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‘Dark tourism’ is attracting visitors to war zones and sites of atrocities in Israel and Ukraine. Why?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/juliet-rogers-333488">Juliet Rogers</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> There is a disturbing trend of people travelling to the sadder places of the world: sites of military attacks, war zones and disasters. Dark tourism is now a phenomenon, with <a href="https://dark-tourism.com/">its own website</a> and dedicated tour guides. People visit these places to mourn, or to remember and honour the dead. But sometimes they just want to look, and sometimes they want to delight in the pain of others. Of course, people have long visited places like the <a href="https://www.auschwitz.org/en/visiting/guided-tours-for-individual-visitors/">Auschwitz-Birkenau</a> Memorial, <a href="https://www.911memorial.org/911-faqs">the site of the Twin Towers</a> destroyed in the 9/11 attacks, <a href="https://www.robben-island.org.za/tour-types/">Robben Island Prison</a>, where Nelson Mandela and others spent many years, and more recently, <a href="https://chernobyl-tour.com/english/">the Chernobyl nuclear power plant</a>. But there are more recent destinations, connected to active wars and aggression. Since the <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/2024/10/11/one-year-hamas-oct-attack-israel-northern-border-1961816.html">Hamas military attacks</a> of October 7 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage, celebrities and tourists have visited the related sites of the Nova music festival and the Nir Oz Kibbutz in Palestine/Israel. The kibbutz tours, guided by former residents, allow people to view and be guided through houses of the dead, to be shown photographs and bullet holes. Sderot, the biggest city targeted by Hamas, is offering <a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-hamas-oct-7-tourism-sderot-8b21f590c37fa6780bf9190d6bfb62b7">what it describes as “resilience tours”</a>, connecting tourists with October 7 survivors. Similar places are visited <a href="https://wartours.in.ua/2023/02/25/dark-tourism-in-ukraine/">in Ukraine</a>. The “popular” Donbas war tour, for instance, takes visitors to the front lines of the conflict and offers “a firsthand look at the impact of the war on the local population”, introducing them to displaced locals, soldiers and volunteer fighters. There’s also <a href="https://wartours.in.ua/en/">a Kyiv tour</a>, which takes in destroyed military equipment and what remains of missile strikes. <h2>Solidarity tours</h2> These tours have various names, but <a href="https://touringisrael.com/tour/october-7-solidarity-tour/">one Israeli company</a> calls them “solidarity tours”. The idea of solidarity lessens the presumption of voyeurism, or the accusation of ghoulish enjoyment of pain or suffering. It suggests an affinity with those who have died or those who have lost loved ones. But solidarity is a political affiliation too. These tours are not only therapeutic. They are not only about “bearing witness”, as many guides and visitors attest. They are also about solidarity with the struggle. What is this struggle? Genocide scholar Dirk Moses <a href="https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/more-than-genocide/">has written thoughtfully</a> on this after October 7. Colonial states seek not just security, but “permanent security”. This makes them hyper-defensive of their borders. Israel was created as a nation <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/truman-israel/">by the newly formed United Nations</a> in 1947, two years after the end of World War II and in the shadow of the Holocaust: it was an inevitable product of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-century-on-the-balfour-declaration-still-shapes-palestinians-everyday-lives-86662">Balfour Declaration</a> (1917) that carved up the Middle East. The creation of the Israeli state turned relationships between Palestinians and Jewish people into borders to navigate and police, producing a line of security to defend. These borders have long been sites of humiliation and denigration toward Palestinians, whose homelands have been now occupied for many generations. Israeli Defense Force soldiers themselves <a href="https://www.breakingthesilence.org.il/testimonies/videos/29690">have spoken passionately</a> about the brutal and arbitrary violence that occurs there, <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10978-016-9195-y">including “creative punishments”</a>. These were the borders that protected the sites targeted by Hamas. The Nova music festival was five kilometres from one of these borders. For many Israelis, any breach of those borders, any sense of loss of control, courts the terrors of the past. It raises the spectre of the Holocaust: the destruction of European Jewry, the loss of sovereignty over family, home, and over life, the loss of millions of lives, again. For Israel, as for any colonial state, security is a permanent aspiration, in Moses’s terms. The stakes are high. Dark tourism, seen in this light, is not only solidarity with those who have lost loved ones on October 7. It is solidarity with the border, with those who have lost that security. And that loss is profound, traumatic and, at least psychologically, can provoke violent reactions in an effort to have the borders – geographical and psychological – reasserted. <h2>‘I stand with you’</h2> Transitional justice mechanisms such as the truth commissions in <a href="https://www.justice.gov.za/trc/">South Africa</a>, <a href="https://www.usip.org/publications/2002/02/truth-commission-timor-leste-east-timor">Timor Leste</a> and <a href="https://www.usip.org/publications/1983/12/truth-commission-argentina">Argentina</a> apply legal frameworks to heal nations from the trauma of crimes against humanity. These mechanisms are one choice after experiences of mass violence. Ironically, their catchphrase is Nunca Mas (never again), which was the title of the 1984 report by Argentina’s <a href="https://www.usip.org/publications/1983/12/truth-commission-argentina">National Commission on the Dissappeared</a>. Permanent security of the kind Israel is seeking is another choice – and its catchphrase might well be the same. Never again will Israel’s borders be breached, never again will Jewish life be subjected to mass destruction with impunity. This is what solidarity can mean: not only grieving alongside those who have suffered, but attachment to an identity and borders, which are reinforced through participation. “I stand with you” is perhaps what the visits are for. I stand with you on this land, at this time, and perhaps for all time. But stand beside you in what now? In grief, yes. But also in rage, in pain, in vengeance and, for some, in making Israel great again. The hashtag #standwithus accompanies some calls for visits to the October 7 sites, for this form of tourism. It means stand with us at Israel’s border. From there, you can hear the sound of bombs falling: <a href="https://inews.co.uk/news/world/israel-7-october-massacre-sites-dark-draw-tourists-3101715">in Gaza</a>, a place where no solidarity tour will go. Yet. <h2>Memorials, grief and understanding</h2> Dark tourism is not always for those associated with the events. Some people visit sites of disaster and loss because they want to understand the greater sadnesses of the world and its formidable brutalities. Some want to show their respect to others. It’s not dissimilar to visiting memorials. Memorials collate the disparate parts of grief and reflect it as public memory. They offer fragments of historical pain that can be borne in more than one mind, to create a shared reality. In Pretoria, South Africa, a memorial called <a href="https://www.freedompark.co.za/">Freedom Park</a> depicts the names of every person who died in every war fought in South Africa, as well as those South Africans who died in the world wars. The names are written on a wall that circles the park. It is impossibly long and circular, and you cannot measure it with your own stride. It is disorientating and interminable, like grief. In this memorial-metaphor, you are unable to comprehend – and at the same time are awash with – a history of loss, represented by the names. The walls contain you, and then they cannot. Grief and even solidarity is not always about comprehension or containment. Sometimes it is about proximity. Sometimes, it is about sitting with not knowing. Sometimes, it is about solidarity with something that cannot be made sense of. Trauma, psychoanalysis tells us, is an experience of what we cannot assimilate. If you sit in proximity to people and places where traumatic events have happened, you can learn something. If you see the bullet holes at a site of loss, you can comprehend something. But not everything. Bullet holes in a wall are the very definition of a partial story. People visit memorials and sites of loss to learn and to unlearn. Dark tourism has this quality. <h2>Obscenity of understanding</h2> In my field, criminology and trauma studies, we try to understand why people do the violent things they do. Holocaust filmmaker and commentator <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/26303924">Claude Lanzmann has said</a> we must not indulge in what he calls the “obscenity of the project of understanding” in relation to Nazi perpetrators of the Holocaust. He regards curiosity about the minds of perpetrators and the rationale for violence as a violence in itself. Of the Holocaust, he says you cannot ask “Why were the Jews killed?”. It is the result that matters. But it is also the reaction that matters. The state of Israel itself – permanent security and its attendant horrors – is part of that reaction. But understanding can influence the reaction to violence, and contribute something to the promise of Never Again. Understanding allows us to hold more than one story in mind. It allows us to do more than <a href="https://www.ochaopt.org/">count the more than 1,200 killed</a> in Israel, or the 41,689 (plus) Palestinians killed in Gaza. Bodies are always more than numbers. But explanation is one thing, justification another. Justification is best left to the courts, international or otherwise, after the violence has ceased. It is hard to hear about dark tourism in Israel/Palestine and in Ukraine and try to understand it. It is hard not to condemn the tourists. But we are quick to condemn at this time – and even quicker to demand others do the same. Perhaps we should not be so righteous, and we should resist the urge to easily condemn, from our homes in what <a href="https://www.mup.com.au/books/after-mabo-paperback-softback">Tim Rowse has called</a> the “ongoing colonial encounter sometimes called ‘Australia’”. Indigenous people here speak of the lack of memorials on this land. But every bordered property is a site for dark tourism in Australia. Dark tourism is the effort to seek out destinations of violence and devastation, but it is not hard to see genocide from our front door in this country.<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/240119/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/juliet-rogers-333488">Juliet Rogers</a>, Associate Professor Criminology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/dark-tourism-is-attracting-visitors-to-war-zones-and-sites-of-atrocities-in-israel-and-ukraine-why-240119">original article</a>.

Travel Trouble

It may be macabre, but dark tourism helps us learn from the worst of human history

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/dr-neil-robinson-1312179">Dr Neil Robinson</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-salford-878">University of Salford</a> Dark tourism has become a much more well-covered pasttime in recent years, in which a macabre fascination lead tourists to travel to various places not served by Thomas Cook: the sites of battles and genocides, war cemeteries, prisons, and even <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/07/the-rise-of-dark-tourism/374432/">current warzones such as Syria</a>. The 20th century alone has provided such a <a href="http://www.therichest.com/expensive-lifestyle/location/10-great-places-to-visit-for-dark-tourism/">long list of places</a> at which catastrophes or great loss of life and suffering has occurred. Sites visited range from the spot from which JFK was assassinated, to prisons such as Alcatraz in San Francisco, through to battlefields of the World Wars, or the vestiges of genocides such at Auschwitz in Poland or Tuol Sleng in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It’s not everybody’s cup of tea, but we shouldn’t condemn those for whom this is an interest. Dark tourism appears to be a manifestation of our media-rich society through which information found online may persuade us to see historical sites in person. But its origins can be traced back much further than the fascination with death and disasters of the 19th and 20th century. In the 11th century, people and pilgrims often visited places with religious significance such as Jerusalem, where the location of Christ’s crucifixion is a popular attraction; tourists visited Gettysburg, the site of the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War in 1863; and in more recent centuries, the Grand Tour offered an opportunity for the wealthy to experience Europe, with sites such as the classical ruins of the Colosseum in Rome – which in the name of entertainment saw execution, torture and death – one of the must-see attractions. Today, in parallel with the growth in popularity of dark tourism is the enormous growth of social media and the 24-hour news economy. The ease of access to such blanket coverage through the web, Facebook and Twitter has increased people’s awareness of, and fascination for, these historical sites of war, conflict and catastrophe. For example, the last decade has brought a surge in visitor numbers to <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-fiction-to-gallows-humour-how-chernobyl-survivors-are-still-coping-with-trauma-57923">Chernobyl</a>, where guides take visitors around the abandoned city of Pripyat (radiation levels permitting) which has been deserted since the nuclear power plant explosion on April 26, 1986. The 30th anniversary this year has in itself <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3526271/Chernobyl-tourists-pose-photos-eerie-sites.html">added to interest in visiting</a> the overgrown and crumbling city. As with tourism of any kind, this greater footfall brings benefits. In this case, not just the economic boost but also as a tool of education and even conflict resolution. For example, the <a href="http://www.belfasttours.com/package/belfast-political-mural-tour">taxi tours of Belfast’s murals</a>, which document Northern Ireland’s Troubles, offer visitors a way to understand the history and provide the communities involved a means to reflect and move on from the conflict. This model is <a href="http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showpdf.php?id=25852">viewed with interest</a> and hope by moderates on both sides of the Arab-Israeli divide searching for a peaceful solution for the long term. The tours of <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/916">Robin Island prison</a> in South Africa, where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years incarcerated among many others, starkly present how those imprisoned by a corrupt and discriminatory political regime can later engage in peace and reconciliation. The <a href="http://www.bruisedpassports.com/africa/5-reasons-you-must-go-for-a-township-tour-in-south-africa">Soweto township tours</a> in Johannesburg have acted in part as a means through which generations of South Africans can better understand their country’s dark past and help to establish truth and reconciliation for the future. Dark tourism should not in my opinion by viewed as unethical, repugnant or even a self-indulgent activity. Certainly some dark tourists may engage in their pursuits for all the wrong reasons, seeing death and destruction as a commodity to be consumed with little thought for those who caught up in its wake. But others visit such sites to pay their respects, to better understand the magnitude of death and destruction, and to inform the outside world of the details of terrible events – even in some case offering to help. These are positive effects that may come from so much pain and suffering. We should strive to better understand the origins of the terrible events of human history to be more able to prevent us repeating them. In this regard, that more people visit sites associated with dark tourism and learn about them should be seen as a positive.<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/60966/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/dr-neil-robinson-1312179">Dr Neil Robinson</a>, Lecturer in Business, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-salford-878">University of Salford</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/it-may-be-macabre-but-dark-tourism-helps-us-learn-from-the-worst-of-human-history-60966">original article</a>.

Travel Trouble

3 health benefits of dark chocolate

Although it seems too good to be true, dark chocolate can actually be good for you! When consumed in moderation, this delicious treat has some powerful health benefits. Following are three of the major reasons to indulge. 1. It can help prevent heart disease Like tea, dark chocolate contains flavonoids, which are compounds that act as antioxidants. Flavonoids protect cells from harmful molecules – called free radicals – that are produced when the body breaks down food or is exposed to sunlight or smoke. Free radicals can cause cell damage that leads to heart disease. Flavonoids can also lower blood pressure and reduce LDL cholesterol (ie, the bad cholesterol) by up to 10%. 2. It can improve your mood Dark chocolate stimulates the production of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that bring on feelings of pleasure. It also contains the chemical serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant. 3. It can protect your skin German researchers found that the flavonoids in dark chocolate absorb UV light, help protect and increase blood flow to the skin, and improve skin’s hydration and complexion. Here's the caveat For all of its health benefits, though, dark chocolate does contain a lot of calories. So, experts recommend sticking to no more than 60g – about two to three squares – of the sweet stuff per day. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/uncategorized/3-health-benefits-of-dark-chocolate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.

Food & Wine

The Dark Side of the Moon at 50: how Marx, trauma and compassion all influenced Pink Floyd’s masterpiece

Dixi et salvavi animam meam. This Latin phrase – I have spoken and saved my soul – sits at the end of Karl Marx’s <a href="https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1875/gotha/">Critique of the Gotha Programme</a>. Written in 1875, this text imagines a communist society that will come about “after the enslaving of the individual to the division of labour, and thereby also the antithesis between mental and physical labour has vanished”. Only then, Marx argues, “can the narrow horizon of bourgeois right be completely transcended and society inscribe on its banners: from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs!” Roger Waters – bassist, lyricist and conceptual mastermind behind Pink Floyd’s 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon, released 50 years ago today – knows Marx’s Critique. Indeed, he quotes it when discussing the record with music journalist John Harris. “Making The Dark Side of the Moon, we were all trying to do as much as we possibly could,” Waters <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/301401">told</a> Harris. "It was a very communal thing. What’s that old Marxist maxim? ‘From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.’ That’s sort of the way the band worked at that point." Assertions about solidarity, cooperation and shared “unity of purpose” – as Waters says – situate Dark Side in the context of Pink Floyd’s <a href="https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/pink-floyd-roger-waters-david-gilmour-feud/">notoriously fractious</a> recording career and helps us understand the album’s enduring appeal. <h2>Shine on you crazy diamond</h2> Pink Floyd formed in London in 1965. Led by the charismatic songwriter, guitarist and lead vocalist Syd Barrett, the group established itself as a leader in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_underground">London underground music scene</a>. They released their debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn in 1967. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_Machine">Soft Machine</a> member Kevin Ayers <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/au/pink-floyds-the-piper-at-the-gates-of-dawn-9781441185174/">described</a> The Piper at the Gates of Dawn as “something magical, but it was in Syd Barrett”. Not long after the record’s release, Barrett suffered a catastrophic, LSD-induced breakdown. In response, the band recruited David Gilmour on guitar and recorded a second album, A Saucerful of Secrets, as a five-piece in 1968. Around this time, the increasingly unstable Barrett was unceremoniously ousted by the rest of the band. After Barrett left, says Ayers, “Pink Floyd became something else totally”. There are different versions of Pink Floyd. The recordings released after Barrett left the band in 1968 bear little resemblance to the first. Dark Side sounds nothing like the whimsical Piper. But it is obvious the record is in large part preoccupied with the loss of Barrett. This preoccupation comes to the fore in the album’s penultimate track. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1OOQP1-wOE&ab_channel=HDPinkFloyd">Brain Damage</a>, written and sung by Waters, references Barrett’s adolescence (“Remembering games and daisy chains and laughs”), alludes to his illness (“And if the dam breaks open many years too soon”), and acknowledges his leaving the group (“And if the band you’re in starts playing different tunes; I’ll see you on the dark side of the Moon”). Drummer Nick Mason confirms the group didn’t want to lose Barrett. In his <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/265734.Inside_Out">autobiography</a>, he writes, "He was our songwriter, singer, guitarist, and – although you might not have known from our less than sympathetic treatment of him – he was our friend." <h2>If the dam breaks open many years too soon</h2> What we hear on The Dark Side of the Moon is a band dealing with trauma. In this sense, Dark Side represents the start of a reckoning with the past – a process that culminated with the band’s next record, 1975’s elegiac <a href="https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/wish-you-were-here-pink-floyd-seminal-ode-to-the-tragic-life-of-syd-barrett/">Wish You Were Here</a>. Culmination is a useful term when it comes to Dark Side more generally. On this record, all the avant-garde techniques and tendencies the band had toyed with in the post-Barrett period – <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musique_concr%C3%A8te">musique concrète</a>, sonic manipulation, extended improvisation, analogue tape manipulation – come together to spectacular effect. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0kcet4aPpQ">Money</a> – with its anti-capitalist lyrics penned by Waters (“Money, it’s a crime; share it fairly, but don’t take a slice of my pie”), odd time signature, and handmade tape-loops mimicking the sounds of cash tills, bags of coins being dropped from great height and bank notes being torn up – is one of the stranger hit singles in pop music history. Be that as it may, Money and the album from which it is taken, of which <a href="https://www.pinkfloyd.com/tdsotm50/">more than 50 million copies</a> have been sold, continue to resonate with listeners worldwide, five decades on from its initial release. <h2>The enormous risk of being truly banal</h2> “I made a conscious effort when I was writing the lyrics for Dark Side of the Moon to take the enormous risk of being truly banal about a lot of it,” Waters told John Harris, “in order that the ideas should be expressed as simply and plainly as possible.” On this point, <a href="https://www.loudersound.com/news/david-gilmour-says-its-pretty-unlikely-he-and-roger-waters-will-resolve-pink-floyd-feud">if nothing else</a>, David Gilmour agrees. He told Harris, "There was definitely a feeling that the words were going to be very clear and specific. That was a leap forward. Things would mean what they meant. That was a distinct step away from what we had done before." Mortality, insanity, conflict, affluence, poverty and, in another nod to Marx, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marx%27s_theory_of_alienation">alienation</a> are some of the themes presented on the record. The need – and this brings us full circle – for compassion, if not outright solidarity, is another. This is an album about the importance of understanding, as Waters <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/301401">insists, "T</a>he potential that human beings have for recognising each other’s humanity and responding to it, with empathy rather than antipathy." Given the sorry state of the world in 2023, about which Roger Waters has many <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-64580688">contentious</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/feb/07/pink-floyd-lyricist-calls-roger-waters-an-antisemite-and-putin-apologist">problematic</a> things to say, I wager Pink Floyd’s masterwork will continue to resonate with listeners for a while yet. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-dark-side-of-the-moon-at-50-how-marx-trauma-and-compassion-all-influenced-pink-floyds-masterpiece-198400" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Music

Dark Waters is a scary movie. Here’s Why…

Many people have said Dark Waters is more terrifying than any horror movie. That’s because the most frightening thing about Dark Waters is the fact it actually happened. A US corporation – Dupont – put money before human lives and jeopardised the health of every person on this planet by dumping toxic PFOA waste in waterways in West Virginia for years. This makes Dark Waters one of the scariest movies you’ll see but don’t let this put you off. We all need to see this movie because it’s about how corporations think they can get away with polluting our planet in shocking ways, as long as they keep it hidden. Yes, it’s a bit like Erin Brockovich but even a bit more sinister. Why is it sinister? Because in Australia, we can usually watch a film like this and thank God we live on a remote island in the South Pacific. But that argument doesn’t hold any more. There’s a scene in Dark Waters where Mark Ruffalo (playing lawyer Robert Bilott) asks what’s a safe level of the pollutant – PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic Acid) and the answer is – one drop in an Olympic-sized swimming pool! You see Ruffalo’s face as he mentally adds up the amount of this chemical he’s seen flowing in streams near Parkersburg in West Virginia, and you know from his expression, pretty much the world’s water supply has been wiped out. Dupont has illegally dumped so much of this chemical that by now, it would have worked its way into the underground water system and there’s no saying how far it’s travelled. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RvAOuhyunhY?controls=0" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> <h4 id="h-what-s-the-story-behind-dark-waters">What’s the story behind Dark Waters?</h4> Dark Waters is based on real-life events to do with the lawyer, Robert Bilott. Back in 1998, Bilott was working as a lawyer in Cincinnati when a cattle farmer called Wilbur Tennant (played by Bill Camp) visits him at work saying his cows are dying and he’s convinced the DuPont Chemical plant in town has something to do with it. At first Bilott isn’t interested – he tells the farmer he’s a defence lawyer and he “defends chemical companies.” But, as a favour to his grandmother, who knows the farmer, Bilott later drives to the farm to check it out. Once he gets there, he sees the property is a graveyard and the farmer tells him 190 of his cows have recently died. Bilott agrees to do some research and to find the environmental report DuPont, and the Environmental Protection Agency, wouldn’t share with the farmer. But what Bilott finds is far more deadly. He discovers a cover-up involving DuPont’s plant in the town of Parkersburg. He finds a synthetic chemical known as PFOA, which was created to coat army tanks in the war but was later used as a coating for cooking utensils – commonly known as Teflon – has been dumped in the area’s waterways for years. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.54574132492115px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843832/dark-waters-3-um.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/4fbfa27af6ae46b5b367a4550e95fbe6" /> From his research, Bilott finds DuPont has known about the dangers of PFOA and the fact it’s linked with deformities in babies and cancer in people. Even worse, he learns these synthetic chemicals are known as ‘forever chemicals’ because our bodies can’t break them down – so they stay in our systems forever. Bilott is hooked and knows he has to chase this case down to the very end and show Dupont they can’t do this sort of thing. As Bilott says later in the movie: “The system is rigged. They want us to think it will protect us. We protect us. We do.” Just how serious is this PFOA toxic waste? PFOA is one of a class of PFAS toxins or Perfluoroalkyl substances. They are are all man-made toxins and it’s estimated the majority of living creatures on earth now have PFASs in their bloodstream. Dark Waters is the first movie to document this story about PFASs and the film has had a major impact. When it was first released late in 2020 in the US, DuPont suffered a stock price fall. The full cinema release of the movie was delayed because of COVID-19 earlier this year but now you can watch the film on Binge, Apple TV and Prime Video. Does Dark Waters get its message across? Dark Waters is two hours long and a lot of it is fairly harrowing, documentary-style viewing. But to make sure we understand the fully story, this is the most realistic and compelling way. Some reviewers have said the subject matter deserved more but the low key, intense nature of how the film is made – produced by Todd Haynes – is far more persuasive than any other style. The understatement wins you over to the seriousness of what’s unfolding. We see the effect this harrowing, drawn-out legal battle has on Bilott’s family life with his wife, Sarah, (played by Anne Hathaway) and their sons. Ruffalo gives a strong, intense performance as Bilott and we can feel his commitment to the situation. Tim Robbins delivers a great performance as Bilott’s boss at his company, allowing him to keep working on this case even though it ends up taking 13 years to resolve. What’s the story behind PFOA and PFAs? Dark Waters highlights the dire reality of pollution from this class of harmful chemicals called PFAS. PFOA is just one of these and it’s found in Teflon, carpets, waterproof clothing, grease-proof paper and some packaging. Most people have heard of the dangers of PFOA and many frying pans now have packaging promoting they are ‘PFOA free.’ At a time like this with the COVID-19 pandemic affecting most of the world’s population, it’s even scarier to know that the health issues linked with PFAS contamination include a reduced response to vaccines. The threat of PFAS contamination is not limited to the US. There have been major contaminations in Europe and unfortunately, here in Australia, we’re not exempt either. A story in the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/toxic-secrets-where-the-sites-with-pfas-contamination-are-near-you-20180616-p4zlxc.html" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)">Sydney Morning Herald,</a> written by Carrie Fellner and Patrick Begley in June 2018, reports at least 90 sites across Australia are now under investigation for elevated levels of PFAS chemicals. You can limit your exposure to PFAS The<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/environment/factsheets/Pages/pfos.aspx" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)"> NSW Health Department’s website</a> has lots of information about PFAS and what you can do to limit your exposure. Our Defence Department has manufactured these chemicals as well and so did an American company called 3M which operated within Australia. You can see the 90 sites where PFAS have contaminated the area on the map <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/toxic-secrets-where-the-sites-with-pfas-contamination-are-near-you-20180616-p4zlxc.html" target="_blank">below.</a> (This map is republished from a story in the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/toxic-secrets-where-the-sites-with-pfas-contamination-are-near-you-20180616-p4zlxc.html" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)">Sydney Morning Herald, </a>written by Carrie Fellner and Patrick Begley in June 2018.) <img class="wp-image-118038" src="https://womenlovetech.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Dark-Waters-Map.jpg" alt="Dark Waters map" /> The <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/environment/factsheets/Pages/pfos.aspx" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)">NSW Health Department website </a>has some tips of what you can do to minimise your exposure to PFAS if you live in a PFAS affected area. This list includes being careful not to use groundwater, bore water or surface water for drinking or cooking. They say, using town water from the taps is OK but to be even safer, filtering your tap water would be a good idea. Images: Dark Waters

Movies

How do animals see in the dark?

On a moonless night, light levels can be more than 100m times <a href="http://bit.ly/2mZLkEL">dimmer than in bright daylight</a>. Yet while we are nearly blind and quite helpless in the dark, cats are out stalking prey, and moths are flying agilely between flowers on our balconies. While we sleep, millions of other animals rely on their visual systems to survive. The same is true of animals who inhabit the eternal darkness of the deep sea. In fact, the overwhelming majority of the world’s animals are primarily active in dim light. How is their formidable visual performance possible, especially in insects, with tiny eyes and brains less than the size of a grain of rice? What optical and neural strategies have they evolved to allow them to see so well in dim light? To answer these questions, we turned our attentions to nocturnal insects. Despite their diminutive visual systems, it turns out that nocturnal insects see amazingly well in dim light. In recent years we have discovered that nocturnal insects can avoid and fixate on obstacles <a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/348/6240/1245">during flight</a>, <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v419/n6910/full/nature01065.html">distinguish colours</a>, <a href="http://bit.ly/2mi1XqU">detect faint movements</a>, learn visual landmarks and <a href="http://bit.ly/2miaSIF">use them for homing</a>. They can even orient themselves using the faint celestial polarisation pattern <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v424/n6944/full/424033a.html">produced by the moon</a>, and navigate using the constellations of <a href="http://bit.ly/2nvmNUu">stars in the sky</a>. In many cases, this visual performance seems almost to defy what’s physically possible. For example, the nocturnal Central American sweat bee, Megalopta genalis, absorbs just five photons (light particles) into its tiny eyes when light levels are at their lowest – a <a href="http://bit.ly/2miaSIF">vanishingly small visual signal</a>. And yet, in the dead of night, it can navigate the dense and tangled rainforest on a foraging trip and make it safely back to its nest – an inconspicuous hollowed-out stick suspended within the forest understorey. To find out how this kind of performance is possible, we recently began to study nocturnal hawkmoths. These beautiful insects –- the hummingbirds of the invertebrate world –- are sleek, fast-flying moths that are constantly on the lookout for nectar-laden flowers. Once a flower is found, the moth hovers in front of it, sucking the nectar out using its proboscis, a mouth-like tube. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/160495/original/image-20170313-19263-1u8f9id.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /> Deilephila elpenor. Shutterstock The nocturnal European Elephant hawkmoth, Deilephila elpenor, is a gorgeous creature cloaked in feathery pink and green scales and does all its nectar gathering in the dead of night. A number of years ago we discovered that this moth can distinguish colours at night, the first nocturnal animal <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v419/n6910/full/nature01065.html">known to do so</a>. But this moth recently revealed another of its secrets: the neural tricks it uses to see well in extremely dim light. These tricks are certainly used by other nocturnal insects like Megalopta. By studying the physiology of neural circuits in the visual centres of the brain, we discovered that Deilephila can see reliably in dim light by effectively adding together the photons it has collected from different points <a href="http://bit.ly/2mi1XqU">in space and time</a>. For time, this is a little like increasing the shutter time on a camera in dim light. By allowing the shutter to stay open longer, more light reaches the image sensor and a brighter image is produced. The downside is that anything moving rapidly – like a passing car – will not be resolved and so the insect won’t be able to see it. <h2>Neural summation</h2> To add together photons in space, the individual pixels of the image sensor can be pooled together to create fewer but larger (and so more light-sensitive) “super pixels”. Again, the downside of this strategy is that even though the image becomes brighter, it also becomes blurrier and finer spatial details disappear. But for a nocturnal animal straining to see in the dark, the ability to see a brighter world that is coarser and slower is likely to be better than seeing nothing at all (which would be the only alternative). Our physiological work has revealed that this neural summation of photons in time and space is immensely beneficial to nocturnal Deilephila. At all nocturnal light intensities, from dusk to starlight levels, summation substantially boosts Deilephila’s ability to see well in dim light. In fact, thanks to these neural mechanisms, Deilephila can see at light intensities around 100 times dimmer than it could otherwise. The benefits of summation are so great that other nocturnal insects, like Megalopta, very likely rely on it to see well in dim light as well. The world seen by nocturnal insects may not be as sharp or as well resolved in time as that experienced by their day-active relatives. But summation ensures that it is bright enough to detect and intercept potential mates, to pursue and capture prey, to navigate to and from a nest and to negotiate obstacles during flight. Without this ability it would be as blind as the rest of us.<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/74101/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/eric-warrant-344184">Eric Warrant</a>, Professor of Zoology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/lund-university-756">Lund University</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-do-animals-see-in-the-dark-74101">original article</a>. Image: United States Geological Survey

Family & Pets

If you laugh at these dark jokes, you’re probably a genius

Body:A man walks into a rooftop bar and takes a seat next to another guy. “What are you drinking?” he asks the guy. “Magic beer,” he says. “Oh, yeah? What’s so magical about it?” Then he shows him: He swigs some beer, dives off the roof, flies around the building, then finally returns to his seat with a triumphant smile. “Amazing!” the man says. “Lemme try some of that!” The man grabs the beer. He downs it, leaps off the roof – and plummets 15 storeys to the ground. The bartender shakes his head. “You know, you’re a real jerk when you’re drunk, Superman.” — Let’s ignore for a moment whether or not that poor rube survived his fall (if it makes you feel better, let’s say Trampoline Man was waiting for him on the ground). The real question is: did you find this joke funny? Sick? Maybe a little of both? According to a <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10339-016-0789-y">study</a> published in the journal Cognitive Processing, your reaction could indicate your intelligence. In the paper, a team of psychologists concludes that people who appreciate dark humour – defined as “humour that treats sinister subjects like death, disease, deformity, handicap or warfare with bitter amusement and presents such tragic, distressing or morbid topics in humorous terms” – may have higher IQs, show lower aggression and resist negative feelings more effectively than people who turn up their noses at it. To test this correlation between sense of humour and intellect, researchers had 156 male and female participants read 12 bleak cartoons from The Black Book by German <a href="http://www.ulistein.de/">cartoonist</a> Uli Stein. (<a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10339-016-0789-y">One</a> of them, which paraphrases a classic joke, shows a mortician reaching deep into a cadaver as a nurse muses, “The autopsy is finished; he is only looking for his wrist watch.”) Participants indicated whether they understood each joke and whether they found it funny, then took some basic IQ tests and answered questionnaires about their mood, aggressive tendencies and educational background. The results were remarkably consistent: Participants who both comprehended and enjoyed the dark jokes showed higher IQs and reported less aggressive tendencies than those who did not. Incidentally, the participants who least liked the humour showed the highest levels of aggression and the worst moods of the bunch. The latter point makes sense when you consider the widely-studied health benefits of laughter and smiling; if you aren’t able to greet negativity with playful optimism, of course you will feel worse. But what about the link to intelligence? According to the <a href="http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2017/01/a-twisted-sense-of-humor-just-means-youre-a-chill-genius.html">researchers</a>, processing a dark joke takes a bit more mental gymnastics than, say, a knock-knock joke – it’s “a complex information-processing task” that requires parsing multiple layers of meaning, while creating a bit of emotional distance from the content so that it registers as benign instead of hostile. That emotional manoeuvering is what sets dark jokes apart from, say, puns, which literally pit your brain’s right and left hemispheres <a href="http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2016/12/heres-what-happens-in-your-brain-when-you-hear-a-pun.html">against each other</a> as you process a single word’s multiple meanings, but usually don’t force you out of your emotional comfort zone. Tina Fey sums up the difference pretty well: “If you want to make an audience laugh, you dress a man up like an old lady and push her down the stairs. If you want to make comedy writers laugh, you push an actual old lady down the stairs.” The takeaway: Pretty much any joke that relies on wordplay will put your brain to work – dark jokes just require a bit more emotional control to earn a laugh.

Mind

Heath Ledger: A life in pictures

Iconic Australian film star Heath Ledger passed away today at the age of 28 due to an accidental mixture of prescription drugs. Ledger’s career first started in the early 90s with smaller roles, but he quickly shot to fame after appearing in the hit 1999 American romantic comedy 10 Things I Hate About You. This role, where he broke hearts as bad boy Patrick Verona, earned him several awards and brought him directly into the public eye. Ledger went on to star in 2001’s A Knight’s Tale, which developed a cult following in later years despite not being popular at the time. It was only once he appeared in 2005’s controversial film Brokeback Mountain, which saw Ledger fall in love with another shepherd, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, that he received critical acclaim for his role as the film showed his diverse acting range. It was also while filming Brokeback Mountain where Ledger met his partner Michelle Williams and their love resulted in a daughter called Matilda. Long-time friend Matt Amato told <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://people.com/celebrity/heath-ledger-documentary-natural-dad-to-matilda/" target="_blank">People</a> that Ledger was a “natural dad”. “I met Matilda three days after she was born and they were just a beautiful painting together,” he said. “He just held her and would wrap her in her blanket. He wasn’t treating her in any precious way, he was just natural and just trusted the whole thing, and I was really struck by that. And that’s kind of how it always was.” In 2008, Ledger appeared in his iconic role as the Joker in The Dark Knight, which was a role he received widespread acclaim for. After his passing, Ledger was posthumously awarded the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role. He also won a Screen Actors Guild award for Male Actor in a Supporting Role in The Dark Knight. Scroll through the gallery to see Ledger throughout the years.

Caring

The dark side of supportive relationships

Imagine that you’ve had a heated argument with a co-worker, and you call up your husband or wife to talk about it. Your partner can react in one of two ways. They can assure you that you were right, your co-worker was wrong and that you have a right to be upset. Or your partner can encourage you to look at the conflict objectively. They can point out reasons why your co-worker may not be so blameworthy after all. Which of these responses would you prefer? Do you want a partner who unconditionally has your back, or one who plays devil’s advocate? Which is better for you in the long run? <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-50034-001">In a recent study</a>, we wanted to explore the contours and repercussions of this common relationship dynamic. Do we want unconditional support? If you’re like most people, you probably want a partner who has your back. We all tend to want empathetic partners who understand us, care for our needs and validate our views. These qualities – which relationship researchers <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2011-12631-002">refer to as interpersonal responsiveness</a> – are viewed as a key ingredient in strong relationships. Research <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-17764-005">has identified</a> links between having a responsive partner and being happy and well adjusted. But having an empathetic partner isn’t always a good thing – especially when it comes to your conflicts with others outside the relationship. When we get into an argument with someone, <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0022-3514.59.5.994">we tend to minimize our own contribution to the dispute and overstate what our adversary did wrong</a>. This can make the conflict worse. After being involved in a dispute, we’ll often turn to our partners to vent and seek support. In our study, we found that empathetic and caring partners were more likely to agree with their loved ones’ negative views of their adversary and blame the adversary for the conflict. We also found that people whose relationship partners responded this way ended up being far more motivated to avoid their adversaries, tended to view them as bad and immoral, and were less interested in reconciliation. In fact, a full 56% of those who had received this type of empathy reported avoiding their adversaries, which can harm conflict resolution and often involves cutting off the relationship. On the other hand, among the participants who didn’t receive this sort of support from their partners, only 19% reported avoiding their adversaries. Receiving empathy from partners also was related to conflict escalation: After their partners took their side, 20% of participants wanted to see their adversary “hurt and miserable,” compared to only 6% of those who did not receive this sort of support. And 41% of those who received empathetic responses tried to live as if their adversary didn’t exist, compared to only 15% of those who didn’t receive unwavering support. Long-term consequences These dynamics became entrenched over time. They kept people from resolving their disputes, even as people found their partners’ responses to be emotionally gratifying. For this reason, they continued to vent, which created more opportunities to fan the flames of conflict. People seem to seek partners who end up making their conflicts worse over time. What’s the lesson here? We often want partners who makes us feel understood, cared for and validated. And it’s natural to want our loved ones to feel supported. But soothing and validating responses aren’t always in our best long-term interests. Just as prioritizing immediate emotional gratification over the pursuit of long-term goals <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.0022-3506.2004.00263.x">can be costly</a>, there are downsides when partners prioritize making us feel good in the moment over helping us properly wrestle with life’s difficult problems from a rational, unbiased perspective. Those who want to better support their loved ones’ long-term welfare might want to consider first providing empathy and an opportunity to vent, but then moving on to the more difficult work of helping loved ones think objectively about their conflicts and acknowledge that, in most conflicts, both parties have some blame for the conflict, and just see the situation from very different perspectives. The truth can hurt. But sometimes an objective, dispassionate confidant is what we need most. <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/edward-lemay-908525">Edward Lemay</a>, Associate Professor of Psychology, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-maryland-1347">University of Maryland</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michele-gelfand-205936">Michele Gelfand</a>, Distinguished University Professor, Department of Psychology, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-maryland-1347">University of Maryland</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-dark-side-of-supportive-relationships-128591">original article</a>.

Relationships

Jojo Rabbit: Hitler humour and a child's eye view of war make for dark satire

Jojo Rabbit is not Disney Studios’ first foray into Hitler parody. In 1943, it produced <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L90smU0SOcQ">der Fuehrer’s Face</a> – an anti-Nazi film inside Donald Duck’s nightmares. Now, Disney is the Australian distributor of Jojo Rabbit, a story of a young boy whose imaginary friend (and buffoonish life coach) is Adolf Hitler. In this dark satire, from the Polynesian-Jewish-New Zealand director Taika Waititi who brought us <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4698684/">Hunt for the Wilderpeople</a>, Nazi Germany is in its waning days. The Germans have all but lost the second world war but 10-year-old Johannes “Jojo” Betzel (Roman Griffin Davis) believes he, and he alone, will be the Aryan hero to turn the tide. The boy’s imaginary friend, a hilariously incompetent Hitler (played by Waititi in blue contact lenses and the trademark moustache), cheers him on. When asked to kill a rabbit to get into the Hitler Youth, Jojo baulks, though he does almost manage to kill himself in a grenade stunt. “You’re still the bestest, most loyal little Nazi I’ve ever met,” the fantasy Fuhrer enthuses. Through children’s eyes Themes and images of children have often been central in films exploring WWII. Steven Spielberg famously used <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUJ187mkMq8">“the girl in red coat”</a> to create a powerfully moving symbol of innocence in <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/movies/article/2017/03/31/schindlers-list-one-most-visually-powerful-war-films-ever-made">Schindler’s List</a> (1993). Immediately after the war, a stream of films, including Roberto Rosselini’s <a href="https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1358-germany-year-zero-the-humanity-of-the-defeated%22%22">Germany Year Zero</a> (1948), Gerhard Lamprecht’s <a href="https://ecommerce.umass.edu/defa/film/6025">Somewhere in Berlin</a> (1946), and Fred Zinnemann’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu8h7OyX8-Y">The Search</a> (1948) looked at wartime trauma through injuries acquired by children. Like Jojo’s grenade mishap, their wounds were permanent. In war films, children’s perspectives don’t diminish the ghastliness of war. Quite the contrary. When war and its pervasive horror spills over from the battlefield and intrudes on their youth, viewers are appalled at its spread. Containing that disease of war, curing it even, is where Waititi’s takedown of fascist group-think truly begins. How will Jojo escape the brainwash army of Reichswehr propaganda parrots like Rebel Wilson’s Fräulein? There are several steps. The first one for Jojo is finding out his mother has been hiding a Jewish girl in the attic. Scarlett Johansson gives an enchanting performance as a single mum who tries to keep the embers of humanity and love in Jojo’s heart alive as he gets lost in Nazi doctrines of vile anti-Semitism. Jojo starts falling for Elsa Korr (Thomasin McKenzie), the hideaway in his attic, as her humanity – and his pre-pubescent hormones – triumph over fascist indoctrination. Through Jojo’s eyes, we see Elsa turn from monster into human as he comes back from the brink of fanatic hatred. Waititi hides that innocent, simple love story under slapstick and a ton of special effects. The latter don’t always work. And some of the jokes fall flat. But what works is the message that Jojo is both manipulated and self-manipulating. His Nazi hate is a cage of his own making, and Elsa is the key to unlocking it. She teaches him that empathy for those who we think are different from us is powerful. <iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VTqd4yNFuSw?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> Irreverent or irresponsible? Hitler comedies have a long history. In 1940, Charlie Chaplin released <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVLQ8lNd1Pk">The Great Dictator</a>. Mel Brooks created <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brkp2VhzdDI">The Producers</a> in 1968. German filmmakers Dani Levy (<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780568/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">My Führer – The Really Truest Truth about Adolf Hitler</a>, 2007) and David Wnendt (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylstybS6rqw&list=PL-2fuUy0f-jOu3bV_Bj1Uh-SbTO8OCK1A&index=2&t=0s">Look Who’s Back</a>, 2015) strived to find the right balance between comedy and drama. Like Waititi, those filmmakers experienced how mining sombre Holocaust themes and hateful iconography for the ridiculous splits public reactions along extreme lines. The critics bemoaned that Levy committed only halfheartedly to a funny Hitler, making the film the worst thing a comedy can be: too harmless. Wnendt faced another issue. He intercut his film with hidden camera footage of Germans reacting to the lead actor dressed as Hitler. People thought this was too much realism. Waititi <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-09/jojo-rabbit-review-and-taika-waititi-on-making-comic-hitler/11721074">says</a> he didn’t look at these forerunners and didn’t do any research on Hitler. He looked to literature instead. Jojo Rabbit uses the masterful dramatic novel <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25641300-caging-skies?from_search=true&qid=ev2DKS7scE&rank=1">Caging Skies</a> by New Zealand-Belgian author Christine Leuens as source material. The book doesn’t have the same generous scoops of comedy and tragedy found in Ladislav Fuks’ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/725311.Mr_Theodore_Mundstock">Mr. Theodore Mundstock</a>, or in <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18582851-the-nazi-and-the-barber">The Nazi and the Barber</a> by Edgar Hilsenrath. It’s all the more reason to recognise what Waititi has tried to accomplish. He had to negotiate between a book adaptation, Holocaust memory, and Hollywood. Commenting on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJSwD_17qjY">his motivation</a> for making the film, Watiti, whose mother is Jewish, said: “I just want people to be more tolerant and spread more love and less hate”. <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/benjamin-nickl-594248">Benjamin Nickl</a>, Lecturer in International Comparative Literature and Translation Studies, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/jojo-rabbit-hitler-humour-and-a-childs-eye-view-of-war-make-for-dark-satire-128622">original article</a>.

Movies

5 dark secrets of web travel sites

Booking a trip on an online travel site is convenient, but comes with its own set of problems. 1. They know who’s on a Mac and who’s on a PC – and who’s going to spend more. Last year, US travel research company Orbitz tracked people’s online activities to test out whether Mac users spend more on travel than PC users. Turns out that on average, Mac users lay out US$20-30 more per night on hotels and go for more stars, according to the Wall Street Journal. As a result, online travel sites show these users more expensive travel options first. To avoid inadvertently paying more, sort results by price. 2. Their software doesn’t always hook up to the hotel’s system. A guaranteed reservation is almost impossible to come by anywhere – but the risk of your flight or hotel being overbooked increases with third-party providers. The middleman’s software isn’t immune to system errors, so always call the hotel or airline to make sure your booking was processed. 3. Don’t be fooled by packages: Often, they’re low-end items grouped together. Ever notice how travel sites recommend a hotel, a rental car, and tour package all in one click? These deals usually feature travel that no-one wants, like flights with multiple layovers. Check the fine print. 4. You could miss out on loyalty points. Third party providers can get between you and frequent flyer miles or points. Many hotel loyalty programmes don’t recognise external sites, others award only minimum points and exclude special offers, like double points on hotel stays. 5. Once your trip is purchased, you’re on your own. An online travel agency can’t provide assistance the same way an agent can if a flight is cancelled or a room is substandard. Basically, when you arrive at the airport or hotel, you’re just another client who booked at the lowest rate. Written by Sheri Alzeerah. This article first appeared in <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/travel/tips/5-Secrets-of-Web-Travel-Sites">Reader’s Digest</a>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, <a href="http://readersdigest.innovations.co.nz/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&utm_medium=articles&utm_campaign=RDSUB&keycode=WRN93V">here’s our best subscription offer.</a>

Travel Trouble

Why do we get dark circles under our eyes?

I’ve always wondered why we get dark circles under our eyes, and whether anything can be done about them - Fran, 34, Melbourne Many people have an appearance of dark circles on the lower eyelids, and they have many different causes. Dark rings under the eyes are worsened by general fatigue, especially lack of sleep. The daily fluctuation is due to swelling of the skin, leading to a change in light diffusion, which looks like increased darkness of the skin. For some people, all we can say is that their parents had dark circles under their eyes and therefore they do too. This trait can <a href="http://www.pigmentinternational.com/article.asp?issn=2349-5847;year=2018;volume=5;issue=1;spage=1;epage=3;aulast=Daroach">run in families</a>, and is more pronounced in certain ethnic groups. Sun exposure can also create dark circles under the eyes, by increasing the melanin content. The skin in this region can pigment more than the surrounding skin because it’s more sensitive. Because the skin is thinnest under the eyes, the blood vessels here will be closer to the surface, meaning they look darker. As we age, our skin gets thinner and we lose collagen (the main structural protein in skin) and elastin (a highly elastic protein in connective tissue), which is why we get wrinkles. This often makes the blood vessels (which are dark in colour) under our eyes stand out more. The tear trough (the depression below the eye) also deepens with age because of movement of fat under the eye forwards, creating shadowing below it. The dark circles could also be a mere shadow from tired, puffy eyelids, or just from the anatomical shape of someone’s eye sockets: some are hollowed more than others. People with this appearance could be suffering from a skin condition of the eyelid skin such as eczema or allergic contact dermatitis. Inflammation from dry and sore skin, and also rubbing, cause melanin production. Some people may not always have dark circles, but may have been rubbing their eyes from fatigue or itchiness caused by hayfever. In these cases, the dark rings will simply go away after a while. Can dark circles under the eyes be treated? Darker skin under the eyes is a perfectly normal and natural appearance. But if it bothers you, there are a few options. Treatment will depend on what causes the dark circles, and these causes need to be addressed. In some cases, only an improvement may be possible. Removing the cause of inflammation of the eyelids will stop the melanin factory from overproducing. Then a fading cream can be used to reduce the colour. Be careful to use a cream without hydroquinone, which is a bleach that can harm our skin if used for too long, as it will be necessary to treat for a very long time. Ideally a fading cream would contain <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3663177/">licorice root extract</a>, as there is some evidence this inhibits the melanin factory in the cells without causing toxicity to the cells. Uva-Ursi plant leaf extract and a type of nanopeptide (Nanopeptide-1) are also commonly used. But while we know they are safe to use their effectiveness hasn’t been tested. Written by Michael Freeman, Dermatologist, Associate Professor, Bond University. Republished with permission of <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/ive-always-wondered-why-do-we-get-dark-circles-under-our-eyes-90172" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.

Body

“Seriously, how is this happening?”: Woman falls asleep on flight and gets locked in dark plane

Tiffani Adams woke up in a dark and locked plane after falling asleep on a flight. She took a 90-minute Air Canada flight from Quebec to Toronto on June 9 and, after falling asleep during her journey, she woke up to find the plane empty, dark and parked in Toronto. Her friend posted a Facebook post on her behalf to Air Canada’s Facebook page detailing her experience. "I fell asleep probably less than halfway through my short 1.5 hour flight," Adams said. "I wake up around midnight (few hours after flight landed) freezing cold still strapped in my seat in complete darkness (I'm talking pitch black)." Adams started to panic and call her friend who was waiting for her flight to land, but her phone died during the call. Adams then tried to charge her phone but found that the plane’s power had been switched off. "I can't charge my phone to call for help I'm full on panicking [because] I want off this nightmare asap," she said. "As someone with an anxiety disorder as is I can tell you how terrifying this was," Adams explained. "I think I'm having a bad dream bc like seriously how is this happening!!?" After finding a torch and making her way to the main door, she was unable to negotiate the drop beneath her as it was 50 feet (15 metres) above the ground. However, she was rescued by a man in a luggage cart who was “in shock” to see her on the plane. “When I see the luggage cart driving towards me I am literally dangling my legs out of the plane. He is in shock asking how the heck they left me on the plane. I’m wondering the same.” An airline spokesperson for Air Canada spoke with <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/woman-asleep-plane-locked-asleep-toronto-pearson-airport-quebec-a8970506.html" target="_blank">The Independent</a> and confirmed the account. They also were told that Air Canada is reviewing the incident and have remained in contact with the passenger. Read the full Facebook post below. <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Faircanada%2Fposts%2F2367790213268860&width=500" width="500" height="293" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe>

International Travel

Tim Allen’s dark past: How he almost served a life sentence in prison

Apart from the Hollywood glamour that surrounds Toy Story star Tim Allen, it may be difficult to believe he lived a much different life over 40 years ago – one so different, he almost served a life sentence in prison. The 66-year-old was only 25 when he was arrested at Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport for attempting to sell cocaine to an undercover officer. It was revealed the young and brooding Allen had over 650 grams of the illegal drug in possession, which is more than enough to earn a hefty life sentence. He pled guilty and gave the names of other dealers in exchange for a sentence of three to seven years instead of the life imprisonment he was facing. “It put me in a position of great humility, and I was able to make amends to friends and family and refocus my life on setting and achieving goals.” the actor told <a rel="noopener" href="http://www.closerweekly.com/posts/tim-allen-life-128954" target="_blank">Closer</a> in 2017. “I’m not the same guy I was the first time [I was married], when I was hiding and doing what people who drink too much do. I was not connecting.” The star spent two years and four months in a federal prison following his 1978 arrest. Allen was married to Laura Deibel from 1984 to 1999 and they share a 21-year-old daughter, Katherine. He married Jane Hajduk in 2006 and they have an 11-year-old daughter, Elizabeth.

Movies

The dark side of believing in true love

The concept of soulmates is part and parcel of a tale as old as time. For the romantic at heart, a belief in one true love might be the guiding principle in finding partners and starting a new romance. Psychologists have found that this very belief – or lack thereof – may play a significant part in how your relationship turns out. Whether or not we believe in romantic destiny strongly impacts the way we maintain partnerships, how long they last and how satisfied we are likely to be with them. According to the implicit theories of relationships, there are two kinds of approaches to romance. The first is the “soulmate” or “destiny” approach, which believes that one is destined or meant to be with a specific person. The second is the “work-it-out” or “growth” approach, which holds that compatibility is cultivated and developed through effort. Renae Franiuk, a psychology professor at Aurora University said people with soulmate beliefs are more likely to agree with the following statements: <ul> <li>“There is a person out there who is perfect (or near perfect) for me.”</li> <li>“I couldn’t marry someone unless I was passionately in love with him or her.”</li> <li>“The reason most marriages fail is that people aren't right for each other.”</li> </ul> On the other hand, people with growth beliefs tend to agree with these statements: <ul> <li>“Success in a romantic relationship is based mostly on how much people try to make the relationship work.”</li> <li>“How well you know someone depends on how long you have known him or her.”</li> <li>“I could be happily married to most people, if they were reasonable.”</li> </ul> Franiuk said more people believe in the soulmate theory than expected. “People have a tendency to think they will be a ‘work-it-out’ type but we see pretty high endorsement for ‘soulmate’,” she told <a href="http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20190211-the-dark-side-of-believing-in-true-love">BBC</a>. “It’s not surprising that we want to believe these ideas when so much in Western culture pushes people towards them.” When problems arise in a relationship, soulmate theorists are more likely to disengage and even leave, as they may see any fault as a sign of fundamental incompatibility. “They want to go in search of that right person,” Franiuk told <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/tapestry/love-in-the-lab-1.5112420/how-believing-in-soulmates-can-seriously-impact-your-relationships-1.5112526">CBC</a>. Their breakups also tend to be less than amicable. Subscribers to soulmate beliefs may prefer to “ghost” or avoid contact until the other person gives up. They may not see their disengagement as a negative, as they believe there is no point in providing feedback for someone who is not ideal for them. However, once they find someone that fits their ideal “soulmate” image, they are more willing to overlook flaws and mistakes. “They exaggerate the good qualities of their partner and they downplay the bad qualities,” said Franiuk. This may also include violations such as betrayals, cheating and abuse. “When [violence] starts early, soulmate theorists leave quickly. But when it starts later in the relationship, soulmate theorists are more likely to be in a violent relationship than work-it-out theorists.” On the other hand, growth theorists are more likely to address relationship problems head-on and come out with a strengthened commitment to each other and a better feeling about the relationship. These people are also less affected by the discrepancy between the real and ideal partner, or whether they are with the “right one”. “But they also don't get that boost from believing they're with the right person, whereas soulmate theorists get that boost of happiness from believing they've found their soulmate,” said Franiuk. These two theories are not mutually exclusive. “You can have beliefs that relationships improve when couples work on them together, but [still trust] there is still the ‘right’ person out there for you,” Gili Freedman, a psychologist at St Mary's College of Maryland told BBC. Nor is one approach necessarily better than the other. While destiny believers may miss out on potentially successful relationships that require more time to bloom, growth believers may over-compromise to make flailing romance work. “I see benefits to both,” said Franiuk.

Relationships

Michael J Fox opens up about recent health struggles: "To get to that place is pretty dark"

Michael J Fox has opened up about his recent health struggles. The actor and comedian, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991, revealed his new health problems in an interview with <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/03/01/magazine/michael-j-fox-parkinsons-acting.html?module=inline" target="_blank">The NY Times</a>. “I was having the recurring problem with my spinal cord,” said the 57-year-old. “I was told it was benign but if it stayed static I would have diminished feeling in my legs and difficulty moving. Then all of a sudden I started falling – a lot. It was getting ridiculous. I was trying to parse what was the Parkinson’s and what was the spinal thing.” Fox revealed that he was heading for work in August 2018 when he fell and fractured his arm, resulting in him getting 19 pins and a plate to repair the bones. While the Back To The Future star did not believe that these medical struggles happened “for a reason”, he said: “I do think the more unexpected something is, the more there is to learn from it. In my case, what was it that made me skip down the hallway to the kitchen thinking I was fine when I’d been in a wheelchair six months earlier?” <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7824313/1michael-j-fox-embed.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/5ad3eab7f8354ec998a6d05fe128b6e9" /> Michael J. Fox attends the 2018 Fan Expo Canada at Metro Toronto Convention Centre on August 31, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. Fox is currently working on a book about his health journey. “I realized that the understanding I’d reached with Parkinson’s was sincere but risked being glib,” he said. “I’d made peace with the disease but presumed others had that same relationship when they didn’t. Then when I started to deal with the effects from the spinal surgery, I realized: 'Wow, it can get a lot worse.' “My health issues last year brought me to places where I started to say, ‘Was it false hope I’d been selling? Is there a line beyond which there is no consolation?’ For me to get to that place is pretty dark.” Upon finding out his diagnosis at the age of 29, Fox took up numerous jobs in comedy films that turned out to be critical and commercial flops. “I was so scared,” he said. “I’m fine now but back then I wasn’t in the ‘I’m fine now.’ I was in the ‘I’m going to be bad.’ That thinking didn’t allow me to trust that I could make a decision without worrying about time restrictions or financial pressures – which were inflated in my head.” Fox said he only began to accept his disease in 1994 and went public with it in 1998. He went on to open the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, a foundation dedicated to finding a cure for the disease, in 2000.

Dark bruising sparks concerns for the Queen’s health

Concerns over the Queen’s health have been raised after fans spotted deep bruising on the 92-year-old’s hands in a recent photograph. During a meeting with the King and Queen of Jordan, the monarch revealed purple-pink blemishes sparking speculation over her wellbeing. The Palace refused to comment on the reason behind the marks. The bruising could have been caused by a medical condition called peripheral cyanosis, which occurs when there are low oxygen levels in the red blood cells. But the discolouration could also be a sign of an underlying condition. Bruising can be caused by a multitude of things such as artery problems, beta blockers, blood pressure medicine or blood clots restricting the blood supply. While the bruising may be due to cold temperatures, that seems unlikely as the area has recently seen a bout of warm weather. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-center" data-lang="en-gb"> Today The Queen, with The Princess Royal, hosted Their Majesties The King and Queen of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, <a href="https://twitter.com/KingAbdullahII?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KingAbdullahII</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/QueenRania?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@QueenRania</a>, and their son The Crown Prince at Buckingham Palace. <a href="https://t.co/jMjdm5na8h">pic.twitter.com/jMjdm5na8h</a> — The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) <a href="https://twitter.com/RoyalFamily/status/1101127897014849536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">28 February 2019</a></blockquote> It could be that the Queen has always had the marks, but as she wears gloves during public appearances, it hasn’t been noticed until now. But Twitter went into a frenzy after the photograph was revealed, with many noticing the blemishes right away. “I love keeping up with Queen Elizabeth II but I’m concerned,” said one user. “Why does she have such a terrible bruise on her left hand?” Another user was the voice of reason, saying “the lady is 92” and that “at that age any little knock unfortunately turns into what can look like severe bruises". Speaking to the <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/auhome/index.html" target="_blank">Daily Mail</a>, medical expert Emma Hammett said that it’s possible “this serious looking bruise resulted from a relatively minor injury". Ms Hammett said that older people are susceptible to bruising as the tissue underneath their already-thin skin is fragile.

Caring

5 dark facts about the scandalous world of Old Hollywood

We all look back at Old Hollywood movies with a sense of fondness. What seemed like simpler times and glitz and glamour, Old Hollywood sparked a dream in all of us, an ideal lifestyle that we hoped to obtain. But behind the flashing lights and the black and white cameras, Old Hollywood was embroiled in scandal and controversy. Here are the top 5 darkest facts about tinsel town: 1. Judy Garland’s twisted past Judy Garland was a household name. After starring in the classic musical, The Wizard of Oz, the star shot to fame. But unfortunately, her downfall came as quickly as her success. Garland was surrounded by people who used her for their monetary benefit. Whether it was greedy film producers or her own mother, who was known to be a notorious stage mum, Garland had an upsetting life to say the least. One incident in particular was the most twisted of all, and it was the moment her mother and Hollywood executives forced Garland to get an abortion. A concept that was illegal at the time with those involved keeping the entire process hush. 2. The rise and fall of Montgomery Clift Montgomery Clift was one of Hollywood’s biggest names during his time – that is until May 12, 1956. A method actor who gave multiple Oscar-nominated performances, Clift starred in movies From Here to Eternity, A Place in The Sun and The Search. But it all came crashing down when Clift was involved in a car accident after falling asleep behind the wheel. Clift was forced to live a life of constant physical and mental pain, and soon became addicted to alcohol and painkillers. Many dubbed his life as “the longest suicide in Hollywood history”. 3. The curse of The Misfits One of Clift’s final films was The Misfits, a movie considered to carry a dark curse on anyone who associated with it. While it failed at the box office at the time, Rotten Tomatoes has since given the movie a 100 per cent rating. The film starred plenty of big names such as Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe. But soon after the movie began production, people’s lives were thrown into a discourse. Monroe overdosed on set after her relationship with Miller ended. She died a year after the movie wrapped up. Gable died of a heart attack only a few short days after filming, and Clift was involved in the accident that destroyed his career. Five years after the movie finished filming, Clift was informed by a friend that it was airing on television, to which he refused to watch. It was that night that Clift was found dead due to a heart attack. 4. Frank Sinatra and his temperament It’s no secret that Frank Sinatra was not particularly pleasant. Jazz wasn’t the only reason he was famous, as many knew him as the man who would spew obscenities at valets, reporters, wives and friends. But in one satisfying occasion involving Marlon Brando, Sinatra told the actor that his method acting was “crap” and gave him the nickname “Mumbles” for the way he spoke. But Brando didn’t take any of it, as during a filming of a musical Sinatra was starring in, Brando intentionally ruined scenes of Sinatra eating a cheesecake multiple times, forcing him to eat so much cake that he threw his plate on the ground and broke down screaming. 5. The master of misogyny Alfred Hitchcock was known to be one of the greatest directors of his time. Directing multiple films that garnered high praise from critics and viewers alike. But his movie The Birds, starring Tippi Hedren, turned out to be a decision the actress would later regret. Hitchcock became so obsessed with Hedren that he would stalk her throughout the filming of the movie, keeping her isolated from the rest of the cast. When she spoke up against the mistreatment, Hitchcock sabotaged her career, and being Old Hollywood, there was nothing she could do about it. Scroll through the gallery above to be transported back in time. Are you a fan of Old Hollywood movies? Which one is your favourite? Tell us in the comments below.

Movies

Lyndey Milan's Dark Chocolate Ganache Shells

Celebrity home cook Lyndey Milan shares a rich and creamy dark chocolate treat the whole family will love! Plus, it's super easy – and super fast – to prepare. Ingredients: <ul> <li>150g good quality dark chocolate</li> <li>2 tablespoons (40ml) thick cream</li> <li>1 tablespoon (20ml) Grand Marnier or Cointreau (optional)</li> </ul> Directions: <ol> <li>Heat cream in a very small saucepan or microwave and boil until it reduces by half. Stir in the liqueur if using. Pour over broken dark chocolate in a dry heatproof bowl and either microwave for 1-2 minutes on 50% power until chocolate has melted; or place over a saucepan of simmering water until chocolate has melted. Do not overheat the chocolate.</li> <li>Stir until combined, but do not overbeat. Refrigerate and stir occasionally until it is firming up evenly.</li> <li>Put into a piping bag with a plain wide nozzle and pipe into the round petite silicon moulds. Alternatively, spoon in. Level off any excess with a spatula. Refrigerate until firm then turn out.</li> </ol> Tips: If for some reason your chocolate mixture seizes, add a little more very hot cream. Recipe provided by <a href="http://lyndeymilan.com/">Lyndey Milan</a>. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/recipes/lyndey-milan-dark-chocolate-ganache-shells.aspx">Wyza.com.au</a>.

Food & Wine

Rich dark fruitcake

Community contributor, the lovely Anne Taylor, strikes again with her delicious recipe for rich dark fruitcake. Makes: Three cakes (to make one divide ingredients by three) Ingredients: <ul> <li>2 cups raisins</li> <li>2 cups currants</li> <li>2 cups dried apricot halves</li> <li>2 cups dried figs, halved and stalk removed</li> <li>2 cups prunes</li> <li>2 cups dates</li> <li>4 cups citrus peel</li> <li>½ cup candied ginger (optional)</li> <li>2 teaspoons cinnamon</li> <li>2 teaspoon ground allspice</li> <li>2 teaspoon nutmeg</li> <li>1 cup treacle</li> <li>2 cups brandy</li> <li>½ cup orange liqueur</li> <li>4 cups plain flour</li> <li>1 tablespoon baking powder</li> <li>1 teaspoon bicarb soda</li> <li>1½ teaspoons salt</li> <li>500 grams butter</li> <li>3 cups dark brown sugar – lightly packed</li> <li>8 eggs</li> <li>1 tablespoon vanilla extract</li> </ul> Method: 1. In a mixing bowl cut up apricots, figs, prunes, and dates (I use scissors). Add raisins, currants, mixed peel and whole nuts. 2. Add the candied ginger (if required) and the cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves; toss well to mix. Add treacle, brandy, and orange liqueur and mix well. Cover and let stand overnight at room temperature. 3. The next day, preheat oven to 120 degrees. Line the tins with foil and baking paper. I use (1) - 3 Kg tin (25 cm - (9.2") - (1) – 2 Kg tin (23 cm ( 9") and (1) 1 Kg ( 17 cm (7") tin or any combination you require. 4. Combine the flour with baking powder, bicarb soda and salt and sift. Sprinkle three cups of flour over fruit mixture and stir to coat well. 5. Cream the butter, add the brown sugar and beat well. Add eggs mixture. I beat all eggs separately in a bowl and pour in portions at a time. Add the vanilla extract. 6. Add the remaining cup of flour and beat until batter is blended and smooth. 7. Pour batter over fruit; mix well until everything is coated with batter. I use two large aluminium bowls to combine the mixture. Then combine the mixture into one bowl and mix to make sure the mixture is even throughout. 8. Divide batter among cake tins. 9. Bake for four or five hours or when a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Sprinkle cakes with brandy – about two capfuls. Leave in the oven until cool. To read more of Anne’s recipes you can visit her blog <a href="http://aussie-products.com.au/category/recipes/">here</a> or her Facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/buyaustralianproducts?ref=bookmarks">here</a>.

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Lyndey Milan's Dark Chocolate Ganache Shells

Rich dark fruitcake