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Olympic flame is lit at birthplace of ancient games

<p>The flame for the 2024 Paris Olympics was lit on Tuesday at the site of the ancient games in Ancient Olympia, southern Greece. </p> <p>Despite the gloomy weather which prevented the traditional lighting<span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">- which involves an ancient Greek priestess using the sun to ignite the torch after offering a prayer to Apollo, the ancient Greek sun god - actress Mary Mina, used a back up flame to kickstart the epic torch relay. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">Normally, the </span>group of priestesses would use a parabolic mirror to light the torch using the sun's rays, but because of the cloudy skies, they had to use a back up flame that was kept in a copy of an ancient Greek pot and lit on the same spot during their final rehearsals on Monday. </p> <p>International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said the flame lighting combined "a pilgrimage to our past in ancient Olympia, and an act of faith in our future."</p> <p>A relay of torchbearers will carry the flame along a 5,000-kilometre route through Greece, including several islands, until the handover to Paris Games organisers in Athens on April 26.</p> <p>"In these difficult times ... with wars and conflicts on the rise, people are fed up with all the hate, the aggression and negative news," Bach said. </p> <p>"We are longing for something which brings us together; something that is unifying; something that gives us hope."</p> <p>Thousands of spectators from all over the world packed Olympia for the event, amid the ruins of temples and sports grounds where the ancient games were held from 776 BC - 393 AD.</p> <p>The first torchbearer was Greek rower Stefanos Douskos, who was a gold medalist in 2021, followed by Laure Manaudou, a French swimmer who won three medals at Athens in 2004. </p> <p>Manaudou then handed it over to a Greek senior European Union official, Margaritis Schinas. </p> <p>From Greece, the Olympic flame will travel from Athens' port of Piraeus on the Belem, a French three-masted sailing ship built in 1896 - the year that the first modern games began in Athens. </p> <p>On May 8, it's due in the southern French port of Marseille, a city founded by Greek colonists around 2600 years ago. </p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p> <p> </p>

International Travel

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City lit up in pink to remember Olivia

<p dir="ltr">Tributes continue to flow for Olivia Newton-John after her passing on Tuesday morning, as her family is set to accept an offer from the Victorian government to farewell the singer, movie star and philanthropist at a state funeral.</p> <p dir="ltr">Tottie Goldsmith, one of Newton-John’s nieces, <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/olivia-s-niece-reveals-final-heartbreaking-moments" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confirmed the family would accept the offer for a state funeral</a> on Tuesday night’s episode of <em>A Current Affair</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We will,” she told the program.</p> <p dir="ltr">“On behalf of not just our family but I think Australia needs it.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She’s so loved and I think our country needs it so we’re going to accept it.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Earlier, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said he wished to speak to the star’s family before speaking about any plans for a state funeral.</p> <p dir="ltr">"As for celebrating her life and her music and film and all the other amazing contributions that she made, we would, of course, want to speak to the family and be as respectful as we can," he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"We've only just learned this sad news."</p> <p dir="ltr">The Premier also announced that landmarks across Melbourne would be lit up in pink on Tuesday night to pay tribute to the <em>Xanadu </em>star.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-68b09051-7fff-eda5-4938-d9484cce6309"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">The glowing landmarks included Flinders Station, Federation Square, the MCG, the National Gallery of Victoria, the Rod Laver Arena and the Recital Centre.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Spotted tonight in Melbourne on my way to another <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MIFF2022?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MIFF2022</a> in the city. Lit up pink for Olivia Newton-John <a href="https://t.co/ILhviG0b0D">pic.twitter.com/ILhviG0b0D</a></p> <p>— Glenn Dunks (@glenndunks) <a href="https://twitter.com/glenndunks/status/1556954666323550208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">💕 Flinders Street Station, Melbourne. Beautifully lit in pink this evening, in tribute to the late Olivia Newton John 💕 <a href="https://t.co/vNjp3C2baX">pic.twitter.com/vNjp3C2baX</a></p> <p>— Sarah Tudor (@sarahtudor12) <a href="https://twitter.com/sarahtudor12/status/1557020740977070080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Tonight our Spire is lit pink in a commemorative illumination of landmarks across the city, honouring Olivia Newton-John and her establishment of the Cancer Wellness and Research Centre in Melbourne. 💗 <a href="https://t.co/Rt5NgwI1Xg">pic.twitter.com/Rt5NgwI1Xg</a></p> <p>— Arts Centre Melbourne (@artscentremelb) <a href="https://twitter.com/artscentremelb/status/1556920226394132484?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“Tonight, landmarks across our city will be lit up in pink to remember Olivia Newton-John and her enormous contribution to cancer awareness, research and treatment,” Mr Andrews shared on social media that afternoon.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Vale Olivia Newton John.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-877b96ca-7fff-58b5-09cd-9beb00c6761b"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: @RositaDaz48 (Twitter)</em></p>

Caring

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‘Lit therapy’ in the classroom: Writing about trauma can be valuable if done right

<p>Some of my students have been assaulted. Others have been homeless, jobless or broke, some suffer from depression, anxiety or grief. Some fight addiction, cancer or for custody. Many are in pain and they want to write about it.</p> <p>Opening wounds in the classroom is messy and risky. Boundaries and intentions can feel blurred in a class where memories and feelings also present teachable moments. But if teachers and students work together, opportunities to share difficult personal stories can be constructive.</p> <p><strong>Writing about trauma</strong></p> <p>The health benefits of writing about trauma are <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15401383.2018.1486259">well documented</a>. Some counselling theories — such as narrative therapy — incorporate writing into their therapeutic techniques.</p> <p><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1020353109229">Research suggests</a> writing about trauma can be beneficial because it helps people re-evaluate their experiences by looking at them from different perspectives.</p> <p><strong>Join 130,000 people who subscribe to free evidence-based news.</strong></p> <p>Get newsletter</p> <p>Studies <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/writing-about-emotions-may-ease-stress-and-trauma">suggest</a> writing about traumatic events can help ease the emotional pressure of negative experiences. But <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/writing-about-emotions-may-ease-stress-and-trauma">writing about trauma</a> is not a cure-all and it may be less effective if people are also struggling with ongoing mental health challenges, such as depression or post-traumatic stress disorder.</p> <p>Internationally acclaimed researcher and clinician Bessel van der Kolk asserts in his book, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18693771-the-body-keeps-the-score">The Body Keeps the Score</a>, that trauma is more than a stored memory to be expunged. Rather, van der Kolk suggests our whole mind, brain and sense of self can change in response to trauma.</p> <p>Pain is complicated. And teachers in a classroom are not counsellors in a clinic.</p> <p>If properly managed, though, sharing stories about personal suffering can be a relevant and valuable educational experience. It’s a strategy that, in a professional setting, could be referred to as “lit therapy”.</p> <p><strong>An empathetic space</strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.psychology.org.au/for-members/publications/inpsych/2012/feb/17-Working-with-African-refugees-An-opportunity">Dr Jill Parris</a> is a psychologist who works with refugees and uses lit therapy as an extension of trauma counselling. Parris and I also worked together on the project <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27192485-home-truths">Home Truths: An Anthology of Refugee and Migrant Writing</a>, which paired refugee authors with a writing mentor to develop personal stories about challenging migrant journeys to Australia.</p> <p>Parris says writing about trauma is helpful in most cases, as long as teachers and their students monitor stress levels and offer an empathetic space where storytellers are given the time and tools to manage the complex feelings that may surface.</p> <p>“It is important that people feel absolutely free to avoid focusing on traumatic events and this should be made clear from the start,” says Parris.</p> <p>Teachers should therefore be wary of implying traumatic personal stories are inherently worthy subjects, that divulgence alone is more likely to receive a higher grade or publication. It isn’t. In fact, sharing a story may be detrimental. It may be unfair to the author’s future self, the other people involved in their experience, or to the piece’s intention for its readers.</p> <p>Helping individual students identify their own readiness to share personal experiences is an important first step. Parris recommends asking students how they <em>know</em> they are ready to share their story. What has changed to <em>make</em> them ready? Answering these questions helps people sit outside themselves.</p> <p>As teachers, we also need to be mindful that sharing painful memories presents a risk for those hearing them.</p> <p><strong>Vicarious trauma</strong></p> <p><a href="https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/uresposters/318/">Vicarious trauma is a real threat</a>. To help mitigate the risk of emotional contagion, teachers should check in with students at the beginning and end of class to monitor feelings, reminding people they are in the present, that the trauma they recounted or heard was survived.</p> <p>If people feel stressed, Parris recommends looking around and forcing ourselves to name what we see, hear, feel, taste and smell as a way of <a href="https://positivepsychology.com/self-regulation/">returning to the present</a>. Discussing what people will do outside class to care for themselves is also useful.</p> <p>As teachers, it is important to help our students organise their thoughts and feelings in relation to the craft of professional writing, which is writing intended for consumption by an anonymous reader.</p> <p>Students are likely to write what they’re passionate about — the good, the bad and the ugly. Their best writing comes out of what’s meaningful to them. Teachers can help guide their students’ search for authenticity.</p> <p>Feelings and experiences matter, but writers and readers also want to know what they mean. Revealing how masters of personal storytelling bridge the personal and the universal is useful in demonstrating the broader purpose of sharing stories.</p> <p>Story craft is part of how author Joan Didion’s <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7815.The_Year_of_Magical_Thinking">The Year of Magical Thinking</a> is both a personal reflection and a forensic investigation of grief. Part of a writing teacher’s job is exploring how personal stories can contribute to the archive of collective human experience.</p> <p>While I work with adult students, there is also <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2015-59081-009">evidence</a> narrative writing exercises can help children and teenagers process thoughts and emotions related to challenging personal events.</p> <p>This work is emotionally demanding. Scenes of horrible things people have told me occasionally invade my mind, as if another person’s lived experience orbits my own memories. It’s unsettling. It’s also why stories matter. Because hearing them can help us better understand the people who share them. Stories help us glimpse the humanity in the hardship, showing us while pain is universal, compassion is too.</p> <p><em>Written by Yannick Thoraval. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/lit-therapy-in-the-classroom-writing-about-trauma-can-be-valuable-if-done-right-145379">The Conversation.</a> </em></p>

Art

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Why I love reading Aussie chick lit

<p><em><strong>Barbara Binland is the pen name of a senior, Julie Grenness, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She is a poet, writer, and part-time English and Maths tutor, with over 40 years of experience. Her many books are available on Amazon and Kindle.</strong></em></p> <p>Here is a question for readers of Over Sixty. Do you like reading Aussie chicks, and their literature? Which are your favourite authors?</p> <p>Personally, I prefer ‘mental slumming’ with feel good Aussie authors, such as Judy Nunn and Di Morrissey. If we browse our library shelves, we can find new authors to enjoy. Can do. Next library jaunt, find four new authors, maybe in new genres, and see if you can discover at least one new favourite author or genre, different to those you normally read. Enjoy some new reading experiences.</p> <p>This is the way I discovered Aussie authors, Fiona Palmer and Fleur McDonald. They write in a genre one could regard as ‘the girls from the bush’. Such books contain good descriptions of Australiana, issues to overcome, a love interest, and a happy ending.</p> <p>Those are only some of the common favourite Aussie chick lit authors. These days, in the 21st century, it is easier for Aussie chick authors to be published, and a growing market. Traditionally, from the days of Henry Handel Richardson, and Miles Franklin, Australian women battled hard to find acceptance as noted authors, in a limited market. Of course, there were classic chicks, like Nancy Cato, Colleen McCullogh, and the poet, Judith Wright. Authors such as Amy Witting were never even published until they were in their fifties.</p> <p>So, what Australian books, would you really like to read? Now we are over-60, have you ever tried your hand at scribbling ideas? Yes, at our age, we have life experiences or suburban experiences, or romantic experiences, or humorous experiences to write for a living legacy. Vignettes or imagination.</p> <p>Yes, the world needs more women writers. Definitely, Australia needs more Australian writers, notably women. It is hard to make a fortune, whether with an established publisher, or self-publishing. But there is satisfaction in self-expression for our retirement. Start scribbling, you can write a book you would really like to read!</p>

Books

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Olivia Newton-John’s unauthorised biopic green-lit

<p>Olivia Newton-John’s unauthorised biopic has been given the green light, despite the Aussie star’s attempts to stop the production last year.</p> <p>Production company FremantleMedia decided to go ahead with the project after receiving funding from Film Victoria.</p> <p>When the project was first announced last December, Australian singer Delta Goodrem was slated to play her idol.</p> <p><img width="334" height="443" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRDcxczczSU9_AAtNVjiD7iKsmlLot9mT6LVmsSXhEt4iDGEOhm" class="irc_mut ihpHX9tpGlwc-HwpH6ZlgJaI" style="margin-top: 0px; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>At the time, New Idea revealed sources close to the 67-year-old star said Newton-John was furious and doing “everything in her power” to shut the production down.</p> <p>“[Olivia’s] very upset and is not taking [Delta’s] calls. She expects Delta to publicly disassociate herself from the movie before she’ll talk to her again,” the source said.</p> <p>However, the 31-year-old <em>Voice</em> judge is still tipped to play Newton-John. Goodrem has publicly spoken about how she looks up to the <em>Physical </em>singer.</p> <p>"Olivia's been an incredible guiding light with me," she told Reuters in 2008.</p> <p id="ext-gen146" class="mol-para-with-font"><span>"She's always given me really great advice... She's beautiful and we have a beautiful friendship."</span></p> <p><a href="http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2016/07/filmvic-backs-olivia-newton-john-drama.html" target="_blank">FilmVic</a> released a statement on Sunday that read: “The story of Olivia Newton-John will chart her remarkable path through one of the world’s toughest industries, and provide a glimpse into the extraordinary achievements of one of Australia’s most loved icons.”</p> <p>Do you think this biopic should be made? Are you looking forward to watching it? Share your thoughts in the comments below. </p> <p><strong>Related links: </strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/entertainment/movies/2016/06/shocking-actor-transformations-for-movie-roles/"><em>10 shocking transformations by actors for movie roles</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/entertainment/movies/2016/06/incredible-actors-who-havent-won-an-oscar/"><em>8 incredible actors who haven’t won an Oscar</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/entertainment/movies/2016/05/7-actors-children-who-became-actors-too/"><em>7 children who followed in the footsteps of their actor parents</em></a></strong></span></p>

News

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Olympic flame officially lit for Rio games

<p>The countdown to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games has been kicked up a notch with the official lighting of the Olympic flame on Thursday. </p> <p>The torcch was lit by the sun in the Temple of Hera in Olympia, in accordance with ancient tradition. It will travel through Greece for a week before beginning its journey to Rio de Janeiro on for the opening ceremony on the 5<sup>th</sup> of August.  </p> <p>A large crowd gathered to witness Greek actress Katerina Lehous, performing the role of high priestess, ignite the torch using the midday sun.</p> <p>"With huge emotion and energy, we are here today in the Olympia holy land of the Olympic games. The Games start today with the lighting of the flame," Carlos Nuzman, president of the Rio 2016 organising committee, said.</p> <p>"It's our honour to lead this dream - the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The first in our country, the first in South America, the first in a different region of the world.</p> <p>"You'll remember this moment forever, for centuries."</p> <p>More than 12,000 torch bearers will help transport the flame on its 90 day journey from Greece, through Brazil, and in to Rio. </p> <p><strong>Related links: </strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/international/2016/04/10-usa-destinations-with-spectacular-scenery/"><em>10 USA destinations with spectacular scenery</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/international/2016/04/top-10-landmarks-to-visit-in-2016/"><em>Top 10 landmarks to visit in 2016</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/international/2016/04/10-aussie-wildlife-parks-you-have-to-visit/"><em>10 Aussie wildlife parks you have to visit</em></a></strong></span></p>

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