Search

Airbnb launches real-life "Up" house - and it actually floats!

Airbnb is taking its latest listing to the sky - literally. The accommodation provider has announced a partnership that will see the iconic house from Pixar's hit film Up being lifted into the air, balloons and all. In their ongoing quest to redefine hospitality, Airbnb has launched a permanent category called “Icons,” which features partnerships with brands and celebrities that promise unforgettable experiences. Suspended over the New Mexico desert with the aid of a crane, the property looks like an exact replica of the home and contains adorable easter eggs from the film - including the Adventure Book. “Icons take you inside worlds that only existed in your imagination — until now,” Airbnb CEO and co-founder Brian Chesky said in a statement. “As life becomes increasingly digital, we’re focused on bringing more magic into the real world … we’ve created the most extraordinary experiences on Earth." The house offers a stunning view of the desert, which you can enjoy while sitting on replica's of Ellie and Carl's chairs or have breakfast with a view in the kitchen. Alternatively, you could look at the stars while sitting on the front porch - but don't look down because the adventure is out there. Of course there are questions about the logistics of the stay, including plumbing and electricity, but the accommodation giant has assured that the house is “fully functional,” connected to generators and utilities that will be seamlessly managed before and after its flight. Other fantastical listings include a replica of the mansion from the “X-Men ’97” cartoon, a stay at the Ferrari Museum in Italy, and Prince's house that was featured in the legendary film Purple Rain. Check out the <a href="https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/1126185893236246260?_set_bev_on_new_domain=1715826165_M2NkZDdkODdhMjcy&source_impression_id=p3_1715826166_A20M4770EGAtl8AV&modal=PHOTO_TOUR_SCROLLABLE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Up</a> listing here, be warned the sweet listing may make you shed a tear or two. Images: Airbnb

Real Estate

15,000 squares, 500 hours, 19 months: how I used embroidery to make sense of Australia’s catastrophic fires

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/tracey-clement-1518268">Tracey Clement</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-catholic-university-747">Australian Catholic University</a> I slip the needle through a small loop of black thread, pull it tight and snip. Done. I have just tied off the very last stitch on an embroidered scroll that has taken me more than 500 hours across 19 months to complete. All of my artwork is extremely labour-intensive. But I have to admit, this is a bit excessive, even for me. It’s not surprising that I have been asked more than once “why not just outsource the labour?” and even “what is the point?” I always sigh and think enviously of plumbers. I am 100% sure hardworking tradies are never asked to justify the point of their work. Why do I work so hard? There is no one easy answer, it’s different every time. The labour intensity of my processes adds time into the equation and this both carries meaning and can change the meaning of the work as it goes on (and on and on). I always learn something unexpected. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/590597/original/file-20240426-17-sg7esy.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/590597/original/file-20240426-17-sg7esy.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/590597/original/file-20240426-17-sg7esy.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/590597/original/file-20240426-17-sg7esy.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/590597/original/file-20240426-17-sg7esy.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/590597/original/file-20240426-17-sg7esy.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/590597/original/file-20240426-17-sg7esy.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/590597/original/file-20240426-17-sg7esy.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="A finger points to a knot on the back of a messy abstract embroidery done in black, red, orange and yellow" /></a><figcaption>The last stitch! Tracey Clement</figcaption></figure> I put my little scissors down and, before busting out the bubbles, I snap a picture for Instagram because #selfpromotion, but also because this is news, albeit of a very slow-breaking kind. This is what I’ve learned after stitching for seemingly endless hours: while no news may be good news, “slow news” is even better. My embroidered scroll is titled Impossible Numbers. It started as my attempt to memorialise <a href="https://wwf.org.au/what-we-do/australian-bushfires/in-depth-australian-bushfires">the estimated 3,000,000,000 non-human lives lost</a> in the devastating bushfires of 2019–20, a number impossible to actually comprehend. <h2>Doomscrolling an emergency</h2> During that long and awful summer Sydney was often shrouded in an eerie orange haze. You could smell smoke. Ash fell. But, like many Australians, I experienced the worst of it by <a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/doomscrolling">doomscrolling</a> fast news. I was both horrified and fascinated by images of fires so huge and hot they generated their own weather, by pictures of houses reduced to smoking skeletal outlines that somehow remained standing, by headlines comparing the fires to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/31/mallacoota-fire-mayhem-armageddon-bushfires-rage-victoria-east-gippsland">armageddon</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/oct/30/australia-must-prepare-for-future-shaped-by-extreme-climate-bushfire-royal-commission-report-warns">the apocalypse</a>. This hyperbolic language implies we are locked in a war of good versus evil. Even headlines in the vein of “Firefighters battle blazes” pit us (people) against them (the forces of nature). And in the heat of the moment the language of war feels right. <a href="https://traceyclement.com/2020/04/21/apocalypse-now">I’ve succumbed to it myself</a>. But it is dangerous. This language reinforces the idea we can dominate nature; it frames the fires as a conflict that we can end by winning. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/590572/original/file-20240426-21-7mbf5w.JPG?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/590572/original/file-20240426-21-7mbf5w.JPG?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/590572/original/file-20240426-21-7mbf5w.JPG?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1432&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/590572/original/file-20240426-21-7mbf5w.JPG?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1432&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/590572/original/file-20240426-21-7mbf5w.JPG?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1432&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/590572/original/file-20240426-21-7mbf5w.JPG?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1800&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/590572/original/file-20240426-21-7mbf5w.JPG?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/590572/original/file-20240426-21-7mbf5w.JPG?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1800&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="A hand holds a phone taking a picture of a long abstract embroidery in black, red, orange and yellow." /></a><figcaption>Viewing the world through the phone. Tracey Clement</figcaption></figure> I will admit watching a goat-toting woman <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-03/scott-morrison-got-bushfire-welcome-he-deserved-says-liberal-mp/11838476">berate a sitting prime minister</a> left me with a short-lived, but mildly satisfying, feeling of shared righteous indignation. But mostly doomscrolling just fuelled my sorrow and left me feeling impotent as, inevitably, the fast news cycled on to the next crisis (and the next, and the next). <h2>Slowing it down</h2> In October 2022, I finally stopped trying to process the bushfires, and all their terrifying implications, through the fast-news language of war. I picked up a needle instead. Of course 3,000,000,000 stitches would be too many, even for me, so I decided to stitch a grid of some 15,000 squares, which I filled with innumerable stitches – a nod to the endless stream of pixels that usually deliver our news. I started wanting to honour the 3 billion dead, that impossible number, but after months of stitching I realised I was “writing” a kind of slow-news story. It may sound ridiculous, but this tactic has been used before. The <a href="https://www.bayeuxmuseum.com/en/the-bayeux-tapestry">Bayeux Tapestry</a> is a slow-news story that documents the Norman conquest of England through embroidery. It took years to stitch, and some 950 years later it is still in circulation. As an alternative to doomscrolling easily digestible fast-news stories of good triumphing (or not) over evil, I have created an actual fabric scroll which depicts a stylised firestorm building in intensity until it becomes all-consuming. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/590574/original/file-20240426-16-lk14qm.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/590574/original/file-20240426-16-lk14qm.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/590574/original/file-20240426-16-lk14qm.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=799&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/590574/original/file-20240426-16-lk14qm.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=799&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/590574/original/file-20240426-16-lk14qm.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=799&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/590574/original/file-20240426-16-lk14qm.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1004&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/590574/original/file-20240426-16-lk14qm.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1004&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/590574/original/file-20240426-16-lk14qm.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1004&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="A middle-aged white woman peeks out from behind a very long abstract embroidery in black, red, orange and yellow." /></a><figcaption>The artist with Impossible Numbers. Tracey Clement</figcaption></figure> Despite mimicking pixels, Impossible Numbers is resolutely handmade. It is too messy, too crude, to be anything else. It is bleedingly obvious (and there was blood) the will of a person is inextricably stitched into this image of devastating fire. Human labour is literally entangled in this artwork; it shows us as part of the picture, part of nature. And this is good news Impossible Numbers doesn’t have a victorious ending, or any ending at all. The scroll is not fully unrolled. There is no end in sight: the story isn’t over, it’s ongoing. In this way it points to the future; a future in which we are not fighting nature. And this is good news too. If you don’t have a spare 500 hours to process the news into slow news, don’t worry. By the time I finally tied my last knot, I found I had transformed my fear and rage into something tangible, something both magnificent and beautiful (if I do say so myself), no longer about me. It is now a slow-news story that is no longer about a particular event; something everyone can share. This is why I do the work. Impossible Numbers is on display as part of <a href="https://www.casulapowerhouse.com/prizes/the-blake-art-prize">The Blake Prize</a> at the Casula Powerhouse, Sydney, until July 7. <hr /> This article is part of <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/making-art-work-126611">Making Art Work</a>, our series on what inspires artists and the process of their work.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/227907/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/tracey-clement-1518268">Tracey Clement</a>, Lecturer in Visual Art and McGlade Gallery Director, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-catholic-university-747">Australian Catholic University</a> Image credits: Instagram This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/15-000-squares-500-hours-19-months-how-i-used-embroidery-to-make-sense-of-australias-catastrophic-fires-227907">original article</a>. </div>

Art

8 mistakes that make your hair thin

Despite how many products you put load it up with, hair thins with age and there is scarcely anything that you can do to completely fight nature. What you can do is go into prevention mode as early as possible. There are many simple things that we do to our hair daily that is actually causing it a lot of stress and in many cases causing it to thin. So rather than a trip to the hairdresser every other week or falling for flashy and expensive products on cheap advertisements, follow these 8 simple tips to avoid damaging your hair and losing what you have. 1. Hot showers We all know that hot water can dehydrate our skin, but did you know the same rule applies to your hair? Ryan Welter, MD, a Boston-based hair transplant surgeon explains; “Not only are you washing your hair’s protecting oils down the drain, but the heat throws your scalps pores into overdrive to keep up with oil production, which can damage the root and lead to additional shedding.” 2. Using too many heat tools Ironic, isn’t it? All that that drying and curling we do to make our hair look fabulous is actually doing it the most damage. Not everyone is a wash-and-wear kind of person, though, so if you really can’t part with your heated tools, make sure you prep your strands with a heat protection spray. Also, they may be more expensive but ceramic plated tools are ten times better for your hair. The ceramic plate has a uniform heating system that makes it impossible for it to overheat and cause damage to the hair from burning. Additionally, you’ll get a better aesthetic result. 3. Crash dieting Your diet affects everything, so it’s no surprise it effects your hair. Under eating forces, the body to direct the little energy it has to perform essential functions –like helping your heart pump blood-so generating new hair falls by the wayside. The good news is that you can eat certain foods for positive hair health. Lean protein like fish, chicken, lentil and beans all promote growth. Hair is primarily made of protein so it will make or break your hair. You should aim for about 46 grams per day. 4. Styling when wet Our strands are never more fragile, and prone to breakage, than when they’re saturated with H20 – this is because the protective cuticle is slightly raised. Brushing or combing locks in the shower, then following with aggressive towel-drying and prompt styling is a recipe for swift breakages. To avoid this, let your hair dry as naturally as possible when you get out of the shower and wait patiently before styling. 5. Let’s talk about the colour If your hair is dyed, and especially if it’s bleached, you will be more prone to breakage. However, there are many ways to avoid this. If you can’t be bothered fussing with various different treatments, simply leave your conditioner on for a few minutes rather than washing straight out. This will act like a hair treatment or mask without the hefty price tag. Alternatively, Moroccan oil is naturally high in fatty acids and vitamin E, making it a good treatment for damaged hair. Use sparingly on the ends, it only takes a few minutes to apply. 6. Opting for tight hairstyles If you wear your hair back in a tight hairstyle, like a ponytail or bun, chances are it’s contributing to your thinning hair. Pulling on the hair follicles too tightly puts tension on them, damaging them and creating scars that destroy them permanently. This can lead to alopecia, a condition that permanently weakens the follicle and makes it impossible for hair to grow again. 7. Over-shampooing The purpose of shampooing your hair is to cleanse the hair and scalp of oil and product build up. However, there is actually such thing as over-shampooing. This can wash away your hairs natural moisture that helps your hair look healthy and dries it out. This is especially true if you’re using a shampoo that’s more tropical scented foam than nutrition for your hair. So how much should you wash it? Unfortunately, there’s no specific algorithm. See what works best for you, stick to it, and always be gentle. 8. Using the wrong brush Something as simple as using the wrong hairbrush could be doing you a world of damage. Unfortunately, the thinner your hair, the more damage brushing in general will do. Stick to coming and wide bristle brushes as to not aggravate delicate hair cells. For slick, slightly damp hair, natural-bristle brushes are best and for those who can get away with it, stick to a comb and nothing but the comb. Just be sure to check the teeth for seams or roughness. Finally, always go by the golden rule; if something is going to harm your skin, it’s going to harm your hair. Image credits: Shutterstock

Beauty & Style

Kick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/helena-blumen-1231899">Helena Blumen</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/albert-einstein-college-of-medicine-3638">Albert Einstein College of Medicine</a> <h2>The big idea</h2> Social ballroom dancing can improve cognitive functions and reduce brain atrophy in older adults who are at increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. That’s the key finding of my team’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1123/japa.2022-0176">recently published study</a> in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity. In our study, we enrolled 25 adults over 65 years of age in either six months of twice-weekly ballroom dancing classes or six months of twice-weekly treadmill walking classes. None of them were engaged in formal dancing or other exercise programs. The overall goal was to see how each experience affected cognitive function and brain health. While none of the study volunteers had a dementia diagnosis, all performed a bit lower than expected on at least one of our dementia screening tests. We found that older adults that completed six months of social dancing and those that completed six months of treadmill walking improved their executive functioning – an umbrella term for planning, reasoning and processing tasks that require attention. Dancing, however, generated significantly greater improvements than treadmill walking on one measure of executive function and on processing speed, which is the time it takes to respond to or process information. Compared with walking, dancing was also associated with reduced brain atrophy in the hippocampus – a brain region that is key to memory functioning and is particularly affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers also know that this part of our brain can undergo neurogenesis – or grow new neurons – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0611721104">in response to aerobic exercise</a>. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/unmbhUvnGow?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption>Research shows those who regularly dance with a partner have a more positive outlook on life.</figcaption></figure> While several previous studies suggest that dancing has beneficial effects <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afaa270">on cognitive function in older adults</a>, only a few studies have compared it directly with traditional exercises. Our study is the first to observe both better cognitive function and improved brain health following dancing than walking in older adults at risk for dementia. We think that social dancing may be more beneficial than walking because it is physically, socially and cognitively demanding – and therefore strengthens a wide network of brain regions. While dancing, you’re not only using brain regions that are important for physical movement. You’re also relying on brain regions that are important for interacting and adapting to the movements of your dancing partner, as well as those necessary for learning new dance steps or remembering those you’ve learned already. <h2>Why it matters</h2> Nearly 6 million older adults in the U.S. and 55 million worldwide <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jalz.2019.01.010">have Alzheimer’s disease</a> or a <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia">related dementia</a>, yet there is no cure. Sadly, the efficacy and ethics surrounding recently developed drug treatments <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/21507740.2022.2129858">are still under debate</a>. The good news is that older adults can potentially <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30367-6">lower their risk for dementia</a> through lifestyle interventions, even later in life. These include reducing social isolation and physical inactivity. Social ballroom dancing targets both isolation and inactivity. In these later stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, a better understanding of the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/23337214211005223">indirect effects of COVID-19</a> – particularly those that increase dementia risk, such as social isolation – is urgently needed. In my view, early intervention is critical to prevent dementia from becoming the next pandemic. Social dancing could be a particularly timely way to overcome the adverse cognitive and brain effects associated with isolation and fewer social interactions during the pandemic. <h2>What still isn’t known</h2> Traditional aerobic exercise interventions such as treadmill-walking or running have been shown to lead to modest but reliable improvements in cognition – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691617707316">particularly in executive function</a>. My team’s study builds on that research and provides preliminary evidence that not all exercise is equal when it comes to brain health. Yet our sample size was quite small, and larger studies are needed to confirm these initial findings. Additional studies are also needed to determine the optimal length, frequency and intensity of dancing classes that may result in positive changes. Lifestyle interventions like social ballroom dancing are a promising, noninvasive and cost-effective path toward staving off dementia as we – eventually – leave the COVID-19 pandemic behind.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194969/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/helena-blumen-1231899">Helena Blumen</a>, Associate Professor of Medicine and Neurology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/albert-einstein-college-of-medicine-3638">Albert Einstein College of Medicine</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/kick-up-your-heels-ballroom-dancing-offers-benefits-to-the-aging-brain-and-could-help-stave-off-dementia-194969">original article</a>. </div>

Mind

Photos are everywhere. What makes a good one?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/t-j-thomson-503845">T.J. Thomson</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a> We upload some <a href="https://theconversation.com/3-2-billion-images-and-720-000-hours-of-video-are-shared-online-daily-can-you-sort-real-from-fake-148630">3 billion images online each day</a>. We make <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1051144X.2023.2281163">most of these photos on smartphones</a> and use these devices to document everything from gym progress and our loved ones to a memorable meal. But what makes a “quality” photo? Many people, even those who make images for work, struggle to answer. They often say something along the lines of “I know it when I see it”. But knowing some dimensions of a quality photograph can help make your images stand out and make you a <a href="https://medialiteracy.org.au/media-literacy-framework/">more literate</a> media maker and consumer. Quality can be relative, but knowing the various dimensions at play can help you draw on those that are most relevant for your particular audience, context and purpose. I identified <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/14648849241253136">six dimensions</a> which will impact the quality of photographs. Here’s what I learnt – and what you can apply to your own photographs. <h2>1. Production and presentation</h2> Think of the factors <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1522637918823261">in front of and behind the lens</a>. If you know you’re being recorded, this can affect your behaviour compared to a candid depiction. You might be more or less comfortable posing for a friend or family member than for a stranger. This comfort, or its lack, can lead to more stiff and awkward poses, or ones that look more natural and confident. Presentation circumstances, like the viewing size and context, also matter. A group shot can make a nice statement piece above a fireplace, but it wouldn’t have the same effect as a profile photo. Be aware of how “busy” your image is, and whether the viewing conditions are well-suited for the nature of your photo. Images with lots of elements, fine textures or other details need to be viewed large to be fully appreciated. Images with fewer, larger and simpler elements can usually be appreciated at smaller sizes. <h2>2. Technical aspects</h2> Technical aspects include proper exposure – meaning the image isn’t too dark or too bright – adequate focus, and appropriate camera settings. Some of these camera settings, like shutter speed, affect whether motion is seen as frozen or blurred. If the image is too blurry, too pixelated, or too light or dark, these technical aspects will negatively impact the photograph’s quality. But some motion blur, as distinct from camera shake, can make more dynamic an otherwise static composition. <h2>3. Who or what is shown</h2> Who or what is shown in the photographs we see is affected, in part, by access and novelty. That’s why we often make more photos during our holidays compared to documenting familiar settings. Some people or locations can be <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1329878X221094374">under-represented</a> and photographing them can lead to more visibility, and, depending on the context, a more empowering framing. Consider in your photography if you’re including people who are typically under-represented, such as older individuals, people of colour, people living with disabilities and queer people. Also consider whether you’re representing them in stereotypical or disempowering ways. As examples, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/22041451.2022.2137237">when photographing older people</a>, consider whether you’re showing them as lonely, isolated, passive, or in need of mobility aids. <h2>4. Composition</h2> Composition includes positioning of elements in the frame, the balance between positive and negative space, and depth, among others. Generally, images that centre the subject of interest aren’t as visually engaging as images that offset the subject of interest. This is what’s known as the <a href="https://www.adobe.com/au/creativecloud/photography/discover/rule-of-thirds.html">rule-of-thirds</a> approach. Likewise, images that have no depth are generally not as interesting as images with a clear foreground, midground and background. “Seeing through things” with your compositions can help increase the visual depth of your photos alongside their visual appeal. <h2>5. The psycho-physiological</h2> The psycho-physiological concerns how the viewer reacts to what is shown. This includes the <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2011-07236-024">biological reaction</a> we have to seeing certain colours, for example the way the colour red can increase our heart rate. It also can include the feeling we have when seeing a photo of someone we know. The most powerful photos use colour and other elements of visual language strategically for a specific effect. Looking at these images might evoke a specific emotion, such as empathy or fear, and influence how the viewer responds. <h2>6. Narrative</h2> Narrative concerns the storytelling quality of the image. Images can show something in a literal way (think a photograph from a real estate listing) or they can tell a bigger story about the content represented or about the human condition (think about some of the iconic photos that emerged during Australia’s <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1329878X211008181">black summer bushfire season</a>). Literal photos help us see what something or someone looks like but they might not have as much of an impact as iconic photos. For example, the well-known photo of three-year-old Syrian boy Aylan Kurdi’s lifeless body on a beach in Turkey <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN14V2MG/">boosted fundraising for refugees</a> 100-fold. <h2>A more thoughtful process</h2> Next time you pull out your smartphone to make an image, don’t just “<a href="https://www.digitalphotomentor.com/do-you-wait-for-the-decisive-moment-or-do-you-spray-and-pray/">spray and pray</a>”. Try to pre-visualise the story you want to tell and wait for the elements to line up into place. Being aware of aesthetic and ethical considerations alongisde technical ones and emotional resonance can all help engage viewers and lead to more standout imagery. To challenge yourself further, consider taking your phone off full-auto mode and play with camera settings to see how they impact the resulting photos.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/229011/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/t-j-thomson-503845">T.J. Thomson</a>, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication & Digital Media, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/photos-are-everywhere-what-makes-a-good-one-229011">original article</a>. </div>

Technology

Catriona Rowntree shares her Europe travel hacks she picked up from locals

After decades of hosting Getaway, Catriona Rowntree has learned a thing or two about travelling. Along the way, the 52-year-old has picked up some must-know secrets from locals that every traveller should know before heading to Europe. While in Mallorca in Spain, Rowntree quizzed locals on how to make the most out of her experience, and what faux pas to avoid. She was given advice on the best way to start a day at the markets, told why you should never rent an Airbnb or buy seafood on a Monday, why takeaway coffee is a bad idea and the secret to a longer, healthy life. The TV host shared a little known secret when it comes to buying fresh fish, and said travellers should not buy fish on Monday, because fishermen don’t fish on Sundays, meaning fish purchases on Mondays won’t be fresh. “The life expectancy of a Spaniard is 84, they're a healthy lot, loving a Mediterranean diet, a dollop of sun and a good climate,” she added. The presenter also discovered that all the locals she has spoken to don't like Airbnb accommodation and prefer for tourists to stay in hotels. “All the locals I've spoken to say that's what's pushing them out of their apartments as the town centres are slowly gentrified,” she said. “The average wage is low, most locals rent, sadly landlords prefer the higher fee of an Airbnb. Not cool!” Catriona's final tip is not to get your coffee takeaway, but rather sit down in a cafe, enjoy your coffee and take it slow. “People sit down to enjoy their coffee, they don't get a takeaway: 'If you can't sit for five minutes and talk to a person what's wrong with you!',” she said. Catriona said she was told by a local that the best way to start your day is to explore the markets by getting a hot chocolate and some churros. “Not every day as you'll be round, but market day for sure," she said. Image credits: Instagram

Travel Tips

"Doesn't add up": New theory emerges in Perth brothers' deaths

A private security worker in Mexico has cast doubt on the police narrative on how two brothers from Perth were found dead. According to Mexico police, Callum and Jake Robinson were caught up in a robbery gone wrong while they were on a surfing holiday in Baja California with an American friend. “They approached, with the intention of stealing their vehicle and taking the tyres and other parts to put them on the older-model pick-up they were driving,” Baja California Attorney-General Maria Elena Andrade Ramírez said. “When they (the victims) came up and caught them, surely, they resisted." “And these people, the assailants, took out a gun and first they killed the one who was putting up resistance against the vehicle theft, and then others came along and joined the fight to defend their property and their companion who had been attacked, and they killed them too.” However, those with intimate knowledge of the turbulent area have offered another theory about how the Robinson brothers were killed, suggesting a much more sinister alternative. A source who does private security work in Mexico told the New York Post that the police narrative "doesn't add up", and it is far more likely that the trio were killed by cartel members who were in search of a rival gang. “Basically, the reasoning of them being carjack victims gone wrong makes very little sense,” the source said. The source described the situation as “deeply disturbing”, while also sharing how Baja California is in the midst of a drug war. “These surfers were well travelled and would most likely know better than to try to fend off a truck jacking. My guess is they were mistakenly identified as a rival criminal organisation and murdered." “That being exposed would create an ongoing investigation that no cartel wants to deal with and would create a devastating impact on tourism in the area, which is popular with surfers and visitors from the US," the source explained. Three people have been arrested in connection with the deaths of the three men, although no charges have yet been laid. Travel website SmartTraveller notes Mexico as a dangerous destination, warning tourists of Baja California in particular, as one of multiple areas most affected by drug-related and gang violence. “Mexico has a high risk of violent crime, including murder, armed robbery, sexual assault and kidnapping. Don’t travel at night outside major cities. Drug-related violence is widespread,” Smartraveller warns. “Kidnapping and extortion are serious risks. Don’t draw attention to your money or business affairs. Only use ATMs in public spaces and during the daytime. Stop at all roadblocks, or you risk getting killed.” According to the New York Post, Baja California is one of Mexico’s most violent states because of organised crime gangs, and their relationships with corrupt police officers. Heritage Foundation Latin America expert Andres Martinez-Fernandez said corruption could easily be at play with the Perth brothers and the true nature of their deaths. “The case is highly unusual, as presented by Mexican police, who say the supposed robbery was done by small-time criminals who ended up destroying the vehicle they were allegedly trying to steal,” he told the Post. “Given the deep and widespread corruption in the Mexican police, it hard to dismiss the possibility of a cover-up, potentially to shift blame away from a powerful drug cartel. This would certainly align with the Mexican government’s efforts to downplay the severity of cartel violence in Mexico,” he added. Just days after they went missing, the bodies of Callum and Jake Robinson, along with Jack Carter Rhoad, were found down a well with fatal gunshot wounds to the head. Image credits: Instagram / 7News <p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-size: 18px; vertical-align: baseline;">

Travel Trouble

A tax on sugary drinks can make us healthier. It’s time for Australia to introduce one

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peter-breadon-1348098">Peter Breadon</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/grattan-institute-1168">Grattan Institute</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jessica-geraghty-1530733">Jessica Geraghty</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/grattan-institute-1168">Grattan Institute</a> Sugary drinks cause weight gain and <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41574-021-00627-6">increase the risk</a> of a range of diseases, including diabetes. The <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2792842">evidence shows</a> that well-designed taxes can reduce sugary drink sales, cause people to choose healthier options and get manufacturers to reduce the sugar in their drinks. And although these taxes haven’t been around long, there are already signs that they are making people healthier. It’s time for Australia to catch up to the rest of the world and introduce a tax on sugary drinks. As our new Grattan Institute <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/sickly-sweet/">report</a> shows, doing so could mean the average Australian drinks almost 700 grams less sugar each year. <h2>Sugary drinks are making us sick</h2> The share of adults in Australia who are obese has tripled since 1980, from <a href="https://theconversation.com/mapping-australias-collective-weight-gain-7816">10%</a> to more than <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-conditions-and-risks/waist-circumference-and-bmi/latest-release">30%</a>, and diabetes is our <a href="https://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/about-diabetes/diabetes-in-australia/">fastest-growing</a> chronic condition. The costs for the health system and economy are measured in the billions of dollars each year. But the biggest costs are borne by individuals and their families in the form of illness, suffering and early death. Sugary drinks are a big part of the problem. The more of them we drink, the greater our risk of <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41574-021-00627-6">gaining weight</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2963518/">developing type 2 diabetes</a>, and suffering <a href="https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/article/31/1/122/5896049?login=false">poor oral health</a>. These drinks have no real nutrients, but they do have a lot of sugar. The average Australian consumes <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-conditions-and-risks/apparent-consumption-selected-foodstuffs-australia/latest-release">1.3</a> times the maximum recommended amount of sugar each day. Sugary drinks are responsible for more than one-quarter of our daily sugar intake, more than any other major type of food. You might be shocked by how much sugar you’re drinking. Many 375ml cans of soft drink contain eight to 12 teaspoons of sugar, nearly the entire daily recommended limit for an adult. Many 600ml bottles blow our entire daily sugar budget, and then some. The picture is even worse for disadvantaged Australians, who are more likely to have <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-conditions-and-risks/diabetes/latest-release">diabetes</a> and <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-conditions-and-risks/waist-circumference-and-bmi/latest-release">obesity</a>, and who also consume the most sugary drinks. <h2>Sugary drink taxes work</h2> Fortunately, there’s a proven way to reduce the damage sugary drinks cause. More than <a href="https://ssbtax.worldbank.org/">100 countries</a> have a sugary drinks tax, covering most of the world’s population. <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2792842">Research</a> shows these taxes lead to higher prices and fewer purchases. Some taxes are specifically designed to encourage manufacturers to change their recipes and cut the sugar in their drinks. Under these “tiered taxes”, there is no tax on drinks with a small amount of sugar, but the tax steps up two or three times as the amount of sugar rises. That gives manufacturers a strong incentive to add less sugar, so they reduce their exposure to the tax or avoid paying it altogether. This is the best result from a sugary drinks tax. It means drinks get healthier, while the tax is kept to a minimum. In countries with tiered taxes, manufacturers have slashed the sugar in their drinks. In the United Kingdom, the share of products above the tax threshold <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1003025">decreased dramatically</a>. In 2015, more than half (52%) of products in the UK were above the tax threshold of 5 grams of sugar per 100ml. Four years later, when the tax was in place, that share had plunged to 15%. The number of products with the most sugar – more than 8 grams per 100ml – declined the most, falling from 38% to just 7%. The Australian drinks market today looks similar to the UK’s before the tax was introduced. Health benefits take longer to appear, but there are already promising signs that the taxes are working. Obesity among primary school-age girls has fallen in <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1004160">the UK</a> and <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2786784">Mexico</a>. Oral health has also improved, with studies reporting fewer children going to hospital to get their teeth removed in <a href="https://nutrition.bmj.com/content/6/2/243">the UK</a>, and reduced dental decay <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33853058/">in Mexico</a> and <a href="https://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(23)00069-7/abstract">Philadelphia</a>. One <a href="https://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(23)00158-7/fulltext">study from the United States</a> found big reductions in gestational diabetes in cities with a sugary drinks tax. <h2>The tax Australia should introduce</h2> Like successful taxes overseas, Australia should introduce a sugary drink tax that targets drinks with the most sugar: <ul> <li>drinks with 8 grams or more of sugar per 100ml should face a $0.60 per litre tax</li> <li>drinks with 5–8 grams should be taxed at $0.40 per litre</li> <li>drinks with less than 5 grams of sugar should be tax-free.</li> </ul> This means a 250ml Coke, which has nearly 11 grams of sugar per 100ml, would cost $0.15 more. But of course consumers could avoid the tax by choosing a sugar-free soft drink, or a bottle of water. Grattan Institute <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/sickly-sweet/">modelling</a> shows that under this tiered tax, Australians would drink about 275 million litres fewer sugary drinks each year, or the volume of 110 Olympic swimming pools. The tax is about health, but government budgets also benefit. If it was introduced today, it would raise about half a billion dollars in the first year. Vested interests such as the beverages industry have fiercely resisted sugary drink taxes around the world, issuing disingenuous warnings about the risks to poor people, the sugar industry and drinks manufacturers. But our new report shows sugary drink taxes have been introduced smoothly overseas, and none of these concerns should hold Australia back. We certainly can’t rely on industry pledges to voluntarily reduce sugar. They have been <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition/article/trends-in-sugar-content-of-nonalcoholic-beverages-in-australia-between-2015-and-2019-during-the-operation-of-a-voluntary-industry-pledge-to-reduce-sugar-content/EE662DE7552670ED532F6650C9D56939">weak</a> and misleading, and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/apr/10/sugar-increase-in-fanta-and-sprite-prompts-calls-for-new-tax-on-australia-food-and-drinks-industry">failed to stick</a>. It will take many policies and interventions to turn back the tide of obesity and chronic disease in Australia, but a sugary drinks tax should be part of the solution. It’s a policy that works, it’s easy to implement, and most Australians <a href="https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/6/e027962">support it</a>. The federal government should show it’s serious about tackling Australia’s biggest health problems and take this small step towards a healthier future.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/228906/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peter-breadon-1348098">Peter Breadon</a>, Program Director, Health and Aged Care, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/grattan-institute-1168">Grattan Institute</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jessica-geraghty-1530733">Jessica Geraghty</a>, Senior Associate, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/grattan-institute-1168">Grattan Institute</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-tax-on-sugary-drinks-can-make-us-healthier-its-time-for-australia-to-introduce-one-228906">original article</a>. </div>

Food & Wine

Woman fined after paid car park gets set up around her parked vehicle

Josephine Williams had been leaving her car in a gravel clearing at Westgate in Auckland, alongside other commuters to catch the bus into the city for months. The New Zealand woman was left with a "nasty surprise" when she returned from work on Monday to find a NZ $85 ($77) fine sitting on her windshield. "To my unfortunate surprise - and many others - I was greeted by an $85 parking ticket for a breach and a flyer from Wilson Parking saying paid parking had started that day," Williams told Stuff. "But what breach exactly was made? How was I supposed to know paid parking started that day when there was nothing at all displayed anywhere in the car park?" Williams claimed that the Wilson Parking car park had been set up around her already parked car, even providing dash cam footage that showed her pulling into the gravel clearing at 7.45am, with no paid parking signs or Wilson branding in sight. By 6pm, a large red and white Wilson sign had been put up at the entrance, with "12 hours for $4" written on it. "Wilson deliberately put their sign up sometime after 9am and then took it upon themselves to fine every single car that was already parked there from the morning," Williams said. "$85 is a lot of money - it would have been two weeks' worth of grocery shopping for me," she added. "I'm lucky that I know the law and my rights, but some other people might not. What about students or the elderly or people who don't know English well?" She estimated that there was usually around 50 and 100 cars in the gravel clearing. Wilson argued that the carpark was always there and they had just added more signage, but have since waived Williams' fine after she lodged a request to have it reviewed by Parking Enforcement Services. Wilson Parking also said that they had started to set up the car park and installed a "clear signage" on April 22. "It was not set up around parked cars on 29 April as suggested," a Wilson spokesperson said. "Several payments were made by customers via the Parkmate app from 22 April proving that signage on the site was clear and effective," they said. They added that on April 29 more signs were added to all entry points of the car park. "In acknowledgment of the increased signage added on the 29th at the entry we've made the decision to refund all payments made until 30 April and waive any breach notices issued up to this date." They also denied issuing any breach notices before the signs were put up. "Payment options were available and signed from 22 April - but no infringement notices were issued prior to the 29th." Images: Stuff

Legal

Battling to make ends meet? Financial planning expert offers 5 tips on how to build your budget

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bomikazi-zeka-680577">Bomikazi Zeka</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-canberra-865">University of Canberra</a> Every day seems to bring new headlines about rising costs. <a href="https://www.news24.com/news24/africa/news/nigerias-big-unions-call-indefinite-strike-over-fuel-prices-and-the-cost-of-living-20230926">In Nigeria</a>, unions are threatening to strike amid soaring fuel prices; the country’s inflation rate <a href="https://www.cbn.gov.ng/rates/inflrates.asp">hit 25%</a> in August. The amount it costs to fill a food basket in South Africa <a href="https://pmbejd.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/PMBEJD_Key-Data_September-2023_27092023.pdf">keeps climbing</a>. Ghanaians <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/multi-day-protests-over-economic-crisis-grip-ghanas-capital-2023-09-23/">took to the streets</a> of Accra in late September to protest about the cost of living. A <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/retail-distribution/consumer-behavior-trends-state-of-the-consumer-tracker.html">recent study by the audit and consulting firm Deloitte</a> found that 75% of South Africans were concerned that the prices for everyday purchases would continue to increase, while 80% of consumers across all income groups expected the prices of groceries, household utilities and fuel to rise. This stark reality means budgeting may be more necessary than ever. If you don’t know how to create a budget, then you shouldn’t feel bad – most adults aren’t taught how to create one. And most people don’t budget, because they see it as restrictive or unsustainable. But it need not be: once you appreciate that a budget can work for you, it can be a financially empowering exercise. It’s a cornerstone of financial planning because it ensures you are living within your means and helps you remain in financial control. As a financial planning academic, I focus in <a href="https://researchprofiles.canberra.edu.au/en/persons/bomikazi-zeka/publications/">my research</a> on improving financial wellbeing and promoting savings behaviours through interventions such as budgeting. Here are five guidelines for creating a budget. <h2>1. Apps vs spreadsheet</h2> A good place to start is to choose the format of how you’re going to budget. There are several <a href="https://www.sanlamreality.co.za/wealth-sense/setting-up-a-family-budget-that-works/">online templates</a> and apps you can use for budgeting. For instance, <a href="https://www.22seven.com/">22Seven</a> has gained popularity in South Africa due to its compatibility with several financial institutions, including the country’s big five banks. Similarly, <a href="https://www.the-star.co.ke/business/kenya/2021-01-25-budgeting-using-mint-app/">Mint</a> is a popular budgeting tool that is used in Kenya and Nigeria. If you prefer to put pen to paper, some online templates come with <a href="https://www.wonga.co.za/blog/free-budget-template">free printable budgets</a>. Creating your own <a href="https://create.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/articles/how-to-make-excel-budget">Excel spreadsheet</a> is an equally good approach. What matters most is using a tool that you can commit to. <h2>2. Itemising your income and expenses</h2> A budget essentially shows how much you’re spending in relation to how much you’re earning. So once you have selected your budgeting tool, you need to fill in your income and itemise how much you’re spending on each expense in a month. A budget can be considered a cashflow statement because it allows you to track money coming in (income) and money going out (expenses). If you are living within your means, your budget should indicate a surplus – more cash inflows than cash outflows. So budgeting provides an accurate account of your short-term financial position. <h2>3. A realistic account of expenses</h2> When you look at your financial statements, fill your expenses into your budget honestly and accurately. Don’t cheat! Since everyone’s financial situation is different, your budget will also be unique. Even though there is no one-size-fits-all approach to budgeting, it should still consider all of your expenses (both regular and intermittent). A general rule of thumb is that if it’s deducted from your account then you should treat it as an expense. This includes payments for housing, medical insurance, fuel, dining out, credit card repayments and even bank fees. <h2>4. Save first, spend later</h2> Now you’ve seen how much you’re spending. Either it’s too much – and you can plan where to cut back – or you have savings at the end of the month. When compiling your budget it’s important to demarcate how much will be in the form of savings. What’s more important is getting into the habit of saving before you spend instead of saving after spending. If you spend first then you’ve deprived yourself of the opportunity to save for a rainy day. Furthermore, <a href="https://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/10231/1/Microsoft_Word_-_submitted_version_3rd_June_201.pdf">research</a> has shown that getting into the habit of saving has a transgenerational effect: it can be considered a cultural value that is passed on from one generation to another. So think of saving as paying yourself first. Once you have done so, you won’t feel guilty for treating yourself because you’ve already done the financially responsible thing by putting your savings aside. <h2>5. Considering assets and liabilities</h2> Once you’ve become comfortable with consistently budgeting, you can take it up a notch by including your assets (everything you own with an economic value) and liabilities (everything you owe) to determine your overall financial position. You can get a clearer picture of your overall financial wellbeing by compiling a list of all your assets, for example your savings and <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/home_equity.asp">home equity</a>, in relation to liabilities (such as bank loans). Knowing your long-term financial position can indicate how financially resilient or vulnerable you are. In the event of a financial emergency, you will know which resources you can draw upon to meet an unexpected expense. By creating a budget (and sticking to it), you can protect yourself and your household from financial shocks. Consider the alternative. Imagine you haven’t budgeted and set savings aside. If a financial emergency were to arise, your next best bet would be to borrow the funds you need. You’d have to come up with a plan to repay what you’d borrowed while also building your savings. <h2>A healthy habit</h2> Getting into the habit of budgeting isn’t easy, especially if you haven’t done it before or you’re intimidated by the process. But, as the expression goes, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. Think of budgeting as taking a small but important step towards reclaiming control over your finances and improving your financial well-being.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/214861/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bomikazi-zeka-680577">Bomikazi Zeka</a>, Assistant Professor in Finance and Financial Planning, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-canberra-865">University of Canberra</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/battling-to-make-ends-meet-financial-planning-expert-offers-5-tips-on-how-to-build-your-budget-214861">original article</a>. </div>

Money & Banking

Police accused of "straight up revenue raising" after controversial act

New South Wales Police has been called out for the controversial way an officer hid to catch unsuspecting motorists during the double demerits public holiday over the Anzac Day weekend. Motoring journalist David McCowen accused the police of "straight up revenue raising" after capturing a video of an unmarked police car blocking a busy cycle path in a “hidden” spot on the Alfords Point Bridge in Sydney’s southwest on Sunday. “This is bulls**t,” McCowen said in the clip which has been viewed more than 500,000 times. “This is a highway patrol dude that is blocking a cycleway and running path here at Alfords Point Bridge between St George and Sutherland Shire, trying to book people hidden behind a concrete wall in an unmarked car on a double demerits weekend on a long downhill descent on a bridge." “That’s just crap. That is not serving the community. That is straight up revenue raising and I’m not about it. You can’t see him.” <div class="embed" style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; outline: currentcolor !important;"><iframe class="embedly-embed" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; border-style: none; vertical-align: baseline; width: 600px; max-width: 100%; outline: currentcolor !important;" title="tiktok embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2Fv2%2F7362726836784205074&display_name=tiktok&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40davemotoring%2Fvideo%2F7362726836784205074&image=https%3A%2F%2Fp16-sign-sg.tiktokcdn.com%2Fobj%2Ftos-alisg-p-0037%2Fac9931ef2d86483a85d43e726da22594_1714268444%3Fx-expires%3D1714532400%26x-signature%3DzVrZCNweB4EiqQwi%252BTl1M3l7ThE%253D&key=59e3ae3acaa649a5a98672932445e203&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=tiktok" width="340" height="700" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> He added that “what you can see though” was how dozens of people had marked the location of “this bloke that’s trying to rip you off” on the popular navigation app Waze. “That is a cool thing,” he said. The video quickly raked in hundreds of comments condemning the "hypocritical" police behaviour, with one person writing, “Isn’t that a parking violation?” Another woman said, “My husband got a $300 fine recently for ‘park on footpath/verge’. Old mate should issue himself the same fine.” “It’s why people have lost respect for police,” one person added. While most people were frustrated by the police officer's act, others sided with law enforcement, as one person said, “If you live in the area you already know not to speed there,” one said. “He’s hidden for a reason, the amount of people that slow down then speed up again. It's not safe." Image credits: TikTok

Legal

"It's up to men": Anthony Albanese joins violence against women rally

Anthony Albanese has joined a rally in Canberra to protest the recent spate of acts of violence against women, admitting his government hasn't "done enough" to ensure Aussie women are protected. Addressing the 5,000-strong crowd at Parliament House, Mr Albanese delivered a fiery speech, demanding nationwide change to all levels of Australian society and asking protesters to hold him “accountable” for his government’s actions. Mr Albanese said Australia needed to change its “culture”, “attitudes” and “legal system” to end the scourge of violence against women that has already allegedly claimed the lives of 26 women this year. “We’re here today to demand that governments of all levels, must do better, including my own, and every state and territory government,” he said. “We’re here as well to say that society, and Australia, must do better. We need to change the culture, we need to change attitudes, we need to change the legal system." Mr Albanese spoke about some of the actions his government had taken to address the problem, including the introduction of domestic violence payments. A protester interrupted, saying “it’s not enough”. The prime minister replied, “I agree it’s not enough. I said that. We need to do more.” Mr Albanese finished his speech by calling the problem a “national crisis” and said one or two months of funding would not be enough to solve it. “It’s up to men to change men’s behaviour as well,” he said. “Yes, people do need to be made accountable and I’ll be accountable for what my government does.” Thousands took to the grounds of Parliament House on Sunday to listen to Albanese's address, where one of the event organisers Sarah Williams from the company WWYW (What Were You Wearing?), claims the Prime Minister lied to the crowd at the start of his stirring speech. In his speech in the afternoon, Mr Albanese suggested he had asked the rally organisers for permission to speak but had been knocked back. “We did ask to speak, myself and (Finance minister) Katy (Gallagher) and we were told that’s not possible,” he said to the 5000 strong crowd. “And that’s fine, we respect the organisers’ right to do that.” However, Ms Williams took to social media after the event to say the Prime Minister had "lied to the country". “The Prime Minister of Australia lied to his country today,” she began. “Representatives from (Finance Minister Katy) Gallagher and Albanese’s offices both said this morning that they were sure Katy would be happy to speak. Not the Prime Minister.” “He never asked to speak. For him to not only demand he speak because he was being heckled, but lie was disgraceful." “He demonstrated today what entitlement looks like. A man with power trying to diminish a vulnerable young woman.” In an awkward and tense exchange, Ms Williams then demanded the politicians show their commitment to the organisation’s demands, and declare that the recent spate of murders of women by men was a national emergency. However, the Labor ministers appeared non-responsive and confused, initially refusing to front the rally, a move which brought boos and heckling from the audience. “Why are you even here?” one protester yelled from the crowd. “Shame on you,” shouted another. Image credits: Getty Images / Instagram

Caring

“Makes me proud”: Coles applauded for Anzac Day display

An impressive Anzac Day display at a Coles supermarket has received a flood of attention, with many quick to praise the supermarket for the tribute. The display, situated at the entrance of the Annandale Coles store in Townsville, Queensland, features a large statue of a veteran surrounded by poppies and a “Lest We Forget” flag, and countless packets of Anzac biscuits for customers to enjoy. The worker who created the display said the tribute was in honour of her father: a war veteran. The Queensland store is also situated opposite the Lavarack Barracks in Townsville, the largest army base in Australia. A photo of the display was posted online by a Coles shopper and quickly went viral. “Coles Annandale Townsville. Huge display right as you walk in, brilliant!” the shopper wrote. “Take note, Woolworths.” The comments are in reference to <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/pauline-hanson-slams-woolies-controversial-anzac-day-decision" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Woolworths</a> saying they are not doing anything special for Anzac Day this year, other than selling charity pins for the RSL and selling Anzac biscuits, which are available all year round. Many social media users were elated by the display, sharing their comments to praise the supermarket's efforts. One person said, “Bloody well done Coles - too much Aussie stuff being constantly eroded," while another wrote, “Great respect for our Diggers Thank you Coles Annandale Townsville.” One more added, “That is great. As a veteran it makes me proud.” Despite Woolies announcement about this year's lack of Anzac Day fanfare, shoppers said that they’d seen similar displays at other supermarkets around the country. “My local Woolies has Anzac biscuits and all the Anzac badges on a big display just as you walk in the door,” said one. Another added, “Woolies Maryborough has a similar display!” Image credits: Facebook <p class="css-1n6q21n-StyledParagraph e4e0a020" style="box-sizing: border-box; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word; margin: 0px 0px 1.125rem; line-height: 25px; font-size: 1.125rem; font-family: HeyWow, Montserrat, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; caret-color: #292a33; color: #292a33;">

Caring

"You can't make this up": Project hosts mocked for trainwreck interview

The Project hosts have found itself in a storm of laughter and tears after a trainwreck interview with an unfortunate Melbourne mum who was recently booted from a comedy show with her crying baby. It all started innocently enough when a breastfeeding mother Trish Faranda found herself ousted from an Arj Barker comedy show because her seven-month-old bundle of joy was proving too distracting. In a flurry of events that could rival a sitcom script, Faranda then embarked on a media tour to share her side of the story, which, let's just say, didn't exactly go as smoothly as a well-rehearsed stand-up routine. On Monday night's episode of The Project, host Sarah Harris – in a moment that can only be described as a classic case of foot-in-mouth syndrome – hinted over the sounds of very loud crying that maybe baby Clara "can go to dad just for a quick second... a mum with three little kids, I reckon you need to laugh." As Waleed Aly chuckled nervously in the background, social media exploded faster than a punchline at a comedy club, forcing The Project to quickly disable comments. However, viewers were quick to point out the hilarity of The Project's own struggle with disruptive babies, all while criticising Arj Barker for his comedic inconvenience. “There’s something really really funny about The Project host asking for the baby to leave for being disruptive during the interview and then going right back to empathising with the mother about being asked to take her baby out during a comedy show for being disruptive,” posted one follower. “Hilarious. The Project takes aim at comedian Arj Barker because he asked a mother/baby to leave & avoid disrupting a live show. At the 3 min mark Sarah Harris kicks the same baby off the air to avoid disrupting the show. You can’t make this up,” posted another. “This is hilarious. Well done The Project and Sarah Harris for showing how distracting a whining baby can be when you’re trying to entertain people," wrote a third. <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6EL8Kfvv7N/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6EL8Kfvv7N/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by The Project (@theprojecttv)</a> </div> </blockquote> Meanwhile, over at A Current Affair, baby Clara once again stole the show, or rather, disrupted it entirely. The interview turned into a symphony of cries and babbling, leaving viewers wondering if they had accidentally tuned in to a sitcom pilot. But let's not forget the man of the hour, Arj Barker himself, who stood by his decision to evict the tiny troublemaker from his comedy haven. In a series of radio interviews, Barker defended his actions, citing the sacredness of comedic timing and the sheer audacity of bringing an infant to a 15-plus comedy show. In the end, amidst the laughter and the tears, one thing became abundantly clear: comedy, like life, is unpredictable. Whether it's a crying baby stealing the spotlight or a tone-deaf remark from a well-meaning host, one thing's for sure – you can always count on the unexpected. Images: The Project

Two-up, Gallipoli and the ‘fair go’: why illegal gambling is at the heart of the Anzac myth

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bruce-moore-291912">Bruce Moore</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877">Australian National University</a> Two-up is an Australian gambling game in which two coins are placed on a small piece of wood called a “kip” and tossed into the air. Bets are laid as to whether both coins will fall with heads or tails uppermost. It is one of the core activities of Anzac Day celebrations - and a beloved tradition. The word <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/ANZAC">ANZAC</a> was created in 1915 as an acronym from Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. By 1916 it was being used emblematically to reflect the traditional view of the virtues displayed by those in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Gallipoli-Campaign">Gallipoli campaign</a>, especially as these are seen as national characteristics. This cluster of national characteristics includes mateship, larrikin daredevilry, anti-authoritarianism, and egalitarianism. The game of two-up became indicative of these qualities. Mateship was evident in the way the game brought together people of disparate backgrounds. Larrikinism was evident in the defiant rejection of authority and convention. Two-up was always illegal, because the game is an unregulated form of gambling (although from the 1980s it became legal in most Australian states on Anzac Day). But in spite of the illegality, it was widely regarded as the fairest of gambling games, and at the time of the First World War the verbal command for the coins to be spun was not “come in spinner” (as it is now) but “fair go”. Indeed, the important Australian concept of the “fair go” was in part cemented by its role in the game. Two-up was the common pastime of the urban working-class man, and it feeds into the elements of egalitarianism and anti-authoritarianism that are central to both the Anzac myth and the Australian myth. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/458543/original/file-20220419-17-6mgarp.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/458543/original/file-20220419-17-6mgarp.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/458543/original/file-20220419-17-6mgarp.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/458543/original/file-20220419-17-6mgarp.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/458543/original/file-20220419-17-6mgarp.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/458543/original/file-20220419-17-6mgarp.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=585&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/458543/original/file-20220419-17-6mgarp.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=585&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/458543/original/file-20220419-17-6mgarp.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=585&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption>Two original 1915 Australian pennies in a kip from which they are tossed. Roland Scheicher/ Wikimedia</figcaption></figure> <h2>Two-up and wartime life</h2> From the very early period of the First World War, two-up assumed great importance among the Australian troops. Soldiers reported that two-up was played on the battlefield during the Gallipoli campaign, even when under shellfire. As the war dragged on, numerous stories were told about Australian soldiers’ obsession with playing it. In 1918 the <a href="https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10676229">war correspondent Charles Bean</a> studied the daily life of a company of Australian soldiers stationed at a brewery in Querrieu in northern France. He places great emphasis on two-up, writing in his diary in 1918: "Two-up’ is the universal pastime of the men. … It is a game which starts in any quarter of an hour’s interval or lasts the whole afternoon. The side road outside becomes every evening a perfect country fair with groups playing these games in it - a big crowd of 70 or 80 at the bottom the street, in the middle of the road; a smaller crowd of perhaps twenty on a doorstep further up. … The game is supposed to be illegal, I think; but at any rate in this company they wink at it." Two-up was important not just in taking soldiers’ minds off the realities of the war, but also in creating a strong sense of community. Photographs from the war that show the men playing two-up reveal how it brought them together physically in a communal activity. This helps explains why men, who in civilian life may have had little or no interest in gambling, joined in the camaraderie and fun of the two-up fair, and by so doing blotted out the boredom, isolation, and loneliness of much wartime experience. <h2>Anzac Day and tradition</h2> Playing two-up became an integral part of the diggers’ memories of the experience of war, especially when commemorated on Anzac Day. By the 1930s the playing of two-up outdoors after the Anzac Day march had become an entrenched tradition. As the ranks of diggers from the two world wars declined, so the structure of Anzac Day changed in emphasis. In recent years the Dawn Service has increased greatly in popularity, while the Anzac Day march has <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-07/concern-over-australias-dwindling-number-of-world-war-veterans/10911602">suffered from dwindling numbers</a> of veterans. The streets of Sydney and similar cities are no longer dotted with two-up games in the afternoon. The games have shifted to pubs and clubs, and they are largely played by people with no experience of war. Those people who play the game on this day do so not for any deep-seated gambling impulse or because they would love to play the game on every other day of the year. They play two-up because it has become part of the meaning of Anzac Day. Anzac Day has always combined solemnity and festivity. The Dawn Service commemorates the landing at Gallipoli, and the sacrifices that ensued. Its mood is solemn. In the past, returned soldiers reminisced, told war yarns, drank, and played two-up. The soldiers have passed on, but their larrikinism survives in the tradition of the game they have bequeathed to their descendants. We should not underestimate the significance of rituals of this kind—the playing of two-up is a way in which Australians can become not just observers of, but participants in, their history and their myths. Two-up is a ritual that links the present with the past on this one day of the year.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/181337/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bruce-moore-291912">Bruce Moore</a>, Honorary Associate Professor in the School of Literature, Languages, and Linguistics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877">Australian National University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/two-up-gallipoli-and-the-fair-go-why-illegal-gambling-is-at-the-heart-of-the-anzac-myth-181337">original article</a>. </div>

Money & Banking

6 kitchen mistakes you don’t know you're making

The kitchen is the heart of the home, but it can also be an area where we make the most mistakes in the way we use it. Check out our top tips to help keep your kitchen ship-shape. Clean the inside of the dishwasher You may not realise that the appliance that keeps everything clean can in fact be quite dirty. The inside of the dishwasher can be a breeding ground for bacteria. Run a hot cycle with nothing but a cup of white vinegar in the top and bottom shelves. Then simply wipe clean the sides and seams of the dishwasher. Don’t wash your chicken You may think this is necessary, but in fact washing your chicken can spread bacteria across your work surface, towels, cloths, and your hands. You can avoid it altogether as cooking will get rid of anything harmful on your meat. Change your kitchen towel The towel can be harbouring many kinds of bacteria, so it’s best to change them daily. Don’t rely on the sniff test to see if it needs a wash. A dirty towel used to dry your clean dishes can quickly spread germs that can make you sick. Avoid putting wooden items in the dishwasher The heat from the appliance can cause wooden items to warp and crack. That means wooden chopping boards, salad servers, or pots and pans with wooden handles need to be hand washed. Never wipe up floor spills with the dishcloth or tea towel If you wipe up some spilled milk off the floor and then use that same cloth to wipe your bench, germs can quickly spread. Same goes with a tea towel. Always use paper towel for cleaning mess from the floor. Fix leaking taps It’s too easy to ignore the drip drip of a leaky tap. But did you know a leaking tap could use over 6,000L of water in a month? Save the Earth (and reduce your water bill) by staying on top of any leaks around the home. Have a separate chopping board for meat Cross contamination can occur if you chop raw meat on a chopping board and then use it later (even after cleaning) for chopping fruit or vegetables. It’s best to have a board designated just for meat – it’s great if it’s a different colour to your everyday boards. Wash in hot soapy water after each use. Image credits: Getty Images

Home & Garden

World's most expensive house up for sale

A French chateau, once owned by a member of the Rothschild family and, later on, the King of Morocco, has gone up for sale with a £363 million (AU$699) price tag. Chateau d’Armainvilliers located at Seine-et-Marne, 48km east of the Eiffel Tower, is the world's most expensive home. Built upon the foundations of a 12th century castle, the sprawling mansion boasts 1,000 hectares of land, 100 rooms across 2,500 square metres of living space, a private lake, and plenty of sequoia trees - the largest trees in the world. Ignace Meuwissen, a self-acclaimed "real estate advisor to the global elite" described the property as a display of "opulence and grandeur". "It is the most expensive castle in France and perhaps in the world. The price of €425million is justified by the property itself but also by the 1,000 hectare land which offers numerous possibilities," he told Paris Match magazine. "An investor could build thousands of apartments there if he wanted." The chateau was first bought by the Rothschild banking empird in the late 19th century, before King Hassan II of Morocco bought it in the 1980s. He then made the chateau more fit for a king, adding a hammam spa, a beauty and hairdressing salon, and a fully-equipped medical and dental facility. The Moroccan King also added a basement level, which has a network of tunnels, kitchens, cold rooms, storage spaces and staff quarters. The lucky owner will also find Moroccan mosaics and wall tiles decorating the home, and for any avid equestrians, the home also has a stable big enough for 50 horses. However, some luxury property agents have expressed their doubts on whether the property would sell with its nine-figure sum, with one saying it was an "unrealistic" price tag. "It doesn’t make sense, it’s absurd Properties of this type could sell for 20-25 million, or even 30 million if we really fall in love with them. I’m not even sure that Vaux-le-Vicomte (a Baroque French château), which has no marketing plans, would sell at this price," one agent told French real estate publication Le Figaro Immobilier. Others were unsure whether the changes made by the King in the 1980s would suit modern tastes. Images: Whisper Auctions

Real Estate

Michael Schumacher’s wife makes emotional call

Michael Schumacher’s family has made the difficult decision to auction off his personal collection of luxury watches ahead of the Italian Grand Prix on May 19. The F1 legend's wife Corinna is believed to have made the decision as she continues to care for him after his devastating skiing accident over 10 years ago. Corinna manages Schumacher's $970 million fortune, which is set to grow with the sale of Schumacher's eight most valuable watches, including a one-of-a-kind FP Journe Vagabondage 1 Model, which is expected to sell for between $1.7 million and $3.4 million. Auction house Christie’s will conduct the sale of the F1 legend's watch collection, which is believed to be worth roughly $6 million. “Christie’s expresses sincere thanks to the Schumacher family for their trust in us and their wish to share these masterpieces of horology with other passionate collectors around the globe,” Rémi Guillemin, Christie’s Head of Watches Europe and US, said. “We are proud to present these iconic and unique timepieces belonging to one of the most celebrated Formula 1 legends. An exceptional moment, for watch and F1 enthusiasts alike. “We are looking forward to meeting with passionate collectors during our international exhibitions and the auction on 13 May in Geneva.” One of the other watches going up for auction is an Audemars Piguet watch which features the Ferrari emblem, Schumacher’s helmet design, symbols representing his seven titles and an engraved message, which read: “Xmas 2004 — Jean Todt for my friend Michael Schumacher." The watch was given to him by Todt and is expected to sell for between $250,000 and $425,000. The auction is another financial move by Corinna, who reportedly meets with a small group of financial advisers about three or four times a year to make decisions about the family's sales and investments. Ever since the accident Corinna has also been protecting her husband's privacy, with no one outside of Schumacher's inner circle knowing what happened to the F1 legend. <em style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; color: #323338; font-family: Figtree, Roboto, 'Noto Sans Hebrew', 'Noto Kufi Arabic', 'Noto Sans JP', sans-serif; background-color: #ffffff; outline: none !important;">Image: Getty/ Christie's

Money & Banking

Woolies faces up to $10b fine after pleading guilty to 1000 charges

In what seems like a cascade of misfortune for Woolworths, the retail giant has found itself embroiled in yet another controversy. A week fraught with bad press took a turn for the worse when outgoing CEO Brad Banducci <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/last-chance-mr-banducci-woolies-ceo-threatened-with-jail-time" target="_blank" rel="noopener">faced the threat of jail time</a> for his refusal to address questions in a Senate inquiry probing supermarket price gouging. Now, the company is grappling with the repercussions of admitting to underpaying over a thousand former Victorian employees for their long service leave entitlements. The admission, made in a Melbourne court, revealed that Woolworths fell short in compensating at least 1,235 former workers, amounting to a staggering $1.24 million in underpayments spanning from November 2018 to January 2023. While some employees were owed only modest sums, others were deprived of significant entitlements, with figures reaching up to $12,000 in the most severe cases. The Melbourne Magistrates' Court learned that Woolworths, alongside its related company Woolstar, breached Victoria's Long Service Leave Act on a startling 1,227 occasions. The revelation came to light during an internal audit of the company's IT systems, prompting Woolworths to self-report the discrepancies to Victoria's Wage Inspectorate. Woolworths' barrister, Saul Holt KC, highlighted the company's commitment to rectifying the situation, after discovering the discrepancies during an audit of its IT systems and self-reporting it to Victoria's Wage Inspectorate. "That's just the right thing to do," he said. However, the gravity of the breaches places Woolworths at risk of facing a potentially astronomical fine, with a theoretical maximum exceeding $10.25 billion. While such a penalty could spell financial catastrophe for many, including a corporate behemoth like Woolworths, legal experts suggest that a more realistic figure would be capped at approximately $480,000, in line with typical penalties in Victorian magistrates courts. The magistrate presiding over the case, Nahrain Warda, has deferred her decision until Wednesday, April 24, leaving Woolworths in a state of uncertainty. In addition to the impending financial penalty, Kathleen Crennan, representing the Wage Inspectorate of Victoria, advocated for Woolworths to be convicted, denouncing the underpayments as inexcusable. "There's really no excuse for this to have happened in the first place," she said. In the face of mounting legal challenges and public scrutiny, Woolworths' reputation as an employer is under scrutiny. Despite assertions of being an "exemplary employer", founded on principles dating back to 1924, the company's track record is marred by repeated instances of underpayment scandals. As Woolworths awaits the magistrate's verdict and braces for the fallout from its legal battles, the spectre of underpayment casts a long shadow over the company's corporate governance and raises broader questions about accountability within the retail industry. Images: Woolworths

Legal

"I am lucky to be here": Julie Goodwin opens up on childhood trauma

Julie Goodwin has opened up about the childhood abuse she experienced in her latest memoir. The 53-year-old MasterChef Australia star wrote about how she was sexually abused as a child and later attempted suicide as a teenager in her autobiography, Your Time Starts Now. Speaking to The Australian Women's Weekly, Goodwin recalled how the memory of the abuse which she had buried for a long time returned when she was 16. "Nothing triggered it, it was just like the memory was always there, like a dusty book on a library shelf," she said. "And one day I took it down and looked at it and went, 'Holy crap, how have I not thought about that for nine years?'" Goodwin, however kept the resurfaced memory to her self and maintained an excellent academic record at high school, even becoming school captain, until a year later when she attempted suicide at the age of 17. She shared that following her hospitalisation, she returned to school a few days later and acted as if nothing serious had happened. The TV star then opened up on her road to recovery and the tremendous amount of help she received from her husband Mick, who gave her the love and support she needed. "I am living my second life," she told Women's Weekly. "I am lucky to be here." Images: Channel 10

Books

Our Partners

Over 60

News

Shop

Catalogues

Newspaper

Contests

Entertainment

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Property

Compare

Games

Information

Keep up to date

Search

Airbnb launches real-life "Up" house - and it actually floats!