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Ken’s rights? Our research shows Barbie is surprisingly accurate on how ‘men’s rights activists’ are radicalised

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lucy-nicholas-145660">Lucy Nicholas</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a></em></p> <p>In the Barbie movie, we open with a picture of a perfect Barbieland where (almost) everyone is happy, diversity and sisterhood are embraced, and Barbies hold all positions of power.</p> <p>The Kens however, reflecting the popularity of the dolls in the real world, play a mainly decorative role.</p> <p><em>Spoilers for Barbie follow.</em></p> <p>In the film, we see a disgruntled Ken (played hilariously by Ryan Gosling) follow “Stereotypical” Barbie (Margot Robbie) to the real world where she has to find her human owner. This is all to fix an error that is allowing the real world to seep into Barbie land, with symptoms such as Barbie having an existential crisis.</p> <p>In the real world, Ken discovers the concept of the patriarchy. This sees him take a journey that is clearly influenced by, and pokes fun at, many aspects of contemporary anti-feminist men’s rights culture.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pBk4NYhWNMM?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>Barbieland and the matriarchy</h2> <p>It has been proposed that <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-greta-gerwigs-barbie-land-the-matriarchy-can-be-just-as-bad-as-the-patriarchy-209317">Barbieland is a matriarchy</a>, but I would argue that their attitude to Kens is instead indifference.</p> <p>Ken was aggrieved that Barbie didn’t notice him and reciprocate his affections. This is not dissimilar to the grievances of some real-life men under contemporary feminism. Why don’t women’s lives revolve around them? And what can they do to address this perceived injustice?</p> <p>The movie cleverly parallels the emotions, narratives and logics that lead men to extreme antifeminist and misogynistic thinking, and in doing so exposes the flimsiness of their foundations.</p> <p>Having undertaken <a href="https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2020-12/apo-nid307612.pdf">research</a> on online antifeminist discourses, Ken’s journey from aggrievement to masculine “enlightenment” parallels themes we found in Men’s Rights Activist spaces.</p> <p>Radicalisation into this world is often motivated by a feeling among boys and men of being left behind by a feminist world or system that doesn’t value them. This then leads them to long for an imagined natural order of patriarchy where women are back in their place and men regain their entitlements.</p> <p>These logics underpin <a href="https://theconversation.com/yes-the-incel-community-has-a-sexism-problem-but-we-can-do-something-about-it-207206">incel</a> culture, a movement that is increasingly understood as a terror threat, and has been associated with various acts of terror, such as the 2022 Aotearoa New Zealand <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/closest-to-an-incel-attack-nz-has-had-experts-concern-after-attempted-murder-of-auckland-schoolgirls/HYPEVZ6F4BFT3CV2O4SXS5FR7U/">Epsom crash case</a>.</p> <h2>The manosphere and MRAS</h2> <p>The “<a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-68360-7_2">manosphere</a>” can be understood as a loose coalition of antifeminist online subcultures.</p> <p>This includes MRAs (<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1097184X15574338">Men’s Rights Activists</a>) who claim reverse discrimination and that feminism has gone too far, and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1097184X18816118">Redpillers</a> who claim to have swallowed the “red pill” to see the truth about feminism’s dominance. PUAs (<a href="https://repository.upenn.edu/entities/publication/d8971ded-1ec3-4939-8c0a-ab248dad62ba">Pick up Artists</a>) teach men how to manipulate the women they feel they are entitled to, to give them sex; and MGTOWs (<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1369118X.2020.1751867">Men Going Their Own Way</a>), who are antifeminist separatists (from women).</p> <p>Some of the most well known members of the manosphere are incels (involuntary celibates) a misogynistic community of self identified “beta-males” who want an end to women’s rights which prevent them from getting sex.</p> <h2>Ken’s grievances</h2> <p>Like many MRAs, Ken struggles with a sense of entitlement romantically (rather than sexually in genital-free Barbieland), and in attitudes to power and respect.</p> <p>Ken was being “<a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/friend%20zone">friend-zoned</a>” by Barbie, who despite being “boyfriend and girlfriend” wouldn’t let him stay over at the Dream House, because “every night is girl’s night”.</p> <p>This is coupled with a feeling of not being special, as Ken is essentially interchangeable with any other Ken. He is also “alpha’d” by other Kens: in the language of the manosphere, Barbie is a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-27/incels-inside-their-terrifying-online-world/9700932">“Stacy” and the other Ken is an alpha “Chad”</a> preventing him from getting what he wants.</p> <p>In <a href="https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2020-12/apo-nid307612.pdf">our data</a> we found women are often described as “overlords”, man-haters, misandrists and “feminazis”. Among other concerns, men perceive economic loss due to women’s participation in the workplace, and crucially a lack of men’s sexual access to women brought about by the gains of feminism such as the awareness raised around consent by the #metoo movement.</p> <p>These men all share a starting point of grievance at women and their perceived indifference towards them.</p> <p>When Ken goes to the real world, he discovers patriarchy and he LOVES it. He has been “redpilled”. Patriarchy explains his aggrievement, and affirms his feelings. He takes patriarchy back to Barbieland and transforms it to Kendom, where the men change it to a society oriented around men and their power (and horses…).</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y1IgAEejvqM?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>Redpilled ken</h2> <p>This redpilled Ken is a hilarious parody of the “neomasculinity” of the pick up artist (PUA) movement, that seeks to restore a masculine-centred world.</p> <p>Neomasculinity is about a belief in biological difference, traditional masculinity and heteronormative gender roles.</p> <p>The amusing depiction of the Kens trying to perform traditional <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/hypermasculinity">hypermasculinity</a> and needing their egos stroked – such as in a hilarious scene where the Kens are serenading the Barbies on the beach with an acoustic rendition of Matchbox Twenty’s <a href="https://youtu.be/HAkHqYlqops">Push</a> (“I wanna push you around … I wanna take you for granted”) – brilliantly shows the extent to which toxic masculinity is learned.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HAkHqYlqops?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>Additionally, the competition among the Kens (that the Barbies ultimately stoke to overturn the Kentriarchy) is the perfect illustration of the damage toxic models of masculinity does to men. As Australian sociologist Raewyn Connell has long argued, almost no men can live up to <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/27640853">masculine ideals</a>, resulting in negative outcomes not just for women but also for men themselves.</p> <h2>Finding the real Ken</h2> <p>The movie ends with Barbie, her human (America Ferrera), “Weird Barbie” (Kate McKinnon) and Allan (Michael Cera) deprogramming the brainwashed Barbies and turning the Kens against each other.</p> <p>But what of Just Beach Ken? And what can we learn from this for preventing or managing radicalisation of this feeling of aggrievement in real men or boys?</p> <p>Well, Barbie and Ken reach a middle ground. Barbie encourages Ken to work out who he is outside of his relation to Barbie, and to learn being Just Ken is enough.</p> <p>This isn’t dissimilar to the methods of men’s behaviour change programs and counselling for men who use violence, which use <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10926771.2023.2189043">trauma-informed motivational interviewing</a>, reflect on challenging gender norms and breaking down rigid thought processes, and developing emotional literacy and communication strategies.</p> <p>But it also illustrates that men and boys need alternative narratives to make sense of themselves in the world, and alternative communities for affirmation, before it gets to this stage.</p> <p>In <a href="https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2020-12/apo-nid307612.pdf">our report</a>, we recommended: "Providing alternative narratives and considering how far-right [or MRA] groups provide men with emotional support networks, with a view to providing better alternatives."</p> <p>Feminism has consistently been about separating attributes from their gendered associations, breaking down the Barbie/Ken binary. So if there is one thing we can take away from the Barbie movie, it is that hierarchy and rigid gender benefits nobody, and power and social roles have nothing to do with the genitals you are born with.<!-- 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/210273/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><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lucy-nicholas-145660"><em>Lucy Nicholas</em></a><em>, Associate professor Sexualities and Genders / Sociology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Warner Bros.</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/kens-rights-our-research-shows-barbie-is-surprisingly-accurate-on-how-mens-rights-activists-are-radicalised-210273">original article</a>.</em></p>

Caring

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4 habits that are surprisingly bad for your teeth

<p>While we’d never go weeks without taking a shower or eating, why is it that so many of us are guilty at neglecting our teeth every day? Just as much as taking care of your teeth is about keeping them clean and your breath fresh, it’s also about preventative maintenance.</p> <p>How many of these bad oral health habits are you guilty of? </p> <p><strong>Not visiting the dentist enough</strong></p> <p>Even if you think you go above and beyond when looking after your oral health – think brushing, flossing, and even use a special set of dental tools remove plaque – that still doesn’t mean you can skip your yearly cleaning at the dentist’s office.</p> <p>Make sure to schedule an appointment at least once a year.</p> <p><strong>Brushing from side to side</strong></p> <p>If you clean your teeth twice a day you deserve a pat on the back, right? Simply sticking a toothbrush in your mouth and moving it around is not enough. Good tooth brushing requires a certain technique. This does not involve any side-to-side action. Rather you’ll want to go in small circles. Forceful side-to-side brushing combined with an abrasive toothpaste can actually damage the teeth.</p> <p>You also need to ensure you brush along the gum line and the back of your teeth to loosen bacteria. Another big brushing mistake? Not doing it for long enough. While most people would’ve heard that the ideal length of time is two minutes, this is an arbitrary number, rather you should brush until you completely get all sides of every single tooth.</p> <p><strong>Using a non-fluoride toothpaste</strong></p> <p>Not all toothpastes are created equal! Some toothpastes, especially natural ones, brand themselves as fluoride-free, even though you need fluoride to achieve the healthiest mouth possible.</p> <p>Fluoride is essential because unless you remove absolutely every bit of plaque each day, fluoride can help replace the minerals worn away by bacteria-produced acid.</p> <p><strong>Chewing on ice</strong></p> <p>While chewing ice can be very refreshing, given that teeth don’t have great fracture resistance, it’s not a good habit to get in. Furthermore, as ice will take your mouth from warm to cold – and this tends to make things expand and contract very slightly – it can be enough to put little micro-cracks in your enamel.</p> <p>You can get away with it for a while, but the little cracks in your teeth can build up and one day, a piece might just break off.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Caring

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15 surprisingly frugal habits of the British royal family

<p><strong>Keeping breakfast simple</strong></p> <p>When you imagine a royal breakfast, you probably picture an impressive spread of poached eggs, smoked salmon, exotic fruits, and endless pastries. Well, Queen Elizabeth knows what she likes, and it’s quite the frugal choice.</p> <p>She pours herself a bowl of a simple cereal like cornflakes or Special K – kept fresh in a plastic container instead of the box – to eat with fruit.</p> <p><strong>Reusing gift-wrap</strong></p> <p>Biographer Kate Williams reveals that Queen Elizabeth doesn’t let used wrapping paper go to waste. Since she was young, Her Majesty has been saving gift-wrap and ribbons from the bin, then smoothing them out so they can be reused.</p> <p><strong>Recycling outfits</strong></p> <p>Most people don’t think twice about outfit repeating, but the royal family is well aware that people are looking at – and remembering – everything they wear. Other celebrities might wear an outfit in public once before rejecting it, but the royal family turns its nose at that wastefulness.</p> <p>Kate Middleton and Queen Elizabeth have both been known to wear the same outfit for more than one official engagement. Neither of them comes close to Princess Anne, who has kept favourite outfits on her rotation for as long as 35 years.</p> <p><strong>Repairing instead of replacing </strong></p> <p>With as much money as Queen Elizabeth has, you’d think a simple pair of worn-out gloves would be tossed in the bin.</p> <p>But Her Majesty is against that kind of waste, washing and mending her gloves instead of ordering new ones. In fact, she still has pairs from 40 years ago.</p> <p><strong>Opting for DIY</strong></p> <p>With the world watching Kate Middleton’s 2011 marriage to Prince William, you’d think she would hire professionals to make her makeup TV-ready. Nope.</p> <p>The now-Duchess of Cambridge passed on the pro help, and applied her makeup by herself, according to People. She did take a few private lessons from a makeup artist before the big day, though.</p> <p><strong>Cooking for themselves</strong></p> <p>Live-in chefs aren’t the norm for every royal. Kate Middleton reportedly does most of the cooking for her family, including making Prince William’s favourite diner: roast chicken.</p> <p>Prince Harry has also been spotted doing his own grocery shopping. Wonder what might be in their shopping carts?</p> <p><strong>Giving silly gifts</strong></p> <p>To the family who has everything, gifts aren’t about trying to outdo each other, so they give joke gifts instead.</p> <p>In 2019, Meghan Markle reportedly gave Queen Elizabeth a singing hamster that made her future grandmother-in-law laugh out loud.</p> <p><strong>Flying economy</strong></p> <p>While Queen Elizabeth won’t take commercial flights, her grandchildren have been spotted on them. Prince William was spotted flying economy on an American Airlines flight from Memphis to Dallas in 2014, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle travelled economy on British Airways to ring in the 2018 New Year in Nice.</p> <p><strong>Cutting electricity costs</strong></p> <p>With an estimated 40,000 lights in Buckingham Palace, electricity bills add up fast. That’s why in 2011, Queen Elizabeth posted signs around the building, ordering palace staff to turn lights off when they aren’t using them, according to <em>Financial Times</em>.</p> <p>Her Majesty was so serious about the initiative that she would walk through palace halls switching off lights, an employee revealed at the time.</p> <p><strong>Wearing hand-me-downs</strong></p> <p>Sure, Prince George and Princess Charlotte could afford to wear new, stylish clothing all the time – but William and Kate have other plans for their kids. Princess Charlotte has been spotted wearing shoes her uncle Prince Harry wore more than 30 years before, when he was two.</p> <p>Meanwhile, Prince George has worn an outfit that his dad had originally worn to Prince Harry’s christening back in 1984. Some things never go out of style.</p> <p><strong>Making use of leftovers</strong></p> <p>Some rich families might toss any uneaten foods, but not the royals. Chef Carolyn Robb, who worked for Prince Charles and Princess Diana from 1989 to 2000, tells <em>racked.com</em> that the family didn’t put food to waste.</p> <p>Charles would request only being served as much as he could eat, and any leftovers would be incorporated into the next meal. Roast lamb, for instance, could be mixed into Shepard’s pie.</p> <p><strong>Shopping for inexpensive clothes</strong></p> <p>While Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle are no strangers to designer couture, they also know how to look chic on a budget.</p> <p>Royal watchers have spotted Kate wearing Gap and Zara pieces, while Meghan is reportedly a fan of Everlane and J.Crew. It’s no wonder their fashion choices tend to sell out so quickly.</p> <p><strong>Keeping beauty low-key</strong></p> <p>Queen Elizabeth doesn’t reach for Dior nail polish when she wants a manicure. Instead, her nail colour of choice is a pharmacy brand that rings up at a cool $9 a bottle.</p> <p><strong>Giving up central heating </strong></p> <p>While the royal family could probably afford central heating to keep all 775 rooms in Buckingham Palace warm, the Queen chooses to use space heaters (at least in certain rooms) instead.</p> <p>Perceptive royal watchers have noticed space heaters nestled in fireplaces in Buckingham and Balmoral Castle. With the units costing just £20 to £30 ($37 to $56) each, you can bet Her Majesty is saving a bundle.</p> <p><strong>Keeping items as long as possible </strong></p> <p>You might expect a frequent flier like Queen Elizabeth to invest in new luggage every trip – or at least, maybe once a decade. Once Her Majesty finds something she likes, though, she isn’t likely to let it go.</p> <p>The Queen apparently still uses the same Globe-Trotter suitcases that she bought for her honeymoon in 1947, according to the company’s website.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared in <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/culture/15-surprisingly-frugal-habits-of-the-british-royal-family?pages=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>. </em></p>

Money & Banking

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Surprisingly important skincare step you may be skipping

<p>​​<span style="font-weight: 400;">While many people are spending more time at home, due to the ongoing pandemic and the cooler winter months, lots of people are taking shortcuts in their beauty routine. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sure, many are choosing to forget about their makeup or only have a professional outfit on from the waist up for their video work calls – but there is one vital step not to be skipped. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite remaining in doors or the lessening UV factor in the colder months, dermatologists and skin care experts are warning people to not leave out their sunscreen from their daily routine. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Applying sunscreen is an easy step to ditch in our morning skincare routines, but if anti-ageing is your goal, you might want to rethink your choice to overlook it.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sunscreen brand Ultra Violette’s founder Ava Matthews understands the importance of daily SPF and wants to remind people of the product.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Daily SPF use should be a habit, and definitely not a habit we should be dropping," she told </span><a href="https://style.nine.com.au/beauty/why-it-is-important-to-wear-sunscreen-inside/eb7fb76c-73dc-4e38-85e2-030bebe08eed"><span style="font-weight: 400;">9Honey</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Even though we’re spending more time inside, depending on our furniture set up, we can still be impacted by UV rays. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"We're still getting lots of UVA damage through any windows in our house," says Ava. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"These aren't the cancer or burning rays but they do have the most impact in terms of ageing and skin damage."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Even something as simple as going outside for a lunchtime stroll or tending to your garden can be damaging to your skin if you’re not using SPF. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"The UV index is still really high and remains this way for most of the year in Australia so we can't be complacent about SPF use," warns Ava.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Yes, you may not need to reapply as regularly ... but that one application in the morning is super important."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So in the morning, remember to apply your SPF to fight early signs of ageing and protect your skin from the hard sun. </span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credit: Shutterstock</span></em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Your brain approaches tricky tasks in a surprisingly simple way

<p>Have you ever sat down to complete your morning crossword or Sudoku and wondered about what’s happening in your brain? Somewhere in the activity of the billions of neurons in your brain lies the code that lets you remember a key word, or apply the logic required to complete the puzzle.</p> <p>Given the brain’s intricacy, you might assume that these patterns are incredibly complex and unique to each task. But <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-018-0312-0">recent research</a> suggests things are actually more straightforward than that.</p> <p>It turns out that many structures in your brain work together in precise ways to coordinate their activity, shaping their actions to the requirements of whatever it is that you’re trying to achieve.</p> <p>We call these coordinated patterns the “low-dimensional manifold”, which you can think of as analogous to the major roadways that you use to commute to and from work. The majority of the traffic flows along these major highways, which represent an efficient and effective way to get from A to B.</p> <p>We have found evidence that most brain activity follows these types of patterns. In very simple terms, this saves your brain from needing to work everything out from scratch when performing a task. If someone throws you a ball, for instance, the low-dimensional manifold allows your brain to swiftly coordinate the muscle movements needed to catch the ball, rather than your brain needing to learn how to catch a ball afresh each time.</p> <p>In a study <a href="https://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(19)30775-5">published today in the journal Neuron</a>, my colleagues and I investigated these patterns further. Specifically, we wanted to find out whether they play a role in shaping brain activity during really challenging cognitive tasks that require lots of concentration.</p> <p>We scanned people’s brains with high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while they performed a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_square">Latin squares task</a>, which is similar to a Sudoku puzzle but uses shapes instead of numbers. Anyone who has played Sudoku before their morning coffee knows how much focus and concentration is required to solve it.</p> <p>The idea behind the Latin squares task is to identify the missing shape in a particular location in a grid, given that each shape can only show up once in each row and column. We created three different levels of difficulty, defined by how many different rows and columns needed to be inspected to arrive at the correct answer.</p> <p><strong>Directing traffic</strong></p> <p>Our prediction was that performing the more difficult versions of the task would lead to a reconfiguration of the low-dimensional manifold. To return to the highway analogy, a tricky task might pull some brain activity off the highway and onto the back streets to help get around the congestion.</p> <p>Our results confirmed our predictions. More difficult trials showed different patterns of brain activation to easy ones, as if the brain’s traffic was being rerouted along different roads. The trickier the task, the more the patterns changed.</p> <p>What’s more, we also found a link between these changed brain activation patterns and the increased likelihood of making a mistake on the harder version of the Latin Squares test.</p> <p>In a way, attempting a difficult task is like trying out a new rat run on your morning commute – you might succeed, but in your haste and stress you might also be more likely to take a wrong turn.</p> <p>Overall, these results suggests that our brain activity perhaps isn’t as complicated as we once thought. Most of the time, our brain is directing traffic along pretty well-established routes, and even when it needs to get creative it is still trying to send the traffic to the same ultimate destination.</p> <p>This leaves us with an important question: how does the brain achieve this level of coordination?</p> <p>One possibility is that this function is fulfilled by the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/thalamus">thalamus</a>, a structure that lies deep in the brain but is connected to almost the entire rest of the brain.</p> <p>Importantly, the circuitry of the thalamus is such that it can act as a filter for ongoing activity in the cerebral cortex, the brain’s main information processing centre, and therefore could exert the kind of influence we were looking for.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/298044/original/file-20191022-28112-nv7utl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/298044/original/file-20191022-28112-nv7utl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <em><span class="caption">Positions of the thalamus and the cerebral cortex within the brain.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pikovit/Shutterstock</span></span></em></p> <p>Patterns of activity in the thalamus are hard to decipher in traditional neuroimaging experiments. But fortunately, the <a href="https://cai.centre.uq.edu.au/facilities/human-imaging/7t-magnetom">high-resolution MRI scanner used in our study</a> collected by my colleagues Luca Cocchi and Luke Hearne allowed us to observe them in detail.</p> <p> </p> <p>Sure enough, we saw a clear link between activity in the thalamus and the flow of activity in the low-dimensional manifold. This suggests that when performing particular tasks, the thalamus helps to shape and constrain the activity in the cortex, a bit like a police officer directing busy traffic.</p> <p>So next time you sit down to play Sudoku, spare a thought for your thalamus, and the low-dimensional manifold that it helps to create. Together, they’re shaping the brain activity that will ultimately help you solve the puzzle.<!-- 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; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/124891/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><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/james-shine-730758">James Shine</a>, Robinson Fellow, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a></em></span></p> <p>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/your-brain-approaches-tricky-tasks-in-a-surprisingly-simple-way-124891">original article</a>.</p>

Mind

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Spot the serial killer: Fan in The Stands takes a surprisingly dark turn

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>The NRL is still finding ways to delight fans from their homes as they’re currently not allowed to attend matches due to coronavirus.</p> <p>Luckily, the NRL have been running a Fan in The Stands promotion, which gives fans the opportunity to buy a cardboard cut-out to fil out the seat in the stadiums.</p> <p>For $22, fans can pay to have their likeness or any image they send in the crowd at an NRL game.</p> <p>Naturally, some fans have been taking advantage by getting their dog in on the action.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">My dog was just on national TV. Best $22 I've ever spent <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NRLRoostersSouths?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NRLRoostersSouths</a> <a href="https://t.co/YaKXNWdATX">pic.twitter.com/YaKXNWdATX</a></p> — Matt Bungard (@TheMattBungard) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheMattBungard/status/1266312156716232704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2020</a></blockquote> <p>On Sunday’s match between the Penrith Panthers and the Newcastle Knights, fans were quick to realise that amongst the die-hard cardboard cut-out fans, there was also a serial killer.</p> <p>Reddit pointed out that Harold Fredrick Shipman made an appearance on top of a Canberra Raiders cut out.</p> <p>Shipman was an English doctor believed to be the most prolific serial killer in history, with estimates that he may have had more than 250 victims. He was found guilty of murder of 15 patients in 2000, but took his own life in 2004 after being sentenced to life in prison.</p> <p>Some saw the lighter side to it, but others thought it was disrespectful to the families of the deceased.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Dr Harold Shipman taking his dog to the <a href="https://twitter.com/NRL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NRL</a> today. Dominic Cummings was there on Thursday. Whoever is doing this is genius 😂😂😂 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Penrith?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Penrith</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/newcastleknights?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#newcastleknights</a> <a href="https://t.co/1YKolNh0v7">pic.twitter.com/1YKolNh0v7</a></p> — Steve Robins (@Robins79) <a href="https://twitter.com/Robins79/status/1267017814243708928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2020</a></blockquote> <p>NRL head of marketing Peter Jarmain still supports the cardboard cut-outs, saying it is good for the players and clubs.</p> <p>“We wanted to make sure the lifeblood of the NRL, our members and fans, had the chance to pull on their jerseys, don their club colours and support in a really fun way,”<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.nrl.com/news/2020/05/29/cant-get-to-game-fan-in-stand-the-next-best-thing/" target="_blank">he said, according to NRL.com</a>.</p> <p>“I know the players and clubs will appreciate the support, even if the fans aren’t able to shout, celebrate and jump around for the tries and hits as they usually would.”</p> <p><em>Hero image credit:</em><a rel="noopener" href="https://twitter.com/TheMattBungard/status/1266312156716232704" target="_blank"><em><span> </span></em><em>Matt Bungard</em></a></p> </div> </div> </div>

News

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5 places you can surprisingly get skin cancer that aren’t on your skin

<p>Skin cancer is highly treatable if caught early so make sure you’re checking these surprising spots and symptoms of skin cancer.</p> <p><strong>1. Hidden in a tattoo</strong></p> <p>People with tattoos understandably like to show them off, which usually means plenty of sun exposure. There’s a popular myth that big tattoos can act as a sunscreen but not only is that untrue, some ink colour – particularly white – can actually intensify sun damage. In addition, the ink can mask common symptoms of skin cancer like moles that change colour or a bumpy lesion. So if you want to make sure all your skin stays as pretty as (your) pictures, make sure to pay close attention to your skin under the tattoos and always wear sunscreen.</p> <p><strong>2. Between your toes</strong></p> <p>Eeeny, meeny, miney, moe, catch a cancer on your toe? People often forget to put sunscreen on their feet, even when they’re in sandals all summer. And while a mole gone rogue on the top of your foot would likely catch your eye, many people don’t think to look in places like between your toes and on the soles of your feet. Moles on the feet need to be evaluated just like moles on any other part of your body, Dr. Stahr says, using the ABCDE method: Asymmetry, irregular Border, uneven or multiple Colours, Diameter bigger than a pencil eraser, Evolving or changing. Your scalp and ears are other critical spots you forget to put sunscreen on too.</p> <p><strong>3. Your anus</strong></p> <p>It’s rare, but there have been cases of melanoma around the anus, inside the anus, and even inside the gastrointestinal tract, says Dr. Awadalla. Since it’s hard to check places where the sun literally never shines, it’s important to be on the lookout for other symptoms like blood in your faeces, pain during evacuation, or persistent changes in your bowel movements.</p> <p><strong>4. Your hair</strong></p> <p>Skin cancer on the scalp is a double whammy: Not only is it one of the most common places to get the disease but thanks to your hair it’s often missed, ignored, or mistaken for something else like dandruff. “If anything is growing, itching, burning, or bleeding, it should be evaluated by a physician,” Dr. Stahr says. Even if it turns out to be something like psoriasis, dandruff, or ringworm, dermatologists are well-equipped to deal with those conditions too. In addition, it’s a good idea to make friends with your hairdresser as they are often the first notice new or changes moles on the scalp.</p> <p><strong>5. Under your tongue</strong></p> <p>Ever wonder why your dentist lifts up your tongue and gives it a good look underneath and around the sides? One reason is that it is possible to get melanoma on your tongue. Even though you likely aren’t getting much sun exposure in your mouth, it is possible if the cancer has metastasised. And odds of getting any kind of cancer on your tongue or inside your mouth greatly increases if you smoke. So make sure you’re keeping up with your dental check-ups and ditch the cigarettes.</p> <p><em>Written by</em> <em>Charlotte Hilton Andersen. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/articles/health/wellbeing/10-sneaky-places-you-can-get-skin-cancer-(that-aren%E2%80%99t-on-your-skin).aspx">Wyza.com.au.</a></em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Today show's Stevie Jacobs reveals the surprisingly sweet reason he was cut

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p><em>Today</em><span> </span>show weatherman Stevie Jacobs has broken his silence after being dropped from the breakfast show’s 2020 line up.</p> <p>The weatherman was one of the casualties when Nine announced a range of changes to<span> </span><em>Today, Today Extra<span> </span></em>and<span> </span><em>Weekend Today</em>.</p> <p>He revealed why he wasn’t in the line up via a touching post on Instagram.</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/B6OeGFchrPX/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B6OeGFchrPX/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">Hello Goodbye. One of my most cherished moments on Today. I want to say a sincere thank you to everyone for the incredible warm messages of support. Today has been my home for almost 15 years and I love the program and my colleagues dearly. Sadly I can’t commit to the future travel requirements of the job and have to put my beautiful daughters first. They are my world, my life and my joy. I hope to see you all back on the tellie soon. I couldn’t be more proud of my achievements or more grateful for the opportunities I’ve had with Nine. I will miss my morning family madly and wish the new team all the best for 2020 and beyond. A special thanks to my weather crew who are like brothers to me. We have had some amazing adventures. Looking forward to having breakfast with my girls and doing school drop off. Not going to miss that alarm. Thanks for the love and thanks for the laughs. It’s been an incredible ride and I am a lucky man. @thetodayshow</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/sjweather/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Steven Jacobs</a> (@sjweather) on Dec 18, 2019 at 11:49am PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“Sadly I can’t commit to the future travel requirements of the job and have to put my beautiful daughters first,” he wrote. “They are my world, my life and my joy … Looking forward to having breakfast with my girls and doing school drop off.”</p> <p>Jacobs has two daughters from his seven-year marriage to Rose Jacobs.</p> <p>In the post, he also thanked the<span> </span><em>Today</em><span> </span>show, which he’s been a part of for a whopping 15 years.</p> <p>“I love the program and my colleagues dearly,” the Channel 9 star wrote. “I couldn’t be more proud of my achievements or more grateful for the opportunities I’ve had with Nine. I will miss my morning family madly and wish the new team all the best for 2020 and beyond.</p> <p>“Thanks for the love and thanks for the laughs. It’s been an incredible ride and I am a lucky man.”</p> <p>It appears that Jacobs had no idea about the announcement, as<span> </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/morning-shows/stevie-jacobs-explains-why-he-was-cut-from-the-today-show/news-story/2612cf95c01202a26b0473c5fa5d75f8" target="_blank">news.com.au</a></em><span> </span>understands that he was “blindsided”.</p> <p>In a statement, Channel 9 said that Jacobs “will be leaving the<span> </span><em>Today<span> </span></em>team but may work on future projects with the network”.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div> <div class="post-actions-component"> <div class="upper-row"><span class="like-bar-component"></span> <div class="watched-bookmark-container"></div> </div> </div> </div>

TV

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The surprisingly ruthless approach Princess Diana took to her wedding guest list

<p><span>The wedding of the Prince of Wales to Lady Diana Spencer was one of the most watched events in royal history, attracting an audience of 750 million people around the globe.</span><span> </span></p> <p>Therefore, it’s safe to say that if you received an invitation to the wedding at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, you were of great importance to the Crown or to the couple.</p> <p>The royal guest list included 2,000 people, but Lady Diana’s family were only allowed to invite a small percentage of attendees.</p> <p>According to a late royal biographer, Lady Diana was ruthless in deciding who made the cut.</p> <p>Journalist and historian Kenneth Rose observed major events of the 20th Century closely and recorded them in his journals.<span> </span>Who Loses, Who Wins: The Journals of Kenneth Rose: Volume Two 1979 – 2014<span> </span>has now been released after Roses’ death in 2014.</p> <p>In an entry dated August 8, 1981, Rose wrote about the royal wedding, according to<span> </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://people.com/royals/10-bombshells-from-royal-biographers-secret-diary-including-service-to-lay-dianas-ghost-to-rest/" target="_blank">People</a>.</em></p> <p>"The Spencers were given 50 seats for St Paul's.</p> <p>"When Johnnie [Princess Diana's father] showed Diana his draft list, she crossed out all the family who had not bothered to come to the weddings of her sisters!</p> <p>"One day she will be very formidable."</p> <p>However, it wasn’t all sunshine and roses in Roses’ journals as by the summer of her wedding year, Diana’s boredom became clear to visitors of Balmoral.</p> <p>“The Prince [Charles] goes out at nine to shoot or fish, and she does not see him again until seven,” wrote Rose. [Duke Hussey who was married to the Queen’s lady-in-waiting] “wonders if he will make a sufficiently good king: he thinks not. The prince is too immature, and the contrast with the firm style of the Queen will be most marked.”</p>

News

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The surprisingly normal way royals plan their get-togethers

<p>The royal family may enjoy the luxurious lifestyle that comes with being born into nobility – but when it comes to sharing news and planning get-togethers, they use the same method as any regular family.</p> <p>In an interview with <a rel="noopener" href="/itv.com/goodmorningbritain/news/mike-tindall-says-whatsapp-group-with-harry-and-meghan-helps-royals-plan-playdates" target="_blank"><em>Good Morning Britain</em></a>, the Queen’s grandson-in-law Mike Tindall revealed that the royal family uses a WhatsApp group to organise their gatherings.</p> <p>“It’s just what you do to try and set up get-togethers, or if we are going to something that is the same,” said Tindall.</p> <p>“If you are going to go, ‘Are you going to take the kids?’ Quite a lot of people have family WhatsApp groups. I don’t think it’s a new revelation.”</p> <p>Tindall, who is married to the Queen’s granddaughter Zara Tindall, confirmed that he found out about the birth of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s first child Archie Mountbatten-Windsor through the WhatsApp group chat.</p> <p>When asked if he has had the chance to see the baby, Tindall said: “No, we still haven’t managed to get together yet. Everyone seems to think that we’ve all been round but it’s just not that way is it?</p> <p>“Hopefully, we will get to see him soon, but it just doesn’t work that way. But at least he’s happy and healthy and they’re happy.”</p> <p>In an interview with <em><a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/royal-family-joint-whatsapp-group-13710808">Mirror Online</a> </em>last year, the former rugby union player said he was in WhatsApp groups with some of the royal family members due to his wife’s cousin relation to Prince William and Prince Harry.</p> <p>“Me, my brother, and then a few of Zara’s side like her brother Pete and the cousins are on WhatsApp groups,” he said.</p> <p>“I wouldn’t say we’re cutting edge, but it’s just easier for some reason on WhatsApp.”</p>

News

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Iconic pregnancy style secrets: Duchess Meghan's surprisingly simple fashion rules

<p>The Duchess of Sussex has made a great impact on the fashion world throughout her journey as a royal. And this has not changed with her first pregnancy – in fact, her maternity style for the past nine months has impressed fans as she continues to dress her baby bump with sophistication and elegance.</p> <p>To do this, Duchess Meghan relies on three key fashion rules, which anyone can follow and incorporate into their everyday style and wardrobe.</p> <p><strong>1. Blazers</strong></p> <p>While maternity clothes might prioritise stretch and casualness for comfort, the Duchess has managed to retain the classy and polished ‘royal’ look with the help of blazers.</p> <p><strong>2. Coats</strong></p> <p>As one of the classic royal staples, coats have always been an important part of Duchess Meghan’s look for various occasions, be it public engagements, overseas outings or formal parties.</p> <p><strong>3. Stiletto pumps</strong></p> <p>The Duchess is rarely seen without her stiletto pumps that serve as the cherry on top of her chic outfits.</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery above to see Duchess Meghan flawlessly showcase these three fashion rules on a regular basis. </p>

Beauty & Style

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The $11 Bunnings hack that is a surprisingly effective toilet cleaner

<p>A local Sydney woman had tried everything from Coke to citrus when she was scrubbing to clean her toilet.</p> <p>As the toilet hadn’t been cleaned since before she moved in three months ago, she had tried every hack available to try and get the stained toilet bowl nice and clean.</p> <p>The Sydney local had just about given up hope until she came across this $11 product from Bunnings and some steel wool. It worked so well she took to her Facebook page to document the success.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7822645/dirty-toilet.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/a509f5c33e074a4d8b1ad91ca041e43b" /></p> <p>“Tried Coke (nothing), tried citric acid (nothing), tried Scalex and it did change but it didn't help much.</p> <p>“Then yesterday I tried a very strong mix of Scalex and this steel wool thing,” she continued.</p> <p>“In less than 10 minutes (pretty hard scrubbing), it now looks like this.”</p> <p>Her friends rallied around her success as well as sharing some tips and tricks of their own.</p> <p>“Scalex works best if you add hot water to the toilet,” one woman stated before adding, “Your toilet looks great.</p> <p>“Mine is 25 years old and it's just starting to get harder and harder to clean now. But I love Scalex, it's a little bit of magic.”</p> <p>Another friend left a comment with a warning about using Scalex too much, saying, “If you scrub the glaze off the bowl it will stain quicker and make it harder to clean so be careful.”</p> <p>What are some tips and tricks you use to keep your toilet bowl clean? Is Scalex a product you’ve used before? Let us know in the comments.</p>

Home & Garden

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Jessica Rowe opens up about her struggle with surprisingly common health condition

<p>Former <em>Studio 10</em> host Jessica Rowe has candidly opened up about an embarrassing health condition.</p> <p>"I suffer from excess sweating," she tells <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.nowtolove.com.au/health/body/jessica-rowe-reveals-struggle-with-excess-sweating-46418">Now To Love</a></span></strong>, adding, "It isn't glamorous, it isn't something you talk about with a lot of people, but it's something you have to keep trying to manage."</p> <p>Excess sweating, clinically known as hyperhidrosis, is far more common than many people believe – but it’s a condition that few people talk openly about.</p> <p>Jess first noticed she was experiencing excess sweating in her early 20s when she was working as a news reader for Channel 10.</p> <p>"I would get really sweaty armpits and big dark patches. Initially I thought, 'Oh, I'm just a bit hot.' But it would still happen on cold days," she recalls.</p> <p>Jess remembers how desperate she was to hide the problem. She tried everything from deodorant so strong that it would cause her skin to burn to drying her armpits with a hair dryer in-between ad breaks while on TV. She even tried to put sanitary pads in her jacket.</p> <p>"My mum suggested I put sanitary pads in my jacket. But it didn't work! All it did was give me fat armpits!" she laughs.</p> <p>"I tried everything until I got to the point where I thought, 'There's got to be something else'. And that's when I went and spoke to my dermatologist about my options," says Jess, who finally found relief from sweating from Botox injections in her armpits.</p> <p>Botox injections is a common treatment for excess sweating as it temporarily blocks the chemical signals from the nerves that stimulate sweat glands.</p> <p>Jess also admits she suffers from clammy palms: "I'm always conscious of wiping my hands before shaking someone's hand."</p> <p>And as to why she’s been so open about the unglamorous topic of sweating.</p> <p>"Why not!" she jokes, adding: "Because it's something that has impacted on me and has continued to. It's surprisingly common, I didn't actually realise how common it is."</p> <p>"I think it's just important for people to know that if there is a part of you that is concerned, talk to your GP about it."</p> <p> </p>

Body

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7 classic songs with surprisingly inappropriate lyrics

<p>If you’re like us, when you listen to music you aren’t focused too much on the lyrics – if you like a song, you like it, right? Well, the next time you’re listening to one of your favourites, pay close attention to the lyrics – you might be surprised to learn what the song’s really about.</p> <p>With this in mind, a Reddit user asked the online community the following question: “What classic song is widely accepted, but upon closer look, completely inappropriate?”</p> <p>As it turns out, there’s a lot of them. Here are some of the most surprising responses.</p> <p><strong>1. “Waltzing Matilda”by Banjo Paterson</strong> – “It’s about a man that commits suicide after he was accused of stealing and eating a goat. He drowns himself and haunts the bog afterwards.”</p> <p><strong>2. “One Way or Another” by Blondie</strong> – “It’s actually a song Debbie Harry wrote about an ex-boyfriend that was stalking her.”</p> <p><strong>3. “Oh My Darling, Clementine” (traditional American folk song)</strong> – “Oh My Darling, Clementine. It’s an oldie but a song that many people know. The song is about a girl who slips and drowns in a quarry, and her father isn’t a good swimmer so he is unable to rescue her in time. He then commits suicide. The end.”</p> <p><strong>4. “Born in the USA” by Bruce Springsteen</strong> – “Most people see it as this patriotic song and play it on July 4th and stuff but it's an ironic, somewhat bitter anti-US Vietnam War song. It's inappropriate because of the settings you typically find it playing - yay America! parties, political rallies, etc.”</p> <p><strong>5. “Every Breath You Take” by The Police</strong> – “This one even baffles Sting. He had written it to be about a stalker, something menacing and threatening... and people listen to it as it it’s a love song.”</p> <p><strong>6. “99 Luftballons (99 Red Balloons)” by Nena</strong> – “It sounds pretty childish and very happy... It’s about nuclear Armageddon.”</p> <p><strong>7. “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” by Rupert Holmes</strong> – “The wife writes an ad about cheating on her husband and taking a vacation, the husband (not knowing it was her) replies to it, wanting to cheat on his wife and take a vacation. They meet at a bar, recognise each other, and laugh, ‘Oh, it’s you!’ And then they go on said vacation.</p> <p>Tell us in the comments below, what’s your favourite song?</p>

Music

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9 hotel amenities that are (surprisingly) free

<p>Gone are the days where you’re up the creek without a paddle when forgetting your toothbrush. Hotels have a range of amenities that are 100 per cent free, that are perfect for every type of hotel guest from the forgetful to the thrifty.</p> <p>To see these free hotel amenities, <strong>scroll through the gallery above</strong>.</p> <p>Were you aware these amenities are free?</p> <p><em><strong>Have you arranged your travel insurance yet? Save money with Over60 Travel Insurance. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://elevate.agatravelinsurance.com.au/oversixty?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_medium=content&amp;utm_content=link1&amp;utm_campaign=travel-insurance" target="_blank">To arrange a quote, click here.</a></span> Or for more information, call 1800 622 966.</strong></em></p>

International Travel

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10 Aussie island escapes that are surprisingly affordable

<p>Want to live the island life on a budget? These are the islands for you.</p> <p><strong>1. Fitzroy Island, QLD</strong></p> <p>Off the coast from Cairns, Fitzroy is one of the most unspoilt islands on the Great Barrier Reef. It’s great for both ocean adventures and inland hiking, with a stunning fringing reef that’s perfect for both beginners and experts. It’s an easy day trip or there’s one reasonably prices resort on the island.</p> <p><strong>2. Bremer Island, NT</strong></p> <p>Sitting just off the northeastern tip of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, Bremer Island is a back to basics unexplored paradise. You’ll sleep in tents and use shared bathroom facilities, but be rewarded with some of the best fishing in the country and authentic interactions with the local Yolngu people.</p> <p><strong>3. Cocos Islands, WA</strong></p> <p>This pristine piece of paradise is around 3,000 kilometres northwest of Perth with Oscar-worthy white sand beaches and turquoise water. Tourism is largely unknown in Cocos, so once you’re here you’ll find great value resorts and barely another traveller to be seen.</p> <p><strong>4. Picnic Island, TAS</strong></p> <p>There’s plenty of super luxe accommodation in Tassie, but you can have your own private island experience at a reasonable price on Picnic Island just around the corner from the legendary Wineglass Bay. There’s exclusive accommodation for 10 guests and each night the island comes alive with penguins tottering ashore.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong><img width="498" height="245" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/41184/image__498x245.jpg" alt="Image_ (416)"/></strong></p> <p><strong>5. Lady Elliot Island, QLD</strong></p> <p>One of the few true coral cays in the Great Barrier Reef, Lady Elliot Island is a wildlife wonderland with an abundance of turtles, manta rays and more populating the surrounding waters. There’s only one resort on the island, an unpretentious eco property with simple and affordable rooms.</p> <p><strong>6. Christmas Island</strong></p> <p>Just south of Java, Indonesia, in the depths of the Indian Ocean, Christmas Island is one of the most far flung Australian territories. It’s also a natural wonder and scuba diving mecca, all available for around half what you would pay in popular places like the Whitsundays.</p> <p><strong>7. Fraser Island, QLD</strong></p> <p>The largest sand island in the world is just off the coast from Hervey Bay and is a stunning sweep of beaches, four wheel drive tracks and rocky outlooks. The resorts on the island are pretty pricey, but most people come here to camp. Pitch a tent at a gorgeous sandy campsite and soak it all in for practically nothing.</p> <p><strong>8. King Island, TAS</strong><br />What's not to love about an island that’s best known for its cheese? Floating in the Bass Strait between Victoria and Tasmania, King Island is a rugged little patch of land surrounded by stunning beaches and growing some of the tastiest produce in the country.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="498" height="245" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/41185/image__498x245.jpg" alt="Image_ (417)"/> </p> <p><strong>9. Rottnest Island, WA</strong></p> <p>Around 20 kilometres off the coast from Fremantle, Rotto is the favourite island getaway for all West Australians. It’s a flat, sandy outcrop dotted with secluded beaches, winding bike paths and friendly quokkas. Plus there’s lot of cheap self-contained accommodation and campsites.</p> <p><strong>10. Magnetic Island, QLD</strong></p> <p>A 25-minute ferry ride from Townsville, Magnetic Island is in the northern half of the Great Barrier Reef and is the perfect place for a laid back Queensland break. Half the island is national park, making for great hiking, as well as excellent snorkelling and diving offshore. Accommodation options range from camping to budget holiday homes and classic island resorts.</p>

International Travel

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9 surprisingly low movie star salaries

<p>It is no surprise that actors who have movie star status make a gigantic amount of money for the work they do.</p> <p>Despite the genre, studios are willing to fork out millions to pay a famous actor for featuring in their next blockbuster hit.</p> <p>Every time actor Robert Downey Jr appears as Iron Man he makes around $50 million. However, this is not the case for all movie stars. These household names have settled on surprisingly salaries in the past.</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery above to see which actors feature on the list.</p> <p>Does it surprise you that these actors appear on this list? Let us know in the comments below. </p>

Movies

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The surprisingly strict rules and regulations about bringing souvenirs home

<p>Australia has some of the most highly-regulated borders in the world and while souvenirs are a great way to remember your trip, bringing the wrong one back can lead to a grilling from a customs official, hefty on the spot fine or even worse, prosecution.</p> <p>So before you buy that katana sword, mosquito zapper or 10kg of beef that caught your eye in an overseas market, read this guide to what you can and can’t bring home.</p> <p><strong>Restrictions</strong></p> <p>The following items are completely restricted (and let’s be honest wouldn’t really make that good a souvenir anyway) and must be declared on arrival. They include:</p> <ul> <li>Firearms, weapons and ammunition</li> <li>Performance and image enhancing drugs</li> <li>Medicines. This includes prescription, alternative and herbal medicines as well as vitamins and mineral preparation formulas</li> <li>Currency, when you’re carrying AUD $10,000 or a foreign equivalent</li> <li>Protected wildlife (things like coral, orchids, caviar) and hunting trophies</li> <li>Agricultural and veterinary chemical products</li> <li>Goods that may be heritage listed, like works of art, stamps and coins</li> </ul> <p><strong>Limits</strong></p> <p>The following item categories may be taken back in Australia, but there are strict limits on the amount of the material you’re allowed to take that will be enforced by customs:</p> <ul> <li>Duty free products – the duty free limits for adults are items to the value of $900 and for children items to the value of $450. You’re not allowed to take more than 2.25 litres of alcohol and you’re not allowed to take more than 50 cigarettes or 50g of tobacco</li> <li>Market goods &amp; shopping – the rules are varied, depending on the items. You’re allowed to bring back katana swords, swords and bayonets and multi-tool knifes, but you’re definitely not allowed to bring back blowguns, electric shock devices, fireworks, fake designer goods and pirated DVDS. There are also various restrictions and limits that apply to laser pointers, leather and bone goods, mosquito zappers and items that are wooden or woven.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Top 20 most-confiscated goods:</strong></p> <p>The Department of Immigration has also provided a list of the top 20 most-confiscated goods for people coming back into Australia. So it goes without saying if you’re coming back into the country with one of these items in your luggage you might be setting yourself up for an interesting discussion with the folks at customs.</p> <p>1. Laser pointers</p> <p>2. Food &amp; drink</p> <p>3. Electric shock devices</p> <p>4. Blow guns or blow pipes</p> <p>5. Flick knives</p> <p>6. Knuckle dusters</p> <p>7. Extendable batons</p> <p>8. Throwing blades</p> <p>9. Daggers</p> <p>10. Nunchakus</p> <p>11. Pepper sprays</p> <p>12. Arm brace slingshots</p> <p>13. Concealed blades</p> <p>14. Steroids</p> <p>15. Wooden and woven items</p> <p>16. Soft air BB guns</p> <p>17. Sedatives</p> <p>18. Hormones</p> <p>19. Illegal porn</p> <p>20. Leather, fur, horns, bones (fully tanned leather is ok)</p> <p><em><strong>No matter where you’re travelling to, making sure you know how to access your cash while away – and in the most affordable way – is very important. Easy to use and with countless benefits, the Over60 Cash Passport allows you to securely access your cash in the same way you use an ATM or credit card­. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://oversixty.cashpassport.com.au" target="_blank">To apply for a card today, click here.</a></span></strong></em></p> <p><strong><em>Have you arranged your travel insurance yet? Tailor your cover to your needs and save money by not paying for things you don’t need. <a href="https://elevate.agatravelinsurance.com.au/oversixty?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_medium=content&amp;utm_content=link1&amp;utm_campaign=travel-insurance" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Click here to read more about Over60 Travel Insurance</span></a>.</em></strong></p> <p><strong><em>For more information about Over60 Travel Insurance, call 1800 622 966.</em></strong></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/travel/international-travel/2015/12/largest-flower-garden-in-the-world/">14 images from the world’s largest flower garden</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/travel/international-travel/2016/01/how-i-drove-a-motorhome-around-the-world/">When I retired I drove a motorhome around the world</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/travel/international-travel/2016/01/odd-and-amazing-toilets-from-around-the-world/">12 odd (but amazing) toilets from around the world</a></strong></em></span></p>

Travel Tips

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4 habits that are surprisingly bad for your teeth

<p>While we’d never go weeks without taking a shower or eating, why is it that so many of us are guilty at neglecting our teeth every day? Just as much as taking care of your teeth is about keeping them clean and your breath fresh, it’s also about preventative maintenance. How many of these bad oral health habits are you guilty of? Tips on how to nix these behaviours included</p><p><strong>Not visiting the dentist enough</strong></p><p>Even if you think you go above and beyond when looking after your oral health – think brushing, flossing, and even use a special set of dental tools remove plaque – that still doesn’t mean you can skip your yearly cleaning at the dentist’s office. Make sure to schedule an appointment at least once a year.</p><p><strong>Brushing from side to side</strong></p><p>If you clean your teeth twice a day you deserve a pat on the back, right? Simply sticking a toothbrush in your mouth and moving it around is not enough. Good tooth brushing requires a certain technique. This does not involve any side-to-side action. Rather you’ll want to go in small circles. Forceful side-to-side brushing combined with an abrasive toothpaste can actually damage the teeth. You also need to ensure you brush along the gum line and the back of your teeth&nbsp;to loosen bacteria. Another big brushing mistake? Not doing it for long enough. While most people would’ve heard that the ideal length of time is two minutes, this is an arbitrary number, rather you should brush until you completely get all sides of every single tooth.</p><p><strong>Using a non-fluoride toothpaste</strong></p><p>Not all toothpastes are created equal! Some toothpastes, especially natural ones, brand themselves as fluoride-free, even though you need fluoride to achieve the healthiest mouth possible. Fluoride is essential because unless you remove absolutely every bit of plaque each day, fluoride can help replace the minerals worn away by bacteria-produced acid.</p><p><strong>Chewing on ice</strong></p><p>While chewing ice can be very refreshing, given that teeth don’t have great fracture resistance, it’s not a good habit to get in. Furthermore, as ice will take your mouth from warm to cold – and this tends to make things expand and contract very slightly – it can be enough to put little micro-cracks in your enamel. You can get away with it for a while, but the little cracks in your teeth can build up and one day, a piece might just break off.</p>

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