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“Absolute monster”: Bridezilla slammed for unreasonable bridesmaid rules

<p dir="ltr">A woman has shared the reason she quit her best friend’s bridal party, after she was presented with a 14-page contract to be a bridesmaid. </p> <p dir="ltr">The woman was excited to celebrate her friend Laura’s wedding to the love of her life James, and shared how Laura was a very regimented bride. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We began planning everything, having multiple meetings to make sure we all are up to date on all plans,” the bridesmaid said in a Reddit thread.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She is a bit of a neat person and very organised. She made all five bridesmaids and her maid of honour a binder of our duties... We keep track of appointments, vendors — pretty standard stuff.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“But that’s not all that’s in there.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The bridesmaid then shared an extensive list of rules the bridal party had to follow for the big day in relation to their physical appearance. </p> <p dir="ltr">The list included 12 bizarre rules about how they were to look on the big day, saying everyone must wear size-eight dresses, tattoos must be covered or removed and brown eyes are banned.</p> <p dir="ltr">“No visible tattoos. Must be removed or covered with makeup. No jackets or long sleeves to cover them,” the bride began in the extensive list.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Full head of hair. No shaved sides or back. Must have a professional wig on if a haircut is not acceptable.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“Hair can not be too short. It must be able to be braided. Also if your hair is too long like to your waist, it will need to be cut. Hair must be blonde or black. I will tell you what colour is best for you.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You must fit into a size eight dress. I don’t want to see tents (too big) or rolls (too tight). Dresses have been ordered at size eight only.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“No brown eyes. That’s James’ and my eye colour so you will need to get contacts. Blue is required.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Other things banned in the bridal party are “harsh tans”, visible scars and eyeglasses.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Get contacts or go without for the day,” the bride added.</p> <p dir="ltr">The bridesmaid felt the rules were directed at her, as she was furious with her friend and decided to leave the bridal party. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Here is where I started to backpedal and want to walk away,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I have very thick but fine hair. I keep the sides shaved down and the top and back long like halfway down my back which helps my migraines.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“I also have an Eeyore tattoo and a bear paw print tattoo that shows. I also just had bariatric (gastric sleeve) surgery so I’m working on losing weight. I also have glasses.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Upon looking through the contract, she was mortified to see what the bride expected of her bridesmaids.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The final kick in the pants was the contract — 14 pages front and back of everything we are required to do. Like not getting pregnant, attend meetings and events, as well as constantly communicate,” the bridesmaid said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Along with the demands, the bridesmaids were each required to gift the bride and groom a minimum of $150 and “some type of expensive alcohol”, along with a $400 fee to be a bridesmaid.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I tried to explain I can’t afford this and she told me I had to figure it out. I figured she lost a bridesmaid, me.”</p> <p dir="ltr">In a follow-up post, the bridesmaid confirmed she was no longer in the bridal party after she quit.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I am not doing the wedding. The bride is mad but I don’t care,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Her post has been met with more than 640 comments, with many describing the bride as an “absolute monster”, “cruel” and a “bully” over her outrageous demands. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images / Reddit</em></p>

Relationships

"Disgraced actor, bully, monster": Craig McLachlan opens up on assault allegations

<p>Craig McLachlan has opened up about how the incident assault trial took a toll on his mental health and career. </p> <p>The former Neighbours actor was charged with seven counts of indecent assault and six of common law assault in 2019, after four women, who he starred alongside with in the stage production of the <em>Rocky Horror Show</em> came forward. </p> <p>McLachlan has long denied the allegations, and was eventually cleared of all charges. </p> <p>Now, the former actor is appearing on the new season of <em>SAS Australia</em>, and has spoken candidly about how his life changed after the trial. </p> <p>“When I started on Neighbours, I was in people’s lounge rooms night after night, day after day,” he told <em>SAS</em> producers.</p> <p>“But there was something that happened about five years ago that was shocking for the public and shocking for me."</p> <p>“Craig McLachlan, disgraced actor. Workplace bully, monster.</p> <p>“So I’m here to exorcise some pretty extreme pain with some pretty extreme pain.”</p> <p>Speaking with <em>SAS</em> Chief Instructor Ant Middleton and DS Jamie ‘Jay’ Morton, McLachlan said he is still angry about what happened, and carries a lot of emotional weight from the trial. </p> <p>"I suffer extreme social anxiety. I find it very difficult to trust situations where there are a lot of people, especially women."</p> <p>“I’m more anxious about being in a new group of people than I am about climbing up the side of a mountain."</p> <p>“I know that sounds bizarre, but for me, I’m afraid it’s true.”</p> <p>Middleton sensed McLachlan was becoming angry when talking about the case, to which McLachlan responded, "I was charged with 14, 15, 16 offences ... It’s one thing to be so publicly crucified, it’s another thing to be charged. I was found not guilty of any wrongful behaviour. It’s because I was f***ing innocent ... I’ve been profoundly hurt, so there’s always going to be some residual anger."</p> <p>McLachlan went on to share how he was "abandoned" by close friends in the entertainment world when the allegations first came to light. </p> <p>He said, "People who only months before looked me in the eye and said 'You create the most wonderful work environments imaginable' ... abandonment, total abandonment. A tiny handful of courageous people I have friendships with over 30 years were always there, but the vast majority - gone."</p> <p>He said the abandonment from his friends "really f**king hurt", to which the SAS team told him he has "gotta let it go". </p> <p>"That’s why I’m here," McLachlan said.</p> <p>"For me, the big takeaway from this experience will be moving forward, to find that I can function without anger and fear. But beyond that, learning to trust people again."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Channel Seven - SAS Australia</em></p>

Loch Ness monster back in headlines after "most exciting" photo in decades

<p>A recent potential Loch Ness monster sighting has generated immense excitement among monster enthusiasts, who claim these photographs are the most captivating seen in decades.</p> <p>The incident unfolded when Chie Kelly, 51, inadvertently captured images of an unidentified, sizeable creature gliding across the surface of Loch Ness five years ago in August.</p> <p>At the time, she hesitated to release the images, fearing public ridicule. However, her decision changed after the largest 'Nessie' search in over half a century took place last month – called The Quest Weekend.</p> <p>Kelly, accompanied by her family, was enjoying a meal at an inn nestled on the shores of the Scottish loch when she began snapping photos.</p> <p>According to the <a href="https://lochness.com/findings-revealed-from-the-quest-weekend/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lochness.com website</a>, Chie Kelly "had lunch in the Dores Inn and then started walking around. I was just taking pictures with my Canon camera of Scott and our daughter Alisa, who was then five, when about 200 metres from the shore, moving right to left at a steady speed was this creature.</p> <p>"It was spinning and rolling at times. We never saw a head or neck. After a couple of minutes, it just disappeared and we never saw it again.</p> <p>"At first I wondered if it was an otter or a pair of otters or a seal, but we never saw a head and it never came up again for air.</p> <p>"It was making this strange movement on the surface. We did not hear any sound. There were these strange shapes below the surface. I could not make out any colours – the water was dark. I could not accurately assess its length, but the two parts that were visible were less than two metres long together.</p> <p>"I don’t know what it was, but it was definitely a creature – an animal. At the time I did not want to face public ridicule by making the photographs public. But I met Steve Feltham at the weekend and showed him the images, and he said immediately that they were ‘very interesting’.”</p> <p>Feltham has dedicated more than 30 years to the search for Nessie since abandoning his job and selling his house in 1991. After looking at the images, he said, “These are the most exciting surface pictures I have seen. They are exactly the type of pictures I have been wanting to take for three decades.</p> <p>"It is rare to see something so clear on the surface. They are vindication for all the people who believe there is something unexplained in Loch Ness. They are remarkable. I have studied them and still do not know what it is. I persuaded them that these pictures were so important they should make them public. They warrant further investigation. It is not driftwood – it is a moving creature and totally unexplained.”</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/CrRewR8txip/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CrRewR8txip/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Chie Tchié Kelly-Kano (@kelly.chie)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Reports of the Loch Ness monster have spanned ancient history, with stories dating back to an Irish missionary allegedly rescuing a swimmer from a creature in the loch during the 7th century.</p> <p>The completion of a road adjacent to the loch in 1933 led to a surge in monster sightings. Despite numerous searches over the years, a DNA survey conducted in 2018 failed to provide any evidence of a plesiosaur or other large animals residing in the lake.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram / Chie Kelly</em></p> <p> </p>

International Travel

"I am not a monster": Disturbing reason police have seized phone of woman claiming to be Madeleine McCann

<p>Polish woman Julia Faustyna who went viral over <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/woman-shares-evidence-that-she-is-madeleine-mccann" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claims she could be Madeleine McCann </a>has had her phone seized by US police over claims it contains explicit images of children.</p> <p>The phone was given to authorities by a former spokesperson for Faustyna and psychic private investigator Fia Johansson.</p> <p>The phone was reportedly left with Johansson when she brought Faustyna, 21, to the US for <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/julia-faustyna-takes-dna-test-to-prove-wild-identity-claims" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DNA and family ancestry test results</a> over her claiming to be the missing toddler.</p> <p>The results confirmed that Faustyna was “absolutely, 100 per cent from Poland".</p> <p>Johansson handed the phone over to police during a search and seizure as part of an investigation, but the reason behind what prompted the pursuit remains unknown, according to the <em>New York Post</em>.</p> <p>Wroclaw police in Poland were contacted by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and were informed that they were in possession of a phone thought to belong to Faustyna, according to a <em>RadarOnline.com</em> report.</p> <p>“Our investigation is taking a deep look into it and we’re going to let them do their investigative duties and then from that point let the judicial system take over – if it needs to,” department spokesman Sergeant Mike Woodroof said.</p> <p>Johansson reportedly added, “I’m told an investigator from the Sheriff’s Department is personally taking the device to Poland to make sure it doesn’t get lost or misplaced.”</p> <p>She also shared an image of a denied release of case information form from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department on social media, including a statement regarding the investigation.</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/CrJh_DVvl3i/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CrJh_DVvl3i/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Dr. Fia Johansson (@persianmedium)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“There will be no comment or discussion at this time or moving forward concerning the active ongoing investigation with Orange County Sheriff’s Department and special public affairs division due to protocol and the sensitivity and nature of the intelligence that has been gathered and rendered,” she said.</p> <p>“It’s an active investigation and DA will not comment out of concern for the safety of the victims.”</p> <p>After Faustyna received her DNA test results and appeared on Dr Phil, Johannson revealed she travelled back to Poland to live with her father.</p> <p>The DNA results prompted <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/madeleine-mccann-s-parents-speak-out-after-dna-test-results" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Madeleine McCann’s parents to break their silence</a> after months of emotional turmoil.</p> <p>Faustyna now denies all the allegations against her to reporters.</p> <p>“I didn’t have child pornography on my phone. I am not a paedo and I never tried to encourage any teenagers to do anything illegal and bad and disgusting,” she told <em>The Sun</em>.</p> <p>“Just think carefully, if someone is a paedo, I believe this person would never go by himself to a police station or this person would never talk about what I was talking in public to the whole world because it would be very dangerous for this person.</p> <p>“It is not logical ... I am saying the truth and I will make my name clean because I am not a monster.”</p> <p>She told <em>The Sun</em> she had purchased the phone from an unknown person, saying that if there were explicit images on her phone they were put there by someone else.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Instagram</em></p>

Legal

"They’re making money off tragedy": Netflix’s Dahmer series shows the dangers of fictionalising real horrors

<p>Netflix’s recent series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story has stirred <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-63088009" target="_blank" rel="noopener">controversy</a> over its apparent glamorisation of a serial killer and perceived insensitivity towards the families of Dahmer’s victims.</p> <p>In contrast to more journalistic true crime entertainment (<a href="https://theconversation.com/true-crime-entertainment-like-the-teachers-pet-can-shine-a-light-on-cold-cases-but-does-it-help-or-hinder-justice-being-served-189787" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which has its own issues</a>), the dramatisation and fictionalisation of real-life crimes, such as Dahmer, has drawn a wave of criticism for re-traumatising victims and their loved ones, and glorifying criminals.</p> <h2>Artistic license or sensationalist schlock?</h2> <p>Whether presenting itself as an accurate retelling or merely “inspired by true events” – there is always going to be some artistic license when transforming a complex true crime story into a movie or TV series.</p> <p>While changes from real life to screen are often relatively minor, such as having multiple police officers represented by one fictionalised detective, others can significantly misrepresent events.</p> <p>Anne Schwartz, the journalist who broke the original Dahmer story, has called the recent Dahmer Netflix series “not a helpful representation”. In an interview with the <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/anne-e-schwartz-jeffrey-dahmer-autopsy-polaroids-b2194855.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Independent</a>, Schwartz criticised the caricatured depiction of law enforcement in the series. She also took aim at key plot elements, such as having key witness Glenda Cleveland (played by Niecy Nash) live next door to Dahmer, rather than in the building next door (as in real life).</p> <p>Other dramatisations of real-life crimes have gone much further, adding sensationalist – and even downright supernatural – elements to true events.</p> <p><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7976208/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Haunting of Sharon Tate</a>, written and directed by Daniel Farrands and released in 2019, was universally panned by critics and audiences alike for graphically depicting the real life murder of actress Sharon Tate by the Manson family.</p> <p>In the film, Tate (played by Hilary Duff) has apparent premonitions of her murder in her dreams, with the film ending with a meeting of Manson’s victims in the afterlife. Film critic Owen Gleiberman <a href="https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/the-haunting-of-sharon-tate-review-hilary-duff-1203179977/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> the film “pure, unadulterated cheeseball exploitation” opining that it “goes out of its way to turn the Manson murders into schlock horror”.</p> <h2>Re-traumatising victims and their families</h2> <p>Victims of crime and their loved ones are frequently angered and re-traumatised when their real-life stories become fodder for public consumption.</p> <p>The families of homicide victims are particularly disadvantaged when encountering inaccurate or insulting depictions of their loved ones, given legal protections of reputation, such as claims in defamation, don’t apply if the person defamed is deceased.</p> <p>Some of the families of Dahmer’s victims have expressed outrage at the Netflix series, noting that they were never approached about the show’s release. Rital Isbell, whose brother was murdered by Dahmer, had her heart-breaking victim impact statement dramatised in the series without her knowledge or consent. She called the series “harsh and careless” in a <a href="https://www.insider.com/rita-isbell-sister-jeffrey-dahmer-victim-talks-about-netflix-show-2022-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">piece</a> in Insider expressing that “It’s sad that they’re just making money off of this tragedy”.</p> <p>The question of who benefits from depictions of real-life crimes is an important one, with large studios and streaming platforms earning millions while victims and their families are often left to bear the consequences of increased public attention.</p> <p>Australian films haven’t been immune to this tension between artistic freedom and the wishes of victim’s families. The 1997 Australian film <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118735/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blackrock</a>, directed by Steven Vidler and adapted from a play by Nick Enright was clearly <a href="http://www.textjournal.com.au/oct09/brien.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inspired by</a> (although denied by Enright) the real-life rape and murder of 14-year-old schoolgirl <a href="https://7news.com.au/original-fyi/crime-story-investigator/leigh-leigh-remembering-murdered-14-year-old-stockton-girl-30-years-on-c-535209" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Leigh Leigh</a> in 1987. Leigh’s family were highly critical upon the film’s release finding the depiction exploitative and accusing the filmmakers of “feasting on an unfortunate situation”.</p> <h2>Making celebrities out of serial killers</h2> <p>The rise of online “fandoms” surrounding real-life killers is an increasingly documented phenomena likely tied to the increased pop culturalisation of true crime.</p> <p>Social media site Tumblr has a variety of dedicated fan accounts for history’s monsters, with everyone from serial killer Richard Ramirez to school shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold getting special treatment.</p> <p>Researcher Andrew Rico sees such fandoms as partially motivated by an urge to <a href="https://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/view/671" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shock and scandalise</a> the public, but notes they also indicate the tabloid depiction of criminals such as schools shooters has led to a form of dark celebrity. This is supported by the work of doctoral student Sasha Artamonova, who views dark fandoms as a kind of “<a href="https://www.academia.edu/32699599/Rebels_with_a_Cause_School_Shooters_Fandom_as_a_Form_of_Counterculture" target="_blank" rel="noopener">counter-culture</a>” movement rallying against moral norms.</p> <p>The Dahmer Netflix series has <a href="https://uk.style.yahoo.com/why-hollywood-obsessed-casting-teen-134800169.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">received criticism</a> for casting Evan Peters as Jeffery Dahmer, given his status as a teen heartthrob who rose to fame in creator Ryan Murphy’s far more lighthearted horror series American Horror Story. The Gen Z populated TikTok is full of fan videos of his depiction of Dahmer.</p> <p>Similar criticism was levelled at another Netflix series Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile which cast Highschool Musical star Zac Efron as serial rapist and murderer Ted Bundy.</p> <p>An unhealthy obsession with serial killers is, of course, nothing new – Jeffery Dahmer received <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Dahmer-Letters-Milwaukee-Cannibal/dp/B0B72T273N" target="_blank" rel="noopener">many positive letters</a> and even marriage proposals while incarcerated.</p> <p>However, some worry the recent trend of casting attractive celebrities as serial killers could have flow on effects. One writer in Odyssey <a href="https://www.theodysseyonline.com/hollywood-romanticizes-serial-killers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> that “young and impressionable youth of today might find themselves empathising with and falling for people who are actually dangerous”.</p> <p>Whether such concerns are prescient or a textbook example of moral panic remains to be seen.</p> <p>Ultimately, there will always be an audience for stories of the murderous and macabre, with fascination in the darker side of life an incredibly common human impulse.</p> <p><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/theyre-making-money-off-tragedy-netflixs-dahmer-series-shows-the-dangers-of-fictionalising-real-horrors-192006" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</strong></p> <p><em>Image: Netflix</em></p>

Edwina Bartholomew labels daughter a “monster”

<p dir="ltr">Edwina Bartholomew has labelled her daughter a “monster” as she juggles parenthood just months after giving birth to her second child. </p> <p dir="ltr">The <em>Sunrise</em> presenter <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/edwina-bartholomew-announces-the-birth-of-her-son" target="_blank" rel="noopener">welcomed her second child</a>, baby Thomas, with her husband Neil Varcoe on March 1st.</p> <p dir="ltr">Edwin has since returned to work and confessed that her two-year-old daughter Molly is struggling to get used to her baby brother. </p> <p dir="ltr">"The toddler, well, she just turned. Our gentle girl morphed into a monster within a few weeks and I frankly struggled to cope," she confessed in her weekly column for <a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/smart/edwina-bartholomew-food-on-the-walls-temper-tantrums-in-mildly-chaotic-life-as-family-of-four/news-story/507fed64cd9d195f037f8e39be665593" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Telegraph</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">"There was food on the walls, full-blown tantrums on the floor, screaming and that was just me."</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/CgsQj6EBD1c/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CgsQj6EBD1c/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Edwina Bartholomew (@edwina_b)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The 39-year-old was constantly told by other parents that adjusting from a family-of-three to four would be a challenge. </p> <p dir="ltr">She would spend countless hours Googling “How to deal with toddler tantrums” and “When do babies get teeth” as she settled with her new bub. </p> <p dir="ltr">After having Molly, she thought she had parenting “down pat”, which was true for a while as Thomas “loves to sleep, loves to eat and loves to smile”. </p> <p dir="ltr">Despite all these good things Edwina wrote that “his arrival still managed to turn the family upside down” with her daughter’s tantrums. </p> <p dir="ltr">But seeing the two bond makes her “heart explode” and despite going back to work she still “misses them”. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Watching my daughter blow raspberries on my son’s little tummy makes my heart explode every time and, although her cuddles border on suffocation, his little face lights up when he’s on the receiving end of one of her aggressive squeezes.</p> <p dir="ltr">“When I say I’m “happily” back at work, I really do mean it. It feels good to get a little bit of myself back.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

‘Queer Eye’ star's haircare range now available

<p dir="ltr">Jonathan Van Ness, Queer Eye’s expert on haircare and personal grooming, has taken his hugely successful clean haircare brand to Australia and New Zealand.</p> <p dir="ltr">Van Ness launched JVN Hair in mid-2021 in US Sephora stores, partnering with biotechnology company Amyris to create the range of 11 haircare products that aren’t gendered and can be mixed and matched.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Netflix star, who has worked as a hairstylist for 15 years, told <em><a href="https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/beauty/face-body/queer-eye-star-jonathan-van-ness-launches-jvn-hair-in-australia/news-story/876b46da5732bc09bcc7a5368c3cd406" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a></em> that he used his experience to create a product for “everyone” that targets common hair concerns over types of hair.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’ve got a huge passion for education and understanding product, it’s really important to achieving hairstyle - especially achieving and maintaining healthy hair,” Van Ness explained.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-1bb19a45-7fff-514e-fe82-80507f2ad7ff"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“So whether you’re someone who has really fine hair or you’re someone who has thick, coarse, kinky coily hair, all of our products are going to work for you.”</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/CZsLaZfOd78/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CZsLaZfOd78/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Jonathan Van Ness (@jvn)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Van Ness said the range, which cost between $28 (NZ 32) and $43 (NZ 49), features a “hero” ingredient called Hemisqualane, an alternative to silicone that’s synthesised from sugar cane that he says is superior for helping protect and repair hair.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Silicones coat the hair and prevent any of the benefits of other ingredients from being absorbed into the hair, whereas Hemisqualane penetrates the hair’s core better to repair, protect and smooth your hair immediately and over time,” Van Ness said in an interview with <a href="https://www.sephora.nz/beautyfeed/article/jvn-launch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sephora</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s an amazing, clean, sustainable ingredient that works wonders on hair,” he told news.com.au.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s also silicone free and sulphate free which is also good for the environment as well as your hair, so we just love Hemisqualane.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Van Ness also stressed that the products were “non gendered” and that the messaging - including the tagline “come as you are” - were designed to be inclusive.</p> <p dir="ltr">“For so long the beauty industry has been very exclusive in who it caters to,” he explained.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s always been trying to make certain people feel more welcome.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I was assigned male at birth and I always felt like I wasn’t supposed to want to play with my hair and I wasn’t supposed to want to feel beautiful. So I always felt unwelcome in the beauty space.</p> <p dir="ltr">“So I just want everyone to know, no matter who you are, your gender, your age, your race, you’re allowed to play with your hair and feel beautiful while doing it.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The range of JVN Hair are available to purchase <a href="https://jvnhair.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">online</a> or in Sephora stores in <a href="https://www.sephora.com.au/brands/jvn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australia</a> and <a href="https://www.sephora.nz/brands/jvn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Zealand</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-eaa6d0b0-7fff-74b7-b403-e4858d55a996"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: @jvnhair (Instagram)</em></p>

Beauty & Style

Hibbert’s flowers and Hitler’s beetle – what do we do when species are named after history’s monsters?

<p>“What’s in a name?”, <a href="https://www.bartleby.com/70/3822.html">asked Juliet of Romeo</a>. “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”</p> <p>But, as with the Montagues and Capulets, names mean a lot, and can cause a great deal of heartache.</p> <p>My colleagues and I are <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-not-the-science-of-tax-and-five-other-things-you-should-know-about-taxonomy-78926">taxonomists</a>, which means we name living things. While we’ve never named a rose, we do discover and name new Australian species of plants and animals – and there are a lot of them!</p> <p>For each new species we discover, we create and publish a Latin scientific name, following a set of international rules and conventions. The name has two parts: the first part is the genus name (such as <em>Eucalyptus</em>), which describes the group of species to which the new species belongs, and the second part is a species name (such as <em>globulus</em>, thereby making the name <em>Eucalyptus globulus</em>) particular to the new species itself. New species are either added to an existing genus, or occasionally, if they’re sufficiently novel, are given their own new genus.</p> <p>Some scientific names are widely known – arguably none more so than our own, <em>Homo sapiens</em>. And gardeners or nature enthusiasts will be familiar with genus names such as <em>Acacia</em>, <em>Callistemon</em> or <em>Banksia</em>.</p> <p>This all sounds pretty uncontroversial. But as with Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers, history and tradition sometimes present problems.</p> <h2>What’s in a name?</h2> <p>Take the genus <em><a href="http://www.flora.sa.gov.au/cgi-bin/speciesfacts_display.cgi?form=speciesfacts&name=Hibbertia">Hibbertia</a></em>, the Australian guineaflowers. This is one of the largest genera of plants in Australia, and the one we study.</p> <p>There are many new and yet-unnamed species of <em>Hibbertia</em>, which means new species names are regularly added to this genus.</p> <p>Many scientific names are derived from a feature of the species or genus being named, such as <em>Eucalyptus</em>, from the Greek for “well-covered” (a reference to the operculum or bud-cap that covers unopened eucalypt flowers).</p> <p>Others <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-funny-to-name-species-after-celebrities-but-theres-a-serious-side-too-95513">honour significant people</a>, either living or dead. <em>Hibbertia</em> is named after a wealthy 19th-century English patron of botany, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Hibbert">George Hibbert</a>.</p> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437440/original/file-20211214-15-1u4xyy3.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" alt="George Hibbert by Thomas Lawrence" /> <span class="caption">George Hibbert: big fan of flowers and slavery.</span> <span class="attribution"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_Hibbert_by_Thomas_Lawrence,_1811.JPG" class="source">Thomas Lawrence/Stephen C. Dickson/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/" class="license">CC BY-SA</a></span></p> <p>And here’s where things stop being straightforward, because Hibbert’s wealth came almost entirely from the transatlantic slave trade. He profited from taking slaves from Africa to the New World, selling some and using others on his family’s extensive plantations, then transporting slave-produced sugar and cotton back to England.</p> <p>Hibbert was also a prominent member of the British parliament and a <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/person/view/16791">staunch opponent of abolition</a>. He and his ilk argued that slavery was economically necessary for England, and even that slaves were better off on the plantations than in their homelands.</p> <p>Even at the time, his views were considered abhorrent by many critics. But despite this, he was handsomely recompensed for his “losses” when Britain finally abolished slavery in 1807.</p> <p>So, should Hibbert be honoured with the name of a genus of plants, to which new species are still being added today – effectively meaning he is honoured afresh with each new publication?</p> <p>We don’t believe so. Just like statues, buildings, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/was-first-governor-james-stirling-had-links-to-slavery-as-well-as-directing-a-massacre-should-he-be-honoured-162078">street or suburb names</a>, we think a reckoning is due for scientific species names that honour people who held views or acted in ways that are deeply dishonourable, highly problematic or truly egregious by modern standards.</p> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437442/original/file-20211214-13-1yaho8u.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" alt="Anophthalmus hitleri" /> <span class="caption">This beetle doesn’t deserve to be named after the most reviled figure of the 20th century.</span> <span class="attribution"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anophthalmus_hitleri_HabitusDors.jpg" class="source">Michael Munich/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/" class="license">CC BY-SA</a></span></p> <p>Just as Western Australia’s King Leopold Range <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-03/wa-king-leopold-ranges-renamed-wunaamin-miliwundi-ranges/12416254">was recently renamed</a> to remove the link to the atrocious <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_II_of_Belgium">Leopold II of Belgium</a>, we would like <em>Hibbertia</em> to bear a more appropriate and less troubling name.</p> <p>The same goes for the Great Barrier Reef coral <em><a href="http://www.edgeofexistence.org/species/elegance-coral/">Catalaphyllia jardinei</a></em>, named after Frank Jardine, a brutal dispossessor of Aboriginal people in North Queensland. And, perhaps most astoundingly, the rare Slovenian cave beetle <em><a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/773804">Anophthalmus hitleri</a></em>, which was named in 1933 in honour of Adolf Hitler.</p> <p>This name is unfortunate for several reasons: despite being a small, somewhat nondescript, blind beetle, in recent years it has been reportedly <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/fans-exterminate-hitler-beetle-6232054.html">pushed to the brink of extinction</a> by Nazi memorabilia enthusiasts. Specimens are even being stolen from museum collections for sale into this lucrative market.</p> <h2>Aye, there’s the rub</h2> <p>Unfortunately, the official rules don’t allow us to rename <em>Hibbertia</em> or any other species that has a troubling or inappropriate name.</p> <p>To solve this, we propose a change to the international rules for naming species. Our <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/tax.12620">proposal</a>, if adopted, would establish an international expert committee to decide what do about scientific names that honour inappropriate people or are based on culturally offensive words.</p> <p>An example of the latter is the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/tax.12622">many names of plants</a> based on the Latin <em>caffra</em>, the origin of which is a word so offensive to Black Africans that its use is <a href="https://www.cfr.org/blog/k-word-south-africa-and-proposed-new-penalties-against-hate-speech">banned in South Africa</a>.</p> <p>Some may argue the scholarly naming of species should remain aloof from social change, and that Hibbert’s views on slavery are irrelevant to the classification of Australian flowers. We counter that, just like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Edward_Colston">toppling statues in Bristol Harbour</a> or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/18/goodbye-cecil-rhodes-house-renamed-to-lose-link-to-british-empire-builder-in-africa">removing Cecil Rhodes’ name from public buildings</a>, renaming things is important and necessary if we are to right history’s wrongs.</p> <p>We believe that science, including taxonomy, must be socially responsible and responsive. Science is embedded in culture rather than housed in ivory towers, and scientists should work for the common good rather than blindly follow tradition. Deeply problematic names pervade science just as they pervade our streets, cities and landscapes.</p> <p><em>Hibbertia</em> may be just a name, but we believe a different name for this lovely genus of Australian flowers would smell much sweeter.</p> <p><em>This article was co-authored by Tim Hammer, a postdoctoral research fellow at the State Herbarium of South Australia.</em><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/172602/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kevin-thiele-136882">Kevin Thiele</a>, Adjunct Assoc. Professor, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-western-australia-1067">The University of Western Australia</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/hibberts-flowers-and-hitlers-beetle-what-do-we-do-when-species-are-named-after-historys-monsters-172602">original article</a>.</p> <p><em>Image: John Tann/Wikimedia Commons</em></p>

Domestic Travel

Hibbert’s flowers and Hitler’s beetle – what do we do when species are named after history’s monsters?

<p>“What’s in a name?”, <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.bartleby.com/70/3822.html" target="_blank">asked Juliet of Romeo</a>. “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”</p> <p>But, as with the Montagues and Capulets, names mean a lot, and can cause a great deal of heartache.</p> <p>My colleagues and I are <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/its-not-the-science-of-tax-and-five-other-things-you-should-know-about-taxonomy-78926" target="_blank">taxonomists</a>, which means we name living things. While we’ve never named a rose, we do discover and name new Australian species of plants and animals – and there are a lot of them!</p> <p>For each new species we discover, we create and publish a Latin scientific name, following a set of international rules and conventions. The name has two parts: the first part is the genus name (such as <em>Eucalyptus</em>), which describes the group of species to which the new species belongs, and the second part is a species name (such as <em>globulus</em>, thereby making the name <em>Eucalyptus globulus</em>) particular to the new species itself. New species are either added to an existing genus, or occasionally, if they’re sufficiently novel, are given their own new genus.</p> <p>Some scientific names are widely known – arguably none more so than our own, <em>Homo sapiens</em>. And gardeners or nature enthusiasts will be familiar with genus names such as <em>Acacia</em>, <em>Callistemon</em> or <em>Banksia</em>.</p> <p>This all sounds pretty uncontroversial. But as with Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers, history and tradition sometimes present problems.</p> <p><strong>What’s in a name?</strong></p> <p>Take the genus <em><a rel="noopener" href="http://www.flora.sa.gov.au/cgi-bin/speciesfacts_display.cgi?form=speciesfacts&name=Hibbertia" target="_blank">Hibbertia</a></em>, the Australian guineaflowers. This is one of the largest genera of plants in Australia, and the one we study.</p> <p>There are many new and yet-unnamed species of <em>Hibbertia</em>, which means new species names are regularly added to this genus.</p> <p>Many scientific names are derived from a feature of the species or genus being named, such as <em>Eucalyptus</em>, from the Greek for “well-covered” (a reference to the operculum or bud-cap that covers unopened eucalypt flowers).</p> <p>Others <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/its-funny-to-name-species-after-celebrities-but-theres-a-serious-side-too-95513" target="_blank">honour significant people</a>, either living or dead. <em>Hibbertia</em> is named after a wealthy 19th-century English patron of botany, <a rel="noopener" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Hibbert" target="_blank">George Hibbert</a>.</p> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437440/original/file-20211214-15-1u4xyy3.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" alt="George Hibbert by Thomas Lawrence" /></p> <p><em><span class="caption">George Hibbert: big fan of flowers and slavery.</span> <span class="attribution"><a rel="noopener" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_Hibbert_by_Thomas_Lawrence,_1811.JPG" target="_blank" class="source">Thomas Lawrence/Stephen C. Dickson/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a rel="noopener" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/" target="_blank" class="license">CC BY-SA</a></span></em></p> <p>And here’s where things stop being straightforward, because Hibbert’s wealth came almost entirely from the transatlantic slave trade. He profited from taking slaves from Africa to the New World, selling some and using others on his family’s extensive plantations, then transporting slave-produced sugar and cotton back to England.</p> <p>Hibbert was also a prominent member of the British parliament and a <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/person/view/16791" target="_blank">staunch opponent of abolition</a>. He and his ilk argued that slavery was economically necessary for England, and even that slaves were better off on the plantations than in their homelands.</p> <p>Even at the time, his views were considered abhorrent by many critics. But despite this, he was handsomely recompensed for his “losses” when Britain finally abolished slavery in 1807.</p> <p>So, should Hibbert be honoured with the name of a genus of plants, to which new species are still being added today – effectively meaning he is honoured afresh with each new publication?</p> <p>We don’t believe so. Just like statues, buildings, and <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/was-first-governor-james-stirling-had-links-to-slavery-as-well-as-directing-a-massacre-should-he-be-honoured-162078" target="_blank">street or suburb names</a>, we think a reckoning is due for scientific species names that honour people who held views or acted in ways that are deeply dishonourable, highly problematic or truly egregious by modern standards.</p> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437442/original/file-20211214-13-1yaho8u.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" alt="Anophthalmus hitleri" /></p> <p><em><span class="caption">This beetle doesn’t deserve to be named after the most reviled figure of the 20th century.</span> <span class="attribution"><a rel="noopener" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anophthalmus_hitleri_HabitusDors.jpg" target="_blank" class="source">Michael Munich/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a rel="noopener" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/" target="_blank" class="license">CC BY-SA</a></span></em></p> <p>Just as Western Australia’s King Leopold Range <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-03/wa-king-leopold-ranges-renamed-wunaamin-miliwundi-ranges/12416254" target="_blank">was recently renamed</a> to remove the link to the atrocious <a rel="noopener" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_II_of_Belgium" target="_blank">Leopold II of Belgium</a>, we would like <em>Hibbertia</em> to bear a more appropriate and less troubling name.</p> <p>The same goes for the Great Barrier Reef coral <em><a rel="noopener" href="http://www.edgeofexistence.org/species/elegance-coral/" target="_blank">Catalaphyllia jardinei</a></em>, named after Frank Jardine, a brutal dispossessor of Aboriginal people in North Queensland. And, perhaps most astoundingly, the rare Slovenian cave beetle <em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/773804" target="_blank">Anophthalmus hitleri</a></em>, which was named in 1933 in honour of Adolf Hitler.</p> <p>This name is unfortunate for several reasons: despite being a small, somewhat nondescript, blind beetle, in recent years it has been reportedly <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/fans-exterminate-hitler-beetle-6232054.html" target="_blank">pushed to the brink of extinction</a> by Nazi memorabilia enthusiasts. Specimens are even being stolen from museum collections for sale into this lucrative market.</p> <p><strong>Aye, there’s the rub</strong></p> <p>Unfortunately, the official rules don’t allow us to rename <em>Hibbertia</em> or any other species that has a troubling or inappropriate name.</p> <p>To solve this, we propose a change to the international rules for naming species. Our <a rel="noopener" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/tax.12620" target="_blank">proposal</a>, if adopted, would establish an international expert committee to decide what do about scientific names that honour inappropriate people or are based on culturally offensive words.</p> <p>An example of the latter is the <a rel="noopener" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/tax.12622" target="_blank">many names of plants</a> based on the Latin <em>caffra</em>, the origin of which is a word so offensive to Black Africans that its use is <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.cfr.org/blog/k-word-south-africa-and-proposed-new-penalties-against-hate-speech" target="_blank">banned in South Africa</a>.</p> <p>Some may argue the scholarly naming of species should remain aloof from social change, and that Hibbert’s views on slavery are irrelevant to the classification of Australian flowers. We counter that, just like <a rel="noopener" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Edward_Colston" target="_blank">toppling statues in Bristol Harbour</a> or <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/18/goodbye-cecil-rhodes-house-renamed-to-lose-link-to-british-empire-builder-in-africa" target="_blank">removing Cecil Rhodes’ name from public buildings</a>, renaming things is important and necessary if we are to right history’s wrongs.</p> <p>We believe that science, including taxonomy, must be socially responsible and responsive. Science is embedded in culture rather than housed in ivory towers, and scientists should work for the common good rather than blindly follow tradition. Deeply problematic names pervade science just as they pervade our streets, cities and landscapes.</p> <p><em>Hibbertia</em> may be just a name, but we believe a different name for this lovely genus of Australian flowers would smell much sweeter.</p> <p><em>This article was co-authored by Tim Hammer, a postdoctoral research fellow at the State Herbarium of South Australia.</em><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/172602/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kevin-thiele-136882" target="_blank">Kevin Thiele</a>, Adjunct Assoc. Professor, <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-western-australia-1067" target="_blank">The University of Western Australia</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/hibberts-flowers-and-hitlers-beetle-what-do-we-do-when-species-are-named-after-historys-monsters-172602" target="_blank">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em><span class="attribution">Image: <a rel="noopener" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hibbertia_procumbens_(6691568261).jpg" target="_blank" class="source">John Tann/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a rel="noopener" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/" target="_blank" class="license">CC BY-SA</a></span></em></p>

Home & Garden

“Like a monster”: Extreme reaction triggered during pandemic

<p>Lauren Rigby, a 22-year-old training to be a vet nurse, was one of many lives dramatically changed by the coronavirus pandemic. </p> <p>But not in the same way as everyone else. </p> <p>After a seemingly innocent trip to her local shops, Lauren's life was thrown into disarray as she noticed a rash forming on her hands.</p> <p>"They were saying please use hand sanitiser so I just put a little bit on and it started burning," she said.</p> <p>"I asked mum 'are your hands burning'? she said, 'no'."</p> <p>In the following weeks, Lauren developed severe eczema, which was impacting her everyday life. </p> <p><span>"I started noticing at the shops they were spraying disinfectant, even on the clothes, and then I noticed my body was covered in a rash after trying on clothes," she said.</span></p> <p><span>Her fragile skin started to peel off and her hair began to fall out, as her body had an extreme reaction. </span></p> <p><span><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844688/lauren-rigby.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/a235e027209e4af2b2496e47870439ba" /></span></p> <p><em>Image credits: Channel 9 - A Current Affair</em></p> <p>"I was so swollen that it if you touched my arm it would leave a dent and my skin peeled off into piles that we had to vacuum up," Ms Rigby said.</p> <p>Lauren was hospitalised after her eczema triggered a genetic condition called Erythroderma, all caused by hand sanitiser. </p> <p>More than 12 months on, Lauren has a strict skincare regiment that is helping to slowly bring her eczema under control. </p> <p>"How can something so tiny change my life," she said.</p> <p>"I've never used hand sanitiser this year and I'll never use it again."</p> <p>Melanie Funk from Eczema Support Australia said there had been an increase of people seeking help during the COVID-19 period.</p> <p>"Certainly hand eczemas and facial eczemas are increasing with the pandemic measures," she said.</p> <p><span>"You shouldn't suffer in silence, there are others that understand, get support, get help, get treatment."</span></p> <p><em>Image credits: Channel 9 - A Current Affair</em></p>

Body

"I couldn't believe it": Drone footage at Loch Ness

<p><em>Image: Richard Mavor Youtube</em></p> <p>A British camper claims to have inadvertently captured drone footage of the fabled Loch Ness monster lurking on the water’s edge.</p> <p>As the lore goes, the legendary creature is rumoured to live in Scotland’s Loch Ness – the largest and second deepest body of fresh water in the British Isles.</p> <p>There have been several reported sightings in history dating back as far as AD 565, and sightings as recent as this year.</p> <p>In August, Richard Mavo, 54, had been filming his journey as he paddled through the area as part of the Great Glen Canoe Challenge, raising more than $28,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society.</p> <p>After sharing the lengthy video on his YouTube channel, Richard Outdoors, several eagle-eyed viewers noticed something strange about four minutes in.</p> <p>They say the thin figure, just beneath the water’s surface – with a long neck and a large body – matched the description of Nessie.</p> <p>“The last thing I want to do is make a Nessie claim,” Mavor told<span> </span><em>The Post</em>.</p> <p>“I’m the most sceptical of people but watching this I think yeah, there’s something a bit strange here.”</p> <p>Mavor said the group had just parked their canoes and he decided to get some drone vision of the beach, oblivious to what may been lurking nearby.</p> <p>“I couldn’t believe it,” he told<span> </span><em>The Daily Record.</em></p> <p>“I had to rewind the footage several times and have watched it several times since.”</p> <p>“There was no driftwood or anything like that so who knows. It could be a trick of the light but we can’t be sure. </p>

International Travel

Adorable first image of Tony Abbott's new grandson

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Frances Loch, Tony Abbott’s daughter, has shared adorable photos of her newborn just two weeks after his birth.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“This guy…,” she captioned the most recent photo on Instagram.</span></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/CRzKUWGjf-j/?utm_source=ig_embed&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/CRzKUWGjf-j/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by FRANNY (@francesloch)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Frances, who is married to former Olympic rower Sam Loch, previously shared her “intense” experience while giving birth and how it was all “forgotten” when she met her newborn son.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Birth was intense and incredible. Every part that was difficult and uncomfortable was forgotten in the next moment and 100 times worth it because it was bringing him closer to us,” Loch wrote.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I used my breath and all my strength. I trusted my body, my baby and my team (My ride or die Sam Loch and our amazing doula Kim). Not only was this beautiful nine-pounder born, but also a mother, father, and family.”</span></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/CRfIT8Ljq1U/?utm_source=ig_embed&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/CRfIT8Ljq1U/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by FRANNY (@francesloch)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Frances and Sam announced the birth of Ernest on July 19.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Tipping the scales at an even 9lb [4kg]. Brought into existence by his mum with nothing but breathing, coconut water and heart,” Sam wrote on Instagram.</span></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/CRNmd4QLCjK/?utm_source=ig_embed&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/CRNmd4QLCjK/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Sam Loch (@samloch)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The couple were engaged two weeks after meeting, and married three months later.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Frances is the second of Abbott’s three daughters.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She currently lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Frances Loch / Instagram</span></em></p>

Family & Pets

Monster queues for unlikely ALDI product

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Footage taken outside one of ALDI’s Sydney stores has shown customers waiting in lines up to 400m long to pick up a very unlikely buy.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a user’s YouTube video, a large number of customers are seen queuing up outside an ALDI store in Western Sydney on the morning of Saturday, May 8.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img style="width: 500px; height:281.53846153846155px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841189/aldi-queue.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/29d1231de3d9486a821995beff5849f7" /></span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">ALDI fans have been known to line up for air fryers, back-to-school gear, and winter ski sales, but this time shoppers were looking to get their hands on something different.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The product that’s in such hot demand? ALDI’s new range of budget cast aluminium pots and pans.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The supermarket’s Special Buys sale for May 8 included three cast aluminium saucepans, a frypan, and a baking dish - all priced between $19.99 and $24.99.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Many shoppers reported seeing similar buying frenzies at their local stores too.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Was the same at my local ALDI too, heaps of heaters - but the pots and pans, all gonski,” one said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Another added: “I saw a woman at ALDI Greensborough Plaza yesterday with a trolley full of the pots and pans. She had them stacked two and three high.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">An ALDI worker said: “We had just about the same queue in Glenmore Park this morning, was crazy to see!</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We had to open up five registers this morning within the first 2-3 minutes, air fryer, heaters and all pots and pans are already sold out.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Many viewers were surprised by the rush of shoppers trying to grab items depicted in the video.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some were questioning what the fuss was all about.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Bizarre. Nothing really that special about the pots and pans that warrants this reaction. You can get similar elsewhere without the queues and the battle scars,” one said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“How many pots and pans does the average person need? I have had the same set for over 50 years!” another wrote.</span></p> <p><strong>Image credit: SydneyCarsNTravel / YouTube</strong></p>

Money & Banking

“Vile monster” found eating ice-cream after killing his wife

<p>Disturbing bodycam footage has shown the moment a man who shot his ex-wife through the window of his car enjoying a Magnum treat.</p> <p>The bodycam footage released by Northamptonshire Police was taken hours after murderer Michael Reader shot Marion Price.</p> <p>Reader carried out the killing after a "controlling and abusive campaign" during the pair's marriage.</p> <p>Reader's best friend Stephen Welch was also a "willing and knowing accomplice" and helped dispose of Reader's clothes after the murder.</p> <p>Reader made the decision to murder his ex-wife after he was ordered to pay her £10,000 as a final divorce settlement.</p> <p>The footage is shocking, as Reader feigns ignorance after being informed he's being arrested for the murder of Price.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840361/man-ice-cream.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/7c6c87a1d0464f5ea540d339aaa7b452" /></p> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>"Can you fill me in? What has happened?" Reader can be heard asking as handcuffs are put on him.</p> <p>"When did this happen?" he asks the arresting officer.</p> <p>Reader had controlled and manipulated Price throughout their marriage, which was made clear at sentencing in a victim personal statement from Price's son Gary.</p> <p>He referred to Reader as a "vile monster", who "preyed on [Ms Price's] good nature"</p> <p>He said: "We would find out he was obsessed with money, manipulating, controlling, disgusting and very sad."</p> <p>Mr Price said his mother was "the most amazing, kind, bubbly, excitable, beautiful human being".</p> <p>"I really hope that people will read or hear about my mum's story and help at least one other person to spot the signs they are in an abusive relationship," he added.</p> <p>Reader was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 31 years and his accomplice was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 27 years.</p> <p><em>Photo credits: Northamptonshire Police</em></p> </div>

Legal

“What a monster”: Mum shocks the internet with bizarre habit

<p><span>A woman has stirred the Internet into a frenzy over her mother’s bizarre ice cream habit</span><br /><br /><span>“My mom always eats the chocolate and puts it back in the freezer like that,” the woman captioned an image.</span><br /><br /><span>The picture shows a magnum ice cream with the chocolate shell eaten off and the vanilla ice cream still on the stick.</span><br /><br /><span>Ice cream addicts took to the comments to call out the mother’s crazy habit.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7839886/ice-cream-3.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/942489c867434e8683f84f0f98eb17ea" /><br /><br /><span>“She’s a monster,” one person joked, with another adding: “I refuse to believe this is real”.</span><br /><br /><span>“Run away and disown her,” a person said, while another called the move “gross”.</span><br /><br /><span>The woman cleared up any confusion saying her mum only carries out the weird habit about once a month and "leaves the vanilla part for my dad to eat".</span><br /><br /><span>“Does she know she can buy chocolate that isn't attached to ice cream and eat that,” a person commented.</span><br /><br /><span>“Also - if it’s the weird sort of chocolate that comes on ice cream bars that she is into specifically, and not just chocolate in general, you can buy that at the grocery store.”</span></p>

Food & Wine

Halloween Apple Monsters

<p>Time: 20 minutes | Serves: 6</p> <p>Gluten Free / Dairy Free / Vegetarian</p> <p><strong>Ingredients</strong></p> <ul> <li>1 green apple</li> <li><a href="https://mayvers.com.au/product/extra-crunchy-peanut-butter/">Mayver’s Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter</a><a href="https://mayvers.com.au/product/extra-crunchy-peanut-butter/)"></a></li> <li>6 cashew nuts</li> <li>Candy eyes (for decoration)</li> </ul> <p><strong>Method</strong></p> <ol> <li>Slice apple into 12 wedges (6 pairs), and split cashew nuts in half, lengthways.</li> <li>Spread Mayver’s peanut butter on bottom wedges of each pair and arrange split cashew nuts on top to look like fangs. Spread peanut butter on top wedge and place onto bottom wedge to look like a mouth.</li> <li>Use a very small amount of peanut butter to stick candy eyes onto top wedge.</li> </ol> <p>This recipe was provided by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nataliemewing/">@nataliemewing</a> for Mayver's.</p>

Food & Wine

“Disgusting human being”: Relative says family had been trying to escape “monster” father

<p>A relative of the mother and three children killed in a Brisbane car fire said the man who set them alight was a “monster” the family had been trying to escape.</p> <p>Hannah Baxter, a 31-year-old fitness coach, was rushed to hospital after being found in a burning car in Camp Hill on Wednesday morning but died hours later.</p> <p>Her children – Aaliyah, 6, Laianah, 4 and Trey, 3 – all died inside the vehicle.</p> <p>Ms Baxter’s estranged husband and the children’s father, former Warriors rugby league player Rowan Baxter, allegedly jumped into her car, poured petrol on his family and set them on fire before yelling at passersby to stop helping.</p> <p>He later stabbed himself and died on the footpath.</p> <p>Ms Baxter’s sister-in-law Stacey Roberts said the family “had their lives taken by a disgusting human being they called their father”.</p> <p>“Her parents … have exhausted themselves to try and help Hannah escape this monster,” Roberts wrote on a fundraiser page for Ms Baxter and the children’s funeral.</p> <p>“For all those who knew Hannah or had even just met her once would know how much of a beautiful soul she was, her children were her life.</p> <p>“All she ever wanted was happiness. Her children were only a reflection of her. Gorgeous, happy kids who held a massive piece in my heart and I’m sure many others because that’s exactly what they were like.”</p> <p>Friends told the <em><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-20/hannah-baxter-camp-hill-car-fire-suspected-murder-suicide/11981348">ABC</a> </em>the couple’s marriage problems had been visible for a while, saying Ms Baxter moved out with the children after the Baxters closed their fitness business late last year.</p> <p>“She loved them so fiercely and she was doing everything she could to protect them,” Caitlin Langford said.</p> <p>Police investigations into the murder-suicide are continuing.</p> <p><span>In Australia, one woman is murdered by her current of former partner every week on average, the <a href="https://www.whiteribbon.org.au/understand-domestic-violence/facts-violence-women/domestic-violence-statistics/">Australian Institute of Criminology</a> reported.</span></p> <p><em>If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, you can contact the 24-hour support line 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 for more information on support and services that can help your situation.</em></p>

News

"I created a Frankenstein's monster": Inventor of most popular dog breed haunted by regret

<p>The labradoodle is one of the most popular dogs around the world - it is no wonder how with their cutesy curls and plaintive eyes. </p> <p>However, the man who first invented the breed in the 1980’s admitted he has some feelings of regret for creating the infamous labradoodle. </p> <p>"I realised what I had done within a matter of days,” Wally Conron told<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-09-23/labradoodle-guide-dogs-designer-regret/10717186" target="_blank">abc.net.au.</a></p> <p>As a professional dog breeder, Wally said he mainly worried about breeding healthy, happy pups. </p> <p>However, he believes labradoodle breeders do not share the same concerns. </p> <p>"I realised the reason for these unethical, ruthless people [was] to breed these dogs and sell them for big bucks," Wally says.</p> <p>"I opened a Pandora's box and released a Frankenstein's monster.</p> <p>"When I'm out and I see these labradoodles I can't help myself, I go over them in my mind.</p> <p>"I look at it thinking, does it have hip dysplasia, has it got elbow problems, any other problems I can see?</p> <p>"I find that the biggest majority are either crazy or have a hereditary problem. I do see some damn nice labradoodles but they're few and far between."</p> <p>Mr Conron first crossed a labrador and a poodle in the late eighties after he was asked to breed a non-shedding guide dog. </p> <p>"I bred the labradoodle for a blind lady whose husband was allergic to dog hair," he says.</p> <p>"She wanted to know if we could come up with a dog that she could use as a guide dog and her husband wouldn't be allergic to," he says, speaking to the ABC podcast<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://abclisten.page.link/gro5" target="_blank">Sum Of All Parts.</a></p> <p>He trialled 33 different standard poodles after deciding a “standard” one would “do the job”, he decided they didn’t have the right temperament to be a successful guide dog. </p> <p>After three years of attempts, Wally came up with the idea make a brand new crossbreed or "a dog with the working ability of the Labrador and the coat of the poodle".</p> <p>After breeding three dogs, he shipped one off to the blind woman and her husband who lived with the dog well into his retirement.</p> <p>The other two, he found, were extremely hard to get rid of as “no one wanted a cross breed,”</p> <p>Out of sheer frustration, Mr Conran approached Guide Dogs Victoria’s PR department and asked them to say they’d bred a “special breed.”</p> <p>"I said 'can you get onto the media and tell them that we've bred a special breed? A breed called the labradoodle — it's non-allergenic',” he said.</p> <p>Quickly Wally found it became a sensation. </p> <p>"I could not visualise the publicity that a crossbred dog would get," Wally says.</p> <p>"Cars would stop and people would get out of the car and say to me, 'excuse me what sort of dog is that?' I'd say 'it's a labradoodle!'"</p> <p>While the gorgeous dogs have captured the attention of many over the last 30 years, the cost of them far outweigh their multi-thousand dollar price tag.</p>

Family & Pets

Loch Ness monster: DNA analysis brings new theory to light

<p><span>The mystery creatures behind the thousand sightings of the fabled Loch Ness Monster may be giant eels, a group of scientists said.</span></p> <p><span>The legend of the giant sea monster has persisted throughout the decades, with some theorising that the creature could be a Jurassic-era reptile, a huge fish, circus elephants, or dinosaurs suspected of surviving extinction such as plesiosaur or elasmosaurus.</span></p> <p><span>Following an analysis of 250 water samples from Loch Ness in Scotland, a team of environmental DNA experts found no evidence for prehistoric reptiles, otters, seals, sharks, catifsh or huge fish such as sturgeons.</span></p> <p><span>However, they discovered a lot of genetic material from eels. </span></p> <p><span>“Is there a plesiosaur in Loch Ness? No. There is absolutely no evidence of any reptilian sequences,” said Professor Neil Gemmell, a geneticist from University of Otago and the study’s leader.</span></p> <p><span>“So I think we can be fairly sure that there is probably not a giant scaly reptile swimming around in Loch Ness.”</span></p> <p><span>Gemmell said the “very significant amount” of eel DNA suggests that the ray-finned fish might be the creature people have been seeing.</span></p> <p><span>“The sheer quantity of the material says that we can’t discount the possibility that there may be giant eels in Loch Ness. Therefore we can’t discount the possibility that what people see and believe is the Loch Ness Monster might be a giant eel.”</span></p> <p><span>The Loch Ness Monster has continued to remain as Scotland’s most enduring myths.</span></p> <p><span>The most famous picture of Nessie, taken by British surgeon Robert Wilson in 1934, was later revealed to be a hoax that used a wood putty model on a toy submarine. However, that does not stop people from attempting to track down the beast in the years since.</span></p> <p><span>Steve Feltham, the world record holder for the longest continuous Loch Ness Monster vigil, said he is not convinced the researchers have identified the monster.</span></p> <p><span>“A 12-year-old boy could tell you there are eels in Loch Ness,” he told <em><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-49495145">BBC</a>.</em> “I caught eels in the loch when I was a 12-year-old boy.”</span></p>

News

Time's up for "monster" magpie after 40 complaints and 3 years of attacks

<p>An aggressive magpie who had 40 complaints made against it has been killed in Sydney’s north-west ahead of another swooping season.</p> <p>The magpie was infamous in Bella Vista as it attacked multiple people on Old Windsor Road over the last three years, and its hostile behaviour wasn’t due to nesting season.</p> <p>Hills District Council said the magpie attacked outside of “swooping season” which usually starts at the beginning of spring.</p> <p>“A particularly aggressive magpie has been impacting pedestrians and cyclists along the path and on Old Windsor Road adjacent to Francesco Crescent Reserve, Bella Vista over a number of years,” a spokesperson for the Hills Shire Council said.</p> <p>“Council has received 40 complaints over the last three years and there have been confirmed injuries, of which several resulted in hospitalisation from this particular magpie.</p> <p>“The magpie was known to attack people outside of ‘swooping season’ and its attacks are not linked to the protection of a next.”</p> <p>The council revealed that attempts were made countless times to relocate the magpie, before they decided to kill the animal.</p> <p>“Council does not usually take action to remove or destroy magpies – the usual procedure is to signpost known risk areas as birds are generally only aggressive for four to six weeks per year.</p> <p>“Having regard to the number of complaints, number of confirmed injuries and ongoing risk associated with the location, and after having exhausted all practical alternatives to alleviate the risk, Council was issued a permit from the National Parks and Wildlife Service to engage a pest controller who humanely euthanised the bird to prevent further serious injuries. This course of action was not taken lightly.”</p>

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