Search

The types of insurance that aren’t worth your while

While it’s important to make sure you’ve been covered, some forms of insurance aren’t really worth your while in the long run. We’ve taken a look at several types of insurance you shouldn’t really bother with, why they’re not worth your money and how you can find an alternative. Yes, it’s essential to make sure you’re covered, but at the same time you don’t need to waste any money. Extended warranties Many a salesperson has made a customer fork out that little bit extra for an “extended warranty” to go with a major electronic purchase. The thing is though, in many cases the period of time covered by the warranty is actually exactly the level you’re automatically entitled to under consumer law. Credit protection insurance While this type of insurance can be useful and a way to insure yourself against the possibility of something happening to your income as the result of an injury or a condition, credit protection insurance has tendency to be pretty expensive. A more cost effective way to ensure your payments to your credit card, personal loans or mortgages are fulfilled would be to take out a life insurance or total and permanent disability insurance policy through your individual superannuation fund. Funeral insurance Many people see this as a good way to ease the financial burden on their family that comes with their passing, but in reality funeral insurance is quite expensive and the premiums add up every year. A far better option is a prepaid funeral, funeral bonds life insurance or even a special savings account with money set aside. Just make sure you let your family know! ID theft insurance This is one of those types of insurance that isn’t really protecting your from becoming a victim, rather helping you deal with the costs once it’s already happened. And what’s more, you bank is usually willing to cover the costs of credit card fraud, which is one of the major problems to be associated with ID theft. Instead of spending money on a policy you can protect yourself from ID theft by simply keeping your personal documents safe, shredding documents such as bank account statements before throwing them away, and using antivirus software that is up to date. You can also check your credit file each year to make sure nobody’s using your identity for fake accounts. Image credits: Getty Images

Money & Banking

Gift-giving taboos that aren’t as bad as you think

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mary-steffel-213379">Mary Steffel</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/northeastern-university-1644">Northeastern University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/elanor-williams-213382">Elanor Williams</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/indiana-university-1368">Indiana University</a> There are many social norms that dictate gift-giving, including when, how and what to give as gifts. Interestingly, these norms don’t seem to be about making sure that recipients get the gifts they want. What makes for a good or bad gift often differs in the eyes of givers and recipients. In fact, behavioral science research shows that gifts that may seem “taboo” to givers might actually be better appreciated by recipients than they might think. <h2>Taboo #1: giving money</h2> Givers often worry that giving cash or gift cards might be seen as impersonal, thoughtless or crass. Yet <a href="http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5399fab2e4b083bff5af4518/t/5499c4fee4b0bb5843a0b371/1419363582068/Giver-Recipient+Discrepancies+in+Gift+Giving+Draft+12-17-14+FINAL.pdf">research</a> we have done with Robyn LeBoeuf of Washington University in St Louis shows that recipients prefer these more versatile gifts more than givers think they do. We find that givers underestimate how much recipients like seemingly impersonal monetary gifts, mistakenly thinking that they’ll prefer a traditional gift to a gift card, for instance, or a gift card to cash, when the opposite is true. And, contrary to givers’ expectations, recipients think that these less personal gifts are more thoughtful, too. Why don’t givers realize this? We find that givers tend to focus on recipients’ enduring traits and tastes and choose gifts that are tailored to those characteristics, and recipients are more likely to focus on their varying wants and needs and prefer gifts that give them the freedom to get whatever they currently need or desire most. Prompting givers to shift their focus from what recipients are like to what they would like makes them more likely to choose the versatile gifts that recipients prefer. <h2>Taboo #2: giving a practical gift</h2> A classic sitcom plotline involves the <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GiftGivingGaffe">gift-giving gaffe</a>, with a prime example being the husband who buys his wife a vacuum cleaner or something else practical when the occasion seems to call for something more sentimental. These blundering husbands might not be as wrong as you’d think, though: research suggests that practical gifts are actually better-liked by recipients than givers expect. For instance, <a href="https://msbfile03.usc.edu/digitalmeasures/wakslak/intellcont/baskin%20wakslak%20trope%20novemsky%20(2014)-1.pdf">research</a> by Ernest Baskin of Saint Joseph’s University and colleagues demonstrates that givers tend to focus on how desirable a gift is, when recipients might prefer they think a little more about how easy that gift is to use. A gift certificate to the best restaurant in the state might not be so great a gift if it takes three hours to get there; your recipient might think that a gift certificate to a less noteworthy but closer restaurant is actually a better gift. In fact, even gifts that aren’t much fun at all, like the fabled vacuum cleaner, can make for great gifts in recipients’ eyes. <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/50a5e160e4b0e80bad9bfe3d/t/567755bbc21b8664a205e822/1450661307640/SJDM+2015+Submission_ER_EFW.pdf">Work</a> that Williams has done with Emily Rosenzweig of Tulane University shows that recipients have a stronger preference for useful rather than fun gifts than givers expect them to have. We find that the best gifts people have received are much more useful than the best gifts they think they have given, and they want givers to put less emphasis on the fun features of a gift and more emphasis on its useful features than they themselves would when picking out a gift to give to someone else. <h2>Taboo #3: giving an ‘uncreative’ gift</h2> Givers often feel pressure to think of creative gifts that demonstrate how much thought they put into the gift and how well they know the recipient. This means that, even when they are given explicit instructions on what to purchase, givers frequently ignore recipients’ wish lists or gift registries and instead try to come up with ideas for gifts by themselves. Givers think that their unsolicited gift ideas will be appreciated just as much as the ideas on wish lists and registries, but <a href="http://static1.squarespace.com/static/55dcde36e4b0df55a96ab220/t/55e746dee4b07156fbd7f6bd/1441220318875/Gino+Flynn+JESP+2011.pdf">recipients would rather</a> have the gifts they requested. Another implication of this is that givers often pass up gifts they know would be better-liked in favor of getting different gifts for each person they give a gift to, according to <a href="http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5399fab2e4b083bff5af4518/t/539a15b3e4b0bf580fb57539/1402607027977/SteffelLeBoeuf2014.pdf">research</a> by Steffel and LeBoeuf. Givers feel like they are being more thoughtful by getting something unique and creative for each person on their shopping list, but recipients would rather have what’s on the top of their wish list, especially if they are unlikely to compare gifts. We find that encouraging givers to consider what recipients would choose for themselves before choosing a gift makes them more likely to go ahead and get the same better-liked gift for more than one recipient. <h2>Taboo #4: giving a gift that can’t be unwrapped</h2> The very idea of exchanging gifts suggests to people that they need to give something that can be tied up with a pretty bow and then unwrapped, but, in fact, some of the best gifts aren’t things at all. A <a href="http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5394dfa6e4b0d7fc44700a04/t/547d589ee4b04b0980670fee/1417500830665/Gilovich+Kumar+Jampol+%28in+press%29+A+Wonderful+Life+JCP.pdf">wealth of research</a> has shown that money is often better spent on experiences than on material goods, and this seems to be true for gifts as well as personal purchases. Joseph Goodman of Washington University in St Louis and Sarah Lim of Seoul National University <a href="http://apps.olin.wustl.edu/faculty/goodman/Giving%20Happiness.pdf">have found</a> that givers think that material items that can be physically exchanged and unwrapped make for better gifts, when gifts that are experiences actually make recipients happier. Experiential gifts have benefits beyond simply boosting their recipients’ enjoyment, as well. Cindy Chan of the University of Toronto and Cassie Mogilner of the University of Pennsylvania <a href="https://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/-/media/Files/Programs-and-Areas/Marketing/papers/ChanMogilner2013.pdf">have shown</a> that receiving an experiential gift prompts stronger emotional reactions in recipients, and this makes them feel closer to the person who gave them the gift. In other words, opt for the swing dance lessons over the sweater – it will make the recipient happier, and bring the two of you closer together, to boot. <h2>If you still can’t think of a gift…</h2> Gift-giving, especially around the holidays, can be a stressful process for both giver and recipient. An understanding of which gift-giving norms are misguided can perhaps relieve some of this stress and lead to better gifts and happier recipients (and givers, too). But even if givers ignore this advice, there is hope: one last taboo to bust is the taboo on regifting. According Gabrielle Adams of the London Business School and colleagues, givers <a href="http://www.people.hbs.edu/mnorton/adams%20flynn%20norton.pdf">aren’t as bothered</a> by regifting as recipients think. Even if what you get is not what you want, you can pass it along to someone else, and hope that next time, the norms will work in your favor.<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/52293/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mary-steffel-213379">Mary Steffel</a>, Assistant Professor of Marketing, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/northeastern-university-1644">Northeastern University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/elanor-williams-213382">Elanor Williams</a>, Assistant Professor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/indiana-university-1368">Indiana University</a> Image credits: Getty Images 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/gift-giving-taboos-that-arent-as-bad-as-you-think-52293">original article</a>.

Money & Banking

Millions of high-risk Australians aren’t getting vaccinated. A policy reset could save lives

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peter-breadon-1348098">Peter Breadon</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/grattan-institute-1168">Grattan Institute</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ingrid-burfurd-1295906">Ingrid Burfurd</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/grattan-institute-1168">Grattan Institute</a> Each year, vaccines prevent thousands of deaths and hospitalisations in Australia. But millions of high-risk older Australians <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/a-fair-shot-ensuring-all-australians-can-get-the-vaccines-they-need/">aren’t getting</a> recommended vaccinations against COVID, the flu, pneumococcal disease and shingles. Some people are more likely to miss out, such as migrant communities and those in rural areas and poorer suburbs. As our new <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/a-fair-shot-ensuring-all-australians-can-get-the-vaccines-they-need/">Grattan report shows</a>, a policy reset to encourage more Australians to get vaccinated could save lives and help ease the pressure on our struggling hospitals. <h2>Adult vaccines reduce the risk of serious illness</h2> Vaccines slash the risk of <a href="https://www.ncirs.org.au/sites/default/files/2021-03/Influenza-fact-sheet_31%20March%202021_Final.pdf">hospitalisation</a> and serious illness, <a href="https://ncirs.org.au/recent-covid-19-vaccination-highly-effective-against-death-caused-sars-cov-2-infection-older">often by more than half</a>. COVID has already caused more than <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/causes-death/provisional-mortality-statistics/latest-release">3,000 deaths in Australia this year</a>. On average, the flu kills about <a href="https://www.doherty.edu.au/news-events/news/statement-on-the-doherty-institute-modelling">600 people a year</a>, although a bad flu season, like 2017, can mean <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/3303.0%7E2017%7EMain%20Features%7EAustralia's%20leading%20causes%20of%20death,%202017%7E2">several thousand deaths</a>. And pneumococcal disease may also kill <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/49809836-8ead-4da5-81c4-352fa64df75b/aihw-phe-263.pdf?inline=true">hundreds</a> of people a year. Shingles is rarely fatal, but can be extremely painful and cause <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/shingles#complications">long-term nerve damage</a>. Even before COVID, vaccine-preventable diseases caused tens of thousands of potentially preventable hospitalisations each year – more than <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/primary-health-care/disparities-in-potentially-preventable-hospitalisa/data">80,000 in 2018</a>. Vaccines offered in Australia have been tested for safety and efficacy and have been found to be <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/topics/immunisation/about-immunisation/vaccine-safety#:%7E:text=serious%20side%20effects.-,Vaccine%20safety%20monitoring,approved%20for%20use%20in%20Australia.">very safe</a> for people who are <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/topics/immunisation/when-to-get-vaccinated/national-immunisation-program-schedule">recommended to get them</a>. <h2>Too many high-risk people are missing out</h2> Our <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/roundabouts-overpasses-carparks-hauling-the-federal-government-back-to-its-proper-role-in-transport-projects">report</a> shows that before winter this year, only 60% of high-risk Australians were vaccinated against the flu. Only 38% had a COVID vaccination in the last six months. Compared to a year earlier, two million more high-risk people went into winter without a recent COVID vaccination. Vaccination rates have fallen further since. Just over one-quarter (<a href="https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-11/covid-19-vaccine-rollout-update-10-november-2023.pdf">27%</a>) of people over 75 have been vaccinated in the last six months. That leaves more than 1.3 million without a recent COVID vaccination. Uptake is also low for other vaccines. Among Australians in their 70s, <a href="https://ncirs.org.au/sites/default/files/2022-12/Coverage%20report%202021%20SUMMARY%20FINAL.pdf">less than half</a> are vaccinated against shingles and only one in five are vaccinated against pneumococcal disease. These vaccination rates aren’t just low – they’re also unfair. The likelihood that someone is vaccinated changes depending on where they live, where they were born, what language they speak at home, and how much they earn. For example, at the start of winter this year, the COVID vaccination rate for high-risk Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults was only 25%. This makes them about one-third less likely to have been vaccinated against COVID in the previous six months, compared to the average high-risk Australian. For more than 750,000 high-risk adults who do not speak English at home, the COVID vaccination rate is below 20% – about half the level of the average high-risk adult. Within this group, 250,000 adults aren’t proficient in English. They were 58% less likely to be vaccinated for COVID in the previous six months, compared to the average high-risk person. High-risk adults who speak English at home have a flu vaccination rate of 62%. But for people from 29 other language groups, who aren’t proficient in English, the rate is less than 31%. These 39,000 people have half the vaccination rate of people who speak English at home. These vaccination gaps contribute to the differences in people’s health. Australians born overseas don’t just have much lower rates of COVID vaccination, they also have much higher rates of death from COVID. Where people live also affects vaccination rates. High-risk people living in remote and very remote areas are less likely to be vaccinated, and even within capital cities there are big differences between different areas. <h2>We need to set ambitious targets</h2> Australia needs a vaccination reset. A new National Vaccination Agreement between the federal and state governments should include ambitious but achievable targets for adult vaccines. This can build on the success of targets for childhood and adolescent vaccination, setting targets for overall uptake and for communities that are falling behind. The federal government should ask the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) to advise on vaccination targets for COVID, flu, pneumococcal and shingles for all high-risk older adults. <h2>Different solutions for different barriers</h2> Barriers to vaccination range from the trivial to the profound. A new national vaccination strategy needs to dismantle high and low barriers alike. First, to increase overall uptake, vaccination should be easier, and easier to understand. The federal government should introduce vaccination “surges”, especially in the lead-up to winter, as <a href="https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/09-10-2023-vulnerable--vaccinate.-protecting-the-unprotected-from-covid-19-and-influenza">countries in Europe</a> do. During surges, high-risk people should be able to get vaccinated even if they have had a recent infection or injection. This will make the rules simpler and make vaccination in aged care easier. Surges should be reinforced with advertising explaining who should get vaccinated and why. High-risk people should get SMS reminders. Second, targeted policies are needed for the many people who are happy to use mainstream primary care services, but who don’t get vaccinated – for example, due to <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-can-governments-communicate-with-multicultural-australians-about-covid-vaccines-its-not-as-simple-as-having-a-poster-in-their-language-156097">language barriers</a>, or living in <a href="https://theconversation.com/over-half-of-eligible-aged-care-residents-are-yet-to-receive-their-covid-booster-and-winter-is-coming-205403">aged care</a>. <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/phn/what-PHNs-are">Primary Health Networks</a> should get funding to coordinate initiatives such as vaccination events in aged care and disability care homes, workforce training to support culturally appropriate care, and provision of interpreters. Third, tailored programs are needed to reach <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/health-promotion">people who are not comfortable or able to access mainstream health care</a>, who have the most complex barriers to vaccination – for example, distrust of the health system or poverty. These communities are all very different, so one-size-fits-all programs don’t work. The pandemic showed that vaccination programs can succeed when they are designed and delivered with the communities they are trying to reach. Examples are “<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36366401/">community champions</a>” who challenge misinformation, or health services organising vaccination events where communities work, gather or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/aug/11/hundreds-queue-for-hours-and-some-camp-overnight-at-pop-up-vaccine-clinic-in-sydneys-lakemba">worship</a>. These programs should get ongoing funding, but also be accountable for achieving results. Adult vaccines are the missing piece in Australia’s whole-of-life vaccination strategy. For the health and safety of the most vulnerable members of our community, we need to close the vaccination gap. <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/217915/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peter-breadon-1348098">Peter Breadon</a>, Program Director, Health and Aged Care, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/grattan-institute-1168">Grattan Institute</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ingrid-burfurd-1295906">Ingrid Burfurd</a>, Senior Associate, Health Program, Grattan Institute, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/grattan-institute-1168">Grattan Institute</a> Image credits: Shutterstock 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/millions-of-high-risk-australians-arent-getting-vaccinated-a-policy-reset-could-save-lives-217915">original article</a>.

Body

No, antibiotics aren’t always needed. Here’s how GPs can avoid overprescribing

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mina-bakhit-826292">Mina Bakhit</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/paul-glasziou-13533">Paul Glasziou</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a> The growth in antibiotic resistance threatens to return the world to the pre-antibiotic era – with deaths from now-treatable infections, and some elective surgery being restricted because of the risks of infection. Antibiotic resistance is a major problem worldwide and should be the concern of everyone, including you. We need to develop new antibiotics that can fight the resistant bacteria or antibiotics that bacteria would not be quickly resistant to. This is like finding new weapons to help the immune system fight the bacteria. More importantly, we need to use our current antibiotics – our existing weapons against the bacteria – more wisely. <h2>Giving GPs the tools to say no</h2> In 2022, more than <a href="https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/publications-and-resources/resource-library/aura-2023-fifth-australian-report-antimicrobial-use-and-resistance-human-health">one-third of Australians</a> had least one antibiotic prescription, with <a href="https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/publications-and-resources/resource-library/analysis-2015-2022-pbs-and-rpbs-antimicrobial-dispensing-data">88%</a> of antibiotics prescribed by GPs. Many people <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28289114/">mistakenly think</a> antibiotics are necessary for treating any infection and that infections won’t improve unless treated with antibiotics. This misconception is found in studies involving patients with various conditions, including respiratory infections and conjunctivitis. In reality, not all infections require antibiotics, and this belief drives patients requesting antibiotics from GPs. Other times, GPs give antibiotics because they think patients want them, even when they might not be necessary. Although, in reality they are <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17148626/">after symptom relief</a>. For GPs, there are ways to target antibiotics for only when they are clearly needed, even with short appointments with patients perceived to want antibiotics. This includes: <ul> <li> using <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32357226/">decision guides</a> or tests to decide if antibiotics are really necessary </li> <li> giving <a href="https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/our-work/partnering-consumers/shared-decision-making/decision-support-tools-specific-conditions">patients information sheets</a> when antibiotics aren’t needed </li> <li> giving a “<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33910882/">delayed prescription</a>” – only to be used after the patient waits to see if they get better on their own. </li> </ul> All these strategies need some <a href="https://www.nps.org.au/assets/NPS/pdf/NPS-MedicineWise-Economic-evaluation-report-Reducing-Antibiotic-Resistance-2012-17.pdf">training</a> and practice, but they can help GPs prescribe antibiotics more responsibly. GPs can also learn from each other and use tools like <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24474434/">posters</a> as reminders. To help with patients’ expectations, public campaigns have been run periodically to educate people about antibiotics. These campaigns <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35098267/">explain why</a> using antibiotics too much can be harmful and when it’s essential to take them. <h2>Giving doctors feedback on their prescribing</h2> National programs and interventions can help GPs use antibiotics more wisely One successful way they do this is by <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34356788/">giving GPs feedback</a> about how they prescribe antibiotics. This works better when it’s provided by organisations that GPs trust, it happens more than once and clear goals are set for improvement. The NPS (formerly National Prescribing Service) MedicineWise program, for example, had been giving feedback to GPs on how their antibiotic prescriptions compared to others. This reduced the number of antibiotics prescribed. However, <a href="https://australianprescriber.tg.org.au/articles/the-end-of-nps-medicinewise.html">NPS no longer exists</a>. In 2017, the Australian health department did something similar by sending <a href="https://behaviouraleconomics.pmc.gov.au/projects/nudge-vs-superbugs-behavioural-economics-trial-reduce-overprescribing-antibiotics">feedback letters</a>, randomly using different formats, to the GPs who prescribed the most antibiotics, showing them how they were prescribing compared to others. The most effective letter, which used pictures to show this comparison, reduced the number of antibiotics GPs prescribed by <a href="https://behaviouraleconomics.pmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/projects/nudge-vs-superbugs-12-months-on-report.pdf">9% in a year</a>. <h2>Clearer rules and regulations</h2> Rules and regulations are crucial in the fight against antibiotic resistance. Before April 2020, many GPs’ computer systems made it easy to get multiple repeat prescriptions for the same condition, which could encourage their overuse. However, in April 2020, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) <a href="https://www.pbs.gov.au/pbs/industry/listing/elements/pbac-meetings/psd/2019-08/antibiotic-repeats-on-the-pharmaceutical-benefits-scheme">changed the rules</a> to ensure GPs had to think more carefully about whether patients actually needed repeat antibiotics. This meant the amount of medicine prescribed better matched the days it was needed for. Other regulations or policy targets could include: <ul> <li> ensuring all GPs have access to antibiotic prescribing guidelines, such as <a href="https://www.tg.org.au/">Therapeutic Guidelines</a>, which is well accepted and widely available in Australia </li> <li> ensuring GPs are only prescribing antibiotics when needed. Many of the conditions antibiotics are currently prescribed for (such as sore throat, cough and middle ear infections) are self-limiting, meaning they will get better without antibiotics </li> <li> encouraging GP working with antibiotics manufacturers to align pack sizes to the recommended treatment duration. The recommended first-line treatments for uncomplicated urinary tract infections in non-pregnant women, for example, are either three days of trimethoprim 300 mg per night or five days of nitrofurantoin 100 mg every six hours. However, the packs contain enough for seven days. This can mean patients take it for longer or use leftovers later. </li> </ul> <h2>Australia lags behind Sweden</h2> Australia has some good strategies for antibiotic prescribing, but we have not had a sustained long-term plan to ensure wise use. Although Australian GPs have been doing well in <a href="https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/our-work/antimicrobial-resistance/antimicrobial-use-and-resistance-australia-surveillance-system/aura-2021">reducing antibiotic prescribing</a> since 2015, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35098269/">more</a> could be done. In the 1990s, Sweden’s antibiotic use was similar to Australia’s, but is now less than half. For more than two decades, Sweden has had a national strategy that reduces antibiotic use by about <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5677604/">7% annually</a>. It is vital Australia invests in a similar long-term national strategy – to have a centrally funded program, but with regional groups working on the implementation. This could be funded directly by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing, or with earmarked funds via another body such as the Australian Centre for Disease Control. In the meantime, individual GPs can do their part to prescribe antibiotics better, and patients can join the national effort to combat antibiotic resistance by asking their GP: “what would happen if I don’t take an antibiotic?”. <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mina-bakhit-826292">Mina Bakhit</a>, Assistant Professor of Public Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/paul-glasziou-13533">Paul Glasziou</a>, Professor of Medicine, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a> Image credits: Getty Images 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/no-antibiotics-arent-always-needed-heres-how-gps-can-avoid-overprescribing-213981">original article</a>.

Caring

Maccas aren’t lovin’ the over 60s

A McDonald’s in Auckland Central has landed itself in hot water after posting a job ad that wanted nothing to do with the over 60 workforce. The post, shared to the establishment’s Facebook page and since removed, sought new staff to cover the 10pm to 6am ‘graveyard’ shift. The usual benefits and various position criteria were listed, but it was one line at the bottom that caught the attention - and ire - of the masses. “Any age from 16 to 60,” the listing read. Feedback came fast and furious, with many outraged by the blatant ageism the fast food giant was peddling. And while McDonald’s tried to pass it off as the fault of a franchisee, the store’s manager instead said that their head office was at fault. Social media users were vocal about what they thought of the ad, and it wasn’t long before legal experts and union representatives got involved in the ongoing uproar - and even the big wigs over at McDonald’s. “We’ve been made aware that a job ad by one of our franchisees has created some debate on social media like Reddit, as it references an age range of 16-60,” company spokesperson Simon Kenny said. “The reference in the copy was intended to illustrate that people of all ages are welcome. We’ve asked the franchisee to update the copy to avoid any potential confusion.” As Joe Carolan from New Zealand’s Unite Union told the New Zealand Herald, “contrary to the myth that most McDonald’s jobs are [ideal for] part-time students, improvements made by the union throughout the years have seen many workers stay in these jobs into their 50s. “Older workers bring experience, stability and maturity to a workplace and we call on McDonald's to end this discriminatory ageism.” Employment law expert Max Whitehead added that the pay - $22.80 per hour - combined with the age restrictions, were a “blatant” breach of the Human Rights Act. And for those who thought the line had just been an ill-advised marketing move, Whitehead noted “if it really is to get a catchy cliche going, it’s a stupid thing to do.” Whitehead’s fellow expert, Professor Bill Hodge, had more to say on the matter of ageism too, noting that The Human Rights Act actually bans discrimination against people over the age of 60, though he saw no issue with the teenage half of the equation. “We discriminate against people 14 or 15 all the time and it’s justifiable to say ‘no, you can’t drive a car, you can’t leave school’,” he said. “On the face of it I see no obvious requirement that would exclude people over 60.” As a spokesperson for the Humans Right Campaign informed the New Zealand Herald, The Human Rights Act 1993 had rendered it unlawful for people to be treated differently for their age during the employment process. “It is unlawful to discriminate against employees, job applicants, voluntary workers, people seeking work through an employment agency and contract workers because of age,” the spokesperson explained. “The only exception is where, for reasons of authenticity, being of a particular age is a genuine occupational qualification for the position or employment.” Images: Shutterstock, Facebook

Money & Banking

6 travel myths that aren’t true

There are many myths out there regarding travel.And while some are grounded in truth, that doesn’t mean they’re completely factual.We’re going to take a look at six travel myths that simply aren’t true. If you haven’t been away for a while, this might just be your prompt to do so. 1. Myth – Travel has to be expensive Nothing in the world is free, but travelling doesn’t have to be prohibitively expensive. Budget travel alternatives are becoming increasingly popular and there are plenty of ways you can get out there and experience the world without having to break the bank. 2. Myth – Booking well in advance will save me money and is the best way to go While this is rooted in truth and some attractions are best booked before you leave, there is something to be said for the flexibility of booking on the fly. While you may have to pay a little more in some instances, it’s worth it to be able to be impulsive. 3. Myth – Haggling is expected in most countries In many tourist locations you can expect the initial asking price to be as much as four times what something is worth. But when you’re travelling through an impoverished country, sometimes you have to ask yourself whether haggling is really worth it. 4. Myth – Tours don’t make for an authentic travel experience Some people may look down on their nose at your for booking a tour, but there’s something to be said for having an expert guide to take you around an area and point out little things that you may have missed otherwise if you’re directing yourself. 5. Myth – People more or less understand English While English is becoming increasingly popular and the global economy is dominated by English-speaking nations, it’s a travel myth to believe that everyone speaks. Many places in the world that retain a strong national identity and refuse to speak in English. 6. Myth – There’ll be plenty of time to see anything Unfortunately this is not true. With threats like global warming, civil unrest and overcrowding, many amazing tourist locations are becoming more difficult to visit. Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/travel-tips/2016/02/tips-for-handling-flight-delays/">5 tips for dealing with flight delays</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/travel-tips/2016/02/photo-shows-german-shepherd-enjoying-flight/">German Shepherd really enjoys plane ride</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/travel-tips/2016/02/tips-for-travelling-with-people-that-get-on-your-nerves/">Tips for travelling with people that get on your nerves</a> Image credit: Shutterstock

Travel Tips

Trans people aren’t new, and neither is their oppression: a history of gender crossing in 19th-century Australia

This article contains references to anti-trans, colonial and institutional violence, and includes information about an Aboriginal person who died in the early 20th century. Anti-transgender hatred is on the rise. Driven by pseudoscience and backed by <a href="https://www.crikey.com.au/2023/03/10/anti-trans-disinformation-australia-transphobia/">well-funded far-right pressure groups</a>, part of the premise of the anti-trans “gender critical” movement is that trans people are new and unnatural. History shows us this is not the case. The “trans” prefix emerged in 1910 with Magnus Hirschfeld’s research on “<a href="https://www.transgendermap.com/politics/sexology/magnus-hirschfeld/">transvestism</a>” (initially a medical term). Hirschfeld was a gay German Jewish doctor whose research centre, the <a href="https://magnus-hirschfeld.de/ausstellungen/institute/">Institut für Sexualwissenschaft</a>, has been called the world’s first trans clinic. The institute was destroyed by Nazis in 1933. You might be familiar with this image of Nazi book-burning – the books in question were Hirschfeld’s research. In the 1800s, people who crossed gender categories were not understood to be “transvestites” or transgender, but were referred to as “masqueraders”, “impersonators”, “men-women” and “freaks”. As such, I consider my research to be a work of shared queer and trans history, but not necessarily a history of trans people. I am not interested in how people in the past might have identified today, but in how they lived and how their communities responded to them. <h2>Gender variance in First Nations communities</h2> Far from being new, gender variance on this continent predates Europeans’ arrival in Australia. Several Aboriginal nations have traditions of <a href="https://www.transhub.org.au/trans-mob">culturally specific gender categories</a>. In 2015 the organisation Sisters and Brothers NT noted the terms “Kwarte Kwarte” in Arrernte, “Kungka Kungka” in Pitjantjatjara and Luritja, “Yimpininni” in Tiwi, and “Karnta Pia” in Warlpiri, which can be interpreted as “like a girl”, while “Kungka Wati” in Pintipi and “Girriji Kati” in Waramungu literally mean “woman/man”. Sandy O’Sullivan, a Wiradjuri trans scholar and professor, notes that the imposition of European gender norms on First Nations peoples was part of a broader colonial project that sought to eliminate Indigenous cultures and kinship systems. <h2>Gender transgression in colonial Australia</h2> In colonial Australia, gender transgression was structurally managed via carceral systems such as lunatic asylums, police and prisons. Although there was no formal legislation against cross-dressing or gender-crossing, people were often charged with vagrancy, fraud, sodomy, impersonation or indecent behaviour. A lot of Australian legislation was inherited from or influenced by British legislation, including the 1533 Buggery Act and the 1885 Criminal Law Amendment Act, also known as “An Act to make further provision for the Protection of Women and Girls”, which strengthened existing legislation against homosexuality and sex work. In the 19th century there was no formal or medical process for gender transition. When people crossed gender categories, they did so socially, sometimes for their entire lifetimes. On a local level, gender crossers were frequently accepted in their communities if they met certain conditions. People were more likely to be accepted if they were white, transmasculine, and contributing to the productive workforce. People who were socially marginalised or lacking in support from family and friends were more likely to have hostile interactions with the law and with medicine. <h2>Madness, medicalisation, and criminalisation</h2> Gender transgression over years or decades was often interpreted as evidence of insanity. There were cases such as Tom Hurly, institutionalised in Parramatta Lunatic Asylum in 1861, and Edward de Lacy Evans, institutionalised in Bendigo Hospital and Kew Asylum in 1879. Edward Moate – referred to in the press as “another De Lacy Evans” – was institutionalised in Beechworth Asylum in 1884. The lunatic asylum was a structure that maintained and restored the colonial order. To be discharged and re-enter the community, patients had to demonstrate that their insanity had been “cured”, which for gender transgressors generally meant being forced to detransition. Edward de Lacy Evans was made to return to dressing as a woman and was discharged only a few months after his admission. Edward Moate, on the other hand, refused to provide a female name or reassume a female gender expression, and died in the asylum three years later, still under the name Edward Moate. Vagrancy charges were the most common way of criminalising gender crossing. This was frequently applied to people who lived as women, who were more likely to be seen as dangerously deviant than tolerably eccentric. In 1863, Ellen Maguire was charged with vagrancy in Melbourne for “personating a woman”. Officially, the vagrancy charge was one of “having no visible means of support”, despite most of the court trial focusing on her employment as a sex worker and her supposed deception of her male clients. She was eventually convicted of sodomy and died in prison after six years. Sometimes the twin modes of medicalisation and criminalisation were applied simultaneously. In 1896, the Warengesda Aborigines’ Mission reported an Aboriginal (probably Wiradjuri) youth named H Paroo for “masquerading in the garb of a man”. Paroo was ordered to leave the station, but refused to comply. The station wrote a letter to the Aborigines’ Protection Board asking if Paroo could be removed, either by being “given in charge as a vagrant” or “as not fit to be at large” (that is, as a “wandering lunatic”). <h2>Full and authentic lives</h2> Not everyone who was exposed in the press was vilified or incarcerated as a result. Some people lived full lives in their chosen gender categories, and were only outed after their deaths. In 1893, a farmer named Jack Jorgensen died in Elmore, near Bendigo, and was promptly exposed in the press as yet “another De Lacy Evans”. Jorgensen had suffered an injury at work but refused to go to Bendigo Hospital. He signed his will as Johann Martin Jorgensen, and died at home under the care of his housemates, who knew about his gender but kept the secret until after his death. These stories are important because they show that the criminalisation and pathologisation of gender transgression is not a new phenomenon. Medicine and the justice system have a long history of being weaponised against trans people and anyone trespassing from the gendered status quo. If we are to work towards trans liberation in the present, we must reckon with these histories and address their structural legacies. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/trans-people-arent-new-and-neither-is-their-oppression-a-history-of-gender-crossing-in-19th-century-australia-201663" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Caring

Rebel Wilson reveals her girlfriend's family aren't "accepting" of their relationship

Rebel Wilson has shared that her girlfriend's family has not been "accepting" of their relationship. In a candid interview with the Life Uncut podcast, the Aussie actress admitted that Ramona Agruma's family have had a difficult time coming to terms with their almost year-long relationship. "My family has been so amazing. Ramona's family hasn't been as accepting. In many respects it's been a lot harder on her," Rebel told hosts Brittany Hockley and Laura Byrne. "With her, she's not in the public eye, it's much harder on her. It's so sad to see what happened with her family over it. Hopefully, people will change their attitude about things." Rebel shocked her fans in June 2022 with the news of her relationship with Ramona, announcing her happy news on Instagram saying, "I thought I was searching for a Disney Prince… but maybe what I really needed all this time was a Disney Princess." <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CelyiLZLHa2/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CelyiLZLHa2/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Rebel Wilson (@rebelwilson)</a> </div> </blockquote> Elsewhere in the tell-all interview, the 42-year-old actress opened up about her difficult journey to motherhood and the lengths she went to have a family, resulting in the birth of her daughter, Royce. "I really didn't think pieces were going to fall in line," she said. "I tried with one surrogate to have a baby and sadly the embryo miscarried. Luckily I didn't make it public and then had to say it didn't work out." Despite the devastating setback, Rebel persevered with her dreams of having a family. "Then to have a second embryo, to have it implanted and go well. It was amazing," she recalled. "I really do think it's a bit of a miracle. I've been through quite a bit on the fertility journey, and now I've got an instant family." <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CkqsdK1pzN2/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CkqsdK1pzN2/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Rebel Wilson (@rebelwilson)</a> </div> </blockquote> "It's so surreal and so awesome. Little Roycie is so amazing. She's such an angel and I can't wait to bring her to Australia." While Rebel is completely smitten with her three-month-old daughter, she admitted she felt "disconnected" from her child given she did not carry Royce. "It's so hard. You're a little disconnected having the surrogacy and not going through the pregnancy, but that was my best option medically, only having the one embryo," she said. Image credits: Getty Images / Instagram

Relationships

10 things aeroplanes aren’t cleaning as they should

<h2>Illness breeding ground</h2> Sitting amongst strangers in a confined space for any amount of time just feels like a breeding ground for illness. But how well are these aircrafts being cleaned? The answer may make you pack your own sanitising wipes ahead of your next flight. <h2>Seatbelt buckles</h2> Unless you ask the person sitting next to you to buckle your seatbelt (which we don’t recommend), you’re going to touch that piece of metal at least twice during a flight, once before takeoff, and once when you land. Unfortunately, these oft-used items aren’t getting the spick and span treatment you’d like. According to Travelmath, the average aeroplane seatbelt buckle tested for 230 colony-forming units (CFU) per square inch. <h2>Seatback pockets</h2> That slim seatback pocket looks innocent enough at first glance. After all, it holds your passenger safety information and inflight magazine. But the cloth that covers it isn’t getting much attention from cabin cleaners. According to a study conducted at Auburn University, the pocket is pretty darn disgusting. Seeing as passengers often stuff trash in that pocket (think used tissues and dirty diapers), it sees its fair share of bacteria. In fact, their study showed that the germs found in this location survived the longest out of any surface on an aeroplane at around seven days. <h2>Tray tables</h2> Cabin cleaners only do a speedy wipe down of aeroplanes in between flights because they simply aren’t given enough time to do more during these quick turnovers. Believe it or not, tray tables aren’t typically among the surfaces that get cleaned between domestic flights, according to the Wall Street Journal. They typically are only addressed during overnight cleanings. <h2>Headrest</h2> A different study of airline hygiene conducted by Marketplace and analysed in a laboratory at the University of Guelph cited a different surface as being the most bacteria-laden – the headrest. According to their study, the “highest total aerobic count, hemolytic bacteria, and E.coli” were found here. The headrest is nearly impossible to avoid unless you bring something to slip over it, which makes sense that it would come into contact with the most germs. <h2>Blankets</h2> Complimentary blankets are pretty much a thing of the past among airlines these days, particularly in economy class, and that might just be a good thing. Back in 2008, the Wall Street Journal revealed that these once common aeroplane items were only washed every five to 30 days. When flying, BYOB (Bring Your Own Blanket). <h2>The floor</h2> A quick vacuum job in between flights does not a clean carpet make, especially when you have hundreds of pairs of shoes traipsing up and down the aisles of an aeroplane day-in and day-out. According to an article in USA Today, cleanliness isn’t regulated by the FAA. It’s standard that a plane goes through a deep clean about once a month and perhaps then that carpeting will get extra attention. Even so, it’s best to steer clear of placing your belongings on the floor if you can help it. Once you’ve reached your destination, here’s how to have a healthy and clean hotel stay. <h2>Bathroom surfaces</h2> Yes, cabin cleaners do a wipe down of lavatories after an aircraft’s passengers have deplaned, but think about how many people use the facilities during the flight and how many hours go by before that cleaning happens. In an interview with TIME, University of Arizona microbiologist Dr Charles Gerba said, “It’s hard to beat the restroom because the water shuts off so people can’t complete hand washing. The sinks are so small that people with large hands can’t even fit them fully underneath the faucets.” <h2>Menus/safety information pamphlets</h2> We’ve already addressed the icky stuff that often contaminates seatback pockets, but consider the material that’s actually supposed to be in this area. With barely ten to 15 minutes to tidy a cabin, according to the New York Times, cleaners don’t have time to wipe down every menu and safety pamphlet in those pockets. When you consider how often they are touched by human hands (and the garbage that gets tossed into the pockets), this literature is a breeding ground for gross. <h2>Overhead air vent</h2> Adjusting that overhead air vent is something most passengers do to personalise their limited space for comfort, but who is cleaning that surface? Likely no one. It’s one of the dirtiest spots on an aeroplane according to Travelmath. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/travel/flights/10-things-aeroplanes-arent-cleaning-they-should" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Travel Trouble

Manipulating light can induce psychedelic experiences – and scientists aren’t quite sure why

For millennia, people have used mind-altering techniques to achieve different states of consciousness, envision spiritual figures, connect with nature, or simply for the fun of it. Psychedelic substances, in particular, have a long and controversial <a href="https://theconversation.com/psychedelic-drugs-can-be-almost-as-life-altering-as-near-death-experiences-189325">history</a>. But for just as long, people have been having these experiences without drugs too, using <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/1/101">rhythmic techniques such as rocking, chanting or drumming</a>. Perhaps the most powerful technique of this kind is flickering light, called “ganzflicker”. Ganzflicker effects can be achieved by turning a light on and off, or by alternating colours in a rapid, rhythmic pattern (like a strobe). This can create an instant psychedelic experience. Ganzflicker elicits striking visual phenomena. People can see geometric shapes and illusory colours but sometimes also complex objects, such as animals and faces – all without any chemical stimulants. Sometimes ganzflicker can even lead to altered states of consciousness (such as losing a sense of time or space) and emotions (ranging from fear to euphoria). Although its effects are little known today, ganzflicker has influenced and inspired many people through the ages, including the two of us. We are an art historian and brain scientist working together on an interactive showcase of ganzflicker techniques used in science and art. Our collaboration has culminated in the museum exhibition <a href="https://reshannereeder.com/ganzflicker-exhibit">“Ganzflicker: art, science, and psychedelic experience”</a>, which is part of the 2022 <a href="https://www.beinghumanfestival.org/">Being Human festival</a>. Ganzflicker’s effects were first documented in 1819 by the physiologist <a href="https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/235945">Jan E. Purkinje</a>. Purkinje discovered that illusory patterns could appear if he faced the sun and waved his hand in front of his closed eyelids. Near the end of the 19th century, an English toymaker and amateur scientist, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/051200c0">Charles Benham</a>, produced the first commercially available flicker device: a top with a monochrome pattern that, when spun, produced illusory colours that swirled around the disc. Modified versions of Benham’s “artificial spectrum top” were used in experiments well into the 20th century. William Grey Walter, a pioneering neurophysiologist and cybernetician, <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-70911-1_17">pushed flicker effects further</a> by using electric strobe lights, synchronised with the brain’s rhythms. Fascinated by the mind-altering potential of Walter’s machinery, the artist Brion Gysin, in collaboration with writer William S. Burroughs and mathematician Ian Sommerville, invented the <a href="http://mindcontrol-research.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/14_2_dream-machine-plans.pdf">Dreamachine</a> (1962). <h2>The swinging 60s of drug-free psychedelics</h2> A Dreamachine consists of an upright cylinder with patterns cut into it and a lightbulb suspended at its centre. When spun on a turntable at 78rpm, the flickering patterns (viewed through closed eyelids) can cause trance-like hallucinations. Gysin thought of the Dreamachine as a new kind of artwork – “the first art object to be seen with the eyes closed” – and a form of entertainment, which he believed could replace the television. Others saw the Dreamachine’s potential to be a source of spiritual inspiration. Burroughs thought it could be <a href="https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/brion-gysin-the-pioneering-artist-who-invented-the-dreamachine/">used to</a> “storm the citadels of enlightenment”. The poet Alan Ginsberg said: “It sets up optical fields as religious and mandalic as hallucinogenic drugs – it’s like being able to have jewelled biblical designs and landscapes without taking chemicals.” Flicker experiments in art did not stop with the Dreamachine. Others included Tony Conrad’s groundbreaking structuralist film <a href="https://fourthree.boilerroom.tv/film/flicker-tony-conrad">The Flicker</a> (1966), which was the first artwork to include the warning “may induce epileptic seizures or produce mild symptoms of shock treatment in certain persons”. The conceptual artist James Turrell’s <a href="https://jamesturrell.com/work/bindu-shards/">Bindu Shards</a> (2010) was an enclosed globe that bombards the observer with strobe light. And, more recently, Collective Act created its own <a href="https://dreamachine.world/">Dreamachine</a> (2022) , a public planetarium-style artwork inspired by Gysin’s which toured the UK. <h2>The science of ganzflicker</h2> Two hundred years after Jan Purkinje documented the physiological properties of ganzflicker, scientists still do not have a definitive explanation for how it works. A recent theory proposes that visual phenomena may be the result of interactions between external flicker and the brain’s natural rhythmic electrical pulses, with more intense images manifesting <a href="https://theconversation.com/pseudo-hallucinations-why-some-people-see-more-vivid-mental-images-than-others-test-yourself-here-163025">when the frequencies of flicker and the brain are closest</a>. It is also likely that a strong visual flicker influences brain states. Meaningful visions, altered conscious states and heightened emotions may be the result of <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-18591-6">imaginative suggestion</a>, which is amplified by the trance-inducing properties of <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/1/101">rhythmic stimulation</a>. What is perhaps most powerful about ganzflicker is its universality. Engineers, mathematicians, artists, historians and scientists have all been united by this modest, drug-free means of eliciting dramatic changes in consciousness. The new wave of popularity on this topic will undoubtedly lead to illuminating discoveries in the coming years. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/manipulating-light-can-induce-psychedelic-experiences-and-scientists-arent-quite-sure-why-192885" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Art

Sneezing with hay fever? Native plants aren’t usually the culprit

Hay fever is a downside of springtime around the world. As temperatures increase, plant growth resumes and flowers start appearing. But while native flowering plants such as wattle often get the blame when the seasonal sneezes strike, hay fever in Australia is typically caused by introduced plant species often pollinated by the wind. <h2>A closer look at pollen</h2> Pollen grains are the tiny reproductive structures that move genetic material between flower parts, individual flowers on the same plant or a nearby member of the same species. They are typically lightweight structures easily carried on wind currents or are sticky and picked up in clumps on the feathers of a honeyeater or the fur of a fruit bat or possum. Hay fever is when the human immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. It is not only caused by pollen grains but fungal spores, non-flowering plant spores, mites and even pet hair. The classic symptoms of hay fever are sneezing, runny noses, red, itchy, and watery eyes, swelling around the eyes and scratchy ears and throat. The problem with pollen grains is when they land on the skin around our eyes, in our nose and mouth, the proteins found in the wall of these tiny structures leak out and are recognised as foreign by the body and trigger a reaction from the immune system. <h2>So what plants are the worst culprits for causing hay fever?</h2> Grasses, trees, and herbaceous weeds such as plantain are the main problem species as their pollen is usually scattered by wind. In Australia, the main grass offenders are exotic species including rye grass and couch grass (a commonly used lawn species). Weed species that cause hay fever problems include introduced ragweed, Paterson’s curse, parthenium weed and plantain. The <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5102629/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">problematic tree species</a> are also exotic in origin and include liquid amber, Chinese elm, maple, cypress, ash, birch, poplar, and plane trees. Although there are some native plants that have wind-spread pollen such as she-oaks and white cypress pine, and which can induce hay fever, these species are exceptional in the Australian flora. Many Australian plants are not wind pollinated and <a href="https://blog.publish.csiro.au/austpollinatorweek/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">use animals</a> to move their clumped pollen around. For example, yellow-coloured flowers such as wattles and peas are pollinated by insect such as bees. Red- and orange-coloured flowers are usually visited by birds such as honeyeaters. Large, dull-coloured flowers with copious nectar (the reward for pollination) are visited by nocturnal mammals including bats and possums. Obviously Australian plant pollen can still potentially cause the immune system to overreact, but these structures are less likely to reach the mucous membranes of humans. <h2>What can we do to prevent hay fever attacks at this time of the year?</h2> With all of this in mind, here are some strategies to prevent the affects of hay fever: <ol> <li>stay inside and keep the house closed up on warm, windy days when more pollen is in the air</li> <li>if you must go outside, wear sunglasses and a face mask</li> <li>when you return indoors gently rinse (and don’t rub) your eyes with running water, change your clothes and shower to remove pollen grains from hair and skin</li> <li>try to avoid mowing the lawn in spring particularly when grasses are in flower (the multi-pronged spiked flowers of couch grass are distinctive)</li> <li>when working in the garden, wear gloves and facial coverings particularly when handling flowers consider converting your garden to a native one. Grevilleas are a great alternative to rose bushes. Coastal rosemary are a fabulous native replacement for lavender. Why not replace your liquid amber tree with a fast growing, evergreen and low-allergenic lilly pilly tree?</li> </ol> <h2>If you do suffer a hay fever attack</h2> Sometimes even with our best efforts, or if it’s not always possible to stay at home, hay fever can still creep up on us. If this happens: <ul> <li>antihistamines will reduce sneezing and itching symptoms</li> <li>corticosteroid nasal sprays are very effective at reducing inflammation and clearing blocked noses</li> <li>decongestants provide quick and temporary relief by drying runny noses but should not be used by those with high blood pressure</li> <li>salt water is a good way to remove excessive mucous from the nasal passages.</li> </ul> Behavioural changes on warm, windy spring days are a good way of avoiding a hay fever attack. An awareness of the plants around us and their basic reproductive biology is also useful in preventing our immune systems from overreacting to pollen proteins that they are not used to encountering. This article first appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/sneezing-with-hay-fever-native-plants-arent-usually-the-culprit-190336" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Body

Experts warn new homes aren’t future-proof

With thousands of new homes being built across <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/building-and-construction/building-activity-australia/latest-release" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australia</a> and <a href="https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/building-consents-issued-april-2022/#:~:text=Key%20facts,the%20year%20ended%20April%202021." target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Zealand</a>, industry experts have raised concerns that they are already outdated. In a world of pandemics, working from home, and climate change, experts say these new homes aren’t fit for purpose now, let alone for whatever the future holds. Electric vehicle charging stations, multi-split air conditioners, double-glazed windows and built-in 5G technology top the list of features that could help achieve this, according to Peter Li, general manager of Sydney-based apartment marketing agency Plus Agency. Li told the <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/property/news/what-are-the-top-ways-to-future-proof-your-home-and-increase-its-value-20220729-p5b5nw.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sydney Morning Herald </a>that multi-split air conditioners, where air isn’t circulated throughout an apartment block or even a single unit, is particularly crucial in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. “You basically have your own air within your own property but also within separate rooms. So if someone gets COVID, and they’re isolating in the master room, the other bedrooms won’t be affected,” he said. With a growing market for electric vehicles, Li said charging stations in homes are also key. “If you compare to Asian countries, a lot of Australian apartment building blocks don’t even have electric vehicle charging stations,” he added. “Even though we are pushing green energy, the buildings don’t come with electric car charging stations, how green is that?” Li noted that adding these features when homes are first being built will also be cheaper than years down the track, with most of the infrastructure being provided by telcos and electric vehicle companies. Andy Marlow, an architect and the director of sustainable architecture firm Envirotecture, said a majority of new homes are also “baking in” carbon emissions from the energy used to build and the energy produced to run the home, which Marlow said contributes to emissions and creates health problems. “These buildings are not fit for purpose now, and they are definitely not fit for purpose in the future,” he said. “When you build something that is substandard, which is basically our entire housing stock, it is very unlikely somebody will fix that soon.” Marlow said the key to building future-proofed homes lies in building comfortable dwellings with good insulation, good quality air, and reliable ventilation, and that existing products like double-glazed windows that address these issues should become standard. “Single glazing is just crap. Science shows us that single glazing will get condensation on it, it’s just physics,” he said, adding that this leads to mould and asthma. “Everything has been solved, every technical problem has been fixed. There’s a wonderful bit of evidence out of California, where they mandated double glazing and within nine months it was cheaper than single glazing.” Wealth over shelter Professor Alan March, an expert in urban planning at the University of Melbourne School of Design, explained that the problem stems from the perception of the property market as a vehicle for creating wealth rather than providing shelter. “The land value and the overall value is so inflated that people are not so interested in the interior and actual benefit they receive from the structure itself as to secure the number, the numeric value, and so that changes the nature of the housing market towards wealth building, or just avoidance of renting,” March said. One feature he said is key for Australian housing is resistance and adaptability to heat waves through natural ventilation and the ability to retrofit cooling systems or integrate battery-powered solar panels. Though building codes could change to allow for the construction of homes that suit the country’s varying climates, March said recent Covid-induced financial challenges have meant the building and construction industry are and will remain conservative. With Covid looking to be an ongoing challenge the world will face alongside increasing effects of climate change, here’s hoping that can change before it’s too late. Image: Getty Images

Real Estate

22 uses for dryer sheets (that aren’t laundry)

Along with making clothes soft and sniffably fresh, dryer sheets can be used in dozens of ways around the house. Their clean scent covers up plenty of odours, and they’re abrasive enough to clean, but won’t damage most surfaces. Here are the most unexpected uses for dryer sheets. Clean skirting boards Vacuum the carpet or sweep the floor, then wipe a dryer sheet along the skirting boards to remove stubborn dust and pet hair. Bonus: It repels dust later, too! Dust your TV screen The sheets have anti-static properties that will help prevent dust from settling on the screen. Clean window blinds Just like with the TV, dryer sheets will repel dust and make blinds easier to clean over time. Tame flyaway hair Did dry air make your hair static-y? Rub a dryer sheet between your brush’s bristles to smooth things over. Clean up pet hair Dryer sheets are great grabbers. Rub one along the floor or couch to pick up pet hair – or clippings from at-home haircuts. Freshen up your shoes Stick a dryer sheet in your flats or sneakers overnight to get rid of stinky odours. Scrub away soap scum Rub a sheet on glass shower doors to clean caked-on grime. Easily scour pans If food gets burned on a pan, let it soak overnight with water and a fresh dryer sheet. Give chrome a polish From bathrooms to vehicles, dryer sheets can help restore chrome’s trademark shine. Clean up pantry spills From bathrooms to vehicles, dryer sheets can help restore chrome’s trademark shine. Freshen the air fast Place sheets in vents or behind fans to fill your home with a fresh, clean scent. Cover up nappy smells Tuck a fresh sheet into your nappy bag or bathroom garbage bin can help take the edge off odours. De-musk old books You scored some great reads at a garage sale – but they’re a little musty. Put old books in a bag with some dryer sheets – after a few days, they’ll smell as good as new. Remove crayon marks Lightly rub walls with a sheet and watch the crayon disappear. Magic! Get paint off brushes Put a dryer sheet in warm water along with the brush – within a few minutes of soaking, the paint should wash right off. Sharpen scissors Run a used dryer sheet along the blades to restore their snipping power. Repel insects Mosquitoes don’t like the smell of dryer sheets, so slip one into your belt loop to ward off the pesky insects. Keep camping gear fresh Toss dryer sheets into your tent and sleeping bags to stave off a mildewy smell. Banish post-beach sand This is one of the most surprising uses for dryer sheets! Wipe yourself and your kids with a dryer sheet to rid skin of dry sand before getting in the car. Keep cars smelling fresh Put a few sheets underneath the seat to freshen up your car without hanging something from your rear-view mirror. Clean the toilet Dryer sheets are great to use for cleaning the toilet – especially that crevice at the back that traps all kinds of hair and dust. Remove deodorant stains Keep your clothes streak-free (and smelling fresh) with a quick dryer sheet wipe on deodorant stains. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/food-home-garden/home-tips/22-uses-for-dryer-sheets-that-arent-laundry?pages=2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.

Home & Garden

Labor says power prices are going up. The Coalition says they aren’t. Who’s right?

“Power prices are going up”, shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/reason-for-power-price-hike-revealed/news-story/0790c26e00ff2bc22525f5bc66300a65">declared last week</a>. But according to energy minister <a href="https://www.2gb.com/mate-they-are-power-clash-as-energy-minister-denies-prices-going-up/">Angus Taylor</a>, “No one’s household power prices have gone up.” So who is right? With the cost of living at forefront of the election campaign, the competing claims of the government and opposition are over <a href="https://www.aemo.com.au/-/media/files/major-publications/qed/2022/qed-q1-report.pdf?la=en&hash=981BA7016C0C9A25947F0F05198EDB96">a report</a> showing wholesale electricity prices in Australia’s National Electricity Market surged 67% in the first three months of 2022, and by 141% in the year to the end of March. Neither Chalmers nor Taylor were technically incorrect in their statements, but each focused on the facts that suited their preferred narrative. So let’s consider the full context. <h2>Increases in wholesale prices</h2> The National Energy Market supplies electricity to about 89% of the Australian population. Though it’s called a national market, it does not include Western Australia, the Northern Territory or western Queensland. The following graph shows the average wholesale price in the NEM since the first quarter of 2019. Prices in the first quarter of 2022 rose by $35 a megawatt hour (or 3.5 cents a kilowatt hour). This put wholesale prices at their highest level since the first half of 2019. The next graph shows prices by state since the first quarter of 2020. The three southern states – South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania – had similar increases. Queensland, already with higher average prices, had a bigger increase. New South Wales was in-between. The report sets out various factors contributing to these price increases. Higher demand for electricity than in the corresponding 2021 quarter was one factor. Most of the other factors, however, relate directly, or indirectly, to the differing mixes of generation in the National Electricity Market’s five state markets. <h2>Share of renewables</h2> The next graph, based on calculations using very detailed operational data, show renewables’ share of wholesale electricity generation by state for the first quarter of 2022. (These numbers exclude rooftop solar’s contribution to total generation.) Tasmania led the way, with renewables supplying 100% of the wholesale market. Next came South Australia (69%), Victoria (28%), New South Wales (24%) and Queensland (12%). This clearly shows a correlation between higher wholesale prices and higher reliance on coal-fired generation. In Queensland, coal-fired power stations still account for 70% electricity generation, compared with 66% in New South Wales and 63% in Victoria. In the first quarter, AEMO’s report notes there was “record low availability” from black-coal generators in New South Wales and Queensland – the lowest, in fact, “since at least 2002”. This was “due to increased outages (mostly unplanned)”. In other words, coal-fired generators broke down more. A sudden, unplanned outage will cause the wholesale price to shoot up dramatically. Even though such events are usually short-lived, the prices reached are high enough to materially affect average quarterly prices. <h2>Limited interconnectors between states</h2> A second important factor is limited connection between the National Electricity Market’s five state-based markets. Interconnector transmission lines allow generators in one state to bid to supply electricity in a neighbouring state. Victoria’s connectors with Tasmania and South Australia are why its prices aren’t more in line with New South Wales and Queensland. But there aren’t enough connections to equalise wholesale prices across all states. In particular, AEMO’s report identifies the inadequate connection capacity between Victoria and New South Wales. This is the main reason for such a price separation between the southern and northern states. Wind and solar farms in Victoria and South Australia simply can’t sell more to the higher-priced northern markets. This is, of course, good for consumers in Victoria and South Australia, because the wind and solar generators must instead sell to their local state markets, driving down prices. But it’s not good for consumers elsewhere, or for the owners of those wind and solar generators. AEMO says a further problem is insufficient transmission capacity within NSW itself. This means the market operator must sometimes intervene to instruct wind and solar generators in the state’s southwest to curtail output to avoid overloading local transmission lines, endangering system security. Reducing the supply from the lowest cost suppliers in the market will obviously push up average wholesale prices. A third factor has affected black-coal generators in New South Wales and Queensland, which compete for coal with buyers overseas. (Victoria’s coal-fired generators use poorer quality brown coal, which isn’t exported.) When international coal prices go up, as they have due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the cost of generating electricity for Australian consumers at these power stations also goes up. Only some coal stations are affected but the effect is large enough to push up the general wholesale price. Renewable generators, by contrast, are unaffected by volatile international coal prices. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/labor-says-power-prices-are-going-up-the-coalition-says-they-arent-whos-right-182234" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Real Estate

How does Spotify use your data? Even experts aren’t sure

Spotify has revolutionised the music industry, and its ability to recommend music tailored to your personal taste has been a standout feature. But it isn’t the only app to provide this kind of personalised experience, with Artificial Intelligence being used to create your personalised newsfeeds on Facebook and Twitter, recommend purchases on Amazon, or even the order of search results on Google. To achieve this, these apps and websites use our data in their recommendation algorithms - but they are so secretive about these algorithms that we don’t fully know how they work. In a search for answers, a team of New Zealand legal and music experts <a href="https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/tinder-and-spotifys-fine-print-arent-clear-about-how-they-use-our-data-for-recs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pored over</a> several versions of the privacy policies and Terms of Use used by Spotify and Tinder to determine how our data is being used as new features have been rolled out. Their work, published in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/03036758.2022.2064517" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand</a>, found that Spotify’s privacy policy has nearly doubled since its launch in 2012, which reflects an increase in the amount of data the platform now collects. The algorithm hungers for data Originally, Spotify collected basic information such as the kinds of songs played, the playlists created, and the email address, age, gender, and location of a user, as well as their profile picture, and the pictures and names of their Facebook friends if their profile was linked. In the 2021 policy, Spotify collects voice data, users’ photos, and location data - and the team of experts have connected this expansion to the patents the company owns. That same year, “Spotify was granted a patent that allows the company to promote ‘personalised content’ based on the ‘personality traits’ it detects from voice data and background noise,” the authors wrote, suggesting the algorithm has changed to capture voice data. As for its Terms of Use, the authors found both Spotify and Tinder used ambiguous wording and vague language, despite expectations that it would be somewhat transparent because it is a legal agreement between the platform and its users. They noted that the opaque style of the Terms of Use made analysis more difficult. Despite this, they found that from 2015, Spotify’s recommendations were also influenced by “commercial considerations”, including third-party agreements Spotify had with other companies. The team of experts argue that this particular change “provides ample room for the company to legally highlight content to a specific user based on a commercial agreement”. Meanwhile, Spotify has also started offering artists the option to lower their royalty rate “in exchange for an increased number of recommendations”. Taken together, the authors argue that this means that the playlists made specifically for us could be influenced by factors outside of our control, “like commercial deals with artists and labels”. Users deserve answers Though they made these findings, the authors note that some will still be speculative while companies stay tight-lipped about how their algorithms work. “When companies are uncooperative, and typical academic inquiry cannot be complete without breaching contractual agreements, we maintain that scholarly investigation can have a speculative character,” they wrote. “This suggestion does not mean that a less academic rigour can be expected or granted about making assumptions on the basis of partial, observable data. Instead, we propose that it is the companies’ remit and burden to refute such assumptions and communicating the clarity of their systems.” With many of us using services like Spotify, Tinder, Google and Amazon on a daily basis, it’s up to these companies to become more transparent in how they use our information with the understanding that we deserve to know what happens to the data that makes us, us. Image: Getty Images

Technology

Readers respond: What are some things your grandkids aren’t allowed to do?

Having the grandkids come round to visit can be such a joy and the perfect way to create some sweet memories with them. As much as it’s a chance to spoil them, there are some things grandkids can’t get away with. From trampolining off the furniture to improper manners, when we asked our readers what they wouldn’t allow their grandkids to do, this is what you had to say. Shena Wood - All my grandkids are so good when they come. Only one real rule and that is we eat at the table. Shirley Gaye Howearth - Nothing, they are allowed to do whatever pleases them. Jill Edwards - No tech while eating! This is for all meals, (whether) at the table or on the couch. Joy Scott - Sit at table to eat and little ones wipe hands before leaving. Saves a lot of work. Dalena Lee - Jump on the couch. I tell them that when they see me jump on the couch, then they can. Jan Bradley - Table manners, respect, no jumping or climbing on furniture! Aside from that I don’t have any rules, just love spending time with them. Helen Vella - My kids weren’t allowed to do anything, my grandkids can do whatever they want. Jennifer Slack-Smith - I say ‘Whatever happens at Nanny’s stays at Nanny’s.’ Heather Cassey - Torment the cat, disrespect me, or anything that will hurt them. Other than that they pretty much have me twisted around their little fingers. Douglas Jones - I always send my grandchildren home with a tube of glitter. To read what else you said, head <a href="https://www.facebook.com/oversixtys/posts/3315334072030189" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. Image: Getty Images

Caring

“Aren’t you my psych?” Woman “matches” with her psychologist on dating app

Bored at home, swiping left or right on potential dates, an Australian woman was shocked to find that her psychologist allegedly matched with her on a dating app. The woman from Byron Bay was on the dating app Hinge and claims to have “matched unintentionally” with the mental health professional. She took to Facebook for advice on what to do, supported with screenshots of the alleged message exchange. “I need a bit of help and don't know what to do,” the young woman started. “My psychologist, who I haven't seen in a few months but have been in contact with, messaged me on Hinge. “I matched with him unintentionally and didn’t realise it was him until he messaged me.” The man reached out first writing, “Hey,” along with a heart eye emoji. “I feel like we’ve matched before.” The woman did not hesitate to ask him, “Aren’t you my psych?” Upon realising the “gross” nature of the situation, the psychologist immediately apologised to the woman, but continued the conversation and asked her how she was. She admitted to feeling “scared and violated” and wanted advice on how to approach the alleged situation. “A part of me wants to do something about it because I worry about other patients of his who he might do this to. Any help and advice on whether I should do something or not would be appreciated,” she said. She also shared a screenshot of a previous text message from the psychologist informing her that it’s been “months” since her last appointment. The woman explained that the reason she “matched” with him is because he was using a different name on the app. The psychologist eventually found out that the woman had shared screenshots of their interaction and threatened to sue her for defamation. “Hello, I believe you have been spreading slander about me on social media. Please expect to be hearing from a lawyer in regard to defamation over the next week or so,’ the psychologist allegedly texted the woman. “How is it defamation when everything is true?” she responded. “What you’ve done is grossly inappropriate and violates ethical codes. You’re not allowed to approach me in public let alone instigate contact on a dating app. Even after I said “aren’t you my psych?”, you still tried to continue the conversation knowing full well my status as a patient of yours. I will be reporting to AHPRA.” “I genuinely did not know that you were a client before you told me. I’m sure you can appreciate that I see a lot of clients and it’s been months since you have had a session,” he concluded. The Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) is understood to be investigating the alleged matter, according to <a href="http://news.com.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a>. Image: Facebook

Relationships

The 5 best films for cat lovers (that aren’t the movie Cats)

Traditionally, Boxing Day is a great day to go to the cinema in Australia. Previous offerings include <a href="https://theconversation.com/jojo-rabbit-hitler-humour-and-a-childs-eye-view-of-war-make-for-dark-satire-128622">Hitler comedy Jojo Rabbit</a>, Ken Loach’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8359816/">Sorry We Missed You</a> and Cannes Film Festival hit <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8613070/">Portrait of a Lady on Fire</a>. Perhaps the strangest offering is <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5697572/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Cats</a>, the big screen adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, itself based on T.S. Eliot’s cycle of poems.From the trailer, glimpses of a creepily transformed all-star cast (a sinisterly sibilant Judy Dench, Idris Elba and Taylor Swift to name but a few) and a darkly glamorous cat-fight vibe <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jul/19/cats-movie-trailer-internet-reacts-horror-demented-dream-ballet">raised more than a few hackles</a> – so much so, <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/m7qq43/the-cats-in-cats-movie-have-changed-after-the-creepy-trailer-everyone-hated">elements have been “subtly” reanimated</a>. Reviews of the film have been overwhelmingly negative.It remains to be seen whether Cats will land as deftly with film goers as it did in the theatre. But if nothing else, its release provides a timely reminder of how the big screen has gifted us many memorable feline performances.Here are five of the very best.<h2>Keanu (2016)</h2>“That’s the cutest cat I’ve ever seen!” No, it’s not a Disney movie or an internet meme; it’s a line that speaks for every adult male who crosses paths with the adorable tortoiseshell tabby kitten <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4139124/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Keanu</a>. We first meet this eponymous feline amid the corpse-strewn detritus of a meth lab that has been shot up by two hefty gangster assassins. Keanu’s escape to suburbia and subsequent kidnapping from his newly adopted human, the nerdy Rell (Jordan Peele) provides the catalyst for this delightfully idiotic <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9zy27apgI8">buddy/action movie spoof</a>. Director Peter Alencio and writers Peele and Alex Rubens milk full comedic value from vicious killers turned into cooing, kitten kissing softies – and bumbling middle-class cowards Rell and Clarence (Keegan-Michael Key) into badass, kitten rescuing heroes.Viewers familiar with Peele’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/jordan-peeles-us-black-horror-movies-and-the-american-nightmare-114334">directorial work</a> will know he is no respecter of cuteness. Rest assured, a walk on the wild side only sees Keanu’s adorable qualities further enhanced by rocking a wicked black bandanna. In a dream sequence, his voice is provided by some actor called Reeves.<h2>Alien (1979); Aliens (1986)</h2>Those with an attentive eye for cats on screen and/or for what makes feminist icon Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) tick won’t be surprised to see the trouble-making ginger Jonesy from the first two films in the <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078748/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Alien</a> franchise on this list. This (space) ship cat is no mere piece of fluff: he serves a significant plot function, raises tensions at key moments and importantly provides the first film’s only love interest. Rescuing the moggy complicates Ripley’s escape and reveals a tender, protective side to her steely nature. This is even more powerfully highlighted in the sequel Aliens, even if Jonesy himself only makes a brief early appearance: “and you, you little shithead, you’re staying here”.<h2>Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1962)</h2>This iconic adaptation of Truman Capote’s novel <a href="https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/lists/10-great-films-featuring-cats">frequently tops</a> cat movie lists, but while I am more than happy to include Holly Golightly’s flatmate Cat, “poor slob without a name”, near the top of my list I must confess I’m no great fan of the film overall – a ham-fisted, sanitised Hollywood do-over. Capote, as is well known, <a href="http://www.today.com/id/27841277/ns/today-today_entertainment/t/capote-never-liked-hepburn-iconic-role/">was not keen</a> on the casting of Audrey Hepburn as drifter-turned-grifter Holly Golightly, apparently preferring Marilyn Monroe. Little is known of his view of the casting of Orangey – <a href="https://www.womansworld.com/posts/breakfast-at-tiffanys-cat-169893">an award-winning performer</a> – as Cat, but for mine this handsome fellow is a far better actor than George Peppard, the film’s wooden, (Hollywood confected) male lead. You don’t have to be a cat lover to know who Holly’s true soul mate is.<h2>A Street Cat Named Bob (2016)</h2>This adaptation of <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12394068-a-street-cat-named-bob">a best-selling book</a> tells the true story of a homeless, heroin addict, James Bowen, (Luke Treadaway) who finds love and redemption when he meets Bob, a doughy but lovable ginger who chooses him as his human. While James is busking or selling The Big Issue, Bob is perched on his shoulder and proves a magnet for punters. When Bob is injured in a fight, James takes on new responsibilities as provider and carer.After a young friend dies from an overdose, James decides to get clean and is helped by the presence of the watchful, patient Bob. Sure, it’s no <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117951/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Trainspotting</a>, but there’s enough grit, vomit and despair to avoid the overly sentimental and Bob – played by none other than the real Bob himself – is a delight, exuding an aura of streetwise empathy to a kindred spirit, and adding a dash of mischief, too.<h2>Kedi (2016)</h2>Turkish director Ceyda Torun’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4420704/">sublimely shot documentary</a> focuses on Istanbul’s many thousands of street cats and the humans whose turf they share, who tend them and take solace in their company without seeking to constrain their freedom. Torun skilfully intertwines the stories of several cats into the fabric of the places in which they (and, in some instances, their young) survive. She captures them wandering through street markets, cafés, artists’ studios, workshops and patches of wasteland. We watch them hunting, scavenging and charming their way around fishing boats, riverbanks, tips, kitchens and jetties. They nip in and out of the windows of cramped, ageing flats, through backyards, shops and crowded alleys. Kedi’s central message is that the centuries-long interdependence of human and feline – marked by easy tolerance, respect and not a little folklore and superstition – is a distinctive marker of Istanbul’s culture, one potentially under threat by the inexorable creep of high rise, urban redevelopment. It should be cherished and preserved as a civilised and civilising point of pride.Image credits: Getty ImagesThis article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-5-best-films-for-cat-lovers-that-arent-the-movie-cats-128128" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Movies

Annual "Naughty or Nice" list shows big brands that aren't cutting it

Oxfam’s annual ranking of Australian fashion brands has been released, with some of the country’s biggest brands failing to make the ‘Nice’ list for their manufacturing practices. The human rights organisation released its Christmas’Naughty or Nice’ list with the mission of ensuring all overseas factory workers are paid a living wage. “We ask brands to assure shoppers that when they buy their products they know that the women who made their clothes have been paid appropriately,” Oxfam CEO Lyn Morgain said. Companies that refused to declare where their clothes were manufactured came in at the bottom of the list, and included big name brands such as Lorna Jane, Myer, Peter Alexander, Just Jeans and Jay Jays. “When brands persist in failing to make these commitments you have to ask yourself how it is that so many brands can do this,” Ms Morgan said. She <a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/shopping/oxfams-2021-naughty-or-nice-list-lorna-jane-myer-and-the-just-group-singled-out-over-ethical-commitments-c-4694183" target="_blank">said</a> it was “particularly disappointing” to see brands like Lorna Jane fail to be transparent, which claims to empower women and create responsibly produced clothing. “This supports a culture of secrecy that is harmful to the wellbeing of all women, including those who make our clothes, and entrenches the massive power disparity between brands and garment workers.” A Lorna Jane spokesperson said the company is “focused on continuous improvement and investment in our ethical sourcing program”, including a “commitment to a living wage for all involved in the manufacture of our products”. “We take a very serious view towards our social accountabilities, ethical souring and our responsibilities under the Australian Government’s Modern Slavery Act 2018,” the spokesperson <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/new-south-wales-news-australian-fashion-brands-named-and-shamed-on-annual-christmas-naughty-or-nice-list/c4375e21-1e7e-4560-aaec-2546c6275e4b" target="_blank">said</a> in a statement. <img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7845946/2021-ac-002-naughty-or-nice-list_fa-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/be80fcc852b74fc8af03184c240d3dd4" /> Image: Oxfam As for the ‘nice’ list, clothing brands Dangerfield, Gorman and H&M took out the top spots, followed by retailers including Best & Less, Kmart, Target, Cotton On and Rivers. Others on the nice list included Bonds, City Chic, Country Road, David Jones, Forever New, Katies, Millers and Noni B. Brands such as Jeans West and Zara were found to have made some progress but just missed out on making it onto the nice list. They still have work to do to catch up to other brands. “What is at the heart of this issue is the garment workers - mainly women in low-income countries … aren’t paid enough to build a better future for their children, because their low wages keep them in poverty,” Ms Morgan said. “It’s time for Australian brands to acknowledge and use the power they have to ensure these women are empowered to lift themselves out of poverty through the payment of a living wage.” Image: Getty Images

Money & Banking

Why some twins aren't identical

When a mother gives birth to twins, the offspring are not always identical or even the same gender. Known as fraternal twins, they represent a longstanding evolutionary puzzle. Identical twins arise from a single fertilised egg that accidentally splits in two, but fraternal twins arise when two eggs are released and fertilised. Why this would happen was the puzzle. In research <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-020-1173-y" title="An age-dependent ovulatory strategy explains the evolution of dizygotic twinning in humans">published in Nature Ecology & Evolution</a> we used computer simulations and modelling to try to explain why natural selection favours releasing two eggs, despite the low survival of twins and the risks of twin births for mothers. Why twins? Since Michael Bulmer’s landmark 1970 <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books/about/The_Biology_of_Twinning_in_Man.html?id=awo-AAAAYAAJ">book on the biology of twinning in humans</a>, biologists have questioned whether double ovulation was favoured by natural selection or, like identical twins, was the result of an accident. At first glance, this seems unlikely. The embryo splitting that produces identical twins is not heritable and the incidence of identical twinning does not vary with other aspects of human biology. It seems accidental in every sense of the word. In contrast, the incidence of fraternal twinning changes with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021932000007896" title="Ethnic differences in twinning rates in Nigeria">maternal age</a> and is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(03)14237-7" title="Twinning">heritable</a>. Those do not sound like the characteristics of something accidental. The twin disadvantage In human populations without access to medical care there seems little benefit to having twins. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1420-9101.2001.00287.x" title="The fitness of twin mothers: evidence from rural Gambia">Twins</a> are more likely to die in childhood than single births. Mothers of twins also have an increased risk of dying in childbirth. In common with other great apes, women seem to be built to give birth to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1558-5646.1990.tb05211.x" title="ON THE EVOLUTION OF HUMAN BROOD SIZE">one child at a time</a>. So if twinning is costly, why has evolution not removed it? Paradoxically, in high-fertility populations, the mothers of twins often have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1420-9101.2001.00287.x" title="The fitness of twin mothers: evidence from rural Gambia">more offspring</a> by the end of their lives than other mothers. This suggests having twins might have an evolutionary benefit, at least for mothers. But, if this is the case, why are twins so rare? Modelling mothers To resolve these questions, together with colleagues Bob Black and Rick Smock, we <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-1173-y" title="An age-dependent ovulatory strategy explains the evolution of dizygotic twinning in humans">constructed simulations and mathematical models</a> fed with data on maternal, child and fetal survival from real populations. This allowed us to do something otherwise impossible: control in the simulations and modelling whether women ovulated one or two eggs during their cycles. We also modelled different <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2007.09.002" title="The status of the conditional evolutionarily stable strategy">strategies</a>, where we switched women from ovulating one egg to ovulating two at different ages. We could then compare the number of surviving children for women with different patterns of ovulation. Women who switched from single to double ovulation in their mid-20s had the most children survive in our models – more than those who always released a single egg, or always released two eggs. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333966/original/file-20200511-49558-4l8o82.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333966/original/file-20200511-49558-4l8o82.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> Author provided This suggests natural selection favours an unconscious switch from single to double ovulation with increasing age. A strategy for prolonging fertility The reason a switch is beneficial is fetal survival – the chance that a fertilised egg will result in a liveborn child – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaa3337" title="Common variants spanning PLK4 are associated with mitotic-origin aneuploidy in human embryos">decreases rapidly as women age</a> So switching to releasing two eggs increases the chance at least one will result in a successful birth. But what about twinning? Is it a side effect of selection favouring fertility in older women? To answer this question, we ran the simulations again, except now when women double ovulated the simulation removed one offspring before birth. In these simulations, women who double ovulated throughout their lives, but never gave birth to twins, had more children survive than those who did have twins and switched from single to double ovulating. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333982/original/file-20200511-49558-d6tomg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333982/original/file-20200511-49558-d6tomg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> Author provided This suggests the ideal strategy would be to always double ovulate but never produce twins, so fraternal twins are an accidental side effect of a beneficial strategy of double ovulating.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/138209/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/joseph-l-tomkins-311105">Joseph L Tomkins</a>, Associate Professor in Evolutionary Biology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-western-australia-1067">University of Western Australia</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rebecca-sear-1067265">Rebecca Sear</a>, Head of the Department of Population Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/london-school-of-hygiene-and-tropical-medicine-859">London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/wade-hazel-1067264">Wade Hazel</a>, Professor of Biology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/depauw-university-1274">DePauw University</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/not-all-twins-are-identical-and-thats-been-an-evolutionary-puzzle-until-now-138209">original article</a>.

Body

Our Partners

Over 60

News

Shop

Catalogues

Newspaper

Contests

Entertainment

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Property

Compare

Games

Information

Keep up to date

Search

The types of insurance that aren’t worth your while

Gift-giving taboos that aren’t as bad as you think

Millions of high-risk Australians aren’t getting vaccinated. A policy reset could save lives