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Work in progress: Donald Trump’s Asia team
No full textIntroduction
President Donald Trump has hinted at a more muscular US foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific. In tweets and speeches since the election, he has adopted a hard-line on China’s island-building in the South China Sea, vowed to prevent North Korea from acquiring a functional nuclear missile, condemned Beijing over its unfair trade practices, and raised the spectre of deeper US-Taiwan relations.
His Asia team is shaping up to reflect Trump’s hawkish stance towards China on trade and security. But it is also likely to be an eclectic group whose perspectives on other Asia policy issues differ both internally and with figures on the national security cabinet. Australia will have to prepare for a more turbulent US- China relationship, as well as greater uncertainty in Washington’s Asia policy
Is there a nexus between terrorist involvement and mental health in the age of the Islamic State?
No full textAbstract
The wave of Islamic State-linked terrorism experienced in the West over the past couple of years has rekindled debates surrounding mental disorders and terrorist engagement. A very preliminary survey by the authors found that out of 55 attacks in the West where the 76 individuals involved were possibly influenced by the Islamic State, according to media reports, 27.6% had a history of apparent psychological instability, a percentage comparable to that found in the general population. This figure is driven largely by individuals inspired by the Islamic State, as opposed to those directed by it, however. The percentage is likely overinflated for several noteworthy reasons, including poor reporting, low benchmarks, and the tendency to overuse mental health problems as a ‘silver-bullet’ explanation for terrorist involvement. The relationship is, in fact, far more complex than typically presented
Dairy crisis: understanding why the bubble burst and what it means for milk in supermarkets
No full textDollar a litre milk was quick to become the villain of the dairy crisis.
For many shoppers, it was why farmers were being forced off their farms.
It prompted social media campaigns calling on the major supermarkets to ditch the cheap milk.
But what few understand even to this day is that if the supermarkets ended milk discounting, it would do little to end the industry crisis.
Here\u27s why
The Trump presidency and Australia’s security: don’t panic, don’t relax
No full textExplores what the Trump presidency means for Australia and the Asian region from a security perspective.
Key points:
Future US international policy has become uncertain, with the unpredictability of President Trump and deep divisions in political and public opinion.
Security competitors will severely test US resolve and power, while allies will seek to hedge against US unpredictability and against Chinese or Russian power.
Australia’s strategic policy response will need to be steady and interests-based, avoiding both complacency and panic.
Australia will remain well-regarded in Washington but will need to work hard to convert goodwill to influence with US decision makers and power brokers.
Policy recommendations:
Australia should intensify efforts – beyond usual diplomatic and defence channels – to influence US political decisions on international issues that matter to us.
Australia should deepen and diversify its security and economic partnerships in the Indo-Pacific, building a strategic web to bind and complement US alliances.
Government and business needs directly to explain and champion the importance to Australia of our comprehensive ties to the United States, including in new priority domains like cyber security, as well as investment and defence
Exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields from wi-fi in Australian schools
No full textThe increasing use of Wi-Fi in schools and other places has given rise to public concern that the radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields from Wi-Fi have the potential to adversely affect children. The current study measured typical and peak RF levels from Wi-Fi and other sources in 23 schools in Australia. All of the RF measurements were much lower than the reference levels recommended by international guidelines for protection against established health effects. The typical and peak RF levels from Wi-Fi in locations occupied by children in the classroom were of the order of 10−4 and 10−2% of the exposure guidelines, respectively. Typical RF levels in the classroom were similar between Wi-Fi and radio but higher than other sources. In the schoolyard typical RF levels were higher for radio, TV and mobile phone base stations compared to Wi-Fi. The results of this study showed that the typical RF exposure of children from Wi-Fi at school is very low and comparable or lower to other sources in the environment
What will 2017 hold for climate policy in Australia?
No full text2017 is set to be a big year for the government on climate policy.
The Finkel Review of the National Electricity Market will be released this year and the government will also undertake a review of its own climate policies.
To give us a taste of what policy options the government has left - and where this debate might head in 2017 - RN Breakfast is joined by a panel of climate experts
Journalism that stands apart
No full textJournalists across the organization are hungry to make change a reality, and we have new leaders ready to push us forward. Most important, The Times is uniquely well positioned to take advantage of today’s changing media landscape — but also vulnerable to decline if we do not transform ourselves quickly.
While the past two years have been a time of significant innovation, the pace must accelerate. Too often, digital progress has been accomplished through workarounds; now we must tear apart the barriers. We must differentiate between mission and tradition: what we do because it’s essential to our values and what we do because we’ve always done it.
The New York Times has staked its future on being a destination for readers — an authoritative, clarifying and vital destination. These qualities have long prompted people to subscribe to our expertly curated print newspaper. Today, they also lead people to devote valuable space on their smartphone’s homescreen to our app, to seek us out on social media amid the cacophony and to subscribe to our newsletters and briefings
Mobile fact sheet
No full textIn contrast to the largely stationary internet of the early 2000s, Americans today are increasingly connected to the world of digital information while “on the go” via smartphones and other mobile devices. Explore the patterns and trends that have shaped the mobile revolution via the link
Could opt-out organ donation work in Australia?
No full textFrance has moved to make every person in the country a potential organ donor. It joins a list of over twenty-five countries who already have \u27opt out\u27 laws—that means that once a person dies, it\u27s presumed that they consent to donate their organs unless they\u27ve specifically signed up to an opt-out register.
In Australia, we have to opt in to donate organs and tissue.
If you haven\u27t expressed a preference either way, doctors ask family members to make a decision. In about one-third of cases they refuse.
Could an opt-out system work in Australia
Why bad housing design pumps up power prices for everyone
No full textAustralia’s homes are notoriously “leaky” – allowing the uncontrolled flow of heat into and out of the building. Our answer has been to put in more and more pumps, in the form of air conditioning. This is often promoted as a feature, rather than an indication of a poor-quality building!
This creates problems for everyone.
We all know that some houses are hotter than others in heatwaves, and that well insulated and designed homes cost a lot less to operate throughout the year because they don’t rely heavily on air conditioners or heaters to provide comfort.
But did you know that relying on air conditioners to stay cool on hot summer days affects the price of electricity for everyone, all year round?
Pumping heat from one place to another takes a lot of energy, which makes air conditioners particularly power-hungry appliances. The more leaky the house, the more heat needs to be pumped out. On hot days, when lots of aircon units are operating at the same time, this creates a challenge for the electricity infrastructure.
It costs money to build an electricity network that can handle these peaks in demand. This cost is recovered through the electricity unit cost (cents per kilowatt hour). We all pay this cost, in every electricity bill we get; in fact the cost of meeting summer peak demand accounts for about 25% of retail electricity costs. This is more than twice the combined effect of solar feed-in tariffs, the Renewable Energy Target and the erstwhile carbon tax