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Why is it so hard to cancel subscriptions or end ‘free’ trials? Report shows how companies trap you into paying

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/katharine-kemp-402096">Katharine Kemp</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414">UNSW Sydney</a> Many businesses are trapping Australian consumers in paid subscriptions by making them hard to cancel, hiding important details and offering “free” trials that auto-renew with hefty charges. We need law reform to tackle this continuing problem. <a href="https://cprc.org.au/report/let-me-out">A new report</a> shows 75% of Australian consumers have had negative experiences when trying to cancel a subscription, according to the Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC). It shows businesses use “<a href="https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-spot-avoid-dark-patterns/">dark patterns</a>”, which are designs that hinder consumers who try to act in their own best interests. Subscription traps are often called “<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2022/11/checking-out-ftcs-100-million-settlement-vonage">Hotel California</a>” techniques, referring to The Eagles’ famous lyric: “you can check out any time you want, but you can never leave”. In some of these cases, consumers may have remedies under our existing consumer law, including for misleading conduct. But we need law reform to capture other <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/consultation/c2023-430458">unfair practices</a>. In the meantime, the CPRC’s research also gives examples of businesses with fair, consumer-friendly subscription practices. These also benefit the business. <h2>Examples of unfair subscription traps</h2> <a href="https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinessdevelopmentcouncil/2022/09/12/the-evolution-of-the-subscription-model-and-whats-on-the-horizon/">Subscription business models</a> have become common – many products are now provided in the form of software, an app or access to a website. Some of these would once have been a physical book, newspaper, CD or exercise class. Most people who use online services have experienced the frustration of finding a credit card charge for an unwanted, unused subscription or spending excessive time trying to cancel a subscription. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/615486/original/file-20240826-16-fp57es.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/615486/original/file-20240826-16-fp57es.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/615486/original/file-20240826-16-fp57es.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=643&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/615486/original/file-20240826-16-fp57es.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=643&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/615486/original/file-20240826-16-fp57es.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=643&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/615486/original/file-20240826-16-fp57es.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=808&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/615486/original/file-20240826-16-fp57es.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=808&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/615486/original/file-20240826-16-fp57es.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=808&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Infographic with a few statistics from the report." /></a><figcaption><a class="source" href="https://cprc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/CPRC_LetMeOut_SubsTraps_Report_FINAL.pdf">CPRC, Let me out – Subscription trap practices in Australia, August 2024</a></figcaption></figure> Businesses can make it difficult for consumers to stop paying for unwanted subscriptions. Some do this by allowing consumers to start a subscription with a single click, but creating multiple obstacles if you want to end the subscription. This can include obscuring cancellation options in the app, requiring consumers to phone during business hours or making them navigate through multiple steps and offers before terminating. The report points out many of the last-ditch discounts offered in this process are only short term. One survey respondent said: <blockquote> I wasn’t able to cancel without having to call up and speak to someone. Their business hours meant I had to call up during my work day and it took some time to action. </blockquote> Other businesses badger consumers with frequent emails or messages after they cancel. One respondent said a business made “the cancellation process impossible by making you call and then judging your reason for cancellation”. <h2>What does consumer law say?</h2> Some subscription traps already fall foul of the Australian Consumer Law and warrant investigation by the <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/accc-warns-consumers-to-beware-of-subscription-traps">Australian Competition & Consumer Commission</a> (ACCC). Consumers may have remedies where the business has engaged in misleading conduct or imposes an unfair contract term. For example, the ACCC is <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/accc-court-action-against-eharmony-for-alleged-misleading-online-dating-membership-statements#:%7E:text=The%20ACCC%20has%20today%20commenced%20proceedings%20in%20the,the%20pricing%2C%20renewal%20and%20duration%20of%20its%20memberships.">suing dating site eHarmony</a> for its allegedly misleading subscription practices. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/06/ftc-takes-action-against-adobe-executives-hiding-fees-preventing-consumers-easily-cancelling">has filed a complaint against software company Adobe</a> for allegedly using dark patterns in its subscription practices. The Federal Trade Commission has alleged that “Adobe pushed consumers toward the ‘annual paid monthly’ subscription without adequately disclosing that cancelling the plan in the first year could cost hundreds of dollars”. Adobe <a href="https://news.adobe.com/news/news-details/2024/Adobes-Recent-Statement-Regarding-Updated-Federal-Trade-Commission-Complaint-/default.aspx">issued a statement</a> arguing the commission’s complaint “mischaracterises” its business. The litigation is ongoing. <h2>We need an unfair practices prohibition</h2> Some subscription traps would fall outside the existing consumer law. This is because they don’t meet the test for misleading conduct or unfair contract terms, but make it practically very difficult to cancel. The <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/accc-welcomes-consultation-on-possible-unfair-trading-practices-regulatory-reforms">ACCC has advocated</a> for Australia to follow other countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States to enact an unfair practices prohibition to capture conduct like this. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/615487/original/file-20240826-16-2j23h7.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/615487/original/file-20240826-16-2j23h7.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/615487/original/file-20240826-16-2j23h7.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=769&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/615487/original/file-20240826-16-2j23h7.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=769&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/615487/original/file-20240826-16-2j23h7.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=769&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/615487/original/file-20240826-16-2j23h7.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=966&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/615487/original/file-20240826-16-2j23h7.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=966&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/615487/original/file-20240826-16-2j23h7.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=966&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption>The shift businesses can make today. <a class="source" href="https://cprc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/CPRC_LetMeOut_SubsTraps_Report_FINAL.pdf">CPRC, Let me out – Subscription trap practices in Australia, August 2024</a></figcaption></figure> <h2>Better practices benefit businesses too</h2> The CPRC report also revealed that 90% of Australians would likely purchase from the same organisation if cancelling a subscription process was quick and simple. Businesses focused on a short-sighted cash grab fail to realise that consumers might cancel but later return if treated well. The CPRC highlights businesses that are doing a good job. For instance, the habit change app Atoms (based on James Clear’s book Atomic Habits) has a genuinely free trial. It doesn’t require credit card details, doesn’t auto-renew, and lets consumers know how many trial days remain. The CPRC says the charity World Vision doesn’t auto-renew annual sponsorships, but reminds supporters about when the sponsorship will lapse. Importantly, some businesses – such as Netflix – use their data for good in this context. They notice when users are paying for the service without using it and help them unsubscribe. These practices should be applauded. But we need an unfair practices prohibition for businesses who don’t follow suit and recognise the long-term benefits of treating customers fairly.<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/237236/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/katharine-kemp-402096">Katharine Kemp</a>, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law & Justice; Lead, UNSW Public Interest Law & Tech Initiative, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414">UNSW Sydney</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-it-so-hard-to-cancel-subscriptions-or-end-free-trials-report-shows-how-companies-trap-you-into-paying-237236">original article</a>. </div>

Money & Banking

Today Show entertainment reporter's cause of death revealed

Beloved Today show and KTLA entertainment reporter Sam Rubin's cause of death has been revealed, two months after his sudden <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/health/caring/legendary-today-show-reporter-dies-unexpectedly" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passing</a>. The 64-year-old died in May with a new report from medical officials finding he died from a heart attack after he suffered a massive blockage to his coronary artery. Just hours after hosting his Hollywood news segment in the morning of May 10th, Rubin was rushed to home after collapsing in his Los Angeles home. The multi-Emmy Award winner was a renowned figure in the news industry on the West Coast, and had covered entertainment, movies and TV for KTLA since 1991. He was also well-known in Australia as a contributor to Channel Nine's Today show and Today Extra, and in the UK where he appeared on This Morning. Following his death, Karl Stefanovic paid tribute to his colleague on Instagram, saying he "adored every second with Sam on air and off over the past two decades". "His spirit. His laugh. His warm caring nature. He was a beautiful man. What a loss. All love to his family, and to his TV family at KTLA5 News." Today Extra host David Campbell also paid tribute to Rubin, calling him a "Hollywood great". "He had an encyclopaedic knowledge of the industry," Campbell posted on social media. "For years we would cross to him and gossip and laugh," he said. "He would visit us Down Under, and whenever you were in LA you had to catch up. His loss is profound. My love and condolences to his family whom he adored." <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';">"Also his KTLA team who have lost a brother. We will cross back to you some other time Sam." Image credits: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock Editorial

Caring

Astonishing report identifies Covid’s alleged “patient zero”

A bombshell report has claimed the infamous Covid-19 "patient zero” was a Wuhan scientist carrying out experiments on souped-up coronaviruses. The scientist in question, Ben Hu, was conducting risky tests at the Wuhan Institute of Virology with two colleagues, Ping You and Yan Zhu, the report states. It is understood that all three suffered Covid-like symptoms and required hospital care weeks before China broke the news of the virus outbreak to the rest of the world. The Sun reported that the name of “patient zero" has never been disclosed until now. Many US government officials have now identified the three scientists in a shocking report by journalists Michael Shellenberger and Matt Taibbi. Writing in the Substack newsletter Public, the pair alleged the scientists were experimenting with coronaviruses when they fell ill in 2019. Several experts and intelligence officials have long suspected scientists at the lab accidentally spread the virus during so-called “gain of function” experiments on bat coronaviruses. The naming of “patient zero” could prove to be the smoking gun, only adding to mounting circumstantial evidence of a lab leak. It is unclear who in the US government had the intelligence about the sick lab workers, how long they had it, and why it was not shared with the public. The Australian journalist and Sky News host Sharri Markson spoke to The Sun about the lab leak theory in 2021 and dubbed it an “explosive development”. Jamie Metzl, a former member of the World Health Organisation advisory committee on human genome editing, described it as a possible “game changer”. “It’s a game changer if it can be proven that Hu got sick with Covid before anyone else,” he said. “That would be the ‘smoking gun’. Hu was the lead hands-on researcher in (virologist Shi Zhengli’s) lab.” DRASTIC, an international team of scientists and sleuths attempting to piece together Covid-19’s origins, researched the three scientists in 2021. The Wuhan Institute of Virology’s website lists Hu’s biography showing he was working as an assistant researcher. He was said to be the “star pupil” of virologist Shi Zhengli — the virologist at the lab who became known as “batwoman” for her research on bat coronaviruses. Markson, the author of What Really Happened in Wuhan, said that Hu was running a state-funded project in 2019 to test if new coronaviruses could infect humans. The study involved souping up the viruses and experimenting with them on humanised mice. However, the results were never published and the study’s existence was erased from the internet as Covid-19 was spreading around the globe, which raised suspicion of a possible lab leak. A source told The Sun that footage from 2017 that was aired by Chinese state-run TV showed Hu working in the lab without protective gear. The same video shows scientists from the Wuhan lab searching for bat viruses with inadequate protective gear. Alina Chan, a molecular biologist at MIT and Harvard, told Public, “Ben Hu is essentially the next Shi Zhengli. “He was her star pupil. He had been making chimeric SARS-like viruses and testing these in humanised mice. “If I had to guess who would be doing this risky virus research and most at risk of getting accidentally infected, it would be him.” She noted, “If this info had been made public in May of 2020, I doubt that many in the scientific community and the media would have spent the last three years raving about a raccoon dog or pangolin in a wet market.” US scientist Dr Steven Quay, “He was always my first choice for one of the infected Wuhan Institute of Virology workers but it seemed too simple.” A bill signed by US President Joe Biden in 2023 called for the release of the names of the sick scientists, their symptoms, and whether they had been involved with or exposed to coronavirus research. The US is currently preparing to release previously classified material, which could include the names of the three Wuhan scientists. Earlier in 2023, FBI director Christopher Wray said, “the FBI has for quite some time now assessed that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan”. China has long been accused of attempting to cover up or distort its involvement with Covid-19, but they continue to deny claims. In March 2023, China’s former government scientist confessed the Wuhan lab leak theory shouldn’t be ruled out, sparking uproar in Beijing. Professor George Gao, the former chief of China’s Centre for Disease Control, played a key role in the efforts to trace the origins of Covid-19, insisting scientists should “suspect anything”. Speaking to the BBC Radio 4 podcast Fever: The Hunt for Covid’s Origin, Professor Gao said, “You can always suspect anything. That’s science. “Don’t rule out anything.” Professor Gao retired from the CDC in 2022 after playing a key role in the pandemic response and efforts to find the mysterious origin of the virus. He would have had access to highly classified government information on the outbreak of Covid-19. According to Professor Gao, a formal investigation into the Wuhan Institute of Virology was carried out by a government department. The government scientist claimed the “lab was double-checked by the experts in the field”. Investigators believe scientists were working with the Chinese military to develop a mutant virus and pursue bioweapons just as the pandemic began. The findings followed a team of US investigators who combed through top-secret intercepted communications and research. In 2016, researchers discovered a new fatal type of coronavirus in a mineshaft in Mojiang, Yunnan province. However, they kept it under wraps, with the sample then transported to the Wuhan lab and dubbed as classified work. The virus is the only known immediate relative of Covid-19 known to exist prior to the pandemic. Speaking to The Times, one US investigator said, “The trail of papers starts to go dark. “That’s exactly when the classified program kicked off. “My view is that the reason it was covered up was due to military secrecy related to the army’s pursuit of dual-use capabilities in virological biological weapons and vaccines.” The findings came after a scientist who worked closely with the Wuhan lab claimed the virus was genetically engineered and leaked from the facility. Image credit: Getty

Body

New classified report makes bold Covid-19 origin claim

The US Department of Energy has reached the conclusion that the Covid pandemic is most likely to have arisen from a laboratory leak, as suggested in a classified intelligence report delivered to both the White house and key members of Congress. The conclusion, drawn with “low confidence”, comes more than a year after the FBI declared their belief that a laboratory incident in China was the source of the Covid-19 pandemic. In contrast to the Energy Department, the FBI made their assessment with “moderate confidence”. Reportedly, intelligence agencies make their assessments on a scale of low to high confidence, with a low confidence grading meaning that the information is not reliable enough, is not substantial, or is not cohesive enough to make a complete and informed judgement. The new report demonstrates the differing opinions of the US intelligence community about the origins of the pandemic, though the Energy Department is now in line with the FBI in believing that the virus likely spread due to an accident in a Chinese laboratory. However, while two agencies remain undecided, there are still four - as well as The National Intelligence Council - that are firm on their stance that the pandemic was the result of natural transmission from an infected animal. The Energy Department’s findings are allegedly drawn from new intelligence, and are considered to be significant due to their expertise and network of US laboratories. Though the Energy Department oversees the US’ nuclear weapons program, some of their laboratories are said to participate in biological research. Officials in the US did not provide details into the new intelligence that caused the Energy Department to shift its standpoint, but according to the Wall Street Journal, added that “while the Energy Department and the FBI each say an unintended lab leak is most likely, they arrived at those conclusions for different reasons.” Although intelligence agencies aren’t all in agreement, the update reaffirmed existing ideas that Covid-19 was not the result of a Chinese biological weapons program. “There are a variety of views in the intelligence community,” Jake Sullivan - the White House’s national security adviser - said to CNN’s State of the Union of the ongoing investigation into the origins of Covid-19, and US President Joe Biden’s request for national labs to be brought into the assessment. “Here’s what I can tell you: President Biden has directed, repeatedly, every element of our intelligence community to put effort and resources behind getting to the bottom of this question. “And if we gain any further insight or information, we will share it with Congress, and we will share it with the American people. But right now, there is not a definitive answer that has emerged from the intelligence community on this question.” Images: Getty

Caring

Expectation vs reality: Reporters share inside look at what cruises are like now

Four reporters have shared their experiences on some of the most popular cruising lines - revealing that their expectations weren’t quite met by the reality of their trip. For Joey Hadden, who booked her first ever cruise on the Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas, her sessions of relaxing in the sun came with unexpected crowds and difficulties in finding a chair. “I spent more time waiting in lines than I had anticipated. And I saw much of the world from behind other people's heads,” she wrote of her experience in <a href="https://www.insider.com/what-its-like-to-go-on-a-cruise-now-photos-2022-10#and-as-she-explored-more-of-the-ship-during-her-weeklong-stay-she-was-surprised-to-find-that-even-the-worlds-largest-cruise-ship-felt-overcrowded-at-times-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Insider</a>. She shared that when she first boarded the ship and excitedly went to watch the ocean as they sailed away from the port, that tall, thick glass and not being able to find a spot to stand stopped her from doing so. Fellow Insider reporter Monica Humphries said her experience with crowds aboard Carnival Vista, which was at partial capacity during her trip in July 2021, saw her waiting in long lines to disembark at each port and for help from the service desk. Buffets were another source of contention and crowds for the two reporters, with Humphries also finding that issues with how food was labelled meant she accidentally ate meat twice despite asking what was in her food due to being pescatarian. <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/Ci2sCi_OmYu/?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/Ci2sCi_OmYu/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Amanda Krause (@amandalynn_14)</a> </div> </blockquote> Mikhaila Friel, who sailed on the Queen Elizabeth, made the common mistake of sitting by herself on her first night in the dining room - not realising that wherever you sit becomes your table for the rest of the cruise. Surprising temperatures were another common experience, with Friel, Hadden, and Amanda Krause, who travelled on Disney Cruise Line’s Wish, finding that they hadn’t packed enough warm clothes. “Europe in the fall can be pretty chilly, so I wore a coat during my excursions in Amsterdam. However, I wish I'd brought a larger selection of warmer clothes and accessories to wear on outdoor areas of the ship that were affected by the wind, something I hadn't considered,” Friel wrote. “A woolly hat and a pair of gloves certainly wouldn't have gone amiss.” Krause, who had never travelled by ship before, hadn’t expected the chill that came from the cold air-conditioning inside the ship and wished she had brought warmer clothes to avoid shivering at restaurants and bars, as well as in the Walt Disney theatre. While they reported having an enjoyable time during their cruise experiences, each of the travellers encountered hiccoughs and disappointments that made them all the wiser. Image: Getty Images

Cruising

Harry responds to reports of being barred from wearing military uniform

Prince Harry has responded to claims that he has been barred from wearing a ceremonial military uniform at Queen Elizabeth's funeral. While the Duke of Sussex has been banned from donning the military outfit out of respect, scandal-prone Prince Andrew has been given an exception. While both Prince Harry and Prince Andrew served in the military, neither men are working royals. A Buckingham Palace edict stipulated that only working royals would be allowed to wear military uniforms at events to mark the Queen's death, making many wonder why Prince Andrew was granted an exception after his years of ongoing scandals. US TV network CNN today reported that the prince had issued a statement over the clothing controversy. "Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex will wear a morning suit throughout events honouring his grandmother," a spokesman for the Sussexes told CNN. "His decade of military service is not determined by the uniform he wears and we respectfully ask that focus remain on the life and legacy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II." It is likely to leave a bitter taste for ex-soldier Harry, who is proud of his decade in the forces, and who was saddened after being stripped of his honorary military roles including Captain General of the Royal Marines by the Queen after the Sussexes retreated overseas. Prince Andrew joined King Charles, Princess Anne and Prince Edward in a suit for the procession of the Queen's coffin through the streets of Edinburgh, in like with the edits of Buckingham Palace. But it has emerged that Andrew, who stepped down from public life after the furore over his friendship with paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, will be allowed to wear his uniform at Wednesday's vigil in Westminster. However, he is expected to wear a suit for the Queen's funeral on Monday. Image credits: Getty Images

Caring

"Sad, old menacing coward:" Grace Tame reports childhood abuser to police

Activist Grace Tame has revealed she continues to be harassed by the man who abused her as a child, having reported him to the police for “targeted harassment” online. Ms Tame was 15 when she was groomed and raped by her maths teacher Nicolaas Bester, who then bragged about his crimes online while she was unable to speak out due to Tasmania’s “gag law”. Her legal fight to change the laws, which prevent sexual abuse victims from publicly identifying themselves, as part of the #LetHerSpeak campaign, saw Ms Tame pushed into the public eye and recognised for her efforts when she was named the Australian of the Year. But, on Wednesday the 23-year-old said she was “still dealing with open threats and harassment from the man who abused me and others”. “This has been my reality for 12 years now, behind closed doors for my family and me,” she wrote on Twitter. She also shared screenshots of tweets appearing to be from Bester, where her childhood email is referenced and he threatens that “he is coming to show all too (sic) you”. In one message dated April 27, Bester uses her email address and writes, “at last I shall come for [email address]..... in good time…..”. In another, posted on August 28, he uses her email address again, writing that “the good old comeuppance on its way” with “only 4 weeks to go!!”. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> This has been the reality for 12 years now, behind closed doors for my family and me. Mark my words, I am not going anywhere though. — Grace Tame (@TamePunk) <a href="https://twitter.com/TamePunk/status/1564185208882352128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2022</a></blockquote> “Here he is, the twice-convicted child sex offender, referring to my childhood email, which very few people know, in place of my name. It was the login to my old Facebook he and I communicated on,” Ms Tame wrote. “He’s counting down to an act of revenge, planned for the day of my book’s release.” She alleged that his repeated comments constituted a federal offence and contravened <a href="https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/sexual-exploitation-policy">Twitter’s child exploitation policy</a>, which says that content that further contributes to the victimisation of children “through the promotion or glorification of child sexual exploitation” is also prohibited. “This is targeted harassment of a known victim of his past crimes, designed to cause further harm,” Ms Tame said. “I’ve reported them to police, but our reactive justice system is too slow, and nothing’s changed.” Bester was sentenced to two years and 10 months in prison for maintaining a sexual relationship with someone under the age of 17 and possession of child exploitation material, but only served one year and nine months before he was released. He has been free to speak about his abuse of Ms Tame for some time and has previously taken to social media to brag to his followers. “The majority of men in Australia envy me,” he wrote. “I was 59, she was 15 going on 25. It was awesome.” Bester’s account has since been suspended by Twitter. Ms Tame said her tweets were an act of reclaiming power “against a predator operating in plain sight”. “This man seems to think he is still relevant and can maintain control over me,” she wrote. “This man who groomed and abused me when I was a child. “I’m not ashamed of any of it now. “But he should be. He was an adult who abused his authority. “Just because I have found the anger and strength in me now, does it make me an aggressor, or a survivor? "I know who I am. I am a survivor. "I have the power to be vulnerable. He will never have that. He is too afraid, and too weak. He is too weak to be vulnerable. Instead, he exploits others who are. He knows no other way to be. I see that now. And because of that, he doesn't scare me anymore.” Ms Tame added that her posts were “not for the critics” and were instead for survivors like her. "He is a sad, old menacing coward. “This is not for the critics. They will say what they always say. This is for the people like me. And you know who you are too. “I stand with you. We have the power.” If you or someone you know needs support as a result of sexual assault or child sexual abuse, contact the Blue Knot Helpline and Redress Support Service on 1300 657 380, or LifeLine on 13 11 14 for immediate support. Image: Getty Images

Legal

Qantas reports huge loss but even bigger revenue

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has announced a whopping $1.9 billion loss for the 2022 Financial Year. Following almost two years of next to no flights due to the Covid pandemic, Mr Joyce explained that flights are “all full” as they push to get them out of storage. He however revealed that despite air travel resuming, his company has faced a devastating loss but quite an impressive revenue. “The Group had an underlying loss before tax of almost $1.9 billion, and a statutory loss before tax of just under $1.2 billion,” Mr Joyce said. “That brings our total losses since the start of the pandemic to more than $7 billion and takes lost revenue to more than $25 billion. “To put that in perspective, on a statutory basis, COVID cost us more money in the past three years than we made in the five years before that. “The fact we’ve been able to steer through this is remarkable. And now that we are through it, things are improving even faster than we expected.” Mr Joyce then noted the frustration felt by flyers due to delayed and cancelled flights, lost luggage, and labour shortage. He said that they are working toward improving customers’ experience as leisure flying soared to 125 per cent of pre-Covid levels and business travel to 90 per cent. “As many of you have probably experienced, strong travel demand has also brought some difficulties,” he continued. “We knew the recovery was coming and we were ready for the restart. What we weren’t ready for – after 18 months of COVID being suppressed – was such high levels of community transmission and the sick leave that followed. “The rebound in travel demand also coincided with a massive labour shortage. Of course, that shortage has been more acute in aviation because of how many people left the industry during two very uncertain years. “All of this resulted in well-publicised problems: long queues, delayed flights and misplaced bags. “It was incredibly tough for our people and deeply frustrating for our passengers. It simply wasn’t good enough, and for that, we have apologised.” Mr Joyce revealed that the company has hired more than 1,500 staff since April, with more new recruits to come in the next few months. “We’re reducing our domestic flying – in part – to give us more buffer. We are rostering more crew across fewer flights, which means we can better cover sick leave that is averaging almost 50 per cent above normal,” he continued. “We’re also investing more in technology, including an upgrade to our airport kiosks and bag drop facilities, as well as new scanners at boarding gates.” Image: Getty

Travel Trouble

“Keep doing you”: Kyrgios goes head to head with reporter

After cinching a five-set win against Brandon Nakashima, Aussie tennis star Nick Kyrgios shut down a reporter’s attempts to stir up controversy. During his post-match press conference, one reporter targeted Kyrgios’ wardrobe choices - namely the red Jordans and matching cap he wore for his fourth round clash against Nakashima - but the athlete was having none of it. Referring to Wimbledon’s dress code rules - where players are required to wear almost entirely white while on the court - the reporter questioned why Kyrgios made such bold outfit choices in light of previous comments he made about controversy seeming to “materialise around” him. “Because I do what I want,” Kyrgios said. “So you’re above the rules?” the reporter hit back. “No. I’m not above the rules,” the 27-year-old answered. “So what is it? They don’t apply to you?” the reporter asked. “I just like my Jordans.” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> “Keep doing you then champion”: the way Kyrgios fails to get riled up by this line of questioning is a delight to watch <a href="https://t.co/M6u6T94Wu0">pic.twitter.com/M6u6T94Wu0</a> — Gavin Coote (@GavinCoote) <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinCoote/status/1544100665282007041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2022</a></blockquote> Though Kyrgios wasn’t biting, the reporter kept trying to bait the athlete. “I don’t want to ruin the surprise but the referee’s going to be speaking to you about (his uniform),” the reporter said. “That’s OK. I’ll wear triple whites tomorrow,” Kyrgios said. “But that’s fine then. No one else, in both draws, wear …” the reporter began, with Kyrgios interjecting: “But no one else - even after Wimbledon - no one else really walks with Jordans on the court.” When the moderator tried to interject, the reporter apologised, saying that Kyrgios “just moaned about the controversy that surrounds him”. “I haven’t moaned. I love it.” Kyrgios said. “So you just laugh it off then?” the reporter asked. “Yeah, it’s just more attention for me. What’s that saying? Any publicity is good publicity right?” Kyrgios answered. “If you say so,” the reporter said, to which Kyrgios replied, “Keep doing you then champion”. Kyrgios has been the subject of plenty of controversy and criticism, but has said he’s okay with it. “I just smile,” he said. “It’s so funny. Hilarious. I almost just wake up and read things, I just laugh. “And I never forget things. Whether it was three, four years ago, I have a massive chip on my shoulder. I sit here now in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon again, and I just know there’s so many people that are so upset. “None of you know me at all - people love just to have an opinion.” Image: Getty Images

Beauty & Style

Reporter stops live broadcast to save drowning child

A Channel 7 reporter has been hailed a hero after rescuing a child during his live broadcast. Paul Burt was in Surfers Paradise in Queensland when a 10-year-old boy behind him got caught in a rip. Burt immediately stopped his reporting and jumped into the water to help the child who was with his family of inexperienced swimmers from Pakistan. “There was a 10-year-old boy ... that got dragged out into this fierce gutter, and of course into this rip,” Burt told <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/gold-coast/gold-coast-reporter-stops-live-cross-to-save-drowning-boy-in-rough-surf-c-6693814" target="_blank" rel="noopener">7News</a> after rescuing the boy. “Being of a light weight he managed to stay afloat and come in adjacent to the southern side of the gutter. “About four or five of us jumped in and basically pulled him back to the beach.” He explained that the boy had taken in a “fair bit of water in” and was treated by paramedics on scene. Burt took the opportunity to warn swimmers not to risk their lives because they may not get that lucky. Watch the incredible footage <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/gold-coast/gold-coast-reporter-stops-live-cross-to-save-drowning-boy-in-rough-surf-c-6693814" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. Image: 7News

Caring

“Get in the basement!”: Weatherman calls son during live report

Doug Kammerer, NBC Washington chief meteorologist, was reporting live on a tornado when he realised its projected movement would see the storm pass directly over his house. Kammerer interrupted his live segment to call his kids and warn them about the storm, instructing them to wait in the basement. “I’m tracking this so closely now. This is going to go right over my house. So, very close to my house,” Kammerer said as he was showing that the Chevy Chase area of Maryland was under a tornado warning. Calling his son, he instructed him to grab his sibling and wait it out in the basement. “You there, buddy?” he said. “All right, hey, man, I want you to get down in the basement. We got a tornado warning.” “Get in the bedroom down there and just kind of wait for 10, 15 minutes,” he said before he hung up and resumed his broadcast. Addressing the audience after the call, Kammerer said: “I’ve gotta warn my kids because I know what they’re doing right now.” “They’re probably online gaming and they’re not seeing this!” Image: NBC

News crew reporting on hit-and-run films ANOTHER one as it happens

A news report about a dangerous section of a main road was interrupted by a car crash. The timing was truly impeccable and really proved the reporter’s point. An LA news crew were reporting on a hit and run that had happened in late February and as the reporter was explaining how dangerous that particular road is, a collision happened behind him on camera. According to Gene Kang who was the reporter at the scene, a Honda sedan was heading toward him and his team but veered away and hit another sedan. <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2W-Rx2NLTO8" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Tooting is heard behind Kang as he says "officials say this is one of the most dangerous streets in all of Los Angeles." Kang then turns to observe the crash in action. Following the crash, the driver of the Honda mounted the footpath and fled the scene. The driver of the other car was reportedly uninjured.

Travel Trouble

Reporter stands next to grenade live on air in Kyiv

A senior international correspondent for CNN has accidentally found himself next to a grenade while on a live cross from war-torn Ukraine. While speaking to his colleague back in the US studio, Matthew Chance realised he was standing exceptionally close to a grenade. The journalist was crouching down on a dirt road and explaining how the Ukrainian resistance has been strong against the Russian army, before swiftly standing up and moving away from the camera. Quickly resuming his report, Chance said, “Oh actually...I was crouching right down by a grenade. I didn’t see that. Let’s move away from that." <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> So <a href="https://twitter.com/mchancecnn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mchancecnn</a> just realized live on CNN that he was right next to a grenade in Kyiv "Oh actually -- I was crouching down right by a grenade. I didn't see that. Let's move away from that." <a href="https://t.co/Bsj4LKXgHl">pic.twitter.com/Bsj4LKXgHl</a> — Nora Neus (@noraneus) <a href="https://twitter.com/noraneus/status/1498258017585934339?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2022</a></blockquote> Since the fighting in Ukraine started five days ago, Matthew Chance has been on the forefront of the conflict, sharing devastating footage of the aftermath of the battles near the capital city of Kyiv where vehicles are "still smoking". With less than a week since Russia first invaded Ukraine, Moscow forces appear to be strengthening and turning more violent due to the force of the Ukrainian resistance. On Monday, shelling of the Russian-speaking region of Kharkiv - the Ukraine's second largest city - sparked global fear that president Vladimir Putin is becoming more ruthless in his offences. The United Nations has estimated that close to 500,000 people have now fled war-torn Ukraine to save themselves from violence at the hands of Russian forces. Image credits: CNN

News

63.5% of Australia’s performing artists reported worsening mental health during COVID

92% of performing artists experienced significant changes to their work during early stages of the pandemic – and at least half experienced depression. These shocking figures comes from <a href="https://www.waapa.ecu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/960387/Breathing-through-the-pandemic.pdf">new research</a> talking to hundreds of performing artists from across Australia. The impact of COVID-19 was particularly devastating for performing artists because their artistic practice is highly ingrained in their identity. The disruption to performances during lockdown led performers to re-evaluate their artistic practice, whether through having a break or reassessing their career paths. Artists described cancellation of tours, gigs, and contracts which often happened overnight and without warning. Participants spoke of losing “27 gigs in three days” in March 2020, having a year’s worth of touring work cancelled, and not being able to find any new gigs. In our national survey of 431 performing artists, 63.5% of the participants reported feeling their mental health worsened during the pandemic. <h2>Mental health stressors</h2> COVID-19 exacerbated social, economic and mental health problems <a href="https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2016-10/apo-nid121961.pdf">long-recognised</a> throughout the performing arts sector. In an industry that was already under the spotlight for stress and mental health, COVID-19 brought with it another test to the resilience of the industry. In our research, we used the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16004657/">short form Depression Anxiety Stress Scales 21</a> (DASS-21), a self-reported survey which measures levels of distress, and found scores on all three subscales were elevated compared to <a href="https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.499926749273237">previous findings</a> among performing artists in 2015. 49% of participants demonstrated moderate, severe or extremely severe levels of depression; 61% demonstrated moderate, severe or extremely severe levels of anxiety; and 47% demonstrated moderate, severe or extremely severe levels of stress. In line with these findings, almost half (47.9% of respondants) accessed mental health supports, such as psychologists and GPs. The participants most affected by poor mental health were early career artists, freelancers and women. Women not only faced the difficulties of COVID and related lockdowns, but also <a href="https://theconversation.com/planning-stress-and-worry-put-the-mental-load-on-mothers-will-2022-be-the-year-they-share-the-burden-172599">disproportionately</a> faced the challenge of increased care responsibilities for elderly parents and children, and the distractions of working from home during lockdown. Freelance artists often found themselves <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-government-says-artists-should-be-able-to-access-jobkeeper-payments-its-not-that-simple-138530">excluded from government support such as JobKeeper</a>. Early career artists questioned their future in the arts: their performing opportunities suddenly disappeared during lockdown, and they lost opportunities to gain new networks and build there careers. As one participant told us, “a whole year [was] just ripped away, that’s a year I’ll never get back, to add to my portfolio, to my connections and networks." <h2>Ongoing stress</h2> Difficulties weren’t just faced by individual artists. The immediate impact for performing arts organisations was a complete shock to the system. Workload stress for managers increased with their efforts to maintain operations and recoup lost income. Many artistic organisations are only now beginning to feel the true burden of COVID-19 and will continue to feel these impacts throughout the medium term. As the pandemic went on through 2020 and 2021, some organisations saw two seasons’ worth of programming delayed. 2022 and beyond will see these organisations trying to play catch up, causing additional logistical work – and as Omicron is proving, there will be with further disruptions and shutdowns in the sector. While almost half of the participants accessed mental health support during COVID-19, several barriers to seeking help were identified, such as financial constraints and a lack of available and appropriate mental health support which understood the particular stressors of working in the performing arts. <h2>Community and resilience</h2> Even as they were facing stress, our research found organisations acted as beacons of support for the wider performing arts community, honouring artist and employee contracts as much as possible. In turn, arts workers reported support from audiences, donors and direct support from government was instrumental in maintaining morale and purpose for organisations. The adaptability and resilience evidenced within the performing arts industry during COVID-19 should not be underestimated. Artists continued to create work throughout the pandemic, and even found positive outcomes from this challenging time. Participants reported being able to rest and reset. "Time for people to take a break is important, mental health is important, hard conversations are important. But we had the time to have them, instead of 'we can’t have that conversation because the show’s going on in two weeks and we’ve got to rehearse the scene.' It’s like, well, let’s stop and let’s talk about this. It was really beneficial for a lot of works that I was involved in." For many artists, it will be a long recovery for their careers and their health. Now is the time to consider how the industry can build back stronger post-COVID: increased arts funding, low-cost or free mental health services tailored to performing artists, and encouraging everyone to experience – and support – the amazing art being made in our own backyards. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/63-5-of-australias-performing-artists-reported-worsening-mental-health-during-covid-174610">The Conversation</a>.

Art

The 3 problems with fines for not reporting positive COVID tests

The NSW government this week decreed that anyone returning a positive COVID-19 reading using a rapid antigen test must report their result (through the Service NSW app or <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/register-positive-rapid-antigen-test-result" target="_blank">website</a>). Failing to do so can result in a $1,000 fine. The new rule came into effect on January 12 (there will be a one-week grace period). In the first 24 hours more than 80,000 people registered positive tests (recorded since January 1). In one sense that’s a lot. But since we have no idea of the total number of tests taken – let alone the number with a positive result – it’s hard to calibrate. The fine threat raises a number of questions, with the first being how will the government know if you test positive and don’t record it? On Wednesday, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet admitted that it would be a hard law to enforce, <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw/massive-surge-spike-in-covid-cases-as-nsw-records-rapid-tests-20220112-p59nq2.html" target="_blank">saying</a>: <blockquote> there are obviously areas right across the state where there are laws that are harder to enforce than others, this is clearly one that will be harder to enforce, there’s no doubt about it. </blockquote> Given this, it’s hard to know what the point of the announced penalty is. Indeed, both the economic theory and behavioural research research suggests it will achieve the opposite of its intention. 1. Fines act as a disincentive Economists view these rules through the lens of the field of “contract theory”. Rules create incentives that encourage or discourage certain behaviours. In this case, suppose you test positive. If you self-isolate as result, because that’s the right thing to do even without rules, then truthfully reporting the result is of no consequence to you (as long as it’s easy to do, which it is for most people). But if you wouldn’t isolate, then truthfully reporting the results is of consequence. In NSW you face a $5,000 fine for failing to comply with <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/stay-safe/rules/legislation-penalties" target="_blank">obligations to self-isolate</a> when diagnosed with COVID-19. Your choice is the low probability of a $1,000 fine for not reporting the result or the higher probability of a $5,000 fine for failing to isolate. So there’s an individual disincentive to even taking the test at all – which is, after all, optional for most. This means fewer tests will be taken, the opposite of what authorities want. From the perspective of contract theory, therefore, this $1,000 fine is likely to reduce tests by those who are not willing or not able (perhaps because they have to work for financial reasons) to voluntarily isolate. So you can bet that these folks will be calculating the odds of getting caught. This is the way some people think about parking fines, or thieves think about stealing bicycles. It’s a calculation involving the size of the penalty and the probability of getting caught. 2. Fines can turn off good behaviour Some scholars, such as Harvard philosopher Michael Sandel, argue the very act of putting a dollar value on things causes people to think of them in a transactional way. It’s no longer “wrong” to park in a no-standing zone, there’s just a kind of fee for it. In other words, fines can destroy civic virtue. <iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GvDpYHyBlgc?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> A classic example of this comes from <a rel="noopener" href="https://rady.ucsd.edu/faculty/directory/gneezy/pub/docs/fine.pdf" target="_blank">a study</a> by behavioural economists Uri Gneezy and Aldo Rustichini on ways to encourage parents to pick up their children from child-care centres on time. Parents being late meant staff had to stay behind. The study involved some centres introducing fines to deter late pickups. But the fines actually led to more late pickups. Parents no longer felt so guilty. Being on time was no longer a social norm but a transaction. They could pay to disregard the expectation. So, too, it might be with this week’s $1,000 fine rule. In the unlikely event of getting caught, some might see the fine as just “the cost of doing business”. 3. Fines can make a mockery of the law A final consideration about the $1,000 fine for failing to report a positive RAT tests concerns the problem of laws that cannot be enforced. The NSW government concede the new rule will hard to police and is mostly about <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-13/sydney-news-rapid-covid-test-fines-hard-to-police-minister-says/100753328" target="_blank">messaging</a>. “If we didn’t put a fine on it then people would say you’re not taking it seriously,” the minister for customer service said. But this is just turning a law into a bit of a joke. Laws being openly “mocked” damage the rule of law itself. Getting rules right These three complementary perspectives all point to the $1,000 fine for failing to report a positive rapid antigen test being a bad idea. It’s good to make it convenient for people to do the right thing (that’s what the Service NSW app does). It’s good to encourage people to do the right thing. It would be really good if there were lots of RATs available (ideally for free or close to it) so people can have the information to empower and protect themselves, their families and their communities. This does none of these things. It’s bad to enact a rule that makes a mockery of the law and likely to be counterproductive.  <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/richard-holden-118107" target="_blank">Richard Holden</a>, Professor of Economics, <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-1414" target="_blank">UNSW</a> This article is republished from <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/vital-signs-the-3-problems-with-fines-for-not-reporting-positive-covid-tests-174774" target="_blank">original article</a>. Image: Getty Images

Money & Banking

Woman reports bizarre side effect of Covid jab

After receiving her booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, a Sydney woman has given it credit for an unusual side effect - removing two persistent warts on her hands. Erin Riley <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/covid-19-omicron-outbreak-mrna-vaccine-credited-with-removing-warts-in-weird-booster-side-effect/QOCD7UJGXU25S6K5D4A2ELRXTE/" target="_blank">shared</a> her medical discovery on Twitter, two weeks after receiving an mRNA Covid vaccine. “I have had two warts on my hands for the last 5 years,” she wrote. “Tried wart off- they kept coming back. But in the two weeks since I had my booster shot (my first mRNA vaccine as my first two were AZ), they have disappeared completely. “As in, you can’t even tell they were there.” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> I have had two warts on my hands for the last 5 years. Tried wart off- they kept coming back. But in the two weeks since I had my booster shot (my first mRMA vaccine as my first two were AZ), they have disappeared completely. As in, you can’t even tell they were there. — Erin Riley (@erinrileyau) <a href="https://twitter.com/erinrileyau/status/1480094264994402308?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2022</a></blockquote> Several people have since commented on Ms Riley’s tweet with their own, similar experiences, including some who noticed effects after receiving just their first dose. “I just checked and yes a wart I’ve had on my finger for at least 20 yrs is gone. Not even a mark,” one person shared. “OH MY GOD I just checked and one on my toe is significantly smaller?! It’s been there maybe 15 years,” another wrote. Others have shared experiences of disappearing corns and moles. “OK so this is weird but had a mole just above my eyebrow that (has) been developing very slowly, now it’s almost gone … so that’s unexpected. Not a wart but a mole,” they wrote. Although most warts are harmless, viral warts are generally caused by one of the 150 different strains of the human papillomaviruses (HPV). <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> OH MY GOD I just checked and one on my toe is significantly smaller?! It’s been there maybe 15 years. 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯 — Isobel Roe (@isobelroe) <a href="https://twitter.com/isobelroe/status/1480119614335963137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2022</a></blockquote> A study from the <a rel="noopener" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jdv.17771?casa_token=un9AON3sN5wAAAAA%3AZd0_bHa49HTkAV2PGy23u1I-04yMSxYDG02FjPAWiF_miSXv2E8096OHbaVqy_fyy-CTRIbYOzdEShwv" target="_blank">Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology</a> has reported on the effect of COVID-19 vaccines and viral warts, though the effect is yet to be well-established. The researchers cited a potential explanation that could involve activation of a person’s immune response after getting the jab. However, they said more research is needed to confirm the link. The team also noted that the effect was interesting, as other vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella have also been used to treat viral warts. They added that though warts can disappear “spontaneously”, a similar effect has been seen in some patients who received the HPV vaccine. Unlike the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine - which uses weakened viral material to trigger an immune response - mRNA vaccines such as Moderna and Pfizer use messenger RNA (mRNA) to trigger the response. The mRNAin the vaccine teaches your immune system how to make the S protein found in the COVID-19 virus, allowing your body to create antibodies specifically to fight the virus which can protect you from future infection. Image: Getty Images

Body

London’s National Gallery publishes historical slavery report

In a detailed research project, London’s National gallery has published a report on the role slavery has played in the 197-year history of the institution’s success. Focusing on the period between 1824 and 1880, 67 individuals were named with either direct, familial or more tangential connections to slavery. According to the <a href="https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/">National Gallery’s website</a>, the project was intended to “find out about what links to slave-ownership can be traced within the museum, and to what extent the profits from plantation slavery impacted our early history.” The research project began in 2018 under the title “Legacies of British Slave-Ownership”, when it was discovered that the first artworks to come into the gallery when it was founded in 1824 belonged to financier and philanthropist John Julius Angerstein. Researchers concluded that these 38 paintings brought into the gallery by John Julius Angerstein had “an unknown proportion of this was in slave ships and vessels bringing to Britain produce cultivated in the Caribbean by enslaved people. Angerstein acted as a trustee of estates and enslaved people in Grenada and Antigua.” The report also recognised the late 18th century portrait painter Thomas Gainsborough, who has several works in the museum’s collection: three portraits of which depicted people with ties to slavery. According to the museum, a second report is underway which will cover collectors, trustees and donors from 1880 to 1920. A spokesperson from the gallery acknowledged that its collection “has a particular, historically rooted character” but stressed they “have not, and will not remove any picture from display because of its association with slavery”. She added, “If anything, we want to engender discussion and understanding about these questions. A great deal of work had been undertaken by the curatorial team in this area, and the picture labels in the gallery mark clearly where paintings are associated with slavery.” Image credits: Getty Images

Art

New reports show lockdowns may push into 2022

As Australia's Covid crisis rages on, it's been reported that Scott Morrison and national cabinet leaders are preparing for targeted lockdowns which will run into next year. This has been backed up by the PM’s own refusal to rule out 2022 lockdowns, when he stated “No one can give those guarantees.” “The virus is unpredictable and it would be irresponsible to do so,” Morrison added. According to The Australian, the Doherty Institute has prepared scenarios to be presented to national cabinet today which show the outcomes of the different approaches including the vaccination rates we need for Australia to start opening up. The Treasury department will then work on the economic cost of different outcomes and they will use this data to formulate our future COVID-19 policies. This news comes as Greater Sydney's lockdown has been extended by another month with NSW recording its worst day since the pandemic began on Thursday with 239 new infections. Hard-hit hot spot zones say they have an “unfair deal” The mayors from Sydney's eight hot spot zones have taken to social media and other means to state they feel they’re not being treated fairly. Cumberland mayor Steve Christou joined in today telling the Today show, his community was getting an "unfair deal". "I'm just here trying to do the best and represent the interests of my community, who, at the moment, are getting an unfair deal," he told the program. "They don't deserve this," he added. Growing push to restrict the unvaccinated There's a growing push to make moves to restrict the movements of the unvaccinated when Australia opens up after the pandemic. Speaking to 3AW, NAB boss Ross McEwan said a bank survey had found 80 per cent of the population planned to get the jab, while 10 per cent were undecided and 10 per cent were against it. McEwan said those who got the jab should be rewarded: “Let’s target the 80 per cent who do want to get the job done and get the vaccination into their arms. Then work on the 10 per cent who can be swung across. Then let’s open this economy up because everybody’s had a chance," he said. “Let’s get 90 per cent of the population vaccinated and give them freedom. For those that don’t want the vaccination, well they can stay at home.” he said. There are also plans to ease travel restrictions on those who are vaccinated, including international travel and quarantine-at-home when arriving back from overseas trips. Other plans include restrictions on restaurants and cinemas for those who aren’t vaccinated. Image: Getty Images

Caring

Reporters’ book holds new insights on Trump

A new book penned by Washington Post reporters Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta has become a source of <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/29/trump-white-house-covid-taskforce-fauci" target="_blank">shocking revelations</a> about the Trump administration at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Titled <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/nightmare-scenario-yasmeen-abutalebdamian-paletta" target="_blank">Nightmare Scenario</a>: Inside the Trump Administration’s Response to the Pandemic that Changed History, the authors reported on Trump’s contempt for the COVID taskforce chaired by vice-president Mike Pence, which Trump took to referring as “that f****ing council that Mike has” as the pandemic worsened. The authors wrote that his derisive term for the taskforce was “a signal that he wished it would go away” and “didn’t want anyone to exert leadership”. “Many on the taskforce didn’t want the responsibility either, fearful of the consequences.” The book also revealed that Trump wanted to send Americans infected with the virus to Guantanamo Bay and that he hoped his former aide John Bolton would be “taken out” by COVID-19. The book also examined the influence of “outside consultants” on Trump that undermined the work of the president’s scientific advisors. This included unofficial advisor Stephen Moore, who the authors said acted as Trump’s “emissary [from] the conservative establishment” and “strode into the Oval Office to convince the president” to end shutdowns and kickstart the economy as cases continued to spiral and the death toll in the US passed 1,000 people. Moore is an economist who was nominated to the board of the Federal Reserve in 2019 by Trump, but withdrew after the Guardian and other outlets reported on controversies in his past. Moore told Abutaleb and Paletta that Trump’s promise to reopen the US economy by Easter 2020 was “the smart thing to do” because “the economic costs of this are mounting and there’s not a lot of evidence that lockdowns are working to stop the spread”. He has also been quoted attacking Dr Anthony Fauci, a former member of the COVID taskforce and the current chief medical advisor to Joe Biden. “Fauci is the villain here,” Moore said. “He has the Napoleon complex, and he thinks he is the dictator who could decide how to run the country.”

Books

Kyrgios to reporter: "Never ask me that ever again"

Nick Kyrgios has addressed the string of injuries caused by Wimbledon’s slippery courts while joking he’s not the best person to ask about “movement” on any surface. Kyrgios is the latest player to suffer a fall, after slipping during his winning match against Ugo Humbert on Thursday morning, following the restart of the match from the night before because of the All England Club’s 11pm curfew. Kyrgios was visibly in pain and cried out after the fall, but fears he wouldn’t be able to continue playing were dispelled when he got up and continued to play. His tumble came after the retirement of Adrian Mannarino and Serena Williams in the opening week of the grand slam after both players suffered injuries from their falls. Multiple players have spoken out about the much more slippery state of the courts this year in comparison to past tournaments. When asked about “movement” and how important it was for him to feel secure in his footing, Kyrgios commented that growing up on grass in Australia has helped but that footwork isn’t his biggest strength. “I’m a very interesting person to ask about movement,” Kyrgios said in his post-match press conference. “I definitely think being Australian growing up on the grass helps. I played a lot of grass courts when I was a junior … I developed my grass court game early,” he explained. “My instincts on grass are quite good … for me it kind of comes naturally.” He added: “To be honest, I have shocking footwork. Probably should never ask me that question again. That’s more like a Diego Schwartzman type thing I think, but I think for me it comes more naturally. “I’m not the most flexible bloke so any time my legs spread a little bit apart I’m like, ‘Ahh’. “Going down, it was pretty brutal. It hurt, my hip hurt. But I got back up and showed some resilience, coming with age.” When asked whether the state of the courts had become a talking point in Wimbledon’s locker room, Kyrgios said it’s unfortunate but comes with playing on that type of surface. “I don’t think the rain helps, especially outside courts when it gets slippery and a bit unpredictable,” he said. “It’s just sometimes what happens on the grass. I think the game’s evolved now where there’s so many rallies and players are so capable of making so many returns or that extra ball where the body’s actually not supposed to be in those positions and then people slip over and injuries happen.” The busy schedule most players follow doesn’t help either, Kyrgios said, with back to back matches across the French Open and Wimbledon. “I don’t know if there’s a solution but it just is what it is on the grass … the grass has got that unpredictable factor that there’s no guarantee any time you go out there that you could be injured.” Wimbledon have come out defending the condition of its courts following the incidents. “Each grass court is checked by the grand slam supervisors, Referee’s Office and Grounds team ahead of play commencing, and on both days of the fortnight they have been happy with the conditions and cleared the courts for play,” officials said. Image: Nick Kyrgios / Instagram

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Why is it so hard to cancel subscriptions or end ‘free’ trials? Report shows how companies trap you into paying

Today Show entertainment reporter's cause of death revealed

Astonishing report identifies Covid’s alleged “patient zero”

New classified report makes bold Covid-19 origin claim

Expectation vs reality: Reporters share inside look at what cruises are like now

Harry responds to reports of being barred from wearing military uniform

"Sad, old menacing coward:" Grace Tame reports childhood abuser to police

Qantas reports huge loss but even bigger revenue

“Keep doing you”: Kyrgios goes head to head with reporter

Reporter stops live broadcast to save drowning child

“Get in the basement!”: Weatherman calls son during live report

News crew reporting on hit-and-run films ANOTHER one as it happens

Reporter stands next to grenade live on air in Kyiv

63.5% of Australia’s performing artists reported worsening mental health during COVID

The 3 problems with fines for not reporting positive COVID tests

Woman reports bizarre side effect of Covid jab

London’s National Gallery publishes historical slavery report

New reports show lockdowns may push into 2022

Reporters’ book holds new insights on Trump

Kyrgios to reporter: "Never ask me that ever again"

News

Shop

Catalogues

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Entertainment

Property

Information

Keep up to date

Search

Why is it so hard to cancel subscriptions or end ‘free’ trials? Report shows how companies trap you into paying

Today Show entertainment reporter's cause of death revealed

Astonishing report identifies Covid’s alleged “patient zero”

New classified report makes bold Covid-19 origin claim

Expectation vs reality: Reporters share inside look at what cruises are like now

Harry responds to reports of being barred from wearing military uniform

"Sad, old menacing coward:" Grace Tame reports childhood abuser to police

Qantas reports huge loss but even bigger revenue

“Keep doing you”: Kyrgios goes head to head with reporter

Reporter stops live broadcast to save drowning child

“Get in the basement!”: Weatherman calls son during live report

News crew reporting on hit-and-run films ANOTHER one as it happens ﻿

Reporter stands next to grenade live on air in Kyiv

63.5% of Australia’s performing artists reported worsening mental health during COVID

The 3 problems with fines for not reporting positive COVID tests

Woman reports bizarre side effect of Covid jab

London’s National Gallery publishes historical slavery report

New reports show lockdowns may push into 2022

Reporters’ book holds new insights on Trump

Kyrgios to reporter: "Never ask me that ever again"

News crew reporting on hit-and-run films ANOTHER one as it happens