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Not just a youth movement: history too often forgets older protesters

<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/effie-karageorgos-453765">Effie Karageorgos</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-newcastle-1060">University of Newcastle</a></em></p> <p>Recent sustained anti-coal action by Blockade Australia in the Hunter Valley has brought public protest back into the news cycle. Activists have <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-21/coal-protests-block-rail-lines-to-newcastle-port/102504056">occupied trains, railway lines and machinery</a> in an attempt to obstruct coal production and broadcast their message about the climate crisis.</p> <p>Under recent <a href="https://www.humanrights.unsw.edu.au/research/commentary/explainer-what-are-your-rights-to-protest-australia#:%7E:text=In%202022%2C%20Tasmania%20passed%20anti,%E2%80%9C%E2%80%A6">anti-protest legislation</a> in New South Wales, which has been matched by similar laws in other states, some protesters have been charged by police for their activism.</p> <p>Internationally, protesters faced with arrest have devised new ways to protest. Recently, Iranian activists have started engaging in “<a href="https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty-research/policy-topics/international-relations-security/civil-upheaval-iran-why-widespread">micro-protests</a>”, which are small-scale protests over a shorter period of time, to evade arrest.</p> <p>My historical research into the infrastructure of protest, using the anti-Vietnam War campaign in New South Wales as a case study, has found that many Australians who did not or could not actively or publicly protest similarly found “quieter” ways to express their opposition to the conflict.</p> <h2>The youth are revolting</h2> <p>In the popular Australian imagination, it seems the protester is a young person creating a public spectacle – holding up a sign, occupying a building or marching down a city street, even though older activists regularly play a part in protest movements.</p> <p>Many might think of figures like <a href="https://theconversation.com/lidia-thorpes-mardi-gras-disruption-is-the-latest-in-an-ongoing-debate-about-acceptable-forms-of-protest-at-pride-200713">Lidia Thorpe</a> disrupting the 2023 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade or ongoing protests by <a href="https://www.schoolstrike4climate.com/">School Strike 4 Climate</a>, which have shown how willing young people are to agitate for their collective futures.</p> <p>But, in fact, one of the two anti-coal activists charged on last month for occupying a train in Singleton, New South Wales, is <a href="https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/news/news?sq_content_src=%2BdXJsPWh0dHBzJTNBJTJGJTJGZWJpenByZC5wb2xpY2UubnN3Lmdvdi5hdSUyRm1lZGlhJTJGMTA3MTc3Lmh0bWwmYWxsPTE%3D">64 years old</a>.</p> <p>My research shows our public memory of protest doesn’t come close to capturing everyone who used their energies to protest Australian involvement in Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s, so we need to shift our idea of both protest and the protester to understand the potential scope of activism.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Thm03IUiJ6U?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>Quiet protest</h2> <p>Vietnam War-era protest organisations, such as the Association for International Cooperation and Disarmament, Save Our Sons, Youth Campaign Against Conscription and the Vietnam Moratorium Campaign, were aware of how important “quiet protest” was to the wider movement.</p> <p>They <a href="https://collection.sl.nsw.gov.au/record/1JkmeexY">continually appealed to supporters</a> for help selling buttons, putting up posters, selling raffle tickets, filling envelopes, leafleting and other clerical work. These were all carried out by people who were opposed to the war, and are all considered acts of protest.</p> <p>Social movement theorists agree that time and availability are crucial in drawing people to protest. As far back as 1974, the sociologist <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/002188637401000206">Anthony Orum</a> wrote: "Without people who have time on their hands, great revolutions would probably never get off the ground."</p> <h2>Time and capacity</h2> <p>But what of those who did not have the time or capacity to march on streets, but who still saw themselves as part of the anti-Vietnam War movement?</p> <p>The <a href="https://collection.sl.nsw.gov.au/record/1l4dPbX1">administrative records</a> of protest organisations held in the <a href="https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/">State Library of New South Wales</a> let us into the lives of such people.</p> <p>These include Ian Robertson, a full-time Macquarie University student, whose parents had banned political activity because they feared it would disrupt his studies. Another silent protester was a Mrs Thomson, who was too busy organising her daughter Sue’s wedding to participate in anti-Vietnam protest activities. Public servants were also not permitted to publicly support the movement.</p> <p>Most such records come from elderly members of the movement. In November 1969, Mabel Wilson, who in her words was “six years an octogenarian,” sent $5 to the <a href="https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C96428">Committee in Defiance of the National Service Act</a>, writing: "I admire your courage and am completely in sympathy with your ideals. Alas! I am very old […] As you can see I can be of practically no use to you – or anyone […] My heart is with you all the way."</p> <p>Similarly, on March 21 1970, Doris J Wilson of Asquith sent a donation to the Northern Districts Vietnam Moratorium Group with a letter saying: "I am past the age where I can do very much more than be just a voice."</p> <p>On September 14 1970, L.T. Withers sent the same group a letter saying: "Congratulations for what you have accomplished. I feel rather guilty at being so useless […] myself and my wife are not as energetic as we used to be as the years are catching up on us a bit. I have enclosed a small donation to your local funds […] I would also be grateful if you could keep me informed of your activities."</p> <p>Ruth Fryer of Hornsby sent a letter on February 9 1971 with a $3 donation: "Sometimes you wish you were young &amp; strong again! But the hard work seems to be left to the young ones."</p> <p>These Australians, among many others, were interested in the anti-Vietnam campaign and wanted to be involved as much as they could, given their limitations.</p> <h2>The infrastructure of historical protest</h2> <p>Studying the infrastructure of historical protest organisations shows us that we need to expand our idea of what a protest movement is and who it includes if we want to achieve the present-day goals of activist campaigning.</p> <p>These findings are exciting because they capture a larger group of Australians in the protest tradition, and move past a limited, and often ableist and ageist, vision of protest to incorporate many others who feel just as strongly about the issues governing their lives.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208472/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/effie-karageorgos-453765">Effie Karageorgos</a>, Lecturer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-newcastle-1060">University of Newcastle</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/not-just-a-youth-movement-history-too-often-forgets-older-protesters-208472">original article</a>.</em></p>

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The #advancedstyle movement celebrates and empowers stylish older women

<p>Until recently, the idea of paying close attention to mature women’s style would have, at best, been met with little interest from other consumers and the fashion industry but most likely completely ignored. </p> <p>After all, to be fashionable and feminine has typically been viewed as requiring youth. What could older female consumers possibly teach us about being stylish?</p> <p>Following the unexpected popularity of what’s known as the “<a href="https://www.advanced.style/">advanced style</a>” phenomenon, discussions about ageism, gender and fashion have been attracting increasing attention in the popular media, including <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/20/style/instagram-grandmas.html">the New York Times</a>. The <a href="https://www.instagram.com/advancedstyle/">@advancedstyle Instagram account</a>, created in 2008 by American street style photographer Ari Seth Cohen, helped fuel these critical conversations.</p> <p>Cohen’s celebration of the personal styles of regular women 50 years of age and older has launched a flourishing consumer movement. </p> <p>More than a decade after its creation, the Advanced Style Instagram account has more than 300,000 followers, boasts a hashtag <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/advancedstyle/">(#advancedstyle)</a> that’s been used more than 205,000 times, is regularly featured in major fashion magazines around the world, like <a href="https://www.vogue.com.au/fashion/street-style/advanced-styles-ari-seth-cohen-on-sydneys-senior-style-scene/news-story/0264eec1ded0e57824f23f9c14f4c42e">Vogue Australia</a>, and expanded into the realm of coffee table books <a href="https://powerhousebooks.com/books/advanced-style1/">in 2012</a> <a href="https://powerhousebooks.com/books/advanced-style-older-and-wiser/">and 2016</a>, as well as <a href="https://powerhousebooks.com/books/advanced-style-coloring-book/">adult colouring books</a>.</p> <p>In light of this social media success story, my colleague <a href="https://www.hec.ca/en/profs/marie-agnes.parmentier.html">Marie-Agnès Parmentier</a> and I decided to explore how women over 50 are amplifying their voices and changing representations in the fashion and beauty industries by becoming official Instagram influencers. </p> <h2>The study</h2> <p>To do so, we conducted a focused media <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.4135/9781412995511">and netnographic</a>investigation of the advanced style movement and its Instagram influencers. In particular, we followed 10 popular Advanced Style influencers from our personal Instagram accounts for 12 months. </p> <p>This online participant observation, which is a big part of conducting netnographic research, provided us with first-hand experiences of the influencers’ marketing activities and fan interactions. </p> <p>Our complete study is now published online in a special issue of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/712609">the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research</a> focusing on gender, markets and consumers. Overall, we have found that all 10 Advanced Style influencers use the social media platform to actively fight gendered ageism rampant in the fashion and beauty industries.</p> <p>Specifically, these women enact two forms of embodied resistance informed by the western dominant discourse of successful aging: They deconstruct gendered and ageist fashion, and they defy gendered and ageist beauty standards. </p> <p>Successful aging not only turns people’s inevitable biological deterioration into a personal project, it also provides concrete strategies of how to best be old. In 1997, American physician John W. Rowe and his psychologist colleague Robert L. Kahn, defined successful aging, first and foremost, as “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/37.4.433">encompassing the avoidance of disease and disability, the maintenance of high physical and cognitive function, and sustained engagement in social and productive activities</a>.”</p> <h2>Gendered ageism in fashion</h2> <p>The fashion market makes sustained engagement difficult, given it’s replete with discriminatory rules about what to wear and especially what not to wear once a woman turns 50. These style rules include no longer showing one’s body through tight, short or low-cut clothing, adopting a less colourful wardrobe and makeup and retreating from ultra-modern, cutting-edge styles.</p> <p>In response, we find the advanced style consumers-turned-influencers engage in <a href="https://montecristomagazine.com/essay/defying-ageist-fashion-rules">online “style activism,”</a> demanding designers create ready-to-wear options for their changing bodies. </p> <p>In the sphere of influencer marketing, style activism also means deciding what brands to endorse and collaborate with, and what brands to pass and avoid. The advanced style influencers often refuse to be “<a href="https://thekit.ca/style/canadian-fashion-designers-roundtable/">the token senior</a>” of a marketing campaign. </p> <h2>Gendered ageism in beauty industry</h2> <p>The majority of the advanced style influencers equally reject the anti-aging beauty industry that <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/WN/selling-fountain-youth-author-arlene-weintraub-anti-aging/story?id=11533763">transforms getting older into a disease</a>. The multi-billion-dollar industry also falsely promises everlasting youth in a bottle.</p> <p>We find that these women opt instead to popularize natural, greying hair, wrinkles and body scars through their Instagram posts. For eons, beauty brands have told aging women that greying hair is a mortifying problem that must be hidden, whereas for older men <a href="https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/gallery/mens-grey-hair-care-guide">it remains a sign of mature sexiness</a>. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvQoh6CSGvY">Grey hair</a> is consequently a defining feature of these influencers’ embodied resistance, and one that’s front and centre in their style activism. </p> <p>We encourage everyone to follow the advanced style influencers’ consumer activism journeys on Instagram by engaging with the hashtag #advancedstyle.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-advancedstyle-movement-celebrates-and-empowers-stylish-older-women-157952" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

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What would King Charles mean for the monarchy, Australia and the republican movement?

<p>This week’s Platinum Jubilee marks 70 years of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign over “<a href="https://www.royal.uk/platinum-jubilee-central-weekend" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth</a>”. This occasion, the first ever for a British monarch, allows us to reflect on the importance of succession.</p> <p>The queen’s royal title and duties will one day be transferred to Prince Charles, the 73-year-old Prince of Wales.</p> <p>Although the timing of this transition remains uncertain, it may prompt many Commonwealth nations such as Australia to reconsider the legacy and legitimacy of the monarchy itself.</p> <p><strong>The precarity of succession</strong></p> <p>Succession has long been the weak link in the system of hereditary monarchy.</p> <p>Sometimes this is because the current ruler produces no surviving heirs, as in the case of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne,_Queen_of_Great_Britain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Queen Anne</a>, or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_II_of_Spain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Carlos II</a> of Spain.</p> <p>Alternatively, it may be because others dispute the line of succession, as was seen in the war-provoking disputes over succession in the cases of <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zy7n4j6/revision/2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">William the Conqueror</a> and “<a href="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/jacobite-1745/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bonnie Prince Charlie</a>”.</p> <p>Sometimes, succession has not been successful because the new monarch has practised the “wrong” religion, or married the “wrong” sort of woman - as was thought of <a href="https://www.royal.uk/james-vii-and-ii-r1685-1689" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James VII and II</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallis_Simpson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Edward VIII</a>, respectively.</p> <p>Perhaps most memorably the objection to the principle is so violently held, no succession is possible at all. This was true in the cases of <a href="https://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item103698.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Charles I</a> of Great Britain, <a href="https://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item105119.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Louis XVI</a> of France, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nicholas-II-tsar-of-Russia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nicholas II</a> of Russia.</p> <p>For such reasons, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/mar/16/what-happens-when-queen-elizabeth-dies-london-bridge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">successions must be carefully managed</a> if monarchs want to ensure the royal line is preserved.</p> <p><strong>Succession and legitimacy</strong></p> <p>Across the Commonwealth, the monarch plays a crucial role in legitimatising systems of government.</p> <p>Historical continuity denotes stability, an attribute that monarchies are supposed to embody. Hence the idea of the “<a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691169231/the-kings-two-bodies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">king’s two bodies</a>”: the physical form of the monarch may perish, but the idea of monarchy continues in the body of the new king or queen.</p> <p>Our current queen holds the title of Queen Elizabeth II to associate her in line of succession with Elizabeth I. However, Queen Elizabeth is not, in fact, the second Elizabeth to reign in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, or <a href="https://www.lawteacher.net/cases/maccormick-v-lord-advocate.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">even Scotland</a>.</p> <p>Instead, this continuity of title serves to imbue the monarchy with a sense of stability independent of party, faction, nation, or ideology.</p> <p>This is not to say the monarchy is “above politics”, as is often claimed.</p> <p>The emphasis on political stability and historical continuity puts it, as an institution, firmly in the conservative camp.</p> <p>Conservatives tend not to write down their rules of operation in one place. One notable exception is Walter Bagehot’s <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/bagehot-the-english-constitution/2E5DFE4840159D204BD5FAC00663C5FF" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The English Constitution</a>. Published in 1867, this influential book distinguishes between the “efficient” and “dignified” parts of the constitution.</p> <p>Bagehot viewed the “efficient” part of the constitution as responsible government, primarily concerned with statecraft, grand strategy, and the day-to-day running of kingdoms.</p> <p>The “dignified” part, in contrast, provided a symbolic focus for the the notions of unity and loyalty across Britain and its Empire – of which the monarchy was a central element.</p> <p>According to Bagehot, having a popular monarch is crucial to upholding the legitimacy of the political system.</p> <p><strong>Public perceptions of the monarchy</strong></p> <p>However, the popularity of a monarch can cut both ways.</p> <p>If a monarch is unpopular, the legitimacy of the system can suffer. This is exemplified by public perceptions of Queen Victoria in the 1870s.</p> <p>Following Prince Albert’s death in 1861, Queen Victoria remained largely absent from public life during an extended period of mourning. Meanwhile, republicanism gained significant political traction in England.</p> <p>Similarly, neither Elizabeth II nor the monarchy were particularly popular in either the UK or Australia during the 1990s. Moreover, the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997 further damaged the monarchy’s public image.</p> <p>Significant political resources were <a href="https://theconversation.com/diana-revived-the-monarchy-and-airing-old-tapes-wont-change-a-thing-81552" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mobilised in the UK</a> to rectify this situation. As a result, the monarchy was <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-41094816" target="_blank" rel="noopener">largely rehabilitated</a> by the time of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2002.</p> <p>Yet, attitudes towards the monarchy can be equivocal – not least in Australia.</p> <p>Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, the most open promoter of monarchy among Australia’s recent prime ministers, came under intense criticism for his decision to <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-34409397" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appoint Prince Philip</a> a Knight of Australia in 2015.</p> <p>And the ABC <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/apr/12/abc-says-75-of-complaints-about-prince-philip-coverage-related-to-interruption-of-tv-drama-vera" target="_blank" rel="noopener">received complaints</a> after the announcement of Prince Philip’s death interrupted an episode of TV drama <a href="https://iview.abc.net.au/show/vera" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vera</a>, indicating ambivalent attitudes towards the monarchy as an institution.</p> <p>Yet republicanism in Australia currently remains muted. This is in part because, as per the script-writing in the Netflix drama <a href="https://www.netflix.com/au/title/80025678" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Crown</a>, the nonagenarian Queen can do no wrong.</p> <p>The same cannot be said for the rest of the family.</p> <p>Prince Andrew’s court case in the US, the internal feuding concerning the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (Harry and Meghan), and even William and Kate’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/mar/25/william-and-kate-caribbean-tour-slavery-reparations-royals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">problematic reception</a> during their tour of the Caribbean have harmed public perceptions of the monarchy across the Commonwealth.</p> <p><strong>Royals or republic?</strong></p> <p>In Australia, proponents of republicanism assert Prince Charles’ future ascension to the throne could signify a critical juncture in the realisation of an <a href="https://republic.org.au/media/tag/Prince+Charles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australian republic</a>.</p> <p>Such “constitutional wrangling” may be overshadowed by more pressing matters – pestilence and war being two current examples.</p> <p>Nevertheless, the imminent transition from Elizabeth II to Charles III across the Commonwealth entails certain risks.</p> <p><a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/barbados-becomes-a-republic-after-bidding-farewell-to-british-monarchy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barbados became a republic</a> last year. Perhaps it may be time for Australia to reconsider the place of the monarchy in our own political system.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/182662/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ben-wellings-4217" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ben Wellings</a>, Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Monash University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-would-king-charles-mean-for-the-monarchy-australia-and-the-republican-movement-182662" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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Aussie artists launch global movement to help Ukraine

<p dir="ltr">A group of Australian artists have banded together to help Ukrainian refugees through a global art auction. </p> <p dir="ltr">For one artist, the cause hits close to home. </p> <p dir="ltr">Olena Vigovska, who immigrated to Australia 26 years ago, has witnessed the devastation facing her home country from afar as the war has unfolded. </p> <p dir="ltr">Her brother, reserve officer Andrei Vigovsky, has been fighting for his country in the city of Kharkiv since the war began, spending each night taking shelter in a subway station underground.</p> <p dir="ltr">For Olena, she wanted to find a way to help those facing brutality at the hands of the Russian invasion. </p> <p dir="ltr">"It's a feeling like, 'What are you going to do?'" she told <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-20/sydney-based-ukrainian-australian-artists-auction-for-refugees/101001584">ABC’s 7.30</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">"It's unbelievable. I'm still pinching myself every morning."</p> <p dir="ltr">In the second week of the war, Olena and three other Ukrainian Australian artists began putting together an auction to raise money for refugees in their home country. </p> <p dir="ltr">"We jumped on that project with pleasure," she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I feel much better now. I can use my skills to raise money and show the world how art can be so important and helpful in wartime."</p> <p dir="ltr">The proceeds from the auction will go to <a href="https://habitat.org.au/">Habitat for Humanity</a>, who help house refugees and give them a second chance at life without the threat of danger. </p> <p dir="ltr">"It will be a lot of work to rebuild Ukraine," she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"It's just awful to see. I hope we will be able to make a difference."</p> <p dir="ltr">The project's organiser, Tetiana Koldunenko, told the current affairs program that the stress of the war had taken a huge toll on her and her family: many of whom live in Ukraine.</p> <p dir="ltr">She said focusing her energy on creating art for the auction revived her and gave her some hope for the future.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I'm absolutely sure that Ukraine will be beautiful. It will have a beautiful future."</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: ABC News - 7.30 footage</em></p>

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New hero of the “counter protester” movement

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A counter protester in Toronto has gone viral for his hilarious homemade sign, reminding us all that context is key.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Toronto-based Dr Andrew Boozary shared a photo of a protester in a bright orange shirt wielding a simple cardboard sign that said, “I Know More than the Scietists”, and naturally, it quickly gained widespread attention.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">this is where we’re at and it hurts. <a href="https://t.co/GwM28DIBG2">pic.twitter.com/GwM28DIBG2</a></p> — Andrew Baback Boozary MD (@drandrewb) <a href="https://twitter.com/drandrewb/status/1437471529277837316?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A few people made fun of the man, but many suspected there was more to the story than met the eye. They were vindicated when journalist Elizabeth Renzetti clarified that the man in the photo was her brother, and he was most definitely a counter-protester seeking to make fun of the people gathered to protest basic public health measures, not support them.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">That's actually my brother David and it's a joke! <a href="https://t.co/paQaHz13XO">https://t.co/paQaHz13XO</a></p> — Elizabeth Renzetti (@lizrenzetti) <a href="https://twitter.com/lizrenzetti/status/1437475057434079241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A quick glimpse at the back of the protester’s sign confirmed that this was indeed the case, as it read, “I Demand my Right to be Ignorant &amp; Selfish”. Renzetti shared </span><a href="https://twitter.com/lizrenzetti/status/1437515444831744002"><span style="font-weight: 400;">more details</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> about her brother that shed some light on what prompted him to stage his one-man counter-protest, including the fact that their late mother worked as a hospital nurse for 30 years. In addition, the protester, whose name we now know is David Renzetti, is married to a wonderful woman named Lauren who made and gave away hundreds of face masks during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">This counter protestor just arrived at Toronto General Hospital holding a sign that on one side reads “I demand my right to be ignorant &amp; selfish” the other side reads “I know more than the scientists” <a href="https://t.co/13WANeK4Rx">pic.twitter.com/13WANeK4Rx</a></p> — Adrian Ghobrial (@CityAdrian) <a href="https://twitter.com/CityAdrian/status/1437470944738652163?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><a href="https://toronto.citynews.ca/2021/09/13/counter-demonstrator-uses-satire-in-support-of-science-at-hospital-protests/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Speaking to 680 News</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, Dave Renzetti clarified the meaning behind his sign, for anyone who still didn’t quite get it: “I don’t believe they know more than the scientists and I also believe our right to be free, selfish and ignorant doesn’t supersede someone else’s right to life.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Your right to swing your fist ends at my chin. To me it’s just very upsetting that people are not taking very simple action that could help everyone.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Renzetti said that some of the anti-vaccine protesters who were demonstrating outside Toronto General Hospital also mistook him for one of their own, but he wanted it made clear he was there to support science the best way he knows how: “I express everything through irony. It’s the only way I can handle.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Images: @drandrewb/Twitter, @CityAdrian/Twitter </span></em></p>

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Defund the NSW Police Force Movement gains traction

<p>The recent <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/a-united-nsw-demands-an-end-to-first-nations-custody-deaths-and-police-brutality/">Stop All Black Deaths in Custody rally</a> brought central Sydney to a standstill, as citizens from all backgrounds came together to call for an end to the systemic racism and violence in the NSW policing and criminal justice systems.</p> <p>Law enforcement in this state developed out the British colonising project, at a time when its focus was on dispossessing First Nations peoples from their lands, whether that be via fatal force or paternalistic policy.</p> <p>The colonial legacy in the modern Australian system is all-pervasive. A stark reminder of it was the sight of NSW police <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/juliawilling/21-tweets-which-perfectly-capture-the-senseless-hypocrisy">surrounding the Captain Cook statue</a> in Sydney’s Hyde Park last Friday night, as Black Lives Matter protesters were <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/nsw-police-state-moves-to-silence-protest-voices/">overwhelmingly outnumbered</a> by the presence of officers.</p> <p>NSW Coalition governments of the last decade have had a tough on crime focus. And in late 2018, state premier Gladys Berejiklian <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/berejiklians-answer-to-falling-crime-intensify-policing-and-fill-prisons/">upped the numbers</a> of police by 1,500 officers, which was the largest increase in NSW policing in 30 years.</p> <p>Yet, with the NSW population being just over 7.5 million people, there are questions to be asked about why such a comparatively small population would warrant NSW police being one of the largest forces in the English-speaking world.</p> <p>And with the brute force of policing systems under the microscope right now, it may be high time to contemplate defunding the NSW police.</p> <p>The global campaign</p> <p>Calls to defund police aren’t new. But, the campaign has gained recent attention sparked by the graphic footage that showed African American man George Floyd <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/uniting-against-police-brutality-officer-murders-civilian-on-busy-street/">being killed</a> in public by a group of Minneapolis police officers, who were acting as if they were simply doing their duty.</p> <p>Defunding the police entails divesting funds from police forces and reallocating the finances towards investment in community-based forms of ensuring public safety and community support.</p> <p>Following the killing of Floyd, the Minneapolis City Council voted to dismantle its police department as it was deemed nonreformable. And council president Lisa Bender <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/minneapolis-city-council-votes-to-dismantle-police-after-anger-over-george-floyd-s-death-in-custody">told CNN</a>, that councillors are looking towards “a new model of public safety” that actually serves its purpose.</p> <p>The Australian context</p> <p>UTS Jumbunna Institute professor Chris Cunneen <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/some-us-cities-are-moving-to-defund-the-police-could-a-different-system-work-in-australia-too">explained in a recent article</a> that defunding would work differently in Australia, as this country doesn’t have separate police departments funded by councils, but rather reimagining the system would involve federal, state and territory governments.</p> <p>The professor of criminology points out that the defund the police campaign poses questions as to whether the current investment in policing and prisons is the way to go, or if alternatives, such social housing and domestic violence services, could lead to a reduction in crime.</p> <p>An example of how it would work, Cunneen outlines, is that instead of sending police out to deal with people suffering a mental health crisis – which often ends in violence – funds could be diverted towards establishing a mental health emergency response unit that could be deployed.</p> <p>And the professor <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/some-us-cities-are-moving-to-defund-the-police-could-a-different-system-work-in-australia-too">has further explained</a> that community-based models are already operating in many Aboriginal communities, whereby locals take part in night patrols that ensure public safety, prevent harm and also provide assistance to those in need.</p> <p>The overpolicing of First Nations</p> <p>The fact that the <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/what-powers-do-nsw-police-special-constables-have/">NSW Police Force</a> continues to operate with racial bias towards First Nations people is readily apparent when considering the statistics.</p> <p>The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) <a href="https://www.bocsar.nsw.gov.au/Publications/custody/NSW_Custody_Statistics_Mar2020.pdf">custody report</a> for the end of March this year reveals that 43 percent of those in NSW juvenile detention facilities were First Nations youths, yet they only account for <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/preventing-aboriginal-child-removals-an-interview-with-nellys-healing-centres-helen-eason/">around 5 percent</a> of the state population under 18 years old.</p> <p>Then there’s the NSW adult prisoner population. Of the 13,525 inmates at the end of March, 3,437 were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people, meaning 25 percent of that population was First Nations, while Indigenous people only account for <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/2071.0~2016~Main%20Features~Aboriginal%20and%20Torres%20Strait%20Islander%20Population%20Data%20Summary~10">around 3 percent</a> of the overall populace.</p> <p>The Guardian has revealed that despite a cannabis cautioning scheme operating in NSW, between 2013 and 2017, police took <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jun/10/nsw-police-pursue-80-of-indigenous-people-caught-with-cannabis-through-courts">80 percent of Aboriginal people</a> found with small amounts of cannabis to court, which compared with just 52 percent of non-Indigenous people found with the drug.</p> <p>Last year’s UNSW report <a href="https://rlc.org.au/sites/default/files/attachments/Rethinking-strip-searches-by-NSW-Police-web.pdf">Rethinking Strip Searches by NSW Police</a> outlines that despite only making up 3 percent of the state population, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people account for 10 percent of those police strip search in the field, and 22 percent of those strip searched in custody.</p> <p>And it’s an advantageous moment to reflect on the fact that NSW police has increased its use of strip searches by twentyfold since 2006.</p> <p>This has particularly been <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/nsw-police-treat-strip-searches-as-routine-procedure/">the case</a> over the last five years, to the point where peak hour commuters at Central Station are now <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/increased-intrusion-police-conducting-strip-searches-at-railway-stations/">greeted with screens</a> used to conduct these searches.</p> <p>A colonial legacy</p> <p>But, considering the NSW Police Force is so weighed down by historical prejudice, it might be asked if the Minneapolis model of dismantling the institution and building a new community-based body that doesn’t harbour prejudicial attitudes towards certain sectors of society is needed.</p> <p>As Melbourne Law School senior fellow Amanda Porter <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/the-inherent-racism-of-australian-police-an-interview-with-policing-academic-amanda-porter/">told Sydney Criminal Lawyers last week</a>, the policing bodies charged with dealing with the Aboriginal resistance to colonisation were all incorporated into the current NSW police system.</p> <p>The policing academic added that the early NSW Mounted Police has been described as “the most violent organisation in Australian history” by local historian Henry Reynolds.</p> <p>Inherent prejudice</p> <p>A recent incident in a Surry Hills park and its aftermath reveal that the prejudice in the current policing system just might be too deeply ingrained.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/family-of-first-nations-teen-subjected-to-brutal-police-assault-demands-justice/">Footage shows</a> a NSW police constable kick the legs out from under a 16-year-old Aboriginal boy and throw him face first onto the ground.</p> <p>And while the teenager did make a verbal threat towards the officer, it was part of an exchange they were both partaking in.</p> <p>Indeed, the boy posed no actual physical threat to the constable whatsoever and yet the officer resorted to violence.</p> <p>The constable felt emboldened enough to do this just a week after the Floyd killing, when the entire globe was focused on police violence towards people of colour. And two days later, NSW police commissioner Mick Fuller simply put the incident down to one of his officers having “a bad day”.</p> <p>So, when you have the top cop casually dismissing an assault upon a First Nations teenager by one of his officers, it’s quite obvious that there’s something rotten in the state of the NSW Police Force.</p> <p><em>Written by Paul Gregoire. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/defund-the-nsw-police-force-movement-gains-traction/">Sydney Criminal Lawyers. </a> </em></p>

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Meghan Markle addresses Black Lives Matter movement in new video: “The only wrong thing to say is to say nothing”

<p><span>Meghan Markle has delivered a moving speech on racism in light of the Black Lives Matter movement recently re-lit by George Floyd’s death in police custody.</span><br /><br /><span>In a powerful video message to the graduating class of the Los Angeles high school she attended, the royal member called the events of the past week “absolutely devastating”, admitting she “wasn’t sure what to say” at first.</span><br /><br /><span>“I wasn't sure what I could say to you. I wanted to say the right thing and I was really nervous that it would get picked apart,” she said.</span><br /><br /><span>“I realised the only wrong thing to say is to say nothing,” she told the Immaculate Heart High School students.</span><br /><br /><span>“Because George Floyd's life mattered and Breonna Taylor's life mattered and Philando Castile's life mattered and Tamir Rice's life mattered … and so did so many other people whose names we know and whose names we do not know.”</span><br /><br /><span>The Duchess of Sussex was born and raised in Los Angeles, where she now resides with her husband Prince Harry and their son Archie.</span><br /><br /><span>In the new video shared to social media, the royal recounted her memories of the riots that occurred in the city in 1992, which she described as similarly triggered by “a senseless act of racism”.</span><br /><br /><span>“I remember seeing men in the back of a van just holding guns and rifles. I remember pulling up the house and seeing the tree, that had always been there, completely charred,” she said.</span><br /><br /><span>“Those memories don't go away, and I can't imagine that at 17 or 18 years old, which is how old you are now, that you would have to have a different version of that same type of experience. That's something you should have an understanding of as a history lesson, not as your reality.”</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">“We are going to rebuild and rebuild and rebuild until it is rebuilt. Because when the foundation is broken, so are we.” - Meghan Markle <a href="https://t.co/km7j5Gu7Bv">pic.twitter.com/km7j5Gu7Bv</a></p> — shondaland tv (@shondaland) <a href="https://twitter.com/shondaland/status/1268604404434755590?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 4, 2020</a></blockquote> <p><br /><span>She went on to apologise that the world isn’t “in a place where you deserve it to be”.</span><br /><br /><span>“I am so sorry that you have to grow up in a world where this is still present,” she said.</span><br /><br /><span>The former Suits actress finished off her powerful five-minute speech by urging students of her former highschool take action and be leaders in inspiring change as they forge a path outside high school.</span><br /><br /><span>“We are going to rebuild and rebuild and rebuild until it is rebuilt. Because when the foundation is broken, so are we,” she said to the students.</span><br /><br /><span>“You are going to lead with love, you are going to lead with compassion, you are going to use your voice in a stronger way than you've ever been able to, because most of you are 18, or you're going to turn 18, and you're going to vote.</span><br /><br /><span>“I know you know that black lives matter, so I am already excited for what you are going to do in the world. You are equipped, you are ready, we need you and you are prepared.”</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CBCIojaDggp/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CBCIojaDggp/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by El Universo Vida y Estilo (@eluniversovidayestilo)</a> on Jun 4, 2020 at 5:30pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><br /><span>Both Meghan and Harry have maintained a low profile during the Black Lives Matter protests, having stayed offline during Black Out Tuesday this week on their Sussex Royal Instagram page.</span><br /><br /><span>The Queen's Commonwealth Trust, which is overseen by the Queen, Harry and Meghan, this week shared on Instagram and Twitter a Martin Luther King Jr quote, saying “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”</span></p>

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Olivia Newton-John shares inspiring new health movement you can be a part of

<p>Australian actress Olivia Newton-John has shared a brilliant new initiative in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, and is asking fans to make DIY protective gear as the struggle with the pandemic reaches new heights.</p> <p>The<span> </span>Grease<span> </span>star has taken to social media to share a photograph of herself sporting a chic homemade leopard print mask, and has encourager her fans to do the same.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-kvciUDiaF/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-kvciUDiaF/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Olivia Newton-john (@therealonj)</a> on Apr 4, 2020 at 2:29pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Shortages of protective equipment has been reported globally, and impacts health workers on the frontline the most.</p> <p>“We don't need masks, because health workers need them desperately and there aren't enough for the general public too!” she said in a post to Instagram.</p> <p>“Please pass this video on - let's be creative and make our own, like the Czech Republic.”</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B8nW6hgnfj0/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B8nW6hgnfj0/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Olivia Newton-john (@therealonj)</a> on Feb 15, 2020 at 8:50pm PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Olivia finished the inspiring message by thanking the start-up company<span> </span>Masks 4 All<span> </span>which pushes for their critical message to be shared around the world.</p> <p>The post comes amidst Channel Nine personality Richard Wilkins being exposed to coronavirus.</p> <p>The TV star has tested for COVID-19  four times in the span of a month and worried fans when he posted a photograph of himself to Instagram with Olivia and Paul Hogan.</p> <p>The snap however was taken in September 2018 in Melbourne and showed Richard, Olivia and Paul on the set of<span> </span>The Very Excellent Mr Dundee.</p> <p>Richard has since returned to his hosting duties on Weekend Today after 18 days in quarantined isolation.</p>

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“Leave vaccinations alone”: Pete Evans condemned over links to anti-vaccine movement

<p>Controversial celebrity chef Pete Evans has been condemned for promoting the work of an anti-vaccination campaigner and his organisation.</p> <p>On Saturday, the <em>My Kitchen Rules </em>judge took to Instagram to share a picture of him with Robert F Kennedy Jr, nephew of former US president John F Kennedy and founder of anti-vaccine lobby group Children’s Health Defense.</p> <p>In the post, Evans tagged the account of the group and said he learned “more about the important work [Kennedy Jr] is doing for our planet and for the coming generations”.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B7JtN9PBE8_/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B7JtN9PBE8_/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">Great to spend some time with @robertfkennedyjr and learning more about the important work he is doing for our planet and for the coming generations. ✌️❤️ @waterkeeperalliance @childrenshealthdefense</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/chefpeteevans/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Pete Evans</a> (@chefpeteevans) on Jan 10, 2020 at 11:56am PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Royal Australian College of General Practitioners president Harry Nespolon said Evans should “stick to talking about ‘activated almonds’ and leave vaccinations alone”.</p> <p>“Vaccinations save lives and it is intensely frustrating that individuals like Pete Evans are trying so hard to cause so much harm,” Dr Nespolon told <em><a href="https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/celebrity-chef-pete-evans-sparks-fury-for-dangerous-selfie-with-antivaccination-voice/news-story/4198eefc2a479c02916cc4e3c846c3e9">news.com.au</a></em>.</p> <p>“Vaccines are one of the great success stories of modern medicine but the rise of the anti-vaxxer trend has eroded some of these gains and lead to needless death and suffering.</p> <p>“Robert F Kennedy is not doing ‘important work’ for coming generations; he is perpetuating dangerous, anti-scientific myths which are causing tremendous harm in countries including the United States and Australia.”</p> <p>Dr Nespolon said the chef should be careful due to his influence as a celebrity and TV star. “I hope that he rethinks the company he keeps and books an appointment with his local GP to learn about the damage he is doing promoting the ‘Children’s Health Defense’,” he said.</p> <p>This is not the first time Evans has received criticism for spreading misinformation about vaccinations. Last year, the Australian Medical Association’s president Dr Tony Bartone slammed Evans for spreading unproven medical advice after the chef promoted an anti-vaccination podcast on his Facebook page.</p> <p>“When it comes to cooking, Pete Evans might be an expert, but his misinformation about vaccination is a recipe for disaster,” Dr Bartone said in a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/mar/14/doctors-warns-pete-evans-to-stick-to-cooking-after-sharing-anti-vaxx-podcast">statement</a>.</p> <p>“He should leave the medical advice to the experts and keep quiet about matters he has no skills, experience or expertise in.”</p> <p>Evans has also been accused of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/mar/27/ama-accuses-pete-evans-of-endangering-lives-with-unscientific-health-advice">putting his fans’ health in danger</a> with his unscientific advice on fluoride, calcium, diet and sunscreen.</p>

Caring

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Turia Pitt inspires emotional movement in wake of new bushfire crisis

<p><span>Turia Pitt has penned an inspiring and heartbreaking post on social media which has resulted in an incredible movement in the wake of the bushfire crisis.</span></p> <p><span>The athlete and motivational speaker took to Instagram on Monday to speak about her own distress and desperation due to the harrowing bushfires that has plagued Australia.</span></p> <p><span>Turia’s own home in the New South Wales south coast region is located in a spot heavily impacted by the fires. The effect on Pitt and her husband Michael Hoskin and their two-year-old son Hakavai has been devastating.</span></p> <p><span>The 32-year-old wrote: "I watched, my mouth agape, as two angry plumes from the fires north and south of us joined together over Mollymook Beach. And then, the power went out."</span></p> <p><span>She further explained the grave concern she felt as she witnessed the toll of the bushfire and detailing the experience of seeing and feeling her home become “an apocalyptic quiet”. detailed the "It's been a tough few weeks for me emotionally. I've had to focus on not letting my emotions and own experiences get the better of me."</span></p> <p><span>"I'm exhausted. I feel like I've done 10 marathons. And we can't relax because it's only the start of summer, and it's not over yet. So just like in a marathon, I've realised I have to pace myself."</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B69tZHSA2Ek/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B69tZHSA2Ek/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Turia (@turiapitt)</a> on Jan 5, 2020 at 8:07pm PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span>Turia alluded to her own terrifying experience in in 2011, where she was trapped in a Western Australia bushfire while running an ultra marathon -she endured burns to 65 per cent of her body as a result.</span></p> <p><span>"I've had recurring nightmares about running through flames with my son in my arms," she added of the current situation.</span></p> <p><span>"It's been difficult to sleep, eat or think and all I've really wanted to do is tap out, put my head in the sand and pretend that nothing is going on."</span></p> <p><span>Her words seemed to have an impact though, and Turia has decided to take matters into her own hands to begin an inspiring movement. .</span><br /><span></span></p> <p><span>"Once these fires are finally 'over', it won't be over for many of the local businesses in fire-ravaged towns," she explained.</span></p> <p><span>"A lot of these places (like my home in Mollymook, and Mallacoota, Kangaroo Island, Eden etc) rely on the tourist dollar for their very survival."</span></p> <p><span>Pitt mentioned the hashtag: #GoWithEmptyEskies movement, kickstarted by Tegan Webber who is encouraging people to travel to fire ravaged towns to buy their products in bulk, as well as the Buy From the Bush campaign which has encouraged people to buy from drought-affected farmers since October.</span></p> <p><span>Turia said: "So this is what I'm doing. I've created @spendwiththem, a place to feature businesses in fire-affected towns. So, if you want to buy something (now, or in the future), check out @spendwiththem and buy something from one of these places.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B69jz3VgHPb/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B69jz3VgHPb/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Turia (@turiapitt)</a> on Jan 5, 2020 at 6:43pm PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span>"This is a way to put money directly in the pockets of the people and communities who need it the most, and need it NOW."</span></p> <p><span>"Help them rebuild. Make them feel heard. Spend with them."</span></p> <p><span>She also sent an invitation to businesses who have been affected to contact her to be featured - telling them to visit the page, <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/spendwiththem/?hl=en" target="_blank">Spend With Them.</a></span></p> <p><span>Using her influence for good, it seems the country has reacted with elation over Turia’s emotional post.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B6_rAkQADWm/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B6_rAkQADWm/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">Hey guys! Grace and I are completely amazed by all of you! Thank you for supporting the businesses we’ve featured on @spendwiththem so far! We’ve been totally overwhelmed by your thousands of messages of support. So, if you’ve sent us a DM requesting we feature your business and we haven’t yet responded, please email us at spendwiththem@turiapitt.com with product pics and instructions on what people can buy online or over the phone. We’re struggling to keep track of DMs right now, so email will be best! Please know that as much as we want to support all businesses in fire-affected towns, we can’t yet encourage visitation to these areas. So, online and phone ordering options are all we can promote for now. When it is safe to do so, we’ll absolutely find a way to encourage road trips to your towns! Big love to you all - you absolute legends! ❤️❤️❤️</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/turiapitt/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Turia</a> (@turiapitt) on Jan 6, 2020 at 2:25pm PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span>Her new Instagram page has since shot up in the ranks and received 108,000 followers.</span></p> <div class="c-message__content c-message__content--feature_sonic_inputs" data-qa="message_content"> <div class="c-message__message_blocks c-message__message_blocks--rich_text"> <div class="p-block_kit_renderer p-block_kit_renderer--absorb_margin" data-qa="block-kit-renderer"> <div class="p-block_kit_renderer__block_wrapper p-block_kit_renderer__block_wrapper--first"> <div class="p-rich_text_block"> <div class="p-rich_text_section"><em>OverSixty, its parent company and its owners are donating a total of $200,000 to the Vinnie’s Bushfire Appeal. We have also pledged an additional $100,000 of product to help all those affected by the bushfire crisis. We would love you to support too! Head to the <a rel="noopener" href="https://donate.vinnies.org.au/appeals-nsw/vinnies-nsw-bushfire-appeal-nsw" target="_blank">Vinnie's website to donate!</a></em></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="c-message_actions__container c-message__actions" aria-label="Message actions"></div>

Money & Banking

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3 easy movements to improve spinal mobility

<p>How do you keep your spine in tip-top shape? According to one expert, these three words are the key – yes, no, maybe.</p> <p>In his fourth video in a series of five aimed at improving your balance, mobility and strength, Taylor Harrison, author, seniors health expert and Director of <a href="http://www.activeseniors.net.au/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Active Seniors Health Centre</span></strong></a>, shares three simple exercises that will improve mobility in your spine.</p> <p>To see Taylor’s first video on how to improve hip mobility, <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/health/body/2017/10/exercises-to-improve-hip-mobility/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">click here</span></strong></a>. To see his second video on strengthening your core, <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/health/body/2017/10/exercises-to-strengthen-whole-body/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">click here</span></strong></a>. For his third video on foot and ankle mobility, <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/health/body/2017/10/improve-foot-and-ankle-mobility/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">click here</span></strong></a>.</p>

Body

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New “inspirited ageing” class in Auckland

<p><em><strong>Kerry-Ann Stanton is a community celebrant, educator and open floor teacher in training.</strong></em></p> <p>I would like to share with you a new programme I have developed that starts on 21 April, specifically designed for over-60s.</p> <p>InSpirited Aging is a weekly practice of movement, writing, simple art making and conversation; an Open Floor approach led by me, ‘Inspirita’ Kerry-Ann Stanton. Open Floor is best described as a modern blend of conscious movement, mindfulness and artistry. </p> <p>Each two-hour session begins with movement, guided for about 30 to 40 minutes. This is followed by writing/art making/conversation for about 30 to 40 minutes. We finish with gentle movement and a listening meditation time.</p> <p><img width="500" height="334" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/35597/2_500x334.jpg" alt="2 (166)" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>I have danced for my own re-creation for as long as I can remember. At 60 I am an Open Floor Teacher in Training and love the freedom and permission that comes with this approach. One of its main values is that of ‘move and include’, so we have permission to be tired or frisky, sore and needing to take care, or wanting a place of tenderness or singing along!</p> <p>Movement can be done sitting in a chair, moving around the room or exploring the space you are standing on. My experience tells me that there is a hunger to express ourselves creatively, throughout the fullness of our lifetime. The art making and writing is intended to deepen our experience of our movement practice. And the conversation, well …language is a human connection.  What we can articulate, we can integrate. Plus, in the Feisty Feet dance sessions I notice that the dancers are really keen to talk with each other!</p> <p>The Inspirited Aging programme was provoked by my own aging and seeking to teach in ways that felt in integrity with who I am.  Inspirited Aging is my personal life practice in the present, and an invitation into my future.  As an educator, forever, I am drawn to share and teach.  I enjoy bringing the joys of movement to people in their older age. Dance has been shown to have a positive influence on people, such as a reduced risk of dementia, reduced stress and depression, providing increased energy and serotonin. And we have fun. Inspirited Aging is also intended to provide a creative stretch and a place for meaningful connection with our self and each other.</p> <p><img width="500" height="334" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/35598/1_500x334.jpg" alt="1 (171)" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>Other ways that I connect with what I call the ‘yum/yuck’ of life are leading funerals, marriages and other ceremonies, teaching for The Celebrant School, co-facilitating my local Death Café, leading Feisty Feet dance on contract for The New Zealand Dance Company (NZDC) and co-teaching Open Floor Dance Out West.  So, I am deeply privileged in my working life.</p> <p>Just remember … “Stifling an urge to dance is bad for your health – it rusts your spirit and your hips.” –  Adabella Radici</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.inspirita.co.nz/">Inspirited Aging</a></strong></span></p> <p><strong>When:</strong> Starting April 21, every Friday 10am – 12pm</p> <p><strong>Cost:</strong> $25 per session, cash accepted and bank direct</p> <p><strong>Where:</strong> New Lynn Friendship Hall, New Lynn, Auckland (New Lynn Friendship Hall is walking distance, around 300m, from the New Lynn Transport Centre for train or bus).</p> <p><strong>Notes:</strong> Please wear comfortable clothes and soft shoes (bare feet are fine to move in). Please bring a water bottle and a journal and pencils/pens (if you have them).</p> <p><strong>Contact</strong>: Kerry-Ann Stanton on 0274745003 or at <a href="mailto:kerryann@inspirita.co.nz">kerryann@inspirita.co.nz</a></p> <p><em>Image credits: Jose Cano</em></p>

News

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The scary thing iPhones know about your movements

<p>If you own an iPhone, prepared to be alarmed – there’s a feature on the phone that’s collecting information on your every movement.</p> <p>The safety feature in Apple’s own words “allows the iPhone to learn places you frequently visit in order to provide useful location-related information”, but many have pointed out it could actually be dangerous.</p> <p>The feature called “Frequent locations” tracks all the places you’ve visited in the last month, showing such detail as the address and even the dates and times when you were there. And it doesn’t just track your most frequent locations, it is smart enough to deduce which location is your home, which is probably not the type of information you want getting into the wrong hands.</p> <p>So the big question is how do you turn it off?</p> <p>Go to Settings &gt; Privacy &gt; Location Services &gt; System Services (located at the bottom) &gt; Frequent Location (located at the bottom) &gt; Clear history &gt; Slide the tab to turn it off.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/lifestyle/technology/2015/09/how-to-stop-telemarketer-calls/">How to stop telemarketer calls</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/lifestyle/technology/2015/08/toothpick-to-clean-iphone/">The clever trick if your iPhone or iPad won’t charge</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/lifestyle/technology/2015/08/internet-terms-to-know/">The internet terms you should know</a></strong></em></span></p>

Technology

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Brisbane stores revive co-op movement

<p>Brisbane stores are leading the way in a resurgence of co-operative movement and swap stores.</p><p>Co-ops are businesses that are owned and run by members who share the costs and profits, while swap stores allow good to be exchanged rather than sold for profit.</p><p>Director of the Centre for Social Change and diverse economies expert Dr Amanda Cahill told ABC that the co-op movement was experiencing a revival, estimating there were over a billion members worldwide.</p><p>“I think in Australia it might be a bit different to some other places in that people might be a member of a co-op and not even think about it or understand what that obligation is,” she said, adding, “But as things get economically tighter I think we're going to see a lot more people saying: ‘Just a minute, I'm not just a consumer of this; I can actually drive this and I can actually make very different decisions about how the money is spent’.”</p><p>Emma-Kate Rose from Food Connect, an enterprise that delivers food from farmers to co-operatives and Brisbane residents, has noticed the revival in co-ops. From serving one or two in 2012, the number today has risen to 32 co-ops and buyers groups.</p><p>“We all know here in Australia back in the 90s a lot of the co-operatives, particularly the agricultural co-operatives, were pretty much wiped out through corporatisation and eventually being taken over by big multinational companies, particularly in the dairy industry we've seen that,” she said.</p><p>“I guess this is almost like a backflip back to the old days but doing business in a new and exciting way, using the technology resources that are out there now. So it’s quite exciting.”</p><p>Photo credit: FoodConnect</p>

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