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Jessica Alba surprises dad by buying his childhood home

<p>Jessica Alba has spent the past three years working towards buying her parents a house, but not just any house, she bought her father's childhood home. </p> <p>She took to Instagram to make the announcement, with a teaser video of her special home-renovation project. </p> <p>"Almost three years ago, I started the project of my dreams… I surprised my parents by buying them a house!!" she began. </p> <p>"Now, it wasn't just any house – it was extra sentimental as it was my grandparent's house that my father grew up in," she continued.</p> <p>"After my grandfather passed away, my parents were planning on selling the house in order to pay for my grandmother's medical bills. Well… I pretended like I was going to help them flip it before selling when in reality, I had planned to buy it for them all along."</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/C_TWEyhPyy_/?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/C_TWEyhPyy_/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Jessica Alba (@jessicaalba)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>She published the first part of her renovation series on YouTube and in it explained the sentimental value of the house and how it was a symbol for her father, who was an immigrant from Mexico, that "he had made it".  </p> <p>Her family initially planned to sell it to ease some of their financial burden, as her grandmother required  "24/7 care" but Alba wanted to keep the house in the family and so her plan began.</p> <p>"Instead of it giving to a stranger, I wanted to keep this home in our family," she said in the YouTube series. </p> <p>The moment Alba surprised her parents was also captured in the video, with her father brought to tears as he was overcome with emotion. </p> <p>"That's so sweet Jessica. That's a big surprise," he said while embracing his daughter.</p> <p>"I'm very proud of you."</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Money & Banking

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What is childhood dementia? And how could new research help?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kim-hemsley-1529322">Kim Hemsley</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/flinders-university-972">Flinders University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nicholas-smith-1529324">Nicholas Smith</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-adelaide-1119">University of Adelaide</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/siti-mubarokah-1529323">Siti Mubarokah</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/flinders-university-972">Flinders University</a></em></p> <p>“Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awad242">1,400 Australian children and young people</a> live with currently untreatable childhood dementia.</p> <p>Broadly speaking, childhood dementia is caused by any one of <a href="https://www.childhooddementia.org/what-is-childhood-dementia#what">more than 100</a> rare genetic disorders. Although the causes differ from dementia acquired later in life, the progressive nature of the illness is the same.</p> <p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awad242">Half</a> of infants and children diagnosed with childhood dementia will not reach their tenth birthday, and most will die <a href="https://www.childhooddementia.org/what-is-childhood-dementia#what">before turning 18</a>.</p> <p>Yet this devastating condition has lacked awareness, and importantly, the research attention needed to work towards treatments and a cure.</p> <h2>More about the causes</h2> <p>Most types of childhood dementia are <a href="https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/146/11/4446/7226999">caused</a> by <a href="https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Mutation">mutations</a> (or mistakes) in our <a href="https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Deoxyribonucleic-Acid">DNA</a>. These mistakes lead to a range of rare genetic disorders, which in turn cause childhood dementia.</p> <p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awad242">Two-thirds</a> of childhood dementia disorders are caused by “<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459183/">inborn errors of metabolism</a>”. This means the metabolic pathways involved in the breakdown of carbohydrates, lipids, fatty acids and proteins in the body fail.</p> <p>As a result, nerve pathways fail to function, neurons (nerve cells that send messages around the body) die, and progressive cognitive decline occurs.</p> <h2>What happens to children with childhood dementia?</h2> <p>Most children initially appear unaffected. But after a period of apparently normal development, children with childhood dementia <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2023.09.006">progressively lose</a> all previously acquired skills and abilities, such as talking, walking, learning, remembering and reasoning.</p> <p>Childhood dementia also leads to significant changes in behaviour, such as aggression and hyperactivity. Severe sleep disturbance is common and vision and hearing can also be affected. Many children have seizures.</p> <p>The age when symptoms start can vary, depending partly on the particular genetic disorder causing the dementia, but the average is around <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fbrain%2Fawad242">two years old</a>. The symptoms are caused by significant, progressive brain damage.</p> <h2>Are there any treatments available?</h2> <p>Childhood dementia treatments currently <a href="https://www.childhooddementia.org/news/report-reveals-global-research-inequity">under evaluation</a> or approved are for a very limited number of disorders, and are only available in some parts of the world. These include gene replacement, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/jmd2.12378">gene-modified cell therapy</a> and protein or <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1712649">enzyme replacement therapy</a>. Enzyme replacement therapy is available in Australia for <a href="https://australianprescriber.tg.org.au/articles/cerliponase-alfa-for-neuronal-ceroid-lipofuscinosis-type-2-disease.html">one form of childhood dementia</a>. These therapies attempt to “fix” the problems causing the disease, and have shown promising results.</p> <p>Other experimental therapies include ones that <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/life12050608">target</a> faulty protein production or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmoa2310151">reduce inflammation</a> in the brain.</p> <h2>Research attention is lacking</h2> <p>Death rates for Australian children with cancer <a href="http://www.childhooddementia.org/getasset/2WX39O">nearly halved</a> between <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/children-youth/australias-children/contents/health/cancer-incidence-survival">1997 and 2017</a> thanks to research that has enabled the development of multiple treatments. But over recent decades, <a href="http://www.childhooddementia.org/getasset/2WX39O">nothing has changed</a> for children with dementia.</p> <p>In 2017–2023, research for childhood cancer received over four times more funding per patient compared to funding for <a href="https://www.childhooddementia.org/getasset/2WX39O">childhood dementia</a>. This is despite childhood dementia causing a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awad242">similar number of deaths</a> each year as childhood cancer.</p> <p>The success <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/children-youth/australias-children/contents/health/cancer-incidence-survival">for childhood cancer sufferers</a> in recent decades demonstrates how adequately funding medical research can lead to improvements in patient outcomes.</p> <p>Another bottleneck for childhood dementia patients in Australia is the lack of access to clinical trials. An <a href="https://www.childhooddementia.org/news/report-reveals-global-research-inequity">analysis</a> published in March this year showed that in December 2023, only two clinical trials were recruiting patients with childhood dementia in Australia.</p> <p>Worldwide however, 54 trials were recruiting, meaning Australian patients and their families are left watching patients in other parts of the world receive potentially lifesaving treatments, with no recourse themselves.</p> <p>That said, we’ve seen a slowing in the establishment of <a href="https://www.childhooddementia.org/news/report-reveals-global-research-inequity">clinical trials</a> for childhood dementia across the world in recent years.</p> <p>In addition, we know from <a href="https://www.childhooddementia.org/join-us/professionals/impacts">consultation with families</a> that current care and support systems <a href="https://www.childhooddementia.org/getasset/44MLP8">are not meeting the needs</a> of children with dementia and their families.</p> <h2>New research</h2> <p>Recently, we were awarded <a href="https://www.premier.sa.gov.au/media-releases/news-items/major-funding-boost-for-research-into-childhood-dementia">new funding</a> for <a href="https://www.flinders.edu.au/giving/our-donors/impact-of-giving/improving-the-lives-of-children-with-dementia">our research</a> on childhood dementia. This will help us continue and expand studies that seek to develop lifesaving treatments.</p> <p>More broadly, we need to see increased funding in Australia and around the world for research to develop and translate treatments for the broad spectrum of childhood dementia conditions.</p> <p><em>Dr Kristina Elvidge, head of research at the <a href="https://www.childhooddementia.org/our-people">Childhood Dementia Initiative</a>, and Megan Maack, director and CEO, contributed to this article.</em><!-- 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/228508/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/kim-hemsley-1529322">Kim Hemsley</a>, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/flinders-university-972">Flinders University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nicholas-smith-1529324">Nicholas Smith</a>, Head, Paediatric Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-adelaide-1119">University of Adelaide</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/siti-mubarokah-1529323">Siti Mubarokah</a>, Research Associate, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/flinders-university-972">Flinders 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/what-is-childhood-dementia-and-how-could-new-research-help-228508">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Mind

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Princess Diana's childhood home up for rent

<p>The house Princess Diana spent her childhood and teenage years in is now available for the public to rent. </p> <p>Althorp House, located in West Northamptonshire in England, is owned by Diana's brother Earl Spencer, who has lived on the sprawling property as custodian of the estate since 1992. </p> <p>The expansive property has been listed for royal fans with deep pockets to rent on <a href="https://www.elysian-estates.co.uk/althorp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elysian Estates</a>, an upmarket equivalent of Airbnb.</p> <p>Althorp House, which is a 90 minute drive out of London, was built in 1508 and has been in the Spencer family for 19 generations.</p> <p>Lady Diana lived in the 90-room stately home for most of her childhood and teenage years, before she married the then-Prince Charles in 1981.</p> <p>Not just one grand property, the estate covers 13,000 acres of countryside as it encompasses cottages, farms, woodlands and villages, which are open to visitors but only at certain times of the year.</p> <p>Now, the home is once again available to rent via Elysian Estates.</p> <p>"Althorp offers unparalleled levels of service, privacy and luxury to rival the finest properties anywhere in the world; yet retains the truly welcoming and homely feel that makes Althorp so special," the listing says.</p> <p>"Walk in the footsteps of kings and queens, feast or celebrate in spectacular surroundings, marvel at the sense of history and artwork, and slumber in pure luxury."</p> <p>In the main house, there are six state bedrooms to choose from offering "a level of opulence befitting royalty, with these very rooms playing as much a part of English history as any royal palace".</p> <p>Prices for the rental are not yet publicly available as an enquiry must be sent to reserve the opulent property.</p> <p>The listing stated that the stay includes "butler service, a team of private chefs and housekeeping, with a dedicated concierge service".</p> <p>Althorp is today most famous for being the final resting place of Princess Diana following her death in Paris.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images / Instagram</em></p>

Real Estate

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Readers respond: What did your mum or dad make for dinner growing up that you haven't had in ages?

<p>Sometimes love and affection comes in the form of food, especially when it’s made by our parents.</p> <p>As we grow older and start our own lives we begin to miss the things we got used to as we grow up, especially the food our parents made. </p> <p>Here are some dishes our Over60 readers grew up with that they miss dearly. </p> <p><strong>Keralie Stack </strong>- Mums apple pie, lemon meringue pie. Beautiful meat and kidney pies. Roasted meat in winter cooked in the fuel stove , along with a big pot of pea and ham soup in winter, followed with damper and scones for dinner</p> <p><strong>Peter Lord</strong> - Mums meat and potato pie! I’ve made it and it’s not bad but it’s nowhere near as good as mum’s!</p> <p><strong>Lee Pavey</strong> - A big roast dinner with roast veges &amp; gravy made with the juices of the meat. </p> <p><strong>Jenny Yaun</strong> - In my young 8 years old Living in Indonesia I loved Mum's Nasi Goreng made with tin corn beef, I still make now and again. I'm Dutch/Australian</p> <p><strong>Marie Manson </strong>- Dads fabulous vege soup..</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Dawn Holmes</strong> - Triple and onions!!! Can't say I miss it but they liked it!! But then mum was a great home cook with her baked goods and tasty soups and stews!!</p> <p><strong>Jennifer Sabatino</strong> - Shepherd’s Pie made with leftover lamb from the Sunday roast and apple sponge (apples with the sponge baked on top), baked custard, baked rice custard and bread &amp; butter pudding.</p> <p><strong>Kathy Bloor</strong> - Mince on toast. I have never made it for myself and I am 70</p> <p><strong>Keith Carter</strong> - I haven't had PLOT TOFFEE FOR 65 years. Just got the recipe from my 86 yo sister. So now thats the go.</p> <p><strong>Lorna Turner Prunes</strong> - and custard. I still cook all the foods my mum and dad cooked except for prunes and custard.</p>

Food & Wine

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Readers respond: What memento from your childhood do you still have today?

<p>From jewellery and stuffed toys to war-time relics, we find sentimental value in all kinds of mementos. </p> <p>We asked our readers what items from their childhood do they still have in their possession, and the response was overwhelming. </p> <p>Here's what they said. </p> <p><strong>Trish George</strong> - My silver medals for reciting poetry at the Eisteddfod.</p> <p><strong>Carol Hamilton</strong> - My teddy bear. He's 65 and a bit worn, but I love him.</p> <p><strong>Judy Tracey</strong> - My baby bracelet l got for my Christening 67 years ago, and a second hand Heidi book I got when l was 6.</p> <p><strong>Helen Bain</strong> - My bible from 1964, an award certificate from 1959 for an essay, all my husbands letters from Vietnam, and my Aunt's cookbook from 1930s.</p> <p><strong>Joanne Starkey</strong> - My memento is a beautiful Koala which was gifted to me as a baby. It is in excellent condition handmade with rabbit fur and looks exactly like a real Koala... it is now 77 years old.</p> <p><strong>Nola Schmidt</strong> - I have several items from my childhood including a silver mug and a money box given to me for my baptism in January 1950. I was 3 months old.</p> <p><strong>Donna Clarke</strong> - A signet ring gifted to me by my Parents 52 years ago. I have never taken it off... couldn’t now if I wanted to.</p> <p><strong>Gwenda Flaye</strong> - A string of pearls my godmother gave me when I was 12.</p> <p><strong>Anne Creber</strong> - A bible my grandmother gave me for my 12th birthday, not that I’m religious but I’ve always kept it.</p> <p><strong>John Skinner</strong> - My teddy that my nanna gave me on my first birthday. I turn 71 next month, like me he looks a bit worse for wear!</p> <p><strong>Maureen Fisk</strong> - A birthday card from grandmother seventy years ago.</p> <p><strong>Lyn Hutton</strong> - The only thing I have is a prayer book which I took to Mass every Sunday from a very young age. Haven't been to church now for a very long time, but when I found it tucked away at the back if a cupboard, I couldn't bring myself to throw it away!</p> <p><strong>Dawn Dominick</strong> - A pearl tiara that l wore when l was probably about 8 years old to a dance concert.</p> <p><strong>Doreen Douglas</strong> - My doll. Santa gave her to me when I was 5. I’m now 79 and still have her.</p> <p><strong>Frances Williams</strong> - My father gave me the book Peter Pan, shortly after I was born. I still have it at 79, although it’s a little tattered. All my life I’ve been an avid reader, this was my first book.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Home & Garden

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Why difficult childhood experiences could make you age prematurely

<p>We know that comparatively disadvantaged people, even in rich countries, have worse health and <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2017/01/31/low-socioeconomic-status-affects-life-expectancy-more-than-obesi_a_21704449/">shorter life expectancy</a> than others. But what is it exactly about socioeconomic disadvantage and other environmental difficulties that affects our biology? And at what age are we most vulnerable to these effects?</p> <p>While it is unclear exactly how the social environment influences a person’s biology at the molecular level, processes related to ageing are likely to be involved. One such process is DNA methylation, a mechanism used by cells to control gene expression. Specifically, it determines whether and when a gene is turned on, turned off or dialled up or down. Now a new study, <a href="https://academic.oup.com/aje/advance-article/doi/10.1093/aje/kwy155/5060528?guestAccessKey=df5d8e87-4e2d-4bff-b0fb-72ad5319f825#119252619">published in the American Journal of Epidemiology</a>, suggests that this process may be affected by circumstances in our youth – ultimately affecting how we age.</p> <p>All cells in the human body – from blood and skin cells to neurons – share the same genetic code. So how are they so different? The answer lies in gene expression: which of the many thousands of genes in each human cell are switched on, to what extent, and at which stage in the cell’s development.</p> <p>This varies not just between cell types but between people, helping to explain why identical twins can be visibly different. Physically, DNA methylation involves modification of “letters” of the genetic code by addition or removal of a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/methyl-group">methyl group</a> – affecting how much the gene is expressed. Because the distribution of methyl groups along the genome changes in systematic ways with ageing, you can estimate a person’s age from DNA methylation patterns in cells from a blood sample by applying an algorithm.</p> <p>This <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-epigenetics-may-help-us-slow-down-the-ageing-clock-76878">measure of “biological age”</a> is relevant to longevity – individuals with an “older” DNA methylation age are at greater risk of age-related disease and mortality. Meanwhile, it seems environmental influences may alter or “accelerate” age-related changes in methylation: associations have been shown between DNA methylation age and stress, dietary factors and pollution. This suggests DNA methylation age may be one pathway by which the social environment can affect health.</p> <p><strong>New data</strong></p> <p>Data was used from 1099 adults in the UK to look at whether different dimensions of socioeconomic disadvantage were linked to elevated DNA methylation age, calculated in two ways. When blood samples were collected, the survey had already collected annual information on the same people’s socioeconomic circumstances for 12 years. This meant the study was able to consider current and longer-term measures of things like income, employment status and educational qualifications. Crucially, this data also included information about the occupational social class of an individual’s parents when they were 14.</p> <p>The research discovered that only the last measure showed a clear link with DNA methylation age. Individuals whose parents worked in semi routine or routine occupations were about one year “older” than individuals whose parents worked in managerial or professional roles. Individuals who did not have working parents, or had parents who had died, fared still worse: they were 2.4 or 1.85 years older depending on the algorithm used. The calculations did take account of other relevant factors including smoking, body mass index and the actual age of the study participants.</p> <p>These results suggest DNA methylation age is an aspect of a person’s biology which is vulnerable to influences early in life, but surprisingly robust when it comes to difficulties experienced in adulthood. The next question is which aspects of the childhood socioeconomic environment are most relevant. Is it financial strain, housing quality or diet? Equally important will be to figure out which factors could provide resilience to these effects, potentially buffering children from a lasting impact of disadvantage on DNA methylation age.</p> <p>Of course, the results will need to be replicated, and since DNA methylation age was only measured once, the survey could not definitively prove cause and effect. But the results <a href="https://jech.bmj.com/content/62/5/387">add to extensive evidence</a> that early life circumstances can cast a long shadow on adult health. Perhaps most importantly, this strengthens the case for making sure all children are fully supported.</p> <p><em>Written by Amanda Hughes and Meena Kumari. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/difficult-childhood-experiences-could-make-us-age-prematurely-new-research-102807">theconversation.com</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image credit: Shutterstock</em></p>

Legal

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Delta Goodrem’s childhood home up for grabs

<p>Australian singer songwriter Delta Goodrem’s childhood home is set to go under the hammer with a $4m price tag. </p> <p>Lea Goodrem, Delta’s mother, reached the difficult decision to sell after 38 years in the 5-bedroom property in Sydney’s Hills District. As she told <em>News Corp</em>, the family had shared many happy memories in the Glenhaven home - with both Delta and her brother Trent spending their childhoods there - but that the time had come for her to move on. </p> <p>“I’m not 21 anymore,” she pointed out. “It’s been a beautiful house, such a wonderful home, full of laughter and such fantastic memories that I will always cherish. But it’s just me and the animals now. </p> <p>“It’s time for another big family to enjoy it and all its benefits. It’s been such an incredible place to live and we are very grateful to have called this our home for so long.”</p> <p>Lea hopes to travel before she settles down again, probably downsizing in comparison to her current abode.</p> <p>“I’m sure I will miss it,” she confessed, “but it’s time for another family to enjoy it, for this house to be filled with joy and laughter again. It’s the perfect sanctuary.”</p> <p>“I hope whoever buys it will love it as much as we have. But I’m not getting any younger. I need something more manageable. It’s a bittersweet decision. But the kids understand, it’s time to move on.”</p> <p>Louis Carr’s Michael Robert, the agent bringing the property to market, agreed with its potential for the next big family, noting that the home has “everything a family needs, including a tennis court and pool in a quiet bush location which is close to shops and schools.” </p> <p>From its modern architecture to its innovative designs, tennis court, paved courtyard, vaulted ceilings, and indoor spa, its next owners are in for a treat. Granted, of course, that they have a space four million dollars lying around. </p> <p>The home, situated on Delavor Place, raised more than just the Goodrem children. It also supported and nurtured budding star Delta’s career, with the singer penning her 2003 debut album Innocent Eyes and the hit track ‘Born to Try’.</p> <p>“It was a home that was filled with music, lots of exciting things were happening,” Lea Goodrem explained.</p> <p>“The home is an oasis,” she added, “we had two baby grand pianos and the music could be belted out without fear of retribution by the neighbours. There was a lot of inspiration here, a lot of music. ‘Born to Try’ was written in the loungeroom. This is where it all happened.”</p> <p><em>Images: Realestate.com.au</em></p>

Real Estate

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Readers Respond: What was your go-to summer treat growing up?

<p dir="ltr">Summer is here and we asked you what your favourite summer treat was growing up!</p> <p dir="ltr">Some of them even go way back. Take a look at some of your favourite treats:</p> <p dir="ltr">Nola Schmidt- Mum's homemade ice cream when we got a refrigerator. Before that chips of ice when the iceman delivered. Or icy poles from local milk bar.</p> <p dir="ltr">Susanne Foan- Ducky doubles from the little shop at the caravan park we stayed at in Capel WA.</p> <p dir="ltr">Robyn Harrison- Tip Top FruJu natural frozen juice on a stick.</p> <p dir="ltr">Lynne Abbott - The ice blocks made by my Mum and my nextdoor best friend's Mum.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mum made ice blocks with Raspberry cordial and my friend's Mum made them with chocolate milk. We ran back and forth between the houses getting cups of ice blocks from both Mums.</p> <p dir="ltr">Linda Stone- Hawaiian Delight ice block.</p> <p dir="ltr">Denise McGoldrick- Either homemade ice cream or watermelon (My Dad grew them to sell for extra money and he would chop up the ones he couldn't sell for us). Great days.</p> <p dir="ltr">Tracie Lee- Raspberry Freezer.</p> <p dir="ltr">Robyn Harrison- Coconut paddle pop, they do not make them now. We had real coconut in them.</p> <p dir="ltr">Jill Selwood- An ice cream in a cone. Or an apple-usually Granny Smith.</p> <p dir="ltr">Meegan Barclay- Frozen Cappuccino cups gold Coast in the 70s.</p> <p dir="ltr">Rhonda Jones- Iced Pineapple Drink from Lolly Shop/Milk Bar in Glenferrie Road Malvern, no longer there.</p> <p dir="ltr">Beverley Pye- Home made Ice blocks made with milk and strawberry topping, toffee apple</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p> <p dir="ltr"> </p>

Food & Wine

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Readers Respond: What was normal when you were a kid, but you never see anymore?

<p>We all love reminiscing about our past, and many of us have similar experiences growing up.</p> <p>Most of our readers shared the same sentiment: their love for being able to play outside without a care.</p> <p>Take a trip down memory lane through looking back on your shared childhood experiences, that you believe kids nowadays don’t do.</p> <p>Claude Courtier - Children playing from dawn to dusk in the street unsupervised.</p> <p>Sheila Eddy- Children having fun outside all day, came home to eat and out again.</p> <p>Alan Smith- Picking mushrooms from paddocks.</p> <p>Sheree Tayler - Going to the local deli with your 50c and choosing the lollies you want to fill up a paper lolly bag. The lollies would all be displayed in a glass cabinet and they were either 1c, 2c or 5c. Then you’d ride off happily on your Indi 500 bike with your friends to your local park to eat them.</p> <p>Eric Pasquill- Playing outside, making mud pies, sailing leaves and sticks down the gutters after rain</p> <p>Dora Chisari- Playing outside with kids that lived close by.</p> <p>Jill Smith- Kids out on their own exploring the world and making their own fun!! No parents and no money needed!! And we learnt self reliance!</p> <p>Kristine Di Cerchio - Playing for hours outside with kids until so exhausted, sweat mixed with dust dripped off our cheeks. Feeling earth and grass under bare feet as we ran through the summer of our lives.</p> <p>Joy Boots- Running around barefoot, a homemade swing tied to tree branches in the back yard, the toilet being way up at the back fence (not in the house), cooling down in summer with the hose tied to the clothes line.</p> <p>If you have any other childhood experiences that you think we missed, share them <a href="https://www.facebook.com/oversixtys/posts/pfbid02KumpfRjd1ufN6NYitxffdPW76EuvbxXq2ZdaCknHsyQjSSitPXKVweJi8Px6QNK5l" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p> <p> </p>

Retirement Life

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Why Hugh Jackman wanted to "shield" his kids from his difficult upbringing

<p>Hugh Jackman has always known the day would come when he would have to explain his difficult history with his parents to his own kids. </p> <p>The 54-year-old actor, who has long spoken about his challenging childhood, is now wrestling with these awkward conversations, as his role in the the new film <em>The Son</em> has brought up past memories. </p> <p>Hugh has previously said that his mother abandoned him as a child, which he later understood was because she suffered a mental-health crisis at the time, and <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/hugh-jackman-speaks-candidly-about-losing-his-father" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his dad recently died</a> after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.</p> <p>"Hugh has seen the best and worst of the human condition, and for a long time, he wanted to shield his kids from that," a source told <a href="https://www.nowtolove.com.au/celebrity/celeb-news/hugh-jackman-childhood-75488" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Woman's Day</a>. </p> <p>But now, their adopted children Oscar, 22, and Ava, 17, are learning the truth, even if Hugh's wife Deborra-Lee Furness has her own reservations. </p> <p>Speaking to the media ahead of the premiere of <em>The Son</em>, Hugh says he felt compelled to prepare Oscar and Ava for the film's plot, which tells the story of a complicated family that tries to piece itself back together after falling apart – a story eerily similar to Hugh's own.</p> <p>"It was very important that I talk to them about what it was about, what it meant to me, and why I was doing it," he says.</p> <p>"I took them with me to see it and we had a long conversation. What I find amazing is the generation of 22 to 17-year-olds are totally fine having these conversations. It's more my generation that is a little more sheepish and shy around it."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Readers Respond: ​​How would you describe your childhood?

<p dir="ltr">It may have been a long time ago but it was probably one of the best moments of your life…your childhood. </p> <p dir="ltr">Riding on your bike in the streets, playing with dirt, making sure you were back just before the street lights turned on. </p> <p dir="ltr">Our childhoods were certainly filled with so much fun.</p> <p dir="ltr">We decided to ask our OverSixty audience to describe their childhood. </p> <p dir="ltr">Helen Burke - Very happy. We didn't have much but had wonderful loving parents who gave us much love and showed us how to be honest adults.</p> <p dir="ltr">Narelle Hulme - Free…with adventurous consequences.</p> <p dir="ltr">Helena Apostolopoulos - Happy with lots of outside play with friends and family.</p> <p dir="ltr">Bronwyn Berriman - Surrounded by friends and family and lots of wonderful outdoor spaces to explore.</p> <p dir="ltr">Lynne Eather - The best time in my life as a child growing up outdoors, sport and great friends. </p> <p dir="ltr">Cathy Lytle Ackerman - Good, because I had lots of friends to play with! Always outside riding bikes, skating,and playing in the pond and creek with my friends. And—not so good, because I wasn’t treated well by my older siblings. I was also a middle child, and was often left out of things.</p> <p dir="ltr">Jan Ceeney - Great times swimming, fishing, riding our bikes and exploring haunted houses.</p> <p dir="ltr">Robyn Burton - Happy, healthy, safe and free to explore wherever we wanted. Lots of time spent in the bush discovering our wonderful wildflowers.</p> <p dir="ltr">Lynne Fairbrother - Lived by the beach. Never sick, always outdoors swimming or just playing with friends on the beach.</p> <p dir="ltr">Lynette Hinton - Happy. Loved spending time with cousins at weekends, friends at school, beautiful mother, caring father and grandparents.</p> <p dir="ltr">Share your favourite childhood moment <a href="https://www.facebook.com/oversixtys/posts/pfbid0sYJ63utRU2jNPa3uiaJnroXdLTdouP762ZUB7RtjEXQZkuNNVjjYaVGnRAk93tfpl">here</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Retirement Life

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Gwyneth Paltrow’s childhood home hits the market

<p dir="ltr">The childhood home of Gwyneth Paltow in California has been <a href="https://www.compass.com/listing/2020-georgina-avenue-santa-monica-ca-90402/1161644315586325737/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">listed</a> for sale with a hefty price tag of $17.5 million ($AUD 27 million).</p> <p dir="ltr">The six-and-a-half bedroom mansion was first purchased by Paltrow’s parents, actress Blythe Danner and Hollywood director Bruce Paltrow, in 1976 when the Goop founder was about four years old.</p> <p dir="ltr">In 2008, the 109-year-old property was bought by designer Jerome Dahan after Paltrow’s father died from complications of oral cancer and pneumonia.</p> <p dir="ltr">The property, nestled in the upscale neighbourhood Gillette Regent Square in Santa Monica, boasts features that match the luxe nature of its surroundings, including a landscaped tropical oasis for a garden, a Balinese-inspired pool and spa, and a three-car glass showroom that overlooks the pool.</p> <p dir="ltr">Inside the home, the entryway is enclosed in glass and leads to a large living room with a fireplace, a theatre room, a kitchen and a guest bedroom, with an office and three ensuite bathrooms upstairs, including the main bedroom’s dual bathrooms and walk-in closets.</p> <p dir="ltr">The property also includes a two-storey guesthouse that houses a gym, dry sauna, bedroom and office.</p> <p dir="ltr">Following extensive renovations, the property has additions such as solar panels, backup generators, and electronically gated entries.</p> <p dir="ltr">“In a market of overbuilt mansions that are undeniably starting to look and feel the same, 2020 Georgina elevates above the competition offering a bespoke and meticulously crafted experience unlike anything I've seen in Santa Monica,” said Robert Lawrence Edie of Compass Realty, who is managing the sale.</p> <p dir="ltr">Paltrow grew up in the home with her younger brother, Jake Paltrow, and went to school at the nearby Crossroads School for Arts &amp; Sciences.</p> <p dir="ltr">When she was 12, the family moved to a New York City townhouse and she now lives on the West Coast full-time with her husband and two children.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-e0c6ebde-7fff-5741-9789-ef82639a4dc0"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: @gwynethpaltrow (Instagram) / Compass Realty</em></p>

Real Estate

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New study to “give hope” to childhood trauma survivors with depression

<p dir="ltr">A new study has challenged our understanding of how to treat adults with a history of childhood trauma, revealing that using psychotherapy, medication or a combination of the two are effective treatments for those with depression.</p> <p dir="ltr">Childhood trauma, defined as abuse or neglect of a person before they are 18 years old, is a known risk factor for major depressive disorders in adulthood. It often results in symptoms that start earlier, last longer and are more frequent, and increases the risk of developing co-occurring diseases and conditions.</p> <p dir="ltr">The study, published in <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(22)00227-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Lancet Psychiatry</a></em>, found that adult survivors of childhood trauma who receive these common treatments experience improved symptoms at the same rate as those without childhood trauma.</p> <p dir="ltr">While previous studies have indicated that common treatments for major depressive disorders are less effective for people with childhood trauma, the team argues that these findings are inconsistent.</p> <p dir="ltr">The team then examined data from 29 clinical trials of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy (the use of prescribed medications) among adults with major depressive disorders to determine whether those with trauma were more severely depressed before treatment, had more unfavourable outcomes after treatment, and whether they were less likely to benefit from treatment in comparison to those without trauma.</p> <p dir="ltr">Among the 46 percent of participants with childhood trauma, the team found that they showed more severe symptoms at the start of treatment and after treatment in comparison to the control group (those without trauma).</p> <p dir="ltr">But, they found that both groups experienced an improvement in symptoms at a similar rate.</p> <p dir="ltr">Erika Kuzminskaite, a PhD candidate and the first author of the study, said that this finding could be a source of hope.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Finding that patients with depression and childhood trauma experience similar treatment outcome when compared to patients without trauma can give hope to people who have experienced childhood trauma,” Kuzminskaite said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Nevertheless, residual symptoms following treatment in patients with childhood trauma warrant more clinical attention as additional interventions may still be needed.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Antoine Yrondi, a professor at the University of Toulouse who wasn’t involved in the research, wrote that the study provides a message of hope for patients.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This meta-analysis could deliver a hopeful message to patients with childhood trauma that evidence-based psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy could improve depressive symptoms,” Dr Yrondi said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“However, physicians should keep in mind that childhood trauma could be associated with clinical features which may make it more difficult to reach complete symptomatic remission and, therefore, have an impact on daily functioning.”</p> <p dir="ltr">According to <a href="https://blueknot.org.au/resources/blue-knot-fact-sheets/trauma-classification/what-is-childhood-trauma/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blue Knot</a>, childhood trauma can have a wider and more extreme impact than trauma we experience as adults because a child’s brain is still developing. If the trauma is unresolved, coping strategies developed during childhood can become risk factors for poorer psychological and physical health in adulthood.</p> <p dir="ltr">But, it is possible to recover from childhood trauma, with this latest study going to show that common treatments can be effective.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>If you’re in need of support, you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Blue Knot on 1300 657 380.</em></p> <p><em><span id="docs-internal-guid-62551377-7fff-7a7f-9e23-d352d2c29923"></span></em></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Mind

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"Sad, old menacing coward:" Grace Tame reports childhood abuser to police

<p dir="ltr">Activist Grace Tame has revealed she continues to be harassed by the man who abused her as a child, having reported him to the police for “targeted harassment” online.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Tame was 15 when she was groomed and raped by her maths teacher Nicolaas Bester, who then bragged about his crimes online while she was unable to speak out due to Tasmania’s “gag law”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Her legal fight to change the laws, which prevent sexual abuse victims from publicly identifying themselves, as part of the #LetHerSpeak campaign, saw Ms Tame pushed into the public eye and recognised for her efforts when she was named the Australian of the Year.</p> <p dir="ltr">But, on Wednesday the 23-year-old said she was “still dealing with open threats and harassment from the man who abused me and others”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This has been my reality for 12 years now, behind closed doors for my family and me,” she wrote on Twitter.</p> <p dir="ltr">She also shared screenshots of tweets appearing to be from Bester, where her childhood email is referenced and he threatens that “he is coming to show all too (sic) you”.</p> <p dir="ltr">In one message dated April 27, Bester uses her email address and writes, “at last I shall come for [email address]..... in good time…..”.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-f717230e-7fff-daf2-45a4-7cf9c4cb0c6a"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">In another, posted on August 28, he uses her email address again, writing that “the good old comeuppance on its way” with “only 4 weeks to go!!”.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">This has been the reality for 12 years now, behind closed doors for my family and me. </p> <p>Mark my words, I am not going anywhere though.</p> <p>— Grace Tame (@TamePunk) <a href="https://twitter.com/TamePunk/status/1564185208882352128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“Here he is, the twice-convicted child sex offender, referring to my childhood email, which very few people know, in place of my name. It was the login to my old Facebook he and I communicated on,” Ms Tame wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He’s counting down to an act of revenge, planned for the day of my book’s release.”</p> <p dir="ltr">She alleged that his repeated comments constituted a federal offence and contravened <a href="https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/sexual-exploitation-policy">Twitter’s child exploitation policy</a>, which says that content that further contributes to the victimisation of children “through the promotion or glorification of child sexual exploitation” is also prohibited.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This is targeted harassment of a known victim of his past crimes, designed to cause further harm,” Ms Tame said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’ve reported them to police, but our reactive justice system is too slow, and nothing’s changed.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Bester was sentenced to two years and 10 months in prison for maintaining a sexual relationship with someone under the age of 17 and possession of child exploitation material, but only served one year and nine months before he was released.</p> <p dir="ltr">He has been free to speak about his abuse of Ms Tame for some time and has previously taken to social media to brag to his followers.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The majority of men in Australia envy me,” he wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I was 59, she was 15 going on 25. It was awesome.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Bester’s account has since been suspended by Twitter.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Tame said her tweets were an act of reclaiming power “against a predator operating in plain sight”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This man seems to think he is still relevant and can maintain control over me,” she wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This man who groomed and abused me when I was a child.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m not ashamed of any of it now.</p> <p dir="ltr">“But he should be. He was an adult who abused his authority.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Just because I have found the anger and strength in me now, does it make me an aggressor, or a survivor?</p> <p dir="ltr">"I know who I am. I am a survivor. </p> <p dir="ltr">"I have the power to be vulnerable. He will never have that. He is too afraid, and too weak. He is too weak to be vulnerable. Instead, he exploits others who are. He knows no other way to be. I see that now. And because of that, he doesn't scare me anymore.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Tame added that her posts were “not for the critics” and were instead for survivors like her.</p> <p dir="ltr">"He is a sad, old menacing coward.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This is not for the critics. They will say what they always say. This is for the people like me. And you know who you are too.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I stand with you. We have the power.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-5922148f-7fff-0a6b-a1ff-adbf0776ba85"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em><strong>If you or someone you know needs support as a result of sexual assault or child sexual abuse, contact the Blue Knot Helpline and Redress Support Service on 1300 657 380, or LifeLine on 13 11 14 for immediate support.</strong></em></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Legal

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Does a sibling’s gender influence our own personality? A major new study answers an age-old question

<p>Our siblings play a central role in our childhoods, so it stands to reason they influence our personality in the long term. In particular, researchers have long been interested in how growing up with a sister compared to a brother might influence who we become as adults.</p> <p>How do children interact with their sister or brother? How do parents behave differently towards their children of different genders, and how does that interaction influence the children?</p> <p>Past theories have made quite different predictions: siblings of the opposite gender may plausibly result in either <a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/2786054" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gender-stereotypical personalities</a> (a girl may take on a more feminine role to differentiate herself from her brother) or <a href="https://doi.org/10.9783/9781512800807" target="_blank" rel="noopener">less gender stereotypical personalities</a> (a girl may take on more masculine traits because she imitates her brother).</p> <p>In fact, psychological research has been exploring these differences for over half a century. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.02.037" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In some studies</a>, siblings of the opposite sex seemed to be more gender-conforming. Girls with brothers later become more “typically female” and boys with sisters more “typically male”.</p> <p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/h0030055" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Other studies find the exact opposite</a>, however. Opposite gender siblings developed in typically gender-conforming ways. To resolve these contradictions, we wanted to test the effect of sibling gender on personality in a rigorous and comprehensive way.</p> <figure class="align-center "><em><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/480681/original/file-20220823-16-4ll79p.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/480681/original/file-20220823-16-4ll79p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480681/original/file-20220823-16-4ll79p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480681/original/file-20220823-16-4ll79p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480681/original/file-20220823-16-4ll79p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480681/original/file-20220823-16-4ll79p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/480681/original/file-20220823-16-4ll79p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></em><figcaption><em><span class="caption">Like brother, like sister? Researchers have differed on the likely influence of an opposite gender sibling on personality.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Getty Images</span></span></em></figcaption></figure> <p><strong>Using big data</strong></p> <p>In our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976221094630" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new study</a> we focused on the relationships between children and their next older or younger sibling. We compiled a unique data set by combining 12 large representative surveys covering nine countries across four continents (US, UK, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Mexico, China and Indonesia).</p> <p>This resulted in a data set of more than 85,000 people – many times the sample sizes used in previous studies.</p> <p>We also investigated many more personality traits than previous studies have. This included the traits that have been most widely studied in other research, and which have been shown to be important predictors of people’s decisions and choices.</p> <p>The “big five” of these traits are: openness to experiences, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. The other traits examined were: risk tolerance, trust, patience and “locus of control” (the degree to which people believe they have control over their lives).</p> <p>We also created an index describing to what extent people have a typically female personality. This allowed us to test comprehensively whether growing up with an opposite gender sibling leads to a more or less gender-stereotypical personality.</p> <p><strong>Sibling gender and life experience</strong></p> <p>This study is not only innovative in its use of a large data set, but it also applies a consistent method to identify any causal effects of a sibling’s gender on personality traits.</p> <p>To estimate credible causal effects, we make use of an interesting fact of nature: once parents decide to have another child it is essentially random whether they have a girl or boy. In this “natural experiment” some people are therefore “randomly assigned” a younger sister or brother.</p> <p>This allows us to estimate the causal effect of sibling gender on personality by comparing the average personality of people who grew up with a sister as their next youngest sibling with those who grew up with a next younger brother.</p> <p><strong>Brothers and sisters</strong></p> <p>Our results suggest sibling gender has no effect on personality. For all nine personality traits and the summary index, we find people who have a next younger sister display, on average, the same personality traits as people who have a next younger brother.</p> <p>We also see no difference in personality between people who have a next older sister and people who have a next older brother. Because we have data on more than 85,000 people, these results are estimated with great precision.</p> <p>The results help refute the idea that brothers or sisters cause each other to develop “feminine” or “masculine” personality traits over the long term.</p> <p>However, the results don’t mean sibling gender has no long-term effect at all. Other studies that applied a similar methodological approach have shown that women with brothers in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2019.02.009" target="_blank" rel="noopener">US</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-021-00830-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Denmark</a> earn less. And a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjt011" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study of Asian populations</a> has found women with younger sisters marry earlier and women with older sisters marry later.</p> <p>So, there seem to be interesting sibling dynamics related to gender – but personality is probably not part of the explanation for those effects.<!-- 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/188532/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/jan-feld-594140" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jan Feld</a>, Senior Lecturer in Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/te-herenga-waka-victoria-university-of-wellington-1200" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/anne-ardila-brenoe-1373305" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anne Ardila Brenøe</a>, Assistant Professor of Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-zurich-1139" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Zurich</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/thomas-dudek-1372681" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Thomas Dudek</a>, Postdoctoral Researcher, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/te-herenga-waka-victoria-university-of-wellington-1200" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/does-a-siblings-gender-influence-our-own-personality-a-major-new-study-answers-an-age-old-question-188532" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Readers Respond: What is your favourite childhood memory with your siblings?

<p dir="ltr">Sometimes we love them, other times we hate them.</p> <p dir="ltr">And that is the nature of siblings whether we like it or not. No matter how old we are. Some things will never change.</p> <p dir="ltr">But remember, they will always be there for you. </p> <p dir="ltr">So we wanted to ask our readers what their favourite childhood memory with their siblings is. </p> <p dir="ltr">Check out some of your responses below. </p> <p dir="ltr">Beppie Snackers - No one is gonna believe this but for me it was doing the dishes, singing and making music, having all sorts of conversation and doing crazy stuff ie putting a cup of water on the top of the door knowing someone could step in and get all wet</p> <p dir="ltr">Cheryl Clark - Being with them! Best ever times, no matter what.</p> <p dir="ltr">Grace Boland - Playing with all our beautiful dolls - also playing shops!</p> <p dir="ltr">Dawn Dominick - Playing in the street out the front of our house with all the neighbourhood kids and my siblings... billy cart races, cricket, football, knocking on neighbors doors then running off to hide and so much more.</p> <p dir="ltr">Elaine Jay - Mine is with my younger brother who is no longer with us. We were lying in bed one night trying to go to sleep but we were both making up jokes. I told one and we’d both laugh our heads off then he’d make one up and we’d both kill ourselves laughing, they weren’t even funny but we just laughed because they were stupid and the more we laughed the funnier it was, we had so many laughs together. Love and miss you Doug. xx</p> <p dir="ltr">Janice Stewart - Bed time. Lots of stories and too much laughter. Often threatened with a smack if we didn’t go to sleep. Never happened as we giggled under our pillows to stifle the laughter. </p> <p dir="ltr">Rhonda Baker - Sitting in the back seat in dad’s old chevy on our way to Perth, took about 10 hours because the radiator kept overheating. The brakes made a hell of a noise which meant my sister and I would duck down and hide.</p> <p dir="ltr">Sheila Taylor - Playing in the fields across the road and building a seesaw with a plank of wood and a metal drum…so much fun. Sledding on the same field in winter.</p> <p dir="ltr">Jenny Jones - My big sister drew a number 2 on my doll's soft rubber face, in Biro Pen. It never came off. I cut her doll’s hair and pierced its ears in retaliation.</p> <p dir="ltr">Elizabeth Ann Bailey - Making up plays and performing them. Cleaning the gutters of leaves at my Grandmas. </p> <p dir="ltr">Share your favourite childhood sibling memories <a href="https://www.facebook.com/oversixtys/posts/pfbid02BRFAM1TQVvq8wRLSXaAJJT83s1RQUjRJV4Xqn63i3rN9fv5to2Cswf9mRpNpQqKYl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Relationships

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Princess Diana's childhood home catches fire

<p dir="ltr">Soaring temperatures in the UK have caused fires to spark across the nation - with London’s firefighters recording their busiest day since WWII - with one of the many homes at risk including at Althorp House, the childhood home of Princess Diana.</p> <p dir="ltr">The home is now owned by Earl Charles Spencer, Diana’s brother. His wife, Karen Spencer, shared the news of the blaze on social media.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Fire in one of our fields today,” Countess Spencer wrote in an Instagram story on Tuesday.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-bc80c0bc-7fff-87a4-506b-d99e4e28410d"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">She later shared a follow-up video reassuring followers the situation was “under control” thanks to the “amazing” local fire department and team at Althorp.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/07/diana-fire2.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Karen Spencer documented the fire that sparked at Althorp House and praised the “amazing” work of firefighters in quenching it. Images: Instagram</em></p> <p dir="ltr">Later that day, Earl Spencer posted a photo on his Instagram page of the home after it began to rain.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-c3f339c8-7fff-b093-203d-d766ca2603ec"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“Althorp enjoying a few drops of rain tonight that follow the hottest recorded day England has ever had,” he captioned the shot.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CgNO32OsTdC/?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/CgNO32OsTdC/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Charles Spencer (@charles.earl.spencer)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The country experienced temperatures of 40.3 C in Coningsby on Tuesday, breaking 2019’s record by 1.6 degrees.</p> <p dir="ltr">The heat was followed by a welcome downpour that brought temperatures down to 19 C overnight in London.</p> <p dir="ltr">Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, told Sky News it prompted a huge surge in calls to the city’s emergency services.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Yesterday was the busiest day for the fire services in London since the Second World War,” he told the program on Wednesday.</p> <p dir="ltr">The fire service received more than 2,600 calls - significantly higher than its usual 350-600 a day - with 41 properties destroyed and 16 firefighters injured.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The challenge in London is we have a lot of grass, a lot of green spaces and a lot of that impinges on properties. And when you have not had rain for a long period, when the grass is incredibly dry, fires can start very quickly and spread even faster because of wind and that leads to properties being destroyed,” Khan said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“A lot of the problems we have here today are a direct consequence of climate change, excess death because of the heat wave.</p> <p dir="ltr">“A lot of these problems can be solved by tackling climate change expediently, rather than kicking the can down the road.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Though the heat is expected to continue over the next couple weeks, the 14-day forecast has predicted significantly lower temperatures with tops of 28 C.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-f7476775-7fff-f53f-ed8c-ed22aadd874a"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty Images / Instagram</em></p>

News

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Harrison Ford’s childhood Tudor home hits the market

<p dir="ltr">The childhood home of <em>Indiana Jones</em> star Harrison Ford has hit the market for the third time in four years for just $USD 749,000 ($AUD 1.1 million).</p> <p dir="ltr">The 1922-era Tudor house in Park Ridge, Illinois, was home to the Ford family in the 1950s, per <a href="https://www.realtor.com/news/celebrity-real-estate/harrison-ford-remodeled-childhood-home-on-the-market/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Realtor.com</a>, though it has been significantly renovated since.</p> <p dir="ltr">After nearly 50 years off the market, the home was listed for sale in 2018 with its original windows, plumbing, and electrical, with interior spaces that needed a serious refresh.</p> <p dir="ltr">Selling in February 2019 for $USD 350,000 ($AUD 513,000), its new owners undertook some major changes, replacing the dated wallpaper with a neutral grey and white colour scheme and transforming the avocado-green kitchen into a space filled with stainless steel appliances, a butcher block island, a tiled backsplash, and a breakfast nook.</p> <p dir="ltr">A formal dining area that connects to the large family room with views of the backyard now features pendant lighting, while in the living room, the built-ins and fireplace remain, with the wall-to-wall carpet being ripped out to show the original, refinished hardwood floors.</p> <p dir="ltr">Other updates include new windows, recessed lighting, baseboard heaters, and a completed basement, which features a bar and rec area, a home office, and a laundry.</p> <p dir="ltr">After the renovations were complete, the 198-square-metre home was sold for $USD 600,000 ($AUD 880,000) in July 2020.</p> <p dir="ltr">With the current owners looking to upsize, it’s back on the market with a 25 percent price bump, according to listing agent Peter Bellert of @properties Park Ridge.</p> <p dir="ltr">Bellert says the home is basically move-in ready, with just the driveway needing to be repaved.</p> <p dir="ltr">He also notes that the home’s style is unusual for the area.</p> <p dir="ltr">“English Tudors are not common. There are not too many in Park Ridge,” Bellert says.</p> <p dir="ltr">Other features of the two-storey home include a powder room on the first level and four bedrooms on the second, with an original balcony connected to the bedroom that reportedly belonged to a young Ford.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-ff78dbc4-7fff-94a8-0d7d-2d54b0de90b6"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty Images / Realtor.com</em></p>

Real Estate

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Readers Respond: What was the happiest moment of your childhood?

<p dir="ltr">As a child you’d always hear your parents say “they grow up so fast”.</p> <p dir="ltr">And they’re not wrong because soon enough you were saying that to your children who are now saying it to your grandchildren. </p> <p dir="ltr">It’s insane how time flies and we decided to ask our readers to think back to their happiest childhood moment. </p> <p dir="ltr">Check out some of your responses below. </p> <p dir="ltr">Cate Titulaer - Being in the warmth of my grandparents' love.</p> <p dir="ltr">Pat White - Mum died in January when I was 11 and my aunt made me a wonderful birthday cake in June. It was Cinderella's coach with six white horses and even footmen, a magic time for me, such a caring auntie.</p> <p dir="ltr">Tracey Baker - Going to work with my dad on the freight trains or spending time with dad anywhere.</p> <p dir="ltr">Pam Ballard - Time with my grandparents. I realised now how lucky I was to spend nearly every weekend with them.</p> <p dir="ltr">Gay Sharran Gold - When my father came home and told me we were going to see The Beatles perform at Sydney Hordern Pavilion! Omg I was a total fanatic!</p> <p dir="ltr">Margaret Inglis - Didn't have a 'happiest' moment. All my childhood was happy.</p> <p dir="ltr">Trisha Springbett - Not that I was aware of it at the time, but being adopted by my wonderful parents.</p> <p dir="ltr">Keralie Stack - Christmas Day was always an open house with family, friends and some who didn't have families. Lots of laughter, games for the kids and enough food for everyone. Great memories.</p> <p dir="ltr">Evelyn Hayward - Gosh, I don’t think I could pick just one. We were not ‘well off’ but neither was anyone else we knew but had a simple childhood with so much freedom and playing outside, food on the table and warm, loving home. Always someone to play with.</p> <p dir="ltr">Janine Jan Fran Kells - Living with my sister Valda and her family when l was about 7. She made me feel very special and have always loved her for it. </p> <p dir="ltr">Share your happiest childhood moments <a href="https://www.facebook.com/oversixtys/posts/pfbid026HdnavFdLvaxm2wkLyzdUFnvxQf5RAKu55ZDSviD2B5PLE1LP4QKQVxdnobme85Tl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Retirement Life

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