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Chilling vision of missing family emerges

A video filmed in New Zealand's west coast is the first "credible" sighting of a father and his kids who went missing three years ago. Tom Phillips along with his daughter Jayda, now 11, son Maverick, 9 and daughter Ember, 8, disappeared from the New Zealand town of Marokopa in December 2021. There have been hundreds of sightings of Phillips reported to police since then, with many of them unverified, and the children nowhere in sight. But now, new footage shot on the evening of October 3, showed all four of them marching through a grass field in Marokopa, in a single file with camouflage gear and heavy backpacks. The video, filmed by pig hunters, was handed to police and has since prompted a large-scale search of farmland in the area this week, which unfortunately failed to locate Phillips and his children. In the footage, the family seemed unaware they were being filmed from afar, with one of the witnesses describing them as "equipped for the bush". The children's mother, Catherine, has seen the video and instantly recognised her kids. “I’m so happy that they’re all there," she told the New Zealand Herald. "I’m so relieved to see all three of my babies. They’re all alive." The pig hunters who filmed the footage recalled their short encounter with the children. “The children asked: ‘Who else knows we’re here?’ And then they just kept on walking. They were all packed up, they had big packs on. I think the father sort of kept them moving,” Farmer John McOviney told the New Zealand Herald. In another interview with radio station Newstalk ZB, McOviney said that Phillips was carrying a large rifle. NZ Police Detective Inspector Andrew Saunders has also confirmed the sighting was being treated as "credible". "While nothing further of significance was located, investigators will now assess information gathered to determine any next steps," he said. "This is the first time all three of the children have been sighted, which is positive information, and we know it will be reassuring for the children's wider family." While police remain tight-lipped about what their next steps are, they said : "Our focus is very much on the safe return of Jayda, Maverick and Ember to their whānau [the Maori word for family] and we are doing all that we can to make that happen.” Phillips and his three children first went missing on September 11, 2021, and an arrest warrant was issued for Phillips shortly after their disappearance. He does not have legal custody over his children is alleged to have breached a custody order by taking them. The children are believed to have had no education or contact with others since their disappearance. Members of the public have been warned not to approach Phillips if they spotted him, as he may be armed. Images: TVNZ/ Waikato Police

Legal

Abducted boy found after 73 years

In a remarkable and heartwarming conclusion to a decades-long mystery, Luis Armando Albino, who was abducted 73 years ago, has been found alive and well, bringing joy and closure to a family that never gave up hope. Albino, who was born in Puerto Rico, was just six years old when he was abducted from Jefferson Square Park in West Oakland, California, in February 1951. On that fateful day, he had been playing with his brother Roger when he was lured away. His disappearance left his family devastated, and the case went cold for decades. His mother, who passed away in 2005, carried a newspaper clipping about her son’s kidnapping in her wallet until her death, refusing to give up on her belief that he was alive. This long-lost boy, now 79, was found after his niece, Alida Alequin, 63, took a DNA test in 2020. The results matched her with a man who turned out to be Albino, now living on the east coast of the US. Alequin, determined to find her uncle, sought the help of the FBI and the Department of Justice to track him down. A DNA sample confirmed his identity, finally solving the mystery that had haunted their family for over seven decades. Albino, a retired firefighter and Marine Corps veteran, had been raised by a couple who took him in as their son after his abduction. His niece said he had faint memories of being taken but had never been able to piece together the truth. Despite the astonishing discovery, Albino has chosen to keep a low profile and has declined to speak with the media. When Alequin shared the news of the discovery, the emotion was palpable. "She always had hope that he would come home," Alequin said of her grandmother. “She always felt he was alive. She took that with her to her grave.” The family had never stopped thinking about him. Pictures of Luis Armando hung in their home, and stories of his disappearance were passed down through the years, keeping his memory alive. Albino's reunion with his family was bittersweet. He reconnected with his brother Roger, but sadly, Roger passed away shortly afterward. Despite this, the family remains overjoyed to have found their beloved Luis after so many years of uncertainty. The missing persons report on Albino has since been removed from the California Department of Justice website, a poignant symbol of the long-awaited resolution to this case. For Alequin and the rest of the family, finding their lost relative after 73 years was nothing short of miraculous. "The outcome of this story is what we strive for," a police spokesperson said of the rare but incredible closure that comes from never giving up on hope. Images: Alida Alequin

Legal

"Never been seen before": Fergie reveals new details from 9/11 near miss

Sarah Ferguson, affectionately known as Fergie, has taken to Instagram overnight to share new details of her 9/11 near miss. 24 years on, the Duchess of York, who has previously revealed that she was meant to be in the World Trade Centre's North Tower when the plane struck the building, has shared more details of the day. Fergie recalled how her friend, billionaire businessman Howard Lutnick, gave her an office on the 101st floor of the World Trade Centre at the time, for her charity Chances for Children. The charity's logo had a mascot called Little Red, which was eventually made into a doll for a child named PJ who survived the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombings. On the day of the 9/11 attacks Fergie was due to attend a meeting in the office, but was running late because of an earlier engagement, so she was still on route to the building when the terrorists struck. "I was driving in the car and I was late for work... and Little Red was found in the rubble," she said in the video. Fergie opened a box to reveal her own Little Red doll that survived the attacks. While she has previously talked about the doll, this is the first time she revealed what it looked like. "A fireman picked her up, carried her out, like the fireman that picked up PJ all those years ago in the Oklahoma City Bombing," she continued. "And CNN filmed it and said, 'Look, a child's doll.' And Larry King said, 'That's no child's doll. That's Fergie's Little Red' and she stands for children's rights all over the world and she's a sign of hope for children. "What no one has ever seen before and I would like to share this with you is the actual doll that survived in 9/11. "So here, I have it at home. Normally I talk about Little Red and here is the actual doll that survived. "You can see the dust from the building — that's never been seen before. <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_xjdvMKSCn/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_xjdvMKSCn/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Sarah Ferguson (Fergie) (@sarahferguson15)</a> </div> </blockquote> "And I hope Little Red will be talked about all over the world because she's just a very strong, stoic little person." She also shared that on the day, Little Red "sat on her desk overlooking Manhattan on that fateful day when the towers came down." "She came down through the rubble and landed fully intact," she wrote. "Little Red was carried out of the rubble in the fireman's hat exactly as PJ, a child burn victim, was carried years earlier in the Oklahoma City bombing, where the doll was first inspired to bring hope during difficult times and raise money for aid. "Little Red now sits in the 9/11 memorial museum and serves as a reminder of hope within the darkness. We will #neverforget," she continued before encouraging her followers to donate to the Cantor Relief Fund, to support families affected by disaster. Images: Instagram

Caring

How fear of missing out can lead to you paying more when buying a home

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/park-thaichon-175182">Park Thaichon</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-southern-queensland-1069">University of Southern Queensland</a> The property market is a competitive space where finding a nice home, in the area you want, at a price you can afford is a hard ask. With buyers outnumbering available properties, the pressure is even greater causing some would-be buyers to develop <a href="https://health.clevelandclinic.org/understanding-fomo">a fear of missing out</a> (FOMO) and to make irrational decisions. FOMO might make you worry others are finding nicer homes and getting better deals, or that prices will rise to the point where you are priced out of the market altogether. This could cause you to pay too much or to buy a property in an area unsuitable for your needs. Then there is <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/counseling-keys/202103/overcoming-fear-of-making-mistakes">fear of making a mistake</a> (FOMM), which can also cause problems if you’re a home hunter. You might be reluctant to bid or to negotiate because you are afraid of choosing the wrong property or paying more than it’s worth. <h2>Problems caused by FOMO and FOMM</h2> The principles of contagion theory, crowd psychology and the scarcity principle we identified in <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ijcs.12649?casa_token=271MN72XdP8AAAAA%3AfhYF_2yUJtM7KGv5jvFdXn5UsXQLkMcIM_F6hffYa30QaSdRivjf2mhFX-cr5C7ttCuLl1-e2OFYXBA">our research</a> on panic-buying during the pandemic, can be applied to any purchasing decisions. In this instance we applied them to buying properties in a competitive housing market. <a href="https://www.communicationtheory.org/contagion-theory/">Contagion theory</a> applies when people act irrationally under the influence of a crowd. <a href="https://www.bestvalueschools.com/faq/what-is-crowd-psychology/">Crowd psychology</a> is similar but relates to how a crowd behaves in certain circumstances, while <a href="https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/scarcity-principle">scarcity principle</a> is the idea if there are fewer items available, their value increases. Each of these can increase the likelihood of several behaviours when purchasing a property. These include: <ul> <li>Underbidding and overbidding</li> </ul> Fearing other buyers might get the house, house hunters might get caught up in a bidding war and end up paying more than planned. Conversely, buyers with FOMM might fear spending too much so bid too low to start with and risk losing the house. <ul> <li>Following the crowd and peer pressure influence</li> </ul> Buyers might feel <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11403-021-00324-7">pressured to buy</a> in a certain area because it’s popular, even if it is not best fit for them. This can lead to paying more for a house just because others are doing the same. <ul> <li>Delaying decisions</li> </ul> FOMM can lead to <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ijcs.12990?casa_token=ZhJnLBOwVxUAAAAA%3AW5haHZKSA1rFQsRNdvw0liOoyvdxl0OrFR2phkhGfYC6TnWRv9EsnV-N8w52CmcnAVb8X2yU1obpIjKx">taking too long to decide</a>. This delay can mean missing out on good deals or being forced to rush into a decision and end up overpaying. <ul> <li>Avoiding negotiation</li> </ul> Some buyers might avoid negotiating the price or special conditions such as building and pest inspections and finance approval because they fear the seller will reject their offer. This can result in paying more than they need to if there are problems later. <ul> <li>Excessive inspections and appraisals</li> </ul> While inspections and appraisals are important, too many can suggest indecisiveness driven by fear, resulting in wasted money on unnecessary assessments, and more importantly, wasted time and delayed decisions. <h2>Removing fear from the buying process</h2> Start with thorough research and preparation by learning about different neighbourhoods and house prices. The history of properties and suburbs can be found for free on property websites and is a good place to start. Seek professional guidance from real estate agents or financial advisers to help you through the process. Get insights on market trends from an agent from a selling company or bank to help find homes that meet your criteria. Keep in mind these agents will get some form of incentive from your purchase. All the big banks or loan officers can provide free property reports on specific properties or suburbs. Don’t forget to check council mapping and water authority documents to check for potential future road projects and other developments and for an area’s flood rating. Perform due diligence by thoroughly inspecting properties and reviewing contracts to ensure they meet your needs and are a good investment. For example, it is a good idea to hire a home inspector to check for any hidden issues before making an offer. Another common mistake made by most buyers is not asking their <a href="https://www.qld.gov.au/law/housing-and-neighbours/buying-and-selling-a-property/buying-a-home/before-you-start-looking/appointing-a-solicitor">solicitor</a> to check and give suggestions before signing a contract or offer. A solicitor can check the sale contract before you sign, review the disclosure documents, give advice on your mortgage contract, carry out title searches and explain the results and explain how the purchase may affect your liability for land tax. Do some contingency planning by preparing for unexpected price increases and for the presence of other strong bidders to reduce anxiety about making the wrong decision. Setting aside extra funds could help deal with higher than expected prices or unexpected repairs that need doing. In the end, plan well and make decisions without letting emotions take over. Taking your time to find the right home that fits your budget and goals, rather than rushing into a purchase due to fear of missing out or making a mistake.<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/233197/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/park-thaichon-175182">Park Thaichon</a>, Associate Professor of Marketing, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-southern-queensland-1069">University of Southern Queensland</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-fear-of-missing-out-can-lead-to-you-paying-more-when-buying-a-home-233197">original article</a>.

Money & Banking

Captain of superyacht breaks silence as missing passengers identified

The captain of the ill-fated superyacht that capsized off the coast of Sicily after being struck by a tornado has spoken out, as the six missing passengers have been identified. Of the 22 people who were on board, 15 were rescued with one tragically pulled dead from the water, believed to be the vessel’s chef. Among those still missing are billionaire tech tycoon <a href="https://oversixty.co.nz/travel/travel-trouble/billionaire-tech-tycoon-and-daughter-missing-after-tornado-strikes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Lynch</a>, 59, who organised the special voyage as a celebration, and was accompanied by his wife Angela and their 18-year-old daughter Hannah. Angela was one of the passengers who were rescued, while Mike and Hannah remain missing. Mike Lynch’s long-term friend Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy are also among the missing, as well as Lynch's lawyer Chris Morvillo. Mr Morvillo’s wife, the American jewellery designer, Neda Morvillo, is also missing. The captain of the $27 million Bayesian, James Calfield, 51, is one of the many onboard who are recovering in hospital, as he spoke to local news outlet La Repubblica, saying he had no idea the tornado was heading towards the luxury yacht. “We didn’t see it coming,” he said. The captain of a nearby ship that helped rescue passengers in the aftermath of the incident spoke to Reuters about the moment he noticed the superyacht had vanished. “I don’t absolutely know what they did. I only know that they went flat with a mast on the water and that they sank in two minutes,” he told the agency. Image credits: IPA/Shutterstock Editorial

Travel Trouble

Billionaire tech tycoon and daughter missing after tornado strikes

Six people, including a billionaire tech tycoon and his daughter, have been declared missing off the coast of Sicily after a tornado struck the area, causing their luxury super yacht to capsize and sink. Four British are reportedly among six people missing at sea, including billionaire Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah. At the time of the tragedy, 22 people were onboard and 15 were rescued by coastguard patrol boats and firefighters, including Mr Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares. The coast guard said that divers had been sent to inspect the wreck of the Bayesian, which was lying at a depth of 49 metres. Authorities confirmed that one body, believed to be that of the yacht's chef, has been found during their search of the vessel's hull. Charlotte Golunski, who was on board the vessel, told local news outlet La Repubblica newspaper of how she saved her daughter Sofia as the boat sank. She said, “I held her afloat with all my strength, my arms stretched upwards to keep her from drowning." “It was all dark. In the water I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I screamed for help but all I could hear around me was the screams of others.” Charlotte, her husband James and their daughter Sophia are among those onboard being treated at hospital. The captain of a nearby boat, Karsten Borner, said that when the storm hit he turned the engine on to keep control of the vessel and avoid a collision with the Bayesian. "We managed to keep the ship in position and after the storm was over, we noticed that the ship behind us was gone," he said, adding that the Bayesian "went flat on the water, and then down." Storms and heavy rainfall have swept down Italy in recent days after weeks of scorching heat, which had lifted the temperature of the Mediterranean sea to record levels, raising the risk of extreme weather conditions, experts said. Image credits: AFP/Alberto Lo Bianco/LaPresse/Shutterstock Editorial

Travel Trouble

Readers response: Who’s the most interesting person you’ve met while travelling?

One of the best parts of travelling is the people you met along the way. Whether it's as part of a tour group or an interesting character you meet by chance, interacting with interesting people in interesting places can bring a lot to your travel experience. We asked our readers to tell us about the most interesting person they've encountered on their travels and the response was overwhelming. Here's what they said. Diana Jason - Cargo Holly Harrison. He walked 15000 miles from the bottom of South America to the top of Alaska. A truly fascinating man. Margie Buckingham - While caravanning around Oz, every night we would meet interesting ppl enjoying pre-dinner drinks & nibbles around the campfire. We all had personal stories to tell or the best places to camp. Ann Smith - Myself. Travelled to the UK and found my independence and confidence, two and a bit years after I lost love of my life to cancer. Pamela Cari - We met the lady who played the mother of Apollonia Vitelli in The Godfather when we were in Savoca. Rosalie Busch - A couple who grew up behind the wall in East Berlin. Sue Velvin - Shaquille O'Neal when my daughter and I had a holiday in the states a few years ago! Awesome man. Wendy Farnham - A Buddhist Nun in Cambodia who lost her husband and 6 of her 7 children to starvation under Pol Pot’s regime. Lyn Schuemaker - Everybody. They all have stories to tell. Image credits: Shutterstock

International Travel

Avoid missing prostate warning signs with this handy quiz

A leading Australian Urologist is sounding a warning to men who unknowingly ignore symptoms of an enlarged prostate, wrongly assuming it’s just a part of growing older. Symptoms the Urologist highlighted include, increased frequency going to the toilet at night or a change in urine flow. Dr Gordon O’Neill, who has been treating diseases of the prostate for over 25 years said almost half of all men over 50 have an enlarged prostate, or benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), where the prostate gland enlarges and obstructs the urethra - the tube which expels urine from the bladder, and this may cause bothersome urinary symptoms. “While BPH is not cancerous or life threatening, the symptoms such as leaking or frequent urination can negatively impact a man’s quality of life,” Dr O’Neill said. “The prostate starts to compress the urine channel and this in turn may interfere with bladder function. In some severe cases, some men have trouble urinating at all. “If left undiagnosed this condition could lead to bladder damage, urinary tract infections and bleeding,” he said. Dr O’Neill is encouraging men to complete <a title="https://www.getmosh.com.au/start/prostate-enlargement-health-check" href="https://www.getmosh.com.au/start/prostate-enlargement-health-check" data-outlook-id="dea5c553-2489-4009-ae90-d09c24226c83">Mosh’s BPH quiz</a> which can help flag any irregularities that might cause need for concern. Mosh Medical Director Joanna Sharp said the quiz makes it easy for men to raise an issue they often deem embarrassing to discuss. “It’s a simple survey that can be done anywhere, at any time, allowing men who may be worried about their prostate function to find out whether medical intervention is needed,” said Dr Sharp. “There’s a lot of unnecessary fear and old school thinking among men when it comes to the prostate and there’s no need. Women are very good at being more in tune with their bodies, men are not so great. We need men to do better to notice changes in their body, especially ones that could be hiding something more sinister.” “Are they having to get up to urinate more frequently at night and is that impacting their quality of sleep? Does it dribble at the end? We don’t want men suffering in silence, thinking it’s secret men’s business. Troublesome symptoms of enlarged prostate can be fixed very easily,” Dr Sharp said. About one in seven men aged 40 to 49 years are diagnosed with a prostate problem, which increases to about one in every four men aged 70 years and older. GPs then assess the survey results referring those that need further examination to a urologist, like Dr O’Neill. “Some men live with an enlarged prostate and have no idea and that’s okay. But for those men where the symptoms have become an issue there are minimally invasive options such as an implant procedure,” Dr O’Neill said. “It’s a minimally invasive treatment that opens the prostatic urethra, relieving obstruction for men who suffer urinary symptoms related to BPH." “The implant holds the enlarged prostate tissue out of the way so it no longer blocks the urethra. There is no cutting, heating or removal of prostate tissue with no impact on sexual function which can be a big fear and deterrent for some men,” he said. Dr O’Neill believes men should also be screened for prostate cancer by getting a PSA test from the age of 40. As they age the prostate gland grows and the PSA is likely to rise slightly. “The prostate grows on average about four percent a year, so changes can start as early as 30 but they won’t become apparent for another 20 years,” he said. “While having BPH or an enlarged prostate doesn’t increase your risk of prostate cancer, symptoms left unchecked could be masking a much more sinister problem such as prostate cancer so it’s better to have your symptoms assessed,” Dr O’Neill said. You can find Mosh's BPH quiz <a href="https://www.getmosh.com.au/start/prostate-enlargement-health-check" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. Image credits: Shutterstock

Body

Holiday protesters are missing the big picture – there are ways to make tourism work for everyone

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/brendan-canavan-228682">Brendan Canavan</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-nottingham-1192">University of Nottingham</a> As tourists sip their drinks at sunny pavement cafes this summer, they may feel slight unease that perhaps their presence isn’t entirely welcome. This season has seen a <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c0dm9w2ey7po">renewed wave of major protests</a> against tourists for pushing out residents and homogenising culture in popular destinations. Anti-tourist placards and gatherings have appeared in <a href="https://www.portugalresident.com/sintra-residents-finally-say-enough-to-mass-tourism-traffic-chaos/">Portugal</a>, <a href="https://uk.news.yahoo.com/greek-city-begs-no-more-095204268.html">Athens</a>, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/22/travel/mass-protest-on-spanish-island-mallorca-calls-for-limits-on-tourism/index.html">Mallorca</a> and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/thousands-protest-spains-canary-islands-over-mass-tourism-2024-04-20/">Tenerife</a>. Tourists have even been sprayed with <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/travel/barcelona-protesters-throw-items-spray-travelers-water-shouting-touris-rcna160883">water pistols</a> by angry inhabitants of Barcelona. Anti-tourism protests are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/aug/10/anti-tourism-marches-spread-across-europe-venice-barcelona">not new</a>, and they do not always share the same <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJTC-09-2022-0211/full/html#sec014">motivations</a>. But one <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJTC-09-2022-0211/full/html#sec014">common grievance</a> is that local economies are not improved by tourism, while the social costs of hosting mount. But are these anti-tourism sentiments justified? Tourism contributes around <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00472875211028322">5% of EU economic activity</a>, supporting jobs and businesses both directly and indirectly. Without tourism many places would be economically poorer. But protesters in <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/your-paradise-our-nightmare-thousands-attend-anti-tourism-protest-in-majorca-13183160">Mallorca</a> have argued that tourists take up space on beaches, put a strain on public services and drive the cost of housing above a level that residents can afford. The economic pros and cons of tourism suggest the protesters have a point. But they are also missing the bigger picture. An estimated <a href="https://studytravel.network/magazine/news/0/30772#:%7E:text=Globally%2C%20there%20were%201.3%20billion,data%20quoted%20in%20the%20report.">1.3 billion</a> international tourist trips took place in 2023. These tourists spent over <a href="https://x.com/UNWTO/status/1796821487971905590">US$1.5 trillion</a> (£1.2 trillion) on their trips. For comparison, that is roughly the size of the Spanish economy. If tourism were a nation, it would be a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)">G20 member</a>. What’s more, because international travellers earn money in their home country and spend it in another, international tourism is counted as an export. In 2022 international tourists spent almost <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/urban-rural-and-regional-development/data/oecd-tourism-statistics/receipts-and-expenditure_c4170878-en?parentId=http%3A%2F%2Finstance.metastore.ingenta.com%2Fcontent%2Fcollection%2F2b45a380-en">€370 billion</a> (£312 billion) in the 27 EU countries, for example. This export income helps to balance the cost of imports and pay for things such as food and fuel not available locally. Nonetheless, there remains a concern that such economic inputs come at too high a cost. In January the then head of Florence’s Galleria dell’Accademia controversially criticised how the city had <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2024/01/30/travel/italy-florence-prostitute-tourism-intl-scli/index.html">sold its soul</a> to tourists. But <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/00472875231203395">tourism revenues</a> help provide foreign exchange earnings, create jobs, encourage infrastructure investments and boost tax revenues. In turn these inputs promote economic development and increase welfare, as well as reduce <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ImtQ9YQS7UrYJ_PItcgeFhFUidcxTwkC/view">income inequality</a>. Globally, the tourism industry is a significant source of employment. In 2019, prior to the pandemic, travel and tourism accounted for <a href="https://wttc.org/research/economic-impact">10.5%</a> of all jobs. In some <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/08/destinations-rely-most-on-tourism-travel/">Caribbean islands</a> more than 90% of all jobs are in the tourism sector. Crossover benefits of hosting tourists are felt in other industries too. <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/00472875231203395">Food and drink</a> producers sell their products to tourists, for example, and <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/13/7164">farmers</a> can diversify their incomes by offering tourist experiences such as wine-tasting tours. Tourism generates a large amount of economic activity, therefore. But research shows that the income that remains in a destination is often limited by <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Cristina-Joensson/publication/293487803_Economic_leakages_in_tourism/links/56b8f33608ae3b658a88b7a4/Economic-leakages-in-tourism.pdf">leakage rates</a>. There are estimates that for every US$1 million spent by tourists in the Seychelles, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160738315000468?casa_token=-hjGHa9NHPMAAAAA:irVmwVrFbZvnTNzDPKcE90_dK4mwuwVBIkO4_nPs34IdGM12w9i4r8GCR_1K_0IIrJznxx2b">less than half</a> of this stays in the local economy. This income can <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1470-6431.2007.00606.x?casa_token=bentpmB1dE8AAAAA%3A72smahI3xNJB2Y7_PDj-lcZG6nmW7fqPgOv59G4Dr-DBfzWfxjtxRU9qytrdpOWmaLom6oe6dM_U0oA">leak out</a> from the destination because of imports such as food and fuel that are not available locally. Leakage also occurs when tourist facilities are foreign owned. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S-p-YGNXEnY?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> There are undoubtedly <a href="https://www.euronews.com/travel/2024/07/08/fake-signs-and-hunger-strikes-whats-behind-europes-backlash-against-overtourism">downsides</a> to tourism development. The influx of people into popular destinations can add to issues of crowding in public services and shared spaces. Tourism is also often accused of causing urgent economic problems, such as forcing up the cost of housing for locals. But these are often driven by more complex and alternative factors. Research in <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0042098020970865">London</a>, a city facing an extreme problem of supply scarcity and growing numbers of <a href="https://theconversation.com/surging-property-prices-when-will-europes-cities-become-affordable-again-230256">“generation rent”</a>, found that Airbnb plays a relatively insignificant part in increasing housing costs. A study in <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/13683500.2019.1711027?casa_token=YYKyikeJrXYAAAAA:ktQVCuNoseTdiAC89hl98rdclxE7I68CqkYW6xHUFkzH_TLfabdFOuNfKDQiiIzkOdag7cuQTrho">South Carolina</a> in the US meanwhile showed that short-term holiday rentals can boost hospitality micro-entrepreneurs and help residents to maximise the economic potential of their homes by renting out spare rooms. <h2>What can tourists do?</h2> Ultimately, what unites many anti-tourism protesters is a <a href="https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20240522-the-worlds-revolt-against-bad-tourists">demand for respect</a>. Indeed, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10941665.2020.1768129?casa_token=4DR7vsQpGtcAAAAA:0QIzenTi9LAaVNH8w0JkT46D5_okuotUR5C-wP2NyxxT5bC0UiG2gMBfLHt5G3rveVre7gu8kEIB">research</a> has shown that over-tourism is not merely an issue of overcrowding, but a long-term issue resulting from inappropriate treatment of residents in the process of tourism development. Tourists can demonstrate that they respect hosts and help to alleviate anti-tourism feelings by finding ways to ensure their holiday is as economically beneficial to the destination as possible. <ul> <li> Spending money at smaller-scale and locally owned businesses puts more money into the local economy. Large multinationals can out-compete local businesses and worsen <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ImtQ9YQS7UrYJ_PItcgeFhFUidcxTwkC/view">economic inequality</a>. <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1354816616654244?casa_token=YQU0aoDhdP8AAAAA:bX_7TEc0S4zhkl2eduKZqitorJKlbRMMSnaJAZJBPCm8bAk-uQMI518KvZX09oI0iLs13NULXYoX">Foreign-owned businesses</a> typically increase leakage rates as they send profits back to their headquarters. </li> <li> Choosing more sustainable operators, services and destinations tends to bring economic positives. In <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1354816616664249?casa_token=vr7pQyvIVAgAAAAA%3ATLHqmXTyGeHpmL8j9K2cNjb4doB4w_0CNH0IspadKHEPSt5PsFLWVngRQsj81tvE3vIJMpPWGm31&journalCode=teua">Mauritius</a>, for instance, the government has invested in sustainable tourism planning, enhancing economic growth and bringing benefits for residents. </li> <li> Visiting places that are less typically touristic spreads economic advantages around. In Scotland, nature tourism supports around <a href="https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/social-and-economic-benefits-nature/tourism">39,000 full-time jobs</a>. </li> </ul> It can be easy to scapegoat tourists and tourism for deeper-seated economic problems. Tourists are a highly visible, and frequently very annoying, presence. But without them destinations would be poorer, while persistent economic problems would likely remain. Challenging governments, policy-makers, corporations or institutions might be a better use of protesters’ energy.<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/235614/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/brendan-canavan-228682">Brendan Canavan</a>, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-nottingham-1192">University of Nottingham</a> Image credits: Shutterstock 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/holiday-protesters-are-missing-the-big-picture-there-are-ways-to-make-tourism-work-for-everyone-235614">original article</a>. </div>

Travel Trouble

Missing couple found dead in stranded lifeboat

A couple have been found dead in a lifeboat after attempting to sail across the Atlantic ocean. The bodies of Brit Sarah Packwood and her Canadian husband Brett Clibbery washed up in a boat on a beach in Nova Scotia over a month after they left Canada in a 12.8m eco-friendly yacht. The couple were heading to the Azores, a Portuguese archipelago in the mid-Atlantic. “Powered by the wind and sun. Heading east to the Azores. It’s probably the biggest adventure of our lives so far,” they said online, prior to their trip. Searches including by plane had been underway after the couple failed to arrive or communicate. Clibbery's son James announced the couple's deaths on Facebook. "There is still an investigation, as well as a DNA test to confirm, but with all the news, it is hard to remain hopeful," he wrote. "I am so very sorry to the people who were friends of them. "They were amazing people, and there isn't anything that will fill the hole that has been left by their, so far unexplained passing." It remains unclear how the couple got into trouble, but police in Halifax have launched an investigation into their deaths. One theory is that the small yacht was hit by a much larger ship. The couple had been living in Salt Spring Island in the southern Gulf Islands of British Columbia, and were documenting their travel adventures on Facebook and YouTube. On June 10 they posted a video saying they were heading on a "new adventure" from their home in Saltspring Island, British Columbia to Dartmouth Yacht Club, Nova Scotia. "All being well, and weather permitting the Captain and I intend to set sail in the next day or two for an ocean crossing," Packwood said. They were both experienced sailors, and the last video they shared was of them leaving Halifax on June 12. In the video, taken aboard the yacht, Clibbery said they could see "one big ship on the horizon which came out from Halifax, so they're out of our way. We're sailing." Images: Facebook

Travel Trouble

Missing 3-year-old found dead at Walt Disney World

The body of a young boy has been found after he went missing from a resort near Walt Disney World in Florida on Thursday. Rakim Akbari, 3, was reported missing from the Sheraton Vistana Resort Villas at Lake Buena Vista earlier that day, after he had wandered away from the resort that morning. Authorities also said that Rakim had autism. The Orange County Sheriff sent out a missing child alert for the young boy before deputies located his body in the water at the resort on Thursday afternoon. “It is with heavy hearts that we must share that our deputies have found Rakim Akbari deceased in a body of water at the resort where he was reported missing this morning. Our detectives are still looking into how this tragedy occurred,” they shared on X. “We are grieving his loss, and our prayers are with his family,” they added. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> It is with heavy hearts that we must share that our deputies have found Rakim Akbari deceased in a body of water at the resort where he was reported missing this morning. Our detectives are still looking into how this tragedy occurred. We are grieving his loss, and our prayers… <a href="https://t.co/3huAOOo0u4">pic.twitter.com/3huAOOo0u4</a> — Orange County Sheriff's Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) <a href="https://twitter.com/OrangeCoSheriff/status/1814027480782761996?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 18, 2024</a></blockquote> They didn't provide further details, but the boy reportedly went missing while wearing pyjama pants and a shirt with no socks or shoes. People on X have also shared their condolences to the boy's family. "Deepest condolences to the family of this beautiful little boy. Prayers for the law enforcement that found him, it's hard for them to process as well," one said. "Heartbreaking. Prayers to his family and all who loved him," added another. "God bless his family. Rest in Peace," added another. "My heart goes out to the family," wrote a third. Image: X

Caring

Mummified body of missing climber found after 22 years

Twenty-two years ago, William Stampfl and two of his friends went missing when an avalanche buried them as they made their way up one of the highest peaks in the Andes mountains in Peru. William's family had little hope of finding him alive, or even retrieving his corpse from thick layers of snow, but in June his daughter got an unexpected call. A stranger said he had come across the climber's frozen, but mostly intact body as he made his own way up the Huascaran peak. "It's been a shock" Jennifer Stampfl said. The 53-year-old added: "When you get that phone call that he's been found your heart just sinks. You don't know how exactly to feel at first." A group of policemen and mountain guides retrieved his body on Tuesday, putting it on a stretcher and slowly taking it down the icy mountain. His body was found at an altitude of 5200m, around a nine-hour hike from one of the camps where climbers stop when they are climbing the summit. William's body and clothing were preserved by the ice and freezing temperatures, with the driver's licence in his hip pouch used to identify him. Lenin Alvardo, one of the police officers who participated in the recovery operation, added that the hip pouch also contained a pair of sunglasses, a camera, a voice recorder and two decomposing $20 bills. William still had a gold wedding ring on his left hand. "I've never seen anything like that," Alvarado said. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%C3%81ncash?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Áncash</a>🚨| ¡Rescatan cadáver en glaciar! Agentes del Departamento de Alta Montaña, tras una intensa búsqueda ubicaron el cuerpo momificado y deshidratado de una persona NN en el nevado de <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Huascar%C3%A1n?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Huascarán</a>. Sus restos fueron internados a la morgue de <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Yungay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Yungay</a> para su identificación. <a href="https://t.co/WJGklwUwbp">pic.twitter.com/WJGklwUwbp</a> — Policía Nacional del Perú (@PoliciaPeru) <a href="https://twitter.com/PoliciaPeru/status/1809394543512416721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2024</a></blockquote> The climber who found his body then called William's relatives, who then got in touch with local mountain guides. His daughter said that the family plans to move the body to a funeral home in Lima, where it can be cremated. "For 22 years, we just kind of put in our mind: 'This is the way it is. Dad's part of the mountain, and he's never coming home,'" she said. William was trying to climb Peru's highest peak with his friends Matthew Richardson and Steve Erskine in 2002. Erskine's body was found shortly after the avalanche, but Richardson's corpse is still missing. William's daughter said that a plaque in memory of the three friends was placed at the summit of Mount Baldy in Southern California, where the trio trained for their expeditions. She hopes to return to the site with her father's remains. Image: Peruvian National Police/ X

Travel Trouble

Princess Diana's brother shares "immensely sad" personal news

Princess Diana's younger brother Charles Spencer has shared that he and his wife are divorcing after 13 years of marriage. The Earl's relationship with his wife, Karen Gordon, reportedly broke down while Spencer was writing his harrowing memoir which detailed the physical and sexual abuse he suffered at boarding school. Revealing the split to the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13509355/charles-spencer-sad-divorce-wife-memoir.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mail on Sunday</a>, the 60-year-old said, "It is immensely sad." "I just want to devote myself to all my children, and to my grandchildren, and I wish Karen every happiness in the future." Spencer and Gordon, a Canadian philanthropist, first met on a blind date at a restaurant in Los Angeles in 2010, and got married just one year later in June 2011 on the Althorp estate, where Princess Diana is buried. The couple share a 12-year-old daughter named Charlotte Diana, while Spencer also has four children from his previous marriage to his first wife, Victoria Lockwood, and two children with his second wife, Caroline Freud. Karen was notably absent at events held at Althorp and Spencer House in London in mid-March to launch the Earl's tell-all book, A Very Private School. Charles Spencer told the Mail on Sunday that the five years of work on his memoir has deeply affected him and led to him undergoing residential treatment for trauma late last year. In a March interview with <a href="https://people.com/charles-spencer-reveals-he-was-sexually-abused-by-a-woman-as-a-child-at-boarding-school-8606246" target="_blank" rel="noopener">People</a>, Spencer opened up about how “supportive” Karen had been throughout his healing journey as he recalled the traumatic details of his childhood. “I think it was very challenging for her to have a husband going through what was essentially four and a half years of the most profound therapy with very difficult undertones to it. And she supported the idea of me doing it,” he said. “I think she always hoped I would come out happier and healthier and that seems to be the case very much. So, I’m grateful to have her standing by me while I went through this, what I now realise was an essential process.” Image credits: Splashnews.com/Shutterstock Editorial

Relationships

"I miss her hugs": British acting legend shares heartbreaking loss

Actor Warwick Davis has shared the heartbreaking news of his wife's death. The actor, known for his roles in Harry Potter and Star Wars, took to social media to share the news of his wife Samantha's death, who passed away at the age of 53. “Her passing has left a huge hole in our lives as a family. I miss her hugs”, Warwick, 54, said. He added, “She was a unique character, always seeing the sunny side of life she had a wicked sense of humour and always laughed at my bad jokes. “Without Sammy, there would have been no Tenable quiz show, no Willow series. No Idiot Abroad Series 3.” Warwick said Samantha was his “most trusted confidant and an ardent supporter of everything I did in my career”. The couple’s children, Harrison and Annabelle, added, “Mum is our best friend and we’re honoured to have received a love like hers “Her love and happiness carried us through our whole lives”. Warwick and Samantha met on the set of the movie Willow in 1988 and got married three years later. Samantha had achondroplasia, a bone growth disorder that causes disproportionate dwarfism. Warwick has previously opened up about his wife’s health after she was rushed to hospital with sepsis in 2018, and had to undergo several different surgeries to stabilise her condition. Warwick, co-founder of charity Little People UK, has often spoken out about the health battles related to his condition, as well his wife’s. He was born with Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SED), an extremely rare genetic form of dwarfism, which has been inherited by both their daughter Annabelle and son Harrison. Image credits: Getty Images

Caring

Sad end in search for missing Yellowstone actor

The entertainment industry is mourning the loss of actor Cole Brings Plenty, known for his roles in various Western dramas, including a spin-off of the immensely popular television series Yellowstone. The news of his demise surfaced after a distressing sequence of events unfolded in Kansas, where Brings Plenty was found dead after being reported missing amidst a domestic violence investigation. Authorities from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Friday the discovery of Brings Plenty's body in a wooded area. This revelation came in the wake of escalating concerns when the actor went missing amid a cloud of suspicion regarding a domestic violence incident. The circumstances surrounding Brings Plenty's death remain shrouded in mystery, as law enforcement officials have refrained from disclosing any details regarding the cause of death. However, the tragic saga began to unfold days prior when Brings Plenty found himself entangled in legal troubles. Reports indicate that Brings Plenty was charged in a nearby county with aggravated burglary, domestic battery and criminal restraint, prompting an arrest warrant against him. The series of events culminated when authorities responded to a distress call from an apartment in Lawrence, where a woman was heard screaming for help. However, by the time law enforcement arrived at the scene, Brings Plenty had already departed. The gravity of the situation escalated when Brings Plenty failed to attend a crucial audition for an upcoming film project scheduled over Zoom. Amid the turmoil, expressions of sorrow and condolence flooded in from all corners. Joe Brings Plenty Sr, the actor's father, expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support and prayers from well-wishers. "I learned this week how many people knew the goodness in Cole’s heart and loved him," he said in a statement released on Friday. Cole Brings Plenty, aged 27, left an indelible mark on the entertainment landscape with his appearances in several Western dramas. Notably, he graced the screen in two episodes of 1923, a Paramount+ series starring veteran actor Harrison Ford, which serves as a prequel to the widely acclaimed Yellowstone. Additionally, Brings Plenty showcased his talent in other Western productions, including Into the Wild Frontier and The Tall Tales of Jim Bridger. Image: Instagram

Caring

MH370 disappearance 10 years on: can we still find it

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/charitha-pattiaratchi-110101">Charitha Pattiaratchi</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-western-australia-1067">The University of Western Australia</a> It has been ten years since Malaysia Airlines passenger flight MH370 <a href="https://theconversation.com/lessons-to-learn-despite-another-report-on-missing-flight-mh370-and-still-no-explanation-100764">disappeared on March 8 2014</a>. To this day it remains one of the biggest aviation mysteries globally. It’s unthinkable that a modern Boeing 777-200ER jetliner with 239 people on board can simply vanish without any explanation. Yet multiple searches in the past decade have still not yielded the main wreckage or the bodies of the victims. At a remembrance event held earlier this week, the Malaysian transport minister announced <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/malaysia-says-mh370-search-must-go-10-years-after-plane-vanished-2024-03-03/">a renewed push for another search</a>. If approved by the Malaysian government, the survey will be conducted by United States seabed exploration firm Ocean Infinity, whose efforts were unsuccessful in 2018. <h2>What happened to MH370?</h2> The flight was scheduled to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Air traffic control lost contact with the aircraft within 60 minutes into the flight over the South China Sea. Subsequently, it was tracked by military radar crossing the Malay Peninsula and was last located by radar over the Andaman Sea in the northeastern Indian Ocean. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579774/original/file-20240305-18-vdbysn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579774/original/file-20240305-18-vdbysn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579774/original/file-20240305-18-vdbysn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579774/original/file-20240305-18-vdbysn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579774/original/file-20240305-18-vdbysn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579774/original/file-20240305-18-vdbysn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579774/original/file-20240305-18-vdbysn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579774/original/file-20240305-18-vdbysn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="A map of the region showing the initial search areas on 8-16 March." /></a><figcaption>The planned route, final route and initial search area for MH370 in Southeast Asia. <a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Malaysia_Airlines_Flight_370#/media/File:MH370_initial_search_Southeast_Asia.svg">Andrew Heenen/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></figcaption></figure> Later, automated satellite communications between the aircraft and British firm’s Inmarsat telecommunications satellite indicated that the plane ended up in the southeast Indian Ocean <a href="https://hub.arcgis.com/datasets/4c94d33cfc144f7d8b78943dee56e29b/explore">along the 7th arc</a> (an arc is a series of coordinates). This became the basis for defining the initial search areas by the Australian Air Transport Safety Bureau. Initial air searches were conducted in the South China Sea and the Andaman Sea. To date, we still don’t know what caused the aircraft’s change of course and disappearance. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579749/original/file-20240305-25-p456o1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579749/original/file-20240305-25-p456o1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579749/original/file-20240305-25-p456o1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579749/original/file-20240305-25-p456o1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579749/original/file-20240305-25-p456o1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579749/original/file-20240305-25-p456o1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579749/original/file-20240305-25-p456o1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579749/original/file-20240305-25-p456o1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption>Location of the 7th arc and the origin of debris locations for simulations undertaken by the University of Western Australia. Google Earth/Author provided</figcaption></figure> <h2>What have searches for MH370 found so far?</h2> On March 18 2014, ten days after the disappearance of MH370, a search in the southern Indian Ocean <a href="https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/2014/considerations-on-defining-the-search-area-mh370">was led by Australia</a>, with participation of aircraft from several countries. This search continued until April 28 and covered an area of 4,500,000 square kilometres of ocean. No debris was found. Two underwater searches of the Indian Ocean, 2,800km off the coast of Western Australia, have also failed to find any evidence of the main crash site. The initial seabed search, led by Australia, covered 120,000 square kilometres and extended 50 nautical miles across the 7th arc. It took 1,046 days and was suspended on January 17 2017. A second search by Ocean Infinity in 2018 <a href="https://oceaninfinity.com/conclusion-of-current-search-for-malaysian-airlines-flight-mh370/">covered over 112,000 square kilometres</a>. It was completed in just over three months but also didn’t locate the wreckage. <h2>What about debris?</h2> While the main crash site still hasn’t been found, several pieces of debris have washed up in the years since the flight’s disappearance. In fact, in June 2015 officials from the Australian Air Transport Safety Bureau determined that debris might arrive in Sumatra, contrary to the ocean currents in the region. The strongest current in the Indian Ocean is the South Equatorial Current. It flows east to west between northern Australia and Madagascar, and debris would be able to cross it. Indeed, on July 30 2015 a large piece of debris – a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flaperon">flaperon</a> (moving part of a plane wing) – washed up on Reunion Island in the western Indian Ocean. It was later confirmed to belong to MH370. Twelve months earlier, using an oceanographic drift model, our University of Western Australia (UWA) modelling team had predicted that any debris originating from the 7th arc would end up in the western Indian Ocean. In subsequent months, additional aircraft debris was found in the western Indian Ocean in Mauritius, Tanzania, Rodrigues, Madagascar, Mozambique and South Africa. The UWA drift analysis accurately predicted where floating debris from MH370 would beach in the western Indian Ocean. It also guided American adventurer Blaine Gibson and others to directly recover several dozen pieces of debris, three of which <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/where-blaine-gibson-now-malaysia-airlines-mh370-debris-hunter-1787369">have been confirmed</a> to be from MH370, while several others <a href="https://www.airlineratings.com/news/mh370-debris-now-for-the-facts/">are deemed likely</a>. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579756/original/file-20240305-22-q62h9n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579756/original/file-20240305-22-q62h9n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579756/original/file-20240305-22-q62h9n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=602&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579756/original/file-20240305-22-q62h9n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=602&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579756/original/file-20240305-22-q62h9n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=602&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579756/original/file-20240305-22-q62h9n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=757&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579756/original/file-20240305-22-q62h9n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=757&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579756/original/file-20240305-22-q62h9n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=757&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="A detailed satellite map showing locations of debris found on the shores of Africa and Madagascar." /></a><figcaption>Predicted locations of landfall from results of University of Western Australia drift modelling. The white dots indicate predicted landfall of the debris. The aggregation of many dots, particularly close to land, is an indication of the density of particles – higher probability of debris making landfall. These are highlighted by red circles. Charitha Pattiaratchi/UWA, Author provided</figcaption></figure> To date, these debris finds in the western Indian ocean are the only physical evidence found related to MH370. It is also independent verification that the crash occurred close to the 7th arc, as any debris would initially flow northwards and then to the west, transported by the prevailing ocean currents. These results are consistent with other drift studies undertaken by independent researchers globally. <h2>Why a new search for MH370 now?</h2> Unfortunately, the ocean is a chaotic place, and even oceanographic drift models cannot pinpoint the exact location of the crash site. The proposed new search by Ocean Infinity has significantly narrowed down the target area within latitudes 36°S and 33°S. This is approximately 50km to the south of the locations where UWA modelling indicated the release of debris along the 7th arc. If the search does not locate the wreckage, it could be extended north. Since the initial underwater searches, technology has tremendously improved. Ocean Infinity is using a fleet of autonomous underwater vehicles with improved resolution. The proposed search will also use remotely controlled surface vessels. In the area where the search is to take place, the ocean is around 4,000 metres deep. The water temperatures are 1–2°C, with low currents. This means that even after ten years, the debris field would be relatively intact. Therefore, there is a high probability that the wreckage can still be found. If a future search is successful, this would bring closure not just to the families of those who perished, but also the thousands of people who have been involved in the search efforts.<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/224954/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/charitha-pattiaratchi-110101">Charitha Pattiaratchi</a>, Professor of Coastal Oceanography, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-western-australia-1067">The University of Western Australia</a> Image credits: Getty Images 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/mh370-disappearance-10-years-on-can-we-still-find-it-224954">original article</a>.

Travel Trouble

War in Ukraine affected wellbeing worldwide, but people’s speed of recovery depended on their personality

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/luke-smillie-7502">Luke Smillie</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> The war in Ukraine has had impacts around the world. <a href="https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/ripple-effects-russia-ukraine-war-test-global-economies">Supply chains</a> have been disrupted, the <a href="https://news.un.org/pages/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GCRG_2nd-Brief_Jun8_2022_FINAL.pdf?utm_source=United+Nations&utm_medium=Brief&utm_campaign=Global+Crisis+Response">cost of living</a> has soared and we’ve seen the <a href="https://www.unhcr.org/hk/en/73141-ukraine-fastest-growing-refugee-crisis-in-europe-since-wwii.html">fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II</a>. All of these are in addition to the devastating humanitarian and economic impacts within Ukraine. Our international team was conducting a global study on wellbeing in the lead up to and after the Russian invasion. This provided a unique opportunity to examine the psychological impact of the outbreak of war. As we explain in a new study published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-44693-6">Nature Communications</a>, we learned the toll on people’s wellbeing was evident across nations, not just <a href="https://ijmhs.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13033-023-00598-3">in Ukraine</a>. These effects appear to have been temporary – at least for the average person. But people with certain psychological vulnerabilities struggled to recover from the shock of the war. <h2>Tracking wellbeing during the outbreak of war</h2> People who took part in our study completed a rigorous “<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2773515/">experience-sampling</a>” protocol. Specifically, we asked them to report their momentary wellbeing four times per day for a whole month. Data collection began in October 2021 and continued throughout 2022. So we had been tracking wellbeing around the world during the weeks surrounding the outbreak of war in February 2022. We also collected measures of personality, along with various sociodemographic variables (including age, gender, political views). This enabled us to assess whether different people responded differently to the crisis. We could also compare these effects across countries. Our analyses focused primarily on 1,341 participants living in 17 European countries, excluding Ukraine itself (44,894 experience-sampling reports in total). We also expanded these analyses to capture the experiences of 1,735 people living in 43 countries around the world (54,851 experience-sampling reports) – including in Australia. <h2>A global dip in wellbeing</h2> On February 24 2022, the day Russia invaded Ukraine, there was a sharp decline in wellbeing around the world. There was no decline in the month leading up to the outbreak of war, suggesting the change in wellbeing was not already occurring for some other reason. However, there was a gradual increase in wellbeing during the month after the Russian invasion, suggestive of a “return to baseline” effect. Such effects are commonly reported in psychological research: situations and events that impact our wellbeing often (<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237535630_Adaptation_and_the_Set-Point_Model_of_Subjective_Well-BeingDoes_Happiness_Change_After_Major_Life_Events">though not always</a>) do so <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7062343_Beyond_the_Hedonic_Treadmill_Revising_the_Adaptation_Theory_of_Well-Being">temporarily</a>. Unsurprisingly, people in Europe experienced a sharper dip in wellbeing compared to people living elsewhere around the world. Presumably the war was much more salient for those closest to the conflict, compared to those living on an entirely different continent. Interestingly, day-to-day fluctuations in wellbeing mirrored the salience of the war on social media as events unfolded. Specifically, wellbeing was lower on days when there were more tweets mentioning Ukraine on Twitter/X. Our results indicate that, on average, it took around two months for people to return to their baseline levels of wellbeing after the invasion. <h2>Different people, different recoveries</h2> There are <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31944795/">strong links</a> between our wellbeing and our individual personalities. However, the dip in wellbeing following the Russian invasion was fairly uniform across individuals. None of the individual factors assessed in our study, including personality and sociodemographic factors, predicted people’s response to the outbreak of war. On the other hand, personality did play a role in how quickly people recovered. Individual differences in people’s recovery were linked to a personality trait called “stability”. Stability is a broad dimension of personality that combines low neuroticism with high agreeableness and conscientiousness (three traits from the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/big-five">Big Five</a> personality framework). Stability is so named because it reflects the stability of one’s overall psychological functioning. This can be illustrated by breaking stability down into its three components: <ol> <li> low neuroticism describes <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2212154120">emotional stability</a>. People low in this trait experience less intense negative emotions such as anxiety, fear or anger, in response to negative events </li> <li> high agreeableness describes <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-63285-010">social stability</a>. People high in this trait are generally more cooperative, kind, and motivated to maintain social harmony </li> <li> high conscientiousness describes <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2023.112331">motivational stability</a>. People high in this trait show more effective patterns of goal-directed self-regulation. </li> </ol> So, our data show that people with less stable personalities fared worse in terms of recovering from the impact the war in Ukraine had on wellbeing. In a supplementary analysis, we found the effect of stability was driven specifically by neuroticism and agreeableness. The fact that people higher in neuroticism recovered more slowly accords with a wealth of research linking this trait with <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10573882/">coping difficulties</a> and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5428182/">poor mental health</a>. These effects of personality on recovery were stronger than those of sociodemographic factors, such as age, gender or political views, which were not statistically significant. Overall, our findings suggest that people with certain psychological vulnerabilities will often struggle to recover from the shock of global events such as the outbreak of war in Ukraine.<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/224147/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/luke-smillie-7502">Luke Smillie</a>, Professor in Personality Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> Image credits: Getty Images 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/war-in-ukraine-affected-wellbeing-worldwide-but-peoples-speed-of-recovery-depended-on-their-personality-224147">original article</a>.

Mind

“It’s not personal”: New mum shares divisive list of rules

An expecting mum has divided opinions with an extensive list of strict rules her family and friends must follow if they want to meet her new baby. KIIS FM hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O read out the list live on air, as they debated the rules and regulations put in place by the pregnant woman. The rules included not touching the baby, being vaccinated and only going to see the child if you've been asked, with the hosts asking listeners if they thought the rules were “too strict” or “reasonable”. “We're drawing closer to the birth of our daughter, and we couldn't be more excited, but unfortunately we have to implement some boundaries. We hope you can respect our wishes and no one takes these personally,” the mum's announcement read. First, the mum declared that there will be no information about the baby put online, including photos and information of the child’s name, or even an announcement that she had given birth. “If we want you to know, you'll know,” the mum outlined. Next, she said that only those who have “checked in” with the expecting parents since the announcement of the pregnancy will be notified of the birth. The mum took a brutal swing at anyone else she hasn't heard from and wrote, “Otherwise we have taken your silence as not being interested in our friendship and it is also reciprocated.” The couple went on to add that for the first two weeks following the birth, they will not be having any visitors. “No exceptions, no texts, no calls,” the mum wrote in capital letters, further explaining that no visitors will be welcome at either the hospital or at home. The couple also expect those who want to meet the baby to be vaccinated. “Don't be offended if we ask for proof. We will not be putting her health at risk,” the point read. The mum also asked visitors to “not smell of cigarettes or wear cologne or perfume that is too strong when meeting the baby”. Lastly, if family or friends visit the couple at home they will need to bring their own snacks and drinks. “Please do not expect to be hosted. Mum will probably be tired,” the list read. After sharing a video on TikTok, some mentioned the number one parenting rule of all: “their baby, their rules”. “Not a single one of those rules is unreasonable,” one person commented online. “The people triggered over this are the type of people these boundaries are intended for,” another added. However, others deemed the list as “passive aggressive”. “Yeah right, nice knowing ya,” one wrote, while another said, “I hope she knows what she's doing.” Image credits: Getty Images

Family & Pets

Alzheimer’s may have once spread from person to person, but the risk of that happening today is incredibly low

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/steve-macfarlane-4722">Steve Macfarlane</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> An article published this week in the prestigious journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-023-02729-2">Nature Medicine</a> documents what is believed to be the first evidence that Alzheimer’s disease can be transmitted from person to person. The finding arose from long-term follow up of patients who received human growth hormone (hGH) that was taken from brain tissue of deceased donors. Preparations of donated hGH were used in medicine to treat a variety of conditions from 1959 onwards – including in Australia from the mid 60s. The practice stopped in 1985 when it was discovered around 200 patients worldwide who had received these donations went on to develop <a href="https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/epidemiology/epidemiology-fact-sheets/creutzfeldt-jakob-disease-cjd/">Creuztfeldt-Jakob disease</a> (CJD), which causes a rapidly progressive dementia. This is an otherwise extremely rare condition, affecting roughly one person in a million. <h2>What’s CJD got to do with Alzehimer’s?</h2> CJD is caused by prions: infective particles that are neither bacterial or viral, but consist of abnormally folded proteins that can be transmitted from cell to cell. Other prion diseases include kuru, a dementia seen in New Guinea tribespeople caused by eating human tissue, scrapie (a disease of sheep) and variant CJD or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, otherwise known as mad cow disease. This raised <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_BSE_outbreak">public health concerns</a> over the eating of beef products in the United Kingdom in the 1980s. <h2>Human growth hormone used to come from donated organs</h2> Human growth hormone (hGH) is produced in the brain by the pituitary gland. Treatments were originally prepared from purified human pituitary tissue. But because the amount of hGH contained in a single gland is extremely small, any single dose given to any one patient could contain material from around <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00000563.htm">16,000 donated glands</a>. An average course of hGH treatment lasts around four years, so the chances of receiving contaminated material – even for a very rare condition such as CJD – became quite high for such people. hGH is now manufactured synthetically in a laboratory, rather than from human tissue. So this particular mode of CJD transmission is no longer a risk. <h2>What are the latest findings about Alzheimer’s disease?</h2> The Nature Medicine paper provides the first evidence that transmission of Alzheimer’s disease can occur via human-to-human transmission. The authors examined the outcomes of people who received donated hGH until 1985. They found five such recipients had developed early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. They considered other explanations for the findings but concluded donated hGH was the likely cause. Given Alzheimer’s disease is a much more common illness than CJD, the authors presume those who received donated hGH before 1985 may be at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is caused by presence of two abnormally folded proteins: amyloid and tau. There is <a href="https://actaneurocomms.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40478-017-0488-7">increasing evidence</a> these proteins spread in the brain in a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8086126/">similar way to prion diseases</a>. So the mode of transmission the authors propose is certainly plausible. However, given the amyloid protein deposits in the brain <a href="https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/estimates-amyloid-onset-may-predict-alzheimers-progression">at least 20 years</a> before clinical Alzheimer’s disease develops, there is likely to be a considerable time lag before cases that might arise from the receipt of donated hGH become evident. <h2>When was this process used in Australia?</h2> In Australia, donated pituitary material <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2022/07/the-cjd-review-final-report.pdf">was used</a> from 1967 to 1985 to treat people with short stature and infertility. <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2022/07/the-cjd-review-final-report.pdf">More than 2,000 people</a> received such treatment. Four developed CJD, the last case identified in 1991. All four cases were likely linked to a single contaminated batch. The risks of any other cases of CJD developing now in pituitary material recipients, so long after the occurrence of the last identified case in Australia, are <a href="https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2010/193/6/iatrogenic-creutzfeldt-jakob-disease-australia-time-amend-infection-control">considered to be</a> incredibly small. Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease (defined as occurring before the age of 65) is uncommon, accounting for <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4356853/">around 5%</a> of all cases. Below the age of 50 it’s rare and likely to have a genetic contribution. <h2>The risk is very low – and you can’t ‘catch’ it like a virus</h2> The Nature Medicine paper identified five cases which were diagnosed in people aged 38 to 55. This is more than could be expected by chance, but still very low in comparison to the total number of patients treated worldwide. Although the long “incubation period” of Alzheimer’s disease may mean more similar cases may be identified in the future, the absolute risk remains very low. The main scientific interest of the article lies in the fact it’s first to demonstrate that Alzheimer’s disease can be transmitted from person to person in a similar way to prion diseases, rather than in any public health risk. The authors were keen to emphasise, as I will, that Alzheimer’s cannot be contracted via contact with or providing care to people with Alzheimer’s disease.<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/222374/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/steve-macfarlane-4722">Steve Macfarlane</a>, Head of Clinical Services, Dementia Support Australia, & Associate Professor of Psychiatry, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> Image credits: Getty Images 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/alzheimers-may-have-once-spread-from-person-to-person-but-the-risk-of-that-happening-today-is-incredibly-low-222374">original article</a>.

Mind

“Disappointing”: New inflight Qantas video slammed for “missing the mark”

A new inflight safety video from Qantas has been widely panned for being “elitist” and “sexist”, while skimming over vital safety information. The new video, which is set to replace an earlier retro video released in 2020 that marked the airline’s 100th birthday, features frequent flyers and Qantas staff delivering the pre-flight safety announcement from their favourite “magic places” around the world. The video features destinations such as Litchfield National Park near Darwin and Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia, as well as international places such as Lapland in Finland and Marrakesh in Morocco. After the video was shared by the airline, members of the Flight Attendants Association of Australia were quick to express their feelings. Flight Attendants Association of Australia national secretary Teri O-Toole told <a href="https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/health-safety/new-qantas-safety-video-panned-as-sexist-and-elitist/news-story/078aa2c55cf48e6551a40ad4c0c56011">news.com.au</a> the video was “disappointing” for a lot of different reasons. <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/C2dPrw_BNqf/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2dPrw_BNqf/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Qantas (@qantas)</a> </div> </blockquote> “Not one Australian-based international crew member was used,” she said. “There are no cabin crew in uniform and there are no shots of the interior of an aircraft which are all important factors for non-English speaking passengers and those that need to know who is in charge.” “Not once does it say ‘follow the directions of your crew member’, which you would’ve thought would be the focus of a safety video.” She also questioned why a female pilot appeared in a swimsuit, suggesting that sort of depiction took women in the workplace took the airline “back 20 years” “I didn’t see a male pilot in a pair of budgie smugglers,” she said. She went on to describe the video as “great marketing”, but totally “misses the mark” in terms of a safety video, while also adding “elitist” to focus on frequent flyers during a cost of living crisis. Social media users were equally scathing. “I’d prefer just focus on, oh I dunno, in flight safety during the in-flight safety video?,” one wrote. “Why do we need a long video with all this added stuff?” Another described it as “slow, long, tedious and boring. I couldn't make it through the entire thing”, while a third person labelled it “absolutely awful”. Qantas chief customer officer Catriona Larritt defended the video insisting safety was the number one priority across the Qantas Group, and the in-flight video together with cabin crew, plays a key role in capturing the attention of travellers to watch and listen to the critical information. “First and foremost, the video is about familiarising our customers with safety procedures and we try to make it as engaging as possible, in particular for regular flyers who might otherwise tune out,” she said. Image credits: Qantas

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“Disappointing”: New inflight Qantas video slammed for “missing the mark”