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"Hilarious" number plate somehow slips past the censors

In a world where innovation knows no bounds, one Perth driver has taken the art of personalised license plates to a whole new level, leaving us all wondering: is it plain rude, or just plain hilariously? The car in question, a humble Kia Sportage, seems innocent enough at first glance. But wait, what’s that? A custom plate that reads 37OHSSV? Seems harmless, right? Wrong. It turns out, if you dare to flip the plate upside down, you'll unveil a cheeky message that spells out none other than "a**hole" in bold, red letters. Yes, you read that correctly. Someone actually managed to sneak that past the scrutinizsng eyes of state transport officials. Unsurprisingly, the discovery of this plate sent the internet into a frenzy, with the post garnering over 2000 shares and nearly 1000 comments. And guess what? Almost everyone loved it! “This is so clever and hilarious,” exclaimed one amused user, echoing the sentiments of many. “That’s the best I’ve ever seen,” chimed in another, probably still laughing. “That is brilliant, I love it,” added a third, undoubtedly already planning their own witty plate. But amid the laughter and applause, there’s a serious question lingering: How did this driver manage to bypass the stringent regulations that typically govern custom plates? In the last financial year alone, nearly 1000 applications for personalised plates were rejected in Western Australia due to being deemed too offensive for the road. Among the rejected gems were GEN3CID, SAUC3D, and RAMP4GE. Clearly, the censors were not amused. And let’s not forget the demographics at play here. According to the stats, a whopping 71 percent of custom plate holders are men, with the average age hovering around 41. So, it seems that mid-life crisis isn’t just limited to buying flashy sports cars; it extends to personalised license plates as well. So whether you find this particular plate downright rude or ingeniously innovative, one thing’s for sure: it's got people talking. And in a world where monotony often reigns supreme, a little dose of humour and creativity on the road might just be what we need. So, hats off to you, mysterious Perth driver. You may be a bit of an a$$hole – but you’re our kind of a$$hole. Image: Facebook

Travel Trouble

"Unfair" parking fines could soon be a thing of the past

In recent years, road users in one Australian state have found themselves at the receiving end of unwelcome surprises in their mailboxes. An experimental parking fine process, initiated with the aim of streamlining administrative procedures, has instead garnered significant backlash from unsuspecting motorists. However, relief seems to be on the horizon as the New South Wales Government steps in to rectify the situation. The issue revolves around the introduction of ticketless parking fines, a system that was implemented with the intention of simplifying the issuance of penalties for parking violations. Under this scheme, parking officers could send details of fines directly to Revenue NSW, which would then dispatch infringement notices either by post or through the Service NSW app. However, what was meant to be a simple and streamlined modernisation effort has led to a surge in revenue from fines and a subsequent erosion of trust in the system. Concerns about the fairness and transparency of ticketless fines have been mounting, prompting action from the NSW government. Reports indicate that Finance Minister Courtney Houssos has written to all 128 local councils in the state, urging them to halt further adoption of the ticketless parking fine system. Instead, councils have been instructed to revert to traditional ticketing methods and ensure that drivers are promptly made aware of fines at the time of the offence. The move comes in response to a range of issues highlighted by critics of the ticketless system. One major concern is the lack of immediate notification, which diminishes the deterrent effect of fines and makes it difficult for motorists to contest them effectively. Without receiving timely notification, drivers may struggle to gather evidence or address issues such as inadequate signage, hidden signs, or other circumstances that could warrant a review of the fine. Organisations like the National Roads and Motorists' Association (NRMA) have been vocal opponents of the ticketless scheme, labelling it as "unfair" and criticising its impact on transparency. According to NRMA spokesperson Peter Khoury, the system reduces the ability of drivers to contest fines, thereby undermining their rights and contributing to a loss of community trust in the administration of fines. The NSW government's intervention signals a recognition of these concerns and a commitment to restoring confidence in the fines system. By prioritising immediate notification for drivers, authorities aim to address the shortcomings of the ticketless parking fine process. The decision to reverse the experimental system comes amid staggering revenue figures, with nearly $140 million generated from ticketless fines in 2023 alone. While the financial gains may be substantial, they come at the expense of public trust and fairness, prompting a much-needed course correction. As Minister Houssos asserts, providing immediate notification to drivers is not only the right thing to do but also a crucial step towards rebuilding community trust. By ensuring that drivers are promptly informed of fines and have the opportunity to contest them, authorities can strike a balance between effective enforcement and procedural fairness in managing parking violations. As road users await the reinstatement of traditional ticketing methods, they can take solace in the prospect of a fairer and more transparent fines system in the future. Images: City of Sydney

Legal

“Utter madness”: Australian Open thriller drags past 3am

Day five of the Australian Open has seen a nail-biting match between Russian champion Daniil Medvedev and Finnish player Emil Ruusuvuori drag on until 3:30am. The epic match would’ve lasted even longer, if Medvedev didn’t blow away Ruusuvuori in the fifth set, claiming his victory and winning 3-6 6-7 6-4 7-6 6-0. Before the Australian Open began, the ATP and WTA introduced new rules that would force night sessions to begin prior to 7:30pm and prevent matches from going on court after 11pm. However, the Australian Open is not bound by these rules meaning that when Medvedev and Ruusuvuori stepped on court at 11:15pm, there was little chance of them finishing anytime before the early hours of the morning. The match was already in its fourth hour before the fifth set began at 3:20am, as Ruusuvuori lost his steam in the final set. Speaking after the match, Medvedev paid tribute to the fans who stuck around, saying he wouldn’t be among them if he didn’t have to play. “Honestly guys, I would not be here,” Medvedev said. “Thanks for staying.” “If I’d have been a tennis fan and I had come, at 1 I’d be ‘okay, let’s go home, we’ll catch the end of the match on the TV, we’ll watch 30 minutes and then go to bed’.” “So I guess thanks guys, you are strong.” Sports fans and commentators echoed Medvedev’s statements online, as journalist Ryan Sidle wrote on X that the match has descended into “utter madness”. The epic showdown now makes it two years in a row that an Australian Open match has gone into the early hours of the morning, with Thanasi Kokkinakis and Andy Murray taking their AO battle to 4am in the 2023 competition. Image credits: Getty Images

News

"I was terrified": Law & Order star reveals traumatic past

Warning: This story contains graphic content. Mariska Hargitay, who plays Olivia Benson, a character that investigate rapists on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, has revealed that she too is a victim of sexual assault. The actress opened up about her traumatic past in a powerful essay written for <a href="https://people.com/mariska-hargitay-experience-rape-renewal-reckoning-8424247" target="_blank" rel="noopener">People Magazine</a>, where she revealed that she was raped by “a friend" when she was in her thirties. "A man raped me in my thirties," she bravely revealed in the essay. "It wasn’t sexual at all. It was dominance and control. Overpowering control." The actress revealed that he was a friend who "made a unilateral decision" and recalled the fear she felt when the incident occurred. "He grabbed me by the arms and held me down. I was terrified," she said. "I didn’t want it to escalate to violence. I now know it was already sexual violence, but I was afraid he would become physically violent. "I went into freeze mode, a common trauma response when there is no option to escape. I checked out of my body," she recalled. Hargitay, who is the daughter of the late actress Jane Mansfield, said that she never thought of herself as a "survivor", and often "minimised" what happened to her when she talked about it with others. "My husband Peter remembers me saying, “I mean, it wasn’t rape," she wrote. "Then things started shifting in me, and I began talking about it more in earnest with those closest to me. They were the first ones to call it what it was." The actress said that she wants other survivors to feel "no shame" about sexual assault and wants "this violence to end." She added that justice "may look different for each survivor," but for her she wants "an acknowledgment and an apology" after what happened. "This is a painful part of my story. The experience was horrible. But it doesn’t come close to defining me, in the same way that no other single part of my story defines me," she concluded, adding that she feels for all sexual violence survivors. "I’m turning 60, and I’m so deeply grateful for where I am. I’m renewed and I’m flooded with compassion for all of us who have suffered. And I’m still proudly in process." Hargitay started her own foundation, the Joyful Heart Foundation, in 2004 to help survivors of sexual assault. Image: Getty

Caring

Wayne Carey's flippant comment on past cheating scandal

Wayne Carey has made a series of astonishing remarks about the high profile affair that ended his career, as he engaged with cheeky fans on X, formerly known as Twitter. The exchange began when the former AFL player made a seemingly innocent statement about AFL teams trading players. “If your club gets a player that plays your position? That should always be used as motivation to have the best preseason you have ever had,” the former Kangaroos star wrote. “Difference between being good and great? Absolutely nothing beats hard work #tradeshow.” But fans were quick to recall Carey changing clubs back in 2002, as one person cheekily asked, “How come you traded clubs?” to which Carey replied, “Really?” “Didn’t work hard enough?” another added to the banter. Many others added to the virtual pile on, until one fan recalled the reason why he had to change clubs 21 years ago. “He slept with his teammate's wife!” the account wrote, to which the footy star responded with “3 times”. The rogue posts didn't stop there, as the same fan then jokingly asked if the footy star was “back on the bags”, referring to Carey's <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/it-s-not-a-great-look-afl-legend-caught-with-mysterious-substance-at-crown-casino" target="_blank" rel="noopener">incident at Perth Crown Casino</a>when a suspicious looking bag of white powder fell out of his pocket while he was gambling. On last year’s season of SAS Australia, Carey spoke candidly about the affair scandal. “I slept with a teammate’s wife. It’s haunted me for 20 years,” he said at the time. “My integrity will always be questioned. I’m not trying to prove anything to the public — it’s to myself." “People can change. They evolve. Hopefully this can help me.” Image credits: Getty Images

Relationships

Coming to terms with the past is more important than ever. The Voice referendum is a vital first step

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/heidi-norman-859">Heidi Norman</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-technology-sydney-936">University of Technology Sydney</a> This Saturday is the final day of voting in the Voice to Parliament referendum, which asks Australians to support recognition of First Peoples in the Constitution and enable First Peoples’ representation on relevant policies and programs. Over the last several weeks, I have attended many events supporting and advocating for the Voice referendum. In these forums, my fellow Australians talk about the Constitution, the role of government and how power is exercised in modern democracy. Some have never read or thought about the Constitution before. I’ve seen young First Nations lawyers explaining to a mixed crowd how the Constitution works, what is included in it and what a constitutionally enshrined Voice would mean. I have been invigorated by such sincere participation in understanding how our democracy works, and could work better. This serious contemplation was getting underway at the Referendum Council’s Aboriginal regional dialogues I attended in 2017. With other Aboriginal people, we discussed what change could look like. I have supported the implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and played my small part supporting the “yes” vote at my university and with my family and community. <h2>How opinions have differed</h2> Debates around the Voice have presented three competing narratives to the Australian public. The “yes” position addresses the outstanding business of the place of First Peoples in the life of the nation. This position is an offer of peace, to walk together towards settlement. It also believes that if First Peoples are able to work with and through government – with power devolved to local-level decision-making – the everyday experiences of the disadvantaged will be changed. The Voice proposal is a modest, middle path. It’s a compromise position that was believed to have the greatest chance of gaining support from progressives, liberals and conservatives. The “no” position refuses to acknowledge the unique place of First Peoples in the life of the nation and rejects any perceived “special treatment” based on either disadvantage or cultural difference. A third, minority group is the so-called “progressive no” vote, which rejects the Voice referendum as an unacceptable compromise with limited utility as a mechanism to advance First Peoples’ rights. It argues Voice is not enough, and it’s time instead for recognition of sovereignty. Each of these narratives draws from competing versions of the story of the nation’s past and future. We can see that understanding our history is more important than ever in addressing the politics of disruption and disinformation and the toxic social and political discourse that has dominated the campaign. <h2>Right-wing tactics of division</h2> Debate over the referendum has played out in a different way to other referendums and general election campaigns. The debate has often been discourteous, relying on a swarm of cruel, derogatory and racist social media posts. Some leading “no” campaigners have <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/sep/28/we-forgive-but-never-forget-yes-campaigner-rachel-perkins-responds-to-warren-mundine-on-uluru-statement">presented</a> increasingly extremist and sensational views intended to dominate the news cycle and social media. In many ways, the “no” campaign has followed patterns of right-wing campaigning from overseas, which is intended to destabilise the social relations, trust and confidence we have in one another and seed division. Consider the Brexit debate in the UK, and or US Capitol insurrection and claims of a stolen election by former President Donald Trump. Each provided a platform for people to express white nationalist sentiments and their deep distrust in the institutions of democratic government. The “no” campaign’s tactics have also sought to <a href="https://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/journals/index.php/mcs/article/view/8813">link</a> a host of disparate themes to the referendum, from climate change denial to anti-vaccination beliefs. The common theme is grievance against the perceived extension of the distrusted government into people’s lives. Disinformation has played a key role. Other concerns have also been publicly raised about the Voice, such as that it would be a risk to <a href="https://theconversation.com/no-the-voice-to-parliament-would-not-force-people-to-give-up-their-private-land-212784">people’s private land</a>. These concerns are sincerely feared, but totally unfounded. <h2>Difficulties confronting our history</h2> What sits beneath this right-wing rhetoric in Australia is the highly charged debate over the nation’s past and its future. Contesting views about Australia’s history should not come as a surprise. Since historians became more interested in the telling of Australian history “from the other side” and writing First Peoples back into the nation’s story, it has been met with an equal measure of resistance and shock. The ongoing difficulty of “coming to terms” with colonial histories can be attributed to a number of things: <ul> <li> historical amnesia, disbelief or cultural differences over what counts as historical knowledge </li> <li> the strategic use of “forgetting” to protect a social group’s self-image </li> <li> and the belief that engaging in these difficult histories is somebody else’s responsibility rather than our own. </li> </ul> The Voice Referendum and Uluru Statement introduce a new nationalism underpinned by a different origin story: the process of a settlement between First Nations and non-Indigenous Australians with a recognition of how our continent’s much deeper history can be a gift, or inheritance, to all Australians. In this vision for the future, the worlds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders narrate the story of the country over much longer timeframes through an entirely different archive and knowledge system. The idea of inheritance of a much deeper and longer history of country is less concerned with colonial settler-Indigenous relations. Rather, it is a transformed sense of history that extends over thousands of generations and speaks to place. <h2>Playing a role in the future of the nation</h2> The aim of the Voice is to strengthen democracy by meaningfully engaging with those who have the knowledge and expertise, in local conditions and contexts, to improve government decisions in Indigenous policy and programs. The Voice proposal eschews a rights framework in favour of <a href="https://www.mup.com.au/books/its-our-country-paperback-softback">providing</a> <blockquote> the impetus for a profound paradigmatic shift between Indigenous peoples and the state. While this “power of influence” on one hand seeks to improve policy and programs and services on the ground, it also seeks to shape a new and meaningful relationship between Indigenous Peoples and political institutions. </blockquote> There is a legitimate and important role for government to play in First Peoples’ lives, but this role can be improved by greater participation and local-level input in the design and implementation of policy and programs. For too long, First Peoples have experienced the worst excesses of government and its various instruments – namely the police and judiciary. There’s a reason why many people hold a deep and abiding fear and suspicion of government. It has been responsible for many traumas: <ul> <li> the brutal dislodging of kinship connections </li> <li> the taking of land without any legal basis or compensation </li> <li> the violent dispersal of people from their land, which has rendered many destitute and without means to care for their families </li> <li> the removal of people’s children, denial of basic services and assistance, and management of people’s lives by a cruel and underfunded protection board </li> <li> the <a href="https://www.monash.edu/law/research/centres/castancentre/our-areas-of-work/indigenous/the-northern-territory-intervention/the-northern-territory-intervention-an-evaluation/what-is-the-northern-territory-intervention">empowering</a> of police and military to seize people’s community assets. </li> </ul> And yet, the Voice referendum, supported by the overwhelming majority of First Peoples, seeks to improve the relationship with governments to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness of policies intended to improve lives. At one Sydney “yes” rally, we walked from Redfern Park along Cleveland Street to Victoria Park. It was a massive turnout that far exceeded expectations. The mood was serious, yet joyous. People came from all over Sydney and brought their place with them – the crew from “The Shire” got a big cheer from the crowd. This gathering was not looking for division, but rather a heart-filled yearning to come together as a community of people and play a role in the future of a nation that’s accepting of the fact it’s our country, too.<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/215152/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/heidi-norman-859">Heidi Norman</a>, Professor, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-technology-sydney-936">University of Technology Sydney</a> Image credits: Central Land Council - PR Image 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/coming-to-terms-with-the-past-is-more-important-than-ever-the-voice-referendum-is-a-vital-first-step-215152">original article</a>.

Caring

Past charges against mushroom poisoning suspect uncovered

Erin Patterson, the woman under investigation for allegedly cooking the deadly mushroom meal that claimed the lives of three people, has previously faced a series of charges after being involved in a drunk-driving incident. According to reports from The Australian, the 49-year-old was convicted in 2004 of driving drunk in an unregistered vehicle. Court records have revealed that Patterson, who was then known as Erin Trudi Scutter and was aged 29, faced legal consequences for her reckless actions, losing her license for 30 months after crashing her vehicle in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne while heavily intoxicated. The reports revealed that after the crash, she fled from authorities by speeding away from the crash scene, reaching 95 km/h in a 60 km/h zone. The convictions that were handed down were for charges of failing to stop a vehicle after an accident, failing to provide identifying information after causing property damage, using an unregistered vehicle on a highway, failing to provide information after property damage, and driving at 95 km/h in a restricted 60 km/h zone. At the time of the crash, Erin's blood alcohol level was 0.14 per cent, indicating significant impairment, however the charges of drink driving were dropped, potentially due to overlapping elements in other charges. Patterson has yet to comment on the previous charges, after being advised by her lawyer not to make any public comments as she remains under investigation for the deadly mushroom meal. She has <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/details-of-erin-patterson-s-police-statement-around-fatal-mushroom-meal-revealed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">denied any wrongdoing</a> in the mushroom incident, although according to police, they are investigating Patterson because she was the only adult among five who did not either die or suffer severe illness after ingesting the deadly mushrooms. Image credits: A Current Affair

Legal

Jackie O breaks down on air as Kyle Sandilands opens up about sad past

Jackie O has shed some tears live on air as she listened to co-host Kyle Sandilands recall his experience with domestic violence as a child. As Johnny O’Keefe’s 1964 hit She Wears My Ring played in the background, Sandilands was taken to a darker time of his childhood when he suffered from abuse in the hands of his father. He recalled a particularly vivid memory of him watching his dad being dragged away by police after an incident at the family home. “It’s sad,” he told The Kyle and Jackie O show listeners on Wednesday morning. “I thought if I ever did my life story, it would start with this song and full on domestic violence with two little children playing with a train set pretending that nothing was wrong.” “I’ve got shocking memories, like horrible memories. And then the police would show up and dad would get carted away,” he recalled as a montage of photos from his childhood flashed on screen. Henderson, overwhelmed with emotion and sympathy, couldn’t help but cry for her co-host and good friend. Sandilands then tried to lighten the mood and said: “But don’t feel sorry for me. We’ve got Taylor Swift tickets to give away later.” The 52-year-old radio host has been open about his strained relationship with his father. In February, Sandilands shared with a caller that he regretted not forgiving his dad and felt guilty when he passed away from cancer in 2016. “I took my mum’s side and I tortured my dad for years,” he said. He admitted that when his dad did come back around, he made it “as difficult as possible for him”. “I actually got off on how sad he was,” he added. “When he got cancer and died, I regretted not being more open to him. I regretted it, and I thought, ‘What a waste of time that was, now that he’s gone.’” Images: news.com.au/ The Kyle and Jackie O Show Instagram

Caring

Is the Barbie movie a bold step to reinvent and fix past wrongs or a clever ploy to tap a new market?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lauren-gurrieri-5402">Lauren Gurrieri</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a> After a months-long marketing blitz, the much-hyped Barbie movie is released this week. From a <a href="https://news.airbnb.com/barbies-malibu-dreamhouse-is-back-on-airbnb-but-this-time-kens-hosting/">Malibu Barbie dreamhouse</a> listed on AirBnB, an AI tool that <a href="https://www.barbieselfie.ai/au/">transforms selfies into Barbie movie posters</a> and multiple Barbie-themed brand collaborations ranging from nail polish to roller skates, Barbie is everywhere. She has even gone viral as a fashion trend known as <a href="https://www.elle.com.au/fashion/barbiecore-27286">Barbiecore</a>, exploding across social media with people embracing vibrant pink hues and hyper feminine aesthetics. A Barbie world is upon us. Although some have criticised this <a href="https://twitter.com/MosheIsaacian/status/1673415496929267712">saturation</a> strategy, it is a very deliberate marketing ploy to revitalise and redefine a brand with a contested position and history. As well as attracting adults who grew up with Barbie and are curious to see what’s changed, the reinvention is drawing in those younger fans swept up by the tsunami of marketing and merchandise. Despite being one of the <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/brandspark-most-trusted-brands-america-2022">most trusted brands</a> with a value of approximately <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1009126/barbie-brand-value-worldwide/">$US700 million</a>, Barbie has long attracted feminist criticism for fuelling outdated and problematic “plastic fantastic” sexist stereotypes and expectations. <h2>The Barbie backlash</h2> Only a few years back, Barbie was a brand in crisis. <a href="https://time.com/3667580/mattel-barbie-earnings-plus-size-body-image/">Sales plummeted</a> across 2011 to 2015 against the cultural backdrop of a rise in body positivity and backlash against a doll that represented narrow ideals and an impossible beauty standard. After all, at life-size Barbie represents a body shape held by <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF01544300#page-1">less than 1 in 100,000</a> real people. In fact, she is so <a href="https://rehabs.com/explore/dying-to-be-barbie/#.UWs-5aKyB8F">anatomically impossible</a> that, if she were real, she would be unable to lift her head, store a full liver or intestines, or <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/305/6868/1575">menstruate</a>. The backlash has also been in response to growing concerns about how she influences child development, particularly how and what children learn about gender. Barbie has been identified as a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1740144521000243#!">risk factor</a> for thin-ideal internalisation and body dissatisfaction for young girls, encouraging <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S174014451630208X">motivation for a thinner shape</a> that damages body image and self esteem. And despite the multiple careers Barbie has held over the decades, research highlights that girls who play with Barbie believe they have <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11199-014-0347-y">fewer career options than boys</a>. This speaks to the power of toys to reinforce gender stereotypes, roles and expectations, and how Barbie has imported narrow ideals of femininity, girlhood and womanhood into young girls’ lives. <h2>Reinventing a long-established icon</h2> In response to this backlash, Mattel launched a new range of Barbies in 2016 that were promoted as <a href="https://shop.mattel.com/collections/fashion-dolls#filter.ss_filter_tags_subtype=Fashionistas">diverse</a>, representing different body shapes, sizes, hair types and skin tones. This was not without criticism, with “curvy” Barbie still considered thin and dolls named in ways that drew attention foremost to their bodies. From a white, well-dressed, middle-class, girl-next-door with friends of a similar ilk, Barbie has since been marketed as a symbol of diversity and inclusion. To signify the extent of the transformation, Mattel’s executives gave this project the code name “Project Dawn”. Mattel - like many other brands joining the <a href="https://theconversation.com/victorias-secret-joins-the-inclusive-revolution-finally-realizing-diversity-sells-163955">“inclusivity revolution”</a> - knew that diversity sells, and they needed to make their brand relevant for contemporary consumers. Diversity initiatives included a line of <a href="https://shop.mattel.com/pages/barbie-role-models">female role model dolls</a>, promoted as “introducing girls to remarkable women’s stories to show them you can be anything”. Barbie was also given a voice in the form of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5BsRl9zFaeSKIL4XD-pdGHGbJRvkfe8S">Barbie Vlogs</a>, where she expressed her views on issues including depression and the <a href="https://www.bustle.com/p/barbies-vlog-about-the-sorry-reflex-is-the-feminist-pep-talk-all-90s-babies-need-to-hear-9852366">sorry reflex</a>. A gender neutral collection called “creatable world” was added in 2019 to open up gender expression possibilities when playing with Barbies. Such efforts were crucial to undoing missteps of the past, such as a “Teen Talk Barbie” that was programmed to say “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSL2-rbE9AM">Math class is tough!</a>”, or the compulsory heterosexuality that Barbie has long advanced. <h2>The latest step in Barbie’s transformation</h2> Barbie the film is simply the next step in an evolution to make brand Barbie inclusive. And with a rumoured film budget of $100 million, the supporting marketing machine provides a critical opportunity to reset the Barbie narrative. With Greta Gerwig, acclaimed director of female-led stories such as Little Women and Lady Bird at the helm, and a diverse cast of Barbies of different races, body types, gender identities and sexual preferences, the film and its creators have sought to assure audiences of the film’s feminist leanings. Addressing the complicated history of Barbie is crucial for audiences who grew up and played with the doll and are grappling with introducing her to the next generation of doll consumers. Yet, Robbie Brenner, executive producer of Mattel Films, has explicitly stated that Gerwig’s Barbie is “not a feminist movie”. Indeed, the main character still represents a narrow beauty standard - tall, thin, blonde, white - with diverse characters in place to support her narrative. Which begs the question: are these inclusion initiatives simply emblematic of diversity washing, where the language and symbolism of social justice are hijacked for corporate profit? Or do they represent a genuine effort to redress the chequered history of a brand that promotes poor body image, unrealistic ideals and rampant materialism? What is clear is that in today’s climate where brands are increasingly rewarded for taking a stand on sociopolitical issues, brand Barbie’s attempts to reposition as inclusive have paid off: sales are now booming. Seemingly, Barbie’s famous tagline that “anything is possible” has shown itself to be true.<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/209394/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lauren-gurrieri-5402">Lauren Gurrieri</a>, Associate Professor in Marketing, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT 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/is-the-barbie-movie-a-bold-step-to-reinvent-and-fix-past-wrongs-or-a-clever-ploy-to-tap-a-new-market-209394">original article</a>.

Movies

When your house has a (disturbing) history, what should buyers be told about its ‘past’?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/eileen-webb-95332">Eileen Webb</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a> Imagine you have just bought a home. You have moved in and, during a friendly chat with the neighbours, you find out the property had been the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-07/what-is-stigmatised-property-and-what-are-your-rights/9911608">scene of a serious crime</a> or <a href="https://www.aicnsw.com.au/our-dream-house-was-a-meth-lab/">used to manufacture</a> methamphetamine. How would you react? Is this something you would want to have known prior to the sale? If you had known, would this have affected you decision to buy the property? And was the real estate agent or vendor <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/news/what-do-agents-have-to-reveal-about-a-home8217s-history-20170810-gxcm5k/">under any obligation</a> to let you know? In most cases, the answer is (somewhat surprisingly to buyers) “no”. However, amendments to Victoria’s Sale of Land Act 1962 <a href="https://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/latest-news/sale-of-land-changes-in-effect-legislation-update">have now broadened the matters</a> that must be disclosed to buyers prior to a sale, including where a serious crime has occurred. Renters who find they have entered into a stigmatised property must resort to the consumer protection laws discussed below. <h2>Why were the laws required?</h2> The ancient doctrine of caveat emptor (let the buyer beware) still impacts on real estate transactions. It means the buyer bears the responsibility of making their own enquiries about the property. Property inspections are usually confined to the physical condition of the property. While it would be possible, at least theoretically, to arrange for a person to investigate its “background”, this can be a difficult process, especially if such information is concealed or hard to come by. As a result, each state and territory has introduced laws that provide for some level of disclosure to the buyer during the conveyancing process. The extent of disclosure required and the nature of matters that must be disclosed varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Furthermore, section 18 of the Australian Consumer Law <a href="http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/caca2010265/sch2.html#_Toc32223214">considers conduct</a> as misleading or deceptive where a matter is not disclosed but, in the circumstances, there is a reasonable expectation it would be. The problem is that while disclosure may be required in matters involving, for example, a structural fault or a road-widening proposal, such information is confined to physical issues affecting the property. However, what happens when the matter involves not a physical defect but a psychological or stigmatising one, such as a murder, for example? Such information may be of considerable importance to potential buyers who, for personal or religious reasons, would find living in a property where such an event occurred intolerable. On a more mercenary note, the impact on resale value of the property <a href="http://journalarticle.ukm.my/7237/1/115-293-1-PB.pdf">could be significant</a>. <h2>The nature of ‘stigmatised’ property</h2> Concern about the effect of stigma on property is not a recent phenomenon. Courts in several jurisdictions, including Australia, <a href="https://api.research-repository.uwa.edu.au/portalfiles/portal/1218611/3632_3632.pdf">have had to grapple</a> with buyers who had discovered, after purchase, that the property had been the scene of a serious crime or criminal activity, a suicide had occurred, persons had been suffering from certain illnesses, or a sex offender lived nearby. In one case a young man had murdered his parents and sister in their Sydney home. The property was later sold to a young couple. After discovering the tragic events that had occurred in the home, they sought to withdraw from the sale on religious grounds. There was a <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/estate-agents-fined-over-triple-murder-house-20041220-gdz86g.html">significant amount of criticism</a> of the real estate agent for not informing the buyers about what had occurred there. After considerable public pressure and an investigation by the NSW Office of Fair Trading, the contract was set aside. On a more ethereal note, there have been a series of cases in the United States where buyers have sought, in some cases successfully, to have a sale rescinded <a href="http://zillow.mediaroom.com/2019-10-29-Selling-a-Haunted-House-Heres-What-You-Need-to-Know">because the house</a> was (allegedly) haunted or the subject of <a href="https://casetext.com/case/stambovsky-v-ackley">paranormal activity</a>. <h2>Disclosure laws regarding stigma</h2> The Victorian legislation clarifies obligations for estate agents and vendors regarding <a href="https://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/latest-news/sale-of-land-changes-in-effect-legislation-update">the disclosure of “material facts”</a>. In summary, an estate agent or vendor cannot knowingly conceal any material facts about a property when selling land. The legislation is supported by guidelines that clarify the nature of a material fact. This includes circumstances where, during the current or previous occupation, the property was the scene of a serious crime or an event that may create long-term potential risks to the health and safety of occupiers of the land. Specific examples include extreme violence such as a homicide, the use of the property for the manufacture of substances such as methylamphetamine, or a defence or fire brigade training site involving the use of hazardous materials. Relevant factors can include the reaction of other potential buyers to the fact, including their willingness to buy in light of the revelation. Significant penalties and even imprisonment await vendors and real estate agents who do not comply. <h2>Will the laws work?</h2> As with any new legislation, we will have to wait and see how this plays out. However, some preliminary comments can be made. First, it will be interesting to see how the term “knowingly” is interpreted. Could an agent or vendor avoid the provisions if they merely suspect an issue but do not look further into it? The term “wilful blindness” comes to mind. Second, a fact can be material in either a general or a specific sense. The general sense seems straightforward, as it refers to information most people would consider when deciding whether to buy a property. However, how serious must a crime be to be material? What if the situation involves cultivation of marijuana rather than a more egregious substance? More complex is where a material fact may be of importance to a specific buyer but not buyers generally. For example, in the case discussed above, the buyers’ religion made it impossible for them to live in a home where a violent murder had occurred. In this case, the onus seems to be on the prospective buyer to ask questions about matters of concern to them. <h2>What now?</h2> Although one suspects that buyers of an allegedly haunted house might not succeed under this legislation, the laws address a significant gap regarding disclosure of psychological considerations in the purchase of a property rather than the traditional physical ones.<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/132766/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/eileen-webb-95332">Eileen Webb</a>, Professor of Law and Ageing, School of Law, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</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/when-your-house-has-a-disturbing-history-what-should-buyers-be-told-about-its-past-132766">original article</a>.

Real Estate

David Campbell’s picture perfect blast from the past

When Trevor Long stopped by the Today show, David Campbell promised it to be “the best thing that’s ever happened on this show.” And while David himself may have had a few things to say afterwards - with his past mullet being exposed to the world - Trevor certainly had a lot to offer viewers, outlining a whole host of options for turning their old photographs into digital keepsakes. “If you’re like me,” David began, “and I still have a lot of my old photos … I don’t trust clouds, I miss photos … and they’re all stored in our phones and it freaks me out.” “Photos like this one, David?” Trevor asked, an old photo of David and his school friends - John and Glen - on display in his hands. “That freaks everyone else out,” was David’s immediate response. The image saw the three at what appeared to be a formal event, two of them even sporting waistcoats, but it was David’s remarkable haircut that caught their attention, and their amusement. “That is a mullet, ladies and gentlemen,” Trevor declared, to Today co-host Sylvia Jeffreys’ laughter. From there, Sylvia went on to explain that their goal was to “keep photos like that alive because we should never forget that mullet.” And that’s where Trevor came in, noting that he had many photo albums at home, and that “you kind of think that you’re going to lose those memories.” The solution, he believes, is in taking them to the digital sphere, where they can be kept ‘forever’. First on his list of digitising options was an application called Google Photo Scan. He went on to demonstrate how all users need to do is “point the phone at the photo”, wait for the flash which they may find “a bit weird”, and for dots to appear “on each corner”. Using David’s mullet throwback as his example, he waited for the picture to scan, and then revealed the results: a near-perfect replica on his phone that was “now Facebook shareable” and “also just something you can keep in your digital library”. Next up was the most efficient - and most expensive at over $600 - of Trevor’s solutions, with Epson’s Fastfoto scanner. The photos were inserted in bulk into the machine, and deposited at the other end in rapid succession after enhancing and saving the images to his computer - quite unlike a scanner, though similar in process, where each photo must be manually attended to throughout the entire job. According to Trevor, the Epson device had the potential to do “a hundred a minute”. Last but not least came the answer for those with an awful lot of old film negatives lying around. The Kodak Slide ‘n’ Scan, he demonstrated, required users to slide film through the device, with each image appearing on a small screen at the front. After pressing the button on top just once, the picture would be saved onto a memory card, ready to be moved wherever its owner desired. “It’s a little bit of a manual process,” Trevor allowed, “but as you push it through [and] press the button, it saves it on a memory card, kind of like the memory card you have on your digital camera. Put it into your computer, and again, you choose what you do with your photos.” And for those worried about the cost of some of the products he’d showcased? Trevor’s answer was simple: sell them. From there there was only one concern left to address, as David was showing his mullet pic to the camera, with Trevor asking “can you grow that back?” David, laughing, shot back, “I wish I could!” Images: Nine

Family & Pets

Why does music bring back memories? What the science says

You’re walking down a busy street on your way to work. You pass a busker playing a song you haven’t heard in years. Now suddenly, instead of noticing all the goings on in the city around you, you’re mentally reliving the first time you heard the song. Hearing that piece of music takes you right back to where you were, who you were with and the feelings associated with that memory. This experience – when music brings back memories of events, people and places from our past – is known as a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0251692">music-evoked autobiographical memory</a>. And it’s a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735619888803">common experience</a>. It often occurs as an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721410370301">involuntary memory</a>. That is, we make no effort to try to recall such memories, they just come to mind spontaneously. Research has recently begun to uncover why music appears to be such a good cue for invoking memories. First, music tends to accompany many distinctive life events, such as proms, graduations, weddings and funerals, so it can play an important role in reconnecting us with these <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610215000812">self-defining moments</a>. Music also often captures our attention, due to the way it affects our <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-power-of-our-song-the-musical-glue-that-binds-friends-and-lovers-across-the-ages-73593">minds</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/rhythm-on-the-brain-and-why-we-cant-stop-dancing-56354">bodies</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-sad-songs-say-so-much-to-some-people-but-not-others-65365">emotions</a>. When music draws our attention, this increases the likelihood that it will be encoded in memory together with details of a life event. And this then means it is able to serve as an effective cue for remembering this event years later. <h2>Positive memories</h2> In <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jarmac.2021.09.002">recent research</a> my colleague and I found that the emotional nature of a piece of music is an important factor in how it serves as a memory cue. We compared music with other emotional memory cues that had been rated by a large group of participants as conveying the same emotional expression as the music excerpts we used. This included comparing music with “emotional sounds”, such as nature and factory noises and “emotional words”, such as “money” and “tornado”. When compared with these emotionally matched cues, the music didn’t elicit any more memories than the words. But what we did find was that music evoked more consistently positive memories than other emotional sounds and words. This was especially the case for negative emotional stimuli. Specifically, sad and angry music evoked more positive memories than sad and angry sounds or words. It seems then that music appears to have the ability to reconnect us with emotionally positive moments from our pasts. This suggests that using <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-researchers-are-turning-to-music-as-a-possible-treatment-for-stroke-brain-injuries-and-even-parkinsons-171701">music therapeutically</a> may be particularly fruitful. <h2>How and when</h2> The familiarity of a piece of music also, perhaps unsurprisingly, plays a role. In <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/17470218221129793">another recent study</a>, we found that more familiar music evokes more memories and brings memories to mind more spontaneously. So part of the reason music may be a more effective cue for memories than, for instance, our favourite film or favourite book, is that we typically reengage with songs more often over our lifetimes compared to films, books or TV shows. The situations when we listen to music may also play a role. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511575921">Previous research</a> shows that involuntary memories are more likely to come back during activities where our mind is free to wander to thoughts about our past. These activities tend to be non-demanding in terms of our attention and include things like commuting, travelling, housework and relaxing. These types of activities align almost perfectly with those recorded in another study where we asked participants to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735619888803">keep a diary</a> and note when music evoked a memory, along with what they were doing at the time it happened. We found that daily activities that often go hand in hand with listening to music – such as travelling, doing chores or going for a run – tend to lead to more involuntary memories in the first place. This contrasts with other hobbies, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1525/mp.2021.38.5.435">such as watching TV</a>, which can require our mind to be more focused on the activity at hand and so less likely to wander to scenarios from our past. It seems then that music is not only good at evoking memories but also the times when we are more likely to listen to music are the times when our minds may <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-your-brain-decides-what-to-think-198109">naturally be more likely to wander</a> anyway. Music is also present during many life events that are distinctive, emotional or self-defining – and <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-your-brain-decides-what-to-think-198109">these types of memories</a> tend to be more easily recalled. Indeed, the power of music to connect us with our past shows how music, memories and emotions are all linked – and it seems certain songs can act as a direct line to our younger selves. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-does-music-bring-back-memories-what-the-science-says-197301" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Music

Why do I remember embarrassing things I’ve said or done in the past and feel ashamed all over again?

We’ve all done it – you’re walking around going about your business and suddenly you’re thinking about that time in high school you said something really stupid you would never say now. Or that time a few years ago when you made a social gaffe. You cringe and just want to die of shame. Why do these negative memories seem to just pop into our heads? And why do we feel so embarrassed still, when the occasion is long past? How do memories come into our awareness? The current thinking is there are two ways in which we recall experiences from our past. One way is purposeful and voluntary. For example, if you try to remember what you did at work yesterday, or what you had for lunch last Saturday. This involves a deliberate and effortful process during which we search for the memory in our minds. The second way is <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0963721410370301" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unintended and spontaneous</a>. These are memories that just seem to “pop” into our minds and can even be unwanted or intrusive. So, where does this second type of memory come from? Part of the answer lays in how memories are connected to each other. The current understanding is our past experiences are represented in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364661318300652?casa_token=SSFCzEsOjMkAAAAA:dYMJ2aVZpSCs9JCD9-iXsTMMnkyqnNtlcOoxA3lLzs8sNRrA8SXqb5LYamz25ZcMrsYxLoftp3A" target="_blank" rel="noopener">connected networks of cells</a> that reside in our brain, called neurons. These neurons grow physical connections with each other through the overlapping information in these representations. For example, memories might share a type of context (different beaches you’ve been to, restaurants you’ve eaten at), occur at similar periods of life (childhood, high school years), or have emotional and thematic overlap (times we have loved or argued with others). <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493440/original/file-20221104-13-ha3lz8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493440/original/file-20221104-13-ha3lz8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493440/original/file-20221104-13-ha3lz8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493440/original/file-20221104-13-ha3lz8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493440/original/file-20221104-13-ha3lz8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493440/original/file-20221104-13-ha3lz8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493440/original/file-20221104-13-ha3lz8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493440/original/file-20221104-13-ha3lz8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="A bakery window" /></a><figcaption>Memories can be triggered by internal stimuli (thoughts, feelings) or external stimuli (something we see, hear, smell). Yeh Xintong/Unsplash, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CC BY</a></figcaption></figure> An initial activation of a memory could be triggered by an external stimuli from the environment (sights, sounds, tastes, smells) or internal stimuli (thoughts, feelings, physical sensations). Once neurons containing these memories are activated, associated memories are then <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13423-020-01792-x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more likely to be recalled into conscious awareness</a>. An example might be walking past a bakery, smelling fresh bread, and having a spontaneous thought of last weekend when you cooked a meal for a friend. This might then lead to a memory of when toast was burned and there was smoke in the house. Not all activation will lead to a conscious memory, and at times the associations between memories might not be entirely clear to us. Why do memories make us feel? When memories come to mind, we often experience <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/(SICI)1099-0720(199610)10:5%3C435::AID-ACP408%3E3.0.CO;2-L" target="_blank" rel="noopener">emotional responses to them</a>. In fact, involuntary memories tend to be <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rstb.2019.0693" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more negative than voluntary memories</a>. Negative memories also tend to have a <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1037/1089-2680.5.4.323" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stronger emotional tone</a> than positive memories. Humans are more motivated to avoid bad outcomes, bad situations, and bad definitions of ourselves than to seek out good ones. This is likely due to the pressing need for survival in the world: physically, mentally, and socially. So involuntary memories can make us feel acutely sad, anxious, and even ashamed of ourselves. For example, a memory involving embarrassment or shame might indicate to us we have done something others might find to be distasteful or negative, or in some way we have violated social norms. These emotions are important for us to feel, and we learn from our memories and these emotional responses to manage future situations differently. Does this happen to some people more than others? This is all well and good, and mostly we’re able to remember our past and experience the emotions without too much distress. But it may happen for some people more than others, and with stronger emotions attached. One clue as to why comes from research on <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2023-06108-001" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mood-congruent memory</a>. This is the tendency to be more likely to recall memories which are consistent with our <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/(SICI)1099-0720(199610)10:5%3C435::AID-ACP408%3E3.0.CO;2-L" target="_blank" rel="noopener">current mood</a>. <figure class="align-right zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493442/original/file-20221104-13-e9jr5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493442/original/file-20221104-13-e9jr5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493442/original/file-20221104-13-e9jr5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493442/original/file-20221104-13-e9jr5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493442/original/file-20221104-13-e9jr5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493442/original/file-20221104-13-e9jr5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493442/original/file-20221104-13-e9jr5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493442/original/file-20221104-13-e9jr5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Man at desk thinking" /></a><figcaption>Ruminating is often unhelpful. pexels/olia danilevich, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CC BY</a></figcaption></figure> So, if you’re feeling sad, well, you’re more likely to recall memories related to disappointments, loss or shame. Feeling anxious or bad about yourself? You’re more likely to recall times when you felt scared or unsure. In some mental health disorders, such as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272735817303914?casa_token=k0OOX1ybROYAAAAA:UXy5KQk-_8h37dwSCDJqkoFebDn3b5atTodeeF0eYGeHjgtimUUcznPX9_Sxmq-5QsYx5gcUFQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">major depression</a>, people more often recall memories that evoke negative feelings, the negative feelings are relatively stronger, and these feelings of shame or sadness are perceived as facts about themselves. That is, feelings become facts. Another thing that is more likely in some mental health disorders is <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0005796720300243?casa_token=eaQkokETnM8AAAAA:WjFF1oStuF9VUm7KWdP1zwd7CluYm9M5YZKTotYEV8v0ijZDJ2eDSLdv_Di6kICGw7h59kmW4y4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rumination</a>. When we ruminate, we repetitively think about negative past experiences and how we feel or felt about them. On the surface, the function of rumination is to try and “work out” what happened and learn something or problem-solve so these experiences do not happen again. While this is good idea in theory, when we ruminate we become stuck in the past and re-experience negative emotions <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0005796720300243?casa_token=eaQkokETnM8AAAAA:WjFF1oStuF9VUm7KWdP1zwd7CluYm9M5YZKTotYEV8v0ijZDJ2eDSLdv_Di6kICGw7h59kmW4y4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">without much benefit</a>. Not only that, but it means those memories in our neural networks become more strongly connected with other information, and are even more likely to then be <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1800006115" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recalled involuntarily</a>. Can we stop the negative feelings? The good news is memories are very adaptable. When we recall a memory we can elaborate on it and change our thoughts, feelings, and appraisals of past experiences. In a process referred to as “<a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2018-24701-001" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reconsolidation</a>”, changes can be made so the next time that memory is recalled it is different to what it once was and has a changed emotional tone. For example, we might remember a time when we felt anxious about a test or a job interview that didn’t go so well and feel sad or ashamed. Reflecting, elaborating and reframing that memory might involve remembering some aspects of it that did go well, integrating it with the idea that you stepped up to a challenge even though it was hard, and reminding yourself it’s okay to feel anxious or disappointed about difficult things and it does not make us a failure or a bad person. Through this process of rewriting experiences in a way that is reasonable and self-compassionate, their prominence in our life and self-concept can be reduced, and <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13607863.2011.651434" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our well-being can improve</a>. As for rumination, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272735813001207?casa_token=arG_36s8na4AAAAA:Wrlcppj451P7mZlxg44UyooaM25GpoEwTFtx5gfHFc-k2M2cWCXXO75JYC9P7DnMKF7vw7SlcA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one evidenced-based strategy</a> is to recognise when it is happening and try to shift attention onto something absorbing and sensorial (for example doing something with your hands or focusing on sights or sounds). This attention shifting can short circuit rumination and get you doing something more valued. Overall, remember that even though our brain will give us little reminders of our experiences, we don’t have to be stuck in the past.<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/190535/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> Writen by David John Hallford. Republished with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-i-remember-embarrassing-things-ive-said-or-done-in-the-past-and-feel-ashamed-all-over-again-190535" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Getty Images

Mind

Internet spooked after young boy "proves" he is the reincarnation of a dead woman

A five-year-old boy has insisted to his mum that he has lived a past life as a woman named Pam, which has left viewers spooked with his "scary" story. Five-year-old Luke Ruehlman has claimed that he used to be a woman since he was just two years old. While his mother, Erika, brushed off his stories as an over-active imagination, his comments became increasingly peculiar as he grew older. “He’d say, ‘When I was a girl, I had black hair’ or he’d say, ‘I used to have earrings like that when I was a girl’,” Erika told US television network <a href="https://fox2now.com/news/do-you-believe-in-past-lives-toddlers-testimony-has-family-questioning-if-he-was-a-chicago-woman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-link-type="article-inline">Fox 2</a>. She also said Luke spoke about a woman called Pam from a young age, although the family didn’t know anyone by that name. It was one fleeting comment that left Erika gobsmacked. “I was like, ‘Who is Pam?’,” Erika said. “That’s when he turned to me and said, ‘Well I was’. “I said, ‘What do you mean you were?’ “He was like, ‘Well I used to be, but I died and I went up to heaven and I saw God and eventually God pushed me back down. “When I woke up I was a baby and you named me Luke’.” Adding to the spine-tingling comments, Luke insisted to his mum that he had died in a fire in Chicago - a city he had never been to. Erika did some research and discovered that an African-American woman by the name of Pamela Robinson had indeed died after jumping from a window to escape a massive fire in the Illinois city in 1993. Luke's parents decided to put him to the test, showing him a series of photos of different women. They were shocked and a little bit spooked when he picked out the correct photo of Pam. “He goes, ‘Well I don’t recognise anybody. But, I remember when this one was taken’,” his mum said of the moment he pointed at the right image. Luke’s claim has left the internet spooked, with some calling the story “crazy s***”. “That’s scary,” one viewer wrote on TikTok. Image credits: YouTube

Family & Pets

Floods in Victoria are uncommon. Here’s why they’re happening now – and how they compare to the past

Think Victoria and disasters and you’ll think bushfires. But floods can hit – just not as often. Today is one of those days, with much of the state under a flood watch. Premier Dan Andrews says the floods are likely to be the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-13/nsw-victoria-tasmania-wet-weather-flooding-rainfall-live-updates/101530310?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=twitter&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web" target="_blank" rel="noopener">most significant</a> in years. Evacuations are likely. Floodwaters are pushing down the Goulburn to the Murray. Major flooding in the Maribyrnong, which runs through towns and Melbourne’s west. Emergency services say evacuations may be necessary. Towns are sandbagging flood-prone areas. Some have been cut off by rising waters. The state’s largest dam, Dartmouth, is spilling over. So is Lake Eildon’s dam. And the Thomson dam may well spill this weekend, for the first time in decades. This isn’t the last of it – Victoria’s emergency management commissioner Andrew Crisp has warned intense rains and floods could last up to <a href="https://www.3aw.com.au/in-this-for-a-while-emergency-management-commissioners-warning-to-victorians/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">six to eight weeks</a>. Even as the rest of the eastern seaboard has faced the brunt of three consecutive La Niña years, Victoria has had little flooding until now. Tasmania, too, is facing rare flooding, while flood-weary New South Wales is bracing for more. These heavy rains are unusual. Dense cloud bands have crossed the desert, carrying moisture evaporating from seas off north-west Australia. Rain has fallen across almost the entire continent in the last two weeks. Our rain events are usually regional – <a href="https://theconversation.com/on-our-wettest-days-stormclouds-can-dump-30-trillion-litres-of-water-across-australia-191949" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not national</a>. <h2>Why doesn’t Victoria have as many floods?</h2> Victoria’s claim to fame in disasters is that it’s the most <a href="https://insidestory.org.au/we-have-still-not-lived-long-enough/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bushfire-prone region</a> in the world (followed by California and Greece). Fire risk also comes from climate. Victoria’s temperate climate means dry summers and less rain than its northern counterparts – around 520 millimetres of rain a year falls on average in Melbourne, compared to 1175mm a year in Sydney and 1149mm in Brisbane. Up north, rain tends to fall intensely, whereas Victoria’s rain tends to fall more as drizzle. What’s different this time? September was wetter and colder <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/month/vic/summary.shtml" target="_blank" rel="noopener">than usual</a> in Victoria, which meant the ground was already saturated in many areas. Colder weather means less water evaporates. Together, that made the state primed for floods. For a flood to happen, you need a high rate of run-off, where rain hits saturated soils and flows overland rather than sinking in, as well as intense rains in a short period. Victoria is more familiar with flash floods. That’s because the stormwater drains in cities and towns can be overwhelmed by sudden dumps of rain, flooding streets. The good news is this flooding is usually over quickly, in contrast to the flooded rivers we see up north. This situation may be different. With the state’s major dams beyond capacity or very close to it, water is already spilling over. Dams in Australia are often dual-purpose, storing drinking water and allowing us some control over floods. While Brisbane’s dams are designed with gates to permit floodwater release, Victoria’s dams tend to just have dam walls. When dams overflow, they can add to floods in low-lying areas downstream. There’s also usually a lag time in riverine floods, as it takes hours or sometimes days for rain falling in the headwaters to end up as floodwater downstream. <h2>What floods has Victoria seen before?</h2> The largest was in 1934. More than 140mm of rain fell over two days in Melbourne, and more than double that in Gippsland. The <a href="https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/10998182" target="_blank" rel="noopener">enormous flood</a> that followed was most devastating in Melbourne, where the Yarra <a href="https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/resources/flood-melbourne-and-victoria-1934/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broke its banks</a> and formed a lake from the city out to the outer suburbs. Thirty-six people died, and thousands of people were left homeless. Floods in the capital and in the regions are <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/a-brief-history-of-victorian-floods-20171202-gzxcem.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rare but not unknown</a>. In 1891, floods forced more than 3,000 people from their homes in Richmond, Collingwood and Prahran. In 1909, western Victorian rivers broke their banks, flooding many towns and causing four deaths. The <a href="https://www.floodvictoria.vic.gov.au/learn-about-flooding/flood-history/post-2000-floods" target="_blank" rel="noopener">most recent</a> big floods took place during the previous La Niña cycle from 2010-2012, with western Victoria taking the brunt of the damage. Flooding in Victoria has also reduced because people have shifted the course of rivers – particularly the Yarra. In 1879, 2,000 workers began a monster task: removing an entire loop of the Yarra west of the Docklands. One reason? Straight rivers flow faster, meaning floodwaters can discharge more quickly. Engineer John Coode was responsible for designing the new course for the Yarra, which also had the benefit of a wide new channel to improve access for ships. In the process, his workers created what’s now known as Coode Island. In 1896, Victoria’s Parliament passed the <a href="http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/vic/hist_act/yia1896218/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yarra Improvement Act</a> in a bid to reduce the damage caused by floods. Workers widened and deepened the river, and removed billabongs near the Botanic Gardens in the process. In the 1930s, engineers built another channel through an old quarry leading to the creation of Herring Island. These changes were mainly about improving navigation for ships – but they had the double benefit of reducing flooding in the lower reaches. In part, it was about British ideals of what rivers should look like, using highly modified rivers like London’s Thames as a guide. <h2>What’s next?</h2> Changing the course of rivers, raising dams and building levees can make us feel like we’re in control. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple, as <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-time-to-come-clean-on-lismores-future-people-and-businesses-have-to-relocate-away-from-the-floodplains-184636" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lismore’s residents found</a>. Flood control measures can actually make the impact of <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-stop-risky-developments-in-floodplains-we-have-to-tackle-the-profit-motive-and-our-false-sense-of-security-184062" target="_blank" rel="noopener">large floods worse</a> by giving us a false sense of security about living on floodplains. This is unlikely to be the last flood before La Niña finally relents. It’s worth knowing your state’s history of disasters – so you can be better prepared. After all, we can’t control nature. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/floods-in-victoria-are-uncommon-heres-why-theyre-happening-now-and-how-they-compare-to-the-past-192391" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Twitter

Travel Trouble

“A pain in the a***”: Security expert reveals why woman posing as Prince Andrew’s fiancée got past security

A woman claiming to be Prince Andrew’s fiancée was able to get past security because staff were too “terrified” to check with the royal according to a specialist detective. The Spanish woman claimed to be Irene Windsor and was due to have dinner with the Duke of York when she arrived at the security gate of the Royal Lodge in Winsdor last April, and was allowed in without her identification checked. Her cab fare was even paid for by security officers, with her cover eventually blown when she entered the building and a suspicious staff member alerted police - but not before she walked around the grounds for up to 40 minutes. Philip Grindell, the founder of VIP security firm Defuse and a former specialist detective with the Met Police, has now claimed that staff were reluctant to check the woman’s story with Prince Andrew because of his reputation. Grindell, who was responsible for planning and running security measures for high-profile events that included those with royals and the military, made the claims while speaking at the International Security Expo in London, describing the royal as an “unpleasant character”. "Prince Andrew is a pain in the a*** and if you have ever worked with him, is an unpleasant character and the security were terrified of asking him 'is anyone turning up?'” Grindell said. "And because they did not want to upset him, no one asked and they assumed he must have an appointment and let her in. "The security were terrified of asking him." Paul Page, a former Met Police royal protection officer, separately shared a similar account about working with the controversial royal. "When I heard this it became blatantly obvious that the security involved were in the same position with Prince Andrew as I was 20 years ago, in that they were too frightened to question unidentified female visitors as it would always end in him abusing us for stopping them,” he said at the expo. "This is a classic example of what we feared would happen one day." At the time, the woman was found with maps of the Royal Lodge and other royal residences, as well as a self-defence key ring with two sharp prongs. She was arrested on suspicion of burglary before being sectioned under the Mental Health Act and eventually released without charge. Image: Getty Images

Legal

Readers Respond: What is something from the past that you wish would be brought back?

We all do it. Sit there and reminisce about the good ol’ days. Life was good back then…it still is now but we can all admit there are some things we wish would have stayed the same. We asked our readers to share something from the past that they wish would be brought back and it appears that most of you agreed on a common answer: respect. Check out some of your other responses below. Kathryn Potter - Manners, respect, common sense and dignity but also I would love the simpler times back too! Raelene Oliver - Respect, honesty and caring for each other. Suzanne Stovel - No welfare. People actually having to work, to have money. Qualified tradespeople. Less dependence on technology. Carol Edmonds - SPs made by Peters ice cream, strawberry and pineapple ice cream covered in chocolate. Dawn Dominick - The city of old...was always a treat to go to the city in the 60s. Valerie Keily - Decent radio stations and local TV stations have more local shows and also variety shows. Adrian Whiley - Everything. Life was so much simpler back then. Also manners and respect. Since social media people have forgotten how to talk to each other. It's all done by texting. Lois Sullivan - Close all shops by 12 noon on Saturday, open 9am Monday. All workers need time out also. Worked very well for us as kids. Marion Bradley - Good old fashioned cooking. (Less processed) Parental control over your child. Respect, responsibility for your actions. Manners. Yvonne Dyer - Simple ways of living. Far too many choices with everything. Share something you wish would be brought back <a href="https://www.facebook.com/oversixtys/posts/pfbid0x2DBLg7vkcJG3gj5DnT3dJhfNcxvCg1PjJUdXAd3vbDvdPbWrFCuFv9HVAi4kAFBl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Retirement Life

Unlikely hack makes ironing a thing of the past

Wishing you could find a way to make ironing a thing of the past? Well, you’re in luck. This clever grandma has come up with a genius hack for crease-free clothing – and best of all, there is no iron in sight. The savvy nan called Babs, also known as brunchwithbabs on Instagram, shared the hack on her page and she’s gone viral. The US-based grandmother who calls herself the “internet mom/grandma you didn’t know you needed” shares all kinds of advice on her page gaining her quite the following. Captioning the video showing how to remove creases from clothes without an iron, Babs writes: “Babs Hack *tip: high heat, works great on cotton and another option is throwing in a damp rag which also works like a charm.” In the footage, Babs asks viewers, ”Do you like to iron on a beautiful sunny day? Me neither. ”Try ice cubes instead.” <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cdalnisloi4/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cdalnisloi4/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Babs (@brunchwithbabs)</a> </div> </blockquote> “Four to five ice cubes right in,” she revealed, before adding that you should let the ice cubes do their magic for 10 to 15 minutes. At the end of the video, Babs can be seen removing the dresses and showing they are wrinkle-free. The video has been viewed more than 50,000 times and her fans are impressed. Let us know if you've tried this genius hack.

Home Hints & Tips

"Beaut outfits": Karl shows off glamorous ice-dancing past

Karl Stefanovic has shown off a blast from the past on The Today Show for a cause close to his heart. The presenter showed footage from his time on Dancing on Ice, which ran for only one season in 2006, as Karl competed and twirled his way to placing runner-up in the competition. "That's right Harper, daddy was an ice skater - beaut outfits," Karl told his daughter watching at home. "Times were different then on television, they didn't have OH&S." Although Karl's trip down memory lane delighted his co-hosts, the flashback was to bring awareness to an important cause. The Penrith Ice Palace, run by Karl's dance partner on the 2006 competition, Linda Albrecht, is under threat of being closed with developers recently buying the property. But Albrecht and a specially-formed cooperative are working to ensure the developers keep them open and continue to allow the community and elite-level athletes to use the facility as it is. "It is a fight for any community sport out there and it is a fight that goes on around the country," Karl said. "It is so good for the communities to have this at a time when the winter Olympics has never been more popular and giving people an opportunity to do something that they have never done before." Albrecht said the Penrith venue is the last full-sized rink in Western Sydney and would leave athletes without a place to train. She said, "We are in negotiations at the moment, but obviously when we are competing with developers and other prospective lessees we need to be competitive and need extra funds to set this up properly and do a good job." Ally suggested getting Karl back in his sparkly costumes and out on the ice competing with Linda again after their first efforts 16 years ago. "Sounds great, what do you reckon, Karl?" Albrecht asked. Karl seemed less keen on the idea, and instead encouraged people to <a href="https://asf.org.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">donate</a> to the cause. Image credits: Nine

Caring

Reader’s Respond: What’s different about growing up today from when you were growing up?

We asked you to take a trip down memory and reminisce about what has changed since growing up. From walking to school alone to not having social media, neighbours being like family to the point of not having to lock your front door – here are just some of the amazing and touching memories you shared. Faye Birtwistle - Safety. We were able to walk to school safely. Doors were never locked, you were able to sleep out on the veranda, neighbours were like family, we were taught respect for parents teachers police and adults. John Barbuto - We were very lucky there was no unsocial media, we actually spoke to each other. Yvonne Vishnich - We had boundaries and rules to abide by, if we didn't conform there was a punishment, grounded or not allowed something that was wanted. Manners had to be used and no answering back. Marje Brugel - We weren't reliant on technology and the need to constantly communicate. We wrote letters by hand and we relied on our own ability rather than a calculator. If our parents said "No", we knew they meant it and stress-related illness was rarely heard of. Jenni Champion - We were safe playing outside, no mobile phones, no TV, radios and used our imagination. Christine Rennie - Family values. Spending time together and grandparents were a special part of the family unit...sadly not anymore. Carolyn Zillman - So much stress in children’s lives today. We just lived our lives really not knowing what was going on around us. We enjoyed being kids knowing our parents were looking after us. The pressure on children today is tremendous and everything is so expensive to be involved in. Joy Flint - We had so much freedom after school and enjoyed playing without TV or internet always obeyed parents and teachers. Samantha Elliott - I didn't get a phone until I was 11, we spent most days outside, played with our cousins and went swimming once a week. Sharon Hemus - We had freedom to be kids. Patricia Phillips-Johnson - Fewer choices, you ate at meals no matter what it was…no snacks, no screens, you wore what was on the chair…generally hand me downs. Sue Smith - We spent more time outside playing seeing friends. Image: Shutterstock

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"Hilarious" number plate somehow slips past the censors

"Unfair" parking fines could soon be a thing of the past

“Utter madness”: Australian Open thriller drags past 3am

"I was terrified": Law & Order star reveals traumatic past

Wayne Carey's flippant comment on past cheating scandal

Coming to terms with the past is more important than ever. The Voice referendum is a vital first step

Past charges against mushroom poisoning suspect uncovered

Jackie O breaks down on air as Kyle Sandilands opens up about sad past

Is the Barbie movie a bold step to reinvent and fix past wrongs or a clever ploy to tap a new market?

When your house has a (disturbing) history, what should buyers be told about its ‘past’?

David Campbell’s picture perfect blast from the past

Why does music bring back memories? What the science says

Why do I remember embarrassing things I’ve said or done in the past and feel ashamed all over again?

Internet spooked after young boy "proves" he is the reincarnation of a dead woman

Floods in Victoria are uncommon. Here’s why they’re happening now – and how they compare to the past

“A pain in the a***”: Security expert reveals why woman posing as Prince Andrew’s fiancée got past security

Readers Respond: What is something from the past that you wish would be brought back?

Unlikely hack makes ironing a thing of the past

"Beaut outfits": Karl shows off glamorous ice-dancing past

Reader’s Respond: What’s different about growing up today from when you were growing up?

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Newspaper

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Entertainment

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

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Compare

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Information

Keep up to date

Search

"Hilarious" number plate somehow slips past the censors

"Unfair" parking fines could soon be a thing of the past

“Utter madness”: Australian Open thriller drags past 3am

"I was terrified": Law & Order star reveals traumatic past

Wayne Carey's flippant comment on past cheating scandal

Coming to terms with the past is more important than ever. The Voice referendum is a vital first step

Past charges against mushroom poisoning suspect uncovered

Jackie O breaks down on air as Kyle Sandilands opens up about sad past

Is the Barbie movie a bold step to reinvent and fix past wrongs or a clever ploy to tap a new market?

When your house has a (disturbing) history, what should buyers be told about its ‘past’?

David Campbell’s picture perfect blast from the past

Why does music bring back memories? What the science says

Why do I remember embarrassing things I’ve said or done in the past and feel ashamed all over again?

Internet spooked after young boy "proves" he is the reincarnation of a dead woman

Floods in Victoria are uncommon. Here’s why they’re happening now – and how they compare to the past

“A pain in the a***”: Security expert reveals why woman posing as Prince Andrew’s fiancée got past security

Readers Respond: What is something from the past that you wish would be brought back?

Unlikely hack makes ironing a thing of the past

"Beaut outfits": Karl shows off glamorous ice-dancing past

Reader’s Respond: What’s different about growing up today from when you were growing up?

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