Placeholder Content Image

Leap of imagination: how February 29 reminds us of our mysterious relationship with time and space

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emily-ohara-874665">Emily O'Hara</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/auckland-university-of-technology-1137">Auckland University of Technology</a></em></p> <p>If you find it intriguing that February 28 will be followed this week by February 29, rather than March 1 as it usually is, spare a thought for those alive in 1582. Back then, Thursday October 4 was followed by Friday October 15.</p> <p>Ten whole days were snatched from the present when Pope Gregory XIII issued a papal bull to “restore” the calendar from discrepancies that had crept into the Julian calendar, introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 BCE.</p> <p>The new Gregorian calendar returned the northern hemisphere’s vernal equinox to its “proper” place, around March 21. (The equinox is when the Earth’s axis is tilted neither toward nor away from the sun, and is used to determine the date of Easter.)</p> <p>The Julian calendar had observed a leap year every four years, but this meant time had drifted out of alignment with the dates of celestial events and astronomical seasons.</p> <p>In the Gregorian calendar, leap days were added only to years that were a multiple of four – like 2024 – with an exception for years that were evenly divisible by 100, but not 400 – like 1700.</p> <p>Simply put, leap days exist because it doesn’t take a neat 365 days for Earth to orbit the Sun. It takes 365.2422 days. Tracking the movement of celestial objects through space in an orderly pattern doesn’t quite work, which is why we have February – time’s great mop.</p> <h2>Time and space</h2> <p>This is just part of the history of how February – the shortest month, and originally the last month in the Roman calendar – came to have the job of absorbing those inconsistencies in the temporal calculations of the world’s most commonly used calendar.</p> <p>There is plenty of <a href="https://theconversation.com/leap-day-fixing-the-faults-in-our-stars-54032">science</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-the-science-behind-leap-years-and-how-they-work-54788">maths</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-a-seasonal-snarl-up-in-the-mid-1500s-gave-us-our-strange-rules-for-leap-years-132659">astrophysics</a> explaining the relationship between time and the planet we live on. But I like to think leap years and days offer something even more interesting to consider: why do we have calendars anyway?</p> <p>And what have they got to do with how we understand the wonder and strangeness of our existence in the universe? Because calendars tell a story, not just about time, but also about space.</p> <p>Our reckoning of time on Earth is through our spatial relationship to the Sun, Moon and stars. Time, and its place in our lives, sits somewhere between the scientific, the celestial and the spiritual.</p> <p>It is <a href="https://shop.whitechapelgallery.org/products/time">notoriously slippery, subjective and experiential</a>. It is also marked, tracked and determined in myriad ways across different cultures, from tropical to solar to <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/pou-tiaki/300062097/matariki-and-the-maramataka-the-mori-lunar-calendar">lunar</a> calendars.</p> <p>It is the Sun that measures a day and gives us our first reference point for understanding time. But it is the <a href="https://librarysearch.aut.ac.nz/vufind/Record/1145999?sid=25214690">Moon</a>, as a major celestial body, that extends our perception of time. By stretching a span of one day into something longer, it offers us a chance for philosophical reflection.</p> <p>The Sun (or its effect at least) is either present or not present. The Moon, however, goes through phases of transformation. It appears and disappears, changing shape and hinting that one night is not exactly like the one before or after.</p> <p>The Moon also has a distinct rhythm that can be tracked and understood as a pattern, giving us another sense of duration. Time is just that – overlapping durations: instants, seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, lifetimes, centuries, ages.</p> <h2>The elusive Moon</h2> <p>It is almost impossible to imagine how time might feel in the absence of all the tools and gadgets we use to track, control and corral it. But it’s also hard to know what we might do in the absence of time as a unit of productivity – a measurable, dispensable resource.</p> <p>The closest we might come is simply to imagine what life might feel like in the absence of the Moon. Each day would rise and fall, in a rhythm of its own, but without visible reference to anything else. Just endless shifts from light to dark.</p> <p>Nights would be almost completely dark without the light of the Moon. Only stars at a much further distance would puncture the inky sky. The world around us would change – trees would grow, mammals would age and die, land masses would shift and change – but all would happen in an endless cycle of sunrise to sunset.</p> <p>The light from the Sun takes <a href="https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/space-science/how-take-light-from-sun-reach-earth">eight minutes</a> to reach Earth, so the sunlight we see is always eight minutes in the past.</p> <p>I remember sitting outside when I first learned this, and wondering what the temporal delay might be between me and other objects: a plum tree, trees at the end of the street, hills in the distance, light on the horizon when looking out over the ocean, stars in the night sky.</p> <p>Moonlight, for reference, takes about <a href="https://www.pbs.org/seeinginthedark/astronomy-topics/light-as-a-cosmic-time-machine.html">1.3 seconds</a> to get to Earth. Light always travels at the same speed, it is entirely constant. The differing duration between how long it takes for sunlight or moonlight to reach the Earth is determined by the space in between.</p> <p>Time on the other hand, is anything but constant. There are countless ways we characterise it. The mere fact we have so many calendars and ways of describing perceptual time hints at our inability to pin it down.</p> <p>Calendars give us the impression we can, and have, made time predictable and understandable. Leap years, days and seconds serve as a periodic reminder that we haven’t.<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/224503/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emily-ohara-874665"><em>Emily O'Hara</em></a><em>, Senior Lecturer, Spatial Design + Temporary Practices, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/auckland-university-of-technology-1137">Auckland University of Technology</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/leap-of-imagination-how-february-29-reminds-us-of-our-mysterious-relationship-with-time-and-space-224503">original article</a>.</em></p>

Technology

Placeholder Content Image

Britney Spears’ memoir is a reminder of the stigma and potential damage of child stardom

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jane-oconnor-1483447">Jane O’Connor</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/birmingham-city-university-920">Birmingham City University</a></em></p> <p>Britney Spears’ new memoir, The Woman in Me, illustrates once again the potential lifelong damage that can be caused by being a child star. Like many before her, including <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Judy-Garland">Judy Garland</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Michael-Jackson">Michael Jackson</a>, Spears was ushered into the dangerous terrain of childhood fame by the adults who were supposed to be protecting her, and was utterly unprepared to deal with the fallout.</p> <p>Spears’ <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-53494405">father’s conservatorship</a>, controlling every aspect of her personal and professional life, was finally rescinded in 2021. She is now able to share the details of her extraordinary years in the limelight and beyond.</p> <p>From a sociological perspective, childhood is considered socially constructed. This means that there are specific ways of raising children which are socially and culturally defined. We discard these conventions surrounding the early years of life at our peril.</p> <p>The boundaries and rules around what is and is not acceptable during childhood, and the normal activities and institutions that shape the experience of being a child have developed over the centuries for a reason – to try and keep children safe from the harsh realities of the adult world.</p> <p>Being sexualised and valued for your appearance, being paid to work, having to deal with criticism and unwanted attention from strangers – these are all difficult aspects of growing up. Children and teens need careful support and guidance if they are to navigate safely into their adult lives and identities.</p> <p>The experience of childhood fame throws aside this social safety net for children in every possible way, and the consequences can be disastrous.</p> <h2>The price of child fame</h2> <p>From the earliest child stars of Hollywood’s golden age, through the television sitcoms and shows of the mid-20th century, the rise of the pop and film industries in the following decades and the burst in popularity of reality TV and talent shows of the early 21st century, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17482798.2011.584378">children have always featured</a>. Many have paid a heavy price for their often short period of fame.</p> <p>Sad stories of <a href="https://www.or-nc.com/why-do-child-stars-become-addicted-to-drugs/">drug and alcohol addiction</a>, <a href="https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2022/11/02/uncle-fester-star-jackie-coogans-tragic-life-child-fortune-to-horror-crash">family disputes</a>, <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/child-actors-who-became-criminals/nathan-gibso">criminal activity</a> and <a href="https://www.dailystar.co.uk/showbiz/us-showbiz/former-nickelodeon-star-drake-bells-29769568">toxic relationships</a> are frequently reported by the media. These reinforce the stereotypical “child star gone bad” and “too much too young” narratives that the wider public has come to expect.</p> <p>For example, stories abound of <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2020/02/11/macaulay-culkin-reveals-never-divorced-parents-emancipated-12222457/">Macaulay Culkin “divorcing” his controlling parents</a> and his difficulties transitioning into adult life, <a href="https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/film-tv/why-it-was-not-a-wonderful-life-for-macaulay-culkin-after-he-found-fame-in-the-hit-christmas-film-home-alone/37620091.html">feeling trapped</a> in the image of boyhood innocence of his most famous character, Kevin in the Home Alone movies.</p> <p><a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=kSJ8XjTw10kC&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;redir_esc=y#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false">In her autobiography</a> actor Drew Barrymore has written about her casual acceptance at Hollywood parties and consumption of alcohol at a very young age, following her role in <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083866/">E.T.</a> (1982) aged five.</p> <p>There is also the tragic life and death of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/may/29/gary-coleman-obituary">Gary Coleman</a>, cute kid star of the American sitcom <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077003/">Diff'rent Strokes</a> (1978-1986).</p> <p>Coleman, who died at 42 following a history of <a href="https://nypost.com/2010/05/29/troubled-80s-child-star-gary-colemans-life-is-cut-short-at-42/#:%7E:text=In%202005%2C%20Coleman%20moved%20to,and%20%22wanted%20to%20die.%22">substance abuse</a> and <a href="https://www.salon.com/2010/05/28/gary_coleman_dies/">depression</a>, reported being <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/may/29/gary-coleman-obituary">deeply humiliated</a> by people asking: “Didn’t you used to be …?” when he was working as a security guard at a supermarket as an adult.</p> <h2>Other possibilities</h2> <p>It’s important to note, however, that a difficult trajectory is not the experience of all child stars and former child stars. The actors from the Harry Potter films, for example, seem <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/oct/22/the-not-so-cursed-child-did-harry-potter-mark-the-end-of-troubled-young-actors">largely to have transitioned well</a> into adult lives and careers – some in the spotlight, others not.</p> <p>And the new generation of famous children and teens such as <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/stranger-things-millie-bobby-brown">Millie Bobby Brown</a>, star of the Netflix show <a href="https://theconversation.com/stranger-things-is-the-upside-down-to-disneys-cute-and-cuddly-universe-83417">Stranger Things</a> (2016-present), seem more prepared for fame than their predecessors, in control of their images and identities via their own social media platforms and <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-44045291">potentially protected to some extent</a> from extreme sexualisation by the MeToo movement.</p> <p>Even so, Brown <a href="https://www.popbuzz.com/tv-film/news/millie-bobby-brown-birthday-instagram-post/">commented on her 16th birthday</a> that: “There are moments I get frustrated from the inaccuracy, inappropriate comments, sexualization, and unnecessary insults.”</p> <p>For Spears though, these were more than moments. She details in her memoir how the constant public scrutiny of her body and physical appearance, being valued for her sexuality and treated as a commodity have characterised her entire life.</p> <p>It is no wonder <a href="https://people.com/britney-spears-reveals-why-shaved-off-hair-in-2007-exclusive-8362494">she shaved her head</a> in 2007, a move interpreted by the media as her having “gone mad”, but in fact a powerful indication of her anger at being perceived as nothing more than a dancing sex-doll. As she writes in her memoir: "I knew a lot of guys thought long hair was hot. Shaving my head was a way of saying to the world: fuck you. You want me to be pretty for you? Fuck you. You want me to be good for you? Fuck you. You want me to be your dream girl? Fuck you."</p> <p>The sociologist Erving Goffman wrote about the stigma of having a “<a href="https://www.howcommunicationworks.com/blog/2020/12/16/what-is-stigma-explaining-goffmans-idea-of-spoiled-identity">spoiled identity</a>” whereby people carry with them the public shame of transgression or physical difference.</p> <p>Being a former child star can be stigmatising for many reasons, including being constantly compared to an ideal younger version of yourself and not having had a “normal” childhood or conventional family relationships.</p> <p>In this memoir, Britney attempts to face down that stigma and reclaim her identity and person-hood as an adult. In doing so, she demonstrates that it can be possible to leave the dangerous terrain of early fame behind – but the journey is a tough one.</p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jane-oconnor-1483447">Jane O’Connor</a>, Reader in Childhood Studies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/birmingham-city-university-920">Birmingham City University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images / Instagram, </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/britney-spears-memoir-is-a-reminder-of-the-stigma-and-potential-damage-of-child-stardom-216545">original article</a>.</em></p>

Music

Placeholder Content Image

Even after his death, Rolf Harris’ artwork will stand as reminders of his criminal acts

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gregory-dale-1441894">Gregory Dale</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a></em></p> <p>Australian entertainer and artist Rolf Harris has died at the age of 93.</p> <p>After a prominent career as an artist, particularly in the UK, in 2014 <a href="https://theconversation.com/rolf-harris-guilty-but-what-has-operation-yewtree-really-taught-us-about-sexual-abuse-28282">Harris was convicted</a> of 12 counts of indecent assault.</p> <p>For his victims, his death might help to close a painful chapter of their lives.</p> <p>However, what will become of the prodigious output of the disgraced artist?</p> <h2>Jack of all trades, master of none</h2> <p>Harris developed an interest in art from a young age. At the age of 15, one of his portraits was <a href="https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/1946/">selected for showing</a> in the 1946 Archibald Prize. Three years later, he won the Claude Hotchin prize.</p> <p>These would be among the few accolades he would collect in the art world. In truth, he was never really recognised by his peers.</p> <p>The Art Gallery of Western Australia in Perth, from where he hailed, never added any of his artworks to its collection.</p> <p>Harris rose to prominence primarily as a children’s entertainer and then later as an all-round television presenter. There is a generation of Australians and Britons who grew up transfixed to their TV sets as Harris transformed blank canvases into paintings and cartoons in the space of just 30 minutes.</p> <p>His creativity also extended to music. He played the didgeridoo and his own musical creation, “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wobble_board">the wobble board</a>”. He topped the British charts in 1969 with the single Two Little Boys. However, he is probably more famous for the song Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport.</p> <p>Perhaps the ultimate recognition came in 2005, when he was invited to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Her_Majesty_Queen_Elizabeth_II_%E2%80%93_An_80th_Birthday_Portrait">paint Queen Elizabeth II</a>. His audience with the queen was filmed for a BBC documentary starring Harris. His portrait of her majesty briefly adorned the walls of Buckingham Palace, before being displayed in prominent British and Australian galleries.</p> <h2>Criminal conviction and the quick retreat from his art</h2> <p>In 2014, Harris was found guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault against three complainants, aged 15, 16 and 19 years at the times of the crimes. These incidents occurred between 1978 and 1986.</p> <p>Before sentencing Harris to five years and nine months imprisonment, the sentencing judge <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/world/the-full-statement-from-the-judge-who-sentenced-rolf-harris-to-jail-20140704-3bee0.html">commented</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>You took advantage of the trust placed in you, because of your celebrity status, to commit the offences […] Your reputation now lies in ruins.</p> </blockquote> <p>What followed was a public retreat from his artwork.</p> <p>It is worth asking why this was the public response, when the subject matter of his artwork was innocuous and unremarkable. Among his visual artworks were portraits and landscapes. None of them depicted anything particularly offensive or controversial.</p> <p>Nevertheless, many of those who owned his works felt the need to dissociate themselves with Harris. His portrait of the queen <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-28105318">seemed to vanish</a> into thin air. In the wake of his convictions, no one claimed to know of its whereabouts.</p> <p>Harris had also painted a number of permanent murals in Australia. Many these were <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/rolf-harris-mural-in-caulfield-to-be-painted-over-20140706-zsy3n.html">removed</a> or <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-06/rolf-harris-mural-on-theatre-survives-vote-for-destruction/9518358">permanently obscured</a>.</p> <h2>The roles of guilt and disgust</h2> <p>Guilt seems to play a <a href="https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:d3f7264">prominent role</a> in explaining why owners remove such artworks from display.</p> <p>Art is inherently subjective and so it necessarily forces the beholder to inquire into the artist’s meanings. When an artist is subsequently convicted of a crime, it is perhaps natural to wonder whether their art bore signs that there was something untoward about them.</p> <p>Some artists even promote this way of thinking. In fact, Harris authored a book entitled <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2883465-looking-at-pictures-with-rolf-harris">Looking at Pictures with Rolf Harris: A Children’s Introduction to Famous Paintings</a>.</p> <p>In it, he wrote:</p> <blockquote> <p>You can find out a lot about the way an artist sees things when you look at his paintings. In fact, he is telling us a lot about himself, whether he wants to or not.</p> </blockquote> <p>When facing the artwork of a convicted criminal, our subjective feelings of guilt persist because we have, in some tiny way, shared a role in their rise and stay as an artist. This makes it difficult to overcome the feeling that the artwork contains clues to the artist’s criminality. We can also feel guilty deriving pleasure from a piece of art whose maker caused others great pain.</p> <p>Disgust also plays a central role in our retreat from the criminal’s artwork.</p> <p>Disgust is a powerful emotion that demands we withdraw from an object whose mere presence threatens to infect or invade our bodily integrity.</p> <p>Related to disgust is a anthropological theory known as the “<a href="https://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-xpm-2014-feb-24-la-sci-sn-price-of-fame-celebrity-contact-boosts-value-of-objects-20140222-story.html">magical law of contagion</a>”. An offensive person leaves behind an offensive trace that continues to threaten us. It is not based on reason but instinct.</p> <p>In essence, the criminal has left their “negative” traces on their artwork.</p> <p>This explains why Harris’ paintings, although of innocuous images, suddenly became eyesores and their market value dropped. Owners of such artwork might also feel compelled to show their disgust openly, to publicly extricate themselves from the artist.</p> <p>No one wants to be seen to condone the behaviour of a sexual offender.</p> <p>Even after his death, Harris’ artwork will continue to stand as reminders of his criminal acts.</p> <p><em>If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call <a href="https://www.1800respect.org.au">1800RESPECT</a> on 1800 737 732. In an emergency call 000.<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/206282/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></em></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gregory-dale-1441894">Gregory Dale</a>, Lecturer, TC Beirne School of Law, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/even-after-his-death-rolf-harris-artwork-will-stand-as-reminders-of-his-criminal-acts-206282">original article</a>.</em></p>

Art

Placeholder Content Image

A short history of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy – an indelible reminder of unceded sovereignty

<p><em>Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people.</em></p> <p>Often people think about the Aboriginal Tent Embassy as something historic, dating back to the 1970s. But it should also be thought of as a site of the longest protest for Indigenous land rights, sovereignty and self-determination <a href="https://www.echo.net.au/2021/10/50-years-of-aboriginal-tent-embassy/">in the world</a>.</p> <p>In fact, this year, the Tent Embassy is set to celebrate its <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/blackfishing-alt-right-pushes-to-co-opt-aboriginal-tent-embassy-to-cause-20220105-p59lzj.html">50th continuous year of occupation</a>. Demonstrating its significance to Australian history, it was included on the <a href="https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6068943/the-aboriginal-tent-embassy-has-been-left-off-the-act-heritage-list/">Commonwealth Heritage List</a> in 2015 as part of the Old Parliament House precinct.</p> <p>In this momentous year, it’s worth remembering how the Tent Embassy came to be and what it has continued to stand for since its erection in 1972 – and the significance it still has today.</p> <h2>Aliens in our own land</h2> <p>The Tent Embassy began its public life on January 26 1972. On that day, Michael Anderson, Billy Craigie, Bertie Williams and Tony Coorey left Redfern and drove to Ngunnawal Country (Canberra), where they planted a beach umbrella opposite Parliament House (now known as Old Parliament House).</p> <p>They erected a sign that said “Aboriginal Embassy”. With them on that day was their driver, Tribune photographer Noel Hazard, who captured the event in a series of photos.</p> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/440344/original/file-20220111-15-1n5yt6q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /> <span class="caption">The establishment of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy on Australia Day in 1972.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">National Museum Australia</span></span></p> <p>The term “embassy” was used to bring attention to the fact Aboriginal people had never ceded sovereignty nor engaged in any treaty process with the Crown. As a collective, Aboriginal people were the only cultural group not represented with an embassy.</p> <p>According to Aboriginal activist and scholar Gary Foley, the absence of an Aboriginal embassy in Canberra was a blatant indication <a href="https://www.naa.gov.au/learn/learning-resources/learning-resource-themes/first-australians/politics-and-advocacy/activists-aboriginal-tent-embassy-lawns-old-parliament-house">Aboriginal people were treated like aliens in their own land</a>.</p> <p>Initially, the protesters were making a stand about land rights following the then prime minister William McMahon’s speech that <a href="https://law.unimelb.edu.au/about/welcome/mls-indigenous/home/mls-classroom-photo-mural-initiative/classroom-photos/tent-embassy">dismissed any hope for Aboriginal land rights</a> and reasserted the government’s position on the policy of <a href="https://australianstogether.org.au/discover/australian-history/a-white-australia/">assimilation</a>. The Tent Embassy was therefore a public display of our disapproval of and objection to the policies and practices of the government.</p> <p>In later years, it has become an acclaimed site of our continued resistance to the continuity of colonial rule.</p> <h2>Demands of protesters</h2> <p>Police who were patrolling the area at the time of the Tent Embassy’s erection asked the protesters what they were doing outside Parliament House. They said they were protesting and would do so until the government granted land rights to Aboriginal people. The police were said to have responded, “<a href="http://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/p72441/pdf/article0712.pdf">That could be forever</a>”.</p> <p>As it turned out, it was not illegal to camp on the lawns of Parliament House, so the police could not remove them.</p> <p>Later, on February 6 1972, the members of the Tent Embassy issued their list of demands to the government. The demands were clearly about our rights as Aboriginal people to our homelands, regardless of the fact cities were now built on the land or mining companies were interested in the bounties within.</p> <p>Compensation was called for in the instances where the lands was not able to be returned. There were also demands for the protection of our sacred sites.</p> <p>While the McMahon government cared little about negotiating with the protesters, the leader of the Opposition, Gough Whitlam, visited the Tent Embassy and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2014/oct/21/gough-whitlam-remembered-a-true-leader-for-indigenous-australians">publicly proclaimed a promise of Aboriginal land rights</a> under a future Labor government.</p> <p>There was widespread support for the Tent Embassy from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and allies across the continent, and indeed the world.</p> <p>Media attention also grew as it became obvious the Tent Embassy and protesters were not going to move on. Other Aboriginal activists joined the embassy, including Foley, Isabel Coe, John Newfong, Chicka Dixon, Gordon Briscoe and many others.</p> <h2>Forced removal and revival</h2> <p>The government was not too keen on being reminded Aboriginal people were demanding rights, so it <a href="https://law.unimelb.edu.au/about/welcome/mls-indigenous/home/mls-classroom-photo-mural-initiative/classroom-photos/tent-embassy">amended</a> the Trespass on Commonwealth Lands Ordinance to make it illegal to camp on the lawn of Parliament House. This gave the police the authority to remove the protesters.</p> <p>The ordinance was but a few hours old when <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7j3Rq2Tryo">police attempted to forcibly remove the embassy</a>. They did so to the roar of the crowd chanting “land rights now”. A <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOIvHE0tJAk">violent confrontation with police</a> ensued.</p> <p><iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FOIvHE0tJAk?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p>On September 12 1972, the ACT Supreme Court ruled against the use of the trespass laws, and the Tent Embassy was temporarily re-erected before being removed again the following morning.</p> <p>Then, at the end of 1972, the Coalition government led by McMahon lost the federal election to Labor. Whitlam was able to keep his promise in part – he did give the land title deeds to the Gurindji people. This was captured in the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-01/mervyn-bishop-australias-first-aboriginal-press-photographer/8655130">historical photo</a> by Merv Bishop of Whitlam pouring a fistful of dirt into Vincent Lingiari’s hand.</p> <p> </p> <p>While this iconic image has become a demonstration of what might be possible, the work of the embassy is not yet done. Land rights across the continent have yet to be fully achieved.</p> <p>The Tent Embassy was re-established the following year and remained until activist <a href="https://commonslibrary.org/the-aboriginal-tent-embassy/">Charles Perkins negotiated its removal</a> pending the enactment of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act in 1976.</p> <p>In the ensuing years, it occupied several other sites around Canberra, including the site of the current Parliament House. In 1992, it returned to its original site on the lawn of Old Parliament House to mark the 20th anniversary of the original protest.</p> <p>Eleven years later, much of the Tent Embassy was destroyed by fire in a <a href="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/end-aboriginal-tent-embassy">suspected case of arson</a>. The police once again attempted to remove protesters from the site under <a href="https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/tent-embassy-under-further-attack">orders from federal government’s National Capital Authority</a>.</p> <p> </p> <h2>An enduring symbol of protest</h2> <p>Today, the Tent Embassy remains on the lawns of Old Parliament House as a reminder of the successive failures of subsequent governments to address the demands for justice represented by the embassy and its people.</p> <p>As <a href="https://www.routledge.com/The-Aboriginal-Tent-Embassy-Sovereignty-Black-Power-Land-Rights-and-the/Foley-Schaap/p/book/9780415839518?gclid=CjwKCAiAz--OBhBIEiwAG1rIOuFlzGCUJvLxLafzUlJZ_D1uyMj0Tz9J_YFIEwcLS0kMzAffvRc_7hoCxwUQAvD_BwE">Foley reflects</a> in his history of the embassy:</p> <blockquote> <p>That it has endured for [five] decades as a potent symbol rejecting the hypocrisy, deceit and duplicity by successive Australian governments is a testament to the refusal of large numbers of Aboriginal people to concede defeat in a 200-year struggle for justice.</p> </blockquote> <p>Nowhere else in the world have we seen such longevity around a site of protest. The Aboriginal Tent Embassy is an impressive achievement that demonstrates the tenacity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and our continued fight for the reclamation of our lands and sovereign rights as First Nations peoples.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/174693/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bronwyn-carlson-136214">Bronwyn Carlson</a>, Professor, Indigenous Studies and Director of The Centre for Global Indigenous Futures, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/macquarie-university-1174">Macquarie University</a></em> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lynda-june-coe-1305919">Lynda-June Coe</a>, PhD Candidate, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/macquarie-university-1174">Macquarie University</a></em></span></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-short-history-of-the-aboriginal-tent-embassy-an-indelible-reminder-of-unceded-sovereignty-174693">original article</a>.</p> <p><em>Image: Wikimedia Commons</em></p>

Real Estate

Placeholder Content Image

Police remind residents to wear pants when getting the mail

<p>A US police department has reminded local residents to put on their pants when they go outside.</p> <p>The Taneytown Police Department, which serves about 7,200 citizens in the Maryland town, advised people who are obeying the stay-at-home order to wear their pants when they check their mailbox.</p> <p>“Please remember to put pants on before leaving the house to check your mailbox,” the department said in a Facebook post on Wednesday. “You know who you are. This is your final warning.”</p> <p><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FTaneytownPolice%2Fposts%2F2355019031463367&amp;width=500" width="500" height="173" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe></p> <p>The post has since gone viral with more than 800 comments and 5,300 shares. Many responded with gif images with the caption “Life’s too short for pants”, while one commented that wearing underwear outside may not necessarily be in breach of the <a href="https://statelaws.findlaw.com/maryland-law/maryland-indecent-exposure-laws.html">law</a> on indecent exposure.</p> <p>In Australia, people have been getting creative with their looks on bin day as they dress up to take the rubbish out.</p> <p>Aussies have taken to the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/306002627033697">Bin Isolation Outing Facebook group</a> and other social media sites to share pictures of their outfits on their walk out, including graduation gowns, character costumes, animal onesies and more.</p> <p>“So basically the bin goes out more than us SO let’s dress up for the occasion!” the group wrote.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-_K6tnhl8J/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-_K6tnhl8J/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Laura (@laurakeet101)</a> on Apr 14, 2020 at 8:50pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote>

Home & Garden

Placeholder Content Image

People share the ordinary things that remind them of loved ones lost

<p>Losing a loved one is heartbreaking and special memories with them are often evoked through the most ordinary items. Here, people took to Twitter to share the everyday items that remind them of loved ones lost.  </p> <p><strong>1. Food</strong></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Thorntons toffee for my dad. Christmas and birthday 🎂 despite the fact he had false teeth. <a href="https://t.co/CmJkkkGT4x">https://t.co/CmJkkkGT4x</a></p> — jools (@JHF10) <a href="https://twitter.com/JHF10/status/929459103147200513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2017</a></blockquote> <p><strong>2. Shops</strong></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">The final place my mum still exists is in the big M&amp;S on Oxford Street.</p> — Melissa Harrison 🌾 (@M_Z_Harrison) <a href="https://twitter.com/M_Z_Harrison/status/929398124719890432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2017</a></blockquote> <p><strong>3. Clothing</strong></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">My dad never got to wear the M&amp;S trousers I bought him for Christmas - he died just after. Having to return them was AWFUL.</p> — Katy H(W) (@KatyWoo23) <a href="https://twitter.com/KatyWoo23/status/929457416764383233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2017</a></blockquote> <p><strong>4. Coffee mugs</strong></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">My dads coffee cup with the handle broken off and glued back on badly -twice. Always on my desk ♡</p> — nikole (@ValhallabakGirl) <a href="https://twitter.com/ValhallabakGirl/status/929461363520557056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2017</a></blockquote> <p><strong>5. Mementos</strong></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Wine guides. It's been years now &amp; yet every xmas the annual wine guides section in bookshops reduces me to a snotbubbling mess.</p> — HildegardP (@HildegardP) <a href="https://twitter.com/HildegardP/status/929462349790146561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2017</a></blockquote>

Retirement Life

Placeholder Content Image

Things to remind yourself after a long day of caregiving

<p>Being a caregiver can be a trying role. It is rarely something people are prepared for when the call comes, nevertheless, countless everyday heroes rise to the challenge of providing care for someone they love. When taking on this new role, it can be jarring just how much the life or a carer changes as focus shifts from primarily looking after their own life, to primarily looking after another’s.</p> <p>Despite this change, the American Psychological Association <a href="http://www.apa.org/pi/about/publications/caregivers/faq/positive-aspects.aspx" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>reports</strong></span></a> that 83 per cent of caregivers viewed it as being a positive experience. Their findings also highlight, however, that carers will often experience “both positive experiences and some strain simultaneously”. With this in mind, we’re going to take a look at some things to remind yourself of, as a caregiver, if you ever feel that the strain is outweighing the good.</p> <p><strong>You are there</strong></p> <p>We are often called upon to give care for someone who can no longer take care of themselves because of age and/or degenerative disease. In instances such as this, it’s important to remember that, as a caregiver, you are being there for your charge as they face a difficult time. For many, this is the final stage of their life, and having someone by their side will help temper the fear they may feel. They may not acknowledge it with words, but your act of love will be gratefully received by the one for whom you care.</p> <p><strong>Special moments</strong></p> <p>For those who have someone in their life who needs care, it can be difficult to notice the special little moments. But as a caregiver, those tiny glimmers can make a bad day, week, or month worth all the effort. If you’re a caregiver, you no doubt love when these unexpected moments happen – whatever form they take – so cherish them, remember them, and hold them tight in your heart when things feel difficult.</p> <p><strong>You make a difference</strong></p> <p>It can be easy to forget that being a caregiver is about making a very real difference in the life of another person. But it’s so important to remember that what you are doing is changing someone else’s life for the better. Your sacrifice, your hard work, they add up to a better life for someone you love.</p> <p>To you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a caregiver?</p>

Caring

Placeholder Content Image

We hold regular dance events to remind people that over 60’s can still have fun

<p><em><strong>Chris Verity, 60, has a Master’s degree in management and enjoys outside pursuits as well as restoring furniture. His wife, Galina, 50, has a degree in accounting and loves fashion, music and dancing. </strong></em></p> <p>Galina and I originally met each other, coincidentally at the Mosman RSL Club, at a similar dance party (to the one we currently run) 16 years ago, although it was an advertised singles night.  We’ve been together ever since; however, we have always sought out somewhere to go again, where more mature adults could feel comfortable either dancing close or bopping along to some classic hits from the decades of popular music.  Most Night Clubs attract the under thirties and restaurants don't really provide music or dancing, so we thought we’d do something about it instead, and have been organising dancing nights all through 2015, for the adult age group (singles and couples) and the majority of our guests are in their 50’s, 60’s.    </p> <p>We are not professional dancers, not even good dancers but we love music, enjoy dancing and so we’ve done something about it.  Galina is from Europe and couldn’t understand why Australians just go out for dinner and then go home. So for my wife’s sake (and all those other European party animals) now you don’t have to go home! So come along and have a dance and a fun evening.  The girls say they like our nights because it’s a good opportunity to dress up and it’s not just them who dress to impress, be sure to see the men who make quite the effort to look smart.  Some folks mentioned after a night of dancing their blood pressure the next morning was greatly improved as we all know dancing is a great form of exercise. And it’s not just for your physical physique but for your brain too, as research suggests that movement from dance reduces risks of cognitive decline. So if you’re forgetting what it’s like to dance, look no further! We now have our ‘regulars’ that come every month and our ‘champions’ who are still working the dance floor up to midnight, folks come from many different Country backgrounds as well with interesting stories to share.</p> <p>Despite our lack of dance training, we really enjoy getting onto the dance floor and the Mosman Daily Magazine nicknamed us “Fred &amp; Ginger”.  To cope with our lack of dance technique, we have great fun with professional dancer, Eliska Sarka, who comes along with her Husband Doug and for about a thirty-minute session to demonstrate and show off how it’s really done, and then train us all in some basic dance steps, which we can then practice.  Everyone loves to get involved, everyone gets a partner and we all follow Eliska through the steps and groove out with a little routine.</p> <p>On Saturday Feb 13th we will be learning some basic steps of the WALTZ, in previous evenings we’ve learnt the steps of the Jive, Cha-cha, Rumba and Rock &amp; Roll.</p> <p>So if you’re bored of bopping to Justin Bieber, we’ve got just the solution for you! Charles our super DJ is guaranteed to get you out of your seats and rocking to our choice of 60's, 70's, 80's hits during the evening (as much as we can fit in until Midnight). We also try to include numbers for you folks who like to Jive, Salsa, Cha-cha, Rumba and even the odd Waltz. </p> <p>Folks are very complimentary, say what a great idea we have because there are no venues like this for adults in Sydney; Galina and I really enjoy running the night, seeing people enjoy themselves so get out of your armchairs, bring your walking sticks, find a partner or come solo, get your dancing shoes on and come have a dance with us!</p> <p>The Club’s auditorium is a perfect venue for our evenings, private with its own manned bar, the club Bistro upstairs, off-road parking etc. We decorate the room with flowers and the tables are all candlelit, making for an elegant venue; after all this night was inspired from a true love story that evolved from just one night of dancing, so who knows what’s in it for you! We want you to come and find out for yourself.</p> <p>The dance event is on Saturday 13th Feb and is located in Mosman, Sydney. Find out more about the <em><strong><a href="http://www.dancingnights.com.au" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">details of the night here.</span> </a></strong></em><a href="http://www.dancingnights.com.au"><br /></a></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/01/dirty-home-items/">5 surprisingly dirty things in your house</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/01/tips-to-iron-quicker/">Clever tips to cut ironing time in half</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/home-garden/2015/12/9-nasty-things-you-really-should-throw-out-from-around-the-house/">9 nasty things you really should throw out NOW!</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong> </strong></span></p>

News