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Better sleep is a protective factor against dementia

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/andree-ann-baril-1494268">Andrée-Ann Baril</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/universite-de-montreal-1743">Université de Montréal</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/matthew-pase-1494296">Matthew Pase</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065"><em>Monash University</em></a></em></p> <p>Dementia is a progressive loss of cognitive abilities, such as memory, that is significant enough to have an impact on a person’s daily activities.</p> <p>It can be caused by a number of different diseases, including <a href="https://alzheimer.ca/en/about-dementia/what-alzheimers-disease">Alzheimer’s</a>, which is the most common form. Dementia is caused by a loss of neurons over a long period of time. Since, by the time symptoms appear, many changes in the brain have already occurred, many scientists are focusing on studying the risk and protective factors for dementia.</p> <p>A risk factor, or conversely, a protective factor, is a condition or behaviour that increases or reduces the risk of developing a disease, but does not guarantee either outcome. Some risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, such as age or genetics, are not modifiable, but there are several other factors we can influence, <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(20)30367-6/fulltext">specifically lifestyle habits and their impact on our overall health</a>.</p> <p>These risk factors include depression, lack of physical activity, social isolation, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, excessive alcohol consumption and smoking, as well as poor sleep.</p> <p>We have been focusing our research on the question of sleep for over 10 years, particularly in the context of the <a href="https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/science/framingham-heart-study-fhs">Framingham Heart Study</a>. In this large community-based cohort study, ongoing since the 1940s, the health of surviving participants has been monitored to the present day. As researchers in sleep medicine and epidemiology, we have expertise in researching the role of sleep and sleep disorders in cognitive and psychiatric brain aging.</p> <p>As part of our research, we monitored and analyzed the sleep of people aged 60 and over to see who did — or did not — develop dementia.</p> <h2>Sleep as a risk or protective factor against dementia</h2> <p>Sleep appears to play an essential role in a number of brain functions, such as memory. Good quality sleep <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/2793873">could therefore play a vital role in preventing dementia</a>.</p> <p>Sleep is important for maintaining <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1241224">good connections in the brain</a>. Recently, research has revealed that sleep seems to have a function similar to that of a garbage truck for the brain: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mad.2023.111899">deep sleep could be crucial for eliminating metabolic waste from the brain</a>, including clearing certain proteins, such as those known to accumulate in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease.</p> <p>However, the links between deep sleep and dementia still have to be clarified.</p> <h2>What is deep sleep?</h2> <p>During a night’s sleep, we go through several <a href="http://ceams-carsm.ca/en/a-propos-du-sommeil/">sleep stages</a> that succeed one another and are repeated.</p> <p>NREM sleep (non-rapid eye movement sleep) is divided into light NREM sleep (NREM1 stage), NREM sleep (NREM2 stage) and deep NREM sleep, also called slow-wave sleep (NREM3 stage). The latter is associated with several restorative functions. Next, REM sleep (rapid eye movement sleep) is the stage generally associated with the most vivid dreams. An adult generally spends around 15 to 20 per cent of each night in deep sleep, if we add up all the periods of NREM3 sleep.</p> <p>Several sleep changes are common in adults, such as going to bed and waking up earlier, sleeping for shorter periods of time and less deeply, and waking up more frequently during the night.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579041/original/file-20240229-16-efo9mx.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579041/original/file-20240229-16-efo9mx.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579041/original/file-20240229-16-efo9mx.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=279&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579041/original/file-20240229-16-efo9mx.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=279&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579041/original/file-20240229-16-efo9mx.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=279&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579041/original/file-20240229-16-efo9mx.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=350&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579041/original/file-20240229-16-efo9mx.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=350&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579041/original/file-20240229-16-efo9mx.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=350&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Sleep stages, and the role of deep sleep for brain health.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Andrée-Ann Baril)</span></span></figcaption></figure> <h2>Loss of deep sleep linked to dementia</h2> <p>Participants in the <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/2810957">Framingham Heart Study</a> were assessed using a sleep recording — known as polysomnography — on two occasions, approximately five years apart, in 1995-1998 and again in 2001-2003.</p> <p>Many people showed a reduction in their deep slow-wave sleep over the years, as is to be expected with aging. Conversely, the amount of deep sleep in some people remained stable or even increased.</p> <p>Our team of researchers from the Framingham Heart Study followed 346 participants aged 60 and over for a further 17 years to observe who developed dementia and who did not.</p> <p>Progressive loss of deep sleep over time was associated with an increased risk of dementia, whatever the cause, and particularly Alzheimer’s type dementia. These results were independent of many other risk factors for dementia.</p> <p>Although our results do not prove that loss of deep sleep causes dementia, they do suggest that it could be a risk factor in the elderly. Other aspects of sleep may also be important, such as its duration and quality.</p> <h2>Strategies to improve deep sleep</h2> <p>Knowing the impact of a lack of deep sleep on cognitive health, what strategies can be used to improve it?</p> <p>First and foremost, if you’re experiencing sleep problems, it’s worth talking to your doctor. Many sleep disorders are underdiagnosed and treatable, particularly through behavioural (i.e. non-medicinal) approaches.</p> <p>Adopting good sleep habits can help, such as going to bed and getting up at consistent times or avoiding bright or blue light in bed, like that of screens.</p> <p>You can also avoid caffeine, limit your alcohol intake, maintain a healthy weight, be physically active during the day, and sleep in a comfortable, dark and quiet environment.</p> <p>The role of deep sleep in preventing dementia remains to be explored and studied. Encouraging sleep with good lifestyle habits could have the potential to help us age in a healthier way.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222854/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/andree-ann-baril-1494268">Andrée-Ann Baril</a>, Professeure-chercheure adjointe au Département de médecine, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/universite-de-montreal-1743">Université de Montréal</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/matthew-pase-1494296">Matthew Pase</a>, Associate Professor of Neurology and Epidemiology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/better-sleep-is-a-protective-factor-against-dementia-222854">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Mind

Christchurch attack victims' families reflect on tragedy five years on

<p>It's been five years since 51 men, women and children, were murdered in a terror attack when a white supremacist opened fire at Al Noor and Linwood mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.</p> <p>Now, the victims' families have reflected on the tragic day, and commemorated their loved ones on the five-year anniversary of the attacks.</p> <p>Dr Maysoon Salama, who lost her son Atta Elayyan, 33, relives the grief of losing her son every day.</p> <p>“The pain is still fresh,” she told <em>7NEWS</em>.</p> <p>Five years on, the good memories she shared with her son still play back in her mind.</p> <p>“Atta was an amazing son,” she said. “He’s touched the lives of so many people.”</p> <p>Despite the tragedy, Dr Salama remains strong and finds herself healing through her granddaughter Aya.</p> <p>“I feel like I see her father when I see her,” she said.</p> <p>“It’s a really hard journey ... but she has always been my focus.”</p> <p>Aya was two when she lost her father, and Dr Salama was faced with the heartbreaking task of helping her granddaughter adjust to a life without her father.</p> <p>“When I look her in the eyes and she will ask, ‘Where is my dad?’, what am I going to tell her?” she recalled thinking.</p> <p>“How are we going to tell her when she’s so attached to her daddy? She loved him so much.”</p> <p>Dr Salama's husband, Mohammad Alayan, was among the dozens of people hospitalised following the attack, with doctors at the time saying he was “lucky to survive”.</p> <p>“He had been shot twice. One in his head and it affected his vision and one in his shoulder and she said it was just a few millimetres away from his heart,” Maysoon said.</p> <p>The couple run a Muslim childcare centre An-Nur, and have worked together to help children navigate New Zealand's darkest days.</p> <p>She recalled the sinking feeling when she first heard of the attacks while at work, and how her husband's first instinct was to tell her to protect herself and everyone at the childcare centre.</p> <p>“I got a call from my husband and he told me he was in hospital and that I have a big responsibility to protect the children and the teachers and lock down, close the doors because he was afraid the shooter would also come to our place because we are a Muslim childcare centre,” she said.</p> <p>“More families who were distressed started coming to pick up their children, and some of them even had blood on their shirts, some of them witnessed the thing.</p> <p>“It was really an awful situation.”</p> <p>Not long after, she learned that her own son had also been injured, but at the time had no idea of the reality of it all.</p> <p>Aya Al-Umari lost her brother, Hussein, on the fateful day.</p> <p>“It happened so suddenly, I had no time to grieve,” she said.</p> <p>Hussein spent the last moments of his life protecting other people, and even though Aya misses his hugs more than anything, she takes comfort in knowing that her brother's legacy will live on.</p> <p>“He had the opportunity to escape, but he didn’t,” she said.</p> <p>“He was running towards the terrorist.</p> <p>“It really goes to show, especially in his last moments, he was always a giver.”</p> <p>Both Aya and Dr Salama both take comfort in the belief that their loved ones died as as a Shahid – a true martyr who died in the name of their faith in Islam.</p> <p>Dr Salama hopes that the findings from last year’s coronial inquest, expected to be handed down this year, will provide a sense of closure to the victims' families.</p> <p>She also hopes that people will use the fifth anniversary of the shootings to reflect on the work that is yet to be done and call for more action in fighting Islamophobia and extremism.</p> <p>“We can fight Islamophobia by challenging the biases and educating ourselves also and intervening against discrimination.</p> <p>“See something, say something.”</p> <p>Canterbury's Muslim community will also gather today to honour the victims with a commemoration service at Masjid Annur in the evening, according to<em> <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/511744/muslims-mark-5th-anniversary-of-christchurch-mosque-terror-attacks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RNZ</a></em>.</p> <p>Brenton Tarrant, who was behind the terror attacks, was sentenced to life in jail without parole – the first person in New Zealand's history to receive the sentence because his actions were deemed "so wicked".</p> <p><em>Images: 7News</em></p> <p> </p>

Caring

Major claim in investigation into deadly house fire that killed five children

<p>The grandmother of five children who died alongside their father in a tragic house fire has spoken out, claiming her daughter had "begged" their landlord to fix the smoke alarms in the house.</p> <p>In August last year, Wayne Godinet, 34, died along with his four-year-old twins Kyza and Koa, his three-year-old son Nicky, and his stepsons Zack, 11, and Harry, 10, in a <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/6-beautiful-souls-family-break-silence-after-tragic-house-fire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">horrific blaze</a> in Queensland's Russell Island. </p> <p>Mr Godinet and his sons became trapped upstairs of the two storey home after he raced back into the house to save them, while the children's mother, Samantha Stephenson, 28, and her sister were able to escape the fire.</p> <p>On Wednesday, the owner of the rental property, 61-year-old Donna Rose Beadel, was charged by police over her alleged involvement in the tragedy.</p> <p>The family has spoken out in anger, with the grandmother of the five boys, Rebecca Stephenson, claiming that her daughter had spoken to the landlord about updating the smoke alarms in the property just one week before the fire. </p> <p>Ms Stephenson told the Courier Mail, “The week before it happened, Sam texted the landlady and asked for the smoke alarms to be updated.”</p> <p>She claims she knew of at least three times her daughter had asked for the smoke alarms to be fixed.</p> <p>“It was the first thing you noticed when you walked into the house, a smoke alarm hanging from the ceiling and then a marking of one in the kitchen that had been painted over,” she added.</p> <p>Police allege that Ms Beadel's property did not have compliant smoke alarms when the fire broke out, with police further alleging that she wasn’t present when the fire occurred.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Facebook</em></p>

Legal

Five tips for developing and managing your budget – even in tough economic times

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/oluwabunmi-adejumo-1370664">Oluwabunmi Adejumo</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/obafemi-awolowo-university-2843">Obafemi Awolowo University</a></em></p> <p>There’s nothing quite like a new year to prompt us to take stock of our lives, our health, our goals – and our finances. Many people will start a new year by contemplating how best to budget, plan and save. This is always a good set of aims, but it’s especially important in the inflation-prone and unpredictable economies we’re seeing <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/268225/countries-with-the-highest-inflation-rate/">all over Africa and the world</a>.</p> <p>Budgeting is especially key. It is the most effective method to <a href="https://www.thebalancemoney.com/how-to-make-a-budget-1289587">monitor income and expenditure</a>. <a href="https://www.uslendingcompany.com/blog/key-differences-in-writing-a-household-budget-vs-a-personal-budget/">Personal budgets</a> can help you to monitor your resources in pursuit of larger financial goals. Budgeting also offers <a href="https://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/v46/acr_vol46_2411998.pdf">more opportunities</a> to save money, reduce your debts and live a comfortable life. It can even <a href="https://prucomm.ac.uk/assets/uploads/blog/2013/04/Personal-Budgets-review-of-evidence_FINAL-REPORT.pdf">improve your mental health</a>.</p> <p>But where should you start? What questions do you need to answer in creating a budget? Here are some tips that I’ve learned – not just as an economist, but as a research cost analyst and someone who keeps a budget too.</p> <h2>1. Understand the broader economic conditions</h2> <p>It is imperative that individuals keep themselves aware and up-to-date on the realities of their country’s economic landscape. You don’t have to be a professional economist, but keep an eye on new developments like free business registration, small business development funds and printing of new money notes. What is the current exchange rate? What’s the political landscape and what international factors, like the price of crude oil, are at play? You should also watch the inflation rate and have a sense of unemployment trends.</p> <p>This economic awareness will prepare you to draft your own budget and you’ll have a sense of when external factors mean it’s time to revisit your plans.</p> <h2>2. Review your income sources</h2> <p>The ability to earn income is critical to sustaining livelihoods. Having a definite source of income is the bedrock of budgeting.</p> <p>Some important questions you should ask about your income – and how you might budget with it – include:</p> <ul> <li>What is my current income?</li> <li>What do I use my income for?</li> <li>Am I able to save, given my current income?</li> <li>What proportion of my income do I save and what proportion do I spend?</li> <li>Do I have the capacity to earn more than this?</li> <li>How can I improve my income?</li> </ul> <p>Your answers can help you to identify gaps or untapped potential. Those with irregular or unpredictable income should factor in the element of time-gap in their income, for effective budgeting. Time gap is when they are not earning income. And everyone should make allowance in their budgets for uncertainties like health issues, social engagements, inflation, unemployment, recession and price shocks.</p> <h2>3. Appraise your expenses</h2> <p>Expenses can be broadly categorised into “variable” and “fixed”.</p> <p>Fixed expenses recur within a short period: housing, food, transport, medical costs, electricity, utilities, toiletries and clothing. Variable expenses are more long-term and irregular, such as investment in property or interest-yielding assets, and the purchase of machinery.</p> <p>The main essence of revising our expenses is to analyse and possibly improve our spending habits. In reviewing our expenses, we can consider issues such as:</p> <ul> <li>What is the proportion of consumption-savings ratio from my income? This is how much do I spend compared to how much I save.</li> <li>What are my regular expenses?</li> <li>What are my fixed, capital or investment expenses?</li> <li>What are my extraordinary expenses that need modification?</li> <li>Have there been emergency or extraordinary expenses?</li> </ul> <p>A careful response to the issues raised above offers an occasion to re-evaluate the pattern and direction of our expenses. For instance, overspending, unplanned or extraordinary expenses can be identified. This can lead to an optimal, efficient reallocation of available resources.</p> <h2>4. Stabilise your finances through savings</h2> <p>Savings have been <a href="https://klinglercpa.com/bedrock-principles-for-saving-money/">described</a> as a financial stabiliser, given their potential to cater for urgent needs and create opportunities for investments.</p> <p>Of course, savings have more value when they grow faster than the rate of inflation. Inflation erodes the value of savings. For instance, an amount of 300,000 naira (US$676) saved to purchase an autorickshaw today may be impossible in two months’ time with an inflation rate of 10% when the tricycle price rises to 330,000 naira (US$744). The reverse is the case when there is deflation.</p> <p>Therefore, it is advisable to improve the value of savings through investments in interest-yielding assets such as stocks, shares, bonds, microfinance and production.</p> <p>That’s not to say it’s always easy to save. Many income earners spend as they go, not seeing savings as part of their budgets. Harsh economic realities can also make it difficult – sometimes seemingly impossible – to save. But it’s not impossible: savings can be made in small amounts, through a daily, weekly or monthly contribution to collections, cooperative schemes or microfinance affiliations. For instance, a point of sale business in Nigeria can permit a daily contribution of 500 naira (US$1.13) over 25 work days, giving an average saving of 12,500 naira (US$28.18) per month.</p> <p>The Point-of-Sale business started in Nigeria in 2013 when the Central Bank of Nigeria introduced the agent banking system. A POS agent operates and processes transactions through a POS service provider. Providers of such services include banks, microfinance banks and fintech companies.</p> <h2>5. Run a flexible budget</h2> <p>Once your budget is created, remember that it’s not set in stone. It should be flexible if anything changes in your life. For instance, an amount saved to buy a car can be invested in a promising venture buying shares through public offerings or private placements in multinational organisations like Nestle or Unilever.</p> <p>Also, health emergencies or career advancement programmes can require taking some money out of our savings.</p> <p>In all, budgeting should be flexible enough to incorporate exigencies, especially when catering for the current situation will culminate into a greater good.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195590/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/oluwabunmi-adejumo-1370664">Oluwabunmi Adejumo</a>, Lecturer/Researcher, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/obafemi-awolowo-university-2843">Obafemi Awolowo University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/five-tips-for-developing-and-managing-your-budget-even-in-tough-economic-times-195590">original article</a>.</em></p>

Money & Banking

Downsizing cost trap awaits retirees – five reasons to be wary

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/erika-altmann-361218">Erika Altmann</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-tasmania-888">University of Tasmania</a></em></p> <p>It’s time to debunk the myth of zero housing costs in retirement if we want to understand why retirees resist downsizing. Retirees have at least five reasons to be wary of the costs of downsizing.</p> <p>Retirees living in middle-ring suburbs face frequent calls to downsize into apartments to free up larger allotments in these suburbs for redevelopment. Retirees who fail to downsize into smaller units and apartments are viewed as being a greedy, baby-boomer elite, stealing financial security from younger generations.</p> <p>It also makes sense to policymakers for retirees to move into less spacious accommodation and make way for high-density housing. Housing think-tank AHURI <a href="http://www.ahuri.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0021/14079/AHURI_Final_Report_No_286_Australian-demographic-trends-and-implications-for-housing-assistance-programs.pdf">fosters this view</a>. Yet seniors remain resistant to moving, in part because of the ongoing costs they would face.</p> <p>The concept of zero housing costs in retirement is based on a 1940s view of a well-maintained, single dwelling on a single allotment of land where the mortgage has been paid off. This concept is incompatible with medium- and high-density housing and refusing to acknowledge ongoing housing costs may cause significant poverty for retirees.</p> <h2>Reason 1 – upfront moving costs are high</h2> <p>When a house is sold the owner receives the sale funds minus the real estate and legal fees. When the same person then buys a different property to live in, they pay legal fees plus stamp duty.</p> <p>For cities such as Melbourne and Sydney, these costs are likely to exceed A$70,000.</p> <p>These high transfer costs may mean it is not cost-effective <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-older-australians-dont-downsize-and-the-limits-to-what-the-government-can-do-about-it-76931">for the person to move</a>.</p> <h2>Reason 2 – levies are high</h2> <p>Because apartment owners pay body corporate levies, people often assume this is just the same as periodic payment of rates, water, insurance and other costs. It is not.</p> <p>Fees remissions for low-income retirees for rates, power, insurance and water are difficult to apply within a body corporate environment. As a consequence, these are usually not applied to owners of apartments.</p> <p>The costs of maintaining essential services, such as mandatory fire-alarm testing, yearly engineering certification, lift and air-conditioning inspections, significantly increase ownership costs.</p> <p>When additional services are supplied, such as swimming pools, gyms and rooftop gardens, these also require periodic inspections. Garbage collection, cleaning, gardening, concierge and strata management services also <a href="https://eprints.utas.edu.au/cgi/users/home?screen=EPrint%3A%3AView&eprintid=23322">must be paid</a>.</p> <p>Owners of standard suburban homes choose whether they want these services, with those on fixed incomes going without them.</p> <p>Annual levies for apartment buildings vary, but expect to pay between $10,000 and $15,000. They <a href="https://www.strata.community/understandingstrata/faqs">may be more than this</a>.</p> <h2>Reason 3 – costs of maintenance</h2> <figure class="align-right "><figcaption></figcaption></figure> <p>Apartments are often sold as a maintenance-free solution for older people. The maintenance is not free. It needs to be paid for.</p> <p>Maintenance costs are higher in an apartment than a standard suburban home because there are more items and services to be maintained and fixed. Lifts and air conditioning need periodic servicing and fixing. This is in addition to the mandatory inspections listed above.</p> <h2>Reason 4 – loss of financial security</h2> <p>It is a mistaken belief that the maintenance costs that form part of the body corporate fee include periodic property upgrades. This relates to items that are owned collectively with other apartment owners.</p> <p>Major servicing at the ten-year mark and usually each five-to-seven years after that include painting, floor-covering replacement, and lift and air-conditioning repair or replacement.</p> <p>Major upgrades may also include garden redesign or other external building enhancement including <a href="https://eprints.utas.edu.au/cgi/users/home?screen=EPrint%3A%3AView&eprintid=23315">environmental upgrades</a>. All owners share these upgrade costs.</p> <p>Costs of upgrading the inside of an apartment (a bathroom disability upgrade, for example) are additional again.</p> <p>Once the body corporate committee members pledge funds towards an upgrade, all owners are required to raise their share of the funds, whether they can afford it or not. Communal choice outweighs an individual owner’s need to delay upgrade costs.</p> <p>Owners who buy apartments that are part of a body corporate effectively lose control of their future financial decisions.</p> <h2>Reason 5 – loss of security of tenure</h2> <p>Loss of security of tenure is usually associated with renters. However, the recent introduction of <a href="http://www.lpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/25965/Termination_of_a_strata_scheme_by_RG.pdf">termination legislation</a> in New South Wales gives other owners the right to vote to terminate a strata title scheme. When this occurs, all owners, including reluctant owners of apartments within that scheme, are compelled to sell.</p> <p>There are valid reasons why termination legislation is desirable, as many older apartment complexes are reaching the end of their useful life.</p> <p>Even so, as termination legislation is rolled out across the states, owner- occupiers effectively lose control of how long they will own a property for. They no longer have security of tenure, which means retirees may face an uncertain housing future in their old age.</p> <h2>Downsizing raises poverty risks</h2> <p>Because current data sets do not adequately take account of ongoing costs associated with apartment living, the effect of downsizing on individual households is masked.</p> <p>Downsizing retirees into the apartment sector creates ongoing financial stress for older people. Creating <a href="https://theconversation.com/it-will-take-more-than-piecemeal-reforms-to-convince-older-australians-to-downsize-51043">tax incentives to move</a> does not tackle these ongoing costs.</p> <p>Centrelink payments for of <a href="https://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/services/centrelink/age-pension">$404 per week</a> are well below <a href="http://acoss.wpengine.com/poverty-2/">the poverty line</a>. Yet we expect retirees to willingly downsize and to be able to cede most of their Centrelink payments to cover high body corporate costs.</p> <p>Requiring retirees to downsize for the greater urban good will shift poverty onto retirees who could barely manage in their previously owned standard suburban home.</p> <p>Failing to understand the effect of high ongoing costs associated with apartment living and reinforcing the myth of zero housing costs in retirement will continue to lead to poor policy outcomes.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/80895/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/erika-altmann-361218"><em>Erika Altmann</em></a><em>, Property and Housing Management Researcher, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-tasmania-888">University of Tasmania</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/downsizing-cost-trap-awaits-retirees-five-reasons-to-be-wary-80895">original article</a>.</em></p>

Retirement Income

Petition launched for Miss Universe Australia to step down

<p>A petition is calling for Australia’s Miss Universe Moraya Wilson to step down, following reports that her parents owe $45 million to creditors. </p> <p>According to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) her parents, Anton and Melinda Wilson, owe $45 million to creditors following multiple company liquidations. </p> <p>They also owe $21 million to the tax office, with Anton Wilson due in court next month for knowingly signing a false declaration and defrauding creditors of a bankrupt, according to <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/other-industries/calls-for-miss-universe-australia-to-step-down-amid-reports-her-family-owes-up-to-45m-to-creditors/news-story/092c8e7e789b2749d5853f7b6dccf535" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>news.com.au</em></a>.</p> <p>So where does Moraya come into all of this? </p> <p>It is reported that she is the director of 10 companies that ASIC is looking to have struck off the business register, although she has denied any knowledge of, or involvement in the businesses. </p> <p>Moraya said that she had “tendered my resignation from all of the companies”.</p> <p>However, Anton Wilson's bankrupt trustee Nicholas Crouch, claims that Moraya was listed as the sole director of these 10 companies so that the family business can continue to run despite her parent's bankruptcies. </p> <p>In a submission to a parliamentary inquiry into ASIC lodged last year, Crouch wrote: “21-year-old daughter is now nominated as the director of the family construction group.</p> <p>“It would appear the family business has not been disrupted by strategic bankruptcies and liquidations.”</p> <p>It is also alleged that one of the companies Moraya is a director of owes $13,204 to the Australian Taxation Office, which means that it was operating and trading as a business. </p> <p>Her father claims that when Moraya was 19, and already successful in her modelling career, she wanted “to carve a career in property development”, so he offered her “general father-daughter advice”. </p> <p>“I just politely, as a father does to his daughter, said ‘I’ll help you get into business’. Pretty simple,” Anton said. </p> <p>Now, a Change.org petition has been launched by a member of the public, calling for her to step down as Australia’s top model.</p> <p>The petition reads: “Miss Universe is an international competition that empowers women and promotes diverse representations of beauty across the globe. This beauty goes beyond appearance and includes character and personality …”</p> <p>However, Moraya said that she still intends to compete in the international pageant later this month. </p> <p>“I have become aware of a petition,” she said.</p> <p>“I intend to fulfil my duties as Miss Universe Australia to the best of my ability with the full support of The Miss Universe Australia management.”</p> <p>The organiser of the Miss Australia pageant, Troy Barbagallo also said that the controversy was “none of my business," and remains certain of his choice of Moraya as Australia’s top model.</p> <p>“There is (a) wide range of criteria and a large selection committee who found Moraya to be the best person for the job among 24 exceptional women and we stand by that decision,” he said. </p> <p>The model is set to travel El Salvador later this month for the international pageant. </p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Money & Banking

“There were bodies everywhere”: Five people dead in horror pub crash

<p dir="ltr">Disturbing details have emerged from a horror crash where five people have died after a BMW crashed into a beer garden at a pub in regional Victoria. </p> <p dir="ltr">On Sunday evening in Daylesford, north of Melbourne, families were enjoying the last of the weekend at the Royal Hotel when a BMW X5 crashed into the busy venue. </p> <p dir="ltr">The pub was filled with hundreds of patrons in the hours before the crash due to the unofficial long weekend before Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup public holiday in Victoria. </p> <p dir="ltr">Superintendent John Fitzpatrick confirmed on Sunday night about 11pm four people had died at the scene: two men and a woman and a six-year-old boy, while a fifth person, a teenage girl, later died in hospital. </p> <p dir="ltr">Four others were injured, while a boy is fighting for his life in hospital. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I haven’t seen anything this drastic for a long time,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Any time you have five people die at a particular scene, it’s horrible.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“There are families that have got loved ones that are no longer going to be around.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“We don’t like to see anyone lose their life but to see a child – you don’t ever want to see anything like that.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The driver of the BMW, a 66-year-old man, was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The exact circumstances surrounding the collision are yet to be determined and investigations remain ongoing," Superintendent Fitzpatrick said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We are waiting to speak to him… It’s a very complex scene.”</p> <p dir="ltr">A woman who was working at the business next door to the pub witnessed the horrific moment, recalling how she and her staff saw bodies lying on the pavement. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We’re all pretty shocked,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s pretty bad, I’ve never seen anything so traumatic in my life.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“There were bodies everywhere, it was horrifying,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I watched the whole crash. The car went up into the sky. I thought it was just dust. It’s only now I know it was bodies.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Infrastructure Minister Catherine King, whose electorate Ballarat includes Daylesford, said the community was “devastated” by the incident. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Five people have lost their lives, and their families’ lives have changed forever. </p> <p dir="ltr">“It will really have shocked a lot of people, and I think we’re really only just coming to terms with what happened today.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“These sort of terrible accidents, the sort of level of trauma goes on for a long period of time, and people will need a lot of support and care, and the police obviously will need to undertake a significant investigation into what’s happened.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Nine News</em></p>

News

Five ways to take advantage of rising interest rates to boost your savings

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/fredrick-kibon-changwony-234363">Fredrick Kibon Changwony</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-stirling-1697">University of Stirling</a></em></p> <p>With the Bank of England base rate <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-bank-of-englands-interest-rate-hikes-are-filtering-through-to-your-finances-210344">currently the highest</a> it has been since early 2008, you may have a valuable opportunity to increase your earnings on pensions, investments and savings accounts. After all, when the central bank raises its main rate – the base rate, which is typically used as a benchmark for loans as well as savings accounts – it is trying to encourage people to spend less and save more.</p> <p>But UK banks and building societies have <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/money/martin-lewis-savings-rates-mortgage-crisis-b2362955.html">recently been accused</a> of letting their savings rates lag the recent rapid rise in the base rate. UK regulator the Financial Conduct Authority has urged these financial firms to offer “<a href="https://www.fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/action-plan-cash-savings">fair and competitive</a>” savings rates in response to the increasing interest rates.</p> <p>Many financial institutions do offer accounts with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/jul/15/uk-savings-accounts-interest-nsi-building-societies-banks-deals">rates of 6% or more</a>. This is good news for avid savers – but only if you keep an eye on the market so you can switch from less competitive products. This is why it’s important to establish a regular savings habit, but many people are unsure about what that should involve.</p> <p>My colleagues and I have studied the <a href="https://dspace.stir.ac.uk/handle/1893/32240">correlation between people’s savings goals</a> (if they have any) and how they invest their money. We also looked at how seeking financial information advice, and being “good with numbers”, both influence this correlation.</p> <p>We analysed data from more than 40,000 individuals in 21,000 UK households from five waves of the Office for National Statistics Wealth and Assets Survey (WAS), conducted between 2006 and 2016. This data captures comprehensive economic wellbeing information and attitudes to financial planning.</p> <p>Our research shows the importance to your finances of setting multiple savings goals, keeping up with financial news, and seeking professional advice. Based on this, here are five research-based ways to make the most of your money.</p> <h2>1. Set specific savings goals</h2> <p>Establishing personal savings goals is one of the first steps most financial institutions and advisers will recommend to their customers, because it’s a good idea to <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/compoundinterest.asp">save regularly</a>. Plus, our study shows that total financial assets increase in line with the number of savings goals you have, and that setting specific, rather than vague, goals leads to higher performance.</p> <p>Specific savings goals should have an end date, target figure, and even a meaningful name – for example, “£1,000 for 2024 trip to Asia” or “£250 for 2023 Christmas present fund”. This will create tangible reference points that encourage self-control and increase the pain you feel if you fail to meet your goal.</p> <h2>2. Seek professional financial advice</h2> <p>Rather than relying on friends, family and social media for financial advice, speak to an expert.</p> <p>Our research shows households that access professional financial advice were more likely to allocate a higher share of their wealth to stock portfolios than those that rely on friends, family and social media for financial advice. This result was consistent even across different wealth and income levels, with lower earners possibly using products like ISAs to make investments in stocks and shares. Other <a href="https://academic.oup.com/qje/article/134/3/1225/5435538">research shows</a> stock portfolios outperform most other types of investment in the long term.</p> <p>We also found that access to professional financial advice can substitute for setting goals, because your adviser should help you to determine the kinds of products to invest in (which is called asset allocation) for specific timelines and aims.</p> <h2>3. Brush up on your maths</h2> <p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-5890.2007.00052.x">Several studies</a> show numerical skills affect how households gather and process information, <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/a0013114">set goals</a>, perceive risks, and <a href="https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.journals/fedred89&i=791">decide to invest</a> in various financial assets. So, by brushing up on your basic numeracy and financial literacy skills – even with free online videos – you could boost your savings for the long term.</p> <p>Our study shows that individuals with high confidence in their numerical skills tend to have better financial planning habits – such as investing more in stocks and bonds than cash, which carries more risk but also the potential for greater returns. This trend is particularly evident among households with no savings goals, suggesting that numerical ability could compensate for failing to set such goals.</p> <h2>4. Adopt appropriate savings strategies</h2> <p>Diversified stock market portfolios generally outperform bonds and cash savings <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjz012">over longer periods</a>. However, stock markets can be volatile, so putting savings into less risky assets like bonds and cash is wise for savings goals of less than five years.</p> <p>In the longer term, investing across different global stock markets for more than five years can help counteract inflation. And you can access low-cost, diversified investment portfolios via financial products based on indices of stocks or other assets, such as exchange traded funds.</p> <h2>5. Set, monitor and adjust your plan</h2> <p>Free financial planning and budgeting apps can help you save money by tracking your spending and savings goals, and encouraging you to adhere to a budget.</p> <p>Most importantly, once you set savings goals and create a budget, don’t forget about them. Check regularly to see how your savings are building up and to monitor for any spending changes. A growing array of fintech tools can prompt and encourage this kind of long-term planning.</p> <p>Keeping an eye on savings rates is also important. As banks change rates or create new accounts, consider switching to get a better deal if you can do so without falling foul of account closure fees.</p> <p>It’s important to make sure your savings are working for you at any time, but its crucial in the current economy, when finances are tight but interest rates are rising.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208853/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/fredrick-kibon-changwony-234363">Fredrick Kibon Changwony</a>, Lecturer in Accounting & Finance, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-stirling-1697">University of Stirling</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/five-ways-to-take-advantage-of-rising-interest-rates-to-boost-your-savings-208853">original article</a>.</em></p>

Money & Banking

"She had the biggest heart": Mum's tribute to five-year-old killed in a car crash

<p>A heartbroken mother has paid tribute to her five-year-old daughter, who was killed in a horrific three car collision in Victoria's north.</p> <p>Savannah Kemp's mother Bryana remembered her daughter as a “precious” and “sassy” little girl who “had the biggest heart”.</p> <p>Savannah leaves behind three brothers - Layton, Cayden and Ryley, as well as her devastated mother.</p> <p>Bryana said in a statement that Savannah was due to start kindergarten at Guthrie Street Primary School with her three older brothers in 2024.</p> <p>"She has been wearing her school uniform around the house for weeks because she was so excited to go to school," she said. "She went to her first orientation a week or so back and even had to wear it."</p> <p>“Savannah was the most precious, sassy little girl. She had the biggest heart which was always full of laughter. She never walked anywhere, she danced or skipped. She was so brave and fearless, learnt it from her brothers. Nothing bothered her."</p> <p>Bryana went on to say that her daughter was destined to be a “fearless ballerina or soccer player” and that her three brothers were training her in their backyard so that she could become just that.</p> <p>“I would always make jokes that she would dance the ball into the goals and that’s exactly what she did with them,” she said.</p> <p>“For a term she has been doing acrobatics at Ucandance and she was learning cartwheels and the splits. She got very good at it in a few short weeks.”</p> <p>Savannah was “destined for great things”, Bryana said.</p> <p>“My sweet little baby, if (you) had the chance (you) would have ruled this world.”</p> <p>A <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-the-name-of-savannah" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoFundMe</a> page has been set up for the family to cover Savannah's funeral costs and any other financial difficulties the family may face, and has already raised over $36,000.</p> <p>Several other people were seriously injured in the crash, including a 32-year-old pregnant woman, whose unborn baby later died.</p> <p>The driver of the car Savannah was a passenger in, a 26-year-old Shepparton woman, was also taken to hospital with serious injuries.</p> <p>Another driver, a 33-year-old Shepparton man, and his passenger, a 22-year-old Katandra West man, were taken to hospital for minor injuries.</p> <p>A Victoria Police spokesperson said that officers are still working to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the collision.</p> <p><em>Image credits: GoFundMe</em></p>

Caring

6 common factors that are impacting your sleep

<p>While we all do our best to make sure we’re get our eight hours every night, at times it can feel as though we’re our own worst enemies. And while we’re all aware of the importance of sleep, it can sometimes be difficult to figure out what the root of the problem is.</p> <p>Here are six common factors that may be negatively impacting your ability to get shut eye. Correct these and you’ll be on your way to enjoy a good night sleep.</p> <p><strong>1. Light</strong></p> <p>Studies have shown the exposure to light can wreak havoc in terms of our internal circadian rhythm. Try to avoid having your vision obstructed by any light when you’re about to get to sleep and keep the use of mobile and computer devices to a minimum.</p> <p><strong>2. Food</strong></p> <p>Asides from the correlation between poor quality sleep and processed foods, it’s generally not recommended you have large, heavy meals just before you’re about to go to bed. Also, try to avoid sugar and caffeine in the few hours leading to bedtime.</p> <p><strong>3. Noise</strong></p> <p>Noise can also affect the pattern of your sleep as anyone who’s tossed and turned at the sound of a neighbour’s party. Earplugs are one option you can explore. It’s also an idea to perhaps try a light fan to drown the noise out somewhat, or some sort of gentle recording.</p> <p><strong>4. Temperature</strong></p> <p>Each person has an optimal temperature for falling asleep and it varies between people. If you’re feeling a bit hot under the collar (or too cool to start sleeping) it’s worth experimenting with the temperature in your room until you find one that better suits.</p> <p><strong>5. Schedule</strong></p> <p>Are bodies are fiends for routines, so try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even on weekend. Not only will this help integrate your body into a regular sleep/wake pattern, it will also make the actual process of falling asleep seem much easier.</p> <p><strong>6. Naps</strong></p> <p>While there’s nothing quite as nice as an afternoon nap during the day, it can actually significantly disrupt out sleep patterns during the night. If you really do have to nap during the day, try to keep it short and avoid napping too much in the later parts of the day.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Body

Elle Macpherson marks major 20-year milestone

<p>Aussie supermodel Elle Macpherson has celebrated two incredible milestones this week. </p> <p>The 59-year-old, nicknamed "The Body" during her modelling years, took to Instagram to celebrate her one-year anniversary with her American musician boyfriend, Doyle Bramhall. </p> <p>''Life beyond my wildest dreams they say," she captioned the series of photos of the pair travelling the world together. </p> <p>The post also marked 20 years of sobriety for Macpherson, who recently shared her <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cwp_ytApolL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alcoholics Anonymous badge</a> to celebrate the milestone. </p> <p>"As I celebrate my 20 years anniversary this week… I am also celebrating 365+days of heart expanding bliss," she continued in the tribute dedicated to her blossoming relationship with Bramhall. </p> <p>"Our friend @ninamorris calls us Nomadic Lovers - So I've chosen some of my favourite images from around the world," she added. </p> <p>She then listed all the different places they've been to together, which matched the photos on the slide. </p> <p>Among them, we see a picture of the pair kissing underneath the Eiffel Tower, exploring the Sahara desert in Morocco, and one of the shrines in Tokyo. </p> <p>"Real travel requires a maximum of unscheduled wandering, for there is no other way of discovering surprises and marvels, which, as I see it, is the only good reason for not staying at home," she added. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw0CS5OM4yu/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw0CS5OM4yu/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Elle Macpherson (@ellemacpherson)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Friends and fans alike took to the comments to congratulate the couple on their one-year anniversary, and celebrate Macpherson's sobriety. </p> <p>"My heart is SO full seeing you love & being truly loved by @doylebramhall2," wrote Dr Simoné Laubscher , the formulator for Macpherson's wellness brand WelleCo. </p> <p>"Gorgeous photos capturing your essence ❤️ Here is to many more years of wild adventures," wrote another. </p> <p>"Congratulations my friend! These are the rewards of sobriety 🙏🏻" commented a third. </p> <p>"So very happy for you both. A beautiful celebration of pure love!" added another.</p> <p>"I’m so happy for you!!! You are the ultimate example of changing your world from the inside out!" commented a fifth. </p> <p>Macpherson and Bramhall went public with their relationship in December.</p> <p>Macpherson shares two sons, Flynn and Cy, with her French financier ex Arpad Busson, while Bramhall shares daughter India with American vocalist Susannah Melvoin. </p> <p><em><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;"> Images: Instagram</span></em></p>

Body

"My little girl!": Cindy Crawford gushes over lookalike daughter

<p>Cindy Crawford is every bit the doting mum as she posted an adorable video montage to celebrate her daughter's 22nd birthday. </p> <p>The former model took to Instagram to share clips of her daughter Kaia Gerber throughout her childhood. </p> <p>"Such a joy watching you bloom into an inspiring young woman," she captioned the video. </p> <p>"Love spending time with you at this new stage in our lives — woman to woman — but you'll also always be my little girl!"</p> <p>The young model replied: "This made me cry! I feel so lucky to have been raised by my best friend. I love you mama ♥️"</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CwvF7iIuwEB/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CwvF7iIuwEB/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Cindy Crawford (@cindycrawford)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Gerber was born in 2001 and is the daughter of Crawford and her businessman husband Rande Gerber.</p> <p>She first started her modelling career at only 10-years-old, in a campaign for Versace, and has since followed in her mum's footsteps. </p> <p>Her most recent photoshoot for Italian fashion magazine, <em>D</em>, showcases just how identical she looks to mum as she posed in a few glamorous dresses made by luxury fashion brand, Celine. </p> <p>Gerber looked stunning in the black-and-white photos and mum Crawford couldn't hide her pride. </p> <p>"Love these! And you!" she commented with a kissing face emoji. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CwyaeYPRqye/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CwyaeYPRqye/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Kaia (@kaiagerber)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Fellow celebrity friends and fans took to the comments to praise the young model's gorgeous looks. </p> <p>"Wow!" wrote fellow model Hailey Bieber. </p> <p>"Omg," commented model and<em> Daisy Jones & The Six </em>actress Camila Morrone. </p> <p>"So so beautiful," wrote one fan. </p> <p>"This is my favourite shoot of you. ❤️" commented another. </p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

Five things to do before you die – because planning your eventual demise takes preparation

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hui-yun-chan-715995">Hui Yun Chan</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-huddersfield-1226">University of Huddersfield</a></em></p> <p>Many people who are struck with sudden, progressive or terminal illness are <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-are-patients-in-permanent-comas-routinely-kept-alive-43365">kept alive mechanically</a>, while families and doctors make decisions about treatment. As a researcher in medical law, particularly end-of-life decision-making, I have seen how this can become a minefield of legal and ethical problems.</p> <p>UK law allows people to plan in advance of any debilitating illness, and thus have some control over future treatment. This is known as “<a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/end-of-life-care/advance-decision-to-refuse-treatment/">advance decisions</a>”. While these laws are in place, research shows the <a href="https://rm.coe.int/cdcj-2017-2e-final-rapport-vs-21-06-2018/16808b64ae">majority of people disregard or defer the discussions</a> primarily because they do not know how to raise them, or what to expect.</p> <p>While planning for your eventual demise probably sounds as fun as pulling teeth, it can be empowering. Following from <a href="https://pure.hud.ac.uk/en/publications/advance-directives-rethinking-regulation-autonomy-amp-healthcare-">my recent book</a>, here are five tips for how you can use the law to help you plan for what you want in the future – and make your voice heard when you may no longer have one.</p> <h2>1. Gather information from experts</h2> <p>First, you must think, gather information and talk to experts about how life can unfold in the case of progressive illness. This is important whether you are well but thinking about future incapacity, or whether you have actually been <a href="https://www.4pb.com/case-detail/re-ak-medical-treatment-consent/">diagnosed with illness</a>.</p> <p>A solicitor with expertise in advance directives can help you understand important laws, such as those that dictate when a person has <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2005/9/contents">sufficient “mental capacity”</a> to make lawful decisions. Lawyers can help you draft your will, and advise on how to protect or pass on your estate – including <a href="https://www.gov.uk/inheritance-tax">hidden costs</a>. They can also help you <a href="https://www.gov.uk/power-of-attorney">nominate someone</a> to make medical decisions for you when you become incapacitated, and decide the limits of their power. Do not just assume that your family members automatically have the power to decide for you legally.</p> <p>If you are ill, ask a doctor to inform you how your condition will progress so you can decide how you will deal with future events. For example, with dementia and other progressive illnesses, you must consider what quality of life you would tolerate. Similarly, in the case of pain, what treatment you would accept or refuse?</p> <p>Think big picture about your future life. Would you trade quantity of life for quality, opting for less time but with better quality of life?</p> <h2>2. Setting your decisions in stone</h2> <p>Now you have made some important decisions, the next step is about making these decisions clear in the right way, to the right people, and at the right time.</p> <p>I have <a href="https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030009755#aboutBook">documented many cases</a> across England and Wales where advance directives are disputed because they are invalid or inapplicable and there is a dispute about whether they are still legally able to make decisions. Considering your health, you may want to get a <a href="https://www.bma.org.uk/advice/employment/ethics/mental-capacity/assessing-mental-capacity">formal assessment</a> of your mental state and ability to make decisions. You should record any conversations you have in writing. Documents that show you have been supported (by friends, family or professionals) in your decision-making boost the validity of your choices, <a href="https://brill.com/view/journals/ejhl/25/1/article-p24_24.xml?lang=en">making them more binding</a> for healthcare professionals.</p> <p>Legally, just revealing your treatment preferences to your doctor or friends <a href="https://swarb.co.uk/w-healthcare-nhs-trust-v-kh-ca-17-sep-2004/">is not enough</a>. Writing things down is important, though never easy. Ask family or friends to support you in this process. If a loved one is aware of the choices you have made they are less likely to object to your medical decisions because they have been part of the decision process.</p> <h2>3. Update when your situation changes</h2> <p>Many people are caught out when their <a href="https://compassionindying.org.uk/making-decisions-and-planning-your-care/planning-ahead/advance-decision-living-will/review-update/">personal situation changes</a>, but they have failed to update their advance directives to reflect this – such as changing romantic relationships. Family conflict by your bedside is the last thing you want. Even if your circumstances are the same, regularly update to avoid “what was I thinking?” moments when it’s too late.</p> <h2>4. Make sure it gets found</h2> <p>Inform your family, doctors and lawyers what your advance directives are <em>and</em> where to find them. If the right people don’t have access to your directives, they are useless. In a recent example, the family of a Warwickshire woman was granted a £45,000 payout after she was <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-42240148">kept alive for 22 months against her will</a> – as the relevant documents had been misplaced.</p> <h2>5. Don’t forget your online life</h2> <p>Discussions on social media about how you wish to spend your twilight days may help as <a href="https://brill.com/view/journals/ejhl/25/1/article-p24_24.xml?lang=en">supporting information</a> to ensure the wishes in your advance directives are strengthened. You should also think about who you want to be granted (or denied) access to your online accounts and social media after your death. Streamlining this process, you can now <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/04/google-death-a-tool-to-take-care-of-your-gmail-when-youre-gone/274934/">create a social media will</a> online.</p> <p>Drafting an advance directive is an exercise in liberty. It allows our beliefs and preferences to be made clear even when we are physically or mentally unable to express them ourselves. An advance directive is our voice when we no longer have one. Use your voice wisely.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/122296/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hui-yun-chan-715995">Hui Yun Chan</a>, Senior Lecturer in Law, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-huddersfield-1226">University of Huddersfield</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/five-things-to-do-before-you-die-because-planning-your-eventual-demise-takes-preparation-122296">original article</a>.</em></p>

Legal

Why you should throw out five things every Monday

<p><strong>Throw out five things </strong></p> <p>Organising your entire house in one fell swoop might be overwhelming, but vowing to toss or put away just five objects will seem much more doable. Once you look for expired foods, old receipts, junk mail, dirty socks, and other useless items, it won’t take long to gather all five and be well on your way to a de-cluttered home.</p> <p><strong>Do a once-over</strong></p> <p>The biggest thing you could do every week is to quickly take an assessment on the inside and outside of your house and determine what you need to add to your schedule. Do you notice any scuffed paint? Unruly hedges? Once you know what projects you’ll need to tackle, plan out which ones you’ll realistically have time for this week. Deciding ahead of time will make you less overwhelmed when chore time rolls around.</p> <p><strong>Clean your exhaust hood vent </strong></p> <p>Most homeowners are already good about wiping down their stovetop on at least a weekly basis, but don’t stop there. Remove the overhead vent and give it a rinse to remove the grease and food residue build-up. Not only can it prevent fire, your food might taste better, too.</p> <p><strong>Clear out your "drop zone"</strong></p> <p>Most homes have one or more areas where clutter builds up, whether it’s mail collecting on the kitchen table or a pile of clothes heaped on a bedroom chair. While it’s better to contain the clutter than to let it spill all over the house, that build-up can get overwhelming.</p> <p>To keep clutter to a minimum, take a moment each week to ‘sweep’ surfaces in at least one room. Take a trip around the room and remove easy-to-grab clutter from tabletops and shelves. Once the objects are out of the way, wipe down to keep those areas clean and tidy.</p> <p><strong>Vacuum</strong></p> <p>Of course, you know you need to vacuum when you start seeing pet dander and dirt building up, but that’s not the only reason you should clean your floors. Not only are you moving dust and dirt from the floors, but you’re protecting your filters. If you aren’t changing your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning filters or vacuuming the floors frequently enough, pet hair and other particles can build up and take a toll on the system.</p> <p><strong>Water your plants</strong></p> <p>A dried-up houseplant is a sorry sight. By committing one day a week to checking your plants, even homeowners without a green thumb can keep houseplants healthy. See if your plants are thirsty, and pick up any fallen leaves from the soil.</p> <p><strong>Mow the lawn</strong></p> <p>You’re able to put it off in the winter, but pulling out the lawnmower every week in the warmer months will keep your yard from getting unruly. Plus, it’s better for your equipment. The long grass could get caught in the blades, making the task more difficult than it would have been if you kept up with maintenance.</p> <p><strong>Change your bath towels </strong></p> <p>Even if you don’t have time to scrub your bathtub, sink, toilet, and floor every week, make sure you at least tackle the dirty towels. Replace any dirty towels with new ones, and make sure the clean ones are folded or hung nicely in place.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/food-home-garden/home-tips/why-you-should-throw-out-five-things-every-monday" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>. </em></p>

Home & Garden

Buxton crash driver pleads guilty over five teen deaths

<p>Tyrell Edwards, 19, has pleaded guilty to five counts of aggravated driving occasioning death, following a fatal crash which killed five teens south of Sydney <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/new-details-emerge-as-driver-charged-in-tragic-buxton-crash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">last year</a>. </p> <p>The teen arrived at Picton Local Court on Thursday surrounded by family members who shielded his face from cameras using an umbrella. </p> <p>As he sat in the dock at the packed court, the magistrate read out the five charges he faced over the horror crash, where he was driving 45km/h over the speed limit. </p> <p>"Guilty, your honour," Edwards would repeat as each count was read out to him. </p> <p>Edwards, who was a P-plater at the time of the accident, crashed into a tree killing three boys and two girls between the ages of 14 and 16, while he suffered non-life-threatening injuries.</p> <p>Summer Williams, Antonio Desisto, Gabriella McLennan, Lily Van de Putte, and Tyrese Bechard were all pronounced dead at the scene. </p> <p>The court was told that the car only had seatbelts for four passengers in addition to the driver. </p> <p>His lawyers argued that he should remain on bail until his next court date on the 24th of August, so that he can receive treatment for mental health issues including PTSD and an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. </p> <p>But the Magistrate denied the plea, as they believed it wasn't a good enough excuse for Edwards to remain at liberty until then. </p> <p>"I'm also of the view that if it is necessary to take place then it can take place while the offender is in custody," Magistrate David Degnan said. </p> <p>"Accordingly his bail is revoked, and you will remain in custody, Edwards."</p> <p>The Magistrate also acknowledged family and friends of the five victims, who were present in court to hear the charges, before describing the tragedy as a "particularly egregious" example of dangerous driving. </p> <p>"And the impact was at speed and had a devastating effect," he said. </p> <p>Edwards faces a maximum of 14 years in prison for each of the charges. </p> <p><em>Image: Facebook/ Nine News</em></p>

Legal

Elle Macpherson reveals the one thing that “transformed” her life

<p>Elle Macpherson, who is known for her record five cover appearances on Sports Illustrated, has shared her age-defying secrets to looking “flawless” in her 50s.</p> <p>The supermodel, who earned the nickname “The Body” in the 1980s, took to her Instagram stories to share the one practice that “transformed” her life.</p> <p>“When I turned 50, I just wasn’t feeling very well and I wasn’t looking very well. I noticed my skin, hair, and weight … I was just not feeling inspired, I had sugar cravings, and poor digestion,” she admitted in a snippet of a past interview with <em>NBC’s</em> Megyn Kelly.</p> <p>“So I went to my nutritionist and said, ‘Listen, something is wrong. I need to address my lifestyle.’</p> <p>“She said I was taking a lot of synthetic vitamins so she put me on a powerful multivitamin, prebiotic, and probiotic powder.</p> <p>“So I started taking it because I was kind of malnourished and I wasn’t sleeping much and I wasn’t eating enough fruit and vegetables and I was drinking too much coffee.”</p> <p>She revealed that after one month of being on the nutrition plan and taking natural multivitamins the changes were so visible that it changed her life.</p> <p>“I saw such a change and my friend, who is now my CEO, said, ‘What are you doing? You look amazing,’” she recalled.</p> <p>Macpherson then went on to co-found her own natural supplement and wellness business, WelleCo, with Andrea Horwood.</p> <p>The supermodel strongly believes in the benefits of good gut health and using plant-based products for their wellness.</p> <p>In a previous interview with <em>Body+Soul</em> she also revealed that aside from her physical health, she also takes care of her mental and spiritual health through meditation.</p> <p>“I take care of my mind, body and spirit every day with breath practice and meditation,” she told the publication.</p> <p>“My daily practice includes meditating in the morning for around 25 minutes — either guided, or in silence.</p> <p>“I try to live my life in a perpetual flow of meditative connection rather than just at specified times.”</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Body

John Legend welcomes new baby only FIVE MONTHS after last one

<p dir="ltr">Chrissy Teigan and John Legend have announced the birth of their fourth baby, a son named Wren Alexander Stevens, who was born via a surrogate.</p> <p dir="ltr">The couple shocked fans with the surprise announcement since their third baby, a daughter named Esti, was born just five months before Wren.</p> <p dir="ltr">John posted a sweet family pic with the caption: “Wren Alexander Stephens, our new love.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The newborn’s middle name was inspired by his surrogate mum, Alexandra.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CuCuPVqpuMB/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CuCuPVqpuMB/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by John Legend (@johnlegend)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Chrissy also posted a lengthy Instagram update on their surrogacy process, and also mentioned her late son Jack.</p> <p dir="ltr">“For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted four children,” she began the post sharing that the desire has started from the time she was a little girl and would play pretend.</p> <p dir="ltr">“After losing Jack, I didn't think I'd be able to carry any more babies on my own.</p> <p dir="ltr">“To be honest, I've personally blocked out a lot of my mindset during that time, but one clear memory is being surrounded by people who wanted to make sure I wouldn't go through that pain and loss again,” she added about her late son Jack.</p> <p dir="ltr">Chrissy then proceeded to explain that she and John mutually agreed to give IVF another go, in hopes of making her dream of having four kids come true.</p> <p dir="ltr">“In 2021, we reached out to a surrogacy agency, with our first correspondence inquiring about perhaps having 2 tandem surrogates, to each bring us a healthy baby boy or girl.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“And so we restarted the IVF process, the same process that gave us our beautiful Luna and Miles. We made new embryos. We did my transfer, and were so happy to learn it worked - we were pregnant with our little girl, Esti.”</p> <p dir="ltr">She added that their IVF success coincided with the time they met Wren’s surrogate mum and shared the appreciation she had for Alexandra.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The first embryo we tried with Alex didn't survive, and I will never forget how hard she fought to get ready for a second transfer. How much she gave up of her own body - surgeries to get scar tissue cleared, the mental toll it takes to go through all of that for yourself, much less for other people,” she wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">And overtime, their patience paid off: “As we crept toward the safe zone of my own pregnancy, we were overjoyed to learn Alexandra had become pregnant with a little boy. Our little boy.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CuCsL8bJ0pd/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CuCsL8bJ0pd/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Chrissy shared how overjoyed she was pregnant with her “best friend” and how grateful she was.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We want to say thank you for this incredible gift you have given us, Alexandra.</p> <p dir="ltr">“And we are so happy to tell the world he is here, with a name forever connected to you, Wren Alexander Stephens. Our hearts, and our home, are officially full. And to our Jack, we know both their angel kisses are from you,” she ended the post.</p> <p dir="ltr">The happy news comes almost two years after the celebrity couple lost their son Jack 20 weeks into Chrissy’s pregnancy.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

5 surprising factors damaging your heart

<p>It’s important to maintain heart health at all stages of life, but it becomes particularly crucial as we age – after all, the older you get, the older your heart becomes, too. And even though you might be taking all the right precautions (e.g. quitting smoking, eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly), you could be tarnishing your ticker without even realising it. Here are five things you didn’t know could negatively affect your heart health.</p> <p><strong>1. Damaged hearing</strong> – if you’ve spent much of your life working or living in noisy areas or regularly attending loud events (i.e. those rock concerts you frequented back in the day!), beware. A 2015 study found that people with high-frequency hearing loss in both years (most often due to prolonged exposure to high-decibel noise) were twice as prone to heart disease than those with normal hearing.</p> <p><strong>2. Air pollution</strong> – Have you been considering a sea or tree change? Now might be the time to do it. Researchers in 2011 discovered that exposure to traffic and air pollution is responsible for between 5 and 7 per cent of heart attacks around the world. Experts believe this may be due to an increase in arterial plaque build-up experienced by city-dwellers.</p> <p><strong>3. Sleep deprivation</strong> – A chronic lack of sleep increases production of adrenaline and cortisol (the stress hormone), which in turn increases your heart rate and blood pressure. In fact, one study found those who regularly had less than five hours of sleep were three times more at risk of heart attack than those who got between six and eight hours.</p> <p><strong>4. Excessive exercise</strong> – Believe it or not, but exercise could be putting you at risk of a heart attack – that is, if you’re doing too much vigorous exercise too often. Anything that causes strain can lead to dangerously high blood pressure – this means weightlifting and endurance sports (e.g. marathons) could be off the table. Stick to low-impact workouts like brisk walking, light weights and yoga.</p> <p><strong>5. Too much sitting</strong> – We’ve heard it all before – that sitting is bad for you – but you might not have realised just how bad it can be. According to a 2015 report, the average adult spends more than half of their waking hours sitting down, making them more likely to suffer or die from heart disease –even those who exercised an hour a day couldn’t combat this higher risk.</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Body

Former X-Factor star charged with murder of baby

<p dir="ltr">Mitchell David Callaway, a former <em>X-Factor </em>contestant who appeared alongside Johnny Ruffo in the show’s 2011 season, has been charged with murder for the death of a nine-month-old girl in 2018.</p> <p dir="ltr">Emergency services had been called out over reports of an unresponsive baby girl in the Central West, and despite the best efforts of medical professionals and transport to Coonabarabran Hospital, she passed away. </p> <p dir="ltr">Callaway was arrested on June 8 - five years after her death - at a house in Bowraville, New South Wales. That same day, the 37-year-old faced Macksville Local Court, and was refused bail with instruction to attend court again the following week. </p> <p dir="ltr">The arrest was the culmination of a five year investigation under Strike Force King, after police officials received new information and executed a crime scene warrant at another property - actions which eventually led them to Callaway’s door. </p> <p dir="ltr">And now, the young girl’s mother has spoken out on social media about his arrest, and the devastating loss of her baby. </p> <p dir="ltr">“After almost five years to the day, an arrest has finally been made,” she wrote. “All the years of pain, suffering and grief and following my mother’s intuition.</p> <p dir="ltr">She spoke of how there was still a “long road ahead” in getting justice for her daughter, with court proceedings still to occur, but that it was good to see “the beginning of justice” in the wake of her heartbreak.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She has been the reason I have continued to fight, live and have made it this far,” she added. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Not a day goes by that I do not miss you and wish you were here.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This doesn’t bring you back but it does bring you some peace and the justice you deserve. Forever my little girl. Mummy loves you, xx”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Additional online tributes - from the time of her passing - described her as a “precious daughter”, and someone who was also an “adored and loved great-granddaughter, granddaughter, niece, and cousin”.</p> <p dir="ltr">A funeral was held for the girl, where more heartfelt words were shared, and her loved ones came together in a flurry of bright colour to “celebrate the first birthday she never got to have.” </p> <p dir="ltr">“She was the definition of perfect,” an obituary for her declared. “She was the happiest, smiliest, cheekiest baby who melted the hearts of everyone that met her.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: NSW Police</em></p>

News

Five easy ways to use less water at home – and not just in a drought

<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/niko-wanders-1234321">Niko Wanders</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/utrecht-university-1354">Utrecht University</a></em></p> <p>With so much of the world suffering from drought, you might think your ability to help is minimal. But when you consider the average person in the UK uses around <a href="https://www.water.org.uk/news-item/vast-majority-of-brits-have-no-idea-how-much-water-they-use-each-day/">142 litres of water a day</a>, it’s easy to see how small changes to your routine can add up.</p> <p>More than half of the water that is extracted from rivers, streams and aquifers in the UK feeds the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/env15-water-abstraction-tables">public water supply</a>. These abstractions, as they’re called, worsen drought conditions by draining local waterways, depriving vegetation, fish and other aquatic life of the water they need to survive droughts.</p> <p>Filling paddling pools to cool off, taking multiple showers each day to stay clean, watering the garden to revive wilting plants – all these extra activities contribute to a sharp increase in public water use on hot and dry days. And these impacts can endure for months, as freshwater systems need a lot of additional rainfall to recover from droughts.</p> <p>If each person can reduce their water use during a drought, it would significantly benefit the natural world in its recovery. Here are five things you can do, starting today.</p> <h2>1. Shower less</h2> <p>Most of the water you use is <a href="https://www.water.org.uk/news-item/vast-majority-of-brits-have-no-idea-how-much-water-they-use-each-day/">in the shower</a>. For every minute you’re under the shower head (depending on how powerful it is), around 10 litres of water drains away. Since most people shower for <a href="https://www.mirashowers.co.uk/blog/trends/revealed-what-brits-are-really-getting-up-to-in-the-bathroom-1/#:%7E:text=Most%20Brits%20(62%25)%20bathe,latest%20UK%20shower%20habits%20survey.">an average of seven minutes</a>, half of your daily water use takes place first thing in the morning.</p> <p>Turning off the shower while shampooing your hair or applying shower gel can help conserve water, as can shortening the length of your shower overall. Be sure not to switch to a bath though – the average soak in the tub uses <a href="https://www.water.org.uk/news-item/vast-majority-of-brits-have-no-idea-how-much-water-they-use-each-day/">around 80 litres of water</a>.</p> <h2>2. Use rainwater in the garden</h2> <figure class="align-right zoomable"><figcaption></figcaption></figure> <p>During a dry spell, the average gardener can use <a href="https://www.southwestwater.co.uk/siteassets/documents/uwu-0618-web-version.pdf">hundreds of litres</a> of water to keep their plants hydrated. Some people will use a watering can (good), others might leave a sprinkler on all day (bad). Most use drinking water, which is a waste – plants are happy with rain water.</p> <p>Add a water butt that collects the rain which falls on your roof and use it for the garden. To find out how to install one, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jk0lstsu5o">watch this</a>.</p> <h2>3. Use the short flush</h2> <p>Per flush, your toilet uses about <a href="https://www.water.org.uk/news-item/vast-majority-of-brits-have-no-idea-how-much-water-they-use-each-day/">5 litres of water</a>, and up to 10 litres in older models. If available, use the short flush to significantly reduce how much water is wasted.</p> <h2>4. Cut back on car washing</h2> <p>If you need to wash your car, do it the old-fashioned way with a bucket and soap rather than hosing it down. The water contained in a bucket (<a href="https://www.water.org.uk/news-item/vast-majority-of-brits-have-no-idea-how-much-water-they-use-each-day/">roughly 30 litres</a>) is significantly less than the average that flows through a hose (around <a href="https://www.southwestwater.co.uk/siteassets/documents/uwu-0618-web-version.pdf">15 litres per minute</a>). Better yet, avoid washing your car entirely during a drought.</p> <h2>5. Reuse water</h2> <p>If you’re washing vegetables, you could collect the water in a bowl in the sink and later give it to the plants in your house or outside. While you’re waiting for warm water to come out of a tap, use the cold to fill the kettle. Close the tap while you’re lathering your hands with soap or brushing your teeth. Though these are only small savings, they do make a difference over time.</p> <p>Inflatable pools are lovely for cooling down on the hottest days. A cleaning pump can filter the water and recycle it without you needing to use more water to keep the pool clean.</p> <h2>Save water, save money</h2> <p>All these tips can significantly reduce your water use and combat the effects of drought on the environment. They can also save you money.</p> <p>If you’re able to renovate your home, it’s worth installing a system for collecting rain water which, combined with a pump, can flush toilets. In Belgium, for example, it is common practice to have such a system installed (effectively, a large underground water butt) in newly built houses.</p> <p>Most people would struggle to afford these kinds of measures, and so drought-proofing homes and communities should be part of the effort to adapt countries to the extreme weather expected in a rapidly warming world.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Shutterstock</em></p> <hr /> <figure class="align-right "><figcaption></figcaption></figure> <p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong> <br /><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeTop">Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead.</a> Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeBottom">Join the 10,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.</a></em><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/187885/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <hr /> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/niko-wanders-1234321">Niko Wanders</a>, Assistant Professor in Hydrological Extremes, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/utrecht-university-1354">Utrecht University</a></em></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/five-easy-ways-to-use-less-water-at-home-and-not-just-in-a-drought-187885">original article</a>.</p>

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Better sleep is a protective factor against dementia

Christchurch attack victims' families reflect on tragedy five years on

Major claim in investigation into deadly house fire that killed five children

Five tips for developing and managing your budget – even in tough economic times

Downsizing cost trap awaits retirees – five reasons to be wary

Petition launched for Miss Universe Australia to step down

“There were bodies everywhere”: Five people dead in horror pub crash

Five ways to take advantage of rising interest rates to boost your savings

"She had the biggest heart": Mum's tribute to five-year-old killed in a car crash

6 common factors that are impacting your sleep

Elle Macpherson marks major 20-year milestone

"My little girl!": Cindy Crawford gushes over lookalike daughter

Five things to do before you die – because planning your eventual demise takes preparation

Why you should throw out five things every Monday

Buxton crash driver pleads guilty over five teen deaths

Elle Macpherson reveals the one thing that “transformed” her life

John Legend welcomes new baby only FIVE MONTHS after last one

5 surprising factors damaging your heart

Former X-Factor star charged with murder of baby

Five easy ways to use less water at home – and not just in a drought

Our Partners

News

Shop

Catalogues

Newspaper

Contests

Entertainment

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Property

Compare

Games

Information

Keep up to date

Search

Better sleep is a protective factor against dementia

Christchurch attack victims' families reflect on tragedy five years on

Major claim in investigation into deadly house fire that killed five children

Five tips for developing and managing your budget – even in tough economic times

Downsizing cost trap awaits retirees – five reasons to be wary

Petition launched for Miss Universe Australia to step down

“There were bodies everywhere”: Five people dead in horror pub crash

Five ways to take advantage of rising interest rates to boost your savings

"She had the biggest heart": Mum's tribute to five-year-old killed in a car crash

6 common factors that are impacting your sleep

Elle Macpherson marks major 20-year milestone

"My little girl!": Cindy Crawford gushes over lookalike daughter

Five things to do before you die – because planning your eventual demise takes preparation

Why you should throw out five things every Monday

Buxton crash driver pleads guilty over five teen deaths

Elle Macpherson reveals the one thing that “transformed” her life

John Legend welcomes new baby only FIVE MONTHS after last one

5 surprising factors damaging your heart

Former X-Factor star charged with murder of baby

Five easy ways to use less water at home – and not just in a drought

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