Search

Placeholder Content Image

People in the world’s ‘blue zones’ live longer – their diet could hold the key to why

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/justin-roberts-1176632">Justin Roberts</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/anglia-ruskin-university-1887">Anglia Ruskin University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/joseph-lillis-1505087">Joseph Lillis</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/anglia-ruskin-university-1887">Anglia Ruskin University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mark-cortnage-438941">Mark Cortnage</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/anglia-ruskin-university-1887">Anglia Ruskin University</a></em></p> <p>Ageing is an inevitable part of life, which may explain our <a href="https://time.com/4672969/why-do-people-want-to-live-so-long/">strong fascination</a> with the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2726954">quest for longevity</a>. The allure of <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26566891/">eternal youth</a> drives a <a href="https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/longevity-and-anti-senescence-therapy-market-A14010">multi-billion pound industry</a> ranging from anti-ageing products, supplements and <a href="https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/longevity-diet">diets</a> for those hoping to extend their lifespan.</p> <p>f you look back to the turn of the 20th century, average life expectancy in the UK was around 46 years. Today, it’s closer to <a href="https://population.un.org/wpp/">82 years</a>. We are in fact <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27706136/">living longer than ever before</a>, possibly due to medical advancements and improved <a href="https://www.health.org.uk/publications/reports/mortality-and-life-expectancy-trends-in-the-uk">living and working conditions</a>.</p> <p>But living longer has also come at a price. We’re now seeing higher rates of <a href="https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/mortality-and-global-health-estimates/ghe-leading-causes-of-death">chronic and degenerative diseases</a> – with heart disease consistently topping the list. So while we’re fascinated by what may help us live longer, maybe we should be more interested in being healthier for longer. Improving our “<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4632858/">healthy life expectancy</a>” remains a global challenge.</p> <p>Interestingly, certain locations around the world have been discovered where there are a high proportion of centenarians who display remarkable physical and mental health. The <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15489066/">AKEA study of Sardinia, Italy</a>, as example, identified a “blue zone” (named because it was marked with blue pen), where there was a higher number of locals living in the central-eastern mountainous areas who had reached their 100th birthday compared with the wider Sardinian community.</p> <p>This longevity hotspot has since been expanded, and now includes several other areas around the world which also have greater numbers of longer-living, healthy people. Alongside Sardinia, these blue zones are now <a href="https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81214929">popularly recognised</a> as: Ikaria, Greece; Okinawa, Japan; Nicoya, Costa Rica; and Loma Linda, California.</p> <p>Other than their long lifespans, people living in these zones also appear to share certain other commonalities, which centre around being <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3874460">part of a community</a>, having a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4224996/">life purpose</a>, eating <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33514872/">nutritious, healthy foods</a>, keeping <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-021-01735-7">stress levels</a> low and undertaking purposeful daily <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30202288/">exercise or physical tasks</a>.</p> <p>Their longevity could also relate to their <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9010380/">environment</a>, being mostly rural (or less polluted), or because of <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22253498/">specific longevity genes</a>.</p> <p>However, studies indicate genetics may only account for <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8786073">around 20-25% of longevity</a> – meaning a person’s lifespan is a complex interaction between lifestyle and genetic factors, which contribute to a long and healthy life.</p> <h2>Is the secret in our diet?</h2> <p>When it comes to diet, each blue zone has its own approach – so one specific food or nutrient does not explain the remarkable longevity observed. But interestingly, a diet rich in <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3662288">plant foods</a> (such as locally-grown vegetables, fruits and legumes) does appear to be reasonably consistent across these zones.</p> <p>For instance, the Seventh-day Adventists of Loma Linda are <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10641813/">predominately vegetarian</a>. For centenarians in Okinawa, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20234038/">high intakes of flavonoids</a> (a chemical compound typically found in plants) from purple sweet potatoes, soy and vegetables, have been linked with <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11710359/">better cardiovascular health</a> – including lower cholesterol levels and lower incidences of stroke and heart disease.</p> <p>In Nicoya, consumption of locally produced rice and beans has been associated with <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34444746/">longer telomere length</a>. Telomeres are the structural part at the end of our chromosomes which protect our genetic material. Our telomeres get shorter each time a cell divides – so get progressively shorter as we age.</p> <p>Certain <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21102320/">lifestyle factors</a> (such as smoking and poor diet) can also shorten telomere length. It’s thought that telomere length acts as a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31728493/">biomarker of ageing</a> – so having longer telomeres could, in part, be linked with longevity.</p> <p>But a plant-based diet isn’t the only secret. In Sardinia, for example, meat and fish is consumed in moderation in addition to locally grown vegetables and <a href="https://journalofethnicfoods.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42779-022-00152-5">traditional foods</a> such as acorn breads, pane carasau (a sourdough flatbread), honey and soft cheeses.</p> <p>Also observed in several blue zone areas is the inclusion of <a href="https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2021.10.041">olive oil</a>, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33669360/">wine</a> (in moderation – around 1-2 glasses a day), as well as <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3830687/">tea</a>. All of these contain powerful antioxidants which may help <a href="https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10049696/">protect our cells</a> from damage <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6273542/">as we age</a>.</p> <p>Perhaps then, it’s a combination of the protective effects of various nutrients in the diets of these centenarians, which explains their exceptional longevity.</p> <p>Another striking observation from these longevity hot spots is that meals are typically <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7232892">freshly prepared at home</a>. Traditional blue zone diets also don’t appear to contain <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6538973/">ultra-processed foods</a>, fast foods or sugary drinks which may <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32330232/">accelerate ageing</a>. So maybe it’s just as important to consider what these longer-living populations are not doing, as much as what they are doing.</p> <p>There also appears to be a pattern of eating until 80% full (in other words partial <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9036399/">caloric reduction</a>. This could be important in also supporting how our cells deal with damage as we age, which could mean a longer life.</p> <p>Many of the factors making up these blue zone diets – primarily plant-based and natural whole foods – are associated with <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35706591/">lower risk of chronic diseases</a> such as <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28728684/">heart disease</a> and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37589638/">cancer</a>. Not only could such diets contribute to a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37836577/">longer, healthier life</a>, but could support a more <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33397404/">diverse gut microbiome</a>, which is also associated with healthy ageing.</p> <p>Perhaps then we can learn something from these remarkable centenarians. While diet is only one part of the bigger picture when it comes to longevity, it’s an area we can do something about. In fact, it might just be at the heart of improving not only the quality of our health, but the quality of how we age.<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/221463/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/justin-roberts-1176632">Justin Roberts</a>, Professor of Nutritional Physiology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/anglia-ruskin-university-1887">Anglia Ruskin University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/joseph-lillis-1505087">Joseph Lillis</a>, PhD Candidate in Nutritional Physiology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/anglia-ruskin-university-1887">Anglia Ruskin University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mark-cortnage-438941">Mark Cortnage</a>, Senior Lecturer in Public Health and Nutrition, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/anglia-ruskin-university-1887">Anglia Ruskin University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p> <p><em>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/people-in-the-worlds-blue-zones-live-longer-their-diet-could-hold-the-key-to-why-221463">original article</a>.</em></p>

Food & Wine

Placeholder Content Image

“I told him not to open it": Flight attendant forced to hold plane door shut

<p>A flight attendant was forced to hold an emergency exit door shut after an allegedly drunk passenger tried to open it shortly after takeoff. </p> <p>Footage shows a female flight attendant with one hand on the plane’s roof and another holding the lever of the emergency exit, after a man allegedly tried to pull it open during their flight from Qingdao, China on Saturday, according to the <em>New York Post</em>. </p> <p>“I told him not to open it,” the flight attendant said to another colleague in Chinese, according to <em>JAM Press</em>. </p> <p>Her colleague then asks the passenger: “Sir, did you open this?”</p> <p>The male passenger looked confused as he started gesturing at the lever. </p> <p>“Why did you open it? Didn’t you know it is prohibited to open this kind of thing?” the flight attendant asked again. </p> <p>But the passenger ignored him and looked down at his phone, as the male flight attendant continued to question him. </p> <p>The passenger eventually admitted that he had been drinking before he tried to grab the lever, and the man eventually had to change seats with another passenger sitting in the same row. </p> <p>He was allowed to remain on the flight, which managed to land safely at Harbin, China without incident.</p> <p><em>Images: New York Post</em></p> <p> </p>

Travel Trouble

Placeholder Content Image

Dying husband and wife spend their final days holding hands

<p>A married couple have spent their final days holding hands in hospital, after their beds were pushed next to each other so they could be side-by-side as they both passed away. </p> <p>The couple from Tennessee, Tommy and Virginia Stevens, both 91, were both admitted to the Vanderbilt hospital for unrelated medical issues. </p> <p>Tommy, who was suffering with Alzheimer’s disease, had been struck down with aspiration pneumonia and sepsis, and was transferred to the hospital's palliative care unit. </p> <p>The same morning, Virginia suffered a fall as she sustained six broken ribs, a spinal fracture, and a hip injury, and was admitted to the hospital's trauma unit. </p> <p>As Tommy and Virginia's family were struggling to split time between the two wards, hospital staff were able to pull strings for the longtime lovebirds to be roomed side-by-side.</p> <p>Virginia was moved into a room near Tommy’s in the Palliative Care Unit, and her hospital bed was scooted against his so she could comfort him as his health continued to get worse, the hospital said.</p> <p>“He was awake when she came in,” their daughter Karen Kreager said. </p> <p>“His eyes were open. He wasn’t communicating a lot — just in small whispers. But he knew that she was there and that she was going to be right beside him. They haven’t stopped holding hands the whole time. She won’t let go of him.” </p> <p>“It reminds me of why we do this work,” Mohana Karlekar, MD, medical director of VUMC’s adult Palliative Care Program told local news station <em><a href="https://www.wsmv.com/2023/09/19/she-wont-let-go-him-vanderbilt-helps-hospitalized-wife-comfort-dying-husband/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WSMV</a></em>. </p> <p>“We take care of people — husbands, wives, mothers, fathers — not patients. We brought this family together during one of their most difficult times with little effort on our part. It involved a call, seeing an extra patient that day and some conversations.”</p> <p>“From the time we brought Mrs. Stevens over, she held her husband’s hand and fussed in a very loving way with him,” Karlekar said. </p> <p>“She was able to tell me Monday that she was at peace with what was going on, and she wanted to be there until the end.”</p> <p>Tommy died on September 8th, just a day before the couple’s 69th anniversary, and Virginia died a few days later on September 17th.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Vanderbilt University Medical Center and The Stevens Family</em></p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

Why understanding how spiders spin silk may hold clues for treating Alzheimer’s disease

<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michael-landreh-1328287">Michael Landreh</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/karolinska-institutet-1250">Karolinska Institutet</a></em> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/anna-rising-1440132">Anna Rising</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/karolinska-institutet-1250">Karolinska Institutet</a></em></p> <p>Really, we should envy spiders. Imagine being able to make silk like they do, flinging it around to get from place to place, always having a <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsmacrolett.8b00678">strong-as-steel safety line</a> or spinning a comfy hammock whenever they need a rest.</p> <p>The fascinating properties of spider silk make it no wonder that scientists have been trying to unravel its secrets for decades.</p> <p>If we could understand and recreate the spinning process, we could produce artificial spider silk for a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0141813021021292">range of medical applications</a>. For example, artificial silk can help <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2021.120692">regenerate the nerves that connect our brain and limbs</a>, and can shuttle <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.0c01138">drug molecules directly into the cells where they are needed</a>.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zNtSAQHNONo?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>Spider silk is made of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/spidroins">proteins called spidroins</a>, which the spider stores in a silk gland in its abdomen. There are several types of spidroin for spinning different sorts of silk. Spiders <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7673682/">store them as a liquid</a> that resembles oil droplets.</p> <p>But one of the questions that has eluded scientists so far is how spiders turn these liquid droplets into silk. We decided to investigate why the spidroins form droplets, to get us closer to replicating a spider’s spinning process.</p> <h2>Weaving a web</h2> <p>The trick that spiders use to speed up their spinning process can be used to spin better artificial silk, or even develop new spinning processes.</p> <p>In 2017, we learned to <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms15504">make synthetic silk fibres</a> by emulating the silk gland, but we did not know how things work inside the spider. Now we know that forming droplets first <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37084706/">speeds up the conversion to these fibres</a>.</p> <p>An important clue to how the droplets and fibres are related came from an unexpected area of our research – on <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23013511/">Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases</a>. Proteins that are involved in these diseases, called <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/alpha-synuclein#:%7E:text=%CE%B1%2DSynuclein%20is%20a%20highly,linked%20to%20familial%20Parkinson%20disease.">alpha-synuclein</a> and <a href="https://www.alz.org/media/Documents/alzheimers-dementia-tau-ts.pdf">tau</a>, can assemble into tiny, oil-like droplets in human cells.</p> <p>Tau is a protein that helps stabilise the internal skeleton of nerve cells (neurons) in the brain. This internal skeleton has a tube-like shape through which nutrients and other essential substances travel to reach different parts of the neuron.</p> <p>In Alzheimer’s disease, an abnormal form of tau builds up and clings to the normal tau proteins, creating “tau tangles”.</p> <p>Alpha-synuclein is found in large quantities in <a href="https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/what-is-dopamine">dopamine-producing nerve cells</a>. Abnormal forms of this protein are linked to Parkinson’s disease.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528217/original/file-20230525-25-p40y48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528217/original/file-20230525-25-p40y48.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/528217/original/file-20230525-25-p40y48.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/528217/original/file-20230525-25-p40y48.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/528217/original/file-20230525-25-p40y48.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/528217/original/file-20230525-25-p40y48.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/528217/original/file-20230525-25-p40y48.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/528217/original/file-20230525-25-p40y48.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="Beautiful spider web with water drops close-up" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">The trick spiders use to speed up their spinning process can be used to spin better artificial silk.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/beautiful-spider-web-water-drops-close-155560781">Aastels/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure> <p>Oil droplets of either one of these proteins form in humans when they become entangled, like boiled spaghetti on a plate. At first, the proteins are flexible and elastic, much like spidroin oil droplets.</p> <p>But if the proteins remain entangled, they get stuck together which alters their shape, changing them into rigid fibres. These can be toxic to human cells – for example, in neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s.</p> <p>However, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33148640/">spidroins can form droplets</a> too. This left us wondering if the same mechanism that causes neurodegeneration in humans could help the spider to convert liquid spidroins into rigid silk fibres.</p> <p>To find out, we used a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nchembio.2269">synthetic spidroin called NT2RepCT</a>, which can be produced by bacteria. Under the microscope, we could see that this synthetic spidroin formed liquid droplets when it was dissolved in phosphate buffer, a type of salt found in the spider’s silk gland. This allowed us to replicate spider silk spinning conditions in the lab.</p> <h2>Silky science</h2> <p>Next, we studied how the spidroin proteins act when they form droplets. To answer this question, we turned to an analysis technique <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/mass-spectrometry">called mass spectrometry</a>, to measure how the weight of the proteins changed when they formed droplets. To our surprise, we saw that the spidroin proteins, which normally form pairs, instead split into single molecules.</p> <p>We needed to do more work to find out how these protein droplets help spiders spin silk. Previous research has shown spidroins have different parts, called domains, with separate functions.</p> <p>The end part of the spidroin, called c-terminal domain, makes it form pairs. The c-terminal also starts <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.1001921">fibre formation when it comes into contact with acid</a>.</p> <p>So, we made a spidroin which contained only the c-terminal domain and tested its ability to form fibres.</p> <p>When we used phosphate buffer to entangle the proteins into droplets, they turned into rigid fibre instantly. When we added acid without first making droplets, fibre formation took much longer.</p> <p>This makes sense since the spidroin molecules must find each other when forming a fibre. Entangling the spidroins like spaghetti helps them rapidly assemble into silk.</p> <p>This finding tells us how the spider can instantly convert its spidroins into a solid thread. It also uncovered how nature uses the same mechanism that can make brain proteins toxic to create some of its most amazing structures.</p> <p>The surprising parallel between spider silk spinning and fibres toxic to humans could one day lead to new clues about how to fight neurodegenerative disorders.</p> <p>Scientists may use spider silk research, including what we have learned about the spider silk domains, to keep human proteins from sticking together – to stop them from becoming toxic. If spiders can learn how to keep their sticky proteins in check, perhaps so can we.<!-- 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;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205857/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><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michael-landreh-1328287">Michael Landreh</a>, Researcher, Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/karolinska-institutet-1250">Karolinska Institutet</a></em> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/anna-rising-1440132">Anna Rising</a>, Researcher in Veterinary medicine biochemistry, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/karolinska-institutet-1250">Karolinska Institutet</a></em></p> <p><em>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/why-understanding-how-spiders-spin-silk-may-hold-clues-for-treating-alzheimers-disease-205857">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Body

Placeholder Content Image

Can ideology-detecting algorithms catch online extremism before it takes hold?

<p>Ideology has always been a critical element in understanding how we view the world, form opinions and make political decisions. </p> <p>However, the internet has revolutionised the way opinions and ideologies spread, leading to new forms of online radicalisation. Far-right ideologies, which advocate for ultra-nationalism, racism and opposition to immigration and multiculturalism, have proliferated on social platforms.</p> <p>These ideologies have strong links with violence and terrorism. In recent years, <a href="https://www.asio.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-02/ASIO_Annual_Report_2020-21.pdf">as much as 40%</a> of the caseload of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) was related to far-right extremism. This has <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-13/right-wing-terror-threat-declines-says-asio/101965964">declined</a>, though, with the easing of COVID restrictions.</p> <p>Detecting online radicalisation early could help prevent far-right ideology-motivated (and potentially violent) activity. To this end, we have developed a <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2208.04097">completely automatic system</a> that can determine the ideology of social media users based on what they do online.</p> <h2>How it works</h2> <p>Our proposed pipeline is based on detecting the signals of ideology from people’s online behaviour. </p> <p>There is no way to directly observe a person’s ideology. However, researchers can observe “ideological proxies” such as the use of political hashtags, retweeting politicians and following political parties.</p> <p>But using ideological proxies requires a lot of work: you need experts to understand and label the relationships between proxies and ideology. This can be expensive and time-consuming. </p> <p>What’s more, online behaviour and contexts change between countries and social platforms. They also shift rapidly over time. This means even more work to keep your ideological proxies up to date and relevant.</p> <h2>You are what you post</h2> <p>Our pipeline simplifies this process and makes it automatic. It has two main components: a “media proxy”, which determines ideology via links to media, and an “inference architecture”, which helps us determine the ideology of people who don’t post links to media.</p> <p>The media proxy measures the ideological leaning of an account by tracking which media sites it posts links to. Posting links to Fox News would indicate someone is more likely to lean right, for example, while linking to the Guardian indicates a leftward tendency. </p> <p>To categorise the media sites users link to, we took the left-right ratings for a wide range of news sites from two datasets (though many are available). One was <a href="https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/our-research/digital-news-report-2018">based on a Reuters survey</a> and the other curated by experts at <a href="https://www.allsides.com/media-bias/ratings">Allsides.com</a>. </p> <p>This works well for people who post links to media sites. However, most people don’t do that very often. So what do we do about them?</p> <p>That’s where the inference architecture comes in. In our pipeline, we determine how ideologically similar people are to one another with three measures: the kind of language they use, the hashtags they use, and the other users whose content they reshare.</p> <p>Measuring similarity in hashtags and resharing is relatively straightforward, but such signals are not always available. Language use is the key: it is always present, and a known indicator of people’s latent psychological states. </p> <p>Using machine-learning techniques we found that people with different ideologies use different kinds of language. </p> <p>Right-leaning individuals tend to use moral language relating to vice (for example, harm, cheating, betrayal, subversion and degradation), as opposed to virtue (care, fairness, loyalty, authority and sanctity), more than left-leaning individuals. Far-right individuals use grievance language (involving violence, hate and paranoia) significantly more than moderates. </p> <p>By detecting these signals of ideology, our pipeline can identify and understand the psychological and social characteristics of extreme individuals and communities.</p> <h2>What’s next?</h2> <p>The ideology detection pipeline could be a crucial tool for understanding the spread of far-right ideologies and preventing violence and terrorism. By detecting signals of ideology from user behaviour online, the pipeline serves as an early warning systems for extreme ideology-motivated activity. It can provide law enforcement with methods to flag users for investigation and intervene before radicalisation takes hold.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/can-ideology-detecting-algorithms-catch-online-extremism-before-it-takes-hold-200629" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Technology

Placeholder Content Image

Novak Djokovic holds no grudge against Australia

<p>Novak Djokovic says he still has plenty of love and admiration for Australia, despite being deported due to the vaccine mandates.</p> <p>Djokovic says he received the reception he wished for in his triumphant return to singles action in Australia.</p> <p>Djokovic booked a spot in the second round of the Adelaide International 1 with a thumping 6-3 6-2 win over Frenchman Constant Lestienne on Tuesday.</p> <p>It was his first singles match in Australia since being deported in January 2022 for refusing to have the COVID-19 vaccine.</p> <p>The 21-time grand slam champion received a rousing reception when he stepped out on court on Tuesday, and he didn’t disappoint his adoring fans.</p> <p>Djokovic’s power, court speed, and deft work at the net proved too much to handle for Lestienne, with the match lasting just 74 minutes.</p> <p>The world No.5, who lost his low-key doubles match on Monday, repeatedly touched his heart before signalling to the crowd and the sky upon winning his singles match.</p> <p>He also kissed his hand and touched the court, later saying he was delighted to be back in the country where he’s won nine of his 21 grand slam trophies.</p> <p>“I’m glad to be back in Australia,” Djokovic said in his post-match on-court interview.</p> <p>“Thank you all for coming out today. Thank you for giving me the welcome that I could only wish for.</p> <p>“Over the years, Australia has been the place where I’ve played my best tennis, without a doubt.</p> <p>“If I have to pick one country where I’ve had the most success, which treated me in the best way in terms of tennis, it’s here, definitely.</p> <p>“Even the circumstances last year, it wasn’t easy for anybody. But I’m just happy to be here focusing on tennis, and enjoying my time with you guys.”</p> <p>The result sets up a round of 16 clash with Frenchman Quentin Halys, who defeated Australian Jordan Thompson in straight sets on Monday. Djokovic lost only five points on serve during the opening set, but did have to save a break point in the fifth game.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Travel Trouble

Placeholder Content Image

Influencer slammed for holding raunchy party at retirement home

<p dir="ltr">An elderly woman has appeared to suffer a heart attack while dancing with three strippers at an aged care home.</p> <p dir="ltr">Shocking footage shared to Instagram by influencer Nadia Cartagena shows a group of raunchy dancers showing off their moves to the elderly group at Una Mano Amiga Foundation in El Prado, Cartagena.</p> <p dir="ltr">The clip then shows the woman dancing in between three male dancers before she gasps and puts her hand on her heart.</p> <p dir="ltr">Moments later she is on the floor unconscious and sirens can be heard wailing in the background, rushing to the scene.</p> <p dir="ltr">The woman is then placed on a stretcher and taken to hospital in the ambulance.</p> <p dir="ltr">Nadia announced to her followers that she held an erotic party for “older adults, and I got the biggest scare of my life”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I did not expect what happened to happen, and the truth is that I am very sorry, I just wanted to give them some fun and I did not expect that situation, so I want you to comment on the situation.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Her post was then inundated with furious comments from followers who slammed her for being inconsiderate.</p> <p dir="ltr">“How can you do that, girl? Can't you see that they are old? They can't stand so much voltage. Some suffer from diseases,” one person wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You had too much, a party is ok but with another theme not like this,” another commented.</p> <p dir="ltr">“That party is out of order, that's not fun for people of that age that hurts,” someone else wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Retirement Life

Placeholder Content Image

James Caan was rarely a star. But he was a remarkable actor’s actor who could hold his own among the greats

<p>James Caan, who died on July 6 at 82, was one of those actors who wouldn’t attract mass audiences to a movie just because he was in it. He wasn’t a “star” in the same way we see his contemporaries such as Jack Nicholson, Jane Fonda, Al Pacino or Robert De Niro.</p> <p>In essence, Caan was an actor’s actor. He never cared for the trappings of stardom or desired the celebrity status so many other actors craved. He was into acting for one thing: the craft.</p> <p>In the 1960s, actors were experimenting with their craft just as much as the youth culture around them was experimenting with drugs, art, music and writing. A new generation of actors was emerging who were wildly different from their predecessors, influenced by Lee Strasberg’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-the-moscow-stage-to-monroe-and-de-niro-how-the-method-defined-20th-century-acting-179088" target="_blank" rel="noopener">method acting</a>. Caan signed up for classes at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre in New York, where he learned the Method and stayed for five years.</p> <p>Caan’s years at the Playhouse School developed in him the urge to be seen as a serious actor, rather than a “star”. When offered a leading role in a television series in 1965 he <a href="https://www.proquest.com/docview/155268288" target="_blank" rel="noopener">turned it down</a>, fearful the role would make him rich and diminish his love of acting.</p> <p>This was the thing with Caan. He couldn’t be typecast. De Niro has always traded on his tough-guy image; Pacino, the outsider; Nicholson, crazy and cool. But Caan couldn’t be put in a box. You had the volatile, violent son in The Godfather (1972), the zany comedy police detective in Freebie and the Bean (1974), the passive victim in Misery (1990), and the uptight, reserved father in Elf (2003).</p> <p>He was a <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prolific actor</a>, but rarely the lead. This took nothing away from his performances, but it highlights how uninterested he was in stardom. His quality as an actor lies in how he was able to turn these smaller roles into his own. When he was on screen, you knew he was there. He demanded attention.</p> <p>He owned those characters. No role was too small for his light to shine through.</p> <p>Even when playing a smaller role, he had the ability to eclipse the leads. Perhaps nothing shows this better than his role as Sonny Corleone in The Godfather. Caan is explosive. He almost jumps out of the screen with his frenetic energy, and deservedly gained a best supporting actor Oscar nomination along with Pacino – although Caan had much less screen time.</p> <h2>Life imitates art</h2> <p>Caan’s personal life was as dramatic as his on-screen characters.</p> <p>Linked to <a href="https://radaronline.com/p/james-caan-gambling-ring-illegal-betting-death/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mafia groups</a> and periods of <a href="https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/books/james-caan-the-reformed-character-actor-26256800.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drug addiction</a>, he had phone calls tapped <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jul/08/james-caan-obituary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">by the FBI</a> and had numerous <a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-12-me-33226-story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">run-ins</a> with the law.</p> <p>The death of his sister – also his manager – <a href="https://www.pearlanddean.com/james-caan-struggling-to-find-roles-to-crown-his-career/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">affected him greatly</a>. The theft of his money by a <a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-11-29-ca-7423-story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dodgy accountant</a> left him penniless for a while.</p> <p>As a result of his ongoing troubles, especially into the 1980s, Caan’s career faltered. There are large gaps in his acting resume where little happened for him. Hollywood didn’t lock him out, but it didn’t go looking for him either.</p> <p>It is interesting to think of the roles Caan could have had and what he would have brought to them.</p> <p>He was considered for or offered the leads in Kramer Vs Kramer, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Blade Runner, Star Wars and even the <a href="https://comicbookmovie.com/superman/james-caan-talks-about-passing-on-superman-star-wars-badmouths-harrison-ford-a87726#gs.60qihy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1970s Superman</a>. But for all he either refused or was passed over.</p> <p>The 1990s and 2000s saw him return to steady work. Supporting roles in features and starring roles in lesser television movies became more prolific.</p> <p>In these later productions, you could still see the glimmer of greatness in the ageing Caan’s work. Occasionally, in dramas such as The Yards (2000), City of Ghosts (2002) and Dogville (2003), we witness a resurgence of Caan’s energy and intensity back on the screen.</p> <p>His longevity as an actor, rather than as a “star”, through his six-decade career came down to his versatility. He was noticeable, without having that star recognition.</p> <p>Perhaps that was a blessing in disguise and his secret weapon as an actor. When we see a famous actor we see the “star” first and the actor second. With Caan we see the actor – and acting – first. He was able to transform into whatever character he was playing and make his audience believe he was that role, free from the artifice of stardom.</p> <p>Caan did not have a particularly stellar career compared with some of his contemporaries. But that is immaterial. He was a remarkable actor who, at his best, could hold his own among the greats.</p> <p><em><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/james-caan-was-rarely-a-star-but-he-was-a-remarkable-actors-actor-who-could-hold-his-own-among-the-greats-186635" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</strong></em></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Movies

Placeholder Content Image

We studied how the Antarctic ice sheet advanced and retreated over 10,000 years. It holds warnings for the future

<p>Alarming stories from Antarctica are now more frequent than ever; the ice surface is <a href="https://theconversation.com/warmer-summers-threaten-antarcticas-giant-ice-shelves-because-of-the-lakes-they-create-180989" target="_blank" rel="noopener">melting</a>, floating ice shelves are <a href="https://theconversation.com/conger-ice-shelf-has-collapsed-what-you-need-to-know-according-to-experts-180077" target="_blank" rel="noopener">collapsing</a> and glaciers are <a href="https://theconversation.com/ice-world-antarcticas-riskiest-glacier-is-under-assault-from-below-and-losing-its-grip-178828" target="_blank" rel="noopener">flowing faster</a> into the ocean.</p> <p>Antarctica will be the largest source of future sea-level rise. Yet scientists <a href="https://theconversation.com/scientists-still-dont-know-how-far-melting-in-antarctica-will-go-or-the-sea-level-rise-it-will-unleash-166677" target="_blank" rel="noopener">don’t know</a> exactly how this melting will unfold as the climate warms.</p> <p>Our <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s43017-022-00309-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">latest research</a> looks at how the Antarctic ice sheet advanced and retreated over the past 10,000 years. It holds stark warnings, and possibly some hope, for the future.</p> <h2>The current imbalance</h2> <p>Future sea-level rise presents one of the most significant challenges of climate change, with economic, environmental and societal impacts expected for coastal communities around the globe.</p> <p>While it seems like a distant issue, the changes in Antarctica may soon be felt on our doorsteps, in the form of rising sea levels.</p> <p>Antarctica is home to the world’s largest single mass of ice: the Antarctic ice sheet. This body of glacier ice is several kilometres thick, nestled on top of solid land. It covers entire mountain ranges beneath it.</p> <p>The ice sheet “<a href="https://vimeo.com/133626869" target="_blank" rel="noopener">flows</a>” over the land from the Antarctic interior and towards the surrounding ocean. As a whole it remains a solid mass, but its shape slowly deforms as the ice crystals move around.</p> <p>While the ice sheet flows outward, snowfall from above replenishes it. This cycle is supposed to keep the system in balance, wherein balance is achieved when the ice sheet is gaining the same amount of ice as it’s losing to the ocean each year.</p> <p>However, <a href="https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/ice-sheets/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">satellites</a> keeping watch from above show the ice sheet is currently not in balance. Over the past 40 years, it has lost more ice than it has gained. The result has been global rising sea levels.</p> <p>But these historical observations span only four decades, limiting our understanding of how the ice sheet responds to climate change over much longer periods.</p> <p>We wanted to look further back in time – before satellites – and even before the first polar explorers. For this, we needed natural archives.</p> <h2>Digging up Antarctica’s past</h2> <p>We brought together various natural archives to unearth how the Antarctic ice sheet changed over the past 10,000 years or so. These included:</p> <ul> <li>ice cores collected from Antarctica’s remote interior, which can show us how snow accumulated in the past</li> <li>rocks collected from exposed mountain peaks, which reveal how the ice sheet has thickened or thinned with time</li> <li>sediment cores collected from the seafloor, which reveal how the ice sheet margin – where the edge of the land ice meets the ocean – advanced or retreated</li> <li>lake mud and old beaches, which reveal how the coastline changed in response to the ice sheet growing or shrinking.</li> </ul> <p>When we started our research, I wasn’t sure what to expect. After all, this period of time was long considered fairly dull, with only small changes to the ice margin.</p> <p>Nevertheless, we studied the many different natural archives one by one. The work felt like a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle, full of irregular-shaped pieces and seemingly no straight edge. But once we put them together, the pieces lined up and the picture was clear.</p> <p>Most striking was a period of ice loss that took place in all regions of Antarctica about 10,000 to 5,000 years ago. It resulted in many metres of sea-level rise globally.</p> <p>In some regions of Antarctica, however, this ice loss was then followed by ice gain during the past 5,000 years – and a corresponding global sea-level fall – as the ice sheet margin advanced to where it is today.</p> <h2>A warning</h2> <p>Understanding how and why the Antarctic ice sheet changed in this fashion offers lessons for the future.</p> <p>The first lesson is more of a warning. The period of ice loss from 10,000 to 5,000 years ago was rapid, occurring at a similar rate to the most dramatically changing parts of the Antarctic ice sheet today.</p> <p>We think it was likely the result of warm ocean water melting the underside of floating ice shelves – something that has also happened in recent decades. These ice shelves hold back the ice on land, so once they’re removed the ice on the land flows faster into the ocean.</p> <p>In the future, it’s predicted ice loss will <a href="https://youtu.be/XRUxTFWWWdY?t=149" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accelerate</a> as the ice sheet retreats into basins below sea level. This may already be under way in some regions of Antarctica. And based on what happened in the past, the resulting ice loss could persist for centuries.</p> <h2>Bouncing back</h2> <p>The second lesson from our work may bring some hope. Some 5,000 years ago the ice sheet margin stopped retreating in most locations, and in some regions actually started to advance. One explanation for this relates to the previous period of ice loss.</p> <p>Before the ice began melting away, the Antarctic ice sheet was much heavier, and its weight pushed down into the Earth’s crust (which sits atop a molten interior). As the ice sheet melted and became lighter, the land beneath it would have lifted up – effectively hauling the ice out of the ocean.</p> <p>Another possible explanation is climate change. At Antarctica’s coastal fringe, the ocean may have temporarily switched from warmer to cooler waters around the time the ice sheet began advancing again. At the same time, more snowfall took place at the top of the ice sheet.</p> <p>Our research supports the idea that the Antarctic ice sheet is poised to lose more ice and raise sea levels – particularly if the ocean continues to warm.</p> <p>It also suggests uplift of the land and increased snowfall have the potential to slow or offset ice loss. However, this effect is not certain.</p> <p>The past can never be a perfect test for the future. And considering the planet is <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGI_SPM.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warming faster</a> now than it was back then, we must err on the side of caution.</p> <p><em><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-studied-how-the-antarctic-ice-sheet-advanced-and-retreated-over-10-000-years-it-holds-warnings-for-the-future-185505" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</strong></em></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Travel Trouble

Placeholder Content Image

Prince George holds bake sale for charity

<p dir="ltr">Prince George’s first efforts to help save the planet have come to light, after it was revealed he organised a bake sale for Tusk, a charity that his father is a patron of, during the UK’s Covid lockdown.</p> <p dir="ltr">Charlie Mayhew, the chief executive of Tusk, was the first to speak of George’s fundraiser.</p> <p dir="ltr">Though he wouldn’t disclose how much the young royal raised, Mayhew said the funds were accompanied by “a very sweet card” in which George expressed his concern for endangered animals in Africa.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Prince George very sweetly did a little cake sale to raise money for Tusk during lockdown and wrote a very sweet card about it, clearly demonstrating his concern fro Africa’s wildlife,” Mahew told <em>GB News</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Conservation work has been an important part of life for George’s family, with Prince William, Prince Charles, and Prince Phillip all championing environmental causes.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-693abbe2-7fff-6fcd-b669-af0991bbfdad"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">The Duke of Cambridge has previously spoken about passing on his passion to his children, which seems to have been a success with George’s first fundraising venture.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Baking cakes for the local community in Cardiff to enjoy at a Platinum Jubilee street party taking place today! 🎉</p> <p>We hope you like them! 🧁 <a href="https://t.co/lK9QkaGugB">pic.twitter.com/lK9QkaGugB</a></p> <p>— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) <a href="https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1533359456376987649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 5, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">It isn’t the only time George has shown off his baking skills either, after Kate Middleton and the Cambridge kids baked some sweet treats for a Platinum Jubilee street party in Cardiff.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Baking cakes for the local community in Cardiff to enjoy at a Platinum Jubilee street party taking place today!” the Cambridges tweeted, along with a montage of cute snaps.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We hope you like them!”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-af608ddc-7fff-8897-86d8-da181667e108"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

Qantas passengers left fuming on hold

<p dir="ltr">Customers have been left fuming after being kept on hold for 8.5 hours with Qantas. </p> <p dir="ltr">Despite borders being open for a while now, flyers are still confused about what is needed with travelling such as masks, vaccinations and isolating. </p> <p dir="ltr">Katrina was one of those confused passengers who said she is embarrassed at having to wait on hold for an excruciating 8.5 hours with Qantas. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I took the call to a meeting, I took the call to an eatery,” Katrina told 2GB.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It was a two-hour meeting and we had the music playing in the background the whole time.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Others took to Twitter to share their horror hold-time stories, saying it is unacceptable to wait that long.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I was on hold for 6hrs 46mins and the customer service agent cut me off. This is easily the worst customer service I’ve experienced - all while trying to fix an error Qantas has made on a booking!! So unacceptable,” someone wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“@Qantas total of 6 hours on hold across 2 calls with no answer. Almost $750 taken from my account with no flight to show for it, $300 locked up in your "Qantas pass". Still unresolved. Australia's worst airline for sure,” another commented.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Three HOURS on hold @Qantas what world are we living in?” someone asked.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Hey @qantas I’ve made four phone calls over the past week and been on hold for over 10 hours in total and I’m still waiting to hear back from you,” another comment read.</p> <p dir="ltr">Qantas chief customer officer Stephanie Tully apologised to customers and said they are looking to fix the issue. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I want to sincerely apologise to our customers, the wait times are not acceptable at all and it is our top priority to fix this,” Ms Tully said.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Twitter</em></p>

Travel Trouble

Placeholder Content Image

“We can’t leave”: Russians accused of holding hospital staff and patients “hostage”

<p dir="ltr">Officials of Ukraine’s besieged city Mariupol <a href="https://www.news.com.au/world/russia-ukraine-war-updates-mariupol-hospital-staff-patients-taken-hostage/news-story/290f75e5198aed84789d7d8d27c3bc67" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have claimed</a> that 400 hospital staff and patients have been taken as “hostages” by Russian forces.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We received information that the Russian army captured our biggest hospital,” Sergei Orlov, Mariupol’s deputy mayor, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60757133" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told the BBC</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Pavlo Kirilenko, the head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration, took to Facebook to share an account from a hospital employee who managed to communicate with authorities.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Russian occupiers in Mariupol took doctors and patients hostage,” Mr Kirilenko <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pavlokyrylenko.donoda/posts/506102444405648" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“One of the hospital employees had time to pass this news.</p> <p dir="ltr">“‘It is impossible to get out of the hospital. There is heavy shooting, we sit in the basement. Vehicles have not been able to drive to the hospital for two days. </p> <p dir="ltr">“‘The Russians forced 400 people from neighbouring houses to come to our hospital. We can’t leave’.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Kirilenko added that the hospital had been “practically destroyed” by the Russian forces, but that staff have continued to work and treat patients in the basement.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I appeal to international human rights organisations to respond to these vicious violations of the norms and customs of war, to these blatant crimes against humanity,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Russia and every citizen involved in crimes in Ukraine must be punished!”</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Kirilenko said the hospital holding the “hostages” was the same one that was damaged by a strike last week, as Mariupol continued to suffer constant shelling.</p> <p dir="ltr">Russian troops have surrounded the city for nearly two weeks, with gas, running water and electricity cut off to the estimated 350,000 residents trapped there.</p> <p dir="ltr">The local council said about 2,000 cars left the city on Tuesday, with 2,000 others waiting to leave.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, as food and medical supplies dwindle, no aid has been allowed in.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-fa019eb7-7fff-7fda-e018-45f8494a695a"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Legal

Placeholder Content Image

Prince Charles holds largest exhibit of his watercolours to date

<p dir="ltr">The largest ever exhibition of artworks created by Prince Charles has opened at the Garrison Chapel in Chelsea Barracks, a recently restored chapel in a converted army barracks in London’s Belgravia district.</p> <p dir="ltr">A painting enthusiast, Prince Charles has extolled the benefits of art, saying it “transports me to another dimension”, that painting is "one of the most relaxing and therapeutic exercises I know," and that it "refreshes parts of the soul which other activities can't reach."</p> <p dir="ltr">The exhibition contains 79 of the prince’s paintings of landscapes of the French countryside, the Scottish Highlands, and Tanzania, which is one of Charles’ favourite places to paint. He regularly paints the family’s estates, including Balmoral Castle and Sandringham House, and has also produced works depicting Turkey, Nepal, and the Swiss Alps.</p> <p dir="ltr">As for why he started painting, Charles said, "I took up painting entirely because I found photography less than satisfying. Quite simply, I experienced an overwhelming urge to express what I saw through the medium of watercolor and to convey that almost 'inner' sense of texture which is impossible to achieve via photography."</p> <p dir="ltr">Like Queen Victoria before him, Charles is a “keen watercolourist” who “paints whenever his schedule allows”. Of his early works, he said, "I am under no illusion that my sketches represent great art or a burgeoning talent! They represent, more than anything else, my particular form of 'photograph album' and, as such, mean a great deal to me."</p> <p dir="ltr">While the prince does not sell his paintings, lithographs of his works are used to raise money for his charity; in 2016, it was reported that he had sold approximately £2 million worth from a shop at his Highgrove House residence. The National Gallery of Australia exhibited several paintings of his in 2018 to mark his 70th birthday.</p> <p dir="ltr">The curator of the exhibition, Rosie Alderton, said that Charles "likes to sit in the actual environment and paint 'en plein air.” She added, “His passion for creating beautiful art is conveyed strongly in this exhibition."</p> <p dir="ltr">In addition to the watercolours, there is a tapestry based on his painting "Abandoned Cottage on the Isle of Stroma” that took weaver Ben Hymers eight months to finish.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images</em></p>

Art

Placeholder Content Image

Reporters’ book holds new insights on Trump

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A new book penned by </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Washington Post </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">reporters Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta has become a source of </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/29/trump-white-house-covid-taskforce-fauci" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">shocking revelations</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> about the Trump administration at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Titled </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/nightmare-scenario-yasmeen-abutalebdamian-paletta" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nightmare Scenario</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">: Inside the Trump Administration’s Response to the Pandemic that Changed History</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the authors reported on Trump’s contempt for the COVID taskforce chaired by vice-president Mike Pence, which Trump took to referring as “that f****ing council that Mike has” as the pandemic worsened.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The authors wrote that his derisive term for the taskforce was “a signal that he wished it would go away” and “didn’t want anyone to exert leadership”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Many on the taskforce didn’t want the responsibility either, fearful of the consequences.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The book also revealed that Trump wanted to send Americans infected with the virus to Guantanamo Bay and that he hoped his former aide John Bolton would be “taken out” by COVID-19.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The book also examined the influence of “outside consultants” on Trump that undermined the work of the president’s scientific advisors.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This included unofficial advisor Stephen Moore, who the authors said acted as Trump’s “emissary [from] the conservative establishment” and “strode into the Oval Office to convince the president” to end shutdowns and kickstart the economy as cases continued to spiral and the death toll in the US passed 1,000 people.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Moore is an economist who was nominated to the board of the Federal Reserve in 2019 by Trump, but withdrew after the Guardian and other outlets reported on controversies in his past.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Moore told Abutaleb and Paletta that Trump’s promise to reopen the US economy by Easter 2020 was “the smart thing to do” because “the economic costs of this are mounting and there’s not a lot of evidence that lockdowns are working to stop the spread”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He has also been quoted attacking Dr Anthony Fauci, a former member of the COVID taskforce and the current chief medical advisor to Joe Biden.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Fauci is the villain here,” Moore said. “He has the Napoleon complex, and he thinks he is the dictator who could decide how to run the country.”</span></p>

Books

Placeholder Content Image

"Hold my beer": Tradie captured surfing huge croc

<p>A photo dubbed “the most Australian photo ever” has gone viral after a tradie decided to ride a monster crocodile.</p> <p>The tradie tied a rope around the reptile’s mouth and made a lead to get the crocodile into the shallow waters, where the photo seemed to be taken.</p> <p>The photo went viral on Reddit, with many surprised at the photo.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841243/crocs-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/49f2c7cca044439095cbcaa831aad306" /></p> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>'You know for sure that the last thing he said was "Hold my beer,"' one user said.</p> <p>'Glad he was wearing hi-vis... you know for safety,' another wrote.</p> <p>'This guy takes the Australian surfer cliche to a whole 'nother level,' another commented.</p> <p><em>Photo credits: Reddit</em></p> </div>

Family & Pets

Placeholder Content Image

"She was NOT holding back": Former Ellen producer's parting shot

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in element-type-p"> <p>A former producer on<span> </span><em>The Ellen Show</em><span> </span>didn't hold back and slammed Ellen on a breakfast talk show just hours after Ellen announced her final season.</p> <p>Ellen confirmed that she is ending her talk show after an intense year of bullying claims and toxic workplace allegations.</p> <p>Former producer Hedda Muskat said that the show's demise came because viewers have "woken up" to Ellen's true nature.</p> <p>“The viewers have spoken. Her ratings have been in the toilet for a long time now. Her show has not been fun, it has not been interesting, and she’s not really ‘stepping down’ - the viewers fired her.”</p> <p>Muskat said she was one of the show's first hires back in 2003, claiming that Ellen loved "kissing ass with celebrities" and "despised" the non-celebrity human interest guests that Muskat provided.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">"She’s not really stepping down, the viewers fired her"<br /><br />Former The Ellen DeGeneres Show Producer <a href="https://twitter.com/heddamuskat?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HeddaMuskat</a> delivers a fiery spray against the comedian after she announced the end of her long-running talk show. <a href="https://t.co/Co7wOUAkkj">pic.twitter.com/Co7wOUAkkj</a></p> — Sunrise (@sunriseon7) <a href="https://twitter.com/sunriseon7/status/1392607321293869060?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2021</a></blockquote> <p>“She really was not in a position to interview real people because she really couldn’t carry a conversation with them,” she said.</p> <p>“This is not ‘bah humbug’ on my end, because I just did my job and went home, but I feel that for the guests it was bad goodwill for them. They just really were not able to connect with her.”</p> <p>Ellen plans on sitting down with talk show titan Oprah Winfrey on tomorrow's episode of<span> </span><em>The Ellen Show</em><span> </span>to discuss her decision to quit, which is another move Muskat slammed.</p> <p>“Frankly, I am very disappointed that Oprah is lowering herself to interview Ellen,” she told the hosts.</p> <p>“Oprah can interview kings and queens, I love Oprah … and for her to interview Ellen, it’s like, why? Who cares about Ellen anymore?”</p> <p>The talk show hosts were left in shock, with David Koch and Natalie Barr asking the former producer what she thought Ellen had planned next.</p> <p>“I’d like to see her work on a farm where she can relate with all of the animals and the pets and the dogs and the cows and the pigs because if you can relate to animals far more than she does with people,” she said, prompting shocked laughter from the<span> </span><em>Sunrise</em><span> </span>hosts.</p> <p>“I was not able to have any connection with her, make any eye contact, and here is the thing: It’s not just me or three of us, there were over 100 employees over the 19 years that walk away with this sickened feeling about working there.</p> <p>“As much as I loved my job as a booker and producer, I was almost relieved when I got fired... I wanted to take a shower, it was like a whole new dawn. I don’t feel like she has the trust anymore of the viewers, and so I don’t think she is going to come back anytime soon.”</p> <p>Barr joked that Muskat didn't hold back, saying "she went for it then".</p> </div> </div> </div>

TV

Placeholder Content Image

How the Queen came to hold 7 Guinness World Records

<p>It’s been 68 years since Queen Elizabeth II took over the British throne, and ever since, the 94-year-old monarch has made history many times over.</p> <p>Among her many accomplishments are Guinness World Record titles, which the Queen holds quite a few of.</p> <p>From longest-reigning queen to the wealthiest, here are some of the Queen’s Guinness World Records.</p> <p><strong>Oldest British Queen</strong></p> <p>On 21 December 2007, Queen Elizabeth II was given the title of oldest British queen at the age of 81 and 244 days old.</p> <p>The record was previously held by the monarch’s great, great grandmother, Queen Victoria.</p> <p>Queen Elizabeth succeeded to the throne on 6 February 1952 following the death of her father King George VI.</p> <p>Her reign surpassed Queen Victoria’s on 9 September 2015, after ruling for over 63 years.</p> <p>As of the Queen’s 94th birthday on 21 April 2020, she has ruled uninterrupted for 68 years and 75 days.</p> <p><strong>Oldest current monarch</strong></p> <p>In 2015, Queen Elizabeth became the world’s oldest monarch when the former title holder, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, died at the age of 90.</p> <p><strong>Longest-reigning living monarch</strong></p> <p>While the Queen currently is the fourth-longest reigning monarch in the world, she does hold the title of the longest-reigning living monarch.</p> <p>The top three longest-reigning monarchs include King Louis XIV of France, who ruled for 72 years and 110 days, followed by Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who ruled for 70 years and 126 days and King Johann II of Liechtenstein, who was ruler for 70 years and 91 days.</p> <p><strong>Most countries to be head of state simultaneously</strong></p> <p>The Guinness World Records revealed Queen Elizabeth holds the record “in terms of the number of independent nations for which the same person is lawfully Head of State at the same time” with 16.</p> <p>Acknowledging that this makes her “possibly the most powerful woman in the world,” the book of records states: “While the Queen's role is nominal and ceremonial (exercising no political powers), more than 139m people in 15 Commonwealth states (plus the UK) recognise her as their monarch.”</p> <p><strong>Most currencies featuring the same individual</strong></p> <p>Queen Elizabeth’s profile is featured on the coinage of at least 35 different countries, while Queen Victoria’s image appeared on currency from 21 countries and King George V appeared on 19.</p> <p><strong>Wealthiest Queen</strong></p> <p>In 2012,<span> </span><em>The Sunday Times</em><span> </span>estimated the Queen’s total wealth including fine art, jewellery and property, to be £310m (AUD 579m).</p>

Books

Placeholder Content Image

“We’ll hold those responsible accountable”: US claims virus came from Wuhan lab

<p>The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has claimed there was “enormous evidence” the new coronavirus originated in a Chinese laboratory, but did not provide any of the alleged evidence.</p> <p>Pompeo, a former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, said on Sunday there was “enormous” and “significant” evidence that the coronavirus outbreak began in a laboratory in Wuhan, China.</p> <p>“I think the whole world can see now, remember, China has a history of infecting the world and running substandard laboratories,” Pompeo told ABC’s <em>This Week</em>.</p> <p>“President Trump is very clear: we’ll hold those responsible accountable.”</p> <p>At first, Pompeo said he believed “the best experts so far seem to think it was man-made”.</p> <p>But he later said he agreed with the “wide scientific consensus” from the US intelligence community that “the COVID-19 virus was not man-made or genetically modified”.</p> <p>Pompeo’s statement indicated an escalation in rhetoric amid the country’s tensions with China.</p> <p>US President Donald Trump made a similar unsupported claim on Thursday, saying that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/30/donald-trump-coronavirus-chinese-lab-claim">he had proof the pandemic started in a Chinese laboratory</a>.</p> <p>On the same day, Pompeo said in an interview: “We don’t know if it came from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. We don’t know if it emanated from the wet market or yet some other place. We don’t know those answers.”</p> <p>Most epidemiologists believe the virus was likely introduced from bats to humans through an intermediary animal.</p> <p>The US had confirmed more than 1.15 million coronavirus cases and 67,000 deaths as of Monday, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre.</p> <p>Trump has faced widespread criticism for having overseen a “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/14/us/politics/coronavirus-trump-who-funding.html">slow and ineffective</a>“ response to the pandemic as states and cities continue to appeal for more federal help in <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/5/3/21245815/larry-kudlow-cnn-jake-tapper-state-of-the-union-coronavirus-stimulus">increasing testing capacity and propping up the economy</a>.</p>

News

Placeholder Content Image

The Queen and Prince Charles hold crisis talks over Prince Andrew​

<p><span>The Queen and Prince Charles have come together to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the scandal-plagued Prince Andrew. </span></p> <p><span>Taking the time to step away from royal estate business, the pair have been in numerous meetings regarding “family matters,” according to a royal source, as reported by The Sun. </span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B789wrlH9Tg/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B789wrlH9Tg/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Andrew (@princeandrew9933)</a> on Jan 30, 2020 at 9:42am PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span>“Both had hoped the Duke of York could perhaps be rehabilitated back into public life in time but that is now looking increasingly unlikely,” they said. </span></p> <p><span>It has further been revealed that a police probe into Prince Andrew’s billionaire paedophile friend Jeffrey Epstein could be reopened after it was dropped in 2016.</span></p> <p><span>The news comes just mere hours after a US law chief slammed the Prince by revealing the FBI tried to question him over Epstein but instead received “zero co-operation”.</span></p> <p><span>The FBI says they have a witness who claims she saw the Duke dancing with “sex slave” Virginia Roberts Giuffre at London’s Tramp nightclub in 2001.</span></p> <p><span>Ms Giuffre claims she was trafficked by Epstein and that the Duke slept with her that night when she was 17.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B764-uSgGkQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B764-uSgGkQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Quentin Anonsson (@quentinanonsson)</a> on Jan 29, 2020 at 2:22pm PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span>The 59-year-old royal has denied any wrongdoing but has stepped back from public life.</span></p> <p><span>Epstein killed himself in jail last year.</span></p> <p><span>Andrew denied that the FBI had approached him, telling friends he was “bewildered” at claims he has refused to co-operate.</span></p>

International Travel

Placeholder Content Image

How to hold a successful garage sale

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Clearing your home of clutter or old and unwanted items is an important task when you’re planning to sell or move house, but it can be also be a great way of simply freshening up and re-organising your home.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you hold a garage sale after the clean up, you also have a chance to make some extra money and have a fun day with family, friends and neighbours. If you don’t know where to start, the key is planning and preparation. Here are our five tips for a garage sale.</span></p> <p><strong>1. Decide on a date</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Choose a Saturday or Sunday, three to four weeks ahead. You need time to collect, clean up, arrange and price items. By deciding on a date in advance, you also have a deadline to work towards. Make sure the date does not clash with any major local events or sport activities, and that helpers are free to assist on that day. </span></p> <p><strong>2. Start Collecting </strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Begin sorting through your home for goods you are willing to sell, including everything you want to get rid of. You will be surprised - your junk can be another person's treasure. Remember, though, that some items may need to be cleaned or repaired to ensure a good price. It’s important that you tell as many neighbours, friends and family as possible that you are having a garage sale, as they may have some items they want to sell and may be willing to help out on the day. </span></p> <p><strong>3. Spread the word</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Advertise in your local paper two weeks before the day, but don’t forget to use social media (many neighbourhoods have their own Facebook pages) or websites such as gumtree.com.au. Facebook has recently launched its ‘Market’ in Australia aimed at helping people find things for sale locally. Ask local shops and supermarkets if they allow signs in their windows, and consider community notice boards.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Also place signage on the corner of your street and main road, either the evening before or early on the morning of the sale. Often your local real estate office will be able to help you with the supply of pointer signs because agents are frequently asked to help their clients with garage sales. Remember to keep all signs and advertisements brief - the day, date, start and finish time and your property address is all that is required.</span></p> <p><strong>4. Be prepared </strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Make sure all items are clearly priced with stickers before the day. Keep pricing simple – saves having to do a lot of adding up on the day. Have plenty of change available, including small change and notes. Money belts are useful for collecting cash or you can use a till as long as it is never left unattended. It is also a good idea to have a calculator, pencil and paper, bags, boxes and newspaper to wrap valuables. And don’t forget to have drinks and seating handy for you and your helpers – it can be a long morning! </span></p> <p><strong>5. On the day </strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Don’t be surprised if you find serious buyers knocking on your door an hour or two before start time. A good ‘official’ starting time is 9am, so that visitors won’t disturb you too early. During the day, remember to keep your house locked at all times, and ensure you have a secure place inside your home to put cash as it accumulates. State a clear finish time so people are not coming too late in the day. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After the sale has finished, donate leftover items to a local charity. By being prepared you will be able to relax and enjoy the day, ending up with a clean house and a little extra cash at the end.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Written by Stewart Bunn. Republished with permission of </span><a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/articles/property/how-to-hold-a-successful-garage-sale.aspx"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Wyza.com.au.</span></a></em></p>

Art

Over 60

© Copyright 2024 OverSixty.All Rights Reserved.