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What will aged care look like for the next generation?

<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hal-swerissen-9722">Hal Swerissen</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/la-trobe-university-842">La Trobe University</a></em></p> <p>Aged care financing is a vexed problem for the Australian government. It is already underfunded for the quality the community expects, and costs will increase dramatically. There are also significant concerns about the complexity of the system.</p> <p>In 2021–22 the federal government spent <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/final-report-of-the-aged-care-taskforce?language=en">A$25 billion</a> on aged services for around 1.2 million people aged 65 and over. Around 60% went to residential care (<a href="https://www.gen-agedcaredata.gov.au/topics/people-using-aged-care#:%7E:text=On%2030%20June%202022%2C%20approximately,and%203%2C500%20using%20transition%20care.">190,000 people</a>) and one-third to home care (<a href="https://www.gen-agedcaredata.gov.au/topics/people-using-aged-care#:%7E:text=On%2030%20June%202022%2C%20approximately,and%203%2C500%20using%20transition%20care.">one million people</a>).</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/final-report-of-the-aged-care-taskforce?language=en">final report from the government’s Aged Care Taskforce</a>, which has been reviewing funding options, estimates the number of people who will need services is likely to grow to more than two million over the next 20 years. Costs are therefore likely to more than double.</p> <p>The taskforce has considered what aged care services are reasonable and necessary and made recommendations to the government about how they can be paid for. This includes getting aged care users to pay for more of their care.</p> <p>But rather than recommending an alternative financing arrangement that will safeguard Australians’ aged care services into the future, the taskforce largely recommends tidying up existing arrangements and keeping the status quo.</p> <h2>No Medicare-style levy</h2> <p>The taskforce <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/final-report-of-the-aged-care-taskforce?language=en">rejected</a> the aged care royal commission’s recommendation to introduce a levy to meet aged care cost increases. A 1% levy, similar to the Medicare levy, could have raised around <a href="https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/finance/finance-news/2021/03/03/cost-of-aged-care-levy#:%7E:text=Overall%2C%20a%201%20per%20cent%20levy%20would%20raise,necessary%20to%20provide%20decent%20aged%20care%20for%20all.">$8 billion a year</a>.</p> <p>The taskforce failed to consider the mix of taxation, personal contributions and social insurance which are commonly used to fund aged care systems internationally. The <a href="https://www.oecd.org/els/health-systems/Japan-OECD-EC-Good-Time-in-Old-Age.pdf">Japanese system</a>, for example, is financed by long-term insurance paid by those aged 40 and over, plus general taxation and a small copayment.</p> <p>Instead, the taskforce puts forward a simple, pragmatic argument that older people are becoming wealthier through superannuation, there is a cost of living crisis for younger people and therefore older people should be required to pay more of their aged care costs.</p> <h2>Separating care from other services</h2> <p>In deciding what older people should pay more for, the taskforce divided services into care, everyday living and accommodation.</p> <p>The taskforce thought the most important services were clinical services (including nursing and allied health) and these should be the main responsibility of government funding. Personal care, including showering and dressing were seen as a middle tier that is likely to attract some co-payment, despite these services often being necessary to maintain independence.</p> <p>The task force recommended the costs for everyday living (such as food and utilities) and accommodation expenses (such as rent) should increasingly be a personal responsibility.</p> <h2>Making the system fairer</h2> <p>The taskforce thought it was unfair people in residential care were making substantial contributions for their everyday living expenses (about 25%) and those receiving home care weren’t (about 5%). This is, in part, because home care has always had a muddled set of rules about user co-payments.</p> <p>But the taskforce provided no analysis of accommodation costs (such as utilities and maintenance) people meet at home compared with residential care.</p> <p>To address the inefficiencies of upfront daily fees for packages, the taskforce recommends means testing co-payments for home care packages and basing them on the actual level of service users receive for everyday support (for food, cleaning, and so on) and to a lesser extent for support to maintain independence.</p> <p>It is unclear whether clinical and personal care costs and user contributions will be treated the same for residential and home care.</p> <h2>Making residential aged care sustainable</h2> <p>The taskforce was <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/final-report-of-the-aged-care-taskforce?language=en">concerned</a> residential care operators were losing $4 per resident day on “hotel” (accommodation services) and everyday living costs.</p> <p>The taskforce recommends means tested user contributions for room services and everyday living costs be increased.</p> <p>It also recommends that wealthier older people be given more choice by allowing them to pay more (per resident day) for better amenities. This would allow providers to fully meet the cost of these services.</p> <p>Effectively, this means daily living charges for residents are too low and inflexible and that fees would go up, although the taskforce was clear that low-income residents should be protected.</p> <h2>Moving from buying to renting rooms</h2> <p>Currently older people who need residential care have a choice of making a refundable up-front payment for their room or to pay rent to offset the loans providers take out to build facilities. Providers raise capital to build aged care facilities through equity or loan financing.</p> <p>However, the taskforce did not consider the overall efficiency of the private capital market for financing aged care or alternative solutions.</p> <p>Instead, it recommended capital contributions be streamlined and simplified by phasing out up-front payments and focusing on rental contributions. This echoes the royal commission, which found rent to be a more efficient and less risky method of financing capital for aged care in private capital markets.</p> <p>It’s likely that in a decade or so, once the new home care arrangements are in place, there will be proportionally fewer older people in residential aged care. Those who do go are likely to be more disabled and have greater care needs. And those with more money will pay more for their accommodation and everyday living arrangements. But they may have more choice too.</p> <p>Although the federal government has <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-11/aged-care-task-force-hands-down-recommendations/103573554">ruled out an aged care levy</a> and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-15/no-plan-to-touch-aged-care-asset-test/103470442">changes to assets test on the family home</a>, it has yet to respond to the majority of the recommendations. But given the aged care minister chaired the taskforce, it’s likely to provide a good indication of current thinking.<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/225551/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hal-swerissen-9722">Hal Swerissen</a>, Emeritus Professor, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/la-trobe-university-842">La Trobe University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty</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/what-will-aged-care-look-like-for-the-next-generation-more-of-the-same-but-higher-out-of-pocket-costs-225551">original article</a>.</em></p>

Caring

Storytelling allows elders to transfer values and meaning to younger generations

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mary-ann-mccoll-704728">Mary Ann McColl</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queens-university-ontario-1154">Queen's University, Ontario</a></em></p> <p>If you spent time over the holidays with elderly relatives or friends, you may have heard many of the same stories repeated — perhaps stories you’d heard over the years, or even over the past few hours.</p> <p>Repeated storytelling can sometimes be unnerving for friends and families, raising concerns about a loved one’s potential cognitive decline, memory loss or perhaps even the onset of dementia.</p> <p><a href="https://tenstories.ca/">Our research</a> at Queen’s University suggests there is another way to think about repeated storytelling that makes it easier to listen and engage with the stories. We interviewed 20 middle-aged adults who felt they had heard the same stories over and over from their aging parent. We asked them to tell us those stories and we recorded and transcribed them.</p> <p>We used a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/14439881211248356">narrative inquiry approach</a> to discover that repeated storytelling is a key method for elders to communicate what they believe to be important to their children and loved ones. Narrative inquiry uses the text of stories as research data to explore how people create meaning in their lives.</p> <h2>Transmitting values</h2> <p>Based on nearly 200 collected stories, we found that there are approximately <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/scs.13121">10 stories</a> that older parents repeatedly tell to their adult children.</p> <p>The hypothesis was that repeated storytelling was about inter-generational transmission of values. By exploring the themes of those repeated stories, we could uncover the meaning and messages elders were communicating to their loved ones.</p> <p>The ultimate purpose was to offer a new and more constructive way of thinking about stories that we’ve heard many times before, and that can be otherwise perceived as alarming.</p> <h2>Here’s what we have learned:</h2> <ol> <li> <p>There are typically just 10 stories that people tell repeatedly. While 10 is not a magic number, it does seem to be about the right number to capture the stories that are told over and over. Interviewees felt that a set of approximately 10 allowed them to do justice to their parent’s stories.</p> </li> <li> <p>Among our interviewees, a significant number of their parents’ stories – 87 per cent — took place when they were in their teens or twenties. A person’s second and third decades are a time when they make many of the decisions that shape the rest of their lives; a time when values are consolidated and the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2013.863358">adult identity is formed</a></p> </li> <li> <p>What’s important about the 10 stories is not the factual details, but the lesson that was learned, or the value that was reinforced — values like loyalty toward friends, putting family first, maintaining a sense of humour even in hard times, getting an education, speaking up against injustice, and doing what’s right.</p> </li> <li> <p>Key themes in the stories reflected the significant events and prevailing values of the early to mid-20th century. Many of the stories revolved around the war, and both domestic and overseas experiences that were formative. Many of our interviewees heard stories about immigrating to Canada, starting out with very little, seeking a better life and working hard. Stories often reflected a more formal time when it was important to uphold standards, make a good impression, know one’s place and adhere to the rules.</p> </li> <li> <p>The stories elders tell appear to be curated for the individual receiving them. They would be different if told to another child, a spouse or a friend.</p> </li> </ol> <h2>Tips for listening</h2> <p>Our research offers some tips for listening to stories from elders:</p> <ul> <li> <p>Focus on just 10 stories. It can make the listening seem less overwhelming.</p> </li> <li> <p>Write them down. Writing challenges us to get the story straight.</p> </li> <li> <p>Notice your loved one’s role in the story, as the message is often contained in that role.</p> </li> <li> <p>Be attentive to feelings, sensations, tension and discomfort. These can be signals or clues to the meaning of a story.</p> </li> <li> <p>Finally, remember these stories are for you — selected and told in the context of your relationship with your loved one. As such, they are a gift from a loved one who is running out of time.</p> </li> </ul> <h2>The importance of receiving stories</h2> <p>Storytelling is an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/cad.20067">essential human process</a> and a universal experience associated with aging. Neuroscientists suggest that storytelling has practical survival value for individuals and communities, <a href="https://www.jonathangottschall.com/storytelling-animal">as well as social and psychological benefits</a>.</p> <p>It may be as powerful as medication or therapy for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.1018">overcoming depression among elders</a>. Storytelling becomes especially important <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2017.1396581">when people become aware of their mortality</a> — when they are ill, suffering or facing death.</p> <p>People don’t necessarily tell the same stories over and over again because they’re losing cognitive function, but because the stories are important, and they feel we need to know them. Telling stories repeatedly isn’t about forgetfulness or dementia. It’s an effort to share what’s important.</p> <p>Our hope is that by better understanding elderly storytelling, caregivers may be able to listen in a different way to those repeated stories and understand the messages they contain. Those 10 stories can help us to know our loved one at a deeper level and assist our parent or grandparent with an important developmental task of old age.</p> <p>This research offers a constructive way for caregivers to hear the repeated stories told by their aging parents, and to offer their loved one the gift of knowing they have been seen and heard.<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/197766/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mary-ann-mccoll-704728"><em>Mary Ann McColl</em></a><em>, Professor, School of Rehabilitation Therapy, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queens-university-ontario-1154">Queen's University, Ontario</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/storytelling-allows-elders-to-transfer-values-and-meaning-to-younger-generations-197766">original article</a>.</em></p>

Mind

“They have stolen everything”: Slain doctor’s partner speaks out

<p dir="ltr">Dr Ash Gordon’s long-term girlfriend has broken her silence after her partner’s untimely death, saying she expects her boyfriend’s killers to be dealt “the maximum punishment”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 33-year-old doctor was left for dead after a home invasion went wrong, with two teenagers now facing <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/major-update-in-tragic-death-of-young-melbourne-doctor">murder charges</a>. </p> <p dir="ltr">Two 16-year-olds have been charged with murder, aggravated burglary and theft after breaking into the young physician’s home, before allegedly stabbing him. </p> <p dir="ltr">Now, Dr Gordon’s grieving girlfriend Dakota Nagel has spoken out for the first time, telling <em><a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/ash-gordons-partner-dakota-nagel-speaks-after-teens-charged-over-alleged-murder/news-story/c5bf92f8f14ba87b0c3efd0cd8d1f1e7">news.com.au</a></em> she was grateful for the work of police in the days since the alleged murder.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Nagel said those allegedly responsible “deserve the maximum punishment and I will accept nothing less”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They are heartless enough to take a life that meant so much to all of us,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Nagel said her partner of almost six years was the “light of my life” and “irreplaceable”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They’ve stolen more than just belongings, they have stolen everything from myself and his family and friends, he was our world,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He was the most beautiful, kind, patient and understanding person I’ve ever met and I’m just lucky to have spent my life with him.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Miss Nagel told the <em>Herald Sun</em> that her boyfriend should be remembered for the positive impact he had on everyone he knew, including his patients.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We wish for Ash to be remembered for the loving kind person he was and the impact of good he made on the world,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He died a hero and the people responsible will be held accountable, and justice will be served for Ash and his loved ones.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Superintendent Janet Stevenson said police worked “tirelessly” to “apprehend those responsible for his tragedy”. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We know that Ash’s family and loved ones are grieving. This arrest will not take away the tragedy of this dreadful situation, but we hope that it will alleviate some of their distress,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We will continue to provide all the support they require during this difficult time.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The alleged attackers will face children’s court at a later date. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Instagram / Nine</em></p> <p> </p>

Relationships

Mum left shocked and distraught after Christmas gifts were stolen

<p>A young mum from Melbourne is "fuming" after a pile of Christmas gifts were stolen from her front porch. </p> <p>Mother-of-three Jasmine Yoong captured the young man allegedly taking five presents from her front door, which were due to be picked up by a courier and delivered to her friends. </p> <p>CCTV video captured the man stealing gifts from the front of the home in Melbourne’s west on Wednesday, holding them close to his chest before he threw them into his car and made a break for it.</p> <p>After discovering the footage of her gifts being stolen, Yoong decided to turn to TikTok in an attempt to get her presents back before going to the police. </p> <p>“I was so angry in that moment, I was so ... I was fuming,” she told <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/mum-fuming-after-man-allegedly-steals-christmas-presents-from-melbourne-home-c-12915860" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>7News</em></a>.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C03juMwJL3b/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C03juMwJL3b/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by 7NEWS Melbourne (@7newsmelbourne)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The 27-year-old mum took to social media to expose the opportunistic crook.</p> <p>“All that hard work for you to come and steal them off my front door when the postman was collecting them, and then he couldn’t collect them. Why? Because you stole them,” she said in the video, which reached more than two million views in one day.</p> <p>“All I want is my five parcels back.”</p> <p>Yoong admitted the idea may “sound stupid” but she hoped the video would find him.</p> <p>“My initial thought was, all right , let me go to the police straightaway,” she said.</p> <p>“I thought, well, what can I do to actually increase my chances of getting it back. I’ve seen TikTok do some pretty crazy things."</p> <p>“I didn’t want to ruin his life if it was just a snap of the moment decision, you know. I wanted to give him a chance to do the right thing, make it right.”</p> <p>Her TikTok video reached a worker at a nearby McDonalds, who said they had seen the man in fast food restaurant just before the presents were stolen. </p> <p>“He was apparently causing a ruckus, disrupting diners,” Yoong said.</p> <p>Yoong contacted her local police to report the theft after the parcels were not returned.</p> <div> <p>Her message to the crook is simple: “Just don’t take from others.”</p> <p>“It’s just a shortcut to steal from others ... everyone needs to work hard to get what they have,” she said.</p> <p><em>Image credits: 7News</em></p> </div>

Legal

Thief returns stolen truck with note of apology – and gifts!

<p>In the bustling world of Auckland cafés, where flat whites and smashed avocados reign supreme, one café owner recently found himself entangled in a plot that could rival a sitcom script.</p> <p>Varun Chada, the proud owner of Kati Street, had his beloved 4WD truck snatched right out from under his nose, leaving him in a state of disbelief that could only be rivalled by a magician's audience.</p> <p>Picture this: a sunny afternoon, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafting through the air, and Chada minding his own business when, suddenly, his trusty truck disappeared faster than a piece of cake at a weight loss support group meeting. The audacity! The cheek! Someone had the gall to pull off a vehicular heist right outside his beloved eatery.</p> <p>But it gets better.</p> <p>Four days later, as if the universe had decided to play a cosmic prank on poor Varun, the stolen truck made a triumphant return. Parked in the exact same spot, as if it had never embarked on a wild joyride. It was like the vehicular version of Houdini's vanishing act, only with less smoke and mirrors and more caffeinated confusion.</p> <p>To add a sprinkle of absurdity to the mix, the returned truck came with a heartfelt, handwritten letter of apology. Now, we applaud any criminal with the decency to apologise, but it seems this particular ne'er-do-well could use a grammar lesson or two. The apology note featured the word "sorry", albeit with a creative twist on spelling that would make any English teacher cringe.</p> <p>“I couldn’t believe it,” Chada <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/watch-cafe-owners-stolen-truck-returned-with-sorry-note/VTWKKMRGR5AOTNIQGJNKBP6H7E/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The NZ Herald</a>. "The first time I thought I was losing my mind because I’d just walked inside, and the second time I rocked up, and it was parked there."</p> <p>As it turns out, the thief, in an attempt to excuse their vehicular misdeed, claimed to be a bit 'drunk' and in desperate need of a ride home. Because, you know, grand theft auto is a completely acceptable solution to a night out with one too many beers.</p> <p>"It was exactly where I’d parked it," Chada explained, "and I walked up to the window and there was a note inside it saying ‘hey mate sorry but I borrowed your car, was a bit drunk’ and none of us could believe it." </p> <p>But here's the twist that turns this tale into a comedy goldmine – the thief not only returned the truck unscathed but also left some new toys in the back for Chada's young son! It's like they momentarily transformed from a rogue car bandit to the world's most peculiar Santa Claus.</p> <p>Despite the surreal nature of the ordeal, Chada seems to be taking it all in stride. “I’m not condoning what they did is fine, but I mean, they gave it back and they said sorry, so, I don’t know, I’m just stoked to get it back, put it that way.”</p> <p>The saga has become the talk of the town, with Chada's Facebook and community pages buzzing with activity. Social media, the modern-day town square, has played a pivotal role in the unfolding drama, with hundreds of likes, shares and comments turning the café owner into an unintentional social media influencer.</p> <p>As for the truck, it's currently parked at Chada's house, awaiting the forensic scrutiny of the police. The investigation continues, but in the meantime, Aucklanders are left scratching their heads, wondering if their next caffeine fix might come with a side of unexpected vehicular shenanigans.</p> <p><em>Images: Facebook</em></p>

Legal

Baby boomers fight back against "self-entitled whingeing generations"

<p>Angry baby boomers have hit back at young Australians for continuing to blame the ageing population for the current housing crisis. </p> <p>A group of disgruntled seniors have shared their thoughts with the <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/blaming-baby-boomers-for-your-money-woes-is-unfair-lazy-and-wrong-20231127-p5en21.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Sydney Morning Herald</em></a> about the "self-entitled" young Australians, who are facing never-before-seen financial and social barriers to break into the housing market. </p> <p>The open letters come in the wake of Census data showing empty-nesters are hanging on to their big homes in inner-city suburbs, while young families are struggling to find suitable housing while also battling mortgage stress and renters are getting relentlessly price-gouged. </p> <p>Despite the current system disproportionately affecting younger Australians, boomers have hit back at universal claims that they had it easier back in the day. </p> <p>"We bought and paid for these homes; it's not our job to house the next generations, it's the government's," explained Kathleen Kyle in a letter to the <em>Sydney Morning Herald</em>. </p> <p>"Nobody questions people who spend their money on lovely cars or antiques, or suggests that they don't need them any more."</p> <p>In another letter, Kathy Willis from Kew near Port Macquarie wrote, "Boomers have worked very hard to get what they have, having brought up their families in these homes."</p> <p>"I suggest the discourse be directed to people such as town planners, local councils and state governments for their lack of vision in the past, and what the present authorities are going to do about it – and of course, the taxpayers' expense."</p> <p>Suzanne Hopping from Redfern, Sydney, wrote that she could no longer stay silent on "boomer bashing" from "self-entitled whingeing generations".</p> <p>"I bought my first home when I was 39 in an undesirable suburb. Buying a home (at 17.5 per cent interest) was as difficult then as it is today."</p> <p>"When I left home I had no expectations of ever being able to afford to buy a place of my own."</p> <p>"Self-entitled whingeing generations, if you don't like what you see, do something positive about it. Each generation has its unique problems, stop the moralising."</p> <p>Wendy Cousins from Balgownie NSW wrote that "boomer bashing" is futile, adding, "Why encourage resentment of boomers because many choose to stay in their homes? This will not free up any housing."</p> <p>"Many have already downsized and those who haven't, have a variety of reasons why they don't. We have enough division in our society without the constant boomer bashing."</p> <p>Despite the views of many disgruntled boomers, University of Melbourne Professor Allan Fels, an economist and mental health advocate, said figures show beyond a doubt that life is much tougher for the younger generation, and basic economics prove it is much harder for them to buy a house.</p> <p>"We baby boomers have had it a lot easier than the new generation of young people," he told <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12793605/Boomers-hit-self-entitled-whingeing-young-Aussies-reveal-theyre-not-blame-housing-crisis.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Daily Mail Australia</em></a>.</p> <p>"They face a future of much less home ownership and associated mental health stability. The mere fact they are missing out is a cause of stress."</p> <p>"The trend of rising prices adds to the stress because many used to think that they could buy their own house but they keep missing out because prices are continually rising just beyond their grasp."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p>

Money & Banking

Kyle & Jackie O reveal most stolen item from supermarkets

<p>An undercover security guard has revealed to Kyle and Jackie O the item that is most stolen from supermarket shelves. </p> <p>Calling in to <em>The Kyle and Jackie O Show</em> on KIISFM, the the woman who works as an undercover loss prevention officer for a major supermarket chain asked the radio hosts to guess what item was often targeted by thieves. </p> <p>Kyle guessed shoplifters nicked razors the most, while Jackie O suspected tampons were regularly stolen. </p> <p>They were both incorrect, with the security guard revealing the most stolen item was a hot barbecue chicken. </p> <p>“That’s what getting stolen? A hot chicken?” Jackie exclaimed.</p> <p>“Maybe they’re struggling, I don't know. But with the prices these days, everything is going up,” the woman said.</p> <p>Jackie was intrigued, asking how people can unknowingly smuggle a scalding hot chicken out a supermarket undetected. </p> <p>The guard responded, "Two of the ones that I stopped, [put the chicken] down their pants."</p> <p>She went on to say they put the chooks down their "big, big trackies" to get the item out of the shops.</p> <p>Coles barbecue chooks currently retail between $12-13 per hot barbecue chicken, with Woolworths also usually retailing at the $12 mark.</p> <p><em>Image credits: KIISFM</em></p>

Legal

Camper trailer stolen with couple still asleep inside

<p>A young couple are relieved to be alive after their camper trailer was stolen while they slept inside. </p> <p>After a long day of driving, Brock Momcilovic, his girlfriend Jedha Kinder and their two dogs were camping overnight in their trailer attached to a four-wheel vehicle at the Cumberland River rest stop on the Great Ocean Road. </p> <p>Ms Kinder was jolted awake to the sound of the car engine starting just before midnight.</p> <p>She jumped off the bed into the annex area between the trailer and the car, while Mr Momcilovic was thrown backwards from the momentum. </p> <p>Ms Kinder and the two dogs were dragged 200 metres up the road before falling out on to the road where she suffered bruising and gravel rash, as the dogs fled in the chaos. </p> <p>The carjacker then drove for 8km down the road, as Mr Momcilovic held on for dear life.</p> <p>"I sort of just laid there because I thought it was a dream," Mr Momcilovic told <em><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-21/four-wheel-drive-camper-trailer-stolen-while-couple-inside/102755074" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener">ABC Radio Melbourne</a></em>.</p> <p>But quickly reality kicked in during the incident as Mr Momcilovic realised he had his phone handy.</p> <p>"I rang triple-0 while I was holding on," he said.</p> <p>"I was actually on Google Maps while on the phone to the operator telling her where we were heading."</p> <p>As Mr Momcilovic continued to hold on, he didn't know if his girlfriend or their dogs were okay, and he had no way of checking. </p> <p>"I was worried if I fell off, I was going to be pretty well done," he said.</p> <p>The car eventually slowed down enough for Mr Momcilovic to jump off the vehicle, before the car was abandoned near a nearby police station after the clutch blew out, with the carjacker taking off on foot with the keys in hand. </p> <p>The couple's dogs were found a day apart, one was found at the campsite, the other near a cliff, and have since been reunited. </p> <p>The couple have urged campers not to leave their keys in the car, with Mr Momcilovic saying, "It could have been a lot worse." </p> <p><em>Image credits: Nine News</em></p>

Legal

Urgent calls for help after blind dog stolen from home

<p dir="ltr">A desperate search is underway after a family’s beloved blind dog was stolen from their Gold Coast home in broad daylight.</p> <p dir="ltr">Police are calling for public assistance to help find Bowie, the beautiful Australian shepherd with black, white and gold fur, and blue eyes.</p> <p dir="ltr">They believe that the dog was stolen after a group of people broke into the family’s home along Regatta Parade in Southport some time between 10am and 1.15pm on Wednesday.</p> <p dir="ltr">Police also report that a few other things were stolen including the resident’s grey 2022 Hyundai Tucson station wagon with the Queensland plate number 021FO8.</p> <p dir="ltr">Anyone with information is urged to call the police.</p> <p><em>Images: Queensland Police Service</em></p> <p> </p>

Family & Pets

Adam Goodes opens up about major family loss

<p>Dual Brownlow medallist Adam Goodes has opened up about his late mother in a candid interview on the <em>Get Real with Rio</em> WeAre8 series.</p> <p>Speaking to former English professional footballer Rio Ferdinand, host of the show, Goodes revealed the heartbreaking news that his mother had passed away of a heart attack in February 2022.</p> <p>“She was 62, man,” Goodes said.</p> <p>He went on to share that his mother - Lisa May Goodes - had had “a really tough life”, having been the single parent to Goodes and his two younger brothers for “most of her life”. And that while she “did an incredible job … she had a lot of trauma from her childhood”.</p> <p>“She was taken away when she was five,” he explained, “put into a white family, like a lot of her siblings were, and she didn’t know at the time that she was one of 10 [children].</p> <p>“That’s the reason why I wasn’t connected to my Aboriginality [early on] because of that disconnect when she was five.”</p> <p>Goodes admitted that he had often considered what his family’s life might have looked like had his mother not experienced systemic racism and its associated practices during her early years, when she was a child of the Stolen Generation. </p> <p>And now, with children of his own and a third on the way with wife Natalie, his perspective has widened, with Goodes confessing that his own experiences have influenced how he looks at his mum’s past. </p> <p>“It just breaks my heart to think that she was living in fear her whole life that someone could knock on the door and take her kids away at any moment if she wasn’t doing the right thing by us kids,” he said. </p> <p>“So if I could go back and change anything, I would just love to have gone back to my mum’s life, and in that moment, change the fact that she was taken [away from her family]. And how just that one sliding door moment might have changed the world and life that I had.</p> <p>“And if that meant I may never have played professional sport, if it meant I might not even be alive today, just that moment that meant my mum was still connected to her family and didn’t have to live the life that she did, and how tough it was for her.</p> <p>“I’d love to be able to do that just for the old girl.”</p> <p>He then revealed that every move he makes now is weighed against the time he can spend with his family, given how he had “sacrificed having children” until he retired from the AFL. </p> <p>“That’s really important to me because I sacrificed having children when I was playing,” Goodes said. “I had my first kid when I was 39, I’d been retired for four years, I was ready to dedicate my time and energy to something else.</p> <p>“My family, even though I didn’t think of it at the time, the sacrifice I made during my football career, they’re now benefitting because of that. Not only from the success but from the financial benefits of the sacrifices that I made - being able to buy my mum a first house that she’s ever owned.</p> <p>“I’m grateful I did make those decisions at those times. It wasn’t easy to do that.”</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Caring

ChatGPT and other generative AI could foster science denial and misunderstanding – here’s how you can be on alert

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gale-sinatra-1234776">Gale Sinatra</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-southern-california-1265">University of Southern California</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/barbara-k-hofer-1231530">Barbara K. Hofer</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/middlebury-1247">Middlebury</a></em></p> <p>Until very recently, if you wanted to know more about a controversial scientific topic – stem cell research, the safety of nuclear energy, climate change – you probably did a Google search. Presented with multiple sources, you chose what to read, selecting which sites or authorities to trust.</p> <p>Now you have another option: You can pose your question to ChatGPT or another generative artificial intelligence platform and quickly receive a succinct response in paragraph form.</p> <p>ChatGPT does not search the internet the way Google does. Instead, it generates responses to queries by <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/05/07/ai-beginners-guide/">predicting likely word combinations</a> from a massive amalgam of available online information.</p> <p>Although it has the potential for <a href="https://hbr.org/podcast/2023/05/how-generative-ai-changes-productivity">enhancing productivity</a>, generative AI has been shown to have some major faults. It can <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ai-platforms-like-chatgpt-are-easy-to-use-but-also-potentially-dangerous/">produce misinformation</a>. It can create “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/01/business/ai-chatbots-hallucination.html">hallucinations</a>” – a benign term for making things up. And it doesn’t always accurately solve reasoning problems. For example, when asked if both a car and a tank can fit through a doorway, it <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/14/technology/openai-new-gpt4.html">failed to consider both width and height</a>. Nevertheless, it is already being used to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2023/01/17/cnet-ai-articles-journalism-corrections/">produce articles</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/19/technology/ai-generated-content-discovered-on-news-sites-content-farms-and-product-reviews.html">website content</a> you may have encountered, or <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/21/opinion/chatgpt-journalism.html">as a tool</a> in the writing process. Yet you are unlikely to know if what you’re reading was created by AI.</p> <p>As the authors of “<a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/science-denial-9780197683330">Science Denial: Why It Happens and What to Do About It</a>,” we are concerned about how generative AI may blur the boundaries between truth and fiction for those seeking authoritative scientific information.</p> <p>Every media consumer needs to be more vigilant than ever in verifying scientific accuracy in what they read. Here’s how you can stay on your toes in this new information landscape.</p> <h2>How generative AI could promote science denial</h2> <p><strong>Erosion of epistemic trust</strong>. All consumers of science information depend on judgments of scientific and medical experts. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02691728.2014.971907">Epistemic trust</a> is the process of trusting knowledge you get from others. It is fundamental to the understanding and use of scientific information. Whether someone is seeking information about a health concern or trying to understand solutions to climate change, they often have limited scientific understanding and little access to firsthand evidence. With a rapidly growing body of information online, people must make frequent decisions about what and whom to trust. With the increased use of generative AI and the potential for manipulation, we believe trust is likely to erode further than <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2022/02/15/americans-trust-in-scientists-other-groups-declines/">it already has</a>.</p> <p><strong>Misleading or just plain wrong</strong>. If there are errors or biases in the data on which AI platforms are trained, that <a href="https://theconversation.com/ai-information-retrieval-a-search-engine-researcher-explains-the-promise-and-peril-of-letting-chatgpt-and-its-cousins-search-the-web-for-you-200875">can be reflected in the results</a>. In our own searches, when we have asked ChatGPT to regenerate multiple answers to the same question, we have gotten conflicting answers. Asked why, it responded, “Sometimes I make mistakes.” Perhaps the trickiest issue with AI-generated content is knowing when it is wrong.</p> <p><strong>Disinformation spread intentionally</strong>. AI can be used to generate compelling disinformation as text as well as deepfake images and videos. When we asked ChatGPT to “<a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ai-platforms-like-chatgpt-are-easy-to-use-but-also-potentially-dangerous/">write about vaccines in the style of disinformation</a>,” it produced a nonexistent citation with fake data. Geoffrey Hinton, former head of AI development at Google, quit to be free to sound the alarm, saying, “It is hard to see how you can prevent the bad actors from <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/01/technology/ai-google-chatbot-engineer-quits-hinton.html">using it for bad things</a>.” The potential to create and spread deliberately incorrect information about science already existed, but it is now dangerously easy.</p> <p><strong>Fabricated sources</strong>. ChatGPT provides responses with no sources at all, or if asked for sources, may present <a href="https://economistwritingeveryday.com/2023/01/21/chatgpt-cites-economics-papers-that-do-not-exist/">ones it made up</a>. We both asked ChatGPT to generate a list of our own publications. We each identified a few correct sources. More were hallucinations, yet seemingly reputable and mostly plausible, with actual previous co-authors, in similar sounding journals. This inventiveness is a big problem if a list of a scholar’s publications conveys authority to a reader who doesn’t take time to verify them.</p> <p><strong>Dated knowledge</strong>. ChatGPT doesn’t know what happened in the world after its training concluded. A query on what percentage of the world has had COVID-19 returned an answer prefaced by “as of my knowledge cutoff date of September 2021.” Given how rapidly knowledge advances in some areas, this limitation could mean readers get erroneous outdated information. If you’re seeking recent research on a personal health issue, for instance, beware.</p> <p><strong>Rapid advancement and poor transparency</strong>. AI systems continue to become <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/01/technology/ai-google-chatbot-engineer-quits-hinton.html">more powerful and learn faster</a>, and they may learn more science misinformation along the way. Google recently announced <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/10/technology/google-ai-products.html">25 new embedded uses of AI in its services</a>. At this point, <a href="https://theconversation.com/regulating-ai-3-experts-explain-why-its-difficult-to-do-and-important-to-get-right-198868">insufficient guardrails are in place</a> to assure that generative AI will become a more accurate purveyor of scientific information over time.</p> <h2>What can you do?</h2> <p>If you use ChatGPT or other AI platforms, recognize that they might not be completely accurate. The burden falls to the user to discern accuracy.</p> <p><strong>Increase your vigilance</strong>. <a href="https://www.niemanlab.org/2022/12/ai-will-start-fact-checking-we-may-not-like-the-results/">AI fact-checking apps may be available soon</a>, but for now, users must serve as their own fact-checkers. <a href="https://www.nsta.org/science-teacher/science-teacher-januaryfebruary-2023/plausible">There are steps we recommend</a>. The first is: Be vigilant. People often reflexively share information found from searches on social media with little or no vetting. Know when to become more deliberately thoughtful and when it’s worth identifying and evaluating sources of information. If you’re trying to decide how to manage a serious illness or to understand the best steps for addressing climate change, take time to vet the sources.</p> <p><strong>Improve your fact-checking</strong>. A second step is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000740">lateral reading</a>, a process professional fact-checkers use. Open a new window and search for <a href="https://www.nsta.org/science-teacher/science-teacher-mayjune-2023/marginalizing-misinformation">information about the sources</a>, if provided. Is the source credible? Does the author have relevant expertise? And what is the consensus of experts? If no sources are provided or you don’t know if they are valid, use a traditional search engine to find and evaluate experts on the topic.</p> <p><strong>Evaluate the evidence</strong>. Next, take a look at the evidence and its connection to the claim. Is there evidence that genetically modified foods are safe? Is there evidence that they are not? What is the scientific consensus? Evaluating the claims will take effort beyond a quick query to ChatGPT.</p> <p><strong>If you begin with AI, don’t stop there</strong>. Exercise caution in using it as the sole authority on any scientific issue. You might see what ChatGPT has to say about genetically modified organisms or vaccine safety, but also follow up with a more diligent search using traditional search engines before you draw conclusions.</p> <p><strong>Assess plausibility</strong>. Judge whether the claim is plausible. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2013.03.001">Is it likely to be true</a>? If AI makes an implausible (and inaccurate) statement like “<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2022/12/23/fact-check-false-claim-covid-19-vaccines-caused-1-1-million-deaths/10929679002/">1 million deaths were caused by vaccines, not COVID-19</a>,” consider if it even makes sense. Make a tentative judgment and then be open to revising your thinking once you have checked the evidence.</p> <p><strong>Promote digital literacy in yourself and others</strong>. Everyone needs to up their game. <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-be-a-good-digital-citizen-during-the-election-and-its-aftermath-148974">Improve your own digital literacy</a>, and if you are a parent, teacher, mentor or community leader, promote digital literacy in others. The American Psychological Association provides guidance on <a href="https://www.apa.org/topics/social-media-internet/social-media-literacy-teens">fact-checking online information</a> and recommends teens be <a href="https://www.apa.org/topics/social-media-internet/health-advisory-adolescent-social-media-use">trained in social media skills</a> to minimize risks to health and well-being. <a href="https://newslit.org/">The News Literacy Project</a> provides helpful tools for improving and supporting digital literacy.</p> <p>Arm yourself with the skills you need to navigate the new AI information landscape. Even if you don’t use generative AI, it is likely you have already read articles created by it or developed from it. It can take time and effort to find and evaluate reliable information about science online – but it is worth it.<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/204897/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gale-sinatra-1234776">Gale Sinatra</a>, Professor of Education and Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-southern-california-1265">University of Southern California</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/barbara-k-hofer-1231530">Barbara K. Hofer</a>, Professor of Psychology Emerita, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/middlebury-1247">Middlebury</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/chatgpt-and-other-generative-ai-could-foster-science-denial-and-misunderstanding-heres-how-you-can-be-on-alert-204897">original article</a>.</em></p>

Technology

“That name goes back four generations”: Paul Walker’s brother makes a touching tribute

<p>Almost a decade after the world lost <em>Fast & Furious </em>star Paul Walker, his younger brother Cody Walker has paid heartfelt tribute with the birth of his third child. </p> <p>Cody and his wife, Felicia, welcomed their son on April 30, with <em>People </em>magazine reporting that he weighed in at 7lbs 5oz. Felicia took to Instagram on May 2 to make an announcement, too, declaring that they’d had a boy, and writing “welcome to the clan, Barrett”.</p> <p>Many took this as confirmation of his name, and rushed to congratulate the family on their new addition. Felicia had shared a picture of the newborn in the arms of his big brother, Colt, with the announcement, and fans were delighted to note that he was the image of a proud older sibling, beaming from ear to ear. </p> <p>However,<em> People</em> magazine have now revealed that there was more to the story, and that the newborn Walker’s name is even closer to his father’s heart than anyone had anticipated. </p> <p>It was a day after his birth that Cody and Felicia reached their decision, declaring their son’s name to be Paul Barrett Walker - naming him after Cody’s late brother. </p> <p>"This November will mark 10 years since we lost my brother, Paul,” Cody told the publication, “and I just felt now was the appropriate time.”</p> <p>He went on to share that he and their other brother - Caleb - were “both done having children”, and that the name held special meaning to all of them. </p> <p>“My brother, Paul, was Paul William Walker IV and that name goes back four generations,” he explained. "Within the family, he went by ‘little Paul’ or ‘Paul 4,’ even though he quickly outgrew our father in height. </p> <p>“It was important to me to have that name carry on.”</p> <p>It isn’t the only move Cody has taken towards honouring his brother, having teamed up with Tyrese Gibson and Chris Lee to bright FuelFest to life - an automotive and motorsports festival showcasing car culture, with a portion of profits going towards Paul’s nonprofit Reach Out WorldWide, something that Cody views “as a part of Paul that he left behind.”</p> <p>And in an echo of his message regarding his new son’s name, he noted that “it’s important to so many to see that part of his legacy live on.”</p> <p>And Paul’s daughter, Meadow, has made her own moves towards furthering her father’s legacy, with a cameo appearance in <em>Fast X</em> - the tenth instalment in the <em>Fast & Furious</em> franchise. </p> <p>“For me, this is super exciting,” she said of her involvement, “and he would be amazed that this is happening.”</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram, Getty</em></p>

Family & Pets

Famous movie plots that were stolen from other films

<p>Some films stand the test of time, and you can watch them again and again. But unlike what we’ve been led to believe, the storylines of some famous flicks were ‘heavily influenced’ by other (read: lesser-known) films. Is it plagiarism or just inspiration? You decide.</p> <p><strong>1. <em>Star Wars</em> &<em> The Hidden Fortress</em></strong></p> <p>George Lucas appears to be so enamoured with Japanese director Akira Kurosawa’s <em>The Hidden Fortress</em> that he took what he could for his first Star Wars film and used the leftovers in the second. Using two tag-along types (R2D2 and C3PO) to tell the story is probably the most well documented similarity with <em>The Hidden Fortress</em>. In a 2001 interview, George Lucas openly discussed this specific component of his influences for <em>Star Wars</em>,<strong> </strong>saying “I remember the one thing that really struck me about <em>The Hidden Fortress</em>,” he said, “the one thing I was really intrigued by, was the fact that the story was told from the two lowest characters. I decided that would be a nice way to tell the <em>Star Wars</em> story. Take the two lowliest characters, as Kurosawa did, and tell the story from their point of view. Which, in the <em>Star Wars</em> case is the two droids, and that was the strongest influence. </p> <p><strong>2. <em>Reservoir Dogs</em> & <em>City on Fire</em></strong></p> <p>While <em>Reservoir Dogs</em> is not a direct copy of <em>City on Fire</em>, there are definitely similarities in the plot (a group of criminals plan and blow a big job) and a couple of whole scenes that are very similar. Quentin Tarantino’s 1992 hit’s famous scenes echo the Chinese film, for instance both have four men walking in black suits, a tense standoff where three characters point a gun at each other, and shooting cops through a windscreen that shatters. Tarantino admits it too, saying to the <em>Baltimore Sun</em> that City on Fire is "a really cool movie. It influenced me a lot. I got some stuff from it." </p> <p><strong>3. <em>A Fistful of Dollars</em> & <em>Yojimbo</em></strong></p> <p>Once again we see Akira Kurosawa’s name pop up, with another of his films being used as inspiration for the Clint Eastwood classic. This time the samurais are replaced with cowboys, and a hero with no name (Eastwood) arrives in a small town where two rival gangs fight for control. Unfortunately for director Sergio Leone, he was sued by Toho Productions due to the similarities, which delayed release of the film for three years. Eventually the two settled out of court and<em> A Fistful of Dollars</em> went on to become a major hit.</p> <p><strong>4. <em>The Lion King</em> & <em>Kimba the White Lion</em></strong></p> <p>Besides the obvious similarities between the main characters’ names (Simba and Kimba sound <em>quite </em>alike don’t they?), many more elements of the plot mirror each other. Both the Disney film and the Japanese Manga have a bird, baboon and hyenas as supporting characters in the movies. There is a scene in which both Simba and Kimba stand on the cliff tops overlooking their future kingdoms, and each has an evil lion wanting to claim their stake at the throne (both ’Scar’ and ‘Claw’ have a scar on one eye). Despite having many similar scenes, it seems that the Kimba creators didn’t want to take on the behemoth that is Disney. They are quoted in the <em>LA Times</em> as saying "Our company's general opinion is <em>The Lion King</em> is a totally different piece from [Kimba] and is an original work completed by [Disney's] long-lasting excellent production technique." </p> <p><em>Images: Jolly Film</em></p>

Movies

Mother’s car stolen with baby still inside

<p>A woman who suffered injuries while trying to stop an allegedly stolen car with a baby in the backseat said her “blood ran cold” when she realised what was happening.</p> <p>Phone Halson said she and her sister were out for a day at the zoo in Yeppoon, Queensland on April 19, 2023, when the incident occurred.</p> <p>Speaking to <em>Today</em>, Halson said, "As soon as we got out of the car we heard tyres screeching and a woman screaming, so me and my sister ran over. I had my son in my arms,”</p> <p>"At first we saw the baby's capsule laying on the ground and we were thinking, 'Oh my God, this baby has been hit’."</p> <p>She said she and her sister then saw a woman screaming, "They took my baby”.</p> <p>"We are trying to console this mother still in the loading bay where you get your groceries, and the car did, like, a turnaround," she continued.</p> <p>"It has come flying through the exit-way. Me and another woman were still standing there. We were trying to call out, 'Stop, stop, there is a baby, stop', and she wasn't stopping.”</p> <p>Halson said she turned to protect her son, who was still in her arms when she was struck by the car.</p> <p>She revealed she suffered fractured ribs and internal bleeding and went through a two-week recovery period.</p> <p>The allegedly stolen car then returned, and Halson said the mother was “absolutely hysterical”.</p> <p>"It was madness. There were people trying to jump in front of the cars. Some succeeded in getting the baby," she said.</p> <p>"But, yes, some people were just screaming in horror. Other people were crying. There were some chasing after the car. It was absolute madness.”</p> <p>She said it was one of the most terrifying experiences of her life, although added that when the mum was reunited with her baby, it was “beautiful”.</p> <p>"You could see the relief on her face as soon as the woman put that baby in her arms," Halson said.</p> <p>"She just pretty much melted holding that baby.”</p> <p>Fortunately, the baby was left unharmed as the car drove away.</p> <p>Authorities said that around 4 pm that same day, they discovered an allegedly stolen grey Nissan Patrol at Bungundarra, north of Rockhampton, and arrested a 24-year-old woman and a 36-year-old man.</p> <p>The 24-year-old Cobraball woman has been charged with one count each of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, abduction of a child, and driving without a licence.</p> <p>The 36-year-old Mount Morgan man has been charged with unlawful use of a motor vehicle.</p> <p>They have both been denied bail and are due to appear in court on April 20.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Queensland Police </em></p>

Legal

"This doesn’t feel right, does it?": Photographer admits Sony prize-winning photo was AI generated

<p>A German photographer is refusing an award for his prize-winning shot after admitting to being a “cheeky monkey”, revealing the image was generated using artificial intelligence.</p> <p>The artist, Boris Eldagsen, shared on his website that he would not be accepting the prestigious award for the creative open category, which he won at <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/art/winners-of-sony-world-photography-awards-revealed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2023’s Sony world photography awards</a>.</p> <p>The winning photograph showcased a black and white image of two women from different generations.</p> <p>Eldagsen, who studied photography and visual arts at the Art Academy of Mainz, conceptual art and intermedia at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, and fine art at the Sarojini Naidu School of Arts and Communication in Hyderabad released a statement on his website, admitting he “applied as a cheeky monkey” to find out if competitions would be prepared for AI images to enter. “They are not,” he revealed.</p> <p>“We, the photo world, need an open discussion,” Eldagsen said.</p> <p>“A discussion about what we want to consider photography and what not. Is the umbrella of photography large enough to invite AI images to enter – or would this be a mistake?</p> <p>“With my refusal of the award I hope to speed up this debate.”</p> <p>Eldagsen said this was an “historic moment” as it was the fist AI image to have won a prestigious international photography competition, adding “How many of you knew or suspected that it was AI generated? Something about this doesn’t feel right, does it?</p> <p>“AI images and photography should not compete with each other in an award like this. They are different entities. AI is not photography. Therefore I will not accept the award.”</p> <p>The photographer suggested donating the prize to a photo festival in Odesa, Ukraine.</p> <p>It comes as a heated debate over the use and safety concerns of AI continue, with some going as far as to issue apocalyptic warnings that the technology may be close to causing irreparable damage to the human experience.</p> <p>Google’s chief executive, Sundar Pirchai said, “It can be very harmful if deployed wrongly and we don’t have all the answers there yet – and the technology is moving fast. So, does that keep me up at night? Absolutely.”</p> <p>A spokesperson for the World Photography Organisation admitted that the prize-winning photographer had confirmed the “co-creation” of the image using AI to them prior to winning the award.</p> <p>“The creative category of the open competition welcomes various experimental approaches to image making from cyanotypes and rayographs to cutting-edge digital practices. As such, following our correspondence with Boris and the warranties he provided, we felt that his entry fulfilled the criteria for this category, and we were supportive of his participation.</p> <p>“Additionally, we were looking forward to engaging in a more in-depth discussion on this topic and welcomed Boris’ wish for dialogue by preparing questions for a dedicated Q&A with him for our website.</p> <p>“As he has now decided to decline his award we have suspended our activities with him and in keeping with his wishes have removed him from the competition. Given his actions and subsequent statement noting his deliberate attempts at misleading us, and therefore invalidating the warranties he provided, we no longer feel we are able to engage in a meaningful and constructive dialogue with him.</p> <p>“We recognise the importance of this subject and its impact on image-making today. We look forward to further exploring this topic via our various channels and programmes and welcome the conversation around it. While elements of AI practices are relevant in artistic contexts of image-making, the awards always have been and will continue to be a platform for championing the excellence and skill of photographers and artists working in the medium.”</p> <p><em>Image credit: Sony World Photography Awards</em></p>

Technology

Money guru's generous home loan offer for struggling Aussies

<p>Finance guru Mark Bouris has offered to help five homeowners pay off their mortgages amid continuously rising interest rates. </p> <p>A vocal critic of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s dramatic hiking of interest rates, Bouris is determined to help struggling Aussies get ahead. </p> <p>The executive chairman of Yellow Brick Road Home Loans is lending a helping hand to homeowners hit hard by massive increases in their month mortgage payments with a generous cash injection of $12,000.</p> <p>“All Australians deserve a fair go on their home loans and right now you’re not getting one,” Mr Bouris said on Today. </p> <p>“I know many Australians are doing it tough out there right now. Through no fault of their own, homeowners are having to manage skyrocketing mortgage repayments."</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpjyXECgnNr/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpjyXECgnNr/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Yellow Brick Road (@ybrhomeloans)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“The Reserve Bank of Australia’s decision to increase the official cash rate for the past 10 consecutive meetings has left nearly 800,000 Australians at risk of mortgage default. At YBR Home Loans, we’re on a mission to hear the voices of those impacted most by this aggressive increase in interest rates."</p> <p>“We want to hear from you: your story, your struggles and particularly, if you’re worried about your ability to meet your mortgage repayments.”</p> <p>Mr Bouris and his team at YBR Home Loans will randomly select five lucky winners who are having trouble meeting their home loan repayments and give $12,000 to each winner “in order to help ease the strain of rapidly increasing interest rates”.</p> <p>“If you’re going to struggle to meet your mortgage repayments as you come off your fixed interest rate, or if you’re already struggling to meet your repayments, please fill out your details and outline your circumstances,” Mr Bouris said.</p> <p>Homeowners can write to Mr Bouris and Yellow Brick Road at <a href="https://ybr.com.au/fairgo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ybr.com.au/fairgo</a> to be entered into the competition.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

Real Estate

"You can’t ever get them back": Granddaughter’s plea for stolen ashes

<p>Grieving teenager Jakoda Williams-Boyce has pleaded with thieves for the return of her grandmother’s ashes.</p> <p>The theft occurred when the 19-year-old from Adelaide left her nana’s remains in the boot of her grey Mitsubishi Lancer after parking it on Amadeus Crescent in Christie Downs. The car was stolen at some point between Thursday evening and Friday morning with the urn still inside.</p> <p>Jakoda had been living with her grandmother, Sharon, when she passed away at the age of 64. The family had been in possession of Sharon’s remains ever since, until they came under Jakoda’s care four weeks ago.</p> <p>In images shared with 9News, Jakoda can be seen cradling the precious urn, and smiling in an old photograph with her nana alongside the caption “10 months today. I love you my angel.”</p> <p>“I will say, it is my own fault for putting that personal item there, but I didn’t think twice. I shouldn’t have to worry about people on the street,” the teenager admitted, speaking to 9News.</p> <p>It remains unclear how thieves got their hands on the car, as the keys and the car’s battery remain with Jakoda, though glass was reportedly scattered across the scene.</p> <p>Police have so far been unable to locate the vehicle, but their search continues, with Jakoda issuing an emotional plea to the thieves for the safe return of her nana, confessing that it feels like losing her beloved grandmother for a second time.</p> <p>“Me, personally, I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night knowing that I’ve stolen the car with someone’s cremations in the backseat,” she said, “you can’t ever get them back.”</p> <p>Jakoda’s interests lie solely in getting the ashes back, with the distraught teenager telling reporters, “I would ask the question of ‘why’, but I wouldn’t go any further.</p> <p>“Hopefully, when I do get them back, I want to take them to the funeral director and put them into, like, the ground. So I can't lose them."</p> <p><em>Image: 9News</em></p>

Family & Pets

General Hospital star dies aged 55

<p>Sonya Eddy, best known for her role on <em>General Hospital</em>, has passed away at age 55. </p> <p>The actress, who scored many fans after playing beloved, no-nonsense nurse Epiphany Johnson in the popular US soap, died on Tuesday night, her good friend and actress Octavia Spencer announced on Instagram.</p> <p>"My friend @sonyaeddy passed away last night. The world lost another creative angel. Her legions of @generalhospitalabc fans will miss her 💔🕊️," Spencer wrote alongside a photo of the late actress.</p> <p>"My thoughts and prayers are with her loved ones, friends, and fans!"</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CmZlaq8v_ks/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CmZlaq8v_ks/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Octavia Spencer (@octaviaspencer)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Spencer did not reveal any details about Sonya's cause of death. </p> <p>Octavia's post was flooded with condolences and tributes for the actress, with comedian Loni Love writing, "Sonya was best.. in an industry that often over looks us, she made her mark… Rest well Sis."</p> <p>The actress first joined the cast of <em>General Hospital</em> in 2006, starring in a total of 543 episodes before appearing on the show for the final time in November 2020.</p> <p>From 2007 to 2008, she was also a regular cast member on the soap's spin-off program, <em>General Hospital: Night Shift</em>.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

News

Mistletoe – famous for stolen holiday kisses – is a parasite that steals water and nutrients from other plants

<p>A parasitic plant with potentially poisonous berries might not sound like something that would boost your Christmas decorations to the next level. But, botanically speaking, that’s what mistletoe is.</p> <p>There are some <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/news/featured-story/not-just-kissing-mistletoe-and-birds-bees-and-other-beasts">1,300 species of this evergreen plant worldwide</a>. They’re all parasitic or semiparasitic, meaning they can <a href="https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9780801443718/diseases-of-trees-and-shrubs/#bookTabs=1">survive only on a host plant</a>. Rather than being rooted in the ground, they live on the branches of other trees and shrubs.</p> <p>Just <a href="http://dnrc.mt.gov/divisions/forestry/docs/assistance/pests/fidls/147.pdf">two types are native to North America</a>. Twelve species of the American mistletoe can be found distributed largely across the southern half of the U.S., mostly affecting deciduous trees in the East as well as some evergreens in the West. Sixteen species of the leafless dwarf mistletoe infect only trees in the pine family and are mostly found along the West Coast.</p> <p>The American mistletoe, the one used at Christmas in the U.S., is in the genus Phoradendron, which means “<a href="https://www.usgs.gov/news/featured-story/not-just-kissing-mistletoe-and-birds-bees-and-other-beasts">thief of the tree</a>” in Greek. It has green leaves and is capable of photosynthesis and so produces much of its own food. But American mistletoe also sucks water and other nutrients out of its host plant by sending rootlike structures <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/B0-12-226865-2/00145-0">called haustoria</a> into the vascular tissue just under the bark of branches and twigs. These invading structures can live for many years inside a tree even if the mistletoe plant itself is removed.</p> <p>Mistletoes are what botanists call dioecious, meaning these plants have <a href="https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/2009/2-4/monoecious.html">separate male and female versions</a>. The females produce the fruits, called berries, which are generally white, but can be pink or reddish depending on the species. Birds widely distribute the seeds after eating the berries. Seeds of some species can also be <a href="https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs_other/rmrs_1996_hawksworth_f001.pdf">shot out of the fruit</a> like a cannonball at up to 60 mph (100 kph) to a distance as far as 50 feet (15 meters). A sticky substance on the seeds helps them attach to any tree they land on until they germinate and begin to grow.</p> <p>In general, mistletoe won’t kill a tree unless it is heavily infested. Even then the tree doesn’t usually die from the mistletoe; most often death is an indirect effect of attacks from diseases or insects that take advantage of the stressed tree. Mistletoe’s parasitic ways can cause significant economic damage to forests industrially harvested for lumber.</p> <p>For a homeowner, though, it’s usually not necessary to control mistletoe – which is good, since getting rid of it can be difficult and takes patience and persistence. You can prune it out, being sure to get all those spreading haustoria under the host’s bark, or try chemical controls like the plant growth regulator ethephon.</p> <p>Maybe you’ll want to trim a sprig to decorate with during Christmastime. One of the most common traditions associated with mistletoe, <a href="https://time.com/5471873/mistletoe-kiss-christmas/">dating back at least to the 1700s</a>, is that anyone lingering beneath it would welcome a holiday kiss. Here in my home state of Oklahoma, mistletoe is our state floral emblem, apparently because it was the <a href="https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=MI047">only greenery available to put on graves</a> during the particularly hard winter of 1889. In other parts of the world, mistletoe is considered to bestow life and fertility, <a href="https://www.theholidayspot.com/christmas/history/mistletoe.htm">serve as a peace offering</a> and protect against poison. </p> <p>About poison: Mistletoe has a reputation as a poisonous plant. While the European species <a href="https://doi.org/10.5811/westjem.2012.8.12572">Viscum album is reportedly toxic</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3109/15563659609013810">American mistletoe is not deadly</a>. Better to keep it away from little kids and pets, though, and if you are concerned, stick with artificial mistletoe for decorative purposes.</p> <p>Mistletoe is an important part of the ecosystem in the places where it grows in North America. Lots of birds rely on mistletoe berries as a food source, as do elk, deer, squirrels, chipmunks and even porcupines, which will also eat the leaves when other fresh foliage is scarce. Tangled clumps of mistletoe, traditionally referred to as witches’ brooms, provide nesting sites for birds, including spotted owls and Cooper’s hawks, and other animals. Three kinds of butterflies in the U.S. are entirely dependent on mistletoes. And it’s also an important nectar and pollen plant for honey bees and other native bees. </p> <p>So this parasitic plant plays a valuable role in both ecosystems and human traditions. If it grows near you, enjoy it because you probably wouldn’t be able to completely get rid of it anyway. And at Christmastime, it just may come in handy.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/mistletoe-famous-for-stolen-holiday-kisses-is-a-parasite-that-steals-water-and-nutrients-from-other-plants-173555" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Home & Garden

“I’ve got some good news for you”: Tracy Grimshaw's generous final gesture

<p dir="ltr">Tracy Grimshaw has <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/tv/tracy-grimshaw-s-most-memorable-hosting-moments">ended her time on <em>A Current Affair</em></a> with her trademark generosity and gave a much-needed boost to a local community ravaged by recent floods.</p> <p dir="ltr">The TV host and journalist presented the town of Eugowra with a $50,000 donation from Coles, which will go to Givit’s Eugowra Flood Appeal and be used by the community to pay for fuel, groceries and hardware.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I think I have got some good news for you.” Grimshaw told locals Amanda Mongan and Judd McKenna. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Aaron Ralph from Coles is standing off to the side there, Aaron would you like to come in (to the shot) because I think you’re about to make everyone’s day.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The Coles regional manager proceeded to give the large cheque to Mongan and McKenna, to the cheers of locals standing behind them.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Here at Coles, we love to look after our communities that we serve and Eugowra is in the heartland of our region out here in the Central West," Ralph said.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-d857059f-7fff-cf3e-b8bc-27621bb68e60"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“We’ve come out last week and saw the devastation and it was really, really heartbreaking. We dropped off a delivery of essential goods and today we just wanted to go again and we want to kick off the Eugowra Flood Appeal with a massive $50,000 donation to the community.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/eugowra.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: A Current Affair</em></p> <p dir="ltr">After receiving the good news, McKenna grabbed Ralph for a heartfelt hug.</p> <p dir="ltr">When asked how they would use the money, McKenna said it would go back into the community.</p> <p dir="ltr">“These people that stand behind us here are the backbone of the community,” he said. </p> <p dir="ltr">“If this can help them in any way possible, some goods, whatever (they) need to get back on their feet, this is what it’s going to be used for.</p> <p dir="ltr">“These people have lost everything - their houses, houses have floated away, they’ve got nothing. But look at this spirit behind us.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Earlier in the segment, McKenna and Mongan spoke about what it was like during the floods and how their homes and businesses have been affected.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mongan, who has lived in Eugowra her whole life, watched her hairdressing salon go under and waited for eight hours on the roof of her home with her family before being rescued</p> <p dir="ltr">“You’re not the only one who did that, are you?” Grimshaw asked.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Oh god no, we were one of the lucky ones, we were slightly safer than the other people in the full force of the carnage,” Mongan said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was just any general flood, we were downtown helping people pack up and next minute, a wall of water came.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We’d moved our cars and ran back to the house for a few things, and tried to get our kids down the back lane to the evacuation centre at the school and we nearly got washed away, and luckily we have a big solid house that stopped the water a bit, so it rose slower.</p> <p dir="ltr">“And then we just realised, ‘Oh my god, it’s going to go over our heads, we need to get up on our roof’, and from up there we could see houses moving. It was just unimaginable, really can’t describe it.”</p> <p dir="ltr">McKenna, who owns two cafes in town, was swept away in the water while trying to get others to safety and his businesses were damaged.</p> <p dir="ltr">The pair said donations were sorely needed to help the community recover and thanked those who had already given funds, time and help in other ways.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The kindness and generosity has been incredible," Mongan said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"And we don't know how we will ever thank those kind people."</p> <p dir="ltr">The episode marked the end of Grimshaw’s 17-year tenure as the show’s host, after <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/tracy-grimshaw-s-huge-news">she made the shock announcement</a> that she would be stepping down from the show’s top spot in early September.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-041713fc-7fff-1564-75d0-03360b7d2bb4"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: A Current Affair</em></p>

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“I’ve got some good news for you”: Tracy Grimshaw's generous final gesture

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