Placeholder Content Image

"Miracles do exist": Astonishing return of missing teen after four years

<p>An American teenager has been found after she went missing four years ago, when she walked into a police station and asked to be taken off the missing children list. </p> <p>Alicia Navarro, who is now 18, walked into a police station in a small town in Montana, close to the Canadian border, and identified herself as the teenager who was reported missing in September 2019. </p> <p>“Alicia Navarro has been located,” Glendale public safety communications manager Jose Santiago said during a press conference.</p> <p>“She is by all accounts, safe, she is by all accounts healthy and she is by all accounts happy.”</p> <p>The teenager reportedly left her home willingly four years ago when she was 14-years-old, leaving her parents a note when she disappeared from her house overnight on September 15th 2019. </p> <p>Alicia, who has been described as a high-functioning autistic person, left a handwritten note for her parents that read, “I ran away. I will be back. I swear. I’m sorry,” before she slipped out of the house while they slept. </p> <p>Her parents then didn't hear from her for four years, until they were contacted by the Glendale Police Department to let them know their child had been found. </p> <p>Alicia had an emotional reunion with her mum, who never stopped looking for her, as she was very apologetic over the pain her mother went through not knowing where she was for the past four years or even if she was still alive. </p> <p>Her mom, Jessica Nuñez, called the discovery of her daughter four years after her disappearance a miracle in a video she posted to Facebook.</p> <p>“For everyone who has missing loved ones, I want you to use this case as an example,” she said. “Miracles do exist. Never lose hope and always fight.”</p> <p>Nuñez said she doesn’t have details on her daughter’s disappearance but said “the important thing is that she is alive.”</p> <p>Glendale police are now investigating how the teenager got to Montana, and how she has survived over the last four years by herself. </p> <p>Alicia told police that no one has harmed her and appeared to be healthy, while the girl currently remains in Montana and is able to come and go as she pleases and has asked for privacy so she can move on with her life. </p> <p>“We can only imagine what she’s going through, mentally, emotionally, as well as her family, and as much as we’d like to say this is the end, this is probably only the beginning of where this investigation will go,” Glendale PD Lt. Scott Waite said.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Fox 10</em></p>

Mind

Placeholder Content Image

Live art exists only while it is being performed, and then it disappears. How do we create an archive of the ephemeral?

<p>Live performance exists only in the moment it is being performed. Its ephemeral nature means it is transient and impermanent, and cannot be experienced again in precisely the same way. </p> <p>How do artists hold on to the works that they make? What of the invisible labour that is rarely acknowledged or named? </p> <p>Over the last ten years, performance artist Leisa Shelton has completed a series of participatory artworks which focus on the mutability of the archive: gathering audience testimonies and mapping artistic lineages. </p> <p>Now her new show, Archiving the Ephemeral, brings five works together in a beautifully curated installation. </p> <p>Archiving the Ephemeral is a celebration of the artist, the artistic process and the audience experience. </p> <p>Shelton’s expansive career, built on collaboration, care and conversation, grounds the exhibition. The show reflects her focus on curating and re-framing interdisciplinary work to address the limited opportunities for recognition of contemporary independent Australian performance.</p> <h2>Meticulous design</h2> <p>Marked by a spare, distinctive design, Archiving the Ephemeral is located in the Magdalen Laundry at the Abbotsford Convent. </p> <p>Rich with a bright green wooden industrial interior and aged painted walls, the laundry is a perfect background for the specifically placed items, the carefully lit tables and the long lines of patterned artefacts. </p> <p>Fragile ideas are framed and held within a crafted, artisan aesthetic. Objects are carefully made and remnants are meticulously gathered.</p> <p>Along one side of the space, 132 brown paper packets are laid out in a continuous line on the floor. Each package contains a set of archival materials, burned to ash, which corresponds to an artistic project from Shelton’s career.</p> <p>An accompanying video depicts Shelton’s meticulous process of burning, piece by piece, her entire performance archive to ash. </p> <p>In a methodical and meditative process, the ash is sifted and packaged into the hand-crafted paper bags. The bags are then hand-punched and sewn with twine, typed, labelled and categorised: a kind of devotional honouring of the materials even as they are brought to dust. </p> <h2>A living archive</h2> <p>The exhibition includes an opportunity for each of us to become part of the living archive through conversations with two ground-breaking elders of Australia’s performance art scene, <a href="https://abbotsfordconvent.com.au/news/in-conversation-with-stelarc-and-jill-orr/">Jill Orr and Stelarc</a>. </p> <p>On the night I attend, I sit with Stelarc. We discuss Kantian <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immanuel_Kant">notions of time</a> as he tells me about his <a href="http://stelarc.org/?catID=20353">Re-Wired/Re-Mixed Event for Dismembered Body</a> (2015). It’s a delightful moment of personal connection with an artist I’ve admired for years.</p> <p>Across one wall are four large hanging papers listing the name of every artist on every <a href="https://www.artshouse.com.au/about-us/">Arts House</a> program from 2006-2016, laboriously typed. </p> <p>On the night I attend, these lists elicit lively conversations among the artists present as we study the names and dates (in my case, slightly desperately searching to see if my own name is there), and recall shows, people, events, stories and collaborations.</p> <p>Much of Shelton’s work is gathered from conversations with audience members about art and artists. </p> <p>In Mapping, a set of burnished stainless-steel canisters, beautifully marked with engraved identifications, sit on a bench underneath a suspended video screen on which artist names appear and disappear in an endless, floating loop. </p> <p>The canisters contain details of profoundly memorable artists and performances collected from 1,000 interviews, dated and stamped. They are hand-welded, sumptuous objects which hold the interview cards securely locked under fireproof glass designed to withstand cyclones, fires and floods.</p> <p>The many hand-written files of Scribe contain multiple documents which can be taken out and read. The sheer number of pages is overwhelming, and the breadth of audience commentary – joyful, moved, connected, inspired – is breathtaking.</p> <p>It’s a poignant reminder of the traces borne out beyond the artist’s own experience of performing a work: an often surreal and lonely moment once the audience has left the room.</p> <h2>A practice of care</h2> <p>Archiving the Ephemeral fosters a practice of care and acknowledgement which extends to the practical ways in which our trajectory through the room and engagement with the artworks is enabled. </p> <p>The Convent is an apt site for such a careful collection. Analogue processes and objects are foregrounded. Typewriters, brown paper, string, awls and aprons are part of the painstaking construction process. Attendants and scribes act as custodians in the space, facilitating a gentle holding of the material.</p> <p>We are given the opportunity to continue the archive as it evolves and devolves around us. As I make my way through the space, I notice my own embodied archival actions - taking notes, speaking to others - as I continue the trajectory of documenting the documents. We are not just witnessing one artist’s body of work. Archiving the Ephemeral focuses on the need for greater visibility, recognition and honouring of Australia’s experimental and independent artists, and speaks to the many collaborations, associations, and intricate connections that mark a significant – if unacknowledged – cultural legacy.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/live-art-exists-only-while-it-is-being-performed-and-then-it-disappears-how-do-we-create-an-archive-of-the-ephemeral-201939" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Art

Placeholder Content Image

Love languages are hugely popular – but there’s very little evidence they exist at all

<p>Love languages – the concept coined by Baptist pastor Gary Chapman some 30 years ago – has taken the relationships world by storm. It’s often the “go-to” topic on first dates, and for those in relationships love languages are said to provide deep, meaningful and reliable insights into how relationships function. Putting love languages into action is believed to increase relationship happiness.</p> <p>The concept clearly has appeal. At last count, 20 million copies have been sold worldwide of Chapman’s 1992 book The Five Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts. The book has been translated into 49 languages.</p> <p>There is only one catch. There is little evidence to support the idea that love languages are “a thing”, or that love languages do much of anything to help improve relationships.</p> <h2>What are the love languages?</h2> <p>According to <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&amp;lr=&amp;id=j6d2EAAAQBAJ&amp;oi=fnd&amp;pg=PT9&amp;dq=chapman+(1992)+the+five+love+languages&amp;ots=nDeGjK61-3&amp;sig=cBkMcFvfus9SdjVo7_XMWwCSQdo#v=onepage&amp;q=chapman%20(1992)%20the%20five%20love%20languages&amp;f=false">Chapman</a>, there are five love languages. Each of these love languages is a way to communicate your love to your romantic partner.</p> <p>In his role as a Baptist pastor, Chapman had been counselling couples for years. It was through his observations of couples that the idea of love languages was born. </p> <p>He believed love languages were an intuitive and simple way to teach couples about how to tune into each other’s ways of expressing love. And so, he began running seminars for husbands and wives, and the popularity of his seminars grew. </p> <p>The five love languages are: </p> <p>(1) acts of service (doing something that helps a partner, such as running an errand)</p> <p>(2) physical touch (demonstrating physical affection, such as giving your partner a hug or kiss)</p> <p>(3) quality time (spending time together and giving each other undivided attention)</p> <p>(4) gifts (giving your partner a present that communicates thoughtfulness, effort, and/or expense)</p> <p>(5) words of affirmation (such as expressing your admiration, or complimenting your partner). </p> <p>Chapman suggests that people typically use all love languages, but that most people tend to rely on one love language most of the time. This is referred to as a person’s primary love language. </p> <p>According to Chapman, people are more satisfied in their relationships when both partners match when it comes to their primary love language. However, people experience less satisfaction in their relationships when both partners do not share the same primary love language. </p> <p>Another important aspect of the love languages concept is that relationships are likely to deliver the greatest satisfaction when a person can understand their partner’s love language, and act in ways that “speaks to” their partner’s language. In essence, this idea is about tuning in to what a partner wants. </p> <p>This is an idea that has existed across many models and theories about how relationships function well. That is, responding to a partner in a way that meets their needs and wants makes a person feel <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352250X16300884">understood, validated, and cared for</a>.</p> <h2>What does the evidence tell us?</h2> <p>Despite the popularity of the theory of love languages, only a handful of studies have been conducted and reported over the past 30 years. Research is largely inconclusive, although the balance sways more towards refuting rather than endorsing the love languages concept.</p> <p>Let’s start with how love languages are assessed. In popular culture, the <a href="https://5lovelanguages.com/">Love Language QuizTM</a> is an online questionnaire that people can complete to find out about their love languages. Despite millions of individuals having taken the quiz (according to 5lovelanguages.com), there are no published findings as to the reliability and validity of the measure. </p> <p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17464090500535822">Researchers</a> have developed their own version of the love languages survey, but the findings did not meet the statistical thresholds to suggest the survey adequately captured the five love languages. Also, their findings did not support the idea that there are five love languages.</p> <p>Furthermore, a qualitative study in which <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08934215.2022.2113549?src=recsys">researchers</a> coded the written responses of undergraduate students to questions about how they express love, suggested there may be six love languages. However, the researchers reported difficulty agreeing on how some of the students’ responses neatly fitted into Chapman’s love languages, particularly in the categories of “words of affirmation” and “quality time”. </p> <p>Next, let’s turn to research testing a core premise of the love language theory: that couples with matching love languages experience greater satisfaction than those who do not. Evidence for this premise is very mixed.</p> <p>Three <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/pere.12182">studies</a>, including <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-53018-004">one</a> that used Chapman’s Love Language Quiz, have found that couples with matching love languages were no more satisfied than couples who were mismatched. </p> <p>However, a more recent <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0269429#sec006">study</a> found that partners with matching love languages experienced greater relationship and sexual satisfaction than partners with mismatched love languages. This research also found that men who reported greater empathy and perspective-taking had a love language that better matched the language of their partner.</p> <p>Finally, what does the research say about whether having a better understanding of your partner’s love language is linked to higher relationship satisfaction? Only <a href="https://www.proquest.com/openview/33e5ad9d94f22e2e3ed60d20094eec27/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&amp;cbl=18750&amp;diss=y">two</a> studies have investigated this question. Both <a href="https://www.proquest.com/openview/0e7114482de1edf3625039e63b72e678/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&amp;cbl=18750&amp;diss=y">found</a> that knowing your partner’s primary love language did predict relationship satisfaction in the present or into the future.</p> <p>So, as you can see, not only is there very little research investigating love languages, but the research to date doesn’t strengthen belief in the powerful properties of love languages.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/love-languages-are-hugely-popular-but-theres-very-little-evidence-they-exist-at-all-198065" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Relationships

Placeholder Content Image

Do hypoallergenic cats even exist? 3 myths dispelled about cat allergies

<p>Cats are great companions, but for some people their company comes at a cost. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091674921000038?casa_token=8de37wAiw_0AAAAA:nwC8PN6RhwxD6qJZYGby_3s35dK00fLeiIKplQwvyi7iUSnI7Pcpp8v7CSfj6TB-YfEOU2pMbWQ">Up to 1 in 5 people</a> have an allergic response to cats, and this figure is increasing.</p> <p>There are many myths about allergies to cats, but what is fact and what is fiction? And can you still have a cat if you’re allergic?</p> <p><strong>Myth #1: People are allergic to cat hair</strong></p> <p>There is an element of truth to this myth. However, rather than the hair itself, substances <em>on</em> the hair are the source of the allergy. Most people allergic to cats react to a protein called Fel d 1. This main cat allergen is produced in the glands of the cat, including the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/sebaceous-gland">sebaceous</a> (oil-producing skin glands) and salivary glands.</p> <p>While Fel d1 is the main culprit, domestic cats have <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1098612X211013016">eight different potential allergens</a>. The second most common is Fel d 4, also produced in salivary glands.</p> <p>Another type, Fel d 2, is similar to a protein found in other animals, and the reason a person might be allergic, for example, to both cats and horses. This similarity can also result in a child with milk allergy having an increased risk of being allergic to animals like cats.</p> <p>When cats groom themselves, they deposit the allergen in their saliva onto their hair. Sebaceous glands are close to the skin and can secrete onto the hair follicles. When you pet a cat’s fur, a reaction is set off, especially if you then rub your nose or eyes.</p> <p>But you don’t need to pet a cat to have an allergic reaction to them. Simply being around dander can be enough. Dander might sound like a dating app for pets, but it’s actually more akin to animal dandruff, and contains tiny scales from hair or skin. As dander particles are so small, they float in the air and we often breathe them in.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491005/original/file-20221021-21-z42jq1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491005/original/file-20221021-21-z42jq1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491005/original/file-20221021-21-z42jq1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491005/original/file-20221021-21-z42jq1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491005/original/file-20221021-21-z42jq1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491005/original/file-20221021-21-z42jq1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491005/original/file-20221021-21-z42jq1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="A grey cat licking its paw" /><figcaption><span class="caption">When cats groom themselves, the allergen is transferred from their saliva onto their fur.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/Hd7vwFzZpH0">Eric Han/Unsplash</a></span></figcaption></figure> <p><strong>Myth #2: There are hypoallergenic cats</strong></p> <p>There is no evidence that specific cat breeds do not cause allergies. However, if some breeds have less hair, or shed less hair, this may reduce exposure to allergens in the environment.</p> <p>For example, Sphynx cats are hairless, although they <a href="https://ddd.uab.cat/pub/tfg/2022/264236/TFG_amartinmore_poster.pdf">still produce Fel d 1</a>. In this way <a href="https://www.pumpkin.care/blog/hypoallergenic-cat-breeds/">some breeds might be considered “hypoallergenic”</a>, or cause fewer allergic reactions. However, there are no scientific studies to confirm this is the case.</p> <p>All cats produce Fel d 1, but the levels can differ by as much as <a href="https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/crispr.2021.0101">100-fold between individual cats</a>. This may explain why people with cat allergies notice they react more to some cats than others.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491006/original/file-20221021-24-dnas7u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491006/original/file-20221021-24-dnas7u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491006/original/file-20221021-24-dnas7u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491006/original/file-20221021-24-dnas7u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491006/original/file-20221021-24-dnas7u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491006/original/file-20221021-24-dnas7u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491006/original/file-20221021-24-dnas7u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="A sphynx cat sitting on a green blanket" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sphynx cats have little to no hair, but they still produce allergens.</span> <span class="attribution">Jesus Vivas Alacid/Shutterstock</span></figcaption></figure> <p><strong>Myth #3: You have to re-home your cat if you have an allergy</strong></p> <p>If you have a life-threatening allergy to cats, your only alternative might be to find them a new home. However, most people have less severe reactions and can manage symptoms successfully.</p> <p>Some things you can do to limit reactions include:</p> <ul> <li> <p>always wash your hands and avoid touching your face and eyes after handling your cat</p> </li> <li> <p>regularly clean surfaces and change litter to reduce dander</p> </li> <li> <p>wash your cat weekly with a pet-specific shampoo, <em>if</em> <a href="https://www.drmartybecker.com/wp-content/cache/wp-rocket/drmartybecker.com/fear-free/10-low-stress-tips-for-bathing-and-grooming-a-cat/index-https.html_gzip">your cat likes being bathed</a></p> </li> </ul> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491004/original/file-20221021-17-z42jq1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491004/original/file-20221021-17-z42jq1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491004/original/file-20221021-17-z42jq1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491004/original/file-20221021-17-z42jq1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491004/original/file-20221021-17-z42jq1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491004/original/file-20221021-17-z42jq1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491004/original/file-20221021-17-z42jq1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="A tabby cat being washed" /><figcaption><span class="caption">If the cat is amenable to baths, it can be a good method to reduce the level of allergens.</span> <span class="attribution">Matyas Rehak/Shutterstock</span></figcaption></figure> <ul> <li> <p>restrict cats’ access to rooms you want to keep allergy-free, such as the bedroom</p> </li> <li> <p>get a vacuum specifically designed for reducing allergens, such as ones with a HEPA filter</p> </li> <li> <p>use air purifiers with HEPA filters.</p> </li> </ul> <p><strong>Adopting a cat when allergic</strong></p> <p>If you’re allergic and want to adopt a cat, make sure to spend some time with them first to assess your reaction. Ideally, pick a cat that doesn’t make you sneeze.</p> <p>If cats need to be re-homed, this does negatively affect their welfare. A <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4810051/">large study of RSPCA shelters in Australia</a> reported allergy as the reason for relinquishment in roughly 3% of cats out of 61,755 total relinquished between 2006 and 2010.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491007/original/file-20221021-21-fanr5e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491007/original/file-20221021-21-fanr5e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=401&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491007/original/file-20221021-21-fanr5e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=401&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491007/original/file-20221021-21-fanr5e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=401&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491007/original/file-20221021-21-fanr5e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491007/original/file-20221021-21-fanr5e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491007/original/file-20221021-21-fanr5e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="A tabby cat sleeping in the sun on a windowsill" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Adopting a cat is a serious commitment.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/oA6zqMdnhjE">Roberto Huczek/Unsplash</a></span></figcaption></figure> <p>You can also see your doctor about options for managing symptoms such as over-the-counter medications (such as antihistamines) and longer term solutions.</p> <p>For those with allergies who want to have their cat and their ability to breathe too, <a href="https://journals.lww.com/co-allergy/fulltext/2018/08000/does_evidence_support_the_use_of_cat_allergen.11.aspx?casa_token=Y7rh9GwOUjcAAAAA:VoRFLInOZf_E_oDk2uX0ZrkfrMDNklzrvx1Tl7PsS2MFoaTEu4bR-n7JCG0IjgiPYCImKnpzYVjX9SmnFxmlTuRyt2VvXg">another option is immunotherapy</a>, although there is limited evidence to support this treatment for cat allergies.</p> <p>Immunotherapy involves first identifying which specific allergen is causing the reactions, and then systematically delivering increasing levels of this allergen over several months in an effort to retrain the immune system to tolerate the allergen without a reaction. This may be especially beneficial for those with moderate to severe reactions.</p> <p>There is evidence <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/cea.12380?casa_token=aZ0yxtcV_2MAAAAA:zfNPJau3PSSvTr7I5HXWgISCZ8NZm_5Bnrh9eVdZyoeU8V4e_jESrdXMy3Aw4kdtHHBZBSeVA3sJb4LS">exposure to dogs and cats early in life can reduce at least some forms of allergy</a>. Evidence is still conflicting, though, and probably depends on genetics and other environmental factors.</p> <p>What we do know is that pet cats provide companionship and joy to many, and understanding the causes and treatment of pet allergy can only help both cats and humans.</p> <p><em>Writen by Susan Hazel. Republished with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/do-hypoallergenic-cats-even-exist-3-myths-dispelled-about-cat-allergies-191662" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image:<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/191662/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> Getty Images</em></p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

23 cities you learned about in school that no longer exist

<p>Looking around your city, it may be hard to imagine that there might be a time when it no longer exists. But that’s exactly what happened to these communities. </p><p>Read on to learn all about the fires, floods, disasters and unsolved mysteries that led to these cities no longer existing.</p><p><strong>East Berlin, Germany </strong></p><p>The Soviet sector of Berlin was established in 1945 and existed until 1990. The Wall that divided it from West Berlin became a symbol of the evils of communism to the rest of the world until it finally fell in 1989. </p><p>Today, a united Berlin is the largest city and capital of Germany. Berlin has also earned the distinction of being deemed one of the most honest cities in the world.</p><p><strong>Hashima Island, Japan</strong></p><p>Hashima Island was formerly one of the most populated cities in the world. The 6 hectare island provided jobs to more than 5000 people, many of whom made their living at the island’s underwater coal mines. </p><p>When the mines were closed, Hashima Island was abandoned. Today it is nothing but dilapidated high rises and forgotten buildings as evidenced in these pictures of Hashima Island.</p><p><strong>Consonno, Italy</strong></p><p>Consonno was a tiny town with a population of less than 300 and roots dating back to the middle ages. The residents made their living harvesting crops like chestnuts and celery. </p><p>Then Mario Bagno came along and decided to turn the area into the Las Vegas of Italy and planned on calling it the City of Toys. He demolished nearly every building and set to work on building his masterpiece. </p><p>Then disaster struck: in 1976 a landslide buried the access road and the project was never finished. Today, Consonno has been abandoned.</p><p><strong>Little America, Antarctica</strong></p><p>Little America was the name of not one, but five different postal outposts in Antarctica. The first was established in 1933 and the last, in 1958. </p><p>Where did they go? The answer is as unique as Antarctica itself. One by one, they floated out to sea. If the glaciers continue to melt, that could spell disaster for Antarctica.</p><p><strong>Eastern Settlement, Greenland</strong></p><p>Eastern Settlement in Greenland isn’t just an abandoned city, it’s also a mystery. Once the most populated area in Greenland, the area was abandoned and no one knows why. </p><p>The last known writings from the area pertained to a wedding in 1408 and offered no clues.</p><p><strong>Pompeii, Italy</strong></p><p>Pompeii was once a resort town in Italy where wealthy Romans spent their vacations. </p><p>In 79 CE, Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried the city under ash. It was all but forgotten until 1800 years later when archaeologists found the city that remained intact beneath the rubble.</p><p><strong>Machu Picchu, Peru</strong></p><p>Today Machu Picchu is on the bucket list of dream trips for many travellers, but there was a time it was an Incan city spanning over eight kilometres. </p><p>Historians believe it was a religious or royal site but the city’s origins are largely mysterious. Machu Picchu was abandoned in the early 1500s around the time of the Spanish Conquistadors. </p><p>Since archaeologists haven’t discovered evidence the area was attacked, many speculate the population could have been wiped out by a smallpox epidemic.</p><p><strong>Troy, Turkey</strong></p><p>Troy was rendered immortal in Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad. For many years, the Troy of Ancient Greece was merely the stuff of legend but in the 1800s its location was discovered in what is now Turkey. </p><p>The site contains layers of ruins archaeologists are still studying.</p><p><strong>Bannack, Montana</strong></p><p>Gold was discovered at the site that became Bannack in 1862 and the city that sprung up around the ensuing boom briefly served as the capital of the Montana territory. </p><p>Like many cities built during the gold rush, Bannack is now a ghost town. The location and old buildings have been preserved as a state park for visitors who want to experience a little bit of history.</p><p><strong>Kolmanskop, Namibia</strong></p><p>Komanskop was once an affluent mining village that owed its riches to the world’s never-ending need for diamond engagement rings. </p><p>After World War II, the diamonds became increasingly scarce and by the 1950s the mine was depleted. With no way to earn a living, the residents eventually moved away and the abandoned city is now a tourist attraction.</p><p><strong>Hallsands, United Kingdom</strong></p><p>The people in the small town of Hallsands were minding their business one evening in 1917 when the entire village – save for one house – collapsed and fell into the sea. </p><p>The residents were left homeless and rebuilt elsewhere. Today the remains of the village of Hallsands are under the sea.</p><p><strong>Centralia, Pennsylvania</strong></p><p>Centralia was a tiny town whose residents relied on coal mining to make their living. Then in 1962, a fire made its way into a coal seam – and has continued to burn for 50 years. </p><p>In 1981 a young boy was almost killed falling through a sinkhole caused by the fire, prompting congress to buy out the remaining residents to give them the means to relocate. </p><p>There were a few holdouts, leading the state of Pennsylvania to condemn all the remaining buildings and strip Centralia of its postcode in 1992 to encourage the remaining residents to move. </p><p>Despite this, a church still stands in Centralia and is open to all who seek a place to worship.</p><p><strong>San Juan Parangaricutiro, Mexico</strong></p><p>San Juan Parangaricutiro was a thriving community until the Paricutin volcano erupted in 1943, covering the city in lava and ash. </p><p>The volcano continued to erupt for eight years, completely decimating all except the tower and altar of the city’s church. Today, the half-buried church is a major tourist attraction.</p><p><strong>Pripyat, Ukraine</strong></p><p>The nuclear disaster in Chernobyl led to the downfall of the once vibrant city of Pripyat when tens of thousands of people were forced to abandon their homes, never to return.  </p><p>Today, Pripyat is an abandoned city full of overgrown vegetation and crumbling high rises.</p><p><strong>Cahokia, Illinois</strong></p><p>Today Cahokia is the name of a village in Illinois but there was a time when the area was the site of an industrious indigenous community and the biggest city north of Mexico. </p><p>It was abandoned around 1350, although no one knows why. They did, however, leave behind the famous Cahokia Mounds, which you can still go and visit today.</p><p><strong>Lukangol, Sudan</strong></p><p>Lukangol was a bustling city until ethnic clashes led to a horrifying massacre in 2011. </p><p>Fortunately, nearly 20,000 people were able to flee before the attack, but there was nevertheless a severe loss of life. The city itself was burnt to ashes and the citizens of Kukangol were unable to return.</p><p><strong>Taxila, Pakistan</strong></p><p>The ancient city of Taxila, Pakistan flourished from the 5th century BCE until the 2nd century CE. </p><p>It was an important site for the scholarship and practice of Buddhism and the architecture reflected the influence of Persian, Greek and Central Asian cultures. </p><p>Unfortunately, the Epthlatites invaded and destroyed most of the city. It was never rebuilt and subsequently abandoned by its people. Its awe-inspiring ruins still remain today.</p><p><strong>Nan Madol, Federated States of Micronesia</strong></p><p>Ancient architects pulled off some pretty amazing feats, but perhaps none were more mind-boggling than Nan Madol, a city built on top of coral reefs. </p><p>The columns and stones are so heavy and imposing that even today, scientists have yet to figure out how it was built. </p><p>The city was the centre of the Saudeleur Dynasty until the first part of the 1600s when the Saudeleur were overthrown and the site was abandoned.</p><p><strong>Easter Island</strong></p><p>Easter Island is one of the seven wonders of the world, and for good reason. Originally known as Rapa Nui, the island is about as remote as you can get. </p><p>It’s located 3700 km from South America and 1700 km from the next nearest island. </p><p>To this day, scientists can’t explain when Easter Island was populated, how the citizens built its heavy stone statues, or why and how everyone left.</p><p><strong>Dead Cities, Syria</strong></p><p>The Dead Cities of Syria was actually a group of 40 villages dating from the 1st to 20th Centuries CE. Long enough to transition from the pagan religions of the Roman Empire to Christianity. </p><p>Although no one is sure why they were abandoned, most researchers theorise it was due to unfavourable trade routes or a series of invasions. </p><p>The cities still stand and remain an architectural wonder today.</p><p><strong>Fort Mose, Florida</strong></p><p>Fort Mose has a fascinating and important history. More than a quarter-century ago, escaped slaves from the Carolinas found refuge in America’s oldest city, St Augustine. </p><p>From there, they established America’s original underground railroad and toiled to free the people left behind. Eventually, they were granted their own town by Florida’s Spanish governor. </p><p>The community of Fort Mose has been long since abandoned but it will go down in the history books as the first legally sanctioned free black town in what is now the United States.</p><p><strong>Akrotiri, Greece</strong></p><p>The picture-perfect city of Santorini is built on top of the ancient city of Akrotiri. Akrotiri was destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Thera during the 16th century and covered in ash and lava. </p><p>Many believe it was the origin story for the mythology of the Lost City of Atlantis. </p><p>Scientists have been working to preserve and excavate what they can of ancient Akrotiri since 1967 so we can learn more about the lives of the people who once lived there.</p><p><strong>Humberstone, Chile</strong></p><p>Humberstone was once known as La Palma. It was renamed after James Humberstone, a chemical engineer who emigrated to South America in the late 1800s and made a fortune mining saltpeter. </p><p>At its peak, Humberstone was a mining town that provided a home to approximately 3500 people. However, saltpeter was no longer needed after synthetic fertilisers were invented after World War I and the city was abandoned. </p><p>The city is still remarkably well preserved due to the area’s arid climate.</p><p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p><p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/culture/24-cities-you-learned-about-in-school-that-no-longer-exist?pages=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.</em></p>

International Travel

Placeholder Content Image

New artwork appears over existing Banksy art

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A mysterious artwork has appeared on the wall of a house in Bristol that once showcased an original Banksy work before it was vandalised. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The original artwork, which shows a girl firing a slingshot of flowers, appeared on Valentine’s Day in 2020 and was subsequently vandalised. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The destruction of the piece prompted the owners of the house to cover up the ruined work, and encase the untouched flower explosion in a glass case to prevent any further damage. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now, a new tag has appeared on the wall that shows a man in a balaclava attempting to pry away the covering with a crowbar.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7846891/banksy-bristol.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/78080f293fda4bbfa32b94145cb127e7" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The original artwork appeared on Valentine’s Day 2020. Image credits: Getty Images</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite the new work being in Banksy’s signature street art style, the work featured a tag of the word “Pouchy”, leaving locals to wonder if the new work is Banksy’s at all, or the work of a copycat artist.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Banksy has yet to claim the piece online. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After the piece was originally vandalised and covered up, Banksy </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">himself released a statement in which he said he was “kind of glad” the artwork was vandalised as he released a series of “better” sketches of it. </span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credits: Getty Images / Instagram @damianjvcunningham</span></em></p>

Art

Placeholder Content Image

15 countries that existed 100 years ago but don’t anymore

<p><strong>Yugoslavia </strong></p> <p><span>A hundred years ago, World War I wreaked all kinds of havoc on the borders of Europe. Yugoslavia, a southeastern European country created in 1918 as “the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes” and renamed Yugoslavia a decade later, united many culturally and ethnically diverse territories that were part of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. </span></p> <p><span>The new nation included the current states of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Macedonia. </span></p> <p><span>But Yugoslavia was headed for more strife in the 20th century: broken up and occupied during World War II, reunited under a communist leader post-war, followed later by fighting during the 1990s. </span></p> <p><span>Now that the country is officially no longer, much of the region is experiencing greater peace. </span></p> <p><span>Croatia’s coastal city of Dubrovnik doubles for the hit HBO series </span><em>Game of Thrones</em><span>’ King’s Landing, making it such a popular tourist destination that it had to limit the number of visitors.</span></p> <p><strong>Tibet</strong></p> <p><span>Although we associate Tibet with peaceful Buddhist monks and its spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, this region northwest of India has been fought over for centuries. </span></p> <p><span>Tibet was actually its own independent country only from 1912 to 1951, when it was made part of China. </span></p> <p><span>Efforts to ‘free Tibet’ are ongoing, and the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Dalai Lama, now retired, still resides in exile in India. </span></p> <p><span>The country is also a destination for adventure seekers and mountaineers because it contains the highest point on Earth, the nearly 8849 metre Mount Everest, which lies on the border of Nepal.</span></p> <p><strong>Neutral Moresnet</strong></p> <p><span>Never heard of Neutral Moresnet? You’re not the only one. </span></p> <p><span>This minuscule country of just over two-and-a-half square kilometres was carved out of an agreement between the Dutch and the Prussians (more on them later) in 1816, so both nations would have access to its zinc mine. </span></p> <p><span>Neutral Moresnet had its own flag and even made its own coins. Efforts were made to turn the tiny nation into a utopia with its own artificial ‘world language,’ Esperanto. </span></p> <p><span>But it fell victim to World War I, and then became part of Belgium. </span></p> <p><span>The present-day residents of the area, however, still celebrate the anniversary of Neutral Moresnet’s creation.</span></p> <p><strong>Newfoundland</strong></p> <p><span>You might think of the rugged island of Newfoundland as part of Canada, but that wasn’t always the case. </span></p> <p><span>The island off North America’s northeastern coast was also previously a British colony, but its isolation created a culture distinct from the surrounding region. </span></p> <p><span>Newfoundland became a self-governing independent nation, although still a British ‘dominion,’ from 1907 until 1934, when it voluntarily chose to go back to being a colony after the Great Depression hit hard. </span></p> <p><span>In 1949, Newfoundland became a Canadian province, now known as Newfoundland and Labrador (interestingly, both names of dog breeds as well!).</span></p> <p><strong>Abyssinia</strong></p> <p><span>This romantic-sounding name was actually the Arab and European moniker for Ethiopia a hundred years ago. </span></p> <p><span>In the ‘Scramble for Africa’ at the end of the 19th century, Italy had tried to snatch it up, but was unable to overthrow its monarchy. </span></p> <p><span>In fact, the country was never colonised and was one of the few independent states in Africa – until the Italians under Mussolini were able to briefly occupy it during the late 1930s. </span></p> <p><span>After World War II, Ethiopia became one of the founding countries of the United Nations. </span></p> <p><span>The country’s rich history also lays claim to the world’s oldest human fossil ever found, and allegedly the biblical Ark of the Covenant (you know, the one in <em>Raiders of the Lost Ark</em>). </span></p> <p><span>The surreal landscape of Ethiopia’s lava lake is one of the most remote places on earth.</span></p> <p><strong>Czechoslovakia</strong></p> <p><span>This eastern European country was another melding of different ethnic groups created in 1918 at the end of World War I. </span></p> <p><span>Part of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, Czechoslovakia was made up of the historical regions Moravia, Slovakia and Bohemia (yes, as in ‘bohemian’). </span></p> <p><span>The Nazi occupation of the area helped propel Europe into World War II; after being liberated by the Soviet Union it became an Eastern Bloc nation in the later half of the 20th century. </span></p> <p><span>Czechoslovakia eventually peacefully split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993.</span></p> <p><strong>Ceylon</strong></p> <p><span>You probably know of this large island south of India as Sri Lanka, but until 1972 it was called Ceylon. </span></p> <p><span>That’s the name the Europeans gave to it when the island was colonised centuries earlier. Under British control until 1948, it then became an independent nation and threw off its colonial moniker in 1972, when it became Sri Lanka. </span></p> <p><span>After some civil war in the early 21st century, the area is now stable. In 2011, the country decided to change the title of any state institutions still bearing the name Ceylon in an effort to remove any vestiges of colonialism.</span></p> <p><strong>Basutoland</strong></p> <p><span>Now called Lesotho since its independence from Britain in 1966, Basutoland was united as a nation in the 19th century under King Moshoeshoe I, who later applied to the British for help in warding off invaders. </span></p> <p><span>Only one of three countries in the world to be surrounded completely by another (along with the Vatican and San Marino, both enclaves within Italy), Basutoland was located inside what is today South Africa.</span></p> <p><span> Lesotho still has a royal family and is now a constitutional monarchy. Prince Harry, who’s very fond of the country, founded his charity for children in Africa, Sentebale, with Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso.</span></p> <p><strong>Ottoman Empire</strong></p> <p><span>Unlike the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, which still encompassed Turkey and some surrounding areas by 1920, survived World War I. </span></p> <p><span>But not for long – in 1923, after losing most of its other territories, it became the Turkish Republic. Prior to the Great War, though, the empire ruled for more than 600 years over lands that also included parts of eastern Europe, north Africa and the Middle East. </span></p> <p><span>Its influence is still seen today in the culture and architecture of Turkey. For an up-close look, visit Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, which has been wowing shoppers since 1455.</span></p> <p><strong>Sikkim</strong></p> <p><span>Have you heard of this tiny mountain region in the Himalayas? Sikkim was a sovereign monarchy from 1642 until it became an Indian protectorate in 1950, and then a state of India in 1975. </span></p> <p><span>Also bordering Bhutan, Tibet Autonomous Region of China, and Nepal today, Sikkim is dominated by snow-covered mountains, which the people revere as both a god itself and the home of gods. </span></p> <p><span>A footprint of the Yeti, aka the Abominable Snowman, was allegedly found in Sikkim in 1948.</span></p> <p><strong>Persia</strong></p> <p><span>The name of Persia conjures up an ancient Middle Eastern kingdom, one of the oldest civilisations in history. </span></p> <p><span>Since the height of its power in ancient times, the country was oft fought over but still retained its old moniker all the way until 1935, when it officially became Iran. </span></p> <p><span>Today, we mostly think of Persia when speaking of Persian rugs and Persian cats, but its culture is alive and well – unfortunately, continuing unstable international relations (not to mention a certain global pandemic) are keeping Westerners from visiting.</span></p> <p><strong>Siam</strong></p> <p><span>Anyone who’s seen the musical <em>The King and I</em> might wonder where on earth the king of Siam (the real-life King Mongkut, who ruled from 1851 to 1868) actually lived. </span></p> <p><span>The answer? Present-day Thailand, whose new name was adopted in 1939. </span></p> <p><span>Never colonised by Europeans, Siam was an absolute monarchy; after unrest in the 20th century, Thailand is now a constitutional monarchy. </span></p> <p><span>Thanks to its hundreds of islands, clear water and gorgeous coastlines, Thailand is a popular tourist destination today.</span></p> <p><strong>Prussia</strong></p> <p><span>You read right: not Russia, Prussia. </span></p> <p><span>This country, which encompassed land in central and eastern Europe including present-day Germany and Poland, existed in some form all the way until 1947. </span></p> <p><span>The kingdom of Prussia enjoyed much success in the 18th century but started to lose territory in the 19th, until the unification of the German empire placed the Prussian king at its head in 1871. </span></p> <p><span>Although it’s a little complicated where Prussia ends and Germany begins, the defeat of the empire and the abolishment of the Prussian monarchy after World War I extinguished its influence. </span></p> <p><span>But Prussia continued to exist as a German state until the land was divided up and the name formally dismissed after World War II, erasing it from the map forever. </span></p> <p><span>Interestingly, though, the descendants of the defunct monarchy continue to carry their titles – Prince Georg Friedrich Ferdinand of Prussia is the current head of the former ruling family.</span></p> <p><strong>Zanzibar</strong></p> <p><span>The islands of Zanzibar, an archipelago off Africa’s east coast, sound exotically alluring – the name probably makes you think of spices, explorers and adventure. </span></p> <p><span>And for good reason: the area was once an important trading locale, and was established as an independent sultanate in the 19th century. </span></p> <p><span>Although it became a British protectorate soon after, the sultan continued to rule until 1964. Having gained full independence the previous year, Zanzibar then merged with mainland Tanganyika to form present-day Tanzania. </span></p> <p><span>Today, see the highest point in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro, before heading for the tropical paradise of the islands’ beaches.</span></p> <p><strong>Sarawak</strong></p> <p><span>Now a state in Malaysia on the island of Borneo, Sarawak is a land full of natural beauty. </span></p> <p><span>Created as a kingdom by the adventurer James Brooke in the 1840s, Sarawak was ruled by his descendants until World War II, when it was occupied by Japan and later ceded to Britain. </span></p> <p><span>In 1963, Sarawak became part of the new country of Malaysia. Interestingly, although Brooke was English, he resisted British imperialism and is largely regarded positively in the country. </span></p> <p><span>Rudyard Kipling’s <em>The Man Who Would Be King</em> was likely based on Brooke, and he’s also the inspiration for the planned upcoming film <em>White Rajah</em>. </span></p> <p><span>The Brooke family is still active in Sarawak through The Brooke Trust.</span></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared in <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/culture/15-countries-that-existed-100-years-ago-but-dont-anymore?pages=1" target="_blank">Reader's Digest</a>.</em></p>

Travel Tips

Placeholder Content Image

Backlash after bishop tells children Santa doesn't exist

<p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p> <p>A bishop in Italy has had to apologise after telling children at a religious festival that Santa doesn’t exist.</p> <p>Bishop Antonio Stagliano made the comments at an event in Ragusa, Sicily. He told the children Santa was nothing more than a brand.</p> <p>“No, Santa Claus doesn’t exist,” he reportedly said, according to local media outlet<span> </span><em>il Quotidiano.</em></p> <p>“In fact, I would add that the red of the suit he wears was chosen by Coca-Cola exclusively for advertising purposes,” Bishop Stagliano told the children at the event, which was dedicated to celebrate the feast day of Saint Nicholas.</p> <p>Born around 280AD, St Nicholas was known for his piety and kindness, travelling to help the poor and sick. The Bishop went on to discuss Santa Claus, labelling him a "fictional character".</p> <p>He ended his speech by saying: "The children know that Santa Claus is Dad or Uncle. So no broken dreams."</p> <p>There was immediate backlash, with the bishop's comments going viral online.</p> <p>The Diocese of Noto then posted a public apology on its Facebook page.</p> <p>"First of all, on behalf of the Bishop, I express regret for this statement that has disappointed the children, and want to clarify that this was not at all Mr Stagliano's intention," the statement said.</p> <p>It said the bishop's comments instead were meant to encourage children to "reflect on the meaning of Christmas and the beautiful traditions that accompany it with greater awareness [and] regain the beauty of a Christmas now increasingly commercial and de-Christianised".</p> <p>"If we can all draw a lesson, young or old, from the figure of Santa Claus [which originates with Bishop St Nicholas] it is this: Fewer gifts to create and consume and more gifts to share," it said.</p> <p>"Showing up for someone we have been neglecting or ignoring for a long time or mending a damaged relationship" was a more meaningful gift, the statement said.</p> <p>"[At Christmas] we receive the gift par excellence, Jesus Christ."</p> <p>But the parents involved weren't impressed.</p> <p>While some welcomed the attempt to refocus Christmas on its religious origins, others were angry at the bishop for interfering with family traditions and celebrations, as well as upsetting the children – particularly after the difficult couple of years they have faced throughout the Covid pandemic.</p> <p>"You are the demonstration that, when it comes to families, children and family education, you don't understand a thing," one commenter wrote.</p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

Australia has a heritage conservation problem. Can farming and Aboriginal heritage protection co-exist?

<p>Rio Tinto’s destruction of the 46,000 year old Juukan Gorge rock shelters has led to recommendations by the Parliamentary Inquiry on <a href="https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/committees/reportjnt/024757/toc_pdf/AWayForward.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf">how Australia can better conserve Aboriginal heritage sites</a>.</p> <p>Around the time the recommendations were made, Queensland’s Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act faced an important test when a pastoralist who cleared 500 hectares of bushland at Kingvale Station in Cape York <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/qld-country-hour/scott-harris-cleared-of-breaching-cultural-heritage-act/13592850">was charged</a> with failing to protect Aboriginal cultural heritage.</p> <p>The charges were eventually <a href="https://www.northqueenslandregister.com.au/story/7474626/cultural-heritage-charges-against-scott-harris-dismissed/">dismissed</a> but the prosecution, the first of its kind in Queensland, highlights weaknesses in the law.</p> <p>Like related legislation in other Australian states and territories, Queensland’s law requires landholders to conserve Aboriginal heritage sites or risk prosecution.</p> <p>But the law has been criticised by many Aboriginal people and heritage specialists for allowing destructive development by removing any ability for government to independently assess how proposed clearing would affect Aboriginal heritage.</p> <p>Under the “duty of care” provisions in the Act, Aboriginal heritage must be protected even if it is not known to landholders. However, as the Kingvale clearing case heard, if Aboriginal heritage is not known, how can it be shown to have been lost?</p> <h2>What we learned from the Kingvale clearing case</h2> <p>In 2013, the former Newman government in Queensland removed protection for the environment by introducing the Vegetation Management Act which enabled clearing of what they deemed as “high value agricultural projects” in Cape York.</p> <p>The World Wildlife Foundation argued this would see large areas of forest and bushland destroyed. Advocates for the new Act <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2013-05-22/veg-law-pass/4705890">argued</a> primary producers are “acutely aware of their responsibility to care for the environment”.</p> <p>In opening up new areas of Cape York to clearing, this legislation posed new threats to heritage sites. In this context the landholder of Kingvale decided he did not need to assess cultural heritage when clearing 500 hectares.</p> <p>At the conclusion of the hearing into this case, Judge Julie Dick of the Cairns District Court instructed the jury to return <a href="https://www.cairnspost.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=CPWEB_WRE170_a_GGL&amp;dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cairnspost.com.au%2Fnews%2Fcairns%2Fcape-york-grazier-cleared-of-criminal-land-clearing-charges%2Fnews-story%2F1d124158e58936a302f1ee5d159ad841&amp;memtype=anonymous&amp;mode=premium">a not-guilty verdict</a>, exonerating the landholder, as the offence could not be proved beyond reasonable doubt.</p> <p>The landholder’s legal team noted in the media if their defendant had been found guilty, every landholder (including freeholders) who had cleared land, built a fence or firebreak, ploughed a paddock, or built a road or airstrip since 2003 would potentially be guilty of a criminal offence.</p> <p>The defendant argued the ramifications of the legal case were significant</p> <blockquote> <p>for the rest of Queensland […] anyone who mowed a lawn or cut down a tree since 2003 would be automatically liable.</p> </blockquote> <p>In our view, this is hyperbole. <a href="https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/pdf/inforce/2016-09-27/act-2003-079">Section 21 of the Act</a> makes explicit a person’s right to enjoy the normal and allowed use of their land to the extent they don’t harm Aboriginal heritage.</p> <p>Further, a person doesn’t commit an offence if they take into account the nature of the activity and the likelihood of it causing harm. Mowing the lawn is quite different to clearing 500 hectares of native vegetation.</p> <p>The setting of this activity is also important. Kingvale Station is located 100 kilometres west of the national heritage listed Quinkan Country. Heritage studies in similar landscapes across Cape York have identified scarred trees, artefact scatters, stone arrangements and cultural burial places.</p> <p>Based on our heritage experience across Queensland, it would be surprising not to find Aboriginal heritage sites at Kingvale.</p> <p>To reduce heritage risks, we assess the potential impacts of an activity, and talk with relevant Aboriginal groups about their sites and heritage values. Archaeologists and anthropologists also develop models to predict where unknown sites are likely to be found.</p> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431020/original/file-20211109-23-aylfq7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /> <span class="caption">Recorded archaeological sites across Cape York. The distribution pattern reflects several key heritage surveys. It is expected that cultural sites would be found across the cape, including within the 500 hectares cleared at Kingvale. Image by Kelsey M. Lowe.</span></p> <h2>Can farming and the conservation of Aboriginal heritage co-exist?</h2> <p>The best way to conserve heritage is for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians to work together to identify, document, and protect places. An important example is the discovery of human remains from a mortuary tree west of St George, southern Queensland.</p> <p>The site was discovered during fence clearing by the landholder, who contacted the police. We worked with the landholder who has supported the Kooma nations people to conserve the mortuary tree and enable it to remain on country.</p> <p><iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qKJs23hwLXA?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><span class="caption">Courtesy of Tony Miscamble, NGH Consulting.</span></p> <p>A further example from Mithaka Country saw a spectacular stone arrangement discovered by a pastoral station manager, who notified the native title holders.</p> <p>All are now engaging with researchers to <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=TAWEB_WRE170_a_GGL&amp;dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Fnation%2Fstones-point-way-to-indigenous-silk-road%2Fnews-story%2F8318b531d82263beab4afd089fd8d559&amp;memtype=anonymous&amp;mode=premium">investigate the site’s history</a>.</p> <p>Dozens of other examples around the state illustrate collaborative approaches to heritage conservation. But more effective legislation is urgently needed in response to Kingvale’s failed prosecution.</p> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430631/original/file-20211107-10010-f752su.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /> <span class="caption">A spectacular stone arrangement from Mithaka country. Image courtesy of Lyndon Mechielsen</span></p> <h2>How can we improve cultural heritage protection?</h2> <p>The Juukan Gorge case highlighted how Australia has a problem protecting its Aboriginal cultural heritage. The final report of the parliamentary inquiry into the disaster made several <a href="https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/committees/reportjnt/024757/toc_pdf/AWayForward.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf">recommendations</a> that could help pave a way forward.</p> <p>Instances like Kingvale emphasise more work needs to be done. The Queensland government needs to act now to address the glaring problem with its heritage legislation.</p> <p>Heritage management investment will also help. Victoria provides an example of how to improve Aboriginal heritage management. A standout action is the roll-out of a Certificate IV in Aboriginal cultural heritage management, with over 500 Aboriginal graduates to date.</p> <p>This program is decentralising heritage management and empowering Aboriginal people across Victoria, building a level of professionalism rarely seen in other states.</p> <p>Establishing treaties and agreements similar to those in Canada and New Zealand could go a long way to enable First Nations people in Australia to authoritatively protect their respective cultural heritage sites.</p> <p>Heritage conservation will remain challenging, particularly in resource-rich states like Queensland. But we can do better.</p> <p>Judge Dick’s ruling, while frustrating for the effort to conserve heritage, is crucial as it highlights weaknesses in the law.</p> <p>This trial, along with the Juukan Gorge incident, may represent a critical tipping point in the struggle to protect Aboriginal cultural heritage in Queensland and across Australia.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/170956/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michael-westaway-118240">Michael Westaway</a>, Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Archaeology, School of Social Science, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a></em>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/joshua-gorringe-1237694">Joshua Gorringe</a>, General Manager Mithaka Aboriginal Corporation, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/indigenous-knowledge-4846">Indigenous Knowledge</a></em>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kelsey-m-lowe-1287335">Kelsey M. Lowe</a>, Senior Research Fellow, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a></em>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/richard-martin-595866">Richard Martin</a>, Senior lecturer, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a></em>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ross-mitchell-1288513">Ross Mitchell</a>, Common Law holder and director of Kooma Aboriginal Corporation Native Title PBC, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/indigenous-knowledge-4846">Indigenous Knowledge</a></em></span></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-has-a-heritage-conservation-problem-can-farming-and-aboriginal-heritage-protection-co-exist-170956">original article</a>.</p> <p><em>Image: Dave Hunt/AAP Image</em></p>

Domestic Travel

Placeholder Content Image

"Diana knew of my existence": Simon Dorante-Day's newest claim

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>Simon Dorante-Day has gained worldwide fame after going public with his claims that he is the secret love child of Prince Charles and Camilla.</p> <p>After decades of research, Day has come out with new claims that Princess Diana knew about his existence as well.</p> <p>“We believe that Diana knew of my existence, that she had put together the pieces,” he said to <a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/entertainment/royals/diana-knew-charles-camillas-secret-aussie-son-reveals-little-known-fax-c-2744493" target="_blank"><em>7NEWS</em></a>.</p> <p>“Diana was at a point where she was finding out answers about her life, how she was wronged – and she was going public with it.</p> <p>“I wrote to Mohamed Al-Fayed, Dodi’s father, with my story and told him who I was.</p> <p>“One of Diana’s secret fears would’ve been that there was a secret child. There were all sorts of rumours flying around, and my existence would’ve been one of them.”</p> <p>He said that investigators were also interested in the claims and demanded he sends a fax outlining his research at 2 am.</p> <p>“We were in Lismore, NSW, in 2004 after Diana,” he said.</p> <p>“I sent a letter to the Metropolitan Police saying I believed I was Charles and Camilla’s son and whether it would have any ramifications in the case about Diana’s death.</p> <p>“And at 2 am they asked me to write a statement and fax it back as soon as possible.</p> <p>“I was making submissions to the Paget Enquiry and as a result, Charles got questioned a second time during the enquiry – and it was after my letter was sent, and I believe this is why.”</p> <p>Unfortunately, Diana never confirmed or denied his existence in the years before her death.</p> <p>“Diana sadly died before I went public with my claims, so she was never publicly asked about me,” he said.</p> <p>“But I believe my birth and adoption was part of a royal cover-up. Through her investigations into Charles and Camilla, she would’ve heard the rumours of my existence and made enquiries. How could she not?”</p> </div> </div> </div>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

13 of the funniest obituaries that really exist

<p><strong>Tickled to death</strong><br />Gosh, people really do just stop in their tracks to be quietly amazed and entertained by the people they love, and then file that image away to later craft into funny obituaries and eulogies capable of bringing down the house. Some of these are so pithy they should be written in stone (and some of them were – to make the funniest tombstones that actually exist).</p> <p><strong>“It pains me to admit it, but apparently I have passed away.”</strong><br />“Everyone told me it would happen one day, but that’s simply not something I wanted to hear, much less experience,” Emily DeBrayda Phillips goes on to explain. Emily DeBrayda Phillips’ obituary is hilariously self-written and self-aware about her existence and end: “If you want to, you can look for me in the evening sunset or with the earliest spring daffodils or among the flitting and fluttering butterflies. You know I’ll be there in one form or another. Of course, that will probably be comfort to some while antagonising others, but you know me…it’s what I do.” She concludes with simple instructions: “If you don’t believe it, just ask me. Oh wait, I’m afraid it’s too late for questions. Sorry.”</p> <p><strong>“Her last words were ‘tell them that check is in the mail.’”</strong><br />Jean Larroux III and Hayden Hoffman decided to honour their mother, notable Waffle House patron (and library fine-avoider) Antonia “Toni” Larroux, with an obituary that reads like a standup set. “We started to write a normal [obituary],” Larroux III told HuffPost, before realising “mum would be so ashamed.” Some of its greatest hits include, “She conquered polio as a child, contributing to the nickname ‘polio legs,’ given by her ex-husband. It should not be difficult to imagine the reasons for their divorce 35+ years ago,” and, “She considered Aaron Burrell a distant grandson (not distant enough).” However, the siblings rounded out the seemingly blithe memorial with a rather moving annotation: “On a last but serious note, the woman who loved her life and taught her children to ‘laugh at the days to come’ is now safely in the arms of Jesus and dancing at the wedding feast of the Lamb. Anyone wearing black will not be admitted to the memorial. She is not dead. She is alive.” Who is cutting onions in here?</p> <p><strong>“Bill Brown finally stopped bugging everybody.”</strong><br />Rabblerouser Bill Brown’s obituary details his lifelong commitment to mischief, all the way up until he roused his last rabble in October 2013. Notable rabble: “Right to the end, he would do things like racing to beat other oldsters to empty chairs,” and meeting his wife, Ruth, while “trying to scare neighbour kids by acting like a barking dog when he threw open the front door, only to find himself barking at the Avon lady.”</p> <p><strong>“Your father is a very sick man.” “You have no idea.”</strong><br />There is no better legacy than a laugh – and Joe Heller and his daughters all know it. When Heller was born, his daughters note, “God thankfully broke the mould.” The daughters go on to profile the lifelong jester: “His mother was not immune to his pranks as he named his first dog ‘Fart’ so she would have to scream his name to come home. … The family encourages you to don the most inappropriate t-shirt that you are comfortable being seen in public with, as Joe often did.”</p> <p><strong>“Faced with the prospect of voting for either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, Mary Anne chose to pass into the eternal love of God.”</strong><br />A regular Jane like me or you, Ms Mary Anne Alfriend Noland passed just six months before the 2016 election, to which her obituary references an extreme aversion. She was born, raised, and now rests in Virginia, USA – a swing state.</p> <p><strong>“Jesus had a backache only the world’s greatest chiropractor could fix.”</strong><br />Well, it appears Jesus had what could only be described as an unholy kink in his back, and Dr Mark Flanagan was there to make a house call. Not only was Dr Flanagan described as the “world’s greatest chiropractor,” but he also had “more dolphin paraphernalia than a gift shop at one of those places with actual dolphins.”</p> <p><strong>“Take magazines you’ve already read to your doctor’s office. Do not tear off the mailing label, ‘Because if someone wants to contact me, that would be nice.’”</strong><br />This is less the funniest obituary you’ll ever read and more the sweetest obituary you’ll ever read. Mary “Pink” Mullaney’s obituary is chock-full of advice from both the most lovable and loving soul to grace God’s green Earth, apparently: “If a possum takes up residence in your shed, grab a barbecue brush to coax him out. If he doesn’t leave, brush him for 20 minutes and let him stay. Go to church with a chicken sandwich in your purse. Give the chicken sandwich to a homeless friend after mass. Go to a nursing home and kiss everyone. Put picky-eating children at the bottom of the laundry shoot, tell them they are hungry lions in a cage, and feed them veggies through the slats.”</p> <p><strong>“First Church of God, which she attended for 60 years in spite of praise music and A/V presentations.”</strong><br />Betty Jo Passmore passed away in 2014, and her obituary recounts her love of her family, mystery novels, and dark chocolate – and her absolute ire for praise music and A/V presentations. That Ms Passmore used her final stamp on this earthly world to drag out a lifelong beef just a little longer is hilarious and iconic.</p> <p><strong>“Who the h*** taught her to fly?”</strong><br />Lois Ann Harry’s obituary exposes her as a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. Originally from Idaho Falls – or is she?—Harry’s last confirmed sighting reports her departure from the Homestead wearing dark glasses and an ushanka. “Authorities are baffled by the disappearance of the 88-year-old woman, how she gained access to the aircraft, and who the h*** taught her how to fly,” the obituary reads. Even more baffling are her children’s contradictory assertions of her life: some swear she’s a pastry chef and freelance food critic, a professional gambler and race car driver, a square dancer, a botanist who ran a chain of recreational marijuana dispensaries in Washington state, and more. Ever a woman of mystery, she “loved her life, family, and friends but would prefer that you not follow her to Bermuda.”</p> <p><strong>“She wants her gold teeth back from the dentist that yanked them – those were HERS to keep.”</strong><br />This is exactly the kind of witticism you would expect in the obituary of someone who also requested “Another One Bites the Dust” be played at her funeral. Even more charming, Karen Short was affectionally referred to as “Hot Dog Lady” by the students who frequented her hot dog stand. Give Hot Dog Lady her gold teeth back! But overall, it’s actually a very moving, very touching obituary.</p> <p><strong>“She loved [her family] more than anything else in the world…except cold Budweiser, room temperature Budweiser, mopeds, fall foliage, the OJ chase and the OJ trial.”</strong><br />Jan Lois Lynch of Massachusetts was a woman of eclectic interests and sublime taste. Her aforementioned life’s loves sound like all the ingredients of an ideal Thursday afternoon. Plus, Ms Lynch’s sons note, “Dangling her feet over a 5,000-foot cliff at the edge of the Grand Canyon so she could ‘see what it felt like to feel the fear,’ taught us all the really good things in life are beyond the ‘Do Not Enter’ signs.” This is a woman after my own heart.</p> <p><strong>“Doug died”</strong><br />Douglas Legler of Fargo, North Dakota passed away in June 2015, but not before penning his own obituary, a testament to the adage “brevity is the soul of wit.”</p> <p><strong>“‘Triple Gemini!’ she shrieked. ‘How do you cope?’”</strong><br />When longtime Rolling Stone editor Harriet Fier passed in 2018, an obituary in the Washington Post chronicled her colourful and interesting life. It even included a brief anecdote about her unique Woodstock experience: “I spent the whole next morning picking up garbage because I felt bad about leaving a big mess.” However, the most entertaining part of her obituary is in reference to her landing at Rolling Stone: “As Ms Fier told friends, she had no firm direction after college and might well have attended law school if she had not joined Rolling Stone, where getting a job in the early 1970s required little more than a certain alignment in the stars. Interview paperwork asked for an applicant’s sun, moon and rising signs. ‘I didn’t know the difference, so I wrote Gemini on all three,’ Ms Fier recounted. Her answer was apparently good enough – although she startled the woman who took her form. ‘Triple Gemini!’ she shrieked. ‘How do you cope?’”</p> <p class="p1"><em>Written by Caroline Fanning. This article first appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/true-stories-lifestyle/humour/13-of-the-funniest-obituaries-that-really-exist?pages=1"><span class="s1">Reader’s Digest</span></a>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, <a href="http://readersdigest.co.nz/subscribe"><span class="s1">here’s our best subscription offer</span></a>.</em></p>

Mind

Placeholder Content Image

5 laws that only exist in Asia

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">To westerners, laws in Asia are downright wacky. However, they exist for important reasons – even if they are considered outdated and unnecessary. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here’s a roundup of the strangest head-scratching laws that have only ever existed in Asian countries. </span></p> <p><strong>1. Look after your elders – or else!</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In China, there is a law that requires grown children to visit their parents, which was enacted in 2013. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Under the </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Elderly Rights Law, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">older parents must have their “spiritual needs” met and cared for and adults must “never neglect or snub elderly people.”</span></p> <p><strong>2. No money on the ground</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In Thailand, it is considered so offensive to step on money that it is illegal. In this Asian country it is taken as a form of disrespect towards the king, lèse-majesté, since the money features a picture of the royal. </span></p> <p><strong>3. No games for kids</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Under </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cinderella Law, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">children under the age of 16 are prohibited from playing online games between midnight and 6 am in South Korea. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This regulation was made to tackle the increasing video game addiction. However, sneaky children can forgo this rule by logging into their parent’s online account or even play offline. </span></p> <p><strong>4. The whole family will be punished</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">North Korea reportedly has a seriously disturbing law in place which is dubbed as </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Three Generations of Punishment</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">. This means if one person was to break the law, a whole family can face trial and be convicted to work in a prison camp for their family member’s crime. </span></p> <p><strong>5. Don’t dress up as a woman</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In Malaysia, they have anti-trans laws which makes it illegal to “impersonate a woman.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This rule is considered harassment of Muslim trans woman, according to </span><a href="https://www.hrw.org/report/2014/09/24/im-scared-be-woman/human-rights-abuses-against-transgender-people-malaysia"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Human Rights Watch.</span></a></p>

Legal

Placeholder Content Image

Weird laws you never knew existed in New Zealand

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">To anyone who has never lived in New Zealand, it can be pretty hard to believe how tight Kiwi laws can be. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While we may have a reputation for being a laidback little island, it turns out our rules and regulations aren’t so much.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here are some of New Zealand’s strangest laws. </span></p> <p><strong>No noise near whales</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Many who were planning to watch, may not have been happy after hearing Wellington’s annual Matariki fireworks last year were postponed due to a whale gracing the capital’s harbour. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, law is law - no matter where you are, and the Marine Mammals Protection Regulations say that “no person shall make any loud or disturbing noises near whales.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A fine worth up to $10,000 will be dished out to any bold Kiwi or tourist who wants to incur a penalty. </span></p> <p><strong>Māori Wardens can tell someone what to do</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Based on the Māori Community Development Act, there are criminal offences that apply to only people who are Māori. These offenses can be given by a Māori warden. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For example, those with permission to do so can refuse alcohol to be served to Māori who are likely to become difficult and can even take the car keys out of a Māori’s possession. </span></p> <p><strong>No questions asked policy</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Those who lose personal items such as their keys or wallet are required not to advertise an award for the return of their lost or stolen property, or they can risk facing a $200 fine. </span></p> <p><strong>Don’t buy these books</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some books are temporarily banned in New Zealand while some are permanent. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Everything Marijuana Book </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">was banned in 2013 because it encourages those who read it to commit a crime. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Interestingly enough, being in possession of this book incurs a harsher penalty than actually growing or selling cannabis.</span></p> <p> </p>

Legal

Placeholder Content Image

7 hidden features on airplanes you had no idea existed

<div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even">Keep an eye out for these on your next flight.</div> <div class="field-item even"></div> <div class="field-item even"><strong>1. The magic button for extra room</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p>Did you manage to snag an aisle seat? Not only can you get up without crawling over people, but you can make your seat extra roomy at the push of a button, thanks to one of the coolest secret airplane features. Reach under the armrest closest to the aisle and feel around near the hinge. You should find a button, which will instantly let you swing the armrest up when you push it, according to<span> </span><em>Travel + Leisure</em>. Once it’s in line with your seat back, it won’t dig into your side anymore, and you can move your legs around without hitting anything.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><strong>2. The hidden handrail</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p>We’re willing to bet you hate it when people aggressively grab your seat on the way to the bathroom. Once it’s your turn to make your way down the aisle, though, you realise you have no choice but to follow suit – or do you? Flight attendants don’t just touch the ceiling for fun when they walk; the bottom of the overhead compartment has a scalloped area that gives better grip when walking down a moving airplane, according to<span> </span><em>Condé Nast Traveler</em>. Next time you need to get up, reach to the ceiling for balance.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><strong>3. Secret sleeping area</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p>A long-haul flight is hard enough on passengers, but imagine being a pilot or flight attendant trying to make it through a 14-hour workday. It’s an exhausting job, so some planes, like Boeing 777 and 787 Dreamliner planes, have secret passageways that let staff get some decent shut-eye, according to<span> </span><em>Insider</em>. A locked door near the front of the plane or a door posing as an overhead bin hides the entrance to a set of beds, kept private with thick curtains.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><strong>4. Hooks on the wings</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p>If you peek out the window to an Airbus plane’s wing, you can spot yellow bumps with holes in the middle on an otherwise smooth, white surface. If there’s an emergency water landing, the wings would be very slippery for passengers trying to get to the inflatable slide that would have deployed. To help travellers get off without falling, the easy-to-miss airplane features let cabin crew slip a rope through one hook and fasten it to the next, according to pilot “Captain” Joe. Passengers could hold on to the rope while on the plane to make it away from the plane safely.<span> </span></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><strong>5. Triangle above window</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p>Scan the wall of your plane; above four windows, you’ll see a black triangle. Each one lines up with the edge of the airplane’s wing, according to pilot “Captain” Joe. If a flight attendant needs to check the airplane’s slats or flaps – the moving parts on a wing – they’ll know exactly where to go for the best view. If you’re getting motion sick on a plane, you might want to see if you can move to a seat between the triangles. The wings are the plane’s centre of gravity, so sitting between them would give you the smoothest ride.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><strong>6. Holes in the windows</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p>Look closely at an airplane window and you’ll spot something weird: a little hole in the bottom. Take an even closer look and you’ll realise that unlike other windows, this one is made of three panes, and the hole is in the middle one. The quirk is there to protect against the pressure drop of flying high into the atmosphere, according to<span> </span><em>Slate</em>. As a plane ascends, the pressure outside drops massively, but the cabin is designed to stay at a comfortable pressure. That leaves a big difference in pressure inside and outside of the plane. The outside window takes on most of that pressure, and the hole in the middle one helps balance the pressure difference. The inner window is just to protect the middle one. </p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-title field-type-text field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"><strong>7. Hidden handcuffs</strong></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p>If passengers are getting unruly, flight attendants have the right to restrain them. In the US, they might use typical cop-style cuffs, but most will use plastic restraints similar to zip ties, according to<span> </span><em>Express</em>.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="views-field views-field-field-slides"> <div class="field-content"> <div class="field-collection-view clearfix view-mode-full field-collection-view-final"> <div class="entity entity-field-collection-item field-collection-item-field-slides clearfix"> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-name-field-slide-content field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p><em>Written by <span>Marissa Laliberte</span>. This article first appeared in </em><span><a href="http://www.readersdigest.com.au/travel/flights/7-hidden-features-airplanes-you-had-no-idea-existed"><em>Reader’s Digest</em></a><em>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, </em><a href="http://readersdigest.innovations.co.nz/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_medium=articles&amp;utm_campaign=RDSUB&amp;keycode=WRN87V"><em>here’s our best subscription offer.</em></a></span></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p><img style="width: 100px !important; height: 100px !important;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7820640/1.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f30947086c8e47b89cb076eb5bb9b3e2" /></p>

International Travel

Placeholder Content Image

How artificial intelligence is scamming online daters

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Online dating is tricky for everyone. After all, anyone can be whoever they want to be on the internet.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It doesn’t help that the majority of internet users think they can spot a dating scam from miles away and that it would never happen to them.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, thanks to new technology, it’s harder than ever to know if someone is being genuine over the internet. Scammers are constantly figuring out new ways to be deceptive </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">and gain people’s trust.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There is a new artificial intelligence technology available called Deepfake. This technology is able to produce hyper realistic images and videos of people and situations that don’t exist and have never happened.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The videos look so realistic that it is hard to prove they are fake. For example, Barack Obama never called Donald Trump a “dips**t”, but this video would have you believing otherwise.</span></p> <p><iframe width="653" height="380" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cQ54GDm1eL0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Unless you look very closely, you would believe that Obama had said this. There are small tips to look out for, such as blurring or distortion on the video, but they’re only visible when you know what to look for.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Phillip Wang, the man behind the website ThisPersonDoesNotExist.com told </span><a href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/security/how-disturbing-ai-technology-could-be-used-to-scam-online-daters/news-story/1be46dc7081613849d67b82566f8b421"><span style="font-weight: 400;">news.com.au</span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">that he created the site to prove a point to friends about AI technology.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I then decided to share it on an AI Facebook group to raise awareness for the current state of the art for this technology. It went viral from there.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Wang said he created the site to raise awareness about how easy it is to make a fake person. He also wants to raise awareness about the implications this technology could have in the future.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s getting more and more difficult to tell deepfakes from reality, and Wang has said that it’s “beyond something that simple photoshop forensics can help defeat.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Have you dabbled at online dating? Let us know in the comments.</span></p>

Technology

Placeholder Content Image

10 foreign words that don’t exist in English

<p>Ever find yourself in a situation you can’t quite describe, despite spending a little too much time trying to find the right word? It might actually exist – just in a different language. From that “who gets the last chocolate?” dilemma at a dinner party to that desire to simply laze around the house with a glass of wine, here are 10 foreign words we could really use an equivalent for in English.</p> <p><strong>1. Kalsarikännit (Finnish)</strong> – That feeling when you can’t be bothered going out, so instead you simply get comfortable (read: strip down to your undies) and have a drink at home.</p> <p><strong>2. Trivselbit (Swedish)</strong> – The name for that awkward moment at a group meal when there’s one last piece of food on a share plate and you really, really want it. But, this happens to you while in Sweden, heed this warning – never, ever take that last piece.</p> <p><strong>3. Fremdschämen (German)</strong> – If you’ve ever felt embarrassed on behalf of someone else, you’ve experienced fremdschämen.</p> <p><strong>4. Gigil (Filipino/Tagalog)</strong> – You know that moment when you see a puppy or a baby that’s just so cute that you want to squeeze it? Almost to the point of compulsion? That’s gigil.</p> <p><strong>5. Tartle (Scots)</strong> – You’re introducing someone to a friend, when you realise you’ve forgotten their name and hesitate a little. You’ve just experienced tartle.</p> <p><strong>6. Gluckschmerz (German)</strong> – While schadenfreude is taking pleasure in others’ pain, gluckschmerz is that feeling of disappointment or anger at the joy of another.</p> <p><strong>7. Ya’arburnee (Arabic)</strong> – The word for when you love someone so much and so deeply, that you hope you will die before them so you never have to live without them.</p> <p><strong>8. L’espirit de l’escalier (French)</strong> – Have you ever been walking away from an argument with someone only to think of the perfect comeback just that little bit too late? You’ve just been the victim of l’espirit de l’escalier (stairwell wit). Its German equivalent is “trappenwitz”.</p> <p><strong>9. Yūgen (Japanese)</strong> – “a profound, mysterious sense of the beauty of the universe […] and the sad beauty of human suffering.”</p> <p><strong>10. Pochemuchka (Russian)</strong> – Someone who asks too many questions.</p> <p>Do you have any other words to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below. </p>

Books

Placeholder Content Image

10 iPhone features you didn't know existed

<p>It’s sometimes easy to think that the good people at Apple have gone out of their way to hide certain features of their devices from the general public. We are always hearing about new and interesting features that we never knew existed. Perhaps the developers enjoy sending users on a digital treasure hunt? Whatever it is, we’ve rounded up 10 of the niftiest features you probably knew nothing about.</p> <p><strong>1. Redial</strong></p> <p>To dial the last number called, press the green call button on the keypad screen. This will make the last dialed number appear.</p> <p><strong>2. Spotlight maths</strong></p> <p>Need to do a quick equation? Simply pull down to open the Spotlight menu and type it straight in.</p> <p><strong>3. Clear RAM to help your phone run faster</strong></p> <p>Hold down the power button until you see ‘Slide to power off’ then let go and hold the home button until the screen goes blank and your home screen pops back up.</p> <p><strong>4. Remote shutter</strong></p> <p>Use the volume up or down button on your headphones to snap a photo in the camera app.</p> <p><strong>5. Close multiple apps at once</strong></p> <p>Double tap the home button to open the app switcher then you can use two or three fingers to slide multiple apps closed with a single swipe.</p> <p><strong>6. Recently closed tabs</strong></p> <p>Accidently shut down your browser? Simply tap and hold the + symbol in safari on the tab carousel view to open a screen that lists all your recently closed tabs.</p> <p><strong>7. Save an email draft with a single swipe</strong></p> <p>In the Mail app, tap on the subject line and swipe down to the bottom of the screen to save a draft.</p> <p><strong>8. Find an iPhone’s owner</strong></p> <p>Found an iPhone and not sure who it belongs to? Simply ask Siri ‘who’s phone is this?’ and it will tell you so that you can try and return it to the right person.</p> <p><strong>9. Reachability</strong></p> <p>Double touch on the home button and the entire screen will shift down so that you can reach the top without shifting your grip.</p> <p><strong>10. Edit reminders</strong></p> <p>Touch an item in your reminders app to edit the time or add extra details.</p> <p>What’s your favourite iPhone feature? Let us know in the comments below.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/entertainment/technology/2016/07/turn-your-phone-into-a-personal-language-translator/"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Turn your phone into a personal language translator</span></strong></em></a></p> <p><a href="/entertainment/technology/2016/07/do-you-still-need-a-landline/"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Do you still need a landline?</span></strong></em></a></p> <p><a href="/entertainment/technology/2016/06/how-a-mobile-phone-can-save-your-life/"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">How a mobile phone can save your life</span></strong></em></a></p>

Technology