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Hope: A double-edged sword in the human experience

<p>Hope has long been cherished as a source of strength in times of adversity. Yet, as explored in this edited extract from his new book <em>The Human Condition</em> by author Tony Grey, this fundamental emotion is not without its complexities and potential pitfalls.</p> <p>---</p> <p>As in the host of challenges explored in <em>The Human Condition</em>, the feeling of expectation and desire for something beneficial to happen, which we call hope, is as fundamental to the human condition as the will to survive; they’re linked within the evolutionary imperative. As Cicero pointed out, “dum spiro spero” (while I breathe I hope). Hope is a rolling prayer to life as time moves on, a whisper to the soul that things will turn out all right. </p> <p>The sentiment is generally unchallenged. Why should it be? In times of trouble, we need the balm of hope. Samuel Johnson said, “Hope is a species of pleasure, and perhaps, the chief pleasure this world affords.”</p> <p>While usually positive about hope, Greek philosophers were sometimes ambivalent about it, citing its propensity, through wishful thinking, to encourage indolence or actually cause harm. In Sophocles’ play Antigone, the Chorus sings, “Hope whose wanderings are so wide is to many men a comfort, but to many a false lure of giddy desires.” Plato observes that hope breeds a confidence which can exacerbate a precondition of arrogance in the powerful, leading to serious wrongdoing. “It is among these men that we find the ones who do the greatest evils.” </p> <p>Napoleon and Hitler are examples. And so is the Japanese government responsible for the Pearl Harbour attack.  At the World War Two surrender on the deck of the USS Missouri, a Japanese general was heard to say when he looked at the sky blackened by Allied aircraft flying past and the sea bursting with warships, “How did we ever hope we could win?”</p> <p>On the other hand, Plato stressed the motivational properties of hope when directed towards a good aim. And Aristotle links hope with the virtue of megalopsychia (high-mindedness) resulting from its inspirational role.</p> <p>I have an experience of this in my family. My nephew was born to my sister with intellectual disability, and other difficulties. His condition seemed hopeless. Nevertheless, from the first, hope was my sister’s support; it gave her the energy to carry on. Through the gloom it afforded a glimpse into the future where progress beckoned. And all along she demonstrated that hope is ineluctably linked to love.</p> <p>Aided by her husband, the father, she worked day and night teaching and inspiring the boy. When old enough he went to a special needs school and gradually progressed, indefatigably supported at home. Over time his condition improved so that eventually he could take and keep a simple job, cook food, and have friends (similarly disabled), a state absolutely unforeseeable at his early stage of life. Throughout all the difficulties, frustrations and threats of despair, hope sustained my sister and guided her to the wonderful achievement of saving a human life.</p> <p>In most instances, hope is personal in the sense that something specific to the individual or those who are close is wanted. However, it can range far beyond that into areas involving others such as team sports, politics, economic activity, justice, national and tribal identity, international relations – notably war, and pandemics like Covid. Within these fields, hope calls out for the survival and well-being of humanity and its prospects for moral and material progress. Such hope embraces faith in something bigger than the individual. If human beings have a purpose, its linked to that, and its fulfillment is somehow bound up in hope.</p> <p>This approach cries out for exploring a whole array of other challenges inherent in the human condition.</p> <p><strong>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</strong></p> <p>Tony Grey is an accomplished author residing in Sydney. His latest book, <em>The Human Condition</em>, ambitiously explores the hurly burly of human existence, and is available now for purchase through Halstead Press Publishers. Tony is the founder of Pancontinental Mining, a former director of Opera Australia and the Conservatorium of Music, and a former trustee of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Other books by Tony Grey include <em>Jabiluka</em>, <em>East Wind</em> and <em>Seven Gateways</em>. His writings have featured in the <em>Australian</em> <em>Financial Review</em>, <em>Quadrant</em> and the <em>Australian</em>. </p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Mind

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Woman arrested after sword attack on Jacinda Ardern’s office

<p dir="ltr">Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's electoral office in Auckland was damaged and staff evacuated after the front door was smashed and a sword was found lying nearby.</p> <p dir="ltr">Emergency services arrived at the office in Morningside shortly after 8 am on Thursday, with what appeared to be a samurai sword photographed on the ground outside.</p> <p dir="ltr">A neighbour, who wished to not be named, said he saw someone walking down the road towards the office and smashing the doors with an implement, as reported by <em><a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300721972/woman-arrested-after-prime-minister-jacinda-arderns-auckland-electoral-office-damaged" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stuff</a>.</em></p> <p dir="ltr">He said he saw the person throw something through the hole in the door, with smoke coming from the building shortly after.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Stuff </em>also reported receiving an email from someone claiming responsibility for the incident at 9.03am.</p> <p dir="ltr">“At 8.20 this morning I smashed a hole in her electoral office door and dropped the bomb in [sic],” the email said.</p> <p dir="ltr">The <em><a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/woman-arrested-after-sword-attack-on-prime-minister-jacinda-arderns-electorate-office/B6RITWFWPLQKD7VGYPLKXB5ZEA/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NZ Herald</a></em> reported receiving a call to their newsroom on Thursday morning from a woman who claimed she used an interlocking sword to smash the window ten times before shoving a smoke bomb in the office.</p> <p dir="ltr">She said she had long-standing grievances with the Prime Minister's office and government departments in relation to the "palming off" of health and living issues.</p> <p dir="ltr">The woman also claimed she warned staff before the incident.</p> <p dir="ltr">A journalist at the scene also reported seeing smoke and heard firefighters warning the owner of a nearby shop to not touch “the machete handle”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Four fire trucks attended the scene and plain-clothed police were seen placing the blade into an evidence bag.</p> <p dir="ltr">"No injuries have been reported and the building was unoccupied at the time," police said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"A scene examination will be conducted and inquiries remain ongoing."</p> <p dir="ltr">Prior to the attack, CCTV footage captured a person holding a long object and walking towards the office, before walking in the opposite direction a short while later without the object.</p> <p dir="ltr">Police have since arrested a 57-year-old woman and are not seeking anyone else in relation to the incident.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The woman is currently assisting Police with our inquiries into the matter and we are not currently seeking anyone else," a police spokesperson said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Ardern is currently in Antarctica for the 57th anniversary of Scott Base, and a spokesperson said the prime minister would not comment on the arrest as it is now a police matter.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Stuff</em></p>

News

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Amateur diver uncovers 900-year-old treasure

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">An amateur diver has found a sword believed to have belonged to a crusader knight from about 900 years ago off Israel’s northern coast.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Shlomi Katzin made the discovery while scuba diving off the Carmel coast, as well as finding ancient stone anchors, metal anchors, and pottery fragments.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The sword, which has a one-metre-long blade and a 30-centimetre hilt, was found encrusted with marine organisms and is thought to have emerged after the sands shifted.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844945/sword1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/565203079d5d45c78dd0063de5299054" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The hilt of the sword found by Mr Katzin. Image Shlomi Katzin / IAA</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mr Katzin took his find ashore after fearing it would be stolen or buried once again in the sands.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After reporting the find to the Israel Antiquities Authority’s Robbery Prevention Unit, Mr Katzin was awarded a certificate for good citizenship.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said the sword would be put on public display once it had been cleaned and analysed.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The sword, which has been preserved in perfect condition, is a beautiful and rare find and evidently belonged to a crusader knight,” </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://mfa.gov.il/mfa/israelexperience/history/pages/diver-finds-900-year-old-crusader-sword-on-seabed-18-october-2021.aspx" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">said Nir Distelfeld</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, IAA’s Robbery Prevention Unit Inspector.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It was found encrusted with marine organisms but is apparently made of iron. It is exciting to encounter such a personal object, taking you 900 years back in time to a different era, with knights, armour and swords.”</span></p> <blockquote 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);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVLK-IToofQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;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> <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;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CVLK-IToofQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Israel Antiquities Authority (@antiquities_en)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kobi Sharvit, the head of IAA’s Marine Archaeology Unit, said the Carmel coast had provided shelter for ships during storms over the centuries of shipping activity, making it a hotspot for treasured finds.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“These conditions have attracted merchant ships down the ages, leaving behind rich archaeological finds,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The recently recovered sword is just one such find.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Eli Escosido, the IAA’s general director, praised Mr Katzin for coming forward with the discovery.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Crusaders fought in a series of religious wars during the medieval period, with the most commonly known campaigns occurring in the eastern Mediterranean region.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Shlomi Katzin / IAA</span></em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Tax time tension: Ally and Karl cross swords on set

<p>The <em>Today</em> show's Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon had a hilarious moment at the desk during Wednesday morning’s episode.</p> <p>Karl’s unmistakable banter did not falter on Wednesday during a segment on the financial year, when Ally was forced to defend herself after her co-host made an odd accusation.</p> <p>"Tomorrow is the start of the new financial year. We all know what that means: it's tax time," Allison said.</p> <p>However Karl interrupted to say: "Well, Ally hasn't done her taxes for the last 10 years. Just alerting the ATO..."</p> <p>Ally quickly hit back: "That's not true"</p> <p>"I get them in on time every year, Mr Tax Commissioner," she added, before laughing.</p> <p>Karl managed to throw in one more dig before he continued with the segment.</p> <p>"Every decade she's on time," he quipped.</p> <p>The hilarious exchange follows just days after Ally took a swipe at Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews.</p> <p>The politician shared a video about his back injury and returned to work after recovering for months out of office.</p> <p>Mr Andrews explained how he fell over while getting ready for work at a rented holiday home on March 9.</p> <p>Alu said: "We wish him all the very best. I thought the video was a bit of an election pitch to that?"</p> <p>Nine presenter Alicia Loxley and Shadow Minister for Education and Shadow Minister for Women Tanya Plibersek also shared their own opinions.</p> <p>Alicia called the video "cringeworthy" and "stage-managed", but thought the clip could get the Premier back on side with Victorians.</p>

TV

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Queen stuns with hilarious sword play

<p>On Friday, the Queen attended a reception with volunteers who are working to organise the Platinum Jubilee, which is a celebration to mark her 70th year on the throne.</p> <p>The event will take place next year, but the Queen attended the reception with daughter-in-law Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and granddaughter-in-law, Kate Middleton.</p> <p>The volunteers surprised the Queen with a massive celebratory cake, which she decided to cut with a ceremonial sword.</p> <blockquote 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);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQA4mtul6Lz/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <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> <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;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQA4mtul6Lz/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@dukeandduchessofcambridge)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>When someone at the event pointed out there was a smaller knife available, the Queen wasn't having any of it.</p> <p>"I know there is," she said politely. "This is something that is more unusual."</p> <p>She needed help cutting a slice from Camilla, but commented that it "looks very good".</p> <p>After cutting the first few slices, the Queen decided to use the knife that was available, but many were impressed by the decision to use a ceremonial sword.</p>

Beauty & Style

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Greta Thunberg puts US Congress to the sword

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Swedish activist Greta Thunberg grilled politicians during a US congressional hearing held on Earth Day, with a warning that they couldn’t ‘get away with’ inaction on climate change forever.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 18-year-old activist appeared before the House Oversight Subcommittee while it held a hearing on fossil fuel subsidies. This came on the same day as President Joe Biden and other world leaders came together for a climate change summit where several countries committed to ambitious emission reduction targets.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Attending the hearing via video call, Ms Thunberg told Congress members, “I don’t represent any financial or political interests. I’m not a lobbyist, so I can’t negotiate, make deals or compromise. I have nothing to offer you, nor am I a scientist.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“All I can do is urge you to listen to and act on the science and to use your common sense.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It is the year 2021. The fact that we are still having this discussion, and even more that we are still subsidising fossil fuels directly or indirectly using taxpayer money, it’s a disgrace,” she continued. “It is clear proof that we have not understood the climate emergency at all.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ms Thunberg also commented on the “huge gap” between the best science now available on climate change and current “so-called climate policies”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It may seem like we are asking a lot, and you will of course say that we are naive. And that’s fine,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“But at least we are not so naive that we believe things will be solved through countries and companies making vague, distant, insufficient targets without any real pressure from the media and the general public.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“What I’m here to say is that, unlike you, my generation will not give up without a fight. And to be honest, I don’t believe for a second that you will actually do this. The climate crisis doesn’t exist in the public debate today.”</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">"It is the year 2021. The fact we are still having this discussion and, even more, that we are still supporting fossil fuels directly or indirectly using taxpayer money is a disgrace." —<a href="https://twitter.com/GretaThunberg?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GretaThunberg</a> <a href="https://t.co/273JYbDCB1">pic.twitter.com/273JYbDCB1</a></p> — Oversight Committee (@OversightDems) <a href="https://twitter.com/OversightDems/status/1385254719329869826?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“And since it doesn’t really exist and the general level of awareness is so absurdly low, you will still get away with continuing to contribute to the destruction of present and future living conditions.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She continued to criticise the politicians up until the conclusion of her statement.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I know I’m not the one who is supposed to ask the questions here, but there is something I really do wonder. How long do you honestly believe that people in power, like you, will get away with it?” Ms Thunberg said. “How long do you think you can continue to ignore the crisis without being held accountable?”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You get away with it now, but sooner or later, people are going to realise what you have been doing all this time. That’s inevitable.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite her warning, Ms Thunberg encouraged the Congress members to consider their legacy.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You still have time to do the right thing and to save your legacies, but that window of time is not going to last for long. What happens then? We, the young people, are the ones who are going to write about you in the history books. We are the ones who get to decide how you will be remembered.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“So my advice for you is to choose wisely.” </span></p> <blockquote 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);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CN2hL6Rpc2j/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <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> <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;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CN2hL6Rpc2j/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Bunny Hugger (@gretathunberg)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Following her statement, the committee moved to questions and answers. Katie Porter, a Democratic Congresswoman, asked Ms Thunberg for her advice on how she should talk to her daughter about climate change.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I told my nine-year-old daughter I was going to be speaking with you, and I said, ‘What do you think about climate change?’ And she said, ‘The Earth is on fire, and we’re all going to die soon.’ And I asked how that made you feel, and she said it made her feel ‘angry’,” Ms Porter said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“What should I tell my daughter, and how should I help her and the youngest generation bear the emotional toll of the actions that we’re taking?”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“That’s a big question,” said Ms Thunberg.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I know there are many young people who feel angry and sad, because of all the things some people are doing to this planet and to our futures.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“That’s very understandable. It would be strange if we didn’t feel that way, because then we wouldn’t have any empathy.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“But of course, there is still much hope. And if we choose to take action, then we can do this. There are unlimited things we can do, and if we choose to work together, there are no limits to what we can accomplish.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ms Thunberg advised, “Always the best medication against anger and anxiety is to take action yourself. So that’s what I would tell her, to take action herself, because that will make her feel so much better. That’s what it did to me at least, and so many others.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ahead of her appearance at the hearing, Ms Thunberg posted a video on social media captioned as “an emergency alert for the general public”, where she accused world leaders of setting “very insufficient targets”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We cannot be satisfied with something just because it’s better than nothing,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While the hearing was occurring, Mr Biden hosted a summit to address climate change with leaders, including Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Several presidents, prime ministers, and monarchs boasted about their own countries’ efforts in negating the effects of climate change, while occasionally committing to new targets.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The US has committed to halve its emissions by 2030.</span></p>

News

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Dan Andrews and Leigh Sales cross swords over lockdown

<p>Leigh Sales, host of popular ABC show<span> </span><em>7:30,<span> </span></em>has slammed Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews over the state's 5-day lockdown after she made a surprise appearance at his press conference.</p> <p>He appeared uncomfortable at times during the tense 10-minute exchange as Sales accused him of lacking faith in Victoria's quarantine system.</p> <p>“How is it the case the government still lacks such confidence in the hotel quarantine systems and contact tracing that you currently can’t manage two or three cases a day?” Sales asked.</p> <p>“If you have confidence in the system, which your own bureaucrat said was working quite well, why do you need a lockdown?”</p> <p>Andrews tried to back down, saying that Sales was making claims that were "not accurate".</p> <p>“You just put it to me that there is a lack of confidence,” Mr Andrews said.</p> <p>“I am more than confident in the team we have and in the Victorian community that they can get through this.</p> <p>“So with the greatest of respect, you have put a number of things to me that are not accurate.”</p> <p>Sales asked the question on most Victorian's minds: Why was there a lockdown if cases were being properly traced?</p> <p>“Lockdown imposes a real cost and Victorians have already paid a big price for lockdown. Cases are actually very well traced, so why the lockdown?” she asked.</p> <p>Andrews said that the measures were "necessary".</p> <p>“Despite the amazing efforts of all of our contact traces and testers and lab workers and the work of so many genuine hardworking Victorians, we had a situation where at the same time as we are becoming aware of the primary case, they have already infected their close contact,” he responded.</p> <p>“That is not something we’ve seen before.</p> <p>“The speed at which this has moved saw our public health team make the very difficult decisions based on the best of science and the best understanding you can possibly have on any outbreak.</p> <p>“This was a difficult but proportionate and necessary thing to do.”</p> <p>Andrews also pointed out that the response is intense due to the UK coronavirus strain posing different challenges than the 2020 strain of COVID-19.</p> <p>“This is a very different virus. If you want to look at systems that can’t handle things, have a look at Europe, have a look at so many parts of the world with … what happens when this UK strain runs.”</p> <p>Sales then asked if this would be the case every time a UK strain was found in Victoria.</p> <p>“That’s quite an assurance to make that two to three cases a day and the system might not be able to handle it, and if that’s on the table then you might have a five-day lockdown every time,” she said.</p> <p>Andrews said that Victoria will try to avoid having any statewide measures.</p> <p>“But we will try to avoid having any statewide measures or any extra rules,” he said.</p> <p>“Just like epidemiologists, public health experts and political leaders across the globe, you have to assume there are more cases out there then you know about.</p> <p>“Because if you assume otherwise, and you are proven wrong, then there is no going back.</p> <p>“You don’t get to go, ‘well, I just get to rewind these few weeks and make the decision officials told me to make, that I refused to make.”</p> <p>Eagle-eyed fans of Sales noticed that she was at the presser before it was made public.</p> <p>"A few people on here noticed I was at Dan Andrews' presser. FYI I'm only in Melbourne because I came for a friend's bday &amp; got caught in lockdown. I didn't come here just for DA presser.<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://twitter.com/abc730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1361125633342902274%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.news.com.au%2Flifestyle%2Fhealth%2Fhealth-problems%2Fcurrent-affairs-host-grills-dan%2Fnews-story%2Ff68eb4dc1926887a9f3c4181da8de6fb" target="_blank">@abc730</a><span> </span>had an interview bid in for today he said no - attending presser next best option," she tweeted.</p>

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Granny scares off burglar with martial arts sword

<p>A 67-year-old granny from Perth in Australia has chased a burglar out of her home with a Japanese sword.</p> <p>The “white-haired granny”, who is trained in Chinese marital arts and practised tai chi for the last 15 years, told Perth Now how she had fallen asleep on her coach when a broke into her home at around 11pm on Tuesday.</p> <p>When the she woke to the sound of the burglar rifling through her drawers, she unsheathed her sword and chased him out of her home.</p> <p>The grandmother-of-11, who did not want to be identified, told the paper, “I’ve never seen someone so scared by an old, white-haired granny.”</p> <p>She added, “The Japanese sword was the first sword I got so I grabbed that — I wasn’t into semantics at that point.”</p> <p>The tiny grandma, who stands at just 153 centimetre tall, even chased after the intruder when she discovered her mobile phone, laptop, tablet and car keys were missing. With her sword in tow, she confronted the burglar who was trying to escape in her car.</p> <p>“He couldn’t go anywhere because he was trying to get his feet on the car pedals. I had the seat pulled right forward because I’m so short,” she said.</p> <p>“I told him with some colourful language to get out of my car, but he ended up getting out of that car quick because I pulled him.</p> <p>“He came back twice saying he was going to kill me. I chased him up the driveway and asked him, ‘Who do you think has the sword in their hand?’”</p> <p>Police soon arrived at the scene after neighbours reported yelling, and the gutsy granny was able to retrieve all her belongings. The police investigation is still ongoing.</p> <p><em>Photo source: Ross Swanborough/<a href="http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/perth-grandmother-chased-burglar-with-japanese-sword/news-story/775fb1ff4c553cf9a2e30a3215461022#load-story-comments" target="_blank">Perth Now</a></em></p> <p><strong>Related links: </strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/retirement-life/2016/04/98-year-old-great-grandmother-plays-piano-nashville/"><em>98-year-old granny blows audience away with piano performance</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/retirement-life/2016/03/95-year-old-grandma-beautiful-flower-girl/"><em>95-year-old grandmother makes beautiful flower girl</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/retirement-life/2016/03/grandmother-lifts-100kg/"><em>78-year-old grandmother lifts weights like a pro athlete</em></a></strong></span></p>

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