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Edwina Bartholomew's classy call to action

<p>As a regular on <em>Sunrise</em>, Edwina Bartholomew is used to sharing stories with Australians every morning. But recently, she shared something far more personal: a story about her own health.</p> <p>“I have cancer,” she revealed, <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/sunrise-star-announces-cancer-diagnosis-live-on-air" target="_blank" rel="noopener">live on Seven's popular morning program</a>. The diagnosis? Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML), a form of cancer she can manage with a daily tablet, giving her a good prognosis. But it's what she did next that was so classy and impressive.</p> <p>After the show went to air, Edwina <a href="https://7news.com.au/sunrise/sunrise-star-edwina-bartholomew-reveals-cancer-diagnosis-in-bid-to-make-sure-mums-put-health-first--c-15951518" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published a statement on 7News</a> that gave more detail on her circumstances, including how she came to discover her condition and why she chose to share the news the way she did. </p> <p>“It’s the luckiest unlucky thing to ever happen to me,” Edwina wrote, but her diagnosis also served as a wake-up call – one that she believes many other women, particularly mums, might need to hear.</p> <p>For Edwina, it all began with a decision many mothers know all too well: the choice to put everyone else’s needs first. "Although I’d been to the doctor for snotty noses and inexplicable toddler rashes many times, I hadn’t been to see a GP for myself since I was pregnant with my son – more than two years ago," she wrote.</p> <p>Sound familiar? As mums, it’s so easy to focus on the demands of children, work and home, while neglecting their own well-being. But Edwina’s story is a powerful reminder that sometimes, it’s not just about juggling it all – it’s about making time for yourself before life demands it.</p> <p>Her diagnosis came after a series of small but pivotal moments. She recalled how her four-year-old daughter, Molly, jumped on her, causing discomfort that made her realise she hadn’t truly focused on her own health in years. This led her to take the important step of scheduling a doctor’s appointment, where routine blood work revealed irregularities. Although a mammogram came back clear, the blood test results were anything but.</p> <p>From that moment, life changed in a whirlwind. Within days, Edwina was in hospital undergoing a bone marrow biopsy and starting treatment. But what’s perhaps most surprising – and relatable – is that, like so many mums, she almost didn’t make it to that crucial blood test. “It took me another month to pop into a pathology clinic," she wrote. "You know how it is; work to do, the house to clean, the laundry to do, the dinner to cook. I was busy.”</p> <p>That delay is something many women can relate to. They prioritise families, jobs and the never-ending to-do list, but at what cost?</p> <p>Edwina's story is a call to action for mums to stop delaying their own self-care. And she wanted to deliver that call to action in the strongest way possible; not through an interview, but through her own clear words.</p> <p>"I didn’t want to be interviewed and I didn’t want a sad photo of me here," she wrote. "That’s why you are reading my words, accompanied by a photo of my happy little family."</p> <p>“It was important to me to tell you my story because I suspect there are quite a few people out there suffering from a not-so-healthy dose of benign neglect, particularly mums like me," Edwina explained. "We often take care of everyone else in our family and forget to put on our own oxygen mask first.”</p> <p>Edwina’s words are a reminder that it’s essential to look after yourself – not as a last resort, but as a priority. Regular check-ups, preventative tests and simply listening to your body can make all the difference.</p> <p>The experience has clearly reshaped Edwina’s outlook on life. “What is clear from the past few months is that I need to dramatically change things,” she wrote. While she’ll still appear on <em>Sunrise</em>, she’s decided to cut back her work schedule, take breaks and spend more time with her family – genuinely focusing on her health and well-being.</p> <p>Her advice to other mums is clear: “If this sounds familiar to you, maybe it’s time to check in on your health as well.”</p> <p>This is a timely reminder that mums must take care of themselves first. As Edwina’s journey has shown, early detection and self-care are key.</p> <p>Make that appointment, get that check-up and take a moment to breathe.</p> <p>Your health is worth it – because if you don’t look after yourself, you can’t fully look after the ones you love.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Caring

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90-year-old-with chronic leukaemia skydives for charity

<p>A thrill-seeking 90-year-old has celebrated her birthday - in what some would call an unconventional manner for her age - by skydiving, and raising £5,000 for a homeless charity in the process.</p> <p>Shirley Robinson, from Long Clawson in Leicestershire, jumped out of a plane at 14,000ft for the fundraiser at Skydive Langar in Nottinghamshire.</p> <p>Shirley, who was diagnosed with chronic leukaemia in 2022, raised funds for Crisis, a charity that provides help and support for homeless people.</p> <p>She told <em>BBC News</em>, “It's just wonderful how generous people have been. It's lovely.”</p> <p>Footage of her dive saw Shirley styled in a bright blue jumpsuit as she was cheered on by family and friends before getting on the plane.</p> <p>She smiled and waved at the camera as she was strapped to her skydiving instructor.</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/CsZGxykN0PN/?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/CsZGxykN0PN/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Skydive Langar (@skydivelangar)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>After Shirley’s adrenaline packed skydive, she landed safely in a field and can be heard in the video exclaiming, “That was wonderful.”</p> <p>When asked about her favourite part of the experience, she responded, “That was lovely, going through the clouds.”</p> <p>She confessed afterwards that the free fall was a “bit breathtaking” but she “loved it” before thanking her instructor for looking after her.</p> <p>Shirley returned to a hero’s welcome with her beaming friends and family congratulating her.</p> <p>A spokesperson for the charity said, “We want to say an enormous thank you to Shirley for the incredible amount of money she has raised.</p> <p>“Shirley's donation will provide vital support for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. We're so grateful.”</p> <p><em>Image credit: Instagram</em></p>

Retirement Life

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Johnny Ruffo’s Christmas present to sick children

<p dir="ltr">Johnny Ruffo has praised his girlfriend Tahnee Sims for being by his side as he continues through treatment for brain cancer.</p> <p dir="ltr">The former <em>Home and Away</em> actor said that he owed everything to his incredible girlfriend who he joked had it harder than him because “she has to deal with me”. </p> <p dir="ltr">"Having Tahnee by my side every step of the way, literally and metaphorically, she's incredible. I couldn't do it without her,” he told 9Honey.</p> <p dir="ltr">"She does it just as hard as I do. She's having to deal with all the doctors and what they're saying, and then she has to deal with me once we get home as well.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The singer is going through chemotherapy once every three weeks and said he wanted to give gave as the holiday season creeps up. </p> <p dir="ltr">Ruffo partnered with Amazon Australia to help twelve superhero children from the Starlight Children’s Foundation to become official toy testers for the festive season.</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/Cj45neCLNj2/?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/Cj45neCLNj2/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Johnny Ruffo (@johnny_ruffo)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">"It brings such joy to me. It's a privilege to be able to know that you are helping them forget about everything that they're going through," he said in the Starlight Children's Foundation campaign.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I feel like I get as much out of it as the kids. It's quite cathartic for me to be able to bring joy to these children who are somewhat in a similar position."</p> <p dir="ltr">The 34-year-old was first diagnosed with brain cancer in 2017 after struggling with multiple headaches.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ruffo then announced in 2019 that he was in remission, but by November 2020 the cancer had returned, before confirming in 2022 that his illness is terminal.</p> <p dir="ltr">He has also recently released a memoir called No Finish Line, dedicated to his girlfriend, in which he details his experiences recording music, acting, his family and loved ones.</p> <p dir="ltr">The title, he explains, is that “it wasn’t the end”.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Caring

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Train driving dream comes true for brain tumour survivor

<p dir="ltr">Three years after doctors found a large tumour growing in his brain, seven-year-old Broly Blackmore has seen his dream of becoming a train driver come true.</p> <p dir="ltr">The young boy from Hallett, South Australia, had the tumour removed when he was just four years old after he collapsed and was rushed to hospital by helicopter.</p> <p dir="ltr">If it wasn’t removed that night, doctors told his mother, Corrine Maidment, that he wouldn’t make it.</p> <p dir="ltr">In the years since, Broly’s life has become relatively normal, albeit with regular brain scans and physio trips - and he has had his wish of driving a train granted by the Starlight Foundation.</p> <p dir="ltr">The seven-year-old went on a trip on the Pichi Richi steam train, travelling from Quorn to Port Augusta as a “trainee train driver”.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Ever since he was only a couple of months old everything has always been about trains … diesels aren't as good as steam trains apparently," Ms Maidment said, adding that he barely slept the night before the big day.</p> <p dir="ltr">"According to everyone in the train, they weren't allowed to do anything without his say so … at one point, he told the fireman, the guy who does the coal, 'That's my seat. I need to sit there'.</p> <p dir="ltr">"He was boss for the day." </p> <p dir="ltr">The Pichi Richi railway, an outback steam train experience that has been operating since 1973, later shared a sweet photo of Broly on the train.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Last Sunday, Pichi Richi Railway was able to grant a wish for a very special visitor, 7 year old Broly who was having his wish granted with help from Starlight Children's Foundation Australia’s ‘Wishgranting Program’,” the railway <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PichiRichiRailway/posts/pfbid032C45MeP339xWYPL321ZTFjXXsehYJh7pWe2xkX812DkCLCBZgZyp8UVNGVzF7ztvl">wrote</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Broly loves trains so Starlight contacted Pichi Richi Railway and Broly was lucky enough to ride in the cab of engine W934 for the day with our crew on the Pichi Richi Explorer service. </p> <p dir="ltr">“A very special day for our crew, Broly and his family.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Although Broly’s wish was given to him while he was in hospital, Ms Maidment said they had waited until he was old enough to decide how he wanted to spend it.</p> <p dir="ltr">"He's had the wish sitting there since he was in the hospital ... but we wanted to wait until he was old enough to make a decision himself so he'd know what the wish was and he'd remember it," she said. </p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-4354a857-7fff-0466-bb9f-4dd255b3ba47"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Blackmore family, Starlight Foundation, Pichi Richi Railway (Facebook)</em></p>

Caring

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Olivia Newton-John’s foundation makes cancer breakthrough

<p dir="ltr">Just over two months after her passing, the cancer research foundation Olivia Newton-John founded has made a significant discovery that could affect the treatment of a highly-aggressive pancreatic cancer.</p> <p dir="ltr">The study, led by Professor Matthias Ernst, the director of the ONJ Cancer Research Institute in Melbourne and the head of LA Trobe’s School of Cancer Medicine, investigated potential targets for treating pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).</p> <p dir="ltr">This aggressive form of cancer has a five-year survival rate, with nine out of ten patients still dying of the disease after receiving chemotherapy treatments due to reoccurrence in the same area or metastasis (where cancer spreads to other parts of the body).</p> <p dir="ltr">Approximately 4,260 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year in Australia, with many experiencing few or no symptoms during the early stages.</p> <p dir="ltr">Professor Ernst and his team identified a novel drug target that could make PDAC tumours more responsive to chemotherapy and immunotherapy and published their results in the journal <em><a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(22)01329-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cell Reports</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">They identified a protein called HCK (hematopoietic cell kinase), which has previously been correlated with poor survival rates and has been found in 95 percent of solid tumours, including PDAC.</p> <p dir="ltr">After comparing PDAC tumours to non-cancerous samples, they found that the tumours expressed this protein at a higher rate.</p> <p dir="ltr">They then wanted to determine whether HCK was involved in the growth of tumours and metastasis, by inserting PDAC tumours into normal mice and mice that have had the gene responsible for making HCK removed.</p> <p dir="ltr">In comparison to the normal mice, the mice without the HCK gene had smaller tumours and didn’t develop metastatic lesions. </p> <p dir="ltr">This confirmed that HCK is involved in the progression of this kind of cancer and that preventing the gene from creating HCK proteins could be a potential target for new cancer treatments.</p> <p dir="ltr">The team reported that targeting HCK could help reduce immune suppression caused by the increased levels of cancer cells that reduce the ability of our immune system to identify and fight cancer, making immunotherapy treatments more effective.</p> <p dir="ltr">While he cautioned that the study was still in its early stages, Professor Ernst is hopeful that the ONJ Institute can build on their findings and run clinical trials in the future. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Because we work in the same building as our oncologist colleagues at Austin Health, our discoveries in the laboratory can be quickly translated into patient trials,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Dr Ashleigh Poh, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow from the ONJ Institute added that the findings could have big implications for pancreatic cancer treatment.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The survival rate of pancreatic cancer has not improved over the past few decades,” Dr Poh said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We hope to eventually translate these findings into the clinic and improve survival outcomes for pancreatic cancer patients.”</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-ab3ceb5a-7fff-1dce-ba56-1a7edeb562a8"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: The ONJ Institute</em></p>

Caring

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Meghan Markle's million-dollar giveaway

<p>Meghan Markle has announced a $1 million giveaway to women in need.</p> <p>The project is the first of its kind for Meghan and Prince Harry, in partnership with their Archewell Foundation and the duchess' podcast Archetypes.</p> <p>Meghan said she was inspired by the "two things" that bring her joy: "supporting women, and the spirit of giving".</p> <p>The Archewell Foundation is partnering with the Ving project, which gives young people the chance to surprise someone in need with a $1,000 cheque ($1500 AUD).</p> <p>The project was inspired by <em>Archetypes</em>, Meghan's podcast series on Spotify which explores stereotypes and labels that hold women back.</p> <p>In a statement, Meghan said, "Two things that bring me great joy are supporting women and the spirit of giving."</p> <p>"With the return of <em>Archetypes</em>, Archewell Foundation and VING have come together to create the perfect combination of these loves."</p> <p>"By donating $1 million in grants to women in need, our hope is not to only provide support where it may be felt deepest, but also empower young adults to embrace the gift of giving at an early age."</p> <p>"I'm very proud of this partnership and the good we hope to see come from it."</p> <p>Teenagers aged between the age of 14 and 18 are being urged to nominate a woman in their life who has inspired them and defied life's hardships, and explain the reasons behind their nomination.</p> <p>Nominees must be adult US residents, non-extended or immediate family members and in need of financial assistance to be eligible for the cash prize.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Influencer slammed for holding raunchy party at retirement home

<p dir="ltr">An elderly woman has appeared to suffer a heart attack while dancing with three strippers at an aged care home.</p> <p dir="ltr">Shocking footage shared to Instagram by influencer Nadia Cartagena shows a group of raunchy dancers showing off their moves to the elderly group at Una Mano Amiga Foundation in El Prado, Cartagena.</p> <p dir="ltr">The clip then shows the woman dancing in between three male dancers before she gasps and puts her hand on her heart.</p> <p dir="ltr">Moments later she is on the floor unconscious and sirens can be heard wailing in the background, rushing to the scene.</p> <p dir="ltr">The woman is then placed on a stretcher and taken to hospital in the ambulance.</p> <p dir="ltr">Nadia announced to her followers that she held an erotic party for “older adults, and I got the biggest scare of my life”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I did not expect what happened to happen, and the truth is that I am very sorry, I just wanted to give them some fun and I did not expect that situation, so I want you to comment on the situation.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Her post was then inundated with furious comments from followers who slammed her for being inconsiderate.</p> <p dir="ltr">“How can you do that, girl? Can't you see that they are old? They can't stand so much voltage. Some suffer from diseases,” one person wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You had too much, a party is ok but with another theme not like this,” another commented.</p> <p dir="ltr">“That party is out of order, that's not fun for people of that age that hurts,” someone else wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Retirement Life

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D.B. Cooper, the changing nature of hijackings and the foundation for today’s airport security

<p>Though many Americans may associate airport security with 9/11, it was a wave of hijackings in the late 1960s and early 1970s that laid the foundation <a href="https://theconversation.com/an-entire-generation-of-americans-has-no-idea-how-easy-air-travel-used-to-be-166082">for today’s airport security protocols</a>.</p> <p>During that period, a hijacking occurred, on average, <a href="https://today.ku.edu/2019/06/10/first-soviet-hijacking-triggers-insights-cold-war-boundaries">once every five days globally</a>. The U.S. dealt with its own spate of mile-high crimes, convincing reluctant government officials and airport executives to adopt the first important airport security protocols.</p> <p>The subject of <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21063148/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0">a new Netflix docuseries</a>, hijacker D.B. Cooper emerged as something of a folk hero during this era. While other more violent hijackings might have played a bigger role in prompting early airport security measures, it was the saga of Cooper that captured the imagination of the American public – and helped transform the perception of the overall threat hijackings posed to U.S. air travel and national security.</p> <h2>Incidents become impossible to ignore</h2> <p>The first airplane hijacking happened in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/hijacking">1931 in Peru</a>. Armed revolutionaries approached the grounded plane of pilot Byron Richards and demanded that he fly them over Lima so they could drop propaganda leaflets. Richards refused, and a 10-day standoff ensued before he was eventually released.</p> <p>That remained a somewhat isolated incident until the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_hijackings">late 1940s and 1950s</a>, when several people hijacked airplanes to escape from Eastern Europe to the West. In the context of the Cold War, Western governments granted these hijackers <a href="https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/hijacking-and-right-asylum-aerial-piracy-and-international-law-p">political asylum</a>. Importantly, none of the airplanes hijacked were flown by U.S. carriers.</p> <p>Beginning in the early 1960s, however, hijackers began targeting U.S. airlines. Most of these individuals were <a href="https://www.tsi-mag.com/the-cuban-hijackings-their-significance-and-impact-sixty-years-on/">Cubans</a> living in the U.S. who, for one reason or another, wished to return to their native land and were otherwise blocked due to <a href="https://www.thecubareader.com/blog/the-strange-story-of-the-us-cuba-hijacking-accord">the U.S. embargo</a> against Cuba.</p> <p>U.S. officials responded by <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/49/46502">officially and specifically making hijacking a federal crime</a>. Though the new law didn’t stop hijackings altogether, the crime remained relatively rare. When they did occur, they usually didn’t involve much violence.</p> <p><a href="https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/15042-take-me-to-cuba-the-skyjacking-craze-of-the-1960s">Officials wanted to downplay hijackings as much as possible</a>, and the best way to do this was to simply give the hijacker what they wanted to avert the loss of life. Above all, airline executives wanted to avoid deterring people from flying, so they resisted the implementation of anxiety-inducing security protocols.</p> <p>That changed in 1968. On July 23 of that year, members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine <a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/on-this-day-el-al-flight-426-hijacked-by-pflp-674735">hijacked an El Al flight</a> from Rome to Tel Aviv. Though that 39-day ordeal ended without any loss of life, it ushered in a new era of more violent – often politically motivated – hijackings of international airlines.</p> <p>From 1968 to 1974, U.S. airlines experienced <a href="https://www.vox.com/2016/3/29/11326472/hijacking-airplanes-egyptair">130 hijackings</a>. Many fell into this new category of politically motivated hijackings, including what has become known as the <a href="https://www.hsdl.org/c/tl/dawsons-field-hijackings/">Dawson’s Field hijackings</a>. In September 1970, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine hijacked four aircraft, including three belonging to U.S. carriers, and forced them to land at Dawson’s Field in Libya. No hostage lives were lost, but the hijackers used explosives to destroy all four aircraft.</p> <p>Additionally, and more worrying to U.S. officials, two different groups of hijackers, <a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-sep-23-mn-48746-story.html">one in 1971</a> and <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2016/06/06/detroit-skyjacker-airplane-explanation/85314438/">another in 1972</a>, threatened to crash planes into nuclear power plants.</p> <h2>Cooper inspires copycats</h2> <p>Amid this dramatic rise in the number of hijackings, on Nov. 24, 1971, a man known to the American public as <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/db-cooper-hijacking">D.B. Cooper</a> boarded a Northwest Orient 727 flight from Portland, Oregon, to Seattle. Shortly after takeoff, he showed a stewardess the contents of his briefcase, which he said was a bomb. He then instructed the stewardess to take a note to the cockpit. In it, he demanded US$200,000 in $20 bills and four parachutes.</p> <p>Upon arrival in Seattle, Cooper allowed the other passengers to deplane in exchange for the money and the parachutes. Cooper then ordered the pilot to fly to Mexico but low and slowly – <a href="https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/db-cooper">no higher than 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) and under 200 knots (230 mph, 370 kph)</a>. Somewhere between Seattle and a fuel stop in Reno, Nevada, Cooper and the loot disappeared out the back of the aircraft via the 727’s <a href="https://saverocity.com/taggingmiles/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2016/07/727-Aft-Stairs.jpg">aft stairwell</a>. No one knows for sure what happened to him, though some of the money was recovered in 1980.</p> <p>Cooper wasn’t the first person to hijack an American airliner and demand money. That dubious honor belongs to <a href="https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,909374,00.html">Arthur Barkley</a>. Frustrated with his inability to get government officials to take seriously his dispute with the IRS, on June 4, 1970, Barkley hijacked a TWA aircraft, demanding $100 million and a hearing before the U.S. Supreme Court. Barkley’s efforts failed, and he ended up confined to a mental institution.</p> <p>The idea that Cooper might have succeeded, however, clearly inspired several imitators. While it remains uncertain whether Cooper lived to enjoy the fruits of his escapade, none of his imitators did. They included <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/richard-floyd-mccoy-jr">Richard McCoy, Jr.</a>, <a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/article_1aac5de6-6eb4-5245-a126-7adf324d5eb2.html">Martin J. McNally</a> and <a href="https://www.wfmz.com/features/historys-headlines/historys-headlines-skyjack-of-1972/article_940d5703-8e18-528b-80c4-443b3607b6b0.html">Frederick Hahneman</a>, all of whom successfully parachuted out of the aircraft once they received their ransom payments, only to be eventually caught and punished.</p> <h2>Tightening the screws</h2> <p>In response to the spate of more violent and costly hijackings, the U.S. government established the <a href="https://www.ibm.com/blogs/systems/a-brief-history-of-airline-security-hijackings-and-metal-detectors/">first anti-hijacking security protocols</a>. Most of them aimed to prevent hijackers from getting on aircraft in the first place. The measures included a hijacker profile, metal detectors and X-ray machines. Specific to Cooper, airlines retrofitted aircraft with a devise known as a <a href="https://www.wikimotors.org/what-is-a-cooper-vane.htm">Cooper vane</a> that made it impossible to open aft stairwells during flight.</p> <p>The protocols put in place in the 1970s also laid the foundation for the expansive security measures taken after 9/11. A series of court cases upheld the constitutionality of these early measures. For example, <a href="https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/328/1077/1428246/">United States v. Lopez</a>, decided in 1971, upheld the use of the hijacker profile.</p> <p>More importantly, in <a href="https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/454/769/438142/">United States v. Epperson</a>, a federal court ruled in 1972 that the government’s interest in preventing hijackings justified the requirement for passengers to pass through a magnetometer at the airport. And in 1973, the Ninth Circuit Court, in <a href="https://casetext.com/case/united-states-v-davis-51">United States v. Davis</a>, declared that the government’s need to protect passengers from hijackings rendered all searches of passengers for weapons and explosives as reasonable and legal.</p> <p>These rulings upholding early anti-hijacking measures helped create <a href="https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/post-9-11-challenges-aviation-security-homeland-security-law-and">the strong legal grounds</a> for the rapid adoption of the more rigorous security protocols – including detailed identification checks, random pat-downs and full body scans – adopted after 9/11.</p> <p>The mystery surrounding the fate of Cooper may have afforded him an outsized place in American popular culture, but his crime should also be remembered as one in a consequential wave of hijackings that finally forced the U.S. government, airline executives and airport officials to adopt the first versions of the security measures travelers take for granted today.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/d-b-cooper-the-changing-nature-of-hijackings-and-the-foundation-for-todays-airport-security-185562" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

International Travel

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The truth about becoming a foster carer while retired

<p dir="ltr">Foster care is something not many retirees think about or consider due to misunderstandings of how the system works. </p> <p dir="ltr">The rewarding potential of foster care for some of Australia’s most vulnerable kids and young people is endless and can easily fit into your lifestyle.  </p> <p dir="ltr">Susan Barton AM, Founder of Lighthouse Foundation, a Melbourne not-for-profit organisation, says the misconceptions about foster care needs to be cleared up. </p> <p dir="ltr">She spoke to <em>Over60</em> about the benefits and how to become a foster carer.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>What sort of support is available for those wanting to foster while retired?</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">I’m very proud of the support Lighthouse Foundation offers to our carers, including those who want to foster while retired. Our carers should never feel alone. There’s always a helping hand nearby or a sympathetic ear ready to listen at the end of the phone.</p> <p dir="ltr">All our carers can use our ‘Hub Home’ – a central place to access support and services for themselves and the children they look after. This ‘Hub Home’ unites foster carers in a local area and is a safe and warm place for children and families to receive therapeutic care and access trauma informed support and advice.</p> <p dir="ltr">As an organisation we place significant importance on the role of community and community support. By creating a central space through our ‘Hub Home’, our aim is to allow carers to develop friendships, build support systems, learn from one another, and interact with those going through the same experiences.</p> <p dir="ltr">The ‘Hub Home’ is also used for respite care. All carers need a break every now and again. A few days off, gives a foster carer the chance to recuperate and return well rested and ready to give their all to the role. In-home carers are another great support system offered by Lighthouse Foundation. This is where someone comes to your home and provides a helping hand - they can demonstrate, or explain, anything from the physical work requirements of the role, to how to go about caring for a young person, and how to respond to certain situations. And, we also have team of psychologists who are on hand for foster carers to lean on for support.</p> <p dir="ltr">We never want our carers to feel isolated or overwhelmed. We think of Lighthouse Foundation as an extended family and our aim is for everybody to feel loved and supported.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>How long is the process to become a foster carer when retired?</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">The process takes between six to 12 months – depending on the pace you set for yourself. As soon as you begin the process, you’ll be invited to access a number of support groups and training opportunities and receive regular contact from Lighthouse Foundation. So, while it takes time to become a qualified carer, you’ll feel included and part of the Lighthouse Foundation family almost instantly.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>How does the retiree benefit from foster care? </strong></p> <p dir="ltr">There are so many ways to benefit from fostering, and I speak from personal experience! As a carer you’re making a significant difference to the life of a young person but you’re also serving yourself by spending time with a younger generation. Being a positive presence in a young person’s life, especially one who’s had a difficult start to life, is a really beautiful thing and greatly enhances your own life experience. It gives you a greater perspective, a renewed purpose, a sharper focus and really shows how precious life is. It can be truly energising. There are endless ways in which you feel and experience life differently once you’ve fostered a young person. Of course, it’s not always easy, but retirees have so much life experience to share with young people and can be some of the best, most effective carers.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>How many different types of foster care are available? </strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Foster care is more varied than people believe.</p> <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Respite care is where a carer provides a child with regular and/or occasional time away from the primary carer so the primary carer can have a short period of restorative time. As a respite carer you might care for a child on the weekend, or for one week a month, or every couple of months.</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Emergency care, on the other hand, may occur in the event of a crisis where a child or sibling group require urgent overnight care. In this type of care, you may have the child for a few days or even a week, but the intended goal is to move the child to a more permanent carer.</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Short term care can last from a few weeks to months, with the intention of returning the child to their family of origin as quickly as possible.</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Finally, long term care, which is six months or longer, is where you really commit to becoming a stable, loving and nurturing influence in a young person’s life.</p> </li> </ul> <p dir="ltr">It’s possible for children to switch between foster care requirements and as you go through training to become a carer, you’ll discover what level of care you’re best suited to. We sometimes encourage new carers to dip their toe in the pool of foster care by starting with shorter placements. This helps carers gain experience before moving on to more permanent care and longer placements.</p> <p>Returning the young person to their family of origin is always the intended goal of foster care – this is something many people don’t realise. Sometimes this happens quickly, and other times children will be with a carer for much longer. As a carer you have agency to choose the type of care that works best for you.</p> <p><strong>How much time do you need to commit to foster care?</strong></p> <p>This varies depending on the type of foster care you decide works best for you. What’s most important is that you’re consistent and flexible in your commitment to caring for a young person.</p> <p>If you choose to become a respite carer, you’ll be paired with a child who you’ll see regularly and repetitively. You’ll become a part of that child’s support network, potentially seeing them once a month over two years, for example. While there’s no set amount of time you need to set aside to foster, carers must be reliable and committed to building both rapport and a long-term relationship with the child they care for.<br /><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/04/Screen-Shot-2022-04-26-at-3.09.18-pm.png" alt="" width="964" height="1140" /><br /><strong>Will I be rejected as a carer because of my age?</strong></p> <p>I’m 75 and I’d still be considered as a carer so there really isn’t an age limit. Respite care is a great place to start as a retiree – and in some ways it’s a bit like having your grandkids for the weekend. </p> <p dir="ltr">You might find you have a lot of energy and resilience and that the experience is really rewarding. As a retiree you might also have a significant amount of time to commit and be able to offer a young person the long- term stability and relationship they so desperately require. </p> <p dir="ltr">Having an older respite carer is such an amazing opportunity for a young person too. For example, retirees will be able to offer time and support that other longer-term carers can’t. You might be able to guide a child through the process of looking for a job, completing a school project or mastering a hobby they love.</p> <p><strong>Can you foster a child if you’re single?</strong></p> <p>Of course! Your relationship status is part of the assessment when applying to become a carer, along with other factors like how resilient you are as a single parent, whether you’re financially stable and whether you live alone and attend work. Each child and carer will have varied individual needs, which we understand. We try and match you with a child whose requirements fit your lifestyle, and the special characteristics and life experience you have to offer.</p> <p><strong>Do you need a large home to be a foster carer?</strong></p> <p>A spare bedroom is (almost) all you need! We match you based on your individual situation. For example, if you’re really courageous and want to take on a sibling group of three or four children, of course we’d love you to have a fair bit of room. But if you’re caring for an individual young person, perhaps a teenager, who loves to spend time reading or on their computer, there’s less need for big open spaces for them to run around in.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Can you back out of foster care if it’s not the right fit? </strong></p> <p dir="ltr">You can always change your mind. Foster care is a really rewarding experience for the right person, so we’d never put you or the child through something if it wasn’t quite right.</p> <p dir="ltr">We hope that by the time you’ve completed the training you’re well-resourced to make an informed decision about becoming a carer. We guide you along the way and can offer advice on what might fit best with your lifestyle.</p> <p dir="ltr">Even when you have a child in your care, there’s an option to finish your placement. Lighthouse will always support your decision and to help find solutions to challenging situations. We hate to lose loving carers, so we’ll encourage you to consider alternatives. Downshifting from full-time care, to respite care is not uncommon and can enable you to remain in a child’s life in a new capacity</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Can you foster a child on a single income or pension? </strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Yes! We’re not concerned about the amount of money you have but we will ask that you’re financially stable and able to meet the needs of the young person in your care. Carers do get a stipend to help support the needs of the young person too.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Can you nominate the age of the child you’d like to foster? </strong></p> <p dir="ltr">You can put forward your preferences, and Lighthouse Foundation will try to match you accordingly. Maintaining flexibility and an open mind are key though. For example, you may have a preference for an older child, but some children are independent and capable beyond their years, and could make for a good match. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Retirement Life

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5 things to know about foundation models and the next generation of AI

<p>If you’ve seen photos of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/06/technology/openai-images-dall-e.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a teapot shaped like an avocado</a> or read a well-written article that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/sep/08/robot-wrote-this-article-gpt-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">veers off on slightly weird tangents</a>, you may have been exposed to a new trend in artificial intelligence (AI).</p> <p>Machine learning systems called <a href="https://openai.com/dall-e-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DALL-E</a>, <a href="https://openai.com/blog/gpt-3-edit-insert/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GPT</a> and <a href="https://ai.googleblog.com/2022/04/pathways-language-model-palm-scaling-to.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PaLM</a> are making a splash with their incredible ability to generate creative work.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">DALL·E 2 is here! It can generate images from text, like "teddy bears working on new AI research on the moon in the 1980s".</p> <p>It's so fun, and sometimes beautiful.<a href="https://t.co/XZmh6WkMAS">https://t.co/XZmh6WkMAS</a> <a href="https://t.co/3zOu30IqCZ">pic.twitter.com/3zOu30IqCZ</a></p> <p>— Sam Altman (@sama) <a href="https://twitter.com/sama/status/1511715302265942024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p>These systems are known as “foundation models” and are not all hype and party tricks. So how does this new approach to AI work? And will it be the end of human creativity and the start of a deep-fake nightmare?</p> <p><strong>1. What are foundation models?</strong></p> <p><a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2108.07258" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Foundation models</a> work by training a single huge system on large amounts of general data, then adapting the system to new problems. Earlier models tended to start from scratch for each new problem.</p> <p>DALL-E 2, for example, was trained to match pictures (such as a photo of a pet cat) with the caption (“Mr. Fuzzyboots the tabby cat is relaxing in the sun”) by scanning hundreds of millions of examples. Once trained, this model knows what cats (and other things) look like in pictures.</p> <p>But the model can also be used for many other interesting AI tasks, such as generating new images from a caption alone (“Show me a koala dunking a basketball”) or editing images based on written instructions (“Make it look like this monkey is paying taxes”).</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Our newest system DALL·E 2 can create realistic images and art from a description in natural language. See it here: <a href="https://t.co/Kmjko82YO5">https://t.co/Kmjko82YO5</a> <a href="https://t.co/QEh9kWUE8A">pic.twitter.com/QEh9kWUE8A</a></p> <p>— OpenAI (@OpenAI) <a href="https://twitter.com/OpenAI/status/1511707245536428034?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p><strong>2. How do they work?</strong></p> <p>Foundation models run on “<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-a-neural-network-a-computer-scientist-explains-151897" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deep neural networks</a>”, which are loosely inspired by how the brain works. These involve sophisticated mathematics and a huge amount of computing power, but they boil down to a very sophisticated type of pattern matching.</p> <p>For example, by looking at millions of example images, a deep neural network can associate the word “cat” with patterns of pixels that often appear in images of cats – like soft, fuzzy, hairy blobs of texture. The more examples the model sees (the more data it is shown), and the bigger the model (the more “layers” or “depth” it has), the more complex these patterns and correlations can be.</p> <p>Foundation models are, in one sense, just an extension of the “deep learning” paradigm that has dominated AI research for the past decade. However, they exhibit un-programmed or “emergent” behaviours that can be both surprising and novel.</p> <p>For example, Google’s PaLM language model seems to be able to produce explanations for complicated metaphors and jokes. This goes beyond simply <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2204.02311" target="_blank" rel="noopener">imitating the types of data it was originally trained to process</a>.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457594/original/file-20220412-10836-vaj8rb.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457594/original/file-20220412-10836-vaj8rb.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=333&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457594/original/file-20220412-10836-vaj8rb.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=333&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457594/original/file-20220412-10836-vaj8rb.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=333&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457594/original/file-20220412-10836-vaj8rb.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=418&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457594/original/file-20220412-10836-vaj8rb.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=418&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457594/original/file-20220412-10836-vaj8rb.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=418&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="A user interacting with the PaLM language model by typing questions. The AI system responds by typing back answers." /><figcaption><span class="caption">The PaLM language model can answer complicated questions.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://ai.googleblog.com/2022/04/pathways-language-model-palm-scaling-to.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Google AI</a></span></figcaption></figure> <p><strong>3. Access is limited – for now</strong></p> <p>The sheer scale of these AI systems is difficult to think about. PaLM has <em>540 billion</em> parameters, meaning even if everyone on the planet memorised 50 numbers, we still wouldn’t have enough storage to reproduce the model.</p> <p>The models are so enormous that training them requires massive amounts of computational and other resources. One estimate put the cost of training OpenAI’s language model GPT-3 at <a href="https://lambdalabs.com/blog/gpt-3/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">around US$5 million</a>.</p> <p>As a result, only huge tech companies such as OpenAI, Google and Baidu can afford to build foundation models at the moment. These companies limit who can access the systems, which makes economic sense.</p> <p>Usage restrictions may give us some comfort these systems won’t be used for nefarious purposes (such as generating fake news or defamatory content) any time soon. But this also means independent researchers are unable to interrogate these systems and share the results in an open and accountable way. So we don’t yet know the full implications of their use.</p> <p><strong>4. What will these models mean for ‘creative’ industries?</strong></p> <p>More foundation models will be produced in coming years. Smaller models are already being published in <a href="https://openai.com/blog/gpt-2-1-5b-release/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">open-source forms</a>, tech companies are starting to <a href="https://openai.com/blog/openai-api/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">experiment with licensing and commercialising these tools</a> and AI researchers are working hard to make the technology more efficient and accessible.</p> <p>The remarkable creativity shown by models such as PaLM and DALL-E 2 demonstrates that creative professional jobs could be impacted by this technology sooner than initially expected.</p> <p>Traditional wisdom always said robots would displace “blue collar” jobs first. “White collar” work was meant to be relatively safe from automation – especially professional work that required creativity and training.</p> <p>Deep learning AI models already exhibit super-human accuracy in tasks like <a href="https://theconversation.com/ai-could-be-our-radiologists-of-the-future-amid-a-healthcare-staff-crisis-120631" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reviewing x-rays</a> and <a href="https://www.macularsociety.org/about/media/news/breakthrough-artificial-intelligence-ai-helps-detect-dry-amd/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">detecting the eye condition macular degeneration</a>. Foundation models may soon provide cheap, “good enough” creativity in fields such as advertising, copywriting, stock imagery or graphic design.</p> <p>The future of professional and creative work could look a little different than we expected.</p> <p><strong>5. What this means for legal evidence, news and media</strong></p> <p>Foundation models will inevitably <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-01/historic-decision-allows-ai-to-be-recognised-as-an-inventor/100339264" target="_blank" rel="noopener">affect the law</a> in areas such as intellectual property and evidence, because we won’t be able to assume <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/us-copyright-office-rules-ai-art-cant-be-copyrighted-180979808/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">creative content is the result of human activity</a>.</p> <p>We will also have to confront the challenge of disinformation and misinformation generated by these systems. We already face enormous problems with disinformation, as we are seeing in the <a href="https://theconversation.com/fake-viral-footage-is-spreading-alongside-the-real-horror-in-ukraine-here-are-5-ways-to-spot-it-177921" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unfolding Russian invasion of Ukraine</a> and the nascent problem of <a href="https://theconversation.com/3-2-billion-images-and-720-000-hours-of-video-are-shared-online-daily-can-you-sort-real-from-fake-148630" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deep fake</a> images and video, but foundation models are poised to super-charge these challenges.</p> <p><strong>Time to prepare</strong></p> <p>As researchers who <a href="https://www.admscentre.org.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study the the effects of AI on society</a>, we think foundation models will bring about huge transformations. They are tightly controlled (for now), so we probably have a little time to understand their implications before they become a huge issue.</p> <p>The genie isn’t quite out of the bottle yet, but foundation models are a very big bottle – and inside there is a very clever genie.<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/181150/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/aaron-j-snoswell-1331146" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aaron J. Snoswell</a>, Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Computational Law &amp; AI Accountability, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Queensland University of Technology</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/dan-hunter-1336925" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dan Hunter</a>, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Law, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Queensland University of Technology</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/robots-are-creating-images-and-telling-jokes-5-things-to-know-about-foundation-models-and-the-next-generation-of-ai-181150" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: OpenAI</em></p>

Technology

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"Pink flamingo": Jett Kenny explains bizarre new hairstyle

<p dir="ltr">Model and former <em>SAS Australia</em> contestant Jett Kenny has drastically changed his hair colour for a good cause. </p> <p dir="ltr">Sharing the incredible snaps to Instagram, Jett showed off bright pink locks in support of his friend’s daughter who was diagnosed with leukaemia. </p> <p dir="ltr">Jett has already raised a whopping $8,200 for the Leukaemia Foundation and will cut his hair on April 9, in honour of his friend’s daughter.</p> <p dir="ltr">“When I said pink, I meant PINK,” he wrote in the caption.</p> <p dir="ltr">“A whopping $8200 has been raised so far for team #allinforaspen and @worldsgreatestshave</p> <p dir="ltr">“Nine more days till it all comes off, let’s see what targets we can hit next. Let’s smash 10k!”</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/CbwyASkhCx2/?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/CbwyASkhCx2/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Jett Kenny (@jettkenny)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Jett shared his own story on the World’s Greatest Shave website, saying his hair might also not grow back.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I started growing my hair in 2012 and has been long and tied up ever since being able to do so,” he wrote. </p> <p dir="ltr">“There’s a strong chance my hair may not grow back as, like my father, I’m leaning towards the bald side of life.</p> <p dir="ltr">“So please donate what you can, but more importantly, share this with all of your family and friends and encourage them to donate and share also! To see how much we can raise together as a team!</p> <p dir="ltr">“Thankyou for your support!”</p> <p dir="ltr">At the time of the publication, Jett had raised $21,146.51 of his $1,000 goal. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Caring

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Family fights to be with cancer-stricken daughter

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The parents of a critically-ill little girl have been granted an exemption amid tough hospital restrictions to stay by their daughter’s bedside.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Four-year-old Lara Yaroslavceff was only recently diagnosed with leukaemia, in a diagnosis that forced her parents Stacey and Matt to uproot their lives in Orange, New South Wales, so she can be treated in Sydney.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We had to leave our two children, who are three and nine months, in Orange, which is four hours away, indefinitely,” Mrs Yaroslavceff said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Orange has just gone into lockdown, so we can’t go back and see our other children and they can’t come here and see us.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Then, the already isolated parents were told they would have to separate from each other and care for their daughter in hospital during rotating 24-hour shifts.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“One parent per day, no swapping, it is just one parent per day, we are allowed a 15-minute changeover to discuss how Lara has gone in the last 24 hours.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In an emotional changeover this morning, Mr Yaroslavceff swapped out with his wife with the knowledge that his young daughter was about to have her first surgery without him there.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“She definitely is struggling not having both of us there,” Mr Yaroslavceff said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“For us especially, just 200 metres away looking out the window, I can see the hospital, we’re not going off-site, we’re not going into the community, we can’t go home because that’s three to four hours away so we’re literally on-site and swapping, so that doesn’t seem to make sense.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The couple are staying at the Ronald McDonald House, which sits on the grounds of Randwick’s Children’s Hospital.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite the strict restrictions being put in place for the safety of sick and vulnerable patients, Health Minister Brad Hazzard agreed to a request from </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">A Current Affair</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to reconsider Lara’s case.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Shortly after, the decision was made that both Mr and Mrs Yaroslavceff would be able to stay at Lara’s bedside together.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“An exemption for the Yaroslavceff family was arranged on Wednesday, 21 July,” a spokesperson from Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network said in a statement.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Exemptions are always considered and our clinical teams are committed to working with families on a case-by-case basis, according to the patient and family’s individual needs, and the safety of other patients, family and staff.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Families are encouraged to discuss any questions or concerns directly with their child’s health care team, so their specific circumstances can be carefully considered.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: A Current Affair</span></em></p>

Caring

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Bridgerton offers clever relationship advice — why friendship is the foundation of happy romantic partnerships

<p><em>This story contains spoilers for Bridgerton</em></p> <hr /> <p>The first season of <a href="https://www.netflix.com/au/title/80232398">Bridgerton</a>, Netflix’s new hit show based on Julia Quinn’s <a href="https://juliaquinn.com/series/bridgertons/">novels</a>, premiered on December 25 last year.</p> <p>The show is set in London, during the debutante season of 1813. It starts with Miss Daphne, the eldest daughter of the Bridgerton family, being presented to the court in preparation for the social season of marriage arrangements.</p> <p>As the story develops, filled with secrets and scandals, the young lady seeks to understand what marriage and love is all about. Her mother, Lady Violet, offers this advice:</p> <blockquote> <p>My dear, why ever do you complicate matters so? You must simply marry the man who feels like your dearest friend.</p> </blockquote> <p>As a psychology researcher who studies romantic relationships, I think this touches on an idea well supported by research evidence: friendship is the foundation of happy romantic partnerships.</p> <p><strong>The importance of friendship</strong></p> <p>American psychologist Robert Sternberg originally <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1986-21992-001">theorised</a> love is composed of three elements: passion, intimacy and commitment.</p> <p>But these elements do not comprehensively describe the complexity of romantic relationships. Researchers have long sought to include other elements such as <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1468199031000099424">partner compatibility</a>, <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&amp;lr=&amp;id=xRCAAAAAQBAJ&amp;oi=fnd&amp;pg=PA3&amp;dq=info:Vuqqrl6AGiIJ:scholar.google.com&amp;ots=AsvwXKnRxG&amp;sig=5oKQDpBgdR9niPa-_HzeGsU2Lwc&amp;redir_esc=y#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false">emotional connection</a>, <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2012-33681-007">accessibility</a>, <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2012-33681-007">responsiveness</a>, <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2012-33681-007">engagement</a>, <a href="https://ps.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/ps.40.5.540">acceptance</a>, the ability to communicate and reveal thoughts and feelings (called “<a href="https://guilfordjournals.com/doi/pdf/10.1521/jscp.23.6.857.54803">self-disclosure</a>”), <a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/7220710">independence</a> and <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1994-01471-001">conflict resolution</a>.</p> <p>What’s more, although it’s <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0146167203262847">well established</a> physical attraction and earning potential will influence how people select partners, <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0022-3514.51.6.1167">similarity</a> and <a href="https://academic.oup.com/abm/article-abstract/41/1/131/4569550">familiarity</a> are more important for relationships long-term.</p> <p>Over time, similarities such as values, political attitudes, and religiosity become more relevant and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16958707/">are likely to lead</a> to greater happiness and relationship satisfaction.</p> <p>All of these are qualities you’d also find in a good friend.</p> <p>Indeed marriage researcher and psychologist John Gottman argues friendship is the foundation of happy romantic partnerships and the most important predictor of maintaining good relationships long-term.</p> <p>In his book, <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&amp;lr=&amp;id=HB43DwAAQBAJ&amp;oi=fnd&amp;pg=PT10&amp;dq=seven+principle+of+making+marriage+work&amp;ots=yJ-Bw-nIbt&amp;sig=J0SDLtQIz2NefIqsRrCXOTysWG0#v=onepage&amp;q=%E2%80%9Cknow%20each%20other%20intimately%20%5Band%5D%20are%20well%20versed%20in%20each%20other%E2%80%99s%20likes%2C%20dislikes%2C%20personality%20quirks%2C%20hopes%2C%20and%20dreams&amp;f=false">The Seven Principles For Making Marriage Work</a>, Gottman explains couples have a better chance of success if they “know each other intimately — they are well versed in each other’s likes, dislikes, personality quirks, hopes, and dreams”.</p> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378168/original/file-20210111-21-hvpfqa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="Daphne Bridgerton and her mother Lady Violet Bridgerton" /> <span class="caption">Lady Violet (right) has sound advice for her daughter Daphne: ‘You must simply marry the man who feels like your dearest friend’.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX</span></span></p> <p>The relationship advice and support provided by Lady Violet was a significant contributor to Daphne’s decision to marry Simon, the Duke of Hastings.</p> <p>The Duke explains that at first, love was out of the question, but in removing it, they found friendship, which is a far greater feat. He put it simply:</p> <blockquote> <p>To meet a beautiful woman is one thing, but to meet your best friend in the most beautiful of women is something entirely apart.</p> </blockquote> <p><strong>Barriers to finding (and keeping) love)</strong></p> <p>On the other hand, the show demonstrates how people’s beliefs, attitudes and behaviours can potentially sabotage their chances in love. One reason why so many couples struggle to navigate conflict in their relationships is because people are often intrinsically motivated to protect themselves rather than be vulnerable.</p> <p>The Duke of Hastings is a good example. In an attempt to protect himself from the hurtful memories of his childhood and relationship with his father, the Duke closed himself off to relationships and love.</p> <p>Unfortunately, this is all too common. In my recent <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15332691.2020.1795039?needAccess=true">study</a>, published in July 2020, I surveyed 696 people and uncovered countless examples of people who describe being afraid and believing they’re not worthy of love.</p> <p>Here are some of them:</p> <blockquote> <p>“I am always afraid it is not going to work out or I am going to get hurt, but I know that me trying to maintain a distance like that is one of the reasons my relationships always fail”</p> <p>“I fear not being accepted for who I am”</p> <p>“My own beliefs that I am maybe not good enough, or worthy of such affection, make it difficult to maintain relationships”</p> <p>“I am not good enough for my partner and one day they will realise that and leave.”</p> </blockquote> <p>These beliefs influence how people perceive quality and stress in relationships, and can mean people prevent themselves from forming and maintaining successful relationships.</p> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378171/original/file-20210111-19-p5jwn2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="Sad woman lying on bed facing away from her partner" /> <em><span class="caption">Many of us are afraid to be vulnerable, and shut ourselves off to potential chances at love.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></em></p> <p><strong>Overcoming the trials of relationships</strong></p> <p>Unlike “happily ever after” tales, Bridgerton follows the couple into a story of conflict when navigating the expectations of marriage.</p> <p>The trust between the couple seemed to have been broken beyond repair after Daphne discovered Simon had been lying to her about his inability to have children. But a foundation of friendship remained. And it was this foundation that helped them overcome their issues.</p> <p>In my research, I <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15332691.2020.1795039?needAccess=true">found</a> participants were able to overcome issues in their relationships by focusing on trust, communication, commitment, safety and acceptance. They noted these as important elements when managing conflict and relationship expectations.</p> <p>Maintaining a healthy relationship long-term requires partners to know, trust and be vulnerable with one another, while also engaging in open communication and collaboration towards the common goal of working on their relationship. Altogether, these elements also describe meaningful friendships.<!-- 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; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/152953/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><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/raquel-peel-368041">Raquel Peel</a>, Lecturer, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-southern-queensland-1069">University of Southern Queensland</a></em></span></p> <p>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/bridgerton-offers-clever-relationship-advice-why-friendship-is-the-foundation-of-happy-romantic-partnerships-152953">original article</a>.</p>

Relationships

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Tiny symptoms led to daughter’s cancer diagnosis

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A Melbourne mother is sharing the story that has resulted in the diagnosis of her little girl with cancer, with the hope of raising awareness of the tiny signs to watch out for.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A few months ago Amelia Nesci went from being a happy child who was rarely sick to experiencing multiple bouts of illness.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The three-year-old no longer wanted to play outside and became a “fussy eater”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After taking her to multiple doctors and different types of medical experts, mother Nadia Carli was still no closer to the answer. Amelia was treated for constipation and worms but wasn’t getting better.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At the end of May, Amelia had a nosebleed that lasted for hours.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It didn’t look right, the blood was very pale and coming out like tap water,” Nadia said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">By the time they arrived at the hospital, her nose had been bleeding for two hours and the little girl was struggling to walk.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Results from a blood test showed that her white blood cell count was extremely low.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A few tests later, doctors diagnosed Amelia with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img style="width: 375px; height: 500px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841685/157fae2d13d64df10e255e3fef98e04d3b9b86a1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/6e6502a9a95648cbb066e438ae904d2c" /></span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is a kind of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow which is most common in young children between zero and 14 years old.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Our world went upside down,” Nadia said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“A lot of that day is a big blur. I remember the doctor telling me those words [that she had cancer] but after that I don’t remember anything,” the mother-of-four said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Amelia started chemotherapy three days after being diagnosed.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If the treatment works, she should finish chemotherapy by February next year.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nadia’s best friend Laura Ward, said the teachers’ aide had been putting on a brave face but was definitely struggling.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Nadia has been my best friend of 21 years and in all that time I’ve never seen her cry or heard her scream like the one I did on Tuesday when Amelia was diagnosed. It will haunt me for the rest of my life,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ms Ward has started a </span><a href="https://au.gofundme.com/f/4h24j-help-amelia-beat-leukemia?qid=8d48e1f7f6312eaf9b48e5fcb8955c0b"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gofundme</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> page to support the family.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Feeling guilty that she didn’t spot the signs sooner, Nadia has spoken out to encourage other parents to seek answers.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This kind of cancer is characterised by an overproduction of immature white blood cells.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Because the bone marrow can’t produce enough red blood cells, normal white cells, and platelets, common symptoms of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia can include persistent tiredness, paleness, dizziness, or shortness of breath during physical activity, as well as increased or unexplained bleeding or bruising. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nadia has also urged more people to consider donating blood to help children like Amelia.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Images: Laura Ward / GoFundMe</span></em></p>

Caring

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Family left devastated after toddler’s heartbreaking diagnosis: “He was screaming in pain”

<p>A heartbroken mum from the Central Coast of NSW heartbreakingly revealed she never expected her 18-month-old son’s usual afternoon nap to turn into something so sinister.</p> <p>Sarah Fryc said that when she woke her son, Eden, up, after a long day of playing with his diggers and dinosaurs, he could no longer walk.</p> <p>“He was screaming in pain. It came out of nowhere,” she told to <a href="https://www.essentialbaby.com.au/toddler/toddler-health/he-woke-up-and-couldnt-walk-family-shattered-after-toddlers-diagnosis-20210426-h1vg4g?utm_source=nine&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=homepage"><em>Essential Baby.</em></a></p> <p>Sarah rushed Eden to her local GP, and what was thought to be a hip infection was revealed to be leukaemia.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840944/charles-spencer-3.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/49d6135100c04df0bbf79d570540d3a3" /></p> <p>The toddler’s parents were shattered, with Sarah saying: "It felt like the world had closed in on me and I couldn't escape.</p> <p>Little Eden was rushed to the Sydney Children's Hospital that same night, where he would end up spending the next two months full-time, alongside his mum.</p> <p>Little Eden was rushed to Sydney Children’s Hospital, where he would spend his time for the next two months.</p> <p>Sarah says it was not only the toddler who suffered, but his big sister Charlotte, and dad Stephen.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840946/charles-spencer.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/d6a906fc71b54a419a41274f6b18e62d" /></p> <p>"Treatment began straight away," Sarah said.</p> <p>"And it left him exhausted and often too sick to leave his bed.</p> <p>"It was really hard to see him stuck in hospital for weeks on end, constantly being poked and prodded. It's bittersweet as I knew he had no choice but to get used to it.</p> <p>“He is usually such an active and cheeky kid. No one wants to see their kid in pain and stressed."</p> <p>The family were eventually “torn in two” when Sarah and Eden were forced to relocate to Sydney so he could continue on with his chemotherapy treatment.</p> <p>However, Sarah and Stephen say their son, who is now three, has made remarkable strides.</p> <p>"Eden is so resilient,” Sarah admitted.</p>

Caring

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Ashley Cain bares all after death of baby: “You saved my life”

<p>Former British soccer star Ashley Cain has opened up following the loss of his daughter who passed away from a rare, aggressive cancer.</p> <p>Baby Azaylia died on Saturday, at just eight months old.</p> <p>Cain, a former Coventry City player in England turned reality TV star, documented his baby girl’s short but meaningful life on Instagram.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840923/ashley-cain-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/4d1b0ec3cc52451aaf0afd066ba92c99" /></p> <p>Little Azaylia underwent a number of treatments due to her rare form of leukaemia.<span class="CmCaReT" style="display: none;">�</span></p> <p>On Tuesday, the star took to social media to share his heart was “shattered”.</p> <p>“I can’t put into words my sadness and pain, there aren’t words to describe it. I love you with every ounce of my body and I miss you so much already,” he wrote on Instagram.</p> <p>“You made me a better man. You made me the person I’ve always wanted to be. You’ve taught me more in your 8 months than I’ve learned my whole life.</p> <p>“I don’t know why you’ve been taken away from me and my heart aches in your absence.”</p> <blockquote 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);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/COFj6fvHzVq/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <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> <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;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/COFj6fvHzVq/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by BEAST 🇻🇨🇬🇧 (@mrashleycain)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Cain said Azaylia’s leukemia had come back in February – not long after they had been given permission to leave the hospital and continue her treatment as an outpatient.</p> <p>The eight-month-old was given just days to live in early April, however she Azaylia battled on as the family made the most of their time together.</p> <p>“You saved my life, you really did. With my second chance, I make a promise to you that I will make yours live on in our hearts, our thoughts and our prayers,” Cain said.</p> <blockquote 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);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CMzGKv9nmrr/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <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> <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;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CMzGKv9nmrr/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by BEAST 🇻🇨🇬🇧 (@mrashleycain)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“I am blessed, I am honoured and I am privileged to be your father. I would go through all of the pain again and again. Because what you gave me in those eight months will live with me for eternity.”</p>

Caring

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The Gates Foundation’s prophetic coronavirus pandemic simulation

<p>On 18 October last year, the Gates Foundation, the World Economic Forum and the John Hopkins Centre for Health Security held a pandemic simulation exercise, with the aim of “educating senior leaders” about an adequate response to the type of crisis the planet is currently in the grips of.</p> <p>The simulation was called <a href="http://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/event201/about">Event 201</a>. Fifteen participants took part in a mock pandemic emergency board. This included representatives from the UN Foundation, the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Johnson &amp; Johnson, Lufthansa and the Monetary Authority of Singapore.</p> <p>Representing Australia was ANZ board member <a href="http://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/event201/players/halton.html">Jane Halton</a>, who incidentally has been <a href="https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/morrison-shuts-down-parliament-hands-nation-corporations">appointed</a> to the National COVID-19 Coordination Commission by Scott Morrison. The NCCC is a local body of corporate representatives designed to coordinate the economy during the very real COVID-19 crisis.</p> <p>The Event 201 scenario involved a new coronavirus – a disease that causes respiratory tract infection – that developed in pigs in South America and then infected farmers. The virus spread around the world, with some people developing mild flu-like symptoms, while others perished.</p> <p>Stranger than fiction</p> <p>Watching the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoLw-Q8X174&amp;app=desktop">highlights of Event 201</a> – which took place just five and a half months ago – is eerie. Simulated “GNN” newsreels appear between footage of emergency board discussions, one of which involves an immunologist outlining that efforts to find a vaccine during the outbreak failed.</p> <p>The Gates Foundation’s Christopher Elias asserts that keeping global supply chains open would take “knowledge that only the private sector has”, while the UN could play a role coordinating the various private entities. But, it’s clear to Elias that this aspect of the response would rely upon corporations.</p> <p>The most distressing part of the highlights comes when the issue of the “overwhelming amounts of dis- and mis- information circulating over the internet” is broached. The board members go on to discuss whether internet shutdowns would be necessary to deal with fake news.</p> <p>Think about it – as we sit locked down in our homes during a real pandemic, with newly imposed restrictions on gatherings with others outside of our own households – what would it be like if the government and private business decided to close down the main mode of communications?</p> <p>Too little too late</p> <p>Event 21 led to seven key recommendations, all of which, it would seem now, came too late. These suggested that governments and business sectors should plan for a pandemic situation, which would include stockpiling medical supplies and investing in <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/should-child-vaccination-be-compulsory/">vaccination</a> development capabilities.</p> <p>The outcome of the simulated pandemic was catastrophic, with 65 million people dying in the first 18 months. The outbreak was small at first and seemed controllable. But, once it started spreading through the poor neighbourhoods of megacities, it exploded, with cases in nearly every country.</p> <p>“We have to ask, did this need to be so bad?” says a GNN mock news presenter. “Are there things we could have done in the five to ten years leading up to the pandemic that would have lessened the catastrophic consequences?”</p> <p>The presenter concludes, “We believe the answer is yes.” However, that timeframe to prepare is now lost.</p> <p><em>Written by Paul Gregoire. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/the-gates-foundations-prophetic-coronavirus-pandemic-simulation/">Sydney Criminal Lawyers.</a> </em></p>

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Harry and Meg are back! Royal couple open up about holiday abroad

<p><span>The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were welcomed back to work with open arms and cheers as they returned from their extended holiday in Vancouver, Canada</span><br /><br /><span>The couple hit the ground running with a day of public and private engagements, including a trip to Canada House as a way to thank Canadians for their “hospitality and support” that the family received while visiting Vancouver Island.</span><br /><br /><span>Before arriving at Canada House though, both Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan made a private visit to see the Hubb Community Kitchen in west London as the Duchess wanted to check in with the women there.</span><br /><br /><span>The royals first formed a formidable bond with them when she first visited the kitchen, which was set up in the aftermath of the devastating Grenfell Tower fire, secretly before her wedding to Prince Harry.</span><br /><br /><span>A crowd had gathered by 3 p.m. at Trafalgar Square to welcome the royal couple.</span><br /><br /><span>Staff from the High Commission were also outside the building.</span><br /><br /><span>Duchess Meghan went on to describe her holiday in Vancouver with Prince Harry and baby Archie as “beautiful.”</span><br /><br /><span>Consular assistant Sumira Osmin, from Ontario, said about Harry and Meghan: “They are just beautiful, and just their aura, and they’re always so positive...They’re very caring.”</span><br /><br /><span>The Duke and Duchess of Sussex saw a special exhibition in the Canada Gallery by female Indigenous Canadian artist Skawennatti.</span><br /><br /><span>The Canadian High Commissioner to the U.K., Janice Charette, told T&amp;C it was “an exhibit which spans both the history and tradition as well as the future which is a very unique approach and very creative.”</span><br /><br /><span>The High Commissioner said the royal couple’s visit was a “chance to catch up, hear a bit about their visit to Canada and their holidays in Canada, and their impressions.”</span><br /><br /><span>She added that she discussed with them “what they see in terms of their priorities for the next year”.</span><br /><br /><span>“There’s a lot of areas where they have interests which are also priorities for Canada.”</span><br /><br /><span>Charette said she thought there “will be some opportunities for us to think about Canada House and the Sussexes doing some interesting work together,” and mentioned topics including gender equality and gender empowerment, homelessness, mental health and youth engagement,</span><br /><br /><span>She also mentioned the couple’s down time over their break.</span><br /><br /><span>“The fact that they were able to go to Canada to enjoy the holiday season with friends and family and basically to have privacy and be undisturbed and to be able to enjoy peace and tranquility and the beautiful country, I couldn’t be happier,” she said.</span><br /><br /><span>The Sussexes are expected to make further announcements about upcoming engagements shortly.</span><br /><br /><span>This year the royal couple will be focusing on their foundation Sussex.</span></p> <p><span>Scroll through the gallery to see the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their first day back at work. </span></p>

Beauty & Style

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“All I wanted was to feel normal”: Johnny Ruffo reflects on brain cancer treatment

<p>Former<span> </span>Home and Away<span> </span>star Johnny Ruffo has recently been declared cancer-free after a two year long battle with brain cancer.</p> <p>In 2017, a seven-centimetre tumour was located in his brain and he underwent an operation to remove it. It was only after this operation that he went through chemotherapy and radiation until he was declared cancer free.</p> <p>Ruffo, 31, is now paying it forward after teaming up with Amazon and the Starlight Children’s Foundation to give back to kids undergoing cancer treatment.</p> <p>"I know what it's like being in hospital," Ruffo explained to<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://celebrity.nine.com.au/latest/johnny-ruffo-shares-how-he-feels-each-time-he-steps-foot-in-a-hospital/84d82ec7-49ea-49ba-90a1-2ec1318adb9d" target="_blank">9Honey Celebrity</a>.</p> <p>"Every time I step foot in a hospital in general, it brings me back to all the times I had to visit hospitals myself. For children I imagine it's so much worse."</p> <p>"Seeing and working with foundations like Starlight, you realise how valuable they are and how amazing they are," Ruffo says.</p> <p>"Quite often you'll see kids walking in [to the Starlight room] and they're not looking too great. But they'll come out with these big smiles on their face.</p> <p>"I just think that if these kids can just stop thinking about everything that's going on in their life for just that moment, and have fun and smile and laugh, then it's just worth everything."</p> <blockquote 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);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B4LZENZFBH3/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <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> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B4LZENZFBH3/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">Today, alongside @AmazonAustralia and @StarlightAU 💫 I got to help out a cause close to my heart. Together, we’re giving Aussie kids in children’s hospitals around the country the chance to become ultimate toy testers. Introducing... *drum roll please*... 🥁 The Amazon Playmakers! They’ll be reviewing the top 100 toys which are set to top every wish list this holiday season. Keep an eye out for the catalogue launching soon. @AmazonAustralia #DeliveringSmiles #Collab</a></p> <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 post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/johnny_ruffo/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Johnny Ruffo</a> (@johnny_ruffo) on Oct 28, 2019 at 3:04pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Ruffo admitted that the impacts of cancer still make him emotional.</p> <p>"I felt the same when I was going through all of my chemo and radiation and everything to do with cancer. All I wanted was to feel normal, for a small moment," the actor explains.</p> <p>"There are so many side effects, you just want to feel normal for a bit and I think Starlight does that. They take you to another world and you forget about everything for a bit."</p> <p>Ruffo says that he’s in awe of the children’s resilience and their ability to stay positive.</p> <p>"Working with these kids and seeing some of these kids, they're so positive. They're just so amazing, I love these kids. They're so strong," Ruffo said.</p> <p>"Nobody should have go through this, nobody should have to go to hospital and spend long amounts of time in hospital.</p> <p>"It's horrible, it's really horrible. Anything I can do to help give back… I think foundations like Starlight, they deserve all the recognition in the world."</p>

Caring

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“A magic bullet”: New leukemia treatment available can cure aggressive cancer

<p>Researchers at Royal Perth Hospital are thrilled that they’ve helped uncover a new drug that can cure an aggressive type of Leukemia.</p> <p>It’s been dubbed “the magic bullet” as retiree Howard Kurth, 80, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia two years ago.</p> <p>He told<span> </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.9news.com.au/good-news/news-perth-new-leukemia-treatment-dubbed-a-magic-bullet/c2a61f8d-5d5a-49da-aecf-a4dcc2e30fc1" target="_blank">Nine News Perth</a></em><span> </span>that he had just days to live.</p> <p>"There was absolutely no sign of tiredness or soreness or anything," he said.</p> <p>"It was just a shot out of the blue."</p> <p>Howard was riddled with the deadly disease as it had made its way through more than 90 per cent of his body.</p> <p>His health was so bad that he wasn’t eligible for normal chemotherapy, but with this new treatment, he’s just celebrated his 80th birthday.</p> <p>Howard went into remission within four months of starting the new treatment and is still in remission two years later.</p> <p>"I thought, 'Well, I am going to beat this, there's no two ways about it', and so far I have," he said.</p> <p>He is the first patient in Australia to undergo the treatment and the treatment requires two pills taken every day and a small injection of chemotherapy seven days a month.</p> <p>Dr Peter Tan, from Royal Perth Hospital, says they are now using the results to personalise treatments.</p> <p>"What we're trying to find are certain markers to personalise treatment for patients as we know a one-size-fits-all doesn't help everybody," he said.</p> <p>"We think it will change the standard therapy and once it does become available for all patients, it will be the new gold standard across the world." </p>

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