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Woman’s heartbreak 20 years on

A popular Facebook page that receives stories from readers about their bad, favourite or most memorable dates has broken hearts with a recent post. Alita Brydon, the creator of Bad Dates of Melbourne, shared a story from a reader who devastatingly experienced grief and loss. The storyteller notes that this happened to her 20 years ago, back when she was 29, and this is the first time she has shared the story publicly. Now 49, she is still grieving the loss of who she thought would be her forever partner. “When I was 29, I was living with my parents and feeling a bit lost. I spent a lot of time on the internet, in chat rooms, hanging out with interesting people from all over the world,” the story begins. “One day I was in the Scotland chat room, hoping to meet some locals before I planned a trip there - but it was full of Americans. “I was chatting to a 45-year-old man from a small town in the USA who was sweet and funny. “We exchanged emails - and it all started from there.” She revealed that within just months of meeting online, the pair were spending as many hours as they could on the phone. He quickly became her best friend and confidante and vice versa. However, it was soon enough that she realised that she was actually in love with a man who lives halfway across the world and had never met him saying “I swore I would never do that”. “The next year, he came to visit and we had a lovely two weeks together. The bond was true and real and I didn’t let him see me cry when I said goodbye,” she continued. “Pretty soon I was planning a trip to visit him for a good chunk of time, so we could figure out if this was the real deal.” On the plane “jumping out of my skin” excited to see the man she was in love with, the storyteller was ready to see him. “I walked from the plane into the terminal looking for his face - but he wasn’t there,” she revealed. “I headed to the baggage carousel - but he wasn’t there. He hadn’t checked into the airport hotel.” Coming up with possible solutions as to why he hadn’t showed up, unfortunately she settled on the fact that he changed his mind and didn’t want to see her. “Had he changed his mind and decided he didn’t want to see me? That’s what I decided to focus on - the only thing that seemed the most logical. He'd changed his mind, chickened out.” Unsure of what to do, she tried calling his apartment multiple times but to no avail. She then made a deal with herself to call him one more time the following day then leave it. The following day arrives and she picks up the phone to call and someone finally answered, delivering the worst possible news. “They’d found him 30 minutes before and he was dead. He’d been making coffee for the trip to come and get me; and he’d collapsed,” she revealed. “As it turned out, he had an undiagnosed heart condition. He went quickly and peacefully.” The man’s cousin drove to her to pick her up where she then took her to meet his kids who took her where he lived. “Everyone was so welcoming and so kind, even while dealing with their own grief. I stayed for three weeks before I went on my way. I knew he would want me to continue my trip - and that’s what I did. “Since then, I’ve found a new family through his. We’ve taken road trips together, and his brother and sister-in-law came to visit me a few years ago. “I still think about him a lot. His smile, his laugh, his dirty jokes. Our time together was short but it was just so special. “Since then, I’ve had my share of good and bad dates. I got married, divorced and now I’m happily settled with a lovely man I met on a dating app (that’s not a bad story actually). “I’ll never forget my American bloke though." Image: Shutterstock

Relationships

'Happy Chat' benches around Cardiff

Image: When Allison Owen-Jones was walking her dog around Cardiff’s Roath Recreation Ground she noticed an elderly gentlemen sitting on a bench alone. As she was unsure whether or not the man wanted anyone to talk to him, she came up with an idea that gained popularity quickly around the world. The retired Cardiff and Vale College lecturer went home and printed out a sign that could be attached to the bench saying: ‘Sit here if you don’t mind someone stopping to say hello.’ Now Allison’s ‘Happy to Chat’ benches have become a permanent fixture in Cardiff with the council installing three brightly-coloured benches in Bute Park, Hailey Park, and Roath Pleasure Gardens. “It looked like it had taken the man a lot of effort to get there and my dog went up to him and his face lit up,” Allison who has lived in Cardiff for 35 years, said about the day she came up with the idea. “He patted the dog and I thought that I should go and speak to him but I felt awkward – perhaps he wanted a bit of peace and quiet. “That’s when I thought: ‘what if there was a little sign on the bench to say sit here if you don’t mind having a chat with somebody?’.” Allison printed her sign out on the green paper and laminated then, punching two holes through it so that could be tied to the bench. A week later Allison’s son, Cardiff councillor Owen Jones, sent her a photo which had received hundreds of likes on social media. “I decided then, that summer, that I would go around and put the signs in all the parks in Cardiff,” Allison said. Allison realised that the world had spread when she was attaching a sign to a bench in Bute Park and she was approached by two ladies who had been looking for one of the benches. “Then I really knew it was catching on, that people were actually looking for these thing I’d invented,” Allison said. But word hadn’t just spread around Cardiff – Allison’s sign started to be picked up around the world in places as far as New York, Vancouver, Melbourne and New Zealand, all using the same words she had put on her original laminated sign. “Any time I’m feeling down I just Google ‘Happy to Chat benches’ and look at the images and they come from all over the world. It is very, very exciting,” she said. “Loneliness and isolation is huge problem facing society today and one that was really highlighted because of the pandemic,” Cllr Jones said. “It’s just that opportunity to break down barriers. We are nation of people who shy away from talking to strangers – British people as a whole, not just Welsh – so it is opportunity that if someone does want to chat someone will talk to them. “If you’re having a bad day just having a chat with someone can make a difference.”

Caring

“I think she was taken aback”: Rami Malek’s surprising chat with Kate Middleton

Oscar-winning actor Rami Malek claims he caught Kate Middleton “off-guard” during one of their brief conversations. The 40-year-old actor appeared on <a rel="noopener" href="https://youtu.be/DsZC0ugWdr0" target="_blank">Jimmy Kimmel Live</a> on Wednesday following the premiere of No Time to Die in which he appeared as Bond’s adversary. Sharing that he crossed paths with the Duchess of Cambridge at the London premiere, Malek revealed that it was an earlier encounter at the 2019 BAFTA Awards that had an impact. “I just looked at Princess Kate at one point and said, ‘This must be exhausting’,” he <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/royals/rami-malek-says-he-caught-kate-middleton-offguard-with-one-question/news-story/8a4e9e45f2d9076f00bb8e91416f1329" target="_blank">recalled</a>. “She said, ‘Why?’ and I said, ‘You just had a baby right?’. I think she was taken aback. She said, ‘How are you doing?’ and I said, ‘No, how are you?’. “And in the most regal, elegant way, she’s like well, you know, gave me a look, but you can tell. Imagine, dressed to the nines, you have to talk to all these actors.” The conversation took place 10 months after Kate gave birth to Prince Louis, her and Prince William’s third child. “It was so cool, because I think I caught her off-guard for a second and [she] had that look of, in the most elegant, professional, royal way, ‘Yes, it’s a lot having a kid,” he added. Actor Daniel Craig also had some kind words with Kate at the London premiere of his final James Bond film. “You look jolly lovely!” he told her, as she graced the red carpet with a glittering gold gown. Though Craig is unsure as to who will be taking on the spy next, Tom Hardy, Idris Elba, and Henry Cavill are believed to be the top candidates. Image: Getty Images

Relationships

EXCLUSIVE: We chat with Maker Kat

The debut episode of Making It Australia saw 13 creatives test their skills in two challenges. Jack came out on top in the first Faster Craft challenge, while Robert won the main Master Craft challenge with his traditional shield carved from red gum. But, one person had to go, and Kat was delivered the bad news after her Gaelic harp lacked finishing details and its iconic shape. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844110/making-it-ep1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/24746c9540954f85a085fa02448af98d" /> Image: Supplied After her departure, Kat sat down with Over60 to talk about her time on the show, and give a few hints about whether we will see her again. O60: What was the highlight of being a Maker? The experience of meeting other people and forming such good memories while we were together. We all got on so well. I was nervous about coming on the show but there were no dramas at all. I don’t know how [the show] pulled it off. O60: What surprised you most about your Making It experience? [Everything that happened] behind the scenes was interesting, and getting to how production [of a TV show] works. O60: On the show, you surprised Susie and Harvey by sharing that you bought your first book recently. What was the book that you bought and have you made any more progress? [It was called] The subtle of not giving a f**k. I’m about halfway through but whenever I try to read I get distracted by other things … I might stick with my colouring books. O60: What’s next for you after Making It? I’m currently studying a cert 3 and 4 in fitness, and want to become a [personal trainer] next year. I want to expand my brand and start by offering it to friends and family… I just want to make people around me more healthy. I’m also getting into photography and doing photoshoots for my friends and family. … I saved up and got myself a new camera… I don’t have eight hours on a weekend to paint but [with photography] I can go out for an hour or two and satisfy that craving for art. O60: You were the first to be “eliminated” . . . but it seems like you are still on the show! Can you tell us more about that? Is Making It trying to change the format of elimination style reality shows? I can’t go into too much detail about it, but it won’t be the last time you’ll see my face on the show. It’s not like other reality shows like The Bachelorette where it’s your love life that gets squashed [after elimination]. O60: Last but not least, if you had the chance, would you do it again? Absolutely. I would totally do it again. Making It Australia will be returning on Thursday night and challenging the remaining makers to construct their own Happy Place. Image: Supplied

Home & Garden

EXCLUSIVE: We chat with the hosts of Making It Australia

Lovers of Masterchef and crafting can finally enjoy both at the same time, with Making It Australia to premiere on Wednesday, September 15. The competition will see 13 of Australia's best professional and amateur craftspeople compete in two challenges each week, creating personal, handmade items along the way. The last one standing will earn the title of Master Maker and a whopping $100,000 prize. The Makers will be judged by award-winning production designer Deborah Riley and well-known paper engineer Benja Harney. Comedians Susie Youssef and Harvey Breen, who have joined forces as co-hosts, sat down with Over60 to answer some crafty questions. First up: Susie Youssef. Susie is a regular co-host on The Project and has performed comedy on radio, television, and stages in Australia and around the world. O60: You’re fast. You’re funny. But are you CRAFTY? What’s your history or background in making things with your hands? I am somewhat crafty. And by somewhat I mean not very crafty. I used to love watching my Mum make clothes and decorate cakes- she is brilliant! My Dad is too and so are my sisters. I’m just better at jokes. I love to muck around with paper and I dabble in knitting but I’m not great and I don’t need to be! Making It introduces you to the bonkers minds of legit makers and it’s amazing to see what they can do. O60: How important are the arts of making and creating in these modern times, and why? I think one of the best ways to fill the pockets of time that we have between working and tax returns and existential crises and deciding what to eat for lunch is with making and creating because it’s FUN! It makes you feel like a kid again and reminds us to play. Now (more than ever) it can be a wonderful, mindful distraction from the madness that surrounds us but it can also plug us into the energy of creativity. I loved watching our maker’s minds at work! Most impressive and important was how they recycled and up-cycled to create some pretty wild stuff. O60: Which medium [macramé, woodwork, glass-blowing, flower arranging etc etc] on the show is your fave and why? I can’t pick a favourite! I loved watching Andrew do metal work and Will do woodwork and Denise’s brilliance with lace and Sai Wai’s work with fabric and Rizaldy is a wizard with foam. Too many highlights! Also, getting to see some of judge Benja Harney’s paper creations was so inspiring for everyone and the phenomenal work judge Deborah Riley has created will blow your mind. O60: Think fast: DO YOU KNOW HOW TO DOUBLE KNIT?! NO I DON’T, STOP SHOUTING AT ME! I can double dinner though. O60: Now, please let our readers in on your favourite tidbit about the show or contestants that you are allowed to reveal. The juicier the better! Harley definitely built the barn with his bare hands and we have a special guest in the series who is crafting royalty… Next up is Harvey Breen. Harvey is a comedian, television host and regular on Hughesy, We Have a Problem and The Project. O60: Would you personally describe yourself as handy or crafty? Yes I would describe myself as handy... I just finished a bespoke mini caravan for an Italian greyhound... nothing about that sentence makes sense but it is nonetheless true. O60: What’s different about Making It Australia that viewers will love the most? What will set this show apart? Well obviously the hosting talents of myself and Susie will set the show apart. But more importantly the talent and diversity of the Makers I think is quintessentially Australian. O60: Which medium [macramé, woodwork, glass-blowing, flower arranging etc etc] on the show is your fave and why? Woodwork. Anything relating to timber. I love it. I love the smell of it, the feel of it, the look of it. I love starting with a flat straight piece of timber and turning it into a piece of furniture. O60: In 2018 you went to Russia with the Socceroos. Now, bringing it back to craft, think fast: DO YOU KNOW HOW TO DO A RUSSIAN JOIN?! No. This question hurts my brain. O60: Now, please let our readers in on your favourite tidbit about the show or contestants that you are allowed to reveal. The juicier the better! My absolute favourite part of the show was getting to make TV with Susie Youssef. The nonsense we get up to in our special house that's right beside the barn is some of the most fun I've had making anything in my career. She's the best and I miss her. Meet the makers Hailing from all over the country, these 13 makers are talented in a wide array of crafts and art styles. Andrew, 62 The oldest maker in the competition, Andrew is a scrap metal artist hailing from country NSW. After following a suggestion from his wife to get in the shed and be creative, Andrew has gone on to receive high acclaim for his scrap metal sculptures, which have become tourist attractions in regional areas all across the east coast. Dan, 37 As well as working as plumber in South Australia, Dan is a man of all trades, with experience in metalwork, woodwork, masonry, paper, welding, gold and silver smithing, textiles, and spray painting. He specialises in metal fabrication, modifying cars, and electrics, and is a self-described perfectionist and oversharer. Denise 61 Taking inspiration from friends, family, and nature, Denise is an accomplished artist who has had many of her works featured in Cottlesloe’s Sculpture By The Sea. The Western Australian sculptor and university lecturer specialises in metal and stainless-steel pieces, with skills in welding, woodwork, textiles, paint finishes, and knitting. George, 41 An experienced prop maker from NSW, George has worked in film and television, as well as the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and Vivid Sydney. She says she is most satisfied repairing or repurposing rather than throwing it away, and works across mural painting, drawing, welding, steelwork, and pattern making. Jack, 31 The Victorian architect with a signature red beanie was inspired by the way things can be made by hand as a child, and he has been creative ever since. As well as having experience in textile sewing and casting work, Jack is an accomplished composer and musician. Kat, 22 After being inspired in home economics in high school, Kat now makes her own clothes, bags, upholstery and quilts, and shows off her costuming skills as a children’s entertainer. The South Australian also has a talent for drawing and painting, with experience working with metal and wood. Rehana, 32 As well as working as a graphic designer, Rehana specialises in baking crazy cakes, crocheting, painting, and designing jewellery and fabrics. Originally from WA, the mother-of-one has also spent many years in Cape Town before calling Sydney home. Rizaldy, 55 After moving from the Philippines to Australia in pursuit of his dream job, Rizaldy spent 14 years working as an animator for Disney before making the move from 2D to 3D art. Now, the NSW creator works with wood, metal, clay, leather, and recyclable materials, with his motto being ‘why buy when you can DIY!’. Robert, 32 Choosing to pursue art over professional football, Robert specialises in Aboriginal art and takes inspiration from his heritage with the aim to celebrate Gunnai, Waradjuri, Gunditjmara and Yorta Yorta culture. The Melburnian has experience in everything from painting and sculpting to woodcarving, and got to meet Prince Harry and Meghan Markle when they came to see one of his murals in 2018. Russell, 32 This costume maker from Victoria has been described as the show’s glamour expert, having worked with countless drag artists to elevate their looks. Having spent a lot of time on his own as a kid, Russell turned to making to entertain themself and now loves helping people feel beautiful. Sai-Wei, 46 A self-described ‘all-rounder’, Sai-Wei is willing to try it all. Though she specialises in fashion design and mixed media sculpture, she also creates 3D pieces using paper, textiles, and embroidery. Initially turning to making as a way to ease her anxiety, the Victorian has since made a career in design that has taken her family by surprise. Stephanie, 45 With two kids, Stephanie enjoys spending months planning every detail about their parties, from invites and decorations to the table settings and costumes. Outside of her job as a learning support officer, Stephanie is a whiz with a glue gun and specialises in paper mâché and cardboard. Will, 22 Being the show’s youngest competitor, Will hopes to inspire other young people to get away from screens and be creative. Specialising in metal work, he also has experience in blacksmithing, knife making, woodwork, and manipulating and treating leather. Images: Making It Australia / Instragram, scrapartoz / Instagram

Karl Stefanovic takes time for quick baby Harper chat before going live

Karl Stefanovic can not help but dote on his newborn daughter Harper May - even if he is not with her. The Today Show host squeezed in a quick video call with the gorgeous six-week-old just before going to air on Monday morning. "5 am FaceTime feeding call with this beauty. All you need is [love heart emoji]," the proud dad wrote alongside a happy picture he took while at the Nine HQ in Sydney. <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/CBbTeXCJ_sA/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=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="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/CBbTeXCJ_sA/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by karl stefanovic (@karlstefanovic_)</a> on Jun 14, 2020 at 12:06pm PDT </div> </blockquote> In the snap, Harper could be seen on mum Jasmine Yarbrough's lap while she stared adoringly at the screen. Good friend and Nova 96.9 radio host Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald commenting on the picture, "I'm having breakfast right now, can you FaceTime me?" As she grows, Harper May’s parents are not hesitating to share a little bit of her life with social media and revealed the newborn had been spending time with her four-month-old cousin Oscar, who is the son of Karl's brother Peter Stefanovic and incoming Today Extra co-host Sylvia Jeffreys. "I love my cousin," Jasmine said on a photo of Harper holding onto Oscar's hand as they played on the mat. Jeffreys also shared the same snap to her Instagram Stories along with the GIF that read "Cousin's Day." Karl and Jasmine welcomed Harper on May 1, and have not been shy from sharing the bundle of joy with friends, family, and dedicated followers. <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/CBZJOB2Fv5G/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=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> <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/CBZJOB2Fv5G/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">I love my cousin ❤️</a> <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/jasyarby/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Jasmine Stefanovic</a> (@jasyarby) on Jun 13, 2020 at 3:58pm PDT </div> </blockquote> "I know they call it the bubble in the first couple of weeks but Harper may the bubble continue," Karl said on the Today show after returning from a week-long paternity leave. "She is so gorgeous — 2.9 kilos of just scrumptious delight. She's sleeping OK, three hours on, three hours off." "Jasmine has just taken it in her stride, she is feeding really well. It makes me cry already,” Karl went on to say. Karl has three children from his previous marriage, Jackson, 20, Ava, 15 and River, 13.

Family & Pets

Jessica Rowe and Tina Arena discuss mental health in candid chat: “I felt like a failure”

Jessica Rowe and Tina Arena got together for a special video chat on Instagram to discuss their mental health struggle. Fans were able to watch the pair’s video chat in a small clip posted to the social media site, where they encouraged fans to reach out to others who may be having a difficult time during the coronavirus pandemic. Jessica Rowe and Tina Arena got together for a video chat on mental health struggles in lockdown earlier this week. “Having gone through mental health issues myself, I never ever want to think of someone suffering on their own,” Jess, 49, admitted honestly. “I felt like a failure, but came to realise I just simply had an illness that I needed help to get through. <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/B_V6hZ5pcQs/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=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="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/B_V6hZ5pcQs/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Jessica Rowe (@jessjrowe)</a> on Apr 23, 2020 at 4:49pm PDT </div> </blockquote> “During the uncertainty, it's easy to lean into fear and be unkind but now more than ever we need to lean into kindness,” she added. Jessica has been a vocal advocate for mental health awareness over the years and has opened up about her own struggles. While speaking with <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/" target="_blank">Whimn</a> in December of 2019, the former Studio 10 co-host admitted openly she struggled with depression and anxiety. <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/B_Q1iw0FdGv/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=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="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/B_Q1iw0FdGv/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Tina Arena (@tinaarena)</a> on Apr 21, 2020 at 5:29pm PDT </div> </blockquote> “I've had postnatal depression, depression and anxiety over the years, so I'm a passionate advocate for greater mental health awareness and the importance of asking for help,” she said. “I felt like a failure because of my mental illness, but now I know that it's an illness like any other and nothing to be ashamed of. “I asked for help, went to a psychiatrist and started taking medication, and I'm far healthier in my head as a result,” she added. Tina also went on record earlier this month to speak out about her own personal mental struggles while in lockdown with her “traumatised” 14-year-old son, Gabriel. Speaking to Stellar magazine, Arena said: “I'm struggling. I've got emails from teachers saying, ‘Gabriel hasn't handed in this and that...’” Tina added: “But we will get there. Our kids are traumatised. They can't see their mates, it's tough.” The Australian singer shares her son with French artist Vincent Mancini, who she married in 2000.

Caring

Tennis fans shred Rafael Nadal over blunder in Roger Federer chat

Throughout his incredible career, it has taken a pretty special opponent to make Rafael Nadal worry, but the Spanish great met his match in the form of Instagram Live on Monday. The 33-year-old can make any of his rivals break into a sweat. Whether that’s with his wickedly spinning forehand or backhand, everyone in the tennis world fears his name. But fans on his social media witnessed a completely different side of the Mallorcan as they eagerly awaited his live chat with Swiss legend Roger Federer. He may have 19 Grand Slam titles, one shy of Federer’s all-time men’s record, but when it comes to IT skills, he resembled a Sunday morning park hacker crumbling under pressure. With 40,000 viewers tuning in, a confused Nadal blankly stared into cyberspace, as he tried to work out why Federer, who is currently isolating at home in Switzerland, refused to appear. Eventually to Nadal’s obvious relief, the tennis champion popped up to speak briefly about how he’s dealing with the shutdown amidst the pandemic. “Finally!” said Nadal. Federer revealed he had been practising against a wall, when not spending time with his four children. But Nadal admitted that he hadn’t been training at all. “Perfect! You won’t be able to play tennis any more when you come back,” said a laughing Federer. Federer said the extended lay-off has meant he has had time to rehab his right knee after surgery in February. “I’ve got plenty of time, there is no stress, no rush, if there is a positive that’s it,” he said.

Technology

Social media and technology mean that dead celebrities can't rest in peace

“To be dead,” wrote the 20th century French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, “is to be a prey for the living.” Even Sartre, though, would have struggled to imagine casting James Dean in a movie 64 years after the actor’s death. The <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/afm-james-dean-reborn-cgi-vietnam-war-action-drama-1252703">curious announcement</a> that Dean, who died in a car crash in 1955 having made just three films, will star in a movie adaptation of Gareth Crocker’s Vietnam War novel Finding Jack, has been met with <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/james-dean-finding-jack-digital-actor-backlash-controversy-172502291.html">outrage</a>. It would be a remarkable CGI achievement for any studio to resurrect an actor who has been dead since the Eisenhower administration. True, the Star Wars movie Rogue One featured the late Peter Cushing “reprising” his role as Grand Moff Tarkin. But the new role given to Dean would reportedly be far larger and more complex. Cushing, at least, had already played Tarkin while he was alive. In Finding Jack, “James Dean” will supposedly be starring in a film based on a novel written 80 years after he was born, set near the end of a war that started after he died. He will reportedly be reanimated via “full body” CGI using actual footage and photos; another actor will voice him. The reaction to this goes beyond mere scepticism, however. Nor is it simply the now-familiar post-truth anxiety about no longer being able to tell what’s real and what isn’t. The rise of “<a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=12&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwi_392QhdjlAhVLdCsKHQ_zC5gQFjALegQIAhAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2019%2F06%2F10%2Fopinion%2Fdeepfake-pelosi-video.html&usg=AOvVaw2qK3CZZjtPtJJcix9JXZ4X">deepfakes</a>” presents a much greater threat on that front than bringing dead actors back to life. What’s at work here is another pervasive challenge of the online era: how we should live with the digital dead. People die online every day. Social media is increasingly full of <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13347-011-0050-7">electric corpses</a>; at some point <a href="http://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2019-04-29-digital-graveyards-are-dead-taking-over-facebook">the dead will outnumber the living</a> on platforms like Facebook. This already poses a range of <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10676-015-9379-4">ethical and practical problems</a>. Some of these are the subject of a <a href="https://www.lawreform.justice.nsw.gov.au/Pages/lrc/lrc_current_projects/Digital%20assets/Project-update.aspx">NSW Law Reform Commission inquiry</a> into how we should deal with the digital assets of the dead and incapacitated. Reanimation These issues only get thornier once you add in the prospect of reanimation. For most of this decade, digital immortality was confined to press releases and fiction. A string of start-ups promised breathlessly to let you cheat death via AI-driven avatars, only to disappear when it became clear their taglines were better than their products. (The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/shortcuts/2013/feb/18/death-social-media-liveson-deadsocial">Twitter app LivesOn’s</a> “When your heart stops beating, you’ll keep tweeting” was undeniably clever). “Be Right Back,” a 2013 episode of the TV series Black Mirror, imagined a young woman who signs up for a service that brings her dead partner back to life using his social media footprint: first as a chat bot, then as a phone-based voice simulator, and finally as a lifelike automaton. It was brilliant, bleak television, but thankfully, it wasn’t real. Then in late 2015, 34-year-old Roman Mazurenko died in an accident in Moscow. As a tribute, his best friend, fellow tech entrepreneur Eugenia Kuyda, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/a/luka-artificial-intelligence-memorial-roman-mazurenko-bot">built the texts</a> Mazurenko had sent her into a chat bot. You can download Roman Mazurenko right now, wherever you get your apps, and talk to a dead man. Internet immortality might not be here yet, not quite, but it’s unsettlingly close. Between remembrance and exploitation Sadly, it’s not an immortality we could look forward to. When we fear death, one thing we particularly dread is the end of first-person experience. Think of the experience you’re having reading this article. Someone else could be reading exactly the same words at the same time. But their experience will lack whatever it is that makes this your experience. That’s what scares us: if you die, that quality, what it’s like to be you, won’t exist anymore. And there is, to mangle <a href="https://ethics.org.au/ethics-explainer-what-is-it-like-to-be-a-bat/">a famous line from Thomas Nagel</a>, nothing it is like to be a bot. But what about living on for other people? The Mazurenko bot is clearly a work of mourning, and a work of love. Remembering the dead, <a href="http://sorenkierkegaard.org/works-of-love.html">wrote Kierkegaard</a>, is the freest and most unselfish work of love, for the dead can neither force us to remember them nor reward us for doing so. But memory is fragile and attention is fickle. It seems reasonable that we might use our new toys to help the dead linger in the lifeworld, to escape oblivion a little longer. The danger, as the philosopher <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/05568641.2015.1014538">Adam Buben has put it</a>, is that memorialisation could slip into replacement. An interactive avatar of the dead might simply become a stopgap, something you use to fill part of the hole the dead leave in our lives. That risks turning the dead into yet another resource for the living. The line between remembrance and exploitation is surprisingly porous. That is what’s ultimately troubling about resurrecting James Dean. To watch a James Dean movie is to encounter, in some palpable way, the concrete person. Something of the face-to-face encounter survives the mediation of lens, celluloid and screen. To make a new James Dean movie is something else. It’s to use the visual remains of Dean as a workable resource instead of letting him be who he is. Worse, it suggests that James Dean can be replaced, just as algorithm-driven avatars might come to replace, rather than simply commemorate, the dead. We’ll know in time whether Finding Jack can live up to its likely premature hype. Even if it doesn’t, the need to think about how we protect the dead from our digital predations isn’t going away.<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; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/127211/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/patrick-stokes-10346">Patrick Stokes</a>, Associate Professor of Philosophy, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/chat-bots-james-dean-can-the-digital-dead-rest-in-peace-127211">original article</a>.

Technology

Carrie Bickmore almost caught in a lie while chatting to Brad Pitt

The Project co-host Carrie Bickmore was almost caught in an embarrassing lie while chatting to movie star Brad Pitt about his latest film. Bickmore flew to Tokyo to interview about his new film, Ad Astra, which is in cinemas this Thursday. Once the cameras stopped rolling after the interview, the pair were chatting about Aussie actress Margot Robbie. “As I was leaving he said, ‘Oh, do you know Margot Robbie?’ who he was in Once Upon a Time with,” Bickmore said on her Hit Network radio show Carrie and Tommy. “We were chatting and we were talking about movies and he said all the amazing stuff she is doing … she’s producing and directing a lot of stuff. “He (Pitt) mentioned she’s doing something with Joel Edgerton and I said, ‘Oh my gosh, have you seen his new movie?’ “In my brain I was thinking of the movie Boy Erased which isn’t new … it was out like a year ago. But I couldn’t remember the name of the movie. And then he says, ‘Kings?’” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> "I'm certainly better at listening, hearing them, and asking them questions about how they feel, instead of trying to imprint one of my bits of wisdom on them," Brad Pitt on how he's changing as a parent, the things his father taught him, and the future of his acting career. <a href="https://t.co/NwjGc05V5H">pic.twitter.com/NwjGc05V5H</a> — The Project (@theprojecttv) <a href="https://twitter.com/theprojecttv/status/1173532331694600192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">16 September 2019</a></blockquote> It was at this point in the conversation that Bickmore had two choices: Either let Pitt know that she was lying and had the wrong film or play along and pretend she knew what film he was talking about. Naturally, she went with the second option. “He said, ‘Oh, have you seen that?’ I was like, ‘Yes!’ And he said, ‘We made that’. I was like, ‘Oh god’,” Bickmore said. Pitt was likely to be confused by the encounter, as The King is a Netflix movie that’s not meant to be released until November 1. It gets even more awkward once Pitt asks a follow up question. “Then he said, ‘How have you (seen it?)’” Bickmore said. “I’m thinking, ‘Oh god, I don’t even know if it’s out yet’. He’s thinking, ‘How has she got an advanced copy?’” Bickmore’s co-host, Tommy Little joked, “He’s probably gone out and fired a whole bunch of people because he’s like, ‘The King has been pirated, people have already seen it in Australia’.” Luckily for Bickmore, she was saved by a fellow publicist and was told to leave the room. It was after she left that she reflected on her lie to Pitt. “I really shouldn’t have lied to Brad Pitt … but I just wanted the conversation to continue,” The Project host said.

How to make group video calls on Facebook Messenger

If you’ve ever wanted to do a video call with more than one other person (without paying extra for the pleasure) you can now thanks to Facebook messenger. You can use it on all smartphones, and it’s totally free. At the moment you can see up to six people at once on the screen, so it’s ideal to do a family call for a special occasion, or get a group of friends together to plan a trip or just catch up. Want to add more people? No problem, up to 50 people can get involved as listeners, opting in to get on screen as needed. You can even have people pop in and out as needed, making it really flexible to chat to people in different time zones. To get started, just make sure you have the latest version of Messenger. Either start a new message to the group you want to chat to, or go into a group that already exists. Once you’re in there, hit the button in the top right corner of the screen that looks like a camera and this will let everyone else in the group know that the video chat is happening. You can add people to the group later, even after you have started the video chat. The system is fairly self-explanatory so why not just jump on and give it a go? Have you tried video chat? How did it go? Share your experience in the comments below.

Technology

If I had one hour to talk to anyone past or present, it would be…

Last month, we asked the Over60 community, “if you could sit on a bench and chat for one hour with anyone from the past or present, who would it be?” You absolutely blew us away with all your responses, so we thought we’d collect our favourites. Here’s what you had to say. 1. “Definitely my dad. He died way too soon. I still think about him all the time and how much I miss him. I would like him to know how much I still remember all the good things and how important it is to respect and love each other, especially our loved ones. There are so many special memories I will never forget.” – Sue Payne 2. “My first husband, lost him 34 years ago, I've never been really happy since then. No one can ever replace him. I still miss him so much.” – Emilie Cortez 3. “I would like to chat with me, as a young girl at 14 years old. I would talk to 'her' about the lessons I have learned in life and advise 'her' to appreciate what she has, for loved ones are with us for such a short time. I would tell 'her' how much she is loved and needed, to be strong and have confidence in herself and 'her' own abilities.” – Kathy Atkinson 4. “As much as I loved my parents, I would have to say my son who I lost coming up to eight years. The hardest part of losing him was that I never got to say goodbye. Never a day goes by without me thinking about him. They say that the pain gets easier, but believe me, it doesn't.” – Lorraine Greet 5. “My foster mum and dad. They both passed many years ago, but it would be so great to have an hour with them so I could let them know how very grateful I am that they chose me and how much I love them both.” – Sandy Whitlock 6. “My great-grandfather who emigrated from Ireland, to discover more about my heritage perhaps, as the destruction of Ireland's civil records in the 1916 uprising make it impossible to go back beyond Australian records.” – Shane Molloy 7. “My mum and dad. You don't realise until years later, there was a lot you didn't know about your parents, because they never talked about their problems, they kept it to themselves. Plus, there's a lot of things I wish I'd told them while they were alive.” – Dianne Mark 8. “If only I could sit with my late husband, to be able to say goodbye and tell him how much I loved him and what a hole has been left in my life without him.” – Helen Jackson 9. “I'd like to sit with my long-time bestie Karen. We need a face to face vent, gossip, chinwag. An hour wouldn't be long enough.” – Lynn Ashton 10. “Probably my late mate, and there wouldn't be too many spoken words, we went pretty close to knowing what each other was going to say.” – Carlo Ferluga 11. “I would say my grandmother. Such an interesting human being. A grandma that truly was there for us. She was so respected by all. As we grew up we all loved her even more. Miss you Nan, grateful for having had you in my life.” – Teresa Goyak 12. “It would be my twin sister. She has been gone 5 years now. I have just become a grandmother and she would have been so excited for me.” – Cheryl Spackman Tell us in the comments below, if you could sit on a bench and chat for one hour with anyone from the past or present, who would it be? Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/caring/2017/01/optimism-improves-longevity/">Looking on the bright side can lead to longer life</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/caring/2017/01/why-we-cry/">The real reason behind why we cry</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/caring/2016/12/saying-goodbye-to-my-dying-grandmother/">The long goodbye: precious time with my dying grandmother</a>

Caring

The romance that started in a chat room

Over60 community member Robyn Green, 60, from Byron Shire, NSW, never set out to meet a potential husband when she started talking to people on internet chat websites, but 15 years later she’s glad it turned out that way.“I met my husband Mark, 52, online 15 years ago. In my case, it was not a dating website, rather a chat site. At the time, I worked long hours and was a supporting parent of a teenager. I’m not a drinker or someone who goes to pubs or clubs, so there were few opportunities for me to meet people outside of clients or work colleagues.Chat rooms (or chat websites) were a way to connect with people all around the world. I was at that time not interested in an internet romance. I used a website called ICQ, which may or may not still be operating. Folks from all around the world would just log on and chat. My regular chat partners included a 15-year-old Vietnamese boy in Darwin, a 73-year-old poet from Tenterfield, NSW, a chap who ran dog sleds in Alaska, a Canadian IT worker and a young lass from France.After a while I ‘met’ online a Sydney woman and another chap from Sydney (where I lived at the time). He introduced me online to a friend of his from Goulburn and all four of us would meet up online several times a week and just joke around and share news. The gentleman from Goulburn is the one I ended up marrying some while down the track.At the time of first meeting, Mark and I both had partners, dates if you like. Neither were long term or serious. We learnt a lot about each other online so when the time came that his Sydney friend offered to take me to Goulburn on a weekend trip with him, I was comfortable to do so. Mark and I hit it off just as well in person as we had online. There were no surprises as we had shared many deep and meaningful conversations online and knew what each other felt about life in general. After the first meeting we kept in touch, both on the phone and online. Both our short-term relationships faded away.It wasn’t until a particularly stressful week where Mark offered to host me and my grandson (a 10 month old) for a weekend getaway that romance blossomed from there. We kept in touch online each night and by phone and visited each other on alternate weekends until, as fate would have it he was posted to Sydney. The rest is history. While we both like to travel, when it comes to other interests, we’re pretty much polar opposites. We both share the same life values and philosophies, but we approach things from totally different angles. One slightly amusing aside is that as we were both used to typing online conversations to each other, when we talked in person we found ourselves ‘air typing’ as we spoke – rather like air guitar but not as energetic!Technology is a great way to connect people – if you use discernment and take your time. It is safe (if you take precautions) and you’re not distracted by all the physical nuances that might otherwise prevent you from getting to know someone on a deeper level. You can talk to people anywhere in the world, from any walk of life. You can learn so much and can share your pain or your wisdom.There are so many websites now for individual issues. For example, I currently have parents with dementia and there are websites for carers or people with dementia, or family members etc. We can all come together, share questions, rail against the pain of the disease or have a laugh when all around seems so bleak. It doesn’t matter if I am in Australia and others are not, we are all going through similar things and the fellowship and shared information is invaluable. Sometimes you end up meeting, sometimes you don’t, but you share all the same. When it comes to trying to meet people online, I can only say that it worked for me, my brother and sister, and Mark’s brother. We are all married to or in long-term relationships with people we met on the internet. This is purely by chance and none of us knew the other was meeting people from the internet – it just happened that way. I’ve never tried a dating website so I can’t attest to any of those but simply finding a chat website that works for you. Use interests or life issues as a starting point, or simply take a deep breath and jump in!I think the issue of people being wary of meeting people over the internet is an important one. Always use caution, your brain and for me, humour. Don’t give personal information, such as address or phone number for a long time. I really needed to know someone well before I’d hand out a phone number and I rarely did that. Don’t agree to meet up at your home or theirs, keep things public. You can be whoever you want to be in a chat room, so remember folks aren’t always what they seem, some are living a fantasy life in cyberspace and some are con artists. But, if you take your time, have fun and use your intelligence, you can meet some really nice people. Of the few that I met in person – both men and women – none were a surprise to me face to face. I had come to know them well enough online that when I met them in person, it was just like meeting an old friend.”<a href="/dating/dating/2014/06/the-best-places-to-meet-that-special-someone.aspx" target="_blank">Related link: Looking to meet someone, read this for some great ideas on where to look for love.</a>

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The romance that started in a chat room

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Woman’s heartbreak 20 years on

'Happy Chat' benches around Cardiff

“I think she was taken aback”: Rami Malek’s surprising chat with Kate Middleton

EXCLUSIVE: We chat with Maker Kat

EXCLUSIVE: We chat with the hosts of Making It Australia

Karl Stefanovic takes time for quick baby Harper chat before going live

Jessica Rowe and Tina Arena discuss mental health in candid chat: “I felt like a failure”

Tennis fans shred Rafael Nadal over blunder in Roger Federer chat

Social media and technology mean that dead celebrities can't rest in peace

Carrie Bickmore almost caught in a lie while chatting to Brad Pitt

How to make group video calls on Facebook Messenger

If I had one hour to talk to anyone past or present, it would be…

The romance that started in a chat room

The romance that started in a chat room

Our Partners

News

Shop

Catalogues

Newspaper

Contests

Entertainment

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Property

Compare

Games

Information

Keep up to date

Search

Woman’s heartbreak 20 years on

'Happy Chat' benches around Cardiff

“I think she was taken aback”: Rami Malek’s surprising chat with Kate Middleton

EXCLUSIVE: We chat with Maker Kat

EXCLUSIVE: We chat with the hosts of Making It Australia

Karl Stefanovic takes time for quick baby Harper chat before going live

Jessica Rowe and Tina Arena discuss mental health in candid chat: “I felt like a failure”

Tennis fans shred Rafael Nadal over blunder in Roger Federer chat

Social media and technology mean that dead celebrities can't rest in peace

Carrie Bickmore almost caught in a lie while chatting to Brad Pitt

How to make group video calls on Facebook Messenger

If I had one hour to talk to anyone past or present, it would be…

The romance that started in a chat room

The romance that started in a chat room

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