Are you over 18 and want to see adult content?
More Annotations
![Sportnieuws.nl gebruikt cookies om je een goed werkende website te laten zien](https://www.archivebay.com/archive/766b7ad9-d750-4133-a05d-eb542cdfbc5e.png)
Sportnieuws.nl gebruikt cookies om je een goed werkende website te laten zien
Are you over 18 and want to see adult content?
![A complete backup of demolitionsummit.com](https://www.archivebay.com/archive/f9a69551-cbf1-4611-83ae-c56b1c6bb9bc.png)
A complete backup of demolitionsummit.com
Are you over 18 and want to see adult content?
![SD-WAN Innovator and Leader | Talari Networks](https://www.archivebay.com/archive/680f7295-e511-4696-9a86-449d0feb2ba4.png)
SD-WAN Innovator and Leader | Talari Networks
Are you over 18 and want to see adult content?
![Macular Degeneration | Telescope Implant | CentraSight](https://www.archivebay.com/archive/55cf70f2-8f53-4840-a045-85dc1aff2855.png)
Macular Degeneration | Telescope Implant | CentraSight
Are you over 18 and want to see adult content?
![Stella Rooms & Apartments in Andros, Chora - Greece](https://www.archivebay.com/archive/4324ec4f-0afa-49c3-8be3-0e98e57ae020.png)
Stella Rooms & Apartments in Andros, Chora - Greece
Are you over 18 and want to see adult content?
![Новости культуры в Узбекистане: искусство, музыка, театр, кино, просвещение](https://www.archivebay.com/archive/ca4e1830-e96a-4b5d-967f-78ee0a10ca15.png)
Новости культуры в Узбекистане: искусство, музыка, театр, кино, просвещение
Are you over 18 and want to see adult content?
![eptikdws10 | eptikdws10.wordpress.com](https://www.archivebay.com/archive/23657344-3f21-4552-8dc9-7e66846834e9.png)
eptikdws10 | eptikdws10.wordpress.com
Are you over 18 and want to see adult content?
Favourite Annotations
![A complete backup of themarthablog.com](https://www.archivebay.com/archive5/images/cccc17a9-23e0-4052-b3fd-41ae5f6e331b.png)
A complete backup of themarthablog.com
Are you over 18 and want to see adult content?
![A complete backup of thecerbatgem.com](https://www.archivebay.com/archive5/images/8f267001-9ca1-482b-886f-48df91734b1d.png)
A complete backup of thecerbatgem.com
Are you over 18 and want to see adult content?
![A complete backup of blogalinitiative.ro](https://www.archivebay.com/archive5/images/872af49d-3ea7-4c9d-98da-04f51318656e.png)
A complete backup of blogalinitiative.ro
Are you over 18 and want to see adult content?
![A complete backup of storemeister.com](https://www.archivebay.com/archive5/images/e7c006b6-5493-4d31-83d6-2857306fd186.png)
A complete backup of storemeister.com
Are you over 18 and want to see adult content?
![A complete backup of ploughshares.org](https://www.archivebay.com/archive5/images/9882c912-191d-47a7-8f67-a95bc6391f69.png)
A complete backup of ploughshares.org
Are you over 18 and want to see adult content?
Text
a movie
WHERE IS THE CAST OF A COUNTRY PRACTICE NOW? Shane Porteous, who played Dr Terence Elliott, hasn’t done much television acting since the show, but continues to grace the stage, do voiceover work and write scripts.The 74-year-old lives in the Blue Mountains with wife Jenny and has three adult children, Fiona, Polly and Ben. Brian Wenzel, who played Sergeant Frank Gilroy, is the oldest living cast member at the age of 87. 5 BOOKS EVERY OVER-60 SHOULD READ Mark Twain once said, “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.” So, while we don’t have a choice when it comes to getting older, we can choose to take the right approach. These five great books are must-reads for any over-60 wanting to change their attitude INSIDE SINATRA'S $11.5 MILLION BEVERLY HILLS HOME The Sinatra family mainstay in Beverly Hills has been listed for an eye-watering AUD $11.5 million. It belonged to music legend, Frank Sinatra’s first wife, Nancy Sinatra, who is also the mother of the iconic performer’s three children. Even though the couple departed ways in 1951, she remained THE BEST PUMPKIN SOUP RECIPE EVER Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, stirring, or until soft and golden. Add cumin and coriander. Cook, stirring for 1 minute or until aromatic. 2. Add pumpkin and stir to coat. Add stock and curry powder. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. HOW TO EXTEND THE “RING TIME” ON YOUR SMARTPHONE How to extend the ring time on TELSTRA mobile: 1. On your mobile phone, tap on the Call function (like making a new call). 2.Using the keypad on your mobile phone, dial the following sequence: **61*101** (number of seconds: 15,20,25 or 30). THE SIMPLE WAY TO DIGITISE YOUR CD COLLECTION Just like cassette tapes before them, compact discs are steadily losing their grip on the music world, with many people opting for the space-friendly option of digital downloads or streaming services. But what should you do with all of those CDs you already own, which are taking up valuable space on WHAT REALLY HAPPENED WHEN ERIC CLAPTON'S 4-YEAR-OLD SON A new biography has shed light on the tragedy of the death of music legend Eric Clapton’s young son in 1991. It was supposed to be the start of a new beginning on the fateful day when music legend Eric Clapton’s young son sadly died in 1991 – he was only four years old. But the tragic moment CRUISE INDUSTRY EXPERTS REVEAL WHEN AUSSIE CRUISES WILL Despite a fall in COVID-19 cases that has Aussies eager to start exploring, people might have to wait before they start cruising again. The ban on cruise ships was implemented last year by the Australian government and was extended until March 17th, but it doesn't mean the ban will lift on this date FRIENDS IS BACK 17 YEARS LATER! A Friends reunion special at HBO Max is finally coming after being long-delayed. Friends: The Reunion will debut on HBO Max on May 27. The special show will debut exactly one year after it was originally set to hit the stream service. Unfortunately, the program had to be delayed multiple times due HELLO HAMPTONS! AUSTRALIA’S NEWEST WATERSIDE VILLAS FOR Hello Hamptons! Australia’s newest waterside villas for over-55s. Inspired by a New York Destination of luxury and leisurely living, this brand-new masterplan community is focused on lifestyle in an idyllic sea change location on the Mid-North Coast. At some point, you’ve probably heard of the Hamptons, or at least seen the area ina movie
WHERE IS THE CAST OF A COUNTRY PRACTICE NOW? Shane Porteous, who played Dr Terence Elliott, hasn’t done much television acting since the show, but continues to grace the stage, do voiceover work and write scripts.The 74-year-old lives in the Blue Mountains with wife Jenny and has three adult children, Fiona, Polly and Ben. Brian Wenzel, who played Sergeant Frank Gilroy, is the oldest living cast member at the age of 87. 5 BOOKS EVERY OVER-60 SHOULD READ Mark Twain once said, “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.” So, while we don’t have a choice when it comes to getting older, we can choose to take the right approach. These five great books are must-reads for any over-60 wanting to change their attitude INSIDE SINATRA'S $11.5 MILLION BEVERLY HILLS HOME The Sinatra family mainstay in Beverly Hills has been listed for an eye-watering AUD $11.5 million. It belonged to music legend, Frank Sinatra’s first wife, Nancy Sinatra, who is also the mother of the iconic performer’s three children. Even though the couple departed ways in 1951, she remained THE BEST PUMPKIN SOUP RECIPE EVER Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, stirring, or until soft and golden. Add cumin and coriander. Cook, stirring for 1 minute or until aromatic. 2. Add pumpkin and stir to coat. Add stock and curry powder. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. HOW TO EXTEND THE “RING TIME” ON YOUR SMARTPHONE How to extend the ring time on TELSTRA mobile: 1. On your mobile phone, tap on the Call function (like making a new call). 2.Using the keypad on your mobile phone, dial the following sequence: **61*101** (number of seconds: 15,20,25 or 30). THE SIMPLE WAY TO DIGITISE YOUR CD COLLECTION Just like cassette tapes before them, compact discs are steadily losing their grip on the music world, with many people opting for the space-friendly option of digital downloads or streaming services. But what should you do with all of those CDs you already own, which are taking up valuable space on WHAT REALLY HAPPENED WHEN ERIC CLAPTON'S 4-YEAR-OLD SON A new biography has shed light on the tragedy of the death of music legend Eric Clapton’s young son in 1991. It was supposed to be the start of a new beginning on the fateful day when music legend Eric Clapton’s young son sadly died in 1991 – he was only four years old. But the tragic moment "MISOGYNISTIC PERVERTS": WHY SWIM STAR MADDIE GROVES QUIT Australian swim star Maddie Groves has given up her social media accounts just hours before she announced she was withdrawing from the Australian Olympic Swimming Trials. She declared on Thursday that she wouldn't compete at the trials, citing MUSICAL ROADS AROUND THE WORLD Scattered around the world are “musical roads”, as disparate as Iran, California, Denmark, and Japan. How can roads be musical? These tuneful roads use the vibrations made by each wheel of the car as it bumps along the uneven road, with select grooves carved into the roadsurface to
THE PROS AND CONS OF LIVING IN A RETIREMENT VILLAGE The pros of living in a Retirement Village, I believe, far outweigh the cons. You buy a lifestyle, not a capital investment, that is geared for the over 50’s to enjoy. Most importantly do not think you are too young to go into a Retirement Village. Don’t leave it untilyou are too old
10 BEST CARAVAN ROAD TRIPS TO TAKE IN AUSTRALIA Australia has some of the most captivating driving routes in the world, and what better way to explore these road trips than in a caravan? To see the 10 best caravan road trips in Australia, scroll through the gallery above. Hit the road and discover the best of Australia. Join our community of over 5 BOOKS EVERY OVER-60 SHOULD READ Mark Twain once said, “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.” So, while we don’t have a choice when it comes to getting older, we can choose to take the right approach. These five great books are must-reads for any over-60 wanting to change their attitude 20 WAYS TO KEEP CATS OFF YOUR GARDEN Keep your used tea bags and soak them in citronella oil available at hardware stores, the type that's used to burn in barbecue lamps to keep mozzies away. They need to be re-squirted with the solution every 3-4 days and dispersed around the garden. (Peter Thorburn) 4. Cover with lawn clippings. 10 SONGS THAT ALWAYS BRING A TEAR TO YOUR EYE Music can have such a powerful impact on us – it can make us feel uplifted, happy, sad, whimsical, or even sway wildly between all of these emotions within one track. There are some songs, however, that are so emotional that they always seem to bring a little tear to your eye. So if you are in the YOUR BRAIN APPROACHES TRICKY TASKS IN A SURPRISINGLY Given the brain’s intricacy, you might assume that these patterns are incredibly complex and unique to each task. But recent research suggests things are actually more straightforward than that.. It turns out that many structures in your brain work together in precise ways to coordinate their activity, shaping their actions to the requirements of whatever it is that you’re trying to achieve. DRIVING AROUND AUSTRALIA: WHAT VEHICLE MAKES MOST SENSE Driving around Australia: What vehicle makes most sense? Whether you’re exploring the east coast, west coast or going straight through the middle, the best way to see Australia is on the open road, be it by campervan, 4WD or even the family car. That said, some vehicles are better suited to some destinations than others, and ifyou’re
A HISTORY OF BLOOD CLOTS IS NOT USUALLY ANY REASON TO The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) recently estimated the risk of TTS in Australia at around 1.6 in 100,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine administered in people 50 and older, although this data may change as more people are vaccinated.. Fortunately, diagnosis and treatment for TTS has progressed rapidly. Doctors now know the symptoms to look out for, and 10 BEST CARAVAN ROAD TRIPS TO TAKE IN AUSTRALIA Australia has some of the most captivating driving routes in the world, and what better way to explore these road trips than in a caravan? To see the 10 best caravan road trips in Australia, scroll through the gallery above. Hit the road and discover the best of Australia. Join our community of over YOUNG TALENT TIME: WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Phillip Gould. After 3 years on Young Talent Time, Phillip turned his efforts towards theatre, scoring the lead role in West Side Story.He moved to England in 1984 and has experienced a successful career there, appearing in 42nd Street, Showboat, Oklahoma and Buddy, where he played Richie Valens.. Karen Knowles. Knowles achieved a top-10 single after leaving the show and released three albums. BEST KIDS’ TV SHOWS FROM THE 50S Today, it seems there’s hundreds of shows dedicated to kids – Play School to name just one – but back when we were little there wasn’t quite as much choice. Aside from a few short-lived local children’s shows, most of our entertainment came from the US of A. Here are some of our favourites THE SIMPLE WAY TO DIGITISE YOUR CD COLLECTION Just like cassette tapes before them, compact discs are steadily losing their grip on the music world, with many people opting for the space-friendly option of digital downloads or streaming services. But what should you do with all of those CDs you already own, which are taking up valuable space on 10 SONGS THAT ALWAYS BRING A TEAR TO YOUR EYE Music can have such a powerful impact on us – it can make us feel uplifted, happy, sad, whimsical, or even sway wildly between all of these emotions within one track. There are some songs, however, that are so emotional that they always seem to bring a little tear to your eye. So if you are in the WHERE IS THE CAST OF A COUNTRY PRACTICE NOW? Shane Porteous, who played Dr Terence Elliott, hasn’t done much television acting since the show, but continues to grace the stage, do voiceover work and write scripts.The 74-year-old lives in the Blue Mountains with wife Jenny and has three adult children, Fiona, Polly and Ben. Brian Wenzel, who played Sergeant Frank Gilroy, is the oldest living cast member at the age of 87. THE REAL MEANING BEHIND “PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON” First released in 1963 by folk stars Peter, Paul and Mary, “Puff the Magic Dragon” has entertained generations of children. But despite its charming melody and enduring popularity, there’s long been mystery surrounding this beloved song. The lyrics tell the story of an ageless dragon named 5 BOOKS EVERY OVER-60 SHOULD READ Mark Twain once said, “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.” So, while we don’t have a choice when it comes to getting older, we can choose to take the right approach. These five great books are must-reads for any over-60 wanting to change their attitude WHAT REALLY HAPPENED WHEN ERIC CLAPTON'S 4-YEAR-OLD SON A new biography has shed light on the tragedy of the death of music legend Eric Clapton’s young son in 1991. It was supposed to be the start of a new beginning on the fateful day when music legend Eric Clapton’s young son sadly died in 1991 – he was only four years old. But the tragic moment ERIK THOMSON SPEAKS OUT AFTER 800 WORDS CANCELLED: "IT Erik Thomson speaks out after 800 Words cancelled: "It didn't have to end". Soon to be reaching his 30th year of acting, Erik Thomson’s hugely successful show 800 Words has not been approved for a fifth season. The show, which earned Thomson a win in the Best Actor category at the Logies, will end after the fourth season, set to airsoon on
10 BEST CARAVAN ROAD TRIPS TO TAKE IN AUSTRALIA Australia has some of the most captivating driving routes in the world, and what better way to explore these road trips than in a caravan? To see the 10 best caravan road trips in Australia, scroll through the gallery above. Hit the road and discover the best of Australia. Join our community of over YOUNG TALENT TIME: WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Phillip Gould. After 3 years on Young Talent Time, Phillip turned his efforts towards theatre, scoring the lead role in West Side Story.He moved to England in 1984 and has experienced a successful career there, appearing in 42nd Street, Showboat, Oklahoma and Buddy, where he played Richie Valens.. Karen Knowles. Knowles achieved a top-10 single after leaving the show and released three albums. BEST KIDS’ TV SHOWS FROM THE 50S Today, it seems there’s hundreds of shows dedicated to kids – Play School to name just one – but back when we were little there wasn’t quite as much choice. Aside from a few short-lived local children’s shows, most of our entertainment came from the US of A. Here are some of our favourites THE SIMPLE WAY TO DIGITISE YOUR CD COLLECTION Just like cassette tapes before them, compact discs are steadily losing their grip on the music world, with many people opting for the space-friendly option of digital downloads or streaming services. But what should you do with all of those CDs you already own, which are taking up valuable space on 10 SONGS THAT ALWAYS BRING A TEAR TO YOUR EYE Music can have such a powerful impact on us – it can make us feel uplifted, happy, sad, whimsical, or even sway wildly between all of these emotions within one track. There are some songs, however, that are so emotional that they always seem to bring a little tear to your eye. So if you are in the WHERE IS THE CAST OF A COUNTRY PRACTICE NOW? Shane Porteous, who played Dr Terence Elliott, hasn’t done much television acting since the show, but continues to grace the stage, do voiceover work and write scripts.The 74-year-old lives in the Blue Mountains with wife Jenny and has three adult children, Fiona, Polly and Ben. Brian Wenzel, who played Sergeant Frank Gilroy, is the oldest living cast member at the age of 87. THE REAL MEANING BEHIND “PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON” First released in 1963 by folk stars Peter, Paul and Mary, “Puff the Magic Dragon” has entertained generations of children. But despite its charming melody and enduring popularity, there’s long been mystery surrounding this beloved song. The lyrics tell the story of an ageless dragon named 5 BOOKS EVERY OVER-60 SHOULD READ Mark Twain once said, “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.” So, while we don’t have a choice when it comes to getting older, we can choose to take the right approach. These five great books are must-reads for any over-60 wanting to change their attitude WHAT REALLY HAPPENED WHEN ERIC CLAPTON'S 4-YEAR-OLD SON A new biography has shed light on the tragedy of the death of music legend Eric Clapton’s young son in 1991. It was supposed to be the start of a new beginning on the fateful day when music legend Eric Clapton’s young son sadly died in 1991 – he was only four years old. But the tragic moment ERIK THOMSON SPEAKS OUT AFTER 800 WORDS CANCELLED: "IT Erik Thomson speaks out after 800 Words cancelled: "It didn't have to end". Soon to be reaching his 30th year of acting, Erik Thomson’s hugely successful show 800 Words has not been approved for a fifth season. The show, which earned Thomson a win in the Best Actor category at the Logies, will end after the fourth season, set to airsoon on
KYLE SANDILANDS JUMPS VACCINATION QUEUE THEN SAYS Kyle Sandilands has drawn criticism for skipping the 120-person queue to get his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at Westmead Hospital on Tuesday night. The radio host defended the move, saying he was simply using his “celebrity privilege” to jump the queue. On THE MONKS WALKING JAPAN’S MOUNTAINS In the ancient forests of Dewa Sanzan in Yamagata Prefecture, Japanese mountain worshippers, called Yamabushi, have been walking the mountainous paths for 1400 years. Though it is an enjoyable place to hike, the monks are walking in pursuit of spiritual rebirth. Yamagato lies in the northernmost BOMBSHELL CLAIMS REVEALED IN BEN ROBERTS-SMITH TRIAL Shocking claims have been heard in court alleging Ben Roberts-Smith lied about being a mass-murderer and colluded with a former girlfriend to cover up his alleged assault of her. Before the Victoria Cross recipient was due to enter the witness box, EVEN THE QLD POLICE HAVE WEIGHED IN ON THE ORIGIN I RESULT Blues fans were thrilled by the result, as it was the biggest winning margin for the Blues since the State of Origin began. However, even the QLD police force couldn't stop themselves from being bitter about the result of the match and posted it on their Facebook page. 5 BOOKS EVERY OVER-60 SHOULD READ Mark Twain once said, “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.” So, while we don’t have a choice when it comes to getting older, we can choose to take the right approach. These five great books are must-reads for any over-60 wanting to change their attitude 20 WEIRD AND WONDERFUL FACTS ABOUT MUSIC 12. Music, along with painting, poetry, literature and architecture, was Olympic event from 1912 until 1948. 13. Mozart sold more CDs than Beyoncé in 2016. 14. When you listen to music, the brain releases the same feel-good hormone (dopamine) it does during sex and eating. 15. 5 MINUTES WITH AUTHOR CHRISTINE SYKES In 5 minutes with author, Over60 asks book writers about their literary habits and preferences. Next in the series is Christine Sykes, a novelist and memoir writer based on Sydney’s south coast. After working as a Public Servant for 30 years and volunteering at Dress for Success Sydney for four, Sykes is now enjoying life’s simple pleasures and is regularly involved in tap dancing, acting 10 SONGS THAT ALWAYS BRING A TEAR TO YOUR EYE Music can have such a powerful impact on us – it can make us feel uplifted, happy, sad, whimsical, or even sway wildly between all of these emotions within one track. There are some songs, however, that are so emotional that they always seem to bring a little tear to your eye. So if you are in the 20 WAYS TO KEEP CATS OFF YOUR GARDEN Keep your used tea bags and soak them in citronella oil available at hardware stores, the type that's used to burn in barbecue lamps to keep mozzies away. They need to be re-squirted with the solution every 3-4 days and dispersed around the garden. (Peter Thorburn) 4. Cover with lawn clippings. PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND TWO COMMON SCAMS Scammers rely on tried and true ways to manipulate how we think and act to make us more vulnerable. IDCARE counsellor Suli Malet-Warden explains how scammers use psychological games to entrap their victims in these two common schemes. In the initial grooming stage, the scam artist works to gain aOverSixty
Menu
* About
* Shop
* Catalogues
* Information
Contact Us Card
Insurance
FAQs Terms &
Conditions Privacy Policy* Join
OverSixty
Menu
NEWS
SHOP
CATALOGUES
CARD
TRAVEL
* Travel Tips
* Domestic Travel
* International Travel* Cruising
* Travel Insurance
* Accommodation
* Travel Trouble
HEALTH
* Body
* Mind
* Eye Care
* Hearing
* Caring
LIFESTYLE
* Food & Wine
* Home & Garden
* Family & Pets
* Relationships
* Beauty & Style
* Retirement Life
FINANCE
* Money & Banking
* Retirement Income
* Legal
* Insurance
ENTERTAINMENT
* Technology
* Movies
* Music
* TV
* Books
* Art
PROPERTY
* Real Estate
* Downsizing
* Aged Care
* Home Hints & Tips
INFORMATION
* About Us
* Contact Us
* FAQs
* Terms & Conditions* Privacy Policy
KEEP UP TO DATE
Get the latest Over60 news, offers and articles.Join Over60
__ __
__
__
* News
* Travel
Travel Tips Domestic Travel International TravelCruising Travel
Insurance AccommodationTravel Trouble
* Health
Body Mind Eye Care
Hearing Caring
* Lifestyle
Food & Wine Home & GardenFamily & Pets
Relationships
Beauty & Style
Retirement Life
* Finance
Money & Banking Retirement IncomeLegal Insurance
* Entertainment
Technology Movies
Music TV
Books Art
* Property
Real Estate Downsizing Aged Care Home Hints &Tips
*
PORSCHE DRIVER CHARGED AFTER “FLEEING” SCENE OF FATAL CAR CRASHA Porsche driver who allegedly fled the scene of a crash site when four police officers were killed is due to face a Melbourne court where he has been charged with a long list of offences.
Richard Pusey, 41, is likely to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday where he will be forced to hear his 10 charges read out to him including speeding, drug possession and reckless conduct.
Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Senior Constable Kevin King and Constables Glen Humphris and Josh Prestney all brutally lost their lives on Wednesday evening while they were dealing with the Fitzroy man on the Eastern Freeway in Kew.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by rel="noopener"href="https://www.instagram.com/yahoonewsau/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Yahoo News Australia (@yahoonewsau) on Apr 23, 2020 at 3:10pm PDT
It is alleged Pusey was driving at a speed of 140km/h when he was pulled over by police a little while before 5pm.
As the four officers stood in the emergency lane, a refrigerated truck travelling at 100km/h veered to the left and hit themz
Mr Pusey was arrested on Thursday morning outside of a chemist.
He has been charged with driving at a dangerous speed, failing to remain after a drug test, failing to render his assistance, failing to exchange his details, possessing a drug of dependence, reckless conduct endangering life, destruction of evidence and three counts of committing an indictable offence while on bail.
The truck driver had a medical episode after the accident and is in hospital under police guard.
He is believed to still not be fit for questioning.
Legal
SHANE WARNE’S SON SHOWS OFF INCREDIBLE PHYSIQUE WHILE HILARIOUSLY BODY-SHAMING HIS LEGENDARY OLD MANJackson Warne, the 20-year-old son of the cricketer Spin King has been showing off his new body on Instagram, while hinting of a television debut in a new series.
The only son of the Australian star recently showed just what he is capable of when he shared new photographs snapped of him by photographer Jake O’Donnel.
Warne declared how proud he was of his son on Instagram, writing: “Love this... proud” beneath the post.
The comment included an adorable series of love hearts.
However, just as the apple never falls far from the tree, the 20-year-old couldn’t help but show just how alike to his father he is, when he responded with a cheeky comment.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Jackson Warne (@jacksonwarne18) on May 20, 2019 at 12:30am PDT
Little Warner poked fun at his father’s famous love handles when he asked to see photos of his old man when he was 20 years old.
Warne didn’t crack the Australian test team until he was 22-years-old, but he had already been labelled as an emerging talent that had toured the UK and played for Australia A in home series.
However, his sporty physique didn’t seem to have the same impact on fans as his son's.
Warne chose not to reply to the cheeky comment although he has been sharing his own successes with health, when he declared he dropped 14kg.
He says he owes his weight loss to a diet that included traditional Chinese medicines.
Warne has allegedly stayed around 84kg, but not before tipping the scales at 98kg after his break-up with Elizabeth Hurley.
Warne seems to have found a successful balanced diet and lifestyle that has him shooting for a goal weight of 80kg.
Jackson Warne is expected to begin filming of Channel 7 series SAS: Who Dares Wins in the coming months.
Beauty & Style
PORSCHE DRIVER'S FOUL-MOUTHED WORDS AS POLICE OFFICERS LAY DYINGFitzroy man Richard Pusey allegedly swore at and told a female police officer “amazing, absolutely amazing” while she lay dying after a truck ploughed into her and three colleagues on a busy Melbourne freeway.
The accused drug-driving 41-year-old was shown in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday, where he faces ten charges that include drug possession, speeding and reckless conduct.
Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Senior Constable Kevin King and Constables Glen Humphris and Josh Prestney were the four officers who tragically lost their lives on Wednesday evening on the Eastern Freeway in Kew.
The court heard Pusey speaking as he filmed Taylor while she lay injured on the floor and calling out for help.
Police allege he said: “all he wanted to do was go home”.
“Amazing. Absolutely amazing. All I wanted to do was go home and eat my sushi and now you have f***ed my f***ing car,” police alleged Pusey said aloud to Taylor.
Police told the court that there is no evidence Pusey himself posted photos of the crash to Facebook.
The mortgage broker is believed to have called his wife and told her what he had seen while being given a lift to Fitzroy.
Police believe he also may have spoken to his doctor about it, but not before calling a federal police officer he knew and told her about the crash along with a video.
He is also said to have sent pictures of the crime scene to a witness along with a joke saying he hoped to get out of the fine.
The 41-year-old told police he appreciated the fact they wanted him to come in for an interview however he said he could not do that.
He was arrested the following day.
His lawyer told the court Pusey has mental health issues.
He did not apply for bail on
Friday.
News
"YOU GOT A FRIEND IN ME": TOM HANKS' TOUCHING GIFT FOR BULLIED AUSSIEKID NAMED CORONA
Tom Hanks has sent a heartfelt letter and a Corona brand typewriter to an Australian boy who wrote to him about being bullied over his name, Corona.
Corona De Vries from the Gold Coast wrote to the Hollywood celebrity after he and his wife were both tested positive for COVID-19.
The eight-year-old wrote to Hanks saying: “I heard on the news you and your wife had caught the coronavirus,” reported Channel 7.
“Are you OK?”
The boy then mentioned that he was fond of his name, but people at school called him the coronavirus, which made him “sad and angry”.
“Your letter made my wife and I feel so wonderful!” replied Hanks in a letter typed on a Corona typewriter which he had taken to the Gold Coast.
“You know, you are the only person I’ve ever known to have the name Corona – like the ring around the sun, a crown,” said the star.
“I thought this typewriter would suit you. Ask a grown up how it works. And use it to write me back.”
Hanks signed off the letter by writing: “P.S. You got a friend in ME!”
News
SYLVIA JEFFREYS AND PETER STEFANOVIC SHARE SNAPS OF BABY OSCARSylvia Jeffreys and Peter Stefanovic, who met on the set of the Today show, are thrilled with their newborn Oscar and announced the news that they were expecting back in August 2019.
Speaking to The Australian Women's Weekly in 2017, href="https://www.nowtolove.com.au/parenting/celebrity-families/sylvia-jeffreys-peter-stefanovic-54552" target="_blank">Sylvia confessed that she and Pete would "love a house full of kids."
"Our hope is that down the track, we could have a house on the Gold Coast so that our kids can have the same experiences with their cousins that we both had as kids with our cousins," Sylvia said.
Peter also felt the same way as he explained to news.com.au's cast Balls Deep in July 2018.
"It's something we both want to do," he said.
Before adding: "I feel I'd be missing out if we didn't have a kid, but we're both pretty busy with our work at the moment."
As for being a new dad, Peter was planning to “learn as I go”.
Peter told TV WEEK: "My whole life has been based on jumping in the deep end and seeing what happens. I feel you do your best learning that way – and being a dad will be no different. I plan to learn as I go."
After the birth of little Oscar, Peter and Sylvia have been so excited that they’ve been sharing snaps of Oscar on their Instagram feeds, including how the new family celebrated Sylvia’s 34th birthday.
"Best birthday yet," Sylvia captioned a photo of herself, Pete and Oscar going for a walk in Sydney, as she celebrated her 34th birthday in April. "Thanks to my boys for the sunny walks, cuddles and brand new bed socks, and to my friends and family for all the love and flowers and gifts and virtual hugs. This is 34 and I'm digging it.”
Scroll through the gallery to see happy snaps of the new family.
Family & Pets
CORONAVIRUS VACCINE TRIAL VOLUNTEER REVEALS POTENTIAL SIDE EFFECTSA British man taking part in a COVID-19 vaccine trial has revealed the potential side effects of the shot.
Simeon Courtie, a writer and former children’s TV presenter, is one of the hundreds of people taking part in Europe’s first human trial run by the Jenner Institute and the Oxford Vaccine Group.
According to Oxford, the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine is a weakened version of a common cold virus that causes infections in chimpanzees.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain on Thursday, Courtie said he was told the side effects would be “something along the lines of having flu”, and the severity would vary.
“I think at worst maybe a fever for a couple of days and some aches and pains,” he said.
“It shouldn’t be too disruptive to my life.”
Courtie said he will have his first dose next Wednesday.
“We are the safety part of this process to see if it’s safe, and after my trial there will be an efficacy trial in the community to see if it works on thousands of people.”
Very happy to be invited onto @GMB with @susannareid100
and href="https://twitter.com/piersmorgan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@piersmorgan today to talk about volunteering on the Oxford Vaccine Trial which starts today. Good luck to the amazing scientists at @JennerInstitute
💉 href="https://t.co/hfZJ14rX0B">pic.twitter.com/hfZJ14rX0B — Simeon Courtie (@simcourtie) April 23, 2020
Courtie is one of the more than 800 people recruited for the study, which began on Thursday.
Half of the participants will receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and the rest a control vaccine which protects against meningitis but not the coronavirus.
Two people have been injected with the vaccine, which was developed in under three months at Oxford University.
Elisa Granato is one of the two volunteers who received the jab.
“Personally I have a high degree of confidence in this vaccine,” Granato told the BBC.
“Of course, we have to test it and get data from humans. We have to demonstrate it actually works and stops people getting infected with coronavirus before using the vaccine in the wider population.”
Sarah Gilbert, professor of vaccinology at the Jenner Institute and the leader of the pre-clinical research, said she was “very optimistic” the vaccine would work.
Caring
“INSTAGRAM VS REALITY”: NEW PHOTO OF PRINCE LOUIS SHOWS HE’S JUST LIKE ANY OTHER TWO-YEAR-OLDKensington Palace released two new images on the morning of Prince Louis’ second birthday, proving that despite his royal status, he’s just like any other two-year-old.
The photos taken by Duchess Kate showed the youngest Cambridge finger painting with colours of the rainbow, while the second photo shows the toddler smearing it all over his face.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Apr 23, 2020 at 12:00am PDT
“Instagram Vs Reality,” they captioned the post, adding: “Thank you for your lovely messages on Prince Louis’s second birthday.”
View this post on InstagramA post shared by rel="noopener"href="https://www.instagram.com/kensingtonroyal/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Apr 22, 2020 at 2:30pm PDT
The photos were taken earlier this month at Anmer Hall, in Norfolk, where the family are staying during the coronavirus outbreak.
Family & Pets
"CRAZY PRICES I’VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE": THE CUT-PRICE COLES ITEMS NOW THAT PANIC-BUYING IS DYINGAfter weeks of not being able to get basics like mince and sausages, things seem to be returning back to normal at supermarkets across the country.
Not only are these items easier to get your hands on, but shoppers have also reported that they’re being sold at a huge discount in certain stores.
Speaking to news.com.au, a spokesman for Coles revealed that certain items of meat have been slashed in price after panic-buying saw Aussies strip shelves bare quicker than they could be restocked.
Now, as shopping habits return back to normal, the supermarket giant was experiencing an “oversupply” in some stores – leading to markdowns.
“We saw demand for meat increase astronomically in March as customers started to self-isolate and cook at home more often,” said Coles.
“As demand begins to normalise some stores have extra stock to clear, some have a lot and some have a little.”
Ecstatic shoppers took to social media to flaunt their Coles haul, sharing photos of the tempting deals.
“Heaps of cheap meats like crazy prices I’ve never seen before like really they literally started at $1,” one shopper wrote in the Markdown Addicts Australia Facebook group.
“I just got 99 cent mince 10 minutes ago and there was pork sausages for 99c too,” wrote another.
One person claimed the price slashing had been “happening a lot”, putting it down to being “way oversupplied”.
It’s uncertain whether Woolworths and ALDI are experiencing the same issue.
Food & Wine
NEWS
CORONAVIRUS: WHICH RESTRICTIONS COULD BE LIFTED SOON?Chief medical officer Brendan Murphy has shed more light on the restrictions that could be lifted soon.
Speaking before the Senate committee on Thursday, Murphy said the medical advisory panel had been asked to consider the feasibility of easing some social distancing restrictions, and would report to National Cabinet on the matter in about three weeks.
Murphy said medical experts advised schools were safe to reopen.
“We all believe that schools are a safe environment to open,” he said.
“They can be made safer for teachers by excluding those that are vulnerable.
“We are encouraging schools to reopen. The Northern Territory has not closed at all. WA is planning to reopen. We understand the anxiety of some parents and teachers.”
Murphy also suggested “a first stage of relaxation” of social distancing rules would be viable with “some cautious measures”.
“There is great concern that if we relax too much too quickly, we could get a second wave,” Murphy said.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said social isolation measures could be eased if Australia
achieved href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/coronavirus-scott-morrison-reveals-three-things-needed-to-ease-nationwide-restrictions">three goals – more widespread testing regime, improved contact tracing and localised response capabilities.
Murphy said increases in the number of people allowed in gatherings were among the matters under consideration. Community sports events and some retail activity would also be discussed.
“Certainly we would not be contemplating large-scale gatherings,” he said.
Restrictions on overseas travel would not be eased in the near future, Murphy said.
“The international situation at the moment is such that any relaxation of border measures would be very risky,” he said.
“I think it’s very hard to put a timeframe on anything at the moment. We are thinking in a planning framework of three to four months in terms of our next steps. Potentially looking at, ‘can we relax some distancing?’ But I wouldn’t be envisaging any material changes to border measures in that period.”
News
ROOKIE POLICE OFFICER’S HEARTBROKEN GRANDMA SPEAKS OUT ABOUTGRANDSON’S DEATH
It has been revealed one of the four police officers who were killed in a horrific car crash in Melbourne was a 28-year-old constable who was just one week into the job.
Joshua Prestney has been revealed to be one of the victims killed by a speeding truck on the Eastern Freeway at Kew on Wednesday afternoon.
The young man’s grandmother Eliza Anderson told the Herald Sun he was “so proud” to serve his community.
Me Prestney had graduated from the police academy in November.
“We were so proud of you. God bless Josh. Miss you forever,” she wrote in an emotional Facebook post.
Ms Anderson had shared a photo of her and her beautiful grandson back in June when he was still in the academy.
“Proud Nan with my grandson Josh at the police academy,” she said in the caption.
src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7835783/police-officer-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/2c30c59233cc4831808ad47824c7be15" />
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up in support of the families who lost their loved one to the accident.
It was launched by a member of the Narre Warren Police Department in Victoria and Senior Constance Steven Pope says he hopes to raise a total of $2 million.
Over $74,800 has been raised in just 18 hours.
“This is a brutal reminder of the danger police face in the course of their service, every minute of every shift,” Constable Pope said.
“Whilst we mourn their loss, we grieve with their families and colleagues. Whilst money can never replace a lost loved one, the financial stresses can take their toll.”
Heartfelt comments were left beneath the GoFundMe page from those who donated.
“I’m an ex-member... it is a job like no other...Rest In Peace my brothers and sister in blue,” one person who donated a generous $100 wrote and another with the same contribution to the victim’s families said: “Everyone deserves to come home from work everyday. What a tragedy.”
Another said: “This is truly a tragedy, a very difficult and dark time for Australia. I honestly cannot find the right words to express how saddened I am by this tragedy.
“My prayers and thoughts are with the families and the police force. This is a reminder that police officers truly sacrifice their lives on a daily basis, just to keep the community safe.
“Victoria police, thank you for all your hard work, thank you for allowing me to feel safe on a daily basis.”
A truck was driving at 100km/h when it hit and brutally killed four police officers dealing with the driver of a Porsche who had just tested positive to a drug test on the roadside.
The refrigeration truck ploughed into all three parked cars just after the police arrived.
The collision killed two senior constables and two officers as they stood in the emergency lane.
The driver of the black Porsche 911 fled on foot and remains on the run.
The driver has been identified as mortgage broker Richard Pusey and was taken into custody on Thursday morning outside of a chemist, href="https://7news.com.au/news/disaster-and-emergency/eastern-freeway-accident-richard-pusey-identified-as-porsche-driver-allegedly-involved-in-fatal-crash-c-994642" target="_blank">7News reports.
Flags will fly at half-mast across Victoria on Thursday in honour of the officers.
“It is an unprecedented event for us to lose so many officers in one event. Officers just doing their work, just doing their job,” Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said on Thursday.
The truck driver had a medical episode after the crash occurred, blacked out and is currently in hospital under police guard.
“He is from Cranbourne and we did a warrant through the night at his premises,” Commissioner Ashtonsaid.
“What was found at that premises is still the subject of ongoing investigation.”
Shattered police colleagues and emergency workers across Australia have since paid tribute to the fallen officers in what is the greatest loss of police life in a single incident in Victoria's history.
The three other constables killed have been identified as Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Constable Glen Humphris and Senior Constable Kevin King.
News
RUSSELL CROWE PUSHES UNLIKELY CANDIDATE FOR LEAGUE CEOSouth Sydney owner Russell Crowe is urging NRL executives to consider ex-Rabbitoh Shane Richardson as the next chief executive.
The sport star was not tipped to be on the initial list of likely candidates to replace Todd Greenberg after he left the Rabbitohs last month, however he has had experience in working for the league when he filled in for the role as head of strategy and game development in 2015.
Richardson also has 20 years of experience being an administrator, along with stints at Cronulla and Penrith. “There’s no better candidate available for the job. Simple fact,” Crowe explained to The Daily Telegraph.
“None of the other candidates can match his time in the sport. His bloodlines go right through the game – NSW and Queensland.”
The Australian actor went on to push for the NRL to have a rugby league person in the top position.
Richardson is so far the only high-profile star to leave the game during the coronavirus hiatus, claiming he walked away to save money for the Rabbitohs.
However, there is suspicion as to why he split the game and the former NSW State of Origin half Braith Anasta criticised Richardson’s exit.
He went on to criticise whether the Rabbitoh’s supremo had taken a pay out and on Tuesday said there were many not supportive of his exit.
“We all know what I thought of Shane’s exit from Souths,” Anasta told Fox League Live.
“At the time he didn’t answer that question – if he had a job lined up at the NRL … which meant he was going for it.
“Shane has a lot of enemies in the game, and I know that just from the feedback I received after I spoke about his exit at Souths. I just can’t see it working.”
Stand-in chief executive Andrew Abdo continued to be the front runner to keep the job, while Souths CEO Blake Solly has already said he is not interested.
News
WWII VETERAN GRANTED HIS OWN ANZAC DAY PARADEA 100-year-old World War II veteran has gone some way towards receiving the honour that he and his comrades deserve this year, despite the global coronavirus pandemic.
Henry “Corky” Caldwell, who has not missed an Anzac Day parade in 75 years, told ABCNews that his family and an online community supported him through his journey to make sure he didn’t miss out on this year’s procession in spite of cancellations due to coronavirus restrictions.
The decision to cancel gatherings around the country this year shocked this centenarian Digger from the New South Wales north coast, but his family and an online community rallied around him to make sure he didn't miss out.
"It's very important. I've been going to it ever since the war finished," Corky said.
Suzanne Lofts, Mr Caldwell's daughter, says Anzac Day means much more than just a parade for her father.
"He does get very emotional about Anzac Day, he often has a tear when he lays his wreath because it reminds him of all his mates who have passed," Ms Lofts explained.
"All his granddaughters and grandsons come from Sydney, Newcastle, and Brisbane to celebrate with him.
"So, he was fairly gutted when Anzac Day wasn't going to happen this year."
Ms Lofts took to Facebook to voice her father’s disappointment about the Anzac Day procession being cancelled – and the reaction she received was something she could not have imagined.
Thousands of people took to the comments to thank the veteran for his service to his country and asked his family if there was anything that they could do to make the day more special for him.
The online community sent in cards and paintings to Mr Caldwell.
Phil Heesch from Grafton was made aware of the post from a friend who told him "that there was a very disappointed World War II Digger in Grafton who wanted a ride in a jeep because Anzac Day was cancelled.
"Turns out that it's the same guy — Corky — who I take every year in our parade in Grafton," explained Mr Heesch.
Mr Heesch offered to take Mr Caldwell on his own private, socially distanced parade through the streets of Grafton two weeks prior to Anzac Day, so the veteran could safely lay a wreath at the cenotaph.
Ms Lofts says she grew up with an endless amount of war memorabilia and photographs of her father during the war.
"He talks a lot about his war years, never the serious side of it but the funny, exciting side of it," Ms Lofts said.
Mr Caldwell was just 21 when he enlisted in the war and was assigned to a unit of engineers who works in an Ordnance workshop near Cairo, Egypt.
Before he shipped out, he armed himself with a then state-of-the-art Kodak pocket camera.
The veteran worked long, tireless hours where he repaired tanks damaged in battle and ambulance.
In 2008, Mr Caldwell was given the Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to the community of the Clarence Valley region.
In his 100 years of living, the war veteran admits he has lived through some difficult times, and as a child growing up through the Great Depression, his family was forced to live off rabbits and ducks.
Food was scarce and “rationed”. Mr Caldwell says his mother "used to talk about how hard it was to buy food in the shops."
Watching people panic-buy through the coronavirus pandemic has been a surprise for the veteran who believes “people are panicking too much.”
"I think if they look after themselves, live quietly do the right thing, it
won't spread."
News
TRAVEL
HOW HUMANS DERAILED THE EARTH’S CLIMATE IN JUST 160 YEARSClimate change might be the most urgent issue of our day, both politically and in terms of life on Earth. There is mounting awareness that the global climate is a matter for public action.
For 11,500 years, atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations hovered around 280 ppm (the preindustrial “normal”), with an average surface temperature around 15°C. Since the Industrial Revolution, this level has been rising continuously, reaching 410 ppm in 2018. The geosciences, with their focus on timescales up to billions of years, are uniquely equipped to make extremely clear how abruptly industrial societies have changed and are changing the Earth’s climate.
Climate, greenhouse gases and CO2
The main engine of Earth’s climate is the sun. Our star delivers an average surface power of 342 W/m2 per year (roughly that of a hairdryer for each square meter of the planet). Earth absorbs about 70% of this and reflects the rest. If this were the only climate mechanism, the average temperature would be -15°C (below the freezing point of water, 0°C). Life would likely be impossible. Fortunately, some of the absorbed energy is re-emitted as infrared radiation, which, unlike visible light, interacts with the greenhouse gases (GHGs) present in the atmosphere to radiate heat back toward Earth’s surface. This greenhouse effect currently maintains our average temperature around 15°C.
The primary GHGs are water vapour and the much-debated CO2. Carbon dioxide contributes up to 30% of the total greenhouse effect, water vapour provides about 70%. CO2, though, has overall warming power that water vapour doesn’t. Water vapour in the atmosphere has a very short residence time (from hours to days) and its concentration can increase only if temperature increases. CO2 lingers in the atmosphere for 100 years and its concentration is not solely controlled by temperature. CO2 is thus able to trigger warming: if CO2 concentration increases, the average temperature, regardless of its own trend, will increase.
Carbon sinks
It is thus crucial to understand how atmospheric CO2 is regulated. Over geologic timescales (100,000+ years), volcanic gasses are the primary source of CO2, averaging 0.4 billion of tons of CO2 per year (0.4 GtCO2/y). But CO2 doesn’t just endlessly accumulate in the atmosphere. It fluxes in and out thanks to other environmental processes, and is stored in reservoirs known as carbon sinks.
The ocean, for one,
contains href="https://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/earth_modeling/student_materials/unit9_article1.html">50 times more carbon than the atmosphere. However, CO2 dissolved in the ocean can easily be released toward the atmosphere, while only geological sinks keep CO2 away from the atmosphere on geological timescales.
The first geological sink is sedimentary organic matter. Living organisms contain organic carbon built from atmospheric CO2 through photosynthesis, and dead organisms are often sent to the bottom of the ocean, lakes, and swamps. Immense amounts of organic carbon thus accumulate over time in marine and continental sediments, some of which are eventually transformed into fossil fuels (oil, gas and coal).
Calcareous rocks are the second geological carbon sink. Rocks such as granites or
basalts are href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weathering">weathered by surface waters, washing calcium and bicarbonate ions away to the ocean. Marine organisms use these to build hard parts made of calcium carbonate. When deposited at the bottom of the ocean, calcium carbonate is eventually sequestered as limestone.
Depending on the estimates, these two sinks combined contain 50,000 to 100,000 times more carbon than the present atmosphere.
The Earth’s atmosphere over time
The amount of CO2 in the Earth’s atmosphere has varied widely. Decades of research allow us to draw the main lines of the history beginning after the Earth was fully formed 4.4 billion years ago.
Earth’s early atmosphere was extremely rich in CO2 (up to 10,000 times modern levels), while oxygen (O2) was scarce. During the Archean (3.8 to 2.5 billion years ago), life first flourished, the first continents built up. Weathering started pulling CO2 out of the atmosphere. The development of photosynthesis contributed to decrease atmospheric CO2, while elevating O2 levels during the Great Oxygenation Event, about 2.3 billion years ago. CO2 concentration fell to “only” 20 to 100 times the preindustrial level, never to return to the concentration of Earth’s earliest eons.
Two billion years later, the carbon cycle changed. Toward the late Devonian-early Carboniferous (approximately 350 million years ago), CO2 concentration was around 1,000 ppm. Mammals didn’t exist. Vascular plants able to synthesise lignin appeared during the Devonian and spread. Lignin is a molecule resistant to microbial degradation that allowed massive organic carbon stocks to build up as coal over millions of years. Combined with the weathering of the Hercynian range (the vestiges of which can be found in France’s Massif Central or the Appalachians in the United States), organic carbon burial pulled atmospheric CO2 down to levels similar to (or lower than) today’s and generated a major glacial era between 320 and 280 million years ago.
By the end of the Jurassic (145 million years ago), however, the pendulum had swung. Dinosaurs ruled the Earth, mammals evolved, tectonic activity increased and Pangea (the last super-continent) ripped apart. CO2 increased, to 500 to 2,000 ppm, and remained at high levels, maintaining a warm greenhouse climate for 100 million years.
From 55 million years, Earth cooled as CO2 decreased, notably following the Himalayan uplift and a subsequent increase in weathering and organic carbon sedimentation. Evolution continues with Hominids appearing 7 million years ago. At 2.6 million years, Earth entered a new state characterised by an alternation of glacial and interglacial periods at a regular pace led by Earth’s orbital parameters and amplified by the shorter-term carbon cycle. CO2 reached its preindustrial level 11,500 years ago as Earth entered the latest interglacial stage.
A new story: the Industrial Revolution
Until the 19th century, the story of atmospheric carbon and Earth’s climate was a story of geology, biology and evolution. That story changed sharply following the Industrial Revolution, when modern humans (Homo sapiens), who probably appeared 300,000 years ago, began extracting and burning fossil fuels on a massive scale.
By 1950, the addition of CO2 to the atmosphere through fossil-fuel combustion was already proven,
via the href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotopes_of_carbon">carbon isotopic signature of CO2 molecules (known as the “Suess” effect). By the late 1970’s, climate scientists observed a rapid drift toward warmer overall temperatures. The IPCC, created in 1988, showed in 2012 that the average temperature had increased by 0.9°C href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg1/observations-atmosphere-and-surface/">since 1901. That change might seem modest compared to the last deglaciation, when average temperature increased by about 6°C in 7,000 years, but it’s at least 10 times faster.
The average temperature continues to climb, and natural parameters such as solar activity or volcanism can’t explain such a fast warming. The cause is unambiguously human addition of GHGs to the atmosphere, and high-income countries emit the most CO2 per inhabitant.
How will our story end?
Industrial societies burnt about 25% of Earth’s fossil fuels within 160 years and abruptly inverted a natural flux storing carbon away from the atmosphere. This new human-generated flux is instead adding
href="https://cdiac.ess-dive.lbl.gov/trends/emis/tre_glob_2014.html">28 Gt of CO₂ per year, 50 times more than volcanoes. Natural geological sequestration cannot compensate and atmospheric CO2 keeps rising.
The consequences are imminent, numerous and dire: extreme weather events, sea-level rise, glacier retreat, ocean acidification, ecosystem disruptions and extinctions. Earth itself has survived other catastrophes. Although current warming will outpace many species’ ability to adapt, life will continue. It is not the planet that is at stake. Instead, it is the future of human societies and the preservation of current ecosystems.
While the Earth sciences cannot provide solutions to think about the necessary changes in our behaviour and consumption of fossil fuels, they can and must contribute to knowledge and collective awareness of the current global warming.
We thank Morgan Fahey for her invaluable help with the English text.
Guillaume Paris, Géochimiste, chargé de recherche CNRS au Centre de recherches pétrographiques et géochimiques de Nancy, Université de Lorraine and Pierre-Henri Blard, Géochronologue et paléoclimatologue, chargé de recherches CNRS - Centre de recherches pétrographiques et géochimiques (Nancy) et Laboratoire de glaciologie (Bruxelles), Université de Lorraine
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
International Travel GLOBAL TOURISM INDUSTRY MAY SHRINK BY MORE THAN 50 PER CENT DUE TO THEPANDEMIC
href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-florida-1359">
href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/328515/original/file-20200416-192703-1x89lu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip">
CC BY-SA
Due to the coronavirus, people around the world have canceled their travel plans. Governments and health officials have warned the public to avoid boarding cruise ships and long flights. Major events like conferences, trade shows and the Olympics have been canceled or postponed.
As a result, many businesses in the travel and tourism industry are likely to find themselves in jeopardy.
Predicting the economic impact of the coronavirus right now is akin to participating in a running competition without knowing how long the course is. However, a few things are already clear.
Our study
We conducted a study during the third week of March with more than 2,000 travelers from 28 countries. Via Amazon Mechanical Turk, we asked respondents about their travel behaviors during the pandemic.
Our study showed that 63.8% of the travelers will reduce their travel plans in the next 12 months. More than half canceled their business travel immediately due to the coronavirus.
Results of our study predict that, compared to last year, the travel industry, which includes businesses such as airlines, hotels and restaurants, will shrink by 50% in 2020, which would mean a significant loss of jobs and revenue.
The number of international travelers could shrink from 1.4 billion to fewer than 1 billion people. That would be the first time the international traveler number has fallen that low since 2015.
We also asked respondents to rate their perceived image of China and Italy, two of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic. Interestingly, U.S. travelers’ image of China and Italy has deteriorated. The image of China was damaged most significantly, as some people blame China for the spread of the virus.
However, we expect that this image may recover soon, as research shows that
travelers have a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2011.647264">short memory about the negative aspects of a destination after a disaster.
Sizing up the impact
The travel industry has faced many challenges in the past, including the 9/11 attacks and the Great Recession, but none are similar in magnitude to the coronavirus. For example, the travel industry shrank by 31.6% after 9/11.
In the U.S, the travel and tourism
industry href="https://www.selectusa.gov/travel-tourism-and-hospitality-industry-united-states">generated US$1.6 trillion in 2017 in economic output.
A study from Tourism Economics, a company that consults in the tourism sector, predicts that the U.S. tourism industry will lose at least $24 billion in 2020, thanks to a widespread loss of spending at restaurants, hotels, theme parks and more.
The World Travel and Tourism Council, which represents the global private sector of Travel & Tourism, predicts up to 50 million jobs in the global travel industry could be lost.
While the economic impact of the coronavirus is significant, its impact on people’s social interaction, too, will likely be felt for years to come.
href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/faizan-ali-1032118">Faizan Ali, Assistant Professor, University of South Florida and Cihan Cobanoglu, McKibbon Endowed Chair Professor, University of South Florida
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
International Travel 3 WAYS NATURE IN THE CITY CAN DO YOU GOOD – EVEN IN SELF-ISOLATIONSpending time at the beach or taking a walk in the park can help us recover from the mental and physical impacts of life’s stresses. But physical distancing measures to contain COVID-19 have included closing beaches, playgrounds and parks, adding to the challenges to our mental health. When we stay home
to href="https://theconversation.com/how-much-has-australia-really-flattened-the-curve-of-coronavirus-until-we-keep-better-records-we-dont-know-136252">flatten the curve, how can we help ourselves by taking advantage of the benefits associated with nature?
The evidence for nature supporting human well-being has grown in recent decades. We researched the links between nature and urban residents’ well-being and found there are benefits of nature that we can still enjoy now, even in lockdown. Our findings point to some of the ways we can improve our well-being by engaging with everyday nature close to home.
1. A room with a view
We reviewed the evidence, collected survey data on self-reported well-being and biodiversity indicators, and organised focus groups in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, and Auckland and Wellington, New Zealand, to better understand participants’ relationship with urban nature.
If you’re stuck at home, the good news is there is plenty of research that suggests a view through a window of vegetation or a body of water can provide a micro-break. A view of nature through a window has even aided hospital patients’ recovery from surgery. A short, 40-second glance at a green roof supports cognitive restoration better than a view of concrete.
Our research found urban residents had greater self-reported well-being when they had nature nearby or visible from their homes. Participants valued a view of vegetated areas – green space – and bodies of water – blue space. One participant said:
I could live in something that was pretty grim if it had a balcony that looked out .
Participants in our focus groups also highlighted the importance of seeing changes in the natural world, such as change in the weather or the seasons. Even if your view does not have a lot of vegetation or water, a view of the sky can allow engagement with nature’s dynamism.
A view out a window at nature’s dynamism can improve our well-being. Lucy Taylor, Author provided
2. Gardening – indoors and out
If you’re lucky enough to have a yard or balcony, now may be a good time to do some gardening. Gardening can offer benefits such as reductions in stress, anxiety and depression. As a physical activity, gardening can also improve physical fitness and support weight loss.
Gardens can also provide habitat for wildlife, potentially introducing you to new plants, pollinating insects and birds. Urban biodiversity benefits us too.
Our study found strong links between gardening and self-reported well-being. If you don’t have a yard, gardening on a balcony or tending to indoor plants also has benefits. One participant explained:
Having a small vegetable garden and flowers in pots makes me feel happy and content … It is wonderful to see things grow in the city.
Gardening in a yard, on a balcony, or even tending indoor plants does us good. Peter Lead, Author provided
3. Green exercise
We know exercise is good for physical fitness and mental health. “Green exercise”, or exercise that takes place in and around nature, can improve your mood and self-esteem.
Our study found strong links between how often urban residents exercised and their self-reported well-being. One participant described how important green exercise is to them:
Being able to walk my dog down at the beach or go up into the hills is a great stress relief and keeps me fit and healthy and, best of all, it’s free.
Another participant described exercising in a public park:
I feel significantly calmer, breathing rate goes down. I love the feel of that moist air going into my lungs from all the trees and I really do feel different.
To limit infection, residents of cities around the world are subject to a range of national and local constraints on when and how they leave the house to exercise. It is important to follow physical distancing guidelines, but it is also important to exercise rather than be both isolated and sedentary.
Urban nature now and for the future
Nature can support our well-being now, when we all could use the help, but we need to protect it. Climate change talks have been postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is clear climate change has not stalled, even taking into
account href="https://theconversation.com/how-changes-brought-on-by-coronavirus-could-help-tackle-climate-change-133509">the effect of lockdown on emissions.
There are lasting ways
to href="https://theconversation.com/we-must-fight-climate-change-like-its-world-war-iii-here-are-4-potent-weapons-to-deploy-131052">reduce our emissions and create low-carbon and cooler cities. And the earlier we act, the better the outcomes will be.
If you have a
yard, href="https://theconversation.com/a-solution-to-cut-extreme-heat-by-up-to-6-degrees-is-in-our-own-backyards-133082">planting trees might be a good lockdown activity now and will ultimately href="https://theconversation.com/here-are-5-practical-ways-trees-can-help-us-survive-climate-change-129753">benefit your future.
Taking time to notice nature – via a glance
outside, href="https://theconversation.com/running-out-of-things-to-do-in-isolation-get-back-in-the-garden-with-these-ideas-from-4-experts-134229">tending plants in pots or gardens, or via green exercise – will improve your well-being. Appreciating nature and having access to it has never been so important.
Written by Lucy Taylor, Dieter Hochuli and Erin Leckey. Republished with permission of The Conversation.
Cruising
MEDIA OUTLET’S SAVAGE RESPONSE TO MEGHAN AND HARRY’S BRUTAL LETTERThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex told a number of British tabloids on Sunday that they would never deal with their outlets again, and on Tuesday, The Sun’s editor issued a brutal response.
The royals sent a letter to the editors of The Sun, Daily Mail, Mirror and Express where they wrote they would no longer respond to any questions or inquires made by journalists working for the outlets.
Instead, they both said they would employ a policy of “zero engagement” with the tabloids, except through their lawyers.
The representative who sent the message on behalf of the couple said they refused to “offer themselves up as currency for an economy of clickbait and distortion” and accused the outlets of running stories that are “distorted, false, or invasive beyond reason”.
It is just a new log in the ever fiery battle between the Sussexes and the British media.
The Sun’s Executive Editor Dan Wootton did not take the brutal letter lying down however and published an opinion piece where he said the ex-royals chose to “put their lifestyle before family or country” and need to cease “pathetic fights” and instead focus on different issues.
“Harry and Meghan’s decision to flee to a sunny Californian mansion – on a carbon emitting private jet, of course – showed that their character is based on a desire to put their own lifestyle first before their family or country,” Wootton wrote in a brutal response to the couple.
The tabloid editor went on to discuss Prince Harry’s claim that the British media was “lying” about how serious the coronavirus was in the UK.
The royal told the podcast Declassified: “I think what has happened especially in the UK is the very best of the human spirit and it's proving that things are better than we are led to believe through certain corners of the media.
“Certainly when you're in isolation it can be very worrying when you're sitting there and the only information you're getting is from certain news channels, but then if you're out and about and you're on the right platforms you can really sense this human spirit coming to the forefront.”
Wootton criticised Prince Harry by writing the royal lived over “9,000km away in a luxury Hollywood mansion” and that as a “former senior member” he has virtually “no access” to government information to support his claims.
“He has no qualifications or expertise whatsoever to comment on the severity of a pandemic,” the journalist went on to say.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their intention to withdraw from their position as senior royals in January. On April 1, the couple ceased using their HRH titles and currently reside in sunny Los Angeles.
Travel Trouble
HEALTH
CHINESE-AUSTRALIAN FAMILY AT THE CENTRE OF RACIST VANDALISM RECEIVES OUTPOURING OF SUPPORTA Chinese-Australian family whose home was vandalised amid the coronavirus pandemic has received an outpouring of support from neighbours, celebrities and fellow Australians around the country.
The home – located in the Melbourne suburb of Knoxville – was targeted by vandals for two nights in a row, leaving the garage covered in coronavirus-themed racist graffiti and one of the windows smashed with a large rock.
“COVID-19 China die” was spray-painted on the garage door on Monday morning, while the window was smashed on Tuesday morning.
Australian permanent resident Jackson, whose surname was not disclosed, said he reported the vandalism to the police.
Jackson said he had been “busy buying CCTV systems, repairing glass and buying lamps” since the attacks.
He said having his window smashed made him “fearful”, and that his family “wasn’t politically active and did not want to support or oppose anyone”.
Jackson said the support from the local community and politicians has helped him calm his nerves, but he was still worried about the safety of his wife and child.
Victoria Police told the ABC they were investigating two incidents of criminal damage.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge have condemned the attacks.
“There’s no place in our Victorian community for that sort of conduct. It’s just evil,” Andrews said on Wednesday.
“At a time when we should be coming together and supporting each other, it needs to be called out for what it is. It’s just appalling, absolutely appalling.
“And it won’t help us save lives, it won’t help us save jobs, it’s not only the wrong thing to do, it’s just not smart either.”
Professor Tim Soutphommasane, former Race Discrimination Commissioner, said many Asian-Australians felt they were “being made scapegoats for the virus”.
“We are seeing the spread of extremist propaganda and conspiracy theories, especially online. What’s really concerning is how quickly some of the sentiment appears to be working into mainstream opinion,” he
told href="https://10daily.com.au/news/australia/a200422xmlsb/racism-on-the-rise-as-asian-australians-made-scapegoats-for-covid-19-20200423">10 daily.
“There’s got to be an emphatic public message that there’s no excuse for racism, and for blaming groups in our society for the coronavirus.”
An online database for anti-Asian racism in Australia has received 240 reports in less than a month.
The survey, which was launched in early April by the Asian Australian Alliance, found that many of the respondents had been subjected to a racial slur or name-calling such as “stop eating bats” and “go back to China”, while others said they were “getting spat/sneezed or coughed on”.
Earlier in April, 16 prominent Asian-Australians created a petition calling for “unity over fear and hatred” during the pandemic. At the time of writing, the public letter has been signed by more than 25,000 people, including celebrity chef Adam Liaw and writer Benjamin Law.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has condemned the racist abuse against Chinese-Australians, saying Asian migrants led the way in Australia’s response to the coronavirus crisis.
He told
href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/scott-morrison-says-asian-australians-led-coronavirus-response-condemns-racist-attacks-against-community">SBS News: “It was the Chinese Australian community that actually protected Australia. They led the way and the broader community is now following.” Caring
SHOP’S BLUNT SIGN CAUSES STIR ONLINE AFTER BANNING GLOVES IN STORE
A sign from an unknown store has caused furious debate online as it said all those wearing gloves would either have to remove them or be denied entry.
The store, assumed to be located in the U.S, claims those wearing gloves are not stopping the spread of viruses, but in fact possibly creating cross contamination.
“Absolutely no gloves allowed inside store - management,” the note says.
“Gloves are meant to avoid cross-contamination. For instance, in a hospital, workers glove up to touch a patient and then DISCARD the gloves before moving on to the next task. If you are wearing the same set of gloves all over town, you are carrying germs everywhere! Every door you touch, the cart, the supplies, your phone, your face.
“It would be far better to not wear gloves and WASH YOUR HANDS after every store or every task.”
The photograph of the sign was shared over 60,000 times within the span of a week and gravitated many people who agreed with the note writer.
“If you wear a clean pair of gloves into the store, pick up an item put it in your cart then pick up another item your gloves are contaminated, you have no idea who touched that item before you,” one person said.
“Not everyone has common sense or knows anything about cross-contamination,” another wrote.
“People are in fact wearing them store to store. Not even taking them off when they re-enter their vehicle after walking out of Walmart.
“If there’s a medical condition, and you need gloves, wear them. But too many don’t understand their proper use, which isn’t helping and is preventing those that need them, from getting them.”
Some people said they wash their gloves or change them between visiting each store.
“So, I typically wash my gloves or wipe them with a Clorox wipe if going to a new store, usually I just use a new pair for each store. They absolutely are helpful,” said one woman in the comment section.
Dr Catherine Bennett, chair in epidemiology at Deakin University explained to href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/shop-sign-why-wearing-gloves-isnt-protecting-you-201747209.html" target="_blank">Yahoo News, that there is a risk of gloves transferring virus’ from one surface to another.
“If the wearer is not practicing the usual hygiene and awareness of the surfaces being touched that we should all be practising, this risk of cross contamination of surfaces may be higher with gloves on,” she said.
“If people are less mindful of what they are touching, including their own face, or tissues etc, then this may increase the risk of spreading the virus from surface to surface further.
“It may also undo any protection to the wearer if they are more likely to touch their face with the gloves on with a false sense of security.”
Virologist Professor Ian Mackay, from the University of Queensland urges people to stop assuming a pair of gloves will protect them at all costs. He says they can actually increase the chances of someone becoming sick.
“They will drag their hands all over the place thinking they’re safe, but they’re actually spreading potential viruses to other people,” he said.
“They then leave those gloves, in some cases, in the shopping trolley or in the car park for other people that clean up the shopping trolley to come in to contact with, and risk their health because of laziness.”
Body
HOW YOUR DIET SHOULD CHANGE WITH EACH STAGE OF LIFEIn today’s episode, Clare Collins, a Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Newcastle, explains how our diets might need to change depending on what stage of life we’re in.
The Conversation’s Phoebe Roth started by asking: what should kids be eating and how much should parents worry about children eating vegetables?
An edited transcript is below.
New to podcasts?
Everything you need to know about how to listen to a podcast is here.
href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/trust-me-im-an-expert/id1290047736?mt=2&ign-mpt=uo%3D8">
Additional audio credits
Kindergarten by Unkle Ho, from Elefant Traks.
Podcast episode recorded by Phoebe Roth and edited by Sophia Morris.
Edited transcript
Clare Collins: Parents worry so much about what children eat. But the rule of thumb is if they’re growing well, then you don’t need to worry. They are eating enough food.
And the way you know if they’re growing well is: if you take their baby book or you have a growth chart on your wall and you plot their height and weight regularly, you’ll be able to see if they’re following one of the lines on the growth chart. And that’s the best indicator.
The other thing that’s worth remembering is that a well child won’t starve themselves. But for children, their appetite is more variable than an adult. With us, we go, “Well, 12 o'clock, better eat lunch,” or “Oh, I’m awake, better have breakfast now because I’m going to be busy at work later.” But for children, they’re much more responsive to their internal cues.
And the younger the child, the more variable their appetite. So a typical thing is, a two or three year old might eat a massive breakfast and tomorrow they don’t eat any. At daycare, they might eat a huge lunch or none at all. And then the same thing happens at dinner. So if your child’s in daycare, you might want to look in the book or ask the staff, did they eat afternoon tea and lunch today? And that’ll give you a little bit of a guide as to whether you should be encouraging them to eat a little bit more dinner or just go, well, they had just had a massive afternoon tea, so they’re not really going to be hungry.
The other thing with children around the evening meal is that they often run out of steam by the end of the day. So having the evening meal as early as is practical. And for a young child, that may mean they’re having their dinner at five o'clock. And then what they eat at the family meal time is an optional extra. Because if you make them wait till 6 or 7pm, they’re over it and dinner becomes a nightmare.
The other thing that we know about kids, in terms of should we worry about them not eating vegetables, is we’ve actually done some research on this. And we found for kids around the age of three, the biggest predictor of their vegetable intake was not what mum had eaten in pregnancy. It was actually what the parents were eating now. So if you really want your children to eat heaps of veggies, it’s monkey-see-monkey-do, then that means we’ve got to look at how much we love our broccoli, mum and dad. And then that will make a big difference.
The other factor that comes into vegetable intake is genetics. And about 25% of people are what are called “super tasters”. That means they have got extra taste buds. And I wrote an article about this on The Conversation, actually. And so they taste things like the brassicas family – so Brussels sprouts, cauliflower – they taste it as more bitter than people who were either, not super tasters or, you know, have less taste buds. But more good news: even if you’re a super taster, if you don’t give up and you have repeated exposure, you even overcome that. So there’s no excuse for not liking your cauliflower.
Phoebe Roth: That’s really interesting. I had no idea about a lot of that. So you started to touch on my next question, but I wonder if there are any other tips you’ve got. I was going to ask, what does the evidence say works for developing healthy eating habits during childhood or for kids if you’re worried perhaps they’re not eating as well as they should be.
Clare Collins: The key thing for developing healthy eating habits in childhood is not giving up and trying not to stress. So really accepting there is variability. Studies have been done on toddler intake and shown that over 24 hours they pretty much eat about the same total energy intake. But if you look meal to meal, hugely variable, like I mentioned.
The other key time when I think parents, you know, the food wars can start around 18 months and then people go, you know, “the terrible twos, they just never eat anything!” Well, if you want to avoid the food wars, then around 18 months, just step back a little bit and observe how much food is your child usually eating, because up until 18 months, babies have tripled their birth weight. So, you know, born around, say you’re around three kilos, well around six months you’ll be six kilos and around 18 months you’ll be nine kilos. Now, if in the next 18 months you tripled your birth weight again, what would that be? Nine, 18, 36 kilos. Around that. So around 18 months, depending on a child’s activity, they can actually go through a period of time where their energy needs are relatively less and you are going “No, last month they’d eat a whole punnet of blueberries!” and then you may start trying to force feed them. That’s where the beginnings of the food wars can start. So, trusting, like I said, that a well child will not starve themselves.
It can be different if the child has medical requirements and need for a therapeutic diet. That’s a whole separate kettle of fish and you’d be needing to talk to your GP, maybe be referred to a dietitian for specific problems or if there’s actual feeding problems, a speech pathologist.
So for the average child, it is about exposure, letting them feed themselves, not force feeding them and rewarding the behaviour that you want to see. So picture this: dinner time at the table. One child chasing those veggies around the plate with a fork and the other child eating up the foods that they’re really hungry for. If you focus on the child doing the “right thing” – you know, “I love the way, Jodi, you’re eating that broccoli and carrots,” rather than, “hey, Sammy, you’re going to sit there til every pea has disappeared off your plate” – well, then you’re reinforcing that vegetables are disgusting. So if you focus on the behaviours you want to see, then the other children start to recognise that, “oh, I only get attention if I’m doing the ‘right thing’. ” So reward the behaviour you want to see.
Most of the dinner is consumed in 20 minutes. So don’t make the meals drawn out. And for kids with a smaller appetite, having healthy snacks will make up for what’s not eaten within 20 minutes.
Phoebe Roth: Okay, great. And today we’re discussing, obviously, the Australian Dietary Guidelines and sort of adapting diet at each stage of life. And so I wanted to know at which of life’s different stages might our dietary needs change? We’ve now talked about kids, but what about, say, for pregnant women, women going through menopause and any others?
Clare Collins: Okay. For boys and girls, their dietary needs stay about the same until adolescence. And then that’s the first time the next alarm bells ring. Once girls start menstruating then their iron requirements are much, much greater. Boys, if they’re super active and they have a big increase in lean body mass – so it’s kind of like, you know, if you go from a little car to a big car, you need a lot more fuel – so for boys, all of a sudden they’re eating a lot more food. And meeting those nutritional requirements of adolescence is important because adolescence is also the time when teenagers typically experiment with different types of diets, you know, so they might be on a vegetarian diet or a vegan diet. So just keeping an eye on that. The key nutrients are iron – and you can get that from vegetarian foods and great articles on The Conversation about that, by the way.
And there’s also articles on The Conversation about adolescents and another typical issue that arises at adolescence, where parents are going “I wonder if this is a dietary problem” is diet and acne. And I’ve actually written on that for The Conversation.
And your nutrient needs for women change again during pregnancy and breastfeeding. The growing baby is a pretty good sponge. So it’s really the mum’s nutritional status that’s most at risk and the baby will be doing its best to grow with whatever fuel’s available. But to optimise the baby’s growth and development, you do want to have a nutritious dietary pattern. But you don’t need as much extra food and nutrients as you think. Basically, it’s equivalent to an extra tub of yoghurt and a salad sandwich to meet your extra requirements. But some diet-related problems do kick off in pregnancy like heartburn or developing constipation. And, you know, pregnant women and this happened to me as well, during pregnancy, go, hey, how come this is happening? Well, during pregnancy, there are hormonal changes to essentially slow down your transit time in your gut to give your body the best chance of getting any nutrients out of the food so to support the pregnancy.
And so eating healthily in pregnancy is really important, but you may need a boost in your dietary fibre intake. And one of the articles I’ve written for The Conversation is on how to manage constipation. And there’s a whole hierarchy of nutrition things you can do. And beyond that, then you really do need to mention it to your obstetrician or your GP in case you need some other type of like medicinal help. And then it’s got to make sure it’s something that’s safe for pregnancy. And you do need to talk to them about that.
Phoebe Roth: Sure. Are there any other life stages where you might need to think about changing your diet? What if, say, you develop a particular health condition?
Clare Collins: If you develop a particular health condition, then absolutely. The most common diet-related health conditions in Australia is type 2 diabetes. And some people are now being diagnosed with pre-diabetes, which is like an alarm bell and gives you a chance to change your dietary patterns and your lifestyle behaviours like physical activity so that you don’t go on to develop type 2 diabetes. And then the other one is heart disease. Both of those have dietary components.
So for type 2 diabetes, you’re likely to moderate the type and amount of carbohydrate. And for heart disease, there’s a whole range of bioactive foods that you can boost your intake of – whole grains, vegetables and fruit, reducing your saturated fat intake. And, you know, you can find articles about all of those things on The Conversation.
But if you read those and you go, oh, wow, it’s way more complex than I thought or I really would like some personalised advice, then ask your GP to refer you to an Accredited Practising Dietitian and get a personalised plan.
Phoebe Roth: Yeah, absolutely. And the other one is menopause. I know you’re writing an article for us coming up on menopause and whether there are specific things you need to keep in mind regarding your diet.
Clare Collins: Menopause is really unfair because one of my colleagues, Lauren Williams, who’s co-authoring the article and she’s from Griffith University up there on the Gold Coast, is her whole PhD research was on this topic and she studied the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women’s Health and followed the women as they transitioned through menopause. And the average weight gain is about two and a half kilos.
But even that is not the most unfair aspect of menopause. What she discovered is that there’s no discount, if you like, on gaining weight, if you lived a healthy lifestyle already, that all women are prone to weight gain during menopause. And it’s a combination of the hormonal changes amplified by life changes. And some of those life changes are that for most women, the physical work actually reduces at that time. You know, the house might be less people living in your house and you don’t have to do as much housework.
For many women, you have more disposable income. So you actually can go out a little bit more, spend more money on eating out. And the other thing is it’s a life stage where alcohol intake increases in women. You know, the perfect storm. You know, you had this lovely, healthy lifestyle and then you gained weight.
But what she also found, which is the important message, is that during that menopausal transition, women who changed something, they went, “Right. I’m going to beat this weight gain.” And they decided to eat more vegetables or develop new, healthier recipes or walk a lot more. They did not gain that average two point, 2.5-ish kilos.
As much as I really think that sucks that we gain weight during menopause, I’m really pleased to know that it’s not inevitable, but it’s kind of like, you know, it’s like having to do a spring clean on your life stage patterns, on your dietary patterns and on your physical activity. And you can get through menopause in a healthy weight and with a healthy lifestyle and be healthier. But we have to be on guard. So unfair.
Phoebe Roth: So in the healthy eating side of things, would that just be sort of following the Australian Dietary Guidelines?
Clare Collins: Well, yes, but we need to make a little note of caution about the Dietary Guidelines. And that is not many people eat like the Australian Dietary Guidelines. In fact, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare modelled what would happen if people did eat five serves of vegetables and two serves of fruit and had their whole grains and used reduced fat dairy and, you know, chose the leanest forms of protein.
They model that if everyone in Australia tomorrow started eating like the recommendations found in the Australian Dietary Guidelines, that heart disease rates would drop by 62% and that diabetes rates would drop by – type 2 diabetes rates, I should say – would drop by around 40%. That’s not going to happen. People aren’t going to do that. And we know that only 3 out of 100 Australians eat five serves of vegetables a day.
So, yes, definitely eat more like the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating and the Australian Dietary Guidelines, but a good place you can start is the Healthy Eating Quiz. This is a short quiz that takes less than 10 minutes to do. It’s free and it’s online. It rates your dietary patterns compared to recommendations in the Australian Dietary Guidelines. And that now links to a really fun website – we think it’s fun anyway because we invented it – called No Money, No Time. It’s got recipe recommendations to match with your Healthy Eating Quiz report.
We’ve set up some fun filters on there. So if you’ve only got a basic kitchen and you’ve got a microwave and just one pot, you can filter it for recipes matching your kitchen equipment. And we also added this other filter that allows you to say what your healthy lifestyle goals are. And we’ve catered for all ages on that. Some people told us their goal was to have glowing skin. And some people said, I want to do better in my sport. And some people have said I want to manage my weight. So you can further tailor the recipes for that. So No Money, No Time and the Healthy Eating Quiz. And that’s our way of trying to help Australians eat a little bit more healthy and feel better and have their health improve as well.
Phoebe Roth: I am already keen to jump on that straight after this and give it a try. Great. So the Dietary Guidelines, would you say they’re a really good resource and reference point, but possibly not a one size fits all approach?
Clare Collins: Absolutely. And there are some resources on the government websites called Eat for Health, and there are some resources on that. And they are designed for the predominantly healthy Australian population while recognising that overweight and obesity are relatively common and that people are commonly seeking extra advice for things like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. There’s certainly a good first place to stop. But as I mentioned, you may need extra specialised help if you have some of those common chronic diseases. And a good place to start to find out is with a health check up with your general practitioner who can do a heart health check and check your blood pressure. And you know, if you don’t have scales at home, they can do a check on your weight. But more important than that is checking on your blood to see what your cholesterol level is and whether your blood sugar levels are high, indicating you’re at a higher risk for type 2 diabetes.
Phoebe Roth: So what do people need to consider to ensure they’re following the right diet for their individual circumstances or for their stage of life?
Clare Collins: I think the key thing, when it comes to diet-related health or nutrition-related health is knowing what your risk factors are for these chronic conditions. And really to know those, you do need to check in with a health professional, with your general practitioner. You might be a lucky person who has the genes that mean you have wonderful blood sugar levels and you have wonderful cholesterol levels and your blood pressure’s great. Then that would essentially mean that you’re doing the right things for your genes and for your body. But a check-up with your GP is usually a chance to see, you know, what does need to be tweaked in my diet? One of the things about high blood pressure is that it’s really common, but there’s absolutely no signs or symptoms. So until you get it checked by your GP, you wouldn’t even know.
Phoebe Roth: What about for older people? What sort of things do they need to consider about diet?
Clare Collins: Once you start approaching 75 and above, then it’s interesting that your nutrition requirements and your dietary requirements start to shift a little bit. Once you get older, the focus moves to trying not to lose your muscle tissue. There’s a word for that malnutrition of older age and it’s called sarcopenia. And it’s really important. And so as you age to protect your body from sarcopenia, your protein requirements actually start to go up.
And people have this image of, “Oh, you know older people. They just need a cup of tea and a piece of toast.” Well, they actually don’t. They might need their coffee made on milk or they might need a nutritional supplement if their appetite’s really poor. And this is another time where you may need specialised nutrition advice. If there’s any underlying medical conditions or if the older people in your family are in a nursing home, you may need to talk to the nursing home staff about whether they’re meeting their nutritional requirements or not.
As you age physical activity and because your muscle mass decreases, your total energy intake reduces. And it’s a little bit like going from the big car down to the smaller car. You still need the same amounts of vitamins and minerals and things we call phytonutrients. You know, they’re not a vitamin or they’re not a mineral, but they help your body run better. You still need the same amount of them, but you need them in less energy. So there’s like less room for error. So the tea and toast isn’t adequate, you know, for grandma or granddad, for the older person. They’re having nutritious and nutrient dense foods.
So, you know, vegetable soup, so to put all the vegetables in, in the right texture that looks appealing is really important. The other thing as you get older is that your taste buds change. You can have less. Some of your taste buds start to decline. And so flavouring food more and to the way, you know, Nanna or Grandpa like it rather than the way you like it is really important. So it can be a life stage where for people, if they think, “Gee, food just doesn’t taste as good anymore, then trying out what herbs, spices and flavourings they like and using those to replace salt.
Because as you age you’re more prone to high blood pressure and you’re also more prone to developing diabetes. So nutrition remains important right through your life. And it’s a really important part of our social lives.
So I think, you know, if I had one final message, it’s: no matter what you do or how busy you are, still finding that time to cook, prepare and eat with other people is a really important way of preserving your own family’s food culture and looking after the nutrition-related health and the social well-being of everyone in your family.
Phoebe Roth: And the last question I have, I wonder if – it goes into all ages, for anyone that’s trying to eat healthy and follow a healthy diet – where do superfoods fit in? I know that there may not be one answer to fit all, but I think that that’s kind of a question people grapple with it when the next fad is right in front of them. And you know, what do they do? Should they eat this? Should they go out and buy it?
Clare Collins: Fad diets are just so ongoing and regular that we often write articles for The Conversation about them. But you know, my thing about superfoods is that there are super foods, there’s heaps of them and they’re actually all in the supermarket.
And when you walk in the supermarket – this is one way supermarket design does try and help us eat healthy – you walk smack bang into the super food section and they’re right there. They don’t have packages. They don’t have labels. But it’s that wide variety of vegetables and fruit. And I think if there was one important thing to remember, when you go to the supermarket every week when you went to the supermarket or you enter a market, look at those vegetable and fruits and which one has not been in your trolley, you know, in the last couple of weeks? And invite them in. Some of the research that we’ve done shows that the variety of vegetables and fruit, but particularly the variety of vegetables, predicts your long term health care costs.
And we’ve shown that in a research study over 15 years on the Australian Longitudinal study on Women’s Health. And lots of the research we’ve been doing is showing that the variety of those foods that belong to the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating in the Australian Dietary Guidelines, that it’s actually those nutrient-rich foods that predict your nutrient intake and then decide whether you’re on a path for health or you’re not on a path for health. You’re on a path for poor health.
So going for variety in your whole grains, your vegetables, your fruits, your sources of protein, which includes meat, poultry, fish and then all the wonderful vegetarian sources and whole grains. Collectively, those things make up a healthy diet pattern. They make up you when you eat them. And then that determines whether you’re going to be healthy or less healthy.
Phoebe Roth: Is there anything else you want to talk about that we didn’t touch on?
Clare Collins: The only thing is I hope people don’t feel alone when it comes to nutrition. Go and have a look at No Money, No Time. Not only have we loaded that website up with lots of recipes, we’ve also loaded up with lots of information, hacks and myths. We’ve linked a lot of The Conversation articles to it. And then the other place to go for good information is go to The Conversation and type in nutrition in the search bar. And you’ll see lots of the articles that myself, my team and lots of other academics from other universities around Australia have written on food and nutrition.
Phoebe Roth: Thank you so much, Clare, for joining us on Trust Me, I’m An Expert today. It’s been great talking to you again.
Clare Collins: Thank you. It’s my absolute pleasure.
Phoebe Roth, Deputy Editor, Health+Medicine, The Conversation; Sophia Morris, Editorial Intern, The Conversation, and Sunanda Creagh, Head of Digital Storytelling, The Conversation
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Body
AUSTRALIANS WARNED OVER INCREASED ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION AMID CORONAVIRUSPANDEMIC
Psychologists have warned against excessive alcohol consumption as Australia saw an increase in alcohol consumption amidst the COVID-19 crisis.
A national YouGov Galaxy poll conducted earlier this month found that one in three Australians have been drinking daily since the coronavirus lockdown began. Out of the 1,035 respondents surveyed, a fifth were purchasing more alcohol and 70 per cent were drinking more than normal.
Psychologists have also seen more patients turning to online gambling, prescription drug abuse and tobacco and cannabis use, according to Australian Association of Psychologists (AAPi).
“People are currently drinking more alcohol due to many factors, such as lack of stimulation that we would usually get outside of our homes, increased stress particularly around finances and potential illness as well as job loss,” said Amanda Curran, registered psychologist vice president of the association.
“We are seeing individuals deal with work stress for those working at home, balancing work and childcare demands as well as home schooling demands.
“On top of that, the disconnect from social support systems such as friends, neighbours, therapists, church and family can contribute significantly to mental strain.”
AAPi executive director Tegan Carrison warned that high levels of drinking increase the risks for family violence, elder abuse and accidents.
“Alcohol alters your thoughts, decision-making and judgement as well as your behaviour,” Curran said.
“While alcohol may make you feel better in the moment and provide some relaxation, this will be short-lived and alcohol may very well increase your stress levels and impact negatively on your mental health if you are regularly drinking.”
Curran advised those unable to control their drinking to stay physically active and keep in touch with their support network.
“Just because you cannot see someone physically does not mean that you cannot connect via other methods. Writing letters, emails, making phone calls and video calls can help to reduce the depression that comes with isolation. You can talk to a psychologist via telehealth who can help you cope in positive ways, and even thrive.”
Carrison said there are options for those who have lost their income.
“Many psychologists are bulk billing clients experiencing financial hardship,” she said. “If you have been affected by the bushfires, you can access a psychologist directly for 10 additional sessions.”
The Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education, which commissioned the YouGov Galaxy poll, also urged governments to limit the marketing and delivery of alcohol products during the
pandemic.
Mind
LIFESTYLE
"WE JUST CAN'T WAIT TO MEET THIS LITTLE GIRL": KARL STEFANOVIC ON FATHERHOOD FOR A FOURTH TIMEKarl Stefanovic and his wife Jasmine are expecting a new baby girl any day now and the Today host has opened up on becoming a father for the fourth time.
Stefanovic is already a father to three children from his previous marriage to Cassandra Thorburn with children Jackson, 20, Ava, 14 and River, 12.
He said that despite having a vasectomy when he first met Jasmine, he had the procedure reversed and having a child together was always a goal for the couple.
"We discussed it very early on in our relationship and I was very excited about the prospect of having a baby," he told Daily Mail Australia.
"I can't wait," he said.
He also says that his new daughter will be an expression of the love he has for his new wife.
"We do have a very loving relationship and to have a baby as an expression of that love is incredible. It's never an easy thing and I think that kids are a miracle and we just can't wait to meet this little girl. Just to shower her with all the love that we have."
The couple are nesting in Karl’s multi-million dollar home in Sydney’s north shore.
"I've had a fair few boxes arrive at the door and I've had to get the allen keys out," he revealed.
"I've helped build the cot, they've got this breast-feeding chair thing that I've put together. This is not easy stuff for a guy like me. But we are all ready to roll now."
View this post on InstagramA post shared by karl stefanovic (@karlstefanovic_) on Mar 2, 2020 at 12:02am PST
He says that his older kids are thrilled to see his half-sister into the family, but has confirmed that he and Jasmine have not settled on a name.
"I'm not in such a hurry to go somewhere else and I'm not chasing the yarns overseas like I was when I was building up to this point in my career," he explains.
"And I don't think that's any great sleight on me as a father - it's just the way things were. As a family we were working towards other things but you are busy in your 20s and 30s. You're providing for your family every step of the way.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Jasmine Stefanovic (@jasyarby) on Feb 14, 2020 at 9:22pm PST
"I like to think I've been a pretty good dad along the way.
"I think every dad would have a level of insecurity about how good they've been, but at the end of the day my kids are loved."
Relationships
PRINCE LOUIS HAS TURNED TWO!The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge may be laying low, but for their youngest child’s 2nd birthday today, they have released special photos of Prince Louis to celebrate his 2nd birthday.
Prince Louis turns 2 on April 23, and the gorgeous photographs snapped by none other than Duchess Kate have been made public for the world to admire.
In them, royal fans are able to see little Lou with his hands covered in colourful paint as he bears his gorgeous royal smile to the camera.
The snaps were taken by his mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, who has a penchant for photography, in particular for taking portraits of her three children, Prince George, 6, Princess Charlotte, 4, and little Louis.
There was also a photograph of Louis showing off his painted hands and his handprint.
It is alleged the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were forced to call off the “big birthday party” they had planned for their little boy, according to US Magazine.
Instead the family will hold a small celebration with their immediate family.
Scroll through the gallery below to see Prince Louis now, he’s grown so
fast!
Family & Pets
HOW EDWINA BARTHOLOMEW IS STAYING SANE SELF-ISOLATING WITH A NEWBORNFormer Sunrise presenter Edwina Bartholomew has opened up about the struggles of becoming a new parent during the coronavirus pandemic.
As Bartholomew and her husband Neil Varcoe are hunkering down on the family farm in Warramba, NSW, they’ve had time to reflect on the “strange summer” to become a parent to a newborn.
"It's been such a strange summer to become a new parent," Bartholomew said to Australian Women’s Weekly.
"But I've found it really comforting that, when the world is chaotic outside, the day to day of being a mum doesn't change.
"No matter who you are or where you live or what you do for a living, the experience of loving a baby is universal. We are changing nappies, worrying about sleep, cleaning up baby dribble. It's the same for everyone."
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Edwina Bartholomew (@edwina_b) on Apr 22, 2020 at 1:26am PDT
She also spoke to Sunrise co-hosts Samantha Armytage and David Koch about the new family’s experiences.
“All the perils and ups and downs of being a new mum, it’s a beautiful distraction during this time, that’s for sure,” she said.
“Because Molly came in December, we had that first month or so when friends could drop over and mum and dad could come to the hospital to give her a cuddle.
“I really feel for new mums now who don’t get that experience – it’s hard.
“Hopefully in the next few months that will all ease and we can all have a chance to reunite again.”
View this post on InstagramA post shared by womensweeklymag (@womensweeklymag) on Apr 22, 2020 at 2:00pm PDT
Bartholomew has also created a social media page in order “to support new mums in this difficult time when access to services isn’t as easy as it normally would be”.
“We set up a thing called ‘Stay Home Mums,’ which is a simple Instagram account and private Facebook group in which people can share photos and ask questions,” she said.
“It’s for all the mums who don’t have the chance to have a mother’s group.
“It’s an amazing community that’s grown exponentially over the last few months.
“We’ve been doing antenatal classes, exercise classes, recipes, all sorts of things,” she said. “It’s nice to see people seeking that support when unfortunately in these times they don’t have it in an official capacity.”
Family & Pets
DAD AT 70! RICHARD GERE WELCOMES SECOND CHILD WITH WIFE ALEJANDRASILVA
Congratulations are in order for Richard Gere and his wife Alejandra Silvia, who welcomed a baby boy.
HOLA! confirmed the exciting news, revealing that the couple are bonding with their new son at their ranch on Pound Ridge, just outside New York. The new arrival is a baby brother for the couple’s firstborn, two-year-old Alexander, who arrived in February 2018.
Both Richard, 70, and Spanish activist Alejandra, 37, have children from their previous relationships; the Pretty Woman star shares 20-year-old son Homer with ex-wife Carey Lovell, while Alejandra is the mother to seven-year-old Albert from her marriage to businessman Govind Friedland.
The past few years have been fast paced for the couple who tied the knot in 2018, with Alejandra saying at the time: “I feel like I’m in a true fairytale. Without a doubt, I feel like the luckiest woman in the world.”
Richard, who wooed Alejandra by sending her flowers until she agreed to date him, added: "I'm the happiest man in the universe. How could I not be? I'm married to a beautiful woman who is smart, sensitive, committed to helping people, who's fun, patient, who knows how to forgive, who's a great cook – and who makes the best salads in the world!"
Describing her new husband, Alejandra shared: "He is the most humble, sensitive, affectionate, attentive, funny, generous man that I've ever met. What can I say? I'm so in love! How would you feel if each morning you were asked: 'What would make you happy today?' Not a day goes by that he doesn't mention how important I am to him. I feel
very lucky."
Relationships
FINANCE
WHY STAYING AT HOME FOR MONTHS IS UNLIKELY TO LEAD TO AN EYE-WATERINGELECTRICITY BILL
Electricity demand in Australia has barely budged since COVID-19 took hold. Many may be wondering: after months spent largely at home, are huge household power bills on the way?
The answer, largely, is no. But as the pandemic forces hundreds of thousands of Australians into unemployment, some will still struggle to pay their electricity bills.
A mass failure to pay would threaten the viability of electricity retailers. If some folded, this would reduce market competition and drive up energy costs for everyone.
So let’s take a look at how stay-at-home measures are affecting energy demand, and what the coronavirus pandemic means for electricity consumers in Australia.
A mixed bag
We’ve assessed how social distancing restrictions have affected both demand for electricity and “mobility” (the movement of people) in Australia, New Zealand, the US and the UK.
Interestingly, changes in electricity demand and mobility go together and were significantly different across the countries after strict stay-at-home rules were imposed in late March.
Grid-based electricity demand in both the UK and New Zealand has declined significantly (20% and 15% respectively). Demand is largely unchanged in Australia and has declined about 5% in the US overall, relative to the baseline.
Among Australian states, electricity demand has declined in New South Wales by around 5%, and increased slightly in Western Australia and Tasmania. Demand is largely unchanged in Victoria, South Australia and Queensland compared to the baseline.
The relative strictness of social distancing policies seems to be the main driver of changes in electricity demand. For example, unlike New Zealand, Australia’s construction industry was not subject to lockdown restrictions, which meant electricity use in that sector has continued.
Of course, many factors affect electricity demand, and further analysis is required to isolate the precise impact of social distancing policies.
Out and about
To crosscheck changes in electricity demand, we examined the change in the movement of people to retail, recreation and workplace locations as measured in Google’s COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports. These reports use location history data from users to create a picture of how people are moving around the community.
Mobility changes are consistent with the change in electricity demand: since stay-at-home restrictions were imposed, falls in mobility have been about twice as large in New Zealand and the UK as in Australia.
Mobility in the US states of New York and California has declined more than in Australia, but less than in the UK and New Zealand.
What to expect this winter
In Australia, electricity demand from households has increased slightly as millions of people stay at home, prompting warnings of bill shock. But activities such as boiling the kettle and cooking more often, and keeping lights on all day, do not make a big difference to consumption.
This will change in winter, when we need to keep our houses warm. Households using split-system air conditioners for heating can expect seasonally adjusted electricity bills to be around 10-20% higher if they’re heating the house 24 hours a day, rather than just briefly in the morning and again in the late afternoon and evening.
But demand will vary greatly depending on weather and a home’s size, insulation, efficiency of heater and so on.
Averaged across all Australian households (and assuming social distancing regulations continue to apply in winter), we expect total residential electricity consumption to be a little higher this winter than in previous years.
Differences will be more pronounced in the colder states: Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and to a lesser extent New South Wales. The warmer states of Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory will see little change.
Overall, slightly higher demand for electricity in Australian households over winter will probably offset lower commercial and retail demand.
Threat to competition
While overall electricity demand might not shift much in Australia, skyrocketing unemployment may create a surge in the number of households struggling to pay their energy bills, even with Jobkeeper payments.
Long before the pandemic, regulators, governments, retailers and customer groups had worked to improve consumer protections such as hardship policies. These measures are now likely to be put to the test.
There are signs that electricity retailers are already anxious about looming non-payment. For example,
href="https://www.globirdenergy.com.au/bonus-boost/?utm_source=Existing%20Customer&utm_medium=SMS&utm_campaign=Prepaid%20Boost">some retailers have offered incentives for customers to take up direct debit, or cash-back for bills paid in advance.
Retailers pay for both the electricity produced, and its transport. If many thousands of customers can’t pay their bills, some retailers may become financially unviable. The smaller retailers have the weakest balance sheets and are most at risk.
But these small companies are the lifeblood of competition in Australia’s retail electricity markets. Losing them would, in time, translate into higher prices.
In Queensland, the government has announced assistance to electricty consumers in response to COVID-19.
If utility non-payment spirals and retailer viability is seriously threatened, governments and regulators might consider ways to share the risks more broadly, to protect competition and consumers.
Bruce Mountain, Director, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University
; href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kelly-burns-1043264">Kelly Burns, Senior Research Fellow, Victoria University, and Steven Percy, Senior research fellow, Victoria University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Retirement Income
CORONAVIRUS CONTACT-TRACING APPS: WHY MOST OF US WON’T COOPERATE UNLESS EVERYONE DOESAs governments look to ease general social-distancing measures and instead use more targeted strategies to stop coronavirus transmission, we face a social dilemma about the limits of cooperative behaviour.
Consider the controversy over contact-tracing phone apps, which can help authorities identify people with whom someone diagnosed with COVID-19 has recently come into close contact.
Oxford University research suggests such apps could effectively stop the epidemic if 60% of the population use them, though even with lower uptake they still have some value.
The Australian government’s goal is
for href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/coronavirus-mobile-tracking-app-may-be-mandatory-if-not-enough-people-sign-up-scott-morrison-says">40% of the population to use its app. It is hoping people will do this voluntarily.
That’s double the uptake so far achieved in Singapore, which launched its TraceTogether app on March 20. This despite a six-nation survey (including Australia) suggesting Singaporeans are the most relaxed about the personal privacy concerns.
My research into cooperative behaviour suggests there’s no reason to believe voluntary uptake will be higher anywhere else.
What is a social dilemma?
Economists define a social dilemma as a situation where individual interests conflict with collective interests. More specifically, it is a situation in which there is a collective benefit from widespread cooperation but individuals have an incentive to “free ride” on the cooperation of others.
For example, we would have collectively benefited if everyone had shown self-restraint in buying toilet paper and other items in the early weeks of the crisis. But selfish behaviour by some created a crisis for everybody else.
Economists, political scientists and evolutionary biologists have used social dilemma paradigms for more than half a century to study the evolution of cooperation in societies.
One of the most influential contributions to the field was a 1981 paper, The Evolution of Cooperation, by political scientist Robert Axelrod and evolutionary biologist William Hamilton. The paper’s key point is this: cooperation depends not on altruism but reciprocity.
Most cooperation is conditional
My research (with behavioural economist Christian Thöni of the University of Lausanne) confirms this.
Based on reviewing 17 social dilemma studies involving more than 7,000 individuals, we estimate no more than 3% of the population can be relied on to act cooperatively out of altruism – independent of what others do.
About 20% can be expected to act selfishly (i.e. free ride).
The majority – about 60% – are “conditional cooperators”. They cooperate if they believe others will cooperate.
Another 10% are so-called “triangle cooperators”. They behave similarly to conditional cooperators, but only to the point where they believe enough people are cooperating. They then reduce their cooperation.
The remainder – about 7% – behave unpredictably.
This infographic illustrates the four cooperation types and levels of cooperation over time. Altruistiic cooperation does not depend on others. Conditional cooperation depends on others cooperating. Triangle cooperation is similar to conditional cooperation to a point, then falls away. Free-riding behaviour is always uncooperative and can only be modified by the fear of punishment. Stefan Volk, Author provided
The need for punishment
The most important group to consider in social dilemma situations is, of course, the majority.
Conditional cooperators are very sensitive to what they believe others will do. They will only pay taxes, save water, donate to charities or protect the environment if they believe most others are doing the same.
To maintain their cooperation, therefore, it is essential to uphold their beliefs in equality and egalitarianism, where everyone does their part, nobody gets preferential treatment, and nobody gets away with free riding.
Research by Swiss economists Ernst Fehr and Urs Fischbacher has found just a small minority of free riders is sufficient to cause a breakdown of cooperation over time.
Conditional cooperators will reduce their own cooperation as soon as they realise one or a few others are not complying with the collectively agreed rules. This in turn causes others to reduce their cooperation. It creates a downward spiral.
What stops this happening more is that many conditional cooperators will punish free riders, even at their own expense.
Fehr and Fischbacher demonstrated this through experiments involving “ultimatum games”.
They observed games in which one person got to propose how to split a pot of money between two players. If the other player rejected the split, neither got money.
In another scenario, the allocator was free to make the split however they liked. But a third party unaffected by the split could spend money from their own allocated pot to deny the allocator income. In 55% of cases, third parties were prepared to spend money to punish allocators who didn’t split the money fairly. Fehr and Fischbacher called this “altruistic punishment”.
Their results also showed anticipation of punishment deterred non-cooperative behaviour by free riders and reassured conditional cooperators’ beliefs in maintaining their commitment to collective cooperation.
Two-factor validation
The evidence from behavioural economics research indicates two mechanisms are essential to ensure cooperative behaviour on COVID-19 measures.
First, the majority of us must be reassured others are doing the right thing. This involves showcasing exemplary acts of cooperation and granting no preferential treatment to any kind of interest group.
Second, we must be assured others aren’t getting away with uncooperative behaviour. In other words, free riding must be swiftly and visible punished.
Without these conditions, an expectation of widespread cooperative behaviour is merely a hope.
Stefan Volk, Associate Professor and Co-Director Body, Heart and Mind in Business Research Group, University of Sydney
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Retirement Income
WILL THE CORONAVIRUS VACCINE BE AVAILABLE TO ALL?As the world stays inside and waits for a vaccine against coronavirus, one of the largest pandemic health innovation funding bodies has raised the alarm over inequity if a vaccine arrives.
"We now have to think about issues around vaccine sovereignty," Jane Halton told 7.30 .
"How do we ensure that the vulnerable populations around the world will get access to a vaccine?"
Jane Halton is the former head of the Australian Department of Health and the chair of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI).
The organisation is attempting to avoid what happened in 2009, where wealthy countries entered in contracts with big pharmaceutical companies and effectively monopolised the H1N1 swine flu vaccine at the expense of poorer nations.
"Everybody will want this vaccine, everybody will want to be vaccinated to reduce their risk," she said.
"So we have to negotiate this."
According to CEPI, there are six candidates for a vaccine in clinical development right now. There are two in the US, three in China and one in the United Kingdom, with the UK trial expecting to begin testing on humans today.
However, Paul Kershawn, head of Johnson and Johnson Asia Pacific Medical Affairs has warned that the vaccine is developing in an “extremely compressed time frame”.
"We're accustomed to developing vaccines over a period of five, seven or even more years," he told 7.30.
"And so doing this in 12 to 18 months is an extremely compressed timeframe.
"It's basically an inactivated virus that allows us to deliver antibodies, creating the presence of antibodies which will fight the virus in patients.
"It's a very safe vector. It's something that we have experience with.”
However, the process is expensive and long, which means companies will be looking to market the drug and recoup costs.
"That is the nature of drug development. It's a risky business," Mr Kershaw said.
"We can't wait to finish the clinical trials and then start developing on manufacturing and distributing the vaccine. What we need to do is both of those activities in parallel."
As for the 115 possible vaccines in development? It’s possible that multiple vaccines might succeed.
"There will likely be a number of vaccines that become available," he said.
"And that's all the better. We're playing
a part."
Legal
WESTPAC ACCUSED OF ENABLING ILLEGAL OFFENCESIn amongst all of the COVID-19 news and updates, it seems we’ve been distracted from a lot of other important social issues.
Climate change and domestic violence, for example, as well as the fact that Westpac is being investigated over allegations that it’s banking systems enabled child sexual offenders to access child abuse material via international transfers without raising any red flags.
In November last year, the Australian Transactions Reports and Analysis Centre – or AUSTRAC – accused the banking giant of facilitating transactions that enabled child exploitation in the Philippines.
AUSTRAC is a federal agency established to monitor financial transactions in order to identify money laundering, organised crime, tax evasion, welfare fraud and terrorism.
Failure to report
AUSTRAC alleges that Westpac unlawfully failed to notify it of 23 million international transactions that breached anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism finance laws. It has accused the bank of failing to comply with laws which required it to report more than 19.5 million international fund transfers over a five year period, valued at $11 billion.
Criminal Investigation
Investigations by the Australian Federal Police (AFP), the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority ensued have resulted in proceedings that are before the Federal Court.
The scandal has led to the resignation of Westpac Chairman Lindsay Maxsted and CEO Brian Hartzer, although Mr Hartzer was officially paid out his multi-million dollar severence.
Hypocrisy
Ironically, at the time the transactions were occurring, Westpac hosted a lavish business function with US-based human trafficking expert Christine Dolan as the guest speaker. This, along with the present allegations, has led to accusations of hypocrisy and shareholders abandoning the organisation.
One high profile customer, child protection advocacy group Bravehearts, said:
“Child sexual assault and exploitation happens in the darkest of corners and Westpac had an opportunity to shine a light on it. Instead they showed an unbelievable and inhumane disinterest.”
The bank could be fined as much as $900m – the highest fine ever given to an Australian bank. CBA currently holds the record at $700m – paid to AUSTRAC in 2018 for systemically failing to report around 54,000 suspicious transactions made through its “intelligent deposit machines”.
In its statement of claim, AUSTRAC outlined 12 customer cases where repeated suspicious payments were made to the Philippines in a pattern that should have raised red flags about potential child abuse.
How did it happen?
These customers were using Westpac’s LitePay – a low-cost overseas transfer option for sending money to Britain, the eurozone, India and the Philippines. There are regulations in place that banks are supposed to adhere to – careful monitoring of all overseas transactions. Anything suspicious – that could potentially be money laundering or financing a crime or terrorism – needs to be reported to Australian authorities for further investigation.
Transfers to the Philippines should have been checked, primarily because the Philippines is well-known as a child-sex offending hot spot. In fact, according to reports, in December 2016 AUSTRAC provided banks, including Westpac, with a briefing outlining the typical financial profile of someone engaged in child exploitation that should sound the alarm in automated detection systems.
Banks were told to be alert for people with no obvious family links to the Philippines or South-East Asia, who were sending small sums of money to lots of different people, often over a short period of time. Banks were also specifically told to report such transactions to regulators. In some cases, Westpac customers who made these transactions also travelled to the Philippines which the bank would also have been aware of because of activity on their accounts.
But it was not until mid-way through 2018 that Westpac finally implemented a detection system that functioned correctly, allowing it to effectively monitor these transactions.
What about a bank’s duty to protect personal privacy?
While your bank does have a duty to protect the information it holds on current and former customers, each bank has its own privacy policy which outlines the circumstances in which your information will be given to a third party – one of these circumstances is when the banks are compelled by law to do so.
What will be the consequences?
Aside from the lack of reporting around suspicious transactions that should have raised child abuse red flags, AUSTRAC says the bank did not report around 19.5 million international funds transfers, plus numerous other alleged breaches of the law.
In total AUSTRAC alleges 23 million breaches of the law. Each of these carries a maximum penalty of $17 to $21million, which means that theoretically the bank’s liability would end up amounting to trillions of dollars which it would never be able to pay.
The more likely outcome is a settlement or court-determined penalty.
Westpac’s directors and senior managers face potential bans from the banking industry as a result of investigations too. But the sad fact is that as a result of its lack of oversight and adequate detection systems, many vulnerable children endured something preventable.
What Westpac ends up paying, or how many of its senior people end up having to find new careers won’t make up for the unimaginable human suffering.
Written by Sonia Hickey. Republished with permission of Sydney Criminal Lawyers.
Legal
ENTERTAINMENT
GOLDIE HAWN DELIVERS THE “BRAIN BREAK” WE ALL NEED DURING COVID-19CRISIS
As people around the world continue to stay at home amid the coronavirus pandemic, Goldie Hawn has come up with ideas to help children and their families get through these uncertain times.
The Academy Award-winning actress has released her guided five-minute mindfulness meditation named “brain break” to help individuals regulate their emotions and focus their attention.
The exercise is part of her foundation’s signature program MindUP, which is aimed at giving children the tools to manage stress.
“What we do is we quiet our minds,” Hawn explained in an Instagram video earlier this month.
“We get that ‘barking dog’ … and get him back in the dog house and get calm. That’s the one time that the pre-frontal cortex can think.”
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Goldie Hawn (@goldiehawn) on Apr 15, 2020 at 2:23pm PDT
The 74-year-old said such meditation could help both children and adults in managing their emotions while living with “uncertainty, fear, anger, reactivity”.
“As a family, it’s a really good thing to have your moments of meditation or as we call it, a ‘brain break’ throughout the day as it will serve you in such a way that you just won’t believe it.”
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Goldie Hawn (@goldiehawn) on Mar 19, 2020 at 3:41pm PDT
The brain break exercise has been made available for free on the Moshi: Sleep and Mindfulness app and via the MindUP website.
The MindUP program was launched in 2003 in collaboration with academics working in psychology, neuroscience and education. It is now used in 250 schools in the UK and Ireland.
Movies
FACT ABOUT MASTERCHEF STAR POH THAT WILL SHOCK YOUShe made her first appearance on MasterChef in its first season in 2009.
And fans have pointed out how Poh Ling Yeow hasn’t seemed to age a single day over the last decade, with many surprised to find out her real age.
The cook, who is currently appearing on Channel 10’s all stars series MasterChef: Back to Win this year, is approaching the age of 50, leaving many baffled by her youthful appearance.
Poh is 47 years old, but certainly doesn’t look it.
And viewers can’t believe it.
POH IS 47 YEARS OLD.....I-.....WHO LOOKS LIKE THAT AT 47???
— 𝒷𝒶𝒷𝓎 𝓇𝒶𝓉🍒 (@stvpidbaby) April 14, 2020
Geez Poh looks goot for 47. #asiansdontage
href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/butwhentheydoitsfastandbad?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#butwhentheydoitsfastandbad
href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/masterchefau?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#masterchefau — Jaxx Magnum (@Jaxx_Magnum) April 13, 2020
Poh, who runs a café in Adelaide, came second to Julie Goodwin in the very first season of MasterChef and has gathered a loyal following over the years.
The reality cooking show is experiencing huge success this year with record-breaking ratings.
MasterChef Australia continues tonight at 7:30 on Ten.
TV
5 MINUTES WITH AUTHOR RACHAEL JOHNSIn 5 minutes with author, Over60 asks book writers about their literary habits and preferences. Next in this series is Rachael Johns, a romance writer and English teacher based in Perth. Her novel The Patterson Girls was named the Favourite Australian Contemporary Romance in the 2015 Australian Romance Readers Awards and General Fiction Book of the Year at the 2016 Australian Book Industry Awards. Her latest book Something to Talk About is out now.
Over60 talked with Johns about Marian Keyes, stay at home activities, and her favourite romance tropes.
Over60: What is your best writing tip?
Rachael Johns: To be a writer you must also be a reader and you must read LOTS, inside and outside your genre. Read for pleasure but also with a critical eye, trying to learn from your favourite authors and the bestsellers.
How have you been holding up living with coronavirus restrictions?
As an author, I’m quite used to living a quiet life at home, but having my family around all the time has made being creative a little bit harder. I’m using the downtime when I can’t focus as much on writing to read lots, catch up on TV and have finally taken up knitting – it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.
What was the last book that made you laugh?
The End of Cuthbert Close by Cassie Hamer.
What do you think makes for great romance?
Chemistry, conflict and emotion. I love when there’s a lot of playful banter between the two main characters – when they’re clearly attracted to each other, but they can’t or don’t want to act on these feelings for some reason.
What does your writing routine look like?
I try to keep to school hours, Monday to Friday. First hour or so involves admin stuff – like emails, interviews, chatting with readers on Facebook/Instagram and then I get serious. I aim for about 2,000 words a day, and if I don’t make those words during the week, I try and make them up on the weekend.
Do you deal with writer’s block? If so, how do you overcome it?
Usually if I’m stuck mid-book it’s because I’m trying to make the characters do something that isn’t really true to their personality. Once I remember this, I go for a long walk or take a shower and try to brainstorm what else could happen instead that is within their character.
What trope grinds your gears? Alternatively, is there a cliché that you can’t help but love?
I’m not a fan of the really alpha male hero, but aside from that, I’m open to most romantic tropes. My top favourites however are ex-lovers reunited, friends to lovers, and a good love triangle.
Which author, deceased or living, would you most like to have dinner with?
Ooh, tough choice – can I really only pick one?! If so, I choose Marian Keyes – I’d love to pick her writing brain but also just hang out with her because she seems so warm and funny!
Books
NO MORE NEGOTIATING: NEW RULES COULD FINALLY FORCE GOOGLE AND FACEBOOKTO PAY FOR NEWS
Digital platforms such as Google and Facebook will be forced to compensate news media companies for using their content, under a new mandatory code to be drawn up by Australia’s competition watchdog.
The announcement, made by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg today, follows last year’s landmark report by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), which found that news media businesses lack bargaining power in their negotiations with digital giants.
News media businesses have complained for years that the loss of advertising revenue to Google and Facebook threatens their survival. The economic crash caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has turned that crisis into an emergency.
Frydenberg pledged that the latest move will “level the playing field”, adding: “It’s only fair that those that generate content get paid for it.”
Power imbalance and tumbling profits
A mandatory code of conduct was not the original plan. When the ACCC released its report last year, it suggested that Google and Facebook should each negotiate with news media businesses to agree on how they should fairly share revenues generated when “the digital platform obtains value, directly or indirectly, from content produced by news media businesses”.
The report concluded that tech giants are currently enjoying the benefit of news businesses’ content without paying for the privilege.
For example, Google’s search results feature “news snippets” including content from news websites. Both Google and Facebook have quick-loading versions of news businesses’ articles that don’t display the full range of paid advertising that appears on the news websites’ own pages.
These tactics make it less likely users will click through to the actual news website, thus depriving media businesses of the ensuing subscription and advertising revenue. Meanwhile, as the ACCC report showed, media companies’ share of advertising revenue has itself been slashed over the past decade, as advertisers flock to Google and Facebook.
Platforms giveth, platforms taketh away
Why don’t news businesses negotiate compensation payments with the platforms themselves, rather than asking the government to step in?
The answer is the vast mismatch in bargaining power between Australian media companies and global digital giants.
The ACCC report found that digital platforms such as Google and Facebook are “an essential gateway for news for many consumers”, meaning the news businesses rely on them for “referral traffic”.
Put simply, much of news companies’ web traffic comes via readers clicking on links from Google and Facebook. But at the same time, these digital giants are dominating advertising revenues and using news companies’ content in competition with them.
The pandemic effect
The COVID-19 crisis has dealt a further blow to media companies’ advertising revenue, as potential advertisers are forced into economic hibernation or simply go out of business.
Content licensing payments from Google and Facebook could provide crucial alternative revenue. But if the payments are structured as a share of advertising income, the publishers will share in Google and Facebook’s own advertising downturn.
The ACCC will not unveil the draft code until July, so it is still unclear how the obligations will be implemented or enforced.
ACCC chief Rod Sims has pledged that Australia’s mandatory code of conduct will feature “heavy penalties” for Facebook and Google if they fail to comply, involving fines that are “large enough to matter”.
How might Google and Facebook react?
The platforms could conceivably attempt to sidestep the compensation rules by no longer providing users with quick-loading versions of news articles. Google could also cease publishing news snippets at the top of its search results, as it did in Spain when faced with similar obligations.
But there is href="http://www.newsmediaalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Final-Revised-Spain-Report_11-7-19.pdf">evidence,
albeit from href="https://www.newsmediaalliance.org/google-news-shutdown-in-spain-not-as-bad-as-google-would-have-you-believe/">news publishers themselves, that this would merely drive readers directly to publishers’ websites.
Australia’s decision to abandon negotiations in favour of mandatory rules stands in contrast to the situation in France, the European state most advanced in the implementation of a similar policy flowing from the European Union’s
2019 href="https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/modernisation-eu-copyright-rules">Copyright Directive.
Earlier this month, France’s competition
regulator href="https://www.autoritedelaconcurrence.fr/en/press-release/neighbouring-rights-autorite-has-granted-requests-urgent-interim-measures-presented">ordered Google to negotiate in good faith with publishers on remuneration for use of content. Any agreed compensation will be backdated to October 24, 2019, when the Copyright Directive became law in France.
Google’s previous solution had been to require that publishers license the use of snippets of their content to Google at no charge. But France’s watchdog argued this was an abuse of Google’s dominant position.
Google and Facebook are likely to continue to resist these developments in Australia, knowing they could be copied in other jurisdictions.
Even if they do cooperate, it’s not yet clear that “levelling the playing field” with the tech giants will make any difference to the collapse of media advertising revenue driven by the coronavirus.
Written by Katharine Kemp and Rob Nicholls. Republished with permission of The Conversation.
Movies
PROPERTY
GREAT-GRANDPARENTS SELL MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR PENTHOUSE TO HELP COVID-19RESEARCH
An elderly couple in Queensland have decided to donate the proceeds of their multimillion dollar seaside penthouse in order to help researchers develop a vaccine for COVID-19.
Keith and Glenda Drake, both in their 80s, decided to auction off their two-storey penthouse on the Sunshine Coast and want to assist in the search for a cure.
The couple moved from the penthouse to an acreage property with their 57-year-old son Neville who requires round-the-clock care as he lives with quadriplegia cerebral palsy.
Keith said that the penthouse was earning rental income but decided as long as they have enough income to look after their son’s needs, the money could be put to better use.
"We have enough, we know what we need for Neville and his condition, and the rest of our family," he said to ABC.
"We won't live forever, we're in our 80s … so I said to Glenda, 'Let's do it' and she said, 'Yes!'.
"I understood the significance of this pandemic, I realised how serious it was, and thought the laboratories must really be needing some money to do what they've got to do.
"Without them coming up with a remedy we could be stuck with this thing for a long time."
The couple had already donated $100,000 to the cause but felt the money “wouldn’t get them very far” and decided to add their proceeds from the penthouse to the donation.
The funds will go towards expanding national trials, testing the effectiveness of two drugs in the treatment of COVID-19 and other medical research projects.
"I couldn't do what they do and that to me is of greater significance than what we are doing," Mr Drake said.
"Giving a material thing is not as valuable as the time and energy put in by these medical people.
"Those people doing the work — carers, people fighting fires — those are the wonderful people who deserve accolades, not people like us who have just been lucky in business."
The funds will go to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (HBWH) Foundation Coronavirus Action Fund, and chief executive Simone Garske said that the family are “incredibly generous”.
"The funds from the sale of the property will allow research projects, such as clinical trials, to occur and be expanded when necessary, so we get answers faster," she said.
Real Estate
LIVE LIKE A LOCAL AT THESE BRISBANE RETIREMENT VILLAGESDownsizers can forget about home maintenance chores and enjoy a friendly community, resort-style facilities and first-class care and support services when they move into Queensland’s Azure Blue retirement villages.
There are two Azure Blue villages. One is located at coastal Redcliffe, some 28km north of the Brisbane CBD, while another is at suburban Carina, around 7km east of the Brisbane CBD.
For years, apartments in these villages have been snapped up by downsizing Brisbane locals keen to spend their retirement years close to their families and friends, favourite shops and health professionals.
But now the secret is out and downsizers from right across Australia have the opportunity to discover the benefits of “living like a local” in an Azure Blue village.
Azure Blue Carina is nestled in a bushland hilltop location in a well-connected inner-city neighbourhood. It has its very own onsite café and is close to major shopping centres, health services and beautiful parklands.
The village contains 98 architecturally designed one, two and three-bedroom apartments, some of which enjoy stunning views of the surrounding bushland.
Azure Blue Redcliffe, meanwhile, is located just a short stroll away from the edge of Moreton Bay, allowing residents to embrace the cleansing sea breeze and the freedom of coastal living. It’s also positioned close to shopping, dining, cinemas and health services as well as having its own onsite café.
The village contains 122 one, two and three bedroom dwellings. These are modern, architecturally designed apartments with plenty of space and quality fittings and finishes.
Every day feels like a holiday at the Azure Blue villages, which both contain swimming pools, BBQ areas, eateries, gyms, beauty salons and media rooms.
Both villages also feature a friendly and supportive community, including well-organised residents’ committees that arrange functions and social activities. This provides residents with the opportunity to be active and connected.
Importantly, the villages offer apartment and property maintenance, which means fewer chores and more time for freedom.
As one resident of Azure Blue Carina said: “Living here is so easy and low maintenance, with no gardens to mow, we have the freedom to do what we want to do.”
Although many residents in both villages live without the need for care and support services, those services are there for you if and when you need them.
For instance, apartments in both Azure Blue villages have a 24-hour emergency response system.
In addition, residents can access a range of Blue Care home care services, including home care support, assistance with housework, transport around town, and allied health services such as podiatry and physiotherapy.
Both villages also have a state-of-the-art residential aged care facility on-site, offering peace of mind that additional care is close by for residents.
For more information about the Azure Blue villages, including to make an enquiry, please visit www.azureblue.com.au
This content has been prepared by Downsizing.com.au on behalf of Blue Care, an agency of UnitingCare which manages more than 30 retirement villages across Queensland.
Downsizing
JASON HODGES FROM BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS IS SELLING UP – AND HISHOUSE IS AMAZING
Fans were devastated when Jason Hodges was axed from Better Homes and Gardens after sixteen years on the show. The man himself confirmed that he just “didn’t see it coming”, he is focusing on the future and plans on taking it easy.
Hodgie is now selling his amazing North Ryde property that is heritage listed with a price guide of $1.9 million.
The well-loved four-bedroom home has undergone an amazing transformation which is believed to be a labour of love for Hodgie and his partner, Lisa, a horticulturalist.
The home is set amongst beautiful landscaped gardens with hedging, lawns, retaining walls, stepping stones and topiary trees. There’s a plunge pool behind a glass fence, water features, hardwood decking, a fixed barbecue and a pizza oven tucked away in the corner of the jaw-dropping garden.
“Everyone who has inspected the house has stood on the driveway looking back at the house and commented on how stunning it is,” said agent John McManus.
“It just feels like something you would expect to find in the Southern Highlands. When you arrive at the property, it is like you are visiting family in the country.”
That comment is especially fitting as Hodgie himself has planned on taking things a lot easier since his departure from the show.
“I need to change my lifestyle. The hustle and bustle of Sydney - the tolls, the parking, the units going up…” he trails off.
“Berry is heaven, it’s green and lush with rolling hills and the people are even better than the landscape. The sense of community is amazing,” he adds.
Hodges has won medals at the Chelsea Flower show and Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show for his work.
The couple have two children and have retained many period features inside the home, including exposed brick work, pressed tin ceilings, timber flooring and working fireplaces.
The couple renovated the house in 2014, but a new kitchen was added last year.
One of Mr McManus’ favourite areas is the main bathroom with freestanding tub, an open shower and a decorative original fireplace.
“It is just stunning, to me, he has really thought about keeping the character of the home but also creating something special,” he said.
“You could be sitting in the bath on a Friday afternoon with a glass of champagne and the candles going, it is just delightful.”
Scroll through the gallery to see the stunning home and garden.
Photo credits: realestate.com.au
Real Estate
GUY SEBASTIAN GIVES RARE LOOK INTO “SPECIAL” MONOCHROMATIC MANSIONAustralian pop star Guy Sebastian and his wife Jules have given fans a rare insight into their ultra-modern monochromatic home during the strict quarantine measures.
As the pair continue to self-isolate with their two children during the COVID-19 pandemic, they have taken to social media to share pictures of their unbelievable $3.1 million Maroubra mansion.
The property was once described as a “fortress” by angry neighbours and features a tennis court, lush grand piano and a nine-metre high spiral staircase.
Guy and Jules chose a simple monochrome palette for their interior design, and features concrete walls and black and white features throughout.
Jules also recently took to social media to give an update on her life, and in that time shared what her bathroom (that she shares with Guy) looks like.
The mother-of-two revealed in another clip that she had managed to finish renovating her children's bedrooms before coronavirus was declared a pandemic.
The Sebastians share two children, Hudson James, eight, and Archer Jones, five.
Guy purchased the home in 2013, and then spent two-and-a-half years renovating it. He finally moved in with his family in June 2019.
Disgruntled neighbours have made complaints in the past about the loud development, with many describing the home as a “fortress” because of its monolithic facade.
In December, Guy defended the extensive renovation, telling KIIS FM: “It’s a long build, but it's a pretty special house. It's not normal. It's not a cookie-cutter house. It's cool.”
Real Estate
JOIN OVER60
Join our community of over 400,000-plus members today and get the latest Over60 news, offers and articles. Get all the latest Over60 news, offers and articles.__ __
__
__
Copyright 2020 OverSixty.All Rights Reserved. JOIN TODAY AND RECEIVE ALL THE LATEST NEWS, OFFERS AND UPDATES FROMOVER60.
Simply enter your email below to be the first to know. By joining Over60 you consent that you have read and agree to ourTerms & Conditions
and
Privacy Policy .
Join Over60
Details
Copyright © 2024 ArchiveBay.com. All rights reserved. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | DMCA | 2021 | Feedback | Advertising | RSS 2.0