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Old woman targeted and accused of shoplifting

<p>The photo of an elderly woman has sparked widespread outrage, as the older woman was targeted by police officers who accused her of shoplifting. </p> <p>A bystander snapped a photo of an old lady standing outside a Coles supermarket, as she was set upon by two police officer who began sifting through her shopping to check if she had stolen anything. </p> <p>Posting the photo to X, the bystander explained how the situation unfolded. </p> <p>"I just saw this poor old lady get arrested by police for shoplifting food," the post read. </p> <p>"I told them that I'll pay for her food and let her go and then I got threatened with being arrested for obstructing police. Boycott Coles and Woolworths."</p> <p>The pictures show the woman talking with police in the Melbourne CBD as a number of items from her shopping are placed on the ground.</p> <p>Commenters online quickly jumped to fury over the situation, defending the woman and calling for empathy for older people who are struggling financially.</p> <p>"This is so messed up. If people are forced to steal food, we need a better alternative," one said.</p> <p>"The elderly do not have enough to live on, pension rises are not covering food and  utility price rises and the government couldn't care less," another said.</p> <p>"In my neck of the woods, I see some elderly folk snacking on grapes in supermarkets. They are left alone to do so by staff," a third added.</p> <p>"Seems like some training in empathy and kindness is needed," added a fourth. </p> <p><em>Image credits: X (Twitter)</em></p>

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Grieving families targeted in callous gravesite robberies

<p>Four families in Victoria have been left devastated after the gravesites of their loved ones have been callously burgled. </p> <p>Maurice D'Alberti was visiting the grave of his son Adam at the Fawkner Memorial Park in North Melbourne when he noticed sentimental items had been taken. </p> <p>Adam passed away six years ago after a battle with cancer, and his father was visiting his son's resting place on what would've been his 10th birthday when he made the discovery that toy cars, along with an engraved ribbon and a photo of Adam were gone. </p> <p>"As a parent that's lost a child, we hang on to things, that they've touched, and things that they've loved," D'Alberti told <em><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/families-targeted-in-series-of-gravesite-robberies/39898523-e8cb-41c8-a5d5-2feb044492ba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">9News</a></em>.</p> <p>"You can't get any lower. He's already been robbed of his life and now he's been robbed of his possessions."</p> <p>At least three other graves had also been ransacked, with the families feeling "great distress" over the stolen items. </p> <p>Jake Maurici noticed that precious items had been taken from his father Vince's grave, and wants to see better security installed in the memorial park. </p> <p>Jake was devastated to learn that the brazen thieves had taken off with a football scarf and pins from his dad's grave, given their sentimental value to both him and his father as diehard Carlton fans. </p> <p>"Things I get emotional about, going to the footy with my dad... we did it when I was younger," he said.</p> <p>"Having stuff that was with him is what I remember him by."</p> <p>"I think the security needs to be improved...my mother comes here late at night," Maurici said.</p> <p>The families are calling on the culprits to do the right thing and return the stolen items.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Nine News</em></p>

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Bruce Lehrmann targeted at the cricket by vigilantes

<p>Bruce Lehrmann has been forced to flee the Sydney Cricket Ground after being targeted by four men who flung relentless abuse at him. </p> <p>The former Liberal staffer was attending the third Test match that saw Australia take on Pakistan at Sydney's Entertainment Quarter on Friday with his best friend, when the men started slinging insults at him. </p> <p>The four men, who appeared to be in their 30s, followed Lehrmann for roughly 300 metres while he was walking back to the SCG, as they taunted him over Brittany Higgins' rape allegations, mocking his physical appearance, trying to spit on him, and telling him to jump off the top bay.</p> <p>Despite always vehemently denying the rape allegations, the men shouted at Lehrmann saying, "Don't you know what consent is Bruce? You f***ing fat pr*ck."</p> <p>"Keep your d*** in your pants, f***ing rapist."</p> <p>After entering the SCG grounds, the men followed him up the escalator while continuing to insult him. </p> <p>"You up in the top bay?" they yelled. "You pr**k, jump off it - we will be ready to p*ss on you."</p> <p>A member of the group taunted him to "go back to your air conditioned mansion, you pr**k", adding that "Channel Seven will protect you".</p> <p>Mr Lehrmann's $2000-per-week rental property, on Sydney's northern beaches, was paid for by the TV network for a year in exchange for two exclusive interviews on its <em>Spotlight</em> program. </p> <p>Lehrmann was so shaken by the incident, that he and his friend fled the venue.</p> <p>Mr Lehrmann later described the incident as "abhorrent" and slammed the men for abusing him in front of children and their parents who were trying to enjoy the Pink Test, which is a special match to raise money for breast cancer.</p> <p>"The abhorrent physical and verbal abuse, threats and taunts from the idiots towards me are a reflection of the intellect and character of those blokes," he said. </p> <p>"What is most concerning is they thought it appropriate to hurl the profanity-laden abuse around dozens of children and families who, like me, simply wanted to enjoy a fun day at the cricket supporting Pink Test."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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Can I actually target areas to lose fat, like my belly?

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nick-fuller-219993">Nick Fuller</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a></em></p> <p>Spend some time scrolling social media and you’re all-but-guaranteed to see an ad promising to help you with targeted fat loss. These ads promote a concept known as “spot reduction”, claiming you can burn fat in a specific body area, usually the belly, with specially designed exercises or workouts.</p> <p>It’s also common to see ads touting special diets, pills and supplements that will blast fat in targeted areas. These ads – which often feature impressive before and after photos taken weeks apart – can seem believable.</p> <p>Unfortunately, spot reduction is another weight-loss myth. It’s simply not possible to target the location of fat loss. Here’s why.</p> <h2>1. Our bodies are hardwired to access and burn all our fat stores for energy</h2> <p>To understand why spot reduction is a myth, it’s important to understand how body fat is stored and used.</p> <p>The fat stored in our bodies takes the form of triglycerides, which are a type of lipid or fat molecule we can use for energy. Around 95% of the dietary fats <a href="https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/triglycerides">we consume are triglycerides</a>, and when we eat, our bodies also convert any unused energy consumed into triglycerides.</p> <p>Triglycerides are stored in special fat cells called adipocytes, and they’re released into our bloodstream and transported to adipose tissue – tissue we more commonly refer to as body fat.</p> <p>This body fat is found all over our bodies, but it’s primarily stored as subcutaneous fat under our skin and as visceral fat around our internal organs.</p> <p>These fat stores serve as a vital energy reserve, with our bodies mobilising to access stored triglycerides to provide energy during periods of prolonged exercise. We also draw on these reserves when we’re dieting and fasting.</p> <p>However, contrary to what many spot-reduction ads would have us think, our muscles can’t directly access and burn specific fat stores when we exercise.</p> <p>Instead, they use a process called lipolysis to convert triglycerides into free fatty acids and a compound called glycerol, which then travels to our muscles via our bloodstream.</p> <p>As a result, the fat stores we’re using for energy when we exercise come from everywhere in our bodies – not just the areas we’re targeting for fat loss.</p> <p>Research reinforces how our bodies burn fat when we exercise, confirming spot reduction is a weight-loss myth. This includes a randomised <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25766455/">12-week clinical trial</a> which found no greater improvement in reducing belly fat between people who undertook an abdominal resistance program in addition to changes in diet compared to those in the diet-only group.</p> <p>Further, <a href="https://www.termedia.pl/A-proposed-model-to-test-the-hypothesis-of-exerciseinduced-localized-fat-reduction-spot-reduction-including-a-systematic-review-with-meta-analysis,129,45538,0,1.html">a 2021 meta-analysis</a> of 13 studies involving more than 1,100 participants found that localised muscle training had no effect on localised fat deposits. That is, exercising a specific part of the body did not reduce fat in that part of the body.</p> <p><a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/7/3845">Studies</a> purporting to show spot-reduction benefits have small numbers of participants with results that aren’t clinically meaningful.</p> <h2>2. Our bodies decide where we store fat and where we lose it from first</h2> <p>Factors outside of our control influence the areas and order in which our bodies store and lose fat, namely:</p> <ul> <li> <p>our genes. Just as DNA prescribes whether we’re short or tall, genetics plays a significant role in how our fat stores are managed. Research shows our genes can account for <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24632736/">60% of where fat is distributed</a>. So, if your mum tends to store and lose weight from her face first, there’s a good chance you will, too</p> </li> <li> <p>our gender. Our bodies, by nature, have distinct fat storage characteristics <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11706283/">driven by our gender</a>, including females having more fat mass than males. This is primarily because the female body is designed to hold fat reserves to support pregnancy and nursing, with women tending to lose weight from their face, calves and arms first because they impact childbearing the least, while holding onto fat stored around the hips, thighs and buttocks</p> </li> <li> <p>our age. The ageing process triggers changes in muscle mass, metabolism, and hormone levels, which can impact where and how quickly fat is lost. Post-menopausal <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-menopause-making-me-put-on-weight-no-but-its-complicated-198308">women</a> and middle-aged <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/sex-differences-in-fat-storage-fat-metabolism-and-the-health-risks-from-obesity-possible-evolutionary-origins/00950AD6710FB3D0414B13EAA67D4327">men</a> tend to store visceral fat around the midsection and find it a stubborn place to shift fat from.</p> </li> </ul> <h2>3. Over-the-counter pills and supplements cannot effectively target fat loss</h2> <p>Most advertising for these pills and dietary supplements – including products claiming to be “the best way to lose belly fat” – will also proudly claim their product’s results are backed by “clinical trials” and “scientific evidence”.</p> <p>But the reality is a host of independent studies don’t support these claims.</p> <p>This includes two recent studies by the University of Sydney that examined data from more than 120 placebo-controlled trials of <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31984610/">herbal</a> and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33976376/">dietary</a> supplements. None of the supplements examined provided a clinically meaningful reduction in body weight among overweight or obese people.</p> <h2>The bottom line</h2> <p>Spot reduction is a myth – we can’t control where our bodies lose fat. But we can achieve the results we’re seeking in specific areas by targeting overall fat loss.</p> <p>While you may not lose the weight in a specific spot when exercising, all physical activity helps to burn body fat and preserve muscle mass. This will lead to a change in your body shape over time and it will also help you with long-term weight management.</p> <p>This is because your metabolic rate – how much energy you burn at rest – is determined by how much muscle and fat you carry. As muscle is more metabolically active than fat (meaning it burns more energy than fat), a person with a higher muscle mass will have a faster metabolic rate than someone of the same body weight with a higher fat mass.</p> <p>Successfully losing fat long term comes down to losing weight in small, manageable chunks you can sustain – periods of weight loss, followed by periods of weight maintenance, and so on, until you achieve your goal weight.</p> <p>It also requires gradual changes to your lifestyle (diet, exercise and sleep) to ensure you form habits that last a lifetime.</p> <p><em>At the Boden Group, Charles Perkins Centre, we are studying the science of obesity and running clinical trials for weight loss. You can <a href="https://redcap.sydney.edu.au/surveys/?s=RKTXPPPHKY">register here</a> to express your interest.</em><!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205203/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/nick-fuller-219993"><em>Nick Fuller</em></a><em>, Charles Perkins Centre Research Program Leader, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/can-i-actually-target-areas-to-lose-fat-like-my-belly-205203">original article</a>.</em></p>

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Armed masked men target Melbourne teen

<p>A teenager in Melbourne has been targeted by two masked men with machetes after arranging to meet up with them online to sell a bike he had posted on social media. </p> <p>The 16-year-old boy allegedly agreed to meet a man at a park in the suburb of Springvale South on August 8th to sell the bike.</p> <p>The boy then got out of his dad's ute to make the sale, as two men wearing black hoods and armed with a large machete approached the vehicle and tried to steal the bike. </p> <p>The two men were scared away after the boy's father got out of the car to approach them, leaving them empty handed.</p> <p>Luckily, no one was injured during the attack.</p> <p>Police have released video footage of the incident as they try to track down the masked males.</p> <p>The assailants are believed to be in their teens, approximately 170cm tall and were wearing full face coverings and non-distinctive clothing.</p> <p>Anyone who witnessed the incident or has dashcam/CCTV footage or information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report online at <a href="http://www.crimestoppersvic.com.au/">www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.</a></p> <p><em>Image credits: Victoria Police</em></p>

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Kmart and Target join forces to create mega discount stores

<p dir="ltr">Two of Australia’s favourite retail giants are about to get better in a huge merger creating a $10 billion discount giant.</p> <p dir="ltr">Wesfarmers is set to fold Target into Kmart with hopes that it will improve sales, provide better value for customers, and allow both stores to share backend technology.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ian Bailey the Managing Director of Kmart Group has said that there will be “no impact” to stores, and that the move was an "internal reorganisation".</p> <p dir="ltr">"With customers now demanding value more than ever, this new operating model will unlock a new level of scale and productivity across both brands, so we can deliver even greater value to our customers in the future," he said in a statement.</p> <p dir="ltr">"For store networks and 50,000 store team members – it's business as usual – as we continue to focus on providing the best value products to the thousands of customers in Australia and New Zealand who choose to shop at Kmart or Target every day."</p> <p dir="ltr">The move comes as the cost of living crisis is forcing more and more Aussies to be mindful of their spending habits.</p> <p dir="ltr">In a statement to the <em>The Australian Financial Review</em>, Bailey said that there would likely be “a handful of redundancies" but more jobs overall by next year.</p> <p dir="ltr">He added that one of the benefits of tighter integration and better technology is the ease in which the prices of products can be reduced.</p> <p dir="ltr">He said that the price drop on 1000 Kmart products this month was assisted by merchandise planning tools and a self-navigating inventory scanning robot.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Kmart and Target are both strong businesses. I don't see us doing this from a position of weakness. It's quite the opposite,” he told the publication.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I'd say we're strong, but I think there's an opportunity to really capitalise on this time and find ways to continue to deliver better value for customers."</p> <p dir="ltr">"What we found was that running two businesses it was very, very difficult to get the tech into Target, and to get those benefits. This is really why we decided to push the two businesses into one."</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Money & Banking

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Jimmy Barnes' wife targeted by pickpockets

<p>While Jimmy Barnes and his wife Jane travel around Europe enjoying summer on the other side of the world, they have encountered an all too common travel blunder. </p> <p>Jimmy took to Instagram while the pair were in Greece to share that his wife had been targeted by pickpockets. </p> <p>The 67-year-old rockstar shared that Jane had been robbed while on their holiday, losing her phone and money to audacious thieves.</p> <p>Jimmy shared a photo of Jane showing off her replacement phone, sharing what had transpired on their trip. </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/CuUMhmAhA0L/?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/CuUMhmAhA0L/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Jimmy Barnes (@jimmybarnesofficial)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“A bit of a travel update... [Jane's] phone and some euros got pinched out of her bag," he wrote</p> <p>“The good news... it’s all insured."</p> <p>“While she lost all her photos, her favourites are posted on socials."</p> <p>“She’s back in action with new phone and an eSIM, thanks to our high tech family and help back home."</p> <p>“All’s well that ends well,” he concluded his post. </p> <p>Fans flocked to the comment section to share that they were sorry to hear about the incident. </p> <p>“Glad to hear all is ok and Jane up and running with new phone,” one fan wrote.</p> <p>“Not a nice experience, but good family there to help and support. Enjoy the rest of your holiday!”</p> <p>Barnes’ previous post announced that they had arrived in Greece and had enjoyed a stunning night view of the Acropolis.</p> <p>Ironically, there were many comments on the post warning the couple about professional pickpockets operating in Greece. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

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“Enough is enough”: Karl's crime wave plea after family targeted

<p>A number of Aussies are resorting to hiring their own private security to watch over their properties while they sleep as the country faces a major crime wave.</p> <p>Within 24 hours, a teenager was stabbed to death in Melbourne’s northwest and three young offenders have been charged over Facebook Marketplace robberies in Queensland.</p> <p>As the crime problem continues to worsen, <em>Today</em> co-host Karl Stefanovic revealed his own family have been targeted.</p> <p>“Enough is enough,” he demanded.</p> <p>"This has happened to me, it's happened to my family, I've had kids come to my house, doing things and I've got them on tape," a disgruntled Stefanovic continued.</p> <p>"It is only relatively minor offences, but if it is getting to that level for me, it is getting to that level across the country - we keep having to talk about it, keeping saying we've got to do something about it and nothing happens.”</p> <p>Stefanovic also emphasised the colossal impact these targeted attacks have on families, regardless of whether it’s a home invasion, car theft or robbery on the street.</p> <p>“Whenever the crime comes to their doorstep, whenever someone breaks into their car, whenever something happens that's close to home, it has a tremendous psychological impact,” he said.</p> <p>He agreed with authorities discouraging vigilante activities as a solution, however, noted that the problem is only getting worse.</p> <p>"That's my big concern, that's the big concern for a lot of authorities in various states," he said.</p> <p>"I don't understand how authorities can't see how significant an impact this is having on the day-to-day life of people, law-abiding citizens at home.</p> <p>"It's not stopping and that's the problem."</p> <p><em>Image credit: 9News / Today</em></p>

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Backlash to new kids clothing line sees Target lose billions

<p dir="ltr">Target has lost billions in market valuation as its Pride-themed kids line continues to face backlash.</p> <p dir="ltr">Target shares were trading at $160.96 (A$246.18) a share, which means their market valuation was roughly around $74.3 billion (A$113 billion)</p> <p dir="ltr">The Minneapolis-based retailer’s stock value dropped drastically following the calls to boycott their “PRIDE” collection, at just $138.93 (A$212) a share as of Friday, which is a 14 per cent drop in value to around $64.2 billion (A$98 billion) , according to The New York Times.</p> <p dir="ltr">This roughly translates to a $10.1 billion (A$15 billion) loss in valuation.</p> <p dir="ltr">The plummet is the retailer's lowest stock price in nearly three years, and the last time any company’s stock plummeted this intensely was in 2022 after the stocks equalised during the pandemic.</p> <p dir="ltr">Target has since moved its Pride section away from the front of the store in some Southern states, following displays being knocked over by protesters, who also confronted the workers.</p> <p dir="ltr">They also said they would remove items from the collection but didn’t specify which ones.</p> <p dir="ltr">Some of the clothes receiving backlash were the rainbow-themed children’s clothing, and a “tuck-friendly” swimsuit for trans women, who have not yet had their gender-affirming surgeries, to conceal their genitalia.</p> <p dir="ltr">Target CEO Brian Cornell has defended the LBGTQ-friendly clothing line and has said that selling them was “the right thing for society.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Money & Banking

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Cruel myGov scam targeting unsuspecting Aussies

<p>A malicious scam is targeting unsuspecting Aussies struggling with the cost of living expenses promising them a one-off myGov payment to “help you cope” with the crisis.</p> <p>The scam text, shared to Reddit, claims to be from the government service, rather it works by tricking the recipient into sharing their personal details.</p> <p>The scam comes as calls continue to increase for the federal government to raise the rate of welfare payments, which currently see $49.50 per day for singles on JobSeeker and $40.20 per day for Youth Allowance.</p> <p>“myGov: We’re providing $800 in a single payment to help you cope with the cost of living crisis,” the scam text readers, with a link to a fault URL posing as the government service.</p> <p>The recipients of the message warned others to “be careful of this one”, expressing concerns over how easily the scam could deceive vulnerable Aussies struggling to stay afloat during the cost of living crisis.</p> <p>“I’m sure lots of people will fall for this,” one said.</p> <p>“Lucky their spoofed website doesn’t even work.”</p> <p>MyGov has issued several alerts warning people about various scams spoofing the service.</p> <p>Its advice for suspicious messages is to never reply, open any links or download any attachments.</p> <p>“myGov will never send you an email, SMS message, or direct message or private chat on social media, asking you to click on a link to sign in to myGov, enter your bank details, tell us your personal details, including your Customer Reference Number (CRN) or Tax File Number (TFN),” it said.</p> <p>Any customers who have shared their myGov details and other personal information to scammers should contact the Services Australia Scams and Identity Theft Helpdesk.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Reddit</em></p>

Money & Banking

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"Show some damn respect": Carrie Bickmore targeted by vile online trolls

<p dir="ltr">In a tale as old as time, strangers online have seen fit to make disgusting comments about a woman’s body.  </p> <p dir="ltr">When Carrie Bickmore took to social media to share some happy snaps from a day out with loved ones, the last thing on the minds of her fans was to nitpick how the presenter looked.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, for the trolls crawling from the internet sewers for their daily hatefest, that was the first - and only thing - they cared about. </p> <p dir="ltr">The images Carrie had opted to share were simple enough - two saw her jumping for joy alongside a forest path, and another saw her laughing with an arm around friend Fifi Box.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Forest fun for city girls,” Carrie captioned the series of pics. She went on to add that they’d driven an hour and a half to find their intended forest destination only to learn it was closed, before travelling another hour to an open one. The friends shared a picnic, a game of hide and seek with the kids, a milestone “first LEECH” encounter, and a touching photo credit to “a 4 year old.”</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-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpuqg9-PcWl/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;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/Cpuqg9-PcWl/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Carrie Bickmore (@bickmorecarrie)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Carrie was dressed comfortably for the adventure in an oversized hoodie and yellow bike shorts, Fifi in a red jacket and full-length leggings. But unfortunately, in the year of 2023, these simple and appropriate options didn’t sit well with the noisy few. </p> <p dir="ltr">Her supporters didn’t miss a beat, swarming her comments with positivity, all while calling out the “inappropriate, sexual” commentary invading her post. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Your 4 year old has taken beautiful pics of his Mum having fun and enjoying the long weekend. Great pics,” wrote one. “From all the good men out there, you rock Carrie and keep being you. You bring joy and happiness. Lots of love and support from us.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“Ffs [for f*** sake] it’s 2023 and there are still guys that think it’s ok to pass sexually inappropriate comments or body shame women all from the safety of their keyboards,” lamented another. “What if people were saying these things about your mother or sister or even daughter? It’s 2023 we must be better than that and treat all women with the respect they deserve. Beautiful photos Carrie.”</p> <p dir="ltr">When one man piped up to share his wildly inappropriate take, the second fan returned to the comments section, writing, “what gives you, me or anyone else the right to mock or embarrass others because of what they choose to wear or their clothes size? Especially people that hide behind a keyboard and have their settings set so they can not be mentioned or called out directly? </p> <p dir="ltr">“If a male chose to wear the same outfit and received similar vile comments then I would still stand up for them and their right to do so. The outfit is in no way offensive but some comments are very much so … I appreciate you have the right to your own opinion but not the fact that you use it in an attempt to make others feel bad. As I said previously, beautiful photos, Carrie.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“Some of you have children and here you are commenting on @bickmorecarrie's photos as if she is a slab of meat,” added another. “It’s disgusting. You’re grown men ffs. Show some damn respect.”</p> <p dir="ltr">And as one other put it, “jeeeeebus. Guess I never read your comments (sm comment sections are generally cesspools to be avoided imo [in my opinion] lol) so don't know if this is standard or because some folk can't seem to handle a woman in (entirely appropriate) close fitting attire but holy bejaysus some of the repulsiveness going on in here … hope you had as great a time as it looks like you did! absolute dote!”</p> <p dir="ltr">Images: Instagram</p>

Body

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New censorship target for "sensitivity readers"

<p>Enid Blyton is known around the world, across all generations, as the author behind the children’s classics <em>The Magic Faraway Tree</em>, <em>The Adventures of the Wishing Tree</em>, <em>Noddy</em>, and <em>The Famous Five</em>. </p> <p>And now, the late Blyton is also known as the latest author to face edits and rewrites at the hands of her publisher, Hodder Children’s Books. They have confirmed that they will be carrying out the work to remove “offensive terms” as part of their “ongoing process”. </p> <p>Such changes have made the news already in 2023 - people had a lot to say about proposed edits to Roald Dahl’s books. Edits like those to Dahl’s work, dubbed by critics as “woke”, see publishers rewriting older texts after feedback from sensitivity readers, and removing certain terms that are deemed to be offensive to modern audiences. </p> <p>According to a report by <em>The Australian</em>, an audiobook version of one of <em>The Famous Five</em> books, a collection of short stories, has undergone edits to remove the words “idiot”, “a**”, and “shut up”.</p> <p>One story sees cousins Julian, Dick, George, Anne, and their canine companion Timmy, investigate lights on the island - Kirrin Island - by George’s home. In a bid to get their adventure started, George wakes her cousin Anne, and Anne tells her “oh George, don’t be an a**.”</p> <p>In the new edition, Anne simply says “oh George.” </p> <p>Meanwhile, in the original text, Anne’s big brother - and George’s cousin - Julian, at one point tells George to “shut up” and “be sensible”. Now, Julian only tells her “George, be sensible.” </p> <p>Additionally, two other instances of characters being told “don’t be an idiot” have been removed.</p> <p>Those particular phrases still feature in a Hodder Children’s Books e-book version of the text, though “a**” remains unseen, substituted in this case with “idiot”. </p> <p>The publishing house previously faced backlash in 2010 when they put out “contemporary” adaptations of Blyton’s books, replacing the likes of “headmistress” with “teacher”.</p> <p>These revisions were seemingly put to rest when Hodder Children’s Books declared that they weren’t working. </p> <p>“The feedback we have had six years on shows that the love for The Famous Five remains intact, and changing mother to mummy, pullover to jumper, was not required,” Anne McNeil, their publishing director, explained to The Guardian in 2016. “We want Enid Blyton’s legacy to go on. Millions of readers have learned to read with her.”</p> <p>However, as a 2023 statement reads, the publisher’s parent company - Hachette UK - consider the edit of Blyton’s books to be an “ongoing process”, as part of their “intention to keep Enid Blyton’s books and stories at the heart of every childhood, as they have been for generations.” </p> <p>“To do so, we work to ensure that there are no offensive terms in the books - changing words where the definition is unclear in context and therefore the usage is confusing, and where words have been used in an inappropriate or offensive sense - while retaining the original language as far as is possible,” a spokesperson for the company said. “This enables a very wide international audience of children to enjoy the books, while also understanding that they were written and set in the past.</p> <p>“In new editions, we do not change language for the sake of modernising it. We retain old-fashioned terms such as ‘bathing-suit’ and references to pre-decimal currency. The books’ period setting is part of their charm and is enjoyed by readers of all ages.</p> <p>“Any historic changes previously made to new editions, which come under the category of ‘modernisation’ in this context, have been or are being restored to the original text at the point of reprint.”</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Legal

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"We're offering plenty": Kiwis targeted for job no Aussies want

<p>A Perth mining company has resorted to looking for workers from New Zealand after Aussies have continued to turn down roles that offer up to an enticing $300,000 salary per year – and that's for roughly six months of work in any standard 12 months.</p> <p>As a result, Mineral Resources has launched a brand new advertising campaign, geared up to attract Kiwi tradies, guaranteeing “a great pay packet”.</p> <p>“We’re offering plenty,” Mineral Resources CEO Mike Grey told NZ programme AM.</p> <p>“The incentives are amazing, and I have no doubt that our salaries double [New Zealand salaries]; in some examples, they triple.”</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-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/ClX7JZZv16i/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;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/ClX7JZZv16i/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Mineral Resources (@mineral_resources)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The mining business is on the hunt for new workers to fill a range of roles including: construction, mining, operations, unskilled labour and administration.</p> <p>The firm is also recruiting higher-paying roles such as mining engineers.</p> <p>One of the highest paying jobs on offer is for construction supervisors and superintendents who can earn up to $300,000 a year.</p> <p>Workers will be required to work on a fly-in, fly-out basis. They would be flying out of New Zealand to work the mines in Perth, with roughly half of the workforce only working for six months per year.</p> <p>It’s not the first time Australian mines have struggled to find workers for highly-paid roles. Earlier in 2022, mining services firm Thiess offered new staff members a $10,000 sign-on bonus and a $5000 bonus for a successful referral.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Money & Banking

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Restaurant owner praised for hiring policy that targets "oldies"

<p dir="ltr">Like many in the hospitality business, Barry Iddles was struggling to find staff to fill shifts at his restaurant 360Q in Queenscliff when he was struck by inspiration.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 67-year-old decided to put the call out to “oldies”, adding an invitation to retirees to come and work at his waterfront venue on the back of his winter postcards.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We sent out 42,000,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr"> “I put, ‘We’re recruiting – juniors, come and learn the skills of hospitality. Millennials, come and show us what you can do. And seniors and retirees, come back to the workforce for one or two shifts per week.’</p> <p dir="ltr">“I sent it out by mail and off we went. We had a great response.”</p> <p dir="ltr">He stressed that potential employees didn’t need a resume or hospitality experience and could just come in for a chat.</p> <p dir="ltr">Now, Iddles has 12 staff working for him aged over 50, including former nurses and healthcare workers, a mechanic, small business owner and florist.</p> <p dir="ltr">"We've got two 74-year-olds, a 70-year-old, and then we've got [people aged] 57, 60, 64, 66 and 67," Mr Iddles said.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-ee34f340-7fff-b24e-62b4-35aa29306b6d"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">"There is a labour shortage and a labour crisis, [but] I don't have one. I have five too many staff at the moment. And I could actually open another venue to keep them all gainfully employed."</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-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CgNZSgSvoqP/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;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/CgNZSgSvoqP/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Barry Iddles (@barryiddles)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Iddles said most of his older staff at the 150-seat restaurant, which also includes outdoor dining and an upstairs function venue, work during functions and that there has been a major benefit to both older and junior workers working alongside each other.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s amazing, the interaction is absolutely incredible,” he said. </p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s good for their life skills – the oldest have got a great work ethic.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Since his story was shared by the <em><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-15/defying-ageism-older-workers-fill-gaps-in-workforce/101651806" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC</a></em> on Tuesday, Iddles said his phone has been ringing non-stop and his hiring practice went viral.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Everyone wants to talk about hiring old people,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">One of Iddles’ employees, 67-year-old Kenton Savage, told the <em>ABC </em>he wanted to retire after selling his distribution business - but his plans went awry when it went bankrupt during the pandemic.</p> <p dir="ltr">Without super and amidst rising living costs, Savage and his wife had no choice but to find jobs.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The pension just didn't pay enough. So I looked around for a job and Barry was hiring," he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I think it just keeps me fit and healthy and happy. Being able to get out and about, it's really been good for me," he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">73-year-old Susan Borton, another employee, said she applied to boost her confidence and contribute.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Covid made a lot of people depressed,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“And I know amongst the older ones, we’re all saying we’re actually finding it quite difficult to get out and about again. [Working] makes me feel better. And I love putting in, I love contributing.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The Council for Older Australians chief executive Ian Yates praised Iddles for his hiring practice.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Many older people will have experienced a lot of knock backs and not being taken seriously as prospective employees,” he told the <em>ABC</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The labour market is so tight, that employers are being forced to look at channels and groups that they wouldn’t normally look at, including older Australians.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Speaking to <em><a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/at-work/queenscliff-restaurant-360q-sees-huge-response-after-inviting-oldies-to-come-and-work/news-story/7e08f752c17bc86dd109581ef602b4c5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a></em>, Iddles said others should adopt his policy too, and that it applies to both young and old.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Age discrimination can be quite bad, at both ends of the spectrum,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“If I’ve got a 15-year-old coming for a job I’ll give them a job immediately. Too many people go, you’ve got no experience. But they actually want to work.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s a great mix to have [employees ranging] from 15 to 75.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-83c437d2-7fff-df48-0cde-4b6e9ca845b2"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Facebook</em></p>

Retirement Life

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Three arguments why Just Stop Oil was right to target Van Gogh’s Sunflowers

<p>Waves of controversy were sparked recently when the Just Stop Oil activists <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/oil-protest-van-gogh-sunflower-soup-intl-scli-gbr/index.html">threw tomato soup</a> over Van Gogh’s Sunflowers at the National Gallery in London. Although the painting was behind glass <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/14/just-stop-oil-activists-throw-soup-at-van-goghs-sunflowers">so not damaged</a>, politicians were quick to condemn their “<a href="https://twitter.com/JamesCleverly/status/1581327788388163584?s=20&amp;t=ACNnBMBQN9UNL-cxoRhrVg">attention-seeking</a>” vandalism while media commentators proclaimed that the act had “<a href="https://twitter.com/AndrewMarr9/status/1580879221656006656?s=20&amp;t=ACNnBMBQN9UNL-cxoRhrVg">lost them</a>” to the cause. </p> <p>It is perhaps with some poetic timing that I’ve just started a project that is an oral history of the <a href="https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/research-and-teaching/departments-and-schools/geography/oral-history-of-the-environmental-movement-project/">environmental movements in the UK</a>. The aim is to contribute to a greater understanding and wider public awareness of the variety of modes of engagement with environmental issues.</p> <p>This tactic was certainly a provocative act and Van Gogh’s work is undoubtedly some of the most important artwork of modern times. However, many of these commentaries on Just Stop Oil’s actions simply just don’t hold up. </p> <p>The main critiques of the activist stunt are that it <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/10/14/just-stop-oils-van-gogh-soup-stunt-sparks-criticism-alienating-strategy">alienates people</a> who are sympathetic to the climate cause by attacking a much-loved and important piece of art. That it smacks of <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-too-middle-class-heres-how-to-fix-that-123231">middle-class activism</a> and is overly performative. And, finally, that it has required “<a href="https://currentlyhq.com/personal/we-need-more-climate-protests-just-not-performative-ones/">explanation</a>”, which if you have to do, you’re losing.</p> <p>While there is some truth to these critiques, I don’t buy them.</p> <p>Rather than wade further into the quagmire of social media debate, here is a breakdown of the three arguments and explanations of why I think that this kind of provocative activism deserves our unwavering support.</p> <h2>1. Art is an extension of corporate power</h2> <p>First off, museums and art galleries have long been used by fossil fuel companies for the purposes of <a href="https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745335889/artwash/">artwashing</a> – the ethically acceptable process of funding art and culture to smooth over their very unethical corporate practices. Some of the more conscientious institutions (<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/oct/19/shells-ends-national-gallery-sponsorship-to-delight-of-campaigners">including</a> <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/c3ab1b10-ee06-4fac-abe9-1a1e4dcef39f">The National Gallery</a>) have <a href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/bp-ends-tate-sponsorship-2017-447041#:%7E:text=Tate%20was%20forced%20to%20disclose,year%20between%201990%20and%202006.">cut ties</a>with any sponsorship from oil companies, but others have <a href="https://www.channel4.com/news/revealed-science-museum-signed-gagging-clause-with-exhibition-sponsor-shell">doubled down</a> on it.</p> <p>Art itself, through the <a href="https://qz.com/513625/the-new-reserve-currency-for-the-worlds-rich-is-not-actually-currency/">networks of global trading</a>, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-02/how-do-the-rich-avoid-taxes-billionaires-use-this-art-strategy?leadSource=uverify%20wall">tax avoidance</a> and the creation of <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/9783956796227/">freeports</a> (huge walled complexes where art is stored away from prying eyes and tax collectors), has become <a href="https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745338248/art-after-money-money-after-art/">totally intertwined</a> with global corporate and fossil fuel capitalism. Corporations plough money into art institutions and art pieces themselves because it buys them validity in the eyes of the public. Art becomes a shield for their more nefarious planet-destroying practices.</p> <p>But the art should never be considered above, or separate from, the capitalist content behind it. Millions of treasured pieces of art are now under the purview of corporate power and have <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/147192/modern-art-serves-rich">become windows</a> – beautiful windows no doubt, but still windows – into the shady practices of global capital and <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JMLC-01-2021-0002/full/html?casa_token=HAd9Kr6jD2kAAAAA:37GtlbaQIbxeoQOtXExK2-OKjvog5kYNaEv94Jwy_MF1ssCHNztVGBofMoPYjqp-NMkKE5PYOPklW_nmDBelpT8QQpgo6cEAmp_vF_Ydv6DNIL8h1Q">international tax avoidance</a>. As hard as it is to stomach sometimes, art pieces, in this way, become extensions of corporate power and hence are legitimate targets of climate activism.</p> <h2>2. Fighting class oppression and climate change is the same</h2> <p>The second critique, often coming from the left, accuses climate activism of being inherently middle-class. Groups, they argue, are populated by white people and the “mess” they create (be that with soup on paintings or <a href="https://twitter.com/Taj_Ali1/status/1581332937475207169?s=20&amp;t=4ELyikRjs5qmUWZuNYYl6g">milk on supermarket floors</a>) is often cleared up by working-class cleaning staff. </p> <p>There is truth in these arguments, which are often missing from the justification of these activist practices. However, taking a more holistic approach, social and economic justice is a fundamental pillar of climate justice – you cannot have <a href="https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/oureconomy/cop26-tackling-climate-breakdown-and-delivering-economic-justice-must-go-hand-in-hand/">one without the other</a>. The Just Stop Oil activists who defaced the Van Gogh recognised these arguments in part when <a href="https://twitter.com/JustStop_Oil/status/1580883249228046336?s=20&amp;t=x0HvtkQci8bXDeUjY0EFQw">they said</a> that many people “can’t afford to even buy and heat soup because of the energy crisis”.</p> <p>“Solving” the climate crisis demands total system change. As <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-strikes-greta-thunberg-calls-for-system-change-not-climate-change-heres-what-that-could-look-like-112891">Greta Thunberg</a> and other prominent voices have constantly said. Capitalism will not solve the problem, it only makes it worse. Capitalism has the oppression of the working class as its core engine. So, fighting against the changing climate means also fighting capitalism’s class (and indeed, racial, gendered and ableist) imbalance. The two are, and need to continue to be, one.</p> <h2>3. Direct action is important</h2> <p>Finally, some people have wheeled out the phrase “if you’re explaining yourself, you’re losing”. Again, there is a kernel of truth to that, but the severity of the climate catastrophe needs no further explanation. </p> <p>Explaining is not the point of direct action. If you need to be “won over” by the argument, then you’re clearly not doing enough. </p> <p>Just Stop Oil’s action with soup on Sunflowers was to symbolise that we’re attacking something we love. The level of ire at those symbolically ruining – remember, it was behind glass so has not be destroyed – a precious art piece should be given a million-fold to those who are actually ruining our precious planet.</p> <p>Direct climate action will only increase as the situation worsens and our governments continue to actively make things worse with new mines, fracking and new <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/oct/07/uk-offers-new-north-sea-oil-and-gas-licences-despite-climate-concerns">oil drilling contracts</a>. <a href="https://www.versobooks.com/books/3665-how-to-blow-up-a-pipeline">Destroying pipelines</a>, <a href="https://www.insider.com/laver-cup-climate-change-activist-sets-his-arm-on-fire-on-court-2022-9">demanding an end to private jets</a> and other direct action against fossil fuel burning infrastructures are important acts in this regard. They highlight how art is also part of that infrastructure and is therefore equally vital.</p> <p>The current crop of climate activists –- Just Stop Oil, Extinction Rebellion, Insulate Britain etc – will forge their own path because that is what activists need to do to make their points heard. But for all the reasons outlined above, understanding the history (and their successes and failures) will be important to help build a coherent, united and effective climate movement. </p> <p>That cohesive movement will need art yes, but not as a conduit for the very capitalist vehicles that are destroying our beautiful planet. As Van Gogh himself said, "…it is not the language of painters but the language of nature which one should listen to, the feeling for the things themselves, for reality is more important than the feeling for pictures."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/three-arguments-why-just-stop-oil-was-right-to-target-van-goghs-sunflowers-192661" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Art

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Tourism Australia's new mascot targeted by animal rights activists

<p>Tourism Australia has seen all kinds of ambassadors campaigning to bring travellers to Aussie shores. </p> <p>Names such as Paul Hogan, Lara Bingle and Kylie Minogue have all been the face of Australian tourism, but the latest ambassador aimed at boosting travellers Down Under is the ever-charming, yet computer-generated, Ruby Roo.</p> <p>Ruby Roo is part of Tourism Australia's push to attract people back to Aussie shores as the nation continues to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. </p> <p>While the CGI mascot has received a mostly positive welcome online, animal rights activist are not happy, calling out the government's "hypocrisy" over their choice in animal to represent Australia.</p> <p>"If Tourism Australia's Brand Ambassador Ruby Roo was real, she would have been shot as part of a Government 'Kangaroo Management Plan' and hung up by her leg on the back of a ute," NSW Animal Justice Party MP Mark Pearson said.</p> <p>Speaking to 2GB's Ben Fordham, Pearson said "if the tourism industry is going to have the icon as our signature to the world, then talk about what are we actually doing to kangaroos".</p> <p>"We can't keep saying, 'Oh my god, we're overrun with kangaroos' because they've been here for millions of years - they're trying to survive," he said.</p> <p>"We don't know how many kangaroos are out there but this is our native, protected animal, we need to be absolutely certain of how many kangaroos are out there (before we kill them).</p> <p>"This animal is loved around the world."</p> <p>The Australian government estimated there are between 40 and 50 million kangaroos across the country, almost double the nation's population of people. </p> <p>Due to their grazing habits, they've been considered a detrimental pest by some farmers and culling, though controversial, does occur across the country, with certain legal circumstances permitting the shooting of the animal. </p> <p>But Pearson insisted we need to "work with these animals" and not against them.</p> <p>"We need to work with these animals, it's not a competition between a cow and a sheep and a kangaroo," he said.</p> <p>"We're talking about killing kangaroos now and we've been killing kangaroos for 250 years.</p> <p>"If the agriculture industry is saying we've still got a problem then the methodology which is just killing and maiming animals is not working."</p> <p>Animals Australia Director of Development Louise Bonomi echoed Pearson's sentiment.</p> <p>"Tourism Australia using a kangaroo as its 'face' of tourism is the equivalent of Japan adopting a whale as its tourism icon or Canada marketing itself using harp seal images," she said.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Tourism Australia</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s home targetted by intruders

<p dir="ltr">Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s California mansion has been the target of intruders twice in just two weeks.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Sussexes were inside their $14 million mansion in the town of Montecito with their children Archie, three, and Lilibet, one when the alarm went off. </p> <p dir="ltr">Santa Barbara Police arrived at the home on May 19 at 5:44pm following reports of a trespasser. </p> <p dir="ltr">Then 12 days later on May 31 at 3.21pm, the alarm was once again triggered, just hours before the Sussexes were due to leave for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. </p> <p dir="ltr">Police attended the home once again and reported the incidents as trespassing, property crimes and “suspicious circumstances” by police. </p> <p dir="ltr">Their mansion has been broken into a total of six times in 14 months. </p> <p dir="ltr">It comes as Prince Harry won a case to sue the Home Office who cut his police protection after he left the Royal Family. </p> <p dir="ltr">Shaeed Fatima QC, who is representing Harry in court, said the Prince believes the Queen’s private secretary, Sir Edward Young “should not have been involved” in the decision. </p> <p dir="ltr">The couple have had to hire ex-President Barack Obama's former bodyguard Christopher Sanchez and Michael Jackson's former security chief Alberto Alvarez to keep them safe. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty/Sotheby's International Realty</em></p>

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“Target on his back”: Ben Roberts-Smith’s spectacular closing remarks

<p dir="ltr">After 100 days of <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/key-witness-arrested-in-ben-roberts-smith-trial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">testimony</a>, cross-examination, and dissection of <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/multiple-bombshells-dropped-in-ben-roberts-smith-case" target="_blank" rel="noopener">evidence</a>, Ben Robert-Smith’s defamation trial is at the beginning of the end.</p> <p dir="ltr">Lawyers representing the veteran began their closing submissions by accusing <em>The Age</em>, <em>The Sydney Morning Herald</em>, <em>The Canberra Times</em>, and three journalists of embarking on a “sustained campaign” to falsely portray him as a war criminal, bully and domestic abuser.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Mr Roberts-Smith was an exceptional soldier; highly organised, disciplined, a leader, resourceful and extraordinarily brave,” his barrister, Arthus Moses SC, told the Federal Court on Monday.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He did not seek, nor did he want any recognition for performing his duties as a member of the Australian Defence Force. What he did not expect is, having been awarded the Victoria Cross, he would have a target on his back.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Moses told Justice Anthony Besanko, who has been overseeing the proceedings, that the trial had been called “a great many things”, including the “trial of the century”, a “proxy war-crimes trial” and an “attack” on press freedom.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It is none of these,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This has been a case about how Mr Roberts-Smith, the most decorated Australian soldier, and a man with a high reputation for courage, skill and decency in soldiering, had that reputation destroyed by the respondents.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The articles, published in mid-2018, claimed that Mr Roberts-Smith killed or was complicit in the killing of six unarmed prisoners during his deployment in Afghanistan with the SAS.</p> <p dir="ltr">It was alleged he also bullied other soldiers and physically abused a woman he was having an affair with.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Victoria Cross recipient has emphatically denied all allegations, while the newspapers have relied on a truth defence during the trial, calling dozens of current and former SAS soldiers to testify.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Moses began his address by denouncing the conduct of the Nine newspapers, claiming they refused to back down from errors in their stories and taking aim at the evidence provided by three of their witnesses: Person 7, Person 14, and Andrew Hastie, a former soldier-turned politician.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The publications of the respondents were based on rumour, hearsay and contradictory accounts from former colleagues who were, some, jealous, and/or obsessed with Mr Roberts-Smith,” Mr Moses said, adding that Mr Hastie was “obsessed” with Mr Roberts-Smith but failed to provide evidence to support the murder claims.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Hastie, who served with Mr Roberts-Smith briefly in 2012, was called to testify about a mission in Syahchow and claims that the veteran soldier had ordered a junior soldier, referred to as Person 66, to execute an Afghan captive during the mission.</p> <p dir="ltr">The MP told the court he was at Syahchow that day and saw a dead body with an AK-47 rifle, and that Person 66 looked uncharacteristically uneasy.</p> <p dir="ltr">He claimed that Mr Roberts-Smith walked past and said, “Just a couple more dead c***s”.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, Person 66 refused to testify about the mission on the grounds of self-incrimination.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Moses claimed there was no evidence to support Nine’s claim of murder, and that the “sensationalist” stories came from bitter and jealous SAS insiders who wanted to take Mr Roberts-Smith down.</p> <p dir="ltr">"What is apparent is that both journalists (Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters) have mounted a sustained campaign to unfairly create a belief that Mr Roberts-Smith had committed war crimes in Afghanistan, including during the course of these proceedings," he said.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-49c8da02-7fff-5dad-8a44-7edea12667de"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Each side has been allocated four days for a closing address.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

News

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Scam alert: Kmart customers targeted in bargain hunting Facebook groups

<p>Kmart customers have been warned about a new scam circulating in bargain hunting Facebook groups.</p> <p>They have been warned to watch for advertisements offering Nintendo Switches for $2.95.</p> <p>The fake Facebook post has been circulating in parents' groups online and has already fooled a number of Aussies into handing their card details over.</p> <p>The post includes a photograph showing a doctored Kmart price tag displaying that the gaming device has been reduced from $379.86 to $2.95.</p> <p>It also claims that the lower price point is due to a contract dispute between Kmart and Nintendo.</p> <p>Not only is this is factually incorrect, but it is one of the first signs something is obviously fake, as it is too-good-to-be-true.</p> <p>“Kmart broke its contract with Nintendo and is giving away a Nintendo Switch game console to every Australian for $2.95,” the caption on the scam post reads.</p> <p>One shopper claimed her friend had lost $700 after falling for the scam, as the fraudsters took her bank details and withdrew money.</p> <p>“BEWARE. Another scam page going around, also there is a Dyson one,” she said.</p> <p>“Do not fall for it. Friend did and has lost around $700. They just keep taking from your bank. Can't stop it unless you email them and threaten with lawyers.”</p> <p>“Unfortunately I was one of those people who thought it was real,” another woman said.</p> <p>Some believe the advertisement is so fake it's the consumers fault that they fell for it in the first place.</p> <p>“Phishing messages are designed to look genuine, and often copy the format used by the organisation the scammer is pretending to represent, including their branding and logo,” ACCC's Scamwatch website said.</p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Money & Banking

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"Evil white supremacists" target baby Archie

<p dir="ltr">"Evil white supremacists" have targetted Prince Harry and Meghan’s son Archie saying he should be “put down”, a court has heard.</p> <p dir="ltr">Christopher Gibbons, 38, and Tyrone Patten-Walsh, 34, thought it was okay to voice their sickening thoughts on their radio show <em>Black Wolf Radio</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Known for encouraging acts of extreme right-wing terrorism, the pair despise mixed race relationships and have used the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as examples of their hate.</p> <p dir="ltr">Kingston Crown Court heard that Gibbons called three-year-old Archie an “abomination that should be put down”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The pair then said Prince Harry needs to be “prosecuted” and ”judicially killed for treason” simply for being married to Meghan.</p> <p dir="ltr">Prosecutor Anne Whyte QC told the court that Gibbons and Patten-Walsh “are dedicated and unapologetic white supremacists” who ”hold extreme right-wing views”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They thought that if they used the format of a radio show, as good as in plain sight, they could pass off their venture as the legitimate exercise of their freedom of speech,” she said, <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/18814646/harry-and-meghans-archie-targeted-white-supremacist-terror-podcast/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Sun</a> reported.</p> <p dir="ltr">“In fact what they were doing was using language designed to encourage others to commit acts of extreme right-wing terrorism against the sections of society that these defendants hated.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Their talk show has been riddled with their white supremacy and hate toward other people.</p> <p dir="ltr">The court heard about the pair allegedly endorsing the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016.</p> <p dir="ltr">They also spoke highly of Australian terrorist Brent Tarrant’s rampage which saw 51 Muslims killed at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 2017 Manchester Arena suicide bomb attack which saw 22 innocent people killed were called “sluts”, with Patten-Walksh allegedly saying their screams is what “pleases me”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“...because I hate those people. And it‘s a sign of masculine, even though it was done by a sand n*****, masculine terror against women.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The jury also heard they regularly make anti-Semitic remarks and describe black and Asian men as rapists.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

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