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Jean Harlow’s timeless style tips

<p>Known as the “Blonde Bombshell”, this sex symbol of the silver screen was known for her elegant, curve hugging gowns and a slinky attitude to match. She was the platinum blonde that paved the way for Marilyn Monroe.</p> <p>She famously claimed not to wear under garments so as not to spoil the lines of her dresses and personified classic glamour and cheeky, old world charm.</p> <p>Taken at only 26, Jean Harlow had a full life ahead of her that ended in sudden tragedy. In her short time however, she imparted her impeccable sense of character and flair on the world. Here are some of the starlet’s lasting beauty and style tips below. </p> <p>“I’d rather have a few dresses of very fine material, than a whole closetful of fussy cheap looking things.”</p> <p>“You have to have faith in your clothes, just as you have to have faith in yourself, to be successful in dressing.”</p> <p>"Personally, I dislike a made-up look. I never wear mascara unless my screen work demands it. I use only powder and lipstick."</p> <p>"I believe too much make-up is bad for women who prefer a healthy, natural complexion. Every woman knows what make-up she desires, and she should deal with it judiciously."</p> <p>"There are no tricks to the care of my hair at all. I use castile soap and shampoo it like everyone else might do. I never use a rinse. I shampoo it every four days, but I rub hot castor oil into my scalp before every shampoo."</p> <p>"Of course, we use different make-up for our screen work than we do in our personal lives. The same thing applies to clothes. Clothes and make-up are always a part of characterisation. You must adapt yourself to the character you are portraying on the screen. That is the reason they call us actresses and actors." </p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Beauty & Style

Secret Shakespeare library turns the page

<p dir="ltr">The State Library of NSW has delighted booklovers and avid library-goers across Australia - and beyond - with a long-awaited announcement: their secret library celebrating the late playwright William Shakespeare is throwing its doors open again, and welcoming visitors. </p> <p dir="ltr">The news comes ahead of Shakespeare’s birthday on World Book Day - April 23 - and promises seven days of fun each week, a move that serves as an historic first for the establishment. </p> <p dir="ltr">As State Librarian John Vallance explained, “The Shakespeare Room is one of Sydney’s true hidden gems. After being closed for three years due to COVID, we are pleased to be able to again welcome Shakespeare fans and visitors alike to this unique slice of Tudor England.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“Inside you’ll find hundreds of books by and about Shakespeare, as well as stained-glass windows that depict the seven ages of man from his play As You Like It. The intricate design of the plaster ceiling is modelled on Cardinal Wolsey’s closet at Hampton Court Palace.” </p> <p dir="ltr">Once known as The Shakespeare Memorial Library, the room was built to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the renowned bard’s passing. To raise funds for the endeavour, the Shakespeare of NSW held a ball in 1916, with the intention of building the room on the State Library’s Mitchell wing’s ground floor. From there, the First World War saw work delayed, and it wasn’t until the 1940s that the project was brought to completion. </p> <p dir="ltr">Now, the room boasts hundreds of books by - and about - Shakespeare, and stunning stained-glass windows depicting the seven ages of man from As You Like It. And for those who happen to look up, visitors have the honour of checking out the intricately designed plaster ceiling, one modelled on Cardinal Wolsey’s closet at Hampton Court Palace.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“The Shakespeare Room, along with the Mitchell Reading Room of course, will no doubt become a popular attraction for ‘library tourists’ as we prepare for global celebrations to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio,” Vallance noted. </p> <p dir="ltr">The library is in possession of the only known copy - in Australia - of the 1623 First Folio, otherwise known as <em>Mr. William Shakespeares comedies, histories, & tragedies</em>. It’s the book in which 18 of the bard’s original plays were first published, and will be part of the library’s For All Time: Shakespeare in Print exhibition alongside the Second, Third, and Fourth folios. </p> <p dir="ltr">“There are no original manuscripts in the Bard’s hand,” the library’s rare book expert Maggie Patton explained, “so this volume [the First Folio] is the closest a reader can get to the original source of many of Shakespeare’s most loved plays.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Thousands have had the opportunity to admire all that the room has had to offer over the years, from the general public to Shakespeare fanatics, and even some well-known faces - the likes of Nick Cave, Kasey Chambers, Thelma Scott, Paul Kelly, and Sir Laurence Olivier have all stopped by for a visit. </p> <p dir="ltr">And thousands more are set to, with the Shakespeare Room opening on Monday 24 April 2023, inviting guests seven days a week to explore, to learn, and to reflect. </p> <p dir="ltr">To find out more, and to check out the opening hours to plan your next visit, head on over to the State Library’s website: <a href="http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au">www.sl.nsw.gov.au</a></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: State Library [supplied]</em></p>

Books

F1 pioneer passes away

<p>French racing driver and engineer Jean-Pierre Jabouille, who in 1979 gave Renault their first Formula One victory, has died at the age of 80.</p> <p>The Renault-owned Alpine team has paid tribute to the two-times race winner as a pioneer whose victory at Dijon-Prenois was also the first in Formula One for a car with a turbocharged engine.</p> <p>The Parisian took only two F1 wins but it was his first at Dijon-Prenois in July 1979 that made his name and ensured he became the toast of France two-and-a-half years after he put the first laps on the Renault RS01 at Silverstone.</p> <p>Jabouille was a late starter to racing and didn’t make his international single-seater debut until he was 27 years old, when he took part in occasional F2 races in 1969.</p> <p>Having become a test and development driver with the Société des Automobiles Alpine manufacturer, Jabouille had entered his first Le Mans 24 Hours in 1968, starting a run of 14 appearances at La Sarthe that spanned a quarter of a century.</p> <p>He was also hired directly by Steve McQueen to be one of the drivers in the classic 1971 <em>Le Mans</em> movie.</p> <p>“BWT Alpine F1 Team is incredibly saddened to learn of the passing of Jean-Pierre Jabouille,” read the moving tribute on the BWT Alpine F1 Instagram post. </p> <p>“A humble racing driver, brilliant engineer, and a pioneer of our sport. Jean-Pierre was a true racer.</p> <p>“He spearheaded Renault’s journey into F1 in 1977 with his resilient and dare to do attitude. He was Renault’s first Grand Prix winner in 1979, a landmark moment in Renault’s journey in Formula 1. His determination and dedication to succeed inspired many, and these values remain central to the current team in its now blue colours of Alpine.</p> <p>“We are where we are today because of Jean-Pierre and his legacy lives on.</p> <p>“We’d like to extend our most sincere condolences to his family and close friends.</p> <p>“Merci pour tout, Jean-Pierre.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CoK-vfvrl-v/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CoK-vfvrl-v/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by BWT Alpine F1 Team (@alpinef1team)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Jabouille was still competing well into his 60s, appearing at a national Gran Turismo level for France, and was still occasionally spotted at Le Mans in recent years – even demonstrating his old Renault F1 cars for his legion of racing fans who will remember his legacy for years to come.</p> <p><em>Image: @alpinef1team / Instagram</em></p>

News

Why this 100-year-old woman was arrested

<p dir="ltr">A 100-year-old woman was arrested after local police officers found out that it was on her bucket list. </p> <p dir="ltr">Jean Bicketon was at Narracan Gardens Residential Aged Care in Victoria when three constables arrived in a police car with their lights flashing and siren blaring to arrest her. </p> <p dir="ltr">The former WWII nurse and her fellow aged care residents were spoken to, to assure them that no one was in fact in trouble. </p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Bicketon was then arrested and officers gently placed handcuffs on her, declaring her ‘officially’ under arrest. She did not resist.</p> <p dir="ltr">Victoria Police shared the incredible moment to Facebook, showing a happy Ms Bicketon as she was arrested. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Now these kinda arrests, we’re happy to make,” their post read.</p> <p dir="ltr">“For many, getting through life without being arrested is a pretty good run. An obvious one we would like to think.</p> <p dir="ltr">“But for ex-nurse Jean Bicketon - who recently celebrated her 100th birthday, a good run in and of itself - getting arrested was on her bucket list.</p> <p dir="ltr">“So, when we heard of Jean’s wishes, our team at Moe station were ready to step in and help check it off.</p> <p dir="ltr">“While celebrating her milestone at Narracan Gardens Residential Aged Care, three young constables whirled in, lights and sirens, to make sure Jean’s birthday wishes were met.</p> <p dir="ltr">“According to Jean it was one of the best celebrations, and we’re glad we could help grant the experience. Wishing Jean a wonderful 100th birthday!</p> <p dir="ltr">“Thanks to everyone that made this possible.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Bicketon said it was an exciting experience and was happy that police accommodated her wish.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I've never been arrested in my life,” she told <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11132855/Ex-army-nurse-arrested-celebrating-100th-birthday.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daily Mail Australia</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I said to them I've never been drunk and I've never been arrested, never lost my driving licence and never had an infringement.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Facebook</em></p>

Family & Pets

Speculation swirls around the new James Bond

<p dir="ltr">With Daniel Craig sipping his last shaken-not-stirred martini, the identity of the next James Bond continues to be one of Hollywood’s greatest mysteries.</p> <p dir="ltr">After years of rumours and speculation, top candidate Idris Elba is out of the running, with Hollywood sources revealing he is prioritising other roles.</p> <p dir="ltr">As a result, the new top contender is 26-year-old <em>Spiderman </em>star Tom Holland - with Ladbrokes placing odds of 40/1 on him - though it’s unclear whether he will take on the challenge.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Tom Holland might not be the traditional Bond type, but the odds suggest he has a slight chance of replacing Daniel Craig, and plenty of punters seem to think the same,” Ladbrokes’ Alex Aparti told <em><a href="https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/films/1655037/next-james-bond-tom-holland-spider-man-daniel-craig-007-odds" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Express UK</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Though Ladbrokes are still placing <em>Superman </em>star Henry Cavill as the favourite for the next Bond, helped by the fact he auditioned for the role back in 2005 and lost out to Craig, recent reports have revealed that producers are looking to cast an actor who is under 5’10” (178cm) and looks younger than previous Bonds, per <em><a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/celebrity-photos/producers-have-strengthened-rumours-tom-holland-next-007/news-story/7b99d27f81c29f50dad395ed95180993" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite these new reports, bookies have rounded out the list of likely picks for the next 007 with former <em>Bridgerton </em>heartthrob Regé-Jean Page, Tom Hardy of <em>Mad Max </em>and <em>Venom </em>fame, and Scottish <em>Game of Thrones</em> star Richard Madden.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The race to replace Daniel Craig is firmly on,” Apati said.</p> <p dir="ltr">According to the franchise’s producers, the next Bond film is unlikely to be in cinemas until 2025, with the eighth Bond actor to be announced in the next year.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-9ee6fc2c-7fff-0370-7e4d-78c1ed9cd7b9"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Movies

"The sport's greatest player": Billie Jean King's praise for Serena

<p dir="ltr">Serena Williams will be remembered as tennis’ “greatest player”, according to World Tennis Association (WTA) founder Billie Jean King, after the World No. 1 announced she would be retiring from professional tennis at this year’s US Open.</p> <p dir="ltr">Since her career began in 1995, Williams has won 39 Grand Slam titles, including 23 singles, 14 women’s doubles, and two mixed doubles, with King adding that the star player has “inspired a new generation of players and fans”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“When Serena steps away from tennis, she will leave as the sport's greatest player,” King said in a statement.</p> <p dir="ltr">“After a career that has inspired a new generation of players and fans, she will forever be known as a champion who won on the court and raised the global profile of the sport off of it”</p> <p dir="ltr">Williams, who turns 41 next month, found it difficult to announce the news, writing in an op-ed published in Vogue that she felt “a great deal of pain” in deciding to hang up her racquet.</p> <p dir="ltr">“There is no happiness in this topic for me. I know it’s not the usual thing to say, but I feel a great deal of pain. It’s the hardest thing that I could ever imagine. I hate it. I hate that I have to be at this crossroads,” Williams said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I keep saying to myself, I wish it could be easy for me, but it’s not. I’m torn: I don’t want it to be over, but at the same time I’m ready for what’s next.”</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-23f21c73-7fff-ce1d-d2de-9b48b3bbfa3c">Taking to Instagram, Williams shared photos from her <em>Vogue </em>cover, alongside a heartfelt message for fans.</span></p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/ChCgQH0rFbQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ChCgQH0rFbQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Serena Williams (@serenawilliams)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“There comes a time when we have to decide to move in a different direction,” she began the post.</p> <p dir="ltr">“That time is always hard when you love something so much. My goodness do I enjoy tennis. But now, the countdown has begun. I have to focus on being a mom, my spiritual goals and finally discovering a different, but just exciting Serena. I’m gonna relish these next few weeks.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Williams announced she would be retiring following her departure from the WTA Toronto Masters on Wednesday, after losing to Swiss Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic.</p> <p dir="ltr">Though she didn’t specify a retirement date, Williams is expected to compete again in Cincinnati before travelling to the US Open, which begins on August 29.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-c1a1c350-7fff-0020-2b59-62b81d97f2d2"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: @serenawilliams (Instagram)</em></p>

Retirement Life

Stuff-up or conspiracy? Whistleblowers claim Facebook deliberately let important non-news pages go down in news blackout

<p>On Friday, the Wall Street Journal published information from Facebook whistleblowers, alleging Facebook (which is owned by Meta) deliberately caused havoc in Australia last year <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-deliberately-caused-havoc-in-australia-to-influence-new-law-whistleblowers-say-11651768302">to influence the News Media Bargaining Code</a> before it was passed as law.</p> <p>During Facebook’s news blackout in February 2021, thousands of non-news pages were also blocked – including important emergency, health, charity and government pages.</p> <p>Meta has continued to argue the takedown of not-for-profit and government pages was a technical error. It remains to be seen whether the whistleblower revelations will lead to Facebook being taken to court.</p> <p><strong>The effects of Facebook’s “error”</strong></p> <p>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-a-world-first-australia-plans-to-force-facebook-and-google-to-pay-for-news-but-abc-and-sbs-miss-out-143740">News Media Bargaining Code</a> was first published in July 2020, with a goal to have Facebook and Google pay Australian news publishers for the content they provide to the platforms.</p> <p>It was passed by the House of Representatives (Australia’s lower house) on February 17 2021. That same day, Facebook retaliated by issuing a <a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2021/02/changes-to-sharing-and-viewing-news-on-facebook-in-australia/">statement</a> saying it would remove access to news media business pages on its platform – a threat it had first made in August 2020.</p> <p>It was arguably a reasonable threat of capital strike by a foreign direct investor, in respect to new regulation it regarded as “harmful” – and which it believed fundamentally “misunderstands the relationship between [its] platform and publishers who use it to share news content”.</p> <p>However, the range of pages blocked was extensive.</p> <p>Facebook has a label called the “News Page Index” which can be applied to its pages. News media pages, such as those of the ABC and SBS, are included in the index. All Australian pages on this index were taken down during Facebook’s news blackout.</p> <p>But Facebook also blocked access to other pages, such as the page of the satirical website <a href="https://www.betootaadvocate.com">The Betoota Advocate</a>. The broadness of Facebook’s approach was also evidenced by the blocking of its own corporate page.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/feb/18/time-to-reactivate-myspace-the-day-australia-woke-up-to-a-facebook-news-blackout">most major harm</a>, however, came from blocks to not-for-profit pages, including cancer charities, the Bureau of Meteorology and a variety of state health department pages – at a time when they were delivering crucial information about COVID-19 and vaccines.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Whistleblowers emerge</strong></p> <p>The whistleblower material published by the Wall Street Journal, which was also filed to the US Department of Justice and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), includes several email chains that show Facebook decided to implement its blocking threat through a broad strategy.</p> <p>The argument for its broad approach was based on an anti-avoidance clause in the News Media Bargaining Code. The effect of the clause was to ensure Facebook didn’t attempt to avoid the rules of the code by simply substituting Australian news with international news for Australian users. In other words, it would have to be all or nothing.</p> <p>As a consequence, Facebook did not use its News Page Index. It instead classified a domain as “news” if “60% [or] more of a domain’s content shared on Facebook is classified as news”. One product manager wrote:</p> <blockquote> <p>Hey everyone – the [proposed Australian law] we are responding to is extremely broad, so guidance from the policy and legal team has been to be over-inclusive and refine as we get more information.</p> </blockquote> <p>The blocking approach was algorithmic and based on these rules. There were some exceptions, that included not blocking “.gov” – but no such exclusion for “.gov.au”. The effect of this was the taking down of many charity and government pages.</p> <p>The whistleblower material makes it clear a number of Facebook employees offered solutions to the perceived overreach. This included one employee proposal that Facebook should “proactively find all the affected pages and restore them”. However, the documents show these calls were ignored.</p> <p>According to the Wall Street Journal:</p> <blockquote> <p>The whistleblower documents show Facebook did attempt to exclude government and education pages. But people familiar with Facebook’s response said some of these lists malfunctioned at rollout, while other whitelists didn’t cover enough pages to avoid widespread improper blocking.</p> </blockquote> <p><strong>Amendments following the blackout</strong></p> <p>Following Facebook’s news blackout, there were last-minute amendments to the draft legislation before it was passed through the Senate.</p> <p>The main change was that the News Media Bargaining Code would only apply to Facebook if deals were not struck with a range of key news businesses (which so far has not included SBS or <a href="https://twitter.com/ConversationEDU/status/1440562209206128653?s=20&t=FsviAWBLX7mKumr80Qiwzg">The Conversation</a>).</p> <p>It’s not clear whether the amendment was as a result of Facebook’s actions, or if it would have been introduced in the Senate anyway. In either case, Facebook said it was “<a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2021/02/changes-to-sharing-and-viewing-news-on-facebook-in-australia/">satisfied</a>” with the outcome, and ended its news blackout.</p> <p><strong>Facebook denies the accusations</strong></p> <p>The definitions of “core news content” and “news source” in the News Media Bargaining Code were reasonably narrow. So Facebook’s decision to block pages so broadly seems problematic – especially from the perspective of reputational risk.</p> <p>But as soon as that risk crystallised, Facebook denied intent to cause any harm. A Meta spokesperson said the removal of non-news pages was a “mistake” and “any suggestion to the contrary is categorically and obviously false”. Referring to the whistleblower documents, the spokesperson said:</p> <blockquote> <p>The documents in question clearly show that we intended to exempt Australian government pages from restrictions in an effort to minimise the impact of this misguided and harmful legislation. When we were unable to do so as intended due to a technical error, we apologised and worked to correct it.</p> </blockquote> <p><strong>Possible legal action</strong></p> <p>In the immediate aftermath of Facebook’s broad news takedown, former ACCC chair Allan Fels <a href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/social/facebook-could-face-lawsuits-for-unconscionable-conduct-over-nonnews-wipe-out/news-story/b312cef33b8e2261e8b5743f9bf87ca6">suggested</a> there could be a series of class actions against Facebook.</p> <p>His basis was that Facebook’s action was unconscionable under the <a href="http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/caca2010265/toc-sch2.html">Australian Consumer Law</a>. We have not seen these actions taken.</p> <p>It’s not clear whether the whistleblower material changes the likelihood of legal action against Facebook. If legal action is taken, it’s more likely to be a civil case taken by an organisation that has been harmed, rather than a criminal case.</p> <p>On the other hand, one reading of the material is Facebook did indeed overreach out of caution, and then reduced the scope of its blocking over a short period.</p> <p>Facebook suffered reputational harm as a result of its actions and apologised. However, if it engaged in similar actions in other countries, the balance between its actions being a stuff up, versus conspiracy, changes.</p> <p>The Wall Street Journal described Facebook’s approach as an “overly broad and sloppy process”. Such a process isn’t good practice, but done once, it’s unlikely to be criminal. On the other hand, repeating it would create a completely different set of potential liabilities and causes of action.</p> <hr /> <p><em>Disclosure: Facebook has refused to negotiate a deal with The Conversation under the News Media Bargaining Code. In response, The Conversation has called for Facebook to be “designated” by the Treasurer under the Code. This means Facebook would be forced to pay for content published by The Conversation on its platform.</em><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/182673/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rob-nicholls-91073" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rob Nicholls</a>, Associate professor in regulation and governance, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UNSW Sydney</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/stuff-up-or-conspiracy-whistleblowers-claim-facebook-deliberately-let-important-non-news-pages-go-down-in-news-blackout-182673" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Technology

Something remarkable has happened to Australia’s book pages: gender equality has become the norm

<p>For the first time in the nine-year history of the Stella Count, and perhaps in the entire history of Australian book reviewing, gender equality has become the norm in Australia’s books pages. Our new research for the Count reveals 55% of books reviewed in Australian publications in 2020 were by women.</p> <p>The Stella Count surveys 12 Australian publications – including national, metropolitan, and regional newspapers, journals and magazines – collecting data on the gender of authors and reviewers, length of review and genre of books reviewed.</p> <p><a href="https://stella.org.au/initiatives/research/the-stella-count/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In 2012 when the Count began</a>, ten of the 13 publications then surveyed reviewed more books written by men. In 2020, only three of the 12 publications currently surveyed review more books by male rather than female authors. All bar one of these publications improved the gender balance of books reviewed significantly over this period.</p> <p>Some publications have dramatically transformed their pages to better represent women authors between 2011 and 2020. The Age has increased its representation of books written by women from 38% to 55%; The Monthly, from 26% to 56%; and Brisbane’s Courier-Mail, from 43% to 54%.</p> <p>The Saturday Paper entered the Count in 2014 with 37% of books reviewed written by women; it hit 61% women authors reviewed in 2020. Likewise, the Sydney Review of Books has increased its percentage from 36% in 2015 to 70% in 2020.</p> <p>These significant gains do not mean gender bias has been eliminated from the Australian book reviewing field. Some publications continue to find the gender parity line a hard one to cross – and in general, books written by men still attract longer reviews.</p> <p>After several years of stasis, The Australian has inched closer to parity with 45% of its reviews now of books by women. Australian Book Review, however, is the only publication in our study that has not significantly improved representation of women authors over the nine years: indeed, the percentage of reviewed books by women dropped from 47% in 2019 to 43% in 2020.</p> <h2>Why does this matter?</h2> <p>About 22,500 new book titles <a href="https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2020/09/30/157402/publishing-and-the-pandemic-the-australian-book-market-in-2020/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">are published each year in Australia</a>. In a crowded marketplace, any opportunity to get a book discussed in the public eye is worth its weight in gold. Book reviews are a longstanding means of bringing attention and, possibly, acclaim to new titles.</p> <p>Our surveyed publications published 2,344 reviews in 2020. Some books received multiple reviews, meaning authors of new books have a less than 10% chance of being reviewed in one of Australia’s major book pages.</p> <p>When you look at the demographics, you would not expect Australia’s literary scene to be a place of gender bias. Women make up <a href="https://australiacouncil.gov.au/advocacy-and-research/making-art-work/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">65% of Australian writers</a>, <a href="https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2018/11/21/118475/for-love-or-money-analysing-the-employment-survey/#:%7E:text=Show%20me%20the%20money,2013%20to%20%2460%2C207%20in%202018." target="_blank" rel="noopener">77% of employees in Australian publishing</a>, and <a href="http://www.businessandeconomics.mq.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/528030/FinalFinalReaders-Report-24-05-17-final.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">61% of “frequent readers”</a>.</p> <p>But until very recently, book reviewing – like <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/may/04/australian-version-orange-prize" target="_blank" rel="noopener">literary prizes</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/old-white-men-dominate-school-english-booklists-its-time-more-australian-schools-taught-australian-books-127110" target="_blank" rel="noopener">school syllabuses</a> – appeared to have a gender problem. There was, however, no comprehensive quantitative evidence to prove it.</p> <p>Newly-formed feminist nonprofit organisation, The Stella Prize, set out to do something about this in 2012. Inspired by <a href="https://www.vidaweb.org/the-count/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">similar counts happening overseas</a>, Stella began collecting statistics about the gender of authors whose books were reviewed. We began working with Stella in 2014 when it expanded the data collection in order to understand how gender bias was operating when it came to the size of reviews, the genre of books reviewed and the gender of reviewers.</p> <p>Over the ensuing years we have seen something remarkable happen: real change. Literary editors, when asked, were often surprised by the statistics, when presented with them. Or they made excuses for them: men pitch more or write books on important subjects that deserve reviewing, they said. These biases are no longer unconscious.</p> <h2>Gender disparities persist</h2> <p>While this is cause for celebration, there is still some way to go. While women writers now receive their fair share of reviews in terms of the overall number published, this does not mean they receive equal access to the actual space devoted to public literary criticism.</p> <p>Books written by women are still more likely to receive shorter or capsule reviews. Long reviews – those of 1000 words or more – continue to be largely the precinct of men, either as reviewers or as authors of books reviewed.</p> <p>Women authors receive 55% of all reviews, but only 45% of long reviews. Long reviews are the most conspicuous and prestigious, not just because of their size and prominence but because they are often written by prominent critics and accompanied by images such as book covers and author photos, which lead to market recognition.</p> <h2>Gender assumptions continue</h2> <p>Long-held assumptions about gender and reading are evident in the Stella Count data. Key among these is the idea that men are interested in books by men, and women are interested in books by women. Australian book reviews are highly partitioned by gender: female reviewers are much more likely to review books by women, and male reviewers books by men.</p> <p>Fiction reviews skew towards women as authors and reviewers (especially those written for children and young adults), and non-fiction skews towards men. This supports broader findings in relation to <a href="https://www.wlia.org.au/women-for-media-2021" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the representation of women in Australian media</a>: that women are less likely to be called upon to offer expert commentary on topics such as politics and sport.</p> <p>Our research also offers a snapshot of the state of book reviewing in Australia. It shows the number of reviews published in our surveyed publications dropped by 15% between 2019 and 2020, when the pandemic arrived here.</p> <p>The Stella Count is now the longest-running yearly count of a nation’s book pages conducted anywhere in the world. Next year will be the Stella Count’s ten-year anniversary. The real impact of COVID-19 on the gender make up of authors and reviewers – and on Australia’s literary sector more broadly – is yet to be seen, but data collection such as the Stella Count is key to understanding it.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-f28b028c-7fff-d401-9e6a-19a207e5c4ad">This article originally appeared on The Conversation.</span></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Books

Damning full-page ad slams Ardern’s border policy

<p dir="ltr">New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/jacinda-ardern-popularity-plunges-as-kiwis-struggle-to-return-home/e350bbd6-907c-4bd9-be82-63037dc52269" target="_blank" rel="noopener">openly criticised</a> in a full-page ad regarding the country’s strict border policy, after news emerged of a pregnant New Zealand journalist fighting to return home to give birth.</p><p dir="ltr">The advertisement, taken out by prominent businessman Michael Horton in one of New Zealand’s most widely-read magazines, claimed that New Zealand was one of the few countries not allowing its citizens to return home.</p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-2ce06cae-7fff-55cf-e942-5c571f5e3dc0"></span></p><p dir="ltr">Under the headline, “The following countries do not ban their own citizens from returning to their home country”, the ad listed dozens of countries, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">This ad, sponsored by Michael Horton, appears in the January 29 <a href="https://twitter.com/nzlistener?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nzlistener</a>. Thank you Michael. <a href="https://twitter.com/nzgovt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nzgovt</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/govtnz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@govtnz</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/jacindaardern?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jacindaardern</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZGTW2iFHUr">pic.twitter.com/ZGTW2iFHUr</a></p>— Graeme Jennings (@Graeme_rj) <a href="https://twitter.com/Graeme_rj/status/1484343384357494786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2022</a></blockquote><p dir="ltr">Above it, another headline read, “The following countries effectively ban their own citizens from returning to their home country”, with New Zealand as the only country listed.</p><p dir="ltr">The ad comes as Charlotte Bell, a 35-year-old journalist who was working in Qatar for Al Jazeera until recently, remains stranded in Afghanistan, despite being triple-vaccinated and ready to isolate upon her return to her home country.</p><p dir="ltr">Kiwis looking to return home are required to secure a place in government-run quarantine, through a system called Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ).</p><p dir="ltr">According to the MIQ website, travellers are advised to book their place in MIQ - with spots gradually released in the months prior to flight arrivals - before booking their flights.</p><p dir="ltr">“In periods of high demand, some people will miss out on securing an MIQ voucher, regardless of the system that is used,” the website reads.</p><p dir="ltr">As a result of the high demand for the 4500 available spots, thousands of New Zealanders have been unable to return home in time to be with dying family members or be present for milestone moments.</p><p dir="ltr">The system, which used a weekly lottery system to allocate vouchers until early January, has been fully booked out for months in advance which has also meant that impromptu travel or returning for emergencies - such as in Ms Bell’s case - remains virtually impossible. </p><p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-0e7e5743-7fff-7d75-76eb-89bdc2ad4ad7"></span></p><p dir="ltr">Ms Bell published an open letter in <em><a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-omicron-charlotte-bellis-an-open-letter-on-miq/U4WQGYTJHUP36AGVOBN3F6PJSE/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New Zealand Herald</a></em> over the weekend detailing how she was forced to seek refuge in Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul, after she was no longer able to work in Qatar because it is illegal to be pregnant and unmarried there.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF;border: 0;border-radius: 3px;margin: 1px;max-width: 540px;min-width: 326px;padding: 0;width: calc(100% - 2px)" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CZSRlVysIQF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"><div style="padding: 16px"><div style="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="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="height: 50px;margin: 0 auto 12px;width: 50px"> </div><div style="padding-top: 8px"><div style="color: #3897f0;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;font-size: 14px;font-style: normal;font-weight: 550;line-height: 18px">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0"> </div><div style="flex-direction: row;margin-bottom: 14px;align-items: center"><div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px"> </div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px;flex-grow: 0;margin-right: 14px;margin-left: 2px"> </div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px"> </div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 20px;width: 20px"> </div><div style="width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 2px solid transparent;border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom: 2px solid transparent"> </div></div><div style="margin-left: auto"><div style="width: 0px;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right: 8px solid transparent"> </div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;flex-grow: 0;height: 12px;width: 16px"> </div><div style="width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left: 8px solid transparent"> </div></div></div><div style="flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center;margin-bottom: 24px"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 224px"> </div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 144px"> </div></div><p style="color: #c9c8cd;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;font-size: 14px;line-height: 17px;margin-bottom: 0;margin-top: 8px;overflow: hidden;padding: 8px 0 7px;text-align: center"><a style="color: #c9c8cd;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;font-size: 14px;font-style: normal;font-weight: normal;line-height: 17px;text-decoration: none" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CZSRlVysIQF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Charlotte Bellis (@charlottebellis)</a></p></div></blockquote><p dir="ltr">“This is ridiculous. It is my legal right to go to New Zealand, where I have healthcare, where I have family. All my support is there,” she <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/from-kabul-pregnant-reporter-fights-nz-govt-to-come-home/94ed99be-8bbf-4ed0-a0f3-10a77e52ff84" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.</p><p dir="ltr">Ms Bell first attempted to secure residency in Belgium - where her partner is from - but said the length of the process meant she would have been left in the country with an expired visa.</p><p dir="ltr">With the option to either hop from country to country on tourist visas or attempt to secure a more long-term stay while she fought to return home, Ms Bell and her partner returned to Afghanistan because they had a visa, felt welcome, and could continue their battle there.</p><p dir="ltr">Critics like Mr Horton have claimed the lottery system is a needlessly punishing process as more than 90 percent of the country’s population have been fully vaccinated and boosters continue to be administered.</p><p dir="ltr">Meanwhile, Ms Ardern’s approval ratings have taken a hit, with a recent 1 News Kantor poll indicating that her current approval rate sits at just 35 percent, the lowest it’s been since she became Prime Minister in 2017.</p><p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-ff3c29b5-7fff-be5f-acb9-82fc7a0f93fa"></span></p><p dir="ltr"><em>Image: @charlottebellis (Instagram)</em></p>

Travel Trouble

Bridgerton heartthrob to star in new heist movie

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>Bridgerton</em> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">star Regé-Jean Page shocked fans when he announced his departure from the show, the actor has gone on to star in a new, untitled heist film.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Written and directed by TV writer Noah Hawley, the film will be produced by Joe and Anthony Russo, the duo behind several </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Avengers</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Captain America </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">films.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As for the film’s plot, those involved have remained tight-lipped regarding the details beyond the </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/rege-jean-page-starring-in-heist-film-from-noah-hawley-and-the-russo-brothers/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">idea</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> that one or more items will be stolen over the course of the movie.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Page will be working with the Russo brothers for the second time, after starring alongside Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling in the brothers’ upcoming film </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Gray Man</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CMfF9ubJUrY/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <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/CMfF9ubJUrY/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by The Russo Brothers (@therussobrothers)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Following </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/tv/why-bridgerton-s-hottest-property-said-no-to-season-two?fbclid=IwAR1TnfmpZI9HUiSs65vuJL44GOSwSWQepIDXA_31bR2gXRAxn056FL5z0us" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">his departure</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> from Netflix’s </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bridgerton</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> ahead of the second season, Page has been involved in a number of projects, including a role in Paramount’s upcoming </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dungeons & Dragons</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> movie, and a starring role in the studio’s reboot of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Saint</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Page has also lent his voice to an audio play of Nail Gaiman’s <em>The Sandman</em>, with fans swooning over an excerpt of him singing in Greek.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Anyone else get goosebumps when they hear <a href="https://twitter.com/regejean?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@regejean</a> sing in Act II? Dirk Maggs and <a href="https://twitter.com/neilhimself?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@neilhimself</a> share more behind the scenes gems from making the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SandmanxAudible?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SandmanxAudible</a>: <a href="https://t.co/FENe8HpJR3">https://t.co/FENe8HpJR3</a> <a href="https://t.co/lUHJdBwKk9">pic.twitter.com/lUHJdBwKk9</a></p> — Audible (@audible_com) <a href="https://twitter.com/audible_com/status/1446158444990451713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dirk Maggs, the co-executive producer and director, also made an appearance in the clip praising Page’s musical talent.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We have Regé-Jean Page as Orpheus, and it turns out that Regé-Jean Page is not only an excellent actor and an outrageously good-looking chap. He also sings like an angel,” Maggs </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.republicworld.com/entertainment-news/hollywood-news/bridgerton-star-rege-jean-page-sings-like-an-angel-for-the-sandman-audiobook-watch.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">said</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in the video.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’ve been, and I’ve got to say, it still sends shivers up my spine.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: @regejean / Instagram</span></em></p>

Movies

Jean Smart’s touching victory tribute

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 2021 Emmy Awards saw legendary actress Jean Smart win her fourth Emmy for her critically-acclaimed leading role in </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hacks</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The award is Smart’s first for a leading role, following wins in the supporting comedy actress and guest comedy actress categories for </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Samantha Who? </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">and </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Frasier</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Smart accepted the award to a standing ovation, dedicating it to her late husband Richard Gilliland.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Before I say anything else, I have to acknowledge my late husband who passed away six months yesterday,” Smart said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I would not be here without him, and without his kind of putting his career on the back burner so I could take advantage of all the wonderful opportunities that I have had.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 70-year-old attended the award night with her 13-year-old son Forrest, who she shares with her late husband.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx; max-height: 100%;" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUCBhMmLjMQ/" 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/CUCBhMmLjMQ/" target="_blank">Shared post</a> on Time</p> </div> </blockquote> <div style="position: absolute; width: 92%; bottom: 2px; left: 0; right: 0; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; color: #000; text-align: center;"> <p>Gravity - <a href="https://arablionz.cc/">arablionz</a> Full Episodes and Clips - TV.com</p> </div> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Prior to his unexpected passing from a “brief illness”, Gilliland was due to work with Smart on a movie directed by Tate Taylor.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gilliland was also honoured in the Memoriam section of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hacks</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“He was a great dad, and he made me laugh every day,” Smart told </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Variety</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Him passing away was just not ever even a thought. And it’s changed every moment of my everyday life; every atom of my existence I feel like is altered.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“But I just want people to know how much he’s sacrificed for me to be where I am, and to get the opportunities that I’ve gotten and let his career kind of take a back seat to help take care of our home and our kids. And it kills me he didn’t get the chances that I got, because he was so talented. I was very lucky when I met him.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The star was nominated for a second award this year, for her role as Helen Fahey in </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mare of Easttown</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Smart also acknowledged that she was bucking the norm following her recent string of hit roles.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I certainly realise that’s not the norm for most actresses of my vintage,” she told the publication.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She added that “it was pure luck” that both </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hacks</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mare of Easttown</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> debuted a month apart.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The fact that I had two roles that were such good ones, and kind of worlds apart, coming out at the same time - actors never get that opportunity,” she said.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty Images</span></em></p>

Friend shares rare update on Michael Schumacher

<p><span>A close friend of Formula One legend Michael Schumacher has revealed his positive hopes for the family and the motorsport icon’s recovery.</span><br /><br /><span>Jean Todt has told German newspaper Bild, that he believes Michael will "slowly and surely improve" despite his debilitating head injury after a ski accident back in 2013.</span><br /><br /><span>"I've spent a lot of time with [Schumacher's wife] Corinna since Michael had his serious skiing accident on December 29, 2013," Todt said.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843799/jean-todt-michael-schumacher-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/6e4cd786ab9643e19ca697dc4d588b2b" /></p> <p><em>Jean Todt and Michael Schumacher</em><br /><br /><span>"She is a great woman and runs the family.</span><br /><br /><span>“She hadn't expected that. It happened suddenly and she had no choice.</span><br /><br /><span>“But she does it very well. I trust her, she trusts me.</span><br /><br /><span>"Thanks to the work of his doctors and the cooperation of Corinna, who wanted him to survive, he survived - but with consequences."</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/_cBc53JgO3/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <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/_cBc53JgO3/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Michael & Corinna Schumacher (@michaelandcorinna)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><br /><span>Schumacher, 52, has a long journey ahead of him.</span><br /><br /><span>Since his ski accident in the French Alps, over seven years ago, the Formula One star has been undergoing treatment and care.</span><br /><br /><span>Swiss neurologist Erich Riederer said the former Ferrari driver was in a "vegetative state" after his accident.</span><br /><br /><span>The family has chosen not to update the public on his condition.</span><br /><br /><span>By keeping his recovery a secret in an effort to maintain their privacy, it has led to more intrigue over his current state and chances at healing from his injuries.</span></p>

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Football legend dies after 39 years in a coma

<p><span>Jean-Pierre Adams has died at age 73.</span><br /><br /><span>Adams spent 39 years in a coma after suffering an injury and requiring surgery.</span><br /><br /><span>He was administered a near-fatal dose of anaesthetic ahead of the operation, which resulted in brain damage.</span><br /><br /><span>His wife, Bernadette Adams cared for him in their home located in the French city of Nîmes.</span><br /><br /><span>The small south town is also where his budding football career began, in 1970.</span><br /><br /><span>He played for Nîmes Olympique until 1973, before he moved to Nice and played there until 1977.</span><br /><br /><span>He joined French giants Paris Saint-Germain and played from 1977 to 1979.</span><br /><br /><span>PSG released a heartbreaking statement for him, labelling him one of the club's "glorious elders".</span><br /><br /><span>"His joie de vivre, his charisma and his experience command respect. Paris Saint-Germain offers its condolences to his family and loved ones," the club said in a statement on Monday.</span><br /><br /><span>Adams played 22 internationals for France, from 1972 to 1976.</span><br /><br /><span>French Football Federation president Noël Le Graët said Adams "remained present in our memories in such a special and sad way since his dramatic accident".</span><br /><br /><span>"Jean-Pierre Adams was an example by his life course and his career as a respected and feared player, whether with his successive clubs Nîmes, Nice and PSG in the French championship or in the French team," Le Graët said in a statement.</span><br /><br /><span>"He formed a duo of legendary defenders with Marius Trésor which all fans of the Blues and football remember.</span><br /><br /><span>"Jean-Pierre Adams has participated in the history of the French team, in its influence, in its values. Today the French team is in mourning, the Federation is in mourning.</span><br /><br /><span>"We think of his wife, his family and all his relatives to whom we send our deep friendship and our most sincere condolences."</span></p>

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Jean Smart leads new comedy series

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The award-winning actress stars in the new US comedy </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hacks</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, one of the most talked about new shows this year.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Starring Smart as the legendary Las Vegas comedian, Deborah Vance, the series follows the dark mentorship which develops between her and young writer Ava (Hannah Einbinder).</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The show’s cast also includes Carl Clemons Hopkins (</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hamilton</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">) as Deborah’s chief operating officer, and guest appearances from Kaitlin Olson (</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Coyote Ugly</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">), Christopher McDonald (</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Thelma & Louise</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">), and Rose Abdoo (</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gilmore Girls</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">).</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hacks</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> was created by the trio behind </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Broad City</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, with critics raving about its originality and humour.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 69-year-old has shared her enthusiasm about the role, which allows her full skill and talent to shine through.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I read it, and I just said, ‘This has it all. This could be so great’,” she told the </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Los Angeles Times</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> of the script.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It’s so funny, and it’s balanced with these dark moments. If I could pick out a dozen of my favourite parts I’ve ever done, on stage or in front of the camera, and put them in the body of one person, I feel like [Deborah] is an amalgam of a lot of my favourite things.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Smart’s co-star, Einbinder, is a stand-up comedian and a newcomer to scripted TV.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a show of comradery, Smart helped ease Einbinder’s nerves ahead of her final audition according to an interview she did with </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Glamour</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The last stage of the audition was the screen test with Jean," Einbinder said. "I was really nervous going in, but Jean called me the night before and said, ‘I know it may feel a little surgical tomorrow with all the COVID precautions, but I just want to let you know, I think you’re really great. I think we’re going to have a lot of fun’."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“She was just so classy and cool. I credit a lot of our chemistry to Jean being so warm.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though no release date is set for New Zealand audiences, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hacks</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> will likely be available to stream.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Stan</span></em></p>

Why Bridgerton’s hottest property said no to season two

<p>Regé-Jean Page isn’t returning to<span> </span><em>Bridgerton</em><span> </span>because he disliked the plans producers had for his character, the Duke of Hastings.</p> <p dir="ltr">A Hollywood source told<span> </span><em>Page Six</em> that the actor won’t be returning to<span> </span><em>Bridgerton</em><span> </span>because of “creative differences with [executive producer] Shonda Rhimes and her team”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He wasn’t happy with what was planned for his character for Season 2, which would have kept him a player but not the focal point of the show.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Page has also been “inundated with offers for other interesting and challenging leading roles”, the source continued.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLZ34Rej-4c/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <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/CLZ34Rej-4c/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Bridgerton (@bridgertonnetflix)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Despite these “creative differences”, Page is leaving the show on good terms.</p> <p dir="ltr">Originally signed on with a one-year deal to play male lead Simon Bassett, the Duke of Hastings, Page was drawn to the show because of the role’s “one-season arc” with a “beginning, middle, end”, he told<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/rege-jean-page-bridgerton-season-2-1234942827/" target="_blank"><em>Variety</em></a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">The recent announcement of his departure from the popular Netflix drama - watched by 82 million households worldwide - left fans distraught ahead of the second season.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLpX0A1DMbG/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <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/CLpX0A1DMbG/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Bridgerton (@bridgertonnetflix)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Show creator and script writer Chris Van Dusen hoped both the Duke (Page) and Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) would return following their romance in the show’s debut season.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I would love to be able to see them again and also at the same time explore the other brothers and sisters of the family,” Van Dusen told<span> </span><em>The Hollywood Reporter</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">The British actor was reportedly offered an opportunity to return in Season 2 “as a guest star in three to five episodes'' but turned it down, according to<span> </span><em>The Hollywood Reporter</em>. Although he had several reasons, this included “an awareness that Simon would not be a focal point in Season 2.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Instead, Page is focusing on his movie career and has been offered a flood of film offers. He is also set to star in the upcoming film<span> </span><em>Dungeons and Dragons</em><span> </span>alongside Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, and Justice Smith.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CNK71Dxjer8/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <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/CNK71Dxjer8/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Regé-Jean Page (@regejean)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">In his farewell to the show, posted along with a picture of himself on horseback as Simon, Page wrote, “The ride of a lifetime. It’s been an absolute pleasure and privilege to be your Duke. Joining this family - not just on screen, but off screen too.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“Our incredibly creative and generous cast, crew, outstanding fans - it’s been beyond anything I could have imagined. The love is real and will just keep growing.”</p> <p dir="ltr">As for<span> </span><em>Bridgerton</em>, the next season will see the return of Dynevor playing Daphne Bridgerton, though the focus will be on eldest brother Anthony Bridgerton, played by Jonathan Bailey, and his quest for marriage.</p>

Heartwarming update on F1 legend Michael Schumacher

<p><span>Former Ferrari boss Jean Todt has given an incredibly heartwarming update on F1 legend Michael Schumacher.</span><br /><br /><span>Todt told media outlets that he has been closely following the motorsport career of his son Mick.</span><br /><br /><span>Schumacher is one of the world’s most successful F1 drivers, but his career came to a screeching halt when he suffered severe brain injuries while on a skiing trip in the French Alps back in 2013.</span><br /><br /><span>The formula legend has not been seen in public since.</span><br /><br /><span>Information on the 51-year-old’s condition has also been a tightly kept secret, with only tiny snippets of information being released so far.</span><br /><br /><span>However, Todt has always been a reliable source of information given his extremely close relationship with the Schumacher family.</span><br /><br /><span>The 74-year-old was team principal at Ferrari during five of Schumacher’s seven titles, and has revealed that Michael is closely watching the meteoric rise of his 21-year-old son Mick.</span><br /><br /><span>Mick Schumacher is currently on the verge of securing an F1 seat at Haas in 2021 after an extremely successful stint in FIA Formula 2.</span><br /><br /><span>“Of course he is following him,” Todt told <em>RTL France.</em></span><br /><br /><span>“Mick is probably going to race in Formula 1 next year which will be a great challenge.</span><br /><br /><span>“We would be delighted to have a new Schumacher at the highest level of motor racing.”</span><br /><br /><span>The comments have led the public to believe the F1 legend is conscious, following years of speculation he’s been in a vegetative state ever since his skiing accident.</span><br /><br /><span>Todt however has not given much details on the health of Schumacher.</span><br /><br /><span>“This is a question on which I am going to be extremely reserved,” Todt said of the former Ferrari superstar.</span><br /><br /><span>“I see Michael very often – once or twice a month. My answer is the same all the time – he fights. We can only wish for him and his family that things get better.”</span><br /><br /><span>The Frenchman is one of just a few family and friends allowed into Schumacher’s mansion on Lake Geneva, where the German racing legend is believed to be recovering.</span><br /><br /><span>The former Ferrari boss revealed back in 2019 that he watched an F1 race on TV with Schumacher.</span><br /><br /><span>“I’m always careful with such statements, but it’s true. I saw the race together with Michael Schumacher at his home in Switzerland,” Todt told <em>Radio Monte-Carlo.</em></span><br /><br /><span>“Michael is in the best hands and is well looked after in his house.</span><br /><br /><span>“He does not give up and keeps fighting.”</span><br /><br /><span>“His family is fighting just as much and of course our friendship can not be the same as it once was.</span><br /><br /><span>“Just because there’s no longer the same communication as before.”</span></p>

Caring

Meet the world's newest royal baby

<p>The Luxembourg royal family has welcomed a new prince, Charles Jean Philippe Joseph Marie Guillaume who is second in line to the throne. </p> <p>The precious royal baby has been born to Crown Prince Guillaume and Princess Stephanie.</p> <p>On Sunday morning, a statement was released informing the public of the arrival of Prince Charles. </p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7836020/luxembourg-royals.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/9c29bbc8251a45b8bc41f73cae20eb84" /></p> <p>The pair are also tipped to take over the Grand Duchy to celebrate the 21 canon shots that are fired from Fort Thuengen in Luxembourg city. </p> <p>Prime Minister Xavier Bettel congratulated Prince Guillaume and Princess Stephanie, whose child joins a long list of other royal cousins; Noah, Gabriel, Amalia and Liam. </p> <p>"The child weighs 3.19kg and is 50cm,” an announcement from the royal website revealed.</p> <p>"The Crown Princess and her child are both doing well.</p> <p>"The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess look forward to introducing him to the people of Luxembourg.”</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7836018/luxembourg-royals-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/ec99f27a51ab4d05a7f14bf17cf7bab3" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Prince Guillaume and Princess Stephanie. </em></p> <p>Guillaume, 38, will more than likely be the seventh ruler in the Luxembourg branch of the Nassau-Weilburg dynasty. </p> <p>36-year-old Stephanie comes from one of the oldest noble families in Belgium and became a Luxembourg royal upon their marriage in 2012.</p> <p>Grand Duke Henri has ruled Luxembourg since 2000.</p>

Family & Pets

How to unfollow a page on Facebook using your phone or computer

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Unfollowing a page on Facebook is easy as you don’t have to unlike the page either.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Unfollowing the page means that notifications and updates won’t appear in your News Feed, but you’ll be able to access the page and its posts if you go to it manually.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There are two ways to unfollow a page on both mobile and desktop.</span></p> <p><strong>How to unfollow a page on Facebook on your computer</strong></p> <ol> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Log in to Facebook on a browser on your computer.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Get to the page you want to unfollow.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hover over the “Following” button on the page and select “unfollow this page”.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">You will receive a notification that says “You have unfollowed [page] and will no longer see posts from this page in your News Feed”. Click on “Done”.</span></li> </ol> <p><strong>How to unfollow a page on Facebook from your News Feed</strong></p> <ol> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Select the three dots in the upper right hand corner on the page’s post in your News Feed. </span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Select “Unfollow [page].</span></li> </ol> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">See? Simple! Onto mobile devices.</span></p> <p><strong>How to unfollow a page on Facebook from your mobile device</strong></p> <ol> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Open the Facebook app on your iPhone or Android phone.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Go to the page that you want to unfollow.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Select the three dots in the top right corner and hit “Following”.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Select the “Unfollow” option under the “In Your News Feed” section. You are also able to turn off page notifications in this section by tapping on “Edit Notification settings”.</span></li> </ol> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Unfollowing a page on Facebook from your News Feed on mobile is the same as it is on a computer.</span></p>

Technology

Understanding the financial pages

<p>Looking at the financial pages of the daily newspaper may seem like a bewildering onslaught of information with reams of market statistics and measurements. This can make the investment world seem quite complex and intimidating, but when you break it down and try to grasp each of the component parts, it is well within the capacity of most lay people to understand.</p> <p>Here are a few tips that may help to get you started:<strong><br />Firstly, a word of warning</strong><br />Beware of the temptation to start reading the financial pages in the same way you would read the form guide for horse racing!</p> <p>It is easy to get caught up in habit of tracking daily movements of particular share values, but this can distract you from the taking the broad, long term view that is so essential to successful investing. In short, don’t be tempted to try and ‘pick winners’.</p> <p><strong>Understanding the ASX table</strong><br />The financial section of the newspaper will normally show the full list of companies listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. Next to each company will be a range of figures, usually beginning with the price of the share for that company at the end of the previous day’s trading. Some publications will also show a three letter ‘ASX code’ used to identify the company.</p> <p>Other measurements shown on this table include:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Weekly volume</strong> – The total number of shares of a company that were bought and sold within the last week.</li> <li><strong>Price movements</strong> – This may be shown as the price change since the previous day’s closing price, or it may be shown as a change over the previous week and some financial tables will even show the change over the last 12 months.</li> <li><strong>Dividend yield percentage</strong> – This figure is sometimes also shown and is the amount a company pays out in dividends each year as a percentage of the current share price. For example, if a particular share has a value of $100 and has paid a dividend of $5 then its dividend yield is 5% ($5 divided by $100).</li> </ul> <p><strong>Market indices</strong> <br />While the ASX table breaks down the performance of each company separately, you can also look at the collective performance of the market as a whole via the ‘All Ordinaries Index’. This tracks the movement of the total value of all shares on the exchange and the change over the last week and month may also be shown.</p> <p>Apart from the All Ordinaries Index, there are also a range of other sub-indices which indicate the performance of different segments of the market. The ASX 200, for example, is an index that tracks the change in collective value of the largest 200 public companies.</p> <p>Some indices focus on specific industrial segments. The S&P ASX200 Energy Index, for example, measures the largest 200 energy companies. There are indices for and range of other sectors, such as health care, industry, finance, and metals and mining.</p> <p><strong>International markets</strong><br />Financial pages will also usually show various indices for major stock markets in other countries, such as the Dow Jones index in the USA, the FTSE in the UK and the Hang Seng in China.</p> <p><strong>Commodity prices</strong><br />The prices and price changes of key commodities are also a feature of many financial pages. Oil and gold are two such commodities that will usually be shown because of their importance as indicators of the general direction of the world economy and of market sentiment.</p> <p><strong>Exchange rates</strong><br />These are another important indicator of economic conditions and the state of the economies of different countries relative to each other. The financial pages will usually show the daily movement of the Australian Dollar against major world currencies, such as the US Dollar, the Euro and the Yen.</p> <p>There can be many factors within each country’s domestic economy which influence the movements in exchange rates. These can include interest rates, inflation, political stability, government debt and terms of trade.</p> <p><strong>Making sense of it all</strong><br />It would obviously take quite some time if you were to review and analyse all the items being reported and measured on the daily financial pages. Even if you do have the time to do that, it takes a considerable amount of skill and experience to interpret what different movements mean.</p> <p>Often the day to day movements in things like share prices and exchange rates are the result of transient factors and it is only a consistent analysis over a long period of time that can start to make a coherent interpretation.</p> <p>While it can be interesting to follow the fluctuating fortunes of particular shares, or the daily machinations of indices, commodities and exchange rates, it helps to have a financial adviser on your side to look at the bigger, long term picture.</p> <p>They will have access to expert research resources that constantly analyse markets at home and abroad and can position you to grow wealth without the need to personally keep track of day to day changes.</p> <p>Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/articles/money/financial-planning/understanding-the-financial-pages.aspx">Wyza.com.au.</a></p>

Legal

The correct way to clean your jeans without washing them

<p>It’s a situation we’re all familiar with. You buy a new pair of jeans that fit like a dream and hug you in all the right places … until you decide to throw it in the wash.</p> <p>In comes the disappointment as your trusty denim just doesn’t feel the same way anymore. But there’s a simple solution to this complicated situation – just don’t wash your jeans.</p> <p>It may seem like a crazy concept, but Levi’s CEO and President Chip Bergh says to never throw your jeans in the wash, and when the king of denim gives an order, you follow it.</p> <p>Speaking to <span><a href="https://edition.cnn.com/"><em>CNN</em></a></span>, Bergh said, “If you talk to real denim aficionados, they will all agree you should never put your jeans in the wash.</p> <p>“I spot clean my jeans when they need to be washed. Worst care, I hand wash my jeans. And I do it myself. I mean I love my jeans, and I take good care of them.”</p> <p>John Reid, managing director at clothing retailer Garment Quarter agrees with Bergh, saying his theory makes sense.</p> <p>“Washing your denim jeans can alter the make-up of the material itself, and in fact, your favourite pair of jeans don’t need to be washed as frequently as you may think,” he tells <span><a href="https://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/never-wash-jeans-000344119.html"><em>Yahoo UK</em></a></span><em>.</em></p> <p>“The sheer amount of water that they are exposed to in a washing machine can be the culprit for affecting the look and colour of the denim by fading over time.”</p> <p>So, when it comes to jeans, how do you clean them? Here are some nifty ways to keep your jeans looking as good as new.</p> <p><strong>1. Spot clean them</strong></p> <p>If you happen to squirt tomato sauce or chocolate on your light wash jeans, Reid says spot cleaning is the best way to remove unwanted stains.</p> <p>“Keep your designer jeans in top condition by ‘spot cleaning’ any stains by using a toothbrush and a mixture of water with a gentle detergent. Doing this will not only reduce the risk of fading the dye, but you’ll also be helping the environment by reducing your water usage.”</p> <p><strong>2. Freeze them</strong></p> <p>Your freezer isn’t only for leftovers – it’s also to keep your jeans looking new while making sure they’re hygienic.</p> <p>“Fold the jeans and place inside an airtight freezer bag before putting them in the freezer overnight and any bacteria will be killed by the cold temperatures,” Reid advises.</p> <p><strong>3. Hand wash them</strong></p> <p>Sometimes, there really is no other option but to use good ol’ water to clean your jeans thoroughly. When that’s the case, Bergh said to use your hands and a bit of cold water to get them looking fresh.</p> <p>“Or hop in the shower with them on and soak them down and rinse them off – I do that too,” he said.</p> <p>Do you have any nifty hacks when it comes to washing your jeans? Let us know in the comments below.</p>

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Understanding the financial pages

The correct way to clean your jeans without washing them