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Who really gets fired over social media posts? We studied hundreds of cases to find out

<p>What you say and do on social media can affect your employment; it can prevent you from getting hired, stall career progression and may even get you fired. Is this fair – or an invasion of privacy?</p> <p>Our recent <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20563051221077022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">research</a> involved a study of 312 news articles about people who had been fired because of a social media post.</p> <p>These included stories about posts people had made themselves, such as a teacher who was fired after they came out as bisexual on Instagram, or a retail employee let go over a racist post on Facebook.</p> <p>It also included stories about posts made by others, such as videos of police engaging in racial profiling (which led to their dismissal).</p> <p>Racism was the most common reason people were fired in these news stories, with 28% of stories related specifically to racism. Other forms of discriminatory behaviour were sometimes involved, such as queerphobia and misogyny (7%); workplace conflict (17%); offensive content such as “bad jokes” and insensitive posts (16%); acts of violence and abuse (8%); and “political content” (5%).</p> <p>We also found these news stories focused on cases of people being fired from public-facing jobs with high levels of responsibility and scrutiny. These included police/law enforcement (20%), teachers (8%), media workers (8%), medical professionals (7%), and government workers (3%), as well as workers in service roles such as hospitality and retail (13%).</p> <p>Social media is a double-edged sword. It can be used to hold people to account for discriminatory views, comments or actions. But our study also raised important questions about privacy, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017015613746" target="_blank" rel="noopener">common</a> <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ijsa.12067" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HR practices</a> and how employers use social media to make decisions about their staff.</p> <p>Young people in particular are expected to navigate social media use (documenting their lives, hanging out with friends, and engaging in self-expression) with the threat of future reputational harm looming.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">This woman said her company fired her after her body-positive photo shoot went viral <a href="https://t.co/1eOKFPvZaq">https://t.co/1eOKFPvZaq</a> <a href="https://t.co/dpuIQZJvaW">pic.twitter.com/dpuIQZJvaW</a></p> <p>— BuzzFeed is a Chris Evans stan account (@BuzzFeed) <a href="https://twitter.com/BuzzFeed/status/913775877208416256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2017</a></p></blockquote> <p><strong>Are all online posts fair game?</strong></p> <p>Many believe people just need to accept the reality that what you say and do on social media can be used against you.</p> <p>And that one should only post content they wouldn’t mind their boss (or potential boss) <a href="https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/455845/logged-off-six-hunter-workers-fired-over-facebook-comments/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seeing</a>.</p> <p>But to what extent should employers and recruiting managers respect the privacy of employees, and not use personal social media to make employment decisions?</p> <p>Or is everything “fair game” in making hiring and firing decisions?</p> <p>On the one hand, the capacity for using social media to hold certain people (like police and politicians) to account for what they say and do can be immensely valuable to democracy and society.</p> <p>Powerful social movements such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/and-just-like-that-metoo-changed-the-nature-of-online-communication-174527" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#MeToo</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-twitter-and-the-way-of-the-hashtag-141693" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#BlackLivesMatter</a> used social media to call out structural social problems and individual bad actors.</p> <p>On the other hand, when everyday people lose their jobs (<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rpto.2016.09.001" target="_blank" rel="noopener">or don’t get hired in the first place</a>) because they’re LGBTQ+, post a photo of themselves in a bikini, or because they complain about customers in private spaces (all stories from <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20563051221077022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our study</a>), the boundary between professional and private lives is <a href="https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Work%27s+Intimacy-p-9780745650289" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blurred</a>.</p> <p>Mobile phones, emails, working from home, highly competitive employment markets, and the intertwining of “work” with “identity” all serve to blur this line.</p> <p>Some workers must develop their own <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10606-018-9315-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strategies and tactics</a>, such as not friending or following workmates on some social media (which itself can lead to tensions).</p> <p>And even when one does derive joy and fulfilment from work, we should expect to have some boundaries respected.</p> <p>Employers, HR workers, and managers should think carefully about the boundaries between professional and personal lives; using social media in employment decisions can be more complicated than it seems.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><em><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/467644/original/file-20220608-26-2g1hpu.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/467644/original/file-20220608-26-2g1hpu.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/467644/original/file-20220608-26-2g1hpu.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/467644/original/file-20220608-26-2g1hpu.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/467644/original/file-20220608-26-2g1hpu.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/467644/original/file-20220608-26-2g1hpu.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/467644/original/file-20220608-26-2g1hpu.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/467644/original/file-20220608-26-2g1hpu.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></em><figcaption><em><span class="caption">Many believe people just need to accept the reality that what you say and do on social media can be used against you.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></em></figcaption></figure> <p><strong>A ‘hidden curriculum of surveillance’</strong></p> <p>When people feel monitored by employers (current, or imagined future ones) when they use social media, this creates a “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818791318" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hidden curriculum of surveillance</a>”. For young people especially, this can be damaging and inhibiting.</p> <p>This hidden curriculum of surveillance works to produce compliant, self-governing citizen-employees. They are pushed to curate often highly sterile representations of their lives on social media, always under threat of employment doom.</p> <p>At the same time, these very same social media have a clear and productive role in revealing violations of power. Bad behaviour, misconduct, racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of bigotry, harassment, and violence have all been exposed by social media.</p> <p>So, then, this surveillance can be both bad and good – invasive in some cases and for some people (especially young people whose digitally-mediated lives are managed through this prism of future impact) but also liberating and enabling justice, accountability, and transparency in other scenarios and for other actors.</p> <p>Social media can be an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0893318914541966" target="_blank" rel="noopener">effective way for people to find work</a>, for <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2016-30476-002" target="_blank" rel="noopener">employers to find employees</a>, to present <a href="https://sajhrm.co.za/index.php/sajhrm/article/view/861" target="_blank" rel="noopener">professional profiles on sites like LinkedIn</a> or portfolios of work on platforms like Instagram, but these can also be personal spaces even when they’re not set to private.</p> <p>How we get the balance right between using social media to hold people to account versus the risk of invading people’s privacy depends on the context, of course, and is ultimately about power.<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/182424/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/brady-robards-112223" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brady Robards</a>, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Monash University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/darren-graf-1344308" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Darren Graf</a>, Assistant researcher, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Monash University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/who-really-gets-fired-over-social-media-posts-we-studied-hundreds-of-cases-to-find-out-182424" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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Here’s why this doghouse will likely sell for hundreds of thousands

<p dir="ltr">A doghouse up for auction could sell for more than $400,000 - the same price as a Brisbane apartment - and it's thanks to one small hole in its tin roof.</p><p dir="ltr">In 2019, a meteorite tore through the sky towards the city of Aguas Zarcas in north central Costa Rica, crash landing in the doghouse while the pooch was still inside.</p><p dir="ltr">The resulting seven-inch hole has made the simple wood and tin structure a highly sought after item, which is now estimated <a href="https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/deep-impact-martian-lunar-other-rare-meteorites/aguas-zarcas-doghouse-4/142783?ldp_breadcrumb=back" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to sell</a> for between $300 and $450,000 at Christie’s “<a href="https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/deep-impact-martian-lunar-other-rare-meteorites/lots/2134" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Deep Impact: Martian, Lunar and other Rare Meteorites</a>”.</p><p dir="ltr">“On April 23, 2019 at 9.07pm, a German Shephard [sic] named Roky experienced quite a fright. A meteorite, part of a shower of exotic stone meteorites loaded with organic compounds, crashed through his doghouse, barely missing him,” Christie’s <a href="https://www.nine.com.au/property/news/doghouse-struck-by-meteorite-400k-dollars-christies-space-auction/ab31a7b3-7fb6-483b-8770-f024f90a0df5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explains</a>.</p><p dir="ltr">“Aguas Zarcas meteorites are the same type as Murchison, among the most researched meteorites of all time.</p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-41333ea3-7fff-466c-e226-f7e961f0f6e6"></span></p><p dir="ltr">“These samples not only contain tens of thousands of prebiotics, including amino acids, but also pre-solar grains ranging up to twice the age of the solar system. Today, many cosmochemists throughout the world are either investigating Aguas Zarcas specimens or waiting to obtain them.”</p><p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/02/meteorite-doghouse.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p><p dir="ltr"><em>A meteorite and the kennel it crashed into have both been put up for auction, with the doghouse expected to sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Image: Christie’s</em></p><p dir="ltr">With meteorites usually landing in the ocean or ending up buried deep underground in remote areas if they do end up on land, the one that struck Roky’s kennel is incredibly rare.</p><p dir="ltr">Unfortunately, Christie’s explains that the house belonging to Roky’s owners won’t see an increase in value thanks to the meteorite, and that objects are what benefit most.</p><p dir="ltr">“Although the few homes hit by falling meteorites do not become worth much more when struck, that is not the case with other objects,” the site reads.</p><p dir="ltr">The high-end auctioneer is also selling off the <a href="https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/deep-impact-martian-lunar-other-rare-meteorites/aguas-zarcas-cm2-meteorite-doghouse-8/142785" target="_blank" rel="noopener">meteorite</a> itself, which is expected to go for between $60-90,000.</p><p dir="ltr">Though he may be separated from the meteor, Roky is leaving a permanent mark on the space stone.</p><p dir="ltr">“The front face of the meteorite is accented with a sienna-hued streak caused by the meteorite’s passage through the oxidized [sic] tin roof of Roky’s Doghouse.”</p><p dir="ltr">Currently, there are 16 bids on the doghouse and eight on the meteorite, with bidding due to end on February 23.</p><p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-1f0fb625-7fff-68db-e96a-c8ac088d7103"></span></p><p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Christie’s</em></p>

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Hundreds gather to mourn Charlise Mutten

<p dir="ltr">A sombre, candlelight vigil<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/tears-flow-at-vigil-for-murdered-schoolgirl-charlise-mutten-211910839.html" target="_blank">has been held</a><span> </span>for nine-year-old Charlise Mutten, who was allegedly murdered while holidaying with family in the NSW Blue Mountains.</p> <p dir="ltr">The vigil, held at Tweed Heads near the Queensland-NSW border, saw locals gather from 7.15 pm on Wednesday night.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mourners held candles and left bouquets and messages outside the gates of Tweed Heads Public School, the school Charlise had been attending.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img style="width: 500px; height:281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7846947/vigil1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/70b616652e7e46529b4b3413b3ad7893" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>More than 100 people gathered for the candlelight vigil held for Charlise Mutten outside Tweed Heads Public School, which she attended. Images: 9News</em></p> <p dir="ltr">Despite the light rain, about 150 people gathered outside the school for the vigil, where several speakers shared emotional tributes to the young girl.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Charlise loved coming to our little lunchtime drama club,”<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/vigil-for-nine-year-old-girl-found-in-barrel-held-tweed-heads-man-charged-murder/3644467d-5827-412f-bde6-6ac33c28b31d?ocid=Social-9NewsGC" target="_blank">said</a><span> </span>Emily Carey, a teacher at Tweed Heads Public School.</p> <p dir="ltr">“She was always funny, very entertaining, and full of wit.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Another message, written by a classmate, read: “Dear Charlise, I was in your class in year two, it makes me really sad what happened to you.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You were a really nice person and I wish you were coming back to school with me.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Rest in Peace.”</p> <p dir="ltr">A message on the school’s notice board read: “don’t count the days, make the days count”.</p> <p dir="ltr">In a statement on Wednesday morning, the school said it was “absolutely devastated” by the young girl’s death.</p> <p><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Ftweedheadspublicschool%2Fposts%2F339127968218848&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="770" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></p> <p dir="ltr">“Charlise was a much loved member of our school who brightened all our days, every day,” the statement read.</p> <p dir="ltr">The school<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/devastated-more-details-released-on-charlise-mutten-as-community-mourns" target="_blank">shared</a><span> </span>a recent photo of Charlise holding a literacy award she received at their end-of-year presentation day.</p> <p dir="ltr">Prime Minister Scott Morrison also shared his condolences for the family after the five-day search for the missing girl tragically ended.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You hope for the best, you pray for it, but it doesn’t always occur,” Mr Morrison said.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img style="width: 500px; height:281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7846946/vigil2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/6cb3d994e5344e3fa6a866a6f5ecb986" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Students who knew and attended school with Charlise were among those who left messages for her at Wednesday night’s vigil. Images: 9News</em></p> <p dir="ltr">Charlise’s body was discovered near the Colo River after police and volunteers from the Rural Fire Service and SES searched bushland around the Wildenstein Private Gardens at Mount Wilson, about 120 kilometres northwest of Sydney.</p> <p dir="ltr">Detectives searched the property - where Charlise was last seen alive - for several hours on Tuesday before her body was found.</p> <p dir="ltr">Her stepfather, Justin Stein, has been<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/charlise-mutten-s-accused-killer-fronts-court-with-two-requests" target="_blank">arrested and charged</a><span> </span>with her murder, with police alleging he attempted to dispose of her body in inner Sydney before travelling back to the Colo River.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Stein appeared before a magistrate’s court on Wednesday, where he was refused bail.</p> <p dir="ltr">The case is due back in court on March 18.</p> <p dir="ltr">Investigations into Charlise’s death are ongoing, with police yet to determine how she died or whether there was a motive behind her murder.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: 9News</em></p>

Caring

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Woman halts hundreds of protestors with kung fu moves

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A New Zealand woman </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-delta-outbreak-kiwi-woman-tries-to-stop-anti-mandate-lockdown-protest-with-kung-fu-moves/OD4WENQRDBQOGK2TLZH2UEEZZI/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">has taken the internet by storm</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> after her attempts to single-handedly stop a protest against vaccine mandates and lockdowns emerged online.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The introduction of new mandates across the country and the placement of regions into strict lockdowns has prompted thousands of Kiwis to take to the streets in protest.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At a recent rally in Nelson, on New Zealand’s South Island, an unknown woman took a stand against the crowd and attempted to stop them with a kung-fu move.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The footage, posted to social media, shows the woman jumping in front of the protestors as they move down the street.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Someone can be heard saying, “they’re not going to stop, lady”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Instead of moving out of their way, the woman took a kung-fu pose to halt the protest.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, the protestors managed to continue past her, lifting their banner that read “freedom for all Kiwis” over her head.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The clip has since gone viral on social media, with many saying it was an “only in New Zealand” moment.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You have three props and three wingers on that front line. At what point did she believe they were going to stop?” one joked.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Okay let’s give nana an award for the best reaction to protesting,” another wrote.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Kung fu grandma love it!” a third said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This isn’t the first time a New Zealander has dealt with those hesitant to get the COVID-19 vaccine in their own, unique way.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Another woman was spotted approaching vaccine-hesitant men and encouraging them to get the jab.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Twitter user Te Kuru Dewes (@TeKuruDewes) said that the “Aunty” was “waving cars down” and making them get vaccinated.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Apparently there’s an Aunty stopping traffic in Mangamuka (Taitokerau), waving cars down and making grown anti-vax-leaning men go and get their jab in the van. Classic.</p> — Te Kuru Dewes (@TeKuruDewes) <a href="https://twitter.com/TeKuruDewes/status/1456388117447860225?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Apparently there’s an Aunty stopping traffic in Mangamuka (Taitokerau), waving down cars and making grown anti-vax-leaning men go and get their jab in the van. Classic,” they tweeted.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“If anything is going to lift Māori vaxx rates it’s going to be Aunties that told you to get vaxxed or else,” one person replied.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Don’t mess with Aunties… just don’t,” another commented.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The conflict between protestors and pro-vaccine grandmas and aunties comes as </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-data-and-statistics/covid-19-vaccine-data" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">92 percent</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> of Kiwis have received their first COVID-19 jab and 84 percent are fully vaccinated.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Tiktok</span></em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Bouncy castle sent flying hundreds of metres turns family day upside down

<p>A family gathering in Australia's Riverina region swiftly turned into a horrible nightmare after a jumping castle was sent flying into the air by a random gust of wind. </p> <p>Two children were left with serious injuries.</p> <p>Paramedics, which included three crews and a rescue helicopter, were called to a children’s party in the backyard of a home in Tabbita, north of Griffith, just after 2 pm on Sunday.</p> <p>A 10-year-old girl has been treated for a leg injury and a 10-year-old boy was treated for an arm injury and neck pain.</p> <p>The two kids were rushed to Griffith Airport before they were flown to Wagga Wagga hospital in a serious but stable condition.</p> <p>“It appears a random gust of wind has hit at a family gathering, lifting the inflatable castle around seven metres into the air, dropping two kids onto the ground,” NSW Ambulance inspector Markus Zarnis said.</p> <p>“This would have been a terrifying experience for everyone at the scene.”</p> <p>He said the jumping castle “really took off” and landed “a few hundred metres” away from its initial location.</p> <p>“Our crews did a fantastic job to stabilise the youngsters,” Mr Zarnis said.</p>

Family & Pets

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Hundreds of koalas brutally murdered during routine logging

<p>WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES</p> <p>A few hundred of perhaps Australia’s most beloved animal, koalas, have reportedly been murdered in Victoria this week.</p> <p>Animals Australia has shared devastating images of injured and dead koalas who were “mowed down” after logging occurred 12km west of Portland.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">On becoming aware of this situation on Friday, we flew in a veterinary team from <a href="https://twitter.com/Vets_Compassion?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Vets_Compassion</a>. A second vet team was flown in to assist with the treatment of surviving animals yesterday. <a href="https://t.co/sSlF43IbLV">pic.twitter.com/sSlF43IbLV</a></p> — Animals Australia (@AnimalsAus) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnimalsAus/status/1223738890277646336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2020</a></blockquote> <p>The species – who are now a threatened species after one of Australia’s worst bushfire season in recorded history – were hurt at a razed bluegum plantation.</p> <p>“Koalas are having their homes mowed down,” said Animals Australia.</p> <p>“On becoming aware of this situation on Friday, we flew in a veterinary team,” Animals Australia confirmed on Sunday morning.</p> <p>“With the support of local authorities and wildlife carers, vets are seeking to save as many of these precious animals as possible.”</p> <p>The details of this case are still unknown, Animals Australia confirmed on Sunday.</p> <p>“We are still gathering the details as to what has occurred in this case but it would appear that there are various breaches of legislation, including the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, which we will be supporting authorities to pursue,” they said on social media.</p> <p>“By law, the companies that own these plantations must provide koala ‘spotters’ to identify koalas in trees before logging commences, so that animals can be safely removed and relocated.</p> <p>“There is also a legal responsibility to ensure the welfare of koalas after logging has ceased.”</p> <p>It is assumed that in result of the habitat destruction from bushfires, hundreds of koalas sought refuge on commercial property.</p> <p>“The logging of these forests then destroys precious habitat,” shared Animals Australia.</p> <p>Wildlife Victoria CEO Dr Megan Davidson said it was impossible to understand how the logging could happen if koalas were in them.</p> <p>“In these tragic cases, we are so sad not only for the animals, but also for the wildlife carers and vets who are on the ground dealing with the horrors of dead, broken, sick and orphaned animals,” Davidson said.</p> <p>“Here’s a thought,” shared Animals Australia. “How about instead of planting plantations then mowing them down, we should be planting blue gum and leaving them for koalas to live in.”</p> <p>The gruesome images have resulted in calls for change at a national level, with a <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.change.org/p/daniel-andrews-koala-massacres-portland-victoria?recruiter=743946376&amp;utm_source=share_petition&amp;utm_medium=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=share_petition&amp;recruited_by_id=05242690-62d9-11e7-88b5-65895f00d004" target="_blank">Change.org petition</a> already up and running.</p> <p>“This barbaric practice needs to stop across the state and immediately,” the petition – directed to Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews – reads.</p> <p>As reported by the Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) there are less than 100,000 koalas left in the wild and the population could be in fact as low as 43,000.</p> <p>If Australia’s koala population falls below 50,000 it would be “functionally extinct”, the AKF said.</p>

Family & Pets

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Nightmare as hundreds of spiders “rain” from the sky

<p>Arachnophobes look away, because a video posted to Facebook shows every person’s worst nightmare as Brazil experienced a strange phenomenon of spiders raining from the sky.</p> <p>The footage shows spiders coming down in droves at Espirito Santo do Dourado, with locals describing the event as the sky “raining with spiders”.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fcecilia.fonseca.712%2Fvideos%2F1962652493856369%2F&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=560" width="560" height="308" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p> <p>While the eight-legged insects appear to be falling from above, they are actually moving with the help of a huge web, and according to experts, spiders create canopies during hot and humid climates so they can share one giant web.</p> <p>João Pedro Martinelli Fonseca, who is the man behind the camera, said that he noticed the sensation at his grandparent’s farm and told local newspapers that he was “stunned and scared”.</p> <p>Spiders can reportedly travel hundreds of kilometres using a ballooning method.</p> <p>Ballooning occurs when spiders detect electric fields under natural atmospheric conditions. It is the electric fields that cause the arachnid’s strange behaviour.</p> <p>Spiders are able to become airborne through the technique, as they release fine silk lines that once caught in the breeze, lift the spider up in the air.</p>

Home & Garden

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How missing a flight on purpose could save you hundreds

<p>Everyone has their own little ways of saving a few extra bucks on their holidays, but this trick has to be one of the strangest we’ve ever heard. An increasing number of travellers are choosing to deliberately miss their flights, claiming it saves them hundreds.</p> <p>Known as “hidden city ticketing”, the idea was first popularised by website Skiplagged, which suggested passengers leave a flight during the stopover instead of continuing to the final destination.</p> <p>As <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/4094680/how-missing-a-flight-on-purpose-can-knock-hundreds-off-plane-fares-but-airlines-will-hate-you-for-it/" target="_blank"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Sun</span></strong></em></a> explains, someone wanting to fly from New York City to Chicago could buy a ticket taking them there directly for about $500. However, they could cut the price in half by booking a flight to Los Angeles with a stopover in Chicago for just $250. We know which one we’d choose!</p> <p>But before you go crazy booking flights, there’s a catch. While it’s not illegal to do, airlines – and your fellow passengers – will hate you for it. Why? Two simple reasons. One, the plane would appear fuller, pushing up the seat prices for other travellers. Two, passengers on the connecting flight would be forced to wait around on the tarmac for late passengers, possibly causing a delay.</p> <p>In addition, if you’re bringing checked luggage with you, it will most likely end up at the final destination and not the stopover, so you might get there cheaper, but your bag won’t.</p> <p>Some airlines have banned the practice, so if you’re a frequent flyer or part of a loyalty scheme you might want to give it a miss, but if you’re desperate enough for those savings, then maybe it’s worth the risk.</p>

Travel Tips

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Hundreds of the Queen’s gifts to go on display

<p>After 65 years on the throne, the Queen has received hundreds of beautiful and bizarre gifts from around the world, and now they’re set to go on display. This year, as part of Buckingham Palace’s annual Summer Opening of the State Rooms, the royal family will exhibit more than 250 presents received by Her Majesty during her hundreds of official visits around the world.</p> <p>For the first time, members of the public will be able to view such gifts as the “Vessel of Friendship”, presented to the Queen by Chinese President Xi Jinping, a colourful beaded throne received during a 1956 visit to Nigeria and a totem pole presented by a Native American tribe during a 1971 tour of Canada.</p> <p>One of Her Majesty’s favourite presents is a London Underground sign for “Buckingham Palace”, presented to the queen on a tour of Aldgate Station in 2010 and which she described as a “fantastic gift”.</p> <p>To see some of the weird and wonderful presents set to go on display, flip through the gallery above. If you’re lucky enough to be in London this year, he exhibition will be open from July 22 to October 1. For more information, <a href="https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/themes/exhibitions/royal-gifts/buckingham-palace" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">click here</span></strong></a>.</p> <p><em>Image credit: PA.</em></p>

News

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How $100,000 would change my life

<p>A little while ago we asked you, the Over60 community, a simple question, “If you woke up with $100,000, what’s the first thing you would buy?” <a href="https://www.facebook.com/oversixtys/photos/a.1426634930900122.1073741828.1426044880959127/1918437345053209/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The response</span></strong></a> was incredible.</p> <p>Comments ranged from funny to thoughtful, considerate to heartbreaking, but most of all we were overwhelmed with the level of generosity displayed by the <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/community/catch-ups/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Over60 Community</span></strong></a>. To view a sample of our favourite comments, scroll down.</p> <p>1. Robyn Challinor showed the true meaning of friendship, saying, “I would give the money to my friend who has been struggling for fifteen years to build a house on a pension she is almost finished and l would love to say finish it, then go on a holiday and come back and enjoy it.”</p> <p>2. George Korson would use the money to give his family a better life, saying that he would, “Move my wife and our two Foster Children to Tweed Head so we could be closers to our son and his partner and our first grandchild, then give $50,000 towards a home for my son.”</p> <p>3. Margaret Inglis would buy, “My son a car, pay his HECS fees for university, all expenses paid holiday for my family (US and AUS) in NZ later this year. Any change, fix up my house.”</p> <p>4. Anne Mitchell says, “I really don't need anything so I think I would split $50,000 between my kids to help with a home deposit, donate $10,000 to help ending polio and invest the rest.”</p> <p>5. Suzanne Dawson has big plans in regards to what she would do with the money, “I would put it towards buying a unit in a costal country town with a small garden, because prices are much lower than the city and renting makes me feel unstable, insecure and no-one will lend money towards finding a place to call home when you are over 60 and unemployed. It would be something to pass onto my eldest daughter who has had a lot of adversity in her life and consequently serious health problems, so I can RIP knowing she will not be without a roof over her head when I'm gone.”</p> <p>6. Owen Gustafson has a decent plan, “The first thing I would buy is a bottle of rum and then I would sit down and drink it while I was planning what to do with the remaining $99,960!”</p> <p>7. Carine Baker has big travel plans with the money. She would, “Go to Antarctica and then possibly Iceland, I am over feeling too hot and would luv holiday in colder climate.”</p> <p>8. Veronica McDonald would, “Pay any outstanding bills, put a new fence on our property and have our drive way done plus roof needs recapping. If there was anything left over would go on a cruise.”</p> <p>9. Sandra Frazer would use the money to, “Fix the side shelter/roof covered in area my late husband put up but is now slowly falling down, and l would love to get rid of my floor to ceiling windows in my bedroom and replace them with sash windows. Oh well as girl can dream.”</p> <p>10. Christine Jilg also has travel plans, saying, “I would buy my own Villa, and the money I save by not paying rent I would be able to buy a new car and go on a couple of trips the first one would be Tasmania. I can't do these things on the pension, so it would be awesome.</p> <p>What would you do if you were given $100,000? Share in the comments below. </p>

Retirement Income

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Hundreds of sheep invade city after shepherd falls asleep

<p>Hundreds of sheep have run loose in the north-eastern Spanish city of Huesca after the shepherd fell asleep.</p> <p>Police had to round up the 1,300-strong flock of sheep at around 4am (local time) on Tuesday after several calls from local residents.</p> <p>"The shepherd had fallen asleep and did not realise the sheep had escaped their pen," a local police spokesperson said.</p> <p>It took five officers and the shepherd over half an hour to round up the sheep and return them to their pen.</p> <p>What’s the strangest thing that’s happened to you when you’ve accidentally fallen asleep? Share with us in the comments below. </p> <p><strong>Related links: </strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/05/things-you-did-not-know-could-poison-your-pet/"><em>8 things you didn't know could poison your pet</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/05/video-of-baby-animals-yawning/"><em>Watch: Baby animals yawning</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/news/news/2016/03/tiny-kitten-claps-paws-for-treats/"><em>Tiny kitten claps paws for treats</em></a></strong></span></p>

News

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Lonely 81-year-old receives hundreds of cards from strangers after dog dies

<p>An 81-year-old man from Toronto, who lost his 14-year old dog in tragic circumstances, has received a whole lot of love from the internet.</p> <p>On March 9, Kurt Haupt’s longhaired mini dachshund, Dacky, was mauled to death by four unleashed dogs. Even worse, after the brutal attack, the owners of the dogs left without a word.</p> <p>“He didn’t say anything. He didn’t say anything to me,” Haupt told City News.</p> <p>Haupt, who has few friends and family, was left devastated by the death of best friend. The owner was later charged but that wouldn’t bring back Haupt’s beloved Dacky.</p> <p><img width="423" height="281" src="http://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/scalefit_630_noupscale/56ec7b361e0000b300704ae7.jpeg" class="image__src" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>When a complete stranger, Sue Dunstan, heard Haupt’s sad story, she had to help. She began a GoFundMe page for Haupt, asking for cards and to raise $3,000 to pay for Dacky’s vet bills and make a donation to Ontario Veterinary College in the pooch’s name.</p> <p>ABC reports Haupt has received hundreds of sympathy cards since the GoFundMe page and has made a new friend in Dunstan who now calls and visits him regularly.</p> <p>Haupt says he may consider adopted a senior dog when he feels ready.</p> <p>“Even if I would get the same breed, a mini dachshund with long hair, all dogs are a little bit different. With my other dog, it didn’t come for an end the way I hoped for. With a new dog, maybe it would be a brand new beginning,” he said.</p> <p><strong>Related links: </strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/11/interspecies-animal-friendships/">15 unlikely friendships that will melt your heart</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/11/funny-dog-snapchats/">11 funny snapchat pictures that only dog lovers appreciate</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/10/why-dogs-so-happy-to-see-you/">The science behind dogs being so happy to see you</a></em></strong></span></p>

Retirement Life

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