Search

Flight attendant reveals why you should never use the toilet paper on a plane

A flight attendant has revealed the gross reason why you should never use the toilet paper on a plane journey. The seasoned cabin crew member, an American woman named Cheryl, shared the three things she would never do on a plane after seeing what really goes on behind closed doors on an aircraft. Her first tip for any traveller was not to use the toilet paper in a plane bathroom. Sharing her tips in a TikTok video, she wrote, "If you examine the toilet paper, I promise you're going to see water droplets on it, or what you think are water droplets." "I don't think we can trust most men to make it in the toilet on a normal day, let alone flying at 36,000 feet with turbulence." To combat this, the flight attendant recommends bringing a travel pack of tissues in your hand luggage to use instead. She also warned her viewers against wearing shorts on their next flight. "I would never wear shorts on a plane. You're going to freeze to death," she said. Cheryl pointed out another valid reason to opt for long pants on a flight, stating, "Say we have an evacuation. You have to go down the slide. Your butt cheeks are going to be sizzled off.” Lastly, Cheryl urged travellers to never book less than a three-hour connection between flights. "Delays can happen for a million and one reasons. The likelihood that you're going to miss your connection is pretty high if you're booking shorter than three hours," she said. Image credits: TikTok

Travel Tips

How often should you wash your sheets and towels?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rietie-venter-100529">Rietie Venter</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a> Everyone seems to have a different opinion when it comes to how often towels and <a href="https://7news.com.au/video/lifestyle/cleaning/dr-karl-on-how-often-you-should-wash-our-sheets-bc-6320410318112">bed sheets should be washed</a>. While many people might wonder whether days or weeks is best, in one survey from the United Kingdom, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-61259074">almost half of single men</a> reported not washing their sheets for up to four months at a time. It’s fairly clear that four months is too long to leave it, but what is the ideal frequency? Bed linen and towels are quite different and so should be washed at different intervals. While every week or two will generally suffice for sheets, towels are best washed every few days. Anyway, who doesn’t love the feeling of a fresh set of sheets or the smell of a newly laundered towel? <h2>Why you should wash towels more often</h2> When you dry yourself, you deposit thousands of <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2018.02362/full">skin cells</a> and millions of <a href="https://www.ajicjournal.org/article/S0196-6553(23)00402-9/fulltext">microbes</a> onto the towel. And because you use your towel to dry yourself after a shower or bath, your towel is regularly damp. You also deposit a hefty amount of dead skin, microbes, sweat and oils <a href="https://theconversation.com/your-bed-probably-isnt-as-clean-as-you-think-a-microbiologist-explains-163513">onto your sheets</a> every night. But unless you’re a prolific night sweater, your bedding doesn’t get wet after a night’s sleep. Towels are also made of a thicker material than sheets and therefore tend to stay damp for longer. So what is it about the dampness that causes a problem? Wet towels are a breeding ground for bacteria and moulds. <a href="https://www.qld.gov.au/housing/public-community-housing/public-housing-tenants/looking-after-your-home/safety/mould">Moulds</a> especially love <a href="https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/living-with/indoor-air-pollution/allergies">damp environments</a>. Although mould won’t necessarily be visible (you would need significant growth to be able to see it) this can lead to an unpleasant smell. As well as odours, <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/infections/can-clothes-and-towels-spread-germs/">exposure to these microbes</a> in your towels and sheets can cause <a href="https://aafa.org/allergies/types-of-allergies/insect-allergy/dust-mite-allergy/">asthma</a>, allergic skin irritations, or other <a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/11/4/04-1094_article">skin infections</a>. <h2>So what’s the ideal frequency?</h2> For bedding, it really depends on factors such as whether you have a bath or shower just before going to bed, or if you fall into bed after a long, sweaty day and have your shower in the morning. You will need to wash your sheets more regularly in the latter case. As a rule of thumb, once a week or every two weeks should be fine. Towels should ideally be washed more regularly – perhaps every few days – while your facecloth should be cleaned after every use. Because it gets completely wet, it will be wet for a longer time, and retain more skin cells and microbes. Wash your towels at a high temperature (for example, 65°C) as that will <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34465009/">kill many microbes</a>. If you are conscious of saving energy, you can use a lower temperature and add a cup of vinegar to the wash. The vinegar will kill microbes and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8231443/">prevent bad smells</a> from developing. Clean your washing machine regularly and dry the fold in the rubber after every wash, as this is another place microbes like to grow. <h2>Smelly towels</h2> What if you regularly wash your towels, but they still smell bad? One of the reasons for this pong could be that you’ve left them in the washing machine too long after the wash. Especially if it was a warm wash cycle, the time they’re warm and damp will allow microbes to happily grow. Under <a href="https://textbookofbacteriology.net/growth_3.html">lab conditions</a> the number of these bacteria can double every 30 minutes. It’s important to hang your towel out to dry after use and not to leave towels in the washing machine after the cycle has finished. If possible, hang your towels and bedding out in the sun. That will dry them quickly and thoroughly and will foster that lovely fresh, clean cotton smell. Using a dryer is a good alternative if the weather is bad, but outdoors in the sun is always better if possible. Also, even if your towel is going to be washed, don’t throw a wet towel into the laundry basket, as the damp, dirty towel will be an ideal place for microbes to breed. By the time you get to doing your washing, the towel and the other laundry around it may have acquired a bad smell. And it can be difficult to get your towels smelling fresh again. <h2>What about ‘self-cleaning’ sheets and towels?</h2> Some companies sell “quick-dry” towels or “self-cleaning” towels and bedding. Quick-dry towels are made from synthetic materials that are weaved in a way to allow them to dry quickly. This would help prevent the growth of microbes and the bad smells that develop when towels are damp for long periods of time. But the notion of self-cleaning products is more complicated. Most of these products contain <a href="https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/chem-2016-0005/html">nanosilver</a> or copper, antibacterial metals that kill micro-organisms. The antibacterial compounds will stop the growth of bacteria and can be useful to limit smells and reduce the frequency with which you need to clean your sheets and towels. However, they’re not going to remove dirt like oils, skin flakes and sweat. So as much as I would love the idea of sheets and towels that clean themselves, that’s not exactly what happens. Also, excessive use of antimicrobials <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6636436/pdf/idr-12-1985.pdf">such as nanosilver</a> can lead to <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.652863/full">microbes becoming resistant</a> to them.<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/216083/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rietie-venter-100529">Rietie Venter</a>, Associate professor, Clinical and Health Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South 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/how-often-should-you-wash-your-sheets-and-towels-216083">original article</a>.

Home & Garden

Why are people putting toilet paper in the fridge?

Recently, people on social media have been advising you to replace that box of bi-carbonate of soda (baking soda) in the back of your fridge with a roll of toilet paper. Does this weird trick work? We asked kitchen and appliance experts to see what the pros had to say! <h4>Why put toilet paper in the fridge?</h4> Ruiz Asri, editor of Honest Food Talks, says toilet paper’s absorbency is behind this hack. “Moisture in the refrigerator often contributes to mildew and unpleasant odour,” Asri says. The toilet paper absorbs excess moisture, along with foul smells. References to toilet paper in the fridge can be found as far back as 2015. But its dedicated use of it as an odour absorber seems to be more recent, with videos appearing on TikTok and Facebook. Does it work? Yes, to a point. While TP will absorb odours, other options are more efficient, take up less space and generate fewer odd looks from houseguests. Amy, from the parenting blog Amy & Rose, has tried the TP technique. She had some fishy smells in the fridge, and her daughter suggested that she try the toilet paper hack. So did it work? “In my experience, somewhat,” she says. But here’s the catch: It’s just a temporary fix. <h4>Alternative fridge odour busters</h4> So if you want something longer lasting that takes up less space, read on for some alternate odour-fighting strategies. Bi-carbonate of soda Bi-carbonate of soda (also known as bi-carb and baking soda) is the go-to solution for many households. It caught on in the 1970s, when one manufacturer promoted it as an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical cleaning. By 1994, a US newspaper reported “more refrigerators are likely to have bi-carb than working light bulbs.” Bi-carb is a base material, which means it neutralises acids. Because most odours are acidic, it can cut off the smell at the source. (Side note: After deodorising a fridge with bi-carb, don’t use the contents of that box for baking. Cooking can reactivate those acids and contaminate your cake.) As the bi-carb interacts with more acids, it becomes less effective. Most people will need to replace it every three months. Black cumin seed oil Corinne Segura, a building biologist practitioner and founder of My Chemical-Free House, has first-hand experience with fridge odours. “When food went bad in my fridge, it left a lingering foul odour,” she says. “I used black cumin seed oil, which has a deodorising effect, to clean up the smell.” Segura credits this to the essential oil’s ability to deodorise methyl mercaptan, a chemical that produces a rotten scent. “I mixed five drops of black cumin essential oil with 1 tablespoon of dish soap and applied it in a thick layer to all the plastic components inside the fridge,” she says. “I let it sit for two hours before washing it off. This worked well to get rid of foul odours in the fridge.” Activated charcoal Activated charcoal captures the particles that cause bad smells, just like toilet paper. It’s available as a powder, in pre-cut filters or as fabric you can cut to size. It functions by collecting the volatile compounds given off by smelly items, reducing odour. Swap out the charcoal every month or so to keep it effective. Vanilla extract For those who prefer a more pleasant scent, especially around their food, Asri offers a particularly sweet recommendation. “Soak a cotton wool ball in vanilla extract and place it in the refrigerator,” he says. “This combats bad odours and leaves your fridge smelling like a bakery.” Crumpled newspaper and charcoal If you want a deep-clean on your fridge or freezer at minimal expense, go with one paper product that’s even cheaper than toilet paper. Fill up a particularly stinky fridge with crushed charcoal and crumpled newspaper (you can buy unprinted newsprint paper). You’ll need to replace the newspaper every day for about a week, but it’s a low-cost way to deal with a foul-smelling situation. <h4>UV light purifier</h4> If you gravitate towards high-tech solutions, consider a fridge with a UV light filter. “Ultraviolet light can destroy bacteria, mould and other pathogens,” says Alexander Hill, a sales rep for UK-based Appliance Depot. “Some fridge purifiers use UV light to sanitise the air and surfaces inside the fridge, thus reducing the source of many odours.” Take that, toilet paper. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/food-home-garden/diy-tips/why-are-people-putting-toilet-paper-in-the-fridge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.

Home & Garden

Here’s how often you should be washing your dish towels

Easily forgotten job Most people are probably not throwing their dish towels in the washing machine quite often enough. It’s easy to forget them, and after they’ve air-dried, they look ready for another use. But too often, we keep using them long after they’ve gotten dirty, and all we’re really doing is spreading bacteria and germs on everything they touch. “Believe it or not, dish towels can be one of the dirtiest items in your home. From cleaning up spills to wiping off counter tops, they often get used more than they’re cleaned,” said Bailey Carson, head of cleaning at Handy. A study by the American Society of Microbiology showed that half of kitchen towels tested contained some sort of bacterial growth, such as E. coli or staph. Bacteria breeding ground Because dish towels are so absorbent, they are the perfect home for bacteria, mildew and even mould. Your damp, warm towel is also the ideal breeding ground for that bacteria. That smell you associate with your dish towels and washcloths? Yup. That’s mould and mildew. If your towels or cloths smell, it’s time for a wash in very hot water. If they come out of the dryer still smelling less than pleasant? It’s time to get a new set. Stopping the spread But exactly how often DO you need to wash your dish towels to avoid spreading germs? That answer is: It depends. It depends on what exactly you’re using your dish towels for. Are they just for drying your hands after washing them, with maybe a quick use to mop up some spilled water or a food stain on the front of your cupboards? In that case, Julie Finch-Scally, founder of The Duster Dollies, says that it’s all right to reuse that type of towel for three to four days. If you’re using your dish towels to wipe up anything other than your wet hands, they’re getting more use than a towel you use after you shower, and you’ll have to wash them more often than the average amount of time you should wait between washing your bath towels. Other surfaces If you’re using your dish towels to wipe down cutting boards, wash down stovetops, clean up after spills, or even for drying your dishes, you may have to replace them a bit more often. In this case, Liz O’Hanlon, director of Metro Cleaning (UK) Ltd, says, “Ideally you should change your dishcloths once a day. Unless you use the towel to wipe up spillages which include raw meat or fish; then the towel should be washed immediately after use.” Wash together weekly Of course, this doesn’t mean you have to run a load of a few towels every single day. Laura Smith, owner of All Star Cleaning Services, recommends collecting dirty towels in a small bin under your sink and washing them when you’ve got a full load. That way, once you’ve figured out how often you need to wash your bedsheets, you can throw them all in together. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/food-home-garden/heres-how-often-you-should-be-washing-your-dish-towels" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.

Home & Garden

Whether in war-torn Ukraine, Laos or Spain, kids have felt compelled to pick up crayons and put their experiences to paper

“They still draw pictures!” So wrote the editors of an influential collection of children’s art that was <a href="https://www.afsc.org/document/they-still-draw-pictures-1938">compiled in 1938</a> during <a href="https://theconversation.com/ukraines-foreign-fighters-have-little-in-common-with-those-who-signed-up-to-fight-in-the-spanish-civil-war-178976">the Spanish Civil War</a>. Eighty years later, war continues to upend children’s lives in Ukraine, Yemen and elsewhere. In January, UNICEF <a href="https://www.unicef.org/globalinsight/reports/prospects-children-2022-global-outlook">projected</a> that 177 million children worldwide would require assistance due to war and political instability in 2022. This included <a href="https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/yemen-crisis">12 million children in Yemen</a>, <a href="https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/syrian-crisis">6.5 million in Syria</a> and <a href="https://www.unicef.org/appeals/myanmar">5 million in Myanmar</a>. The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 added 7 million more children to this number. To date, more than half of Ukraine’s children <a href="https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/war-ukraine-pose-immediate-threat-children">have been internally or externally displaced</a>. Many more have faced disruptions to education, health care and home life. And yet they, too, still draw pictures. In March, a charity called <a href="https://www.uakids.today/en">UA Kids Today</a>launched, offering a digital platform for kids to respond with art to Russia’s invasion and raise money for aid to Ukrainian families with children. <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=7bfZyk8AAAAJ&hl=en">As a scholar who studies</a> the ways wars affect societies’ most vulnerable members, I see much that can be learned from the art created by kids living in war-torn regions across place and time. <h2>A century of children’s art</h2> During <a href="https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/boer-war">the Boer War</a> – a conflict waged from 1899 to 1902 between British troops and South African guerrilla forces – relief workers sought to teach orphaned girls the art of <a href="https://blogs.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/archivesandmanuscripts/2017/08/24/the-archive-of-emily-hobhouse-now-available/">lace-making</a>. During World War I, displaced children in Greece and Turkey learned to weave textiles and decorate pottery <a href="https://neareastmuseum.com/2015/08/13/every-stitch-a-story-near-east-industries/">as a means of making a living</a>. Over time, expression has replaced subsistence as the driver of children’s wartime artwork. No longer pressed to sell their productions, children are instead urged to put their emotions and experiences on display for the world to see. Novelist <a href="https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2015/novemberdecember/feature/the-talented-mr-huxley">Aldous Huxley</a> hinted at this goal in his introduction to the 1938 collection of Spanish Civil War art. Whether showing “explosions, the panic rush to shelter, [or] the bodies of victims,” <a href="https://library.ucsd.edu/speccoll/tsdp/frame.html">Huxley wrote</a>, these drawings revealed “a power of expression that evokes our admiration for the childish artists and our horror at the elaborate bestiality of modern war.” <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/herbert-read">Herbert Read</a>, a World War I veteran and educational theorist, organized another show of children’s art during World War II. Unlike Huxley, Read found that scenes of war did not dominate the drawings he collected from British schoolchildren, even those exposed to the London Blitz. In a pamphlet for the exhibition, he highlighted “the sense of beauty and the enjoyment of life which they have expressed.” While the shows discussed by Read and Huxley differed in many ways, both men emphasized the form and composition of children’s artwork as much as their pictorial contents. Both also expressed the view that the creators of these drawings would play a critical role in the rebuilding of their war-torn communities. <h2>A political tool</h2> As with the children’s war art made during Huxley and Read’s time, the images coming out of Ukraine express a mix of horror, fear, hope and beauty. While planes, rockets and explosions appear in many of the pictures uploaded by <a href="https://www.uakids.today/en">UA Kids Today</a>, so do flowers, angels, Easter bunnies and peace signs. The managers of this platform – who are refugees themselves – have not been able to mount a physical exhibition of these works. But artists and curators elsewhere are beginning to do so. In Sarasota, Florida, artist Wojtek Sawa <a href="https://www.fox13news.com/news/new-sarasota-exhibit-features-artwork-of-ukrainian-children-coping-with-war">has opened a show</a> of Ukrainian children’s art that will be used to collect donations and messages from visitors. These will later be distributed to displaced children in Poland. <a href="https://warchildhood.org/">The War Childhood Museum</a>, based in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, had recently concluded traveling exhibitions in Kyiv and Kherson when the Russian invasion started. The museum’s managing director, who has <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-crimes-schools-d1e52368aced8b3359f4436ca7180811">spoken</a> out strongly about the need for cultural heritage protection in war, was able to retrieve several dozen artifacts from these shows a few days before the fighting commenced. Those toys and drawings, which tell the story of children’s experience during Russia’s previous effort to gain control of the Donbas region in 2014, <a href="https://warchildhood.org/2022/02/24/updates-from-ukraine/">will be featured</a> in shows opening elsewhere in Europe in 2022. By capturing the attention of journalists and the public, these exhibitions have been used to raise awareness, solicit funds and inspire commentary. However, children’s art from Ukraine has not yet played a role in political deliberations, as it did when peace activist Fred Branfman shared his collection of drawings by Laotian children and adults <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/07/us/fred-branfman-laos-activist-dies-at-72.html">during his 1971 testimony</a> before Congress on the “<a href="https://legaciesofwar.org/about-laos/secret-war-laos/">Secret War</a>” the U.S. had been conducting in Laos since 1964. Nor is it yet clear whether this art will play a part in future war crimes trials, as the art of Auschwitz-Birkenau internee Yahuda Bacon <a href="https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2020/01/25/for-child-survivors-drawing-is-therapy-and-a-tool-of-justice">did during</a> the 1961 trial of Adolf Eichmann. <h2>Windows into different worlds</h2> Art historians <a href="https://www.massey.ac.nz/%7Ealock/hbook/bremner.htm">once thought</a> children’s drawings, no matter where they lived, revealed the world in a way that was unshaped by cultural conventions. But I don’t believe that children in all countries and conflicts represent their experiences in the same way. The drawings of children imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps during World War II are not formally or symbolically interchangeable with drawings made by children exposed to America’s bombing campaign in Laos. Nor can these be interpreted in the same way as images produced by Ukrainian, Yemeni, Syrian or Sudanese children today. To me, one of the most valuable features of children’s art is its power to highlight unique aspects of everyday life in distant places, while conveying a sense of what can be upended, lost or destroyed. A Laotian child’s <a href="https://legaciesofwar.org/programs/national-traveling-exhibition/illustrations-narratives/">drawing</a> of a horse that “ran back to the village” from the rice field after its owner was killed by a bomb offers a small window into the lives of subsistence rice farmers. The desert landscapes and <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-09-30/yemen-s-historic-tower-houses-are-under-threat">urban architecture</a> of Yemen are equally distinctive, and Yemeni children’s drawings highlight those differences even as they express aspirations that viewers around the world may share. <h2>The challenges of preservation</h2> As an academic who has also worked in museums, I am always thinking about how artifacts from today’s conflicts will be preserved for exhibition in the future. There are significant challenges to preserving the drawings and paintings young people produce. First, children’s art is materially unstable. It is often made on paper, with crayons, markers and other ephemeral media. This makes it dangerous to display originals and demands care in the production of facsimiles. Second, children’s art is often hard to contextualize. The first-person commentaries that accompanied some of the Spanish Civil War drawings and most of the Laotian images <a href="https://library.ucsd.edu/speccoll/tsdp/frame.html">often provide</a> details about children’s localized experience but rarely about the timing of events, geographic locations or other crucial facts. Finally, much children’s war art suffers from uncertain authorship. With few full names recorded, it is hard to trace the fates of most child artists, nor is it generally possible to gather their adult reflections on their childhood creations. By noting these complications, I don’t want to detract from the remarkable fact that children still draw pictures during war. Their expressions are invaluable for documenting war and its impact, and it’s important to study them. Nevertheless, in researching children’s art, it is necessary to reflect that scholars and curators are – like the child artists themselves – often working at the limits of their knowledge. Image credits: Instagram This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/whether-in-war-torn-ukraine-laos-or-spain-kids-have-felt-compelled-to-pick-up-crayons-and-put-their-experiences-to-paper-181458" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Art

How clean are your towels?

Warning to the germaphobes out there: best look away now! For the rest of you, brace yourself for what we’re about to tell you. A study to come out of the University of Arizona has found enteric bacteria in 89 per cent of E. coli in 25.6 per cent of kitchen tea-towels. From drying the dishes in the kitchen to enveloping yourself in a towel after a bath, towels are actually an absorbent vessel of germs. Disturbing isn’t it?! That amount of bacteria lurking in your towels is enough to rub anyone who values cleanliness up the wrong way. To help lessen the bacteria in your home, here’s a guide to the nasties that could be lurking in your towels and what you can do about it. Bath towels Sure, it sounds harmless enough – bath towels are used to dry your body after you’ve had a lovely shower and you are clean all over. Don’t be fooled, however – every time you dry yourself with a towel, dead skin cells are collected in the fibres. As well as washing bath towels every three to five uses, you should also avoid fabric softeners when washing towels and instead use some vinegar in the load. To help strip away the build-up of detergent, body soil and fabric softener, first wash towels in hot water with one cup of white distilled vinegar. Then, wash again in hot water with your regular detergent. This will clean your towels as well as make them smell fresh and clean even when damp. Face washers As dirt and bacteria tend to get caught in the fabric of your washcloths, depending on how often you use a face cloth, it should really be cleaned after each use. Otherwise you are essentially smearing your pores with bacteria. Kitchen towels Given the amount of food, waste, grime, mess and different liquids are on the go in our kitchens it should come as no surprise to hear that the kitchen towel is the dirtiest of them all. And if you are using a dirty kitchen rag, you may actually be introducing hundreds of thousands of bacteria to your kitchen. To keep kitchen towels clean you should wash them after each use. If this is not practical, try dipping them in diluted bleach and hanging them up to dry. To do this, just fill your sink up with water and two teaspoons of bleach. You should wash your kitchen towels at least once a week. Image: Shutterstock

Home & Garden

5 signs you need new towels

Sadly, even if you have taken good care of your towels, there comes a time in every towel's life when they are no longer useful and need to be replaced. <h3 dir="ltr">5 signs you need new towels</h3> Here are five clear signs it's time to say goodbye to your old faithful bathroom towels. <h3 dir="ltr">1. No longer soft and fluffy</h3> As your towels age, they will lose what you loved about them the most: their fluffy exterior. Once they lose that softness, towels start to feel stiff and scratchy. If this happens to your towels, it might be time for some new ones. Keep your towels softer for longer by following these <a href="https://www.bhg.com.au/how-to-wash-new-towels-the-secret-to-fresh-fluffy-soft-towels">towel washing tips</a>. <h3 dir="ltr">2. Not absorbent</h3> The purpose of a towel is to remove water after your shower. If you find that you have to dry yourself several times before you're actually dry, then it's time to say goodbye. <h3 dir="ltr">3. Rips and holes</h3> A more obvious sign that your towel has seen better days is it's starting to fall apart. Holes, rips and frays mean it is time for new towels. <h3 dir="ltr">4. They smell</h3> A smelly towel is not a good sign. Towels left damp for too long will develop a musty smell. Likewise, if you put them in the wash and forget about them, you will need to rewash them to avoid bacteria growth. If your towel starts to smell after only a few uses, no matter how you wash it, then there's a chance there are bacteria embedded in the fibres, and it's time to toss it out. <h3 dir="ltr">5. They won't stop shedding</h3> New towels will shed to some degree initially. Still, if your towels continue to lose fibres, it could be a sign of poor manufacturing. When searching for a new towel, ensure the cotton is pre-combed. <h3 dir="ltr">How to recycle old towels</h3> Thankfully, there are a few options for your old towels to avoid ending up in landfills. <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> The recycling program, Upparel will take all of your old towels (and other unsellable clothes), and recycle them into furniture and other bits and pieces. </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> Call your local animal shelter and see if they need any old towels or sheets. </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> Alternatively, your local mechanic might appreciate some old towels and sheets to work with. </li> </ul> Image: Getty

Home Hints & Tips

3 surprise benefits of heated towel racks in summer

During the colder months, nothing beats stepping out of the shower and pulling a freshly warmed towel off the rack. But, heated towel racks are useful beyond chilly winter mornings. Here are <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.bhg.com.au/heated-towel-rack-summer" target="_blank">three reasons</a> they can be just as useful during humid summer months too. 1. Beat the humidity Though using a heated towel rack in summer sounds pointless, the racks actually work to dry rather than warm towels - a godsend when high humidity strikes. Drying your towel in humidity can be difficult when it’s still damp from the previous day, that extra bit of drying power can ensure your towel is ready to use when you hit the shower again. Some towel racks also come with temperature control, meaning you can lower the temperature on hot days and still enjoy your freshly dried towels. 2. Save on your energy bill and water use According to Bathroom Butler Australia, a producer of heated towel racks, towels dried on a rack don’t require washing as regularly as air-dried towels. As a result, you can both save hours on doing laundry and reduce how much water you use. Plus, heated towel racks can be used to dry more than just towels and can help you cut down on using the dryer for clothing items such as swimmers and underwear. 3. Stop mould in its tracks Hot showers produce a surprising amount of moisture that even bathroom fans can’t quite combat effectively, leading to mould. Unfortunately, damp fabrics stored in the bathroom - such as towels - aren’t as safe from mould as we might think. Unless your bathroom is well-ventilated, using a heated towel rack can ensure your towels stay mould-free. Image: Getty Images

Home Hints & Tips

Secret court papers revealed in Prince Andrew case

A secret legal settlement between Virginia Giuffre and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein <a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/sunrise/on-the-show/giuffre-epstein-agreement-made-public-c-5175529" target="_blank">has been made public</a>, as Prince Andrew attempts to dismiss Giuffre’s lawsuit against him. Court papers, which have been sealed since 2009, revealed that Giuffre received $USD 500,000 ($NZD 736,332) from Epstein, who she claims trafficked and abused her. The royal filed the settlement as part of an attempt to dismiss Giuffre’s case against him, in which she alleged he sexually assaulted her three times when she was 17. In her lawsuit, Giuffre accused Andrew of abusing her at two of his homes, as well as forcing her to have sex at the London home of Ghislaine Maxwell, who was <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/30/ghislaine-maxwell-what-happens-next-charges-sentencing" target="_blank">recently convicted</a> of five charges including recruiting and grooming teenage girls and sex trafficking a minor. Prince Andrew has repeatedly denied the allegations, and has <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/prince-andrew-s-latest-claims-in-lawsuit" target="_blank">previously moved to dismiss the lawsuit</a> by claiming it was “unconstitutional” under the Child Victims’ Act, since Giuffre was above New York’s age of consent at the time. He also attempted to block proceedings on the grounds that Giuffre was no longer a US citizen three days before the settlement was released. However, a federal judge rejected the claims and ordered his lawyers to turn over key legal documents. With the release of Giuffre’s settlement, the prince’s legal team argue that the agreement shields him from liability due to provisions that prevent her from taking legal action against “any other person or entity” who could have been a defendant. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> NEW: A 2009 settlement agreement between Epstein and <a href="https://twitter.com/VRSVirginia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VRSVirginia</a> for $500k has been unsealed. Prince Andrew's lawyer's hope a clause in it (which says "potential defendants" in lawsuits brought by Giuffre are protected from liability) will see her sexual abuse lawsuit dismissed. <a href="https://t.co/750Iv5q4vh">pic.twitter.com/750Iv5q4vh</a> — Omid Scobie (@scobie) <a href="https://twitter.com/scobie/status/1478052106061836288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2022</a></blockquote> The document states that once Giuffre, referred to by her maiden name, received the funds that she agreed to “remise, release, acquit, satisfy and forever discharge the said second parties and any other from all, and all manner of, action and actions of Virginia Roberts, including state or federal, cause and causes of action”. Though Andrew was not mentioned in the document, his attorneys said the settlement released him from liability. “Giuffre settled her sex-traffickinig and sexual-abuse claims against Epstein in 2009,” his lawyers said in a court filing on October 29. “In doing so, she provided Epstein with a general release of all claims against him and numerous other individuals and entities. “To avoid being dragged into future legal disputes, Epstein negotiated for this broad release, insisting that it cover any and all persons who Giuffre identified as potential targets of future lawsuits, regardless of merit - or lack thereof - to any such claims.” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PrinceAndrew?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PrinceAndrew</a>'s legal team is arguing that bc <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JeffreyEpstein?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JeffreyEpstein</a> paid a settlement to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VirginiaGiuffre?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VirginiaGiuffre</a>, she can't pursue him for his alleged sexual assault crimes against her. That sounds like "Yes I did it, but my friend Jeffrey paid the girl." — Peter Murphy (@PeterWMurphy1) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeterWMurphy1/status/1478076434308427777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2022</a></blockquote> They argued that Andrew’s status as a “senior member of the British royal family” meant he belonged to “one of the expressly identified categories of persons” who were “released from liability under the release agreement”. “As a third-party beneficiary of the release agreement, Prince Andrew is entitled to enforce the general release contained therein.” A representative for Giuffre’s lawyers said the document’s release was “irrelevant to Ms Giuffre’s claim against Prince Andrew” as it doesn’t mention him, as reported by <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/03/jeffrey-epstein-prince-andrew-virginia-giuffre" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>. “He did not even know about it. He could not have been a ‘potential defendant’ in the settled case against Jeffrey Epstein both because he was not subject to jurisdiction in Florida and because the Florida case involved federal claims to which he was not a part,” the representative said. “The actual parties to the release have made clear that Prince Andrew was not covered by it. “Lastly, the reason we sought to have the release made public was to refute the claims being made about it by Prince Andrew’s PR campaign.” Andrew’s legal team will argue for the dismissal on Tuesday in New York, where US District Judge Lewis Kaplan will decide whether Giuffre will be blocked from suing the prince. Image: Getty Images

Legal

5 clever uses for Christmas wrapping paper and cards

After opening presents and reading cards from our loved ones and friends, we’re often left with piles of wrapping paper that need to be dealt with. Rather than throwing it straight into the bin, some can be recycled or repurposed into items that have that little bit of sentimental value. Here are <a rel="noopener" href="https://pop.inquirer.net/117417/10-diy-tips-for-recycling-your-christmas-gift-wrappers-and-cards" target="_blank">five</a> clever and crafty uses for your wrapping paper and cards this Christmas. Confetti <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7846531/wrapping-paper1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/d993d6a78ab74456ac1a7f3e6e5ad702" /> Image: One Good Thing by Jillee / onegoodthingbyjillee.com An easy and cost-effective way to recycle wrapping paper, you can make the confetti just in time for any New Year’s parties or events you’ve planned. Just run the paper through a shredder or take to it with scissors and it’s ready to be used. Drawer liners <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7846530/wrapping-paper2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/aeb39c63c2ef4199af0cadba93257641" /> Image: Making Home Base / makinghomebase.com If you’re someone who meticulously unwraps your gifts or you have some spare paper lying around, this hack could be perfect for you. Simply follow <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.makinghomebase.com/how-to-make-drawer-liners/" target="_blank">this tutorial</a> to line your drawers with the paper and give them a bright, new look with minimal effort. Book wrappers <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7846529/wrapping-paper3.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/b2c873ce9d28408aa95a3aef003f5dce" /> Image: Eighteen25 / eighteen25.com In a similar vein to drawer liners, wrapping paper can also be used to brighten up your stationery. Follow this easy <a rel="noopener" href="https://eighteen25.com/wrapping-paper-book-covers/" target="_blank">tutorial</a> to give your planners, notebooks, and journals that extra bit of colour and personality. Bookmarks <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7846527/wrapping-paper4.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/b064416ccfc045b99b1769b262e9f01d" /> Image: The Frugal Girls / thefrugalgirls.com With this DIY project, you can turn your Christmas cards and discarded wrapping paper into a bookmark you can gift or keep for yourself. To make them, gather up your cards, a hole punch, and some ribbon, and follow this six-step <a rel="noopener" href="https://thefrugalgirls.com/2010/01/how-to-make-homemade-bookmarks-from-cards.html" target="_blank">tutorial</a>. As for the wrapping paper, you can use it to add some extra decorations to your bookmarks. Homemade envelopes <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7846528/wrapping-paper5.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/234a72cc71a24fed8cf1701e7abe9b7e" /> Image: Creative Green Living / creativegreenliving.com Wrapping paper can also be repurposed to make envelopes. Whether you want to send friends letters or save them for birthday and Christmas cards, follow this <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.creativegreenliving.com/2012/12/how-to-make-envelopes-from-magazine.html" target="_blank">tutorial</a> to make envelopes that are even more personalised. Image: Getty Images

Home Hints & Tips

Lindsey Buckingham claims Fleetwood Mac didn’t work “on paper”

Fleetwood Mac guitarist and songwriter Lindsey Buckingham has admitted that the band’s unique characters didn’t necessarily fit together. Reflecting on the band’s success and longevity, the 72-year-old believes that their “synergy” was greater than their individual parts. He said, "Early on, soon after joining Fleetwood Mac, I realised that we were the kind of group who didn’t – on paper – belong in the same group together.” "But yet that was the very thing that made us so effective.” "There was a synergy there, where the whole became more than the sum of its parts. What happens is that you begin to understand that, and accept it as a gift." Lindsey was ousted from Fleetwood Mac in 2018 due to a <a href="https://www.smoothradio.com/artists/fleetwood-mac/stevie-nicks-lindsey-buckinghams-quit-split/">reported</a> “disagreement over the band’s upcoming tour,” and was replaced by Crowded House’s Neil Finn. Lindsey, who released his seventh solo album in September, also claimed that “inside politics” is the reason why Fleetwood Mac haven’t released a studio album since the 2003 release of Say You Will. Despite receiving international success and recognition during his time in Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey said that losing fans while he pursues his solo project was bound to happen. He said, “Fleetwood Mac is this big machine, and my solo endeavours are this smaller machine.” "I’ve always done what I’ve wanted to do, basically, and I think the realisation I had to come to was being willing to lose some of the huge audience Fleetwood Mac have in order to pursue that.” "It’s just a trade-off you have to be willing to make in order to do things on your own terms." Image credits: Getty Images

Music

Will you learn better from reading on screen or paper?

Research now suggests that if you really need to learn something, you’re better off with print. Studies have shown that when people read on-screen, they don’t completely understand what they’ve read, as well as when they read it in print. Even worse, we don’t realize we’re not getting it. For example, researchers in Spain and Israel took a close look at 54 studies comparing digital and print reading. Their 2018 study involved more than 171,000 readers. Comprehension, they found, was better overall when people read print rather than digital texts. The researchers shared the results in Educational Research Review. The question is, why? Reading is reading, right? Not exactly. Reading is reading, right? Not exactly. Maryanne Wolf works at the University of California, Los Angeles. This neuroscientist specializes in how the brain reads. Reading is not natural, she explains. We learn to talk by listening to those around us. It’s pretty automatic. But learning to read takes real work. Wolf notes it’s because the brain has no special network of cells just for reading. To understand text, the brain borrows networks that evolved to do other things. For example, the part that evolved to recognise faces is called into action to recognise letters. This is similar to how you might adapt a tool for some new use. For example, a coat hanger is great for putting your clothes in the closet. But if a blueberry rolls under the refrigerator, you might straighten out the coat hanger and use it to reach under the fridge and pull out the fruit. You’ve taken a tool made for one thing and adapted it for something new. That’s what the brain does when you read. It’s great that the brain is so flexible. It’s one reason we can learn to do so many new things. But that flexibility can be a problem when it comes to reading different types of texts. When we read online, the brain creates a different set of connections between cells from the ones it uses for reading in print. It basically adapts the same tool again for the new task. This is like if you took a coat hanger and instead of straightening it out to fetch a blueberry, you twisted it into a hook to unclog a drain. Same original tool, two very different forms. As a result, the brain might slip into skim mode when you’re reading on a screen. It may switch to deep-reading mode when you turn to print. That doesn’t just depend on the device, however. It also depends on what you assume about the text. Naomi Baron calls this your mindset. Baron is a scientist who studies language and reading. She works at American University in Washington, D.C. Baron is the author of How We Read Now, a new book about digital reading and learning. She says one way mindset works is in anticipating how easy or hard we expect the reading to be. If we think it will be easy, we might not put in much effort. Much of what we read on-screen tends to be text messages and social-media posts. They’re usually easy to understand. So, “when people read on-screen, they read faster,” says Alexander at the University of Maryland. “Their eyes scan the pages and the words faster than if they’re reading on a piece of paper.” But when reading fast, we may not absorb all the ideas as well. That fast skimming, she says, can become a habit associated with reading on-screen. Imagine that you turn on your phone to read an assignment for school. Your brain might fire up the networks it uses for skimming quickly through TikTok posts. Where was I? Speed isn’t the only problem with reading on screens. There’s scrolling, too. When reading a printed page or even a whole book, you tend to know where you are. Not just where you are on some particular page, but which page — potentially out of many. You might, for instance, remember that the part in the story where the dog died was near the top of the page on the left side. You don’t have that sense of place when some enormously long page just scrolls past you. (Though some e-reading devices and apps do a pretty good job of simulating page turns.) Why is a sense of page important? Researchers have shown that we tend to make mental maps when we learn something. Being able to “place” a fact somewhere on a mental map of the page helps us remember it. It’s also a matter of mental effort. Scrolling down a page takes a lot more mental work than reading a page that’s not moving. Your eyes don’t just focus on the words. They also have to keep chasing the words as you scroll them down the page. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang is a neuroscientist at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. She studies how we read. When your mind has to keep up with scrolling down a page, she says, it doesn’t have a lot of resources left for understanding what you’re reading. This can be especially true if the passage you’re reading is long or complicated. While scrolling down a page, your brain has to continually account for the placement of words in your view. And this can make it harder for you to simultaneously understand the ideas those words should convey. Another reseacher found that length matters, too. When passages are short, students understand just as much of what they read on-screen as do when reading in print. But once the passages are longer than 500 words, they learn more from print. Even genre matters. Genre refers to what type of book or article you’re reading. The articles here on Science News for Students are nonfiction. News stories and articles about history are nonfiction. Stories invented by an author are fiction. If you want to do better in school or even your career, it’s not quite as simple as turning off your tablet and picking up a book. There are plenty of good reasons to read on screens and as the pandemic taught us, sometimes we have no choice.

Books

How to wash your towels to keep them clean and fluffy

Fluffy clean towels Knowing how to wash towels properly is the gift that keeps on giving. After all, nothing beats the feeling of wrapping yourself up in a soft, luxurious towel when you get out of the shower. Not only does proper towel-washing help keep them clean and stink-free, but it will also extend the life of your towels, keeping them in tip-top shape instead of letting them become raggedy, limp and scratchy with age. While you might already <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/food-home-garden/home-tips/handy-hints-that-make-doing-the-laundry-less-of-a-hassle" target="_blank">know a lot about how to do laundry</a>, figuring out how to wash towels is a whole different ball game. After all, it’s all too easy to end up with smelly towels – and a larger but invisible problem like bacteria build-up. Read on for everything you need to know about keeping your towels clean and fluffy for the long haul, from how often you should wash them to what you should be washing them with. How often should you wash your towels? You should wash your towels every two to three days, according to both Philip Tierno, PhD, clinical professor of pathology and microbiology, and Chuck Gerba, PhD, a microbiology professor. Hold out longer than that and bacteria will start to build up on your towel, leaving it dirty and possibly even smelly. However, if you’re acne-prone, you might want to wash your towel every time you use it, says Tierno, rather than waiting a day or two between washes. As you rub your skin – especially open pustules – with a dirty towel, bacteria from your used towel could get on your skin and give you zits. One caveat: If you have a heated towel rack that speeds up dry time, you might get away with washing it after four uses – but that’s “pushing it,” says Tierno. Why it's important to wash your towel regularly Beyond leaving your towels smelling so fresh and clean, experts say washing them regularly is important for a number of reasons. It reduces the growth and build-up of bacteria. You only use your towel after scrubbing off in the shower, so it can’t get all that dirty, right? Not so fast. “When you say you wash off bacteria, you’re partially correct – you wash off some bacteria,” says Tierno, PhD. But some bacteria sticks around, and it gets on your towel during your post-shower rubdown. Once that bacteria is on there, it will start to multiply. “It keeps building up as you use the towel again day after day,” says Gerba. In fact, a study led by Gerba found that used hand towels have 1,000 times more coliform bacteria than newly bought ones. It reduces the risk of infection and acne. “When you use a towel vigorously, you scratch your skin,” says Gerba. Those tiny breaks in the surface of your skin – which are too small to notice – give bacteria an entryway to get in your body, which could result in pimples or, worse, an infection. It reduces musty odours. When bacteria builds up on your towel, it can start smelling musty or mildewy, and there’s nothing pleasant about that! It keeps them fluffy and absorbent. Freshly laundered towels work better at absorbing liquid – which, of course, is the whole purpose of a towel! – since the towel fibres have more air between them and aren’t matted down. How to wash towels Follow these steps for how to wash towels the right way: Separate your towels from the rest of your laundry and wash them separately, keeping coloured towels and white towels separate to avoid bleeding. Add about half the amount of detergent as usual (using too much detergent can cause build-up on your towels that reduce their absorption), as well as non-chlorine bleach (if needed). Skip the fabric softener entirely, which could also decrease absorption. Wash white towels in hot water and coloured towels in warm water, using a regular cycle for both. Once the wash cycle has finished, remove towels from the washing machine and shake out each one before putting it in the dryer. This loosens up the fabric’s loops and helps with drying and fluffiness. Dry towels on medium to low heat until dried completely; any remaining moisture could cause mildew. That said, avoid overdrying, which could damage the fabric fibres with time. It’s also a good idea to use dryer balls to make towels extra fluffy and to avoid twisting and clumping. Remove towels from the dryer immediately and shake them out again to ensure fluffiness before hanging or folding for storage. Washing towels with vinegar If your freshly laundered towels smell musty, vinegar may be your new best friend. Simply add 1/2 to 1 cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle. This will help deodorise your towels and remove any detergent build-up that could be affecting their absorbency. Additional towel-washing tips Knowing how to wash towels will only get you so far. These tips will take your laundry game up another notch and ensure that you don’t make an all-too-common mistake. Wash towels separately. Whenever possible, don’t mix towels into your normal clothing loads. This helps extend the life of your towels by reducing the risk of pulled threads that can get caught on buttons or zippers. Wash new towels before using. Towels are often coated with silicone to make the fabric look and feel great in stores. However, these coatings can make your towels less absorbent, which is why laundering them first is a good idea. Air-dry towels between uses. Allowing your towel to air-dry fully cuts down bacteria growth, according to Tierno. Instead of folding it, leave it open and drape it on the rod. The more surface area that’s exposed to the air, the better it will dry. Don’t use dryer sheets. Dryer sheets, while amazing for your clothes, leave a fabric-softening residue on your towels, and that makes them less absorbent. Remove towels from the dryer right away. The secret to the fluffiest towels: Don’t let them sit in the dryer! The fibres will have more fluff and air between them if you remove them promptly. Dry towels on low heat. With time, high heat can damage towel fibres and decrease their life span (which is one to two years on average). Written by Maryn Liles. This article first appeared in <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/food-home-garden/home-tips/how-to-wash-your-towels-to-keep-them-clean-and-fluffy" target="_blank">Reader’s Digest</a>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, <a rel="noopener" href="http://readersdigest.innovations.co.nz/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&utm_medium=articles&utm_campaign=RDSUB&keycode=WRA87V" target="_blank">here’s our best subscription offer</a>. Image: Getty Images <img style="width: 100px !important; height: 100px !important;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7820640/1.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f30947086c8e47b89cb076eb5bb9b3e2" />

Home Hints & Tips

Tax avoidance, evasion, and the Pandora Papers

What’s the difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion? The difference used to matter. Evasion was illegal. It meant not paying tax that was due. Avoidance meant arranging your affairs so tax wasn’t due. Australian media mogul Kerry Packer used the distinction as a complete defence when he told a <a rel="noopener" href="https://youtu.be/LnwYoOeWZGA?t=312" target="_blank">parliamentary committee</a> in 1991 he was "not evading tax in any way, shape or form. Of course, I am minimising my tax. Anybody in this country who does not minimise his tax wants his head read". The Pandora Papers — the biggest-ever leak of records showing how the rich and powerful use the financial system to maximise their wealth — shows the distinction has lost its meaning. The dump of almost <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.icij.org/investigations/pandora-papers/" target="_blank">12 million documents</a> lays bare the ways in which 35 current or former leaders and 300 high-level public officials in more than 90 countries have used offshore companies and accounts to protect their wealth. Only in some of the cases could their activities be categorically declared illegal. Tax havens are legal Here’s how tax havens are used. Trusts and companies are set up in places with low tax rates and secrecy laws such as the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Singapore, Switzerland, the US state of Delaware and the Republic or Ireland. If, for example, a wealthy celebrity or a politician wants to buy a new yacht or a luxury villa but doesn’t want to pay tax or stamp duty or expose their wealth to scrutiny they can get their lawyer or accountant to do it through such a trust. For somewhere between <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.icij.org/investigations/pandora-papers/global-investigation-tax-havens-offshore/" target="_blank">US$2,000 and US$20,000</a> to set up the trust, the name of the real owner or beneficiary can be hidden. It isn’t illegal for the celebrity or a politician to move their money (so long as it is theirs to begin with). Assets within the trust are subject to local tax laws (sometimes zero tax) and local secrecy laws (sometimes complete secrecy). Legal, but used by criminals These legal means of using complex networks of secret entities to move around money are the same as those used by criminals. Alongside the likes of India’s cricket superstar Sachin Tendulkar, Colombian pop singer Shakira and Elton John in the Panama Papers are Italian crime boss <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.icij.org/investigations/pandora-papers/global-investigation-tax-havens-offshore/" target="_blank">Raffaele Amato</a>, serving a 20-year jail sentence for weapons and drugs trafficking, and the deceased British art dealer <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2021/oct/05/offshore-trusts-used-pass-on-looted-khmer-treasures-leak-shows-douglas-latchford" target="_blank">Douglas Latchford</a>, suspected of smuggling looted treasures and money laundering. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/425189/original/file-20211007-13-1cp8an9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="Colombian singer Shakira is one of the celebrities named in the Pandora Papers as using offshore companies. Others are Elton John, Ringo Starr, Julio Iglesias and Claudia Schiffer." /> Colombian singer Shakira is one of the celebrities named in the Pandora Papers as using offshore companies. Others are Elton John, Ringo Starr, Julio Iglesias and Claudia Schiffer. Gregory Payan/AP It’s far from clear these arrangements should be legal The big question raised by the Pandora Papers is why any hiding of private wealth from tax authorities ought to be legal. The International Monetary Fund estimated in 2019 that tax haven deprived governments globally of <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2019/09/tackling-global-tax-havens-shaxon.htm" target="_blank">US$500 billion to US$600 billion</a> per year. To put that into perspective, the estimated cost of vaccinating the world against COVID-19 is <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/11/briefing/biden-g7-vaccine-donations.html" target="_blank">US$50-70 billion</a>. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/425571/original/file-20211009-23-13m746j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/425571/original/file-20211009-23-13m746j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> OECD chief Mathias Cormann has brokered a deal for a global minimum corporate tax rate. OECD (CC BY-NC 3.0 IGO) Some of what’s been uncovered in the Pandora Papers is illegal (“evasion”) but much might not be (“avoidance”, aided by anonimity). The effect is the same. Dollars that ought to have been paid in tax are withheld and used for the benefit of people who aren’t keen to admit to owning them. Over the weekend the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, now led by Australian Mathias Cormann, brokered a deal under which 136 countries agreed to charge multinational corporations a tax rate of at least <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.oecd.org/tax/international-community-strikes-a-ground-breaking-tax-deal-for-the-digital-age.htm" target="_blank">15%</a>, making tax havens harder to find. Ireland, previously used as tax haven, signed up. The nations concerned did this because because, even where legal, the use of tax havens costs billions. We’ll soon have to consider removing a distinction in law that vanished in practice some time ago.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/169353/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alex-simpson-225991" target="_blank">Alex Simpson</a>, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/macquarie-university-1174" target="_blank">Macquarie University</a> This article is republished from <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/the-pandora-papers-show-the-line-between-tax-avoidance-and-tax-evasion-has-become-so-blurred-we-need-to-act-against-both-169353" target="_blank">original article</a>. Image: Aekawit Rammaket/Shutterstock

Money & Banking

Tasty rice paper rolls with persimmon

Try this delicious meal with the perfect amount of sweetness. Ingredients <ul> <li>260g dried rice vermicelli</li> <li>8 16cm round rice paper wrappers</li> <li>8 medium butter lettuce leaves, washed</li> <li>8 large cooked king prawns, peeled, de-veined and sliced in half lengthways</li> <li>24 fresh mint leaves</li> <li>1 small Fuyu (crisp) persimmon, sliced</li> <li>1 small Lebanese cucumber, sliced</li> <li>24 fresh coriander leaves</li> </ul> Dipping sauce <ul> <li>1 tbs Japanese rice vinegar</li> <li>4 tbs hoisin sauce</li> <li>1 tbs unsalted peanuts (or almonds), roughly chopped</li> </ul> Method 1. Prepare rice vermicelli as per packet instructions, drain well. 2. Combine all sauce ingredients for dipping. 3. Place one rice sheet in warm water until just softened, remove from water and place on a clean, damp tea towel. 4. Lay a lettuce leaf over the wrapper, top with two pieces of prawn horizontally, three mint leaves, a little persimmon, cucumber, rice vermicelli and three coriander leaves. 5. Fold bottom of wrapper up over the filling, fold one side in, roll up tightly. Keep rolls under damp cloth while preparing remaining ingredients. 6. Serve with dipping sauce. For more information and recipe ideas, visit <a href="https://www.persimmonsaustralia.com.au/">Persimmons Australia</a>. Republished with permission of <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.wyza.com.au/articles/recipes/rice-paper-rolls-with-persimmon" target="_blank">Wyza.com.au.</a>

Food & Wine

Man jailed for strangling partner with towel on cruise ship

A US man has been sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to attempting to strangle a woman he was dating while aboard a Texas-based cruise ship. Hector Blanco, of Watford City, North Dakota was sentenced yesterday for the 2018 attack aboard Miami-based Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas cruise ship, federal prosecutors said. The 45-year-old pleaded guilty in January 2020 to an assault charge. The case was investigated by the FBI. The Justice Department said Blanco put his hand and a bath towel over the victim's mouth, he then twisted a towel around her neck and dragged her across the floor of the cabin. The woman was able to make a quick exit when Blanco fell. She ran out of the cabin to report the incident to security personnel aboard the ship. "No excuse can justify Hector Blanco's violent actions that turned a dream vacation into a dreadful nightmare for his victim," said Special Agent in Charge Perrye K Turner. Blanco confessed to the crime and upon his release from prison, he will still be under a two year supervision order.

Cruising

Meghan Markle's bombshell court papers

Meghan Markle has made incredibly sensational claims in bombshell court papers that she felt “unprotected” by the Royal Family’s “institution.” The Sun has reported the Duchess is suing Associated Newspapers Limited (who own The Daily Mail). She stated in numerous documents that she was unable to defend herself, which left her friends “rightly concerned for her welfare when pregnant”. The 38-year-old went on to claim she felt “tremendous emotional distress” by media coverage, while her pals felt “silenced” by Kensington Palace and unable to defend her. The legal documents also revealed that Meghan denied saying in a personal letter that she felt “victimised” by her father. Meghan is suing ANL for publishing the personal letter to her dad, although the media group claims Mr Markle made it public after five of her pals gave an interview about it to People magazine. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CCHigKNAG-x/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="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;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CCHigKNAG-x/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Dr Music (@drmusiic)</a> on Jul 1, 2020 at 4:24pm PDT </div> </blockquote> The Duchess today named the pals, although they are only referred to as A, B, C, D and E in the papers, and they could now be called to testify at a trial. People magazine previously described them as “Meghan’s inner circle – a longtime friend, a former co-star, a friend from LA, a one-time colleague and a close confidante’”. However the royal has denied authorising her friends to speak out to defend her in the magazine article. She said she learned an article about her was due to appear shortly before it was published, but did not know it would be in People magazine or its contents. The possible trial would focus on whether Meghan had a reasonable expectation of privacy in the contents of the letter to her dad. In 2019, the dad told the Mail on Sunday the the five-page letter was a “dagger to the heart” which left him feeling “devastated”. Meghan though, says she didn’t feel “victimised” by him, and dismissed claims she told him she had “only one father”. She felt he “raised concern Mr Markle had consistently allowed himself to be manipulated by the tabloid media despite her trying to persuade him not to speak to them for his own good”. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CCHevIQJx8I/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CCHevIQJx8I/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">I will always love you. . . . . #harryandmeghan #royalfamily #royal #sussex #queen #babyarchie #royalwedding #meghanmarkle #princeharry #kensington #queenelizabeth #buckingham #royals #couple #love #royalty #style #dress #princessDiana #princeharry #tb #new #foryou</a> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/harryandmeghansource/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Sussex Royal Fan Page</a> (@harryandmeghansource) on Jul 1, 2020 at 3:51pm PDT </div> </blockquote> The Duchess says she believes she is entitled to a “reasonable expectation of privacy” and thought its contents would never be published. In the documents, Meghan also spoke on that she believed her Royal Wedding made Britain $1.8 billion in tourism cash. The Duchess believes the money that was raised from the wedding at Windsor Castle in May 2018 “far outweighed” the contribution stumped up by the taxpayer towards security. Her legal team have stated the royal wedding was “not, in fact, publicly funded, but rather personally financed by HRH The Prince of Wales”. The royal wedding that finished with a huge firework display, cost an estimated $57 million. The legal team’s documents said: “Any public costs incurred for the wedding were solely for security and crowd control to protect members of the public, as deemed necessary by Thames Valley Police and the Metropolitan Police.” Meghan also said she believes she should be allowed to do land work like her cousin-in-laws, Beatrice and Eugenie, and also mentioned Prince Michael of Kent. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CCG9TJpnUOA/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="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;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CCG9TJpnUOA/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by ♛ 𝒯𝒽𝑒𝒮𝓊𝓈𝓈𝑒𝓍𝒯𝑒𝒶𝓂 (@thesussexteam)</a> on Jul 1, 2020 at 10:59am PDT </div> </blockquote> She named the trio while clarifying that members of the royal are, in fact, allowed to undertake paid work.wnd hit back after it was stated in legal papers that she is “a member of the royal family and does not undertake paid work”. Meghan said it was wrong to say as “several member[s] of the Royal Family do ‘undertake paid work’ including, for example, Princess Beatrice of York, Princess Eugenie of York and Prince Michael of Kent”. Princess Beatrice works in finance and consulting and Princess Eugenie is a director at a London art gallery. Meghan is estimated to have made around $7.2 million from her acting career before marrying Prince Harry. Since quitting royal life she has resumed her career and recently narrated the Disney film Elephant. In the legal documents, Meghan added that she “was also the founder of the commercially successful lifestyle website The Tig”.

Legal

“It works!”: Mum reveals genius hack to save toilet paper during pandemic times

An Aussie mum has shared her latest hack that makes toilet paper last longer. She shared the hack on the Mums Who Budget & Save Facebook page, the mum explained that she squashes the toilet paper roll down before placing it on the holder. This hack means that the toilet paper can’t spin easily on the holder, meaning her kids use less toilet paper with each trip to the loo. “Kids home from school?,” the mum wrote. “Going through toilet paper faster than usual? “Try squashing the roll - so it doesn’t spin so quickly and then not as much will be pulled off.” <img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7835581/toilet-paper-body.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/a647a15db7834275bab8756cf6c8c96a" /> <div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> Photo credit: New Idea Food Others described it as a game-changer and the hack has thrilled other mums. “Mind blowing!,” one mum said. “I’m definitely trying this - for me!” “Will be doing this for hubby,” another shared, adding: “I hear that toilet roll holder spin & I just cringe!” “My kids would just pull it until it stops.” “How can something so simple be so genius,” a third person said. Others shared their hacks, including measuring a line that was three or four squares long. “Draw a line three or four squares down,” she advised. “Easy measurement for all.” One mum said that removing the roll all together is an easy fix. “[This is the same as] me putting the toilet paper out of my kids reach so he has to yell out to me to ration out to him,” she wrote. “We don’t put it on the roll as kids use a lot less when it not on,” another agreed. </div> </div> </div>

Home & Garden

Make your own mask from a tea towel, t-shirt or vacuum bag

The worldwide coronavirus pandemic has led to a shortage of protective face masks, leading to a number of online tutorials on how to make your own using items found around the house. Homemade masks offer significantly less protection than the N95 medical masks, which are made of a thick, tightly woven material that fits over the face and can stop 95 per cent of all airborne particles. And while many health organisations have recommended to ditch the masks unless in a medical setting, there is a good reason to think DIY masks could be effective in tackling the pandemic. They’ve been used extensively in countries such as Hong Kong, Mongolia and South Korea – places that have the disease largely under control. The World Health Organisation also does not recommend that people without the illness wear the face mask, but they’re looking at reversing their decision due to evidence from Hong Kong that it may be effective in fighting the virus. Here’s how you can make your own at home using a kitchen towel What you will need: <ul> <li>Kitchen towel</li> <li>One tissue</li> <li>Masking tape</li> <li>Elastic bands</li> </ul> Method: <ol> <li>Cut both the paper towel and tissue in half and apply masking tape on each end to make sure the mask is stiff.</li> <li>Punch holes through either end of the mask and thread the elastic bands through the holes.</li> </ol> Your mask is ready in two simple steps. How to make a face mask with a t-shirt A tutorial by YouTuber Runa Ray shows how to make a face mask with a t-shirt, no sewing required. What you will need: <ul> <li>Scissors</li> <li>Pencil</li> <li>Ruler</li> <li>Unwanted t-shirt</li> </ul> Method: <ol> <li>Cut out a 16" by 4" rectangle from the middle of the t-shirt, then fold it in half, and measure four inches on either side.</li> <li>Mark the t-shirt with an even number of tassels on each side and use scissors to cut them.</li> <li>Turn the t-shirt inside out and separate the corner tassels, but tie the remaining ones in-between.</li> <li>With the remaining t-shirt material cut some ear straps using the hem of the shirt. </li> <li>Attach the straps to the remaining outer tassels and you have yourself a face mask, with no sewing involved, and using an old t-shirt.</li> </ol> How to make a face mask from vacuum cleaner bags What you will need: <ul> <li>Vacuum bag</li> <li>Paperclip</li> <li>Two rubber bands</li> <li>Stapler</li> </ul> Method: <ol> <li>Cut the bag into a rectangle. Make sure to keep all the layers together.</li> <li>With the inside of the bag facing upwards fold twice along the bottom and top.</li> <li>Fold both bottom corners of the bag.</li> <li>Get a paperclip or other thin wire and straighten it out.</li> <li>Take two rubber bands and fold the far ends around them. Staple the folds to secure them.</li> <li>Push the straightened wire through the centre of the top.</li> <li>Stretch the rubber bands around your ears to hold the mask against your face. Pinch the wire to secure around your nose.</li> </ol>

Art

Why paper maps still matter in the digital age

Ted Florence is ready for his family trip to Botswana. He has looked up his hotel on Google Maps and downloaded a digital map of the country to his phone. He has also packed a large paper map. “I travel all over the world,” says Florence, the president of the international board of the <a href="https://imiamaps.org/">International Map Industry Association</a> and <a href="https://www.avenzamaps.com/">Avenza Maps</a>, a digital map software company. “Everywhere I go, my routine is the same: I get a paper map, and I keep it in my back pocket.” With the proliferation of smartphones, it’s easy to assume that the era of the paper map is over. That attitude, that digital is better than print, is what I call “technochauvinism.” In my book, <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/artificial-unintelligence">Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World</a>, I look at how technochauvinism has been used to create an unnecessary, occasionally harmful bias for digital over print or any other kind of interface. A glance at the research reveals that the paper map still thrives in the digital era, and there are distinct advantages to using print maps. Your brain on maps Cognitive researchers generally make a distinction between surface knowledge and deep knowledge. Experts have deep knowledge of a subject or a geography; amateurs have surface knowledge. Digital interfaces are good for acquiring surface knowledge. Answering the question, “How do I get from the airport to my hotel in a new-to-me city?” is a pragmatic problem that requires only shallow information to answer. If you’re traveling to a city for only 24 hours for a business meeting, there’s usually no need to learn much about a city’s layout. When you live in a place, or you want to travel meaningfully, deep knowledge of the geography will help you to navigate it and to understand its culture and history. Print maps help you acquire deep knowledge faster and more efficiently. In experiments, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.10.014">people who read on paper consistently demonstrate better reading comprehension</a> than people who read the same material on a screen. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0165551512470043">A 2013 study</a> showed that, as a person’s geographic skill increases, so does their preference for paper maps. For me, the difference between deep knowledge and surface knowledge is the difference between what I know about New York City, where I have lived for years, and San Francisco, which I have visited only a handful of times. In New York, I can tell you where all the neighborhoods are and which train lines to take and speculate about whether the prevalence of Manhattan schist in the geological substrate influenced the heights of the buildings that are in Greenwich Village versus Midtown. I’ve invested a lot of time in looking at both paper and digital maps of New York. In San Francisco, I’ve only ever used digital maps to navigate from point to point. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know where anything is in the Bay Area. Our brains encode knowledge as what scientists call <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.10.014">a cognitive map</a>. In psychology-speak, I lack a cognitive map of San Francisco. “When the human brain gathers visual information about an object, it also gathers information about its surroundings, and associates the two,” wrote communication researchers Jinghui Hou, Justin Rashid and Kwan Min Lee <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.10.014">in a 2017 study</a>. “In a similar manner to how people construct a mental map of a physical environment (e.g., a desk in the center of an office facing the door), readers form a ‘cognitive map’ of the physical location of a text and its spatial relationship to the text as a whole.” Reading in print makes it easier for the brain to encode knowledge and to remember things. Sensory cues, like unfolding the complicated folds of a paper map, help create that cognitive map in the brain and help the brain to retain the knowledge. The same is true for a simple practice like tracing out a hiking route on a paper map with your finger. The physical act of moving your arm and feeling the paper under your finger <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/06/smarter-living/memory-tricks-mnemonics.html">gives your brain haptic and sensorimotor cues</a> that contribute to the formation and retention of the cognitive map. Map mistakes Another factor in the paper versus digital debate is accuracy. Obviously, a good digital map is better than a bad paper map, just like a good paper map is better than a bad digital map. <a href="https://medium.com/@mitpress/3-recommendations-to-combat-technochauvinism-9099b257b92c">Technochauvinists</a> may believe that all digital maps are good, but just as in the paper world, the accuracy of digital maps depends entirely on the level of detail and fact-checking invested by the company making the map. For example, a <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2012/dec/20/business/la-fi-tn-apple-google-maps-lost-20121220">2012 survey by the crowdsourcing company Crowdflower</a> found that Google Maps accurately located 89 percent of businesses, while Apple Maps correctly found 74 percent. This isn’t surprising, as Google <a href="https://www.google.com/streetview/understand/">invests millions in sending people</a> around the world to map terrain for Google StreetView. Google Maps are good because the company invests time, money and human effort in making its maps good – not because digital maps are inherently better. Fanatical attention to detail is necessary to keep digital maps up to date, as conditions in the real world change constantly. Companies like Google are constantly updating their maps, and will have to do so regularly for as long as they continue to publish. The maintenance required for digital content is substantial – <a href="https://www.pprune.org/private-flying/601767-maps-obsolete.html">a cost that technochauvinists often ignore</a>. In my view, it’s easier to forgive the errors in a paper map. Physical maps usually include an easily visible publication date so users can see when the map was published. (When was the last time you noticed the date-of-last-update on your car navigation system?) When you are passively following the spoken GPS directions of a navigation system, and there is, say, an unmarked exit, it confuses the GPS system and causes chaos among the people in the car. (Especially the backseat drivers.) The best map for the job Some of the deeper flaws of digital maps are not readily apparent to the public. Digital systems, including cartographic ones, are more interconnected than most people realize. Mistakes, which are inevitable, can go viral and create more trouble than anyone anticipates. For example: Reporter Kashmir Hill has written about a Kansas farm in the geographic center of the U.S. that has been <a href="https://splinternews.com/how-an-internet-mapping-glitch-turned-a-random-kansas-f-1793856052">plagued by legal trouble and physical harassment</a>, because a digital cartography database mistakenly uses the farm’s location as a default every time the database can’t identify the real answer. “As a result, for the last 14 years, every time MaxMind’s database has been queried about the location of an IP address in the U.S. it can’t identify, it has spit out the default location of a spot two hours away from the geographic center of the country,” Hill wrote. “This happens a lot: 5,000 companies rely on MaxMind’s IP mapping information, and in all, there are now over 600 million IP addresses associated with that default coordinate.” A technochauvinist mindset assumes everything in the future will be digital. But what happens if a major company like Google stops offering its maps? What happens when a <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/19/16910378/government-shutdown-2018-nasa-spacex-iss-falcon-heavy">government shutdown</a> means that <a href="http://satnews.com/story.php?number=827160505">satellite data</a> powering smartphone GPS systems isn’t transmitted? Right now, ambulances and fire trucks can keep a road atlas in the front seat in case electronic navigation fails. If society doesn’t maintain physical maps, first responders won’t be able to get to addresses when there is a fire or someone is critically ill. Interrupting a country’s GPS signals is also a realistic cyberwarfare tactic. The U.S. Navy has resumed training new recruits in <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11931403/US-navy-returns-to-celestial-navigation-amid-fears-of-computer-hack.html">celestial navigation</a>, a technique that dates back to ancient Greece, as a guard against when the digital grid gets hacked. Ultimately, I don’t think it should be a competition between physical and digital. In the future, people will continue to need both kinds of maps. Instead of arguing whether paper or digital is a better map interface, people should consider what map is the right tool for the task. <div><a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/artificial-unintelligence"></a>MIT Press provides funding as a member of The Conversation US.</div> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/meredith-broussard-659409">Meredith Broussard</a>, Assistant Professor of Journalism, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/new-york-university-1016">New York University</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-paper-maps-still-matter-in-the-digital-age-105341">original article</a>.

Retirement Income

Over 60

News

Shop

Catalogues

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Entertainment

Property

Information

Keep up to date

Search

Flight attendant reveals why you should never use the toilet paper on a plane

How often should you wash your sheets and towels?

Why are people putting toilet paper in the fridge?

Here’s how often you should be washing your dish towels

Whether in war-torn Ukraine, Laos or Spain, kids have felt compelled to pick up crayons and put their experiences to paper

How clean are your towels?

5 signs you need new towels

3 surprise benefits of heated towel racks in summer

Secret court papers revealed in Prince Andrew case

5 clever uses for Christmas wrapping paper and cards

Lindsey Buckingham claims Fleetwood Mac didn’t work “on paper”

Will you learn better from reading on screen or paper?

How to wash your towels to keep them clean and fluffy

Tax avoidance, evasion, and the Pandora Papers

Tasty rice paper rolls with persimmon

Man jailed for strangling partner with towel on cruise ship

Meghan Markle's bombshell court papers

“It works!”: Mum reveals genius hack to save toilet paper during pandemic times

Make your own mask from a tea towel, t-shirt or vacuum bag

Why paper maps still matter in the digital age