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10 signs you’re not on the right financial path

Dreaming of owning a big house, nice car and a boat? Or just having enough cash to be comfortable? Here are 10 signs that you are not (yet) on the path to financial freedom. 1. You don't think about ways to make extra money If you are paid a salary and nothing more, you are limited in the ways you can get ahead. The only way to save is to spend less. But if you switch it up and start to look for ways to earn more, your horizons open up. Most of the world's super wealthy have more than one income stream – some of which are usually passive, requiring no regular input. This could be something such as rental income from an investment property or the sale of a product such as an ebook. Add in some sensible savings habits and you will be on your way. 2. You leave your savings in a savings account If you stick your cash in a savings account, it is basically doing nothing. You are better to look at ways to put that money to work. You could put it in a managed fund, buy shares or even lend it out via a peer-to-peer platform, to get a better return. Make sure you get good advice to understand what you are doing. 3. You borrow to buy Borrowing to buy a house is fine. Borrowing to buy a car is (generally) not. If you are putting all your purchases on finance or credit card and paying them off with high rates of interest, you are pouring money down the drain. Live within your means if you want to get rich. 4. You don't know where your money goes The first step to getting on the right track is to have a clear idea of what you're spending money on. If you don't know, chances are you're wasting it. Have a look through your recent bank statements, draw up a budget. Stamp out some discretionary spending and you'll have more of that money to put to work that we mentioned earlier. 5. You're putting off planning for your retirement If you think you are too young to have to worry about the future, you are doing yourself a huge disservice. When you are working towards a long-term financial goal, such as retirement, time is a huge asset to have on your side. The power of compounding means that any returns you make in a vehicle such as your KiwiSaver account then attract their own returns, over and over each year until you withdraw the money. The later you start saving, the more of that compounding power you miss. 6. You hate risk It is great to be careful with your money but if you never take a risk, you miss out on returns. Over the long term, the biggest gains are usually from riskier investments, such as equities. You may also find ways to wealth by getting out of your comfort zone. Quitting your job and starting a new business is risky and scary, but could pay off if you have planned it well and know your stuff. 7. You don't have a plan If you don't know how you're going to get rich, it probably isn't going to happen. Write down your goals. What do you want to achieve this week, month and year? What about in 10 years? If you can, identify someone who is in a position you'd like to get to and find out what they did to get there. Work out what you need to do to follow suit and break it down into small, achievable steps. 8. You don't pay yourself first If you have decided to save money and think you'll just put aside everything that is left in your account at the end of the month, you will be horribly disappointed. This method almost always fails because there is invariably nothing left. Pay yourself first. Using your budget and plan, put aside the amount that you have worked out you can afford to save as soon as you get paid, and then live off the rest. 9. You think you're bad with money It's a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you think you are bad with money, you won't pay any attention to your finances and they will get out of control. Stop thinking money is some sort of secret club that you could not possibly understand. Everyone can get a handle on it. 10. You don't know the basics But having said that, it's important to get a good knowledge of the basic stuff. If you are not clear how your credit card works, or how your mortgage interest is calculated, get someone to help you break it down and bust the jargon. Websites such as Sorted have good tools or you can seek financial advice from your bank or an adviser. Image credits: Shutterstock Written by Susan Edmonds. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stuff.co.nz</a>.

Money & Banking

What makes a good life? Existentialists believed we should embrace freedom and authenticity

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/oscar-davis-876589">Oscar Davis</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a> How do we live good, fulfilling lives? Aristotle first took on this question in his <a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-ethics/">Nicomachean Ethics</a> – arguably the first time anyone in Western intellectual history had focused on the subject as a standalone question. He formulated a teleological response to the question of how we ought to live. Aristotle proposed, in other words, an answer grounded in an investigation of our purpose or ends (telos) as a species. Our purpose, he argued, can be uncovered through a study of our essence – the fundamental features of what it means to be human. <h2>Ends and essences</h2> “Every skill and every inquiry, and similarly every action and rational choice, is thought to aim at some good;” Aristotle states, “and so the good has been aptly described as that at which everything aims.” To understand what is good, and therefore what one must do to achieve the good, we must first understand what kinds of things we are. This will allow us to determine what a good or a bad function actually is. For Aristotle, this is a generally applicable truth. Take a knife, for example. We must first understand what a knife is in order to determine what would constitute its proper function. The essence of a knife is that it cuts; that is its purpose. We can thus make the claim that a blunt knife is a bad knife – if it does not cut well, it is failing in an important sense to properly fulfil its function. This is how essence relates to function, and how fulfilling that function entails a kind of goodness for the thing in question. Of course, determining the function of a knife or a hammer is much easier than determining the function of Homo sapiens, and therefore what good, fulfilling lives might involve for us as a species. Aristotle argues that our function must be more than growth, nutrition and reproduction, as plants are also capable of this. Our function must also be more than perception, as non-human animals are capable of this. He thus proposes that our essence – what makes us unique – is that humans are capable of reasoning. What a good, flourishing human life involves, therefore, is “some kind of practical life of that part that has reason”. This is the starting point of Aristotle’s ethics. We must learn to reason well and develop practical wisdom and, in applying this reason to our decisions and judgements, we must learn to find the right balance between the excess and deficiency of virtue. It is only by living a life of “virtuous activity in accordance with reason”, a life in which we flourish and fulfil the functions that flow from a deep understanding of and appreciation for what defines us, that we can achieve eudaimonia – the highest human good. <h2>Existence precedes essence</h2> Aristotle’s answer was so influential that it shaped the development of Western values for millennia. Thanks to philosophers and theologians such as <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Thomas-Aquinas">Thomas Aquinas</a>, his enduring influence can be traced through the medieval period to the Renaissance and on to the Enlightenment. During the Enlightenment, the dominant philosophical and religious traditions, which included Aristotle’s work, were reexamined in light of new Western principles of thought. Beginning in the 18th century, the Enlightenment era saw the birth of modern science, and with it the adoption of the principle nullius in verba – literally, “take nobody’s word for it” – which became the motto of the <a href="https://royalsociety.org/about-us/history/">Royal Society</a>. There was a corresponding proliferation of secular approaches to understanding the nature of reality and, by extension, the way we ought to live our lives. One of the most influential of these secular philosophies was existentialism. In the 20th century, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Paul-Sartre">Jean-Paul Sartre</a>, a key figure in existentialism, took up the challenge of thinking about the meaning of life without recourse to theology. Sartre argued that Aristotle, and those who followed in Aristotle’s footsteps, had it all back-to-front. <figure class="align-right zoomable"><figcaption></figcaption></figure> Existentialists see us as going about our lives making seemingly endless choices. We choose what we wear, what we say, what careers we follow, what we believe. All of these choices make up who we are. Sartre summed up this principle in the formula “existence precedes essence”. The existentialists teach us that we are completely free to invent ourselves, and therefore completely responsible for the identities we choose to adopt. “The first effect of existentialism,” Sartre wrote in his 1946 essay <a href="https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/sartre/works/exist/sartre.htm">Existentialism is a Humanism</a>, “is that it puts every man in possession of himself as he is, and places the entire responsibility for his existence squarely upon his own shoulders.” Crucial to living an authentic life, the existentialists would say, is recognising that we desire freedom above everything else. They maintain we ought never to deny the fact we are fundamentally free. But they also acknowledge we have so much choice about what we can be and what we can do that it is a source of anguish. This anguish is a felt sense of our profound responsibility. The existentialists shed light on an important phenomenon: we all convince ourselves, at some point and to some extent, that we are “bound by external circumstances” in order to escape the anguish of our inescapable freedom. Believing we possess a predefined essence is one such external circumstance. But the existentialists provide a range of other psychologically revealing examples. Sartre tells a story of watching a waiter in a cafe in Paris. He observes that the waiter moves a little too precisely, a little too quickly, and seems a little too eager to impress. Sartre believes the waiter’s exaggeration of waiter-hood is an act – that the waiter is deceiving himself into being a waiter. In doing so, argues Sartre, the waiter denies his authentic self. He has opted instead to assume the identity of something other than a free and autonomous being. His act reveals he is denying his own freedom, and ultimately his own humanity. Sartre calls this condition “bad faith”. <h2>An authentic life</h2> Contrary to Aristotle’s conception of eudaimonia, the existentialists regard acting authentically as the highest good. This means never acting in such a way that denies we are free. When we make a choice, that choice must be fully ours. We have no essence; we are nothing but what we make for ourselves. One day, Sartre was visited by a pupil, who sought his advice about whether he should join the French forces and avenge his brother’s death, or stay at home and provide vital support for his mother. Sartre believed the history of moral philosophy was of no help in this situation. “You are free, therefore choose,” he replied to the pupil – “that is to say, invent”. The only choice the pupil could make was one that was authentically his own. We all have feelings and questions about the meaning and purpose of our lives, and it is not as simple as picking a side between the Aristotelians, the existentialists, or any of the other moral traditions. In his essay, <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3600/3600-h/3600-h.htm#link2HCH0019">That to Study Philosophy is to Learn to Die</a> (1580), Michel de Montaigne finds what is perhaps an ideal middle ground. He proposes “the premeditation of death is the premeditation of liberty” and that “he who has learnt to die has forgot what it is to be a slave”. In his typical style of jest, Montaigne concludes: “I want death to take me planting cabbages, but without any careful thought of him, and much less of my garden’s not being finished.” Perhaps Aristotle and the existentialists could agree that it is just in thinking about these matters – purposes, freedom, authenticity, mortality – that we overcome the silence of never understanding ourselves. To study philosophy is, in this sense, to learn how to live.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204364/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/oscar-davis-876589">Oscar Davis</a>, Indigenous Fellow - Assistant Professor in Philosophy and History, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-makes-a-good-life-existentialists-believed-we-should-embrace-freedom-and-authenticity-204364">original article</a>.

Caring

Five expensive (but avoidable) financial mistakes

The road to financial freedom can have many potholes but knowing how to avoid them is simple if you know what to do. Here’s some tips on what to look out for. When it comes to your retirement, planning is crucial. The first step, however, is understanding how to make the most of your financial position by avoiding the mistakes many people make when it comes to planning for the future. Here’s a few tips from wealth management firm BT Financial Group on how to avoid the speed bumps you may find along your financial journey. Too little too late The government has deliberately set up the superannuation system to favour those who start early and stay on track. Those who leave it to the last minute often do so at their own peril. Start as soon as possible and map out your road to financial freedom. Pay unnecessary taxes There are many simple, legal ways to make sure you’re not paying more tax than you need. Check with your financial planner or accountant if you’re making the most of the tax incentives offered by the government. Fall for investment fads This probably poses the greatest single danger to your prosperity. Technology stocks in the late 1990s and speculative miners in the late 2000s were very tempting when they were rising fast. Your best weapon against this temptation is to develop a disciplined investment plan and stick with it. It won’t happen to me Wealth management is just as much about protecting your assets as it is about building wealth. Make sure you have a “Plan B” to pay off your house and look after your family if you were to die or be permanently unable to work. Your ability to earn money is actually your most valuable asset, so it’s vital to protect that asset with income protection insurance. Fail to plan As the old adage goes, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail”. If you can articulate your goals and visualise what achieving those goals looks like, you are well on your way to achieving them. Write down your three most important goals and keep them in a safe place to review at least once a year.

Money & Banking

Democracy spreads in waves – but shared cultural history might matter more than geography

Recent events like the war in Ukraine, conflicts over Taiwan and the rise of authoritarian ideology have renewed interest in the foundations of modern democracy. They have raised questions about why some nations are more democratic than others, and how democratic institutions, freedoms and values are spread or lost. We tend to think of this variation in terms of geography – democratic Western Europe or autocratic Middle East. But in a <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/evolutionary-human-sciences/article/shared-cultural-ancestry-predicts-the-global-diffusion-of-democracy/90C7A170B924FC305DD66FF8853799FC" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new analysis of 220 years of political data</a>, we show that deep cultural connections between countries such as shared linguistic or religious ancestry matter more than geography. <h2>Waves of democratisation</h2> The emergence of modern democracy coincides with the rise of nation states in Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. Democracy spread across European nations and their colonies, over <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Third_Wave:_Democratization_in_the_Late_Twentieth_Century" target="_blank" rel="noopener">three waves</a>. The first wave lasted about a century, from 1828 to 1926, halting after the first world war. A second, rapid wave (1945-1962) followed the second world war and decolonisation. The third wave began in 1974 and continues today. It encompassed political transitions and new countries in Europe, Latin America and the Pacific. Each wave was followed by a period of reversals when nations turned to autocratic regimes, junta or fascism. Indeed, some researchers speculate we are heading into <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13510347.2019.1582029" target="_blank" rel="noopener">another period of reversal</a>. <h2>What drives modern democracy?</h2> Scholars traditionally considered factors internal to a country – economic growth, rates of education or the natural environment – as the drivers of these waves. However, the geographic clustering of democracy and the wave-like pattern of expansion suggest the process may also involve a kind of contagion where democracy passes from one nation to another. One explanation for this is that democratic change spreads across borders, so that neighbouring countries end up with similar levels of democracy. Culture provides another explanation. Neighbouring countries tend to share a common cultural heritage, such as related languages or religions. This shapes national institutions, norms and values. In our research, we tested the idea that common cultural ancestry explains variation and change in democracy around the globe. We brought together 220 years of democracy data with information on the cultural relationships between nations. The cultural relationships we examined were based on languages and religious beliefs. For example, Portugal is linguistically closer to Spanish-speaking Argentina and Spain than to England and Germany (which speak Germanic languages). Likewise, Myanmar, a Theravada Buddhist country, is religiously closer to Mongolia (where Vajrayana Buddhism is predominant) than to Muslim Malaysia. <h2>Culture is more important than geography</h2> The democracy data we studied cover 269 modern and historical nations and three widely-used democracy indicators, measuring democratic and autocratic authority in governing institutions (<a href="https://www.systemicpeace.org/polityproject.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Polity 5</a>), electoral participation and competition (<a href="https://www.prio.org/data/20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vanhanen Index</a>) and individual rights and freedoms (<a href="https://freedomhouse.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Freedom House</a>). Across all three indicators of democracy, we found countries that share linguistic or religious ancestry tend to have more similar democracy scores. These shared cultural ties were better predictors of democracy than geography, especially during the third wave of democratisation. Knowing the democratic status of a country’s linguistic or religious relatives helps predict that country’s future level of democracy five, ten or even 20 years later. These effects were not just due to countries sharing a language (for example, the English-speaking world) or religion (such as the Sunni Islam majority countries). This suggests deeper cultural connections between countries are important. <h2>What this means for the spread of democracy</h2> These effects could be the result of a number of processes. One possibility is that countries directly inherited institutions along the same pathways they inherited cultural features like language. For instance, Aotearoa New Zealand and other Commonwealth countries inherited the British legal system along with the English language. Another possibility is that cultural similarities might make countries more likely to maintain ongoing social connections, including foreign relations, which then aid the spread of institutions. For example, the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-arab-spring-changed-the-middle-east-and-north-africa-forever-161394" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arab Spring</a> spread among a set of countries with common linguistic and religious heritage. A third possibility is that inherited cultural values could steer countries towards similar institutions. For example, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-019-0769-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in previous research</a> we found that tolerance of diversity (cosmopolitan values) promotes a shift to more democratic institutions, but the reverse is not true. Democratic institutions do not shift tolerance. Countries that have inherited cosmopolitan values as part of their shared cultural ancestry may be more likely to shift towards democracy. If this theory is correct, it calls into question the assumption that democratic institutions can endure without sustained efforts to promote the cultural values that support them. The US interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq may be tragic examples of this. Our findings indicate cultural history matters for understanding the spread of democracy around the globe. This does not mean culture is the only factor at play (our analyses still leave a lot of variation unexplained). Neither do our findings speak to a population’s ultimate potential to achieve democratic outcomes, but we see this as within the reach of all populations. This means those wishing to support democracy at home or abroad should take cultural barriers seriously. We cannot assume that institutions that work well in one cultural setting can be easily transplanted to another, very different setting, with different values, norms and traditions. We should pay more attention to culturally closely related countries that have succeeded at merging local norms and values with democratic institutions. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/democracy-spreads-in-waves-but-shared-cultural-history-might-matter-more-than-geography-189959" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Legal

Iran: protesters call for move to a non-religious state. What changes would that bring?

My friend was in Tehran during protests after <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/events-iran-since-mahsa-aminis-arrest-death-custody-2022-10-05/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the death</a> of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the morality police (Gasht-e Ershad). My friend went into a grocery shop intending to buy milk. The seller refused to sell anything to her. “Why are you refusing?” she asked. “I can see that you have milk.” “Because you are wearing a hijab,” the seller responded. This is part of a backlash by those who see themselves as oppressed by the Islamic Republic’s discriminatory hijab law, which prosecutes women for not “covering up”. The term hijab is an Arabic word meaning cover. It’s used to refer to different types of covering, from a long-sleeved coat, pants and scarf to the Islamic government’s preferred form of dress, chador, which is a loose-fitting black cloth worn over the entire body. After Mahsa Amini’s killing in September, mass protests broke out over this law and its enforcement. Wearing hijab became obligatory for all Iranian women from April 1983, after the 1979 revolution. Since then, all women have been forced by law to wear hijab (a covering of hair and or body) in public, even non-Muslims and foreigners visiting Iran. If they don’t they face prosecution. The government of Iran, the Islamic Republic, argues that God commands women to wear hijab. This is a government which has leaders who are members of the clergy and merged religious beliefs into state law. But even some Islamic scholars argue that the Qur'an does not suggest that hijab should be <a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300257311/women-and-gender-in-islam/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">compulsory</a>. Mahsa Amini’s case is polarising Iran: those who rigorously advocate the hijab and religious law are set against those who prefer a <a href="https://time.com/6216024/iran-protests-islamic-republic-response/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">secular state</a>, not run by religious values. This has led the nation to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/26/iran-at-least-15-killed-after-gunmen-attack-shrine-in-shiraz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the current upheaval</a>, with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/08/are-hijab-protests-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-irans-regime" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vast</a> protests across the country, and <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-63410577" target="_blank" rel="noopener">people being killed</a>. At many protests the Iranian resistance chant is <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/iran-protests-women-life-freedom-mahsa-amini-killing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zan, Zendegi, Azadi</a> (#WomenLifeFreedom) is heard. The protesters call for life and liberty to be applicable to everyone (religious and non-religious). A big part of <a href="https://theconversation.com/iran-protests-majority-of-people-reject-compulsory-hijab-and-an-islamic-regime-surveys-find-191448" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the motivation</a> behind these protests is to challenge how the current religious law takes away the right of women to choose what to wear. <h2>What is secularism?</h2> Secularism is the idea that states should be <a href="https://academic.oup.com/book/1881/chapter-abstract/141631825?redirectedFrom=fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noopener">neutral about religion</a>. The state should not <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/feb/16/what-mean-secular-state-neutral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">back</a> a specific religion over others. A secular state <a href="https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1548-1360.2011.01117.x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">provides</a> equal opportunity for religious and non-religious citizens to pursue their lives. The state must respect everyone’s values (including minorities), not just some people’s values. Secularism seems reasonable <a href="https://academic.oup.com/book/28394" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to many</a> because it is unusual for an entire nation to believe in a religion as one source of law. Some <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00263206.2019.1643330" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scholars of Islam</a> disagree with the established interpretation of the Islamic Republic about whether God has commanded a mandatory hijab. As a result, they claim that hijab is not about covering hair but about “modesty”. Some others challenge <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/12/iran-hijab-law-protest-ali-larijani" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the way</a> the morality police treat women in the street. While some people might be railing against women being forced to wear the hijab, others continue to feel strongly about its continued use. <a href="https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-qom-women-hijab/31929986.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reports</a> say that Iranian authorities have closed some coffee shops because of the “improper” hijab of some female customers. And more <a href="https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/iran-detains-woman-eating-breakfast-without-hijab" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently</a>, a woman was arrested for eating breakfast in a café with no hijab. <h2>Iranian history of secularism</h2> Modern debates about secularism in Iran can be traced back to the <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/irans-constitutional-revolution-9780755649235/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Constitutional Revolution</a> in 1906. It advocated <a href="https://iranicaonline.org/articles/constitutional-revolution-i" target="_blank" rel="noopener">liberalism and secularism</a> and began conversations about a society without religious rules for all. Iranians experienced enforced secularisation shortly after Reza Shah Pahlavi was <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Reza-Shah-Pahlavi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">crowned</a> in 1925. In 1936 he issued a decree <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/iran-and-the-headscarf-protests/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kashf-e hijab</a> that any public expression of religious faith, including wearing hijab, was illegal. Again, this was a leader was telling women what to wear. However, his attempt to militantly secularise and westernise Iran faced <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/mono/10.4324/9780203060636-22/banning-veil-consequences-dr-stephanie-cronin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resistance</a> from society. The overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979 led to the establishment of a militant Islamic government based on <a href="https://www.icit-digital.org/books/islam-and-revolution-writings-and-declarations-of-imam-khomeini-1941-1980" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shia Muslim teachings</a>. After the hijab became <a href="https://www.mei.edu/publications/irans-headscarf-politics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mandatory</a>, it became a symbol of compulsory faith. It has also played a significant role in pushing some parts of the Iranian population towards a more secular state. In 2022 Iran is experiencing some dramatic shifts, including what appears to be a shift towards secularism. Some argue that secularism is an <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1979/05/25/archives/khomeini-terms-secular-critics-enemies-of-islam-dictatorship-of-the.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">enemy</a> of religion or a product of <a href="https://nyupress.org/9780814795644/democracy-in-modern-iran/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">western colonisation</a>. Despite the majority of Iranians considering themselves <a href="https://gamaan.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/GAMAAN-Iran-Religion-Survey-2020-English.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">religious</a>, some evidence shows that Iranians are <a href="https://theconversation.com/iran-protests-majority-of-people-reject-compulsory-hijab-and-an-islamic-regime-surveys-find-191448" target="_blank" rel="noopener">less religious</a> than before. Since the Islamic revolution there’s been a lot of research about how Iran could work as a <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Secularization-of-Islam-in-Post-Revolutionary-Iran/Pargoo/p/book/9780367654672" target="_blank" rel="noopener">secular</a> society and about religious <a href="https://brill.com/view/book/9789047400714/B9789047400714_s006.xml" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tolerance</a>. The current protest movement, led mainly by <a href="https://www.mei.edu/publications/irans-rising-generation-z-forefront-protests" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gen Z in Iran</a>, is growing partly because of its use of the internet and social media to communicate and share information. People can also learn from other nations’ experiences of secularism through social media. This is why the regime is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/audio/2022/oct/06/why-is-the-government-in-iran-shutting-down-the-internet-podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shutting down</a> the internet and censoring YouTube, Instagram and Twitter. <a href="https://gamaan.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/GAMAAN-Political-Systems-Survey-2022-English-Final.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">One poll</a> suggests that more than 60% of Iranians now want a non-religious state, the question is whether those in power are willing to give it to them. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/iran-protesters-call-for-move-to-a-non-religious-state-what-changes-would-that-bring-193198" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Sky News

Legal

"Prisoner in his own home": Veteran's battle for freedom

An Aussie veteran is battling for his freedom after being stuck in his apartment for over a year. Eric Bouvier, a 92-year-old veteran, wants nothing more than to sit outside in the sun without having to rely on others. Despite being in a wheelchair, Eric is capable of getting himself around. The only problem is, he lives on the third floor of an apartment block in the eastern Sydney suburb of Maroubra, which doesn't have lift access. After serving in World War II, the Department of Veteran Affairs stepped in and purchased him a chairlift, saying they would also pay for the installation in his home unit block. But well over a year after its approval, it still sits in a box waiting to be installed. "He is a prisoner in his own home," Jason, Eric's carer, told <a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/sydney-war-veterans-battle-with-body-corporate-over-chairlift-installation-inaction/dd3d3f4f-c54b-4859-bbab-ff578e48d977" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A Current Affair</a>. "Eric and I have asked the body corporate to put the chairlift in, but discussions are still going on and meanwhile Eric is stuck inside." "I've been trapped inside my home now for nearly 18 months," Eric said. The problem is the building's 1960s internal hand-railing is not to standard and needs to be replaced at the body corporate's expense before the chairlift can be installed. The building's body corporate have been getting quotes and debating the price of the renovations for well over 12 months. "It's my home and I have no rights," said Bouvier, who has now engaged a lawyer to battle the body corporate and get freedom. "It's everyone's legal right to access their home and if a hand railing needs to be installed, it should be done immediately," Amanda Farmer, Bouvier's Strata property lawyer said. Eric is continuing to wait patiently inside his home until the day his chairlift gets installed. "I may have lost my freedom for now, but at least I can still smile," he said. Image credits: A Current Affair

Retirement Life

The missing question from New Zealand’s cannabis debate: what about personal freedom and individual rights?

Much of the debate on New Zealand’s referendum on recreational cannabis legalisation has focused on health, the economy, criminal justice and the uncertainties about the impact on youth and adult use. But one argument is oddly missing from the debate - personal freedom, autonomy and individual rights. This is striking, because the issue of personal liberties has traditionally been at the forefront of cannabis reform activism. At the heart of all public health laws is the conflict between the powers of the state and the individual’s liberty, privacy and autonomy. In the past two years, constitutional courts in several countries have ruled the prohibition of use, possession and private cultivation of cannabis interferes with an individual’s right to privacy. They’ve said protecting public health and security does not justify state punishment. It may come as a surprise, but about half of the countries in Europe do not prohibit the use of drugs (as New Zealand does). Instead, they choose only to ban their possession. The difference is more than academic. Prohibition of consumption may give police extraordinary powers, such as taking biological samples from people as evidence. Drug testing is intrusive and should only be done if there is a significant public interest to protect. Some countries go even further. They ban possession and use of drugs, but only in public spaces, on the understanding that drug laws exist to prevent public nuisance. In Spain, the distinction between use in public and private led to the so-called “cannabis social clubs”. Users grow and share cannabis among club members in private settings. The rights and the risks The fundamental personal right to ingest a substance that has little impact on others has long been argued by cannabis activists such as NORML (National Organisation for the Reform of Marijuana Laws). With this argument largely absent from current debate in New Zealand (as well as many other jurisdictions contemplating reform), debate focuses instead on the potential to create jobs and tax revenue (Colorado), reduce arrests and discrimination (Illinois), address public security and drug-related violence (Uruguay) and restrict youth access to cannabis and enhance public health (Canada). The aim of New Zealand’s proposed Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill is to apply market controls to reduce harms associated with cannabis and restrict access by young people. But, as we have argued before, the goal of reducing overall use over time will be hard to achieve via a commercial market. The personal rights argument can struggle to win over people concerned about the health and social implications of legalisation, especially given their experience of other public health debates. The alcohol industry, for example, pushed individual rights and consumer responsibility to undermine effective public health measures such as higher taxes and bans on advertising. Personal choice vs public health The assumption all adults can make responsible choices about using psychoactive drugs is also challenged. There are risks of dependency that could interfere with personal autonomy, and the psychological influence of marketing that targets vulnerable groups such as the young and poor. There is a fine line between respecting people’s right to choose and facilitating the normalisation and commercialisation of something that could lead to poor public health. The use of any psychoactive substance carries the potential to harm personal and family relationships, and cause unsafe driving or workplace accidents. This reinforces the argument that some degree of regulation and state intervention will always be necessary. The age-old question is how best to balance the powers of the state with individual rights to privacy and autonomy, while protecting public health and vulnerable groups. The absence of recreational users’ voices Society appears more receptive to the personal right to use medicinal cannabis. Despite the (as yet) limited scientific evidence for the effectiveness of cannabis in medical treatment, greater legal availability of medicinal cannabis attracts good public support. This is largely based on respecting a person’s decisions about how to treat their illness. The right to use cannabis recreationally requires decision makers to consider the benefits people get from its use, such as pleasure or relaxation. But this is often forgotten or avoided in drug reform debates. Medicinal cannabis users have been actively involved in the cannabis law reform debate, with a representative on the Medicinal Cannabis Advisory Group. But recreational cannabis users seem to be largely absent from the public debate. Including more voices from recreational cannabis users could provide new ways of thinking about balancing the powers of the state with individual rights. Given the current uncertainties about the long-term health and social impacts of legalisation, the individual rights issue may actually be among the more convincing arguments for reform. Written by Marta Rychert and Chris Wilkins. This article first appeared <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-missing-question-from-new-zealands-cannabis-debate-what-about-personal-freedom-and-individual-rights-146304">The Conversation</a>.

Body

New royal book reveals Prince Harry’s private social media accounts

More details have come to light regarding the beginning of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s whirlwind romance along with the royal’s private Instagram handle, From the latest extract of Finding Freedom - a new book about the couple's exit from the royal family, a Daily Mail insider told the tabloid that the biography is sure to have "torpedoed" any chance at re-entry into the royal family after the one-year review period of "Megxit" is over. The latest Finding Freedom extract published in The Times on Monday reveals how the couple had their first date in a private room at Dean St Townhouse in Soho, London. The pair had one trusted waiter to attend to them and reportedly used a secret entrance to enter and exit the building in order to keep their relationship private. The source went on to mention that not too long after the couple’s date, she "began to follow a mysterious-looking Instagram account by the name of @SpikeyMau5.” "With no face visible in the profile photo, just a mouse-shaped helmet, it would have meant nothing to most people. But it was in fact Harry's private account,” the authors of the book wrote. "A big house music fan, he crafted the pseudonym by using part of the name of one of his favourite DJs, Deadmau5. "Spikey came from a Facebook alias that Harry used for an account he had under the name of Spike Wells. "’Spike’ was a nickname sometimes used for the prince, particularly by Scotland Yard officers. Harry's Facebook account (before he shut it down) had a profile photo of three guys in Panama hats taken from the back in an MGM Grand Las Vegas hotel suite. "The account said he was from Maun, Botswana. Prior to that photo, Harry used the image of King Julien, the eccentric lemur from the Dreamworks movie Madagascar." The book extract also claims that the couple moved on to a serious relationship very quickly and the Prince would regularly visit her in Canada. He reportedly would be seen flying commercially with just one security guard. "It didn't take long for Harry's visits to become an open secret among the residents. As one of Meghan's neighbours said, ‘When a black SUV was parked with guys inside wearing headsets and eating burritos, we'd say, 'Hey, Harry's in town!,” the extract read. "But the news never went further than the community Facebook page, typically devoted to discussions about shovelling snow and dog poop." Book authors, journalists Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand reportedly had access to more than 100 people for the book. The couple issued a statement saying they have not collaborated or given an interview for the book.

Relationships

Steven Spielberg: “Artistic freedom is everything”

In box-office terms, Spielberg is the most successful movie director in the world. Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Indiana Jones … his movies are cinema classics. But alongside these popcorn-sagas he has also turned his hand to sterner stuff. Moviegoers all over the world found his black-and-white Holocaust drama Schindler’s List deeply moving. 2016 saw the release of The BFG (short for Big Friendly Giant), a movie version of the children’s book by Roald Dahl in which a benevolent giant ‘kidnaps’ a little orphan girl. Reader’s Digest: The little heroine of your latest movie is scared of giants. What were you afraid of when you were a child? Spielberg: I was my own monster. My imagination was incredible, so I was afraid of everything. A chair could very quickly change into a spider. I remember staring up at the sky when I was five. One of the clouds up there looked like a beautiful swan, then suddenly it was a dinosaur. I ran home screaming Reader’s Digest: What did your parents feel about that? Spielberg: For my parents my imagination was a real problem, so much so that they seriously considered having me examined by a doctor. After all I was constantly seeing things that didn’t exist except in my head. My mother and father thought I had some major mental problems. I probably did – but they were the gateway to a great career! Reader’s Digest: How important is it for you to preserve the child within? Spielberg: The fascinating thing about children is that they’re just there. When they’re small, they don’t know right from wrong – it’s not important to them. Those are years of complete freedom, which come to an end when at some point the brain takes over and tells you how to behave. I remember that time very clearly. Reader’s Digest: You turned 70 this past December 2016. What do you consider your greatest career achievement so far? Spielberg: The right to decide my own projects. That was always my only goal, telling my stories without anyone else interfering. It was also why I established my own studios. Artistic freedom means everything to me. Reader’s Digest: Which movie did you enjoy making most? Spielberg: That was E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, because it was the first time I realised I wanted to be a father. Three years later I finally made the grade with the birth of my first son. Reader’s Digest: Do you make home movies? Spielberg: Yes, I always have a video camera with me. At Christmas it’s traditional for there to be a joint movie about the family that lasts one hour. I edit the footage I’ve collected in the course of the year and combine it with our children’s videos. And of course there’s a soundtrack and special effects. We all watch the film together and everyone gets a DVD of it. Written by Dieter Osswald. This article first appeared in <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/true-stories-lifestyle/thought-provoking/artistic-freedom-everything" target="_blank">Reader’s Digest</a>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, <a rel="noopener" href="http://readersdigest.innovations.co.nz/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&utm_medium=articles&utm_campaign=RDSUB&keycode=WRN93V" target="_blank">here’s our best subscription offer.</a> <img style="width: 100px !important; height: 100px !important;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7820640/1.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f30947086c8e47b89cb076eb5bb9b3e2" />

Movies

The internet is now an arena for conflict – and we're all caught up in it

Most people think the internet operates as a kind of global public square. In reality, it’s become a divided arena where conflict between nation states plays out. Nation states run covert operations on the same platforms we use to post cat videos and exchange gossip. And if we’re not aware of it, we could be unwittingly used as pawns for the wrong side. How did we get here? It’s complicated, but let’s walk through some of the main elements. The age of entanglement On the one hand, we have an information landscape dominated by Western culture and huge multi-national internet platforms run by private companies, such as Google and Facebook. On the other, there are authoritarian regimes such as China, Iran, Turkey and Russia exercising tight control over the internet traffic flowing in and out of their countries. We are seeing more cyber intrusions into <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-state-actor-has-targeted-australian-political-parties-but-that-shouldnt-surprise-us-111997">nation state networks</a>, such as the recent hack of the Australian parliamentary network. At the same time, <a href="https://www.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/lucas-kello-gives-evidence-to-house-of-lords-committee.html">information</a> and influence operations conducted by countries such as Russia and China are flowing through social media into our increasingly shared digital societies. The result is a <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/stack">global</a> ecosystem <a href="https://nsc.crawford.anu.edu.au/news-events/podcasts/video/10698/towards-political-ecology-cyberspace-3-3">perpetually</a> close to the threshold of war. Because nations use the internet both to assert power and to conduct trade, there are incentives for authoritarian powers to keep their internet traffic open. You can’t maintain rigid digital borders and assert cyberpower influence at the same time, so nations have to “<a href="https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/legacy/files/IS3903_pp007-047.pdf">cooperate to compete</a>”. This is becoming known as “entanglement” – and it affects us all. Data flows in one direction Authoritarian societies such as China, Russia and Iran aim to create their own separate digital ecosystems where the government can control internet traffic that flows in and out of the country. The Chinese Communist Party is well known for maintaining a supposedly secure Chinese internet via what is known in the West as the “<a href="https://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs181/projects/2010-11/FreedomOfInformationChina/the-great-firewall-of-china-background/index.html">Great Firewall</a>”. This is a system that can block international internet traffic from entering China according to the whim of the government. For the majority of the <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2018/08/21/china-reaches-800-million-internet-users/">802 million people online</a> in China, many of the apps we use to produce and share information are not accessible. Google, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter are blocked. Instead, people in China use apps created by Chinese technology companies, such as Tencent, Alibaba and Baidu. Traffic within this ecosystem is monitored and censored in the most sophisticated and comprehensive surveillance state in the world. In 2018, for example, Peppa Pig was <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/how-peppa-pig-became-a-gangster-figure-in-china">banned</a> and the People’s Daily referred to her as a “<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180502092019/http://media.people.com.cn/BIG5/n1/2018/0426/c40606-29950870.html">gangster</a>” after she became iconic of rebelliousness in Chinese youth culture. Complete blocking of data is impossible A key objective of this firewall is to to shield Chinese society and politics from external influence, while enabling internal surveillance of the Chinese population. But the firewall is not technologically independent of the West – its development has been reliant upon US corporations to supply the software, hardware innovation and training to ensure the system functions. And since the internet is an arena where nations compete for economic advantage, it’s not in the interest of either side to destroy cyberspace entirely. As cyber security expert Greg Austin <a href="https://www.springer.com/la/book/9783319684352">has observed</a>, the foundations of China’s cyber defences remain weak. There are technical ways to <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F11957454_2">get around the firewall</a>, and Chinese internet users exploit <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-metoo-to-ricebunny-how-social-media-users-are-campaigning-in-china-90860">Mandarin homophones and emoji</a> to evade internal censors. Chinese economic and financial entanglement with the West means complete blocking of data is impossible. Consistent incentives to openness remain. China and the United States are therefore engaged in what Canadian scholar of digital media and global affairs Jon R Lindsay <a href="https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/legacy/files/IS3903_pp007-047.pdf">describes</a> as: <blockquote> chronic and ambiguous intelligence-counter intelligence contests across their networks, even as the internet facilitates productive exchange between them. </blockquote> That is, a tension exists because they are covertly working against each other on exactly the same digital platforms necessary to promote their individual and mutual interests in areas such as trade, manufacturing, communications and regulation. Since Russia is less dependent upon the information technology services of the United States and is therefore less entangled than China, it is <a href="https://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/unsw-canberra-cyber/news/australian-cyber-ideas-moscow">more able</a> to engage in bilateral negotiation and aggression. Different styles of influence If the internet has become a contest between nation states, one way of winning is to appear to comply with the letter of the law, while abusing its spirit. In the West, a network of private corporations, including Twitter, Google and Facebook, facilitate an internet system where information and commerce flow freely. Since the West remains open, while powers such as Russia and China exercise control over internet traffic, this creates an imbalance that can be exploited. Influence operations conducted by China and Russia in countries such as Australia exist within this larger context. And they are being carried out in the digital arena on a <a href="https://blog.google/technology/safety-security/update-state-sponsored-activity/">scale</a>never before experienced. In the words of the latest <a href="https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/2019-ATA-SFR---SSCI.pdf">US Intelligence Community Worldwide Threat Assessment</a>: <blockquote> Our adversaries and strategic competitors […] are now becoming more adept at using social media to alter how we think, behave and decide. </blockquote> The internet is a vast infrastructure of tools that can be used to strategically manipulate behaviour for specific tactical gain, and each nation has its own style of influence. I have previously written about attempts by <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-digital-media-blur-the-border-between-australia-and-china-101735">China</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/russian-trolls-targeted-australian-voters-on-twitter-via-auspol-and-mh17-101386">Russia</a> to influence Australian politics via social media, showing how each nation state utilises different tactics. China takes a subtle approach, reflecting a long term strategy. It seeks to connect with the Chinese diaspora in a <a href="https://securityaffairs.co/wordpress/57781/apt/operation-cloud-hopper-apt10.html">target country</a>, and shape opinion in a manner favourable to the Chinese Communist Party. This is often as much as about <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-china-will-be-watching-how-we-commemorate-anzac-day-75856">ensuring some things aren’t said</a>as it is about shaping what is. <a href="https://theconversation.com/russian-trolls-targeted-australian-voters-on-twitter-via-auspol-and-mh17-101386">Russia</a>, on the other hand, has used more obvious tactics to infiltrate and disrupt Australian political discourse on social media, <a href="https://theconversation.com/weve-been-hacked-so-will-the-data-be-weaponised-to-influence-election-2019-heres-what-to-look-for-112130">exploiting</a> Islamophobia – and the divide between left and right – to undermine social cohesion. This reflects Russia’s primary aim to destabilise the civic culture of the target population. But there are some similarities between the two approaches, reflecting a growing cooperation between them. As the <a href="https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/2019-ATA-SFR---SSCI.pdf">US Intelligence Community</a> points out: <blockquote> China and Russia are more aligned than at any point since the mid-1950s. </blockquote> A strategic alliance between Russia and China The strategic <a href="https://toinformistoinfluence.com/2017/07/24/forget-sun-tzu-the-art-of-modern-war-can-be-found-in-a-chinese-strategy-book-from-1999/">origins of these shared approaches</a> go back to the early internet itself. The Russian idea of <a href="https://www.nato.int/DOCU/review/2015/Also-in-2015/hybrid-modern-future-warfare-russia-ukraine/EN/index.htm">hybrid warfare</a> – also known as the <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/03/05/im-sorry-for-creating-the-gerasimov-doctrine/">Gerasimov Doctrine</a> – uses information campaigns to undermine a society as part of a wider strategy. But this concept first originated in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). In 1999, Chinese PLA colonels penned a strategy titled <a href="https://www.oodaloop.com/documents/unrestricted.pdf">Unrestricted Warfare</a>, which outlined how to use media, government, pretty much everything, in the target country not as a tool, but as a weapon. It recommended not just cyber attacks, but also fake news campaigns – and was the basis for information campaigns that became famous during the 2016 US presidential election. In June 2016, Russia and China <a href="http://www.russia.org.cn/en/russia_china/president-vladimir-putin-and-chairman-of-the-people-s-republic-of-china-xi-jinping-held-talks-in-beijing-june-25-2016/">signed</a> a joint declaration on the internet, affirming their shared objectives. In December 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed off on a new <a href="http://www.mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/official_documents/-/asset_publisher/CptICkB6BZ29/content/id/2563163">Doctrine of Information Security</a>, which establishes how Russia will <a href="https://www.cyberdb.co/russia-and-china-are-making-their-information-security-case/">defend</a> its own population against influence operations. <a href="https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=d23109be-661d-4e90-a92c-32b7330e3a49">Observers</a> noted the striking similarity between the Russian document and Chinese internet <a href="https://www.chinalawtranslate.com/cybersecuritylaw/?lang=en">law</a>. Russia and China also <a href="https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/comment/cyberattack-revelations-appear-undercut-russia-un">share a view</a> of the global management of the internet, pursued via the United Nations: <blockquote> […] more regulations to clarify how international law applies to cyberspace, with the aim of exercising more sovereignty – and state control – over the internet. </blockquote> The recent “sovereign internet” <a href="http://sozd.duma.gov.ru/bill/608767-7">bill</a> introduced to the Russian Parliament <a href="https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-bill-on-autonomous-operation-of-internet-advances-in-duma/29765882.html">proposes</a> a Domain Name System (DNS) independent of the wider internet infrastructure. If the internet is now a site of proxy war, such <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2466222">so-called</a> “<a href="https://www.rferl.org/a/q-a-hurdles-ahead-as-russia-surges-on-with-sovereign-internet-plan/29766229.html">balkanization</a>” challenges the dominance of the United States. Nations are competing for <a href="https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/harnessing-david-and-goliath-orthodoxy-asymmetry-and-competition">influence, leverage and advantage</a> to secure their own interests. Russia and China don’t want to risk an all out war, and so competition is pursued at a level just below armed conflict. Technology, especially the internet, has brought this competition to us all. We're entering turbulent waters Despite its best efforts, China’s leaders remain concerned that the digital border between it and the rest of the world is too porous. In June 2009, Google was blocked in China. In 2011, Fang Binxing, one of the main designers of the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/quicktake/great-firewall-of-china">Great Firewall</a> expressed concern Google <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=dEGdCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA113&lpg=PA113&dq=Fang+Binxing+2011+riverbed+benjamin+bratton&source=bl&ots=61Gnc-6vW-&sig=ITVdygMm5ZmxuelLYB6w9oa6Cos&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwib66X9mPvcAhXHU7wKHRHrDiUQ6AEwAHoECAcQAQ#v=onepage&q=Fang%20Binxing%202011%20riverbed%20benjamin%20bratton&f=false">was still potentially accessible in China</a>, saying: <blockquote> It’s like the relationship between riverbed and water. Water has no nationality, but riverbeds are sovereign territories, we cannot allow polluted water from other nation states to enter our country. </blockquote> The water metaphor was deliberate. Water flows and maritime domains define sovereign borders. And water flows are a good analogy for data flows. The internet has pitched democratic politics into the fluid dynamics of <a href="http://politicalturbulence.org/">turbulence</a>, where algorithms shape <a href="https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/xwjden/targeted-advertising-is-ruining-the-internet-and-breaking-the-world">attention</a>, tiny clicks <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/political-science-research-and-methods/article/quota-sampling-using-facebook-advertisements/0E120F161C9E114C6044EBB7792B5E70">measure participation</a>, and personal data is <a href="https://www.chinoiresie.info/the-global-age-of-algorithm-social-credit-and-the-financialisation-of-governance-in-china/">valuable</a> and apt to be <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3224952">manipulated</a>. While other nations grapple with the best mix of containment, control and openness, ensuring Australia’s <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/china-in-focus/10181900">democracy remains robust</a> is the best defence. We need to keep an eye on the nature of the political discussion online, which requires a coordinated approach between the government and private sector, defence and security agencies, and an educated public. The strategies of information warfare we hear so much about these days were conceived in the 1990s – an era when “surfing the web” seemed as refreshing as a dip at your favourite beach. Our immersion in the subsequent waves of the web seem more threatening, but perhaps we can draw upon our cultural traditions to influence Australian security. As the rip currents of global internet influence operations grow more prevalent, making web surfing more dangerous, Australia would be wise to mark out a safe place to swim between the flags. Successful protection from influence will need many eyes watching from the beach. Written by Tom Sear. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-internet-is-now-an-arena-for-conflict-and-were-all-caught-up-in-it-101736">The Conversation.</a>

Technology

Financial security vs financial freedom

On the subject of financial planning, terms such as “financial security” and “financial freedom” often get thrown around loosely. On the surface, they may seem like generalised terms that roughly mean the same thing, but when you dig deeper, there is a dramatic difference between them. While both are important and valid financial goals, understanding that difference could have a profound effect on your financial future. So what is financial security? Essentially, financial security focuses on conservation. If you are employed and earning an income, for example, financial security is all about ensuring that the standard of living you and your family enjoy is not put under threat. For a start, this might mean ensuring that you are dedicated to your work, and take steps to improve your abilities and skills, so that your prospects for retaining your job or business and earning a greater income are strong. Beyond that, it might mean taking steps to provide a fallback position, such as saving three to six months’ of income in an emergency fund to cater for a sudden medical situation, loss of employment, or family crisis. At a broader level, ensuring financial security should also include a personal insurance plan, which can replace your financial value to your family if you were to suddenly die or become permanently disabled. If you suffer an injury or illness that prevents you from earning income for an extended period, income protection insurance can offer extra security for you and your family. Financial security also has relevance for your long-term saving and retirement planning. You might say that financial security in retirement means being able to independently afford the basic lifestyle requirements of shelter, food, clothing, transport, and other general living expenses. At its core, however, financial security is conservatively focused on maintaining what you already have in the event of a crisis, sickness, or retirement. While certainly a worthy and sensible goal, it doesn’t look beyond those needs, or toward more ambitious targets. Financial freedom is quite different If you are financially secure, you can certainly get by — but what if you want a bit more out of life than just preserving a basic existence? Financial freedom, in essence, means having the resources to make decisions about what you buy, do, or see without having to worry about impacting your basic living standards in the future. It means having the freedom to fulfil dreams of where you live, how you spend your time, which travel destinations you can experience, and how you can support your family. This kind of freedom is something that very few people are able to achieve, but it is not limited to those who are born into money, inherit money, or win the lottery. Financial freedom can be achieved by an ordinary working person if they have the vision — and employ the methods, planning and habits — to get them there. It starts with an attitude Financial freedom can be a realistic goal for many of us but it won’t happen by accident. The formula for achieving financial freedom involves several key aspects that need your deliberate action and attention: <ul> <li>The fundamental characteristic of those who build their own financial freedom is an attitude and a belief that they can achieve a lifestyle beyond their current circumstances. This means having the confidence to dream big and visualise those specific things that you want to enjoy in life. </li> <li>Being clear about your dreams, and putting them down in black and white is the next step. Really owning your dreams in this way will give you the motivation and impetus to take action toward them. </li> <li>You then need to break down the financial requirements needed to get you to your goals — your financial plan. This is where the nuts and bolts are worked out on issues such as budgeting, saving, and investing. Without a solid financial plan, financial freedom will only ever be wishful thinking. </li> <li>Finally, you need to engage the help of those who have greater expertise than you. It may be hard for some of us to accept that we can’t do everything on our own, but the fact is that those who have really succeeded in any aspect of life have one common characteristic; they surround themselves with people who know more than they do.</li> </ul> In terms of financial freedom, this means engaging financial professionals, such as an accountant and a financial planner, who’s expertise you can draw on to help you articulate and prioritise your goals, construct a sophisticated financial plan, research the best opportunities for investment, balance the need for capital preservation and capital growth, maximise your taxation and social security entitlements and review and adjust plans to adapt to changing needs and situations. If you are not simply satisfied with having financial security and you want true financial freedom, the potential is there for you, but there are no short cuts. Take action on all the steps outlined here and you can make it happen. What does financial freedom mean to you? Share your thoughts below. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/articles/money/financial-planning/financial-security-vs-financial-freedom.aspx">Wyza.com.au.</a>

Retirement Income

Freedom camping: Australia vs New Zealand

Freedom campers in New Zealand may think they have it tough, but Tony Allsop reckons the Aussies have it even tougher. Born in Wellington in 1940, Allsop fell for the freedom camping lifestyle when he first moved to Australia at 19 and went on to carve out a career in writing and taking photos for caravan magazines on both sides of the ditch. Now retired and based in Queensland's Mackay, he still freedom camps regularly, but says the days of going walkabout (or driveabout) and expecting to be able to set up camp in a secluded spot in the wilds are long gone. "In New Zealand there are many free camping spots and councils even set up places for free campers. Here now, councils are making it illegal to camp unless you are completely self-sufficient, have holdings tanks for both grey and black water and there's a limit to how long you can stay." Many so-called free camping areas in Australia are now patrolled and have introduced fees "as the rubbish and toilet paper has become intolerable" "Rubbish left at sites is a big problem in Australia, whereas it was not so bad in New Zealand [on a recent trip]. Backpackers are often blamed in Australia and we have had some bad experiences here with them. Once, two of them high on drugs wanted to fight us at 1am." The costs associated with maintaining caravan parks have forced many to close or sell to developers, he said, pointing to the recent example of Discovery Parks buying the Top Parks brand. Allsop is a camper of the old-school variety, having spent his formative years travelling around the East Cape, Napier and other parts of the North Island with his camping-mad dad. He slept in an old army surplus pup tent alongside his parents' larger canvas one until the family upgraded to a comparatively flash plywood caravan with louvre windows when he was 10. "Compared to these days it was all very primitive. Caravan parks just had toilets and showers - that was about all." On his first working holiday in Australia, he met three fellow Kiwis who were travelling around the country in an old Plymouth and even older Chrysler towing two caravans (old as well of course) and decided to join them. "Two of the guys had girlfriends travelling with them so I had to sleep in the Plymouth or cheap hotels." Despite the dodgy accommodation and poor state of state of the roads in Queensland at the time - most were dirt and some were little more than tracks - he was hooked. After two years back in Wellington, he moved to Brisbane permanently and married his girlfriend Denyse, a doctor who luckily happened to love camping just as much as he did. In 1974, the couple set off in their new two-door Ford Falcon on what was to become the first of several "round-Oz" trips. "We freedom camped a lot, sleeping in the car or beside it in sleeping bags on a deserted beach." They spent a year on the road, covering thousands of miles and picking up work whenever and wherever they needed it. "We met very little traffic and most roads were dirt. It was a real adventure in those days." While the couple now travel in relative luxury in a well-equipped modern caravan, they consider their second round-Oz trip in 1988 - in a 1986 Holden with a small off-road camper - as the greatest camping trip of their lives. "We stayed mainly off-road on this 10-month trip and saw very few people as caravans with all the ensuites, batteries and DC-DC chargers... We camped on wonderful isolated beaches, in national parks and the made the most of our small camper with no real amenities apart from those I put in ... We really felt like explorers as some places had seen no traffic for a long time." But while it might have been basic, their camper was still more or less self sufficient. Allsop had installed a battery under the seat - which they used to power two lights, one inside and one out - they used a black plastic bag left out in the sun as a shower and carried a gas stove, small fridge-freezer and port-a-loo. Returning home, the couple had an eight-year flirtation with boating before returning to their true love of caravanning. Allsop had begun freelancing for RV magazines when they set out on their third Australian tour in 2001, this time in a custom-built Roadstar caravan with low-power features which allowed them to stay off-road for a week without having to recharge their batteries. They had such a good time that they simply kept going - and going (they've only just settled down after 17 years of spending six months on the road). Denyse retired from medicine to help Allsop write, take photographs and shoot video and he says they "did very well". The couple enjoyed a mixture of freedom camping at staying at caravan parks. "Solitude, having a quiet beach or tropical forest to ourselves was wonderful and yet staying overnight sometimes in a van park was also good. The happy hours, community barbecues and companionship of other campers was very welcome in some van parks." These days, however, Allsop finds himself whether freedom camping in Australia has changed irrevocably - for the worse. The couple have had several bad experiences in freedom campsites near towns where "youths have run rampant on drugs and alcohol. "Nowadays we always make sure there are other campers there and try to get an off-road site by about midday, as they tend to become full in Australia by around 2pm." Some popular sites are crowded with more than 200 vehicles during high season and they are usually packed in like proverbial sardines. "You are parked as close as or closer to your neighbour than in a van park and on a dusty site. You also have no control over noisy neighbours. Apart from the cost, is it worth it?" Have you been freedom camping? Written by Lorna Thornber. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz</a>.

Domestic Travel

What does financial freedom really mean?

Financial freedom means different things to different people. To some, it’s the freedom to be able to travel the world and do things they’ve always dreamed of doing. To others, it’s knowing they’ll have a roof over their heads and plenty of time to explore their hobbies and interests once the rigours of everyday work have worn down. We’re going to explore the concept of financial freedom, to help you get a better sense of what it means to you, and ultimately what you can do to achieve it. How much will you need? While it’s difficult to put a ballpark figure on the precise figure you’ll need for financial freedom, figuring out how much you will need is a good way to get the ball rolling. As <a href="https://www.equipsuper.com.au/retirement/planning-your-retirement/how-much-will-you-need" target="_blank">Equip Super</a> notes, “While every individual’s circumstances and spending habits are different, an often used measure is ASFA's (Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia) Retirement Standard, which suggests that a retirement income of $59,000 p.a. for couples, or $43,000 p.a. for individuals, will support a comfortable lifestyle.” Aside from having a chance to pursue your passions, financial freedom means not having to worry about day to day expenses, while also feeling confident you will have the ability to cover a large expense if something goes wrong. Setting goals If you’re out to achieve financial freedom, setting goals is important. What are the little things you can do on a day to day basis to prop up your savings? What bigger decisions can you make that will put you in a better fiscal position down the years. Financial freedom is all about discipline in the short term, and planning for the long-term so you don’t have to be in a position where finances are a problem in your future. Stop thinking of it as a “pie in the sky” It’s one thing to read about the notion of financial freedom, and another altogether achieving it. But you might be surprised to learn that there are plenty of things you can do to make it a reality. Consulting an experience, <a href="https://www.equipsuper.com.au/financial-planning" target="_blank">qualified financial planner</a> is a great way to get your head around the options at your disposal, so the prospect of financial freedom becomes an attainable goal, rather than some far-flung pie in the sky notion. <a href="https://www.equipsuper.com.au/" target="_blank">Equip</a> manages $7 billion of investments for members working across a wide range of Australian industry sectors. This <a href="https://www.equipsuper.com.au/" target="_blank">superannuation fund</a> has been providing strong investment performance and has been a reliable provider of retirement benefits for over 80 years. This article is for general information only. You should seek formal financial advice on your specific circumstances.

Retirement Income

20 simple steps to financial freedom

Janine Starks is a financial commentator with expertise in banking, personal finance and funds management. "In war, events of importance are the result of trivial causes". These may be the words of Julius Caesar, but they are stingingly apt when applied to our modern-day lives. Preparing for retirement feels like a battle, but the outcome can change vastly, based on a series of bite-sized decisions. All too often we find people looking for that magic bullet. As anyone in the military will tell you, one bullet won't win a war and a pint of sweat saves a gallon of blood. So stop and look in the mirror. You are the bullet. And you are going to need to sweat as well as fire in all directions. When meeting people who have made a success of retirement planning, there are a bunch of traits we come across time and again. The most important? These individuals have never relied on one part of their life providing the money. Even those with successful businesses or high-earning jobs have multiple tactics at play. A good outcome is not left to chance and never depends on a single payoff. <img width="498" height="245" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/37366/image__498x245.jpg" alt="Image_ (324)"/> 1. They don't over-capitalise their own property. It's not an investment and they know it. 2. They work the property ladder and do up houses, banking capital gains. Often these jumps involve their own home, as gains are tax-free. Working within the new bright-line tax test this is still permissible every couple of years. 3. They buy a rental property. Property is one of the few things people will borrow against, making it a geared investment. Other people's income pays off a large part of their asset, leaving them to keep saving from their own income. 4. They have paid off their own mortgage in a fast and furious fashion. 5. They have a partner who works, regardless of the income gap between them. These couples don't think of their other half as a retirement plan. 6. They aim to become a specialist or have a unique skill in their career. This gives them the opportunity to start their own business in a field they know well. 7. They never contemplate hobby businesses. 8. They ask for shares in their employer's business and become part of a strategy to sell the company. 9. They manoeuvre themselves into a position within their company where there is a skill or knowledge shortage in order to contract back to the employer with flexibility and high charge-out rates. 10. They own a business where the strategy for succession and selling the company is well thought-out. Many discuss how the company will be sold at the point it is set up. 11. They have high savings rates. At some point turbo savings will have taken place. A couple will live off one salary and save the other. 12. High-earners will have automated savings to prevent these being spent on lifestyle assets that are non-productive. 13. They don't waste money on collections – wine, art, cars, jewellery. 14. They bank rather than blow inheritances. 15. They have made their kids financially self-sufficient. 16. They take risk and understand it cannot be fully calculated or controlled. They know that doing nothing or refusing any risk can have highly detrimental results. <img width="498" height="245" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/37367/image__498x245.jpg" alt="Image_ (325)"/> 17. They consult experts. This means taking financial advice, using insurance brokers, tax experts and getting all contracts checked by specialist lawyers. 18. They invest rather than save. Only emergency funds are kept on deposit. All other reserves are in diversified sharemarket, property and bond portfolios. 19. They don't view themselves as their own fund manager or DIY investor. 20. They are on top of their health and fitness issues in the run up to retirement. As the great Russian writer, Leo Tolstoy said "the two most powerful warriors are patience and time". These sentiments apply equally to the retirement planning battle we all face. Written by Janine Starks. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz</a>. * Opinions in this column represent her personal views. They are general in nature and are not a recommendation, opinion or guidance to any individuals in relation to acquiring or disposing of a financial product. Readers should not rely on these opinions and should always seek specific independent financial advice appropriate to their own individual circumstances.

Money & Banking

Orangutan experiences freedom for first time in 2 years

For the past two years, Kotap, a four-year-old orangutan from an isolated village in Borneo, had been trapped inside a dark, wooden box with just a straw and an empty bottle to occupy himself. Today, however, Kotap is free once again. After a visit from International Animal Rescue, a villager who found Kotap as a baby and decided to keep him – albeit locked away so as to not disturb neighbours – finally agreed to release him. A couple of weeks ago, volunteers from International Animal Rescue gave Kotap his first taste of freedom in years. <img width="499" height="750" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/36215/image__499x750.jpg" alt="kotap" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/> The rescue couldn’t have come soon enough, with the group condemning the orangutan’s treatment, saying his lack of social interaction could have driven him mad. “He was kept alone, in the dark, deprived of everything that an orangutan needs to survive in the wild,” International Animal Rescue said. “At four years old, he should still be with his mother. Instead, he lived a sad and solitary existence, unable to behave in any way like a wild orangutan.” Although Kotap showed signs of aggression upon being coaxed out of his tiny, dark home, his future appears to be much brighter. “Thankfully now he will join other rescued orangutans at our centre and be given a chance of returning to the forest where he belongs,” the group’s Chief Executive, Alan Knight, said. Credit: International Animal Rescue via Storyful.

News

Photographer captures moment dog begs for freedom

These powerful emotive photographs capture a shelter Chihuahua in California beginning for an escape and more crucially a new home to belong to. Photographer, John Hwang, has spent one on one time with the pooch, who he described as restless from being in the kennel, looking to find a way out. It wasn’t until he started snapping some shots of the furball when something surprisingly touching suddenly happened. “He got up on his hind legs, put his front paws together and shook them up and down, as if begging me to help him,” Hwang said. Initially it was too real to be true and Hwang thought this action of beginning was unintentional, but the dog continued to do it and it was seen as a sign of beginning for freedom. Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/mind/2016/01/worlds-happiest-countries-in-2015/">These are the happiest countries in the world</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/mind/2015/11/how-to-banish-negative-thoughts/">7 ways to banish negative thoughts</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/mind/2015/11/how-to-be-happy-in-todays-world/">How to be truly happy in today’s world</a>

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Financial security vs financial freedom

Freedom camping: Australia vs New Zealand

What does financial freedom really mean?

20 simple steps to financial freedom

Orangutan experiences freedom for first time in 2 years

Photographer captures moment dog begs for freedom