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“I lost all ability to fly the plane”: Pilot's shock claim after plane drops mid-flight

At least 50 passengers have been injured with a dozen hospitalised after a Boeing 787 Dreamliner suddenly plunged about two hours into the flight from Sydney to Auckland on Monday. LATAM Airlines said that the plane experienced an unspecified "technical event during the flight which caused a strong movement." Passengers on board the flight have recalled the terrifying moment the plane took a nose-dive mid-flight. "The plane dipped so dramatically into a nose dive for a couple of seconds and around 30 people hit the ceiling hard," Daniel, who was travelling from London, told the NZ Herald. “None of us knew what had happened until after the flight, I was just trying to keep everyone calm. We never heard any announcement from the captain." He added that passengers were screaming and it was hard to tell whether blood or red wine was splattered through the cabin. Another passenger, Brian Jokat, told broadcaster RNZ that the incident took place in "split seconds". "There was no pre-turbulence, we were just sailing smoothly the whole way,” he said. “I had just dozed off and I luckily had my seatbelt on, and all of a sudden the plane just dropped. It wasn’t one of those things where you hit turbulence and you drop a few times … we just dropped.” He added that a passenger two seats away from him, who was not wearing his seatbelt, flew up into the ceiling and was suspended mid-air before he fell and broke his ribs. “I thought I was dreaming,” he said. “I opened my eyes and he was on the roof of the plane on his back, looking down on me. It was like The Exorcist.” Paramedics and more than 10 emergency vehicles were waiting for passengers when the plane landed in Auckland. Around 50 patients were treated, with 12 of them hospitalised and one in serious condition. At least three of those treated were cabin crew. Jokat told RNZ that after the plane landed, the pilot came to the back and explained what had happened. "He said to me, ‘I lost my instrumentation briefly and then it just came back all of a sudden,’” Jokat said. In another interview with Stuff.co.nz, Jokat recalled the pilot also saying: “My gauges just blanked out, I lost all of my ability to fly the plane.” The airline's final destination was Santiago, Chile, but it was landing at Auckland Airport in accordance with its normal flight path, according to Reuters. "LATAM regrets the inconvenience and injury this situation may have caused its passengers, and reiterates its commitment to safety as a priority within the framework of its operational standards," the airline said. Images: Brian Jokat/ News.com.au

Travel Trouble

The art of ‘getting lost’: how re-discovering your city can be an antidote to capitalism

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephen-dobson-1093706">Stephen Dobson</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/cquniversity-australia-2140">CQUniversity Australia</a> Do you remember what it was like to discover the magic of a city for the first time? Do you remember the noises, smells, flashing lights and pulsating crowds? Or do you mostly remember cities through the screen of your phone? In 1967, French philosopher and filmmaker Guy Debord <a href="https://files.libcom.org/files/The%20Society%20of%20the%20Spectacle%20Annotated%20Edition.pdf">publicised the need</a> to move away from living our lives as bystanders continually tempted by the power of images. Today, we might see this in a young person flicking from one TikTok to the next – echoing the hold images have on us. But adults aren’t adverse to this window-shopping experience, either. Debord notes we have a tendency to observe rather than engage. And this is to our detriment. Continually topping-up our image consumption leaves no space for the unplanned – the reveries to break the pattern of an ordered life. Debord was a member of a group called the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Situationist-International">Situationist International</a>, dedicated to new ways we could reflect upon and experience our cities. Active for about 15 years, they believed we should experience our cities as an act of resistance, in direct opposition to the (profit-motivated) capitalistic structures that demand our attention and productivity every waking hour. More than 50 years since the group dissolved, the Situationists’ philosophy points us to a continued need to attune ourselves – through our thoughts and senses – to the world we live in. We might consider them as early eco-warriors. And through better understanding their philosophy, we can develop a new relationship with our cities today. <h2>Understanding the ‘situation’</h2> The Situationist International movement was <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt183p61x">formed</a> in 1957 in Cosio di Arroscia, Italy, and became active in several European countries. It brought together radical artists inspired by spontaneity, experimentalism, intellectualism, protest and hedonism. Central figures included Danish artist <a href="https://museumjorn.dk/en/">Asger Jorn</a>, French novelist <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/author/michele-bernstein-10219/">Michèle Bernstein</a> and Italian musician and composer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Olmo">Walter Olmo</a>. The Situationists were driven by a <a href="https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/34141">libertarian form of Marxism</a> that resisted mass consumerism. One of the group’s early terms was “unitary urbanism”, which sought to join avant-garde art with the critique of mass production and technology. They rejected “urbanism’s” conventional emphasis on function, and instead thought about art and the environment as inexorably interrelated. By rebelling against the invasiveness of consumption, the Situationists proposed a turn towards artistically-inspired individuality and creativity. <h2>Think on your own two feet</h2> According to the 1960 <a href="https://hts3.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/situationist-international-manifesto.pdf">Situationist Manifesto</a> we are all to be artists of our own “situations”, crafting independent identities as we stand on our own two feet. They believed this could be achieved, in part, through “<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/p/psychogeography#:%7E:text=Psychogeography%20describes%20the%20effect%20of,emotions%20and%20behaviour%20of%20individuals">psychogeography</a>”: the idea that geographical locations exert a unique psychological effect on us. For instance, when you walk down a street, the architecture around you may be deliberately designed to encourage a certain kind of experience. Crossing a vibrant city square on a sunny morning evokes joy and a feeling of connection with others. There’s also usually a public event taking place. The Situationists valued drift, or dérive in French. This alludes to unplanned movement through a landscape during journeys on foot. By drifting aimlessly, we unintentionally redefine the traditional rules imposed by private or public land owners and property developers. We make ourselves open to the new unexpected and, in doing so, are liberated from the shackles of everyday routine. In <a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-10-8100-2">our research</a>, my colleagues and I consider cities as places in which “getting lost” means exposing yourself to discovering the new and taken-for-granted. <h2>Forge your own path</h2> By understanding the Situationists – by looking away from our phones and allowing ourselves to get lost – we can rediscover our cities. We can see them for what they are beneath the blankets of posters, billboards and advertisements. How might we take back the image and make it work for us? The practise of geo-tagging images on social media, and sharing our location with others, could be considered close to the spirit of the Situationists. Although it’s often met with claims of <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/when-why-not-to-use-geotagging-overtourism-security">over-fuelling tourism</a> (especially regarding idyllic or otherwise protected sites), geo-tagging could <a href="https://www.melaninbasecamp.com/trip-reports/2019/5/1/five-reasons-why-you-should-keep-geotagging">inspire us</a> to actively seek out new places through visiting the source of an image. This could lead to culturally respectful engagement, and new-found respect for the rights of traditional custodians as we experience their lands in real life, rather than just through images on our phones. Then there are uniquely personal and anarchistic forms of resistance, wherein we can learn about the world around us by interweaving ourselves with our histories. In doing so we offer a new meaning to a historical message, and a new purpose. The Situationists called this process <a href="https://www.theartstory.org/movement/situationist-international/">détournement</a>, or hijacking. For instance, from my grandfather I inherited a biscuit tin of black and white photographs I believe were taken in the 1960s. They showed images of parks and wildlife, perhaps even of the same park, and cityscapes of London with people, streets and buildings. I have spent many hours wandering the London streets tracking down the exact places these images were snapped. I was juxtaposing past with present, and experiencing both continuity and change in the dialogues I had with my grandfather. In this way, I used images to augment (rather than replace) my lived experience of the material world. Urban art installations can also be examples of detournment as they make us re-think everyday conceptions. <a href="https://www.cityartsydney.com.au/artwork/forgotten-songs/">Forgotten Songs</a> by Michael Hill is one such example. A canopy of empty birdcages commemorates the songs of 50 different birds once heard in central Sydney, but which are now lost due to habitat removal as a result of urban development. There are also a number of groups, often with a strong environmental or civic rights focus, that partake in detournment. <a href="https://popularresistance.org/dancing-revolution-how-90s-protests-used-rave-culture-to-reclaim-the-streets/">Reclaim the Streets</a> is a movement with a long history in Australia. The group advocates for communities having ownership of and agency within public spaces. They may, for instance, “invade” a highway to throw a “<a href="https://pasttenseblog.files.wordpress.com/2022/02/road-rave.pdf">road rave</a>” as an act of reclamation. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bUL0C_T-Sqk?wmode=transparent&start=999" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> As French avant-garde philosopher <a href="https://www.themarginalian.org/2014/07/24/the-poetics-of-reverie-gaston-bachelard/">Gaston Bachelard</a> might have put it, when we’re bombarded by images there is no space left to daydream. We lose the opportunity to explore and question the world capitalism serves us through images. Perhaps now is a good time to set down the phone and follow in the Situationists’ footsteps. <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/221606/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephen-dobson-1093706">Stephen Dobson</a>, Professor and Dean of Education and the Arts, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/cquniversity-australia-2140">CQUniversity Australia</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-art-of-getting-lost-how-re-discovering-your-city-can-be-an-antidote-to-capitalism-221606">original article</a>.

Travel Tips

"They lost it": Margot Robbie's surprise encounter with Barbie fans

Margot Robbie has recalled a sweet story about when she overheard a group of men talking about the Barbie movie, before giving them the surprise of their life. At a screening of the Barbie movie in Los Angeles, the Aussie actress told the audience of the heartwarming moment she encountered in Scotland, shortly after the film's release last July. At the SAG-AFTRA screening of the blockbuster movie, Robbie began, “I had this brilliant experience.” “I was in a pub in the middle of nowhere in Scotland and I listened for about 30 minutes to a group of guys on a bachelor party discussing the Barbie movie, not knowing that I was sitting two or three feet away from them.” Robbie continued, “It was just truly fascinating. There were people at the table who refused to see the Barbie movie." “One guy was like, ‘Dude, it is a cultural moment, don’t you want to be a part of culture?’ And the other guy was like, ‘I’ll never see it,’ and by the end he did want to see it. It was a whole thing." “I wasn’t going to go up to them, but then I did.” Before leaving the pub, Robbie casually waltzed up to the group of men who “lost it” when they discovered Barbie herself had overheard their conversation. “At the last minute as I was walking out I went to their table and I went ‘Thank you for seeing the Barbie movie’,” she added. “It was very funny, they lost it. It took a full minute for them to realise and I was practically out the door and they went ‘Ohhhh’. “People’s reactions to the movie have been the biggest reward of this entire experience.” The heartwarming story comes fresh on the heels of Margot being <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/entertainment/movies/margot-robbie-snubbed-as-oscar-nominations-announced" target="_blank" rel="noopener">snubbed</a> for a Best Actress nomination at this year's Oscars for the Barbie movie, which caused an uproar on social media. Margot addressed the snub at the LA screening, saying there's “no way to feel sad when you’re this blessed.” “Obviously, I think Greta should be nominated as a director,” she added. “What she did is a once-in-a-career, once-in-a-lifetime thing. What she pulled off, it really is." “We set out to do something that would shift culture, affect culture, just make some sort of impact. And it’s already done that and some, way more than we ever dreamt it would. And that is truly the biggest reward that could come out of all of this.” Image credits: Getty Images

Movies

The enduring appeal of Friends, and why so many of us feel we’ve lost a personal friend in Matthew Perry

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/adam-gerace-325968">Adam Gerace</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/cquniversity-australia-2140">CQUniversity Australia</a> The <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/videos/world/friends-star-matthew-perry-dies-aged-54/cloatn0ae00ea0jqbpdz0h8td">death of Matthew Perry</a>, best known for his role as Chandler Bing in the television series Friends, has seen an outpouring of grief from fans and the Hollywood community. His passing at age 54 has shocked both those who admired his acting work, as well as those who followed his efforts to bring awareness to <a href="https://people.com/tv/matthew-perry-opens-up-about-addiction-new-memoir/">the pains of addiction</a>. Tributes to Perry have understandably focused on his star-making turn on the incredibly popular television sitcom. Scenes, catchphrases, and his character’s lines have been lovingly repurposed across the internet to memorialise the gifted actor. Meanwhile, many viewers have situated their <a href="https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/friends-fans-mourn-matthew-perry-new-york-apartment-1235772520/">recollections</a> of Perry and the series within the context of their own experiences. Viewers who came of age, or were the characters’ ages during the show’s original run, have reminisced about what the work of Perry and his co-stars meant to them at formative times in their lives. Newer viewers have similarly shared how important the series has been to them – their relationship with the show often beginning long after production ended. For many, Friends was the television equivalent of the soundtrack to their lives. To appreciate the staying power of the series for original and <a href="https://www.etonline.com/streaming-friends-how-a-90s-sitcom-became-gen-zs-new-favorite-show-132624">newer viewers alike</a> almost 30 years since it debuted, we need to consider what functions television viewing serves and the bonds we form with its characters. <h2>Enduring appeal</h2> Part of Friends’ popularity lies in its timing. The show premiered in 1994, a period when network television was still dominant. By its end a decade later, while the power of the big television networks had <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/08838150701820924">eroded</a>, the series had maintained <a href="https://www.ratingsryan.com/2022/09/friends-nbc-ratings-recap.html">an average</a> of more than 20 million viewers each season. The 2004 finale brought in a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/08/arts/friends-finale-s-audience-is-the-fourth-biggest-ever.html">record-breaking</a> 52.5 million viewers in the United States. The series then entered repeats around the world. It hasn’t left our screens since. The late 90s and early 2000s have sometimes been referred to as the end of monoculture. While a <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/12/17/21024439/monoculture-algorithm-netflix-spotify">contested and controversial idea</a> because of, among other concerns, who was included and excluded on our screens, monoculture meant we watched <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/bestmusic2012/2012/12/21/167836852/the-year-in-pop-charts-return-of-the-monoculture">many of the same things</a>. One of the most popular shows of its era, Friends brought people together. It was a show we watched with our families or friends, spoke about the next day with colleagues, and it provided a common connection. It allowed bonding with real friends as much as fictional ones. Friends did not only reflect style of the time; it also frequently created it. Jennifer Aniston’s haircut, coined “<a href="https://www.bustle.com/style/the-rachel-haircut">The Rachel</a>”, or Perry’s lovable smart-alecky cadence, typified with Chandler’s catchphrase of “Could I be any more…”, were endlessly imitated. I know I attempted to replicate Chandler’s <a href="https://www.gq.com.au/style/celebrity/unexpectedly-great-fashion-inspiration-courtesy-of-friends/image-gallery/f55ac75cc180e31c462525da961295fc">sweater vests</a> and light blue denim look. Participation provided viewers <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5931.2011.00866.x">a sense</a> of identity. As people enter their 30s and 40s, they often <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0208595">gravitate</a> towards the memories made during their formative adolescent and young adult years. So perhaps it’s no surprise Friends endures for original viewers as it represents – and was a part of – their lives at this important time. <h2>Likeable characters</h2> Television and other fictional media meet our needs for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2958.2009.01368.x">both</a> pleasure and extracting meaning. We get excited, entertained and moved by television. As part of this, we bond with fictional characters. We cannot help but <a href="https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327825MCS0403_01">empathise</a> with them. A series like Friends with its characters and their combinations of breakups, makeups and other mishaps allowed us to safely use our empathy muscles to cheer on and sometimes commiserate with the group of six. It helped that each character was flawed but inherently likeable. Fictional characters also allow us to <a href="https://theconversation.com/neighbours-vs-friends-we-found-out-which-beloved-show-fans-mourned-more-when-it-ended-212843">experience lifestyles</a> we might not otherwise. In the case of Friends, who didn’t want to live in a rent-controlled apartment like Monica’s, or regularly meet their supportive and funny pals for coffee at Central Perk? As a teen, I imagined such a world for myself in the not-too-distant future. Younger generations might be more aware of how out-of-reach that lifestyle was, or find the show’s <a href="https://ew.com/tv/jennifer-aniston-friends-offensive-new-generation/">humour sometimes dated</a>. But the idea of what the friends’ lifestyle represented – possibility, freedom, a chosen family – evidently still holds appeal. <h2>Fictional relationships, but real sadness</h2> In forming relationships with fictional characters, we form bonds with the performers who bring them to life. The lines between character and creator become blurry, both because of the knowledge about actors’ lives celebrity culture affords us, but also because their characters seem so real. When the actors pass away, we <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.06.042">feel real grief</a>. It’s important for fans of Matthew Perry to <a href="https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/why-with-all-the-sht-happening-in-the-world-its-still-okay-to-grieve-a-celebritys-death/">acknowledge</a> their loss. Even though his character is fictional, and you didn’t know him personally, you can still feel sad. Watching the series may be difficult right now. With time, it will become easier. Matthew Perry wanted <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/matthew-perry-death-addiction-alcoholism-drugs-b2437980.html">his legacy</a> to be awareness of addiction and the help he provided to people struggling with this disorder. Hopefully what will be felt now, alongside collective sadness, is an empathy for those facing addiction. That may be the power of television, and of a character named Chandler, and the actor who brought him to life, who many considered their friend.<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/216626/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/adam-gerace-325968">Adam Gerace</a>, Senior Lecturer and Head of Course - Positive Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/cquniversity-australia-2140">CQUniversity Australia</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-enduring-appeal-of-friends-and-why-so-many-of-us-feel-weve-lost-a-personal-friend-in-matthew-perry-216626">original article</a>.

"Uniquely, magically, indescribably us": Read the emotional love letter from Suzanne Somers' husband

Just one day before her death, Suzanne Somers' husband gave her a handwritten love letter as part of an early birthday present. Somers' husband, Alan Hamel, gave the letter to his wife of 45 years just 24 hours before she passed away at the age of 76. According to Somers' publicist, R. Couri Hay, Hamel “gave it to her a day early and she read the poem and went to bed and later died peacefully in her sleep.” The emotional poem was an expression of love from Somers' husband, as he struggled to define their intense relationships. “Love I use it every day, sometimes several times a day. I use it at the end of emails to my loving family. I even use it in emails to close friends. I use it when I’m leaving the house,” the note began, via <a href="https://people.com/read-love-letter-suzanne-somers-husband-alan-hamel-wrote-to-her-day-before-her-death-8358234">People</a>. “There’s love, then love you and I love you!! Therein lies some of the different ways we use love. Sometimes I feel obliged to use love, responding to someone who signed love in their email, when I’m uncomfortable using love but I use it anyway. “I also use love to describe a great meal. I use it to express how I feel about a show on Netflix. I often use love referring to my home, my cat Gloria, to things Gloria does, to the taste of a cantaloupe I grew in my garden.” “I love the taste of a freshly harvested organic royal jumbo medjool date. I love biting a fig off the tree. I love watching two giant blackbirds who live nearby swooping by my window in a power dive. My daily life encompasses things and people I love and things and people I am indifferent to,” he continued. “I could go on ad infinitum, but you get it. What brand of love do I feel for my wife Suzanne? Can I find it in any of the above? A resounding no!!!! There is no version of the word that is applicable to Suzanne and I even use the word applicable advisedly.” “The closest version in words isn’t even close. It’s not even a fraction of a fraction of a fraction. Unconditional love does not do it. I’ll take a bullet for you doesn’t do it. I weep when I think about my feelings for you. Feelings… That’s getting close, but not all the way.” “55 years together, 46 married and not even one hour apart for 42 of those years. Even that doesn’t do it,” he added. “Even going to bed at 6 o’clock and holding hands while we sleep doesn’t do it. Staring at your beautiful face while you sleep doesn’t do it.” “I’m back to feelings. There are no words,” he concluded. “There are no actions. No promises. No declarations. Even the green shaded scholars of the Oxford University Press have spent 150 years and still have failed to come up with that one word. So I will call it, ‘Us,’ uniquely, magically, indescribably wonderful ‘Us.’” Somers and Hamel tied the knot in 1977, giving them 45 years together as husband and wife. Somers died on Sunday morning after “an aggressive form of breast cancer for over 23 years,” her publicist said in a statement. Suzanne was best known for playing Chrissy Snow on the 1970s sitcom Three’s Company and Carol Foster Lambert on the ’90s family comedy Step by Step. Image credits: Getty Images

Caring

How traditional Indigenous education helped four lost children survive 40 days in the Amazon jungle

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/eliran-arazi-1447346">Eliran Arazi</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/hebrew-university-of-jerusalem-855">Hebrew University of Jerusalem</a> The discovery and rescue of <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/four-missing-colombian-children-found-alive-jungle-sources-2023-06-10/">four young Indigenous children</a>, 40 days after the aircraft they were travelling in crashed in the remote Colombian rainforest, was hailed in the international press as a “<a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2023/06/11/miracle-in-the-jungle-colombia-celebrates-rescue-of-children-lost-in-amazon-rainforest_6030840_4.html">miracle in the jungle</a>”. But as an anthropologist who has spent more than a year living among the Andoque people in the region, <a href="https://www.academia.edu/100474974/Amazonian_visions_of_Visi%C3%B3n_Amazon%C3%ADa_Indigenous_Peoples_perspectives_on_a_forest_conservation_and_climate_programme_in_the_Colombian_Amazon">conducting ethnographic fieldwork</a>, I cannot simply label this as a miraculous event. At least, not a miracle in the conventional sense of the word. Rather, the survival and discovery of these children can be attributed to the profound knowledge of the intricate forest and the adaptive skills passed down through generations by Indigenous people. During the search for the children, I was in contact with Raquel Andoque, an elder maloquera (owner of a ceremonial longhouse), the sister of the children’s great-grandmother. She repeatedly expressed her unwavering belief the children would be found alive, citing the autonomy, astuteness and physical resilience of children in the region. Even before starting elementary school, children in this area accompany their parents and elder relatives in various activities such as gardening, fishing, navigating rivers, hunting and gathering honey and wild fruits. In this way the children acquire practical skills and knowledge, such as those demonstrated by Lesly, Soleiny, Tien and Cristin during their 40-day ordeal. Indigenous children typically learn from an early age how to open paths through dense vegetation, how to tell edible from non-edible fruits. They know how to find potable water, build rain shelters and set animal traps. They can identify animal footprints and scents – and avoid predators such as jaguars and snakes lurking in the woods. Amazonian children typically lack access to the sort of commercialised toys and games that children in the cities grow up with. So they become adept tree climbers and engage in play that teaches them about adult tools made from natural materials, such as oars or axes. This nurtures their understanding of physical activities and helps them learn which plants serve specific purposes. <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532019/original/file-20230614-31-hrdd5z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532019/original/file-20230614-31-hrdd5z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532019/original/file-20230614-31-hrdd5z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532019/original/file-20230614-31-hrdd5z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532019/original/file-20230614-31-hrdd5z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532019/original/file-20230614-31-hrdd5z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532019/original/file-20230614-31-hrdd5z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="A youg girl holding up an insect as her family works alongside" /><figcaption>A local Indigenous girl on an excursion to gather edible larvae. Image courtesy of Eliran Arazi, Author provided</figcaption></figure> Activities that most western children would be shielded from – handling, skinning and butchering game animals, for example – provide invaluable zoology lessons and arguably foster emotional resilience. <h2>Survival skills</h2> When they accompany their parents and relatives on excursions in the jungle, Indigenous children learn how to navigate a forest’s dense vegetation by following the location of the sun in the sky. <figure class="align-left zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532012/original/file-20230614-29-ii5s0u.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532012/original/file-20230614-29-ii5s0u.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532012/original/file-20230614-29-ii5s0u.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532012/original/file-20230614-29-ii5s0u.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532012/original/file-20230614-29-ii5s0u.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532012/original/file-20230614-29-ii5s0u.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=692&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532012/original/file-20230614-29-ii5s0u.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=692&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532012/original/file-20230614-29-ii5s0u.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=692&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Map of the Middle Caqueta region of Colombia." /></a><figcaption>Map showing where in Colombia the four lost children are from. Gadiel Levi, Author provided</figcaption></figure> Since the large rivers in most parts of the Amazon flow in a direction opposite to that of the sun, people can orient themselves towards those main rivers. The trail of footprints and objects left by the four children revealed their general progression towards the Apaporis River, where they may have hoped to be spotted. The children would also have learned from their parents and elders about edible plans and flowers – where they can be found. And also the interrelationship between plants, so that where a certain tree is, you can find mushrooms, or small animals that can be trapped and eaten. <h2>Stories, songs and myths</h2> Knowledge embedded in mythic stories passed down by parents and grandparents is another invaluable resource for navigating the forest. These stories depict animals as fully sentient beings, engaging in seduction, mischief, providing sustenance, or even saving each other’s lives. While these episodes may seem incomprehensible to non-Indigenous audiences, they actually encapsulate the intricate interrelations among the forest’s countless non-human inhabitants. Indigenous knowledge focuses on the interrelationships between humans, plants and animals and how they can come together to preserve the environment and prevent irreversible ecological harm. This sophisticated knowledge has been developed over millennia during which Indigenous people not only adapted to their forest territories but actively shaped them. It is deeply ingrained knowledge that local indigenous people are taught from early childhood so that it becomes second nature to them. It has become part of the culture of cultivating and harvesting crops, something infants and children are introduced to, as well as knowledge of all sort of different food sources and types of bush meat. <h2>Looking after each other</h2> One of the aspects of this “miraculous” story that people in the west have marvelled over is how, after the death of the children’s mother, the 13-year-old Lesly managed to take care of her younger siblings, including Cristin, who was only 11 months old at the time the aircraft went down. <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532007/original/file-20230614-19-7q92j0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532007/original/file-20230614-19-7q92j0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532007/original/file-20230614-19-7q92j0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532007/original/file-20230614-19-7q92j0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532007/original/file-20230614-19-7q92j0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532007/original/file-20230614-19-7q92j0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532007/original/file-20230614-19-7q92j0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Three Indigenous people in western clothes stood under trees in front of a wide building." /><figcaption>Iris Andoque Macuna with her brother Nestor Andoque and brother-in-law Faustino Fiagama after the two men returned from the search team. Iris Andoque Macuna., Author provided</figcaption></figure> But in Indigenous families, elder sisters are expected to act as surrogate mothers to their younger relatives from an early age. Iris Andoke Macuna, a distant relative of the family, told me: <blockquote> To some whites [non-Indigenous people], it seems like a bad thing that we take our children to work in the garden, and that we let girls carry their brothers and take care of them. But for us, it’s a good thing, our children are independent, this is why Lesly could take care of her brothers during all this time. It toughened her, and she learned what her brothers need. </blockquote> <h2>The spiritual side</h2> For 40 days and nights, while the four children were lost, elders and shamans performed rituals based on traditional beliefs that involve human relationships with entities known as dueños (owners) in Spanish and by various names in native languages (such as i'bo ño̰e, meaning “persons of there” in Andoque). These owners are believed to be the protective spirits of the plants and animals that live in the forests. Children are introduced to these powerful owners in name-giving ceremonies, which ensure that these spirits recognise and acknowledge relationship to the territory and their entitlement to prosper on it. <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/531997/original/file-20230614-15389-7c6oly.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/531997/original/file-20230614-15389-7c6oly.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531997/original/file-20230614-15389-7c6oly.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531997/original/file-20230614-15389-7c6oly.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531997/original/file-20230614-15389-7c6oly.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531997/original/file-20230614-15389-7c6oly.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531997/original/file-20230614-15389-7c6oly.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Woman in pink t-shirt sat on chair inside." /><figcaption>Raquel Andoke, a relative of the missing children and friend of the author. Image courtesy of Eliran Arazi, Author provided</figcaption></figure> During the search for the missing children, elders conducted dialogues and negotiations with these entities in their ceremonial houses (malocas) throughout the <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Middle-and-Lower-Caqueta-River-region-State-of-Amazonas-Colombia-Map-from_fig1_255580310">Middle Caquetá</a> and in other Indigenous communities that consider the crash site part of their ancestral territory. Raquel explained to me: <blockquote> The shamans communicate with the sacred sites. They offer coca and tobacco to the spirits and say: “Take this and give me my grandchildren back. They are mine, not yours.” </blockquote> These beliefs and practices hold significant meaning for my friends in the Middle Caquetá, who firmly attribute the children’s survival to these spiritual processes rather than the technological means employed by the Colombian army rescue teams. It may be challenging for non-Indigenous people to embrace these traditional ideas. But these beliefs would have instilled in the children the faith and emotional fortitude crucial for persevering in the struggle for survival. And it would have encouraged the Indigenous people searching for them not to give up hope. The children knew that their fate did not lie in dying in the forest, and that their grandparents and shamans would move heaven and earth to bring them back home alive. Regrettably, this traditional knowledge that has enabled Indigenous people to not only survive but thrive in the Amazon for millennia is under threat. Increasing land encroachment for agribusiness, mining, and illicit activities as well as state neglect and interventions without Indigenous consent have left these peoples vulnerable. It is jeopardising the very foundations of life where this knowledge is embedded, the territories that serve as its bedrock, and the people themselves who preserve, develop, and transmit this knowledge. Preserving this invaluable knowledge and the skills that bring miracles to life is imperative. We must not allow them to wither away.<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/207762/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/eliran-arazi-1447346">Eliran Arazi</a>, PhD researcher in Anthropology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (Paris)., <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/hebrew-university-of-jerusalem-855">Hebrew University of Jerusalem</a> 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/how-traditional-indigenous-education-helped-four-lost-children-survive-40-days-in-the-amazon-jungle-207762">original article</a>. Images: Getty

Caring

The real reason your luggage is lost in transit

There’s nothing worse than that moment of realisation you get when, standing at an empty luggage carousel, you realise your bags are anywhere in the world but here. SITA, a company specialising in air transport, has published a study revealing the most common reasons bags are misplaced in transit and tips on how to avoid it. 2015 it turns out was a historically good year for luggage retention, with the total number of mishandled bags diminishing about 50 per cent from 2007 to 2015. Worldwide, out of every 1000 passengers only around six bags are being misplaced. But it still wasn’t perfect, and 23 million bags were still misplaced. SITA has outlined the top reasons luggage doesn’t make it to where it’s supposed to be, as well as some tips to help make sure your bags makes the trip safely. Reasons for lost luggage: <ul> <li>Lost during a transfer – This was the major reason for luggage being misplaced and the cause of over half the reported misplaced luggage occurrences.</li> <li>Ticketing errors, bag switches or security issues – Around 19 per cent of lost bags fell into this category, suggesting that human error still plays a role.</li> <li>Delayed due to airport, customs, and weather or space/weight restrictions – This broad category accounted for almost 16 per cent of the lost luggage.</li> <li>Failure to load the bag or mishandling at arrival station – This was the reason behind four per cent of the bags that were mishandled.</li> <li>Tagging Error – With significant advancements in bag handling technology tagging errors accounted for only four per cent of lost luggage.</li> </ul> SITA also offered some advice for making sure your bag makes it all the way to the desired destination, suggesting air passengers take the following precautions: <ul> <li>Avoid short connections.</li> <li>Put a form of identification on the bag.</li> <li>Double check the destination tag.</li> <li>Pack luggage carefully avoiding restricted items.</li> <li>Consider purchasing a personal luggage tracking device.</li> </ul> Images: Getty

Travel Trouble

Young girl who penned heartfelt letter to King Charles is floored by response

An 11-year-old girl from New South Wales has captured hearts with her touching words and well-wishes for King Charles III. Maeve Malone, who lives in Willoughby with her family, wrote a letter to the monarch in September 2022 to offer her condolences on the loss of Charles’ late mother, Queen Elizabeth, and to let him know that she believes he will be a “fantastic king”. Maeve’s letter, which she shared with Ben Fordham on his 2GB series, opened with a quick introduction, before she launched into the heart of her message, writing that she was “really sorry to hear about your mum. I am 10 and in Year 4, Mum and Dad let me stay up to watch Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. “You were so brave on that sad day. I think you will be excellent at leading the commonwealth. I also believe you will be a fantastic king.” At the end of the page - one embellished with colourful images of purple flowers - Maeve shared another personal message for Charles, letting him know of their shared interest in botany when she said, “Mum told me you like gardening, me too! I hope the flowers in your new home are blossoming.” “I hope to visit London one day,” she concluded. “When I do, I will go past your home and think of you and your mum. “Best of luck with your new job.” After reading Maeve’s letter, radio host Fordham checked in with the young girl, asking her what had prompted her to put pen to paper and contact Charles in the first place. “I wrote it because I wanted him to know that I was sorry for Queen Elizabeth,” Maeve explained, “I really liked Queen Elizabeth, ‘cause she was a really good leader, and it was really sad for Charles to lose his mum.” When Fordham asked what Maeve had expected from her kind words, and whether or not she had anticipated a response, the 11 year old was quick to admit that she hadn’t expected one. But to her delight, she’d been wrong, with a letter arriving in the mail, addressed to her and signed by the monarch. “I got it out of the letter box, and when I got it … I started jumping with joy,” Maeve said. That letter - typed up with Charles’ signature at the bottom - read, “it was so very kind of you to send me such a wonderfully generous message following the death of my beloved mother. “Your most thoughtful words are enormously comforting, and I cannot tell you how deeply they are appreciated at this time of immense sorrow.” And while Maeve’s entire day might have been made with the kind reply, she still won’t be able to tune in for her new friend’s big day - he might have his coronation to attend, but Maeve is a busy girl, and has a party of her own to get to. Images: Ben Fordham Live / 2GB

Family & Pets

Never-seen-before letter from Princess Di revealed

The late Princess of Wales wanted the monarchy “to survive”, according to her former butler Paul Burrell. He has previously revealed an unseen letter handwritten by Diana, saying he believes she would have fully supported her ex-husband King Charles at the coronation. Burrell said Diana’s words were "so poignant at this time” as the British monarchy prepares to celebrate the first coronation in 70 years. He shared the letter in an interview with OK! Magazine. Burrell said the note was written by Diana between 1993 and 1997 after she had separated from then-Prince Charles. Diana often wrote notes, sending them to her friends and staff. In the letter to Burrell, Diana wrote, "I so want the monarchy to survive and realise the changes that will take to put 'the show' on a new and healthy track. "I am here to support Mama [the Queen] and to bring W + H [William and Harry] up in order to cope with the fast changing world we live in. "I love my boys to death and hope that the seeds I've planted will grow and bring the strength, knowledge and stability that is needed.” Burrell explained he shared the never-before-seen letter because he believes it revealed Diana’s true feelings about the monarchy. "I wanted you to see Diana's handwriting and her words because they are so poignant at this moment in time, tied into the coronation and tied into the fact she was a monarchist. "She loved the royal family and she wanted the royal family to survive. And also, the fact her sons William and Harry were part of this, what she called, 'The Show’. "She used to leave notes and letters for me all the time on my desk. She'd say, 'Whenever I have a thought and you're not there I have to write it down otherwise I'll forget. "She was thinking about her life and the way forward and her sons and her part in the royal family.” With the coronation fast approaching, Burrell said Diana would have been there if she could have and would support the King and Queen Consort Camilla. "I always think to myself, 'What would she do in this situation?' And she would have been at the coronation looking glorious, in her sixties, outshining everyone the way she did. "I don't think she would hold any animosity at all towards her ex-husband or towards her ex-husband's wife. "I think she would have gone on in life and achieved her own ambitions, still being royal and regal." Image credit: Getty

Family & Pets

A letter to my mum this Mother’s Day

A couple of weeks ago, we asked the Over60 community what they would say if they could write their mother a letter. We were flooded with hundreds of beautiful, touching and heartbreaking responses, and we’d like to share a few of them with you. 1. The important lessons “There are so many things I would say, but thank you for making my childhood so good. For teaching the important lessons, like be kind to others, try not to do anything you have to be sorry for and if you do, don't be afraid to say sorry. Do your best always. Look for best in every situation. Money is important, but not the most important thing you can have as an adult. Love, self-respect and follow your dreams. Be the person you want your children to look up to. Be happy. Thanks mum for loving me so much, I love you.” – Raelene Sched 2. Best mum in the world “Dear Mum, there is not a day that goes bye where I don't think about you. Nothing on this earth prepared me for you leaving and learning to live without you. I miss you so much, the ache is still in my heart. I love you and wish you were still here with us. I feel so lucky that you were my mum, I truly believe you were the best mum in the world, you were so giving and selfless.” – Kathryn Wotherspoon 3. Thanks for being my mum “Thank you first for being my mum. Always there for me and loving me. The loveliest nature person I have ever met. Always trying to please everyone and families. You left us so young because God only takes the best. Loved you then and even more now. Miss you every day.” – Caroline Carlson Corbett 4. Never been forgotten “You left me when I was 11 years old, but you were too ill to stay. I’m 77 years old now and it’s just like yesterday. I miss you every day and will never forget you. I talk to your picture and wish with all my heart you could have been with me and seen your grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I know you would be so loving and proud. I hope wherever you are happy. You have never been forgotten. I love you, mum.” – Pat White 5. My only regret “Dear Mum, I am all the better for having you as my mother, you worked so hard all your life and were a punching bag for Dad, but you survived and made sure we all had a way better life than you had. I love and miss you so much, and my only regret is not sitting by your bed and holding your hand as you got sicker and sicker. I let my two sisters have that pleasure while I was being too busy making sure everything was nice and clean and you had food to eat, if I had my time over, I would sit with you and tell you I love you over and over because we never know how much time we have left.” – Sharon Deans Illustration: Midjourney

Family & Pets

A Mother’s Day poem for those who have lost their mums

Over60 community member Jenny Bush shares this poignant poem on Mother’s Day. “I have been thinking about all the mothers out there for whom Mothers’ Day is a source of disappointment and quite often a day filled with a sense of loss and hurt. I have written this poem for those of us who miss what the special day used to mean in our lives.” – Jenny Bush A Mothers’ Day Lament Reflecting on Mother’s Days of yesteryear My heart laments with a silent tear Of the significance of what that day used to be And the profound impact it had on me. Cherishing time spent with my Nan and my Mum Never dreaming that the day would eventually come When neither were here to share the day To feast with us and watch kids at play. Our whole family would gather and have so much fun Quite often on picnics – enjoying the sun. With aunts and uncles and cousins too But life was simple back then, it’s true. Life now moves on at such a fast pace And every day it seems like we are running a race. People are so busy doing this and that There is so little time to sit, and simply chat. For many reasons families can be torn apart Quite often resulting in a broken heart. There is commercial pressure to buy Mum something new Causing some to resort to writing an I.O.U Many mums now spend the day alone For some it’s a quick chat with family by phone. And some celebrate with friends who are on their own too While accepting that life’s ways are now all new. I will miss my mum and my nan this Mothers’ Day But I am so grateful for memories of the special way We used to celebrate their love and care for us Which was usually given with a minimum of fuss. I am sad for the customs we seem to have lost With the emphasis now placed on the financial cost. Progress is great in so many ways But oh how I sometimes miss “the good old days”. Illustration: Midjourney

Family & Pets

“A letter that someone will never forget”: Charles’ $43,000 job offer

Charles and Camilla have put out a call for help with their royal duties, searching for a passionate wordsmith to pen responses to the thousands of letters they receive each year. Their request comes in the form of a one-year contract <a href="https://theroyalhousehold.tal.net/vx/lang-en-GB/mobile-0/appcentre-1/brand-3/candidate/so/pm/1/pl/4/opp/2849-Assistant-Correspondence-Officer/en-GB">posted to the palace’s official website</a>, for an individual to “support the important work of The King and The Royal Family”. Coincidentally, the position advertises a start date of May 2023 - the same month in which King Charles III’s coronation will take place. The royals are offering a wage slightly above the United Kingdom’s minimum wage of 10.42 GBP (~19.45 AUD) per hour, with prospective writers looking at an hourly rate of 11.79 (~22.01) on top of the advertised “benefits”. According to the job listing, the ideal candidate is someone who dreams of “drafting a letter that someone will never forget” as part of a like minded team committed to supporting the royal family and engaging with the public. “Thousands of letters addressed to The Monarch and Royal Family are received every year,” the ad explains. “Working as part of the Correspondence team, your challenge will be to ensure that each one receives a timely and well composed response. “Every day you will respond to letters sent by the public regarding social, community and national matters, drafting bespoke responses to answer varying and often unique queries.” Reportedly, the letters sent in one year to the late Queen Elizabeth II amounted to around 70,000, so it’s no small surprise that the family have opted to call in reinforcements to make sure each one receives a thoughtfully crafted response. “It's working in a team with a shared and unique purpose,” the website notes, “engaging with the public whilst supporting The King's role. This is what makes working for The Royal Household so exceptional … Recording and monitoring all correspondence, you'll be proud of the number of letters you handle and this will drive you to deliver consistently high standards. “In this way, you will help to support the important work of The King and The Royal Family.” Unsurprisingly, the ad calls for someone who is confident in their ability to process large volumes of work according to strict deadlines, and who preferably has previous experience in administrative duties. “Excellent written and verbal communication skills” are, of course, a given. The listing hints at a digital sidekick, noting that applications should “have strong IT skills” that they can apply to “bespoke systems”, as well as a “keen eye for detail” to deliver their work quickly and accurately. Most of all, however, enjoyment in a team-based environment is crucial, while an interest in current affairs couldn’t hurt - especially in such a “truly unique environment”. Images: Getty

Money & Banking

Cruise passenger left without a single change of clothes in a lost luggage nightmare

When Australian grandmother Cheryl Stuchbery and her husband, John, set sail with Royal Caribbean cruises from Sydney to New Zealand, they thought they were embarking on their dream holiday. But some dreams are destined to turn into nightmares, as Cheryl soon learned, when it was revealed that staff aboard the cruise liner had lost her suitcase. For the next 11 days, Cheryl was left without so much as a change of clothes, forced to wear the same outfit time and time again. John helped as much as he could, offering his own underwear so that his wife wasn’t entirely going without. Speaking to Australia’s A Current Affair, Cheryl admitted that the entire experience had left her “very depressed. I was in tears a lot at the time.” “Cheryl ended up wearing my knickers,” John explained, adding that it only made sense, because his clothes had actually been available. "I've put a pair on, but the only thing is, I couldn't fill out the little pouch in the front," Cheryl added. When the staff were unable to locate her bag on the second day of the trip, they offered to wash her one outfit for her. Every morning, they would drop by, collect her things, and take them off to wash and dry. While this ensured Cheryl had clean clothes to wear each day, it also meant she started them with three hours sitting in her cabin and waiting. “They [would] give Cheryl a t-shirt and a dressing gown,” John explained, “so for the first sort of three hours each day, we're sitting in the room waiting for the clothes to come back.” In the time since, Cheryl has tried to find humour in the whole situation, though she certainly hadn’t even been able to consider it at the time. It wasn’t the first time the couple had set out on a cruise, it was just the first that their belongings hadn’t made it along with them. “They did say it was very unusual for a suitcase not to turn up at all,” Cheryl noted. “For quite a bit of time we felt that it had been stolen because they'd searched the ship," John said. And, in timing that came as no help to the cruising couple, Cheryl’s bag turned up the very day after they’d arrived back in Sydney. To make matters even worse, it had been onboard the whole time. As John put it, “it had been on [the] boat all the time and they say, 'well, that's okay, you've got your case back'.” Royal Caribbean have since issued a statement in apology, writing that they “sincerely apologise for misplacing Mr and Mrs Stuchbery's luggage. During their cruise, Mr and Mrs Stuchbery were provided with complimentary express laundry, an onboard credit to assist with purchasing incidental items, and specialty dining. “The luggage was located on return to Sydney and Mr and Mrs Stuchbery have been offered additional compensation and documentation to support a claim via their travel insurance.” But it hasn’t done anything to help the sour taste of the whole ordeal left in the Stuchbery’s mouths, with Cheryl declaring that she still “feel[s] very angry.” Images: A Current Affair / Nine

Cruising

“You wouldn’t believe all I had to do to survive”: Man rescued after 31 days in the jungle

A Bolivian man has survived 31 days in the Amazon jungle. Jhonattan Acosta, 30, was hunting in northern Bolivia when he was separated from his four friends. He told United TV he drank rainwater collected in his shoes and ate worms and insects while hiding from jaguars and peccaries, a type of pig-like mammal. Acosta was finally found by a search party made up of locals and friends a month after he went missing. “I can’t believe people kept up the search for so long,” he said in tears. “I ate worms, I ate insects, you wouldn’t believe all I had to do to survive all this time.” He also ate wild fruits similar to papayas, known locally as gargateas. “I thank God profusely, because he has given me a new life,” he said. His family said they will still have to string all the details together regarding how Acosta got lost and how he managed to stay alive but will ask him gradually as he is still psychologically damaged after the experience. There has also been significant physical changes. Acosta lost 17kg, dislocated his ankle and was severely dehydrated when he was found, but according to those who found him, he was still able to walk with a limp. “My brother told us that when he dislocated his ankle on the fourth day, he started fearing for his life,” Horacio Acosta told Bolivia’s Página Siete newspaper. “He only had one cartridge in his shotgun and couldn’t walk, and he thought no one would be looking for him anymore.” As for his encounters with wild animals in the jungle, including a jaguar, his younger brother said that his brother used his last cartridge to scare off a squadron of peccaries. After 31 days, Acosta spotted the search party about 300m away and limped through thorny bushes, shouting to draw attention to him. Acosta’s brother, Haracio, said that he was found by four local people. “A man came running to tell us they’d found my brother,” he said. “It’s a miracle.” Acosta has since decided to give up hunting for good. “He is going to play music to praise God,” Haracio said. “He promised God that, and I think he will keep his promise.” Image credit: BBC News

Travel Trouble

Unlikely trio decodes Mary Queen of Scots' secret letters

An international trio of codebreakers have made history by decoding and deciphering a treasure trove of lost letters written by none other than Mary Queen of Scots. The unlikely team - consisting of a computer scientist, a physicist, and a musician - have a passion for historical ciphers and have been working together for 10 years. The letters were assumed lost until they were discovered in Paris, in the National Library of France. The documents and their unusual symbols had been neglected in a mislabelled folder until the trio got to the bottom of them and revealed their true origin. It was only when the code had been broken that it was possible to identify the author as Mary. George Lasry, the team’s computer scientist and cryptographer, is a member of the DECRYPT Project - an organisation with the aim of digitising, transcribing, and identifying historical ciphers. It didn’t take long for the team to realise the letters were written in French, not Italian, once they began working on the unique ciphers. They noted the use of feminine form verbs and adverbs, and mentions of captivity, as well as one codebreaking keyboard: Walsingham. “We were expecting Italian because that is what the catalogue said, but then we started to see some French words - 'ma liberté' (my freedom) - and sentences no-one would write if they were free," Lasry explained to Good Morning Scotland. “So we knew it was someone in captivity, and some of the language was in feminine form, so it was a woman,” he went on. “She also wrote 'mon fils' - my son - so it was a woman in captivity with a son. "We thought 'this is too crazy', it can't be Mary Stuart. But then we saw the word 'Walsingham' and we knew Francis Walsingham was the spymaster of Queen Elizabeth I, so we concluded it was from Mary. "It was very difficult to believe at the start so it was a very exciting moment." Mary, who spent the last 19 years of her life in English captivity, was able to smuggle her letters out via trusted visiting courtiers. Said letters, amounting to around 50,000 words in total, have offered new insight into Mary’s time in captivity. "We have cracked more difficult codes, and we have deciphered an occasional letter from a king or queen, but nothing compared to 50 new letters from one of the most famous historical figures,” Lasry said of their historic accomplishment. While it is believed that other letters may still be hiding out there for the next team of enthusiastic researchers to discover, this batch is set to keep historians and researchers busy for some time yet. “In our paper, we only provide an initial interpretation and summaries of the letters," Lasry explained, “a deeper analysis by historians could result in a better understanding of Mary's years in captivity. "It would also be great, potentially, to work with historians to produce an edited book of her letters deciphered, annotated, and translated." Images: Getty

Technology

Rare unseen private letters of Princess Diana revealed

Previously unseen letters written by Princess Diana have shared a rare insight into her separation from King Charles. The late Princess of Wales confided in her close friends at the time, admitting "she never would have gone through with her divorce" if she knew how "desperate and ugly" the process would be. In the correspondence to her friends, she described how negotiations over the terms of the divorce left her "on her knees", while also sharing her paranoia that her phone at Kensington Palace had been bugged by the royal family. Princess Diana wrote 32 letters to her friends Susie and Tarek Kassem, who have chosen to sell a selection of the letters at auction, believing that the "ownership of these poignant documents is a responsibility" that they "do not wish to pass on to their children or grandchildren". The letters will be sold by <a title="Lay's Auctioneers" href="https://www.davidlay.co.uk/news/diana-the-private-correspondence-of-a-princess/?pc=337" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lay's Auctioneers</a> in Cornwall on February 16th and are expected to reach close to $160,000 AUD. Some of the proceeds will go to charities Diana supported during her life. In one of the most personal notes, dated April 28th 1996, Diana expressed her feelings about the breakdown of her marriage. Diana wrote, "I am having a very difficult time and pressure is serious and coming from all sides." "It's too difficult sometimes to keep one's head up and today I am on my knees and just longing for this divorce to go through as the possible cost is tremendous." In a letter dated May 20th 1996, Diana expressed her concerns that recordings of her private conversations were being passed on to the royal family, fearing her phone at Kensington Palace was bugged. "As I don't have a mobile it is difficult to discuss personal issues as my lines here are constantly recorded and passed on," she wrote. "If I'd known a year ago what I'd experience going through this divorce I never would have consented. It's desperate and ugly." Diana and Charles separated in 1992 but their divorce was not made final until August 1996. Image credits: Getty Images

Relationships

What to do if you lose your phone

Our smartphones are increasingly becoming a central part of our lives. We use our phones for much more than making calls – we store valuable photos and information on them, surf the web and do online banking and shopping. Plus, they are expensive pieces of technology so losing them can be a complete nightmare. What do you do? Don’t panic and follow our guide. Change passwords Change the passwords to all your online accounts (e.g. email, Facebook, banking) immediately. This means any of your personal or financial information won’t be accessible to anyone who has picked up (or stole) your phone. It also reduces the chance of identity theft. Make sure you do keep a close eye on your accounts just in case anything suspect occurs. Call and text your phone Use a friend’s phone or landline to call your phone. If it’s nearby you might hear your phone ringing. If not, some honest stranger might pick it up and answer it. If your phone is ringing out, send a text message to your phone letting whoever picks it up know it’s lost. Include a contact number so they can reach you. Tracking it down You must enable the settings on your phone or pre-install these apps for the following to work. If you haven’t done it already, we highly recommend it as it could mean the difference between finding your phone and not! iPhones - A “Find my iPhone” feature is available for iPhones. Log on to it on another device and it uses the GPS on your phone to track it down on a map. You can even force your phone to play sounds to help you track it down. Turning on “Lost Mode” is also an option that lets you remotely lock your device or wipe all your phone data. You can also install the GadgetTrak app which takes photos of whoever has your phone and emails it back to you Androids – “Where’s My Droid” is similar to “Find my iPhone” allowing you to text your phone a code word which turns on its GPS and emails the coordinates back to you. Apps like Lookout and Cereberus do similar things letting you remotely lock and wipe your phone. Windows – Visit the “My Phone” section of Windows Phone website. It will let you ring, lock, erase or show your phone on a map. Tell your phone company If it is becoming likely your phone is unfortunately lost for good, let your mobile phone company know. This is crucial because you are still liable for any calls that are made on your phone until you tell them it’s missing. Report it Report the incident to the police. They might request the serial number of your device so keep it handy. You might also be in luck – someone may have handed it in! If you have insurance, most companies often want a police report. Image: Getty Images

Technology

“You are not alone”: Prince Harry pens emotional letter to bereaved children

Prince Harry has penned a letter to children whose parents have died as a result of being in the military, telling him they share a bond in losing a parent and experiencing grief. The former royal wrote of how he learnt to cope with grief and encouraged the children to “lean into your friends” in his letter, which was shared by the charity Scotty’s Little Soldiers on Remembrance Sunday. “As many of us observe and reflect on Remembrance Sunday, I wanted to write to you and let you know you are all in my thoughts and heart today,” he began. “We share a bond even without ever meeting one another, because we share in having lost a parent. I know first-hand the pain and grief that comes with loss and want you to know that you are not alone. <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/prince-harry-nov-letter.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> Prince Harry penned a letter to children supported by the charity Scotty’s Little Soldiers for Remembrance Sunday. Image: Scotty’s Little Soldiers "While difficult feelings will come up today as we pay tribute to heroes like your mum or dad, I hope you can find comfort and strength in knowing that their love for you lives and shines on. Whenever you need a reminder of this, I encourage you to lean into your friends at Scotty’s Little Soldiers. "One of the ways I've learned to cope has been through community and talking about my grief, and I couldn't be more grateful and relieved that you have amazing people walking beside you throughout your journey. "We all know some days are harder than others, but together those days are made easier." Scotty’s Little Soldiers, a charity that supports children who have lost a parent in the military, was founded in 2010 by Nikki Scott, whose husband Corporal Lee Scott was killed in Afghanistan in 2009 and left behind two young children. On Sunday, 55 children and their parents took part in the Remembrance Sunday parade wearing black and yellow scarves. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> A proud moment for Scotty’s 💛 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RemembranceSunday?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RemembranceSunday</a> <a href="https://t.co/CsD7wL9BQP">pic.twitter.com/CsD7wL9BQP</a> — Scotty's L Soldiers (@CorporalScotty) <a href="https://twitter.com/CorporalScotty/status/1591767075567333378?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2022</a></blockquote> In his letter, Prince Harry acknowledged that taking part in the parade would be “hard but equally important to do” to raise awareness for others. “Today you will bring new awareness to young people, just like you, who will benefit from this community of support,” he wrote. “I salute you for serving others in need, in the most honourable memory of your parent.” The Duke of Sussex has long supported the charity, which was one of the organisations chosen by Harry and Meghan Markle to benefit from donations they received as gifts for their 2018 wedding. In 2017, he met with children who’d lost a military parent at a special party on the grounds of Buckingham Palace. This year, he and Meghan attended a service on Remembrance Day to pay their respects to those who died in war across the US and the Commonwealth. Image: Getty Images

Caring

Long COVID: How lost connections between nerve cells in the brain may explain cognitive symptoms

For a portion of people who get COVID, symptoms continue for <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/prevalenceofongoingsymptomsfollowingcoronaviruscovid19infectionintheuk/6october2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">months or even years</a> after the initial infection. This is commonly referred to as “long COVID”. Some people with long COVID complain of “<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-and-what-isnt-brain-fog-190537" target="_blank" rel="noopener">brain fog</a>”, which includes a wide variety of cognitive symptoms affecting memory, concentration, sleep and speech. There’s also growing concern about findings that people who have had COVID are at <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(22)00260-7/fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increased risk</a> of developing brain disorders, such as dementia. Scientists are working to understand how exactly a COVID infection affects the human brain. But this is difficult to study, because we can’t experiment on living people’s brains. One way around this is to create <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41578-021-00279-y" target="_blank" rel="noopener">organoids</a>, which are miniature organs grown from stem cells. In a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01786-2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent study</a>, we created brain organoids a little bigger than a pinhead and infected them with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. In these organoids, we found that an excessive number of synapses (the connections between brain cells) were eliminated – more than you would expect to see in a normal brain. Synapses are important because they allow neurons to communicate with each other. Still, the elimination of a certain amount of inactive synapses is part of normal brain function. The brain essentially gets rid of old connections when they’re no longer needed, and makes way for new connections, allowing for more efficient functioning. One of the crucial functions of the brain’s immune cells, or <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5768411/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">microglia</a>, is to prune these inactive synapses. The exaggerated elimination of synapses we saw in the COVID-infected models could explain why some people have cognitive symptoms as part of long COVID. Parallels with neurodegenerative disorders Interestingly, this pruning process is believed to go awry in several disorders affecting the brain. In particular, excessive elimination of synapses has recently been linked to <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-018-0334-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">neurodevelopmental disorders</a> such as <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-018-0334-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">schizophrenia</a>, as well as <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fncel.2019.00063/full" target="_blank" rel="noopener">neurodegenerative disorders</a> such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. By sequencing the RNA of single cells, we could study how different cell types in the organoid responded to the virus. We found that the pattern of genes turned on and off by the microglia in our COVID-infected organoids mimicked changes seen in neurodegenerative disorders. This may go some way in explaining the link between COVID and the risk of developing certain neurological disorders. <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491380/original/file-20221024-17-9wi5pg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491380/original/file-20221024-17-9wi5pg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491380/original/file-20221024-17-9wi5pg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491380/original/file-20221024-17-9wi5pg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491380/original/file-20221024-17-9wi5pg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491380/original/file-20221024-17-9wi5pg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/491380/original/file-20221024-17-9wi5pg.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /><figcaption>A brain organoid used in our study. You can see the microglial cells in red. Sellgren lab, Author provided</figcaption></figure> A possible target for treatment One limitation of our research is that our organoid models closely resemble the foetal or early brain, rather than the adult brain. So we can’t say for sure whether the changes we noted in our study will necessarily be reflected in the adult brain. However, some <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33248159/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post-mortem</a> and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35255491/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">imaging studies</a> report neuronal death and reduction in grey matter thickness in COVID patients, which hints at similar instances of synapse loss caused by an infection in adults. If this proves to be a fruitful line of enquiry, we believe our findings could point to a mechanism contributing to persisting cognitive symptoms after COVID and other viral infections that affect the brain. SARS-CoV-2 is an RNA virus and similar <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27337340/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">processes</a> have been seen in mice infected with other RNA viruses that can also cause residual cognitive symptoms, such as the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31235930/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">West Nile virus</a>. From here we want to study how different drugs could inhibit the changes we saw in the infected models, hopefully paving the way towards effective treatments. In <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6410571/">other research</a>, we’ve observed that an antibiotic called minocycline can reduce the degree to which microglia prune synapses in a dish. So we want to see if this drug can help in our brain organoid models following SARS-CoV-2 infection.<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/192702/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> Writen by Samudyata and Carl Sellgren. Republished with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/long-covid-how-lost-connections-between-nerve-cells-in-the-brain-may-explain-cognitive-symptoms-192702" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Getty Images

Mind

Touching note from the Queen to a young Prince William goes viral

A sweet letter from Queen Elizabeth to a young Prince William has gone viral online, with the touching note highlighting the relationship between the two. Posted on Twitter by the Real Royal Mail fan account of the royal family, the note was sent to the young prince by his grandmother along with an advent calendar. The hand-written letter reads, "William, I hope you enjoy opening this each day, Granny." The undated letter was written on official Buckingham Palace stationary, with the Twitter account saying the letter was purchased by a former employee of Princess Diana. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> "William, I hope you enjoy opening this each day, Granny"- A card written in the hand of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/QueenElizabethII?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#QueenElizabethII</a> & sent to the young <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PrinceWilliam?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PrinceWilliam</a> obviously along with an advent calendar. It was purchased from a former employee of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PrincessDiana?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PrincessDiana</a>. <a href="https://t.co/qo6j882yUb">pic.twitter.com/qo6j882yUb</a> — Royal Household Mail 🇬🇧 🇺🇦 (@RealRoyalMail) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealRoyalMail/status/1584756638099148803?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2022</a></blockquote> Fans of the royal family quickly went wild over the note online, with one writing, "Aww how lovely, beautiful, precious memory to treasure." Meanwhile another wrote, "Aww this is the sweetest thing." A third added, "I have never seen this! They had such a lovely relationship." The note originally went up for auction in December 2016, where it was expected to fetch up to £1,400 ($2,500 AUD). At the time, Robert Livingston, executive VP at Boston-based RR Auction, called the letter "a seldom-encountered piece of correspondence from within the royal family, enhanced by its fitting Christmas time association". Image credits: Twitter / Getty Images

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“I lost all ability to fly the plane”: Pilot's shock claim after plane drops mid-flight

The art of ‘getting lost’: how re-discovering your city can be an antidote to capitalism

"They lost it": Margot Robbie's surprise encounter with Barbie fans

The enduring appeal of Friends, and why so many of us feel we’ve lost a personal friend in Matthew Perry

"Uniquely, magically, indescribably us": Read the emotional love letter from Suzanne Somers' husband

How traditional Indigenous education helped four lost children survive 40 days in the Amazon jungle

The real reason your luggage is lost in transit

Young girl who penned heartfelt letter to King Charles is floored by response

Never-seen-before letter from Princess Di revealed

A letter to my mum this Mother’s Day

A Mother’s Day poem for those who have lost their mums

“A letter that someone will never forget”: Charles’ $43,000 job offer

Cruise passenger left without a single change of clothes in a lost luggage nightmare

“You wouldn’t believe all I had to do to survive”: Man rescued after 31 days in the jungle

Unlikely trio decodes Mary Queen of Scots' secret letters

Rare unseen private letters of Princess Diana revealed

What to do if you lose your phone

“You are not alone”: Prince Harry pens emotional letter to bereaved children

Long COVID: How lost connections between nerve cells in the brain may explain cognitive symptoms

Touching note from the Queen to a young Prince William goes viral

News

Shop

Catalogues

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Entertainment

Property

Information

Keep up to date

Search

“I lost all ability to fly the plane”: Pilot's shock claim after plane drops mid-flight

The art of ‘getting lost’: how re-discovering your city can be an antidote to capitalism

"They lost it": Margot Robbie's surprise encounter with Barbie fans

The enduring appeal of Friends, and why so many of us feel we’ve lost a personal friend in Matthew Perry

"Uniquely, magically, indescribably us": Read the emotional love letter from Suzanne Somers' husband

How traditional Indigenous education helped four lost children survive 40 days in the Amazon jungle

The real reason your luggage is lost in transit

Young girl who penned heartfelt letter to King Charles is floored by response

Never-seen-before letter from Princess Di revealed

A letter to my mum this Mother’s Day

A Mother’s Day poem for those who have lost their mums

“A letter that someone will never forget”: Charles’ $43,000 job offer

Cruise passenger left without a single change of clothes in a lost luggage nightmare

“You wouldn’t believe all I had to do to survive”: Man rescued after 31 days in the jungle

Unlikely trio decodes Mary Queen of Scots' secret letters

Rare unseen private letters of Princess Diana revealed

What to do if you lose your phone

“You are not alone”: Prince Harry pens emotional letter to bereaved children

Long COVID: How lost connections between nerve cells in the brain may explain cognitive symptoms

Touching note from the Queen to a young Prince William goes viral

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