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New rendered image holds hope in William Tyrrell disappearance 10 years on

<p>A new rendered image has shown what William Tyrrell would look like now on the 10-year anniversary of his disappearance. </p> <p>On September 12th 2014, the then three-year-old disappeared from his foster grandmother's home in Kendall on the NSW Mid North Coast and has not been seen since, making his disappearance one of the nation's most enduring mysteries. </p> <p>Now, 10 years on, <em>Ten News</em> have released a rendered image of what William might look like now at 13, with experts hoping it might prompt someone to come forward with information. </p> <p>Criminologist Xanthe Mallett said the image was a way to keep William’s face in the public eye.</p> <p>“An image such as this could encourage someone who knows what happen to unlock the mystery,” Dr Mallett told <em>Ten News</em>.</p> <p>A $1million reward has been offered for information to help locate William, with a coronial inquest into his disappearance to take place at the end of this year.</p> <p>As William's family continue to struggle with the mystery around his disappearance, Close friends of Tyrrell’s foster parents, Clare and Alice Collins, have told <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/how-william-tyrells-loved-ones-are-spending-the-10-year-anniversary-of-his-disappearance-c-16030683" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>7News</em></a> reporter Michael Usher the family was “crushed” to still have no answers on the 10-year anniversary.</p> <p>“They remember William every minute of every day,” Clare said. “They’re living a nightmare.”</p> <p>Alice added, even a decade on, they believed “hope is the key”.</p> <p>“You hear cases from around the world with kids who had been abducted, and they turn up 10, 20 years later,” she said.</p> <p>“There is still a chance that he is out there ... it’s a big reach ... but in light of the fact that there is absolutely no evidence that William is deceased there is that very, very slim chance.”</p> <p>The pair appealed to anyone across the country with information as to where William might be to “make the call”.</p> <p>“It’s as though he’s just vanished ... we need answers ... Australia needs answers. Help bring William home ... and we will do everything in our power,” Alice said. “We are never giving up.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: NSW Police / Ten News</em></p>

Family & Pets

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"Absolute breakthrough": New hope in search for Motor Neurone Disease cure

<p>Melbourne researchers are one step closer to finding a cure for Motor Neurone Disease, with the help technology and stem cell research. </p> <p>Scientists at The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health have developed a world-first technology that will speed up the drug testing process to help find an effective treatment and maybe even a cure for the disease. </p> <p>New machines at the institute can now help determine whether drugs on the market could be used to treat MND in just weeks, a process which previously took decades. </p> <p>"This is an absolute breakthrough, it's at the cutting edge of technology," Florey MND researcher Professor Brad Turner said.</p> <p>Animal cells were previously used to test the efficacy of MND drugs, but now thanks to more than 100 MND patients who donated their skin cells to the institute, researchers have a library of stem cells to work with. </p> <p>The human stem cells can provide scientists with the full scope of the disease, something that they were previously unable to do with just animal cells. </p> <p>"This is really a game-changer in that we can use their own cells, and we can test drugs directly on their own cells," Florey MND researcher and neurologist Dr Thanuja Dharmadasa said. </p> <p>Large scale screening will commence thanks to a $5 million grant from the Australian Medical Research Future Fund.</p> <p><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">The research is expected to help people like Phil Camden who has been living with the disease for 10 years. </span></p> <p>"That's the key to all of us living with MND... we want to do what we can while we can," Camden said.</p> <p>"We know we're not doing it to find a cure for us. We're doing it for those in the future, my grandkids and their children."</p> <p>Scientists believe that medication or a cocktail of drugs tailored specifically to a patient is the way forward when it comes to treating the disease. </p> <p>"Therefore your drug treatments are tailed back to the clinical makeup in the dish and we call that personalised medical treatment," Turner said.</p> <p><em>Image: Nine News</em></p> <p> </p>

Caring

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Hope: A double-edged sword in the human experience

<p>Hope has long been cherished as a source of strength in times of adversity. Yet, as explored in this edited extract from his new book <em>The Human Condition</em> by author Tony Grey, this fundamental emotion is not without its complexities and potential pitfalls.</p> <p>---</p> <p>As in the host of challenges explored in <em>The Human Condition</em>, the feeling of expectation and desire for something beneficial to happen, which we call hope, is as fundamental to the human condition as the will to survive; they’re linked within the evolutionary imperative. As Cicero pointed out, “dum spiro spero” (while I breathe I hope). Hope is a rolling prayer to life as time moves on, a whisper to the soul that things will turn out all right. </p> <p>The sentiment is generally unchallenged. Why should it be? In times of trouble, we need the balm of hope. Samuel Johnson said, “Hope is a species of pleasure, and perhaps, the chief pleasure this world affords.”</p> <p>While usually positive about hope, Greek philosophers were sometimes ambivalent about it, citing its propensity, through wishful thinking, to encourage indolence or actually cause harm. In Sophocles’ play Antigone, the Chorus sings, “Hope whose wanderings are so wide is to many men a comfort, but to many a false lure of giddy desires.” Plato observes that hope breeds a confidence which can exacerbate a precondition of arrogance in the powerful, leading to serious wrongdoing. “It is among these men that we find the ones who do the greatest evils.” </p> <p>Napoleon and Hitler are examples. And so is the Japanese government responsible for the Pearl Harbour attack.  At the World War Two surrender on the deck of the USS Missouri, a Japanese general was heard to say when he looked at the sky blackened by Allied aircraft flying past and the sea bursting with warships, “How did we ever hope we could win?”</p> <p>On the other hand, Plato stressed the motivational properties of hope when directed towards a good aim. And Aristotle links hope with the virtue of megalopsychia (high-mindedness) resulting from its inspirational role.</p> <p>I have an experience of this in my family. My nephew was born to my sister with intellectual disability, and other difficulties. His condition seemed hopeless. Nevertheless, from the first, hope was my sister’s support; it gave her the energy to carry on. Through the gloom it afforded a glimpse into the future where progress beckoned. And all along she demonstrated that hope is ineluctably linked to love.</p> <p>Aided by her husband, the father, she worked day and night teaching and inspiring the boy. When old enough he went to a special needs school and gradually progressed, indefatigably supported at home. Over time his condition improved so that eventually he could take and keep a simple job, cook food, and have friends (similarly disabled), a state absolutely unforeseeable at his early stage of life. Throughout all the difficulties, frustrations and threats of despair, hope sustained my sister and guided her to the wonderful achievement of saving a human life.</p> <p>In most instances, hope is personal in the sense that something specific to the individual or those who are close is wanted. However, it can range far beyond that into areas involving others such as team sports, politics, economic activity, justice, national and tribal identity, international relations – notably war, and pandemics like Covid. Within these fields, hope calls out for the survival and well-being of humanity and its prospects for moral and material progress. Such hope embraces faith in something bigger than the individual. If human beings have a purpose, its linked to that, and its fulfillment is somehow bound up in hope.</p> <p>This approach cries out for exploring a whole array of other challenges inherent in the human condition.</p> <p><strong>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</strong></p> <p>Tony Grey is an accomplished author residing in Sydney. His latest book, <em>The Human Condition</em>, ambitiously explores the hurly burly of human existence, and is available now for purchase through Halstead Press Publishers. Tony is the founder of Pancontinental Mining, a former director of Opera Australia and the Conservatorium of Music, and a former trustee of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Other books by Tony Grey include <em>Jabiluka</em>, <em>East Wind</em> and <em>Seven Gateways</em>. His writings have featured in the <em>Australian</em> <em>Financial Review</em>, <em>Quadrant</em> and the <em>Australian</em>. </p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Mind

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SecondBite's Feed the Future Program: cultivating hope, one meal at a time

<p>In a world where food insecurity continues to plague communities, there shines a beacon of hope in the form of <a href="https://secondbite.org/">SecondBite</a>. Since its inception in 2005, SecondBite has worked tirelessly to rescue and redistribute surplus food, ensuring that no Australian goes to bed hungry. Now, with the launch of their Feed the Future program, they are taking their commitment to combating hunger and waste to new heights.</p> <p>The impact of SecondBite's efforts is truly staggering. Having already rescued and redistributed the equivalent of almost 300 million meals, they have become a lifeline for countless individuals and families facing food insecurity across the nation. But as the demand for their services continues to rise, so too does the need for support from generous donors and supporters.</p> <p>At the heart of SecondBite's purpose is the belief that every Australian deserves access to nutritious food, regardless of their circumstances. Through their Feed the Future program, they are not only addressing immediate hunger but also working towards a future where hunger and food waste are relics of the past.</p> <p>One individual who embodied this spirit of generosity was the late Frank Costa AO, a prominent Australian businessman and philanthropist. His unwavering commitment to giving back to the community lives on through a generous $1 million donation to SecondBite's Future Trust, ensuring that his legacy of compassion and service will continue to make a difference for years to come.</p> <p>“Frank was so passionate about health and the role that nutritious food plays in keeping us healthy,” says his widow, Shirley Costa. “He always said that the best way to preserve your health is to put the right food in your body, in particular, fruit and vegetables. He felt genuinely proud to provide a service to people, but also to contribute to their health and happiness. And he hoped that his gift would allow SecondBite to continue this legacy.”</p> <p><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-70396" src="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SecondBite_Hero_02.jpg" alt="" width="770" height="500" /></p> <p>For those considering leaving a gift to SecondBite in their will, the Feed the Future program offers a unique opportunity to create a lasting impact. By becoming a member, supporters can join a community of like-minded individuals dedicated to building a future where no one goes hungry.</p> <p>Membership in the Feed the Future program comes with a range of exclusive benefits, including a certificate of recognition, a special lapel pin, invitations to events, and even a symbolic apple tree to plant in your garden as a testament to your commitment to ending hunger.</p> <p>But perhaps the greatest reward of all is the knowledge that your gift will help SecondBite continue their vital work, providing nourishment, hope and dignity to those in need. Together, we can create a future where every Australian has a place at the table, and no one is left behind.</p> <p><img class="alignnone wp-image-70420 size-full" src="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Cropped-Image_secondbite_770.jpg" alt="" width="770" height="500" /></p> <p>“If you share our vision of a place at the table for all Australians, so that every child, woman and man has access to a regular nutritious food supply,” says SecondBite co-founder Ian Carson, “please consider joining our Feed the Future program and making a gift to SecondBite in your Will.”</p> <p>To learn more about how you can support SecondBite's Feed the Future program and make a difference in the lives of those facing food insecurity, contact their team today at 1800 263 283 or visit <a href="https://secondbite.org/gifts-in-will/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">secondbite.org/gifts-in-will</a>.</p> <p>Join us in cultivating a brighter future for all Australians, one meal at a time.</p> <p><em>Images: Supplied.</em></p> <p><em>This is a sponsored article produced in partnership with SecondBite.</em></p>

Food & Wine

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Groundbreaking approach offers ray of hope for ovarian cancer patients

<p>In a twist of fate, 24-year-old Tora Murphy’s globetrotting adventure took an unexpected turn when her health journey began. What started as a quest to explore the world swiftly turned into a battle against ovarian cancer, a disease she never imagined would become a part of her reality.</p> <p>"I was looking pregnant, like I looked about six months pregnant," Murphy recounted <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/health/ovarian-cancer-groundbreaking-treatment-hope-mater-cancer-research-centre-brisbane/0f8ffed0-ec48-4ab7-8de5-28b9025d06d3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to 9News</a>. "They basically told me that it was stage three cancer and I was just in shock."</p> <p>Her whirlwind journey abruptly halted as she returned to Brisbane to confront the daunting reality of her diagnosis. Ovarian cancer, a silent killer, had taken root in her body, presenting as a formidable 18cm  tumour. Murphy’s resilience was put to the test as she underwent surgery to remove the tumour and ultimately a full hysterectomy.</p> <p>"I didn't even know that people like me could get cancer," she expressed, echoing the disbelief many young women feel upon receiving such a diagnosis.</p> <p>Ovarian cancer remains a formidable adversary, claiming the lives of 1000 Australian women each year, with a five-year survival rate hovering at a concerning 49 percent. For Murphy and countless others, the fear of recurrence looms large, casting a shadow over their lives.</p> <p>However, amidst the darkness, there shines a glimmer of hope. Pioneering research led by Mater Research scientists is illuminating new pathways in the fight against ovarian cancer. Their focus? Dendritic cells, a key component of the immune system.</p> <p>"We think that by focusing on that cell type in particular, that we'll be able to actually make a vaccine to help fight that disease and to eventually help prevent recurrence," explained Professor Kristen Radford from Mater Research.</p> <p>This groundbreaking approach offers a ray of hope for individuals like Murphy, offering the possibility of a future where ovarian cancer is not only treatable but preventable. The development of a vaccine holds the promise of transforming the landscape of ovarian cancer treatment and prevention.</p> <p>Fuelling this hope is the unwavering support of communities and organisations dedicated to combating ovarian cancer. The Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation, through its tireless fundraising efforts, has allocated $670,000 to support the vaccine development, part of a larger $2.4 million grant initiative.</p> <p>"These funds have been raised by our community, so that's people out there walking, running, baking, shaving their heads," says Georgie Herbert from the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation.</p> <p>For Murphy, the outpouring of support from her partner, friends and the broader community serves as a symbol of strength during her darkest hours. As her loved ones prepare to walk 100km this coming May to raise funds in her honour, Murphy is buoyed by the knowledge that every step taken brings them closer to a future free from the grips of ovarian cancer.</p> <p>"Their money goes to such a good place," she remarked, underscoring the impact of collective action in driving progress in ovarian cancer research and treatment.</p> <p>As the fight against ovarian cancer continues, fuelled by groundbreaking research and unwavering community support, there is renewed optimism on the horizon for individuals like Tora Murphy and the thousands affected by this disease.</p> <p><em>Images: Facebook</em></p>

Caring

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Celine Dion shares powerful message of hope

<p>Celine Dion has shared a powerful statement about her health battle since being diagnosed with stiff person syndrome. </p> <p>The French-Canadian musician has chronicled her health journey in a new documentary titled <em>I Am: Celine Dion</em>, and took to Instagram to promote the new film. </p> <p>While sharing with her legion of fans how her health has progressed, she said she remains hopeful that she will one day return to the stage.</p> <p>In a lengthy post, she wrote, “This last couple of years has been such a challenge for me, the journey from discovering my condition to learning how to live with and manage it, but not to let it define me."</p> <p>"As the road to resuming my performing career continues, I have realised how much I have missed it, of being able to see my fans."</p> <p>"During this absence, I decided I wanted to document this part of my life, to try to raise awareness of this little-known condition, to help others who share this diagnosis.” </p> <p>In December 2022, Celine announced that she would be taking some time away from performing  to focus on her health after revealing her stiff person syndrome diagnosis.</p> <p>At the time, she said the condition did not allow her “to sing the way I’m used to”.</p> <p>According to the <a href="https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/clinical-trials/cause-development-and-progression-stiff-person-syndrome#:~:text=Stiff%2Dperson%20syndrome%20(SPS),recurrent%20falls%20and%20impaired%20ambulation." target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke</a>, stiff person syndrome is “a rare, progressive syndrome that affects the nervous system, specifically the brain and spinal cord.”</p> <p>According to an official synopsis, <em>I Am: Celine Dion</em> will give viewers an intimate look inside her life “as she reveals her battle with stiff person syndrome (SPS) and the lengths she has gone to continue performing for her beloved and loyal fans”.</p> <p>Capturing over a year’s worth of Dion’s life, including “never-before-seen” private moments, the film will showcase the legendary singer navigating “her journey toward living an open and authentic life amidst illness”.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p>

Caring

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"That's it?": Project host's hopes after dismay at Voice result

<p><em>The Project</em> host Rachel Corbett has shared her disappointment over the quick defeat of the Voice referendum, saying she is still "really hopeful" that Australians are on the right path to reconciliation. </p> <p>Labor's proposed Voice to Parliament referendum was widely voted against in Saturday's vote, with only a single state or territory – the ACT – voting for constitutional change. </p> <p>The defeat sparked a wave of grief and upset from pubic figures who were hopeful the Voice would pass, despite the polls predicting the defeat. </p> <p>On Sunday night, Corbett told her fellow panellists that she was having difficulty coming to terms with the fact it was over in an instant. </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/CyaZDi5voIe/?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/CyaZDi5voIe/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by The Project (@theprojecttv)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“I could not believe how quickly it was decided. That’s it, we voted no. I am just really hopeful that the majority of people voted no for a specific thing,” she said. </p> <p>“That they weren’t comfortable with this specific version of the Voice being enshrined, and not because they don't want to improve the lives of Indigenous people.”</p> <p>Corbett feared Aboriginal Australians might take away from the vote that they’re not cared about, and that other Australians don’t “want to do something” to close to gap between white Australians and First Nations people. </p> <p>“I‘m really hopeful that if this is not the solution, that we then find something else. Not that people were saying, we don’t want to help you.” Ms Corbett said.</p> <p>Co-host Hamish McDonald said it was now the job of the country’s leaders to find the “common thread” between those who voted “Yes” and “No” on Saturday.</p> <p>“Whose responsibility is it now to, as a nation, drive us forward on this path of reconciliation, which I think broadly people say is still desired or desirable,” he said.</p> <p>“There are some indigenous leaders stepping back. Now, there are other leaders who’ve, I suppose, come to the fore during this. Is it on their shoulders? "</p> <p>“Who it is that will emerge and carry this on their shoulders, or whether actually is all of us... I suppose that’s the bit that I’m wondering about today.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: The Project </em></p>

TV

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Why did Hamas attack, and why now? What does it hope to gain?

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ian-parmeter-932739">Ian Parmeter</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877">Australian National University</a></em></p> <p>In hindsight, the drivers of Hamas’s startlingly well-planned, land-sea-air attack on Israel on Saturday were in plain sight.</p> <p>The operation reflects a pattern of four wars and regular outbreaks of violence between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza since 2005, when Israel withdrew its military posts and <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/middle-east-gaza-withdrawal">forcibly removed</a> 9,000 Israeli settlers from the territory.</p> <p>Each time Hamas has launched rockets at Israel or engaged in similar provocations, it has drawn heavy retaliation from Israel in the form of major bombings on the Gaza Strip. Hamas, however, seems to regard this as a cost of doing business.</p> <p>An important factor motivating Hamas towards violence is that it has to watch its flanks. Other smaller, but increasingly extremist groups, are contesting its authority in Gaza, notably Palestinian Islamic Jihad.</p> <p>These groups have, at times, independently launched rocket attacks on Israel, which bring retribution on the whole territory.</p> <p>On top of this, the Israeli government formed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last December is the most right wing in Israeli history. This government has made no secret of its desire to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/28/benjamin-netanyahu-government-makes-west-bank-settlement-expansion-its-priority">annex</a> the West Bank and has permitted significant expansion of Jewish settlements in the territory, which are illegal under <a href="https://press.un.org/en/2016/sc12657.doc.htm">international law</a>.</p> <p>That has led to conflict between settlers and young West Bank Palestinians, who in the past year have formed a loose grouping known as the “<a href="https://www.economist.com/1843/2023/07/07/inside-the-lions-den-the-west-banks-gen-z-fighters">Lions’ Den</a>”.</p> <p>This grouping, comprising independent militants with apparently no central control, has scant regard for the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank and is led by the octogenarian Mahmoud Abbas. The Palestinian Authority has little real administrative, security or moral authority in the territory.</p> <p>The “Lions’ Den” also vies with Gaza militant groups for influence among Palestinian youth – both in Gaza and the West Bank.</p> <p>Added to this, a minister in Netanyahu’s coalition, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2023/07/27/europe/ben-gvir-visit-israel-jerusalem-intl/index.html">Itamar Ben-Gvir</a>, has visited the Temple Mount, the site of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the holiest shrines in Islam. This was considered a provocation by all Palestinians – both in the West Bank and Gaza. Further angering Palestinians, Israeli tourists also <a href="https://apnews.com/article/christians-jerusalem-old-city-spitting-524b3b8e92beb4c947b3b8b49e80cc45">travelled</a> to the site over the recent Sukkot holiday.</p> <p>A <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/september-28-2000-ariel-sharon-visits-the-temple-mount-sparking-the-second-intifada/">visit</a> to the Temple Mount by Ariel Sharon in 2000, then the leader of the opposition in Israel’s government, is generally regarded as the spark that ignited the Second Intifada from 2000-2005.</p> <p>Under an agreement predating Israel’s foundation, Jordan has <a href="https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20231004-jordan-sends-memo-of-protest-to-israel-over-al-aqsa-settler-incursions/">custodianship</a> of the Al-Aqsa religious complex. Israel aimed to respect Jordan’s role when it signed the Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty in 1994. But Palestinians see the visits by Israeli ministers and non-Muslim tourists as disrespectful of the sanctity of the site and counter to this undertaking.</p> <p>Hamas has also claimed these visits have led to the desecration of the Al-Aqsa site, an argument obviously aimed at winning support from Muslims throughout the Arab and wider Islamic world.</p> <h2>Why attack now?</h2> <p>Significantly, Hamas has named its action “<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023/10/8/there-is-nothing-surprising-about-hamass-operation">Operation Al-Aqsa Flood</a>”. This provides some clues to the primary reason for striking at this time, which emphasises what Hamas sees as Israeli acts of desecration of a holy Islamic site.</p> <p>However, an additional motivating factor was likely the increasing tendency of Arab states to make peace agreements with Israel, as evidenced by the <a href="https://www.state.gov/the-abraham-accords/">2020 Abraham Accords</a>, involving the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.</p> <p>There has recently been strong speculation that Saudi Arabia is about to make its own agreement with Israel.</p> <p>This is of great concern to all Palestinians, not just those in the West Bank, as it further reduces pressure on Israel to reach a settlement with them. Netanyahu has made clear in his public statements that he prioritises peace with Arab states over eventual peace with the Palestinians.</p> <p>Hamas does not recognise Israel, but has said it would <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna24235665">observe a truce</a> if Israel withdrew to its 1967 borders. Israel would be unlikely to take Hamas’s word on this and withdraw as demanded. But there would be even less chance of that condition ever being realised if Saudi Arabia were to conclude its own deal with Israel.</p> <p>Another aspect of the timing is that it coincides almost precisely with the 50th anniversary of the start of the Yom Kippur or Ramadan War in October 1973, when Egypt and Syria attacked Israel together. The significance of a Palestinian entity being able to surprise Israel in the same way would not be lost on Hamas.</p> <p>So there were several objectives for Hamas to launch an attack at this time – and possibly a combination of them.</p> <p>Hamas is likely to gain much sympathy from the wider Arab world, but little in the way of material assistance. Hamas’s military operation will likely cause Saudi Arabia to hold back from normalising relations with Israel for now. That said, it’s unlikely any of the Arab states that have signed the Abraham Accords will withdraw from them now in protest over Israeli retaliation against Gaza.</p> <h2>Where the conflict is headed?</h2> <p>Where the conflict is headed is unclear. The Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon has already fired on positions in Israel’s north. But the extent to which it will become seriously involved will depend on its sponsor, Iran.</p> <p>Tehran has generally been seen to want to keep Hezbollah’s considerable rocket and missile strength in reserve in case of an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.</p> <p>There is also the question of whether “Lions’ Den” militants in the West Bank will launch their own attacks, effectively creating a third front against Israel. And a possible fourth front could come from attacks on Jewish Israelis by Arab Israelis living in Israel.</p> <p>US President Joe Biden has <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67049196">already promised</a> support for Israel, so there can be little doubt Israel will eventually get on top of these challenges. Netanyahu has warned of a long war, but it may prove reasonably short if Israel goes all out in its retaliation.</p> <p>The main constraint on Israeli action against Gaza will be the fact that an unknown number of Israeli citizens have been kidnapped by Hamas militants and taken to the strip. Indiscriminate Israeli bombing would certainly put those lives at risk.</p> <p>Israel will also be reluctant to put its defence forces in Gaza because of the risk of heavy casualties. However, it may send special forces if it gains intelligence on the whereabouts of its kidnapped citizens.</p> <p>A further risk for Israel in its retaliation is that too brutal an assault on Gaza could turn Western opinion against it. So far, however, Western governments are strongly supportive of Israel and unsympathetic towards Hamas.</p> <p>The overall lesson for Israel is that it has to develop a policy for managing the Palestinians living in the areas it controls.</p> <p>The current situation, in which hardline militants are contained in Gaza, while Israeli forces curtail the actions of Palestinians living in Israel and the West Bank, has suited the Israeli government for many years. It has been able to ignore Arab and international pressure to negotiate a two-state solution or to acquiesce in a <a href="https://theconversation.com/israels-new-government-doesnt-give-palestinians-much-hope-it-could-be-time-for-a-radical-approach-162077">one-state solution</a>.</p> <p>The real significance of Hamas’s operation is that such a non-policy can no longer continue.<!-- 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/215248/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/ian-parmeter-932739">Ian Parmeter</a>, Research Scholar, Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877">Australian National University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: CNN / X (Twitter)</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/why-did-hamas-attack-and-why-now-what-does-it-hope-to-gain-215248">original article</a>.</em></p>

Legal

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Sapling planted at Sycamore Gap to "restore hope" removed by National Trust

<p>UK resident Kieran Chapman, 27, is "absolutely gutted" after the sapling he planted in memory of the<a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/you-can-t-forgive-that-teen-arrested-after-felling-of-iconic-200-year-old-tree" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> felled Sycamore Gap tree</a> was heartbreakingly removed by National Trust. </p> <p>The 27-year-old spent hours on Friday planting the sapling just metres away from the stump of the iconic Sycamore Gap tree, but his efforts were in vain, as the sapling had been dug up by the National Trust on Sunday morning. </p> <p>The conservation charity said that they had to remove the sapling because it is a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site.</p> <p>A National Trust spokesperson told the <em>Newcastle Chronicle </em>that while they understand  “the strength of feeling following the events at Sycamore Gap” the site “is a scheduled ancient monument and a globally important archaeological setting, with UNESCO world heritage designation”.</p> <p>“Altering or adding to it can damage the archaeology, and is unlawful without prior consent from government.”</p> <p>But Chapman couldn't hide his disappointment: “It’s just devastating, isn’t it? It genuinely brought people a lot of joy and that’s been taken away," he told the publication. </p> <p>“I honestly thought if it got a good response they might end up keeping it.”</p> <p>Chapman planted the sapling because he wanted to “restore people’s faith in humanity, bring a smile back to people’s faces and just give them a bit of hope”.</p> <p>“I planned to go and take the dog for a walk next weekend there," he added. </p> <p>In a follow up post on Facebook, Chapman added that he was told by the National Trust that his tree will be replanted on another piece of land at the Housesteads Visitor Centre on Hadrian’s Wall. </p> <p>“Too many politics around all this for my liking, the top and bottom of it, it’s a tree, planted in soil. I understand the land is protected, but to protect a tree from being planted in the earth, where they’re designed to be, no matter where it’s location, is crazy,” he wrote.</p> <p>Two people were arrested over the incident,  a 16-year-old boy and 69-year-old former lumberjack. </p> <p>Both have been released on bail, with the lumberjack insisting that he had no involvement in the felling. </p> <p>“You’ve got the wrong feller,” he told<em> The Sun</em>.</p> <p>“I’m a former lumberjack and I’ve just been kicked off my property so I can see why people have pointed the finger.</p> <p>“My brother came down to make sure I hadn’t been arrested as he had heard a rumour that I had cut it down. I didn’t do it," he added. </p> <p><em>Images: Getty/ Facebook</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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"Without hope": Close friend shares sad Schumacher update

<p>It has been a decade since the tragic skiing accident that left Formula 1 racing legend Michael Schumacher with life-threatening injuries, and the most recent update on his condition paints a decidedly sombre picture.</p> <p>Renowned motorsport journalist Roger Benoit, a close friend of Schumacher, recently conveyed a disheartening assessment, describing Schumacher's situation as "a case without hope" in an interview with the Swiss newspaper <em>Blick</em>.</p> <p>Schumacher's catastrophic incident occurred in December 2013 when he struck his head on a rock while skiing in the French Alps, resulting in severe brain damage. Despite wearing a helmet and skiing with his son Mick, Schumacher's life took a tragic turn. He spent 250 days in a medically-induced coma before finally returning home.</p> <p>Since then, updates on Schumacher's condition have been exceptionally scarce, primarily due to the steadfast commitment of those close to him to protect his privacy.</p> <p>In his recent interview, when pressed for a specific update on Schumacher's condition, Benoit offered these bleak words: "This sentence says everything about how (Michael) has been doing for over 3500 days. A case without hope."</p> <p>In 2021, Schumacher's wife, Corinna, broke her silence and spoke about the accident for the first time in eight years during a <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/he-s-a-very-proud-dad-unearthed-snap-of-michael-schumacher-stuns-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Netflix documentary</a>. She shared: "Michael is here. Different, but he's here, and that gives us strength, I find. We're together. We live together at home. We do therapy. We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he's comfortable. And to simply make him feel our family, our bond. And no matter what, I will do everything I can. We all will."</p> <p>Now 54 years old, Michael Schumacher has not been seen in public for a decade. His absence has left a void in the world of Formula 1, where he was a legendary figure, having clinched the Drivers' World Championships seven times, a record tied with Lewis Hamilton for the most titles in history. Schumacher's impressive 91 career Grand Prix wins rank second only to Hamilton's 103 victories.</p> <p><em>Image: Netflix</em></p>

Caring

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Air travel is in a rut – is there any hope of recapturing the romance of flying?

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/christopher-schaberg-1451119">Christopher Schaberg</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/arts-and-sciences-at-washington-university-in-st-louis-5659">Arts &amp; Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis</a></em></p> <p>Amelia Earhart broke a transcontinental speed record 90 years ago, in July 1933, by flying <a href="https://airandspace.si.edu/multimedia-gallery/web11183-2009640jpg">her signature red Lockheed Vega</a> from Los Angeles to New Jersey in just 17 hours, seven and a half minutes. Earlier that year, Earhart had flown as an observer on a Northwest Airways winter flight across the U.S., testing the possibilities of a “Northern Transcontinental” route.</p> <p>Because those early airplanes couldn’t reach high altitudes, they weaved through dangerous peaks and the erratic weather patterns that mountain ranges helped create. One co-pilot <a href="https://www.deltamuseum.org/about-us/blog/from-the-hangars/2019/07/24/delta-stories-amelia-earhart">remembers the journey</a> as “seat-of-the-pants flying across the Dakota and Montana plains and through, over and around the Western mountain ranges.”</p> <p>How does air travel today compare?</p> <p>I’ve studied <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/02/engine-failure/552959/">airplane technology</a>, <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/09/a-forgettable-passage-to-flight/279346/">airport design</a> and <a href="https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/grounded">cultural attitudes</a> toward air travel, and I’ve noticed how aspects of flying seem to have calcified over time.</p> <p>Long-distance flight <a href="https://theconversation.com/longing-for-the-golden-age-of-air-travel-be-careful-what-you-wish-for-34177">advanced rapidly between the 1930s and the early 1960s</a>, shaving off the number of hours in the sky by half. But over the past 60 years, the duration of such flights has remained roughly the same. Meanwhile, the ecosystem of air travel has grown more elaborate, often leaving passengers squirming in their seats on the tarmac before or after flight.</p> <p>Coast-to-coast air travel is in a rut – but there are still efforts to improve this mode of transit.</p> <h2>Just another ordinary miracle</h2> <p>Transcontinental air journeys are clearly different 90 years after Earhart’s record-breaking exploratory flights: Travelers now take such trips for granted, and often find them to be pure drudgery.</p> <p>In 2018, <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/reviews/united-757-200-first-class-ewr-sea/">travel blogger Ravi Ghelani reviewed in minute detail</a> a United Airlines flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Seattle – roughly the same northern route that Earhart explored in 1933.</p> <p>But for Ghelani, seated in first class, it wasn’t the terrain or frigid temperatures that were the most cumbersome part of his adventure. It was a cheap complimentary blanket, which “barely qualified as one – it was very thin, very scratchy.”</p> <p>The dreaded blanket reappears in Ghelani’s summary of his trip: “My main qualm with this flight was the lack of a decent blanket – the tiny, scratchy blanket that was provided wasn’t cutting it for the six-hour flight.”</p> <p>I can imagine Earhart rolling in <a href="https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/legend-amelia-earharts-disappearance">her watery grave</a>: “You zip across the continent in six hours and you complain about a scratchy blanket?”</p> <p>Yet Ghelani’s account of a mundane cross-country flight reveals a truth: Commercial air travel just isn’t the adventure it was back in Earhart’s time.</p> <p>As one captain of a major U.S. airline who regularly flies long routes told me, “Today jetliners fly across the country from Los Angeles to New York, or Boston to Seattle, full of passengers oblivious to the commonplace practice it has become.”</p> <p>This pilot compared coast-to-coast flights to “iPhones, microwaves or automobiles” – just one more ordinary miracle of modern life.</p> <h2>Little indignities multiply</h2> <p>The high-risk adventure of air travel has been subdued, yet long flights today can paradoxically feel torturous.</p> <p>As philosopher Michael Marder puts it in his 2022 book “<a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262543712/philosophy-for-passengers/">Philosophy for Passengers</a>”: “When crew members wish passengers a ‘pleasant journey,’ I hear a dash of cruel irony in their words. How pleasant can the passenger experience be when you are crammed in your seat, with little fresh air, too hot or miserably cold, and sleep deprived?”</p> <p>I asked my colleague and <a href="http://airplanereading.org/story/55/frequent-flight">frequent flier</a> Ian Bogost about his experience of coast-to-coast trips, and his reply was illuminating: “The same trip seems to get longer every year, and less comfortable. There are reasons – consolidation, reduced routes, pilot and air-traffic labor shortages, decaying technical infrastructure – but it still feels like moving backwards.” In spite of widespread attempts to update aircraft and modernize terminals, the vast system of air travel can seem cumbersome and outdated.</p> <p>Recently at The Atlantic, reporter <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/07/clear-airport-security-lines-tsa-infrastructure/674809/">Amanda Mull wrote about</a> the biometric screening company Clear, describing this firm’s high-tech service to skip the ubiquitous toil of identity checks before flight, at the cost of surrendering some privacy and personal information. Mull concludes the reason more travelers will likely enroll in this service is that “traversing American airport security is simply that grim.”</p> <p>For Mull, the adventure of contemporary air travel isn’t the destination, or even the journey itself – it’s what you must do to get through the airport.</p> <p>Still, it’s worth noting that the majority of the human population has never boarded an airplane; flying cross-country remains <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/how-much-worlds-population-has-flown-airplane-180957719/">a relatively exclusive experience</a>. For most people, the closest they’ll get to a coast-to-coast flight is seeing a small white scratch across the sky, as another airliner makes its arc at 35,000 feet.</p> <h2>2 futures of cross-country flight</h2> <p>Coast-to-coast travel is no longer about breakneck speed or defying elemental odds, and Earhart’s quests to push the limits of aviation couldn’t be further from the bland routines of contemporary air travel. Nor does it involve people dressing to the hilt to step aboard a jetliner for the first time, with passengers stowing their fancy hats in spacious overhead bins.</p> <p>Where are the new frontiers for transcontinental flight today?</p> <p>One area of innovation is in a greener form of flight. Solar Impulse, a completely solar-powered plane, took two months to fly coast-to-coast in 2013. It averages a plodding 45 mph at cruising altitude. As <a href="https://apnews.com/ded34ccc19f24aeea67ba3da130a2be0">The Associated Press reported</a>: “Solar Impulse’s creators view themselves as green pioneers – promoting lighter materials, solar-powered batteries, and conservation as sexy and adventurous. Theirs is the high-flying equivalent of the Tesla electric sports car.” Solar Impulse was more recently <a href="https://aviationweek.com/aerospace/aircraft-propulsion/solar-powered-skydweller-completes-first-autonomous-flights?check_logged_in=1">reconfigured as a remotely piloted aircraft</a>, with new experiments in long-distance solar flight underway.</p> <p>The comparison of Solar Impulse to a Tesla is handy because a different extreme can be found in Elon Musk’s company SpaceX. As part of the relentless development of its biggest vehicle, “Starship,” SpaceX has advertised the possibility of “<a href="https://www.spacex.com/human-spaceflight/earth/">point-to-point</a>” travel on Earth: for example, flying on a commercial rocket from Los Angeles to New York in 25 minutes. Never mind the physical tolls of a normal <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-would-anyone-want-to-sit-on-a-plane-for-over-18-hours-an-economist-takes-the-worlds-longest-flight-122433">19-hour flight</a>; it’s hard to imagine what such a brief yet fast trip would feel like, not to mention what sort of class divisions and bleak industrial launch sites such jaunts would rely on.</p> <p>Get there as fast as possible, using as much fuel as necessary; or glide lazily along, powered by the sun, saving the planet. These are two starkly different visions of coast-to-coast flight, one a dystopian nightmare and the other a utopian dream.</p> <p>In the middle, there’s what most flying mortals do: wait in lines, board unceremoniously and be relieved if you get to your destination without too much discomfort or delay.<!-- 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/210778/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-schaberg-1451119">Christopher Schaberg</a>, Director of Public Scholarship, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/arts-and-sciences-at-washington-university-in-st-louis-5659">Arts &amp; Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis</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/air-travel-is-in-a-rut-is-there-any-hope-of-recapturing-the-romance-of-flying-210778">original article</a>.</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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House of Hope: Fresh start for Kelly's kids

<p>Gold Coast mum Kelly Wilkinson, who tragically passed away two years ago, has left behind three young children between the ages of two and nine.</p> <p>Her life was cut short in April 2021, allegedly at the hands of her estranged husband, Brian Earl Johnston. The horrific incident resulted in Kelly's body being found badly burned in her Arundel home's backyard, while Mr Johnston was discovered nearby with severe burns to his hands and airway.</p> <p>Since then, Kelly's children have been under the care of her sister, Danielle Carroll, and her husband Rhys. The Carroll family, along with their five children and Kelly's three kids, have been living together in a cramped four-bedroom house, where living spaces were converted into sleeping quarters. The challenges of accommodating such a large family in limited space have been immense, and at times, they find themselves with five people sharing a single bed.</p> <p>However, their situation took a positive turn when businesswoman Tamika Smith, a relative of Mr Carroll, heard about the tragedy and decided to lend her support.</p> <p>The founder of My Bella Casa and Top 100 Women launched a campaign called "I Stand With Kelly" shortly after Ms Wilkinson's passing. The campaign aimed to build a new home for the 10-person family.</p> <p>With the help of an anonymous contributor, Ms Smith secured a plot of land, and the renowned homebuilder, Metricon, generously donated an entire house for the cause.</p> <p>After two years of hard work and dedication, the family's fully furnished new home was finally revealed to them.</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/CvGO3pfBjbH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CvGO3pfBjbH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Tamika Smith (@tamika_stephanie)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Mr Carroll expressed his excitement about the new house, especially for Kelly's three children, as it will provide them with a fresh start and a place they can call their own. While the loss of their mother is deeply felt, the children are constantly surrounded by love and care from their extended family.</p> <p>Kelly's kids have not forgotten their mother, and though they miss her dearly, they understand that she is no longer with them.</p> <p>“They know she’s gone," Mrs Carroll told A Current Affair. "They constantly say that they miss her. The two year old does ask for mum but they know she’s not coming back.” </p> <p>The Carroll family, along with their own children, have written heartfelt letters to thank the builders for their incredible efforts in creating this new home.</p> <p>The house not only represents a new beginning for Ms Wilkinson's children and the Carroll family but also serves as a reminder of the love she brought to her family before her untimely passing.</p> <p>Though the pain of her loss remains, the community's support in building this new home has been a heartwarming gesture, one that Kelly's family deeply appreciates and will surely treasure forever.</p> <p><em>Images: Today Show / Instagram / GoFundMe</em></p> <p> </p> <p> </p>

Family & Pets

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Promising Alzheimer’s drug offers hope for a bright future in treatment

<p>A remarkable and significant breakthrough in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease is ushering in a new era of hope and possibilities for patients grappling with early onset dementia.</p> <p>Scientists and researchers are celebrating this groundbreaking development, viewing it as a tremendous opportunity to transform the landscape of Alzheimer's treatment.</p> <p>The drug in question, donanemab, developed by Eli Lilly, has shown remarkable success in clinical trials and is anticipated to receive approval from the Food and Drug Administration later this year, according to a report in the <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/07/17/alzheimers-drug-donanemab-lowers-risk-of-dementia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>New York Post</em></a>.</p> <p>Individuals who participated in the donanemab trials experienced a remarkable 40% reduction in the risk of transitioning from mild cognitive impairment to mild or moderate dementia. This is an extraordinary advancement that brings renewed optimism to those affected by this devastating condition.</p> <p>Donanemab would be the third Alzheimer’s drug to emerge in recent months, following the introduction of Leqembi and Aduhelm. This is just the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the realm of molecular therapies for Alzheimer's, as expressed by Dr. Gil Rabinovici, director of the University of California San Francisco’s Memory and Ageing Centre, in an editorial for <em>JAMA</em>.</p> <p>Dr. Daniel Skovronsky, the chief scientific and medical officer at Lilly, has emphasised the significance of this breakthrough. He states, "This will be a very important and meaningful drug," as quoted in <em>Fierce Biotech</em>. Skovronsky further adds, "[T]here’s a huge opportunity here for patients." Such resolute optimism is inspiring, reflecting the tremendous potential this drug holds for transforming lives.</p> <p>Similar to Leqembi and Aduhelm, donanemab is a monoclonal antibody designed to target plaque in the brain, specifically the amyloid protein. These amyloid plaques are responsible for the propagation of another protein called tau, which contributes to the development of Alzheimer's disease.</p> <p>Notably, the donanemab trial also revealed that the drug slowed cognitive decline by an impressive 35% compared to a placebo in individuals with low to intermediate levels of tau protein in the brain. In fact, donanemab demonstrated superior efficacy in clearing amyloid plaques when compared to Aduhelm and Leqembi.</p> <p>Moreover, unlike Leqembi, which necessitates long-term usage, patients taking donanemab may follow a fixed-duration dosing schedule, potentially allowing some individuals to discontinue the treatment after a certain period. "I expect that many patients will be able to stop dosing even as soon as 12 months," Skovronsky affirmed. This stands as a significant departure from being prescribed a lifelong medication, providing an exciting and meaningful prospect for patients.</p> <p>While it is important to note that these new Alzheimer’s drugs do carry limitations and risks, medical experts remain cautiously optimistic. Donanemab, along with the other emerging drugs, has been associated with brain swelling and bleeding. Tragically, three individuals in the donanemab clinical trial lost their lives due to these side effects.</p> <p>The risk of brain swelling and bleeding is heightened among those carrying the APOE4 gene, which is associated with an increased susceptibility to Alzheimer’s. Furthermore, individuals with more advanced stages of the disease showed minimal to no benefit compared to those who received a placebo.</p> <p>As a result, it is possible that donanemab will be recommended primarily for individuals with low to intermediate levels of tau proteins, indicating milder forms of the disease.</p> <p>Nevertheless, Skovronsky and other medical experts maintain their optimism regarding the FDA's approval, expressing the urgent need for it to come to fruition. Skovronsky highlights, "Every day that goes by, there are some patients who pass through this early stage of Alzheimer’s disease and become more advanced, and they won’t benefit from treatment. That’s a very pressing sense of urgency."</p> <p>While challenges and risks remain, the emergence of donanemab and its potential approval by the FDA represents a beacon of hope for the millions of individuals and families affected by Alzheimer's disease. It symbolises the start of a new chapter in the fight against this debilitating condition, offering renewed prospects for a brighter future filled with effective treatments and improved quality of life.</p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p> <p> </p>

Mind

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Quaden Bayles’ hopes for the future after being a victim of bullying

<p dir="ltr">Three years ago, Quaden Bayles went viral after his mother posted a devastating video of her young son coming home from school.</p> <p dir="ltr">In the video posted to Facebook in 2020, Quaden, who was in primary school at the time, pleaded with his mother to let him end his life after being relentlessly bullied. </p> <p dir="ltr">At the start of the five-minute clip, Ms Bayles is heard saying, “I just picked my son up from school, witnessed a bullying episode, rang the principal, and I want people to know this is the effect bullying has. This is what bullying does.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Quaden’s heartbreaking moment touched the hearts of many around the world, including famous faces such as Hugh Jackman, who sent his well wishes to the young boy.</p> <p dir="ltr">Now, three years on, Quaden is in high school and has shared how much his life has changed since the video went viral. </p> <p dir="ltr">Speaking candidly with <em>Australian Story</em>, he said he is still the target of bullies, but he tries to not let it get to him. </p> <p dir="ltr">He said, “I'm just so happy now that I'm in high school like I'm not in primary school. It's finally over.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“I am not sitting on the carpets and grounds; I love high school now.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“But I still get hate here and there, but it's not as bad as it was back then.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Since the video went viral, Quaden has been offered many once in a lifetime opportunities through the people who have supported him, including being offered roles in several films. </p> <p dir="ltr">He said, “I’ve got so many good opportunities when people heard me, that I started to love acting and fashion.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’ve done my first movie, <em>Three Thousand Years of Longing</em>. The second one I’ve done is <em>Mad Max Furiosa</em>, and I’ve got another one I'm working on.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Quaden’s foray into the world of film has given him a new sense of confidence, with the 13-year-old saying he wants to keep making movies. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I want to keep going with my journey of acting. That’s what I want my future to be. I cannot wait to see myself on that big screen. I’m just gonna say ‘That’s me everyone!’” </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: ABC</em><span id="docs-internal-guid-e5ba7d51-7fff-4600-81a7-f36e5a9eef1a"></span></p>

Caring

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Hope for families after abrupt collapse of construction firm

<p>Failed builder Porter Davis will be partly sold to a Victorian construction firm to complete hundreds of homes.</p> <p>Nostra Property Group will take over the collapsed builder’s multiple dwelling business in Victoria which is mostly responsible for townhouses.</p> <p>Porter Davis, Australia’s 12th largest home builder suddenly stopped construction on 1,700 homes in Victoria and Queensland on March 31, 2023, after it was crippled by a funding hole estimated at $20 million.</p> <p>Liquidator Grant Thornton announced Nostra has plans to complete up to 375 homes including 126 townhouses which have already been sold to buyers using the same Porter Davis designs.</p> <p>The firm is also able to start construction for up to 169 townhouses that have already been sold.</p> <p>It is offering ongoing employment to 16 Porter Davis workers as well.</p> <p>"All parties worked tirelessly to achieve a positive outcome in an extremely short period of time which will see a number of jobs preserved, disruption minimised for several existing and future projects, and critically up to 375 homes built for families who have had to suffer enormous stress and anxiety following the collapse of the PDH Group," Said Jahani from liquidator Grant Thornton said.</p> <p>The managing director for Nostra Anthony Caruana said the company is already in affiliation with various developers that were building Porter Davis homes, making the buy-in a “natural fit”.</p> <p>"Together, we will work towards not only completing the existing partially built homes in this portfolio but also those projects which are yet to commence," Caruana said.</p> <p>"This will ensure that we can provide much-needed certainty to the families who have purchased a PDH-designed townhouse and they can once again look forward to having a new place to call home.”</p> <p>Founded by Caruana in Victoria in 2006, Nostra Property Group specialises in townhouse developments.</p> <p>More than 1,000 homes remain unaccounted for as the firm is only taking over the Victorian arm of the Porter Davis builds.</p> <p>It comes as upset families affected by the collapse took to the steps of Victorian parliament, demanding the government pay back the tens of thousands of dollars lost in deposits.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Shutterstock</em></p>

Real Estate

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Real estate agent divides internet with “sweet gesture” to hopeful homeowner

<p dir="ltr">A real estate agent has divided the internet after sending a hopeful homeowner a scratchie ticket along with a rejection letter. </p> <p dir="ltr">The anonymous wannabe buyer shared a photo of the letter they received from their agent with the scratchie card alongside it on Reddit, explaining how they had missed out on their dream home. </p> <p dir="ltr">The letter begins in capital letters, reading “Really sorry you missed out”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I wanted to personally thank you for your interest in my recent listing and say how sorry we are that you missed out.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“I know how keen you were to make it yours, and as much as we love our work, there are parts that are difficult.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“Telling someone the bad news that they have missed out on a property they are very keen on, is certainly the worst part of our role.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“I wish we had more properties like this one for those who have missed out on this home.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“I enclose a scratchie to try and soften the disappointment.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“The agent said they hoped the wannabe homeowner would win some cash so ‘next time you can extend your offer just that little bit more’.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The $1 scratch card gave the unsuccessful applicant the chance to win $100,000 in a game of Tic Tac Toad. </p> <p dir="ltr">The gesture prompted a mixed response from commenters, with most readers calling out the agent for being “condescending”. </p> <p dir="ltr">One comment read, “Might just be poorly worded, but this comes across very condescending and patronising. ‘Lol sorry you’re too poor. Maybe if you win some money we’ll be able to take it from you.’”</p> <p dir="ltr">Another pointed out the agent’s potential grovelling to the buyer, saying “Absolutely no real estate agent is sending anything like this to mere tenants.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Another frustrated renter wrote, “Great! Now if I could get a scratchie with every unsuccessful rental application, I wouldn’t need to rent.”</p> <p dir="ltr">A few commenters praised the real estate agent’s actions, believing they had good intentions by including the scratchie. </p> <p dir="ltr">One person wrote, “They didn’t have to give anything but still did. The wording could’ve been better but still, something for nothing.”</p> <p dir="ltr">One other person was shocked by the support for the agent in the comments of the post, putting it blatantly, “They said ‘so next time you can extend your offer just that little bit more’.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“Their intention is clear. They’re saying to offer more money. I genuinely am surprised by the comments on this post thinking this is a nice gesture and not blatant manipulation.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Reddit</em></p>

Real Estate

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"Elvis is waiting for her": Dolly Parton's hopes for Lisa Marie Presley

<p>Country music legend Dolly Parton has paid tribute to the late Lisa Marie Presley.</p> <p>Lisa Marie, who was the only child of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, passed away at the age of 54 from cardiac arrest. The news was confirmed by her mother in an emotional statement on Friday January 13th.</p> <p>Dolly initially took to Instagram to express her love and support for the Presley family, and to offer her condolences, writing, “Priscilla, I know how sad you must be … Elvis, I know how happy you must be to finally have her home and to have her back with you. Lisa Marie, may you rest in peace. We all love all of you.” </p> <p>Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, 76-year-old Dolly referenced her first statement, adding, “that was a sad, sad loss, and when I had made my statement that I just wanted to send my sympathies to Priscilla 'cause I can only imagine, but I knew he'd be waiting for her.”</p> <p>Lisa is survived by her mother and children: Riley Keough, Finley Aaron Love Lockwood, and Harper Vivienne Ann Lockwood. She lost her eldest son, Benjamin Keough, in 2020, and her father in 1977. Both Elvis and Benjamin were laid to rest at the Graceland estate’s Meditation Garden, where Lisa will be buried alongside her son. </p> <p>“We just all love that family, like family, and just wish them the best," Dolly reflected, "that was a sad, sad loss."</p> <p>The singer-songwriter confessed that while she has not had a chance to speak directly to Priscilla, she expressed her hope that “Priscilla will find some peace through the love we all have for her.” </p> <p>Despite Dolly’s grief, a feeling shared by fans and friends from around the world, the singer holds hope in her heart that with this tragedy, Lisa Marie and Elvis have been reunited, and that “they are up there being happy together."</p> <p>In lieu of a funeral, a  public memorial service is set to be held at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee, on the 22nd of January. The event will be livestreamed for the public to pay their respects with the family. </p> <p><em>Images: Getty Images</em></p>

Caring

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Banksy in Ukraine: how his defiant new works offer hope

<p>Art, in all its forms, has always been a powerful means of representing, resisting and remembering war. And the <a href="https://theconversation.com/ukraine-recap-poland-missile-scare-a-timely-reminder-of-how-dangerous-this-war-is-for-everyone-194873">Russo-Ukrainian War</a> is no different, with artists responding powerfully to Russian aggression through <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90754784/how-ukrainian-artists-are-resisting-russias-war">an explosion of artwork</a>drawing attention to, and reinforcing, the resilience of Ukrainian people and culture.</p> <p>A stream of artwork has been <a href="https://www.instagram.com/artists.support.ukraine/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=79e6c95a-0a13-4ea9-a4d8-b24ed292d6b2">posted on Instagram</a> and Twitter. Some of the artworks represent grief and trauma, whereas others reflect <a href="https://war.ukraine.ua/articles/how-art-became-a-mirror-of-ukrainian-resistance/">“the fire of hope and defiance that comes with such tragedy.”</a></p> <p>International artists have also joined in the effort. On November 11, <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/banksy-7818">graffiti artist</a>Banksy <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck1bqL6MsMu/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=">posted a picture</a> to his Instagram of a gymnast doing a handstand, painted on the side of a building devastated by shelling in Borodyanka, Ukraine.</p> <p>A few days later, Banksy <a href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2022/11/14/banksy-in-ukraine-seven-new-works-appear-in-war-torn-sites">confirmed</a> that he was responsible for six other artworks in Kyiv and other cities across Ukraine, one of which appeared to take aim at Russian president Vladimir Putin, depicting him being thrown by a child in a judo match. It is not much of a stretch to interpret the child as a symbol of Ukrainian resistance.</p> <p>Banksy’s other works are shown in a video posted to Instagram (above) accompanied by a soundtrack of women singing Ukrainian folk music. They show children playing on a seesaw made from part of a tank, a bombed out transport truck, a man taking a bath and a woman in a dressing gown donning a gas mask and holding a fire extinguisher.</p> <p>Ukrainian messages of thanks and solidarity were posted to Banksy’s Instagram in response.</p> <h2>Russia’s war on culture</h2> <p>The destruction of culture and cultural heritage has been among the <a href="https://t.me/mkipu/3093">many alleged crimes</a> committed by Russia in Ukraine. In July 2022, <a href="https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-mission-ukraine-assesses-impact-war-culture-sector">Unesco reported</a>damage to over 164 cultural sites including religious sites, museums, historic buildings, buildings dedicated to cultural activities, monuments and libraries.</p> <p>As with so many aspects of the war, this reverberates with the Yugoslav War, where the searing image of <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-27353635">the destruction of the national library</a> in Sarajevo and its two million books and artefacts in August 1992 was one of the most iconic of the war.</p> <p>An early cultural casualty in Ukraine was the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60588885">Babyn Yar memorial park</a> in Kyiv, believed to have been directly targeted by Russian forces as part of an erasure of Ukrainian history and culture.</p> <p>In response, <a href="https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-funds-7-projects-support-artists-ukraine">Unesco committed</a> to the protection of cultural property as a priority. That commitment was based on the conviction that: “Culture is an essential public good for society, and access to cultural life is a basic universal human right.”</p> <p>While art alone cannot change the dynamics or the course of the war in Ukraine, it <a href="https://beyond.ubc.ca/kent-monkman-exhibition/">can play an important role</a> in reinforcing and demonstrating the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CjDHkWKt9Ea/">resilience of cultural life</a>. Whether or not it can also play a role in building peace and fostering reconciliation depends on its protection.</p> <h2>Unesco responds to threats to Ukrainian culture</h2> <p>In September, <a href="https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-funds-7-projects-support-artists-ukraine?hub=365">Unesco announced</a> a joint initiative with the Ukrainian NGO Museum of Contemporary Art “to encourage the continuation of artistic creation and access to cultural life in Ukraine”.</p> <p><a href="https://www.unesco.org/sites/default/files/medias/fichiers/2022/09/Ukraine%20and%20MOCA_7%20finalists_Brief%20information.pdf">The fund will</a> initially disburse a total of US$100,000 (£84,000) from the Unesco Heritage Emergency Fund to support seven projects, with ten more to follow. The projects were selected from an open call and include residencies and support for displaced Ukrainian artists in Dnipro and Kharkiv.</p> <p>Unesco described their support of Ukrainian artists as “vital for preserving artistic expression as a basis for social cohesion, community resilience, and our common goal – fighting for freedom and democratic values”.</p> <h2>What role does art play in war?</h2> <p>All of this points to important questions about the <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/03/21/art-in-a-time-of-war">role of art and the responsibility of artists</a> in times of war, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21624887.2021.1875711">artistic representation</a> of war and its horrors, <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315723211/political-street-art-holly-eva-ryan">art and the politics of resistance</a> and the <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-journal-of-international-law/article/art-aesthetics-justice-and-reconciliation-what-can-art-do/8965A016EB04B26925F6CF16E1BF65B0">potential role of art</a> in building peace and fostering reconciliation.</p> <p>As historian <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=3ChLAQAACAAJ&amp;dq=War+and+Art,+Reaktion+Books,&amp;hl=en&amp;newbks=1&amp;newbks_redir=1&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwinntjpoLX7AhWFYcAKHRFgC0wQ6AF6BAgCEAI">Joanna Bourke observed</a> in her book War and Art, art is intrinsically political, whether deliberately so or not. Artists make choices about how they represent war, often invoking “both the bitterness and the vulnerability of modern war”.</p> <p>Banksy’s artwork in Ukraine draws our eye to the devastation wrought by the Russian invasion. By being painted on bombed out buildings, the images reflect how the experience of war disrupt the everyday, juxtaposing the mundane with the extraordinary – a woman in curlers and a dressing gown also wears a gas mask, children play on a tank trap seesaw.</p> <p>Banksy’s intervention was <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/banksy-ukraine-mural-in-town-bombed-by-russia/">warmly welcomed</a> by Ukrainians, “hailed as a symbol of their country’s invincibility” as part of a wider Ukrainian effort to leverage art as a powerful <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/23/the-artists-of-ukraine-find-their-voice-in-a-cry-of-resistance">site of resistance</a> and demonstration of resilience.</p> <p>The extent to which <a href="https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/the_art_of_peace_0419.pdf">art might be able to contribute to peace</a> and reconciliation is a question for later on. It seems quite far removed from the grief, anger and defiance evident in much of the artwork created to date.</p> <p>For now, as the response to Banksy’s artworks demonstrates, art in Ukraine serves as a site of expression, of solidarity and a symbol of resistance. As the Ukrainian government expressed, such works are not only <a href="https://war.ukraine.ua/articles/how-art-became-a-mirror-of-ukrainian-resistance/">“about blood, death, and destruction … but also – about love, support, and hope”.</a></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/banksy-in-ukraine-how-his-defiant-new-works-offer-hope-194952" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</em></p>

Art

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Michael Klim shares hopes for his incurable disease

<p dir="ltr">Australian swimming legend Michael Klim has shared an update on how his neurological disorder has changed his day-to-day life and his hopes for raising awareness and finding a cure.</p> <p dir="ltr">In a recent interview with <em>Sunrise</em>, the Olympic gold medallist said it has “definitely been a very up and down three years” since <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/it-s-not-easy-michael-klim-shares-health-update">he was diagnosed with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP)</a>, which has caused him to lose “pretty much all muscle and sensation” in his legs.</p> <p dir="ltr">“There was a grieving process for the first couple of years, trying to come to terms with a completely different lifestyle and a different mindset, really,” he told the program.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’ve stabilised but my mobility is still very much compromised, most of the time I use a walking stick around the pool deck.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“I plan simple things, when I’m going to the shops I have to plan how far I have to walk ... to get my groceries.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Having established himself in Bali with his partner Michelle, where they run one of the swim schools in his franchise Klim Swim, the 44-year-old still returns to Sydney for specialist treatment - though he doesn’t visit Australia as much as he used to.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I don’t get back to Australia as much as I used to, mainly just for treatment, but I’ve had an enormous amount of support from the Australian public and my swimming community just to get through this, so I’ll keep fighting and hopefully we can find a cure one day,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Klim revealed that doctors still don’t know the cause of his CIDP, but said it’s easy to question whether the physical demands of his athletic career may have contributed.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They (doctors) don’t know the cause of CIDP. It can be genetic but in my case it’s not,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We used to pride ourselves on our physicality (as Olympians), our ability to take on anything that was thrown at us, especially during our training.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I used to love overtraining, that was my way of being ready and making sure mentally I was ready.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It used to give me toughness and mental strength, and now I think sometimes, ‘did I overdo it? Are the last three or four decades (of training) catching up with me?’”</p> <p dir="ltr">According to <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/chronic-inflammatory-demyelinating-polyradiculoneuropathy#:~:text=Chronic%20inflammatory%20demyelinating%20polyradiculoneuropathy%20(CIDP)%20is%20a%20slowly%20developing%20autoimmune,in%20the%20arms%20or%20legs." target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Hopkins Medicine</a>, CIDP is thought to be the chronic or long-term version of the disease Guillain-Barre syndrome, and occurs when the immune system attacks myelin, the fatty sheath around the nerve that acts as insulation and allows electrical impulses to travel along the nerve to stimulate muscles and transmit information to skin and joints.</p> <p dir="ltr">While the triggers of CIDP are still unknown, it doesn’t seem to have a link to genetics or occur after an infection, unlike Guillain-Barre syndrome.</p> <p dir="ltr">The <a href="https://www.gbs-cidp.org/cidp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GBS/CIDP Foundation International website</a> says that current theories are that CIDP is thought to start when the immune system perceives myelin as foreign and attacks it, causing damage to the myelin or removing it entirely.</p> <p dir="ltr">This damage or absence of myelin results in the electrical impulses being slowed down or lost, meaning that messages sent from the brain to move muscles don’t make it to their final destination.</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite the unknowns about his condition, Klim said he is optimistic that talking about his diagnosis will help to raise awareness and find a cure.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Hopefully we can put all our heads together, maybe there are certain treatments outside the realm we’re thinking of,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Maybe there’s future treatments that we can implement and…. we can knock it off.”</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-6a353b7b-7fff-7940-3e08-f66483b071bb"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: @michaelklim1 (Instagram)</em></p>

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