When Michael Terpin loses $24 million to a SIM-swapping hack, he fights back against the young hackers and takes on AT&T in a legal battle for $224 million. This cautionary tale exposes the rise of SIM-swapping incidents and the vulnerabilities of service providers in the face of digital identity theft.

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D.H. Lawrence on the Hypocrisies of Social Change and What It Actually Takes to Shift the Status Quo

Each month, I spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars keeping The Marginalian going. For seventeen years, it has remained free and ad-free and alive thanks to patronage from readers. I have no staff, no interns, not even an assistant — a thoroughly one-woman labor of love that is also my life and my livelihood. If this labor has made your own life more livable in the past year (or the past decade), please consider aiding its sustenance with a one-time or loyal donation. Your support makes all the difference.“Progress is never permanent, will always be threatened, must be redoubled, restated and reimagined if it is to survive,” Zadie Smith wrote in her superb meditation on optimism and despair. But the paradox of progress is that because there is no universal utopia — every utopia is built on someone’s back — there can be no universal progress, no absolute measure of it. Its relativism conceals a euphemism for moving the world in the direction of the one’s own desires, relativism laced with myriad hypocrisies that keep us from building the kind of world Gabriel García Márquez envisioned in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech — a world “where no one will be able to decide for others how they die, where love will prove true and happiness be possible.”Those hypocrisies, and how to transcend them, are what D.H. Lawrence (September 11, 1885–March 2, 1930) addresses with his characteristic passionate conviction in a letter to one of his literary friends, Lady Cynthia Asquith, found in The Letters of D.H. Lawrence (public library).

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The AI Hype Cycle Is Distracting Companies

Machine learning has an “AI” problem. With new breathtaking capabilities from generative AI released every several months — and AI hype escalating at an even higher rate — it’s high time we differentiate most of today’s practical ML projects from those research advances. This begins by correctly naming such projects: Call them “ML,” not “AI.” Including all ML initiatives under the “AI” umbrella oversells and misleads, contributing to a high failure rate for ML business deployments. For most ML projects, the term “AI” goes entirely too far — it alludes to human-level capabilities. In fact, when you unpack the meaning of “AI,” you discover just how overblown a buzzword it is: If it doesn’t mean artificial general intelligence, a grandiose goal for technology, then it just doesn’t mean anything at all.

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5 Ways to Future-Proof Your Career in the Age of AI

What can we do personally to stave off the displacement that may happen as a result of AI? In this article, the authors offer five strategies to future-proof your career in the age of intelligent machines: 1) Avoid predictability. It’s important to remember that AI isn’t generating new insights; it’s a prediction engine that merely guesses the most likely next word. 2) Hone the skills that machines strive to emulate. 3) Double down on “the real world.” 4) Develop your personal brand. 5) Develop recognized expertise in your field. Even if AI performs “first draft” functions, it still has to be double-checked by a trusted and reliable source. If that’s you, you’ll continue to be sought out because you have the authority to vet AI’s responses.

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4 Areas of Cyber Risk That Boards Need to Address

In our technology-dependent society, the effectiveness of cyber risk governance of companies affects its stock prices, as well as short-term and long-term shareholder value. New SEC cybersecurity rules provide a solid basis for transparency. Unfortunately, monitoring the long-term effectiveness of a cyber risk management strategy is not easy to grasp. This article provides four critical areas investors should be informed about for evaluating its long-term effectiveness.

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Generative AI at Mastercard: Governance Takes Center Stage | Thomas H. Davenport and Randy Bean

Our summer special report helps leaders gain a comprehensive view of risks, learn how to overcome market disrupters, and manage the analytical tools that provide predictive insight for decision-making.Our summer special report helps leaders gain a comprehensive view of risks, learn how to overcome market disrupters, and manage the analytical tools that provide predictive insight for decision-making.If you saw the action-adventure movie Everything Everywhere All at Once, you might have had the same reaction we did. Impressive and exciting? No doubt — that’s one reason why it won seven Academy Awards. A portent of the future? Perhaps — as scientists explore the idea of a multiverse, the film provides one vision of what it might look like. Somewhat bizarre and confusing? Well, to us anyway.

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How the workplace became the star of TV

In Carmen Berzatto's frantic kitchen at The Bear, you can slice through the tension with a butter knife. While the Roy siblings tussle for power at Waystar Royco, the fists-out conflict seems strangely familiar. The trading floor at Pierpoint & Co leaves you dizzy and breathless, and the cringe-worthy awkwardness in the teachers' lounge at Philadelphia's Abbott Elementary is palpable – is this what went on behind the scenes when you were at school?Work-related themes have taken centre stage in television and film; beyond characters simply having jobs, the workplace itself has become core to the action, serving both as a setting where the drama unfolds as well as the source of the conflict itself. Often, it even feels like a character in its own right.

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Workers are quiet quitting, and only employers can stop it

Quit rates are declining. In the US, they've normalised to pre-pandemic levels – seemingly bringing an end to the Great Resignation. Hiring has similarly cooled. In the UK, the number of job vacancies has dropped every quarter for the past year.Now, in the current labour market, demand for jobs vastly outstrips supply. June 2023 LinkedIn research shows hiring has dropped by 20.9% in the US and 22.5% in the UK year-over-year. At the same time, workers' job search activity is surging. LinkedIn data, seen by BBC Worklife, shows a 150% rise in job applications in the UK in July 2023 compared to a year ago. In the US, there's also been a 35% spike in the number of applications per candidate.

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Why Aperol Spritz is the drink of the summer

This summer, Aperol Spritz is flowing from the counters of the most enchanting venues in New York City, from the terrace of the Independent Art Fair in Tribeca to the flamingo-themed new bakery on my Brooklyn block. In Singapore, you can take an Aperol Spritz bar crawl, and in Paris, it's now a fixture at most cafes next to the local pastis and kir.It seems that aperitivo (Italy's cherished pre-dinner drink) has become the new happy hour. And yet, the current popularity of Aperol Spritz leaves us Venetians slightly perplexed. How did a drink that, until 20 years ago could only be found in our region's humble osteria (tavern) and cheap local bars, conquer the world?

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Why sequins are so exhilarating to wear

In the 1930s, a woman wearing a sequinned dress faced an unusual dilemma. She might have looked fabulous – literally dazzling – but she was in a fragile position. Clothes designed for social settings (where else might one wear sequins?) should have some durability: withstanding sweat and the jostling proximity of other people. But dance with such a woman in sequins, and you would both engage in a perilous game. In resting one hot, damp hand on her hip, you flirted with committing an act of serious damage – risking leaving behind a permanent handprint, your clammy touch melting her embellishment into a ghostly, gloopy outline. The history of sequins is, like all materials, one of money, manufacture, and shifting social mores. The sequins of the 1930s were volatile because they were made of gelatin that was coloured with lead paint. Obvious lead-based health issues aside, gelatin had a very low melting point. On becoming too warm or too wet, it dissolved. Ergo the handprint hazard. And forget about washing or steaming. However, what they lacked in longevity, these sequins made up for in lightweight – if fleeting – wearability. Before the introduction of synthetic materials, sequins were made from heavier metals spanning the precious (gold, silver) and the cheap (copper, brass). In this form they had been manufactured for thousands of years, from the days of Tutankhamun to displays of wealth and opulence in Renaissance Italy.

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How our female athletes feel forced to choose between a 'strong' or 'feminine' look

As I watched the Fifa Women’s World Cup, I was probably one of many who couldn’t help but feel inspired by the women on the pitch, showing their elite fitness and ability. However, many female athletes have spoken out about the pressures they feel in regards to their bodies and the way they look. Good mental health is vital to sports performance. So it is crucial our athletes feel positive about their body image and mental health if they are to achieve their potential.

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This course examines the dark realities behind your favorite children's stories

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching. It was Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” but it wasn’t the version I expected.

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Machines can't always take the heat - two engineers explain the physics behind how heat waves threaten everything from cars to computers

Not only people need to stay cool, especially in a summer of record-breaking heat waves. Many machines, including cellphones, data centers, cars and airplanes, become less efficient and degrade more quickly in extreme heat. Machines generate their own heat, too, which can make hot temperatures around them even hotter. No machine is perfectly efficient – all machines face some internal friction during operation. This friction causes machines to dissipate some heat, so the hotter it is outside, the hotter the machine will be.

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Prescriptions for fruits and vegetables can improve the health of people with diabetes and other ailments, new study finds

Kurt Hager volunteers as a steering committee member for the National Produce Prescription Collaborative.The health of people with diabetes, hypertension and obesity improved when they could get free fruits and vegetables with a prescription from their doctors and other health professionals.

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How individual, ordinary Jews fought Nazi persecution - a new view of history

In Nazi Germany, Hertha Reis, a 36-year-old Jewish woman, performed forced labor for a private company in Berlin during World War II. In 1941, she was evicted by a judge from the two sublet rooms where she lived with her son and mother – she was unprotected as a tenant because of an anti-Jewish law.In plain daylight, in front of the courthouse in the heart of the Nazi capital, she protested in front of passersby.

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Quran burning in Sweden prompts debate on the fine line between freedom of expression and incitement of hatred

The Swedish government is concerned about national security following several incidents involving the burning of the Quran that have provoked demonstrations and outrage from Muslim-majority countries.The spate of Quran-burning incidents followed an act of desecration by far-right activist Rasmus Paludan on Jan. 21, 2023, in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm. On Aug. 25, Denmark’s government said it would “criminalize” desecration of religious objects and moved a bill banning the burning of scriptures.

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What can cities do to correct racism and help all communities live longer? It starts with city planning

The average life expectancy in the U.S. is 76.1 years. But this range varies widely – a child raised in wealthy San Mateo County, California, can expect to live nearly 85 years. A child raised in Fort Worth, Texas, could expect to live about 66.7 years. Race, poverty, as well as related issues like the ability to find nearby grocery stores and easily visit clean parks, all influence health.

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With 'Goodbye Mary,' Molly Tuttle extends country music's lineage of reproductive rights songs to the post-Roe era

Jason Aldean’s song “Try That In A Small Town” extols small towns as bastions of conservative values standing up against a litany of violent big-city bogeymen. The song, and the backlash against it, threatens to strengthen popular conceptions about the inherent conservatism of country music.As an American Studies professor who teaches courses on country music, I am interested in the genre’s competing “liberal” lineage. For example, I have written about country musicians’ compassionate responses to the opioid crisis.

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Brics: African countries face opportunities and risks in alienating China or the US - an expert weighs in

Director, African Centre for the Study of the United States, University of Pretoria South Africa recently hosted a Brics summit. The event attracted international attention because the group has recently begun to emerge as a possible rival against US dominance of world affairs. The US and China lie at the heart of this debate. They are the two biggest trading partners of most African countries and both have strategic interests that they are determined to protect. The Conversation Africa’s politics editor, Thabo Leshilo, asked international relations expert Christopher Isike to explain.

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Landlocked Ethiopia wants better sea access: a port deal with neighbours could benefit the region

University of Western Cape provides support as a hosting partner of The Conversation AFRICA.Ethiopia’s access to the coast has occupied the minds of the country’s rulers since time immemorial. This is because being landlocked undermines Ethiopia’s ability to grow its economy, develop its military (navy force) and exert influence across the Horn of Africa.

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South Africa's traditional medicines should be used in modern health care

University of the Witwatersrand provides support as a hosting partner of The Conversation AFRICA.Traditional medicines are part of the cultural heritage of many Africans. About 80% of the African continent’s population use these medicines for healthcare.

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Breastfeeding increased during the pandemic but what does that tell us about how to improve rates?

And in fact, women were 40% more likely to exclusively breastfeed for six months during COVID than they were before the pandemic or now, post-pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusively breastfeeding for the first six months of a baby’s life. But the UK has had the lowest breastfeeding rates globally. Only 0.5% of women breastfed their baby until they were one year old in the UK. This is compared to 27% of mothers in the United States, 35% in Norway and 44% in Mexico, who were still breastfeeding after one year.

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Women still feel like they aren't listened to when they give birth - here's what could help change things

Women often report that they are not listened to or given choices about what happens during their own labour. But studies have long shown that feeling heard and having choice during childbirth enhances women’s wellbeing.These findings led to changes in NHS policy and guidelines beginning with the landmark report Changing Childbirth in the 1990s.

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When being a new mum feels overwhelming, here's some expert advice on what you need to know

We are sold the idea that becoming a new mother is the happiest time of your life. But for many women, the reality doesn’t fit that perfect picture. Yes, they may love their baby very much but the broader impact of having a baby and becoming a mother can feel far more complex. Research shows that when we look at happiness over our lifetime, the year after having a baby can be one of our lowest points. It’s not about our relationship with our baby but rather the other parts of our lives that have changed so much. Social media hasn’t helped any of this. We are all tempted to just share the best bits, thinking we need to hide our feelings because we think everyone else is so happy. But speaking out helps everyone.

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Final Fantasy XIV fans fear the game's new colonial storyline - here's why they don't need to

The popular online role-playing game Final Fantasy XIV will be taking its players to the “New World” when its fifth content expansion, Dawntrail, is released next summer. More than a passing reference to the age of European exploration, it is set on a new continent, known as Tural, which draws historical and cultural inspiration from pre-Columbian Latin America and civilisations such as the Aztec, Inca and Maya.The game’s producer, Naoki Yoshida, announced the expansion at the end of July 2023 during an official fan festival. He explained that the story will begin with playable characters being invited to the New World. There they will oversee a contest over the throne of Tuliyollal – a major city in the region.

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Heartstopper: how this joyous teen show contrasts with my bitter memories of school life under homophobic law Section 28

It’s confession time. Despite being well into my fifties, I am a Heartstopper super-fan. For those who don’t know Heartstopper, it is Alice Osman’s Netflix adaptation of their boy-meets-boy graphic novel. Charlie (Joe Locke) and Nick (Kit Connor) and their LGBTQ+ friends come of age and fall in love at school.I am not the target audience for Heartstopper – the second series of which has recently been released. It is squarely aimed at young people and LGBTQ+ young people in particular. However, I was a secondary school teacher for more than 20 years and Heartstopper to me is a joyous depiction of what teaching and schools could have been, but for me, never was.

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How to get help or your money back after travel disruptions - experts explain

The summer of 2023 started well for airlines, after a tumultuous few years following COVID lockdowns in most countries. Passenger numbers were up 30% in the northern hemisphere in June 2023, versus the previous year. But air travel in July and August has been disrupted once again, not only by air traffic control strikes, but also by devastating wildfires in typical tourist hot spots such as Greece, Maui, Tenerife and Canada. The latest problem – a UK air traffic control fault – has left thousands of passengers stranded after more than one-quarter of UK flights were cancelled on one of the busiest travel days of the year. It will take days to resolve, according to the UK transport secretary, Mark Harper.

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X users will need protection after the 'block' feature is removed - here's why businesses are better than people at moderating negative comments

In a recent post, the owner of X, (formerly Twitter), Elon Musk, announced his plans for the social media platform to remove its blocking feature, except for in direct messages. Users are concerned that this change in the platform’s content moderation will lead to a rise in hostile and abusive content, leaving those on the platform unable to protect themselves from its consequences.

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Dizzee Rascal's Boy In Da Corner turns 20 - here's how it ushered in the era of grime

From before their election in 1997, New Labour politicians spun an image of Britain that held the promise of prosperity for all. Then we entered a new millennium. For the black community – especially its boys and men – it became clear the promise was as empty as Tony Blair’s Millennium Dome was eventually left.They were still being denied equality of opportunity. They were still being overpoliced, sometimes fatally. In their quest for economic survival, they were still not regarding each other’s lives as sacred.

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Accident or medical, new research shows we need to treat conditions equally to get people back to work

After receiving a head injury from a car accident in 2014, I was given support through the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) to recover and return to work as a health professional. But I am keenly aware that those who have brain injuries after medical events – such as a stroke – are often left to negotiate health and rehabilitative services with significantly less support.

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To boost Indigenous employment, we need to map job opportunities to skills and qualifications. Our new project does just that

For employers wanting to recruit Indigenous workers, two key factors stand in their way: geography combined with lack of job diversity, and a mismatch between educational qualifications and job opportunities. We’ve charted this mismatch with the Indigenous Jobs Map, using artificial intelligence to analyse more than 10 million job ads.

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The charismatic, enigmatic Charmian Clift: a writer who lived the dream and confronted its consequences

The centenary of the birth of Charmian Clift takes place on August 30. It comes at a time when the renowned Australian writer is, as they say, having a moment. Clift’s typewriter has been still for over half a century, but the fascination with her life and writing shows little signs of abating. Recent years have seen new Australian editions of her work in its various genres: fiction, memoir and journalistic essays. There has been a play about her in the theatres. A documentary is in the making and a feature film is in pre-production.

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How do the 'yes' and 'no' cases stack up? Constitutional law experts take a look

Gabrielle Appleby was a pro bono constitutional consultant to the Regional Dialogues and First Nations Constitutional Convention that delivered the Uluru Statement from the Heart. She is a member of the Indigenous Law Centre (UNSW Law & Justice) and supports the work of the Uluru Dialogues.Sean Brennan was a member of the pro bono support team to the Regional Dialogues and First Nations Constitutional Convention that delivered the Uluru Statement from the Heart. He is a member of the Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law (UNSW Law & Justice) and supports the work of the Uluru Dialogues.

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'I tend to be very gentle': how teachers are navigating climate change in the classroom

The main international test of 15-year-olds’ progress (which Australia participates in) has just announced the next round of testing will include environmental knowledge alongside English, maths and science literacy. Australia’s national curriculum (updated last year under the Morrison government) barely mentions climate change. But as a signatory to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Agreement, we have committed to develop climate change education policies.

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Flying under the radar: Australia's silent and growing competition crisis

Visiting Fellow and Director – Micro heterogeneity and Macroeconomic Performance program, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University In 2017, the most recent year for which we could obtain comparable figures, Australia was far more prone to high levels of market concentration, with the top four firms accounting for 80% of some markets and averaging more than 60% across some industry categories.

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Sahara space rock 4.5 billion years old upends assumptions about the early Solar System

In May 2020, some unusual rocks containing distinctive greenish crystals were found in the Erg Chech sand sea, a dune-filled region of the Sahara Desert in southern Algeria.On close inspection, the rocks turned out to be from outer space: lumps of rubble billions of years old, left over from the dawn of the Solar System.

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Pharmacists should be able to work with GPs to prescribe medicines for long-term conditions

Peter Breadon's employer, Grattan Institute, has been supported in its work by government, corporates, and philanthropic gifts. A full list of supporting organisations is published at www.grattan.edu.au.Aaron Yin is currently on secondment to the Grattan Institute from the Victorian Department of Health.Grattan Institute, has been supported in its work by government, corporates, and philanthropic gifts. A full list of supporting organisations is published at www.grattan.edu.au.

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Marching to Ottawa for neglected and murdered Indigenous men: One family's fight for justice grows

Summer in Canada means highways filled with tourists and travellers. For many summers now, some travellers move with a specific mission on those highways: to raise awareness about social issues facing Indigenous Peoples and the ongoing harmful impacts of Canada’s Indian Residential School program.This summer, the Dubois family from the Pasqua First Nation in Saskatchewan is taking that walk. As they march from Regina to Ottawa, their hope is to raise awareness about the vulnerabilities and systemic inequalities faced by Indigenous boys, men and Two-Spirit People.

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TVO strike highlights the scourge of contract work in public service journalism

Workers at TVO are on strike for the first time in the public broadcaster’s 53-year history. Amid the din of traffic outside TVO’s offices in Toronto, unionized journalists, producers and education workers hold picket signs declaring: “Fund TVO Like it Matters.”

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For Ontario teachers, arbitration is no substitute for the right to strike

The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) recently made headlines after reaching an agreement with the Ontario government to avoid the possibility of a strike in its current round of negotiations. In short, the parties agreed to enter into binding interest arbitration to resolve any outstanding issues should they fail to reach a negotiated settlement by Oct. 27, 2023. OSSTF members will soon vote on whether to pursue this process.

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HBO's 'The White Lotus': Eerie music heightens drama of rich people's bad behaviour and emotional dysfunction

The HBO series The White Lotus faced stiff competition when it was launched in summer 2021. It emerged into a glut of post-pandemic quality television programming, from continuing hit shows like Succession, Ozark and Ted Lasso, and aired the same year as a new crop of startups like Yellowjackets and Only Murders in the Building.

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More work to do: how Chinese-Australians perceive coverage of themselves and China in Australian media

Australian media have significantly increased their reporting on the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Chinese-Australian communities in the past few years.But how fair is that coverage? The Lowy Institute asked 2,000 Australians exactly this question in 2022. In response, 61% said it was “fair and balanced”, while 10% of respondents said it was “too positive”. Only 26% said it was “too negative”.

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We can talk about a higher rate of GST in Australia, but it will never happen

John Quiggin was a prominent advocate for the exclusion of food from the GST when it was introducedA group of crossbench parliamentarians have revived the idea of increasing the rate of the goods and services tax from 10% or removing exemptions on food, education and health purchases.

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Voice referendum: is the 'yes' or 'no' camp winning on social media, advertising spend and in the polls?

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed the Voice to Parliament referendum will take place on Saturday October 14.This is a critical moment in the referendum’s outcome. The “yes” and “no” campaigns for a Voice to Parliament are about to be supercharged as both sides begin a six-week countdown to voting day.

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As referendum set for October 14, 'yes' is behind and the poll trends are unfavourable

Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Prime Minister Anthony Albanese today announced that the referendum on an Indigenous Voice to parliament will be held on October 14. To succeed, a constitutional referendum requires a majority in at least four of the six states as well as a national majority.

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Why the 'yes' campaign should embrace the politics of nationhood

The fact that altering the Australian constitution requires a vote by the Australian people means that Voice referendum will become a vote about Australian nationhood. This also means that the underlying question of the referendum is value-laden rather than strictly constitutional: what kind of nation does Australia want to be on the morning after the vote?

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Australians will vote in a referendum on October 14. What do you need to know?

Australians will go to the polls on October 14 to vote in a referendum on an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. We have not voted in a federal referendum since 1999. So what do you need to know?A referendum is run by the Australian Electoral Commission in the same way as they do elections. That means most people will vote in a polling booth on Saturday October 14 at a local school or community centre. There will probably be a barbecue, with a democracy sausage or two, and a cake stall if you are lucky.

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The Voice to Parliament explained

Now we finally have a date for the Voice to Parliament referendum, it’s a good time to return to the terrific work our academic experts have done to explain the Voice to Parliament – as well as debunking some of the misinformation and disinformation we’ve seen so far.Many of the questions we have addressed came from readers who took part in our Voice reader survey last year. In seeking answers, we’ve drawn from the nation’s preeminent constitutional experts, and prioritised First Nations perspectives.

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A divided Australia will soon vote on the most significant referendum on Indigenous rights in 50 years

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and/or images of deceased people.Today, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced an October 14 date for a national referendum on whether to amend the Constitution to establish a new advisory body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

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Australians to vote October 14 on the Voice, with Albanese urging people to support 'an idea'

Australians will vote on October 14 to decide whether the Constitution will be changed to include a Voice to Parliament and executive government. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the long-anticipated date to an enthusiastic audience of about 400 in the Adelaide suburb of Elizabeth. He was accompanied by Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney and Indigenous leaders of the “yes” campaign, including Megan Davis and Dean Parkin.

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Politics with Michelle Grattan: Battle of The Voice - Yes23 campaign director Dean Parkin and former deputy prime minister John Anderson

October 14 is the day Australians will head to their polling booths to vote for or against an Indigenous Voice being enshrined in the Constitution. Anthony Albanese announced the date in a speech in Adelaide on Wednesday, as politicians across the spectrum and Indigenous “yes” campaign leaders rallied around the country.

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US military plans to unleash thousands of autonomous war robots over next two years

The United States military plans to start using thousands of autonomous weapons systems in the next two years in a bid to counter China’s growing power, US Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks announced in a speech on Monday.The so-called Replicator initiative aims to work with defence and other tech companies to produce high volumes of affordable systems for all branches of the military.

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Taxing questions: is National glossing over the likely cost of administering its new 'revenue measures'?

The National Party’s newly released tax package makes a clear and politically prudent play for the middle-income vote. Proposing to alleviate the financial pain of this “squeezed middle”, it may be key to determining who forms the next government.The package attempts to provide some tax relief without fuelling inflation. To pay for the proposed tax cuts, the party would introduce new “revenue measures”. Just what these might cost to set up and administer may be a missing element of the picture.

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How gene mapping almost all remaining kakapo will help NZ's rare night parrot survive

The genetic mapping of almost the entire kākāpō population has shed new light on specific traits that will help conservation biologists in their efforts to save the critically endangered flightless night parrots. Kākāpō are remarkable and unusual birds, found only in Aotearoa New Zealand. They only breed every few years, triggered by the availability of certain forest foods such as the fruits of the native rimu tree.

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Too many young people who've been in detention die prematurely. They deserve better

Professor Susan Sawyer is a member of the Youth Justice Act Independent Expert Group for the Victorian Government, Department of Justice and Community Safety.Young people in contact with the criminal justice system – be it under community-based orders or in youth detention – are among the most marginalised in our society. And the health and health-care disadvantage faced by these young people may be evident for years.

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From old and crispy to bold glamour - TikTok filters are helping us tell stories online

TikTok can be a confusing place, with users going from extreme yassified glamour, to rotating through 20 eyebrow shapes, to turning into a crispy old man with a simple click. This is all thanks to the magic of filters.Filters are an integral part of the TikTok experience – and they are coaxing life stories out of users. However, filters have a long history on social media platforms before TikTok. They are a massive part of social media culture and storytelling practices.

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Wagner Group: what Yevgeny Prigozhin's death means for stability in Africa

The death of Yevgeny Prigozhin after his private jet crashed on August 23 has raised questions about the Wagner Group’s future. Many in the west suspect Kremlin involvement in his death and are asking what will become of the mercenary group without its charismatic leader.The Wagner Group, often described as a private military company (PMC) is a state-linked actor with close ties to the Russian military. It has involved itself in the internal politics of numerous African countries, advancing Kremlin interests while providing the Russian leadership with “plausible deniability”.

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Things Iâd Say If I Were a Therapist That Prove I Shouldnât Be a Therapist

"Can we stop talking about that traumatic event from your childhood? It's totally validâI just find hearing about it very triggering.""How was your week? Are you still clinging to that toxic relationship so that you don't have to go through the hassle of a breakup?"

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15 Years Ago, Vin Diesel Made a Sci-Fi Flop That Almost Launched an Exciting Franchise

The escort mission is a classic storytelling trope. From True Grit to The Last of Us and The Mandalorian, the bond between a gruff soldier for hire and the small but special character he’s assigned to protect is a surefire way to turn a story from good to great.In 2008, this theory was put to the test with a baffling Vin Diesel sci-fi movie that managed to combine the escort trope with religious capitalism, dystopian cybernetics, and artificial intelligence to create a disjointed, abortive attempt to launch a brand new science fiction universe.

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The MCU's Current Struggles Prove It Learned the Wrong Lesson from 'The Avengers'

It’s only been a few years since Marvel Studios officially unveiled its plan for the Multiverse Saga. But compared to the franchise’s last big phase, it’s taking ages for things to really come together.Ever since Avengers: Endgame brought the Infinity Saga to an end, nothing’s felt quite right in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. It doesn’t help that Endgame effectively brought the MCU back to square one, without its eponymous supergroup or any real focus for future phases. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige eventually clued fans into the plan for Phases 4 through 6, and projects like Spider-Man: No Way Home, Loki, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness have each worked to establish the multiverse in earnest. But the Multiverse Saga still feels rudderless, even halfway into Phase 5, and it may have a lot to do with the absence of the Avengers.

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Samsung's Massive 15-Inch Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra Is the iPad Pro's Worst Enemy

From its monstrous 14.6-inch OLED display that dwarfs even Apple's largest 12.9-inch iPad Pro to its four cameras (a pair each on the front and back), everything about Samsung's Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra tablet is over the top — and I love it.Even after using the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra for a month, I still chuckle to myself at how huge the Android tablet is every time I pick it up. The nearly 15-inch screen is so big any content on it practically sucks you in. Articles require less scrolling, games are more immersive, and running multiple apps side-by-side doesn't feel cramped like on other tablets.

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'Pok