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NoneIndian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bhubaneswar has organised its 12th and 13th Combined Convocation on 28th December 2024. Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Education, Govt. of India graced the occasion as the Chief Guest and delivered the Convocation address. Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor, Govt. of India; Dr. Ajit Kumar Mohanty, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, Dept. of Atomic Energy, Govt. of India and Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, Dept. of Science & Technology, Govt. of India were the Guests of Honour. Dr. Rajendra Prasad Singh, Chairman, Board of Governors (BoG), IIT Bhubaneswar presided over the Convocation. Prof. Shreepad Karmalkar, Director, IIT Bhubaneswar presented the Convocation report and awarded the degrees to the students. During this Convocation, the Institute conferred degrees on 1388 students for the academic years 2022-23 and 2023-24. Out of these students, 8% are PhD, 19% M.Tech, 14% M.Sc, 14% Dual degree (B.Tech and M.Tech) and 45% B.Tech. Speaking on the occasion, Hon’ble Minister Shri Pradhan said: “IIT Bhubaneswar should strive to become an institute of Knowledge, Research and Innovation. Being graduates of IIT, they should make efforts towards becoming job creators rather than being job seekers. They should make themselves ready to be contributors to Industrial Revolution 4.0. The educational institutions and faculty members should work towards redefining the attitude and aptitude of the students towards entrepreneurship.” He stressed that the research of the country should move beyond academic publications and achieve global benchmarks in terms of innovation and entrepreneurial acumen. “IIT Bhubaneswar and its students should work towards boosting the start-up and entrepreneurial ecosystem to enhance the growth process of Odisha by 2036 and of the country by 2047,” he added. In his address, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood said stressed on knowledge creation through research and innovation to become globally competitive. Collaborative partnerships between academia and industry, fostering a multi-disciplinary approach, funding and investment in groundbreaking research and cutting-edge infrastructure and a skilled and diverse workforce are imperative for the development of the research ecosystem. He mentioned about the Anusandhan Research Foundation (ANRF) and its objective. Dr. Ajit Kumar Mohanty said that human knowledge and human competence are irreplaceable even in the age of artificial intelligence and machine learning. The youth of the country have the potential to innovate, and they should utilise this power towards the development of the country, he added. Addressing the gathering, Prof. Abhay Karandikar appreciated IIT Bhubaneswar for becoming a hub of cutting-edge research and innovation. He mentioned that the country has taken a giant leap in the field of science and technology to make a mark on a global map. India has become the 3 rd largest in terms of start-up ecosystem in the world which showcases the innovation and entrepreneurial prowess of the country. The youth of the country should take the cue and work towards contributing in making India leader in the field of research and innovation. During this Convocation, the Institute conferred degrees on 1388 students out of which 105 PhD, 269 M. Tech, 197 M.Sc, 192 Dual Degrees (B. Tech & M. Tech), and 625 B. Tech for the academic years 2022-23 and 2023-24. It was a proud moment for the graduating students, their parents, the faculty and staff members and the administration of the institute. For the year 2022-23, the President of India Gold Medal was awarded to Shri Harsh Singh Jadon of Computer Science and Engineering for the best academic performance among all the B.Tech students. For the year 2023-24, the President of India Gold Medal was awarded to Shri Arnav Kumar Behera of Computer Science and Engineering. An Interaction Meeting on “Exploring Pathways and Prospects for the Future of Research in India” with Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India and Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, Department of Science & Technology, Government of India was successfully organised by DST, ANRF and IIT Bhubaneswar today. The dignitaries addressed the queries of the faculties members, deans and Vice Chancellors from various institutes across Odisha.
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Lloyd Austin the first-ever US secretary of defense to visit the South Pacific Ocean island nation of Fiji this week. The US and Fiji are working on a new “status of forces” agreement which would allow American troops to dramatically ramp up their presence in the island nation, Austin said, adding that the treaty will facilitate “military-to-military engagements,” including joint drills, training of Fijian troops and the deployment and redeployment of American forces. He assured, however, that the US would not be setting up a permanent base. Fiji is the latest square in a strategic chessboard Washington is working to set up against China in America’s century-plus-year-old quest to dominate the Pacific, and its post-WWII “Island chain strategy,” which envisions the militarization of a network of islands in the region to stop China’s navy from freely maneuvering through the Pacific, and prevent commercial traffic from reaching the Asian nation in a crisis. Besides Fiji, the Biden administration has ramped up US ‘containment’-related activities in a host of regional nations. Over the past year or so alone, these efforts have included: Approving a to rebuild an airfield on Tinian Island in the Northern Mariana Islands, used in the final days of WWII to launch the bombers which dropped atomic bombs on Japan, facilitating and overseeing a major military buildup by , which China considers its , as well as , , , and (including through joint drills and missile deployments), launching a with Japan and South Korea in Japan, citing the “danger” emanating from China, Russia and the DPRK, 2 June, 12:42 GMT moving to upgrade a key air base in Guam that often strategic nuclear bombers capable of targeting China, the permanent deployment of US nuclear weapons in allied Pacific nations, planning to the budget of US Indo-Pacific Command from $3.5 bln this year to $11 bln in 2025 for infrastructure spending, naval ops, classified space programs and $1 bln for the Pentagon’s Maritime Strike program, Excerpt from New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy map showing the East Asian and Pacific Island nations at the faultlines of the US's so-called 'Island Chain Strategy', designed to hem China in militarily and commercially in its home shores. © Photo : New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy passing in additional spending to “deter China” in the Indo-Pacific in the spring as part of a $95 billion spending package including new aid to Israel and Ukraine, fellow NATO countries’ warships into Pacific waters for power projection and joint training in the region, inking a defense pact with Papua New Guinea, which protests last year over its secrecy, and moving politically and diplomatically to try to and undermine China’s political, economic and security outreach and activities in the region, up to and including attempts to institute regime change in China-friendly nations, in the Solomon Islands, and hampering Beijing's long-standing efforts to reach an agreement with regional nations to ease . 1 October 2023, 11:04 GMT
NoneWWE backstage host Cathy Kelley has become quite popular over the years, there's no doubt about it. The Illinois native has built an impressive social media following because of her work. Prior to joining the WWE in 2016, Kelley worked for Maria Menounos' online network, AfterBuzz TV. She didn't make her on-air debut for the WWE until 2019. At that time, she appeared on an episode of "NXT." Kelley has worked her way up the ladder, becoming a popular figure on "Monday Night Raw." She constantly interviews the company's top performers on USA Network. Here's the full bio on Kelley, per the WWE's official website: As an enthusiastic fan of the squared circle, Cathy gained notice among the WWE Universe as a host of AfterBuzz’s weekly recap programs for Monday Night Raw and WWE NXT. The Illinois native later debuted with WWE as WWE.com ’s digital correspondent during WrestleMania 32 Week in Dallas. Since then, Cathy has jumped feet-first into the whirlwind world of WWE breaking news, swirling rumors and true-or-false gossip, putting her Loyola University Chicago journalism degree to good use. She was also a staple of WWE Hall of Fame’s red carpet coverage in 2016 and 2017, interviewing Superstars and Legends alike. Rich Polk/NBC/Getty Images Earlier this week, Kelley traded her usual business attire in for some workout gear. She got a workout in at Alo Yoga's studios. "Your laundry could never," Kelley wrote for her caption . View the original article to see embedded media. It's not a surprise to see that Kelley's post received over 32,000 likes. To be honest though, that's somewhat low for her standards. Back in April, over 130,000 people liked a post from Kelley . They couldn't get over her stunning dress. We'll see if Kelley can go viral on that level before the year comes to an end. Related: WWE Host Cathy Kelley Shared Jaw-Dropping Swimsuit Photo
-- Shares Facebook Twitter Reddit Email Eric Kripke is accustomed to the real world aligning with the version he writes, where men and women fly. So of course the first trailer for James Gunn’s “Superman” dropped on the day I spoke with the man behind “The Boys." Why wouldn't it? Gunn’s vision of America’s greatest comic book hero is wrapped in optimism. Homelander, played by Antony Starr, is the Man of Steel’s gaudy, cruel inverse, an all-American apple with radioactive razor blades baked into the filling. The regular guys standing against him — and for actual truth, justice and the ideal of the American way — are a grubby band held together by Billy Butcher ( Karl Urban ) and Marvin Milk ( Laz Alonso ). "The Boys" began as a best-selling comic by “Preacher" co-creators Darick Robertson and Garth Ennis ; Kripke's adaptation uses the comic's Übermensch to show us how omnipotent men would actually behave , inspired by Donald Trump and the far right's oligarchic power structure propping him up. Homelander is also a product — an enhanced being created in a lab run by Vought International, a multimillion dollar "global leader in the media, retail, energy and pharmaceutical sectors," according to the show's lore. Over the course of decades the conglomerate seeped into every sector of American life to the degree that it might as well own the populace. Since Homelander installed himself as the company's head, he's functionally the king of the world. He views himself as a god. Thus, the Season 4 parallels between Homelander’s coup and the inability of the namesake non-powered heroes to stop it turn out to be frighteningly prescient. Its premiere dropped two weeks after Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records by a New York jury in his hush-money trial. That episode shows Homelander being acquitted of murder despite having lasered a man's head off in front of a crowd. Its finale, originally titled “Assassination Run,” debuted days after Trump survived an assassination attempt. It was filmed in 2023. The Boys (Prime Video) Prior episodes show this universe's version of Laura Ingraham , Firecracker (Valorie Curry), revealed the medical records of progressive superhero Annie January (Erin Moriarty) showing that she had an abortion , and her fiancé and teammate-Hughie (played by Jack Quaid) stumbling on a plan to build prisons for dissidents . Elsewhere families watch children's programming that teaches kids to report on their parents' supposedly un-American behavior. By then Kripke already knew the upcoming fifth season of “The Boys” would be its last. What he and millions of others didn't predict is that a few months after the fourth season finale, America would reelect the man who promised to be a dictator on Day 1 and enact vengeance on his enemies . Just like Homelander does in "Season Four Finale." A writers’ room rule to which Kripke hews closely is that what’s bad for the world is good for the show. But the similarities between what played out in Season 4 of “The Boys” and our version of current events is beyond unsettling. And the show doesn't intend to let up: Kripke admits the last season is grim. “It's the natural end of a character like Homelander. If you give him truly unfettered power with all his insecurities and traumas, this is a version of what he would do,” he told Salon in a recent chat conducted over Zoom. “But so goes many fascists who are weak and thin-skinned and ultimately driven by ego, despite how much they front as heroes.” Soon a new year and a new reality will be upon us. Rewatching “The Boys” may be bitter medicine, but it might also help brace us for what’s coming. Under a leader intent on shaping the media to his will , speculative fiction may be one of the last bastions of political and social critique. And if you're wondering how Season 4 matched current events so accurately, in our wide-ranging conversation Kripke confirms the writers consulted manual for government takeover . Related "The Boys" gives us a grim warning of Trumpism's endgame The following interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. One of the things that people have been talking about lately is looking ahead, and what the next four years mean for people making art in all kinds of mediums, and certainly in TV. There have been reports of movies and TV shows scrubbing plans for certain characters , for example. As someone who writes in the speculative space, what does that indicate to you about what is possible for stories like “The Boys” moving forward? It’s based on a property, but you've taken it in a direction that doubles as social critique. The obligation I feel is to double down. I'm certainly not going to back off any of it. You know, we have a final season. We have our own sort of worst-case scenario speculation of a fascism that cloaks itself in patriotism. And there's obviously historical precedent for that. We've been building toward it for a while, and we're going to tell our story. I mean, we've been occasionally and coincidentally prescient about some events. Season 5 is pretty bad, so I'm really hopeful that we are not prescient about some of these events. I would love to be accused of being an alarmist. That would be great. This is something that I wanted to ask while Season 4 was running. If I recall, you first conceptualized the story two years before it came out. Yeah. Did you look at any of Project 2025 ? That also came out in 2022 — were you aware of it? Did that inform anything in the writers' room? If I remember correctly, about mid-writing, like right in the middle of the process, we found it. Funny enough, we found it because one of the main architects, his last name is Vought. (This refers to Russell Vought , Trump's pick to lead the Office of Management and Budget .) So we found it through someone saying to us, “Have you heard of this guy, Vought? And we're like, ‘What? That's too on the nose. No way.” So we started going down the rabbit hole and got to Project 2025 pretty soon after that. Yeah, we discussed it in the room, and we said, “You know, this is a pretty accurate depiction of what Homelander would want.” A saying we have in the room is, “Bad for the world, good for the show.” And this was definitely one of those examples where it's like, here we have a really concrete example of what a Homelander world might look like that feels very grounded and terrifyingly real. Because it is. Again, I'd rather have the alternative. I'd rather it be purely speculative and fictional. But we're using what we see around us. Speculative fiction is a great way to explore difficult topics. But for people who kind of want to say, “Well, this could never happen . . .” take “The Handmaid's Tale.” Margaret Atwood has said it's based on real events that have happened in societies around the world. Given that, what do you think about the utility of the speculative space in terms of both conveying hard messages, but also its potential to grant a bit of false security to the audience? It feels like there are two questions there. One is, look — the thing I love most about genre and why I really only want to be in this space, is because you can say subversive things about the world that you just can't get away with in a straight drama. It would either be too earnest, it would either be too boring, too wonky . . . But there's something about the fantasy and the action and the fight scenes – there are lots of spoonfuls of sugar all around it that we get to have as an advantage when we're telling the story. You can watch a takedown of late-stage capitalism and the risk of democracies falling into fascism and be entertained and laughing as you're doing it. It's difficult to do that in a straight drama. Now, in terms of the false sense of security, I can't control how people view that stuff. When I watch it, I see the subtext of it, and I see [that] someone is making a point and warning us that something like that is possible. "I'd rather have the alternative. I'd rather it be purely speculative and fictional. But we're using what we see around us." I think there's something actually healthy about a little bit of distance between the viewer and the subject, where they can look a bit of a different world that maybe they'll see things that they're not noticing if they're just watching the news. They'll just have a perspective that gets them a little more clarity. But anyone who is reading or watching any good science fiction and saying, “Oh, this is just fantasy." They're not looking at it closely. Anything good – and I mean any, name it: “ Star Trek ,” “ Buffy, the Vampire Slayer ,” “ The X Files ,” anything — it's all talking about the world that we're currently living in, and at least for me, that is what is so appealing. The Boys (Prime Video) There’s this idea that somehow grim times produce good art. That's been disproven a few times, but I wonder what you think about the ways the current political climate is going to impact making art like this show. You know, the realization that the majority of the country — a slim majority — but the majority just sees the nation differently than I thought they did . . . I think there are a lot of people who feel like I feel. And I think that especially when you're in the position of being a decision maker, that can't help but have a cooling effect on shows like ours, where we're sort of proudly wearing our perspective on our sleeve and are blunt, to say the least, in terms of how we go after it. So if you're a corporation, I would imagine you can't help but say, “Well, if I'm trying to appeal to an audience, we got a pretty loud wake-up call that the audience doesn't necessarily agree with some of the politics in this particular show.” It's probably just riding the currents of commerce. But on the other hand, anyone who can push this kind of story through and make a lot of people feel a little less alone, it’s worth doing. Again, not to belabor a point, but you can sneak a lot of stuff into genre. There's a reason that some of the best stuff by way smarter writers than me — I'm not beginning to compare myself to them but look at, like, Arthur Miller making “The Crucible” in the McCarthy era. What's great about what we do is there are subversive ways that you can get your message across even in times that aren't necessarily friendly to that message. We need your help to stay independent Subscribe today to support Salon's progressive journalism I think there’s a connection between “The Boys” and “ Supernatural ,” which you had created. I like to consider what different shows say about the American story, and I actually spoke to [“Supernatural” co-star Misha Collins] a little bit about this at a Comic-Con a long time ago. He pointed out that the show’s overall theme isn't necessarily the vision of good and evil that the post-World War II version of the American story is deeply hooked into, that it’s mainly about American masculinity. I would love your perspective on whether there's any kind of continuum there, in terms of what keeps drawing you to these stories and what they might say overall about how America sees itself. I mean, look, we're all products of our experiences and our upbringing and the media we consumed. I'm a sucker for [Steven] Spielberg , [George] Lucas , you know — “ Raiders of the Lost Ark ,” “ Star Wars ,” the million subpar copies that are so deeply in my brain. Those were always the stories I gravitated towards. But as I got older and a little more experienced as a writer, I learned quickly that character psychology is really everything, at least for me. It's how I make sense of the stories. And when you start breaking down the psychology of the traditional masculine hero, like for real — when you are like, “OK, what makes that person like that?” – you quickly reach the conclusion that they are so f**ked-up, so wounded and so broken. It's just natural. You just wouldn't run into that burning building and be making those quips and . . . diving off a skyscraper like John McClane . You’re just not doing that if you're not, like, a deeply f**ked-up person. And that became really interesting to me. "What's great about what we do is there are subversive ways that you can get your message across even in times that aren't necessarily friendly to that message." During “Supernatural” — probably a little more Dean than Sam, because Sam was always meant to be like a regular guy. But Dean, the notion was like, “OK, but if you were Han Solo for real, like, how f***ed up are you to end up in that position, making those choices?” Then we started playing that, and Jensen [Ackles] was really good at it. And that became really interesting to me. Then when we got into “The Boys” . . . one, it's baked into the source material. But two, “The Boys,” at least our version of it, is not just subversive about politics or superheroes. I think it's intentionally critical and a little subversive of the structure of the genre itself, in that violence is a . . . psychotic way to go about solving a problem. A movie we reference as much as we reference any other movie in the writers' room is “ Unforgiven ." We talk a lot about how Eastwood so brilliantly took the conventions of a Western to point out how damaged the cowboys and gunfighters in that Western would be — how corrosive revenge and vengeance and all the things that are the bread and butter of superhero movies and westerns and action movies, how corrosive and toxic all that stuff really is. So anyway, you're right. It's been an ongoing interest of mine. Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter , Crash Course. One truism that the superhero genre sells is that in the end, everything's going to be OK because goodness and justice prevail. As you were figuring out how “The Boys” is going to end, did any part of that idea come into mind? And is there even an obligation to think that way? I've evolved my perspective I think, as I've matured a little bit through this process. Had you asked me that question a few years ago, I'd have said, and have said in interviews, “Look, superheroes can be dangerous because they teach you that there is some strong man who is going to swoop in and save the day. And there's a short line between that and a real-world strong man.” But I've changed my perspective on that a little bit because having spent years really starting to study the format, the conclusion I've reached is this: In the real world, superheroes are the worst possible idea. There are people, strongmen, who front as having superhero-like abilities to solve complicated problems and to fix everyone's problems and, “Just rely on me, and I'm the one who's going to fix it for you.” And that's very, very dangerous, and has been dangerous since the beginning of civilization, and remains dangerous today. What I realized, though, is that when somebody watches say, “Superman,” they are not using Jimmy Olsen as their avatar. They're using Superman. They emotionally put their eggs in Superman's basket. That's how they're emotionally experiencing that world. People see themselves as the heroes, and yes, the wish fulfillment of the power. But also, there is something valuable in a kid watching that and having that kid emotionally connect to goodness. Giving someone a little moral direction and something to aspire to I don't think is a bad thing, as long as the people realize that what might be good for them, personally and emotionally, could be really bad for the world if brought into the real world. The Boys (Prime Video) That kind of explains, too, why there might be this tendency to connect more to Homelander for some people than Billy Butcher, right? That is exactly right. I mean, I don't understand the people who really sympathize with or emotionally connect with [him]. Part of it is Antony does such a remarkable job in that role, and he makes you understand where he's coming from. And the other part of it is, I'm just not very good at writing villains. Like, I need to understand why they're doing what they're doing, and let the audience know that there are reasons behind it, as hateful as they may be. And I think that weirdly makes some people sympathetic towards Homelander. But he is not anyone you should aspire to. I disagree with you saying that you're not good at writing villains. Those exact reasons you gave make him a more interesting character. Well, thank you. But I'm not good at writing, like, “I'm evil and I'm going to wake up and do evil today.” l don't understand that psychology. That's just crazy, and crazy is the most boring thing for me to write. What I really get is a character who wakes up, looks themselves in the mirror and says, “I'm going to save the world today. I'm going to do a lot of things that I know are right,” and then they proceed to do the most hateful, horrible, destructive things, but they think they're right. Locking down that psychology is, to me, part of the fun of writing a good bad guy. Season 1-4 of "The Boys" are available to stream on Prime Video. Season 5 is currently in production. Read more about this topic How "Supernatural" reflects the American spirit and the monstrous darkness lurking underneath Superhero films are bad for democracy "The Boys": With new superhero Stormfront, fascism dons a mask and cape of female empowerment By Melanie McFarland Melanie McFarland is Salon's award-winning senior culture critic. Follow her on Bluesky: @McTelevision MORE FROM Melanie McFarland Related Topics ------------------------------------------ Authoritarianism Eric Kripke Fascism Gen V Interview Project 2025 The Boys Tv Related Articles Advertisement:
The SEC is a basketball conference now. On Sunday, Missouri (8-1) pulled off a stunning 76-67 win over No. 1 Kansas (7-2) to continue the conference's outstanding start to the 2024-25 season. The Tigers jumped out to a 14-point home lead and held the Jayhawks to 39.7% on their field goal attempts. Missouri had an overwhelming advantage at the free throw line, going 26-of-31 compared to 9-of-11 for Kansas. While SEC commissioner Greg Sankey fumes over his conference receiving three bids in the 12-team College Football Playoff, the conference's basketball domination this season should lower his blood pressure. Missouri's win caps a whirlwind first month of the men's college basketball season for the SEC. The conference has a country-high eight teams ranked in the most recent Associated Press poll. It went 14-2 in a dominant SEC/ACC challenge showing. NCAA.com's Mike Lopresti notes that the SEC was 6-2 in road games in the challenge and won 11 by double digits, including five by at least 20 points. Already this season, No. 2 Auburn (8-1) and No. 10 Alabama (7-2) have wins over No. 17 Houston (5-3) and No. 20 North Carolina (5-4). The Tigers also won 83-81 over No. 6 Iowa State (6-1). No. 4 Kentucky (8-1) beat No. 9 Duke (6-2) in November and No. 7 Gonzaga (7-2) in overtime on Saturday night. Mississippi State (7-1) notched its largest margin of victory against a ranked opponent in program history with a 90-57 romp over No. 18 Pittsburgh. Tennessee, the likely next No. 1 team in the AP rankings, has jumped out to an 8-0 start with an average margin of victory of 26.8 points per game. Per Lopresti's Dec. 5 article, the SEC was 43-15 against power conference opponents (ACC, Big East, Big Ten and Big 12) before this weekend. Per KenPom , Missouri is the third-worst SEC team. During the preseason , SEC media members picked it to finish 13th (out of 16 teams) in the conference. Its win over Kansas is a further sign of the SEC's remarkable 2024-25 depth. The conference is the clear best in college basketball, a fact insider Jon Rothstein noted on Saturday when pointing to the resumes of Oklahoma and Vanderbilt, teams predicted to finish last in the SEC this season. Rothstein wrote that the Sooners "won the Battle 4 Atlantis and [are] undefeated," while the Commodores are "9-1 and 4-0 against power conference teams." Missouri was picked 13th in the SEC and it beat Kansas. Oklahoma was picked 15th in the SEC and won the Battle 4 Atlantis and is undefeated. Vanderbilt was picked 16th in the SEC and is 9-1 and 4-0 against power conference teams. Best league in the country. Not close. https://t.co/kNdAZnbqYw Earlier on Sunday, the SEC took a hit when the CFP selection committee gave the final at-large spot in the 12-team playoff to the ACC's SMU over SEC giant Alabama, leaving the conference with only three representatives (Georgia, Tennessee, Texas). It already appears to have more national title contenders in basketball. Move over, football. The SEC has another sport to run.A recent bushfire in Kadnook, western Victoria, which destroyed at least one property and burned more than 1,000 hectares of land, is being investigated due to suspicion it was deliberately lit . This is not an isolated example. About 28% of bushfires in south-east Australia are deliberately lit . The figure rises to 40% if we’re only talking about fires with a known cause. These figures are consistent with international trends and tell us preventing arson and unsafe fire behaviour alone could significantly reduce the number of bushfires. Despite this, prevention of deliberately lit bushfires is mostly absent from emergency, public health and climate action plans. These fires are devastating Deliberately lit bushfires can spread rapidly and have devastating consequences. They often occur on the edge of urban areas close to populated places, where there are both dense vegetation and flammable structures. We see a peak in bushfires during summer when hot temperatures, low rainfall, and dry conditions make fire a more potent threat. Climate change, land management practices, and increased interaction between people and rural areas increase our vulnerability to fire and the risks associated with deliberate fires. The royal commission into Victoria’s devastating Black Saturday fires in 2009 reported 173 people died and an additional 414 were injured . The commission concluded at least three of the 15 fires that caused (or had the potential to cause) the greatest harm were deliberately lit. The commission concluded we need to better understand arson. It recommended research to improve how best to prevent arson and how to detect who’s at risk of offending. Nearly 15 years on from Black Saturday, these recommendations have not been implemented. There is also very limited evidence globally about how to prevent both bushfire arson and deliberately lit fires more broadly (for instance, fires set to structures or vehicles). Who lights these fires? We know little about the characteristics and psychology of people who light bushfires or how to intervene to prevent these fires. The little research we have suggests there is no one “profile” or “mindset” associated with deliberately lighting bushfires. But there are some risk factors or vulnerabilities we see more commonly in people who light them. These include: an interest or fascination with fire or fire paraphernalia. This could include an interest in watching fire, or a fascination with matches or the fire service experiences of social isolation, including a lack of friends or intimate relationships increased impulsivity general antisocial behaviour, such as contact with the police, truanting or property damage difficulties managing and expressing emotions problems with being assertive. However, most people with these vulnerabilities will never light a fire. Research shows rates of mental illness are higher in people who set fires (including schizophrenia, mood and anxiety disorders, personality dysfunction, and substance use disorders). However, mental health symptoms are rarely a direct cause of firesetting . Instead, they appear to worsen existing vulnerabilities. Why do people light these fires? There are many, complex reasons why people light fires. Commonly reported drivers include : relieving boredom or creating excitement, gaining positive recognition for putting out a fire (they want to be seen as a hero), as a cry for help, or because they’re angry. However, not everyone who lights a fire intends to cause serious damage or harm. In some cases, people may not be aware of the possible consequences of lighting a fire or that the fire may spread into a bushfire. Knowing these kinds of facts about people who light bushfires is important. However, they don’t help us prevent people from lighting fires in the first place. This is because authorities don’t always know who sets the fires. So how can we prevent this? First, we can learn more about why people set fires more generally, particularly those who do not attract attention from authorities. Research in the United States , United Kingdom and New Zealand has started to investigate those who set fires but don’t attract police attention. The aim is to identify ways to prevent people lighting fires in the first place, and support them so they don’t light more. There is almost no research in Australia or internationally into the effects of community awareness, and prevention campaigns or targeted strategies to prevent firesetting, including bushfire arson, in higher risk groups. We know slightly more about interventions to reduce repeat firesetting. Fire safety education programs delivered by fire and rescue services show some promise as an early intervention for children and adolescents who have already set a fire, particularly those motivated by curiosity, experimentation, or who are not aware of the consequences. There is also some evidence suggesting specialist psychological interventions can be effective in reducing vulnerabilities associated with adult firesetting. Forensic or clinical psychologists typically deliver a combination of cognitive behavioural therapy (a type of talking therapy), skills building (such as building coping skills, emotion and impulse control, and reducing their interest in fire), and fire safety education. However, availability of firesetting interventions is patchy both in Australia and internationally. Interventions that are available are also not always tailored to people with complex needs , such as those with significant emotional or behavioural problems or mental health needs. We also don’t know if these interventions lead to a long-term change in behaviour. Climate change is making this urgent The continued and escalating effects of climate change makes it more urgent than ever to address the problem of deliberate firesetting, including bushfire arson . Failing to address deliberate firesetting will have significant long-term consequences for public health, human life and the environment. But until funding is available for Australian arson research, identifying and helping people who are more likely to set fires will continue to be based on guesswork rather than evidence. As we enter another summer of high fire danger, our failure to fund arson research should be at the forefront of everyone’s minds.Georgia quarterback Carson Beck on Saturday announced his plans to enter the NFL draft, five days after having season-ending elbow surgery . Beck, a fifth-year senior, made his NFL plans official on social media. Beck suffered a right elbow injury in the first half of the Bulldogs’ 22-19 overtime win over Texas in the Southeastern Conference championship game on Dec. 7 in Atlanta. Beck had surgery on Monday to repair his ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow. The procedure was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles. Beck is expected to begin throwing next spring. He could have returned for a sixth season but instead will enter the NFL draft. Beck posted on Instagram: “The past five years at the University of Georgia have been nothing short of a dream come true and I will forever cherish the memories that have been made.” Gunner Stockton, who took over for Beck in the second half against Texas, will start for Georgia on Wednesday in the Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. Beck has started every game of the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He was 24-3 as a starter. Beck passed for 3,941 yards with 24 touchdowns and only six interceptions in 2023 but had more difficulties with turnovers this season as he passed for 28 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. He completed 7 of 13 passes for 56 yards before his injury in the SEC championship game. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
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Jason Kelce jetted 500 miles south of home this weekend to the City of Charlotte, where the Chiefs are set to take on the Carolina Panthers. With a good few hours to spare before that matchup, the former Eagles center decided on a detour — a two-hour drive to the town of Boone. It is where App State and James Madison are about to lock horns. And Kelce is rooting for the Mountaineers. But why is Kelce rooting for App State, instead of the Dukes? According to Appalachian Weekly News on X, Kelce wanted to support Western North Carolina after they were hit by the devastating Hurricane Helen. It’s the least he could do. After reaching Kidd Brewer Stadium, also known as ‘The Rock,’ the future Hall of Famer took pictures with several students, the report further stated. Kelce also made it to the Mountaineers’ social media post, hugging the mascot of the team, Yosef, in a picture. And that too, quite joyfully. In the pictures shared, one thing that was in abundance was the snow. Recent weather reports suggest that some areas near Boone saw up to 3 inches of snow. If you wish to catch this ‘Snow Game,’ it will be live-streamed on ESPN+ at 2:30 p.m. ET. No national TV will air this matchup. The Mountaineers will go into the game on the back of their 14-point loss on the road against the Chanticleers. On the other hand, the Dukes will try to improve their 3-game winning streak. But let’s not forget why App State’s home is called ‘The Rock.’ It has a reputation for being a tough venue for visiting teams, and it won’t be any different for James Madison. It sure seems like Kelce chose the right team to support.
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