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Terrified tourists forced to abandon sinking boat in Bali

<p>Terrifying footage has captured the moment dozens of tourists were forced to abandon a sinking boat off the coast of Bali. </p> <p>Passengers were seen jumping overboard into rough seas in lifejackets, while travelling from the island of Nusa Penida-Sanur to the Bali mainland.</p> <p>The boat was struck by a large wave due to wild weather, which caused the trust vessel to sink, according to local news outlets. </p> <p>More than 23 people were rescued, with no casualties reported.</p> <p>Fortunately for those onboard, several boats were in the vicinity of the sunken vessel and came to the rescue of frightened passengers. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" 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);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cm86aaBDXZy/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <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> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </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;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cm86aaBDXZy/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by INFOBALI (@punapibali)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>While there were no causalities, some passengers suffered minor injuries as they exited the boat, while personal possessions were also lost.</p> <p>Footage of the terrifying ordeal has gone viral online, with many Aussies warning other tourists about the dangers of travelling by boat in Bali.</p> <p>"When boats get cancelled or there's a bad weather warning. Don't try and find a cheap boat to get you across," one said.</p> <p>"I vowed never to go on one of those boats again after a horrific trip to Gili T when the captain got on his knees and started to pray," a second said. </p> <p>"We were also coming across shipping lane which made it even worse. These boat operators probably have no insurance and no regular maintenance."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Facebook</em></p>

News

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Incredible moment superyacht sinks

<p dir="ltr">A superyacht carrying nine people has sunk off the coast of Italy following a vicious storm.</p> <p dir="ltr">The My Saga 39.4 metre yacht capsized in the Gulf of Squillace, off the coast of Catanzaro in the south of Italy on August 20.</p> <p dir="ltr">The nine passengers, four passengers and five crew, had to be rescued by the Italian Coast Guard as the superyacht dramatically began to sink due to ferocious weather. </p> <p dir="ltr">The captain sent a call for help to the Port Authority of Crotone saying they were taking on water at the stern.</p> <p dir="ltr">Horrific footage shows My Saga slowly sinking before going completely under stern-first. </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="it">Nei giorni scorsi, la <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GuardiaCostiera?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GuardiaCostiera</a> di <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Crotone?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Crotone</a> ha coordinato operazioni di salvataggio di passeggeri ed equipaggio di uno yacht di 40m, affondato a 9 miglia al largo di <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CatanzaroMarina?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CatanzaroMarina</a>.<br />Avviata inchiesta amministrativa per individuarne le cause. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAR?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAR</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AlServizioDegliAltri?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AlServizioDegliAltri</a> <a href="https://t.co/kezuiivqsM">pic.twitter.com/kezuiivqsM</a></p> <p>— Guardia Costiera (@guardiacostiera) <a href="https://twitter.com/guardiacostiera/status/1561682153628475392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Two patrol vessels rushed to the scene to rescue all passengers onboard with a tugboat attempting to take the superyacht to port, but was unsuccessful. </p> <p dir="ltr">It is understood the superyacht was travelling between Gallipoli in western Turkey to Milazzo on the northern coast of Sicily the stern began taking water. </p> <p dir="ltr">An investigation to further understand how the incident occurred is taking place. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Twitter</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Sink your teeth into Adam Liaw’s new podcast

<p dir="ltr"><em>Masterchef </em>winner, celebrity chef, and writer Adam Liaw has added another string to his bow with the launch of his first podcast, <em>How Taste Changed the World</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">The seven-part series, launched with Audible, sees Liaw explore the science and history behind our five tastes - salty, sweet, bitter, sour and umami - and how they have impacted everything from economics and agriculture to why we pair red wine with meat.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m very excited to be launching my first podcast,” Liaw told OverSixty.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Taste has been the driving force behind human civilization since before it even began, and the food we choose to eat has more meaning that we can even imagine.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Each 30-minute episode is an immersive and thought-provoking deep-dive into each of the tastes, as well as what even counts as a taste and what the future looks like.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-a3113fe2-7fff-5fe7-d87e-95f4a08c4330"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Liaw doesn’t tackle these topics alone either, enlisting the help of experts and sharing his own anecdotes and stories, with snippets from Liaw’s kids thrown in.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/05/adam-liaw-podcast.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Adam Liaw tackles the five tastes in his new podcast. Image: Supplied</em></p> <p dir="ltr">In another first for the Malaysian-Australian chef, Liaw will be taking the stage on Wednesday, June 1, for Vivid Sydney’s Ideas Exchange’s 2022 series, <em>Audible Live: Stories Made to be Heard</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Liaw’s will be the first in a series of three talks, where he will discuss his podcast, calling upon the interviews featured in each of the episodes to explain how vital salt is to our biology and how it turned food into a commodity that has underpinned the global economy for thousands of years, as well as how our taste buds helped establish democracy and how our hankering for sweet things has been used to sell us soft drinks.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Vivid Sydney’s Idea Exchange is the perfect forum for big ideas, and it doesn’t get much bigger than how our own biology has shaped the world around us!” Liaw said.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-e88d060c-7fff-7b52-3af2-30ffcab8095d"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Tickets for Liaw’s talk are available <a href="https://tickets.vividsydney.com/event/audible-live-adam-liaw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.</p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/K5Prbfh0VnE" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Adam Liaw’s Audible Original podcast, How Tastes Changed the World, launches on Tuesday 10 May and is only available on Audible. The podcast is free for Audible members and can be found at <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/audible.com.au/taste__;!!CN7PONKNpoI9!-mXF9S_F_DMqMCTDde2SaXD57CpMgwUTRkGnVv1CH7Cm624ZM0--rRnzo7njnX7eT8xFmcpa4foNnTLeBvzisMaawQ$" target="_blank" rel="noopener">audible.com.au/taste</a>. On 1 June, Adam will be taking part in Vivid Sydney’s Ideas Exchange with Audible Live: Stories Made to be Heard, during which he’ll discuss the podcast in further detail.</em></p> <p dir="ltr"><em><span id="docs-internal-guid-7b4a421b-7fff-c76a-4343-1d52c22385f5"></span></em></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Supplied</em></p>

Technology

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The stunning tourist spot that gives you that sinking feeling

<p dir="ltr">Umpherston Sinkhole, also known as the Sunken Garden, is fast becoming a “must-see” tourist destination for local explorers of South Australia and its beautiful surrounds. </p> <p dir="ltr">The stunning garden used to be a limestone cave in Mount Gambier, and is a five-hour drive from Adelaide or Melbourne.</p> <p dir="ltr">The sinkhole became a garden in 1886 when Scottish emigrant farmer James Umpherston purchased the land after the cave’s chamber collapsed. </p> <p dir="ltr">A gorgeous picturesque landscape, the sinkhole offers stunning views of a fountain, hydrangeas and tree ferns. Sheltered areas and easily accessible barbecue facilities make it the ideal place for a picnic – but be warned that unfortunately, access to the Garden is not currently pram or wheelchair friendly.</p> <p dir="ltr">The garden is open every day from dawn till dusk, with possums emerging from their hiding spots to eat. Guests are even welcome to bring their own snacks to feed them.</p> <p dir="ltr">City of Mount Gambier Mayor Lynette Martin said the Garden is a place to enjoy a unique experience.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Set in a beautifully maintained park, this century-old Sunken Garden is home to an oasis of flowering hydrangeas,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Appreciate its size from the viewing platforms at the top then wander down into the sinkhole to take in all its beauty. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Enjoy a unique experience with a picnic or barbecue in the gardens and return at dusk to meet the resident possums who enjoy being fed fresh fruit.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Domestic Travel

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The nifty hack to clean your sink

<p>It’s hard to know exactly how much dirt and grime lurks in the depths of your sink, but a TikTok trend currently doing the rounds suggests a few ice cubes could bring it all to the surface.</p> <p>Makeup artist and bartender, who goes by the handle <a title="@stephyroc99" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@stephyroc99" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@stephyroc99</a> on TikTok, revealed the surprising household hack in a recent video posted.</p> <blockquote class="tiktok-embed" style="max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@stephyroc99/video/7076202494824729902" data-video-id="7076202494824729902"> <section><a title="@stephyroc99" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@stephyroc99" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@stephyroc99</a> 😭😭😭😭😭 I could throw up right now! <a title="macysownyourstyle" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/macysownyourstyle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#macysownyourstyle</a> <a title="fyp" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/fyp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#fyp</a> <a title="cleaningtok" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/cleaningtok" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#cleaningtok</a> <a title="aeriereal" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/aeriereal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#AerieREAL</a> <a title="trending" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/trending" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#trending</a> <a title="foryoupage" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/foryoupage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#foryoupage</a> <a title="♬ Wild Side (feat. Cardi B) - Normani" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/Wild-Side-feat-Cardi-B-6984983914901161985" target="_blank" rel="noopener">♬ Wild Side (feat. Cardi B) - Normani</a></section> </blockquote> <p>"Ya'll I'm so disgusted. I moved here two months ago and randomly decided to do this TikTok trend," she wrote in her video.</p> <p>In the video, Rochelle poured a few handfuls of ice cubes into her sink drain. She followed that step with running water from the kitchen tap.</p> <p>A few seconds later, a murky brown colour bubbled up into the sink.</p> <p>"I could throw up right now," Rochelle captioned the TikTok.</p> <p>Absolutely disgusted by the results, she decided to let all the brown water drain out of the sink. Then she poured generous amounts of dishwashing detergent and bleach down the drain.</p> <p>Rochelle tried the ice hack once again to check the state of her sink drain and the liquid that emerged from the sink was clear this time round.</p> <p>Given how shocking the results it's not surprising the ice cube hack has gone viral, racking up 8.3 million views.</p> <p><em>Images: TikTok</em></p>

Home & Garden

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"Poise under pressure": Woman snaps selfie as car sinks in ice

<p><em>Image: Twitter<br /></em></p> <p>A woman In Canada has been criticised for appearing to take a selfie from the roof of her submerged car as it sunk in a frozen lake.</p> <p>The woman’s car became submerged after breaking through ice on the Rideau River in Ottawa on Sunday afternoon, requiring her to be rescued. Ottawa Police tweeted that local residents had come to her aid using “a kayak and quick thinking”.</p> <p>Video obtained by 580 CFRA shows people rushing towards the woman with a kayak as she stands on top of her yellow car.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">NEW: Neighbours use kayaks to rescue driver after car crashes through ice in Manotick <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ottnews?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ottnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/dhANorovWK">https://t.co/dhANorovWK</a></p> — CTV Ottawa (@ctvottawa) <a href="https://twitter.com/ctvottawa/status/1482873513782525952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2022</a></blockquote> <p>Resident Zachary King told CTV News Ottawa he and his neighbour Rob Crober were the ones who rescued the woman. "It’s like everything worked out perfectly,” he told the station.</p> <p>“Got her on the kayak, pulled her in. And as soon as we pulled her in, the car went under. Fully."</p> <p>Video shot by resident Sacha Gera appears to show the woman driving on the ice at speed ahead of the rescue. It was reported that nobody was injured.</p> <p>Police said it served as an example that people should not drive across ice even when it looks safe.</p> <p>It seems the woman spent her time waiting to be rescued snapping a selfie while on the roof of her car. “She captured the moment with a selfie while people hurried and worried to help her,” Lynda Douglas tweeted, along with a photo.</p> <p>“Any time you are in a dangerous situation, you should not be taking selfies or doing anything distracting. You should be 100 per cent focused on being safe,” another man tweeted.</p> <p>However, others were far less critical. “She's waiting to be rescued. What the hell else is she supposed to do?” one man tweeted.</p> <p>“I appreciate her poise under pressure.”</p> <p>Regardless, the drive on the ice has proven costly for the woman, with her car being written off. Police have also charged her with an offence.</p>

Travel Trouble

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Explorer finds abandoned cottage with dirty dishes still in the sink

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">UK-based YouTuber and urban explorer Daniel Sims, who goes by BeardedReality on YouTube, discovered an abandoned house in Anglesey, Wales, that included such finds as dirty dishes waiting to be washed in the sink, a gramophone, cabinets with shelves of china, and a taxidermied pheasant. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sims, who is from West Yorkshire, regularly explores abandoned and forgotten buildings and structures, a hobby known as ‘urban exploration’, or Urbex for short. He found this particular home following a recommendation from a fellow explorer, and decided to investigate the site with his friend Charlotte. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">They found a home on a vast stretch of land, complete with two caravans in the yard. Searching the caravans first, the pair found dishes, both clean and unwashed, scattered across the kitchen counter and sink. Sims described the caravan as having been left to overgrow. </span></p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oE6dMPY5mhg" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the main house, the finds were a lot more varied. The front door and some windows had been left open, and an eclectic collection of art, homewares and technology was soon discovered. This included a framed Kellogg’s cornflakes advertisement, old photographs, and artworks that Sims said have obviously been damaged over time due to their exposure to the elements.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Other discoveries included a gramophone, speakers, old records, a computer scanner and an old keyboard, as well as cabinets with shelves full of china. A variety of different wallpapers can be seen peeling off the walls throughout the house. In one of the final rooms he looked through, Sims found a single taxidermied pheasant in a glass case. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While Sims said the place looked ‘foreboding and kind of creepy’, he nonetheless found it a fascinating place to explore, explaining, “It’s crazy to see what is left behind in a property like this, as it is kind of like the people that used to own the place are still there or just left, but you can clearly see that a vast amount of time has gone by with these items left out.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“​​It felt like we were seeing a part of history that not many people get to experience, such as old artefacts and old brands that have long gone and disappeared from the shelves.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: YouTube</span></em></p>

Home & Garden

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Panicked sea lions almost sink fishing boat

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A fishing crew in southern Chile had a surprising catch, after dozens of sea lions tried to board their boat en masse to escape a pack of hunting killer whales.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fisherman Antonio Zapata said he had never experienced anything like it in his four decades at sea, despite the fact that encountering hunting orcas was a relatively common experience.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though the crew were sympathetic to the plight of the sea lions, they feared the boat would be damaged or sink even lower into the water under the combined weight of the animals and a full haul of sardines.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“They were trying to climb on board and we had to spread ourselves around the vessel to try to get them off with sticks because the ones that were getting on were making us sink,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It was a dangerous situation because we couldn’t get the sea lions to go away or make the killer whales leave either.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Footage captured on a mobile phone showed the water around the boat filled with thrashing sea lions.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though the 10-man crew could be heard joking in the video, Mr Zapata said they were also genuinely worried they could end up in the water too.</span></p> <p><iframe width="600" height="338" src="https://rudo.video/vod/bLSQN9/skin/simple/o/MjAyMS8wNi9sb2Jvcy1tYXJpbm9zLTc1MHg0MDAuanBlZw==" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; fullscreen"></iframe></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“There were so many sea lions around the hull that we couldn’t move much - every time we did they got caught up in the propellers and I was worried they could break them altogether,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The crew attempted to approach a nearby island so the sea lions could take refuge there instead, but the whales blocked them from nearing the shore.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Once the whales finally drifted away, the sea lions were able to swim for cover as the boat neared the Talcahuano port.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Some of the sea lions came with us into port. We couldn’t get rid of them,” Mr Zapata said.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: ABC news</span></em></p>

International Travel

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Trump’s presidency is sinking deeper into crisis – but will he still get re-elected?

<p>Violence has <a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/news/world/2020/05/30/protests-flare-around-the-united-states-over-minneapolis-killing">erupted across several US cities</a> after the death of a black man, George Floyd, who was shown on video gasping for breath as a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on his neck. The unrest poses serious challenges for President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden as each man readies his campaign for the November 3 election.</p> <p>If the coronavirus had not already posed a threat to civil discourse in the US, the latest flashpoint in American racial politics makes this presidential campaign potentially one of the most incendiary in history.</p> <p>COVID-19 and Minneapolis may very well form the nexus within which the 2020 campaign will unfold. Trump’s critics have assailed his handling of both and questioned whether he can effectively lead the country in a moment of crisis.</p> <p>And yet, he may not be any more vulnerable heading into the election.</p> <p><strong>A presidency in crisis?</strong></p> <p>As the incumbent, Trump certainly faces the most immediate challenges. Not since Franklin Roosevelt in the second world war has a US president presided over the deaths of so many Americans from a single cause.</p> <p>The Axis powers and COVID-19 are not analogous, but any presidency is judged by its capacity to respond to enemies like these. With <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/america-at-boiling-point-how-one-death-rocked-a-nation-numbed-by-100-000-20200529-p54xpw.html">pandemic deaths now surpassing 100,000</a>, Trump’s fortunes will be inexorably tied to this staggering (and still rising) figure.</p> <p>Worse, the Minneapolis protests are showing how an already precarious social fabric has been frayed by the COVID-19 lockdowns.</p> <p>Americans have not come together to fight the virus. Rather, they have allowed a public health disaster to deepen divisions along racial, economic, sectional and ideological lines.</p> <p>Trump has, of course, often sought to gain from such divisions. But the magnitude and severity of the twin crises he is now facing will make this very difficult. By numerous measures, his is a presidency in crisis.</p> <p>And yet.</p> <p>Trump, a ferocious campaigner, will try to find ways to use both tragedies to his advantage and, importantly, makes things worse for his challenger.</p> <p>For starters, Trump did not cause coronavirus. And <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-21/trump-accuses-china-of-coronavirus-mass-killing/12270140">he will continue to insist</a> that his great geo-strategic adversary, the Chinese Communist Party, did.</p> <p>And his is not the first presidency to be marked by the conflagration of several US cities.</p> <p>Before Minneapolis, <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/1960s/1967-detroit-riots">Detroit</a> (1967), <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Los-Angeles-Riots-of-1992">Los Angeles</a> (1992) and <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/08/08/ferguson-missouri-riots-5-years-since-shooting-race-tensions-worse/1952853001/">Ferguson, Missouri</a> (2014) were all the scenes of angry protests and riots over racial tensions that still haven’t healed.</p> <p>And in the 19th century, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/03/science/civil-war-toll-up-by-20-percent-in-new-estimate.html">750,000 Americans were killed in a civil war</a> that was fought over whether the enslavement of African-Americans was <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/09/how-the-constitution-was-indeed-pro-slavery/406288/">constitutional</a>.</p> <p>Trump may not have healed racial tensions in the US during his presidency. But, like coronavirus, he did not cause them.</p> <p><strong>How Trump can blame Democrats for Minneapolis</strong></p> <p>Not unhappily for Trump, Minneapolis is a largely Democratic city in a reliably blue state. He will campaign now on the failure of Democratic state leaders to answer the needs of black voters.</p> <p>Trump will claim that decades of Democratic policies in Minnesota – including the eight years of the Obama administration – have caused Minneapolis to be one of the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/05/30/minneapolis-racial-inequality/">most racially unequal cities</a> in the nation.</p> <p>Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis will never be mistaken for the late, great General Douglas McArthur or great fighter General George Patton. How come all of these places that defend so poorly are run by Liberal Democrats? Get tough and fight (and arrest the bad ones). STRENGTH!</p> <p>In 2016, Trump <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-jasg-_E5M">famously asked African-Americans</a> whether Democratic leaders have done anything to improve their lives.</p> <p><em>What do you have to lose by trying something new, like Trump?</em></p> <p>He will repeat this mantra in the coming months.</p> <p>It also certainly helps that his support among Republican voters has never wavered, no matter how shocking his behaviour.</p> <p>He has enjoyed a stable <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/coronavirus-polls/">80% approval rating</a> with GOP voters throughout the coronavirus crisis. This has helped keep his approval rating among all voters steady as the pandemic has worsened, <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/coronavirus-polls/">hovering between 40 and 50%</a>.</p> <p>These are not terrible numbers. Yes, Trump’s leadership has contributed to a series of disasters. But if the polls are correct, he has so far avoided the kinds of catastrophe that could imperil his chances of re-election.</p> <p><strong>Why this moment is challenging for Biden</strong></p> <p>Biden should be able to make a good case to the American people at this moment that he is the more effective leader.</p> <p>But this has not yet been reflected in polls, most of which continue to give the Democrat <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/president-general/">only a lukewarm advantage</a> over Trump in the election.</p> <p>The other problem is that the Democratic party remains discordant. And Biden has not yet shown a capacity to heal it.</p> <p>Race has also long been a <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/us-politics/democratic-party">source of division</a> within Biden’s party. Southern Democrats, for instance, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/znycnrd/revision/4">were the key agents of slavery</a> in the 19th century and the segregation that followed it into the 20th.</p> <p>After the 1960s, Democrats sought to make themselves the natural home of African-American voters as the <a href="https://www.history.com/news/how-the-party-of-lincoln-won-over-the-once-democratic-south">Republican party courted</a> disaffected white Southern voters. The Democrats largely succeeded on that front – <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/ideas/why-are-blacks-democrats">the party routinely gets around 85-90% of black votes</a> in presidential elections.</p> <p>The challenge for Biden now is how to retain African-American loyalty to his party, while evading responsibility for the socio-economic failures of Democratic policies in cities like Minneapolis.</p> <p>He is also a white northerner (from Delaware). Between 1964 and 2008, <a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-makes-southern-democrats-unique/">only three Democrats were elected president</a>. All of them were southerners.</p> <p>To compensate, Biden has had to rely on racial politics to separate himself from his primary challenger – <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/03/bernie-sanders-black-voters/607789/">Bernie Sanders struggled to channel black aspirations</a> – and from Republicans. And this has, at times, caused him to court controversy.</p> <p>In 2012, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYtEuuhFRPA">he warned African-Americans</a> that then-Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney would put them “all back in chains”. And just over a week ago, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/05/28/heres-why-black-americans-were-mad-bidens-comment-even-if-theyd-say-same-thing-themselves/">he angered black voters</a> by suggesting those who would support Trump in the election “<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-23/joe-biden-apologises-for-aint-black-comment/12279428">ain’t black</a>”.</p> <p>Biden is far better than Trump on racial issues and should be able to use the current crises to present himself as a more natural “consoler-in-chief”, but instead, he has appeared somewhat flatfooted and derided for being racially patronising.</p> <p>The opportunities COVID-19 and the Minneapolis unrest might afford his campaign remain elusive.</p> <p><strong>There is reason for hope</strong></p> <p>America enters the final months of the 2020 campaign in a state of despair and disrepair. The choice is between an opportunistic incumbent and a tin-eared challenger.</p> <p>But the US has faced serious challenges before – and emerged stronger. Neither the civil war in the 19th century or the Spanish flu pandemic in the early 20th halted the extraordinary growth in power that followed both.</p> <p>Moreover, the US constitution remains intact and federalism has undergone something of <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2020/05/04/covid-federalism/">a rebirth</a> since the start of the pandemic. And there is a new generation of younger, more diverse, national leaders being forged in the fire of crisis to help lead the recovery.</p> <p><em>Written by Timothy J. Lynch. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/as-minneapolis-burns-trumps-presidency-is-sinking-deeper-into-crisis-and-yet-he-may-still-be-re-elected-139739">The Conversation.</a> </em></p>

Art

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Terrified passengers feared massive cyclone would sink cruise ship

<p>A terrified passenger on the Norwegian Breakaway has captured the moment she feared a massive storm would sink her cruise ship as it was pummelled by nine-metre swells.</p> <p>The vessel, which holds 4,000 holidaymakers, docked safely in New York on Saturday, but not after passengers enduring two frightening days of massive swells.</p> <p>New York mother and model Christina Mendez captured every moment of the cruise from hell on Twitter, which left her young boys with a nasty bout of sea sickness.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-video"> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BOMBCYLONE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BOMBCYLONE</a> at sea aboard the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NCLbreakaway?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NCLbreakaway</a> <a href="https://t.co/o2T4s7iv5M">pic.twitter.com/o2T4s7iv5M</a></p> — Christina Mendez (@christinamendez) <a href="https://twitter.com/christinamendez/status/949004705790943236?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 4, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>Mendez’s videos show the vessel lurching from side-to-side in the rough seas, as screeching winds can be heard from deep within the bowels of the ship.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-video"> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NCLbreakaway?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NCLbreakaway</a> still fighting the good fight against these wild <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BOMBCYLONE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BOMBCYLONE</a> winds. Both kids are sea sick now...I am on barf duties tonight. Jeez. <a href="https://t.co/qqGRFCmGvK">pic.twitter.com/qqGRFCmGvK</a></p> — Christina Mendez (@christinamendez) <a href="https://twitter.com/christinamendez/status/949105002693451777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>Passenger Karoline Ross described the terrifying experience in an interview with <a href="http://www.cbs.com/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>CBS</strong></em></span></a>.</p> <p>"When you're on a boat in the middle of the ocean and water is pouring down the stairs, you're thinking 'this is not going to end well," Ms Ross said.</p> <p>"This was the worst moment of my life."</p> <p>What are your thoughts? Do you think the cruise is as terrifying as the passengers made it out to be? Or do you think they’re being a tad melodramatic?</p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/travel/travel-insurance/?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_campaign=travel-insurance&amp;utm_medium=in-article-banner&amp;utm_content=travel-insurance" target="_blank"><img src="http://media.oversixty.com.au/images/banners/Travel-Insurance_Website_GIF_468x602.gif" alt="Over60 Travel Insurance"/></a></p>

Travel Trouble

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6 items you should never put down the sink

<p><span>Washing certain foods down the sink can have some serious consequences on your plumbing.</span></p> <p><span>Experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute have revealed the items that you should never wash down your sink, even if you do have a device that disposes of waste.</span></p> <p><strong>1. Celery</strong></p> <p><span>Celery is fibrous and even if you have a waste disposal unit, the strings will most likely tangle around the blades leaving you with a clogged-up sink. You should also avoid washing asparagus and corn husks down your sink as well.</span></p> <p><strong>2. Oil</strong></p> <p><span>If you put oil, fats or grease down your sink, your pipes will become congealed.</span></p> <p><strong>3. Coffee grounds</strong></p> <p><span>It may be tempting to wash coffee grounds away because they are small but they can build up and create a sludge-like mess in your drain.</span></p> <p><strong>4. Pasta</strong></p> <p><span>Any stray pieces of pasta need to go in the bin as if it is washed down the drain, water can cause pasta to swell and it may result in a blockage.</span></p> <p><strong>5. Potato peel</strong></p> <p><span>Potato peel and other starchy vegetables such as beans, should never be washed down the sink as it can create a mess.</span></p> <p><strong>6. Bones</strong></p> <p><span>Even if you have a bone that is small enough to fit down your sink, it will end up getting stuck and creating a blockage somewhere in the pipes. </span></p> <p><span>What do you make sure you never put down the sink? Let us know in the comments below. </span></p>

Food & Wine

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How to wash clothes in the sink of your hotel

<p>Need to do laundry but don’t want to pay? Look no further than your handy sink.</p> <p><strong>1. Be organised</strong></p> <p>As with most travel tricks, this one starts with being organised well before you’re even washing. Bring a laundry bag (or an old pillowcase) to keep your dirty clothes separated from your clean ones. It’s also a good idea to stick to similar colours for basics like underwear and socks so you don’t have to worry about dye running when you wash them.</p> <p><strong>2. Get the right soap</strong></p> <p>A bar of hotel soap will do in a pinch, but it’s better to have the right stuff for the job. Stock up on a bottle, bar or small sachets of special travel laundry soap that will do a much better job. We like laundry powder sheets, which look like squares of tissue paper and dissolve in water to give you plenty of suds. It can also be a good idea to bring a stain remover pen to use on any spills.</p> <p><strong>3. Clean the sink</strong></p> <p>It’s best to start with a clean work surface, so give the sink a good scrub down with soap and hot water before you start. You don’t want to end up with dirt, makeup or hair in your DIY washing machine.</p> <p><strong>4. Get washing</strong></p> <p>Fill the sink with warm water (too hot and the colours can run), add in your soap and get started. Don’t overcrowd the sink with too many clothes as you’ll end up with water everywhere. Imitate the motions of a washing machine by swirling your clothes around in a circular motion. If they are very dirty, leave them to soak for a few minutes.</p> <p><strong>5. Rinse</strong></p> <p>Drain the water from the sink and rinse your clothes to remove the soap. Skip this step and your clothes will end up stiff and sticky. Keep rinsing until there are no more bubbles in the water.</p> <p><strong>6. Dry</strong></p> <p>Without a spin cycle, it can be tough to get clothes dry enough to hang up. The best hotel hack here is to use a bath towel. Ring the clothes out, lay the towel out on the floor, then lay your clothes flat along it. Roll the towel up, squeezing as you go to remove excess water. The towel will suck out most of the water, leaving the clothes reasonably dry.</p> <p><strong>7. Hang</strong></p> <p>Set up your travel clothesline or use the towel rack, shower rail and coathangers. Give everything a good shake before you hang it up to remove creases. A quick blast with the hairdryer will speed things up.</p> <p>Have you ever tried this? What tips would you suggest?</p>

Travel Tips

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Brave passer-by saves 70-year-old from sinking car

<p>An elderly man and his dog have been pulled from a car as it sank into an English lake.</p> <p>Accountant Alex Kerr was at a cafe with her family when she heard "this big crunch noise".</p> <p>"When we looked up we just saw this car floating into the lake, but it had already gone through a metal bollard and chain," Mail Online quoted her saying.</p> <p>"It just floated off, but it took a while for any of us to realise someone was in there as he was sitting so still inside."</p> <p>Two men and a woman went out to the car and can be seen in the video banging on a side window after initially being unable to open a door.</p> <p>As the car began to sink, the rescuers were able to open a back door and pull the man, in his 70s, and his dog out.</p> <p>"As soon as that door opened it started to go down quickly but they managed to get him out and all that ended up showing of the car was the open boot," Kerr said.</p> <p>The incident happened on Sunday (local time) at Stanborough Park in Welwyn Garden City.</p> <p><em>Video credit: YouTube / Alex Kerr</em></p> <p><em>First appeared on <a href="http://www.Stuff.co.nz" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Stuff.co.nz</strong></span></a>. </em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2016/10/genius-way-to-stop-triplets-fighting/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Dad’s genius way to stop triplets fighting in the car</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2016/10/102-year-old-arrested-for-bucked-list/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>102-year-old’s bucket list wish of being arrested comes true</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2016/09/policeman-drives-grieving-man-to-be-with-family/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Police officer drives grieving stranger 160km to be with his family</strong></em></span></a></p>

News