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Young woman jailed for 7 years for swapping price tags at supermarket

A Russian court has convicted an artist to seven years in jail for swapping supermarket price tags with antiwar messages. Sasha Skochilenko, 33, was arrested in St Petersburg and charged with spreading misinformation about the military when she replaced price tags with ones against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "The Russian army bombed an arts schools in Mariupol. Some 400 people were hiding in it from the shelling," one read. "Russian conscripts are being sent to Ukraine. Lives of our children are the price of this war," the other said. Her arrest is part of the latest crackdown on free speech, and she was arrested after a customer at the supermarket found the slogans and reported her to authorities. Skochilenko's arrest comes one month after authorities adopted a law that criminalises any public expression about the war that deviates from the official Kremlin line. The legislation is used to crackdown on opposition politicians, human rights activists and ordinary citizens that are critical of the Kremlin. The 33-year-old has not denied replacing the price tags but has rejected the accusation of knowingly spreading false information. She also claimed that she didn't want to criticise the military but wanted to stop the fighting. "She is a very empathetic, peace-loving person. To her, in general, the word 'war' is the most terrible thing imaginable, as is the suffering of people," her lawyer Yana Nepovinnova told The Associated Press last week. "She is a very empathetic, peace-loving person. To her, in general, the word 'war' is the most terrible thing imaginable, as is the suffering of people," Nepovinnova added. According to the Russian independent news site Mediazona, Skochilenko said that the case against her was "weird and ridiculous" in her final statement in court and that even the officials where she was detained at "open their eyes widely and exclaim: 'Is this really what people are being imprisoned for now?'" While addressing the judge in a courtroom full of supporters, Skochilenko also reportedly said that: "Everyone sees and knows that it's not a terrorist you're trying. You're not trying an extremist. You're not trying a political activist, either. You're trying a pacifist." Mediazona also reported that her supporters applauded her and chanted her name when she was led away after the verdict. Nearly 750 people have face criminal charges for their antiwar stances, and over 8100 had petty charges for discrediting the army, which is punishable by a fine or short time in jail. Images: BBC News

Legal

What makes a good life? Existentialists believed we should embrace freedom and authenticity

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/oscar-davis-876589">Oscar Davis</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a> How do we live good, fulfilling lives? Aristotle first took on this question in his <a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-ethics/">Nicomachean Ethics</a> – arguably the first time anyone in Western intellectual history had focused on the subject as a standalone question. He formulated a teleological response to the question of how we ought to live. Aristotle proposed, in other words, an answer grounded in an investigation of our purpose or ends (telos) as a species. Our purpose, he argued, can be uncovered through a study of our essence – the fundamental features of what it means to be human. <h2>Ends and essences</h2> “Every skill and every inquiry, and similarly every action and rational choice, is thought to aim at some good;” Aristotle states, “and so the good has been aptly described as that at which everything aims.” To understand what is good, and therefore what one must do to achieve the good, we must first understand what kinds of things we are. This will allow us to determine what a good or a bad function actually is. For Aristotle, this is a generally applicable truth. Take a knife, for example. We must first understand what a knife is in order to determine what would constitute its proper function. The essence of a knife is that it cuts; that is its purpose. We can thus make the claim that a blunt knife is a bad knife – if it does not cut well, it is failing in an important sense to properly fulfil its function. This is how essence relates to function, and how fulfilling that function entails a kind of goodness for the thing in question. Of course, determining the function of a knife or a hammer is much easier than determining the function of Homo sapiens, and therefore what good, fulfilling lives might involve for us as a species. Aristotle argues that our function must be more than growth, nutrition and reproduction, as plants are also capable of this. Our function must also be more than perception, as non-human animals are capable of this. He thus proposes that our essence – what makes us unique – is that humans are capable of reasoning. What a good, flourishing human life involves, therefore, is “some kind of practical life of that part that has reason”. This is the starting point of Aristotle’s ethics. We must learn to reason well and develop practical wisdom and, in applying this reason to our decisions and judgements, we must learn to find the right balance between the excess and deficiency of virtue. It is only by living a life of “virtuous activity in accordance with reason”, a life in which we flourish and fulfil the functions that flow from a deep understanding of and appreciation for what defines us, that we can achieve eudaimonia – the highest human good. <h2>Existence precedes essence</h2> Aristotle’s answer was so influential that it shaped the development of Western values for millennia. Thanks to philosophers and theologians such as <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Thomas-Aquinas">Thomas Aquinas</a>, his enduring influence can be traced through the medieval period to the Renaissance and on to the Enlightenment. During the Enlightenment, the dominant philosophical and religious traditions, which included Aristotle’s work, were reexamined in light of new Western principles of thought. Beginning in the 18th century, the Enlightenment era saw the birth of modern science, and with it the adoption of the principle nullius in verba – literally, “take nobody’s word for it” – which became the motto of the <a href="https://royalsociety.org/about-us/history/">Royal Society</a>. There was a corresponding proliferation of secular approaches to understanding the nature of reality and, by extension, the way we ought to live our lives. One of the most influential of these secular philosophies was existentialism. In the 20th century, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Paul-Sartre">Jean-Paul Sartre</a>, a key figure in existentialism, took up the challenge of thinking about the meaning of life without recourse to theology. Sartre argued that Aristotle, and those who followed in Aristotle’s footsteps, had it all back-to-front. <figure class="align-right zoomable"><figcaption></figcaption></figure> Existentialists see us as going about our lives making seemingly endless choices. We choose what we wear, what we say, what careers we follow, what we believe. All of these choices make up who we are. Sartre summed up this principle in the formula “existence precedes essence”. The existentialists teach us that we are completely free to invent ourselves, and therefore completely responsible for the identities we choose to adopt. “The first effect of existentialism,” Sartre wrote in his 1946 essay <a href="https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/sartre/works/exist/sartre.htm">Existentialism is a Humanism</a>, “is that it puts every man in possession of himself as he is, and places the entire responsibility for his existence squarely upon his own shoulders.” Crucial to living an authentic life, the existentialists would say, is recognising that we desire freedom above everything else. They maintain we ought never to deny the fact we are fundamentally free. But they also acknowledge we have so much choice about what we can be and what we can do that it is a source of anguish. This anguish is a felt sense of our profound responsibility. The existentialists shed light on an important phenomenon: we all convince ourselves, at some point and to some extent, that we are “bound by external circumstances” in order to escape the anguish of our inescapable freedom. Believing we possess a predefined essence is one such external circumstance. But the existentialists provide a range of other psychologically revealing examples. Sartre tells a story of watching a waiter in a cafe in Paris. He observes that the waiter moves a little too precisely, a little too quickly, and seems a little too eager to impress. Sartre believes the waiter’s exaggeration of waiter-hood is an act – that the waiter is deceiving himself into being a waiter. In doing so, argues Sartre, the waiter denies his authentic self. He has opted instead to assume the identity of something other than a free and autonomous being. His act reveals he is denying his own freedom, and ultimately his own humanity. Sartre calls this condition “bad faith”. <h2>An authentic life</h2> Contrary to Aristotle’s conception of eudaimonia, the existentialists regard acting authentically as the highest good. This means never acting in such a way that denies we are free. When we make a choice, that choice must be fully ours. We have no essence; we are nothing but what we make for ourselves. One day, Sartre was visited by a pupil, who sought his advice about whether he should join the French forces and avenge his brother’s death, or stay at home and provide vital support for his mother. Sartre believed the history of moral philosophy was of no help in this situation. “You are free, therefore choose,” he replied to the pupil – “that is to say, invent”. The only choice the pupil could make was one that was authentically his own. We all have feelings and questions about the meaning and purpose of our lives, and it is not as simple as picking a side between the Aristotelians, the existentialists, or any of the other moral traditions. In his essay, <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3600/3600-h/3600-h.htm#link2HCH0019">That to Study Philosophy is to Learn to Die</a> (1580), Michel de Montaigne finds what is perhaps an ideal middle ground. He proposes “the premeditation of death is the premeditation of liberty” and that “he who has learnt to die has forgot what it is to be a slave”. In his typical style of jest, Montaigne concludes: “I want death to take me planting cabbages, but without any careful thought of him, and much less of my garden’s not being finished.” Perhaps Aristotle and the existentialists could agree that it is just in thinking about these matters – purposes, freedom, authenticity, mortality – that we overcome the silence of never understanding ourselves. To study philosophy is, in this sense, to learn how to live.<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/204364/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/oscar-davis-876589">Oscar Davis</a>, Indigenous Fellow - Assistant Professor in Philosophy and History, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-makes-a-good-life-existentialists-believed-we-should-embrace-freedom-and-authenticity-204364">original article</a>.

Caring

Five expensive (but avoidable) financial mistakes

The road to financial freedom can have many potholes but knowing how to avoid them is simple if you know what to do. Here’s some tips on what to look out for. When it comes to your retirement, planning is crucial. The first step, however, is understanding how to make the most of your financial position by avoiding the mistakes many people make when it comes to planning for the future. Here’s a few tips from wealth management firm BT Financial Group on how to avoid the speed bumps you may find along your financial journey. Too little too late The government has deliberately set up the superannuation system to favour those who start early and stay on track. Those who leave it to the last minute often do so at their own peril. Start as soon as possible and map out your road to financial freedom. Pay unnecessary taxes There are many simple, legal ways to make sure you’re not paying more tax than you need. Check with your financial planner or accountant if you’re making the most of the tax incentives offered by the government. Fall for investment fads This probably poses the greatest single danger to your prosperity. Technology stocks in the late 1990s and speculative miners in the late 2000s were very tempting when they were rising fast. Your best weapon against this temptation is to develop a disciplined investment plan and stick with it. It won’t happen to me Wealth management is just as much about protecting your assets as it is about building wealth. Make sure you have a “Plan B” to pay off your house and look after your family if you were to die or be permanently unable to work. Your ability to earn money is actually your most valuable asset, so it’s vital to protect that asset with income protection insurance. Fail to plan As the old adage goes, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail”. If you can articulate your goals and visualise what achieving those goals looks like, you are well on your way to achieving them. Write down your three most important goals and keep them in a safe place to review at least once a year.

Money & Banking

Democracy spreads in waves – but shared cultural history might matter more than geography

Recent events like the war in Ukraine, conflicts over Taiwan and the rise of authoritarian ideology have renewed interest in the foundations of modern democracy. They have raised questions about why some nations are more democratic than others, and how democratic institutions, freedoms and values are spread or lost. We tend to think of this variation in terms of geography – democratic Western Europe or autocratic Middle East. But in a <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/evolutionary-human-sciences/article/shared-cultural-ancestry-predicts-the-global-diffusion-of-democracy/90C7A170B924FC305DD66FF8853799FC" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new analysis of 220 years of political data</a>, we show that deep cultural connections between countries such as shared linguistic or religious ancestry matter more than geography. <h2>Waves of democratisation</h2> The emergence of modern democracy coincides with the rise of nation states in Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. Democracy spread across European nations and their colonies, over <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Third_Wave:_Democratization_in_the_Late_Twentieth_Century" target="_blank" rel="noopener">three waves</a>. The first wave lasted about a century, from 1828 to 1926, halting after the first world war. A second, rapid wave (1945-1962) followed the second world war and decolonisation. The third wave began in 1974 and continues today. It encompassed political transitions and new countries in Europe, Latin America and the Pacific. Each wave was followed by a period of reversals when nations turned to autocratic regimes, junta or fascism. Indeed, some researchers speculate we are heading into <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13510347.2019.1582029" target="_blank" rel="noopener">another period of reversal</a>. <h2>What drives modern democracy?</h2> Scholars traditionally considered factors internal to a country – economic growth, rates of education or the natural environment – as the drivers of these waves. However, the geographic clustering of democracy and the wave-like pattern of expansion suggest the process may also involve a kind of contagion where democracy passes from one nation to another. One explanation for this is that democratic change spreads across borders, so that neighbouring countries end up with similar levels of democracy. Culture provides another explanation. Neighbouring countries tend to share a common cultural heritage, such as related languages or religions. This shapes national institutions, norms and values. In our research, we tested the idea that common cultural ancestry explains variation and change in democracy around the globe. We brought together 220 years of democracy data with information on the cultural relationships between nations. The cultural relationships we examined were based on languages and religious beliefs. For example, Portugal is linguistically closer to Spanish-speaking Argentina and Spain than to England and Germany (which speak Germanic languages). Likewise, Myanmar, a Theravada Buddhist country, is religiously closer to Mongolia (where Vajrayana Buddhism is predominant) than to Muslim Malaysia. <h2>Culture is more important than geography</h2> The democracy data we studied cover 269 modern and historical nations and three widely-used democracy indicators, measuring democratic and autocratic authority in governing institutions (<a href="https://www.systemicpeace.org/polityproject.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Polity 5</a>), electoral participation and competition (<a href="https://www.prio.org/data/20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vanhanen Index</a>) and individual rights and freedoms (<a href="https://freedomhouse.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Freedom House</a>). Across all three indicators of democracy, we found countries that share linguistic or religious ancestry tend to have more similar democracy scores. These shared cultural ties were better predictors of democracy than geography, especially during the third wave of democratisation. Knowing the democratic status of a country’s linguistic or religious relatives helps predict that country’s future level of democracy five, ten or even 20 years later. These effects were not just due to countries sharing a language (for example, the English-speaking world) or religion (such as the Sunni Islam majority countries). This suggests deeper cultural connections between countries are important. <h2>What this means for the spread of democracy</h2> These effects could be the result of a number of processes. One possibility is that countries directly inherited institutions along the same pathways they inherited cultural features like language. For instance, Aotearoa New Zealand and other Commonwealth countries inherited the British legal system along with the English language. Another possibility is that cultural similarities might make countries more likely to maintain ongoing social connections, including foreign relations, which then aid the spread of institutions. For example, the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-arab-spring-changed-the-middle-east-and-north-africa-forever-161394" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arab Spring</a> spread among a set of countries with common linguistic and religious heritage. A third possibility is that inherited cultural values could steer countries towards similar institutions. For example, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-019-0769-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in previous research</a> we found that tolerance of diversity (cosmopolitan values) promotes a shift to more democratic institutions, but the reverse is not true. Democratic institutions do not shift tolerance. Countries that have inherited cosmopolitan values as part of their shared cultural ancestry may be more likely to shift towards democracy. If this theory is correct, it calls into question the assumption that democratic institutions can endure without sustained efforts to promote the cultural values that support them. The US interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq may be tragic examples of this. Our findings indicate cultural history matters for understanding the spread of democracy around the globe. This does not mean culture is the only factor at play (our analyses still leave a lot of variation unexplained). Neither do our findings speak to a population’s ultimate potential to achieve democratic outcomes, but we see this as within the reach of all populations. This means those wishing to support democracy at home or abroad should take cultural barriers seriously. We cannot assume that institutions that work well in one cultural setting can be easily transplanted to another, very different setting, with different values, norms and traditions. We should pay more attention to culturally closely related countries that have succeeded at merging local norms and values with democratic institutions. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/democracy-spreads-in-waves-but-shared-cultural-history-might-matter-more-than-geography-189959" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Legal

Iran: protesters call for move to a non-religious state. What changes would that bring?

My friend was in Tehran during protests after <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/events-iran-since-mahsa-aminis-arrest-death-custody-2022-10-05/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the death</a> of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the morality police (Gasht-e Ershad). My friend went into a grocery shop intending to buy milk. The seller refused to sell anything to her. “Why are you refusing?” she asked. “I can see that you have milk.” “Because you are wearing a hijab,” the seller responded. This is part of a backlash by those who see themselves as oppressed by the Islamic Republic’s discriminatory hijab law, which prosecutes women for not “covering up”. The term hijab is an Arabic word meaning cover. It’s used to refer to different types of covering, from a long-sleeved coat, pants and scarf to the Islamic government’s preferred form of dress, chador, which is a loose-fitting black cloth worn over the entire body. After Mahsa Amini’s killing in September, mass protests broke out over this law and its enforcement. Wearing hijab became obligatory for all Iranian women from April 1983, after the 1979 revolution. Since then, all women have been forced by law to wear hijab (a covering of hair and or body) in public, even non-Muslims and foreigners visiting Iran. If they don’t they face prosecution. The government of Iran, the Islamic Republic, argues that God commands women to wear hijab. This is a government which has leaders who are members of the clergy and merged religious beliefs into state law. But even some Islamic scholars argue that the Qur'an does not suggest that hijab should be <a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300257311/women-and-gender-in-islam/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">compulsory</a>. Mahsa Amini’s case is polarising Iran: those who rigorously advocate the hijab and religious law are set against those who prefer a <a href="https://time.com/6216024/iran-protests-islamic-republic-response/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">secular state</a>, not run by religious values. This has led the nation to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/26/iran-at-least-15-killed-after-gunmen-attack-shrine-in-shiraz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the current upheaval</a>, with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/08/are-hijab-protests-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-irans-regime" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vast</a> protests across the country, and <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-63410577" target="_blank" rel="noopener">people being killed</a>. At many protests the Iranian resistance chant is <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/iran-protests-women-life-freedom-mahsa-amini-killing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zan, Zendegi, Azadi</a> (#WomenLifeFreedom) is heard. The protesters call for life and liberty to be applicable to everyone (religious and non-religious). A big part of <a href="https://theconversation.com/iran-protests-majority-of-people-reject-compulsory-hijab-and-an-islamic-regime-surveys-find-191448" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the motivation</a> behind these protests is to challenge how the current religious law takes away the right of women to choose what to wear. <h2>What is secularism?</h2> Secularism is the idea that states should be <a href="https://academic.oup.com/book/1881/chapter-abstract/141631825?redirectedFrom=fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noopener">neutral about religion</a>. The state should not <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/feb/16/what-mean-secular-state-neutral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">back</a> a specific religion over others. A secular state <a href="https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1548-1360.2011.01117.x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">provides</a> equal opportunity for religious and non-religious citizens to pursue their lives. The state must respect everyone’s values (including minorities), not just some people’s values. Secularism seems reasonable <a href="https://academic.oup.com/book/28394" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to many</a> because it is unusual for an entire nation to believe in a religion as one source of law. Some <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00263206.2019.1643330" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scholars of Islam</a> disagree with the established interpretation of the Islamic Republic about whether God has commanded a mandatory hijab. As a result, they claim that hijab is not about covering hair but about “modesty”. Some others challenge <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/12/iran-hijab-law-protest-ali-larijani" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the way</a> the morality police treat women in the street. While some people might be railing against women being forced to wear the hijab, others continue to feel strongly about its continued use. <a href="https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-qom-women-hijab/31929986.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reports</a> say that Iranian authorities have closed some coffee shops because of the “improper” hijab of some female customers. And more <a href="https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/iran-detains-woman-eating-breakfast-without-hijab" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently</a>, a woman was arrested for eating breakfast in a café with no hijab. <h2>Iranian history of secularism</h2> Modern debates about secularism in Iran can be traced back to the <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/irans-constitutional-revolution-9780755649235/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Constitutional Revolution</a> in 1906. It advocated <a href="https://iranicaonline.org/articles/constitutional-revolution-i" target="_blank" rel="noopener">liberalism and secularism</a> and began conversations about a society without religious rules for all. Iranians experienced enforced secularisation shortly after Reza Shah Pahlavi was <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Reza-Shah-Pahlavi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">crowned</a> in 1925. In 1936 he issued a decree <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/iran-and-the-headscarf-protests/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kashf-e hijab</a> that any public expression of religious faith, including wearing hijab, was illegal. Again, this was a leader was telling women what to wear. However, his attempt to militantly secularise and westernise Iran faced <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/mono/10.4324/9780203060636-22/banning-veil-consequences-dr-stephanie-cronin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resistance</a> from society. The overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979 led to the establishment of a militant Islamic government based on <a href="https://www.icit-digital.org/books/islam-and-revolution-writings-and-declarations-of-imam-khomeini-1941-1980" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shia Muslim teachings</a>. After the hijab became <a href="https://www.mei.edu/publications/irans-headscarf-politics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mandatory</a>, it became a symbol of compulsory faith. It has also played a significant role in pushing some parts of the Iranian population towards a more secular state. In 2022 Iran is experiencing some dramatic shifts, including what appears to be a shift towards secularism. Some argue that secularism is an <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1979/05/25/archives/khomeini-terms-secular-critics-enemies-of-islam-dictatorship-of-the.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">enemy</a> of religion or a product of <a href="https://nyupress.org/9780814795644/democracy-in-modern-iran/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">western colonisation</a>. Despite the majority of Iranians considering themselves <a href="https://gamaan.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/GAMAAN-Iran-Religion-Survey-2020-English.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">religious</a>, some evidence shows that Iranians are <a href="https://theconversation.com/iran-protests-majority-of-people-reject-compulsory-hijab-and-an-islamic-regime-surveys-find-191448" target="_blank" rel="noopener">less religious</a> than before. Since the Islamic revolution there’s been a lot of research about how Iran could work as a <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Secularization-of-Islam-in-Post-Revolutionary-Iran/Pargoo/p/book/9780367654672" target="_blank" rel="noopener">secular</a> society and about religious <a href="https://brill.com/view/book/9789047400714/B9789047400714_s006.xml" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tolerance</a>. The current protest movement, led mainly by <a href="https://www.mei.edu/publications/irans-rising-generation-z-forefront-protests" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gen Z in Iran</a>, is growing partly because of its use of the internet and social media to communicate and share information. People can also learn from other nations’ experiences of secularism through social media. This is why the regime is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/audio/2022/oct/06/why-is-the-government-in-iran-shutting-down-the-internet-podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shutting down</a> the internet and censoring YouTube, Instagram and Twitter. <a href="https://gamaan.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/GAMAAN-Political-Systems-Survey-2022-English-Final.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">One poll</a> suggests that more than 60% of Iranians now want a non-religious state, the question is whether those in power are willing to give it to them. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/iran-protesters-call-for-move-to-a-non-religious-state-what-changes-would-that-bring-193198" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Sky News

Legal

"Prisoner in his own home": Veteran's battle for freedom

An Aussie veteran is battling for his freedom after being stuck in his apartment for over a year. Eric Bouvier, a 92-year-old veteran, wants nothing more than to sit outside in the sun without having to rely on others. Despite being in a wheelchair, Eric is capable of getting himself around. The only problem is, he lives on the third floor of an apartment block in the eastern Sydney suburb of Maroubra, which doesn't have lift access. After serving in World War II, the Department of Veteran Affairs stepped in and purchased him a chairlift, saying they would also pay for the installation in his home unit block. But well over a year after its approval, it still sits in a box waiting to be installed. "He is a prisoner in his own home," Jason, Eric's carer, told <a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/sydney-war-veterans-battle-with-body-corporate-over-chairlift-installation-inaction/dd3d3f4f-c54b-4859-bbab-ff578e48d977" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A Current Affair</a>. "Eric and I have asked the body corporate to put the chairlift in, but discussions are still going on and meanwhile Eric is stuck inside." "I've been trapped inside my home now for nearly 18 months," Eric said. The problem is the building's 1960s internal hand-railing is not to standard and needs to be replaced at the body corporate's expense before the chairlift can be installed. The building's body corporate have been getting quotes and debating the price of the renovations for well over 12 months. "It's my home and I have no rights," said Bouvier, who has now engaged a lawyer to battle the body corporate and get freedom. "It's everyone's legal right to access their home and if a hand railing needs to be installed, it should be done immediately," Amanda Farmer, Bouvier's Strata property lawyer said. Eric is continuing to wait patiently inside his home until the day his chairlift gets installed. "I may have lost my freedom for now, but at least I can still smile," he said. Image credits: A Current Affair

Retirement Life

Religious freedom bill falls at second hurdle

The Australian federal government’s bid to overhaul religious freedom laws has been shelved indefinitely, after a failed motion to bring the matter on for debate in the Senate.After the laws were passed in the House of Representatives in the early hours on Thursday morning, the bill was due to enter a second round of discussions and votes during the Senate.However, the failure to bring it on for debate has meant it will likely be shelved indefinitely, with coalition sources confirming the government is highly unlikely to bring it back for debate when the Senate sits again in March.According to the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-10/government-consults-religious-groups-discrimination-bill/100818568" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC</a>, this is because the government doesn’t want debates about religious freedoms to affect its chances of selling a pre-election budget.The proposed law has been the subject of intense criticism in recent days due to the introduction of new amendments to protect gay students from discrimination by religious schools which wouldn’t extend to transgender school students.Though it was a more watered-down version of the bill the government initially proposed, several moderate Liberals were concerned about the amendment as well as other parts which remained from the original bill.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Liberal MP Bridget Archer has rejected her own party's religious discrimination bill, saying she is "horrified" that trans kids aren't protected, and "in 2022, I can't believe that we are even having this conversation" Neither can we<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/auspol?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#auspol</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CallTheElectionDickhead?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CallTheElectionDickhead</a> <a href="https://t.co/qequTAhHqT">pic.twitter.com/qequTAhHqT</a>— Media Analyst (@MediaAnalystOz) <a href="https://twitter.com/MediaAnalystOz/status/1490952870992412674?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2022</a></blockquote>This prompted five Liberal MPs to cross the floor and vote with Labor and the crossbench against the government in order to extend protections for transgender students.Following that defeat, the government consulted with religious groups on the future of the laws.Some of these groups have expressed that they are adamantly against supporting the protections for transgener students that now came with the bill.Assistant Attorney-General Amanda Stoker said the amended bill was flawed and that “it’s not what the government designed”.“It’s not what we thought had got the balance right,” she said.The Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) has also advocated for the bill to be dumped, claiming that removing exemptions allowing schools to discriminate against trans students “completely undermined” the bill.“[The exemptions] have enabled faith-based schools to teach their religion and conduct their school according to their faith values,” ACL director Wendy Francis said.“The loss of this protection would outweigh any benefits that could be obtained by the religious discrimination bill.“With the amendments so damaging to religious freedom, the government should immediately withdraw the bills.”Conservative government members have also called for the bill to be dumped.When the government proposed to strike out existing laws allowing students to be expelled due to their sexuality, the move was supported by groups such as the Christian Schools Association (CSA).But Christian schools and the government argued that extending those protections to gender identity created additional complications, with the CSA fearing protections for transgender staff and students could hinder the teaching of the school’s faith.In a moving speech prior to the bill passing in the House of Representatives, Shadow Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones spoke about his son Paddy, the unique risks LGBTQIA+ children experience in the community and his anxiety as a parent of a child within that community.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I spoke on the Morrison Government's religious discrimination bill and the message we want to send our kids. (1/2) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/auspol?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#auspol</a> <a href="https://t.co/7FOW2XEJKj">pic.twitter.com/7FOW2XEJKj</a>— Stephen Jones MP (@StephenJonesMP) <a href="https://twitter.com/StephenJonesMP/status/1491131692345532420?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2022</a></blockquote>“I worry myself sick every time he leaves the house. I think to myself, ‘You look beautiful, but do you have to go out looking like that?’ I know that the love and protection that he enjoys with his mother and his friends and his family is very different to the reception that he may receive in the outside world,” Mr Jones said.In response to his dad’s speech, Paddy said he became overwhelmed with emotion.“I cried for the first time I saw it. It was a really beautiful speech,” Paddy told the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-10/paddy-stephen-jones-son-speech/100819064" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC</a>.“I didn’t know what was going to happen after that speech but I told (my dad), yes, I think it is important for you to make this speech because it’s more important for young children who are gay, trans, they need to know that there are people out there that are just like them and who are supporting and loving them.”Image: Getty Images

News

BREAKING: New freedoms announced for the fully vaccinated

Following the announcement of a new national record of 1029 cases of COVID-19 to 8pm on Tuesday night, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced new benefits for those who are vaccinated from Monday, September 13. In the Local Government Areas (LGAs) of concern, the premier has announced that families from the same household can spend an hour outdoors for recreation on top of the current hour allocated for exercise. To be eligible for this benefit, all adults within the family must be able to prove their vaccination status. These LGAs include: Bayside, Blacktown, Burwood, Campbelltown, Cumberland, Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield, Liverpool, Georges River, Parramatta, Strathfield, and several suburbs in Penrith. For those in regional areas, up to five individuals - including children - will be able to gather outdoors in their LGA or within 5 kilometres of their home. Adults who wish to attend outdoor gatherings under this new rule must also be fully vaccinated. The new freedoms come after the lockdown for regional NSW - which was due to end on the weekend - was extended until midnight on Friday, September 10. Sadly, three people have passed away from COVID-19, including a man in his 30s, a man in his 60s, and a man in his 80s.

News

Let her go: 76 experts demand Kathleen Folbigg’s freedom

Seventy-six of Australia’s top scientists and doctors are demanding that proclaimed “baby killer” Kathleen Folbigg be released from jail and pardoned immediately. The 53-year-old was jailed for 30 years in 2003 over the murders of her children Patrick, Sarah and Laura between 1992 and 1999. The mother was also found guilty of the manslaughter of her firstborn child, Caleb, who was just 19 days old when he died in Newcastle in 1989. However, 76 eminent researchers, including two Nobel laureates and several Australians of the Year, claim that new medical evidence about a mutant gene carried by two of the Folbigg children creates a “strong presumption’’ that the babies died from natural causes. They have called on NSW Governor Margaret Beazley to pardon Folbigg and release her from jail. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840113/kathleen-folbigg-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/bab5deda582f4dde898ee1ada8e61dac" /> Folbigg with her baby daughter Sarah. Image: Supplied They have called for an end to the “miscarriage of justice’’ they say the Folbigg has suffered. “The entire time that Kathleen Folbigg has been in custody is a result of a miscarriage of justice. This year, Ms Folbigg has been incarcerated for 18 years of her life,” they said in a joint statement. “The executive prerogative of mercy is designed to deal with failures of the justice system such as this one. It is incumbent on the Governor to exercise her power to stop the ongoing miscarriage of justice suffered by Ms Folbigg. Not to do so is to continue to deny Ms Folbigg basic human rights and to decrease faith in the New South Wales justice system. “Ms Folbigg’s case also establishes a dangerous precedent as it means that cogent medical and scientific evidence can simply be ignored in preference to subjective interpretations of circumstantial evidence.” Folbigg was found to have smothered her children, however the experts say that is not possible and their deaths were all from natural causes. They say a genetic mutation called CALM2 G114R was found in Sarah and Laura’s DNA, inherited from their mother. This mutation can cause sudden cardiac arrest in infants. They argue that at least those two children likely died of natural causes, and therefore creates reasonable doubt over the convictions. “Mutations in this gene are one of the best recognised causes of sudden death in infancy and childhood,” the petition read. “The medical evidence that now exists … creates a strong presumption that the Folbigg children died of natural causes. “A reasonable person should have doubt about Ms Folbigg killing her four children. Deciding otherwise rejects medical science and the law that sets the standard of proof.” <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840112/kathleen-folbigg-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/d8e0530e580945c19ce43c7dd98b75cc" /> Scientists discovered the mutation in Laura (left) and Sarah (right) Folbigg. Image: Supplied. Folbigg is considered Australia’s worst female serial killer and “most hated woman”, she has always maintained her innocence. Her murder convictions that were based largely on entries she wrote in her diary, have been upheld through numerous legal challenges. She had an inquiry in 2019, but it only again affirmed the guilty verdict. The experts who signed the petition said this was at odds with medical and scientific evidence, however. “This is because a natural cause of death for each of the children has been ascribed by qualified experts, and there was no evidence of smothering,” the petition reads. “The Governor should have no doubt that the case against Kathleen Folbigg is entirely circumstantial. “It is based on the proposition that the likelihood of four children from one family dying of natural causes is so unlikely as to be virtually impossible. “It resulted in medical evidence being rejected in favour of inculpatory interpretations of Ms Folbigg’s vague journal entries, which contained no admissions of guilt.” “The executive prerogative of mercy is designed to deal with failures of the justice system such as this one,’’ a letter accompanying the petition and obtained by News Corp Australia states. “It is incumbent on the Governor to exercise her power to stop the ongoing miscarriage of justice suffered by Ms Folbigg. “Not to do so is to continue to deny Ms Folbigg basic human rights and to decrease faith in the NSW justice system. “Ms Folbigg’s case also establishes a dangerous precedent as it means that cogent medical and scientific evidence can simply be ignored in preference to subjective interpretations of circumstantial evidence.’’ The diary entries used to convict Folbigg have been the subject of much legal debate. In her 2019 inquiry, she was questioned extensively about them. Chris Maxwell QC for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions questioned her over her diary entries which led to an emotional response from Folbigg. “I don’t know why any of my children died, but I didn’t kill them,” she said. “I didn’t kill my children and these diaries are just a record of how depressed (I was) and how many issues I was having.” <img style="width: 500px; height:281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840119/kathleen-folbigg-4.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/a44b89d290bc4948a7afc08c83cc3524" /> Laura Folbigg with her mother Kathleen. Source: Supplied. Mr Maxwell grilled Folbigg over the phrases she used in her diaries — such as “dangerous mood” and “losing control”. “In my most dangerous mood I’m not a very nice person to be around,” she wrote in one of the entries. Folbigg said of them: “Dangerous mood means depression to me. When I’m depressed or a little cranky, don’t come near me.” She further argued in 2018: “Those diaries are written from a point of me always blaming myself. “I blamed myself for everything. I took so much of the responsibility, because that’s, as mothers, what you do.” The petition argued her latest appeal could take years to finalise. “Ms Folbigg has suffered and continues to suffer emotional and psychological trauma and physical abuse in custody,’ the petition read. “She has endured the death of her four children and has been wrongfully incarcerated because the justice system has failed her. We the undersigned seek her immediate pardon and release from jail.”

Legal

Home and Away star's freedom of speech tirade

Former Home And Away star Isabel Lucas is reportedly throwing her support behind controversial celebrity chef Pete Evans if a recent, rambling Instagram post is anything to go by. The 36-year-old, who played Tasha Andrews on the show from 2003-2006, took to the social media platform to share an inspirational quote about "truth" earlier this week, but it was her lengthy and bizarre caption that featured under the post that raised eyebrows. The post didn't specifically mention Evans, but many believed the tirade was Lucas' way of rallying behind the chef. Lucas kicked off her post with another famous quote by Evelyn Beatrice Hall: “I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” She then launched into a rant about “freedom of speech”. “I have been wanting to speak about freedom of speech and censorship here for a long time,” she wrote. “If you are feeling cautious to ask worthy questions because of what bullies, or those who lack insight or compassion might say, may you remember the words of Evelyn Beatrice Hall. “May you be inspired by the countless courageous ones who have expressed their truth in the face of adversity: Rosa May Parks, John F Kennedy, Robert F Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr, Eddie Mabo, Malcolm X, Joan of Arc, Nikola Tesla, Julian Assange, Socrates, Jesus, John Lennon, Hypatia, Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou, Michael Leunig, Waris Dirie, thousands of women, called ‘witches’ … and countless others.” The post continued with Lucas claiming that “historically and culturally, many of these people we herald today as change-makers have been ridiculed, censored and violently opposed.” “Many received death threats, or had their lives taken before their legacy or questions could be accepted as self-evident,” she posted. “I’m hearing many conversations around the amount of censorship friends are experiencing Facebook, Instagram accounts are being removed, shadow banned and numerous YouTube videos deleted. “Do you agree in the need for cultivating open, informed and respectful conversations about the mainstream narratives? “How do we encourage our conscience-barometers and humanitarians to courageously express themselves? “May we continue to support those who practice freedom of speech and shed light on the uncomfortable truths that challenges us.” She concluded with yet another quote – this time by Albert Einstein – “blind belief in authority is the greatest enemy of truth.” This isn't the first time Lucas has caused controversy, as late last year she revealed she had refused a COVID-19 test on the set of her film Bosch & Rockit, instead claiming her immune system was strong from how she "lives and eats and thinks". “I gave my duty of care of what I could offer to respect everyone’s health and maintain my own health, and I shared that, and I opted out of doing the COVID test,” she said at the time.

Pauline Hanson calls for ban on Swastika: “It’s insulting”

Pauline Hanson has called for a ban on all hate symbols, including the swastika and the ISIS flag. The One Nation leader has called on Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to start working on creating laws the prohibit the use of global hate symbols, labelling their meaning as “insulting”. “I think it's intimidating," she said. "Australians do not like racism and they do not like hatred." Senator Hanson’s past is not clean, however. She claimed in 1996 during her maiden speech to parliament that Australia was in danger of being “swamped by Asians.” When she entered the Senate in 2016, the politician called for a halt to Muslim immigration and the banning of the burqa. Civil libertarians have argued banning hate symbols could have dangerous consequences on freedom of speech. "The fact is, freedom of speech in a free society means that you have to cop some images, such as those flags, that you find personally offensive," lawyer Terry O'Gorman told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/pauline-hanson-calls-for-swastika-ban-hate-symbol-legislation/6026b36e-5179-41bd-8001-ea18fac34493" target="_blank">9News</a>.

News

The missing question from New Zealand’s cannabis debate: what about personal freedom and individual rights?

Much of the debate on New Zealand’s referendum on recreational cannabis legalisation has focused on health, the economy, criminal justice and the uncertainties about the impact on youth and adult use. But one argument is oddly missing from the debate - personal freedom, autonomy and individual rights. This is striking, because the issue of personal liberties has traditionally been at the forefront of cannabis reform activism. At the heart of all public health laws is the conflict between the powers of the state and the individual’s liberty, privacy and autonomy. In the past two years, constitutional courts in several countries have ruled the prohibition of use, possession and private cultivation of cannabis interferes with an individual’s right to privacy. They’ve said protecting public health and security does not justify state punishment. It may come as a surprise, but about half of the countries in Europe do not prohibit the use of drugs (as New Zealand does). Instead, they choose only to ban their possession. The difference is more than academic. Prohibition of consumption may give police extraordinary powers, such as taking biological samples from people as evidence. Drug testing is intrusive and should only be done if there is a significant public interest to protect. Some countries go even further. They ban possession and use of drugs, but only in public spaces, on the understanding that drug laws exist to prevent public nuisance. In Spain, the distinction between use in public and private led to the so-called “cannabis social clubs”. Users grow and share cannabis among club members in private settings. The rights and the risks The fundamental personal right to ingest a substance that has little impact on others has long been argued by cannabis activists such as NORML (National Organisation for the Reform of Marijuana Laws). With this argument largely absent from current debate in New Zealand (as well as many other jurisdictions contemplating reform), debate focuses instead on the potential to create jobs and tax revenue (Colorado), reduce arrests and discrimination (Illinois), address public security and drug-related violence (Uruguay) and restrict youth access to cannabis and enhance public health (Canada). The aim of New Zealand’s proposed Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill is to apply market controls to reduce harms associated with cannabis and restrict access by young people. But, as we have argued before, the goal of reducing overall use over time will be hard to achieve via a commercial market. The personal rights argument can struggle to win over people concerned about the health and social implications of legalisation, especially given their experience of other public health debates. The alcohol industry, for example, pushed individual rights and consumer responsibility to undermine effective public health measures such as higher taxes and bans on advertising. Personal choice vs public health The assumption all adults can make responsible choices about using psychoactive drugs is also challenged. There are risks of dependency that could interfere with personal autonomy, and the psychological influence of marketing that targets vulnerable groups such as the young and poor. There is a fine line between respecting people’s right to choose and facilitating the normalisation and commercialisation of something that could lead to poor public health. The use of any psychoactive substance carries the potential to harm personal and family relationships, and cause unsafe driving or workplace accidents. This reinforces the argument that some degree of regulation and state intervention will always be necessary. The age-old question is how best to balance the powers of the state with individual rights to privacy and autonomy, while protecting public health and vulnerable groups. The absence of recreational users’ voices Society appears more receptive to the personal right to use medicinal cannabis. Despite the (as yet) limited scientific evidence for the effectiveness of cannabis in medical treatment, greater legal availability of medicinal cannabis attracts good public support. This is largely based on respecting a person’s decisions about how to treat their illness. The right to use cannabis recreationally requires decision makers to consider the benefits people get from its use, such as pleasure or relaxation. But this is often forgotten or avoided in drug reform debates. Medicinal cannabis users have been actively involved in the cannabis law reform debate, with a representative on the Medicinal Cannabis Advisory Group. But recreational cannabis users seem to be largely absent from the public debate. Including more voices from recreational cannabis users could provide new ways of thinking about balancing the powers of the state with individual rights. Given the current uncertainties about the long-term health and social impacts of legalisation, the individual rights issue may actually be among the more convincing arguments for reform. Written by Marta Rychert and Chris Wilkins. This article first appeared <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-missing-question-from-new-zealands-cannabis-debate-what-about-personal-freedom-and-individual-rights-146304">The Conversation</a>.

Body

Meghan and Harry fired baby Archie's nanny in the middle of the night

In Omid Scoobie and Carolyn Durand’s new book Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family, it has been revealed that Meghan and Prince Harry let go of Archie’s nanny in the middle of the night. In the book, which details all the ins and outs of Meghan and Harry’s relationship, Scoobie and Durand claim the royals fired their night nurse for their son Archie Mountbatten Windsor. While the personal details were not expressed, the author’s claim it was because the aide was “unprofessional and irresponsible.” “Meghan and Harry were forced to let the nurse go in the middle of her second night of work for being unprofessional and irresponsible,” the book claims. The couple went on to hire another night nurse who did a “fine job,” however neither Meghan or Harry felt comfortable leaving their son in the care of another nanny due to the traumatising experience they had with their first one. The book noted that the pair ended up letting the new aide go as well. “Neither found themselves comfortable sleeping through the night without going to check on Archie regularly,” Scobie and Durand wrote. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7837320/meghan.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/fae763eb21af4ab09614e53cd7184a5e" /> Though Harry and Meghan haven’t denied the claims in Finding Freedom, they both have made it loud and clear that neither of them had been interviewed for the book. They also said that any stories shared were solely from the author’s own reporting. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to Finding Freedom. This book is based on the authors’ own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting,” Meghan and Harry’s statement read. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CDwsTLrJJf7/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CDwsTLrJJf7/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by instylemagazine (@instylemagazine)</a> on Aug 11, 2020 at 12:30pm PDT </div> </blockquote> Meghan and Harry tied the knot in May 2018 and later went on to have their first son in May of 2019. In January 2020, the pair announced their decision to step down as senior members of the British Royal Family, detailing they would be moving to Canada with Archie. “After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution,” the couple wrote in a statement to their Instagram page, which left The Firm back at Kensington Palace in shock as they allege they were not made aware of any intention from the couple to step down. “We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen.” The Duke and Duchess have since relocated to Los Angeles, which is Meghan’s hometown. The couple have both dug deep into working and are currently living in director Tyler Perry’s former mansion as they search for their forever home. In their announcement in January, Meghan and Harry, who completed their final official day as senior royals on April 1, shared their excitement for being able to raise Archie in North America. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CDdUrz9nETK/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CDdUrz9nETK/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Uk royal family 🇬🇧 (@uk_royal.kidos)</a> on Aug 3, 2020 at 11:58pm PDT </div> </blockquote> “It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment. We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages,” the couple wrote. “This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity. “We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.”

Caring

How the shady world of the data industry strips away our freedoms

The recent questioning of the heads of Amazon, Facebook, Google and Apple in the US Congress has highlighted the <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/29/21335706/antitrust-hearing-highlights-facebook-google-amazon-apple-congress-testimony">threat</a> their practices pose to our privacy and democracy. However these big four companies are only part of a vast, sophisticated system of mass surveillance. In this network are thousands of data brokers, ad agencies and technology companies – some of them Australian. They harvest data from <a href="https://www.gdpr.associates/how-many-people-companies-data/">millions of people</a>, often without their explicit consent or knowledge. Currently, this includes data related to the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, data giant Palantir has provided <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2020/03/31/palantir-the-20-billion-peter-thiel-backed-big-data-giant-is-providing-a-coronavirus-monitoring-tool-to-the-cdc/#5c3df1501595">lab test results and emergency department statuses</a> to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. How much do they know? Data companies gather data about our online activity, location, <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/23andme-glaxosmithkline-pharma-deal/">DNA</a>, health and even how we <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/23andme-glaxosmithkline-pharma-deal/">use our mouse</a>. They use a range of techniques, such as: <ul> <li>web-trackers planted on <a href="http://josepmpujol.net/public/papers/pujolTrackingTheTrackers.pdf">almost every page on the internet</a>, which follow our browsing activity</li> <li>“smart” home devices <a href="https://moniotrlab.ccis.neu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ren-imc19.pdf">leaking details of our usage habits and location</a></li> <li><a href="https://published-prd.lanyonevents.com/published/rsaus18/sessionsFiles/8161/ASEC-T08-Leaking-Ads-Is-User-Data-Truly-Secure.pdf">millions of mobile apps</a> sending our data to unknown third parties, including sensitive information such as <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/meghara/period-tracker-apps-facebook-maya-mia-fem">when we last had sex</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/solutions/measurement/retail-measurement/">millions of retailers</a> tracking our purchasing habits and <a href="https://kepleranalytics.com/">in-store movements</a>.</li> </ul> This expansive tracking generates <a href="https://liveramp.com/our-platform/omnichannel-ecosystem/">billions of data points</a> that can reveal every facet of our lives including our family status, income, political affiliation, interests, friendships and sexual orientation. Data companies use this information to compile detailed individual consumer profiles. These are used for purposes such as <a href="https://www.adelphic.com/platform/planning-buying/people-based-advertising/">targeting us with ads</a>, determining our <a href="https://risk.lexisnexis.com/products/riskview">eligibility for loans</a> and assessing the <a href="https://www.idanalytics.com/">riskiness of our lives</a>. The data industry in Australia Some of the world’s largest data companies operate in Australia. Quantium is an Australian data analytics firm that acquires data from various partners including NAB, Qantas, Woolworths (which owns 50% of the company) and Foxtel. These partnerships <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OScchFWM0Go">allow Quantium to</a> “tap into the consumer data ecosystem with an unrivalled picture of the behaviours of more than 80% of Australian households, spanning banking, household and retail transactions”. A company spokesperson told The Conversation most of its work is “data science and AI (artificial intelligence) work with first-party de-identified data supplied by the client”. From this, Quantium delivers “insights and AI/decision support tools” for clients. Anonymised or “de-identified” data can still be <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6650473/">accurately re-identified</a>. Even if a person’s details are de-identified by being converted to an alphanumeric code, the conversion method is identical across most companies. Therefore, each code is unique to an individual and can be used to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2018-04-28/i-asked-everyone-for-data-from-facebook-to-data-brokers-to-stan/9676700">identify them</a> <a href="https://crackedlabs.org/en/corporate-surveillance">within the digital data ecosystem</a>. A lack of transparency With a revenue of more than <a href="https://www.dnb.com/business-directory/company-profiles.the_quantium_group_holdings_pty_limited.3916579df14e1e37a7ad82a3a823b788.html">US$110 million</a> last year, the insights from Quantium’s data seem to be proving valuable. From this revenue, more than <a href="https://www.tenders.gov.au/Search/KeywordSearch?Keyword=quantium&submitSort=Go&OrderBy=Publish+Date&sort=">A$61 million between 2012 and 2020</a> came from projects commissioned by the Australian government. This includes two 2020 engagements: <ul> <li>a “COVID-19 Data Analytics” project worth more than A$10 million with a contract period from March 17, 2020 to December 31, 2020</li> <li>a “Quantium Health Data Analytics” project valued at more than A$7.4 million with a contract period from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021.</li> </ul> Quantium’s spokesperson said they could not discuss the details of the contracts without government approval. In the past decade, the Australian government has commissioned dozens of projects to other data analytics firms worth more than A$200 million. These include a A$13.8 million Debt Recovery Service project with <a href="https://www.dnb.com/">Dun & Bradstreet</a> and a A$3.3 million National Police Checks project with <a href="https://www.equifax.com.au/">Equifax</a> – both started in 2016. It’s unclear what and how much data has been shared for these projects. Last year, Quantium was one of several larger companies <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/Australian%20Loyalty%20Schemes%20-%20A%20Loyalty%20and%20Reward%20Co%20report%20for%20the%20ACCC.PDF">put on notice by Australia’s consumer watchdog</a> for sharing data with third parties without consumers’ knowledge or consent. How do they work? Data companies largely operate in the shadows. We rarely know who has collected information about us, how they use it, who they give it to, whether it’s correct, or how much money is being made from it. LiveRamp (formerly Acxiom) is a US-based company partnered with Australia’s Nine Entertainment Co. <a href="https://mumbrella.com.au/dont-follow-market-australia-nine-adds-liveramp-data-offering-446130">This partnership</a> allows the Nine Network to give marketers access to online and offline data to target consumers across Nine’s digital network. This data may include the Australian electoral roll, to which LiveRamp <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/afterpay-accessing-electoral-roll-data-under-laws-designed-to-target-terrorism-money-laundering-20190122-p50sw4.html">gained access last year</a>. Similarly, Optum is a US-based health data company that <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-data-brokers-make-money-off-your-medical-records/">collects information</a> from hospital records, electronic health records and insurance claims. It has data on <a href="https://www.optum.com/business/solutions/data-analytics/data/real-world-data-analytics-a-cpl/claims-data.html">more than 216 million people</a> and used this to develop a predictive algorithm that was shown to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertpearl/2019/11/11/algorithm/#6786bfb37800">discriminate against black patients</a>. Compromising our democracy The prevalence, scope and stealth of the abovementioned data practices are not congruent with the basic principles of a liberal democracy. According to philosopher Isaiah Berlin, liberal democracies can only thrive if they have autonomous citizens with <a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/liberty-positive-negative/">two types of freedoms</a>: <ol> <li>freedom to freely speak, choose and protest</li> <li>freedom from undue inspection and intervention.</li> </ol> Our data-driven world signals an extreme diminishing of both these freedoms. Our freedom of choice is harmed when our informational environments are doctored to nudge us towards <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/how-recommendation-algorithms-run-the-world/">behaviours that benefit other parties</a>. Our private space is all but gone in a digital environment where everything we do is recorded, processed and used by commercial and governmental entities. How can we protect ourselves? Although our ability to disconnect from the digital world and control our data is <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2019/01/15/as-technology-advances-what-will-happen-with-online-privacy/#7061d5e1c451">eroding rapidly</a>, there are still <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/guides/privacy-project/how-to-protect-your-digital-privacy">steps we can take</a> to protect our privacy. We should focus on implementing legislation to protect our civil liberties. The Australian <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/focus-areas/consumer-data-right-cdr-0">Consumer Data Right</a> and <a href="https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/australian-privacy-principles/">Privacy Act</a> stop short of ensuring the appropriate data protections. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission highlighted this in its <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/holistic-dynamic-reforms-needed-to-address-dominance-of-digital-platforms">2019 report</a>. In 2014, the US Federal Trade Commission <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/reports/data-brokers-call-transparency-accountability-report-federal-trade-commission-may-2014/140527databrokerreport.pdf">recommended</a> legislation to allow consumers to identify which brokers have data about them – and that they be able to access it. It also recommended: <ul> <li>brokers be required to reveal their data sources</li> <li>retailers disclose to consumers that they share their data with brokers</li> <li>consumers be allowed to opt out.</li> </ul> If we care about our freedoms, we should try to ensure similar legislation is introduced in Australia. Written by Uri Gal. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-shady-world-of-the-data-industry-strips-away-our-freedoms-143823">The Conversation.</a>

Caring

New royal book reveals Prince Harry’s private social media accounts

More details have come to light regarding the beginning of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s whirlwind romance along with the royal’s private Instagram handle, From the latest extract of Finding Freedom - a new book about the couple's exit from the royal family, a Daily Mail insider told the tabloid that the biography is sure to have "torpedoed" any chance at re-entry into the royal family after the one-year review period of "Megxit" is over. The latest Finding Freedom extract published in The Times on Monday reveals how the couple had their first date in a private room at Dean St Townhouse in Soho, London. The pair had one trusted waiter to attend to them and reportedly used a secret entrance to enter and exit the building in order to keep their relationship private. The source went on to mention that not too long after the couple’s date, she "began to follow a mysterious-looking Instagram account by the name of @SpikeyMau5.” "With no face visible in the profile photo, just a mouse-shaped helmet, it would have meant nothing to most people. But it was in fact Harry's private account,” the authors of the book wrote. "A big house music fan, he crafted the pseudonym by using part of the name of one of his favourite DJs, Deadmau5. "Spikey came from a Facebook alias that Harry used for an account he had under the name of Spike Wells. "’Spike’ was a nickname sometimes used for the prince, particularly by Scotland Yard officers. Harry's Facebook account (before he shut it down) had a profile photo of three guys in Panama hats taken from the back in an MGM Grand Las Vegas hotel suite. "The account said he was from Maun, Botswana. Prior to that photo, Harry used the image of King Julien, the eccentric lemur from the Dreamworks movie Madagascar." The book extract also claims that the couple moved on to a serious relationship very quickly and the Prince would regularly visit her in Canada. He reportedly would be seen flying commercially with just one security guard. "It didn't take long for Harry's visits to become an open secret among the residents. As one of Meghan's neighbours said, ‘When a black SUV was parked with guys inside wearing headsets and eating burritos, we'd say, 'Hey, Harry's in town!,” the extract read. "But the news never went further than the community Facebook page, typically devoted to discussions about shovelling snow and dog poop." Book authors, journalists Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand reportedly had access to more than 100 people for the book. The couple issued a statement saying they have not collaborated or given an interview for the book.

Relationships

George Pell’s bid for freedom will change in six minutes

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> The full bench of the High Court has set aside two days to hear the case of George Pell, as his lawyers believe that the guilt, reputation and legacy of the influential clergyman will turn on six minutes. Pell was found guilty in 2018 of sexually abusing two 13-year-old choirboys in the 1990s. Cardinal Pell’s legal team has drawn the court’s attention to the greatest doubt over Pell’s conviction for child sex offences, which the legal team have submitted for its final argument. Their final argument is when would the archbishop of Melbourne have found himself alone in the priests’ sacristy with two choirboys for the five to six minutes required to assault them? Another aspect to their final argument is asking where were the seven altar servers who file into the sacristy to bow to the crucifix after the completion of mass? These questions go to the heart of the issues before the High Court, which is whether it was open to the jury on the basis of evidence provided to find Pell guilty. There are three possible outcomes of the final appeal. The first outcome is that the court may refuse special leave to appeal, despite clearing its calendar to deal with Pell. The second outcome is that the court may grant leave and dismiss the appeal. In either of these outcomes, Pell would remain a convicted child sex offender and serve the remainder of his minimum three year and eight month prison sentence. The third outcome is that the High Court may grant special leave to appeal and remove Pell’s conviction. La Trobe University law professor Patrick Keyzer believes that the second outcome is the most likely outcome. “Even though this case is about a very important person and a notoriously significant decision, it is nevertheless still a case about a jury verdict of guilt where a court of appeal has found no legal reason for questioning that verdict,’’ Professor Keyzer told The Age and <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/george-pell-s-final-bid-for-freedom-rests-on-six-missing-minutes-20200310-p548pp.html" target="_blank">The Sydney Morning Herald</a>. “The Chief Judge of the County Court heard the criminal trial and it was for the jury to determine whether Pell was guilty. The jury performed its role. “A majority of the Court of Appeal very carefully went through the trial judgment, found no errors of law and concluded the verdict was open to the jury on the facts. “There are hundreds of jury trials going on in Australia every year. We have held on to a tradition of jury trial in many jurisdictions for many types of trial because there is a strong belief that people have a significant role to play in making that assessment of guilt." No one expects the third outcome to happen as early as Wednesday, but even if it does, Pell won’t be there to see it as he is in a high security unit of Barwon Prison. </div> </div> </div>

Legal

Why your newspaper today has blacked-out stories on the cover

Media companies from all over Australia are uniting in a surprising front to fight for press freedoms and the public’s right to know what’s happening in Australia. The <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.righttoknow.org.au/" target="_blank">Right To Know</a> coalition of more than a dozen of the nation’s top media companies and industry organisations are campaigning for change to six critical areas of law that allow a veil of secrecy over matters that are important to all Australians. Some of the media companies taking a stand for press freedom are NewsCorp, ABC and The Guardian. This is due to incidents of the government raiding journalists at News Corp and the ABC. NewsCorp journalist Annika Smethurst, who now faces possible criminal charges, reported on the government considering using new powers to spy on everyday Australians. There was also an unrelated raid at the ABC headquarters after a report detailed incidents of Australian special forces troops killing men and children in Afghanistan. New research from <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/national/when-government-keeps-the-truth-from-you-what-are-they-covering-up/news-story/b7e8d17423bd679156c79e74d203d291" target="_blank">NewsCorp</a> has detailed that 87 per cent of Australians value a free and transparent democracy where the public is kept informed, but only 37 per cent believe that this is happening in Australia today. It doesn’t help that the government withholds information related to aged care abuse as well as also withholding information and the terms of land sales to foreign companies. These are issues that Australians believe they have a right to know about. “It’s unprecedented to see the front page of every single newspaper pointing out the same issue we are challenged with having to deal with, but this is serious. It’s serious for all Australians, not just for media, but it’s our job to actually serve our communities,” News Corp Australasia executive chairman Michael Miller said. “When you see every media organisation lining up together to make this point, we need to see some action.” Nine Entertainment’s CEO Hugh Marks has pointed out that the issue is not just about raids on media organisations. “This is much bigger than the media. It’s about defending the basic right of every Australian to be properly informed about the important decisions the government is making in their name,” he said. ABC’s Managing Director David Anderson agrees. “Australia is at risk of becoming the world’s most secretive democracy,” he said. “We’ve seen the public’s right to know slowly erode over the past two decades, with the introduction of laws that make it more difficult for people to speak up when they see wrongdoing and for journalists to report these stories.” The six Australia’s <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.righttoknow.org.au/blog" target="_blank">Right To Know</a> reforms being sought are: <ul> <li>the right to contest any kind of search warrant on journalists or news organisations before the warrant is issued;</li> <li>law change to ensure public sector whistleblowers are adequately protected;</li> <li>a new regime that limits which documents can be marked ‘secret’;</li> <li>review of Freedom of Information laws</li> <li>that journalists be exempt from national security laws enacted over the past seven years that currently can put them in jail for doing their job; and</li> <li>reform to defamation laws.</li> </ul>

News

The “worst of the worst” products that are “ripping off and misleading” Aussie shoppers

Consumer group Choice has called out some of the “worst-of-the-worst” products being sold to Aussies in their 14th annual Shonky Awards. Choice CEO Alan Kirkland said in a statement the award aims to highlight the items Australian consumers should avoid as they are “ripping off” and misleading” shoppers. “Choice’s job is to stand up against companies doing the wrong thing. The Shonkys draw upon our unique testing, reviews and advocacy to help you identify the worst-of-the-worst,” Mr Kirkland said. “In a time of fake reviews, cash for comment, salespeople and lobbyists everywhere, it’s more important than ever for independent voices to tell the truth. “Following the banking royal commission, it’s no surprise that financial services businesses are such a feature of this year’s Shonkys.” 2019 Shonky Winners Kogan The online retailer has earnt themselves a shonky award this year for their “poor” customer service. Topping the NSW Fair Trading complaint register, the retailer has clocked over 300 complaints from January to July in 2019. Mr Kirkland says Kogan should “stop beating around the bush when its products are defective”. “Kogan must simplify the process for refunds, repairs and replacements to meet community expectations and the law”. He also mentioned the company must improve its customer service, and their refunds and returns policy. Medicare Medicare has been called out by Choice for their “basic” cover health insurance actually costing more than the cheapest “bronze” cover in NSW, the ACT, Northern Territory, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania. Mr Kirkland said: “2019 is the first year that private health insurance has topped the list of financial worries in Choice’s regular national surveys, and it’s easy to see why. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BsZlUPMlzNV/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BsZlUPMlzNV/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Artyguy (@aussieartyguy)</a> on Jan 8, 2019 at 8:04pm PST </div> </blockquote> “A new system that was meant to make things simpler has turned into a mess. Medibank’s ‘basic’ junk cover costs more than many higher-cover bronze policies. Medibank deserves a Shonky for failing at the basics — simple and affordable health insurance.” IKEA The Swedish furniture retailer has taken a spot on the 2019 Shonky Awards list for their Nedkyld fridge after it's score came in at just 35 per cent for food and freshness, and further failing an energy test. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B077R4PnK5z/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B077R4PnK5z/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Arjun Singh Jain (@arjunsinghjain)</a> on Aug 9, 2019 at 1:21am PDT </div> </blockquote> The Ikea Nedkyld is one of the worst fridges we’ve ever tested,” Mr Kirkland said. “Not only is it terrible at keeping your food cold, when Choice tested the Nedkyld’s energy use against its star rating, it failed the test. “It’s hard to understand how this fridge is still on sale in Ikea stores, especially with a misleading energy label.” AMP superannuation Choice has given AMP superannuation a Shonky award for their being over one million “zombie” super accounts eating away at the retirements of Aussies. Based on APRA data: “AMP received some of the strongest criticism from the banking royal commission — and it was deserved. If your superannuation is with AMP, chances are you’ve had your retirement leeched off of to fund its executives’ lifestyles,” Mr Kirkland said. “Choice has partnered with the new consumer group — Super Consumers Australia — and found that AMP holds the largest number of zombie accounts of any other super fund — accounts that sit there being wasted away by fees and insurance. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BacX4Bkjp1X/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BacX4Bkjp1X/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by AMP Australia (@amp_au)</a> on Oct 19, 2017 at 1:39pm PDT </div> </blockquote> “For AMP, it’s money for doing nothing. Managing people’s retirement funds isn’t your average business — there’s a higher moral standard to meet when it comes to people’s security and comfort in older age, and AMP have failed this standard.” An AMP spokeswoman told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/choice-shames-products-in-2019-shonkys-awards/news-story/a8c1bd878dd75cedee4a417a501fd412" target="_blank">news.com.au </a>it “can be difficult to draw accurate comparisons and conclusions in relation to inactive accounts due to the varied characteristics of products within trusts and across superannuation providers.” “For example: a large proportion of the AMP accounts classified in APRA’s data as inactive receive a capital guarantee. It is often in members’ best interests to maintain these accounts given the future benefit they will provide. “AMP supports legislative measures that identify and aim to reduce duplicate or inactive accounts.” Freedom Foods XO Crunch The XO Crunch cereal received a Shonky after having 22.2 per cent sugar in their product that they claimed was “a fun and nutritious way to start your kids’ day”. “Freedom Foods proudly displays four health stars on this bag of sugar. Choice says it should be one-and-a-half if health star ratings accurately reflected the amount of added sugar in a product — something that industry groups have lobbied to prevent,” Mr Kirkland said. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/6Lnvb-MNK0/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/6Lnvb-MNK0/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Freedom Foods (@freedomfoods)</a> on Aug 9, 2015 at 4:46pm PDT </div> </blockquote> “This Shonky shows why the food industry needs to be kicked out of (the) room when it comes to health star ratings. The food industry has gamed the health star system to make a big bag of sugar look like a healthy choice for your kids — and that’s a disgrace.”

Home & Garden

Steven Spielberg: “Artistic freedom is everything”

In box-office terms, Spielberg is the most successful movie director in the world. Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Indiana Jones … his movies are cinema classics. But alongside these popcorn-sagas he has also turned his hand to sterner stuff. Moviegoers all over the world found his black-and-white Holocaust drama Schindler’s List deeply moving. 2016 saw the release of The BFG (short for Big Friendly Giant), a movie version of the children’s book by Roald Dahl in which a benevolent giant ‘kidnaps’ a little orphan girl. Reader’s Digest: The little heroine of your latest movie is scared of giants. What were you afraid of when you were a child? Spielberg: I was my own monster. My imagination was incredible, so I was afraid of everything. A chair could very quickly change into a spider. I remember staring up at the sky when I was five. One of the clouds up there looked like a beautiful swan, then suddenly it was a dinosaur. I ran home screaming Reader’s Digest: What did your parents feel about that? Spielberg: For my parents my imagination was a real problem, so much so that they seriously considered having me examined by a doctor. After all I was constantly seeing things that didn’t exist except in my head. My mother and father thought I had some major mental problems. I probably did – but they were the gateway to a great career! Reader’s Digest: How important is it for you to preserve the child within? Spielberg: The fascinating thing about children is that they’re just there. When they’re small, they don’t know right from wrong – it’s not important to them. Those are years of complete freedom, which come to an end when at some point the brain takes over and tells you how to behave. I remember that time very clearly. Reader’s Digest: You turned 70 this past December 2016. What do you consider your greatest career achievement so far? Spielberg: The right to decide my own projects. That was always my only goal, telling my stories without anyone else interfering. It was also why I established my own studios. Artistic freedom means everything to me. Reader’s Digest: Which movie did you enjoy making most? Spielberg: That was E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, because it was the first time I realised I wanted to be a father. Three years later I finally made the grade with the birth of my first son. Reader’s Digest: Do you make home movies? Spielberg: Yes, I always have a video camera with me. At Christmas it’s traditional for there to be a joint movie about the family that lasts one hour. I edit the footage I’ve collected in the course of the year and combine it with our children’s videos. And of course there’s a soundtrack and special effects. We all watch the film together and everyone gets a DVD of it. Written by Dieter Osswald. This article first appeared in <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/true-stories-lifestyle/thought-provoking/artistic-freedom-everything" target="_blank">Reader’s Digest</a>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, <a href="http://readersdigest.innovations.com.au/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&utm_medium=articles&utm_campaign=RDSUB&keycode=WRA93V">here’s our best subscription offer.</a> <img style="width: 100px !important; height: 100px !important;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7820640/1.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f30947086c8e47b89cb076eb5bb9b3e2" />

Movies

“Two points I want to address”: Senator Penny Wong delivers a message to Israel Folau

Labor Senator Penny Wong had a two-fold statement to give to Israel Folau on ABC’s Q&A last night. Wong was responding to a question from an audience member that asked whether the response to Folau’s comments would be different if he was a Muslim instead of a Christian. Wong took a moment to compose herself before answering the question. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> If Israel Folau were a Muslim would the Attorney-General be considering new laws to protect religious freedoms? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/QandA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#QandA</a> <a href="https://t.co/rMNFdTomkn">pic.twitter.com/rMNFdTomkn</a> — ABC Q&A (@QandA) <a href="https://twitter.com/QandA/status/1148208502046724096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2019</a></blockquote> “OK, two points I want to address,” Wong began. “First, in relation to Mr Folau, can I say — first on an emotional level — I wish that we could have more expressions of love and forgiveness rather than condemnation when it came to belief. “I wish public figures, politicians, sporting stars, may consider … where their words land with vulnerable Australians.” Wong is a practicing Christian herself who attends Pilgrim Uniting Church in Adelaide and made it clear that she sees the religion that herself and Folau share very differently. “He is entitled to his beliefs,” she said. “I disagree. I think we ought remember he doesn’t speak for all Christians. “In terms of the broader issue, we are an accepting, tolerant nation … Whatever happens in this current debate around religious freedom, I think we mustn’t lose sight of those key characteristics of Australian identity. Wong continued by explaining that the aim of religion isn’t to become less “tolerant”. “We don’t want to become less accepting, less tolerant. We don’t want to abrogate our agreed view that people are entitled to equality before the law, that we believe that people are equal, regardless of gender, race, faith, sexuality, disability, etc. “We should hold to those objectives, that we’re not seeking to diminish that. I’m open to a discussion about how we deal with religious protections. “But I would make this point: There is a distinction between a right to belief and the assertion that that belief should lead to you being treated differently before the law.” Human rights lawyer Diana Sayed, who was also on the panel, said that the Morrison Government must not “give people a licence to discriminate”. This is in reference to the religious discrimination bill that has been developed in response to the controversy around Folau. “It is really important that this bill strikes a balance that people who are free to practice their religion are not granted a licence to discriminate,” she said.

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Young woman jailed for 7 years for swapping price tags at supermarket

What makes a good life? Existentialists believed we should embrace freedom and authenticity

Five expensive (but avoidable) financial mistakes

Democracy spreads in waves – but shared cultural history might matter more than geography

Iran: protesters call for move to a non-religious state. What changes would that bring?

"Prisoner in his own home": Veteran's battle for freedom

Religious freedom bill falls at second hurdle

BREAKING: New freedoms announced for the fully vaccinated

Let her go: 76 experts demand Kathleen Folbigg’s freedom

Home and Away star's freedom of speech tirade

Pauline Hanson calls for ban on Swastika: “It’s insulting”

The missing question from New Zealand’s cannabis debate: what about personal freedom and individual rights?

Meghan and Harry fired baby Archie's nanny in the middle of the night

How the shady world of the data industry strips away our freedoms

New royal book reveals Prince Harry’s private social media accounts

George Pell’s bid for freedom will change in six minutes

Why your newspaper today has blacked-out stories on the cover

The “worst of the worst” products that are “ripping off and misleading” Aussie shoppers

Steven Spielberg: “Artistic freedom is everything”

“Two points I want to address”: Senator Penny Wong delivers a message to Israel Folau

Our Partners

News

Shop

Catalogues

Newspaper

Contests

Entertainment

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Property

Compare

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Information

Keep up to date

Search

Young woman jailed for 7 years for swapping price tags at supermarket

What makes a good life? Existentialists believed we should embrace freedom and authenticity

Five expensive (but avoidable) financial mistakes

Democracy spreads in waves – but shared cultural history might matter more than geography

Iran: protesters call for move to a non-religious state. What changes would that bring?

"Prisoner in his own home": Veteran's battle for freedom

Religious freedom bill falls at second hurdle

BREAKING: New freedoms announced for the fully vaccinated

Let her go: 76 experts demand Kathleen Folbigg’s freedom

Home and Away star's freedom of speech tirade

Pauline Hanson calls for ban on Swastika: “It’s insulting”

The missing question from New Zealand’s cannabis debate: what about personal freedom and individual rights?

Meghan and Harry fired baby Archie's nanny in the middle of the night

How the shady world of the data industry strips away our freedoms

New royal book reveals Prince Harry’s private social media accounts

George Pell’s bid for freedom will change in six minutes

Why your newspaper today has blacked-out stories on the cover

The “worst of the worst” products that are “ripping off and misleading” Aussie shoppers

Steven Spielberg: “Artistic freedom is everything”

“Two points I want to address”: Senator Penny Wong delivers a message to Israel Folau

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