Carroll (2020), Sean, Something Deeply Hidden, Dutton 2020 Jacket: Spanning the history of quantum discoveries. from Einstein and Bohr to the present day, Something Deeply Hidden is the essential guide to the most intriguing subject in science. Acclaimed physicist and writer Sean Carroll debunks the myths, resurrects and reinstates the Many-Worlds interpretation, and presents a new path rowards solvinfgthe apparent conflict between quantum mechanics and Einstein's theory of general relativity.' 
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Farmelo (2009), Graham, The Strangest Man: The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Mystic of the Atom, Basic Books 2009 Jacket: 'Paul Dirac was among the greatest scientific geniuses of the modern age. One of the discoverers of quantum mechanics, the most revolutionary theory of the last century, his contributions had a unique insight, eloquence, clarity and mathematical power. His prediction of antimatter was one of the greatest triumphs in the history of physics. One of Einstein's most admired colleagues, Dirac was in 1933 the youngest theoretician ever to win a Nobel Prize in physics. . . . Based on previously undiscovered archives, The Strangest Man reveals the many facets of Dirac's brilliantly original mind. The Strangest Man also depicts a spectacularly exciting era in scientific discovery.' 
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Goddard (1998), Peter , and Stephen Hawking, Abraham Pais, Maurice Jacob, David Olive, and Michael Atiyah, Paul Dirac, The Man and His Work, Cambridge University Press 1998 Jacket: Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac was one of the founders of quantum theory and the aithor of many of its most important subsequent developments. He is numbered alongside Newton, Maxwell, Einstein and Rutherford as one of the greatest physicists of all time. This volume contains four lectures celebrating Dirac's life and work and the text of an address given by Stephen Hawking, which were given on 13 November 1995 on the occasion of the dedication of a plaque to him in Westminster Abbey. In the first lecture, Abraham Pais describes from personal knowledge Dirac's character and his approach to his work. In the second lecture, Maurice Jacob explains not only how and why Dirac was led to introduce the concept of antimatter, but also its central role in modern particle physics and cosmology. In the third lecture, David Olive gives an account of Dirac's work on magnetic monopoles and shows how it has had a profound influence in the development of fundamental physics down to the present day. In the fourth lecture, Sir Michael Atiyah explains the widespread significance of the Dirac equation in mathematics, its roots in algebra and its implications for geometry and topology.' 
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Nielsen (2016), Michael A., and Isaac L Chuang, Quantum Computation and Quantum Information, Cambridge University Press 2016 Review: A rigorous, comprehensive text on quantum information is timely. The study of quantum information and computation represents a particularly direct route to understanding quantum mechanics. Unlike the traditional route to quantum mechanics via Schroedinger's equation and the hydrogen atom, the study of quantum information requires no calculus, merely a knowledge of complex numbers and matrix multiplication. In addition, quantum information processing gives direct access to the traditionally advanced topics of measurement of quantum systems and decoherence.' Seth Lloyd, Department of Quantum Mechanical Engineering, MIT, Nature 6876: vol 416 page 19, 7 March 2002. 
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von Neumann (2018), John, and Nicholas A. Wheeler (editor), Robert T Beyer (translator), The Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, Princeton University Press 2018 ' Quantum mechanics was still in its infancy in 1932 when the young John von Neumann, who would go on to become one of the greatest mathematicians of the twentieth century, published Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics--a revolutionary book that for the first time provided a rigorous mathematical framework for the new science. Robert Beyer's 1955 English translation, which von Neumann reviewed and approved, is cited more frequently today than ever before. But its many treasures and insights were too often obscured by the limitations of the way the text and equations were set on the page. In this new edition of this classic work, mathematical physicist Nicholas Wheeler has completely reset the book in TeX, making the text and equations far easier to read. He has also corrected a handful of typographic errors, revised some sentences for clarity and readability, provided an index for the first time, and added prefatory remarks drawn from the writings of Léon Van Hove and Freeman Dyson. The result brings new life to an essential work in theoretical physics and mathematics.' 
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Adam D. Helfer (2002_04_03), Do black holes radiate?, ' Abstract. The prediction that black holes radiate due to quantum effects is often considered one of the most secure in quantum field theory in curved space–time. Yet this prediction rests on two dubious assumptions: that ordinary physics may be applied to vacuum fluctuations at energy scales increasing exponentially without bound; and that quantum–gravitational effects may be neglected. Various suggestions have been put forward to address these issues: that they might be explained away by lessons from sonic black hole models; that the prediction is indeed successfully reproduced by quantum gravity; that the success of the link provided by the prediction between black holes and thermodynamics justifies the prediction. This paper explains the nature of the difficulties, and reviews the proposals that have been put forward to deal with them. None of the proposals put forward can so far be considered to be really successful, and simple dimensional arguments show that quantum–gravitational effects might well alter the evaporation process outlined by Hawking. Thus a definitive theoretical treatment will require an understanding of quantum gravity in at least some regimes. Until then, no compelling theoretical case for or against radiation by black holes is likely to be made. The possibility that non–radiating “mini” black holes exist should be taken seriously; such holes could be part of the dark matter in the Universe. Attempts to place observational limits on the number of “mini” black holes (independent of the assumption that they radiate) would be most welcome. back

Alan Avery-Peck (2024_12_17), At Hanukkah, a celebration of eternal light − from the desert tabernacle to synagogues today, ' My earliest religious memory is of our synagogue’s Ner Tamid: the decorative electric lamp that hangs in every sanctuary, above the ark holding the Torah scrolls. This lamp, I learned from parents and teachers, was an eternal light – the literal meaning of the Hebrew term Ner Tamid. This meant it had to remain lit continuously. It could never go out. . . . In later Jewish history, that candelabra became the model for lamps that continuously burned in the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem – the center of the Israelites’ worship. The first stood from the time of King Solomon in the 10th century B.C.E. until Jerusalem was conquered by Babylonian armies 400 years later. The second was built around 500 B.C.E. and demolished during the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. Each year during Hanukkah, I reflect on my youthful trepidation that my synagogue’s Ner Tamid might go out. For Hanukkah recalls an occasion on which, in the second century B.C.E., that is exactly what happened. At the time, King Antiochus IV of Syria ruled over the Seleucid Empire, which governed much of the Mediterranean and Middle East, including Judea. In 168 B.C.E., the empire forbade Jewish practices, hoping to forcibly assimilate the Jews into Greek culture, and desecrated the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem – extinguishing the candelabra, or menorah. . .. A ragtag army of Jews revolted, led by the Maccabees, a family of pious Jewish priests. They defeated the much more powerful Seleucid army and recaptured Jerusalem, including the Temple. Inside, according to tradition, they found pure lamp oil sufficient to rekindle the menorah for only one day. Miraculously, that small amount of oil lasted eight days, time enough for additional oil to be prepared. Ideas about God’s saving power stand deep within the Hanukkah story. But I like to focus on a different kind of miracle that I see here. The Maccabees initiated their fight against all odds. Similarly, those who lit the little bit of oil they found in the Temple rubble elected hope over despair. In this, I see the holiday’s most enduring message: When people set their minds to it, when we choose to act, we accomplish that which might appear impossible. The creation of a more perfect world, the kind of world we want to bequeath to coming generations, will indeed be a miracle – but one we must undertake to achieve.' back

Alex Lo (2024_12_16), My Take | Showbiz is preparing the American public for war with China, ' How about a script like this for an American thriller? China pressures Mexican drug cartels to kidnap a US congresswoman and kill her entire family. It smuggles in nuclear scientists – or at least tries to do so – to help Iran build The Bomb. Both evil plots are linked. How? Not sure, but somehow it’s all tied to Beijing’s impending invasion of Taiwan. In response, Washington dispatches a female-led special operations unit to both rescue the congresswoman inside Mexico, which may be seen by the Mexicans as an act of war, and assassinate the Chinese nuclear scientists before they could reach Tehran. Crazy, no? Actually, that’s pretty much the real plotline of the second series of Paramount’s Lioness, starring, among others, Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman. China, Mexico, Iran – sounds familiar, doesn’t it? That’s especially so in the mental universe of Donald Trump, but not just him. . . . Showbiz scripts as foreign policy? It’s not an exaggeration but a reality in Washington. I have lost count of how many nominees for key positions in Trump’s new administration come from the media industry, especially if you are from Fox, owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch. . . ./ War, profit and capitalism, that’s freedom, the American way! For that, you must have an enemy. Yesterday, it was Russia, today China.' back

Australian Associated Press (2018_06_27, Twenty-seven Sydney men were probably murdered because they were gay, police say, ' Twenty-seven gay men were likely to have lost their lives to homophobic killers during a violent period of Sydney’s history, a New South Wales police review has found. The force has vowed never to let the dark period of history repeat itself, and is understood to be considering issuing a formal apology for its handling of the cases. On Wednesday, police released the findings of Strike Force Parrabell, whose goal was to “do all that is possible” to heal the rift that grew between police and the LGBTIQ community in those decades. A team of police investigators and independent academics from Flinders University looked at whether attackers had shown evidence of gay-hate motivation. They reached different conclusions in some cases but agreed eight deaths were the result of gay hate.' back

Australian Bicentenary - Wikipedia, Australian Bicentenary - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, ' The event set off debate on Australian national identity, Indigenous rights, historical interpretation and multiculturalism. The event was widely viewed as controversial. Planning for the event raised issues of national identity and historical interpretation. Some wanted to remember the colonisation as an invasion, while others wanted it to focus on historical re-enactments. The Uniting Church in Australia wanted people to boycott the event unless Aboriginal rights were recognised. Anglican Church of Australia bishop George Hearn described the celebrations as an "historical absurdity" for its ignorance of 40,000 years of Aboriginal life and culture. . . . The response from the right wing in the country was loud. The Institute of Public Affairs suggested that tradition had been sacrificed to appease a minority. The historian Geoffrey Blainey claimed the Bicentenary was attempting to re-write the British out of the history of Australia. . . . On 26 January 1988, more than 40,000 people, including Indigenous Australians from across the country, staged the largest march in Sydney since the early 1970s Vietnam Moratorium demonstrations. The protesters marched through Sydney chanting for land rights. The march ended at Hyde Park, where several prominent Aboriginal leaders and activists spoke, among them Gary Foley. . . . Demonstrations were also held in other cities and towns, including Canberra. This was part of a wider Bicentennial Boycott movement, which started in the lead-up to the Bicentennial.' back

Ben Marlow (2024_12_13), Putin’s spectacular act of self-sabotage has killed the Kremlin’s biggest market, ' In choosing to bring war to the EU’s doorstep, Putin gambled that Russia’s grip on the continent’s energy supplies would endure – maintained by weak European leaders unwilling and, in some instances, unable to turn their backs. It was a high-stakes bet that has failed. The decision this week of the Austrian government-backed OMV to terminate a long-term gas supply contract with Gazprom could deliver the final crippling blow to Putin’s dwindling energy empire. Gazprom was already a pale shadow of its former self. Before the war, Russia was Europe’s single biggest supplier of natural gas by a huge distance. But within six short months of declaring war on Ukraine, its share of the European market had all but evaporated from 40 per cent to single figures as, one by one, Ukraine’s allies dramatically scaled back their reliance on Moscow. Russia suffered a further setback when saboteurs sent Russia’s two Nord Stream pipelines – built at a cost of €18 billion ($29.7 billion) – to the bottom of the Baltic Sea. . . . In the meantime, there is no going back for Russia in Europe. Its energy prowess was viewed as a powerful weapon, but in Putin’s reckless hands, it quickly became one of the country’s biggest vulnerabilities. In an act of spectacular self-sabotage, the Kremlin has killed its biggest market.. back

Bianca Hall (2024_12_19), For decades, people have believed this dingo myth. DNA testing has revealed the truth, ' Dingoes are not protected, despite being a native species and threatened in much of the country. In some parts of the country including the western district of NSW and Queensland, people are legally required to kill “wild dogs”, including dingoes. The justification for killing them is the long-held understanding that dingoes and domestic dogs have interbred over more than two centuries since colonisation, resulting in a mongrel pest that targets livestock and native animals alike. But recent groundbreaking DNA testing work by University of NSW geneticist Dr Kylie Cairns and others has upended decades of accepted wisdom on the wild dog question. In research published last year in Molecular Ecology, scientists undertook comprehensive DNA testing on 307 wild animals from across Australia. They found that, contrary to popular belief, about 90 per cent of them were pure dingoes, not hybrids. Of the 62 Victorian animals examined, nearly 90 per cent were “pure” dingoes – with 99.99 per cent dingo DNA. In NSW, more than 60 per cent of the animals tested were pure, and only two animals had less than 70 per cent dingo DNA. . . . The Victorian government acknowledges that “hybridisation between domestic dogs and dingoes is much less common than previously thought”. Nonetheless, in September it extended an order removing protections for dingoes in the south-east of the state, citing the risks of dingo predation on livestock. Related Article Zali Jestrimski at Wooleen Station with dingoes Eulalia and Steven. Updated Animals Community in shock after WA’s beloved ‘dingo tour’ pair shot dead That decision is now the subject of litigation by Animals Australia, which is suing the attorney-general in the Supreme Court of Victoria for the state’s alleged failure to protect dingoes. Legal counsel Shatha Hamade said the government had ignored pleas from traditional owners who treasured the dingo as a totem species. “History has shown that these government-sanctioned killings have almost wiped out the north-west dingoes,” she said. “Dingoes in the north-east are clearly facing the same trajectory to extinction. In fact, they are well on their way to extinction".' back

Eric Bazail-Eimil (2024_12_20), Trump taps critic of Pope Francis for Vatican ambassadorship, ' President-elect Donald Trump said Friday that he is picking the head of a right-wing Catholic advocacy group and critic of Pope Francis to serve as ambassador to the Holy See, potentially teeing up tensions with the Vatican. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that Brian Burch, head of the group Catholic Vote, “loves his Church and the United States — He will make us all proud.” Trump also praised Burch for advocating for him and encouraging Catholics to vote for him in 2024. . . . But none of the picks to helm the Vatican to date would come into the role with as much a digital record of criticizing church leadership. On social media, Burch has criticized Francis’ leadership and shared the writings of some right-wing clerics who are critical of him. In 2023, he insinuated that church leaders were collaborating with controversial U.S. law enforcement probes into parishes that celebrated the Catholic Mass in Latin, a practice that was phased out decades ago for liturgy in local languages.' back

Feynman, Leighton and Sands FLP II_02, Chapter 2: Differential Calculus of Vector Fields, ' Ideas such as the field lines, capacitance, resistance, and inductance are, for such purposes, very useful. So we will spend much of our time analyzing them. In this way we will get a feel as to what should happen in different electromagnetic situations. On the other hand, none of the heuristic models, such as field lines, is really adequate and accurate for all situations. There is only one precise way of presenting the laws, and that is by means of differential equations. They have the advantage of being fundamental and, so far as we know, precise. If you have learned the differential equations you can always go back to them. There is nothing to unlearn.' back

Firestarter: The Stody of Bangarra - Wikipedia, Firestarter: The Stody of Bangarra - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, ' Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra is a 2020 Australian documentary film directed by Wayne Blair and Nel Minchin. It tells the story of the three Page brothers' – Stephen, David and Russell – and their role in the development of Bangarra Dance Theatre. Firestarter was produced by In Films and premiered on 11 October 2020 at the Brisbane International Film Festival. It received critical and audience acclaim and won the AACTA Best Documentary Award (2021), the Rose d'Or Award for Best Arts Program (2021), the Most Outstanding Documentary Logie Award (2022) and the Walkley Documentary Award (2021). The film documents the establishment and development of Bangarra Dance Theatre, tracing its origins in the late 1980s, through the politically difficult 1990s, and into the 21st century as it grew to become one of Australia's prominent cultural institutions. It includes archival footage and interviews with co-founders Carole Johnson, Cheryl Stone and former dancers and creatives. back

Frank Wilczek (2004), Nobel lecture: Asymptotic Freedom: from Paradox to Paradigm, ' Frank Wilczek held his Nobel lecture December 8, 2004, at Aula Magna, Stockholm University. He was presented by Professor Sune Svanberg, Chairman of the Nobel Committee for Physics. Summary: The idea that Quarks that are born free are confined and can’t be pulled apart was once considered a paradox. The emerging theory for strong interactions, Quantum Chromo Dynamics (QCD) predicts the existence of gluons, which together with quarks can be seen indirectly as jets from hard scattering reactions between particles. Quantum Chromo Dynamics predicts that the forces between quarks are feeble for small separations but are powerful far away, which explains confinement. Many experiments have confirmed this property of the strong interaction. ' back

Guido Bacciagaluppi (Stanford Encyclo[edia of Philosophy), The Role of Decoherence in Quantum Mechanics, ' Interference phenomena are a well-known and crucial aspect of quantum mechanics, famously exemplified by the two-slit experiment. There are many situations, however, in which interference effects are artificially or spontaneously suppressed. The theory of decoherence is precisely the study of such situations. It is is relevant (or is claimed to be relevant) to a variety of questions ranging from the measurement problem to the arrow of time, and in particular to the question of whether and how the ‘classical world’ may emerge from quantum mechanics. back

Haaretz Editorial (2024_12_18_, , ' Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar's decision to close the Israeli embassy in Ireland is a case of diplomatic folly that reflects the insanity of the Netanyahu government. It is also disheartening testimony to the fact that Israel prefers to dig in and close itself off instead of engaging in constructive dialogue with countries that criticize it. The embarrassing use of the expression "punching bag" is the least disturbing part of his response. It is precisely the reflexive way in which Sa'ar translates sharp criticism of Israeli policy into antisemitism that shows the foreign minister's and the Israeli government's faulty judgment. What caused Sa'ar to take such an extreme step was the decision of the Irish government to join the petition submitted to the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Sa'ar also cited Dublin's decision last May to recognize a Palestinian state. These two moves by Ireland do not demonstrate antisemitism, but a diplomatic and moral stance that should be taken in full seriousness. Israel has indeed been acting with a degree of violence and destruction in the Gaza Strip that long ago exceeded its security needs. On Tuesday, the Hamas Health Ministry reported that 45,000 people had been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, including many women and children. The number of injured is enormous, and the destruction of homes, buildings and infrastructure is immeasurable. Ireland's recognition of a Palestinian state is the result of Israel's scandalous conduct over the decades, particularly in the Netanyahu era, aimed at abolishing Palestinian nationalism, oppressing the Palestinian people and creating irreversible facts on the ground that would preclude ever establishing a Palestinian state. Instead of seriously addressing these two issues, Sa'ar chose to do what those who deny reality do – dig in, close himself in and cut off all contact. But such a policy comes at a price, as noted by Reda Mansour, who has served as Israel's ambassador to Brazil and other countries. "Closing an embassy does years of damage and spells the loss of contacts and knowledge. It leaves the playing field empty for the other side and means abandoning your many supporters in the country. It shows a complete lack of understanding of foreign relations," said Mansour. Sa'ar's joining the Netanyahu government was an exceptional instance of political opportunism, but his foolish decision regarding Ireland proves that he indeed belongs where he is, in a government of destruction and ruin. The above article is Haaretz's lead editorial, as published in the Hebrew and English newspapers in Israel. back

Hylomorphism - Wikipedia, Hylomorphism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 'Hylomorphism (Greek ὑλο- hylo-, "wood, matter" + -morphism < Greek μορφή, morphē, "form") is a philosophical theory developed by Aristotle, which analyzes substance into matter and form. Substances are conceived of as compounds of form and matter.' back

Laura Nicole Driessen (2024_12_17), When you wish upon a star, is it already dead? An astronomer crunches the numbers, ' As an astronomer, I’m happy to say that the stars we can see in the night sky are a lot closer and live a lot longer than you would think. It’s pretty unlikely you’ve accidentally wished upon a star that’s already dead. When someone hits you with the depressing factoid that the stars we wish on are already dead, they usually start by saying something about how the stars are “millions of light years away”. This means the light from the star has been travelling for millions of years to reach your eyes, so by now the star is millions of years older and – supposedly – most likely dead. Support evidence-based journalism. But the stars you’re wishing on probably aren’t that far away. All the stars we can see with our eyes are inside our galaxy, the Milky Way. The Milky Way is approximately 100,000 light years across, and our Solar System is about 26,000 light years from the centre of the galaxy. So if we could see the stars at the very far edge of the galaxy, they’d still only be about 74,000 light years away. That’s nowhere near a million light years away, let alone “millions of light years”. . . . The safest star to send your wishes to? The Sun! The Sun is only eight light minutes away and it’ll be a main-sequence star for around 5 billion years yet.' back

Mandy Zuo (2024_12_10), Superpower showdown: how US-China economic warfare could play out under Trump, ' From Howard Lutnick, a Wall Street executive who has been vocal about tariffs, to Peter Navarro, a hawkish economist sanctioned by Beijing, choices made by Trump for his economic team signal that competition and conflicts between the world’s two largest economies are set to intensify, according to analysts. And some say that China, which has maintained a stable team of loyalists to President Xi Jinping and gained experience with Trump in his first term, may respond with more composure – as demonstrated in the ancient Chinese martial art of tai chi – while trying to dissolve attacks from the United States. Vice-Premier He Lifeng, who has been the “Chinese lead in US economic and trade talks” since last year, is expected to play a pivotal role in dealing with what looks to be shaping up as a fresh round of trade contentions. As for their stance on China, these individuals are generally tough and hawkish Zhou Mi, Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation Unlike when Trump first entered politics and had to rely on the opinions of establishment Republicans, his strong return has elevated loyalty to his primary criterion for selecting candidates, aiming to minimise any constraints on presidential power. “As for their stance on China, these individuals are generally tough and hawkish,” said Zhou Mi, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, a think tank affiliated with the Ministry of Commerce. “Compared with the security and other teams, Trump’s economic team shows a bigger tendency to apply stronger pressure on China,” he said. “At the same time, they are less inclined towards engagement with China.” The Chinese team, however, is seen to resemble tai chi practitioners in the way that they tend to use softness and flexibility to overcome hardness. “Regardless of external pressure or cooperative intentions, China has maintained a steady framework and approach,” Zhou said. “At the global level, it adheres to multilateral rules and seeks solutions within multilateral frameworks,” he said. “On a bilateral level, it utilises laws, regulations, and policy measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of businesses while creating a more favourable environment for all parties to grow in China.” back

Mariachiara Di Cesare & Francis Hassard (2024_12_11), Poliovirus found in wastewater in Spain, Germany and Poland – what you need to know, ' In 1988, the World Health Organization (WHO) called for the global eradication of polio. Within a decade, one of the three poliovirus strains was already virtually eradicated — meaning a permanent reduction of the disease to zero new cases worldwide. Polio, also known as poliomyelitis, is an extremely contagious disease caused by the poliovirus. It attacks the nervous system and can lead to full paralysis within hours. The virus enters through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine. Infected people shed poliovirus into the environment by the faecal-oral route. About one in every 200 infections results in irreversible paralysis (usually affecting the legs). Of those who become paralysed, 5–10% die due to immobilised breathing muscles. Since 1988, the global number of poliovirus cases has decreased by over 99%. Today, only two countries — Pakistan and Afghanistan — are considered “endemic” for polio. This means that the disease is regularly transmitted in the country. Yet in recent months, poliovirus has been detected in wastewater in Germany, Spain and Poland. This discovery does not confirm infections in the population, but it is a wake-up call for Europe, which was declared polio free in 2002. Any gaps in vaccination coverage could see a resurgence of the disease. . . . Email X (Twitter) Facebook59 LinkedIn Print In 1988, the World Health Organization (WHO) called for the global eradication of polio. Within a decade, one of the three poliovirus strains was already virtually eradicated — meaning a permanent reduction of the disease to zero new cases worldwide. Polio, also known as poliomyelitis, is an extremely contagious disease caused by the poliovirus. It attacks the nervous system and can lead to full paralysis within hours. The virus enters through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine. Infected people shed poliovirus into the environment by the faecal-oral route. About one in every 200 infections results in irreversible paralysis (usually affecting the legs). Of those who become paralysed, 5–10% die due to immobilised breathing muscles. Since 1988, the global number of poliovirus cases has decreased by over 99%. Today, only two countries — Pakistan and Afghanistan — are considered “endemic” for polio. This means that the disease is regularly transmitted in the country. Support evidence-based journalism. Yet in recent months, poliovirus has been detected in wastewater in Germany, Spain and Poland. This discovery does not confirm infections in the population, but it is a wake-up call for Europe, which was declared polio free in 2002. Any gaps in vaccination coverage could see a resurgence of the disease. Poliovirus strains originating from regions where the virus remained in circulation led to outbreaks among unvaccinated people in Tajikistan and Ukraine in 2021, and Israel in 2022. By contrast, in the UK — where poliovirus was detected in wastewater in 2022 — no cases of paralytic disease were recorded. This information highlights the varied effect of poliovirus detection. Why? In areas with under-immunised populations, the virus can circulate widely and cause paralysis. But in communities with strong vaccination coverage, the virus often remains limited to symptomless (“asymptomatic”) infections or is detectable only in wastewater. In this sense, the mere detection of the virus in the environment can serve as a canary in the coal mine. It warns public health officials to check vaccination coverage and take measures such as boosting vaccination campaigns, improving access to healthcare and enhancing disease surveillance to prevent outbreaks. A child with polio wearing callipers. A crutch lies nearby. Polio can cause paralysis and even death. guy oliver / Alamy Stock Photo Rich source of information Wastewater surveillance, an approach reinvigorated during the COVID pandemic, has proven invaluable for early detection of disease outbreaks. Wastewater is a rich source of information. It contains a blend of human excrement, including viruses, bacteria, fungi and chemical traces. Analysing this mixture offers valuable insights for public health officials. Routine wastewater testing in the three countries revealed a specific vaccine-derived strain. No polio cases were reported in any of the three countries. Vaccine-derived poliovirus strains emerge from the weakened live poliovirus contained in oral polio vaccines. If this weakened virus circulates long enough among under-immunised or unimmunised groups, or in people with weakened immune systems (such as transplant recipients or those undergoing chemotherapy), it can genetically shift back into a form capable of causing disease. In this case, it is possible that the virus was shed in the sewage by an infected asymptomatic person. But it is also possible that a person who was recently vaccinated with the oral vaccine (with the weakened virus) shed the virus in the wastewater, which subsequently evolved until re-acquiring the mutations that cause paralysis. A different type of vaccine exists. The inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) cannot revert to a dangerous form. However, it is more expensive and more complex to deliver, needing trained health workers to administer and more complex procedures. This can limit the feasibility of deploying it in poor countries — often where the need to vaccinate is greater. This does not mean that the oral polio vaccine is not any good. On the contrary, they have been instrumental in eradicating certain poliovirus strains globally. The real issue arises when vaccination coverage is insufficient. In 2023, polio immunisation coverage in one-year-olds in Europe stood around 95%. This is well above the 80% “herd immunity” threshold — when enough people in a population are vaccinated so that vulnerable groups are protected from the disease. In Spain, Germany and Poland, coverage with three doses ranges from 85–93%, protecting most people from severe disease. Yet under-immunised groups and those with weakened immune systems remain at risk. The massive progress in polio eradication that happened over the past three decades is the result of the global effort to fight the disease. But mounting humanitarian crises — sparked by conflict, natural disasters and climate change — are significantly disrupting vaccination programmes essential for safeguarding public health. If we consider that already 30% of all countries in the world have a vaccine coverage of less than 80%, with immunisation coverage as low as 36% in some countries, any further delay or disruption in vaccination programmes may be catastrophic. More is needed to safeguard immunisation programmes and prevent undoing decades of progress. The COVID pandemic has reminded us that viruses know no borders. Ensuring widespread, sustained vaccination is our best defence against polio’s resurgence. The alert triggered by wastewater surveillance systems in Spain, Poland and Germany highlights how wastewater-based surveillance provides public health authorities with another weapon in the fight against infectious diseases.' back

Mark A Thiessen (2024_12-18), Does Trump want Putin to get Ukraine’s $26 trillion in gas and minerals?, 'Donald Trump often says that liberating Iraq without getting its oil resources was one of America’s biggest foreign policy blunders. He has a chance to avoid a similar mistake in Ukraine. Ukraine is not only the breadbasket of Europe; it is also a mineral superpower, with some of the largest reserves of 117 of the 120 most widely used minerals in the world. Of the 50 strategic minerals identified by the United States as critical to its economy and national security, many of which are quite rare yet key to certain high-value applications, Ukraine supplies 22. Make sense of the latest news and debates with our daily newsletter Ukraine possesses the largest reserves of uranium in Europe; the second-largest reserves of iron ore, titanium and manganese; and the third-largest reserves of shale gas — as well as large deposits of lithium, graphite and rare earth metals, according to a 2022 report by the Canadian geopolitical risk-analysis firm SecDev. These minerals are essential to the production of vital goods ranging from airplanes, cellphones and electric vehicles to steel and nuclear power. The question for the president-elect is: Does he want Russia and China to get that treasure trove of natural resources? Or does he want to develop them with Ukraine to the benefit of the American people? One of the main reasons Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine (aside from his delusional historical fantasies about how Ukrainians and Russians are “one people”) was to seize these natural resources, which are valued at an estimated $26 trillion, according to SecDev.' back

Melanie & Hajnal, Wrestling match, back

Mridula Nath Chakraborty (2024_12_20), Friday essay: A man out of time – E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India at 100 and the legacies of colonialism, ' Along with Richard Attenborough’s epic biopic Gandhi (1982) and The Jewel in the Crown, the Granada Television miniseries based on Paul Scott’s Raj Quartet novels (1965-75) – also broadcast in 1984 – these films gave me my first taste of how British storytellers were seeking to recreate Raj nostalgia and recuperate colonial history, while examining a central concern of Forster’s novel: the problem of the British in India. . .. India was also facing the headwinds of perestroika and glasnost. The approaching end of the Cold War would soon herald an economic liberalisation that ushered us into a new commercial-cultural firmament. Satellite television and MTV wedged out Doordarshan, the one and only national television broadcaster. Coca-Cola – banned since 1977 – would soon re-enliven our palates, seriously denting the market for local carbonated drinks like Gold Spot, Thums Up, Limca, Citra and Maaza. . . . It was in this internationalist milieu, during my masters program in English literature at Delhi University, that I encountered Forster’s novel in a syllabus with the colonial “Beowulf to Virginia Woolf” script embedded in its suite of courses. . . . Today, Gandhi and Forster seem to be at the irreconcilable ends of the legacy of empire: one arguing for satyagraha, non-violence and civil disobedience; the other pleading for liberal humanism and psychic integration. What their visions and works demand of us is an acute consideration of what Forster calls the “unsatisfactory and undramatic tangles” of human interaction – flawed and ineffectual, broken and unbridgeable.' A Passage to India is a reminder that we have not yet forded the gap.' back

Ochres, Ochres - Bangarra Dance Theatre 1994, ' Ochres, first performed in 1994, became a watershed production for Bangarra leading to sell out shows around the country. For its 21st anniversary return season in 2015, Bangarra’s Artistic Director Stephen Page reimagined this iconic work that revealed Bangarra to the world for the company’s debut season at Carriageworks in Redfern. In all its forms and colours, ochre is essential to the life of Aboriginal communities. This four-part contemporary dance work – yellow, black, red and white – is a portrayal of each colour of this earthy substance, its myriad of purposes and the spiritual significance to Aboriginal people.' back

Petra Stock (2024_12_18), ‘Bad deal for taxpayers’: huge losses from NSW forest logging, reports reveal, ' Two reports revealing the extent of financial losses from native forest logging in New South Wales raise questions about the economic viability of the industry. The state government’s forestry corporation “consistently made a loss” by paying contractors more for harvesting and haulage than it earned from delivery of timber to sawmills, a NSW Independent Pricing and Review Tribunal (Ipart) report found. “[Forestry Corporation of NSW’s] delivery charge does not fully recover its native timber harvesting and haulage costs, including contract and administration costs, and has not done so for at least the last 10 years,” the report said. The tribunal recommended the state government review the long-term feasibility of native timber harvesting, noting the majority of wood supply agreements were due for renewal in 2028. It also suggested ways to improve cost recovery. Ipart’s findings followed the release of the state forestry corporation’s 2023-24 annual report, which disclosed a $29m loss for its native hardwood forest division in the past year, and losses totalling $72m since 2020-21.' back

Richard P. Feynman (1981), Simulating Physics with Computers, 'I want to talk about the possibiilty that there is to be an exact simulation, that the computer will do exactly the same as nature. If this is to be proved and the type of computer is as I've already explained, then it's going to be necessary that everything that happens in a finite volume of space and time would have to be exactly analyzable with a finite number of logical operations. The present theory of physics is not that way, apparently. It allows space to go down into infinitesimal distances, wavelengths to get infinitely great, terms to be summed in infinite order, and so forth; and therefore if this proposition is right, physical law is wrong.' International Journal of Theoretical Physics, VoL 21, Nos. 6/7, 1982 back

Yagil Levy (2024_12_12), An Army's Morality Is Measured by a Single Factor. The IDF Has Failed This Test, ' The worst ethical disaster in Israel's history occurred a few weeks ago, when the International Criminal Court in The Hague announced it was filing arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The court presented ostensible evidence of crimes allegedly committed against the civilian population of the Gaza Strip. The response from mainstream Israelis was a mixture of denial and accusations against the ICC. The more sober among them came up with a miracle cure – a state commission of inquiry, to deflect the ICC investigation. However, an independent inquest is not just a formality. It requires effectiveness, and often leads to indictments. . . . At the very minimum, it could be expected that The Hague decision would cause the government to shy away and refrain from implementation of the so-called Generals' Plan in Gaza, which only supports the court's accusations regarding criminal deeds, among them starvation of civilians. A criminal suspect wouldn't normally refute charges of unlawful acts and then continue to commit them. Below the minimum, we could have expected people to listen to claims made by the former Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Moshe Yaalon, who revealed the widely known fact that Israel is carrying out ethnic cleansing in Gaza – and was also widely condemned for it. Denial and ethical blindness are also glaring in the criticisms leveled at my Haaretz article, "Israel Has 'The Most Moral Army'? Gaza Death Ratio Tells Another Story," expressed here and in other media outlets. I will address some of them.. . . To illustrate, Israel essentially approved a level of collateral damage of about 100 civilians to kill one senior Hamas operative, while the U.S. only approved the killing of 30 when assassinating a senior official with more or less the same status as Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.' back