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Woman “bullied” on plane over budget seating trick

<p dir="ltr">A young woman has recalled a flight from hell when she was “bullied” by a couple who were trying to utilise a seating hack that went viral on TikTok. </p> <p dir="ltr">The solo traveller took to Reddit to recount the story and ask social media users if she was in the wrong for her action. </p> <p dir="ltr">The woman began by saying she usually pays more to select her plane seat ahead of time, but a medical emergency on another plane had her waiting on standby and left with no option other than to sit in a middle seat.</p> <p dir="ltr">When she was finally able to board, she was greeted by a couple who had purchased both the window and aisle seats in a bid to have more space, utilising a travel “trick” that has been popular on TikTok.</p> <p dir="ltr">The method, which has been dubbed the 'poor man's business class', usually leaves travellers with an empty middle seat and more space, and few travellers opt to pick a middle seat. </p> <p dir="ltr">“When I got to my row the man and woman were chatting and sharing a snack... it was obvious they were together. I mentioned to the man that I'm in the middle, and he got up to let me in,” the unsuspecting traveller wrote on Reddit.  </p> <p dir="ltr">“I asked them if they would prefer to sit together, I said I was totally okay with that. The woman reacted rudely to this and said ‘you're not supposed to be sitting here anyway’.”</p> <p dir="ltr">After noticing how the plane was full, she offered to show the pair her new ticket with the correct seat number on it.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She flicked her hand at my ticket and made a disgusted sound. I offered again if they wanted to sit together to which she didn't reply, her partner said it's okay and... made some small talk,” she continued. </p> <p dir="ltr">The man’s girlfriend then interrupted their conversation to ask,”'Did you use one of those third party websites to book your flight? It's so frustrating when people cheap out to inconvenience others.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The American woman explained that she had booked her flight directly and she had been placed on standby like everyone else and didn't choose the middle seat - she was assigned it.</p> <p dir="ltr">She then tried to keep the peace by refusing to engage with the furious woman.  </p> <p dir="ltr">“I was so done with her attitude, I put my headphones on and attempted to do my own thing,” she explained.</p> <p dir="ltr">But the “entitled” girlfriend wasn't letting it go, as the woman explained, “This woman kept reaching over me and tapping her partner and trying to talk to him in a way that was super intrusive.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“I could tell even her partner was trying to engage her less so that she would hopefully stop, but she didn't.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“I think they tried to pull that tactic where they don't sit together on purpose...hoping no one will sit between them. But on full flights it doesn't work. And even so - it's not the other person's fault.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The traveller's post was met with hundreds of comments slamming the girlfriend’s behaviour, as one person wrote, “It's like a toddler having a tantrum.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“She was disappointed and a total a**hole. Gross entitled people,” another added. </p> <p dir="ltr">Another person applauded the traveller’s level-headed behaviour, writing, “Wow! You are my hero for keeping it classy - I’m afraid I would not have been as kind as you.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p>

Travel Trouble

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I’ve been sick. When can I start exercising again?

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ken-nosaka-169021">Ken Nosaka</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/edith-cowan-university-720">Edith Cowan University</a></em></p> <p>You’ve had a cold or the flu and your symptoms have begun to subside. Your nose has stopped dripping, your cough is clearing and your head and muscles no longer ache.</p> <p>You’re ready to get off the couch. But is it too early to go for a run? Here’s what to consider when getting back to exercising after illness.</p> <h2>Exercise can boost your immune system – but not always</h2> <p>Exercise <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6523821/">reduces the chance</a> of getting respiratory infections by increasing your immune function and the ability to fight off viruses.</p> <p>However, an acute bout of endurance exercise may temporarily increase your susceptibility to upper respiratory infections, such as colds and the flu, via the short-term suppression of your immune system. This is known as the “open window” theory.</p> <p>A <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20839496/">study</a> from 2010 examined changes in trained cyclists’ immune systems up to eight hours after two-hour high-intensity cycling. It found important immune functions were suppressed, resulting in an increased rate of upper respiratory infections after the intense endurance exercise.</p> <p>So, we have to be more careful after performing harder exercises than normal.</p> <h2>Can you exercise when you’re sick?</h2> <p>This depends on the severity of your symptoms and the intensity of exercise.</p> <p>Mild to moderate exercise (reducing the intensity and length of workout) may be OK if your symptoms are a runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing and minor sore throat, without a fever.</p> <p>Exercise may help you feel better by opening your nasal passages and temporarily relieving nasal congestion.</p> <p>However, if you try to exercise at your normal intensity when you are sick, you risk injury or more serious illness. So it’s important to listen to your body.</p> <p>If your symptoms include chest congestion, a cough, upset stomach, fever, fatigue or widespread muscle aches, avoid exercising. Exercising when you have these symptoms may worsen the symptoms and prolong the recovery time.</p> <p>If you’ve had the flu or another respiratory illness that caused a high fever, make sure your temperature is back to normal before getting back to exercise. Exercising raises your body temperature, so if you already have a fever, your temperature will become high quicker, which makes you sicker.</p> <p>If you have COVID or other contagious illnesses, stay at home, rest and isolate yourself from others.</p> <p>When you’re sick and feel weak, don’t force yourself to exercise. Focus instead on getting plenty of rest. This may actually shorten the time it takes to recover and resume your normal workout routine.</p> <h2>I’ve been sick for a few weeks. What has happened to my strength and fitness?</h2> <p>You may think taking two weeks off from training is disastrous, and worry you’ll lose the gains you’ve made in your previous workouts. But it could be just what the body needs.</p> <p>It’s true that almost all training benefits are <a href="https://journals.lww.com/acsm-csmr/fulltext/2019/04000/sports_training_principles.2.aspx">reversible</a> to some degree. This means the physical fitness that you have built up over time can be lost without regular exercise.</p> <p>To study the effects of de-training on our body functions, researchers have undertaken “bed rest” studies, where healthy volunteers spend up to 70 days in bed. They <a href="https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.00415.2017">found</a> that V̇O₂max (the maximum amount of oxygen a person can use during maximal exercise, which is a measure of <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/7050-aerobic-exercise">aerobic</a> fitness) declines 0.3–0.4% a day. And the higher pre-bed-rest V̇O₂max levels, the <a href="https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.00415.2017">larger</a> the declines.</p> <p>In terms of skeletal muscles, upper thigh muscles <a href="https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00363.2020">become smaller by</a> 2% after five days of bed rest, 5% at 14 days, and 12% at 35 days of bed rest.</p> <p><a href="https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.00363.2020">Muscle strength declines more</a> than muscle mass: knee extensor muscle strength gets weaker by 8% at five days, 12% at 14 days and more than 20% after around 35 days of bed rest.</p> <p>This is why it feels harder to do the same exercises after resting for even five days.</p> <p>But in <a href="https://iaaspace.org/product/guidelines-for-standardization-of-bed-rest-studies-in-the-spaceflight-context/">bed rest studies</a>, physical activities are strictly limited, and even standing up from a bed is prohibited during the whole length of a study. When we’re sick in bed, we have some physical activities such as sitting on a bed, standing up and walking to the toilet. These activities could reduce the rate of decreases in our physical functions compared with study participants.</p> <h2>How to ease back into exercise</h2> <p>Start with a lower-intensity workout initially, such as going for a walk instead of a run. Your first workout back should be light so you don’t get out of breath. Go low (intensity) and go slow.</p> <p>Gradually increase the volume and intensity to the previous level. It may take the same number of days or weeks you rested to get back to where you were. If you were absent from an exercise routine for two weeks, for example, it may require two weeks for your fitness to return to the same level.</p> <p>If you feel exhausted after exercising, take an extra day off before working out again. A day or two off from exercising shouldn’t affect your performance very much.<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/233130/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ken-nosaka-169021">Ken Nosaka</a>, Professor of Exercise and Sports Science, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/edith-cowan-university-720">Edith Cowan University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/ive-been-sick-when-can-i-start-exercising-again-233130">original article</a>.</em></p>

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"My life has changed again": Succession star's heart-warming news

<p>Sarah Snook has announced the birth of her first child in an adorable Instagram post. </p> <p>The <em>Succession</em> star shared the news just hours after the highly-anticipated series finale, as she penned an emotional tribute to the show. </p> <p>The 35-year-old, who is best known for playing Shiv Roy on the Emmy-dominating series, reflected on the show drawing to a close, as she featured a surprise guest in her post.</p> <p>In it, she and her baby – her first with husband Dave Lawson – are seen sitting in front of the TV, ready to watch the final episode.</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/Cs0_4Zgv_0z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs0_4Zgv_0z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Sarah Snook (@sarah_snook)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“It’s hard to express what this show has meant to me. The places I got to go, the immense talent I got to work with … it breaks my heart that it is all over,” Snook wrote in the caption.</p> <p>“But my heart had to be this full of all the memories, good times, challenges and triumphs, to be able to break at all … so that makes me grateful. To have been blessed to join this crazy adventure of a show will be a career highlight, which will no doubt be hard to top."</p> <p>“The friendships, the scripts, the locations, the one-liners, the early mornings, the last-minute changes, all the highs and lows: I’m going to miss it all.” </p> <p>She added, “It’s the people I will miss most of all. I just watched the final episode of the final season of something that has changed my life. And now, my life has changed again. Thank you for all the love and support.”</p> <p>Snook first revealed her pregnancy in March, showing off her baby bump at the season four premiere of <em>Succession</em> New York. </p> <p>She told media on the red carpet she was 32 weeks pregnant, adding, “It’s exciting! I feel great.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram / Getty Images</em></p>

Family & Pets

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”Life begins again”: Neighbours actress shares incredible news

<p>Former Neighbours actress Katie Keltie, who played Michelle Scully on the beloved soap has announced she is now “cancer free”, just months after it was revealed she had stage four breast cancer.</p> <p>The star’s diagnosis was <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/health/caring/fight-of-her-life-neighbours-star-s-devastating-diagnosis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shared in November 2022 </a>when her friend Ebonie Gilbert created a GoFundMe page to help raise $25,000 to cover medical costs for the actress' “extremely aggressive” cancer.</p> <p>The page raised more than $37,000 for Keltie and has since been taken down.</p> <p>The last post on the fundraiser was an update posted by the actress, claiming she was “cancer free”.</p> <p>“I recently received results of my latest scan and was told that there had been a complete metabolic response to diseased areas,” she told the <em>Daily Mail</em>.</p> <p>“In other words, it seems I am cancer free.</p> <p>“The last six months have been the most challenging time I have ever experienced to say the least.</p> <p>“The diagnosis completely turned my world upside down and it’s something I hope to never go through again.</p> <p>“I couldn’t have done it without each and every one of you.</p> <p>“Your support played a huge part in my navigating this horrible time.</p> <p>“It will forever be something I remember and am truly grateful for.”</p> <p>In her message, the actress thanked the “amazing team” at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne as well as her “beautiful family and friends”.</p> <p>“The nature of my cancer, having travelled through the blood stream, means that I will receive monthly infusions indefinitely, with no side effects,” she said.</p> <p>“Surgery is also off the table at this point.</p> <p>“Life begins again.”</p> <p>Speaking to the <em>Daily Mail</em>, the actress’ uncle Michael Keltie said, “When she went back with her mother and father, the doctor said, ‘It’s gone – it’s completely gone’.”</p> <p>“They didn’t know what they were hearing when they were told.</p> <p>“They said, ‘What do you mean, it’s gone?’ He said, ‘It’s completely gone’.</p> <p>“So that is a really positive story what happened with Kate.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty/GoFundMe</em></p>

Caring

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"Becoming. Wolverine. Again": Hugh Jackman reveals insane new diet

<p> <span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;"> Hugh Jackman has shared his intense meal plan to prepare for his comeback as action hero Wolverine</span><em style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">.</em></p> <p>The Aussie star, 54, is preparing to reprise the infamous role in <em>Deadpool 3</em>, a surprising revival after he was thought to have retired the character in the 2017 film Logan.</p> <p>With filming on the Marvel sequel, starring US actor Ryan Reynolds, which is due to kick off in the coming months, Jackman has revealed how he’s bulking up muscle with an 8,600-calorie daily diet.</p> <p>Jackman took to Instagram to show his followers his pre-prepped meals, with included a 2,000-calorie black bass dish, a 2,100-calorie salmon dish and a 1,800-calorie chicken burger.</p> <p>“Bulking. A day in the life. Thank you Chef Mario for helping me stay healthy and properly fed whilst … Becoming. Wolverine. Again,” Jackman captioned his post.</p> <p>Jackman has been keeping fans in the loop with his progress ahead of production, and last month he sent his fans into a frenzy when he posted a shredded photo from one of his many gym sessions.</p> <p>The beloved actor showed off his insanely jacked arms, also using the snap as an opportunity to have a dig at his long-time fake nemesis, Ryan Reynolds. “He’s only 46. I’m older. But it’s not a competition,” he said.</p> <p> </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/CofcbJUuBle/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CofcbJUuBle/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Hugh Jackman (@thehughjackman)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>It comes after Jackman told CNN that his entire focus for the next six months, beginning in January 2023, would be getting into shape to play Wolverine again after finishing his stint in <em>The Music Man on Broadway</em>.</p> <p>“I’m not doing any other work. I’m going to be with my family and train. That’s going to be my job for six months,” Jackman said.</p> <p>“And I’m really fit right now. There’s one thing that about eight shows a week being on Broadway singing and dancing, is I’m fit. So, I’m healthy. I have a good place to start.”</p> <p>Jackman and Reynolds sent their fans wild when they revealed Jackman would be making a comeback for the character that he first took on 22 years ago.</p> <p>Reynolds spoke about brainstorming ideas for the highly anticipated third instalment of the <em>Deadpool </em>franchise on his Twitter in September 2022.</p> <p>“I’ve had to really search my soul for this one. We need to stay true to the character. Find new depth and motivation and meaning. Every Deadpool needs to stand out and stand apart,” Reynolds began.</p> <p>“It’s been an incredible challenge that’s forced me to reach down and reach inside and I have nothing. Yeah, just completely empty up here, and terrifying. But we did have one idea.”</p> <p>At that point in the video, Reynolds paused while Jackman can be seen casually walking in the background.</p> <p>Reynolds asked, “Hey, Hugh, do you want to play Wolverine one more time?”</p> <p><em>Deadpool 3</em> is due for release in November 2024.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Instagram</em></p>

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Princess Mary once again showcases her impeccable style

<p>Princess Mary sparkled upon returning to Denmark to welcome in 2023, at the annual New Year's Banquet hosted by Queen Margrethe at Christian VII's Palace in Amalienborg.</p> <p>The Australian-born Princess was joined by her husband Crown Prince Frederik at the ball, which is reserved for the government officials, top civil servants and the Danish royal family.</p> <p>She was pictured arriving at the palace on Sunday evening, wearing a show-stopping glittery pastel blue gown by Danish designer Lasse Spangenberg.</p> <p>Pairing it with her Knight of the Order of the Elephant chain - Denmark's oldest and most distinguished royal order of chivalry.</p> <p>The Danish princess also wore a diamond and ruby encrusted tiara, with her hair styled in an elegant up-do.</p> <p>The sighting comes days after Mary was spotted waving to fans as she departed Hobart on a private jet, wrapping up her festive trip Down Under for Christmas.</p> <p>It’s the first time the Danish royal couple and their children Prince Christian, 17, Princess Isabella, 15, and twins Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, 11 have returned to Australia in five years.</p> <p>Their trip follows months of intense media scrutiny for the Danish royal family following a row over titles.</p> <p>In September Queen Margrethe announced she was stripping the titles of her youngest son Prince Joachim’s four children which allegedly led to a feud between Prince Frederik and his younger brother.</p> <p>However, last week the royal family released a new portrait of Queen Margrethe showing both of her sons together standing with their wives.</p> <p>The photograph was undated and is believed to have been taken during Queen Margrethe’s Golden Jubilee celebrations in September.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Am I ever gonna see your face again? Nuanced and thoughtful, Kickin’ Down the Door puts The Angels back in the spotlight

<p>When I was a kid, my dad Max took me to basketball games at Melbourne’s Entertainment Centre. I’d wait in my plastic bucket chair as the cheerleaders shook their pom poms and the teams did lay ups. The music was loud, and around the time everyone had found their seats, one song would often come on. </p> <p>It opened with a wailing, single note guitar, followed by a chunky, palm muted riff, driving along until bursting into the chorus when the vocals would demand “Am I ever gonna see your face again?” And as I licked my lemonade icy pole I’d delight as the whole stadium would <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/australia-culture-blog/2014/apr/15/australian-anthems-the-angels-am-i-ever-gonna-see-your-face-again">chant back</a> “No way, get fucked, fuck off.”</p> <p>I had no idea the band was called The Angels. I didn’t know they were supposed to be the next AC/DC but didn’t quite “make it”. The intense relationships at their core were lost on me. I was just delighted by how wild it felt, this song the audience owned, breaking rules, answering back. </p> <p>A new documentary, Kickin’ Down the Door chronicles Australian band The Angels across four decades, from suburban Adelaide to the gloss of <a href="https://themusic.com.au/news/iconic-alberts-music-studios-to-be-torn-down-to-make-way-for-luxury-apartments/wSnS1dTX1tk/08-10-15">Albert Studios</a>and beyond.</p> <p>The classic Oz rock vibe is omnipresent: dudes, riffs, volume. </p> <p>But this story’s star quality is how hard it works to showcase the band from both front of house and backstage, offering something far more nuanced than the well-thumbed tale of these national music icons.</p> <h2>Finding intensity</h2> <p>The documentary centres on the songwriting team of the Brewster brothers, vocalist Bernard “Doc” Neeson, and a revolving cast of drummers, bass players and producers. </p> <p>The themes are what you might like in a documentary about Australian rock ‘n’ roll: journeys to adulthood, mateship, resistance, lashings of hope, dollops of luck. Interviews from the band and their nearest and dearest sidle up against archival footage with cute animations bridging scenes. </p> <p>There’s the ubiquitous drop-in from a couple of international names to provide cred – thankfully a Bono-free endeavour. There’s a slither of pre-hat Molly Meldrum. The eye candy of 70s and 80s Aussie life abounds.</p> <p>The songs are central to Kickin’ Down the Door, but rock ‘n’ roll has always been about theatre, and front man Doc Neeson’s lead in creating an unsettling intensity at live shows lifted The Angels beyond the meat and potatoes of standard Oz rock.</p> <p>In one scene, the lighting guy talks about how Doc used silence and darkness as a tool of intensity – the antithesis of rock show bombast.</p> <h2>A complex portrait</h2> <p>Like The Angels did with rock ‘n’ roll, Kickin’ Down the Door offers a key change in the way it positions the people behind the scenes. Director Madeleine Parry has brought together a complex web of relationships pivoting on creative jubilation, obligation, devotion and estrangement.</p> <p>At an early gig, the Brewsters’ mother is recalled as dancing on a table in a “sea of blokes”. These were her boys, who could do no wrong.</p> <p>Mothers, girlfriends, wives and children are elevated close to the story’s centre, anchored within the nostalgic rhythm of white suburban Australian life to contrast with the band’s sprint – then marathon – to rock ‘n’ roll stardom. Beyond the band bubble, everyone’s sacrifice is apparent.</p> <p>“We all supplied the stability while they chased the dream,” says Neeson’s then partner. </p> <p>In bringing women to the front, Parry frames the main players as multi-dimensional, emotional and expressive. The intensity of volume, riffage and flamboyance sits in dialogue with each band members’ reflections to present the way that “performance” seamlessly slides across gender and genre.</p> <p>This deep thoughtfulness shines through the dizzying foray of complex legal and financial arrangements bands can be thrown into, setting them up with lifelong debt. </p> <p>This is the persistent myth of “luck” in rock ‘n’ roll. This myth grinds against the power imbalance inherent in an incredibly competitive, brutal and sometimes hedonistic global business culture. For decades, rock ‘n’ roll has relied on the exploitation of artists who sacrifice family, health, economic security and friendships to have sustainable careers.</p> <p>This documentary skilfully weaves the devastation that comes when these pressures evaporate years of work for bands and their teams. </p> <p>It isn’t so much a story about the big bad music industry swallowing up another Australian wanna be. Rather, it is a well-crafted assemblage of the pervasive way rock ‘n’ roll’s mystique works behind the scenes, prioritising profits over health and wellbeing, and the sustainability of artists and their families.</p> <h2>The sonic legacy</h2> <p>Undoubtedly the biggest names now in Australian guitar driven music – Amyl and the Sniffers, Courtney Barnett, King Gizzard &amp; the Lizard Wizard, Tame Impala – are part of the sonic legacy of bands like The Angels. </p> <p>But they also show a marked shift in how they do business when courting international markets, maintaining elements of independence and control that The Angels had no blueprint for.</p> <p>This current crop of bands also show we are on the road to far better gender representation of what contemporary rock music looks and sounds like. And in other genres, artists like Baker Boy, Genesis Owusu, Barkaa and Jaguar Jonze continue to contest and take ownership of “the sound” of Australian music. </p> <p>Incidentally, I never went on to play basketball. I picked up an electric guitar instead.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/am-i-ever-gonna-see-your-face-again-nuanced-and-thoughtful-kickin-down-the-door-puts-the-angels-back-in-the-spotlight-194057" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</em></p>

Music

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Why do I sprain my ankle so often and how can I cut the risk of it happening again?

<p>Are you one of those people who seems to be forever spraining their ankle?</p> <p>To some extent, ankle sprains are <a href="https://meridian.allenpress.com/jat/article/54/6/603/420863/Epidemiology-of-Ankle-Sprains-and-Chronic-Ankle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">part and parcel</a> of being active.</p> <p>But if it’s happening again and again, here’s what may be going on – and how you can reduce your risk of recurrent ankle sprain.</p> <h2>One sprain can lead to another… and another</h2> <p>A large <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-013-0102-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">review</a> of ankle sprain studies in the journal <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-013-0102-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sports Medicine</a> found most people who actively play sport or train can expect to have a fairly low incidence of ankle sprain per 1,000 hours of training time. But it also said:</p> <blockquote> <p>Females were at a higher risk of sustaining an ankle sprain compared with males and children compared with adolescents and adults, with indoor and court sports the highest risk activity.</p> </blockquote> <p>The most frequent type of ankle sprain occurs if the ligaments on the outside of the ankle are stretched or torn when the joint moves beyond the normal range of movement. This is known as an inversion or lateral ankle sprain.</p> <p>Strong evidence from <a href="https://meridian.allenpress.com/jat/article/56/6/578/466668/Lateral-Ankle-Sprain-and-Subsequent-Ankle-Sprain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">studies</a> suggests once people sprain their ankle, they are more likely to re-sprain it. As one <a href="https://meridian.allenpress.com/jat/article/56/6/578/466668/Lateral-Ankle-Sprain-and-Subsequent-Ankle-Sprain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">review</a> of the evidence put it:</p> <blockquote> <p>a history of lateral ankle sprain is known to disrupt the structural integrity of the ligaments and sensorimotor function, likely impairing an individual’s ability to avoid injurious situations.</p> </blockquote> <p>Some ankle sprains might seem to be very minor, with almost no swelling or mobility problems. But some people can end up with what’s known as chronic ankle instability, where they tend to re-sprain their ankle again and again.</p> <p>Another <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-017-0781-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">review</a> looking at factors contributing to chronic ankle instability found</p> <blockquote> <p>feelings of instability and recurrent ankle sprain injuries (termed chronic ankle instability, or CAI) have been reported in up to 70% of patients. The subsequent development of CAI has adverse health consequences including reduced quality of life and early-onset osteoarthritis.</p> </blockquote> <p>Once an ankle fracture is excluded, busy hospital emergency departments often send patients home with instructions to ice the ankle and keep off it for a day or two. There’s often no advice to follow up with a physio for rehabilitation.</p> <p>This is unfortunate, as evidence suggests people with a history of ankle sprains will likely:</p> <ul> <li> <p>become progressively <a href="https://meridian.allenpress.com/jat/article/50/7/742/112426/Physical-Activity-Levels-in-College-Students-With" target="_blank" rel="noopener">less active</a></p> </li> <li> <p>have <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/50/24/1496.long" target="_blank" rel="noopener">higher</a> body mass indices</p> </li> <li> <p>report more general body <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/50/24/1496.long" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pain</a> and</p> </li> <li> <p>generally tend to have a lower <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/50/24/1496.long" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quality of life</a>.</p> </li> </ul> <h2>Even the other ankle may be at risk</h2> <p>Research suggests people who sprain their ankle may be more likely to have <a href="https://meridian.allenpress.com/jat/article/56/6/578/466668/Lateral-Ankle-Sprain-and-Subsequent-Ankle-Sprain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">injuries</a> to other joints on the same leg, or even the opposite leg. A review in the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4196323/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">International Journal of Sports Physiotherapy</a> noted “an ankle sprain is linked to both re-injury and subsequent injury to the contralateral side”.</p> <p>Why? It may have something to do with the brain’s tremendous ability to continually adapt.</p> <p>Just as <a href="http://www.ajnr.org/content/36/11/2048" target="_blank" rel="noopener">extended bed rest</a> or prolonged microgravity exposure in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68201-3_3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">astronauts</a> can cause changes in the brain and the way it relates to movement, perhaps our brains subconsciously compensate after an ankle injury.</p> <p>That could be by, for example, via limping or a slight change in the way you walk; perhaps you subconsciously don’t want to challenge the ankle due to fear of re-spraining. This may put other joints or the opposite limb at heightened risk.</p> <p>This neuroplasticity adds new challenges to the assessment or rehabilitation of ankle injury, and to predicting who is likely to be at increased <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00913847.2020.1780098?journalCode=ipsm20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">risk of subsequent injuries</a>.</p> <h2>What can you do to reduce the risk of re-spraining your ankle?</h2> <p>If you’re getting recurrent ankle sprains, see a physiotherapist. They will be able to teach you how to reduce the risk.</p> <p>Currently the best evidence for reducing the chances of re-spraining your ankle sprain comes down to two main things:</p> <p>1) Protecting the joint with an ankle brace when active</p> <p>This could mean using a <a href="https://meridian.allenpress.com/jat/article/54/6/650/420871/Prevention-of-Lateral-Ankle-Sprains" target="_blank" rel="noopener">professionally fitted external support brace</a> (not an elastic sleeve). This is a relatively low cost and effective means of risk reduction.</p> <p>2) Using balancing exercises and ‘proprioceptive training’</p> <p>Examples of <a href="https://meridian.allenpress.com/jat/article/52/11/1065/112804/Proprioceptive-Training-for-the-Prevention-of" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proprioceptive training</a> include:</p> <ul> <li> <p>balancing on each leg, one at a time, while throwing and catching a ball against a wall</p> </li> <li> <p>balancing on an ankle disc or wobble board for three to five minutes daily.</p> </li> </ul> <p>These exercises can help strengthen the muscles and ligaments in your ankle. As one literature review put it:</p> <p>Proprioceptive training is a cost- and time-effective intervention that can benefit patients who have sustained a previous ankle sprain during physical activity and can subsequently reduce the risk of further complications.</p> <p><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-i-sprain-my-ankle-so-often-and-how-can-i-cut-the-risk-of-it-happening-again-190751" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</strong></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Body

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Why do I remember embarrassing things I’ve said or done in the past and feel ashamed all over again?

<p>We’ve all done it – you’re walking around going about your business and suddenly you’re thinking about that time in high school you said something really stupid you would never say now.</p> <p>Or that time a few years ago when you made a social gaffe.</p> <p>You cringe and just want to die of shame.</p> <p>Why do these negative memories seem to just pop into our heads? And why do we feel so embarrassed still, when the occasion is long past?</p> <p><strong>How do memories come into our awareness?</strong></p> <p>The current thinking is there are two ways in which we recall experiences from our past. One way is purposeful and voluntary. For example, if you try to remember what you did at work yesterday, or what you had for lunch last Saturday. This involves a deliberate and effortful process during which we search for the memory in our minds.</p> <p>The second way is <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0963721410370301" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unintended and spontaneous</a>. These are memories that just seem to “pop” into our minds and can even be unwanted or intrusive. So, where does this second type of memory come from?</p> <p>Part of the answer lays in how memories are connected to each other. The current understanding is our past experiences are represented in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364661318300652?casa_token=SSFCzEsOjMkAAAAA:dYMJ2aVZpSCs9JCD9-iXsTMMnkyqnNtlcOoxA3lLzs8sNRrA8SXqb5LYamz25ZcMrsYxLoftp3A" target="_blank" rel="noopener">connected networks of cells</a> that reside in our brain, called neurons.</p> <p>These neurons grow physical connections with each other through the overlapping information in these representations. For example, memories might share a type of context (different beaches you’ve been to, restaurants you’ve eaten at), occur at similar periods of life (childhood, high school years), or have emotional and thematic overlap (times we have loved or argued with others).</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493440/original/file-20221104-13-ha3lz8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493440/original/file-20221104-13-ha3lz8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493440/original/file-20221104-13-ha3lz8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=401&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493440/original/file-20221104-13-ha3lz8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=401&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493440/original/file-20221104-13-ha3lz8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=401&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493440/original/file-20221104-13-ha3lz8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493440/original/file-20221104-13-ha3lz8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493440/original/file-20221104-13-ha3lz8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="A bakery window" /></a><figcaption><em><span class="caption">Memories can be triggered by internal stimuli (thoughts, feelings) or external stimuli (something we see, hear, smell).</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Yeh Xintong/Unsplash</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CC BY</a></span></em></figcaption></figure> <p>An initial activation of a memory could be triggered by an external stimuli from the environment (sights, sounds, tastes, smells) or internal stimuli (thoughts, feelings, physical sensations). Once neurons containing these memories are activated, associated memories are then <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13423-020-01792-x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more likely to be recalled into conscious awareness</a>.</p> <p>An example might be walking past a bakery, smelling fresh bread, and having a spontaneous thought of last weekend when you cooked a meal for a friend. This might then lead to a memory of when toast was burned and there was smoke in the house. Not all activation will lead to a conscious memory, and at times the associations between memories might not be entirely clear to us.</p> <p><strong>Why do memories make us feel?</strong></p> <p>When memories come to mind, we often experience <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/(SICI)1099-0720(199610)10:5%3C435::AID-ACP408%3E3.0.CO;2-L" target="_blank" rel="noopener">emotional responses to them</a>. In fact, involuntary memories tend to be <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rstb.2019.0693" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more negative than voluntary memories</a>. Negative memories also tend to have a <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1037/1089-2680.5.4.323" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stronger emotional tone</a> than positive memories.</p> <p>Humans are more motivated to avoid bad outcomes, bad situations, and bad definitions of ourselves than to seek out good ones. This is likely due to the pressing need for survival in the world: physically, mentally, and socially.</p> <p>So involuntary memories can make us feel acutely sad, anxious, and even ashamed of ourselves. For example, a memory involving embarrassment or shame might indicate to us we have done something others might find to be distasteful or negative, or in some way we have violated social norms.</p> <p>These emotions are important for us to feel, and we learn from our memories and these emotional responses to manage future situations differently.</p> <p><strong>Does this happen to some people more than others?</strong></p> <p>This is all well and good, and mostly we’re able to remember our past and experience the emotions without too much distress. But it may happen for some people more than others, and with stronger emotions attached.</p> <p>One clue as to why comes from research on <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2023-06108-001" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mood-congruent memory</a>. This is the tendency to be more likely to recall memories which are consistent with our <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/(SICI)1099-0720(199610)10:5%3C435::AID-ACP408%3E3.0.CO;2-L" target="_blank" rel="noopener">current mood</a>.</p> <figure class="align-right zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493442/original/file-20221104-13-e9jr5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493442/original/file-20221104-13-e9jr5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/493442/original/file-20221104-13-e9jr5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=900&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493442/original/file-20221104-13-e9jr5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=900&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493442/original/file-20221104-13-e9jr5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=900&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493442/original/file-20221104-13-e9jr5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1131&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493442/original/file-20221104-13-e9jr5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1131&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/493442/original/file-20221104-13-e9jr5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1131&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="Man at desk thinking" /></a><figcaption><em><span class="caption">Ruminating is often unhelpful.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">pexels/olia danilevich</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CC BY</a></span></em></figcaption></figure> <p>So, if you’re feeling sad, well, you’re more likely to recall memories related to disappointments, loss or shame. Feeling anxious or bad about yourself? You’re more likely to recall times when you felt scared or unsure.</p> <p>In some mental health disorders, such as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272735817303914?casa_token=k0OOX1ybROYAAAAA:UXy5KQk-_8h37dwSCDJqkoFebDn3b5atTodeeF0eYGeHjgtimUUcznPX9_Sxmq-5QsYx5gcUFQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">major depression</a>, people more often recall memories that evoke negative feelings, the negative feelings are relatively stronger, and these feelings of shame or sadness are perceived as facts about themselves. That is, feelings become facts.</p> <p>Another thing that is more likely in some mental health disorders is <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0005796720300243?casa_token=eaQkokETnM8AAAAA:WjFF1oStuF9VUm7KWdP1zwd7CluYm9M5YZKTotYEV8v0ijZDJ2eDSLdv_Di6kICGw7h59kmW4y4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rumination</a>. When we ruminate, we repetitively think about negative past experiences and how we feel or felt about them.</p> <p>On the surface, the function of rumination is to try and “work out” what happened and learn something or problem-solve so these experiences do not happen again. While this is good idea in theory, when we ruminate we become stuck in the past and re-experience negative emotions <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0005796720300243?casa_token=eaQkokETnM8AAAAA:WjFF1oStuF9VUm7KWdP1zwd7CluYm9M5YZKTotYEV8v0ijZDJ2eDSLdv_Di6kICGw7h59kmW4y4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">without much benefit</a>.</p> <p>Not only that, but it means those memories in our neural networks become more strongly connected with other information, and are even more likely to then be <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1800006115" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recalled involuntarily</a>.</p> <p><strong>Can we stop the negative feelings?</strong></p> <p>The good news is memories are very adaptable. When we recall a memory we can elaborate on it and change our thoughts, feelings, and appraisals of past experiences.</p> <p>In a process referred to as “<a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2018-24701-001" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reconsolidation</a>”, changes can be made so the next time that memory is recalled it is different to what it once was and has a changed emotional tone.</p> <p>For example, we might remember a time when we felt anxious about a test or a job interview that didn’t go so well and feel sad or ashamed. Reflecting, elaborating and reframing that memory might involve remembering some aspects of it that did go well, integrating it with the idea that you stepped up to a challenge even though it was hard, and reminding yourself it’s okay to feel anxious or disappointed about difficult things and it does not make us a failure or a bad person.</p> <p>Through this process of rewriting experiences in a way that is reasonable and self-compassionate, their prominence in our life and self-concept can be reduced, and <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13607863.2011.651434" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our well-being can improve</a>.</p> <p>As for rumination, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272735813001207?casa_token=arG_36s8na4AAAAA:Wrlcppj451P7mZlxg44UyooaM25GpoEwTFtx5gfHFc-k2M2cWCXXO75JYC9P7DnMKF7vw7SlcA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one evidenced-based strategy</a> is to recognise when it is happening and try to shift attention onto something absorbing and sensorial (for example doing something with your hands or focusing on sights or sounds). This attention shifting can short circuit rumination and get you doing something more valued.</p> <p>Overall, remember that even though our brain will give us little reminders of our experiences, we don’t have to be stuck in the past.<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/190535/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em>Writen by David John Hallford. Republished with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-i-remember-embarrassing-things-ive-said-or-done-in-the-past-and-feel-ashamed-all-over-again-190535" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Mind

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5 signs you're ready to start dating again

<p>Dealing with a breakup or a loss of a loved one is tough and takes time. It might not seem likely but at some point you may feel like getting back in the “game”. It can be hard to figure out exactly when you are ready to pursue another romantic relationship though. For many people, the thought of dating can be daunting if you’ve been out of the dating world for a long time. But remember there’s a big bright world out there with many wonderful people ready to make your acquaintance. Here are some signs that you might be ready to meet somebody new.</p> <p><strong>You have let go</strong></p> <p>This is the hardest thing to do but once you have truly let go then you are ready to start dating again. Whether you are widowed or divorced, you need to let yourself grieve. There is no time limit and it can be a painful process but there will come a day where you feel like you’re ready to make new memories. This may mean you no longer feel betrayed, hurt or angry. It might mean you know your loved one is gone so now you can look to the future. If you are still thinking of the past, you won’t be ready to give a new relationship a proper go. Think of what the future and the dating world will open up for you. </p> <p><strong>You are at peace alone</strong></p> <p>Are you independent and happy to be alone? Sometimes after a breakup we become dependent on others to fill our time or our sense-of-self has been lost in being a couple for such a long time. Being at peace with yourself is about having a life that it not only yours but one you are satisfied with. After all, how can you be a partner to someone if you aren’t content with your life? It may seem strange but once you are comfortable with being alone, you are ready to meet somebody new. Remember you want to start dating, you don’t need too!</p> <p><strong>You know what you want</strong></p> <p>You don’t have to have everything figured out but it’s important you have an idea of want you want out of life moving forward. This can help you determine what you want (and don’t want) out of a new relationship. When you know what you want in life, the future and a companion, you’ll be able to see much clearer when you’ve found the person for you!</p> <p><strong>You are doing it for the right reasons  </strong></p> <p>The only reason you should begin dating again is if you are genuinely looking to meet someone new. You need to be honest with yourself – if you are looking to fill the void, a confidence boost, make somebody jealous, replace an old partner or afraid to be alone – you aren’t ready to start dating. Dating for the wrong reasons usually ends in disappointment and hurt.</p> <p><strong>Your friends and families tell you</strong></p> <p>After a painful loss or break-up, it’s common to get comfortable in a routine. You might think “that’s it” or it’s “too hard” even when family and friends are telling you to get back out there. It’s not the easiest thing to hear and you might think you know best, but sometimes your loved ones can see things you can’t. If your family and friends (who know you best) think you might be ready to start dating again, it might be the gentle push you need to go out and mingle! </p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Relationships

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Brad Pitt has a list of actors he’ll never work with again

<p dir="ltr">The people you work with have the power to make going to work heavenly or hellish, so it should come as no surprise that Brad Pitt - whose career in acting and producing spans 35 years - would be selective about who he works with.</p> <p dir="ltr">In fact, <em>Bullet Train</em> co-star Aaron Taylor-Johnson has revealed that Pitt has a “long” list of actors he never wants to work with again.</p> <p dir="ltr">Taylor-Johnson told <em>Variety</em> that Pitt keeps notes on who he likes and dislikes when he’s making films.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He just wants to bring light and joy into the world and be around people who are there to have a good time,” the 32-year-old explained.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You work with many actors and after a while you start making notes - ‘I am definitely not working with this person ever again’.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Brad has this list too: the ‘good’ list and the ‘s**t’ list.”</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-0b58473c-7fff-a28a-53f3-7b4800d2810c"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">But, Taylor-Johnson was tight-lipped as to who was on Pitt’s “s**t list”.</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/CgPY8Eyr9kZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CgPY8Eyr9kZ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Aaron Taylor-Johnson (@aarontaylorjohnson)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">It comes after the <em>Fight Club</em> star recently revealed he would be winding down his acting career to the dismay of her millions of fans.</p> <p dir="ltr">Pitt told a popular men’s magazine that he was on the “last leg” of his career and that he chooses his new projects very carefully.</p> <p dir="ltr">Taylor-Johnson said his 58-year-old costar “is in a new chapter of his life”, describing him as “a humble and gracious human being”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Quentin Tarantino, who worked with Pitt on <em>Once Upon A Time In Hollywood</em>, said that when Pitt does retire, Hollywood will lose “one of the last remaining big-screen movie stars”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s just a different breed of man,” Tarantino said.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-c7a240c0-7fff-ce3d-7ca0-1b30139672c6"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“And frankly, I don’t think you can describe exactly what that is because it’s like describing starshine.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Movies

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“My name is Tom Hanks!”: The A-list photo bomber strikes again

<p dir="ltr">Photobomber Tom Hanks has struck again and has prompted a bride-to-be to cry tears of joy.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 65-year-old actor posed alongside bride Grace Gwaltney for some photos while she was having her pre-ceremony photo shoot with her two bridesmaids outside their hotel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.</p> <p dir="ltr">According to the newlywed, she was leaving the hotel when Hanks approached her and asked if he could take a photo with her. Grace said she was amazed to see him, and admitted that the bridal party “all started screaming” when they realised who he was.</p> <p dir="ltr">“So we were all walking from the hotel to the limo, and out of nowhere, he pops up and just says, ‘My name is Tom Hanks! Can I take a photo with the bride?” she told the <em><a href="https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/movies/2022/03/21/tom-hanks-movie-a-man-called-otto-ambridge-pittsburgh-wedding-bridal-party/stories/202203210021" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pittsburgh Post-Gazette</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Grace also confirmed that the <em>Forrest Gump</em> actor was “just as wonderful and charming” as you’d expect, and said that even his wife, actress Rita Wilson, got in on the photos. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We all started screaming and were pretty much in shock … He was just as wonderful and charming as you’d assume,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“His wife, Rita [Wilson], was there and got in some photos, too.”</p> <p dir="ltr">According to photographer Rachel Rowland, who was the one behind the camera on the day, even Hanks’ celebrity status didn’t steal the spotlight from Grace and her husband, Luke.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-85d3c86e-7fff-ea03-7909-6783173611ca"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“I’d like to say a photo bomb from Tom Hanks was the best part of yesterday but honestly I’d be lying. (No offence to the GOAT),” she wrote in the Instagram post where she shared the photos.</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/CbU9os_rjPa/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CbU9os_rjPa/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Rachel Rowland (@rachelrowland)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“Yesterday was filled with joy, and laughter and fun and love and family and hugs and I just can’t get enough of Grace and Luke.”</p> <p dir="ltr">This isn’t the first time the A-list celebrity has photo bombed someone’s wedding photos, after he crashed the wedding of two brides on a Santa Monica beach.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-05d286ac-7fff-059b-c230-4d2fa3d522d7"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: @rachelrowland (Instagram)</em></p>

Relationships

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"Bionic Nanna" can see again in a UK-first

<p dir="ltr">An 88-year-old woman has had her vision partially restored in the UK’s first-ever bionic eye transplant.</p> <p dir="ltr">The UK mother-of-seven has been nicknamed “bionic Nana” by her eight grandchildren after she was the first patient to receive a tiny microchip implanted into her pupil.</p> <p dir="ltr">After suffering from geographic atrophy, a common form of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) that causes a blind spot to develop in the middle of the eye, she has received the implant through a Europe-wide clinical trial.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/02/IMG_9970.jpg" alt="" width="501" height="334" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (YouTube)</em></p> <p dir="ltr">The tiny microchip is connected to a computer via a pair of glasses containing a video camera. The computer tells the glasses to focus on particular parts of her surroundings, and an image of it is then projected onto the microchip and converted into an electrical signal that can be processed by her brain.</p> <p dir="ltr">Prior to the implant, she said the condition prevented her from doing many of the things she loved.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Losing the sight in my left eye through dry AMD has stopped me from doing the things I love, like gardening, playing indoor bowls and painting with watercolours,” she said in a <a href="https://www.moorfields.nhs.uk/news/revolutionary-bionic-chip-inserted-moorfields-patient-s-blind-eye" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> from Moorfield Eye Hospital.</p> <p dir="ltr">Though the transplant was a resounding success, the woman will still need to undergo a year of testing and check-ups to ensure no issues arise.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I am thrilled to be the first to have this implant, excited at the prospect of enjoying my hobbies again and I truly hope that many others will benefit from this too,” she said.</p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Id-sdUgQsBc" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (YouTube)</em></p>

Caring

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As pet owners suffer rental insecurity, perhaps landlords should think again

<p>Pet owners grapple with rental insecurity, new research shows. Despite the popularity of pet ownership across countries such as <a href="http://animalmedicinesaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Pet-Ownership-in-Australia-2013-Summary-ONLINE-VER.pdf">Australia</a> (where 63% of households include a pet), the <a href="http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/pet_overpopulation/facts/pet_ownership_statistics.html">United States</a> (62%) and <a href="http://www.pfma.org.uk/pet-population-2014">United Kingdom</a> (46%), rental policy rarely recognises pets as important members of households. Instead, landlords and property agents typically restrict the right to keep pets.</p><p>Reports from animal welfare organisations suggest these policies <a href="http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/home/push-to-make-landlords-respect-renters-right-to-keep-pets/news-story/f6c24acd2c716a20d308fb5dfed5fa3d">make it difficult</a> for pet owners to find rental housing. There is also evidence of connections between rental insecurity and <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/home-property/81572944/No-pets-allowed-Rental-restrictions-see-pets-abandoned-and-families-divided">poor animal welfare outcomes</a>. </p><p>Research shows that insecure housing, including difficulties finding pet-friendly rental properties, is a <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/S15327604JAWS0601_04">key factor driving people to relinquish their pets</a>.</p><h2>The ‘no pets’ clause</h2><p><a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02673037.2016.1210095">My research</a> shows that pet ownership can trigger feelings of housing insecurity for renter households. The research involved an open survey with 679 households that had rented with pets in Sydney, as well as 28 in-depth interviews.</p><p>The majority of survey respondents rated finding pet-friendly housing in their suburb as difficult. They perceived that it became more difficult to find rental properties after they acquired their pet. </p><p>About half of those who always declared their pets when they applied for properties had been given pet ownership as the reason their application was rejected. These figures are likely to represent only a small proportion of those who have been rejected for pet ownership as reasons for rejection are rarely provided. </p><p>The <a href="http://www.domain.com.au/news/apartment-rents-continue-to-climb-in-sydney-domain-group-20160713-gq3lwu/">competitive nature of Sydney’s rental market</a>, which gives real estate agents a larger pool of tenants to choose from, was believed to have increased the challenge. A small number of households had even been offered rental housing if they got rid of their pet. These experiences led to a sense of rental insecurity and feelings of stress when participants wanted or needed to move house.</p><h2>Compromising on quality, cost and location</h2><p>In the in-depth interviews, households were asked how they found their current rental property. They explained how long lists of available rental properties would disappear when the “pet-friendly” filter was activated on popular property search websites. </p><p>There was also a widespread perception that advertised pet-friendly housing was of a lower quality than housing that did not allow pets. Many described making compromises on property quality and cleanliness. Some purposefully chose less desirable properties to increase their chance of success.</p><p>For example, one participant stated, "I think they call them ‘pet friendly’ because they don’t really care what happens to them. They’re probably going to pull them down eventually."</p><p>Another explained, "It was quite heartbreaking when you looked at the properties, because they were pretty much all rundown and disgusting. Really sort of dark and dingy, bathrooms that you would see were, I suppose, just not up to scratch. Or houses that seriously probably haven’t had a lick of paint or anything done to them in 20, 30 years."</p><p>Households also made compromises on property location and cost. These choices led to feelings of housing stress. For some it meant living in housing they considered sub-standard, including properties that were unclean or located in undesirable or unsafe areas. A number accepted longer work commutes or greater financial stress to secure a property. </p><p>As one interview participant put it when explaining why they stayed in a neighbourhood they didn’t like, "My car is on the street and it’s been broken into several times and there are a few personal safety issues but they let me have the cat, so..."</p><p>The vast majority of pet owners declared some or all of their pets when applying to rent a property. Those who had previously been rejected for a property because they had a pet were less likely to declare their pets. Why take this risk? </p><p>In-depth interviews suggest that renter households were extremely concerned about housing security: they valued their rental property and wanted to live in it as long as they could. </p><p>However, some felt that they could secure a property only if they didn’t declare their pets. Despite finding it extremely stressful to live in a rental property without permission to kept their pets, these households risked eviction so they could find somewhere to live with their pets.</p><h2>Are landlords’ fears justified?</h2><p>Tenant experiences in the research suggest that landlords are concerned about the risks to their properties that pets might bring. </p><p>Sometimes these concerns are based on real experience. However, there is some evidence to suggest that landlord fears are just that. </p><p>In one <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2752/089279305785594270">US study</a>, for instance, 63% of landlords who were concerned about pets in their properties didn’t have any firsthand experience of the problems they identified. Further, when damage did occur it was “far less than the average rent or the average pet deposit”.</p><p>Indeed, somewhat counter-intuitively, having a pet-permitting lease may provide more protection for landlords than simply restricting pets. Pet-friendly leases do not mean all pets are automatically allowed. Landlords can ask for a “<a href="http://www.domain.com.au/news/renting-in-sydneys-a-tough-job-a-cv-makes-it-easier-20111021-1mc2d/">pet CV</a>” as well as references for the pet, such as from a local vet, neighbours or former landlord. This is a way of ensuring the pet applicant is appropriate to the property. </p><p>Some jurisdictions in Australia allow for special provisions such as for <a href="http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/#/view/act/2010/42">carpets to be steam-cleaned</a> if an animal such as a cat or dog lives at the property. In others, such as in the US and some states <a href="https://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/consumer-protection/pet-bonds">in Australia</a>, an additional pet bond can be charged to cover any potential damage.</p><p>A pet-friendly lease may even bring benefits. <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2752/089279305785594270">US research </a>suggests that households with pets stayed in rental properties longer than those that did not have pets. This brings longer-term, more secure rent to property owners. These factors are worth weighing up when landlords are making property management decisions.</p><p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p><p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/as-pet-owners-suffer-rental-insecurity-perhaps-landlords-should-think-again-63275" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Real Estate

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Why ‘turning it off and on again’ actually works

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Having problems with our phones, tablets, and other tech is an almost-universal experience, but one simple technique can fix almost every single one.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Popularised by the British show </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The IT Crowd</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, turning a device on and off again can fix a range of problems </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/gadgets/have-you-tried-turning-it-off-and-on-again-the-easiest-fix-for-tech-issues/news-story/5759759b1b1b9926527da81457a826a2" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">according to experts</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Restarting a device works because it wipes the current state of the software and restarts the system, meaning that any code that is stuck or misbehaving will be dumped too.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In addition, scheduling regular reboots can even prevent issues from popping up in the first place.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For phones and tablets, particularly Android and Apple devices, running non-stop can lead to issues such as slow performance, and connectivity issues. So if your issue is specific, such as a certain app or page not loading, restarting the phone should be your first step.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But, that doesn’t mean you should be constantly restarting your devices, with experts recommending doing it about once every week or so for the best effect.</span></p> <p><strong>How to restart Android devices</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The easiest method of restarting your device involves holding down the power button and pressing the ‘Restart’ option when it appears on your screen.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If this doesn’t happen, you can just hold down the power button for 30 seconds to turn the device off, and start it again normally.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some phones also offer an option to schedule automatic reboots, even letting you choose the day and time. To do this on a Samsung Galaxy for instance, go to settings and search for auto-restart at set times, or go to settings, then battery and device care, tap the three dots and select automation.</span></p> <p><strong>How to restart iPhones and iPads</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Restarting an Apple device can be done by holding down the power button and one of the volume buttons until a slider appears which says ‘Power off’. Once you press the power button, you can push it again to restart the device.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Otherwise, you can try a force restart if the slider doesn’t appear.</span></p> <p><strong>Desktops and laptops</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though most modern computers prompt you when a restart is needed - such as after installing new software - it is recommended that computers have a full backup and restart at least once a year.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">To keep things running smoothly, it’s best to turn your computer off each night and switch it on when you need it again.</span></p> <p><strong>How to restart Windows PCs</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A Windows PC can be restarted by clicking the start menu, clicking on power, and choosing the restart option. It’s recommended that Windows devices are restarted about once a week.</span></p> <p><strong>How to restart Mac computers</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Unlike Windows, Apple recommends that you only restart your device when you encounter a problem.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">To restart, click the Apple icon in the top left corner and then select restart.</span></p> <p><strong>What about Smart TVs?</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Similarly to Apple, Smart TV manufacturers recommend restarting only when a problem arises, such as apps refusing to load or if the interface is slow.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The easiest way to restart a Smart TV is to turn it off, unplug it and wait for 30 seconds before plugging it back in and turning it on again.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty Images</span></em></p>

Technology

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2021 was one of the hottest years on record – and it could also be the coldest we’ll ever see again

<p>Well, it’s official: 2021 was one of the planet’s seven hottest years since records began, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) declared this week. The year was about 1.11℃ above pre-industrial levels – the seventh year in a row that the average global temperature rise edged over 1℃.</p> <p>The WMO report echoes <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/news/2021-was-worlds-6th-warmest-year-on-record">two separate</a> <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/2021-tied-for-6th-warmest-year-in-continued-trend-nasa-analysis-shows">official US analyses</a> released last week that found 2021 was the sixth hottest year on record, tied with 2018.</p> <p>For many of us in Australia and overseas, however, 2021 may have felt generally colder and rainier than usual. This is because of the effect of back-to-back La Niña events, a natural phenomenon that brings cooler, rainier weather in our region.</p> <p>The fact 2021 was among the world’s hottest years despite these cooling forces shows just how strong the long-term warming trend is. Indeed, 2021 may well be the coldest year we’ll ever experience again. Let’s reflect on the year that was, and what we can expect for this year and beyond.</p> <p><iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PiR6TnAx36E?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> <span class="caption">2021 was one of the seven warmest years on record, WMO consolidated data shows.</span></p> <h2>La Niña dampens the heat, but not enough</h2> <p>2021 started and ended with La Niña events. While it’s unusual for this climate phenomenon to occur two years in a row, <a href="https://theconversation.com/back-so-soon-la-nina-heres-why-were-copping-two-soggy-summers-in-a-row-173684">it’s not unheard of</a>.</p> <p>In La Niña years, we see the global average temperature decrease by about 0.1-0.2℃. So how does it work?</p> <p>During La Niña we see cool water from deep in the Pacific Ocean rise to the surface. This happens when wind strength increases at the equator, which pushes warmer water to the west and allows more cool water to rise off the coast of South America.</p> <p>Essentially, the net transfer of energy from the surface to the deeper ocean brings the average global surface temperature down. While La Niña is a natural phenomenon (it’s not the result of human activities), human-caused climate change remains a constant underlying influence that sets a long-term warming trend.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437382/original/file-20211213-25-9bnwpl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437382/original/file-20211213-25-9bnwpl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">A schematic showing interactions between the atmosphere and ocean during a La Niña.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bureau of Meteorology.</span></span></p> <p>The La Niña conditions of 2021 took the edge off the global average surface temperature. Parts of Australia, southern Africa and northwestern North America saw cooler temperatures during 2021 compared to recent years as the effects of La Niña kicked in.</p> <p>Unless we have another strong La Niña very soon, we’re going to keep seeing even hotter years than 2021 for the foreseeable future until net global greenhouse gas emissions cease.</p> <h2>A year with massive, extreme events</h2> <p>As the world warms we’re becoming more accustomed to extreme events, especially severe heatwaves. This was no different for 2021, which was characterised one incredibly extreme heat event in particular, which occurred in western North America.</p> <p>In late June and early July, heat built over northwest United States and southwest Canada. <a href="https://theconversation.com/extreme-heat-waves-in-a-warming-world-dont-just-break-records-they-shatter-them-164919">New temperature records were set across the region</a> – at some sites, by several degrees. A staggering 49.6℃ was recorded in Lytton, British Columbia, which is Canada’s highest temperature measurement.</p> <p>This heatwave was disastrous, including in Seattle and Portland where <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/08/11/climate/deaths-pacific-northwest-heat-wave.html">death rates spiked</a>. Soon after, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-02/lytton-fire-record-temperatures-heat-dome-canada-heatwave/100261768">wildfire destroyed</a> the town of Lytton.</p> <p>While many other parts of the world also saw heatwaves, including significant events in Europe and Asia, the western North American heatwave stands out. The scale of this event would have been <a href="https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/western-north-american-extreme-heat-virtually-impossible-without-human-caused-climate-change/">virtually impossible without human-caused climate change</a>.</p> <p>Severe floods were also a feature of 2021 in many places. Short bursts of extreme rainfall that bring flash flooding are becoming more frequent and intense due to the human influence on the climate. We saw especially devastating events in <a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/europe-s-deadly-floods-leave-scientists-stunned">central Europe</a> and in <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-57861067">China</a> in July.</p> <h2>Australia’s coolest year since 2012</h2> <p>Australia not only experienced <a href="https://theconversation.com/back-so-soon-la-nina-heres-why-were-copping-two-soggy-summers-in-a-row-173684">back-to-back La Niña events</a>, but also the <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-wet-winter-a-soggy-spring-what-is-the-negative-indian-ocean-dipole-and-why-is-it-so-important-164957">negative Indian Ocean Dipole</a> – a bit like the Indian Ocean’s version of La Niña, bringing cool, rainier weather to Australia during winter and spring.</p> <p>Both left their mark, with Australia experiencing its <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/change/#tabs=Tracker&amp;tracker=timeseries">coolest year since 2012</a> and its <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/change/#tabs=Tracker&amp;tracker=timeseries&amp;tQ=graph%3Drranom%26area%3Daus%26season%3D0112%26ave_yr%3D0">wettest year since 2016</a>.</p> <p>And still, 2021 was warmer than any year in the observational series prior to 1980. In fact, Australia is warming faster than the world as a whole, with <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-has-already-hit-australia-unless-we-act-now-a-hotter-drier-and-more-dangerous-future-awaits-ipcc-warns-165396">Australian temperatures</a> already up <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/state-of-the-climate/australias-changing-climate.shtml">about 1.4℃ since 1910</a>.</p> <p>We also saw major floods in Australia that inundated <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-20/nsw-floods-break-120-year-old-rain-records/100079400">eastern New South Wales</a> in March, and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/dec/01/queensland-floods-950-evacuated-from-inglewood-as-rising-rivers-threaten-towns">Queensland</a> more recently.</p> <p>However, the influence of climate change on extreme rainfall in Australia is less clear than for other parts of the world because Australia has a high climate variability - swinging from drought to flooding rains and back again. Another reason is because our major floods are often caused by extreme rain that falls for several days, and the effect of climate change on this type of rain is difficult to unpick.</p> <h2>What’s in store for 2022 and beyond</h2> <p>We can’t forecast the weather beyond about ten days, but we can make a couple of forecasts for 2022 with confidence.</p> <p>First, while 2022 may experience a slight cooling influence from <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/outlook/">the ongoing La Niña</a>, it will still be among our warmest years. To have an individual year as cool as those we experienced as recently as the 1990s is exceptionally unlikely due to our high greenhouse gas emissions.</p> <p>Second, there will be more extreme heat events somewhere on Earth this year, because our influence on the climate has <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-hot-weather-records-continue-to-tumble-worldwide-86158">greatly increased the odds of record-breaking heatwaves occurring</a>.</p> <p>Even if we start acting on climate change with more urgency, we will experience more frequent and intense heatwaves in coming years. This means we need to <a href="https://theconversation.com/adapting-cities-to-a-hotter-world-3-essential-reads-120634">build greater resilience to these extremes</a> and adapt cities and towns to a hotter world.</p> <p>Beyond 2022, we know we will see continued global warming until we stop emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. And with global carbon dioxide emissions rebounding to <a href="https://www.globalcarbonproject.org/carbonbudget/21/highlights.htm">near-record levels in 2021</a> after a brief drop in 2020 from the pandemic, we’re a long way off stopping global warming.</p> <p>Rapid decarbonisation is needed to reduce further warming of the planet. It’s not too late to <a href="https://theconversation.com/theres-no-end-to-the-damage-humans-can-wreak-on-the-climate-this-is-how-bad-its-likely-to-get-166031">avoid the most dangerous climate change impacts</a>. <!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/175238/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/andrew-king-103126">Andrew King</a>, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a></em></span></p> <p>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/2021-was-one-of-the-hottest-years-on-record-and-it-could-also-be-the-coldest-well-ever-see-again-175238">original article</a>.</p> <p><em>Image: AP Photo/Michael Pappas</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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10 funny vintage slang words people should start using again

<p><span>In 1909, a British writer recorded thousands of Victorian slang words to make sure they were never forgotten. Now it's your turn to use them.</span></p> <p><strong>Mutton Shunter</strong></p> <p>Definition: Policeman</p> <p>Usage: “Is the Queen in town or something? There’s mutton shunters on every blasted corner!”</p> <p><strong>Gigglemug</strong></p> <p>Definition: An habitually smiling face</p> <p>Usage: “These Miss Universe contestants are just a bunch of gigglemugs.”</p> <p><strong>Fly Rink</strong></p> <p>Definition: A polished bald head</p> <p>Usage: “Be sure to wear glasses if you go outside; Grandpa’s fly rink is blinding today.”</p> <p><strong>Juggins-Hunting</strong></p> <p>Definition: Looking for a man who will pay for liquor</p> <p>Usage: “Jess forgot all her cash at home, so she’s off juggins-hunting again.”</p> <p><strong>Sauce-box</strong></p> <p>Definition: The mouth</p> <p>Usage: “When my kids won’t stop talking, I give them some chips just to fill their little sauce-boxes.”</p> <p><strong>Bags o' Mystery</strong></p> <p>Definition: A satirical term for sausages, because no man but the maker knows what is in them</p> <p>Usage: “Hope there’s no intestine in these bags o’ mystery; I’m trying to cut down on intestine.”</p> <p><strong>Arf'arf'an'arf</strong></p> <p>Definition: A figure of speech, meaning “drunk”</p> <p>Etymology: Order an “arf-an-arf” (or “half-and-half”) in a London pub and you’ll receive a malty cocktail of half black beer, half ale. Add one more ‘arf of beer to the mix and your mug suddenly runneth over; you, chum, must be arf’arf’an’arf – that is, drunk.</p> <p><span>Usage: “Charlie ordered another Guinness? He’s already arf’arf’an’arf!”</span></p> <p><strong>Gas pipes</strong></p> <p>Definition: Name given to trousers when tight</p> <p>Usage: “I just saw this poor hipster get his gas-pipes stuck in his unicycle spokes and totally eat kerb.”</p> <p><strong>Pumblechook</strong></p> <p>Definition: Human ass</p> <p>Etymology: From Uncle Pumblechook, a character in Dickens’ Great Expectations described as “that basest of swindlers”; greedy, pompous and piggish.</p> <p>Usage: “This fat Pumblechook totally cut me off in his ute – then he gave me a sneer at the Macca’s drive-through.”</p> <p><strong>Row-de-dow</strong></p> <p>Definition: Riot</p> <p>Etymology: A play on “row” (vintage slang for “quarrel”) or “rowdy.” Also spelled, “rowdydow.”</p> <p>Usage: “When the police arrived to break up the Scrabble feud it escalated into a full-on row-de-dow.”</p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Written by Brandon Specktor. This article first appeared in </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/true-stories-lifestyle/our-language/10-funny-vintage-slang-words-people-should-start-using-again" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Reader’s Digest</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, </span><a rel="noopener" href="http://readersdigest.innovations.co.nz/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_medium=articles&amp;utm_campaign=RDSUB&amp;keycode=WRA87V" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">here’s our best subscription offer.</span></a></em></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty Images</span></em></p> <p><img style="width: 100px !important; height: 100px !important;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7820640/1.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f30947086c8e47b89cb076eb5bb9b3e2" /></p>

Mind

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The mansion from Schitt's Creek is on the market, again

<p>The Toronto mansion from the Emmy-award winning comedy<span> </span><em>Schitt's Creek<span> </span></em>is up for sale for the second time this year, which means we get to peek inside and see what the Rose family home looks like in all of its splendour.</p> <p>It comes with a $23.5 million price tag, and has been on the market off and on since 2018. The 12-bedroom, 16-bathroom home looks like a royal European estate, but it was built just seven years ago; however, in a nod to the culture that inspired it, it's known as La Belle Maison, which is French for 'The Beautiful Home'.</p> <p>The home was shown in the pilot episode of<span> </span><em>Schitt's Creek,<span> </span></em>and served as the background to the scenes chronicling the Rose family's fall from grace; viewers saw all of their worldly possessions getting repossessed as they learned their business manager had stolen all of their money while standing in the home's grand foyer. The home was also seen in flashbacks throughout the series.</p> <p>La Belle Maison was built in 2012, and was designed by its current owner, Canadian property developer Van Lapoyan. The three-story, 2223-square-metre home features amenities such as both indoor and outdoor pools, a home theatre, a custom stone-paved circular driveway with parking for 14 cars, Sistine Chapel-inspired frescoes and a massive banquet hall that can seat up to 150 guests.</p> <p>Click through the gallery to take a peek inside the ostentatious Canadian chateau.</p> <p><em>Image: Property Vision</em></p>

Real Estate

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Is it even possible to regulate Facebook effectively? Time and again, attempts have led to the same outcome

<p>The Australian government’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/this-is-why-australia-may-be-powerless-to-force-tech-giants-to-regulate-harmful-content-169826">recent warning</a> to Facebook over misinformation is just the latest salvo in the seemingly constant battle to hold the social media giant to account for the content posted on its platform.</p> <p>It came in the same week as the US Senate heard <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58805965">whistleblowing testimony</a> in which former Facebook executive Frances Haugen alleged the company knew of harmful consequences for its users but chose not to act.</p> <p>Governments all over the world have been pushing for years to make social media giants more accountable, both in terms of the quality of information they host, and their use of users’ data as part of their business models.</p> <p>The Australian government’s <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_LEGislation/Bills_Search_Results/Result?bId=r6680">Online Safety Act</a> will <a href="https://perma.cc/95A5-T79H">come into effect in January 2022</a>, giving the eSafety Commissioner unprecedented powers to crack down on abusive or violent content, or sexual images posted without consent.</p> <p>But even if successful, this legislation will only deal with a small proportion of the issues that require regulation. On many such issues, social media platforms have attempted to regulate themselves rather than submit to legislation. But whether we are talking about legislation or self-regulation, past experiences do not engender much confidence that tech platforms can be successfully regulated and regulation put in action easily.</p> <p>Our <a href="https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2021_rip/35">research</a> has examined previous attempts to regulate tech giants in Australia. We analysed 269 media articles and 282 policy documents and industry reports published from 2015 to 2021. Let’s discuss a couple of relevant case studies.</p> <h2>1. Ads and news</h2> <p>In 2019, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/publications/digital-platforms-inquiry-final-report">inquiry into digital platforms</a> described Facebook’s algorithms, particularly those that determine the positioning of advertising on Facebook pages, as “opaque”. It concluded media companies needed more assurance about the use of their content.</p> <p>Facebook initially welcomed the inquiry, but then <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/Facebook_0.pdf">publicly opposed it</a> when the government argued the problems related to Facebook’s substantial market power in display advertising, and Facebook and Google’s dominance of news content generated by media companies, were too important to be left to the companies themselves.</p> <p>Facebook argued there was <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/Facebook.pdf">no evidence of an imbalance of bargaining power</a>between it and news media companies, adding it would have no choice but to withdraw news services in Australia if forced to pay publishers for hosting their content. The standoff resulted in Facebook’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/facebook-has-pulled-the-trigger-on-news-content-and-possibly-shot-itself-in-the-foot-155547">infamous week-long embargo on Australian news</a>.</p> <p><span>The revised and amended News Media Bargaining Code was </span><a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/Final%20legislation%20as%20passed%20by%20both%20houses.pdf">passed by the parliament in February</a><span>. Both the government and Facebook declared victory, the former having managed to pass its legislation, and the latter ending up striking its own bargains with news publishers without having to be held legally to the code.</span></p> <h2>2. Hate speech and terrorism</h2> <p>In 2015, to deal with violent extremism on social media the Australian government initially worked with the tech giant to develop joint AI solutions to improve the technical processes of content identification to deal with countering violent extremism.</p> <p>This voluntary solution worked brilliantly, until it did not. In March 2019, mass shootings at mosques in Christchurch were live-streamed on Facebook by an Australian-born white supremacist terrorist, and the recordings subsequently circulated on the internet.</p> <p>This brought to light <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/christchurch-shooting/111473473/facebook-ai-failed-to-detect-christchurch-shooting-video">the inability Facebook’s artificial intelligence algorithms</a> to detect and remove the live footage of the shooting and how fast it was shared on the platform.</p> <p>The Australian government responded in 2019 by <a href="https://www.ag.gov.au/crime/abhorrent-violent-material">amending the Criminal Code</a>to require social media platforms to remove abhorrent or violent material “in reasonable time” and, where relevant, refer it to the Australian Federal Police.</p> <h2>What have we learned?</h2> <p>These two examples, while strikingly different, both unfolded in a similar way: an initial dialogue in which Facebook proposes an in-house solution involving its own algorithms, before a subsequent shift towards mandatory government regulation, which is met with resistance or bargaining (or both) from Facebook, and the final upshot which is piecemeal legislation that is either watered down or only covers a subset of specific types of harm.</p> <p>There are several obvious problems with this. The first is that only the tech giants themselves know how their algorithms work, so it is difficult for regulators to oversee them properly.</p> <p>Then there’s the fact that legislation typically applies at a national level, yet Facebook is a global company with billions of users across the world and a platform that is incorporated into our daily lives in all sorts of ways.</p> <p>How do we resolve the impasse? One option is for regulations to be drawn up by independent bodies appointed by governments and tech giants to drive the co-regulation agenda globally. But relying on regulation alone to guide tech giants’ behaviour against potential abuses might not be sufficient. There is also the need for self-discipline and appropriate corporate governance - potentially enforced by these independent bodies.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article first appeared on <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/is-it-even-possible-to-regulate-facebook-effectively-time-and-again-attempts-have-led-to-the-same-outcome-169947" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em></p>

Technology

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Tina Arena lists “heaven-sent” home AGAIN

<p dir="ltr">Superstar Tina Arena has listed her Melbourne home once again, seven months after taking it off the market.</p> <p dir="ltr">The five-bedroom home is nestled in the elite suburb of Toorak in Melbourne’s inner-south and has been re-listed with an<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.marshallwhite.com.au/property/13-toorak-avenue-toorak-1124812/" target="_blank">asking price</a><span> </span>between $7-7.5 million.</p> <p dir="ltr">The famed pop singer first purchased the property in 2017, dropping $5.733 million for it.</p> <p dir="ltr">Arena first listed the home through RT Edgar for $7 million, but pulled it from the market after changing her mind.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 838-square-metre property boasts north-facing gardens and a verdant verandah that spills into a tranquil pool area.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s beautiful and it’s warm and it’s just got a wonderful feel to it,”<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.realestate.com.au/news/tina-arenas-toorak-pad-relisted-after-sevenmonth-hiatus/" target="_blank">said</a><span> </span>Justin Long, one of the realtors handling inquiries for the home for Marshall White.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’d be a heaven-sent spot to be.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Inside, the home features minimalist decor and bright interiors, as well as a large granite kitchen, three bedrooms with built-in robes, and a master bedroom with its own sun-filled terrace, a dressing room or study nook and an ensuite.</p> <p dir="ltr">The house has also been owned by Hollywood silent actor Claire Adams, ANZAC commander Colonel Sir George Stevenson, and Victorian Premier Sir Stanley Argyle.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: @tinaarena / Instagram, Marshall White</em></p>

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