Search

What’s the difference between vegan and vegetarian?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/katherine-livingstone-324808">Katherine Livingstone</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> Vegan and vegetarian diets are <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00394-023-03086-z">plant-based diets</a>. Both include plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains. But there are important differences, and knowing what you can and can’t eat when it comes to a vegan and vegetarian diet can be confusing. So, what’s the main difference? <h2>What’s a vegan diet?</h2> A <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00394-023-03086-z">vegan diet</a> is an entirely plant-based diet. It doesn’t include any meat and animal products. So, no meat, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs, dairy or honey. <h2>What’s a vegetarian diet?</h2> A <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00394-023-03086-z">vegetarian diet</a> is a plant-based diet that generally excludes meat, poultry, ﬁsh and seafood, but can include animal products. So, unlike a vegan diet, a vegetarian diet can include eggs, dairy and honey. But you may be wondering why you’ve heard of vegetarians who eat fish, vegetarians who don’t eat eggs, vegetarians who don’t eat dairy, and even vegetarians who eat some meat. Well, it’s because there are variations on a vegetarian diet: <ul> <li> a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet excludes meat, poultry, fish and seafood, but includes eggs, dairy and honey </li> <li> an ovo-vegetarian diet excludes meat, poultry, fish, seafood and dairy, but includes eggs and honey </li> <li> a lacto-vegetarian diet excludes meat, poultry, fish, seafood and eggs, but includes dairy and honey </li> <li> a pescatarian diet excludes meat and poultry, but includes eggs, dairy, honey, fish and seafood </li> <li> a flexitarian, or semi-vegetarian diet, includes eggs, dairy and honey and may include small amounts of meat, poultry, fish and seafood. </li> </ul> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/594474/original/file-20240516-16-wjg71m.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/594474/original/file-20240516-16-wjg71m.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/594474/original/file-20240516-16-wjg71m.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/594474/original/file-20240516-16-wjg71m.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/594474/original/file-20240516-16-wjg71m.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/594474/original/file-20240516-16-wjg71m.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=573&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/594474/original/file-20240516-16-wjg71m.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=573&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/594474/original/file-20240516-16-wjg71m.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=573&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption></figcaption></figure> <h2>Are these diets healthy?</h2> A <a href="https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article/44/36/3423/7224412">2023 review</a> looked at the health effects of vegetarian and vegan diets from two types of study. Observational studies followed people over the years to see how their diets were linked to their health. In these studies, eating a vegetarian diet was associated with a lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease (such as heart disease or a stroke), diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), dementia and cancer. For example, in a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916523054497?via%3Dihub">study</a> of 44,561 participants, the risk of heart disease was 32% lower in vegetarians than non-vegetarians after an average follow-up of nearly 12 years. Further evidence came from randomised controlled trials. These instruct study participants to eat a specific diet for a specific period of time and monitor their health throughout. These studies showed eating a vegetarian or vegan diet led to reductions in weight, blood pressure, and levels of unhealthy cholesterol. For example, one <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1832195">analysis</a> combined data from seven randomised controlled trials. This so-called meta-analysis included data from 311 participants. It showed eating a vegetarian diet was associated with a systolic blood pressure (the first number in your blood pressure reading) an average 5 mmHg lower compared with non-vegetarian diets. It seems vegetarian diets are more likely to be healthier, across a number of measures. For example, a 2022 <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00394-022-02942-8">meta-analysis</a> combined the results of several observational studies. It concluded a vegetarian diet, rather than vegan diet, was recommended to prevent heart disease. There is also <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13668-024-00533-z">evidence</a> vegans are more likely to have bone fractures than vegetarians. This could be partly due to a lower body-mass index and a lower intake of nutrients such as calcium, vitamin D and protein. <h2>But it can be about more than just food</h2> Many vegans, where possible, do not use products that directly or indirectly involve using animals. So vegans would not wear leather, wool or silk clothing, for example. And they would not use soaps or candles made from beeswax, or use products tested on animals. The motivation for following a vegan or vegetarian diet can vary from person to person. Common motivations <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2475299123157957">include</a> health, environmental, ethical, religious or economic reasons. And for many people who follow a vegan or vegetarian diet, this forms a central part of their <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9231820/">identity</a>. <h2>So, should I adopt a vegan or vegetarian diet?</h2> If you are thinking about a vegan or vegetarian diet, here are some things to consider: <ul> <li> eating more plant foods does not automatically mean you are eating a healthier diet. Hot chips, biscuits and soft drinks can all be vegan or vegetarian foods. And many <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-looked-at-700-plant-based-foods-to-see-how-healthy-they-really-are-heres-what-we-found-222991">plant-based alternatives</a>, such as plant-based sausages, can be high in added salt </li> <li> meeting the <a href="https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/nutrient-reference-values/nutrients">nutrient intake targets</a> for vitamin B12, iron, calcium, and iodine requires more careful planning while on a vegan or vegetarian diet. This is because meat, seafood and animal products are good sources of these vitamins and minerals </li> <li> eating a plant-based diet doesn’t necessarily mean <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-you-should-eat-a-plant-based-diet-but-that-doesnt-mean-being-a-vegetarian-78470">excluding</a> all meat and animal products. A healthy flexitarian diet prioritises eating more whole plant-foods, such as vegetables and beans, and less processed meat, such as bacon and sausages </li> <li> the <a href="https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/guidelines/australian-dietary-guidelines-1-5">Australian Dietary Guidelines</a> recommend eating a wide variety of foods from the five food groups (fruit, vegetables, cereals, lean meat and/or their alternatives and reduced-fat dairy products and/or their alternatives). So if you are eating animal products, choose lean, reduced-fat meats and dairy products and limit processed meats.<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/225275/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> </li> </ul> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/katherine-livingstone-324808">Katherine Livingstone</a>, NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow and Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-the-difference-between-vegan-and-vegetarian-225275">original article</a>. </div>

Food & Wine

Paris in spring, Bali in winter. How ‘bucket lists’ help cancer patients handle life and death

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/leah-williams-veazey-1223970">Leah Williams Veazey</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alex-broom-121063">Alex Broom</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/katherine-kenny-318175">Katherine Kenny</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> In the 2007 film <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0825232/">The Bucket List</a> Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman play two main characters who respond to their terminal cancer diagnoses by rejecting experimental treatment. Instead, they go on a range of energetic, overseas escapades. Since then, the term “bucket list” – a list of experiences or achievements to complete before you “kick the bucket” or die – has become common. You can read articles listing <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/11/cities-to-visit-before-you-die-according-to-50-travel-experts-and-only-one-is-in-the-us.html">the seven cities</a> you must visit before you die or <a href="https://www.qantas.com/travelinsider/en/trending/top-100-guide/best-things-to-do-and-see-in-australia-travel-bucket-list.html">the 100</a> Australian bucket-list travel experiences. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UvdTpywTmQg?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> But there is a more serious side to the idea behind bucket lists. One of the key forms of suffering at the end of life <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pon.4821">is regret</a> for things left unsaid or undone. So bucket lists can serve as a form of insurance against this potential regret. The bucket-list search for adventure, memories and meaning takes on a life of its own with a diagnosis of life-limiting illness. In a <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14407833241251496">study</a> published this week, we spoke to 54 people living with cancer, and 28 of their friends and family. For many, a key bucket list item was travel. <h2>Why is travel so important?</h2> There are lots of reasons why travel plays such a central role in our ideas about a “life well-lived”. Travel is often linked to important <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2003.10.005">life transitions</a>: the youthful gap year, the journey to self-discovery in the 2010 film <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0879870/">Eat Pray Love</a>, or the popular figure of the “<a href="https://theconversation.com/grey-nomad-lifestyle-provides-a-model-for-living-remotely-106074">grey nomad</a>”. The significance of travel is not merely in the destination, nor even in the journey. For many people, planning the travel is just as important. A cancer diagnosis affects people’s sense of control over their future, throwing into question their ability to write their own life story or plan their travel dreams. Mark, the recently retired husband of a woman with cancer, told us about their stalled travel plans: "We’re just in that part of our lives where we were going to jump in the caravan and do the big trip and all this sort of thing, and now [our plans are] on blocks in the shed." For others, a cancer diagnosis brought an urgent need to “tick things off” their bucket list. Asha, a woman living with breast cancer, told us she’d always been driven to “get things done” but the cancer diagnosis made this worse: "So, I had to do all the travel, I had to empty my bucket list now, which has kind of driven my partner round the bend." People’s travel dreams ranged from whale watching in Queensland to seeing polar bears in the Arctic, and from driving a caravan across the Nullarbor Plain to skiing in Switzerland. Nadia, who was 38 years old when we spoke to her, said travelling with her family had made important memories and given her a sense of vitality, despite her health struggles. She told us how being diagnosed with cancer had given her the chance to live her life at a younger age, rather than waiting for retirement: "In the last three years, I think I’ve lived more than a lot of 80-year-olds." <h2>But travel is expensive</h2> Of course, travel is expensive. It’s not by chance Nicholson’s character in The Bucket List is a billionaire. Some people we spoke to had emptied their savings, assuming they would no longer need to provide for aged care or retirement. Others had used insurance payouts or charity to make their bucket-list dreams come true. But not everyone can do this. Jim, a 60-year-old whose wife had been diagnosed with cancer, told us: "We’ve actually bought a new car and [been] talking about getting a new caravan […] But I’ve got to work. It’d be nice if there was a little money tree out the back but never mind." Not everyone’s bucket list items were expensive. Some chose to spend more time with loved ones, take up a new hobby or get a pet. Our study showed making plans to tick items off a list can give people a sense of self-determination and hope for the future. It was a way of exerting control in the face of an illness that can leave people feeling powerless. Asha said: "This disease is not going to control me. I am not going to sit still and do nothing. I want to go travel." <h2>Something we ‘ought’ to do?</h2> Bucket lists are also a symptom of a broader culture that emphasises conspicuous <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH_Pa1hOEVc">consumption</a> and <a href="https://productiveageinginstitute.org.au/">productivity</a>, even into the end of life. Indeed, people told us travelling could be exhausting, expensive and stressful, especially when they’re also living with the symptoms and side effects of treatment. Nevertheless, they felt travel was something they “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14461242.2021.1918016">ought</a>” to do. Travel can be deeply meaningful, as our study found. But a life well-lived need not be extravagant or adventurous. Finding what is meaningful is a deeply personal journey. <hr /> Names of study participants mentioned in this article are pseudonyms.<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/225682/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/leah-williams-veazey-1223970">Leah Williams Veazey</a>, ARC DECRA Research Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alex-broom-121063">Alex Broom</a>, Professor of Sociology & Director, Sydney Centre for Healthy Societies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/katherine-kenny-318175">Katherine Kenny</a>, ARC DECRA Senior Research Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</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/paris-in-spring-bali-in-winter-how-bucket-lists-help-cancer-patients-handle-life-and-death-225682">original article</a>. </div>

Caring

Vegetarians more likely to be depressed than meat-eaters

Vegetarians have around twice as many depressive episodes as meat-eaters, according to a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165032722010643" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new study</a>. The study, based on survey data from Brazil, chimes with <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/animals-and-us/201812/the-baffling-link-between-vegetarianism-and-depression" target="_blank" rel="noopener">earlier research</a> that found higher rates of depression among those who forgo meat. However, the new study suggests that this link exists independent of nutritional intake. It may seem straightforward to look at a link between a diet and specific health problems and assume that the former is causing the latter via some form of nutritional deficiency. Yet the new analysis, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, took into account a wide range of nutritional factors, including total calorie intake, protein intake, micronutrient intake, and the level of food processing. This suggests that the higher rates of depression among vegetarians are not caused by the nutritional content of their diet. So what might explain the link between vegetarianism and depression? Is there some non-nutritional mechanism that makes the former cause the latter? Or is the relationship down to something else entirely? First, it is possible that being depressed causes people to be more likely to become vegetarian rather than the other way around. The <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/clinical-depression/symptoms/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">symptoms of depression</a> can include rumination on negative thoughts, as well as feelings of guilt. Assuming that depressed and non-depressed people are equally likely to encounter the upsetting truth of slaughterhouses and factory farming, it is possible that depressed people are more likely to ruminate on those thoughts, and more likely to feel guilty for their part in creating the demand. The depressed vegetarian, in this case, is not necessarily wrong to think this way. While depression is sometimes characterised as having unrealistically negative perceptions, <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/hide-and-seek/201206/depressive-realism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">there is evidence to suggest</a> that people with mild to moderate depression have more realistic judgments about the outcome of uncertain events and more realistic perceptions of their own role and abilities. In this case, there really is <a href="https://www.bryantresearch.co.uk/insights/acceptability-of-animal-farming-practices" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cruel treatment of animals in meat production</a>. And this really is caused by consumer demand for cheap meat. Second, it is possible that adhering to a vegetarian diet causes depression for reasons other than nutrition. Even if there is no “happy nutrient” lacking in a vegetarian diet, it could be the case that forgoing meat causes depression through other means. For example, adopting a vegetarian diet might affect one’s relationship with others and involvement in social activities, and sometimes may be associated with <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21361905/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">teasing or other forms of social ostracism</a>. Notably, the new study is based on survey data collected in Brazil, a country <a href="https://data.oecd.org/agroutput/meat-consumption.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">famous for its meat-heavy diet</a>. Some survey data has pointed to a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/26/world/americas/brazil-vegetarian.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sharp increase in vegetarianism in Brazil in recent years</a>, going from 8% in 2012 to 16% in 2018. However, the recent paper surveyed over 14,000 Brazilians and found just 82 vegetarians – scarcely more than half a per cent. One has to wonder if the same link between vegetarianism and depression would be observed in India or other countries where vegetarianism is more of a social norm. More importantly, as the <a href="https://www.bryantresearch.co.uk/insights/uk-protein-transition-in-4-graphs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rate of vegetarianism increases in the UK</a> and other developed countries, will we see the relationship disappear over time? Finally, it is possible that neither vegetarianism nor depression cause the other, but both are associated with some third factor. This could be any number of characteristics or experiences that are associated with both vegetarianism and depression. For example, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666317305305" target="_blank" rel="noopener">women are more likely than men to be vegetarian</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5532074/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">and to experience depression</a>. However, the Brazilian study took sex into account, ruling out this particular third variable. <h2>Not examined</h2> One variable that was not examined, but is plausibly linked to both vegetarianism and depression, is exposure to violent images of the meat industry. Preventing cruelty to animals is the <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1062072/reasons-for-becoming-vegetarian-or-vegan-in-great-britain/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">most commonly cited reason</a> vegetarians give for avoiding meat. Documentaries like <a href="https://watchdominion.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dominion</a> and <a href="http://www.nationearth.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Earthlings</a> that depict the cruelty in the meat industry cannot readily be described as feelgood films. One can easily imagine that a person who consumes this kind of media would become both vegetarian and, especially when most people choose to look the other way, depressed. There are several possible reasons for the link between vegetarianism and depression. This new study suggests that vegetarian nutrition is not the cause of depression. Instead, the vegetarian social experience may contribute to depression, depression may cause an increased likelihood of becoming vegetarian, or both vegetarianism and depression may be caused by a third variable, such as exposure to violent meat industry imagery. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/vegetarians-more-likely-to-be-depressed-than-meat-eaters-possible-reasons-191707" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Body

Pets can suffer from allergies too

Spring has well and truly sprung and if you’re suffering from some seasonal sniffles, spare a thought for you pet, too. Did you know dog and cats can suffer from seasonal allergies just as you do? “Pets can definitely suffer from seasonal allergies but the allergic response is slightly different in pets when compared to people,” says Felicia Tam, who is the PAW by Blackmores veterinarian. Dr Tam says don’t expect pets to get a bout of hayfever though as “pets are much more likely to get itchy skin and have ‘allergies’ after coming into contact with allergens such as dust mites or pollens.” Signs that your dog has a seasonal allergy Pet allergies most often take the form of skin irritation or inflammation, and according to Dr Tam, the main sign to look for is “constant itching or rubbing in your dog”. But Dr Tam reminds that allergies can look different from pet to pet. “Details like seasonality and location, age and breed can provide clues on what your dog is allergic to, whether it is something in the environment like dust mites or even the food he or she is eating,” she says. Dr Tam recommends using this helpful 10-point itch scale tool to assess your dog’s itch level. This will help you assess any improvement or deterioration from normal or after treatment. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/pets-can-suffer-from-allergies-too-graph_500x705.png" alt="" width="500" height="705" /> Allergies should be cause for concern Like us humans, allergies in pets can range from mild to severe. If not adequately controlled or managed, allergies can be a cause for concern for pet owners. As Dr Tam reminds, “an itchy dog is definitely an uncomfortable dog,” adding, “dogs will continue to scratch as long as they are itchy so can do a lot of damage to their skin if the cause of their itch isn’t addressed.” If you believe your dog has an allergy, pay a visit to your vet. It will not only give you peace of mind but the vet will be able to help you manage your pet’s allergies. “Some allergies, such as allergies to fleas or food can be easily managed by ensuring flea control is applied on time or specific foods are fed. Other allergies can be more difficult to manage but most pets can be kept comfortable as long as their owners are on board with their pet’s special needs,” says Dr Tam. How you can help your pet with seasonal allergies Dr Tam uses a concept called the “itch threshold” when thinking about our itchy pets. “The additive effect of multiple factors in the environment can tip your pet over the itch threshold,” she says. In order to stay under the itch threshold, Dr Tam recommends owners: <ul> <li>Make sure flea treatments are applied on time</li> <li>Pets are bathed regularly to make sure that the allergen load on the skin doesn’t build up</li> <li>Provide ingredients such as omega-3 and omega-6’s either topically or via supplementation to support the skin barrier to reduce the access of allergens to the immune system</li> </ul> Image: Getty Images

Family & Pets

Achoo! 5 essential reads for pollen season

As spring expands across North America, trees, shrubs and flowers are releasing <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/pollen">pollen</a>. This fine, powdery substance is produced by the male structures of cone-bearing and flowering plants. When it’s carried to the plants’ female structures by wind, water or pollinators, fertilization happens. As pollen travels, it also triggers allergies in <a href="https://www.aafa.org/allergy-facts/">some 25 million Americans</a>. Pollen exposure can cause sneezing, coughing, itchy eyes, runny nose and postnasal drip – unwelcome signs of spring for sufferers. This roundup of articles from our archives describes recent findings on protecting pollinators and coping with pollen season. <h2>1. Hey pollinators, over here</h2> Since pollen grains carry the cells that fertilize plants, it’s critical for them to get where they need to go. Often wind or gravity is all it takes, but for many plants, a pollinator has to carry the pollen grains. Some plants offer nectar or edible pollen to attract insects, bats or other animals, which carry pollen from plant to plant as they forage. Many flowers also <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-flowers-smell-151672">lure pollinators with scent</a>. “Similar to the perfumes at a department store counter, flower scents are made up from a large and diverse number of chemicals which evaporate easily and float through the air,” writes Mississippi State University horticulturalist <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=dJ8gD7MAAAAJ&hl=en">Richard L. Harkess</a>. “To differentiate itself from other flowers, each species’ flowers put out a unique scent to attract specific pollinators. … Once pollinated, the flower stops producing a floral scent and nectar and redirects its energy to the fertilized embryo that will become the seed.” <h2>2. Bees at the buffet</h2> It’s well known that many species of insects have <a href="https://theconversation.com/insect-apocalypse-not-so-fast-at-least-in-north-america-141107">declined in recent years</a>. One big focus is <a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/plant-pest-and-disease-programs/honey-bees/honeybees">honeybees</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/beyond-honey-bees-wild-bees-are-also-key-pollinators-and-some-species-are-disappearing-89214">other species of bees</a>, which pollinate many important crops. In a 2021 study, University of Florida agricultural extension specialist <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=I8IjAnIAAAAJ&hl=en">Hamutahl Cohen</a> found that when bees visited fields where sunflowers, grown as crops, were blooming over many acres, they <a href="https://theconversation.com/planting-mixes-of-flowers-around-farm-fields-helps-keep-bees-healthy-170527">picked up parasites at a high rate</a>. In contrast, bees that foraged in hedgerows around crop fields and could choose from diverse types of flowers to feed on spread out farther and had lower rates of infection. “The more bees in sunflower fields, the more parasites,” Cohen observed. “Sunflower blooms were aggregating bees, which in turn was amplifying disease risk.” However, “in the presence of many flower types, bees disperse and spread across resources, reducing each individual bee’s likelihood of encountering an infected individual.” <h2>3. Warmer weather means more pollen</h2> As climate change raises average temperatures across the U.S., growing seasons are starting earlier and ending later in the year. That’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/pollen-season-is-getting-longer-and-more-intense-with-climate-change-heres-what-allergy-sufferers-can-expect-in-the-future-179158">bad news for allergy sufferers</a>. “The higher temperature will extend the growing season, giving plants more time to emit pollen and reproduce,” write University of Michigan atmospheric scientists <a href="https://clasp.engin.umich.edu/people/zhang-yingxiao/">Yingxiao Zhang</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=3dWPwz8AAAAJ&hl=en">Allison L. Steiner</a>. And by increasing the concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere, climate change will make it possible for plants to grow larger and generate more pollen. “Southeastern regions, including Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, can expect large grass and weed pollen increases in the future. The Pacific Northwest is likely to see peak pollen season a month earlier because of the early pollen season of alder,” Zhang and Steiner report. <h2>4. Providing better forecasts</h2> With all that pollen out there, how can allergy sufferers know when counts are high? Today the U.S. has only a rudimentary network of 90 pollen observation stations across the country, staffed by volunteers and run only during pollen season, so often there isn’t good information available when people need it. <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=sUwveOEAAAAJ&hl=en">Fiona Lo</a>, an environmental health scientist at the University of Washington, is working with colleagues to develop a model that can predict airborne pollen releases. “Our forecast can predict for specific pollen types because our model includes information about how each plant type interacts differently with the environment,” Lo reports. So far, the model only predicts levels of four types of common pollen in areas where there are observation stations. Ultimately, though, Lo and her collaborators “want to provide a forecast every day during pollen season to give allergy sufferers the information they need to manage their symptoms. Allergies are often undertreated, and knowledge about self-care is limited, so a reliable pollen forecast that is easy to access – for example, via an app on your phone – along with education on allergy management, could really help allergy sufferers.” <h2>5. Support pollinators in your garden</h2> Pollen season is also gardening season, since it’s when plants are blooming. West Virginia University mycologist <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Brian-Lovett">Brian Lovett</a>offers advice for gardeners who want to <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-help-insects-make-them-welcome-in-your-garden-heres-how-153609">attract beneficial insects to their yards</a> for pollination and other purposes. One step is to replace grass with native wildflowers, which will provide pollen and nectar for insects like ants, bees and butterflies. “Just as you may have a favorite local restaurant, insects that live around you have a taste for the flowers that are native to their areas,” Lovett notes. Replacing white lightbulbs with yellow or warm-hued LED bulbs, and providing water in dishes or other containers, are also insect-friendly steps. Local university extension offices and gardening stores can offer other suggestions. “In my view, humans all too often see ourselves as separate from nature, which leads us to relegate biodiversity to designated parks,” Lovett observes. “In fact, however, we are an important part of the natural world, and we need insects just as much as they need us.” Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/achoo-5-essential-reads-for-pollen-season-181672" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Home & Garden

4 essential reads on pesticides and the environment

In 1962 environmental scientist Rachel Carson published “<a href="http://www.rachelcarson.org/SilentSpring.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Silent Spring</a>,” a bestselling book that asserted that overuse of pesticides was harming the environment and threatening human health. Carson did not call for banning DDT, the most widely used pesticide at that time, but she argued for using it and similar products much more selectively and paying attention to their effects on nontargeted species. “Silent Spring” is widely viewed as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/23/magazine/how-silent-spring-ignited-the-environmental-movement.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an inspiration for the modern environmental movement</a>. These articles from The Conversation’s archive spotlight ongoing questions about pesticides and their effects. <h2>1. Against absolutes</h2> Although the chemical industry attacked “Silent Spring” as <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/170448/on-a-farther-shore-by-william-souder/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">anti-science and anti-progress</a>, Carson believed that chemicals had their place in agriculture. She “favored <a href="https://theconversation.com/would-rachel-carson-eat-organic-94967" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a restrained use of pesticides, but not a complete elimination</a>, and did not oppose judicious use of manufactured fertilizers,” writes Harvard University sustainability scholar <a href="https://wcfia.harvard.edu/people/robert-l-paarlberg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Robert Paarlberg</a>. This approach put Carson at odds with the fledgling organic movement, which totally rejected synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Early organic advocates claimed Carson as a supporter nonetheless, but Carson kept them at arm’s length. “The organic farming movement was suspect in Carson’s eyes because most of its early leaders were not scientists,” Paarlberg observes. This divergence has echoes today in debates about whether organic production or steady improvements in conventional farming have more potential to feed a growing world population. <h2>2. Concerned cropdusters</h2> Well before “Silent Spring” was published, a crop-dusting industry developed on the Great Plains in the years after World War II to apply newly commercialized pesticides. “Chemical companies made broad promises about these ‘miracle’ products, with little discussion of risks. But pilots and scientists took <a href="https://theconversation.com/farmers-and-cropdusting-pilots-on-the-great-plains-worried-about-pesticide-risks-before-silent-spring-91976" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a much more cautious approach</a>,” recounts University of Nebraska-Kearney historian <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=37kbK3MAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">David Vail</a>. As Vail’s research shows, many crop-dusting pilots and university agricultural scientists were well aware of how little they knew about how these new tools actually worked. They attended conferences, debated practices for applying pesticides and organized flight schools that taught agricultural science along with spraying techniques. When “Silent Spring” was published, many of these practitioners pushed back, arguing that they had developed strategies for managing pesticide risks. Today aerial spraying is still practiced on the Great Plains, but it’s also clear that insects and weeds rapidly evolve resistance to every new generation of pesticides, trapping farmers on what Vail calls “a chemical-pest treadmill.” Carson anticipated this effect in “Silent Spring,” and called for more research into alternative pest control methods – an approach that <a href="https://www.usda.gov/oce/pest/integrated-pest-management" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has become mainstream today</a>. <h2>3. The osprey’s crash and recovery</h2> In “Silent Spring,” Carson described in detail how chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides persisted in the environment long after they were sprayed, rising through the food chain and building up in the bodies of predators. Populations of fish-eating <a href="https://raptor.umn.edu/about-raptors/learn-about-raptors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raptors</a>, such as bald eagles and ospreys, were ravaged by these chemicals, which thinned the shells of the birds’ eggs so that they broke in the nest before they could hatch. “Up to 1950, ospreys were one of the most widespread and abundant hawks in North America,” writes Cornell University research associate <a href="https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/person/alan-poole/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alan Poole</a>. “By the mid-1960s, the number of ospreys breeding along the Atlantic coast between New York City and Boston <a href="https://theconversation.com/ospreys-recovery-from-pollution-and-shooting-is-a-global-conservation-success-story-111907" target="_blank" rel="noopener">had fallen by 90%</a>.” Bans on DDT and other highly persistent pesticides opened the door to recovery. But by the 1970s, many former osprey nesting sites had been developed. To compensate, concerned naturalists built nesting poles along shorelines. Ospreys also learned to colonize light posts, cell towers and other human-made structures. Today, “Along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, nearly 20,000 ospreys now arrive to nest each spring – the largest concentration of breeding pairs in the world. Two-thirds of them nest on buoys and channel markers maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard, who have become de facto osprey guardians,” writes Poole. “To have robust numbers of this species back again is a reward for all who value wild animals, and a reminder of how nature can rebound if we address the key threats.” <h2>4. New concerns</h2> Pesticide application techniques have become much more targeted in the 60 years since “Silent Spring” was published. One prominent example: crop seeds coated with neonicotinoids, the world’s most widely used class of insecticides. Coating the seeds makes it possible to introduce pesticides into the environment at the point where they are needed, without spraying a drop. But a growing body of research indicates that even though coated seeds are highly targeted, much of their pesticide load washes off into nearby streams and lakes. “Studies show that neonicotinoids are <a href="https://theconversation.com/farmers-are-overusing-insecticide-coated-seeds-with-mounting-harmful-effects-on-nature-176109" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poisoning and killing aquatic invertebrates</a> that are vital food sources for fish, birds and other wildlife,” writes Penn State entomologist <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=AAdZM1UAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Tooker</a>. In multiple studies, Tooker and colleagues have found that using coated seeds reduces populations of beneficial insects that prey on crop-destroying pests like slugs. “As I see it, neonicotinoids can provide good value in controlling critical pest species, particularly in vegetable and fruit production, and managing invasive species like the spotted lanternfly. However, I believe the time has come to rein in their use as seed coatings in field crops like corn and soybeans, where they are providing little benefit and where the scale of their use is causing the most critical environmental problems,” Tooker writes. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/silent-spring-60-years-on-4-essential-reads-on-pesticides-and-the-environment-192232" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Books

Proof that Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman are our sweetest rock and roll couple

Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman will forever be known as the sweetest rock and roll couple. The loved up couple once again proved that during one of Keith’s shows where Nicole made a surprise appearance on stage. “We love you Nashville,” a smiling Nicole said as Keith embraced her. She then turned to get off stage for her husband to start his show before telling him to “play some music”. "Happy wife, happy life. You guys know what I'm talking about,” Keith responds. Nicole later shared a stunning noir photo of her and Keith with their arms around each other backstage at the show in Nashville. <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CjeWh7NpWdG/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CjeWh7NpWdG/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Nicole Kidman (@nicolekidman)</a> </div> </blockquote> Fans went crazy at the photo, with many thanking the couple for being incredible and sweet during tour. “Nicole you looked amazing last night. I loved your outfit. I waved to you as I was very close to you. You and Keith are such a beautiful blessed couple. Love to you both and your family,” someone wrote. “Love you two Nicole and Keith! You guys are so beautiful together!” another commented. “You two were the sweetest last night - I love seeing a couple still thriving together- gives us all hope,” someone else wrote. “Do you know what I love the most about this photo? It’s the utter love the two of you share — you’re close, you're touching, you’re communicating, you’re supporting, you're in it together. Love it!” another read. Images: Instagram

Music

Chickpea curry

Perfect for dinner through the week, this chickpea curry isn’t just tasty; it’s also healthy, cheap and filling. Serves: 2 Ingredients: <ul> <li>1 tablespoon oil</li> <li>1 onion, chopped</li> <li>1 garlic clove, crushed</li> <li>¼ teaspoon salt</li> <li>½ teaspoon cumin powder</li> <li>¼ teaspoon coriander powder</li> <li>¼ teaspoon turmeric powder</li> <li>¼ teaspoon red chilli powder</li> <li>1 fresh tomato, chopped</li> <li>400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed</li> <li>5cm piece root ginger, grated</li> <li>Pinch of garam masala </li> </ul> Method: 1. Heat a deep saucepan (with a lid) and add the oil. Cook the onions and garlic, until the onions are caramelised. 2. Add the salt, cumin, coriander, turmeric and red chilli powders. Mix for a minute and tip in the tomato. Cook the sauce until it begins to thicken. 3. Add four tablespoons water and stir. Then tip in the chickpeas and mix. Cover and simmer for five minutes. Then add the ginger and the garam masala. Cook for another minute. TOP TIP: Best served with rice. Image: Getty

Food & Wine

Sneezing with hay fever? Native plants aren’t usually the culprit

Hay fever is a downside of springtime around the world. As temperatures increase, plant growth resumes and flowers start appearing. But while native flowering plants such as wattle often get the blame when the seasonal sneezes strike, hay fever in Australia is typically caused by introduced plant species often pollinated by the wind. <h2>A closer look at pollen</h2> Pollen grains are the tiny reproductive structures that move genetic material between flower parts, individual flowers on the same plant or a nearby member of the same species. They are typically lightweight structures easily carried on wind currents or are sticky and picked up in clumps on the feathers of a honeyeater or the fur of a fruit bat or possum. Hay fever is when the human immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. It is not only caused by pollen grains but fungal spores, non-flowering plant spores, mites and even pet hair. The classic symptoms of hay fever are sneezing, runny noses, red, itchy, and watery eyes, swelling around the eyes and scratchy ears and throat. The problem with pollen grains is when they land on the skin around our eyes, in our nose and mouth, the proteins found in the wall of these tiny structures leak out and are recognised as foreign by the body and trigger a reaction from the immune system. <h2>So what plants are the worst culprits for causing hay fever?</h2> Grasses, trees, and herbaceous weeds such as plantain are the main problem species as their pollen is usually scattered by wind. In Australia, the main grass offenders are exotic species including rye grass and couch grass (a commonly used lawn species). Weed species that cause hay fever problems include introduced ragweed, Paterson’s curse, parthenium weed and plantain. The <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5102629/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">problematic tree species</a> are also exotic in origin and include liquid amber, Chinese elm, maple, cypress, ash, birch, poplar, and plane trees. Although there are some native plants that have wind-spread pollen such as she-oaks and white cypress pine, and which can induce hay fever, these species are exceptional in the Australian flora. Many Australian plants are not wind pollinated and <a href="https://blog.publish.csiro.au/austpollinatorweek/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">use animals</a> to move their clumped pollen around. For example, yellow-coloured flowers such as wattles and peas are pollinated by insect such as bees. Red- and orange-coloured flowers are usually visited by birds such as honeyeaters. Large, dull-coloured flowers with copious nectar (the reward for pollination) are visited by nocturnal mammals including bats and possums. Obviously Australian plant pollen can still potentially cause the immune system to overreact, but these structures are less likely to reach the mucous membranes of humans. <h2>What can we do to prevent hay fever attacks at this time of the year?</h2> With all of this in mind, here are some strategies to prevent the affects of hay fever: <ol> <li>stay inside and keep the house closed up on warm, windy days when more pollen is in the air</li> <li>if you must go outside, wear sunglasses and a face mask</li> <li>when you return indoors gently rinse (and don’t rub) your eyes with running water, change your clothes and shower to remove pollen grains from hair and skin</li> <li>try to avoid mowing the lawn in spring particularly when grasses are in flower (the multi-pronged spiked flowers of couch grass are distinctive)</li> <li>when working in the garden, wear gloves and facial coverings particularly when handling flowers consider converting your garden to a native one. Grevilleas are a great alternative to rose bushes. Coastal rosemary are a fabulous native replacement for lavender. Why not replace your liquid amber tree with a fast growing, evergreen and low-allergenic lilly pilly tree?</li> </ol> <h2>If you do suffer a hay fever attack</h2> Sometimes even with our best efforts, or if it’s not always possible to stay at home, hay fever can still creep up on us. If this happens: <ul> <li>antihistamines will reduce sneezing and itching symptoms</li> <li>corticosteroid nasal sprays are very effective at reducing inflammation and clearing blocked noses</li> <li>decongestants provide quick and temporary relief by drying runny noses but should not be used by those with high blood pressure</li> <li>salt water is a good way to remove excessive mucous from the nasal passages.</li> </ul> Behavioural changes on warm, windy spring days are a good way of avoiding a hay fever attack. An awareness of the plants around us and their basic reproductive biology is also useful in preventing our immune systems from overreacting to pollen proteins that they are not used to encountering. This article first appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/sneezing-with-hay-fever-native-plants-arent-usually-the-culprit-190336" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Body

Microwave cinnamon roll

If you find yourself craving a cinnamon roll at home, this single serve microwavable cinnamon bun recipe couldn’t be easier. Serves: 1 Ingredients: <ul> <li>⅓ cup and 1 tablespoon of oat flour</li> <li>½ teaspoon of bi-carb soda</li> <li>⅛ teaspoon of salt</li> <li>1 tablespoon of coconut oil, melted</li> <li>2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons of mashed banana</li> </ul> Filling <ul> <li>2 soft pitted dates</li> <li>½ teaspoon of cinnamon</li> <li>Vanilla icing</li> </ul> Method: 1. Combine flour, bi-carb soda, and salt in a bowl. 2. Melt coconut oil in microwave. Add bananas and oil to flour mixture. 3. Stir until a dough is formed and roll into a ball. 4. To create the filling, dice dates and mash with a fork until they form a paste. 5. Mix together with cinnamon. 6. On a floured surface, roll out dough into a rectangle and straighten sides using a knife. Reincorporate cut dough into the rectangle, making sure that it is long. 7. Spread filling across dough and, lengthwise, fold dough in half. 8. Roll dough into a cinnamon bun shape. 9. Place into a greased mug or ramekin and microwave for one and a half to two minutes. 10. Top with vanilla icing. Image: Getty

Food & Wine

Here’s what’s happening across Australia in September

Spring has well and truly sprung, which means there’s plenty to do wherever you are in the country. From festivals celebrating spring blooms to displays of Aussie art and theatre, here’s what’s happening this September. Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition in Adelaide Enjoy a taste of Sicily's finest art without needing your passport at Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition. The exhibit, running until October 9, includes all 34 of the frescoes Michelangelo painted across the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, reproduced in life-size form using special printing techniques. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/09/sistine-chapel1.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> Image: Supplied The art is accompanied by an audio guide that will give visitors an insight into the artist's life. Hosted at Adelaide's Rundle Place, seeing the exhibit will set you back $30.20 for adults, $23.50 for seniors or $21 for kids, with tickets available <a href="https://feverup.com/m/116574" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. Sydney Fringe Festival After a two-year hiatus, Sydney’s celebration of the arts is back for another year, with the 2022 program boasting its longest ever runtime. From August 16 til September 30, nine festival hubs around Sydney will host more than 500 events, with over 80 percent of the program being world premieres. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/09/sydney-fringe.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> Local talent and entertainers across all art forms will be featured in this year’s program. Images: Sydney Fringe Festival (Facebook) Films, theatre, musical acts, spoken word, comedy shows, and visuat art la will form the bulk of the program, with highlights including Sydney Fringe Sideshow, top-notch local talent at Made in Sydney, and Global Fringe - an online program taken straight from Edinburgh Fringe Festival. To find out what’s happening near you and lock in tickets, head <a href="https://sydneyfringe.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. Darwin International Film Festival Australia’s Top End will be welcoming a flood of cinema from all over the world for the Darwin International Film Festival. The annual film festival will be showcasing 50 films from over 20 countries, with a focus on South-East Asian cinema, as well as Northern Australian and Indigenous stories and some of the NT’s top talent. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/09/darwin-film-fest.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> Image: Darwin International Film Festival (Facebook) Kicking off from Thursday, September 15, the 11-night festival will be taking place across multiple venues, including a deckchair cinema, sundown screen on the Darwin waterfront and the Darwin Ski Club. To get tickets and scope out the full program, head <a href="https://www.diff.net.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. Brisbane Festival For the entire month, Brisbane will be hosting a bounty of installations, theatre, circus acts, and more, with hubs in South Bank, Northshore Brisbane, West Village, and another seven mini-festivals in the surrounding suburbs. This year’s Brisbane Festival offers more than 580 performances across the city, including 230 free events, as well as the premiere and return of top-notch theatrical events at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC). <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/09/bris-fest.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> This year’s program is packed with jawdropping installations and top-notch shows. Images: Brisbane Festival (Facebook) Highlights include: <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <a href="https://www.brisbanefestival.com.au/precincts/boq-festival-garden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BBQ Festival Garden</a>, the all-ages playground offering plenty of food, wine and entertainment </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <a href="https://www.brisbanefestival.com.au/precincts/west-village" target="_blank" rel="noopener">West Village</a> - the home to larger-than-life installations of the planets, including the Museum of the Moon, Mars, and Gaia. </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <a href="https://www.brisbanefestival.com.au/whats-on/2022/brisbanes-art-boat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brisbane’s Art Boat</a>, a celestial floating art experience that boasts a unique water bar and performance program of sunset and sunrise cruises inspired by this year’s artwork, called The Spheres. </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <a href="https://www.brisbanefestival.com.au/whats-on/brisbane-serenades" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brisbane Serenades</a> - a summery series of festivals heading to the suburbs - including block and warehouse parties, the MOSAIC Multicultural Festival, and music and food enjoyed in nature or by the water. </li> </ul> To find out more about this year’s program and secure tickets, head <a href="https://www.brisbanefestival.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. S&R Blossom Festival What better way to celebrate spring than with some bright and cheerful blooms, and the <a href="https://www.srorchard.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">S&R Blossom Festival</a> in Walliston, Perth, has you covered. The three-week celebration of all things flowery - running from September 5-26 - is also packed with plenty of activities, including free tractor rides, bouncy castles and an animal farm, as welt as on-site food trucks, flower crown making on the weekends, and rides for the kids to enjoy. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/09/blossom-fest.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> Images: S&R Orchard Perth (Facebook) Pets and picnic blankets are welcome, with tickets setting you back $12 for adults and $5 for kids over three. Wisdom and Light The rooftop of Melbourne’s Golden Square parking lot will be taken over by a multi-sensory audio and visual experience called <a href="https://www.wisdomandlight.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wisdom and Light</a>. Relying on cutting edge tech and fusing light, art and sound, the exhibit promises to take visitors through the story of Venerable Master Hsing Yun, the founder of Buddhist organisation Fo Guang Shan, and his artwork. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/09/wisdom-light.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> Image: Wisdom and Light (Facebook) Once you’ve had your fill of vegetarian delicacies and enjoyed the illuminated Lotus Flower Sanctuary, the celebration continues in the adjacent gallery exhibiting his rare one-stroke calligraphy artwork - and the chance to try your hand at creating your own art. Running from September 1 until October 2, the exhibit will be open from 10am until 10pm daily, with tickets starting at $22 for concession, $27 for adults and free entry for kids under seven. Images: Supplied / S&R Orchard Perth (Facebook)

Domestic Travel

Selecting plants for spring

Any green thumb knows spring means one thing: planting, planting and more planting. Spring is a time of regeneration and renewal so gardening at this time of the year means you’ll enjoy the first burst of vibrant hues and fragrant scents from blossoming flowers. To get you started on a stunning garden, here is a list of the best flowers to plant in spring to ensure your garden is thriving come summer. Lilacs Famed for their sweet fragrance, lilacs bloom from spring to early summer. They come in all shapes and sizes as well as a variety of colours ranging from white, pale yellow, pink, mauve and purple. Growing condition: Full sun or light shade and well-drained, sandy and gravelly soil. Tulips The bloom of tulips never fails to delight especially since they come in every imaginable colours (except true blue). Tulips are perfect for any type of garden setting from the more formal to the casual. Growing condition: Full sun and well-drained soil. Hyacinths Hyacinths cluster together in bright shades of pink, red and purple making it a great flower to brighten up your garden. Growing condition: Full sun or part shade and well-drained soil. Azaleas The burst of colour Azaleas bring make them one of the most popular and best flowering shrubs in Australia. They look great planted en masse and provide a beautiful feature for a spring garden. Growing conditions: Part shade and moist but well-drained acidic soil Daffodils The sunny disposition of daffodils will not only brighten your mood, but your garden. There are many varieties and their sweet scent will keep you outside in the garden all throughout spring. Growing condition: Full sun or part shade, well-drained soil. Image: Getty

Home Hints & Tips

Allergic to cleaning? 13 ways to keep allergies in check when Spring cleaning

Wear gloves and a mask Before you start cleaning, put on a face mask and rubber gloves, recommends board-certified allergist Dr Neeta Ogden. The mask will help you avoid breathing in allergens, and the gloves will keep them away from your whole face. “Even quickly touching your eye or face can lead to allergens reaching your eyes and portals to your airway through the nose and mouth,” says Dr Ogden. Clean one window at a time Spring-cleaning is the time to hit spots you don’t clean every week, like windows. But keeping the panes open too long could let pollen, mould, and other allergens inside. “I would do one window at a time,” says Dr Stephen Kimura, an allergist and immunologist. “Open it, clean it, and shut it right away.” Keep the AC running as you go so the air can filter, he says. Let clothes dry inside No matter how much you love the idea of letting clothes dry in the natural sunlight, stay away from an outdoor clothesline. “If you’re pollen or mould allergic and have clothes out there, they will attract those pollens and you’ll be exposed in high quantities to those allergens,” says Dr Kimura. Any clothes that can’t go in the dryer should hang dry indoors. Pick the right vacuum Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter, which is designed to keep dust in the vacuum instead of blowing back up into the air, says Dr Ogden. Also look out for new models with complete seal technology to keep even more allergens in, she suggests. “You definitely don’t want to go with a regular old vacuum,” she says. Leave carpet shampoo to the pros Shampooing a carpet obviously means getting your carpet wet. The problem is, dust mites love spots with more than 50 per cent humidity and might start gathering in the damp wood or padding under the carpet, says Dr Mark Aronica, an allergist. “It should be done by a professional cleaner, where things are cleaned up and dried as quickly as possible,” he says. Don't dust dry Dusting with a dry cloth could work against you, says Dr Ogden. “Dusting in and of itself is not very helpful if you’re just disseminating dust back in the air,” she says. She recommends using a damp cloth or a vinegar solution when wiping down surfaces to actually trap the dust. Pay attention to clutter Don’t ignore your usual decluttering when you’re spring cleaning. “Piles of books and magazines and things collect dust,” says Dr Kimura. Toss the junk while you spring clean to keep the allergens in your home low. Clean mould hands-off Mould can trigger allergies, so cleaning it out effectively can be a challenge. The last thing you want is to hover over the shower scrubbing away at the allergen, so Dr Ogden suggests using a product you can spray. “You can hold them away from yourself and spray into the shower,” she says. “You return in 15 minutes and run the shower, and that’s it.” Use a solution that’s 10 per cent bleach, which is strong enough to kill mould but weak enough for your allergies to tolerate, says Dr Aronica. Run a fan Opening windows to air out fumes will just bring allergens in, but running a fan can help. “Make sure you’ve got the exhaust hood running in the bathroom or kitchen to keep strong odours from bothering you,” says Dr Kimura. Use natural products Stick with fragrance-free cleaning products because scented options can make allergies worse. “It’s not a direct allergic reaction so much as an irritant to a nose that’s already inflamed or irritated,” says Dr Aronica. Use natural cleaning products when you can, like mopping with a vinegar and water solution, suggests Dr Kimura. Invest in a mattress cover Make sure you use an allergy cover on your mattress, pillows and quilt. “The covers are impermeable to dust mites,” says Dr Aronica. “What does accumulate during the week gets killed in the laundry.” Wash your sheets in the hottest setting, or at least 48.8°C, to kill any mites, he says. Give your dog a bath Spring-cleaning doesn’t have to mean your house only – make it an opportunity to give your cat or dog a good wash, too. “That cuts down on whatever pollen they have on their fur or coats, and also cuts down on dander,” says Dr Kimura. Clean our your dehumidifier A dehumidifier will help avoid mould at bay in basements – but only if you clean it regularly. “Rinse it out and use a weak bleach to kill mould spores,” says Dr Kimura. Make sure to refresh it during your spring-cleaning chores. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/food-home-garden/allergic-to-cleaning-13-ways-to-keep-allergies-in-check-when-spring-cleaning?pages=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.

Home & Garden

A man’s unusual reaction to a ham roll five years on

A UK-based father who claims he “cannot stop farting” after eating a ham roll in 2017, has launched a legal bid for $350,000. Tyrone Prades, 46, says the snack sparked life-changing flatulence which wakes him at night and embarrasses him in public. The ham sandwich’s victim reports he had a severe tummy ache within hours of consuming it at a Christmas market, and was then bed-bound for five weeks, his lawyers have allegedly told the High Court. He and others who ate at the same stall were said to have been infected with salmonella. Within hours of eating the ham roll, he had stomach cramps, fever, vomiting and diarrhoea, the court heard. His lawyer, Robert Parkin, said he was sick for months and was still flatulent five years on with churning noises in his gut. “The claimant continues to suffer from excessive flatulence, which causes him a great deal of embarrassment. “The symptoms are, primarily, fatigue and altered bowel function associated with ‘churning’ within his abdomen and flatulence. The claimant’s stomach continues to make frequent churning noises to the extent his sleep can become disrupted.” Mr Parkin claimed the ham had been contaminated with salmonella bacteria and other customers also fell ill. The barrister added: “The extent of the symptoms has been life-changing.” He said the stall was closed and deep-cleaned following Public Health England investigation. Mr Prades, of Chippenham, Wilts, is suing the operator, Frankfurt Christmas Market Ltd, for at least £200,000 (AU$347,014), although the company denies any blame. The company’s barrister, Philip Davy, admitted council environmental health officers found e.coli on a knife but no salmonella. The case will now go on trial at a later date. Image: Getty

Food & Wine

"It's a miracle": Aussie hospital rolls out cancer treatment

Two years ago, Tony Jiang was told he had advanced, terminal lung cancer. Today, he is fighting fit thanks to a new treatment requiring the pop of just one pill per day. "It's a miracle. Sometimes I don't feel like I'm a patient," Jiang said. He reports that this a dramatic turnaround from the day he was diagnosed. Prior to diagnosis he suffered two months of a persistent cough which eventually landed him in hospital. "They didn't think about cancer because of my age, I never smoked, I had a pretty much healthy lifestyle." Doctor Vanessa Chin at St Vincent's Hospital Medical Oncologist said Jiang's right lung was filled with fluid. "By the time I'd met him he already had a tube inserted into that lung to drain off the fluid and a biopsy had been performed," Chin said. A tissue biopsy of Jiang's lung was sent off for genetic sequencing. Alterations in his cancer cells meant that he was eligible for a subsidised treatment, and no longer needed chemotherapy or radiation. "Just taking a tablet, one tablet every day and I'm just back to my normal life," Jiang said. Jiang's doctor Chin said the tumours on his scans virtually disappeared and that he experienced very few side effects. "When we do scans it's actually hard to tell that he has anything wrong," she said. New technology now allows pathologists at Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital to test hundreds of genes in one go – a task that just two years ago was impossible. Anatomical pathologist Dr Tao Yang from St Vincent's Hospital said the technology used can load 24 patient samples at once and deliver results overnight. Image: Nine News

Caring

Exile on Main St turns 50: how The Rolling Stones’ critically divisive album became rock folklore

In May of 1972 the Rolling Stones released their 10th British studio album and first double LP, <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/exile-on-main-street-96177/">Exile on Main St.</a> Although initial critical response was lukewarm, it is now considered a contemporary music landmark, the best work from a band who rock critic Simon Frith once referred to as “the poets of lonely leisure.” Exile on Main St. was both the culmination of a five-year productive frenzy and bleary-eyed comedown from the darkest period in the Stones’ history. By 1969 the storm clouds of dread building around the group had become a full-blown typhoon. First, recently sacked member Brian Jones was found dead, drowned in his swimming pool. Then, as the decade ended in a rush of bleak portents, they played host to the chaos of the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-01/how-the-rolling-stones-killed-the-hippie-dream-at-altamont/11747188">Altamont Speedway Free Concert</a>, a poorly organised, massive free concert, which ended with four dead including a murder captured live on film. Yet amidst all this the Stones produced <a href="https://greilmarcus.net/2020/03/22/the-end-of-the-1960s-let-it-bleed-12-27-69/">Let It Bleed</a> (1969) and <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/sticky-fingers-mw0000195498">Sticky Fingers</a>(1971), two devastating albums that wrapped up the era like a parcel bomb addressed to the 1970s. Songs like Gimme Shelter, the harrowing Sister Morphine, and Sway, which broods on Nietzche’s notion of circular time, exuded the kind of weary grandeur that would define Exile. <h2>Rock folklore</h2> The story behind Exile on Main St. has become <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXcqcdYABFw">rock folklore</a>. Fleeing from England’s punitive tax laws, the Stones lobbed in a Côte d'Azur mansion that was a Gestapo HQ during World War II. Mick Jagger was largely sidelined, spending much of the time in Paris with pregnant wife Bianca. The musicians were jammed into an ad-hoc basement studio, a cross between steam-bath and opium den, powered by electricity hijacked from the French railway system. The house was beset by hangers-on, including the obligatory posse of drug-dealers. Yet with control ceded to the nonchalant, disaster-prone Keith Richards – the kind of person a crisis would want around in a crisis – they somehow harnessed the power of pandemonium. The result was a singular amalgam of barbed soul, mutant gospel, tombstone blues and shambolic country, as thrilling in its blend of familiar sources as works by contemporaries <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/sep/02/roxy-music-40-years">Roxy Music</a> and David Bowie were in the use of alien ones. Jagger shuffles his deck of personas from song to song like a demented croupier, the late, great drummer <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/24/arts/music/charlie-watts-dead.html">Charlie Watts</a> supplies his customary subtle adornments, and a cast of miscreants – most crucially, pianist Nicky Hopkins and producer Jimmy Miller – function as supplementary band members. All 18 tracks contribute to the ragged perfection of the document as a whole. Tumbling Dice and Happy are textbook rock propelled by a strange union of virtuosity and indolence. And there is an undeniable beauty to the likes of Torn and Frayed and Let it Loose, albeit a beauty that is tentative, hard-earned. The package is completed by its distinctive sleeve art, juxtaposing a collage of circus performers photographed by Robert Frank circa 1950 with grainy stills from a Super-8 film of the band and a mural dedicated to Joan Crawford. Exile confused audiences at first: Writer <a href="https://www.amazon.com/EXILE-MAIN-STREET-Rolling-Stones/dp/0028650638">John Perry</a> describes its 1972 reception as mixing “puzzlement with qualified praise”. The response of critic Lester Bangs was typical. After an initial negative review, Bangs came to regard it as the group’s strongest work. Critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/album/exile-on-main-st-mw0000191639">confirms</a> that the record over time has become a touchstone, calling it a masterful album that takes “the bleakness that underpinned Let It Bleed and Sticky Fingers to an extreme.” <h2>Inspiration</h2> The roll call of artists inspired by Exile is extensive, from Tom Waits and the White Stripes to Benicio del Toro and Martin Scorsese. But two album-length homages stand out. In 1986, underground punks Pussy Galore concocted a feral, abstract <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHAEkWcgBD8">facsimile</a> of the entire double-LP. In 1993, singer-songwriter Liz Phair used the original as a rough template for her acclaimed <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW1nMJ4-2qM">Exile in Guyville</a>. Nonetheless, journalist Mark Masters notes that by the 1980s, the social and cultural circumstances that produced Exile were waning as acts such as Minutemen, Mekons, The Go-Go’s and Fela Kuti gave listeners access to fresh modes of rebellion. Circa 1972, the Rolling Stones deserved the title “greatest rock and roll band in the world.” That it is still claimed 50 years on shows how classic rock continues to overbear all that followed. <h2>The grandfathers of rock</h2> When in 2020 Rolling Stone <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/">magazine</a> made a half-hearted attempt to tweak the classic rock canon – elevating Marvin Gaye, Public Enemy and Lauryn Hill alongside or above Exile and the Beatles – the response was predictably unedifying. One reader complained that the magazine was catering to “young people with no musical history and older people who don’t know anything.” Others raged that rap is not music and the list was proof of rampant political correctness. Such archaic, ignorant language is typical of gatekeepers of the classic rock tradition. It is a language of exclusion, ensuring that exceptional new music by, say, <a href="https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/fiona-apple-fetch-the-bolt-cutters/">Fiona Apple</a> (which sounds something like rock) or <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/listening-booth/the-hypnotic-spell-of-groupers-shade">Liz Harris</a> (which sounds rather different) will always be rated below what came before. The Rolling Stones have an inevitable, if ambiguous, relationship to all of this. In terms of race, writer Jack Hamilton <a href="https://slate.com/culture/2016/10/race-rock-and-the-rolling-stones-how-the-rock-and-roll-became-white.html">argues</a> that they were always “fiercely committed to a future for rock and roll music in which black music and musicians continued to matter.” How they intersect with gender is perhaps more troubling, though also <a href="https://scholar.google.com.au/scholar_url?url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13619460801990104&hl=en&sa=X&ei=GvplYvGUEpyO6rQP_qe3mAs&scisig=AAGBfm2sqr4oKv5EoKYSmkitlR44etMXqA&oi=scholarr">conflicted</a>. While eminent female musicians such as Joan Jett, Carrie Brownstein and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRPpCqXYoos">Rennie Sparks</a> continue to champion the Stones, their role as leading purveyors of an inherently masculine, increasingly archaic musical form cannot be avoided. Exile on Main St. is a significant album made by a bunch of haggard rebels whose heyday (and rebellion) is past but whose art lives on in complex ways. Along with Sly and the Family Stone’s There’s a Riot Goin’ On and Neil Young’s Tonight’s the Night, it fits snugly into an aesthetic of washed out, narcotic-smeared masterpieces from the early seventies. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/exile-on-main-st-turns-50-how-the-rolling-stones-critically-divisive-album-became-rock-folklore-181704" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Music

Too bad, Dolly: Rock n Roll Hall of Fame responds

After a quiet three days since <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/music/not-worthy-dolly-parton-bows-out-of-major-award">Dolly Parton’s declaration </a>that she’d like to drop out of the contest for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the foundation has come out with a statement. Parton will remain on the ballot. With voting already underway, the Foundation's position is that, while her "thoughtful" statement is worth consideration, the Hall of Fame is a big tent that includes far more than core rock acts, and it will be left up to the voters. "All of us in the music community have seen Dolly Parton's thoughtful note expressing her feeling that she has not earned the right to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame," the statement says. "In addition to her incredible talent as an artist, her humility is another reason Dolly is a beloved icon by millions of fans around the world." The statement continues, "From its inception, Rock and Roll has had deep roots in Rhythm & Blues and Country music. It is not defined by any one genre, rather a sound that moves youth culture. Dolly Parton's music impacted a generation of young fans and influenced countless artists that followed. Her nomination to be considered for induction into to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame followed the same process as all other artists who have been considered." The Foundation goes on to reiterate that voting is already in process: "Dolly's recommendation, along with the other 16 nominees for the class of 2022 was sent out earlier this month to our 1200 general ballot voters, the majority of whom are artists themselves, for consideration for induction at our ceremony." It concludes, "We are in awe of Dolly's brilliant talent and pioneering spirit and are proud to have nominated her for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame." Parton further explained her position in an interview with Fox Thursday morning: "Well, I didn't feel exactly right about that," she said, while being interviewed on the show Fox & Friends. "Because my perception, and I think the perception of most of America — I just feel like that's more for the people in rock music. I've been educated since then, saying that it's more than that, but I still didn't feel right about it. It kind of would be like putting AC/DC in the Country Music Hall of Fame. That just felt a little out of place for me." Earlier this week, it was reported that sources close to the Hall's leadership said they were disinclined to do anything that would interrupt or subvert a vote already in progress, and were hopeful that Parton will change her mind if she is voted in. Image: Getty

Music

How to roll away all your sore back blues

We all know that working a 9-5 and sitting all day leads to various health problems. For me personally, it manifests itself through chronic back pain and tight hip flexors. Fortunately, there's a way for me to soothe these aches and pains from home. I've been using <a href="https://www.therabody.com/anz/en-nz/wave-roller-anz.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Therabody's Wave Roller</a> for the past week, and my back pain has significantly reduced. The Wave Roller is a Bluetooth-enabled vibrating foam roller that proposes benefits like increasing blood flow, enhancing mobility, and releasing tension. You can connect the roller to a free Therabody App, where you can find personalised recovery routines targeting all parts of your body, along with instructions and how-tos. Here are some of my initial thoughts. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/03/03_RizWaveroller01.jpg" alt="Therabody Wave Roller in use" width="1280" height="720" /> My personal favourites are the mid back and upper back routines, which take up to 5 minutes to complete. Since most of the tension is in my upper body, which causes my lower back to overcompensate, I've decided to focus on these areas. The foam roller comes with a bag and charger and is reasonably lightweight, so you could easily carry it around. The foam itself is a high-density foam, and I like that you can customise the intensity and frequency of the vibrations. There are five customised vibration settings, with 5 being the highest and most intense. I could only handle up to the third setting or the medium-intensity. But, the higher the intensity, the more noise it produces, although I didn't mind it so much for the other benefits it provided. The routines are easy to follow, with pictures demonstrating each move and seamless transitions from one exercise to the next. I also liked that the intensity of the vibrations automatically changes according to what's best for that particular movement. I would have loved seeing a video demonstration before each routine, as I wasn't sure if I was doing some of the exercises quite correctly. I also found that the Wave Roller can be slippery to use in some movements, like when I tried it on my rotator cuffs. Despite this, the Wave Roller is a pleasure to use after a long day, when my muscles are the most tense. I find it a helpful tool in managing pain, soreness, and releasing tension. Although it is on the higher end of the price range compared to other foam rollers, I think it's worth the investment. The technology is advanced, and you can personalise the areas you want to work on using the step-by-step programs in their app. It also feels like you're getting a massage, but it's more personalised and customisable. If using the app seems intimidating or too complicated, you can use the Wave Roller by itself and adjust the intensity using the + and - buttons. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/03/02_RizWaveroller.jpg" alt="Therabody Wave Roller" width="1280" height="720" /> In summary, here are the pros and cons to consider if you're thinking of purchasing one for yourself. Pros: <ul> <li>Relieves soreness and muscle tension</li> <li>Variety of settings for the vibrations</li> <li>App integration </li> <li>Personalised programs that are quick and easy to follow</li> <li>3-hour battery life and it doesn’t take too long to charge</li> </ul> Cons: <ul> <li>The cost (RRP AU$249), but worth every penny! </li> <li>Medium to High setting intense and pretty noisy </li> <li>Depending on the exercise you do it can be quite slippery</li> <li>Video demonstrations before each exercise would be even better </li> </ul> The Wave Roller series is available via the <a href="https://www.therabody.com/anz/en-nz/home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Therabody website</a>. Images: Rizna Mutmainah & Therabody

Body

School slammed for going completely meat free

A school’s decision to go “meat free” permanently has sparked anger among parents, with some even trying to transfer their children to different schools.Barrowford Primary School in Lancashire, England, has begun offering vegetarian dinners and urged students not to bring meat in their packed lunches.Though the school introduced the new rule last year, a letter informing parents was only sent out last week, according to <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/17631295/school-bans-meat-vegetarian-packed-lunches/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Sun</a>.The school has said it hasn’t received any complaints about the new meals, but unhappy parents have taken to Facebook to share their feelings.Zoe Douglas, whose children attend Barrowford, is even attempting to transfer her children to a new school as she has “had enough”.“It is a joke. I’m looking to move mine as I’ve had enough of that school,” she said.“I think they forget that non-meat eaters and vegans have to take a lot of supplements. What supplements are they getting instead at that school?“Nothing, probably saving on food costs.”Ms Douglas is also angered by the fact the meal plan was introduced “ages ago”, but she has only just found out why her daughter returned from school talking about “disgusting” new sausages.“I only found out this week in an email,” Ms Douglas said.“Amelia ordered sausage and mash and when she bit into her sausage she said ‘eww’.“Teachers said, ‘oh, it’s a vegetarian sausage’ but they hadn’t told her before she ordered.“She ended up just having mash for her dinner. I’m fuming. She’s been on packed lunches since.”Another parent, who wished to remain anonymous, questioned why everyone couldn’t be accommodated, rather than forcing meat-eating kids to adapt their diet.“Why not accommodate the veggies, vegans, whatever and add to the menu instead of making our kids adapt?” they queried.“And to request parents pack lunches that are veggie as well, not to mention the local farmers, this is absolutely ludicrous.“No wonder my kids are starving and raid the fridge before the shoes are off.“Vegetarian is a choice for when they are older.”Other parents asked, “what happened to freedom of choice?”, while others said they were “dumbstruck” at the “absolutely ridiculous” decision.Some locals are particularly upset, due to the school’s rural location where farming is a core part of the area.Livestock buyer Alex Nutter said: “We have absolutely no hope of teaching the younger generation about our food production when primary schools are teaching them to be ‘meat-free’.“It’s very worrying what we’re up against.”Other parents have welcomed the move and see it as the school catering to the different needs of students.Head teacher Rachel Tomlinson said the decision was made to “stop climate change” in the letter sent to parents.Ms Tomlinson noted that meat and dairy products “come at a huge environmental cost” as the livestory industry has a large carbon footprint.“If you still want to send packed lunches, could you please consider meat-free options to further support us in doing our bit to reduce carbon emissions as a school community?” she concluded in the letter.When approached by The Sun, Ms Tomlinson said the decision was made to show changing daily habits can have an impact.“Our children learn about the principles of sustainable development as part of the national curriculum, and are really interested in how they can contribute to better looking after our environment,” she said.“We have been careful to approach this in a balanced way, and teach that it is fine to eat meat, but that reducing our consumption can help our planet.”Image: Getty Images

Food & Wine

Rolling Stone ranks Australia’s 200 Best Albums of All Time

If there's one thing music fans love to debate over, it's a "Greatest of All Time" list. The list causing the most recent debate comes from Rolling Stone, who have ranked the top 200 best albums to come from the Australian music scene. It came as no great shock that the list was conquered by Australian music greats AC/DC and their rock classic album Back in Black. First released in 1980, the record remains the second highest selling album in the world, with more than 50 million copies sold worldwide. Despite AC/DC taking out the top spot, the most impressive feat in the list comes from the two bands that managed to secure two spots each in the top 20 list. The first was Midnight Oil, for their 1982 album titled 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 – which came in at number 19 on the list – and their 1987 classic Diesel and Dust, which took out the number five spot. Then, equally as impressive, were Powderfinger, who secured the 18th spot with their 1998 album Internationalist, as well as the 16th spot with Odyssey Number Five (2000). Despite the list featuring a host of up-and-coming Aussie artists and their latest releases, the majority of the top 20 was reserved for the classics. Coming in second to AC/DC on the list was the massive INXS record Kick, which was first released in 1987. Also featured in the top 20 were John Farnham's Whispering Jack (1986), Cold Chisel's East (1980) and Crowded House's self-titled album from 1986. Kylie Minogue's 2001 album Fever was the highest ranking for a female artist, and was joined in the list by fellow female hitmakers such as Sia, Kasey Chambers and Sarah Blasko. Despite the top 20 being largely dominated by 20th century records, some relative newcomers pushed their way to the top. 5 Seconds of Summer's 2014 self-titled album landing the number 17 spot, and Tame Impala's 2015 experimental record Currents came in at number 12. Although some newer artists were featured in the top spots on the list, the winners really go to show that there's nothing quite like some classic Aussie rock. Check out the TOP 20: 20. Dr. G Yunupingu - Gurrumul (2008) 19. Midnight Oil - 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (1982) 18. Powderfinger - Internationalist (1998) 17. 5 Seconds of Summer - 5 Seconds of Summer (2014) 16. Powderfinger - Odyssey Number Five (2000) 15. The Go-Betweens - 16 Lovers Lane (1988) 14. Regurgitator - Unit (1997) 13. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Murder Ballads (1996) 12. Tame Impala - Currents (2015) 11. You Am I - Hourly, Daily (1996) 10. Kylie Minogue - Fever (2001) 9. Savage Garden - Savage Garden (1997) 8. The Avalanches - Since I Left You (2000) 7. Crowded House - Crowded House (1987) 6. Silverchair - Frogstomp (1995) 5. Midnight Oil - Diesel and Dust (1987) 4. Cold Chisel - East (1980) 3. John Farnham - Whispering Jack (1986) 2. INXS - Kick (1987) 1. AC/DC - Back In Black (1980) And you can peruse the full 200-strong list <a rel="noopener" href="https://au.rollingstone.com/rolling-stones-200-greatest-australian-albums-of-all-time/page/1/the-teskey-brothers-run-home-slow/" target="_blank">here</a>. Image credits: Getty Images

Music

Over 60

News

Shop

Catalogues

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Entertainment

Property

Information

Keep up to date

Search

What’s the difference between vegan and vegetarian?

Paris in spring, Bali in winter. How ‘bucket lists’ help cancer patients handle life and death

Vegetarians more likely to be depressed than meat-eaters

Pets can suffer from allergies too

Achoo! 5 essential reads for pollen season

4 essential reads on pesticides and the environment

Proof that Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman are our sweetest rock and roll couple

Chickpea curry

Sneezing with hay fever? Native plants aren’t usually the culprit

Microwave cinnamon roll

Here’s what’s happening across Australia in September

Selecting plants for spring

Allergic to cleaning? 13 ways to keep allergies in check when Spring cleaning

A man’s unusual reaction to a ham roll five years on

"It's a miracle": Aussie hospital rolls out cancer treatment

Exile on Main St turns 50: how The Rolling Stones’ critically divisive album became rock folklore

Too bad, Dolly: Rock n Roll Hall of Fame responds

How to roll away all your sore back blues

School slammed for going completely meat free

Rolling Stone ranks Australia’s 200 Best Albums of All Time