zealand’s maternity healthcare system.
Getty Images

This resonated with a Canadian Indian researcher among us:

I’ll just say that – like I had a lot of privilege coming here – and the healthcare system was really hard to navigate and especially when I recently had a child.

Communication issues are another common challenge. An African team member said:

I only found out from my birthing partner that the cord was wrapped around the baby’s [neck]. Yet it was omitted as it is considered to be common.

And a Chinese research participant said:

I have a feeling of uncertainty. I am concerned that what if I cannot understand what the doctor says.

Refugee mothers noted insufficient information provided about vaccines and post-vaccination management. They explained that ineffective communication hinders childhood immunisation experiences:

When [nurses] say side effect, we don’t know what’s being affected.

Our Iranian researcher noted:

The only time that I received a document in my language was during the COVID pandemic when an instruction was translated.

Responsive and inclusive maternity and childhood services that tackle language barriers and include a culturally competent workforce will have profound impacts on achieving health equity for migrants and refugees.

The Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act now includes a women’s health strategy that requires health entities to improve outcomes for women. This opportunity to include planning, delivery and evaluation of work which fulfils the potential of migrant and refugee women should not be missed.

Only then will Aotearoa New Zealand achieve social justice strategies that resonate with the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda of “leaving no one behind”.

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

– ref. Why migrant and refugee women and children remain in the shadows of health reforms in New Zealand – https://theconversation.com/why-migrant-and-refugee-women-and-children-remain-in-the-shadows-of-health-reforms-in-new-zealand-186902

More than 80% of people we asked said they’ve experienced violence in junior sport – and women and gender-diverse people cop it most

By The Conversation -

August 11, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mary Woessner, Lecturer in Clinical Exercise and Research Fellow, Institute for Health and Sport (iHeS), Victoria University, Victoria University

Every week millions of Australian children play community sport. Participating in community sport can improve children’s mental, physical and social wellbeing, but only if the sport environment is physically and emotionally safe.

Our new research shows community sport spaces aren’t safe for everyone. We found 82% of 886 survey respondents said they experienced violence while playing community sport as a child in Australia.

Our study was one of the first in Australia to include the experiences of non-gender-binary individuals. We found gender-diverse people reported particularly high rates of violence while playing sport as children. Some 81% reported experiencing psychological violence from a coach, compared to 55% and 50% for women and men respectively.

Women also had high rates compared to men of psychological (82% vs 74%) and sexual (40% vs 33%) violence.

So how can we change this?

Violence in community sport

In recent years, cases of violence against children in elite sport in Australia have garnered national media attention. Swimming and gymnastics are perhaps the most visible examples of the widespread nature of violence against children in sport, but they aren’t alone.

The media often focus on single sports and the abuse experienced by elite athletes, which can lead to a false sense of security in other sports and in sport at the community level.

The short- and long-term consequences of violence are profound and include anxiety, depression, mistrust, impaired relationship dynamics and more.

Understanding how often children experience violence playing sport is critical to monitoring this violence and keeping children safe.

What we studied

Our team at Victoria University completed the largest study to date in Australia exploring how often children experience violence in community sport.

We surveyed 886 Australian adults who had played organised community sport when they were younger than 18, asking them about their experiences of violence in sport. Specifically, they were asked about unsanctioned violence, that is, violence occurring outside the specified rules of the game. This could have occurred in diverse environments such as on the field, in the locker rooms, or during travel for sport.

It’s important to note that because the study didn’t use a nationally representative sample, the data can’t be extrapolated out to represent the whole of community sport in Australia.

Respondents were mostly women (63%), but came from all states and territories in Australia and had participated in 68 different sports. Around 18% of respondents were between 18 and 25 years old, which highlights how recent some of the reported experiences are.

Coach yelling at his players through a megaphone — 81% of gender-diverse people said they experienced violence from a sports coach when they were kids.
Shutterstock

Psychological, physical, sexual

We found 82% of respondents experienced violence while participating in sport as children in Australia.

Psychological violence was the most frequent form (76% of respondents), but rates of physical violence (66%) and sexual violence (38%) were also high.

The survey also distinguished between different types of perpetrators – peers, coaches and parents. Our respondents reported high rates of psychological violence by peers (68%), and high rates (>50%) of physical and psychological violence perpetrated by a coach.

We found non-gender-binary people experienced higher rates of several types of violence than both women and men combined. Peer-perpetrated sexual harassment was particularly high for these individuals (59%), as was peer physical violence (53%).

Women experienced more psychological and sexual violence, whereas men experienced more physical violence by their peers when playing sport as a child.

While our sample wasn’t representative of the Australian population, our findings echo international research findings. A Canadian study from 2020, which used the same survey in 14-17 year olds, also found high rates of psychological (79%), physical (40%) and sexual violence (28%).

How we can change things

These data can be quite confronting, especially for those of us (ourselves included) who are so passionate about sport.

The aim of this article and study isn’t to demonise sport. Instead, it’s to acknowledge we need to understand the depth and breadth of violence against children in sport, in order to make sport safer.

In the long-term, a national study with a representative sample is needed to establish how often violence against children in community sport occurs. It’s the only way to measure whether our policies and practices are preventing violence against children in sport. Such studies take time, expertise and funding, but they are achievable with the right support.

National frameworks and policies are essential to ensuring sporting clubs are complying with safeguarding standards.

However, national policies and campaigns take time to have impact at the grassroots level. This is complicated by a context where many community sport clubs are surviving on the capacity of very few, burnt-out volunteers.

A top-down approach to behaviour change isn’t our only option. There’s an opportunity to start creating change with and within community sport. This can help identify the most effective strategies for preventing violence against children in community sport.

Community sport can and should be a welcoming, inclusive and safe environment. We can only achieve this through a whole-of-community effort.

Awareness that violence in community sport exists is a first step.

If this article has raised issues for you or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14, Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.

– ref. More than 80% of people we asked said they’ve experienced violence in junior sport – and women and gender-diverse people cop it most – https://theconversation.com/more-than-80-of-people-we-asked-said-theyve-experienced-violence-in-junior-sport-and-women-and-gender-diverse-people-cop-it-most-188430

The US has finally passed a huge climate bill. Australia needs to keep up

By The Conversation -

August 11, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christian Downie, Associate Professor, Australian National University

If politics moves slowly, climate politics often feels like it doesn’t move at all.

Yet at the weekend, US senators worked through the night to accomplish something they have failed to do since NASA scientist James Hansen first warned them about the dangers of climate change almost 35 years ago. They passed a major climate bill.

And not just any bill. The A$530 billion of clean energy initiatives in the larger Inflation Reduction Act represent the largest single investment to slow global heating in US history. It means the world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases will become a global leader on climate change.

Initial modelling suggests the bill could be enough to cut US emissions by around 40% by 2030, relative to a 2005 baseline. That won’t meet President Joe Biden’s goal of halving emissions by 2030, but it gives America a fighting chance.

What does it mean for Australia? After the go-slow years of Coalition government and Trump’s fossil-fuel-friendly presidency, the times finally favour action. There is a clean energy race on, and Australia needs to keep up.

It’s been a hard road

When the bill passed, senators broke down in tears. Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer spoke of “a long, tough and winding road. But at last, at last we have arrived.”

The bill looked dead in the water as recently as July, when controversial Democratic senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia pulled his crucial vote for climate legislation.

That led many to despair, believing the window for climate action had shut again given Republican disinterest in climate action. But then Manchin cut a deal. It was the last chance to act before November’s midterm elections, which Republicans are expected to win – although the Supreme Court’s seismic decision on abortion may change this.

Offshore wind could be a game-changer for clean energy in Australia.
Nicholas Doherty/Unsplash, CC BY

I remember being in Washington DC, studying climate policy, the last time the US got this close. In the summer of 2009, the US House of Representatives passed a bill designed to institute a nationwide carbon price. With chants of “yes we can” still ringing in many ears after President Barack Obama’s arrival in the White House, it seemed climate politics was moving. But the Senate killed that bill, and with it any hope for legislative action on climate change.

America had to wait more than a decade for the next opportunity. The weekend’s vote was close, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the decider.

What was lost in the intervening years was more than time. In the past decade, climate impacts have become more frequent and deadly. Just ask the flood victims of Lismore in New South Wales, or the citizens of Mallacoota in Victoria after the bushfires.

Most of Europe is now in drought. Stories of unprecedented heatwaves and flooding come in weekly from China, India, the Middle East and South America. The western US is in megadrought, the worst in at least 1,200 years, with reservoirs at dangerous lows.

What does the bill actually contain?

When climate action is deliberately stalled by political parties, the price is paid by communities, families and the natural world.

That’s why the US bill is momentous. Senate approval of the A$530 billion in spending will directly advance clean energy. This includes billions of dollars in tax credits for solar panels, wind turbines, batteries and geothermal plants, among other technologies.

This comes through around A$13 billion in rebates for Americans to electrify their homes, tax credits of almost A$11,000 to electrify their cars, and billions more to establish a “green bank”, target agricultural emissions and help disadvantaged communities.

Even better, these billions in public money will crowd in private investment, accelerating the speed at which the US economy can decarbonise.

What should Australia take from this?

There are several lessons for Australia.

The first is legislating a target as Labor has done is a start, but only a start. The world is set for a clean energy race, given China is also investing huge amounts in clean energy while European nations are trying to wean themselves off Russian gas.

The Albanese government should follow the US with historic investments in clean energy, using renewable jobs as an incentive. Key features of the US bill aim to turbocharge local clean energy manufacturing, such as requiring battery components be made in the US. As it stands, America’s geopolitical rival China has cornered the market in many areas of clean tech, such as solar panels.

Second, fossil fuel industries will fight tooth and nail against change. Manchin has received more money from the oil and gas industry than any other member of Congress – and has personal interests in coal. His interventions mean the bill has rewards for the oil and gas industries, such as requiring the federal government to auction new offshore oil and gas leases. There is likely more devil in the detail.

For decades, fossil fuel industries have had an outsized influence on climate policy in Australia. It’s folly to think they’ll just give up. This week we found out the car industry has already launched a secret PR campaign to slow electric vehicle uptake.

protest climate — Protestors and people involved in climate movements have kept the pressure up during periods of political inaction.
Markus Spiske/Unsplash, CC BY

Against these entrenched interests stand the growing throngs of people involved in climate movements. This is what has kept climate politics moving. Countless Americans, from political activists to schoolkids, mobilised to pressure Congress to act.

The same has happened here. Arid and sparsely populated Australia is already being hit by intensifying natural disasters. As the May election result showed, people have had enough of political delays and inaction.

We must keep moving. Climate science does not stand still, and neither should the politics.

Christian Downie receives funding from the Australian Research Council

– ref. The US has finally passed a huge climate bill. Australia needs to keep up – https://theconversation.com/the-us-has-finally-passed-a-huge-climate-bill-australia-needs-to-keep-up-188525

Ice shelves hold back Antarctica’s glaciers from adding to sea levels – but they’re crumbling

By The Conversation -

August 11, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Fraser, Senior Researcher in Antarctic Remote Sensing, University of Tasmania

As Antarctica’s slow rivers of ice hit the sea, they float, forming ice shelves. These shelves extend the glaciers into the ocean until they calve into icebergs.

But they also play a crucial role in maintaining the world as we know it, by acting as a brake on how fast the glaciers can flow into the ocean. If they weren’t there, the glaciers would flow faster into the sea and melt, causing sea levels to rise.
Unfortunately, Antarctica’s ice shelves are not what they were. In research published today in Nature, we show these ice shelves have significantly reduced in area over the last 25 years due to more and more icebergs breaking off. Overall, the net loss of ice is about 6,000 billion tonnes since 1997.

Previous estimates of ice shelf loss come from satellite measurements, which captured ice shelves gradually thinning in recent years. We tracked how much extra ice had been lost as icebergs calve away from the retreating edge of the continent. We found Antarctica’s ice shelves have lost twice as much mass as previous studies suggested.

Ice shelves are now weaker than at any time since at least the 1990s. This has led Antarctica’s glaciers to begin adding more water to the oceans, and more quickly. To date, much of the concern about the cryosphere – the world’s frozen parts – has focused on the fast-melting Arctic sea ice. But as climate change intensifies, Antarctica will begin melting in earnest, contributing more to sea level rise.

east antarctic glacier — Sørsdal Glacier in East Antarctica, where meltwater lakes have been appearing.
Sarah Thompson, Author provided

What we measured

We built numerical models to figure out what ice shelf thinning and loss of area mean for the ability of ice shelves to resist new ice being pushed in from upstream glaciers.

Our work shows the drop in ice shelf area has led to more ice flowing into the sea since 2007, as calving has weakened ice shelves and allowed some of the world’s largest glaciers to accelerate.

We found the Pine Island Glacier and the so-called “Doomsday” Thwaites Glacier – which could destabilise the entire West Antarctic ice sheet if it melts – are highly sensitive to calving, and are already increasing their contribution to sea level rise as their protective ice shelves crumbled.

Iceberg calving is a natural process. In any climate, we expect to see massive flat-top icebergs periodically break off and float away. So while no single calving event should be taken as cause for alarm, the long term trend is concerning. We found a majority of Antarctica’s ice shelves have lost mass since the late 1990s.

Why are Antarctic ice shelves shrinking? There’s no single answer. Some ice shelves such as the Wilkins Ice Shelf have already seen catastrophic disintegration, while others are retreating slowly and some are even advancing. But overall, these ice shelves are shrinking.

We know one cause of ice shelf retreat is the thinning of ice shelves, which is largely caused by relatively warm seawater eroding the base of these shelves.

We also know iceberg calving increases whenever Antarctica’s protective ring of sea ice weakens. This year, Antarctica saw the lowest sea ice extent ever recorded since measurements began in the 1970s. We’ve also seen entire ice shelves collapse when warmer air temperatures create surface meltwater that can cut through hundreds of metres of ice shelf.

Four giant ice shelves are still in good shape

Antarctica’s four largest ice shelves are the Ross, Ronne, Filchner, and Amery. These vast floating sheets of ice tend to calve off giant icebergs once every few decades.

All four are on track for major calving events in the next 10 to 15 years, and none would normally be cause for alarm. The problem is calving will come on top of steady ice shelf loss. When the major ice shelves do calve off huge icebergs, they will leave the Antarctic Ice Sheet smaller than we’ve ever seen it.

Enormous tabular icebergs like this one are often formed by calving from ice shelves. This iceberg near the coast of West Antarctica is seen from a window of a NASA Operation IceBridge airplane in 2016.
Getty

But while we’re not yet seeing any abnormal behaviour in these four major ice shelves, the overlooked losses from all the smaller ice shelves fringing the continent are adding up. Earlier this year, one smaller ice shelf collapsed entirely.

The most troubling changes of the past few decades are less photogenic than sudden ice shelf collapse. Bit-by-bit, West Antarctica’s Thwaites ice shelf has retreated.

Each calving event has left the ice shelf weaker and allowed the Thwaites Glacier behind it – the size of the state of Victoria – to flow faster into the ocean. While the Thwaites ice shelf is relatively small, it is vital. Until now, it has acted like a plug. If it keeps retreating, it could potentially destabilise the entire West Antarctic ice sheet and unlock several metres of sea level rise.

Climate change is the big picture

Our warming atmosphere and ocean are the root cause. Given the long lag time between greenhouse gases trapping heat and actual warming, it stands to reason that what we’re seeing in Antarctica right now is at least partly a response to warming gases dumped into the atmosphere decades or even a century ago. That means we’re already locked into more ice shelf retreat, as emissions have continued rising.

Antarctica holds around 30 million cubic kilometres of ice, a truly enormous figure. That represents around 90% of the world’s surface fresh water. If it all melted, seas would rise almost 60 metres. Humanity’s decisions will shape what Antarctica will look like in decades to come, and how much ice will remain.

Alexander Fraser receives funding from the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership and the Australian Research Council.

Chad Greene receives funding from NASA.

– ref. Ice shelves hold back Antarctica’s glaciers from adding to sea levels – but they’re crumbling – https://theconversation.com/ice-shelves-hold-back-antarcticas-glaciers-from-adding-to-sea-levels-but-theyre-crumbling-185509

Disco ain’t dead: how Beyoncé resurrected dance music and its queer history for Renaissance

By The Conversation -

August 11, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Burton, Lecturer, Theatre, University of Southern Queensland

If you felt the world stop turning for a moment in July, it’s because Beyoncé dropped her new album, Renaissance.

Rolling Stone has described her as the world’s “greatest living entertainer”, with a stardom that intersects fashion, dance, multiple genres of music and visual albums.

Renaissance is her seventh solo studio album, and her first in five years. It is being widely acclaimed as an “immaculate” dance record.

Part of Beyoncé’s continued success involves her sampling from a diverse range of artists across history to layer and create new meaning. She has done this repeatedly as a way of showcasing African artists, and on Renaissance she pays special tribute to house and disco music, and especially it’s queer history.

In fact, the entire album is dedicated to her late gay Uncle Johnny. “He was my godmother and the first person to expose me to a lot of the music and culture that serve as inspiration for this album,” Beyonce wrote.

Thank you to all the pioneers who originate culture, to all of the fallen angels whose contributions have gone unrecognised for far too long.

The first single from the album, Break My Soul, features two key samples and songwriting credits. The first is New Orleans artist Big Freedia, previously featured on Beyoncé’s 2016 Formation. The second is from Show Me Love by Robin S., a song that typifies the house genre that grew from the 80s and became mainstream in the 90s.

The use of house music throughout the album, and her sampling of queer artists such as Big Freedia, points to a queer history of disco and house music that was once controversial enough to cause public riots.

The day they killed disco

On a warm night in July 1979, disco was murdered.

Referred to as “Disco Demolition Night”, 50,000 people showed up to a baseball park in Chicago to watch a crate of disco records be blown up. In the aftermath, the crowd rushed onto the field. A riot followed in which over 30 people were arrested and many were injured.

Disco had grown in popularity across the 1970s reaching its apex with the release of Saturday Night Fever in 1977. A concentrated rebellion against the genre grew in popularity among rock music fans, who felt the genre was too fixated on mechanical sounds that lacked authenticity.

Rock fans genuinely feared they would lose out to disco, but it is difficult to separate their fears from racism and homophobia.

John Travolta’s starring role in Saturday Night Fever in 1977 presented a different version of masculinity, concerned with fashion and dancing. Acts such as The Village People did little to ease fears of the death of rock and roll. The gradual rise in gay and queer visibility in New York and San Francisco, particularly in music clubs, were also seen as a threat.

Critics have since identified the anti-disco movement as almost completely populated by white men between 18-37. The leader of the movement was radio DJ Steve Dahl and in the weeks leading up to the explosive protest, Dahl and press agencies covering the movement conflated disco with R&B and funk music, and with gay men.

Disco Demolition Night was the climax of a protest years in the making. To a certain extent, it was successful in its desire to kill disco. In the years that followed, disco disappeared off the charts and glam-rock began to take its place.

The artists and audiences who adored disco were forced underground, particularly the queer community, and such was the birth of house music.

Don’t stop the beat

As disco declined in popularity, artists were no longer able to afford the lush sounds of a full orchestral backing, forcing a reliance on cheaper, synthetic sounds. Disco clubs moved to literal warehouses, giving house music its name.

House music, like disco, is dance music for clubs. It focuses on mechanical sounds, fixed tempos and repetitive sounds. By the 1990s, thanks to hits like Show Me Love by Robin S., house music became mainstream, and was used by Cher, Madonna, Kylie Minogue and even Aqua’s quintessential 90s pop hit Barbie Girl.

In recent years, disco has seen a steady re-emergence, spearheaded by producers such as Pharrell, who collaborated with Daft Punk for the 2013 hit Lose Yourself to Dance. Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia (2020) was a finely crafted, album length tribute to disco music.

Beyoncé’s new album also features a pantheon of other queer artists (Ts Madison, Honey Dijon, Syd, Moi Renee, MikeQ and Kevin Aviance), and is deliberately designed to be played in dance clubs. In contrast to her other albums, each track blends seamlessly into the next, as if the entire album is an elongated DJ set.

Beyoncé has been particularly open about the release of an acapella and instrumental versions of Break My Soul for use by DJs who may remix the work. She has even released a new remix of the single featuring Madonna.

Beyoncé’s Renaissance may secure 2022 as the year disco and house fulfilled their resurrection. Lizzo’s new album, Special, features About Damn Time, a retro-disco dance hit that is currently sitting at the top of America’s Billboard charts.

These female artists follow a trend already set by Cher, Madonna and Kylie Minogue, who publicly ally themselves with the queer community and deliberate create dance albums for their dedicated audience. In doing so, they have become the biggest pop stars of their time.

David Burton 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. Disco ain’t dead: how Beyoncé resurrected dance music and its queer history for Renaissance – https://theconversation.com/disco-aint-dead-how-beyonce-resurrected-dance-music-and-its-queer-history-for-renaissance-188431

Amnesty, Civicus condemn Fiji spelling mistake contempt lawsuit as ‘violation’

By Asia Pacific Report -

August 10, 2022

Pacific Media Watch newsdesk

Amnesty International and Civicus have called on the Fiji government to drop contempt of court charges against a lawyer in Fiji for exercising his right to freedom of expression.

On 27 June 2022, Fiji’s Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum filed charges for contempt of court against senior lawyer and former journalist Richard Naidu for highlighting on social media an error in a court judgment where the word “injection” was used instead of “injunction’.

Amnesty International and Civicus said in a statement the charges were an “excessive and politically motivated response” to pointing out a spelling error in a court judgment and they violated the right to freedom of expression.

The Attorney-General acknowledged that the error pointed out by Richard Naidu was indeed a spelling mistake. He went on to claim that Richard Naidu’s post was malicious and invited others to mock the judiciary, referencing the comments and responses from others on social media.

Amnesty International and Civicus said they opposed the use of contempt of court or similar accusations used by the authorities deemed to amount to “scandalising the court” because this notion was inherently vague, and incompatible with the right to freedom of expression.

They were also not necessary for legitimate public interests (including the orderly proceedings of a court or the judicial process).

This type of contempt of court accusation was also subject to misuse, with penalties including large fines and imprisonment, the statement said.

Freedom of expression protected
“Under international human rights law and standards, the right to freedom of expression is protected. This right includes being allowed to make comments that may be regarded as critical, or even deeply offensive of government institutions, including the judiciary,” the statement said.

“Any restrictions on this right, including the threat of prosecution and punishment for ‘contempt of court’, must therefore be clearly provided for by law, and demonstrably necessary and proportionate for the purpose of protecting specified and legitimate public interests or the rights or reputations of others.

“In its General Comment on Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which provides for freedom of expression, the Human Rights Committee, the UN body charged with overseeing the implementation of the Covenant by its member states, explains that:

“Contempt of court proceedings relating to forms of expression may be tested against the public order (ordre public) ground. In order to comply with paragraph 3, [providing for restrictions on this right] such proceedings and the penalty imposed must be shown to be warranted in the exercise of a court’s power to maintain orderly proceedings. Such proceedings should not in any way be used to restrict the legitimate exercise of defence rights.”

“The maintenance of orderly proceedings” included the protection of the rights of the accused and responding to acts which amount to obstruction of, and interference with, the judicial process, the joint statement said.

“Such powers must not be exercised in a manner that restricts the right to freedom of expression beyond those restrictions provided for in international human rights law.

‘Manifestly disproportionate’
“Pursuing a lawyer with legal punishment for pointing out accurately a spelling mistake in a public court judgment on social media is manifestly disproportionate and a violation of his right to exercise his freedom of expression. It could also be seen as an act of intimidation or harassment.”

Fiji’s civic space rating remained “obstructed”, according to the Civicus Monitor, a research tool the NGO uses to track the state of civil society and civic freedoms in 196 countries.

This was the most recent in a string of cases where legal proceedings have been abused to silence journalists, non-governmental organisations, political opponents, and lawyers.

Naidu faces hefty fines and possible imprisonment should he be convicted of the offences.

Other laws used to stifle freedoms include sedition provisions in the Crimes Act as well as the Public Order (Amendment) Act 2014 that have been used to target journalists, activists and government critics, while other sections of the Public Order Act have been used to arbitrarily restrict peaceful protests.

The Fijian government has resisted calls to allow the UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers to visit and assess the situation since 2009 when major judicial reforms were implemented.

“The recent contempt charge undermines the independence of lawyers and the legal profession and will have a chilling effect on freedom of expression,” said the statement.

“This is contrary to the government’s duty to ensure that lawyers are able to perform their professional duties, which include scrutiny of courts, safely and without any threat, intimidation or harassment.

Amnesty International and Civicus call on the Fiji authorities to:

Immediately drop contempt of court charges issued on 27 June 2022 against Richard Naidu;
Refrain from prosecutions of lawyers, journalists and non-governmental organizations solely for the peaceful expression of opinions online or in any other medium;
Publicly commit to upholding the right to freedom of expression, which includes the right to be critical, consistent with international human rights laws and standards and Fiji’s Constitution; and
Invite the UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers to visit Fiji and fully co-operate with their visit.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Is Tauranga headed towards yet another by-election?

By Bryce Edwards -

August 10, 2022

Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards.

Political Roundup: Is Tauranga headed towards yet another by-election?

If National causes yet another by-election to be held in Tauranga, not only will it cost the taxpayers another unnecessary $1m for the taxpayers after Simon Bridges called it quits earlier in the year, but National will also pay a big price in terms of its reputation and integrity.

A by-election is definitely on the cards, now that more damaging revelations about National’s new MP Sam Uffindell have come to light. National’s leader is now distancing himself from his MP, saying: “We’ve had an MP involved in completely unacceptable and unlawful behaviour.”

Although there is further investigation taking place, it’s hard to see how Luxon will be able to welcome Uffindell back fully after this. Even if Uffindell is cleared of further allegations, and if no more dirt comes out on him – which is looking increasingly unlikely – National will want to be free of him as quickly as possible. And if that means Uffindell has to resign, then National will make it happen. They will then try to make a virtue of not putting up with low standards (even if that’s exactly what has happened).

New damning revelations

Uffindell gave a good performance yesterday in the media, looking contrite and promising that there were no further skeletons in his closet. But the same day his caucus were made aware that new allegations were being made about Uffindell’s past behaviour.

These were aired this morning on RNZ, with a former flatmate coming forward with her story of flatting with Uffindell at the University of Otago in 2003. She paints a picture of Uffindell as an aggressive bully, whose threatening behaviour forced her flee from the flat.

According to the anonymous source, Uffindell’s behaviour that year showed a pattern of bullying, leading to one night in which she had to lock herself in her room and eventually escape through her window. She claims “He was smashing on my door and yelling obscenities and basically telling me to get out – ‘hit the road, fatty’.”

The witnesses’ father says he had to come and collect her the next day, claiming: “The flat itself was completely trashed. There wasn’t a stick of furniture left. There was no crockery left. There were no handles left on anything. It had all been broken… It was clear… [Uffindell] had real issues, real problems… he was out of control.”

The women claims that Uffindell took “excessive” alcohol and drugs and would trash the flat. Uffindell has responded with the explanation that in this second-year flat, “a number of flatmates fell out”, and that the bullying allegations “simply did not happen”. He admits he “enjoyed a student lifestyle” with drugs and alcohol.

The National Party has also confirmed today a further story that Uffindell had been suspended from a second private boarding school, St Paul’s, having broken rules prohibiting leaving the property, to go to a party.

National suspends Uffindell; Luxon throws him under the bus

National’s orientation towards Uffindell has quickly shifted. Last night at 11:20pm, Luxon announced that he was suspending the MP, and had commissioned independent QC Maria Dew to carry out a two-week investigation into Uffindell.

Luxon is now talking very critically about the alleged incidents and his MP. He says the allegations are “serious and concerning”, and “I can tell you as a father, my daughter flatting, I’d want them to be properly investigated”.

Luxon is also having trouble explaining if Uffindell has his support. His reply on TV today was: “We’ll find out in the next few weeks.”

Uffindell’s political future is bleak

Writing about what happens now, broadcaster Rachel Smalley says: “Sam Uffindell, I think, has hit the end of the road with his political career. Where there’s smoke there can be fire. When the smoke rings keep coming — that indicates the emergence of a pattern of behaviour, however long ago. And that, in the lead-up to an election becomes a major distraction.”

Smalley also thinks a by-election is likely, and will be damaging for National: “That’s expensive, the good people of Tauranga will be fatigued, and depending on how well National manages the narrative around this, you could see something of a protest vote — perhaps a shift towards act in the blue safe seat.”

RNZ’s Tim Watkin is similarly pessimistic about Uffindell’s chances of recovering from this and writes today about why his political career is over if the latest allegations are verified: “He had categorically told the public the Kings assault was the whole story and it had changed him. If his violent behaviour extended beyond high school, then he’s misled the public and his party; it’s hard to see him surviving that. Especially given National’s struggle with badly behaving MPs in recent years and its need to put to bed the public perception of a party that doesn’t practice the values it preaches.”

Even if somehow Uffindel survives the growing calls for him to resign, he will probably be told not to bother submitting his nomination as National’s candidate for the general election. Like Todd Barclay, he might just have to wait out his time in disgrace, disappearing from public view.

Who else is being damaged by the Uffindell scandal?

The bigger threat from this scandal is to the National Party itself. As Rachel Smalley writes today, “it speaks to a fundamental lack of rigour in National’s appointment process. How do they vet their candidates? How in-depth is the vetting process? The reference checks? The character checks?”

The party had been doing well to recover from a few years of disastrous candidate selections, and has been trying to convince the public that it has turned a corner. The Uffindell revelations completely undermine this message.

Tim Watkin has a list of National Party figures who have some explaining to do: “The party has to answer why then-party president Peter Goodfellow and current MP Todd McClay knew of the assault and said and did nothing. And why they didn’t tell party leader Christopher Luxon. Not telling the leader provides him with plausible deniability, but is that good enough?”

McClay is certainly now in the firing line – he was involved in Uffindell’s selection, and then ran his by-election campaign. He’s claiming that the selection panel took the admission of assault very seriously, but concluded that Uffindell was reformed. As to why McClay didn’t advise Uffindell to come clean in the campaign, he simply says: “During the campaign, we were very, very focused on the various things that were coming up.” As to Luxon being left in the dark about the. Issue, McClay reported feels “it was not his role as campaign chairman to talk directly to the leader about things that happened in the selection process.”

Luxon might well feel aggrieved about not being informed. As today’s Herald editorial says, “Those who decided to sit on this cut their leader off at the knees.”

Other officials in the National Party will also need to account for the lack of transparency. For example, newly-appointed party president, Sylvia Wood, was on the pre-selection panel, and with a background in HR surely should have known that this needed to be properly dealt with.

And National delegates who chose Uffindell for Tauranga without knowing about his past will be less than impressed.

Is National the party of law and order, or of privilege?

This scandal undermines National’s attempt to establish itself as the party of law and order. The whole scandal might also reiterate to voters the notion that the party is made up of privileged “toffs”.

Writing about Uffindell’s boarding school expulsion, Stuff’s political editor Luke Malpass explains the problem: “What will grate with many people, however, is not so much the fact that he got a second chance, but the inequality of second chances. The offending occurred in an exclusive institution, a controlled environment and the main life consequence was being forced to leave a school that Uffindel said that enjoyed. Another boy, in different economic circumstance who committed something similar on the street could well have faced very different consequences. That disparity isn’t Uffindell’s fault, but it does hit a political vulnerability for National – that it’s the party of the privileged.”

Similarly, Tim Watkin writes today: “Voters will now be asking whether that ‘tough on crime’ approach is merely for poorer, browner members of society or whether it extends to members of their own caucus.”

Certainly, when it comes to National’s campaigns on crime, their MPs might now be much less inclined to call Labour “soft on crime”. And any focus on out-of-control youth offenders will be easily mocked by opponents.

2020 was a very big year for scandals in politics, with many resignations and revelations involving all the political parties in Parliament. Then things calmed down somewhat. But as has been pointed out by others, Sam Uffindell was a new MP for roughly 185 hours before being suspending by his own party. The Herald’s Thomas Coughlan has asked if this is a new record. It will certainly be a record if Tauranga faces a second by-election within just a few months.

Further reading on Sam Uffindell and National

Craig McCulloch (RNZ): National MP Sam Uffindell stood down from caucus while more allegations investigated
Rachel Smalley (Today FM): Uffindell’s exit looks inevitable
RNZ: Uffindell allegations taken ‘seriously’ – Luxon awaiting investigation results
Herald: National MP Sam Uffindell stood down from caucus while more allegations investigated
Tim Watkin (Pundit): Bullying’s long shadow is cast across Sam Uffindell and the National Party
Liam Hehir (Blue Review): Dear National Party delegates…
Claire Trevett (Herald): A blind-sided Christopher Luxon chucks Sam Uffindell to the wolves to save him (paywalled)
Ryan Anderson (Stuff): National MP Sam Uffindell stood down after more allegations surface
Herald: Editorial: National Party leader Christopher Luxon left waiting for a break (paywalled)
Luke Malpass (Stuff): Sam Uffindell revelations come at bad time for National
Megan Wilson (Herald): Todd McClay: National panel that picked Sam Uffindell took assault admission ‘very seriously’ (paywalled)
Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Uffindell affair sparks more questions about National judgment
Ella Stewart (RNZ): Uffindell and the era of boarding school bullies
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Sam Uffindell allegations: Potential MP change would spell disaster for National, political commentator says
Liz Gordon: Brothers in arms
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): National Party leader Christopher Luxon on whether he trusts Sam Uffindell after latest allegations: ‘I have up until last night’
Megan Wilson, Kiri Gillespie and Zizi Sparks (Herald): Winston Peters’ sympathy for Sam Uffindell – and what Tauranga voters say about revelations of MP’s past
Whatitiri Te Wake (Māori TV): Uffindell remorseful but political commentator calls out ‘white privilege’
William Hewett (Newshub): Sam Uffindell: Mental Health Foundation says important to remember bullies can change amid Nat MP scandal
1News: New allegations against Uffindell ‘serious and concerning’ – Luxon
Ireland Hendry-Tennent (Newshub): National’s previous scandals under scrutiny after Sam Uffindell admits to violently assaulting boy at school
John MacDonald (Herald): The MP putting the bull in bullying
Oscar Jackson (Today FM): National’s Sam Uffindell uncertain of future as Tauranga MP following high-school assault story
Gordon Campbell: On Sam Uffindell’s sorry excuse for an apology
Martyn Bradbury (Daily Blog): Uffindell gets the Santamaria
Adam Pearse (Herald): Sam Uffindell scandal proves selection process must change – Luxon

NDIS participants are left waiting for too long in hospital beds due to bureaucratic delays

By The Conversation -

August 10, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Di Winkler, Adjunct Associate Professor, La Trobe University

Eighteen months ago, a Melbourne woman named Leila had a stroke and went to a local hospital. After medical support over a few weeks, Leila was ready to be discharged from the hospital, but required some specialist support due to her disability.

Three weeks ago Leila finally left hospital care. After nearly 18 months in limbo, left lying in a hospital bed, Leila can finally get on with her life.

Unfortunately Leila’s story is not unique. More than 1,430 people with disability are waiting 160 days to be discharged from hospitals around Australia. To those of us who work in this sector it is not surprising.

NDIS Participant Leila & her sister Helen interviewed by Dr George Taleporos on Reasonable & Necessary podcast.

Once segregated

For decades we housed people with disability in segregated accommodation and institutions. Shut away where they couldn’t be seen or heard, abuse was rife and positive life outcomes for residents were rare. At best it was a case of “out of sight, out of mind”. At worst, it revealed something more sinister about the way we viewed disability.

Thankfully, as a society we have come a long way. The advent of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) brought disability into the spotlight. At the recent federal election, it attracted renewed political focus.

And yet, people with disability remain stuck in hospital for months or years after they are ready to be discharged. There is no practical reason for this and it doesn’t save costs. In fact, it is twice as expensive to accommodate NDIS participants in hospital compared to disability housing.

Timely discharge is evidence-based

The issue is not that we don’t know what to do. There is clear evidence for ways to support the timely discharge of NDIS participants to age-appropriate housing.

And the issue is not the availability of housing. The NDIS has its world leading Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) policy, which provides housing for participants with high needs. Right now, there are more than 3,000 vacancies in SDA around Australia including more than 1,000 new, purpose built homes.

However the SDA market is being held back by the very people responsible for “stewarding” the market. The principles that underpin the SDA policy and the entire NDIS are insurance principles. Improved outcomes and reduced costs require investment in innovation, housing that is fit for purpose and service redesign.

There are 3,000 vacancies in disability housing and 1,430 NDIS participants stuck in hospital because the bureaucratic process of securing adequate NDIA funding for housing and support is complex and takes many months or years.

Instead, the focus of the NDIA appears to be on reducing short-term up-front costs. This means slow and inaccurate decisions that affect NDIS participants.

The NDIS appears to be creating friction as a way of containing scheme costs but there is an urgent need to make faster decisions for NDIS participants stuck in hospital or at risk of admission to aged care.

The Summer Foundation’s recent financial modelling shows well-designed housing is part of the solution to the NDIS’s sustainability issues and the growing cost of support in traditional disability housing.

Slowly, way too slowly

The main barrier to discharge is NDIA bureaucracy. The number one reason NDIS participants are stuck in hospitals is that they are waiting for the NDIS to process paperwork.

The NDIA promised both NDIS participants and providers to streamline funding decisions. However, independent data shows the NDIA has become slower in making SDA decisions over the past 18 months.

Median days people with disability waited for an NDIA decision about funding for housing payments.
Housing Hub administrative data, Author provided

NDIS participants take months or years to navigate the process of requesting specialist housing and then appealing unfair decisions, the majority of which are overturned. Many NDIS participants give up and lose hope along the way. The resources spent on legal costs are another extraordinary waste of taxpayers money.

A better approach

There are three steps the NDIA could quickly take to address this issue.

One, make faster decisions on housing and support for people stuck in hospitals. Two, make the best use of the thousands of vacant specialist disability dwellings. And three, invest in providing better support for hospitals to enable timely discharge.

The human cost of remaining in hospital for months or years is dire for everyone involved. NDIS participants lose the gains made in rehabilitation as well as condition, skills, confidence and social connections. NDIS participants are also at risk of COVID and other illnesses in hospital.

Promises have been made and there is goodwill evident from Disability Minister Bill Shorten, his colleagues around the country and every hospital we have worked with. But now it’s time the NDIS stepped up and delivered. Those stuck in hospital have already waited long enough.

Thousands of people with disabilities are waiting in hospital or aged care for the support they are entitled to.

Di Winkler is the CEO and Founder of the Summer Foundation and a board member of Summer Housing.

– ref. NDIS participants are left waiting for too long in hospital beds due to bureaucratic delays – https://theconversation.com/ndis-participants-are-left-waiting-for-too-long-in-hospital-beds-due-to-bureaucratic-delays-188439

LIVE@Midday Thurs Buchanan + Manning: The Path Ahead For Taiwan China Asia Pacific Nations and the USA

By Selwyn Manning -

August 10, 2022

A View from Afar – In this podcast, political scientist Paul Buchanan and Selwyn Manning will analyse hostilities and the pathway ahead for Taiwan, China, Asia Pacific nations and the United States of America.

Buchanan and Manning will examine why hostilities have intensified, what defence and pre-emptive security moves have been actioned, and what we all should expect next including the ramifications impacting on Asia Pacific nations’ foreign policies and what the short, medium and long term consequences will be.

The Questions:

What to expect from a deterioration of China / Taiwan relations?

What’s next in the PRC Taiwan stand-off?

What impact will PRC Taiwan hostilities have on the foreign policy positions of Asia Pacific nations?

And is the USA’s Indo-Pacific security/defence realignment a help or a hindrance in the region?

Join Paul and Selwyn for this LIVE recording of this podcast while they consider these big issues, and remember any comments you make while live can be included in this programme.

You can comment on this debate by clicking on one of these social media channels and interacting in the social media’s comment area. Here are the links:

If you miss the LIVE Episode, you can see it as video-on-demand, and earlier episodes too, by checking out EveningReport.nz or, subscribe to the Evening Report podcast here.

The MIL Network’s podcast A View from Afar was Nominated as a Top Defence Security Podcast by Threat.Technology – a London-based cyber security news publication.

Threat.Technology placed A View from Afar at 9th in its 20 Best Defence Security Podcasts of 2021 category. You can follow A View from Afar via our affiliate syndicators.

***

What’s causing Australia’s egg shortage? A shift to free-range and short winter days

By The Conversation -

August 10, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Flavio Macau, Associate Dean – School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University

Australia is experiencing a national egg shortage. Prices are rising and supermarket stocks are patchy. Some cafes are reportedly serving breakfast with one egg instead of two. Supermarket giant Coles has reverted to COVID-19 conditions with a two-carton limit.

We became used to grocery shortages throughout the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021. These were due to changes in buying patterns, stockpiling and panic-buying. Eggs were temporarily part of this, along with flour, as people at home got baking.

But with lockdowns long past, what’s causing this egg shortage now?

News reports have quoted eggs producers blaming, at least in part, pandemic restrictions – because they reduced their laying flocks due to lower demand from restaurants and cafes.

That was the case in countries such as India, where misinformation about poultry being a source of COVID-19 led to a sharp decline in demand. But in Australia, an initial 30% drop from hospitality was compensated by a growth in retail sales.

What changed during that time was the way people got their eggs. Food delivery, food boxes and home cooking exploded for a time.

More fundamentally, this shortage reflects a long-term trend in egg-buying preferences, with a shift to free-range eggs, whose production is more affected by the colder, shorter days of winter.

Shifting to free-range eggs

Australians consume about 17 million eggs every day. In the 2020-21 financial year, egg farmers produced about 6.3 billion eggs. Of those, 52% were free-range. This compares to about 38% a decade ago.

This growth, however, has not been consistent. Between 2012 and 2017, free-range eggs’ share of the market grew about 10 percentage points, to about 48%. Growth in the past five years has been half that.

But with more rapid growth predicted, and the promise of higher profits, many egg farmers invested heavily in increasing free-range production. In New South Wales, for example, total flock size peaked in 2017-18.

Like many agricultural industries where farmers respond to price signals and predictions, this led to overproduction, leading to lower prices and profits. This in turn led to a 10% drop in egg production the next year.

Compliance costs also increased. In 2018 the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission introduced rules to police the marketing of eggs as “free-range”.

These rules mean hens need to have “meaningful and regular access” to an outdoor range during the daylight hours of their laying cycle (with a maximum density of 10,000 hens per hectare).

Australia's consumer watchdog introduced free-range egg standards in 2018. — Australia’s consumer watchdog introduced free-range egg standards in 2018.
Shutterstock

This experience has likely influenced farmers’ reticence to increase their flocks based on predictions of higher demand.

Winter affects free-range production

Producing free-range eggs is more expensive not just because it requires more land. Free-range hens are less consistent layers.

Hens kept in cages or barns are more regular producers because conditions are optimised to stimulate laying. Temperatures are constant, and hens are exposed to 16 hours of light every day.

Hens kept in cages or barns are more regular producers.
Yves Logghe/AP

Free-range hens are affected by hot or cold temperatures, wind and rain, and length of daylight. In winter months they have less energy and produce (on average) 20% fewer eggs than a chicken confined indoors in controlled conditions.

Pressures on farmers

The egg industry is flexible and adaptable – but the confluence of economic and environmental events in 2022 has made things difficult. Farmers will want to meet demand, but face time lags and cost pressures.

Increasing a laying flock takes about four months. An egg takes about three weeks to hatch. Under ideal conditions, chicks need another 17 weeks before they are ready to begin laying.

Any farmer who has begun this process in the past month will be producing more eggs by December. But then it will be summer, when they won’t need 20% more hens to make up for their winter slump.

Feed costs, which typically represent 60-70% of layer production costs, have been increasing along with transport, electricity and interest rates.

So farmers must be cautious if they are to stay in business. It is preferable to undersupply than go bankrupt through oversupply.

Are farmers willing to invest in increasing production in an uncertain economic environment, with interest rates and costs going up and a recession on the horizon? Probably not.

So a short-term fix seems unlikely. Weather forecasts are not favourable. The Bureau of Meterology expects a wetter August to October, with “more than double the normal chance of unusually high rainfall”. That means less daylight and more cold. Blame the negative Indian Ocean dipole, not the chickens.

Come spring, with longer days and milder temperatures, along with an agricultural visa program, things should return to “normal”.

Unless consumers are willing to pay more to ensure a constant supply in winter months, our shift to free-range eggs carries a higher likelihood of winter shortages.

We must do what we have done through every disruption in recent times: endure, adapt and prepare for the next crisis.

Flavio Macau is affiliated with the Australasian Supply Chain Institute (ASCI)

– ref. What’s causing Australia’s egg shortage? A shift to free-range and short winter days – https://theconversation.com/whats-causing-australias-egg-shortage-a-shift-to-free-range-and-short-winter-days-188433

Olivia Newton-John gave a voice to those with cancer and shifted the focus to the life of survivors

By The Conversation -

August 10, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Broom, Professor of Sociology & Director, Sydney Centre for Healthy Societies, The University of Sydney., University of Sydney

Since news of Olivia Newton-John’s death this week, many have paid tribute to her character, humble nature and cultural significance.

She also made a significant contribution to cancer survivorship and the ideal of treating the whole person, not just their disease.

Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992 and underwent a partial mastectomy and chemotherapy and breast reconstruction. Her cancer journey spanned three decades, and as she explained:

The whole experience has given me much understanding and compassion, so much so that I wanted to help others going through the same journey.

Bringing our attention to cancer

Getting the community mobilised around difficult topics like cancer can be tough. Celebrities – and their experience of illness and healing – has become one of the most powerful means for mobilising action.

Olivia Newton-John was one of the first to share her experience of breast cancer with a wide audience and her advocacy opened the door for others such as Kylie Minogue and Angelina Jolie to share theirs.

Stories like theirs have mobilised cancer screening and research, prompting reflection and normalised the experience of living with cancer.

The ‘alternative’ voices of cancer survivorship

The diverse approach Newton-John took to cancer treatment was a distinguishing part of her legacy. As she explained when establishing the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre:

I did herbal formulas, meditation and focused on a vision of complete wellness.

Explaining her “pro cannabis” stance on 60 minutes in 2019, she reflected a growing recognition of community interest in diverse approaches to pain and symptom management, and how such community views often rub up against legal and regulatory constraints. Australia only legalised medicinal cannabis in 2016, and many reservations persist among the Australian medical community.

Being open about her experience, Newton-John gave voice to things which many Australian cancer patients try, and believe in, but many in the medical community continue to push back on. In Australia, more than half of people living with cancer use alternative treatments over the course of their cancer journeys. Yet, alternative practices, including herbal products and medicinal cannabis, remain largely absent from mainstream cancer care. This risks putting mainstream medicine out of step with community beliefs.

As regularly noted, managing patient interest in “alternative” cancer care is a tricky area, but what is clear is that openness and frank discussions serve everyone best. A harm-reduction approach, which discusses and detects any dangerous side-effects or interactions, is safer than silencing what people living with cancer are doing or believe in.

Challenges to unhelpful cancer narratives

Cancer has suffered from a wide range misconceptions and misrepresentations. Ranging from ideas about cancer as a “death sentence”, or the idea that you either beat it or succumb to it. People often feel this does them a disservice.

People with cancer are so much more than a “cancer patient”, and they don’t want to be trapped in that frame. They can live well with cancer, without focusing entirely on trying to be cancer-free to the exclusion of all else. Newton-John emphasised this idea regularly.

Likewise, the expectation of “cancer heroics” is an all-consuming and regularly unhelpful cultural ideal. Sometimes “fighting” works and is needed, but in many contexts and particularly for long-term survivors, focusing on quality of life and wellness is critical.

This is likely why various alternative practices have gained traction, despite the slim evidence base for many. The world of “alternative therapies” has tended to present to the community a more person-centred approach, regardless of whether this is actually achieved by many practitioners in practice.

Towards ‘survivorship’

Cancer “survivorship”, in its broadest sense, denotes a broad focus, inclusive of the mind, body and the social life of the person living with cancer, not merely their disease, symptoms or treatment side-effects.

Even two decades ago, with the almost exclusive emphasis placed on curative cancer treatment, treatment discovery, or post curative experiences. This overly disease-centred focus tended to marginalise the many people who will continue to live on with cancer, rather than beyond it.

Person-centred approaches, in their many forms, show considerable benefit, although there continues to be a diverse set of understandings about what it actually means. The broad principle of person-centredness is that we are much more than disease and this matters throughout all aspects of care. Our care needs to be structured around our beliefs, psychological and social needs and life experiences. This may sound simple, but it is often not a central part of the picture.

While we are making progress, as Newton-John was acutely aware, there is so much more to do in this realm. Based on our most recent estimates more than one million Australians alive today are either currently living with cancer or have lived with it. Strategies which help all of us touched by cancer to live well, whether cured or not, should be the priority moving forward.

While we must be careful not to push too far in the other direction – a cruel optimism which threatens to sideline the hard, sad and often difficult experiences of cancer – a balance is needed which we have not quite reached.

Olivia Newton-John’s death will likely be difficult for some living with cancer. Important survivorship stories, when they come to a close, are difficult. So, let’s not pretend. Endings are hard, but a life well lived it also something to celebrate.

Alex Broom receives funding from the ARC.

– ref. Olivia Newton-John gave a voice to those with cancer and shifted the focus to the life of survivors – https://theconversation.com/olivia-newton-john-gave-a-voice-to-those-with-cancer-and-shifted-the-focus-to-the-life-of-survivors-188444

Who’s holding back electric cars in Australia? We’ve long known the answer – and it’s time to clear the road

By The Conversation -

August 10, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland

New analysis this week found strong fuel efficiency standards would have saved Australia A$5.9 billion in fuel costs and emissions equal to a year’s worth of domestic flights if the policy was adopted in 2015.

The finding, by think-tank the Australia Institute, puts further pressure on the new federal government to bring our fuel efficiency standards in line with Europe and other developed nations.

Unlike other comparable countries, Australia does not have fuel efficiency standards for motor vehicles. On the face of it this is puzzling; aside from lower costs for motorists and fewer emissions, the policy would also decrease our reliance on imported oil.

But opposition from vested interests – including oil refineries and the car dealership industry – has held Australia back. The onus is now on the Albanese government to enact this obvious and long overdue policy which is crucial to the electric vehicle transition.

smoke blows from tailpipe — Unlike other comparable countries, Australia does not have fuel efficiency standards for motor vehicles.
ALEXANDER RUESCHE/AP

Long road, little progress

So how would a fuel efficiency standard work?

Under a likely model, the government would set a national limit, averaged across all new cars sold, stipulating grams of CO₂ that can be emitted for each kilometre driven. This measure depends on fuel-efficiency: that is, the amount of fuel burnt per kilometre.

The limit would not apply to individual cars. Instead, each supplier of new light vehicles to Australia would have to make sure the mix of vehicles does not exceed the limit. Low-efficiency vehicles could still be sold, but car dealers would have to balance this out by selling enough high-efficiency vehicles.

Because electric vehicles don’t use fuel (or use less, in the case of hybrids), a fuel efficiency standard would give suppliers an incentive to include electric vehicles in the mix of vehicles they supply.

The prospect of fuel efficiency standards on light vehicles has regularly hit the national agenda in recent years.

In 2014, the Climate Change Authority prepared a detailed plan for a standard and estimated the likely economic savings. The plan seemed well timed. Australia has traditionally produced large, fuel-guzzling cars like the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon. At the time of the plan’s release, however, the last remaining domestic car manufacturers had just announced plans to close, removing the most likely source of political resistance.

But the Coalition government sat on the idea. It ran a string of reviews before ultimately letting the issue drop.

In 2019, then-Opposition Leader Bill Shorten pledged fuel efficiency standards, as well as a target for electric vehicles to comprise half of new car sales by 2030. But he soon ran into Scott Morrison’s jibe that Labor wanted to “end the weekend” and take away people’s utes.

Labor, of course, lost that election and Anthony Albanese dumped the fuel standards idea on becoming party leader.

two smiling men sit in car — The Coalition government failed to progress fuel efficiency standards.
William West/AAP

But what about the benefits?

A fuel efficiency standard would deliver significant benefits to Australia.

The first is economic. The report released this week is just the latest of many studies showing motorists would have been slugged far less at the bowser if our cars used fuel more efficiently.

The second benefit is tackling climate change. Transport accounts for nearly 20% of Australia’s emissions and this share is increasing.

And while lab tests suggest cars sold in Australia are becoming somewhat more efficient, real world testing shows the opposite. If we are to achieve emissions cuts consistent with the goals of the Paris agreement, cutting emissions from transport is essential.

Third, Australia is almost entirely dependent on foreign fuel. So new efficiency standards would decrease overall liquid fuel consumption, leaving us less reliant on imports.

woman fills white car with petrol — Fuel efficiency standards could have saved Australian motorists billions.
James Gourley/AAP

What’s holding us back

So why hasn’t Australia introduced this clearly beneficial policy? In short, because fuel inefficiency is deeply embedded in Australia’s automotive sector.

The strongest initial resistance to fuel efficiency standards came from the operators of refineries. Fuel-efficient cars require high-quality fuel. But Australia has long had among the dirtiest petrol in the developed world in terms of sulphur content.

Australian refiners resisted fuel efficiency standards because they said the cost of upgrading their plants would put them out of business. But the Morrison government last year funded upgrades at Australia’s last two oil refineries, removing one obstacle.

Further resistance has come from car dealers. From a dealership perspective, it’s easier to sell a car with a low sticker price even if lifetime running costs are higher.

Fuel efficiency standards, and the subsequent large-scale shift to electric vehicles, would fundamentally undermine the business model of the Australian car dealership industry. Much of its profitability comes from after-sales services required to maintain warranty protection, such as oil changes, transmission fluid and tune-ups.

None of these are needed in electric vehicles. The lifetime costs of maintaining an electric vehicle engine are about half those for a comparable internal combustion engine. At some point in their lives, an electric vehicle will require a new battery. But this will occur long after the initial sale.

Given all this, it’s not surprising the car industry is reportedly campaigning to limit any new fuel efficiency standards and delay the shift to electric vehicles.

cars and a van pause in from of sign saying 'prepare to stop' — The car industry is reportedly campaigning to limit any new fuel efficiency standards.
Dean Lewins/AAP

What now?

The Albanese government has proposed some incentives to encourage a shift towards electric vehicles. But these limited measures won’t drive the dramatic transition that is needed.

Strong fuel efficiency standards would save motorists money, cut emissions and reduce Australia’s dependence on imported fuel. Anyway you look at it, the policy makes sense.

John Quiggin was a Member of the Climate Change Authority from 2012 to 2017

– ref. Who’s holding back electric cars in Australia? We’ve long known the answer – and it’s time to clear the road – https://theconversation.com/whos-holding-back-electric-cars-in-australia-weve-long-known-the-answer-and-its-time-to-clear-the-road-188443

Olivier Newton-John gave a voice to those with cancer and shifted the focus to the life of survivors

By The Conversation -

August 10, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Broom, Professor of Sociology & Director, Sydney Centre for Healthy Societies, The University of Sydney., University of Sydney

Since news of Olivia Newton-John’s death this week, many have paid tribute to her character, humble nature and cultural significance.

She also made a significant contribution to cancer survivorship and the ideal of treating the whole person, not just their disease.

Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992 and underwent a partial mastectomy and chemotherapy and breast reconstruction. Her cancer journey spanned three decades, and as she explained:

The whole experience has given me much understanding and compassion, so much so that I wanted to help others going through the same journey.

Bringing our attention to cancer

Stories like theirs have mobilised cancer screening and research, prompting reflection and normalised the experience of living with cancer.

The ‘alternative’ voices of cancer survivorship

The diverse approach Newton-John took to cancer treatment was a distinguishing part of her legacy. As she explained when establishing the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre:

I did herbal formulas, meditation and focused on a vision of complete wellness.

Being open about her experience, Newton-John gave voice to things which many many Australian cancer patients try, and believe in, but many in the medical community continue to push back on. In Australia, more than half of people living with cancer use alternative treatments over the course of their cancer journeys. Yet, alternative practices, including herbal products and medicinal cannabis, remain largely absent from mainstream cancer care. This risks putting mainstream medicine out of step with community beliefs.

Challenges to unhelpful cancer narratives

This is likely why various alternative practices have gained traction, despite the slim evidence base for many. The world of “alternative terhapies” has tended to present to the community a more person-centred approach, regardless of whether this is actually achieved by many practitioners in practice.

Towards ‘survivorship’

Alex Broom receives funding from the ARC.

– ref. Olivier Newton-John gave a voice to those with cancer and shifted the focus to the life of survivors – https://theconversation.com/olivier-newton-john-gave-a-voice-to-those-with-cancer-and-shifted-the-focus-to-the-life-of-survivors-188444

Part of the Japanese revolution in fashion, Issey Miyake changed the way we saw, wore and made fashion

By The Conversation -

August 10, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter McNeil, Distinguished Professor of Design History, UTS, University of Technology Sydney

Throughout his career, Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake, who has died of cancer at 84, rejected terms like “fashion”.

But his work allowed much of the world to reimagine itself through clothing.

Born in Hiroshima in 1938, Miyake studied graphic design in Tokyo where he was influenced by the Japanese-American sculptor Isamu Noguchi and the black and white photography of Irving Penn.

As soon as the post-war restrictions barring Japanese nationals from travelling abroad were lifted, he headed to Paris, arriving in 1964.

There, the young designer apprenticed for eminent haute couture fashion houses Guy Laroche and Hubert de Givenchy. Such houses made expensive clothes that conformed to prevailing standards of etiquette. Miyake was to go well beyond that.

Miyake was there for the Paris student revolt of 1968 and was galvanised by the youth quake shaking all rules of society.

The ready-to-wear concept by a couturier had been launched just a few years earlier when Yves Saint Laurent created Saint Laurent Rive Gauche in late 1966.

The fashion system was changing and Miyake rose to the challenge.

Japanese fashion revolution

Miyake arrived in Paris shortly after Kenzo’s “Jungle Jap” clothes had made waves, with their bright colours and unexpected patterns based partly on Japanese artistic traditions.

The Japanese revolution in fashion was commencing.

Japanese designers including Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garçons, Yohji Yamamoto and Issey – all born in the 1930s and 40s – rose to prominence in the 70s and showed in Paris.

All questioned Eurocentric views of fashion and beauty. The Japanese designers reversed the Western focus on symmetry and tidiness and adopted aspects of Japanese aesthetic systems, such as Yamamoto’s use of black with colours such as red, purple, cerise, brown and dark blue.

Thigh high laced suede boots worn over cotton pants and woven with a quilted look are worn with a full-sleeved lamb wool jacket — An early creation by Issey Miyake presented in New York City in 1972.
AP Photo

Miyake held his first show in New York in 1971 and in Paris in 1973. He integrated technology with tradition, exploring Japanese aesthetics and the uncut, untailored garment. He also commissioned high-tech textiles that influenced fashion around the world.

Miyake’s BODY series included the famous bustiers of plastic, rattan and resin in which the female body was re-imagined as a type of armour.

In February 1982 the prominent journal Artforum photographed a Miyake bustier on its cover.

It was the first time a contemporary art journal had featured fashion.

Covering the body

Throughout his career Miyake completely re-imagined the potential of textiles.

Working with his textile director Makiko Minagawa and Japanese textile mills, he began to create the famous Pleats collections: using thermally processed polyester textiles that are not pleated before sewing (the regular practice), but manufactured much larger, and then pleated in machines.

The Rhythm Pleats collection from 1989 was inspired by the French artist Henri Rousseau: Miyake took elements of the colour palette and the strange sculptural shells surrounding women in these paintings, a good example of how his influences were always abstract and suggestive.

His very commercial collection Pleats Please was launched in 1993.

The A-POC (A Piece of Cloth) collection (in collaboration with Dai Fujiwara, 1998) revolutionised clothing design and prefigured anxieties around the unsustainability of fashion and its attendant waste. Clothes were knitted in three dimensions in a continuous tube using computerised knitting technology as a whole and from a single thread.

The garment came in a cylinder and was later cut out by the wearer – there was no waste, as leftover sections became mittens, for example.

Miyake and men

Miyake’s pneumatic collection in 1991 included knickerbocker trousers for men with plastic bladders and straws – men could inflate or deflate the clothes to suit.

It was the age of the AIDS crisis and attendant body wasting. Calvin Klein had responded with hyper-masculine underwear and hyper-masculine advertising. Miyake, on the other hand, tested the zeitgeist by suggesting we use clothes to make our bodies and appearances suit our needs.

Having worn his clothes myself for some time, I can testify for the liberation they provide. The jackets are unlined and embrace the body in unexpected ways. Sleeves might be manufactured so they create a pagoda shape on your arm and add dynamism to the body.

The colour palette is extraordinary and so different from a diet of sensible woollens or tweeds.

Computer-generated jacquard weaving creates subtle patterns only truly registered by closer looking. The textiles have an unexpected tactility next to the skin. Some of the garments are provided literally rolled in a ball. They weigh virtually nothing, meaning they liberate the traveller. Once unrolled and put on the body, they spring back to life.

There is a real sense that you, the wearer, animate these lifeless things: dressing is a performance and the clothes generate a reality that is both theatrical and practical. Although widely worn (there is a cliche all gallerists once lived in Miyake) people remain intrigued by them, wanting to touch them for themselves.

At the Issey Miyake Retrospective in Tokyo in 2016, I saw Miyake and very much wanted to go over and thank him for transforming the potential of fashion for women and men around the world, its material possibility and imaginative possibility.

I’d very much like to thank him for that now.

Peter McNeil 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. Part of the Japanese revolution in fashion, Issey Miyake changed the way we saw, wore and made fashion – https://theconversation.com/part-of-the-japanese-revolution-in-fashion-issey-miyake-changed-the-way-we-saw-wore-and-made-fashion-188523

Keith Rankin Essay – Public Health Watch: Where Does Michael Baker get his Facts from?

By Keith Rankin -

August 10, 2022

20201212_KeithRankin — Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand.

Analysis by Keith Rankin.

Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand.

This morning, RNZ played the following story: Health stats show 87 people have died in their homes from Covid-19 since March, which references New Zealand’s most media-visible expert, Dr Michael Baker. (And this on today’s Morning Report.)

Before commenting on today’s story, it is pertinent to check out a story published on 1 August 2022. Habitual mask-wearing is likely helping Japan, Singapore and South Korea bring daily Omicron deaths down, epidemiologists say. The ‘clickbait’ headline was: ‘The countries keeping Omicron deaths down have something in common and it’s very simple’.

The Covid Virtues of East Asia?

The earlier story is about the need for trusted experts to report the facts accurately, and how easily available evidence suggests that much of what these experts say appears to fall short of acceptable standards of accuracy. And it certainly points to the need by journalists to fact-check statements by accepted experts as well as statements by conspiracists.

(My account here is not about facemasks, except to note that, like just about any consumption activity, mask-wearing has diminishing benefits and increasing costs.)

The 1 August story was not written by Dr Michael Baker, New Zealand’s very own Dr Covid. But he is prominently cited, for example: ‘”I’m looking at the countries that appear, on paper, to be keeping their mortality very low – despite having lots of circulating virus, and it’s basically the Asian countries, particularly Japan, South Korea, Singapore,” he said.’

Before that, Dr Baker, in an interview with Newshub said: “Societies who are using masks are doing very well, like South Korea, Japan.” (See my Covid 2022: Sweden versus South Korea, Europe, Asia. To see just how not-well they are actually doingthis year.)

The internationally published data is very easy to access online, especially in Our World in Data and Worldometer. For the countries Michael Baker mentions, these Worldometer country pages (especially charts for ‘active cases’ and ‘daily deaths’) show the empirical truth (for the Omicron waves, look at the period from February 2022):

It’s true that the second omicron-waves were only just beginning when the article was published, but there was ample evidence that, not only had these countries suffered substantially during their first omicron-waves, but their second omicron-waves were clearly underway. (And these countries are not even in winter, when the worst waves typically occur!)

This chart put the South Korean covid deaths in context (and this, on the same scale, for the European norm); so the death impact was twice as great as the (then world-topping) published figures showed. (Excess deaths are easily available from Our World in Data; and see this in the New Zealand Herald.)

The data from Worldometer and Our World in Data directly contradict the assertions by Michael Baker about the abovementioned East Asian countries. (Another country to mention is Malaysia, which stopped reporting total deaths after September 2021, in the middle of its ‘Delta outbreak’. While Malaysia has continued to report Covid19 deaths, it is almost certain that the undercount in Malaysia is substantial and larger than it was in Singapore and Taiwan. My understanding is that Malaysia, like Singapore, is a substantial wearer of facemasks.)

When will a journalist in the traditional media confront Dr Baker on his claims on how well East Asian countries are doing? (And noting that, implicitly, he has been comparing East Asia with West Europe.)

Mediawatch Watch

RNZ’s syndicated programme Mediawatch, on 17 July 2022 made the very pertinent comment that much of the New Zealand’s traditional media has decided to play-down the whole Covid19 story, essentially because their readers (and their journalists?) are ‘over the pandemic’. And the programme also noted the somewhat inhuman way that the deaths are being downplayed.

The first irony (with respect to the topic of the story) is that, in the following week, New Zealand became the country with the highest weekly death rate in the world. The second irony is that Mediawatch itself pushes the Michael Baker narrative; a narrative which substantially downplays the state of Covid19 in East Asia in 2022.

As well as promoting Baker’s narrative, Mediawatch presents the Covid19 virus as our ‘enemy’ which “hasn’t finished with us” and may never do so.

When the dust settles, SARS-Cov2 (the present covid virus) may well turn out to have been principally the enemy of the other human coronaviruses; in other words, the Covid19 pandemic may have finally put an end to the ‘Russian Flu’, which was at its pandemic peak in the early 1890s, and which brought New Zealand’s indigenous tangata whenua to their demographic nadir. And, while Omicron-covid was in the process of becoming part of our global micro-ecosystem, along with other micropredators, it proved a devastating enemy to Delta-covid!

New Zealand’s Covid19 Deaths

On latest data, from February 2022, about 2,400 people in New Zealand have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid19, and about 1,650 have died because of Covid19.

The Ministry of Health give no details of the places these people have died, and they give no details of the percentage of hospitalised people with Covid19 who die in hospital. From the article cited at the very beginning of this essay, it would appear that fewer than 100 died at home (surprisingly few), and that the vast majority of Covid deaths – by both definitions – have occurred in hospital. (Some will have been in rest homes and in palliative care facilities.)

We should note that under the first (now unfavoured) definition, it is easy to compile timely data about where people died. Yet the Ministry of Health opted not to do so. Their preferred definition gives data that is substantially out of date, incomplete, and harder to itemise.

Reading between the lines, today’s RNZ story appears to have been the result of attempts to get information weeks ago, but frustrated by Ministry of Health stonewalling. It’s clear that the Ministry has, for its own political reasons, opted not to answer all the questions put to them. And it’s also apparent that Michael Baker, while answering questions put to him by RNZ, has been less than proactive in his critique of the Ministry of Health’s apparently political approach to the management of the covid mortality data.

Finally

The qualitative and quantitative underreporting of covid deaths in Aotearoa New Zealand remains an ongoing scandal; that includes our choosing to ‘not want to know’ the fact that New Zealand has had the world’s highest covid death rates over the last month.

The attempts (with or without intent) by both the Ministry of Health and much of New Zealand’s traditional media to suppress that knowledge, and the lack of human-interest-compassion (noted by Mediawatch) when reporting the daily press releases, is setting a future New Zealand government up to have to apologise, in much the way that the Canadian government is now apologising for the ‘brushed-under-the-carpet’ deaths of indigenous school children in what passed last century for ‘educational establishments’.

In particular, the unpublished metric of concern is the number of people who died of Covid19 contracted between four and six months after their most recent ‘booster’ vaccination. Given that a substantial majority of people who died opted to have their ‘first booster’, we can be confident that most of them would have had their second booster ahead of the widely predicted (indeed predicted by the Prime Minister) ‘winter wave’ had they been allowed to do so.

The vast majority of ‘first boosters’ took place from January to March 2022, which meant that only a very few vulnerable New Zealanders were allowed to receive their ‘second boosters’ before the school holidays which began on 9 July. My best guess is that about at least fifty percent of Covid19 deaths since May 2022 in New Zealand were of people who would have chosen to have a second booster four months after their first booster, had they been allowed.

*******

Keith Rankin (keith at rankin dot nz), trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand.

Marape continues his leadership in PNG with unanimous majority

By Asia Pacific Report -

August 10, 2022

By Gorethy Kenneth of the PNG Post-Courier in Port Moresby

In a historic first, the Papua New Guinea Parliament has installed Pangu Pati leader and Tari-Pori MP James Marape by a unanimous majority as the country’s ninth Prime Minister.

Immediately, in his address to the House and streamed live to the nation, Marape stuck to his belief in the mantra “Take Back PNG” and his vision to make every Papua New Guinean rich in the “richest black Christian nation on earth”.

While Marape was making his rambling victory speech to the nation, a rousing message filtered through that a second woman had successfully been elected to Parliament.

Kessy Sawang was declared winner of the Rai Coast seat and she joins Central Governor Rufina Peter in Parliament.

[embedded content]

Marape was elected unopposed by 97 MPs in the House which included eight opposition MPs, becoming the first Prime Minister to be voted in unopposed since 1975 — the year of independence.

Only his sworn adversary and former PM Peter O’Neill abstained from voting by walking out of the chamber before the vote was taken.

O’Neill later said it was a matter of “conscience” that forced him to walk out the chamber.

Elevated to top job
The first time Marape became Prime Minister was on May 30, 2019, when, through a serious of twists and turns — including instigating a vote of no confidence which forced O’Neill to resign as PM — Marape was elevated to the top post by a parliamentary majority of 10-8, another historic moment in PNG’s oft-times fractured Parliament.

The nine MPs of O’Neill’s People’s National Congress (PNC) party who voted for Marape were: Pomio MP Elias Kapavore, Milne Bay Governor Gordon Wesley, Alotau MP Ricky Morris, Aitape Lumi MP Anderson Mise, Ambunti Drekikir MP Johnson Wapunai, Central Governor Rufina Peter, Ijivitari MP David Arore, Kiriwina-Goodenough Douglas Tomuriesa and Kandrian Gloucester MP Joseph Lelang.

After a slight mix up of the standing orders on the person nominating a PM, East Sepik Governor Allan Bird’s nomination was superseded by Manus Governor Charlie Benjamin and seconded by Western Governor Toboi Yoto.

The PNG Post-Courier front page today 10082022 — The PNG Post-Courier front page today. Image: PNGPC screenshot APR

PNC party leader Peter O’Neill walked out of the chamber as Speaker Job Pomat read out the notice and calling for nominations for Prime Minister.

Marape said that his election was for the people and that “whatever happened yesterday, Pangu would always put the country’s interest first”.

“I seek to anchor my statement on the remarks [made on 30 May 2019]. I wanted Papua New Guinea in the next decade to be a K200 billion (NZ$90 billion) economy.

“I wanted Papua New Guinea to be the Richest Black Christian Nation on Earth. My statement recognised that our political forebears have ushered in political independence in 1975,” he said.

‘Crafted legislation’
“They crafted legislation, built institutions, wrote policies and established relationships to deliver us political independence.”

But Marape’s speech failed to hit home with ordinary Papua New Guineans, leaving the population pondering what to expect in the country reeling from high unemployment, huge law and order issues and rising prices of basic store goods.

As Pangu and its coalition hunker down to prepare their 100-day plan, Papua New Guineans are taking to social media to raise simple questions like “when will our children return safely back to school?”, “a bag of five kilograms of rice is now K20? (NZ$9)”, and “when will the minimum wage of K3.50 (NZ$1.60 an hour) be raised to correspond with the costs of living which has spiked as a result of inflation?”.

Some are venting their anger at the lack of medicines in the biggest referral hospitals in the country — including Port Moresby General Hospital, where patients have to fork out their own money to buy panadol.

Marape continued: “This generation of leaders must deliver economic independence to Papua New Guinea.

“That Pangu has secured the mandate from Papua New Guinea can only mean that our people in the length and breadth of this country support this intention.

“It is my humble privilege to address this house as the Prime Minister. In 2019, I secured the mandate to be Prime Minister on the floor of Parliament.

‘Three very hard years’
“I served for three very hard years with the support of a lot of you.

“Today, I have secured the mandate from the people of Papua New Guinea.

“They have empowered, emboldened, and mandated me and the party to lead to be in government.

“I am privileged to lead a coalition of likeminded leaders to be your government.

“The 2022 national general election brings our country to the cusp of 50 years of nationhood.

“hree years before we turn 50 years old as a nation, Pangu gets a further opportunity to deal with some fundamental issues confronting our country.

‘Fair, healthy, happy society’
“The onus and responsibility now rest on each member of Parliament to rise up to the occasion and renew our commitment to pass on a better Papua New Guinea to the next generation.

“We are consistent with the Vision 2050 on the development phases of our country to be smart, wise, fair, healthy, and a happy society by 2050.

“It aligns nicely in that we are called to deliver economic enablers to fast-track development.

“Fastrack we must, as we do not have the luxury of time to wait around for things to happen at their pace.”

Gorethy Kenneth is a senior journalist with the PNG Post-Courier. Republished with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Journalism training and development vital for better Fiji elections reporting

By Asia Pacific Report -

August 10, 2022

By Geraldine Panapasa, editor-in-chief of Wansolwara News in Suva

Addressing the training development deficit in the Fiji media industry can stem journalist attrition and improve coverage of election reporting in the country, says University of the South Pacific journalism coordinator Dr Shailendra Singh.

Speaking during last week’s launch of the National Media Reporting of the 2018 Fijian General Elections study in Suva, Dr Singh said media watch groups regarded Fiji’s controversial media law as having a “chilling effect on journalism” and “fostered a culture of media self-censorship”.

Dr Singh, who co-authored the report with Dialogue Fiji executive director Nilesh Lal, said scrapping or reforming the 2010 Media Industry Development Authority Act was crucial to “professionalising journalism”.

“The Act does nothing for training and development or journalist attrition. In fact, the Act may have exacerbated attrition,” he said.

This situation, Dr Singh said, highlighted the importance of training and development and staff retention, which were longstanding structural problems in Fiji and Pacific media.

“This underlines the role of financial viability and newsroom professional capacity in news coverage.”

He said two core media responsibilities in elections were creating a level playing field and acting as a public watchdog.

“It seems doubtful that these functions were adequately fulfilled by all media during reporting of the 2018 Fijian general elections.”

Advertising spread
Dr Singh said the research also recommended the even distribution of state advertising among media organisations as well as the allocation of public service broadcasting grants fairly among broadcasters to minimise financial incentives to report overly positively on any government.

According to the report, the FijiFirst Party received the most media coverage during the 2018 Fiji general elections and this was expected given its ruling party status.

However, variance in coverage tone and quantity appeared too high.

“The largely positive coverage of the ruling FijiFirst party could be deemed irregular. It questions certain media’s ability to hold power to account,” Dr Singh said.

“Under a stronger watchdog mandate, ruling parties face greater scrutiny, especially in election time. Instead, media coverage put challenger parties more on the defensive which is curious.”

He said challenger parties were forced to respond to allegations in news stories and were grilled more than the incumbent during debates.

“It should be other way around. In such situations the natural conclusion is journalist bias but only to a certain extent,” he said.

Direct political alignment
While the report found that certain media outlets in Fiji seemed to privilege some political parties and issues over others, distinguished political sociologist and Pacific scholar Professor Steven Ratuva said this could be due to several reasons such as direct political and ideological alignment of the media company to a political party or conscious and subconscious bias of journalists and editors.

Professor Steven Ratuva … “Bias is part of human consciousness and sometimes it is explicit and sometimes it is implicit and unconscious.” Image: University of Canterbury

“Bias is part of human consciousness and sometimes it is explicit and sometimes it is implicit and unconscious. This deeper sociological exploration is beyond the mandate of this report,” Professor Ratuva said in the foreword to the report.

“Election stories sell, especially when spiced with intrigue, scandals, mysteries, conspiracies and warring narratives.

“The more sensational the story the more sellable it is. The media can feed into election frenzies, inflame passion and at times encourage boisterous political behaviour and prejudice which can be socially destructive.

“The media can also be used as a means of sensible, intellectual and calm engagement to enlighten the ignorant and unite people across cultures, religions and political ideologies.”

He said keeping an eye on what the media did required an open, analytical and independent approach and this was what the report attempted to do.

Research findings
The research found that after FijiFirst, the larger and more established opposition parties SODELPA and NFP, were next in terms of the quantity of coverage, but were more likely to receive a lesser amount of positive coverage and at times found themselves on the defensive in responding to FijiFirst allegations, rather than being principles in the stories.

The smaller, newer parties had to content themselves with marginal news attention and this was generally consistent across four of the five national media that were surveyed — the Fiji Sun, FBC (TV and radio), Fiji Television Limited and Fiji Village.

“The only exception was The Fiji Times, whose coverage could be deemed to be comparatively less approving of the ruling party and also less critical of the challenger parties,” the report found.

“Besides comparatively extensive and favourable coverage in the Fiji Sun, FijiFirst made more appearances on the major national television stations, FBC and Fiji One, as well as on the CFL radio stations and news website.”

The report noted that even in special information programmes where news media allowed candidates extended time/space to have their say, the FijiFirst representatives enjoyed a distinct advantage over their opposition counterparts in the two national debates, with regards to the number of questions asked, the nature of the questions, and the opportunity to respond.

“When the two major opposition parties were in the media, it was often in order to respond to allegations by the ruling party, or to defend themselves against negative questions,” the report noted.

“The results could explain why the government accuses The Fiji Times of anti-government bias, and the opposition blame the Fiji Sun and FBC TV of favouring the government.”

However, there were other factors other than media/journalist bias that could be attributed to the lack of critical reporting.

“These could range from the news organisation’s and/or newsroom’s partiality towards the ruling party politicians and its policies. The reporting could also be affected by the inexperience in the national journalists corps to report the elections in a critical manner.”

This observation, the report highlighted, was supported by “issues balance” results indicating that key national issues, such as the economy, were understated.

The focus was instead on election processes, procedures and conduct. Another factor in the reporting could be news media’s financial links to the government.

Election reporting
As Fiji prepares for its next general election, Dialogue Fiji’s Nilesh Lal said it was important to put the spotlight on factors that impinged on an even electoral playing field.

“Given the importance of news media in disseminating electoral information and shaping public opinion, it can profoundly influence electoral outcomes, and therefore needs to come under scrutiny,” he said.

“There may also be imperatives to consider safeguards against the negative impacts of unequal coverage of electoral contestants through legislating as other countries, like the US, for instance, have done.

“Alternatively, media organisations can self-regulate by instituting internal guidelines for election reporting. A good example is the BBC’s Guidelines on election coverage. Another alternate could be the formation of an independent commission/committee made up of media organisation representatives and political parties representatives that can set rules and quotas for election coverage.

“For example, in the UK, a committee of broadcasters and political parties reviews the formula for allocation of broadcasting time, at every election.”

Lal said the purpose of the report was not to accuse any media organisation of having biases but rather to show that inequitable coverage of electoral contestants was a problem in Fiji that required redress at some level if “we are sincere about improving the quality of democracy in Fiji”.

He said the co-authors hoped the report would initiate some much-needed public discourse on the issue of equitable coverage of elections by media organisations.

Wansolwara is the student journalist newspaper of the University of the South Pacific. It collaborates with Asia Pacific Report, which prioritises student journalism.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

How complex is your life? Computer scientists found a way to measure it

By The Conversation -

August 10, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karlo Doroc, PhD Candidate in Decision Science, Centre for Brain, Mind and Markets, The University of Melbourne

Nobel laureate economist Richard Thaler famously quipped:

People aren’t dumb, the world is hard.

Indeed, we routinely encounter problems in our everyday lives that feel complex – from choosing the best electricity plan, to deciding how to effectively spend our money.

Australian pay hundreds of millions of dollars each year to comparison websites and consumer-focused groups such as CHOICE to help them make decisions about products and services.

But how can we objectively measure how “complex” our decisions really are? Our recently published research offers one potential way to do this, by drawing on concepts from computer and systems science.

Why bother measuring complexity?

There are several factors when it comes to measuring complexity in any scenario. For instance, there may be a number of options to choose from and each option may have several different features to consider.

Suppose you want to buy jam. This will be easy if there are only two flavours available, but difficult if there are dozens. Yet choosing an electricity plan would be much harder even with just two options.

In other words, you can’t isolate one particular factor when trying to determine the complexity of something. You have to consider the problem as a whole – and this requires a lot more work.

The ability to accurately measure complexity could have a wide range of practical applications, including informing the design of:

regulation on how complex products should be
easy to navigate digital systems including websites, apps and smart device programs
easy to understand products. These may be financial products (superannuation and insurance plans, credit card schemes), physical products (devices) or virtual products (software)
artificial intelligence (AI) that offers advice when problems are too complex for humans. For example, a scheduler AI may let you book meetings yourself, before jumping in to suggest optimal meeting times and locations based on your history.

How we study human decision-making

Computer science can help us solve problems: information goes in and one (or more) solutions come out. However, the amount of computation needed for this can vary a lot, depending on the problem.

We and our colleagues used a precise mathematical framework, called “computational complexity theory”, that quantifies how much computation is needed to solve any given problem.

The idea behind it is to measure the amount of computational resources (such as time or memory) a computer algorithm needs when problem-solving. The more time or memory it needs, the more complex the problem is.

Once this is established, problems can be categorised into “classes” based on their complexity.

In our work, we were particularly interested in how complexity (as determined through computational complexity theory) corresponds with the actual amount of effort people must put into solving certain problems.

We wanted to know whether computational complexity theory could accurately predict how much humans would struggle in a certain situation and how accurate their problem-solving would be.

Testing our hypothesis

We focused on three types of experimental tasks, for which you can see examples below. All of these task types sit within a broader class of complex problems called “NP-complete” problems.

Here are example cases for the three experimental tasks, each of which required a yes or no answer from our research participants.
Juan Pablo Franco Ulloa/Karlo Doroc/Nitin Yadav

Each task type requires a different ability to perform well in. Specifically:

“satisfiability” tasks require abstract logic
“travelling salesperson” tasks require spatial navigation skills and
“knapsack” tasks require arithmetic.

All three are ubiquitous in real life and reflect day-to-day problems such as software testing (satisfiability), planning a road trip (travelling salesperson), and shopping or investing (knapsack).

We recruited 67 people, split them into three groups, and made each group solve between 64-72 different variations of one of the three types of task.

We also used computational complexity theory and computer algorithms to figure out which tasks were “high complexity” for a computer, before comparing these with the results from our human problem solvers.

We expected – assuming computational complexity theory is congruent with how real people solve problems – that our participants would spend more time on tasks identified as being “high complexity” for a computer. We also expected lower problem-solving accuracy on these tasks.

In both cases that’s exactly what we found. On average, people did twice as well on the lowest complexity cases compared to the highest complexity cases.

Computer science can measure ‘complexity’ for humans

Our results suggest effort alone is not enough to ensure someone does well on a complex problem. Some problems will be hard no matter what – and these are the spaces in which advanced decision aids and AI can shine.

In practical terms, being able to gauge the complexity of a wide range of tasks could help provide people with the necessary support they need to tackle these tasks day-to-day.

The most important result was that our computational complexity theory-based predictions about which tasks humans would find harder were consistent across all three types of task – despite each requiring different abilities to solve.

Moreover, if we can predict how hard humans will find tasks within these three problems, then it should be able to do the same for the more than 3,000 other NP-complete problems.

These include similarly common hurdles such as task scheduling, shopping, circuit design and gameplay.

Now, to put research into practice

While our results are exciting, there’s still a long way to go. For one, our research used quick and abstract tasks in a controlled laboratory environment. These tasks can model real-life choices, but they’re not representative of actual real-life choices.

The next step is to apply similar techniques to tasks that more closely resemble real-life choices. For instance, can we use computational complexity theory to measure the complexity of choosing between different credit cards?

Progress in this space could help us unlock new ways to aid people in making better choices, every day, across various facets of life.

Karlo Doroc receives funding from a University of Melbourne Graduate Research Scholarship from the Faculty of Business and Economics, a Kinsman Scholarship, and Australian Government Research Training Program.

– ref. How complex is your life? Computer scientists found a way to measure it – https://theconversation.com/how-complex-is-your-life-computer-scientists-found-a-way-to-measure-it-187997

Southern conifers: meet this vast group of ancient trees with mysteries still unsolved

By The Conversation -

August 10, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne

When you think of “conifers”, tall, conical shaped trees often found in public parks or front yards may spring to mind. But these impressive trees are far more fascinating than you may have realised, as they represent just one piece of an unsolved botanical puzzle.

These popular garden trees are from the northern hemisphere. But we also have conifers in the southern hemisphere, called “southern conifers”, found largely in Australia, South America, New Zealand and New Caledonia.

A little detective work reveals that southern conifers evolved in Gondwana, and long ago separated from coniferous relatives in the northern hemisphere.

They appeared around 200 million years ago, before the first flowering plants evolved, sharing land with the dinosaurs. One example is the Wollemi pine, which was famously saved in a secret firefighting operation during the 2019-2020 bushfires.

Unlike the introduced conifer garden trees, southern conifers are neither as well-known nor as popular with Australians as they should be. So let me help you get to know them a little better.

These conical trees may be what spring to mind when you think of ‘conifer’
Shutterstock

Famous ‘living fossils’

Northern conifers are mostly evergreen, woody trees with needle-like leaves, while southern conifers tend to have broad leaves like flowering trees.

Trees in the genus Araucaria, including the monkey puzzle, bunya bunya, hoop pine and Norfolk Island pine, are southern conifers. As are most members of the Podocarp family (Huon pine, celery top pine and plum pine) and 22 species of Agathis (including the majestic Queensland and New Zealand Kauri trees).

Southern conifers often possess cones, such as the Araucaria and Agathis species. Sometimes, these cones are very large and heavy that can cause serious injury if they fall from high in the tree onto an unsuspecting passerby.

Some southern conifers can be over 30 metres high. Others, such as the Kauri and Huon pine, are renowned for their longevity. They can live for centuries or, for the Huon pine, perhaps over an astonishing ten millennia.

While all species of southern conifers are of ancient origin, the Wollemi pine is famous for its status as a “living fossil”. Of course, this is a contradiction in terms – a fossil is any evidence of past life.

But in this context, the term refers to organisms that appeared in the fossil record long ago, were then thought to be extinct, before a living version was discovered. We are curious as to how they successfully hid for so long and may imagine a link with a distant, different past.

Monkey Puzzle tree, *Araucaria Araucana*
Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

So, the question botanists have yet to answer is: how distant are the north and south relatives?

When flowering plants evolved

Many southern conifers show little resemblance to the “true conifers” of the northern hemisphere, such as pine, cedar, spruce and juniper.

All conifers are gymnosperms, which means they have naked seeds and cones. They evolved from an ancient group of seed ferns, before the fragmentation of the super continent Pangaea.

These seed ferns were a diverse group. As Pangaea divided into Gondwana in the south and Laurasia in the north, the seed ferns began to diversify, giving rise to northern and southern seed ferns.

Botanists have long known that northern conifers and other gymnosperms evolved from these northern seed ferns. But what of the southern seed ferns? They remained a bit of a mystery until the 1970s.

One group of southern seed ferns constituted what’s now called the Glossopteris flora, which was of Gondwanan origin. From this diverse group of Glossopterids, flowering plants in all their variety evolved.

This solved one of the great riddles of botany – the origin of the flowering plants which had puzzled scientists, particularly in the northern hemisphere until the early 1980s.

It’s likely southern conifers also evolved from these southern seed ferns. Some may have arisen from other members of the Glossopteris group, too, or perhaps their relatives.

If this was the case, then the southern conifers would be more closely related to flowering plants than to the true conifers of the north.

When the trees were in fashion

After millions of years of evolution, southern conifers became fashionable with gardeners in the 1800s.

Their novelty and striking form captured the interest of the educated and wealthy landowners of Europe and they were planted as status symbols on estates and in public gardens.

In Australia they were planted in large private gardens and in many public parks from the mid 1800s to World War 1, after which their popularity waned.

You can see many of these fine trees growing still in large gardens and public parks across Australia, such as botanic gardens in most Australian states, as well as in smaller public parks and gardens of older suburbs and inland towns. Their striking, almost geometrical, form catches the eye.

Southern conifers are known for their resilience, are rarely affected by pests or disease and, despite their large size, cause few problems with paths, roads, buildings and other urban infrastructure. Probably because they were given plenty of space to grow when first planted.

We still have much to learn

It takes time to solve some of these botanical puzzles. Evolution is a sophisticated process that has led to very complex relationships between plant groups.

In future we may well recognise that southern conifers are not really conifers at all. Perhaps, the links between the two groups go so far back in time, the relationship is too distant for both southern and true conifers to be called conifers at all.

In any case, these mysterious trees have persisted through vast periods of time and changing environments – they have much to teach us about plant responses to climate change.

Gregory Moore 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. Southern conifers: meet this vast group of ancient trees with mysteries still unsolved – https://theconversation.com/southern-conifers-meet-this-vast-group-of-ancient-trees-with-mysteries-still-unsolved-182600

How ‘fast’ politics has left the NSW government staring into the electoral abyss

By The Conversation -

August 10, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andy Marks, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Strategy, Government and Alliances, Western Sydney University

The 1973 Watergate Committee hearings ran for 51 days. The televised revelations drew a huge audience. The pressure built with slow, devastating intensity, devouring then US President Richard Nixon’s agenda, eventually leaving him no option but to fall on his sword.

While not quite a Watergate moment, it is hard to see how the current NSW parliamentary inquiry into the appointment of the New York trade commissioner will end. Approaching day 49 of proceedings, the inquiry has already prompted the resignation of NSW Liberal deputy leader Stuart Ayres, with more fallout a distinct possibility.

Internal Liberal-National Coalition critics of Dominic Perrottet’s management of the issue are reportedly “furious”. Their wrath centres on two issues. First, the premier’s inability to anticipate public reaction to the appointment. Second, his incapacity to put an end to the controversy.

The latter point is telling, as it goes to heart of the most prized skill in modern politics: tempo.

Regaining control of political tempo is possibly Perrottet’s only chance of securing another term for his 12-year-old government at the March 2023 election against a reinvigorated Labor opposition. Finding your rhythm, let alone dictating it, is not as easy as it sounds. Trust me. In a former life I was a drummer of mild renown.

Political tempo is an interesting phenomenon. Elected officials do everything they can to control it, but it is a dark and fleeting art. In Australian politics of old, slowing down the media and parliamentary agenda was a virtue; a marker of reasoned, deliberative and informed leadership.

Asked on an airport tarmac in 1965 by a clamouring media pack whether Labor would back then Prime Minister Robert Menzies’s commitment of Australian troops to Vietnam, Labor leader Arthur Calwell calmly refused to answer.

Days later, on the floor of parliament, he articulated Labor’s prescient rejection of the decision. It was a moment that restored his party’s moral compass and set a tempo towards eventual electoral victory eight years later under Whitlam.

The art of slow politics has been lost. In recent decades, controlling the daily media agenda has become the goal. The timing of press releases, the staging of doorstop interviews, speaking points, three-word slogans and zingers have become the hallmark of fast politics. Perrottet, like other contemporary leaders, is compelled to move, and accordingly be judged, at this speed.

A protracted inquiry is kryptonite to fast politics.

With no end in sight to the upper house inquiry, the NSW Coalition is contending with daily, relatively unpredictable attacks on its integrity. This comes in the wake of the electoral defeat of its federal colleagues, largely over questions of integrity and trust.

For Premier Dominic Perrottet, the looming NSW election means he desperately needs to wrest back control of the political agenda.
Dan Himbrechts/AAP

The premier has attempted to counter this perception by initiating his own inquiry – by former public service commissioner Graeme Head – to “ensure the utmost independence and public confidence in the process”. Public confidence is indeed the critical factor.

But the concurrent upper house inquiry has no patience for slow politics. It makes its own case for the public’s confidence. It marches on, drowning out the premier’s internal inquiry, with a cavalcade of political and “private citizen” appearances setting their own tempo, making their own claims, and marking out their own versions of events.

In this scenario, the premier’s attempts at process and transparency are countered by the unpredictable and meandering events of hearings he can neither predict nor counter.

The political agenda has been lost, and tempo – of any discernible rhythm – seems impossible to restore.

It is a dire position for any government to find itself in, particularly at this late stage of the electoral cycle. It may be that an abandonment of prior positions is the only option. A reset.

To a degree, the NSW Labor opposition has beaten the Coalition on the reset front. Opposition Leader Chris Minns has vowed to “abolish” the controversial trade postings should Labor win office. It is not too late for the premier to make the same commitment.

Matching Labor’s political tempo on this issue would seem anathema to many Coalition strategists, and their Labor counterparts. Careers in modern politics have been forged through steadfast political differentiation, conflict, and dogged combat.

The federal poll tells us voters might be tiring of political cacophony. Truly “new” politics in NSW might just be found in synchronicity.

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

– ref. How ‘fast’ politics has left the NSW government staring into the electoral abyss – https://theconversation.com/how-fast-politics-has-left-the-nsw-government-staring-into-the-electoral-abyss-188429

Thinking about freezing your eggs to have a baby later? Here are 3 numbers to help you decide

By The Conversation -

August 10, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karin Hammarberg, Senior Research Fellow, Global and Women’s Health, School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Monash University

Egg freezing is promoted as an empowering option for women who want to stop the biological clock and improve their chance of having a baby later in life. But they need to know it’s more like a lottery than an insurance policy.

Fertility declines with age. To avoid age-related infertility, women increasingly turn to elective egg freezing. Advertising on IVF clinic websites and social media promote this as an insurance policy that allows women to start a family when the time is right for them.

But the reality is there’s no guarantee of a baby. The procedure is expensive and not risk-free. Most women need more than one egg collection for a reasonable chance of having a baby down the track. And, for a range of reasons, many women won’t use their stored eggs.

Typically, women who freeze their eggs are well educated, financially secure single women in their mid to late 30s. And contrary to the common stereotype that women freeze their eggs to advance their career or for other reasons to do with their personal fulfilment, the most common reason is they don’t have a partner or have a partner who is unwilling to commit to parenthood or is “not ready” to have children.

Quality of information on clinic websites

An assessment of the quality of the information about elective egg freezing on 21 Australian and New Zealand IVF clinic websites showed poor quality overall and a lot of room for improvement.

Only one clinic addressed the question about whether the data presented on the website were based on the clinic’s own experience or on published data from other clinics.

None of the clinics clarified if the data they gave related specifically to elective egg freezing, where most women are in their mid to late 30s, or if the data related to egg freezing in the context of egg donation, where eggs are retrieved from younger women with greater fertility potential.

Only two websites quoted the chance of having a baby as a result of elective egg freezing and only six websites provided information about cost.

Woman searches the internet on a laptop — The data provided about elective egg freezing is often poor quality.
Christin Hume/Unsplash

Since we know people’s first port of call for health information is the internet, it’s possible this poor quality information – combined with the often upbeat and emotive images on clinic websites – can give women a false impression of what is possible with elective egg freezing.

Chances of success

So, what is the chance of having a baby with frozen eggs? These three numbers will largely determine your chance.

1) Your age when you freeze your eggs

To help women decide if and when to freeze their eggs, American scientists developed a prediction model which shows that for a 50%, 80% or 95% chance of a baby from frozen eggs a woman aged 35 or less needs to freeze six, 14, and 30 eggs respectively.

But for a woman aged 39, this goes up to 15 eggs for a 50% chance, 33 eggs for an 80% chance and 70 eggs for a 95% chance.

2) The number of eggs stored

Egg freezing involves a course of hormone injections to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs, ultrasound and blood tests to monitor the progress, and when the eggs are mature, retrieving them in a transvaginal ultrasound-guided procedure under light anesthetic.

The retrieved eggs are stored in liquid nitrogen until the woman returns to use them.

So, how many eggs can women expect from each egg retrieval?

According to data from all IVF clinics on Victoria in 2020, the average number of eggs collected per egg retrieval was 13 for women aged less than 35 years and ten for women aged 35-39 years.

If we apply these numbers to the model, women in their mid to late 30s will likely need at least three egg retrievals for an 80% chance of having a baby from frozen eggs.

Woman in mask reads while in a medical waiting room — Older women generally have fewer eggs retrieved.
Shutterstock

3) How many cycles you can afford?

Each egg retrieval process costs between A$7,000 and $8,000 and unlike IVF, there is no Medicare rebate.

Based on the data above, an average 35-year-old woman can expect to pay $14,000-$16,000 and an average 38-year-old woman $21,000-$24,000 to store enough eggs for an 80% chance of a baby.

And if you return to use those eggs, you will need to pay to thaw them and inseminate them to create embryos. That process will add thousands to the overall cost.

What happens after freezing?

The longest follow-up study so far looked at the return rate among women who had stored their eggs for more than a decade. It found less than 40% had returned to use their eggs.

The most comprehensive data on what happens when eggs are thawed comes from the United States, where researchers calculated that for women under the age of 35, 41 eggs needed to be thawed for one live birth. This increased to 99 eggs for women aged between 38 and 40.

Women need the facts to make informed decisions

Elective egg freezing is taking off as a reproductive choice, which women are increasingly turning to for a range of reasons. They deserve:

comprehensive information about all the pros and cons of elective egg freezing
knowledge about the potential risks, including ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), a potentially serious condition caused by an excessive physical response to the hormone stimulation
transparency around the clinic’s own experience and track record
personalised estimates of how many eggs they need to freeze to have a reasonable chance of having a baby down the track.

Women need factual and realistic information about what is possible with elective egg freezing to make informed decisions and manage their expectations.

Karin Hammarberg works for the Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority

– ref. Thinking about freezing your eggs to have a baby later? Here are 3 numbers to help you decide – https://theconversation.com/thinking-about-freezing-your-eggs-to-have-a-baby-later-here-are-3-numbers-to-help-you-decide-187845

‘Unacceptable costs’: savanna burning under Australia’s carbon credit scheme is harming human health

By The Conversation -

August 10, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Penelope Jones, Research Fellow in Environmental Health, University of Tasmania

Savanna burning projects in northern Australia provide economic benefits to Indigenous communities and claim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But our research suggests smoke from these projects is harming human health.

Northern Australia’s savannas cover about 25% of Australia’s land mass. They’re among the most flammable regions in the world and comprise 70% of Australia’s fire-affected area each year.

Savanna fire management involves strategically burning grasslands early in the dry season, purportedly to reduce the chance of large, intense, more carbon-intensive fires later in the season. Under Australia’s Emissions Reduction Fund, land managers who undertake savanna burning receive financial rewards in the form of carbon credits.

But our research, focused on Darwin, has shown savanna burning under the fund is making air pollution worse. A review of the fund now underway must consider these unacceptable costs to human health.

aerial view of Darwin showing apartment buildings, trees and roads — The research focused on air pollution in Darwin.
Shutterstock

The Top End’s smoke problem

Savanna fire management is currently a topic of substantial global interest – much of it stemming from its potential to reduce carbon emissions.

The underlying premise is that early dry season burning releases fewer emissions than late dry season burning. This is because the fuel is moister and weather conditions milder — hence fires will be less extensive, less fuel will combust and less carbon will be released.

In Australia, savanna burning programs for carbon abatement were developed in the mid-2000s and integrated into the carbon market. Land managers are offered financial incentives to burn large amounts of savanna before the end of July each year.

The scheme has proved popular: registered projects now cover some 25% of Australia’s 1.2 million km² tropical savannas, including 55% of land within 500km of Darwin.

Australia now touts itself as a world leader in savanna burning. We are sharing the practice with other regions around the world, and savanna burning programs linked to carbon markets have been proposed elsewhere.

Yet the smoke pollution consequences of such programs are rarely considered. In Australia’s Top End, for example, thick and prolonged smoke blankets communities every dry season. Darwin, a city of 158,000 people, regularly exceeds the Australian air quality standard for particulate matter.

In Darwin, smoky days bring more hospital admissions for lung and heart disease, and more emergency department presentations for asthma. These impacts disproportionately affect Indigenous people.

Almost all Darwin’s particulate pollution is caused by landscape fires. In the early dry season, almost all of this is generated by prescribed burning – and there’s been a marked increase in burning in recent years linked to carbon abatement schemes.

sky filled with black smoke above grass and flames — Almost all Darwin’s particulate pollution is caused by landscape fires.
Dean Lewins/AAP

What our research found

Our research considered the relationship between prescribed burning and smoke pollution in Darwin from 2004 to 2019.

We first assessed the very small particles found in smoke known as PM2.5. We then analysed fire activity within a 500km radius, and assessed the links between pollution, weather and fire.

The results showed air quality worsened in Darwin in the early dry season (particularly in June and July), with an increase in the annual number of severely polluted days.

Perhaps surprisingly, air quality did not change substantially in other seasons. In other words, shifting savanna burning to the early dry season did not appear to lead to better air quality later in the season.

Our findings highlight a complex story. Despite a substantial expansion of savanna burning for carbon abatement over our study period, net annual PM2.5 concentrations in Darwin did not decline. In fact, there was an increase in the number of times the national air quality standard was exceeded.

So what’s driving these results? One important factor involves large areas of savanna burned for carbon abatement to the southeast of Darwin in the early dry season. At that time of year, a steady south-easterly trade wind hits Darwin, bringing much of the smoke from these fires with it.

Fuel dynamics may also be at play. Native and non-native grasses which are highly flammable in the early dry season have been expanding on frequently burned savannas. Higher temperatures may be drying fuel out earlier in the dry season. These factors may make early dry season fires as extensive and intense as savannas burnt later in the season.

Our research comes with caveats. For example, we drew only broad inferences about the geographic sources of smoke over Darwin. Notwithstanding this, our results clearly demonstrate Darwin’s already significant air quality problem is worsening, rather than improving, in association with increased early dry season burning.

people sit and walk through leafy shopping street — Darwin’s already significant air quality problem is worsening, rather than improving.
Shutterstock

A balancing act

None of this means savanna burning should cease, nor that traditional owners should not be paid to manage fire on country. But it does mean policies should be designed so unintended harm is minimised and the benefits are maximised.

Policymakers must consider how to regulate burning to avoid smoke pollution exposure. In Darwin, particular attention may be needed in locations southeast of the city. One solution may be to regulate how much smoke can be released in a specific area on a given day.

Other factors should be considered too. For example, savanna burning in Australia may risk harming biodiversity.

But the Emissions Reduction Fund is a blunt tool which doesn’t consider these hidden costs and other nuances.

The new Labor government has ordered an independent review of the fund. For this review to fulfil its brief, all unintended harms must be taken into account.

Penelope Jones receives funding from the Northern Territory Department of Health and has previously received funding from the Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority. She also receives funding from ACT Health, the Tasmanian Department of Health, and the Commonwealth Department of Home Affairs, Asthma Australia and the Tasmanian Natural Disaster Risk Reduction Program.

David Bowman has received funding to study fire ecology and management from the Australian Research Council (ARC), the NSW Bushfire Risk Management Research Hub, Bushfire and Natural Hazard CRC, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) and Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania.

Fay Johnston receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, the National Environment Science Program, the Health Departments of the Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania, and the Tasmania Natural Disaster Risk Reduction Program.

– ref. ‘Unacceptable costs’: savanna burning under Australia’s carbon credit scheme is harming human health – https://theconversation.com/unacceptable-costs-savanna-burning-under-australias-carbon-credit-scheme-is-harming-human-health-186778

How can you support kids with ADHD to learn? Parents said these 3 things help

By The Conversation -

August 10, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Sciberras, Associate Professor, Deakin University

COVID lockdowns and home schooling seemed never-ending for a lot of families. But there were some silver linings.

Our new research published in two papers looked at children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) during lockdowns to understand what home learning was like for them.

We surveyed more than 100 Australian parents of children with ADHD, asking them about the benefits, challenges and strategies they used.

While this provided insights into into pandemic schooling, there are lessons here for learning beyond lockdowns.

As COVID cases remain high, so too does the potential for more home learning. But parents can also use our findings to help with homework and teachers can apply them in their primary and high school classrooms.

This comes amid calls from parents to better support children with ADHD at school.

Remind me, what is ADHD?

ADHD begins in childhood and occurs in about 5% of children and adolescents worldwide.

Symptoms can include difficulty maintaining concentration, controlling impulses (including being able to pause and think), planning and organising tasks, and managing time and belongings.

Children with ADHD experience greater school and learning difficulties, compared to their peers without ADHD.

Medication can help with reducing inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity difficulties. But to succeed at school, children with ADHD also require other supports.

Our findings

Our research found Australian parents experienced challenges during lockdowns.

Of those surveyed, 25% reported difficulty keeping children on task during home learning. Similar numbers also reported children lacking motivation (22%) and difficulty with the format, structure, and delivery of online learning (19%). If a child had trouble paying attention and anxiety symptoms, these were most likely to make home learning difficult.

But there were also benefits.

Of those surveyed, 20% of parents reported their child had lower anxiety and stress. Similar numbers also reported they got a better understanding of their child’s learning style and needs (20%) and greater flexibility around how and when their child did school work (19%).

These benefits may be due to children receiving more one-on-one support and more ability to personalise learning for their child.

What strategies helped?

According to our study, the most common helpful strategies used during home learning for Australian children with ADHD were:

having routines/organisation and time management, including waking up at a set time each day and then following a schedule
parents being actively involved in their child’s work – keeping track of what work needed to be done and what work had been done
having a suitable space for children to work, that was quiet and free from distractions.

Tips for parents of children with ADHD

Our suggestions can be used during any future home learning or for parents helping their children with homework. They can also be easily adapted by classroom teachers.

The key thing to remember is children with ADHD are not intentionally trying to be naughty, impulsive or distracted. For that reason, discipline will not be effective but the following strategies may help:

focus on your child’s strengths and positive attributes – this is essential for them to build and maintain self-esteem
give plenty of praise and encouragement
ask your child about their struggles and then listen to their responses, acknowledge their feelings and don’t judge or just leap to give advice. You could say, “I can see that you’re really upset. Do you feel like talking about it?” Recent research shows children with ADHD want to have positive social connections.
provide gentle redirection if your child gets distracted – you could say, “Wow! What a great job you’ve done so far. Keep going!”, instead of “Back to work!”
limit distractions – turn off TVs, silence phones and have siblings work or play elsewhere
work with your child from the start of an activity to ensure they understand it and to help them plan the next steps
give your child one to two instructions at a time
provide time management assistance – this could include a visual schedule of the steps/tasks required
enable your child to expend energy whilst listening – this could include fidgets, doodling or bouncing on a Pilates ball – to assist with their concentration
ensure your child takes regular learning breaks. The frequency of these will depend on your child, it could be helpful to start with more frequent breaks, then adjust as needed.

Emma Sciberras receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Medical Research Future Fund, veski, the Waterloo Foundation, and internal research funding from Deakin University. Emma Sciberras is affiliated with the Australian ADHD Professionals Association.

Glenn Melvin receives funding from Australian Research Council, National Health & Medical Research Council, Medical Research Future Fund, Beyond Blue, Suicide Prevention Australia, Economic & Social Research Council (UK), & the Sax Institute. Glenn is affiliated with the International Network for School Attendance.

Louise Brown is affiliated with the Australian ADHD Professionals Association.

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

– ref. How can you support kids with ADHD to learn? Parents said these 3 things help – https://theconversation.com/how-can-you-support-kids-with-adhd-to-learn-parents-said-these-3-things-help-187012

Never made, destroyed, in a locked safe for 100 years: with Batgirl cancelled, here are 5 other films we will never get to see

By The Conversation -

August 10, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sian Mitchell, Lecturer, Film, Television and Animation, Deakin University

Batgirl has become the latest film to be added to a growing list of movies we will never get to see. The US$90 million film had been shot and largely edited, but now the whole thing will be consigned to the cutting room floor.

Warner Brothers CEO David Zaslav stated the decision to cancel the film was due to a redirection of the company strategic vision – a discouraging, but often used corporate rationale when Hollywood studios believe they will make a better financial return on a film by writing it off as a loss instead of releasing it .

Batgirl isn’t the first film to be scrapped in the history of the movie business.

Infamous examples include Terry Gilliam’s The Man Who Killed Don Quixote and Alejandro Jodorowsky’s plan for a 14-hour version of Dune.

Here are five other films that didn’t make it onto our screens … at least not yet.

1. Superman Lives

Starring Nicholas Cage as the “man of steel”, Superman Lives also met its untimely end at Warner Brothers.

Kevin Smith (of Clerks fame) was commissioned to rewrite a Superman script in the mid-90s.

It seemed to be doomed from the beginning with producer Jon Peters reportedly suggesting this Superman shouldn’t fly or wear his famous suit. Smith then got ousted from the project once Tim Burton signed on to direct, with Burton insisting on making his own version of the story.

Three drafts later and with a budget that had almost doubled to around US$200 million the studio put the film on hold.

Both Burton and Cage eventually pulled out of the project, although Cage stated this Superman film would have been the best one ever.

2. Revenge of the Jedi

Imagine if Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi opened with a family of Ewoks sitting silently in a retro lounge room, or a scene where Jabba the Hutt and Bib Fortuna merge bodies in a grotesque sarlacc pit accident.

This is what could have been if Revenge of the Jedi were made.

Both David Lynch and David Cronenberg were listed as potential directors for the third instalment of George Lucas’ saga.

Some accounts of the story suggest Lynch turned it down to do Dune, while Cronenberg cited his youthful arrogance and lack of interest in doing other people’s material.

Richard Marquand went on to direct the retitled film, so we are left to wonder what surreal nightmare it could have been.

3. Uncle Tom’s Fairy Tales

This 1968 film, directed by then film student Penelope Spheeris (Wayne’s World) and starring Richard Pryor, told the story of a wealthy white man abducted and put on trial by the Black Panthers for all the racial crimes that occurred throughout US history.

With the film near complete, Pryor and his then wife, Shelley Bonus, got into a heated argument where she reportedly accused him of being more interested in the film than in her. Pryor responded by destroying the only negative of the film .

Fragments of the film remained, which Spheeris screened at a 2005 retrospective tribute to Pryor. The fragments became the subject of a lawsuit filed by Pryor’s seventh wife, Jennifer Lee, arguing Spheeris and Pryor’s daughter had together stolen the negative.

As of 2021, the lawsuit was still pending.

4. Who Killed Bambi?

Named after their song Who Killed Bambi?, the Sex Pistols were the subject of a feature film set for release in 1978. Written by Roger Ebert and directed by Russ Meyer, the film was to be a vehicle for the Pistols to break through into the US market.

Fox Studios shut down production after the first day of shooting, with executives and Fox shareholder, Princess Grace of Monaco, concerned about making another Meyer sexploitation film. There were also issues with a lack of funding and infighting between the band, filmmakers and band manager, Malcolm McLaren.

The film was no more, but the screenplay can still be found on Ebert’s website.

5. 100 Years

Robert Rodriguez’s 100 Years makes the list for a different reason. Intriguingly, the film has a planned release date of 2115 – 100 years after its completion.

Perhaps not so intriguingly the film is said to have been “inspired by the century of careful craftsmanship it takes to create each decanter of Louis XIII Cognac” – making it seem more like a marketing gimmick than an experiment in exhibition.

The only copy of the physical film was displayed in a custom made safe at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, due to open automatically on November 18 2115.

Written by and starring John Malkovich, the film imagines Earth in 100 years. Secrecy surrounds further details on the film’s story and whether the filmmakers’ have predicted an authentic vision of the future.

We can safely assume cognac will make a cameo, but most of us will never know.

Sian Mitchell 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. Never made, destroyed, in a locked safe for 100 years: with Batgirl cancelled, here are 5 other films we will never get to see – https://theconversation.com/never-made-destroyed-in-a-locked-safe-for-100-years-with-batgirl-cancelled-here-are-5-other-films-we-will-never-get-to-see-188232

NZ children face a ‘perfect storm’ of dangerous diseases as immunisation rates fall

By The Conversation -

August 10, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Howe, Research Fellow, University of Auckland

Routine childhood immunisations have dropped so dramatically globally during the COVID-19 pandemic that the World Health Organization and UNICEF are raising the alarm.

Internationally, 25 million children in 2021 alone have missed out on life-saving vaccinations. This is the largest sustained drop in childhood immunisation in a generation.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, we are seeing a similarly concerning trend. The decline in childhood immunisation resulting in low overall coverage is now putting our tamariki (children) at real risk of preventable disease, especially with national borders open again.

The country is not alone in suffering collateral damage to normal childhood immunisation programmes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But while the decline may be worrying, all is not lost.

Risk of disease outbreaks

Immunisation coverage at six months of age has fallen in New Zealand from a high of around 80% in early 2020 to 67% by June 2022, and as low as 45% for Māori.

This is important because immunisation coverage at six months is used as a marker for timely receipt of lifesaving government-funded vaccines, including for whooping cough (pertussis), diphtheria, polio, pneumococcal disease and rotavirus.

For example, whooping cough (pertussis), a particularly serious illness for babies, is a very real concern. Aotearoa has seen a pertussis resurgence every three to four years, meaning we are due an increase in cases at a time when we also have low vaccine coverage.

Additionally, these declines in immunisation coverage and subsequent risk of infection are especially important to consider now, as international travel picks up.

The return of ‘old’ diseases

Polio, a viral disease that can cause paralysis, disappeared from Aotearoa thanks to immunisation, with the Western Pacific region declared polio free in 2000. As some parts of the world have yet to eradicate it, however, we still vaccinate children against polio.

A recent case in an unvaccinated young man in New York shows how the virus can travel and re-emerge – even in developed, polio-free countries.

Likewise, diphtheria is a rare but serious disease that causes breathing problems and can also lead to nerve paralysis and heart failure, with 5% to 10% of people with the disease dying.

Until widespread immunisation after the 1940s, diphtheria was a common cause of childhood death, and we haven’t seen it in Aotearoa for decades. But diphtheria has recently been detected in Australia in two unvaccinated children.

With New Zealand’s borders fully open since July 31, we run the risk of both these “old” diseases being imported and causing problems for our under-immunised tamariki and their whānau.

A perfect measles storm

The significant measles outbreak of 2019 serves as a warning. More than 2,000 people were infected and 700 hospitalised, with the largest case numbers in Auckland.

Fiji, Tonga and Samoa also saw outbreaks, with Samoa particularly devastated by more than 5,000 cases and more than 80 deaths, mostly in young children.

The severity of this outbreak could have been prevented because the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is highly effective.

But childhood coverage of MMR was not high enough at the time (nor has it been historically), leaving a known immunity gap of susceptible teens and young adults.

Significant efforts have since been made to close this gap in MMR coverage, although these have been dwarfed by the COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

The upshot is a potential perfect storm for another measles outbreak, with low MMR coverage worldwide and locally. Measles could “walk” through New Zealand airports and meet under-immunised tamariki and rangatahi (youth).

Prevention as cure

There is some good news, however. This year we’ve seen the introduction of new initiatives to help manage surges of winter ills, including the government funding influenza vaccines for children aged three to 12.

This is welcome, as influenza crosses our border every year (with the exception of 2020 when COVID-19 public health measures, including quarantine and mask wearing, were in force). Because children are often considered super-spreaders, vaccination of children can reduce influenza-like illness and related costs in both tamariki and their whānau.

But the message from World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus remains urgent:

Planning and tackling COVID-19 should also go hand-in-hand with vaccinating for killer diseases like measles, pneumonia and diarrhoea.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, the COVID-19 vaccination experience has also shown how Māori and Pacific community health providers can help reach high vaccination targets – especially when combined with good outreach services, increasing vaccination providers beyond GP clinics, and building the vaccination workforce.

But right now the statistics paint a concerning picture. Low childhood immunisation coverage puts tamariki at risk of many preventable and serious diseases and adds a major burden to the already strained healthcare system.

Prevention must be our top priority. It is better than the best cure, and will protect the health system from overload so it is available for those who need urgent care.

Anna Howe receives funding from the Health Research Council. While not the principal investigator she has been involved in research projects funded by GSK and was the first KPS Research Fellow. She works with the Immunisation Advisory Centre as their Research and Policy Analyst.

Emma Best is as a member of anti-infectives Subcommittee of PHARMAC and holds research grants Health and Research Council. She works as a medical advisor for the Immunisation Advisory Centre

Dr. Matthew Hobbs receives funding from the New Zealand Health Research Council, Cure Kids/A Better Start National Science Challenge and IStar. He was also previously funded as a researcher by the New Zealand Ministry of Health.

– ref. NZ children face a ‘perfect storm’ of dangerous diseases as immunisation rates fall – https://theconversation.com/nz-children-face-a-perfect-storm-of-dangerous-diseases-as-immunisation-rates-fall-188157

Marape has the numbers to keep PNG’s top post as prime minister

By Asia Pacific Report -

August 9, 2022

Asia Pacific Report newsdesk

Papua New Guinea’s incumbent leader, James Marape, has been returned to the top job as the country’s ninth prime minister, reports the ABC’s Port Moresby correspondent Natalie Whiting.

“Marape was voted in as prime minister unopposed, with unanimous support from all MPs present in the first parliamentary sitting following the country’s controversial, and at times violent, national election,” she reported today.

Both the NBC state broadcaster and the independent news website Inside PNG reported live streams of today’s election and the swearing in.

Pangu Pati’s Marape is expected to be leading at least 17 parties in a coalition government.

The Prime Minister ousted his predecessor Peter O’Neill after a controversial walkout in Parliament three years ago, and has survived attempts to unseat him.

The PNG Post-Courier’s Miriam Zarriga reported today that Pangu, the party that had led PNG to independence in 1975, had been formally invited to form government in Parliament.

The invitation by the Governor-General, Sir Bob Dadae, as prescribed in the Constitution, was issued at 10.20am yesterday.

Pangu Pati invited
Sir Bob said in his address: “I have been advised to invite Pangu Pati to form the next government.

“It is an honour to formally announce this message.

Pangu's Prime Minister James Marape — Pangu’s Prime Minister James Marape in Parliament today … re-elected to the top post. Image: NBC TV live stream screen shot

“By virtuous [sic] of the powers conveyed by Section 63 of the Organic Law on the Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates of Papua New Guinea and all other powers, acting in and in accordance with the advice of the Electoral Commissioner, hereby invite Pangu Party incorporated which has endorsed the greatest number of candidates elected in the 2022 National Elections to form the Government.”

As the formal invitation had been handed over to Pangu, the next step was to ensure that the party had the numbers in the 111-seat Parliament — with counting still going on in 13 seats — and the nominee for prime minister was ready today.

James Marape returned as PNG’s prime minister after tense election https://t.co/9blE8Y9xVo

— ABC News (@abcnews) August 9, 2022

The Pangu-led coalition last week announced James Marape as their nominee with 15 parties signing an MOU to work with Pangu to form government.

Many commentators have described the election as the “worst in living memory” — and the most violent.

Two women are understood to have been elected to Parliament for the first time in a decade.

Pangu's James Marape — Pangu’s James Marape … sworn in as PNG’s ninth prime minister. Image: Inside PNG screenshot

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Māori and Pacific students ‘battle racism and tokenism’ at university

By Asia Pacific Report -

August 9, 2022

RNZ News

New research details the extent of racism, othering and tokenism faced by Māori and Pacific postgraduate students in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The paper, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, was based off responses of 43 Māori and Pacific students in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) subjects.

Many of the respondents detailed being made to feel out of place, having their place at university questioned, or being made a token representative for funding applications.

In one instance, one Māori student’s name was added to a funding application by the faculty despite them expressly saying “no”.

“My name (my mana and reputation) was used against my will to secure funding for a project that I refused multiple times to be part of,” one participant said.

Lead researcher Dr Tara McAllister of the University of Auckland told RNZ Nine to Noon there were a lot of shocking stories.

“Every time I read people’s responses to the question I had to kind of mentally prepare myself for reading, you know, really horrific experiences of racism and all the kind of other things that go with that,” she said.

Students felt alienated
The survey results pointed to students who often felt alienated by the assumptions of colleagues, or isolated as the only Māori or Pacific student in the building; students whose very place in the university was often questioned.

“Sometimes … people make comments that we are only where we are because we are Pacific people,” another participant said.

Māori and Pacific academics make up less than 5 percent and 2 percent respectively of all academics.

To combat this, many universities have been trying to increase the number of Māori and Pacific students in the institutions.

But another of the researchers, Dr Sereana Naepi, said that would do little to keep those students in academia, and the very structure of the academy needed to change to be more culturally accommodating.

“We haven’t taken on the structures that make people leave the system and so that’s really what we’re talking about: how do these different experiences help us to understand how the structures at play make Māori and Pacific choose not to enter the academy or enter the research workforce,” she said.

Dr McAllister said many rangatahi surveyed said they felt alone and isolated, but all the responses showed that their experiences were not isolated.

“I hope they read our paper and feel less isolated knowing that we’re doing this work to try and change things and knowing their negative experience may have been less isolated.”

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

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Pacific takes impressive Games haul of 13 medals in Birmingham

By Asia Pacific Report -

August 9, 2022

RNZ Pacific

Pacific athletes have won a total of 13 medals at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, split among six nations.

Samoa won the region’s only gold, through weightlifter Don Opolenge and the nation’s lifters also won three silver medals.

They also gained a silver in boxing.

Fiji won four medals overall, two of them in the rugby sevens, but there will be some disappointment that neither team could win their respective finals.

Weightlifting brought the only medals for Papua New Guinea and Nauru.

Vanuatu gained a bronze from beach volleyball, and Niue gained its first-ever Games medal since being able to compete since 2002, with a boxing bronze.

Full list of Pacific medals:

Fiji (4)
Silver: Fiji men’s rugby sevens team

Silver: Fiji women’s rugby sevens team

Bronze: Taniela Rainibogi, weightlifting men’s 96 kg

Bronze: Naibili Vatunisolo, women’s discus throw F44/64

Nauru (1)
Bronze: Maximina Uepa, weightlifting women’s 76 kg

Niue (1)
Bronze: Duken Tutakitoa-Williams, boxing men’s heavyweight

PNG (1)
Silver: Morea Baru, weightlifting men’s 61 kg

Samoa (5)
Gold:Don Opeloge, weightlifting men’s 96 kg

Silver: Vaipava Ioane, weightlifting men’s 67 kg

Silver: Jack Opeloge, weightlifting men’s 109 kg

Silver: Feagaiga Stowers, weightlifting women’s +87 kg

Silver: Ato Plodzicki-Faoagali, boxing heavyweight

Vanuatu (1)
Bronze: Miller Pata/Sherysyn, Toko Beach volleyball women’s

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

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Three lessons Olivia Newton-John taught me about music – and life

By The Conversation -

August 9, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Encarnacao, Musician, lecturer, Western Sydney University

Photo by Roger Allston/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

My default mental image of Olivia Newton-John is from the mid-1970s: long, flowing floral dresses; long, centre-parted light brown hair; big inquisitive eyes; and, when called for, an irresistible smile perfect for the cover of TV Week.

It seemed like the counterculture had passed her by.

But even in the heights of my hippie and punk-inspired (imagined, toothless) rejections of society and a perceived mainstream, I respected Olivia, a figure so ubiquitous in popular culture during my first 20 years on the planet it feels natural to call her by her first name.

There was something about her voice, her way with a song. Through her phrasing and timbre, there was always a personal appeal to her singing.

Like heatstroke in December-through-February, Olivia was part of the Australian landscape. The country felt a little less hostile for her being in it – or beamed into it from the northern hemisphere, while we claimed her as “ours”.

There was a big sister who understood and sympathised.

1. What she taught me about murder

Despite all this, Olivia did contribute to a certain loss of innocence.

Some of us are unlucky enough to encounter death personally as children; for the rest it will be a song or a TV show, a passing remark or a news item.

Newton-John’s recording of the folk ballad Banks of the Ohio was released in 1971. It concerns the protagonist luring their loved one down to the river to stab them through the heart.

I held a knife against his breast
As into my arms he pressed
He cried: My love! Don’t you murder me
I’m not prepared for eternity.

I can’t think of an earlier exposure to the idea of death, let alone murder. I associate it with the tinny sound of a portable AM radio. I have the honeyed tones of ONJ forever linked to the visceral realisation one human being could wilfully kill another.

Heavy metal and hip hop are the traditional punching bags of parents worried about harmful content. But people let their guards down around ONJ.

2. What she taught me through a cover band

Shaggin’ Wagon, a cover band of mine instigated around 1993, did what it said on the label: rocked the hell out of songs from the 1970s.

We combined relatively obscure minor chart hits – say, Silver Lady by David Soul, or Ebony Eyes by Bob Welch – with what we thought of as a classic lineage of power pop by the likes of Big Star, The Soft Boys, The dB’s, The Sweet and Abba.

There was always a smattering of hard rock – Kiss, Alice Cooper – and Australian artists like The Numbers, Models and Dragon. Though the repertoire was always changing, there were a few big crowd pleasers to bring the house down.

One of mine, as part-time singer, was Hopelessly Devoted to You. What started as half a joke I took to with gusto. It is a great song, with a fantastic key change from A major in the verses to F major in the chorus via a devastating G minor chord.

“There’s nowhere to hide”, wallows the protagonist on that pitiful chord, harmonically so removed from the plaintive longing of comfortable A major we’ve swooned through thus far.

I started to search for other Olivia songs. I picked up a 45 of A Little More Love and realised it was a kind of masterpiece; like Hopelessly it was composed by longtime Newton-John collaborator John Farrar.

It is another beautifully structured song, somewhat labyrinthine. Even now I find it a thrill to play on the guitar.

Despite my party trick of (usually) being able to hit the high F at the end of Hopelessly, sustaining the upper octave required for the choruses of A Little More Love was beyond me.

The attempt further educated me about the technical demands Olivia shrugged off. The range is so wide that no matter how I transposed it, I could not pull off both low verses and high choruses.

I already knew she was good – and I’d never claim to be anywhere near ONJ’s league – but this was further proof being learned by my body.

3. What she taught me about the girl-next-door

Olivia wasn’t entirely convinced about Physical. She loved the song but wondered: could she get away with it?

Tired of the flirtation and game-playing, the protagonist wants to get down to it: “There’s nothin’ left to talk about unless it’s horizontally”.

The record was banned in Utah and South Africa due to its explicit content (!). The video further fanned the flames, with its closing “gay scene” (two guys leaving the gym holding hands).

Every bit of controversy just further hyped what was a superlative pop record. Physical topped the US charts for 10 weeks in 1981 and was one of the biggest songs of the decade. And if Physical wasn’t enough, the follow up single was Make a Move On Me.

You’d be forgiven for sensing a theme.

Physical, the album, is about more than a seasoned pop star trying on a slightly more risqué persona. None of the six images of Newton-John on the cover feature her looking at the camera, or even with her eyes open.

She does not challenge the camera or voyeur with her direct gaze, and so may be seen to be offering herself as an object to be consumed; the assumption along this line of reasoning is she avails herself of the male gaze.

I find it more compelling to consider her lost in her body. The viewer, the whole world outside her physical sensation, is irrelevant.

Despite the fact the music remains eminently accessible, she is not looking to her audience for approval.

Physical is the definitive statement of independence – from country music radio, from her pre-1978 image as girl-next-door, from a certain level of conservatism in her audience.

She even cut her hair.

John Encarnacao 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. Three lessons Olivia Newton-John taught me about music – and life – https://theconversation.com/three-lessons-olivia-newton-john-taught-me-about-music-and-life-188446

As the FBI raids Mar-A-Lago, Donald Trump reaches for unconvincing historical parallels

By The Conversation -

August 9, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rodney Tiffen, Emeritus Professor, Department of Government and International Relations, University of Sydney

Police direct traffic outside an entrance to Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate after the former president said the FBI was conducting a search.

Terry Renna/AP

“These are dark times for our nation”, former US President Donald Trump declared when he announced his mansion at Mar-A-Lago had been raided by FBI agents on Monday night Florida time. An assault like this “could only take place in broken, Third World countries […] corrupt at a level not seen before”.

“They even broke into my safe!” he went on, comparing the FBI action to Watergate:

What is the difference between this and Watergate, where operatives broke into the Democrat National Committee? Here, in reverse, Democrats broke into the home of the 45th President of the United States.

Watergate was the hotel–office complex in Washington, home to the Democratic Party national headquarters, which was famously burgled in June 1972 by political operatives working for the re-election of Richard Nixon. After more than two years of tortuous judicial and political inquiries, Nixon became the first – and still the only – American president to resign.

The differences between the raid on Trump’s mansion and Watergate are obvious. Trump’s mansion was raided by law officers executing a legally issued search warrant. They entered by the front door and searched openly. Watergate was an illegal break in by political operatives acting secretly.

And where Trump, playing to his shrinking base, claimed last night’s raid was undertaken by “Democrats”, it was in fact conducted by a group of FBI agents. The Florida raid took place to enforce the law; the Watergate action broke the law.

Speculation intense

As of late Monday night Washington time, neither the FBI nor the Justice Department had made an official announcement about the raid. However, on the basis of background comments by various officials, most media reports agree that its purpose was to secure various documents, including classified material, from Trump’s presidency. Some reports said the FBI officers left with 15 boxes of documents.

Trump had failed to meet the requirements of the innocuous-sounding national Archives Act, which exists to minimise the scope for corruption and abuse of process. Trump has treated these legal obligations, and any accountability provisions, with contempt. Indeed, a soon to be published book by New York Times political correspondent, Maggie Haberman, includes photos showing Trump used to flush unwanted documents down the toilet.

Protesters in Florida — Trump supporters gathered near Mar-a-Lago on Monday night.
Andres Leiva/The Palm Beach Post via AP

The FBI raid follows the recent critical scrutiny of Trump’s actions in inciting a riot against the Capitol on January 6 2021, when the congressional vote for the presidential election was declared. While politically humiliating to Trump, it is not clear that any legal action will follow from those hearings. Congress has no power to initiate such action, and some speculate that Attorney-General Merrick Garland is reluctant to be seen to be undertaking politically motivated prosecutions.

Trump, speaking of himself in the third person, asserted in his statement on the FBI raid that “the political persecution of President Donald J. Trump has been going on for years.”

Loyalty or else

More than anything, that response is testimony to Trump’s paranoid worldview, which demands the loyalty of those around him despite any inconvenient principle or evidence to the contrary. In another soon-to-be published book, Trump’s former White House chief of staff, John Kelly, a retired marine general, recounts how Trump said he wanted his generals to be loyal to him the way Hitler’s were loyal to him under Nazi rule.

One of the Watergate reporters, Bob Woodward, wrote a series of books about Trump and interviewed him several times. He reported an episode where Trump went through the faces of various Democratic congressional figures watching him deliver his State of the Union address, most of whom – according to Woodward – looked bland, bored or unemotional. After each of them, Trump exclaimed to Woodward “look at the hate” – “they hate me”.

“It was a remarkable moment,” Woodward commented.

A psychiatrist might say it was a projection of his own hatred of Democrats. But it was so intense that it did not resemble the subdued reaction of the Democrats. His insistence that it was “Hate!” was unsupported by the images […] This Trump spectacle was unforgettable and bizarre.

From the Roe v. Wade anti-abortion and anti-gun control rulings of the Supreme Court, to charges against Trump’s supporters for violence on January 6, to the various dubious activities of Trump himself, much in American politics looks likely to be played out in the courts over the next year or two – far more than is healthy in a democracy.

But when Trump has slashed and burnt his way through many political conventions, recourse to legal sanction may be the only means of protecting democracy. These are dark times for the American nation, but for precisely the opposite reason Trump asserted.

Rodney Tiffen 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. As the FBI raids Mar-A-Lago, Donald Trump reaches for unconvincing historical parallels – https://theconversation.com/as-the-fbi-raids-mar-a-lago-donald-trump-reaches-for-unconvincing-historical-parallels-188455

A new Australian supercomputer has already delivered a stunning supernova remnant pic

By The Conversation -

August 9, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wasim Raja, Research scientist, CSIRO

CSIRO ASKAP Science Data Processing/Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre, Author provided

Within 24 hours of accessing the first stage of Australia’s newest supercomputing system, researchers have processed a series of radio telescope observations, including a highly detailed image of a supernova remnant.

The very high data rates and the enormous data volumes from new-generation radio telescopes such as ASKAP (Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder) need highly capable software running on supercomputers. This is where the Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre comes into play, with a newly launched supercomputer called Setonix – named after Western Australia’s favourite animal, the quokka (Setonix brachyurus).

ASKAP, which consists of 36 dish antennas that work together as one telescope, is operated by Australia’s national science agency CSIRO; the observational data it gathers are transferred via high-speed optical fibres to the Pawsey Centre for processing and converting into science-ready images.

In a major milestone on the path to full deployment, we have now demonstrated the integration of our processing software ASKAPsoft on Setonix, complete with stunning visuals.

A bubbling red ball hangs in a dark background surrounded by points of light — CSIRO ASKAP Science Data Processing/Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre, Author provided

Traces of a dying star

An exciting outcome of this exercise has been a fantastic image of a cosmic object known as a supernova remnant, G261.9+5.5.

Estimated to be more than a million years old, and located 10,000-15,000 light-years away from us, this object in our galaxy was first classified as a supernova remnant by CSIRO radio astronomer Eric R. Hill in 1967, using observations from CSIRO’s Parkes Radio Telescope, Murriyang.

Supernova remnants (SNRs) are the remains of powerful explosions from dying stars. The ejected material from the explosion ploughs outwards into the surrounding interstellar medium at supersonic speeds, sweeping up gas and any material it encounters along the way, compressing and heating them up in the process.

Additionally, the shockwave would also compress the interstellar magnetic fields. The emissions we see in our radio image of G261.9+5.5 are from highly energetic electrons trapped in these compressed fields. They bear information about the history of the exploded star and aspects of the surrounding interstellar medium.

The structure of this remnant revealed in the deep ASKAP radio image opens up the possibility of studying this remnant and the physical properties (such as magnetic fields and high-energy electron densities) of the interstellar medium in unprecedented detail.

A cut, grey-brown marsupial curiously looking at the camera — The new supercomputer is named after the iconic quokka.
Chia Chuin Wong/Shutterstock

Putting a supercomputer through its paces

The image of SNR G261.9+05.5 might be beautiful to look at, but the processing of data from ASKAP’s astronomy surveys is also a great way to stress-test the supercomputer system, including the hardware and the processing software.

We included the supernova remnant’s dataset for our initial tests because its complex features would increase the processing challenges.

Data processing even with a supercomputer is a complex exercise, with different processing modes triggering various potential issues. For example, the image of the SNR was made by combining data gathered at hundreds of different frequencies (or colours, if you like), allowing us to get a composite view of the object.

But there is a treasure trove of information hidden in the individual frequencies as well. Extracting that information often requires making images at each frequency, requiring more computing resources and more digital space to store.

While Setonix has adequate resources for such intense processing, a key challenge would be to establish the stability of the supercomputer when lashed with such enormous amounts of data day in and day out.

Key to this quick first demonstration was the close collaboration between the Pawsey Centre and the ASKAP science data processing team members. Our teamwork enabled all of us to better understand these challenges and quickly find solutions.

These results mean we will be able to unearth more from the ASKAP data, for example.

More to come

But this is only the first of two installation stages for Setonix, with the second expected to be completed later this year.

This will allow data teams to process more of the vast amounts of data coming in from many projects in a fraction of the time. In turn, it will not only enable researchers to better understand our Universe but will undoubtedly uncover new objects hidden in the radio sky. The variety of scientific questions that Setonix will allow us to explore in shorter time-frames opens up so many possibilities.

This increase in computational capacity benefits not just ASKAP, but all Australia-based researchers in all fields of science and engineering that can access Setonix.

While the supercomputer is ramping up to full operations, so is ASKAP, which is currently wrapping up a series of pilot surveys and will soon undertake even larger and deeper surveys of the sky.

The supernova remnant is just one of many features we’ve now revealed, and we can expect many more stunning images, and the discovery of many new celestial objects, to come soon.

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. A new Australian supercomputer has already delivered a stunning supernova remnant pic – https://theconversation.com/a-new-australian-supercomputer-has-already-delivered-a-stunning-supernova-remnant-pic-188375

iRobot’s Roomba will soon be owned by Amazon, which raises privacy questions

By The Conversation -

August 9, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Haskell-Dowland, Professor of Cyber Security Practice, Edith Cowan University

Less than two weeks after the announcement of its acquisition of US healthcare company One Medical, Amazon is continuing its expansion with a US$1.7 billion offer for iRobot, the manufacturer of Roomba automated vacuum cleaners.

The acquisition will bolster Amazon’s line of smart home products and add to the retail giant’s vast store of consumer data. The move also raises a number of questions.

Why is Amazon doing this? Should we, as consumers, be concerned? What will Amazon do with yet another product that generates large volumes of data about its users?

What has happened?

The purchase seems like a natural fit for Amazon’s apparent plan to conquer the home. The tech giant already has a foothold in houses around the world, through the Alexa voice assistant system and products such as Echo smart speakers, Ring surveillance cameras, and drones.

Amazon already produces a “home monitoring” robot called Astro, although it is only sold “by invitation”.

Amazon’s Astro Home Robot.

However, the purchase of iRobot may be less about products and more about data. That US$1.7 billion price tag may seem a lot, but Amazon gains not only iRobot’s trove of consumer data, but also access to its existing fleet of constantly scanning robots.

Mapping our homes

Roombas gather a particular kind of data about customers – or, to be precise, about their homes. While the original robot vacuum cleaners bumbled around, avoiding obstacles as best they could, the latest models map users’ homes in great detail.

This is great if you want your vacuum cleaner to autonomously clean your house and avoid falling down the stairs – but it raises a number of privacy concerns.

iRobot's Braava jet m6 smart mapping — iRobot’s Braava can use smart mapping to understand your home’s layout.
iRobot

What about privacy?

A vacuum cleaner storing the layout of your home is not of great concern in itself – it simply makes it more efficient. But when the map data are stored in the cloud, we lose some control over them.

At present, Roomba maps are, in theory, only accessible by iRobot. But under Amazon’s ownership, we can’t be sure who will have access to the data or how the data will be used.

When asked about the potential use and storage of map data, an Amazon spokesperson noted that the deal hasn’t yet been closed with iRobot, so they do not have the details to share.

They added that the company doesn’t sell customer data to third parties or use customer data for purposes to which customers haven’t consented.

In the recent One Medical takeover, Amazon made very clear that medical data would be “handled separately from all other Amazon businesses as required by law”. However, it added:

Amazon will never share One Medical customers’ personal health information outside of One Medical for advertising or marketing purposes of other Amazon products and services without clear permission from the customer.

“Clear permission” sounds good, but in practice consumers routinely give “permission” to all kinds of activities explained only in lengthy and rarely read terms and conditions. In practice, this means permission is often ill-informed.

So it should come as no surprise if Roomba users are one day asked to agree to an update to the terms and conditions in which they grant permission for Amazon to use their in-home location data to enable greater optimisation of products and services. In essence, to sell more stuff, or make other products work “better”.

The future?

While Roomba owners are unlikely to see any significant change in the coming months, it is very likely they will soon have updated user agreements hitting their email inboxes and apps.

While these will initially simply reflect the change in ownership and associated legal responsibilities, at some point we may also see data sharing requests.

Amazon offers a range of smart and intelligent devices.
Amazon

Where could this take us? Well, smart homes might actually becomes a little bit smart (yes, there are some positives).

If Roomba integrates with in-home cameras, for instance, it might automatically detect and clean up spills. Using location data, the Roomba could make sure it finishes cleaning before its owner arrives home from work.

Even home security systems could use future Roomba devices with cameras as a sentry. (It’s probably for the best that iRobot sold off its military division in 2016.)

While gun-toting robots are probably not on the Amazon product road map just yet, the Roomba maps may give the company an even more detailed view of customers.

Where is all this going?

With smart speakers and cameras already listening and watching, vast amounts of consumer purchasing behaviour monitored through its website and partners, and security systems integrated into our homes, Amazon already knows a lot about us.

In a Black Mirror-style extrapolation of the tech giant’s recent moves, you can imagine a future where Amazon health insurance (discounted for Prime subscribers, naturally) uses Ring cameras and Roomba to study your living conditions and behaviour patterns, and suggest interventions and set prices accordingly.

Amazon Care (this already exists) might inform you that it knows you haven’t taken a recommended trip to the gym because you’ve been at home all day. Or perhaps it’s a question of diet – and the ever-dutiful Amazon Robot Mower has reported a pile of empty pizza boxes and beer bottles outside by the bins.

iRobot Terra extends the mapping of your home outside.
iRobot

For now, this is just a fantasy – but Amazon is in possession of most of the technology and data to make it reality.

Paul Haskell-Dowland 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. iRobot’s Roomba will soon be owned by Amazon, which raises privacy questions – https://theconversation.com/irobots-roomba-will-soon-be-owned-by-amazon-which-raises-privacy-questions-188355

Today’s Google outage was brief but disconcerting

By The Conversation -

August 9, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Haskell-Dowland, Professor of Cyber Security Practice, Edith Cowan University

Earlier today, reports began emerging Google was down.

While it has since returned, it once again highlights our dependence on technology service providers and shows how reliant many people are on a single operator for daily functions.

There are few things we completely rely upon in our modern lives, but for many people, Google is one.

Its brief disappearance from the internet felt, for many, like an almost-apocalyptic moment – underscoring how deeply “googling” has been integrated into our lives.

As I wrote when the cloud computing firm Fastly had an outage last year,

It’s disconcerting when the sites we rely on suddenly become inaccessible, and even more so when it happens on such a vast scale.

What happened?

We don’t know yet. Google has so far not commented publicly on the outage.

According to Downdetector there was a significant spike in outage reports for Google earlier today. The news wire Reuters reported:

There were more than 40,000 incidents of people reporting issues with the world’s largest search engine, according to Downdetector, which tracks outages by collating status reports from a number of sources including user-submitted errors on its platform.

According to the website Downdetector, a significant spike in outage reports was seen for Google.
Down Detector

Downdetector also reported people had experienced problems accessing Google Maps, while The Guardian reported problems with Gmail and Google images, too.

The outage affected a wide range of Google sites, with internet monitoring website ThousandEyes reporting over a thousand servers being impacted.

Despite the scale of the incident, it seems to have only lasted for around 30–40 minutes before services started to return to normal.

Not an isolated occurrence

Google, like all technology providers, is vulnerable to a wide range of potential service failures.

This is not the first Google outage – other outages occurred in 2020 (including a very large one in December reportedly caused by lack of capacity in their authentication systems).

But outages such as these, however brief, do underscore how dependent we have become on “googling” for many aspects of life.

It’s not all bad news

Although any outage at Google becomes major news around the world, today’s incident was short lived – as were all previous cases.

Google certainly has the capacity and capability to act swiftly to resolve service problems when they do occur.

And, as many people noted, you can still search online even when Google is down – you might just have to use a different search provider, such as Bing or DuckDuckGo.

It would seem that even when an almost unthinkable outage occurs, our capacity to search for cat photos will not be impacted.

Paul Haskell-Dowland 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. Today’s Google outage was brief but disconcerting – https://theconversation.com/todays-google-outage-was-brief-but-disconcerting-188452

Monkeypox can be transmitted to babies during and after pregnancy. We should be watchful but not alarmed

By The Conversation -

August 9, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Angela Brown, Midwifery Program Director , University of South Australia

So far, there have been 57 confirmed and probable cases of monkeypox reported by Australian authorities.

In July, the Australian government issued a health alert for monkeypox as a communicable disease following the World Health Organization’s declaration of it as a public health emergency.

The disease has been reported at higher rates among men who have sex with other men. But this does not mean it can’t be spread to anyone. In fact, it has been seen in pregnant and birthing women and their newborn babies in some Western countries.

What do we know about monkeypox?

Monkeypox is a viral disease spread between animals and people.

The UK government guidance described the first case of “Monkey Pox” in 1958, when it was found in monkeys used for research purposes.

It was 1970 when it was first reported in human populations in the African country, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The disease is now endemic in some African countries including Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

What does this mean for pregnant women?

Fortunately, monkeypox does not spread easily. The infection is spread by close physical contact, and so far there is limited information available about the impact on pregnancy, particularly in high income countries.

The virus can enter the body via broken skin, the respiratory tract or mucous membranes (the moist inner lining of cavities and some organs in the body).

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises the virus can be transmitted to a baby before birth via the placenta, and after the baby is born by close physical contact.

It also recommends pregnant, postnatal and breastfeeding women should be prioritised for medical treatment as there is a significant risk to the baby.

The Australian government’s treatment guidelines identify pregnant and breastfeeding women at high risk of severe disease from monkeypox infection. They also identify these groups as eligible for treatment and encourage health care providers to consult infectious disease specialists.

What symptoms should you watch for?

Symptoms of monkeypox can include headaches and fever, muscle and joint pain, tiredness, swollen lymph glands and a telltale rash with lesions that develop anywhere on the body.

The lesions change and will eventually burst, scab over and heal. The amount and location of the lesions can vary from lots all over the body to only a few that are isolated to one or two areas.

microscopic cells — Under the microscope, you can see mature, oval-shaped monkeypox virions, left, and spherical immature virions, right.
Cynthia S. Goldsmith, Russell Regner/CDC via AP

Deadly for some

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has said most people (who are not pregnant) have mild disease with recovery within a few weeks, but that the Nigerian cases have had a fatality rate of roughly 3%. Mortality is likely higher in vulnerable groups such as newborn babies and pregnant or breastfeeding women.

A recent paper published in medical journal The Lancet provides guidelines for doctors and midwives on the management of monkeypox infection during pregnancy. These guidelines include increased fetal monitoring and increased surveillance of the mother in hospital isolation rooms if necessary, depending on her symptoms.

If the woman has genital lesions at the time of birth, she may be offered a caesarean. The newborn baby will need careful monitoring and precautions to reduce the risk of transmission from the mother. Consultation with a specialist infectious diseases paediatrician is recommended in these cases.

The Australian government has supplies of a monkeypox vaccine called Jynneos, and this may be considered in cases in which a woman has had close physical contact with an infected person or meets other criteria. The safety profile of this medication in pregnancy is unknown, but it is thought to be able to be used following a risk and benefit analysis by the medical practitioner. Women should not seek vaccination without risk factors being present.

Known cases

Several cases of monkeypox infection were reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a part of a larger study. The study wasn’t specifically looking at pregnant women, but four women were found to be pregnant in the study of more than 200 people with monkeypox infection.

Of the four women with monkeypox infection in pregnancy, two experienced miscarriage, one gave birth to a stillborn baby, and one gave birth to a living full-term baby. The three women who had fetal losses all experienced moderate to severe disease and lost their babies either in the first or second trimester of pregnancy.

Australian women shouldn’t be overly concerned at this stage given the low numbers of infected people in Australia. Women are highly unlikely to catch monkeypox unless they have had close contact with someone already infected with the disease or they have visited countries where the disease is endemic.

There are no known cases of women infected in pregnancy within Australia to date but there are such cases in the UK and US.

Avoiding contact with infected people and seeking early medical care if exposure is suspected is the best strategy as we watch the monkeypox situation evolve. Women can also monitor monkeypox advice from Australian authorities and speak with their midwife or obstetrician if they have any concerns.

Angela Brown 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. Monkeypox can be transmitted to babies during and after pregnancy. We should be watchful but not alarmed – https://theconversation.com/monkeypox-can-be-transmitted-to-babies-during-and-after-pregnancy-we-should-be-watchful-but-not-alarmed-188283

Once the fish factories and ‘kidneys’ of colder seas, Australia’s decimated shellfish reefs are coming back

By The Conversation -

August 9, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic McAfee, Postdoctoral researcher, marine ecology, University of Adelaide

Australia once had vast oyster and mussel reefs, which anchored marine ecosystems and provided a key food source for coastal First Nations people. But after colonisation, Europeans harvested them for their meat and shells and pushed oyster and mussel reefs almost to extinction. Because the damage was done early – and largely underwater – the destruction of these reefs was all but forgotten.

No longer. We have learned how to restore these vital reef systems. After a successful pilot in 2015, there are now 46 shellfish reef restorations underway – Australia’s largest marine restoration program ever undertaken. It’s not a moment too soon. There’s just one natural reef remaining for the Australian flat oyster, which is teetering on extinction.

How did shellfish reefs go from forgotten to frontline? Our new research shows how this historical amnesia was overcome through a national community of researchers, conservationists, and government and fisheries managers.

This matters, because oysters and mussels are ecological superheroes. As we restore these reefs, we give local marine life a real boost and support human livelihoods reliant on healthy seas. These cold-water reefs play a similar role to coral in tropical seas. They give hiding places and food to baby fish, filter seawater and defend coastlines against erosion from waves.

Large-scale shellfish reef restoration projects began with a single pilot in 2015 and soared to 46 projects nationwide by 2022.

What killed our original shellfish reefs?

Just 200 years ago, shellfish reefs carpeted Australia’s temperate regions, filling up sheltered bays and estuaries around over 7,000 kilometres of coastline.

Archaeological research from Queensland shows First Nations people were sustainably harvesting local shellfish reefs over at least 5,000 years, replenishing oyster populations by building reefs with stone and shell.

This ended as Europeans took the lands and waters from Traditional Owners. Shellfish became one of colonial Australia’s first fisheries. Oysters were fished extensively for food, while their shells were burnt to manufacture lime for fertiliser and cement. If you walk past a colonial-era building, look at the mortar. Chances are, a lot of oyster shells went into it.

Even though the wild fishery ended a century ago, these shellfish weren’t able to return. That’s because they can’t just grow on bare sand. Their preferred substrate are the shells of their ancestors, left behind on the sea bottom. Once the substrate was scraped by dredge or smothered by sediment, there was nowhere for baby oysters and mussels to settle and grow.

Today, there’s just one small natural flat oyster reef (Ostrea angasi) and six remnant Sydney Rock oyster (Saccostrea glomerata) reefs remaining, across all Australian waters.

Colonial oyster fishers used oyster dredges, rakes, and shovels to scrape oysters from the seafloor.
State Library of South Australia

How to kick-start shellfish reef restoration

Shellfish can’t recover by themselves. But it turns out with a little human help, they can. Think of it as making up for our unsustainable use.

For a decade before the first large-scale restoration, recreational fishing groups and community groups worked on smaller projects, sometimes with government backing.

To begin larger-scale restoration work, we first had to remember how it used to be.
Because the ecological collapse of Australia’s shellfish reefs was so profound, they were almost lost to human memory. Historical records guided us as to what a restored ecosystem should look like, and where these reefs used to be.

Australia’s only surviving native flat oyster reef (Ostrea angasi) is in eastern Tasmania. Flat oyster reefs were dredged to obliteration over thousands of kilometres of southern Australian coastline.

Our job was made easier because of the huge benefits shellfish reefs provide to marine life. Intact oyster and mussel reefs are natural fish factories providing nursery habitats for economically important fish species like bream and whiting.

Even better, these filter-feeding shellfish are the kidneys of the coast, cleaning water cloudy with sediment or overloaded with nutrients. A single oyster can filter 100 litres of water a day. Shellfish reefs also act as living defences against the energy of waves, store carbon in their shells and help protect intertidal communities from the warming climate through shade and moisture at low tide.

People working on reef restoration turned to our thriving oyster and mussel farming industry to understand their life cycles and what they needed to thrive. The fact these farms are successful indicated many areas remained suitable for shellfish reefs.

Environmental NGO The Nature Conservancy connected the emerging reef restoration community as well as bringing practical experience from longer-running shellfish restoration projects in America. Reef restoration work is now being led by conservation NGOs, local and state governments, and, increasingly, by community groups.

So does it work? Yes. It’s as if the oysters have been waiting for this opportunity. Many human-made reefs have been settled by millions of baby oysters within months of construction, such as the largest project to date, the 20 hectare Windara Reef in South Australia. Some restored reefs are closing in on oyster densities in line with natural reefs.

Looking forward

We hope the rapid rise of shellfish reef restoration is the beginning of a new era for large-scale marine restoration in Australia.

Today, community-led restorations are growing in scale and number, and public support for shellfish restoration is widespread.

It is an impressive story. This is a national program of recovery showing significant successes with a relatively modest investment. These restoration efforts show large-scale action to repair nature can work – and work quickly – when experts from a range of disciplines work with communities towards a common goal.

As the restored oyster and mussel reefs mature, we will see more fish in our seas and more recreation and tourism opportunities emerging. That, in turn, could give more communities the idea to restore their own shellfish reefs. Together, we can bring back the reefs which lived in our cooler seas for millennia.

Dominic McAfee receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

Christine Crawford receives funding from The Nature Conservancy for short-term contracts.

Ian McLeod received funding from the National Environmental Science Program Marine Biodiversity Hub.

Sean Connell receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

Chris Gillies 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. Once the fish factories and ‘kidneys’ of colder seas, Australia’s decimated shellfish reefs are coming back – https://theconversation.com/once-the-fish-factories-and-kidneys-of-colder-seas-australias-decimated-shellfish-reefs-are-coming-back-184063

Australia has been crying out for a national housing plan, and new council is a big step towards having one

By The Conversation -

August 9, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Baker, Professor of Housing Research, University of Adelaide

The federal government’s confirmation on Monday that it will set up a National Housing Supply and Affordability Council has not received much media or public attention. But, dollar for dollar, it might be the year’s most important and impactful housing announcement.

The announcement by the minister for housing and homelessness, Julie Collins, at this week’s National Homeless Conference is a major step towards a considered and long-overdue national plan for housing.

Australia’s approach to the challenges of housing supply and affordability over the past decade could easily be described as “ramshackle”. This has meant policies, interests and outcomes have clashed.

Reliable, trusted data have not existed. Booms and busts have crept up on us unseen, making house prices difficult to predict. And housing affordability has become an “intractable” problem.

A National Housing Supply and Affordability Council (NHSAC) promises to provide a shared resource on national targets, achievements and milestones. It will be able to systematically report on these over time.

The council will bring together a transparent advisory panel of experts to advise governments.

It might surprise some people, but Australia hasn’t been doing any of this.

Housing crisis has been years in the making

What we do know, though, is that Australia has a much-debated housing supply crisis. Though estimates vary, it’s widely acknowledged there is a chronic shortfall of new housing, and of affordable social housing for rent in particular.

Even before COVID-19, modelling for the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) suggested more than 1.5 million Australian households – or about one in seven households – were in housing need. That is, these households are unable to access market-provided housing or require some form of rent assistance to afford housing.

This predicted shortfall has grown through the pandemic. Yet there is now a sustained downturn in dwelling completions, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

It’s a massive structural problem for our nation. Housing affects our economy, our quality of life, the shape of our cities, and our health and welfare sectors.

It’s also a problem we should have seen coming. Houses aren’t invisible, and they’re pretty easy to count.

What many of us don’t realise, is that a great majority of the housing statistics discussed in the media and used by policymakers are produced by advocacy groups, industry, governments and think tanks – each with their own agendas.

Furthermore, in the absence of reliable data and forecasts, the housing development industry simply delays new development until a boom kicks off, then jumps in as quickly as possible. This just fuels house price inflation.

Our current arrangements are ad hoc at best, and overly influenced by vested interests at worst.

What difference can the council make?

The new housing council can cut through all this by providing the nation with a single, authoritative voice to advise, interpret and monitor change over time. It is a positive development because it will formalise the way advice is developed, and build on the transparency and independence of shared data.

Yes, this will lead to a series of seemingly boring outcomes, such as setting construction targets, being a national resource for quality data, and providing advice to governments. Yet the impact of this reform will be enormous. It promises to provide order, evidence and centralised leadership to Australia’s chaotic housing system.

It will provide the reliable, trusted housing data and evidence Australia has long needed. It will enable us all to sing from the same song sheet when it comes to urban development and new construction. No longer will we rely on a largely haphazard combination of privately commissioned, government-provided and self-collected data.

Australia’s housing crisis is finally getting the serious policy attention it deserves. Collins told the conference the Albanese government was committed to a comprehensive reform agenda and a national housing and homelessness plan, guided by Cabinet.

This commitment to action and better, more up-to-date insights is an important first step towards delivering the housing future we all deserve.

Emma Baker receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the National Health and Medical Research Council, and the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute. She serves on the SA Board of Habitat for Humanity.

Andrew Beer receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute and the National Health and Medical Research Centre.

– ref. Australia has been crying out for a national housing plan, and new council is a big step towards having one – https://theconversation.com/australia-has-been-crying-out-for-a-national-housing-plan-and-new-council-is-a-big-step-towards-having-one-188365

Pop icon Olivia Newton-John was the rare performer whose career flourished through different phases

By The Conversation -

August 9, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Strong, Associate professor, Music Industry, RMIT University

Olivia Newton-John was a versatile artist with an appeal that spanned generations, and who played an important role in claiming a space for Australian popular culture on the world stage.

She was the rare performer whose career flourished through different phases, and who found success exploring many facets of her talent.

Born in Cambridge in 1948, Newton-John moved to Melbourne at age 6 (becoming one of a myriad of non-Australian celebrities wholeheartedly claimed by this country).

In her teens she started to build up her profile on the local performing circuits, also appearing on pop music television program The Go!! Show.

In the 1960s, Australian musical acts saw moving to the UK as a vital part of their career progression. Newton-John became part of the steady stream of expats pursuing their music in “the mother country” after winning a talent competition that provided her with tickets.

When her friend Pat Carroll joined her, the two found success touring as a pop duo, before visa troubles meant Carroll had to return to Australia.

This led to new opportunities for Newton-John as a solo artist. Her first album If Not For You (1971) was a success in the UK and Australia, establishing her as a household name in those countries – and leading to opportunities such as a performance at Eurovision representing the UK in 1974 (she lost to ABBA).

Her break in the US market came as she found a niche in the country music genre. Country/pop crossover songs such as Let Me Be There were huge hits, and in 1972 she won a Grammy for Best Country Female – the first of four Grammys she would win across her career.

Her move to the US in the mid-1970s was accompanied by a string of number one hits in that country, establishing her as an international superstar.

Life on the silver screen

Her star continued to rise with the release of the musical Grease in 1978.

Sandy established her as a genuinely iconic pop culture figure.

Grease was a huge box-office success, and produced a multi-million copy selling soundtrack. Tracks such as You’re the One That I Want and Summer Loving were not only hits in their own right at the time but have become embedded in our cultural memory, transcending generations with their appeal.

Grease was the peak of her movie career. Attempts to re-create the on-screen magic between herself and co-star John Travolta in Two of a Kind and the fantastical Xanadu (a personal childhood favourite) failed to gain traction with audiences or critics.

But her contributions to the soundtracks of these films – including Magic and Twist of Fate – still charted highly as her musical career stayed strong.

Away from the spotlight

In the early 1980s she was seen as part of the “Australian invasion”, a period where Oz culture was particularly prominent on the international stage through acts such as Air Supply and the Little River Band.

Newton-John leaned into the moment. In 1983, she launched her Koala Blue boutique selling Australian fashion and cultural items, in collaboration with her previous singing partner Pat Carroll. The boutique lasted a little over a decade, during which time Newton-John had a family and put less focus on her music career.

A planned comeback in 1992 had to be put on hold when Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly before beginning her tour.

Her journey with the disease inspired her to take up advocacy and fundraising work in this area. The Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre fundraises in various ways, including through events such as the annual Wellness Walk.

The return of Newton-John’s cancer in 2017, which would eventually lead to her death, also spelled the end of her touring career.

A lasting legacy

Newton-John leaves a legacy as a sweet girl-next-door type with a sublime voice, who embraced the country that claimed her as its own, but who also at times showed a more risqué side, such as in Sandy’s leather jumpsuit, or the cheeky video to the unapologetically sexual Physical.

She has already been recognised through awards and honours.

She has been inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. In 2020 she was appointed a Dame in the Queen’s New Year honours list. She has also been a continuing part of the cultural conversation through appearances on pop culture staples such as Drag Race.

She remained down-to-earth and friendly, regularly turning up to events like the Wellness Walks to chat to participants and encourage them on.

Like many Australians, ONJ has been part of the soundtrack to my life – from arranging my own little performances to Xanadu in kindergarten, to singing along to the Grease megamix at school discos, to discovering her earlier work through my research much later in life – and many have benefitted from her non-musical work, too.

She will be missed but never forgotten.

Catherine Strong 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. Pop icon Olivia Newton-John was the rare performer whose career flourished through different phases – https://theconversation.com/pop-icon-olivia-newton-john-was-the-rare-performer-whose-career-flourished-through-different-phases-188428

Indigenous people with disabilities face racism and ableism. What’s needed is action not another report

By The Conversation -

August 9, 2022

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Gilroy, ARC Research Fellow in Indigenous Health, Disability and Community Development, University of Sydney

The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability continues. Its terms of reference acknowledge “the particular situation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and culturally and linguistically diverse people with disability”.

Recent public hearings aired the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disabilities and their engagement with the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in remote communities.

According to the 2015 Survey of Disability, Ageing, and Carers (the most reliable survey of disability prevalence in Australia) there were around 38,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability living in outer-regional and remote regions.

As an Aboriginal disability scholar, I know governments have long been aware of the key issues affecting us mob living in remote communities but have continually failed us.

The art of political distraction

Like the old Roman breads and circuses, it seems that when government wants to delay action on a social or political problem, they call an inquiry. We’ve seen this with child protection and the stolen generations, education and employment.

As far back as the early 1980s, the Grimes report informed the development of 1986’s Disability Services Act and 1985’s Home and Community Care Act. But the Grimes report only mentioned Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability living in remote communities in a few hundred words.

My research and that of others shows the challenges faced by this group were always characterised as a “specialised field”. This means governments were aware of the issues but still failed to properly engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability in remote regions.

Defining disability in language

Many people and government agencies state “there is no Aboriginal definition of disability”. This statement has the effect of scuttling debate and unjustifiably throwing the blame or responsibility on us mob.

Firstly, it’s true that so far we haven’t found a word equivalent to the English collective noun “disability” in any Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language.

However, many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages around the country have traditional words for disability types, such as deafness and physical disabilities. There are examples from the NPY Women’s Council and recorded as far back as Edward Curr’s 1886 colonial reports in the Australian Race. If disability service providers claim to be person-centred they should be able to tailor disability services in a culturally and linguistically respectful way.

Secondly, government has never had a consistent concept of disability for their funded and administered disability services and programs.

The Disability Support Pension has a different definition to that of the NDIS. ABS census surveys use different definitions of disability among their data collection instruments and methodologies.

The research I’ve done with colleagues shows people and government authorities have incorrectly stated that around 40% of the Aboriginal population experiences disability. This figure is taken from the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS). If this statistic was true, then official population projections mean over 350,000 Aboriginal and Torres strait Islander people would be experiencing disability today.

The NATSISS blends disability and identified health conditions into one category. As such, the Royal Commission has situated and justified itself on incorrect and poorly understood statistics.

Staying in your own community is incredibly important for people with disability.

Acknowledging the experience of ‘racial-ableism’

The Commission has captured and acknowledged experiences of racism and ableism. I coined the term “racial-ableism” to capture the intersectionality of these experiences at the cultural interface. Separating the two is impossible.

This intersection has been noted in other parts of the world too. Racism and ableism have been described as “parallel systems of oppression” that ignore the experience of people of colour/ethnicity with disabilities and also how their circumstances may be pathologised in racist and colonial ways. In simplest terms, I experienced this as a child as playground insults that referred to my speech and hearing impairment in the same phrase as a racial slur about my skin colour.

I continue to fight and observe this form of discrimination everyday, at both the personal and policy level. The Commission must place more emphasis on racial-ableism as this oppresses Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability to the lowest classes of Australia at a systemic level from childhood to adulthood. The existence of racial-ableism in Australia contravenes the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons to which it is a signatory. The UN convention cites “full and effective participation and inclusion in society” as a core principle.

Toxic foundations

The Royal Commission has not properly focused on the ideological foundations of the NDIS for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in remote communities. Instead, government has been heavily focused on actuarial studies of the “market” to ascertain where disability service gaps exist in these regions.

The NDIS is a model that attempts to blend the “for profit” values of the business sector with the “not for profit” values of the charity sector. Business profits are only achieved where there exists a “supply” and “demand”. Reports have repeatedly shown the NDIS has not yet fairly benefited Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in remote, rural, and regional communities because the absence of local services. This is because there is no “business market” compared to the metropolitan regions and can be seen in provider shrinkage in areas such as East Arnhem land. This is geographic discrimination and racial-ablism.

All of the money spent on the Royal Commission should have been spent on grounded community initiatives under the NDIS in regional, rural, and remote communities. These could have included advocacy programs, secondary and tertiary education programs, long-term government service funding agreements, training of NDIA and allied health staff, Aboriginal employment in the NDIA, and Aboriginal-owned and operated disability support programs.

It is not time for another inquiry and another report. It’s time for action.

John Gilroy receives funding from the ARC.

– ref. Indigenous people with disabilities face racism and ableism. What’s needed is action not another report – https://theconversation.com/indigenous-people-with-disabilities-face-racism-and-ableism-whats-needed-is-action-not-another-report-187528

Marshall Islands loses ‘covid-free’ status with 6 cases confirmed

By Asia Pacific Report -

August 9, 2022

By Giff Johnson, editor of the Marshall Islands Journal in Majuro

The Marshall Islands lost its covid-free status yesterday when tests confirmed six positive cases in the capital, the first known community transmission since the pandemic started in early 2020.

It was not immediately clear the source of the covid-19 spread as Marshall Islands borders have been closed since March 2020 and rules currently require 10 days of government-managed quarantine prior to release.

The six people who tested positive Monday had “no travel history, no contact with anyone who was in quarantine,” said Health Secretary Jack Niedenthal.

The government moved quickly last night to announce a halt to the start of the new school year with all island schools scheduled to open this week.

President David Kabua delivered a brief 90-second statement to the nation via an online live stream in which he announced that the Ministry of Health and Human Services had confirmed six people positive in the capital of Majuro.

The President’s short speech was the first official notice of news that in the fashion of a small island had spread several hours prior to his speech.

“I advise people to remain calm and follow the protocols to prevent covid,” Kabua said.

Wearing facemasks advice
President Kabua advised the country to follow established protocols of wearing facemasks when in public. Kabua wore a facemask while delivering his speech.

Notices on social media went viral in the minutes and hours after people learned of the first-ever covid community spread in this isolated north Pacific nation.

Although there were no rules except for school closure announced by government, within minutes of the official confirmation of the cases, a national basketball tournament game was halted mid-way through the contest Monday night, and some restaurants began shutting their doors.

The Office of the Chief Secretary said that the start of the new school year, which opened yesterday at some public schools and was scheduled to open later this week in private schools, would now be postponed for two months.

While businesses and government offices can continue as usual, hospital services will be modified and masks will be required in public for the next two months, said a statement issued by the government.

Marshall Islands President David Kabua in a file photo from 2021. — Marshall Islands President David Kabua … he wore a facemask in his live stream broadcast. Image: Wilmer Joel/File/RNZ

The government also announced a halt to travel by plane or ship to remote outer islands in hopes of restricting spread of covid to islands that have only rudimentary medical care services available.

“The most important lesson learned from Palau’s experience with a wave of covid starting in January is to protect the hospital during the initial stages of a covid outbreak,” said Niedenthal.

Protecting patients
“This is to protect both the patients already in hospital from being infected by incoming covid patients and, of equal importance, minimising the exposure of hospital staff so they can remain functional and on the job.”

The Ministry of Health and Human Services moved quickly last night to set up previously planned “test and treat” facilities in designated locations in the community.

Niedenthal said the number one lesson learned from watching other nations respond to their covid waves was the priority of “protecting the hospital”.

The goal, he said, is to have people use community test and treat facilities where health officials will perform tests and determine treatment needed.

The entire Marshall Islands has a population estimated at only 42,000 scattered on dozens of atolls and single islands. The two urban centers of Majuro and Ebeye, however, contain three-quarters of the population and many people live in overcrowded conditions ripe for the spread of covid.

Laboratory tests of people who were positive for covid while in managed quarantine last month showed they were all BA.5 variant. And ministry officials said they were proceeding on the basis that BA.5 is what they are seeing.

One local resident said that he was aware of a church member who was confirmed with covid yesterday.

“That means spreading already since yesterday was a busy day at church,” said the person.

Giff Johnson is editor of the Marshall islands Journal and the RNZ Pacific correspondent in Majuro. This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz