In the Hills of Australia, Pacific Allies Are Training to Fight China
The live-fire drill was the culmination of Southern Jackaroo, an expanding annual exercise in the Australian bush in which the three nations' forces practice working together as allies.
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Eater
41 minutes ago
- Eater
One of Japan's Most Celebrated Ramen Chefs Brings Award-Winning Noodles to the San Gabriel Valley
After an eight-month stint at Westfield Century City, Ramen Ochi reopens in Rowland Heights on July 15. Yuichi Ochi, a Japanese-born chef with over 31 ramen awards, is leading the charge from the new space where diners can opt for kaarage, gyoza, and four different types of ramen broth in the San Gabriel Valley's former Ajisen Ramen. Ramen Ochi hopes to impress the region with a chicken, pork, and beef broth, requiring the chef to supervise for 10 hours. In Japan, nikutama is referred to as 'three-beasts broth,' with a thick, gravy-like consistency, and is served with noodles that blend domestic and imported wheat with tapioca flour without using eggs. This can be served as a full broth bowl or dry. Chef Ochi prepares three other broths on-site, starting with a savory nitoryu broth made with tonkotsu and seafood. The slightly sweet sanjyu relies on a long simmer of soy sauce or shoyu. Ochi's creamy gyokai tonkatsu broth leans in on the pork and fish notes. Chef Ochi also uses soft filtered water in his kitchens, which he says better extracts the umami from bones and the noodle texture. Pork belly or a chashu pork bowl is also available, as well as ground pork and chive-stuffed gyoza, and traditional Japanese fried chicken, also known as kaarage. Ochi brought along some personal effects to the restaurant, including 200-year-old armor and his grandmother's hand-painted obi kimono made in 1940. Both are placed next to the restaurant's entrance. According to a spokesperson, the decision to close Westfield Century City was based on finding a location that could best serve the public outside of a food court. The restaurant is on the top floor of a corner shopping mall on Fullerton and Colima Roads. Southern California's ramen options are extensive, with longtime operators like Little Tokyo's 49-year-old Kouraku, as well as Japanese imports like Mensho Tokyo, Afuri Ramen, and Tonchin opening in recent years. Ochi is also the grandson of Ochi Katsuhisa, who founded Ochi Corp in 1965. The younger Ochi joined the company in 2010 and managed eight restaurant locations throughout Japan while studying ramen and other cultural dishes before becoming the company's lead in 2016. Chef Ochi won the 2015 honors at Japan's largest ramen festival, Dai Tsukemen Haku, and countless gyoza festival nods over the years. Beginning July 15, Ramen Ochi is open at 18253 Colima Road, unit #104, Rowland Heights, CA, 91748, Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., then for dinner from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday until 10 p.m. Saturday hours are from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday. Nikutama ramen. Interior of Ramen Ochi with 200-year-old armor. Dining room. Chef Yuichi Ochi. Eater LA All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Forbes
11 hours ago
- Forbes
Shark Trust Announces 2025 Photography Winners
The winning image, shot by Julian Hebenstreit in Australia, features the golden body of a Zebra ... More Shark set against dark rock and pale sand. At first glance it's a simple photograph, but its composition and contrast evoke the delicate state of shark survival today. Today on July 14, Shark Awareness Day, the Shark Trust announced the winners of its 2025 Shark Photographer of the Year competition. With over 1,200 known species of sharks and rays in the ocean, the competition invited photographers from around the world to capture these animals in their natural environments. And they delivered. Entries came in from 34 countries, showcasing 76 different species including rarely seen chimeras, the Critically Endangered great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran), and the graceful zebra shark (Stegostoma tigrinum; also known in the Indo-Pacific as the leopard shark). 'The highlight of the photography competition for me is the wonderful diversity of sharks and rays represented and the quality of images across the board," said Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO. 'We're grateful to each and every one of the photographers for taking part and sharing their love of sharks with the world.' The winning image, shot by Julian Hebenstreit in Australia, features the golden body of a zebra shark set against dark rock and pale sand. 'When I think back to the moment of this capture, I remember the stark contrast between the wild and uncomfortable outside and the calm and quiet world below the water,' he explained. 'I selected this image because it reminds me why I do what I do. Why I dive, why I explore, and try to protect. It's not just about documenting wildlife; it's about conveying the fragile beauty of the ocean in a way that makes people care.' At first glance it's a simple photograph, but its composition and contrast evoke the delicate state of shark survival today. Small in the frame and surrounded by vast, shadowy rock, the picture is a stand-in symbol on how these ancient animals now face mounting threats in an increasingly uncertain environment. Hector Clarke earned the UK title with his image of a Small-Spotted Catshark resting on a bed of ... More brittle stars in Scotland's Loch Carron. This year's panel of judges, including Shark Trust patron Simon Rogerson, praised the photo's subtle storytelling, calling it a 'treasure in dark times.' But Hebenstreit wasn't the only one honored. The competition also recognized a British and Overseas Winner. Hector Clarke earned the UK title with his image of a small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula) resting on a bed of brittle stars in Scotland's Loch Carron. His shot underscores the importance of seabed habitats, which support a surprising amount of biodiversity; from the intricately patterned shark to the vivid starfish beneath it, the image is a reminder that many animals rely on the seafloor to survive. Meanwhile, the Overseas Winner, Martin Broen, captured a black-and-white split-shot showing a school of rays swimming below a boat off the coast of Mexico during a mobula ray migration. His image, elegant and dramatic, shows the connection between what's above and below the surface — and who's watching whom. 'Below the surface, a dense school of rays forms a luminous, geometric ballet, their bodies catching shafts of sunlight filtering through the ocean,' Broen recounts. 'Above, a small boat with observers floats quietly, a silent witness to one of nature's most graceful spectacles.' FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder Overseas Winner Martin Broen captured a black-and-white split-shot showing a school of rays swimming ... More below a boat off the coast of Mexico during a mobula ray migration The Shark Trust, a UK-based charity, has used photography and storytelling to educate the public, advocate for policy change, and encourage community action. Sharks have roamed our oceans for over 400 million years, yet today many species are at risk due to overfishing and habitat loss. Thus, the Shark Photographer of the Year competition is part of a larger movement to raise awareness about those threats and inspire solutions. To reflect some of their current projects, the Shark Trust awarded additional honors to photographers whose images aligned with key conservation themes. Byron Conway's photo of silky sharks (Carcharhinus falciformis) swimming near the surface in Cuba won the Oceanics Programme category. He used a slow shutter speed to add a sense of motion and color to the image, capturing the moment during sunset using a technique called Snell's Window. Silky sharks, like many oceanic species, are heavily impacted by overfishing, and Conway's work adds urgency to calls for protecting pelagic species. Gillian Marsh photographed a blue shark (Prionace glauca) interacting with an underwater ... More photographer off the coast of Cornwall, portraying a moment of curiosity between species. In the Living with Sharks category, Gillian Marsh photographed a blue shark (Prionace glauca) interacting with an underwater photographer off the coast of Cornwall, portraying a moment of curiosity between species. Another award was given under the Mediterranean Programme, which focuses on a region where over half of the shark and ray species face extinction. Linda Mazza's photo of a Critically Endangered angelshark was taken in the Canary Islands, one of ... More the few places where sightings are still possible. Linda Mazza's photo of a Critically Endangered angelshark wasn't taken in the Mediterranean but in the Canary Islands, one of the few places where sightings are still possible. The image, intimate and raw, serves as a stark reminder of how rare some sharks have become. In the citizen science-focused Great Eggcase Hunt category, Grant Evans took home the prize for a photo of a pyjama shark (Poroderma africanum) eggcase nestled among sea fans in South Africa. The picture illustrates how important the seafloor is for shark reproduction, and how practices like bottom trawling can destroy crucial nursery habitats. Grant Evans took home the prize for a photo of a pyjama shark (Poroderma africanum) eggcase nestled ... More among sea fans in South Africa. Finally, the Young Shark Photographer of the Year award went to Panitbhand Paribatra Na Ayudhya for an image of a whale shark (Rhincodon typus) feeding at the surface. The photograph, taken during a moment of awe, carries a message of hope for the photographer: 'For me, enjoying this moment is not all there is, we must take action to help ensure these incredible, gentle giants of the sea survive. I believe that together we can help Whale Sharks live and swim freely in their ocean home, allowing them to share this planet with us for years to come.' These gentle giants feed on some of the smallest organisms in the sea, yet they face enormous threats. Paribatra Na Ayudhya hopes his generation can be the one to ensure their survival. Young Shark Photographer of the Year award went to Panitbhand Paribatra Na Ayudhya for an image of a ... More whale shark (Rhincodon typus) feeding at the surface. All of the photographs entered into the competition — whether they won or not — will be used to support shark and ray conservation efforts for years to come. And this is what makes each image so important because beyond their beauty, they carry weight. They inform, inspire and push people to act. The finalist images are on display in Plymouth, Britain's Ocean City, until the end of the month. They are a celebration, yes, but also a call to action. Because while sharks have survived mass extinctions and shifting seas, they now need our help to survive us.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Woman with 'specific skills' sets up 280 cameras in search for tiny, rare Aussie animal
A woman with a specialised skill set has been tasked with seeking out one of Australia's most elusive mammals. Not only are pookila tiny, it is extremely rare, and it's vanished from locations where it was once abundant. Another challenge is that the pookila closely resembles other native mice, and the invasive European mouse, of which there are millions, so locating one of the last few native pookila could be like finding a needle in a haystack. To increase the odds of finding them, Zoos Victoria field officer Nadia Nieuwhof has learned to identify exactly what sort of habitat the last of the species is likely to occupy. She uses a combination of oats and peanut butter to lure them out of hiding, so they can be photographed using motion-sensing cameras and studied. 'As you can probably imagine, they can be quite hard to tell apart. But I've really gotten my eye honed in on what the pookila looks like when it pops up on camera,' Nieuwhof told Yahoo News. 'Then, for the live trapping that we do, you need to have experience handling the mice because they're really quite delicate. Not only because they're small, but their tails are very sensitive, so you've got to be very careful when you handle them." Related: Native mice rebound after major change at outback property It's estimated fewer than 10,000 pookila remain in Victoria, but that number can rapidly change because populations will boom and bust with the weather and available feed. For the next year, Zoos Victoria will work with state environment departments and continue to set traps around NSW and Tasmania as part of a federally funded program to calculate how many remain. More than 280 devices are being used that are designed to capture or photograph, but not harm the tiny creatures. In NSW, pookila have been detected at 21 sites, including areas where they haven't been seen this century. Mass bird poisoning fears at suburban shopping centre Zoo defends $180 experience after video 'stunt' sparks concern Invasive species undergoes mysterious change as it dominates Australia So far, no pookila have been detected on the mainland of Tasmania, but there is a small population on Flinders Island, northeast of Launceston. The species is listed nationally as vulnerable to extinction, but Zoos Victoria's native rodent biologist and head of the National Pookila Recovery Team, Dr Phoebe Burns, thinks this assessment could be conservative due to previous surveys in Victoria. 'In places where we have conducted intensive surveys, such as Victoria's Gippsland region, we've noticed really significant declines. This gives us great concern for the species across its entire range,' she said. The pookila has inhabited Australia since long before Tasmania and Victoria were connected via a land bridge 14,000 years ago. Like all of Australia's native rodents, its numbers have significantly declined since European settlement. Habitat destruction and fragmentation, predation by foxes and cats, and bushfires are key reasons for its disappearance. Whenever Nieuwhof is lucky enough to see a pookila she immediately feels 'excited'. "Every time a new one pops up at one of my camera sites, I feel pure, pure joy, really. It's very rewarding," she said. "And when you see them in the live traps as well, they're just the sweetest, cutest little animal,' she said. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
