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Would you be happy as a long-term single? The answer may depend on your attachment style

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/christopher-pepping-1524533">Christopher Pepping</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/griffith-university-828">Griffith University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/geoff-macdonald-1527971">Geoff Macdonald</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-toronto-1281">University of Toronto</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/tim-cronin-415060">Tim Cronin</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/la-trobe-university-842">La Trobe University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/yuthika-girme-1494822">Yuthika Girme</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/simon-fraser-university-1282">Simon Fraser University</a></em></p> <p>Are all single people insecure? When we think about people who have been single for a long time, we may assume it’s because single people have insecurities that make it difficult for them to find a partner or maintain a relationship.</p> <p>But is this true? Or can long-term single people also be secure and thriving?</p> <p>Our <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jopy.12929">latest research</a> published in the Journal of Personality suggests they can. However, perhaps unsurprisingly, not everybody tends to thrive in singlehood. Our study shows a crucial factor may be a person’s attachment style.</p> <h2>Singlehood is on the rise</h2> <p>Singlehood is on the rise around the world. In Canada, single status among young adults aged 25 to 29 has increased from <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/220713/dq220713b-eng.htm">32% in 1981 to 61% in 2021</a>. The number of people <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/220713/dq220713a-eng.htm">living solo</a> has increased from 1.7 million people in 1981 to 4.4 million in 2021.</p> <p>People are single for many reasons: <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/ebook/9780520971004/happy-singlehood">some choose</a> to remain single, some are focusing on <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12147-020-09249-0">personal goals and aspirations</a>, some report <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/08/20/nearly-half-of-u-s-adults-say-dating-has-gotten-harder-for-most-people-in-the-last-10-years/">dating has become harder</a>, and some become single again due to a relationship breakdown.</p> <p>People may also remain single due to their attachment style. Attachment theory is a popular and well-researched model of how we form relationships with other people. An <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/s?k=attachment+theory">Amazon search for attachment theory</a> returns thousands of titles. The hashtag #attachmenttheory has been viewed <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/20/why-attachment-theory-is-trending-according-to-dr-amir-levine.html">over 140 million times</a> on TikTok alone.</p> <h2>What does attachment theory say about relationships?</h2> <p>Attachment theory suggests our relationships with others are shaped by our degree of “anxiety” and “avoidance”.</p> <p>Attachment anxiety is a type of insecurity that leads people to feel anxious about relationships and worry about abandonment. Attachment avoidance leads people to feel uncomfortable with intimacy and closeness.</p> <p>People who are lower in attachment anxiety and avoidance are considered “securely attached”, and are comfortable depending on others, and giving and receiving intimacy.</p> <p>Single people are often stereotyped as being <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/01461672231203123">too clingy or non-committal</a>. Research comparing single and coupled people also suggests single people have <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2012.00793.x?casa_token=6iiCm5PjHgkAAAAA:0kBeofx3M-72YrkVppmNxdWBIAImFwm3lAakCnuiNXL20SVP1zaW7UeDIahW_43imAjSRXgtyN0hLVI">higher levels of attachment insecurities</a> compared to people in relationships.</p> <p>At the same time, evidence suggests many single people are choosing to remain single and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/17456916221136119">living happy lives</a>.</p> <h2>Single people represent a diverse group of secure and insecure people</h2> <p>In our latest research, our team of social and clinical psychologists examined single people’s attachment styles and how they related to their happiness and wellbeing.</p> <p>We carried out two studies, one of 482 younger single people and the other of 400 older long-term singles. We found overall 78% were categorised as insecure, with the other 22% being secure.</p> <p>Looking at our results more closely, we found four distinct subgroups of singles:</p> <ul> <li> <p>secure singles are relatively comfortable with intimacy and closeness in relationships (22%)</p> </li> <li> <p>anxious singles question whether they are loved by others and worry about being rejected (37%)</p> </li> <li> <p>avoidant singles are uncomfortable getting close to others and prioritise their independence (23% of younger singles and 11% of older long-term singles)</p> </li> <li> <p>fearful singles have heightened anxiety about abandonment, but are simultaneously uncomfortable with intimacy and closeness (16% of younger singles and 28% of older long-term singles).</p> </li> </ul> <h2>Insecure singles find singlehood challenging, but secure singles are thriving</h2> <p>Our findings also revealed these distinct subgroups of singles have distinct experiences and outcomes.</p> <p>Secure singles are happy being single, have a greater number of non-romantic relationships, and better relationships with family and friends. They meet their sexual needs outside romantic relationships and feel happier with their life overall. Interestingly, this group maintains moderate interest in being in a romantic relationship in the future.</p> <p>Anxious singles tend to be the most worried about being single, have lower self-esteem, feel less supported by close others and have some of the lowest levels of life satisfaction across all sub-groups.</p> <p>Avoidant singles show the least interest in being in a romantic relationship and in many ways appear satisfied with singlehood. However, they also have fewer friends and close relationships, and are generally less satisfied with these relationships than secure singles. Avoidant singles also report less meaning in life and tend to be less happy compared to secure singles.</p> <p>Fearful singles reported more difficulties navigating close relationships than secure singles. For instance, they were less able to regulate their emotions, and were less satisfied with the quality of their close relationships relative to secure singles. They also reported some of the lowest levels of life satisfaction across all sub-groups.</p> <h2>It’s not all doom and gloom</h2> <p>These findings should be considered alongside several relevant points. First, although most singles in our samples were insecure (78%), a sizeable number were secure and thriving (22%).</p> <p>Further, simply being in a romantic relationship is not a panacea. Being in an unhappy relationship is linked to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316">poorer life outcomes</a> than being single.</p> <p>It is also important to remember that attachment orientations are not necessarily fixed. They are open to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352250X18300113">change</a> in response to life events.</p> <p>Similarly, <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0963721413510933">sensitive and responsive behaviours</a> from close others and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075231162390">feeling loved and cared about</a> by close others can soothe underlying attachment concerns and foster attachment security over time.</p> <p>Our studies are some of the first to examine the diversity in attachment styles among single adults. Our findings highlight that many single people are secure and thriving, but also that more work can be done to help insecure single people feel more secure in order to foster happiness.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><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/227595/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/christopher-pepping-1524533">Christopher Pepping</a>, Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/griffith-university-828">Griffith University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/geoff-macdonald-1527971">Geoff Macdonald</a>, Professor of Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-toronto-1281">University of Toronto</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/tim-cronin-415060">Tim Cronin</a>, Lecturer in Clinical Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/la-trobe-university-842">La Trobe University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/yuthika-girme-1494822">Yuthika Girme</a>, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/simon-fraser-university-1282">Simon Fraser University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/would-you-be-happy-as-a-long-term-single-the-answer-may-depend-on-your-attachment-style-227595">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

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Beloved Oscar winner dies "exactly as he would have scripted it"

<p>Award-winning Hollywood screenwriter David Seidler has died aged 86. </p> <p>The playwright, best known for 2010's <em>The Kings Speech</em>, passed away while on a fly-fishing expedition in New Zealand. </p> <p>"David was in the place he loved most in the world — New Zealand — doing what gave him the greatest peace which was fly-fishing," his manager said in a statement to <em>The Hollywood Reporter</em>.</p> <p>"If given the chance, it is exactly as he would have scripted it."</p> <p>Seidler's cause of death has not been revealed. </p> <p>The British-American playwright, first moved to Hollywood - where he started his career - at the age of 40, with his first job writing <em>Tucker: The Man and His Dreams </em>for Francis Ford Coppola. </p> <p>He also worked on the <em>King and I</em> and <em>Madeline: Lost in Paris</em>.</p> <p>Seidler is best known for <em>The King's Speech</em>, starring Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter. The film won him an Oscar and BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay. </p> <p>He previously told <em> The Los Angeles Times</em> that his interest in the story of George VI came from growing up with a stutter, just like the one Colin Firth's character had in the film. </p> <p>"It began, obviously, by the fact that I was a stutterer as a kid — truly a profound stutterer," he told the publication.</p> <p>"I grew up always having a great soft spot in my heart [for him], because I knew he was a stutterer, who had, if not been totally cured, at least improved to the point where he could give these very eloquent, moving, stirring wartime speeches."</p> <p>Seidler is survived by his two adult children. </p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p> <p> </p>

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The rise and fall of antibiotics. What would a post-antibiotic world look like?

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/allen-cheng-94997">Allen Cheng</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a></em></p> <p> </p> <p>These days, we don’t think much about being able to access a course of antibiotics to head off an infection. But that wasn’t always the case – antibiotics have been available for less than a century.</p> <p>Before that, patients would die of relatively trivial infections that became more serious. Some serious infections, such as those involving the heart valves, were <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20173297/">inevitably</a> fatal.</p> <p>Other serious infections, such as <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3070694/">tuberculosis</a>, weren’t always fatal. Up to a <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/729426v1.full.pdf">half</a> of people died within a year with the most severe forms, but some people recovered without treatment and the remainder had ongoing chronic infection that slowly ate away at the body over many years.</p> <p>Once we had antibiotics, the outcomes for these infections were much better.</p> <h2>Life (and death) before antibiotics</h2> <p>You’ve probably heard of Alexander Fleming’s accidental <a href="https://www.acs.org/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/flemingpenicillin.html">discovery of penicillin</a>, when fungal spores landed on a plate with bacteria left over a long weekend in 1928.</p> <p>But the <a href="https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/science-blog/penicillin-oxford-story">first patient</a> to receive penicillin was an instructive example of the impact of treatment. In 1941, Constable Albert Alexander had an infected scratch on his face that had become infected.</p> <p>He was hospitalised but despite various treatments, the infection progressed to involve his head. This required removing one of his eyes.</p> <p>Howard Florey, the Australian pharmacologist then working in Oxford, was concerned penicillin could be toxic in humans. Therefore, he felt it was only ethical to give this new drug to a patient in a desperate condition.</p> <p>Constable Alexander was given the available dose of penicillin. Within the first day, his condition had started to improve.</p> <p>But back then, penicillin was difficult to produce. One way of extending the limited supply was to “recycle” penicillin that was excreted in the patient’s urine. Despite this, supplies ran out by the fifth day of Alexander’s treatment.</p> <p>Without further treatment, the infection again took hold. Constable Alexander eventually died a month later.</p> <p>We now face a world where we are potentially running out of antibiotics – not because of difficulties manufacturing them, but because they’re losing their effectiveness.</p> <h2>What do we use antibiotics for?</h2> <p>We currently use antibiotics in humans and animals for a variety of reasons. Antibiotics reduce the duration of illness and the chance of death from infection. They also prevent infections in people who are at high risk, such as patients undergoing surgery and those with weakened immune systems.</p> <p>But antibiotics aren’t always used appropriately. <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)30084-0/fulltext">Studies</a> consistently show a dose or two will adequately prevent infections after surgery, but antibiotics are <a href="https://irp.cdn-website.com/d820f98f/files/uploaded/surgical-prophylaxis-prescribing-in-australian-hospitals-results-of-the-2020-surgical-national-antimicrobial-prescribing-survey.pdf">often</a> continued for several days unnecessarily. And sometimes we use the wrong type of antibiotic.</p> <p><a href="https://irp.cdn-website.com/d820f98f/files/uploaded/antimicrobial-prescribing-practice-in-australian-hospitals-results-of-the-2020-hospital-national-antimicrobial-prescribing-survey.pdf">Surveys</a> have found 22% of antimicrobial use in hospitals is inappropriate.</p> <p>In some situations, this is understandable. Infections in different body sites are usually due to different types of bacteria. When the diagnosis isn’t certain, we often <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/resp.13334">err</a> on the side of caution by giving broad spectrum antibiotics to make sure we have active treatments for all possible infections, until further information becomes available.</p> <p>In other situations, there is a degree of inertia. If the patient is improving, doctors tend to simply continue the same treatment, rather than change to more appropriate choice.</p> <p>In general practice, the issue of diagnostic uncertainty and therapeutic inertia are often magnified. Patients who recover after starting antibiotics don’t usually require tests or come back for review, so there is no easy way of knowing if the antibiotic was actually required.</p> <p>Antibiotic prescribing can be more complex again if <a href="https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2014/201/2/antibiotic-prescribing-practice-residential-aged-care-facilities-health-care">patients</a> are expecting “a pill for every ill”. While doctors are generally good at educating patients when antibiotics are not likely to work (for example, for viral infections), without confirmatory tests there can always be a lingering doubt in the minds of both doctors and patients. Or sometimes the patient goes elsewhere to find a prescription.</p> <p>For other infections, resistance can develop if treatments aren’t given for long enough. This is particularly the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11971765/">case</a> for tuberculosis, caused by a slow growing bacterium that requires a particularly long course of antibiotics to cure.</p> <p>As in humans, antibiotics are also used to prevent and treat infections in animals. However, a proportion of antibiotics are used for growth promotion. In Australia, an <a href="https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2019/211/4/antibiotic-use-animals-and-humans-australia">estimated</a> 60% of antibiotics were used in animals between 2005-2010, despite growth-promotion being phased out.</p> <h2>Why is overuse a problem?</h2> <p>Bacteria become resistant to the effect of antibiotics through natural selection – those that survive exposure to antibiotics are the strains that have a mechanism to evade their effects.</p> <p>For example, antibiotics are sometimes given to <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(18)30279-2/fulltext">prevent</a> recurrent urinary tract infections, but a consequence, any infection that does <a href="https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/73/3/e782/6141409">develop</a> tends to be with resistant bacteria.</p> <p>When resistance to the commonly used first-line antibiotics occurs, we often need to reach deeper into the bag to find other effective treatments.</p> <p>Some of these last-line antibiotics are those that had been <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4202707/">superseded</a> because they had serious side effects or couldn’t be given conveniently as tablets.</p> <p>New drugs for some bacteria have been developed, but many are much more <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7955006/">expensive</a> than older ones.</p> <h2>Treating antibiotics as a valuable resource</h2> <p>The concept of antibiotics as a valuable resource has led to the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8856755/">concept</a> of “antimicrobial stewardship”, with programs to promote the responsible use of antibiotics. It’s a similar concept to environmental stewardship to prevent climate change and environmental degradation.</p> <p>Antibiotics are a rare class of medication where treatment of one patient can potentially affect the outcome of other patients, through the transmission of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Therefore, like efforts to combat climate change, antibiotic stewardship relies on changing individual actions to benefit the broader community.</p> <p>Like climate change, antibiotic resistance is a complex problem when seen in a broader context. Studies have linked resistance to the values and priorities <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(18)30186-4/fulltext">of governments</a> such as corruption and infrastructure, including the availability of electricity and public services. This highlights that there are broader “causes of the causes”, such as public spending on sanitation and health care.</p> <p>Other <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jac/article/74/9/2803/5512029?login=true">studies</a> have suggested individuals need to be considered within the broader social and institutional influences on prescribing behaviour. Like all human behaviour, antibiotic prescribing is complicated, and factors like what doctors feel is “normal” prescribing, whether junior staff feel they can challenge senior doctors, and even their <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/07/upshot/your-surgeon-is-probably-a-republican-your-psychiatrist-probably-a-democrat.html">political views</a> may be important.</p> <p>There are also issues with the <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-journal-of-technology-assessment-in-health-care/article/value-assessment-of-antimicrobials-and-the-implications-for-development-access-and-funding-of-effective-treatments-australian-stakeholder-perspective/D45758CFB95520DA4FF06E46135E0628">economic model</a> for developing new antibiotics. When a new antibiotic is first approved for use, the first reaction for prescribers is not to use it, whether to ensure it retains its effectiveness or because it is often very expensive.</p> <p>However, this doesn’t really <a href="https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/50/8/1081/449089?login=true">encourage</a> the development of new antibiotics, particularly when pharma research and development budgets can easily be diverted to developing drugs for conditions patients take for years, rather than a few days.</p> <h2>The slow moving pandemic of resistance</h2> <blockquote> <p>If we fail to act, we are looking at an almost unthinkable scenario where antibiotics no longer work and we are cast back into the dark ages of medicine – <a href="https://amr-review.org/">David Cameron</a>, former UK Prime Minister</p> </blockquote> <p>Antibiotic resistance is already a problem. Almost all infectious diseases physicians have had the dreaded call about patients with infections that were essentially untreatable, or where they had to scramble to find supplies of long-forgotten last-line antibiotics.</p> <p>There are already hospitals in some parts of the world that have had to carefully <a href="https://www.reactgroup.org/news-and-views/news-and-opinions/year-2022/the-impact-of-antibiotic-resistance-on-cancer-treatment-especially-in-low-and-middle-income-countries-and-the-way-forward/">consider</a> whether it’s still viable to treat cancers, because of the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6276316/">high risk</a> of infections with antibiotic-resistant bacteria.</p> <p>A global <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)02724-0/fulltext">study</a> estimated that in 2019, almost 5 million deaths occurred with an infection involving antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Some 1.3 million would not have occurred if the bacteria were not resistant.</p> <p>The UK’s 2014 <a href="https://amr-review.org/sites/default/files/AMR%20Review%20Paper%20-%20Tackling%20a%20crisis%20for%20the%20health%20and%20wealth%20of%20nations_1.pdf">O'Neill report</a> predicted deaths from antimicrobial resistance could rise to 10 million deaths each year, and cost 2-3.5% of global GDP, by 2050 based on trends at that time.</p> <h2>What can we do about it?</h2> <p>There is a lot we can do to prevent antibiotic resistance. We can:</p> <ul> <li> <p><a href="https://www.marketingmag.com.au/news/film-picking-gonorrhoea-wins-tropfest-prize/">raise</a> <a href="https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-019-7258-3">awareness</a> that many infections will get better by themselves, and don’t necessarily need antibiotics</p> </li> <li> <p>use the antibiotics we have more appropriately and for as short a time as possible, supported by co-ordinated clinical and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3437704/">public policy</a>, and <a href="https://www.amr.gov.au/">national</a> <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(22)00796-4/fulltext">oversight</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/our-work/antimicrobial-resistance/antimicrobial-use-and-resistance-australia-surveillance-system/about-aura-surveillance-system">monitor</a> for infections due to resistant bacterial to inform control policies</p> </li> <li> <p>reduce the inappropriate use of antibiotics in animals, such as <a href="https://nam.edu/antibiotic-resistance-in-humans-and-animals/">growth promotion</a></p> </li> <li> <p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11971765/">reduce</a> cross-transmission of resistant organisms in hospitals and in the community</p> </li> <li> <p>prevent infections by other means, such as clean water, <a href="https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/204948/WHO_FWC_WSH_14.7_eng.pdf">sanitation</a>, hygiene and <a href="https://www.who.int/teams/immunization-vaccines-and-biologicals/product-and-delivery-research/anti-microbial-resistance">vaccines</a></p> </li> <li> <p>continue developing new antibiotics and alternatives to antibiotics and ensure the right <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanepe/article/PIIS2666-7762(23)00124-2/fulltext#:%7E:text=We%20consider%20four%20incentive%20options,exclusivity%20extensions%2C%20and%20milestone%20payments.">incentives</a> are in place to encourage a continuous pipeline of new drugs.</p> </li> </ul> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/allen-cheng-94997"><em>Allen Cheng</em></a><em>, Professor in Infectious Diseases Epidemiology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-antibiotics-what-would-a-post-antibiotic-world-look-like-213450">original article</a>.</em></p>

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"Matthew would enjoy the humour of it": Ironic detail spotted in Friends tribute

<p>While many fans of the long-running sitcom Friends are in mourning over the <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/you-were-loved-tributes-flow-over-tragic-passing-of-matthew-perry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sudden death of Matthew Perry</a>, others have delighted in an ironic detail surrounding the Friends apartment in New York. </p> <p>Since the announcement of Perry's death on Sunday, thousands of fans of the show has flocked to the apartment building in New York City's West Village, where the external shots of the gang's apartment was filmed, to pay their respects. </p> <p>While the sitcom, which ran for ten years from 1994, was actually filmed in Los Angeles, the Bedford Street address was used for the external shots of the New York-based show, with the humble apartment being home to each of the cast members during the show. </p> <p>Fans of the show have left notes, flowers, Central Perk memorabilia, and other sentimental items to pay tribute to the late actor. </p> <p>However, one eagle-eyed fan spotted a quirky detail hovering around the building, as Perry's death coincided with Halloween. </p> <p><iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FKidspotAustralia%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02xSVyrpRthTeLeBNqtvHKWUB36us5bVB5vKCW1R9DYgF66kBWqnsSYarY2kDFfCT3l&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="581" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>Part of the building's Halloween decorations included a large ghost hovering near the iconic apartment, with many quick to point out the hilarious irony of the figure floating above the makeshift memorial. </p> <p>“That Halloween ghost is kinda fitting for the photo/mood and I think Matthew would enjoy the humour of it,” fan Holly astutely pointed out, sharing photos of the ghost on Facebook.  </p> <p>The ironic decorations emerged shortly after Perry's Friends co-stars have <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/health/caring/so-utterly-devastated-friends-cast-break-silence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broken their silence</a> over his sudden death in a group statement to People magazine. </p> <p>Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer said on Tuesday, "We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family."</p> <p>"There is so much to say, but right now we're going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Facebook / Kidspot</em></p> <div id="fuse-injected-22953829264-1" class="fuse-slot-dynamic publift-video-ad" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding-top: 24px; padding-bottom: 24px; display: flex; justify-content: center;" data-fuse="22953829264" data-fuse-injected-at="1698722632652" data-fuse-code="fuse-slot-22953829264-1" data-fuse-zone-instance="zone-instance-22953829264-1" data-fuse-slot="fuse-slot-22953829264-1" data-fuse-processed-at="1440"> <div id="bb-iawr-over60au-1692594483990158" class="bb_iawr" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; overflow: hidden; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; width: 730px; height: 0px; opacity: 0.01;"> <div id="bb-wr-over60au-1692594483990158" class="bb-media bb_wrapper bb-muted bb-phase-init bb-mode-video bb-state-loading" style="box-sizing: content-box; cursor: auto; 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display: inline-flex; flex-direction: column; row-gap: 0.3em; column-gap: 0.3em;" role="contentinfo"> <h1 class="title svelte-10zo7b2" style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; font-size: 1.1em;">Rupert Friend Spills Secrets of 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' at Star Wars Celebrations</h1> <div class="share-button bar-button svelte-10zo7b2" style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); width: var(--bar-button-size); height: var(--bar-button-size); margin-top: calc(-0.25 * var(--bar-button-size));"> <div class="button-element svelte-1eoizxx no-toggle-transform no-hover-transform" style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); box-sizing: border-box; width: 38px; height: 38px; position: relative; cursor: pointer; pointer-events: initial; border-radius: var(--border-radius); --foreground-color: #ffffff; --border-radius: 50%; --icon-height: 16px; 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position: relative; transition: opacity 0.25s ease-in-out 0s;"> <div class="button-element svelte-1eoizxx no-toggle-transform" style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); box-sizing: border-box; width: 54px; height: 54px; position: relative; cursor: pointer; pointer-events: initial; border-radius: var(--border-radius); --foreground-color: #ffffff; --border-radius: 50%; --hover-transform: scale(1.2); --icon-height: 54px; --bg-height: 54px; --bg-width: 54px; --button-position: absolute;"> <div class="button-content svelte-1eoizxx" style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); width: var(--bg-width); height: var(--bg-height); transition: transform 0.2s ease-in-out 0s, opacity 0.2s ease-in-out 0s, transform 0.2s ease-in-out 0s; border-radius: 50%;" tabindex="0" role="button" aria-label="Play"> <div class="normal slot-content svelte-1eoizxx" style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); filter: drop-shadow(rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25) 0px 2px 0px); box-sizing: border-box; position: var(--button-position); top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 54px; height: 54px; display: grid; align-content: center; justify-content: center; transition: transform 0.2s ease-in-out 0s, opacity 0.2s ease-in-out 0s, transform 0.2s ease-in-out 0s; opacity: 1;"> <div style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); min-height: 12px; height: var(--icon-height); line-height: var(--icon-height); min-width: var(--icon-height); display: inline-flex; justify-content: center;"> </div> <div class="toggled slot-content svelte-1eoizxx" style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); filter: drop-shadow(rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25) 0px 2px 0px); box-sizing: border-box; position: var(--button-position); top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 54px; height: 54px; display: grid; align-content: center; justify-content: center; transition: transform 0.2s ease-in-out 0s, opacity 0.2s ease-in-out 0s, transform 0.2s ease-in-out 0s; opacity: 0;"> <div style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); min-height: 12px; height: var(--icon-height); line-height: var(--icon-height); min-width: var(--icon-height); display: inline-flex; justify-content: center;"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="start-time svelte-fllze1" style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); top: calc(8px + var(--size-big-button)); position: absolute; left: 27px; transform: translate(-50%); background-color: var(--bg-color-pane); padding: 8px 16px; border-radius: 32px; font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: var(--margin-size); margin-left: 2px;" data-cy="start-screen-duration">01:31</div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="center-area svelte-10zo7b2" style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); flex-grow: 1;"> </div> </div> <div class="chrome-bottom-shadow svelte-10zo7b2" style="text-shadow: 0px calc(var(--font-size) / 12.5) 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.25); transition: opacity 0.15s ease-in-out 0s; opacity: 0; position: absolute; inset: 0px;"> </div> </div> <div class="bb-layer bb-context-layer" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 730px; height: 411px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px; pointer-events: none !important;"> <p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem;">"For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty's family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world."</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>

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"Dad would be stoked": Robert Irwin chokes up over Australia Zoo breakthrough

<p>Robert Irwin has choked up in an emotional video, sharing a major milestone for Australia Zoo that had special meaning to his late father. </p> <p>The wildlife warrior shared the exciting video to Instagram, holding a tiny baby turtle that he was about to release into its enclosure for the first time.</p> <p>Dressed in his Australia Zoo khakis, Irwin explained the moment was “one of the highlights of my entire life, and one of the most special moments ever here at Australia Zoo,” as the turtle is an “Elseya Irwini,” a species of turtle first discovered by Robert’s father Steve Irwin in the early 1990. </p> <p>Some 30 years later, Robert explained that this is the first of this particular species hatched in any zoological facility or captivity, anywhere in the world.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyYGqjfPL11/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;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/CyYGqjfPL11/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Robert Irwin (@robertirwinphotography)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>"This is so surreal. All the stories from dad about how beautiful they are... I don’t get emotional about much,” Irwin said, choking back tears as he released the tiny turtle into its pond.</p> <p>“You tearing up? Your dad would be really proud, mate,” a voice could be hear telling Irwin off-camera. </p> <p>“Dad would be stoked with that... we did it,” he said.</p> <p>The video has racked up hundreds of thousands of views, with people flocking to comments to share how proud Steve would be of his wildfire warrior children. </p> <p>One person wrote, "Steve is looking down and crying tears of joy.. His heart is proud of not only the turtle, but with the fact that his legacy continued with same path he envisioned for his kids."</p> <p>Others were quick to encourage Robert and Bindi Irwin to keep carrying on their father's legacy with their conservation work at the zoo, while others said that they should "Name the baby turtle Steve". </p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

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"I would say it again": Ray Martin doubles down on Voice comments

<p>Ray Martin has been grilled in an explosive interview over his divisive comments about No voters ahead of the Voice to Parliament referendum. </p> <p>The veteran journalist appeared on <em>A Current Affair</em> to double down on his comments, saying he does not regret what he said. </p> <p>On Wednesday, Ray Martin spoke to supporters of the Yes campaign at the Factory Theatre in Marrickville, in Sydney's inner west, as he <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/ray-martin-s-scathing-voice-to-parliament-speech" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called out</a> those who are voting No, suggesting they are too lazy to educate themselves by performing a simple Google search, and instead are being driven by division and fear.</p> <p>Martin said, “If you don’t know, find out what you don’t know.” </p> <p>"What that excellent slogan is saying, is if you’re a dinosaur or a d**khead who can’t be bothered reading, then vote No.” </p> <p>In the tense interview, in which Langdon continuously interrupted Martin, the ACA host suggested the Voice debate “needs to calm down and get back to being respectful”. </p> <p>“Do you regret those comments, Ray?” she asked</p> <p>“No, I don’t,” Martin said.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyAmMGOyEqw/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;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/CyAmMGOyEqw/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by A Current Affair (@acurrentaffair9)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“This is a really important referendum. And I did not call No voters those words, I was talking about the slogan. ‘If you don’t know, vote No.’ That is an endorsement of ignorance. If you don’t know, find out, do not vote ignorantly. That is a dinosaur."</p> <p>"It is such an important vote, it is so important, and you need to find out.”</p> <p>“A lot of families have a lot of stuff on the plate,” Langdon said. “They are worried about power and food prices and crime, and many of them are the people that you’re calling names.”</p> <p>Martin insisted “no I am not”.</p> <p>“This is not a difficult one — you do not need a dictionary to find out what it is about,” he said.</p> <p>“It is about two things. It is about recognising First Australians in the Constitution, and do we give them a Voice … no veto, a Voice after 200 years of being told what to do. It is not about treaties or reimbursements. It is about nothing apart from these two things.”</p> <p>Langdon said Martin was a “respected journalist for many years” and knew “language is important, and the language used in that speech was inflammatory”, but Martin stood by his words. </p> <p>“I do not think it is and I stick by the language,” Martin said. “I would say it again. It was at Marrickville Hall when I was speaking, I was not speaking at the Catholic church up at the lectern. I was not talking to Women’s Weekly.”</p> <p>Asked again if he thought his language was disrespectful, Martin said, “I’ll tell you what’s disrespectful — voting, and admitting your ignorance, and going ahead and voting on such an important issue as this.”</p> <p>Ray Martin went on to say the language he used was “part of the Australian vernacular and you will hear it all the time on morning radio”, calling out conservative broadcasters who use similar insults to throw at the Yes campaign.</p> <p>Langdon admitted she watched Martin‘s full speech and while much of it was “very powerful”, the debate had “become inflammatory and divisive” and “you know that the most controversial thing you say is what is going to be picked up, and it has”.</p> <p>“I have been a journalist almost 60 years and I think people trust me,” Martin said.</p> <p>“I have reason to be trusted and I think this is really important. I do not think we should be scared by a scare campaign. I do not think we should look for something that is not in the referendum and I think that has happened. That is what the No side is doing.”</p> <p>He continued, "I do not think it is confusing. We have only made it confusing. The words are simple. Do you recognise the First Australians? Do you want to give them a Voice for the first time? Instead of telling them how to run their lives. When we listen to them in community health, community education and community life, we do much better. Instead of telling them what to do.”</p> <p>Martin admitted that the Yes campaign has not been perfect, but that was not a good enough reason to vote No on October 14th.</p> <p>“If you’re asking me has the campaign been good, I would say no,” Martin conceded.</p> <p>“And if you ask me whether this referendum will end poverty and disadvantage, the answer is no. But it is unquestionably a step forward.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: A Current Affair</em></p>

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No, the Voice to Parliament would not force people to give up their private land

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kate-galloway-9907">Kate Galloway</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/griffith-university-828">Griffith University</a></em></p> <p>In the polarised debate about the Voice to Parliament referendum, some proponents of the “no” vote have <a href="https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck/voice-legislation-does-not-authorise-a-land-grab/">claimed</a> the creation of the new advisory body would lead to the conversion of private land titles in Australia to native title.</p> <p>The implication is that people will be forced to give up their land. This has sown fear among some Australians.</p> <p>Last week, a false letter purporting to be from a member of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria was distributed to homes in regional Victoria, saying the body was moving into the “next phase of reacquiring land”. The minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/fake-letter-scaremongering-about-indigenous-land-claims-sparks-outrage-20230912-p5e43n.html">called</a> it a “another example of the dirty tricks campaign” being waged to sow doubt over the Voice referendum.</p> <p>Similar concerns were raised following the High Court decision in the <a href="https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/mabo-case">Mabo case</a> in 1992 and passage of the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2017C00178">Native Title Act</a> a year later.</p> <p>Like the fear-mongering over the Mabo decision, the current alarm over the potential loss of private lands with a Voice to Parliament is unwarranted because this claim is manifestly incorrect.</p> <p>There are two foundational legal reasons why:</p> <ul> <li> <p>because of the words of the proposed constitutional amendment itself</p> </li> <li> <p>and because of the way that native title works.</p> </li> </ul> <h2>Would the proposed Voice have powers related to land?</h2> <p>The proposed constitutional amendment that would create the Voice is very simple. It seeks to insert one new section into the Constitution, which reads:</p> <blockquote> <p>In recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia:</p> <ol> <li> <p>there shall be a body, to be called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice;</p> </li> <li> <p>the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice may make representations to the Parliament and the Executive Government of the Commonwealth on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;</p> </li> <li> <p>the Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws with respect to matters relating to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, including its composition, functions, powers and procedures.</p> </li> </ol> </blockquote> <p>The words clearly provide for only one activity to be undertaken by the Voice. The new body “may make representations” on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.</p> <p>There is no express or hidden power to either take people’s land or give land to First Nations people. The Voice is a committee that may provide advice to parliament and government on issues relating to First Nations people. That is all.</p> <p>And this advice is not binding. The parliament of the day is free to ignore it, if it wishes to.</p> <p>The new provision also gives one sole power to the parliament – it would have the capacity to set up the Voice. It is not possible to understand this provision as creating a special power to take people’s land, or to “convert” land to native title.</p> <p>Importantly, the power to establish the Voice would not be given to the government – it would belong to parliament. In exercising this power, normal parliamentary processes will apply and the parliament will be accountable to the public.</p> <p>There are no other changes to the Constitution proposed in this referendum.</p> <h2>How native title works</h2> <p>In the famous Mabo case, the High Court found that the land title of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, held under their traditional law and custom, survived the introduction of British sovereignty over Australia.</p> <p>Mabo confirmed native title can only be claimed over land where there is no interest in conflict with the exercise of this right. Native title will always give way to grants of exclusive land use.</p> <p>Following this decision, the law now states that every grant of freehold land (“private” land) extinguishes native title. Further, in the later case of <a href="https://jade.io/article/68082">Fejo v Northern Territory</a>, the High Court confirmed that once native title has been extinguished, it cannot be revived.</p> <p>Consequently, even if the constitutional change creating the Voice did (somehow) recognise native title, it is not possible to “convert” freehold land to native title. On private land, native title no longer exists under Australian law.</p> <p>To put these claims of “land conversion” in context, it is helpful to recall the public response to the Mabo decision.</p> <p>Following the High Court judgement in Mabo, the mining industry ran a national campaign asserting that native title would threaten people’s back yards. The managing director of Western Mining, Hugh Morgan, <a href="https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=(Id:library/prspub/raf10);rec=0">said</a> the High Court’s decision</p> <p>"put at risk the whole legal framework of property rights throughout the whole community."</p> <p>This campaign led to significant public fear about the effects of native title.</p> <p>These claims about native title after Mabo were incorrect. Private landholdings have not been threatened. Indeed, on the ten-year anniversary of the Mabo decision, former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett even <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/i-was-wrong-on-mabo-kennett-20020601-gdu9dt.html">admitted that his initial fears had been unfounded</a>.</p> <p>In reading or listening to claims about the effect of the Voice, it is prudent to question the source of information. If you have questions, seek a reliable source to read the words of the proposed amendment and understand the objective of the constitutional change. If you hear of a claim that seems extreme, it may well be aimed at diverting the public’s attention from the real issues.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><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/212784/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kate-galloway-9907"><em>Kate Galloway</em></a><em>, Associate Professor of Law, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/griffith-university-828">Griffith University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/no-the-voice-to-parliament-would-not-force-people-to-give-up-their-private-land-212784">original article</a>.</em></p>

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Would you do this at home? Why we are more likely to do stupid things on holidays

<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/denis-tolkach-11345">Denis Tolkach</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/james-cook-university-1167">James Cook University</a></em> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephen-pratt-335188">Stephen Pratt</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-the-south-pacific-1881">The University of the South Pacific</a></em></p> <p>As the COVID pandemic took hold, Ohio’s Brady Sluder went to Miami for spring break, despite <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/24/us/coronavirus-brady-sluder-spring-break.html">urgent calls</a> for people to stay home and socially distance.</p> <p>Interviewed by CBS News, Sluder’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/24/us/coronavirus-brady-sluder-spring-break.html">arrogant justfication</a> for his trip went viral.</p> <p>"If I get corona, I get corona. At the end of the day, I’m not gonna let it stop me from partying […] about two months we’ve had this trip planned."</p> <p>A week later — now an international “celebrity” for all the wrong reasons — he was forced to issue a grovelling apology.</p> <p>If you think Sluder’s partying was stupid, we share your feelings.</p> <p>With the festive season upon us, as the pandemic continues, we can only hope <a href="https://theconversation.com/iso-boomer-remover-and-quarantini-how-coronavirus-is-changing-our-language-136729">covidiots</a> listen to the rules. As many of us also head off on summer breaks, now is also a good time to reflect on stupidity in tourism.</p> <p>We may be tempted to think a stupid person has certain demographic or psychological characteristics. However, anyone can behave stupidly, especially in unfamiliar environments — like holidays — where it is difficult to judge the right course of action.</p> <h2>The laws of human stupidity</h2> <p>In our recently published <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2020.1828555">journal article</a> on stupidity in tourism, we see stupidity as an action without insight or sound judgement. This results in losses or harm to the perpetrator and others. In a holiday context, it can negatively affect tourists themselves, as well as other people, animals, organisations, or destinations.</p> <p>In 1976, Italian economist Carlo Cipolla published a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2012/apr/09/improbable-research-human-stupidity">definitive essay</a> called The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity. Although we prefer to focus on stupid behaviour rather than stupid people, we agree with his five laws:</p> <ol> <li> <p>Always and inevitably, everyone underestimates the number of stupid individuals in circulation.</p> </li> <li> <p>The probability that a certain person (will) be stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person.</p> </li> <li> <p>A stupid person is a person who causes losses to another person or a group of persons while himself deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses.</p> </li> <li> <p>Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging power of stupid individuals. In particular, non-stupid people constantly forget dealing with or associating with stupid people always and everywhere turns out to be a costly mistake.</p> </li> <li> <p>A stupid person is the most dangerous type of person.</p> </li> </ol> <p>Why is stupid behaviour so dangerous? Because it is irrational and so the outcome is unpredictable.</p> <p>Who could have thought so many people would die <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/selfie-accidents-range-silly-deadly-world/story?id=53636494">when taking a selfie</a> that you can now <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/life-insurance-for-selfie-deaths-have-we-reached-peak-stupid-20191003-p52xe2.html">take out insurance</a> on the act? Or that aeroplane passengers would <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-50979485#:%7E:text=A%20Chinese%20man%20who%20was,near%20one%20of%20its%20engines.">throw coins into engines</a> for good luck?</p> <h2>What causes stupidity?</h2> <p>How can we better understand our own stupid behaviour, or recognise it in others? Stupidity is generally caused by an excess of one or more of the following factors:</p> <ul> <li>the person believing they know everything</li> <li>the person believing they can do anything</li> <li>the person being extremely self-centred</li> <li>the person believing nothing will harm them</li> <li>the person’s emotions (for example, fear or anger)</li> <li>the person’s state (for example, exhausted or drunk).</li> </ul> <h2>Why stupid behaviour is more likely on holidays</h2> <p>Tourists can be affected by all of these factors.</p> <p>Leisure tourism, by its nature, is a very self-centred and pleasure-seeking activity. People often travel to relax and enjoy themselves.</p> <p>In pursuit of trying something new or escaping their daily routine, people may go to places with very different cultures or practices than their own, or try things they wouldn’t normally do — such as adventure activities. As a result, individuals can act differently while on holidays.</p> <p>There also seem to be fewer social constraints. Tourists may not follow rules and social norms while travelling, because relatives, friends, colleagues, bosses are less likely to find out. Of course, tourists may not be aware of the commonly-accepted rules of where they travelling, as well.</p> <p>All of the above increases the likelihood of stupidity. And one certainly doesn’t need to travel overseas to be stupid. A case in point is a tourist who <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-05/tourist-allegedly-broke-into-uluru-kata-tjuta-park-coronavirus/12526084">snuck into Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park</a>, which was closed-off in August due to COVID concerns in the local indigenous community. The woman injured her ankle and had to be rescued.</p> <h2>The importance of thinking first</h2> <p>So, what to do about stupid tourist behaviour?</p> <p>Strict regulation, physical barriers, warning signs and other punitive measures alone may not work. This is seen in the case of a man who climbed over a zoo fence in 2017 to avoid the entry fee. He ended up <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-30/man-mauled-by-tiger-after-climbing-to-fence-avoid-buying-ticket/8225016">being mauled to death</a> by a tiger.</p> <p>Education of tourists on how to behave during travels <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0160738317300063">has some effect</a>. But more importantly, tourists need to be <a href="https://theconversation.com/tourists-behaving-badly-how-culture-shapes-conduct-when-were-on-holiday-72285">self-aware</a>. They need to consider what is likely to happen as a result of their behaviour, how likely is it that things will go wrong, and whether they would do this at home.</p> <p>While stupidity is impossible to eliminate, it can be less frequent and do much less damage, if we take time to reflect on our behaviour and attitudes.</p> <p>So, have fun during the holiday … but don’t be stupid!<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><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/150287/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/denis-tolkach-11345">Denis Tolkach</a>, Senior Lecturer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/james-cook-university-1167">James Cook University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephen-pratt-335188">Stephen Pratt</a>, Professor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-the-south-pacific-1881">The University of the South Pacific</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/would-you-do-this-at-home-why-we-are-more-likely-to-do-stupid-things-on-holidays-150287">original article</a>.</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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If the world were coming to an end, what would be the most ethical way to rebuild humanity ‘off planet’?

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/evie-kendal-734653">Evie Kendal</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/swinburne-university-of-technology-767">Swinburne University of Technology</a></em></p> <p>Last week, scientists announced that for the first time on record, Antarctic ice has failed to “substantially recover” over winter, in a “once in 7.5-million-year event”. Climate change is the <a href="https://theconversation.com/antarctica-is-missing-a-chunk-of-sea-ice-bigger-than-greenland-whats-going-on-210665">most likely culprit</a>.</p> <p>Petra Heil, a sea ice physicist from the Australian Antarctic Division, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-24/antarctic-sea-ice-levels-nosedive-five-sigma-event/102635204">told the ABC</a> it could tip the world into a new state. “That would be quite concerning to the sustainability of human conditions on Earth, I suspect.”</p> <p>And in March, a senior United Nations disarmament official <a href="https://press.un.org/en/2023/sc15250.doc.htm">told the Security Council</a> the risk of nuclear weapons being used today is higher than at any time since the end of the Cold War.</p> <p>Both warnings speak to concerns about Earth’s security. Will our planet be able to support human life in the future? And if not, will humanity have another chance at survival in space?</p> <h2>‘Billionauts’ and how to choose who goes</h2> <p>Over the past few years, we’ve witnessed the rise of the “billionaut”. The ultra-wealthy are engaged in a <a href="https://theconversation.com/billionaire-space-race-the-ultimate-symbol-of-capitalisms-flawed-obsession-with-growth-164511">private space race</a> costing billions of dollars, while <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/oliverwilliams1/2021/12/21/billionaire-space-race-turns-into-a-publicity-disaster/?sh=79056f7e5e4d">regular citizens often condemn</a> the wasted resources and contribution to global carbon emissions.</p> <p>Space – described in the <a href="https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/spacelaw/treaties/introouterspacetreaty.html">Outer Space Treaty</a> as being the “province of all mankind” – risks instead becoming the playground of the elite few, as they try to escape the consequences of environmental destruction.</p> <p>But if we have to select humans to send into space for a species survival mission, how do we choose who gets to go?</p> <p>In Montreal last month, the <a href="https://irg.space/irg-2023/">Interstellar Research Group</a> explored the question: how would you select a crew for the first interstellar mission?</p> <p>A panel led by <a href="https://www.erikanesvold.com/">Erika Nesvold</a>, a co-editor of the new book <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/reclaiming-space-9780197604793?cc=au&amp;lang=en&amp;">Reclaiming Space</a>, discussed the perspectives of gender minorities, people with disabilities and First Nations groups regarding the ideal composition for an off-world crew.</p> <p>I was on the panel to discuss my contribution to the book, which explores how we can promote procreation in our new off-world society, without diminishing the reproductive liberty of survivors.</p> <h2>The ultra-wealthy and reproductive slavery</h2> <p>The first step in deciding how to allocate limited spaces on our “lifeboat” is identifying and rejecting options that are practically or ethically unacceptable.</p> <p>The first option I rejected was a user-pay system, whereby the wealthy can purchase a seat on the lifeboat. A 2022 Oxfam report showed the investments of just 125 billionaires collectively contribute 393 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year: <a href="https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/billionaire-emits-million-times-more-greenhouse-gases-average-person#:%7E:text=Recent%20data%20from%20Oxfam's%20research,%C2%B0C%20goal%20of%20the">a million times more</a> than the average for most global citizens.</p> <p>If the ultra-wealthy are the only ones to survive an environmental apocalypse, there’s a risk they would just create another one, on another planet. This would undermine the species survival project.</p> <p>The second option I rejected was allowing a reproductive slave class to develop, with some survivors compelled to populate the new community. This would disproportionately impact cis-gender women of reproductive capacity, demanding their gestational labour in exchange for a chance at survival.</p> <p>Neither a user-pay system nor reproductive slave labour would achieve the goal of “saving humanity” in any meaningful way.</p> <p>Many would argue preserving human values - including equality, reproductive liberty, and respect for diversity - is more important than saving human biology. If we lose what makes us unique as a species, that would be a kind of extinction anyway.</p> <p>But if we want humanity to survive, we still need to build our population in our new home. So what other options do we have?</p> <h2>Reproduction and diversity</h2> <p>How can we avoid discrimination on the basis of reproductive capacity – including age, sexuality, <a href="https://theconversation.com/infertility-through-the-ages-and-how-ivf-changed-the-way-we-think-about-it-87128">fertility status</a> or personal preference?</p> <p>We could avoid any questions about family planning when selecting our crew. This would align with <a href="https://www.seek.com.au/career-advice/article/illegal-interview-questions-what-employers-have-no-right-to-ask">equal opportunity policies</a> in other areas, like employment. But we would then have to hope enough candidates selected on other merits happen to be willing and able to procreate.</p> <p>Alternatively, we could reserve a certain number of places for those who agree to contribute to population growth. Fertility would then become an inherent job requirement. This might be similar to taking on a role as a <a href="https://theconversation.com/surrogacy-laws-why-a-global-approach-is-needed-to-stop-exploitation-of-women-98966">surrogate</a>, in which reproductive capacity is essential.</p> <p>But what if, after accepting such a position on the mission, someone changed their mind about wanting children? Would they be expected to provide some sort of compensation? Would they be vulnerable to retaliation?</p> <p>The more we focus on procreation, the less diversity we will preserve in the species as a whole – especially if we deliberately select against diverse sexualities, disabilities and older people.</p> <p>A lack of diversity would also threaten the long-term viability of the new society. For example, even if we exclude all physiologically or socially infertile people from the initial crew, these traits will reappear in future generations.</p> <p>The difference is: these children would be born into a less accepting community. Cooperation will be essential for the new human society – so promoting hostility would be counterproductive.</p> <p>So, what options are left? Using a random global sample to select travellers might alleviate concerns about equity and fairness. But the ability of a random sample to maximise our survival as a species would depend on how large the sample can be.</p> <p>A global sample would minimise bias. But there’s a risk it might yield a crew without doctors, engineers, farmers or other essential personnel.</p> <h2>Random selection versus a points-based system</h2> <p>The best balance between competing needs might be a stratified random sampling method, involving randomly selecting survivors from predetermined categories. Reproductive potential might be one category. Others might focus on other elements of practical usefulness or contribution to human diversity.</p> <p>Another option is a points-based system, whereby different skills and characteristics are ranked in terms of their desirability. In this system, an elderly person who speaks multiple languages may score higher than a physiologically fertile young person, due to their ability to substantially contribute to language preservation and education.</p> <p>This does not entirely eliminate the potential for discrimination, of course. Someone would need to decide which traits are most desirable and valuable to the new human society.</p> <p>However we determine our lifeboat candidates, it should be carefully considered. In our attempt to “save humanity”, we must avoid sacrificing the very things that make us human.</p> <hr /> <p><em>Evie Kendal is a contributor to <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/reclaiming-space-9780197604793?cc=au&amp;lang=en&amp;">Reclaiming Space: Progressive and Multicultural Visions of Space Exploration</a> (Oxford University Press)<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><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/210647/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></em></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/evie-kendal-734653">Evie Kendal</a>, Senior lecturer of health promotion, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/swinburne-university-of-technology-767">Swinburne University of Technology</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/if-the-world-were-coming-to-an-end-what-would-be-the-most-ethical-way-to-rebuild-humanity-off-planet-210647">original article</a>.</em></p>

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"Bert would be beaming": Patti Newton's granddaughter makes TV debut

<p>Bert and Patti Newton's granddaughter Lola has stolen the spotlight after making her TV debut. </p> <p>The 11-year-old, who is the daughter of Bert and Patti's daughter Lauren, appeared on the ABC gold rush comedy <em>Gold Diggers</em>, marking her first foray into acting. </p> <p>Lauren shared a screenshot of her daughter on the TV show on Instagram, sharing how proud she and her husband, former Olympic swimmer Matt Welsh, are of their girl. </p> <p>She captioned the photo, "We are so proud watching Lola in <a tabindex="0" role="link" href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/golddiggerstv/">#golddiggerstv </a>on [ABC]. It's definitely not a show for kids, but Matt and I are loving it, especially the pagent winner Bianca played by our beautiful Lols."</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cuj3IM9vdUR/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cuj3IM9vdUR/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Lauren Newton (@laurenelisenewton)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The screenshot of the TV show sees Lola dressed in 1800s attire with her hair wrapped in traditional curls.</p> <p>The new comedy show, set in 1850s outback Australia, follows the adventures of sisters Gert and Marigold and their ambition to strike it rich in a gold mining town. </p> <p>Many fans flocked to the comments of Lauren's post to share their congratulations for her daughter's acting debut, while commending her for following on the family's showbiz legacy. </p> <p>One person wrote, "Oh beautiful! Bert would be beaming with pride."</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-Meex-Jd8s/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-Meex-Jd8s/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Patti Newton (@pattinewtonofficial)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Another viewer commented, "Congratulations Lola and proud parents too. Another generation of entertainers!"</p> <p>Others noted how much of a natural young Lola seemed on camera, with one person adding, "She was fabulous… a real natural talent."</p> <p>One keen fan wrote that they had recently seen Lola's grandmother Patti Newton in the production of Mary Poppins recently, and "wondered how many of the grandkids would follow in their footsteps!"</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CPXFf1QJX6E/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CPXFf1QJX6E/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Patti Newton (@pattinewtonofficial)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Other fans shared that they had no idea it was Lola playing the role, and assured they would now tune into the TV show to see how her family's talents as entertainers have trickled through the generations. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram </em></p>

TV

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Here’s what would happen to your body if you didn’t have your morning coffee

<p><strong>What happens when you skip coffee entirely?</strong></p> <p>Coffee is a morning constant for many, as reliable as the sunrise or the tides. Miss it, and you can feel dazed, confused and even risk a pounding headache. There’s a good reason for that: Caffeine produces some reliable physical changes in your body upon which you can easily become dependent.</p> <p>With that first sip of coffee, caffeine enters your bloodstream and begins making its way to your brain where it blocks an inhibitory neurotransmitter called adenosine, according to the <em>National Academy of Sciences</em>. That, in turn, sets off the release of feel-good hormones like dopamine and serotonin, causing a stimulant effect. Coffee’s so-called half-life – meaning the amount of time it takes for the amount of caffeine in the body to be reduced by 50 per cent – is about five hours on average.</p> <p>That explains why the average energy drink or coffee buzz lasts about that long. But how quickly caffeine leaves your system depends on a number of things, including age, medical conditions, drug interactions and lifestyle habits (like smoking).</p> <p><strong>A shock to the system</strong></p> <p>So, no surprise, when you’re deprived of your morning coffee, you don’t just suffer due to routine alteration. You suffer chemically, too. As anybody who’s kicked their coffee habit will tell you: The side effects can be pretty noticeable and jarring. Some of the more common symptoms of caffeine withdrawal stem from the inherent perks of those multi cups of Joe.</p> <p>Minus the kickstart to your metabolism, you’ll feel tired, sluggish, foggy-headed, and physically delayed, according to a review of studies published in 2020 in <em>StatPearls</em>. Researchers found that the more caffeine you consume, the more severe the withdrawal; but abstinence from even small amounts – we’re talking one cup of coffee per day – also produced symptoms of caffeine withdrawal. They kick in 12 to 24 hours after your last caffeine fix and may last up to nine days, says Dr Sherry A Ross, women’s health expert, author of <em>She-ology: The She-quel. </em></p> <p>“Caffeine is a stimulating drug that some people can easily become addicted to,” she explains. “Depending on the quantity and type of caffeine you are consuming daily, your body type and frequency of consumption can set you up for a caffeine addiction.”</p> <p><strong>Coffee's not all bad</strong></p> <p>Just because you can develop a dependence on your morning jolt doesn’t mean that cup of java belongs on the do-not-consume list. Just the opposite, in fact. A large review of studies published in 2017 in the journal BMJ found that coffee consumption is not only safe for most people (except pregnant women and women who are at an increased risk of fracture), it also provides a number of health benefits, especially for people with chronic liver disease.</p> <p>The review also showed that participants who consistently drank at least three cups of coffee per day had a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, kidney disease, gallstone disease, cancer (including melanoma, leukaemia and prostate, endometrial, oral, and liver cancer), as well as cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease and stroke as compared with coffee abstainers.</p> <p>The trick, of course, is practicing portion control. The researchers found that the health benefits of coffee top out at three to four cups a day (as compared to none). That echoes the larger caffeine recommendation from the US Food and Drug Administration, which suggests no more than 400 mg of caffeine per day; that’s the amount in about four cups of coffee, 10 cans of cola, or two energy drinks.</p> <p>Image credits: Getty Images</p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/healthsmart/heres-what-would-happen-to-your-body-if-you-didnt-have-your-morning-coffee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>. </em></p>

Food & Wine

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Arctic Ocean could be ice-free in summer by 2030s, say scientists – this would have global, damaging and dangerous consequences

<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jonathan-bamber-102567">Jonathan Bamber</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-bristol-1211">University of Bristol</a></em></p> <p>The Arctic Ocean could be ice-free in summer by the 2030s, even if we do a good job of reducing emissions between now and then. That’s the worrying conclusion of a new study in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-38511-8">Nature Communications</a>.</p> <p>Predictions of an ice-free Arctic Ocean have a long and complicated history, and the 2030s is sooner than most scientists had thought possible (though it is later than some had wrongly forecast). What we know for sure is the disappearance of sea ice at the top of the world would not only be an emblematic sign of climate breakdown, but it would have global, damaging and dangerous consequences.</p> <p>The Arctic has been experiencing climate heating <a href="https://theconversation.com/arctic-is-warming-nearly-four-times-faster-than-the-rest-of-the-world-new-research-188474">faster than any other part of the planet</a>. As it is at the frontline of climate change, the eyes of many scientists and local indigenous people have been on the sea ice that covers much of the Arctic Ocean in winter. This thin film of frozen seawater expands and contracts with the seasons, reaching a minimum area in September each year.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530136/original/file-20230605-19-mdh85y.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530136/original/file-20230605-19-mdh85y.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530136/original/file-20230605-19-mdh85y.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=184&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530136/original/file-20230605-19-mdh85y.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=184&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530136/original/file-20230605-19-mdh85y.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=184&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530136/original/file-20230605-19-mdh85y.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=232&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530136/original/file-20230605-19-mdh85y.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=232&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530136/original/file-20230605-19-mdh85y.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=232&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="Animation of Arctic sea ice from space" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Arctic sea ice grows until March and then shrinks until September.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/esnt/2022/nasa-finds-2022-arctic-winter-sea-ice-10th-lowest-on-record">NASA</a></span></figcaption></figure> <p>The ice which remains at the end of summer is called multiyear sea ice and is considerably thicker than its seasonal counterpart. It acts as barrier to the transfer of both moisture and heat between the ocean and atmosphere. Over the past 40 years this multiyear sea ice has shrunk from around <a href="http://polarportal.dk/en/sea-ice-and-icebergs/sea-ice-extent0/">7 million sq km to 4 million</a>. That is a loss equivalent to roughly the size of India or 12 UKs. In other words, it’s a big signal, one of the most stark and dramatic signs of fundamental change to the climate system anywhere in the world.</p> <p>As a consequence, there has been considerable effort invested in determining when the Arctic Ocean might first become ice-free in summer, sometimes called a “blue ocean event” and defined as when the sea ice area drops below 1 million sq kms. This threshold is used mainly because older, thicker ice along parts of Canada and northern Greenland is expected to remain long after the rest of the Arctic Ocean is ice-free. We can’t put an exact date on the last blue ocean event, but one in the near future would likely mean open water at the North Pole for the first time in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature10581">thousands of years</a>.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530138/original/file-20230605-29-9uuhxu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530138/original/file-20230605-29-9uuhxu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530138/original/file-20230605-29-9uuhxu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=712&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530138/original/file-20230605-29-9uuhxu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=712&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530138/original/file-20230605-29-9uuhxu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=712&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530138/original/file-20230605-29-9uuhxu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=895&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530138/original/file-20230605-29-9uuhxu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=895&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530138/original/file-20230605-29-9uuhxu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=895&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="Annotated map of Arctic" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">The thickest ice (highlighted in pink) is likely to remain even if the North Pole is ice-free.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/2015/05/new-tools-for-sea-ice-thickness/">NERC Center for Polar Observation and Modelling</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure> <p>One problem with predicting when this might occur is that sea ice is notoriously difficult to model because it is influenced by both atmospheric and oceanic circulation as well as the flow of heat between these two parts of the climate system. That means that the climate models – powerful computer programs used to simulate the environment – need to get all of these components right to be able to accurately predict changes in sea ice extent.</p> <h2>Melting faster than models predicted</h2> <p>Back in the 2000s, an assessment of early generations of climate models found they generally <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2007GL029703">underpredicted the loss of sea ice</a> when compared to satellite data showing what actually happened. The models predicted a loss of about 2.5% per decade, while the observations were closer to 8%.</p> <p>The next generation of models did better but were <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2012GL052676">still not matching observations</a> which, at that time were suggesting a blue ocean event would happen by mid-century. Indeed, the latest <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-working-group-i/">IPCC climate science report</a>, published in 2021, reaches a similar conclusion about the timing of an ice-free Arctic Ocean.</p> <p>As a consequence of the problems with the climate models, some scientists have attempted to extrapolate the observational record resulting in the controversial and, ultimately, incorrect assertion that this would happen <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/21/arctic-will-be-ice-free-in-summer-next-year">during the mid 2010s</a>. This did not help the credibility of the scientific community and its ability to make reliable projections.</p> <h2>Ice-free by 2030?</h2> <p>The scientists behind the latest study have taken a different approach by, in effect, calibrating the models with the observations and then using this calibrated solution to project sea ice decline. This makes a lot of sense, because it reduces the effect of small biases in the climate models that can in turn bias the sea ice projections. They call these “observationally constrained” projections and find that the Arctic could become ice-free in summer as early as 2030, even if we do a good job of reducing emissions between now and then.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530365/original/file-20230606-21-usmovg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530365/original/file-20230606-21-usmovg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530365/original/file-20230606-21-usmovg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=394&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530365/original/file-20230606-21-usmovg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=394&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530365/original/file-20230606-21-usmovg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=394&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530365/original/file-20230606-21-usmovg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=495&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530365/original/file-20230606-21-usmovg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=495&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530365/original/file-20230606-21-usmovg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=495&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="Walruses on ice floe" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Walruses depend on sea ice. As it melts, they’re being forced onto land.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">outdoorsman / shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure> <p>There is still plenty of uncertainty around the exact date – about <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2016GL070067">20 years or so</a> – because of natural chaotic fluctuations in the climate system. But compared to previous research, the new study still brings forward the most likely timing of a blue ocean event by about a decade.</p> <h2>Why this matters</h2> <p>You might be asking the question: so what? Other than some polar bears not being able to hunt in the same way, why does it matter? Perhaps there are even benefits as the previous US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/05/06/politics/pompeo-sea-ice-arctic-council/index.html">once declared</a> – it means ships from Asia can potentially save around 3,000 miles of journey to European ports in summer at least.</p> <p>But Arctic sea ice is an important component of the climate system. As it dramatically reduces the amount of sunlight absorbed by the ocean, removing this ice is predicted to further accelerate warming, through a process known as a positive feedback. This, in turn, will make the Greenland ice sheet <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2014GL059770">melt faster</a>, which is already a major contributor to <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2021RG000757">sea level rise</a>.</p> <p>The loss of sea ice in summer would also mean changes in <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/chapter/ccp6/">atmospheric circulation and storm tracks</a>, and fundamental shifts in ocean biological activity. These are just some of the <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2021RG000757">highly undesirable consequences</a> and it is fair to say that the disadvantages will far outweigh the slender benefits.</p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jonathan-bamber-102567">Jonathan Bamber</a>, Professor of Physical Geography, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-bristol-1211">University of Bristol</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/arctic-ocean-could-be-ice-free-in-summer-by-2030s-say-scientists-this-would-have-global-damaging-and-dangerous-consequences-206974">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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"Why would you want second best?" Patti Newton's heart-wrenching confession

<p>Patti Newton has made a heart-wrenching confession about the future of her love life, as she continues to grieve the loss of her husband. </p> <p>Speaking on 2DAY FM’s <em>Hughesy, Ed &amp; Erin</em> breakfast show on Wednesday morning, Patti opened up about life after losing her beloved husband Bert in October 2021, saying she is not open to the possibility of finding love again. </p> <p>“Never. When you have the best, why would you want second best?” Patti, 78, said.</p> <p>“He was it for me. I fell in love at a very young age and I’ve never looked at anyone else. I’ve never even kissed anyone else.”</p> <p>When asked by Hughesy what Bert would think if she dated again, Patti said he would not be very happy. </p> <p>“I reckon there would be a huge clap of thunder and probably a strike of lightning. If he could hit me, it would hit,” she joked. </p> <p>“He used to say to me, ‘You think you’d ever marry again? Yeah, you would, wouldn’t you?’ And I would say, ‘No, I wouldn’t.’ And he said, ‘I’ll keep my eye on you.’”</p> <p>Patti went on to say her life without Bert is "very difficult", admitting that her grief has "gotten worse" over time. </p> <p>“Look, it’s very difficult,” Patti said. “People say time will heal. Well, I think it’s getting worse rather than better.” </p> <p>“I do think because I’m so loved by my family and because I have grandchildren around me all the time – we only live around the corner – I see them a lot. They’re beautiful kids. I supposed that’s taken a bit of the sadness away.”</p> <p>This year would've marked the couple's 49th wedding anniversary, as Patti said they had a great relationship, despite going through ups and downs like any other couple. </p> <p>“We laughed a lot and talked a lot. We were very different people, but I think sometimes that works – it’s good if you’re different,” she said on air. “We were extremely happy. I hate people who say, ‘We never had a cross word’. We had many cross words. In fact, we had world wars, but we always got over them.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

Relationships

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Vet reveals 5 dog breeds he would never own

<p dir="ltr">Choosing a dog breed is a difficult decision and it is important to research the breed you intend to get. </p> <p dir="ltr">Not every dog is going to be the right fit, and one UK vet has named the 5 breeds he’d never own and why. </p> <p dir="ltr">The vet, known as Ben the Vet on TikTok, posted the video alongside the caption, "I love dogs, I promise, I'm just fussy!"  </p> <p dir="ltr">"All I can say is that I think working in veterinary just makes you really fussy when it comes to dog breeds.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The first on his list was the Dobermann.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Now, I've met many lovely, lovely Dobermanns but it is shocking how many of them get a kind of heart disease called dilated cardiomyopathy," he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">The next breed on Ben’s list was the Border collie. </p> <p dir="ltr">"Now, they are quite healthy, they are a bit prone to epilepsy, but I just find they're a dog breed that doesn't adapt very well to the sedentary life of being a pet,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">The vet noted that Border collies require constant stimulation as they want to work and be active.</p> <p dir="ltr">The third breed was a boxer.</p> <p dir="ltr">Although he admitted he has met lots of “sweet ones,” there is a long list of problems. </p> <p dir="ltr">He showed a book containing data on the health conditions dog breeds have and explained, ”The boxer has 74 diseases in their section, yes, 74.”</p> <p dir="ltr">"I've seen too many boxers with all of these problems to count," he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Number four on the list was the Great Dane. </p> <p dir="ltr">"I think I'm just not a 'big dog' person at heart," he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ben listed a few reasons including the size of his car and house, as well as the hefty vet bills due to all medical drugs being dosed according to weight, so a lot of procedures would cost more for Great Dane owners. </p> <p dir="ltr">He also noted that Great Danes often don’t live to the age of 7, saying it would be "quite hard to love a dog and then lose them in that short space of time."</p> <p dir="ltr">The last breed to make the cut were flat-coated retrievers. </p> <p dir="ltr">"This is a really hard one," he said, "they're a wonderful family dog, but I just know too much.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The vet said those dogs were prone to a type of aggressive cancer called histiocytic sarcoma.</p> <p dir="ltr">"They are the poster child of this disease. Around 50 per cent of all flat coats die of cancer," he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">TikTok users were quick to flood the comments, with many agreeing with Ben’s list.</p> <p dir="ltr">"100% agree on the border collie. I have a border collie/Kelpie mix, he was bred to herd cattle. He is not a typical pet. He needs a job to be happy," one wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">Another Border Collie weighed in, writing, "They're not for the faint hearted. We didn't do our research and thus our lives had to change dramatically!”</p> <p dir="ltr">"100% on the boxers, we've lost too many too young," another dog owner commented.  </p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-65ee70b6-7fff-f53a-c316-79f2a6013593"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credit: TikTok</em></p>

Family & Pets

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A new monarch who is a divorcee would once have scandalised. But Charles’ accession shows how much has changed

<p>King Charles III is the first British monarch who has previously had a civil marriage and a civil divorce.</p> <p>In 1981, Charles, then the Prince of Wales, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/anniversaries/july/wedding-of-prince-charles-and-lady-diana-spencer">married Lady Diana Spencer</a> in a fairytale wedding watched by 750 million people worldwide.</p> <p>However, the royal couple <a href="https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/1992-12-09/debates/ecfacae4-f52c-461c-b253-d7c04a299735/PrinceAndPrincessOfWales">separated in 1992</a> and they were <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/9608/28/royal.divorce/decree/">divorced in 1996</a>. The marriage had spectacularly broken down.</p> <p>Charles later went on to marry his long-time love interest Camilla Parker-Bowles. They married in a civil ceremony in 2005. This broke with the tradition of royal family members getting married in an Anglican church ceremony.</p> <p>The extramarital relationship of Charles and Camilla prevented them from being remarried in church. But there was a subsequent <a href="https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/g19135643/prince-charles-camilla-wedding-photos/">service of prayer and dedication</a>. Queen Elizabeth II <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4289225.stm">declined to attend the wedding</a>, reportedly because it conflicted with her role to uphold the Christian faith as supreme governor of the Church of England.</p> <p>The accession of Charles to the throne is not only politically significant, but also carries religious importance. Charles is the “<a href="https://theconversation.com/king-charles-defender-of-faith-what-the-monarchys-long-relationship-with-religion-may-look-like-under-the-new-sovereign-190766">defender of the faith</a>” and the supreme governor. Charles’ status as a divorcee puts him at odds with his religious roles.</p> <h2>Royal divorces</h2> <p><a href="https://www.history.com/news/henry-viii-wives">King Henry VIII</a> was infamous for having six wives in the 16th century. He annulled his first marriage to Catherine of Aragon. This meant the marriage was never legally valid to begin with.</p> <p><a href="https://archives.blog.parliament.uk/2020/06/02/the-queen-caroline-affair/">King George IV</a> was almost successful in divorcing his wife Queen Caroline in 1820. At the time, divorce could only be granted by Act of Parliament. The trial took place in the House of Lords. The king accused his wife of committing adultery as grounds for divorce. However, Prime Minister Lord Liverpool eventually withdrew the divorce bill due to political pressure.</p> <p><a href="https://www.royal.uk/edward-viii">King Edward VIII</a> was forced to abdicate in 1936 because he wanted to marry an American divorcee Wallis Simpson. This conflicted with his role as supreme governor.</p> <p>While Charles was in a similar position to his great-uncle in his marriage to Camilla, they lived in different worlds. The Conservative government and the Church of England simply could not tolerate Edward’s marriage to a divorcee. It was viewed as an affront to morality. </p> <p>Similarly, <a href="https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/news/a8139/princess-margaret-peter-townsend-love-affair/">Princess Margaret</a> was pressured to not marry the divorcee Group Captain Peter Townsend. As the sister of the queen, the marriage would have been scandalous in some circles.</p> <p>Queen Elizabeth called 1992 the “<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-22/2021-could-be-queen-elizabeth-ii-second-annus-horibilis/100643696">annus horribilis</a>” (horrible year) for the royal family. Her three children Prince Charles, Princess Anne and Prince Andrew’s marriages had all broken down. Divorce by then had become increasingly acceptable in society.</p> <h2>Royal civil marriage</h2> <p>Charles had to seek his mother’s permission to marry Camilla. The <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/apgb/Geo3/12/11/1991-02-01?view=extent">Royal Marriages Act 1772</a> stipulated that all descendants of King George II were required to seek the consent of the sovereign to marry. </p> <p>This law was repealed in 2013. Only the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2013/20/enacted">first six persons</a> in the line of succession now have to seek the sovereign’s permission to marry.</p> <p>There was controversy at the time whether a member of the royal family could legally marry in a civil ceremony. The <a href="https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/private-lives/relationships/overview/lawofmarriage-/">Marriage Act 1836</a> permitted civil marriages. But the law stated this did not apply to members of the royal family.</p> <p>The British government released a <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200405/ldhansrd/vo050224/text/50224-51.htm#50224-51_head0">statement</a> declaring Charles could legally enter into a civil marriage. The view was the Marriage Act 1949 had repealed the previous legislation. The government also argued there was a right to marry under the Human Rights Act 1998 and the European Convention on Human Rights.</p> <p>The civil marriage of Charles and Camilla symbolised the changing values of society. The view of marriage had shifted from a moral commitment to a celebratory union. This marked the modernisation of the monarchy over tradition.</p> <h2>A modern monarchy</h2> <p>The accession of a divorcee as king a generation earlier would have been unpalatable to many. But Charles embodies the modern character of monarchy and the liberal values of wider society.</p> <p>Charles has recently <a href="https://www.royal.uk/kings-remarks-faith-leaders">affirmed</a> his commitment to Anglican Christianity. This is an acknowledgement of his constitutional role in the <a href="https://www.royal.uk/act-settlement-0#:%7E:text=The%20Act%20of%20Settlement%20of,succession%20for%20Mary%20II's%20heirs.">Act of Settlement 1701</a>. Only Protestant Christians can claim succession to the crown. </p> <p>It also affirms his role as nominal ruler of the Church of England. The monarch still <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/about/leadership-and-governance">appoints bishops</a> on the advice of the prime minister. Anglicanism is the official state religion of England.</p> <p>Yet Charles is also pushing for a modern monarchy. He has viewed himself as a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/09/king-charles-to-be-defender-of-the-faith-but-also-a-defender-of-faiths">defender of diversity</a>. Upholding a space for multifaith practice and expression of secular ideals form part of the agenda of his reign.</p> <p>The monarchy faces a tension between modernity and tradition. As a divorced and remarried monarch, Charles III represents the reinvention of the crown, an ancient institution that seeks to embrace its role in a multicultural, religiously diverse and more open and tolerant society.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-new-monarch-who-is-a-divorcee-would-once-have-scandalised-but-charles-accession-shows-how-much-has-changed-204544" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

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"I never dreamt that she would do it": Daughter takes 85-year-old father’s life savings

<p>When Ray Thomson lost his life savings, he also lost the daughter he thought loved him the most.</p> <p>"I was led to believe she was doing everything for me. She was alright but she was doing everything for herself - with my money," he says.</p> <p>Over two years, Thomson's daughter Helen Williams robbed her father of everything he had, cleaning $320,000 out of his bank account, leaving him with just $20. </p> <p>The blind man now lives in a rest home, in a single, sparsely decorated room, a transistor radio among his meagre possessions.</p> <p>In January, Williams was sentenced to 12 months' home detention for her deceit, a crime she says was motivated by a gambling and drug addiction.</p> <p>Thomson can't talk about what his daughter did without breaking down. She was going to get half his money when he died but she couldn't wait, Thomson says - her "plain greed" got in the way.</p> <p>"I never dreamt that she would do it. I was completely taken in by it and by the time I had woken up to what happened, it was too late.</p> <p>"As far as I am concerned she's not my daughter."</p> <p>The first inkling Thomson got of there being a problem was when the council got in touch about his rates account being in arrears.  </p> <p>He remembers being taken by surprise. "I've never owed anyone in my lifetime," he says. </p> <p>When he checked with his daughter, he says she reassured him there had been a mistake, that there was nothing to worry about.</p> <p>As power of attorney, she was able to withdraw money from his account at will and while she spent it paying back her own debt, grocery bills and on a trip, her father went without. On one occasion Thomson had no hot water for six weeks as his unpaid bills mounted up.</p> <p><strong>'She cut me off'</strong></p> <p>During the time she stole from him, his daughter was a constant presence in Thomson's life. She made sure she was often the only person he would see for days.  </p> <p>"Every time she was at my place - she'd be there most times - she told everyone that I was not there. She cut me off from anyone that I knew," he says.</p> <p>Williams went to extraordinary lengths to keep her father in the dark about what she had been doing, reassuring him constantly and even intercepting the mail. </p> <p>But when the money ran out, Thomson's lawyer turned up with the news he had just $20 to his name.</p> <p>His life suddenly revealed to be in tatters, Thomson was forced to sell his house and move into a rest home. </p> <p>"I still think back on the episode and about what's happened but I will never forgive her for what she's done to me."</p> <p>He says people who prey on the elderly "should be disgusted with themselves." </p> <p>Thomson says even if family are involved in helping out, his advice to others is to be wary and ask questions if something is amiss.</p> <p>"Be cautious, be on the alert."</p> <p>"You don't expect those sorts of things to come from your own family."</p> <p><em>Written by Deena Coster. Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></strong></a>.</em></p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Money & Banking

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6 things a food poisoning expert would never eat

<p>If you want to know how to avoid food poisoning, you better listen to food poisoning expert and lawyer Bill Marler.</p> <p>He’s a products liability and personal injury attorney specialising in food-borne illnesses as well as the managing partner of Marler Clark, dubbed “The Food Safety Law Firm”. With twenty years in the industry, he’s won more than $600 million in compensation claims for his clients since 1998.</p> <p>In an article posted in the <a href="http://www.foodpoisonjournal.com/food-poisoning-information/six-foods-bill-marler-never-eats/#.VrJ3Kvl96uV" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em>Food Poisoning Journal</em></span></strong></a>, Bill has revealed the six foods he refused to eat.</p> <p><strong>Unpasteurised (“raw”) milk and packaged juices</strong></p> <p>Unpasteurised milk, sometimes called “raw” milk, can be contaminated with bacteria, viruses and parasites. Between 1998 and 2011, there were 148 food poisoning outbreaks linked to raw milk and raw milk products in the US—and keep in mind that comparatively few people in the country ever consume these products, so 148 outbreaks is nothing to ignore. As for unpasteurised packaged juices, one of Marler’s earliest cases was the 1996 E. coli outbreak from unpasteurised Odwalla apple juice. As a result, he won’t go near raw milk or juice. “There’s no benefit big enough to take away the risk of drinking products that can be made safe by pasteurisation,” he says.</p> <p><strong>Raw sprouts</strong></p> <p>Uncooked and lightly cooked sprouts have been linked to more than 30 bacterial outbreaks (mostly of salmonella and E. coli) in the US since mid-1990s. As recently as 2014, salmonella from bean sprouts sent 19 people to the hospital. All types of sprouts - including alfalfa, mung bean, clover and radish sprouts - can spread infection, which is caused by bacterial contamination of their seeds. “There have been too many outbreaks to not pay attention to the risk of sprout contamination,” Marler says. “Those are products that I just don’t eat at all.” He did add that he does eat them if they’re cooked.</p> <p><strong>Meat that isn’t well-done</strong></p> <p>Marler orders his burgers well-done. “The reason ground products are more problematic and need to be cooked more thoroughly is that any bacteria that’s on the surface of the meat can be ground inside of it,” Marler says. “If it’s not cooked thoroughly to 160°F throughout, it can cause poisoning by E. coli and salmonella and other bacterial illnesses.” As for steaks, needle tenderising - a common restaurant practice in which the steak is pierced with needles or sliced with knives to break down the muscle fibres and make it more tender - can also transfer bugs from the surface to the interior of the meat. If a restaurant does this (Marler asks), he orders his steak well-done. If the restaurant doesn’t, he’ll opt for medium-well.</p> <p><strong>Prewashed or precut fruits and vegetables</strong></p> <p>“I avoid these like the plague,” Marler says. Why? The more a food is handled and processed, the more likely it is to become tainted. “We’ve gotten so used to the convenience of mass-produced food - bagged salad and boxed salads and precut this and precut that,” Marler says. “Convenience is great but sometimes I think it isn’t worth the risk.” He buys unwashed, uncut produce in small amounts and eats it within three to four days to reduce the risk for listeria, a deadly bug that grows at refrigerator temps.</p> <p><strong>Raw or undercooked eggs</strong></p> <p>You may remember the salmonella epidemic of the 1980s and early ’90s that was linked mainly to eggs. If you swore off raw eggs back then, you might as well stick with it. The most recent salmonella outbreak from eggs, in 2010, caused roughly 2,000 reported cases of illness. “I think the risk of egg contamination is much lower today than it was 20 years ago for salmonella, but I still eat my eggs well-cooked,” Marler says.</p> <p><strong>Raw oysters and other raw shellfish</strong></p> <p>Marler says that raw shellfish - especially oysters - have been causing more foodborne illness lately. He links this to warming waters, which produce more microbial growth. “Oysters are filter feeders, so they pick up everything that’s in the water,” he explains. “If there’s bacteria in the water it’ll get into their system, and if you eat it you could have trouble. I’ve seen a lot more of that over the last five years than I saw in the last 20 years. It’s simply not worth the risk.”</p> <p><em>Images: Shutterstock</em></p>

Food & Wine

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Would you be happy to lose over $1,300 a year?

<p><strong>OverSixty has partnered with Compare Club to stop this happening!</strong></p> <p>There’s nothing worse than paying for something that you aren’t using! It means you’re missing out on good value - and cost savings!</p> <p>This is exactly what happens to a lot of us with our health insurance extras though! </p> <p>According to Senior Health Insurance Adviser at Compare Club Eli Boroda:</p> <p>“Australians leave $1,300 of their extras to go to waste each year^. Every day I have the same conversation with people who suddenly realise they’re paying top dollar for a policy with generous annual limits on dental, physio, chiro, and more, that they’ll never come close to using. The health funds love these guys - they’re like gym members who join but stop going after a month.”</p> <p><strong>In order to help you save, <a href="https://lp.compareclub.com.au/over60/?utm_medium=partner&utm_source=over60&utm_campaign=raterise&utm_content=nativearticle&category=health" target="_blank" rel="noopener">OverSixty has partnered with Compare Club</a>,</strong> one of Australia’s most trusted teams of health insurance experts*. They review health funds and their policies every year - and their data shows that a lot of Aussies leave around $1,300 of health fund extras going to waste each year.</p> <p>That's a lot of money to leave unspent - especially with your health insurance premiums on the rise! </p> <p><strong>Use them, or lose them…</strong></p> <p>Did you know that extras for health fund benefits don’t roll over? That’s right - if you don’t use them across your calendar year, you’re just giving your health fund your money for free. </p> <p><strong>For example:</strong></p> <p>Most Aussies can access up to $1,050 of dental rebates, but only claim around $238, meaning they’ve missed out on $812 worth of treatments or check-ups**. </p> <p><strong>In 2023, that’s way too much money to leave behind, so here are our top 5 expert tips to maximising your extras:</strong></p> <ol> <li>Keep your receipts: most health insurers let you claim in the following year for treatments that you paid for in this year, so you can still claim those rebates.</li> <li>Many health funds make it easy to check what benefits you’ve got remaining either online or via an app. Get in the habit of checking your benefits on the first or last day each month. Book in those appointments you need. </li> <li>Are there a range of extras on your policy you just can’t seem to use up? This is the BIGGEST sign your policy isn’t a great fit for you. Consider switching to cover that delivers benefits you’ll actually use.</li> <li>Check what percent benefit your fund gives you for the extras you use regularly - like dental, optical, and physio. Policies that offer 100% cover for services you use most are where you’ll make the most savings - and don’t forget to claim!</li> <li>Last but not least, <a href="https://lp.compareclub.com.au/over60/?utm_medium=partner&utm_source=over60&utm_campaign=raterise&utm_content=nativearticle&category=health" target="_blank" rel="noopener">talk to one of our expert brokers</a> – they’ll help you audit your cover so it actually meets your needs, without costing the earth.</li> </ol> <p>There’s no point paying hundreds of dollars for big annual extras limits if you never use them up. In fact, it means you’re losing money!</p> <p>If you’re wondering about better value cover for yourself or your family, talk to an expert broker about what's on offer right now.</p> <h4>Call 1300 863 204 now, or visit <a href="https://lp.compareclub.com.au/over60/?utm_medium=partner&utm_source=over60&utm_campaign=raterise&utm_content=nativearticle&category=health" target="_blank" rel="noopener">compare.oversixty.com.au</a> to save today!</h4> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><em>^<a href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/personal-finance/millions-of-australians-have-just-12-days-left-to-claim-1300-c-9209596" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australians missing out on $1,300</a></em><em><br />*Based on Trustpilot reviews, correct as of 04/01/23<br /></em><em>**<a href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/personal-finance/millions-of-australians-have-just-12-days-left-to-claim-1300-c-9209596" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australians not claiming full dental rebates.</a></em></p>

Money & Banking

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Why Absolutely Fabulous would not work today

<p dir="ltr">Jennifer Saunders has long been gracing the screens in movies, on television and on the stage, entertaining audiences with her wit for over four decades. </p> <p dir="ltr">The comedy veteran is perhaps best known for starring and co-creating the hit ‘90s series <em>Absolutely Fabulous</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">The series follows a dysfunctional relationship between a self-obsessed PR boss and her daughter, and it has been brought back with new episodes various times over the years, even spawning a movie in 2016.</p> <p dir="ltr">The show, which covered several risqué topics, would likely not get the green light if it were pitched today, Saunders told <em>Today</em>. </p> <p dir="ltr">"It is not because of cancel culture, it's just you have to jump through so many hoops," she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"There's lots more people to make a decision - 20 or 30 years ago people would commission it and you wrote it and it went on telly - I don't think it was the content, the content would seem dated nowadays.</p> <p dir="ltr">"It is not the cancel culture or the wokeness, there is just an age where you turn into the old farts and you back the old establishment and the new people come up and take over.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Although we might not see Saunders’ witty Edina Monsoon or Jennifer Lumley’s Patsy stone return to the screens, Saunders shows no signs of leaving the entertainment industry.</p> <p dir="ltr">The comedy queen has continued to make audiences laugh, working on a number of projects over the recent years and will be starring in a new drama <em>Allelujah</em> with Dame Judy Dench, which will be released on April 6.  </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credit: Getty </em></p>

TV

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How would you like to be on the next season of Gogglebox Australia?

<p>With the new season of <em>Gogglebox Australia</em> set to hit screens in the coming months, Network Ten is looking for high-spirited seniors to join the cast.</p> <p>Successful applicants will join the cast of <em>Gogglebox Australia</em> for their 18th season, and share their expert opinions on all things TV and movies. </p> <p>If you love to commentate on your favourite shows with your family, significant other or friends, and can't hold back your emotions when indulging in your precious TV time, this could be the gig for you. </p> <p>“We are on the lookout for vibrant seniors who may be interested in appearing on our show!” says Casting Director Amelia Barrett. “We're searching for everyday people with something to say, and folks that have opinions they’d like to share."</p> <p>“We love a quick wit, a unique turn of phrase and heaps of personality!”</p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2023/03/gogglebox-hire-flyer.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p>If you think you or someone you know would be perfect for the job, simply contact the casting team at Gogglebox.Casting@endemolshine.com.au, and let them know why you should be part of the <em>Gogglebox Australia</em> team. </p> <p>The call-out for Aussie seniors to join the cast comes after the Silbery Family made the difficult decision that Emmie, the matriarch of the family, will be stepping down from the show in 2023. </p> <p>At age 94, Emmie has been part of the <em>Gogglebox</em> family since the three women joined for season three in 2016. </p> <p>Kerry and Izzy will return to the couch and will be sure to regale the audience with their wisdom that the public have so fondly enjoyed over the years.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Supplied - Channel Ten</em></p>

TV

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