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How people get sucked into misinformation rabbit holes – and how to get them out

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emily-booth-715018">Emily Booth</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-technology-sydney-936">University of Technology Sydney</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/marian-andrei-rizoiu-850922">Marian-Andrei Rizoiu</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-technology-sydney-936">University of Technology Sydney</a></em></p> <p>As misinformation and radicalisation rise, it’s tempting to look for something to blame: the internet, social media personalities, sensationalised political campaigns, religion, or conspiracy theories. And once we’ve settled on a cause, solutions usually follow: do more fact-checking, regulate advertising, ban YouTubers deemed to have “gone too far”.</p> <p>However, if these strategies were the whole answer, we should already be seeing a decrease in people being drawn into fringe communities and beliefs, and less misinformation in the online environment. We’re not.</p> <p>In new research <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/14407833241231756">published in the Journal of Sociology</a>, we and our colleagues found radicalisation is a process of increasingly intense stages, and only a small number of people progress to the point where they commit violent acts.</p> <p>Our work shows the misinformation radicalisation process is a pathway driven by human emotions rather than the information itself – and this understanding may be a first step in finding solutions.</p> <h2>A feeling of control</h2> <p>We analysed dozens of public statements from newspapers and online in which former radicalised people described their experiences. We identified different levels of intensity in misinformation and its online communities, associated with common recurring behaviours.</p> <p>In the early stages, we found people either encountered misinformation about an anxiety-inducing topic through algorithms or friends, or they went looking for an explanation for something that gave them a “bad feeling”.</p> <p>Regardless, they often reported finding the same things: a new sense of certainty, a new community they could talk to, and feeling they had regained some control of their lives.</p> <p>Once people reached the middle stages of our proposed radicalisation pathway, we considered them to be invested in the new community, its goals, and its values.</p> <h2>Growing intensity</h2> <p>It was during these more intense stages that people began to report more negative impacts on their own lives. This could include the loss of friends and family, health issues caused by too much time spent on screens and too little sleep, and feelings of stress and paranoia. To soothe these pains, they turned again to their fringe communities for support.</p> <p>Most people in our dataset didn’t progress past these middle stages. However, their continued activity in these spaces kept the misinformation ecosystem alive.</p> <p>When people did move further and reach the extreme final stages in our model, they were doing active harm.</p> <p>In their recounting of their experiences at these high levels of intensity, individuals spoke of choosing to break ties with loved ones, participating in public acts of disruption and, in some cases, engaging in violence against other people in the name of their cause.</p> <p>Once people reached this stage, it took pretty strong interventions to get them out of it. The challenge, then, is how to intervene safely and effectively when people are in the earlier stages of being drawn into a fringe community.</p> <h2>Respond with empathy, not shame</h2> <p>We have a few suggestions. For people who are still in the earlier stages, friends and trusted advisers, like a doctor or a nurse, can have a big impact by simply responding with empathy.</p> <p>If a loved one starts voicing possible fringe views, like a fear of vaccines, or animosity against women or other marginalised groups, a calm response that seeks to understand the person’s underlying concern can go a long way.</p> <p>The worst response is one that might leave them feeling ashamed or upset. It may drive them back to their fringe community and accelerate their radicalisation.</p> <p>Even if the person’s views intensify, maintaining your connection with them can turn you into a lifeline that will see them get out sooner rather than later.</p> <p>Once people reached the middle stages, we found third-party online content – not produced by government, but regular users – could reach people without backfiring. Considering that many people in our research sample had their radicalisation instigated by social media, we also suggest the private companies behind such platforms should be held responsible for the effects of their automated tools on society.</p> <p>By the middle stages, arguments on the basis of logic or fact are ineffective. It doesn’t matter whether they are delivered by a friend, a news anchor, or a platform-affiliated fact-checking tool.</p> <p>At the most extreme final stages, we found that only heavy-handed interventions worked, such as family members forcibly hospitalising their radicalised relative, or individuals undergoing government-supported deradicalisation programs.</p> <h2>How not to be radicalised</h2> <p>After all this, you might be wondering: how do you protect <em>yourself</em> from being radicalised?</p> <p>As much of society becomes more dependent on digital technologies, we’re going to get exposed to even more misinformation, and our world is likely going to get smaller through online echo chambers.</p> <p>One strategy is to foster your critical thinking skills by <a href="https://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/abstract/S1364-6613(23)00198-5">reading long-form texts from paper books</a>.</p> <p>Another is to protect yourself from the emotional manipulation of platform algorithms by <a href="https://guilfordjournals.com/doi/10.1521/jscp.2018.37.10.751">limiting your social media use</a> to small, infrequent, purposefully-directed pockets of time.</p> <p>And a third is to sustain connections with other humans, and lead a more analogue life – which has other benefits as well.</p> <p>So in short: log off, read a book, and spend time with people you care about. <!-- 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/223717/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/emily-booth-715018">Emily Booth</a>, Research assistant, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-technology-sydney-936">University of Technology Sydney</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/marian-andrei-rizoiu-850922">Marian-Andrei Rizoiu</a>, Associate Professor in Behavioral Data Science, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-technology-sydney-936">University of Technology Sydney</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/how-people-get-sucked-into-misinformation-rabbit-holes-and-how-to-get-them-out-223717">original article</a>.</em></p>

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Out of the rabbit hole: new research shows people can change their minds about conspiracy theories

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/matt-williams-666794">Matt Williams</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/massey-university-806">Massey University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/john-kerr-1073102">John Kerr</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-otago-1304">University of Otago</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mathew-marques-14884">Mathew Marques</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/la-trobe-university-842">La Trobe University</a></em></p> <p>Many people <a href="https://theconversation.com/was-phar-lap-killed-by-gangsters-new-research-shows-which-conspiracies-people-believe-in-and-why-158610">believe at least one</a> conspiracy theory. And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing – conspiracies <em>do</em> happen.</p> <p>To take just one example, the CIA really did engage in <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2019/04/13/cia-mind-control-1266649">illegal experiments</a> in the 1950s to identify drugs and procedures that might produce confessions from captured spies.</p> <p>However, many conspiracy theories are not supported by evidence, yet still attract believers.</p> <p>For example, in a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12746">previous study</a>, we found about 7% of New Zealanders and Australians agreed with the theory that <a href="https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/learn/sensing-our-planet/on-the-trail-of-contrails">visible trails behind aircraft</a> are “chemtrails” of chemical agents sprayed as part of a secret government program. That’s despite the theory being <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/11/8/084011">roundly rejected</a> by the scientific community.</p> <p>The fact that conspiracy theories attract believers despite a lack of credible evidence remains a puzzle for researchers in psychology and other academic disciplines.</p> <p>Indeed, there has been a great deal of research on conspiracy theories published in the past few years. We now know more about how many people believe them, as well as the psychological and political factors that <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-25617-0">correlate with that belief</a>.</p> <p>But we know much less about how often people change their minds. Do they do so frequently, or do they to stick tenaciously to their beliefs, regardless of what evidence they come across?</p> <h2>From 9/11 to COVID</h2> <p>We set out to answer this question using a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-51653-z">longitudinal survey</a>. We recruited 498 Australians and New Zealanders (using the <a href="http://prolific.com">Prolific</a> website, which recruits people to take part in paid research).</p> <p>Each month from March to September 2021, we presented our sample group with a survey, including ten conspiracy theories, and asked them how much they agreed with each one.</p> <p>All of these theories related to claims about events that are either ongoing, or occurred this millennium: the September 11 attacks, the rollout of 5G telecommunications technology, and COVID-19, among others.</p> <p>While there were definitely some believers in our sample, most participants disagreed with each of the theories.</p> <p>The most popular theory was that “pharmaceutical companies (‘Big Pharma’) have suppressed a cure for cancer to protect their profits”. Some 18% of the sample group agreed when first asked.</p> <p>The least popular was the theory that “COVID-19 ‘vaccines’ contain microchips to monitor and control people”. Only 2% agreed.</p> <h2>Conspiracy beliefs probably aren’t increasing</h2> <p>Despite contemporary concerns about a “<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7320252/">pandemic of misinformation</a>” or “<a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30461-X/fulltext">infodemic</a>”, we found no evidence that individual beliefs in conspiracy theories increased on average over time.</p> <p>This was despite our data collection happening during the tumultuous second year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdowns were still happening occasionally in both <a href="https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/things-to-do/a-timeline-of-covid-19-in-australia-two-years-on">Australia</a> and <a href="https://covid19.govt.nz/about-our-covid-19-response/history-of-the-covid-19-alert-system/">New Zealand</a>, and anti-government sentiment was building.</p> <p>While we only tracked participants for six months, <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0270429">other studies</a> over much longer time frames have also found little evidence that beliefs in conspiracy theories are increasing over time.</p> <hr /> <p><iframe class="flourish-embed-iframe" style="width: 100%; height: 600px;" title="Interactive or visual content" src="https://flo.uri.sh/visualisation/16665395/embed" width="100%" height="400" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-forms allow-scripts allow-downloads allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe></p> <div style="width: 100%!; margin-top: 4px!important; text-align: right!important;"><a class="flourish-credit" href="https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/16665395/?utm_source=embed&amp;utm_campaign=visualisation/16665395" target="_top"><img src="https://public.flourish.studio/resources/made_with_flourish.svg" alt="Made with Flourish" /></a></div> <hr /> <p>Finally, we found that beliefs (or non-beliefs) in conspiracy theories were stable – but not completely fixed. For any given theory, the vast majority of participants were “consistent sceptics” – not agreeing with the theory at any point.</p> <p>There were also some “consistent believers” who agreed at every point in the survey they responded to. For most theories, this was the second-largest group.</p> <p>Yet for every conspiracy theory, there was also a small proportion of converts. They disagreed with the theory at the start of the study, but agreed with it by the end. There was also a small proportion of “apostates” who agreed with the theory at the start, but disagreed by the end.</p> <p>Nevertheless, the percentages of converts and apostates tended to balance each other pretty closely, leaving the percentage of believers fairly stable over time.</p> <h2>Inside the ‘rabbit hole’</h2> <p>This relative stability is interesting, because <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2564659">one criticism</a> of conspiracy theories is that they may not be “<a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/criterion-of-falsifiability">falsifiable</a>”: what seems like evidence against a conspiracy theory can just be written off by believers as part of the cover up.</p> <p>Yet people clearly <em>do</em> sometimes decide to reject conspiracy theories they previously believed.</p> <p>Our findings bring into question the popular notion of the “rabbit hole” – that people rapidly develop beliefs in a succession of conspiracy theories, much as Alice tumbles down into Wonderland in Lewis Carroll’s <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11">famous story</a>.</p> <p>While it’s possible this does happen for a small number of people, our results suggest it isn’t a typical experience.</p> <p>For most, the <a href="https://www.latrobe.edu.au/news/articles/2023/opinion/how-to-talk-to-someone-about-conspiracy-theories">journey into</a> conspiracy theory belief might involve a more gradual slope – a bit like a <a href="https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1985.tb05649.x">real rabbit burrow</a>, from which one can also emerge.</p> <hr /> <p><em>Mathew Ling (<a href="https://www.neaminational.org.au/">Neami National</a>), Stephen Hill (Massey University) and Edward Clarke (Philipps-Universität Marburg) contributed to the research referred to in this article.</em><!-- 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/222507/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> <hr /> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/matt-williams-666794">Matt Williams</a>, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/massey-university-806">Massey University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/john-kerr-1073102">John Kerr</a>, Senior Research Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-otago-1304">University of Otago</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mathew-marques-14884">Mathew Marques</a>, Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/la-trobe-university-842">La Trobe University</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/out-of-the-rabbit-hole-new-research-shows-people-can-change-their-minds-about-conspiracy-theories-222507">original article</a>.</em></p>

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Year of the Rabbit: What 2023 has in store for you

<p>The last time it was the Year of the Rabbit, astrologer Jen Ingress found a new home. Like a rabbit deciding on the perfect spot to create a burrow, she was faced with a barrage of options. “It was hard for me to decide – there were many pros and cons,” she says. “I’m not saying that the Rabbit is indecisive. It just may not be entirely obvious what is the right decision when making a choice, and you might have to do some thinking like I did.”</p> <p>That was 2011, and it was a year marked by decisions – something that will also characterise 2023’s Year of the Rabbit, which started when the Lunar New Year kicked off on the second new moon after the winter solstice. (This year, it fell on Sunday, January 22.) There will also be a need for grace when it comes to interactions with others. This is quite different than last year’s Tiger year. Think of it this way: “Tigers can take on anything and bring courage, a strong moral code and responsiveness,” says Ingress. “Whereas this year, we can anticipate more diplomacy or more cautious approaches on the world stage and for individuals.”</p> <p> </p> <p>But that’s not all: In Chinese astrology, there aren’t just 12 astrology signs but also five zodiac elements, and this year, that element is Water. It’s the first time there’s been a Water Rabbit in 60 years. So, what will 2023’s Year of the Water Rabbit hold for you? Let’s find out.</p> <h3>Rabbit zodiac personality traits</h3> <p>Rabbits are known for being cute, lovable and high-spirited (not to mention bouncy), but they’re also a bit enigmatic. After all, you can never really tell what they’re thinking because they don’t exhibit a variety of facial expressions. “Rabbits are well-liked, but they’re not that easy to read or transparent,” Ingress notes. “These individuals are socially graceful, charming and diplomatic, but they also need time to themselves.”</p> <p>A potential pitfall for Rabbit people is that like an actual rabbit, they will tend to seek an easy escape when put on the spot or might not want to face the reality of the situation. And that’s definitely something to keep in mind when entering an entire year represented by this animal.</p> <h3>How 2023’s Year of the Rabbit will affect you</h3> <p>In general, Rabbit years abound with creativity and an appreciation for the arts. You might feel yourself being pulled toward exploring museums, music festivals and performances. In social gatherings, the Year of the Rabbit will encourage more cordiality and social niceties. If disputes arise, diplomacy will win out. Chances are, you’ll also face many options, but like the rabbit’s burrow, you should have multiple exit points and not get too attached to specific decisions. “Rabbits always like having a plan B,” Ingress says. “So this is a year to have more than one plan B – and [to have] continued social interactions in order to reach a decision.”</p> <h3>Water Element</h3> <p>Now let’s turn to 2023’s zodiac element, water, which signifies travel and movement. While 2022 was also a water year, it was more of a flood. People were itching to get back out into the world after COVID restrictions were lifted, so there was movement in the form of travel. On another note, the Russian invasion of Ukraine forced people to seek refuge in other countries. The element of water paired with the Tiger sign made the year one that required quick reactions and strong responses in the face of upheaval.</p> <p>In comparison, the Year of the Water Rabbit will feel more like a small stream when it comes to going places and, more generally speaking, the movement in our lives. “This year will bring learning opportunities, an expansion of ambitions, more time reaching for goals and a general sense of curiosity,” says Ingress. However, because of the unpredictable nature of water, the world might still feel precarious in 2023. So it will be important to stay alert – be ready to manage surprises and get comfortable with uncertainty in your life and the world.</p> <h3>Which signs will thrive in the Year of the Rabbit?</h3> <p>The Chinese zodiac signs that will have a great year are those that are compatible with the Rabbit – namely, the Goat, Dog and Pig. Each of these signs will see a wealth of opportunities for growth in their careers, relationships or creative passions. That said, not all opportunities will pan out: Like in the rabbit’s race with the turtle, do not be deceived by appearances when it comes to decision making – what appears to be the best decision might not be so. Specifically, Dogs and Pigs might face difficult decisions in the workplace.</p> <p>For all these signs, it is important to stay calm this year, even when things seem to be going well. Of course, that’s usually easier said than done, though these animal signs are the best equipped to face that challenge – especially when in one another’s company. Pig and Rabbit are a perfect match for each other in terms of temperament and personality. Add Sheep and Dog into the mix and you’ve got yourself a party. “When they’re all together, they balance each other out,” says Ingress. People with these signs tend to have an easygoing way about them and are deeply compassionate, and both of those qualities jibe with the Rabbit. Sheep’s romanticism, Dog’s supportiveness and Pig’s relatability work well with Rabbit, and a gentle yet responsive energy will radiate from groups of friends with these signs.</p> <h3>Which signs will have more difficulty in the Year of the Rabbit?</h3> <p>Sorry, Dragons, Snakes, Roosters and Rats – you will clash with the Rabbit energy this year. Dragons are born leaders and enjoy conquering challenges, but an eagerness to achieve will not pan out in the slower-paced Rabbit year where decisions will have to be deliberated carefully and a person’s choices might have to be revisited.</p> <p>Snake is sometimes considered a small dragon, and similarly, their determination may prove challenging this year. Rooster is also tenacious and high-achieving, as an animal known for greeting the morning sun. Finally, the resourceful and quick-witted Rat may be able to adapt to the surprises the Year of the Rabbit brings, but their lack of courage may cause them to falter when plans change.</p> <p>But don’t worry – all is not lost for these signs in 2023. According to Ingress, a specific Chinese zodiac year won’t predict whether luck comes your way or doesn’t, but rather whether the year will be like a river that is “smooth flowing or one that is more choppy and therefore stressful, with multiple obstacles to face.”</p> <h3>How will the other signs fare in the Year of the Rabbit?</h3> <p>People born in Ox and Horse years generally won’t experience any extreme highs or lows in 2023. Ox’s determination and Horse’s energy should be able to handle what the year throws at them. But Tigers may face some ups and downs. Tiger’s enthusiasm and boldness may or may not work to their advantage when it comes to the surprises a Rabbit year brings.</p> <p>As for people with the Rabbit sign, things are a little less clear-cut. You may have heard that a person’s zodiac birth year (Ben Ming Nian) can be extremely unlucky. So, should Rabbits watch their backs this year? Not necessarily. Ingress notes that this idea comes from another Chinese belief that change will occur every 12 years, in the Jupiter cycle of a person’s life. “That change could be positive or negative,” she shares. “But there is a change.”</p> <h3>Lucky times of the year for each sign</h3> <p>What do the tides of the Water Rabbit hold this year? Scroll down and find your Chinese zodiac sign to learn which months in 2023 will be the most prosperous for you.</p> <h3>Rat</h3> <p><strong>Birth years:</strong> 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020</p> <p>People born in the Year of the Rat will likely experience abundance throughout the Year of the Water Rabbit, because like Rabbits, Rats are able to form networks and connections. In May, Rats will feel appreciated by others, and next January, Rats will have an opportunity to grow their wealth.</p> <h3>Ox</h3> <p><strong>Birth years:</strong> 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021</p> <p>For those born in the Year of the Ox, December will be a lucky month. Ox people will feel a sense of balance throughout the year, without many highs or lows, though June and April may be trickier for them.</p> <h3>Tiger</h3> <p><strong>Birth years: </strong>1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022</p> <p>March will be the luckiest month for those born in the Year of the Tiger. May, on the other hand, might be more challenging. Overall, Tiger people will find themselves more in the middle of the road in 2023, faring well but not experiencing extraordinary success.</p> <h3>Rabbit</h3> <p><strong>Birth years:</strong> 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011</p> <p>Get ready, Rabbits: Your lucky month is right around the corner! You’ll find increased luck in February, as well as in July. You might find yourself making less forward movement in April, June, September and December. Water Rabbits born in 1963 should be careful, as too much water elementally can be difficult to bear and cause stress.</p> <h3>Dragon</h3> <p><strong>Birth years:</strong> 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012</p> <p>May and September will be fairly good months for Dragons, but they should be cautious in March, April, October and January. “The Dragon is struggling,” Ingress acknowledges. But, she adds, this should not be a cause for concern, because “in Buddhist tradition and the history of the Asian culture, there is a sobering tendency to acknowledge suffering more than success because successes are typically few and far between.”</p> <h3>Snake</h3> <p><strong>Birth years:</strong> 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013</p> <p>Snake people may have a more trying year because their energy clashes with Rabbit energy, and they will have to deal with more conflicts throughout the year. April is their luckiest month of 2023, when they could attract more attention from colleagues or romantic interests.</p> <h3>Horse</h3> <p><strong>Birth years:</strong> 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014</p> <p>The outlook for Horses in 2023 is a steady one, but they should proceed with a bit more caution in March and January. In February, there will be opportunities to develop relationships, and November looks to be the month where they will find the most luck. Those born in the Year of the Metal Horse (the last one was in 1990) should be more cautious about impulsive decisions this year.</p> <h3>Goat</h3> <p><strong>Birth years: </strong>1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015</p> <p>Goat will find opportunities throughout the year but especially in March, June and November. Just be warned that October and next January may be less steady. Wood Goats, born in 1955 and 2015, will find this year to be one of growth.</p> <h3>Monkey</h3> <p><strong>Birth years:</strong> 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016</p> <p>September will be an optimal month for Monkeys. On the other hand, they should be wary in May, July and November, as surprises from the Water Rabbit might lead them to make rash decisions.</p> <h3>Rooster</h3> <p><strong>Birth years: </strong>1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017</p> <p>Rooster people might experience a turning point during the year when it comes to their health, career or finances. For the Rooster, April and August are shaping up to be months in which they will fare the best. September and December will pose more challenges for them.</p> <h3>Dog</h3> <p><strong>Birth years:</strong> 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018</p> <p>While Dogs will experience many opportunities throughout 2023, they won’t all culminate in success. November may change all that, as that’s this sign’s luckiest month this year. September is the one month when they might feel their career trajectory take a downward turn.</p> <h3>Pig</h3> <p><strong>Birth years:</strong> 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019</p> <p>If Pigs focus their energy in March, July, August and October, their concentration should pay off. Born in 1935 or 1995? Those are the years of the Wood Pig, and people born then will be particularly lucky in 2023.</p> <p><em>Written by: Giannina Ong. This article first appeared in <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/culture/year-of-the-rabbit-what-2023-has-in-store-for-you" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader’s Digest</a>. </em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p> <p><em>Caring, Horoscope, Zodiac, Year of the Rabbit</em></p>

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Jojo Rabbit: Hitler humour and a child's eye view of war make for dark satire

<p>Jojo Rabbit is not Disney Studios’ first foray into Hitler parody. In 1943, it produced <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L90smU0SOcQ">der Fuehrer’s Face</a> – an anti-Nazi film inside Donald Duck’s nightmares.</p> <p>Now, Disney is the Australian distributor of Jojo Rabbit, a story of a young boy whose imaginary friend (and buffoonish life coach) is Adolf Hitler.</p> <p>In this dark satire, from the Polynesian-Jewish-New Zealand director Taika Waititi who brought us <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4698684/">Hunt for the Wilderpeople</a>, Nazi Germany is in its waning days. The Germans have all but lost the second world war but 10-year-old Johannes “Jojo” Betzel (Roman Griffin Davis) believes he, and he alone, will be the Aryan hero to turn the tide.</p> <p>The boy’s imaginary friend, a hilariously incompetent Hitler (played by Waititi in blue contact lenses and the trademark moustache), cheers him on. When asked to kill a rabbit to get into the Hitler Youth, Jojo baulks, though he does almost manage to kill himself in a grenade stunt.</p> <p>“You’re still the bestest, most loyal little Nazi I’ve ever met,” the fantasy Fuhrer enthuses.</p> <p><strong>Through children’s eyes</strong></p> <p>Themes and images of children have often been central in films exploring WWII. Steven Spielberg famously used <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUJ187mkMq8">“the girl in red coat”</a> to create a powerfully moving symbol of innocence in <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/movies/article/2017/03/31/schindlers-list-one-most-visually-powerful-war-films-ever-made">Schindler’s List</a> (1993).</p> <p>Immediately after the war, a stream of films, including Roberto Rosselini’s <a href="https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1358-germany-year-zero-the-humanity-of-the-defeated%22%22">Germany Year Zero</a> (1948), Gerhard Lamprecht’s <a href="https://ecommerce.umass.edu/defa/film/6025">Somewhere in Berlin</a> (1946), and Fred Zinnemann’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu8h7OyX8-Y">The Search</a> (1948) looked at wartime trauma through injuries acquired by children.</p> <p>Like Jojo’s grenade mishap, their wounds were permanent.</p> <p>In war films, children’s perspectives don’t diminish the ghastliness of war. Quite the contrary. When war and its pervasive horror spills over from the battlefield and intrudes on their youth, viewers are appalled at its spread.</p> <p>Containing that disease of war, curing it even, is where Waititi’s takedown of fascist group-think truly begins.</p> <p>How will Jojo escape the brainwash army of Reichswehr propaganda parrots like Rebel Wilson’s Fräulein?</p> <p>There are several steps. The first one for Jojo is finding out his mother has been hiding a Jewish girl in the attic.</p> <p>Scarlett Johansson gives an enchanting performance as a single mum who tries to keep the embers of humanity and love in Jojo’s heart alive as he gets lost in Nazi doctrines of vile anti-Semitism.</p> <p>Jojo starts falling for Elsa Korr (Thomasin McKenzie), the hideaway in his attic, as her humanity – and his pre-pubescent hormones – triumph over fascist indoctrination. Through Jojo’s eyes, we see Elsa turn from monster into human as he comes back from the brink of fanatic hatred.</p> <p>Waititi hides that innocent, simple love story under slapstick and a ton of special effects. The latter don’t always work. And some of the jokes fall flat.</p> <p>But what works is the message that Jojo is both manipulated and self-manipulating. His Nazi hate is a cage of his own making, and Elsa is the key to unlocking it. She teaches him that empathy for those who we think are different from us is powerful.</p> <p><iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VTqd4yNFuSw?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><strong>Irreverent or irresponsible?</strong></p> <p>Hitler comedies have a long history. In 1940, Charlie Chaplin released <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVLQ8lNd1Pk">The Great Dictator</a>. Mel Brooks created <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brkp2VhzdDI">The Producers</a> in 1968.</p> <p>German filmmakers Dani Levy (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780568/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">My Führer – The Really Truest Truth about Adolf Hitler</a>, 2007) and David Wnendt (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylstybS6rqw&amp;list=PL-2fuUy0f-jOu3bV_Bj1Uh-SbTO8OCK1A&amp;index=2&amp;t=0s">Look Who’s Back</a>, 2015) strived to find the right balance between comedy and drama.</p> <p>Like Waititi, those filmmakers experienced how mining sombre Holocaust themes and hateful iconography for the ridiculous splits public reactions along extreme lines. The critics bemoaned that Levy committed only halfheartedly to a funny Hitler, making the film the worst thing a comedy can be: too harmless.</p> <p>Wnendt faced another issue. He intercut his film with hidden camera footage of Germans reacting to the lead actor dressed as Hitler. People thought this was too much realism.</p> <p>Waititi <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-09/jojo-rabbit-review-and-taika-waititi-on-making-comic-hitler/11721074">says</a> he didn’t look at these forerunners and didn’t do any research on Hitler. He looked to literature instead.</p> <p>Jojo Rabbit uses the masterful dramatic novel <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25641300-caging-skies?from_search=true&amp;qid=ev2DKS7scE&amp;rank=1">Caging Skies</a> by New Zealand-Belgian author Christine Leuens as source material. The book doesn’t have the same generous scoops of comedy and tragedy found in Ladislav Fuks’ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/725311.Mr_Theodore_Mundstock">Mr. Theodore Mundstock</a>, or in <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18582851-the-nazi-and-the-barber">The Nazi and the Barber</a> by Edgar Hilsenrath.</p> <p>It’s all the more reason to recognise what Waititi has tried to accomplish. He had to negotiate between a book adaptation, Holocaust memory, and Hollywood.</p> <p>Commenting on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJSwD_17qjY">his motivation</a> for making the film, Watiti, whose mother is Jewish, said: “I just want people to be more tolerant and spread more love and less hate”.<em><!-- 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: http://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></em></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/benjamin-nickl-594248">Benjamin Nickl</a>, Lecturer in International Comparative Literature and Translation Studies, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/jojo-rabbit-hitler-humour-and-a-childs-eye-view-of-war-make-for-dark-satire-128622">original article</a>.</em></p>

Movies

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Bird or bunny? This video sends the Internet down the rabbit hole

<p>Is it a bird or a bunny? A new optical illusion has hit the Internet and had people debating.</p> <p>It began when Daniel Quintana, a researcher in biological psychiatry at the University of Oslo in Norway, posted a video showing an animal being stroked.</p> <p>“Rabbits love getting stroked on their nose,” Quintana wrote in the caption. However, when looked at another way, the ‘snout’ of the supposed rabbit resembled a bird’s neck, and the ‘ears’ open beak.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr">Rabbits love getting stroked on their nose <a href="https://t.co/aYOZGAY6kP">pic.twitter.com/aYOZGAY6kP</a></p> — Dan Quintana 🐰 (@dsquintana) <a href="https://twitter.com/dsquintana/status/1163083819605475328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2019</a></blockquote> <p>The video left many in confusion as to what the creature really is.</p> <p>“Fam I can’t be the only one that sees a bird and a bunny,” one commented.</p> <p>“I see a raven. Anyone else?” another wrote.</p> <p>“I sat here for ages seeing someone petting a crow with its beak open to the air, and thinking “rabbits??”” one added.</p> <p>Many said the video resurrected the old rabbit-duck dilemma.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr">The optical illusion came to life, it's official, someone has a magic pen!!! <a href="https://t.co/EDX84LTzT8">pic.twitter.com/EDX84LTzT8</a></p> — Keisha Renee (@Broadwaybandit5) <a href="https://twitter.com/Broadwaybandit5/status/1163627346726989830?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2019</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/IeWEPVE5bW">pic.twitter.com/IeWEPVE5bW</a></p> — ShadowSpade (@ShadowSpadeXIV) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShadowSpadeXIV/status/1163587468190294016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2019</a></blockquote> <p>Some people commented with pictures and videos of their own ‘rabbits’.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr">My rabbit loves too. <a href="https://t.co/EDkcHT50eu">pic.twitter.com/EDkcHT50eu</a></p> — Cécile B (@cecile__b) <a href="https://twitter.com/cecile__b/status/1163547154083979264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2019</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr">Here's my rabbit <a href="https://t.co/KuSGNOAAQR">pic.twitter.com/KuSGNOAAQR</a></p> — Stan O'Connor (@TourguideStan) <a href="https://twitter.com/TourguideStan/status/1163124718343458817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2019</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr">This is my pet lizard <a href="https://t.co/XX9Zdszemt">pic.twitter.com/XX9Zdszemt</a></p> — Ⓥ (@hanavmay) <a href="https://twitter.com/hanavmay/status/1163944701063360512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2019</a></blockquote> <p>According to <em><a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/21/us/bird-rabbit-tweet-trnd/index.html">CNN</a></em>, the animal in question is in fact a bird – specifically, <span>an African white-necked Raven <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BUNV918B2va/">named Mischief</a></span>. He is 18 years old and based in the World Bird Sanctuary in Valley Park, Missouri.</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/ByN5Sj-FEyC/" 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/ByN5Sj-FEyC/" target="_blank">Mischief says, “Hi!” Corvids are excellent mimickers, and this is one of Mischief’s favorite vocalizations. Contrary to popular belief, a corvid does not have to have its tongue split to be able to mimic like this. It is a natural behavior. #worldbirdsanctuary #whiteneckedraven #mischieftheraven</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/worldbirdsanctuary/" target="_blank"> World Bird Sanctuary</a> (@worldbirdsanctuary) on Jun 2, 2019 at 11:18am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Paige Davis, curator of bird training at the sanctuary told <em>CNN </em>that Mischief is “a very talented bird”, with abilities to fly, paint, talk and more. “He even recycles cans and bottles, showing that recycling is so easy, a bird can do it,” Davis said. “His talents are endless.”</p>

Mind

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5 of the funniest tweets from actor Sam Neill

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Actor and wine maker Sam Neill has taken to Twitter with ease, much to the delight of his fans and other celebrities.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jurassic Park</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> actor frequently documents life on his farm with his animals that have names of celebrities as an “insurance policy”. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It doesn’t always end well,” he told </span><a href="https://www.vulture.com/2019/07/sam-neill-farm-animals-interview.html">Vulture.</a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Meryl Streep was killed by a ferret recently … Hugo Weaving was another unfortunate end, but he died happy. He was a ram. He was doing what rams do — he fell off the back of a female sheep.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He also shares videos of his grandson, as seen below.</span></p> <p><strong>1. Sam playing with his grandson</strong></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> <p dir="ltr">My grandson . Hilarious . Great kid . Don't worry ...picks himself up, laughs and back into it . <a href="https://t.co/cyuOOHfztO">pic.twitter.com/cyuOOHfztO</a></p> — Sam Neill (@TwoPaddocks) <a href="https://twitter.com/TwoPaddocks/status/1121741516031057920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">26 April 2019</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is a popular tweet by fans, but you have to watch until the end to really appreciate it. </span></p> <p><strong>2. Getting angry at James Corden for being a “murderer”</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sam Neill played Mr McGreggor in the reboot of </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Peter Rabbit</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, who met an unfortunate end thanks to Peter, who is voiced by Corden.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He let his anger be known in the tweet below, calling Corden a “murderer” and that he has “no idea why HE’S [Peter Rabbit] the hero &amp; not old Mr.McG.”</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> <p dir="ltr">Spent this morning listening to the excellent <a href="https://twitter.com/JKCorden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JKCorden</a> as Peter, voicing the Badger for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PeterRabbit2?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PeterRabbit2</a>. I couldn't be Old Mr. McGregor again because ...well...he died . Peter Rabbit's fault. No idea why HE's the hero &amp; not old Mr.McG. Peter Rabbit MURDERER ! <a href="https://t.co/ubx5jV9U1A">pic.twitter.com/ubx5jV9U1A</a></p> — Sam Neill (@TwoPaddocks) <a href="https://twitter.com/TwoPaddocks/status/1151684396534996995?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">18 July 2019</a></blockquote> <p><strong>3. This selfie with a “random fan”</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Neill makes a point for his twitter feed to be humorous and refreshing as he “enjoys Twitter”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He told </span><a href="https://www.thecut.com/2019/05/sam-neill-interview-about-twitter.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Cut</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> about how he got started on the platform.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“They [co-workers in Two Paddocks office] told me that social media was important,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’d never heard of it. I started Facebook, but I didn’t like it at all. It filled me with existential dread.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“But I found I enjoyed Twitter. The economy of 140 characters was really appealing; every tweet was like a lame haiku”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Although he usually posts photos and videos of his farm animals, he made an exception for a selfie with a “random fan”. The fan just so happens to be Chris Hemsworth.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> <p dir="ltr">Yours truly plus random fan .<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThorRagnarok?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThorRagnarok</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TaikaWaititi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TaikaWaititi</a> took this as best I remember. <a href="https://t.co/aU1nW1B8bI">pic.twitter.com/aU1nW1B8bI</a></p> — Sam Neill (@TwoPaddocks) <a href="https://twitter.com/TwoPaddocks/status/917554962997035009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">10 October 2017</a></blockquote> <p><strong>4. Singing with pigs</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As Neill lives on a farm in Otago, New Zealand, he has “so many free-range animals that they’re almost feral”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He shared with his Twitter followers a “duet” with his pig.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> <p dir="ltr">Singing With Pigs. My old pig friend is always up for a duet . Its more his kind of song really . Took me years to learn Pigsong . It's paid off bigtime. <a href="https://t.co/a3mprZ6AMR">pic.twitter.com/a3mprZ6AMR</a></p> — Sam Neill (@TwoPaddocks) <a href="https://twitter.com/TwoPaddocks/status/1088972409229664256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">26 January 2019</a></blockquote> <p><strong>5. Getting mistaken for Hugo Weaving</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Although people might recognise Sam Neill from somewhere, it’s clear that not many know who he is.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Neill documented an experience with a fan saying that he’s Hugo Weaving.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> <p dir="ltr">LIFE IN THE CITY<br />Coming out of my local with a coffee this morning , a bloke with a dog yells "Are you an Actor ?'<br />"Yes' I say.<br />"Who are you then ? " he says <br />"Hugo Weaving" I reply<br />"That's right..apparently you're good"<br />"Not really" I mutter as I walk away <a href="https://t.co/00lt7jJBA2">pic.twitter.com/00lt7jJBA2</a></p> — Sam Neill (@TwoPaddocks) <a href="https://twitter.com/TwoPaddocks/status/1145886981722820608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">2 July 2019</a></blockquote>

Technology

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Find the eight rabbits hidden in this classic cartoon

<p>There’s nothing like a <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/2017/02/spot-the-coffee-beans-hidden-in-this-jungle/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>brainteaser in the morning</strong></span></a> to make sure your mind is sharp. And while this classic mind-bender might look simple, in reality it’s anything but.</p> <p>Shared by <a href="http://www.playbuzz.com/" target="_blank"><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Playbuzz</strong></span></em></a>, this vintage puzzle employs an elusive colour scheme and a number of clever visual tricks to hide eight rabbits before your very eyes.</p> <p>Try it for yourself below. Can you spot the rabbits?</p> <p><img width="500" height="644" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/33691/rabbit-in-text-one_500x644.jpg" alt="Rabbit -in -text -one" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>Did you see them? It’s tricky, right? Here are the answers:</p> <p><img width="500" height="644" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/33692/rabbit-in-text-two_500x644.jpg" alt="Rabbit -in -text -two" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>Like we said, this puzzle is much harder than it seems. Did you find the rabbits straight away, or did you need a little help? Let us know in the comments section. </p> <p><em>Image credit: Dailymail / Playbuzz</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2017/01/dog-owner-classic-optical-illusion/"><em>This optical illusion has the internet baffled</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2016/12/spot-the-shape-hidden-in-this-puzzle/"><em>Spot the shape hidden in this puzzle</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2016/12/find-the-word-dog-in-this-brainteaser/"><em>Find the word DOG in this brainteaser</em></a></strong></span></p>

Mind

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Rare Beatrix Potter illustrations revealed

<p>The works of Beatrix Potter have entertained children for generations, and now we have even more beautiful illustrations to enjoy thanks to a recent discovery. A collection of Potter’s lost drawings and personal belongings were auctioned last week at Sotheby’s in London, revealing even more about the iconic author.</p> <p>Take a look at some of the stunning illustrations up for grabs in the gallery above.</p> <ol start="1"> <li>“Mice in a Coconut”, c. 1891, sold for $2,000</li> <li>“Kitten Warming her Paws by the Kitchen Fire”, sold for $21,000</li> <li>Prince Charles’ 1904 edition of “The Tales of Beatrix Potter”</li> <li>“A Happy Pair”, c. 1890</li> <li>A rabbit in a blue jacket walking in snow toward a cottage</li> <li>The final scene from “The Rabbits Christmas Party”, sold for $500,000 in 2008</li> <li>First edition of “The Tale of Peter Rabbit”</li> </ol> <p>Tell us in the comments below, which was your favourite Beatrix Potter book as a child?</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/entertainment/art/2016/07/12-rare-photos-of-famous-artists-in-their-studios/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>12 rare photos of famous artists in their studios</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/entertainment/art/2016/07/incredible-optical-illusion-paintings/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Optical illusion paintings bowling people over</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/entertainment/art/2016/06/classic-paintings-in-modern-settings/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Artist seamlessly blends classic art with the modern world</strong></em></span></a></p>

Art

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15 adorable bunnies

<p>Happy Easter, everybody! To help you celebrate the special occasion, here are some adorably cute and fluffy bunnies. The rabbit as a symbol of Easter is thought to originate in Germany, with the first recorded writing in the 16th century. The first edible Easter rabbit, created from sugared pastry, was introduced sometime in the 19th century, and now centuries later, we still love our chocolate bunnies and eggs.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/03/easter-photos/"></a></span></strong></em></p> <p><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2016/01/100-year-old-beatrix-potter-story-with-peter-rabbit-found/">100-year-old unpublished Beatrix Potter story has been found</a></span></em></strong></p> <p><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/03/easter-photos/"></a></span></em></strong></p> <p><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2016/01/video-rabbit-finds-soulmate/">Watch the moment this rabbit finds his soulmate</a></span></em></strong></p> <p><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/03/easter-photos/"></a></span></em></strong></p> <p><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/02/heartwarming-photos-that-prove-every-child-needs-a-pet/">15 heartwarming photos that prove every child needs a pet</a></span></em></strong></p>

Family & Pets

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Almost 160 rabbits, guinea pigs and birds need homes after RSPCA raid

<p>At least 160 animals including rabbits, guinea pigs, birds and mice have been found crowded in a house in Canberra’s south by the RSPCA. This is coming two weeks after the RSPCA were called to an animal hoarding case where 20 birds were found dead in their cage.</p><p>RSPCA chief executive Tammy Ven Dange said they were still processing the animals but at last count there were 160 and included pregnant animals.</p><p>Last year, the RSPCA in Canberra cared for an average of 400 animals at any given time. Ms Ven Dange said RSPA were currently housing more than 700 animals.</p><p>The animal welfare body are calling for new legislation to limit the number of animals a person can have in a home. The law currently only covers dogs and cats.</p><p>“So if you have someone that really has a thing for small animals, for them to get rabbits and guinea pigs, rats or mice or in some cases poultry as well – there is just nothing that restricts them,” Ms Ven Dange said.</p><p>“So by the time we are allowed to do something, which means there is an animal welfare condition, then it is out of control.”</p><p>Territory and Municipal Services Minister Shane Rattenbury said he is looking into places where the law can be changed.</p><p>“I'm talking to the RSPCA and looking to see if we can close some of those gaps in the legislation to make sure that we've got the best animal welfare protection in the ACT,” he said.</p><p>The seized animals will be available for adoption in coming weeks. <a href="http://www.rspca-act.org.au/contact-us" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Contact RSPCA Canberra here.</strong></span></a></p><p><em>Image credits:</em><strong>&nbsp;</strong><em>Tammy Ven Dange twitter&nbsp;</em></p><p><strong>Related links:&nbsp;</strong></p><p><a href="/news/news/2015/02/dachshund-helps-save-st-bernard-friend/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>A dachshund is a hero after he helped save his St Bernard best friend who was stuck in a ditch for 18 hours</strong></em></span></a></p><p><a href="/news/news/2015/02/abused-pit-bull-finds-home/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Ill-treated pit bull finds new home and new adorable outfits to protect damaged skin</strong></em></span></a></p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/lifestyle/pets/2014/10/the-joys-of-fostering-pets/" target="_blank">The joys of fostering pets</a></strong></em></span></p>

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