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Popular TV host diagnosed with same condition as Bruce Willis

Popular American TV host Wendy Williams has shared her diagnosis after being plagued by "hurtful rumours". The 59-year-old's medical team announced in a lengthy statement that she has been diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia: the same conditions actor Bruce Willis is battling. The news comes after Williams' family confirmed she had checked in to a facility to treat cognitive issues. “Questions have been raised at times about Wendy’s ability to process information and many have speculated about Wendy’s condition, particularly when she began to lose words, act erratically at times, and have difficulty understanding financial transactions,” her medical team said. They said Williams' symptoms first began in 2023, and was diagnosed with the neurological conditions just weeks later after undergoing a series of tests. Her team said both conditions have “already presented significant hurdles in Wendy’s life”. “Wendy would not have received confirmation of these diagnoses were it not for the diligence of her current care team, who she chose, and the extraordinary work of the specialists at Weill Cornell Medicine,” they said. “Receiving a diagnosis has enabled Wendy to receive the medical care she requires.” Williams chose to share the news to “advocate for understanding” and to “raise awareness” for the difficult conditions. “Unfortunately, many individuals diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia face stigma and misunderstanding, particularly when they begin to exhibit behavioural changes but have not yet received a diagnosis,” her team said. “There is hope that with early detection and far more empathy, the stigma associated with dementia will be eliminated, and those affected will receive the understanding, support, and care they deserve and need." “Wendy is still able to do many things for herself. Most importantly she maintains her trademark sense of humour and is receiving the care she requires to make sure she is protected and that her needs are addressed." “She is appreciative of the many kind thoughts and good wishes being sent her way.” The TV presenter has previously been open with her medical battle with Graves’ disease and lymphedema, as well as other significant challenges related to her health. Image credits: Getty Images

Caring

Twin sisters give birth on the same day

Identical twins Gillianne Gogas and Nicole Patrikakos have lived their whole lives in synchronicity after being born together 36 years ago. Now, the women have welcomed their own children into the world on the same day, in the same hospital. The extraordinary coincidence happened in Melborune’s Epworth Freemasons hospital, with both Nicole and Gillianne welcoming healthy baby boys just hours apart. Gillianne said they both felt a mix of emotions over their matching maternity experience. "The timing, you just can't plan something like that. So yeah, disbelief, shock, excitement, all of those emotions," Gillianne told 9News. Gillianne's son, Alexander, arrived on August 22 at 1:20pm, followed by sister Nicole's baby boy, William, a mere five hours later. Nicole said the sisters had the same due date, so the duplicate deliveries were no surprise to the identical twin sisters. "(We were) very close growing up. We have always done everything together so this is just another example of that," she said. Gillianne said they had nine months of pregnancy to process their "tandem" due date. "And yet it is still quite unbelievable," she said. However, the synchronicity didn’t end there, as the babies were both delivered by the same obstetrician, Dr Joseph Sgroi, who said the births were a first for him during his time as a doctor. "It is not something that is common. It is not commonplace for even sisters to give birth on the same time or on the same day," he said. The newborns even had the same birth weight, a healthy 3.5 kilograms. "Oh yes that came as another surprise," Gillianne said. "Exactly the same," Nicole said. Dr Sgroi said the babies would biologically be closer to brothers than cousins, with Nicole and Gillianne hoping they would share the same special relationship as their mothers. "Hopefully they will be as close as we are because it really is a special bond that we have," Nicole said. Image credits: Nine News

Family & Pets

Can death on the screen feel the same as a ‘real’ one?

Death is a part of life, an adage usually reserved for those who physically exist in our lives – family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances. So what happens when a profound death experience happens on the screen? Is that still a legitimate experience of mourning? Last week, the popular TV show Succession had a significant “on screen” death - where even the cast filming the scene spoke as if the response to the trauma had a very <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/succession-episode-three-logan-dead-b2317366.html">real feeling</a>. In the same way as the cast, social media reactions to the sudden and unexpected death of a person with a complex character, after four seasons of growing to understand them, can feel like the death of someone you actually know. The <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rstb.2017.0267#d3e765">research</a> behind this phenomenon can be found as far back as the 1970s when early understandings around the death of a main character on children’s television served to provide real world insight into the irreversibility of death as a universal experience. Over time, as popular culture and television became more nuanced, the diversity of the ways in which death occurred in fictional programs began to <a href="https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/5234_Bryant__Death,_Dying,_Dead,_Popular_Culture.pdf">replicate the complexity</a> of “real” loss in our lives. Via television, we get access to catastrophic loss, multiple casualty events, loss after significant illness – as well as seeing how death impacts the people left behind. In the most recent episode of Succession, we also see what happens when a death occurs involving a person where their character or relationship to others is strained. We see ways in which grief is not always a byproduct of love. <h2>Why does this grief feel real from an armchair perspective?</h2> Death on screen can also act as a trigger or a reminder of the losses we have endured. When a show realistically portrays grief in its purest form, the emotive or reflective reaction can unlock our own grief. Engaging with the small screen is an overt act of escapism, often for entertainment. We might be switching on a program with the intention of relaxation, only to be met with trauma and sadness. When a sudden loss is brought into our lounge rooms, or via the devices on our laps, we experience shock, confusion and anger about the abruptness of an event, just like the feelings we can experience when loss happens suddenly in our real lives. Safe reporting of sudden and traumatic death on fictional TV shows is not covered by media reporting guidelines. Warnings prior to a scene, or consistent information at the end of an episode about seeking additional support, might be minimal. <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0266722">Recent research</a> identifies multiple contexts related to warnings where TV shows may note that an episode will explore death, however, the complexity of how this might be portrayed is limited. <figure> <h2>What is this grief called?</h2> While there is no rulebook for grief, reacting emotionally to a small screen death can bring about concerns that we look silly or that we lack awareness of the distinction between reality and fiction. This form of <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00302228211014775?casa_token=qZ3_RQR6xw0AAAAA%3Awv53_SeeKUgDIH34Z3diViJjcghG-dJb39n--oZP5-Gz-vCRn8RTQOmNxVFZ34fnNjdrwNDriq8GCg">parasocial grieving</a>, described as having feelings attached to a pseudo-relationship, does feel real, does have consequences and does need space to be managed. We don’t all watch the same shows, we don’t all respond to the death of a character the same way, we might even struggle to understand why people have the reactions they do when a TV death occurs. I would encourage you to pause for a moment and remember the ones that did get under our skin. In 1985, Australian viewers lived through the death of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/feb/06/how-mollys-death-on-a-country-practice-touched-a-nation-the-writers-room-was-shedding-tears">Molly from A Country Practice</a>, where the final image of a mother’s end-stage cancer diagnosis played out while watching her daughter fly a kite. Teens watching Sarah Michelle Gellar stumble across the sudden untimely death of her mother in <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/03/the-body-the-radical-empathy-of-buffys-best-episode/519051/">Buffy the Vampire Slayer </a>shaped many feelings when there is a catastrophic loss without warning. In the last decade, the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/australia-culture-blog/2013/aug/08/offspring-fans-mourn-patrick">sudden death of Patrick from Offspring </a>had people legitimately calling in sick from work the next day. The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAgpbPIVy0M">global reaction</a> to the Red Wedding scene in Game of Thrones had forums on Reddit unpacking why so many characters were murdered and sharing the impact of the sights and sounds of blood and murder and traumatic grief. We engage in a social contract when we connect to a TV show. We expect to be removed from our real life and engage in the viewing of other spaces. Death in those spaces – and the reactions to that loss – can feel as if they break that contract. Image credits: HBO This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/can-death-on-the-screen-feel-the-same-as-a-real-one-203549" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </figure>

Couple with the same name share the story of their unique path to love

Married couple Nunzia and Nunzio Varricchio took sharing to the extreme on the day of their births. With matching Christian names, the pair were born with mere hours between them in the same Italian village, with the same midwife overseeing both occasions. As their daughter, Vicki Brunello, explained to 7 News, “[the midwife] happened to be Dad’s grandmother. She delivered my dad, hopped on her bike, and a few hours later she delivered my mum.” Apparently, that same grandmother had joked that she’d found her grandson a girlfriend. And although she hadn’t been (entirely) serious at the time, it turns out she’d been right on the money. Cut to 15 years later, when Nunzio decided that he’d ask his partner-in-name to be his girlfriend - just as his grandmother had predicted. Nunzio believed that it had been “love at first sight”, although it seems that Nunzia didn’t quite share his opinion. Although she did eventually fall for him, it took “a little bit of time” to get to the same point. As she put it, “I didn’t say yes straight away.” Nor did the couple make it official immediately. Nunzio and his family actually moved to Australia in the 1960s, far from the village where the two had grown up. He made the decision to farewell Nunzia before he joined his family overseas, and while he might have been hoping for a sweet moment for the subject of his affections, Nunzia - once again - had other ideas. He had hoped to give her a kiss, even going so far as to tell her as much, but as Nunzia explained, “I said ‘forget about it’.” And as she added, she’d even threatened to throw a bucket on his head, far from the heartfelt goodbye he’d envisioned. Nunzia was determined not to be forgotten, and Nunzio was in no position to do so. Writing to her regularly, he told her all about his new life in Australia, and although she took “a little longer” to respond to him, she still did, with the two remaining in constant - if not a little irregular - contact. But even Nunzia couldn’t play hard to get forever, and at just 21 years old, she packed her bags and moved to join Nunzio in Australia, with the couple marrying soon after. However, their shared history decided the time had come to cause a little chaos, with Australian authorities assuming they’d made a mistake on their paperwork while registering their marriage. The issue? The similarities in their applications - their matching names, birthdays, and places of births. It was one they unfortunately encountered again when trying to organise passports. As for problems with their life, neither had anything to report - nor did their three children and six grandchildren, who claimed they’d never so much as seen the 80-year-old Nunzio and Nunzia argue. Nunzio put their success in marriage down to their amicable conflict resolution strategy, and explained that after their wedding, his wife had informed him to “keep quiet” if she started arguing while upset. From there, he said, they simply “cool down and we don’t argue.” “Dad’s a big softie,” daughter Vicki added, “you know, and there’s a lot of love.” “We’re very happy,” Nunzia agreed. Images: 7 News

Relationships

Lie detection tests have worked the same way for 3,000 years – and they’re still hopelessly inaccurate

Popular culture is fascinated with the ability to detect liars. Lie detector tests are a staple of police dramas, and TV shows such as Poker Face feature “human polygraphs” who detect deception by picking up tell-tale signs in people’s behaviour. Records of attempts to detect lies, whether by technical means or by skilled observers, go back at least 3,000 years. Forensic science lie detection techniques have become <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1541-1338.2005.00166.x">increasingly popular</a> since the invention of the polygraph early in the 20th century, with the latest methods involving advanced brain imaging. Proponents of lie detection technology sometimes <a href="https://www.press.umich.edu/3091709/lying_brain">make grandiose claims</a>, such as a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-022-09566-y">recent paper</a> that said “with the help of forensic science and its new techniques, crimes can be easily solved”. Despite these claims, an infallible lie detection method has yet to be found. In fact, most lie detection methods don’t detect lies at all – instead, they register the physiological or behaviour signs of stress or fear. <h2>From dry rice to red-hot irons</h2> The <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1529100610390861">earliest recorded lie detection method</a> was used in China, around 1000 BC. It involved suspects placing rice in their mouths then spitting it out: wet rice indicated innocence, while dry rice meant guilty. In India, around 900 BC, <a href="http://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2844&context=jclc">one method</a> used to detect poisoners was observations of shaking. In ancient Greece a rapid pulse rate was taken to indicate deceit. The Middle Ages saw barbaric forms of lie detection used in Europe, such as the red-hot iron method which involved suspected criminals placing their tongue, often multiple times, on a red-hot iron. Here, a burnt tongue indicated guilt. <h2>What the polygraph measures</h2> Historical lie detection methods were based in superstition or religion. However, in the early 20th century a purportedly scientific, objective, lie detection machine was invented: the polygraph. The <a href="https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/228091.pdf">polygraph measures</a> a person’s respiration, heart rate, blood pressure, and skin conductance (sweating) during questioning. Usually a “control question” about a crime is asked, such as “Did you do it?” The person’s response to the control question is then compared to responses to neutral or less provocative questions. Heightened reactions to direct crime questions are taken to indicate guilt on the test. <h2>The overconfidence of law enforcers</h2> Some law enforcement experts claim they don’t even need a polygraph. They can detect lies simply by observing the behaviour of a suspect during questioning. Worldwide research shows that law enforcers are often <a href="https://doi.org/10.5093/apj2022a4">confident they can detect lying</a>. Many assume a suspect’s nonverbal behaviour reveals deceit. A <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/14636641111134314/full/html">2011 study with Queensland police</a> revealed many officers were confident they could detect lying. Most favoured a focus on nonverbal behaviour even over available evidence. However, <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-96334-1_3">research shows</a> that law enforcers, despite their confidence, are often not very good at detecting lying. Law enforcement officers are not alone in thinking they can spot a liar. <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0022022105282295">Global studies</a> have found that people around the world believe lying is accompanied by specific nonverbal behaviours such as gaze aversion and nervousness. <h2>What’s really being tested</h2> Many historical and current lie detection methods seem underpinned by the plausible idea that liars will be nervous and display observable physical reactions. These might be shaking (such as in the ancient Indian test for poisoners, and the nonverbal behaviour method used by some investigators), a dry mouth (the rice-chewing test and the hot-iron method), increased pulse rate (the ancient Greek method and the modern polygraph), or overall heightened physiological reactions (the polygraph). However, there are two major problems with using behaviour based on fear or stress to detect lying. The first problem: how does one distinguish fearful innocents from fearful guilty people? It is likely that an innocent person accused of a crime will be fearful or anxious, while a guilty suspect may not be. This is borne out with the polygraph’s <a href="https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/10420/chapter/10#218">high false-positive rate</a>, meaning innocent people are deemed guilty. Similarly, some police have assumed that <a href="https://cqu-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/1rb43gr/TN_cdi_informaworld_taylorfrancisbooks_9781843926337">innocent, nervous suspects were guilty</a> based on inaccurate interpretations of behavioural observations. The second major problem with lie detection methods based on nervous behaviour is there is <a href="https://journals.copmadrid.org/apj/art/apj2019a9">no evidence</a> that specific nonverbal behaviours reliably accompany deception. <h2>Miscarriages of justice</h2> Despite what we know about the inaccuracy of polygraph tests, they haven’t gone away. In the US, they are still used in some police interrogations and <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/inside-polygraph-job-screening-black-mirror/">high-security job interviews</a>. In the UK, lie detector tests are used for <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/domestic-abuse-bill-2020-factsheets/mandatory-polygraph-tests-factsheet">some sex offenders on probation</a>. And in China, the use of polygraphs in law enforcement may <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031938414005964?via%3Dihub">even be increasing</a>. Australia has been less enthusiastic in adopting lie-detection machines. In New South Wales, the use of lie-detector findings was barred from court in 1983, and an attempt to present polygraph evidence to a court in Western Australia in 2003 <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1375/pplt.2004.11.2.359">also failed</a>. Many historical and current lie detection methods emulate each other and are based on the same assumptions. Often the <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/book/13865">only difference</a> is the which part of the body or physical reaction they focus on. Using fallible lie detection methods <a href="https://journals.copmadrid.org/apj/art/apj2022a4">contributes to wrongful convictions</a> and miscarriages of justice. Therefore, it is important that criminal-justice practitioners are educated about fallacious lie detection methods, and any new technique grounded in fear or stress-based reactions should be rejected. Despite outward appearances of technological advancement, over many millennia little has changed. Fearful innocents remain vulnerable to wrongful assumptions of guilt, which is good news for the fearless guilty. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/lie-detection-tests-have-worked-the-same-way-for-3-000-years-and-theyre-still-hopelessly-inaccurate-200741" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Images: Getty

Technology

When it comes to music, not all cultures share the same emotional associations

<div class="copy"> Most of us have deep emotional reactions to <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/physics/recent-musical-research-of-note/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-type="URL" data-id="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/physics/recent-musical-research-of-note/">music</a>, which is <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/culture/music-really-is-a-universal-language/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-type="URL" data-id="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/culture/music-really-is-a-universal-language/">a central part of human cultures</a> around the world. But our ideas about what makes music sound happy or sad are not universal, suggests <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0269597" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">new research</a> published today in PLoS One. The Australian-led study mainly focused on differences in people’s emotional perceptions of music in major and minor keys. In Western cultures, music in a major key is almost universally perceived as happy, and music in a minor key as sad. Transposing a melody from major to minor seems to instantly introduce a mournful or ominous feel, as demonstrated by this rendition of the “Happy birthday” song. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"> <div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> <div class="entry-content-asset"> <div class="embed-wrapper"> <div class="inner"><iframe title="Happy Birthday in C Minor" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ipyVmkcUXPM?feature=oembed" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> </div> </div> </div> </figure> However, the study found that these emotional associations were not shared by some remote communities in Papua New Guinea (PNG) who had little exposure to Western music. “The most important finding of the study is that the degree of familiarity with major and minor music plays a large role in people attributing happiness to major and sadness to minor,” says Eline Smit, who led the study as part of her PhD at Western Sydney University. For the new study, Smit and her colleagues investigated emotional associations of major and minor keys in people living in Sydney and in several villages in Uruwa River Valley in PNG. The valley is only accessible via small plane or multi-day hike, and the villages have similar musical traditions but varying levels of exposure to Western-style music. The researchers played various recordings pairing one major and one minor melody or cadence (a series of chords) to the participants, who were asked to indicate which tune made them feel happy. <div style="position: relative; display: block; max-width: 100%;"> <div style="padding-top: 56.25%;"><iframe style="position: absolute; top: 0px; right: 0px; bottom: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%;" src="https://players.brightcove.net/5483960636001/HJH3i8Guf_default/index.html?videoId=6308675222112" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> </div> An example of a recording played to research participants in the study. The musical samples are preceded by the word “ingguk” (one) or “yoi” (two). In this example, the first music sample is in a major key and the second in a minor key. <a href="https://osf.io/c3e9y/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-type="URL" data-id="https://osf.io/c3e9y/">Media courtesy Eline Smit</a>. “Western listeners and the PNG groups exposed to Western music were more likely to say the major cadence or melody was the happy one,” Smit explains. That is, these groups were likely to say that the first melody in the example above sounded happy. “However, the PNG group with minimal exposure to Western music showed no preference for choosing major as the happy cadence or melody,” Smit continues. “They were just as likely to choose the minor version.” <div style="position: relative; display: block; max-width: 100%;"> <div style="padding-top: 56.25%;"><iframe style="position: absolute; top: 0px; right: 0px; bottom: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%;" src="https://players.brightcove.net/5483960636001/HJH3i8Guf_default/index.html?videoId=6308677000112" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> </div> Another example of a recording from the study. In this example, the first music sample is in a minor key and the second in a major key. <a href="https://osf.io/c3e9y/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-type="URL" data-id="https://osf.io/c3e9y/">Media courtesy Eline Smit</a>. Smit, who is also a trained classical pianist, became interested in <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/social-sciences/musical-instruments-can-mimic-speech/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-type="URL" data-id="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/social-sciences/musical-instruments-can-mimic-speech/">the relationship between music and emotions</a> during her PhD. Her research focuses on people’s emotional responses to unfamiliar musical systems. “This study has shown some more insight into the role of the degree of familiarity on having particular emotional responses to music, but this does not mean that there are not any universal responses,” she says. “For the future, it would be interesting to further disentangle the impact of prior exposure and familiarity on responses to music.” Image credits: Getty Images  <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=196349&title=When+it+comes+to+music%2C+not+all+cultures+share+the+same+emotional+associations" width="1" height="1" data-spai-target="src" data-spai-orig="" data-spai-exclude="nocdn" /> </div> <div id="contributors"> This article was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/emotional-reactions-to-music-cultural/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Matilda Handsley-Davis. </div>

Music

Artist can draw with both hands and both feet at the same time

Dutch artist Rajacenna van Dam has taken being ambidextrous to the next level, as she taught herself to not only use both her hands to create her art, but her feet as well. Rajacenna is a former child prodigy who, at the age of 16, was discovered as one of the world’s best and youngest hyper-realistic pencil drawing artists. Now 28 years old, Rajacenna is known worldwide for being quadridextrous, as she uses both her hands and both her feet at the same time to create up to six photo-realistic portraits at the same time. While Rajacenna knew she was talented with her hands, she was surprised to discover the talent transferred to her feet. “I love to challenge myself so I thought why not try for the first time painting with my feet while drawing in a realistic way, while being upside down and also one drawing in 3D,” she said. “It surprised me how much control I was able to have over my feet, something I never realised before. All that time I was drawing while I thought my feet were useless with art and now, I discovered they can do way more than I thought!” Rajacenna’s talent was proven during an EEG scan for a popular scientific TV program when it became clear that during drawing, there is superhuman brain activity to be registered in Rajacenna’s brain, according to neuro therapist and world’s number one EEG Biofeedback expert Bill Scott. Mr Scott said Rajacenna is an “extraordinary human being; she has a very exceptional brain”, claiming, “I have never seen this before in anyone’s brain.” <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/enZbw1j8-ZE" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Image credits: Youtube

Art

Unlikely classmates: Olivia spotted in same row as another Aussie icon

An Australian icon has shared their primary school class photo, which features a young Olivia Newton-John before she shot to stardom. The photo also unearthed the little known fact that Olivia went to school with another giant of the Australian entertainment industry: Daryl Braithwaite. Just days after Olivia <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/health/caring/honouring-dame-olivia-newton-john" target="_blank" rel="noopener">died from breast cancer</a>, Braithwaite, 73, shared the black-and-white class photo taken at Christ Church Grammar School in Melbourne in 1961. “This is a lovely shot to look back at when Olivia was at (school) with all her friends back in 1961. Olivia is 2nd from the right and 3rd row from the bottom,” wrote Braithwaite, who is in the same row on the very far left. He added, “She also loved all animals and was a beautiful soul who left a legacy that will endure forever.” <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/08/289791995_622869719154215_9160388663808533621_n.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> His post was flooded with comments, as people couldn't believe Daryl and Olivia's friendship went all the way back to primary school. One person said, "Who would of thought that two of Australia's greatest ever singers would come out of that class photo." Braithwaite has previously opened up about how the duo were briefly “boyfriend and girlfriend” while at the same school, before Newton-John moved to London in her teenage years. “She was one of the prettiest girls in the class, (we were) 11 or 12 I think,” he told The Morning Show in 2017. “I don’t know how, we must have sat next to each other and thought, ‘Oh yeah that’s good’ and we were talking and then we held hands and then it was over.” After their fleeting romance, Braithwaite said that the pair always stayed friends. He told <a href="https://www.nowtolove.com.au/celebrity/celeb-news/daryl-braithwaite-olivia-newton-john-romance-64213" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Now to Love</a> in 2020, “It is one of those friendships where there was a decade, or maybe more, where we didn’t speak to each other, mainly because we were too busy or whatever, but over the last year or so I have made more contact with her than ever before, and she is lovely, she really is.” Image credits: Instagram

Relationships

Second Olympian killed in same town

A second athlete has been killed in the same town that another Olympian was killed in just a year ago. Kenyan born Damaris Muthee Mutua was found in the town of Iten in western Kenya on Tuesday, the same town record-breaking distance runner Agnes Tirop was found dead in. Police have launched a manhunt for Mutua’s Ethopian boyfriend who is believed to have been the last person to see her. “According to Mutua’s immediate neighbour, her boyfriend was seen in the house on Sunday morning. It’s likely that the incident happened late Saturday or early Sunday since the body was in a state of decomposition,” county police chief Tom Makori told AFP. “We have launched a manhunt for the Ethiopian who is believed to have fled the country.” The 28-year-old was a junior athlete and two times bronze medalist at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore and the East African junior athletics championships in Khartoum, Sudan before deciding to represent Bahrain. Her story is similar to Tirop who was only 25 when she was <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/lost-a-jewel-olympic-runner-found-stabbed-in-her-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found with stab wounds</a> in her abdomen and her husband missing in October last year. Athletics Kenya said the country had “lost a jewel who was one of the fastest-rising athletics giants on the international stage, thanks to her eye-catching performances.” Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta also paid tribute at the time, saying, “It is unsettling, utterly unfortunate and very sad that we’ve lost a young and promising athlete who, at a young age of 25 years, she had brought our country so much glory through her exploits on the global athletics stage including in this year’s 2020 Tokyo Olympics where she was part of the Kenyan team in Japan.” Image: Twitter

Caring

Any chilli fanatic knows no two chillies are the same

As featured on Better Homes and Gardens, here is a complete guide to home-grown chilli. <h3>Heat scale</h3>The pith and seeds give chillies heat but even if you remove them, there will still be a kick in your food. The heat is measured in Scoville Heat Units (SHUs). Habanero is near the top while at the bottom is the humble capsicum with 1-100SHUs.<h3>Types of chillies</h3>Chillies don’t just have different levels of heat, they also have distinctive flavours – from sweet to citrus, apple to cucumber – and they also vary in colour and shape.Here are some the most common types you'll find:<ul><li><h3 role="presentation">Capsicum annuum</h3></li></ul>Most well-known chilli and peppers are actually strains of capsicum. Some of these include jalapenos, bell peppers and chilli peppers.<ul><li><h3 role="presentation">Capsicum chinense</h3></li></ul>These are one of the hotter species of chilli and are used to <a href="https://www.bhg.com.au/spiced-tomato-chilli-soup-smoked-bacon">add more heat to a dish</a>, particularly stews and sauces. <ul><li><h3 role="presentation">Capsicum frutescens</h3></li></ul>This type is closely related to both Capsicum annuum and Capsicum chinense but grows a bit smaller. The most well-known are tabasco and Thai peppers.<ul><li><h3 role="presentation">Capsicum Baccatum</h3></li></ul>This unique type of chilli is notable for having citrus and fruity flavours and has only become popular in South American countries such as Peru and Brazil.<ul><li><h3 role="presentation">Capsicum pubescens</h3></li></ul>We’ve been eating this kind of purple pepper for so long that no-one knows what plant it comes from!<ul><li><h3 role="presentation">Rumba chilli</h3></li></ul>Rumble with this Rumba chilli, which is small but has a big impact. From the pretty purple flowers emerge passionate purple fruit that turns a fiery red, on your plant and on your tongue. It’s hot!<h3>Caring for chillies:</h3><ul><li><h4 role="presentation">Position</h4></li></ul>Chillies like a tropical, warm temperate. If you want to get the most out of your chillies, you’ll find that growing them in a warm, sheltered spot will make for the best flavour. They love full sun but in a hot climate, too much sun can dry them out. While chilli can tolerate a little bit of shade, make sure you keep them out of the wind as its branches are brittle and leaves can be easily torn.<ul><li><h4 role="presentation">Soil</h4></li></ul>Chilli will be happy in most garden soils, however, any soil too heavy, damp or wet will stunt its growth. Best to go for a free-draining quality garden soil. If growing in a pot, use a premium organic potting mix.<ul><li><h4 role="presentation">Watering</h4></li></ul>While the chilli is growing and fruit is developing, keep the plant moist but never wet. If growing in a pot, be sure to water regularly and avoid putting a saucer underneath. <ul><li><h4 role="presentation">Fertiliser</h4></li></ul>Feed your chilli with a controlled-release fertiliser at planting time or annually. Liquid fertiliser is great for potted seedlings, apply as per the label once a week or every ten days. <ul><li><h4 role="presentation">Pruning</h4></li></ul>At the start of the growing season – or especially if it’s in a shady spot – lightly tip prune new growth. After the last fruit has been picked and the plant is dropping leaves, you can prune it back quite a lot and trim any spindly branches.Chilli is susceptible to several pests, but they are all easily treatable:<ul><li>Snails leave holes and chew marks along leaf edges, so use a pet-friendly bail or homemade beer trap to keep them at bay. </li><li>Aphids can attack new growth but all you need is a commercial spray or homemade soapy garlic spray to get rid of them.</li><li>Fruit flies and white flies are attracted to ripening fruit, so keep them away with sticky traps or neem oil.</li><li>Blossom end rot can be avoided by regularly and evenly watering the roots and applying dolomite lime.</li></ul><h3>How to grow chillies from seed</h3><ul><li>Soak your seeds for about 24 hours before planting.</li><li>Chilli seedlings can suffer transplant shock, so consider sowing seeds in a peat pellet you can put directly in your garden or a container after seedlings emerge.</li><li>The peat pellets come compressed and need to be soaked in water so they expand. The seed-raising mix is already inside.</li><li>Or, fill a seed-raising tray three quarters full with seed raising mix, sow seeds and cover with vermiculite to aid water and nutrient retention.</li><li>Put several seeds in the same cell to boost the chances of germination. </li><li>In both cases, keep growing media warm and moist.</li><li>When they are about 15-20cm tall, transfer to a container or garden bed with well-drained soil in a sunny position.</li><li>Feed with seaweed solution to help the roots develop.</li><li>Stake plants now, rather than when they are taller, so you don’t damage roots.</li><li>Mulch with sugar cane or pea straw to help retain moisture.</li><li>Keep soil moist but don’t overwater or the fruit will develop crack scars as the skin struggles to keep up with growth.</li><li>Don’t overfertilise as this encourages foliage growth at the expense of fruit. Nitrogen also reduces capsaicin (heat) levels.</li><li>Harvest when the colours peak and they have the richest flavour.</li></ul>Additional TipYou can sow seeds in summer, especially in tropical and subtropical areas, but the optimal time is in early spring after frosts have passed. Flowers start to appear in late spring and the fruit appears over summer until mid-autumn.Make the chilli corner of your vegie patch as pretty and colourful as your ornamental garden with different colours, shapes and sizes. Even the leaves add variety!Image: Getty

Home & Garden

When each pandemic day feels the same, Phil the Weatherman in “Groundhog Day” can offer a lesson in embracing life mindfully

Many of us will recall the comic film “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107048/">Groundhog Day</a>.” Originally released in 1993, it stars the incomparable Bill Murray as Phil Conners, an insufferable Pittsburgh weatherman. A minor local celebrity who believes himself destined for much better things, he resents his piddling assignment to report on the Groundhog Day celebration in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381172/original/file-20210128-19-1q2x4lm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=26%2C3%2C2493%2C1560&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="Punxsutawney Phil on Groundhog Day" /> Punxsutawney Phil after emerging from his burrow on Gobblers Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. <a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/GroundhogDay/bd8d5370e7854bfea728a485b9c16bbf/photo?Query=groundhog&mediaType=photo&sortBy=&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=603&currentItemNo=11" class="source">AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar</a> The plan is to return to Pittsburgh after the festivities. But when a blizzard shuts down the highway, Phil finds himself trapped in Punxsutawney. He wakes up the next day, only to discover that it’s not the next day at all. It’s Groundhog Day all over again. For some reason he’s trapped in Feb. 2, forced to relive the same day over and over again. “What if there is no tomorrow?” he asks at one point, adding: “There wasn’t one today.” It is a question that will resonate with millions forced to stay indoors as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus spreads and people wake up every morning wondering if the day ahead will be any different from the 24 hours they have just endured. But I have a more positive spin. As a <a href="https://cas.la.psu.edu/people/jde13">scholar of communication and ethics</a>, I argue that the lesson at the heart of the movie is that because we can never count on tomorrow, life must be lived fully in the present, not just for oneself, but also for others. Ultimately, “Groundhog Day” gives us a lesson in mindfulness. <h2>Metaphor for mindlessness?</h2> Phil was trapped in Groundhog Day, perhaps for hundreds of years. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/21/movies/groundhog-day.html">The original script said 10,000 years, though the director reportedly said it was 10</a>. Either way, that’s a long time to wake up to the same song every morning. Finally, Phil awakens, and it’s Feb. 3, that is, the next day. I believe what brings about tomorrow for Phil is that he learns to practice mindfulness. Phil’s repetitive existence can stand for a metaphor for mindlessness, for how we all get stuck in cycles of reactivity, addiction and habit. Locked in our routines, life can lose its luster. It can quickly seem like nothing we do matters all that much. “What would you do if you were stuck in one place, and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?” Phil asks two local guys at the bowling alley. “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DazUImBLEhM">That about sums it up for me</a>,” one of them responds. <iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DazUImBLEhM?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> Contemporary practices of mindfulness can trace their roots back to <a href="https://plumvillage.org/books/the-heart-of-the-buddhas-teaching/">Buddhism</a>. For Buddhists, the concept of reincarnation or <a href="https://www.lionsroar.com/just-more-of-the-same/">rebirth</a> is important. Many Buddhists believe that all living beings go through many births until they achieve salvation. As a scholar, I believe the idea of rebirth is more complex than is often understood in popular culture. Pali is the ancient sacred language of Theravada Buddhism. Scholar of Buddhism <a href="https://www.stephenbatchelor.org/index.php/en/stephen">Stephen Batchelor</a> notes that the ancient Pali language word “punabbhava,” often translated as “rebirth,” literally means “<a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300205183/after-buddhism">again-becoming</a>,” or what we might think of as “repetitive existence.” That’s Phil’s life, stuck in Groundhog Day. That’s what Phil is trying to escape, and what we are all trying to escape in COVID times – repetitive existence, a life stuck in one gear, frozen by habits and patterns that make every day feel the same, as though nothing matters. <h2>Taking a moment – to respond, mindfully</h2> If Phil’s stuckness is a metaphor for mindlessness, Phil’s awakening, I argue, is a metaphor for mindfulness. <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/204352/the-miracle-of-mindfulness-by-thich-nhat-hanh/">Mindfulness</a> is the practice of experiencing life as it is happening, squarely in the now, without immediately reacting to it or being carried away by it. Mindfulness is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nwwKbM_vJc">a practice</a> of getting to know ourselves and our conditioning a little better. Conditioning is an automatic pattern of reacting to the world. By stepping out of autopilot, pausing, and noticing, many of us can find that we <a href="https://www.parallax.org/product/the-mindfulness-survival-kit-five-essential-practices/">are no longer captive </a> to our conditioning. Consequently, we gain the space to make choices about how we want to respond to life. That is what Phil does in the movie – he escapes repetitive existence by overcoming his initial conditioned, obnoxious, egotistical reactions to the world. At the beginning of the film, he calls himself the “talent” and berates the “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFgpsHrGvWY">hicks</a>” who live in the small town. He is too good for Groundhog Day. He wants to escape Punxsutawney as fast as possible. As the film continues, Phil accepts his situation and turns repetition into an opportunity for growth. He begins to find meaning in the place where he is trapped. He embraces life, fully, which also means that he notices his own suffering and the suffering of those around him. Phil addresses his own suffering by pursuing his passions and developing his skills. He learns to play the piano and becomes an accomplished ice sculptor. Initially, Phil felt nothing for those around him. People were objects to him, if he noticed them at all. By the end of the film, he feels compassion, which, according to the mindfulness teacher <a href="https://www.rhondavmagee.com/about-mindfulness-trainer/">Rhonda Magee</a>, means “<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/565790/the-inner-work-of-racial-justice-by-rhonda-v-magee-foreword-by-jon-kabat-zinn/">the will to act to alleviate the suffering of others</a>.” Mindfulness is a practice that draws us into the world, into service. <a href="https://pennstate.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/compassion-and-human-development-current-approaches-and-future-di">Compassion</a> is at the heart of a mindfulness practice. <h2>Mindfulness in pandemic times</h2> <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381175/original/file-20210128-21-kdi02x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/381175/original/file-20210128-21-kdi02x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="Mediation in times of Covid." /></a> Compassion is at the heart of meditation. <a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/woman-wearing-a-scary-face-mask-clasps-her-hands-in-news-photo/1228160036?adppopup=true" class="source">Mark Makela/Getty Images</a> Mindfulness does not mean turning away from <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/rhonda_magee_the_inner_work_of_racial_justice?language=en">difficulty</a>. It is a practice of meeting difficulty with <a href="https://www.tenpercent.com/covid">compassion</a>. Though Phil finally accepts that there might not be a tomorrow, nevertheless he acts to ensure that if tomorrow comes for himself and those around him, it will be better than today. For example, Phil saves the lives of at least two people: a young boy who, before Phil’s intervention, falls out of a tree onto a hard sidewalk, and the town’s mayor, who, before Phil bursts in to give him the Heimlich, chokes on his lunch. Phil’s mindful awareness of what is happening in the moment allows him to act for tomorrow without losing track of today. Phil’s mindfulness, and his compassion, drive the film’s central love story between Phil and Rita. At the beginning of the film, he was capable of loving only himself. By the end of the film, Phil has learned to love mindfully. According to <a href="https://theconversation.com/thich-nhat-hanh-who-worked-for-decades-to-teach-mindfulness-approached-death-in-that-same-spirit-175495">Thich Nhat Hanh</a>, who died recently, <a href="https://www.shambhala.com/true-love-1594.html">loving mindfully</a> means that “you must love in such a way that the person you love feels free.” Phil has learned that love is not about manipulation or possession but about collaboration in making a shared life together. To the best of his ability, Phil dedicates himself to alleviating the suffering of others in a present that is real and for a future that might not come. He does this in small acts of compassion like fixing a flat tire and more momentous acts like saving a life. This mindful dedication to the future in the face of uncertainty is, I argue, what allows him to wake up to a new day. This is a <a href="https://theconversation.com/5-buddhist-teachings-that-can-help-you-deal-with-coronavirus-anxiety-134320">good lesson</a> for us all, stuck, as we are, in a perpetual pandemic Groundhog Day, and dreaming, as we are, of tomorrow.<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/153605/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jeremy-david-engels-222106">Jeremy David Engels</a>, Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/penn-state-1258">Penn State</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/when-each-pandemic-day-feels-the-same-phil-the-weatherman-in-groundhog-day-can-offer-a-lesson-in-embracing-life-mindfully-153605">original article</a>. Image: <a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/bill-murray-and-andie-macdowell-in-a-scene-from-the-film-news-photo/163063765?adppopup=true" class="source">Columbia Pictures/Getty Images</a>

Movies

Older Australians are already bamboozled by a complex home-care system. So why give them more of the same?

More than <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-welfare/aged-care">a million older Australians</a> need care at home each year. <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2021/08/ninth-report-on-the-funding-and-financing-of-the-aged-care-industry-july-2021.pdf">More than 1,000 agencies</a> provide services to them. Despite the federal government allocating <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/aged-care-reforms/a-generational-plan-for-aged-care">significant extra funds to home care</a> in the last budget, there is still a raft of problems with current home-care arrangements. As we show in <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/unfinished-business-practical-policies-for-better-care-at-home/">our new report</a>, “Unfinished business: practical policies for better care at home”, the federal government is placing too much emphasis on expanding the market of services, and not enough on supporting people to access timely and quality services. Home care support ranges from help with personal care and cleaning the house, to provision of mobility aids, and transport to social events and medical appointments. People who need care at home can explore options via the federal government’s <a href="https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/">myagedcare</a> website. Then they can get assessed, find a local provider to suit their needs, and manage their own care. But this system is <a href="https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/tpp/ijcc/2020/00000004/00000003/art00006">impersonal and cumbersome</a>. Assessment of people’s needs is divorced from planning their services. Older people get little advice and support to find services, and people who need more intensive and complex care often have to wait for more than a year. Administrative and coordination costs for the <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-welfare/aged-care">200,000 people who get home care packages</a> are high, hourly service charges are unregulated, and there is more than <a href="https://www.stewartbrown.com.au/images/documents/StewartBrown_-_ACFPS_Financial_Performance_Sector_Report_June_2021.pdf">A$1.6 billion in unspent funds</a> that could be used to provide services. The number of private services has grown dramatically, with little oversight of quality and value for money. At the same time, home-care workers <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/canberra-told-to-pay-up-to-get-aged-care-workers-a-25-per-cent-rise-20210705-p586x9.html">remain poorly paid and under-valued</a>. Training is patchy, work is often insecure, and there’s insufficient supervision, support and staff development. Not surprisingly, it is increasingly difficult to recruit and retain aged-care workers. <h2>What’s wrong with the extra funding?</h2> The federal government’s response to the landmark <a href="https://agedcare.royalcommission.gov.au/">Royal Commission into Aged Care</a> was substantial, but it doesn’t change the fundamentals of the home-care system. It expands a market that is not working for older people. The government is putting its faith in a centrally regulated market model, dominated by private and non-government home-care businesses. Even with the massively increased home-care funding, the market may still not provide enough to reduce waiting times for services to less than a month, as the royal commission recommended. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/436568/original/file-20211209-137612-sxaiia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/436568/original/file-20211209-137612-sxaiia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="Elderly lady using laptop at home" /></a> Older people will still have to navigate a complex system and make market choices largely on their own. <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/asian-old-woman-using-computer-69690976" class="source">Shutterstock</a> There are currently almost <a href="https://gen-agedcaredata.gov.au/www_aihwgen/media/Home_care_report/Home-Care-Data-Report-1st-Qtr-2021-22.pdf">75,000 waiting for the home care support they need</a>, with some having waited up to nine months. We calculate that up to 15% more home-care places than planned could be needed just to clear the waiting list. We call on the federal government to keep waiting times to 30 days or less. The government’s budget package does include additional support to help older people navigate their way through the home-care system. But assessment, care finding, and care coordination will continue to be fragmented. In the main, older people will still have to navigate a complex system and make market choices on their own. <h2>We need to go local to provide the best support</h2> Australia needs a new home care model – one that provides much more personalised support to help older people get the services they need and that manages local service systems on their behalf. It’s difficult to see this being done without establishing effective regional aged-care offices. These offices need to provide a one-stop shop for older people. Yet they also need to have the authority and responsibility to develop and manage local services to make sure older people can get what they need. The federal government is aware of this problem, but its response is tepid – <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2021/05/governance-pillar-5-of-the-royal-commission-response-strengthening-regional-stewardship-of-aged-care.pdf">a trial</a> of small, regional offices of up to ten people to plan, monitor and solve problems. But those regional offices have no responsibility for supporting older people, and no authority to manage service providers on their behalf. We recommend the federal government establish a network of regional aged-care offices across Australia to plan and develop services, hold funds, pay providers, and administer service agreements for individual older people who need care. These offices should include assessment teams and care finders, to help people who are trying to navigate the home-care system. Good quality home care depends on a well-qualified, secure and valued workforce. Again, the federal government is aware of this problem and has introduced a limited set of workforce reforms. But it has not yet agreed to support improved pay and conditions, minimum qualification standards or a full registration scheme for personal-care workers. The government should develop and implement a revitalised workforce plan for aged care as part of the <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/aged-care-reforms/aged-care-legislative-reform">new Aged Care Act</a>. Personal-care workers should be registered and hold suitable minimum qualifications. The government should also make it clear it will fund the outcomes of the <a href="https://www.fwc.gov.au/cases-decisions-orders/major-cases/work-value-case-aged-care-industry">Fair Work Commission</a> review of fair pay and conditions for aged-care workers, with a ruling expected next year. As Australia’s population continues to age, many more people with complex needs will need care. The vast majority of them will prefer to be supported at home. Massively expanding home-care services without much stronger market management, and a much more secure workforce, is a risk Australia shouldn’t take.<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/173326/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephen-duckett-10730">Stephen Duckett</a>, Director, Health and Aged Care Program, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/grattan-institute-1168">Grattan Institute</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/hal-swerissen-9722">Hal Swerissen</a>, Emeritus Professor, La Trobe University, and Fellow, Health Program, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/grattan-institute-1168">Grattan Institute</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/older-australians-are-already-bamboozled-by-a-complex-home-care-system-so-why-give-them-more-of-the-same-173326">original article</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Caring

90-year-old mechanic retires after 75 years at same company

A 90-year-old Vauxhall mechanic has finally hung up his tools after working for the same company for 75 years, saying continuing to work there helped keep him young. Bryan Webb was presented with a ceremonial spanner by colleagues at his farewell, where a plaque made in his honour was also unveiled. <img style="width: 500px; height:281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7845385/mechanic1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/b753b75e25a34e5689dfa5942d387d79" /> Bryan Webb (left) with local branch director Julian Bawdown (right) after his plaque was unveiled. Image: Vauxhall Mr Webb said he would miss working but looked forward to having a cup of tea and a sleep in the afternoons. “I always thought if you kept working it kept you young,” he told the <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-59070753" target="_blank">BBC</a>. “If you work it keeps you going, it gets you up in the morning to get out.” Mr Webb started at the company in 1946 as a mechanical apprentice after walking into Hough & Whitmore garage in Gloucester. <img style="width: 500px; height:281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7845386/mechanic2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/641a77c432d845ed92362d65b684b26a" /> Bryan Webb (third from left) pictured shortly after starting work as a mechanical apprentice in 1946. Image: Vauxhall Since then he has gone on to hold several other roles, including a 34-year stint as a warranty administrator. “I was in workshop control and working with trucks and cars,” he said. “You had to wash engines off out in the cold and it was hard work in the early days but things change, cars change, and when you strip an engine now it’s clean rather than being full of muck. “The biggest change I’ve seen in my career is new technology coming in,” he <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.media.stellantis.com/uk-en/vauxhall/press/master-and-apprentice-vauxhall-stalwart-retires-after-clocking-up-75-years-of-service?utm_source=vauxhallsocial&utm_medium=SOC-CON&utm_campaign=OV_UK_28102021_vn_AlwaysOnCorsa-e_1GJOA5FESF_OnGoing_SOC-CON_A_TF&ddm1_psa_ovuk=HashedMail" target="_blank">added</a>. In 1970, Mr Webb was recognised for 25 years of service and was handed a commemorative watch, which he still wears today. <img style="width: 500px; height:281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7845387/mechanic3.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/87a17fbefa114cf6a961a5628effa9e8" /> Mr Webb received a ceremonial spanner from his colleagues at his farewell party. Image: BBC He said that when he turned 65 he would stay on “for a couple of years, and it turned into 25”. Local branch director Julian Bawdon - who joined the company in 2008 - said he asked Mr Webb how much longer he would stay with the company. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Vauxhall?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Vauxhall</a> wishes one of its longest-serving staff members a happy retirement, ending a 75-year career with the company. Bryan Webb began work for <a href="https://twitter.com/vauxhall?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Vauxhall</a> in 1946, after walking into his local garage & by the age of 26, he was already workshop foreman. 👉<a href="https://t.co/e4zCDuiPGD">https://t.co/e4zCDuiPGD</a> <a href="https://t.co/JwjgKI5Zvr">pic.twitter.com/JwjgKI5Zvr</a> — Vauxhall PR (@VauxhallPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/VauxhallPR/status/1453714486959947783?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2021</a></blockquote> “I said to him as long as he can still do the job he can carry on, and here we are today with 75 years service,” he said. “He’s bright as a button. Bryan’s a character and we’ll all miss having him around.” Image: Vauxhall

Retirement Income

Is it even possible to regulate Facebook effectively? Time and again, attempts have led to the same outcome

The Australian government’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/this-is-why-australia-may-be-powerless-to-force-tech-giants-to-regulate-harmful-content-169826">recent warning</a> to Facebook over misinformation is just the latest salvo in the seemingly constant battle to hold the social media giant to account for the content posted on its platform. It came in the same week as the US Senate heard <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58805965">whistleblowing testimony</a> in which former Facebook executive Frances Haugen alleged the company knew of harmful consequences for its users but chose not to act. Governments all over the world have been pushing for years to make social media giants more accountable, both in terms of the quality of information they host, and their use of users’ data as part of their business models. The Australian government’s <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_LEGislation/Bills_Search_Results/Result?bId=r6680">Online Safety Act</a> will <a href="https://perma.cc/95A5-T79H">come into effect in January 2022</a>, giving the eSafety Commissioner unprecedented powers to crack down on abusive or violent content, or sexual images posted without consent. But even if successful, this legislation will only deal with a small proportion of the issues that require regulation. On many such issues, social media platforms have attempted to regulate themselves rather than submit to legislation. But whether we are talking about legislation or self-regulation, past experiences do not engender much confidence that tech platforms can be successfully regulated and regulation put in action easily. Our <a href="https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2021_rip/35">research</a> has examined previous attempts to regulate tech giants in Australia. We analysed 269 media articles and 282 policy documents and industry reports published from 2015 to 2021. Let’s discuss a couple of relevant case studies. <h2>1. Ads and news</h2> In 2019, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/publications/digital-platforms-inquiry-final-report">inquiry into digital platforms</a> described Facebook’s algorithms, particularly those that determine the positioning of advertising on Facebook pages, as “opaque”. It concluded media companies needed more assurance about the use of their content. Facebook initially welcomed the inquiry, but then <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/Facebook_0.pdf">publicly opposed it</a> when the government argued the problems related to Facebook’s substantial market power in display advertising, and Facebook and Google’s dominance of news content generated by media companies, were too important to be left to the companies themselves. Facebook argued there was <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/Facebook.pdf">no evidence of an imbalance of bargaining power</a>between it and news media companies, adding it would have no choice but to withdraw news services in Australia if forced to pay publishers for hosting their content. The standoff resulted in Facebook’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/facebook-has-pulled-the-trigger-on-news-content-and-possibly-shot-itself-in-the-foot-155547">infamous week-long embargo on Australian news</a>. The revised and amended News Media Bargaining Code was <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/Final%20legislation%20as%20passed%20by%20both%20houses.pdf">passed by the parliament in February</a>. Both the government and Facebook declared victory, the former having managed to pass its legislation, and the latter ending up striking its own bargains with news publishers without having to be held legally to the code. <h2>2. Hate speech and terrorism</h2> In 2015, to deal with violent extremism on social media the Australian government initially worked with the tech giant to develop joint AI solutions to improve the technical processes of content identification to deal with countering violent extremism. This voluntary solution worked brilliantly, until it did not. In March 2019, mass shootings at mosques in Christchurch were live-streamed on Facebook by an Australian-born white supremacist terrorist, and the recordings subsequently circulated on the internet. This brought to light <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/christchurch-shooting/111473473/facebook-ai-failed-to-detect-christchurch-shooting-video">the inability Facebook’s artificial intelligence algorithms</a> to detect and remove the live footage of the shooting and how fast it was shared on the platform. The Australian government responded in 2019 by <a href="https://www.ag.gov.au/crime/abhorrent-violent-material">amending the Criminal Code</a>to require social media platforms to remove abhorrent or violent material “in reasonable time” and, where relevant, refer it to the Australian Federal Police. <h2>What have we learned?</h2> These two examples, while strikingly different, both unfolded in a similar way: an initial dialogue in which Facebook proposes an in-house solution involving its own algorithms, before a subsequent shift towards mandatory government regulation, which is met with resistance or bargaining (or both) from Facebook, and the final upshot which is piecemeal legislation that is either watered down or only covers a subset of specific types of harm. There are several obvious problems with this. The first is that only the tech giants themselves know how their algorithms work, so it is difficult for regulators to oversee them properly. Then there’s the fact that legislation typically applies at a national level, yet Facebook is a global company with billions of users across the world and a platform that is incorporated into our daily lives in all sorts of ways. How do we resolve the impasse? One option is for regulations to be drawn up by independent bodies appointed by governments and tech giants to drive the co-regulation agenda globally. But relying on regulation alone to guide tech giants’ behaviour against potential abuses might not be sufficient. There is also the need for self-discipline and appropriate corporate governance - potentially enforced by these independent bodies. Image credits: Shutterstock This article first appeared on <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/is-it-even-possible-to-regulate-facebook-effectively-time-and-again-attempts-have-led-to-the-same-outcome-169947" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.

Technology

Queen suffers second loss on same day as Prince Philip’s funeral

One of Queen Elizabeth's most trusted advisors passed away on the same day that the 95-year-old monarch was attending the funeral of her husband, Prince Philip. Sir Michael Oswald, who managed the Royal Studs and played an important role in the monarch's horse racing interests, died on Saturday aged 86 following a long illness, The Times reports. Sir Michael was the advisor of both Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mother and was regularly photographed alongside the royals at major horse racing events through the years. His death comes as another blow to the Queen, who was already grieving from the loss of her husband. Paying tribute to her husband, Oswald's wife Lady Angela who was the Queen Mother's lady-in-waiting for many years - told The Racing Post Sir Michael was "deeply committed to the studs, the Queen and the Queen Mother." He was a regular feature in their lives for more than 50 years. Oswald became manager of the Royal Studs in 1970 and served in the role for 28 years. “He always said he had the most wonderful job anybody could ever have had and that for all his working life he was simply doing what he would have done had he been a rich man who didn’t have to work,” Lady Angela said. The Queen’s current racing adviser John Warren said Sir Michael did a “magnificent job” in managing the Royal Studs. “He was extraordinarily enthusiastic and got such a buzz out of all the royal winners,” he said.

News

Couple die of coronavirus within same minute

After spending 47 years together, Patricia and Leslie McWaters have died together too. The couple have raised children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren by each other’s side and now it has been revealed the pair died within the same minute of each other. "They literally did everything together and although we're shocked about it, when we look at it, we also think it's not so surprising, because they were together all the time and they had so much fun together in life," one of their two daughters, Joana Sisk said. At first glance, the two were quite different: she was a no-nonsense retired nurse, and he was a fun-loving veteran and retired truck driver. She was the boss, and he was the king of one-liners. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7839051/couple-coronavirus-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/64e2013b6c744a438ee54a9037ed0520" /> While Patricia and Leslie were quite different in many ways, Sisk says they connected through their genuine kindness and care for other people. "Pat was the most beautiful woman ever and boy did she look good in hot pants and go-go boots!" Sisk remembers her father saying. However, when Pat went to hospital to be treated for a coronavirus infection, she was told to go home and isolate. She followed the instructions carefully since she had over 35 years in the medical field, but she still felt poorly. The following week, the couple went to the hospital again, this time in an ambulance and remained there for a week. When they both died of the virus, the hospital staff tending to them said their times were too close to call, and recorded the exact same time: Tuesday, November 24, 2020 at 4:23pm. "Those of us that know them, know that Mum went first and said, 'LD, it's time to go!'" Sisk said. Sisk says she hopes her parent’s sad but powerful story would encourage more people to wear a mask and self-isolate if possible. "I'm so thrilled that my mom, being the nurse that she was ... that even in heaven she's going to keep saving lives and it means so much," Sisk said.

Caring

Pope Francis shows support for same-sex marriage for the first time

Pope Francis has defended the right of gay couples to enter into a legally recognised civil union in a documentary that premiered at the Rome Film Festival on Wednesday. In the film, Fransesco by Evgeny Afineevsky, the religious leader says that gay people have the right to be in a family. “These are children of God, they have the right to a family,” Francis says in the film, speaking in Spanish. “What we have to create is a law of civil union, they have the right to be legally protected. I have defended that.” According to biographer Austen Ivereigh, the future pope backed civil unions for gay couples while he was still the archbishop of Buenos Aires and known as Jorge Bergoglio. But Francis has been vocal about his stance of gay marriage in the past, saying that marriage should only be between a man and a woman. “‘Marriage’ is a historic word,” he told French sociologist Dominique Wolton in a 2017 book of interviews. “Always among human beings, and not only in the Church, it has been between a man and a woman. You can’t just change that like that.” “Since the beginning of the pontificate the Pope has spoken of respect for homosexuals and has been against their discrimination,” Vatican expert Vania de Luca told RaiNews. “The novelty today is that he defends as pope a law for civil unions.” After becoming pope in 2013, Francis welcomed homosexuals with his now famous phrase, “Who am I to judge?” and has invited gay couples to the Vatican on multiple occasions. The two-hour documentary looks back at the last seven years pf his pontificate and travels. One of the most heartfelt moments in the film os when the Pope called a gay couple, parents of three young children, after they sent him a letter saying they felt ashamed to bring their children to the parish. Francis invited them over regardless, saying to not be concerned of other people’s judgements. In the past, he has regularly said gay people should be accepted in their parishes and urged parents not to reject their gay children. Chilean Juan Carlos Cruz, an activist against sexual abuse within the Church, accompanied the director to the film screening on Wednesday. “When I met Pope Francis he told me he was very sorry about what happened. Juan, it is God who made you gay and he loves you anyway. God loves you and the Pope loves you too,” says Cruz in the film.

Relationships

Meghan Markle lookalike! Can you believe they’re not the same person?

Christine Primrose Mathis has made a name for herself on social media for her incredibly unique trait – being a spitting image of American royal Meghan Markle. The 32-year-old, who works as an air hostess, claims she first started being compared to the Duchess of Sussex when Meghan was working as an actress in the hit show Suits. <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/B8_pENipWxf/?utm_source=ig_embed&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/B8_pENipWxf/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Christine Primrose Mathis (@christineprimrose)</a> on Feb 25, 2020 at 7:10am PST </div> </blockquote> However, Ms Mathis says she didn’t take much notice of the comparison until Meghan’s face was plastered on every blog, social media site and newspaper. The look-alike’s dark hair and tan complexion mixed with the wash of freckles the Duchess of Sussex has become known for, dazed many people as Ms Mathis roamed the streets of her hometown. So much so, she decided to join a look alike agency in 2019. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7836297/meghan-markle-christine-6.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/83256144f01b49578392f71c8a417531" /> “Five years ago I was working in first-class as a flight attendant and passengers would say 'hey, you look like that girl from Suits' every so often,” Ms Mathis explained. “I could see the resemblance, but I just brushed it off but when Meghan and Harry got engaged, that's when I started hearing it a lot more often. “At first, I was confused but I definitely took it as a compliment because I thought she was so beautiful.” The lookalike went on to add: “Last year, I signed up with a lookalike agency because after they got married, it became a lot more frequent. “Hopefully, I can get some corporate work and TV work. I've been acting since I was very young and I'm working on getting an audition with my agent. That would be the absolute dream. “Social media can be cruel, I've had people comment that I'm trying to be her or that my hair and make-up is the same. I feel like I've always done my hair like that. I try to ignore the people who are being mean.” The royal twin admitted she even went on to post a video of her to the social media app TikTok where she dressed like Meghan Markle and claimed “people couldn’t believe the resemblance.” <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/CAGvgKmJ8Az/?utm_source=ig_embed&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/CAGvgKmJ8Az/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Christine Primrose Mathis (@christineprimrose)</a> on May 12, 2020 at 4:00pm PDT </div> </blockquote> “I have had a lot more opportunities from looking like her; she's so famous. “I think most of my following comes from people thinking I am Meghan Markle but at the same time I hope they also like my personality. “A lot of people look up to her and because they can't get in direct contact with her, I guess I'm the next best thing.”

Beauty & Style

Why your brain evolved to hoard supplies and shame others for doing the same

The media is replete with COVID-19 stories about people clearing supermarket shelves – and the backlash against them. Have people gone mad? How can one individual be overfilling his own cart, while shaming others who are doing the same? <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=TFX9eJ0AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">As a behavioral neuroscientist</a> who has studied hoarding behavior for 25 years, I can tell you that this is all normal and expected. People are acting the way evolution has wired them. Stockpiling provisions The word “hoarding” might bring to mind relatives or neighbors whose houses are overfilled with junk. A small percentage of people do suffer from what psychologists call “<a href="https://hoarding.iocdf.org">hoarding disorder</a>,” keeping excessive goods to the point of distress and impairment. But hoarding is actually a <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/interdisciplinary-science-consumption">totally normal and adaptive behavior</a> that kicks in any time there is an uneven supply of resources. Everyone hoards, even during the best of times, without even thinking about it. People like to have beans in the pantry, money in savings and chocolates hidden from the children. These are all hoards. Most Americans have had so much, for so long. People forget that, not so long ago, survival often depended on working tirelessly all year to <a href="https://dustyoldthing.com/forgotten-root-cellars/">fill root cellars</a> so a family could last through a long, cold winter – and still many died. Similarly, <a href="https://emammal.wordpress.com/2013/09/24/gray-squirrels-and-scatter-hoarding/">squirrels work all fall to hide nuts</a> to eat for the rest of the year. Kangaroo rats in the desert <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0003-3472(05)81018-8">hide seeds the few times it rains</a> and then remember where they put them to dig them back up later. A Clark’s nutcracker <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/phenomena/2015/12/03/how-a-5-ounce-bird-stores-10000-maps-in-its-head/">can hoard over 10,000 pine seeds</a> per fall – and even remember where it put them. Similarities between human behavior and these animals’ are not just analogies. They reflect a deeply ingrained capacity for brains to motivate us to acquire and save resources that may not always be there. Suffering from hoarding disorder, stockpiling in a pandemic or hiding nuts in the fall – all of these behaviors are motivated less by logic and more by a <a href="https://www.livescience.com/32773-what-causes-hoarding.html">deeply felt drive to feel safer</a>. My colleagues and I have found that stress seems to signal the brain to switch into “get hoarding” mode. For example, a kangaroo rat will act very lazy if fed regularly. But <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2009.0225">if its weight starts to drop</a>, its brain signals to release stress hormones that incite the fastidious hiding of seeds all over the cage. Kangaroo rats will also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7036.119.2.187">increase their hoarding if a neighboring animal steals</a> from them. Once, I returned to the lab to find the victim of theft with all his remaining food stuffed into his cheek pouches — the only safe place. People do the same. If in our lab studies my colleagues and I make them feel anxious, our study subjects <a href="https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/under-pressure-stress-and-decision-making/comment-page-1">want to take more stuff home</a> with them afterward. Demonstrating this shared inheritance, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2012.01.033">the same brain areas are active</a> when people decide to take home toilet paper, bottled water or granola bars, as when rats store lab chow under their bedding – the orbitofrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens, regions that generally help organize goals and motivations to satisfy needs and desires. <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-oxford-handbook-of-hoarding-and-acquiring-9780199937783">Damage to this system can even induce abnormal hoarding</a>. One man who suffered frontal lobe damage had a sudden urge to hoard bullets. Another could not stop “borrowing” others’ cars. Brains across species use these ancient neural systems to ensure access to needed items – or ones that feel necessary. So, when the news induces a panic that stores are running out of food, or that residents will be trapped in place for weeks, the brain is programmed to stock up. It makes you <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hope-relationships/201409/the-psychology-behind-hoarding">feel safer, less stressed</a>, and actually protects you in an emergency. More than a fair share At the same time they’re organizing their own stockpiles, people get upset about those who are taking too much. That is a legitimate concern; it’s a version of the “<a href="https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/TragedyoftheCommons.html">tragedy of the commons</a>,” wherein a public resource might be sustainable, but people’s tendency to take a little extra for themselves degrades the resource to the point where it can no longer help anyone. By shaming others on social media, for instance, people exert what little influence they have to ensure cooperation with the group. As a social species, human beings thrive when they work together, and have <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100501013529.htm">employed shaming – even punishment – for millennia</a> to ensure that everyone acts in the best interest of the group. And it works. Twitter users went after a guy reported to have hoarded 17,700 bottles of hand sanitizer in the hopes of turning a profit; he ended up donating all of it and is under <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/15/technology/matt-colvin-hand-sanitizer-donation.html">investigation for price gouging</a>. Who wouldn’t pause before grabbing those last few rolls of TP when the mob is watching? People will continue to hoard to the extent that they are worried. They will also continue to shame others who take more than what they consider a fair share. Both are normal and adaptive behaviors that evolved to balance one another out, in the long run. But that’s cold comfort for someone on the losing end of a temporary imbalance – like a health care worker who did not have protective gear when they encountered a sick patient. The survival of the group hardly matters to the person who dies, or to their parent, child or friend. One thing to remember is that the news selectively depicts stockpiling stories, presenting audiences with the most shocking cases. Most people are not <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/03/03/coronavirus-hand-sanitizer-face-masks-price-gouging-amazon-walmart-ebay/4933920002/">charging $400 for a mask</a>. Most are just trying to protect themselves and their families, the best way they know how, while also <a href="https://www.mother.ly/news/uplifting-stories-of-people-helping-each-other-during-coronavirus">offering aid wherever they can</a>. That’s <a href="https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/how-does-social-behavior-evolve-13260245/">how the human species evolved</a>, to get through challenges like this together. <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephanie-preston-1006858">Stephanie Preston</a>, Professor of Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-michigan-1290">University of Michigan</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/your-brain-evolved-to-hoard-supplies-and-shame-others-for-doing-the-same-134634">original article</a>.

Mind

Man who murdered son for insurance money found guilty of doing the same thing to wife

A man who has been convicted of murdering his wife and son for insurance payouts has described their deaths as “bad luck”. Karl Holger Karlsen, 59, pleaded guilty in 2013 to murdering his son Levi Karlsen in New York and was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. According to court documents, Karlsen collected US$707,000 from Levi’s life insurance in 2008 after the 23-year-old’s body was found under a pickup truck in Karlsen’s garage in 2008. The conviction prompted Californian authorities to reopen investigation into the 1991 death of Karlsen’s wife Christina Alexander Karlsen. Last month, Karlsen was found guilty of first-degree murder by arson for intentionally setting fire to his family’s home in California, killing Christina. He collected <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/05/us/karl-karlsen-wife-insurance.html">US$215,000 in life insurance</a> that he had taken out on Christina less than three weeks before her death before relocating to New York with his three children, a court document stated. Karlsen faces a maximum life sentence without parole on his March 17 sentencing hearing. In an interview with NBC’s <a href="https://twitter.com/DatelineNBC/status/1233172460796645377">Dateline</a> before his conviction, aired on Friday, reporter Andrea Canning asked Karlsen if it was “bad luck that they died”. “What would you call it? I’ve had many other things in my life that...I’ve had horses died, I’ve had a barn fire,” Karlsen said. “If I told you everything, you wouldn’t believe what’s happened to me.” Karlsen’s daughter Erin De Roche told ABC’s 20/20 in 2013 that she and her late brother believed Karlsen “just stood there” and “didn’t make an effort” to save their mother during the 1991 fire. “We knew what he had done to our mother, and I knew what he did to my brother,” she said.

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Man who murdered son for insurance money found guilty of doing the same thing to wife

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