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Cruise director shares little known ship facts

A cruise director has revealed little known facts about cruise ships and their dedicated staff, while sharing tips for eager travellers. Luigi Incarnato, cruise director for MSC, is often seen hosting events, introducing acts and getting involved with passengers onboard his cruises. He shared his top tips for passengers with <a href="https://travel.nine.com.au/cruising/cruise-ship-worker-msc-world-europa/cab3f458-35e0-4989-aa3e-ce0cec1eee6b">9Travel</a>, while also revealing some industry secrets. When asked what people may not have considered about the crew and vessel of a cruise ship, Luigi shared that even more work goes into pulling off a trip than one might think. He said, “Our crew onboard comes from more than 60-70 countries of the world, spread on all continents, leading to an exceptionally culturally diverse team, which we are very proud of.” “Each one of our crew members is remarkably hard working and skilled in their trade. Our crew comes onboard for an average of six to seven months then goes home to rest for an average of two months and reembarks, possibly on a new ship.” “We also work on national holidays, on Christmas Day and New Year's Eve.” Luigi added that there is one thing many people may not think to bring onboard, that is of vital importance. When asked what essential to pack, he said, “Their complete health issues history and a medicine list with any prescriptions that may be needed during the cruise.” “A suitable wardrobe for the theme nights, especially for the elegant and white dress code evenings, and sunscreen.” Image credits: Shutterstock

Cruising

6 little known facts about The Sound of Music

The Sound of Music, released in 1965, continues to be one of the most beloved family films of all time. In honour of the iconic film, we look behind the scenes to reveal some little known facts about one of our favourite movies. 1. Julie Andrews kept falling over during the famous opening mountain scene While Julie Andrews may look graceful twirling atop the mountain in the opening scenes, in reality she kept being knocked over by the draft of the helicopter trying to capture the iconic aerial scene. Andrews said: “the down draft from those jets was so strong that every time… the helicopter circled around me and the down draft just flattened me into the grass. And I mean flattened. It was fine for a couple of takes, but after that you begin to get just a little bit angry… And I really tried. I mean, I braced myself, I thought, ‘It’s not going to get me this time.’ And every single time, I bit the dust.” 2. Christopher Plummer hates the movies Fans of Christopher Plummer’s Captain von Trapp will be disappointed to learn that he hated the film so much he called it “The Sound of Mucus”. “Because it was so awful and sentimental and gooey,” he said. “You had to work terribly hard to try and infuse some minuscule bit of humour into it.” To ease his pain, Plummer drank, even on set. He admitted on the DVD commentary that he was drunk when filming the Austrian music festival scene. 3. Charmian Carr injured herself during “Sixteen going on seventeen” Charmian Carr, who played Liesl Von Trapp, slipped while leaping from a bench in the gazebo scene. She fell through the glass and injured her ankle. In the scene, she is wearing a bandage on her leg, which is covered by make up. 4. Friedrich grew 15 centimetres during the six months of filming Nicholas Hammond, who played Friedrich Von Trapp, grew from 1.60 metres to 1.75 metres in the six months of filming. It caused many continuity problems in the movie as Friedrich had to be shorter than Liesl but taller than Louisa. As the beginning of the film, Hammond had lifts in his films but by the end, Carr who played Liesl had to stand on a box. 5. Mia Farrow auditioned for the role of Liesl. <a href="https://youtu.be/66v7gtwRGdM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Watch her audition tape here.</a> 6. The film is historically inaccurate The movie is loosely based on the autobiography of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, but the film took many liberties. For instance, there were 10 von Trapp children, not seven. Maria left the convent to tutor one of the children, not to governess all them. Georg was a kind man, not the stern disciplinarian as depicted the film. Maria and him were married 11 years before the Nazis invaded Austria. And the Von Trapp family didn’t escape from the mountains by crossing over the mountains – that would have led straight to Hitler’s Germany. Image credits: Getty Images

Movies

7 things you never knew about MAS*H

Did you know M*A*S*H ran more than three times longer than the actual Korean War? It may have graced our screens for 11 years, but you might not know all there is to know about the classic TV series, M*A*S*H. <ol> <li>No one wanted a laugh track – Despite pleas from the show’s producers, the network (CBS) went ahead and added in canned laughter. You might have noticed the laugh track growing quieter and quieter as the years progressed, and in the UK, the laugh track was removed entirely.</li> <li>CBS banned an “unpatriotic” episode – An idea for an episode was shot down by the network for being “unpatriotic”. It involved soldiers standing outside in the freezing cold to make themselves sick enough to be sent home – a tactic actually used during the war.</li> <li>The writers got back at complaining cast members – If ever an actor complained about their script (or asked for changes), the writing team would change the script to make it “parka weather”, making the cast swelter in jackets through days in excess of 32°C on their Florida film set.</li> <li>Patients were named after sports teams – After running out of names for patients visiting the hospital, the writers turned to baseball teams. In season six, four Marines are named after California Angels infielders, while in season seven, they named patients after the 1978 Los Angeles Dodgers.</li> <li>M*A*S*H hosted some big-name stars – Guest appearances on the show include Ron Howard, Leslie Nielsen, Patrick Swayze, Laurence Fishburne and Rita Wilson.</li> <li>The series finale broke records – The two-and-a-half-hour 1983 series finale, “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen,” was watched by a staggering 121.6 million people in the US alone – back then, that was 77 per cent of households with TV sets. It remains the most-watched episode of a TV show in US history.</li> <li>The time capsule didn’t stay buried long – In the series’ second-last episode, the M*A*S*H gang bury a time capsule. When the show wrapped up, the land used as the show’s set was sold, and a construction worker found the capsule just months later. After getting in contact with Alan Alda to return it, Alda told the worker he could keep it.</li> </ol> Image credits: Getty Images

Probing false memories: what is the Mandela Effect?

How is it possible to think you’re sure about something, only to learn that your memory’s let you down, and you were wrong all along? False memories can be so convincing that we never think to question their veracity. Denise Cullen investigates this odd, and little-understood, phenomenon. <div class="copy"> Imagine learning about a famous person’s death, watching footage of the funeral, and listening to the eulogies – then, decades later, finding out that this person had been alive all along. This was the scenario confronting Fiona Broome in 2009 when she shared her memory online, then subsequently learnt that Nelson Mandela was still alive. Broome, a paranormal researcher, had a distinct memory of the human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner dying in prison in the 1980s. “I thought I remembered it clearly, complete with news clips of his funeral, the mourning in [South Africa], some riots in cities and the heartfelt speech by his widow,” she wrote on her website, in a post since removed. As history records, Mandela died aged 95 – a free man and revered former South African president – in 2013. “Recall is a more active and effortful process than mere recognition.” Broome would have been willing to chalk it up to a glitch in her memory. But after discovering that many others shared the same memory, she decided it was instead a glitch in the matrix – a sign consistent with the many-worlds theory of quantum physics that there was a parallel universe in which Mandela had, indeed, died in prison in the 1980s. Since then, many other examples of what’s become known as the Mandela Effect – or shared false memories – have emerged. Common examples include that Rich Uncle Pennybags – aka the Monopoly Man – wears a monocle (he doesn’t), that Pokémon character Pikachu has a black-tipped tail (it’s yellow) and that there’s a hyphen in KitKat (there isn’t). Geographically, some folks swear that there are 51 or 52 states in the United States (there are 50) or that New Zealand is located north-east of Australia (it’s south-east). Cinematic examples include the Evil Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs saying “Mirror, mirror on the wall” (it’s actually “Magic mirror on the wall”). And who can forget the chilling moment in The Silence of the Lambs when Hannibal Lecter first meets Agent Starling and says, “Hello Clarice”? Thing is, it never happened. Misremembering the finer details related to board game mascots, fictional characters or logos might sound inconsequential. Yet the Mandela Effect has spawned a fertile field of psychological research seeking to uncover why people develop false memories – and why, when they do, they are along much the same lines. Wilma Bainbridge, who works in the Department of Psychology at the University of Chicago, has been interested in the workings of human memory since she and others discovered that people are surprisingly consistent in what they remember, forget and make false memories about. In 2011, Phillip Isola and some of his colleagues at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) identified that memorability was a stable property of an image shared across different viewers. Presenting at the annual Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), they built one of the first computer vision systems that sought to predict the memorability of different images. They also provided some of the first glimmers that low-level visual attributes of an image – such as its bright colours, or distinctive edges – cannot alone account for its memorability. Similarly, aesthetics (visual appeal), interest (how likely people are to be drawn to or interact with an image) or saliency (the area which draws people’s eye focus first) are insufficient to unlock the keys to memorability. "[There is a] tendency for people to consistently misremember characters or logos from popular culture – things that were, in fact, designed to be memorable." While completing her PhD at MIT, Bainbridge, Isola and MIT colleague Aude Oliva drew on a 10,168-image database of facial photographs to see if the same intrinsic memorability was found in human faces. Their research, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, found that some faces were consistently remembered or forgotten – and that this couldn’t be fully explained by attractiveness or other perceived character traits such as ‘trustworthy’ or ‘boring’. Bainbridge says it was Isola’s paper in 2011 and hers in 2013 that launched the burgeoning field of memorability. Since then, 845 scientific papers have cited the two papers. Currently on maternity leave after having twin girls, Bainbridge told me via email that she was originally inspired to probe the visual Mandela Effect because of how pervasive discussions were online about people having the same false memories. But no memory research had then investigated this intriguing phenomenon. In a recent article in Psychological Science, Bainbridge and her colleague at The University of Chicago, Deepasri Prasad, explored the visual Mandela Effect for the first time. This is the tendency for people to consistently misremember characters or logos from popular culture – things that were, in fact, designed to be memorable. Over a series of experiments – using icons such as the Monopoly Man, Pikachu, Curious George, the Volkswagen logo and Waldo from Where’s Waldo – they provided the first experimental confirmation that the visual Mandela Effect exists. (Where’s Waldo? is known as Where’s Wally? in Australia. The discrepancy isn’t an example of the Mandela Effect. It arose because publishers believed ‘Waldo’ would better resonate with North Americans.) In the first experiment, they presented 100 adults with images of 22 characters, 16 brand logos and two symbols, and made two altered images of each. “Even though we’ve all lived different lives, there are some pictures that most people remember and some pictures that most people forget,” For instance, they modified Curious George by adding a thin tail in one image and a bushy tail in the other. Research participants viewed all three images and had to choose the correct one. The results indicated that seven out of the 40 images elicited shared – and specific – false memories. In the second experiment, they used eye-tracking methods to see if there were differences in the way participants looked at the images they correctly identified, versus those they got incorrect. “We found no attentional or visual differences that drive this phenomenon,” Prasad and Bainbridge wrote. In the third experiment, the researchers scraped the top 100 Google Image results for each of the seven images to see if previous exposure to non-canonical (incorrect) versions might explain it. But they concluded that there was “no single unifying account for how prior perceptual experiences could cause these visual false memories – which had previously elicited the visual Mandela Effect – to occur”. The fourth experiment involved having participants draw the images, given that recall is a more active and effortful process than mere recognition. Some participants viewed the canonical (correct) images prior to being required to reproduce them, while others, who’d flagged that they were already familiar with the images, did not. One-fifth of all images drawn by the former group, and about half of those drawn by the latter group, showed characteristic Mandela-Effect-type errors. For example, the Monopoly Man frequently appeared with a monocle, while Waldo was often depicted sans cane. The common production of such errors during both short- and long-term recall suggests there’s something intrinsic to these images that leads to people generating the same sorts of fallacies – but Bainbridge says that researchers are only just beginning to probe what that might be. Her laboratory is concerned with broader questions about why some images are intrinsically memorable. “Even though we’ve all lived different lives, there are some pictures that most people remember and some pictures that most people forget,” she explains. Interestingly, when people view an image, high-level visual and memory areas in their brains show a sensitivity to its memorability – regardless of whether they consciously remember seeing it or not. Several functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies, including one conducted by Bainbridge and her colleague Jesse Rissman of the University of California Los Angeles and published in Scientific Reports, have demonstrated distinctive brain activation patterns (neural signatures) when memorable images are viewed. These processes take place outside conscious awareness, suggesting they occur automatically. Humans aren’t alone in this, with research led by Nicole Rust at the University of Pennsylvania and published in eLife in 2019 identifying similar patterns in rhesus monkeys who completed visual memory tasks. In a 2022 paper published in Computational Brain & Behavior, Bainbridge and her then University of Chicago master’s student Coen Needell wrote that they had developed a deep learning neural network that can predict people’s memories. <div> “We’ve recently developed a web tool called ResMem using deep learning artificial intelligence where you can upload an image and it will tell you the per cent chance someone will remember that image,” Bainbridge says. “Anyone can try it out with their own photos.” Recent work shows that the images people remember or forget can even be used to identify early signs of Alzheimer’s disease. Research published by Bainbridge and colleagues in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring in 2019 found that a small, specific set of images reliably differentiated people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or subjective cognitive decline (SCD) from healthy controls. Using data drawn from the DZNE-Longitudinal Cognitive Impairment and Dementia Study (DELCODE), an observational, longitudinal memory clinic–based study across 10 sites in Germany, Bainbridge and colleagues analysed the memory performance of 394 individuals. Each participant viewed a randomly selected subset of 88 photographs from a total pool of 835. The performance of 193 healthy controls was compared to 136 participants with SCD – elderly individuals who self-report a decline in cognitive abilities but don’t yet meet clinical thresholds – and 65 participants with MCI: elderly individuals who show early clinical signs of cognitive decline, but are not yet at the level of Alzheimer’s disease. (Bainbridge notes that Alzheimer’s disease is more severe than MCI, which is more severe than SCD; however, it is possible to have MCI or SCD and never end up developing Alzheimer’s disease.) The researchers found that there was a lot of overlap in what the different groups remembered and forgot. However, there was a small subset of images that were highly memorable to healthy controls, but highly forgettable to those with mild cognitive impairment or subjective cognitive decline. A subset of as few as 18.3 images could distinguish between the two groups. In this way, the intrinsic memorability of images might ultimately pave the way towards quicker, easier and more reliable diagnostic tests of precursors to Alzheimer’s disease. The study of false memories also has weighty implications for criminal defence, given that some people might be wrongfully identified as suspects just because their faces cause false memories more easily. Though this research is not the focus of Bainbridge’s laboratory, work in this area is continuing, with the promise of some yet-to-be-published data suggesting that these more diagnostic images also better tap into the underlying brain pathology in those with MCI. “We’re now interested in creating a neural network tool that can predict your chance of making a false memory to an image – and then, theoretically, you could make images that cause lots of false memories,” Bainbridge explains. “These next steps are still in very early stages, though, and sadly, we don’t really have anything yet [on what features may prompt false memories],” she says. One goal of the research is to make the neural network tool available to any scientist who wants to study what makes something cause false memories. Bainbridge’s research on memorability has potential applications for further research as well as education, which may be enriched, for example, with textbook images or infographics that are more likely to stick in students’ minds. The findings are also likely to enhance clinical practice, given that memory problems are the most common cognitive deficits in dementia. Bainbridge says those experiencing dementia typically benefit as a result of specially designed environments or tools to aid their memory – for example, memorable cues to help them remember to take essential medication. The study of false memories also has weighty implications for criminal defence, given that some people might be wrongfully identified as suspects just because their faces cause false memories more easily. “You’d want to make sure to control for that when choosing a line up,” Bainbridge says. “It’s pretty amazing to think about how our brains can build up vivid memories of images that don’t really exist and that we’ve never seen before.” Image credits: Getty Images <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=250856&title=Probing+false+memories%3A+what+is+the+Mandela+Effect%3F" width="1" height="1" loading="lazy" aria-label="Syndication Tracker" data-spai-target="src" data-spai-orig="" data-spai-exclude="nocdn" /><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/behaviour/probing-the-mandela-effect/">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/denise-cullen/">Denise Cullen</a>. </div> </div>

Mind

Surprising facts about Barbie (she’s kept quiet all this time)

1. Her fame is global, but she’s a small town girl. According to brand lore, Barbara “Barbie” Millicent Roberts was officially born on March 9, 1959, in the fictional town of Willows, Wisconsin. 2. She’s just one of seven kids. Over the years, her siblings for sale have included: Skipper, Stacie, Chelsea, Krissy, Tutti and Todd. 3. Barbie digs younger men. Her longtime BF Ken is two years younger than Barbie, debuting in toy stores in 1961. 4. She has had more than 150 careers, including paleontologist, Canadian Mountie, McDonald’s cashier, Desert Storm medic, business executive, secretary, Catwoman, and, regrettably, rapper. 5. She’s been to space three times. Astronaut Barbie debuted in space in 1965 (four years before the moon landing), then returned in 1986 and 1994. 6. Her house is a zoo. Barbie has owned more than 40 pets, including 21 dogs, 14 horses, three ponies, six cats, a parrot, a chimpanzee, a panda, a lion cub, a giraffe, and a zebra. 7. She’s got friends in the fashion industry. Gucci, Versace, Vera Wang, Dolce & Gabbana, and Givenchy have all contributed designs to Barbie’s wardrobe. 8. Her wardrobe is house-sized. Barbie has had more than one billion outfits (with shoes to match) designed for her. Image credits: Shutterstock This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/true-stories-lifestyle/entertainment/8-Things-You-Probably-Didnt-Know-About-Barbie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.

Beauty & Style

8 mind-boggling facts about your favourite flowers and plants

We’ve found some fun, quirky and downright mind-boggling facts about our favourite flowers and plants. 1. A sunflower is not just one flower. Each head is composed of hundreds of tiny flowers, called florets, held together on a single seed. This is the case for all plants in the sunflower family, including daises. 2. Apples, pears, peaches, cherries, raspberries, strawberries and more are actually in the rose family, making them cousins to the long-stemmed flower of love. 3. During the 1600s, tulips were so valuable in Holland that their bulbs were worth more than gold. No wonder the Netherlands is known for their tulips! 4. Bamboo is the fasted-growing woody plant in the world. The current Guinness World Record title is held by a certain species of the 45 genera of bamboo, which have been found to grow at up to 91 cm per day or at a rate of 0.00003 km/h. 5. Strawberries are the only fruit that bears its seeds on the outside. It has on average 200 seeds. 6. The oldest known flower was discovered in 2002, in northeast China. The flower, named archaefructus sinensis, bloomed around 125 million years ago and resembles a water lily. 7. The titan arum is the world’s largest flower. The circumference of the flower can be over three metres and a single leaf can grow to the size of a small tree. However, it smells horribly like rotten flesh, earning its nickname of corpse flower. 8. You can change the colour of your hydrangeas by altering the pH level of the soil. Alkaline soil will create pinker blooms, while a more acidic soil will produce blue blooms. Image credit: Instagram Related links: <a href="../lifestyle/gardening/2015/05/gardening-and-soil-ph/">What you need to know about your soil’s pH levels</a> <a href="../lifestyle/gardening/2015/05/over60-community-gardens-part-4/">Take a look inside the beautiful gardens of the Over60 community</a> <a href="../lifestyle/gardening/2015/06/attracting-birds-to-the-garden/">Top tips for attracting birds to the garden</a>

Home & Garden

Surprising facts about 5 classic TV shows

As well as offering some real television nostalgia, these classic shows are also regarded as some of the most iconic TV shows ever made. Here are some lesser-known facts about five of the most popular shows in TV history. 1. I Love Lucy I Love Lucy had a rather rocky start. Fraught with dilemmas and thought to maybe not move forward with the pilot, it came down to play it safe, or take a chance on the untried medium of television. Ball recounts that in a dream, Hollywood actress Carole Lombard appeared in a “very smart suit and she said, <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=uBWFgeCNAz4C&pg=PA26&lpg=PA26&dq=carole+lombard+Take+a+chance,+honey.+Give+it+a+whirl!&source=bl&ots=8jLdurHJI6&sig=lSqvQ7Uk-bHYFlraRdDppCxrj74&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjt8byl9LXRAhVmi1QKHS3-DB70Q6AEIPjAH#v=onepage&q=carole%20lombard%20Take%20a%20chance%2C%20honey.%20Give%20it%20a%20whirl!&f=false" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘Go on, honey. Give it a whirl</a>!’” And they did exactly that and they show is one of the most loved of its kind to date. 2. The Flintstones The popular 1960s cartoon The Flintstones may have become a hit around the world but it was not well received by everyone. One of television’s most iconic actors of all time, Jackie Gleason, was not happy about the show’s inspiration. According to Alan Reed Jr. (son of Alan Reed, who voiced Fred Flintstone), The Flintstones was <a href="http://www.thespectrum.com/story/entertainment/2015/09/24/alan-reed-jr-remembers-flintstones/72626720/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inspired by The Honeymooners</a>, taking on the short-tempered and overbearing characteristics of Gleason’s vociferous Ralph Kramden. 3. The Odd Couple After it first premiered in 1970, viewers had some questions about the sexuality of Felix and Oscar, as the two men living as roommates in New York City. Felix, played by Tony Randall, raised the most eyebrows for his flamboyant mannerisms and interest in the arts. Worried that viewers would be turned off due to the continuous speculation, ABC executives made it a point in the show’s intro to state that the roommates were “divorced men.” 4. The Ed Sullivan Show In 1953 when Broadway director Joshua Logan asked to speak about his struggles with mental illness, what ensued was one of Ed Sullivan’s proudest TV moments. Worries about CBS’s reaction, Sullivan hesitantly allowed Logan to change the running order of the show to address his mental breakdown, recovery, and the stigma surrounding mental illness. It was met with momentary silence followed by a very big applause. In the weeks that followed, CBS was sent oodles of letters of appreciation. 5. Hogan’s Heroes CBS’s Hogan’s Heroes, which ran from 1965 to 1971, was set in an actual German POW camp during World War II. Despite being successful, the sitcom was heavily criticised, given the actual atrocities that were committed during the war. Surprisingly, many of the actors portraying the dim-witted German Nazis were Jewish, too. Image credit: Shutterstock

4 caravan facts you never knew

Caravans have come a long way since their humble beginnings in the 13th century, with the 20th century seeing them finally used for holidays! They’re increasing in popularity as more people want the caravan experience. 1. Internet connection Some would simply turn away at the thought of no WI-FI, but with the rapid evolution of technology comes the evolution of caravan modernity. You won’t be cut off from the world on your caravanning holiday as plenty of parks offer 4G connection. 2. Pet-friendly A lot of people will refrain from holidaying if they can’t bring their beloved furry friend but a lot of them are now dog-friendly, so you don’t have to leave your best bud behind. 3. Custom-built Caravans can be tailored to suit your taste! If you own your own, of course, run rampant with the decorations! But a lot of caravan parks will allow you to personalise your home away from home. 4. The future With technology only further developing, it is certainly going to continue impacting the caravanning world. Some believe there might be fingerprint entry one day, and there are possibilities of an aquatic caravan, where it will be liveable on water and land! See the sites from the comfort of your very own caravan. It’s a unique experience, is often less costly, and very accommodating. Image credit: Shutterstock

Domestic Travel

7 bizarre laws across the globe

Laws differ from country to country, and many remain unheard of. Here are some of the most outdated and unbelievable laws that still exist across the world. 1. Swiss bomb shelters In Switzerland, every citizen is required by law to have a bomb shelter or at least access to one. 2. Children under 12 banned from using phones In Blue Earth Minnesota, USA, it is illegal for children under 12 years of age to speak on the phone unless they’re accompanied by a parent or guardian. 3. Can’t ride an ugly horse In Wilbur, Washington it is illegal to ride a horse that is deemed to be ugly! Although it is unclear what constitutes an ugly horse. 4. First four firemen get paid In Zeigler, Illinois, USA, only the first four men to make it to the scene will be paid. 5. Failed surgery = no hands In Ancient Egypt, if a surgeon lost a patient while performing an operation on them, the surgeon's hands were cut off. 6. Too scruffy to drive In Athens, a driver can have their licence taken away simply because they are deemed too scruffy or poorly dressed. 7. Criminal birthday offence In Samoa, it is a crime to forget your wife’s birthday. Image credit: Shutterstock

Legal

Put your Star Wars knowledge to the test

While May 4 is not a public holiday, for passionate Star Wars fans around the world, it may as well be. Whether you prefer to dress-up with friends and celebrate with a mega movie marathon - after hours spent deciding which trilogy to begin with, of course - or scroll your favourite forums to find that next snippet of news about any upcoming projects, it’s fun to have the odd fun fact to drop into conversation, whether or not your present company particularly wants to hear it. And now’s the time to put your knowledge to the test, with some Star Wars trivia to challenge and to impress - especially if you get that perfect 15/15. So, “may the Force be with you”, and don’t forget to scroll to the bottom for the answers! 1. What was the false working title used to mask production for Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi in 1982? A: Blue Moon B: Blue Harvest C: Force Squadron D: Galaxy’s Edge 2. The term ‘Ewok’ was never said aloud in the original trilogy. A: True B: False 3. Who delivered the line “congratulations, you are being rescued” in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story? A: Cassian Andor B: C-3PO C: K-2SO D: Orson Krennic 4. How many actresses have portrayed (in the live action films) the leader of the Rebel Alliance, Mon Mothma? A: 4 B: 3 C: 2 D: 1 5. Which movie features the most stop-motion animation? A: The Phantom Menace B: Empire Strikes Back C: Return of the Jedi D: A New Hope 6. Why are porgs so prominent in The Last Jedi? A: Director Rian Johnson was asked by a crew member’s child to include the feathered friends B: The marketing team had requested something small and fuzzy for the younger audience C: Porgs were inspired by early concept art for BB-8 that they didn’t want to toss aside completely D: The island on which they filmed was home to puffins and it was easier just to tie them in 7. Yoda shares a voice actor with which iconic Muppet? A: Miss Piggy B: Kermit C: Gonzo D: Swedish Chef 8. How many films does the Rebel Alliance’s Blue Squadron appear in? A: 1 B: 2 C: 3 D: 4 9. Which phrase can be heard in every Star Wars movie? A: “There’s no such thing as luck.” B: “Rebellions are built on hope.” C: “I have a bad feeling about this.” D: “Never underestimate a droid.” 10. In The Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon Jinn used which common household item as his communicator? A: A lint brush B: A torch C: A tin of shoe polish D: A razor 11. How many Sith can there be at any one time? A: 8 B: 6 C: 4 D: 2 12. What was Luke Skywalker originally going to be called? A: Luke Stardestroyer B: Luke Starkiller C: Luke Skykiller D: Luke Lars 13. The noise from passing which object served as the inspiration for lightsaber sounds? A: A radio B: A microwave C: A television D: A racecar 14. Which quote is correct? A: “No, I am your father.” B: “Luke, I am your father.” 15. Who built C-3PO? A: Luke Skywalker B: Jar Jar Binks C: Shmi Skywalker D: Anakin Skywalker Images: Getty ANSWERS: <blockquote> 1: A, 2: A, 3: C, 4: C, 5: B, 6: D, 7: A, 8: A, 9: C, 10: D, 11: D, 12: B, 13: C, 14: A, 15: D </blockquote>

Movies

19 common ‘facts’ about dogs that are actually false

Dog myths are everywhere You may think your dog knowledge is outstanding, but the truth is that some dog facts you’ve heard through the grapevine simply aren’t that true. That’s right. There’s a lot of misinformation out there about our pups. And while much of it’s pretty harmless, some perpetuated dog myths are downright dangerous – for you and your dog. Some inaccurate beliefs can cause you to misinterpret certain dog behaviours or dog facial expressions, lead to subpar nutrition or put a strain on the owner-dog bond. We reached out to a range of pet experts, including veterinarians, dog trainers and behaviourists, to shine some light on the biggest dog myths out there. A wagging tail always means a happy dog Have you wondered what your dog’s tail is telling you? Tail wagging is just one of the ways dogs communicate. And although a wagging tail often does denote an excited or happy dog, that’s not always the case. “For example, a vigorous tail wag to the right means happiness at seeing its owner, but slow wags of a tail held halfway down can mean fear or insecurity,” says veterinarian, Dr Jess Trimble. “Additionally, a tail held very high and wagged extremely fast can mean fear or aggression for some dogs.” Dogs eat grass because they’re feeling sick You might have noticed your favourite canine buddy likes to chomp on grass once in a while. They might even go straight for the patch of green the second they’re outside. One of the most common dog myths is that eating grass is a sign your dog is sick, but that’s not necessarily true. “So many clients come to me worried when their dog eats grass that they may be coming down with a sickness. This is not completely untrue, because the grass does act as a natural antacid to help make your dog’s belly feel better,” says veterinarian, Dr Lindsay Butzer. However, dogs eat grass for many reasons, some of which have nothing to do with an upset stomach. “They might just like the taste of the grass,” Dr Butzer says, “or they are still hungry and want to keep eating, and the fibrous grass will fill them up.” You can’t teach an old dog new tricks You’ve heard this phrase before: “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” And while it is true that puppies are like sponges, making it so easy to teach them new things, “make no mistake, old dogs can learn too,” says certified animal behaviourist, Trish McMillan. She notes that some geriatric dogs that struggle with vision, hearing or mobility issues may not be as easy to train. However, as long as their brain is in good shape, they can absolutely learn new things. Dogs only see in black and white The idea that dogs only see in black and white is arguably one of the most perpetuated dog myths out there. Dogs can in fact see some colour, but the spectrum is limited, says veterinarian, Dr Adam Christman. “Humans and most other primates have three kinds of cones in our eyes, making us trichromatic; dogs are bichromatic.” And because of this, they do have a tendency to mix up greens and reds. Garlic is a natural flea and tick remedy When your dog is dealing with fleas or ticks, you’ll likely do anything to give them (and your household) some much-needed relief. If you’ve read that garlic acts as a natural cure, don’t believe it. Garlic is actually toxic to dogs and one of the <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/pets/12-foods-you-didnt-know-could-kill-your-dog" target="_blank" rel="noopener">foods dogs can’t eat</a>, so you’ll want to keep it away from your pup. “Garlic will not only have zero effect on fighting off fleas and ticks, but it can also lead to a serious disease known as Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA),” says veterinarian, Dr Michelle Dulake. “Even though it is a rare disease, IMHA causes the body to destroy its own red blood cells, leading to life-threatening anaemia. By feeding garlic, you are unnecessarily risking your pup’s health, expensive hospital bills and multiple blood transfusions.” If you meet a dog, let it sniff your hand This is a well-intentioned line of thinking, but a perpetuated dog myth nonetheless. In actuality, you should not stick your hand out toward any dog you’ve just met. “In our human interactions, it’s second nature to offer a handshake or a fist bump, but we must remember that dogs aren’t humans,” says dog trainer, Guillermo Roa. “Sticking out your hand can be misinterpreted as a sign of aggression, and a dog may bite you.” Roa says it’s better to calmly wait for the dog to approach you, if it is interested in doing so. You don’t know about the dog’s obedience record, after all. So if you must approach a new dog, do it from the side and avoid making intense eye contact. One dog year equals seven human years Although dogs do age quicker than humans, the seven-to-one ratio isn’t quite accurate. Their comparative age depends entirely on breed, size and genetic makeup, says Dr Trimble. “The bigger your dog is, the faster they age. I have patients that are five-kilo terriers that still act like puppies at 16 years old and would be considered around 75 to 80 in human years. In contrast, a Great Dane at 16 would be a record and considered to be more than 130 years of age.” <div> </div> Bad dog breath is completely normal Bad dog breath is so common that most people think it’s just something dog parents live with. The truth is that your dog’s breath really shouldn’t be that bad – and you should be brushing your dog’s teeth more often than you think. “Your dog will never have minty-fresh breath, but it shouldn’t be unbearable either,” says professional dog groomer, Tim Vogel. “Bad breath is an indicator of underlying health issues. Specifically, chronic bad breath is caused by bacteria in the mouth and is often the first sign of dental disease.” In fact, Vogel says the biggest culprit of bad dog breath is periodontal disease, which affects up to 80 per cent of dogs by age three. In addition to tooth loss, abscesses and periodontal disease, poor oral hygiene can lead to life-threatening conditions, including kidney, liver and heart damage. A warm and dry nose means your dog is sick One of the most repeated dog myths out there is about dog illness symptoms and implies that a healthy dog’s nose is always cold and wet. Warm and dry noses are completely normal though, so don’t worry if this is the usual state of your dog’s snout. “Everything from dry air and allergies to simply taking a nap can affect the wetness of your dog’s nose,” says Dr Christman. “However, while nose health isn’t normally concerning, if you notice your pet’s nose is constantly dry, cracking or running – not simply wet– then you should make an appointment with the veterinarian.” Always spay or neuter at a young age “Spaying and neutering dogs at a young age was happening at an alarming rate several years ago, and many veterinarians took the stance of ‘the younger, the better,’” says dog trainer, Adam Gibson. The idea is that early neutering or spaying will curb behavioural issues as the pet gets older. Gibson points out that numerous studies have shown this to be untrue and waiting to neuter your dog may be safer in the long run. “There are also added health benefits to allowing dogs to keep their reproductive organs intact into adulthood,” Gibson says. The community is responding to this new data, and more vets and owners are waiting six months to one year to spay or neuter pups. Use dog treats to bribe your pet Sure, they taste good, and your dog might beg for them, but the best dog treats aren’t just a way to bribe your pet into following your orders. The best dog trainers view treats as rewards – not bribes. “Treats are a really great way to show your dog that their consistent good behaviour or listening is going to be positively reinforced with a reward,” says Nick Navarro, a professional dog trainer. “When we’re training our dogs’ behaviours, we want to consider when we are giving them their treats. If you’re giving them treats before a bad behaviour happens, that would be considered a bribe. However, after they do something good – like dropping something they shouldn’t be chewing on or coming when called – you should definitely be digging into that treat jar for a job well done.” Bottom line: Treats (store-bought and homemake dog treats) are an excellent training tool for young dogs. Combine it with other training methods, and you’ll have an all-star pup in no time. A dog’s mouth is cleaner than a human’s This is one of the most common dog myths vets encounter. If a dog’s saliva was as antibacterial as the myth states, they’d be walking medical superheroes. Sure, dogs are superheroes in their own right, but this is one dog myth we’ve got to put to rest. “While dog saliva has a slightly more alkaline pH, which can discourage some bacteria from reproducing, it’s not truly antibacterial,” says Dr Trimble. “In fact, as a vet, one of the most common causes of canine skin infections we see is from a dog licking a wound or itchy spot too much.” Dogs evolved from wolves and should eat like them Dogs and wolves may come from the same lineage, but treating them as an interchangeable species is not ideal and can even impact their health. Dogs evolved from wolves more than 11,000 years ago, says Dr Trimble, and over that evolution, they’ve become two entirely different creatures. “Dogs should not eat the wild-wolf-type diet that’s becoming popular by boutique pet food manufacturers,” she says. It’s important to show your dominance Known as the alpha wolf theory, McMillan explains that it became a popular dog training method after wolves were first studied in captivity. However, with time, we’ve learned that dominance isn’t necessarily the best approach. “Later studies of wild wolves showed that packs are just families, with the older wolves caring for and teaching the younger ones until they’re old enough to leave,” McMillan says. “Modern dog trainers use behavioural principles to look at the antecedents and consequences of behaviour, managing the environment, meeting dogs’ needs for social time, enrichment and exercise, and teaching dogs what we want them to do, rather than solely punishing them when they misbehave.” Rubbing your dog’s nose in an accident curbs future behaviour This is one of those dog training myths that does more harm than good. Because dogs tend to understand behavioural problems at the time the behaviour occurs, rubbing your dog’s nose in an accident when you come home and find it likely will not help them make the connection. “When you do this, you’re in essence punishing a dog that doesn’t know why it’s being punished. This could exacerbate the issue and create more problems in the future,” warns Dr Christman. “Rather, it’s best to catch them in the act and redirect them to their proper potty destination.” Two puppies at once is best (they’ll have a playmate) Adopting two puppies at once sounds like a perfectly reasonable approach – and one that promises countless adorable puppy pictures. But it’s one of those dog myths that may lead to headaches all around, warns Gibson. “From a training and behavioural standpoint, the biggest issues I see with two young puppies being raised together are that they end up being much harder to train,” he says. Even if they are one of <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/food-home-garden/pets/11-easiest-dogs-to-train-that-make-obedient-pets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the easiest dog breeds to train</a>, “they are oftentimes so co-dependent upon each other that they don’t seem to develop nearly as much as a puppy raised appropriately by itself.” Additionally, Gibson says they tend to be distracted by each other, and because their bond is so strong, they tend to place less value on their human relationships. The more love, the better the dog What do dogs want? If your answer is love, you’re only partially right. Love is important when it comes to fostering a healthy relationship with your pup and training them well, but don’t confuse love with poor boundaries. “Pets are increasingly seen as part of the family, and that can be wonderful,” says Roa. “We often want to indulge them by giving them the comfiest seat in the house or food from the table, but that can backfire. Like human children, furry kids require boundaries. Without boundaries, you will end up with many behavioural issues that can include aggression.” Dogs don’t think that humans are dogs, which means boundaries set by humans are beneficial. For Roa, gentle guidance and redirection are vital to establish a mutually respectful bond that benefits both pets and their humans. Dogs yawn when they’re tired Dogs are highly emotional, and it affects their behaviours. If you catch your dog mid-yawn, you might just assume it’s feeling sleepy and ready for a nap. That’s a reason humans yawn, after all. But not so fast! Yawning is common in dogs, and while they may yawn when they are tired, Dr Butzer says dogs also yawn due to boredom, anxiety, stress or when they want to get away with something. “For example, my dog will yawn when she has to sit still on the couch while we are eating dinner in the dining room. Dogs will also yawn during a veterinary visit due to stress or wanting to leave the appointment.” Short-haired dogs don’t need grooming When people think of dog grooming, they often think of haircuts. So it’s easy to assume that only long-haired dogs would need routine maintenance. But that’s one of those dog myths that’s bad for their health. The reality is that whether you choose to see a professional or groom your dog at home, every dog requires grooming to maintain good health. “All dogs need routine care, like bathing, ear cleaning, nail clipping and teeth brushing, to stay clean, comfortable and healthy,” says Vogel. “For example, long nails aren’t just unattractive or noisy – they can affect your dog’s overall health and comfort.” Routine ear checks and cleaning can ensure your dog is free of parasites, while brushing and bathing removes loose hair and dander. “Basic hygiene and grooming services aren’t luxuries reserved for special occasions; they’re imperative to maintaining your dog’s overall health and wellness.” Image credit: Shutterstock This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/food-home-garden/pets/19-common-facts-about-dogs-that-are-actually-false" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.

Family & Pets

"The wilderness of mirrors": 70 years since the first James Bond book, spy stories are still blurring fact and fiction

"The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at three in the morning." With these opening words, Ian Fleming (1908-64) introduced us to the gritty, glamorous world of James Bond. Fleming’s first novel, <a href="https://www.ianfleming.com/items/casino-royale/">Casino Royale</a>, was published 70 years ago on April 13 1953. It sold out within weeks. British readers, still living with rationing and shortages after the war, eagerly devoured the first James Bond story. It had expensive liquor and cars, exotic destinations, and high-stakes gambling – luxurious things beyond the reach of most people. The novel’s principal villain is Le Chiffre, the paymaster of a French trade union controlled by the Soviet intelligence agency SMERSH. After losing Soviet money, Le Chiffre takes to high-stakes gambling tables to recover it. Bond’s mission is to play against Le Chiffre and win, bankrupting both the Frenchman and the union. The director of British intelligence, known only by his codename “M”, also assigns Bond a companion – Vesper Lynd, previously one of the agency’s assistants. The two infiltrate the casino, play at the tables, and dodge assassination attempts, while engaging in a dramatic battle with French communists, the Soviets, and each other. Fleming’s Bond – the sophisticated, tuxedo-clad secret agent – is an enduring image of espionage. Since 1953, martinis, gadgets, and a licence to kill have been part of how ordinary people understand spycraft. Some of this was real: Fleming drew on his own work as a spy for his novels. Intelligence work is often less glamorous than he depicted, but in both espionage and novel-writing, the difference between fact and fiction is not always easy to distinguish. <h2>Ian Fleming, Agent 17F</h2> Fleming came from a wealthy, well-connected British family, but he was a mediocre student. He only lasted a year at military college (where he contracted gonorrhoea), then missed out on a job with the Foreign Office. He could write, though. He spent a few years as a journalist, but drifted purposelessly through much of the 1930s. The outbreak of war in 1939 changed everything. The director of British Naval Intelligence, Admiral John Henry Godfrey, recruited Fleming as his assistant. Fleming excelled, under the codename 17F. He didn’t see much of the war firsthand, but was involved in its planning. He was an ideas man, not overly concerned with practicalities or logistics. Fleming came up with the fictions; other people had to turn them into realities. In 1940, for example, he developed “<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/entertainment-britain-fleming-bond-finea-idCAL1663266620080416">Operation Ruthless</a>”. To crack the German naval codes, Fleming planned to lure a German rescue boat into a trap and steal its coding machine. They would obtain a German bomber, dress British men in German uniforms, and deliberately crash the plane into the channel. When the German rescue crew arrived, they would shoot them and grab the machine. Preparations began but Fleming’s plan never eventuated. It was too difficult and risky – not least because crashing the plane might simply kill their whole crew. Fleming worked on various operations. When he began writing after the war, these experiences found their way into Bond’s world. Fleming and Godfrey had visited Portugal, a neutral territory teeming with spies, where they went to the casino. Fleming claimed he played against a German agent at the tables, an experience that supposedly inspired Bond’s gambling battles with Le Chiffre in Casino Royale. Godfrey maintained that Fleming only ever played against Portuguese businessmen, but Fleming never let facts get in the way of a good story. Fleming picked up inspiration everywhere. Godfrey became the model for M. Fleming’s secretary, Joan Howe, inspired Moneypenny. The Soviet SMERSH coding device in <a href="https://jamesbond.fandom.com/wiki/From_Russia_with_Love_(novel)">From Russia, With Love</a> (1957) was based on the German Enigma machine. Many of Fleming’s characters were named for real people: one villain shares a name with Hitler’s Chief of Staff, another with one of Fleming’s schoolyard adversaries. It became something of a sport to hypothesise about the inspiration for Bond. Fleming later called him a “compound of all the secret agents and commando types” he met during war. There were elements of Fleming’s older brother, an operative behind the lines in Norway and Greece. Fleming also pointed to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney_Reilly">Sidney Reilly</a>, a Russian-born British agent during the First World War. He had access to reports on Reilly in the Naval Intelligence archive during his own service. Other possible models include <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrad_O%27Brien-ffrench">Conrad O’Brien-ffrench</a>, a British spy Fleming met while skiing in the 1930s, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilfred_Dunderdale">Wilfred “Biffy” Dunderdale</a>, MI6 Station Chief in Paris, who wore handmade suits and was chauffeured in a Rolls Royce. Stories of discovering <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/mr-bond-i-presume-20141017-117xji.html">the real-life James Bond</a> still appear. But there was also much of Fleming himself in Bond. He gave 007 his own love of scrambled eggs and gambling. Their attitude towards women was similar. They used the same brand of toiletries. Bond even has Fleming’s golf handicap. Fleming would play with this idea, teasing that the books were autobiographical or that he was Bond’s biographer. Much like a cover story for an intelligence officer, Bond was Fleming’s alter-ego. He was anchored in Fleming’s realities – with a strong dash of creative licence and a little aspiration. <h2>The changing world of Bond</h2> The success of Casino Royale secured contracts for more Bond novels. In the early 1960s, critics began to denounce the books for their “sex, snobbery, and sadism”. Bond’s attitude toward women, in particular, was clear from the beginning. In Casino Royale, he refers to the “sweet tang of rape” in relation to sex with his MI6 accomplice and paramour Vesper Lynd. But the public appeared to be less concerned. Bond novels still sold well, especially after John F. Kennedy listed one among his top ten books. The first film adaptation, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055928/">Dr. No</a>, appeared in 1962 and Fleming’s success continued apace. Bond’s world was evolving, though. From Casino Royale to For Your Eyes Only (1960), Bond battled SMERSH, a real Soviet counter-espionage organisation. The early Bond novels were Cold War stories. Soviet Russia was the West’s enemy, so it was Bond’s. But East-West relations were thawing in 1959 when Fleming was writing Thunderball (1961). The Cold War could plausibly have ended and he didn’t want any film version to look dated, so Fleming created a fictional villain: SPECTRE. This was an international terrorist organisation without a distinct ideology. It could endure beyond the battles of the Cold War – and did. It features in the 2021 Bond film <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2382320/">No Time To Die</a>. Fleming’s more fantastic plots were always anchored in reality by recognisable brands and products. Bond’s watch was a Rolex; his choice of bourbon was Jack Daniels. His cigarettes were Morlands, like Fleming’s. In the novels, Bond drove Bentleys – the Aston Martin was introduced in the 1964 film <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058150/">Goldfinger</a>. The films have changed Bond’s brands to keep up with the world around them (and secure lucrative product-placement deals): Omega replaced Rolex in <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113189/">Goldeneye</a> (1995); the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/apr/17/bond-taste-for-beer-skyfall">martini was swapped for a Heineken</a> in <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1074638/">Skyfall</a> (2012). Bond now carries a Sony phone. Other changes brought the 1950s spy into the 21st century. Recent films have more diverse casting. Their female characters do more than just spend a night with Bond before their untimely deaths. The novels, too, continue to change – the 70th-anniversary editions have had <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/feb/27/james-bond-novels-to-be-reissued-with-racial-references-removed">racial slurs and some characters’ ethnic descriptors removed</a>. Some have criticised this as censorship. But as with <a href="https://theconversation.com/roald-dahl-a-brief-history-of-sensitivity-edits-to-childrens-literature-200500">recent rewritings of Roald Dahl’s books</a>, changes like this are not new. Fleming’s family has <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-28/ian-fleming-james-bond-books-changes-to-new-editions/102035958">defended the alterations by citing similar removals</a> in 1955, when Live and Let Die was first published in the United States. There is a risk that this whitewashes Fleming’s attitudes, making them appear more palatable than they really were. But the revised Bond novels will include a disclaimer noting the removals. Casino Royale itself has not been altered (Bond’s rape comment remains intact), so the changes will perhaps be less extensive than the media coverage suggests. <h2>Spies After Bond</h2> Fleming is not the only ex-spy to have successfully turned his hand to spy fiction. John le Carré’s George Smiley is perhaps an anti-Bond: slightly overweight, banal, and essentially a bureaucrat. He relies on a shrewd mind rather than gadgets or guns. Le Carré introduced his readers to a more mundane, morally grey world of espionage. He had worked for MI5 and MI6 in the 1950 and ‘60s. He thought Bond was a gangster rather than a spy. Le Carré’s stories have also shaped how we think about espionage. Words like “mole” and “honeytrap” – the terminology of spycraft – <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2023/02/john-le-carre-spy-came-in-from-cold-book/673227/">entered common usage via his novels</a>. Stella Rimington, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/apr/23/stella-rimington-i-fell-into-intelligence-by-chance">the first female director-general of MI5</a>, began writing fiction after retiring from intelligence in the late 1990s. Her protagonist, 34-year-old Liz Carlyle, hunts terror cells in Britain. Like Smiley, Carlyle appears rather ordinary. She is serious and conscientious. We get glimpses of the everyday sexism she experiences. Carlyle triumphs by remaining level-headed, not by fiery gun battles or explosions. After three decades of agent-running for the CIA, Jason Mathews wrote his <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/series/The-Red-Sparrow-Trilogy">Red Sparrow</a> trilogy to occupy himself in retirement. He called it <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/28/books/shadowing-jason-matthews-the-ex-spy-whose-cover-identity-is-author.html">a form of therapy</a>. There’s a little more Bond in Mathews’ books than in those of le Carré or Rimington. His protagonists Nate Nash and Dominika Egorova are attractive, charismatic and entangled in a personal relationship of stolen moments and high drama. This is counterbalanced by the many hours they spend running surveillance-detection routes before meeting targets. The more tedious and banal aspects of spycraft – brush passes, broken transmitters, and dead drops – accompany the glamour and romance. <h2>The wilderness of mirrors</h2> Spy fiction is never just about entertainment. The real world of espionage is so secret that most of us only ever encounter it on pages or screens. We don’t usually look to Bond films for accurate representations of espionage. But the influence of Fleming’s spy and the general aura of secrecy surrounding intelligence work lend some glamour and excitement to the work of real spies. These fictions also influence our views on real intelligence organisations, their activities, and their legitimacy. This is why the <a href="https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/the-cia-goes-to-hollywood-how-americas-spy-agency-infiltrated-the-big-screen-and-our-minds/">CIA invests time and money into fictionalisations</a> dealing with its work. From stories based on true events, such as <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1024648/">Argo</a>(2012) or <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1790885/">Zero Dark Thirty</a> (2012), to fictional series like <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1796960/">Homeland</a> (2011-20), the agency’s image is shaped via the media we consume. This was true when Fleming was writing, too. Soviet authorities <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Russia-and-the-Cult-of-State-Security-The-Chekist-Tradition-From-Lenin/Fedor/p/book/9780415703475">were preoccupied</a> by Sherlock Holmes’ surging popularity behind the Iron Curtain and fretted over the release of the Bond novels and films. The KGB studied both carefully. It was likely Bond who prompted KGB officers to release classified details about their most successful spy story: the career of <a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-name-s-sorge-richard-sorge/">Richard Sorge</a>. Former intelligence officers such as Fleming are often quite good at fiction – perhaps because it is a core part of spycraft. A solid cover story has to be grounded in reality, with just enough fiction to protect the truth or gain a desired outcome. A good operation often requires creativity, to outwit a target or evade detection. And spreading fictions – disinformation – can sometimes be just as useful as gathering information. The world of espionage is sometimes referred to as the “wilderness of mirrors”. Spycraft relies on both reflections and distortions. The line between fact and fiction, between real stories of intelligence work and invented ones, can become blurry – and intelligence agencies often prefer it that way. Image credits: Columbia Pictures This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-wilderness-of-mirrors-70-years-since-the-first-james-bond-book-spy-stories-are-still-blurring-fact-and-fiction-201373" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Books

10 things you didn't know about Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is one of the most famous residences in the world. While many people are aware of the Changing of the Guard and the royals using the balcony on big occasions, there are many facts that people don't know. Here are 10 interesting facts about the palace that sits in the heart of London. 1. The Queen isn't the only inhabitant While it is obvious that she shares her palace with her husband, Prince Philip, there are more individuals who live there. The palace has 188 staff bedrooms and 52 royal and guest bedrooms. 2. The flags Buckingham Palace uses two flags, one when the Queen is home and the other when she is away. When she is home, the Royal Standard flag is used and when she is away, the Union Jack is flown. 3. Queen Victoria first made the palace home to the reigning monarch While King George III bought the palace for his wife, Queen Victoria was the first reigning monarch to make the palace her home in 1837. Ever since, Buckingham Palace has been home to the reigning monarch. 4. Secret tunnels In 2006, the Queen confirmed the rumour that there were secret tunnels under the palace. She revealed that she had gone into the basement and encountered a squatter who had been living in the tunnels. 5. Full-time clockmakers Buckingham Palace has full-time clockmakers who repair and wind up all the clocks and watches that the monarchy owns. The monarchy owns a reported 1,000 clocks in total. 6. Royal announcements There are two traditions the royals adhere to when they have an important announcement. If there is a death, the announcement is first posted onto the Buckingham Palace gates. If there is a birth, the announcement is placed on an easel at the palace gates. 7. Lighting Good Housekeeping has reported that there are 40,000 light bulbs throughout the residence. There are also 760 windows that are cleaned every six weeks. 8. Rose garden The Queen's rose garden is massive and contains 25 different types of roses. The Queen's Royal Garden is roughly equivalent to 30 American football fields or four Wembley Stadiums. 9. ATM In 2001, bank manager Gordon Pell confirmed that there is a cash machine at Buckingham Palace. 10. King Charles I's memorial King Charles I was executed at 2pm. As a memorial to the royal, the clock face above Buckingham Palace and St. James Place has a "black blot" covering that hour. Images: Shutterstock

International Travel

15 facts you won’t believe are true

Sometimes we become so jaded that we forget the world is an amazing place. In this list we’ve put together 15 facts you won’t believe are true. To see the full list of amazing facts, scroll down. 1. Honey will <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-science-behind-honeys-eternal-shelf-life-1218690/?no-ist" target="_blank" rel="noopener">never go off</a>, no matter how long you store it. 2. The Turritopsis Nutricula jellyfish is <a href="http://immortal-jellyfish.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">c</a><a href="http://immortal-jellyfish.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">onsidered biologically immortal</a>. 3. The heart of a blue whale is so big a human could potentially swim through its arteries (of course why you’d want to do so is another matter altogether). 4. Yet the throat of a blue whale is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_whale#Description_and_behaviour" target="_blank" rel="noopener">so small</a> (comparatively speaking at least) it is physically incapable of swallowing anything bigger than a beach ball. 5. For every person on Earth there are <a href="http://www.peta.org/issues/wildlife/dealing-household-guests/ants/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">around 1.6 million ants</a>. 6. An octopus has <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ist/?next=/science-nature/ten-curious-facts-about-octopuses-7625828/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">three hearts</a>. 7. Feng shui was originally the art of choosing the <a href="http://www.awarenessmag.com/marapr07/ma07_feng_shui.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">best place for a grave</a>. 8. There are <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080603085914.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ten times more bacteria</a> than cells in the human body. 9. Believe it or not, this is what sand looks like under a microscope: 10. Oxford University actually <a href="http://thetab.com/uk/oxford/2013/10/20/six-things-oxford-predates-11736" target="_blank" rel="noopener">predates the Aztec Empire</a>. 11. No one has <a href="https://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=1163790" target="_blank" rel="noopener">successfully tamed</a> an African elephant. 12. Catfish have <a href="http://www.itv.com/news/central/2015-07-09/ten-facts-about-fish-that-might-surprise-you/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">27,000 taste buds</a> (four times as many as humans). 13. Santa Claus <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_of_Caesarea#Commemorations_of_Basil" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is called Basil</a> in Cyprus. 14. Scientists have suggested <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-24477667" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rain is made</a> from diamonds on Saturn and Jupiter. 15. The image on the left is a candle burning on Earth, and the image on the right is a candle burning in a zero gravity environment. What a difference! Related links: <a href="../news/news/2016/03/couple-give-60-million-lottery-away/">Couple gives $60 million lottery win away</a> <a href="../news/news/2016/03/find-letter-t-image-puzzle/">Can you find the letter “T” in this image?</a> <a href="../news/news/2016/03/stunning-images-antarctica-remote-beauty/">Stunning images of Antarctica’s remote beauty</a> Image credit: Shutterstock

News

3 surprising facts about red wine

1. Drinking red wine in small doses is better than not at all It may come as a surprise, but several human trial studies have proven moderate red wine consumption is better for you than not drinking. It’s because the antioxidants in red wine lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, mortality and type-2 diabetes. 2. Red wine’s health benefits stem from tannin Almost everything in wine that isn’t alcohol or water is a type of polyphenol. Polyphenols include tannin, colour pigment, wine aromas, resveratrol, and about 5,000 other plant compounds. Of these polyphenols, the most abundant in wine that benefits health are called Procyanidins, which are a type of condensed tannin. The compound is associated with inhibiting cholesterol plaque in the blood vessel, which is beneficial for heart health and longevity. 3. Some red wines are better for your health than others Not all red wines are the same. Some wines have more health benefits. For example, Cabernet Sauvignon has more condensed tannins than Pinot Noir. It can be difficult to determine which wines are best for health, but these are the facts: <ul> <li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Dry wines are more beneficial for your health than sweet wines</li> <li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Red wines with lower alcohol (below 13% ABV) are better than high alcohol wines</li> <li dir="ltr" role="presentation">Red wines with higher tannin are better than low tannin wines </li> </ul> So, drink up! Sensibly. Image credit: Getty

Food & Wine

4 surprising ways your height affects your health

How tall you are, to some extent, affects how you experience the world. You may always bump your head on the door frame, or get your feet trodden on in crowds or just find it hard to buy the right shoes. All these little things affect our wellbeing, but science has shown there are also larger factors at play. Here are four surprising ways your height affects your health. 1. Cancer risk Cancer is caused by abnormal cells multiplying out of control, so, more cells might mean more opportunity for a cancer-causing mutation. That explanation plays out in the research on hormone-related cancers, such as breast, ovarian and prostate, which are more common among the height-gifted. 2. Heart disease and diabetes Since greater height might allow larger, more robust blood vessels, being shorter can make you more prone to heart disease and diabetes. 3. Organ transplants It may not be something you’ve ever had to think about, but organs are not one-size-fits-all. Research suggests that people five feet, three inches or shorter currently wait longer on organ lists and are more likely to die in the process. There have been suggestions that surgeons could potentially “downsize” available lungs to fit shorter patients. 4. Injury This one is simple really – if a tall person falls, they have longer to go before hitting the ground than a smaller person. As a result, their injuries are often worse. Lanky people may also be crippled by slower reactions times since their nerve impulses have farther to travel. How have you found your height to affect your health? Let us know in the comments below. Image: Getty

Body

13 fascinating facts about the world’s oceans

The reason it’s blue The ‘deep blue sea’ – and our ‘blue planet’ along with it! – owe their iconic colour to the light of the sun. When the sun shines on the ocean, the water absorbs the longer red and orange wavelengths of light while reflecting blue light back. This will only happen, though, with a large amount of water; the more water you have, the bluer it is. This is why the water you drink out of a glass doesn’t appear ocean-blue. This process of light absorption and reflection is also the reason the sky is blue – but the blue colour of the ocean is not because it’s reflecting the colour of the sky, as many people believe. The ocean is full of gold The phrase ‘liquid gold’ was never so applicable. Believe it or not, every drop of ocean water contains a teeny-tiny bit of real gold. It’s such an inconsequential amount that you’re not going to get rich by scooping up seawater – there are about 13 billionths of a gram of gold in every litre of seawater. But when you consider just how much ocean water there is on the entire planet, that does add up to a lot of gold. About 20 million tonnes of it, to be specific! Considering that that amount would be worth hundreds of trillions of dollars, the ocean’s hidden gold is truly an unattainable fortune. It comprises 99 per cent of the planet’s habitable space Wait, what happened to only 70 per cent? Well, there’s a difference between the amount of the Earth’s surface covered by ocean (that’s 70 per cent) and the total amount of space. With the depths of the oceans taken into account, the ocean comprises a whopping 99 per cent of all habitable space on the planet. Despite all that open space, though, the ocean isn’t as populated as the land is, in part because the deepest parts of the ocean are inhospitable to all but a few life forms. Someone once free dived 253 metres into the ocean Compared to the actual deepest point of the ocean (the Mariana Trench stretches down nearly 11 kilometres), 253 metres may not seem that deep. But when you consider that this intrepid diver was accompanied only by a wetsuit, a weighted sled and an air balloon to help him float back to the top – without even scuba gear – his accomplishment seems a lot more noteworthy. It’s the deepest part of the ocean ever reached by a free-diving human (as opposed to a human inside a machine). The diver, Herbert Nitsch, completed his historic feat in 2012, and he currently holds 33 separate world records in free diving. Through rigorous training, he’s been able to increase his lung capacity to more than twice the usual amount of air. The pressure at the bottom of the ocean is extreme… …it’s like being-crushed-under-a-pile-of-elephants extreme. At the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the pressure is about eight tonnes per 6.5 square centimetres, the equivalent of about 100 fully grown elephants. It’s so intense that, while we do have machines capable of withstanding it, equipment has simply imploded under that amount of pressure. It helps power the internet The next time you’re watching a funny cat video or enjoying a Netflix binge, make sure you thank the ocean. The vast majority of the cables that power the internet, allowing access to it across the entire globe, are underwater. Wires called ‘submarine communications cables’ crisscross the ocean floors and were put in place by boats built solely for that purpose. To ensure that the cables remain undisturbed, they have to be placed on relatively flat stretches of the ocean floor, away from ocean ecosystems or shipwrecks. Some of the cables even have a coating that protects them from being damaged, should a hungry shark come across them. The biggest waterfall in the world is underwater… It might seem counter-intuitive to think that there are bodies of water within the oceans, but it’s true! Deep within the ocean, caverns and fissures on the ocean floor form when water oozes through the layers of salt beneath it. This water, filled with dissolved salt, is denser than the water around it and settles into the fissures. It’s this type of dense water that forms the Denmark Strait, a massive cascade of water that plummets 3500 metres. This is because the colder water of the strait sinks when it collides with the less dense water around it. …and so is the world’s tallest mountain (partly, at least) With 70 per cent of Earth’s surface covered by oceans, it makes sense. But that doesn’t make it any less mind-boggling to learn that in Hawaii, there is a mountain that would make Mount Everest look like a bunny hill if they were side-by-side. Mauna Kea is half under the water and half above it, and, from top to bottom, it stretches a whopping 10,000 metres. That’s more than a kilometre taller than Mount Everest! We consider Mount Everest the tallest mountain because it reaches the highest distance above sea level, but in terms of height from top to bottom, this half-submerged Hawaiian volcano is the champion. There’s a spot in the Pacific where you’re closer to space than anywhere on Earth This unique spot, the furthest on the entire planet from land, goes by the name ‘the oceanic pole of inaccessibility’, or, more concisely, ‘Point Nemo’. We know what you’re thinking – its name does not come from a cartoon fish but from the hero of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It’s located smack in the southern Pacific Ocean, and you’d have to travel 1600 kilometres from even the closest points of land to reach it. Those points of land are Motu Nui, far off the western coast of Chile; Ducie Island, one of the Pitcairn Islands between South America and Australia; and Maher Island, off the coast of Antarctica. And it’s at least 1600 kilometres from each of them. That’s so far that the closest people to Point Nemo are often up in space! The International Space Station orbits just 400 kilometres above Earth’s surface. Now that gives ‘finding Nemo’ a whole new meaning. Most of Earth’s oxygen comes from the oceans And no, it’s not the ‘O’ of H2O. When it comes to ocean facts, most people don’t know about 70 per cent of our planet’s entire supply of oxygen is a waste product created by marine-dwelling plankton. These minuscule creatures take in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen during photosynthesis, and this oxygen plays a vital role in the life of every oxygen-breathing creature on the planet. According to National Geographic, one type of plankton called Prochlorococcus produces so much oxygen that it’s most likely responsible for one of every five breaths we take. No one knows for sure what made this mysterious undersea noise In 1997, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration detected a mysterious undersea sound – incredibly loud and at a very low frequency – and puzzled for years over its origin. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA2wY5-yiGY">Take a listen here</a>. It may sound a little bit like your stomach when you’re hungry, but scientists have theorised that everything from a massive marine animal to a shifting iceberg is responsible. Icebergs cracking and shifting on the ocean floor produce a similar sound, so that’s the most likely explanation, but there’s no definite answer yet as to what it is. A rubber duck accident helped researchers understand ocean currents We’re used to ‘spills’ in the ocean having disastrous effects, but this one proved to be something of a happy accident. In 1992, a crate of bath toys on its way from China to the United States broke, spilling thousands of rubber ducks and other floating toys into the Pacific. Oceanographers seized the opportunity to learn more about the movements of the ocean. Oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer headed up the research efforts, asking beachgoers all over the world to report sightings of the ducks and their floating friends. The ducks travelled far and wide, ending up everywhere from Europe to Alaska to Hawaii and continuing to be spotted well into the 2000s. The fleet of toys became affectionately known as ‘the Friendly Floatees’. Antarctic-dwelling fish have a protein that keeps them from freezing Unsurprisingly, the water around the poles can get pretty chilly. Yet there are still plenty of fish that make their home there. A group of fish called notothenioidei comprises over 120 species all native to the Southern Ocean near Antarctica. The water in that area hovers around temperatures of -2° and 10° Celsius. Even when it’s technically below freezing, the dissolved salts in the seawater keep it from doing so. But how does marine life possibly stay alive there? Well, these fish have a biological component called a glycoprotein that allows them to live where they do; it acts as a natural antifreeze, essentially. The protein prevents ice crystals from forming in their blood, allowing it to flow normally. Written by Meghan Jones. This article first appeared in <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/true-stories-lifestyle/science-technology/13-fascinating-facts-about-the-worlds-oceans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">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=WRA87V" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here’s our best subscription offer.</a> Image: Getty Images

International Travel

5 interesting facts about how we hear

The cochlea is the most complex part of the ear, responsible for turning sounds waves into what we perceive as “hearing”. Here are five more facts about this amazing organ. 1. The cochlea turns sounds into “hearing” The cochlea receives sounds in the form of vibrations and converts them into nerve impulses. These impulses are sent to the brain to be translated into sounds that we recognise and understand. 2. The cochlea is the size of a pea Located in the inner ear, the cochlea looks like a snail shell (cochlea is Greek for snail) and is only the size of a pea. Yet within the small pea is everything needed to turn sound vibrations into hearing. 3. There are over 20,000 nerve cells in the cochlea There are approximately 24,000 hair fibres in the cochlea, which are essential to hearing. If these hair cells become damaged, hearing impairment occurs. 4. Cochlear implants directly stimulate auditory nerve A cochlear implant bypasses damaged hair cells in the cochlear to provide direct stimulation to the auditory nerve. 5. The cochlea can’t heal The cochlea cannot heal so damage done to your ear when younger can affect you later in life. It can be damaged by immune reactions, disease, drugs, chemicals, toxins, loud sounds, physical impact and ageing. Image credits: Getty Images

Body

15 facts (and pictures!) that prove penguins are the world’s most adorable animals

Every day is a good day to appreciate these tuxedo-wearing birds. Nearly all penguins live in the southern hemisphere <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/01-can-penguins-Shutterstuck-770.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="454" /> Contrary to media representations of the North Pole, no penguins live up there. The 17 penguin species (some scientists say there are 20) are spread out between Antarctica, Argentina, Australia, Chile, New Zealand, and South Africa. The only exception is the Galapagos penguins, who live close to the equator on the Galapagos Islands and occasionally venture into northern hemisphere waters. Penguins have been around for a long time <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/02-emperor-penguins-Shutterstock-770.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="454" /> An amateur fossil hunter discovered the bone of an extinct penguin ancestor, and scientists say it’s 61 million years old. That means it probably outlived the dinosaurs that went extinct 65.5 million years ago. Fossils also suggest that this prehistoric bird could fly and could grow up to 150 centimetres tall. They eat a lot <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/03-penguin-eating-Shutterstock-770.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="454" /> Penguins are carnivores, and their diets consist of fish, krill, crabs, squid, and other sea creatures. According to Smithsonian Magazine, they can eat over one kilogram of food every day during summer months, but eat only a third of that during the winter. They sneeze <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/04-sneeze-penguin-Shutterstock-770.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="454" /> Their sneezes serve an important purpose, though. Because they eat so much seafood, penguins also consume a lot of saltwater. To get rid of all that salt, their supraorbital glands above their eyes filter it out of the bloodstream, and then, the penguins excrete it through their bills or their sneezes. The littlest penguin may be the cutest <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/05-little-penguin-wildlife-park-Shutterstock-770.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="454" /> Little blue penguins (also called fairy penguins) really are little. They only grow to be 33-38 centimetres tall, and adults only weigh one kilogram. Emperor penguins are the largest species <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/06-emperor-penguins-sliding-Shutterstock-770.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="454" /> They’re around 120 centimetres feet tall and can weigh up to 40 kilograms. Penguins are expert swimmers <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/07-swimming-penguin-Shutterstock-770.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="454" /> No, these adorable birds can’t fly. Instead, they use their wings to fly through the water (so to speak) at speeds up to 40 kilometres per hour. They can’t help but waddle <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/08-gentoo-penguin-Shutterstock-770.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="454" /> Penguins’ bodies are shaped to easily glide through water, with a long body and short legs. So when they walk, the result is a clumsy-looking waddle. Penguins also get around on land by hopping and tobogganing, where they glide on their bellies and use their feet and wings to gain speed. They spend most of their time in the water <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/09-gentoo-penguins-Shutterstock-770.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="454" /> According to Ocean Conservancy, penguins spend about 75 per cent of their lives in water. They go on land to mate, lay eggs, and raise their babies. Speaking of penguin babies… <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/10-emperor-penguin-chicks-Shuttersetock-770.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="454" /> They’re called chicks or nestlings. They form little groups called crèches to look out for predators and keep each other warm while their parents look for food. Penguins are romantic <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/11-shutterstock_516711187-Shutterstock-770.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="454" /> Some penguin species mate for life, like the macaroni penguin. These guys and gals show their affection by performing an ‘ecstatic display,’ in which they swing their heads back and forth and cackle loudly. Birds of a feather mate together <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/12-king-penguins-Shutterstock-770.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="454" /> Most penguin species breed in large groups called colonies (only two species don’t) for protection. Those groups can range from a couple hundred to hundreds of thousands of penguins! Daddy penguins keep their eggs warm <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/13-dad-penguins-incubate-eggs-Shutterstock-770.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="454" /> At least, male emperor penguins do, but not by sitting on them. These dads balance the eggs on their feet and cover them with feathered skin called a brood pouch. They stay like this for two months – without food and with no protection from the Antarctica weather – until the mums come back with food for the young ones. Talk about parents of the year! Their feathers keep them camouflaged <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/14-king-penguins-1-Shutterstock-770.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="454" /> When penguins swim, their black backs keep them invisible from predators up above, and their white bellies blend into the bright sunlight coming through the waves. We bet your tuxedo can’t do that. Feathers also keep them warm <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/15-imperial-penguins-colony-Shutterstock-770.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="454" /> Penguins don’t have blubber like other sea animals, but their many feathers serve the same purpose. (In particular, emperor penguins have 100 feathers per six square centimetres). The feathers trap a layer of warm air next to their skin, and their surface feathers get colder than the surrounding air to keep their bodies warm. Written by Claire Nowak. This article first appeared in <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/true-stories-lifestyle/animal-kingdom/15-facts-and-pictures-that-prove-penguins-are-the-worlds-most-adorable-animals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader’s Digest</a>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, <a href="http://readersdigest.innovations.com.au/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&utm_medium=articles&utm_campaign=RDSUB&keycode=WRA87V" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here’s our best subscription offer.</a> Images: Shutterstock

Family & Pets

14 mind-blowing facts about selfies

They’re a window into your personality It turns out that your favourite selfie pose can say a lot about your personality. In a study published in Computers in Human Behaviour, researchers connected self-portrait styles to specific character traits. For example, conscientious people tend to hide the location of their selfies, showing that they’re concerned with maintaining privacy. Those who appear positive and look directly into the camera tend to be more agreeable. Incidentally, those who have a go-to “duck face” pose are more likely to be emotionally unstable. They can be a red flag Psychologists believe that taking selfies can become a dangerous addiction. More often than not, those addicted to taking and posting selfies are suffering from body dysmorphic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, or depression, all of which can significantly interfere with your daily functioning. British psychologist Dr David Veal, says selfie-addiction is a “mental health issue with an extremely high suicide rate.” Seek help if you feel yourself needing to snap selfies compulsively. They date back to the 16th century You might think selfies started with smartphones, but they have a much longer history. The first-ever selfie was painted in 1524 using oil on wood. In “Self-portrait in a Convex Mirror,” 21-year-old artist Parmigianino depicted his own reflection. This young artist had no idea he was 500 years ahead of a booming trend! They weren’t always easy to take Parmigianino’s oil painting self-portrait aside, the first photographic selfie as we know it today was taken by Robert Cornelius in 1839. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as easy as tapping his thumb on an iPhone’s front-facing lens. Cornelius had to set up the camera on a stand, remove the lens cap, run into the frame, sit for five minutes, then sprint back and replace the cap. In this exhausting process, he took what is believed to be the first photographic self-portrait. Some cities take more selfies than others Though selfies are a global phenomenon, it turns out that some cities produce more than others. Time investigated the geography of selfie-snapping by building a database of more than 400,000 digital self-portraits with the caption, “#selfie.” They then mapped out the photos’ geographic coordinates and managed to rank 459 cities based on the number of selfies they generated. The study concluded that Makati City in the Philippines is the ‘Selfie Capital of the World,’ followed closely by Manhattan and Miami in the US. They’re not only taken here on Earth Everyone loves an exotic selfie, including NASA’s astronauts. Believe it or not, multiple selfies have been taken in outer space. Buzz Aldrin proudly took the first space selfie during the Gemini 12 mission in 1966. That’s one small step for man, one giant step for self-portraits. Women take more than men In every city analysed, women take more cities than men – but the differences greatly vary by area. In Bangkok, women take 55.2 per cent of all selfies, which isn’t that much more than men. In New York, however, women take 61.6 per cent of selfie snaps, which is considerable. Moscow, by contrast, has the greatest disparity, with women taking a whopping 82 per cent of all selfies! It seems Russian men simply aren’t that interested in documenting their own reflection. They can make great book material If you’ve been suffering with writer’s block, perhaps you should follow Kim Kardashian’s example and just fill your novel with selfies. In May of 2015, Kardashian published a book called Selfish, which is 448 pages long and comprised entirely of her favourite selfies. Sound absurd? Apparently not. Selfish quickly became a New York Times bestseller. It’s a young person’s sport As one might expect, selfies are especially favoured by millennials. The average age of selfie-takers is 23.6. However, this average may soon take a dip, as preteens are gaining momentum, snapping more digital self-portraits every year. They’re all about the hashtag As selfies have grown in popularity over the last few years, the corresponding hashtag has remained their official label and link. According to Instagram, the first ever photo captioned with “#selfie” was uploaded by a Jennifer Lee on January 16, 2011. Since then, Instagram has had over 227 million self-portraits posted with the same hashtag – and that number grows by the minute. It’s been the word of the year In 2013, “selfie” was named The Oxford English Dictionary’s Word of the Year. Most years, there will be some disagreement or debate over which word should receive the honour, but in 2013, ‘selfie’ was chosen almost unanimously and expected from the start. And how could they not choose it? Selfie’s usage in the English language had increased by 17,000 per cent that year alone. They aren’t always welcome There has been a growing ban on selfie-taking, specifically when using selfie-sticks as tools. Disneyland’s Paris, Hong Kong, and American theme parks have forbidden the use of selfie sticks on their premises. The Palace Museum in Beijing and the Sistine Chapel in Italy have done the same. Even festivals like Lollapalooza in Chicago and Coachella in California have called for a halt. It looks like visitors will have to document their fun the old fashioned way: by extending their arms. They aren’t always what they seem The purpose of a self-portrait is to reflect your true self in a moment worth capturing. Sadly, it seems online selfies, more often than not, don’t actually portray reality. According to a recent survey, 68 per cent of selfie-takers admitted to editing their photos before sharing online. This number is up from 48 per cent of people who admitted to doctoring their selfies in 2014, suggesting that the pressure to appear perfect has only increased. They’re not the majority Although selfies may seem to be every other picture you encounter online, they fortunately aren’t the majority of all photos taken. In fact, people take selfies far less than we assume. Only 4 per cent of all images are actually selfies (depending on the city). The other 96 per cent of photos feature monuments, food, pets, shoes, friends, family, and more. Written by Aubrey Almanza. This article first appeared in <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/culture/14-mind-blowing-facts-about-selfies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">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=WRA87V" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here’s our best subscription offer.</a> Image: Getty Images

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Cruise director shares little known ship facts