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50 years on, Advance Australia Fair no longer reflects the values of many. What could replace it?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/wendy-hargreaves-1373285">Wendy Hargreaves</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-southern-queensland-1069">University of Southern Queensland</a> On April 8 1974, Prime Minister Gough Whitlam announced to parliament the nation’s new national anthem: <a href="https://www.pmc.gov.au/honours-and-symbols/australian-national-symbols/australian-national-anthem">Advance Australia Fair</a>. Australia was growing up. We could stop saving “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Save_the_King">our gracious Queen</a>” and rejoice in being “young” and “girt”. Finding a new anthem hadn’t been easy. There were unsuccessful <a href="https://www.naa.gov.au/help-your-research/fact-sheets/australias-national-anthem">songwriting competitions</a> and an unconvincing opinion poll. Finally, we landed on rebooting an Australian favourite from 1878. After Whitlam’s announcement, Australians argued, state officials declined the change and the next government reinstated the British anthem in part. It took another ten years, another poll and an official proclamation in 1984 to adopt the new anthem uniformly and get on with looking grown-up. Advance Australia Fair was never the ideal answer to “what shall we sing?”. The original lyrics ignored First Nations people and overlooked women. Like a grunting teenager, it both answered the question and left a lot out. On its 50th anniversary, it’s time to consider whether we got it right. Advance Australia Fair may have helped Australia transition through the 1970s, but in 2024, has it outstayed its welcome? <h2>How do you pick a national anthem?</h2> A national anthem is a government-authorised song performed at official occasions and celebrations. It unifies people and reinforces national identity. Often, governments nominate a tune by searching through historical patriotic songs to find a <a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/golden-oldie">golden oldie</a> with known public appeal. For example, the lyrics of the Japanese anthem <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimigayo">Kimigayo</a> came from pre-10th-century poetry. Germany’s anthem <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Deutschlandlied">Deutschlandlied</a> adopted a 1797 melody from renowned composer <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Joseph-Haydn">Joseph Haydn</a>. An enduring song or text offers star quality, proven popularity and the prestige of age. In the 1970s, Australia’s attempt at finding a golden oldie was flawed. In that era, many believed Australia’s birth occurred at the arrival of explorer <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-Cook">James Cook</a> in 1770. Hence, we narrowed our search to hymns, marches and fanfares from our colonial history for possible anthems. With 2020s hindsight (pun intended), <a href="https://theconversation.com/our-national-anthem-is-non-inclusive-indigenous-australians-shouldnt-have-to-sing-it-118177">expecting First Nations</a> people to sing Advance Australia Fair was hypocritical. We wanted to raise Australia’s visibility internationally, yet the custodians of the lands and waterways were unseen by our country’s eyes. We championed “history’s page” with a 19th-century song that participated in racial discrimination. <h2>Changing anthems</h2> With a half-century on the scoreboard, are we locked in to singing Advance Australia Fair forever? No. Anthems can change. Just ask <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Morrison_(jazz_musician)">James Morrison</a>. In 2003, the Australian trumpeter played the Spanish national anthem beautifully at the <a href="https://www.daviscup.com/en/home.aspx">Davis Cup</a> tennis final. Unfortunately, he <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2003-11-28/spanish-angry-over-anthem-mix-up/1516684">played the old anthem</a> that heralded civil war. Morrison’s accidental performance incited a fist-shaking dignitary and an enraged Spanish team who temporarily refused to play. Morrison did, however, to his embarrassment, later receive some excited fan mail from Spanish revolutionists. If we want to change our anthem, where could we begin? We could start by revisiting the golden-oldie approach with a more inclusive ear. Perhaps there’s a song from contemporary First Nations musicians we could consider, or a song from their enduring oral tradition that they deem appropriate (and grant permission to use). If we have learnt anything from Australian history, it’s that we must include and ask – not exclude and take. We could also consider Bruce Woodley and Dobe Newton’s 1987 song <a href="https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection/curated/asset/101146-i-am-australian-various">I Am Australian</a>, which reached golden-oldie status last year when the <a href="https://www.nfsa.gov.au/slip-slop-slap-i-am-australian-join-sounds-australia">National Film and Sound Archive</a> added it to their registry. The lyrics show the acknowledgement and respect of First Nations people that our current anthem lacks. The line “we are one, but we are many” captures the inclusivity with diversity we now value. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KrLTe1_9zso?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> I Am Australian wouldn’t be a problem-free choice. Musically, the style is a “light rock” song, not a grand “hymn”, which could be a plus or minus depending on your view. Lyrically, romanticising convicted killer <a href="https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/kelly-edward-ned-3933">Ned Kelly</a> is controversial, and mispronouncing “Australians” could be considered inauthentic (fair dinkum Aussies say “Au-strail-yins”, not “Au-stray-lee-uhns”). That said, Australians are quite experienced at patching holes in our anthem. Advance Australia Fair required many adjustments. If the golden-oldie approach fails again, how about composing a new anthem? We could adopt <a href="https://nationalanthems.info/ke.htm">Kenya’s approach</a> of commissioning an anthem, or could revive the good ol’ songwriting competition. Our past competitions weren’t fruitful, but surely our many talented musicians and poets today can meet the challenge. <h2>It’s time to ask</h2> Fifty years on, we acknowledge Advance Australia Fair as the anthem that moved our nation forward. That was the first and hardest step. Today, if Australians choose, we can retire the song gracefully and try again with a clearer voice. Changing our anthem begins with asking whether the current song really declares who we are. Have our values, our perspectives and our identity changed in half a century? Australia, it’s your song. Are you happy to sing Advance Australia Fair for another 50 years? <img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/226737/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/wendy-hargreaves-1373285">Wendy Hargreaves</a>, Senior Learning Advisor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-southern-queensland-1069">University of Southern Queensland</a> 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/50-years-on-advance-australia-fair-no-longer-reflects-the-values-of-many-what-could-replace-it-226737">original article</a>. Images: Shutterstock | Wikimedia Commons

Music

How friendship changes as the years advance

"You know the sort of thing you fantasise about when you are standing having a . . .?" Thus began an opening sally in a recent conversation. Such a beginning reveals a thoroughly satisfying degree of intimacy, acceptance, self-disclosure and a very easy familiarity. We found it extremely heart-warming to be its recipients, as we both were recently from a (clearly) close friend. It set me wondering about friendship, closeness, nurturance, and, as usual, the meaning of life in general. Singer/humourist Greg Tamblyn put it nicely: "Friends are people who know you really well and like you anyway." A dictionary type of definition of friendship runs something like 'Friendship is a relationship of mutual affection' and liking between two (or more) people." And plenty of work has been done on the topic by researchers who might well have begun with puzzlement about their own friendship patterns. What is important, as was definitely demonstrated by our friend, is self-disclosure. But there has to be some reciprocity here. If I tell a potential friend about my unsightly and ill-positioned warts or my liking for kippers and jam I expect some similarly horrifying self-disclosure in return. Beyond self-disclosure and reciprocity, there comes a swag of characteristics that one would like to see in a written reference (preferably about oneself). Unconditional support, acceptance, loyalty and trust and all of this to be expressed openly. At this point, you might well be thinking that true friendship is a bit hard to come by. It gets worse. Researchers have shown that absolutely crucial in the development of friendship is that the potential friend supports what they call one's social identity. Roughly speaking this means that we like our friends to confirm how we see ourselves (tall, handsome, even-handed, mellow etc rather than the reality of a short somewhat indifferent appearance, biased and a touch grumpy). This support of what might well be our deluded view of self is thought to boost our self-esteem. It might also be leading us even further up the garden path, so the occasional cold shower of social reality could be useful. However, more research has demonstrated that there are four ways to maintain a bond of friendship once it has been made. More self-disclosure, more supportiveness, a fair amount of contact and a relatively unfailing positivity. All of which takes a bit of doing. Some interesting questions have not yet been answered by those who study friendship rather than courting it. To put the perennial late-night-after-a-few-drinks question - can there be cross-gender friendships without sex? The jury remains out on this, but it is perhaps something that becomes less problematic with age. This reminds me of what I intended to be the main point here and that is that we become better at the whole business of friendship in later years. We become more picky and tend to have fewer but deeper friendships that we can count on. Much of the mere acquaintanceship of earlier years disappear in favour of an increase in all of those sterling qualities already described. However, the clever Oliver Burkeman, in his Guardian column recently drew attention to a problem of friendship in the modern world; namely, the number of friends. It used to be that with developments in qualifications, jobs, marriage and so on people would change communities, leave old friends behind and make new ones, probably keeping the overall number reasonably constant. Modern communication means that we can easily keep all of our friends, new ones simply adding to the number. So, our friends might be less densely linked these days. And that is not so good, because friends that are physically close to us will probably talk about us more often, something which Burkeman believes strengthens the general social fabric. I can think of instances in which it might well weaken it. In spite of all this musing, it might be better not to think too much about how to make friends. The title of a popular book years ago was How to make friends and influence people. That's the problem; think about these things too much and it all seems to be a bit contrived and manipulative and that changes everything. George Carlin put it very well. "One good reason to only maintain a small circle of friends is that three out of every four murders are committed by people who know the victim." Thinking of this, Jim Hayes suggested that "A good friend will help you move. But a best friend will help you move a body." Garry Shandling should have the final word though, with "My friends tell me that I have an intimacy problem. But they don't really know me." Image credit: Shutterstock Written by Ken Strongman. Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stuff.co.nz.</a>

Mind

10 things we sort of miss because of technological advances

The world has certainly changed in the last few decades – great technological advancements has meant many things we did in the past are all but a memory (or they are on their way out.) Let’s look back on ten things we sort of miss even though they’ve been replaced by new technology. 1. Buying disposable cameras, only taking picture that were worth the cost of film and having to go all the way to the chemist to develop and print photographs. Then you had to decide how to arrange them in an album. 2. Recording your favourite television programs using a video tape. Nowadays people are downloading movies and TV shows straight to their computer. 3. Saving all your loose change just in case you needed to use the pay phone when you were out. And having to remember numbers. 4. Spending hours over a road map and writing down your own directions so you wouldn’t get lost before a holiday road trip or just going somewhere new. Nobody needs to remember how to get anywhere now because most have GPS. 5. Physically visiting institutions like banks, post office and the newsagents. We don’t miss the long lines but at least it was personal. 6. Hand-writing essays, letters and notes, which meant knowing how to hand-write. Now it’s about how fast you type not how legible your handwriting is! 7. Looking up information in big encyclopaedias and definitions in the dictionary. Not just consulting the internet. 8. Receiving mail in your letterbox not your inbox. Unluckily, there is more “junk mail” and spam now than ever. 9. Advertising or looking for finds in classified section of the newspaper. 10. Packing your friends in the backseats of the car to go to the drive-in movies because it was the only one around. While we do love the comfy seats in air-conditioned cinemas, you can’t beat the fun and romantic possibilities of drive-in cinemas. Images: Getty

Technology

Will AI ever reach human-level intelligence? We asked 5 experts

Artificial intelligence has changed form in recent years. What started in the public eye as a burgeoning field with promising (yet largely benign) applications, has snowballed into a <a href="https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/artificial-intelligence-ai-market">more than US$100 billion</a> industry where the heavy hitters – Microsoft, Google and OpenAI, to name a few – seem <a href="https://theconversation.com/bard-bing-and-baidu-how-big-techs-ai-race-will-transform-search-and-all-of-computing-199501">intent on out-competing</a> one another. The result has been increasingly sophisticated large language models, often <a href="https://theconversation.com/everyones-having-a-field-day-with-chatgpt-but-nobody-knows-how-it-actually-works-196378">released in haste</a> and without adequate testing and oversight. These models can do much of what a human can, and in many cases do it better. They can beat us at <a href="https://theconversation.com/an-ai-named-cicero-can-beat-humans-in-diplomacy-a-complex-alliance-building-game-heres-why-thats-a-big-deal-195208">advanced strategy games</a>, generate <a href="https://theconversation.com/ai-art-is-everywhere-right-now-even-experts-dont-know-what-it-will-mean-189800">incredible art</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/breast-cancer-diagnosis-by-ai-now-as-good-as-human-experts-115487">diagnose cancers</a> and compose music. There’s no doubt AI systems appear to be “intelligent” to some extent. But could they ever be as intelligent as humans? There’s a term for this: artificial general intelligence (AGI). Although it’s a broad concept, for simplicity you can think of AGI as the point at which AI acquires human-like generalised cognitive capabilities. In other words, it’s the point where AI can tackle any intellectual task a human can. AGI isn’t here yet; current AI models are held back by a lack of certain human traits such as true creativity and emotional awareness. We asked five experts if they think AI will ever reach AGI, and five out of five said yes. But there are subtle differences in how they approach the question. From their responses, more questions emerge. When might we achieve AGI? Will it go on to surpass humans? And what constitutes “intelligence”, anyway? Here are their detailed responses. Paul Formosa: AI and Philosophy of Technology AI has already achieved and surpassed human intelligence in many tasks. It can beat us at strategy games such as Go, chess, StarCraft and Diplomacy, outperform us on many <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-34591-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">language performance</a>benchmarks, and write <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/12/chatgpt-ai-writing-college-student-essays/672371/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passable undergraduate</a> university essays. Of course, it can also make things up, or “hallucinate”, and get things wrong – but so can humans (although not in the same ways). Given a long enough timescale, it seems likely AI will achieve AGI, or “human-level intelligence”. That is, it will have achieved proficiency across enough of the interconnected domains of intelligence humans possess. Still, some may worry that – despite AI achievements so far – AI will not really be “intelligent” because it doesn’t (or can’t) understand what it’s doing, since it isn’t conscious. However, the rise of AI suggests we can have intelligence without consciousness, because intelligence can be understood in functional terms. An intelligent entity can do intelligent things such as learn, reason, write essays, or use tools. The AIs we create may never have consciousness, but they are increasingly able to do intelligent things. In some cases, they already do them at a level beyond us, which is a trend that will likely continue. Christina Maher: Computational Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering AI will achieve human-level intelligence, but perhaps not anytime soon. Human-level intelligence allows us to reason, solve problems and make decisions. It requires many cognitive abilities including adaptability, social intelligence and learning from experience. AI already ticks many of these boxes. What’s left is for AI models to learn inherent human traits such as critical reasoning, and understanding what emotion is and which events might prompt it. As humans, we learn and experience these traits from the moment we’re born. Our first experience of “happiness” is too early for us to even remember. We also learn critical reasoning and emotional regulation throughout childhood, and develop a sense of our “emotions” as we interact with and experience the world around us. Importantly, it can take many years for the human brain to develop such intelligence. AI hasn’t acquired these capabilities yet. But if humans can learn these traits, AI probably can too – and maybe at an even faster rate. We are still discovering how AI models should be built, trained, and interacted with in order to develop such traits in them. Really, the big question is not if AI will achieve human-level intelligence, but when – and how. Seyedali Mirjalili: AI and Swarm Intelligence I believe AI will surpass human intelligence. Why? The past offers insights we can't ignore. A lot of people believed tasks such as playing computer games, image recognition and content creation (among others) could only be done by humans – but technological advancement proved otherwise. Today the rapid advancement and adoption of AI algorithms, in conjunction with an abundance of data and computational resources, has led to a level of intelligence and automation previously unimaginable. If we follow the same trajectory, having more generalised AI is no longer a possibility, but a certainty of the future. It is just a matter of time. AI has advanced significantly, but not yet in tasks requiring intuition, empathy and creativity, for example. But breakthroughs in algorithms will allow this. Moreover, once AI systems achieve such human-like cognitive abilities, there will be a snowball effect and AI systems will be able to improve themselves with minimal to no human involvement. This kind of “automation of intelligence” will profoundly change the world. Artificial general intelligence remains a significant challenge, and there are ethical and societal implications that must be addressed very carefully as we continue to advance towards it. Dana Rezazadegan: AI and Data Science Yes, AI is going to get as smart as humans in many ways – but exactly how smart it gets will be decided largely by advancements in <a href="https://thequantuminsider.com/2020/01/23/four-ways-quantum-computing-will-change-artificial-intelligence-forever/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quantum computing</a>. Human intelligence isn’t as simple as knowing facts. It has several aspects such as creativity, emotional intelligence and intuition, which current AI models can mimic, but can’t match. That said, AI has advanced massively and this trend will continue. Current models are limited by relatively small and biased training datasets, as well as limited computational power. The emergence of quantum computing will transform AI’s capabilities. With quantum-enhanced AI, we’ll be able to feed AI models multiple massive datasets that are comparable to humans’ natural multi-modal data collection achieved through interacting with the world. These models will be able to maintain fast and accurate analyses. Having an advanced version of continual learning should lead to the development of highly sophisticated AI systems which, after a certain point, will be able to improve themselves without human input. As such, AI algorithms running on stable quantum computers have a high chance of reaching something similar to generalised human intelligence – even if they don’t necessarily match every aspect of human intelligence as we know it. Marcel Scharth: Machine Learning and AI Alignment I think it’s likely AGI will one day become a reality, although the timeline remains highly uncertain. If AGI is developed, then surpassing human-level intelligence seems inevitable. Humans themselves are proof that highly flexible and adaptable intelligence is allowed by the laws of physics. There’s no <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church%E2%80%93Turing_thesis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fundamental reason</a> we should believe that machines are, in principle, incapable of performing the computations necessary to achieve human-like problem solving abilities. Furthermore, AI has <a href="https://philarchive.org/rec/SOTAOA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">distinct advantages</a> over humans, such as better speed and memory capacity, fewer physical constraints, and the potential for more rationality and recursive self-improvement. As computational power grows, AI systems will eventually surpass the human brain’s computational capacity. Our primary challenge then is to gain a better understanding of intelligence itself, and knowledge on how to build AGI. Present-day AI systems have many limitations and are nowhere near being able to master the different domains that would characterise AGI. The path to AGI will likely require unpredictable breakthroughs and innovations. The median predicted date for AGI on <a href="https://www.metaculus.com/questions/5121/date-of-artificial-general-intelligence/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Metaculus</a>, a well-regarded forecasting platform, is 2032. To me, this seems too optimistic. A 2022 <a href="https://aiimpacts.org/2022-expert-survey-on-progress-in-ai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expert survey</a> estimated a 50% chance of us achieving human-level AI by 2059. I find this plausible. Image credits: Shutterstock This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/will-ai-ever-reach-human-level-intelligence-we-asked-5-experts-202515" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Technology

There’s a growing gap between countries advancing LGBTQ+ rights, and those going backwards

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong joined 50,000 people to march in support of queer rights across the Sydney Harbour Bridge for World Pride in early March. A week earlier, Albanese became the first sitting prime minister to march in Sydney’s Mardi Gras, something he’s done over several decades. And yet at the same time, in another part of the world, Uganda’s parliament passed <a href="https://theconversation.com/ugandas-new-anti-lgbtq-law-could-lead-to-death-penalty-for-same-sex-offences-202376">a string of draconian measures</a> against homosexuality, including possible death sentences for “aggravated homosexuality”. Any “promotion” of homosexuality is also outlawed. Seven years ago, I co-wrote a book with Jonathan Symons called Queer Wars. Back then, we suggested there was <a href="https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/publications/queer-wars-the-new-global-polarization-over-gay-rights">a growing gap </a>between countries in which sexual and gender diversity was becoming more acceptable, and those where repression was increasing. Sadly, that analysis seems even more relevant today. <h2>A growing gap</h2> Some countries have been unwinding criminal sanctions around homosexuality, which are often the legacy of colonialism. This includes, in recent years, former British colonies <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/08/22/singapore-decriminalize-gay-sex">Singapore</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/06/indian-supreme-court-decriminalises-homosexuality">India</a>. But others have been imposing new and more vicious penalties for any deviation from stereotypical assumptions of heterosexual masculine superiority (what Australian sociologist Raewyn Connell <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0891243205278639">terms</a> “hegemonic masculinity”). Anti-gay legislation is currently pending in Ghana, which led US Vice President Kamala Harris to <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-43822234">express concerns</a> on a recent visit. These moves echo the deep homophobia of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has <a href="https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/putins-anti-gay-war-on-ukraine/">bizarrely linked</a> intervention in Ukraine to protecting traditional values against LGBTQ+ infiltration. Meanwhile, reports from Afghanistan suggest that anyone identified as “LGBT” is <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/01/26/afghanistan-taliban-target-lgbt-afghans">in danger of being killed</a>. Indonesia recently passed legislation <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/06/indonesia-passes-legislation-banning-sex-outside-marriage">penalising all sex outside marriage</a>. This follows <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13639811.2022.2038871">years of anti-queer rhetoric</a> from Indonesian leaders and crackdowns in regional areas. And while the Biden administration is supportive of queer rights globally, the extraordinary hysteria <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/07/cpac-anti-trans-rhetoric">around trans issues in the Republican Party</a> reminds us the West has no inherent claim to moral superiority. <h2>Where to next?</h2> Speaking at the World Pride Human Rights Conference, both Wong and Attorney General Mark Dreyfus made it clear Australia would press for recognition of sexuality and gender identity as deserving protection, as part of <a href="https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/penny-wong/speech/sydney-worldpride-human-rights-conference-opening-statement">our commitment to human rights</a>. Wong also announced a <a href="https://www.themandarin.com.au/213443-wong-announces-international-fund-for-lgbt-rights/">new Inclusion and Equality Fund</a> to support queer community organisations within our region. Australian governments have usually been wary of loud assertions of support for queer rights. This is partly due to a reasonable fear this merely reinforces the perception that such language reflects <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/african-studies-review/article/abs/locating-neocolonialism-tradition-and-human-rights-in-ugandas-gay-death-penalty/33A06F4F33CF586E20E208BE790E71E0">a sense of Western superiority</a>, unwilling to acknowledge other societies may have very different attitudes towards gender and sexuality. Australia is part of the Equal Rights Coalition, an intergovernmental body of 42 countries dedicated to the protection of the rights of LGBTQ+ people, and has supported sexual and gender rights in the <a href="https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/rights-and-freedoms/australias-second-universal-periodic-review-human-rights">country reviews</a> undertaken by the United Nations Human Rights Commission. Australia has a minimal presence in Uganda, and direct representations are unlikely to have much effect. Uganda is a member of the Commonwealth, as are Ghana, Kenya and Zambia, where official homophobia appears to be increasing. But there’s little evidence the Australian government sees this as a significant foreign policy forum, or is prepared to push for sexual rights through its institutions. As persecution on the basis of sexuality and gender identity increases, more people will seek to flee their countries. Queer refugees face double jeopardy: they’re not safe at home, but they’re often equally unsafe in their diasporic communities, which have inherited the <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/01/lgbt-refugees-untold-story/">deep prejudices of their homelands</a>. The UN’s refugee agency <a href="https://www.unhcr.org/lgbtiq-persons.html">reports</a> that most people seeking asylum because of their sexuality are unwilling to disclose this, because of discrimination within their own ethnic communities. This makes it impossible to have accurate numbers. But a clear signal from Australia would be a powerful statement of support – that it understands the situation and welcomes people who need flee because of their sexuality or gender expression. An official Canadian government document <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/refugees/canada-role/2slgbtqi-plus.html">states</a>: "Canada has a proud history of providing protection to and helping to resettle the world’s most vulnerable groups. That includes those in the Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and additional sexually and gender diverse community." Theirs is a model worth following. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/theres-a-growing-gap-between-countries-advancing-lgbtq-rights-and-those-going-backwards-203329" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Caring

Are our phones really designed to slow down over time? Experts look at the evidence

It’s usually around this time of year you hear people complain about their phones slowing down. Apple and Google release new versions of their operating systems (OS) and suddenly there’s a slew of people <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-51413724">claiming their old devices have started to lag</a> – conveniently just before Christmas. But do manufacturers really slow down our phones on purpose to nudge us towards shiny new ones, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/11/18/936268845/apple-agrees-to-pay-113-million-to-settle-batterygate-case-over-iphone-slowdowns">as has been claimed</a>? The answer to this, as usual, is complicated. Let’s take a look at the evidence. <h2>The ol’ operating system shuffle</h2> Every year, usually around <a href="https://infonewt.com/apple-release-patterns">May and June</a>, tech companies announce their new OS updates. The main news surrounding the releases is often <a href="https://www.macstories.net/stories/ios-and-ipados-15-the-macstories-overview/">new system features</a>such as <a href="https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT204380">Facetime</a> enhancements, improvements to <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/7/22522993/apple-siri-on-device-speech-recognition-no-internet-wwdc">voice assistants</a>, or a <a href="https://www.wired.com/2013/06/ios7-redesign/">fancier system design</a>. But did you know these features are optimised for the new hardware traditionally released during the summer, and the chips that come with it? As such, system updates have to be programmed to work towards two goals. The first is to support the new hardware and chip, which deliver the newest features. The second is to continue to work with existing hardware that won’t support the new features. And this means coding the OS so it’s not reliant on the new features having to work. This challenge exists for desktop OSs as well, as evidenced by the recent removal of old systems <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/29/22555371/microsoft-windows-11-cpu-support-hardware-requirements-tpm-response">from the Windows 11 compatibility list</a>. Microsoft decided coding around new features was an insurmountable challenge in some instances. <h2>Hardships with hardware</h2> So your old smartphone won’t support new features – fair enough. But why does it feel like the new OS update is making existing features slower? To understand this, you need to first understand some of the mechanics of chip design. Apple used to use other manufacturers’ chips for its devices, but for the past few years has made its own custom silicon. This is referred to as a “<a href="https://anysilicon.com/what-is-a-system-on-chip-soc/">system on a chip (SoC)</a>, as the entire system exists on a single chip designed and manufactured by Apple. But even if manufacturers design their own chips, it can be hard to predict what consumers will want in the future, and thus which upgrades will come with future iterations of a device. Manufacturers have to write OS updates to suit the latest hardware, so consumers who purchase it can take advantage of the latest features. In doing so, they must work around the fact that older hardware doesn’t have the same capacity. These workarounds mean older devices will run more slowly with the new OS installed, even for tasks the system had done for years. The latest OS is not written to make your old device slower, but because it’s written for the latest device, it can’t help but run more slowly on old hardware. Examples of this abound in the industry, <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/09/ios-14-on-the-iphone-6s-and-se-performance-is-fine-other-stuff-is-not/">with many articles written</a> about a newly released OS version running slow on older devices until the manufacturer optimises it (if they ever do). You might be wondering: if a new OS will slow down old phones, why install the update at all? Well, it’s because people don’t like being told to stick with old features. Apple <a href="https://9to5mac.com/2021/06/07/apple-will-let-users-stay-on-ios-14-and-receive-security-updates-even-after-ios-15-is-released/">recently allowed</a> users of its latest devices to keep the old system, but this is unusual. There is usually a <a href="https://www.popsci.com/update-every-gadget/">push for users to install new OS versions</a>. <h2>It’s all business</h2> The truth is device manufacturers are in the business to make money. And this means being able to sell new devices. While there is often an <a href="https://theconversation.com/upgrade-rage-why-you-may-have-to-buy-a-new-device-whether-you-want-to-or-not-153105">implied expectation</a> from consumers that manufacturers will commit to maintaining old products, at the same time they need to write updates that will work for their latest hardware. Meanwhile, tech companies aren’t doing enough to educate users on how to adjust their settings to get the best out of their phones, or <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/remove-bloatware-phone/">how to manage software bloat</a> which might contribute to a phone slowing down. Compounding this are other factors such as network connection issues, like when the 3G mobile network was stopped. <h2>Burden of proof</h2> There’s something else to consider, too. If an OS update was designed to intentionally slow down a phone over time, this would be very difficult to prove. The system codes are "closed source”, so experts can’t look into them. The best we can do is run timers on different processes and see if they are slowing down over time. But even if they are, is it because of a system update that can’t be supported by old hardware, or is it malicious conduct from the manufacturer? Could the code be written to force the device to sleep for half a second, every ten seconds, with a sleep command? It’s hard to say for sure, although our personal opinion is this is highly unlikely. <h2>Choose not to play</h2> Ultimately, the issue comes down to how device manufacturers sell their products. The best option for their bottom line is to deliver OS updates and features that work with the latest hardware, even if this leaves old devices behind. The evidence suggests manufacturers are not intentionally slowing phones down, but are prioritising the latest release so you’ll buy it. In the meantime, if your slow device is getting you down, the best option is to resist the urge to upgrade. You might get prompts directing you to install the latest OS version (and the frequency of these will depend on the company) but you can ignore them. There may be auto-updates which you can’t avoid, but in most cases these are for security purposes and don’t include major changes or new features. It’s only once these security updates stop coming that you should upgrade. Until then, a phone running on its original OS should, in theory, run well for a long time. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-our-phones-really-designed-to-slow-down-over-time-experts-look-at-the-evidence-170962" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Technology

We studied how the Antarctic ice sheet advanced and retreated over 10,000 years. It holds warnings for the future

Alarming stories from Antarctica are now more frequent than ever; the ice surface is <a href="https://theconversation.com/warmer-summers-threaten-antarcticas-giant-ice-shelves-because-of-the-lakes-they-create-180989" target="_blank" rel="noopener">melting</a>, floating ice shelves are <a href="https://theconversation.com/conger-ice-shelf-has-collapsed-what-you-need-to-know-according-to-experts-180077" target="_blank" rel="noopener">collapsing</a> and glaciers are <a href="https://theconversation.com/ice-world-antarcticas-riskiest-glacier-is-under-assault-from-below-and-losing-its-grip-178828" target="_blank" rel="noopener">flowing faster</a> into the ocean. Antarctica will be the largest source of future sea-level rise. Yet scientists <a href="https://theconversation.com/scientists-still-dont-know-how-far-melting-in-antarctica-will-go-or-the-sea-level-rise-it-will-unleash-166677" target="_blank" rel="noopener">don’t know</a> exactly how this melting will unfold as the climate warms. Our <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s43017-022-00309-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">latest research</a> looks at how the Antarctic ice sheet advanced and retreated over the past 10,000 years. It holds stark warnings, and possibly some hope, for the future. <h2>The current imbalance</h2> Future sea-level rise presents one of the most significant challenges of climate change, with economic, environmental and societal impacts expected for coastal communities around the globe. While it seems like a distant issue, the changes in Antarctica may soon be felt on our doorsteps, in the form of rising sea levels. Antarctica is home to the world’s largest single mass of ice: the Antarctic ice sheet. This body of glacier ice is several kilometres thick, nestled on top of solid land. It covers entire mountain ranges beneath it. The ice sheet “<a href="https://vimeo.com/133626869" target="_blank" rel="noopener">flows</a>” over the land from the Antarctic interior and towards the surrounding ocean. As a whole it remains a solid mass, but its shape slowly deforms as the ice crystals move around. While the ice sheet flows outward, snowfall from above replenishes it. This cycle is supposed to keep the system in balance, wherein balance is achieved when the ice sheet is gaining the same amount of ice as it’s losing to the ocean each year. However, <a href="https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/ice-sheets/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">satellites</a> keeping watch from above show the ice sheet is currently not in balance. Over the past 40 years, it has lost more ice than it has gained. The result has been global rising sea levels. But these historical observations span only four decades, limiting our understanding of how the ice sheet responds to climate change over much longer periods. We wanted to look further back in time – before satellites – and even before the first polar explorers. For this, we needed natural archives. <h2>Digging up Antarctica’s past</h2> We brought together various natural archives to unearth how the Antarctic ice sheet changed over the past 10,000 years or so. These included: <ul> <li>ice cores collected from Antarctica’s remote interior, which can show us how snow accumulated in the past</li> <li>rocks collected from exposed mountain peaks, which reveal how the ice sheet has thickened or thinned with time</li> <li>sediment cores collected from the seafloor, which reveal how the ice sheet margin – where the edge of the land ice meets the ocean – advanced or retreated</li> <li>lake mud and old beaches, which reveal how the coastline changed in response to the ice sheet growing or shrinking.</li> </ul> When we started our research, I wasn’t sure what to expect. After all, this period of time was long considered fairly dull, with only small changes to the ice margin. Nevertheless, we studied the many different natural archives one by one. The work felt like a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle, full of irregular-shaped pieces and seemingly no straight edge. But once we put them together, the pieces lined up and the picture was clear. Most striking was a period of ice loss that took place in all regions of Antarctica about 10,000 to 5,000 years ago. It resulted in many metres of sea-level rise globally. In some regions of Antarctica, however, this ice loss was then followed by ice gain during the past 5,000 years – and a corresponding global sea-level fall – as the ice sheet margin advanced to where it is today. <h2>A warning</h2> Understanding how and why the Antarctic ice sheet changed in this fashion offers lessons for the future. The first lesson is more of a warning. The period of ice loss from 10,000 to 5,000 years ago was rapid, occurring at a similar rate to the most dramatically changing parts of the Antarctic ice sheet today. We think it was likely the result of warm ocean water melting the underside of floating ice shelves – something that has also happened in recent decades. These ice shelves hold back the ice on land, so once they’re removed the ice on the land flows faster into the ocean. In the future, it’s predicted ice loss will <a href="https://youtu.be/XRUxTFWWWdY?t=149" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accelerate</a> as the ice sheet retreats into basins below sea level. This may already be under way in some regions of Antarctica. And based on what happened in the past, the resulting ice loss could persist for centuries. <h2>Bouncing back</h2> The second lesson from our work may bring some hope. Some 5,000 years ago the ice sheet margin stopped retreating in most locations, and in some regions actually started to advance. One explanation for this relates to the previous period of ice loss. Before the ice began melting away, the Antarctic ice sheet was much heavier, and its weight pushed down into the Earth’s crust (which sits atop a molten interior). As the ice sheet melted and became lighter, the land beneath it would have lifted up – effectively hauling the ice out of the ocean. Another possible explanation is climate change. At Antarctica’s coastal fringe, the ocean may have temporarily switched from warmer to cooler waters around the time the ice sheet began advancing again. At the same time, more snowfall took place at the top of the ice sheet. Our research supports the idea that the Antarctic ice sheet is poised to lose more ice and raise sea levels – particularly if the ocean continues to warm. It also suggests uplift of the land and increased snowfall have the potential to slow or offset ice loss. However, this effect is not certain. The past can never be a perfect test for the future. And considering the planet is <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGI_SPM.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warming faster</a> now than it was back then, we must err on the side of caution. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-studied-how-the-antarctic-ice-sheet-advanced-and-retreated-over-10-000-years-it-holds-warnings-for-the-future-185505" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Travel Trouble

Thinking ahead: Why you should make an advanced care plan

When it comes to preparing for unforeseeable events - whether it’s an accident, injury, or death - most of us know that preparing a Will or taking out life insurance can protect us and our families and ensure things happen the way we want them to.But what is less well-known is that preparing an Advance Care Plan can enable our loved ones and carers to look after us and respect our wishes, especially if we can no longer express them.Though the process can differ from state to state, advance care planning generally involves discussions and decisions about a person’s future healthcare and options for medical treatment. According to <a href="https://www.advancecareplanning.org.au/understand-advance-care-planning/advance-care-planning-explained" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Advance Care Planning Australia’s website</a>, this can include providing future consent, refusal, or withdrawing of treatments, as well as appointing someone to make decisions on your behalf.Maree, a NSW aged care worker, told OverSixty that having a plan in place can give people and their loved ones peace of mind as they get older, while ensuring carers can honour their wishes regarding resuscitation, transportation, and medical treatment. “A lot of old people get to that stage, they say, ‘Look I’m waiting to go. I’ve had enough of this life, this is what I’ve got left’... and basically, they’ve lived their life and they’re ready,” she says.“So to let other people know that that is what they desire, you know, I don’t want to be resuscitated, I’m not for transfer to hospital, I’d like to end my life quietly, calling this one person that I’ve nominated. If they can make it for my end, that’s lovely. And otherwise, quite often, it’s one of us in an aged care facility that will hold their hand, if we can and we know the time’s pretty close… we’ll see them through.”Though anyone can create an advance care plan, Professor Liz Reymond, Queensland’s Director of the Statewide Office of Advance Planning, says only a small percentage of people have one.“Currently, approximately 19 percent of Queenslanders have an Advance Care Plan,” Professor Reymond says. “It is vital that more people discuss and document their preferences.”Though thinking about death, illness, and potential medical issues can be difficult, Professor Reymond says it can help families navigate them more easily as they arise.“As hard as the conversation can be, it will save your loved ones from having to make difficult decisions on your behalf without knowing what you would have wanted,” she explains.“Having these conversations early on can make the unfortunate situation of your passing more straightforward and less stressful when it eventually occurs.”Maree agrees, adding that having a plan in place can make a person’s passing more peaceful - and can even include what a person wishes to wear after their death.“It’s just nice when you know that they’re prepared for it, I’m prepared for it, [and] quite often, they’ll actually have their outfit for death in their wardrobe,” Maree explains. “And that’s lovely, because you go, ‘Right, she’s gone, and let’s go prepare the body before the undertaker and the family come, and that’s her favourite outfit she had ready for it and… I think they die more peacefully, and I feel more at peace if they knew it was coming, they were prepared for it.“And you know, it’s a blessing, rather than, ‘Oh my God’, you know, everyone’s panicking and… it makes it a peaceful, lovely end, not a haphazard, stressful, unpleasant ending.”Aged care facilities - like the one Maree works for - also encourage incoming residents to prepare an advance care plan, as well as an end-of-life plan. But she says people should consider thinking about their plan earlier, especially if they have been diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease such as dementia or Alzheimer’s.“Depending on your health, I mean, if you’re up and running and still doing great at 60, make it at 70. But do it before you start losing your faculties,” she says.“If you’re diagnosed with dementia, or Alzheimer’s, or (a) life-threatening disease, do it then because you don’t know what course that disease will take. Sometimes it takes years for those diseases to kill, or sometimes it comes upon you so quickly that you’re really incapable of making those decisions.”“So get your facts together (of) where you think you are, and as soon as you get more information, go with it, make your plan, and then go out the way you want to go.”Maree hopes more awareness will be directed towards advance care planning, and argues that local GPs could have a huge effect on uptake, especially for those who may need to consider entering aged care.“I think it should be part of the doctor’s role, especially if they know - which they normally do - that this human being is no longer able to care for themselves,” she says. “Have some official document drawn up, where it’s handled by a doctor or somebody like a carer.“Even something like Centrelink should be making people knowledgeable, or just a GP… Probably the greatest effect would be for the GP to advise them on these things.”Professor Reymond also stressed that advance care planning isn’t just about what happens when we die and can be adjusted as our living situations change.“Your decisions are not set in stone and may need to be updated for any number of reasons, including a change in your medical circumstances, a change in your living arrangements, or simply a shift in your beliefs or values,” she explains.“One thing we’d like people to keep in mind is that advance care planning isn’t always about death - it’s also about your life and how you want to live it.”Image: Getty Images

Retirement Life

Flight attendant’s trick for avoiding unwanted advances on the job

A flight attendant has taken to TikTok to share her tips and tricks for avoiding unwanted advances while on the job. For her biggest and most lauded hack, Taylor, who shares videos under the username @flywithtay, admits she wears a fake engagement ring to prevent travellers from hitting on her. In a video she shared, she flaunts her ring on camera as she walks down the aisle of an aeroplane. She has captioned the post, "Flaunting my fake Amazon engagement ring at work to keep the creeps away." In the video description she adds, "Works like a charm." The video welcomed a flood of comments from women who feel forced to adopt similar tactics in their lines of work. "I'm in healthcare, I do the same thing lol," says one commenter. "Divorced and do this when I go to a work conference," another admits, while another says, "It's so sad we have to do this." One viewer asked if Taylor ever flirts with customers, to which she responded, "I don't flirt with passengers, but that's just me. I can't speak for everyone." During the back and forth in the comments of the video, Taylor said she is already dating her "perfect guy" so isn't worried she will miss the opportunity to meet someone on a flight. One person also commented, “Respectful men will notice. It’s the creeps who won’t care.” Image credit: Shutterstock

Travel Trouble

National anthem Advance Australia Fair changed to reflect Indigenous history

Over 140 years after it was originally composed and performed, Advance Australia Fair is being updated once again in a move the Prime Minister says reflects a "spirit of unity". On January 1, the second line of the national anthem was changed to "For we are one and free" from "For we are young and free". governor-General David Hurley has agreed to the Commonwealth's recommendation to change the anthem for the first time since 1984. Scott Morrison made a statement, saying the change was made to represent all Australians. "During the past year we have showed once again the indomitable spirit of Australians and the united effort that has always enabled us to prevail as a nation," he said. "It is time to ensure this great unity is reflected more fully in our national anthem. "Also, while Australia as a modern nation may be relatively young, our country's story is ancient, as are the stories of the many First Nations peoples whose stewardship we rightly acknowledge and respect. "In the spirit of unity, it is only right that we ensure our national anthem reflects this truth and shared appreciation. "Changing 'young and free' to 'one and free' takes nothing away, but I believe it adds much." Composer Deborah Cheetham is a Yorta Yorta woman and says the change is long overdue. "It's an important acknowledgement. The word young has underestimated the lives that have lived on this continent for some millennia," the soprano and educator said. First Nations Foundation chairman and Yorta Yorta man Ian Hamm also welcomed the change, which was suggested last year by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian. "In terms of culture, society, and population, we go back 60,000 years. We're very definitely not young," he said. "We should regard ourselves as a nation that's bonded, as opposed to being divided, and we should recognise our Indigenous history as part of our Australian history. "'One and free' looks for what brings us together. It's actually a focal point for that discussion about who we are as a country. "I think it's a really good change." But Labor Wiradjuri woman Linda Burney said more needed to be done. "It flies in the face, of course, of the Government saying that they want to work with Aboriginal people, but the real issue is a constitutionally enshrined voice," she said. Advance Australia Fair was composed by Peter Dodds McCormick and first performed in 1878.

Music

Advance Australia Fair: Major changes to Australian anthem

It is over 140 years old, but for the first time, national anthem Advance Australia Fair has been rewritten to include the experiences of Indigenous Australians. The new lyrics were performed on the opening night of the annual Desert Song Festival in Alice Springs on Friday. The anthem has been tweaked by Recognition in Anthem, a group of Australians who hope the changes to the song will become official. Martin Haskett, who is a committee member told the ABC news the rewrite was made to “facilitate reconciliation”. "Our current anthem doesn't recognise Indigenous people of this country — the ambition was to create something that spoke to everyone in Australia," Mr Haskett said. The new version will celebrate and acknowledge Aboriginals who have existed and lived in Australia for 60,000 years. The line “for we are young and free,” has been tweaked to “for we are one and free”. Mr Haskett said he wanted the new lyrics to “resonate with people”. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.3953488372093px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7830545/australian-anthem-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f4958313a63b48ff823b8d0f13a58291" /> "That acceptance in the Aboriginal community shows that it has a future," he said.The performance comes after half of the Indigenous team refused to sing the national anthem before the start of their NRL game against the Indigenous All Stars and Maori All Stars. Blake Ferguson, Latrell Mitchell and skipper Cody Walker were the team members who chose to remain silent, while the song was being played. All six Indigenous footy players refused to sing the anthem during game two of the State of Origin this year. Maroon's fullback Kalyn Ponga, centre Dane Gagai, second-row Josh Papalii and centre Will Chambers didn’t sing the song in protest. Blues centre Blake Ferguson and wing Josh Addo-Carr also followed suit. The players’ protest comes amid claims Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker lost their spots in the NSW Blues for refusing to sing the anthem in the first game of the series. Aboriginal boxing champion Anthony Mundine has also chose not to stand and sing the national anthem, which he believes is for “white supremacists”.

Domestic Travel

“I’m living with it”: Olivia Newton-John not giving up despite advanced cancer diagnosis

Cancer is an illness that no one ever wants to face, but Olivia Newton-John is remaining optimistic as she battles stage four breast cancer. Appearing on 60 Minutes on Sunday night, the Grease star said her health issues are not “a battle or a war”, after being diagnosed for the third time in 2017. “I’m so lucky that I’ve been through this three times and I’m still here. I’m living with it,” she said. “Every day is a gift now, particularly now.” The 70-year-old first suffered from the condition in 1992, after doctors discovered a lump on her right breast. She underwent a partial mastectomy and six months of treatment, which included herbal formulas, meditation and a change in her diet and fitness routine before she was told that she was free from the disease. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-center" data-lang="en"> Olivia Newton John has always been one of us. Inspiring even as she fights the darkest of diseases: stage four cancer. <a href="https://twitter.com/olivianj?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OliviaNJ</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/60Mins?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#60Mins</a> <a href="https://t.co/rbX7akEtnL">pic.twitter.com/rbX7akEtnL</a> — 60 Minutes Australia (@60Mins) <a href="https://twitter.com/60Mins/status/1157964633837207552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2019</a></blockquote> But that was just the beginning, as tragically, the star was told in 2013 that she had been diagnosed with cancer in her shoulder after being involved in a car accident. Newton-John is open about her health journey as back in September 2018, she revealed that instead of taking the traditional approach, she will be healing herself with “modern” medicines. She also mentioned that she cut out sugar completely and is taking cannabis oil as a pain killer. “I see it as something in my body that I’m getting rid of. I don’t talk about a battle or a war,” she said over the weekend. “I let it go and tell it to leave and talk to my body and tell it to heal itself.” The triple-threat, who the media reported last year was “clinging to life”, said doctors had not told her how long she has to live, and even if they did, it wouldn’t affect her. “I don’t read statistics. If you believe the statistics, you’re going to make them happen. If somebody tells you, ‘you have six months to live’, very possibly you will because you believe that.” Also appearing on the current affairs program was Newton-John’s only daughter Chloe Lattanzi who was trying to hold back her emotions as she spoke about her mother. “We don’t talk about it. No, we don’t talk about it,” she said. “If she’s having a day where she needs to talk about it, I’m there to listen. I’ll never bring it up unless she wants to.”

Caring

13 wild New Zealand walks from beginner to advanced

New Zealand has many spectacular walkways and tracks providing access to unique wilderness areas and virgin forests. Energetic hikers (or trampers) can discover glacier-carved valleys and traverse mountain passes, while more sedate day-walkers can explore golden beaches, bush walks and other sites of scenic, historic and cultural interest. National parks About one-third of New Zealand’s sparsely populated land has been set aside in national parks or reserves for the enjoyment of the public and increasing numbers of eco-tourists. While opportunities for exploration exist all over the country, nine destinations are recognised as significant and have been designated ‘Great Walks’ by the Department of Conservation (DOC). Apart from the coastal Abel Tasman track in the north of the South Island, the tracks are in high country or mountain areas. Ranging in duration from two to six days, the tracks cover a variety of landscapes on safe, well-maintained pathways. All tracks offer guided tours for which bookings are essential. Accommodation is generally in basic huts or lodges, but some guided talks offer luxury options. The high season starts in October (late-Spring) and lasts until April (early-Autumn). South Island Great Walks Five of New Zealand’s ‘Great Walks’ are in the South Island; a sixth is further south on Stewart Island. <ul> <li>Milford Track</li> </ul> The Milford Track in Fiordland – New Zealand’s largest national park – is the most famous. Visitors spend four days / three nights following historic Maori routes through a dramatic landscape of forest-covered valleys, mountains and steep fiords from Lake Te Anau to Milford Sound. For this much-demanded route, bookings are necessary well in advance, for both independent and guided walks. <ul> <li>Routeburn Track</li> </ul> The Routeburn Track, another famous South Island track, has some of the most diverse scenery: forests, alpine flora, lakes, several waterfalls and panoramic views. The three-day trek covers 39km (24 miles). <ul> <li>Kepler Track</li> </ul> The Kepler Track follows a loop that begins and ends at the Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre in Te Anau. It takes four days and traverses lakeside forest and open tussock grasslands, with one day spent walking along the mountain tops above the bush line. <ul> <li>Rakiura Track</li> </ul> Wilderness explorers wanting to experience the ‘end of the earth’ head for Stewart Island, New Zealand’s southernmost and least populated island. The Rakiura Track has the most birdlife, least predictable weather and conditions but planked walkways keep feet dry and ensure the three-day walk is possible year-round. It has gentle gradients – never more than 300m above sea level – and two huts provide accommodation. <ul> <li>Heaphy Track</li> </ul> The Heaphy Track, in the northwestern corner of the South Island, has undemanding gradients over 80km (around 50 miles). The walk takes about five days. The track is accessible year round, but winter snows can make the higher sections chilly. Attractions on the Heaphy Track include the nikau palm-lined beach at its western end, red tussock downs, lush beech forests and fields of alpine herbs. <ul> <li>Abel Tasman Coastal Track</li> </ul> The Abel Tasman Coastal Track, at the top of the South Island, only requires light walking shoes for the 50km (31 miles) route lined with miles of golden beaches. Along the way, five huts and 21 campsites offer accommodation, but transport has to be arranged from one end or the other. <ul> <li>Pike29 Memorial Walk</li> </ul> New Zealand’s nine great walks became 10 in 2018 with the announcement of the Pike29 Memorial Track. The 45-kilometre walk is to be constructed through the Paparoa National Park on the west coast of New Zealand’s South Island. The national park will be extended by 3971 hectares to include the Pike River area as a memorial to the 29 men who perished in the 2010 mining disaster. The track will travel from Blackball to Punakaiki and include part of the existing Croesus and Pororai River tracks. North Island Great NZ Walks Three ‘Great Walks’ are in the North Island: Tongariro Northern Circuit, Lake Waikaremoana Track and Whanganui Journey. Each offers a distinctive landscape and challenges for energetic walkers. <ul> <li>Tongariro Northern Circuit</li> </ul> The Tongariro Northern Circuit is a loop track of three to four days, starting and finishing at the foot of Mount Ruapehu. Few places equal the drama of this active volcanic region with its lava formations, tussock grassland, fumaroles and geysers, and emerald green mineral lakes – the setting for the scenes in New Zealand director Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Ringstrilogy. Altitude and climatic conditions mean the Tongariro circuit is best walked from late November to March. The Tongariro Crossing – one section of the circuit – is one of New Zealand’s most renowned day walks. <ul> <li>Lake Waikaremoana Track</li> </ul> Lake Waikaremoana is situated east of the central volcanic plateau, in one of the North Island’s most remote regions. The 46km (28 miles) track encircles the lake, providing a four to five-day walk. Apart from one day climbing a steep bluff, the track follows a leisurely path through rainforest. <ul> <li>Whanganui Journey </li> </ul> Included as one of New Zealand’s ‘Great Walks’, the Whanganui Journey is more correctly a 145km kayak or canoe journey down the Whanganui River. Beginning in Taumarunui, this journey takes about five days to complete and provides an early New Zealand history experience. For hundreds of years, the Whanganui River was an important Maori route; later, in early European settlement days, it became a steamboat highway. The winding river and surrounding lowland forest is now a national park. Day walks Not up for a long hike? New Zealand has plenty of day walks through areas of unique flora and fauna. The Coromandel Peninsula – located two hours’ drive south of Auckland – offers forest and coastal walks. The virgin rain forest that once covered much of the peninsula was heavily logged in the late 19th century, and visitors can see the remains of enormous dams and tramways used to transport logs of the giant and much-prized kauri trees. The regenerated forest is spectacular and the coast has isolated bays of exceptional beauty. Day-walkers not wanting to leave the city far behind can set out from Auckland with a map of the Waitakere Ranges which fringe the western city. These tracks skirt high cliffs and cross wild beaches of black sand. In Kahurangi National Park – in the northwestern corner of the South Island – the Oparara Track offers 31km of pathways through virgin rainforest and access to a series of spectacular limestone caves, home to some of New Zealand’s unique fauna and flora. Further south, Central Otago’s Rail Trail is a unique recreational facility preserving an important part of New Zealand history. The 150km section of old railway route has been redeveloped for walkers, cyclists and horse riders who can enjoy the unique Central Otago scenery and experience the South Island’s remoteness and history. Walker information New Zealand’s sparse population and huge wilderness areas mean that most walking tracks are remote from many of the comforts of civilisation. Facilities at the 900 huts maintained by DOC are basic, and walkers need to equip themselves with adequate food and clothing. Weather conditions can change rapidly, especially in the mountains, and it is essential, even in summer, to carry warm, waterproof clothing. No hike should be undertaken without consulting a detailed guide book and a map. For any of the ‘Great Walks’, bookings are required for accommodation in huts, but permits or admission fees are not required for day walking. Bookings are made through the Department of Conservation. Republished with permission of <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.mydiscoveries.com.au/stories/new-zealand-walks/" target="_blank">MyDiscoveries</a>.

International Travel

These 3 medical advances could change your life

From bioprinting a heart valve to isolating new treatments for diabetes, some of the most amazing and revolutionary medical research is going on right here in our own backyard. Here we look at three of the most exciting projects and how they’re going to change our lives for the better. 1. The research: 3D bioprinting human organs Where: The Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Perth, Western Australia Research team: <a rel="noopener" href="http://vasclab.mech.uwa.edu.au/barry" target="_blank">Dr Barry Doyle</a> (pictured above, left) and team Thanks to a revolutionary new bioengineering program, we may one day see human organs printed on demand and then transplanted into sick patients needing organ transplants. Dr Barry Doyle, head of the vascular engineering laboratory at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research says it’s still early days, yet he is hopeful that the new biomedical research facility that brings experts from many different disciplines together will help speed up the process to breakthroughs. “What’s possible at the moment around the world is that scientists can print crude structures with cells in them and keep that alive for a matter of weeks afterwards. To go from transplanting that into a human needs a lot more work, but one day hopefully we should be able to print all the major organs in the body such as the kidneys and liver,” he says. What’s involved? At the moment Doyle’s team is focused on bioprinting a heart valve and keeping it alive long enough to implant it into an animal. A heart valve has been successfully printed before in the US, but researchers weren’t able to keep it alive long enough to implant it into a live host to see if it works. Doyle plans to reach this stage in the next couple of years, a goal he says would be a huge step forward towards the ultimate goal of producing other organs. “The heart valve is quite a complicated geometry but if we can create one and implant it into an animal, we’ll have a good shot at being able to extend on sections of the aorta and build towards the heart,” he says. Bioprinting organs that have been specifically printed from a recipient’s own cells could potentially replace the need for donor organs, not to mention the lengthy waiting times for suitable donor organs to be found. Since bioprinting involves using a patient’s own cells, it becomes less likely that the organ will be rejected by the body as well. Donor organ rejection is currently a major problem in transplant recipients after surgery with recipients required to take anti-rejection medications on an ongoing basis. How do you bioprint an organ? The technology that will make all this possible is called a 3D bioprinter. A 3D bioprinter works by depositing layers of material on a flat surface. First, living cells are taken from a patient, cultured in the lab and mixed into a soft gel-like substance called a hydrogel, which is then put into a 3D bioprinter. Another stiffer material is added to the printer and two nozzles move back and forth depositing these substances to build up the structure of an organ, layer upon layer. “The printing process is quite easy to carry out, but it’s keeping the printed structures alive after printing that’s where the big challenge lies,” says Doyle. To overcome this hurdle, Doyle’s team needs to perform tests to better understand the mechanical properties of the substances they’re using. “You can make different blends of these materials and each blend changes the material properties slightly, so one of the challenges is really understanding the hydrogel that we’re working with,” he says. It’s a huge task but one that Doyle’s team is well qualified for. His team has already developed another promising technology called patient-specific modelling that will one day help cardiovascular specialists and surgeons better predict and personalise patient care. For example, by making 3D computer models of the heart or aorta from the images taken by heart surgeons, his team can simulate the way blood will flow out of a patient’s heart and down through the vessels using computers. With this information surgeons can better determine whether a patient will need an operation, what type of operation, and even where to operate. “Only one in ten aortic aneurysms rupture but a huge number of operations are performed each year that are probably unnecessary. But using these computer models we can very specifically predict if operations are even needed,” Doyle says. 2. The research: Fighting cancer with nanotechnology Where: University of Sydney Nanotechnology Hub, Sydney Research team: <a rel="noopener" href="http://sydney.edu.au/science/people/zdenka.kuncic.php" target="_blank">Professor Zdenka Kuncic</a> and team At the University of Sydney Professor Zdenka Kuncic, director of the Australian Institute of Nanoscience and Technology (AINST) and her team are working on ways to detect and destroy tumour cells from cancers spreading around the body, known as metastasised tumour cells. <img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.wyza.com.au/media/2833592/heath-research-syd-wyza-com-au.jpg" alt="Heath -research -syd -wyza -com -au" width="500" height="300" /> Professor Zdenka Kuncic and her team's research hopes to find a cure for cancer (Image: University of Sydney) This is a real problem in medicine because there are currently no imaging techniques that can detect metastasised tumour cells and no techniques that can specifically target and kill them. But using nanotechnologies like the ones being developed by Kuncic and her team, we might one day be able to detect them and even deliver drugs and therapeutic agents to destroy them. But what is nanotechnology and how does it work? Nanotechnology is a branch of science that uses tiny particles called nanoparticles. These particles are no bigger than the size of a single molecule of glucose. In fact, you can only see them with an electron microscope. They can be made of different substances and can even be changed and ‘programmed’ to carry out specific tasks. One of the most exciting applications for nanotechnology is in medicine because nanoparticles have different physical properties than normal sized objects. All of the biochemical processes that happen in our bodies every day occur because of nanoscience and by understanding the properties of nanoparticles, researchers can develop nanotechnologies that work in a non-invasive way in the body. Nanoparticles can move around the body using the body’s own systems and can be made virtually invisible to the body’s immune system. Professor Kuncic and her team are already quite advanced in programming (functionalising) nanoparticles to perform certain tasks. That’s when a nanoparticle is coated in a certain type of chemical coating or when it has an antibody or other small molecule attached to it to carry out a certain job in the body. But now her biggest challenge is trying to figure out how to control those nanoparticles once they go into the body. “It’s one thing to see the nanoparticles work in a lab in a petri dish, it’s another thing to actually make them work in a living person,” she says. To unlock the secrets to controlling nanoparticles, Kuncic says there is an enormous amount of testing still to be done. However she is hopeful for future breakthroughs. “There are a number of nanotechnology strategies that have passed through clinical trials already and they’re being used right now,” she says. <img src="https://cdn.wyza.com.au/media/2833595/heath-research-suits-syd-wyza-com-au.jpg" alt="Heath -research -suits -syd --wyza -com -au" width="500" height="300" /> At the Sydney Nanoscience Hub researchers are trying to unlock the secrets to controlling nanoparticles (Image: University of Sydney) What will nanotechnology do for us? If Professor Kuncic and other researchers in this field succeed, treating cancer might one day be simply a matter of ingesting a pill or having an injection at the oncologists’ and letting the nanoparticles inside find and destroy the disease. But the potential benefit of this technology is not just in fighting cancer. Nanotechnology has far-reaching applications in medicine, according to Kuncic. It may one day also be used by GPs to detect if patients have taken their medicine, and even as a way to detect and treat diseases before they have surfaced. “The holy grail would be to detect the signs of disease in people and be able to nip it in the bud before it starts to become a problem and that’s more than a decade away,” says Kuncic. 3. The research: Finding out how exercise protects against diabetes and other diseases Where: The Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney NSW Research team: <a rel="noopener" href="http://www.garvan.org.au/research/diabetes-metabolism/cellular-and-molecular-metabolism/marfeb" target="_blank">Professor Mark Febbraio</a> and team You’ve probably heard before that exercise can help protect you against a whole lot of diseases, but what you might not know is exactly how this happens. One way exercise helps protect you is that your muscles secrete protective substances while you’re exercising. These substances are called ‘myokines,’ and by identifying these molecular links, scientists can better develop ways to treat these diseases. This is the crux of Professor Mark Febbraio’s research as the division head of diabetes and metabolism and head of cellular and molecular metabolism at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research. <img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.wyza.com.au/media/3342342/shutterstock_323905706.jpg" alt="Shutterstock _323905706" width="500" height="336" /> Febbraio says that lifestyle interventions like exercising and watching your diet are still the best way to prevent type 2 diabetes One area of his research is finding a molecular link for type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is a progressive condition, and although it can be initially managed through lifestyle changes, around one-in-two people will eventually need insulin. According to Febbraio, in healthy people, myokines can help protect you against diabetes by activating special kinds of fat cells in your body. Unlike white fat cells, brown fat cells chew up a lot of energy when they’re activated. Myokines turn white fat cells into brown fat cells – which may assist in counteracting the metabolic processes that leads to obesity and or diabetes. How far along is this research now? At the moment Febbraio and his team have evidence that myokines can help protect us from disease, but they’re not quite sure exactly which substances do what, and that’s what they’re trying to work out, but not just for diabetes. They’re also trying to identify the molecular links in a range of other diseases too, such as in obesity, Alzheimer’s disease and some types of cancers. “By identifying the substances that have the most protective effects (the molecular links between exercise and this protective effect) we can then use medicinal chemistry and the pharmaceutical industry to come up with drugs that doctors can use to provide more personalised treatment options for people with these diseases,” says Febbraio. How do we find myokines? Finding these substances is not easy. Febbraio and his team use what’s called proteomic and genomic techniques to screen for them. Once substances have been found, they then use bioinformatics – basically complex mathematics and statistics and mice models to help them determine which of the substances are the most important. One promising protective muscle substance recently discovered by his lab is a substance that helps protect women against breast cancer. If further trials in mice and humans prove successful, this could prove a huge step forward in breast cancer treatment. While finding the molecular links will almost certainly result in better pharmaceutical treatments, Febbraio recommends being physically active as a tried and true way to prevent disease. “In 80 per cent of [type 2] diabetes cases, if there was no obesity in those patients they would not have the disease. So lifestyle interventions like exercising and watching your diet is still the best way to prevent diabetes,” he says. What would you like medical researchers to investigate and why? Let us know in the comments section below. Written by Dominic Bayley. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/articles/health/these-3-medical-advances-could-change-your-life.aspx">Wyza.com.au.</a>

Technology

10 attractions where it's worth buying tickets in advance

Because no one likes waiting in line. 1. Empire State Building, New York City Even on a slow day, you’re going to wait at least 20 minutes in line for the Empire State Building, reaching up to two hours during peak times. The best option is to buy a ticket to the main observation deck on the 86th floor and then you can decide if you want to buy an extra ticket and go all the way up to 102. 2. Anne Frank House, Amsterdam From 9am to 3.30pm each day, the excellent Anne Frank House is only open to people who have pre-purchased tickets online. No tickets are sold at the entrance, so make sure you plan ahead and book through the official website. 3. Burj Khalifa, Dubai The world’s tallest building is one of Dubai’s most popular attractions. If you buy tickets in advance you can choose a date and time that suits you, then walk straight through. If you turn up on the day, you could be in for a long wait or even be turned away as all the tickets are sold out. 4. Eiffel Tower, Paris More than seven million people visit the Eiffel Tower each year and in busy periods you can be waiting in line for several hours. Book tickets online up to two months in advance, pick your time slot and then go straight to the front of the queue. Parfait. 5. The Shard, London Entry to the tallest building in the UK (and in all of western Europe) is frequently sold out, especially on weekends or public holidays and during school holidays. Buy from the official site and you can also take advantage of a 15% discount. 6. Sistine Chapel, Rome You can’t actually purchase a ticket for the Sistine Chapel, but instead buy a pass to the adjoining Vatican Museum and walk through. Book online, pay the extra €4 for ‘skip the line’ access and walk straight to the front of the line. But even with these tickets, you’re still likely to face a bit of a wait as security is very tight. 7. The Louvre, Paris The most-visited museum in the world is famous for the Mona Lisa and for big lines. Buy your tickets online, choose a timeslot and then head for the entrances at Porte des Lions or the Richelieu Wing to save even more time. 8. The London Eye, London TripAdvisor recently found The London Eye has the longest line of any tourist attraction in the world – and average of 2.5 hours. If you’ve got the cash, pay an extra £12 (on top of the standard £20 ticket) and skip the queue. Or for £36 you can get a glass of chilled bubbles to go with the experience. 9. Sagrada Familia, Barcelona Gaudi’s great unfinished work is Barcelona’s most popular attraction and lines can stretch for at least two hours. Buy tickets online and get a set time to visit or book a guided tour, which comes with fast track entry and a knowledgeable tour guide to explain this fascinating cathedral. 10. Statue of Liberty, New York If you want to get right up inside Lady Liberty’s crown, you’ll need to book well in advance – just 10 people are allowed in at a time. They can often be sold out for months ahead, so make your booking as soon as you know your dates for NYC. And be aware that you’ll need to climb up around 27 storeys worth of stairs to get there. Have you been to these attractions?

International Travel

Why you should always book tickets in advance

There are lots of benefits to planning ahead. 1. You can save money Everyone likes to save money on holiday. Most attractions around the world will offer a discount for people who book online. This could be through their official site or a third party operator offering a great deal. This becomes even more important if you are travelling with a group or plan on attending a lot of different attractions, which can quickly add up. 2. You don’t have to line up How much of your life do you think you have spent waiting in queues? Next time, book ahead and go straight to the front. The bonus here is often twofold – you won’t have to line up at the ticket booth and then again at the front gate. Most pre-paid tickets will have a special line of their own where you can walk straight inside. 3. You can get it on your mobile Gone are the days of having to print out a physical ticket to take with you, which could make it hard to book ahead. Now, you’ll book online and receive an email or direct link to your tickets. Take your phone with you, scan it at the gate and you're in. You are also helping the environment by saving paper. 4. You won’t miss out Some really popular attractions can be booked out days or even weeks in advance. It would be very disappointing to arrive and find that there’s no chance of getting in. Booking in advance ensures you secure a ticket and also lets you schedule the rest of your days around availability. 5. You can take advantage of combo deals When you’re in a new destination, there are usually a few different attractions you want to see. If you buy tickets in advance, you can look for combo deals that will bring together everything you want to see. You will save money and may even get a few bonus extras that weren’t on your list. Do you agree with these tips?

Travel Tips

Why you need an Advance Health Directive

Chris Nöthling is Associate Aged Care Adviser with Affinity Aged Care Financial Services and author of Doing the Right Thing by Mum and Dad: Residential Aged Care for a Loved One. He is an Accredited Aged Care Professional, who has developed a reputation for helping families navigate the complexities of the aged care system. Gilbert is 93 and has been getting progressively frail for the last 15 years. His eyesight is nearly gone; he struggles to speak and has been living with incontinence for the last five years. Two years ago, his family went through the process of finding an aged care facility for him. The home has treated him well, and he appears to be happy with his living arrangements. Last night, his health took a turn. The facility called his family early this morning to inform Gilbert’s condition had declined overnight, and he is struggling to breathe. They suspect he has pneumonia, and they are about to call for an ambulance to transfer him to the emergency department at the local hospital. His family jumps into their car and rushes to meet him at the hospital. The reception room is a scene of hectic activity. They introduce themselves to the medical registrar on duty, who lets them know they have already admitted Gilbert and have run blood tests and a chest X-ray, which confirm he has pneumonia, and the infection has spread to his blood. The registrar introduces them to the attending physician, who advises Gilbert’s kidneys are failing. He needs a lot of oxygen. He is incoherent and lapsing in and out of consciousness, and they are afraid he may go into cardiac arrest. The doctor advises there are several things they can do for Gilbert. They can put a tube down his throat to help him breathe. They can attach a machine to his kidneys to filter the toxins from his blood, and they can fill his veins with tubes and lines and attach him to life support. If his heart stops, they can perform CPR by pressing with all their weight onto his sternum and pushing. To do this effectively, they will break some of Gilbert’s ribs, because if they don’t push hard enough, the heart doesn't pump blood to the body, and Gilbert will die. The doctor says, doing CPR on an elderly person causes enormous trauma to their chest with a less than likely outcome of success. The most likely outcome will be they crack Gilbert’s ribs, and his final moments are traumatic. He will be surrounded by doctors, not his children. It will be frenetic, traumatic, and painful. Doctors and other medical professionals have an obligation to do everything to keep Gilbert alive, even when there is only a chance he may recover. If Gilbert were conscious and lucid, he could instruct the medical team to stop their intervention, make him comfortable, and create a safe environment for him to go. He could ask them to give him something for the pain, bring his favourite meal, and call for his family to visit him one last time. But Gilbert is incoherent and lapsing in and out of consciousness, so he can’t speak for himself. In the absence of the patient speaking for themselves, the medical specialists must do everything they can to keep the person alive. An Advance Health Care Directive speaks for you, when you cannot speak for yourself, to advise the medical team of your wishes, regarding your healthcare. Just to be clear – your Advanced Health Care Directive cannot ask your doctors to commit a criminal offence. A request for euthanasia would not be followed, as this would be in breach of the law. It is a criminal offence to accelerate the death of another person by an act of omission. It is also an offence to assist another person to commit suicide. An Advance Health Directive gives a person confidence their wishes about health care will be carried out if they cannot decide for themselves. This includes their wishes to refuse medical treatment if they do not want to be put on life support or do not want to have other forms of medical intervention. An Advanced Health Care Directive could include a typical clause like: Everyone responsible for my care should initiate only those measures considered necessary to maintain my comfort and dignity, with particular emphasis on the relief of pain. Any treatment that might obstruct my natural dying should not be initiated or be stopped. Unless required for my dignity and comfort as part of my palliative care, no surgical operation is to be performed on me. The Advanced Health Care Directive may be more specific. It could specify conditions where certain types of care are not called for. It could list conditions, such as the terminal phase of an incurable illness, a persistent vegetative state, permanent unconsciousness (in a coma), or serious illness or injury from which the person is unlikely to recover if they can live without life-sustaining measures. In these circumstances, the directive could instruct on the patient’s preferences, regarding cardiopulmonary resuscitation, assisted ventilation, artificial hydration, artificial nutrition, and antibiotics. Anyone can make an Advance Health Care Directive, as long as they are over 18 years of age and capable of understanding their directions and foreseeing the effect of those directions. There are formalities required and some choice, concerning who should be involved. It is not necessary to involve a health professional in preparing an Advanced Health Care Directive, but there may be several advantages in having a doctor or other health professional involved. This is an extract from Chris Nöthling’s <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Doing-Right-Thing-Mum-Dad-ebook/dp/B01I6EDWSI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469760483&sr=8-1&keywords=doing+the+right+thing+by+mum+and+dad" target="_blank">Doing the Right Thing by Mum and Dad: Residential Aged Care for a Loved One</a>. Related links: <a href="/health/caring/2016/09/importance-of-spiritual-care-at-end-of-life/">Spiritual care at the end of life can add purpose</a> <a href="/health/caring/2016/09/how-to-talk-to-your-parents-about-aged-care/">How to talk to your parents about aged care</a> <a href="/health/caring/2016/09/tips-to-cope-with-losing-independence-with-age/">Tips to cope with losing independence with age</a>

Caring

Amazing advancements in cruise ship technology

Gone are the days where bingo evening rivalries, intense shuffleboard contests and buffet free-for-alls are the hallmarks of the cruising industry. Today’s modern cruises take advantage of technology to provide a range of interesting attractions, to capture the imaginations of all types of cruisers. To see just how far things have come, check out the graphic below. <img width="500" height="940" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/20823/cruise-ship-technology-infographic_500x940.jpg" alt="Cruise Ship Technology Infographic"/> As you can probably imagine, it’s amazing to see how far things have come in such a short amount of time. And personally, we can’t wait to see what’s around the corner. Related links: <a href="/travel/cruising/2016/04/cheaper-to-cruise-than-live-in-london/">It’s cheaper to live on a cruise ship than in London</a> <a href="/travel/cruising/2016/04/santorini-planning-to-ration-cruise-tourists/">Santorini planning to ration cruise tourists</a> <a href="/travel/cruising/2016/04/tugboat-pushed-underwater-by-cruise-ship/">Tugboat pushed underwater by cruise ship</a>

Cruising

The best looks from the Advance Style blog

Back in 2008, Ari Seth Cohen began photographing the most stylish women to grace the streets of New York City – but with one caveat, he decided to focus exclusively on the older set: ladies and gentleman in their 60s, 70s and beyond. It may have been considered a bold move at the time, but as evidenced by the explosive popularity of his blog Advanced Style since those early years, Cohen was tapping into a repository of sartorial wisdom that can only come with age. His pictures, but more importantly the ladies behind the photos, showcased an age-defying beauty, grace and of course, style, that challenged conceptions about ageing. The photos became so popular Advanced Style was turned into both a book and a documentary. It just goes to show that over-60s are the real style-setters! From big accessories to even bigger personalities, here’s a collection of our favourite fashionable moments from the Advanced Style blog. To find more information, <a href="http://advancedstyle.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">visit the Advance Style website here</a>. Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/beauty-style/2015/12/senior-style-instagrams-to-follow/">5 senior style instagrams you shuld follow</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/beauty-style/2015/11/ways-to-style-short-hair/">12 age-defying ways to style short hair</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/beauty-style/2015/11/common-beauty-myths/">7 beauty myths to stop believing</a>

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50 years on, Advance Australia Fair no longer reflects the values of many. What could replace it?

How friendship changes as the years advance

10 things we sort of miss because of technological advances

Will AI ever reach human-level intelligence? We asked 5 experts

There’s a growing gap between countries advancing LGBTQ+ rights, and those going backwards

Are our phones really designed to slow down over time? Experts look at the evidence

We studied how the Antarctic ice sheet advanced and retreated over 10,000 years. It holds warnings for the future

Thinking ahead: Why you should make an advanced care plan

Flight attendant’s trick for avoiding unwanted advances on the job

National anthem Advance Australia Fair changed to reflect Indigenous history

Advance Australia Fair: Major changes to Australian anthem

“I’m living with it”: Olivia Newton-John not giving up despite advanced cancer diagnosis

13 wild New Zealand walks from beginner to advanced

These 3 medical advances could change your life

10 attractions where it's worth buying tickets in advance

Why you should always book tickets in advance

Why you need an Advance Health Directive

Amazing advancements in cruise ship technology

The best looks from the Advance Style blog

Our Partners

News

Shop

Catalogues

Newspaper

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Entertainment

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Property

Compare

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Information

Keep up to date

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50 years on, Advance Australia Fair no longer reflects the values of many. What could replace it?

How friendship changes as the years advance

10 things we sort of miss because of technological advances

Will AI ever reach human-level intelligence? We asked 5 experts

There’s a growing gap between countries advancing LGBTQ+ rights, and those going backwards

Are our phones really designed to slow down over time? Experts look at the evidence

We studied how the Antarctic ice sheet advanced and retreated over 10,000 years. It holds warnings for the future

Thinking ahead: Why you should make an advanced care plan

Flight attendant’s trick for avoiding unwanted advances on the job

National anthem Advance Australia Fair changed to reflect Indigenous history

Advance Australia Fair: Major changes to Australian anthem

“I’m living with it”: Olivia Newton-John not giving up despite advanced cancer diagnosis

13 wild New Zealand walks from beginner to advanced

These 3 medical advances could change your life

10 attractions where it's worth buying tickets in advance

Why you should always book tickets in advance

Why you need an Advance Health Directive

Amazing advancements in cruise ship technology

The best looks from the Advance Style blog

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