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Heroic great-grandma saves two-year-old from collapsed ceiling

<p>In a heart-stopping moment of bravery and maternal instinct, 88-year-old Nicky Panagiotidis shielded her great-grandson, two-year-old Harvey, from a collapsing ceiling in their Melbourne home.</p> <p>The incident occurred at Panagiotidis' residence in Ascot Vale, where she was caring for Harvey late in the afternoon.</p> <p>According to Harvey's mother, Nicole Brown, the terrifying ordeal unfolded suddenly. As the ceiling began to crack, Panagiotidis swiftly reacted, rolling over off the couch to cover young Harvey with her own body. Brown, overwhelmed with gratitude and admiration for her grandmother's quick thinking, remarked, "I just know that motherly instinct that she has went through her to be a hero - she is actually a hero for him," <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/ascot-vale-great-grandmother-saves-grandson-from-ceiling-collapse/9f2bd38f-5254-4f53-981b-e3fb4b9c1bd9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">she told 9News</a>.</p> <p>In a moment of urgency, Panagiotidis managed to contact her daughter, Julie Polimos, informing her of the dire situation: "The ceiling is on top of me and we can't move." Emergency services promptly arrived at the scene, discovering the pair with thankfully minimal injuries.</p> <p>Despite the trauma of the event, Panagiotidis displayed remarkable resilience. Despite suffering bruising on her back and shoulders, she managed to walk to the ambulance and was later discharged from the hospital.</p> <p>Speaking of her mother's strength, Polimos highlighted Panagiotidis' dedication to traditional values, noting her commitment to home-cooked Greek Mediterranean meals over takeaways. "She doesn't buy takeaways, she always cooks home meals... Greek Mediterranean meals," Polimos proudly stated.</p> <p>The family attributes the ceiling collapse to a water leak, which they had noticed a week prior, observing cracks and sagging in the structure. However, amidst the unfortunate circumstances, they are immensely grateful for the fortunate outcome and the selfless actions of Panagiotidis, which will undoubtedly be remembered as a testament to the extraordinary love shared within the family.</p> <p><em>Images: 9News</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Fix a Sagging Plasterboard Ceiling

<p>Tools: Chalk line; stringlines; hammer; electric drill and 5mm twist bit; screwdriver; tape measure; spirit level; straightedge; steps; panel lift (hired); plastering equipment; safety protection.</p><p>Materials: 68 x 18mm pine battens; plasterboard sheets; wedges and packers; 30, 75 and 100mm plasterboard screws; plasterboard adhesive, base coat and topping coat.</p><p><strong>Step 1</strong></p><p>Remove any cornices if they are fitted (see panel, page 230). Find the lowest spot on the ceiling using a level and a 2400mm straightedge. Transfer the location of this low spot to the closest wall by holding the straightedge level against the ceiling and marking the position of its top edge on the wall. You may need to ask somebody to help you hold the straightedge.</p><p><strong>Step 2</strong></p><p>Measure down 24mm from the mark to allow clearance below the lowest point for 18mm-thick battens plus a 6mm leeway. Use the long straightedge and a spirit level to extend this line around the room, making short tick marks on the end of the straightedge rather than a solid line.<br />If the lines don’t match when you reach your starting point, level again as necessary until they do. Then snap chalk lines between the corners to create a solid level line around the room.</p><p><strong>Step 3</strong></p><p>Locate both ends of each ceiling joist. Joists usually run parallel to one another, and are about 45mm wide. They are typically 450 or 600mm apart. Probe with a hammer and nail, locate and mark the centre of each joist at opposite ends of the room. Snap chalk lines between these marks to indicate joist locations. The thin strips of timber seen through the hole here are laths, which were used to support a solid plaster ceiling like this one.</p><p><strong>Step 4</strong></p><p>Lay out the ceiling for the 68 x 18mm battens. First make a mark 434mm from the wall, to fix the location of the far edge of the second strip. This allows the plasterboard to be fixed along or across the battens. Extend your tape from this point and mark every 400mm to locate the edges of the remaining strips. Repeat this process on the opposite wall and snap chalk lines between the marks.</p><p><strong>Step 5</strong></p><p>Cut the strips to fit between the walls and temporarily fix them in the centre with a partially driven plasterboard screw.</p><p><strong>Step 6</strong></p><p>Pack the ends of the battens down so the bottom edge of each is aligned with the level line. Fix them with plasterboard screws long enough to penetrate the ceiling and at least 25mm of the framing. Angle the screws towards the wall if necessary so that they penetrate into solid timber.</p><p><strong>Step 7</strong></p><div> </div><p>Use spacer blocks and a stringline to straighten the battens. Make sure nothing is touching the string between the two ends, and that it is pulled very tight.</p><p><strong>Step 8</strong></p><p>Pack each strip so that a scrap of 68 x 18mm timber just fits between the taut stringline and the batten. Double-check the distance between the stringline and the batten after you tighten the screws. The screws will often draw loose plasterboard up tighter onto the joists, requiring you to add more packing.</p><p><strong>Step 9</strong></p><p>Screw the battens to each ceiling joist after packing it down. Use screws long enough to penetrate the joist for at least 25mm. Double-check the spacing with the scrap of 68 x 18mm timber. Adjust if necessary and retighten the screw. Repeat these steps for each batten in turn.</p><p><strong>Step 10</strong></p><p>If there are light fixtures on the ceiling, have them removed temporarily by a licensed electrician, and ask him to poke the wire back up into the ceiling. Note the position of fittings so you can make a neat hole in the new plasterboard for the wires to be pulled through when the electrical fittings are replaced after you have finished.</p><h4>Safety tip</h4><p>Wear safety glasses and, if necessary, a good-quality P2 dustmask when cutting or drilling the ceiling.</p><h4>Tackling cornices</h4><p>If your ceiling has cornices you will have to remove them before you start. To do this, work a putty knife between the wall and the cornice to break the bond, then repeat the process along the cornice-to-ceiling joint. Some older fibrous plaster cornices will also have nails that should be removed – you can often spot these from the bulge where the framing timber has settled, exposing the nail head.</p><p>Bear in mind that ceiling repair can be an extremely dusty job, and the older the house, the more dust there will be. If your house is near a busy road, or under an aircraft flight path, this dust is likely to have a high lead content, so effective safety precautions are essential:</p><ul><li>Wear disposable overalls, and discard them when finished.</li><li>Use a cartridge-type respirator.</li><li>Protect your eyes with goggles.</li><li>Seal the room.</li><li>Clean up thoroughly, using a vacuum cleaner with an HEPA filter. Dispose of the bag when finished.</li></ul>

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“A miracle no one was killed:” Woolworths shopper recalls horror as ceiling collapses

<p>A Woolies shopper says it is a “miracle no one was killed” after a ceiling collapsed following torrential rain in Melbourne’s Templestowe store.</p> <p>Chris Kounelis told Yahoo News Australia that while shopping with a number of other customers, multiple panels holding the ceiling together crashed to the floor along with a torrent of rain.</p> <p>“The torrential downpour and subsequent collapse of the ceiling resembled a scene from Titanic,” Mr Kounelis said.</p> <p>Rattled customers were shown the door while staff evacuated the building.  </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Just before at Templestowe <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/woolies?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#woolies</a>. Multiple parts of the ceiling collapsed and all customers were forced to evacuate. Like a scene from Titanic. Stay safe all! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/melbweather?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#melbweather</a> <a href="https://t.co/bD3cqo2VHO">pic.twitter.com/bD3cqo2VHO</a></p> — Chris Kounelis (@ChrisKounelis) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisKounelis/status/1218775257009442817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2020</a></blockquote> <p>Mr Kounelis shared a clip of the store after the ceiling collapsed his Twitter account, and showed customers dodging the rain pouring through gaps above.</p> <p>The Templestowe local said other shoppers were left questioning the durability of the roof.</p> <p>“A few customers I spoke to immediately raised concerns about the structural integrity of this apparently paper-thin ceiling,” he said.</p> <p>“Woolworths... clearly owes customers an explanation.</p> <p>“It’s a miracle no one was killed.”</p> <p>A Woolworths spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia no one was physically hurt during the incident.</p> <p>“The safety of our customers and team members is our number one priority,” the spokesperson said.</p> <p>“Our Templestowe team acted quickly to evacuate the store in line with our established safety procedures and alongside local authorities.”</p> <p>The store was shut down for around five hours on Sunday before it reopened. Two aisles remain inaccessible to customers and other staff within the store.</p> <p>In Melbourne, the northeast and inner east have been hit with severe thunderstorms, including giant pieces of hail.</p> <p>Further rain is expected, with widespread falls of between 10 and 30mm predicted.</p> <p>However, some areas could see isolated totals of up to 80mm or 100mm.</p> <p>The wet conditions could lead to flash flooding in some areas, but the weather bureau says rainfall is unlikely to put out remaining blazes.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p>

Food & Wine

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Oprah buys actor Jeff Bridges' Santa Barbara estate for $10 million

<p>Another day, another home for Oprah. The TV star now owns at least six homes after selling the houses based in Chicago and Atlanta.</p> <p>The star has seemed to turn her focus to the Montecito neighbourhood of Santa Barbara, and her latest house purchase from actor-friend Jeff Bridges is no exception.</p> <p>She purchased the home after sneakily waiting for the price to be reduced from the initial price of $USD 7.495 million ($AUD 10,996,000) and snapped it up for $6.85 million ($AUD 10,048,000).</p> <p>That’s a price reduction of $AUD 948,000.</p> <p>The 3,517 square foot Spanish Revival-style home was originally built in 1919 by famous architect James Osborn Craig.</p> <p>The house has been carefully taken care of as it still has its original windows, doors, hardwood floors as well as five fireplaces.</p> <p>The home features two bedrooms and three bathrooms. High ceilings, expansive windows and French doors are around the home, with every room opening to beautiful gardens.</p> <p>The house sits on an impressive four acres of gardens and also has a pool.</p> <p>The master bedroom features an open-beamed ceiling, French doors and a fireplace.</p> <p>The kitchen boasts wood cabinetry and quartz countertops and large, expansive windows are a staple throughout most of the rooms in the house.</p> <p><em>Photo credit: Elevated Horizon courtesy of Coldwell Banker<span> </span></em></p>

Home & Garden

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20kg mating pythons crash through Queensland couple’s ceiling

<p>It’s snake breeding season in Cairns, North Queensland,<span> and a local couple got the shock of their lives as two massive pythons crashed through their ceiling whilst mating.</span></p> <p>The pair looked up to see the ceiling flex and crack under the weight of the two pythons, who are estimated to be about 20kg each. The pair managed to slither into the couple’s home via the roof.</p> <p>The size of the pythons and the rigorous activity was too much for the ceiling and the pythons crashed onto the floor.</p> <p>Matt Hagan and Jason Legg of Cairns Snake Catchers were called into the home.</p> <p><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fcairnssnakecatcher%2Fposts%2F2369206379992662&amp;width=500" width="500" height="795" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></p> <p>“Extracting this dynamic duo was no easy feat and ultimately resulted in the ceiling giving way as these snakes made a particularly dramatic entry into the office!” the snake catchers wrote on Facebook on Sunday.</p> <p>“If you are lucky enough to host a scrub python party in your roof space this breeding season (end of July to late September) it can get pretty wild as males fight each other to impress females,” they warned.</p> <p>“Occasionally these interactions can result in strange smells wafting through different rooms, and even structural damage to your house in the form or ceiling stains or cracks.”</p>

Home & Garden

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The genius $3 hack to clean your ceiling fans

<p>Some chores are less pleasant to deal with than others – and cleaning ceiling fans falls into that category. With the big size and the high position, they are one of the biggest dust traps in the house. It’s an ordeal to take out a ladder and clean them, but if left alone, they may spread dirt and dust around the room.</p> <p>A cleaning hack to solve the issue has gone viral, and it involves just one item – a pillowcase!</p> <p>To dust off the fans, simply cover a pillow case over the blades and slide it off. The dirt will get caught up inside the case instead of floating down in chunks, and all the corners of the blades will be covered.</p> <p>Afterwards, you can throw the dust and dirt off to the bin and wash the pillowcase.</p> <p>This trick will help you keep the fans spotless in your home, while giving an extra purpose to your old pillowcases. Alternatively, you can pick up a pillowcase from a discount store for as cheap as $3.</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/BHU58J9DJto/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <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="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BHU58J9DJto/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" target="_blank">We're huge fans of this technique! #chicago #cleaning #summer #easycleaning #cleaninghacks #fan #cleaningservice #appointmentsavailable #easyclean #quickclean</a></p> <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 post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/beltrancleaning/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" target="_blank"> Beltran Cleaning Service</a> (@beltrancleaning) on Jul 1, 2016 at 10:07am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr">Household tip: Do you dread cleaning your ceiling fan blades because of the mess? Try placing a pillow case over the blades then wiping the fan clean. No more dust in your face! So quick and easy too. <a href="https://t.co/7RoBJutPiZ">pic.twitter.com/7RoBJutPiZ</a></p> — Camden Hunters Creek (@CamdenHntrsCrk) <a href="https://twitter.com/CamdenHntrsCrk/status/930838642066706434?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2017</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr">The old pillow case over the ceiling fan blade cleaning tip is genius. 👌🏻👌🏻</p> — Abby Lucas (@YoitsAbbsC) <a href="https://twitter.com/YoitsAbbsC/status/1035903417670086658?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>For a tougher clean, add water and white vinegar into the mix. Fill a spray bottle with water and two tablespoons of vinegar, and spritz the mixture into the pillowcase.</p> <p>Do you have any tips for cleaning tricky items around your home? Share with us in the comments below. </p>

Home & Garden

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Terrifying moment two warring snakes crash through bedroom ceiling

<p>A video has captured the scary duel between snakes after they fell through an air duct in an Aussie bedroom. </p> <p>The footage shows the two pythons tangled together and making hissing noises after they fell through the air ducts of the home located in Brisbane’s Kenmore Hills.</p> <p>The fight was captured by Snake Catchers Brisbane on Sunday and shows the two male Coastal Carpet pythons battling for a female mate in the area.</p> <p><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fwww.snakecatchers.com.au%2Fvideos%2F2060287627618889%2F&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=267" width="267" height="476" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p> <p>“People often mistake this as mating, but it is combat,” explained snake catcher Lana Field.</p> <p>According to Field, whichever snake won the battle would gain the right to mate with the nearby female, whose pheromones they could smell.</p> <p>The two snakes fell through the air duct vent by pushing on the cover and fell into the room of the unknowing inhabitants.</p> <p>Social media users were shocked by the video, with one person commenting: “Imagine being in that bed when they came through the ceiling vent! OMG!”</p> <p>Another wrote: “Oh my God they fell through the roof, I would have died, not looking forward to summer.”</p> <p>Ms Field described the two pythons as “small, average size”, with a length of around 1.75 metres.</p> <p>“They can continue like this for hours also, until one is exhausted, feels like he's going to win the battle, get on top and he'll leave,” she said</p>

News

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10 most stunning ceilings in the world

<p>Back in the day, beauty and craftmanship were woven into every inch of a building. These ceilings around the world prove that although functionality is necessary it also pays off to have stunning form.</p> <p>These ceilings show us how sometimes the most breathtaking things can be found in the most unexpected places.</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery above to see why it pays to look up when you visit the world’s most beautiful buildings.</p> <p>Have you seen any of these ceilings firsthand? Let us know in the comments below. </p>

Art

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Woman finds 100-year-old love letters in ceiling

<p>When Gina Teliho of Atlanta, Georgia started renovating her Peachtree Park home she never expected to find a time capsule of old love letters.</p> <p>The stash of letters dated back to 1915 and the addresses varied from all around the country.</p> <p>“Clearly this was something very special to [the original owners of the house],” Gina said.</p> <p>After finding the trove of love notes, Gina knew what she had to do. She had to track down the people who wrote the letters. After some research, Gina discovered the home’s original inhabitants were Paul and Carolyn Arnold. They lived in the home from 1947 until 1960, when Paul unfortunately passed away.</p> <p>Gina then found Kelly Arnold, the grandson of Paul Arnold. Paul believes that the letters were written by his great-grandfather to his wife, Hannah.</p> <p>"The first thought I had was that it was amazing Gina took the time to do the research and finally found me," said Paul. "And then I realised it was kind of fun to go back and refresh my memory about it. It's been a while since any of these folks have been alive."</p> <p><strong>Related links: </strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/dating/2015/01/romance-movies-help-relationships/">Romance movies the key to a lasting relationship</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/dating/2015/02/highs-and-lows-of-being-single/">The highs and lows of singledom</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/dating/2015/02/secret-of-happy-couples/">7 things all happy couples do</a></em></strong></span></p>

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