Category: MIL-OSI

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Karolina Pawlik, Assistant Professor, AFCT Faculty, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Many of us would struggle to recall the last time we wrote anything substantial by hand. Digital devices often feel more convenient and efficient. But research shows that the intricate motor skills and visual processing required for handwriting encourages more extensive brain activity than typing.

The tools we use and our daily writing habits can influence our thinking and creativity. Because of this, I think we should reconsider the importance of hands-on ways of expressing ourselves and generating new ideas.

One of the oldest handwriting practices still in use today is Chinese calligraphy, which enables self-expression through skilful use of brushstrokes and composition. Chinese calligraphy gives equal value to the parts of the scroll that are blackened with the ink, and to those parts left unfilled.

For centuries, calligraphy was shaped by cultural, philosophical and artistic concepts. It established itself as one of the most significant forms of traditional and modern art in China. Perhaps more importantly, it served as a prominent medium for daily cultivation of the human mind and character.

Its basic tools are a soft brush, Xuan paper (traditionally made from tree bark and rice straw) and ink. But true artists would argue that a good piece of calligraphy cannot be accomplished without a clear mind, sincerity, humility and self-restraint.

As generative AI takes on more writing tasks, humans are turning from writers into prompting masters and editors of machine-generated content. This brings the risk of us becoming disconnected from our own creative ideas.

While the quality of AI-generated text may often be sufficient, the writing process is significantly different. As American historian Timothy Snyder argued in the “ninth lesson” from his book On Tyranny, poor use of words make us more susceptible to manipulation and suppression.

The multi-sensory experience of handwritten calligraphy fosters a deeper connection with the writer’s insights, emotions and surroundings. Writing with a brush requires slowing down and patient introspection. Because it demands attentiveness to posture and movements, a calligrapher’s body is grounded in the physical world – and such moments can have lasting benefits for our sometimes overwhelmed, restless minds.

Writers like Nicholas Carr and Aden Evens bring attention to the ongoing rewiring of our minds and reshaping of our abilities, caused by the excessive amount of time we spend online. They claim that while technology can enhance certain skills, it may also alter fundamental aspects of our thinking, behaviour and relationships.

For instance, constant engagement with technology can diminish our attention spans and deep-reading abilities, leading to superficial information processing.

And according to artist and author James Bridle, our tech-dependency and over-reliance on automated systems easily blinds us to bias, simplification and bad data generated by machines.

Reinvention of the brush

Through deep concentration and focus on the transient present moment, calligraphy allows practitioners to let go of distractions and cultivate a sense of inner peace.

Ink artist Pan Jianfeng, born in Rui’an, China and now living in Porvoo, Finland, embraced handwriting with a brush as a modern pursuit of self-cultivation, creative freedom and intimate human communication. For the past decade, he has committed to rediscovering the soft brush as a tool that knows no boundaries in culture, language or time.

Pan’s unique strategies of letting artworks grow through experimental use of paper and brush invite us to reconsider meaning of the “content generation”, “human creativity” and “communication”.

By generating largely unpredictable images using only traditional organic materials (water, ink, brush and paper) and his body, he shows us possibilities to engage with concepts beyond our expectations and imagination – without adding to the burden on the environment, as generative AI does.

And by creating playful artworks that value ambiguity and understatement, and – contrary to the mindset fostered by computational thinking – reject any single, inviolable answer, Pan seeks to open spaces of conversation, creative confusion and shared negotiation of meaning.

Both in his art and the “One Breath Workshops” he occasionally holds, Pan advocates for mindful handwriting which does not generate more content in an age already saturated with information and misinformation – but rather, removes the superfluity and brings a sense of stillness and peace.

Machines would struggle with text or image recognition in Pan’s ink scrolls such as Northern Ocean (2023) or Unregistered Calligraphy (2024). But human audiences enjoy the game of imagination and discovery.

In the ongoing exhibition Ink Roamings, curated by Shao-Lan Hertel in the Museum of East Asian Art in Cologne, visitors take time to discuss and guess the possible meanings together. Or they quietly contemplate Pan’s artworks in search of own truth.

“People have little trust in themselves and believe too much in technology, so they easily get lost,” Pan told me in an interview for my upcoming book on his work. “I don’t think we need more content – we need a better understanding of the world with all its challenges, and of each other. Through my writing, I try to craft more time and space for this understanding – not less.”

This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something from bookshop.org The Conversation UK may earn a commission.

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Karolina Pawlik received research funding from Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University for her project “Soft Brush, Creativity and Cross-Cultural Communication” (2023-2025).

– ref. How the art of Chinese calligraphy can bring creative freedom in the age of AI – https://theconversation.com/how-the-art-of-chinese-calligraphy-can-bring-creative-freedom-in-the-age-of-ai-262466

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Miriam Marra, Associate Professor of Finance and co-Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at Henley Business School, University of Reading

With the UK government facing a multibillion pound gap between revenue and spending, calls for a wealth tax are becoming louder.

More than 30 top economists recently wrote to the chancellor of the exchequer, Rachel Reeves, saying the measure could raise billions of pounds. A recent poll of more than 4,000 UK adults found that 75% would back a 2% tax on wealth above £10 million.

Economic insecurity, rising living costs and the rapid pace of de-industrialisation have been identified as causes of unrest and a fraying society. Targeting taxes at the ultra-rich could have the power to redistribute wealth and raise revenue on a substantial scale.

But the reality of implementing it is far from simple. While the concept may be compelling, a wealth tax might not be easy to put into action – and may not even create the expected revenue.

This is reflected in figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that show wealth taxes are less common than they used to be. Of the 12 OECD countries that had a net wealth tax in 1990, just three have one now (Norway, Spain and Switzerland).

Taxing assets including savings, investments and property is harder than taxing income. It relies on very wealthy individuals self-declaring asset values and for all assets to be held under the same name. When it comes to properties, this is not always the case.

A lack of transparency and reliable data can then create a huge administrative burden and costs for the government imposing the tax.

After all, predicting the political and economic impact these taxes can have is difficult. A clear example is the UK government’s proposed change to inheritance tax rules for farmers.

This may be a well-intentioned policy aimed at a small number of ultra-wealthy individuals using farmland to avoid inheritance tax. But claims that it affects farming families who may not have high incomes but have cultivated their land for generations have sparked heated debate around the actual figure of farms affected.

Despite the potential difficulties in implementation, there are countries that have made a wealth tax work. In Norway, residents pay 1% tax on their global net worth above 1.76 million kroner (£130,000). But the calculations are far from simple – with caveats, exemptions and differentiated local rules.

For net wealth in excess of 20.7 million krone in 2023, the maximum wealth tax rate was increased to 1.1%. This led to some of Norway’s wealthiest people moving to countries with more favourable tax regulations.

Fortune reported that 82 Norwegians with a combined net wealth of about 46 billion kroner (£3.4 billion) left the country in 2022-2023, according to data from the country’s finance ministry.

What else might work?

Any solution must be focused on the ultra-rich “giving back”, reinvesting in the economy for the good of society, and shifting their mindset.

With the reality of a wealth tax proving difficult, here are some viable alternatives to raise revenues and social contributions from very wealthy individuals.

1. Revised tax on capital gains

An increase of capital gains taxation (tax levied on the profits made when someone sells an asset) may be needed. But while revisions are overdue – perhaps differentiating between wealth sources such as entrepreneurial effort, passive investment and speculative trading – this tax would rely on the ultra-rich selling their assets. Many buy by borrowing against them and avoid cashing them out, so wealth accumulates without being taxed.

A higher and more progressive tax on capital gains could be an initial solution to raise revenues. But if poorly designed, it may not be a long-term answer and could discourage some much-needed productive capital investments in the UK.

2. A fresh look at inheritance tax

Loopholes and exemptions allow some very wealthy families to slash their inheritance tax bills, in some cases allowing vast properties and assets to be passed on untouched.

Academic research shows how higher wealth inequality stems from inherited wealth. Unlike financial capital, inherited wealth does not often translate into investments and, as such, citizens generally favour taxing it. In 2024, the Institute for Fiscal Studies published suggestions on how to revise inheritance tax in the UK. Now is the time for wider consultation on this.

3. Incentivised philanthropy

The underlying premise of a wealth tax is to tackle social and economic inequality. Incentivised philanthropy could also provide a way to give a direct and impactful boost to those areas of society that need it most.

Rather than going straight into a government pot, investing wealth into specific initiatives that effect real change and give measurable outcomes could be an alternative solution. This could be, for instance, supporting education among deprived communities with scholarships, or paying for upgrades to local infrastructure.

Philanthropic initiatives can also be valuable to the wealthy individuals behind them in terms of reputational gains and publicity for their business.

The benefits and pitfalls of a wealth tax will continue being discussed in the run up to the budget in autumn. But it’s important not to lose sight of the end goal – reducing inequality.

It is time for the wealthiest to recognise that their fortunes sit in a country where poverty is real and increasing. They could drive a rebalancing that does not feel punitive, but ethical.

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

– ref. Wealth taxes don’t always work the way governments hope they will. Here are some alternatives – https://theconversation.com/wealth-taxes-dont-always-work-the-way-governments-hope-they-will-here-are-some-alternatives-262387

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Lauren Anne Constance, PhD Candidate, School of Modern Languages, Cardiff University

Known as hibakusha in Japan, the survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are the only people in the world with firsthand experience of the horrors of nuclear warfare. Now, 80 years later, they are passing their memories to the next generation through a project designed to carry on their legacy of anti-nuclear activism.

In 2024, Nihon Hidankyo, the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organisations, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again”.

This official recognition of the power of hibakusha testimony to generate opposition to nuclear weapons shows how important the survivors and their testimonies are in fostering a culture of remembrance and peace.

This year, the number of registered atomic bomb survivors fell below 100,000 for the first time. The Hiroshima city government, aware that soon there would be no more survivors, started the A-bomb Legacy Successor Programme in 2012 to train volunteers to inherit and pass on the testimonies of survivors.

Volunteers undergo two years of training at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. They study the historical realities of the bombing and develop public speaking skills, and each works closely with a survivor to create a presentation based on their personal testimony.

To graduate, successors must have their script fact-checked by the museum. They must also present it to the survivor to earn permission to speak on their behalf. Once certified, successors are commissioned by the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation to give lectures at the museum, and are invited to speak in schools and communities across Japan.

But the programme raises an important question: can such deeply personal, traumatic memories truly be passed on to someone who did not live through them?

A different kind of testimony

As someone who researches memorialisation in Japanese museums, this question became clear to me during fieldwork in Hiroshima, where I observed how successor stories are told.

While typical survivor testimonies are deeply personal and often last for an hour, “successor lectures” are more distant in tone. They are told in the third person, with only 15-20 minutes devoted to the specific story of the survivor whose testimony the successor has inherited.

Successor lectures must begin with an explanation of historical context surrounding the Hiroshima bombing, including background on the Pacific war, the development of nuclear weapons, and the short- and long-term impact of the bomb. The museum emphasises the importance of teaching visitors the reality of the bombing through scientifically grounded, objective knowledge.

Read more:
‘They died with stones in their mouths’: Hiroshima’s last survivors tell their stories

To that end, the museum instructs successors to avoid metaphorical descriptions that may mislead audiences. As successor Yumie Hirano explained in an interview with the Hiroshima Inheritance Exhibition Project, certain powerful phrases that survivors use must be carefully considered when retold:

If a survivor says ‘I saw a woman melting by heat rays just in front of me’, that is correct as his/her memory. However, it is scientifically impossible for a human body to melt by heat rays in a few seconds. [So] an A-bomb legacy successor … has to avoid the expressions like ‘melting’.

This highlights a core tension at the heart of the programme: the need to honour survivors’ memories while maintaining historical and scientific accuracy. It is a delicate balance between emotional truth and objective fact.

The presence and power of survivors

Traditionally, bearing witness has been seen as the role of the survivor, whose authority comes from their own personal experience. The Legacy Successor Programme challenges that idea, entrusting the responsibility of testimony to those without direct connection to the event.

But part of what makes survivor testimony so powerful is the presence of the survivor. The emotional impact of seeing and hearing from someone who lived through the bombing may be difficult to replicate in successor talks – and this may explain the difference in audience engagement.

In 2023, survivors delivered 1,578 lectures to more than 110,000 people. In the same year, successors gave 1,379 lectures – but to a total audience of 14,575. Only eight people were present at the successor lecture I attended, in a room with capacity for 45.

Read more:
‘Then the city started to burn, the fires were chasing me’ – 80 years on, Hiroshima survivors describe how the atomic blast echoed down generations

Interestingly, these lectures appear to be more popular with international audiences. The museum also offers successor talks in English, and these make up 35% of its total successor lecture attendance.

As the number of survivors declines, new questions arise about the future of the Legacy Successor Programme. Who will approve lecture content once no survivors remain? Will descendants of the hibakusha take over this role? Or will the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum assume that responsibility? How these decisions are made will shape how Hiroshima’s story is remembered and shared with the world.

What is clear is that as living memory of the atomic bombing fades, efforts to preserve and communicate that memory are more important than ever – as nuclear weapons, and the associated global tensions, proliferate. In the absence of survivors, the question is not just what we remember, but who gets to do the remembering, and how.

Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. Sign up here.

Lauren Anne Constance receives funding from The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and the Japan Foundation Endowment Committee.

– ref. How a Japanese museum project is passing on the testimony of the last atomic bomb survivors – https://theconversation.com/how-a-japanese-museum-project-is-passing-on-the-testimony-of-the-last-atomic-bomb-survivors-262883

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Kevin O’Malley, Clinical Tutor, School of Medicine, University of Limerick

The UK has just introduced the world’s first national programme offering a vaccine to help protect against gonorrhoea. This coincides with increasing rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including antibiotic-resistant strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, particularly among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.

The vaccine being offered was not originally designed for gonorrhoea. It is the meningococcal B (MenB) vaccine, developed to protect against Neisseria meningitidis – the bacteria which cause meningitis.

These two bacteria are closely related and share several similar surface proteins. As a result, the immune response generated by the MenB vaccine also offers provides partial protection against gonorrhoea.

While the vaccine is not 100% effective, studies suggest it can reduce the risk of infection by a third. Given the emergence of antibiotic-resistant “super gonorrhoea” this is a valuable addition to our sexual health toolkit.

Condoms are the mainstay of STI prevention, and have been for decades. They are inexpensive, easy to use and remain the only single method that protects against both HIV and most other STIs.

Despite their effectiveness, many people do not use condoms every time they have sex. Some find they reduce sensation or pleasure; others see condomless sex as a sign of trust in a relationship. Condoms might not be on hand when sex is spontaneous, while alcohol and drug use may lower inhibitions and increase impulsivity.

Since the introduction of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) attitudes have also shifted. Some people now perceive other STIs as inconvenient but easily treated, particularly younger generations whose school-based sex education may have focused more on pregnancy prevention than on STI transmission.

But “condomless sex” need not mean “entirely unprotected” sex. In addition to condoms, biomedical advances are giving us more ways to prevent infection – many of which rely on acting before particular bacteria or viruses take hold. In public health, two of the most effective examples of this are vaccination and prophylaxis (treatment given or action taken to prevent disease).

Vaccination

Vaccines work by training the immune system to recognise and fight specific infections. They do this by introducing harmless fragments of a virus or bacterium, which prompt the body to produce antibodies and memory cells. If the body later encounters the real pathogen, the immune system can react rapidly and in a much more targeted way, preventing illness entirely or at least reducing its severity.

Vaccination already plays an important role in sexual health. Alongside the newly introduced gonorrhoea vaccine, the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine protects against genital warts and reduces the risk of several cancers, including cervical and anal cancer. Hepatitis A and B vaccines defend against viruses that can cause serious, and sometimes life-threatening, liver disease. The mpox vaccine is also available for people considered at higher risk.

These vaccines represent a useful preventative tool in the modern sexual health toolkit – complementing condoms, antiviral prophylaxis and other preventive strategies to give people another layer of protection.

Prophylaxis

In sexual health, one of the clearest examples of prevention in action is HIV prophylaxis. Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) involves taking antiviral medication so that, if exposure to the HIV virus occurs, it cannot establish an infection. Some people take PrEP daily, while others use an “on demand” regimen around the time they have sex. Under the guidance of a sexual health professional, PrEP is a safe and highly effective option for preventing HIV infection.

Post-Exposure Porphylaxis (PEP) works in a similar way but is taken after a possible exposure. It’s an emergency option: a month-long course of antiviral medication that should be started as soon as possible (and no later than 72 hours after sex) to be effective.

Researchers are now exploring similar approaches for bacterial STIs. One promising example is DoxyPEP, where a single dose of the antibiotic doxycycline is taken after condomless sex. Early evidence shows it can significantly reduce the risk of syphilis and chlamydia, and to a lesser extent, gonorrhoea.

Why condoms still matter

These biomedical tools are changing the sexual health landscape. While there is no substitute for the comprehensive protection that condoms offer, more options mean greater control.

As threats continue to evolve, so too must our strategies to address them. The introduction of the gonorrhoea vaccination programme – the first of its kind – is a powerful example of innovation in practice. It demonstrates how progress can be achieved not only through new discoveries, but in finding new uses for existing tools.

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

– ref. Condoms, PrEP and vaccines: how the UK is expanding STI prevention – https://theconversation.com/condoms-prep-and-vaccines-how-the-uk-is-expanding-sti-prevention-262770