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Slowing down in old age may point to a more sinister concern

It’s widely accepted that we tend to lose muscle strength and general mobility as we get older, which tends to make completing general tasks, and simply moving through the world, more difficult. While these aches and pains are a common symptom of getting older, new <a href="https://www.ecu.edu.au/schools/medical-and-health-sciences/our-staff/profiles/post-doctoral-research-fellows/dr-marc-sim">research</a> conducted by the Edith Cowan University (ECU) indicates this could also be a signal for another sinister health concern of ageing: late-life dementia. Research teams from ECU’s Nutrition & Health Innovation Research Institute and Centre for Precision Health have investigated the link between muscle function and dementia, examining more than 1000 women with an average age of 75. In collaboration with the University of Western Australia, the team measured the women’s grip strength and the time it took for them to rise from a chair, walk three metres, turn around and sit back down — known as a timed-up-and-go (TUG) test. These tests were repeated after five years to monitor any loss of physical performance. Over the next 15 years, almost 17 per cent of women involved in the study were found to have had a dementia event, categorised as a dementia-related hospitalisation or death. The team found lower grip strength and slower TUG were significant risk factors for presenting with dementia, independent of genetic risk and lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol intake and physical activity levels. The women with the weakest grip strength were found to be more than twice as likely to have a late-life dementia event than the strongest individuals. A similar relationship emerged between TUG performance and dementia, with the slowest in their TUG test more than twice as likely to experience dementia than the quickest. Senior researcher Dr Marc Sim said grip strength may be a measure of brain health due to the overlapping nature of cognitive and motor decline. “Possibly due to a range of underlying similarities, grip strength may also present as a surrogate measure of cardiovascular disease, inflammation and frailty, which are known risk factors for dementia,” Dr Sim said. Dr Sim went on to say that the findings could help healthcare professionals to identify dementia risk in patients earlier. “Incorporating muscle function tests as part of dementia screening could be useful to identify high-risk individuals, who might then benefit from primary prevention programs aimed at preventing the onset of the condition such as a healthy diet and a physically active lifestyle.” “The exciting findings were that decline in these measures was associated with substantially higher risk, suggesting that if we can halt this decline, we may be able to prevent late-life dementias.” Image credits: Getty Images

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What’s the ‘weight set point’, and why does it make it so hard to keep weight off?

If you’ve ever tried to lose weight but found the kilos return almost as quickly as they left, you’re not alone. In fact, the challenge of maintaining weight loss is confirmed by research, including an analysis of 29 <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5764193/">long-term weight loss studies</a> that found more than half of the weight lost by participants was regained within two years, and more than 80% of lost weight was regained within five years. When we regain weight, we tend to blame it on a lack of willpower. But there’s a scientific reason many people return to their previous weight after dieting, and understanding the science – known as the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2990627/">weight set point theory</a> – is key to achieving long-term weight loss. <h2>What is the weight set point?</h2> We each have a predetermined weight – a set point – which our body protects. It’s the weight you’ll remember being at for a long period of time in your adult years (over 20 years of age) and it’s the weight you’ll remember bouncing back to after any bout of dieting. It’s programmed in the early years of life – particularly during the first 2,000 days of life – from conception to five years of age. Our <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6538464/">genes</a> play a role in programming our weight set point. Just as DNA prescribes whether we’re shorter or taller than others, we’re <a href="https://fn.bmj.com/content/86/1/F2.2">born</a> with a tendency to be slim or overweight. But our genetic make-up is just a predisposition, not an inevitable fate. Weight set point is also influenced by the environmental factors genes may be exposed to during pregnancy and the first years of life. It explains why some children who are fed a poor diet are more susceptible to unhealthy weight gain (due to their genetic make-up) while others are not. Research shows unhealthy weight gain during the early years of life is likely to persist throughout <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26696565/">adolescence and adulthood</a>. Lastly, our body weight is influenced by the environment itself. For example, an unhealthy diet, sedentary lifestyle and poor sleep will result in an increase in your weight set point over time and at a rate of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3151731/">0.5 kilograms per year</a>. Our bodies work hard to keep our weight around our set point by adjusting our biological systems, regulating how much we eat, how we store fat and expend energy. This stems from our hunter-gatherer ancestors, whose bodies developed this survival response to adapt to periods of deprivation when food was scarce to protect against starvation. Unfortunately, this means our body is very good at protecting against weight loss but not weight gain. <h2>How our bodies work to protect our set point when we diet</h2> When we change our diet to lose weight, we take our body out of its comfort zone and trigger its survival response. It then counteracts weight loss, triggering <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25896063/">several physiological responses</a> to defend our body weight and “survive” starvation. Our body’s survival mechanisms want us to regain lost weight to ensure we survive the next period of famine (dieting), which is why many people who regain weight after dieting end up weighing more than when they started. Our bodies achieve this result in several ways. 1. Our metabolism slows and our thyroid gland misfires Our metabolic rate – how much energy we burn at rest – is determined by how much muscle and fat we have. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat, meaning it burns more calories. Typically, when we diet to lose weight, we lose both fat and muscle, and the decrease in our calorie-burning muscle mass slows our metabolism, slowing the rate at which we lose weight. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7632212/">Research</a> also shows that for every diet attempt, the rate at which we burn off food <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22535969/">slows by 15%</a> and that even after we regain lost weight, our metabolism <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27136388/">doesn’t recover</a>. But exercise can help restore and speed up our <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10956341/">metabolism</a> as it improves our muscle to fat ratio. Dieting also affects our thyroid gland – the gatekeeper to our metabolism. When our thyroid functions correctly, it produces vital hormones that control our energy levels and metabolism, but when we restrict our food intake, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16322796/">fewer hormones are secreted</a>, reducing the energy we burn at rest 2. our energy sources are used differently Our bodies predominantly burn fat stores at rest, but when we diet and start losing weight, our body adapts for protection. It <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7572701/">switches</a> from using fat as its energy source to carbohydrates and holds onto its fat, resulting in less energy being burned at rest 3. our appetite hormones adjust Appetite hormones play a large part in weight management. When we’re hungry, the stomach releases a hormone called ghrelin to let our brain know it’s time to eat. Our gut and fat tissue also release hormones to signal fullness and tell us it’s time to stop eating. However, when we diet and deprive our bodies of food, these hormones work differently to defend our set point weight, suppressing feelings of fullness and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22029981/">telling us to eat more</a>. Like our metabolism, appetite hormones don’t return to the same levels before dieting, meaning feelings of hunger can prevail, even after weight is regained 4. our adrenal gland functions differently Our adrenal gland manages the hormone cortisol, which it releases when a stressor – <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10918539/">like dieting</a> – is imposed. Excess cortisol production and its presence in our blood leads to weight gain because it plays a vital role in how our bodies process, store and burn fat 5. our brain works differently Typically, diets tell us to restrict certain foods or food groups to reduce our calorie intake. However, this heightens activity in our mesocorticolimbic circuit (the reward system in our brain) resulting in us <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18568078/">overeating</a> the foods we’ve been told to avoid. This is because foods that give us pleasure release feel-good chemicals called endorphins and a learning chemical called dopamine, which enable us to remember – and give in to – that feel-good response when we see that food. When we diet, activity in our hypothalamus – the clever part of the brain that regulates emotions and food intake – also reduces, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18568078/">decreasing our control and judgement</a>. It often triggers a psychological response dubbed the “what-the-hell effect” – the vicious cycle we enter when we indulge in something we feel we shouldn’t, feel guilty about it, and then go back for even more. <h2>The take-home message</h2> We are biologically wired to protect our weight set point. Conventional diets, including the latest hype surrounding “intermittent fasting” and “keto”, fail to promote healthy eating and fail to address the weight set point. You’ll eventually regain the weight you lost. Just as the problem is evolutionary, the solution is evolutionary too. Successfully losing weight long-term comes down to: <ol> <li> following evidence-based care from health-care professionals that have studied the science of obesity, not celebrities </li> <li> losing weight in small manageable chunks you can sustain, specifically periods of weight loss, followed by periods of weight maintenance, and so on, until your goal weight is achieved </li> <li> making gradual changes to your lifestyle to ensure you form habits that last a lifetime. </li> </ol> Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-the-weight-set-point-and-why-does-it-make-it-so-hard-to-keep-weight-off-195724" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Body

New book points to Queen Elizabeth's true cause of death

When Queen Elizabeth died, her <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/caring/queen-s-official-death-certificate-released" target="_blank" rel="noopener">official death certificate</a> read that she had died of “old age”. But now a biographer has claimed that the late monarch was battling a form of myeloma, bone marrow cancer, before her death. In British author Gyles Brandreth's new book, Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, he claims that he “heard” the Queen had cancer in the lead-up to her death, and that she kept it to herself after Prince Philip died. “I had heard that the Queen had a form of myeloma — bone marrow cancer — which would explain her tiredness and weight loss and those ‘mobility issues’ we were often told about during the last year or so of her life,” an extract from the book published in The Daily Mail reads. “The most common symptom of myeloma is bone pain, especially in the pelvis and lower back, and multiple myeloma is a disease that often affects the elderly. “Currently, there is no known cure, but treatment — including medicines to help regulate the immune system and drugs that help prevent the weakening of the bones — can reduce the severity of its symptoms and extend the patient’s survival by months or two to three years.” Brandreth was a friend of the late Prince Philip and a former politician, and explained that the Queen wanted to be by her husband’s side in his final moments. She, however, considered it her duty to continue despite her “intense personal grief” after Prince Philip’s death. Sunrise royal editor Rob Jobson said that the bone cancer rumours were upsetting but the truth of the matter is that they were going around for quite some time as the Queen’s health deteriorated. “She was clearly suffering in that build-up.” “I think even Brandreth himself wrote that [cancer] was what he heard, he’s not actually saying it was definite. “But the details were swirling around for a very long time and that was one of the main things that was reoccurring.” The rumours continue just months after royal biographer <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/caring/royal-biographer-hints-at-queen-s-cause-of-death" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lady Colin Campbell</a>, who is most well-known for her books about Princess Diana and the Queen Mother, also claimed that the Queen was suffering from a serious bone condition. Lady Campbell, however, wouldn’t reveal “the word that accurately conveys her diagnosis” out of respect for her “dignity and privacy”. “If she wants to reveal that word, or her advisors wish to reveal it, that is up to them. I don’t think one needs to use the word to get across the point that I think most people will be able to pick up, that this is a really serious situation,” Lady Campbell said in a video just prior to announcing the monarch’s passing. “The condition has been induced, in part, according to people who know her well, has been created by the tremendous stress to which she has been subjected over the last three years. “Can you imagine an older woman, as her life is winding down, and she is hoping to enjoy the last few years of her life in good health, being bombarded by the tremendous abuse to which she and the monarchy have been subjected?" She went on to say she had tried to warn people that the Queen was “far more ill than they thought she was” over the few months prior to Her Majesty’s death. “I have on several occasions in the last few weeks, if not months, made the point that she had been affected to her bones. I used that repeatedly to get across the point that what she was suffering from was a malady of the bones,” she continued. “There are two maladies of the bones, one is more painful than the other. Fortunately the Queen’s malady, although it falls in the same category and condition of the more painful one, has been the less painful one. “It has been restrictive, and I will not go into the medical treatments she has been receiving. I have previously indicated that her bruising was due to cannulas and I have left it at that.” Image: Getty

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When’s the best time to use frequent flyer miles to book flights? Two economists crunched the numbers on maximizing their dollar value

Traveling during major holidays like Thanksgiving can be expensive, since so many people want to see their friends and families, wherever they might be. It’s especially hard this year with <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CPIAUCSL">inflation soaring</a> at the fastest pace since the early 1980s. Airline fares <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CUSR0000SETG01#0">were up 43% in October</a> from a year earlier – only a <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.t02.htm">handful of categories increased by more</a>. One way to ease the blow to your wallet or purse is by using frequent flyer miles. While there’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/2733384">quite a bit</a> of research on when is the <a href="https://conservancy.umn.edu/handle/11299/215872">best time to use cash</a> to buy flights, <a href="https://www.bu.edu/questrom/profile/huseyin-karaca/">we wondered</a> – as travel lovers – if there’s an optimal time to use miles. So with the help of <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HikpvLqt_M8OfXrCXta4rm76Z_JreLJt/view">our research assistant</a>, we investigated this question, with a focus on flights over the Thanksgiving holiday. <h2>Americans return to the skies</h2> The day before Thanksgiving is one of the busiest days to travel in the U.S. Before the COVID-19 pandemic upended travel, the Transportation Security Administration <a href="https://www.tsa.gov/coronavirus/passenger-throughput">screened 2.6 million people</a> on Thanksgiving eve of 2019, just shy of the 2.9 million record. While the number plunged in 2020 as demand dropped, it picked up to 2.3 million last year and <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/this-thanksgiving-is-expected-to-be-one-of-the-busiest-for-travel-in-decades-11668532148">is expected to return</a> to pre-COVID-19 levels this year. The surge in demand, along with significantly higher jet fuel costs, are key factors in leading to more expensive air fares. To offset these higher costs, <a href="https://newsroom.wf.com/English/news-releases/news-release-details/2022/New-Study-Americans-Lean-Into-Credit-Card-Rewards-to-Offset-Rising-Costs--Including-Travel/default.aspx">many consumers</a> may turn to frequent flyer miles – whether accumulated from other travel or from credit cards – to avoid forking over so much cash. <h2>Frequent flying 101</h2> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10253866.2015.1096095">Frequent flyer mile programs started</a> in the late 1970s after the <a href="https://www.faa.gov/about/history/brief_history">federal government stopped regulating</a> airfares. Before the change, fares, routes and schedules for all domestic flights were set by the federal Civil Aeronautics Board. Besides slashing fares, <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Travel/airline-frequent-flyer-miles-30-years/story?id=13616082">airlines reacted by creating frequent flyer programs</a>. Texas International Airlines, which ultimately merged with United, and Western Airlines, which later joined Delta, were among the first to institute frequent flyer programs. In a particular airline’s frequent flyer program, you earn miles when you fly with that airline. Many people get miles by using their credit cards as well. These accumulated miles can then be redeemed for free air travel. Frequent flyer programs were designed to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/02634509810199535">build customer loyalty</a>, as they provide a rebate to regular passengers. They are also <a href="https://hbr.org/1995/05/do-rewards-really-create-loyalty">meant to lock travelers</a> into a particular airline – since they have a strong incentive to only fly with that carrier. One downside is that many business flyers go out of their way to use their preferred airline, <a href="https://www.informs.org/About-INFORMS/News-Room/Press-Releases/Study-Finds-that-Frequent-Flyer-Programs-Increase-Cost-of-Business-Travel">which boosts their company’s travel costs</a>. And although airlines use frequent flyer programs to increase customer goodwill, they frequently <a href="https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/united-airlines-loyalty-program-status-update">change the rules and rewards</a>, which often <a href="https://www.inc.com/jason-aten/delta-just-announced-a-change-that-will-make-people-very-mad-its-actually-a-brilliant-move.html">frustrates customers</a>. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/2733384">Researchers have looked</a> at the <a href="https://conservancy.umn.edu/handle/11299/215872">optimal time to buy</a> airplane <a href="https://doi.org/10.1057/s41272-019-00193-7">tickets</a> with cash. In general, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzannerowankelleher/2022/08/31/best-time-to-book-a-cheap-flight/?sh=23fdd1e72ebc">they have found prices</a> tend to dip anywhere from two months to three weeks before the travel dates. Prices are highest for those who want to book their flights very early, to lock it in, and last-minute travelers booking just before their departure dates. <h2>How frequent flyer miles compare</h2> To see when’s the best time to book with miles, we looked at <a href="https://www.oag.com/busiest-routes-right-now">one of the busiest routes in the U.S.</a> – New York (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX). Each month, airlines have over a quarter of a million seats flying direct on that route. There are about 30 nonstop flights a day, run by <a href="https://www.aa.com/en-us/flights-from-new-york-to-los-angeles">three</a> <a href="https://www.delta.com/us/en/flight-deals/united-states-flights/flights-to-los-angeles">different</a> <a href="https://www.jetblue.com/destinations/los-angeles-california-flights">airlines</a>. Starting about three months before Thanksgiving, we collected weekly data from the online booking sites of these three airlines. We tracked the frequent flyer miles needed as well as the price for every coach flight scheduled to take place within one week of Thanksgiving. As miles are not interchangeable between airlines in general, we needed an alternative measure for more direct comparison between different airlines. So we calculated how much a frequent flyer mile is worth by dividing the number of frequent flyer miles needed by the ticket price. We then compared the dollar worth of 1,000 miles, depending on the airline, when the booking was made and the flight date. <a href="http://businessmacroeconomics.com/">Economic theory</a> tells us that when there is lots of competition and the product is almost identical, competition should result in all businesses charging roughly the same price. That wasn’t what we found. In mid-October, Delta was asking 69,000 miles to fly the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. American Airlines was only asking 33,000 miles for roughly the same flight. This means if you have a <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/select/best-travel-credit-cards/">general travel rewards credit card</a> that lets you use miles on different airlines, it pays to shop around. Just because an airline has a high price in miles doesn’t mean the price will not come down. At the start of November, Delta wanted 69,000 miles to fly at dinnertime on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. A week later the airline cut the price to 53,000 miles. A week after that, it was down to 36,500 miles, a price drop of almost 50% in two weeks. While in general the earlier you book, the better, booking too early can cost you. We found the best time to spend your frequent flyer miles for Thanksgiving travel was to book during the first week of October, which was about eight weeks out. In early October, 1,000 frequent flyer miles were worth over $14 in airfare. The last week of October, about four weeks before Thanksgiving, those same miles were only worth shy of $12. <h2>The best day to fly</h2> As for what is the best day on which to travel to get the most from your miles, there are two answers. On the Monday before Thanksgiving, your miles are typically worth the most, on average $15 per 1,000 miles. This is in sharp contrast to $11 for the day before Thanksgiving. However, flying Thanksgiving Day itself had required the lowest average number of miles, about 27,000 miles. If you haven’t booked flights yet, you may be too late to find the best value in frequent flyer miles. However, while we are still gathering and analyzing data, these tips look like they will hold up for future holidays. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/whens-the-best-time-to-use-frequent-flyer-miles-to-book-flights-two-economists-crunched-the-numbers-on-maximizing-their-dollar-value-194893" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Travel Tips

Yes, your dog can understand what you’re saying — to a point

Humans are unique in their ability to develop sophisticated language abilities. Language allows us to communicate with each other and live in complex societies. It is key to our advanced cognitive abilities and technological prowess. As a developmental psychologist, I have extensively studied the <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2005-06810-003">role of language in children’s cognitive development</a>, especially their <a href="https://genetic.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Exec-Function-e-book.pdf">executive functions</a> – the cognitive skills that allow them to control their behaviour, plan for the future, solve difficult problems and resist temptation. <h2>Executive functions</h2> The <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1002/9780470880166.hlsd001013">development of executive functions</a> occurs slowly over the course of childhood. As they get older, children get better at organizing their thoughts and controlling their behaviours and emotions. In fact, humans are the only known species to develop advanced executive functions, although other species like <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/wcs.1504">birds, primates</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1323533111">dogs</a> have rudimentary executive functions similar to young children. In humans, our ability to develop <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1017/CBO9780511581533.005">executive functions has been linked to our language development</a>. Language permits us to form and hold representations of our goals and plans in mind, allowing us to govern our behaviour over the long term. What is not clear is whether language actually causes the emergence of executive functions, and whether the relation between language and executive functions exists only in humans. <h2>Canine behaviour</h2> For humans, studying dogs offers the perfect opportunity to consider these questions. First, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-018-01234-1">dogs possess rudimentary executive functions</a>. These can be measured in a variety of ways, including <a href="https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7pb1j56q">asking owners</a> about their dogs’ ability to control their behaviours, as well as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0118469">behavioural tests</a> designed to assess dogs’ control abilities. Second, not only do we expose dogs regularly to human language, but research also indicates that dogs can <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2018.00737">perceive different words</a> and can learn to respond to <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.2752/089279305785594108">specific words</a>. For example, three dogs — two border collies named <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2010.11.007">Chaser</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1097859">Rico</a>, and a Yorkshire terrier named <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0030182">Bailey</a> — learned to respond to over 1,000, 200 and 100 words, respectively. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440929/original/file-20220114-13-11cnb18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440929/original/file-20220114-13-11cnb18.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="a woman talks to her dog while they're sitting beside a lake" /></a> Dogs are regularly exposed to human language. (Shutterstock) However, many dog language studies have been limited in scope, either examining the word-based responses of only one or a small sample of dogs, or the responses of multiple dogs but only to select words. One exception was a study in which <a href="https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.563.5569&rep=rep1&type=pdf">37 dog owners were asked to list words they believed their dogs responded to consistently</a>. Owners reported that their dogs responded to an average of 29 words, although this likely is an underestimation. Indeed, research using a similar free-recall approach with parents shows that they are <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1166093">prone to forget many words when asked to generate lists of words to which their babies respond consistently</a>. <h2>Communicating with dogs</h2> Research with human infants does provide a solution for systematically and reliably assessing word-based responding in large samples of dogs. Arguably the best and most widely used measure of early language abilities of infants is the <a href="https://products.brookespublishing.com/The-MacArthur-Bates-Communicative-Development-Inventories-Users-Guide-and-Technical-Manual-Second-Edition-P78.aspx">MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories</a>, a parent-report checklist of words responded to consistently. Remarkably, the number of words selected on the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory predicts children’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2019.101379">language development years later</a>. In 2015, I began a collaboration with psychologist Catherine Reeve, at the time a graduate student working on dogs’ scent detection abilities. Our goal was to develop a similar measure of vocabulary for use with dog owners that we could then use to examine links between language and executive functions. We developed a list of 172 words organized in different categories (for example, toys, food, commands, outdoor places) and gave it to an online sample of 165 owners of family and professional dogs. We asked them to select words that their dogs responded to consistently. We found that, on average, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2021.105513">service dogs respond to about 120 words, whereas family pets respond to about 80 words, ranging between 15 to 215 words across all dogs</a>. We also found that certain breed groups, such as herding dogs like border collies and toy dogs like chihuahuas, respond to more words and phrases than other breed types like terriers, retrievers and mixed breeds. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440930/original/file-20220114-25-t28c2r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="A woman talks to a group of dogs in a field" /> Understanding how dogs process language can help train service dogs. (Shutterstock) What we don’t yet know is whether dogs who respond to more words also have better executive functions. We recently assessed 100 dogs on a behavioural measure of executive functions and had their owners identify words on our vocabulary checklist. We are now analysing the results. I first became interested in studying dogs to see what they might tell us about child development. That said, this research might also provide important practical information about dogs. For example, it is very expensive to train puppies for service work and many do not make the final cut. However, if early word-based responding abilities predict later behavioural and cognitive abilities, our measure could become an early and simple tool to help predict which dogs are likely to become good service animals.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/173953/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sophie-jacques-1299844">Sophie Jacques</a>, Associate Professor, Psychology and Neuroscience, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/dalhousie-university-1329">Dalhousie University</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/yes-your-dog-can-understand-what-youre-saying-to-a-point-173953">original article</a>. Image: Fabian Gieske/Unsplash

Family & Pets

What’s the point of grief?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-internet-is-changing-the-way-we-grieve-100134">Grieving</a> is an experience almost <a href="https://theconversation.com/bowie-diana-and-why-we-mourn-in-public-53396">everyone will go through</a> at some point in their life. And is something we often have no control over. <a href="https://animalstudiesrepository.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1133&context=animsent">It isn’t just humans either</a>. There is plenty of evidence, albeit anecdotal, that <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-the-grieving-mother-orca-tells-us-about-how-animals-experience-death-101230">other mammals</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAafj--lRW0">particularly primates</a>, stay close to their dead relatives or babies – even carrying them around for a time before descending into a period of depression. In terms of evolution, <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-mummification-to-sky-burials-why-we-need-death-rituals-60386">if grief were not helpful</a>, it would long have been bred out of our species. The real question then is not why do we grieve, more what purpose does it serve? Stages of grief People often talk of the “<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-five-stages-of-grief-dont-come-in-fixed-steps-everyone-feels-differently-96111">stages of grief</a>”. The “five stages” model is the best known, with the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13576275.2012.758629">stages</a> being denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance – though these were actually written to describe coming to terms with dying rather than bereavement. For many working in the area of bereavement of counselling, the stages of grief are little more than of <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0030222817691870">historical interest</a> now, as the stages are seen as too rigid and not individualised enough – grief don’t come in fixed stages and everyone feels things differently. In fact, most of what we understand about grief today, is down to psychologist, John Bowlby’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-everyone-should-know-their-attachment-style-105321">attachment theory</a>. Essentially, attachment theory focuses on the “psychological connectedness between human beings”. The theory looks at the quality of the intimate bonds we make during the course of our lives, with a specific focus on parent-child relations. And it seems that grief is the flipside to these very close attachments we, as humans, are able to form. Every parent knows the ear-splitting protest when their infant is left alone. If they return quickly, peace is restored. Bowlby concluded that this behaviour evolved to keep the infant close to parents and safe from predators. If, for whatever reason, the parent is unable to return, Bowlby noticed that after a prolonged protest, the child became withdrawn and despairing. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00332747.1970.11023644?journalCode=upsy20">Colin Murray Parkes</a>, guru of bereavement theory and research, and a colleague of Bowlby’s, noticed the similarity between this behaviour and grief. Science of grief As a <a href="http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/17661/">bereavement counsellor and researcher</a> this is something I see in my clients. Initially they cry out in protest, but as time passes, they begin to despair, realising their loved one has gone forever. Grief isn’t just a mental experience either. It also has a physiological effect as it can raise the levels of the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2011.08.009">stress hormone cortisol</a>. This may explain why many of my clients experience stress reactions in the form of panic attacks, particularly if they attempt to bottle up their emotions. Modern techniques in neuroscience allow us to see grief in real time. In MRI scans, a brain region called the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2553561/">nucleus accumbens</a>, which lights up when we talk fondly of our love ones, also glows at our grief at losing them. These reward centres in our brain that make us happy together, keep us bonded by making us sad when we are apart. In this sense, <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2001-18149-011">evolutionary biologists</a> have suggested the protest phase of grief lasts long enough for us to search for our loved one, yet is short enough to detach when hope is lost. The despair phase, a form of depression, follows – and may serve to detach us from the one we have lost. It saves us from an energy-draining and fruitless search for them. And in time, emotional detachment allows us to seek a new breeding partner. It has also been suggested that both protest and despair may function to foster family and tribal cohesion and a sense of shared identity through the act of <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4889573">shared grief</a>. A changed world Most people associate grief with losing someone they love, but in reality people can <a href="https://theconversation.com/you-really-can-die-of-a-broken-heart-heres-the-science-57442">grieve for all sorts of reasons</a>. In essence, knowing what to expect and feeling secure and stable is important for our survival - so when a loss occurs in our lives, our world shifts and is turned upside down. In grief and trauma work, this is knows this as “<a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1972-21034-001">assumptive world theory</a>”. In the face of death and trauma, these beliefs are shattered and disorientation and even panic can enter the lives of those affected. Life is split into two halves – before the loss and after the loss. We grieve for the loss of the safe and familiar and it feels as though things will never be the same again. The loss of a loved one triggers both the grief of separation and the loss of our assumptive world in which they were a part. But over time, we adapt to our new world. We <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/10397-002">relearn the world changed by our loss</a>. Indeed, one of the privileges of working with grief is watching how so many clients learn and grow from the experience and emerge from their grief better equipped to deal with future losses.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/137665/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/john-frederick-wilson-1037315">John Frederick Wilson</a>, Honorary Research Fellow, Director of Bereavement Services Counselling & Mental Health Clinic, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/york-st-john-university-833">York St John University</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-the-point-of-grief-137665">original article</a>.

Mind

Feelings: what’s the point of rational thought if emotions always take over?

“I have long sought to make radical changes to my life, such as leaving a toxic workplace and losing weight. Yet I never get around to it. I am scared to leave work and sad about being overweight – and I eat when I feel that way. To what extent are humans driven by fear and emotion? What’s the point of rational thought if it keeps getting overridden by emotions? - Ed, 42, London.” One of the <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/phineas-gage-neurosciences-most-famous-patient-11390067/">most famous brain injuries</a> recorded in history was that suffered by Phineas Gage. Having had a large iron rod driven through his head, Gage lost a major part of his prefrontal cortex, which among other things facilitates interaction between reasoning and emotions. Gage survived his injury and maintained most of his cognitive functions. He could do maths, but he failed to make almost any decisions – especially those involving social interactions. That’s because decision making is a complex matter involving both reasoning and emotions. Even the most emotional person uses rational thought when deciding, and even the most rational person is affected by emotions when making decisions. Yet we often, as you do here, tend to highlight the negative role of emotions in decision making. It may seem like life would be easier if we could be entirely rational. But evolution has supported the development of feeling and thinking exactly because we need them both. Feelings take care of our desires and needs now, while rationality is defending our interests and wellbeing in the future. I <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23112741-feeling-smart">call these two entities</a> that live in us Tod (today) and Tom (tomorrow). If Tom didn’t exist, we would definitely be in a bad shape. Just imagine a world without reasoning – we would lose interest in anything that doesn’t provide us with instant pleasure. We would avoid learning, producing and protecting ourselves. We would simply sink into a life of addiction that would kill us even before we managed to breed. But without Tod we wouldn’t survive either. Tod is providing us with immediate decisions when danger is imminent. If we spot a car coming towards us while crossing the street, Tod will stop us. Tom might be able to calculate velocities and distances to tell whether or not we are in danger, but by the time he’d come up with the answer, it would be too late. Tod is also facilitating our social interactions, not only with his positive habits, such as love and empathy, but also with nasty ones. Studies show that people who can evoke a certain degree of anger and insult during bargaining and debate <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21639649">do better</a> than measured people. A world without feelings But beyond all this, there is one crucial reason why we should never be sorry for Tod being part of us. My friend <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naftali_Tishby">Tali Tishbi</a>, an eminent artificial intelligence (AI) researcher, believes that, in a few decades, AI will manage to do away with death and grant us all eternal life – albeit digitally. Here is how it is going to work: during our regular life – phase 1 – a database will store all the decisions, views, comments and ideas we have ever made, together with the circumstances in which they were made. Machine learning (a type of AI) techniques will then <a href="https://www.haaretz.co.il/misc/1.1429198">analyse this data and generate software</a> that can produce decisions in hypothetical circumstances based on those we took in our life. When our phase 1 life eventually terminates, we will enter phase 2 of eternal life, through this software. Our bodies will be dead at this stage, and this data from our minds will instead be located in a computer. We would feel or experience nothing, but for all other purposes, we’d be there. This version of ourselves can resume our job as a chief executive because the machine would make exactly the same decisions that we would have done had we been in phase 1 of our life. It would also still be able to offer advice to our children when they are in their 90s, and be able to comment on our grand-grand-grandchild’s new girlfriend in 2144. But let’s now go back to Tod and Tom. Life without Tod would look pretty much like what my friend calls phase 2 of life – and what I call death with an advanced photo album. Had our decisions been ruled solely by Tom, we wouldn’t be humans – we would be algorithms. For you, it sounds like Tod is ruling the day in your life, leaving little space for Tom. After all, you can always start a diet or quit your job tomorrow – right now, though, you’d rather relax. People may differ in how much they rely on rational thought, but everybody ultimately uses both – even you. You have, after all, identified a goal that you want to achieve. So how can we have a better balance between the Tod and Tom? Several psychology studies show that our patience with Tom <a href="https://faculty.washington.edu/jdb/345/345%20Articles/Baumeister%20et%20al.%20(1998).pdf">is depleted rather quickly</a>. This is not surprising, since he is the one who tells us to do those unpleasant things, such as staying away from croissants. When we were kids it was the role of our parents to help us to invite Tom in. But even when we are independent, we need help in a similar way from time to time. One way of doing this is to ask our partner or friends to support us in achieving our goals. Another is inviting Tom to comment on someone else who is in a similar situation to us. We don’t like Tom to tell us what to do, but we are curious to hear what he has to say. So with a little bit of self-deception we might be able to take the perspective of an “impartial spectator”, which will make it harder to ignore him. Tod and Tom are better friends than we tend to believe. They feed and reinforce one another. The best rational decisions take feelings into account. If you want to go on a diet, the best option is not always picking the one with the smallest calorie intake, but the one that you like the most and can stick with. For some people, it will be eating only boiled potatoes, while for others it will be a low-carb diet. So don’t be scared to let Tod have a say. And get some help with inviting Tom in. It is ultimately together that they work best. Written by Eyal Winter. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/feelings-whats-the-point-of-rational-thought-if-emotions-always-take-over-128592">The Conversation.</a>

Caring

5 dark secrets of web travel sites

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

Travel Trouble

Prince Charles expresses concerns for his grandchildren’s future as climate change reaches “tipping point”

Prince Charles was extremely candid about the risk of climate change as he gave a speech at <a rel="noopener" href="http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/News-and-Events/Prince-of-Wales-delivers-powerful-keynote-address" target="_blank">Lincoln University</a> in New Zealand. He admitted that he fears for his grandchildren’s future as “we face an urgent global crisis”. “For the past 40-50 years, I have been driven by an overwhelming desire not to be confronted by my grandchildren demanding to know why I didn't do anything to prevent them being bequeathed a poisoned and destroyed planet,” he said. The grandchildren in question are the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s children Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, four, Prince Louis, one and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s child Archie. The Prince of Wales has been a keen climate change activist for years and said that humanity is at “a tipping point”. “If we were to think about nature and her assets as humanity's own bank account, it is clear that we have been on a dizzying spending spree for centuries. “We now find ourselves dangerously overdrawn and urgently need to figure out how we are going to repay the mounting debt,” he explained. “And, if we were to think of this planet as a patient, any self-respecting doctor would long ago have made a precautionary intervention on the basis of the symptoms displayed.” <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B5LXgCjAZRo/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B5LXgCjAZRo/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">"We simply must be bold and we must make choices that are right for the future, not just convenient for today. We must think seven generations ahead, and start thinking and acting in the interests of our grandchildren, great grandchildren and those that will follow them. How much longer can we dither and delay?" . Read The Prince of Wales's speech on the environment, delivered today at @lincolnuninz during the #RoyalVisitNZ, by following the link in our bio.</a> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/clarencehouse/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Clarence House</a> (@clarencehouse) on Nov 22, 2019 at 10:22am PST </div> </blockquote> Prince Charles urged those listening that they “must be bold” in their choices that will impact future generations. "We simply must be bold and we must make choices that are right for the future, not just convenient for today. We must think seven generations ahead, and start thinking and acting in the interests of our grandchildren, great grandchildren and those that will follow them. “How much longer can we dither and delay?" The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall arrived in New Zealand on the 17th of November to kick off their week-long royal tour.

Travel Trouble

“He is conscious”: Turning point in Michael Schumacher's sad plight

Formula One star Michael Schumacher is said to be “conscious” after undergoing stem-cell treatment in Paris, France, a French newspaper has reported. The Le Parisien revealed earlier this week the seven-time world champion had been admitted to Georges-Pompidou hospital for a complex treatment involving the transfusions of inflammation-reducing stem cells. The cardiac surgeon who carried out the complex operation, Professor Philippe Menasche is also the same doctor who performed the world’s first embryonic cell transplant on a patient with heart failure in just 2014. “He is in my area. And I can assure you that he is conscious,” a source told the French newspaper. The 50-year-old German was left with severe brain damage in 2013 after suffering an accident while skiing. The Formula One legend has since been recovering at his family home in Lausanne and while his family has kept his condition as private as possible, new details have come to light about the trip to Paris. An Italian newspaper La Repubblica quoted biology professor Angelo Vescovi who claimed to have been “contacted by a person who knew Schumacher’s family”. “They asked if something could be done (for Schumacher). At that time, we had made an attempt to inject the same cells we use for multiple sclerosis into the brain of a boy in a coma with quite good results,” he said. “At the moment, we can only make assumptions about what they are doing in Paris.” The Le Parisien reports the Ferrari and Mercedes driver has an estimate of 10 security guards watching over him at the hospital. The family said on the star’s 50th birthday that they were “doing everything humanly possible" and “that he is in the very best of hands”. The manager of Schumacher, Nick Fry, spoke about his accident in his new book Survive. Drive. Win. where he wrote: “Corinna (Schumacher’s wife) and the family have kept a very tight control on information about his condition and his treatment which, I think, is a pity. “There are millions of people out there who have a genuine affection for Michael, and that’s not just his fans in Germany or fans of Mercedes Benz. “He has sustained an injury while skiing, which unfortunately happens to ordinary people every year. Families of those in recovery generally react better if they know other people are in the same boat. “I am sure that techniques and therapies have been developed and tried (with Schumacher) over the last few years that may well help others. “It would be helpful for his family to share how they have dealt with this challenge.”

Body

"There's still time": Why you should cash in your Qantas points before the system overhaul

In less than two weeks, Qantas frequent flyers will have to save up more points to redeem for flights as significant changes are set to take place. Starting September 18, reward seats in premium economy, business and first class will cost up to 18 per cent more in Qantas points, with the increases varying by route. The increased points requirement is balanced out by a reduction on the fees levied on reward flights. “On the other side they are reducing the taxes, so up to 50 per cent less fees are being charged for those reward tickets,” said the airline’s CEO Alan Joyce. In June, Qantas announced that its Frequent Flyers program would go through a <a href="https://www.qantasnewsroom.com.au/media-releases/qantas-rewards-frequent-flyers-in-program-overhaul/">major overhaul</a> over the next 12 months. Some of the changes include the addition of more than one million extra reward seats to more destinations on Qantas and new partner airlines, the opportunity to gain more flight and travel benefits through non-flying related transactions with partners in Points Club, and the introduction of Lifetime Platinum status. Flight Global Asia’s finance editor Ellis Taylor said the best way to make the best out of the changes is to redeem frequent flyer points before September 18. “At the end of the day, for airlines this is a financial obligation they have, and it goes on their balance sheets so if there’s a way to get people to spend more of their points to bring down that liability for them they’ll take it,” Taylor told <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-cash-in-your-qantas-frequent-flyer-points-before-overhaul-travel-news/df1452e1-b3a9-4c6d-bde7-7c8240a9b1c3">9News</a>. The Champagne Mile publisher Adele Eliseo advised travellers to nab an upgrade for their future Qantas flight, book a first class flight for short trips or a premium Classic Reward seat to popular northern hemisphere such as Europe and the United States before the changes kick in. “While many travellers will be sad to see these award chart increases kick in, there’s still time to lock in your dream redemption with Qantas points before September 18,” she wrote on <a href="https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-advice/money/you-have-two-weeks-to-redeem-your-qantas-points-before-controversial-changes-start/news-story/81d635b6337484b56dea156b4644d9da">news.com.au</a>. “So, it’s time to get booking.”

Travel Tips

“Lowest point of my life”: Meghan Markle’s brother reveals he is homeless

While the Duchess of Sussex celebrates her new bundle of joy alongside her husband, Prince Harry, life is much different for her brother. Thomas Markle Jr has opened up to the media, admitting for the last two months he has been living in a hotel room with his fiancé Darlene and her son and their two dogs. The 52-year-old older sibling to Duchess Meghan claims his life has been on a downward spiral after losing his job, home and being unable to find elsewhere to live. Mr Markle believes his name and the notoriety of his sister in his hometown of Grants Pass in the US has left him with little to no income and no one willing to lease him a house or give him a job. The unemployed Markle Jr admitted to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/uncategorized/9033062/meghan-markles-brother-homeless-lowest-point-life-after-losing-house-job-forced-hotel/" target="_blank">Sun Online</a> that his current circumstances have left him at “the lowest point” of his life. “Living in a small hotel room is really taking its toll on Darlene and her son – on all of us," he admitted. “And it’s all because my life suddenly got catapulted into the spotlight – through no fault of my own. “My every move has been put under the microscope – not just for me but all my family. “Now there’s been so much said about me – both true and untrue – no one wants to lease me a house or give me a job.” Mr Markle says his problems began earlier in the year after he fell ill and was unable to continue his work as a glazier. The situation left him with an eviction notice from his landlord. While the pair went to court and both agreed the 52-year-old would leave the property without an eviction, the landlord claimed the half-brother to Duchess Meghan was a “low life” and had trashed the property. “Suddenly every local station was talking about how I was evicted, how I trashed this house,” Thomas Jr explained. “But it was all untrue – I have pictures proving I left the house in a good condition. “I took 55 pictures of every square foot of that house – I left it in good shape. Mr Markle said the false accusations have made it difficult to find another landlord willing to lease him a home. “This has never happened to me before in my life. The problem is I’m known as Thomas Markle, Meghan’s crazy brother now,” he said. Thomas Jr said his relationship with his fiancé Darlene has also taken a huge toll due to living in a small hotel room. “It’s very uncomfortable and expensive – we don’t know how we are going to afford it. We have two dogs and Darlene’s son staying with us a lot of the time, I had to get a big storage unit so we have none of our stuff with us — it’s not a nice way to live. While the family is struggling to make ends meet, Thomas Jr says they are trying to stay positive and hoping that his upcoming celebrity boxing match will help him in his time of need. The 52-year-old signed a deal with Damon Feldman – a boding promoter to fight Henry “Nacho” Laun, who is an actor and close friend of Mark Wahlberg. The event is set to take place next month. “I don’t want to bad mouth Meghan but I think this could have all been handled better at the beginning," Markle Jr said. “She could have helped me deal with all this attention and it’s still in her power to help me now. “I wish her all the best with her new baby but it is hard when I see how much she’s spending on baby showers and things and I’ve got nothing. “The kind of money she spends would set me up for life.”

News

8 popular tourist attractions with secret vantage points

The one thing you never hear from people talking about the world’s most popular attractions is, “Gee whiz, it was incredible to see, but I wish there were more tourists!” Whether you’re admiring Acropolis or posing for a photo in front of the Taj Mahal, the one thing that’s going to be common about your experience is the fact that odds are there’s going to be a lot of people doing the same with you. But what if we were to tell you there was a better way? If you’re willing to be creative, add some time to your trip and in some cases, get off the beaten track, there are ways to admire the world’s greatest attractions without having to jostle with self-stick wielding tourists for the best spot. We’ve scoured the globe to come up with our definitive list feature eight popular tourist attractions that have secret vantage points. To see them all, scroll though the gallery above. Have you been to any of these tourist attractions?

Travel Tips

Qantas strips 73-year-old cancer survivor’s frequent flyer points

A 73-year-old woman recovering from cancer has been cruelly stripped of 150,000 Qantas frequent flyer points, after missing a crucial email during her treatment. Dr Elizabeth Greenhalgh had been undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer when she received an email from Qantas saying her points would expire if she didn’t reactive them. The 73-year-old missed the email completely as she recuperated and as a result the airline stripped her of 150,672, the equivalent of thousands of dollars in flights. “I would have expected somebody who's been a frequent flyer for 16 years to be treated somewhat more flexibly and with more compassion,” said Dr Greenhalgh told <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/" target="_blank">Fairfax</a>. Dr Greenhalgh contacted Qantas and explained her plight, but if she was expecting compassion from the carrier she was sorely mistaken. Qantas denied her request to have her points reinstated, instead offering her a ‘points challenge’ that could see her earn her credits back if she accrued 2,500 in six months on a Qantas card. As is often the case, the problem seems to have been caused by details in the fine print. The terms and conditions on Qantas’ Frequent Flyer page states points expire after the 18th consecutive month of not being used. “While we certainly appreciate Dr Greenhalgh's very difficult circumstances, according to our terms and conditions, points are not reinstated after they've expired,” Qantas responded, according to <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/" target="_blank">Fairfax</a>. “The goodwill challenge gives Dr Greenhalgh the opportunity to re-engage with our program, which is what any member must do to keep an account active in the first place, so we're not asking for anything that's hard to achieve.” What are your thoughts? Is this simply a case of bad luck? Or does Qantas have a responsibility to up its game, and look after a loyal customer?

Travel Trouble

Scientist jumps off 14-metre bridge to prove point

To prove a scientific point, physicist Andreas Wahl agreed to be dropped 14 metres towards the ground. The catch? He was only attached to a loose rope with a weight at the other end. It seems to defy physics (but we guess that was his point!) but Andreas makes it to the ground safe and sound. He knew he would – after all, objects rotate faster when they approach a central point. As can be seen in the jaw-dropping video above, as Andreas rapidly drop to the ground the weight on the other end of the rope spins around a pole, effectively securing Andreas’ safety. Point well and truly proved. Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/domestic-travel/2015/12/walking-the-heysen-tail/">How I walked the 1,200km Heysen Trail</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/caring/2015/12/fast-moves-to-slow-down-ageing/">Fast moves to slow down ageing</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/domestic-travel/2015/12/driving-the-great-ocean-road/">8 reasons everyone should drive the Great Ocean Road</a>

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Scientist jumps off 14-metre bridge to prove point