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Becoming a landlord while still renting? ‘Rentvesting’ promises a foot on the property ladder, but watch your step

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/james-graham-1264059">James Graham</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a></em></p> <p>As home ownership moves further out of reach for many Australians, “rentvesting” is being touted as a lifesaver.</p> <p>Rentvesting is the practice of renting one property to live in yourself, while simultaneously purchasing an investment property somewhere cheaper and leasing it out.</p> <p>Ideally, “rentvestors” get to enjoy the capital gains on an investment property while living where they actually want to live, allowing them to cash in and upsize to their dream home later.</p> <p>It might seem like a savvy way to game the property market. But what are the risks of such an investment strategy? And how might broad adoption of this behaviour affect housing affordability in Australia?</p> <h2>A rising tide lifts all boats differently</h2> <p>The aim of the rentvesting game is to buy cheap property now, ride the expected capital gains, and move into a more desirable home down the track. The hope is that by climbing the first rung of the property ladder early, the whole thing won’t be pulled up out of reach.</p> <p>The first problem with this strategy, however, is that capital gains on housing are not always and everywhere equal.</p> <p>Generally, the cheapest properties available to rentvestors will be houses in the regions or apartments in the city. But both regional housing and apartment properties <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-20/house-apartment-price-gap-widens-record-high-property-market/103484076">tend to appreciate more slowly</a> than the inner-city houses rentvestors might hope to live in one day. They might get a foot on the property ladder, but the rungs themselves are slowly drifting apart.</p> <p>Would-be rentvestors should also be aware that investments by “out-of-town” buyers tend to generate <a href="https://academic.oup.com/rfs/article-abstract/29/2/486/1902789">much lower returns</a> – both capital gains and rental yields – than investments by locals. Out-of-towners don’t know the local market trends, don’t know which neighbourhoods to avoid, and aren’t able to monitor their investments as effectively from afar.</p> <p>Avoiding the regions by investing in city apartments presents its own difficulties. Large, unexpected maintenance bills and poor strata management are <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-21/a-world-of-hidden-charges:-strata-company-insiders/103617944">common complaints</a>.</p> <h2>Different costs lead to different returns</h2> <p>Perhaps the potential rentvestor should invest in something more straightforward instead, like stocks. After all, the return on equities in Australia has <a href="https://academic.oup.com/qje/article/134/3/1225/5435538">outperformed housing</a> in recent decades.</p> <p>However, it is much easier to borrow to invest in property than it is to borrow to invest in the stock market. And leverage is the investor’s secret weapon. For example, if house prices were to appreciate at 10% per year, then using a mortgage and a A$100,000 deposit on a $1 million property would earn you a 100% return on equity before costs.</p> <p>But while both investors and homeowners would earn that same basic return, their costs could be very different. For starters, property investors face capital gains tax on the proceeds of property sales, <a href="https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/investments-and-assets/capital-gains-tax/property-and-capital-gains-tax/your-main-residence-home/eligibility-for-main-residence-exemption">unlike those selling their primary residence</a>. Banks also typically charge <a href="https://www.rba.gov.au/chart-pack/interest-rates.html">higher interest rates</a> on mortgages to investors than to homeowners.</p> <p>At times, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority has also imposed caps on bank lending against investment properties, making it more difficult to find mortgage financing in the first place.</p> <p>Highly leveraged properties require mortgage insurance, too. Investors may need to take out larger insurance policies against the properties themselves, reflecting the higher risks associated with investment properties. Then, you also have to throw in property management fees, council rates, strata management fees and regular and unexpected maintenance costs.</p> <h2>Negative gearing offers little benefit</h2> <p>What about negative gearing? Property investors that generate losses on their property can deduct these costs against the tax bill on their other income.</p> <p>But negative gearing disproportionately benefits high-income earners with large tax bills. The <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/earnings-and-working-conditions/personal-income-australia/latest-release">median Australian individual income</a> is around $55,00, which generates a tax bill of about $8,000 – not a lot from which investment property losses can be deducted.</p> <p>The bigger picture is that while negative gearing helps defray the regular costs of managing a property, it doesn’t do anything to change expected capital gains.</p> <p>At the end of the spreadsheet tally, an investment property could end up earning rentvestors significantly less than they could have gained by simply buying their first home.</p> <h2>Effects on housing affordability</h2> <p>Rentvesting is new enough that its prevalence and influence awaits formal academic study. But economists might speculate about its implications for the housing market more broadly.</p> <p>The simplest analysis suggests that a rentvestor occupies one rental property while supplying an additional rental property to the market. If, instead, they had bought a home, they would vacate a rental property while removing another property from the market. In this case, even rentvesting en masse would have zero net effect on the housing market.</p> <p>But a more nuanced perspective might consider where rentvestors are renting and where they are investing. Perhaps they are most likely to rent properties in the already-crowded inner city, but purchase investment properties in regional areas where other first home buyers would like to live.</p> <p>This would increase demand for rentals in the city and reduce the supply of owner-occupier properties in the regions, worsening the affordability of both.</p> <p>Of course, if these rentvestors all eventually move up the property ladder – selling in the region and purchasing in the city – this effect would be reversed. From that longer-term perspective, rentvestors would ultimately have little effect.</p> <h2>We still need more houses</h2> <p>Rentvesting is not a panacea for Australia’s housing market woes. Potential investors should weigh the benefits of property investment against its substantial costs and risks. Additionally, they need to carefully consider the obvious alternative: simply buying their first home up-front.</p> <p>We have good reason to be wary of yet another get-rich-quick scheme involving the housing market. But initial considerations suggest that for the market overall, rentvestor behaviour is no worse than someone simply buying their first home, which we would otherwise encourage.</p> <p>Rather than criticising those seeking a way though our housing market morass, we might instead redouble our efforts to increase the supply of housing.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/229116/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/james-graham-1264059">James Graham</a>, Lecturer in Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/becoming-a-landlord-while-still-renting-rentvesting-promises-a-foot-on-the-property-ladder-but-watch-your-step-229116">original article</a>.</em></p>

Money & Banking

Elephant tourism often involves cruelty – here are steps toward more humane, animal-friendly excursions

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michelle-szydlowski-1495781">Michelle Szydlowski</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/miami-university-1934">Miami University</a></em></p> <p>Suju Kali is a 50-year-old elephant in Nepal who has been carrying tourists for over 30 years. Like many elephants I encounter through my <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10888705.2022.2028628">research</a>, Suju Kali exhibits anxiety and can be aggressive toward strangers. She suffers from emotional trauma as a result of prolonged, commercial human contact.</p> <p>Like Suju Kali, many animals are trapped within the tourism industry. Some venues have no oversight and little concern for animal or tourist safety. Between 120,000 and 340,000 animals are used globally in a variety of wildlife tourism attractions, including <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0138939">endangered species</a> like elephants. Over a quarter of the world’s <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/7140/45818198">endangered elephants</a> reside in captivity with little oversight.</p> <p>Wildlife tourism – which involves viewing wildlife such as primates or birds in conservation areas, feeding or touching captive or “rehabilitated” wildlife in facilities, and bathing or riding animals like elephants – is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14724049.2022.2156523">tricky business</a>. I know this because I am <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=YbweA2MAAAAJ&hl=en">a researcher studying human relationships with elephants</a> in both tourism and conservation settings within Southeast Asia.</p> <p>These types of experiences have long been an <a href="https://kathmandupost.com/money/2021/06/17/tourism-is-nepal-s-fourth-largest-industry-by-employment-study">extremely popular and profitable</a> part of the <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.1002074">tourism market</a>. But now, many travel-related organizations are urging people not to participate in, or <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2018/04/27/animal-welfare-travelers-how-enjoy-wildlife-without-harming/544938002/">calling for an outright ban on, interactive wildlife experiences</a>.</p> <p>Tourism vendors have started marketing more “ethical options” for consumers. Some are attempting to truly improve the health and welfare of wildlife, and some are transitioning captive wildlife into touch-free, non-riding or lower-stress environments. In other places, organizations are attempting to <a href="https://www.fao.org/documents/card/es/c/b2c5dad0-b9b9-5a3d-a720-20bf3b9f0dc2/">implement standards of care</a> or create manuals that outline good practices for animal husbandry.</p> <p>This marketing, academics argue, is often simply “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2017.11.007">greenwashing</a>,” <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2023.2280704">applying marketing labels to make consumers feel better</a> about their choices without making any real changes. Worse, research shows that some programs marketing themselves as ethical tourism may instead be widening economic gaps and harming both humans and other species that they are meant to protect.</p> <h2>No quick fix</h2> <p>For example, rather than tourist dollars trickling down to local struggling families as intended by local governments, many tourism venues are owned by nonresidents, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/japfcsc.v2i1.26746">meaning the profits do not stay in the area</a>. Likewise, only a small number of residents can afford to own tourism venues, and venues do not provide employment for locals from lower income groups.</p> <p>This economic gap is especially obvious in Nepalese elephant stables: Venue owners continue to make money off elephants, while elephant caregivers continue to work 17 hours a day for about US$21 a month; tourists are led to believe they are “<a href="https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/book/10.1079/9781800624498.0000">promoting sustainability</a>.”</p> <p>Yet, there are no easy answers, especially for elephants working in tourism. Moving them to sanctuaries is difficult because with no governmental or global welfare oversight, elephants may end up in worse conditions.</p> <p>Many kindhearted souls who want to “help” elephants know little about their biology and mental health needs, or what it takes to keep them healthy. Also, feeding large animals like Suju Kali is pricey, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14010171">costing around $19,000 yearly</a>. So without profits from riding or other income, owners – or would-be rescuers – can’t maintain elephants. Releasing captive elephants to the jungle is not a choice – many have never learned to live in the wild, so they cannot survive on their own.</p> <h2>Hurting local people</h2> <p>Part of the problem lies with governments, as many have marketed tourism as a way to fund conservation projects. For example in Nepal, a percentage of ticket sales from elephant rides are given to community groups to use for forest preservation and support for local families.</p> <p>Increasing demand for <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Tourism-and-Animal-Ethics/Fennell/p/book/9781032431826">wildlife-based tourism</a> may increase traffic in the area and thus put pressure on local governments to further limit local people’s access to forest resources.</p> <p>This may also lead to <a href="https://www.worldanimalprotection.org/latest/news/un-world-tourism-organisation-urged-create-better-future-animals/">increased demands on local communities</a>, as was the case in Nepal. In the 1970s, the Nepalese government removed local people from their lands in what is now Chitwan National Park as part of increasing “conservation efforts” and changed the protected area’s boundaries. Indigenous “Tharu,” or people of the forest, were forced to abandon their villages and land. While some were offered access to “buffer zones” in the 1990s, many remain poor and landless today.</p> <p>In addition, more and more desirable land surrounding conservation areas in Nepal is being developed for tourist-based businesses such as hotels, restaurants and shops, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/japfcsc.v2i1.26746">pushing local poor people farther away</a> from central village areas and the associated tourism income.</p> <p>Some activists would like humans to simply release all wildlife back into the wild, but <a href="https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/book/10.1079/9781800624498.0000">there are multiple issues</a> with that. Elephant habitats throughout Southeast Asia have been transformed into croplands, cities or train tracks for human use. Other problems arise from the fact that tourism elephants have <a href="https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315457413">never learned</a> how to be elephants in their natural elements, as they were <a href="https://www.pugetsound.edu/sites/default/files/file/8342_Journal%20of%20Tourism%20%282009%29_0.pdf">separated from their herds</a> at an early age.</p> <p>So tourism may be vital to providing food, care and shelter to captive elephants for the rest of their lives and providing jobs for those who really need them. Because elephants can live beyond 60 years, this can be a large commitment.</p> <h2>How to be an ethical tourist</h2> <p>To protect elephants, tourists should check out reviews and photos from any venue they want to visit, and look for clues that animal welfare might be impacted, such as tourists allowed to feed, hold or ride captive wildlife animals. Look for healthy animals, which means doing research on what “healthy” animals of that species should look like.</p> <p>If a venue lists no-touch demonstrations – “unnatural” behaviors that don’t mimic what an elephant might do of their own accord, such as sitting on a ball or riding a bike, or other performances – remember that the behind-the-scenes training used to achieve these behaviors can be <a href="https://doi.org/10.21832/9781845415051-014">violent, traumatic or coercive</a>.</p> <p>Another way to help people and elephant is to to use small, local companies to book your adventures in your area of interest, rather than paying large, international tourism agencies. Look for locally owned hotels, and wait to book excursions until you arrive so you can use local service providers. Book homestay programs and attend cultural events led by community members; talk to tourists and locals you meet in the target town to get their opinions, and use local guides who provide wildlife viewing opportunities <a href="https://nepaldynamicecotours.com/">while maintaining distance from animals</a>.</p> <p>Or tourists can ask to visit <a href="https://www.americanhumane.org/press-release/global-humane-launches-humane-tourism-certification-program/">venues that are certified</a> by international humane animal organizations and that <a href="https://www.su4e.org/">do not allow contact</a> with wildlife. Or they can opt for guided hikes, canoe or kayak experiences, and other environmentally friendly options.</p> <p>While these suggestions will not guarantee that your excursion is animal-friendly, they will help decrease your impact on wildlife, support local families and encourage venues to stop using elephants as entertainment. Those are good first steps.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219792/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michelle-szydlowski-1495781">Michelle Szydlowski</a>, Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Project Dragonfly, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/miami-university-1934">Miami University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/elephant-tourism-often-involves-cruelty-here-are-steps-toward-more-humane-animal-friendly-excursions-219792">original article</a>.</em></p>

Travel Tips

Petition launched for Miss Universe Australia to step down

<p>A petition is calling for Australia’s Miss Universe Moraya Wilson to step down, following reports that her parents owe $45 million to creditors. </p> <p>According to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) her parents, Anton and Melinda Wilson, owe $45 million to creditors following multiple company liquidations. </p> <p>They also owe $21 million to the tax office, with Anton Wilson due in court next month for knowingly signing a false declaration and defrauding creditors of a bankrupt, according to <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/other-industries/calls-for-miss-universe-australia-to-step-down-amid-reports-her-family-owes-up-to-45m-to-creditors/news-story/092c8e7e789b2749d5853f7b6dccf535" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>news.com.au</em></a>.</p> <p>So where does Moraya come into all of this? </p> <p>It is reported that she is the director of 10 companies that ASIC is looking to have struck off the business register, although she has denied any knowledge of, or involvement in the businesses. </p> <p>Moraya said that she had “tendered my resignation from all of the companies”.</p> <p>However, Anton Wilson's bankrupt trustee Nicholas Crouch, claims that Moraya was listed as the sole director of these 10 companies so that the family business can continue to run despite her parent's bankruptcies. </p> <p>In a submission to a parliamentary inquiry into ASIC lodged last year, Crouch wrote: “21-year-old daughter is now nominated as the director of the family construction group.</p> <p>“It would appear the family business has not been disrupted by strategic bankruptcies and liquidations.”</p> <p>It is also alleged that one of the companies Moraya is a director of owes $13,204 to the Australian Taxation Office, which means that it was operating and trading as a business. </p> <p>Her father claims that when Moraya was 19, and already successful in her modelling career, she wanted “to carve a career in property development”, so he offered her “general father-daughter advice”. </p> <p>“I just politely, as a father does to his daughter, said ‘I’ll help you get into business’. Pretty simple,” Anton said. </p> <p>Now, a Change.org petition has been launched by a member of the public, calling for her to step down as Australia’s top model.</p> <p>The petition reads: “Miss Universe is an international competition that empowers women and promotes diverse representations of beauty across the globe. This beauty goes beyond appearance and includes character and personality …”</p> <p>However, Moraya said that she still intends to compete in the international pageant later this month. </p> <p>“I have become aware of a petition,” she said.</p> <p>“I intend to fulfil my duties as Miss Universe Australia to the best of my ability with the full support of The Miss Universe Australia management.”</p> <p>The organiser of the Miss Australia pageant, Troy Barbagallo also said that the controversy was “none of my business," and remains certain of his choice of Moraya as Australia’s top model.</p> <p>“There is (a) wide range of criteria and a large selection committee who found Moraya to be the best person for the job among 24 exceptional women and we stand by that decision,” he said. </p> <p>The model is set to travel El Salvador later this month for the international pageant. </p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Money & Banking

Why is Rupert Murdoch stepping aside now and what does it mean for the company?

<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/andrew-dodd-5857">Andrew Dodd</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a></em></p> <p>At age 92, media mogul Rupert Murdoch is <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-21/rupert-murdoch-steps-down-as-newscorp-chair/102887474">stepping down</a> as chairman of Fox Corporation and News Corp but will stay on in the role of chairman emeritus, presumably to help guide his eldest son Lachlan as the new head of the firm.</p> <p>In many ways, the news was inevitable. The company is clearly planning its succession and how it manages Rupert’s decline. It has one eye on the market and one on ensuring the company maintains its direction.</p> <p>But why now, and where to from here for the company? And what will Rupert Murdoch be remembered for?</p> <h2>Why now?</h2> <p>Rupert’s departure was always going to come in one of two ways: either Rupert dropping off the perch or him leaving on this own terms. He has opted for the latter.</p> <p>This means the company has chosen to manage the transition in a market-favourable way.</p> <p>The transition to Lachlan looks, for the moment, to be well and truly secure. This gives him the chance under the leadership of Rupert to guide the company in the direction he – or Rupert – wants.</p> <p>Rupert says he is in robust health but he was keen to hang on as long as possible. So, perhaps today’s news suggests his health is declining. We can only speculate but the man is, after all, 92.</p> <h2>Would the recent lawsuits have played a role?</h2> <p>Fox has been subject to several very expensive lawsuits in recent years, which caused a lot of turmoil internally. At the cost of US$787.5 million, Fox settled a defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems over baseless claims made about its voting machines in the 2020 US presidential election. A different voting technology company, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/sep/21/rupert-murdoch-fox-news-lawsuits-donald-trump">Smartmatic</a>, is also suing.</p> <p>But I doubt this played a huge role in Rupert stepping down because, in the end, a billion in lawsuits is nothing to a company that a few years ago made $70 billion by selling just some of its assets to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/09/21/fox-and-news-corp-stock-surges-as-rupert-murdoch-steps-down/?sh=37463b772a49">Disney</a>.</p> <p>This is the price the company pays for its take-no-prisoners approach. It is proud of its uncompromising editorial stance, which is designed to pander to its right-wing audience. And there is no indication Lachlan will take it in a different direction.</p> <h2>What next for Lachlan, with Rupert as chairman emeritus?</h2> <p>In a sense, Rupert is not really stepping down. His new papal-like title of chairman emeritus recognises he will struggle to let go. But the new role is also about calming the market and saying, “Don’t worry, I haven’t gone away; I am still here and I have my hand on Lachlan’s shoulder.”</p> <p>The best indication of Lachlan’s future stewardship of News Corp is his recent behaviour. He was at the helm of Fox News during Donald Trump’s presidential years and the immediate aftermath, when Fox News did enormous damage in its reporting on the 2020 election result. He was at the helm when Fox was making those baseless claims about Dominion Voting Systems. He had ample opportunity to guide the company in a different direction, but he didn’t.</p> <p>So I think we can expect News Corp will continue to be the zealous right-wing media company it currently is.</p> <h2>How might this affect the 2024 US election?</h2> <p>News Corp has finally seen what millions of US voters saw at the 2020 election, which was that Trump was ultimately destructive as a leader. Now, outlets like Fox News are umming and ahhing about whether to back him. Some at Fox are clearly reluctant to let go of their adoration of Trump while others are disappointed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis isn’t emerging as a viable challenger.</p> <p>If Trump continues to be the most popular Republican candidate, Fox will probably fall into line and support him, albeit with less enthusiasm than last time.</p> <p>There is a sense of confusion within Fox about whom to back and where to stand, which reflects the chaos in US politics more broadly.</p> <h2>So what’s Rupert’s legacy?</h2> <p>It comes down to a ledger. Has this man done more harm or good in his life in the media?</p> <p>On the good side, he has been a champion of newspapers. He has employed thousands of journalists and his outlets have often practised good public-interest journalism.</p> <p>But I am afraid I believe the good is outweighed by all the harm done on Rupert’s watch.</p> <p>His news media empire is fundamentally antisocial in the way it operates. I believe it’s caused so much harm to so many people along the way, and that cannot go unacknowledged. From the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-british-scandal-murdoch-20150611-story.html">UK phone hacking scandal</a> and beat ups to <a href="https://www.uts.edu.au/sites/default/files/Sceptical-Climate-Part-2-Climate-Science-in-Australian-Newspapers.pdf">climate denial</a> and the demonisation of minorities, News Corp can be counted on to dumb down complexity, make issues binary and turn one side against the other.</p> <p>He has damaged democracy and civil discourse and journalism itself. The behaviour of News Corp has on occasions been reprehensible, for which I think Rupert must take the blame.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/214141/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/andrew-dodd-5857">Andrew Dodd</a>, Director of the Centre for Advancing Journalism, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a></em></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-rupert-murdoch-stepping-aside-now-and-what-does-it-mean-for-the-company-214141">original article</a>.</p>

Legal

The 10 step process to get moving and keep moving for a healthier you

<p>Looking at the <a href="https://mind.uci.edu/research-studies/90plus-study/">research</a>, especially around longevity, the answer to a healthier you lies in the way we live. It’s really about the choices we make every day and the little things we do that accumulate to form the larger picture.</p> <p>If we look around, our lifestyles are full and quite sedentary. We run busy schedules, we work long hours and have many commitments that leave us with little to no time to be active. We spend all day at a desk to then go home and relax, sitting some more, this time on the couch. </p> <p>We need to move more. It is really that simple. Life quality goes hand in hand with being (and keeping) active. When I work with my clients to help them uncover their inner athlete, I follow a 10 step process that helps them shift perspective and move from a short term fix to a framework that lasts the test of time. At the heart of this process is the belief that everyone can learn these steps and create their very own formula, embracing what works for them and them alone. Let’s take a look:</p> <p><strong>1) Rediscover</strong></p> <p>Think back to a time when being active was second nature to you, something you would just do. Follow the clues that lit you up to understand where your passions lie. Your past is the teacher that can help you rekindle your love of movement.</p> <p><strong>2) Driving Forces</strong></p> <p>Your beliefs, your values as well as those little things that warm your heart and make you smile carry great power and meaning. They can ignite a spark in you so use them to drive change.</p> <p><strong>3) Athletic Mindset</strong></p> <p>What goes on between your ears is the difference between being active and letting gravity pull you back down to the couch. Look at your mindset, the way you talk to yourself and the questions you ask. The aim is to remove internal hurdles to help you stay on track.</p> <p><strong>4) Your Why</strong></p> <p>Think of who you want to become and why. Your why will give you strong roots to weather the storms and a reason to keep moving.</p> <p><strong>5) Realistic Goals</strong></p> <p>When you work towards a realistic goal you automatically bring order into your life. Structure fosters change and tightens our priorities.</p> <p><strong>6) Energy Boost</strong></p> <p>To bring about change you require energy. There are 5 elements you can tweak (one at a time and gradually) to boost your energy: food, sleep, breath work, timing and movement.</p> <p><strong>7) Maximum performance</strong></p> <p>It takes time to develop the skills that go hand in hand with an active lifestyle. The secret is to make your movement incremental, follow your pace (slow burn it) and be deliberate in what you do.</p> <p><strong>8) Rituals and routines</strong></p> <p>How you greet the morning determines the flavour of every day. Slowly build habits that keep you hungry for more and align with the person you want to become.</p> <p><strong>9) Recognise Progress</strong></p> <p>Recognising your progress helps you shift perspective and understand that every journey has its setbacks. In life’s transitions you are still moving forward and your focus is now the long game.</p> <p><strong>10) Celebrate the Wins</strong></p> <p>Take time to pat yourself on the back, celebrate you and how far you’ve come. Lightness and laughter are key ingredients in building momentum.</p> <p>There will be bumps along the way. Nothing is a straight line. Moving challenges every aspect of your being: the physical, the emotional and the cognitive. But to make the change you have all you need inside of you. Enjoy the ripple effects that moment brings into your life. Be playful, creative and make it your own.</p> <p><strong><em>Dr Brett Lillie, author of Rediscover Your Athlete Within, is a sought-after speaker, coach and rehab professional who helps people rekindle their love for movement and find their mojo so they can live their best life. To find out more about Dr Brett’s programs, go to his website www.brettlillie.com </em></strong></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Body

Why it’s so difficult to figure out what to do with your life – and three steps to take

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/marina-milosheva-1337343">Marina Milosheva</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/edinburgh-napier-university-696">Edinburgh Napier University</a></em></p> <p>What do you want to be when you grow up?</p> <p>Practically from the moment you start talking, you’re asked this question. As a child, you’re encouraged to make decisions about school subjects, activities and higher education, all in pursuit of a future career.</p> <p>These decisions, which have major repercussions for how the rest of your life will unfold, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/careers/young-people-take-career-decisions-too-early">are often hastily made</a>.</p> <p>Careers advice can be challenging to navigate and tends to focus on <a href="https://www.bi.team/blogs/moments-of-choice-how-young-people-make-career-decisions/">“moments of choice”</a>: those crucial transition points at which you need to make career decisions, such as when leaving secondary school.</p> <p>However, <a href="https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/media/m31lm1qo/moments_of_choice_report.pdf">“moments of inspiration”</a> are equally important. These are the times in which you are free to reflect on what you would really like to do, free of pressure or external influence.</p> <p>Many young professionals in their 20s and 30s find themselves trapped in the wrong job. Some feel unfulfilled, while others feel that they are overeducated and that <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/millions-stuck-in-the-wrong-job-study-finds-10968708">their talents are underutilised</a>.</p> <p>According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, one in three graduates are <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/news/news/oneinthreegraduatesovereducatedfortheircurrentrole">overeducated for their current role</a>. By 2030, things are expected to tip in the other direction: the rapidly changing work landscape might cause millions of UK workers to become <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work/the-future-of-work-rethinking-skills-to-tackle-the-uks-looming-talent-shortage">underskilled</a> in digital, decision-making, communication and leadership skills.</p> <h2>Why is it so hard to figure out what to do with your life?</h2> <p>Career decisions are a balancing act. You have to align your interests and aptitudes with the current demands of the labour market, neither of which are static entities.</p> <p>Your skills and interests (<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781118970843.ch53">and to some extent, even your personality</a>) change over time, and the labour market is in a constant state of flux. The pandemic-related increases in vacancies in <a href="https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/how-has-the-pandemic-affected-industries-and-labour-in-the-uk/">certain sectors</a> and the potential effect of automation on the <a href="https://www.pwc.co.uk/economic-services/assets/international-impact-of-automation-feb-2018.pdf">displacement of jobs in others</a> are just two examples of labour market trends that you may need to consider.</p> <p>Here are three ways to figure out what you want to do with your life.</p> <h2>1. Set a career goal</h2> <p>While many people conflate the terms <a href="https://napier-repository.worktribe.com/output/2747064/new-information-literacy-horizons-making-the-case-for-career-information-literacy">“work” and “career”</a>, I take care in my research to distinguish between them. While work refers to employment, career is something different. It is a continuing personal development project.</p> <p>It begins not on the first day of a new job, but by setting career goals. These goals depend on your strengths and interests and, above all, on your values.</p> <p>There are many ways to approach the task of goal-setting, either on your own or with the help of others. As a starting point, you could complete a career quiz (such as this fun one called <a href="https://animalme.myworldofwork.co.uk/">Animal Me</a>) or reflect on where you see yourself in five or ten years.</p> <p>Consider what you most enjoy doing and what you excel at. What tasks and experiences do you find most fulfilling and rewarding?</p> <p>If you don’t know your strengths or what you might enjoy doing, talk to others who know you well. Family members, friends and coworkers may be able to help you see yourself and what you bring to the table through their eyes.</p> <h2>2. Make a plan</h2> <p>The next step is to gather information on how you can achieve your vision, and set milestones along the way.</p> <p>If you’re looking to change career direction, you would first need to find out if you need training, work experience or further education. You would then need to identify specific companies or institutions in your area that match the criteria you have set out in your plan.</p> <p>If you’re after a more minor career adjustment, you might have fewer steps to go through. You could consider different roles that you are already qualified to do, or look through the job openings at your current company.</p> <p>If you feel stuck, you can get in touch with your local career service for free and impartial career information, advice and guidance. In the UK, these are the <a href="https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/">National Careers Service</a> (England), <a href="https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/what-we-do/scotlands-careers-services/our-centres/">Skills Development Scotland</a> and <a href="https://careerswales.gov.wales/">Careers Wales</a>.</p> <p>And if you’re feeling bold, you could also contact people who are in your dream job and ask them how they got there.</p> <h2>3. Find decent and meaningful work</h2> <p>Until you figure out that dream role, you should try to look for what careers scholars such as <a href="https://careerguidancesocialjustice.wordpress.com/2021/08/24/everyone-has-a-right-to-a-decent-and-dignified-life-that-includes-a-meaningful-career-an-interview-with-david-blustein/">David Blustein</a> and <a href="https://iep.utm.edu/sen-cap/">Amartya Sen</a> have described as decent and meaningful work.</p> <p><a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00407/full">Decent work</a> upholds the basic principles of social justice and human rights. You will know that you are in a decent job when you are fairly compensated, your role is not precarious, and work does not make you chronically stressed or ill.</p> <p>Meaningful work is aligned with your values and lets you achieve the kind of life that you value. Any work can be meaningful work, as long as it is compatible with what you consider to be important.</p> <p>A meaningful job can be one that allows you to have a good work-life balance, or one that comes with high pay. It could be a job that helps others, or one that lets you express yourself creatively. It could also be a job that facilitates your personal growth or a job that contributes to the greater good.</p> <p>Career planning takes time, but so does being stuck in the wrong job. British people spend an average of <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/british-people-work-days-lifetime-overtime-quit-job-survey-study-a8556146.html">3,507 days at work</a> over their lives. Why not spend that time doing something you love?<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209266/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/marina-milosheva-1337343"><em>Marina Milosheva</em></a><em>, PhD Candidate, Social Informatics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/edinburgh-napier-university-696">Edinburgh Napier University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-its-so-difficult-to-figure-out-what-to-do-with-your-life-and-three-steps-to-take-209266">original article</a>.</em></p>

Caring

Is the Barbie movie a bold step to reinvent and fix past wrongs or a clever ploy to tap a new market?

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lauren-gurrieri-5402">Lauren Gurrieri</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a></em></p> <p>After a months-long marketing blitz, the much-hyped Barbie movie is released this week.</p> <p>From a <a href="https://news.airbnb.com/barbies-malibu-dreamhouse-is-back-on-airbnb-but-this-time-kens-hosting/">Malibu Barbie dreamhouse</a> listed on AirBnB, an AI tool that <a href="https://www.barbieselfie.ai/au/">transforms selfies into Barbie movie posters</a> and multiple Barbie-themed brand collaborations ranging from nail polish to roller skates, Barbie is everywhere.</p> <p>She has even gone viral as a fashion trend known as <a href="https://www.elle.com.au/fashion/barbiecore-27286">Barbiecore</a>, exploding across social media with people embracing vibrant pink hues and hyper feminine aesthetics. A Barbie world is upon us.</p> <p>Although some have criticised this <a href="https://twitter.com/MosheIsaacian/status/1673415496929267712">saturation</a> strategy, it is a very deliberate marketing ploy to revitalise and redefine a brand with a contested position and history.</p> <p>As well as attracting adults who grew up with Barbie and are curious to see what’s changed, the reinvention is drawing in those younger fans swept up by the tsunami of marketing and merchandise.</p> <p>Despite being one of the <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/brandspark-most-trusted-brands-america-2022">most trusted brands</a> with a value of approximately <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1009126/barbie-brand-value-worldwide/">$US700 million</a>, Barbie has long attracted feminist criticism for fuelling outdated and problematic “plastic fantastic” sexist stereotypes and expectations.</p> <h2>The Barbie backlash</h2> <p>Only a few years back, Barbie was a brand in crisis. <a href="https://time.com/3667580/mattel-barbie-earnings-plus-size-body-image/">Sales plummeted</a> across 2011 to 2015 against the cultural backdrop of a rise in body positivity and backlash against a doll that represented narrow ideals and an impossible beauty standard.</p> <p>After all, at life-size Barbie represents a body shape held by <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF01544300#page-1">less than 1 in 100,000</a> real people. In fact, she is so <a href="https://rehabs.com/explore/dying-to-be-barbie/#.UWs-5aKyB8F">anatomically impossible</a> that, if she were real, she would be unable to lift her head, store a full liver or intestines, or <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/305/6868/1575">menstruate</a>.</p> <p>The backlash has also been in response to growing concerns about how she influences child development, particularly how and what children learn about gender. Barbie has been identified as a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1740144521000243#!">risk factor</a> for thin-ideal internalisation and body dissatisfaction for young girls, encouraging <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S174014451630208X">motivation for a thinner shape</a> that damages body image and self esteem.</p> <p>And despite the multiple careers Barbie has held over the decades, research highlights that girls who play with Barbie believe they have <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11199-014-0347-y">fewer career options than boys</a>. This speaks to the power of toys to reinforce gender stereotypes, roles and expectations, and how Barbie has imported narrow ideals of femininity, girlhood and womanhood into young girls’ lives.</p> <h2>Reinventing a long-established icon</h2> <p>In response to this backlash, Mattel launched a new range of Barbies in 2016 that were promoted as <a href="https://shop.mattel.com/collections/fashion-dolls#filter.ss_filter_tags_subtype=Fashionistas">diverse</a>, representing different body shapes, sizes, hair types and skin tones. This was not without criticism, with “curvy” Barbie still considered thin and dolls named in ways that drew attention foremost to their bodies.</p> <p>From a white, well-dressed, middle-class, girl-next-door with friends of a similar ilk, Barbie has since been marketed as a symbol of diversity and inclusion. To signify the extent of the transformation, Mattel’s executives gave this project the code name “Project Dawn”.</p> <p>Mattel - like many other brands joining the <a href="https://theconversation.com/victorias-secret-joins-the-inclusive-revolution-finally-realizing-diversity-sells-163955">“inclusivity revolution”</a> - knew that diversity sells, and they needed to make their brand relevant for contemporary consumers.</p> <p>Diversity initiatives included a line of <a href="https://shop.mattel.com/pages/barbie-role-models">female role model dolls</a>, promoted as “introducing girls to remarkable women’s stories to show them you can be anything”.</p> <p>Barbie was also given a voice in the form of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5BsRl9zFaeSKIL4XD-pdGHGbJRvkfe8S">Barbie Vlogs</a>, where she expressed her views on issues including depression and the <a href="https://www.bustle.com/p/barbies-vlog-about-the-sorry-reflex-is-the-feminist-pep-talk-all-90s-babies-need-to-hear-9852366">sorry reflex</a>. A gender neutral collection called “creatable world” was added in 2019 to open up gender expression possibilities when playing with Barbies.</p> <p>Such efforts were crucial to undoing missteps of the past, such as a “Teen Talk Barbie” that was programmed to say “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSL2-rbE9AM">Math class is tough!</a>”, or the compulsory heterosexuality that Barbie has long advanced.</p> <h2>The latest step in Barbie’s transformation</h2> <p>Barbie the film is simply the next step in an evolution to make brand Barbie inclusive. And with a rumoured film budget of $100 million, the supporting marketing machine provides a critical opportunity to reset the Barbie narrative.</p> <p>With Greta Gerwig, acclaimed director of female-led stories such as Little Women and Lady Bird at the helm, and a diverse cast of Barbies of different races, body types, gender identities and sexual preferences, the film and its creators have sought to assure audiences of the film’s feminist leanings.</p> <p>Addressing the complicated history of Barbie is crucial for audiences who grew up and played with the doll and are grappling with introducing her to the next generation of doll consumers.</p> <p>Yet, Robbie Brenner, executive producer of Mattel Films, has explicitly stated that Gerwig’s Barbie is “not a feminist movie”. Indeed, the main character still represents a narrow beauty standard - tall, thin, blonde, white - with diverse characters in place to support her narrative.</p> <p>Which begs the question: are these inclusion initiatives simply emblematic of diversity washing, where the language and symbolism of social justice are hijacked for corporate profit? Or do they represent a genuine effort to redress the chequered history of a brand that promotes poor body image, unrealistic ideals and rampant materialism?</p> <p>What is clear is that in today’s climate where brands are increasingly rewarded for taking a stand on sociopolitical issues, brand Barbie’s attempts to reposition as inclusive have paid off: sales are now booming.</p> <p>Seemingly, Barbie’s famous tagline that “anything is possible” has shown itself to be true.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209394/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lauren-gurrieri-5402">Lauren Gurrieri</a>, Associate Professor in Marketing, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-the-barbie-movie-a-bold-step-to-reinvent-and-fix-past-wrongs-or-a-clever-ploy-to-tap-a-new-market-209394">original article</a>.</em></p>

Movies

7 things you should pass on to your grandkids

<p>No one wants to think about what will happen when they’re no longer around, but thoughtfully choosing what to leave to your family will ensure your memory endures long after you’re gone. Here are the 10 things you should pass on to your grandchildren to help them remember you as you always were.</p> <ol> <li><strong>Your passport(s)</strong> – What better token of your life is there than a chronicle of all the incredible places you’ve visited? Your passports will inspire those you love to pack up their bags and follow in your footsteps.</li> <li><strong>Your wedding album</strong> – By passing on your beloved wedding photos, long after you and your partner are gone, your love story will continue to inspire generations after you – and maybe offer some style ideas to vintage-loving brides-to-be in your family!</li> <li><strong>Something belonging to your parents</strong> – If you have an old possession that used to belong to a parent, grandparent or even great-grandparent, giving it to your grandchildren will ensure their ancestors will live on through future generations.</li> <li><strong>Something sentimental</strong> – Photo albums are all well and good, but passing on something you love, which is truly special to you, will always remind your grandchildren of you. Just imagine their smiles as they look down on a watch or ring gifted to them by their beloved nan or pop.</li> <li><strong>A photo of the first time you met them</strong> – Who could forget the first time they meet their newborn grandchild? Share this moment with them and write on the back of the photo just how you felt when you held them for the first time.</li> <li><strong>Your favourite music, books, and movies</strong> – There’s nothing like music to bring back memories of people and places. Fill a bag (or load a USB) with your all-time favourite songs, books and movies so your family will always have something to lift their spirits when they’re feeling down.</li> <li><strong>Stories</strong> – while possessions are great, stories and memories are what will endure for decades after you’ve gone. Any chance you get, share a memory or a story with your loved ones, whether it’s about your life or theirs, and get a conversation going.</li> </ol> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Retirement Life

The most beloved grandparents in film

<p>Grandparents – they’re wise, loving and occasionally grumpy. They also make some of the best characters in films. So grab the popcorn, gather the grandkids and show them how amazing grandparents are!</p> <p><strong>Queen Clarisse Renaldi in <em>The Princess Diaries</em></strong></p> <p>Played by the graceful Julie Andrew, the ruler of the fictional country Genovia needs to teach her granddaughter and heir Mia (Anne Hathaway) how to be Queen. It’s the growing relationship – from heated arguments to acceptance and understanding – between the two that makes this movie. </p> <p><strong>Aurora Greenway in<em> Terms of Endearment</em></strong></p> <p>In possibly the best movie made about the mother-daughter relationship, Oscar-winning Shirley MacLaine plays the mother who puts years of hostility behind her to care for terminally ill daughter Emma (Debra Winger). However, it’s her role as a grandparent that brings her ultimate redemption becoming the guardian to her three grandchildren. Warning: tissues are a must in this film.</p> <p><strong>Grandma Annie in <em>The Proposal</em></strong></p> <p>Although she has no grandchildren, Betty White always plays the most hilarious nanas. Grandma Annie’s 90th birthday party is the big event where the romance between Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds finally comes to fruition. Even 60 years into her career, Betty White’s comical facial expressions will still make you laugh.</p> <p><strong>Grandpa Joe in <em>Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory</em></strong></p> <p>The bedridden grandfather decides to take his first steps into the outside world for his beloved grandson Charlie. The grandfather and grandson together experience a fantastical adventure of a life time, a trip to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.</p> <p><strong>The Grandfather in<em> The Princess Bride</em></strong></p> <p>The anonymous grandfather played by Peter Falk entertains his sick grandson (Fred Savage) with a good-old fashioned adventure story. Although reluctant at first, the grandson is soon just as caught up as we are about the tale of the masked man saving the beautiful princess.</p> <p><strong>Carl Fredricksen in <em>Up</em></strong></p> <p>Although not technically a grandfather, the animated story of a grumpy 78-year old man who forms an unlikely friendship with 8-year-old wilderness explorer Russell is a beautiful story of the generations’ comings together. Because of Russell, Carl learns to live again, something he never thought possible after the death of his wife many years ago.</p> <p><em>Images: Wolper Pictures</em></p>

Movies

Why you should encourage your grandchildren to write stories

<p>In an article published in <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/41405103" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em>Language Arts</em></strong></span></a>, educators who were interested in encouraging children to write were asked why it was important for children to be encouraged to write. Their reasons were varied and interesting, and worth considering for anyone who has a young child in their life – let’s take a look at some:</p> <p><strong>1. To entertain</strong></p> <p>As humans, we tell stories for many reasons, but perhaps the foremost reason is that we want to entertain one another. By encouraging children to write their own stories, they can discover what entertains them, as well as what entertains others – well-told, engaging stories.</p> <p><strong>2. To stimulate the imagination</strong></p> <p>By creating from nothing a story full of characters and original plots, a child’s imagination grows and develops.</p> <p><strong>3. To search for identity</strong></p> <p>When children write their own stories, they can use the conflict and characters to take their first steps on their search for identity. The power simple stories can have on a child’s self-development is remarkable.</p> <p><strong>4. To improve reading and writing skills</strong></p> <p>Children need to read and write, so we may as well find a way to make it more interesting for them. Not only will writing help kids learn how to read, it can also help them understand literary devices (suspense, twist, dramatic irony, etc.), and grammatical structures.</p> <p>Now that we’ve explored some of the reasons creativity in writing in our kids, let’s find some ways to help get them started:</p> <p><strong>5. Inspiration exploration</strong></p> <p>When you’re spending time with your grandchildren, make a game out of looking for fun story inspirations. Interesting newspaper headlines, a unique-looking house, a colouring-in book. You could even keep a box full of story inspirations to explore together with your grandchildren.</p> <p><strong>6. Unblank the page</strong></p> <p>Anyone who has ever sat down to write knows there’s nothing more intimidating than a blank page. To help kids out, try giving them the opening line to a story. You can create these yourself, find a list of opening lines on the internet, or even borrow the opening line of a book on your own shelf.</p> <p><strong>7. Work all of the mind</strong></p> <p>If you find that your grandchildren have difficulty focusing on just words, encourage them to explore other aspects of their own creativity by using visuals. Storyboards, illustrations, or even writing the story as a comic book can help stimulate storytelling.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Shutterstock</em></p>

Family & Pets

When babysitting your grandkids is not the retirement plan

<p><em><strong>Megan Giles is a retirement designer for women. She supports and coaches women approaching retirement to successfully transition and create a lifestyle that is fulfilling, meaningful to them and lights them up each day.</strong></em></p> <p>You’re retiring, or maybe you’re about to cut down to part-time hours and you can smell freedom in the air. You have the schedule for a pilates studio on your fridge, a list of restaurants to try, and a couple ideas for that abandoned corner of your garden. At last you have time to do all of those things you’ve always wanted to do.</p> <p>And then the phone rings. “Mum, now that you’re not working, it would be great if you could look after [grandchild] on a Friday…” And your heart sinks. You love your grandchild to bits, but a regular baby-sitting gig is not part of your plan.</p> <p>While this is the perfect scenario for many people approaching retirement, it’s important to recognise that it’s not for everyone.</p> <p>What happens if your family has other ideas for your life after work, e.g. caring for grandchildren, or they have assumptions about what you can and can't (or shouldn't!) do in retirement. Do you acquiesce and abandon your dreams or do you recognise the value of your time and dreams and decide to ‘just go for it’?</p> <p>The trouble with choosing to pursue your own path is the huge amount of guilt this can bring up, particularly for women. You feel that you should be there for your children and grandchildren. You know that your support will make their life easier as they have demanding jobs and because the cost of living and day care is expensive. Or perhaps you convince yourself that you do have the time and energy because, well, you’re not working anymore. But the risk that goes with this is that you start to feel resentful because you’re not being true to your dreams.</p> <p>Broaching this with adult children, however, can be a tricky thing to do. It brings up conflicting emotions including love, guilt, joy, fear and obligation and the last thing you want to do is make a loved one feel bad.</p> <p>In recognition of this, the following provides tips for sharing your retirement ideals with your family in a positive way:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Make an uninterrupted time to talk.</strong> While it might be an easy time to catch your children, try to avoid the early evening ‘witching hour’ when feeding and bathing can create mayhem</li> <li><strong>Share your goals.</strong> Rather than assuming your family know what will be important to you, let them know what you would like to get out of retirement, particularly while you are active and have good health</li> <li><strong>Articulate your concerns or fears.</strong> Let them know, for example, that you worry about being able to keep up with your energetic grandchild, or that you risk letting them down in the longer term when you decide to go travelling and can’t do that regular Tuesday ‘gig’</li> <li><strong>Listen to what it is that your adult children are seeking</strong> and see if you can come up with alternate options together (it doesn’t always have to be one thing or the other)</li> <li><strong>Let your family know that you love and care for them unconditionally.</strong> Not being able to provide regular baby-sitting duties does not mean that you love them any less</li> </ul> <p>As the saying goes, you first have to look after yourself before you can look after others and this applies especially in retirement. However uncomfortable it may seem initially, have the conversation in order to understand and align both your and your family’s expectations, and then give yourself permission to follow your dreams in retirement!</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Retirement Life

5 common questions about cruising with grandchildren

<p>Travelling with your grandchildren can be a rewarding experience. By the same token though if you're not properly prepared it can be quite a trying experience. In many ways that's why cruising is such a great option for family holidays.</p> <p>With everything taken care of a lot of the problems that normally come with travelling with children simply don't exist. In case you need a little more convincing, here's the answers to five of the most common questions about cruising with grandchildren.</p> <p><strong>1. Will our grandkids get bored?</strong> Cruise lines are becoming increasingly family friendly and incorporating a range of activities all the kiddies will enjoy. Some cruise lines offer kids clubs which are dedicated spaces with camp-like programming, others have activities like scavenger hunts, cooking classes and sports tournaments.</p> <p><strong>2. Will our grandchildren be able to eat the meals?</strong> On bigger cruise ships most menus have a kids menu that caters to children’s tastes and buffet usually has a range of kid-friendly options that will have your grandchildren happy enough.</p> <p><strong>3. Can grandkids bring their portable game devices aboard?</strong> Most cruise lines are more than accommodating when it comes to things like portable video game players, tablets, e-book readers and computers. There are generally also game systems set up in kids clubs for your children to enjoy.</p> <p><strong>4. Will my grandchildren be safe in common areas?</strong> Generally yes, but it’s also important to be responsible. Consider cruise ships like mini-floating cities carrying thousands of people you do not know at any one time. So it stands to reason that you’re doing yourself a huge favour by taking the general precautions that you’d take elsewhere.</p> <p><strong>5. Is it worth taking my grandchildren on a cruise?</strong> Of course it is! Travel is the only purchase in life that makes you richer, as they say, and instilling a thirst for travel in your grandchildren is a gift that sees their possibilities expand. And cruising really is one of the safest, most convenient ways to show your grandchildren the world.</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Cruising

Rare sighting as famous friends step out in support of Michael J. Fox

<p>Michael J. Fox has been joined by a host of his famous friends for a screening of his upcoming documentary. </p> <p>The new documentary explores the <em>Back to the Future</em> star's ongoing battle with Parkinson's disease, and the changes in his life and condition as he gets older. </p> <p>In a show of support for the actor, his celebrity mates joined together for a screening of <em>Still</em> at New York's Lincoln Center. </p> <p>Among the famous faces was actress Meg Ryan, who has not been spotted in public for more than six months. </p> <p>The former rom-com queen, best known for starring roles in films like <em>When Harry Met Sally</em>, <em>Sleepless in Seattle</em> and <em>You’ve Got Mail</em>, lives a more quiet life outside of the spotlight these days.</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-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr1TCUeO8e3/?utm_source=ig_embed&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/p/Cr1TCUeO8e3/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Tracy Pollan (@tracy.pollan)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Ryan hasn’t appeared on screen since the 2015 film <em>Ithaca</em>, which she also directed. </p> <p>However, she is plotting a return to screens later this year, with Ryan starring in and directing the film <em>What Happens Later</em>, which is currently in production.</p> <p>Ryan was among a star-studded group of famous friends supporting J. Fox for the premiere of his doco, with stars including Bill Murray, Denis Leary, Joan Jett, Katie Couric, Mariska Hargitay, and Debra Messing. </p> <p>The screening of the documentary comes after Michael J. Fox <a href="https://oversixty.co.nz/health/caring/i-m-not-gonna-be-80-michael-j-fox-s-tragic-admission" target="_blank" rel="noopener">admitted</a> that his battle with the disease is getting more difficult. </p> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';">“I’m not gonna be 80,” he said in a preview for an upcoming episode of the American current affairs program <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">CBS Sunday Mornin</em>g, according to <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Page Six</em>.</p> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';">In the clip, Journalist Jane Pauley tells Fox that he has “not squandered” but that his condition will eventually “make the call” as to when it’s his time to go.</p> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';">“Yeah, it’s, it’s banging on the door,” the actor said.</p> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';">“I’m not gonna lie. It’s gettin’ hard, it’s gettin’ harder. It’s gettin’ tougher. Every day it’s tougher.”</p> <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';"><em>Image credits: Instagram</em></p>

Caring

Royals share unseen photo of Queen Elizabeth with her great-grandchildren

<p dir="ltr">The royal family have shared a touching tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth on what would have been her 97th birthday.</p> <p dir="ltr">The late monarch was beaming as she was pictured with some of her grand-children and great-grandchildren, in a sweet snap taken by the Princess of Wales in Balmoral last summer.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Today would have been Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s 97th birthday. This photograph - showing her with some of her grandchildren and great grandchildren - was taken at Balmoral last summer,” they captioned the photo shared on Instagram.</p> <p dir="ltr">Queen Elizabeth was pictured with two of her grandchildren and eight of her 12 great-grandchildren.</p> <p dir="ltr">In the photo, Lady Louise Windsor and her brother James, Viscount Severn, stood tall and proud behind their grandmother.</p> <p dir="ltr">Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis stood in the second row alongside Isla Phillips, 11, and four-year-old Lena Tindall, who was perched on the left arm of the sofa with a cheeky grin on her face.</p> <p dir="ltr">The eldest of the late Monarch's great-grandchildren, Savannah Phillips, 12, sat next to her great-grandmother looking particularly poised in a dotted red dress.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mia Tindall, nine, sat on the other side of the late Queen, while carefully holding her baby brother, Lucas, in her lap.</p> <p dir="ltr"> </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-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CrTCXEqtQ1G/?utm_source=ig_embed&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/p/CrTCXEqtQ1G/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by The Prince and Princess of Wales (@princeandprincessofwales)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr"> </p> <p dir="ltr">However, some of the great-grandchildren were missing including the children of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the son of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank, and the daughter of Princess Beatrice and Edo Mappeli Mozzi.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Instagram post comes seven months after the Queen's death.</p> <p><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

The benefits of doing arts and crafts with grandkids

<p>Arts and crafts activities have a wide range of relational and health benefits for you and your grandchildren. Whether you<strong> </strong>make a craft activity, do embroidery or do painting and drawing to allow them to express their creativity, you will create special memories with your grandchildren. Here are some key benefits of doing arts and crafts together.</p> <p><strong>1. Flexible bonding</strong></p> <p>Arts and crafts is an activity that can be enjoyed one afternoon or can be continued over various visits to your grandchildren. Working together on a project and seeing it through until completion is a fun and genuine way to bond with someone. Grandchildren will also see the effort you taken to prepare something fun for them. Arts and crafts will allow you to invest in your relationship by doing an activity that will create special memories as you make your art and then at the end of your project you will have physical memorabilia of the time you spent together working on your craft.</p> <p><strong>2. Fun learning</strong></p> <p>Immersing yourself in arts and crafts have a huge range of health benefits for both you and your grandchildren. Arts and crafts can hone fine mother skills due to the repetition of various small movements and concentration. It can also improve coordination as hand movements have to be direct and precise. Arts and crafts can also improve concentration levels and visual processing abilities. Visual processing is a skill that is key in a child’s early years as they learn names and identification of primary colours and objects.</p> <p><strong>3. Improves self-esteem</strong></p> <p>Once a child has finished creating a craft activity they will have a sense of accomplishment because they created something. While you are doing the arts and crafts with your grandchild, you will have plenty of opportunity to observe their skills and encourage them along the way.</p> <p><strong>4. Teaches them to express themselves</strong></p> <p>Arts and crafts allow children to express what is on their minds as they tend to be very visual with the emotions and thoughts they are experiencing. Activities such as painting and drawing is particularly great for children who are shy as it will give insight to what is on their mind.</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Family & Pets

“I stepped away from my life”: Emma Watson’s candid birthday admission

<p dir="ltr">Emma Watson has shared an honest admission about the last few years of her life in the wake of her 33rd birthday. </p> <p dir="ltr">The <em>Harry Potter</em> star took to Instagram to share a series of portraits, as she returned to the public eye to share what she had been up to in her personal life. </p> <p dir="ltr">Watson’s last acting credit dates back to 2019 when she starred in Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of <em>Little Women</em>, and ever since Watson has taken a step back from Hollywood. </p> <p dir="ltr">The British actress admitted she had wanted to extend her “Covid cocoon” after sharing why she “stepped away” from her life. </p> <p dir="ltr">“This is 33. Holy moly. Before 29 I hadn’t even heard of a Saturn Return as a concept. Let’s just say that now I am well acquainted,” she wrote on Monday night.</p> <p dir="ltr">In astrology, the term “Saturn return” refers to when the planet Saturn has moved all the way through the zodiac back to the place where it was at the time of a person’s birth.</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/p/CrEw26NP9zE/?utm_source=ig_embed&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/p/CrEw26NP9zE/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Emma Watson (@emmawatson)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Getting candid about the highs and lows of the past couple of years, Watson said she learned to surf “badly,” rode horses, has done “a lot of therapy”, filmed the <em>Harry Potter</em> reunion, and “said goodbye to my Grandma and Grandpa.”</p> <p dir="ltr">She went on to say she “felt really sad and really p***ed off about a lot of things.” </p> <p dir="ltr">“I learned more about love and being a woman. It took me three years but I have finally figured out a daily practice and can actually keep it for more than a few days in a row.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“These pictures were actually taken on my birthday last year, but I wasn’t ready to come out of my COVID Cocoon. Today I feel 🦋🦋🦋🦋.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Watson signed off by showing her gratitude to her loved ones who have supported her recent journey of self-discovery. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Thank you to the witches in my coven who were so pivotal in helping me arrive at where and who I am now,” she wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You are my Avengers and you inspire me and kick ass. It takes a village, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”</p> <p dir="ltr">While Watson’s previous Instagram post was in December 2022, she previously kept her personal life away from the platform, only posting as an ambassador for Prada or sharing updates on her short film.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Caring

Fun camping activities for the whole family

<p>Dust off the tent and grab the sleeping bags because it is well and truly camping season! A traditional summer pursuit for many families, camping is not only great fun for all ages but a wonderful family bonding times. If you’re camping with the extended family this season, here are some activities that will engage even the most disinterested kid. Get ready for some wholesome fun that does not involve technology!</p> <p><strong>Scavenger hunt</strong></p> <p>Make it a competition so everyone, even the adults, get involved and active! As you will likely be around nature, create a nature-themed hunt. It can be as simple as collecting items like leaves of certain colours, different shaped rocks, snail shells or even spotting different types of bugs and animals. In this case, get everyone to take a photo of the item. Make sure you warn kids of things to avoid like certain poisonous or prickly plants that might be around.</p> <p><strong>Obstacle course</strong></p> <p>Create the ultimate outdoor obstacle course to challenge the whole family. It can be as easy or hard as you want so set it to accommodate all ages and activity levels in the family. Obstacles like crawling under picnic tables, skipping stones, long jumps on a beach, hanging off a branch are all options. Use what is at your campsite and race each other with the ‘losers’ having to cook dinner or collect firewood.</p> <p><strong>Nature watching</strong></p> <p>Since the whole family will be in the thick of the bush, take the time to get to know nature better! Most national parks and campsites will have brochures of types of animals and birds in the area or grab a guidebook and go bird and animal watching. Or learn about the different types of flora in the area. Just be sure to respect nature and not damage anything.</p> <p><strong>Learn new skills</strong></p> <p>A camping trip is a great time to teach the kids how to read maps and compasses (or brush up if you are rusty). Reading a map and compass is quickly becoming a lost skill but one which is still important. Make it a bit more fun by going orienteering. Create an easy compass course and see how well the family follows directions.</p> <p><strong>Cook up a treat</strong></p> <p>If you are lucky enough to have a big campfire blazing away at night don’t waste the opportunity and cook up some camp favourites. The classic damper is a great option, otherwise toasting marshmallows while sharing stories is the perfect way to unwind at night. Or you can create s’mores, an American favourite of marshmallows and chocolate sandwiched between crackers.</p> <p><strong>Ghost stories</strong></p> <p>Even the most disinterested grandkids will be engrossed with a night time session of ghost stories around the campfire. Engulfed in the blackness of night with not much signs of civility, the scare factor is heightened. If nobody can think of any good ones (we recommend you have some prepared to scare everyone!) or the grandkids are too young, play the game where everyone contributes a sentence which slowly builds an often outrageous and hilarious tale.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Shutterstock</em></p>

Travel Tips

6 step guide to travelling in developing countries

<p>Developing countries are endlessly fascinating and a travel experience not be missed, though you will need to be prepared.</p> <p><strong>1. Do your research</strong></p> <p>In developing countries, it’s rare that you can just buy a plane ticket, arrive and wing it. You’ll need to research destinations, accommodation, transport options and safety in much more depth than you would for your typical holiday spot. This research should continue right up until you depart. The situations in these countries can change overnight, so you want to be up to date with any dangerous incidents or government warnings.</p> <p><strong>2. Learn the local customs</strong></p> <p>A little consideration goes a long way. You don’t want to be the obnoxious tourist who is offending locals without even realising it. As part of your research, look into things like appropriate dress code, cultural conventions around touching or the correct type of language to use. You’ll also need to make some observations during your first few days in a country and ensure you’re behaving in an appropriate way. Remember that you are a guest in their community and should be respectful of their beliefs and customs.</p> <p><strong>3. Be prepared for limited facilities</strong></p> <p>Be prepared for a different level of comfort than you would expect at home or in a first world country. You’ll mostly need to avoid drinking the tap water and the toilets may leave something to be desired. Toiletries can also be hard to come by, so come with your own supply of wet wipes, hand sanitisers or any personal items you need.</p> <p><strong>4. Choose wisely</strong></p> <p>This applies to everything from your choice of hotel to buying a snack on the street. Even if you’ve booked a hotel online, make sure that you check the security features and quality of the room before you commit to spending the night. Do your own research or ask a travel agent about the safest transport options. Many developing countries don’t have the same standards for their airlines or trains as we do. And when you’re choosing a restaurant, find somewhere that looks clean, busy and is well patronised by locals (not just tourists) – they are the best judges of where to eat.</p> <p><strong>5. Beware of begging</strong></p> <p>Poverty can be a big problem in many developing countries, so it’s common to see people begging on the street. It’s tempting to give people money, especially when it’s children. While it might seem that you are helping them, handouts from travellers can create an ongoing culture of begging. Instead, look for a local charitable organisation to donate to or approach a local school or church and see if there are any supplies you can purchase for them.</p> <p><strong>6. Understand bartering and bribery</strong></p> <p>Bartering is a part of life in many developing countries and is expected everywhere from the local market to taxi drivers. Vendors often like to get tourists to play the game and will encourage you to bargain with them, even if you are happy to pay the original price. You don’t want to be ripped off but also remember that while saving a dollar or so means little to you, it can be a big difference to them. You also need to be aware that many of these countries operate on an unofficial system of bribery, so you might be expected to pay a small fee to make a transaction go smoothly. If the amount is small enough, just pay it and move on.</p> <p><strong>7. Register your travel</strong></p> <p>New Zealand government organisation SafeTravel encourages all travellers to register with them, but this is most important if you’re visiting developing countries. In the event of a disaster, communication can become impossible so it is a good idea if the local embassy knows you are in the country. They may be able to provide assistance or just let your family back home know that you are safe. It’s free and only takes a couple of minutes.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Travel Tips

Adorable footage captures Lilibet's first steps

<p>Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have shared the adorable moment Lilibet took her first steps. </p> <p>In their new Netflix docuseries, the Sussexes shared the sweet footage of Lili in the trailer for the second half of the self-titled documentary. </p> <p>The family is seen spending time together, with the trailer showing images from their life in Montecito, California, from birthdays to trips by the beach and playing in their backyard.</p> <p>Lilibet, lovingly known as Lili, is featured and referenced multiple times throughout the clip, with one segment showing the one-year-old taking wobbly steps with the help of her mother Meghan, who is holding her by the arms.</p> <p>Meanwhile another snap shows Lili sitting atop her father's shoulders in the trailer, as the family of four makes their way towards Frogmore Cottage.</p> <p>Footage of three-year-old Archie is also shown celebrating his birthday with his family, and running around with his sister. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Netflix / Getty Images</em></p>

Family & Pets

How grandchild proof is your home?

<p>We all have adventurous little ones in our life who are full of beans and personalities who love nothing more than to explore everywhere and anywhere. Is your home safe for these explorers?</p> <p>It’s a given: little ones can (and will!!!) climb and crawl anywhere and everywhere! Here we have a few helpful tips to ensure your home is a safe place for young children to explore explore!</p> <p>Did you know that accidental falls are among the most common types of injuries that are sustained in the home when it comes to children? Given this, you’ll want to make every effort to keep stairs and hallways clear and clutter-free to make room for your child to explore without tripping. It might also be a good idea to consider temporary fencing around stairways, steps and hallways. Safety gates at the top or bottom of stairs should be securely fastened to the wall and have a locked handle that can be used with one hand. These will prevent toddlers from climbing stairs unsupervised.</p> <p>As you all probably know, grandchildren love to climb, look at everything and pull on anything in their sight. To make sure spaces are as safe as possible, guard any hazards you can see when you look around the house. For instance, conceal window locks and blind cords from adventurous babies. Furthermore, ensure window, back doors and so on are locked</p> <p>Modern technology has many benefits and it’s a tool you can use to help with safeguarding your home. For example, place baby monitors around the home. Baby monitors can provide you peace of mind and now also connect to a smartphone, tablet, laptop or computer allowing them to be managed through a wireless network for parents on the go.</p> <p>Lastly, many child safety products can be DIY installed and keep children safe from hazards such as sharp corners on drawers and tables, power points and stairs. Do a search on the internet or head to your local hardware store or places like Target or Kmart for budget-friendly options. </p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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Becoming a landlord while still renting? ‘Rentvesting’ promises a foot on the property ladder, but watch your step

Elephant tourism often involves cruelty – here are steps toward more humane, animal-friendly excursions

Petition launched for Miss Universe Australia to step down

Why is Rupert Murdoch stepping aside now and what does it mean for the company?

The 10 step process to get moving and keep moving for a healthier you

Why it’s so difficult to figure out what to do with your life – and three steps to take

Is the Barbie movie a bold step to reinvent and fix past wrongs or a clever ploy to tap a new market?

7 things you should pass on to your grandkids

The most beloved grandparents in film

Why you should encourage your grandchildren to write stories

When babysitting your grandkids is not the retirement plan

5 common questions about cruising with grandchildren

Rare sighting as famous friends step out in support of Michael J. Fox

Royals share unseen photo of Queen Elizabeth with her great-grandchildren

The benefits of doing arts and crafts with grandkids

“I stepped away from my life”: Emma Watson’s candid birthday admission

Fun camping activities for the whole family

6 step guide to travelling in developing countries

Adorable footage captures Lilibet's first steps

How grandchild proof is your home?

News

Shop

Catalogues

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Entertainment

Property

Information

Keep up to date

Search

Becoming a landlord while still renting? ‘Rentvesting’ promises a foot on the property ladder, but watch your step

Elephant tourism often involves cruelty – here are steps toward more humane, animal-friendly excursions

Petition launched for Miss Universe Australia to step down

Why is Rupert Murdoch stepping aside now and what does it mean for the company?

The 10 step process to get moving and keep moving for a healthier you

Why it’s so difficult to figure out what to do with your life – and three steps to take

Is the Barbie movie a bold step to reinvent and fix past wrongs or a clever ploy to tap a new market?

7 things you should pass on to your grandkids

The most beloved grandparents in film

Why you should encourage your grandchildren to write stories

When babysitting your grandkids is not the retirement plan

5 common questions about cruising with grandchildren

Rare sighting as famous friends step out in support of Michael J. Fox

Royals share unseen photo of Queen Elizabeth with her great-grandchildren

The benefits of doing arts and crafts with grandkids

“I stepped away from my life”: Emma Watson’s candid birthday admission

Fun camping activities for the whole family

6 step guide to travelling in developing countries

Adorable footage captures Lilibet's first steps

How grandchild proof is your home?

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