Placeholder Content Image

"I don't call that a life": Couple sign up to die in double suicide pod

<p><em><strong>Warning: This article contains sensitive content that some readers may find distressing. </strong></em></p> <p>A couple from the UK has signed up to be the first to die in a double suicide pod, invented by an Australian doctor, after 46 years of marriage.</p> <p>Peter and Christine Scott, from Suffolk in England’s east, have shared their plans to travel to Switzerland to die together after Ms Scott, a former nurse, was diagnosed with early-stage vascular dementia.</p> <p>After meeting at a jazz club, the pair married 46 years ago, and shared that they have opted out of potentially years of hospital treatment and the crippling costs of care which could eat into their life savings. </p> <p>“We have had long, happy, healthy, fulfilled lives but here we are in old age and it does not do nice things to you,” Mr Scott, 86, told<a title="www.dailymail.co.uk" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13825105/Former-RAF-engineer-nurse-wife-sign-British-couple-use-double-suicide-pod-Switzerland-dementia.html"> <em>The Daily Mail</em></a>. </p> <p>“The idea of watching the slow degradation of Chris’s mental abilities in parallel to my own physical decline is horrific to me,” the former Royal Air Force pilot added. </p> <p>“Obviously I would care for her to the point I could not, but she has nursed enough people with dementia during her career to be adamant she wants to remain in control of herself and her life”.</p> <p>“I would not want to go on living without her,” he said of his 80-year-old wife. “I don’t want to go into care, to be lying in bed dribbling and incontinent – I don’t call that a life”.</p> <p>As English law does not allow for euthanasia, the couple have planned their trip to Switzerland for the procedure, where Ms Scott has planned out her final days with her husband. </p> <p>“I’d like to go walking with Peter in the Swiss Alps, by a river. I’d have a beautiful plate of fish for my last supper, and enjoy a great bottle of Merlot,” she said. </p> <p>“I’d make a playlist including <em>Wild Cat Blues</em> and <em>The Young Ones</em> by Cliff Richard and I’ve found a poem called <em>Miss Me But Let Me Go</em>, which sums up exactly how I feel”.</p> <p>The suicide pod, known as Sarco, can be turned on with a simple flick of a switch from inside the futuristic capsule that resembles a modern car.</p> <p>The machine was invented by Australian Dr Philip Nitschke, who has long been behind a number of initiatives to allow legal euthanasia in Australia.</p> <p>The 3D printed Sarco capsule ends the lives of those inside by pumping the pod with nitrogen which replaces the oxygen in the pod, which renders the occupants unconscious within about a minute without, its claimed, any panic or distress. </p> <p>With falling oxygen, the person eventually suffocates.</p> <p>Dr Nitschke said the machine is activated by a button from inside the pod. </p> <p>“The capsule for two people works exactly the same as the single Sarco but there is only one button so they will decide between them who will push it,” he told <em><a title="www.dailymail.co.uk" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13825105/Former-RAF-engineer-nurse-wife-sign-British-couple-use-double-suicide-pod-Switzerland-dementia.html">The Daily Mail</a></em>. </p> <p>“Then they’ll be able to hold each other”. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Courtesy of Exit International</em></p>

Legal

Placeholder Content Image

"My heart is broken": Mariah Carey reveals sad double tragedy

<p>Mariah Carey has revealed a devastating double tragedy, as both her mother and sister passed away on the same day. </p> <p>In a heartbreaking statement to <em><a href="https://people.com/mariah-carey-mom-patricia-sister-alison-both-died-same-day-exclusive-8701561" target="_blank" rel="noopener">People</a></em>, the singer announced the deaths of her mum Patricia, 87, and sister Alison, 63, who died over the weekend. </p> <p>Carey's statement read, "My heart is broken that I've lost my mother this past weekend. Sadly, in a tragic turn of events, my sister lost her life on the same day."</p> <p>"I feel blessed that I was able to spend the last week with my mom before she passed."</p> <p>"I appreciate everyone's love and support and respect for my privacy during this impossible time."</p> <p>No cause of death has been revealed for either member of the family. </p> <p>Carey famously had a turbulent relationship with her mother and sister over the years, and was estranged from Alison for three decades before her untimely death.</p> <p>In 2016, Alison, who was a recovering drug addict, made a plea to her famous sister through the Daily Mail to ask for support, saying, "Mariah I love you, I desperately need your help."</p> <p>As well as substance abuse, Alison endured homelessness throughout her life and tested positive for the HIV virus. </p> <p>Mariah opened up about complicated relationships with her mom and sister in her 2020 memoir, <em>The Meaning Of Mariah Carey</em>.</p> <p>"Like many aspects of my life, my journey with my mother has been full of contradictions and competing realities. It's never been only black-and-white — it's been a whole rainbow of emotions," she explained. </p> <p>She said their relationship was a "prickly rope of pride, pain, shame, gratitude, jealousy, admiration, and disappointment", however the book was still dedicated to Patricia.</p> <p>"And to Pat, my mother, who, through it all, I do believe actually did the best she could," the singer penned in the dedication. "I will love you the best I can, always."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Paul Archuleta/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

"Devastated": Chris Pratt mourns sudden death of longtime friend and stunt double

<p>Superstar of big and small screen Chris Pratt is grieving the death of his longtime friend and former stunt double, Tony McFarr, who was found dead at his home near Orlando, Florida, on Monday. McFarr was 47, and the cause of his death remains undetermined.</p> <p>Pratt and McFarr began their professional relationship on the set of <em>Jurassic World</em> in 2015. Their collaboration continued on <em>Passengers</em>, <em>Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2</em>, and <em>Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom</em>. Over the years, they developed a strong bond that clearly extended beyond their work on screen.</p> <p>In an emotional Instagram tribute on Friday, Pratt expressed his heartbreak over the loss of McFarr. "We did several movies together," Pratt wrote. "We golfed, drank whiskey, smoked cigars, and spent endless hours on set. I'll never forget his toughness."</p> <p>Pratt then recalled a particularly intense moment during the filming of <em>Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2</em> when McFarr suffered a severe head injury but quickly returned to work. "He was an absolute stud. He was always a gentleman and professional. He'll be missed."</p> <p>Pratt concluded his tribute by offering prayers to McFarr's friends and family, especially his daughter. He shared a series of photos showcasing their time together on set, displaying their striking resemblance, particularly when dressed in matching costumes.</p> <p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2024/05/ChrisPratt_Insta02.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="970" /></p> <p>In addition to doubling for Pratt in several films, McFarr's impressive career included work on other major Marvel productions like <em>Captain America: Civil War</em> and <em>Ant-Man and the Wasp</em>. He also served as Jon Hamm's stunt double in the 2018 action comedy <em>Tag</em>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.tmz.com/2024/05/16/chris-pratt-stunt-double-tony-mcfarr-dead-dies-guardians-of-the-galaxy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to TMZ</a>, McFarr's mother, Donna, reported that "he passed away Monday at his home just outside Orlando -- and while we're told the family doesn't know the exact circumstances of his death just yet ... Donna does say his passing is unexpected and shocking."</p> <p>"She says Tony was active and healthy ... and we're told the medical examiner's office is running toxicology tests now. The Orange County Medical Examiner confirms to us they have the case ... and that an official cause is still pending."</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

“Dig a hole in my chest”: Supermodel reveals double cancer fight

<p>Supermodel icon Linda Evangelista has shared the devastating details of her cancer battle, after being diagnosed twice in five years. </p> <p>In a candid interview with <a href="https://www.wsj.com/style/fashion/linda-evangelista-steven-meisel-32909b7b?mod=style_lead_story" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>WSJ magazine</em></a>, the 58-year-old revealed why she chose to "keep it quiet" and only tell a handful of people close to her about her health battle. </p> <p>Evangelista was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018 after a routine mammogram, and decided to undergo a bilateral mastectomy: a surgical procedure to remove both breasts. </p> <p>"The margins were not good. [I chose this treatment] due to other health factors, without hesitation, because I wanted to put everything behind me and not to have to deal with this.</p> <p>"Thinking I was good and set for life. Breast cancer was not going to kill me."</p> <p>Four years later in 2022, Evangelista felt a lump on her chest and an MRI revealed cancer was present in her pectoral muscle.</p> <p>"I just went into this mode that I know how to do – just do what you've got to do and get through it," she said. "And that's what I did."</p> <p>"Dig a hole in my chest," she recalled telling her doctors.</p> <p>"I don't want it to look pretty. I want you to excavate. I want to see a hole in my chest when you're done. Do you understand me? I'm not dying from this."</p> <p>After another round of surgery, she was told the outlook was good for the future, but there is always a possibility the cancer could return. </p> <p>"Well, once it's come back, there's a chance," she recalled the oncologist's words.</p> <p>"I know I have one foot in the grave, but I'm totally in celebration mode."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram / Getty Images</em></p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

Couple’s accidental double delight

<p>A couple in the United States have bamboozled each other with their heartfelt attempts at a surprise - expanding their family not once, but twice. </p> <p>Vet assistant Chelsea Renee - known chocolate labradoodle lover - wanted to do something nice for her partner, and decided the best way was to bring home “the puppy he has wanted since he was a kid”. </p> <p>In a viral clip uploaded to her TikTok account, Chelsea is standing in their living room, waiting for him with the puppy in her arms. As he enters the room, she says “surprise” and presents him with their new furry friend. </p> <p>Like all good dog appreciators, he readily accepted this addition to their family, but went on to flip the script in a way Chelsea could never have anticipated, telling her that it was “really bad timing”.</p> <p>Chelsea, of course, was confused, and was instructed to head out to his truck and take a look. With her phone in hand, still recording, she made her way outside to conduct her investigation, where she was met with a delightful surprise all of her own. </p> <p>Nestled in the passenger seat was the reason for her boyfriend’s bizarre response: a second puppy. As Chelsea’s video caption read, “I told him I wanted a chocolate lab when we get married”, and it certainly seems like he was listening. </p> <div class="embed" style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; outline: none !important;"><iframe class="embedly-embed" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; border-style: initial; vertical-align: baseline; width: 620.262px; max-width: 100%; outline: none !important;" title="tiktok embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2Fv2%2F7225035642814860590&amp;display_name=tiktok&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40chelsearenee46%2Fvideo%2F7225035642814860590&amp;image=https%3A%2F%2Fp16-sign.tiktokcdn-us.com%2Fobj%2Ftos-useast5-p-0068-tx%2Fefcb27b1bec444eeaa7b44f29b7df29c%3Fx-expires%3D1682672400%26x-signature%3DHF3Tj7if33E9cvwMp7Gxbnh11H4%253D&amp;key=5b465a7e134d4f09b4e6901220de11f0&amp;type=text%2Fhtml&amp;schema=tiktok" width="340" height="700" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> <p> </p> <p>With over 20 million views - and counting - on the video, there were plenty of amused internet users who wanted to share their thoughts with the couple, with a large portion of them glad to be in on the ‘joke’ with them.</p> <p>“Omg that's one HELL of an uno reverse card,” wrote one. </p> <p>“When he said bad timing I was like ‘did he already get one?’ Then boom 2 babies!!!!” said another. </p> <p>“Great minds think alike,” one declared, before adding, “congratulations on your new ADDITIONS.”</p> <p>The idea that ‘great minds’ prompt similar lines of thought was a popular one, with another echoing the statement, even expanding on it by noting that “the universe works in mysterious ways”.</p> <p>For those that wanted to know more, Chelsea posted two more videos about their experience with the puppies, assuring followers that “of course we kept both”.</p> <p>In a Q&amp;A session, someone wanted to know how the couple had managed to pull it off, and if it had been a special anniversary that led to their synced gift giving. </p> <p>“It was literally just a crazy fluke that it was [the] same day. We didn’t mean to,” Chelsea explained, adding that there definitely hadn’t been anything else going on. </p> <p>It had, in fact, just been a very happy coincidence.</p> <p><em>Images: TikTok</em></p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

Sour note spoils Hilary Swank’s double delight

<p>Hilary Swank has delighted fans around the world by announcing the birth of her “miracle” twins. </p> <p>The 48-year-old actress took to her social media with an image of herself at sunset, a baby - a boy and a girl - cradled in each arm, overlooking the water. Or, as Hilary called it in her caption, “pure heaven”. </p> <p>“It wasn’t easy. But boy (and girl!) was it worth it,” she wrote, before wishing her 1.5 million  followers a happy Easter. </p> <p>Hilary shares her happy new additions with entrepreneur Philip Schneider, who she married in 2018. The two have made no secret of their desire to expand their family, with Hilary opening up multiple times in interviews over the years, most recently to <em>Good Morning America</em> in late 2022 while publicly revealing her pregnancy. </p> <p>"This is something that I've been wanting for a long time,” she said, “and my next thing is I'm gonna be a mum. And not just of one, but of two. I can't believe it. It's so nice to be able to talk about it and share it."</p> <p>And as she told <em>Extra</em>, also in 2022, the timing hadn’t previously been correct, with the actress focussed on her career and unable to find the right relationship. According to Hilary, “all the elements needed to come together and be right” for motherhood. </p> <p>“It’s just something I thought about even as a young girl,” she added. “It’s something that was on my mind, so it’s nice to be here and just be pregnant."</p> <p>In 2020, Hilary spoke to <em>The Daily Mail </em>about how she felt she was “very maternal”, and shared her belief that not having children did not have the power to render someone - like herself at that point - unable to be maternal. </p> <p>"I’ve heard a lot of women say that they’ve been told, 'oh, you’re kind of a failure,'” she said. “Or, you know, 'didn’t you come here to procreate?’. There are so many different ways to procreate!</p> <p>“Any type of mothering, any type of nurturing, is being a mother.”</p> <p>Now that Hilary has taken her own nurturing to the next level, after months of sharing the various milestones and moments in her pregnancy journey with her supporters, she has been met with an outpouring of love and celebration from friends, fans, and family. </p> <p>“Aaaaahhhh!!!!! Congratulations,” wrote an excited Viola Davis. </p> <p>“So happy to see you turkeys soaking up the sea, the sun and the salt air! Love you. Welcome to planet earth little ones. Hope you have a lovely stay here,” gushed actor Misha Collins. </p> <p>“Congratulations!!!!!!!!! God bless!” declared actress Lindsay Lohan, who had recently shared that she was also expecting her first child. </p> <p>However, not all were on board with Hilary’s joy, with some mean-spirited souls taking issue with the actress’s move into motherhood at 48. </p> <p>“When she is my age, those kids will be fourteen. Ack. Why? I don't understand people,” one complained. </p> <p>“And I don’t understand people that leave comments like this one!” a fed up supporter shot back, while another opted for a humble facepalming emoji. </p> <p>“These kids are going to be well cared for and well loved,” another pointed out. “What’s not to understand and celebrate??”</p> <p>“It's not your place to understand! She's waited her entire life to have these babies, it's nobody's business at what age she wanted to have them or was actually to have them either!!” said one more passionate fan, before they added the most important piece of advice the troll would be receiving, “just be happy for her or just shut up.”</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

Sharon Stone struck by double family tragedy

<p>Sharon Stone’s brother, Patrick Stone, suddenly passed away on Sunday in Pennsylvania, just 18 months after the family suffered the loss of his 11-month-old son, who died of organ failure in August 2021.</p> <p>The coroner’s office told <a href="http://www.apple.com/au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TMZ</a> that Patrick went into a sudden cardiac arrest caused by heart disease. His time of death is yet to be confirmed.</p> <p>A rep for Mr stone didn’t immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.</p> <p>According to TMZ, Tasha Stone, Patrick’s widow, shared the news of his death with friends, writing, “My heart feels like it’s been ripped out of my chest. Patrick went to be with our sweet River … I don’t know what else to say, he was my world.”</p> <p>“I’m not sure what life is supposed to look like without my husband by my side and quite honestly I don’t want to, but I will of course,” Tasha wrote. “I just hope that you always stay by my side watching over Hunter, Kaylee and I.”</p> <p>“Until we meet again I will forever hold you and our wonderful (and some not so wonderful but just as important) memories close to my heart and will visit those memories always. I love you honey babe. My wish through all of this is that now at least River has his daddy with him and I hope the two of you are having the best time.”</p> <p>Sharon, 64, first shared the news about her nephew, River, about a week before he died, saying he had entered total organ failure.</p> <p>“My nephew and godson River Stone was found in his crib w total organ failure today,” The actress wrote alongside a photo of River lying in a hospital bed hooked up to a machine.</p> <p>No further details of Patrick Stone’s death have been revealed.</p> <p>Image credit: Instagram</p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

“Two of my best mates gone”: Rod Stewart opens up on double tragedy

<p>Rod Stewart is in mourning after the loss of his two brothers just months apart.</p> <p>On Friday, the singer posted a short but sweet tribute on Instagram to his brother Bob, who passed away last November, just two months after the passing of his eldest brother Don.</p> <p>Sharing a photo of the program from Bob's funeral service at Islington Burial Chapel in London, he wrote, "I said Farewell to my Brother Bob today, with his coffin draped in a Rangers flag (life long Glasgow Rangers fan)."</p> <p>"We loved our game days up in Scotland together, " he wrote, reminiscing on their sweet memories together.</p> <p>Bob passed at the age of 87, just a day short from his 88th birthday.</p> <p>"Now he joins Brother Don, rest in peace boys. Two of my best mates gone within just a few months."</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/CnEx0ufN7b0/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CnEx0ufN7b0/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Sir Rod Stewart (@sirrodstewart)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Several family members also expressed their love in the comments, with his wife and TV star Penny Lancaster sharing an inside joke, writing, "I loved that he called me Pencil instead of Pen."</p> <p>His daughter, Ruby Stewart, commented with a simple dove emoji, commonly used to symbolise peace, freedom, or love.</p> <p>In December, the British singer announced on Instagram that he was mourning the loss of his two brothers. </p> <p>“It’s with great sadness that I announce the loss of my brother Bob last night, who joins my brother Don on the great football pitch in the sky,” he captioned, with an image of a candle flame and the words “Rest in Peace”.</p> <p>The British singer is the youngest of five children, surviving his brothers along with two of his sisters, Mary and Peggy.</p> <p><em>Image Credits: Getty</em></p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

"Double whammy": Tennis legend's devastating diagnosis

<p>Martina Navratilova has been left devastated after being diagnosed with two forms of cancer. </p> <p>The tennis legend confirmed her health news on Monday, saying she has been diagnosed with both throat and breast cancer, which were discovered in the early stages. </p> <p>“This double whammy is serious but still fixable, and I’m hoping for a favourable outcome,” Navratilova, 66, said in a statement. </p> <p>“It’s going to stink for a while, but I’ll fight with all I have got.”</p> <p>The cancer was discovered in early November 2022 during the WTA finals when Navratilova noticed a swelling in her neck that did not go down.</p> <p>"Martina noticed an enlarged lymph node in her neck during the WTA finals in Forth Worth," Navratilova's representative Mary Greenham said.</p> <aside data-component="RelatedCard" data-uri="coremedia://externallink/101508848"> <p>"When it didn't go down, a biopsy was performed, the results came back as stage 1 throat cancer."</p> <p>"At the same time as Martina was undergoing the tests for the throat, a suspicious form was found in her breast, which was subsequently diagnosed as cancer, completely unrelated to the throat cancer."</p> <p>"Both of these cancers are in their early stages with great outcomes."</p> <p>Greenham said that Navratilova, who now works as tennis commentator, will not travel to Melbourne for the Australian Open in late January, but hopes to contribute to the broadcasts remotely.</p> <p>The Czech-American is considered among one the greatest players of all time, winning a total of 59 Grand Slam titles across singles and doubles.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> </aside>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

Europe warming at double the rate of other continents

<p>Europe is the fastest-warming continent in the world, according to a newly released report from the World Meteorological Organization.</p> <p>The State of the Climate in Europe report cites the loss of more than 25 metres of ice loss in alpine glaciers, and 20 metres of loss in Greenland (a Danish territory), as particularly responsible for the rise in ocean levels.</p> <p>Climate change events were also responsible for more than US$50 billion in damages.</p> <p>In its statement releasing the report, the WMO described Europe as the “live picture” of a world burdened by warming climate. Since 1990, Europe’s temperatures have undergone an average rate of temperature increase of 0.5 degrees each decade.</p> <p>That rate is twice as high as the next fastest warming continent.</p> <p>The WMO points to high-impact weather and climate events – nearly 85% of which were floods and storms – as directly affecting around 510,000 people.</p> <p>Extreme heat also took its toll, with provisional record temperatures experienced in southern Italy in August reaching 48.8°C. These temperatures influenced drought and low rainfall across the Mediterranean, leading to deadly wildfires that burned through three times the amount of land area than the region’s 15-year average up to 2020.</p> <h2>But are carbon emissions decreasing in Europe?</h2> <p>Fuel prices and the COVID-19 pandemic were major influences on the continent’s carbon emissions reduction, the WMO found.</p> <p>A 31% decline in carbon emissions between 1990 and 2020 was recorded, although it’s expected to be far less in 2021 due to the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions and altered fuel prices.</p> <p>2021 also marked the introduction of EU legislation to make net zero by 2050 a legally-binding target for member nations.</p> <p>Although temperature data provided by six datasets showed a decrease in 2021 from the preceding year, it still marked one of the 10 warmest years on record.</p> <p>And observers will keenly await the release of next year’s 2022 appraisal, after record summer droughts and heatwaves heaped pressure on European nations.</p> <p>Even now, regions across the continent are recording their hottest temperatures for November on record. </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">(2) More November records in Europe.<br />France had 21 records today (left column), the most important were: Aigues Mortes (POR since 1872), Aix en Provence and Valence (1st class stations).<br />In Austria 4 records beaten the highest was 23.3C at Hohe Wand (right column).<br />tb continued.. <a href="https://t.co/DjmR7oR0oR">pic.twitter.com/DjmR7oR0oR</a></p> <p>— Extreme Temperatures Around The World (@extremetemps) <a href="https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1587481854680219653?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p>“[Europe] reminds us that even well-prepared societies are not safe from impacts of extreme weather events,” says WMO secretary-general Professor Petteri Taalas.</p> <p>“This year, like 2021, large parts of Europe have been affected by extensive heatwaves and drought, fuelling wildfires. In 2021, exceptional floods caused death and devastation.</p> <p>“On the mitigation side, the good pace in reducing greenhouse gases emissions in the region should continue and ambition should be further increased. Europe can play a key role towards achieving a carbon neutral society by the middle of the century to meet the Paris Agreement.”</p> <h2>Future outlook</h2> <p>The release of the report comes ahead of the global climate change conference to be held in Egypt, where delegations from around the world convene to recalibrate efforts to address climate change.</p> <p>Last year’s COP26 conference in Glasgow was criticised for scrubbing language to phase out coal from the final agreement. In its place came language to ‘phase down’ its use. Coal is the leading source of carbon emissions from energy use.</p> <p>Similarly, several nations failed to renew important targets to reduce carbon emissions by the end of the decade, considered an important tipping point if net zero by 2050 is to be achieved.</p> <p>The WMO echoed the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change forecasts that weather, climate and water disasters will increase in the future, and that Europe will experience temperature rises at rates exceeding global average increases.</p> <p><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/europe-warming-at-double-the-rate-of-other-continents/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Matthew Agius.</strong></p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Travel Trouble

Placeholder Content Image

Double uses for common household items

<p>Many of the products in your home are so versatile, you’d be foolish to limit their uses to just one. Check out this list of clever ways to make your household items go twice as far.</p> <p><strong>Towel rack –</strong> Use a towel rack to hold the lids to your pots and pans to banish cupboard clutter.</p> <p><strong>Shoe organiser –</strong> Use a shoe organiser to hold anything from craft supplies to beauty products to cleaning products.</p> <p><strong>Pillow case –</strong> Use an old pillow case to protect your clothes. Just cut a slit in the top of it and hang it over the top of your clothes hanger like a garment bag.</p> <p><strong>Laundry pre-treater –</strong> Use your liquid laundry pre-treat formulation to remove stubborn adhesive stickers from any plastic or glass items.</p> <p><strong>Cooking spray –</strong> Got a squeaky door? Spray the hinge with cooking spray for instant lubrication. No more squeaks!</p> <p><strong>Baking soda –</strong> Use baking soda to unclog a stuck drain instead of using Drain-o. Pour a cup down the drain. Then add equal parts vinegar and let sit. Finish off with boiling water and your drain should be unclogged.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><strong>Baby wipes –</strong> Use baby wipes to clean all of your electronics, including your keyboard, which, with daily use can get full of germs.</p> <p><strong>Aluminium foil –</strong> Aluminium foil can take the place of your dryer sheets should you run out. Just crumple some into a ball and toss them into your dryer to help reduce static.</p>

Home Hints & Tips

Placeholder Content Image

"She's really left us": Stunning double rainbow graces the skies

<p>As news of Queen Elizabeth's passing broke, people in the UK took to the gates of both Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle to pay their respects to the monarch. </p> <p>As mourners gathered arm-in-arm to remember their Queen, they were graced with an emotional and magical sight. </p> <p>A spectacular double rainbow appeared over the dreary skies of London, with devastated Brits saying the Queen "sent us a sign" and that she has "really left us".</p> <p>The double rainbow even appeared over the Victoria memorial, prompting some to say it is "Queen Elizabeth with Prince Phillip". </p> <p>One twitter user said, "The rainbow at Windsor Castle made me cry. The rainbow Queen sent us a sign."</p> <p>Another said, "A rainbow breaks out, as the Union Jack is lowered to half-mast at Windsor tonight. A remarkable image. Farewell, Ma'am."</p> <p dir="ltr">The monarch was under medical supervision due to her deteriorating health but unfortunately died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8th at 8:30pm local time (3:30am AEDT).</p> <p dir="ltr">“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” The Royal Family tweeted.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The public was notified of her death through the traditional form of a formal message placed on an easel on the railings outside the Palace.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images / BBC News</em></p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

Urgent warning for parents after child exploitation doubles in just two years

<p dir="ltr">Authorities have issued an urgent warning to parents and carers after the number of incidents where children have been exploited has quadrupled over the last year.</p> <p dir="ltr">According to the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE), an increasing number of children, particularly young boys, have been the target of online predators who groom, trick and coerce children into sending sexually explicit photos and videos.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-9d394b9d-7fff-d41d-e70d-acb5dc8e8848"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Predators then threaten to share the photos and videos unless the victim sends them money.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-669da0b9-7fff-6956-0bb5-f2f0a1dc9720">In New Zealand, the number of victims of child exploitation has doubled since 2019, with <em><a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/128851693/online-child-exploitation-doubles-in-new-zealand-since-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stuff</a></em> reporting that 9971 reports were filed in 2021 versus 4739 two years prior.</span></p> <p dir="ltr">The increase has led the ACCCE to take the “unusual step” of releasing police intelligence to warn parents and carers, as reported by <em><a href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/child-extortion-incidents-on-the-rise-in-australia/news-story/01c618adc32f82be66d7ab9448032182" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Hilda Sirec, the ACCCE Commander, said that although blackmailing minors for these kinds of images wasn’t new, it has been “very rare” for police to receive reports of offenders demanding money.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Tactics vary, but child sex offenders commonly pose as girls and befriend boys via social media platforms, image-sharing apps or online games,” Ms Sirec said.<br />“These predators reveal they had footage of the child in compromising positions and demand money in return for not sharing the vision with family and friends or posting it online.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Sirec said predators often negotiated with the victim and requested multiple payments.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We have seen predators initially demanding an impossibly large sum of money, then, negotiating with the victim on a lower amount they could actually pay,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Once that money was paid - either by bank transfer, online game, gift cards or even cryptocurrency - the predator would demand even more money.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They are not deterred by the age of the victim, they care only about the profit they can make.</p> <p dir="ltr">“These offenders are very manipulative and they will threaten and frighten children to get what they want, including telling victims they will be in trouble with law enforcement if they speak up.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Sirec said these crimes have “devastating effects” on children and their families and stressed how important it was for parents to educate their kids about being safe online.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We are appealing to parents and carers to talk to their children about online safety, how to recognise suspicious behaviour online and speak out if they have been targeted,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“If your child is or has been a victim, reassure them that it’s not their fault and that there is help available.</p> <p dir="ltr">“By reporting what has happened, they may help us catch an offender and prevent other children from being harmed.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Warning signs to look for</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Australian families have been told to be on the lookout for several warning signs that their children could be at risk. These can include inconsistencies in a person’s online profile or language, being asked to continue the conversation on another platform after meeting, or a person claiming they cannot have a phone or video conversation because their camera or microphone doesn’t work.</p> <p dir="ltr">Victims are urged to make a report to the police immediately, collect screenshots and other evidence, speak to someone they trust for advice and support, and bolster their online security by changing passwords and reviewing privacy settings.</p> <p dir="ltr">If you believe your child is in immediate danger, call 000, Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or your local police station.</p> <p dir="ltr">Members of the public are also urged to call Crime Stoppers if they have any information about people involved in child abuse and exploitation.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-f5bb6829-7fff-f0a7-eafe-3fc6daf6bbf2"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Legal

Placeholder Content Image

Lockdowns doubled your risk of mental health symptoms

<p>During the almost two years of on-again off-again COVID lockdowns, we heard lots of concern from many different corners about the mental health effects of forcing people to stay home and keep away from friends and family. </p> <p>Many research projects were undertaken to attempt to measure the scale of the impacts on mental health. </p> <p>However, the speed with which research was generated meant in some cases, research quality was sacrificed, and some research found evidence of an effect on mental health, and some didn’t.</p> <p>To make sense of the very mixed findings, my colleagues and I conducted a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352250X22000252">review</a> of all of the studies on mental health conducted during the first year of the pandemic.</p> <p>We included 33 published papers which studied a total of nearly 132,000 people across various world regions. </p> <p>We found that overall, social restrictions doubled people’s odds of experiencing mental health symptoms. This means, of those who participated in these studies, those who experienced lockdowns were twice as likely to experience mental ill health than those who didn’t.</p> <p>This finding can be broken down further by different mental health symptoms. Social restrictions saw the odds people would experience symptoms of depression increase by over 4.5 times, the odds of experiencing stress increased by nearly 1.5 times, and the odds of experiencing loneliness almost doubled.</p> <p>When we drilled down further into these results, we found the length and strictness of lockdowns affected mental health symptoms differently. For example, strict lockdowns increased depression, whereas the onset of social restrictions increased stress. Low social restrictions, where there were some restrictions in place but not total lockdown, were associated with increases in anxiety.</p> <p>Also, mental health outcomes differed by age, with young and middle-aged adults reporting greater negative mental health symptoms than older adults. </p> <h2>What lessons can we take away from these findings?</h2> <p>The findings give us a good idea of what public health outreach should look like in the event of future pandemics. </p> <p>Anxiety was most prevalent when low restrictions were introduced. This could be due to the fact people were nervous about the precarity of the situation and where the virus could be circulating. The introduction of such measures should be accompanied by public health messaging and interventions that focus on alleviating chronic fear and worry.</p> <p>During the periods of strict social restrictions, the predominant mental health issue was depression, meaning mental health responses should focus on combating depressive-related symptoms such as hopelessness and loss of purpose.</p> <p>The findings for stress suggest symptoms are likely to intensify during the early stages of social restriction enforcement. This is probably because the onset of restrictions communicates to people an increase in the seriousness of the pandemic threat, and people have to work very hard to re-organise their lives if restrictions involve the need to work from home and home-school.</p> <p>During these times, providing messaging and interventions that help people manage their stress, such as dealing with work stress or the stress of home-schooling children, may be especially important. For parents, making them feel capable in the home classroom and promoting strategies that foster positive family functioning (such as more constructive communication and problem-solving) could reduce parental and family stress.</p> <p>Given social restrictions were found to be associated with increases in loneliness, promotion of digital technologies to keep people feeling connected is also important.</p> <p>Across all these mental health issues, messages that communicate these symptoms are to be expected are likely to help individuals normalise and acknowledge the nature and severity of their symptoms. This, in turn, may prompt people to seek help for their mental health symptoms.</p> <h2>Research quality was poor</h2> <p>Another important point to highlight from our review is the research conducted during the first year of the pandemic was generally of poor quality. </p> <p>This is because good measures of social restrictions were hard to come by in studies. Some studies didn’t detail the specific restrictions in place in various cities, or did not ask study participants to what extent they complied with restrictions.</p> <p>Also, some studies surveyed people’s mental health symptoms on the day social restrictions were first enforced. Most people are likely to experience heightened but temporary spikes in mental health symptoms that may naturally reduce after the initial lockdown announcements. This means it’s difficult to get a handle on the “true” mental health effects of social restrictions on the first day restrictions are activated.</p> <p>However, the effects of social restrictions on mental health symptoms were similar across studies where people were surveyed at one time point and where they were surveyed on more than one occasion during restrictions. This suggests the estimated effects seem robust, despite many studies not having the best assessments of social restrictions.</p> <p>The findings of our review show that although we have a way to go in the way we conduct research into the mental health effects of COVID-19 social restrictions, the initial research highlights these restrictions indeed negatively impacted the mental well-being of citizens. </p> <p>Although such restrictions may be an effective public health response to mitigate the spread of viruses such as COVID-19, there needs to be a co-ordinated response to safeguard people’s physical and mental health.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/lockdowns-doubled-your-risk-of-mental-health-symptoms-180953" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Mind

Placeholder Content Image

Energy bills are spiking after the Russian invasion. We should have doubled-down on renewables years ago

<p>Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is happening half a planet away from Australia. </p> <p>But the ripple effects are plain to see at every petrol station and, potentially soon, your electricity bill. </p> <p>As a result of the invasion and Western sanctions on Russian exports, energy prices have skyrocketed. </p> <p>If that makes you think nations should have taken steps to secure alternatives to fossil fuels years ago, you’re not alone. As it is, the much higher energy prices are likely to accelerate the exit of coal – and gas – from our energy grids. </p> <p>This should be a wake-up call. It doesn’t matter that Australia is far from the battlefield. Everyone in the world will be affected in some way.</p> <h2>What’s the link between the invasion and Australian energy prices?</h2> <p>You might think Australia’s domestic supply of coal and gas means we’d be immune to price rises. Not so. </p> <p>Due to formal sanctions and informal shunning of Russian exports, oil, coal and gas are now extremely expensive on a global scale. Thermal coal prices have increased five-fold to an unprecedented ~$A500 per tonne. Oil is ~$140 a barrel and up 60% year on year. Natural gas in Europe is around 50% higher than last October, but since the invasion, prices have spiked as high as ~200% higher than 2021 levels. </p> <p>Coal buyers are locking in supply, concerned that Russian sanctions will continue. Russia is the <a href="https://www.spglobal.com/commodity-insights/en/market-insights/latest-news/metals/030722-factbox-russian-metals-industrys-reliance-on-china-set-to-rise-as-sanctions-disrupt-supplies">third largest exporter of coal</a> and its existing customers are now under pressure to find alternative supplies. </p> <p>Russia’s aggression is not just resulting in a major humanitarian and political crisis. It is also causing pain at the bowser for Australian consumers due to the surge in oil pricing and may soon result in higher electricity bills. </p> <p>Australia’s east-coast electricity market is still heavily reliant upon coal. While many coal-fired power stations have existing supply contracts, the much higher global coal price may increase the cost of any extra coal purchases by existing power stations. </p> <p>Not only that, but our gas-fired power stations are facing potential increases in operating costs due to much higher global gas prices. </p> <p>Unfortunately, we may see the result in rising power bills. The price of future contracts for wholesale electricity next year in NSW are now twice what they were a year ago. Assuming this flows through to end-users, prices for residential customers could increase by as much as 10–15%. </p> <h2>So what should Australia do?</h2> <p>While it’s too late to dodge this bullet, we can prepare for future shocks by doubling down on firmed renewables. The faster we move, the less we’ll be hit by the price and reliability risks of coal. </p> <p>Already under pressure from cheaper renewable technologies, coal power station operators now find themselves potentially facing much higher costs in the short-term. There’s no relief for coal in the long term either, with the rapid rise of renewables and other zero-carbon technologies.</p> <p>Not only that, but most of our coal power stations are near the end of their lives, and industry doesn’t want to build new ones. That means coal will become more and more expensive, as the plants become <a href="https://www.aemo.com.au/-/media/files/electricity/nem/planning_and_forecasting/inputs-assumptions-methodologies/2020/aep-elical-assessment-of-ageing-coal-fired-generation-reliability.pdf">increasingly unreliable</a>. </p> <p>Wind and solar technologies are now much cheaper per unit of energy generated and can be integrated with energy storage to provide dispatchable “firmed” energy. The faster we transition to renewables firmed by storage, the better.</p> <p>If we do this, our new grid will also be more reliable. Continuing to rely upon coal is like relying upon a 1970s car to travel from Sydney to Melbourne on the hottest day of the year. </p> <p>State governments around the nation are already embracing this approach, with the New South Wales government moving ahead with plans for 12 gigawatts (GW) of new renewables and storage and the Victorian government announcing plans for 9GW of offshore windfarms. </p> <p>Governments must carefully design policies to avoid guaranteeing profits for private sector players while socialising any losses across taxpayers and energy consumers. In NSW, <a href="https://econpapers.repec.org/article/blaajarec/v_3a66_3ay_3a2022_3ai_3a1_3ap_3a136-163.htm">alternatives</a> are being considered.</p> <p>As European and many other nations scramble to reduce their dependency on Russian coal, oil and gas, Australia now has a once in a generation opportunity to become a leading exporter of new clean energy. </p> <p>We have truly enormous clean energy resources in the form of free sunlight and wind. To export it, we can either run underseas cables to neighbouring countries, or convert cheap renewable power into <a href="https://theconversation.com/green-hydrogen-is-coming-and-these-australian-regions-are-well-placed-to-build-our-new-export-industry-174466">green hydrogen</a> and ship this to the world just as we currently do with LNG.</p> <h2>What else can we expect to see?</h2> <p>Surging fossil fuel prices has supercharged the existing disruption to an already rapidly changing domestic energy industry. In the past month, Origin announced it would abandon coal more rapidly, with the closure of its NSW coal-fired power station, Eraring, in 2025. </p> <p>Meanwhile, AGL has been pursuing a “demerger” with a view to splitting off its coal assets and pursuing new energy technologies. This comes as Australian tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes and Canadian asset fund Brookfield <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-06/brt-agl-brookfield-bid-rejected/100887042">offered to buy AGL</a> for $8.25 a share, though they were not successful. Their plan was to accelerate the closure of AGL’s coal assets, which would move AGL from the <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org.au/news/new-government-data-reveals-agl-as-australias-biggest-climate-polluter/">highest carbon emitter in Australia</a> to a clean energy company. The age of coal power is ending, and much faster than most of us realise.</p> <p>This crisis should spur us to build a future-proofed fleet of “firmed” and well-distributed renewables with a known cost structure. </p> <p>By doing this, we will protect ourselves from the pain of geopolitically driven fossil fuel prices. And we will have a platform ready if we want to provide clean energy to the world in the form of green hydrogen.</p> <p>We have had decades to make full use of our wealth of renewable energy resources. We haven’t embraced this as fully as we should have. </p> <p>It turns out localised clean energy production is not just necessary to tackle climate change. It will prove a vital resource as we navigate the highly turbulent decade we have found ourselves in.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/energy-bills-are-spiking-after-the-russian-invasion-we-should-have-doubled-down-on-renewables-years-ago-179336" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Home Hints & Tips

Placeholder Content Image

Couple moves wedding date after DOUBLE cancer diagnosis

<p dir="ltr">A recently-engaged US couple made the <a href="https://honey.nine.com.au/latest/engaged-couple-mariah-and-clay-diagnosed-cancer-within-days-moved-wedding-date/b62a7118-93b6-4d41-bf7a-d572cf836981" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tough decision</a> to move their wedding date, after finding out within days of each other that they both had cancer.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mariah Nelesen, 23, and Clay Senek, 24, are high school sweethearts from Michigan who got engaged in December 2020, with plans to tie the knot in June 2022.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, their plans went awry after Mariah was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and Clay found out he had leukaemia in January - just months before their special day.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I got a phone call on Jan 11th of this year that I had ovarian cancer,” Mariah told <em><a href="https://ktla.com/news/nationworld/engaged-couple-diagnosed-with-cancer-8-days-apart/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KTLA</a></em>. “That’s not a call anyone expects to receive.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Doctors had found a cyst on Mariah’s ovary which was found to be an Adult Granulosa Cell Tumour, according to the couple’s <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/clay-mariahs-cancer-engagement-faith-journey?qid=a3b5cd8a4456a35f591f4b61867f4704" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoFundMe</a> page.</p> <p dir="ltr">Clay, who had been sick with pneumonia for two weeks and had had some blood work done, was rushed to hospital just eight days after Mariah’s diagnosis.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-5c71a829-7fff-a81a-eaac-6b489e3d1cdb"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">It was discovered that he had Acute Myeloid Leukaemia.</p> <p><iframe style="overflow: hidden; border: initial none initial;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fclay.slenk%2Fposts%2F2202773293204106%3A0&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="603" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p dir="ltr">“If you were to ask Clay or Mariah less than six months ago what their plans were, you would hear excitement as Mariah signed a lease to rent a place in Chicago while she planned for her wedding, finished her degree, and would be doing a paid internship in the process,” their GoFundMe page reads.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Clay was working daily at a job he loved and was counting the days until he and Mariah were going to be married. They would have also shared their excitement about their new house purchase in September that they would look forward to making into their home in the months before their wedding.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Following the shock diagnoses, Mariah had the tumour surgically removed while Clay began chemotherapy.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mariah plans to also start chemotherapy soon, as Clay prepares for a stem-cell transplant to fight his “aggressive form” of cancer.</p> <p dir="ltr">They decided to move their wedding date forward from June to April so they could be healthy on the day, as well as change the venue and guest list to be more intimate “due to their compromised immune systems”.</p> <p dir="ltr">They have raised $67,800 ($USD 46,359) through their fundraising page, which will go towards medical bills, lost income due to their time in hospital, home payments and their wedding and honeymoon.</p> <p dir="ltr">Clay shared a photo of him and Mariah posing with matching shirts with the phrase ‘FIGHTER’ on Facebook, with a ribbon on both representing the cancers they were diagnosed with.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Mariah bought these shirts after we both were diagnosed with cancer 8 days apart,” Clay wrote. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Orange for my leukaemia and teal for her ovarian cancer.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This year will not be an easy year, but we are fighters.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-ad7c5113-7fff-bfc2-91f9-9ccb0b627261"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Mariah Nelesen (Facebook)</em></p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

China doubles down on bizarre Russia conspiracy theory

<p>China has doubled down on a bizarre conspiracy that is believed to be part of an elaborate ploy to justify Russia's invasion of Ukraine. </p> <p>Earlier this week, a senior Chinese official accused the United States of running a series of biolabs in Russia, claiming the situation was “dangerous” and that the “safety” of the alleged labs were at risk.</p> <p>“Under the current circumstances, for the sake of the health and safety of people in Ukraine, the surrounding region and the whole world, we call on all relevant parties to ensure the safety of these laboratories,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian during a recent press conference.</p> <p>“In particular, the US, as the party with the best knowledge of these laboratories, should release relevant details as soon as possible, including what viruses are stored and what research has been conducted."</p> <p>“What is the real intention of the US? What exactly did it do?”</p> <p>Mr Zhao went on to claim that America's biological military activities in Ukraine were just the "tip of the iceberg", following a series of Russian reports that claim over 30 biolabs were in operation in Ukraine at the request of a US government agency. </p> <p>However, the bizarre conspiracy theory seems to have originated from Russia back in April 2020.</p> <p>At the time, the US embassy in Ukraine was forced to denounce the wild rumours, slamming them as “Russian disinformation regarding the strong US-Ukrainian partnership to reduce biological threats”.</p> <p>“The US Department of Defence’s Biological Threat Reduction Program works with the Ukrainian government to consolidate and secure pathogens and toxins of security concern in Ukrainian government facilities, while allowing for peaceful research and vaccine development,” the statement reads.</p> <p>“We also work with our Ukrainian partners to ensure Ukraine can detect and report outbreaks caused by dangerous pathogens before they pose security or stability threats."</p> <p>“Our joint efforts help to ensure that dangerous pathogens do not fall into the wrong hands.”</p> <p>The misinformation about the alleged biolabs has become so widespread that Britain's Defence Ministry has also weighed in. </p> <p>“Since the end of February there has been a notable intensification of Russian accusations that Ukraine is developing nuclear or biological weapons,” the ministry said in a tweet yesterday.</p> <p>“These narratives are long standing but are currently likely being amplified as part of a retrospective justification for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”</p> <p>While the US confirmed it was working with Ukraine, they went on to say the were fearful of any biological research material getting into the wrong hands. </p> <p>“Ukraine has biological research facilities, which in fact we are now quite concerned Russian troops, Russian forces, may be seeking to gain control of,” senior State Department official Victoria Nuland said during a recent hearing, according to AFP.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

Why telling Grace Tame to “smile more” is a double standard

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A 2019 photo of the man who led the royal commission into the banking sector posing with Josh Frydenberg has </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/national/why-kenneth-hayne-photo-exposes-grace-tame-critics-double-standards/news-story/bbb7115bb935cd9d0d2905af686cfc6c" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">re-emerged</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> following widespread discussion of Grace Tame’s most recent photo with Prime Minister Scott Morrison.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Former High Court judge Kenneth Haye refused to shake Frydenberg’s hand and refused to smile during a photo opportunity with the Treasurer as he prepared to release a damning report. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At best, the interaction was described as “brutal” and “awkward” in a handful of media reports.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Meanwhile, the 2021 Australian of the Year sparked national debate following her unsmiling photo with Mr Morrison, with conservative MP’s and male journalists describing her behaviour as “ungracious and rude” and “childish and embarrassing”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Journalist Julia Baird quickly pointed out the double standard on Twitter.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“A quiet reminder that when Justice Kenneth Hayne, head of (the) royal commission into banking misconduct, refused to smile or even shake the hand of the Treasurer during a photo op in 2019, it was considered the stuff of national calamity,” the host of ABC’s </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Drum</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> wrote.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Grace Tame is making a similar point.”</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Such a clear example of when men are considered principled and women are called petulant - for the same behaviour. And yet Tame shook the PM’s hand, stood quietly and in place for the photos. <a href="https://t.co/h2dINgsTCO">https://t.co/h2dINgsTCO</a></p> — 💥Dr💥 Julia Baird (@bairdjulia) <a href="https://twitter.com/bairdjulia/status/1485908652095864832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2022</a></blockquote> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Project</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">’s Lisa Wilkinson agreed, sharing Baird’s post and adding commentary of her own.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“True @bairdjulia,” she wrote.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Not was there uproar when Scott Morrison turned his back on Tanya Plibersek &amp; played with his phone as she addressed him in fed parliament.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Nor when he refused to shake Bill Shorten’s hand at B</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">ob Hawke’s funeral.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Not sure why the rules are different. Oh wait…”</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Man, that Grace Tame chick was outta line, right?...<br /><br />🧵 <a href="https://t.co/HEAi5I8yBb">pic.twitter.com/HEAi5I8yBb</a></p> — Brent Hodgson (@BrentHodgson) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrentHodgson/status/1485956821722759168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2022</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Wheelchair racer and Paralympian Kurt Fearnley spelled it out even more clearly while sharing a 2017 photo of an unsmiling Pope Francis alongside former US President Donald Trump.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Not one bloke, from me to the Pope would’ve been told to ‘smile more’. #justsayin,” he added.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The debate even spilled onto Wednesday night’s episode of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Project</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, with Carrie Bickmore asking co-host Peter van Onsolen about his own column criticising Ms Tame’s behaviour and claiming she was “acting like a child”.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">If you missed it, here is THAT moment from <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheProjectTV?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheProjectTV</a> tonight. <a href="https://t.co/9D0lac85Vt">pic.twitter.com/9D0lac85Vt</a></p> — The Project (@theprojecttv) <a href="https://twitter.com/theprojecttv/status/1485892588058312704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2022</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Why do you feel the need to tell Grace how she should have behaved?” Bickmore asked. “But second of all, why should she stand there and smile and pretend it’s all okay when there is an absolute catastrophe on the cards here?”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I don’t think she should stand there and smile and pretend it’s all OK, I just thought she shouldn’t go. If you can’t be polite in some form, then don’t go,” van Onsolen replied.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“But why should she have to be silenced and quiet? Why can’t she go and make a statement in her behaviour about how she feels over what has happened in the past year?” Bickmore shot back.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ms Tame received the national honour for fighting to legally tell her story as a victim of child sexual abuse and grooming and in overturning a Tasmanian law preventing victims from identifying themselves in the media.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">During her tenure she pushed the topic of child sexual abuse into the national spotlight and conversations around the country.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">What exactly did they think would happen when they organised this photo op?<br /><br />Grace Tame is not the type to lie about how she feels. And nor should we ever put her in a position where she is expected to.<br /><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetHerSpeak?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetHerSpeak</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/aoty2021?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#aoty2021</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AOTY2022?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AOTY2022</a> <a href="https://t.co/8wde7Vye2n">pic.twitter.com/8wde7Vye2n</a></p> — Nina Funnell, journalist &amp; #LetUsSpeak manager (@ninafunnell) <a href="https://twitter.com/ninafunnell/status/1485774656116527104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2022</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nina Funnell, the journalist behind the #LetHerSpeak campaign that allowed Ms Tame to speak out, asked on Twitter, “What exactly did they think would happen when they organised this photo op?”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Grace Tame is not the type to lie about how she feels. And nor should we ever put her in a position where she is expected to.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: @bairdjulie (Twitter)</span></em></p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

“Absolutely double standards”: Hillsong accused of breaching Health Order

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Australian artists have </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/outrage-over-hillsong-video-showing-crowds-singing-dancing-nsw-085606215.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">expressed their outrage</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> after footage of people singing and dancing at a Hillsong event emerged online, despite new restrictions banning these activities from happening in NSW.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some have pointed out that Hillsong’s Wildlife Summer Camp, a three-day “summer camp” held near Newcastle, looks similar to a music festival - where singing and dancing have been prohibited.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7846808/hillsong2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/8b1806a689dd4ef182e72a7825f6258c" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hillsong has been accused of breaching the Public Health Order banning singing and dancing at recreational facilities. Image: @hillsongyouth (Instagram)</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Images and videos from the event show teenagers dancing to religious music - with many appearing to be unmasked - sparking outrage from the entertainment industry, which has seen many scheduled events cancelled in wake of the state’s rules.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Music festivals across the country have also been forced to be cancelled or postponed, prompting claims that Hillsong being allowed to hold such an event is a “double standard”.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Seeing all the artists, promoters, staff and vendors in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NSW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NSW</a> suffer after having outdoor events cancelled and then seeing THIS happening right now in NSW for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hillsong?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Hillsong</a> is disgusting, a huge gut punch to the already suffering industry. Absolute double standards. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NswPol?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NswPol</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nswcovid?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nswcovid</a> <a href="https://t.co/fi5pyQZnrr">pic.twitter.com/fi5pyQZnrr</a></p> — Leon Sjogren (@Leonsjogren) <a href="https://twitter.com/Leonsjogren/status/1481460688032010241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2022</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Music producer Leon Sjogren wrote on Twitter: “Seeing all the artists, promoters, staff and vendors in NSW suffer after having outdoor events cancelled and then seeing THIS happening right now in NSW for Hillsong is disgusting, a huge gut punch to the already suffering industry.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Absolutely double standards.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet announced the new restrictions on singing and dancing last week, telling reporters the activities would be prohibited in indoor venues from January 8 until January 27.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to the Public Health Order, singing and dancing aren’t allowed at places such as music festivals, nightclubs, major recreation facilities, hospitality venues, and entertainment facilities.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, weddings, music classes, and churches are exempt.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Although Hillsong defended the event, telling the ABC it was “not similar to a music festival in any way”, NSW Health has requested that the organisation “stop singing and dancing”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Our camps involve primarily outdoor recreational activities including sports and games,” Hillsong said in a statement to the national broadcaster.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7846809/hillsong1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/ddd8f167cd714df785dde4fc56b5a6e6" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite footage showing unmasked teens singing and dancing, the religious organisation says it was not breaching the Public Health Order banning those activities. Image: @hillsongyouth (Instagram)</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The organisation added that they “follow strict Covid procedures” and “adhere to government guidelines”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But, a statement from NSW Health accused the organisation of breaching the Public Health Order, as “singing and dancing at a major recreation facility” is prohibited.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Health Minister Brad Hazzard said: “While the Order does not apply to religious services, it does apply to major recreational facilities and this event is clearly in breach of both the spirit and intent of the Order, which is in place to keep the community safe.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Other Australian artists have also taken aim at the event, with rapper Illy criticising the banning of singing and dancing at festivals but not in churches.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You can postpone all our festivals and gigs, you can say no to dancing in clubs for the next 50 years, and you can make singing and shouting in public illegal except in sermons and the cricket for some reason,” he wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">I can handle the singing, the dancing, and the no mask wearing at this Hillsong festival last night, even though it’s illegal for the entire arts industry to do the same. But playing“turn down for what” in 2022?! Too far. <a href="https://t.co/byOWufUaWa">pic.twitter.com/byOWufUaWa</a></p> — Illy (@illyal) <a href="https://twitter.com/illyal/status/1481461459368701960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2022</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“FYI I’m for everyone’s religious beliefs. The post is a joke, aimed at the latest horse s*** double standard the music industry is ONCE AGAIN having to face. Not attacking religion at all.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Others said the rules should apply to everyone, religious or not.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The double standard applied to this Hillsong event vs other indoor or outdoor music festivals makes NO sense at all,” one critic shared on Twitter.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You risk a big increase in Covid infections &amp; prolonging this pandemic for all of us. The same rules need to apply to everyone.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty Images / @hillsongyouth (Instagram)</span></em></p>

Music